The scent of damp earth filled Kouzaku Mitori's nostrils, perhaps mingled with a hint of fresh grass.
The immense pressure pinning her down abruptly vanished. As the weight lifted from her chest and stomach, she finally confirmed that the other party had released their hold on her.
But Kouzaku Mitori had no mind to dwell on the change in her own situation. Her thoughts were already completely captured by Shokuhou Misaki's words.
"Dolly's purpose wasn't just to verify cloning technology. She was also meant to test the information-sharing network between the clones—what we now call the Misaka Network."
"And after the final experiment was completed, Dolly's memories and experiences were transferred to another body. She's now sleeping somewhere in this city. As much as I'd like to go and wake her myself… the person she'd want to see most upon waking should be you."
Shokuhou Misaki bent down, speaking wistfully as she gently stroked Kouzaku Mitori's cheek, whose mind remained frozen in shock.
"But I also know that even with similar memories and experiences, it can't possibly be the original Dolly. Still, I can't help clinging to that faint hope—the possibility of living a life with Dolly."
"You feel the same, don't you, Mii-chan? If you can move, you should get up now. We've already troubled Sonoko-chan long enough today."
Shokuhou-senpai struggled slightly to lift her plaster-cast arm, wobbling a bit from the shift in balance. Yet, her face carried a trace of relief, as if she were recalling the days she had spent with Dolly.
Dolly, I've brought the real Mii-chan back to you—not an imposter like me.
"So Senpai had already come to terms with it long ago."
Natsume watched their exchange quietly, only now understanding her senior's true feelings.
In truth, everyone understood one thing: no matter how heart-wrenchly one screamed, what had happened was done. The real Dolly would never truly return.
Perhaps there was magic in this world that could bring back the dead, or mysterious artifacts capable of altering the flow of time. But such things felt impossibly distant for these young girls.
Even Natsume felt this was the best possible outcome. If the living could find redemption, surely their departed comrade would rest in peace.
"Take me to her."
From somewhere, Kouzaku Mitori found the strength to grab the plump girl's ankle. Ignoring the ragged, chaotic breaths tearing through her lungs, she forced out the words in a voice rough as a cough.
That single, simple sentence seemed to confirm everything Shokuhou Misaki had said.
"Of course."
"But before that, Mii-chan, you should really change into something more normal. If I recall, you used to be a student at Kirigaoka Girls' Academy Middle School, right?"
Struggling to maintain her composure, Shokuhou Misaki offered a faint smile.
"And let's not forget about Skill-Out," a certain bun-haired girl cut in. "We need to properly handle the aftermath with them too."
Due to her recent shift in perspective, Natsume's feelings were still somewhat conflicted. But she knew that Kouzaku Mitori had truly been in the wrong here.
It wasn't about sides—it was about what was right. That was the balance Natsume had found within herself.
Coincidentally, it also made her respect a certain Judgment member's philosophy all the more. Upholding the justice in one's heart was enough. Perhaps that was what simple, true justice meant.
"We really do need to clean up the mess Mii-chan made."
"I was worried you'd get swept up in the Dark Side purge, Mii-chan. Thankfully, we arrived just in time."
Blinking her starry eyes, Shokuhou Misaki spoke with a touch of lightness, almost casually mentioning the thwarted attack plan of a certain darkened girl.
--+--
In District 2, a certain care facility, still operational and subordinate to a research institute directly under the Board of Directors, hummed quietly.
With few visitors, it felt like a forgotten corner of the city. Yet, the humming equipment proved it hadn't been abandoned.
Perhaps maintained as one of Academy City's listed assets, it had been kept running by specialized staff for years. And there, deep within the facility, lay another body of Dolly, peacefully sleeping inside a cultivation pod.
"Is this the place?"
In a shift of scene, the former captive girl now wore the Kirigaoka Girls' Academy Middle School uniform. She clutched a transparent container holding a shimmering metallic liquid, and she'd become noticeably more talkative.
Her gaze often drifted absently to the dolphin figurine bouncing inside the container, as if remembering events from long ago.
The Kirigaoka uniform consisted of a light grey thin sweater over a short-sleeved white shirt and red tie, paired with a standard pleated skirt.
In truth, the summer uniforms of most prestigious girls' schools featured sweaters and short sleeves, with only minor variations in the details.
The uniform suited the present Kouzaku Mitori perfectly. Gone were the twin tails, replaced by long purple hair flowing down her back. The overall effect highlighted her slender, well-proportioned figure, making her seem like a completely different person from before.
The plump Shokuhou Misaki and the shorter Natsume Sonoko seemed slightly overshadowed, but they were still plenty cute in their own right.
"Yes, we're almost there."
The three walked side-by-side, though Shokuhou Misaki's pace unconsciously slowed, leaving her half a step behind Mitori.
"I remember I couldn't alter Dolly's memories back then. I could only make myself look like you."
"But at some point, Dolly noticed the difference between us. That child was unusually perceptive in certain ways."
Shokuhou Misaki's expression was calm as she watched the staff member leading the way, her voice low as she spoke to the Kirigaoka girl beside her.
As for the bun-haired girl, she silently faded into the background, watching her senior's changing expression with concern.
Though Natsume was a bit slow on the uptake regarding matters of the heart, even she could sense a hint of melancholy in Shokuhou-senpai.
"That's right. Dolly was very confident in her sense of smell. She could always identify the pastries I brought her just by scent."
"Even if Dolly's head was empty, her stomach needed to be full."
Memories surfacing in her mind, Kouzaku Mitori spoke.
The darkened girl seemed to have shed her superficial disguise. Underneath, she was just a middle school-aged girl after all.
Yet, her heart grew increasingly tense, yearning desperately for the scene that would greet her once those final doors swung open.
Soon, they passed through multiple checkpoints. Finally, the last door opened, revealing a cultivation pod, its lines connected to a computer, standing before them.
"Dolly."
Her eyes slightly reddening, Kouzaku Mitori instantly forgot the others.
She rushed forward, rising onto her toes to peer into the pod at the familiar figure lying within.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.