Chapter 85

(Note) This is my second post of the day.

31 ～Lily's Perspective～

"…Huh?"

A small murmur escaped her lips.

"Huh?"

Once again, the shock in her heart was reflected in her voice, shaking the dark world.

The girl in front of her observed her intently.

"Wait a moment."

She tried to recall what had just been said, to confirm if it was a misunderstanding.

No matter how she thought about it, it couldn't be a misunderstanding. She was sure the girl had said "I refuse."

"Why?"

She was at a loss.

To exchange her existence for Mihō Mizushima's return to the world of the living.

It shouldn't have been a bad deal for her. There was no reason to refuse.

This situation was far from what she had anticipated.

Having made up her mind, she was now completely at a loss.

"Why? I don't know what to say."

‘Mihō Mizushima’ wore a troubled smile.

And then, she uttered words that overturned the very premise.

"Actually... I'm not Mihō Mizushima at all."

"Huh...?"

Her mind went blank again. The girl spoke calmly to her.

"Why are you so surprised? Mihō Mizushima has been dead for a long time. It's only natural that she's nowhere to be found."

"But... but!"

She tried to recover from her shock and retorted.

"You are here, aren't you!"

"Well, in this situation, you don't have to worry about me."

The girl, with a blue flame flickering around her, tilted her head.

"I'm... just a remnant, you see."

"A remnant...?"

"A remnant is just that. Something left behind by a mistake, something that no longer retains its original form. It's a different entity from Mihō Mizushima."

She said it so casually, as if it were about someone else.

Her indifferent expression and tone made it clear that she was serious.

"Besides..."

Suddenly, the girl's lips curved into a somewhat malicious smile.

"Isn't it strange that you can use the abilities of a transferer by receiving someone's affection? Hey, Slime-san, who is just a fake of Mihō Mizushima?"

Her tone was somewhat teasing.

"Your everything is a fake, right? So, even if you receive someone's affection, you won't be able to manifest the ability, will you? After all, the affection you offer to your precious master is just a shallow fake, isn't it?"

"Th... That's not true!"

"Isn't it?"

The girl smiled at her.

"If that's the case, you should disappear."

It was a beautiful, gentle expression that left her speechless.

"You're not a degraded copy of Mihō Mizushima. Because you have something that is truly yours."

The girl pointed to the center of her chest.

"Who you are and where you are. You've been questioning these things, haven't you? That very emotion is proof that you truly exist."

So, the girl said in a lively tone.

"It's impossible for a mere remnant like me to consume you. On the contrary... you need to consume me if you want to help Shima-kun."

"If I want to help my master...?"

"Yeah."

The girl smiled at her with an untroubled expression.

"Because by doing so, you can obtain the power Mihō Mizushima had as a transferer."

"Wh... What?"

She was speechless.

It was a possibility she had long given up on. Despite her persistent efforts, she had never been able to achieve it.

Even if she were told it was possible, she couldn't believe it so easily.

"What do you mean? I'm a fake, so I can't handle special abilities, right? ...No, that's not the case."

The girl shook her head.

"Actually, this was something that was pointed out to me by Makoto before."

"By Kato?"

Surprised by the unexpected words, she looked at the girl, who nodded.

"Makoto said, 'The mimic slime's mimicry ability degrades, but this degradation means it can still do something, albeit imperfectly.' Do you remember that?"

"That's..."

Indeed, she had heard it before.

The girl peered into her face, which was hesitating.

"Did you forget?"

"No, but..."

"Did you never really think about it?"

"..."

She couldn't deny it.

The possibility of a cause other than the limitations of her mimicry ability as a mimic slime. She had never seriously considered it.

It was only then that she realized this.

It was a careless oversight.

Had she overlooked the possibility?

No, she hadn't forgotten. Even today, she had briefly remembered it.

But she had stopped at just remembering it. She hadn't delved deeper into it.

She hadn't even tried to think about it.

If that was the case, then...

"...Did I unconsciously give up on thinking about it?"

"Well, it's understandable, isn't it?"

The girl, a remnant wrapped in a blue flame, shook her head at her stunned expression.

"For you, the fact that you are a fake is a heavy burden. It's not unreasonable to seek the cause there."

She tried to console her.

"Inferiority is not something that can be easily overcome."

"...Then, what is the real cause?"

She frowned.

"Mihō Mizushima, as a transferer, had the potential to manifest special abilities. But I couldn't do it."

Feeling dejected, she asked.

"If there's another cause, what is it?"

"So, it's inferiority."

"Huh...?"

She felt caught off guard and stared at the girl, whose face was overlaid with a blue flame.

The words came back to her so easily that she couldn't process them.

"Inferiority...?"

"Yes. Something that can't be easily overcome and unconsciously binds your heart."

The girl spoke in a deliberate tone.

"In a sense, it might be one of the strongest emotions."

"So, you're saying that my inferiority unconsciously prevented the manifestation of my abilities?"

"Think about it. A Warrior is someone who unconsciously harbors a baseless certainty that they are special. It's the same thing."

"..."

"If baseless confidence can lead to power, then baseless distrust can also suppress power, can't it?"

"That's right."

The girl nodded.

"Baseless confidence isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a privilege of children to be reckless. On the other hand, while recognizing one's limits might sound good, it can also lead to missing out on potential if taken too far."

"Is that... me now?"

The inferiority she felt as a monster, a mere imitation. Yes, as the girl said, she had always harbored a feeling that she wasn't worthy of being by her master's side.

Even after overcoming the fear of eventually being unable to stay by her master's side during a night spent at Chiria's fortress, she couldn't shake off her own inferiority.

This was the obstacle that had finally stood in her way.

"The fact that I, a mere remnant, am here is partly due to your inferiority."

The girl's voice made her raise her gaze, which she had unknowingly lowered.

"You felt inferior to the real Mihō Mizushima because she was human. You thought that the one who should be by Shima-kun's side was not a monster like yourself. You envied and resented her so much that you couldn't even like her... So, unconsciously, you rejected Mihō Mizushima. As a result, I, a remnant, remained."

The girl, who called herself a remnant, placed her hand on her chest.

"Otherwise, I would have dissolved into you like other souls, leaving no trace. In a sense, I am like 'leftovers.'"

She laughed softly, as if making a joke.

"The reason you couldn't mimic Mihō Mizushima's special abilities is the same. You tried to get closer to Mihō Mizushima, but at the same time, deep down, you rejected her existence without realizing it. It's only natural that you couldn't use her abilities, don't you think?"

Saying this, she extended her hand towards her.

"So, you need to consume me, the 'leftovers.' In a sense, I am a symbol of the existence of Mihō Mizushima that you rejected."

"..."

She couldn't sense any lies in the words spoken. Her instinctive part also affirmed the girl's words.

"There's no need to overthink it. It's just about putting things back where they belong. By dissolving into you, I will complete your mimicry."

She looked at the extended hand.

By taking this hand, she would gain the means to help her master. Just that alone would give her what she had long desired.

There was no reason to hesitate.

"...I understand."

She also extended her hand towards the girl. The red flame that clung to her arm stretched out into the darkness.

The blue flame, which was the girl herself, served as a guiding light.

The gently flickering blue flame seemed to be waiting for the moment of being consumed...

"...What's wrong?"

A curious voice shook the darkness.

"..."

She had stopped her extended hand.

She didn't know why. There was no reason to hesitate, yet her hand was frozen in place.

She felt as if she was missing something. Something she shouldn't miss.

This certainty had stopped her body just in time.

She raised her gaze and looked at the girl in front of her. There was a calm smile on her face.

It was the expression of someone who had deeply etched a resolve in their heart.

"Ah."

She let out a small sound.

In the back of her mind, she heard the sound of a puzzle piece clicking into place.

She realized that she had retracted her extended hand.

The girl showed a slightly surprised reaction to her movement.

She clenched the hand she had pulled back in front of her chest. There was something she needed to confirm.

"...I have one question."

She spoke slowly.

"Earlier, you said, 'The reason I'm still here is partly due to my inferiority.' Is that right?"

"What about it?"

The girl tilted her head, and she asked.

"Then, what about the other half?"

"..."

The girl froze, caught off guard. Gaining confidence from her reaction, she continued.

"My inferiority towards the real Mihō Mizushima made me reject her existence, which resulted in you, the 'leftovers,' remaining. That's what you said, right?"

"Y-Yeah, but..."

"But, that alone doesn't quite make sense, does it? Because, before anything else, I have to eat to mimic. I eat Mihō Mizushima, mimic her, and love my master... Only then can I envy her."

To put it simply... the timeline is off.

"At the point of eating, I can't envy her. So, there's no reason to reject Mihō Mizushima. And there's no reason for you, the 'leftovers,' to exist."

"..."

"There must be some other reason."

The 'other reason' she deliberately didn't mention. That must be the 'other half' the girl had inadvertently mentioned earlier.

"Can you tell me about that?"

She pressed further.

The girl retracted the hand she had extended.

"Umm..."

A small sigh escaped her lips.

"Maybe I let it slip a bit."

The girl's pouting face looked somewhat embarrassed. Scratching her cheek with the hand she had retracted might have been a gesture to hide her embarrassment.

"Does it have to be said?"

"It's necessary."

She looked straight into the girl's eyes.

"..."

The girl turned her face away, mirroring her own expression. She didn't look away.

After a few seconds,

"...Because your master wished it."

Realizing that it wouldn't get anywhere otherwise, the girl sighed and answered.

"Shima-kun wished to resolve Mihō Mizushima's regrets. That's why I didn't disappear immediately. That's all there is to it."

The girl's profile was tinged with a bashful smile.

"I see."

She sighed, looking at the girl's profile.

"Of course."

It was the answer she had expected.

It was only natural that she could predict it, since she was the one who had fulfilled her master's unconscious wish to resolve Mihō Mizushima's regrets.

She could vividly recall the events of the day she had consumed Mihō Mizushima's body.

The unforgettable night spent in that mountain cabin.

She had become one with her master. She had accepted him for the first time and loved each other.

But, she wasn't the only one who had become one with him that night.

That's why she remained here.

And the reason she was about to disappear here was the same.

When she realized this, her heart was already made up.

"I won't consume you."

"Huh...?"

The girl, who called herself a remnant, turned to look at her.

"Why...?"

She looked back at the stunned girl and answered.

"Because you're trying to do the same thing I am."

Once she realized it, it was easy to understand.

Until now, she had rarely felt Mihō Mizushima within herself. But it wasn't because she had disappeared; she had just retreated into her inner self.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Mihō Mizushima had always been within her.

So, why had she appeared like this?

It was obvious.

"To protect your master, you appeared before me, didn't you?"

To save the one she had once become one with, the one she had saved and loved.

Yes, everything was the same for her. That's why she could understand her feelings.

"You must have feelings for your master, too, right?"

"..."

"If you can disappear for those feelings, even if you are just a remnant, those feelings are not a remnant at all."

The girl, who had gasped, covered her mouth with both hands. In the dark space, it was hard to tell, but she probably blushed deeply.

Feeling that her reaction was cute, she continued.

"Just because you are a remnant, it doesn't mean you can disappear."

She returned the words the girl had given her, almost verbatim.

"...What's that? Are you getting back at me?"

"I don't know."

She smiled slightly at the girl, who pouted and frowned.

To begin with, was the girl in front of her really just a remnant of Mihō Mizushima?

She wondered, but she couldn't know for sure. At this point, it didn't matter.

"Thanks to you, I remembered something important. I am my master's familiar, and I love him. So, I need to be someone he can be proud of."

It was something the girl had pointed out to her.

Who she was and where she was. She had lost herself in these questions, but she had something to be proud of in her heart.

"I have always been by my master's side. I've seen his weaknesses, his struggles, and his triumphs."

Just thinking about it, just speaking about it, made her heart flutter. She loved him that much.

She was in love. She loved him. That's why she strongly wished to be someone worthy of him.

"I am nothing but an ugly monster. I can't become human. I have inferiority about myself, and it's standing in my way. So, I need to overcome it."

Just like her master had overcome his trauma.

That was what it meant to be someone worthy of her master.

For that, she couldn't take the easy way out.

"I won't consume you."

She declared again.

For the real her, the one she felt inferior to, or for her remnant. If she disappeared, the problem would indeed be resolved.

But, that wouldn't mean she had overcome her inferiority.

"Besides, it would be wrong for me to be consumed."

If she, bound by the inferiority of being an ugly fake, disappeared, the problem would be erased. But, it would be far from the essence.

"Neither