[Lady Avalon]:
Well, that's how it is, Irene-chan ✨
[Irene Belserion]:
Don't call me "-chan."
I'm older than you.
Yuuto could imagine Irene lifting her chin with elegant pride, as if she were asserting that she alone was the dignified onee-san of the group.
[Lady Avalon]:
Oh? Older than me, hm~?
I see.
Merlin's tone felt like someone deliberately laying a trap just to enjoy the reaction.
And right on cue—
[Irene Belserion]:
What do you mean by that tone?!
[Kuroneko]:
U-uhm… Irene-san…
you're not the oldest one in this group…
A few seconds of silence passed.
[Irene Belserion]:
What do you mean, brat?
Explain!
Just before the atmosphere could heat up further, Merlin sent a message—clearly trying to divert the situation while barely holding back laughter.
[Lady Avalon]:
Oh, calm down, calm down~
It looks like Yuuto just came online ♡
The next moment—
[Yuuto Kido]:
Hello everyone, good morning.
[Hatsune Miku]:
Good morning, Kido-san! 🌈✨
[Yamato]:
Yo! Morning! 💪🔥 Ready for today?
Irene Belserion:
Morning, boy.
And then…
[Lady Avalon]:
So, my pupil—
did the doll work properly?
[Yuuto Kido]:
Yes, it's functioning well, Merlin-sensei.
A few seconds later, another message appeared.
[Kuroneko]:
Doll… what doll?
[Yuuto Kido]:
Oh, it's the doll I got from the daily login reward.
[Hatsune Miku]:
A doll? 👀
Is it a special one?
[Yuuto Kido]:
Yes. A magic doll.
With it and Merlin-sensei's spell, I don't have to worry about my new appearance.
People won't be shocked about my sudden change.
[Yuuto Kido]:
If I'm not mistaken… it's called a Touko doll.
Three seconds of silence.
[Kuroneko]:
…Wait.
Did you say Touko?
You… got THAT doll?!
Kuroneko's reaction was like someone hearing that her friend just won the lottery.
[Irene Belserion]:
Is that a type of magic? Or someone's name?
[Kuroneko]:
A name.
A big one.
[Yamato]:
Oh!! So she's important!!
Kuroneko:
She's a great magus.
[Hatsune Miku]:
From which world?
[Kuroneko]:
Let's just say…
she comes from Lady Avalon's world.
[Lady Avalon]:
Not entirely accurate, but fine. Please explain who she is.
[Kuroneko]:
Alright, I'll make it simple.
Aozaki Touko is one of the most terrifying magic users in the entire Nasuverse.
A genius, cold, perfectionist—
and most famous of all…
she is a Puppet Maker who can create dolls equal to real humans.
[Irene Belserion]:
So she's… a doll expert?
[Kuroneko]:
A doll expert who can create perfect human replicas.
Even souls can be "attached" to her dolls.
So Yuuto… your reward is NOT an ordinary doll.
[Irene Belserion]:
Attaching a soul to a doll!!
So she can create bodies for souls?!
[Kuroneko]:
But that's not all.
A doll inhabited by a soul gains human senses—vision, touch, even pain.
[Irene Belserion]
So a doll can live like a normal human?!
[Kuroneko]:
Yes, Irene-san.
Not just a moving doll…
but a new vessel for someone to live again.
[Irene Belserion]:
do you think I could…?
A few seconds of silence.
Kuroneko didn't want to give false hope—
but she couldn't deny the truth either.
[Kuroneko]:
I'm not sure.
But it might be possible.
However… travel to Lady Avalon's world isn't unlocked yet.
---
In Irene Belserion's private chamber, Alvarez Empire.
The room was dim, lit only by the soft pulse of red crystals.
Her desk was scattered with magic notes and ritual diagrams—evidence of centuries of searching for an answer that never came.
As soon as Kuroneko finished explaining, the light from Irene's phone reflected sharply in her eyes.
Irene froze.
Truly froze.
A faint smile appeared… vanished… then returned deeper.
Her eyes trembled slightly—
something nearly impossible for the Scarlet Despair.
Her hand, always steady, clenched the desk so tightly it creaked.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"…a new… body?"
she whispered unconsciously.
She stared at the screen for a long time…
then slowly clenched her right fist.
Inside her chest, emotions she hadn't felt in centuries began to stir:
hope,
fear,
long-buried despair resurfacing,
and a wish she had sealed away for ages.
Her mind returned instantly to her original body—
a body tortured, altered, and discarded by dragons.
A body that no longer belonged to her.
A body that betrayed her.
But now—
A NEW BODY
FULL HUMAN SENSES
A SOUL THAT CAN TRANSFER PERFECTLY
This was more than a "doll."
It was freedom.
It was the possibility of becoming human again—
without the curse, without scales, without agony, without dragon blood.
Irene covered her mouth with one hand, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"…Finally…"
her voice came out like a fragile prayer, something she hadn't spoken for centuries.
"Finally… a path."
Her eyes gleamed—not with softness,
but with the ancient determination of a sorceress who had just glimpsed the end of her eternal prison.
She stared at the phone with such intensity it looked like the screen might crack.
"Touko…"
she murmured, slow, hungry.
"If you truly exist…
I don't care how many worlds I must pierce through.
I will find you."
And in the chat group—
So that doll body… can really become a full vessel?
With working senses?
Indistinguishable from a real human?
If so…
this is the first time I've seen hope in… hundreds of years.
"This… this may be my path to return."
Her eyes opened again—sharp, focused, filled with a crushing certainty.
"I only need to wait a little longer."
She smiled faintly.
The smile of a sorceress who had finally glimpsed a way out of her centuries-long curse.
[Irene Belserion]:
Thank you…
Kuroneko.
---
A massive oni woman sat leaning against a half-broken shrine pillar in Wano.
A fast-food box—nearly cold—rested on her lap.
She stared at her flip phone.
Irene's last message shone there like a wound carved into the screen.
Yamato gripped the burger box more tightly.
Her eyes dimmed.
"…Irene-san…"
she whispered, her voice low—far quieter than her usual cheer.
She looked up at the empty Wano sky.
"Even though I'm not part of your story…
I know what it feels like… to live in hell for too long."
Her eyes closed.
"I hope… this really saves you."
Cold Wano wind brushed her white hair.
---
Miku sat at a small desk, earphones still in.
She had just finished a new soft song perfect for a bright morning.
But when Irene's message appeared, her finger froze.
The music kept playing, but her eyes no longer saw it.
She reread the message over and over…
Then, in a gentle voice with an electronic echo, she whispered:
"…Irene… I hope this helps you."
Her tone wasn't just melodic—
it was warm, almost human.
She paused the music, stared at her screen, and smiled faintly.
A smile… but tinged with sadness.
---
Kuroneko sat on the floor with her laptop open to several stories.
She stared at Irene's message displayed on her phone.
"…this could really help Irene…"
she murmured.
She touched her chin, eyes calculating.
"But that doll body…
Irene's soul might stabilize…
but her dragon power?
If that vanishes, she'll return to being a fragile human."
She took a deep breath.
"…But isn't that what she always wanted?"
Kuroneko hugged her knees slightly, staring at the phone with a mix of relief and worry.
"Touko…"
The phone screen glowed softly, reflecting Kuroneko's unusually serious face.
---
Soft Avalon wind swirled, carrying the scent of flowers unknown to humans.
Merlin sat atop her stone throne, twirling her phone with one finger.
On the screen, Irene's message lingered like an old scar reopened.
Merlin's smile appeared quietly.
"…Humans,"
she murmured, soft but tinged with amusement.
She closed her eyes briefly, silver hair fluttering.
"That's how humans are…
When the walls of despair they built for centuries begin to crack…
even the faintest light feels like heaven."
She chuckled—a gentle laugh, not mocking.
"So be it, Irene Belserion…
If a Touko doll can give you freedom…
then that is a beautiful destiny."
She tapped her phone lightly.
"And if you ever want a body superior to that…"
her smile curled, mischievous and full of ancient secrets,
"…I would be delighted to perfect it."
Avalon's light shimmered softly behind her.