"That's not dead—it was never alive to begin with."
The woman across from them spoke up, her face twisted in mockery as she gazed at Okita Souji's motionless form on the ground.
"Someone must have created a mental link through some method, making it move like a living person. But in essence, that thing was just a puppet. The moment I severed the connection, its true nature was exposed. Just wait—its master will come to retrieve it soon."
Never alive?
Just a puppet?
Only moved because of a mental link?
What was she talking about?
"There's no way Souji could be—"
Sylvia glared at the woman with barely contained fury.
But halfway through her sentence, she froze.
Memories from the past six months flashed through her mind like flowing water.
All the oddities she had unconsciously brushed aside now stood out like a single stain on pristine white snow—impossible to ignore.
Okita's expression was always that same blank face. Okita slept in the same position until morning. Sometimes, she reacted half a beat too slow, like an airhead…
Looking back, there had been countless little abnormalities like these. She had simply dismissed them out of preconceived bias.
But now, the realization lodged in Sylvia's throat like a bone.
Okita was a puppet…
Ursula's words echoed relentlessly in her ears.
She didn't want to believe it.
Okita was her best friend. She couldn't bring herself to doubt her.
But… was Souji really not a puppet?
One part of her refused to suspect Okita, while another, darker part of her mind festered like weeds.
And wasn't it suspicious that someone as strong as Okita had been defeated so easily—
"He's here."
The woman suddenly spoke again.
Another figure shot toward them from the direction of the venue with terrifying speed, like an arrow loosed from a bow. In the blink of an eye, they were upon the woman, slashing down with a blade.
"One after another… Hmph."
The woman let out a meaningful scoff.
She gave the newcomer a long, deep look before black mist enveloped her body, and she vanished.
Sylvia stared blankly at the person who had arrived.
Even from the back, she could tell it was Roy.
"Just wait—its master will come to retrieve it soon."
The false Ursula's words circled in Sylvia's mind like an inescapable curse.
"Are you okay?"
Roy approached the two of them, his voice laced with concern as he looked at Sylvia.
His gaze swept over her, and only when he confirmed she wasn't injured did he relax. Then his eyes fell on Okita Souji, a shadow passing over his expression.
He had been careless. That woman earlier was an incredibly rare mental-type ability user—and her output was far beyond what he had expected.
Or perhaps she wielded a mental-type Orga Lux. Either way, he hadn't anticipated her severing his mental link with Okita so effortlessly.
At least the familiar contract remained intact. As long as he reestablished the mental connection, the familiar would function just as before.
"...What's wrong?"
Roy suddenly noticed the strange look Sylvia was giving him.
There wasn't a trace of warmth in her eyes, as if some extremely suppressed emotion was building up, ready to explode at any moment.
"I'm fine."
Sylvia's expression darkened frighteningly in an instant.
'I just hadn't thought about it before. But when you really consider it, there were already many strange things—I just subconsciously ignored them...'
Once the chain of suspicion begins, it can never be broken.
If Okita was really a puppet, then who was controlling her?
Was it Akatsuki?
Of course not. Okita had helped repel Akatsuki, which was why they were both targeted. So it couldn't possibly be Akatsuki.
Then who could it be?
The answer was actually very simple.
Okita's swordsmanship was highly distinctive.
Within the Six Flowers, only one other person shared the same school and techniques—there was no third practitioner of their style.
Come to think of it, during the opening of the Festa, what had made Okita blurt out those words in the Queenvail viewing room—the ones that caused such prolonged misunderstanding between her and Stella—"So cool," who had she been talking about?
When Okita said that, the person fighting in the match below was none other than him.
She had found it strange at the time. Someone as emotionally detached as Okita would never say something like that, yet it had troubled her for so long, leaving her utterly confused.
Only now did Sylvia finally understand.
"Is this your puppet?"
Pointing at the lifeless Okita on the ground, Sylvia smiled like a murderous madwoman.
Roy was startled by her words.
Holy shit!
Since when did Sylvia become so sharp?!
"Uh..."
"Ah, that's enough. Your reaction tells me everything I need to know."
Sylvia's exquisitely beautiful face twisted in an instant.
Raising Folkvangr in her hands, she swung at Roy with all her might!
"Go to hell!"
Roy hastily dodged to the side.
"Wait, Sylvia, let me explain!"
"What's left to explain now?! Don't tell me Souji wasn't your puppet?!"
"Well..."
Roy found himself at a loss for words.
"Technically, she's a familiar, not a puppet..."
"Call it whatever you want! Just die already!"
With murderous intent radiating from her entire being, Sylvia charged at Roy.
Roy had no choice but to keep dodging—even photon bullets couldn't catch his lightning-fast movements.
Seeing that she couldn't catch up no matter what, Sylvia gritted her teeth and used her abilities to enhance her physical prowess before charging at him without another word.
Left with no options, Roy swiftly moved to Okita's side, picked her up, stored her in imaginary space, then smashed through the window and leapt out of the Sirius Dome.
But to his surprise, Sylvia followed without hesitation, chasing after him as if possessed by boundless energy, relentlessly firing photon blades and bullets his way.
"Stop right there! Did you have fun toying with my feelings?!"
"That's not it! Don't make baseless accusations—who toyed with your feelings?!"
"Shut up! I say you did, so you did!"
"Can't you be reasonable?!"
"Are you in any position to talk about reason?!"
"..."
Alright, he wasn't.
Their chase—him fleeing, her pursuing—streaked across the city like a storm, leaving countless bystanders stunned.
"Wasn't that the Songstress just now? And the other one's the Festa champion?"
"Toying with the Songstress' feelings? Were they dating?! And she got played?!"
"Damn it, I'm so jealous... no, I'm so furious!"
A passerby pounded his chest in frustration, then pulled out his phone to record the scene.
Roy groaned inwardly, leaping onto a nearby high-rise building in a few quick moves before fleeing toward Seidoukan Academy.
Sylvia had no intention of giving up. Her body floated lightly like willow catkins as she chased after him, her murderous intent undiminished.
"Did you enjoy seeing my body?! You must have been laughing at me behind my back while dating both of us!"
"I wasn't!"
"Was my body not good enough for you?!"
"..."
He had only been refuting the second half of her accusation!
With no other choice, Roy sped up and dashed straight into Seidoukan Academy.
Asterisk prohibited students from entering other academies.
But Roy had forgotten—it was currently the school festival.
Sylvia charged into Seidoukan Academy like a raging boar, her eyes bloodshot as if ready to devour someone, her smile twisted like a maniac's.
"Roy, get out here! Today, I swear I'll kill you!"
***
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