"Actually, your intentions are quite simple: you just want to be with Shiori, to be together forever."
To prevent others from overhearing their conversation, Illya took Mio Takamiya to the Imaginary Space and reverted to her original form as Inaba Tsukiyo, thereby demonstrating her sincerity.
Ultimately, Mio Takamiya was quite simple. Her goal had always been to be with Shinji Takamiya, and even when he was revived as Shiori, Mio Takamiya's feelings did not change because of this.
Although Mio Takamiya had done many things to hurt others, all of this was her effort to ensure Shiori could be with her for a lifetime.
Shinji Takamiya gave her the name Mio Takamiya, making her understand what love was, but before she could truly experience it, Shinji Takamiya died.
After experiencing immense grief, Mio Takamiya realized how fragile human beings truly were.
For the sake of the one she loved, Mio Takamiya was willing to accept such guilt. Of course, she also knew that Shiori would absolutely not forgive her once she learned of everything she had done.
But after telling Shiori the truth, she would make her forget the past, and once Shiori gained the same eternal life as herself, they would be together forever.
"Regarding eternal life, I actually have more say than you. I don't know how long you lived before being summoned to this world, but I have already lived for hundreds of years."
Mio Takamiya naturally didn't believe Inaba Tsukiyo's words. To prove her words were true, Inaba Tsukiyo shared the memories she still remembered with Mio Takamiya, allowing her to review her entire life in a few seconds.
Mio Takamiya fell into a brief daze. When she came to her senses, the look in her eyes towards Inaba Tsukiyo was no longer hostile, but rather a feeling of shared suffering.
She envied Inaba Tsukiyo because she could spend her life with the person she loved, but she also felt a kinship with Inaba Tsukiyo because she couldn't be with the person she loved forever.
They were both immortal beings; compared to them, human lifespans were simply too short.
Even if one could achieve fleeting happiness, after the departure of the loved one, what remained was hundreds of years of emptiness, a feeling more unbearable than death itself.
Perhaps it was this shared understanding that made the subsequent conversation much lighter. Mio Takamiya also told Inaba Tsukiyo about everything she had done to resurrect Shiori.
Upon hearing that Mio Takamiya had actually absorbed Shinji Takamiya's remains into her womb to re-conceive Shiori in order to resurrect him, Inaba Tsukiyo directly spat out her drink.
"Cough! Cough! Cough! You... you mean, your method of resurrecting Shiori was to become her mother and give birth to her again?!"
"Huh? Yes. What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Mio Takamiya looked at Inaba Tsukiyo in confusion, not understanding why she had suddenly lost her composure so much that she had even spit out water.
Well, it seemed Mio Takamiya truly didn't understand what her actions represented. To resurrect Shinji Takamiya, she had truly gone all out.
Astonishing! How could such a thing happen! Wife... no, given the relationship between Mio Takamiya and Shinji Takamiya at the time, it shouldn't have reached that level yet.
For one's girlfriend to become one's mother thirty years later, that's a bit too thrilling!
If... if Shiori had captured... no, Mio Takamiya's affection for Shiori was already at maximum, so there was no such thing as capturing.
Wow~ The circle you run in is truly wild. I can't help but admire Mio Takamiya's idea. I guess only Mio Takamiya would come up with such a plan. I wonder what Shiori will think when she learns the truth.
"Cough! Cough! I basically understand what you want to do. However, is this really a good idea? Even without me saying it, you know that neither Shinji Takamiya nor the current Shiori would allow such a thing to happen. If Shiori knew that her life was built upon the sacrifice of countless young girls, she would definitely feel pain."
Shiori was that kind of person. She would do anything dangerous to save the Spirits, regardless of her own safety.
If she knew how many people Mio Takamiya had sacrificed to resurrect her, Shiori would surely be in great pain.
But this girl would definitely not blame Mio Takamiya; instead, she would take all the blame upon herself, believing that Mio Takamiya's crazy actions were all due to her own death.
"I know... so after telling Xiao Shi these things, I will seal Xiao Shi's memories. As long as I bear these sins, it's fine. I just need Shiori to be by my side."
"...Then, after Shiori seals all the Spirits and possesses the power of all Spirits within her, what do you plan to do? What will you do with those young girls you turned into Spirits?"
Inaba Tsukiyo could ignore the previous points, but this last one, Inaba Tsukiyo wanted to know how Mio Takamiya planned to treat them after Shiori gained the power of all Spirits.
Would she make them lose their Spirit powers and become ordinary young girls? Or would she... the darkest outcome, and also the most unacceptable outcome. Inaba Tsukiyo did not want the latter to happen, but facts often tend to develop towards the darkest place.
Mio Takamiya's determination to be with Shiori forever exceeded Inaba Tsukiyo's expectations.
"After Xiao Shi seals the power of all Spirits, I will close the Spirit power channel between Xiao Shi and the Spirits, allowing Xiao Shi to completely absorb all Spirit power. Then... I will reclaim the spirit crystals and take back my power."
The moment Mio Takamiya finished speaking, the Imaginary Space abruptly shifted, the ethereal blue space turning into a burning magma, as if reflecting Inaba Tsukiyo's emotions at that moment. Even Mio Takamiya felt danger.
The reason Mio Takamiya was confident she could deal with other Spirits after Shiori absorbed all their power was simply because the Spirits' power originated from her.
In other words, when the Spirits finally fought her, she could easily counter-kill them, and even control the Spirits' Angels, essentially a battle between an administrator and players.
But Inaba Tsukiyo was different. Even if she had Yoshino's power within her, that was only a part of Inaba Tsukiyo's power. Mio Takamiya could feel another power within Inaba Tsukiyo that was no less than her own.
At the same time, Mio Takamiya could see several figures standing behind Inaba Tsukiyo: an Angel with pink long hair, a Devil with black long hair, and a Little Loli with blue hair facing away from Inaba Tsukiyo.
Eh? That... that figure, why does it look so familiar? It seems like I've seen it somewhere before.
Both in physique and appearance, it was too similar to that child, almost as if that child was standing there, but how could that be... The two young girls standing beside Inaba Tsukiyo possessed power beyond her own, and the Little Loli with her back to her possessed even greater power than them. How could this be? If it really was that child, how could such a thing happen... Mio Takamiya couldn't understand, but one thing was certain: why Inaba Tsukiyo had descended into this world with Yoshino.
"Your plan... will not succeed. As long as Shiori doesn't seal all the Spirits, you cannot lay a hand on them."
"You're right. You inadvertently ruined my plan. Moreover, you are also someone Xiao Shi cares about, whether it's you or the Little Girl you transform into, it's the same."
To make Shiori an immortal being like herself, Shiori must absorb the Spirits' power, and after absorption, their connection must be severed.
Finally, she would reclaim all the spirit crystals, thus restoring her original strength and living with Shiori forever.
But this plan was ruined before Shiori had even sealed the Spirits. Inaba Tsukiyo's existence completely hindered Shiori's progress, and frustratingly, she couldn't do anything about it.
Actually, the last time on the Rooftop wasn't the first time she had tracked her. When Inaba Tsukiyo and Yoshino descended, Mio Takamiya had already secretly followed Inaba Tsukiyo several times, hiding herself well each time and not being discovered.
She had considered eliminating Inaba Tsukiyo, this unstable factor, but every time she intended to act, she felt as if she was being watched by something terrifying.
She would die. If she made a move, she would die.
Her intuition constantly warned Mio Takamiya that if she were to harm Inaba Tsukiyo, she would die the next moment, and it was no joke.
Before, she had thought this was Inaba Tsukiyo's power, but now it seemed that the feeling at the time did not originate from Inaba Tsukiyo.
In other words, something terrifying had been watching Inaba Tsukiyo, and this girl had someone stronger protecting her from behind.
She still wanted to be with Shiori; she didn't want to die here. Even if it was just her illusion, she absolutely didn't want such a thing to happen.
Inaba Tsukiyo didn't know what Mio Takamiya was thinking. Mio Takamiya's identity was too sensitive. Mio Takamiya's existence was very important to this world, an indispensable part of it.
If Mio Takamiya were to be eliminated here, it would lead to the collapse of the world, and she certainly didn't want that to happen.
But this girl wanted to deal with Yoshino and other Spirits, and this was something she absolutely could not allow.
"I will not allow you to harm the Spirits. Whether it's Yoshino or other Spirits, I will not allow you to lay a hand on them."
"However, I feel your affection for Shiori. So... how about a trade? A trade that benefits both you and me?"
"...What trade?"
Mio Takamiya couldn't help but ask. Since she couldn't attack Inaba Tsukiyo, she could only listen to what kind of good trade this girl had.
"Your plan is to be with Shiori, and my goal is to protect the Spirits, including Yoshino. Your goal of wanting to be with Shiori doesn't require killing Spirits, or do you absolutely have to achieve your goal by killing Spirits?"
"..."
Mio Takamiya fell silent. Of course, she didn't want to kill the Spirits; her care for them wasn't fake. The reason she did those things was simply because they were necessary means to achieve her goals.
However, this was already the best plan she could come up with. And could she truly trust Inaba Tsukiyo? Could she really believe her?
"I... don't believe you."
"I know, but you don't have any other choice, do you?"
Yes, at this point, with her plan and true identity exposed, she had no other options.
Unless she killed Inaba Tsukiyo, who knew her plan, right here. But she had no way to deal with Inaba Tsukiyo, so... Mio Takamiya nodded. She agreed to Inaba Tsukiyo's so-called deal. Perhaps agreeing to Inaba Tsukiyo was her only possibility of achieving her goal.
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