"Ahem, you two are really..." At that moment, Tohka and Yozuru Miku were sitting side by side. Across from them were the Yamai sisters, but right now the two of them were sitting there with tears streaming down their faces. It wasn't because they were feeling touched—it was just that the wasabi was too strong. And they'd each eaten a huge bite in one go, so they still hadn't recovered.
"Sorry, we didn't do it on purpose." Being stared at by Miku and Tohka, the Yamai sisters didn't bother explaining which of them had put in the wasabi. Instead, they both knelt down in front of the two, heads bowed, admitting fault.
"Forget it. I'm going to go out and get some fresh air to calm down. Miku, since you're moving in, just direct them to tidy up the rooms." With a helpless wave of her hand, Tohka stood up from the sofa. She wiped her tears and started heading for the door. After this farce, she'd completely lost her appetite.
"Come back soon. If we finish cooking, we'll just leave your share aside." Watching Tohka leave, no one tried to stop her. They all needed a moment to recover themselves anyway, after causing such a ridiculous mess.
"Got it. You all go ahead and eat." After giving them instructions, Tohka walked out of the room. She went downstairs and didn't head toward Shido Itsuka's place next door—instead, she started walking toward a deserted area.
"Kurumi, you've been watching long enough. Don't you think it's time you showed yourself?" Tohka knew she'd been targeted again by Kurumi Tokisaki. She could feel that sense of being watched practically stuck to her face, like any second it would say, "Aren't I pretty?"
"Oh my, Oh my—seems like you've been living quite well lately. You went off for one trip and came back with a pair of twins, and now you've also hooked up with a big celebrity. Tsk tsk, you pretend to be innocent, but you're actually quite the player." As Tohka finished speaking, a black hole suddenly appeared on the ground. A twin-tailed head emerged from it, looking with great interest at Tohka in her school uniform.
"What are you trying to do? Always coming around to spy on me. You finally shut up a bit while I was away on the school trip, but the second I get back, here you are again." Tohka had long since given up commenting on this woman's voyeuristic habits. As long as Kurumi didn't boldly jump out to cause trouble, she let her be. But even so, she still stayed alert—Kurumi was different from Miku and the others. This one didn't just have more experience, but most importantly, she had her own agenda. So Tohka had to stay on guard to avoid being set up.
"A pair of storm twins, one songstress, plus you, the princess. Tsk tsk—this lineup is enough to destroy a country. And all of their powers are intact. As for you, even though you look like you're in a semi-disabled state, isn't it true that you can return to full power instantly if you want?" Kurumi didn't answer right away. Instead, she took her time listing the terrifying group living in Tohka's home. Only after that did she continue, "Don't tell me you haven't planned anything. If that were true, you wouldn't be gathering them like this. Come on, if you're planning something big, just say so. Last time, you made DEM take a huge loss—not only did you nearly wipe out all the people they sent; you even exposed their ship in front of a huge crowd and got them in legal trouble."
"How the hell do you know so much? Did you have one of your clones tailing me the whole time?" Tohka knew this was Kurumi's real body—ever since she'd scolded her before, Kurumi hadn't sent clones to meet her again.
"Oh my, my—after all this time, did you think I wouldn't have my own sources? So, tell me, little time princess—are you plotting something fun again?" After she spoke, Kurumi didn't wait for Tohka's reply. Instead, she slinked over and wrapped herself around Tohka like a snake, pressing her lips close to Tohka's ear. She whispered softly, "Ah, if you let me join you, I'll give you a reward, you know."
"Enough—get off me!" Flushed from Kurumi's sudden intimacy, Tohka shook her body vigorously, finally throwing Kurumi to the side.
"My, my—why is it that you're always like this with me, Tohka? So cautious about everything." Clutching her chest in mock hurt, Kurumi spoke in a wounded tone.
"No kidding. If I weren't careful, you'd have sold me out by now." Tohka silently grumbled to herself, then stopped wasting time. She adjusted her expression and, rare for her, put on a serious look. "Do you remember what I told you before about the spirit being imprisoned by DEM?"
"You mean that spirit? I've been investigating her all this time, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to find her location." Kurumi also dropped her smile when she saw how serious Tohka was. As Tohka had said, that imprisoned spirit was the key to Kurumi's plans. After all, she was the one who knew the truth about the original spirit.
"As expected, you couldn't find anything either." Tohka wasn't surprised that Kurumi had come up empty. She took a breath and continued, "According to what I know, DEM's people have already moved into the AST headquarters. Even if they're not the top leadership, it's very likely that the puppet master, Westcott, and Ellen have come along as well. Miku can control people—maybe we can use that to find the spirit's exact location."
"You mean that big superstar? Her power…." Kurumi blinked in surprise. After thinking it over for a moment, she said, "Those people themselves probably also have spirit power. Are you sure that celebrity can control them?"
"Of course not. If she could, I'd have just brought Miku along to flatten DEM directly. Why would I bother with all this trouble?" Tohka replied without hesitation.