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...
"Huh!? A monster formed out of rumors about me!?"
Hearing that over the phone from Takumi, Karin was completely dumbfounded.
If it had come from anyone else, she wouldn't have believed such insane nonsense for a second.
But coming out of Takumi's mouth, it somehow felt genuinely credible.
Scrolling through the urban legends about Steel Lady on her phone, Karin couldn't help complaining.
"Who the hell is making up all this ridiculous crap? Sure, I resent those antis, but that doesn't mean I'd turn into a ghost and start attacking random pedestrians! And what's this about me running around smashing people with rebar? Do I look like that kind of crude, violent girl!?"
She was so pissed off it felt like her chest had swelled another size.
Duang~ Duang~!
The front of her clothes bounced so hard they looked like they were about to split open.
At that, Takumi just shrugged with a laugh. "How would I know? The point is, plenty of people believe that rumor now. Their imagination created a monster called Steel Lady."
"Ahhh! Those damn little hater bastards!"
Karin muttered furiously, wishing she could punch every last one of her antis in the face.
She'd already been driven off the internet, and they still wouldn't leave her alone.
Making up rumors that she'd died was one thing, but now they'd gone and turned her into some vengeful urban-legend ghost too, like they couldn't rest unless she died horribly.
"So what do you need me to do? Is there actually anything I can help with?"
Karin pulled herself back to the point and asked in a quieter voice.
"Since that thing is basically your imaginary body, of course you need to come over and subdue it in person. I already killed it once when I happened to run into it, but it respawned almost immediately. I've also called in a professional to help weaken Steel Lady. Hurry up and get here before things spiral out of control."
Takumi gave a brief explanation and urged Karin to come quickly.
By now, he'd already figured out what the ability of her trait Imaginary Twin (Purple) actually was.
It was basically the power to create a "double" of herself—something like a stand or split body.
Because of the Steel Lady urban legend, that "imaginary" existence, which should have appeared directly inside Karin, had instead gone out of control and become the current Steel Lady.
The current Steel Lady was the fusion of that imaginary body and an imagined cursed spirit.
So if they wanted to truly eliminate Steel Lady, it wouldn't be enough just to change what people online believed.
Karin herself also had to subdue that imaginary body in real life—basically the same way Takumi had conquered Mahoraga.
Hearing all that, Karin immediately understood how important her role in this was.
"Alright, I'm coming right now... though couldn't you just fly me over there directly?"
"Learn to fly yourself. The Divine Servant Piece and divine wine I gave you already transformed you. If I still have to bother with something that minor for you, then all you're good for is being a cute little decorative fluffball."
"..."
Faced with Takumi's wild, brutally direct words, Karin was left speechless.
But instead of getting angry, she felt her confidence flare up.
"Hmph! I'm not just some girl with a great body and huge curves, okay? My talent is top-tier too!"
Back when she'd first been noticed by her agency, they'd been brutally honest that it was because of her body.
But Karin had refused the route of specializing in softcore sex appeal.
She wrote her own lyrics and music, practiced her acting like hell, and in the end became a popular idol through both her body and her talent.
Since she'd never seen herself as just a pretty ornament, Karin immediately hung up and began feeling out the power flowing inside her body.
In fact, she'd already been trying to control it over the last two days, and she'd managed a rough first grasp of it.
Sensing that Karin had started moving on her end, Takumi's lips curled into a smile.
"As expected, Karin just needs a little push. Otherwise that great talent of hers would go completely to waste."
Karin's traits really weren't bad at all.
Now it just depended on how much of a boost Steel Lady would give her afterward.
Curious to see what kind of spark would fly once Karin and Steel Lady collided, Takumi immediately called Kotoko.
"Kotoko, I've got another job for you!"
"You really are blunt, darling. Why can't you ever call your girlfriend for something normal?"
Kotoko sounded full of resentment. What she actually wanted was the kind of normal lovey-dovey phone calls couples had.
"No, no, no. If we did that, we'd just be like any ordinary couple."
"Takumi-senpai, what exactly is wrong with being an ordinary couple~?"
Kotoko fired back on instinct, then quickly calmed down and asked about business.
Hearing her switch forms of address again, Takumi was speechless.
"Why are you calling me senpai all of a sudden?"
"My transfer application already got approved. From now on, I'm officially a first-year student at Kuoh Academy. I enrolled a few days after you, so calling you senpai is perfectly reasonable, right? And besides, calling you that makes me feel... strangely secure."
"So you're into older-man vibes after all."
After tossing out that jab, Takumi moved on to the Steel Lady issue.
Once he explained the whole situation, Kotoko perked right up.
"Looks like your trip to the snow-woman side paid off nicely. You barely finish with one target before moving on to the next—and now it's the popular idol Karin. Having such a shamelessly womanizing boyfriend is a real headache~"
Kotoko grumbled a couple of jealous lines, and the vinegar in her voice was so strong Takumi could practically smell it through the phone.
To that, Takumi simply said, "Then tonight, should I come over to your place?"
"..."
Kotoko turned to look at the extra-large premium banana she'd bought.
The last couple of days of practice had already left her cheeks sore.
The only upside was that her technique had improved quite a bit.
Still not very confident, Kotoko immediately backed down.
"No, no, no. Let's stick to the previous topic."
Seeing Kotoko fold on the spot, Takumi could only sigh in resignation.
He was honestly looking forward to seeing what kind of surprise Kotoko might someday bring him.
As for the Steel Lady incident, Kotoko—being a god of wisdom—had already heard bits and pieces of it.
"The yokai on that side have been talking about Steel Lady's attacks recently too. I need to deal with that myself, so I'll head over right away."
As soon as she said that, Kotoko opened a teleportation circle.
At the same time, two magic circles appeared beside Takumi.
The next moment, Kotoko and Karin appeared in front of him simultaneously.
"I'm here, Takumi-senpai."
"I made it over, Takumi!"
Their voices rang out at almost the exact same moment, and then the two girls turned to look at each other.
"A little kid?"
Karin stared at Kotoko in surprise.
She hadn't expected there to be a child here.
The instant she heard those three words, Kotoko's expression soured.
"I am not a little kid. I'm Takumi-senpai's girlfriend, okay~"
Kotoko immediately stepped forward, wrapped herself around Takumi's arm, and very openly declared her claim.
"He even goes after girls this young..."
Karin immediately shot him a look of contempt, leaving even Takumi wearing a thoroughly pained expression.
What kind of thing was that to say? Kotoko was about the same age as him, alright?
...
For every 50 Power Stones → +1 extra chapter.