Clara finished her bath but didn’t go straight to bed.
“Not much time left……….. just draw for an hour.”
Drawing a few strokes every day had always been her commitment. Even with Nyx as her assistant, she couldn’t abandon this habit. After all, the skills honed through constant practice were her true reliance.
Because of this, although she couldn’t afford formal art education, Clara’s fundamentals were solid—so much so that even Nangong Xiang hoped she could reach such a level.
But today, the dormitory wasn’t just occupied by sensible Lucia.
“Clara’s drawing something good~”
“Let me see if what you’re drawing is healthy or not!”
“Oh, shy now? What’s there to be shy about!”
Cecilia pulled Lucia and Fran together. The three of them, already finished with their baths and dressed in pajamas, formed a strong-willed audience behind Clara. For Clara, it felt like an invisible weight had been added to her wrist, making every stroke unusually difficult.
In a way, “Magical Girl Clara” was a story she had invented herself—a bit like the embarrassing chūnibyō phase from her past, with legends about the great sea beast Kraken’s reincarnation…
Just showing this to anyone was shame enough, let alone having people she knew watch her creative process from behind.
Though it was only a rough draft, Clara simply couldn’t continue drawing.
Helplessly, she put down her pen and used her tentacles to push the three of them a step back.
“……Hey, do you guys really have to watch me from behind?”
“You’ve already drawn during your goof-off time today anyway. Come on, let’s go to sleep!”
Cecilia reached out to grab Clara’s wrist, which immediately caused Clara’s line to go crooked.
“Waaah!!”
Clara screamed in distress.
There’s no Ctrl+Z with paper drawing; the whole draft was ruined just like that.
“Don’t bother me while I’m drawing! That’s too much!”
“I-it’s fine, right? It’s just a practice draft~”
“Practice drafts are still a labor of love!”
As midnight approached, Clara reluctantly set down her pen.
“I want to sleep at the edge,” she said.
“That won’t do. Everyone wants to cuddle Clara! So you have to sleep in the middle, since Lucia already got to enjoy that once before… this time you sleep between me and Fran!”
“……That doesn’t sound right?”
“It’s settled! That’s an order from the club president!”
Lucia complained, “How come it’s like this!”
Her little sister didn’t know the situation. President Cecilia was a loli old lady who knew full well that even if she was an uncle, she’d pounce without a hint of psychological burden… But what about Fran?
She neither refused nor joined in teasing. She just stood aside, sucking on a lollipop and watching.
Eating candy before bed—aren’t you afraid of cavities?
The master bedroom bed was big enough that four people could sleep without crowding.
Clara lay in the very center, too afraid to move recklessly. Even her tentacles curled quietly in her hair, afraid to touch anything they shouldn’t…
From left to right: Lucia, Cecilia, Clara, Fran, each under a blanket, but because of the heater, the covers were thin.
In the end, Clara accepted this arrangement.
Even if she refused, it was pointless. Cecilia’s power could manipulate dreams and even forcibly drag people into them. If she didn’t obey, who knew what might happen after falling asleep…
But surprisingly, the Cecilia who was always hands-on didn’t attack her after lying down. Instead, she shifted closer to Lucia, with a distance between them even shorter than Clara’s space beside Fran.
Was she avoiding her?
It wasn’t until she was in bed that Clara realized the whole “no physical contact between genders” thing.
She had prepared herself mentally to be teased, but now she felt a little disappointed.
That strange expectation made her feel like a weirdo.
Lucia turned off the lights, leaving only the dim nightlight glowing. Cecilia then proposed, “Alright! Clara, pick a girl topic!”
“A g-girl topic?”
Although she knew that a girls’ dorm wouldn’t be complete without a night chat, Clara didn’t expect to be caught off guard right away. She wasn’t even a “real girl,” so why was this old lady asking such questions?!
“…Maybe which cake shop has the best desserts or something?”
She offered a question based on the stereotypical image of girls from manga.
“Do you want to discuss that? I don’t mind, but you probably haven’t been to many cake shops. Can you really talk about that?”
Fran mercilessly teased her but also said, “How about changing the topic? Clara dear, do you have someone you like?”
“Someone I like?”
Just someone to marry in the future?
Clara had never considered this question. Due to her complicated family background and no progress in her career, not to mention being the universally disliked “squid head,”
Clara never thought she was qualified to date anyone, so she naturally never had feelings for anyone…
“Clara-senpai, could it be that you have a crush on Mr. Sista from Sigma Corporation?”
Lucia’s sudden words almost choked Clara.
Oh, right, the Radiant Hero Festival had been canceled due to the Expo Center’s destruction, so Lucia didn’t know that Sista’s true identity was the “Pure White Storm.”
“Sista? Who’s that?”
Fran’s speech suddenly sped up.
“He’s an employee of Sigma Hero… but that’s just Lucia’s misunderstanding.”
Seeing Cecilia’s eyes gleam with excitement in the dark, and Fran’s seemingly believing and pressing for answers, Clara had to clarify.
“I don’t like men, and I never will.”
She even said it firmly.
That sealed off any chance of her becoming Nandou’s match.
She admired Pure White Storm only as an icon—a recognition of the same sex. That kind of feeling was definitely different from “liking” someone… right?
Cecilia didn’t get the response she wanted, so she said:
“The more people say that, the easier they fall~”
“No way!”
“I’m bored, I’m going to sleep.”
Turning her back on Clara, Cecilia’s shifting blanket made Clara suspicious…
“Uh, President?” Lucia’s voice was surprised.
Did President Cecilia crawl into Lucia’s bed?!
Harassing her little sister right in front of her brother, Clara wanted to stop her but didn’t know how to speak up. She stammered a few words.
“Pet, what are you whining about? I don’t understand what you’re saying like that… hehe, Lucia-neechan is developing nicely~ Will I grow up this big someday~”
Cecilia was blatantly provoking on purpose.
Besides, she was already a loli old lady. No chance of developing further!
Cecilia’s innocent remarks, combined with her authority as president, made it difficult for “trainee big sister” Lucia to refuse. Naturally, she was completely at her mercy.
If this kept up, Lucia would be in danger!
Clara’s impulsive mind urged her to act. Anxiety and worry evaporated her reason, and the words that slipped out were…
“President, is there something… are… are you coming for me…?”
“Oh! Got it!”
That night…
Miss Squid, who fed herself to the tiger to save her little sister, became a legendary story inside the company.