Tenki Sanluo's arrival caused almost no disturbance in Tenguu City.
There was no large-scale spacequake, no mass slaughter — she had merely exchanged a few words with Tokisaki Kurumi before Takamiya Mana arrived. The latter hadn't paid much attention to her at all.
Kurumi wouldn't go around spreading the news, and Mana had no intention of revealing her own identity, so naturally no one in Tenguu City knew that Tenki Sanluo had come.
However, for Itsuka Shidou, things were far from over.
The next day, Kurumi didn't come to school.
"Huh? Kurumi…"
"She's not coming."
Just as Shidou and Tohka were wondering aloud, Origami Tobiichi, sitting nearby, spoke calmly.
"What do you mean?"
"Literally, it means—"
Before Origami could finish her sentence, the classroom's back door opened — and standing there, wearing the exact same smile as before, was Kurumi Tokisaki.
"What the... she did come to school after all."
Shidou sighed in relief. Origami's expression didn't change much, but the way she was staring intently at Kurumi made Shidou feel that she was extremely shocked to see her today.
The reason was simple — in Origami's understanding, Kurumi should have been killed by Takamiya Mana yesterday.
Shidou's sister, Itsuka Kotori — the commander of Fraxinus — was, of course, aware of this. When she learned that Kurumi had shown up at school as if nothing happened, she ordered Shidou to come to the physics preparation room during lunch break.
Although confused, Shidou obeyed. When the lunch bell rang, he skipped his meal and ran straight to the designated room.
There, Kotori played the video footage recorded the previous day — including the scene of Takamiya Mana using her manifestation device to kill Kurumi in the alley.
Origami, as part of the AST, had been there watching from the sidelines.
"No wonder... Origami looked like that…"
"As you can see," Kotori said, "yesterday, Tokisaki Kurumi was killed by AST member Takamiya Mana. Not seriously injured, not near death — but completely, perfectly, and beyond any doubt, annihilated."
Seeing such a bloody scene for the first time, Shidou — still living as an "ordinary" high schooler — felt physically sick. It was understandable.
After all, he wasn't like Tenki Sanluo — someone wholly consumed by hatred and rage, who could kill without even a trace of guilt or hesitation.
"That's impossible…"
Shidou could hardly believe it.
"Yet you're telling me that today, Tokisaki Kurumi came to school perfectly fine…"
After analyzing the situation, the young commander Kotori gave Shidou his next order:
"Tomorrow, you must go on a date with Kurumi!"
"Eh!?"
"Did you not hear me, you moron?!" Kotori snapped. "Kurumi's 'resurrection' might be a one-time miracle. If Takamiya Mana kills her again, she might really stay dead this time!"
Since his sister had already said so, what else could Shidou do? He raised his hand helplessly.
"Fine, I'll go on a date with Kurumi tomorrow — and make her blush!"
What should have been a serious statement of determination somehow ended up sounding absurdly comedic, thanks to his tone and gestures.
---
However, things didn't go smoothly — at least, not for Shidou.
First, Tohka learned a few more "strange" things from the Maid Trio (Mii, Mai, and Ai) and that very night put her new "knowledge" to use on Shidou, forcing him to agree to a date with her the next day.
Before he could even catch his breath, Origami called him, ordering in her usual commanding tone that he also go on a date with her the next day.
Because Tohka was a Spirit, leaving her unchecked could cause her spiritual power to surge out of control, potentially leading to disaster. And since Origami was an AST member, the only way to prevent unwanted interference was to keep her occupied through a date as well.
In other words — Shidou couldn't refuse either of them. The next day, he would face a nightmare-level challenge: a triple date.
"Listen carefully!" Kotori said. "At 10 a.m., meet Tohka first and head to the East Tenguu Aquarium. Then find an excuse to slip away — Fraxinus will pick you up and fly you to the next location. At 10:30, meet Kurumi at the ticket gate for your date. Then, at 11:00, head to the station plaza to meet Origami. However, this means Tohka will be left alone for about half an hour — you'll need to find a way to make it up to her afterward…"
To ensure the success of this triple date, Kotori had gone to great lengths — not just Shidou.
Even with the advanced technology of the airship Fraxinus, this plan was barely manageable. If Shidou were just an ordinary human without access to such sci-fi support, he'd probably have been carried off in a stretcher from the chaos of this love battlefield.
"All right! Let's begin our Date (War)!"
Just as Shidou steeled himself for this ultimate test — the triple date from hell — Tenki Sanluo once again silently manifested into the world and, using the token left with Kurumi, successfully arrived in Tenguu City.
"Oh my? Miss Tenki, you've come?"
Kurumi, on her way to the appointed date spot, noticed the suddenly appearing, expressionless Sanluo. The uncovered right side of her wine-red eyes shimmered faintly with light.
"Yes. I didn't expect it to happen this soon."
Previously, the interval between Sanluo's manifestations had never been less than three days — yet this time, it had only been since the night before last, and she was already here again.
"Perfect timing, Miss Tenki," Kurumi said with a smile. "I'm about to enjoy the grand feast I've been waiting for."
"Oh? You're acting today already?"
Sanluo gave her a once-over.
"You don't look like you're about to strike."
"My, my — before the main course, there has to be a bit of foreplay. For example…"
A sensual, almost lustful smile spread across Kurumi's face.
"…a date with Mister Shidou."
"…A date?"
For the first time since being reborn into this world, Tenki Sanluo showed a clear expression of surprise and confusion.
In her previous life, she had spent more than ten years barely scraping by, never once experiencing anything like a "date."
She only knew, from something a teacher once told her when she was twelve, that a "date" was an activity between adult men and women over eighteen to deepen their relationship.
But weren't they supposed to eat that unlucky boy? What did dating a meal even mean?
"My, my. I never thought I'd see such an expression on the face of the cold and ruthless Miss Tenki. This is making me even more excited about the date."
Kurumi's lips curled further upward, amused as if she had discovered a new world.
"…That person's name is Shidou?"
Trying to cover her earlier slip, Sanluo forcefully shifted the topic.
Kurumi looked as if she wanted to tease her further, but when she saw the killing intent in Sanluo's eyes, she only smiled sweetly and replied,
"Yes. Shidou Itsuka — a boy who possesses the ability to seal a Spirit's power."
"Seal a Spirit's power?"
If before, Sanluo had only been curious about what Kurumi was plotting in Tenguu City and had no interest in her target, now she was very intrigued.
These past days of meaningless slaughter had been painfully dull. If she could add a touch of story or twist to her existence, that would be far better.
Moreover, according to Kurumi, all Spirits were stunningly beautiful girls. So why would someone with the ability to seal Spirits' powers be a boy?
That thought instantly made Sanluo recall the mysterious phantom she had once encountered.
"Could it be… its doing?"
It was only a suspicion — she hadn't met Shidou yet, so she couldn't make a definitive judgment.
"Indeed. For that very reason, after sealing multiple Spirits' powers, his body now contains an immense amount of spiritual energy. For me," Kurumi said, licking her lips with a seductive glint, "he's the perfect meal."
Unfortunately, the former man before her wasn't even remotely interested in such things — at least for now.
"So, you're going on a date with him?"
"Precisely."
After a moment's thought, Sanluo raised her head.
"Take me with you."
This time, it was Kurumi's turn to be stunned.
But then, realizing that Sanluo probably had no interest in devouring Shidou's spirit energy, she relaxed and regained her lady-like smile.
"Of course, Miss Tenki."