After Origami left, Inaba Tsukiyo returned home.
Yoshino hadn't woken up yet due to her inversion, so only Nia and Clone Kurumi were left in the living room.
Clone Kurumi had been waiting for Inaba Tsukiyo to return; there were some things she wanted to discuss with Inaba Tsukiyo.
As Kurumi's clone, Kurumi could clearly sense the location of her clone.
This meant that when Inaba Tsukiyo brought Clone Kurumi back, Kurumi already knew where Inaba Tsukiyo lived.
None of that mattered. Anyway, Inaba Tsukiyo just wanted Kurumi to come knocking. As long as that guy dared to come here, she swore Kurumi would have no chance of leaving immediately.
The other matter was Clone Kurumi's own problem.
As a clone created by Kurumi consuming her own time, she would quickly disappear if Kurumi stopped providing time.
Although the time they spent together was very short, as one of Kurumi's clones, Clone Kurumi was already very satisfied.
Although Inaba Tsukiyo saved Clone Kurumi, she would soon disappear as a clone with just a thought from the Main Body.
Without time, Clone Kurumi could not maintain her existence.
This made Inaba Tsukiyo a bit displeased; time... the thing she hated most was time.
Time had once taken her most important Victorica, and time continued to torment her.
Now, because of time, Clone Kurumi, whom she had grown fond of, would disappear from this world, and Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't let that happen.
"Don't be like this, Tsukiyo-chan. I'm already very happy to have you as a friend, even as a clone. Besides, you don't need to be sad for me."
"...Don't treat your life as insignificant just because you're a clone, Kurumi. You have independent thoughts, you have life, you're talking to me, you're my friend. In my eyes, you are human; there's no such thing as a clone."
Inaba Tsukiyo grasped Clone Kurumi's hand. Facing Clone Kurumi's gaze, Inaba Tsukiyo opened her eyes, and her crimson pupils turned golden.
Clone Kurumi was deeply drawn to those golden pupils, as if a whirlpool was constantly pulling her in.
"If you believe in me, I can change this situation. Anyway, I've already done so many things, I don't mind doing something extra."
'I'm sorry, Little Vi. Forgive me.'
Cupping Clone Kurumi's cheeks, under Clone Kurumi's confused gaze and Nia's complicated look, Inaba Tsukiyo kissed Clone Kurumi's lips.
As Inaba Tsukiyo kissed Clone Kurumi, Inaba Tsukiyo's power entered Kurumi's body, transforming her body.
Kurumi, in a corner of Amamiya City, looked towards Inaba Tsukiyo's house with a shocked expression.
Just now, she felt that the connection between her and her clone had been severed!
It wasn't because the clone was killed, nor for any other reason; it was simply that she could no longer control the clone at that point in time. The clone at that point in time had broken free from her control and become an independent entity.
"How is this possible? Could it be... Could it be... that person severed the connection between me and the clone, and instead connected herself to the clone?"
Kurumi was shocked. Didn't Inaba Tsukiyo know what kind of consequences such an action would entail?
Maintaining Clone Kurumi required time, just like having an extra person consuming her own time, and Inaba Tsukiyo actually did such a thing!
"You really are... surprising, Tsukiyo-chan. Is that clone really that important to you?"
"What a... lucky girl. If I had been so lucky back then, how wonderful that would have been."
Recalling her past, Kurumi said with a hint of envy.
Meanwhile, in Inaba Tsukiyo's inner world, Victorica and Herrscher Tsukiyo also witnessed Inaba Tsukiyo kissing Clone Kurumi.
For some reason, Herrscher Tsukiyo swallowed, somewhat like a husband caught cheating by his wife, secretly glancing at Victorica.
She found that Victorica showed no other expression, naturally picking up a pastry placed nearby and eating it in small bites.
'Don't you care, Victorica?'
Herrscher Tsukiyo blinked, a little surprised that Victorica didn't throw a fit.
This Little Loli, who usually loved to throw tantrums, was surprisingly serious about her feelings for Inaba Tsukiyo, which caught Herrscher Tsukiyo off guard.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!