Dragged into the Illusion Gate, Camula's body was swallowed whole, leaving behind only her red dress, which drifted slowly to the ground.
"Her entire body was swallowed too… That was terrifying…"
Everyone gulped, shuddering as the memory of Camula's last screams echoed in their minds.
The card Illusion Gate—a spell that wagers one's soul—demanded a consequence equally horrifying as its price.
"Well, that's one down. Since Camula's been erased in both body and soul, Alexis should return to normal now."
Retrieving the Key and pressing it to her (Non-existent) chest, Hoshino exhaled. The Shadow Riders were truly troublesome—but at least the first, Camula, had been dealt with. As the saying goes: the beginning is hard… the middle is hard… and the ending is also hard…
"Sigh~ six more to go. Just thinking about it gives me a headache. Who knows what weird creature will appear next."
Rubbing her temples, already mentally exhausted, Hoshino turned to Crowler.
"Professor, I'll leave the rest to you. You understand, right? Don't let any rumors spread, and make sure the students don't panic."
"Yes, Headmistress! I guarantee it will be handled flawlessly!"
Standing at full attention, Crowler replied with unwavering respect.
Gone was his old attitude of empty flattery. After witnessing Hoshino's battle with Camula, Crowler now truly understood—despite her young age, this Headmistress possessed a strength and caliber far beyond his own.
Riding her D-Wheel at full speed, Hoshino rushed home. Without even catching her breath, she dashed up to the third floor, desperate to confirm whether Alexis had returned to normal now that the pure-blood vampire had been destroyed.
"Senpai, you're back!"
Waiting at the entrance, Mash—who had participated in the duel—was, of course, aware that Hoshino had defeated Camula.
But there was no joy on her face. If anything, she looked more troubled than before Hoshino left.
Sensing something was wrong, Hoshino braced herself and asked with a frown, "Mash… Don't tell me Alexis still hasn't recovered?"
Mash shook her head, looking conflicted. Behind her glasses, worry clouded her eyes.
"Miss Alexis did awaken from her vampire thrall state, but… Senpai, you should see her yourself."
Uneasy, Hoshino climbed the stairs to her room. None of the other Servants were present—Mash must have sent them away.
Lying on Hoshino's bed was Alexis Rhodes, now free from vampiric influence. Her fangs were gone, her complexion human once more.
"… You really defeated Camula… I'm… so relieved…"
Alexis's voice was barely above a whisper, her face flushed with fever. Seeing Hoshino, she forced a weak smile.
"You don't look well at all…"
This frail state was nowhere near "fully healed." Even though she had defeated the pure-blood vampire as Vlad instructed, Alexis looked even weaker than she had before Hoshino left.
Mash followed behind, looking troubled. "Senpai… Sir Vlad was afraid you would worry too much, so he didn't tell you the full truth."
"He didn't tell me the full truth?"
"When someone becomes a vampire's thrall, the vampire's magic invades their body. Even if the pure-blood vampire is destroyed, turning back to human depends heavily on luck. If the invasion is too severe, the thrall's body may collapse and perish together with the pure-blood."
Hoshino protested, "But Alexis is alive right now! Doesn't that prove Camula's magic didn't invade her too deeply?"
Mash shook her head.
"No. I examined Miss Asuka earlier. Her condition was a case of excessive magical invasion. However…"
Mash's gaze shifted meaningfully to Hoshino's bandaged white hand.
"However, because she drank your blood earlier, Senpai, your magic replaced the portion that belonged to Camula. That is the only reason Miss Alexis didn't disappear with her. In other words… your blood saved her life."
So her Atlantean bloodline had healing properties? It could even overwrite invasive magic? This was a first for Hoshino. Did that mean she was a walking medical clinic now?
"So, what's wrong with her then?"
Seeing her once-vibrant student suffering like this made Hoshino's heart ache.
Mash hesitated, then told her the truth.
"Senpai… your magic power is simply too strong. Miss Alexis's body can't handle the amount flooding her right now."
== ?
So in the end… she over-healed her?
Why did that feel both awkward and… strangely pride-inducing?
"Nn…"
Alexis let out a soft whimper, her pale fingers clutching the blanket.
Though "overflowing with magic" sounded harmless, the sensation was far more painful than being weakened by a lack of magic. Ever since Hoshino returned, Alexis had been forcing herself to endure silently—only because she didn't want Hoshino to feel guilty.
"Senpai, if Miss Alexis remains like this, it may actually be more dangerous than being a vampire thrall."
Now Hoshino was in a bind. If it were a lack of magic, she could use the… "forbidden" method of mana transfer. But this—how did one cure magic overload?
"Hehehe~ Looks like Master is in trouble~ But actually, there's a super simple solution for this kind of problem~"
A small figure slowly crawled out from beneath the bed—Kuro—wearing a smug, catlike grin.
"I swear, why does everyone crawl out from under my bed so casually?! Is this a bedroom or Chaldea's storage room?!"
"That's not important, Master~ What is important is that I know exactly how to fix this~"
Pressing a finger to her lips, Kuro smiled mischievously.
"Since Master's magic overflowed into Asuka, all we have to do is transfer some of it back out~ Just like how I take magic from Illya. Simply put…"
She leaned in with a teasing wink.
"Through mana transfer, of course. To put it bluntly… a kiss~"
Hoshino's guess was, of course, absolutely correct.
"Is this really okay, Kuro?!" Mash asked, feeling a sour sting in her chest as she tried to stop her. "Senpai's physiology is different from yours. Isn't this way too reckless?"
However, Kuro—rarely this serious—firmly responded, "Do we really have time to hesitate, Mash? Every second we waste means one more second of suffering for Alexis."
It made sense. Mash was left speechless, forced to swallow her "lemon" whole.
With a quiet sigh, Hoshino looked toward the girl on the bed. "That's the situation. You understand what's going to happen now, right, Alexis?"
At this point, the blush on Alexis's cheeks could no longer be identified—was it shyness, or the mana raging wildly inside her?
Alexis's hazy eyes met Hoshino's, and she gave a faint nod, replying in a soft, fragile voice:
"If it's with you… Senpai… I don't mind…"
Hoshino swallowed, mentally preparing herself, then leaned in toward Alexis.
Mana transfer—in simple terms, was a kiss. Through this method, the excess magic in Alexis's body would be drawn out and reabsorbed into Hoshino.
While the overflowing mana was dangerous and potentially lethal for Alexis, for Hoshino, it was barely a drop in the ocean.
"Nn…"
Hoshino felt a light current rush through her mind—warmth, a soft sensation, and the faint scent of Alexis's breath. It was… pleasant. Almost sweet, like strawberries.
Was this her first real kiss?
Not exactly. The time she fainted from hunger at the hotel and Akasha forcibly gave her CPR would technically count as the first.
But as for a kiss while fully conscious—yes, this was the first.
…Though this wasn't a kiss. It was a medical procedure. Like artificial respiration.
Yes. That's what she told herself.
"Senpai…" Mash's heart felt like it was bleeding, and she had to turn her face away.
"Woooow~~!" Kuro, meanwhile, had sparkles in her eyes, staring intently at the very yuri-coded scene.
Mana surged. Just as Kuro said, the contact caused the excess magic to flow out of Alexis and back into Hoshino. Alexis's cheeks remained flushed, but the previously chaotic mana inside her finally began to settle.
Due to the numbing warmth clouding her mind, Hoshino had no idea how long it lasted—it could've been thirty seconds or ten minutes. Only when she no longer felt any mana transfer did she lift her head and ask gently:
"Do you feel a little better now, Alexis?"
Alexis tugged the blanket up to hide her burning face, leaving only her unfocused eyes exposed, and gave a tiny nod.
Right now, Alexis was undoubtedly experiencing the most nerve-wracking moment of her life. Her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest. Even though the pain had faded the moment Hoshino absorbed the mana, the trembling wouldn't stop.
"T-To think… I actually… with Senpai…" Alexis's thoughts spiraled. "I know she did it to save me, but… when we touched, I felt like I was melting. Is this… is this what they call… love?"
"L-Like…?"
"Hm? Alexis, did you say something?" With Alexis hiding her face, Hoshino could only see her lips move slightly and couldn't make out the words.
"It's nothing. Thank you, Senpai."
"No need to thank me. Protecting you is part of my job as Headmistress."
Protect… me? Why is that Senpai's job?
Hearing that, Alexis didn't dare look at Hoshino anymore. She pulled the blanket up higher—burying her entire head inside.
It smelled so nice inside Senpai's blanket…
"Mash, can you check on Alexis again? Make sure there are no more abnormalities in her body."
Mash clenched her teeth. No matter how bitter it felt, she understood it had been the only option. If Hoshino had refused to save Alexis, that would have hurt her far more.
"…Yes, Senpai."
After steadying herself, Mash pulled out a compact, scanner-like diagnostic device from under Hoshino's bed and clipped it around Alexis's wrist.
"Honestly, I give up on questioning why things keep coming out from under my bed. Do whatever you all want…"
After checking the readings, Mash's tense expression softened slightly.
"It's fine now, Senpai. Her mana levels have stabilized. There are no longer any signs of overflow or imbalance."
Kuro proudly bumped her fluffy white head against Hoshino.
"Well? Well?? It's all thanks to me, right? Come on—praise me!"
"Yes, yes~ You were a lifesaver, Kuro. You did great~"
"Eh? Lifesaver?? That sounds dangerous!"
While Hoshino and Kuro chatted, Mash's expression shifted again as she stared at the readings.
"Senpai, something's wrong. The excess mana inside Miss Alexis has stabilized—but the traces of your blood inside her body still remain."
"My blood is still there?"
Thinking about it, that was obvious. The mana had been extracted through contact, but the blood she consumed wouldn't disappear that easily.
"Is that going to be a problem?"
Mash nodded.
"As long as your blood remains inside Miss Alexis, her body will continuously generate excess mana. It may not show immediately, but eventually, the mana will accumulate again and cause another overload. It's essentially unavoidable."
"What a headache…" Hoshino rubbed her forehead. She could absorb mana—sure—but how was she supposed to remove blood that had already fused with someone's body?
"What's the big deal, Master~?" Kuro shrugged. "When she starts overflowing again, you just have to do the same thing you did earlier to fix it."
Well… that was true. If Alexis overflowed again, Hoshino could just absorb it again.
But the thought of repeating that made Hoshino's face warm… Wait, why did it feel like she wasn't exactly opposed to the idea?
Meanwhile, Alexis—still buried under the blanket—heard the "diagnosis of her doom."
Her attempt to hide her flustered smile was barely holding on.