Chapter 537: 537: DSMW [537]

"That's so amazing, Miles… you actually know such incredible magic!"Dazzled by Miles' bluff, little Nova stared at the two Aishas on the bed with eyes full of anticipation.

"Then change them back and let us see~"

"…"

Heh. Now that truly stumped Miles.

If he could change them back, he wouldn't have had such a headache first thing in the morning.

"They can't change back for the time being."

"Can't change back?" Nova and the original Aisha cried out in unison.

"Because it's still in the development stage. I've only researched how to split them… I haven't figured out how to reverse it yet."

With no other choice, Miles could only double down on his lie to patch up his so-called "Aisha Division Technique."

"If they can't change back, doesn't that mean…"

Aisha carefully examined the other version of herself in front of her. There wasn't the slightest flaw to expose it as magic.

Aside from the Millennium Puzzle on her chest not being duplicated, it was even more real than real.

"Doesn't that mean there are two of me now? It's my clone… how convenient!"

Fortunately, Aisha's mind was simple enough, and her trust in Miles was absolute enough, that she didn't even think to doubt the authenticity of the magic.

As for what she meant by convenient, it was probably the same fantasy most people had when imagining having a clone.

Let the clone do homework, housework, work shifts, write manuscripts, and so on.

Yet she hadn't considered that her clone might not want to do homework or write manuscripts either.

Anyways, all in all, he had barely managed to muddle through, right?

Right?

….

Inside the consulate dining hall.

"So this is the reason there's suddenly an extra Aisha?"

After hearing the whole story, Irena at the dining table wore an expression that clearly said: Are you kidding me?

"Human Division Technique? I've never heard of that kind of magic. Where did you learn it, Miles?"

Miles had long anticipated that among this group, the hardest person to fool would be Irena.

After all, Irena herself knew quite a lot of magic.

Even so, something like splitting a human body was probably beyond her as well.

So at a moment like this, Miles only needed to seize the initiative and remain sufficiently composed.

"If you haven't heard of it yourself, shouldn't you be a little more humble when seeking instruction from others, Miss Gray Witch?"

"Hah? Seeking instruction? Me? Asking you for advice about magic, Miles? Don't joke around!"

The strange pride of Irena, the Gray Witch.

When it came to dueling, she could admit that she was no match for Miles. But once magic was involved, she refused to concede defeat to anyone.

And Miles was counting precisely on that.

Irena retorted irritably, "Besides, if you can't change them back, then this is obviously a failed magic trick!"

"It's not a failure. It's still under research."

"Alright, alright. It's early in the morning. Let's not argue," Alice said.

From the kitchen, Alice carried over freshly baked buttered toast and set it on the table.

Then her gaze settled on the two Aishas sitting obediently at the table.

"They really are identical."

Even their own older sister couldn't see any difference.

The two Aishas moved in perfect synchronization. At the same moment, they picked up the buttered toast from the table, took a bite together, and chewed at the exact same rhythm.

"(っ≧▽≦っ) So tasty!"

S-so cute!

Alice couldn't help crying out inwardly.

As a different extreme type of secretly-obsessed little-sister lover, this moment of double Aisha, double little sister, double happiness struck deeply at Alice's heart.

If not for maintaining her skilled and dignified older-sister image, Alice would have wanted to fiercely praise Miles; well done, well done indeed!

"Emmmm."

While Alice was still immersed in the joy brought by double little sisters, Miles, on the other hand, was secretly observing.

Observing every move Alice Carlos made.

But no matter how he looked at her, the Alice before him was nothing more than a simple, secretly-obsessed siscon, her eyes filled with doting affection toward Aisha.

Miles simply couldn't connect this version of Alice with the bloodstained Shadow Duelist Sylvia had described.

So he initiated a second round of probing.

He picked up a donut from the table and placed it in the center of a plate, then arranged a pile of potato wedges around it in a suspended pattern.

"Sister Alice, what does this pattern look like to you?"

The Millennium Ring. Anyone in the know would immediately understand what Miles was implying.

Yet not the slightest trace of change appeared on Alice's face—at least none that Miles could detect. She merely scolded him gently.

"You shouldn't play with your food, Miles."

Just like an older sister reprimanding her younger brother.

"O-okay."

Because her aura in this regard was far too similar to his own older sister's, it triggered a kind of instinctive biological suppression in Miles.

Even though he was already full, he could only helplessly stuff the donut and the pile of potato wedges into his stomach.

Unable to detect even the faintest flaw from Alice, if this were truly a disguise meant to fool everyone, Miles would have to admit… she was impressively good at pretending.

However, at this moment, Alice was only calm on the surface.

"Hahahahahaha!"

Within the hidden Millennium Ring, Elra's maniacal laughter had already begun to echo.

"Interesting, truly interesting. That just now was the Millennium Ring, wasn't it? That fellow Miles actually asked you what that pattern looked like. How do you feel now, Alice?"

"Was it a coincidence, or…"

The more it was like this, the more Alice needed to maintain her composure and reveal nothing suspicious.

Even as Elra laughed wildly in her mind, Alice at the table could still lift her teacup without a change of expression and sip it calmly.

Elra: "There's no way that's a coincidence. Miles must have noticed something!"

"That's impossible."

Over the past few days, Alice could guarantee with absolute certainty that she hadn't done a single thing that might expose her.

If there had been no possibility of exposure, how could Miles have noticed anything?

Elra: "Doing nothing doesn't mean you can't be exposed. I noticed it at the banquet yesterday; the little girl from the Diane family was looking at you strangely. Those eyes might not be ordinary."

"Sylvia Diane."

"And last night, even though it was some distance away from the consulate, that midnight duel was also highly suspicious. I imagine another storm has already begun to rise behind the scenes in the imperial capital."

Alice slowly set down her teacup.

Another storm?

When she thought about the major upheaval about to occur in the imperial capital, Alice suddenly felt that perhaps this wasn't such a bad thing.

The collision and convergence of two storms might very well carve out a brand-new situation beyond anyone's imagination.

"Oh? So you're also the type who delights in chaos, Alice?"

"No. I simply hope the situation becomes chaotic enough. Chaotic enough that even if one or two people were to disappear, no one would notice anything unusual."

Alice Carlos, the Kaiju, and the meteorite had already locked onto their target:

The sisters of the Diane family.

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