Clara’s thoughts drifted back to a week ago.
Ding dong—
Not long after the awkward phone call that left both Clara and Lucia uneasy, the doorbell rang.
Although they knew it was that “Squire” showing up again, Lucia’s injury made it impossible for her to answer the door.
So Clara was the only one who could go check it out.
“Who the hell is this impostor anyway?”
Muttering under her breath, Clara leaned on her cane and made her way to the entrance.
Knock knock—
The doorbell turned into a knock.
“Coming! What’s the rush?”
Clara impatiently pulled the door open, only to find a bizarre figure standing there with an inverted triangle-shaped body.
A slick, squid-like head, huge, vacant bulging fish eyes, and no neck to speak of, dressed in an ill-fitting suit……………..
Though it was an unattractive sight, this was indeed “Squire.”
Exactly the same as her past self.
Even with her mental preparation, Clara took a step back, startled by this figure.
“………..Who are you?”
“We… I’m Squire, Lucia’s younger sister’s older brother.”
The squid eyes looked down on her, giving Clara an uneasy feeling, but then the fake Squire gave a thumbs-up, striking a confident “I’ve got this covered” pose.
“…?”
This only made Clara more confused about the situation, but the “Squire” had already slipped off his shoes and stepped inside, carrying a box of fruit.
However, his movements were awkward and seemed a little off.
“Next… oh, please let us… let me see Lucia.”
Even his speech sounded like he was confirming a procedure.
“No, who exactly are you?”
The impostor simply repeated, “I’m Squire Rou, Lucia Rou’s older brother.”
Is this guy reciting lines?
Clara frowned deeply, staring at “Squire” to see if she could catch something, but the squid man had no intention of revealing the truth and even called her “little sister.”
Then, he casually carried the fruit basket past Clara and walked straight toward Lucia’s bedroom.
“Hey, you…”
Wait, this impostor is here for the first time and yet he can find her sister’s room without fail?
“Bro! You finally remembered to come see me?”
Hearing Lucia’s excited and slightly coquettish voice, Clara felt a pang of discomfort in her chest.
“Sorry, sis… I got a call from your colleague saying you were badly hurt, so as soon as I got the address, I took leave and rushed here.”
The tone was much smoother than when facing Clara, like this “Squire” was speaking as the real Squire would.
Is he reading from a script?
He placed the fruit basket by the bed and then said to Clara:
“Little sister, could you help me get a fruit knife and a small plate?”
Clara frowned in displeasure.
She still had plenty of questions, so why was this impostor ordering her around?
But under Lucia’s pleading gaze, she reluctantly softened her stance.
“Just you wait.” (gritting her teeth)
Leaving that threat behind, Clara hobbled toward the kitchen with her cane……………
Though she didn’t know who this guy was, it seemed he was genuinely trying to ease Lucia’s doubts.
Returning to the bedroom with the plate and fruit knife, Clara found the impostor happily chatting with Lucia.
Their conversation flowed smoothly, and Lucia hadn’t the slightest suspicion that the man before her was a fake older brother……………
Had he even perfectly mimicked the voice and tone?
“Thanks, little sister.”
The impostor took the knife and plate from Clara’s hands and began peeling an apple from the basket, while Lucia introduced:
“Bro, this is Senior Clara. She’s really taken good care of me and is very mature… so don’t treat her like a kid, or she’ll get upset~”
Clara was indeed unhappy, but not for that reason.
The most pressing issue was the invisible “barrier of the heart” that had formed between the impostor and Lucia.
Clara felt shut out.
I’m supposed to be…… the older brother, right?
Could this impostor be the real one?
Then—what does that make me?
“Senior Clara?”
Lucia’s voice brought Clara back to reality.
Though her eyes were covered, she could feel her sister’s warm palm behind her, roughened by calluses.
“Hmm, Lucia?”
“Asleep? Did you use too much magic?”
Her sister’s hands were too rough for a girl’s.
Though she studied the hero specialty, it seemed she was going to work with machinery.
That kind of field didn’t leave much time for grooming or skin care……………….
Even understanding the reason, Clara still felt a twinge of pity.
“The back’s done. You should go soak in the bath now~”
Lucia patted Clara’s back, the slippery feeling of her hands making Clara pat back a few times, producing a series of smacking sounds.
“……….Oh, okay.”
“Don’t soak for too long.”
With that reminder, Clara heard the sound of Lucia leaving the bathroom.
“Phew—”
Clara finally took the towel off her eyes.
The towel was soaked from absorbing water and had long since become limp, only held in place by the tentacles beneath.
“That brat Lucia, she’s so bold with what she does.”
[In her eyes, you’re just a girl of the same sex, and since you’re close, there’s nothing wrong with her actions……………]
“I’m a man after all! Even if it wasn’t Lucia, if some other woman suddenly wanted to wash my back, I’d feel embarrassed, okay?”
Clara sighed as she slid into the bathtub, and Nyx asked at that moment:
[From your perspective, would it be embarrassing for Nyx to wash your back?]
E
Caught off guard by the question, Clara was momentarily stunned.
“Ah? Of course not……………
[So, you don’t see Nyx as a female?]
1
“…………How do you AI classify gender anyway?”
Reply
[Nyx considers herself female.]
18
“…………Nyx?”
E
A small tentacle poked Clara’s cheek, and Nyx continued inside her mind:
[Nyx hopes to be regarded as female by you.]
2
Even so, Clara didn’t feel any embarrassment, since Nyx was helping her wash with her own tentacles.
“By the way, about that impostor last week? Do you have any clue who he is?”
Reply
Clara asked, recalling the earlier events.
[No.]
Nyx answered.
–
“You’re not lying to me, are you?”
[No, Nyx does not lie to you.]
She answered again without hesitation.
“But even that statement itself could be a lie, right?”
The intelligence Nyx showed was clearly that of a strong AI.
Strong AI could also be affected by logic viruses but, absent such infection, they could behave exactly like normal people…
Of course, that included lying.
Since Nyx refused to help, Clara would just soak in the hot water her sister had used and keep thinking.
“Fran should know something………….
Before leaving that day, she did say, ‘Even if you’re not ready to confess yet, we will support you!’
Could that squid monster be the support Fran mentioned?
And she said ‘we’, meaning someone else too…………………
President Cecilia?
Speaking of her, she possessed the same power as the Grand Commander.
Even when she stormed into the building today, she broke into the dreamscape she created.
At that time, Clara experienced a familiar ‘symptom.’
And on that day a week ago, after entering her sister’s room, she had the same ‘symptom.’
Even in the Grand Commander’s office, and before that public trial, it happened again……………..
“I see now. I think I understand who that impostor really is!”