Chapter 4 - The Recent Sin
And so, the morning of February 14th finally dawned.
It was the day for lovers who celebrated the name of St. Valentine——the day of the decisive battle between Shidou and Kurumi.
“…………”
Shidou washed himself in the bathroom more carefully than usual before walking out. While aligning his reflection in the mirror, he slapped his own cheeks to raise his fighting spirit with a kiai shout. Fine droplets of water made a mildly tasteful sound while scattering onto the mirror.
“——Alright.”
Needless to say, he did not forget to wipe clean the droplets of water splashed onto the mirror. If ignored, they would leave a white stain after drying that would be difficult to sweep up.
The excessive behavior of common people…… or the primitive acts of a house-husband.
However, Shidou thought that this much wasn’t good enough for himself.
The opponent was a difficult rival to beat: Tokisaki Kurumi. While Shidou had first encountered her a few months ago, so far she was the only Spirit he had failed to seal. She would not be an opponent who would be easily made bashful. Shidou would probably need to wash his face again.
But even so, Shidou did not intend to die today.
For this reason, he couldn’t even let the small stains go. If he entrusted the cleaning to Kotori, she would definitely leave a scratch on the mirror by forcibly trying to rub the stain off.
Shidou thought that Kotori would likely fume furious if she ever heard that. While opening the door to the living room, he suddenly stopped his feet cold.
Kotori was standing at the end of the door, as if waiting for Shidou.
“Oh?!”
Although Shidou’s thoughts hadn’t been seen through, it was still very surprising to see Kotori’s sudden appearance.
Seeing such a reaction from Shidou, Kotori pouted her lips in dissatisfaction.
“Hey, hey, what is it.”
“No, sorry…… I was a little surprised just now.”
Kotori looked at Shidou’s face with a doubtful expression for a few seconds, but then said, “Well, it doesn’t matter,” and shrugged her shoulders.
She casually took out something hidden behind her hands.
“Take this.”
“Huh?”
Shidou stared with wide open eyes, looking back and forth between Kotori and the object in her hand. It was a small box decorated with a beautiful wrapping: black ribbons and red wrapping paper, which looked just like Kotori in her military uniform.
“Oh…… perhaps it’s chocolate?”
Hearing Shidou ask so, Kotori’s nose issued an ‘hmm’ noise, while her cheeks were slightly reddish as she adverted her eyes.
“……Just this once, although there’s nothing to be boast about receiving this from your little sister.”
“What’re you saying? Thank you, Kotori.”
Shidou smiled as he took the chocolate, while Kotori’s face became increasingly red as she turned around.
“Okay, okay, let’s compare this then, look.”
“Hmm?”
As Shidou tilted his head, Kotori gently raised her hand as she gestured towards the direction of the living room.
As if in rhythm with her command, there seemed to be five Spirits waiting in the living room, all of them gathering around Shidou while holding small boxes and bags in their hands.
From right to left, they were Yoshino, Natsumi, Mukuro, Miku, and Nia respectively.
“Wow, did everyone come? It’s still quite early today too.”
“Yes…… because I want to hand this to Shidou-san.”
“…….Well, I probably did nothing good, but for the time being……”
“Mun, prithee, Nushi-sama, attain receipt. It shan’t lose to that wench.”
“It’s fine y?~~because we didn’t put any strange things in.”
“Yes, yes, it’s something that is all natural.”
“Why does the second half of that sentence sound so terrifying!?”
Receiving a loud scream from Shidou, Nia and Miku both began laughing.
In any case, with chocolate continuously piled up in his hands, Shidou gave a wry smile as he thanked everyone.
“Haha…… thanks, everyone. It’s the first time after being born that I’ve received so much chocolate.”
“No…… you’re welcome.”
“Ne——ne—— please open it!”
“Oh, is it okay? Well then……”
In response to Miku’s urging, Shidou placed the received boxes and bags he received on the table and began opening the packages one by one.
Within the turn of the eye, there were various shaped chocolates like heart shaped, star shaped, and even truffles. One can notice from a glance that it was not a readily made product bought at a store.
“Oh, these are all handmade!?”
In response to Shidou’s question, the Spirits surely gave a proud nod.
“What’s the matter? Kotori, did you lose chocolate by placing it directly in the pot first rather than putting it in hot water first?”
“Thhhhhhhat kind of thing never happened!”
Kotori, while in an unabashed trembling state, turned her eyes to see a scene of the Spirits laughing merrily.
It appeared that she did something similar to that. Although Kotori was not entirely skilled at cooking, she would always be in a stubborn place as she did rough work.
Nonetheless, the workmanship of chocolate lined up before him was amazing coming from novices. Not only that, while being neatly lined up in front, the decoration also displayed its own very lovely characteristics.
By the way, Kotori’s chocolate had a very orthodox star shape, Yoshino’s was Yoshinon-shaped, Natsumi’s truffle-shaped, Mukuro’s had a wide variety of large and small star shapes, whereas Miku’s was patterned like a musical note, and Nia’s styled in a semi-circular silky milk chocolate with a strawberry protruding from the chocolate, making it look like a breast-shaped chocolate.
……Although there were a few embarrassing things put in, it would truly exhaust a man’s blessings to be able to receive so much chocolate. Shidou once again thanked everyone and tasted every chocolate piece by piece.
“Um, this is delicious! Haha, this would overwhelm even a professional.”
After hearing Shidou’s words, the Spirits all smiled.
In the middle of the group, Kotori displayed a relieved expression while shrugging her shoulders.
“If you like it, then more than anything else, you’ll have to work hard today.”
“Ah——that’s right.”
Shidou gave a vigorous nod and took another piece of chocolate into his mouth. The momentary rush of energy from the sugar produced a feeling that everyone was giving encouragement from behind him, filling every inch of his body with motivation.
Seeing Shidou in this state, Kotori could only shrug her shoulders with a wry smile.
“Looks like there wasn’t any need to worry. ——Ah, but you may not want to eat too much for your own good, okay?”
“Huh?”
With Kotori’s words, Shidou dropped into cold sweat.
“No way, really what else could be added……”
“That’s not it! I wanted to say that there are a few people left in the school group, so it’s better if you didn’t eat too much!”
Kotori flicked Shidou’s forehead as she spoke.
After twenty minutes, Shidou got dressed and left home while being sent off by everyone present. Then, after turning around, he saw Tohka’s presence in front of the door.
“! Oh, Shidou! Good morning!”
After noticing him, Tohka, full of vitality, waved her hand merrily.
“Ah, good morning, Tohka. How long have you been waiting?”
“No, that’s not true! I got here just now!”
After saying that, Tohka gave out a snivel from her running nose. Looking carefully, it was noticeable that her nose was slightly red. Although, he didn’t fully understand what Tohka had meant by ‘just now’, it seemed as if she had been in a cold place for a while now.
However, it did seem Tohka didn’t care about that at aall. From her hands, she delivered a small paper bag containing a finely packaged small box straight to Shidou.
“Shidou! Happy Valentine’s day!”
And after saying that, she displayed a dazzling smile.
“Oh, hey.”
Having already received chocolate from Kotori and the others, he should have been prepared for such a gift. However, as a result of receiving it in a cheerful manner, Shidou’s face slightly redden as he took the gift.
“Thank you, Tohka.”
“Umu, I’m confident in it!”
Tohka nodded while fixing her sparkling eyes onto Shidou.
“Haha……”
Although it hinted at a little bit of immodest manners, it couldn’t be helped. Shidou opened the box in order to view its contents.
Inside, with a gentle aromatic fragrance, there were lots of truffle chocolates covered with yellow powder.
This was——
“Ah, perhaps this is soybean flour?
“Oh, that’s right!”
Tohka raised her hands with a clap. Indeed, it was a tiny soybean-flavored truffle. In a sense, it was a dish with a very Tohka-like feeling.
Shidou picked up a piece of chocolate and threw it into his mouth. The sweetness of the chocolate blended with the aroma of the soybean. Although he didn’t understand what instruction she had learned to make this, it was still a very noteworthy accomplishment.
“Un, delicious! Well done, Tohka——”
Before finishing, Shidou abruptly stopped his words.
Tohka was looking at Shidou with a very eager expression.
“……Do you also want to eat it, Tohka?”
“! N-No, it’s okay, this is a gift given to Shidou!”
“Well, there should be no problem for me to give it to Tohka then?”
As Shidou said that, Tohka opened her eyes like a full circle.
“Mu! That is…… that’s right.”
“That’s good, here.”
Shidou placed a piece of chocolate gently into Tohka’s mouth, causing her muscles to arc back as she revealed a heart-struck expression.
“Ah…… Umu, delicious! Call the chef!”
“No, this is what you made.”
As Shidou responded with a wry smile, Tohka exposed an expression of surprise when she said “Hah! That’s right!”
Either way, it wasn’t as if they could eat all of them here. In order to enjoy the remainder for later, Shidou carefully placed the box back into the bag.
“Well, let’s go then. ——That’s saying if Kurumi isn’t here today.”
“Mu? Oh, that’s right.”
Tohka looked around the surroundings restlessly as she spoke. Meanwhile, Shidou was thinking as he placed his hand on his chin.
Today was the day of the decisive battle. The main event would be left for after school.
Shidou yelled “Okay!” as he clenched his fist with his raise his energy, and then headed off to the route to school with Tohka.
“……Hmm?”
After that, it took about twenty minutes.
Reaching the school entrance, Shidou stared with dumbfounded eyes.
That was because the Yamai sisters were standing in front of the left and right sides of the gate, like Kongourikishi waiting for them.
“Kaguya and Yuzuru? What are you doing in a place like this……”
“You’ve arrived, Shidou! Kuku, my golden crucifix arises here!”
“Presentation. I was waiting, please accept this.”
Kaguya and Yuzuru quickly obstructed Shidou’s words by handing over a box. The students who were walking around seemed to have immediately recognized the meaning of this action from today’s date. Faced with such a dignified and generous way of giving chocolate, there was sporadic applause coming from the surroundings.
“Oh, oh…… thank you. But there’s no need to give it here.”
“Kuku, what did you say? By going to the same school, we would be fools to let go of this advantage.”
“Assent. By showing this in front of everyone, there is also a point of deterrence against enemies.”
The Yamai Sisters were full of self-confidence as they finished speaking, turning their bodies around just like a tornado.
“The purpose has been achieved! Farewell!”
“Commentary. Although, I wanted to show off, it was embarrassing to hand it in front of everyone after all, so I want to leave as soon as possible. That’s what Kaguya said.”
“I have said no such thing!?”
Kaguya raised a screaming voice as she left to chase after Yuzuru, who ran earlier to escape into the school building.
Incidentally, after confirming, Kaguya’s chocolate was cross-shaped and decorated with gold leaves. Meanwhile Kaguya’s chocolate was decorated with Alasan confectionary beads that gave it a brilliant silver hue.
“As usual, those two resemble a passing storm……”
Shidou felt a drop of sweat fall down as he spoke, and then he brought his newly received chocolate into the school building.
But——after entering the classroom, Shidou felt his eyes once again stare in open bafflement.
“What……”
However, Shidou’s reaction was a matter of course. Everyone would display a similar reaction if a statue of an Angel appeared on top of their desks.
Upon a closer inspection, he found that the statue was entirely made out of chocolate.
Seeing such exquisite craftsmanship skills, Shidou inadvertently felt perspiration from his forehead.
Despite having said that, the culprit was obvious.
“……Origami.”
“What.”
As Shidou called that name frantically, there was an immediate reply, since the culprit was sitting in the seat left of him.
Yes, the face of the statute, from whichever point of view, looked identical to Origami.
“What is that…… what, that’s…… amazing. Thank you”
“I’m glad.”
As a result of not being able to find the words to speak after being given a straightforward impression, Origami slowly loosened her mouth while blushing.
“But I cannot eat it right now, so it’d be appreciated if I could save it…”
“I made a blunder.”
As Origami finished, she took out a plastic cover to wrap around the chocolate. In less than a minute, the chocolate was packaged by the beautiful girl’s hand.
“Here, no problem.”
“T-Thanks…… as expected of you.”
Shidou spoke with a wry smile as he placed the bag with the chocolate from Kaguya on the desk.
“……Hmm?”
Suddenly, he noticed a whisper from the end of the classroom.
“……bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit——”
“Die die die die die die”
“Bomb…… material…… how to make……”
Yes, after seeing the things in Shidou’s hands, the boys in the classroom issued dark feelings of resentment.
“…………”
Shidou’s face made a powerless twitch. Although the mood was very complicated, it wasn’t as if it was impossible to understand their feelings.
Just like he had said to Kotori and the others this morning, it was the first time he had received so much chocolate in his life. Until last year, he had only gotten chocolate from his mother and Kotori.
Well, his friend Hiroto Tonomachi had said, “Fuffuffu…… he had bought all of the limited edition chocolate from the neighborhood store so that no one could send chocolate……”
Although he could buy high quality chocolate for himself, one couldn’t count on that.
Incidentally, just as Tonomachi mentioned that, the other boys began to stare at Shidou with faces filled with anger and grief.
“Gentlemen…… I will now preform the ceremony.”
Suddenly, at the other end of the classroom, Tonomachi was about to open a box in his hand.
Inside there was a chocolate doll with the name ‘Itsuka’ written in white chocolate.
As Tonomachi slowly opened the box, the boys began to dance in a strange ritual that emitted a ‘dondokodokodokodondokodokodoko……’ sound in rhythm to a drum.
“Chowatsu!”
Just as that bizarre voice reached its climax, Tonomachi took out a large nail from his pocket and struck the chest of the doll written with ‘Itsuka’ as he raised his voice in a strange manner.
A crack entered the body of chocolate, causing the ‘Itsuka’ to fall apart.
Then, the boys who were scrambling around rushed to the chocolate fragments.
“Hyahh?! Itsuka fell apart!”
“Delicious! Delicious, ah!”
“I want to… eat Itsuka…… in order to gain Itsuka’s power.”
“…………”
While watching this strange scene from the end of the world, Shidou could only wipe the sweat dripping from his cheek.
Ordinarily, these guys wouldn’t be so ridiculous…… but sure enough, Valentine’s day had a special presence for boys as well.
Suddenly, as a result of not being able to see the boys reach this way, three girls stood up together with a sigh.
The class’ three specialty maidens, Yamabuki Ai, Hazakura Mai, and Fujibakama Mii—— collectively known as the Ai Mai Mii trio.
“Really, how are boys so helpless……”
“Hey, hey, you all come here——”
“Come?come?”
After speaking, Ai, Mai, and Mii took out a container from a plastic bag. Packed inside, obligatory chocolate scattered around and filling the container to the brim was visibly seen.
So, the boys who were clustered at the sacrificial altar raised their faces at a tremendous speed after catching the scent of chocolate in the air.
While still scattered around, there were roughly thirty pieces of chocolate.
However, there was not even a single one that had touched the ground.
“Thank you…… thank you……”
“To receive chocolate from girls…… such a sweet fragrance……”
“Itsuka’s poison…… has been purified……”
From the boys in the group, the dark fog surrounding them dissipated (or so it would seem).
At that time, nobody knew that a member of the art department who was deeply moved by this act would later draw the masterpiece ‘The Goddesses of Freedom spreading Chocolate to the masses’.
“Mu, what was that? So noisy.”
“……Well, just leave them be.”
Then——
“……!”
Suddenly, the Spirits all looked at the same direction together.
Shidou’s line of sight was also affected by that direction as his shoulders gently trembled.
Kurumi was standing at the end of that line of sight. The moment their eyes meet, she gave him a sweet smile.
“Ufufu, good morning, Shidou-san. It’s really lively this early in the morning.
“Oh…… Good morning, Kurumi.”
Shidou returned back the greeting, but couldn’t help but give a ‘guu’ sound from a cold lump stuck in his throat.
But that was only natural, as Kurumi was the one who designated the plan for today.
Yesterday, as well as the day before yesterday, Shidou and Kurumi launched a fierce offensive and defensive battle.
But the circumstances begged to differ today due to the timeframe occurring after school. As a result, it would be a situation with just the two of them alone without the presence of the other Spirits. Perhaps, Kurumi would come in seriousness to win him over.
“……”
Shidou’s throat felt a bit thirsty from the tension. Kurumi, who took notice of this, lifted the corners of her lips into a smile.
“Fufu, it’s no good to be anxious, Shidou-san.”
Kurumi walked forward and spoked while affixing her lips close to Shidou’s ear.
“Happy things should be——saved for later enjoyment.”
“……~Tsu.”
Inadvertently, due to the sound resounding in his eardrum, his body could help but shiver a bit.
However, in order for Kurumi to not notice this trembling, Shidou decided to endure it as he cracked a smile.
“Oh, I’m looking forward to it. ——You can rest assured that your room in the Spirit mansion’s already prepared.”
“Ara, ara.”
Kurumi returned the smile at the same time as the school bell rang.
“Kihihihi!”
“Kihihihi!”
“Hehehe!”
“Hehehe!”
“Now, now, what time is the next schedule?”
“It’s still an hour from now.”
“Ara, ara.”
“Really makes one anxious.”
“How can they not be tired of playing around?”
“Kihihi, hiki!”
“That’s right.”
“Right, those girls for example, that is.”
“At best it should be something akin to an event happening only a few times.”
“Right, right, and.”
“Yes, yes, those girls must have a reason for their actions.”
“There’s no way to blame them at this point.”
“Of course, we also have a reason for our actions.”
“And then, there’s no way to avoid colliding with each other.”
“We won’t be merciful, though.”
“Alright, alright, so then next.”
“We should head out now.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Thank you.”
“Please, drop down to dearest death.”
“Please, lead to have a meaningful demise.”
“For me.”
“For me.”
“For me.”
“——For Shidou-san.”
——Today, time passed by at a fast pace.
Needless to say, the hands of the clock turned at a rapid pace. While he thought of the events that would transpire after school, classes concluded.
While listening to the chime signaling the end of class, Shidou thought of something.
However, no one could blame Shidou.
After all, today’s date was with the Worst Spirit, Kurumi.
Although her appearance was that of a seductive girl, her true identity was—— “……Let it be.”
Thinking about such a thing, Shidou closed his lips as if to remember.
Kurumi was surely a Spirit with a mighty power. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t terrified of her.
However, Shidou had to make her fall in love today. How could a man be running away, terrified to open her heart?
——Fears, panic; these feeling must be thrown away.
Simply faced with the date was enough to escalate the pulse of his heartbeat to a violent pace, as an exhilarating feeling of tension permeated through the air.
In order to regain his fighting spirit, Shidou patted down his cheeks with the palm of his hand.
Apparently, there’s nothing for me to add.?
As if to match the time Shidou found his resolve, the intercom worn on his right ear echoed with Kotori’s voice.
In order to support Shidou, <Fraxinus>, where Kotori and the crew were waiting, was already flying above Raizen High School. Several autonomous cameras were sent into the classroom to observe Kurumi’s actions.
Determined, Shidou slowly got up from his chair.
At that moment, he heard a small voice from the seat next to him.
“Shidou……”
Shidou turned around and saw that Tohka was sending off an uneasy look filled with concern.
“Tohka……”
While giving a smile, Shidou took out a lunch box from his bag——it was the same one Tohka had given him this morning.
Then, in an action surprising Tohka, Shidou opened the lunch box and used his thumb to throw a soy truffle into his mouth.
“Un, delicious——now I feel like I have the strength of a hundred people.”
“Oh……!”
Tohka opened her eyes wide as she waved her hand merrily.
Then at the same time, from the side opposite of Tohka——a strange glance was felt from the left-hand side.
“Shidou, eating my chocolate is worth the strength of a thousand people.”
Origami remained expressionless, but spoke with an unusual intensity.
However, Origami’s chocolate was a delicate one-sixth model of Origami herself. Truly, it would be a terrible spectacle to take out and causally eat like Tohka’s. While giving a wry smile and scratching his face, Shidou turned his body to Origami.
“I’ll eat Origami’s later——after sealing Kurumi’s reiryoku.”
“…………”
Nodding to Shidou’s words, Origami seemed to have been persuaded.
Shidou stared at the two of them alternatively, and then spoke with words brimming with his resolve.
“I’m heading out now.”
“Umu……!”
“Good luck.”
Giving a shout of confirmation to the two of them, Shidou advanced his footsteps forward, not loosening his pace until he was in front of Kurumi.
“Yo, Kurumi.”
“Ara, Shidou-san, how may I help you?”
Perhaps, even after being the one to specify the day of the decisive battle, Kurumi had feigned nescience in order to speak in a joking manner.
Shidou took in a gentle breath and, as if adapting to that playful tone, stretched out his hand.
“After this, can I invite you on a date?”
“Ara, ara.”
Kurumi deliberately gave a surprised expression before slowly relaxing her cheeks.
“If you are okay with me, I would be glad to.”
Then, with the elegance of a daughter from a noble family, Kurumi took Shidou’s hand in order to raise herself up.
From the eyes of a third party, the exchange came as no doubt as a lady accepting a man’s invitation. In fact, after witnessing this scene, the other students began to spread gossip.
However, the reactions of Tohka and Origami were a little bit different from everyone else.
Their eyes teemed with tension, but it also showed their trust in Shidou as they watched him head out the door.
Because they knew——despite the dainty language used, for Shidou and Kurumi, it was the beacon heralding the outbreak of war between them.
“Well, let’s head out.”
“Ah, alright.”
Shidou nodded in agreement as he adjusted his uniform and left the classroom with Kurumi.
On the way, when they passed the neighboring classroom, Kaguya and Yuzuru came out to give him a thumbs up. Shidou returned the gesture as he walked into the corridor.
Although the students were bothered by this strange sight, their ruffled murmurs were not picked up by Shidou’s ear.
There was no point in worrying about his reputation in the class any longer. In this year alone, Shidou had been given disgraceful nicknames like ‘transfer student hunter’, ‘speed of light Itsuka’, and ‘the man who piled up virtue in a previous life that has now overclocked to the present’. Right now, if one or two more scandals were made, the formless basis for these rumors would be like driving more nails into a straw doll that had already been pin-cushioned.
——Shidou.?
As Shidou was thinking about such a thing while walking, Kotori’s voice was suddenly heard from the intercom.
I’ve got the options. Let’s decide where to go before leaving school.?
While also observing Kurumi and Shidou walking, three choices were being displayed on the main monitor of the aerial warship <Fraxinus>.
Home
Karaoke
Internet Café
The options for a course of action were charted by a Realizer manifestation device that was indicating Kurumi’s current mood and mental state in relation to her feelings towards Shidou.
“All crew, decide!”
As Kotori issued the order, all of the crew members on the lower deck began to operate their consoles at once.
After a few minutes, the monitor displayed the statistical results.
Although it was by a narrow margin, ? was the one that had gathered the most votes. Kotori stroked her chin.
“Well, it is reasonable…… but Maria, aren’t today’s choices somewhat biased?”
As Kotori finished, the characters MARIA appeared on a screen as a voice was heard from a speaker set on the bridge.
<Fraxinus>’s management AI, also known as Maria.
“As I have said before, the options are automatically generated based on various data on the Spirit rather than created by me out of thin air. However, if I dare express my opinion, should it not be considered the wining move for the match?”
“Match?”
“Yes, the adversary is Tokisaki Kurumi; she is not an opponent with which one could afford to be negligent. I believe that we should be prepared for each choice to bear its own risk, so we ought to instead commence with a swift attack immediately.”
“Swift attack……?”
“To put it bluntly, we should lock the two of them in a room so they cannot be intruded upon.”
“……S-So that’s it……”
Kotori’s eyebrows twitched as her voice resonated an unsteady echo. But she immediately switched her thought process by bringing the microphone close to her mouth.
“W-Well anyway, Shidou, choose ?——”
“No——wait a moment.”
But just as Kotori was moving closer to the microphone to give the instructions to Shidou via intercom, the man himself suddenly responded so in the center of the monitor screen.
While changing their shoes near the entrance of the school, Shidou raised his voice to block out the instructions coming from <Fraxinus>.
Since Kurumi was also changing her shoes there, he had to do so in such a loud voice to prevent the possibility of their conversation being overheard. After quickly glancing aside to Kurumi’s direction, Shidou placed his hand on the intercom.
“What’s the matter? Is there something wrong?”
As Kotori asked in a suspicious manner, Shidou gently shook his head in repudiation before continuing to speak.
“——I’ve already decided where to go.”
“What?”
Kotori let out an astonished voice. Then, another voice other than Kotori’s resounded in his ears. A girl’s voice that resembled a clear silver bell: the <Fraxinus> AI, Maria.
“In other words, does that mean you do not believe in my performance?”
“No, it’s not like that……”
Shidou struggled to answer while making a troubled faced. Then, a few minutes later, he heard a laughter-like breathing from Maria.
“Just kidding——We are only at most the support. If there is a firm will , a man should be able to implement it.”
“Maria……”
After Shidou had said that name, Maria continued to make an inquiry.
“How about it, Commander?”
Usually, Maria would just call her Kotori, but it seemed she had intentionally used a more formal title this time to strengthen her argument.
After a momentary pause, Kotori heaved out a heavy sigh.
“Really, if I were to say it’s no good, then I would be called an obstinate person.”
So, after the hearing the sound of hair being rustled, an ‘alright’ was heard being transmitted back.
“There is no doubt that Shidou is the world’s best specialist in Spirits. If you say so, then I’llrecognize it as well ——just as Maria stated, we’re responsible for supporting you. Do as you like. If it turns out to be a miserable failure, then that’s when our work begins.”
“Ah…… thank you, Kotori, Maria.”
Just as Shidou gave that acknowledgment, Kurumi came back with her shoes already changed.
“I’ve kept you waiting, Shidou-san.”
“No, then shall we go?”
“Eh, by the way——”
While speaking, Kurumi gently placed her finger on his lips.
“I have somewhere I would like to go to.”
“…..!”
In response to Kurumi’s words, Shidou quickly furrowed his brows. Immediately from the intercom, Kotori’s voice could be heard giving an ‘ah cha’ sound.
“It looks like there’s a schedule conflict. If we could have taken the lead it would have been great, but if that is too difficult to influence, then the priority should be achieving Kurumi’s aspirations first.”
“Er……”
However, Shidou wasn’t very nervous.
Why was it——he didn’t understand why, but somehow it felt that Kurumi’s train of thought was aligning with his own plans.
“Actually, I also have a place I’d like to go——probably it’s the same place as yours.”
“Ara, ara.”
Kurumi gave a smile as if amused by Shidou’s words, laughing while grabbing hold of his hand.
“How interesting, so let’s head to that answer together——please take me to the place you thought of, Shidou-san.”
“Ah, leave it to me.”
For a moment, Shidou felt a sudden chill from the cold touch of Kurumi’s hand, but somehow he managed to avoid having his trembling noticed as he grasped onto her hand.
Then, the two of them slowly walked towards the direction of the station.
——After several minutes, with brief conversations made between Shidou and Kotori, the two of them finally exited from Tenguu Station.
“Here……”
The two of them entered inside the building, stopping by in front of a certain shop just as Kotori’s voice was heard in the intercom.
Kotori also probably noticed. Here was——a lingerie shop which Shidou and Kurumi had visited before during a previous date.
“Well…… is this the place that Shidou-san wanted to come?”
Kurumi started from the shop window, her mouth exposing a smile as Shidou nodded his head.
“Ah, yes.”
“Ufufu…… Is that so? Shidou-san wants to see me in my underwear that much.”
“……Well, that’s not it, no, that’s it, but it’s not like that……”
In the face of such a teasing response from Kurumi, Shidou could not help but become so incoherent. Seeing Shidou in such a state, Kurumi let out a huff of laughter.
After that, Kurumi looked at the shop again before speaking.
“——That’s the correct answer.”
“Eh?”
“The place that I wanted to come——accurately speaking, here is no mistake. Ufufu, I remember me and Shidou-san coming here. I’m so happy.”
After speaking so, Kurumi exposed a smile.
That’s right, the Kurumi standing right here now and the Kurumi that went to this shop with Shidou in the past were both the same person and not the same person.
Last year in June, the Kurumi that had approached Shidou and gone on a date with him was a clone born from Kurumi’s <Zafkiel>.
“I’ve been thinking about it ever since that day. I wonder what I felt while visiting here with Shidou-san——what in the world I was thinking before having her heart snatched away by Shidou-san.”
“……………”
In the midst of Kurumi’s words, Shidou fell silent.
At that time, Kurumi had walked and laughed together with him on the street, but the Kurumi who had reached out for his hand on the school rooftop now no longer existed.
“Kurumi, you——”
Shidou opened his mouth, but stopped not a moment later.
Since the words spoken by Kurumi’s face seemed to emit a somewhat melancholic and lonely expression.
“Although she existed as an immature child, that was me as well.”
“…………”
Shidou plunged into silence once again, but after a few seconds, he took in a gentle sigh.
Then, Shidou clenched in more vigor into the hand that was holding onto Kurumi’s.
“……? Shidou-san?”
“Great, of course that’s truly the answer to the date of that time.”
“Eh?”
Kurumi seemed shocked at Shidou’s words while turning over her eyes. Meanwhile, Shidou raised his mouth as he looked back.
“Although it was a clone, I am a man who once caught Tokisaki Kurumi. Just like that, let me follow the same route as that time. ——After today is over, you’ll only be thinking about me.”
“Haha.”
With a dumfounded expression in her eyes, Kurumi loosened her mouth with a laugh.
Then, she returned the favor by clenching back with even more force onto the grip she was using to hold onto Shidou’s hand.
“I’m looking forward to it. Ufufu, Shidou-san, can you capture me?”
The two of them smiled at each other as they entered the shop side by side.
This was a lingerie shop. Naturally, there was an array of female undergarments on display in the store. It looked like a flower garden with numerous multicolored flowers in bloom.
Through such flowers, Kurumi walked gracefully in rhythm step by step, just like a butterfly.
Glossy black hair, a black coat, and a single red eye, it looked like a lovely butterfly with jet-black wings.
“——Hey, Shidou-san, of course you’ll select underwear for me, won’t you?”
Kurumi turned her head over as she flashed a mischievous smile. Seeing such a lovely appearance was even a little dangerous for Shidou, as he felt his heartbeat speed up.
“……That, ah, of course.”
“Ufufu, how fun. Come——which one do you think looks good?”
Kurumi jokingly tilted her head as she asked.
Behind her were countless flowers, it was like Kurumi was pointing numerous multicolored weapons at him.
At that time, a voice came from the earpiece asking a question.
“——Need an option, Shidou?”
“……No, please let me think about it here.”
With a whisper, Shidou stepped forward without fear as he looked at the underwear that was lined up on display in the store.
However, it would be difficult to say that choosing a sexy see-through underwear would be a good move. That is to say, in a match where the first to fall in love lost, allowing Kurumi to equip such a destructive outfit may cause irreversible damage to him.
A few minutes later, he found something suitable for Kurumi, an undergarment that was exotic but not too erotic. Shidou called out to Kurumi.
“Kurumi, how about this?”
“Ara, ara, it’s pretty cute, I thought that Shidou-san would definitely choose that kind of underwear.”
While speaking, Kurumi pointed to the sensational underwear worn by a mannequin. Shidou felt a glimmer of sweat fall down his cheek.
“N-N-No, I’m saying that this underwear might be unexpectedly suitable for you, right?”
“Ufufu, is that it? If Shidou-san says so, I’ll try it.”
With a blissful expression, Kurumi took the outfit Shidou had selected to the changing room.
Then, after a few minutes.
With a swish sound, the curtain opened to reveal Kurumi’s figure in underwear.
“——!”
Looking at such a figure, Shidou unexpectedly choked on his own breath.
He cursed himself for his shallowness and carelessness. Surely, in consideration to the potential damage to himself, Shidou chose a design with a relative low degree of exposure.
However, he had forgotten that the value of underwear was not only determined by exposure level.
——Predecessors had said, “Victory lies not in the erotic underwear, but rather in pure white underwear.”
As a result, lingerie that should have been relatively modest, produced synergistic effects beyond expectations by enrobing Kurumi with the finest of materials.
Bewitchingly pure, lovely while also being a polished beauty. In that gap, Shidou could only remain speechless for a while.
“——Shidou-san?”
“Eh…… ah.”
Hearing his name being called, Shidou was brought back to reality.
“How is it? Does it become me?”
“Ah…… it’s very suitable, suitable to the point of being dangerous.
After Shidou finished speaking, Kurumi looked surprised for an instant as her cheeks were slightly blushing.
“Ufufu, in that case, does that mean I caught Shidou-san?”
“Hey…… what’s that about?”
In response to Kurumi’s words, Shidou shrugged his shoulders while speaking. In actuality, he was on the verge of pretending to be brave, but there was nothing else he could say.
He didn’t know if the real intentions behind his words were noticed, but Kurumi suddenly revealed a smiling expression.
“Well, let’s get this then——Shidou-san.”
While speaking, Kurumi beckoned him over. Shidou slowly walked towards her while inclining his hand downwards.
“Take this…..”
“Hmm……?”
Kurumi handed something over to him that was rolled up by a black cloth. Standing next to the mystery, Shidou wrinkled his eyebrow in curiosity.
“What is this…… ah, this——!”
Unraveling the cloth with both hands——Shidou felt a sudden spasm come from his diaphragm.
However, that was only natural. What just got handed over to him was the underwear that Kurumi had just worn, with a faint residue of warm temperature still remaining from being in contact with her body.
“Ufufu, since it’s a rare occasion, today I’ll be wearing the underwear that Shidou-san picked for me. ——Please take care of that.”
“O-Oh……?”
Despite not knowing what to say, Shidou still felt obligated to reply while his face turned red.
“Hmm……”
About two hours had elapsed since the start of the date.
While observing the situation between Kurumi and Shidou in <Fraxinus>’s bridge, Kotori stirred around the Chupa-Chups in her mouth.
On the monitor, the two of them had left the lingerie shop and were walking side by side on the street towards their next destination.
Shidou’s hand was firmly holding onto Kurumi’s. It didn’t seem like Kurumi was annoyed at it.
Actually, although her reaction width was narrow, Kurumi’s relationship values were by no means denoted as bad.
“……How strange.”
Reine spoke while placing her hand on her chin. She was probably thinking the same thing.
Giving out a slight groan, Kotori let out an ‘ah’ sound as she looked at the numerical value at the end of the screen.
There, it was denoting Kurumi’s mental state, however—— “……Clearly, there’s a difference in Kurumi’s values during peacetime. It’s as if she’s under extreme stress. However, this reaction is not caused by the date with Shin. This is……”
“…………”
Hearing Reine’s words, Kotori made a sullen face.
The Spirits being under stress was not a desirable condition for Kotori.
However, reflected on the screen, Kurumi’s expression seemed joyful. Yet, this did not diminish the feeling from the value by any means. On the contrary, there was a scent of an unidentifiable, dangerous atmosphere.
“——Anyway, everyone, don’t be careless.”
“Roger that!”
As Kotori spoke, the crew responded together in unison.
By ten o’clock, Shidou and Kurumi were sitting side by side on the park bench.
Ever since they had departed from the lingerie shop, they went on towards the following route.
Walking beside each other on the same path, eating at the same store——and then finally coming here.
As a dark curtain descended upon the sky, only enough moonlight and sporadic streetlights scattered illuminance. Already, not even the shadows of a person remained in the vicinity, creating the illusion that only two people were left behind in the world.
In the middle of February, the temperature after sunset was so cold that one could exhale a white mist with every breath. Originally, it wasn’t a climate where one could stay out for long.
However, the park was an indispensable part for the date between Shidou and Kurumi.
“Shidou-san, do you remember? This place.”
“Ah…… I do, though I don’t want to think about it.”
Shidou answered with a slight sigh. That’s right, since this was the place where Shidou had seen for the first time Kurumi’s violent crime and also her very corpse.
“Hehe.”
Kurumi laughed vaguely without replying back to Shidou and then, as if remembering something, took out a lovely box from a bag.
“Come now, I’d almost forgotten——Shidou-san, Happy Valentine’s Day.”
As Kurumi was saying that, she handed the box over to Shidou.
Shidou took the gift with a wry smile.
“Thank you…… say, you almost forgot.”
“Um, that’s because——”
Kurumi breathlessly exhaled. While slowly turning over to lean on him, a challengeable weight was placed on Shidou’s shoulders. Her beautiful black hair tickled his cheeks.
“About that…… today was so much fun. That’s why it’s safe to say that it’s the best in my memory.”
“Kurumi……”
Shidou softly spoke, gently smiling while taking a small parcel from his bag.
“Well , this is from me, Happy Valentine’s Day, Kurumi.”
“Ara, ara.”
Shidou handed over a package, greatly surprising Kurumi in the process.
“Shidou-san…… although before I’ve thought it was nothing, after all only girls——”
“That can’t be it!? Look, the reverse giving of chocolate is popular all the time. There are no rules that say boys can’t give chocolates to girls, right?”
As he raised his voice to refute Kurumi’s words, Kurumi laughed to show her amusement.
“Ufufu, that’s right, it’s just as you said. ——May I open it?”
“Ah, of course.”
After nodding to each other, the two of them opened each other’s boxes.
Shidou whipped up dark chocolate coated with a sauce made from honey and orange peels.
He thought that the dark color and faint bitter taste would seem to suit Kurumi somehow.
On the other hand, Kurumi’s box was filled with various bite-sized chocolates of different designs and shapes.
Even though they were different—— it did not mean that no sense of unity occurred at all.
There were chocolates in the shape of cats, the same type that Shidou had made as a gift a few days ago.
“Oh, isn’t this cute.”
“Shidou-san’s chocolates look delicious.”
While talking to each other, the two of them unconsciously took the chocolate from the box and threw it into their mouths.
Both of them felt their cheeks loosening as their line of sight intersected.
“Haha, this is delicious, this flavor…… is it hazelnut?”
“Ah, as expected of Shidou-san. Mmm… this is also so delicious.”
“…………”
“…………”
It wasn’t as if there was nothing more to say.
Rather, it was just a feeling of wanting to fix one’s eyes upon the other’s.
“…………”
Shidou gently pulled his shoulder to turn his hand closer so that he could lovingly stroke Kurumi’s head.
Kurumi did not resist. But rather, it seemed as though she was looking forward to such an act as she brought herself closer.
If any unknown bystanders saw them now, they would look exactly like couple behaving intimately. In fact, it was the perfect position to easily lift up her chin and kiss her.
However——
“……Not bad, it’s not bad alright.”
Kotori’s voice was heard from the intercom, even after this situation, it wasn’t difficult to imagine the facial expression she was making from the sound alone.
That must mean that even if they kissed now, there was no way to completely seal her reiryoku.
As if to complement Kotori’s words, Shidou also heard Reine’s voice.
“……Kurumi isn’t lying. I would guess that she really did enjoy today’s date with you, Shin.
Even though it could be said that she has a good impression of you, she still hasn’t opened her heart.”
However, Reine continued on.
“In the depths of her heart, there appears to be a huge barrier. Determination……
resignation…… something like that. Kurumi has placed a huge shackle on herself that has made it impossible in practice to sever and for her to be happy. It will be impossible to seal her power unless you remove the cause of this.”
“……”
——Huge shackles.
In a silent manner, while still gently stroking Kurumi’s head, his hearts was recollecting those words in sweeping deliberation.
At the same time, Shidou’s mind recalled what Nia and Origami had said.
(——Somehow, it seemed that there was something that she wanted to investigate through my <Rasiel>.)
(——The First Spirit, all in order to kill that person.) (30 years ago, at that time in order to prevent the existence of that Spirit from ever happening.) Yes, one could think that the matter was deeply rooted in that.
Kurumi wanted to use the Twelfth Bullet <Yud Bet> to travel back to 30 years in the past for the motive of erasing the First Spirit.
Even if she had to sacrifice everything; even if it meant piling up an accumulation of ten thousand corpses as a means of achieving that goal.
In that regard, Shidou still knew nothing.
“……Hey, Kurumi.”
So, Shidou opened his mouth.
Indeed, not winning this match meant dying, but it wasn’t also only for that reason as well.
Now more than ever, for this girl who was relying solely on herself, he wanted to understand her desires, thoughts, and resolve.
“Yes, Shidou-san.”
“Can you tell us why you’re trying to defeat the First Spirit?”
“……”
The moment Shidou spoke that subject, Kurumi’s expression immediately tensed up.
However, after a long sigh that gave a hint of grief, Kurumi uttered her reply.
“Did you hear that from Nia-san? She’s really a chatty person.”
Kurumi stood up, taking a few steps away from the bench before turning back towards Shidou.
Under the night sky, the streetlights were like a spotlight illuminating Kurumi.
Then, as if it was a scene in a theater.
“Shidou-san, are you prepared to know? Everything——about me.”
In the darkness of the night, the girl’s eyes formulated a piercing gaze at him.
While the right eye was red like blood, the left eye was engraved with a golden timepiece inducing a clinking sound in conjunction with time.
“……”
For a moment, Shidou thought what he had seen was being produced by a hallucination of his mind, inadvertently causing him to swallow a sigh of relief.
However, he could not retreat here. Shidou controlled his cold and trembling hands as he nodded vigorously nodded towards Kurumi.
“——Ah, that’s my intention.”
“——Is that right.”
Kurumi quietly spoke as she elegantly raised her left hand.
At that moment, while entrenched on the ground, Kurumi’s shadow distorted in shape as a pistol of ancient design then flew out and gently landed on Kurumi’s hands.
It was the pistol that served as the hour hand for the Angel <Zafkiel>.
“Wha……”
While Shidou was suddenly surprised, Kurumi aligned the muzzle and pulled the trigger without hesitation. Bang, bang; a dry sound echoed a few times in the neighborhood.
“……!? This is——”
“The screen has been cut off!”
“The autonomous cameras seem to be destroyed!”
“Eh……?”
Hearing the <Fraxinus> crew’s shouts from within his eardrum, Shidou instinctively raised his brow. However, Kurumi was not finished. She took a step forward, a step approaching Shidou, stretching out her hand as if to touch his cheek.
The next moment, the voices from Fraxinus too had disappeared from his ear—— Kurumi had used her fingers to pinch away the intercom.
“……!”
While Shidou was watching with a stunned expression, Kurumi pressed her fingers together, crushing the intercom. A spark scattered with beeping electronic noise as a faint amount of smoke arose from her white fingertip.
In terms of time, this happened in less than 5 seconds.
In such a short time, communications between Shidou and <Fraxinus> were completely terminated.
Kurumi distorted her lips into a crooked grin as she once again turned her eyes towards Shidou.
“——Even so now?”
“……”
Shidou was speechless for an instant.
Losing contact with <Fraxinus> was the equivalent of being isolated in front of a Spirit. If Kurumi had that motive, it would have been very easy for him to be eaten.
However——
“——Even so, I still want to.”’
Shidou replied without avoiding eye contact with Kurumi.
Certainly it seemed that Kurumi’s actions were meant to block a method of retreat for Shidou. Nevertheless, for him it seemed like she was willing to tell only him secrets that she never wished to reveal to anyone else.
If he could not respond to this act of humanity, then he would have no right to act qualified to save the Spirits.
“……”
Seeing such a reaction from Shidou, Kurumi placed the pistol back into the shadow and quickly turned her back towards Shidou.
“Please follow me.”
Then, as Kurumi finished, she hurriedly walked towards the darkened road.
“Ah, hey.”
They went on walking for about 20 minutes.
Kurumi guided Shidou through a back alleyway and inside an old communal building.
Although the building had the appearance of being abandoned and was scribbled with graffiti, electricity was still passing through. Following the blinking, but still reliable, lighting, Shidou climbed up the stairs and reached a room in the third floor.
“Come in, Shidou-san.”
“Here is……”
As he whispered, Shidou looked around his surroundings.
There were no major differences in this one room in the abandoned building. But unlike the corridor, the floor here was swept cleanly, a curtain was hanging on the window, and a simple as possible bed was placed here.
“I have several strongholds in this city; this is one of them. Although there is nothing here, please be at ease.”
“……I see. It’s a pleasure to be invited into a girl’s room.”
“Ufufu, there’s so much flattery from you, Shidou-san.”
Kurumi gave a slight giggle as she smiled, taking off her coat as she then placed it on the hanger. Then she stretched out her hand towards Shidou, who slightly inclined his head.
“Ah, thank you.”
Shidou imitated Kurumi’s actions, as he handed over his coat to her as both of their coats were placed on the hanging rack. Then, while slowly nearing Shidou—— “…………”
Without warning, Kurumi pressed her body against Shidou’s chest.
“Kurumi……?”
“Shidou-san, you said that you wanted to know everything about me.”
“……Ah.”
After hearing Shidou’s reply, Kurumi, after not saying anything for a few seconds, buried her face in his chest, after that—— “——Then please accept it.”
Kurumi spoke while slowly moving her left hand which, unbeknownst to him, was holding a pistol once again.
“<Zafkiel>——The Tenth Bullet <Yud>.”
Kurumi’s shadow slowly creeped as it was sucked into the muzzle of the pistol.
In one flowing movement, the pistol was aligned with his temple——then, acting as if it were her own head, she pulled to the trigger on Shidou.
How long had it been since then?
One day, in an all-girls school, inside a certain restroom.
“……Hm”
Kurumi looked into the mirror and stared at her own face through the reflection.
——An eyepatch covered the left eye on her face.
“After all, isn’t it a little too conspicuous?”
While speaking, she removed the eyepatch. What was hidden underneath was now exposed and reflected by the mirror——her left eye had changed its appearance into a golden clock.
It wasn’t anything like special color contacts or remarkable make-up. It was hard to believe, but it was to the extent that there were even minute and second hands, ticking time with a clink, clink sound.
Yes, a few days ago, Kurumi encountered the mysterious girl——Mio. Ever since she had been given an item resembling a gemstone with a miraculous radiance, her left eye had changed into something completely different from that of an ordinary human.
No——to be specific, that wasn’t the only thing mismatched.
“……Ufufu.”
Kurumi gently laughed while looking at her eyes through the mirror.
She would be lying if she said that there were no fears or anxiety over her body becoming an unusual existence. However, compared to that, Kurumi was filled with a feeling of fulfillment and euphoria.
Then.
“——Kurumi-san, is there something wrong?”
“……?”
Being suddenly accosted, Kurumi quickly placed the eyepatch back to its original position.
Turning to the direction of the voice, Kurumi discovered that it was her friend standing there ——Yamauchi Sawa. Kurumi’s hands trembled at the misunderstanding.
“N-Nothing, there’s nothing at all.”
“………..”
As Kurumi nervously spoke, Sawa stared intently on Kurumi’s face.
“Is it better? That left eye.”
“E-Eh, it’s still a little bit troublesome to see.”
“That sounds really serious…… Please take of your body.”
After expressing her concerns about Kurumi’s health, Sawa remembered something.
“Come to think of it, Kurumi-san, are you free after school today? My aunt said she wanted to bring Chestnut’s siblings to come and play.”
“Eh……!?”
Hearing this sudden invitation, Kurumi’s eyebrows slightly twitched.
Chestnut was a cat boasting a high ranking in cuteness, but to hear of his siblings at this time… It would be a fluffy, fluffy paradise for anyone. Remembering the feeling of Chestnut’s velvety fur and soft paws, Kurumi was momentarily enchanted.
However, she immediately regained her composure and shook her head——today there was an errand that she couldn’t put aside no matter what.
“I-I’m sorry, but I will have to refuse.”
“Ah, do you have something you need to do?”
“Yes…… a little errand, but please invite me again.”
“That’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. Next time then.”
“Absolutely, absolutely, right?”
“Y-Yeah, I understand.”
Confronted with Kurumi’s relentless desire, Sawa could only give a wry smile as sweat dropped down her cheek.
——After school on that day.
Kurumi was standing alone on the roof of a building in the outskirts of town.
The red sunset was shining on her back, as the wind blew on the skirt of her uniform.
“Come on.”
As if to match the sound of Kurumi’s complaints, small footsteps echoed from behind.
Turning backwards, Kurumi found the figure of a girl who was not there before.
Takamiya Mio, the girl who appeared before Kurumi a few days ago and gave her power.
“Ya~, Kurumi. Please do your best again today.”
“Hm, please leave it to me, Mio-san.”
Just as Kurumi replied back, the voice in the surroundings disappeared at the same time.
Yes, it was just like the first time Kurumi had met Mio.
Kurumi didn’t know the detailed principle behind this, but it seemed to be due to Mio’s ability.
By enchanting the surroundings with something resembling a barrier, she could prevent the enemy from escaping outside.
The next moment, an abnormality appeared below Kurumi.
A snowstorm, suddenly ice crystals and snow appeared and began to swirl into a whirlpool.
Within that whirlpool—— it suddenly appeared.
An anomaly as if the ice took on the appearance of a doll’s silhouette.
Although it was her first time seeing this, there was no doubt.
——Spirit. With tremendous power, Mio described it as a calamity killing this world.
“Well, I’ll be heading out now.”
After Kurumi briefly spoke, she infused her feet with power as she lightly jumped over the fence of the building.
Falling from the sky, she turned her body with the goal of landing in front of the ice Spirit. But of course, her jumping down was far from suicidal behavior.
“Astral Dress <Elohim>.”
The moment Kurumi chanted that name, shadows engulfed her body, forming a shining dress made of light particles.
And——
“——<Zafkiel>!”
As Kurumi called out that name, two old-fashioned pistols tailored for her at varying lengths manifested in front of her hands.
“Really, you came at the wrong time——I’m in a bit of a bad mood today.”
Kurumi sharpened her gaze. Falling down from the building, she pointed her pistols towards the Spirit of Ice.
——Kill the Spirits in order to save the world.
The self-proclaimed Ally of Justice, Takamiya Mio-san, told her so after giving power to Kurumi.
An absolute Astral Dress——and an Angel that could control time and shadow, <Zafkiel>.
It was just like a scene from a children’s anime. If she wanted to talk about this to her friends and family, they would have surely laughed it aside as an absurd event she made up as an embarrassing joke.
However, for Kurumi, who was chosen to wear an Astral Dress and wield an Angel, it was no laughing matter.
The existence of supernatural power that went beyond common sense.
And the presence of an enemy that must be slain.
Although Kurumi grew up in a peaceful environment, the experience of being attacked by a grotesque monster and being saved by a mysterious girl allowed her to accept much of it as reality.
——Thus, Tokisaki Kurumi became a hunter for Spirits.
Obviously, it was a life and death threat, and she was not completely devoid of all fear.
However, this life would not still be here had Mio not arrived to aid her——not to mention, the goal of saving the world aroused emotions smoldering deep within Kurumi’s heart.
With a desire to help, the hands of the people occasionally gained strength, but lacked the means and methods of achieving such a goal.
The feeling of saving the world with her own hands filled the empty hole within Kurumi’s heart.
Because of that——Kurumi began fighting.
In order to protect her world, family, and friends, she killed the monsters that appeared in the city.
She was convinced that it was for everyone.
She was convinced that it was for herself.
She was convinced that——it was the meaning of her own existence.
However, the end of that dream came earlier than expected.
——That day. On that day, Kurumi and Mio were suppressing another Spirit together.
A variant cladded in flames through its entire body, every step it took caused the residue heat to ignite the surrounding buildings, streets, and trees.
It was too much of a powerful and daunting enemy.
However, Kurumi was not afraid. Grasping <Zafkiel> with both hands, she fired off a relentless bombardment of bullets again and again.
“That’s it——it’s over……!”
“——————”
Along with the fading sound of gunfire, the Spirit of Fire finally collapsed. However, its body was still faintly moving, with her ash-like wrist stretching out towards Kurumi.
“——How persistent.”
Kurumi spat out a sigh of annoyance, as she moved to fire a round at the Spirit’s head. After that, the Spirit’s body remained motionless.
“Really…… it’s finally over.”
“——Thank you so much for your trouble.”
“Kya!”
Startled by the voice coming behind her, Kurumi’s body cowered instinctively for a second.
Looking back, she saw that Mio had unexpectedly appeared.
“Please stop appearing so suddenly; you startled me.”
As Kurumi spoke, Mio lowered her head as if to say sorry.
“As usual, I will do the rest of the handling process. You go back first. If I remember correctly, didn’t you say you had a promise with a friend?”
“Hm…… I’ll go do that. Take care then.”
After Kurumi said that, she let her Astral Dress and Angel fade into light particles while walking away from that spot.
Kurumi had long become accustomed to such an interaction where she would leave Mio’s barrier and wended her way on the road for a while.
She glanced at a watch——today it was planned that she would go to Sawa’s house to play with Chestnut’s brothers and sisters, but it seemed that there was still some time left.
“——That’s right.”
Kurumi clapped her hands as she headed back to the original direction she came from.
There was no special reason, only that she thought it would be nice to bring Mio over to Sawa’s house.
It had been a while since she and Mio began suppressing the Spirits, but even then they stillnever talked to each other outside of the battlefield. Kurumi was sure that even Mio, who always seemed to air a faint melancholic facial expression, would smile after touching a cute cat.
However——
“……Huh?”
Turning around the alley, she was just about to return to where she had been fighting the Spirit up until now. But abruptly, Kurumi stopped her feet dead in her tracks.
Mio was standing there as expected——yet what had fallen was not a monster, but rather a human girl.
“……”
No——not just that. Kurumi was so surprised that she choked on her own dry voice.
Yes, what had fallen down there…
…was Kurumi’s friend, Yamauchi Sawa.
“Wha…… huh……?”
While being unable to understand the meaning of what happened in front of her, Kurumi stared with eyes wide aghast.
As if noticing Kurumi’s return, Mio slowly turned her body over towards her direction.
“……Ah, Kurumi, you came back. ——That’s regrettable, I wanted to be a good partner for you for just a bit longer.”
While speaking, Mio completely turned over to face Kurumi.
——In her hands lay a floating gem glowing red.
No doubt about it, although the color was different, it was the same thing that Mio had given Kurumi.
“W-What do you mean…… Why is Sawa-san……”
“Ah, was this your acquaintance? That is really…… I did something inexcusable.”
“……Could it be that——”
Kurumi placed her hand near her mouth. In front of the various materials on display, a line connecting the scattered dots formed in her mind. Kurumi felt a tremendous urge to vomit from the back of her stomach.
“……After all, you are very smart.”
Mio’s short answer served nothing but despair to Kurumi.
Yes, the position where Sawa was lying down was exactly where Kurumi shot and slew the Spirit of Fire.
And then, the Sephira Crystal was nestled in Mio’s hands. What that meant was—— “That Spirit was…… Sawa-san……?”
Kurumi quietly murmured as she felt her heart tightly contract.
This Spirit wasn’t the only one. Kurumi had defeated more than 50 Spirits over the course of various places. Perhaps those were all humans too.
No, on the contrary, even Kurumi had also been given that Sephira Crystal—— “Ah… AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH……!?”
At that moment, Kurumi fell down on her knees. Her head and heart were creaking in terrible pain——despair. That pitch black feeling began to corrode her heart. It was like a hallucination of her very existence turning inside out.
——Not good, not good, this feeling mustn’t be allowed.
Instinctively aware that this feeling was far from benign, Kurumi subconsciously raised her right hand.
“……<Z-Zafkiel>…… the Fourth Bullet <Dalet>.”
Then, as Kurumi stammered to say that name, the Angel manifested, allowing her to fire out the bullet at her own head.
——Unwinding the time of the target, the Fourth Bullet <Dalet>.
In order to rewind her body, her mind back to a state before feeling despair.
“Ah…… ah…… ah……”
As her breathing struggled to regain a constant pace, Kurumi glared intently at Mio.
However, Mio was neither frightened nor shaking. Rather, her eyes were wide open, struck by the marvelous occurrence.
“How surprising, to think that you would fend off the Inversion through your own power……
but you really saved me the trouble. It would have been tough to purify the refined Sephira Crystal back.”
“Inversion…… r-refined……?”
After Kurumi asked, Mio, between her thoughts, made a gesture of nodding her head.
“Un, I bet you’ve already noticed it, but Spirits are humans that have received Sephira Crystals. ——No, I’ve distributed my power to them; would that statement be more accurate? Originally, the word Spirit only referred to me, the First Spirit.”
“Wha……”
“——But, the original Sephira Crystals are incompatible with human attributes. If such a thing is forcibly given, human beings would not be able to suppress the overflowing power, and it would run rampant.”
So, Mio continued on.
“In order to make the Sephira Crystals compatible with humans, purification is necessary.
Then, if you give the refined Sephira Crystal to a qualified person, they will become Spirits while retaining their sense of self——just like you.”
“……Could it be, purification is——”
Kurumi’s eyes opened wide in horror, as a fear passed through her mind that caused the roots of her teeth to tremble.
However, Mio continued speaking in an indifferent manner.
“Un, if passed through the human body, of course that person would run rampant. But if the process is repeated several times, the Sephira Crystals recovered from that body are cleanly purified. Imagine something like a filtration device; would that be easier to understand?
However, recovery of the Sephira Crystal is very difficult. I was really saved because you were there.”
Mio’s answer was not bad; it was the worst imaginable reply. Kurumi clutched onto her chest in order to prevent the feeling of despair from re-surging.
——Everything was understood.
Kurumi had been used by Mio.
While intending to save the world——Kurumi had been killing humans.
With a look brimming with anger, Kurumi squeezed out a roar from her throat.
“Why…… would you ever want to do such a thing……!”
As Kurumi asked while screaming, for the first time Mio displayed a very difficult expression.
“……I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. I have no grudge against you. But I can’t stop——not until all of the Sephira Crystals are entrusted to humanity.”
As Mio spoke, she turned her hand towards Kurumi.
“——Until then, good night, Kurumi. Thank you for everything so far.”
“What are you do——”
Kurumi’s words suddenly ended.
No, it would be better to say that her consciousness was interrupted there.
——When was the next time of waking up.
“……Ara, ara……?”
In the midst of a blurry consciousness, Kurumi opened her eyes.
With a cloudy memory, she couldn’t remember anything. The only things she could recall were her own name and the extraordinary power she was wielding.
Looking around, the street center was destroyed as if caused by a meteor impact. Kurumi was standing at the center of the crater.
“Yes, where is here… exactly……”
In the sight spreading beyond her eyes, there were too many unknown factors for her brain to handle.
Where here was, who she was, why she was here——
As Kurumi sorted through such matters, a noise from afar buzzed in her ears.
“——Ara?”
Looking around, she saw people flying in the sky while wearing mechanical armor. At that strange sight, Kurumi’s eyes were dazed in amazement.
“How amazing…… What exactly is that……”
However, they wouldn’t let Kurumi continue her words for long. Aligning the weapons in their hands, they fired numerous bombs and missiles at Kurumi.
“Kiki……!”
With her shoulders trembling, Kurumi quickly fled into her shadow.
Although her memory was still completely missing, she could still somehow remember to use the power within her body.
“Ha…… Ha, huh…… that caught me off guard……”
In that dark space, Kurumi took a deep breath as she tried to rearrange the current situation in her mind.
However, because the information at hand was inadequate, there was nothing she could do.
Besides her name, the only thing she could remember were about Angels and the Astral Dress—— “————”
At that time, Kurumi concocted an idea. She lifted up her right hand and called out the name of the Angel.
“<Zafkiel>——the Tenth Bullet <Yud>…… would that be right?”
Kurumi spoke with an uneasy voice, and a short gun with bullet appeared in her hand.
Although it was something that she had called, Kurumi issued a ‘wow’ to exemplify her surprise.
“I-It really appeared!”
The Tenth Bullet <Yud>, if her gut feeling was correct, this bullet should convey the memories of whatever object it is fired upon to her. If fired upon herself, then she should be able to recall everything that her brain had experienced.
Kurumi’s fingers trembled as she pressed the muzzle at the side of her head, but she was still determined to pull the trigger.
Bang, that effect resounded within the sound of the bullet striking Kurumi’s head.
That moment——
“————”
The turbulent flow of memory rushed into Kurumi’s mind.
The girl that she had met once - Mio.
And——by her own hand, what happened to her best friend.
The crime committed by her deceit.
“Ah…… ahhhhhhhhhh……”
With trembling hands, Kurumi dropped the gun as she fell to her knees.
Endless regret and despair pervaded the bottom of her heart.
Recalling even the sadness amidst the foolishness of what she had done.
——However.
Soon after, Kurumi raised her head.
There stood no longer a lady who immersed herself in peace, a child who dreamed of being a partner to justice.
What her expression revealed was indefatigability.
What shined in her eyes was fury.
Although she didn’t understand what Mio was thinking, Kurumi was still alive.
And in her hands——the only power to interfere with time in this world, the strongest Angel, <Zafkiel>.
Everything was not over yet.
To redo the world.
No matter how much sacrifice she had to atone.
All in order to remake history.
Even if it led this body towards utter destruction.
Kurumi once again stood up on both her feet and began walking forward.
“……!?”
Slowly opening his eyes, Shidou scanned his surroundings.
A dimly lit room of a residential building. Kurumi was reclining on his chest, her warm body temperature being conveyed over to him.
At that time, Shidou finally remembered.
Right now, he was on a date with Kurumi.
“J-Just now was……”
Daydreaming——the time might have been too late, but sensually it was close to that.
It was like the feeling of experiencing someone else’s life. Until a few seconds ago, Shidou’s consciousness had certainly converted into Kurumi’s.
Then, Shidou noticed, the words Kurumi had recited just before pointing the muzzle at his temple——the Tenth Bullet <Yud>.
Shidou had seen this once before. One of <Zafkiel>’s powers, the ability to convey memories held within objects.
No, Kurumi had shot Shidou through the head with the short gun.
That could only mean one thing.
What Shidou had just seen was neither an illusion nor a dream——but rather something that had once actually happened in Kurumi’s past.
“——I’ll.”
Kurumi spoke in an almost speechless and overflowing manner.
“In order to kill the Spirit of Origin. No matter what happens. No matter——what I have to do.”
Kurumi tightly grasped onto Shidou’s shirt as she continued on.
“I cannot say what I’m doing is right. While riding on the First Spirit’s cajolery, I killed a lot of people——even now I carry on to pile up a mountain of corpses in order to eradicate the existence of that Spirit. I am evil, unmistakably an enemy of mankind. Killing, killing, continuing to kill, a <Nightmare> that tramples death upon death. If there really is a hell, a special seat will be reserved to send me straight down to the bottom.”
“But…”
Kurumi clenched her hand into a fist.
“I don’t mind, so long as before I fall into the prison of the earth, I can personally alter it such that the First Spirit, Takamiya Mio—— never existed.”
“Mio……”
Shidou repeated that name in a hoarse voice. Mio. He had heard of that name before.
Yes, he had heard that name from Mana before. The very same name that Shidou himself had also said while in the depths of a trance-like state and having his reiryoku run out of control.
And also…… Takamiya. That surname was unquestionable the same as Mana’s.
——Unknown meaning. The various information mixed together jumbled Shidou’s thoughts into chaos.
But for Shidou right now, there was already no time left to afford in dwelling this over.
Kurumi, after being exhausted from telling everything, slowly took a deep breath as she loosened the grip on Shidou’s clothes.
“I will redo everything. I will restore everything that has happened so far back to zero.”
Kurumi lifted up her head from being buried in Shidou’s chest and stared directly at his eyes.
“That is my purpose, the meaning of my existence——for that, the power of the Spirits held within Shidou-san is necessary.”
Kurumi finished her words with an almost pleading-like tone before continuing to answer Shidou.
“Of course, I do not plan to hide it behind lip service. If I eat Shidou-san, Shidou-san will die.
——But as long as I get the reiryoku that Shidou-san has, I can surely change history.”
“History——”
Hearing these words, Shidou could not help but remember the time he traveled back in time with Kurumi.
So, he knew best that what Kurumi had said was not a dream-like delusion.
After all, Shidou had changed the history of the world once.
——By none other than the power of Kurumi’s Angel.
“Yes, by erasing the First Spirit, I would have never become a Spirit. In other words——the fact that Shidou-san was eaten will also disappear.”
So, Kurumi gazed intently at Shidou.
“Shidou-san, if you believe in me, please give that power, that life to me. ——Please just lend me a moment.”
“——”
It was a different gaze from that which Kurumi usually made to make fun of him, a serious look that couldn’t help but render Shidou speechless.
The reason was understandable. However, it did not change that he would be losing his life.
Normally Shidou would have thought about that.
However, right now in Shidou’s mind, there was another different kind of feeling coming and going.
——Regret that ran rampant like a raging wave.
Anger that scorched one’s body.
At that time, if I didn’t reach out.
At that time, if I didn’t pull the trigger.
At that time, if I didn’t hunt down the Spirits.
If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have become what I am now.
I must kill. I must erase. I must make her never exist.
For friends, for the world, for the lives that she had eaten.
It was apparent that those thoughts did not belong to Shidou.
However, because of experiencing Kurumi’s life, the shared emotions had also devastated Shidou’s heart.
“I want——”
“……”
As Shidou let out a trembling voice, Kurumi hid her eyes beneath her bangs for a moment before lifting her head with resolution.
“Of course, I don’t think that it’s a fair deal. Even though I wish to make sure everything never existed, there is no difference that I am demanding Shidou-san’s life…… so for now, at least a promise.”
As Kurumi said that, she leisurely used her hand to remove the button on her blouse.
“……!? H-Hey……?”
In response to Kurumi’s unexpected behavior, Shidou gave out a panicked expression.
However, Kurumi didn’t seem to mind, as her hands continued to take off the clothes that she was wearing one by one.
The underwear chosen at the lingerie shop was already exposed during daytime. That piece did not seem suitable for her, but it still stood out to highlight Kurumi’s bewitching flirtation.
Reaching out you could touch it.
And Kurumi would certainly not refuse.
This incredible sensation made Shidou’s head feel like he had a fever.
“………………”
As if aware of Shidou’s heart, Kurumi reached out and grabbed his hand.
Then, she pulled Shidou’s hands in manner like they were moving on their own. Waddling the fingers to let them slide across the brassiere strap.
“————”
Shidou could not resist the excitement exceeding the maximum permissible level. His fingers were under Kurumi’s guidance to pull down the shoulder strap.
But that alone wasn’t the final touch. In the same manner, Kurumi pulled Shidou’s hands towards her abdomen, letting the fingers hang near her underwear.
The hand ever so slowly fell down. As Kurumi’s soft skin gradually became exposed, Shidou couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Without anything to cover herself, Kurumi, with slightly flushed cheeks, once again turned to Shidou.
“——I will give you everything except my reiryoku (Life).”
“W-What……”
That word leaked out from his throat.
In the dark room, the moonlight seeping through the gap in the curtains faintly illuminated Kurumi’s porcelain skin.
In this excessively dreamy scene, Shidou’s mind first recalled the feeling of some kind a familiar vision rather than pure carnal desire.
Kurumi slowly walked forward, coming into closer contact with his hand. ——No, this was to push Shidou’s body, knocking him down to the bed behind.
Kurumi was lying on top of Shidou’s body. With uneven breathing, she brought her hand near the button of Shidou’s clothes.
“H-Hey, Kurumi……”
Shidou spoke uneasily as he wanted to push Kurumi aside. But the other party was a Spirit, even though weaker than Tohka in pure strength, and Shidou could not compete as a human.
No, perhaps contrary to Shidou’s will, his body would instinctively refuse resistance.
To the extent of how much he had thought of such a thing, Kurumi was——beautiful.
Jokes aside, if he could get her, even losing his life didn’t matter. It was enough to plunder one’s mind.
“Shidou-san, Shidou-san. If you wish, I will do anything. If you ask, I can do anything.”
“K-Kurumi……”
A conflict between rationality and instinct, it felt as if his brainstem was being grilled.
If he was the slightest distracted, he would be left at Kurumi’s mercy.
However——
“……!?”
The next moment, as Kurumi fingers were about to touch Shidou’s skin, a loud noise suddenly broke through. It was as if the window had been broken as several girls flew into the room after pulling the curtain apart.
——Girls who had the exact same appearance.
“Fo-un-d you.”
“……Hmm? Have you been looking forward to it?”
“That is really nauseous. Alright, we’ll let you finish first. For a man to die without ever knowing a woman is truly pitiful.”
“Wh——”
Shidou turned in astonishment at the girls who appeared suddenly.
But that was only natural since those girls had appeared in the dream Shidou had a few days ago.
“……Ara, ara.”
However, Kurumi’s reaction was a bit different from Shidou’s.
Compared to surprise, the surface of her face was more filled with anger and frustration.
“Counterfeit Sprits, it takes a great deal of courage to disturb my and Shidou-san’s tryst.”
While still naked, Kurumi quickly stood up.
Hearing those words, the expressions on those girls’ faces quickly changed.
“Oh? Did you say…… ‘counterfeit’?”
“Is it okay to think that you are insulting our father?”
“Unforgivable!”
After being finished speaking, the girls sharpened their gaze and pounced on Kurumi all at once.
“Kurumi——!”
However, Kurumi calmly turned herself around. Unbeknownst to him, her ancient-styled pistols were already in her hands as she pulled the trigger continuously.
“<Zafkiel>——the Seventh Bullet <Zayin>!”
The girls who touched the bullet were paused still in the air, frozen after trying to rush after Kurumi.
The Seventh Bullet <Zayin> stopped the time of the target that had been shot. <Zafkiel>’s certain kill blow.
“——Umm.”
Kurumi made sullen grunt as she turned her back against those girls.
Then, in accordance to that action, number of hands grew from the shadow spreading on the wall floor of the room, dragging the girls’ bodies into the shadow.
“<Zafkiel>——the Fourth Bullet <Dalet>.”
As Kurumi spoke, she aligned the muzzle to the fragmented debris of the broken window, firing off a jet-black bullet.
At the next moment, the shards of glass floated in the air and reshaped the window as if playing a video clip in reverse.
After a couple of seconds, the room regained the same stillness and loneliness as before.
Kurumi took in a light sigh, dropping the pistols into the shadow while working hard to face towards Shidou.
“Some hindrances got in the way. Really, to think that they would even come at this time.”
Kurumi said as she struggled to stand up, placing her hand up against the wall.
“Kurumi……?”
“It’s nothing…… really——”
Kurumi tried to smile while trying to return to Shidou, however—— Just like a puppet with its strings severed, she collapsed onto the ground.
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