"You seem livelier than I expected."
Entering the apartment, the white-haired girl voiced her blunt observation. Shidou, though visibly tense, was intently watching a TV broadcast.
"—! …It's you."
"My apologies. It's been a while since I got that reaction."
Unnoticed until now, Shidou's startled expression seemed to scold her for sneaking in. It was her fault for moving silently, but the familiar surprise felt oddly endearing.
"A while, huh…"
"Yes. Back when Kurumi used to—"
"No need for unnecessary details," Kurumi interrupted, emerging from behind with a half-glare, slightly embarrassed. Shidou was curious about the "unnecessary" comment, but a more pressing question burned within him.
"Kurumi, where's Tohka?!"
"Calm down. Haste clouds judgment and invites mistakes," Kurumi said, pressing a finger to Shidou's lips with a cool tone. Despite her urging him to relax in the safehouse, the powerlessness and urgency gnawed at him.
The situation was dire. Miku targeted Shidou, her "voice" ensnaring Yoshino, Kaguya, and Yuzuru. Kotori was unreachable. Tohka had been abducted by DEM Industries. Surrounded on all sides, Shidou lacked time—and power.
"I know, but…!"
"I understand your feelings. But if you lose your cool, you can't save anyone," Kurumi said.
Shidou clenched his fists. Powerless at that moment, regret consumed him. Yet stopping meant defeat. No matter how slim the hope, he wouldn't give up. Kurumi was urging him to stay sharp.
"Sorry…"
"No need. It's natural to lose composure over loved ones. Especially for you, Shidou… It makes me a bit jealous," Kurumi teased.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Let's review the situation," she said, shrugging and sitting across from him.
"First, Tohka. My 'selves' are searching for her. She's valuable to DEM, so they won't harm her immediately. A small comfort, but take it."
"Thanks for the concern," Shidou said.
"You can't focus if you're fixated on Tohka," Kurumi replied.
"Aren't you worried about your friend?" the white-haired girl interjected.
"Be quiet!" Kurumi snapped, blushing slightly before clearing her throat. Shidou couldn't help but smile at their dynamic.
"You two get along well, huh?"
"…Let's continue. Miku is expanding her control, frantically searching for you," Kurumi said.
"Yeah…" Shidou muttered.
The city was in chaos, a riot fueled by Miku's influence. From the safehouse, Shidou had gathered what information he could. The growing crowds on TV, even police succumbing to Miku's voice, left him awestruck at a Spirit's power. Who could guess this uproar was to find him?
"We need to deal with Miku first. If this escalates further, I'll have to take drastic measures—something you wouldn't want," Kurumi said.
"No way I'd let you do that!" Shidou protested as Kurumi mimed shooting a gun.
"Such a kind soul, Shidou. Even after Miku broke her promise, you still care for her," Kurumi said.
"She probably hates me now," Shidou sighed. After Miku's use of Gabriel exposed him as male, his disguise as Shiori was useless. His favorability with her was likely at an all-time low. Still, he had to reach her.
"Persuading her won't be easy. We need more information. Shidou, you've been to her house, right?" Kurumi asked.
"Just once, as Shiori. Why?"
"Guide me there. I have a plan."
"Really?!"
"I don't lie. Time is finite—let's move and talk. If you trust me," Kurumi said.
"Of course. Please, help me save Tohka," Shidou said, clenching his fist.
Kurumi smiled gently, curtsying elegantly. "For you, gladly. Let's begin our war date."
"Right. We'll end this cleanly… and tomorrow, we'll have a real date."
A war date, then a real one. That was all Shidou could do now—to stop Miku and save Tohka, with Kurumi's help.
"Heh, an early date, then… Any word from Kotori?" Kurumi asked.
"No, still nothing," Shidou said, tapping his earpiece to static.
"Leave it with her," Kurumi said, nodding to the white-haired girl. "If Miku's voice works through communication, it's safest with her."
"Got it," Shidou said, handing over the earpiece.
"You, search for Tohka with my 'selves' and support us as needed," Kurumi instructed the girl.
"Understood, my queen," the girl replied, bowing like a storybook servant before leaving.
"My queen, huh? Like a knight serving you," Shidou remarked.
"She's just teasing. A troublesome girl," Kurumi said, though her fond smile betrayed her.
"Really? Doesn't seem like it to me," Shidou said, sensing a deeper bond.
"Is this the place?" Kurumi asked.
"No mistake. This is Miku's house," Shidou confirmed.
Five minutes from Rindouji Girls' Academy stood Miku's mansion, its manicured garden and Western-style architecture like another world. As an idol and student, Miku lived more integrated into this world than any Spirit, her mansion a testament to that. Despite her warped values, she outdid even Kurumi in blending in.
"As expected, it's locked," Shidou said.
"No issue. With a Spirit's strength, silently—" Kurumi began, reaching for the gate's lock, then froze. With a glance at Shidou, she pulled a pistol from the shadows and fired without hesitation.
"What the—?!"
"There, we can proceed. Oh, the front door's locked too—how unfortunate," Kurumi said, shooting the lock with a loud bang, her tone exaggeratedly theatrical.
"That was loud! Didn't you say silently?!" Shidou protested.
"Your ears must be playing tricks. I said no such thing. I'm just a girl, after all," Kurumi replied, striking a cutesy pose.
"…Right," Shidou muttered, begrudgingly charmed by her antics as he followed her inside. A maiden's heart remained a mystery.
"But why Miku's house? She hates me, and her values are… abnormal," Shidou said.
A Spirit who treated people like objects, rejecting bonds. Not evil, Shidou thought, but unreachable.
"Born with a voice that controls others, her values are innate and hard to change. Is that what you mean?" Kurumi asked, turning with a sway of her skirt.
"Well, yeah…"
"Do you think I was always like this?" Kurumi asked, her smile elegant yet probing. "Was the 'worst Spirit' always the worst?"
"Of course not—!" Shidou started, then paused. Her clouded smile sparked a realization. Kurumi had once spoken of her "beginning," a kind girl led to a path of "resolve" by something. "Is Miku the same?"
"Who knows? I just felt it's too simplistic to call her values innate," Kurumi said.
"So we're here to find out why?"
"Exactly."
"But can we learn that much from this place?"
"Leave that to me. The method… is a surprise," Kurumi said, winking as she strode forward.
Shidou hurried after, snapping out of his daze—admittedly captivated by her grace. In such a dire moment, he felt oddly lucky.
"Look, Shidou! This size! My face could fit in it!" Kurumi exclaimed, holding up a pastel bra from Miku's bedroom.
"What?!" Shidou sputtered, exasperated.
Searching for clues to Miku's past, they'd reached her bedroom. But Kurumi, holding the bra with both hands, flustered Shidou. A teenage boy with a mission to save Spirits, he wasn't immune to such "items"—especially in Kurumi's hands. Still, he flushed and scolded, "This isn't the time for games!"
"Relax your shoulders, or you'll tire out," Kurumi teased.
"There's other ways to relax! Didn't we learn our lesson with underwear before?!"
"Whatever do you mean? I'm not embarrassed. A lady grows daily," Kurumi said, unfazed.
Shidou gaped. Her refusal to acknowledge past embarrassment was infuriatingly stubborn—and maddeningly cute.
"Come on, try it on, Shiori," Kurumi teased.
"Stop dragging that out!" Shidou groaned, desperate to erase the Shiori fiasco.
"It costs nothing. Shiori might even make me swoon," Kurumi said.
"It costs my time, dignity, and manhood!" Shidou yelled. The thought of charming Kurumi as Shiori felt like losing something vital.
"So cold. Imagine Shiori's humiliated face becoming mine… Not that I'm thinking that," Kurumi said, her ecstatic expression betraying her.
"You are thinking it! What are you planning with Shiori?!" Shidou panicked, feeling genuine fear. Kurumi's predatory glee was terrifying, akin to Origami's bizarre antics.
"Oh, a trembling Shidou is adorable. I could eat you up," Kurumi purred.
"Stop it!" Shidou screamed.
Predator and prey dynamic established, it was absurd for the man to scream, but Spirit-human dynamics made it par for the course—for Shidou.
Mid-banter, Kurumi tripped on the carpet, losing balance.
"Kyaa!"
"Kurumi!" Shidou lunged, catching her but tumbling with her as something crashed. Ignoring the pain, he checked on her. "You okay?"
"My carelessness… I'm fine…" Kurumi said.
Their hair brushed, eyes locked, bodies nearly touching. Heartbeats synced in the closeness.
Silence.
Blushing, their thoughts froze. The distance closed—Kurumi's lips grazed his neck.
"…No, not yet," she whispered, tracing her lips with a seductive smile.
"Too bad," Shidou replied, smirking boldly.
Both knew it was bravado. They wanted connection but couldn't—not now. Kissing as a sealing method felt like divine cruelty, and they cursed the gods with shared smiles.
Resuming their search, Shidou spotted an out-of-place candy tin in the lavish room. Opening it, he froze at the contents.
"Yoi… Tsukino Yorita?"
A CD with Miku's image, but a different name. As a reclusive idol, her face on a CD was odd.
"What's this…?"
"Play it," Kurumi suggested.
Shidou inserted it into a nearby stereo. An upbeat, cute song filled the air—Miku's voice, unmistakable yet different.
"This…"
"Cute, isn't it? Different from her stage persona. I prefer this," Kurumi said.
"Same. But what is it?" Shidou asked.
The voice felt younger, not seductive but earnest, brimming with forward-driven charm. Shidou flipped through the CD jacket, stopping at a hidden photo, struck by a jarring realization.
"No way…"
Spirits came from another world, but Shidou knew an exception—his sister, Kotori. If Miku was similar…
"It's coming together," Kurumi said.
"If this exists, could Miku… But why…?"
"To find out, I'll borrow this photo—Zafkiel," Kurumi said, summoning her Angel, a giant clock with twelve numbers. The 'IV' and 'VI' stood out, oddly colored. Shidou sensed her "method" involved this.
"Will Zafkiel's bullet reveal something?" he asked.
"Perceptive," Kurumi said, smiling. "It's cool, isn't it?"
Shidou mumbled, "Yeah, it's awesome," embarrassed by his boyish awe. Zafkiel's supernatural allure, wielded by Kurumi, captivated him—though he felt guilty, given Mana and Kotori's battles with her.
"I'm honored. Zafkiel is pleased too," Kurumi said, stroking the clock fondly.
Shidou nodded awkwardly, sensing her attachment.
"So, what's the plan?"
"I'll use Bullet Ten: Yud. It reveals fragmented memories of the target's past," Kurumi explained.
"Do it."
Kurumi loaded the shadow from the 'X' numeral into her pistol, aiming at the photo and CD. Shidou watched tensely.
"Zafkiel—Bullet Ten: Yud."
The trigger pulled. The world shifted.
"What…?"
A dreamlike sensation—not his, yet his. Beside him stood Kurumi.
"Shidou…!?"
"Kurumi?! What's happening?!"
Their vision changed. They had opened the door to the past.
Author's Note: A bit of mystery solved, only to spawn more. Their journey feels closer than the original, with subtle shifts in dynamic… or so I hope. Why'd Kurumi hesitate at the lock? (Winks) We're mid-story, with some revelations here. Feedback welcome! Stay tuned for the next chapter!
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