Eriri gently withdrew her right hand, which was still being tightly held by Yamai Kazamachi, and turned her palm upward.
A surge of immense power began to gather in her hand, and within seconds, a Spirit Crystal representing "Raphael" formed in her palm.
This Spirit Crystal wasn't one that had been separated from Mio's body—it was something Eriri casually created herself, just like the Spirit Crystal she had made to give birth to Tohka. In fact, its power surpassed the original by far.
Seeing this miraculous sight, Yamai Kazamachi finally regained a bit of her composure.
"What is that?"
She looked curiously at the Spirit Crystal glowing in Eriri's palm, its radiance so mesmerizing that she felt an urge to lose herself in it.
"This is the tool that will allow you to become a Spirit."
Eriri smiled faintly and held the Spirit Crystal out toward Yamai Kazamachi.
Though she could have transformed the girl directly, she preferred to preserve the sense of ritual and thus created the crystal.
Staring at the gleaming gem before her, Yamai Kazamachi swallowed hard. Without a hint of hesitation, she slowly raised her hand and took the crystal into her grasp.
The instant her fingers touched it, the Spirit Crystal emitted a brilliant flash of light, enveloping her completely as it began to reshape her body from the inside out.
As time passed, the light didn't fade—it only grew brighter, more intense, almost blinding.
But the process didn't last long. After about a minute, the light dissipated, and the crystal vanished from her hand, having completely merged into her being. Unlike in the original story, there was no risk of the crystal ever being removed again.
Yamai Kazamachi didn't split into two separate individuals. Instead, she remained as a single entity.
Her outfit, however, had changed dramatically. The ordinary school uniform she had worn earlier disappeared, replaced by a Spirit Dress that looked almost like a restraint suit—Divine Spirit Dress: Elohim Tzabaoth.
It revealed a fair amount of smooth white skin, giving her an undeniably alluring appearance.
"Wha—what is this…?"
When Yamai Kazamachi opened her eyes and saw her new attire, she was startled—but not embarrassed. Instead, she looked down at the black chains wrapped around her left arm with fascination, as if she'd found an intriguing toy.
"How is it, Kaze? How does it feel to become a Spirit?"
Eriri's gentle voice interrupted Yamai Kazamachi's self-admiration.
"It feels amazing! I can sense it—I'm incredibly strong now!"
Yamai Kazamachi clenched her fists, her face glowing with excitement. But soon her expression shifted to one of deep thought and unease.
"There's one thing that's confusing me, though. Deep inside my soul, I can feel another presence—familiar yet completely unknown. It's like… it's part of me."
"Allow me to explain that," Eriri said softly.
Mio looked on with curiosity—she had seen the memory projection in the chat group, but she didn't fully understand the truth behind Yamai Kazamachi's unawakened sibling.
"The presence you're sensing belongs to your twin sister."
"What?! Twin sister?! But… I'm an only child!"
Yamai Kazamachi's eyes widened in shock. She didn't doubt Eriri's words—it was just too incredible to accept.
"You are indeed an only child now," Eriri explained calmly. "But when you were still an embryo, you had a twin sister. However, she didn't develop properly, and in the end, you absorbed her essence. That's how you were born alone."
Yamai Kazamachi's face paled, the excitement from moments ago vanishing instantly.
"So… you're saying I killed my sister?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"Don't put it like that," Eriri replied gently. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't something you consciously did. Your sister simply failed to develop, and you absorbed what remained. The presence you sense now—that's the remnant of your unborn twin."
Hearing Eriri's words, Yamai Kazamachi's eyes lit up immediately.
She wasn't stupid—she quickly realized that if her sister's presence still existed within her, then resurrection must be possible. Otherwise, that aura wouldn't remain.
So, she asked the question directly.
"Eriri, if my sister's presence still exists inside me, does that mean she can appear in this world again?"
"That's right," Eriri replied with a soft smile. "If you focus and sense your own body carefully, you'll notice that you can separate your sister's essence from within you. When you do, your physical body will split in two."
"Of course, your current consciousness and soul will also divide—becoming two entirely new identities. After all, the person you are now is the result of your own and your sister's merged consciousness."
Yamai Kazamachi fell silent at that. She had assumed her sister's revival would simply mean separating the other's consciousness—but she hadn't expected that her own sense of self would also be divided. She wanted her sister to live again, but the idea of losing her own current consciousness filled her with unease.
"Um… Eriri, is there a way for my sister to come back without my current consciousness disappearing?"
Her tone carried a hint of desperation, and her eyes pleaded for an answer.
"Of course there is," Eriri said confidently, raising her right hand and pointing her thumb at herself with a proud grin. "Who do you think I am? That's just a trivial problem."
"The simplest solution is to copy your current body, soul, and consciousness entirely, and then use the copy of you as the base material for separation. That way, you'll have two sisters instead of one~"
Eriri never intended for Yamai Kazamachi to walk the same path as in the original story. And besides, with this approach, she could create not just two but three Yamada sisters—and after a few tweaks, she could even let Yamai Yuzuru and Yamai Kaguya merge into the final form of Yamai Kazamachi—the towering, 180-centimeter-tall version from the story's end. The thought amused her.
After hearing Eriri's plan, Yamai Kazamachi's eyes sparkled brightly, and she nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, let's do that! Two sisters, huh? I can't wait!"
She clasped her hands together over her chest, already imagining what life with two sisters would be like.
"Well then…"
Eriri didn't say anything more. She simply waved her hand lightly, and instantly, a perfect duplicate of Yamai Kazamachi appeared beside her.
The copy stood motionless, unconscious—Eriri hadn't awakened her mind.
Without hesitation, Eriri waved her hand again. The duplicate Yamai Kazamachi split into two glowing figures, and before everyone's eyes, Yamai Kaguya and Yamai Yuzuru—the twin sisters from the original story—appeared in full form.
Both wore the same restraint-like Spirit Dress as Yamai Kazamachi, though with slight color variations. Their appearances were identical, but there were subtle physical differences—Yuzuru was slightly taller, while Kaguya's chest was noticeably smaller.
Seeing the two identical girls before her, Yamai Kazamachi snapped out of her daydream and hurried forward, her face filled with anticipation as she watched them closely, waiting for them to wake.
Eriri didn't keep her waiting long. With a crisp snap of her fingers, the twin sisters opened their eyes simultaneously.
When they saw Yamai Kazamachi standing just a short distance away, they both froze—but the deep, instinctive familiarity in their souls prevented any hostility.
Just as Yamai Kazamachi opened her mouth, ready to greet them excitedly, the twin sisters stepped past her in unison and stopped before Eriri.
"Wow! You're so beautiful! Can you tell us your name?"
The more lively of the two, Yamai Kaguya, looked utterly starstruck as she spoke to Eriri, while the calmer Yamai Yuzuru also kept her gaze fixed entirely on Eriri, paying no attention to Mio or Tohka standing nearby.
It was clear that the two had inherited their fascination from Yamai Kazamachi herself—their reaction to Eriri was identical to their predecessor's first encounter with her.
Unlike in the original story, however, Yamai Kaguya didn't develop a chuunibyou personality upon awakening. Her manner of speaking was normal—no archaic words like "thou" or "ye" escaped her lips.
"Hello, my name is Eriri. It's a pleasure to meet you both."
Eriri smiled warmly and reached out to gently ruffle the twins' soft, fluffy hair. Both girls immediately narrowed their eyes in delight, smiling contentedly like pampered kittens.
Meanwhile, Yamai Kazamachi, feeling entirely ignored, stepped forward and stared at the three of them with an exasperated look.
"Hey, hey, hey! I get it—Eriri is gorgeous, and your reaction is understandable—but your big sister is standing right here! Isn't it a little rude to ignore me and not even say hello?"
Her complaint finally made the twins turn their attention toward her.
"Are you really our sister?" they asked in unison, both wearing puzzled expressions.
If not for the deep sense of kinship echoing within their souls, they would never have believed her words.
Though they didn't inherit Yamai Kazamachi's memories, they instinctively understood that they were born from her essence.
"Of course I am!" Yamai Kazamachi nodded eagerly, then hurriedly recounted everything that had happened.
By the time she finished, the twins finally understood the truth of their connection to her—the relationship between themselves and their "original."
Knowing that they were not mere halves of a divided self but truly separate individuals, both girls unconsciously sighed in relief.
In the original timeline, they had spent countless battles trying to decide whose consciousness would remain if they ever fused again. That confusion and lack of identity had haunted them for years.
Now, however, they had no such concerns—and no desire to merge ever again.
Kaguya and Yuzuru exchanged glances and instantly understood one another.
"I see," Kaguya said with a confident grin. "It's a little strange, but fine. We'll accept you as our sister."
Hearing them acknowledge her so readily, Yamai Kazamachi beamed with joy.
"Wonderful! Since I'm your big sister, I'll give you both beautiful names!"
"I refuse!" Kaguya declared immediately, shaking her head before turning to Eriri with hopeful eyes. "Eriri-nee, can you name me instead?"
"I agree!" Yuzuru added, nodding firmly. "I'd love for Eriri-nee to name me too. I'm sure she'll pick something perfect."
Their refusal left Yamai Kazamachi momentarily speechless. She had wanted to protest, but when she realized that Eriri would be the one naming them, her irritation melted into mild envy.
Eriri, of course, had no objection. She had already planned to give them the same names they bore in the original story.
"In that case," she said with a gentle smile, "from now on, your names will be Yamai Kaguya and Yamai Yuzuru."
As she spoke, she looked at each girl in turn, making sure they knew which name belonged to whom.
"Kaguya, huh… Mhm! I love it! It suits me perfectly!" Kaguya repeated her name aloud, her face lighting up with a bright smile. Without hesitation, she threw herself into Eriri's arms, embracing her tightly.
Eriri only chuckled softly and wrapped her arms around Kaguya in return, holding her with natural warmth.
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