[BONUS CHAPTER] Chapter 96 — The Real Kiana

Lost in thought, Nagami suddenly paused, instinctively glancing toward the dormitory door, surprise flickering in his eyes.

The girls should all be in class at this hour.

In the classroom, C.C. casually glanced around—no one was missing.

As for Rita, she should be busy reporting information to Otto right now.

So it couldn't be her either.

Then... who could it be?

A neighbor, maybe?

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Who's there, please?"

Pausing his game, Nagami stood up slowly, adjusted his collar with casual ease, and walked to the door.

Reaching out, he pulled it open.

A gentle light poured into the room like a soft tide, revealing a familiar figure standing quietly at the threshold, surrounded by the faint scent of flowers and the whisper of the breeze.

A silver-haired girl stood there, wearing a pure white, form-fitting dress with delicate green trimming along the edges.

Fine, intricate patterns of teal blossoms adorned the fabric, adding a fresh elegance to her appearance.

Her long, slender legs were wrapped in pristine white stockings, as spotless as freshly fallen snow.

Her waist-length, silvery hair cascaded down like a waterfall—pure, smooth, and radiant.

As the wind stirred, it lifted her skirt slightly like the petals of a lotus flower, revealing a glimpse of flawless calves and the alluring boundary of her thigh-high stockings.

The silver-haired girl stared silently at Nagami's face—familiar, yet somehow new—with light seemingly sparkling in her eyes.

Sunlight bathed her fair, delicate features, and a faint, shy blush could be seen blooming on her cheeks.

'...Huh?'

Nagami blinked blankly, a giant mental question mark popping up in his head.

At the same time, in the classroom, C.C.'s golden eyes also filled with confusion as her gaze darted between the attentive lady and the sleeping slacker.

She raised a pale hand and smacked her own forehead with a loud smack.

Three identical white-haired buns?!

Nagami instinctively took two steps back, his gaze locked on this Kiana, her long, flowing hair cascading like a silver waterfall.

His mind reeled.

Can someone please explain what's happening here?

Why did the there is another Kiana bypass the tuna Kiana and come straight to me instead?

And what baffled him even more were those ice-blue eyes—brimming with undisguised emotion.

The way she looked at him… it was exactly the same as the way the lady stared at him.

No—this was even more intense.

If he looked closely, he could almost see pink heart-shaped reflections in her gaze.

Such a perfect, stunning face, paired with the softest, gentlest smile… her beautiful eyes stared into him without blinking, pure and sparkling in the light.

Nagami glanced reflexively at the nearby window.

His reflection showed his ordinary black eyes.

'I haven't used Geass on her, have I?'

'Just what's going on with this Kiana?!'

Something's wrong.

This feels even more off than last night!

"You are…?"

After silently staring for quite a while, Nagami finally took a deep breath and put on his usual warm, gentle smile.

"H-Hello… My name is… Kiana Kaslana."

Meeting the one she had yearned to see for so long made Kiana a little nervous.

She racked her memory for the proper greetings she had read in books, trying to make her self-introduction as elegant as possible.

Nagami caught the clear hesitation right before she said her name.

'Kaslana, huh?'

No surprise there. Smiling softly, Nagami returned the greeting gracefully.

"I'm Nagami. Pleased to meet you."

"I know~" Kiana beamed with joy, as if knowing his name alone filled her with pride.

"Um… starting today, I'm officially enrolled at St. Freya Academy." Kiana tilted her head slightly, her slender arms behind her back, slim fingers nervously twining together.

"From today on, we'll be dormmates. Please take care of me!"

She tucked a lock of silver hair behind her ear, bowing her head slightly as she mustered her courage to speak.

At the same time, her brilliant blue eyes cautiously watched Nagami's reaction, as if afraid he'd show dislike.

"Dormmates??? What the hell?!"

Using a raised book to block the teacher's line of sight, the green-haired witch let out a very un-witch-like gasp.

There's no way Theresa would allow this…

No… it's Otto!

If not for Nagami's advantage as a transmigrator—armed with knowledge far beyond this world—he would've completely lost the upper hand by now thanks to Otto's schemes.

From Otto's perspective, Nagami should have been thrown into disarray by the sudden appearance of the real Kiana, struggling with how to explain her to both the Herrscher and Mei.

Should he lie? Should he offer half-truths? Otto was likely counting on that confusion.

Meanwhile, Rita, acting from the shadows, could easily expose any lies or tease out deeper truths—like the Sirin Project.

And if K423 awakened because of this pressure?

That wouldn't be so bad for Otto either.

Given Nagami's bond with K423, he would never sit back and allow her to go berserk as the Herrscher.

Whether it meant calling on outside forces or using his own trump cards, Nagami would be forced to make a move, revealing even more valuable intel.

If Nagami won—great.

Otto would have gathered data on Nagami and C.C. for the next round.

If Nagami died—well, then clearly he was no "variable" worth worrying about after all.

Even if he had done a few surprising things, a corpse was no longer a wild card.

And considering K423's deep feelings for Nagami, his death might just be enough to help suppress the Herrscher's consciousness altogether.

In that case, the Sirin Project could still be considered a success.

Even if by some chance the plan went sideways, Nagami would undoubtedly be left in a panic thanks to the unexpected arrival of the real Kiana.

It was a mess not even raw strength could fix—and the perfect opening for Otto to gather even more detailed information.

C.C. ignored the Valkyries who'd glanced over at her after she muttered her curse. Her golden eyes narrowed slightly.

Typical Otto. Manipulating Schicksal like a toy in his hand.

If not for that timely warning from Blank, just this tiny move could've been enough to shatter the carefully maintained balance between both sides in an instant.

Still… after Rita reported their entire morning conversation to Otto, he likely wouldn't make any bold moves again for a while.

While C.C. quietly pondered this, Nagami was running calculations of his own.

This was the terrifying beauty of a dual-core brain at work.

As for why there is another Kiana here acting like this... Nagami could guess.

After all, every time the heiress Kiana "dreamed" of the real Kiana, she'd describe everything she saw and felt in great detail.

The unique connection between these alternate-world counterparts surely couldn't be one-way.

The real Kiana must also "dream" of the young lady's memories... and experience her emotions.

And those emotions toward him…?

Nagami wasn't some oblivious, spineless harem protagonist.

Of course he noticed.

Considering how long the real Kiana had suffered emotional neglect, it wasn't impossible she'd pick up on the young lady's feelings and be influenced by them.

Actually, it was the only explanation that made sense.

Was this some sort of buy-one-get-one-free situation?

This is insane.

Activating his scanning skill, Nagami swept the entire area within a kilometer radius.

No bugs, no hidden devices.

Good.

"Kiana… there's something I need to talk to you about," he said softly.

Without hesitation, he gently took her slender, delicate hand and pulled her into the dorm.

Kiana followed quietly, lowering her gaze.

Her fair cheeks were flushed pink, the color refusing to fade—utterly enchanting.

Nagami couldn't help but give her hand a light squeeze.

She flinched like a startled kitten but made no move to pull away.

Sigh. Getting two for the price of one might sound like a good deal—but when it comes to feelings, this is no laughing matter.

He needed to clear things up with the real Kiana.

For both their sakes.