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Nonetheless, because it took until Thursday to finish whilst also working on everything else that\'s been going on alongside it, there are now only nine days left until the confrontation next Saturday.

Using the rest of the day to finalise the smaller details and ensure the stability of the room, which was only possible thanks to a combination of the latest advancements in technology and Sophie\'s Proximate Spatial Ordinance ability, I decided to conduct the plan on Friday afternoon, right after school.

As I was preparing myself to leave the house with Sophie and Tarou, Sana and Sona came up to me.

Glancing at them, I waited to see what they wanted.

""Ciphy,"" They collectively began.

"Can we bring a friend?"

"..."

Friend...? They made friends? No, of course they have; I\'m the one who told them to socialise and make friends in the first place... But, it feels strange for some reason.

Having already completely turned to look at the two, I found myself having paused as I gazed at them.

Sana was the one who asked, but they both appeared to share the sentiment.

So, they want to bring a friend to our house, huh. Thus, they asked me if it was allowed.

Well, I don\'t know.

As for the benefits, it\'s clear that the two would be exceedingly pleased if I allowed it. On the other hand, it poses a risk of whatever child they decide to bring being exposed to something they shouldn\'t see... I\'ll also have to keep up the annoying act of Leander Herington; that too could lead to some wild rumours being spread.

Hmm...

"Ciphy."

Interrupting my contemplation, Sona was the one to call me this time.

"What?"

"...Please."

"..."

I don\'t quite know why, but I reflexively covered my mouth with a hand for a moment before removing it and asking.

"Who is the friend?"

This was an important point. No matter what answer they would give me, I would check with the Measurement of Truth to confirm, but I needed to hear their own judgement of whom they grew close enough to that they feel comfortable bringing them over.

If it was someone unfitting, severe correction would be in order.

The twins briefly glanced at each other before looking back at me.

""Pretty siblings.""

Hearing their description, the ends of my lips naturally tilted into a slight frown.

"...Plural? There\'s more than one?"

The words the two chose to use, though few, were very specific.

\'Pretty siblings\'.

In other words, a good-looking brother and sister. Since it was the twins using this description, it probably meant they hadn\'t much else going for them.

"Ciphy," Sana then called.

"What?"

"...Please."

"..."

I felt like I was about to have a migraine. We were just going in circles at this point.

"They\'re nice."

"And pretty."

"Yes, yes, I get it. Fine. You want to bring a friend around the house? Bring whoever you want."

It was too much to deal with. Besides, I had something important to attend to, so I couldn\'t take my sweet time discussing whether the twins\' friends were \'suitable\' or not.

Hearing my decision, I witnessed the two\'s faces bloom a smile the likes of which I had never seen before.

Seeing that stirred something within me.

It was unfamiliar but strangely warm.

I didn\'t like it at all.

"Does it make you that happy? Just make sure you don\'t bring anyone other than those two siblings. I won\'t let it slide if you start bringing around dozens of kids in the house."

There are a lot of important, very classified things here after all, so I wasn\'t willing to take the risk of something going wrong.

Additionally, most of the kids at the twins\' school were the children or relatives of people belonging to high authority, so if something ever happened to them while they were visiting my house, I would be in great trouble.

And more trouble isn\'t something I need right now.

In any case, after that, I resumed my getting ready; soon, I left the house with an anxious Sophie and resolute Tarou by my side.

❖─────❖─────❖

Over the past week, while Tarou was staying with us, I bestowed upon him a new arm.

Since his original arm had been lost to the infinite void of space during the first confrontation with Saburou, it was impossible to retrieve. However, using technology, it was possible to grant him a replacement.

With the level of technology we have access to these days, especially if you have a lot of money, it wasn\'t really difficult to get him a high-spec prosthetic.

Well, although I call it high-spec, it\'s not like I gave it any special functions or anything.

The only reason I did it in the first place was so he\'d be more useful than a person with one arm; I couldn\'t care less how many limbs he had otherwise, but if it was going to impact performance, then I\'d give him a new one, so I did exactly that.

Of course, I also made sure he was all cleaned up and proper-looking, but anyway.

For what we\'re about to do, he doesn\'t need any special functions.

Ding-dong~!

He just needs to buy time.

"Coming...!"

As I and Sophie hid around the corner of the house, using her Supernatural Ability to distort the space around us, camouflaging us from view, Tarou rang the doorbell and we waited.

Then, someone familiar to us all opened the door.

"Hello...? Oh, my god! T-Tarou?! What-- what are you doing here?"

Atsuko Fushigimi, his sister, answered the door with widened eyes. I watched on with expectation, glancing between the two siblings. Now, it was time to see how determined Tarou really was.

"Atsuko... Can I come in?"

Even I was impressed by the pitiful expression he put on. If I wasn\'t the one to come up with the plan, then I would think he was genuinely this pathetic.

"Of- of course...! Here, uhm, come in, I\'ll prepare something to drink! What would you like?"

I heard her voice growing faint as she walked away from the door.

Well done, Tarou.

"...Tea is fine. Thanks."

He glanced towards me and nodded as if to say the coast was clear. Then, entering the house, he shielded me and Sophie as we sneaked inside without the knowledge of Atsuko, who was preparing something in the kitchen.

Now that we were in, things were basically already over. I saw Tarou gulp in my peripheral vision, but it was too late for him to be feeling regretful now.

"...?"

Patting him once on the back, I leaned close and whispered in his ear.

"If you start to feel guilty, just remember what they did. Recall how she made you feel, your rage, your disappointment, your distress. Do you remember what I said? Don\'t ever let that flame of yours extinguish. The moment you do; not only your life, but your pride and dignity is no more. Never forget that."

His eyes quivered as I stared into them, but I had to make sure he wouldn\'t back down at this point. We had already come so far and I wasn\'t about to let him ruin it due to some paltry, fleeting piety.

Letting him go, who stood with his fists clenched by his side and a lowered head, I silently approached Atsuko Fushigimi who had conveniently turned her back.

Since Tarou didn\'t look like he could handle it himself, and since Sophie was looking reluctant before we even came here, it seemed I would have to do the dirty work myself.

Quietly reaching my hand into my pocket, I took out a zip-lock bag.

Sliding the zip open, I grabbed the soaked cloth contained within with my glove-protected hand.

I heard a mutter from the woman before me.

"...Seriously, can\'t believe it..." She said under her breath. It was understandable. I would also be shocked if the brother who had run away months ago suddenly returned like this.

Although, I would be more surprised at the fact I had a brother in the first place, especially since the Measurement of Truth had already confirmed otherwise.

Perhaps our ways of thinking differ, then.

Either way.

She would have a lot more time to catch up with Tarou from now on.

"―Woa--Mmmmph--!!?"

Without warning, I grabbed Atsuko and covered her mouth and nose with the soaked cloth.

Restraining her arms and pulling her body into my own, I lifted her slightly off the ground so that she couldn\'t run.

"Mmmhmphh...!!"

She wasn\'t a very tall girl, so it wasn\'t hard.

"There, there."

I applied just enough force that she wouldn\'t be able to break free, and with my right hand, I only ensured that she was inhaling as much of the fumes as possible at once.

"Hfff...! Mmmmmnnnghh-- Hphhf...!!!"

Lifting her into the air also helped her body to think that something was wrong, leading her to take even bigger gasps.

"It won\'t be long now."

Of course, no matter how she struggled, she wouldn\'t end up getting any more of her much-desired oxygen.

"Mmph...!"

Her thrashing gradually slowed to a halt, and eventually, she stopped moving altogether.

"..."

"Ah... See, it wasn\'t too bad, was it?"

I confirmed she was completely unconscious via the Measurement of Truth and removed the cloth from her face, letting her body drop like a ragdoll in my arms as I held her.

Raising my head as I put the cloth back in the zip-lock bag and into my pocket, I caught a glimpse of Tarou\'s seemingly conflicted expression.

Glancing back down at Atsuko\'s unconscious body, I briefly wondered what her reaction would be upon waking up and almost let out a laugh.

Hah, seriously...

What a pitiful girl.