The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
"Huh?"
Nokia-san noticed us.
Looking puzzled, she walked over...
"…Mama?"
Nina spoke in a confused voice.
Being one of the strongest species, she likely had a resistance to the drug, so she must have woken up already.
Drawn by her voice, I turned around...
"Huh?"
There was a second Nokia-san.
"There are… two Nokias?"
"What? What? What's going on here?"
"Is one of them real and the other fake? But… even if this is the world of the mind, is it really possible for the real person to appear?"
We couldn’t understand what was happening and became increasingly confused.
"Um… can someone explain what's going on? When I came to, I found myself here…"
"And the one over there is me… right? Why are there two of me?"
Thankfully, neither of the Nokias seemed hostile toward us.
They looked just as flustered and unsure as they would in the real world.
Honestly, they didn’t even seem all that surprised…
I guess she has a pretty easygoing personality.
Even in this situation, I felt a small sense of familiarity with her.
"Al-san, do you understand what’s going on here?"
"Hmm… I didn’t expect Nokia to appear. And two of her, no less."
"So… is one real and the other fake?"
"Most likely. And if I may add, the fake one was probably created from the remaining wedges. In other words…"
"We have to figure out which one is fake and defeat her?"
"Indeed."
I almost clicked my tongue in frustration.
This twisted setup was without a doubt Mona’s doing.
To break through the situation, we’d have to cut down Nokia-san — even if she’s a fake.
If we fail, the worst-case scenario could happen.
But if we hesitate and waste time, we’ll be forcibly removed when time runs out.
We wouldn’t be able to eliminate the wedge or lift the curse.
It’s incredibly distasteful…
But I had to admit — it’s actually a pretty clever strategy.
"That damn depraved demon… Next time I see her, I’m gonna beat the crap out of her… I’ll make her cry. Absolutely gonna make her cry…"
"I may not have the right to speak of justice… but even I find this incredibly distasteful. It’s disgusting."
Tina and Iris also frowned deeply.
Everyone was angry at the situation Mona had created.
They were determined to overcome it, no matter what.
But how were we supposed to do that?
We absolutely couldn’t afford to fail — and more than that...
"Um… everyone? Could you please explain what's going on?"
"I’d appreciate it if someone could just tell us the current situation…"
Which one is real and which one is fake?
They looked exactly the same.
Their personalities seemed identical, too.
Should we try bringing up a misleading topic and see if the fake slips up?
Or maybe ask something only the real one would know?
But Mona had created this fake with precise and detailed transformation abilities.
There was even the possibility that they shared memories.
If that were the case, we wouldn’t be able to make an accurate judgment.
Worse yet, if we jumped to conclusions, we might mistakenly harm the real one…
"Tch…"
"Hey, Rain. Can’t you pull off one of your crazy out-of-the-box ideas or something…?"
"Why am I always treated like a walking pile of nonsense…?"
"Isn’t that just factual?"
"Even you, Iris? I mean, sure, if I could, I would… but sorry. Nothing's coming to mind right now."
"Ughhh, we’re so close, and yet it’s so frustrating!"
"Being unable to fail is what makes this so difficult… The pressure narrows our thinking, and that stress could lead us to make a terrible mistake."
We still had time left.
But could we really come up with a sure answer?
"Huh?"
While we were all agonizing over it, Nina looked genuinely puzzled.
She tilted her head with a look of deep curiosity, not concern.
"Everyone… why are you worrying so much?"
"Because… we absolutely can’t afford to mess this up."
"Huh?"
Nina tilted her head again with an even more confused expression.
Her face seemed to be asking: Why are you even worried about this?
Of course we’re worried.
Nokia-san’s safety is on the line — we absolutely can’t afford to fail.
We can’t tell for sure which one is real and which one is fake, so we’re stuck here agonizing over it...
...Wait. Hold on.
It’s not like Nina doesn’t understand what’s going on.
And yet — she hasn’t shown even the slightest hint of doubt.
That can only mean one thing...
"Wait… Nina, do you know which Nokia-san is the real one?"
"I do… yeah?"
She looked back at us curiously, as if to say:
Why wouldn’t I know?
"Eh? Are you serious? Because we have absolutely no idea…"
"By the way, which one is the real Nokia-san?"
"This one… this is the real Mama."
Nina took the hand of the Nokia-san who had appeared second.
"Why do you think that Nokia-san is the real one?"
"Huh? Well… it’s obvious… isn’t it?"
"Uh… you don’t have any proof or anything?"
"Hmm… nope, I don’t?"
"You don’t…?"
"But I know, okay? This is Mama. My precious, beloved Mama."
Nina leaned in close to the Nokia-san she claimed was real.
She nuzzled her cheek against her affectionately, snuggling up to her without a trace of hesitation.
Her expression was filled with pure trust — not even a speck of doubt in her eyes.
Ah… I see now.
That’s what this is.
Now it makes sense.
"Alright. That settles it. We know who’s real and who’s fake. Let’s end this quickly."
"Eh? A-Are you sure? I mean, there’s no solid proof… If we’re wrong, the consequences could be huge!"
"It’s fine."
I said it as I looked at Nina’s face while she gazed at Nokia-san.
"Nina is Nokia-san’s daughter. There’s no way a child wouldn’t be able to recognize their own parent."
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