Kotori POV:
"Commander…"
"… I'm fine."
I wave back at Reine, who's now reading all the updates of current, while I lay on the bed.
Another routine of examinations… just like all those years ago.
But this time, it poses more risk than what it was.
I pick up the black ribbon, tie them back to my hairs and stare straight back at Reine.
"Tell me straight… it's that bad, right?"
I questioned her with an almost quiet voice, in which I already anticipated the answer.
"… Yes."
Reine, with her usual monotone, delivers the consequences of my reckless actions…
… One that I absolutely will do again, all for the sake of saving him.
And because of that, I'm now on my last legs, barely holding on with various specialized drugs.
"… How long?"
Let out a faint sigh at that, my gaze wandered back to the ceiling, all the while Reine delivered my deadline—when I will cease to be.
"3 days."
"… I see."
I narrowed down my eyes with the report, feeling… nothing.
… This again. This feeling of emptiness, of nothing…
Ever since I regained power, I've gradually lost my own feeling.
I still know that I love Shido… but I couldn't feel anything beyond that. My love for parents, my compassion for the Spirit… they're all slowly faded away.
I can see it. I am losing my edge. I… am being replaced. Slowly, but inevitably.
"Reine, is it finished?"
Shake away that question for later, I turn to Reine with a monotone, which earns me a raised eyebrow from her.
"Everything is all ready, commander."
But nonetheless, she quickly hid her emotion as usual and confirmed my question.
"I see…"
I nod back at the answer, feeling a bit relieved as something finally went right for once.
"… Should I inform Shido about this?"
And then, comes the decisive question.
I pondered for a while with the initial question, one that I expected to be, and finally decided.
"No."
I shake my head at Reine, and calmly respond.
"I'll do it."
Shido POV:
"Tome, Honjo-san! I leave the breakfast on the table! Eat it if you can!"
With the call out upstairs, and hoping to be heard, I leave the house for school.
Today is the school reopening ever since Tome's second appearance, which was around a few days ago, and I, well, Reine told me not to miss school.
So, although I didn't want to leave Tome and Honjo-san alone at home, I couldn't help but to comply with Reine…
Okay, now time for the real problem… What to do now?
The question has only laid dormant in my mind since yesterday, as I walked to the school.
It's been a few days after that whole fiasco, when it casually mentions everything.
Ever since the whole thing, Tome… kept distance from me. Like, outside of the empty fridge, I didn't see her at all when we returned from the shop.
Luckily, or maybe not, Reine ensures me that Tome's emotions are still stable, and there's nothing worth mentioning, so at least at the moment I don't have to worry about her regaining her strength… and repeat that day again…
… Speaking of which, I did try to reconcile with Honjo-san again… to no avail. Heck, I couldn't even pass the door!
And yet, I still find myself standing at her door apologizing… Well, after everything, she deserves that much at bare minimum.
So, without Tome here, I've been quite free for a whole day… a day without Kotori…
Speaking of which, where is she anyway? I haven't seen her absent this long since, well, ever. Beside the time on board the
Everyone on the
Yeah, I call that crap all the way through, but it's not like I could just do anything with it.
Speaking of which… I still can't believe she somehow hid everything from me all this time, ever since her 8th birthday. Like, how?!
Am I that horrible as a big brother to not even notice her absent all those time?! Or am I just being cold-hearted?!
… Well, no use regretting my own incompetence here, beside pushing forth with that.
I clenched my palm and took a deep breath, keeping all my own thoughts at bay.
That's right, I can't afford to fall here! I can do this! Hurahh!!
"Yo, Shido!"
As I regain the optimistic confidence back, a familiar voice quickly deters my attention back at the present.
Right behind me, a certain black hair teenager walked towards, his face showing a familiar smile.
"Yo, Tonomachi."
I store back my own concern deep at the back of my head and greet him, as the guy finally matches my pace.
"So, how's the day off, Shido?"
"You know, same old stuff. Not like I have too many things to do to begin with."
I shrug back at Tonomachi, feigning boredom with him. Yeah, not like I could tell him a whole novel worth of story happened to me in the last few days for him.
"Huh, damn. I thought you'd, ya know, improve your flirting skill ~"
Tonomachi hit my shoulder with a playful wink, and, internally, I wanna bury myself right then and there.
I'll forever remember that memory of me seducing Okamine-sensei and… Origami… in utter shame…
… And forever digging my own grave with what Kotori called a training… one that I didn't even get to use, whatever it is.
"Nope, I already quit that. Not gonna happen again!"
"… Somehow I doubt that."
Tonomachi raised his eyebrows in doubt with my statement, seemingly doubting my word there…
"So what about you? What did you do the past few days?"
And so, to turn off his doubtful gaze, I question him with a narrowing gaze…
"Fufufu, you wanna know Shido?! Of course you would!"
And, in contrast to me, he let out a low chuckle… something that is—familiar to me.
So next he's gonna say—
"Well, I spent all this time with my girlfriend ~!"
He said the line with such pride, all while showing his phone screen featuring a twin tail digital figure.
Obviously that. Tonomachi and his so-called virtual girlfriend…
"… Yeah yeah, I figure as much."
"Huh?! What does that supposed to mean!?"
With a sigh at Tonomachi "rambling", I turn my gaze to the school in the distance.
With, um, not much to say here, we made our way to our locker to change the shoes and reach the class.
I place my bag on my seat and finally fall down, taking in everyone talking around.
… Huh, I guess not everything changed after that whole—
"Shido."
—I spoke too soon.
I slowly turned to my side with a frozen smile on my face, all the while secretly sweating profoundly under the skin.
Standing with her hand on the other, with the same bisque doll expression on her beauty face, was the Origami Tobiichi.
"Um… hi there, Origami…"
I awkwardly wave back to Origami, feigning a smile on my face while hiding my fear with her monotone.
… I guess that thing did something to me there.
And luckily, she didn't prove more as she just nodded to me and returned to her seat, all still expressing nothing.
… Weird.
With a weird beginning coming from the already weird girl, our class begins—with another unpleasant surprise.
"Hello! My name is Tome Yatogami! Pleased to meet everyone."
The sigh of Tome, in her rather haunted disguise with a contrasting smile at everyone, almost gave me an actual heart attack.
Everyone immediately excitedly cheered for Tome's appearance, and Okamine-sensei struggled to silence them while guiding Tome to her seat.
"Tome-san, your seat is… beside Shido!!"
With a frantic nervous voice, she pointed to an empty seat right beside me…
… Of course, why not? Shoulda expected this from those including a fricking gal game in my training routine.
"… Hi, Shido."
Tom spared one unreadable expression at me, muttered a simple greeting and sat down, not looking at me any longer.
… Okay, time to rehearse what to say with her about what it says—what I did.
And with that, the usual routine of burying myself in studying for a better job, beside one that I literally solve the Spacequake problems by seducing Spirit, begin!
… Yep, thinking that out loud still sounds ridiculous.
Anyway, the morning subjects are, by all means, smooth sailing all the way through. Beside the fact that Tome seems, if not literally, struggling with the lessons, of course.
And then, after a rather normal morning, obviously comes the break time.
"Tome."
Immediately as the bell rings, I stand up in front of Tome table, earning me a surprise look from her.
"Please, come with me."
I asked with my calmest voice, and Tome seemed struggling to decide on my request, for some reasons, before standing up with a difficult face.
"… I'm sorry."
And with that, Tome avoided my eyes entirely and went out of the class, leaving me standing before her empty seat awkwardly.
"Oh my, seem like Shido taken the initiative already ~"
"Huh, he did have some balls after all. ."
"That so lame."
"Damn… that quick, Shido?"
… Ignoring those familiar 3, and Tonomachi's impressive whistles, with all my heart, I casually, or at least try to, walk out of the class in front of everyone's gaze.
I walk the whole way to the staircase leading to the rooftop, sneak my way through the locked door, tilt myself at the handrail and watch the city below…
… And crumble completely.
"Dang it…"
I let out a screeching sigh with everything, feeling disappointment with my own self.
I truly did it… after everything, after what I tried to reach her… I failed her.
… And I couldn't even blame the
I did all that without an ounce of rejections, I let them decide the whole thing… without my own concern, despite me being the one doing all their work.
… I should've just ignored them that day, continued on with my business, paying no mind to their interaction.
But I know that I couldn't. Not with how much I care for them. Not with how hostile Kotori painted it to be.
All in all, the reasons I did it all… was due to fear.
I fear… that she will be alone, that no one could reach her, that it will be worse… that I—couldn't.
Now looking back at that day, I wince in shame with how risking I was within that moment.
"What a horrible feeling…"
With a long sigh, I murmur my own thoughts out loud at nothing, staring blankly at everything below…
"Shido."
I immediately jotted with the monotone call and turned back… then let out a sigh I didn't even know holding on.
Standing at the door is a familiar white hair, someone that knew me before all this mess… and, at the same time, involved in it.
"Origami… fancy seeing you here. What are you doing here?"
I let out a friendly smile at a staring Origami, quickly hiding my own concerns back inside.
"… What's wrong, Shido?"
Origami, with her usual steady gaze, asked me with the same monotone and left me quite puzzled.
… I could try to lie my way out of this, but I doubt she'd buy it. Especially after what happened just now.
And knowing her stubbornness… yeah, no way out of this.
"Yeah, I… feel kinda bad here."
And, as if right on cue or something, Origami suddenly appeared right before me, as if she just teleported to something.
Like… how?!
"Would you like to have this, Shido?"
And then, as I was still baffled with her speed just now, she showed me a canned lemonade with the calmest 'puppy eyes' I've ever seen.
Even more so than that of Kotori, even accounting that one time she tried her hardest to force me buy that limited figure collection for some reason.
"… Thank you, I appreciate that."
"Mhm."
With a long grunt, I forced an awkward smile and took her gift. We then sat down by the rail, opened the cans, in Origami case a peach one taken from… somewhere, and slowly sipped them…
… Seriously, where did she get her own one?! I didn't see her hold that one just now!! Was this just a girl trick?!
"So Shido…"
Origami looked up at me, her eyes slightly shining, for some reason I didn't know, and frankly, frightened me a bit inside.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
"…"
And so, much to my dread, she hit me with one of the questions I hoped she didn't.
Okay… Well, should I deny her for comfort, something that should work considering this is literally our 4th brief encounter, or accept her request and make up a lie based on her perception of the earlier rejection, and probably deepen our connection…?
Obviously the answer should be—
"No, I… thanks for the offer, but I'm fine."
I smile at her with an apologetic manner, and see the light in her eyes waver a bit with the response.
Sorry about that Origami… but I don't really want to lie, not right now…
Anyway, after that, we… just sorta sitting there. Origami was sitting pretty close to me, if not practically leaning her body at my shoulder, while I just… trying to ignore how soft, and the reason why, she is.
"So…"
After much consideration, I tried to open a conversation with her… until something suddenly hit my mind.
"Orimagi… was there anything with your, uh, 'work'?"
I drove my eyes away with the question, all with my utmost curiosity, and Origami immediately looked up at me with her same flat look.
Although I know that she couldn't just give out the AST information on a whim, trying ain't hurting anyone.
Not that the Ellen girl is gonna suddenly appear out of the blue and lovinglykiss me through the chest…
… Right? Right?!
"We're being attacked."
And then she practically threw a bomb between us, no pun intended.
"… Huh?"
I let out a stupid sound with what I just heard, my eyes wide in utter surprise.
… Did she just say that a military base, one filled to the brim with weaponry and soldiers, stationed relatively close to the city, being attacked?!
Wait, more importantly…
"Are you okay?! Do you get any injuries?!"
I immediately shook her shoulder and frantically asked, feeling truly horrified with the revelation.
"… I'm okay, really."
And, against my fearful eyes, Origami calmly replies with an assured tone, and I can feel myself slowly relieved with that.
She's okay… Thank God…
I let out a long relief with a faint smile, unaware of Origami happy gaze on my whole gesture… something she only revealed long after, which I… didn't feel shameful in one bit.
"Um… May I ask who attacked you guys?"
And with the relief passing by, I continue with my, admittedly again, not-so-subtle-information-gathering quest with a curious question.
"The worst Spirit to ever exist.
With a deathly tone, Origami slowly mutters the name as if it is a disease, one that personally left a mark in her, and leaves me stuttering in surprise.
"She practically decimated everything there… and almost killed everyone…"
Origami eyes slowly dullen as she speaks, given way for the creepiest looks I've ever seen… especially from her.
But still, to think that
"By the way, Shido…"
Then, in the midst of her anger, she suddenly turned to me with her dull gaze, which almost made my heart jump out.
"Did you make contact with her again?"
… Agh?
That… she still remembers that?
"No."
And, without any thought behind, I gave out my most dishonest response to an angry Origami staring at me.
She pondered at my face for a bit longer, and somehow close enough to make me sweat, drop out of pure instinct, and turn back forward.
"I believe you."
… Wait, just like that? She just, what, believe me with a single line?
Seriously… What have I done to get her to trust me this much…?
Ultron POV:
This thing is a bust. A complete trash.
A defective gift cleverly, if I could even say so, from her.
This thing is, in the simplest term, a generator without fuel.
It worked just fine, but couldn't do anything without fuel.
While its results are interesting, something I could actually salvage from, not much I could do with an empty generator…
… Is what I'd say if I were a human. But for me? She basically granted me what I was doing.
A perfect base to harm the Spirits, dispel them from their most valuable toolkit.
"Speaking of which… Maybe I should meet one?"
Taking a glance out at the unnatural storm cloud outside, I let out a slight smirk and began with my part…
Shido POV:
Yeah… I failed.
I couldn't even approach Tome, much less talk to her…
All my effort ended in vain, as she just ran away when I got close.
Even my bento couldn't even attract her… and that pretty much told me how desperate I am.
And when the classes are over… she just, well, somehow disappeared.
Haiz… dang it…
[…!]
… Huh? What the—Oh come on!!!
Seriously?! But the report assured me that there won't be rain today?! Why?!
I then, under the heavy rain that comes out of nowhere, seek out a shelter from this…
… And I found none, so my whole clothes and bag are all soggy and drenched in water.
Just great…
[~~]
… Hm?
Just now… was that… someone singing? In the middle of the rain?
… Nah, maybe I just heard it wrong. I mean, who could—
And, as if the world just wanna make me wrong, a small figure fell into my view through the heavy raindrops.
Feeling a bit rightfully frightened with that, I slowly make my way to the side.
And before I knew it, I'm now standing in front of a temple, right before the figure, and widened my eyes in shock.
Because standing there, hopping into the puddle in the middle of the heavy rain, is just a child wearing a green raincoat.
"… Huh?"
While watching what happened before me, I couldn't help but let out a faint surprise sound.
"Eek!!!"
And the child seemingly heard that all… in the middle of the rain, as she suddenly halted her activity and bolted behind a tree just right beside the temple.
"… Um, hi?"
I wave my hand at her with an improvised awkward smile… and her azure eyes slowly fill with tears, even in the middle of the rain.
At that moment, soaked in the heavy rain, a thought slowly lingered in my min—
"Hmhmhmhmhm…"
Suddenly, a weird cracking laugh cut through my line of thought and left me startled.
"Well hello there, mister ~"
Then, through the heavy rain, a figure makes itself known behind the tree… Was a white rabbit squirming in the girl's hand.
In other words… that's a hand puppet.
"Huh…?"
I let out yet another surprise sound at that one, while being thoroughly soaked in the raindrops…