Chapter 3 - Episode 5: For Master's Honor

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Scene: Outside the Sarendia Orphanage.

Suzume
(Ooh...? Making a cool, big show of coming outside was great and all, but this is actually scary!)

Suzume
(Milady... Please, protect me!)

Suzume
(I really wouldn't like it if it was a ghost... No, even if it was a monster or a suspicious person, I wouldn't like it either, right? Wouldn't it be nice if the children had just seen it wrong...?)

Suzume
(Jmm. The place by Ayane's room was definitely around here.)

Suzume
(She said there was something in front of her window. So, if I just make sure that there's nothing suspicious near here...?)

??? (Shadow)
......

Suzume
Hii!? Eh, Ayane...?

Suzume
(No. Ayane should still be inside the orphanage. She's a good girl who listens to what I say.)

Ayane?
......

Suzume
(Ahh, when I look more closely, her eyes are colored wrong! And also, are her eyes actually glowing?)

Suzume
(It's just like Ayane said; who is this? W-W-What's going on?)

Ayane?
"... Play... with..."

Suzume
Huh? W-What did you say? Play...?

Ayane?
"No way, I just wanted to play together!"

Suzume
O-Okay?

Ayane?
"So come on, hurry up! That mole is so cute! Big brother, do your best!"

Suzume
Eh, eh...?

???
Kyaaa!?

Suzume
(Huh? Just now, was that Kurumi's scream?)

Suzume
(Has something happened to those kids? What should I do, um, umm?)

Ayane?
"Ahahaha! Sooo fun! Ahahaha!"

Suzume
(This thing that looks like Ayane, she isn't moving and doesn't seem too dangerous, so... I should let her go for now, and go back to everyone else!)

Suzume
(It might be that something strange has shown up over there, too...!?)

Scene: In the orphanage.

Suzume
Everyone! W-W-What's going on? Just now, did I hear someone scream...!?

Kurumi
N-No...! Stop it, Mama Saren!

Saren?
......

Yuuki
1. Protect Kurumi.

Suzume
T-That was close! M-M-Milady?

Suzume
What are you doing! Were you meaning to cut Kurumi with your sword just now...!?

Ayane
No, Suzume! This isn't Mama Saren, it's another "fake"! It's just like the "other me" that was outside the window!

Ayane
Look, her eyes are glowing, too! And more importantly, Mama Saren would never do anything mean to us!

Ayane
This one has to be a fake! I'm gonna go at it, waaaah! Get blown away -- Puukichi Full Swiiing!

Suzume
P-Please stop that, Ayane! Don't be violent -- aren't you going to knock down the building!?

Saren?
"You're full of confidence, I see. Then, show me what you've got."

Suzume
Wahh!? M-M-Milady? Did you just attack me?

Suzume
How cruel! Am I useless to you? That means you're disposing of me now!

Suzume
That must be it! Because I'm always just causing problems with my clumsiness...!

Kokkoro
Please calm down, Lady Suzume.

Kokkoro
Lady Ayane, was it... As she said, this is not the real Lady Saren.

Kokkoro
The Lady Saren here only copies the movements of the original. If you can cope with your nerves, then you will find yourself in not so much danger.

Kokkoro
That is to say, this is not like Saren. These do not feel like the movements of a practiced soldier.

Kokkoro
This is only a guess. But is this not something like a monster or other being that takes the form of a person?

Suzume
A monster... Now that you say it, somehow, is it better to say that it doesn't have any vitality, or that it really isn't human?

Suzume
Let's try to check a little bit.

Battle sequence.

Suzume
Umm, Milady? Do you still remember the day when we met for the first time?

Suzume
That was your twelfth birthday, Milady. You were... still a young child back then, but despite that, you gave an elegant speech in front of the adults.

Suzume
I'd been working as a waitress, and I was still clumsy back then, so I fell face-first into your birthday cake. Do you remember, Milady?

Saren
"A strengthening item. It seems you've been abiding by my words."

Suzume
... If you don't remember, then you aren't my mistress.

Suzume
"Your clumsiness gave me the motivation to give that speech off the top of my head... Your mess-up really helped me out."

Suzume
You aren't the mistress I serve and respect, who said those words to me with a smile.

Animated cutscene.

Kokkoro
... Ah!

Saren attacks and is blocked by Kokkoro.

Suzume
Ah... whoa, aahhhh!

Suzume falls.

Kokkoro
L... Lady Suzume...

Suzume
I... I'm sorry!

Suzume hits Saren with magic.

Suzume
Just as I would've expected, even as a fake, Milady is pretty strong! But somehow, we managed to beat her back! Everyone, are you all unhurt?

End of cutscene.

Kokkoro
Yes... Thankfully, we are all uninjured.

Kokkoro
Aside from how you may have needlessly hurt yourself when you tripped and fell at the end.

Suzume
Ahaha, that's just what I get... But the most important thing is that we're all okay!

Suzume
What happened with that fake of Milady... As she fell, she disappeared like a dream or an illusion.

Suzume
Strangely, she didn't have any response, and she didn't seem to bleed, either, did she?

Suzume
Was it not a living thing, but a ghost or something...?

Yuuki
1. "For some reason, she was absorbed into my sword."

Suzume
Ah, I saw something like that, too. It really was a mysterious phenomenon.

Kokkoro
I don't know the details, either, but... Master's sword seems to be a special item given by Lady Ames.

Kokkoro
Beyond just the ghost-like being just now, it also seems to be able to absorb normal monsters and the like.

Kokkoro
I cannot venture a theory, but... The next time I pray to Lady Ames, I will request more details as well.

Kokkoro
... Oh, my. Everyone, this doesn't seem to be the time to be chatting idly, does it?

Scene: Outside.

Ayane?
......

Saren?
......

Scene: Inside the orphanage.

Suzume
Whoa, isn't that a swarm of them!? It's not just copies of Milady and Ayane -- there are lots of others, too!

Suzume
The orphanage building has been surrounded by a huge number of these "fakes", hasn't it?

Kokkoro
Um... Stamina and magical power are both limited, and it seems like we'll be worn down if we take them all on one by one.

Kokkoro
While we still have the strength, we should break through the encirclement and evacuate to a safer place.

Suzume
T-That's right. How about we flee to the place where Milady is having her meeting, to seek their protection?

Suzume
Everyone! Be careful not to get lost, and come with us together!

Suzume
Eek...! From morning until night, today has just been problems all the way through!