"So, what the hell is this about? Why did I have to come here with Kotori Itsuka?" Honestly, Tohka was really shocked by what Kotori had said, and then in a flash of light, the two of them disappeared from the spot. When Tohka came back to her senses, she realized she was already in the transport room.
Then before she could react, Kotori and Reine Murasame each grabbed her by one arm and dragged her onto a bed. Without giving her any chance to resist, they pinned the bewildered Tohka down, and then a scan started. Especially her lower abdomen—it was scanned over and over again.
"What are you two doing? Why are you pinning me down on this machine?" After all, the two of them were spirits, so their strength was nothing to scoff at. With one on each side holding her down, Tohka really couldn't break free. So, once she came to, she could only glare at them furiously. What the hell was this?
But the two didn't respond to Tohka at all. They silently held her there until the printer to the side spat out a long white strip. Then they finally let go of her and immediately lunged for the report. Ignoring the long rows of data, their eyes went straight to one place, and then…
"Aha…ha… What exactly were you doing today?" Seeing the data, Kotori and Reine simultaneously let out a sigh of relief. Then both of them turned awkward eyes to Tohka, who was sitting up on the scanning table. The scene was inexplicably awkward—because not only was Tohka not pregnant, she was in fact still…that.
"Kotori Itsuka, what the hell were you thinking? What did you take me for?" Climbing down from the scanning machine, Tohka felt so frustrated she could spit blood. What was this nonsense? How had she suddenly become…that? She felt she was being utterly wronged.
"Ahaha… Sorry about that." Kotori casually tossed the test sheet aside, awkwardly scratching the back of her head as she looked at Tohka. Only then did she explain, "You disappeared all day today—you slipped away from our monitoring on purpose. And when you came back, you were carrying a huge sum of money and looked exhausted. How could I not let my imagination run wild? You see, ahahaha…"
"You big-headed idiot. If it weren't for you, would I be like this? You think you're in the right?" Tohka wasn't buying it at all. She was panting because she had literally run across half of Japan on foot. And she'd disappeared because she was deliberately avoiding this bunch. How had that somehow turned into this? Where was the justice?
"Ahaha… Don't mind it—I didn't do it on purpose. Right, Reine? Um… Reine? Where did you go? Damn it—she already sold me out?" Kotori, faced with Tohka's accusations, didn't know what to say. She didn't know exactly where the money came from, but she was sure it wasn't illegal—otherwise, there would have been reports already. And she trusted Tohka wouldn't do anything like robbery or murder. Still, it was probably better not to bring this up any more—after all, they had no solid ground to stand on. She'd planned to drag Reine into it too, but quickly realized that Reine had vanished somewhere.
"Damn it, usually she moves so slowly—how is she so fast when it matters?" Watching the now-absent Reine Murasame, Kotori was beyond exasperated. That woman usually drifted around like she was sleepwalking—how had she disappeared in an instant this time?
"Hmph. So, how do you plan to make this up to me? You've schemed against me again and again—shouldn't you offer some compensation?" The more Tohka thought about it, the angrier she got. She flexed her fists, smiling sweetly at Kotori. This woman was always plotting against her—she finally had the chance to turn the tables. If she didn't wring her dry, she wouldn't be Yatogami—wait, no, she wouldn't be Stark.
"Whoa, whoa—what are you going to do? Don't be so scary—your murderous aura is leaking out. Stop it—that's terrifying—get rid of it, please!" Wearing her bunny girl costume, Kotori was genuinely frightened by Tohka's pressure. And since she really had been in the wrong, she'd been backed into the corner. The bunny ears on her head were trembling like they were alive. More importantly, she recognized this killing aura—it wasn't real killing intent, so she wasn't truly afraid. But it was still intimidating.
"Tch. Well, spit it out—how are you going to make it up to me? After all your schemes, it's about time you gave me something in return." Seeing Kotori cowering, Tohka finally felt like she'd vented her anger. She leisurely stared her down, waiting for an answer.
"Wow—this is just perfect. Those short, exquisite little tails—and the twitching ears—so perfect… I'll be going. You two have fun talking." At that moment, Kyouhei Kannazuki walked in. Seeing Kotori cowering in fear, he immediately launched into a string of praises with a lecherous look on his face. But before he could finish, he was interrupted—because Tohka drew her tachi and threw it straight past his face. The blade embedded itself in the wall behind him, abruptly cutting off his words. He glanced around the room, put on a graceful gentlemanly smile, and then—under Kotori's somewhat despairing stare—turned and bolted without another word.
"Damn it, how come none of my subordinates are reliable when it counts? Is this woman really that scary?" Watching one useless coward after another, Kotori almost spat blood in frustration. Was Tohka really that terrifying? Well—maybe she just hadn't realized yet. Considering Tohka's impressive combat record, "Don't provoke Tohka" had become Ratatoskr's unspoken rule. So of course, everyone had run for it—they knew she probably wouldn't kill them, but they'd definitely get a beating.
"Um… Well… You see…" Left alone, Kotori's eyes darted around as she started to bargain with Tohka. But what surprised her was that Tohka was shockingly skilled at negotiating. Fine—she did own an amusement park, so even if she was lazy, she still had to manage it. She didn't love this kind of work, but when it came to serious business, she was perfectly capable.
,,,,,
In the end, Tohka left with her cash box in hand, thoroughly satisfied. They'd agreed that she would pay half the sum, and Kotori would cover the other half. Honestly, if Kotori hadn't looked so pitiful, Tohka could have pressed her even harder. But she couldn't very well make this commander spend every day working at a bunny girl cafe. If she did that, the horde of otaku losers on the ship would probably come after her. Sure, they didn't look like much, but if they all decided to sabotage her at once, she'd have a real headache.
"Damn it, fruit here is ridiculously expensive." Carrying her cash box, Tohka couldn't help grumbling. Japan was just too small, and the protectionist policies drove farm product prices way up. A single watermelon here cost as much as thirty or forty in China. If this were the Marvel world, it wouldn't matter—but here… Fine, Tohka admitted she couldn't afford to eat a whole watermelon. At least not one she could just dig into with a spoon.
"Uuu, that damn woman—she's infuriating." Meanwhile, compared to the contented Tohka, Kotori was pacing and fuming. Tohka was just too hateful—like a vampire. Well, she wasn't being fair. This whole debt had been specially allocated by Kotori to help Tohka. But now it was time to repay, and Kotori couldn't help wondering: where exactly had Tohka gotten all that money? But since Tohka wouldn't say, she was too tired to ask. Maybe it really was that family business or whatever.
So, the day passed. Tohka slept soundly—no one came to bother her. At least she didn't have to get up in the middle of the night and run across the country.
"What's up with Kotori? Last night she came back so angry she was bouncing off the walls. No matter how I asked, she wouldn't say a word." The next morning, when Tohka got back to class, Shido came over to her. Clearly, things at their house had been less than peaceful.
"Hehe—that's none of your concern." Tohka replied with a gleeful grin. That money, converted to RMB, came to tens of thousands. Not an astronomical sum, but enough to make Kotori ache for a while.
"By the way—are you guys going to have enough to eat? If I remember right, Yoshino's been eating at your place too." Just then, Tohka suddenly thought of their household situation and asked, not very kindly.
"Don't even mention it. Not only do I have to work part-time after school—Kotori… never mind, forget it." He'd been about to mention the bunny girl outfit but thought better of it, seeing they were in the classroom. Who knew what might happen if he blurted that out—over half the class was eavesdropping.
Bang.
Just then, the classroom door flew open. Origami Tobiichi, with her white hair and stern face, strode in like she owned the place. Ignoring everyone, she walked straight to Tohka's desk and glared daggers at her. Obviously, the humiliation from a few days ago was still fresh in her memory. Even if Shido had talked her down, that didn't mean she'd forgiven Tohka.
"Hey, what's with that look. Already forgot your wounds aren't healed? If I'm not mistaken, you've been suspended." Tohka was unfazed by the glare. Origami had eaten dirt at her hands too many times to be scary. As for the grudge from that time Origami wanted her dead—Tohka had long since let that go.
…..
Awkwardly watching the two start another standoff, Shido opened his mouth but couldn't make himself speak. He knew if he said anything, he'd just become everyone's target. So, for the sake of his own safety, he silently returned to his seat.
"Do you think… there's something between them…?"
"It's true—every time they meet…"
"No way…"
Whispers started up again around the classroom. At first, nobody had paid attention, but by now… well, the more they thought about it, the more their imaginations ran wild.
"Just you wait, 'Princess.' You may have won this time, but I will get my payback." Maybe realizing the stare-down wasn't going anywhere, Origami finally looked away. She threw a threat at Tohka and silently returned to her seat.
"Heh, hehe…" Tohka just chuckled and ignored her. She was too tired to care—she'd heard that same line from Origami countless times. Whatever—let her say what she liked. As long as she wasn't a spirit yet, she posed no real threat.
"Hi, everyone!"
Just then, as Tohka slumped over her desk, the classroom door opened again. Their airheaded homeroom teacher walked in, her voice full of excitement. "Everyone, in a few days we'll be going on our school trip! Isn't that exciting? Make sure you get everything ready—don't forget anything!"
"Waaah!"
The room instantly erupted. After all, who wouldn't be excited about a chance to skip class and go have fun?
Of course, not everyone felt that way—Tohka, for one, didn't. The moment she heard those words, her body tensed. If she remembered right, this trip was not going to be peaceful. Between the twin spirits and DEM's impending move, it would be her first real showdown with them.