Tohka stood beside Shuo, bracing herself like she was about to face down an army. The sight nearly made Shuo burst out laughing. No wonder she was called the purest Spirit in the Date A Live world—she was just too adorably clueless.
With a gentle smile, Shuo pointed to the two characters scrawled on the blackboard.
"Relax. That's not some Spirit-killing magic circle. It's your new name—Tohka."
"Tohka?"
"Tohka!"
"…Tohka."
She stared at the chalk marks, repeating the name again and again as if imprinting it into her soul.
A moment later, Tohka's face lit up with pure, childlike joy. The happiness bubbled up inside her, so intense it seemed she'd never let this moment go.
I have a name. I have a name…
Watching her giggle like a kid who'd just won a prize, Shuo felt a pang of sympathy for this simple, sweet girl. Born in solitude, hunted by AST from the moment she arrived, and still she managed to stay so innocent. It was almost heartbreaking.
Just as he was lost in thought, Tohka turned to him, eyes shining.
"Hey, Shuo… I really like this name. Thank you!"
Her smile was so genuine, Shuo couldn't help but smile back.
"By the way, Tohka, did you ever like that box of snacks I gave you?"
"Snacks?"
The reminder made her think back to devouring every last crumb in the other world—even licking the wrappers clean. Just remembering it made her mouth water.
Noticing Shuo's teasing look, Tohka quickly wiped away her drool and glared at him, trying to sound tough.
"I didn't care about that food at all! You must be a human sent to poison me! I won't fall for such tricks!"
Shuo just chuckled, gently tugging at her arms.
"I've told you before—we don't have any grudges. Why would I want to poison you?"
"Then… why do you want to get close to me?"
Tohka pouted, her curiosity finally winning out.
"The reason? Easy. Because you're cute and impossible not to love. I want to keep you by my side—forever."
He said it straight out, no hesitation. Tohka's cheeks flushed instantly.
"C-cute? You really think I'm cute?"
Shuo blinked, surprised by her shy reaction. It hit him—she was still just a naïve Spirit girl, unused to anyone saying things like that.
But he meant it. Tohka really was that adorable.
He nodded.
"Yeah. I mean it."
"Really? Really really?"
"Really really."
"Really really really?"
"It's really really really really true!"
Shuo surrendered, smiling helplessly.
"Hmph! Human, you're the first person who's ever accepted me. I'll let your theft of my Angel slide this time—but don't think I'm forgiving you! I'm just using you to gather human intel, got it?"
She lifted her chin, trying her best to sound haughty. Shuo couldn't help but laugh. For someone so airheaded, she sure had her own ideas.
Still, he was glad she had a backbone. If she let herself get tricked too easily, he'd have a hard time keeping her safe.
"Alright, alright, you win. Since you're letting me off the hook, here—consider this an apology gift."
He held out a kinako bread. Tohka's eyes locked onto it, mouth watering almost instantly.
Shuo smiled and placed it in her hands. She accepted it without hesitation, her face melting into bliss as she munched away.
Suddenly, Shuo sensed something and glanced through a shattered section of the classroom wall.
In the sky, several white dots closed in fast—the AST Spirit suppression team. And leading the charge was Origami Tobiichi herself.
Shuo's eyes narrowed. He needed to deal with Origami's parents soon, or her hatred would only deepen.
Tohka, sensing trouble too, put down her bread and looked up, a flash of annoyance in her deep purple eyes.
"Ugh, it's them again. Why do they always interrupt my meals?!"
"Tohka, looks like our date's about to get crashed. Time to disappear."
Without waiting for her reply, Shuo took her hand and teleported them away.
"Eh?"
Moments later, AST Captain Ryouko Kusakabe and her squad hovered over Raizen High, scanning for the Princess's spirit signal—only to come up empty. After a thorough search, they had no choice but to retreat. Origami, meanwhile, kept her cool, lost in thought.
Back on Fraxinus—
Kotori stared at the restored surveillance screen, utterly baffled.
What the hell just happened?!
"Where's Shuo Nangong? Where's the Princess? How do two people just vanish?!"
The monitor showed nothing but the ruins of Raizen High. No AST, no Shuo, no Princess—just empty wreckage.
Reine glanced at the screen, then down at her pile of shattered phone parts, her tone dry as dust.
"No idea."
She might be the First Spirit, but even Reine couldn't track everything happening outside. And even if she could, she had zero intention of helping Kotori—especially after her phone had been reduced to rubble.
Seeing Reine's unhelpful attitude, Kotori could only turn to her crew.
"Activate every surveillance camera in Tengu City! Don't stop until you find them! Even if you can't locate the Princess, you'd better find Shuo Nangong!"
Reine watched Kotori panic, a hint of black-bellied amusement flickering in her eyes. If her phone were still intact, she could've just called Shuo directly.
But with her phone in pieces and her petty side on full display, Reine had no intention of mentioning that.
🔥 Want to read the next 50+ chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]