This Is a Misunderstanding

(Bai Ziye)

[Ability Observation Record: The absorbed Simulacrum Factor can be manifested under its own control...]

[I successfully sneaked into the cargo hold of the passenger plane, but not the unpressurized cabin. It was cold, dark, and severely oxygen-deficient. This flight would take more than ten hours. I really didn't want to go to Hawaii in this inhumane way, but time was of the essence, and I had to protect that important princess.]

Ah, so he was hiding in the cargo hold of our flight...

Antarctic Star pointed to the diary and asked, "Who is the princess you wrote about here?"

UI-31 thought for a moment, pointed to the beach in the distance, and then forced a silly, goofy smile onto my face.

"Ceruno?"

He then clapped his hands in affirmation.

He knew Ceruno well, not just me; he even imitated that smile quite well.

Information about magical girls is almost publicly available online, so it's not surprising that he knew this. However, from a macro-strategic perspective, this is tantamount to telling all the secrets to "the Other Side," which would put the magical girls at a disadvantage in their battles.

This is why the situation arises where Heat Haze is unilaterally suppressed by "Magma".

As I was pondering this, a white halo appeared in the sky above the beach.

That's the Association's wormhole; the interception experiment is about to begin.

Melissa said, "Let's go back to the mansion first; we need to report this to the Association."

Since this guy has my (Bai Ziye's ) face, I have no objection to this decision.

"Stand up and leave."

"Aww--"

She kicked him, and this time he let out a painful howl. It seemed that after removing that stiff Werewolf Armor, he was nothing more than a weak lump of flesh and blood.

On the way to the mansion, I turned around and asked, "Are there other Special Monster like you... uh, infiltrating weapons?"

He shook his head.

"No?"

He continued to shake his head.

"You don't know?"

He nodded and let out a "whoosh".

It's understandable if you think about it.

He was merely a weapon, a defector weapon, and he had no idea whether any similar weapons had been thrown over by "the Other Side."

The existence of UI-31 makes the situation both thorny and urgent. Monster capable of mimicking humans could easily tear apart humanity's current defense mechanisms—fortunately, being a prototype means it hasn't been mass-produced yet, so we still have time.

Although I disagree with some of the Association's ideas, SpiCa must be informed of this matter so that a solution can be developed as soon as possible.

Sirius and most of the maids went to the beach, and some went to "Canis Major" to take care of the Doggy, so the mansion was quite deserted.

Melissa even stopped the Golden from entering.

Despite their excellent training, Sirius simply wouldn't allow these clever Doggy into the mansion, and no one knew why.

"Please have a seat, I'll go contact the Association first."

Melissa hurriedly went upstairs, leaving only me, UI-31, and Antarctic Star. With the UI-31's armor deactivated, Antarctic Star and I could easily subdue it, and we weren't worried about it escaping.

If he truly wants to prove he's not an enemy, then he has no reason to run away now; instead, he should earn our trust through his actions.

Of course, trust is not something cheap, and I did not accept everything recorded in the diary, nor did I regard him as a companion.

The living room of the mansion was originally the lobby of a hotel, so it is larger than a typical living room. Furnishings from the hotel's era, such as a piano and a luggage cart, are placed in the corners...

And the sofa seating area in the rest area.

"Sit down."

UI-31 was obedient, sitting down obediently on the sofa with a decent posture, not disgracing my handsome face.

Antarctic Star, who had also sat down, politely inquired, "Mr. Werewolf, since you are a special type meant to infiltrate human society, why can't you speak?"

"That makes sense. How can you possibly lie in wait if you're always yelling like that?"

UI-31 pulled out her diary again, circled the words "prototype" on the model page, pointed to her throat, and shook her head.

If I understand correctly, it's a malfunction in the prototype that prevents it from speaking like a human.

I then asked, "So, do you know why 'the Other Side' is targeting Ceruno?"

I doubt I'll get any results from asking him, since he's just a weapon.

Instead, he picked up a pen and wrote on a blank page at the back of the journal:

Someone told me I had to protect her.

She is humanity's hope.

Hope... for Ceruno?

What threat does she pose to 'the Other Side'?

This time, UI-31 shook its head; it seems we'll have to wait for the results of the experiment on the beach.

"Then, who told you this?"

The answer was still a shake of the head; UI-31 knew far too little information and was probably thrown into the wormhole as soon as it came off the production line.

"Well."

Unfortunately, we thought he could provide some useful information, but he knew absolutely nothing. He also had a strange sense of confidence, even though he couldn't even prove his own identity. Maybe he was the one conducting infiltration activities while sitting with us like this.

Ta-da!

A series of hurried footsteps.

Miss Melissa ran downstairs and said, "I'm going to the beach. Miss didn't bring her phone, so please use this to contact me if you need anything. It works all over the island."

Leaving behind two communicators, the red-haired head maid hurriedly went out again.

Antarctic Star picked up one and put it on, then handed over the other.

I've used this a few times. The earbud part expands slightly inside the ear canal, which is uncomfortable, but I still wore it anyway.

"Oh dear? Ceruno?"

"Oh? Miss Melissa, didn't you go to Hawaii and Oahu with Yezi to do some shopping?"

As soon as I put them on, this conversation came through the earphones.

It was Ceruno's voice; she had encountered Miss Melissa, who shouldn't have been on the island.

Melissa then said that the purchase was complete and that Bai Ziye had returned to the mansion.

This is an opportunity. If Ceruno sees me and "Bai Ziye" together, she will be even less likely to see through my identity.

The only problem is that Ceruno knows me too well, and every word and action could give me away. Most importantly, UI-31 can't speak at all... Nevertheless, it's still worth a try.

Having made up my mind, I whispered, "Miss Melissa, bring Ceruno back. Could you please make up a reason why Bai Ziye can't speak, and also buy us some time to communicate?"

The head maid, of course, didn't respond through the earpiece, but she slowed her footsteps. After thinking for a moment, she said to Ceruno, "He choked on a burrito while eating on Oahu, so he hurt his throat and can't speak right now..."

This reason...

I feel like I've become a bit clumsy, but logically it's fine, and I don't have any better ideas.

After relaying Melissa's fabricated excuse to UI-31, I added, "Ceruno is about to return to the mansion, and she doesn't know about what happened on the island yet, so for a moment you'll pretend to be her friend. Do whatever I say, understand?"

He nodded.

As an infiltration expert, he seemed quite confident in his acting skills.

I further instructed, "You must stay by my side. You are not allowed to be alone with her, nor are you allowed to come within three meters of her."

Although his diary says he wants to protect the "princess," it cannot be ruled out that it was a carefully orchestrated scheme to get close to Ceruno, so it is necessary for him to keep his distance from Ceruno.

"Speaking of which, you stole Kraken the Thirteenth's Simulacrum Factor yesterday, didn't you?"

"Ouch? Oh!"

The Simulacrum Factor- Star Crystal on the Werewolf's chest flickered, and then purple armor appeared on one of his arms.

The back of his hand originally had Wolverine-like claws, but after swallowing the Simulacrum Factor of the wooden stake, it became branches entangled with a rapier, and now it is a semi-circular crystal in his palm.

"You can't possibly use that guy's telekinesis and teleportation anymore, can you?"

If I could teleport, I really wouldn't have a chance to catch it.

"Aww~"

He shook his finger and then turned to the last page of the journal.

[Ability Observation Record: Octopus Factor, Telekinesis.]

That sounds like a really useful ability.

To what extent can this be achieved?

He pointed to the flower basket on the coffee table, then spread his hands out in a showy manner.

Are you planning to use magic to bring the flower basket over?

"Oh!"

He called out.

A flash of purple light appeared on the crystal in my palm.

The flower basket was still there, perfectly fine, but I felt something was missing from my heart...

(Blood pressure ↑↑↑)