I was walking down the corridor when I bumped into Emilico.
She looked...unsure and frightened? What happened?

Then I realized I forgot to become “Mia from the upstairs”. Ah, what a blunder….

“Good morning, Emilico!” shouted Mia cheerfully and hugged her junior.

“Ahh...uhh”

“What’s the matter~? Still asleep?” she pinched Emilico’s cheeks in a way similar to what Rosemary did to Lou the other day, and gently slapped her face.
Seeing that Mia is back to her usual self, the blonde doll sighed with relief.

“I thought you’d come to hate me.”

“Because of what happened the other day? That was Sarah-sama’s emotions. Ufufu! Emilico, you still have some ways to go!”

That’s right. There is no way dependable senior Mia would hate or laugh or get unreasonably angry at her adorable subordinate.

“Ara~ Has something happened, I wonder?”

Rosemary came seemingly out of nowhere, and Lou was approaching, too. Ever yawning, ever tired...Mia wondered if that girl was sick, or perhaps her shadow master drove her this hard.
Well, hopefully, whatever discipline she’s being subjected to will help her become a better living doll~!

Now to mitigate the damage….Mia grabbed Emilico’s hands, and smiling as widely as possible vocalized the warning in the most friendly and non-threatening voice she could produce….

“Ufufu, it’s a secret between just the two of us~”

Emilico nodded and uncertainly smiled back. That’s right, girl, it’s all for your own safety!
….And Sarah-sama could also get in trouble for not reporting rule violation...

……..

Today was the day when the newcomer was finally getting her introductory lesson. Even though Lou already had her tour the other day, since there was nothing better for her to do, Rosemary decided to have her tag along too and revise the material. Mia nodded approvingly. The red-haired doll was rather dim-witted and she could only benefit from an extra study session.

Mia wondered if she actually learned the manual by heart as instructed...haha, it would be amusing if she did~

They showed Emilico around, starting with the cleaning room and the equipment stored there, explaining the various functions of the soot coat as well as various tools used to remove the ever-present tar…..the pathway to the kitchen and other areas reserved for faceless dolls, that them regular dolls don’t need to think about...the classroom, where we learn and study for the sake of shadow family…

“Can I learn my letters here?” inquired Emilico enthusiastically, the events from this morning clearly having left her mind and she was hyperfocused on the topic of the lesson. Ah, if only Lou was that inquisitive when Mia was showing her around….

“We’ll do it at another opportunity~” said Rosemary, and patted the blonde doll on the head.

Yeah, let’s...wait what?
As the team leader was busy explaining to the newcomers various types of clothes they wore and their purpose, and the subject eventually shifted to the debut and inner workings of shadows house, Mia suddenly realized there was something peculiar about the question Emilico just asked...to learn letters? Like, read and write…?

Could it be that Emilico...is actually illiterate!? Pffff….hahaha! Oh this is just too good, she truly is a defective product~
...However, that defective product was enthusiastically nodding and absorbing knowledge, not discouraged by her own failures and moving forward despite them….no matter how Mia looked at it, it was admirable...perhaps Emilico’s defects are born out of her Shadow master’s incompetence in addition to being produced inferior?

“Erm….what do you do at the “debut”?”

“It’s an important ceremony that tests the compatibility of shadow-sama and her doll….whether you’re suitable for shadows house…”

Compatibility...that had to be it! Perhaps low-quality dolls are assigned to low-quality shadows, and splendid dolls such as Mia are assigned to splendid, outstanding masters like Sarah?...

“Eh? Does that mean that kate-sama still isn’t an adult?”

“That’s right. You can call this the trial period.”

Both Lou and Emilico looked upset by that notion. They probably wondered what’s going to happen to the dolls and shadows who fail the trial.
Frankly speaking, Mia neither knew nor was it necessary for her to know- but the fact is that all the “discarded” pairs never showed up again.
Naturally, both she and her master passed their debut a long time ago. And in time, they will receive an invitation to the adult building….and live in happiness ever after.

Suddenly, a bell rang.
It wasn’t a regular bell, but part of the alarm system built into the manor, and used only in the direst emergencies. Along with the bell nearest to them, the sounds of countless other bells echoed in the distance.

“Rose, this is….”

“A ghost…” mumbled Rosemary, sheer terror distorting her usually clear and laid-back voice.