"Kuku… worship us, Shidou. You should feel honored we've graced this place with our presence!" Kaguya declared.
"Translation. We came to hang out, so welcome us warmly. If not, Kaguya says she'll cry from loneliness," Yuzuru clarified.
"Hey, that's not what I meant!" Kaguya protested.
"Haha…" Shidou chuckled, giving a wry smile as he welcomed the lively Yamai sisters to his class.
It was September. The long yet fleetingly chaotic summer break had ended, ushering in the new semester. Kaguya and Yuzuru, who'd joined the school trip as "new transfers," officially enrolled at Raizen High. Shidou, aware of their circumstances, couldn't help but note how many transfer students this school attracted.
The twins' closeness—ironically the cause of their clash two months ago—stabilized their mental state when together, so they were placed in the neighboring class.
And now, they'd come to Shidou's class to "play," but they were scanning the room, as if searching for someone.
"Who're you looking for? Takanotsume's out with some others," Shidou said.
"Nay. My vassal has already offered her praises," Kaguya replied.
"Doubt. I don't see Kurumi anywhere…" Yuzuru added.
"Huh?" Shidou blinked, then let out an "oh" as realization hit. Apparently, no one had explained much about Kurumi. Did Kotori just dump this on me? he thought, suspecting his sister's mischief.
"Sorry, Kurumi's not here. She's on leave—some personal stuff," he said.
"Tch, how pathetic, Shidou. Can't even keep your lady close?" Kaguya teased.
"Disappointment. Lacking in dependability," Yuzuru said.
"Hold it!" Shidou grabbed their shoulders, lowering his voice to avoid classmates' stares. Their words stung more than the attention. He couldn't let that slide. "What's that supposed to mean!?"
"No need to fret," Kaguya said. "Even if you're unreliable, you're still Yamai's shared treasure."
"That's not the point!" Shidou snapped. "How do you even know that!? I didn't say anything!"
"Shock. You thought we wouldn't notice?" Yuzuru asked.
"…You're kidding," Shidou groaned.
"Why'd you think we wouldn't notice?" Kaguya said, dropping her theatrics. "You're oozing 'I love Kurumi' vibes all the time."
Her blunt words pierced Shidou's chest. He hadn't realized his feelings for Kurumi were that obvious, especially to the ever-flirty Yamai sisters.
Yuzuru piled on with a resigned look. "Confession. We secretly watched a video of your confession."
"It was intense," Kaguya added. "Sweet, but so embarrassing to watch."
"KOTORI!" Shidou roared, instantly pinpointing the culprit. His detective instincts, fueled by gut and evidence, were spot-on. But no deduction could erase the fact that his privacy had been blasted open.
Worse than a black history reveal. Since the trip, Kotori's odd concern for his health made sense—she was a demon or devil. Why would she do this!?
A wounded Shidou started the semester unaware of the new Spirit and looming crisis, as daily life rolled on.
"The Ten-O Festival," the white-haired girl said. "A cultural festival uniting ten high schools in Tengu City. Held over three days at Tengu Square's grand exhibition hall, it's less a festival and more a city-wide spectacle."
"Who are you talking to?" Kurumi asked.
"My queen, of course," the girl replied.
Kurumi could tell the girl was smirking under her robe, stirring mild irritation she kept off her face. She knew about the Ten-O Festival, but the girl's inevitable "Oh, you're not going with him?" prodding made even a Spirit want to retort.
"…I'd like to attend with Shidou-san," Kurumi admitted. "Purely to conquer him, of course. No other reason."
"My queen, spare me the tsundere act," the girl teased.
"Where do you learn these terms!?" Kurumi snapped.
She did want to roam the festival with Shidou, enjoying exhibits and chatting. The thought alone sparked… ahem. No, it was the perfect event to make him fall for her. She was so serious, she'd already sent clones to scout the preparations—purely personal motives.
But her "other matter" was the real priority.
"What about DEM's movements?" Kurumi asked.
"Fishy," the girl said. "They're aggressively inserting operatives into AST. Looks like they're gearing up for trouble."
"If it's just trouble, that's a small price," Kurumi said. "But it's likely more—targeting Takanotsume-san and Shidou-san."
No verbal reply, but the girl's nod confirmed their shared suspicion. DEM knew Princess was Takanotsume. It was only a matter of time. Shidou's Spirit power, though, soured Kurumi's expression. To DEM, a human wielding Spirit power was a prize they'd pursue by any means.
"I won't let them have him," Kurumi declared.
"Nor I," the girl said. "Personally, it's downright unpleasant."
"You rarely speak like that," Kurumi noted. "Hate DEM that much?"
"Knowing what they are, you'd have to be insane to like them."
"Quite the coincidence—I feel the same," Kurumi said, smirking fiercely. She'd claimed Shidou first. His everything was hers alone to take. No one else had that right.
If DEM struck from the shadows, that was her domain. She'd make them regret it.
"Best case, they give up and leave," the girl said. "For your festival date, too."
"Indeed," Kurumi chuckled. "Pests should be swatted early. Then, I can enjoy Shidou-san's company—"
A spatial quake alarm rattled the apartment's windows, souring their expressions.
"…Kurumi, it's not like you can't have your festival date," the girl offered gently.
"Indeed," Kurumi sighed.
The kind words stung. Her maiden's intuition told her a normal festival date was unlikely. Only Kurumi would lament a spatial quake for such a reason.
"…A song."
"A song?" Kurumi echoed through the communicator.
Arriving at the quake's epicenter, Kurumi's Spirit hearing caught a voice first.
"Yes, a song," the white-haired girl said. "I'm heading to where you can hear it."
With a light leap, she scaled a height that would take humans ages, infiltrating Tengu Arena effortlessly. No one would spot her, especially with the quake emptying the area.
There stood the diva.
"That's…" the girl began.
"Oh my," Kurumi said. "Not a bad voice."
No instruments, no mic, no theatrics—just a Spirit in an astral dress, with violet hair and silver eyes. Her song held an enchanting power, captivating all. Even Kurumi let slip genuine praise for its flawless beauty.
A sharp clang, like a kicked can, interrupted the spellbinding voice.
"…Shidou Itsuka," the girl said.
"Kihehehe. A classic Shidou-san entrance," Kurumi said. "Let's see his performance."
He'd likely tripped over trash in the dark. The diva, unfazed, called out to him casually, more curious than offended. A stroke of luck for Ratatoskr.
Shidou, who'd sealed Takanotsume, Yoshino, Kotori, and the Yamais, hadn't approached a Spirit like this since Yoshino. As Kurumi said, facing this quirky Spirit would test his skills.
Shidou climbed the stage steps, likely guided by Ratatoskr's instructions, and spoke—then both their demeanors shifted.
"…Something's off," the girl said.
"They just greeted each other. What could he have—" Kurumi began.
The Spirit inhaled sharply, glaring at Shidou with hostility, her spiritual power surging.
Trouble. Before the girl could act, the Spirit unleashed her voice.
"—!" A sonic wall of pressure blasted Shidou, flinging him back.
"Shidou-san!?" Kurumi cried.
The girl leaned forward, ready to save him with her speed, but Shidou clung to the stage's edge, barely holding on. Kurumi's relieved sigh echoed in her ear, and the girl exhaled too. Spirits varied widely, but attacking after inviting someone was beyond even her expectations. What changed in mere minutes?
"Why are you clinging there!?" the Spirit demanded. "Why aren't you falling? Why aren't you dead? Get off this stage, this world, this probability space—now!"
"…My queen—" the girl began.
"No, my ears aren't failing," Kurumi said.
The Spirit's angelic smile clashed with her venomous words, making the girl question her hearing. Kurumi confirmed it was no mistake.
It wasn't a mood swing—her favorability seemed to plummet to hell.
"Uh, I—" Shidou tried.
"Why are you talking!?" the Spirit snapped. "Stop it, it's gross. Don't speak, don't spit, don't breathe. Don't you get that your presence pollutes the air? No, you don't, do you?"
"…Misanthropy?" the girl ventured.
"Um, you're—" Shidou attempted.
"You don't listen, do you?" the Spirit continued. "Disappear already. Your existence is offensive. Know why I don't crush your hand? Even my shoe sole doesn't want to touch you."
"If so, she wouldn't have called out at all," Kurumi mused. "Why does someone as harmless-looking as Shidou-san—"
Shidou's words were cut off, the Spirit's tirade beyond mere contrast. The pair analyzed calmly, ignoring Kurumi's biased "harmless" comment. But another event interrupted.
A strange sound echoed—then the arena's ceiling collapsed with a crash.
"…AST," the girl said.
"Origami-san's there," Kurumi noted. "And unwanted guests."
AST, in standard gear, surrounded the Spirit, including a reinstated Origami and an unusual number of foreign operatives—too many for a domestic unit.
Unfazed, the Spirit's eyes lit up with glee. "Oh, wonderful! This is what guests should be! Yes, especially—you, don't you want to hear my song?"
"—!" A sound rang out, and the diva vanished, reappearing behind Origami. Her sweet, captivating whisper reached Origami's ear—prompting her to swing her light-sword.
"Oh, how mean!" the Spirit pouted.
"What is that?" the girl muttered.
Origami, poker-faced but clearly annoyed, unleashed a flurry of attacks. The Spirit blocked them effortlessly with an invisible barrier, grinning. The girl wasn't focused on that, but the stark difference in treatment.
"Oh, I see," Kurumi said.
"You figured it out? From that?" the girl asked.
"When it's that blatant, it's obvious," Kurumi said. "But that makes her… troublesome. Perhaps the most difficult yet."
Kurumi's insight left the girl with a head full of question marks. She couldn't keep up. Emotional shifts were one thing, but this rollercoaster of reactions was new. The Spirit's feelings toward Origami were… well, complicated. As the girl's mind nearly overloaded, a red-haired foreigner spotted Shidou.
"There he is…"
"Tch. Should've stayed unnoticed," the girl muttered, readying to move. The red-haired woman, communicating with allies, charged at Shidou—not to protect, but to capture.
Brandishing a massive stun rod, she closed in—only for the white-haired girl to intercept.
"As expected!" the girl declared.
Her speed clashed with the woman's and Origami's weapons, scattering sparks. In that instant, she grabbed Shidou from the stage and sped off. She'd trusted Origami to act to save Shidou, letting her secure him unnoticed.
"Guh! You—!" Shidou gasped.
"Don't talk, you'll bite your tongue!" the girl warned.
She dashed, her speed unshaken by carrying him. Descending from the stage, she leaped into the night sky, using the rooftop as a springboard to reach the station plaza in one burst. Rough, but safer than staying.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Ha… yeah, somehow," Shidou panted.
"Good. My queen would scold me if you got hurt."
"No need to say that!" Kurumi's voice snapped through the communicator.
The girl had thought mentioning her concern for Shidou would boost her favorability. Apparently not.
"Unknown… right?" Shidou asked.
"Call me what you like. Names mean nothing to me," the girl replied.
Her indifference made Shidou frown, as if he wanted to say something. She tilted her head at his expression.
"What?"
"…Don't you dislike being called that?" he asked.
"Not really. Names don't matter to me. Besides, in the end—"
"In the end?" Shidou pressed.
"…Nothing. You should get back to Kotori. Staying here risks getting caught in the fight."
"Yeah… thanks for saving me," Shidou said.
He understood the danger. Soon, Fraxi-nas's teleporter activated, and he vanished.
"Well done," Kurumi said. "Come back."
"Understood," the girl replied.
Exhaling, she glanced at the arena, where the Spirit and AST still clashed. With Shidou gone, today's encounter was over.
The diva's sudden hostility, DEM's moves—there was much to consider. Yet, the girl's thoughts lingered on Shidou's words.
"A name…" she murmured.
Names were precious—given by parents or loved ones, defining a person's existence. But for the white-haired girl, they remained out of reach.
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