If I had to describe where Reina and I were now, I'd say we were in a hospital examination room. There's a bed for a patient to lie down and equipment like stethoscopes and even stuff I have no idea what it is.
But we're not in a hospital, we're still in Ginsei Academy. Just in the room Fleminar told me to bring Reina.
After I talked with Fleminar, I sent a message to Lizel-senpai, Miyabi and Reina. Of course, there were some doubts since Fleminar is a Devil King Candidate, but ultimately we decided to trust her.
I mean, she's a survivor of the previous Devil King War, and has the power to show for it. If she wanted me dead, there would be no need to go about it in any roundabout way, and we don't know for how long Reina will last at this rate.
So once classes were over I brought Reina to the place Fleminar had instructed me to, which is this hospital-looking room.
"Oh, you're here already… hmm? Morioka-kun, is she your homunculus?"
"A-ah, t-that's…"
Crap, I forgot Reina is supposed to pretend to be the Koiwai family's daughter. No one's supposed to know she's actually a homunculus.
"I see… yes, this makes sense."
Fleminar looked at Reina for a while and nodded to herself. She seemed to have figured something out.
Then, as if nothing was wrong, she simply walked off to grab a jacket from the wall and then put it on.
"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret. But there's something I want to confirm, hmm… you go by Reina, right? Do you know what happened to the devil you are impersonating?"
"R-Reina knows the real Reina died desu."
"I suppose it's not wrong, but that's an incomplete answer. Reina Koiwai didn't die, she was killed."
What? That's a huge difference! If the devil Reina had died from a sickness or something then there's not much to find out, but if she was killed then it's a whole different matter.
After all, whoever killed her the first time might be after her still. Well, that seems unlikely, but it's a much more serious matter. Maybe it could affect Aina. the Reinas' little sister, in some way.
I wanted to ask for more details, but Fleminar beat me to it and started talking.
"Not much is known about it. But 10 years ago the Koiwai family was attacked by someone. Officially no one was hurt, but I see now that that's not quite true. Similar attacks happened with other noble families, like the Hoshigaoka, in the following years. The main suspects were the Hiraizumi family, given they're assassins, but the attacks didn't follow their M.O., so they were eventually proven innocent and the mystery simply fated with time, since the attacks stopped happening."
That's a lot to digest at once! Let me go through it all slowly.
The devil Reina died 10 years ago. If Reina is supposed to be the same age, then the devil Reina died at around 3-4 years old. Coincidentally, it's a similar age to what Aina has now.
And the Koiwais weren't the only victims. Stella's family was also attacked, but I don't remember being told about that. Maybe I'll ask Lizel-senpai about it some other time.
The main suspect at the time was the Hiraizumi family, but it seems they were proven innocent… wait, did Fleminar say they're actually assassins? I'm pretty sure there's someone from that family in this Devil King War... yeah, I remember him, Hierophant's Candidate, he did look like a hitman in the Unveiling.
… That's a little scary… I hope I don't have to fight this guy.
"That's enough distractions, let's get the examination started. Reina, please lay down on the bed. Also, Morioka-kun can stay to give you emotional support, or he can wait outside. What do you prefer?"
"R-Reina wants… Yuuto-san to stay."
"Very well, then please take off your clothes and lay down."
Oi, isn't that something you say first?
I asked Reina again if she wanted me to stay, and she said it was fine and started undressing. Only Fleminar wasn't embarrassed, probably wondering why the kids were getting so worked up.
Reina laid down on the bed. I was sitting on a chair right beside the bed, holding Reina's hand. Fleminar grabbed a number of equipments and started examining Reina.
So far it looked normal enough. Fleminar was checking stuff like Reina's pressure and heart rate, so basically a normal exam.
Well, I have to admit I felt a little strange when Fleminar checked Reina's breasts, but I did my best to not let dirty thoughts enter my mind. If I was successful or not is up for debate.
Eventually, Fleminar asked Reina to spread her legs for her. I have no way to know for sure, but I guess it's also a normal exam at a gynecologist or something… I think so… I dunno, I just want to distract myself so I don't let the dirty thoughts in.
"Strange…"
"W-what is?"
"Is something wrong with Reina's… t-there?"
I don't remember seeing anything wrong when I saw Reina this morning, but maybe Fleminar sees something I didn't notice.
… Wait, did I just admit to taking advantage of this morning's lucky pervert incident?!
"No, there's nothing wrong per se, it's just that… I can't find traces of semen in the vagina nor the anus. You are a Card of Lovers, correct?"
"Y-yes desu."
"A-aahh…"
I-I suppose Lovers does have a certain reputation… luckily, Fleminar didn't dwell on this for too long.
The examination finished not long after. Good thing nothing awkward happened after that.
"I see no obvious problems, and if you're not feeling unwell, then we should move on to the next step."
"And that would be…"
"Examining Reina as a homunculus, not a devil. Of course, to do that, I'll have to turn her off, if there are no objections."
We both looked at Reina, it was her choice in the end. I couldn't really tell what this meant for her, so I couldn't make this decision. Was it like going to sleep? Or did it feel different?
"Reina understands desu… but can Yuuto-san hold Reina's hand?"
Fleminar saw no problem with that, and neither did I. Fleminar placed her hand on the center of Reina's chest while I held her hand.
I felt Fleminar's mana doing… something, and Reina was keeping a tight hold on my hand. My heart felt a little heavy, thinking I was making Reina go through something uncomfortable, but it couldn't be helped. So I tried to at least make things a little better on her.
Not long after, Reina was 'turned off' like Fleminar had said. I was a little scared, but I kept holding Reina's hand, which was feeling colder by the second.
Fleminar took something like a scalpel and literally opened Reina. A homunculus' insides weren't like a human's or devil's, it was instead filled with many magical parts and formulas.
Then there's the part at the center. A bright gem where the heart would normally be. Though Reina's wasn't that bright, and was slightly cracked.
Of course, this was only when homunculus were 'off'. When they're 'on' they are basically indistinguishable from a normal human or devil. Inside or out.
"Don't worry, Morioka-kun. I promise she'll wake up again. Rather than that, let's take this opportunity to talk, just the 2 of us."
Talk? Wasn't that going to distract Fleminar? I asked her, but she said she'd be fine.
She kept insisting we talk about something to pass the time. I guess she noticed how uneasy I was and wanted to help me feel better. So eventually I gave up and decided to ask something that had been on my mind since earlier.
"What exactly was happening earlier, when you were teaching Nagasawa-sensei?"
"As I said before, that was a lesson on magic theory. What I was doing was basically use my own mana to mess with your magic formula. Of course, it's much easier said than done, but the general idea is-"
"Once a magic formula is formed, it's possible to mess with it so change the effect… is that actually possible?"
"… You tell me, you think it worked earlier?"
Right, that was a stupid question. But still, it certainly seemed more like something that worked in theory rather than practice.
I mean, the very idea of it was almost crazy, but it clearly worked. And if it can be used in fights, it's like the ultimate defense against enemy spells.
"Well, it's not as mighty of an ability as you might be thinking. There's a big problem with it."
"Eh? What can that be?"
I couldn't think of any flaws. Rather, it looked perfect. Maybe it would be hard to use against special spells like Characteristic Magics, but it should be the perfect defense against mostly any spells.
"You'll need a very good understanding of all kinds of spells to make use of this ability. And it also wouldn't work against people who use magic without magic formulas. Oh, but I guess that makes 2 problems."
"Wait, use magic without magic formulas?"
Isn't that impossible? To use magic, you have to feed mana to a magic formula. If you take away a magic formula, all you have left is mana…
Wait, if I look at a magic formula, say Figa's for example, to see what exactly it does with the mana that's fed to it…
"Did Morioka-kun… notice it just now? Yes, a magic formula basically works the mana that's fed to it, so there's no reason why you'd need it if you can work the mana yourself. There's little improvement on Basic Magic, but there's a lot of gain if you manage to use it with Intermediate or Advanced Magic. But of course, it's much easier to say than to do it."
I looked over Fizard and Fidezenon's formulas. They are basically stronger versions of Figa, but like Fleminar said, if I were to skip the formulas and work the mana myself, I'd be able to make my mana usage at least 50% more efficient…
But it's not that easy. I have no idea how to work my mana myself. Maybe I could ask Fleminar.
When I tried asking Fleminar about it, she told me:
"Sure, I'll teach Morioka-kun. And while at it, I might as well tell you all of my abilities and their weaknesses."
"A-ah, sorry. I didn't mean to pry."
"I was only joking. I don't mind talking with Morioka-kun more, it's actually the first time someone understood what I was saying with so little difficulty. But our time is almost up for today. Let's save it for some other opportunity."
As Fleminar said that, she started 'closing' Reina. That means she'll be 'turned on' soon.
"But you really are kind, Morioka-kun. Even with me distracting you all the while, you never let go of her hand."
"Oh, this? Reina asked me, so I figured I should keep holding her hand. Was it a bother?"
"No. But usually when something like this happens the owners let go after the homunculus is turned off, or don't even hold their hand to begin with."
"Has Fleminar worked with a lot of homunculus?"
"… More than I would have liked…"
I felt something heavy on Fleminar's voice. I was curious, but thought it would be insensitive to ask about it.
But Fleminar started talking before I even got to make a decision. Maybe she's actually feeling a little lonely?
"Right after I was born, my parents had a homunculus made for me. She was named Lala, since those were the first words I spoke apparently. Lala was with me for 15 years, but she died during the previous Devil King War. I never noticed how important she was, I always took her for granted, until I eventually lost her. So I set off to study everything I could, I worked on nobles' homunculus and then I started making my own, all in an attempt to bring Lala back. But I never could. Even if the new homunculus had all the memories and the same personality, there was always something missing…"
That's… what should I say? Should I even say something? I even noticed a tear falling down from Fleminar's eye, so this was probably a really personal story.
"I'm sorry. I must be getting old, getting emotional so easily. What I meant to say is that I have a lot of experience that never helped me any, but now I'll be able to put it to good use."
I'm pretty sure Fleminar's younger than my mom… wait, does she mean…?
Fleminar turned Reina on again. Her hand started feeling warmer and she started blinking.
"Is it over already desu?"
"Yes, it is. I'll tell you both my conclusions."
Reina got dressed again, and Fleminar finally took off her jacket. The feeling of being at a doctor's office was back. Even though the doctor is an adult woman in a schoolgirl outfit. Keep the dirty thoughts out, Yuuto.
"I'll be completely honest, Morioka-kun, Reina. There's 0 hope for survival. In fact, the mere fact she's still alive is a miracle. It's like something healed some of her magical parts, but I have no idea what it could be."
That's due to Healing Lovers. The doctor back at the hospital had already told us that.
"If we could make whatever healed Reina heal her more, could she survive?"
"I'm assuming you know what caused that and can reproduce it… it would solve some problems, but not all. Some parts aren't affected by that healing, and there's also the fact that it doesn't deal with the source of the problems."
Part of me was hoping that Fleminar would simply say Healing Lovers could save Reina. That would probably be the best solution. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like it was meant to be.
"I have a solution for most problems. Simply make Reina a new body. That would solve all but 1 problem: the magic stone that acts as her core."
As Fleminar explained it, rather than trying to fix all the problems 1 by 1, it would be easier to simply make a new body for Reina. As long as Reina took care of herself and we took care of her, then there should be no problems for the rest of her life.
But reality wasn't that kind. To make sure Reina was still Reina, we needed to keep the same magic stone as her core. But that itself was breaking. So a new body wasn't the full solution.
"Can we do something about the magic stone? Maybe repair it or get a new one."
"Unfortunately, there's no way to repair a magic stone. And while Morioka-kun could certainly get a new magic stone, a question would remain: would it be the same Reina?"
I didn't understand what Fleminar was talking about at first, but it wasn't long until I understood.
"Basically, the reason why homunculus have no rights, and can be used for anything the owner wants, is because there's a lot of debate whether they're even alive in the first place. Some claim homunculus are like these super-advanced AI Morioka-kun has likely seen on the internet, so they should just obey their owners. Others claim homunculus have a soul, and it resides in their core, those people usually are for homunculus' rights. For the former, I could simply copy everything in the current Reina's core to the new one. But for the latter, there's simply nothing I can do to help, unfortunately. So the question becomes: what does Morioka-kun believe?"
Isn't this obvious? There's no way Reina is just some kind of AI, no matter how advanced. She's 100% living, with a soul just like everyone else.
Also, that falls back to what Fleminar mentioned earlier. She tried to recreate Lala, her homunculus, but there was always something missing, even when the new homunculus had all the memories of the original Lala. If not a soul, I don't know what that could be.
"Reina surely has a soul. There's no doubt in my mind."
"Yuuto-san…"
"Very good, I would have sent you away if you said something else. Then, I'll get started on the new body. I'll make her similar to the current one, but tell me if there are any changes you'd like made. Like I said, I can't help with the soul bit, so I'll leave that for Morioka-kun."
"R-Reina wants Reina's new body to be a fighting model desu!"
"Oh, that old thing? I'll make sure you'll be able to do anything you want in your new body. That old notion of models hasn't been used for years."
Fleminar got a piece of paper and wrote her phone number on it. She told Reina she could message her anything she wanted Fleminar to work on her new body.
"H-hum, about payment…"
Lizel-senpai had told me to ask this once Fleminar was done. Making homunculus was a very lucrative business. That's a fancy way of saying it's expensive, but Lizel-senpai said she'd cover it for Reina.
"Just take it as a gift. Even if you bled both the Himekami and Yuugaoze's wallets dry, you still wouldn't be able to pay me. But if you want to repay me somehow, just come by every now and again to talk. I really meant it when I said I enjoyed our conversation."
O-oh, I'll just accept that kindness then. It wouldn't be funny if the thing that ultimately stopped us from saving Reina was money. And I'm also interested in learning about directly using mana without a magic formula.
So this settled most problems. I sent a message to Lizel-senpai and Miyabi. All we had to do now was deal with the matter of the magic stone and find a way to transfer Reina's soul.
Lizel-senpai was currently taking Reina's stuff from her old house to mine. She was also going to get rid of the old appliances, since those were barely useful now. Miyabi had also gone back home already, since she and Miyako were moving back in today.
Since everyone was busy, I figured I'd take this time to walk home with Reina. Well, not really walk, since Ginsei Academy is really far from home, but you get the idea.
"Reina… felt Yuuto-san's hand desu."
"Huh?"
Reina suddenly started talking. I wasn't sure what she meant at first.
"Usually, when Reina turns off, there's just nothing. But this time Reina felt Yuuto-san's hand. So Reina had a lot of time to think desu."
"Think about…?"
"About becoming a part of Yuuto-san's family."
Right, mom and dad basically said they'd adopt Reina if she wanted to stay in our house. It was way too big of a thing to suddenly spring on someone and expect a response, but I guess Reina had some time to think about it today.
"Reina never had a real family desu. Mother and father from the Koiwai house never treated Reina like their child if we weren't in public, and they completely let go of Reina once Aina was born."
"Reina…"
"But if, if Reina can, Reina would like to have a real family desu. S-so, Reina wants to join your family, o…"
O?
"O-onii-chan."
! I'm afraid Reina awoke something in me that I didn't even know was there.
Calm down, Yuuto. Don't get too excited. It's only official after mom and dad hear it.
"That's great, Reina! Then, let's hurry home!"
"W-wait, o-onii-chan!"
Hmm, it does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Aah, no good, I'm already too excited.
We arrived back home considerably earlier than expected. Guess I really was in a hurry. Miyabi and Miyako were already back in the Yuugaoze mansion, so now it was just us in the house.
I got mom and dad together so Reina could tell them. She was embarrassed, but I pushed her forward. She told them what she told me, and even finished with:
"P-papa, m-mama."
"!" "!"
Yup, these are definitely my parents. We basically had the same reaction.
I will omit the details since we might have gotten a little too excited, but I'll say we had a little impromptu party to celebrate Reina joining the family. Mom and Reina took a bath together as a bonding moment and dad and I talked about how great things would be now.
Reina was a little overwhelmed, but she was happy. I'm sure she'll get used to things and fit in just fine with time.
And so Reina became part of my family.
