After listening to Misaki Mei's full account and accepting her sincere gratitude, Yukino Yukinoshita's expression remained one of gentle concern. "Misaki-san, are you and your sister truly alright now?"
Misaki Mei pressed a hand lightly to her stomach. "Aside from being rather hungry, there doesn't seem to be any lasting issue."
Yukino pressed further, her analytical mind seeking closure. "Then, that bizarre 'Non-existent Person'… it has been completely eliminated?"
"It should have been," Misaki Mei affirmed with a slow nod. "All of its surrogates are gone. It shouldn't be able to manifest again."
Hozuki Nozomi, however, interjected with a tone of deliberate, casual doubt. "Misaki… you and your sister were also surrogates, in a sense. How can we be certain you are truly free?"
Misaki Mei rolled her eyes—a surprisingly human gesture from the usually stoic girl. "Would you like to kiss me again to verify?" she deadpanned.
Yui Yuigahama immediately puffed out her cheeks in protest, latching onto Hozuki Nozomi's arm possessively. "No! Absolutely no more kissing!" The injustice of it burned within her—she hadn't even received a kiss from him yet, and he'd already kissed two sisters! It was infuriating!
Asuna Yuuki, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Sanshokuin Sumireko all turned to look at Yui, their expressions a mix of surprise and amusement at her sudden, vehement outburst.
Realizing how intimate her protest seemed, Yui's face flushed crimson. "Ah! I-I mean… don't get the wrong idea! What I'm saying is, taking advantage of the situation isn't right! Confirmation doesn't have to involve kissing!"
A playful smile touched Hozuki Nozomi's lips. "I was only teasing. I'm quite certain the Misaki Mei before us is the real one. It's Fujioka Misaki who is… harder to verify."
"Eh? Misaki?" Yukino's gaze shifted to the quieter twin.
A soft, resigned sigh escaped Fujioka Misaki. Her form began to shimmer, growing translucent at the edges. "Sigh…"
Misaki Mei's face contorted with pain.
Fujioka Misaki looked at the group, her expression gentle yet sad. "Actually, my sister left out a crucial part of the story." Her voice was clear but carried a distant, ethereal quality. "The truth is… I am already dead."
The statement landed like a physical blow.
"Before my sister left that town for good, I had already been chosen as a 'surrogate.' I succumbed to the illness." She paused, letting the stark truth settle. "But I knew the entity wouldn't stop. It would never give up on harming my sister, because we are special—twins born with innate psychic sensitivity."
Her gaze grew distant, as if looking into a painful past. "That 'Non-existent Person'… it was a pitiful existence to begin with. A girl who yearned so desperately for friends that she obeyed their every cruel whim. In the end, they locked her in a warehouse and set it ablaze. She burned to death."
"From that day forward, the strange phenomena began in the town. People, in their fear, devised their own ritual: choosing one among them to label as the new 'Non-existent Person,' to be shunned and ignored, hoping to transfer the curse. They never realized the curse ultimately preyed on those who had participated in the original sin—the act of bullying."
She looked at her own translucent hands. "My spiritual power was stronger than my sister's from birth. I saw the tormented entity and tried to reach out, to soothe her. I failed. Instead, I was corroded by her lingering malice and curse. My time was always limited."
A tender, sorrowful smile touched her lips as she looked at Misaki Mei. "Because I couldn't bear to leave my sister alone, I poured the remnants of my power into the doll's eye she wore. That is the true reason my sister can perceive the unseen world."
As Fujioka Misaki finished, silent tears began to stream down Misaki Mei's cheeks.
"Misaki…" she whispered, her voice choked.
"Hehe, don't be so sad, Onee-chan," Fujioka Misaki said, her own eyes shimmering. She then turned her gaze to Hozuki Nozomi, a flicker of her former spirit returning. "Hey, you handsome guy, Hozuki Nozomi. Since you kissed my sister, you have to take responsibility for her, okay? Otherwise, I'll definitely come find you in my next life!"
Her expression softened as she addressed the others. "Mei-nee, and all of you kind and beautiful sisters… thank you for being willing to 'play' with me."
"Well then… it's time to say goodbye."
A soft, pure white light began to emanate from Fujioka Misaki's form, enveloping her completely. She was ascending, drawn to where she now belonged. As a surrogate bound to the curse, her continued existence would have allowed the malignancy to persist. Her departure was the final act of purification.
...…
The full, heartbreaking truth left Yukino Yukinoshita and the others in a heavy, respectful silence. Watching the tear-streaked face of Misaki Mei, they were at a loss for words, unsure how to offer comfort for a loss so profound and strange.
Finally, Yui Yuigahama and Asuna Yuuki moved on instinct. They stepped forward, each wrapping a comforting arm around Misaki Mei's shoulders, offering silent solidarity and the gentle warmth of their presence.
It took some time for Misaki Mei to regain her composure. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thank you," she murmured, her voice thick. "And… I must apologize. Because I couldn't bear to let her go, I concealed the full truth from all of you."
Yukino Yukinoshita released a soft sigh, her own eyes reflecting understanding rather than judgment. "Isn't that simply human nature? To cling to those we love? Besides, Miss Fujioka has made her choice. For the living… we must still look forward."
…
As it was now very late, Hozuki Nozomi ushered the entire group of exhausted girls back to the safety and warmth of Sakura Dormitory for the night. Once there, he asked Frieren, with her deep knowledge of magical and spiritual ailments, to examine each of them for any lingering contamination.
Fortunately, the diagnosis was positive. Aside from fatigue and residual shock, their bodies and spirits were clean, unharmed by the supernatural ordeal.
Since they were healthy, Hozuki Nozomi, ever the opportunist, saw no reason to let the night end without a measure of comfort. He waited until Yukino Yukinoshita had finished her bath, then, in a move both bold and familiar, simply scooped her up and carried her toward his room.
Miss Yukinoshita offered a few token, half-hearted struggles—more for propriety's sake than from any real desire to escape—before melting into his hold with a resigned, yet not unwilling, sigh.
Yui Yuigahama and Asuna Yuuki, assuming Yukino was simply going to share a room with Shiina Mahiru as she sometimes did, thought nothing more of it.
And, in a way, they were right. Yukino Yukinoshita was sleeping in the same room as Mahiru. It was just that a certain incorrigible scoundrel also happened to be occupying the same space, determined to provide a very thorough form of post-mission stress relief.
...…
Meanwhile, Misaki Mei returned to her own home. The door opened to reveal a raven-haired woman of serene beauty, wearing a simple white apron over her clothes, seated on the living room sofa.
"You're back?" the woman asked, her voice warm.
"Yes, Mother. I'm home," Misaki Mei replied, her voice quieter than usual.
The woman—Kirika, Misaki Mei's adoptive mother and the younger sister of Fujioka Misaki's birth mother—stood and approached. She wrapped her daughter in a firm, understanding embrace.
"Mei," she whispered, her voice carrying a note of profound relief. "The light in your eye… it hasn't faded."
Misaki Mei's body trembled slightly in her mother's arms. Kirika's words held a deep, coded meaning. The 'light' referred to the unique spiritual luminance within the custom-made doll's eye—the lingering connection to her twin sister.
Fresh tears welled in Misaki Mei's eyes, but these were of a different quality—tinged with hope. She hugged her mother back tightly. "That's… truly wonderful."
It meant her little sister had not been utterly annihilated. She had simply departed to a place where the curse could be fully dissolved. Perhaps, one day, their paths might cross again.
…
In a realm of soft light and drifting clouds, Fujioka Misaki followed two winged figures, her expression one of shy curiosity.
"Sister Gabriel, Sister Vigne… where exactly are we going?" she asked, her voice echoing faintly in the serene space.
Gabriel turned, her celestial smile gentle and radiant. "We are taking you to Heaven."
"Heaven? Me?" Fujioka Misaki blinked, her ethereal form pausing in surprise.
Vigne nodded, her expression kindly. "You possess the inherent aptitude to become an angel. You will undergo training and, in time, likely return to the human world in that capacity."
"Me? Become an angel? Really?" Fujioka Misaki looked down at her own translucent hands, a mixture of awe and disbelief on her face. After being used as a vessel for such malice, she felt… unworthy.
As if reading her doubts, Gabriel's smile softened further. "Your will was not your own during that time. And you did resist, didn't you? Otherwise, your sister would not have survived as long as she did."
She floated closer. "Hozuki Nozomi's sacred light purified the corruption from your soul. And you were willing to dissolve your own existence to prevent further harm. That kind of selfless courage… it is more than enough to qualify you as an excellent candidate for angelhood."
She gestured ahead toward a distant, gleaming structure that resembled an elegant academy. "However, all new angels must attend school. Only after you graduate will you earn the opportunity for an official descent to the lower realms." She gave Fujioka Misaki an encouraging look. "Do your best."