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After Shiho finished speaking, she paused for a moment, and then glared fiercely at Machima again.

"Don't talk to me. I won't believe anything you say anymore. You just like to torment me over and over again, and then you reappear every time I'm about to break down, pretending to comfort me, and then you bully me badly. I won't fall for it anymore."

"……Oh."

"What are your plans to do with the FBI and CIA?"

"No plan..."

"That means there's a plan."

"..."

Machima suppressed a laugh, feeling that if Shiho continued to be played like this, her persona would be ruined.

"I... well, to be honest, I'm feeling a bit bored with my life, and it does seem a bit much to keep bullying Shiho like this."

"……snort."

Shiho maintained her aloof expression, as if she wouldn't listen to any of the nonsense.

"So, I'll still come to visit Shiho occasionally after that. As for Shiho... I believe that even if I do nothing, she'll get back on track."

"...The normal trajectory?"

Machima shrugged:

"It's just your ordinary daily life: continuing to study at Teitan Elementary School, playing house with your friends, seeing Shinichi Kudo encounter a murder case every now and then, helping to solve the case, making some sarcastic remarks, and then encountering a major case about once a year, transforming into Doraemon or Ai, and providing remote network support to Shinichi."

"What kind of nonsense is this?"

"Is not it?"

Ai wanted to argue that it wasn't true, but then she realized that Makima seemed to be mostly right...

"Wait! Speaking of which...were you at that game expo too!?"

"Oh dear, I've been recognized..."

Machima sighed.

"I was actually planning to wait until the technology for fully immersive games was more advanced before having another chance encounter with Ai. Honestly, why be so clever..."

"You...it really is you!?" Ai's eyes widened.

Machima coughed and switched to Rese's voice:

"Ai-chan~ Do you remember me? Let's play games together again, we promised~"

"You...you bastard!!!"

Xiao Ai angrily swung her fist and unleashed a flurry of cat punches at Machima.

She was heartbroken and lost her pearls for several nights because of what happened to Leisai, but in the end it was still Machima's disguise!

The latter couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Alright, alright, I've already said this is the last time."

"I don't believe it!"

"Whatever you want... But originally, my plan was to pretend to be afraid of the FBI and CIA, and leave Shiho all alone outside, so you could continue to live in fear and anxiety..."

"Don't talk to me like I'm some abandoned little animal."

"But ah..."

Machima gently stroked Shiho's hair and back, her gaze drifting into the distance.

"Sometimes I feel that it's a bit boring to always arbitrarily control other people's destinies, watching them struggle and resist, only to have them eventually fall back into the predetermined script..."

"..."

Shiho looked at Machima with a puzzled expression—what strange thing was this guy saying now?

"so what?"

"So... I want to try and see what would happen if Makima wasn't Makima, hmm..."

Shiho rolled her eyes.

“I don’t understand at all. I’m going to see my sister—if you really don’t intend to stop me, then let me go.”

Machima smiled, picked up Ai, and walked towards the garage.

After getting in the car, we drove slowly towards Tokiwadai Academy and found the class where Akemi Miyano was.

It wasn't until her older sister, who was teaching the students in the classroom, finally looked at Machima with wide eyes—this girl... actually didn't take the opportunity to tease her.

She couldn't help but recall what Machima had said last night.

This girl, could she really...?

no no!

They're definitely planning something bad, Shiho! You can't fall for it!

Although she really wanted to rush in and hug her sister, Shiho held back.

She kept glancing at her sister, and then at Machima from time to time, as if she wanted to ask something, but felt that it would be pointless to ask.

As the school bell rang, Machima slowly bent down and kissed Shiho on the forehead:

Goodbye, my little cat.

"you……?"

Even though her older sister was right in front of her, Shiho hesitated and didn't take a step.

She felt a sense of unease—for some reason, she had a feeling that she might never see Machima again… or rather, that it would be very difficult to see her again.

"Is this... another good show of yours?"

Shiho asked in a trembling voice, completely unaware of what she was afraid of.

"Or...are you already...tired of me?"

Machima smiled, patted Shiho's head gently, and gestured for her to turn around.

"It's just a brief farewell, go now, little cat..."

Shiho looked back and saw Akemi, who had just walked out of the classroom, staring at her blankly.

Her feelings for her sister finally overwhelmed everything; she let go of Machima's hand and ran towards Mingmei.

The two sisters, reunited after a long separation, embraced and talked to each other. The girls nearby asked Ms. Mingmei curiously if this was her sister.

When Shiho turned her head away from her sister's arms, she found that Machima had disappeared at some point.

It should have been a joyous moment, but... Shiho felt a bittersweet ache in the tears welling up in her eyes.

What happened to Machima...?

Inside an underground facility in Tokyo, several spare bodies for Machima are stored in life support pods, making the place look like some kind of sinister laboratory.

Her most trusted and beloved subordinates—Tomie, Sadako, and Yura—are all here waiting for her arrival.

Tamiya Ryoko frowned and looked up at Machima, who had crossed space to arrive here:

"You...you really want to do this?"

Machima smiled:

"Of course, a new life and a new game will naturally bring new fun and experiences."

Machima looked at Tamiya Ryoko:

"Also, this might be your best chance to get rid of me. Why don't you give it a try? As compensation for following me for so long, even if you fail, I won't kill you."

Tamiya Ryoko snorted coldly: "I have no interest in asking for trouble. You can just play your game in peace. Of course, if there is an emergency, I will wake you up."

“This is boring…” Machima scoffed and stepped into the incubation chamber.

She slowly allowed her main consciousness to fall into a deep sleep.

Since she reaped a large number of demons, including Naraku, during the Warring States period, Makima's power has expanded to a point that even she herself can't quite grasp. However... it is precisely because of this that she has come up with her new way of playing.

Well then... goodbye for now, Miss Machima.