REFRAIN (5.3K) (Continued)

The experimental simulation failed.

"Nina, what's wrong?"

Milly was a little curious, since Nina had never made such a mistake before.

"N-nothing..."

Nina looked somewhat flustered.

"That's not a funny joke, Milly. Imprisonment is a real crime, and your teacher is still young and doesn't want to go to jail."

Mahiro suddenly spoke up, making a sarcastic remark with a blank expression.

Shirley chimed in, "That's right! Mahiro- sensei is so handsome and popular, how could he possibly do something so hypocritical!"

"Oh dear, Shirley, why are you in such a hurry? Could it be... Shirley, you've fallen for someone else, and developed feelings for your teacher?"

"Milly, don't talk nonsense! Lulu and I..."

"Oh dear, I'm in a hurry!"

Seeing the two energetic young girls playfully fighting together, Mahiro secretly breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Don't be fooled by his calm and collected exterior; he's actually panicking inside.

If Milly, that quirky girl, were to discover C. C.'s existence, then this world could be restarted.

Destroy them, merciless!

"It's decided!"

After the playful fight ended, Milly suddenly clapped her hands and made a decision:

"Let's set the theme for this school festival as making the world's biggest pizza!"

Yes, it's the same old formula, still as capricious as ever.

"Yes, and we even have TV star ladies!" Rivalz chimed in.

"Eh, eh, eh, eh? Me, me?"

Shirley pointed at herself in astonishment, and Rivalz was pointing at none other than Shirley.

"That's right, that's right. There just happens to be a third-generation Knightmare developed by our Ashford family at the school, the very one that Princess Marianne drove back then!"

Of course, the weapons had already been dismantled.

It's perfect for making pizzas; Shirley can handle it with a little driving practice!

"Hey hey hey hey? No, no! And don't joke like that! The storm finally calmed down, and I don't want to go through that again."

"Shirley complained resentfully."

The reason she was teased by Rivalz as a "TV star" was mainly because they happened to be caught on news cameras during the previous hostage situation.

It made it into the newspaper, and they even gave it a close-up shot.

After returning to school, I was constantly surrounded and questioned, even while taking a shower.

Even now, I don't dare to step out of the college gate and live in the dormitory every day.

As soon as you go out, you'll be surrounded by reporters...

However, when this matter was mentioned, Shirley was furious. It was clearly Teacher Mahiro who rescued the hostages, but the shameless terrorist organization that came later stole the credit.

And no one knows where Mahiro- sensei went after eliminating the terrorists that day.

It's said they were kidnapped by the Black Knights.

What a despicable bunch!

After school.

As the sun was setting, Mahiro went straight back to the Student Council club.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw CC lying quietly on the bed that should have been his. I didn't know if he hadn't woken up from his afternoon nap or something else.

She clearly caused him so much trouble today, yet she just slept in late in her room without a care in the world.

"A willful woman..."

Shaking his head helplessly, Mahiro to the bedside and subconsciously tucked the blanket in for her, tucking her exposed shoulders inside.

Looking at CC's gentle sleeping face, he never imagined that this woman had once suddenly gotten up in the middle of the night and woken him up, then said in a childlike, willful manner:

"I'm hungry, go buy me a pizza..."

Even now, when someone is in a man's bed, there is not a trace of unease or worry on their face; on the contrary, they feel exceptionally at ease.

That matter-of-fact attitude made it seem as if they didn't know anything about the difference between men and women.

Or rather, this woman simply doesn't understand what female modesty is!

However, the thought of the letter he read today completely ruined the good mood he had felt looking at such a beautiful witch, and he became somewhat irritable.

"Hey~ CC, wake up, get up and go back to sleep!"

He gently stroked her body, but the witch remained sound asleep, perhaps having a sweet dream.

"CC?"

Finding that a slight wobbling didn't work, Mahiro started groping around, poking here, pinching there, and squeezing here.

He pinched her snow-white face until red marks appeared.

But the witch still didn't react at all, only slightly furrowing her brow.

"Is she sleeping soundly, or is she pretending...? Let me try."

Gazing at CC's lovely face, Mahiro's lips curled into a mischievous smile. As the bed gradually sank, he reached out and unbuttoned his collar.

Just as we were about to proceed with the next step, the curtains in the room began to flutter.

Someone broke in.

She was a girl with short, flowing silver hair and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye. Her form-fitting black combat suit clung tightly to her body, highlighting her ample bosom.

"Beta?"

"Yes, Mahiro, I have something to report to you."

Beta looked up and saw the green-haired girl sleeping soundly on the bed, and his eyes instantly turned dangerous.

Sleeping in Mahiro- sama's bed... how enviable... no, how shameless!!!

"What's going on? I don't think it's time for the scheduled report yet."

His voice brought Beta back to reality, and the girl quickly lowered her head and responded:

"Yes, but this situation is extremely urgent, so Lord Alpha, despite his busy schedule, sent his subordinate to report to you for your decision."

The moment her gaze shifted away, CC's brow on the bed relaxed imperceptibly.

"Really? Then tell me about it."

"Yes."

Beta began to give him a report, but he heard something interesting in the report.

"REFRAIN?"

"That's right, Mahiro. This is a prohibited drug. Its most prominent feature is that it makes people feel like they've traveled back in time. According to Ita's research report, this drug is extremely addictive, and excessive use can cause damage to the nervous system. Moreover, it sells very well on the black market, especially among people like Eleven."

When these things were mentioned, a clear look of disgust appeared on Beta's face.

Instead of striving for a brighter tomorrow, they dwell on past glories...

Is this even meaningful?

Will the Britannia, who invaded them and stood high above them, simply leave?

Obviously not.

Moreover, the fact that REFRAIN was selling well behind the scenes was also a headache for Governor Cornelia, as the booming sales of contraband had caused a severe and significant drop in productivity in Area 11.

This forced her to neglect the Alamann Front, which was under attack by the EU, and even put aside the task of annihilating the Black Knights.

They are making every effort to cut off the supply channels between Kyushu and Southeast Asia.

"Um..."

After Mahiro, Shinji pondered for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "Speaking of which, Ita didn't conduct human experiments on you, Gamma, or anyone else when analyzing REFRAIN, did he?"

He didn't care whether it would be a bestseller or whether anyone would become addicted.

What he was more concerned about was whether Ita would use this thing on his own people.

He was quite worried about that silly girl's personality; after all, she had even used drugs on Beta before, so he had to be careful.

Upon hearing his question, Beta naturally understood. Those unbearable memories flooded her mind, and she shook her head, forcing back tears, saying:

"Mahiro, this time... nothing."

"Really?"

It's true.

"And what about the others? Like my little captive Monica?"

"Her words..."

Beta hesitated for a moment before explaining, "Ita did have such an idea, and even forged Lord Alpha's signature, but Lord Alpha successfully stopped it before it could be implemented."

Yeah, knock them unconscious on the spot with a slime hammer, drag them away, and lock them in a dark room to reduce research and development funding.

"All right."

After hearing this, Mahiro a little ashamed.

Of the Seven Shadows, Ita is the most willful. It's only thanks to Alpha's deterrent that he's become so lawless.

"Then Mahiro, about RefrAIN..."

"Let's get started. It's just the right time for our Shadow Garden to get moving."

Mahiro his legs, a carefree smile gradually spreading across his lips. His words were clear-headed, as if he were recounting something insignificant.

His nonchalant demeanor had already captivated Beta.

"Mahiro... I understand. I will go back and inform Lord Alpha to organize the operation."

After saying that, Beta disappeared from the room.

Just as silently as she arrived, leaving only the pure white curtains, gently stirred by the breeze and bathed in the crimson light of the setting sun.

"Ha~~~~"

Just as Beta left, CC woke up.

She rubbed her eyes, opened her beautiful amber eyes in a daze, and slowly got out of bed.

The thin blanket slipped off her delicate body, and her perfect beauty was fully revealed to Mahiro through her partially obscured green hair.

The plum blossoms, proudly blooming on Xuefeng Mountain, sway gently in the cold wind, as exquisite as works of art.

However, the scar on her chest ruined the aesthetic appeal.

That was a wound the nun left on CC when she transplanted CODE to free CC from eternal life; it solidified into a scar.

Perhaps noticing the man's gaze, CC finally reacted, but unlike most young girls, she didn't cover her body or scream in embarrassment.

Instead, it seemed as if she was tempting him; he straightened his body and calmly asked:

Is it pretty?

"Yes, it is indeed quite beautiful."

"Ha, you already have so many girls, why do you need to look at me? Wasn't it always that blonde girl by your side before? How come she's silver-haired this time?"

CC is naturally referring to Alpha and Beta.

Mahiro simply shrugged and said, "They're both members of my Shadow Garden... What, even a proud witch can be jealous?"

"That's a useless attempt to provoke me. You should understand that this kind of thing means nothing to me. All I care about is whether you can fulfill my wish."