To Miles's disappointment, there was no information about Camille, the boyish spirit tied to the Millennium Key.
When Nia, Rovik, and Kevin followed the suggestion to leave the underground chamber, Camille hadn't come with them.
By the time Kevin realized something was wrong and tried to return, the path to the underground had been completely sealed off by a massive boulder—as if deliberately erasing all traces of the hidden chamber.
Even if the High-Level Spirit Research Society wanted to go back to search for Camille, it was no longer possible.
Unless they summoned a powerful monster like Red-Eyes Black Dragon to blast the way clear—though doing so might cause the already unstable chamber to collapse even further.
Besides, Camille had said himself that he preferred being alone down there.
Maybe, having lost his original host, the spirit no longer had the will to keep fighting.
Letting the Millennium Key rest quietly beneath Fusion Academy, in line with Camille's wishes, didn't seem like such a bad outcome.
Although it was a shame Miles couldn't learn how to materialize as Camille did, something told him Camille's method wouldn't apply to him anyway.
After all, Camille had only manifested as a spirit because his original host had been killed by another Millennium Item holder.
If getting a body required his own host to die, that was a price Miles would never pay.
"That concludes today's club activity! Dismissed!"
With Nia waving a skewer of chocolate mochi, the Spirit Society's God Card unsealing mission officially ended.
Their excitement was so loud that even the neighboring Self-Destruct Button Activation Group felt betrayed.
'What happened? When did the Spirit Society get so popular?'
'Weren't we all supposed to slack off and get disbanded together?'
After the meeting, night had fallen, and Kevin finally gave up tailing Aisha.
Guessing it was dinner time, Aisha ran straight to the library to find Irena. Since she'd flaked on their plans, the least she could do was treat her to dinner.
Though upon arrival, she learned Irena had also taken the rare step of taking a day off, leaving someone else to fill in as librarian.
A mutual cancellation.
Concerned, Aisha sent a message using a Beaconbug to check on her.
"Caught a cold, sorry. Been slacking on my health lately. So careless~ (sticks out tongue emoji)"
Seeing the glowing text reply, Aisha felt both relieved and worried.
If Irena stayed home tomorrow too, Aisha decided she'd pay a visit.
After grabbing a cheap solo dinner and returning to her dorm, Aisha was stunned by the state of her room.
"Is this really my room? It's so cute?!"
The space had been transformed with pink, girly decorations everywhere, and the wardrobe was topped with plushies.
Even the long-unused bed now had bunny-print sheets and a giant carrot pillow that radiated cozy vibes.
No need to guess who was responsible—Luca Slint.
No wonder her suitcase was so massive. Just the stuffed animals probably took up half the volume.
Though the room was now cuteness overload, Luca herself was nowhere to be seen.
"Maybe she went out for dinner?"
Aisha kicked off her shoes and socks, sitting barefoot in the desk chair. The transformation left her feeling a bit out of place.
Still, it was clear Luca had put serious care into it.
Gaudy yet organized—just within Aisha's comfort zone.
"A new roommate... I really don't know how to get along with her."
Coincidentally, Miles was having the exact same anxiety.
Dark Aisha had been silently crouching for a while now, flipping through cards without speaking or acknowledging him.
Her icy aura screamed, "Just pretend I'm not here."
Just then, rapid footsteps echoed at the door.
"Is that Luca back?"
Aisha opened it in advance.
"Waaah, Aisha! I failed the card printing!"
However, instead of Luca, it was Irena who had missed the God Card trial because she was helping the Magic Club. She crashed into the room and hugged Aisha tightly.
"What's going on, Ren-chan? Card printing? It's okay, it's okay, don't cry, sweet girl."
Seeing her usually confident childhood friend this distraught, Aisha gently stroked her soft red hair in comfort.
"Waaah, the Magic Club asked me to help brew transformation potions to boost card effects."
"Transformation potions... to power up cards?"
That was news to Aisha.
"It's still in testing, but everyone was truly hopeful. And then, and then..."
The more she spoke, the more pitiful Irena looked, her sniffles nearly soaking Aisha's shirt.
"Every time! Every single time I almost finished mixing, an earthquake hit and shattered my test tubes!"
"E-earthquakes..."
Aisha was suddenly filled with guilt.
"Three times! Three! It's like fate was trolling me. Who has three earthquakes in one day?! And always right at the critical moment!"
"T-three earthquakes?"
She was sweating bullets.
Chances were all three were her fault:
One from Arcana Knight Joker breaking the labyrinth.
Another from Archfiend Black Skull Dragon smashing the gate guardians.
And the last from summoning Dystopia the Despondent.
"I'm so sorry, Ren-chan!"
"Huh? Why are you apologizing, Aisha?"
Aisha bowed deeply in remorse, nearly throwing herself into a dogeza.
"Don't ask. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, name it. I won't say no."
The crushing guilt nearly broke her gentle heart.
"Really? Anything? You promise? Don't lie to me, Aisha."
Irena's sudden shift caught Aisha off guard; that said, she didn't hesitate.
"I promise. Just tell me."
"We're best friends, right?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"Then lend me Miles for a day."
"Huh?!"
...
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