"Sorry, I appreciate your offer, but I want to stay with Lady Kaguya. If you ever need me, though, I'll be there."
Rejected, but understandably so. After all, Hayasaka and Kaguya had years of history, while Samuel was a newcomer to their lives.
"You can think it over. If you join me, I'll bring your father into my group with no restrictions—complete freedom, essentially."
"…"
Truth be told, Hayasaka's heart wavered in that moment.
Why had she awakened her superpower and undergone this experiment to enhance it?
For those two words: freedom.
It was now almost within her grasp.
"Sorry."
Yet, she refused, unable to abandon Shinomiya Kaguya.
If Samuel had offered to help her take on the Shinomiya Group, Hayasaka would've accepted without hesitation.
But, alas, neither she nor Kaguya held such value to him.
They weren't worth Samuel diverting resources from his "program" collection plan to challenge the Shinomiya Group.
Currently, the Prometheus Group's entire focus was on gathering programs for Samuel.
"My offer stands. Come find me if you change your mind. I've got things to do, but you're welcome to stay. Just don't leak anything about this place—not even to Miss Shinomiya."
"Of course."
When Hayasaka looked up, Samuel was already gone.
"Ugh… I might regret this later."
Though his offer remained open, joining now versus later wouldn't be the same.
She might come to regret her choice.
But for now, she stood firm in her refusal, unable to abandon that somewhat clumsy, aloof, competitive girl.
"Nee-san, have you seen the sea?"
As Hayasaka gave a wry smile, a soft, sweet voice came from beside her.
"?? You're… Dolly, right?"
Hayasaka hesitated, looking at the small girl peeking over the edge of the hospital bed.
"Yup, I'm Dolly!"
Her face lit up with a pure, innocent smile, reminiscent of the one Hayasaka saw when she first met Kaguya.
But Kaguya no longer smiled like that—she'd cloaked herself in coldness for protection.
"Nee-san, nee-san, have you seen the sea? Can you tell me what it's like? Mitsumi and Misaki said the sea's super pretty!"
Dolly's big eyes sparkled with longing for the ocean.
"…Yeah, the sea's beautiful. Blue waves, playful dolphins…"
Hayasaka, in truth, had never seen the sea. Living in an island nation surrounded by it, she'd been consumed by etiquette training and serving Kaguya, always living cautiously, never having witnessed it herself.
Her description came from photos and magazines, idealized depictions.
"Wow! That sounds amazing!"
Dolly's face glowed with wonder.
Beneath Hayasaka's smile lay a pang of sadness—for Dolly.
She's like me… a bird in a cage.
This thought deepened her resentment toward Samuel.
"Mm, Dolly's gonna get better, then go find Mitsumi and Misaki, and we'll all see the sea together!"
Dolly spread her arms like wings, her smile pure and childlike.
"…Um… will your brother take you?"
Hayasaka knew she should stay quiet, but the question slipped out.
"Of course! Nii-san promised that when I'm better, he'll take me to see Misaki and Mitsumi, and then the sea. He never lies!"
Seeing Dolly's innocent smile, Hayasaka felt a pang of reluctance to shatter it.
What if… she doesn't get better?
Don't blame Hayasaka for her dark thoughts or her view of Samuel—it stemmed from a misunderstanding born of incomplete information.
"Mm, I used to be somewhere else. The people there were scary and did painful things to me. But I had two friends, Mitsumi and Misaki! Mitsumi's awesome—she can make dolphins appear!"
"Wait… Dolly, you mean you weren't always here?"
Hayasaka caught the key detail.
"Yup. The people there were so scary, I almost died. But nii-san saved me, and there was a doctor with a frog face too."
"…"
Hayasaka fell silent, realizing her misconception about Samuel. Her earlier disdain turned to guilt—guilt for misjudging him and gratitude for his help in training her superpower. Her emotions shifted subtly.
"Nee-san, let's go see the sea together someday!"
"Okay!"
…
"Mr. Sam… uel…"
"No need for formalities. Call me Samuel, or Doctor if you're shy. 'Mister' feels too stiff."
"Um… Doctor, about Dolly…"
"?"
Samuel glanced at her, sensing she'd heard something from Dolly. "Dolly was originally from the Talent Workshop, a clone with congenital defects, created solely to study her original's ability and serve as a test subject for some project. When she was discarded, I took her in, got the best doctor in Academy City to save her, and gave her a home."
"Is that so?"
Hayasaka's heart ached. She hadn't imagined Dolly's past was so tragic.
That pure smile hid such a painful history.
"Can't Anti-Skill arrest people like that, or shut down places like that?"
Her question was met with a faintly mocking look from Samuel.
"Miss Hayasaka, let me remind you: this is Academy City, not some idealistic place. It's far darker than you imagine. No country's laws recognize clones as people—they're objects. I've proposed clone and artificial human rights to the Board, but the Chairman is the law here. Until his goals are met, he won't agree. I've said too much. Keep this to yourself, and be careful—Academy City is dangerous. If you're in trouble, seek out Judgment!"
***
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