The Owl Warden ultimately did not dare to appear again.
Indeed, without the violence of the Debris Guards to assist it, it was ultimately just an ordinary owl with slightly unique properties. Even if it possessed many spare bodies, hitting it under Sakuraba Emma's magic was no different from popping balloons. Senseless sacrifice was meaningless; perhaps it was still hiding in the shadows, scheming something.
In the Cafeteria next to the Tribunal.
"Woo~!"
"Such amazing skill, it's simply not inferior to the exclusive chef in this young lady's home~!" Tono Hanna's eyes lit up as the ham, wrapped in cheese and roasted just right, slid into her mouth.
"Does the chef at Hanna-chan's house also make commoner food like pizza?"
"But the Chef Big Brother's skill is indeed amazing. I don't know if it's an illusion, but I feel filled with power after eating!"
Tachibana Sherri ate very quickly; a seven-inch pizza went into her stomach in no time.
"Hanna-chan, as a lady, you surely can't finish that much, right? Why not share half with me!"
"No way~!"
Looking somewhat unsatisfied, she glanced at her best friend beside her, but clearly, Tono Hanna was guarding her food right now. Having not eaten a decent meal for several days, she just wanted to quietly taste the delicious food, and at this moment alone, she did not want to share with her best friend.
[Delicious food, I like it very much. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Chef.]
Natsume An-An held up a sign, although she only ate half because of her recent weight management.
"So delicious~! Can Big Brother give Noah another portion~?"
Even little lolita Noah, who was always immersed in drawing and didn't care much about food, had fallen captive to this wonderful taste. She voluntarily trotted to the dining cart and asked Suke.
"Of course!"
"Since I had to make combat reserves for Little Emma, I made quite a lot of extra pizza. Everyone can take the unfinished pizza back later to enjoy slowly~"
"Don't worry about it getting cold or spoiling and affecting the taste. Just treat this as my 'magic'!" Suke declared as he handed another box of pizza to Noah.
"Oh oh, such magical magic~!"
"This way Noah can stay in the Art Studio for three meals a day without coming out to eat. Please, Big Brother, give Noah a few more boxes~!"
Hearing Suke's words, Jougasaki Noah's eyes immediately lit up. Every time she was in the middle of creating a painting in the Art Studio, she would be forcibly dragged away by Hiro to the Cafeteria because it was mealtime. But since the Chef Brother is here, it seems she can paint from morning till night in the future~!
'Won't get cold or spoil? Is his magic time or...'
In contrast to everyone else who was high-spirited from eating delicious food, Nikaido Hiro's thoughts were somewhat scattered. Although the pizza was indeed exceptionally delicious, this black long straight young miss found it hard to focus her mind on it.
'Strange chef, another Emma... What on earth is wrong with this world? How could such a thing happen?'
Habitually holding her forehead and frowning, Nikaido Hiro felt as if a voice in her mind was telling her that all of this was extremely incongruous. But when she tried to listen carefully to that voice, she couldn't hear it clearly, and it only made her head hurt.
"Hiro, does the pizza not suit your appetite?"
Perhaps to make it easy for everyone to distinguish, Emma, who had not retracted her bone wings, walked up to Nikaido Hiro. Glancing at the pizza in front of her that had barely been touched, she asked with concern:
"If there's anything you want to eat, you can tell me. I will ask Mast... Mr. Suke to make it."
"Mr. Suke's skill should be unparalleled in this world. No matter what you want to eat, he can make it."
Hearing the pink-and-white haired girl's voice, Nikaido Hiro raised her head. She looked deeply at Sakuraba Emma, who had bone wings on her back, then gazed at the ordinary Sakuraba Emma not far away, who was secretly sweeping her gaze towards this side but afraid of being discovered.
When the Witch in her cognition truly stood before her eyes, she wanted to say something, but found she couldn't start.
"...I'm sorry, Emma."
Nikaido Hiro brewed her words for a long time, but in the end, she still squeezed these three words out of her throat. She certainly wouldn't believe Tachibana Sherri's so-called Doppelganger words. Possessing the "magic" of Death Return, she could deduce the origin of the other Emma before her eyes better than anyone.
Sakuraba Emma, even if she truly became a Witch, she still used her power for protection rather than slaughter. When she saw the girl's posture of turning the tide to protect everyone in the Tribunal, Nikaido Hiro knew she was wrong. Wrong to an outrageous degree.
"Hiro didn't wrong me. It should be said that I wronged you all."
Looking at the black-and-red girl's familiar awkward appearance, Witch Emma shook her head:
"The object of Hiro's apology shouldn't be me... Come here, 'Emma'. I think you are the one who needs to accept Hiro's apology."
"Hiro-chan..."
Being called by name by another self, Sakuraba Emma's body trembled, but she finally got up from her seat and walked over. She looked at the other "Sakuraba Emma" who looked exactly like her but was more perfect than her in every aspect. Then looking at the silent Nikaido Hiro in the seat, the ordinary girl felt a sense of helplessness.
"'Emma', you heard it, right? Hiro apologized to you just now."
"Are you willing to accept her apology?"
Witch Emma smiled and took the hands of the two, making them touch together.
"...I am willing!"
Sakuraba Emma nodded hurriedly. Under the encouragement of her other self, it seemed courage was breeding in her heart. She would not run away anymore! The opportunity was right before her eyes! She must figure out the root cause of why Hiro-chan hates her!
"Hiro, you see it, right? 'Emma' has already forgiven you."
"Next, you just need to explain the misunderstanding clearly, and you can be as good as before!"
"Yes, Hiro-chan!"
Seizing the opportunity, the ordinary girl Sakuraba Emma asked the question she had always wanted an answer to:
"I want to know why you hate me? What exactly happened? If it's my fault, I'm willing to apolo..."
"Enough."
However, at this moment, Nikaido Hiro, whose whispers in her mind were getting louder, slapped Sakuraba Emma's hand away impatiently. For some reason, she realized that hatred for the Sakuraba Emma of this world still remained in her heart.
She turned to look at Witch Emma instead:
"Emma, will you stay in this world forever after this?"
"I have a lot of things I want to ask you, want to say to you..."
Eh?
Nikaido Hiro spoke on her own, as if treating the other person as non-existent, causing the courage Sakuraba Emma had mustered to freeze on her face.
"...I will leave after everyone is no longer troubled by the Witch Factor."
"I do not belong to this world, Hiro. You should understand this point better than I do."
Unknowingly, Witch Emma found that Nikaido Hiro had actually turned to grab her hand. Her hand was very forceful, terrified that she would break free.
"You don't need to worry about me. I am Mr. Suke's partner now. He is a very, very good person. I have already sworn to dedicate my everything to him..."
"And if not for his blessing, I wouldn't have had the chance to meet you again, Hiro."
"Can you..."
"Don't go, Emma?"
However, at this moment, Nikaido Hiro suddenly yanked Witch Emma's hand. She did not control her voice; this sudden abnormal movement caused everyone in the Cafeteria to look over one after another:
"I really still... really still... Ah, ah..."
Hiro covered her nose and mouth, her pupils dilated.
Even though they were the same person, she realized she felt completely different auras from the two bodies. In a trance, she even produced a hallucination.
The one who is a Witch is like an angel shedding its feathers, while the one who is a mortal is like a demon in gestation.
"If it's that gentleman... Since they are both 'Emma' anyway, how about you two swap?"
"I beg you...!"
Suke: ?
Noticing the scene over here, Suke slowly typed a question mark.
What meaning?
And Swap-play?
____
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