Chapter 4: Momentary Paradise
“Ike—Ike! Hang in there Ike!”
Ellen, who left the battlefield carrying Westcott in a Voluntary Territory, constantly called out to him while applying hemostasis, pain relief, and accelerated healing.
Westcott’s wounds were definitely fatal injuries, but it was a different matter when the person carrying him was the World’s Strongest Wizard. Although it was not as powerful as the Medical Realizer Apparatus, Ellen’s delicately woven Territory can still block his wounds to an extent.
Even so, that was just the physical aspects. Even if the wound healed well, no one knew if he would wake up again after losing consciousness. In order to not let this happen, Ellen continued to call out for Westcott.
“……Ah, I can hear you, Ellen.”
Westcott made a weak but sure response, his trembling fingers touching his chest now stained in blood.
“……Fu, I see, so this is the feeling of a Sephira Crystal being extracted while still being alive. I’ve obtained valuable experience.”
“Now’s not the time to joke around……!”
As Ellen roared in a voice that was about to cry, Westcott smiled as if appreciating it. Then, he turned his attention to Artemisia right next him.
“……Well then, what’s the current situation?”
“—<Deus> has returned. Also, it seems that <Nightmare> has entrusted her power to Itsuka Shidou, who is now heading to <Deus>’s location.”
“……And <Goetia>?”
Westcott continued to ask. This time it was Ellen who responded back.
“……Right now, beside <Fraxinus>. Remote control has not been interrupted.”
“……I see.”
Listening to Ellen’s words, Westcott nodded satisfactorily.
“—It’s going well, is it not?”
Then, Westcott smiled.
As if—it seemed that everything was going according to plan.
Above the sea of clouds, on the exterior of the aerial vessel <Fraxinus EX Celsior>, which was positioned in the skies like an enormous castle.
“Ku……”
As the captain in command of the warship, Kotori let out a small anguished groan, powerlessly kneeling down on the spot.
Following this, the Angel in her hands <Camael> and the Limited Astral Dress covering her body dissolved away into the air. The brave Spirit of fire returned back into a delicate young girl wearing a military uniform.
“Kotori!”
“Are you alright, Kotori-san?”
The Spirits and Mana gathered around her with a worried look. Kotori tried to nod calmly in order to make everyone feel at ease.
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m not injured. —Just the time limit has been reached.”
Kotori placed her hand against her chest to adjust her breathing. The Spirits and Mana all breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that.
The Angel of fire <Camael> possessed by Kotori had tremendous destructive power and an irreconcilable recovery capacity. However, the price for using that power to long will cause a strong destructive impulse to sprout. For that reason, Kotori tried not manifest her Astral Dress or Angel as much as possible, and even in inevitable cases she would set a voluntary time limit on the battle.
Despite having said that, in the heat of battle, she may not be able to lift her Limited Astral Dress even if the time limit had been reached. This meant right now was surely a blessing.
That’s right. Just a moment ago, Mio’s attack, which disseminated like a tyrannical storm, had now completely disappeared without a trace.
However—Kotori didn’t feel that this outcome was worthy of celebration yet.
At the moment when Shidou kissed Mio, the huge Angels floating behind Mio enveloped both of them and changed into a huge sphere.
“This is……”
“Mysterious. What on earth is going on?”
Kaguya and Yuzuru let out a surprised voice as they quietly passed through the sphere.
Despite those words only being spoken by the Yamai Sisters, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that everyone here had a similar impression to the current situation.
The size was about 10 meters in diameter. The smooth spherical shape had a jewel-like exterior while reflecting various shades of light.
Its overall appearance resembled a giant cocoon—or a plant seed waiting to germinate.
“Kotori, what happened to Shidou? Is he safe?”
Tohka uneasily frowned as she inquired. After hesitating for a moment, Kotori vigorously nodded back.
“Well, of course. Has Shidou ever been the type of person to ever lightly solve a dispute?”
“Mu……umu, that’s right.”
Tohka nodded back to Kotori’s reply.
Her appearance didn’t match obediently believing in Kotori’s words. Bur rather it was more appropriate to say that she was considering Kotori’s position as commander while also trying to not make everyone else feel uneasy.
……Was this the feeling of parent seeing growth in their child? Despite not consciously thinking about this matter right now, it was certainly a strange feeling.
Regardless, they didn’t even have so much as a single clue in their current state. Kotori raised her voice towards the communication device attached to the back of her ear.
“—Bridge, can you hear me? Try to visualize the interior through the observation device.”
“Yes, yes, please wait a moment imoto-chan.”
Such a voice was heard responding back to Kotori’s instructions.
However, Kotori knitted her brow at the response. Rather than coming from the bone conduction communication device, the sound felt directly transmitted to her ears.
The reason was quickly discovered—from the hole opened in the exterior of <Fraxinus>, Nia quickly emerged out while wearing the <Ratatoskr> military uniform.
“Hello—the ever accompanying Nia-chan is here.”
“Nia!”
As Kotori called out her name, Nia waved her hand around in relaxed manner as she climbed out onto the outer armor. While the other Spirits could leap out using their reiryoku and physical strength, this seemed unlikely for Nia who had to use a ladder instead.
“Uwaah! How scary! A world 15000 meters in the sky!? Falling off here would mean the end of the volume. Ah, but the cold weather and wind is fine here. As I thought, the Voluntary Territory is really useful! The power of science is amazing!”
Nia noisily shouted while glancing over at the edge of the ship and towards the ground. Looking out of place given the current situation, Kotori wearily half closed her eyes.
“What are you doing Nia? Even if the battle has been interrupted, isn’t it still dangerous to come out here?”
“Eh? Ah, that’s right. Look here.”
As if reminded by Kotori, Nia took out a small palm-sized machine from the backpack she was carrying.
“Un, now then, ah Manatee, could you stick this device on the cocoon-like thing?”
Nia handed the mysterious device to Mana, who tilted her head in curiosity.
“What is this?”
“The terminal of the observation device. Although, we can analyze by covering it with the Voluntary Territory, attaching this would allow grasping the interior structure more accurately.”
“Ah, I understand. But why did you come in person? We could have gone to the bridge to pick it up.”
‘Hey, the Spirits are always being mobilized, but I’m always stuck on the bridge alone. That’s not something a true companion would do.”
“S-so that’s the reason……”
Mana replied back with a vague expression as if not understanding but also finding it too troublesome to pursue any further.
“Please be careful Mana. Even though the resistance has stopped, we know nothing about this right now.”
“Un, I understand, you don’t need to remind me twice.”
After nodding back to Kotori, Mana gently bent her legs, using the recoil force to launch herself into the sky. Of course, the force came from the thrusters on her back, but the power source came from a mental image driven by the Realizer Manifestation Device. For Mana, her current movements were fueled by imagining herself to “move quickly”.
As Mana soon reached the cocoon, she slowly raised her hand while increasing the defensive power of the Voluntary Territory—attaching the observation device onto the surface.
“Fumu……nothing happened.”
“Thank you Manatee. Now then, how should we do this?”
Nia spoke while squatting down, taking out a laptop from her backpack. The Spirits all gathered behind Nia to look at the screen.
However, as Nia struck the key, the image turned into static as if scrambled by a sandstorm.
“Hmm……that’s not it. How about this……”
Then.
“—Ufufu, how embarrassing for the omniscient Spirit.”
Just as Nia was racking her brain while striking the keyboard, a single girl appeared in front of them.
With hair unevenly tied together on both sides and a golden clock marked on her left eye—and together with a Gothic Lolita dress, a girl dressed in a renaissance style.
“Kurumi!”
Kotori subconsciously shouted her name.
That’s right. The girl who appeared there was the Worst Spirit, Tokisaki Kurumi.
But, the Astral Dress that was on her was somewhat different than before. Not in the complete state, but rather the limited Astral Dress version. In addition, it can be seen that the style was also different from the usual.
“That appearance is………”
“Gothic Lolita cross…… a cross right? Kuh………”
“Explain. A complete blow to Kaguya’s key points.”
“…………”
Looking at Kurumi’s costume, the Spirits raised a fuss. Mana stared at Kurumi with annoyance, but it looked that she did not want to start a fight.
Even Kurumi now wasn’t planning to oppose Kotori’s group. That can be believed from the fact that she has entrusted her reiryoku to Shidou before. While it wasn’t possible to fully understand her intentions, it was true that Shidou was able to confront Mio, in addition to the others, thanks to Kurumi.
Kurumi gazed at Kotori’s complicated expression along with the Spirit’s attitude and giggled, and then she raised her right hand gently.
And then, she called forth.
The name—of that Angel.
“—<Rasiel>.”
“What……!”
When Kurumi uttered the name of the Angel, Nia rounded her eyes.
But there is nothing wrong with that. Anyhow, that is also the name of the Angel that Nia possessed from the beginning.
On the hand that Kurumi was raising, a giant book appeared. That book opened automatically, and its characters and letters shined brightly as usual.
Looking at that form, Nia screamed.
“Uwaa! Is it really Kurumin!? No well, that would be the case if you had retrieved my Sephira Crystal from that corrupt Director, but does that also mean that my position in this is not needed!? This is an identity crisis!”
“Please be quiet. This is my first time controlling this Angel, so let me concentrate.”
“Ugh……… Is this NTR? It hurts ………”
It was unclear why Nia hugged her shoulders as her body was trembling.
Kotori temporarily ignored it, turning her gaze towards Kurumi.
“—So how is it? Where’s Shidou?”
“Shidou-san… yes, he’s alright.”
“……!”
At the words of Kurumi, the Spirits’ expression brightened up. Kotori, who was also trying to hide her emotions, sighed in relief.
But then.
“………This is………?”
Kurumi looked at <Rasiel>’s pages, and then raised her eyebrows up while mumbling to herself.
—The first thing felt was the scotching heat.
It was just like being roasted on hot iron plate.
And also the light. The dazzling light passed through his tightly closed eyelids, constantly stimulating his retinas.
“Un……”
With a small groan, Shidou stirred his body. Finally, he noticed that he was lying on his back.
An uncomfortable feeling arose in his turbid consciousness. —Had he fainted? Was it a dream? The thoughts generated by a feeling of waking up gradually brought Shidou back to reality. After a full ten seconds, Shidou’s consciousness fully recovered.
“That’s right, I—”
Shidou slowly began to reconnect the sequence of events before passing out.
He had been entrusted with Kurumi’s reiryoku—and then kissed Mio in order to seal her power.
“……!”
The moment after remembering this, Shidou’s eyes sprung open as he snapped back on his feet.
—What on earth happened? Mio? Kurumi? Everyone? Why was he lying down? What was that heat burning his body just now? What happened when he lost consciousness—
“……………Ha?”
Contrary to the thoughts rushing like surging waves, what came out from his mouth was a simple mark of confusion.
However, if placed in a similar situation, there was no doubt that one would have a similar reaction.
Since the surroundings were—just the calm seaside scenery.
Not in the skies, not on <Fraxinus>, not even in the monochrome space created by Mio. There was no Angel in the shape of a gigantic flower or an Angel, nor an Angel with the form of a huge tree, even the Spirits were not in sight. The surrounding scenery in front of him was the ocean’s vast body of water and the insurmountable lofty skies. The vibration from the returning waves rang in his eardrums as the familiar sounds from seagulls were heard from time to time.
“Here……”
While speaking, Shidou noticed—this familiar scenery.
That’s right. It was the coast that Shidou had chosen for his date with Reine.
But not everything was the same as his memory. A slight difference was seen at a glance.
The waves were new. The amount of concrete bricks seemed to be lacking. Perhaps it was a figment of his imagination, but even the sea felt more transparent.
And the most obvious fact—the season was different.
The cold weather of February, the freezing chill that caused people to shiver had completely disappeared. Instead, the sun was shining just like early summer.
If he had to describe it, it was like—
“……Shin.”
“Uhya!?”
While in the midst of thinking, Shidou felt his shoulders tremble as a sudden voice called to him.
While pushing his hands against the beach, he turned to the direction of that voice, standing there was Reine wearing in a refreshing dress.
“R-reine-san……!?”
Shidou couldn’t help but raise the volume of his reply.
But that was natural. After all, the opponent that he had just been engaged with in a fierce defensive and offensive struggle had suddenly called out for him. It was inevitable to be surprised.
Moreover—there was one more point. The reason for Shidou to stare in open bafflement.
Because over there was not “Mio”, but rather “Reine”, the assistant teacher of Shidou’s class and analytic officer of <Ratatoskr>.
“W-what’s going on, this is……everyone? <Fraxinus>……?”
“……Hand.”
Rather than replying back, she reached out her hand towards him.
“Eh? A-ah……thank you.”
Despite being aware of the lack of response, Shidou still took her hand to stand up.
Perhaps this mysterious space was Reine’s doing—looking from her appearance; it didn’t seem she harbored any malice to him.
But before that, he didn’t understand why she appeared as Reine now. Certainly, after Mio emerged from Kurumi, she should have merged with her to return back to a complete form—
“—Hey, over here!”
At that moment.
Shidou’s thoughts were interrupted by a voice coming from behind.
Looking over there, he recognized the girl waving to them from the side of the beach with a young boy standing next to her.
“Ha—”
Staring at that figure, Shidou held in his breath.
But that was to be expected as well. —About that, the scene was abnormal.
First, there was the girl beckoning to them. She was a beautiful girl that looked to be 16 years old, wearing a white dress and a wide straw hat. The tips of her loosely braided hair were lightly swaying as she was waving.
—Mio. The moment that figure was caught in his sight, that name appeared instantly in Shidou’s mind.
No doubt about it. It was the Spirit of Origin, Mio Takamiya herself.
“Eh………”
Shidou couldn’t help but glance back at the side towards Reine. This sense of presence wasn’t something felt in an illusion or hallucination.
“Mio” and “Reine”, both of whom should be the same person, existed as separate individuals here.
Nonetheless, it was not something to be too surprised about at this point. Although he didn’t know the reason for separating, Shidou already knew Mio and Reine could splitter from each other, coexisting as two parallel existences.
What really surprised Shidou was the appearance of the boy standing right next to Mio.
—A young boy with a neutral facial expression dressed in cool summer attire. While standing next to Mio, he was looking back at Shidou with a demeanor that looked almost bashful.
Staring at that boy’s face, he lost the ability to speak. Since Shidou was most familiar with that face in the whole world.
“M-me……?”
Suddenly, those words leaked out.
That’s right. There was a boy who looked exactly the same as Shidou—no, even that was not enough to describe it; the boy had the same identical face as him.
For a moment, Shidou felt the illusion of seeing his own doppelgänger. An urban legend and ghost story of a stranger with an identical face, it is said that a person who encountered one would die.
……Since Shidou has already died several times now. Perhaps, it wasn’t strange that such a person had appeared.
—However. Shidou immediately guessed his true identity.
“No……it’s different. You are—”
While looking at his own face once more, Shidou quietly whispered that name.
“—Shin. Takamiya Shinji……?”
After Shidou spoke, the boy loosened his cheeks as he replied back.
“Ah. Anyway, this is……our first meeting?”
While speaking, Shinji shrugged his shoulders.
Although Shidou could confirm that this was indeed Shinji, he still couldn’t understand the situation and frowned.
“This is……what the heck. Moreover, this location……”
As Shidou mumbled dismayingly, Reine twitched her soft lips while replying to him.
“Apparently……it seems that this space was formed by <Ain Soph>.”
“So you’re saying……that this space wasn’t created by Reine-san?”
“……That is most likely the case. At the very least there is no doubt that this phenomenon is derived from my power. But……honestly, there wasn’t much awareness on my part for this.”
“Then, what you mean is……”
As Shidou inquired, Reine touched her lips with her fingertips.
“……At that time, did you kiss me?”
“……Yes.”
Hearing that unexpected question, Shidou was surprised. But for sure. The warming feeling of Mio’s shoulders and the softness of her lips were still vividly clear in his memory.
“……It seems at that time the memories shared by the pathway are being reproduced. In that case, in order to create a state closer to the memory, “I” and “Mio”, as well as “Shidou” and “Shin” have had our consciousness separated.”
“Ah……so that’s the reason. But why did it become like that……”
As Shidou continued to quietly ponder, Mio unexpectedly grabbed Shidou and Reine’s hands.
“It’s not nice to just stand around. —Compared to that, shall we play together? It’s rare coming to the beach.”
Mio displayed a carefree smile as she spoke.
From just that expression, he couldn’t see the dangerous deep-rooted delusion that was present before. It looked as if Mio had returned back to herself from thirty years ago—from before the death of Shinji.
“Huh? No, I……”
As Shidou struggled to speak in a flustered state, Mio pulled his hand over, cutting him off halfway.
“The DEM fleet has been annihilated by <Deus>!”
“The <Bandersnatch> corps that appeared everywhere have been destroyed by the Spirits!”
“<Deus> has swallowed Itsuka Shidou and formed a force field!”
On the bridge of the <Ratatoskr> airship, the amount of various reports flung around was staggering. The situation on the battlefield was changing rapidly. Notices of good and bad news intermingled within the chaos. It sparked a storm of information that made grasping the overall situation difficult.
However, all of the information was concentrated into a single report.
“—Besides <Deus>, all of the Spirits—everyone is alright!”
Hearing that broadcast, the crew members of <Ulmus> breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Due to everyone on the bridge wanting to breathe out unobtrusively as possible, the sheer number of people caused an unexpected loud sound to be introduced to Woodman’s ear. —Which was then accompanied by a fake cough as if to cover this up.
Woodman listened to these series of sounds as he relaxed his tighten cheeks.
“—It seems that I’ve managed to avoid death. I didn’t expect <Nightmare> would attack Ike.”
“Yes. I’ll have to thank her later.”
Karen, who was standing behind Woodman, replied back in an orderly manner. Despite her tone being as flat as a paved road, it was clear from her long time being associated with Woodman that she was both relieved and delighted at the same time.
Even so, the state of affairs still had to be handled with extreme caution. Not everything was over yet.
“How is the situation with <Deus>?”
“—Yes. It’s currently under investigation………there’s no detailed news yet, but we’ll report to you as soon as a report is sent from <Fraxinus>.”
A crew member on the lower bridge responded back to Woodman’s inquiry. Woodman replied back with “ah, I’m counting on it” before returning his attention back to the main monitor.
A cocoon-like object that boasted a smooth surface. Although <Deus>’s intentions with this object were unknown, the battle was not over until they could confirm the safety of both her and Shidou who were swallowed whole by this.
“The best result is both of them coming out safely……but what will happen then?”
Woodman whispered as he stroked his beard and squint his eyes.
In addition to <Deus> on this battlefield, there was still one more concern still remaining.
“So, what about Ike—Westcott?”
Yes, it’s been about 120 seconds since Isaac Westcott fled the battlefield with Ellen Mathers and Artemisia Ashcroft after being robbed of his Sephira Crystal by <Nightmare>. While his whereabouts disappeared, it’s like they had escaped and were lurking somewhere in the ground.
The crew members raised their head after looking at their personal monitors.
“Of course we are still being on the watch for a surprise attack from Ellen Mathers and Artemisia Ashcroft……but having lost the Sephira Crystal and had the fleet destroyed, should Isaac Westcott still be considered a threat? And even before that……with that injury there is the possibility of already being dead.”
After listening to the crew, Woodman sighed.
“Do you think so……no, it’s impossible. It’s true from the information gathered that he had suffered a complete defeat. He is a man who vigorously rallied his subordinates to battle without the slightest hesitation for their lives. It’s difficult to image what role he will still have.”
—But Woodman continued on.
“The man named Isaac Westcott will not end here. —It won’t stop this unpleasant premonition. That genius won’t let the curtain fall like this.”
After Woodman finished speaking, the crew members gulped upon seeing this unusual expression.
“U-understood, commencing search—”
Then.
Just as the crew members began to talk, a sharp alarm began to resound on the bridge of <Ulmus>.
“What happened?”
Karen asked the crew in a calm voice. After confirming the data, her subordinates replied back in a stifled voice.
“This is……a spirit wave response! An unusually huge spirit wave response is being produced very close to <Fraxinus>!”
“What did you say—”
Karen’s words stopped midway through.
“………”
But the reason was quickly understood by Woodman.
She was also one of the few genuine Magicians in this world. She had likely felt it just like Woodman. Thinking of this familiar feeling—it was a strange sense of déjà vu.
“Elliot, this can’t be.”
“Ah. There’s no doubt. —The Spirit Formula.”
From Karen’s words, Woodman, with a grim look, expressed his affirmation.
Yes. There was no mistake about it. It was impossible to be a mistake.
This rich flow of magic—just like thirty years ago, it was the same as when Woodman and the others created the Spirit of Origin.
“Ha……ah, haha.”
“W-wait a moment, Mio……”
Under the blue sky and with beads of sweat dripping from their foreheads, Shidou and Shinji made an exhausted plea.
But it was impossible to not be tired. After all Shidou and Shinji had done everything possible on the beach from swimming in the seawater, building sandcastles, coastal fishing, watermelon splitting, and finally even beach volleyball.
At first glance, it looked like four good friends. Or a high school trio being led by a teacher.
—Or a double date consisting of two couples.
“Ah, sorry. It was just so much fun……”
“……Yes. Let’s take a break for a while.”
Mio and Reine both spoke as they snapped their fingers at the same time.
Then, something resembling particles of light gathered from the surroundings. Then, camping tables, chairs, and a beach umbrella appeared, with cold drinks placed on the table.
It was a magical sight. Despite already seeing this before with the watermelons and fishing rods, it still amazed Shidou seeing this.
“Really, everything just popped out……”
“……Inside a small portion of <Ain Soph>’s neighboring world, willpower in this world has an effect on reality. Although a Wizard’s Voluntary Territory works on a similar principle, it would be impossible for material to appear though. Shin—no Shidou, you also have the same reiryoku. If you grow accustomed to it, you should also be able to do this as well.”
Reine changed his name at the last second. Well, since Shinji was also here, it would be a bit confusing to also call him Shin.
“Really?”
“Can I do that too?”
As Shinji questioned on with excitement, Reine placed her hand against her jaw with a difficult look on her face.
“……Hard to say. Although Shidou has sealed the reiryoku of the Spirits, Shin is an ordinary human being so to speak. It would depend on how much of your existence was divided when recreated.”
“I-is that so……”
Shinji’s shoulders drooped as he looked on at Shidou with envy.
“……That must be nice, reiryoku. ……Since you’re also me, can you give me a bit?”
“Ahh……”
As Shidou made a strained smile with sweat dripping down his cheeks, Shinji began to continue begging in earnest.
“I’m begging you. —<Rasiel>, <Zafkiel>, <Michael>, <Haniel>, <Gabriel>, anyone would do.”
“Leave the Angels for battle to me!”
Perhaps due to being an existence separated from Shidou, Shinji also had some knowledge about the Angels. A very accurate selection of Angels that was precisely useful. As Shidou was caught in an awkward dilemma, Shinji laughed as he extended his hand as if to comfort Shidou.
“Just kidding. Not to mention it’s rare for them to intentionally give this much preparation. Let’s take a break. My throat is already dry.”
“Ahh……yes.”
As they finished speaking, Shidou sat down on the newly appeared chair on the sandy beaching, pouring the tropical-scented juice into the elegant glass and down his throat.
The sweetness and sourness of the refreshing fruit was absorbed into his thirsty body. Chugging it down, Shidou finished the drink in a single stroke.
“Fuha……!”
It felt like his voice had overlapped with something. Looking across the table, Shinji had displayed the same expression as Shidou.
“Fufu.”
“……It’s just like a mirror, right?”
Reine and Mio smiled while looking on at them. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Shidou averted his gaze……but even this act was done simultaneously with Shinji.
……It’s no wonder, after all the two of them were originally the same person. It might have been unavoidable that even their subtle movements were similar to each other.
As Shidou was thinking this over, a lovely voice was heard from across the table.
“Ku……”
“Ahaha, it seems like my stomach is calling.”
Mio spoke with a small chuckle. Perhaps the juice they drank was stimulating the stomach. Although after playing as much as they did, being hungry would be natural.
“……Hmm, then let’s get something to eat.”
“Yeah, Shin and Shidou, do you have any requests?”
While speaking, Reine and Mio twirled their index finger like a magician tracing a circle in the air. If done by them, any dish would be reproduced in a flash.
But then, Shinji seemed have thought up of something as he struck the palm of his hand with his fist.
“Ah, yes, if we can settle it this way. Mio, can you bring out kitchen ingredients and some ingredients?”
“Kitchenware and ingredients?”
“Ah—is Shidou capable as well?”
Shinji spoke with a glint in his eyes as he made his way to his kitchen knife to begin preparing some vegetables. Shidou let out a “……Huh?” sound as his eyebrows faintly twitched.
“Are you serious? Do you really want to?”
“Ah. Even for a rare meal, just having the finished product popped out wouldn’t necessarily be tasty, right? Since there are two judges here, let’s let them decide which one is tastier. The theme should be……let’s see, how about the staple of every beach house, yakisoba?”
“Alright, then I accept your challenge. Let me see your strength!”
Shidou stood up after accepting Shinji’s proposal.
While watching them, Reine and Mio exchanged a cheerful smile to each other before snapping their fingers at the same time.
At the next moment, gorgeous cooking tables, large iron plates, and a colorful variety of vegetables and meat appeared on the sandy beach. Incidentally, aprons also attached themselves to Shidou and Shinji’s bodies unnoticed.
“Oh……!”
“Haha……this really is amazing.”
Shidou and Shinji both shared a laugh—standing in front of their cooking stations as they began to work.
“Ohhhhhhh!”
“Haaaaa!”
Both of them gave a fighting scream while dicing the cabbages and carrots. Although there was no need for that, such was the atmosphere.
Then, without pause, they swiftly poured oil into the iron pan, adding in the vegetables, meat, and noodles before finally seasoning it with the sauce.
Soon, both cooks completed their works almost simultaneously.
Their respective yakisoba was then served on a plate in front of Reine and Mio.
“……Ho.”
“Wow……!”
Both of them raised a sound of admiration to the aromatic scent, looking closely to compare which of the two dishes was better.
“……They look almost the same. Both are likely to be delicious.”
“Un, Shin and Shidou were originally the same person in the first place, so wouldn’t the difference not be too big?”
Then, the two chefs issued out their desires for an evaluation.
Shidou and Shinji both raised the corners of their lips and spread out their hands as a gesture to the judges.
“How about it? Anyway, eat it while it’s still hot!”
“Bon appétit!”
As Shidou and Shinji finished speaking, Reine and Mio both pressed their hands together and said “itadakimasu” at the same time before beginning to eat the yakisoba.
“……Hmm, it’s good.”
“Un, tasty.”
As the two of them finished their yakisoba, they slowly exchanged glances, nodding to each other.
Through his act, Shidou and Shinji realized that the two of them had come to a decision.
“Come on……!”
“Please tell us which one was more delicious!”
After Shidou and Shinji asked nervously, Reine and Mio picked up a selection tag that appeared on the table unnoticed and revealed to them both at the same time.
—Both of their choice cards were written with the name “Shidou”.
“Alright!”
“Why is it like that—!?”
As Shidou took a victory pose, Shinji fell to his knees on the sandy beach. Shidou looked on at him and grinned.
“—Don’t you understand, Shinji. It’s because you didn’t have enough control over the iron plates.”
“W-what……!?”
As Shinji raised his face, Shidou continued on while holding his spatula.
“Your technique is powerful……if this had been a battle with frying pans, the result may have been a draw. But if you make yakisoba using an iron plate, it would be wasteful not to use the large surface area to not fully fry each individual noodle. By doing this, the exterior becomes crispier while inside the mouth.”
“Wha……but, there shouldn’t be any iron plates in your daily life! Where did you guys get that technology……!?”
Shinji shivered as he opened his eyes. Seeing this, Shidou could only sigh before speaking.
“—Too naïve. How many times do you think I’ve cooked for the Spirits on a regular basis? The number of pans I’ve carried is different from you!”
“Guhaaaaaaaaaa—!”
As Shidou raised a finger while spoke, Shinji buried his chest face up onto the sandy beach.
Then, Reine and Mio, who were looking at the two of them curiously, tilted their heads.
“……Aren’t you two going to eat?”
“Isn’t it getting cold?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Itadakimasu.”
Shidou and Shinji both sat down, untying their aprons and began to eat each other’s yakisoba.
“Wow, it tastes so crispy……it’s really delicious.”
“Really? Un, but isn’t Shinji’s also quite delicious?”
“C’mon, sometimes pity is also cruel. Damn—I didn’t want to lose to myself……”
Shinji resignedly groaned while twisting his body. Mio then placed her hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him.
“Cheer up. I like Shin’s dishes better.”
“Mio……”
Although Shinji felt his eyes moisten, he immediately raised his brow in question.
“But Mio, didn’t you choose Shidou as the victor?”
“Huh? That’s because you said to choose the more delicious one.”
“…………”
After listening to what Mio had said, Shinji perched back up to the table while maintaining the stiff smile on his face.
“How merciless……”
An innocence that could be sometimes cruel, Shidou shrugged while smiling softly.
Then, as if matching that rhythm, Reine placed down her chopsticks after finishing the yakisoba, muttering out her thanks for the meal as she turned her eyes back to Shidou and the others.
“……Well then, let us treat you to something next. It’s rare to come to the ocean. How about shaved ice?”
“Oh, that sounds good. What flavor would you two like?”
As Mio tilted her head while asking, both Shidou and Shinji answered back at the same time without any particular hesitation.
“Well then, with strawberry.”
“Well then, with melon.”
Hearing each other’s reply, Shidou and Shinji unexpectedly turned to face each other.
“Ah, Shinji is part of the melon faction?”
“Well, it’s not absolutely necessary to have that taste, since I used to eat a lot of cantaloupes before. So, I take it Shidou prefers the strawberry flavor?”
“Since Kotori loves the strawberry flavor, it kind of just became natural to eat it like that. Well, regardless the ice syrup has the same taste basically; it’s only the color and fragrance that’s different.”
“Hehe, that’s right. It’s also fun to try eating a different flavor.”
At the same time, Shidou and Shinji both lifted their heads in an “Hmm?” sounding gesture.
The reason was simple. Both Reine and Mio were looking on at their conversation with a deeply moved expression.
“……Hmm?”
“What’s wrong, Mio?”
As Shidou and Shinji both asked, Reine and Mio both looked down at the same time.
“Nothing.”
“……It’s nothing. Besides, look here.”
While saying that, the two of them snapped their fingers.
Then, four plates of shimmering shaved ice appeared on the table.
“Well, please.”
“……Bon appétit.”
“Oh!”
“Itadakimasu!”
At the same time, Shidou and Shinji pressed their hands together in thanks for the meal, moving the shaved ice to their mouths. At the same time, they each pressed their foreheads with their respective hands because of a headache from eating the chilly ice to fast.
“Ku……”
“Whyyyy……”
Looking at the comical scene between the two, Reine and Mio giggled as they also began to enjoy the dessert. Incidentally, Reine had chosen the strawberry flavor while Mio preferred the melon flavor.
“Fu……”
After ten seconds, the headache finally subsided. Shidou softly sighed, looking at Reine and Mio eating the delicious shaved ice before once again turning to gaze at the surrounding scenery.
The seemingly endless sea, the scorching sun, it was all signs of an early season of summer. Despite having played all sorts of games for at least five hours now, there was still no sign of the sun sinking into the horizon yet.
Yes. It was as if Shinji and Mio’s visit to the ocean was being instantly cut off from the world so that it could continue on forever.
Moreover, according to Reine, the flow of time within <Ain Soph> was different from that of the outside world. It seemed that only a few minutes at most had passed outside.
Nevertheless, Shidou understood that this situation was not one where he could keep leisuring around. Although Westcott had been repelled, the Spirits were still waiting for his return in the outside world. Even if time was delayed outside, that point remained unchanged.
However, Shidou had not been able to achieve his goal yet. Besides—
“…………”
Shidou turned to look at Mio’s face.
From the bottom of her heart, Mio enjoyed talking with Shinji. It was an undeniable fact that he could never refuse her invitation.
But having said that—he could help but feel that her feelings for Mio were different than before he was swallowed into this space.
No, he still cherished Mio, that fondness remained unchanged.
However, when remembering back, this emotion was obviously different from the almost cursed feelings of attachment felt not so long ago
That wasn’t all. It was the same regarding Shinji’s memories. Until being caught in <Ain Soph>, the intense degree of Shinji’s obsession was to the point where it felt like it would even dominate his own actions. But now that pain was completely concealed.
Of course, he still had the memories from 30 years ago—but simply put; the sensation of that “feeling” had begun to fade.
“……Does the feelings of Shin no longer have a role—?”
“—!?”
Suddenly hearing Reine’s voice unexpectedly, Shidou felt a slight tremble reach his shoulders.
Across the table, Shinji and Mio were still smiling happily. In order to not disturb them, Shidou replied back with a voice below a whisper.
“……Can you read minds through this space?”
“No, just speculation from your facial expression. ……I wonder if you were the same as me.”
“Huh—?”
While listening to Reine, Shidou couldn’t help but widen his eyes. Then, Reine continued speaking quietly.
“……When my existence was separated, the feelings as “Mio” may have gone to that Mio over there. Of course, there are still memories but……how to describe it, it’s a mysterious feeling. It seems that I have really become Murasame Reine.”
“Reine-san……”
Shidou whispered while turning his eye to the side towards Shinji and Mio.
Suddenly, he remembered the cooking competition. Shidou proved to be triumphant, but as he said himself, his victory was attributed to the Spirits’ existences.
It wasn’t just limited to that. It was possible that Shidou and Shinji were originally the same existence, but the various events experienced in his life thus far had shaped his current personality.
No longer were they the same. Such an idea appeared in Shidou’s thoughts once again.
And if that was for sure—
“…………”
Shidou tightly bit his lip as he took in a few deep breaths for a couple of seconds—and then he raised his voice as if having come to a decision.
“……Hey, Mio, Shinji.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Shidou?”
“What? Is it a fried rice matchup next? This time I won’t lose.”
Mio tilted her head while Shinji replied back while assuming a fighting pose.
With a bitter smile, he tersely replied with a “no”, glancing quickly at Reine before continuing to speak.
“For some exercise, can we go for a walk……together?”
Hearing Shidou’s proposal, Shinji and Mio nodded after exchanging a brief glance at each other.
—Four footprints were drawn on the seemingly endless beach before being erased by the returning waves after a while.
Each time a cold sensation was felt as their feet sank slightly into the sand.
The caress of the warm sunshine and sea breeze on his cheeks. Everything was integrated together in order to allow Shidou to feel the arrival of summer.
Although at this place, it could only be the arrival of a false summer.
“Un—”
Walking ahead, Mio stretched as she took in a deep breath.
“Really—it’s so comfortable. Fufu, thank you for bringing us here Shin.”
As Mio spoke, Shinji, who was walking beside her, gave a cheerful but also somewhat bashful smile.
“You being happy made it all worth it. It wasn’t easy to search for a place with a good landscape. And if it is too far, then we won’t be able to go. Apparently, there is something called a smartphone in Shidou’s era. It’s too unfair. It’s too convenient to be able to collect all of the world’s information anytime and anywhere.”
Shinji joked on as he helplessly shrugged. Seeing this, Shidou forced a smile amidst his vague expression.
“……Shidou.”
While also observing the same situation as him, Reine quietly whispered his name. Shidou gently nodded, replying back with “I’m fine” in a voice that only Reine could hear.
Not noticing the conversation behind them, Shinji and Mio continued to engrave their footprints on the beach.
“—Ah, I’ve always wanted to try that. Fireworks. Wouldn’t the ocean be perfect for fireworks? 30 years ago, we never got the chance since we head back during the evening.”
“I-it couldn’t be helped. If we head back late, it would have caused Mana to be worried from the misunderstanding……”
“Fufu, there’s sure to be more fun to be had in the future. —I’d also like to try diving and barbeque. Let’s go to the city later. Me, Shin, Reine, Shidou. Ah, it will definitely be fun. Really, I wish this time will continue going for forever.”
Mio spoke with an energetic voice.
A look of pure happiness—as if exposing what she truly wanted from the bottom of her heart.
That was why there was a pause in reply.
“—Oh, I see.”
But he had to say this. Shidou clenched his fist as he continued.
“But……it won’t last forever. Right……Mio?”
“—”
At that moment.
Mio’s feet that were strolling along the beach came to a sudden stop.
After a couple of seconds, Mio turned back to Shidou and Reine, speaking with a lonely smile on her face.
“Sorry. I forced Shidou to say it.”
“Mio……”
Right beside her, Shinji called out Mio’s name in a heavy tune as he tried to touch his shoulder. However, his hand stopped midway, biting against his lip as he lower his hand.
Like Mio, Shinji had also noticed it. And of course—Reine as well. Everyone in <Ain Soph> noticed it, but couldn’t speak. The idea that it would be fine if this moment lasted forever—even Shidou also thought about that.
However, there would have to come a time for a person to draw down the curtains.
If so, then that would surely be Shidou’s role.
Shidou closed his eyes briefly and then he opened his mouth as if having made up his mind.
“……After kissing Reine-san, Mio’s memories came through the pathway. At first, I didn’t understand what it was or what it meant. But gradually, I finally understand.”
Shidou wiped away the tears that leaked out as he continued looking directly at Mio’s eyes.
“Mio, you recreated me in order to resurrect Shinji, right?”
“……Un.”
Mio gently nodded.
That’s right. This had been Mio’s wish for 30 years.
For the sake of remaking the old life of a cherished person that had once died, an act of divine will consistent with the name of <Deus>.
“There’s no mistake. That’s your hope and wish. But……that’s not all. Since even the Shinji here isn’t the real Shinji.”
“…………”
Listening to Shidou’s words, Shinji looked towards him. But he didn’t say anything.
Shinji also likely knew. That he was a fictional person made from a severed part of Shidou’s memories.
As it was, Mio should have also understood this point.
Despite recognizing this from the very beginning, she forced herself to rely on that image.
Even if it wasn’t the genuine Shinji, perhaps a counterfeit in his image and possessing his memories would be sufficient enough to fill the empty hole in her heart.
Actually, that wasn’t a mistake either.
But after kissing Reine, Shidou had reached another possibility.
Why did Mio give Shidou the power to seal reiryoku—a power that could be called the natural enemy for all Spirits.
It arrived upon that question.
Of course, there were reasons for dividing the reiryoku piece by piece to prevent the human body from being overwhelmed.
For that reason, many girls were sacrificed and Shidou transformed into a state not so different from a Spirit.
However—
“I’m not sure if you are already aware, but looking at your memory from another perspective……”
(—I had only Shin. If I lost Shin, there was no meaning to living.)
Mio’s voice revived itself in his mind.
(—I’m not as weak as humans, even if I wanted to die I couldn’t die.)
Shidou collapsed onto his knees—as he struggled to speak.
“Mio, in order to create an existence that could kill yourself, you gave birth to me.”
To those words.
“…………”
Mio didn’t answer back—but she smiled sadly.
“—So what happened to Shidou, Kurumi”
“What the hell is going on inside there? Is Shidou together with Mio?”
“Kya! That’s too crafty! Why didn’t they bring me along!?”
“Eh? Perhaps you don’t know? Perhaps you don’t understand Kurumin? Sure enough, an unfamiliar Angel must be difficult. Then how about returning Rasielmon back to me?”
“Please?be?quiet!”
While fumbling through the pages of the book Angel <Rasiel> about the circumstances inside the cocoon, Kurumi raised her voice against the surround noise.
In an instant, on the shadow of <Fraxinus>’s outer layer, countless clones leaped out to chase away the Spirits swarming around Kurumi. Kurumi sighed while scratching her head.
In short, <Ratatoskr>’s Spirits gathered around just as Kurumi was beginning her investigation. Raising a clamor and grabbing her skirt, they only took actions that would interfere with her.
“I understand that you are all worried about Shidou-san, but please be quiet! It’s distracting! Also Miku-san! Stop trying to lift up my skirt from behind during the confusion!”
As Kurumi screamed, the Spirits all nodded back apologetically. From one side a voice spoke, “I understand……but Kurumi-san spoke like an invitation to come closer.” As one of the Spirits blurted out, Kurumi gave the command for the clones to tighten her clutch.
“Adadadada.”
“Really……I understand how laborious your job is now, Kotori-san.”
“Thanks for that.”
As Kurumi finished speaking, Kotori, who was standing a father away from Mana and Natsumi, replied back with a dry smile. Despite being young in age, her mature stance resembled one who had experienced the daily hardships of life.
Kurumi sighed once again before reading the letters emerging on a page of <Rasiel>.
It was a mysterious feeling. By tracing her finger through the glimmering characters, a scene indicated by those words played in her head as a mental image. Moreover, through this condition, it was possible to learn everything in this world. Indeed, it was a foul performance appropriate for the Angel of omniscience.
“—Shidou-san, Mio-san……as well as Murasame-sensei……and also another Shidou-san……? There are four people beside the ocean—just like the seashore located down below.”
Kurumi described the fragmentary image shown in her mind. Hearing this, the Spirits all gave astonished responses.
“Mun……inside there are two Nushi-samas?”
“How……strange.”
“Well, Mio and Reine separating again are understandable……but does that cocoon have a proliferation effect?”
“Wait a minute……I don’t know. Let me search why—”
Just at the moment where Kurumi was about to search more information through <Rasiel>.
“—!?”
The Spirits on the exterior of <Fraxinus> trembled as their eyes opened widely.
Of course, Kurumi was not an exception. She stopped her finger from tracing <Rasiel>’s page as she frantically looked around.
The reason was simple. A tremendous reiryoku had arisen right near the vicinity of <Fraxinus>.
Incidentally, only Nia, who had lost the majority of her Sephira Crystal, didn’t notice it. But after seeing everyone’s reaction, she immediately pretended to give off the same shocked impression.
“What happened—this is……!”
“Spirit wave response……!? Where is it coming from!?”
“……E-everyone, over there!”
Yoshino raised her voice as if noticing something. The others Spirits looked at the direction she pointed to in alarm.
Everyone was left momentarily speechless.
<Goetia>, the airborne ship that was attached to <Fraxinus>’s flank.
Unprecedentedly, the exterior was enveloped by a dense reiryoku that radiated a glimmering light.
“This is—!?”
“<Goetia>……!?”
The Spirits raised a voice in horror.
But that was to be expected. Westcott had been fatally injured and Ellen and Artemisia had fled escaping with him. There should have been no one left on <Goetia>.
No way, perhaps they triggered the self-destruct function now that they could no longer win? That was not an unthinkable idea coming from that wicked Wizard. Kurumi frowned in annoyance.
“Fu—”
“Tch—”
At the next moment, two shadows passed through Kurumi’s field of vision. —Origami and Mana. It seemed that they were heading to eliminate <Goetia> after judging it to be a dangerous threat. As one would expect from former AST members, it was a reaction time fast enough to be charming.
However—
“Ku……!”
“Wha……!”
Their attacks never reached <Goetia>. As Origami and Mana were approaching <Goetia>, they were intercepted in route.
“—It’s futile. The operation ceremony has already been activated. No one can stop it now.”
“Sorry. But—this looks like the end.”
Two DEM Wizards appeared on the other side of the sky, Ellen Mathers and Artemisia Ashcroft.
“Ellen, Artemisia……!?”
Kotori’s face stained in shock as she confirmed the identities of those two.
Then, as if to match that, a third voice echoed from somewhere.
“—Ah, I believed in Itsuka Shidou. That you guys would surely assist in stopping <Deus>.”
“……That voice—”
Kurumi distorted her expression as she glanced towards <Goetia>.
Then from that shadow, the figure of a person clad in light slowly stepped forward.
—With a bloodstain left behind on his chest, Isaac Westcott emerged.
“Westcott……!”
Westcott laughed as if to respond to that outcry.
And then it came out—the words that herald ruin.
“—Rejoice my friends. For all of you are all at privilege of witnessing the birth of the Second Spirit of Origin.”
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