Spirits. Beings of immense power, manifesting from the Neighboring World. Feared as threats to humanity, their purposes and actions remain shrouded in mystery. Some appear without reason, others are swayed by compassion yet tormented by their own strength, and some live quietly, blending into human society. There is no universal law governing how a Spirit lives.
Yet, they share two traits. First, their mere existence wields the power to unleash cataclysms upon the world. Second, every Spirit is born—or perhaps reborn—with a purpose. A meaning.
Every Spirit carries an inherent value, a reason woven into their being from the moment of their creation. But what if… there existed one who defied this rule? A Spirit, a calamity unto herself, unbeckoned by any will, permitted to exist in this world. Would such a being possess meaning or value?
No. There is nothing. Nothing at all.
The girl has no meaning. No innate value bestowed upon her at birth. If her existence lacks a purpose from its genesis, then a Spirit has no intrinsic reason to be. All that remains for her are reasons tacked on after the fact, fleeting and artificial.
She does not question the Root of her existence, for even the Root would have no answer. There is no meaning to give. This warped girl, seeking no value within herself, repeats actions that defy comprehension. Like a machine, broken from the start.
She saw a beautiful person.
She witnessed an unjust act.
In that moment, perhaps, the girl forged her own world as a girl. An ultimate afterthought. A being without meaning, who, by mere chance, stumbled into a misbuttoned existence—a reason to be, born of accident.
Had her innate memories been subjective, such an error would never have occurred. But it doesn't matter. Warped, broken, devoid of meaning—everything about the girl exists for the sake of the beautiful queen.
"Phew… ha!"
Gulping down cold water, Shidou felt the liquid soothe his overheated body. His ragged breaths steadied as he collapsed onto the sprawling grass. Well, "sprawling" might be generous for a park lawn, but to Shidou, it hardly mattered.
Surrendering to the familiar exhaustion that follows exertion, he tried to calm his racing heartbeat. But it only grew louder, more insistent. The reason was clear to him—how could it not be? This wasn't the first time he'd embraced this warm, comforting sensation. There was no reason to resist it.
"Good morning, Kurumi," he said, voice warm. "Nice weather, isn't it? Makes you shine even brighter. Perfect."
He opened his eyes. Before him stood a goddess. A girl of divine beauty, outshining even the sun's rays. Peering down at him, she answered his flirtation with a practiced smile.
"Good morning, Shidou-san. Oh, my… you're looking especially dashing today. Truly splendid, absolutely perfect."
"Overdoing the compliments, aren't you?"
"Hehe, aren't you the one overdoing it, Shidou-san?"
"Nah, I'm just stating facts. You're gorgeous, Kurumi."
Shidou saw himself as painfully average—decent enough, but nothing worth praising. Kurumi, on the other hand, was undeniably stunning, a beauty beyond question. Were all Spirits fated to be breathtaking? Every Spirit Shidou knew, save the faceless , was a peerless beauty, no exceptions. It wasn't a crude thought, just a curious observation.
Unaware of Shidou's musings, Kurumi responded with a mix of embarrassment and delight, her expression softening. "You're the one overpraising, Shidou-san… By the way, what's gotten into you? It's not like you to suddenly awaken to the joys of exercise."
"Well… yeah, you're right."
Kurumi had a point. Shidou wasn't out here in his tracksuit, jogging at dawn, because he suddenly craved fitness or dreamed of becoming a protein-fueled Adonis. Even he didn't think bulking up would make Kurumi swoon.
Telling her the reason was simple enough, though a bit embarrassing. He might even get teased for it. But with Kurumi, that didn't seem so bad. Steeling himself, he spoke.
"It's because of what happened before. I just thought… maybe if I trained a little, I could get stronger. Strong enough to protect everyone… to protect you."
"To protect… me?"
That moment at the Tenguu Festival had seared Shidou's powerlessness into his soul. He'd only stood a chance against DEM because of Kurumi's help. Without her, he couldn't have saved Tohka or Miku—his own life might not even be his anymore.
Whether ordinary exercise could ease the burden of wielding a Spirit's otherworldly power, Shidou didn't know. But doing something felt better than doing nothing.
"Go ahead and laugh," he said. "For someone as strong as you, it's probably pointless meddling."
"I would never laugh."
A sweet fragrance tickled his nose. Shidou's heart skipped as he realized Kurumi had sat beside him, her scent enveloping him.
"Oh, kind Shidou-san," she said softly. "Who could mock such gentleness, such sweetness? Even if your resolve is reckless… I, at least, will accept it."
Some might scoff at his foolishness. A mere human, daring to dream so grandly? They'd look down on him. But Tokisaki Kurumi would never deny his feelings. She couldn't. She knew the purity and fragility of his heart had saved others—knew, too, of a foolish girl who couldn't allow herself to be saved. That's why she wanted to embrace Shidou's reckless dream.
"Is 'thank you' the right thing to say?" Shidou asked, half-laughing.
"It's odd for you to say that, Shidou-san. But… wouldn't it be better to ask Kotori and use 's facilities instead of a place like this?"
"Then I wouldn't get to see you."
His reply came without hesitation. True, had training facilities—Shidou knew that much. He'd once used their virtual training room with Yuzuru and Kaguya, simulating various environments with the manifestation device. Kotori might let him use it, though he suspected she'd either drill him mercilessly or dismiss it as a waste of time.
Itsuka Shidou: student, homemaker, and unofficial therapist to Spirits. His schedule was absurdly packed for a teenager. This morning's run was only possible because he'd dragged himself out at dawn.
That was mostly an excuse, though. The real reason—nine-tenths of it—was what he'd just said. Inside , he couldn't meet Kurumi like this, out in the open. He couldn't have this war date. That, above all, was the real issue.
"My, my, how honest," Kurumi teased.
"Of course. I'm always driven by personal motives."
Shidou grinned confidently. He'd never acted out of cold calculation. Saving Kurumi, saving the Spirits—it was all for her, for the girl he'd fallen for. Others called him kind, but Shidou saw it differently. Saving the girl he loved? That was as selfish as it got.
Kurumi's lips curved into a soft smile as she watched him. "You're incorrigible… Well, I suppose I—"
"Whoa!?"
Shidou's body lifted slightly off the ground. Before he could process his surprise, he landed again.
"—love this Shidou-san," Kurumi finished.
His head now rested on her soft lap, her flawless face closer than before. The infamous lap pillow.
"You got me," he admitted.
"Hehe, never let your guard down."
Kurumi pressed a finger to her lips, her smile mischievous. Their relationship was a constant game of conquest, and this time, Kurumi's swift maneuver had won. But even without the game, Shidou couldn't deny the privilege. Her lap was softer than any luxury pillow, her fragrance soothing his heart.
This wasn't bad at all. Closing his eyes, Shidou let the gentle breeze calm him further.
"…It's peaceful," he murmured.
"Indeed. The chaos of just days ago feels like a lie."
"I wish this peace could last forever…"
A world where Spirits and AST didn't clash, where DEM's schemes didn't loom—a serene time where everyone could live happily. That was Shidou's wish.
"It won't come true," Kurumi said quietly.
"…"
Even in this shared moment of peace, Shidou and Kurumi were irreconcilable. The tranquility he dreamed of was something she couldn't accept. Her wistful smile traced the parallel lines of their paths, never to meet.
He knew. Her resolve wasn't something easily swayed. And yet, he'd chosen this path, accepted it fully.
"Kurumi—"
Reaching out, he touched her cheek. She didn't pull away. Her warmth, no different from a human's, pressed against his palm. He'd sworn to protect that warmth, no matter what.
"I'll—"
Their eyes locked, his words forming—
"…!"
"Kurumi…?"
In an instant, Kurumi looked away. Not out of shyness—Shidou, who knew her every gesture, could tell. She'd raised her face as if startled.
Following her gaze, Shidou turned—and saw her.
"…Who's that?"
He didn't recognize her. He couldn't. The girl struck him with the same overwhelming presence as a Spirit, yet something about her felt inexplicably familiar.
Golden hair cascaded to her waist, tied in a small side ponytail. She wore a pristine white uniform, distinct from Raizen High's, and carried a cherry-blossom-colored bag adorned with straps. Her delicate features contrasted with an expression so composed it seemed devoid of emotion.
Shidou's ability to note her details in a single glance surprised even him. She was that captivating. But with one blink—she was gone.
"Huh!?"
He shot up, scanning the park, but she was nowhere to be found. A trick of the eye? No, impossible. Kurumi had seen her too—that's why he'd noticed her in the first place. If it wasn't a shared illusion, then how had she vanished so suddenly?
"Shidou-san, look up."
"Up—!?"
Following Kurumi's pointed finger, Shidou gazed skyward and froze in shock.
"What… is that!?"
His voice trembled as he stepped back. Floating lazily in the blue sky was a massive sphere, dwarfing even in size. It hung there, defying gravity, neither falling nor moving.
"—"
"Do you know what that is, Kurumi!?"
"…I can't say for certain yet. Please, give me a moment."
Unlike Shidou's panic, Kurumi remained calm, though her face betrayed a hint of confusion. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, focusing as if searching for something. Shidou watched in tense silence, not daring to interrupt.
After a moment, Kurumi opened her eyes, narrowing them at the sphere. "As I thought, this spiritual power…"
"Spiritual power? Is that… a new Spirit?"
"No, not quite. This spiritual power—"
"It belongs to Tohka and the others," said Kurumi, now clad in her maid outfit.
A complex tangle of multiple spiritual energies. Even with her keen sensitivity, Kurumi couldn't fully confirm it with her lone Spirit abilities, but she was nearly certain: the sphere held the spiritual power of the sealed Spirits, including Tohka.
Floating far above the rooftops, the sphere was unlike any Angel Kurumi had ever seen—if it was an Angel at all. Its scale was unprecedented.
"You don't know anything about that sphere?" she asked the white-clad girl standing nearby.
In the girl's gaze gleamed a crystal-like sphere—
"—System Kerub," she said.
The hour of judgment had come. The reckoning would begin.
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