Date a Live - Volume 01 - Dead End Tohka

Date A Live Volume 1 "Tohka Dead End"

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Prologue:ChanceMeeting-Restart-

—Heheldhisbreath.

Itwasanunbelievablescene.

Itwasasifapartofthetownhadjustvanished.

Initsplacewasanenormouscraterthatprobablyevenafallingmeteoritecouldn'tcreate.

Agroupofhumanfiguresflutteredinthesky.

Itwasabsurdbeyondevenhiswildestdreams.

However,Shidoudidnotevennoticethisabnormality.

—FortherewassomethingmuchmoreextraordinaryinfrontofShidou'seyes.

Agirl.

Agirl,wrappedinastrangelight,stoodthere.

"Ah—"

Envelopedbyhisfaintvoice,thesighslowlyfadedaway.

Thepresenceofthegirlwassooverwhelmingthatitsuppressedthatofanyotherobject.

Likemetal,yetalsolikecloth,thedresswasmadeofastrange,eye-catchingmaterial.

Attachedtothedresswasaskirtthatradiatedlight,beautifulenoughtocauseonetoloseconsciousness.

However,thebeautyofthegirlherselfovershadowedeventhose.



Herlongblackhair,likeaplumeofsmoke,weavedaroundhershouldersandwaist.

Coldlylookingupatthesky,hereyeswereofastrange,hardtodescribecolor.

Herfigure,whichwouldprobablymakeevenagoddessfeelenvious,waswarpedbyweariness,asshestoodsilentlywithpursedlips.

Hisvision;

Hisattention;

Evenhisheart;

—Inthatmoment,theywerestolenaway.

Itwasso...

Excessively;

Abnormally;

Sointensely;

Beautiful.

"—What's..."

Dazed,Shidouspokeforthefirsttime.

Evenifmythroatandeyesaretobedestroyedforblasphemy,hethought.

Thegirlslowlyshiftedhergazedownwards.

"...Yourname?"

Hisvoice,carryingthequestionfromthebottomofhisheart,shooktheair.

However.

"—Ihavenosuchthing"

Withasadlook,thegirlreplied.



"..."

Atthattime.

Thetwo'seyescrossed—ItsukaShidou's[1A1]storyhadbegun.





Chapter1:TheNamelessGirl





Part1

"Ahhh..."

Thefeelingofwakingupwastheworst.

Afterall,whenyouwakeuptofindyoursisterpassionatelydancingtoasambarhythmwhilesteppingalloveryourstomachorchestorhead,otherthanaspecialgroupofpeople,anyonewouldbeunhappy.

April10th,Monday.

YesterdaywasthelastdayofSpringBreak,sotodayisaschoolday.

Whilerubbinghisblearyeyes,Shidoudeclaredinaloweredvoice:

"Ahh,Kotori.Mycutelittleimouto."

"Ohhhhh!?"

OnlythendidshefinallynoticethatShidouwasawake.ThelittlesisterwithafootstillonShidou'sstomach—Kotori,turnedherheadwhileadjustinghermiddleschooluniform.

Herlonghair,separatedintotwobunches,swayed,asshegazedatShidouthroughherroundacorn-likeeyes.

Incidentally,eventhoughshewascaughtsteppingonsomeoneearlyinthemorning,shedidn'tseemtobesecretlycursing,"Damnit!"or"I'mcaught!".Ifanything,itseemedthatshewashonestlyhappythatShidouhadwokenup.





Oh,andfromShidou'sposition,therewasastunningviewofherunderpants.

Itwasn'tasifitwasjustshowingaglimpse.Evenshamelessnesshasitslimits.

"Whatisit?Mycuteonii-chan!"

Kotorianswered,withoutevenasignofmovingherfoot.

Incaseyouwerewondering,Shidouwasnotcute.

"Well,getoffme.It'sheavy."

Kotorigaveanexaggeratednodandleaptfromthebed.

Shidou'sstomachwasleftwithanimpactlikeabodyblow.

"Gfhu!"

"Ahahaha,gfhu!Ahahahaha!"

"..."

Shidousilentlypulledtheblanketoverhishead.

"Ahh!Hey~!Whyareyousleepingagain!"

Kotoriraisedhervoice,slowlyshakingShidou.

"Justanothertenminutes..."

"Noway~!Wakeupalready!"

Aftersittingupandgrimacingatthedizzinessresultingfromshakinghisstilldazedhead,Shidouopenedhismouthwithagroan.

"R-Runaway..."

"Eh?"

"...Actually,I'vebeeninfectedwiththe'ifIdon'tsleepforanother10minutesI'llticklemysistertodeathvirus',a.k.a.theT-virus..."



"Wh-What!?"

Kotoriwasassurprisedassomeonewho'dfoundahiddenmessagefromaliens.

"Runaway...whileIstillcancontrolmyself..."

"B-But,whatwillyoudo!?"

"Don'tworryaboutme...aslongasyou'resafe..."

"Noway!Onii-chan!"

"Gaaaahh!"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Shidoublewtheblanketaway,excitedlymovinghistwohandsandroaring,asKotoriranawaywithadreadfulscream.

"...Sigh"

Exhaling,hecoveredhimselfwiththeblanketagain.Lookingatthetime,itwasstillbeforesix.

"Whatatimetowakesomeoneat..."

Grumbling,hesuddenlyrecalledsomething.

Ashishalfasleepbrainslowlywokeup,lastnight'smemoriesresurfaced.

Bothoftheirparentshadleftonbusinesstripsyesterday.

BecauseofthatShidouwastemporarilyleftinchargeofthekitchen,andsoShidou,whowasbadatwakingup,askedKotoritohelpwakehim.

"Ah..."

Troubledthathemight'vedonesomethingbad,hequicklygotoutofbed.

Holdingdownhisbedhairandsuppressingayawn,Shidouploddedoutoftheroom.

Atthatmoment,thesmallmirrorhangingonthewallcaughthiseyes.



Aboywhoseforelockswereabouttoinvadehisvision,probablybecausehehadn'thadahaircutforawhile,wascastingalamelookatShidou.

"..."

Togetherwithhisdecliningeyesight,hislookshadalsobeenslightlydegrading.Sighing,hedescendedthestairsandenteredthelivingroom.

"...Huh?"

Aslightlydifferentviewthanusualgreetedhim.

Thewoodentablethatwasinthemiddleofthelivingroomwasonitsside,asifithadbecomeabarricade.Behindit,aheadwithtwin-tailswasquiveringslightly.

"..."

Silencinghisfootsteps,Shidouapproachedthesideofthetable.

Sureenough,Kotoriwassittingtherehuggingherkneesandtrembling.

"Graaaaahh!"

"Kyaa!Kyaaaaaaa!"

AsShidougrabbedherbytheshoulders,Kotoriletoutadespairingscreamasherlimbswentlimp.

"Calmdown,calmdown!I'mmyusualself."

"Gyaaaa!Gyaa...ah?O-onii-chan?"

"Yep,that'sright."

"You...You'renotscaryanymore?"

"It'salrightnow.I'mKotowi'sfriend."

"Oh,ohhhhhh."

AsShidoutalkedtoherinbabytalk,Kotori'stightenedfaceslowlyrelaxed.

Itwasasifshewasawildfoxsquirrelthathadopeneditsheart.



"Sorry,sorry.I'llgotomakebreakfastrightaway."

AfterlettinggoofKotori'shandandstandingup,Shidouputthetablebackwhereitbelongedandwentintothekitchen.

Workingatthelargeelectronicscompanythatthetwoofthembuilt,Shidou'sparentswereoftenawayfromthehouseatthesametime.

Atthosetimes,itwasalwaysShidou'sresponsibilitytopreparefood,sohewasalreadyusedtoit.Infact,hewasconfidentthathecouldusethecookingtoolsbetterthanhismother.

AsShidouwasfetchingsomeeggsfromthefridge,heheardthesoundoftheTVcomingfrombehindhim.ItseemsthatKotorihadcalmeddownandhadturnedontheTV.

Cometothinkofit,itseemsKotorihasadailyroutinetoeatwhilecheckingouthoroscopesorfortune-tellingcorners.

Well,mostofthefortune-tellingcornersusuallycomesattheendofthemainprograms,andareobviouslyjustspeculations.Aftersurfingthroughallofthechannels,Kotoristartedtowatchwhatseemedtobeaboringnewsprogram.

"—Earlythismorning,inthesuburbsofTenguuCity—"

"Huh?"

OverhearingthecontentsoftheuselessnewsprogramthatusuallycouldonlyserveasBGM,Shidouraisedaneyebrow.

Thereasonwassimple.Fromtheannouncer'sclearvoice,heheardafamiliarstreetname.

"Nnn?It'sprettycloseby.Didsomethinghappen?"

Leaningoverthecounter,henarrowedhisvisionandstaredattheTV.

Onthescreen,theimageofastreetthathadbeenabsurdlydestroyedwasbeingdisplayed.

Buildingsandroadshadbeenreducedtomountainsofrubble.



Thedevastationwasliketheimpactofameteorite,ormaybethesceneofanairraid.

Shidouscruncheduphisbrows,andreleasinghisheldbreathhesaid:

"Ahhhh...Soitwasaspacequake."

Asiffedup,heshookhishead.

A'spaceearthquake'referredtothephenomenonoftheshakingofawidearea.

Itwasthegenerictermgiventoexplosions,quakes,vanishings,andsuchthingsthathappenforunknownreasonsatrandomtimesandplaces.

Likethewhimsofalargemonster,destroyingastreetforthesakeofit,thesewereextremelyunreasonablephenomena.

Thefirstoccurrenceofsuchaneventwasaroundthirtyyearsago.

IthappenedrightsmackinthemiddleofEurasia—theregionthathadcontainedcountriessuchastheSovietUnion,China,andMongolia,causingthemtohavedisappearedinasinglenight.

ForShidou'sgeneration,justlookingatthepicturesinthetextbookwasunpleasant.

Itwasasifeverythingabovegroundhadbeenscrapedoff,leavingabsolutelynothingbehind.

Casualtiesnumberedabout150million.Itwasthelargestanddeadliestcatastropheinhumanhistory.

Inthesixmonthsthatfollowed,similarincidentsoccurredonasmallerscaleallaroundtheworld.

Shidoucouldn'tremembertheexactnumber,butitwasaroundfifty.

Onland,atthepoles,intheocean,evenonsmallislands,suchcaseshadbeenconfirmed.

Ofcourse,Japanwasnotexempt.

SixmonthsaftertheEurasiaSkyDisaster,theregionfromSouthTokyotoKanagawaPrefecturehadturnedintoacircleofscorchedearth,asifaneraserhad



beenappliedtoit.

That'sright—itincludestheareathatShidouwaslivingintoday.

"Butitsuddenlystoppedhappeningforawhile,right?Whydiditstartincreasinginfrequencyagain?"

"Iwonderwhy...?"

AtShidou'squestion,Kotori,stillstaringattheTV,tiltedherhead.

AfterthatSouthKantoincident,spacequakeshadnotbeendetectedforawhile.

However,fiveyearsago,startingwithacorneroftheredevelopedTenguuCity,thesemysteriousphenomenastartedpoppinguphereandthereagain.

Moreover,mostofthemhappenedin—Japan.

Ofcoursehumanshadnotbeensittingarounddoingnothingforthosetwenty-fiveyearsinbetween.

Startingthirtyyearsagowiththeareasthathadfinishedredevelopment,undergroundsheltershadspreadatanexplosiverate.

Togetherwiththefactthatithadbecomepossibletoobserveprecursorstospacequakes,acertifiedJSDFdisasterresponseteamhadbeenputtogether.

Theirpurposewastotraveltodisasterareasandrebuildthedestroyedfacilitiesandroads,buttheirworkcanonlybedescribedasmagic.

Afterall,completelydestroyedstreetscould,inaninsanelyshortamountoftime,berestoredtohowtheyusedtobe.

Theirworkwasclassifiedastopsecretandsonoinformationwasavailabletothepublic,butwhenyouseeacollapsedbuildingrestoredinasinglenight,youcan'thelpbutfeellikeyoujustsawamagictrick.

However,eveniftherepairworkcouldbedonereallyfast,thatdoesn'tmeanthattherewaslittlethreatfromthespacequakes.

"Doesn'titseemliketheareaaroundherehasalotofspacequakes?Especiallylastyear."



"...Hmm,seemsthatway,huh.Maybeit'sabitearly..."

Kotorimuttered,whileleaningherupperbodyontothearmsofthesofa.

"Early?Whatis?"

"Nnn...,nophing."

ThistimeitwasShidouwhotiltedhishead.

ItwasnotduetowhatKotorisaid,butratherbecausethelasthalfofitseemedslightlymuffled.

"..."

Silently,hecircledaroundthecounter,andwalkedtowardsthesideofthesofawhichKotoriwasleaningon.

MaybeKotorihadnoticedit,butasShidoucamecloser,shegraduallyturnedherfaceaway.

"Kotori,turnthiswayforamoment."

"..."

*bonk*

"Guhh!"

Kotoriheldherheadwithherhands,andturnedaroundwithajolt.Aweirdnoisecamefromherthroat.

Seeingtheiteminsidehermouthasexpected,Shidougaveashortsigh,"AsIthought".

Eventhoughitwasrightbeforebreakfast,Kotorihadherfavoritecandy,ChupaChups,inhermouth.

"Hey!Haven'tItoldyounottoeatsweetsbeforemeals?"

"NNNnnn!NNNnnnnn!"

Takingawaythecandyandbringingoutastick,hefoundKotoritryingtoresistby



pouting.

Shidoustrainedhisfaceashelookedtowardswherehewasabouttohit,sincehereallydidn'twanttohitsomeonewithsuchcutefeatures.

"...Jeez.You'dbetterproperlyeatyourbreakfast!"

IntheenditwasShidouwhofolded.HerubbedKotori'shead,andreturnedtothekitchen.

"Ohh!Iloveyou,Onii-chan!"

Shidousuitablywavedhishandsandreturnedtohiswork.

"...NowthatIthinkaboutit,today'sthemiddleschoolopeningceremony,right?"

"That'sright~"

"Thenyou'recomingbackatlunchtime...Kotori,anyrequestsforlunch?"

AfterKotorithoughtitthroughwitha"Hmmmm",sheshookherhead,andthensuddenlystoodup.

"Deluxekidsplate!"

Itwasalunchitemforkidsofferedatanearbyfamilyrestaurant.

Shidoustraightenedhisbody,andlikethat,gaveanapologeticbow.

"Thatcannotbepreparedinthisstore."

"Ehh~"

Whilesuckingonalollipop,Kotorirepliedwithadissatisfiedvoice.

Shidougavealoudsighandshruggedhisshoulders.

"Whatever,nothingIcandoaboutit,it'saspecialoccasionsolet'seatoutforlunch."

"OHHHH!Really!?"

"Yeah.Then,let'smeetattheusualfamilyrestaurantafterschool."



Shidousaid,andKotorirubbedherhandstogetherinexcitement.

"Nogoingbackonyourword!It'sapromise!Youhavetobethereevenifanearthquakestartsorafireeruptsoraspacequakehappensorthefamilyrestaurantisoccupiedbyterrorists!"

"No.Ifthere'sterroriststherewewon'tgettoeat."

"Youhavetobethere!"

"Fine,fine,Igotit."

HearingShidousaythat,Kotorivigorouslyraisedherhandsintheairwitha"Whoooo~!"

Shidoudidnotevenconsiderthathemighthavebeenabittoogenerous.Well,today'sspecialanyways.

Fromtonightonwardstheywouldhavetoeatmealsathomeforawhile,buttoday'stheopeningceremonyforthetwoofthem.Thismuchluxuryshouldbefine.

Well,whoknowswhetherakidslunchthatcosts780yenreallycountsasluxury.

"Nnnnn..."

Shidoustretchedlightly,andopenedthesmallwindowinthekitchen.

Theskyhadclearedup.Itseemsliketodaywillbeagoodday.





Part2

Itwasaround8:15A.M.whenShidoureachedthehighschool.

Aftercheckingtheclasslistpostedinthecorridor,heenteredtheclassroomwherehewouldbespendinghisnextyear.

"Year2,Class4,huh?"

Sincethespacequakethirtyyearsago,theregionfromSouthTokyotoKanagawaPrefecture—inotherwords,theemptyregionoflandcreatedbythespacequake,wasredevelopedastestcitiesusingvariousnewtechniques.

ThepublicschoolthatShidouattended,RaizenHighSchool,wasonesuchexample.

Filledwithfacilitiestobeproudof,thisschoolthatonecouldhardlybelievewasapublicschoolwasjustbuiltafewyearsago,soitwasstillinanalmostperfectcondition.Ofcourse,beingahighschoolbuiltonanolddisasterarea,itcameequippedwiththenewesttypeofundergroundshelter.

Forthesereasonstheapplicationratewasprettyhigh,soShidou,whodecidedtoapplyjustforthereasonthat"itwasclosetohome",hadtoworkquitehard.

"Mmmm...."

Withalighthum,hesurveyedtheclassroom.

Therewasstillquiteabitoftimeuntilhomeroom,butalargeamountofpeoplehadalreadygathered.

Therewerepeopleoverjoyedatbeinginthesameclass,peoplesittingalonelookingbored,andpeoplewithvariousotherreactions...buttheredidn'tseemtobeanyfacesthatShidouknew.

AsShidoumovedhisheadtochecktheseatingchartdrawnontheblackboard,

"—ItsukaShidou."

Unexpectedly,frombehindhim,aquietvoicespokeinmonotone.



"Huh...?"

Hedidn'trecognizethevoice.Curious,heturnedaround.

Aslendergirlstoodthere.

Thegirlhadhairthatwasbarelyreachinghershouldersandafacelikethatofadoll.

Thereprobablyisn'tanybodywhowouldfitthedescription'doll-like'better.

Whilenoblelikeapreciselycreatedartificialbeing,atthesametime,herfacedidnotcontainanykindofemotion.

"Eh...?"

Shidouquicklyglancedaroundthearea,thentiltedhishead.

"...Me?"

SincehecouldnotfindanyotherItsukaShidounearby,hepointedathimself.

"Yes."

Withoutanyparticularfeeling,thegirlimmediatelyreplied,givingasmallnodinShidou'sdirection.

"Whydoyouknowmyname...?"

Shidouasked,andthegirl,asifconfused,tiltedherhead.

"Youdon'tremember?"

"...Um."

"Isee."

Shidouhesitantlyreplied,andthegirl,seemingespeciallydejected,gaveashortcommentandwalkedtowardsaseatbythewindow.

Likethat,shesatonthechair,takingoutsomethinglikeathicktechnicalmanual,andbegantoread.



"What...isgoingon,exactly?"

Shidouscratchedhisfaceandfrowned.

Inanycase,itseemedsheknewaboutShidou,buthadtheymetsomewherebefore?

*whack*

"Gefhuu!"

WhileShidouwasdeepinthought,amagnificentslaphithimontheback.

"WHATAREYOUDOING,TONOMACHI!?"

Hehadimmediatelyknownwhotheperpetratorwas,andyelledwhilerubbinghisback.

"Hey,youseemquiteenergetic,yousexualbeastItsuka."

Shidou'sfriend,TonomachiHiroto,beforeevenbeingjoyfulatenteringthesameclasswas,asifshowingoffhiswaxedhairandmuscledbody,foldinghisarmsandlightlybendinghisbodywhilelaughing.

"...Sex...What'dyousay?"

"Sexualbeast,youbrute.Itakemyeyesoffyouforjustamomentandyougotsomuchmanlier.WhenandhowdidyougetclosetoTobiichi,huh?"

WrappinghisarmaroundShidou'sheadwhilesmirking,Tonomachiasked.

"Tobiichi...?Who'sthat?"

"C'mon,don'tactdumb.Justnowyouguyswerehappilytalking,weren'tyou?"

Tonomachipointedhischintowardstheseatbythewindow.

There,satthegirlfrombefore.

Asifnoticingtheirstares,thegirlglancedupfromthebook,turningtolookatthem.

"..."



Shidou'sbreathwascaughtinhisthroatasheawkwardlyturnedhiseyesaway.

Ontheotherhand,Tonomachiwassmilingandwavinghishandinanoverlyfamiliarmanner.

"..."

Thegirl,notshowinganyparticularreaction,shiftedhereyesbacktothebookinherhands.

"There,look,she'salwayslikethat.Outofallthegirls,she'sthemostdifficult,havingbeencomparedtopermafrostortheColdWarorMahyadedosu[1B1].Howintheworlddidyougethertoopenup?"

"Huh...?Wh-Whatareyoutalkingabout?"

"Noway,youreallydon'tknow?"

"...Hmm,wasshereallyinourclasslastyear?"

AsShidousaidthis,Tonomachiheldhishandsoutinan"Ican'tbelievethis"pose,makingasurprisedexpression.HewassomeonewholikestoimitateWesterners'reactions.

"C'monman,it'sTobiichi,TobiichiOrigami.She'sthesupergeniusthatourschoolboastsabout.You'veneverheardanythinglikethat?"

"No,thisismyfirsttimehearingaboutitbut...Isshethatamazing?"

"Amazingcan'tevendescribeit.Hergradesarealwaysatthetopoftheyear,andinthemockexamnotlongagoshegotsomecrazyresultsandwentstraighttothetopofthenation."

"Huuuh?Whyissomeonelikethatatapublicschool?"

"Dunno.Probablysomethinglikefamilycircumstances?"

Givingabigshrug,Tonomachicontinued.

"Anyways,that'snotall.HerPEscoresarealsotopclass,andatthesametimeshe'sabeauty.Inlastyear's'MostWantedGirlfriendsRanking-BestThirteen'shecameinthird,Ithink.Didn'tyouseeit?"



"Ididn'tevenknowtherewassuchathing.Orrather,bestthirteen?Whyisitsucharandomnumber?"

"Becausethegirlwhoorganizedthiswasthirteenth."

"...Aaah"

Shidoulaughedweakly.

"Bytheway,the'MostWantedBoyfriendsRanking'goesuptothebest358th."

"Thatmany!?Thebottomofthatisnearertotheworstranking,isn'tit?Didtheorganizerdecidethattoo?"

"Ahh.Hereallydidn'tknowwhentogiveup."

"WhichplaceareyouTonomachi?"

"358thplace."

"Theorganizerwasyou!?"

"ThereasonsImanagedtogetthatrankincluded:'hispassionseemsit'dbetoostrong','heseemstobehairy',and'histoenailsseemtosmell'."

"AsIthought,that'stheworstranking!"

"Well,belowthatarethepeoplenobodyvotedfor.AtleastwiththenegativepointsImanagedtowininthatcategory."

"That'spushingitabitfar!Witharanklikethat,itwouldhavebeenbettertogiveup."

"Don'tworryItsuka.YouwereenteredasMr.Anonymousandgotonevoteand52ndplace."

"Wrongresponse!"

"Wellotherreasonsinclude:'hedoesn'tseeminterestedinwomen',and'tobefrank,heseemslikeahomo'."

"It'sanironhammerbringingdeathbyunreasonableslander!"



"Justcalmdown.Inthe'FujoshiSelectedBestCouple',youandImadethetoprankingasapair."

"I'MNOTHAPPYWITHTHATATALL!"

Shidoushouted.Hewasslightlyworriedatbeingpartofthecoupleinfirstplace.

However,itseemedTonomachididnotmindatall(orrather,heseemedtohavegottenoverit),ashecrossedhisarmsandreturnedtotheoriginaltopic.

"Wellanyways,it'snotanexaggerationtosaythatshe'sthemostfamouspersonintheschool.Itsuka,yourignorancemanagestosurpriseeventhisgreatTonomachi."

"Whatkindofcharacterareyoutryingtobe?"

AsShidousaidthis,thefamiliarwarningbellthathehadbeenusedtohearingsincehisfirstyearrang.

"Oops."

Nowthathethoughtaboutit,hestillhadn'tconfirmedhisseat.

Shidoufollowedtheseatingarrangementwrittenontheblackboard,andplacedhisbagontheseattworowsfromthewindow.

Rightthen,henoticedit.

"...Ah"

Asifbysometwistoffate,Shidou'sseatwasadjacenttothatofthepersonatthetopoftheyear.

TobiichiOrigamihadclosedandputthebookawayinherdeskbeforethewarningbellhadfinishedringing.

Shethensatlookingstraightahead,inapostureasbeautifulasifithadbeenmeasuredwitharuler.

"..."

Feelingabitawkwardforsomereason,ShidouturnedhiseyestowardstheblackboardlikeOrigamihaddone.



Asifmatchingthatmoment,thedoortotheclassroomopenedwitharattle.Fromthereashortfemalewearingthin-rimmedglassesappearedandwalkedbehindtheteacher'sdesk.

Fromaround,studentswerewhisperingexcitedly.

"Soit'sTama-chan..."

"Ah,it'sTama-chan."

"Seriously?Yeahhh!"

—Ingeneral,goodthingswerebeingsaid.

"Alright,goodmorningeveryone.Forthefollowingyear,Iwillbeeveryone'shomeroomteacher,mynameisOkamineTamae."

Theteacherinchargeofsocialstudies,OkamineTamae—nicknamedTama-chan,—spokeinaslowpaceandbowed.Perhapsthesizewasabitoff,asherglassesslippedslightly,andshehastilyheldtheminplacewithbothherhands.

Herchildishfaceandsmallbuildthatcouldn'tevenpassoffasbeinginthesamegenerationasherstudents,combinedwithherleisurelyattitude,hasearnedhertremendouspopularityamongstthestudents.

"...?"

Inthemiddleoftheexcitedstudents,Shidou'sexpressionstiffened.

SittingtotheleftsideofShidouwasOrigami,whowasintentlystaringinShidou'sdirection.

"..."

Foramoment,theireyesmet.Shidouhurriedlyavertedhiseyes.

WhywasshelookingatShidou—no,shedoesn'thavetobelookingathim,thereisthepossibilitythatitcouldbesomethingpasthim,butforthemomentShidoucouldn'tcalmdown.

"...Wh-Whatexactlyisgoingon...?"

Hesilentlymuttered,asabeadofsweatdrippeddownhisface.



Sincethen,approximatelythreehourshadpassed.

"Itsuka~.You'vegotnothingtodoanyways,right?Wannagetsomethingtoeat?"

Theopeningceremonyhadended,andasthestudentswerefinishingtheirpreparationsandleavingtheclassroom,Tonomachi,hisbagslungoverhisshoulder,startedaconversation.

Otherthanduringtestperiods,itwasrareforschooltoendinthemorning.Hereandthere,groupsoffriendswerediscussingwheretogoforlunch.

Shidouwasalmostabouttonod,butwithan"ah"hestopped.

"Sorry.Ihadplanstoday."

"WHUT?Agirl?"

"Ahhh,well...yeah."

"NOWAY!!"

TonomachimadeaVshapewithhisarmswhileraisingaknee,makingaGlico-likereaction[1B2].

"Whatthehellhashappenedoverspringbreak!?You'renotsatisfiedevenafterbeingabletotalkongoodtermswiththatTobiichi,butnowapromisetoeatlunchwithagirl!?Didn'twesweartobecomemagicians[1B3]together!?"

"No,Idon'tremembersuchapromise...andanyways,it'sjustKotori."

Shidoureplied,andTonomachiheavedasighofrelief.

"Whatthehell,don'tscareme!"

"You'retheonewhojumpedtoconclusions."

"Meh,ifit'sKotori-chanthenthere'snoproblem.CanIcomealong?"

"Mm?Ahh,Ithinkitshouldbeok..."



RightwhenShidoufinished,TonomachiplacedhiselbowsonShidou'sdesk,andspokeinalowvoice.

"Heyhey,Kotori-chanisinhersecondyearatmiddleschool,right?Isitalrightforhertogetaboyfriendorsomethingnow?"

"Huh?"

"Uhm,there'snohiddenmeaningbehindthisbut,whatwouldKotori-chanthinkaboutaguyaroundthreegradeshersenior?"

"...Actually,nevermind.Don'tyoudarecome."

Shidounarrowedhiseyes,andannoyed,hepushedbackTonomachi'sfacewhichhadcomecloser.

"Haha.Inanycase,I'mnotsomuchofajerkthatI'ddisturbyourhappysiblingget-together.Itrytoplaybytherules."

"Youalwayssayjustabitmorethanyou'resupposedto."

Grabbinghischeeks,Tonomachimadeanunexpectedfacewhilespeaking.

"Butman,don'tyouthinkthatKotori-chanissupercute?Tobeabletolivewithherunderthesameroofmustbethebest."

"Ifyouactuallyhadayoungersister,Ithinkthatyou'ddefinitelychangeyouropinion."

"Ah...Youhearthatalot.Soisitreallytruethatpeoplewithlittlesistersdon'thavesuchfetishes?"

"Yeah,theyarenotgirls.Theyarejustcreaturescalledlittlesisters."

Shidoustronglyasserted,andTonomachismiledmeekly.

"That'sreallythecase,huh?"

"That'sreallythecase.Ifyoutrytocomeupwithsomethingthat'snotquiteagirl,that'dprobablybealittlesister."

"Then,oldersisters?"



"...Onnashi?"[1B4]

"Wooow,awomenonlycity!"

Laughing,Tonomachiresponded.

—Atthatmoment.

UUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—————

"Huh!?"

Thewindowsoftheclassroomshookviolentlyasanunpleasantsirenechoedthroughthestreets.

"Wh-What'sgoingon?"

Tonomachiopenedthewindowandlookedoutside.Surprisedbythesiren,acountlessnumberofcrowsflewupintothesky.

Thestudentswhoremainedintheclassroomallstoppedtheirconversationsandstared,wide-eyed.

Followingthesiren,amechanicalvoicethatpausedaftereachword,probablyforeaseofunderstanding,rangout.

"—Thisisnot,adrill.Thisisnot,adrill.Theforeshock,hasbeenobserved.Theoccurrence,ofaspacequake,ispredicted.Personsinthevicinity,pleasemovetothenearestshelter,immediately.Irepeat—"

Inthatinstant,thestonesilentroomwasfilledwiththestudents'gasps.

—Spacequakealert.

Everyone'shuncheswereconfirmed.

"Oioi...Seriously?"

Tonomachiutteredinadryvoicewhilesweatingprofusely.



However,intermsoftensionandanxiety,ShidouandTonomachiandtheotherstudentsintheclassroomwererelativelycalm.

Attheveryleast,noneofthestudentsseemtohavefallenintoapanic.

Afterthistownwasseverelydamagedbythespacequakethirtyyearsago,childrenlikeShidouweretrainedpersistentlyinevacuationdrillssincekindergarten.

Inaddition,thiswasahighschool.Anundergroundshelterthatcanfitallthestudentsexisted.

"Theshelterisrightthere.Ifwecalmlyhidethenit'llbealright."

"R-Right,that'sright."

TonomachinoddedatShidou'swords.

Asfastaspossiblewithoutrunning,theylefttheclassroom.

Thecorridorwasalreadyoverflowingwithstudents,formingalinegoingtowardstheshelter.

—Shidoufurrowedhisbrows.

Therewasasinglepersonmovingintheoppositedirectionoftheline—afemalestudentwasrunningtowardstheentrance.

"Tobiichi...?"

That'sright,dashingdownthehallwaywithherskirtflappingwasthatTobiichiOrigami.

"Hey!Whatareyoudoing!Theshelteristheotherdirection—"

"I'mfine."

Origamistoppedforamoment,sayingonlythat,andonceagaindashedaway.

"Fine...whatthe...?"

Puzzled,ShidouturnedhisheadandjoinedthelineofstudentswithTonomachi.

HewasslightlyworriedaboutOrigami,butmaybeshejustforgotsomethingand



wenttogetit.

Infact,eventhoughthealertwasissued,thatdidn'tmeanaspacequakewouldhappenimmediately.Ifshecamebackquicklythenshe'dbefine.

"C-Calmdownpleeease!It's,alrightso,slooowly!Remember'okashi',O-Ka-Shi!Don'tpush,don'trun,skullll!"[1B5]

FrominfrontechoedthevoiceofTamae,whowasdirectingthestudents.

Atthesametime,smallgigglesleakedoutfromthestudents.

"...Seeingsomeonewho'smoreflusteredthanIamcalmsmedownforsomereason."

"Ahh,Ikindagetwhatyoumean."

Shidougavealightlaugh,andTonomachirepliedwithasimilarexpression.

FacedwithateacherwhoappearedcompletelyunreliablelikeTama-chan,ratherthanfeelinginsecure,inrealitythestudents'tensionseemedtohavedropped.

Andthus,asShidourememberedacertainthing,hesearchedhispocketandtookouthiscellphone.

"Hm?What'swrong,Itsuka?"

"Nothing.'scusemeforabit."

Whileavoidingthequestion,heselectedthename'ItsukaKotori'fromthecallhistoryanddialed.

However—itwouldn'tconnect.Everytimehetried,theresultwasthesame.

"...Damnit.Didshemanagetoevacuate?"

Ifshestillhadn'tleftschoolthenit'dprobablybealright.

Theproblemisthattherewasthepossibilitythatshehadleftschoolandwasheadingtowardsthefamilyrestaurant.

Actually,thereshouldbepublicsheltersnearby,sonormallytherewouldbenoproblem...butforsomereasonShidoujustcouldn'tshakeofftheominousfeeling.



Notpayingheedtothefactthatthewarninghadalreadybeenissued,forsomereasonanimagewiththefigureofKotoriwaitingforShidoulikeanobedientpuppypoppedupinhismind.

Inhishead,Kotori'swords,"It'sapromise!"swirledandechoed.

"W-Wellwedidmakeanabsolutepromisetomeetthereevenifaspacequakehappened,but...evenshewouldn'tbethatdumb...Oh,right,Ihavethat."

Kotori'scellphoneshouldhaveaGPSlocationserviceinstalled.

Manipulatinghiscellphone,hebroughtamapofthetownontothescreen,onwhichwasaredmarkericon.

"..."

Seeingit,Shidou'sthroatcloggedup.

TheiconshowedKotori'slocationasrightinfrontofthepromisedfamilyrestaurant.

"Thathugeidiot..."

Cursing,hesnappedhisphoneshutwithoutclearingthescreen,andslippedoutofthelineofstudents.

"H-Hey,whereareyougoing,Itsuka!"

"Sorry!Iforgotsomething!Yougoahead!"

AnsweringTonomachiwhilefacingtheotherway,herantowardstheentranceagainsttheflowoftheline.

LikethatShidouquicklychangedhisshoesand,seemingtoalmostfallforwards,hedashedoutside.

Pasttheschoolgate,hetumbleddownthehillinfrontoftheschool.

"...Sinceit'sbecomelikethis,we'lljustevacuatenormally...!"

Runningasfastashecan,Shidouraisedashout.

SpreadoutinShidou'sviewwasaveryeeriescene.



Roadswithoutmovingcars,atowndevoidofallsignsofpeople.

Onthestreets,intheparks,evenintheconveniencestores,notasinglepersonwasleft.

Thepresenceofthepeoplethathadbeenhereuntiljustafewmomentsagowasleftbehind,buttheactualfiguresofthosepeoplehaddisappeared.Itwaslikeascenefromahorrormovie.

Sincethedisasterthirtyyearsago,itwasthisTenguuCitythatwascarefullyredevelopedwhilenervouslydealingwiththespacequakes.Nevermindthepublicfacilities,eventhepercentageofnormalfamiliesowningashelterwasthehighestinthecountry.

Becauseofthefrequentspacequakesrecently,peopleevacuatedquickly.

Butevenso...

"Whyisthatidiotstubbornlywaitingthere...!"

Heletoutashout,thenopenedhiscellphonewhilestillrunning.

TheiconshowingKotori'spositionremainedinfrontofthefamilyrestaurant.

WhiledecidingthatKotori'spunishmentwouldbeawildflurryofflickstotheforehead,hecontinuedmovinghisfeetatahighspeedtowardsthefamilyrestaurant.

Hewasnotdoinganythinglikepacinghimself.Hejustrelentlesslysprintedtowardsthefamilyrestaurantasfastashecould.

Hisfeethurt,andthetipsofhisfingersgrewnumb.

Hisheadwasdizzy,histhroatstartedtosticktogether,andaclatteringcouldbeheardfromwithinhismouth.

However,Shidoudidnotstop.Thingslikedangerortirednesscouldn'tmaketheirwayintohismind,sinceitwasfilledwiththesinglethoughtofgettingtowhereKotoriwas.

But—



"...?"

Whilerunning,Shidouhadglancedupwards.Hethoughthesawsomethingmoveattheedgeofhisvision.

"Whatare...those..."

Shidoufurrowedhiseyebrows.

Therewerethree...ormaybefour.Inthesky,thingsthatlookedlikehumanswerefloating.

But,Shidouimmediatelystoppedcaringaboutthat.

Thereason—

"Uwahhhh...!?"

Shidouinstinctivelycoveredhiseyes.

Thestreetinfrontwassuddenlyengulfedinablindinglight.

Itwasfollowedbyadeafeningexplosion,andafierceshockwaveassaultedShidou.

"Wha—"

Shidoureflexivelywrappedhisarmsaroundhisfaceandputhispowerintohislegsbutitwasfutile.

Thewindpressurethatwaslikethatofalargetyphoonblewhimoff-balanceandhetumbledbackwards.

"The...Whatthehellhappened...?"

Whilerubbinghisstillflickeringeyes,hepushedhisbodyup.

"—Huh—?"

Seeingthelandscapethatspreadthroughhisvision,Shidouletoutanastonishedsound.

Afterall,thestreetthatwasrightinfrontofhimmomentsago,inthebriefamountoftimethatShidouhadhiseyesclosed—



Withoutevenatrace,ithad'disappeared'.

"Wh-Whatisthis,whatthehellhappened,thisis..."

Hemuttered,inadaze.

Nomatterwhatmetaphoryouused,itwouldn'tbeajoke.

Itwasasifameteoritehadcrashlanded.

No,ifanything,itwasasifeverythingonthegroundhadcompletelyvanished.

Thestreetinfronthadbeenscrapedoffintheshapeofashallowbowl.

And,inthecornerofthestreetthathadbecomelikeacrater—

Therewassomethinglikeaclumpofmetalthatrose.

"What...?"

Becauseofthedistance,hewasnotabletodiscernthesmalldetailsbut—hesawaformthatwassomethinglikeathronethatakinginaRPGwouldsiton.

However,thatwasnotwhatwasimportant.

Therewasagirlwearingastrangedress,whoseemedtobestandingonthethronewithherfootonthearmrest.

"Thatgirl—whyissheatsomewherelikethat?"

Hecouldonlyvaguelysee,buthecouldmakeoutherlongblackhairandtheskirtthatwasradiatingamysteriousglow.Heprobablywasn'twrongaboutherbeingagirlthough.

Thegirlcasuallyscannedthearea,suddenlyturningtofacetowardsShidou.

"Un...?"

ShenoticedShidou...Probably.Itwastoofarawaysohecouldn'treallytell.

AsShidouwaspuzzlingoverthis,thegirlmadeafurthermovement.

Withaswayingmotion,sheseemedtohavegrabbedahandlethatwasgrowingout



ofthebackofthethrone,andwasslowlypullingitout.

Itwas—withabroadblade,ahugesword.

Givingoffanillusoryshinelikethatofarainbow,orofastar,itwasacuriousblade.

Thegirlshookthesword,andthetrailitlefttracedafaintpathoflight.

Andthen—

"Eh...!?"

ThegirlfacedShidou,andwithaboom,swungtheswordhardhorizontally.

Heinstantlyloweredhishead.No,toputitmoreaccurately,Shidou'sarms,whichhadbeensupportinghisbody,losttheirstrength,andasaresultthepositionofhisupperbodydropped.

"Wha—"

Theblade'strailpassedthroughtheplacewhereShidou'sheadhadbeen.

Ofcourse,itwasnotadistancewheretheswordcouldphysicallyreach.

However,itreally—

"...Haaah—"

Witheyeswideopen,Shidouturnedhisheadbackwards.

Thehouses,stores,roadsidetrees,signsandsoonthatwerebehindShidouhad,inaninstant,beentrimmedtothesameheight.

Asecondlater,thesoundofdestructionechoedlikedistantthunder.

"Eeek...!?"

IthadgonebeyondShidou'scomprehension.Trembling,hishearttightened.

—Whatisthemeaningofthis?

Theonlythingheunderstoodwasthatifhisheadhadn'tbeenloweredjustthen,



rightnowhewouldbelikethescenebehindhim,reasonablydownsized.

"S-Stopkiddingme...!"

Asifpullingabodythatwascutapartatthewaist,Shidoucrawledbackwards.Assoonaspossible,asfaraspossible,Ihavetoescapefromthisplace...!

However.

"—Youtoo...huh"

"...!?"

Anextremelytiredvoicerangoutfromabovehishead.

Hisvision,whichwasabeatbehind,caughtupwithhisthoughts.

Infrontofhiseyesstoodagirlwhouptoamomentagohadnotbeenthere.

That'sright,itwasthesamegirlthatstoodinthemiddleofthecrateruntiljustnow.

"Ah—"

Unintentionally,hisvoiceleakedout.

ShewasaroundShidou'sage,ormaybeslightlyyounger.

Withinherknee-lengthblackhairwasafacethatpossessedbothbeautyanddignity.

Initscenter,apairofeyesthatemittedamysteriousshine,almostlikecrystalsthatreflectavarietyofcolorsoflightineverydirection,wasenshrined.

Heroutfitwasverystrange.Shapedlikeaprincess'sdress,itwasmadewithamaterialwhichonecouldn'ttellwhetheritwasaclothorametal.Additionally,itsseams,innerparts,skirt,andsuch,werecomposedofamysteriousfilmoflightthatdidn'tevenseemtobephysicalmatter.

Andinthosehands,shewasholdingthehugeswordthatwasaroundherownheight.

Theabnormalityofthesituation.

Thestrangenessofherappearance.



Theuniquenessofherexistence.

AnyofthosewouldbemorethanenoughtocatchShidou'sattention.

However.

Yep,however.

WhatstoleShidou'seyesdidn'tcontainsuchimpurities.

"——"

Inthatinstant.

Thefearofdeath,eventheneedtobreath,wasforgotten,ashiseyeswerenailedtothegirl.

Itwasthatmuch.

Thegirl,wasjustsointensely...Beautiful.

"—What's..."

Dazed,Shidouspokeforthefirsttime.

Evenifmythroatandeyesaretobedestroyedforblasphemy,hethought.

Thegirlslowlyshiftedhersightdownwards.

"...Yourname?"

Hisvoice,carryingthequestionfromthebottomofhisheart,shooktheair.

However.

"—Ihavenosuchthing."

Withasadlook,thegirlreplied.

"——"

Itwasthen.Shidou'sandthegirl'seyesmetforthefirsttime.



Atthesametime,thenamelessgirl,withextrememelancholy,whilemakinganexpressionlikeshewasabouttocry,drewherswordagainwitha'kachiri'sound.

"Wait,wait,wait!"

Withthatsmallsound,histremblinghadresumed.Shidouyelledoutindesperation.

ButthatgirljustcastaconfusedlookatShidou.

"...What?"

"Wh-Whatareyouplanningtodo...!?"

"Ofcourse—killyouquickly."

Hearingthegirlreplysonaturally,hisfaceturnedblue.

"W-Why...!"

"Why...?Isitnotobvious?"

Withawearyface,thegirlcontinued.

"—Afterall,didn'tyoucometokillmetoo?"

"Huh...?"

Facedwithanunexpectedanswer,Shidou'smouthdroppedopen.

"...There'snowayIwoulddothat."

"——What?"

ThegirllookedatShidouwithamixtureofsurprise,suspicion,andconfusion.

However,thegirlimmediatelynarrowedhereyesandlookedawayfromShidou,turningherfacetowardsthesky.

Asifbeingbroughtalong,Shidoualsoturnedtolookupwards—

"Whaa...!?"

Hiseyesopenedwiderthaneverbefore,hisbreathcaughtinhisthroat.



Afterall,therewereafewhumanswearingstrangesuitsflyinginthesky—andtoaddtothat,fromtheweaponsintheirhands,alargenumberofmissile-likethingswereshotatShidouandthegirl.

"W-Waaaaaaaaaah!?"

Instinctively,heletoutacry.

However—evenafterafewseconds,Shidouremainedconscious.

"Eh...?"

Astonished,hisvoiceleakedout.

Themissilesthatwerelaunchedfromtheskyfloatedunmovingintheairseveralmetersabovethegirl,asiftheywereheldbyinvisiblehands.

Thegirlgaveanexasperatedsigh.

"...Thiskindofthingisuseless,whycan'ttheyeverlearn."

Sayingthis,thegirlraisedthehandthatwasnotholdingthesword,andsqueezeditshut.

Asshedidthis,thecountlessmissilescrumpledup,asifbeingcompressed,andexplodedwheretheywere.

Eventhemagnitudeoftheexplosionswasfrighteninglysmall.Itwasasifallofthepowerhadbeensuckedinwards.

Hecouldsomewhatunderstandtheconfusionofthosepeopleflutteringaroundintheair.

However,theydidnotstoptheirattacks.Oneafteranother,missileswereshot.

"—Hmpf"

Thegirlgaveanothersmallsigh,makingafacewhichseemedliketearsmightcomeoutatanymoment.

ItwasthesamefaceaswhenshehadbeenpointingherswordtowardsShidoubefore.



"——"

Seeingthatexpression,Shidoufelthisheartpoundevenharderthanwhenhewasonthevergeoflosinghislife.

Whatastrangescenethiswas.

Whothegirlwas,hehadnoidea.Whothepeopleintheairwere,healsohadnoidea.

However,thefactthatthegirlwasstrongerthanthosepeopleflyingintheair,thatmuchheunderstood.

Thatwaswhyhevaguelythoughtofthisquestion:

Sheisthestrongest.

—Sowhyisitthatsheismakingthatkindofface?

"...Disappear,disappear.Anythingandeverything...Justdisappear...!"

Whilesayingthat,shepointedtheswordthatgaveoffaglowasmysteriousashereyes,towardsthesky.

Tiredly,sorrowfully,sheartlesslyswungthesword.

Withinamoment—thewindhowled.

"...W-Wah...!"

Afierceshockwaveassaultedthearea,astheslashflewtowardstheskyalongthepathoftheblade.

Thepeopleflyingintheairhurriedtoavoidit,andwithdrewfromtheirposition.

Butinthenextmoment,fromadifferentdirection,alightbeamwithatremendousoutputwasfiredtowardsthegirl.

"...!"

Heinvoluntarilycoveredhiseyes.

Asexpected,thebeamoflightseemedasifithitaninvisiblewallintheairabove



thegirlandwasstopped.Likeafireworkexplodinginthenightsky,itspreadapartinalldirections,sparklingbeautifully.

However,asifthelightbeamhadcontinued,somethinglandedbehindShidou.

"W-Whatthehellisgoingon..."

Sinceawhileago,Shidouhadn'tbeenabletounderstandanythingthathadbeengoingon.

Hefeltlikehewaswatchingabaddaydream.

However—seeingthefigurethatjustlanded,Shidou'sbodystiffened.

Itwaswearingamachine,orsomethinglikethat.

Coveredfromtoptobottominanunfamiliarbodysuitwasagirl.

Shecarriedlargethrustersonherback,andaweaponshapedlikeagolfbaginherhands.

ThereasonShidou'sbodyfrozeupwassimple.Herecognizedthegirl.

"Tobiichi...Origami...?"

HemutteredthenamethatTonomachihadtaughthimthismorning.

ThegirlwiththeoverlymechanicalappearancewashisclassmateTobiichiOrigami.

OrigamiflickedaglanceatShidou.

"ItsukaShidou...?"

Asaresponse,shecalledShidou'sname.

Eventhoughshewassurprised,herexpressiondidn'tchange.However,itwasjustabit,buthervoicecarriedapuzzledtone.

"...Huh?Wh-What'supwiththatsuit—"

Evenhehimselfrealizedthatitwasastupidquestion,butbythattimehehadalreadysaidit.



Overwhelmedbyeverythingthathadhappened,hedidn'tevenknowwhatheshouldbeworryingaboutanymore.

However,TobiichiquicklylookedawayfromShidou,towardsthegirlinthedress.

Afterall,

"—Fmph"

ThegirlswungherswordinthesamewayasbeforetowardsOrigami.

Origamiimmediatelykickedofftheground,dodgingovertheplaneinwhichtheswordwasswung,andclosedinonthegirlwithamazingspeed.

FromthefrontoftheweaponinOrigami'shand,ablademadeoflighthadappeared.

Targetingthegirl,Origamiswungthatdownwithallhermight.

"—Ugh"

Thegirlknittedherbrowsslightly,stoppingtheblowwiththeswordinherhand.

—Inthatmoment.

FromthepointwherethegirlandTobiichicrossedswords,aviolentshockwavewasformed.

"Wa-W-Waaaahhhhhhhh!?"

Withapitifulshout,heballeduphisbodyandsomehowmanagedtowithstandit.

Origamiwasrepelled,andmomentarilythetwoseparatedandglaredateachotherwiththeirweaponspoised.





"..."

"..."

SandwichingShidou,thesharpgazesofthemysteriousgirlandOrigamimixedtogether.

Itreallycouldbecalledacriticalsituation.Theywereinastatewhereitseemedthatanysmalltriggerwouldcausethefighttoresumeimmediately.

"..."

Shidouontheotherhandwasfeelinguneasy.

Withsweatformingonhisforehead,andwiththethoughtthathehadtoescapefromthisplace,heslowlydraggedhisbodyhorizontallyacrosstheground.

However,atthatmoment,suddenlythecellphoneinsidehispocketstartedringingwithabrightmelody.

"——!"

"——!"

Thatbecameasignal.

ThegirlandOrigamikickedoffthegroundatprettymuchthesametime,clashingrightinfrontofShidou.

"Gyaaaaaaah!"

Facedwiththeoverwhelmingwindpressure,Shidouwasmercilesslyblownaway,andfaintedafterhittingawall.





Part3

"—What'sthesituation?"

Wearingashirtandacrimsonmilitaryuniformhangingfromhershoulderslikeacloak,ayounggirlhadenteredthebridgeandaskedthequestion.

"Commander"

Theguywaitingbesidethecaptain'sseatgaveasaluteasperfectasifitwereinamilitarytextbook.

Thegirlthathadbeencalledcommanderonlygavethataglance,thenkickedtheguy'stoes.

"Oww!"

"Skipthegreetingsandexplainthesituation."

Whilesayingthistotheguywhohadananguished,orrather,ecstaticexpression,shesatdowninthecaptain'sseat.

Theguystraightenedhimselfimmediately.

"Yes.Theattackstartedassoonasthe'Spirit'appeared."

"AST?"

"Itseemsso."

AST,AntiSpiritTeam.

WearingmechanicalarmortohuntSpirits,catchSpirits,killSpirits;abovehumans,butnotquiteonthelevelofmonsters;theyarethemodernmagicians.

Inotherwords—therealityisthatevenbeingatasuperhumanlevelwasnotenoughtocompeteseriouslywithSpirits.

TheSpirits'powerwasofadifferentmagnitude.



"—Wehaveconfirmedtenpeople.Atthemomentwearefollowingone,whoisengagedinbattle."

"Showmethevisuals."

Atthecommander'sword,real-timefootageshoweduponthebridge'slargemonitor.

Onawideroadaroundtwoblocksfromdowntown,twogirlsfightingwhilewavinghugeweaponsaroundwasshown.

Withtheclashingoftheweapons,burstsoflightescaped,thegroundcracked,andbuildingscollapsed.Itwashardtoimaginethatthisscenewaspartofreality.

"She'sprettygood.But,well,withaSpiritasanopponentsheprobablywon'tbeabletodoanything."

"Itisasyousay,butitisalsoafactthatwecannotdoanythingeither."

"..."

Thecommanderraisedherfoot,andwiththeheelofherbootsteppedontheguy'sfoot.

"Guhgii!"

Ignoringtheguywhowasmakinganextremelyhappyface,thecommanderquietlysighed.

"Iunderstandthatevenwithoutyoutellingme.I'malsotiredofonlybeingabletowatch."

"So,whatyouaretryingtosayis..."

"Yes.TheRoundTablefinallygavetheirconsent.Theplanisstartingnow."

Withthosewords,thesoundofthecrewmembersinthebridgeswallowingtheirbreathcouldbeheard.

"Kannazuki."

Thecommanderlightlyleanedintothebackoftheseat,andraisedasmallrighthandwiththesecondandthirdfingersheldstraight.Itwasasifshewasaskingfora



smoke.

"Yes,sir."

Theguyquicklyreachedintohispocket,andtookoutasmalllollipop.Hespeedilybutcarefullyremovedthewrapping.

Then,hekneltbesidethecommander,andsaid"pleaseenjoy"asheplacedthelollipopbetweenthecommander'sfingers.

Thecommanderputitinhermouth,andthestickstartedtomoveupanddown.

"...Ahh,nowthatIthinkaboutit,whereisourimportant'secretweapon'?Hedidn'tanswerthephonejustthen.Iwonderifheproperlywenttoashelter?"

"Letmeinvestigate—and,huh?"

Theguytwistedhishead,perplexed.

"What'swrong?"

"Well,that."

Theguypointedtowardsthepicture.Thecommandermovedhergazethere—"ah",shemadeashortsound.

OnthesideofthebattlebetweentheSpiritandtheASTmember,theschooluniformcladfigureofaboywasspreadout.

"...Perfecttiming.Gorecoverit."

"Roger."

Theguygaveanothercourteousbow.





Chapter2:GameTrainingStart





Part1

—It'sbeenawhile.

Inmyhead,avoicethatI'veheardsomewherebeforeechoed.

—Finally,finallywemeetagain,×××.

Avoicefilledwithnostalgia,withwarmth.

—I'mglad,but,justalittlelonger.Waitjustalittlelonger.

Whoareyou,Iasked,buttherewasnoanswer.

—Iwon'tleaveyouagain.Idefinitelywon'tmakeamistakeagain.That'swhy...

There,themysteriousvoicewascutoff.





Part2

"...Haa!"

Shidoucameto,

"Uwahh!"

andletoutabigshout.

Wellofcourse.Afterall,awomanhedidn'trecognizewasholdinghiseyelidsopenwithherfingers,whileshininglightonhiseyeswithwhatseemedlikeasmallpenlight.

"...Nn?Hewokeup."

Thewomanwithastrangelysleepyfacesaid,withanindifferentandspacedoutvoice.

SheseemstohavebeencheckingthemovementsoftheeyeballsoftheunconsciousShidou,soherfacewasunusuallyclose.Hecouldsmellafaintfragrance,probablythesmellofhershampoo.

"W,Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-WHOAREYOU?"

"...Nn,aah."

Thewoman,stillinanabsent-mindedstate,raisedherbodyup,drearilysweepingherbangstotheside.

Asacertainamountofdistancewasputbetweenthem,itbecamepossibletoseethefullviewofthewoman.

Sheworewhatwaslikeamilitaryuniform,andwasaround20yearsold.Hermessyhair,eyesdecoratedwiththickdarkcircles,andthestuffedbearcoveredwithscarswhosefacewasforsomereasonpeekingoutofthepocketofthemilitaryuniform,wereherspecialcharacteristics.

"...IamtheAnalysisOfficerhere,MurasameReine.UnfortunatelytheMedicalOfficerisaway.—Butdon'tworry.AlthoughIdon'thavealicense,Icanatleast



handlesomesimplenursing."

"..."

Hecouldn'thelpbutworry.

Because,thiswomancalledReineseemedobviouslylesshealthythanShidou.

Infact,sinceearlier,asifdrawingasmallcirclewithherhead,herbodyhadbeenswayingunsteadily.

Shidou,nowwithhisupperbodyraised,wasremindedbywhatReinehadjustsaid.

"—Here?"

Heasked,lookingathissurroundings.

Shidouhadbeensleepingonasimplepipebed.Surroundingitwasawhitecurtainthatactedasadivider.Itwasaspacelikeaschoolinfirmary.

However,theceilingwasslightlyoutofplace.Someplainpipesandwiringswerevisible.

"Wh-Whereis,here..."

"...Ah,thisisthemedicalofficeof<Fraxinus>.Youwereunconscioussowebroughtyouhere."

"<Fraxinus>...?AndIwasunconscious...,ah—"

That'sright,ShidouhadbeendraggedintothebattlebetweenthemysteriousgirlandOrigami,andhadbeenknockedout.

"...Um,uhm,canIaskafewquestions?ToomanythingsthatIdon'tunderstandhappened..."

Shidousaidwhilescratchinghishead.

However,Reinedidnotrespond,silentlyturningawayfromShidou.

"Ah—Pleasewait..."

"...Followme.There'ssomeoneIwanttointroduceyouto....Iknowyouhavealot



ofquestions,butI'mbadatexplaining.Ifyouwantanyspecificsyoushouldaskthatperson."

Sayingthis,sheopenedthecurtains.Outsidethecurtainswasaslightlylargerspace.Aroundsixbedswerelinedup,andinthebackoftheroomsatsomeunfamiliarmedicaltools.

Reineturnedtowardswhatwasapparentlytheentranceoftheroom,andwobbledtowardsit.

Sheimmediatelystumbled,andwithabang,hitherheadonthewall.

"!A-Areyoualright?"

"...Uuuu."

Shehadn'tfallen.Reine,moaning,wasleaningonthewall.

"...Aah,sorry.RecentlyIhaven'tbeengettingenoughsleep."

"H-Howlonghasitbeensinceyoulastslept?"

Shidouasked,andReine,afterthinkingforabit,raisedthreefingers.

"Threedays.Thenofcourseyou'dbesleepy."

"...Maybearoundthirtyyears?"

"Theunitsaretoodifferent!"

Shidouhadevenpreparedforananswerofaroundthreeweeks,butthisanswerwascompletelyunexpected.

Anditobviouslyexceededtheagethatsheappearedtobeat.

"...Well,it'struethatIcan'trememberthelasttimeIslept.Ihavesomethinglikeextremeinsomnia."

"Is-Isthatso..."

"...Oh.Ahh,excuseme,it'stimeformymedicine."

Reinesuddenlysearchedinherpockets,andpulledoutacaseoftablets.



Shethenopenedthecase,andpouredthetabletsintohermouthasifsheweredrinkingthem.

"Hey!"

Withoutanyhesitation,thelargenumberoftabletsinReine'smouthwentcrunchcrunchcrunchgulp,andtheyunintentionallylaunchedintoacomedyroutine.

"...Whatisit,you'renoisy."

"Howmuchdidyoueat!Andanyways,whatmedicinewasthat!?"

"...Theywereallsleepingpills."

"You'ddie!That'snotagoodjoke!"

"...Butthey'renotreallyeffectiveanyways."

"Whatkindofbodydoyouhave!"

"...Wellit'ssweetanddelicioussoit'sgood."

"Isn'tthatRamuneinstead!?"

Aftertheboutofshouting,Shidouexhaledadeepbreath.

"...Anyways,thisway.Followme."

Reinereturnedtheemptycasetoherpocket,andonceagainstartedwalkingwithdangeroussteps,openingthedoorofthemedicaloffice.

"..."

Shidouhurriedlyputonhisshoes,andlefttheroomchasingher.

"What's,this..."

Outsidetheroom,wasaconstructionlikeanarrowcorridor.

Thepalecoloredmechanical-styledwallsandfloorsforsomereasonmadeShidourecalltheinnardsofaspacebattleshipthatappearedinsomespaceoperaorthepassagewaysinasubmarinefromsomemovie.



"...WhatamIdoing?"

Shidou,alreadynotknowingwhat'swhat,slowlystartedmovinghisfeet.

RelyingonlyonthebackofReinewhowasstaggeringwithunsteadysteps,inthecorridorthatwaslikeamovieset,footstepsechoed.

Afterwalkingforsometime.

"...It'shere."

Attheendoftheroad,infrontofadoorwithasmallelectronicpanelontheside,Reinestoppedandsaid.

Inthenextmoment,theelectronicpanelmadealightbeep,andthedoorsmoothlyslidopen.

"...There,pleasecomein."

Reinesteppedinside.Shidoufollowedbehind.

"...Thisis..."

Hetookinthesceneryontheothersideofthedoor.

Toexplainwithasinglesentence,itwasaplacelikethebridgeofaship.InfrontofthedoorthatShidoupassedthrough,thefloorspreadoutinahalfoval,andpositionedinitscenterwasachairthatseemedtobethecaptain'sseat.

Furthermore,followingthegentlyslopedstairsonitstwosidesleadtoalowerlevel,wherethecrewmemberscouldbeseenoperatingcomplexlookingconsoles.Itwasdimasawhole,andthemonitorsscatteredhereandtheregaveoffalightthatunpleasantlyassertedtheirpresence.

"...Ibroughthim."

Reinedizzilyswayedherheadasshespoke.

"Goodwork."

Thetallguystandingbesidethecaptain'sseatgavealightbowlikeabutler.Hehadwavyhairandanosethatdoesn'tseemJapanese.HewasayoungmanwithlooksthatcouldappearinBLnovels.



"Hello.IamtheViceCommanderhere,KannazukiKyouhei.Nicetomeetyou."

"O-Ok..."

Whilescratchinghischeek,Shidougaveasmallbowwithhishead.

Foramoment,ShidouhadthoughtReinewastalkingtothisguy.

However—hewasmistaken.

"Commander,AnalysisOfficerMurasamehasreturned."

Kannazukicalledout,andfromthecaptain'sseatwhichhaditsbackfacingthem,alowgroanwasheard,whileitslowlyrotatedaround.

Andthen.

"—Iwelcomeyou.Welcome,to<Ratatoskr>."

Thevoiceoftheonewhowascalled'commander'soundedalittletoolovely,asthefigureoftheyounggirlwearingthecrimsonmilitaryuniformonhershoulderscameintoclearview.

Herhairwasboundbytwolargeblackribbons.Shehadasmallbuild,roundeyeslikeacorns,andinhermouthChupaChups.

Shidoufrowned.Afterall,nomatterhowyoulookatit—

"...Kotori?"

That'sright,nomatterifyougobylooks,orvoice,ortheaurasurroundingher,whilethereareseveraldifferences,thatgirlwaswithoutadoubtShidou'scutelittlesister,ItsukaKotori.





Part3

"—Itsuka,Shidou."

Mutteringinafaintvoicethatnobodyelsecouldhear,hisfaceappearedinOrigami'smind.

Withoutadoubt,hewastheboyfromthattime.There'snowayOrigami'smemoriescouldbewrong.

Itwasabitofashame,buttheyhadonlymetthatonetime,soitcouldn'tbehelpedthathedidn'trememberOrigami.Sinceenteringhighschoolshehadtriedvariouswaystogetclosertohim,buttheyallendedinfailure.

Andnow,therewasanevenmorepressingissue.

"Why,washeinsuchaplace?"

Shecouldnotunderstandwhyhehadcomeoutintothestreetsafterthespacequakealertsounded.

Also—hehaddefinitelyseenit.

Origami,inthespecialequipment—andtheSpirit.

"MasterSergeantTobiichi,thepreparationsarecomplete!"

"..."

Atthemechanic'ssuddenvoice,Origamijoltedherdowncastfaceupright.

Shethenimmediatelyfocusedonacommandinherhead.

ThecommandtravelleddownthewiringsuitwrappedaroundOrigami'sbody,passingtothethrusterpartsonherback,andactivatedtheembeddedRealizer.

Wrappedintheequipmentwhoseformdidn'tseemsuitedforflying,Origami'sbodywaslightlyfloatingintheair.

JGSDF-TenguuBase.



Inthehangersituatedononeofitscorners,followingthemechanic'sinstructionsOrigamilandedinherpersonaldockasifsittingdown,returnedtheweaponstotheirdesignatedplaces,andfinally,exhalingadeepbreath,shutoffalloftheRealizers.

Atthesametime,theweightoftheequipmentandtheaccumulatedstressthatshehadn'tfeltevenafragmentofmomentsagoboredownonherbodyallatonce.

Thesoundofamachinestartedbehindher,andthethrustersshecarriedweredisconnected.

However,itwasn'tuntilaroundanotherthreeminutes,beforeOrigamicouldmovefromthatplace.

ThishappenedeverytimeafterusingaCR-Unit.Returningfromasuperhumantoanormalperson,thebodywouldfeelabnormallyheavy.

CombatRealizerUnit.GenerallycalledCR-Unit.

Itwasthenamegiventothetacticalequipmentthatutilizesthemiraculoustechnology,theRealizer,thatthehumanshadobtainedafterthelargespacequakethirtyyearsago.

Ittakestheresultscalculatedbycomputers,anddistortingthelawsofphysics,manifeststhemintherealworld.

Inshort,althoughtherearesomerestrictions,itisatechnologythatturnsimaginationsintoreality.Ithadbeencalledasystemthatproducesso-called'magic'throughscientificmeans.

Atthesametime,itwastheonlywayforhumanstofightagainsttheSpirits.

"Makeway!Stretchercomingthrough!"

Abellowingvoicecamefromtheright.

Movingonlyhereyes,Origaminoticedasquadmembercoveredwiththesamewiringsuitridingonthestretcher.

"...Dammit,shit,thatbitch...!Iswear,I'llfuckingkillher...!"

Thesquadmemberonthestretcherwasholdingdowntheblood-soakedbandageon



hisforeheadandbitterlymutteringinsultswhilebeingcarriedaway.

"..."

Thereshouldbenoproblemsifhecouldswearwithsuchvigor.Losingherinterest,Origamimovedhergazeback.

Infact,iftreatmentiscarriedoutusingamedical-useRealizer,aslongasitisn'tanextremelyseriousinjury,itcanbecuredinnotime.WhenOrigamibrokeherlegbefore,bythenextdayshewasabletowalkagain.

"——"

Whileexhalingalongbreath,Origamiglancedslightlyupwards.

Sherecalledthebattletoday.

—Thecalamitythatwilldestroytheworld,Spirits.

ItwasanabnormalitywhichagroupofsuperhumanslikeOrigamicouldn'tevenhopetoscratch.

Appearingoutofnowhere,spreadingdestructiononawhim,theyweremonstersonthelevelofnaturaldisasters.

"..."

Intheend,eventoday'sbattleendedwiththeSpiritbeinglost,thoughitwasmoreliketheSpiritdecidedtobringdownthecurtains.

Lostdoesn'tmeanthattheSpirithaddied.

AllitmeansisthattheSpiritescapedthroughanotherdimension.

ThoughtherewererecordsinbookswhereitseemedthattheactionsoftheASTdroveawaySpirits,Origamiaswellasalloftheothermembersinvolveddirectlyinbattleknew.

TheSpiritsfeelabsolutelynothreatfromthem,andwhentheSpiritsbecomelost,that'spurelybecauseoftheSpirits'whims.

"..."



Herexpressiondidn'tchangeatall.

However,Origamibitdownhardonherbackteeth.

"Origami"

ThevoicethatcamefromtheinsideofthehangerbrokeOrigami'sthoughts.

"..."

Silently,sheturnedtofacethevoice.Herbodyprobablystillhadn'tgottenaccustomedyet,asherheadfeltextremelyheavy.

Thebasicrealizerequippedonthewiringsuit,oncestarted,canexpandapersonalterritoryofafewmetersaroundtheperson.

ThisterritoryistheessenceoftheCR-Unit.Asthenamestates,itisaspaceinwhichtheuser'sthoughtscanbecomereality.

Ithastheabilitytosoftenanyexternalimpact,aswellasevenallowingthegravityintheinsidetobefreelyset.Aslongasthisterritoryisexpanded,theASTmemberscanbecomesuperhumans.

That'swhyinreturn,forashortwhileafterusingaCR-Unit,itishardtomovethebodyfreely.

"Goodwork."

There,wearingthesamewiringsuitasOrigami,stoodawomaninhermid-20swithherhandonherhip.





CaptainKusakabeRyouko.ThecommandingofficeroftheASTthatOrigamibelongedto.

"YoudidgreatdrivingoffthatSpiritbyyourself....IgaveastrictlecturetoTomonaraandKagaya.Whatweretheythinking,retreatingandleavingtheSpirittoOrigamialone."

"Ididn'tdriveitaway."

Origamireplied,andRyoukoshrugged.

"Well,I'vegottareportitlikethattothetop.Ifwedon'tshowsomeresultsthebudget'sgonnadrop."

"..."

"C'mon,don'tmakesuchaface.I'mpraisingyouafterall.Inthissituationwheretheace'sseatisstillempty,you'remakingagreateffort.Also,ifyouweren'tthere,thenumberofadditionalpeoplewho'dhavediedisn'tjustoneortwo."

Fuuuu,sheexhaledherbreath.

"Buthey,"

Ryoukosharpenedhergaze,grabbedOrigami'sheadandturnedittowardsherself.

"Youwentabitoverboard.—Doyouwanttodiesobadly?"

"..."

WithhersharpgazestillfixatedonOrigami,Ryoukocontinued.

"Doyoureallyunderstandwhatkindofopponentyou'refightinghere?That'samonsterforgod'ssake.Ahurricanewithintelligence.—Doyouunderstand?Withinyourabilities,suppressthedamagetotheminimum,withinyourabilities,makeitlostasearlyaspossible.Thatisourjob.Don'tpointlesslyexposeyourselftodanger."

"—That'swrong."

OrigamirepliedwhilelookingRyoukostraightintheeyes,andonceagainopenedherlipsslightly.



"TodefeattheSpirits,thatisthedutyoftheAST."

"..."

Ryoukofrowned.

AsthecaptainoftheAST,shewassupposedtohaveunderstoodthenameoftheAntiSpiritTeammuchmoresothanOrigami.

Becausesheunderstood,shestated.

—Wecan'tmanagetodoanymorethansuppressthedamage.

However,whileacknowledgingthat,Origamirepeatedonceagain.

"—Iwill,defeat,theSpirits."

"..."

Ryoukoletoutasigh,andremovedherhandsfromOrigami'shead.

"...Iwasn'tplanningonhearingwhatyoupersonallythink.Thinkwhatyouwant.—However,ifitseemslikeyou'llgoagainstacommandwhileonthebattlefield,you'llberemovedfromtheteam."

"Iunderstand."

Origamigaveashortanswer,raisedherbodywhichhadfinallyadjusted,andwalkedaway.





Part4

"—So,thishereisthemonsterthatwecallaSpirit,andhereistheAST.They'reJGSDF'sAntiSpiritTeam.You'vegottenyourselfintoaprettyworrisomesituation.Ifwehadn'trecoveredyou,you'dprobablyhavediedtwoorthreetimesbynow.So,ontothenextthing—"

"W-Waitamoment!"

Shidouraisedhisvoice,tryingtoholdbackKotoriwhohadstartedherrapidexplanation.

"Whatisit?Afterallthetroublethiscommanderisgoingthroughtodirectlygiveyouanexplanation.Ifyou'regoingtocry,thendosowithmoredignity.Sinceit'slikethis,Icanatleastgiveyouthespecialprivilegeoflickingthebottomofmyfoot."

Lightlyraisingherchin,withagazethatseemedtobelookingdownonShidou,astreamofabusethatwasnotKotori-likeflowedfromhermouth.

"Re-Really!?"

ThevoicefilledwithgreatgleecamefromtheonestandingbesideKotori,Kannazuki.Kotoriinstantlyreplied"notyou"andelbowedhiminthesolarplexus.

"Gah...!"

Watchingthatexchange,Shidouopenedhismouthinsurprise.

"...Ko-Kotori...Isthatyou?Youweresafe?"

"What'sthis,didyouforgetyourlittlesister'sface,Shidou?Iknewyouwerebadatrememberingthings,butIhadn'texpectedittobethisbad.Maybeit'dbeagoodideatoreserveaspotataretirementhomerightnow."

AlineofsweatrolleddownShidou'sface.

Hepinchedhischeek.Ithurt.

Shidou'slovelysisterwasn'teversupposedtostopcallinghim'onii-chan'.



Scratchingthebackofhishead,Shidouletoutatroubledvoice.

"...Somehow,I'msoconfusedit'sliketheinsideofmyheadhasbecomeCrocodilePanic[1C1].Whatthehellisgoingon?Orrather,whereamI?Whatarethesepeople?Also—"

Kotori,nodding"okay,okay",heldoutherpalmandstoppedShidou.

"Calmdown.IfIcan'tunderstandwhatyou'reasking,there'snowayIcananswerit."

Sayingthis,Kotoripointedtothescreeninthebridge.

There,theblackhairedgirlthatShidouencounteredearlier,aswellasthehumanscladinmechanicalarmor,werebeingdisplayed.

"Uhmm...didyousay...Spirit?"

Shidouaskedwhilescratchinghischeek.HerecalledthewordthatKotoriusedinherexplanationearlier.

Randomlyappearingintheworld,amonsterofunknownorigins.

"Yes.Sheisabeingthatdidnotexistinthisworldoriginally.Justbyappearinginthisworld,notbyherownwilloranythinglikethat,thesurroundingareawouldbeblownaway."

Withabang,Kotoribroughthertwohandstogether,thenopenedthemup,simulatinganexplosion.

Shidougrimaced,withhishandstillonhischeek.

"...Sorry,thescale'sabittoolargesoit'shardtounderstand."

Hearingthis,Kotorishruggedhershoulders,"youstilldon'tunderstandafterallthis?",andsighed.

"WhatI'msayingisthatspacequakes,orratherthephenomenonthatwecallsuch,aretheaftereffectsofSpiritslikethatgirlappearinginourworld."

"Wh..."

Shidouunconsciouslyknithiseyebrows.



Anearthquakeinopenspace.Spacequake.

Anextremelyunreasonablephenomenonthateatsintohumankind,intotheworld.

Andthereasonbehindthat,isbecauseofthatgirl—?

"Well...thescaleofthedestructionvaries.Itcouldbelimitedtoassmallasafewmeters,oraslargeas—aroundtheextentofopeningagiantholeinthecontinent."

Kotorimadealargecirclewithherarms.

Shewasprobablytalkingaboutthefirstspacequakethirtyyearsago—theonethatwascoinedtheEurasiaSkyDisaster.

"Luckwasonyourside,Shidou.Ifthescaleoftheexplosionthistimewasslightlylarger,youmighthavebeenblownawayinstantaneously."

"..."

Itwasindeedasshesaid.Evennow,Shidou'sbodycowered.

SeeingShidoulikethis,Kotoriclosedhereyeshalfway.

"Andanyways,whydidyougooutwhilethealertwassounding?Areyouanidiot?Didyouwanttodie?"

"Nothat'snot...becauseyouwere,lookatthis."

Shidoupulledhiscellphoneoutofhispocket,andshowedKotori'spositiondata.Asexpected,Kotori'siconwasstoppedinfrontofthefamilyrestaurant.

"Hm?Ahh,that."

However,Kotoritookherowncellphoneoutofherpocket.

"Ahh...?Whydoyouhave,that."

ShidoulookedbackandforthbetweenthescreenofhisowncellphoneandthecellphoneKotoricarriedthatwasrightinfrontofhiseyes.BecauseKotoriwasatthisplace,hecompletelythoughtthatshehaddroppedhercellphoneinfrontofthefamilyrestaurant.

Kotorishruggedhershoulders,andletoutalongsigh.



"Iwaswonderingwhyyou'dgooutsidewhilethealertwassounding,sothiswasthereason.HowstupiddoyouthinkIwouldbe,youdumbbrother."

"B-But...Ehh,whyisthis—"

"It'ssimple.Thereasonisthatweareinfrontofthefamilyrestaurantrightnow."

"Huh...?"

"Alrightthen.Iguessit'dbefasterifIjustshowyou.—Cutoffthefilter."

FollowingKotori'swords,thedimbridgeimmediatelybrightened.

Nonetheless,itwasnotthatthelightshadbeenturnedon.Ifanything,itwaslikeadarkcurtainthatcoveredtheceilinghadbeensuddenlyremoved.

Infact,theblueskyspreadoutaroundthem.

"Wh-Whatisthis..."

"Pleasedon'tmakearacket.Thesceneoutsideisjustasyousee."

"Thesceneoutsideis...this"

"Mhmm.Wherewecurrentlyareis15000metersaboveTenguuCity.Intermsoflocation,itcoincidentallyendedupbeingrightaroundthefamilyrestaurantwewereplanningtomeetat."

"Wherewe,are..."

"Yup.This<Fraxinus>isanairship."

Foldingherarms,Kotoriletoutasmirk*fufun*.Itwasjustlikeachildbraggingabouttheirfavoritetoy.No—ifanything,itwasprobablyclosertoamotherintroducingthechildshetenderlyraised.

"A-Airship...?Whatthehellisthat.Whyareyouinsomethinglikethat?"

"That'swhy,didn'tIsaytolistentomyexplanationsinorder?Evenachickencanrememberuptowalkingthreesteps."[1C2]

"Uuuu..."



"...However,tothinkthatthisplacewouldbefoundfromthetrackingdeviceofacellphone,wecompletelyoverlookedthat.WeletourguarddownafterapplyingInvisibleandAvoidusingtheRealizer.Wemustcomeupwithsomecounter-measureslater."

WhilemutteringwordsthatShidoudidn'tunderstand,Kotoriplacedherhandonherchin.

"W-whatareyoutalkingabout?"

"Ahh,don'tworryaboutit.Ididn'texpectyoutofollowthatanyways,Shidou.Afterall,youhaveabrainthatwouldlosetoahorsehaircrab's[2]intermsofpricepergram."

"..."

"Commander.Crabmisoisn'tmadewithbrainbutwithguts."

AdropofsweatrolleddownShidou'sfaceasKannazukisaidthatwithasteadyvoice.

"..."

Kotorimovedherfingers,beckoningforhimtocome,andKannazukigavealightbow.

Andthen,*pa*,thestickfromthelollipopthatshefinishedwasblowntowardshiseyes.

"Nuaaaaghh!"

Clutchinghiseye,Kannazukitumbledbackwards.

"A-areyoualright?!"

Itdidn'tseemlikehewasacting.Shidouraisedhisvoiceinconcern.

However,rightashewasabouttorushover,hestoppedhisfeet.

Kannazuki,whofellontothefloor,pulledahandkerchieffromhispocket,andwithanecstaticexpression,calmlywrappeditaroundthelollipopstickthatKotorihadjustshotathim.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsehair_crab

"Sorry,didIcauseyoutoworry?I'mfine,thisisarewardinourlineofwork!"

Sayingthis,Kannazukiinstantlygotup,standingperfectlystraight.

Whatkindoflineofworkthatis,Shidoudidnotparticularlywanttoknowthedetails.

"Kannazuki."

"Yes."

Kotoriraisedtwofingers,andKannazukitookouttworeplacementcandiesandhandedthemtoher.

"So,backontopic.AST.That'saunitspecializedforSpirits."

Whilespeaking,Kotoripointedtoagroupofpeoplethatwereshownonthescreen.

"...AunitspecializedforSpirits...whatspecificallydotheydo?"

HearingShidou'squestion,Kotoriraisedherbrowsasiftheanswerwasobvious.

"Simple.IfSpiritsappear,thentheyflyoveranddealwithit."

"Dealwithit...?"

"Essentially,exterminatethem."

"...!"

ItwasnotthatwhatKotorisaidcaughthimbysurprise.

However—Shidouwasassaultedbyafeelinglikehisheartwasbeingwrung.

"E-Exterminate...?"

"Yup."

Nonchalantly,Kotorinodded.

Shidougulped.Thesoundofhisheartbeatwasawfullyloud.

Hehadunderstoodwhattheysaid.Spirits.Theycertainlywereadangerous



existence.

But—nomatterwhat,togoasfaraskillingthem.

Suddenly,Shidousawthefaceofthatgirlinhismind.

(—Afterall,didn'tyoucometokillmetoo?)

Themeaningbehindthosewordsthatthegirlhadsaid,hefinallyunderstood.

Aswellasthemeaningofthatfacethatseemedliketearswouldstreamoutatanymoment.

"Well,ifyouconsideritnormally,havingthemdeadwouldprobablybethebestforus."

Seeminglywithoutanyparticularemotion,Kotorispoke.

"W-Wh...y?"

"Why,youask?"

Withadistortedexpression,Shidouaskedlikehewasmoaning,andKotorisophisticatedlyplacedherhandonherchin.

"There'snothingweirdaboutitright?Theyaremonsters.Justbyappearinginthisworldtheycausespacequakes.Theyaretheevilestanddeadliestpoison!"

"But,didn'tyousaybefore?ThatthespacequakeshavenothingtodowiththeSpirits'wishes."

"That'sright.Atleast,itiswidelybelievedthattheexplosionfromfirstenteringthisworldisunrelatedtotheintentionsoftheSpirititself.—But,therehavebeenscarsofdestructionandspacequakevictimsresultingfromthefightwiththeASTafterwards."

"...Butisn'tthatbecausethosepeoplefromtheASTattackedthem?"

"Well,thatmightbeso.—However,thatismerelyaconjecture.Itmightbethat,iftheASTdoesnothing,theSpiritswoulddelightfullystarttheirdestructive



activities."

"That...probablywon'thappen."

KotoritiltedherheadinwonderatShidou'sstatement.

"What'syourproof?"

"Someonewhowoulddestroythestreetsforfun...wouldn'tmakeafacelikethat."

Somethinglikethiswasprobablytoovagueandweaktobecalledaproofbut...forsomereason,Shidoubelievedinitfromthebottomofhisheart.

"Soit'sprobablynotaccordingtotheirintentionsright?Butstill—"

"Whetherornotthey'recausingitvoluntarilyisn'ttheproblem.Ineithercase,itisafactthattheSpiritsarecausingthespacequakes.It'snotthatIdon'tseewhereyou'recomingfrom,butyoucan'tjustleaveadangerousexistenceonthelevelofanuclearbombalonejustbecauseyoufeelsorryforit.Todayitendedwithonlyasmallexplosion,butwecan'tbesurethatnexttimeitwon'tbeaEurasia-leveldisaster."

"Eventhen...tokillthem..."

Shidoustubbornlyargued,and,muttering"goodgrief",Kotorishruggedhershoulders.

"You'veonlymetforafewminutes,andontopofthatitwassomeonewhoalmostkilledyou,butyou'restilltakingtheirside....Coulditbe,youfellforher?"

"N-Noway.Iwasonlywonderingiftherewassomeotherway."

"Someotherway,huh."

HearingShidou'swords,Kotoriletoutalongsigh.

"Sothenlet'shearit,whatotherwaysdoyouthinkthereare?"

"Thatis—"

Thewordsstopped.

Inhismind,hehadfullyunderstoodwhatKotorihadsaid.



Anaberrationthatleavesdeepscarsintheworldjustbyappearing—Spirits.

Suchathingmustbeeliminatedasquicklyaspossible.

However,itwasonlyforasingleinstant.

Shidouhadwitnessedit.Thegirl'sface,thatseemedliketearswereabouttorollout.

Shidouhadheardit.Thegirl'svoice,filledwithsorrow.

—Ahh,thisiswrong,waswhathehadthought.

"...Anyways."

FromShidou'smouth,wordsstartedflowingnaturally.

"If...wedon'tproperlytalkwiththemevenonce...wewon'tknow."

Thefearoffacingdeathstraightonatthattimewasstillcarvedinthedepthsofhisbody.

Itwashonestlyafearthatwouldmakeonewanttoescape.

However,Shidoucouldnotjustleavethatgirllikethis.

Becausesheis—thesameasShidou.

HearingShidou'swords,Kotori'slipscurledintoamischievoussmile.

Itwasasthoughshewassaying"Iwaswaitingforthosewords".

"Isee.—Then,letmehelpyou."

"Huh...?"

WhileShidou'smouthwashangingopen,Kotorispreadherarmsoutwide.

Reine,andKannazuki,andthecrewspreadoutbelow,andalsothisairship—<Fraxinus>,itwasasifshewasindicatingallofthese.

"Isaid,wewillassistyouwiththat.Allof<Ratatoskr>'spowerwillgotowardssupportingShidou."



Withanelegantmovement,Kotoriplacedherfingersonherknees.

"Wh-Whatareyoutalkingabout.Idon't—"

"Letmeansweryourfirstquestion.Theoneaboutwhoweare."

AsiftoblockoutShidou'squestions,Kotoriraisedhervoice.

"Okay?ThewaystodealwithaSpiritbasicallyfitintotwomainmethods."

"Two...?"

Shidouasked,Kotorigaveanexaggeratednod,andthenraisedherindexfinger.

"Thefirst,istheapproachthatASTistaking.Themethodofexterminatingthemthroughaclashofpower."

Followingthat,hermiddlefingeralsostoodup.

"Theotheris...themethodoftalkingtotheSpirits.—Weare<Ratatoskr>.WeareanorganizationcreatedforthepurposeofresolvingthespacequakeswithoutkillingtheSpirits,throughconversation."

"..."

Shidounarrowedhisbrowsinthought.Aboutwhatexactlythatorganizationis,andwhyKotoriwaspartofsuchanorganization,thereweremanyquestionsinhismind,but—fornow,heaskedthequestionthatwasthemostonhismind.

"...So,whyissuchanorganizationgoingtobesupportingme?"

"You'vegotthepremiseallwrong.Inthefirstplace,theorganizationcalled<Ratatoskr>wasanorganizationcreatedforShidou'ssake."

"Ha,haaaa...!?"

Shidouhadamagnificentbreakdowninexpression,andletoutahystericvoice.

"Waitamoment.NowI'mmoreconfusedthanbefore.Formysake?"

"Yes.—Well,itmightbemorecorrecttosaythatit'sanorganizationtolaythefoundationsforShidou'sroleinnegotiatingwiththeSpiritsinordertosolvetheproblemoftheSpirits.Eitherway,it'sanorganizationthatwouldn'texistifShidou



didn'texist."

"Wa-wait.Whatdoyoumean?Wereallofthesepeoplegatheredforthatreason?Ormoreimportantly,whyme!"

Shidouasked,andwhilerollingthecandyaroundinhermouth,Kotorimurmured.

"Mm,well,Shidou'sspecial."

"That'snotanexplanationnnnnnnn!"

Unabletoresist,heyelled.

HoweverKotorifearlesslysmiled,andmadeashrugginggesture.

"Ohwell,you'llunderstandthereasoneventually.Isn'tthisfine?I'msayingthatwe,allthemembersandallourtechnologies,willbebackingyouractions.Or—areyouplanningtostandbetweentheSpiritsandASTwithoutanypreparationbyyourself?You'lldie,forsure."

Kotorinarrowedhereyesandspokeinacoldvoice.Withoutnoticingit,Shidouswallowedhisbreath.

ItwasasKotorisaid.Shidouwasjustsinginghisidealsandhopes,butdidnotpossessanymeanstomakeitreality.

Thethingshewantedtosayweresomanythatitseemedthattheymightoverflowfrominsidehisthroat,buthesomehowenduredit,andaskedonlywhatwouldadvancethetopicforwards.

"...Soforthat,conversationmethod,whatinparticularneedstobedone?"

AsmallsmilefloatedonKotori'sface.

"Aboutthat."

Shethenplacedherhandonherchin,

"MaketheSpirit—fallinlove."

Smirking,sheproudlysaidthat.

......



Afterabitoftime.

"...What?"

AlineofsweatdrippeddownShidou'sfaceashefrowned.

"...Sorry,Idon'treallyunderstand."

"LikeIsaid,makefriendswithher,talktoher,flirtwithher,dateher,andmakeherfallmadlyinlove."

HearingKotorisaythisasifitwasagiven,Shidouburiedhisheadinhishands.

"...Uhm,andwhywouldthatsolvetheproblemofthespacequakes?"

Kotoriplacedasinglefingeronherchinandwithan"mmmm"madeathinkinggesture.

"Ifwewantasolutiontothespacequakeswithoutusingforce,thenwehavetopersuadetheSpiritright?"

"Thatseemsright."

"Forthat,wouldn'titbequickesttomaketheSpiritcometolikethisworld?Oh,thisworldissowonderful~,iftheybecomelikethat,thenevenaSpiritwouldn'trandomlygoonarampage."

"Isee."

"Thus,well,isn'titoftensaid?Thatifyoufallinlovethentheentireworldseemsbeautiful.—Andso,dateher,andmaketheSpiritfallforyou!"

"No,there'ssomethingwrongwiththatlogic."

Itwasobviousthatthelogicwentoutofthewindow.WhileastreakofsweatfloweddownShidou'sface,hecommented.

"I-Ican'tgothroughwithsuchathing..."

"Bequietyoufriedchicken."

AsShidoutriedtovoiceacomplaint,butKotoricovereditwithastrongvoicethatdidn'tallowhimachoice.



"Iwon'tallowtheASTtokilltheSpirits~,there'sgottabeanotherway~,butIdon'tlike<Ratatoskr>'sway~...?Ifyou'regoingtobenaivethenatleastdoitinmoderationyouBombardierBeetle.Whatcanyoudobyyourself?Knowyourownlimits."

"Ugghh..."

"—Idon'tneedtheapprovalofthebottomofyourstomach.But,ifyoudon'twanttokilltheSpirits...thenyoudon'thaveroomforchoosingthemethod."

Forsomereason,anevilsmilefloatedontoKotori'sface.

Inreality,itwasasshesaid.

Withoutanypowerorsupport,evenifShidouwantedtotalkwiththatSpiritgirlonemoretime,itwouldn'tcometrue.

AST'smethodisoutofthequestion—evenKotori'sgroupprobablywantstoensnaretheSpiritsfortheirpersonalgains,sincethatwastheonlyreasonhecouldthinkof.

However—itwasafactthattherewerenootherways.

"...,Iunderstand."

Shidoubitterlynodded,andKotori'ssmilefilledherface.

"—Yoroshiku.Lookingatthedatauptonow,thenexttimeaSpiritwillshowupisatleastoneweeklater.We'llimmediatelystarttrainingtomorrow."

"Huh...?Training...?"

Shidouuttered,stunned.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardier_beetle



Part5

Thenextdayarrived.April11th,Tuesday.

ItwasthedayafterthedayShidouhadgonethroughastrangeandunrealisticexperience.

Intheend,afterthat,Shidouwasmovedtoadifferentroomwherehewasgivenadetailedexplanationofthesituationthatdraggedonlateintothenightbyamanhedidn'tknow(honestly,hedidn'treallyrememberthelaterparts),andaftersigningvariousformshewasfinallyallowedtoreturnhome.

Withouteventakingabathhedoveintohisbed,andbeforehenoticeditwasmorning.

Hedraggedhissluggishbodytoschool,andenduredthelessonswhilerubbinghissleepyeyes,andfinallythelastclassended—waswhathewasthinkingwhenatthatmomenttheincidenthappened.

"Come."

"Eh?"

Suddenly.

Shidou'shandwasgrabbedbyOrigami,asheletoutaconfusedvoice.

"Ah,wa-wait..."

Hischairtoppledoverwithacrash,andhewasdraggedoutoftheclassroombyOrigami.

Behindhim,Tonomachi'smouthwashangingopen,andforsomereasongroupsofgirlsweremakingacommotiongoing*kyaa,kyaa*.

Whilethinkingthatanotherrumorwasgoingtostartgoingaround,ShidoufollowedOrigami.Well,atleastit'sbetterthanbeingtreatedasthe'bestcouple'togetherwithTonomachi,hecomfortedhimself.



Withoutaword,Origamiclimbedupthestairsuntilshereachedthetightlylockeddoortotheroof,andfinallyletgoofhishand.

Theclatterofthestudentsleavingschoolseemedawfullyfaraway.

Thoughtherewerepeoplelessthantenmetersaway,itseemedasifthiswasalonely,isolatedspace.

"Eh,uhmm..."

Eventhoughhedidn'thaveanyfeelingsforOrigami,forsomereason,beingbroughttosuchaplacebyagirl,hefeltawkward.Shidou'sgazeswam.

However,withoutanywarning,

"Yesterday,whywereyouatsuchaplace?"

ShespokewhilelookingatShidoustraightintheeyes.

"Well,itseemedmysisterwasstillinthestreetsafterthealarmrang,soIwassearching.."

"Isee.—Didyoufindher?"

Shidouanswered,andwithherexpressionsunchanging,notevenshowingsurprise,Origamireplied.

"—A-Ah...yeah."

"Isee.That'sgreat."

Aftersayingthis,Origami'slipscontinuedtomove.

"—Yesterday,yousawme."

"A-Ahh..."

"Don'ttellanyone."

AsShidouwasabouttoaffirm,Origamisaidinacommandingvoice.

IwonderhowshewouldreactifIreplied"Ifyoudon'twanteveryonetofindoutthenyoubetterlistentowhatIsay,hehehe",suchadangerouscuriosityshowedon



Shidou'sface.

Butasexpected,Shidoudidn'thavethatmuchcourage.Heslowlytiltedhisheadforward.

"Inaddition,it'snotjustaboutmyself—buteverythingyousawandheardyesterday.Itwouldbebestifyouforgotitall."

Shewasdefinitely...talkingabouttheSpirit.

"...Doyoumeanthatgirl?"

"..."

OrigamimerelylookedatShidousilently.

"H-Hey...Tobiichi.Thatgirl—"

HehadalreadyheardabouttheSpiritsfrom<Ratatoskr>,butShidoustillasked.

Intheend,thatwasonlytheviewpointofKotoriandherorganization.Ifit'speoplelikeOrigamiwhocrossswordswiththem,hethoughtthattheywouldprobablyhaveadifferentmindset.

"ThatwasaSpirit."

Origamigaveashortreply.

"It'ssomethingthatImustdefeat."

"...T-ThatSpirit,issheabadperson...?"

Shidoutriedthrowingoutthisquestion.

Ashedidso,itwasslight,buthethoughthesawOrigamibiteherlips.

"—Myparents,passedaway5yearsago,becauseofaspirit."

"...Wh—"

TheunexpectedreplycloggedupShidou'swords.

"Idon'twanttheretobemorepeoplelikeme."



"...Is,thatso—"

Shidouplacedhishandonhischest.

Hetriedtosomehowcalmhisintenseandprofuseheartbeat.

However,suddenlyaworrisomethoughtcameintohismind.Whilescratchinghischeek,heaskedOrigami,whoevennowwasstilllookingstraightathim.

"NowthatIthinkaboutit,Tobiichi...abouttheSpirit,andstufflikethat,isitalrightforyoutotalkaboutthem...?Well,eventhoughIaskedaboutthem..."

"..."

Origamiwassilentforamoment.

"Noproblem."

"I-Isthatso?"

"Ifyoukeepitasecret."

"...AndifIdon't?"

"..."

Again,herwordsstoppedforamoment.

"It'dbeaproblem."

"Isee...thatwouldbebad....Ipromiseyou,Iwon'ttellanyone."

Withanod,Origamiapproved.

Attheendoftheirconversation,OrigamimovedhergazeawayfromShidou,andproceededdownthestairs.

"...Fuuu..."

Afterhecouldn'tseeOrigami'sbackanymore,Shidouleanedonthewallandletoutasigh.Eventhoughalltheydidwastalk,hefeltanextremenervousness.

"Herparents,diedbecauseofSpirits—huh."



*Dong*,hebangedhisheadonthewall,andmuttered.

TheSpiritswerecalledthecalamitythatwilldestroytheworld.Suchathing—probablyhappens.

"...WasIjustnaiveafterall..."

OrigamiandKotori,thoughtheirdirectionsweredifferent,theyweremovingundertheirfirmbeliefs.

ButwhataboutShidou?

TheharshwordshesaidbeforeKotoriyesterday,couldhesaythesametowardsOrigami?

"..."

*Haaa*,heletoutabreath.Hedoesn'tthinkthathisactionsaremistaken,buthehadacomplicatedfeeling.

Then,asShidouwasabouttodescendthestairs.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!"

Fromthedirectionofthecorridor,heheardthescreamsofafemalestudent.

"...!?Wh-What'swrong?"

Hurriedlyboundingdownthestairsandtakingalook,hesawthatafewstudentshadgatheredinthecorridor.

Intheircenter,henoticedawomanwearingawhitecoatcollapsedonthefloor.

"Wh-Whathappened?"

"I-Itseemsshe'sanewteacher,and...shesuddenlyfell...!"

Iasked,andafemalestudentnearbyhurriedlyanswered.

"Idon'treallyunderstand,butfornowlet'sgetthenurse—"

AsShidoustartedtospeak,thecollapsedwomaninthewhitecoatgrabbedhisleg.



"W-Waaaah!?"

"...Don'tworryaboutme.Ijusttripped."

Whilespeaking,thewomanslowlyraisedherfacewhichhadbeenattachedtothefloor.

"Y-You're...!"

Longbangs,andthickcircles.Shewaswearingglasses,buttherewasnowayhecouldforgetthosefacialfeatures.

"...Hn?Ahh,youare—"

Thewoman—<Fraxinus>'sAnalysisOfficer,MurasameReine,slowlypickedherselfofftheground.

"Wh-whatareyoudoingatthisplace...?"

"...Can'tyoutellbylooking?I'vebecomeateacher.InparticularIwillbeteachingphysics,aswellastakingthepositionofassistanthomeroomteacherforclass2-4."

Whiledisplayingthenametagonherchest,Reinereplied.Incidentally,thestuffedbearcoveredinscarspeekedoutofherbreastpocketdirectlyaboveit.

"No,there'snowayIcouldknowthat!"

Ayell—atthatpoint,Shidounoticedthatoddlythesurroundinggazeshadgatheredonthem.

"Ah...I-Itseemsthatthispersonisfine."

HestretchedouthishandandhelpedReineup.

"...Nn,thanks."

"Noproblem.Let'stalkwhilewalking."

Payingmindtothesurroundings,Shidousuggested.

MatchingReine'space,theyploddedaway.

"Uhm—AnalysisOfficerReine?"



"...Nn,ahh,justReineisfine."

"Huh?"

"...Iwillalsocallyoubyyourname.Theysaycoordinationandcooperationisbornfromtrust."

Reinenoddedafewtimes,andlookedatShidou'sface.

"Uhm,youwere...Shintarou,wasit?"

"Wayoff!"

Therewasn'tanythingliketrustthere.

"...NowthenShin,thismightbesudden."

"What'swiththatsplendidthrough?!Orratheryouevengavemeaweirdnickname!"

Theshoutburstforth.However,Reinecontinuedasifshehadn'theardShidou'swords.

"...ThepreparationsforthestrengtheningtrainingthatKotoritalkedaboutyesterdayhasbeencompleted.Iwassearchingforyou.Thisisperfect,let'sproceedtothephysicspreparationroom."

AnythingShidousaysnowwouldbeuseless,sohegaveuponretorting,andafterabigsigh,returnedaquestion.

"ExactlywhatwillIbedoingforthistraining?Uhm...Reine-san."

"...Hm.IheardthisfromKotori,butShin,itseemsthatyouhaven'tassociatedwithgirlsbeforeright?"

"......"

—Mydearsister,whyareyouleakingyourbrother'shistorywithwomen(zero)tootherpeople?

AveinpoppeduponShidou'sfaceashegaveanambiguousnod.

"...It'snotlikeI'mtryingtoblameyou.It'sverygoodtohavefirmmorals....But,that



won'thelpyouwhenyou'retryingtoseduceaSpirit."

"Ugh..."

Frowning,hegroaned.

Itwasprobablywhentheypassedclosetothestaffroom,when

"...Ah?"

Shidousawastrangesightandstopped.

"...What'swrong?"

"Lookatthat..."

Wherehewaslookingat,thehomeroomteacherTama-chanwaswalking—followingbehindher,atinyshadowwithhairsplitintwothenturnedaround.

"Ah!"

PerhapsshenoticedShidou'sgaze,butthetinyshadow—Kotori'sexpressionsuddenlybrightened.

"Oniii-chaaaaaaan!"

Instantly,asifsuckedtowardshim,KotorilandedasurpriseassaultonShidou'sstomach.

"Hagaa....!"

"Ahahaha,yousaidhagaa!That'sthemayor!ahahahaha!"[1C3]

"Ko-Kotori...!?Whyareyouinthishighschool..."

ShidouaskedwhilesomehowpeelingoffKotoriwhowasclingingontohisstomach,andfrombehindKotori,teacherTama-chanhurriedover.

"Ah,Itsuka-kun.Yoursistercame,sowewerejustgoingtobroadcastit."

"A-Ahh..."

Takingagoodlook,Kotoriwaswearingtheslippersforguests,andhadaguest



passonthechestofhermiddleschooluniform.Itseemssheenteredtheschoolafterproperlygoingthroughtheformalities.

"Oh,teacher,thankyou!"

"It'smypleasure."

TheteacherreturnedasmiletoKotoriwhowasenergeticallywavingherhand.

"Ohmy,whatacutesister."

"Haa...yeah."

Asadropofsweatrolleddownhisfaceandwithabittersmile,Shidougaveanambiguousreply.

Aftersmilingandwaving"byebye"toKotori,theteacherwalkedawaytowardsthestaffroom.

"...So,Kotori."

"Huh,Whaat?"

Whileopeningherroundeyes,Kotoritiltedherhead.

ThatbehaviorbelongedtothecutelittlesisterthatShidouwasfamiliarwith.

"You...thosethingslastnight,like<Ratatoskr>,orSpirits—"

"Let'stalkaboutthoselater."

Hertonewasthesameasalways,butforsomereasontherewasthefeelingofsomekindofpressure,soShidoufellsilent.

Then,frombehindShidou,Reine'squietvoiceechoed.

"...You'reearly,Kotori."

"Mm,becauseIleft<Fraxinus>behindmidway."

Althoughshehadsaidtotalkaboutthoselater,shehadnaturallysaidtheship'sname.



Feelingthatthiswasabitirrational,Shidouplacedahandonhisforehead.

Lookingatthatwithacarefreesmile,KotoriproceededdownthecorridorasiftoguideShidou.

"Anyways,hey,onii-chan.Let'sgo?"

Sayingthis,Kotoripulledhishand.

"Wh...Whoa,Igetitsoslowdown."

Todaywasadaywherehewasdraggedalongbygirlsalot.Whileleisurelythinkingaboutsuchathing,theyreachedtheirdestination.

Eastschoolbuildingfourthfloor,physicspreparationroom.

"Now,comein,comein~♪"

"Don'tsayitlike'heigh-ho'!"[1C4]

UrgedbyKotori,Shidouslidopentheslidingdoor.

Immediatelyafter,hefrownedandrubbedhiseyes.

"...Hey."

"...What?"

ReinerespondedtoShidou'swordsbytiltingherhead.

"What'swiththisroom?"

Thephysicspreparationroomwasnotaplacethatstudentsnormallyentered,andinfact,Shidouhadnoideawhatitcontained.

Buteventhen,heclearlyrealized.

—Thatthiswasnotthephysicspreparationroom.

Afterall,Shidou'svisionwasfilledwithalargenumberofcomputers,displays,andvariouselectronicdevicesthathehadneverseenbefore.

"...They'retheroom'sequipment?"



"Whyareyouansweringwithaquestion!Orratherbeforethat,isn'tthisthephysicspreparationroom?Whathappenedtotheteacherinchargeofthisplace!"

That'sright.Originally,thiswassupposedtobetheonlyplaceotherthanthetoiletwherethekindandplainelderlyphysicsteacherChousokaBeshiyouichi(nicknamednatural-bornstonehat[1C5])couldrelax.

Now,teacherChousokaBeshiyouichi'sfigurecouldnotbeseenanywhere.

"..Ahh,him.Hmm."

Reineplacedherhandonherchinandgaveasmallnod.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Justlikethat,afewsecondspassed.

"...Ohwell,evenifyoustandthereitwon'tchangeanything.Pleaseenter."

"What'safter'hmm'!?"

Whatanamazingignoringability.It'saskillthatJapanesepeopleshoulddefinitelylearnnowadays.

Reineenteredtheroomfirst,andsatinachairplacedinthedeepestpartoftheroom.

Next,KotorienteredtheroomfrombesideShidou.

Then,inaveryaccustomedmanner,sheuntiedherhairboundinwhiteribbonsandrefastenedthemwiththeblackribbonsthatshetookoutfromherpocket.

"—Phew."

Asshedidso,itseemedlikeKotori'saurasuddenlychanged.

Shethensluggishlyloosenedthecollarofheruniform,andcollapsedintoachair



nearReinewithabigthump.

Andthen,fromthebagshecarried,Kotoritookoutwhatseemedlikeasmallbinder.

Insideit,linedupbeautifullyinaset,werevarioustypesofChupaChups.

Itwastherumoredcandyholder.

Kotorichoseone,puttingitinhermouth,andsentagazethatseemedtobelookingdownonShidou,whowasstillstandingattheentrancetotheroom.

"Howlongareyougoingtostandaroundfor,Shidou?Orareyoutryingtobeascarecrow?You'dbettergiveup.Withyourstupidface,Idon'tthinkyou'llbeabletochasecrowsaway.Ah,butsinceit'ssogrossmaybeontheotherhandhumanswon'tcomenearyou."

"..."

Seeinghissisterwhohadtransformedintoaqueeninasinglemoment,Shidouplacedhishandonhisforehead.

Changingtheribbonhadprobablycausedaswitchinmindset.

ItwasliketheflippingoverofpiecesinReversi,impressivelyJekyll&Hydelike.

"...Kotori,whichisyourtruecharacter...?"

"You'rebeingprettyrude.Youwon'tbepopularwithwomenlikethat.—Ahh,sothat'swhyyou'restillavirgin.Sorryforpointingoutsuchanobviousthing."

"...Hey."

"Accordingtostatistics,morethanhalfofmenwhoreachedtwenty-twowithoutbeingabletodateagirlremainvirginsforlife."

"ThatmeansIstillhavemorethanfiveyearsleft!Don'tunderestimatethefutureme!"

"Peoplewhotalkonlyaboutpossibilitiesorhowlongtheyhaveleft,intheendtheonlythingtheysayis'I'llworkhardstartingtomorrow'."

"Guh..."



Realizingthathecouldn'twininanargument,hegrithisteethandshutthedoor.

"...Now,anywaysShin,thetrainingisabouttostart.Pleasesithere."

Sayingthis,Reineindicatedachairsandwichedbetweenthetwoofthem.

"...Okay."

Shidouhadalreadyrealizedthatanyofhiscomplaintswouldbeuseless,sohefollowedtheirdirectionsandsatinthechair.

"Now,let'simmediatelystartthetort...*cough**cough*,let'sstartthetraining."

"Youjustsaidtorturerightnowdidn'tyou."

"It'syourimagination.—Reine."

"...Ahh."

Kotorispoke,andReineagreedwhilecrossingherlegs.

"...Whateveryourintentions,inordertojoininourplans,youmustattheveryminimumclearacertainrequirement."

"Whatisit?"

"...Insimplewords,youmustbecomemoreusedtodealingwithfemales."

"Dealingwithfemales...huh?"

"...Ahh."

Reinenodded.Forsomereason,itseemedlikeshewasabouttofallasleepjustlikethat.

"...Notonlytobreakthroughthetarget'sguard,butinordertogaintheiraffection,maintainingaconversationisessential.Althoughwecangiveinstructionsonwheretogoandwhattosay...butifthepersoninquestionisnervousthenitwon'twork."

"Aconversationwithagirl...itcan'tbethattough."

"Iwonder."



KotorisuddenlygrabbedShidou'shead,andpushedithardintoReine'sbreasts.

"......!?"

"...Nn?"

Reineletoutastrangesound.

Hischeekswereattackedbyawarmandsoftfeeling,andfollowingthatafragrancethatseemedtomelthisbraincircledinhisnose.ShidouinstantlypushedKotori'shandawayandraisedhisfacewithajolt.

"...Wh-wh-wh-whatareyoudoing...!"

"Hmm,it'snogoodhuh."

Kotorimockinglyshruggedhershoulders.

"Youunderstandnowright?Ifsomethinglikethisevenmessesupyourheartbeatthenit'sdefinitelynogood."

"No,clearlythisexampleisstrangeright!?"

HoweverKotoriwasn'tabouttolistentohim,assheshookherheadindisappointment.

"Really,you'reasadcherry-boyhuh.Ohmy,didIjustthinkyouwereabitcute?"

"Sh-shutup."

"...Well,isn'titfine?It'sbecauseofthisthatwecamehereafterall."

Sayingthis,Reinecrossedherarms.Hernaturallymagnificentbustwasevenmoreemphasized.

Orrather,theywere'riding'onherarms.

"..."

Forsomereasonlookingatthemmadehimfeelembarrassed,sowithoutnoticingithisvisionwandered.

—Trainingtogetusedtofemales.



InShidou'shead,thewordsReinesaidpassedthrough.

Moreover,theymoreorlessbecamehowtoavoidbeingflusteredineroticsituations...orsomethinglikethat.

KotoriandReine,whatexactlyaretheyplanningonmakingShidoudohere—

"Swallowyoursaliva.It'sdisgusting."

Placingherelbowsonthedesk,Kotorisaidwithhalf-openedeyes.

"...!N-noit'snotlikethatKotori!I-Iwasn't..."

"...Ohwell,weren'twestartingimmediately?"

CuttingintotheconversationbetweenKotoriandShidou,Reinepushedherglassesup.

"Haa—,w-wait,Ihaven'tpreparedmyselfyet..."

Withhisvoiceshakingfromnervousness,Shidoustraightenedhisback.

WithoutmindinghimReinemuttered"...Nn",andlikeamomentagobroughtherbodytowardsShidou.

Comparedwiththepreviouscasewheretheywerebroughtintocontactwithoutanypriornotice,hisheartthrobbedwayfaster.

—Ahh,what?Justwhatisshegoingtodo...!?

Withhisheartbeatinglikethishecouldn'tevenmove.Whilemakinganexpressionlikeamaincharacterinan80'sshoujomanga,Shidoutightlyclosedhiseyes.

However,nomatterhowlonghewaited,nothinghappened.

Openinghiseyesandtakingalook,Reinehadmerelypluggedinthepowerforthemonitoronthedesk.

"Eh...?"

WhileShidoustaredblankly,acutelydesignedword<Ratatoskr>showeduponthescreen.



Next,togetherwithapoptune,beautifulgirlswithcolorfulhairwereshowninorder,andalogothatseemedtobethetitle,'Makelove,my•little•Shidou',danced.

"Th-thisis..."

"...Yup.It'swhat'scalledadatingsimulationgame."

"It'sagalge?!"

Shidouletoutashoutthatwaslikeashriek.

"Ohmy,whatwereyouimagining?Itseemsonlyyourfantasizingabilityisfirst-rate,disgusting."



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galge



"...N,th-that's..."

Fumblingforwords...somehowhemanagedtocalmhisheartbeatbyclearinghisthroat.

"I-Iwasjust,wonderingifsomethinglikethisreallycountsastraining..."

Silently,Kotorilookedathimwitheyeslikeshewaslookingatsomethingdirty.

Hewishedthatshewouldatleastsaysomething.Thissilence,thissilenceispainful.

"...Well,pleasedon'tsaythat.Thisismerelythefirststageofthetraining.Moreover,thisisn'tsomethingyoucanfindinstores,itwasproducedbythewholeof<Ratatoskr>.Itrealisticallyreproducessituationsthatcanhappeninreality.Itshouldbeatleastabletoprepareyou.Bytheway,it's15+."

"Ahh...soit'snot18+."

Shidousaidthatwithoutanyparticularmeaning,andKotorilookedathimwithalookborderingonpity.

"You'retheworst."

Then,Reinescratchedherhead.

"...Shin,aren'tyou16?Youshouldn'tbeabletoplay18+gamesright?"

"Butisn'tthissubtlydifferentfromwhatyousaidamomentago?!"

Heyelled,butitdidn'tseemlikeeitherKotoriorReinewasgoingtorespond.

"...Nn,thenletusstart."

"Okayokay...let'ssee."

Despitefeelingthatsomethingdidn'tmakesense,Shidoutookthecontrollerinhishandsasurged.

Playingagalgewhileyoursisterandateacherwatched,whatkindofpunishmentisthis,hethought.

Skimmingovertheprotagonist'smonologue,thegameprogressedforward.



Then,thescreensuddenlyturneddark.

"Goodmorning,mybrother!It'sanothernicedaytoday!"

Togetherwiththosewords,aprettyCGwasshownonthescreen.

Ashortgirl,probablytheprotagonist'slittlesister,wasdrawninaslantedcomposition.

Orrather,shewassteppingonthesleepingprotagonist.

Withherpantiesinfullview.

"There'snooooooway!!"

Whilegrippingthecontroller,Shidouraisedhisvoice.

"...What'swrongShin.Isthereaproblem?"

"Didn'tyousaythatthisreproducessituationsthatcouldhappeninreality?!"

"...That'sright,istheresomethingweird?"

"Weirdornot,suchamessedupsituationcould...never..."

Stoppinginthemiddle,Shidou'sforeheadstartedtosweat.

Herealizedthatforsomereason,anextremelysimilarexperienceseemedtohavehappenedjustyesterdaymorning.

"...Whatisit?"

"...Nevermind,it'snothing."

Whilefeelingthattherewassomethingextremelyoff,Shidoureturnedtothegame.

Afterheadvancedthetextabit,somewordsappearedinthemiddleofthescreen.

"Huh...?What'sthis?"

"Mm,thosearechoices.Youchoosetheprotagonist'snextactionthroughoneofthese.Asyoudoyouraffectionpointswillchangeaccordinglysobecareful."



Sayingthis,Kotoripointedtothebottomrightsideofthescreen.There,wasanobjectlikeameterwithitspointeronthezeroposition.

"Hmm...Isee.Soit'sfineifIjustchooseoneoftheseright?"

Shidoumovedhiseyesfromtheaffectionpointsmetertothechoices.

①"Goodmorning.IloveyouRiriko."Lovinglyhugyoursister.

②"I'mawake.Orratheryou'vecompletelywokemeup."Dragyoursisterintothebed.

③"Icaughtyou,idiot!"Grabthelegthat'ssteppingonyou,andperformananklelock.

"...Whatthehellarethesethreechoices!Whatpartofthisisreal!I'veneverdoneanyofthesethings!"

"Whatever,butthetimelimitisalmostup."

"Huh...?!"

JustlikeKotorisaid,thenumberdisplayedunderthechoiceswasgraduallygettingsmaller.

"...GuessIhavetodoit."

Shidousaidasifgroaning,andchosethemostnormalofthechoices,①.

"Goodmorning.IloveyouRiriko."

Ilovinglyhuggedmysister,Ririko.

AsIdidso,Ririko'sfaceimmediatelyfilledwithscorn,andshepushedmeaway.

"Eh...hey,what,willyoustopthat?It'sgross."

Theaffectionpointsmeterdroppedallthewaytominusfifty.

"Itwassupposedtobereal!"

Whileslammingthecontrollerontohisknees,Shidouyelled.



"Ahhhh,you'reanidiot.Evenifit'syoursister,it'sobviousthatthat'swhatwouldhappenifyousuddenlyhugher.—Jeez,it'sgoodthatthisisjustagame,ifthishappenedinreality,alovelyairholewouldhaveopenedupinShidou'sstomach."

"ThenwhatamIsupposedtodo!"

Shidouscreamedaboutthisextremelyunreasonabletreatment,andKotoriactedlikeshehadn'theardit.

Withasigh,sheturnedontheLCDscreeninfrontofherself.

"Ah...?Whatareyoudoing?"

"Evenifit'straining,thereneedstobeabitoftension."

Onthescreen,ascenerythatherememberedwasshown.ItwastheentrancetoRaizenHighSchool.

There,inthecamera'ssight,stoodamiddle-agedmanwearingthehighschool'suniform.

"...What'swiththatguy?"

"He'spartofourcrew."

Sayingthis,Kotoripulledsomethinglikeamicoutofnowhereandspokeintoit.

"—It'sme.Shidoufailedachoice.Doit."

"Huh?"

Themanintheimagebowed.

"Huh...?Wh-what?"

Shidounarrowedhisbrows,andthemanintheimagetookoutapieceofpaperfromhispocket.Hethenhelditoutinfrontofthecamera.

Themomenthesawit,Shidoufeltashockasifhisheartstopped.

"Th-That's—"

Seeinghisreaction,asmilethatshowedthatshewasenjoyingthisgreatlysurfaced



onKotori'sface.

"That'sright.It'sthepoemthattheyoungShidou,affectedbymanga,wrote:'Etude,tributetothecorrodingworld'."

"Wh...wh-wh-wh-whydoyouhavethat...?!"

ItwaswithoutadoubtthepoemthatShidouhadwritteninhisnotebookinmiddleschool.Butbeforegoingtohighschool,itbecameembarrassingandheshouldhavehaddisposedofit.

"Fufu,IthoughtthatitwouldcomeinhandysomedaysoIpickeditup."

"Wh,wh-wh-whatareyouplanning...!"

Whilegrinning,Kotoriletoutthecommand,"Doit."

"Yes."

Withashortanswer,themanpolitelyplacedthepoemintoanearbyshoerack.

Likethis,somestudentthatcomestoschooltomorrowwillendupreadingthepoemShidouputhiswholesoulinto!

"Wh...whatareyoudoing!"

"Don'tmakeafuss,you'reshameful.IfyoumessupwhendealingwithaSpiritthenitwon'tendwithsomethinglikethis.There'snoquestionaboutShidouyourself,butthereisalsothepossibilitythatwecouldevengetdraggedin.—Thus,inordertogiveyouasenseoftension,I'veputinthispenalty."

"That'stooheavyyyyy!Orrather,wouldn'tIbetheonlyonethatwouldgethurt?!"

Shidouyelled,andReinegaveanod,placingherhandonherchin.

"...Indeed,whatShinsaysdoesmakesense."

"!Th-that'sright!"

Withtheunexpectedhelp,Shidou'sfacebrightened.However,

"...Inthatcase,whenShingetsachoicewrong,weshouldalsofacesomekindofpenalty."



Sayingthis,shestartedtoslowlytakeoffherwhitecoat.

"Wai...whatareyoudoing?!"

"...Uh,weren'tyousayingthatitwasunfairthatyouweretheonlyonegettingembarrassed?SowhenShinmakesamistakeonachoicethenIwilltakeoffapieceofclotheslikethis."

Shesaid,andwithoutseemingparticularlyembarrassedshecrossedherarms.

"Thatwasn'twhatImeanttttttt!"

"Whatever,continuewiththegame."

Kotoriimpatientlykickedthechair.

Withanalmostcryingface,Shidougaveupandfacedthescreen.

But,ifthechoicesthatappearlaterarealllikethis,hehadnoconfidencethathecouldsafelyclearthem.

"...HeyKotori,forthesakeoflearning,canItryallthechoicesforthelastchoice?"

"Uwah,chickeningoutandthinkinglikeacommoner,howdisgraceful."

"Sh-shutup,it'smyfirsttimeplayingsomethinglikethissogivemeabreak!"

"Jeez,finethen.Justthisonetime.—Then,savehere."

"O-Okay..."

AfterShidoufinishedsaving,heresetthegameandreturnedtothefirstchoice.

"..."

Withagrimfaceheglaredatthechoices...therereallydoesn'tseemtobeadecentone.

Butitdidn'tseemlike③wouldraisetheaffectionpoints.Byprocessofelimination,hechose②.

"I'mawake.Orratheryou'vecompletelywokemeup."



Groggilywakingup,IdragRirikointothebedandpulltheblanketsoverher.

"Ah...,wh-whatareyoudoing!"

"Ican'thelpit.It'sbecauseofRirikothatit'sgottenlikethis."

"!!Noo,stop!Noooooooo!"

"It'sfineit'sfineit'sfine."

Thescreenturneddark.

Thedevelopmentsafterwardhappenedinaninstant.

Thelittlesister,collapsedintears.Theprotagonist,beingbeatenbythefather.Theclearsoundofhandcuffs.Theprotagonist,laughingaloneinadarkroom.

WiththatCGasthebackground,asadmusicaswellasthecreditsbegantoflow.

"Whatthehellisthiiiiiiiis!"

Unabletoresist,Shidouyelled.

"Ifyousuddenlydosomethinglikethatthenit'sobviouswhattheresultwillbeyousexoffender."

"Then③'sthecorrectanswer?!"

Shidouresetthegame,andforthethirdtimereturnedtothefirstchoice,andthistimechose③.

"Icaughtyou,idiot!"

Itwistedmysister'sleg,performingananklelock—ortriedto.

"Naive."

Shetwistedherbody,escapingfrommygrasp,andlikethat,swungherlegaroundmybackandgrabbedmylegsinasplendedSharpshooter

"Gwahh...?!"

Afterwards,duetotheinjuriessustainedatthattime,theprotagonistbecame



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpshooter_%28professional_wrestling%29

paraplegicandwasforcedintoalifetrappedinawheelchair.—Likethat,thegameended.

"Hey,wasn't①thecorrectchoiceafterall?!Andnormallyyourlittlesistershouldn'tbeabletopullsuchamove!"

"Hmpf."

AssoonasShidousaidthis,Kotoridraggedhimbythecollarandflunghimontothefloor,instantlygrabbinghislegsandpullingaSharpshooter.

"Gah...?!"

"Hmph,gah?Atleastcalloutforyourmother."

Sayingthis,sheletgoofShidouandrefreshinglystraightenedherhair.

"H-heyyou,wheredidyoulearnsucha—"

"It'salady'smeansforselfdefense."

Sheflatlysaid.

TheimageShidouhadofaladysuddenlychangedtothatofaprowrestlerbulgingwithmuscle.

"Ugh...,thenwhataboutthis,intheendwhat'sthecorrectchoice?"

"Jeez,you'reevengoingtoaskthecreatorfortheanswer?Howpitiful."

Whilespeaking,KotorigrabbedthecontrollerfromShidou,resetthegameandproceededuntilthefirstchoice.

Shethenproceededtosilentlystareatthescreenwithoutselectinganything.

"...?Whatareyoudoing?Ifyoudon'thurry—"

BeforeShidoufinishedtalking,thenumberdisplayedbelowthechoicesbecamezero.

"Nnn...tenmoreminutes..."

"Comeon!Wakeupalready!"



Likethis,anextremelynormalconversationwasshownonthescreen.

Theaffectionpointsmeterneitherwentupnordown.

"Wha..."

"Don'tyouthinkthere'ssomethingwrongwithchoosingfromsuchweirdchoices?"

Laughingscornfully,KotorigavethecontrollerbacktoShidou.

"I'llmakeaspecialexceptionandletyoucontinuefromthispath,sohurryupandcontinue.Oh,andstartingfromthenextchoicetherewillbepenalties."

"Guh...,grr..."

Whilefeelingsomethinginexplicable,Shidougrabbedthecontroller.

Continuingthegame,afemaleteacherboastingabustofover100centimetersshoweduponthescreen.

Eventhoughitwasalreadyunrealistic,Shidouignoreditandproceededonwards.

Then,

"Kyaa!"

Withascream,thefemaleteachertrippedoverthinairandfellinawaysuchthattheprotagonist'sfacewaspushedintoherbreasts.

Asexpected,thecontrollerwasthrownontothedesk.

"There's,noway!Somethinglike..."

Hestartedtospeak,butonceagainShidoufeltacoldsweat,anddejectedlypickedupthecontrolleragain.Hefeltthatsomethinglikethis,althoughthesituationwasdifferent,hadhappenedjustawhileago.

"What'swrong,Shidou?"

"...Nothing."

Quietly,heresumedplaying.



Ashedidso,onceagainachoiceshowedup.

①"Aftersomethinglikethis...teacher,I'vestartedtoloveyou."Gentlyhugher.

②"I-it'sthegodofbreastsss!"Grabherbreasts.

③"Chance!"Transitionintoanarmbar.

...Onceagain,noneofthemseemedsane.

"Soit'slikethis...!"

Shidoutightlyclenchedhisfists.Thismustbefollowingthesamepatternasthepreviousone.

Waitinguntilthecounterbelowthechoiceshitzero,asexpectedsometextshoweduponthescreen.

"...,kyaaaah!Whatareyoudoing!?Pervert!It'sapervert!"

Thefemaleteachershrieked,andtheaffectionpointsdroppedby80.

"Whatthehell!"

Shidoucriedout,andKotorimerelyshookherheadincontempt.

"Ifyouenjoyherbreastsforsuchalongtimewithouttryingtogetaway,thisresponseseemsobvious."

"ThenwhatamIsupposedtodo!?"

"Didyounotreadthetextbeforethechoice?SheistheadvisorfortheJudoClub,GoshogawaraChimatsuri.Youhavetoputherinahold,andmoveherattentionfromherbreaststothematch."

"HowthehellamIsupposedtoknowthat!"

"—Well,alossisaloss.Doit."

"Roger."



Themaninthecameraonceagaintookoutapieceofpaperfromhispocket,andshowedittothecamera.

Onitwasacrudedrawingofacharacteraswellasadetailedsetting.

"Th...Thisis!"

"That'sright.It'sthemanuscriptfortheoriginalcharacterthatShidoucreatedinthepast."

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?!"

DespiteShidoulettingoutashout,themanputthepaperintoarandomshoerack.

"Stopitstopitstopiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"

Shidougrabbedhisheadandscreamed,andReinestartedmakingsomemovementswitharustlingsound.

"...,Reine-san!"

Hehadforgotten.ShehadsaidthateverytimeShidoutookapenalty,shewouldremoveanotherpieceofclothing.

Well,sinceShidouwasahealthyhighschoolboy,itwouldbealietosaythathewouldn'tbehappy...but,forsomereason,hewastroubled.

Fortunately,Reinewasstillwearingplentyofclothesonherbody.Ifhemakessurenottogetanymorechoiceswrongthen—

"...Nn"

JustasShidouwasthinkingthis,Reineslowlymovedherhandsbehindherback,didsomethingthatcausedaclickingsound,thenmovedherhandsinsideherclothesandwriggledthemaroundabit,andpulledoutherbrassierefromherneck.

"You'restartingfromthere?!"

Shidouyelled,andReinecockedherheadtotheside.

"...Isthereaproblem?"

"No,butaren'tyouclearlygettingtheorderbackwards?!Orratheryoudon'thaveto



takeoffanymoreclothes!"

"...Hmm?Isthatnotunfair?Icanstillcontinue..."

"Youjustwanttotakethemoff,isn'tthatright?!"

Shidouraisedhisvoice,andonceagainwitha*gan*hischairwaskicked.

"Idon'tcareaboutthatbuthurryitup.Look,thenextcharacterhasalreadyappeared."

Sayingthis,Kotorigesturedtothescreen.

"Guh..."

Withoutachoice,Shidouresumedplaying.

Thistime,whatwasshownonthescreenwasascenewithagirlthatseemedtobeinthesamegradeastheprotagonist,whocrashedintohimatacornerofacorridor,andfellbeautifullywithherlegsinanMshapeandherpantiescompletelyvisible.

"—!"

Whilesearchinghismemories,Shidouclenchedhisfists,andsaidinaloudvoice.

"There'snone!Thisone,thisoneforsuredoesn'thappen!!"

"...Isthatso?HoweverIthinkthatunexpectedlythisdoeshappen..."

ThatwaswhatReinesaid,buthedefinitelyhadn'trunintothisbefore.Shidouconfidentlyshookhishead.

But,againhischairwaskicked.

"Thisisn'tagamewhereyoutrytodecidewhetherasituationisrealisticornot.Doitproperly.Ifyoumakeamistakeonthenextchoice—this."

Sayingthis,Kotorioperatedthecomputerinfrontofher.

"...Ah?"

Shidounarrowedhisbrowsasananimationwasshownonthescreen.



—ThebackgroundwasShidou'sroom.There,ahalf-nakedShidoustood.

"This...is..."

Shidou'sfaceturnedpale.

Afterall,thiswas—

"Special●InstantLightingBlaaaaaaaaaast!"

Intheimage,Shidoumadeaposewithhistwohandstogetherbyhiswaist,andwithallhispowersuddenlypushedthemforward.

Kotorimadeafacethatseemedlikeshecouldnotpossiblyenjoyanythingmorethanthatrightnow.

"Yep,thisis,beforewhenShidouwaswatchingthehousebyhimself...*pu*,whenhewaspracticinghisoriginalkillermoveinhisroom...*kuku*,avideo..."

Unabletoholditin,Kotorisaidwhileherlaughterspilledout.

"NoooooooooooOOOooooooooooOooooooooooOOoooooooooo—!"

Shidouletouthismostmagnificentscreamoftheday.

"Kotori!Notthis!Please,anythingbutthis!"

"Fufu,youbettermakesuretogettherightchoicenexttimethen....Ahh,ifyougiveuppartway,I'lluploadthistoavideosite."

"......"

Withafacethatseemedlikehewasabouttocry,Shidougrippedthecontrolleronceagain.





Chapter3:YourNameIs......





Part1

"How'sthat!"

Stillgrippingthecontrollerwithhislefthand,Shidouraisedhisclenchedrightfisttowardsthesky.

Ithasbeentendays,includingrestdays,sincethestartoftheafterschooltrainingwithKotoriandReine.

Shidouhadfinallymetwiththegame'shappyendingscreen.

...Butwell,hedidn'tevenwanttocountthenumberoftimeshisoldscarshadbeendugoutduringthattime.

"...Nn,quiteabitoftimehaspassed,butlet'ssaythatthefirststephasbeencleared."

"And,itseemshe'sviewedalltheCG,sofornowit'sapassingmarkIguess....Buteventhen,intheendthisisonlywithdealingwithvirtualgirls."

Gazingatthecreditsrollfrombehindhim,asighcouldbeheardfromReineandKotori.

"Wellthen,forthenexttraining...let'smoveontorealfemales.We'retightontimeafterall."

"...Hm,willhebealright?"

"It'sfine.Evenifhefails,theonlythinglostwouldbesociety'strustinShidou."

"Whatdidyoujustcasuallysay!"

Shidouhadbeenquietlylisteningtotheirconversation,buthecouldn'tcontrolhimselfandinterrupted.

"Uggh,wereyoueavesdropping?Youstillhavesuchbadhobbieshuh.Youvoyeur,peepingtom."

Kotorifrownedwhilecoveringhermouthwithherhandandsaid.



"It'snotcalledeavesdroppingoranythingifyou'retalkingrightinfrontofme!"

Shidoushouted,andKotoriwitha"Yeahwhatever"heldupherhandasiftosilencehim.

Somehow,itmadehimfeellikehewastheonewhohadsaidsomethingweirdinstead.

"So,Shidou.Aboutthenexttraining..."

"...I'mamazinglyunmotivatedbut,what?"

"Let'ssee...Iwonderwhowouldbegood."

"Ah?"

Shidoutiltedhisheadsideways,asReinestartedoperatingtheconsoleinfrontofher.Onthedisplayslinedupontopofthedesk,variousimagesoftheinsidesoftheschoolappeared.

"...That'sright,let'sgowithsomethingsafefirst,whataboutsomeonelikeher?"

Sayingthis,Reinepointedtotherightsideofanimage,atteacherTama-chan.

Foraninstant,Kotoriraisedhereyebrows—

"—Ahh,Iunderstand.That'sfine,let'sgowithit."

Immediately,anevilsmileappeared.

"...Shin.Thenexttraininghasbeendecided."

"Wh-Whatkindoftrainingisit?"

Holdingbackhisanxiety,Shidouasked,andacknowledginghisquestion,Reinereplied.

"...Ahh.Duringtheactualrun,whenaSpiritappears,wewillhaveyouhidethisminiatureintercominyourear,andyoudealwiththeproblemsbyfollowingourinstructions.Wewouldliketotreatthistrainingastherealthing,andpracticewithitonce."

"So,whatdoIneedtodo?"



"...Forthemoment,goseduceteacherOkamineTamae."

"Huh?!"

Raisinghiseyebrows,heyelled.

"Isthereaproblem?"

AsifenjoyingShidou'sreaction,Kotorisaidwhilegrinning.

"Ofcourse...!There'snowayIcould...!"

"You'llhavetofacemuchharderopponentsduringtherealthingyouknow?"

"—Th-Thats,true,but...!"

Shidoureplied,andReinescratchedherhead.

"...Ithinksheissuitableasyourfirstopponent.Mostlikely,evenifyouconfessshewillnotaccept,anditdoesn'tseemlikeshewouldgoaroundspreadingthenewseither....Well,ifyou'reagainstitnomatterwhatthenitwouldbefinetochangeittoafemalestudent..."

"Uuuu..."

AnunpleasantsceneappearedinShidou'smind.ThefemalestudentShidoucalledouttoreturnedtotheclassroomandgatheredherfemalefriendstogether."Heyhey,Itsuka-kunjustlike,confessedtome~""Ehh~,seriously~?Eventhoughheshowsafacelikehe'snotinterestedingirls,that'sprettyboldofhim.""Butthere'snowayforhim~""Yeah,noway.Like,heseemssupergloomy~""Ah~,yousaidit~,ahahahaha."

...Itseemsthatanewtraumahadbeenborn.

Regardingthat,ifitwasTamae,thenthereseemedtobenochanceforthatscenetooccur.Nomatterhowyoungsheappearstobe,sheisagrownupfemale.She'llprobablyignoreitasastudent'sjoke.

"So,whatwillyoudo?Intherealthing,failureisequivalenttodeath,sonomatterwhichyoupickwewereplanningononlygivingyouonechance."

"...Theteacherplease."



Kotorisoasked,andascoldsweatdrippeddownhisback,Shidouanswered.

"...Great."

Withasmallnod,Reinetookoutasmalldevicefromthedesk'sdrawer,andhandedittoShidou.Shethenpulledoutwhatseemedlikeareceiverwithamikeandheadphonesattachedtoitandplaceditonthedesk.

"What'sthis?"

"...Tryplacingitinyourear."

Doingastold,heputitintohisrightear.

Afterhedidso,Reinegrabbedthemike,andasifwhispering,movedherlips.

"...Howisthis,canyouhearme?"

"Woah!?"

SuddenlyReine'svoiceechoedinhisear.Withastart,Shidou'sshoulderstrembledandhejumpedup.

"...Great,it'sproperlyconnected.Isthevolumeokay?"

"U-Uh...yeah,Ithink..."

Shidoureplied,andReineimmediatelyworetheheadphonesthatwereplacedonthedesk.

"...Nn,okay.There'snoproblemonoursideeither."

"Eh?DiditmanagetopickupwhatIjustsaid?Butthere'snothingthatlookslikeamicrophoneonmyside..."

"...Itcomeswithahighlysensitivemicrophoneinstalled.Backgroundnoiseisautomaticallyfiltered,andittransmitsonlytheimportantsoundstous."

"Haaah..."

Shidousighedinadmiration,asKotoripulledoutwhatseemedlikeanothertinygadgetfromwithinthedesk.



Withaflickofherfinger,justlikethatitexpandeditswingsanddancedintheskylikeaninsect.

"Wh-Whatisthat?"

"...Takealook."

Sayingthis,Reineoperatedthecomputerinfrontofherandpulledupanimage.

DisplayedtherewasthephysicspreparationroomthatKotori,Reine,andShidouwerein.

"Sothisis..."

"...Ultra-smallhigh-sensitivitycamera.Wewillfollowyouwiththis.Makesurenottomistakeitasamosquitoanddestroyit."

"Huh...theseareamazing."

*boom*,hisbuttwaskicked.

"Whatever,hurryupandgoyoustupidturtle.Thetargetisinthe3rdfloorcorridorintheeastschoolbuilding.That'sclose."

"...Fine."

Realizingthatanythinghesaidwouldbeuseless,Shidouweaklynodded.

Ifhedraggeditout,there'sthepossibilitythattheywouldchangethetargettoanotherperson.Shidousomehowmovedhisunwillinglegsandleftthephysicspreparationroom.

Then,lookingleftandrightatthebottomofthestairs—hespottedthebackofTamaeinthehallway.

"Teac—"

Inthemiddle,hisvoicewasclogged.

Itwasadistancewhereifheraisedhisvoiceitwouldreachher...buthewantedtoavoidtheattentionofthestudentsthatwerestillleftintheschoolandofotherteachers.



"...GuessIhavenochoice."

Inalightjog,ShidouchasedafterthebackofTamae.

Afterafewmeters,itseemsthatshenoticedShidou'sfootsteps,asTamaestoppedandturnedaround.

"Oh,Itsuka-kun?Whathappened?"

"...U-Um—"

Eventhoughitwasafacethathesawalmosteveryday,totreatitasatargettoseduceinstantlyincreasedhisnervousness.Shidoufalteredunintentionally.

"—Calmdown.Don'tforget,thisistraining.Evenifyoufail,youwon'tdie."

Inhisrightear,Kotori'svoiceranout.

"Evenifyousaythat..."

"Eh?Whatwasthat?"

ReactingtoShidou'smuttering,Tamaetiltedherneck.

"Ah,it'snothing..."

ProbablygettingirritatedthatShidouhadn'tbeenabletoadvancetheconversationatall,onceagainavoicecameovertheintercom.

"Howuseless.—Fornowlet'sbesafe,andtrygivingheracompliment."

HearingKotori'swords,helookedoverTamaefromheadtotoe,searchingforsomethinghecouldcompliment.

...No,wait.Shidouimmediatelygaveuptheidea.Inahow-tobookhereadafewdaysago,ratherthandirectlytrytocomplimentawoman'slooks,itseemedthataskingaboutotherthingsisbetterforcarryingontheconversation.Inthiscase,tocomplimenttheirclothesoraccessories,ormoredirectlyappreciatingtheirfashionsenseapparentlyisbetter.

Makinguphismind,heopenedhismouth.

"B-Bytheway,thoseclothes...arecute."



"Eh...?I-Isthatso?Ahaha,you'remakingmeembarrassed."

Tamae'sfacewasflushedwithdelightasshesmiledwhilescratchingthebackofherhead.

—Ohh?Isn'tthisaprettyniceresponse?Shidoulightlygrippedhishand.

"Yes,itsuitsyouverymuch!"

"Fufu,thankyou.It'sactuallyoneofmyfavorites."

"Thathairstyleisalsoverynice!"

"Eh,really?"

"Yes,andalso,thoseglassestoo!"

"Ah,ahahahaha..."

"Andthatattendancebookisalsosuperamazinglycool!"

"Uhm...Itsuka-kun...?"

Asshebecamemoreandmorebewildered,herfacegraduallyturnedintoawrysmile.

"Youwayoverdidityoubaldie."

Inhisrightear,hecouldhearanamazedKotori.

Butevenifhewastoldthat,hehadnoideawhatheshouldsaynext.Forawhile,theystoodinsilence.

"Uhmm...Isthatallyouwantedtotalktomeabout?"

Tamaetiltedherhead.

Theyprobablythoughtthattherewasn'tmuchtimeleft,asthistimeasleepyvoicecouldbeheardinhisrightear.

"...Ohwell.Then,pleasejustrepeatthewordsItellyou."

Hewasthankfulforthat.Shidoutiltedhisheadforwardabit,showingthathe



understood.

Andthen,withoutthinkingatall,herepeatedtheinformationheheardas-is.

"Um,teacher."

"Whatisit?"

"I'vefoundcomingtoschoolrecentlytobealotoffun."

"Isthatso?That'sgreatisn'tit."

"Yeah....Itwassinceyoubecameourhomeroomteacher."

"Eh...?"

Surprised,Tamae'seyesopenedwide.

"Wh-Whatareyoutryingtosay,jeez.What'swiththissuddenly."

Shidoucontinued,repeatingReine'swords.

"Actually,sincealongtimeago,I've—"

"Ahaha...that'snogood.Iappreciateyourfeelings,butyouknow,I'mateacher."

Whilepattingtheattendancebook,Tamaegaveabittersmile.

Asexpectedofateacher,anadult.Itseemedshewasplanningtorejecthimunhesitantly.

"...Hm.Howshouldweattack."

Reine,whohadbeencontinuallyweavingsentences,gaveasmallsigh.

"...IfIremember,sheis29thisyearhuh.—ThenShin,trysayingthis."

Reinegavetheinstructionsforthenextline.Whilethinkingprettymuchnotatall,Shidoumovedhismouth.

"I'mserious.Iseriouslywantto—"

"Uhmm...thisistroublingforme."



"Iseriouslywantto,marryyou!"

—Twitch.

ThemomentmarriagecameoutofShidou'smouth,Tamae'sfaceseemedtochangeslightly.

Andthenafterashortsilence,asmallvoicespoke.

"...Areyoureallyserious?"

"Eh...,ah,haa...yeah."

Falteringbecauseofthesuddenchangeinatmosphere,Shidoureplied,andTamaesuddenlytookonestepforwardandgrabbedShidou'ssleeve.





"Really?WhenItsuka-kunbecomesofmarriableage,Iwillbealreadyover30youknow?Eventhen,isitokay?Shouldwegogreetourparentsnow?Afteryougraduatehighschool,willyoucomelivetogetherwithme?"

Asifadifferentperson,hereyesglitteredandglowed,andwithraggedbreathsTamaedrewclosertoShidou.

"Uh...uhm,teacher...?"

"...Hm,itseemsitwastooeffective."

AsShidoustaggeredbackwards,Reinespokealongwithasigh.

"Wh-Whatisgoingon?"

Inavoicethatwouldn'treachTamae,heaskedReine.

"...Well,single,female,29yearsold,forsomeonelikethatthemagicwordmarriageislikeadeadlyspell.Asheroldclassmateseachstartbuildingtheirownfamiliesonebyone,herparentsstartpressuringher,andthewallsofbeingthirtyclosinginonher,sheisinaveryinsecureposition....Buteventhen,sheseemsabittoodesperate."

Inaslightlyperplexedvoicerareforher,Reinesaid.

"Th-That'sniceandall,butwhatdoIdoaboutthis...!"

"HeyItsuka-kun,doyouhaveabitoftimenow?You'restillnotoldenoughtosignthemarriageregistration,sofornowlet'sgomakeabloodpact.Wecanprobablyborrowachiselfromtheartroom.Don'tworry,I'llmakesurethatitdoesn'thurt."

EdginguptoShidou,wordsgushedfromTamae'smouth.Shidouletoutasoundlikeascream.

"Ah,gettingcaughtupanymoreinthiscouldbeannoyingtodealwith.You'veaccomplishedyourmission,sogiveasuitableapologyandescape."

Shidougulped,andaftermakinguphismind,openedhismouth.

"So-Sorry!Idon'tthinkI'mreadytogothatfaryet...!Pleasejusttreatitasifthisneverhappened...!"



Shouting,Shidoudashedaway.

"Ah,I-Itsuka-kun!?"

HearingTamae'svoicecallingfrombehindhim,hecontinuedrunning.

"Whew~,thatteacherhasquitethepersonality."

Kotori'scarefreelaughcouldbeheard.Withhislegsstillmoving,Shidouraisedhisvoice.

"Don'tscrewwithme...!Whyareyoulaughingso—"

Justashestartedtotalk.

"Caref...!?"

"...!"

Sincehewasfocusingontheintercom,Shidoucrashedintoastudentthathadjustappearedfromaroundacorner,andfelldown.

"...S-Sorry,areyoualright?"

Sayingthis,hepickedhimselfup.And...

"Eh...?!"

Shidoufeltasifhisheartwassqueezed.Afterall,therewasthatMissTobiichiOrigami.

Also,thatwasnotall.Whenshefell,itseemsthatshelandedonherbehind,andjusthappenedtobefacingShidouwithherlegsspreadintheletterM....Itwaswhite.

Heinvoluntarilyavertedhiseyes.However,Origamididnotseempanickedatall,

"I'mfine."

Shesaid,andstoodup.

"What'swrong?"

Then,OrigamiaskedShidou.



ButshedidnotseemtobeaskingaboutwhyShidouwasrunningdownthehallway.Ifit'sanything—right,itwasprobablyaboutwhyShidouhadhisheadturneddownwardswithhishandonhisforehead.

"...Nothing,don'tworryaboutit.IwasjustshockedatencounteringasituationthatIthoughtwasdefinitelyimpossible..."

Thelastfortresscrumbled.<Ratatoskr>'ssimulationabilitiesaretobefeared.Forsomereason,italmostseemedlikethatgamewasactuallyquitewelldone.

"Isee."

Sayingonlythat,Origamistartedtowalkdownthehallway.

Atthatmoment,Kotori'svoiceranginhisrightear.

"—Thisisaperfectopportunity,Shidou.Let'scontinueourtrainingwithher."

"H-Huh?!"

"It'sprobablybestifwecouldobtainsomedataonsomeoneinthesamegeneration,insteadofateacher.Also,thoughsheisn'taSpirit,sheisanimportantmemberoftheAST.Don'tyouthinkshe'llbeaprettygoodreference?AsfarasIcantell,shedoesn'tseemtobethetypetospreadrumorsaroundeither."

"You...,areyoumessingwithme?"

"Don'tyouwanttotalktotheSpirits?"

"..."

Shidouheldbackhisbreath,andbithislowerlip.

Preparinghimself,hethrewhisvoicetowardsOrigami'sback.

"To-Tobiichi."

"What?"

Origamiturnedaroundwithatimingthatseemedasifshewaswaitingforhimtocall.

Shidouwasslightlysurprised,buthecalmedhisbreathingandopenedhislips.



SomehowitseemsthatbecauseoftheexperiencefromTamae'scase,hewasalotcalmerthanbefore.That'sright,ifhedoesn'toverdoit,thenit'sgood,aslongashedoesn'toverdoit.

"Thoseclothes,they'recute."

"Schooluniform."

"...That'sright."

"Whydidyouchooseherclothesyouantlion."

Eventhoughitwasjustthenameofabughefeltasifhewassufferingatremendousamountofabuse.Mysterious!

—It'sbecauseitworkedwiththeteacher...!Withthatmeaning,heshookhisheadslightly.

"...Shouldwehelp?"

Theywereprobablygettingimpatient,asonceagainReineofferedtohelp.

Whilehewasstillfeelinguneasy,hedidn'thavetheconfidencetobeabletocontinuetheconversationbyhimself.Shidougaveasmallnod.

Followingthewordsheheardinhisrightear,heletouthisvoice.

"Hey,Tobiichi."

"What?"

"I,actually...I'veknownaboutyousinceawhileago."

"Isee."

Stillwithshortsentences,Tobiichicontinuedwithunbelievablewords.

"Iknewyoutoo."

"—!"

Whilehewasextremelysurprisedinside,hecouldn'tmakeanysound.ItseemedthatifhesaidanythingotherthanReine'sinstructions,thatimmediatelythispacewould



bebroken.

"—Isthatso.I'mhappy....Also,beinginthesameclassfor2ndyearmademesuperhappyaswell.Thisentireweek,Ihadalwaysbeenlookingatyouduringclasses."

Uwaah,evenShidouthoughtthatwasdisturbing.Ashethoughtofstalkers,itfeltlikethatlinewouldbewhattheywouldsay.

"Isee."

However,Origami,

"Iwaslookingtoo."

LookingstraightatShidou,shesaid.

"..."

Hegulped.Inreality,ShidoufeltawkwardandhadnotlookedtowardsOrigamiduringclassatall.

Asiftocalmhisrapidlybeatingheart,herepeatedthewordsthatenteredhisears.

"Really?Ah,butreally,that'snotall.AfterschoolIwouldstayintheclassroomandsmellTobiichi'sgymclothes."

"Isee."

Asexpectedwhatfollowsthiswouldbea*dong*,waswhathethought,butOrigami'sexpressiondidnotchangeatall.

Rather,

"Idosotoo."

"......?!"

—Doso,withwhose?!Withherownright?!Ifthat'ssothensaythat!

Shidou'sfacebecamefilledwithsweat.

Andalso,haven'tthelinesfromKotoriandReinebecomeratherstrange?



Butwithhisheadspinning,itwasimpossibleforShidoutocontinuetheconversationwithhisownwords.

"—Isthatso?Somehow,itseemsthatwesuiteachother."

"Yes."

"Then,ifit'sfinewithyou,willyougooutwithme—orisn'tthisprogressingwaytoofastnomatterhowyoulookatit!"

Henolongercaredaboutthetrainingorwhatever.Unabletostandit,heturnedaroundandyelled.

FromOrigami'sperspective,hewasaweirdowhojustconfessedandthenrandomlyplayedahugetsukkomi[1D1]onhimself.

"...Well,Ididn'tthinkyouwouldreallygoaheadandsayit."

"Weren'tyoutheoneswhotoldmetojustsayitlikethat!"

Aftershoutingouthisresentment,hethensighedandturnedtowardsOrigami.

Origamiwasemotionlesslikealways...butmaybeitwashisimagination,thatcomparedwithamomentago,justatinybit,hereyesseemedtobeopenwider.

"Ah,uhm,aboutthat...sorry,thatwas—"

"Idon'tmind."

"...............Huh?"

Shidouletoutadumbsound.Hewascompletelystunned.Hismouthopenedfeebly,andhislimbsgrewlimp.Basically,hiswholebodywasdumbfounded.

—Wait,whatisthis.Whatdidthisgirljustsay?

"Wh-What?"

"Isaid,Idon'tmind."

"Wh-Whwhwhwhwhwhwhwhwhat?"

"Idon'tmindgoingoutwithyou."



"...?!"

SweatgushedoutonShidou'sface.Helightlyplacedhishandonthesideofhishead,calmdown,calmdown,hetoldhimself.

There'snoway.Ifyouthinkaboutthisnormallythere'snoway.NogirlwouldgiveanOKtodatingaboywithwhomthenumberofconversationsthey'vehadcouldbecounted.

...Well,itprobablywasn'timpossible,buthedefinitelydidnotexpectthiskindofreplyfromOrigami.

—Nowait.Shidou'seyebrowtwitched.Maybe,Origamiwasmisunderstandingsomething.

"Ah,aah...itwasaboutgoingoutwithmetosomeplaceright?"

"...?"

Origamitiltedherheadslightly.

"Wasthatwhatyoumeant?"

"Eh,ah,no...Uhm,Tobiichi,whatdidyouthinkImeant...?"

"Ithoughtyoumeantdating."

"...!"

Shidou'sbodytrembledasifhisheadhadbeenstruckbylightning.

Forsomereason,hearingtheword"dating"comeoutofOrigami'smouthfeltterriblyimmoral.

"AmIwrong?"

"N-No...You'renotwrong...But."

"Isee."

Origamirespondedasifnothinghappened.

Inthenextmoment,Shidouregrettedhisdecision.



—Why,whydidIsaysomethinglike"you'renotwrong"!No,Icanstilldoit,Icanstillturnitintoamisunderstanding!

But.

UUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—————

"!?"

Atthatmoment,withoutanywarning,thealarmechoedaroundthem.

Atalmostthesameinstant,Origamiraisedherfaceslightly.

"—Anemergency.Seeyou."

Sayingthat,sheturnedheelandrandownthehallway.

"H-Hey—"

ThistimewhenShidoucalledout,shedidn'tstop.

"Wh-WhatshouldIdo,aboutthis..."

Beforelong,heheardavoiceovertheintercom.

"Shidou,it'saspacequake.Fornowwe'llhaveyoureturnto<Fraxinus>.Comebackatonce."

"S-So,it'saSpiritafterall...?"

Shidouasked,andabeatlater,Kotoricontinued.

"Yes.Thepredictedlocationwhereitwillappearis— ."RaizenHighSchoolhere





Part2

Thetimeis5:20PM.

Thethreeofthemwhohadmovedtotheairship<Fraxinus>floatingabovethecitywhilestayingoutofsightfromthestudentsbeginningtoevacuate,lookedoverthevariousinformationdisplayedonthescreeninthebridge.

Changedintotheirmilitaryuniforms,KotoriandReineperiodicallyexchangedwordsandnoddedmeaningfully,butShidoudidn'treallyunderstandwhatthenumbersonthescreenmeant.

Theonlythinghecouldunderstandwas—ontherightsideofthescreen,amapcenteredonShidou'shighschoolwasthere.

"Isee,mm."

Sittinginthecaptain'sseat,exchangingwordswiththecrewwhilelickingChupaChups,Kotoriraisedtheedgeofherlipsslightly.

"—Shidou."

"What?"

"I'llhaveyougettoworkimmediately.Gogetready."

"..."

Kotori'swordscausedShidou'sbodytostiffen.

Well,hehadimaginedthiswouldhappen,andhewassupposedtohaveresolvedhimselftoo.

Buteventhen,hecouldn'thidehisnervousnessnowthatit'stimefortherealthing.

"—Areyoulettinghimtakepartintherealfightalready,commander?"

Standingbesidethecaptain'sseat,whilestaringatthescreen,Kannazukisuddenlyasked.



"TheopponentisaSpirit.Failureisequivalenttodeath.Hashehadenoughtrainin—gefu."

Inthemiddleofhissentence,Kotori'sfistsunkitselfintoKannazuki'ssolarplexus.

"Questioningmydecisions,you'vebecomequiteapersonhuhKannazuki.Aspunishment,untilIsayotherwiseyouwillspeaklikeapig."

"O-Oink."

Forsomereason,seemingextremelyusedtoit,Kannazukireplied.

Lookingatthisscene,Shidouwipedthesweatthathadsurfaced.

"...But,Kotori,IthinkthatKannazuki-sanhasapoint..."

"Ara,Shidou,youcanunderstandpiglanguage?Asexpectedofsomeoneonthesamelevelaspigs."

"D-Don'tunderestimatepigs!Pigsareunexpectedlyamazinganimalsyouknow!"

"Iknowthat.Theylovecleanlinessandarestrong.It'sevenbeensaidthattheyhavemoreintelligencethandogs.That'swhyformycapablesubordinateKannazuki,orformyhonorablebrotherShidou,it'swiththegreatestrespectthatIamcallingyoupigs.Pig.Youpig."

"...Guuu."

Itdidn'tsoundlikeshewasusingitasarespectfultitle.

However,KotoriprobablyunderstoodKannazuki'squestionandShidou'sanxiousnessthemost.Hercandy'sstickpointedstraightupwards,andshemotionedtothescreen.

"Shidou,you'reprettyluckyyouknow."

"Eh...?"

FollowingKotori'sgaze,helookedatthescreen.

Asexpected,numbersofunknownmeaningdancedaroundthescreen,but—onthemapontheright,henoticedsomethingdifferentfrombefore.



InsideShidou'shighschool,therewasasingleredicon,andsurroundingit,manysmallyellowiconswereshown.

"TheredoneistheSpirit,andtheyellowonesaretheAST."

"...and,what'sluckyaboutthis?"

"LookattheAST.Seehowtheyhaven'tmovedatall?"

"Ahh...seemsso."

"They'rewaitingfortheSpirittogooutside."

"Why?Aren'ttheygoingtochargein?"

Shidoutiltedhishead,andKotorigaveabigshrug.

"Atleastthinkabitbeforespeaking.I'msoashamed,evenmoldisslightlymoreintelligentthanyou."

"H-Howdareyou!"

"CR-Unitsweren'tcreatedforfightinginsmallroomstobeginwith.Evenifyouexpandaterritory,therearemanyobstaclesandthecorridorsarenarrow,soinsideabuildingyourmobilitywilldefinitelydecrease,nottomentionthatyourvisionisalsoobstructed."

Sayingthis,Kotorisnappedherfingers.Asifrespondingtothat,theimageonthescreenchangedtoreal-timefootageoftheschool.

Ashallowbowl-shapedholeappearedintheschoolyard,andsurroundingittheroadsandevenapartoftheschoolbuildingwerecleanlycutthrough.ItwasexactlylikewhatShidouhadwitnessedthatotherday.

"Afterappearingintheyard,itseemstohaveenteredthehalfdestroyedschoolbuilding.It'snotoftenyougetthislucky,becausenowyoucanmakecontactwiththeSpiritwithouttheAST'sinterference."

"...Ohhh,Isee."

Heunderstoodthelogic.

However,Kotori'swordscausedShidoutoconsidersomething,ashenarrowedhis



eyes.

"...IftheSpirithadappearedoutsidelikenormal,howwasIsupposedtoapproachit?"

"WaitfortheASTtobecompletelydefeated,ortochargethroughthemiddleofthebattle,somethinglikethat."

"..."

Shidouunderstoodmuchdeeperthanbeforejusthowthankfulheshouldbeforthesituationrightnow.

"Nn,thenlet'squicklymoveout.—Shidou,youhaven'tremovedtheintercomright?"

"Ah,yeah."

Hetouchedhisrightear.Asexpectedtheintercomhehadbeenusingjustawhileagowasstillequipped.

"Okaythen.Thecamerawillbefollowingyou,soifyou'reinapinch,makeasign,andtaptheintercomtwice."

"Mm...Iunderstand.Butwell..."

Shidounarrowedhiseyes,andlookedtowardsKotoriandReine,whowasatherownpostinthelowerpartofthebridge.

Fromtheirsuggestionsduringtraining,theywerereallyquitehopelesssupportmembers.

Probablyfiguringoutwhathewasthinkingfromhisexpression,Kotoriformedafearlesssmile.

"Don'tworryShidou.Therearealotofreliablepeoplein<Fraxinus>'screw."

"I-isthatso?"

WithadoubtfulfaceShidoureplied,andKotoriflungouthercoatwithafloompandstoodup.

"Suchas,"



Andthenwithvigor,shepointedatoneofthecrewinthelowerpartofthebridge.

"Havingexperiencedmarriagefivetimes,RomanceMaster●< >Kawagoe!"

"Butthatmeanshedivorcedfourtimesdoesn'tit!?"

"BoastinggreatpopularitywiththeFilipinainthestoresatnight,<President>Mikimoto!"

"That'scompletelythroughmoneyappealisn'tit!?"

"Herloverivalsencountermisfortuneonebyone.The2AMWoman●< >Shiizaki!"

"She'sdefinitelygotsomecurseonher!"

"ManWithOneHundredBrides●< >Nakatsugawa!"

"Theyarebrideswithaproperz-dimension[1D2]right!?"

"Duetoherdeeplove,nowthelawwon'tletherwithin500metersofherlovedone●<OnProbation>Minowa!"

"Whyarethereonlypeoplelikethishere!"

"...Everyone,asthecrew,theirskillsarecertainlyreal."

Fromthelowerpartofthebridge,Kotori'smumblingvoicecouldbeheard.

"E-evenifyousaythat..."

"Whatever,hurryandleavealready.IftheSpiritgoesoutthentheASTwillcomeswarming."

Shidouhadstartedcomplaining,andKotorivigorouslykickedShidou'sbuttwitha*bong*.

"...ow,y-you..."

"It'sfineevenifyoudon'tworry.Ifit'sShidou,evenifyoudieonceortwice,youcanimmediatelystartanewgame."

TiredTooEarlyBadMarriage

StrawDollNailKnocker

PersonWhoSurpassesTheDimensionsDimension●Breaker



"Don'tmesswithme,whatamI,aplumber?[1D3]"

"MammaMia[1D4].Abrotherthatdoesn'tbelievehissisterwillbecomeunhappyyouknow."

"Idon'twanttohearthatfromasisterwhowon'tlistentoherbrother."

Mixedwithasigh,Shidousaid,andobedientlywalkedtowardsthebridge'sdoor.

"Goodluck."

"Yeah."

TowardsKotoriwhoraisedherthumb,helightlywavedhishandasareply.

Hisheartwasstillbeatingfast,but—therewasnowayhewasgoingtorunawayfromthischance.

Todefeatthem,ortomakethemfallinlove,ortosavetheworld.

Suchgrandthingshewasnotconsideringatall.

Itwasjust—hewantedtotalkoncemorewiththatgirl.

Thetransporterplacedinthelowerareaofthe<Fraxinus>apparentlyusesarealizertoinstantlytransport/retrievethingsaslongasthestraightlinepathtothedestinationwasnotblockedbyanything.

Atfirsttherewasafeelingsomewhatlikegettingseasick,butafterafewtimeshewasmoreorlessusedtoit.

Afterconfirmingthathissurroundingshadinstantlychangedfrom<Fraxinus>tobehindthedimhighschool,Shidoulightlyshookhishead.

"Nowthen,firstIshould—"

Ashestartedtosay,hiswordsstopped.

Itwasbecause,likeabadjoke,thebuilding'swallinfrontofShidou'seyeshadbeenslicedopen,andhewaslookingthroughtotheinside.



"Actuallylookingatthis,it'sunbelievable..."

"Well,perfect,enterthebuildingfromthere."

Fromtheintercomattachedtohisrightear,Kotori'svoicewasheard.

Shidoumuttered"...Understood"whilescratchinghischeek,andwentintotheschoolbuilding.IfhewastedtoomuchtimetheSpiritmightwanderoutside,andbeforethat,thepossibilitythatShidoumightbediscoveredbytheASTandputinto'protection'isalsothere.

"Now,let'shurry.TheSpirit'sresponseisthreefloorsupthestairsbesideyou,inthefourthclassroominfront."

"Roger..."

Shidoutookadeepbreath,anddashedupthestairsnearby.

Beforeaminutehadevenpassed,hearrivedinfrontofthespecifiedclassroom.

Withoutopeningthedoor,hecouldnotconfirmthefigureinside,butjustthinkingthattherewasaSpiritintherenaturallycausedhishearttoringlikeanalarmbell.

"Eh—thisis,class2-4.Isn'tthismyclass?"

"Ara,isthatso.Isn'tthatconvenient.Youcan'tsaythatyouhavealocationaladvantage,butit'sprobablyalotbetterthansomewherecompletelynewtoyou."

Kotorisaid.Butactually,ithasn'tbeenlongsinceheenteredthisgrade,soitwasn'tasifhewasreallyfamiliarwithit.

Anyways,hemustmakecontactwiththeSpiritbeforeherwhimsstartactingup.Shidougulped.

"...Hey,goodevening,whatareyoudoinginaplacelikethis?"

Inasmallvoice,herepeatedthegreetingcountlesstimes.

Makinguphismind,Shidouopenedtheclassroom'sdoor.

Thestateoftheclassroom,dyedredbythesettingsun,wasprojectedintohisretinas.



"——"

Amomentpassed.

Thelightwordshehadpreparedinhismindwereutterlyblownaway.

"Ah—"

Thefourthrowfromthefront,thesecondcolumnfromthewindows—rightonShidou'sdesk,theblack-hairedgirlwiththestrangedresswrappedaroundherbodywassittingwithonekneeraised.

Hereyesemanatinganillusoryshinewasinamelancholichalf-openstate,staringattheblackboardinadaze.

Halfofherbodyilluminatedbythesunset,thegirlwas,totheextentofstealingthethinkingabilitiesofanyonelookingatherforamoment,mysterious.

However,thatscenewhichhadbeenclosetoperfection,immediatelycrumbled.

"—Nu?"

ThegirlnoticedShidou'sinvasion,assheopenedhereyesfullyandlookedtowardshim.

"...!H-hey—"

Whiletryingtocalmhisheart,Shidouraisedhishand...orwasaboutto.

—Hyun.

Hethoughtthegirlcasuallywavedherhand,andastreakofblacklightbrushedpastShidou'scheek.

Amomentlater,theclassroom'sdoorthatShidou'shandwasholdingonto,aswellasthewindowsinthecorridorbehindthat,shatteredwithagreatnoise.

"...!?"

Suddenlyfacedwiththis,heinstantlyfrozeinplace.Hetriedtouchinghischeek,andabitofbloodwasflowing.

However,hewasnotevenallowedtostaystunned.



"Shidou!"

Kotori'svoiceshookhiseardrumsuntiltheyhurt.

Whilemakingagloomyexpression,thegirlswungherarmoverhead.Abovethepalmofherhand,whatlookedlikeroundblobsoflightradiatedblack.

"Wai..."

Fasterthanhisshout,hescrambledbehindawallandhidhisbody.

Aninstantlater,astreamoflightburstthroughwhereShidouhadbeenstanding,easilyblastingthroughtheouterwallsoftheschoolbuildingandextendingoutside.

Evenafterthat,streamsofblacklightwerecontinuouslyshotout.

"W-wait!I'mnotyourenemy!"

Fromthecorridorthathadbecomeratherbreezy,heletouthisvoice.

Then,itseemslikeShidou'swordsgotthrough,aswiththatthelinesoflightstoppedbeingfired.

"...Haa,canIcomein...?"

"FromwhatIcansee,she'snotpreparingtoattack.Ifshewantedto,itshould'vebeeneasytoblastthewallawayalongwithShidou.—Ontheotherhandwastingtimeandannoyingherisnotgood.Let'sgoin."

Shidoumuttered,asifspeakingtohimself,andKotorianswered.Thecamerahadprobablyenteredtheclassroomalready.

Gulpingdownhissaliva,Shidoustoodinfrontoftheentrancetothenowdoorlessclassroom.

"..."

Thegirlwasstaringintentlyathim.Asifwonderingwhetheranattackwillcome,thatgazewasfilledwithdoubtandcaution.

"C-Calmdownforn—"

Raisinghistwohandstoshowthathehadnohostility,steppingintotheclassroom.



However,

"—Stop."

Atthesametimethegirl'scoldvoicerangout—*pshh*,thefloorinfrontofShidou'sfeetwassearedbyalightray.Shidouhurriedlyfrozehisbody.

"..."

ThegirlcarefullylookedoverShidoufromheadtotoe,andopenedhermouth.

"Whoareyou."

"...Ahh,Iam—"

"Waitamoment."

AsShidouwasabouttoreply,forsomereasonKotoristoppedhim.

Thescreenin<Fraxinus>'sbridgewascurrentlydisplayingaheadshotoftheSpirit,thegirlwrappedinthedressmadeoflight.

Hercharmingface,decoratedwithathornygaze,wasglaringtowardstherightsideofthecamera—towardsShidou.

Surroundingher,abunchofparametersbeginningwiththewords'affectionlevel'werethere.Reinewasusingtherealizertoanalyze/numericizeanddisplaythementalstatusofthegirl.

TogetherwiththeAIbuiltinto<Fraxinus>,theconversationbetweenthetwoofthemwasdisplayedwithouttimelagatthebottomofthescreenastext.

Ataglance,itlookedexactlylikethegamethatShidouusedfortraining.





Selectedcrewmemberswerelookingatthegalgescreendisplayedonthegiantmonitorwithabsoluteseriousness.

Itwasanextremelysurrealscene.

Then—Kotorisuddenlyraisedhereyebrow.

"Whoareyou."

AtthemomenttheSpiritsaidthesewordstoShidou,thescreenflickered,andasirenechoedinthebridge.

"Th-Thisis—"

Inthemidstofaconfusedvoicefromsomeoneinthecrew,awindowappearedinthemiddleofthescreen.

①"IamItsukaShidou.Icametosaveyou!"

②"I'mjustahelplesspasserbypleasedon'tkillme."

③"Beforeaskingforsomeone'sname,stateyourownfirst."

"Achoice—"

Kotori'scandy'sstickstoodupstraight.

TherealizerforanalysisthatReineoperates,inconjunctionwith<Fraxinus>'sAI,detectsthechangesinthingsliketheSpirit'sheartbeatorfaintbrainwaves,andinstantlydisplayspossibleresponsepatternsonthescreen.

ThetimesthatthesearedisplayedarelimitedonlytowhentheSpirit'smentalstatusbecameunstable.

Inotherwords,withtherightdecision,onecouldgainfavorwiththeSpirit.

However,ifonemakesamistake—

Kotoriimmediatelymovedhermouthclosertothemike,stoppingShidoufrommakinghisreply.

"Waitamoment."



"—?"

Asoundlikeabreathbeingheldcouldbeheardoverthespeaker.HewasdefinitelywonderingwhyKotorihadstoppedhimthere.

TheycouldnotlettheSpiritwaitforever.Kotoriturnedtowardsthecrewmembersandcommanded.

"Choosetheoptionthatyouthinkisright!Withinfiveseconds!"

Allatonce,thecrewmembersoperatedtheconsolebeforethem.TheresultsofthatimmediatelyshoweduponthedisplayinfrontofKotori.

Themostpopularwas—number③.

"—Itseemsthatweallsharethesameopinion."

Kotorisaid,andthecrewnoddedinunison.

"①seemsliketheobviouschoiceatfirstglance,butwhiletheopponenthasdoubtsthatwemightbetheenemy,sayingsomethinglikethiswouldjustseemsuspicious.Anditalsoseemsabitdisgusting."

Whilestandingstill,Kannazukisaid.

"...②isoutofthequestion.Intheoffchancethathewasabletoescape,thatwouldbetheendofit."

Next,fromthelowerpartofthebridge,Reine'sspoke.

"That'sright.Tothatpoint,③makessenselogically,andifallgoeswellwemightevenbeabletocontrolthedirectionoftheconversation."

Kotorigaveasmallnod,andonceagaindrewthemikeclose.

"...H-hey,whatdidyoujustsay..."

Havingstoppedhissentencewhileexposedtothegirl'ssharpgaze,Shidouwasstandinginthemiddleofanunpleasantatmosphere.

"...Iwillaskonceagain.Whoareyou."



Thegirlsaid,asifirritated,hereyesgrowingevensharper.

Then,atthatmoment,finallyKotori'svoicereachedhisrightear.

"Shidou.Canyouhearme?AnswerexactlyhowItellyouto."

"O-okay."

"—Beforeaskingforsomeone'sname,stateyourownfirst."

"—Beforeaskingforsomeone'sname,stateyourownfirst....Wha"

Assoonashesaidit,Shidou'sfacegrewpale.

"Wh-whatdidyoumakemesay..."

However,itwasalreadytoolate.ThemomentsheheardShidou'svoice,thegirl'sexpressiondistorted,thistimeraisingbothofherarmsandcreatingballsoflight.

"..."

Hehurridlykickedthefloor,tumblingtowardstheright.

Amomentlater,ablackballoflightwasthrowntotheplaceShidouhadstood.Agiantholeopenedinthefloorthatseemedtopierceallthewaythroughtothesecondorfirstfloor.

"...Uwaa..."

"Ehh,that'sweird."

"That'snotwhatyoushouldbesaying...,areyoutryingtokillme...?"

RespondingtoKotoriwhoseemedtobegenuinelymystified,Shidouraisedhisbodyupwhileholdinghishead.

Then—

"Thisisthelasttime.Ifyoudon'thaveanyintentionsofanswering,Iwilltreatyouasanenemy."

FromontopofShidou'sdesk,thegirlsaid.Flustered,Shidouimmediatelyopenedhismouth.



"I-IamItsukaShidou!I'mastudenthere!Ihavenohostileintentions!"

"..."

Shidouspokewhileraisinghistwoarms,andwithsuspiciouseyesthegirldismountedfromShidou'sdesk.

"—Staylikethat.Currently,youarewithinmyattackrange."

"..."

Signallingthatheunderstood,Shidounoddedwhilemaintaininghisposture.

Withslowsteps,thegirlapproachedShidou.

"...Nn?"

Then,lightlybendingherwaist,shestaredatShidou'sfaceforawhile,and"Nu?",sheraisedherbrows.

"Hey,haven'twemetoncebefore...?"

"Ah...ahh,thismonth—Ibelieve,onthetenth.Inthetown."

"Ohh."

Asifremembering,thegirllightlyhitherhandstogether,thenreturnedtoherpreviousposture.

"Iremembernow.You'retheonethatsaidsomekindofweirdthing."

Seeingthataslightamountofharshnesswasgonefromthegirl'seyes,foramomentShidou'snervousnessdiminished.

However,

"Gi...!?"

Justamomentlater,Shidou'sbangsweregrabbedandhisfacewasforcedtofaceupwards.

ThegirltiltedherfaceasiftolookintoShidou'seyes,assheletloosehergaze.



"...IfIrecall,yousaidthatyouhadnointentiontokillme?Hmph—I'veseenthroughthat.Tellme,whatareyouafter.Areyouplanningtoattackmefrombehindafterlooseningmyguard?"

"..."

Shidouraisedhiseyebrowslightly,bitingdownhardonhisbackteeth.

Itwasnotbecausehefearedthegirl.

Shidou'swords—Ididnotcometokillyou;wordslikethat,thegirlcouldnotcometobelievethematall.

Itwasbecauseshehadbeenexposedtoanenvironmentwhereshecouldnotbelievethem.

Hefeltsick,andcouldn'tstandit.

"—Humansare..."

Involuntarily,Shidouletouthisvoice.

"...notallpeoplewhotrytokillyou."

"..."

Thegirl'seyesgrewround,assheremovedherhandfromShidou'shair.Andthenforashortwhile,withaquestioninggazeshelookedatShidou'sface,thenopenedherlipsatinybit.

"...Isthatso?"

"Ahh,thatisso."

"ThepeoplethatI'vemet,theyalltoldmethatImustdie."

"There'snoway...that'sso."

"..."

Withoutsayinganything,thegirlmovedherhandbackwards.

Shehalf-closedhereyesandpursedherlips—makingafacewhichsaidthatshe



couldstillnottrustwhatShidouwassaying.

"...ThenIwillask.Ifyouhavenointentionofkillingme,thenforwhatpurposeareyouhererightnow?"

"Uh,thatis—umm."

"Shidou"

JusthasShidoustartedtostammer,Kotori'svoiceechoedinhisrightear.

"—Anotherchoicehuh."

Kotorilickedherlips,lookingatthechoicesdisplayedinthemiddleofthescreen.

①"Ofcourse,Icametomeetyou."

②"Whatever,thatdoesn'tmatterdoesit."

③"It'sjustacoincidence."

Thedisplayinfrontofherinstantlygatheredtheopinionsofthecrewmembers.①waspopular.

"Well,for②,afterlookingatthelastreactionit'sprobablyimpossible.—Shidou,fornowjustsimplysaythatyoucametomeether."

Kotorispoketowardsthemike,andshownonthescreen,Shidouopenedhismouthwhilestandingup.

"I-Itwastomeetyou."

Thegirlmadeablankface.

"Tomeetme?Why?"

Themomentthegirltiltedherheadandsaidthis,onceagainchoicesshoweduponthescreen.



①"I'mcuriousaboutyou."

②"Itwassowecouldloveeachother."

③"IhavesomethingIwanttoaskyou."

"Nn...whatshouldwedo."

Kotorirubbedherchin,andthedisplayinfrontofhershowed②astheanswer.

"It'sbettertogowithastraightattackhere,commander.Showherhismanliness!"

"Ifyoudon'tsayitclearlythisladywon'tgetit!"

Fromthelowerpartofthebridge,thevoicesofthecrewrangout.

Kotori"hmmed"thencrossedherlegs.

"Well,it'sprobablyfine.①or③wouldprobablygetanotherquestionastheresponse.—Shidou.Gowith②,itwassowecouldloveeachother."

Shesaidhercommandtowardsthemike.Inthatmoment,Shidou'sshouldersbegantoshudder.

"Ah...it's,youknow."

ReceivingtheorderfromKotori,Shidou'swordshesitatedandhiseyesswam.

"What,youcan'tsayit?Ordidyouappearinfrontofmewithoutareason?Orisit—"

Thegirl'seyesonceagainstartedtolookdangerous.Shidouhurridlysavedhishandsandletouthisvoice.

"I-Itwasso...wecould...loveeachother?"

"..."

ThemomentShidousaidthis,thegirlcrossedhandoverhandandswepthorizontally.



Inaninstant,rightaboveShidou'sheadabladeofwindpassedover—cuttingthroughtheclassroomwallandescapingoutside.SeveralstrandsofShidou'shairwerecutanddancedintheair.

"Uwaa...!?"

"...Idon'twanttohearyourjokes."

Makinganextremelymelancholicexpression,thegirlsaid.

"..."

Shidougulped.

Inthatmoment,thefearhehadfeltuptonowfaded,andhisheartbeatfast.

—Ahh,thatwasit,itwasthisexpression.

Thisexpression,whichShidousodespised.

Asifconsideringthemselvestobenotlovedatall,anexpressionshowingthelossoffaithintheworld.

Unconsciously,Shidou'sthroatshook.

"Icamehere...,inorderto...talktoyou."

Shidousaid—andseemingnottounderstandhismeaning,thegirlraisedhereyebrows.

"...Whatdoyoumean?"

"Justthat.I,wantto,talktoyou.Idon'tmindwhatthetopicis.Evenifyoudon'tfeellikeitandjustignoreme,that'sfine.But,Ijustwantyoutoknowonething.Iwill—"

"Shidou,calmdown."

Asifwarninghim,Kotorisaid.However,Shidoucouldnotbestopped.

Afterall,untilnow,thisgirlhadnobodywhowouldreachtheirhandouttoher.

Afterall,withjustonesentenceshecouldhavebeeninacompletelydifferentsituation,butthepersonwhowouldtellherthatonesentence,notonehadexisted



there.

ForShidou,hehadhisfather,hismother,andhealsohadKotori.

But,thegirlhadnobody.

Sincethat'sthecase—Shidouhadtosayit.

"Iwill—notdenyyourexistence."

Shidoutookaheavystepforward,andasifclearlypronouncingeachword,said.

"..."

Thegirlraisedhereyebrows,andavertedhereyesfromShidou.

Andthen,afterashortsilence,sheopenedhermouthwithacrack.

"...shidou.Yousaidyouwereshidou?"

"—Yeah."

"Youreallywon'tdenymyexistence?"

"Yeah."

"Reallyreally?"

"Reallyreally."

"Reallyreallyreally?"

"Reallyreallyreally."

Shidouansweredwithoutpausing,andthegirlstrokedherhair,andstoodupwhilelettingoutwhatseemedtobeasniffle,turningherfaceback.

"—Hmpf."

Raisingherbrowsandformingasneer,shecrossedherarms.

"Whoareyoutryingtofoolwiththosewordsbaakabaaka[1D5]."



"AsIsaid,Iam—"

"...Butyouknow,that."

Whilemakingacomplicatedexpression,thegirlcontinued.

"Idon'tknowwhatkindofinsidesyouhave,butyou'rethefirsthumanthatIcouldhaveaproperconversationwith....Togetmoreinformationaboutthisworldyoumightbeofsomeuse."

Sayingthis,shesnortedonceagain.

"...H-huh?"

"I'msayingthatIwouldn'tmindifit'sjusttalkingwithyou.Butit'sjustforgaininginformation.Mm,that'sveryimportant.Informationissuperimportant."

Whilespeaking—itwasjustabit,butthegirl'sexpressionseemedslightlysofter.

"I-Isthatso..."

Scratchinghisface,Shidousoreplied.

Withthis...wellforthemomentthefirstcontactcouldbetreatedassuccessful.

WhileShidoustoodperplexed,inhisrightearKotori'svoicesounded.

"—Goodjob.Justcontinuelikethat."

"A-Aahh..."

Then,thegirlstartedtoslowlycircletheclassroominlargestrides.

"But,justtrytakingasuspiciousaction.I'llopenanairtunnelinyourbody."

"...Okay,Iunderstand."

HearingShidou'sreply,thegirlslowlyletherfootstepssoundintheclassroom.

"shidou."

"W-What?"



"—ThenI'llask.Whatexactlyisthisplace?It'sthefirsttimeI'veseensomewherelikethis."

Sayingthis,shewalkedaroundwhilepokingthetoppleddesks.

"Ehh...ahh,it'saschool—aclassroom,well,aplacewherestudentsthesameageasmegotostudyandlearn.Wesitinthosedesks,likethis."

"What?!"

Thegirl'seyesballedupinsurprise.

"Doallofthesegetfilledwithhumans?Don'tjokewithme.Theremustbeclosetoforty."

"No,it'sthetruth."

Whilesayingthis,Shidouscratchedhischeek.

Whenthegirlappears,theevacuationalertwouldhavealreadysoundedinthestreets.ThehumansthatthegirlhadseenwereprobablyonlytheAST.Theyprobablydidn'thavethatmanypeopleeither.

"Hey—"

Abouttocallthegirl'sname—Shidou'swordswerestuckinhisthroat.

"Nu?"

ProbablynoticingShidou'sstate,thegirlscrunchedupherbrows.

Andthen,afterplacingherhandonherchinforawhile,asifthinking,

"...Isee,inordertohaveaconversationwithsomeone,that'sneededhuh."

Likethat,shenodded,

"shidou.—Whatdoyouwanttocallme?"

Sittinginoneoftheseatsnearby,shesaid.

"...Huh?"



Notunderstandingwhatshemeant,heasked.

Crossingherarmswithan"hmpf",shecontinuedinanarroganttone.

"Givemeaname."

"..."

Afterabriefsilence.

—Soseriooooooooooous!!

Shidouscreamedinhisheart.

"M-me!?"

"Yeah.Ihavenoplansoftalkingwithanyoneelseanyways.There'snoproblem."

"Uwahh,anotherheavyproblemhascome."

Sittinginthecaptain'sseat,Kotoriscratchedherface.

"...Hmm,whatshouldwedo."

Fromthelowerpartofthebridge,Reinenodded,asifrespondingtothat.

Inthebridge,neitherdidthesirensound,nordidchoicesappearonthescreen.

IftheAIjustshowedrandomnames,thenthereweretoomanytoshow.

"CalmdownShidou.Don'trushandsayaweirdname."

Sayingthis,Kotoristoodup,andraisedhervoicetowardsthecrew.

"Everyone!Immediatelythinkofnamesforherandsendthemtomyterminal!"

Aftersayingthisshedroppedhergazetothedisplay.Afewcrewmembershadsentinnamesalready.

"Ahem...Kawagoe!Isn'tMisakothenameofoneofyourex-wives!"

"S-sorry,Icouldn'tthinkofanythingelse..."



Fromthelowerpartofthecontrolroom,anapologeticmalevoicecouldbeheard.

"...Jeez,let'ssee...Urarakane?Kimimoto,howdoyoupronouncethis?"

"Clarabell!"

"Iforbidyoufromhavingchildrenfortherestofyourlife."

Shepointedatthemalecrewmemberwhoraisedhisvoice.

"Sorry!Myoldestchildisalreadyinelementaryschool!"

"Oldestchild?"

"Yes!Ihavethree!"

"Andbythewaytheirnamesare?"

"Fromtheoldest,Pureblue,Fullmonty,Seraphim!"

"Changetheirnameswithinoneweek,andmoveoutsideoftheircurrentschooldistrict."

"Doyouneedtogothatfar!?"

"Thinkaboutthefeelingsofthechildrenwhoaregiventheweirdnamesyoudoublebaldie."

"It'sfine!Recentlyeveryone'sbeendoingthesame!"

*GongGong*,amuffledsoundrangoutinthebridge.

Shidouwasprobablytappingontheintercom.

Lookingatthescreen,thegirlhadherarmscrossed,andwastappingherelbowimpatiently.

Kotorilookedquicklyoverthescreen.Therewasnothinghelpful.*Haaa*,sheletoutabigsigh.

Hersubordinateshadabsolutelynosensewhatsoever.Disappointed,Kotorishookherhead.



Shelookedatthegirl'sbeautifulappearance.Somethingthatwouldsuitherwouldbesomethingelegantandrefinedintheoldstyle.Yes,suchas—

"Tome."

"Tome!YournameisTome!"

AssoonasShidousaidthat,apureredlightshinedinthecontrolroom,andaloud*piipii*soundstartedtoring.

"Patterngreen,displeasure!"

Oneofthecrewraisedhisvoicewhilelookingpanicked.

Inthatmoment,theaffectionpointsmeterdisplayedonthebigscreenhadrapidlydropped.

Followingthat,infrontofShidou'sfeetinthescreen,*zugagagagagagagagan!*,assmallballsoflightrapidlyshowereddownlikeamachinegun.

"Nuwahhhhhhh!?"

"...Kotori?"

AquestioningReine'svoice.

"Huh?That'sweird.Ithoughtitwasagreatold-styledname."

"...Idon'tknowwhy,butitseemedlikeyouweremakingfunofme."

Asveinspoppedinherforeheadthegirlsaid.

"...!S-sorry...waitabitmore."

Calmingthinkingaboutit,Tomewasclearlyout.Whilecrouchingandlookingatthesmokerisefromthefloor,Shidoucursedhisownthoughtlessness.Apologiestoalloftheoldladiesinthenation,butitwasnotanamefitforagirlofthistime.

Orratherinthefirstplace,hehadneverconsideredthathewouldbecomeagodfatherthroughasuddenencounter.Nomatterhowmuchhetriedtosupresshisheartbeat,whenhethoughthisvisionstartedspinning.However,therewasnoway



hewasgoingtobeabletosuddenlycomeupwithagirl'sname.Name,name,name...heskimmedoverthenamesofthefemalesheknew.Buthedidnothavemuchtime.Ashewasdoingso,thegirl'sfaceshoweddispleasure.

"——To-Tohka."

FromthetroubledShidou'smouthcamesuchaname.

"Nu?"

"H-How...isit?"

"..."

Afteramomentofsilence—

"Ohwell.It'sbetterthanTome."

LookingatthatShidoumadeahardbittersmileandscratchedthebackofhishead.

However...anevengreaterregretformedinthebackofhismind.

Afterall,itwasbecausetheirfirstmeetingwasonApriltenth[1D6],whatasimplename.

"...WhatamIdoing..."

"Didyousaysomething?"

"Ah,no,nothing..."

Hurridlyhewavedhishand.Thegirlseemedslightlycurious,butdidnotpursue.

Immediately,shetrottedtowardsShidou.

"Then—Tohka,howdoyouwriteit?"

"Ahh,that's—"

Shidouwalkedtotheblackboard,grabbedapieceofchalk,andwrote"十香".

"Hmm."



Withasmallnod,thegirlimitatedShidouandtracedtheblackboardwithherfinger.

"Ah,ifyoudon'tusechalkthenthewords..."

Hestartedtosay,butstoppedhiswords.Theplaceswherethegirl'sfingertouchedwerecleanlyshavedaway,andcrudelythetwowords十香remained.

"Whatisit?"

"...Nothing."

"Isee."

Sayingthis,thegirlstaredatthewordsshewroteforawhile,andgaveasmallnod.

"shidou."

"W-what?"

"Tohka."

"Eh?"

"Tohka.It'smyname.Isn'titmarvelous?"

"Ah,ahh..."

Itwassomewhat...embarassing.Inalotofways.

Slightlyavertinghiseyes,Shidouscratchedhischeek.

However,thegirl—Tohka,onceagainmovedherlips.

"shidou."

...EvenShidouunderstoodTohka'sintentions.

"To-Tohka..."

Shidoucalledthatname,andseemingsatisfiedtheedgesofTohka'slipsturnedupwards.

"..."



Hisheartleaped.

Nowthathethinksaboutit,itwashisfirsttime,seeingTohka'ssmile.

Then,atthattime,

"—...?"

Suddenly,theschoolbuildingwasfacedwithatremendousexplosionandshaking.

Heinstantlysupportedhisbodywiththehandontheblackboard.

"Wh-Whatthe...!?"

"Shidou,getontheground."

InhisrightearKotori'svoiceechoed.

"Eh...?"

"Hurry."

Notknowingwhat'swhat,Shidoudidashewastoldandlaidonthefloor.

Inthenextmoment,*gagagagagagagaga—*,aloudnoiserangout,breakingtheclassroomwindows'glassallatonce,andopeningcountlessbulletholesinthewallbehind.ItwaslikeascenefromaMafia'sbattle.

"Wh-Whatthehell...!"

"Itlookslikeanattackfromtheoutside.ProbablytotrytoluretheSpiritout.—Ahh,ormaybeit'stomaketheschoolbuildingcollapse,andthusgettingridofplaceswheretheSpiritcouldhide."

"Wha...,that'sabsurd...!"

"—Butstill,thiswasoutsidemyexpectations.Themcomingupwithsuchanaggressivetactic."

Then,Shidouraisedhisface.

TohkahadanexpressionthatseemedexactlythesameaswhenshewasdealingwithShidouearlier,gazingoutsidetheshatteredwindows.



Needlesstosay,bulletswereuselessagainstTohka,eventhefragmentsofshatteredglasscouldnottouchher.

However,thatfaceseemedtwistedwithextremepain.

"—Tohka!"

Unknowingly,Shidouyelledoutthatname.

"..."

Withastart,Tohka'sgazemovedfromtheoutsidetoShidou.

Evennow,overwhelminggunshotsoundswereringing,buttheattackontheclassroomofclass2-4hadmomentarilystopped.

Whilebracinghimselffortheattacks,heraisedhisbodyup.Then,Tohkagloomilyloweredhereyes.

"Hurryupandescape,shidou.Ifyoustaywithme,you'llbehitbyyourfellowhumans."

"..."

Shidouwassilent,andgulped..

Certainly,hehadtorunaway.But—

"Therearetwochoices.Torun,ortostay."

HeheardKotori'svoice.Afterhesitatingforabit,

"...HowcanIrunaway,atatimelikethis..."

"You'resuchanidiot."

"...Saywhateveryoulike."

"Thatwasacompliment.—I'llgiveyousomegreatadvice.Ifyoudon'twanttodie,thenstayasclosetotheSpiritaspossible."

"...Okay."



Formingastraightlinewithhislips,ShidousatdowninfrontofTohka'sfeet.

"Huh—?"

Tohka'seyesopenedwide.

"Whatareyoudoing?Hurryand—"

"Iknowthat...!Butrightnowit'sthetimeforourconversation.Somethinglikethat,don'tworryaboutit.—Youwanttheinformationaboutthisworldright?Ifit'ssomethingIcananswer,thennomatterhowmanyquestionsyouhaveI'llanswerthem."

"...!"

Tohkamadeasurprisedfaceforaninstant,andthensatdown,facingShidou.





Part3

"——"

Herbodywrappedinawiringsuit,Origamiwasholdingagiantgatlingguninhertwohands.

Readyingherselfandpullingthetrigger,anunbelievableamountofbulletswerescatteredontotheschoolbuilding.

Becauseherterritorywasexpanded,sheprettymuchcouldn'tfeeltherecoil,butitwasoriginallyalargeradiusgatlinggunthatwouldbemountedonbattleships.Facingthebombardmentfromalldirections,theschoolbuildinggraduallybecamefullofholes.

However—thiswasnottheanti-Spiritequipmentthatusestherealizer.ItwasjustsimplyequipmenttodestroythebuildingandforcetheSpiritout.

"—Howisit?HastheSpiritcomeoutyet?"

Comingovertheintercominsidetheheadset,Ryouko'svoicecouldbeheard.

RyoukowasrightbesideOrigami—butinthemidstofthegunfireherrawvoicecouldnotreach.

"Istillcannotconfirmit."

Withoutlettingupontheattack,shereplied.

Whileshootingherowngun,Origamiopenedhereyeswideandsweptthroughthecrumblingschoolbuilding.

Theywereatadistancewherenormallyonewouldnotbeabletoseeanything,butthecurrentOrigamiwithherterritoryexpandedcouldevenreadthewordsonthepaperpostedonthebulletinboardbythesideofthebuilding.

Then—Origaminarrowedhereyesslightly.

Class2-4,Origami'sclassroom.



Duetotheirattacks,theouterwallhadcompletelycollapsed—shesawthefigureofthetarget,theSpirit.

However—

"...Nn?That's—"

Ryoukosaidinadoubtfulvoice.

Afterall,insidetheclassroom,otherthantheSpirit,ahuman,whatlookedlikeayoungman,wasconfirmed.—Probablyastudentwhowastoolateinescaping.

"Wh-Who'sthat.Ishebeingattacked—?"

WhilenarrowinghereyebrowsRyoukoletouthervoice.

However,asifshehadn'theardit,Origamicontinuedstaringattheclassroom.

ShefeltthatthefigureoftheyoungmanbesidetheSpiritwasfamiliar.

"——!"

Origami'seyesopenedwide.

Afterall—thatyoungmanwasOrigami'sclassmate,ItsukaShidou.

"—Origami?"

Frombesideher,Ryoukocalledherinapuzzledvoice.

HoweverOrigamididn'tanswer,shesimplygaveacommandinherhead.

Acommandtotherealizerwrappingherbody,forthefastestspeed.

"Whatareyoudoing,Origami!?"

"—It'sdangerous.Pleaseavoidactingrandomlyonyourown."

Asexpected,theynoticedtheanomaly.ThetransmissionsfromRyoukoandheadquarterscameataroundthesametime.

HoweverOrigamicouldnotbestopped.Sheimmediatelydroppedthegatlinggun,drawingthecloserangeanti-Spiritlaserblade<NoPain>fromherwaist,and



chargedtowardstheschool.





Part4

Withinaclassroomfacedwitharainofbullets,lookingatandtalkingwithagirl.

...Obviously,itwasthefirsttimehehadsuchanexperienceinhislife.

ProbablyduetoTohka'spower,innumerablebullets,asifavoidingthetwoofus,drovethemselvesintotheschoolbuilding.

Buteventhen,seeingbulletspassinfrontofhiseyeswasnotaneverydayexperience.Hefeltlikeifhesomuchasmovedabithewouldbehit,soShidoustayedperfectlystillashecontinuedtheconversation.

Thecontentsoftheconversationwasnothingspecial.

Tohkaaskedthequestionsthatsheneverhadthechancetoaskanyone,andShidouanswered.JustthissimpleexchangewasenoughforTohkatogiveasatisfiedsmile.

Exactlyhowlonghadtheytalk—wheninsideShidou'sear,heheardKotori'svoice.

"—Thenumbershavestabilized.Ifit'spossible,tryaskingaquestiontooShidou.WereallyneedtheSpirits'information."

Beingtoldthis,Shidouthoughtaboutitabitthenopenedhismouth.

"Hey—Tohka."

"Whatisit?"

"Justexactly...whatkindofbeingareyou?"

"Mu?"

AtShidou'squestion,Tohkafrowned.

"—Don'tknow."

"Don'tknow?..."

"It'sthetruth.There'snothingIcandoaboutit.—Idon'tknowhowlongagoitwas,



butIwassuddenlybornthere.That'sthat.Mymemoriesaredistortedandvague.IhavenoideaaboutthingssuchaswhatkindofbeingIam."

"I-Isthatso...?"

Shidousaidwhilescratchinghischeek,andTohkahmpfedandcrossedherarms.

"That'showitis.Iwassuddenlyborninthisworld,andatthatmomentthemechamechagroupwasalreadydancinginthesky."

"Me-Mechamechagroup...?"

"Thoseannoyingpeoplethatzoomaround."

ItseemedlikeshewastalkingabouttheAST.InvoluntarilyShidougaveawrysmile.

Then,fromtheintercom,alightelectronicsoundlikethesoundwhenyougetaquizquestionrightrangout.

"It'syourchance,Shidou!"

"Huh...?Whatis?"

"TheSpirit'smoodmeterhasalreadygoneabove70.Ifyouwanttomakeamovethennow'sthetime."

"Makeamove...whatshouldIdo?"

"Nn,that'sright.Forthemoment...tryinvitinghertoadate?"

"Huh...!?"

HearingKotori'swords,Shidouaccidentallyraisedhisvoice.

"Nn,what'swrongshidou?"

RespondingtoShidou'svoice,Tohkalookedathim.

"—!Don'tmindit."

"..."

Eventhoughhehurridlytriedcoveringitup,TohkastaredatShidouwithacurious



look.

"Inviteheralready.Thebestwaytoincreaseintimacyistogoalloutlikethisafterall."

"...Evenifyousaythat,themomentsheappearsthere'stheAST..."

"That'sevenmorethereason.Thenexttimesheappears,I'llleaveittoyoutoescapewithherintoalargebuilding.Theaquariumorthetheateroradepartmentstore,whateverisfine.Ifthereisanundergroundestablishmentthenthat'sevenbetter.Ifyoudothat,thentheASTprobablywouldn'tenterdirectly."

"...M-mm."

"Whatareyoumutteringaboutsinceawhileago....!Aplantoeliminatemeafterall!?"

"W-wrong,wrong!It'samisunderstanding!"

HehurridlystoppedTohka,whoseeyesgrewsharpandballsoflightappearedonherfingertips.

"Thentellme.Whatwereyousaying?"

"Guh..."

Groaningwhilesweatrolleddownhisface,avoiceurginghimonechoedinShidou'srightear.

"Comeon,justacceptitalready.Date!Date!"

Atthatmomentthecrewmembersinthebridgewereprobablyalsostimulated,asfromtheothersideoftheintercom,athunderlikechantingofdatecouldbeheard.

"Da●te"

"Da●te"

"Da●te"

"ArghIunderstandalready!"

Shidougaveupandyelled.



Inreality,itwasn'tthathedidn'tunderstandKotori'sreasons,heknewthatitwasimportanttosetastageforthenextmeeting...butwell,youknow,hewasslightlyembarrassed.

"Hey,Tohka."

"Nn,whatisit?"

"U-uhm...t-thenexttime."

"Nn?"

"Wo-won'tyougo...onadatewithme?"

Tohkamadeablankface.

"What'sadate?"

"Th-that's..."

Forsomereasonhefeltreallyembarrassed,asheavertedhergazeandscratchedhischeek.

Then,atthattime,inhisrightear,aslightlylouderKotori'svoiceentered.

"—Shidou!ASTisonthemove!"

"Huh...!?"

InavoicethatTohkainfrontofhimcouldprobablyevenhear,Shidoudidn'tcareandexclaimed.

Withinamoment—outsidetheclassroomthathadsincegivenoffaveryopen-airfeeling,Origamiappeared.

"—!"

Inaninstant,Tohka'semotionsgrewdark,andsheextendedherhandtowardsthere.

Then,withoutmissingabeat,fromtheunrefinedmachineryinherhandabladeoflightappeared,asOrigamichargedatTohka.

Sparkslikeataweldingshopscatteredaroundthearea.



"Ku—"

"—Howcrude!"

Tohkaletoutaroar,shakingoffOrigamiwiththehandthatstoppedthebladeoflight.

"..."

Slightlyclenchingherteeth,Origamiwasblownbackwards.—But,sheimmediatelycorrectedherposture,andlandedbeautifullyonthebullet-holefilledfloor.

"Tch—It'syouagain."

Lightlyshakingthehandthatstoppedthebladeoflight,Tohkasaid,asiffilledwithhatred.

OrigamiglancedatShidou,thengaveoffasighasifshewasrelieved.

HoweversheimmediatelyreadiedtheunfamiliarweaponandshotacoldgazetowardsTohka.

"..."

Seeingherstate,TohkastoleaglanceatShidou,thenthrustherheelintothefloorbelowherfoot.

"—< >!"

Instantly,theclassroom'sfloorbulgedup,andfromtherethethroneappeared.

"Wha..."

"Shidou,withdraw!Let<Fraxinus>pickyouupatonce.Ifpossibletrytoleavewithbothofyou!"

Shidoustooddazed,andthenheardKotori'syell.

"Evenifyousaythat..."

Tohkapulledtheswordfromthebackofthethrone,andthrustittowardsOrigami.

Theshockwavefromthatoneswing,veryeasilypickedupShidou'sbody,andblew

KingofSlaughterSandalphon



itoutsidetheschool.

"Uwahhhhhhh!?"

"Nice!"

AtthesametimethatKotori'svoicerangout,Shidou'sbodywassurroundedwithaweightlessfeeling.

Whilefeelingastrangefloatingsensation,Shidouwasretrievedbythe<Fraxinus>.





Chapter4:SurpriseDate





Part1

"...Wellyeah,normallythey'dclosedowntheschoolforsomethinglikethis..."

Shidouwalkeddownthesteeproadextendingfromthefrontoftheschoolwhilescratchingthebackofhishead.

ItwasthedayafterhehadnamedtheSpiritTohka.

Shidouhadgonetoschoollikenormal,anduponseeingthetightlyshutgateandtheschoolbuildingthathadbeenreducedtoapileofrubble,sighedathisidiocy.

Hewastherewhentheschoolhadbeendestroyed,sonormallyonewouldassumethatitwouldbeclosed...butwhenfacedwithsuchanoverlyunrealisticsetting,itwaspossiblethathismindhadunconsciouslybecomedetachedfromreality.

Plus,hehadspentallnightlastnightinameetingwiththeothers,reviewingthevideoofhisconversationwithTohkaandreflectingonit,sohismentalcapacitymighthavedecreasedfromlackofsleep.

"Sigh...IguessIshouldatleastdoabitofshoppingthen."

Lettingoutasinglesigh,heturnedtoadifferentpaththanthewayhome.

Itwastruethattheyhadrunoutofeggsandmilk,andjustreturningstraighthomewould'vefeltsomewhatweird.

However—beforeevenafewminuteshadpassed,Shidoustoppedagain.

Therewasa"Donotenter"signproppedupontheroad.

"Oh,theroadisclosed...?"

Butevenifthesignhadn’tbeenthere,itwasclearasdaythattheroadwasunusable.

Theasphaltfloorhadbeentornupintoamess,theconcretewallshadcrumbled,andeventhemulti-tenantbuildinghadcollapsed.

Itwasasifawarhadtakenplacehere.



"—Ah,thisis..."

Herememberedthisplace.ItwaspartofthespacequakezonewherehehadfirstmetTohka.

Itseemedliketherepairforceshadn’tdealtwithityet,asthedisastroussceneremainedunchangedfromtendaysago.

"......"

Whenherecalledthegirl’sappearanceinhismind,heletoutasmallsigh.

—Tohka.

TheSpirit—thegirlwhobroughtforthdisaster—whodidnothaveanameuntilyesterday.

Yesterday,afterconversingwithherforlongerthaneverbefore,Shidou’spremonitionwasconfirmed.

Thatgirlreallydidpossessanunthinkableamountofpower.

Tothepointwherealloftheorganizationsintheworldwouldagreethatshewasathreat.

Thescenelaidoutbeforehimwasproofofthat.

Somethinglikethisreallycouldn’tbelefttoitself.

"...dou..."

Butatthesametime,therewasnowaythatshewouldusethatpowerrecklessly,likeacareless,mercilessmonster.

"...i,dou..."

Shidouhatedthatmelancholicfacethatshewore.Hecouldn'ttolerateitatall.

"Hey,shidou..."

...Well,thosethoughtswerespinningaroundinhishead,sobeforeheknewit,he’dendedupwalkingallthewaybacktotheschoolgate.



"...Stopignoringme!"

"—Huh?"

Avoicerangout—fromtheothersideoftheclosedoffarea.

Shidoutiltedhisheadinconfusion.

Asifsplittingthefrigidair,itwasabeautifulvoice.

Itwaslikeavoicethathe'dheardsomewhere...tobespecific,atschoolthepreviousday.

...Itwasavoicethathedidnotexpecttohearatatimeandplacelikethis.

"U-Umm—"

Shidoufocusedhisgazeinthatdirectionashecomparedthevoicehe'djustheardwithhisownmemories.

Andthen,hisentirebodyfroze.

Shewasrightinfrontofhiseyes.

Agirlwasleaningslightlyonthetopofthemountainofdebris,wearingadressthatclearlydidnotfitthesurroundings.

"T-Tohka!?"

Indeed,unlessShidou'smindoreyeswereplayingtricksonhim,thegirlwaswithoutadoubttheSpiritthathehadencounteredatschoolthepreviousday.

"Soyoufinallynoticed,stu~pidstu~pid."

Thegirl'sface,beautifulenoughtosendchillsdownone'sspine,wasdyedwithdiscontent.Shekickedthepileofdebriswitha*thump*,andapproachedShidoualongthebarelyintactasphalt.

Probablybecauseitwasinherway,Tohkakickeddownthe'Donotenter'signwithagruntandarrivedinfrontofShidou.

"W-Whatareyoudoing,Tohka...?"



"...Nu?Whatdoyoumean?"

"Whyareyouinaplacelikethis...!?"

Shidouglancedbehindhimwhileshouting,andcaughtsightofvariouspeoplesuchasagroupofwomentalkingandaneighbourhoodresidentwhowaswalkingtheirdog.

Noonewastakingrefugeinashelter.Thatmeans,thespacequakealarmhadn’tsounded.

Basically,thismeantthatneither<Ratatoskr>northeASThadsensedanyforeshockbeforetheSpiritappeared.

"Evenifyouaskmewhy..."

However,thepersonherselfdidn'tseemtocareaboutthestrangesituationatall.Shefoldedherarmstogether,asifshedidn'tknowwhyShidouwasmakingsuchafussaboutit.

"Aren'tyoutheonewhoinvitedme,shidou?That...onadate."

"Wha—"

Shidou’sshoulderstrembledathercarelessdeclaration.

"Y-Youremembered...?"

"Hm?What,doyouthinkI'manidiotorsomething?"

"No,that'snotwhatImeant..."

"—Hmph,whatever.Moreimportantlyshidou,let'sgetonwiththatdatealready.Datedatedatedate."

Tohkakeptrepeating'datedate'withauniqueintonation.[1E1]

"I-Igetit!Igetit,sostoprepeatingthatword!"

"Eh,why?......Ah,shidou,don’ttellmethatyoutookadvantageofhowIdon’tknowwhatitmeans,andtaughtmeanindecent,obsceneword?"

Withhercheekscolouredbrightred,Tohkaraisedhereyebrows.



"—!I-Ididn’t,Ididn’t!It’sacompletelypureword!"

Hescratchedhischeekwhenhesaidthat.

Itwasabitofalie.Asfarashumanswereconcerned,itwasawordthatcouldbeextremelyimpure.

Shidouturnedaroundwithanuncomfortableglance.

Thewomenweregrinning,lookingathimasifthey'dseensomethingcharming.

Well,therewasalsosomedoubtmixedinintheirgazes,duetoTohka’sstrangeappearance.

"...Nu?"

Tohkaseemedtohavenoticedthosegazestoo.ShehidherselfbehindShidou,andwatchedthemacutely.

"...shidou,whoarethey?Enemies?ShouldIkillthem?"

"Hu...Huh!?"

Shidou'sshouldersshookuponTohkablurtingoutsuchdangerousthoughtswithnowarning.

"No,no,no,whyareyousayingthat?They'rejustordinarywomen."

"Whatareyousaying,shidou?Thosefieryglimmeringeyes...aren’ttheylikebirdsofprey?There'snowaytheyaren'ttargetingme....Theymightcausetroublelateronifweleavethembe.Ithinkthatitwouldbebesttotakethemoutbeforethathappens."

...Well,it'struethattheireyesweregleaming,but...

Firstofallhe'dhavetocomeupwithanewconversationtopic.

"Don'tworry.Didn'tItellyou?Therearen'tmanyhumansthatwillattackyou."

"...Hmph."

ThoughTohkastillhadn'tletdownherguard,atleastshestoppedseemingabouttostrikeatanymoment.



"Whatever.So,aboutthatdate—"

"L-L-Let’sgosomewhereelsefirst.Okay?"

ShidousaidthattoTohka,whohadcontinuedonunabashed,andhurriedlywalkedaway.

"Nu.Hey,shidou,wherearewegoing!"

Tohkafollowedrightafterhim,andraisedhervoiceindiscontentwhilewalkingbesidehim.

TogetherwithTohka,Shidouenteredadesertedbackalley,andfinallyletoutasighinrelief.

"Soyou’vefinallycalmeddown.Sheesh,whatastrangeperson.Whatexactlyiswrong?"

Tohkanarrowedhereyesindisappointment.

"Tohka...whathappenedaftereverythingyesterday?"

Therewasanassortmentofthingsthathewantedtoask,butthefirstonetoleavehismouthwasthat.

Tohka’slipsmovedwithabitofascowl.

"Nothingreally,itwasjustlikealways.Theyswungtheirbladesthatwon'tcutanything,firedtheircannonsthatwon'thitanything.—Finally,mybodyjustnaturallydisappeared."

"...Disappeared?"

Shidoutiltedhishead,puzzled.

Cometothinkofit,Kotoriandtheothersalsohadahunchlikethat,buttheydidn'treallyunderstandhowitworkedatall.

"It'sjustmovingfromthisworldtoadifferentspace."

"S-Somethinglikethatexists?...Whatkindofaplaceisit?"

"Idon'treallyknow."



"...What?"

Shidoufrownedatheranswer.

"TheinstantImovethere,Inaturallyenterasleep-likestate.FromwhatIcanremember,itfeltlikeIwasdriftingaroundinadarkspace.—AsfarasI'mconcerned,it'slikefallingasleep."

"Then,doyoucometothisworldwhenyouwakeup?"

"That'snotquiteit."

Tohkashookherheadandcontinued.

"Inthefirstplace,Icouldneverchoosewhentocomehere,I'mjustrandomlysenttoandstuckonthisside.Well,Iguessit'slikebeingforcefullywokenup."

"......"

Shidouheldhisbreath.

HeunderstoodthatspacequakesoccurredwhenSpiritsappearedinthisworld,butifwhatTohkasaidwastrue,thenitwasnotbytheirownwillthattheyappearedhere.

Inthatcase,aren’tspacequakesreallyjustlikeaccidents?

ForcingtheresponsibilityonTohka—ontheSpirits—istoounreasonablenomatterhowyoulookatit.

Atthatmoment,onemorequestionpassedthroughShidou'shead.

TherewasonepartofTohka’sstoryjustnowthatdidn'tquitefit.

"...Whatdidyoumeanby'could'?Istodaydifferent?"

"......"

Tohka'scheekstwitchedslightly,hermouthbentintoafrown,andsheavertedhergazeataslant.

"Hmph,a-asifIknow."

"Answermeproperly.Itmightbesomethingreallyimportant."



ButShidoucontinuedtopresson.

That'showitwas—ifTohkahadcometothisworldbyherownwilltoday,thenthatmightbethereasonwhytherewasnospacequake.

Butforsomereason,Tohka'scheekswereflushedslightlypink,andhergazewassharp.

"You'resopersistent.Thisconversationisalreadyover."

"No,but—"

Shidoustartedtospeak,butTohkastompedonthegroundwithonefoot.

Theasphaltthatshesteppedoninstantlylitup,andbeamsoflightradiatedfromit.

"Whoa...!?"

WhenthelighttouchedShidou,itscatteredintofireworkswithacrackle.

"—Comeon,hurryupandtellmewhatadatemeans."Tohkasaidimpatiently.

"...Gah."

Againstthatuncompromisingtoneofvoice,Shidoucouldn'tdoanythingbutfallsilent.

Ifhequestionedheranyfurther,it'dresultinabeamoflightlikeyesterday.

Shidouspentalittlewhilemumblingtohimselfbeforespeaking.

"...It'swhenaboyandagirlgooutandhavefuntogether...Ithink."

"Isthatit?"

Tohkastaredathim,asifinaweathowanticlimaticitwas.

"Y-yeah..."

Eventhoughhesaidit,hewasstilltroubledbecausehehadn'tevergoneonadateeither.

Thatis,heknewsomethingsfrommangaanddramas,butthatwastheextentofhis



knowledge.

ButTohkagrumbledwithherarmsfoldedoverherchest.

"...Sobasically,yesterdayyouweresayingyouwantedtoplaytogether,thetwoofus?"

"...W-Well...yes...Iguess."

Forsomereasonitwas20%moreembarrassingwhenhesaiditplainly.Heansweredwhilescratchinghischeekawkwardly.

"Isee."

Tohka’sexpressionslightlybrightenedasshenodded,andshetookalongstrideoutfromthealley.

"H-Hey,Tohka—"

"What,shidou?Aren’twegoingtogohavefun?"

"—!Y-You’reokaywithit...?"

"Didn’tyousaythatyouwantedto?"

"Ah...Well,that’strue,but..."

"Thenhurryup.OrelseI'llchangemymind,"Tohkasaidassheresumedwalking.

Andthen,Shidourealizedafatalissue.

"T-Tohka!Thoseclothesofyourswon'twork...!"

"What?"

Tohka'seyeswidenedinextremesurprisewhenShidousaidthat.

"Whatexactlyiswrongwithmyraiment?Thisismyarmorandmyterritory.Iwon'ttolerateyourinsults."

"Youstandouttoomuchlikethat...!EventheASTwillfindout!"

"Nu."



Seeminglyhavingrealizedthatitwouldindeedbetroublesome,Tohkamadeanunpleasantface.

"WhatshouldIdo,then?"

"Well,youhavetochangeyourclothes,but..."

AsingledropofsweatdrippeddownShidou'scheek.Therearen'tanywomen'sclotheshere,andtakingherallthewaytoastorewouldbedifficult,too.

Also,hiswalletwasn'tthatfull.

Whileherackedhisbrainforideas,Tohkaimpatientlyspokeup.

"Whatkindofclotheswouldbegood?Justtellmethat."

"Eh?Ah..."

Evenifsheaskedhimwhatkind,hecouldn'tcomeupwithanythingrightaway.

But,atthatmoment,afamiliaruniformpassedthroughtheedgeofhisvision.

"Ah..."

Aschoolgirlthathedidn'trecognizewalkedalongtheroadwithasleepyface.

Itwasprobablyastudentthatforsomereason,alsomissedtheannouncementthattheschoolwasclosed,justlikeShidouhad.

"Tohka,overthere.Clotheslikethatwouldprobablybefine."

"Nu?"

TohkalookedinthedirectionthatShidouwaspointingin,andplacedherhandonherchin.

"Hmm,Isee.Sothatwouldbefine,huh?"saidTohka.

Shetightlyraisedherindexandmiddlefingersofherrighthandtogether.

Then,ablackballoflightappearedfromherfingertips,pointedtowardstheschoolgirl.



"Wait,whatdoyouthinkyou'redoing!?"

Flustered,ShidoustruckTohka'shand.

Atthatmoment,thephotosphereshotfromTohka’sfingers,grazedtheschoolgirl’shair,andhitthewallbehindher.

Adull*thunk*rangout,andsmallfragmentsofthewallscatteredaround.

"Eek...!?"

Theschoolgirl’sshoulderstrembledatthesuddenevent,andshefranticallylookedaroundher.

Butasifconcludingthatitwasbecauseshewashalf-asleep,shetiltedherheadinconfusionandleft.

"Whatareyoudoing?Youmadememiss."

"That'snotwhatyoushouldbesayingatalllllllll!That'smyline!"

"Iwasgoingtostunherandstripoffherclothes,but..."

Tohkatiltedherheadasifaskingwhatwaswrongwiththat.

Shidouletoutadeepsighfromthebottomofhisstomach,andplacedhishandagainsthisforehead.

"Listen,Tohka.Youcan'tattackpeople.Youjustcan't."

"Whynot?"

"...Don'tyoufeelannoyedwhentheASTattacksyou?Listentome—youshouldn'tdothingsthatpeoplewon'tlike."

"...Hmpf."

Tohka'slipstightenedindissatisfactionwhenShidousaidthat.

Ratherthandisagreeingwithwhathesaid,itseemedlikeshewasunhappywithhowhespoketoherlikehewastalkingtoachild.

"...Iunderstand.I'llkeepthatinmind."Tohkasaidinconsent,withthatexpression.



Next,sheraisedherfaceslightlyasifrememberingsomething,andsaid,

"—Itcan’tbehelped.I'llhavetotakecareoftheclothesmyself,somehow."

Withthat,shesnappedherfingers.

Justasshedidthat,thedressthatsheworestartedtodissolveintotheair...orsoitseemed,butthenasifitwasbeingreplaced,particlesoflightgatheredaroundher,coilingaroundherbodyandforminganewsilhouette.

Afterafewseconds,Tohkastoodthere,wearingthesameRaizenHighSchooluniformthattheschoolgirlhadbeenwearing.

"Wh...Wh-Whatisthis?"

"Icastoffmyraimentandcreatedanewoutfit.Ijustwentbysightsothedetailsmightbeoff,butitshouldn'tbeaproblem."Tohkasaidasshecrossedherarmswitha'hmph'.

"Ifyoucoulddosomethinglikethatthenyoushould'vedonethatfromthestart!"

Shidoushouted,andTohkawavedherhandsaroundasifsaying‘Igetit,Igetit.’

"Moreimportantly,wherearewegoing?"

"A-Aboutthat—"

Shidoutouchedhisrightearasiflookingforhelp.

Then,hefinallyrealized.Rightnow,Shidouhadnointercominhisear.

Andofcourse,therewasnocamerafloatingaround.

Atanyrate,thecrewofKotori’s<Fraxinus>hadn’tdetectedTohka’spresenceatall.

Inotherwords,theywerecompletelyalone.

Shidoufeltabitdizzy.

Thepressuremadehisstomachhurt.

TherewasahugedifferencewhenKotoriandReineweren’tbehindhimtogivehimdecentadvice.



"What'swrong,shidou?"

"...Nothing."

Shidoutookseveraldeepbreaths,andstartedwalkingstiffly.Shortlyafter,Tohkaspokeup.





"—shidou.You'rewalkingtoofast.Slowdownabit."

"...A-Ah,sorry..."

Headjustedhispaceafterhavingitpointedout.Theirpacesweredifferenttobeginwith,soitwasonlynaturalthatShidouwouldendupinfront...itwassomehowastrangefeeling.

Thiswasdefinitelywhatitwasliketowalktogetherwithsomeone.

ForShidou,whohadnevergoneanywherewithagirlinhislife,itwasanewsensation(bytheway,KotorihoppingandprancinginfrontofShidoucouldn’treallybeusedasareference).

Thinkinglikethat—ShidoustoleaglanceatTohkawalkingbesidehim.

Whathesawwasnotamonsterwhocouldsplittheheavensandearthwithaswingofasword,butratherjustanormalgirl.

Astheyleftthealleywaysandenteredalargeroadwherevariousstoreslinedthesides,Tohkanarrowedherbrowsandnervouslyglancedaroundher.

"...W-what'swiththisnumberofpeople.Aretheyplanninganall-outwar!?"

Itseemsshewassurprisedbytheincomparablymorepeopleandcarsthanwhatshehadbeenusedtoseeing.Whileremainingalertinalldirections,Tohkasaidinaseriousvoice.

Then,onthefingertipsofbothherhands,atotaloftensmallballsoflightappeared.Shidouhurriedlystoppedher.

"LikeIsaid!There'snobodywho'saimingforyourlifehere!"

"...Really?"

"Really."

Shidousosaid,andTohkacarefullylookedoverthesurroundingagain,forthemomentextinguishingtheballsoflight.

Then—unexpectedly,theprecautionthatdyedTohka'sfacedroppedaway.



"Huh...?Heyshidou,what'sthatsmell?"

"...Smell?"

Heclosedhiseyesandsniffedthesurrounding,andjustasTohkahadsaid,afragrantodorlingeredintheair.

"Ahh,it'sprobablyfromthat."

Sayingthis,hepointedatthebakeryontheright.

"Ooohh."

Sayingjustthat,Tohkastaredinthatdirection.

"...Tohka?"

"Nu,whatisit?"

"Wannagoin?"

"......"

Shidouasked,andTohka'sfingertipstwitchedashermouthcurledintoafrown.Then,withamiraculoustiming,*guurururu*,Tohka'sstomachgrowled.ItseemsthatevenSpiritscanfeelhunger.

"IfshidouwantstogointhenIwon'tnotcomein."

"...Iwanttogoin.Ireallywanttogoin."

"Isthatso,thenIhavenochoice!"

Excessivelycheerfully,Tohkaresponded,andtriumphantlyopenedthedoortothebakery.

"......"

Hidingintheshadowofthewalls,Origamistaredfixatedlyattheboy-girlpairtalkinginfrontofthebakery,andwithoutherexpressionschangingevenone



millimetersheletoutashortbreath.

Shehadgonetoschoolonlytofindthatitwasclosed,andonthereturnhome,shehadnoticedShidouwalkingtogetherwithafemalestudent.

Justthatwasalreadyanextremelyserioussituation.Likealover,shequietlybegantotailthem.

However—therewasanevenbiggerproblemthanthat.

Thatfemalestudent,Origamirecognizedit.

"—Spirit."

Quietly,shemuttered.

That'sright.Monster.Abnormality.Thecalamitythatwoulddestroytheworld.

Thethingthatwasnothuman,whomOrigami'sgroupwassupposedtoannihilate,waswearingauniformandwalkingbesideShidou.

"......"

Butifshecalmlythoughtaboutit,suchathingwasnotpossible.

BeforeaSpiritappears,asaprecursor,aforeshockofabnormallevelswouldhavebeendetected.TherewasnowayAST'sobservationsquadwouldhavemissedthat.

But,inthatcasethespacequakealarmshouldhavesoundedlikethepreviousday,andanordershouldhavealsoreachedOrigami.

Origamitookouthercellphonefromherbagandopenedit.Therewerenomessages.

Inthatcase,thenthatgirlwasnotaSpiritafterall,butjustsomeonewhohadanaccidentalresemblance.

"...There'snowaythat'sthecase."

Quietly,herlipsmoved.TherewasnowayOrigamicouldhavemistakentheSpirit'sface.

"......"



Origamipushedsomebuttonsonhercellphone,openingheraddressbookandcalledanumberinside.

Then.

"—AST,MasterSergeantTobiichi.A-0613."

StatingherpositionandIDcode.Shethencuttothechase.

"Sendmeoneobservationmachine."





Part2

"Ah,Reine~.Ifyoudon'twantthatthenletmehaveit."

"...Nn,okay.Goahead."

Kotoriextendedherfork,andstabbeditintotheraspberryintheplateplacedinfrontofReine.Shethenslowlybroughttheforktohermouth,savoringthesweetandsoursensation.

"Mmm,yum.Whydon'tyoulikethis,Reine?"

"...Isn'titsour?"

Sayingthis,Reinedownedtheappleteafilledwithplentyofsugarinonegulp.

Rightnow,thetwoofthemwereinacaféonTenguuAvenue.

Kotoriwaswearingawhiteribbonandhermiddleschooluniform,whileReinehadonalightlycoloredcutsewanddenims.

Kotorihadgonetoschoolasusualbut,duetothespacequakeyesterdayKotori'sschoolhadmoreorlesssufferedsomedamages,soitwasclosed.

Somehow,goingstraighthomeafterthatwouldfeelsomewhatweird,soshecalledReineouttohaveanenjoyablesnacktime.

"...Oh,thisisaperfectopportunity,sotellme."

Reineopenedhermouthasifrememberingsomething.

"Wh~at?"

"...Sorrythatit'ssuchabasicquestion,butKotori,whydidyouchoosehimasthenegotiatorwiththeSpirits?"

"Mm..."

HearingReine'squestion,Kotorifrowned.



"Youwon'ttellanyone?"

"...Ipromise."

Inalowvoice,Reinenodded.Seeingthis,Kotoriconsentedandreplied.MurasameReinewasawomanwhowillfollowthroughwithwhatshesays.

"Actually,I'mnotrelatedbybloodwithmybrother.It'sasupergalge-likesetting."

"...Hrm?"

Neitherseemingamusednorsurprised,Reinetiltedherheadslightly.ShequicklyprocessedKotori'swordsandmadeaposethatseemedtobeasking'whatdoesthathaveanythingtodowithmyquestion?'.

"That'swhyIloveyou,Reine~"

"......"

Reinehadamystifiedexpression.

"Don'tmindit~....Then,tocontinue.IwonderhowoldIwasthen,itwasduringatimethatIdon'tevenremember,butonii-chanhadbeenabandonedbyhisrealmother,andourfamilytookhimin,orsomethinglikethat.ItwassolongagothatIdon'treallyrecall,butitseemedlikehewasquitetroublesomewhenwefirsttookhimin.Itwasatalevelwhereitseemedlikehemightjustgoandcommitsuicide."

"......"

Forsomereason,Reine'sbrowsmovedinsurprise.

"What'swrong?"

"...Nothing,pleasecontinue."

"Nn.Well,therewasnothingwecouldreallydoaboutit.Tosomeonewhowasn'teventenyearsold,amotherwasanabsolutelyessentialexistence,sotomybrother,itwasprobablyabigeventthatcompletelydeniedhiswholeexistence.—Butwell,itseemedthatafteraroundayearhisconditionhadstabilized."

Exhalingaudibly,shecontinued.

"Probablybecauseofthat,onii-chanhadbecomestrangelysensitivetothedespair



insidepeople."

"...Despair?"

"Mm.Somethinglikeeveryonerejectingoneself—thinkingthatonewillneverbelovedbyanyoneelse.Well,basicallywhathehadbeenlikebackthen.Iftherewassomeonewithsuchamelancholicexpression,evenifitwasacompletestranger,hewouldprobablygohelpthemwithoutasecondthought."

That'swhy,hereyessaidastheywerecastdownwards.

"SoIjustthought,'ifit'shim'.—TheonlyonethatIcouldthinkofthatcouldcheeruptheSpiritwasonii-chan."

Kotorisosaid,andReinewent'...Isee'andloweredhereyes.

"...But,whatIwanttohearisnotthatemotionalkindofreason."

"......"

AtReine'swords,Kotori'sbrowsmovedinsurprise.

"Sowhatdoyoumean?"

"...It'stroublesomewhenyouplaydumb.Iwon'tbelievethatyoudon'tunderstand.—Whatexactlyishe?"

Reinewas<Ratatoskr>'sbestanalyst.Usingthespecializedrealizers,nevermindthematerialstructure,butthroughthedistributionoftemperatureandthemeasurementofbrainwaves,shecouldprettymuchgraspthesubtletiesofone'semotions.

—Eventhehiddenpowersandtraitswithinsomeone.

Kotorigaveanaudiblesigh.

"Well,themomentIleftonii-chantoReineIkindaknewthiswasgoingtohappenthough~"

"...Ahh,sorrybutIhadanalyzedhimabit....Ithoughtitwouldhavebeenweirdtoengageanormalpersoninthisstrategywithoutasolidreason."

"Mm,Idon'treallymind~.Eventuallyit'llprobablybecomesomethingthateveryoneknowsanyways~"



Alongwiththesoundofthedooropeningandthewaitress'svoicecallingout'Welcome',Kotorishrugged.

Shethenpickedupthestrawthatwasstuckintothecupinfrontofher,andsuckeduptheremainingblueberryjuiceinonebreath.

Then—

"Puufghfghghhfgh!?"

SeeingthecouplethathadjustcomeintothestoresitdownintheboothbehindReine,thejuicethatshehadsuckedintohermouthwasblownoutwithamazingforce.

"......"

Somehowitseemsthatthecoupledidnotnotice,butReine,sittinginfrontofKotori,wasnotcoveredfromtheimpact.Uncovered,shewascovered.Well,basicallyshehadbecomesoakingwet.

"Sorry,Reine..."

"...Nn."





Quietly,Kotoriapologized,andasifnothinghappened,Reinetookoutahandkerchieffromherpocketandwipedherface.

"...What'swrong,Kotori?"

"Mmm...IthoughtIsawsomethingunscientificormaybeunrealistic."

"...Whatwasit?"

RespondingtoReine'squestion,KotorisilentlypointedbehindReine.

"...?"

Reineturnedherheadaround—andsuddenlystoppedmoving.

Afewsecondslater,herheadslowlyrotatedbacktoitsoriginalposture,asshebroughtherappleteatohermouth.

Then,*pfffft*,sheblewteatowardsKotori.

"...Thatwastoosurprising."

MaybethatwasReine'swayofshowingheragitation.

Butthatwastobeexpected.Afterall,behindReine,Kotori'sbrother,ItsukaShidou,wassittingtogetherwithagirl.

Thatwasnotall.ThesaidgirlwastheonewhomKotori'sgrouphadcalledacalamity,aSpirit.

"Ehhhh...what'sgoingon."

KotoriwipedherfacewiththehandkerchiefthatReinepassedher,assheaskedwithaloweredvoice.

Bytheway,Reine'shandkerchiefhadanimageofabearprintedrightinthemiddle.Duetothestainsfromtheblueberryjuiceandappletea,ittookonaKikaider-likeappearance.

Shesearchedinherpocketsandlookedathercellphone.Therewerenomessagesfrom<Ratatoskr>.Thatmeans,theyhadnotnoticedanydisturbancefromwhentheSpiritappeared.



But,thatwasundoubtedlytheSpirit,Tohka.Therewasnowaythattherecouldbemanygirlsthatbeautiful.

"IsthereawayforSpiritstoappearwithoutusnoticing?"

"...What'sthechancethatit'sjustalook-alike?"

KotorithoughtforamomentaboutReine'swords.

Butsheimmediatelyshookherhead.

"Ifthatwasthecase,thenonii-chanwouldbegoingoutwithanormalgirl.IfyouaskmewhetherthatoraSpiritsilentlyappearingismorelikely...thenbyanarrowmarginitwouldbethelatter."

"...Isee."

Itwasaratherharshcomment,butReinereadilyacceptedit.

"...Butifthat'sthecasethenthisistroublesome.IwonderwhetherShincandealwiththeSpiritbyhimself."

"Nn..."

Then,asthetwoofthemplacedtheirhandovertheirmouthandgroaned,theyheardtheconversationfromthetwosittingbehindReine.

"Huh,soit'sfinetojustchoosewhattoeatfromthisbook?"

"Yeah,that'sright."

"Mushroombread.Istherenomushroombread?"

"UhhIthinkthat'sabit...Orrather,didn'tyoujustkeepeatingthatatthebakery?"

"Iwanttoeatitagain.Whattheheckiswiththatpowder...thatpowerfuladdictiveness...ifthatwasrecklesslyreleasedintotheworldthentheresultswillbecatastrophic...peoplewillbeshakingwithwithdrawalsymptomsandundoubtedlystartwarsovermushrooms."

"Noway."

"Grr,whatever.Let'sstartthediscoveryofanewflavor."



"Yeahyeah...butIonlyhave3000yenleft."

"Nu?What'sthat?"

"I'msayingthatbecauseyoukeepbuyingstufftoeatmymoneyisdisappearing!"

"Muu,it'satoughworld.Wellthen,Iguessthere'snootherway.Waitawhile,I'llgogathersomefunds."

"Wa...wait!Whatareyouplanningtodo!"

Hearingthatconversation,Kotorigavealongsigh.

Takingouttheblackribbonsfromherpocket,shetiedherhair.

ItwasKotori'swayofchanginghermindset.Now,KotorihadtransformedfromShidou'scutesisterintohercommandermode.

Then,openinghercellphone,sheconnectedto<Ratatoskr>.

"...Ahh,it'sme.It'sanemergency.—CommencewithstrategycodeF-08●Operation<Tenguu'sHoliday>.Allhands,immediatelytoyourstations."

Hearingthis,Reine'sfacetwitched.

WaitinguntilKotori'sphonecallended,sheraisedhervoice.

"...Areyouseriousaboutthis,Kotori?"

"Yes.It'sasituationwherewecan'tgivehimanycommands.There'snootherway."

"...Isee.Sinceit'slikethis—thenit'spartofRouteC....Hmm,thenIwillbeonmyway.Iwillnegotiatewiththestoreaheadoftime."

"Please."

Sayingthis,KotoritookoutaChupaChupsfromherpocket,andputitinhermouth.





Part3

"......"

Comparingthenumberswrittenonthereceiptinhishandwiththecontentsofhiswallet,Shidousighed.Hedidn'thavemuchleft,butluckilyitwasanamountthathecouldbarelypayoff.

"Cmon,let'sgoTohka."

"Nn,already?"

Tohkasaid,staringinwonder.Shidouquicklystoodupasifinahurry.Iftheystayedhereanylongerthentheonlypathsopentothemwouldbetoeitherwashthedishesortoeatandrun.

AsShidouwalkedtowardsthefrontcounter,Tohkacaughtuptoo.Shewasnolongeremanatingsuchaharshhostilitytowardsthesurroundingcustomers.Itseemedthatshehadprettymuchgottenusedtopeoplebeingaround.

Forthemoment,Shidouwasrelieved,asheplacedthereceiptalongwiththreepaperbillsthatmadeup90%ofhisremainingmoneyonthecounter.

"I'dliketopayplease."

Shidousaidtowardstheemployeestandingatthecounter—

"...!?"

Hefrownedgreatly,andtookastepback.

Thatwasbecause,theemployeethatstoodtherewas...

"...Thankyouforyourvisit."

Herecognizedthewomanwiththickshadowsunderhereyesandseemedexcessivelysleepy.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh..."



"Nn?What'swrongshidou,anenemy!?"

TohkaturnedhertremblingfacetowardsthevisiblyflusteredShidou.

"N-no,that'snotit..."

HefeeblydeniedTohka'squestion.

Then,Shidoustaredattheworkerwearingtheextremelycuteuniformwithastuffedbearsittingonhershoulder,hersleepyeyesglowing.

Foramoment,hethoughthefeltaglareasifsaying'ifyoutellanyoneI'mworkingherethenI'llkillyou',buthesoonrealizedthatithadadifferentmeaning.

"...Hereisyourchangeandreceipt."

DuringthetimeShidouwasshocked,Reinehadquicklycompletedthetransaction.Shepassedthereceiptoverwhiletappingitssurface.

Onthebottomofthatreceipt,'Wewillsupportyou.Continueyourdatenaturally'waswritten.

Inotherwords,theglarejustthenwasforShidoutocontinuethedatewithoutlettingTohkafindoutthattheykneweachother...probably.

"D-don'tworryaboutit."

ShidousaidtoTohka,ashestuffedthereceiptinhispocket.

Reine'ssharpenedgazereturnedtobeingherusualspacedoutlook.

Shethentookoutasinglecolorfulstripofpaperfromtheregister'sdrawerandhandedittoShidou.

"...Thisisaraffleticketfortheshoppingdistrict.Asyouleavethisstore,ifyoufollowtheroadontherightyouwillreachtheplaceforthedrawing.Ifyouwouldlike,pleasehaveavisit."

Inadditiontoexplainingthelocationindetail,thelastpartwassaidveryclearly.

Shidouscratchedhischeek.Ratherthan'ifyouwouldlike',shewasprobablysayingtodefinitelyuseit.



Thatsaid,itwould'veprobablybeenfineevenifshedidn'temphasizeit.

"shidou,whatisthat?"

BecauseTohkahadbeenscrutinizingtheraffleticketwithintenseinterest.

"Doyouwanttogo?"

"Doyouwanttogo,shidou?"

"...Yeah,Ican'twaittogo."

"Thenlet'sgo."

Tohkacheerfullyleftthestoreinlargestrides.

AftergivingalightbowtoReine,Shidouchasedafterher.

"—Goodwork,Reine."

Hidingintheshadowofthecounter,Kotoristoodupafterconfirmingthatthetwohadleftthestore.

"...Ican'tgetusedtothis,thankyou."

Reineliftedthehemoftheexcessivelyfrillyuniform,andsaidinamonotonousvoice.

ThathadbeenstrategycodeF-08●Operation<Tenguu'sHoliday>.

<Ratatoskr>hadconsideredeverypossibility,andhadgroupedthemintoover1000strategycodes.Thiswasoneofthosepossibilities.

InthecasethattheSpiritescapesmonitoring,andmeetsupdirectlywithShidou—<Fraxinus>'screwwillblendintothepeopleonthestreetsandsupportShidoufromtheshadows.

Forthisreason,thecrewhadallspentaminimumofonemonthlearninghowtoact.

"Itsuitsyou.Verycute."

Whilelickingcandy,Kotorisaid,thensheimmediatelypulledouthercellphone



andcalledanumber.

"Ahh,it'sme.Theyjustleftthestore....Mmm,beasnaturalasyoucan.IfyoumessupI'llhaveyouskinned."

Conciselyconveyingtheinformationandpenalty,shehungup.

"Thesecondgroupseemstobestandingby.—Let'ssee,weshouldreturntothe<Fraxinus>.Evenifwecan'treachthembyvoice,weshouldatleastwatchthevideo."

"...Yeah,let'sdothat."

HearingReine'swordsfrombehindher,thetipsofKotori'slipscurvedupwards.

"Now—letour commence."

"Uhm,raffle...Iguessit'sthat."

AsShidouandTohkaleftthestoreandwalkedalongtheroad,theysawaspacewithalongtablelinedwithredcrossesandalargelotterywheelplacedonthattable.

Thereweretwomenwearinghappicoats[1E2],onestandingbythelotterywheelandonehandingoutthewinnings.Behindthem,stuffthatseemedlikeprizessuchasabicycleandbagsofricewerelinedup.Therewerealreadyafewpeopleinline.

"..."

Shidouscratchedhischeek.

Heonlyfaintlyrecalled...butinadditiontothemenwearingthehappicoats,heseemedtorememberseeingthefacesofthecustomersinlineinsideofthe<Fraxinus>too.

"Oooh!"

ButtherewasnowayTohkawouldworryaboutsomethinglikethat.GrippingtheraffleticketshereceivedfromShidou(orrather,sinceitlookedlikeshereallywanteditsohehandeditover),hereyesglittered.

"Cmon,let'slineup."

battledate



"Mm."

Then,Tohkanodded,andtheyenteredthebackoftheline.

Watchingthecustomersinfrontspinthewheel,herheadandeyesspunalongwiththewheel.

Quickly,Tohka'sturncame.Imitatingthecustomerbeforeher,Tohkahandedthetickettotheworker,andplacedherhandonthelotterywheel.Takingagoodlook,theworkerwas< >Kawagoe.

"DoIjustspinthisthing?"

Sayingthat,shespunthelotterywheelaround.Afewsecondslater,aredconsolationballflewoutofthelotterywheel.

"...That'stoobad.Redispocketti—"

AsShidoubegantospeak,Kawagoerangthebellinhishandloudly.

"Firstprize!"

"Oooh!"

"H-huh...?"

Shidoufurrowedhisbrowsbut...seeingadifferentworkerbehindKawagoepulloutaredmarkerandcolorinthegoldballdrawnbeside'firstplace'ontheprizeboard,hestoppedhisvoice.

"Congratulations!FirstplaceisacomplementarypairtickettoDreamland!"

"Ooh,what'sthatshidou!"

"...Athemepark?Ihaven'theardofitthough..."

ShidoureplieddoubtfullytoTohkawhohadreceivedtheticketinanelatedmood.

Immediately,Kawagoepulledhisfacecloseandwithouthesitation,

"There'samapdrawnontheticket,sodefinitelyvisit!Youshouldgorightnow!"

"...O-okay..."

TiredTooEarlyBadMarriage



Takingastepbackasiffeelingpressured,helookedatthebackoftheticket.Therecertainlywasamaponit.Anditwasextremelycloseby.

"Wastherealwaysathemeparkaroundhere...?"

Shidoutiltedhishead,butohwell,thiswas<Ratatoskr>'scommand.Theremustbesomethingthere.

"...Wanttotakealook,Tohka?"

"Mhmm!"

Tohkawasfilledwithenthusiasm,somightaswellwalkthereandsee.

Theplacereallywasclose.Fromtherafflestanditwasafewhundredmetersdownanalley.Thetwosideswerestilllinedwithbuildings,itwasnotaplacethatonewouldthinkathemeparkwouldbebuilt.

However—

"Oooh!shidou!There'sacastle!Arewegoingthere!?"

Tohkaexpressedanexcitementmorethaneverbefore,asshepointedtothefront.

Whilethinkingthatwasridiculous,Shidoulookedupfromthebackoftheticketandturnedhisfacetowardsthefront.

"..."

Instantly,Shidoufrozeinplace.

Certainly,whileitwassmall,therewasawesternstylecastle.Onthesign'Dreamland'waswritten.

...Andonthebottomofthat,'Rest●Twohours4000yen~Stay●8000yen~'waswritten.

Inotherwords,itwasalovehotelthatonlyadultscouldenter.

"W-we'releavingTohka...!Iaccidentallytookawrongturn!"

"Nu?It'snotthat?"



"Yeahthat'sright.C-cmon,let'sgo."

"Can'twestoptheretoo?Iwanttogoin."

"...!N-nonono.Let'snottoday!Okay!?"

"Muuu...okay."

HefeltsorryforlettingdownTohka,butthatplacewasimpossibleafterall.ShidouturnedtoglareatKotoriwhowasprobablywatchingthewholethingfromthesky,andturnedback.

"Jeez,goingallthewaythereonlytoturnaround?Whatacompletechicken,evenformybrother."

Sittingonthecommanderseatofthe<Fraxinus>,Kotorishruggedhershoulderswithasigh.

"...Ohwell,whatdidyouexpect.Suddenlydoingthatiscruel."

Sittinginthelowerpartofthebridge,Reinesaidwhileoperatingaconsole.

Thenumbersshownonthescreenfromheranalysisweremuchmorestablethanyesterday.Thoughitwasnotenoughtobeconsideredlovers,thenumbersshowedthatTohkathoughtofShidouasatrustworthyfriend.

Well,thatwaswhytheytriedaslightlydrasticpattern.

"Eveniftheydon'tgototheveryend,evenifitwassomethinglikeakissthenitwould'vebeencheckmate."

Sayingthis,thecandystickmovedaround,andsheexhaledfromhernose.

"...Whatshouldwedonext."

"Nn,let'ssee.Let'sgowith'coupling'and'one-waymaze'."

"Haa...haa."

Eventhoughtheydidn'trun,mysteriouslyhewasoutofbreath.Astheyexitedontoa



roadwithvariousstoresandbuildingslinedup,heslowedthepace.

"Areyounotfeelingwell,shidou?"

"No,that'snotit..."

"Thenwhat'swrong?"

Tohkatiltedherheadandasked.

"...forabit,mythoughtswenttomysisterinthesky."

"Inthesky?"

Makingaslightlysurprisedface,Tohka.

"Ahh.Shehadbeenacutesister..."

Tothinkthatshehadsuchasplitpersonality,hesighed.

"Isthatso..."

SeeingTohkasuddenlygivingoffasolemnaura,Shidousuddenlyrealized.Thewayhehadbeenspeakingjustthen,itwasasifKotorihaddied.

"Ahhthat'snotitTohka,It's—"

Shidou'swordsstopped.

"Pleasehaveone."

Suddenly,agirlhadheldoutapacketofpockettissueinfrontofhiseyes.

Hereachedouthishandandacceptedit,andthegirlgaveaslightnodandleft.

"shidou?What'sthat?"

"Ahh,thisiscalledpockettissue—"

Sayingthis,Shidoutwistedhisneck.

Thepockettissuegivenoutonthestreetswereusuallyforadvertisement.However,



onthepackagingofthispackoftissue,otherthananillustrationofacoupleholdinghandsandthephrase'Ifyou'rehappythenholdhands',nothingelsewasonit.Wasitsomekindofreligiousorganization?

Then,whilehewaswondering,fromtheelectronicsstoreonhisrightheheardavoicethatherecognizedfromsomewhere.

Onthemanytelevisionsetsliningthestorefront,astrangeshowwasbeingbroadcast.

"Wha...!?"

Shidounarrowedhisbrowsandletoutasound.

Thereweremanycommentatorsonasetliketheinformationprogramsthatplayduringtheday,buteachandeveryoneofthemwerefacesthatherecognizedfrom<Fraxinus>.

"Someonewhodoesn'tholdhandsontheirfirstdateisnogoodafterall."

"That'sright.Ifyou'reamanthenthatmuchisobvious."

"......"

Then,asShidouwassilent,thesurroundingcouplesincreasedtoanunnaturallevel.

What'smore,allofthemwereintimatelyholdinghands,andperiodicallysaying'holdinghandsisnice!'or'itfeelslikeourheartsareconnected!'andsimilarstuff,asifonpurpose.

Feelingslightlydizzy,Shidouplacedhishandonhisforehead.

—Thiswasprobablythatafterall.

Hegaveabigsigh.

Afterawhile,Shidouplacedthepackoftissuesinhispocket,andtryingtocalmhisheartbeat,turnedtolookatTohka.

"H-hey,Tohka..."

"Nn,what?"



Tohkatiltedherheadquestioningly.Shidougulped,andthenheldouthishand.

"Uhm,wantto...holdhands?"

"Hands?Why?"

Withoutanyillwill,asifapurequestionmarkhadfloatedup,Tohkaasked.

Somehow,itseemedmoreembarrassingthanbeingoutrightrejected.

"...You'reright.Iwonderwhy?"

Inreality,itwasnotsomethingthathecouldexplain.Ashelookedaway,Shidoupulledhishand—

"Nn."

—back,butTohka'shandgrabbedontoShidou'shand.

"..."

"Nu?What'swiththatface.Youweretheonewhosaidtoholdhands,shidou."

"A-ahh."

Lightlyshakinghishead,theystartedwalking.

"Mm,thisisn'tbad,holdinghands."

SayingthisTohkasmiled,andshestrengthenedhergripslightly.

"...Y-yeah."

Herealizedthatjustbytouchingthesmall,soft,andslightlycoolerhand,hisfacenaturallyturnedred.

Asmuchashecould,hetriedtoavoidthinkingaboutthefeeling,ashewalkedwhilethinkingaboutotherthings.

Then,afterwalkingforwardforsometime,hesawayellowandblacksignaheadthatsymbolizedanareaunderconstruction.Menwearinghelmetswerebusyworking.



"Mm...wecan'tpassthroughherehuh.Ohwell,let's..."

Shidouturnedtowardshisright,butthistimealongthatpathadonotentersignwasplaced.

"Ah?"

Whilethinkingthatitwassuspicious,hereluctantlyturnedbacktowardsthewayhecamefrom.

But,thistime,thepaththattheyhadjustwalkedalong,wasblockedwithasign.

"......"

Nomatterwhatthiswastoounnatural.Shidousquintedatthefacesoftheworkers.

Sureenough,herecognizedafewoftheirfaces.Theywerethe<Fraxinus>'screw.

Speechless,Shidouturnedtowardsthehill,andlookedattheroadthatextendedfromhisleft.

Theonlyroadtheycouldtakewasthat.

"...Sothey'retellingustogothiswayhuh."

"Nu?What'swrongshidou?"

"No,nothing....Forthemoment,let'strygoingthisway?"

"Mm,okay."

Whilemakingafaceasifjustwalkinglikethisisfun,Tohkaaffirmed.

"Nowthen,let'sgoshidou!"

"Y-yeah..."

Inanawkwardmanner,Shidouwalkedtowardsthepathontheleft.





Chapter5:RuthlessSandalphonSlaughterer[1F1]





Part1

Thetimewas6PM.

Theeveningsun'sraysspreadoverthegroupofbuildingsinfrontofTenguuStation,dyingthemorange.

Fromasmallparkthatcouldoverlookthisbrilliantscenery,twopeople,aboyandagirl,walked.

Therewasnothingparticularabouttheboy.Hewasanormalhighschoolstudent.

However,thegirl—

"...Fuuu"

KusakabeRyoukolickedherlipswhilesquinting.

"There'sa98.5%match.That'sreallytoohighforthistobeacoincidence."

Spirits.

Disastersthatdestroythisworld.

Thegirlswhoturnedthelandintoscorchedearth30yearsagoandcausedahugefire5yearsago,andwereinthesamecategoryastheworstcalamities.

However,thefigurethatwasreflectedonRyouko'sretinarightnowwasjustthatofacutegirl.

"Permissiontofire?"

Quietly—orontheotherhand,anextremelycoldvoice,wascasttowardsRyouko'sback.

Shedidn'tturnaround.ItwasOrigami.

EquippedwiththesamewiringsuitandthrusterunitsasRyouko,herrighthandheldtheanti-Spiritriflethatwaslongerthanherheight,<Cry●Cry●Cry>.



"...Notyet.Remainonstandby.Thehigher-upsareprobablystillindiscussion."

"Isee."

Notseemingrelieved,norseemingdisappointed,Origaminodded.

Rightnowstandingbyinaonekilometerperimeterofthepark,RyoukoandtheotherASTmembersnumbertentotal,splitupintofivepairs.

Thefactthatthereweretwopeoplewasoneofthereasonsformovinginpairs.

Evenfurtherfromtheurbanareasthantheparkwasaflatareathatwasunderdevelopment.Duringthedaytherewerelinesoftrucksandcranesandsuch,butatthishourithasalreadyquieteddown.

Afewhoursago,whenitwasdecidedthatthegirlOrigamidiscoveredwasaSpirit,permissiontooperateCR-unitswasimmediatelygiven.

However,peopleliketheMinisterofDefenceandtheChiefofStaffwerestillinameetingabouttheplanofaction.

Themainquestionwaswhethertoattack,ornot.

Sinceitwasanappearancewhereaspacequakewasnotdetected,thespacequakealarmdidnotsound.

Thismeantthatnotasingleresidenthadevacuated,soiftheSpiritwentberserknow,therewouldbegravedamages.

Ontheotherhand,itwouldbebadtoprovoketheSpiritbysoundingthealarmnow.Itwasaserioussituation.

However—

"Thisisagoodopportunity."

Origami,inherusualflatvoice,said.

ItwasasOrigamisaid,thiswasachance.

Becauserightnow,theSpiritdoesnothaveherraiment[1F2]manifestedonherbody.

Theoutershellthat,likeRyouko'sterritory,enclosedandmadetheSpiritthe



strongest,ultimate,invinciblelife-form,wascurrentlynotwrappedaroundher.

Ifit'snow,therewasachancethattheirattackscouldreachher.

Butthatwasnomorethanjustapossibility,andrightnowwhatwasneededwasacertainwaytodealafatalblowwithasinglehit.ThatwasthereasonwhyOrigamiwasholdingthespecialanti-Spiritrifle.

Theuserletsoutascream,thetrajectoryletsoutascreech,andthetargetletsouttheirdeaththroes.

Thus,< >.

Withoutanexpandedterritory,therecoilwouldbreaktheshooter'swrist,itwasacrazygun.

However,Ryoukodidnotimaginethattherewouldbeanincidentthatwouldrequirethatgun.

"...Thenoncommittalhigher-upsmightjustgivepermissiontoattackinthissituation."

"Itwouldbetroublesomeiftheydon't."

Ryoukosaid,andOrigamirepliedimmediately.

"...Well,that'sthecaseifyou'reatthescene.But,thesignificanceof'theSpiritwentonarampageafterpermissiontoattackwasgivenbutcouldnotbedealtwithinonehit'versus'theSpiritrandomlywentonarampagebutwehadnoideaithadappeared~'isquitedifferentwhenitcomestoaproblemofresponsibility."

"It'sbothersomebutthat'showtheymakedecisions."

"Well,there'salotofpeoplewhocaremoreabouttheirpositionthanthelivesofabunchofotherpeople."

Sayingthis,sheshrugged.

Origami'sexpressionchangednotintheleast,butforsomereasonitfeltlikeshewasdisappointed.

Then—atthattime,avoicemixedwithnoisereachedRyouko'sear.

CCCCryCryCry



"Yesyes,thisispointalpha,what'sthefinaldec—eh?"

Ryoukowentwide-eyedattheinformationthatpassedthroughherear-piece.

"—Roger."

Sayingonlythat,sheclosedtheconnection.

"...I'msurprised.Theygavepermissiontofire."

Honestly,thatwasabitunexpected.Shehadcompletelyexpectedittobeanothercommand,tostandby.

Wait—yesterday,thecommandtoattacktheschoolwasalsoanaggressivemovethatwouldnothavenormallybeengiven.Therewasprobablysomereshufflinginthepeopleabove.

Ohwell,Ryoukojusthastodoherownwork.Specifically,rightnowitwas—totellthememberwiththehighestchanceofsuccesstopullthetrigger.

"—Origami,youshoot.Amongstthepersonnelrightnow,youarethemostsuitable.Failurewillnotbetolerated.Definitelyfinishitwithoneshot."

Towardsthosewords.

"Roger."

Asexpected,Origamiansweredwithoutanyemotion.





Part2

Intheparkdyedbythesettingsun,ShidouandTohkaweretheonlytwothatcouldbeseen.

Fromtimetotimethesoundofcarsorthecriesofcrowscouldbeheardfromadistance,butitwasapeacefulplace.

"Ohh,thisviewisamazing!"

Sinceawhileago,TohkahadbeenleaningovertherailingsandgazingattheduskcoloredstreetsofTenguuCity.

Followingtheroutethe<Fraxinus>'screwskillfully(?)guidedthemthrough,theyarrivedatthisparkwithagreatoverlookofthecity,justasthesunwasstartingtosink.

Itwasn'tthefirsttimethatShidoucamehere.Itwasratherthekindofasecretplacethatheliked.

Theonewhochosethisplaceasthedestinationwaswell...probablyKotori.

"shidou!Howdoesthattransform!?"

Tohkapointedtoafarawaytrainandaskedwithhereyesglittering.

"Unfortunatelyatraindoesn'ttransform."

"Ah,soit'sacombiningtype?"

"Well,itdoesconnecttogether."

"Ohhhh"

Tohkagaveastrangelysatisfiednod,thenspunaroundtofaceShidou,puttingherweightontherailings.

Tohka,withthesunsetlingeringinthebackground,wasindescribablybeautiful,asifapainting.



"—Really"

Asifchangingthetopic,Tohka"Nnnnn",stretched.

Then,suddenly,herfacestretchedintoacarefreesmile.

"It'sagreatthing,thisdatething.Ireally,uhm,hadalotoffun."

"......"

Thatwasanunexpectedstrike.Thoughhecouldn'tseeit,hischeekswereprobablybrightred.

"What'swrong,yourfaceisred,shidou."

"...It'sthesunset."

Sayingthis,helookeddown.

"Really?"

TohkaleanedtowardsShidou,andasiflookingupwards,peeredathim.

"——"

"AsIthought,itsredisn'tit.Isitsomekindofdisease?"

Atadistancewherehecouldfeelherbreath,Tohkasaid.

"N...th-that's,not..."

Whileavertinghiseyes—insideShidou'shead,theword,date,swirledaround.

Frommangaandmovieshehadtheknowledge.

Ifacouplevisitssuchawonderfulplaceattheendoftheirdate,thenprobably—

Naturally,Shidou'seyesmovedtowardsTohka'ssoftlips.

"Nu?"

"—!"



Tohkahadn'tsaidanything,buthefeltlikeshehadseenthroughhisfoulthoughts,andheagainavertedhiseyesandmovedback.

Whilewipingthesweatoffhisforeheadwithhissleeve,ShidouquicklyglancedatTohka'sface.

Tendaysago,andthenyesterday,themelancholicexpressiononherfacehadfadedquiteabit.Exhalingasmallbreathfromhisnose,hepulledforwardonesteptofaceTohkaagain.

"—See?Wasthereanybodywhotriedtokillyou?"

"...Nn,everyonewaskind.Honestly,evennowIcan'tquitebelieveit."

"Ah...?"

Shidoutwistedhisneck,andTohkagaveawrysmilewithanairofself-scorn.

"Thatthere'sthatmanyhumanswhodon'trejectme.Whodon'tdenymyexistence.—Thatmecha-mechagroup...uhh,whatweretheycalled.A...?"

"YoumeanAST?"

"Yeah,them.Itseemsmorerealisticifeveryoneonthestreetsweretheirunderlings,andtheywereallworkingtogethertodeceiveme."

"Heyhey..."

Thatwasundoubtedlyanabsurdthoughtbut...Shidoucouldn'tlaughatthat.

BecausetoTohka,thatwasnormal.

Continuingtoberejected,wasnormal.

Itwasso—sad.

"...Sothen,IwouldalsobeapawnoftheAST?"

Shidouasked,andTohkavigorouslyshookherhead.

"No,Shidouisuhm...definitelysomeonewhoserelativesweretakenhostageand



threatened."

"Wh-What'swiththatrole..."

"...Pleasedon'tletmethinkthatyou'reanenemy."

"Eh?"

"Nothing."

Asking,thistimeitwasTohkawhoturnedaway.

Asifforciblychangingherexpression,shescrubbedherfacewithherhands,andthenturnedback.

"—Butreally,todaywasanextremely,extremelymeaningfulday.Thattheworldwasthiskind,thisfun,thisbeautiful...Icouldn'tevenimagineitbefore."

"I,see—"

Shidou'slipscrackedintoasmilehasheexhaled.

However,asifreplyingtoShidou'sexpression,Tohkafurrowedherbrowsasadrysmilesurfaced.

"Thoseguys—TheAST'sthoughts,IthinkIkindaunderstandnow."

"Eh...?"

Shidounarrowedhisbrowsinaquestioningmanner,asTohkaputonaslightlysadexpression.

ItwasabitdifferentfromthemelancholicexpressionthatShidouhated—butitwasanexpressionimbuedwithaslightlygrimfeeling,thatjustbylookingatitseemstowringone'sheart.

"Everytime...Icometothisworld,I'mdestroyingpartofsomethingthiswonderful."

"——"

Shidou'sbreathingcloggedup.

"B-But,thathasnothingtodowithyourownwillright...!?"



"...Nn.Appearing,theeffectsofthat,Ican'tcontrol."

"Then—"

"Buttotheresidentsofthisworld,theresultingdestructiondoesnotchange.ThereasonthattheASTtriestokillme,Ifinally...understand."

Shidoucouldn'timmediatelyreply.

Tohka'ssaddenedlookcausedhischesttotightensomuchthathecouldn'tproperlybreathe.

"shidou.It'sbetterif—Ididn'texist,afterall."

Sayingthis—Tohkasmiled.

Itwasn'ttheinnocentsmilethathecaughtaglanceoftodayatnoon.

Itwaslikeasickpatientrealizingthattheirendwasnear—aweak,painfulsmile.

Withagulp,heswallowedhissaliva.

Unknowninglyhisthroathadbecomeparched.Whilefeelingalightpainasthewaterpermeatedhisthroat,hesomehowmanagedtoopenhismouth.

"It'snot...likethat..."

Inordertoputmorepowerintohisvoice,Shidoutightlyclenchedhisfists.

"Imean...thereweren'tanyspacequakestodayright!There'sgottabesomethingthatwasdifferentthanusual...!Ifwecanfindwhatthatis...!"

However,Tohkaslowlyshookherhead.

"Evenifweestablishedsuchaway,thatdoesn'tchangethefactthatthetimingforwhenIamtransportedhereisrandom.Thenumberofappearancesprobablywon'tdecrease."

"Then...!It'sfineifyoujustdon'treturntothatsideanymore!"

Shidouyelled,andTohkaraisedherhead,eyeswideopen.

Itwasasifshehadn'teventhoughtof,orconsideredthatidea.



"Somethinglikethat—it'snot..."

"Haveyoutriedit!?Evenonce!?"

"..."

Tohkapursedherlipsandlapsedintosilence.

Whilepressingonhischest,asiftryingtosuppresstheirregularpalpitation,Shidouonceagaindrenchedhisthroatwithsaliva.

Itwassomethinghesaidinthespurofthemomentbut—ifsomethinglikethatwaspossible,thenaspacequakeshouldn'thappenagain.

AccordingtoKotori'sexplanation,theenergywavesfromwhentheSpiritistransportedfromtheotherdimensiontothisworldcausesthespacequake.

Thus,ifTohkawastoberandomlypulledtothisworldwithoutrespecttoherwill,thenshemightaswelljuststayherefromtheverybeginning.

"B-But,youknow,there'salotthatIdon'tknow."

"Somethinglikethat,I'llteachyouallofit!"

ToTohka'swords,animmediatereply.

"I'dneedabed,andthingstoeat."

"I'll...dosomethingaboutthat!"

"Unexpectedthingsmighthappen."

"IfithappensthenI'llthinkaboutit!"

Forashortwhile,Tohkasunkintosilence,thensheopenedherlipsacrack.

"...Isitreallyokay,formetolive?"

"Yeah!"

"It'sokformetobeinthisworld?"

"Yep!"



"...Theonlyonewhowouldsaythatisshidou,onlyyou.NevermindtheAST,eventheotherhumans,theywoulddefinitelynotacceptsuchadangerousbeingintheirlivingspace."

"AsifIwouldknowaboutthat...!!WhatabouttheAST!?Whataboutotherpeople!?Tohka!Iftheyrejectyou!Thenmorethanallofthemcombined!Iwillacceptyou!"

Heyelled.

FacingTohka,Shidoufirmlyheldouthishand.

Tohka'sshoulderstrembledslightly.

"Shake!Fornow—justthisisfine...!"

Tohkalookeddown,andforafewmomentssunkintosilence,asifthinking,thenslowlyraisedherface,andslowlyextendedherhand.

"shidou—"

Then.

Themomenttheirhandstouched.

"——"

Shidou'sfingertipsuddenlytwitched.

Hedoesn'tknowwhybut—hefeltanextraordinarychill.

Asifaroughtonguewaslickinghisbodyallover,anunpleasantfeeling.

"Tohka!"

Involuntarily,fromhisthroatheyelledthatname.

AndbeforeTohkacouldanswer.

"..."

Withbothhands,hepushedTohkaashardashecould.

TheslenderTohkacouldn'tstandthesuddenimpact,assherolledbackwardslikein



amanga.

Notevenaninstantlater.

"———Ah"

Somewherebetweenhischestandstomach,Shidoufeltatremendousimpact.

"Wh—Whatareyoudoing!"

Coveredwithsand,Tohkacomplained,butitwasdifficulttorespondtothat.

Hecouldn'tbreathe.

Itwashardtomaintainevenhisconsciousnessandstance.

Anyways,something,feels,bad.

"shidou?"

Tohkasaid,stunned.

Searchingforthereason,hemovedhisshakingrighthandtohisside.

Something'sweird.

Afterall,therewasnothing,th———

"Ah—"

Throughhereyesightstrengthenedbyherterritory,OrigamiheardthissoundleakfromherthroatasshewatchedShidou'scrumblingfigure.

Forafewmomentsherbodystiffened,asshelayproneontheflatgroundthatwaspreparedfortheconstructionofnewapartmentbuildings,holdingtheanti-Spiritrifle< >ready.

Afewsecondsearlier.

OrigamistartedtheRealizeron< >,appliedanoffensivebarrieronthespecialbulletthatwasloaded,lockedonperfectlyandpulledthetrigger.

CCCCryCryCry

CCCCryCryCry



Therewasnopossibilityofmissing.

—IfShidouhadn'tsuddenlysenttheSpiritflying.

ThebulletOrigamifired—inplaceoftheSpirit,cutcleanlythroughShidou'sbody.

"——"

Thistime,nosoundcameout.

Shecouldtellthatherfinger,theonethatpulledthetrigger,wasquiveringminutely.

Afterall,justthen,Ijust,Shidou—

"—Origami!"

"——"

Ryouko'svoicebroughtherbacktohersenses.

"Youcanregretlater!I'llscoldyoutodeathlater!Butfornow—"

Sayingthis,Ryoukoglancedattheparkinfear.

"Justthinkaboutnotdying...!"

"shidou...?"

Shecalledhisname,buttherewasnoreply.

Thatwastobeexpected.InShidou'schest,therewasalargeholebiggerthanevenTohka'sspreadhand.

Herheadwasconfused,shedidn'tunderstand.

"Shi—,dou"

TohkasquatteddownbesideShidou'sheadandpokedhischeeks.

Therewasnoresponse.

ThehandthatwasextendedtowardsTohkajustmomentsagowascompletely



drenchedinblood.

"U,wa,aaa,aaaa—"

Afewsecondslater,herbrainstartedtounderstandthesituation.

...Sherecognizedthisburntsmellthatenvelopedthem.

ItwasthatofthegroupthatalwaystriestokillTohka—theAST.

Itwasaverysharpstrike.Probably—thatgirl.

Ifshewastobehitinhercurrentstatewithoutherraiment,evenTohkawouldn'tcomeoutunharmed.

MuchlessifitwasthecompletelydefenselessShidou.

"——"

Tohkafeltatremendousdizziness,assheplacedherhandoverShidou'seyes,whichwerestillgazingatthesky,andslowlyshuthiseyelids.

Then,shetookoffthejacketoftheuniformshewaswearing,andgentlycoveredShidou'scorpse.

Unsteadily,Tohkastoodup,andturnedherfacetowardsthesky.

—Ahh,Ahhh.

Itwasimpossible.Itwasimpossibleafterall.

Foramoment—Tohkahadthoughtthatitmight'vebeenokaytoliveinthisworld.

IfShidouwasthere,thenmaybethingswould'veworkedout,soshethought.

Itwouldprobablybehardandcumbersome,buttheymight'vebeenabletodoit,soshethought.

However.

Ahh,however,

Itwas,impossible,afterall.



Thisworld—itchosetorejectTohkaafterall.

Anditwasthroughthelowest,theworstmeansthinkable—!

"—< >..."

Fromthedepthofherthroat,thatnamewassqueezedout.Raiment.Theabsolutelystrongest,Tohka'sterritory.

Instantly,theworld,sang.

Thesurroundingscenerysquashedanddistorted,wrappedaroundTohka'sbody,andtooktheformofasolemnraiment.

Andthenabrilliantlyshiningmembranebecametheskirtandinsidesoftheraiment—thecalamityhasdescended.

*Creak,creak*

Theskycreaked.

AsifexpressingdispleasureatTohka,whosuddenlycausedherraimenttomanifest.

Tohkamovedhergazeslightlydownwards.

Onahillthatwasflatlikeamountaintopthathadbeenslicedoff,thepeoplewhojustattackedShidouwerethere.

Thepeopleforwhomitwouldnotbeenoughtojustkillthem,werethere.

Tohkathrustherheelintotheground.

Instantly,thethronethatstoredthegiantswordappearedfromthere.

Withaboom,Tohkakickedofftheground,landingonthearmrestofthethrone,anddrewtheswordfromitsback.

Then.

"Aaaaa"

Herthroattrembled.

AdonaiMelekHeavenlyRaiment●Tenth



"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

Asiftheskyshook.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA———!!"

Asifthegroundroared.

Itfeltlikeshewasnumbingherbrain,asiftryingtowearherselfdown.

"Howdareyou."

Hereyes,dampened.

"Howdareyouhowdareyouhowdareyouhowdareyouhowdareyouhowdareyou"

Tohkaputpowerintothehandholdingthesword,andkilledthedistanceinfrontofhereyes.

"Wh—!?"

"——"

Withoutgivingtimetoevenblink,Tohkahadmovedtothehillthatshehadbeenwatchingjustthen.

Infrontofherwasawomanwithhereyesopeninshock,andagirlwithameaninglessexpression.

Atthesametimeasseeingthishated,despisedface,Tohkahowled.

"<Sandalphon>—[ ]!!"

Immediately,cracksranthroughthethronethatTohkawassteppingon,asitcrumbledintopieces.

HalvanhelevTheLastSword



Then,thevariouspiecesofthethroneattachedontotheswordthatTohkawasholding,furtherincreasingthesizeofitssilhouette.

Withalengthexceedingseveralmeters,anexcessivelyoversizedsword.

However,Tohkalightlygaveitashake,thenswungdowntowardsthetwofemales.

Thelightgleamingoffthebladegrewevenmoreintense,andinaninstantcreepedontothegroundbelowalongthelineextendingfromthesword.

Inthenextmoment,atremendousexplosionassaultedthesurroundingarea.

"Wh...!"

"—Gu"

Jumpingtotheleftandrightjustintime,thetwoofthemletoutvoicesfilledwithfear.

Butthat'stobeexpected.Afterall,withjustthatonestrike,Tohkasplitthelargeflatareaintotwohalvesalongitslength.

"You...,monster—!"

Thetallgirlscreamed,swingingsomethinglikeanunrefinedswordatTohka.

ButtherewasnowaythatsuchathingcouldreachTohka,withherraimenton.Justbydirectinghergazetowardsit,shedispersedtheattack.

"Impossible—"





Thegirl'sfacewaspaintedwithdespair.

Butshowingnointerestinher,Tohkalookedtowardstheothergirl.

"—Ah,ah.It'syou,it'syou."

Quietly,herlipsopened.

"Thefriendofmine,thebestfriendofmine,shidou,theonewhokilledhim,wasyou."

Tohkasaidthis,andjustslightly,forthefirsttime,thegirl'sexpressiondistorted.

However,suchathingdoesn'tmatteratall.

AnexistancethatcouldstopTohkawith[ ]materialized,doesn'texistinthisworld.

Lookingdownatthegirlwitheyesthatwerestainedwithpuredarkness,shecalmlywentcrazy.

"—Kill everything.Die ."


killdestroy

killerase

diebegone

dieperish





Part3

"Commander...!"

"Iknow.Stopmakingaruckus.You'renotamonkeyinmatingseason."

Whilerollingacandyaroundinhermouth,Kotorirepliedtoherpanickingsubordinate.

<Fraxinus>'sbridge.OnthecentralmonitorthefallenShidouwithhisbodycompletelyshavedaway,aswellasthevisualsoftheSpirit,Tohka'sbattle,wasdisplayed.

Shecouldunderstandtheunrestinthecrew.

Thesituationwasoverwhelmingly,absolutely,devastatingly,hopeless.

Thespacequakesirenhadfinallybegantosound,butbeforetheresidentswerecompletelyevacuated,thebattlebetweenTohkaandtheASThadstarted.

Theonlysavingpointwasthatitwasinanunoccupiedconstructionsite—butasinglestrikefromTohkaeasilycrushedthatoptimism.

AtranscendentaldestructivepowerthatmadetheTohkauptonowlookcuteincomparison.

Justasinglestrikesplittheexpansiveconstructionareaintwo,inthemiddleadeepabyss.

Also—thesuddendeathofItsukaShidou,whowassupposedtobe<Fraxinus>'sfinalweapon.

Kotori'sgrouphasbeenputintotheworstimaginablesituation.

Yet,

"Well,helackedabitinelegance,butIguessourknightgetsapassingmark.Iwouldn'tbeabletostandtowatchiftheprincesshadbeenhitbackthen."

InanotveryserioustoneKotorisaid,andthecandy'sstickmoved.



ThecrewmemberscastafearfulgazetowardsthatKotori.

Buttherewasnoblamingthem.Rightnowshehadjustlostherbrother.

Howeverwithinthem,onlyReineandKannazukishoweddifferentreactions.

ReinewasmonitoringTohka'sbattle,collectingdata,likeeverythingwasnormal.

However,Kannazukiwasinadifferentstate.Hisfacewastingedred,anddroolwasleakingfromhismouth.

Looking,hehadafacelikehewasthinkingsomethinglike"Ahh...openingsuchahugeholeonmybody...twitchtwitch.Wouldn'titbeamazing.I'msure,I'msureit'dbeamazing.B-butifIdiethenthere'snopoint."

"Jeez."

"Hauu!?"

KotorilaunchedakickatKannazuki'sshin,thenstoodup.

Then,she"hmpfed"withhernose,andwithhalf-closedeyesannounced.

"Stopdawdlingaroundandreturntoyourownwork.There'snowaythatthisistheendofShidouright?"

Thatwasright.

FromnowonwasShidou'srealwork.

"C—Commander!Thisis...!"

Oneofthecrewfromthelowerbridgewaslookingattheleftsideofthescreen—atsomethingintheparkthatwasbeingshown,andletoutavoicefilledwithsurprise.

"—It'shere."

Changingthepositionofthecandy,hermouthtwistedintoasmile.

Inthepicture,lyinginthepark,coveredwithaschooluniform,Shidouwasbeingshownbut—thatschooluniform,suddenlystartedtoburn.

Itwasn'tthatitwasdisappearingbecauseitwascreatedbyaSpirit,norwasit



becausethesun'sraysstartedafire.

That'sbecause,whatwasburningwasnottheuniform.

Theuniformburnedandfell,revealingthebeautifullyhallowedbodyofShidou.

Andthen,thecrewmembersof<Fraxinus>onceagainletoutsoundsofsurprise.

"T-Thewoundis—"

That'sright,thewound.Thesectionthathadturnedintoagapinghole,wasburning.

TheembersflaredupuntilShidou'swoundcouldn'tbeseenanymore—thengraduallydieddown.

Andthenaftertheflamesfinishedlicking,thereexistedShidou'sperfectlyrestoredbody.

Andthen—

"Nn.........hoooooooooottttttttttttttt!?"

Seeingthefirethatwasstillsmolderingonhisstomach,hejumpedup.

Pattinghisstomachwithaflusteredlook,heextinguishedthefire.

"—H-Huh?I'm...why?"

Thebridgeerupted.

"Wh...C-Commander,whatis—"

"Didn'tIsayso?IfShidoudiesonceortwice,hecanimmediatelystartanewgame."

Whilelickingherlips,Kotorirepliedtohercrew.

Thecrewsimultaneouslycastquestioninggazes,butsheignoredthem.

"Immediatelyrecoverhim.—TheonlyonewhocanstopthegirlisShidou."





Part4

—Hedoesn'tunderstand.

Whilerepeatedlypattinghisstomach,Shidouwrinkledhisbrows.

Therewasabigholeintheblazerandshirthewaswearing,andhisnecktiewastornoffhalfway.

ButrightnowShidoupaidnoheedtowardshisembarrassingappearance.

Therewassomethingelsethathehadtodirecthisattentiontowards.

"Why—amIalive...?"

Onceagaintouchinghisstomach,hemurmured.

Backthen,hefeltabadpremonition,andsuddenlypushedTohka.

Inthenextmoment,aholeopenedinhisstomach—andhefainted.

Thereactuallyisaholeinhisclothes,andthestainsfromagreatamountofbloodstillremained.Itdidn'tseemlikeadream.

"Ohright—Tohka...!"

ThatattackhadbeenwithoutdoubttargetingTohka.

ExactlyhowisTohkadoing.Helookedaroundthearea,searchingforthatfigure.

Then,fromahillevenhigherthantheparkShidouwasin,ablacklightshotout—followingit,thesoundofatremendousexplosionandashockwavespreadout.

"Uwahh...!?"

Caughtbysurprise,hetumbledontotheground,fannedbythewind.

"Wh-What,the...!"

Whilelettingoutashout,helookedtowardsthatplace—Shidou'sbodystiffened.



Theviewhesaw,comparedtobeforehelostconsciousness,hadbecomesomethingcompletelydifferent.

Inthatdirectionhadbeentheconstructionarea,aswellasthemountainsandsuchthathaven'tbeentouchedsincethelandscapechanged30yearsago—

Thosethingshadbeenabsurdlydestroyed,asiftheywerehitwithanairstrike.

No—itwasslightlydifferent.Ifanything,itwaslikeahugeswordhadcutthroughthemcountlesstimes,leavingbehindanumberofsharpedges.

"What..."

Ashewasmuttering,dumbfounded,

"Nuahhh...!"

Shidoufelthisbodybecomingweightless.

Thiswasnotthefirsttimehefeltthisfeeling.Itwas<Fraxinus>'stransfersystem.

BythetimeShidouhadcomprehendedthat,hisviewhadalreadychangedfromtheparkonthehilltotheinsideofthe<Fraxinus>.

"Thisway!"

The<Fraxinus>crewmemberwaitingsaidtohiminaloudvoice.

"H-Haa..."

Stillslightlyconfused,Shidouwasledintothebridge.

Andwhenhearrivedatthebridge,

"—Howdidwakingupfeel,Shidou?"

Inthecaptain'sseatontheupperlevelofthebridge,aChupa-Chups'stickmovingaround,Kotorispoke.

"...Kotori."

Shidoulightlyknockedhisringingear,andfrowned.



"...Ican'tquitegraspthesituation.Whatexactlyhappened?"

"Nn,ShidouwasattackedbytheAST,sotheprincesssnappedandwenttokilltheAST."

Sayingthis,shegesturedforhimtolookdiagonallyupwards—atthebigscreeninthebridge.

"Wh..."

TherewasTohka,swingingagiganticswordandcuttingupmountains,aswellasthefiguresoftheASTfightingback.

No—itwasnotsomethingthatcouldbecalledfightingback.

NotoneoftheattacksthattheASTletoutwithintensespiritreachedTohka.

Ontheotherhand,Tohka'sswings,whetheradirecthitorevenjusttheshockwave,waseasilyblowingthewizardsawayandbreakingtheirformation,asiftheirterritorydidn'texist.

Itwasoverwhelminglyone-sided—themarchofaking.

"She'scompletelygone.Seemsshereallycouldn'ttolerateShidoubeingkilled."

Sayingthis,Kotorishrugged.

"...,Whatdoesthatmean...!Ohright!Rather,whyamIalive!?"

Shidouyelled,andKotorigrinnedlikesheobviouslyknewsomething.

"Well,let'stalkaboutthatlater.Rightnowthere'ssomethingelseyouneedtodo."

WhilelookingattheimageofTohka,Kotorisaid.

"Somethingelse—todo?"

"Yeah.Wewouldn'twantcasualtiestoresultduetotheSpirits."

"...,That'sobvious,isn'tit!"

Shidoushouted,andKotorinarrowedhereyeslikeshewashavingfun.



"Okay,splendid,Mr.Knight.—Thenlet'sgo.Tostoptheprincess."

KotorilookedawayfromShidouaftersayingthis,andthenraisedhervoice.

"Turnthe<Fraxinus>around!Movetothebattlefront!Bringtheuncertaintywithin1meter!"

"Understood!"

Severalcrewmemberswhoseemedlikehelmsmenrespondedinunison.

Then,togetherwithastrainedsound,the<Fraxinus>shookslightly.

"Ko-Kotori!"

"Nn,whatisitShidou?"

"YousaystopTohka—issomethinglikethatpossible!?"

"Whatareyousaying?It'snotwhetherit'spossible,it'swhetheryou'lldoit,Shidou."

Kotoriraisedherbrows,astupefiedlookonherface.

"M...Me!?"

"Ofcourse.Whenareyougoingtomakeupyourmind.—It'simpossibleforanyonebutShidou."

"H-HowexactlydoI...!"

Whilesweatdrippeddownhisface,Shidouasked,andKotoripulledtheChupaChupsoutofhermouth.

Andthen,asamischievoussmilefloatedontoherface,

"Don'tyouknow?There'sonlyonewaytosaveaprincessthat'sbeencursed."

Sayingthis,herpuckeredlipsandthecandymetinakiss.





Part5

Thesituationwastheworstpossible.

ThetenASTmembersonstandbywerealreadyallinthebattle,butneverminddamagingtheSpirit,theycouldnotevenhopetoapproachit.

No—evenbeforethat,nobodyotherthanOrigamievenenteredtheedgeoftheSpirit'sconsciousness.

Afterall—therearenolionsthatwalkwhileworryingaboutants.

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh—!!"

Releasingaroarlikeacryingvoicewetwithtears,theSpiritswungtheoversizedsworddown.

"..."

Origamiengagedthethrusters,twistingherbodyandescapingintothesky,avoidingthatstrike.

But—theshockwavebroughtaboutbythesword'spressureinvadedherterritoryandassaultedOrigami'sbody.

"Guh—"

Forjustamoment,shehadbeencareless.

"—AAAAAAAAHHH!"

TheSpiritroared.

Thenwithallherpowersherotatedhershouldersandtheswordslicedthroughtheair,onceagainswingingtowardsOrigami.

"—Origami!!"

Ryoukoshoutedout.But—itwastoolate.



TheSpirit'sswordtouchedOrigami'sterritory.

—Inaninstant.

"——"

Origamirealizedthatherjudgmenthadbeennaive.

Shehadtriedtoguesstheapproximatepowerbytheshockwavebut—shewaswrong.Thepowerwasclearlyinadifferentworld.

Nevermindcomparingittooneself,evenjustconsideringastrategyagainstitwouldbeblasphemous;theironhammerofthetyrannousking.

Intermsoftime,itwasamere1.5seconds.

Herterritory.

Supposedlyboastinganabsolutepower,Origami'scastle.

"———"

Withoutasound,withoutavoice,itwascrushed.

Origami'sbodywasflungfromtheskyontotheground.

"Aa—"

"Origami!"

Ryouko'svoicefeltfaraway.

Probablysincetheterritoryhadbeenreleased,theburdenonherbrainseemstohaveeasedsomewhat,butinplaceofthatherwholebodyhurtintensely.Thereweren'tjustoneortwobrokenbones.Blooddrenchedthewiringsuitfromwoundswhichshedidn'tevenknowwheretheywere,creatinganunpleasantfeel.Herheadthatsuddenlybecameheavy,asifrememberingaboutgravity,movedjustatinybit.

Inherhazyvision,thefigureoftheSpiritstandingintheskywastheonlythingshecouldseeclearly.Holdingtheswordwithanextremelysadexpression,thefigureofanawfullysmallgirl.

"——It'stheend."



TheSpiritraisedthesword,andpaused.

SurroundingtheSpirit,acountlessnumberofspecksoflightappeared,eachgivingoffablackglow,andconvergedontothesword'sbladeliketheywerebeingsuckedin.

Evenwithoutanyexplanation,sheunderstood.

ThatisastrikewiththeSpirit'sfullforcebehindit.

Ifshereceiveditinhercurrentstate,withoutherterritory,thenwithoutadoubtshewoulddie.Shehadtoescapesomehow.

However,herbodywasheavyandhurt,asifshecouldn'teventrytomoveit.

RyoukoandtheotherASTmembersareallalreadyunabletofight.TherewasnolongeranythinginexistencethatcouldstoptheSpirit.

Shewaitedfortheswordtotakeonadarkglow.

TheSpiritputpowerintothehandholdingthesword.

Then—atthatmoment.

"TooohkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaa—!!"

Fromthesky.

FromevenhigherupthantheSpirit.

Suchayellwasheard.

"Eh—"

Eventhoughathreattoherlifewasimminent,Origamistillletoutthatastonishedvoice.

Afterall,thatscreamwasfromtheboythatOrigamihadhitjustawhileago.

"Theprincessisinflighthuh...thenShidou,let'sdropinhere.Parachute?Youdon'tneedsomethinglikethat.We'renotsohighup,andanyways,whenyouapproach



her,we'llsuspendyouinmidair.—Ahh,uun,don'tworrydon'tworry.It'slimitedtodirectlybelowthe<Fraxinus>though....Eh?Ifyoustrayoffcourse?Mmm...well,there'llbeabeautifulflowerbloomingontheground,abrightredonethough."

AftertellingShidouabout'thewaytostopTohka',Kotoriglancedatthemonitorwhilesayingthat.Shethenchuckled.

"W-wait!It'salreadygonnabehardenough,whyare...!"

"Wellyouknow,ifthesuccessrateisgoingtobearoundthesame,thenisn'titobviousthatthemoreenjoyablewayisbetter?"

"You'regonnabetheonlyoneenjoyingitttttt!"

"Soannoying.Grabhim."

"Yes!"

Kotorisaid,andfromsomewheretwomuscularmenappeared,andrestrainedShidou'stwohands.

Likethat,Shidouwaspulledalong.

"Ahh,damnyou,youbetterrememberthisKotoriii!"

"Whatever.I'llrememberitsohaveanicetrip."

Hearingsuchavoice,Shidouwhowasdraggedtoahatchpositionedinthelowerpartofthehull,

"Goodluck."

Notevengiventimetocomplain,wasthrownintothesky.

"Gyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—!?"

Afiercewindassaultedtheschooluniformwrappedaroundhisbodyaswellasthefleshonhisface.

Anunendingfeelingofzerogravity.Henolongerwasafraidofthingslikerollercoasters.

Then—whilesofrightenedthatitseemedlikehisconsciousnesswouldflyaway,



Shidousawasingleshadow.

"—!"

Extendinghislimbstostabilize,hecapturedthatgirlinhisblurredvision.

Andthen.

"TooohkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaa—!!"

Withallthepowerhecouldmuster,hescreamedoutthatname.

Notevenabeatafterwards,thegravitythatpulledonhisbodymeltedintothesenseofweightlessness.

Itwasprobablythesupportfrom<Ratatoskr>.Itdidn'tchangethefactthathewasstillfalling,butifit'slikethis—

"——"

TohkaseemstohavenoticedShidou'svoice;withoutswingingthatgiantsword,shefacedupwards.

Hercheeksandthetipofhernosewerebrightred,andhereyesweresoggy.Itwasanextremelyunseemlyappearance.

HiseyesmetTohka's.

"shi—dou...?"

Asifnotyetcomprehendingthesituation,Tohkamuttered.

Whilethespeedofhisdescentgraduallysloweddown,ShidouplacedhishandsonTohka'stwoshoulders.WiththehelpofTohkastandinginmidair,hefinallystopped.

"H-Hey...Tohka."

"shidou...isit,r-really,you...?"

"Ahh...yeah,Ithinkso."

Shidousaid,andTohka'slipsquivered.



"shidou,shidou,shidou...!"

"Mhm,wh—"

Ashestartedtoanswer,theedgeofShidou'svisionwasfilledwithanintenselight.

TheswordthatTohkastoppedinmid-swinggaveoffapureblackglowthatturnedthesurroundingsintodarkness.

"Wh—Whatisthat..."

"...!Ohno...!Thepoweris—"

ThesametimethatTohkafurrowedherbrows,lightleakedoutfromthebladelikelightning,piercingtheearth.

"To-Tohka,whatis—"

"Ican'tcontrol[ ]anymore...!Wehavetoreleaseitsomewhere...!"

"Whereisthatsomewhere!?"

"——"

Withoutsayinganything,Tohkalookedtowardstheground.

Followinghergaze,henoticedOrigamilyingthere,seeminglikeshemightdieanymoment.

"...!Tohka,you...!D-Don'tshootthere!"

"T-Thenwhatareyoutellingmetodo!It'salreadyreachedthecriticalstate!"

Evenwhilesayingthis,theswordthatTohkaheldwasshootingstreamsofblacklightningintothesurroundings.Likemachinegunfire,thecontinuousbarragegougedouttheearth.

Then,atthattime,ShidourememberedKotori'swords.

"...Tohka.U-Uhm,calmdownandlistentome."

"Whatisit!Now'snotthetime—"




"It'saboutthat!Thepossibilitytodosomethingaboutit...maybe...isthere!"

"Whatdidyousay!?WhatshouldIdo!?"

"A-Aahh.Uhm—"

However,Shidouwasn'tabletoimmediatelyletitoutofhismouth.

Afterall,themethodthatKotorihadtoldhimwastooincomprehensibleandillogicalandlackingcontext—

"Hurryup!"

"...!"

Shidoumadeuphismindandopenedhismouth.

"I-It's,uhm...!Tohka!K-Kiss,me...!"

"—What!?"

Tohkafurrowedherbrows.

Butthatwastobeexpected.Duringthisurgenttime,hesaidsomethinglikethat.Itcouldn'tbehelpedthatshetookitassomekindofbadjoke.

"S-Sorry,justforgetit.Let'sthinkaboutsomeother—"

"What'sakiss!?"

"Huh...?"

"Tellmequickly!"

"...Aki-kissisuhm,youbringtwolipstogether—"

InthemiddleofShidou'swords.

—Withoutanyhesitation,TohkapressedherpinklipsontoShidou'slips.

"———!?"

Hiseyesopenedaswideastheycould,asheletoutamuffledsound.



Tohka'slipsweresosoftandsomoistandevengaveoffasweetsmellthatthatfeelingandtouchhadcausedhisbraintoscreamhellandheaven[1F3].Thatkissestastedlikelemonisalie.Tohka'skisstastedliketheparfaitsheateatlunch.

Abeatlater.

—CracksformedonTohka'sswordthattoweredintothesky,thenitcrumbledaway,dissolvingintotheair.

Followingthat,thefilmoflightthatformedtheinnersofthedresswrappedaroundTohka'sbodyaswellasherskirtdisappeared,asifburstingopen.

"Wh—"

Tohkaletoutavoicefilledwithbewilderment.

"...!?"

ButevenmoresurprisedwasShidou.

ItwasnotatTohka'sswordandclothesdisappearing.ThathehadheardfromKotori,thoughhehadhalf-doubtedit.

Ifanything,itwasthatTohkaspokewhiletheywerestillinthekiss,sothelipthatwasincontactwriggled,causinghimtogointosomekindofchaosstatethatcouldnolongerbeexpressedwithShidou'svocabulary.

—Tohka'sbodygrewlimp,fallingtowardstheground.

InShidou'sdimconsciousness,whilehesitatingslightly,hehuggedTohkabeforeherbodyfellaway.Ratherweakly.Timidly.

Withtheirheadsdownwards,theirlipsandbodiesunited,thetwoofthemdescended.

Tohka'sraimentturnedintoparticlesoflight,leavingbehindatrail.

Itcould'veprobablybeenascenefromafantasy.

However,Shidoudidn'thaveroomtobeawareofthat.

SlowlyfallingwhilesupportingTohka—withhisbodyonthebottom,theylanded



ontheground.

Theyremainedoverlappinglikethatforawhile,

"Pwua...!"

Asiftakingabreather,Tohka'slipsparted,andsheraisedherbody.

"S...,s-s-s-s-s-sorryTohka!Iwastoldthatthiswastheonlyway...!"

ShidouimmediatelyjumpedupwhenTohkamovedoffhisbody,springingbackwardsandatthesametimeballinguphisbody,endingwithamarvelousjumpingdogeza[1F4].

Well,tobepreciseTohkawastheonewhogavethekiss,butsomehowhefeltlikethatwasnottheproblem.

However,manysecondspassed,butshedidn'tsteponShidou'sheadorevencurseathim.

"...?"

Thinkingthiswasstrange,heraisedhishead.

Tohkawasjustsittingtherewithamysteriouslookonherface,touchingherlipwithherfinger.

Orrather,beforethat—

"Pwua...!?"

Shidou'sfaceturnedbrightredasifhewasabouttospoutanosebleed,andhehardened.

Theraimentsheworecrumblingintobitsandpieces,Tohkawasinahalf-nakedstatethatwasembarrassingtoevenlookat.

"—!"

Shidou'sreactionseemstohavecausedTohkatonoticethis.Shehurriedlycoveredherchest.

"N-N-N-NoTohka,Iwasjust—"



"D-Don'tlook,idiot...!!"

Thoughnotknowingthemeaningofakiss,itseemedthatshehadanormalsenseofembarrassment.Whileblushing,Tohkaglared.

"So-Sorry...!"

Flustered,heclosedhiseyes.

"That'snogood!You'resquintingaren'tyou!"

"Th-ThenwhatshouldIdo...!"

Shidousaid,andafterafewmoments,hiswholebodyfeltawarmfeelingonceagain.





"Eh—"

Involuntarily,hisclosedeyesopened.

InfrontofhiseyeswereTohka'spureblackhair,andhernakedshoulders.Thepointwas—theirbodiesjoinedsnugly.

"...Now,youwon'tbeabletosee."

"A-Aahh..."

Isthisreallyokay?Whilethinkingthat,andunabletomovehisbody,hestayedfirmlikethat.

Afterawhile.

"...shidou."

Tohkaletoutafadingvoice.

"Whatisit?"

"Willyou...takemeonadateagain...?"

"Yeah.Somethinglikethat,I'lltakeyouanytime."

Shidouemphaticallyaffirmed.





Epilogue-LifeWithaSpirit





Part1

"—Thatisall."

Thelocationwasthespecialcommunicationsroomwithinthe<Fraxinus>thatonlythecommanderKotoriwasallowedtoenter.

Facingtheroundtablesetupinthecenterofthedimroom,Kotoriconcludedherreport.

ThereportconcerningthecaptureandretrievaloftheSpirit.

Aroundtheroundtable,includingKotori,thebreathingofatotaloffivepeoplecouldbefelt.

But—inreality,theonlyonein<Fraxinus>wasKotori.Theothermemberswereattendingthemeetingthroughspeakerssetupontheroundtable.

"...Sothatmeansthathispoweristherealthing,huh."

Speakinginaslightlymuffledvoicewastheuglycat-shapedstuffedanimalsittingonKotori'sright.

Well,thevoiceactuallycamefromthespeakerrightinfrontofthestuffedanimal,butfromKotori'sviewpointitwasasiftheuglycatwastheonespeaking.

Astheothersdidnothaveavideofeedofher,itwassomethingKotorisetuparbitrarily.

Duetothat,thisinner-mostroomofthe<Fraxinus>hadbecomeastrangelyfantasy-likespace.Itwasalmostlikethemadtea-partyofAliceinWonderland.

"That'swhyIsaid,ifit'sShidouthenit'llworkout."

Kotoriproudlycrossedherarms,andthistimethemousewithacryingfacetotheleftofherquietlyspoke.

"—Goingbyjustyourclaims,therewasnotenoughcredibility.Afterall,youcan'texpectustosoreadilybelieveinthepowerofself-resurrection...ortheabilitytoabsorbtheSpirits'power."



Kotorishrugged.

Ohwell,therewasnothingshecoulddoaboutthat.

SettingupthevariousobservationandanalysisdevicestoconfirmShidou'sabilitiestook—aroundfiveyears.

Welleventhen,duringthattimethe<Fraxinus>wasbuiltandacrewwasgathered.Intermsoftimingitworkedoutjustperfectly.

"WhataboutthestatusoftheSpirit?"

Thistimethevoicecamefrombesidetheuglycat,fromanextremelystupid-lookingbluedogwithdroolhangingoffitsface.

"Wehavebeenmonitoringherstatussincebeingretrievedby<Fraxinus>—andherstatusisextremelystable.Notevenacreakinspace-timewasdetected.Exactlyhowmuchofherpowerremainswillneedtobeanalyzedindetail,butattheveryleast,it'snotatalevelwhere'justexistingwilldestroytheworld'."

Kotorisaid,andofthefourstuffedanimals,threeofthemheldtheirbreathsatonce.

"Then,atleastatthiscurrentstage,theSpiritscanexistinthisworldwithoutproblems?"

Inaclearlyexcitedvoice,theuglycatspoke.Kotoristaredatitwithdisgustasshecalmlyanswered'yes'.

"Inaddition,itwouldbedifficultforherto intotheotherdimensionwithherownpowers."

"—Then,whatabouthisstatus?HehadabsorbedthatmuchoftheSpirit'spower.Hasanythingabnormalhappened?"

Thistime,thecryingmouseasked.

"Atthismomentnoabnormalitieshavebeendetected,ineitherShidouortheworld."

"How?They'recalamitiesthatwilldestroytheworld!Tosealthatpowerinsidea

disappearlost



human,andhavenothingabnormalhappen..."

Thestupiddogstated.

"Didn'twegetpermissiontousehimbecauseitwasconcludedthatnoproblemswillarise?"

"...Whatexactlyishe?Withsuchanability...it'sasifhe'saSpirit."

Itwasn'tjustthestuffedanimal'sface,itreallywasanidiot.Kotorisighedinsideherheartanddutifullyopenedhermouth.

"—HisabilitytoreviveisasIexplainedpreviously.Regardingtheabsorptionability,wearecurrentlyinvestigatingit."

Kotorisaid,andforamomentthestuffedanimalsweresilent.

Thenafewsecondslater,thestuffedanimalthathadyettospeakuntilnow,asquirrelhuggingawalnut,quietlyspoke.

"—Anyways,goodwork,CommanderItsuka.Youhaveobtainedbrilliantresults.Iexpectgreatthingsfromyouinthefuture."

"Affirmative."

Fortheveryfirsttime,Kotoristraightenedherpose,andplacedherhandacrossherchest.





Part2

"...Fwaaah."

Sincethatincidentaweekendhadpassed,itwasnowMonday.

IntheschoolbuildingcompletelyrebuiltbytheRestorationForces,asizablenumberofstudentshadalreadygathered.

Inthemidstofthemall,Shidouabsentmindedlysighed,andstaredofftowardstheroofoftheclassroom.

—Thatday.

Shidouhadimmediatelycollapsedafterwhathappened,andafterheopenedhiseyes,hefoundhimselflyingin<Fraxinus>'sinfirmary.

Then,hewentthroughanextensivemedicalcheckinthatfacility—buteversincehehadfallenunconscious,hehadn'tbeenabletocatchaglimpseofTohka.EvenwhenhedemandedtotalktoTohka,theonlyresponsehegotwasthatshewasundergoingexaminations,soevenuntiltheveryendhewasnotabletoeventakealookather.

"...Ahh."

AsifthetenhecticdaysthatpassedsincemeetingTohkawereadream,theplainnormaldayswas—tobehonest,feltsoemptyandpowerless,somuchthathefeltlikedying.

However...therewasbutonething,oneotherthingthatwascaughtinShidou'sthoughtsevenmore.

Thatday.ShidouhaddefinitelyexchangedakisswithTohka.

Atthatmoment,theraimentthatTohkaworehadmeltedanddisappeared—andatthesametime,hefeltasifsomethingwarmhadflowedintohisownbody.

—Whatexactlywasthatfeeling?

"..."



Silently,hetouchedhislips.

Threedayshadalreadypassed,buthefeltasifthatsensationstillremained.Shidoublushedslightly.

"...That'sseriouslydisgusting.WhatareyoudoingItsuka?"

"!T-Tonomachi.Ifyou'retherethengiveoffsomepresence."

Suddenlybeingtalkedto,Shidoureturnedhisheadtoitsoriginalposture.

"...Idid,anormalamount.InfactIevencalledouttoyou.IfyouletmegetlonelythenI'lldieyouknow."

Sayingthis,hestraddledtheemptyseatinfrontandthrusthiselbowsonShidou'sdesk.

"No,Ididn'tknowthat.Anyways,gobacktoyourownseat.It'sgoingtobehomeroomsoon."

"It'sfine.Tama-chan'sgoingtobeabitlateanyways."

"Jeez...she'sstillourteacher.Youshouldstopwiththatnicknamethatsoundslikeacatormaybeaseal."

"Haha,it'scute,soisn'titfine?Thoughouragesareapart,butshe'sstillcompletelyinmystrikezone."

"Ahh...thenproposetoher.She'llprobablyaccept."

"Huh?Whatareyoutalkingabout?"

Then,atthattimethedooroftheclassroomslidopenwitharattlingsound,andShidou'sshouldersshookslightly.

—Instantly,theclassroomwasabuzz.

Butthatwastobeexpected.Afterall,thatTobiichiOrigamihadcometoschoolwrappedalloverwithbandages.

"...!"

Hecouldn'thelpbutlosehisbreath.



UsingaRealizer,mostinjuriescouldbeimmediatelycured.Butafterthreewholedaysandstillhavingthatmanybandagesremaining,ithadbeenquitetheinjury.

"......"

WithallthegazesintheclassroomgatheredonOrigami,shewalkedtowardsShidouwithuncertainstepsuntilshewasrightinfrontofhim.

"H-hey,Tobiichi,I'mgladyou'redoingwe—"

Hestartedtosayawkwardly,butsuddenlyOrigamidisappearedfromShidou'sfieldofview.

Amomentlater,ShidourealizedthatOrigamiwasgivingadeepbow.

"T-Tobiichi...!?"

Theclassroombecamenoisy,andalleyesgatheredonShidouandOrigami.

But,asifnotcaringaboutanyofthat,Origamicontinued.

"—Sorry.Althoughitisnotsomethingthatcanberesolvedwithasingleapology."

Fromwhathehadheardlater—theattackthattargetedTohkahadbeenfiredbyOrigami.Shewasprobablyapologizingforthat.

"Wha...Itsuka,didyoudosomethingtoTobiichi...?"

"Ididnot!IfIdidthenwouldn'tIbetheoneapologizing!"

ShidourepliedtoTonomachiwhohadbeensendingasuspiciousglare.

Eitherway,therewasnowaytoexplainthesituationindetail.ShidoufacedOrigamiagain.

"I-I'llforgiveyou,sofornowraiseyourhead..."

Shidousaid,andunexpectedlyOrigamiobedientlystraightenedup.

"But—"

Then,inthenextmoment,shegrabbedontothebaseofShidou'snecktie.



"—!?"

Hercoldexpressionnotchangingtheleast,Origamipulledherfaceclose.

"Nocheating."

"......Huh?"

StartingwithShidou's,theeyesofeveryonewatchingOrigami'sactionsturnedtodots.

Asifmatchingthetiming,thechimethatsignalledthestartofhomeroomrang.

WhileglancingatOrigamiandShidouwithinterest,thestudentsreturnedtotheirownseats.

However,OrigamialoneremainedstaringintentlyatShidou'sface.

Then,thegoddessofsalvationappeared.

"Goooodmorning,evvvveryone.Homeroomisstarting."

Openingthedoor,teacherTama-chanwalkedintotheclassroom.

"...?T-Tobiichi-san,whatareyoudoing?"

"......"

OrigamisilentlyglancedatTamae,andthenreleasedShidou'snecktieandreturnedtoherseat.

Still,thatwasrightbesideShidou.Hecouldn'tgiveasighofrelief.

"O-okay,haseveryonesettledin?"

Feelingtheunrestintheclassroom,Tamaesaidinanexcessivelycheerfulvoice.

Then,shehitherhandasifrememberingsomething,andnoddedtoherself.

"Ohright,beforewetakeattendancetoday,Ihaveasurprise!—Comein!"

Sayingthis,shecalledtowardsthedoorthatshehadjustherselfcomeinthrough.



"Mm."

Then—asifrespondingtothat,suchavoicewasheard.

"Wha..."

"—"

AtthesametimeShidouandOrigami'sjawsdropped.

"—Iamtransferringintothisclassfromtoday,mynameisYatogami[1G1]Tohka.Pleasedtobeinyourcare."

Wearingahighschooluniform,Tohkaenteredwithagiganticsmileonherface.

Facedwiththisbeautythatcouldcauseone'seyestohurtjustbylookingatit,theclassgrewrowdyagain.

Ignoringthegazes,Tohkatookapieceofchalk,andinpoorwritingwrotejustthewords"Tohka"ontheblackboard.Shethennoddedtoherselfasifsatisfied.

"Wh...you,whyareyou..."

"Nu?"

Tohkaturnedtofacethesourceofthevoice.Shegaveoffastrangeshine,anillusionaryglow.

"Ohh,shidou!Imissedyou!"

ShethencalledoutShidou'snamewithaloudvoice,andhoppedovertorightbesideShidou'sseat—rightwhereOrigamihadbeenstandingjustmomentsago.

Onceagain,Shidoubecamethecenteroffocusoftheclass.

Murmur,murmur.Fromallaround,theoriesoftherelationshipbetweenthetwoofthemaswellastheconnectionwithwhathappenedwithOrigamibeforecouldbeheard.

SweatformedonShidou'sforeheadashesaidwithasmallvoicethattheotherstudentscouldn'thear.

"T-Tohka...?Whyareyouhere?"



"Nn,theexaminationsandsuchhadfinished.—Itturnsoutthatover99%ofmypowerhaddisappeared."

FollowingShidou'slead,Tohkasaidinasmallvoice.

"Well—itendedupgoodforme.Inolongercausetheworldtocryjustbyexisting.Then,well,yoursisterdidabunchofstuff."

"A-andyourfamilyname...?"

"Whatwashername,thatsleepywomangaveittome."

"Jeez..."

Shidouscratchedhisheadandlaidontohisdesk.

HewasgladthatTohkawasallowedtobefree,buttherewereprobablyotherwaysofdoingthings.

But,withaninnocentlook,

"What'swrong,shidou.Youlookdown.—Ahh,coulditbe,wereyoulonelywhenIwasgone?"

Shesaidsuchathingwhilebeingcompletelyserious.

Atavolumebigenoughforthesurroundingpeopletohear,noless.

Thecommotionintheclassroomreachedaclimax.

Neverfeelingsouncomfortableinhislife,Shidousomehowmanagedtogethisvoiceout.

"What...don'tsaysomethingweirdlikethat."

"Hmpf,howcold.Eventhoughyouwerechasingmesowildlybackthen."

Sayingthis,sheplacedherhandsonhertwocheeks,andmadeaembarrassedlook.

"—!?"

Heknewthattheatmospherehadchanged.Therewereevenpeoplesendingmessagesfromtheshadowsoftheirdesk.Likethis,itwon'tbelonguntilthewhole



schoolknewShidou'sname.

Shidoutriedagainwithaloudervoice.

"N-no,Tohka!S-sayingitlikethatwillcauseeveryonetomisunderstand!"

"Nu?Areyousayingthatitwasamisunderstanding?Eventhoughitwasmyfirsttime..."

"——,......!?"

—Criticalhit.Probably,KotoriandReinehadtaughthersomeunnecessaryknowledge.

Ignoringtheteacher'scommands,theclasswentberserk.

Then,immediately—Tohkamovedherfacetotheright.

"Eh...?"

InfrontofthestunnedShidou'seyes,somethingthatseemedlikeapenslicedhorizontallythroughtheairatanamazingspeed.

"Uwah!?"

Surprised,helookedforitssource.There,stillinthepostureasifshehadjustthrownapen,wasOrigamiwithacoldstare.

"...Nu?"

"..."

TohkaandOrigami.Theireyescrossed.

"Nu,whythehellareyouhere?"

"Thatismyline."

Itimmediatelybecameacriticalsituation.

—However,thetwoofthemdidnotseemliketheywantedtofighthere.

Butofcourse.Onesidehadlostalmostallherpower,andtheothersidewaswithout



herequipmentandinjured.

"O-okay!Stopit!Let'sendthisnow!Okay!Don'tfight!"

TeacherOkaminehurriedlycutbetweenthetwoofthem,andsomehowmanagedtodiffusethesituation.

However.

"Now,Yatogami-san'sseatwillbe—"

TheteacherstartedtosearchforTohka'sseat,but

"Noneed.—Move."

TohkaletoutasharplookatthestudentbesideShidou—ontheoppositesideofOrigami.

"E-eeek!"

Facedwiththatpressure,thefemalestudentfelldownfromherchair.

"Nn,thankyou."

Sayingthat,Tohkacalmlysatdown,andlookedtowardsShidou.

Butdoingso,shemetnotShidou'sgazebutratherOrigami's.

"..."

"..."

Thetwoofthemsilentlyglaredateachother.

ShidouwasextremelyhappythatTohkacouldcontinuelivinginthisworld.HealsofeelsgratefultowardsKotoriandhercrewwhohaddonealot.

Also,hehonestlyfeltrelievedthatOrigamihadmanagedtostayalive.

Thiswasundoubtedlywhatcouldbecalledthebestpossibleoutcome.

But,thiswas...



"Uuuuuuugh..."

Showeredwithstrangelooksfrombothsides,Shidouheldhishead.



Afterword

Nicetomeetyouit'sbeenawhilethisisTachibanaKoushi.Contradiction.

Did'Date●A●LiveTohkaDeadend'suityourtastes?

Myveryfirstideaforthisserieswas'wouldn'titbekindasurrealifthemembersofasecretorganizationallreallyseriouslyplayedagalge?'.

Somethinglike,atwo-dimensionalbeautyisshownonthebigscreeninthebridge,thecommander,sweatdrippingdowntheirface,makesachoice,thegirlgivesabadresponseand"Wh...what...!?"beep,beep!Emergency,emergency!somethinglikethat.HanginthereRodry!Heraffectionmeterhadonlydroppedabit!Medic!Mediiiiiiic!

Withthatasthebasis,tryingoutvariousflavors,thiswastheresult.Iwouldbehappyifyouhadenjoyedit.

Ithasn'tbeendecidedhowmanyvolumesthiswillcontinuefor,butitwillcontinue.Thenextpageshouldcontainthepreview,sopleasehavealook.

Also,myotherseries'SoukyuunoKarma'isalsocontinuing,soifthisworkhascaughtyourinterest,Iwouldbehappyifyouwouldtakeaglanceatit.

Nowthen,thisworkwasshapedthroughthehardworkofmanypeople.

FirstwoulddefinitelybetheillustratorTsunako-san.Iwasalreadyastonishedbythecharacterdesignstage.What'swiththatamountandquality.It'sseriouslyatalevelwhereIwanttomakeitallpublic.

Ifthisstorysellsthenmaybesuchachancewouldcome...right,hmm(wink).

Startingwithmyeditorandincludingeveryoneinvolved,thankyouforyourhardwork.

Ihadbeenmadetorealizetheelementaryfact,thatabookcan'tbemadebyjustoneperson.

Morethananything,Iwouldliketooffermygreatestthankstoyou,whohadpicked



upthisbook.

Wellthen,nextis...uhm,let'smeetagaininthesecondvolumeofthisandintheeighthvolumeofKarma.

TachibanaKoushi



TranslationNotesandReferences

Prologue:

1. ↑Japanesenameshavethefamilyname,orsurname,first,andthefirstnamesecond.So,inthiscaseShidouishisfirstname,andItsukaishisfamilyname.

Chapter1:

1. ↑MahyadedosuisanadvancediceskillinDragonQuestMonsters:Joker,whichintheEnglishversioniscalled"C-C-ColdBreath".

2. ↑Glicoisabigcompanywhichhasalogothatlookslikethis3. ↑Thereisasayingthatoriginatedin2chthatifyou'reavirginuntil30you

becomeamagician.4. ↑Thisisapun."Onnashi"(女市)istheseparationinradicalsof"oldersister"

(姉),sowhatShidoudoeshereisaskingsomethinglike"...Oldersister?"(meaninghedoen'tevenregisteritinhispersonaldictionary).Atthesametime,thewordhasalmosthesamepronunciationas"onnaji",meaning"thesame".

5. ↑Thisisamemorydeviceforwhattododuringanevacuation,muchlike"stop,dropandroll"."okashi"standsfor"osanai,kakenai,shaberanai"(don'tpush,don'trun,don'ttalk),butTamae-senseiinsteadsays"sharekoube"(skull)forthelastone.

Chapter2:

1. ↑Agamemachine.FoundthisvideoonYoutube.2. ↑Thereisasayingthatchickensforgetthingsaftertakingthreesteps,sowhat

sheistryingtosayhereisthatShidouhasashortermemory/attentionspanthanachicken.

3. ↑MikeHaggar4. ↑'Comein'inJapaneseis'hairou',whichkindasoundslike'heigh-ho',whichis

whatthesevendwarfssay.5. ↑AtoolinDoraemonwhereifyouwearit,nobodywouldnoticeyouanymore.

Icouldn'tfindany'official'englishtranslation.TheJapaneseis'ishikoroboushi'

Chapter3:



http://www.collectiondx.com/files/category_pictures/glico-logo-new3.gif

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7vcSSUfLkQ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Haggar

1. ↑ApartinJapanesecomedywhoseroleistobasicallycriticizeothers.[1]2. ↑Thez-dimensionisthe3rddimension,comingafterxandy.3. ↑MariofromNintendo'sseriesofvideogames.4. ↑Mario'scatchphrase.5. ↑Bakameansidiot.6. ↑Tohka/Touka/Tookaisthepronounciationofboth十香and十日,theformer

ishername,andthelattermeansthetenthdayofamonth.

Chapter4:

1. ↑Tohkaispronouncingitmorelike'deht'.2. ↑Wikipedia

Chapter5:

1. ↑Wikipedia2. ↑Theofficialtermdenotingtheirspiritarmorclothingis'AstralDress',butthat

soundsweird,sohenceforthitwillbereferredtoas'raiment'.3. ↑SupposedreferencetothemechaanimeGaoGaiGar,wherethemain

character'sfinisherwasknownas"HellandHeaven".4. ↑AformalJapanesemannerofbowing,inthiscaseusedasadeepapology.

Epilogue:

1. ↑夜刀神=>夜(Night)刀(Sword)神(God),sosomethinglike"NightSwordofGod".

ReturntoMainPage ForwardtoVolume2



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukkomi#tsukkomi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandalphon

Documents

Date a Live - Volume 01 - Dead End Tohka