Chapter 570: Chapter 570: Kurata Yui, Breakdown Phenomenon!
"Hey, Ai-chan, what's going on? Why haven't you come out yet? Are you still feeling sick?"
Kaguya Shinomiya had been waiting ages for Ai Hayasaka to show up. Worried, she went to look for her and found Ai standing at the restroom mirror, looking totally spaced out.
Naturally, this made Kaguya even more anxious about Ai's condition.
"I'm fine," Ai replied, though her expression was distant. She snapped out of her daze, finally tearing her gaze away from the group chat on her phone.
Rei Ao had been explaining a few things, and Ai had gotten totally hooked on the story. She couldn't believe that an elf from another world might be tangled up in some sneaky conspiracy, treated like a pawn. It hit a little too close to home.
Seeing Kaguya so concerned only deepened Ai's guilt.
Someone like me doesn't deserve her kindness, she thought.
Because Ai wasn't just Kaguya's maid—or her friend. She was also her watchdog. When Kaguya was little, her older brother Oko Shinomiya had planted Ai by Kaguya's side with orders to report on everything she did. His real motive? Keep tabs on Kaguya and make sure she never got in his way when it came to competing for the Shinomiya Group.
Now, all this concern coming from Kaguya just made Ai feel even worse—torn between guilt and duty. But she couldn't let it show. The Hayasaka family was basically a vassal for the Shinomiya family, and Ai and her mother had no power to resist.
She wiped the emotions from her face, returning to her usual blank expression.
"Don't worry about me, Milady. I'll go get your toiletries ready."
With that, she got back to work like always, but not before sneaking one last look at the group chat.
If it's him… maybe he can save Milady…
…
Royal Biblia Academy
Asami Lilith, one of the Trinity Seven, had some downtime and was scrolling through the group chat. Like the other witches, she checked it for fun—magic research didn't exactly leave them with a ton of hobbies.
Today, it looked like a newcomer from another world had shown up. Supposedly an elf, but not the kind you usually read about.
From what Rei Ao—a total perv—was saying, there was someone called Yatogami Tohka, an elf who'd apparently been created by an "Spirit of Origin." She was basically being used like a tool. That setup reminded Lilith a lot of her own situation:
I know that feeling. I was created by my father—just a pawn, just a tool…
She couldn't shake off Rei Ao's words: "Your dad's actually a Demon King from another world, and he's using you."
That line haunted her. She'd been worried ever since about weird changes in her body and wondering when her father—someone she'd never even met—might strike at this world. The whole thing constantly weighed on her mind.
"Lilith, don't you think the academy feels…off somehow?" Kasuga Hijiri asked suddenly.
"What do you mean, 'off'?" Lilith blinked. Aside from it being strangely quiet, she hadn't noticed anything super weird.
"Something's really wrong! Big trouble!"
A panicked voice—Selina's—echoed from outside. Exchanging a glance, Lilith and Kasuga Hijiri rushed out of the classroom.
…
Outside the Classroom
Selina, Kazama Levi, Yamanai Mira, Fudou Akio, and Kannazuki Arin had all gathered in a wide hallway. When Lilith and Kasuga Hijiri arrived, they saw black mist covering the entire campus.
The glow from the crystal ball Yamanai Mira was holding lit up just enough space for them to see other classrooms, where students had either collapsed on the floor or slumped over their desks.
"Are they… dead?" Kazama Levi frowned.
Fudou Akio went in to check one of the classrooms, then came back shaking her head.
"They're not dead. It's more like they've all passed out."
"So that's why the whole place is so eerily quiet," Kasuga Hijiri murmured.
"Yeah, and it's not just the academy."
A voice suddenly broke in. Out of the mist came Lieselotte.
"Do you actually know what's going on?" Kannazuki Arin asked sharply. She and Yamanai Mira eyed Lieselotte with caution—Lieselotte had tried to attack them before.
"Heh." Lieselotte didn't seem bothered by their suspicion. "It's not just the academy that's covered in this fog. Everything outside is, too."
"What?" Everyone was floored. Even the area outside the school was affected?
"So… what's the deal here?" Yamanai Mira asked impatiently. "Shouldn't we go talk to the headmaster or something?"
"No need," Kasuga Hijiri interrupted. "Check the group chat. The answer's all there."
…
In the Group Chat
Kurata Yui: "@Everyone… Guys, my magic is going completely haywire."
Yamanai Mira: "And you are…?"
Lieselotte: "Oh, come on. You've never heard of her? She's one of the Trinity Seven too~"
Kazama Levi: "Huh? That's news to me."
Lieselotte: "She's the 'sealed' witch. No wonder you haven't heard of her."
Asami Lilith: "So if your magic's out of control, does that mean this whole mess outside is your doing?"
Kurata Yui: "I… I'm not really sure what's happening out there."
Fudou Akio: "Then at least tell us why you're sealed away."
Kurata Yui: "Um, well, technically I'm not "sealed." I chose to live in the dungeon under the school…"
Yui was a mage who lived in a parallel dimension called the "world of dreams." She usually could only communicate with others through their dreams.
She didn't really bond with anyone and spent her life asleep doing research, so the academy basically kept her underground.
She had an immense amount of magical power—right under the headmaster's level. If her powers spiraled out of control, they'd trigger a "breakdown phenomenon," plunging the entire world into a permanent sleep…and destroying it.
The group freaked out upon hearing that.
"Wait, that's the breakdown phenomenon?!"
Selina: "No way! Is the world about to end? I don't want that!!!"
Lieselotte: "Relax, we're still here, aren't we?"
Kannazuki Arin: "Either way, we have to stop this from getting worse."
Asami Lilith: "Okay, so how do we do that?"
Kurata Yui: "Well… if you all come down to the dungeon and find me, then… you can kill me."
"!!!"
~~~
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