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“NOVA! Are you okay?!”

“Ugh…”

As I shook him gently, Nova groaned and started to open his eyes.

“Are you alright? You just collapsed out of nowhere…”

Nova opened his eyes, turned red in the face, and carefully spoke.

“Oh, I’m fine. But first, can you… uh, cover up?”

“Oh…”

In my rush, I completely forgot that I was only in my underwear…

“Don’t look over here!!”

“Yikes!”

Nova, who was sitting on my bed, ended up rolling off onto the floor.

“Ouch… So, did we succeed?”

Having changed my clothes quickly, I confidently answered him.

“Of course! Who do you think I am? I nailed it perfectly!”

“Oh… really?”

“Yup! Go ahead and infuse some mana!”

Then, a tattoo on Nova’s shoulder began to glow a vivid blue.

Out of nowhere, Nova looked up at the air and shouted joyously.

“Oh..! My mana shot up to 1000 in a split second!”

“1000?”

“Ah…! I mean, it feels like I have more mana than usual?!”

“Well, that’s obvious since I built it on my mana circuit.”

“Wow…! You’re amazing!”

“Hehe, keep the compliments coming! Oh! And the circuit can increase its capacity based on your efforts!”

“Really? Thank you so much!”

Saying that, Nova hugged me tightly.

“Ugh?!”

W-What?! Why is he being so clingy all of a sudden? This much skinship is over the top!

“Really… thank you, Stella…”

“…Nova?”

With a heavy yet melancholic tone, he continued.

“You’ve been through a lot…”

“Been through a lot…? Ah… right, it’s been rough! I nearly got into huge trouble myself!”

His embrace was warm and comforting, making me feel nice.

Why is it that I feel this way just being next to him?

“Hehe…”

Then, with a determined tone, he vowed.

“I’ll protect you this time…”

“You? Protect me?”

Just because you made one circuit, you’re going to protect me? That’s quite the claim…

“What are you on about? You’re weaker than me…”

“Just wait… one day I’ll be stronger than you!”

“Oh… is that so?”

How amusing! Nova, even with your Copy ability, think you can beat me? That’s a laugh…

“When that time comes, I’ll have a confession to make.”

“…Huh?”

*

Stella nodded like a broken robot at my words.

“A… a confession? What…?”

Isn’t this basically like saying it out loud?

“I’ll tell you then.”

“Ah… no way? Could it… be something like that?”

“…Well, I guess I’ll be heading out now.”

“No way…? Nova, it can’t mean what I’m thinking, right?”

“See you tomorrow, Stella!”

Leaving behind the girl who seemed a bit malfunctioned as she repeated those words, I stepped outside.

Sigh… My head is spinning!

A flood of memories rushed in.

Though the details were fragmented, one thing was clear.

“This is Stella’s memory.”

Stella said that the mana circuit reflects the journey she’s been on—what I saw was undeniably her memory.

I didn’t quite understand the very first memory I saw—how a friend from back on Earth appeared, or what the situation was.

From Stella’s memories, I figured out three things.

One, this world is reverting to revolve around her.

Two…

“She is unaware that she is reincarnating.”

From her actions and words, it seemed like she was aware that she was a reincarnator.

However, she was mistaken.

This was not her first run; she had reincarnated numerous times in this world.

To be precise, over a hundred times.

“To be a reincarnator without any memories? Is that even possible?”

Normally, a reincarnator’s advantage is returning with their past life’s memories.

“So why is she oblivious to her own reincarnation?”

At this rate, even if she keeps reincarnating, she’s just going in circles.

Then it makes sense why she keeps choosing death.

The last thing I learned was…

“I finally figured out how to save you.”

It became clear based on Stella’s memories why she kept choosing death.

This time, I will definitely save her.

I will turn this lousy game into a happy ending.

“Wait for me, Stella.”

*

“Stella~ I’m back!”

As the front door opened, Shia chirped cheerfully as she entered the room.

“Why did you suddenly want me to be out by 7? Is something going on…?”

“Hehe…”

Shia gasped as she took in Stella, who was blankly staring at nothing, looking deflated.

“Ah! Stella! What’s wrong?! Did something happen?!”

“Confession… a confession… that kind of confession?”

Like a broken machine repeating the same words, Stella remained lost, swirling through the night.

*

[Mana Status Window]

Elemental Affinity: □□

(*changes based on the copy target)

Circuit (LV.1)

Mana Amount: 0/1000

Mana Recovery Efficiency: A

Element Type: Non-attribute

Elemental Power: A

Element Proficiency: E

Element Synergy: E

“Is this the mana circuit?”

My mana amount surged from 400 to more than double in an instant.

Truly, all hail Stella!

“And it can increase further from here?!”

A circuit level that didn’t exist before has appeared.

Each time this level goes up, the amount of mana I can use increases—it’s like upgrading a graphics card.

“Mana recovery efficiency is A?”

That means I can spam magic spells and recover quickly, right?

Did I get A rank right from the start thanks to Stella’s mana circuit? This is excellent!

“I need to unleash some techniques.”

I’ve copied a total of 13 techniques so far, mostly 1st and 2nd tier spells.

“Until now, I was limited to lower-tier spells because mana consumption was too high.”

I need to start switching up my techniques seriously.

I should remove the spells I can’t use and focus on 3rd and 4th tier spells.

“So? Should I go ahead and make use of some techniques today?”

It sounds a bit selfish, but what can I do? It’s my ability after all.

Everyone has great abilities, right?

Some drop meteors, others wield divine powers, and now there’s even a lunatic who gets stronger when hit!

“Stealing unique abilities is one thing, but just mimicking a technique isn’t such a big deal, right?”

If I could learn that too, that’d be great, but I’m still being reasonable… I think?

“Unique traits… oh, speaking of which…”

Didn’t I gain a unique skill as a reward for winning against Siel the other time?

“Quest: Duel with Siel (Cleared)”

“Reward: Acquire one of Siel’s unique skills.”

Siel Gruwein (Lv.24) Unique Trait: Snow Woman (LV.4)

Strength: A-

Speed: B+

Durability: C+

Magic Power: A+

Intelligence: S

[Passive Skills]

Ghostly Step (Rank: C)

No sound of footsteps is heard.

Frozen Heart (Rank: B)

Maintains composure in any situation.

Insight Eye (Rank: A)

Detects lies from opponents.

(*Cannot be used if total stats are lower than the opponent.)

Ruler of Ice Storm (Rank: S) [Cannot be copied]

The power of ice-element based techniques significantly increases.

“Great skills abound, huh?”

What a sight! The Ruler of Ice Storm being rank S must mean it’s really something…

“More than that, this one catches my eye.”

Insight Eye can detect lies? That sounds similar to my Insight…

I can tell if someone’s lying by observing their lip movements and pupil contractions.

“Definitely an attractive skill… but since I already have Insight Eye, I don’t need it.”

So that leaves me with either Ghostly Step or Frozen Heart…

Ghostly Step, not making a sound would be useful for stealth or dangerous jobs.

And maintaining calm in any circumstances is surely an appealing option—being composed in battle is crucial after all.

“Hmm… it’s a tough decision.”

Siel’s passive skills are quite impressive. I truly envy her and wish I could have them all.

“…I’ve got to go with this!”

 

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