"I thought I was gonna die," Shidou groaned.
"You really must temper your recklessness, or you'll ruin yourself," Kurumi chided, her tone laced with exasperation but softened by concern.
Shidou, now dressed in a spare yukata, sipped tea from a cup, finally catching his breath. Diving from a cliff into the chilly sea had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, thrilling but harrowing. He wasn't keen on repeating it.
Thanks to Camael's healing powers, Shidou's body could endure more than most, but he was still human. Smacking into the sea and soaking in cold water wasn't something he could shrug off. If Kurumi hadn't pulled him out, things could've gotten dicey.
She was right—relying on his healing was reckless. But there hadn't been another way… unless he had nerves of steel, which he definitely didn't.
"Sorry. I owe you one, Kurumi. But seriously, you vanished, and then I find you there? My heart nearly stopped."
"Hehe," Kurumi giggled. "The two of them were having such an intriguing conversation, I couldn't resist joining in."
Shidou exhaled, half-exasperated, half-amused. The sight had been a feast for the eyes, but he'd come dangerously close to losing his dignity—or worse. Kurumi had likely factored that in, ready to throw him a lifeline.
"Wait, you knew I was coming and still soaked in that hot spring long enough to nearly pass out?"
"…A miscalculation on my part," Kurumi admitted, a touch sheepish.
"You actually waited that long?"
He couldn't say it aloud, but Kurumi had been brimming with enthusiasm when she heard he was coming. Yet, facing him in what was practically a state of undress made her strangely bashful, her heart racing despite her usual composure. No way she'd admit that.
"…Is now a good time?" Reine's voice cut in.
"Oh, sorry, Reine-san. I'm fine," Shidou replied, bowing slightly.
He'd fled here because it was the only place he could think of. Reine's unflappable demeanor, even with Kurumi at his side, was impressive as always. As she nodded, the loosely tied obi of her yukata revealed a glimpse of her chest—enough to make Shidou avert his eyes quickly.
In that instant, he felt a light pinch on his leg. No surprise, it was Kurumi's delicate fingers.
"Hey…" he whispered.
"Yes? Something the matter?" she replied, her smile innocent.
"…Nothing," he muttered, defeated. That smile was terrifying—radiant yet menacing. He didn't have the courage to argue.
"…Something wrong?" Reine asked.
"N-No, nothing. Has communication with Fraxinus been restored?"
The connection to Fraxinus had been down for reasons unknown, leaving Shidou uneasy without their support for dealing with Spirits. Reine shook her head silently, and his shoulders slumped.
"I see… What about those two—Yuzuru and Kaguya?"
Reine nodded, gesturing to a laptop screen. Shidou leaned in, seeing two figures dancing in the wind, captured by a long-range lens. The data and text on the screen were gibberish to him, but he didn't need them to recognize the figures. He'd seen a similar scene earlier that day.
"Yuzuru-san and Kaguya-san, right?" Kurumi said.
"Likely," Reine confirmed. "They're something of celebrities among us. From your reaction, Kurumi, you already knew."
"Indeed. It's my first time witnessing them in person, but tales of the storm-wielding Spirit duo have reached my ears," Kurumi said with a sly smile.
Reine and Kurumi seemed to share an understanding, but Shidou was lost. "Celebrities?"
"They're called Berserk," Reine explained. "You saw their power—Spirits who command the wind."
"They appear across the world, always… playfighting," Kurumi added. "You understand what that means for Spirits, don't you, Shidou-san?"
Shidou scratched his cheek, recalling the day's events. In moments, they'd transformed the weather, turning the area into a chaotic storm. For Spirits, it was mere play, but for humans, it was a natural disaster. Kurumi's words hit home—he knew the destructive potential of their power all too well.
"Many sudden storms worldwide are likely their doing," Reine said. "And they're spotted frequently."
"Kihehe! To those who want to keep Spirits hidden, they're a nuisance, scattering chaos without a care," Kurumi said gleefully. "Spatial quake sensors can't even track them."
"Speaking of spatial quakes… there wasn't any alarm, even with them so close. Did they manifest silently?" Shidou asked, then paused as another thought struck him. "Wait, how do you manifest, Kurumi? I've never seen you cause a spatial quake."
Kurumi and the white-haired girl were notoriously elusive Spirits, often acting in tandem, or so it was assumed. Shidou had been curious about their methods.
Surprisingly, Kurumi answered candidly. "How, you ask? We don't come from the Neighboring World."
"What? Spirits don't come from the Neighboring World?"
"Most do, but not us—at least not me or her. It's far too conspicuous to keep crossing over. Terribly inconvenient."
Shidou was floored. She'd dismissed a core tenet of Spirit lore as "inconvenient" with a straight face. It didn't seem like a lie—there was no reason for her to deceive him about this, and it explained how two Spirits could operate simultaneously without detection.
While Shidou reeled, Reine continued, unfazed. "Back to the twins. They didn't manifest silently, nor do they linger here like you, Kurumi."
"Then how…?"
"A spatial quake did occur—far from this island," Kurumi said with confidence. "Isn't that right, Mura-sensei?"
Shidou's eyes widened as Reine nodded. "Exactly. We detected signs far above the Pacific."
"They traveled hundreds of kilometers in minutes," Kurumi added. "A speed even I couldn't react to in time."
"What!?" Shidou gasped.
"Lucky you, Shidou-san. Or perhaps it's fate," Kurumi teased with a mischievous grin. "Miss this chance, and you'll never seal them."
Shidou swallowed hard. The twins' speed was so great that even Kurumi struggled to track them. Detecting their manifestation high above was useless if no one could catch up. Meeting them—and earning their attention—was nothing short of miraculous.
"This may be your only shot," Reine said. "Miss it, and you might never get another. So, I have a request—for both of you."
Shidou blinked in surprise, and Kurumi's brow twitched. "Me as well?" she asked.
"Yes, Shin first," Reine said. "This is an unusual case. Two Spirits competing to win you over. If you kiss one, what happens?"
"It…" Shidou hesitated. Both being sealed was too good to be true. As the same Spirit, sealing one might doom the other—a grim outcome.
"It's not hard to imagine the risks," Reine continued. "So, we've devised a plan. I spoke with them, and by the final day of the trip—the morning after tomorrow—you'll choose which one is more charming."
"Make both Yuzuru and Kaguya fall for me… in one day?" Shidou asked, incredulous. It was a tall order, and the kissing issue remained unresolved.
Reine shook her head, sensing his doubt. "Not quite. This time, I'll… make you fall for me."
"…Huh?"
"I'll guide Yuzuru and Kaguya via earpiece to 'win' you over," Reine explained. "If you cooperate and prove my advice is sound, they'll trust me. Then, maybe—just maybe—we can get them both to kiss you."
Shidou's jaw dropped, but the logic held. It was a slim chance, but it could work. Without Fraxinus's support, though, the burden was immense.
"It's a desperate plan," Reine admitted. "Without Fraxinus, the strain on you will be significant." She paused, turning to Kurumi. "Which is why I'm asking you, Kurumi, to support Shin."
"…What!?" Shidou exclaimed.
"I want you to help Shin and the twins with their date," Reine said.
"Wait, hold on!" Shidou protested.
"Shidou-san," Kurumi interrupted, her voice sharp.
He glanced at her, expecting her usual playful smile, but found none. Her crystalline eyes—one crimson, one gold—locked onto Reine's with an unreadable intensity.
Reine was asking the impossible. She knew Kurumi's feelings for Shidou, yet she was asking her to help him woo other girls. It wasn't just risky—it was a reckless gamble.
"You understand what you're asking, Mura-sensei," Kurumi said coldly.
"I do. And I'm still asking for your help—for Shin."
Reine bowed deeply. Kurumi's expression didn't waver. Shidou could only watch, swallowing hard.
She was asking Kurumi to not only accept Shidou dating others but to ensure it succeeded. It was a dangerous bet, one that could alienate Kurumi—or secure her cooperation for future Spirit sealings.
Kurumi let out a small sigh, and Shidou felt like a condemned man awaiting judgment.
"That's an unfair way to put it," she said softly.
"Sorry," Reine replied. "I'm not great with words. If I offended you, I apologize."
"No need," Kurumi said, her tone resolute. "I'll do it."
Shidou gaped, stunned. Reine raised her head, offering thanks. "Thank you."
"It's fine. It benefits me too, doesn't it?" Kurumi said, her eyes narrowing. "You knew that when you asked."
"Perhaps," Reine said cryptically.
"Kurumi…" Shidou murmured, wanting to ask if she was really okay with this.
Whether she sensed his concern or had her own reasons, Kurumi turned, her gaze piercing him. "If things continue, one of them will vanish."
Shidou flinched. The twins' battle for dominance would end with one's erasure, no matter the outcome. They were fighting for survival in an unfair game.
"Show me, Shidou-san," Kurumi said, her voice steady. "Prove you have the power to overturn a predetermined fate."
If he didn't act, that future was certain. Hesitation would save no one. If Shidou could seal both their powers, he could defy that fate.
She was challenging him—to show he could save not just the twins, but her too. To prove he had the strength to change her destiny.
"Got it," Shidou said, resolve hardening. "I'll do it. I want to save them."
Danger, the world—none of it mattered. He'd rewrite their unjust fate. If he couldn't do that, he didn't deserve to save the girl he loved.
Kurumi's smile returned, soft and knowing, as if she'd expected nothing less.
"Why did you invite me to help with the Spirits' conquest, Mura-sensei?" Kurumi asked later, in a different room. She watched Yuzuru and Kaguya on a monitor, "nursing" Shidou under the guise of wooing him.
"Hm?" Reine tilted her head. "You said it yourself—it benefits you."
"The risk is too high," Kurumi countered. "What if I threw a tantrum and ruined everything?"
"I don't think you're the type to do that," Reine said calmly.
Kurumi scoffed, her smile tinged with self-deprecation. "You're awfully optimistic, assuming I'm some saint who'd never feel jealousy."
"No, that's a normal human emotion. But you're someone who can control it, aren't you?"
"You overestimate me," Kurumi said, her laugh dark. She wasn't childish enough to let her feelings run wild, but she didn't delude herself into thinking she could fully master them either.
She was… a little afraid of these new emotions budding within her.
"Am I?" Reine asked.
"A lady does take care to manage such things," Kurumi admitted.
"I believe you'd protect Shin if it came to it," Reine said.
Kurumi froze, then let out an exasperated sigh. Reine's true reason was clear, but it was absurd to ask a Spirit who'd tried to kill Shidou to protect him.
"What are you saying?" Kurumi demanded.
"Are you dissatisfied?"
"Of course! I'm after Shidou-san's life. Asking me to protect him is ludicrous. What could you possibly—"
"Love is a contradiction, isn't it?" Reine interrupted, her voice quiet but firm.
Kurumi's eyes widened, her thoughts grinding to a halt. For Tokisaki Kurumi to be struck speechless was unheard of. Reine's words, delivered with such earnestness, were shocking—utterly unexpected from the composed woman before her.
"…Ki, kihehe, kihehehehe!" Kurumi burst into laughter, clutching her cheeks. "What's that supposed to mean!? It's absurd, absurd! I can't stop laughing!"
Reine scratched her cheek, looking mildly troubled, but Kurumi couldn't rein in her mirth. It was the humor of Reine's words—and the bitter irony of recognizing her own contradictions.
Because Tokisaki Kurumi knew that contradiction all too well. She, a Spirit who'd tried to kill Shidou, had fallen for him, desperate not to lose him.
"I'm just a woman too," Reine said softly.
"Of course, of course," Kurumi replied, still chuckling. "Well then, I suppose I have no choice."
It was strange. Kurumi, who guarded her heart so fiercely, rarely spoke so openly. Yet here she was, baring her soul. It felt familiar, like—
"I-Iyaaaah!?"
"Oh?" Kurumi said.
"My," Reine echoed.
A high-pitched scream came from the monitor—not a woman's, but Shidou's, adorably shrill in Kurumi's opinion. She couldn't be blamed for the mischievous thoughts it sparked.
On the screen, Yuzuru and Kaguya were inexplicably stripping Shidou. Normally, it'd be the other way around, but the twins were already in a scandalous state—likely their own doing. The atmosphere had shifted abruptly, and a white hand nudged Kurumi from her shadow. A clone's routine report. Glancing at Reine, who knew about her clones, Kurumi summoned it.
"…Takanotsume-san and Origami-san are behind this, aren't they?" Kurumi said.
Kaguya was cuddling Shidou, while Yuzuru… licked sweat off him. Clearly, they'd been coached—Takanotsume for cuddling, Origami for the perverse act. Kurumi wasn't sure whether to be jealous of the latter, but envying it at all meant she was already too far gone, as a certain absent girl might've pointed out.
"And where are they now? …What? Pillow fighting with the target?"
What was going on? Despite her vigilance, Kurumi couldn't fathom why the so-called strongest mage was caught up in a pillow fight.
Dismissing her clone with thanks, Kurumi met Reine's gaze. They stared silently for a moment, but their next move was obvious.
"I'll go retrieve Shidou-san," Kurumi said.
"Sorry for the trouble," Reine replied.
Incidentally, when Kurumi's shadow caught Shidou fleeing half-naked, he took to bed, his pride wounded. Being seen and heard by the girl he loved was more than his ego could handle.
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