Midterm Evaluation (5): "Is That... Us?"
"Is that... us?"
The words slipped from my mouth unbidden as we reached the third gateway, my voice low and flat.
Me, Lena, Yubelia. From our hair color to our outfits, weapons, and accessories—nothing differed. 'We' stood there, identical in every way.
"Is that... us?"
In that instant, a murmur leaked from the lips of the 'me' standing opposite—a soft echo of my own voice.
What the hell? Not some kind of doppelganger mimicking us?
With the line drawn down the center as a boundary, the surrounding space mirrored ours perfectly, like staring into a mirror.
"Ah, Aren. Who are those people, exactly? They look just like us..."
Next came Yubelia's voice—but not the one beside me. It was the other 'Yubelia' across from us, speaking to 'me'.
Stunned, we moved toward the center in unison, as if by prior agreement, our footsteps thudding in sync.
As all six of us stepped into the square space at the center, a dry, emotionless voice emanated from the statue in the middle.
Discern the truth.
Then the door will open.
Hearing that, 'me' snorted and placed a hand on his sword.
"What, that's easy. So we just take down the fakes, right?"
"What the hell, dude? Who's the fake calling who a fake?"
That lit a fire in me, and I reflexively gripped my own sword. What was this disgust surging up?
Seeing this guy—with my exact face, voice, expression, and stance—casually claiming to be the real deal filled me with killing intent.
Was this what they called self-loathing?
"Y-Yes, exactly. We're the real ones, so of course you're the fakes."
"Wh-What are you saying?! We're the real ones! How dare a saintess of the Holy Kingdom spout such lies?!"
The little spat between me and 'me' sparked a full argument between Yubelia and 'Yubelia' too.
But talking wouldn't settle it. In the end, only strength would decide.
Shing.
Realizing this could drag on forever, both me and 'me' drew our swords in sync, while the two Yubelias summoned their holy power.
The air crackled with imminent violence, one spark away from blades clashing.
"Hold up. Stop."
Lena stepped in to halt it.
"Fighting won't solve everything. And you."
"Me?"
She pointed at the 'Lena' opposite, smirking.
"Yeah. If you're me, you know this—fighting here until one side drops isn't good for any of us, right?"
"...Right."
'Lena' nodded immediately, then turned to persuade 'me' and 'Yubelia' beside her.
"Same for us. Let's calm down first and look for another way."
Like a mirror image, the same persuasion unfolded on our side.
Thanks to the two Lenas' efforts, the rest of us sheathed our swords and withdrew our holy power.
The tense atmosphere eased, for the moment.
"First off, 'discern the truth' probably means what we're all thinking."
"Yeah. Figure out which side's real and which is the mimic doppelganger."
The two Lenas' voices complemented each other seamlessly.
Damn, they stayed pretty rational even facing copies of themselves.
"Th-That should be easy, right? Ask something only we would know..."
"Y-Yes! If it's just mimicking, there must be limits."
Ask something only we ourselves know? Universal, but straightforward.
Seizing the moment, I fired at 'me'.
"Hey, what'd you have for dinner last night?"
"Why're you asking like that, you prick? I should be asking you."
"Fuck off, don't piss me off. Just answer the damn question."
"Bullshit, acting all high and mighty. Fake-ass loudmouth..."
He scowled, killing intent flaring again. Seeing my own ugly side like that was so repulsive I growled back.
As our hands drifted to our swords once more, both Yubelias jumped in to pull us apart.
"W-Wait a second! We agreed to stop fighting!"
"Y-Yes! Aren...! Let's talk first. Violence isn't good!"
Didn't she herself try violence at first? Anyway, once things calmed, 'me' clicked his tongue and tossed out:
"...Theo baked bread in the clubroom, so I just had that. Why?"
"What? For real."
I was stunned—he nailed it. I'd figured cheese-topped grain bread and tomato soup, my usual.
How'd he get it exact?
"See? Gotta be real. Your turn to answer. What'd you plan to give Silvena as thanks for helping with studies?"
"That? Just some simple gauntlets or something."
"...What? For real."
"Told ya, I'm real."
Our shocked reactions matched, even the comebacks.
With us two cleared, it was Yubelia's turn.
"I-I've already found a way! No doppelganger mimicking me could fake this!"
"C-Come at me! I've got a brilliant plan too!"
Oh? Looked like they had foolproof ways to spot the fake.
I watched with a flicker of anticipation, and Yubelia suddenly looked up at me.
"S-So, Aren...! I have a shameless request!"
"...A request? From me?"
"Yes! C-Could you please lift your shirt a bit...? Not all the way, just enough to show your abs...!"
"Eh, no big deal."
Her face was so resolute I shrugged and obliged.
Shrk.
I undid a couple buttons and hiked up my inner shirt to just below my chest, revealing the sharp abs honed from training.
"Eeeeek?!"
"H-Hiiiia?!"
Pfshaaaa—!
Both Yubelias spewed nosebleeds and collapsed.
What the—some comedy bit?
"Y-You... that reaction was real..."
She trembled, hastily wiping her nose with her sleeve, then glanced at the 'Yubelia' sprawled identically opposite, muttering approvingly.
'Yubelia' lifted her head with effort, flashing a grin.
"Y-You too. Who'd think you'd come up with the same method..."
"Impressive... You thought of it too? Not bad."
"You too..."
Thud—
They mumbled to each other, then—as if on cue—both dove face-first into the ground for a deep kiss with the floor.
I didn't even want to ask. Hell, I didn't want to get involved.
'Me' across the way was just as quick to look away.
"...Alright, just us left."
"Yeah."
The two Lenas stepped forward last, but their vibe was totally different from ours.
"We both know the answer, right?"
"Probably."
Our Lena smirked and lobbed a riddle-like question at 'Lena'.
'Lena' shrugged, clearly on the same wavelength.
"Felt off from the first reaction."
"Same. Something was weird when you said that."
Quit talking in code and clue us in already. I had no idea what they were on about.
Was this how idiots felt eavesdropping on geniuses?
"Aren."
"Aren."
The two Lenas' voices overlapped perfectly, calling me in sync.
"Saintess."
"Saintess."
Then Yubelia.
They exchanged smiles, then:
"This test was a trap from the start."
"This test was a trap from the start."
They stood side-by-side before the statue, explaining calmly.
"We are all the truth. So we reject this trial."
"We are all the truth. So we reject this trial."
Our eyes—mine, 'me's', and both Yubelias'—widened in shock at their synced declaration.
All of us are real? What the hell did that mean?
If I'm real, that guy's fake. Their words made zero sense; I stood there dumbfounded.
The truth is not discerned, but faced.
You have passed the trial.
Rumble...!
The statue's rigid voice rang out again, its mouth yawning wide.
I glanced over—'us' from before had vanished.
We'd passed the gateway.
Blinking in confusion, not grasping what happened, Yubelia clapped like a seal, her face flushed.
"Th-That's it...! They were real too, with the same sense of self as us."
"Real? So there were no fakes from the start?"
"Exactly. The goal wasn't to spot fakes. Too obvious a trick."
Holy shit. This girl was a real genius?
I'd seen no difference, figured we had to fight copies. Hidden curveball like that?
"Dude, Lena...! The riddle earlier, and now this. Why're you so damn smart?!"
"R-Right? I'm in awe. Miss Besty."
"...Thanks."
She was our bus driver all along! Damn, she pulled off something huge—shoulders back at least! God, she's cute!
Gotta buy her something nice later.