Chapter 25

After a short two-week summer break, Cecilia and her friends returned to Vruhel Academy.

“So, to wake Emily, we still need to clear Mr. Mordred, don’t you think?”

“...Who?”

“W-Well, me?”

“Opposed.”

Gilbert, sitting next to her, bluntly stated this.

Cecilia and her friends were, as usual, using their lunch break to hold a strategy meeting in the greenhouse. Her carefully thought-out plan being rejected, she was flustered.

“W-Why!?”

“Why? It’s impossible, right? In the game, ‘clearing’ means getting into a romantic relationship with the character, right? Sister, do you even realize what you’re wearing?”

Pointed at, Cecilia lowered her gaze. She was, of course, wearing the male uniform.

“Just to clarify, Mr. Mordred’s romantic interest is female, right? I remember the female students were talking about his ex-girlfriend before.”

“I-I know that! But, Lean rejected me...”

When Cecilia came up with this plan, she first consulted Lean. However, she was bluntly turned down with a simple “No way,” and wasn’t even given a proper hearing.

“So, just because of that, you don’t have to do it, right? Isn’t the whole point of cross-dressing to avoid such situations?”

“Ugh!”

Pierced in a sore spot, Cecilia clutched her chest. However, she couldn’t back down. She believed that Mordred’s route was probably centered around Emily.

Emily, Mordred’s sister and the third candidate for the divine child. It was unclear why she, who was supposed to have been killed by the Killer, was still alive, but she needed to gather information on this matter.

Because Cecilia’s current goal was to “entrust everything to the third candidate and live a carefree life.”

Cecilia leaned in closer to Gilbert.

“But, I think I need to get close to Mr. Mordred to hear about Emily! Even in a male form! Even without a romantic relationship! Just becoming friends is enough! Definitely! Probably! Maybe!”

Looking into Cecilia’s serious eyes, Gilbert sighed in exasperation.

“Well, if you’re that determined, I’ll support you. ...But, what about the Killer?”

“No way I’m giving up!”

For some reason, Cecilia puffed out her chest.

“But, thinking about the Killer is pointless, right? We don’t know who they are or what their goal is! And I might not even be a target!”

“You were the one who snuck into my bed out of fear.”

“That’s because Lean scared me!”

She lowered her gaze, looking apologetic. The morning after sneaking into Gilbert’s bed, Cecilia was scolded by him more fiercely than ever before. It was a bit of a trauma for her.

“But, I think it’s okay to stop worrying about things that can’t be changed. I can’t do anything about Lean, either!”

Since Lean was kidnapped, she has always been accompanied by Huey. This would surely make it difficult for the Killer to act.

Cecilia clenched her fists at her chest.

“So, I’ll get close to Mr. Mordred and wake Emily! Then, I’ll hand everything over! I’ll make this my goal! I’ll deal with the Killer when they show up!”

“Alright... I understand.”

Gilbert nodded indifferently, not fully convinced but agreeing nonetheless.

“So, what do you think we should do first?”

Gilbert furrowed his brow at Cecilia’s eagerness.

“Aren’t you more familiar with this? What did you do in the game to ‘clear’ a character?”

“Well, the basic idea is to spend as much time together as possible and raise the affection level. And, to be in places they might go...”

“In that case, why don’t we visit Emily together after school today?”

“Huh? Emily’s?”

Cecilia blinked.

“Yeah, and we can invite Mr. Mordred. He did say, ‘If it’s okay, please come again.’”

“Right! I was worried about Emily, too!”

The main goal seemed to shift from clearing Mordred to checking on Emily, and Cecilia clapped her hands. Seeing this, Gilbert’s expression softened slightly.

“Then, after school.”

“Yeah! It’s a promise!”

As Cecilia nodded, the bell signaling the end of the lunch break rang.

“...Even though you said it was a promise...”

After school, Cecilia was standing in front of the hospital, holding a bouquet of flowers. Next to her, however, was no one.

Gilbert had been called by a teacher again. The reason was his older brother, Ticky. He hadn’t given up on getting Gilbert’s help and had even called the school this time.

In this world, telephones were not a part of daily life but were treated more like public utilities. They were installed in public buildings and the homes of high-ranking nobles, but not in ordinary households. Therefore, communication with people far away was still primarily done through letters.

Until now, Ticky had been sending letters, but to move the stubborn Gilbert, he used the telephone this time.

“So, it might take a while.”

‘I’ll come after I’m done, so go ahead.’

That’s what Gilbert had said. Given Ticky’s persistence, it was unlikely he would finish quickly.

“Gilbert must be having a hard time.”

Cecilia adjusted her bouquet and entered the hospital alone.

“Hmm, where was Emily’s room again?”

She entered the building and looked at the reception desk, which was empty. It seemed the receptionist was out.

“Mr. Mordred said he would go ahead and wait, so what should I do?”

She remembered it was on the second floor and was a private room, but she couldn’t recall which room it was. Cecilia climbed the stairs, trying to recall. If she had to, she would have to check each room, which might be impolite.

Just as Cecilia reached the top of the stairs, someone came out from the side. Caught off guard, she couldn’t avoid the collision.

“Kyaa!”

“Whoa!”

Both were holding bouquets, which collided. They both fell on their bottoms.

“Ouch...”

“Ah, sorry.”

Cecilia quickly got up and rushed to the person she had bumped into.

“Are you hurt? Are you okay?”

“A-Ah, yes.”

The person she had bumped into was a woman. She wore thick glasses and a long white coat. Her hair was curly, and she was short. She looked younger than Cecilia.

Cecilia’s eyes widened at the sight.

“A! That time!!”

“Huh? Have we met before?”

She tilted her head. It was understandable that she didn’t remember. Cecilia and she had only passed each other once. On the first visit to see Emily, they had a strange sense of déjà vu as they passed each other. That was the extent of their interaction.

Cecilia, mumbling “Um...,” picked up the woman’s bouquet from the floor. The card in the bouquet read “Emily.”

“Could it be, you’re also visiting Emily—”

“What are you doing here?”

Turning to the voice, Cecilia saw Mordred with half his body out of a room. This must be Emily’s room. His gaze shifted from Cecilia to the woman next to her, and he smiled.

“Grace, you came too. Thank you.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

The woman called Grace smiled softly in response to Mordred’s voice.

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