— — — — — —
"...Huh?"
Liana stared at the scene before her, completely baffled.
Wait—what?
Did something just totally change?
Even the vibe was off now!
What happened to that soul from earlier?
Was that the Fourth Primogenitor?
Then who's this girl sitting on the ground now…?
Her brain struggled to process everything.
But thankfully, she'd read enough of the old records to spot some clues.
Taking a deep breath, Liana murmured, "Just now… could that have been the legendary Original?"
And this clueless-looking girl in front of her now—was she the 12th doll, the 12th Kaleid Blood, the one that holds the Original's soul?
So, where did the Original Fourth Primogenitor go?
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Meanwhile, Gajou was also scratching his head, clearly just as lost.
But if there was one thing he could figure out— Kojou and Nagisa seemed to be safe now?
He could tell: that blonde girl's body had housed two separate consciousnesses.
The arrogant one from earlier—the one who wanted a taste of Nagisa—was probably wiped out by Lynn, right?
Thinking that, Gajou finally let out a breath of relief.
— — —
On the other side, Avrora hadn't even noticed the disappearance of the Original.
The moment Lynn pulled out a can of milk, her entire focus zeroed in on it.
Staaaaare—
She was completely locked on, throat twitching as she swallowed hard.
She was practically drooling.
Honestly, she looked way too much like the Original Fourth Primogenitor (Cyrora) just now.
Except, the Original was all about blood.
Avrora, though—was all about food.
Still, there was no denying it: the two were basically just a glutton in disguise!
Lynn caught her sneaky little glances and chuckled softly.
He moved the can slightly toward her.
Avrora bit her lip, eyes filled with inner turmoil, and turned her head away with effort. "I-I can't just eat food from a stranger…"
"I have to resist!"
She clenched her fists, but her twitching throat completely gave her away.
Lynn thought for a second… then popped open the can.
And instantly, a rich, sweet aroma blasted straight into Avrora's face.
Sniff sniff—!
Her nose twitched, eyes flying wide open.
She clenched the tattered fabric of her outfit, nails digging in as she struggled to hold back.
Nope.
She couldn't.
Self-control? What self-control?
In the end, hunger triumphed over reason.
She snatched the can right out of Lynn's hand and chugged it like her life depended on it—soft lips pressed to the rim, gulping it down with happy little noises.
A trail of creamy milk dribbled down her chin, sliding into her clothes and completely shattering whatever innocent image she had left.
...
Moments later—
"Ahhh~!"
She finally came up for air, completely satisfied, the empty can in hand.
"Can I get another?!"
Her eyes sparkled, a bright smile lighting up her face. A bit of milk still clung to the corner of her lips.
Noticing the mess, Avrora instinctively licked the corner of her mouth with her little pink tongue.
Lynn smirked.
Yep.
Shizuka's milk—perfect bait.
And just like that, he'd caught a big one.
Avrora stood there holding the empty can for a while, but when no refill came, she blinked and looked up in confusion.
That's when she noticed Lynn's teasing half-smile.
Her whole face froze.
Wait a sec…
This wasn't a buffet?!
Her aura instantly deflated. The icy presence behind her—the familiar aura of the "Princess of Azure Ice"—flickered and faded away.
She hung her head low, nervously poking her fingers together in pure awkwardness.
Then Lynn said quietly, "Well, you did eat my food. That makes you mine now, doesn't it…"
"EHHH?!"
Avrora's head shot up, eyes wide as saucers.
Wait wait wait—
She sold herself out over a can of milk?!
"No way!" she waved her hands frantically. "The Original would never allow this!"
"She would—!"
Lynn glanced at his [Devil Piece Domain], where Stella and the others were… let's say "entertaining" Cyrora, and smiled. "Oh, she'll agree."
"...Huh?"
Avrora looked like she was about to cry. Her head jerked around, frantically searching.
Original? Where are you?! Say something!
But—Nothing.
The Original was gone.
Avrora blinked, completely thrown.
Did… did she just get abandoned?
Her jaw dropped in disbelief.
Seeing her like that, Lynn stood up and gently placed his hand on her head.
"Well, since you don't really have anywhere else to go, why not stick with me for now?"
"Mm…"
Avrora flinched slightly at the head-pat, one eye closed, but didn't pull away.
"And besides…"
Lynn's voice lowered a bit. "You don't want the Original to swallow you up and erase your existence, right?"
Her pupils shrank.
She swayed slightly, shaken.
She clenched her fists tightly, lips trembling.
He was right. She didn't want that.
Unlike the other vessels, Avrora had developed her own personality after awakening.
She didn't want to lose it.
What she wanted, was a peaceful, normal life.
To live quietly. To enjoy good food.
That last part made her eyes light up again.
So really even though she panicked at first when the Original disappeared, she also felt a bit… relieved.
At least for now—She wasn't in danger of being devoured.
But that pressure on her heart hadn't fully gone away.
So, while she still could… she was going to eat to her heart's content!
That was Avrora's honest, true desire.
If she was going to die someday anyway, she might as well die stuffed!
Still, she hesitated.
She didn't know Lynn at all.
But from the looks of it, even the Original couldn't do much to him.
And honestly? What other options did she have?
After a brief struggle, she reached out, tugged gently on Lynn's pant leg, and looked up with a serious face.
"Can I have a refill on that milk from earlier?"
Lynn blinked.
His expression turned slightly strange as he stared at her in silence for a few seconds.
Avrora shrank back nervously. "W-Was that a no…?"
"Nah, it's a big yes." Lynn smiled.
And with that—Her eyes sparkled with joy.
"Great! Then I'll go with you!"
Her voice was filled with the most genuine determination she'd ever shown.
Lynn: "…"
Welp.
Looks like today's MVP.
Was Marikawa Shizuka and her amazing milk.
Maybe her name should be the Milk Devil from now on.
.
.
.