"Go out alone?" Ren immediately dashed forward and shouted, "Since when did you two get that close!?"
Trying to sound confident, Krista stammered, "O-of course! W-we've been through life and death together, after all!"
Ren grabbed Miles's other arm. "'Life and death'? I've been through that with him countless times!"
A strange sense of rivalry turned the scene into a bizarre battlefield of affection.
Caught between them, Miles chose the only logical option…
Escape.
"Aisha, she's all yours!"
—Soul Exchange!
"(°Д°) Mr. Miles, you're despicable!"
Back in the warm comfort of the Soul Room, this tiny haven was now Miles's last source of peace.
As for the Krista–Aisha problem, he decided he'd stay completely out of it until Viel's workshop opened tomorrow.
With no other choice, Aisha made a bold move that completely flipped the chaotic situation on its head—
She confessed to Ren.
"I can trust Ren-chan!"
With Krista's permission, Aisha told her everything: that Krista was [Shooting Quasar Dragon], and because Miles had summoned her in the final Limit Overdrive Synchro, she could no longer stray from his side.
Ren immediately joined their cause.
"What!? She can't go more than twenty meters from you and Miles? No way! Absolutely not!"
Aisha aside, how could Ren possibly allow a girl she'd just met to stay by Miles's side 24/7?
If someone was going to be bound to him, it had to be her!
Her naive childhood friend might not have a sense of danger, but she would take up the duty of guarding Miles herself.
That night, Aisha's greatest tactical play was recruiting Ren to their team.
With Ren's cover, Aisha and Krista managed to evade the suspicious eyes of the academy crowd and slip away unnoticed.
Irena, who probably guessed what was going on, simply smiled without a word and dragged a hungry Ecclesia off to the cafeteria.
At Synchron Academy, however, Krista's sudden behavior left her peers confused.
"What's that supposed to mean? Did Krista ditch us to hang out with students from another academy?"
Lost, clearly irritated, pouted. She'd been ready to treat everyone to dinner, and now her enthusiasm had been met with a cold shoulder.
"Didn't think Krista was the type to abandon old friends so easily. And I called her my best friend, too."
"Maybe she likes Fusion Academy more..." Aoyao murmured, visibly disappointed.
"The human heart is more complicated than any duel," said Nidhogg, adjusting his sunglasses to conceal the Rune Eye. "Let her choose her own path."
That night, Krista never returned to her dorm at Synchron Academy.
It wasn't hard to guess why—she couldn't. With only twenty meters of movement allowed, she had no choice except to sneak into Fusion Academy's guest dorms with Ren's help.
Fortunately, those temporary rooms were rarely used, and a vacant one next door gave Krista a place to spend the night. Tomorrow morning, they'd go straight to Viel's Witch Workshop.
Midnight.
Half-asleep, Aisha rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. "('-ω?) Ugh... bathroom..."
Ordinary dorm rooms didn't have private bathrooms; the public restroom was down the hall on the first floor.
Nothing unusual.
Until, just as Aisha was about to lower her pants—
A flash of white light appeared.
Exceeding the twenty-meter limit, Krista—sleeping in the next room—automatically teleported right into the bathroom.
Specifically, into the toilet.
—Krista, hidden within the toilet.
That night, a trauma was born that neither girl would ever forget.
The only consolation? Synchron Academy's toilets were spotless.
"That's it. I can't live like this!"
At dawn, as the first light touched the sky, Krista was already insisting they leave immediately.
With Ren leading the way, the three of them hurried to Viel's Witch Workshop.
"Are you sure this rundown shack can really help?" Krista asked, doubt creeping in.
She couldn't shake her unease. Viel's 'solutions' tended to be... unconventional at best.
Regardless, she had no choice… this was her last hope.
When she finally saw the dilapidated building with its crooked sign, her hope shattered completely.
It might as well have had the words 'Not Reliable' carved on the door.
"Are you sure this is the place, Ren-chan?" Aisha asked cautiously.
"Don't worry," said Ren, who'd already experienced Viel's handiwork firsthand. "I've seen her build a top-class D-Wheel in half a day. Don't judge by appearances. Inside isn't much better."
"Wait, that's not reassuring at all!" Krista groaned.
"That said, trust me, her skills are legit. If anyone can help, it's her."
Just as Ren was about to knock, a hand-painted sign caught her attention:
[Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM]
Great. Not only was it a six-hour workday, but she didn't even open until nearly noon.
Then again, it made sense. No matter how early you opened, no customers meant no customers. Viel had indeed embraced the art of not caring.
The three of them stood there, dumbstruck.
"No way… I can't wait until noon!"
Ignoring the sign, Krista banged on the door repeatedly.
She needed an answer now.
If Viel could lift the bond, perfect. If not… then she'd be stuck bound to Miles and Aisha forever.
The frantic knocking echoed through the quiet, run-down street.
After a moment, the old wooden door creaked open—but it wasn't Viel who appeared.
It was Luca, wearing an apron and holding a broom.
"You?" Krista blinked in surprise.
She still held fond memories of this quiet girl who had helped so much during the final battle.
"Shhh~" Luca pressed a finger to her lips and motioned for silence before letting them in.
Just as Ren had described, the interior was as shabby as the exterior—but at least it was clean, thanks to Luca's diligent upkeep.
"It really is Luca," Aisha said softly, staring as if she were seeing a ghost. After all, she'd watched Luca burn to ashes with her own eyes.
This version of Luca, though, didn't seem to talk much.
"Um... where's Miss Viel?" Ren asked.
Luca pointed toward the back room, miming a cute sleeping pose.
"Of course," Ren sighed. "Kids need their beauty sleep."
"Who are you calling a kid? I'm awake already!"
The bedroom door burst open, Viel emerging with a grumpy tone and clear traces of sleep.
"How's anyone supposed to sleep with that racket outside?"
She said she wasn't a kid… but with bunny slippers, childish pajamas, and a pointed nightcap, the image said otherwise.
"You're... Miss Viel?" Krista's hope plummeted even further.
She'd placed all her faith in this moment, only to find herself pleading for help from a child.
Viel yawned lazily, rubbing one eye. "Judging by that panic, you must be Krista—the [Shooting Quasar Dragon], right?"
She already knew Ren, so naturally—
"And you must be Aisha Carlos, the one Alester always talks about—the girl with the potential to touch truth itself."
"Huh... I guess I'm kind of famous?" Aisha wasn't sure whether to be flattered or terrified.
After a curious glance, Viel tapped the [Millennium Puzzle] hanging at Aisha's chest.
"So, the Miles I spoke to yesterday… that was the spirit inside this Puzzle, huh?" Viel teased. "Didn't expect you to be that capable, girl. You even managed to 'catch' the little Quasar girl."
"It wasn't like that! It was for saving the world!" Krista's cheeks flushed.
"Sure, sure. So you came here because you want me to separate you two, right?"
Finally getting to the point, Krista nodded eagerly. "You can do it, right, Miss Viel!?"
"Separate you? Not possible."
Viel shrugged with her usual smug grin, and Krista nearly exploded.
"The [Shooting Quasar Dragon] card is already soul-bound to the spirit within the Millennium Puzzle—Miles. You should be grateful it's his soul and not Aisha Carlos's."
"Why would that make a difference!?" Krista demanded.
Viel blinked innocently. "Don't you know? The soul inside the Millennium Puzzle can move. I'd suggest dueling Aisha Carlos and stealing the Puzzle—that would solve your problem completely."
Miles: "How is that even a solution!?"
Viel's idea didn't solve the problem—it made it exponentially worse.
"Isn't there any other way, Miss Viel?" Aisha pleaded. "That's just too... wait—Krista, why do you look like you're actually considering it!?"
...
If you want to support, please consider Patreon, and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going! [Patreon.com/RedZTL]