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Chapter 9

Tatsuya talked openly with Maya and Toudou about the handling of Minoru and Minami's case.

Neither of them objected.

Now Minoru, Minami and Tatsuya were in a prison built deep underground on Miyakijima.

Surrounded by a composite of concrete, resin, lead and iron that was thicker and stronger than the walls of a nuclear shelter, the underground prison was connected to the ground only by a single large spiral staircase. That staircase is blocked by three armored doors along the way, and you have to pass through a total of five doors before you can reach the surface.

This unusually tight prison is where Minoru and Minami will sleep.

Today is August 28th. It has been three days since the night of Tatsuya and Minoru's decisive battle. It took three days of preparing for Minoru and Minami to sleep in this room.

"Minoru, let's get started."

Tatsuya, who had brought them here, urged Minoru.

"I understand. ..Minami-san, it's okay?"

Minoru is about to perform the parasitization process.

At this time, Minami was still human.

"Yes. Please."

There was no hesitation in Minami's answer. This period of three days was a test to her resolve.

"Then, lie down there."

Minami, who was wearing a gown that hid her figure — it was a pure white negligee that remembered a wedding dress—, laid on the bed as Minoru told her to.

"Close your eyes"

"Yes."

Minami closed her eyelids and her consciousness sank into a deep place.

When she woke up, Minami had become a parasite.

As soon as she woke up, she knew she was a parasite.

(Minami-san, can you hear me?)

She could hear Minoru's voice from the depths of her consciousness.

She quickly recognized Minoru's voice at once. She was able to precisely distinguish it from her own thoughts.

(Yes, I can hear you.)

She responded through her heart. Again, there was no mistaking her thoughts with Minoru's.

"It's a success. Minami-san's ego is intact."

Minoru's words were mainly directed at Tatsuya, rather than at Minami.

"I'm glad I went well."

Tatsuya's appreciation words contained no sarcasm.

"Yes."

Tatsuya was sincerely glad that he had succeeded and Minoru was relieved from the bottom of his heart.

"Then, both of you. Now, I bid you goodbye. If you wake up by mistake, call me by the intercom."

"Are you sure that's okay..?"

Minoru asked back with a surprised expression, and Minami couldn't hide her surprise.

Tatsuya understood what they were trying to say. But Tatsuya didn't admit that he had to see to it that Minoru and Minami had definitely fallen asleep.

Both Minoru and Minami knew that they didn't belong in this world right now.

Minoru understands that, and that's why he chose to stay in this underground prison cell.

Minami has chosen to stay with Minoru.

It was unthinkable that their resolve would be shaken after all this time.

"Good night. Have a good dream."

Tatsuya said that and left their new home.

When Tatsuya returned to the surface, he was immediately notified by the staff member who had been monitoring the underground prison.

Minoru and Minami fell into a deep sleep shortly after Tatsuya left. Their vital signs were stable after dropping almost to the level of apparent death, he said.

Tatsuya had also sensed an inward magic being activated on the way up in the more than two hundred steps. He didn't deliberately read the details of the magic, but it was easy to guess that it was the artificial hibernation magic that he had received detailed data from Minoru the day before yesterday.

Raymond had already been handed over to the USNA military prisoner transport ship yesterday. Tatsuya had no knowledge of what would happen to Raymond after this. Raymond is an American citizen, albeit parasitized. His punishment may be decided by the USNA government or the courts. Tatsuya had no intention of taking responsibility to such an extent.

(So that's the end of the story for the time being....)

Tatsuya has a plan for after this. But that is matter for the future. It will take at least two years of preparation for this. For now, it should be safe to assume that the situation is settled.

In order to tell Miyuki, who remains in Tokyo, that the temporary separation is over, Tatsuya went to the eighth floor of the Yotsuba residential building, which is used as a separate residence.