episode_0119

Far from the commotion, inside Polaris Academy’s girls’ dormitory.

“Ugh, my head hurts!”

I, Violet Unit 1, had a throbbing headache. Another one of me had caused trouble again.

I am the first Violet to fall into this world. Nevertheless, the authority granted to me is equal to that of other Violets. All that remains is a thin layer of symbolism. We, who prioritize practicality, don’t place much value on the number ‘Unit 1′.

However, all Violets possess the incompatible qualities of individuality and simultaneity. If one Violet makes a mistake, we all have to bear the consequences. In other words, a Violet’s mistake leads to joint responsibility.

That’s why I was suffering while watching the foolishness committed by other versions of myself. The moment a series of minor mistakes committed in the central district led to a confidential disclosure.

“Uuuugh…”

Unit 1 let out a listless groan. To think it would be discovered there!

From briefly leaving the basement door open while moving the hibernating Violet bodies, to being negligent due to complacency from them not escaping and getting along well as usual, and various other small moments overlapping, the result was a lament from a friend who was a fellow researcher.

Before Unit 1’s eyes, Kalia appeared bewildered.

“Ugh!”

“You said it was a kidnapping, right? You didn’t capture and imprison an innocent person, did you? Right?”

“No, I mean…”

“Answer honestly…”

“They *are* innocent, but!”

“What?! Hey!”

Ugh, it’s ambiguous. If we had imprisoned genuinely bad people, Kalia would have just accepted it. Perhaps because she’s lived in such a harsh environment, among the friends gathered in the central district now, she’s the one most accustomed to murder and violence against people, second only to me. She would have just said a few words and left.

The problem is that the person we imprisoned *is* genuinely innocent. We imprisoned them because they saw our faces.

As I lay slumped over the desk, groaning to myself, a clear, refreshing voice reached my ears.

“Violet. You’re not feeling unwell, are you? Right?”

As I slightly lifted my head, long, shimmering silver waves captivated my gaze. Following them upwards, clear sapphire eyes, flickering with worry and goodwill, set in a slender, white face, looked at me.

“You’re right. Daphne, something happened that’s giving me a headache. Could you use your unique ability for me…?”

As a warm green glow enveloped my head, I finally felt at ease. I feel it every time I’m healed, but Daphne’s ability affects the Violet network. It’s truly amazing.

“Ugh, I’m finally calming down a bit.”

“Now I have some room to think!”

Once my head cooled down a bit, I could organize my thoughts. Up until a moment ago, it had been a very difficult situation.

I tried to explain honestly, but explaining one thing didn’t immediately end it.

“Alright! I’ll answer everything. Ask anything.”

Answering one question would lead to endless follow-up questions. For example, like this:

“You said they were innocent? Why did you kidnap and imprison them?”

“Indeed. I was curious too, actually. They asked a bunch of things, then imprisoned me because they saw my face. Not that I resent it. It’s true I lived quite comfortably.”

“Well, they were entering and exiting an important facility, so I tried to ask what kind of place it was!”

“An important facility? Where is that?”

“Ah…”

At Kalia’s question, my voice trailed off. Then Lucian asked:

“You, where did you get that gun and those weapons?”

“This? I smuggled it!”

“What? Are you crazy… Fine. Then why did you smuggle it?”

“Because I wanted to buy it, but they wouldn’t sell it to me! And I can save magic power too.”

“…?”

This was the situation: answering one question would bring two more, and answering those would bring four more. Why they orchestrated the kidnapping, what their unique ability truly was, what they were doing these days, what they were thinking…

“If I explain this one by one, it’ll never end!”

“This won’t do. I’ll have to set a date, prepare, and explain it properly, won’t I?”

It was obvious that continuing like this would only fill everyone with more questions, so I stopped taking them.

“No more questions! It’s too late today. I’ll explain everything tomorrow morning. For now, go inside and sleep!”

***

The next day, I brought everyone to the Violet barracks. It’s a good place for explanations, as it has computers, projectors, microphones, and a podium. And another characteristic: it’s full of Violets.

When the barracks door opened, Lucian’s group looked surprised. Irene and Kalia were used to seeing us live like this, and Mister Yurik, the postdoc over there, adjusting his glasses and looking around, was already accustomed to us Violets, so he was less flustered.

That Lucian guy looked around at us. His black eyes were filled with suspicion and curiosity. On his right hand, he wore a combat glove engraved with a magic circle, which might mean he didn’t fully trust us.

“Why are there so many? It’s like a swarm.”

I kindly replied to his muttered words.

“Currently, there are 212 active entities with physical bodies. Including all conscious selves, there are 623 Violets active.”

“What? Are you crazy…”

Hearing my words, Lucian let out a short sigh, as if dumbfounded. Levi and Granite, standing behind him, gaped.

But it seemed Lucian’s group wasn’t the only one surprised by the current numbers I mentioned.

“623? When did you increase that much?”

As Kalia asked, surprised, I corrected her.

“Just a moment ago! One more increased, so now there are 624.”

“Wait, wow.”

Even Irene, who had maintained her composure, couldn’t hide her surprise the moment she heard this. Was she surprised by the Violets’ productivity, or by the sheer number?

Among the surprised people, the only one who remained calm was Teacher Yurik. He was following at the very back of the group, scribbling something in a notebook.

“Clones continuously increasing in real-time? What’s the principle…?”

“Mister. I’ll explain the principle in a bit. You don’t need to write that down right now!”

I quickly led the group to the front of the barracks and had them sit down. It was a spot facing one wall on the first floor of the factory building used as the Violet barracks.

There, I had set up several tables and chairs. On the wall were several used TV monitors and three or four whiteboards. And a piece of cloth hung as a screen.

Immediately in front of the wall was a podium, a projector, and a laptop, and on the floor, various cables lay tangled like a messy tangle of long, thin snakes.

Once everyone had finished sitting according to the guidance, Violet Unit 1 stood at the podium and tapped the microphone.

“Alright, I’ve prepared this setup because there’s a lot to explain. There’s a lot I need to say to resolve everyone’s questions; I have to explain three main things. But first…”

I looked at the people seated. Then I raised my hand and pointed to the exit door beyond the first floor of the barracks.

“First, Lucian, Granite, Levi. And I have a warning for Mister Yurik. Kalia, listen carefully too! What I’m about to explain from now on is extremely sensitive and dangerous confidential information. The moment you hear it, you must consider yourself to be in the same boat as us. If you don’t want to hear it, leave through that door right now.”

Upon hearing those words, Lucian’s group’s faces hardened. Yurik, adjusting his glasses, asked with an unusually serious expression:

“What happens if we leave?”

“Well, Mister, you remember your usual daily life, don’t you? Nothing much. You just have to stay here under our surveillance until our work is finished, without knowing anything.”

Lucian, deep in thought, asked a sharp question:

“What if we say we’ll listen?”

“There’s no difference! Instead, the danger of knowing the secret will increase. Our surveillance will also intensify. What will you do?”

The five people, excluding Irene who already knew, fell silent in thought for a moment. Soon, starting with Kalia, one by one they indicated their willingness to listen. Even Levi hesitated before nodding.

Irene, sitting next to Kalia, whispered into Kalia’s ear.

“Hey, Kalia, right? Are you really going to listen? This concerns our academy. As an outsider, you don’t have to get involved in this dangerous matter…”

“I just want to know what kind of situation my friend is in.”

Good. Since everyone is resolved, I’ll reveal it.

The Violets turned on the projector and began the presentation. And they started explaining the academy’s secrets.

The people who were initially bewildered fell into great shock once the explanation was over.

“So, to summarize, there’s a huge research facility and equipment underground the academy. The Chairman and the academy board plan to use Polaris students as test subjects, and a large-scale experiment is scheduled to occur within a few months?”

“Correct! As expected of the second-ranked matriculant, you understand quickly!”

“Do you think that makes sense?”

“But it’s true. Look at the evidence over there! And that Doctor Mister was kidnapped when he came for a new interview. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right. But I had no idea it was a project like that. If that’s true, my goodness, to think my supervising professor would be involved in such a conspiracy…”

“So that was it… that bastard student council president, that’s why he’s been killing so many people.”

Lucian’s expression twisted, as if recalling a recent incident.

While the four people faced the truth and were confused, Kalia was also horrified. However, the way my friend processed it was slightly different. She seemed to be recalling the scenery of a research lab.

“Crazy! So those guys were psychos like the Laflaxians?!”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m trying to stop them.”

Saying that, I placed a laptop on the table and turned it on. An online video chat window appeared on the screen connected to the computer, revealing Daphne’s image in the dormitory.

“Since I’m going to explain something important, I had Daphne join us too. That’s fine, right?”

“…I’m Daphne Grace. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

The people who saw the girl on the monitor awkwardly received her greeting.

“Now I’ll explain what I plan to do. Everyone, please listen carefully.”

“Perhaps, you’re thinking of exposing this fact and fighting the academy board?”

Lucian crossed his arms and stared intently at me.

“Something similar.”

Irene glanced at Lucian, then asked with a face full of doubt:

“I don’t think it’s simply starting a fight. From what you showed us after saying you’d destroy your academy, it seems like you’re preparing something much bigger. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right! I’ll show you.”

Daphne, who was watching the presentation remotely via video call, tilted her head on the monitor and seemed to be asking the dormitory-assigned Violet next to her.

-What are you going to show them?

-You’ll see.

Kalia suddenly opened her mouth, as if recalling something from the past.

“Are you planning some kind of operation? Like when you broke out of the research lab?”

“Something similar! Of course, it’s still an unfinished plan.”

As Unit 1, standing at the podium, gestured, Violet Unit 12 tapped the keyboard. The screen changed, and a photograph of the academy’s scenery appeared.

“First, I plan to expose what we’ve discovered to the media, the internet, and the Inspectorate. This is clearly an illegal and unethical act. But this alone isn’t enough. So…”

The screen changed again, and a densely packed list of names appeared. In one corner of the screen, the logos of Magnabyss and Polaris Academy were visible.

“What is that…?”

“You see the list, right?”

I casually threw out a remark.

“It’s a death list for the academy board and related personnel belonging to clans connected to the academy.”

“…?”

Everyone paused, unable to understand what I was saying. Since they couldn’t grasp the Violets’ hundred-year plan, I needed to explain it more simply.

“It’s nothing much. I’m going to kill everyone on that list!”

Everyone’s mouths fell open.