A Sleepy Girl and Her Seven Clones
"Goodbye. I'll come back next time."
"Sure thing, young lady. Get home safe."
I bowed politely as I stepped out of the hardware store.
Man, finding this place was a real pain. I had to wander around asking random passersby for directions before I finally stumbled upon it. As it turned out, the hardware store was right near the Academy. I'd been stupidly walking in circles, completely lost right in front of my destination.
I was never this bad with directions in my past life. Is this Lucia's influence?
Well, whatever. I found it in the end, so who cares?
The owner of the hardware store was an easygoing middle-aged man. He looked quite bewildered at first when I asked for rope and a few other specific items. They certainly weren't the kind of things a high school girl like Lucia would normally buy. But when I told him I needed them to train my supernatural ability, his doubts vanished, and he happily sold them to me. Since I was wearing the Academy uniform, he probably just took my word for it.
Hey, I didn't lie. I'm a good, honest student who doesn't know how to tell a lie. It really is all for training my ability.
I packed my purchases into the shopping bags I'd brought along. Since both of my hands were completely full, I had no choice but to head back to the dormitory first. I wanted to take a leisurely stroll and explore the city today, but carrying all this would be way too inconvenient.
After neatly stacking the shopping bags in a corner of my room, I headed back out. My first objective was complete, so where should I go now?
Although I'd wasted some time searching for the hardware store, it was still early. There was no rush, nor any reason to hurry, so I walked slowly, taking in the surrounding scenery.
Even though this is a fantasy world different from Earth, the scenery isn't all that different. Towering skyscrapers. Cars speeding down the asphalt. Traffic lights cycling between red and green. Power lines and telephone poles stretching out like spiderwebs. Neon signs advertising shops. A stray cat hiding under a parked car.
If you took away the fantasy elements like supernatural abilities and monsters from other dimensions, this world was practically identical to modern-day Earth. Walking along the asphalt, I almost forgot the fact that I had become Lucia.
But, of course, there are differences. Since human life is pretty much the same everywhere, society developed similarly—almost like convergent evolution—but the fundamental conditions are different. From history to religion, culture, and society as a whole, there are plenty of discrepancies. I'll have to get used to it. At least, as long as I'm living as Lucia.
Over the past few days, a sudden thought would occasionally cross my mind. Since I suddenly became Lucia out of nowhere, maybe I'll return to my original world just as abruptly, without any warning...
I don't know why I became Lucia. I just suddenly became a character in a novel. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue. It's a novel, right? It's fictional, right? So why did I end up as the heroine, Lucia?
If there was anyone who knew the reason, I'd gladly prostrate myself before them just to hear it. In fact, I've seriously doubted reality, wondering if this is all just a dream and I'm actually fast asleep in my own bed back home.
I wiggled the fingers of my left hand. I flexed my pinky finger, which was perfectly intact. It's not a dream. If nothing else, I can be absolutely sure of that. I touched my shoulder. It's not an illusion. The pain from back then tells me so. I stroked my neck. If it were a dream or an illusion, it wouldn't have been that agonizing.
"Eu-he... I don't know anymore..."
Even if I clutch my head and agonize over it right now, I won't get any answers. It's not like I have any clues, and dwelling on it only makes my chest feel tight. The only thing I can do right now is live as Lucia. If so, then that's what I'll do.
Lucia. I am Lucia. An ordinary girl you could find anywhere, who just happens to have a weird, unfitting habit of giggling Eu-he~.
Well, maybe not so ordinary. Even in a world where everyone's looks are elevated, Lucia is exceptionally beautiful, easily ranking near the top. And her sexual preferences are... unique, to say the least.
Growl.
A loud rumble echoed from my stomach. That's a bit embarrassing. Ah, right, I skipped breakfast.
I've realized over the past few days that Super Regeneration seems to consume a massive amount of calories. Actually, it's not just Super Regeneration; supernatural abilities in general drain a lot of physical stamina. If I don't eat a lot on a regular basis, I lose all my energy. I don't mind the stomach-pinching pain of hunger, but I still need to eat regularly. Humans need to consume food and get nutrients to survive, after all.
Let's see, my current location is... Yeah, if I walk just a bit further, I'll reach the downtown district. They say even the most beautiful sights are best enjoyed on a full stomach. Let's get some food first.
"Yeees, welcome."
The girl spoke in a drowsy voice, as if she had just woken up. Her silver ponytail swayed from side to side as she tottered around, looking as if she might fall over at any second. Confronted by the girl bowing with half-closed eyes, my mouth fell open. "He~"
Maybe because it was the weekend, the downtown area was packed with people. As I walked carefully to avoid bumping into anyone, wondering which shop to visit, a noodle specialty restaurant caught my eye. Even though it wasn't lunchtime yet, the place was bustling with customers. My intuition flared. Ah, this is it. This place is a hidden gem.
Trusting my gut, I stepped inside without hesitation, only to witness a rather bizarre sight.
A silver-haired girl wearing an apron was taking orders. Nothing strange so far.
A silver-haired girl wearing an apron was serving food. This wasn't strange either.
A silver-haired girl wearing an apron was clearing dishes from a table where customers had just left. On its own, this wasn't weird.
A silver-haired girl wearing an apron was handling payments at the counter. This scene wasn't particularly strange either.
A silver-haired girl wearing an apron. A silver-haired girl wearing an apron. A silver-haired girl wearing an apron.
A total of seven silver-haired girls in aprons were busily moving back and forth, working. No, let me correct that. Only four of them were working, while the other three were lazily slacking off in a corner. It would have been a perfectly normal, unextraordinary sight—if only they all looked different.
The same hairstyle. The same outfit. The same face. The same voice. The same body type. There were seven girls who were completely identical, as if reflected in a mirror.
Septuplets? No. They weren't twins. They were all the exact same person. The seven girls were, in fact, a single individual.
"Huh?"
The silver-haired girl who had greeted me tilted her head. Staring blankly at me with half-closed eyes, she crossed her arms and tilted her head from side to side. Right. Left. Right. Left. After repeating this pendulum-like motion a few times, she clapped her hands together with an "Ah."
"I don't know. Who are you?"
"...You don't remember me?"
"No. I feel like I've seen you somewhere, though."
How cruel. I'm hurt. I'm gonna cry. We're literally in the same class.
"Hmm? Mmm. Uh... Ah, the golem. The one who got her shoulder bitten. Blood-dripping."
The silver-haired girl at the counter handling the payments spoke up. At that, the girl in front of me finally let out an "Ah," as if she had just remembered.
"Right. Yeah, welcome, Blood-dripping. There's an empty seat over there, so you can go sit. Be careful not to drip blood."
"Got it. Thanks for the guidance, Anastasia. But my wound is already completely healed."
"Reeeally? Why? Already? How fascinating."
I walked in the direction she pointed and took a seat. I opened the menu and glanced at the girls. What a coincidence. I just walked into a random eye-catching restaurant, only to run into a classmate.
Anastasia. A heroine of Dawn Swordsman. She was a member of the Golden Generation, alongside Yujin, Leo, Arin, and Aris. Her supernatural ability was Clone. Every single girl working in this shop was Anastasia. They were all her clones.
I wondered which one was the real body. It was probably one of the three who weren't working—either the Anastasia dozing off over there, or one of the two Anastasias playing cat's cradle.
"Hello, Blood-dripping."
When I raised my hand to order, the Anastasia who had been clearing a table walked over. As she stared at me with her sleepy, half-closed, vacant eyes, I spoke.
"My name is Lucia."
"Yeah, so what's your order?"
"One bowl of udon, please."
"Got it, Lu-dripping."
Should I correct her to Lucia again? It'd probably be useless, right? Anastasia was the ultimate free spirit who marched to the beat of her own drum. She was the type of girl who let everything go in one ear and out the other. Trying to talk to her was like talking to a brick wall.
I leaned back against my chair and took a slow look around the restaurant. My guess that it was a famous local spot seemed to be correct, given how crowded it was. Anastasia was handling everything from customer service to cleaning up all by herself. Greeting customers, guiding them to seats, taking orders, serving food, handling payments when they finished, and clearing the tables. It wasn't a job a single person could handle. But there were multiple Anastasias. Right now there were only seven, but if she wanted to, she could easily multiply into the double digits.
"Here, Blood-cia."
"Thanks."
It didn't take long for my food to arrive. Wow, it smells amazing. It feels like my nickname changed again, but let's not sweat the small stuff.
"By the way, Anastasia."
"Yeah?"
I stopped the Anastasia who was about to head back after serving the food. She tilted her head in confusion.
"Why are those three over there slacking off? Aren't they going to work with you?"
"Huh? You're right. Why are they slacking off?"
A faint light flickered in Anastasia's vacant eyes. She lightly clapped her hands. Then, with a soft *poof*, another Anastasia materialized right next to her.
"Go work."
"Don't wanna."
"Okay."
The newly created Anastasia pitter-pattered over to the corner. She walked up to the dozing Anastasia, hugged her like a doll, and began to doze off herself.
"She says she doesn't want to work."
"...Right, I see."
"Yeah. Call me if you need anything."
Anastasia turned away without a shred of lingering attachment. I rested my chin on the back of my hand, watching her walk away.
From what I knew, her created clones were influenced by Anastasia's emotions. Judging by what just happened, the clones' actions reflected her true feelings. The deep-seated desire of Anastasia not wanting to work had probably influenced the clone. As for the clones that were working, they probably reflected her conscious thought of 'even if I hate it, I still have to work.'
Wait, hold on. The Anastasia in front of me just created a clone? That means the one I was talking to is the real body, right? Since clones can't create other clones. The real body is working while the clones are slacking off? What kind of class revolution is this?
Growl.
Ah, my stomach clock keeps ringing. Enough thinking, let's eat before it gets cold.
I swirled the steaming udon noodles around my chopsticks and swallowed them in one big bite. Mmm... Excellent. I can see why this place is so packed. It's a solid 9.5 out of 10. The missing 0.5 is just a matter of personal preference. I wish it were way hotter, honestly. Hot enough to completely scald the inside of my mouth.
Yeah, no matter how I look at it, that's way too personal of a reason. Let's just make it a 10.