**Chapter 43 Completely Wrong**
Before the action began.
“Does everyone understand their responsibilities?”
Alice consolidated the suggestions made by Kanade and DD-chan and formulated a plan.
At the same time, she repeatedly reminded Kanade that if anything felt off, he should prioritize his own life.
Then they proceeded according to the plan.
DD-chan, transformed into a spirit, floated above the platform between the staircases; all Kanade needed to do was use his ability to emit magic.
This would lure the doppelgänger closer.
Alice had already gathered her blood blade and hid in the corridor on the third floor.
From the viewpoint of the platform between the staircases, Alice’s hiding spot was in a blind spot.
Her petite frame was pressed against the windowsill of the corridor.
Even if the doppelgänger broke in through the window from the outer wall, she could ambush it successfully.
And Alice kept her eyes closed the entire time.
Because whether it was the weakness created by her true eye or the risk of her other emerald green eye accidentally seeing the doppelgänger’s face, both could lead to serious consequences.
So Alice focused intently, making sure she didn’t miss any sounds, including Kanade’s voice.
Three minutes.
This was the longest time Kanade could maintain his ability.
He had to entice the doppelgänger within these three minutes.
Taking a deep breath, Kanade invoked the magic flow within him that DD-chan had taught him, as if he had flipped a “switch.”
In an instant, Kanade’s perspective transformed, turning into a third-person view that looked down upon the staircase.
—Come on, you bastard.
Kanade gritted his teeth inwardly.
—That bastard dares to take on Nagisa’s appearance…
He recalled that moment of confession.
An invisible fury surged within him.
—It must not be spared.
With these thoughts, Kanade suddenly noticed a figure approaching at the edge of his vision.
Waist-length black hair, a dignified and adorable face, a slender and delicate figure.
Just as DD-chan had said, the doppelgänger would take on the guise of someone the target felt most at ease with.
Having witnessed Kanade’s breakdown behind the school building, the doppelgänger surely knew what form was his weakness.
—Damn it! It still dares to appear before me in Nagisa’s form…
A thought flashed through Kanade’s mind.
Could this be the real Nagisa?
But he quickly brushed this thought aside.
Because the “Nagisa” in front of him acted entirely differently from the memory of her.
The figure was exuding an unhuman feeling throughout.
—This is definitely a fake!
Kanade was resolute in his mind.
The desire for revenge occupied his brain at that moment, compelling him to draw conclusions that aligned with what he wanted to believe.
The shadow was slowly drawing closer to Kanade and the others.
Even Alice, relying solely on her hearing, could detect that someone was slowly walking up the stairs.
However, because DD-chan’s magic and the doppelgänger’s magic were too similar, she couldn’t distinguish who was emitting the magic at such a close distance.
3, 2, 1…
…
…
The doppelgänger caught that familiar scent.
It was the smell of power.
By consuming this essence, it could gain strength.
As long as it kept feeding.
One day, it would take revenge for its mother!
There was indeed a problematic individual nearby.
But that individual seemed to be an idiot, hesitating due to concern for other humans’ lives.
This was a golden opportunity—
Ah, I feel you, my brother—
Just as the doppelgänger prepared to reach for that essence.
The straightened arm found nothing to grasp.
The dim and cramped room suddenly turned into an aerial view.
What reflected in its eyes was a city shrouded in dark clouds.
The wind whistled past its ears, and a fierce gust lifted its body high into the sky.
“Eh?”
The sudden change caught it off guard.
And beneath it—
“Now!”
With Kanade’s command.
Alice burst forth from the shadows like lightning, thrusting the blood blade into the target’s chest.
In that instant.
A large amount of blood spattered between Alice and the target.
“Success!”
Kanade couldn’t help but laugh, standing up.
Although his ability was weak to the point of seeming comical, successfully defeating the enemy through cooperation with his partner filled him with a great sense of accomplishment. At that moment, Kanade felt like an all-powerful protagonist.
When Kanade wanted to celebrate with Alice, he noticed her serious expression and her arm trembling slightly.
Kanade sensed that the atmosphere was off.
“No, this… this isn’t the doppelgänger…”
DD-chan’s trembling voice echoed in the silent space.
These words made Kanade’s smile freeze in that moment.
—If this isn’t the doppelgänger, then who could it be?
Time was up, the perspective shifted.
As Kanade returned to his own viewpoint.
The first scene he saw through his eyes was—
A black-haired girl, like a marionette with severed strings, collapsed helplessly in Alice’s embrace.
Her eyes were tightly closed, and her adorable face was stained with bright red blood.
“Na…gisa…?”
Kanade’s eyes trembled as a hoarse voice escaped from his parched throat.
—Impossible, something must be wrong.
—Nagisa has no reason to be here…
—This is all the doppelgänger’s trick.
—Right, it must be that, it’s trying to lure us into letting our guard down before launching a surprise attack…
—Come on! Doppelgänger! I admit your plan worked!
—So, come kill me…
—you won, you won, so please…
Kanade’s legs gave way as he knelt, supporting himself on the ground.
(“…but we promised to go home together, right?”)
The words Nagisa said before parting flashed through Kanade’s mind.
If only he hadn’t made plans to go home with Nagisa—
If he had listened to Alice’s suggestion to leave—
If he hadn’t insisted on killing the doppelgänger now—
If only he had looked a little more closely in the end—
It was all my fault, Nagisa would—
Nagisa—
Above Kawano City.
The dark clouds suddenly twisted.
Making Garuda, who was holding the doppelgänger, lift its head involuntarily.
Its power was being eroded.
It had firmly decided to protect her—
Yet once again, it had personally—
I, I—
Kanade clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his flesh, blood seeping out.
The violent turmoil of emotions turned his eyes into a brilliant golden hue.
—The world without Nagisa.
Does not exist—
“Calm down, Nagisa is okay.”
Alice’s voice broke through Kanade’s thoughts, pulling his consciousness back to reality.
With Alice’s reminder, he noticed that Nagisa, lying in her arms, was still breathing.
Although her chest was splattered with blood, she showed no wounds.
The large amount of blood that had just splattered was from the blood blade disintegrating.
“She just fainted; I released the blood blade at the last moment.”
“Thank you, thank you… thank you…”
Kanade crawled up to the unconscious Nagisa, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.
Alice had been tense during the attack.
Especially after losing her sight, her other senses became sharper.
So when the tip of the blood blade pressed against Nagisa’s skin, she sensed that something was wrong and decisively canceled her ability.
—Don’t be intoxicated by power.
Someone’s advice echoed in her heart.
Alice whispered to herself:
“Rest assured, I won’t repeat that mistake.”
“Even though I retracted my attack, it’s possible that the damage to Nagisa’s body could still persist.”
“Let’s head back to the Special Circumstances SEMA; they have proper equipment to treat Nagisa.”
“Okay, okay, please, Alice…”
As soon as Kanade heard that Nagisa could be saved, he hurriedly agreed.
Only DD-chan, floating in the air, remained silent after just reminding Kanade.
There was no way it would mistake the magic reaction of the doppelgänger.
It was definitely the doppelgänger that just came in, but what lay here now was a suspected carbon-based lifeform.
Recalling that creature’s ability, it made sense, but why?
DD-chan, puzzled, realized after hearing Alice’s suggestion.
This suspected carbon-based lifeform intended to use this method to infiltrate the Special Circumstances SEMA!?
DD-chan felt it was getting closer to the truth.
