After a bout of chaos, Tianqi Sanluo stared blankly up at the sky, drool trickling from the corner of her mouth.
She seemed to have overlooked a fact—though she herself didn't even realize it—she was seasick.
Despite possessing terrifying power capable of wiping out a city with ease, she was utterly helpless when faced with something like this.
Even a simple amusement ride like this boat was no small ordeal for Tianqi Sanluo.
"...I regret this."
She murmured faintly, her consciousness hazy. Coming to this godforsaken place with these two spirits, who seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, had to be the worst decision ever.
Now great—she'd not only made a fool of herself, but those two had clearly seen it all.
The "most brutal spirit" image she'd worked so hard to maintain had completely collapsed.
However, once she regained awareness, Tianqi Sanluo turned her head and noticed that Tohka and Yoshino didn't seem to have paid much attention to her; rather, they were happily exchanging their impressions of the ride.
It seemed her most embarrassing moment had gone unnoticed.
Thinking back, they didn't seem to have been doing much better during the ride—alternating between screaming in fear and excitement—so they'd had no time to pay attention to her.
It was only near the last turn that they'd noticed something was off with her.
If that really was the case, then things weren't so bad after all. At least most of her dignity was intact.
Her head was still spinning, so Tianqi Sanluo patted her cheeks to pull herself together.
"Tianqi, are you okay?"
Tohka leaned in, eyes sparkling, as she asked for Tianqi Sanluo's opinion.
By the way, on the way here Tohka had been pestering her nonstop, trying to find out her name. Tianqi Sanluo, annoyed beyond measure, had finally told her the nickname Shidou used for her, letting the idiot call her that too—after all, it wouldn't matter even if she knew her real name.
"Mm… I'm fine, I guess."
Tianqi Sanluo forced herself to suppress the nausea rising from her stomach, maintaining a façade of calm.
"How about you, Yoshino?"
"Mm… I'm okay… just a bit dizzy…"
After hearing Yoshino's response, Tohka looked back longingly at the ride and suggested excitedly:
"Then, why don't we go again?"
"Huh?"
Unlike the excitement in Tohka's eyes or the anticipation in Yoshino's, Tianqi Sanluo froze like a statue, turning stiffly like a robot to stare at the massive attraction behind them.
For her, doing it again would be worse than facing off against thousands of AST troops head-on—or even fighting that elusive phantom spirit, no matter the cost.
What made Tianqi Sanluo want to cough blood was that, according to the latest intel, the "Rapid River Descent" they had just taken was actually a hidden "easter egg" attraction—something that appeared randomly. Normally, it was a gentle water ride where people floated leisurely down the river, sightseeing.
In other words, she had been exceptionally "lucky"—she'd hit the one version most unfriendly to her.
"Um…"
Just as Tianqi Sanluo opened her mouth, intending to talk Tohka out of the idea with her usual glib tongue, she suddenly sensed a powerful spatial-field fluctuation nearby—strong, far beyond what an ordinary AST member could generate.
"Eh? That's—"
"Alright! Let's go again!"
Having missed her chance, Tianqi Sanluo was left dumbfounded as Tohka threw her back into the boat once more.
Because her head was still foggy and her limbs weak, she barely had the strength to resist. As the staff member pulled the lever, she could only sit helplessly as the boat—with Tohka and Yoshino—set off again on another "joyful" journey.
Tianqi Sanluo: "..."
Life is unpredictable—like sausage wrapped in sausage.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Shidou and Kotori had already enjoyed themselves throughout the amusement park.
Because of Tianqi Sanluo's interference earlier, although their date had technically gone as planned, there had always been a lingering sense of restraint—or perhaps coercion.
Now, without that demoness overseeing them, their date felt much more natural.
Especially after Shidou learned that Kotori had been forcing herself to stay composed by relying on sedatives to make it through the date.
He made up his mind—he would definitely seal Kotori's spirit power.
"Shidou, I'm tired… but this place is really fun."
Kotori turned her head aside, not wanting Shidou to see her expression.
"Yeah… come to think of it, when was the last time we came to an amusement park?"
Shidou bit his lip, trying to recall. Their parents were rarely home, so it must have been a long time ago—
"Five years ago."
"Huh?"
Five years again.
That year, the Itsuka family had gone to an amusement park for the last time.
That year, Kotori had become a Spirit.
That year, Shidou had—most likely for the first time—sealed a Spirit's power.
And—that year, Origami's parents had been killed.
Could all these events be connected somehow?
Shidou stood in silence, then moved to stand facing Kotori, who had been sitting beside him.
He wanted to know—was it Kotori who had killed Origami's parents five years ago?
But when the question reached his lips, he couldn't say it.
Maybe… he was afraid Kotori would confirm it.
At that moment, he almost missed Tianqi Sanluo—if she were here, she would've seen right through him and forced him to just say it.
"...What's wrong?"
Kotori looked up, slightly confused. Then, as if realizing something, her shoulders trembled, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.
"...I know, Shidou. It's about that time, isn't it? But shouldn't we go somewhere less crowded first? Doing it in such a public place…"
"Huh?"
Shidou froze for a moment before realizing—Kotori must've thought he was about to seal her spirit power.
Though that was important too, right now he wanted to ask about what happened five years ago. The sealing could wait until afterward.
"Uh, Kotori, it's not about sealing—I really have something to ask you."
"Ah? Then ask away."
Maybe it was just his imagination, but Shidou thought Kotori looked a bit… disappointed just now.
Still, that wasn't what mattered at the moment.
"Kotori, five years ago—"
Before he could finish, Shidou noticed the sounds around them suddenly fading away.
Then, he saw an invisible, film-like wall forming around him—
Yes, it was just like the "territory fields" created by AST members using CR-Units.
But this one… this one felt even stronger.
"Huh? What—"
Shidou looked up and saw a dark silhouette descending from above—right onto where Kotori was.
The next second, a deafening explosion roared across the area, and flames engulfed everything in his vision.
"Wha—ah…"
Before he could even grasp what was happening, Shidou stood frozen in place, unable to move.
He wasn't injured—the external territory field had protected him.
But outside that field—where Kotori had been—the scene was utterly devastated.
It looked as though countless high-explosive missiles had plowed the ground, and the attack carried a slow, deliberate killing intent.
Shidou staggered forward, trying to reach the smoke-shrouded edge of the barrier.
But his power was far too weak. Even with all his Spirit energy, he couldn't break through such a strong field.
"Kotori!"
Shidou shouted, desperately searching for his sister's trace.
But unfortunately, all he saw was scorched earth.
Then, he finally came to his senses and looked toward the source of the missile barrage—
a figure hovering above.
"Shidou, it's dangerous! Get away!"
It was Tobiichi Origami.
But her equipment looked different from the standard AST CR-Unit.
A massive manifestation device completely encased her body, like an enormous external armor.
It was fitted with multiple missile launchers and two huge cannons on the sides.
Had Shidou not seen it himself, he would never have believed such a walking arsenal could exist—much less appear in the middle of his date with Kotori.
"Uwah—aaaaaaah!!"
After a brief moment of silence, nearby visitors screamed and fled in panic, leaving Tobiichi Origami and Itsuka Shidou alone on their ready-made stage.
"Origami! Do you know what you're doing?!"
Shidou shouted hoarsely.
"I know."
Origami's voice was calm as still water—but beneath it, an erupting volcano seemed ready to burst forth.
"I'm going to kill Itsuka Kotori."
"Kill her? Hmph, what an inaccurate choice of words."
As soon as Origami spoke, a voice emerged from within the flames—Kotori, protected by the fire, standing unscathed.