Chapter 415

"Sigh, it can't be helped. Little Yukino is in love, and the main tasks for the Mutual Aid Society members are to improve strength and summon Heroic Spirits. There's too much work, so I'm the one whose strength is progressing the slowest. (っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)…."

Haruno fake-cried, looking aggrieved.

"If you're too busy, you can hire two assistants to share the load. If you can't find any, I can recommend two."

Hiratsuka Shizuka said quickly.

This is true.

Now, the world is seeing that the level of magecraft is becoming increasingly important.

A breakthrough in the level of magecraft is stronger than ten thousand other things.

Hiratsuka Shizuka hurriedly changed the subject: "By the way, did you go to the Magecraft Association for an evaluation? What level are you at now?"

With the resources at Haruno's position, she must be at least C-rank.

Just this delicate, jade-like skin alone proves she is definitely among the transcendent.

"I haven't gone yet, but I'm probably around A-rank. Sigh, I'm almost being caught up by little Yukino."

Haruno wiped away a fake tear.

You damn...

Hiratsuka Shizuka's face darkened, and she waved her hand.

Get lost.

So after all this, you came here to show off and parade your success before me?

A-rank, huh.

In terms of life level, that's a Third Rank life form.

In the Japan of the past, that would be a giant in the transcendent world, second only to legendary figures like Tamamo-no-Mae or Nura Rihan.

Even now, that's the level of a top-tier powerhouse; anything higher is a Fourth Rank legend.

Today is supposed to be the day to celebrate her finally being evaluated as an official mage, right?

"Well then, Shizuka-chan, see you next time."

Yukinoshita Haruno waved her hand with a smile and walked out the door, her smile vanishing instantly.

She looked calmly at the woman who shared the same exquisite face and even a similar temperament, and chuckled.

"Lost?"

As expected, they are not the same person.

She does not possess any so-called confusion.

Because she has never had the qualification to be confused.

Words like "goal" or "ideal" have never appeared in her dictionary.

All she has is responding to her mother's expectations, completing those "tasks" under the most elite education.

Putting on one mask after another, becoming a "sincere friend," a "perfect student," an "excellent Yukinoshita heir."

Nothing more.

Until even she herself forgot her true self.

Even the version of herself in front of her special, only sister—that version of herself that is like a pleasure-seeker—is it the real thing?

Cannot understand.

Cannot comprehend.

In the end, does she really possess something like a "self"?

Otherwise, as the true head of the Master Mutual Aid Society that now dialogues with the national level, what does her mother, a mere head of the Yukinoshita family, count for?

And who has the qualification to plan her life?

As for why she continues to move along a fixed trajectory, with a fixed simulated personality, she herself cannot say.

Yukinoshita Haruno looked calmly at that so-called other self on the Sky Curtain.

Perhaps compared to this "Yukinoshita Haruno" with a similar appearance.

She might be more like that "empty" Enoshima Junko.

……..

【"Did it actually fail?"】

【The weather is quite nice, with soft sunlight casting upon her body, bringing a hint of warmth.】

【But this abandoned factory is too desolate, appearing somewhat quiet and cold; the shrill wind blows through the gaps everywhere, like the wailing of ghosts and gods.】

【Before the scarlet magecraft summoning array, Yingdao Mai frowned and muttered to herself.】

【She specifically chose this quiet location where very few people pass by.】

【One reason was to summon a Heroic Spirit, and the other was to deal with potential attackers.】

【As a result, both failed.】

【"Is it okay now, Mai～‖."】

【Fujiwara Chika raised her hand and said weakly: "How about we change places to summon the Heroic Spirit?"】

【She looked at the factory amidst the shrill wind; even in the daytime, it felt somewhat cold.】

【This factory is a famous haunted spot; it is said that the vengeful spirits of those who went missing inside are trapped, wandering the factory, looking for the next victim.】

【Oh my god.】

【She looked at Rikka.】

【Is her subordinate actually this bold? Running here alone to draw those diagrams that look bloody at a glance.】

【Rikka stood in the center of the blood-colored magecraft array, even more afraid than her.】

【Just now, her pile of chuunibyou props failed as catalysts, so that terrifying woman made her stand inside.】

【A desolate factory, an evil ritual, shrill wind, and her, weak and helpless.】

【Is this definitely not about sacrificing her?】

【The girl was almost scared to tears.】

【"Is using oneself as a catalyst also wrong?"】

【"Something must have gone wrong somewhere."】

【"Was she killed and her Command Spells stolen before she could summon the Heroic Spirit?"】

【"Or perhaps because she didn't manage to summon a Heroic Spirit in time, the Holy Grail chose a new Master?"】

【Yingdao Mai became increasingly anxious.】

【She had just found the entry point to the Holy Grail War; was it going to be scrapped already?】

【Humanity has been extinguished, and of the forty-eight Masters selected from all of humanity, only she and Chika remain.】

【The terrifying responsibility pressed down on her, making it hard to breathe.】

【If she had a personality of giving up and avoiding responsibility, it would be fine, but she has always been a kind girl who grows braver with every setback.】

【She simply couldn't sit idly by.】

【"Wait, those chosen by the Holy Grail must have an obsession they cannot reach on their own."】

【"In other words, according to affinity summoning, there is a high probability of summoning a Heroic Spirit with the same obsession."】

【"Could it be that she changed her mind, causing the responding Heroic Spirit to change its mind?"】

【"I remember the Caster of the Fourth Holy Grail War was the undefeated French Marshal Gilles de Rais; what common obsession would Rikka have with him?"】

【Failing repeatedly, Yingdao Mai became even more anxious.】

【Feeling this atmosphere, Rikka-chan shrank her neck.】

【A bit scared, yet a bit admiring.】

【"Sakura-sama" is really amazing.】

【Even though she clearly feels under great pressure.】

【Even though her parents and everything she cared about have also vanished.】

【But even while bearing such pain, she is determined to take everything back with her own hands.】

【By comparison, she…….】

【'Time is running out, little Mai.'】

【"Then do you have any good ideas? Belly-black-kun?"】

【Yingdao Mai looked helplessly at the semi-transparent projection of the youth, her eyes carrying a hint of expectation.】

【"Well, I don't have a good idea, but I do have a rotten one."】

【Speaking to the end, the youth looked at the girl in the magecraft array with a smile.】