Interlude: Elaine's Gift Strengthening
"The gift I recommend is Mood Breaker."
At my words, Elaine's eyes widened slightly, as if surprised by the unexpected suggestion.
"...That's unexpected."
"Doesn't it appeal to you?"
Elaine shook her head at my question.
"No. If Teacher has decided on it, I'll follow your advice. But could I hear why you chose that? I was sure Teacher would..."
"You thought I'd recommend Collective Thinking, right?"
Elaine smiled faintly at my words.
"Yes, exactly."
The other club members, unable to see the message window created by my Advice, could only exchange puzzled glances, unable to follow our conversation.
I began explaining my interpretations of each ability that had appeared in the message window, breaking it down simply for them as well.
"First, through my Advice, four paths for strengthening your gift were revealed: Survivor, Tenacity, Collective Thinking, and Mood Breaker."
Elaine glanced at the other members, realizing my words were for them too, then nodded.
"Yes, that's right."
"Let's start with the first one, Survivor. It's simple and straightforward. It dramatically enhances the mental contamination resistance from your original gift, Strong Mental Power. No other features, but the effect is incredibly potent. It can block mental contamination that even your current Strong Mental Power can't handle. Its defense against mental attacks is absolute. But of course, it has drawbacks."
"Which is that it's the only thing it does."
I nodded at Elaine's words.
"Exactly. It just makes your existing Strong Mental Power even stronger. Too low on versatility."
Even compared to the Deep Observation option I got when strengthening my own gift, Survivor's utility was lacking. Like Survivor, it only enhanced the core ability of Observation, but my gift is inherently versatile. Boosting its base function still makes it useful across many areas. But Elaine's gift? It's not versatile even as a compliment. Mental defense is valuable against mental ghost stories, where you have no other options, but investing a precious strengthening slot just to boost her personal mental defense is overkill—especially when her current Strong Mental Power already covers it to some extent.
"I agree on that point."
Elaine nodded with a smile, clearly sharing my assessment. As expected of her. Her ability to judge situations swiftly and accurately was one of her greatest strengths.
"Next, the second option: Tenacity. While Survivor strengthens mental power itself, Tenacity is about utilizing it. As long as your mental power holds, you can keep acting even with fatal injuries."
"Whoa!? That sounds amazing!"
Rone's voice shot up in surprise at my explanation. But I gave her a wry smile and shook my head.
"It is powerful. Similar to the red cookies Rone got after resolving Mr. Brandon's ghost story. Considering you used them all up in the fortune cookie incident, this could fill that gap."
Was this option appearing because Elaine defeated Mr. Brandon and claimed the red cookies?
"If it's that useful, why...?"
"The problem is it's limited to me alone."
"...Ah."
Elaine answered Rone's question, and Rone fell silent in realization. Exactly. Tenacity lets only Elaine survive and act through fatal wounds. Compared to the consumable red cookies, which grant anyone a temporary stay of death, it severely limits strategic options. Plus, Elaine's base stamina is very low—below average for women, even accounting for gender differences. If it were offered to Rone, it might be worth considering despite the personal limit, but for Elaine, who's not our physical powerhouse, it's underwhelming. And it drains mental power, weakening resistance to mental attacks. Not a flaw in the ability itself, but poor synergy with her role as our "pilot."
"The third option is Collective Thinking. It lets you share your Strong Mental Power gift temporarily—even with others."
"...Share gifts?"
Rozalia tilted her head, struggling to grasp it.
"In simple terms, you can cast a mental shield on others."
"Aha! That's insanely good!"
Rozalia let out an exclamation. Elaine chimed in.
"I thought so too. But... Teacher seems to disagree."
She eyed me curiously. Indeed, Collective Thinking shares Elaine's perfect counter to mental ghost stories with everyone. It plugs our club's weakness—no mental defense without her or my status window. It looks great, and it is. I initially thought it was the best.
Elaine looked up at me.
"You recommended Mood Breaker, right? Given the gift's utility and your tendencies, I expected Collective Thinking."
"Yes. Mood Breaker is the fourth and final option. Similar to Collective Thinking—it heals mental contamination caused by ghost stories."
Aurora neatly summarized the comparison.
"So Collective Thinking prevents mental contamination, while Mood Breaker cures it after the fact?"
"That's right."
"Then I don't get it even more. Prevention beats cure—why choose the one that lets you get hit first?"
"I thought the same at first. But over the three years until we graduate, can we really block every mental attack? What if a ghost story strikes before we even notice?"
"...Ah."
A short sigh escaped Aurora.
"Even without that, we could misjudge, make mistakes, or face overwhelming attacks Elaine can't fully block. Mental contamination is different from physical threats. It doesn't always lead straight to death, so physical attacks seem deadlier. But for us, with regression to overcome death, mental attacks are far worse. Physical wounds heal on reset, but mental trauma lingers. No status window wipes mental shock on regression, no free hotel room heals wounds without cost. If contamination persists after resolving a ghost story—or if we can't block it with Collective Thinking?"
"And before we even encounter a ghost story, if civilians get contaminated first, they become threats themselves. Healing them neutralizes that and might yield hints for resolution."
Elaine bowed her head in agreement.
"I hadn't considered that angle. Yeah, the last one makes more sense."
"Of course, prevention is ideal over cure. We don't know what we'd do under contamination. One of us could slaughter the rest and suicide, wiping us out beyond regression. Collective Thinking shines there. Both have pros and cons."
I looked at Elaine. Her gaze wavered briefly before meeting mine firmly.
"Ultimately, the choice is yours. Advice is just that—advice."
"I'll go with Mood Breaker then."
"No regrets?"
"No. I trust you, Teacher."
...Trusting me that much is a bit burdensome.
"Can't you just trust yourself? I'll trust you too."
She smiled softly.
"Then I'll trust the Teacher who trusts me."
Elaine closed her eyes and declared quietly.
"I'll strengthen my gift to Mood Breaker."
Strong Mental Power → Mood Breaker
Do you wish to strengthen the gift as is?
Was it because of the connection through my Advice? The same message windows I'd seen appeared before her eyes.
Without hesitation, she replied.
"Of course."
As she declared it, the message windows that had emerged from her body were sucked back in. Then, just like during regression or my own strengthening—
Flash!
An intensely blinding light filled the club room.
Caught off-guard by the sudden burst, Rone belatedly covered her eyes with both hands but groaned, clutching them in pain. Rozalia dramatically grabbed hers, yelling, "Argh! My eyes!" Aurora shielded her face with her arm, letting out a pained groan.
(For the record, I'd anticipated the flash and covered my eyes in advance.)
Moments later, the light faded, and Elaine at its center slowly opened her eyes.
"...Done?"
"Yes."
"Good. Congratulations."
With that, her gift strengthening ritual was complete.
I turned to Rone.
"Alright, your turn now. Rone."
At my words, Rone—still clutching her eyes with tears welling up—stepped forward with a tense expression.
