"A date without an earpiece… it's been a while," Shidou mused. "It's a bit nerve-wracking, but kinda relaxing, too."
Lately, his "dates" had been anything but ordinary—more like high-stakes battles. The last true earpiece-free date was his first with Kurumi, if you could call that typical. For Shidou, accustomed to these unconventional outings, a normal date without tech was the anomaly.
The first date was with Kaguya, chosen by lottery. Fittingly, the swift Yamai sister took the lead. This time, unusually, the sisters would date Shidou separately. It was a fresh experience for him and likely for Kaguya, too. Not that their usual paired dynamic wasn't perfect in its own way.
Arriving early at the meeting spot, Shidou checked his phone to confirm he wasn't late. Tardiness was unthinkable—especially after Kotori, his commander-sister, and the nightmare of Love Me, My Little Shidou drilled punctuality into him. Kurumi's time-manipulating nature only reinforced that habit.
"…Still," he murmured, glancing up.
The translucent spiritual sphere loomed in the sky, as always. It should've caused a citywide panic, but only he and Kurumi could see it—an eerie, constant presence.
"I'm getting used to it, but it's still unsettling… and then there's—"
The white-clad girl, . Seeing the sphere always brought her to mind. She knew about it, Shidou was certain, yet she refused to tell him why. He could accept she had her reasons, but her self-denial—her insistence she was unneeded—gnawed at him.
She called the Spirits "queens," but excluded herself, a Spirit, from that title. Her words echoed self-destruction.
To "kill" oneself. Shidou had seen it before, in different forms, each Spirit with their own reasons:
Tohka, who knew the world's beauty and sought to vanish to spare it her disasters.
Kurumi, who tried to harden her heart for her goal, shattering her own kindness.
Origami, who bore sin to kill Spirits, pulling the trigger to numb her heart.
Kaguya and Yuzuru, who, out of love, hid their truths and were willing to erase themselves for each other.
The white-clad girl was different. Her self-denial was a warped conviction that her existence lacked value, as if she'd already decided her end.
"—Shidou!"
Kaguya's voice snapped him from his thoughts. She ran toward him, waving, her vibrant energy pulling him back to the present. Switching gears, he returned her wave with a smile and approached.
He had plenty to worry about, but his priority was the date. The Spirits were looking forward to this, and he had to meet their expectations with an open heart.
Unbeknownst to him, his terrifying talent—showering love on everyone equally—was why the white-clad girl said she was glad he was Itsuka Shidou.
Cherry-blossom eyes watched the pair. A face of undeniable beauty, framed by distinctive golden hair. She should've drawn every gaze, yet no one noticed her. Despite her commanding presence, she observed Shidou and Kaguya from a distance, unnoticed.
Her orb-like earring, clear as crystal, swayed, chiming faintly. Amid a crowd that ignored her—
"Hello. That's the right greeting, yes?"
A single figure in white observed her, landing silently behind. Their eyes met.
The unobservable and the one who nullifies observation faced each other.
"First time meeting you personally," the white-clad girl said. "System Kerub."
"…!"
The golden-haired girl's eyes widened slightly, a rare break in her composed facade.
"No need to be so guarded," the white-clad girl said. "I'm not here to interfere with your role. There's no need for that."
"Then why are you here?"
It was the white-clad girl's turn to be surprised, though only she'd know it. She hadn't expected System Kerub's administrator to engage her directly. Considering her origin, though, it wasn't entirely strange. She replied, "Your mission. Judging the 'vessel.' May I witness it alongside you?"
"Do as you like," the golden-haired girl said.
"…That was quick."
"I asked, didn't I?" she replied briskly. "As long as it doesn't interfere with my task, I don't care. You dodge a lot, but you don't lie about things like this, do you?"
"…True, I don't," the white-clad girl admitted, tilting her head.
Her surprise stemmed from how much the other knew about her. Given her origin, it made sense she'd know of her, but did any of the six Spirits understand her so deeply? The question lingered.
No time to dwell, though. The golden-haired girl turned and followed Shidou and Kaguya, with the white-clad girl trailing behind. No one else could see them.
Witnessing together changed little. The white-clad girl's task—watching Shidou's dates with the Spirits—remained the same. The only differences were the lack of Kurumi's comms and the absence of her usual interventions, allowing a carefree observation.
The same applied to the golden-haired girl, System Kerub's administrator. She traced their path, mirroring their steps. Whether this was necessary or her own choice remained unclear.
System Kerub.
A mechanism of the world, built from fragments spilled from her, the origin. Its sole purpose: to judge whether one who amasses excessive spiritual energy—namely, the "vessel," Itsuka Shidou—is worthy. Born from the fused energies of the six sealed Spirits, the administrator, this golden-haired girl, evaluates him. Should Shidou fail, the spiritual sphere above would reveal its true form.
To the white-clad girl, who knew its nature, this posed no threat. An unworthy human wouldn't have survived Kurumi's hunger or sealed any Spirits. Shidou's worth was evident.
"W-Weird… The young, hip pool bar's gone…" Kaguya muttered.
"We're too young for bars anyway," Shidou said. "Let's have fun here, yeah?"
"Oh… yeah!"
Even now, he smoothly salvaged Kaguya's faltering plan, crafting a date true to their vibe. He'd grown so reliable compared to before.
This should hold true for the administrator, born from the queens. To the white-clad girl, this judgment was a farce. Her lack of action in activating the system suggested it was all anticipated. The judgment itself wasn't what mattered to the white-clad girl. What mattered was—
"Oh…"
"First one, passed," the golden-haired girl said.
Her earring's color shifted, signaling the end of Kaguya's date. No major issues arose, and it met the approval of her—and the world's—standards.
"…So this is a real, proper date," the white-clad girl mused.
"Never seen one before, huh?"
"Sadly, I'm only acquainted with the intense kind. This might be my first time seeing the real thing."
Her "dates" were chaotic—war dates ending in Spirit powers running amok. A purely peaceful date was new, though its role as a trial for Shidou's worth felt bitterly ironic.
"Weird one," the golden-haired girl said. "You don't know obvious things but know what no one else does."
"My origin's a bit… unique," the white-clad girl replied. "I'm stuck with a lot of unnecessary knowledge."
"Hmph."
Her blunt "weird" got a disinterested hum in return. A new type, the white-clad girl thought with a wry smile.
She wasn't ignorant of peaceful dates. She had knowledge—memories—not her own. Distant, borrowed scenes of dates, never truly hers. Knowledge divorced from subjectivity.
Memories she held—precious date memories.
The second was Miku Izayoi. Reflecting on it, Miku's unique path to falling for Shidou meant they'd never had a proper date, the white-clad girl recalled. She was especially curious about this one.
Which made the scene before her all the more baffling.
"…How did it come to this?" she asked.
"Don't ask me," the golden-haired girl replied.
A blunt dismissal, but fair—no one would have a better answer.
The crowd was understandable. Miku, now a public idol in Tenguu City, drew attention naturally. But the stunning girl beside her—also drawing eyes—was another matter.
For some reason, Shiori Itsuka was on this date.
"…Is that okay?" the white-clad girl asked.
"It's fine, isn't it? She's enjoying herself."
"That's a lax judgment…"
The trial was about loving the Spirits, so braving embarrassment for Miku's sake might be valid… or was it? The white-clad girl couldn't decide, but it only deepened her confusion about Miku. To her, Shidou and Shiori were distinct, yet both delighted her equally.
For now, she snapped a photo of Shiori, Miku's dress-up doll.
"What're you doing?" the golden-haired girl asked.
"Might give Kurumi some leverage later," she replied.
"…Didn't you want Shidou to win?"
"That's that, this is this."
The golden-haired girl's exasperated look didn't faze her. Unseen, she could do as she pleased. No personal amusement, probably.
"If Kurumi develops a cross-dressing fetish, don't blame me," the golden-haired girl said.
"…Don't jinx it. His cross-dressing is too convincing."
Sending the photo later would be hilarious, but her comment carried an unsettling realism. Awakening Kurumi to such a fetish was the last thing she wanted.
"Stop it!" Shiori's voice wailed from the changing room.
"…It suits him," the white-clad girl said.
"Yeah, it does," the golden-haired girl agreed.
As Shiori's cries echoed under Miku's forced makeover, they murmured in unison. Pointing out the role reversal was getting old.
The earring's color shifted again. Second one—cleared.
The third was Yoshino, with her ever-present puppet, Yoshinon. The location: a shrine, unfamiliar to the white-clad girl. Since the Spirits chose the dates, this was Yoshino's pick.
The golden-haired girl, seeming to know more, spoke as the white-clad girl tilted her head. "Where Yoshino first met Shidou… and Kurumi. You wouldn't know, since Kurumi never told you."
"So that's it… Wait, how do you know what I talked about with Kurumi?"
"Just a hunch," she replied, her tone blunt yet oddly inoffensive.
Their conversation felt both aligned and off-kilter. The white-clad girl hadn't heard the details of Kurumi's meeting with Yoshino, a habit of Kurumi's solo tendencies. Being called out by someone born from the six Spirits felt odd.
…Though, ironically, the white-clad girl was currently acting solo herself.
"Something feels off," she said.
"Might be nice to be the one kept in the dark for once," the golden-haired girl replied.
"…A rare experience, I'll admit."
Kurumi would've fired back with sharp wit, but the white-clad girl's theatrics were mere imitation. She'd been outdone.
Yoshino's date was simple: playing at the shrine with Shidou, a sweet reflection of her childish charm and cherished memories with Yoshinon. The peaceful, joyful scene made the white-clad girl smile beneath her hood.
The golden-haired girl's role remained unchanged: tracing their steps, even drawing the same omikuji as them.
But seeing her soften at the omikuji's contents, the white-clad girl's suspicions grew certain.
"You're not tying it up?" she asked.
"No need. You know how I'm made, don't you?"
"…Yes."
The white-clad girl understood System Kerub—its nature and what awaited it at the end of its role. That inevitability stirred a sense of unfairness in her.
"Can I ask something?"
"What?"
"…Born with others' memories… what did you feel?"
The golden-haired girl raised a brow, surprised. It was a natural reaction to such an abrupt question. But it had nagged at the white-clad girl from the start.
System Kerub's administrator, born from the Spirits' energy and memories, carried their experiences. Like the white-clad girl, tied to her. She wanted to know what she felt.
Whether from reflection or confusion, the golden-haired girl paused before answering. "Nothing special. I was born this way, so I accept it. Their 'feelings' are necessary to make me."
"…You're strong," the white-clad girl said.
"You weren't?"
"Huh?"
"Your tone. It's like you felt differently. You don't have to answer if you don't want."
"…No, you're right."
Her words, though slightly haughty, carried care. Noticing this, the white-clad girl smiled, sensing the Spirits' essence in her. Slowly, she spoke of things she'd never shared, chuckling wryly at how a certain kindhearted boy had loosened her tongue.
"…I couldn't take her memories subjectively. I saw them as just events, observed objectively. I felt something, but that was it."
"…"
"…So, I was born with nothing ahead. No duty or mission like you, no acceptance of the 'feelings' that made me. I just… lived."
She still didn't know if that was right or wrong. Nor did she hope for an answer.
"…I don't remember much of how I lived after that. It's not important. But I thought helping her might repay her, since I feel gratitude toward her."
"And then?"
"Then… I saw the 'sin' I'd turned away from."
She'd known. Known and ignored it, living as if it were just a fact. That was her first sin.
Ignoring it led to tragedies she neither stopped nor tried to. That was her second.
The third—she found that girl amidst the tragedy's aftermath.
She saw a beautiful person.
She witnessed an unjust act.
"…After that, I became 'me.' Maybe I broke, though I was already defective."
"That's…"
"…I'd be lying if I said pity didn't play a part. But mostly, I couldn't forgive the injustice done to her."
She saw a beautiful person. In short—
"To be blunt, I fell for her at first sight."
Just like that boy, probably.
"—Pfft, haha!"
"…Is it that bad a reason?"
"Hehe, everyone's got similar ones. It's not bad."
It was likely the first and last time she'd see her laugh like that. Their reasons were alike, whether affection or love—both equally mad.
"…Keep this from her, please. She'd never forgive my existence. Though if she shot me, that'd be fair."
"I'll leave forgiving to her, but don't worry, I won't tell. No chance to, right?"
"…Maybe not."
Their paths converged, just at different times. But even if their endings were the same, the white-clad girl felt it was unjust for her to end like that.
The earring's color shifted. Third one—cleared.
The fourth was Yuzuru. With separate dates, her plan differed from Kaguya's, though their reactions to their new looks were endearingly identical.
Her first chosen spot—
"…Turtle soup?" the white-clad girl said.
"Viper," the golden-haired girl replied.
Signs boasted "strength" and "vigor." The implication was clear, and one face sprang to mind—an ominous premonition.
Thankfully, Yuzuru switched locations, salvaging the mood. But at the second spot—
"…Stamina, garlic," the white-clad girl noted.
"Explosive energy," the golden-haired girl added.
No way to misinterpret that. It was deliberate—targeting Shidou's… vitality. Kaguya had planned her date from magazines, and Yuzuru likely followed suit, leading to these choices. The culprit was obvious.
"…Origami Tobiichi," the white-clad girl said.
Still under surveillance in a JSDF hospital after Miku's chaos, Origami was likely manipulating Yuzuru's plans to steer things her way. Her ruthlessness outstripped even Kurumi's. No need to compete there.
"…Hm?"
Noticing the golden-haired girl's absence, the white-clad girl scanned around. She hadn't lost her—she was at a 100-yen shop mirror, where Shidou and Yuzuru had moved.
"What're you—"
She stopped. Shidou and Yuzuru were long gone. She didn't need to follow closely; as a creation of the Spirits, she'd know the outcome. Proximity wasn't necessary.
Her current action held no purpose. Yet it did. Not duty or obligation, but something else. The necklace—cheap by value, but priceless as Yuzuru's gift from Shidou—was held up to the mirror. Her heart, reflected in that act, would deny it if confronted.
"…If you're stubborn, I wonder who you got it from," the white-clad girl said, glancing at the earring's changed color. Fourth one—done.
The fifth was Kotori Itsuka, the most critical Spirit to the white-clad girl. Her chosen date: daily life.
"A date is doing something different," Kotori had said.
Yet she chose mundane tasks—shopping, cooking dinner—with Shidou. Perhaps, in her world, such normalcy with him was the exception. As 's commander, she suppressed her feelings, facing Shidou as a leader. Her Spirit powers, thrust upon her unjustly, never broke her resolve to save others.
Her noble spirit chose a casual day with Shidou as her date.
"—I'm taking one too!" Kotori declared.
"Hey, hold on…"
"It's fine, right, Onii-chan!?"
Her black ribbon signified strength; the white, her gentle honesty. Shidou, knowing both, accepted her proposal with a smile.
Carrying shopping bags together, holding hands on the way home—Kotori's smile in that ordinary moment made the white-clad girl exhale in relief.
"…Good," she murmured.
She hadn't meant to say it aloud, drawing a stare from the golden-haired girl, who was—naturally—sucking on a new-flavored Chupa Chups.
"…What?" the white-clad girl asked.
"You're soft on Kotori, aren't you?"
"…Am I? She's just a key figure, so it might seem that way."
"Different from Kurumi, but you've got a wide strike zone."
"Listen to me."
She didn't appreciate being painted as fickle. She wasn't favoring Kotori—just prioritizing her due to her role and circumstances.
"If you're cheating on Kurumi, I'll keep it quiet," the golden-haired girl teased.
"You're quite the joker… Don't worry, my romantic interests are men."
"Shidou?"
"No comment."
"You don't have to hide it."
"…No comment."
Amid their banter, the earring gleamed again. Fifth one—cleared. The last was Tohka, the first Spirit Shidou sealed.
"Next is the last, right?" the white-clad girl said.
"Yeah," the golden-haired girl replied.
"…Is that okay?"
"There's no okay or not. That's what I am."
"Hmph… Having 'meaning' from the start isn't all good, is it?"
The white-clad girl's bitter words got only a closed-eyed silence in response.
System Kerub's purpose was singular: to monitor the "vessel." When fulfilled, it would erase its components and vanish. No recognition, no reward—just disappearance, as predetermined and unchangeable.
If she were emotionlessly dutiful, the white-clad girl might not feel this anger. But after days spent together, talking, she couldn't help but find it unjust.
One trial remained—or so even the white-clad girl thought.
📖 Enjoying the story? By joining my Patreon, you'll gain early access to new chapters and exclusive content available only to supporters.
🌐 Find me here: pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ
I, Tomoya Aki, Will Not Be a Simp (45 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Summoning Furina and the Genshin Gang to Reality (33 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd: Stranded in Another World, Surrounded by Valkyries (33 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: I Refused the Path of Betrayal and Chose to Rewrite Fate (66 Chapter)
I Only Wanted to Fix Machines, Not Help Conan Solve Murders (63 Chapter)
One Piece: I Brought Piltover's Tech to the Pirate Era (75 Chapter)
From Diablo to Marvel: The Barbarian Who Crushes All Heroes (96 Chapter)
Resident Evil: Ethan's Epilogue Is a Road Trip With a Dead Girl (65 Chapter)
Date A Live: Kurumi Rebuild (65 Chapter)
Harry Potter: The Lion of the Serpent House (76 Chapter)
I Just Wanted a Quiet Life... So Why Am I an Uma Musume Trainer?! (145 Chapter)
The Irregular at Magic High School: Everyone Loves My Brother?! (130 Chapter)
Runeterra: Prince of Demacia (17 Chapter)
Love is War: What If Kaguya Ha (10 Chapter)
Blue Archive: One Last Memory (36 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.