Shiori and Tohka were happily playing by the sea. Although Origami occasionally came to disturb them, their playtime was quite enjoyable.
Just as it was nearing noon, as Shiori was thinking about what to take Tohka to eat, Illya approached them, carrying a bag.
"Tohka, can you lend me Shiori for a while? I promise Shiori will be like new when she returns."
As soon as they met, Illya said something that made Shiori want to retort. What did she mean, 'like new'? Was she old?
And why ask Tohka about this? Wasn't she the person involved? Was she being treated as Tohka's private property?
Tohka hugged Shiori's arm, looking at Illya with wary eyes. It was clear from her expression that Tohka was unwilling to hand Shiori over.
Although Illya often brought her delicious food at school (fuhai: Feeding? Is she treating her like a pet?), when it came to Shiori, she wouldn't give in so easily!
(Tohka: I, Tohka Yatogami! Even if I'm starving! Even if I fall from here and die! I will never hand Shiori over to you!)
Already knowing Tohka would have such an expression, Illya took out something from the bag. It was... Kinako bread! Tohka's favorite thing!
The moment the Kinako bread was taken out, Tohka's eyes were glued to it, focused entirely on the Kinako bread. No matter how the Kinako bread moved, Tohka's gaze remained fixed on it.
"If you let Shiori leave with me for a while, these Kinako bread will be yours, Tohka."
"Wuwuwu~"
Tohka looked at the Kinako bread in Illya's hand with a struggling expression. There were at least a dozen Kinako bread in that bag, enough for her to have a good meal.
But she didn't want to hand Shiori over so easily. This put Tohka in a very difficult position, unsure of what to do.
"Besides these bread, how about dinner tonight? I'll pay, and I can treat you to delicious food until you can't eat anymore."
For a foodie, the allure of 'eating until you can't eat anymore' is immense, especially for someone like Tohka.
Tohka's eyes lit up. She released Shiori's arm, went up to Illya, and asked excitedly.
"Really? Can I really eat until I'm full?"
"Yes, you can. As long as you lend me Shiori for a while, I'll treat you to a full meal. I'll keep my word."
Saying this, Illya handed the bag to Tohka and winked. Her playful and cute demeanor made Tohka nod.
Shiori watched Illya and Tohka's interaction with a wry smile. As the person involved, she was just sold off so easily? She really didn't know what to say.
Illya led Shiori towards the agreed direction. To prevent Shiori from catching a cold, Illya found a jacket and had Shiori put it on.
At the corner, Illya used her teleportation ability to move, preventing Origami, who was following behind, from ruining their plans.
Shiori didn't think Illya would harm her, so she obediently followed behind Illya. But she was very curious about Illya's purpose in taking her to a deserted place.
Could it be like the plots in those games, where she wanted to confess to her in a secluded place?
But if a confession succeeded in such a place, wouldn't it lead to some strange storyline? If that really happened, what should she do?
"Um... that, Illya. Is there something you need? Why did you bring me to a deserted place?"
"Eh~ Why, indeed? Perhaps I want to savor delicious Shiori in a secluded place, just like Kurumi."
Illya said with a giggle, even licking her lips in Chloe's manner, making a very aggressive expression that made Shiori cover her body and retreat a few steps.
"Ahahaha~ Shiori is really cute, isn't she? Hehe o(*￣︶￣*)o~ You always make people want to tease you a bit. But eating Shiori can wait; such things can't be forced. This time, I'm taking you to meet someone."
"So... someone? Who?"
Hearing that she wasn't going to do anything strange to her, Shiori breathed a sigh of relief. But after hearing the latter part, she felt a bit strange again.
Who would need to meet without anyone else present? Couldn't they meet in front of everyone?
"Who is it... Hmm~ She's your girlfriend."
"Eh?"
"Ah~ I misspoke, I misspoke. It should be your wife."
"Eh eh??"
"No, no. Goodness, I wanted to find a better way to put it, but it still sounds so strange."
She tapped her head with her right hand, stuck out her tongue, and made a cute expression. Under Shiori's stiff expression, Illya continued.
"The person I want you to meet this time is your mother."
"Your real mother, not your current adoptive mother."
Feeling that Shiori would definitely misunderstand her words, Illya added another sentence, which completely stunned Shiori.
Mother... that mother who abandoned her? Shiori thought about this word with a somewhat complex feeling.
She had no childhood memories. When she was adopted by the Itsuka family, she didn't have detailed information about her parents.
Now Illya had actually found her mother and wanted her to meet her. This... "There are some things you always have to know, Shiori. I'm just making this happen a bit earlier. Meeting before the worst happens is the best choice."
'And my previous description wasn't wrong. She is not only your mother, but also your girlfriend, and can even be considered your wife.'
Illya added in her mind. Mio Takamiya truly fit all three of those identities. This could be considered the most complex identity.
However... Mio Takamiya can be a wife, or even a mother, in addition to being a girlfriend. Three identities, triple the joy!
Woah~ Illya didn't dare to think any further; the relationships involved were simply too complicated!
Illya and Shiori exited the Imaginary Space. This was another part of Hitogami Island, where no one would appear, making it the best meeting spot.
On the beach near the ocean, a young girl wearing a white dress and a white hat stood with her back to them, seemingly waiting for something.
"Huh? That back... it feels so familiar."
That back reminded Shiori of someone; she felt as if she had seen it somewhere before.
Illya smiled, released Shiori's hand, and walked over to the other person.
"Hey, I've already brought her to you. As per our agreement, now it's time for you two to spend time together."
"Eh? Eh~ Is... is it that fast? I... I'm not ready yet."
Mio Takamiya said in a panic. She thought it would take several hours to bring Shiori, so how did Shiori arrive so quickly?
"What do you mean, fast? Didn't you really want to see her? I've already set up a barrier here; neither DEM nor anyone else will disturb you. Even the people from Ratatoskr won't be able to see this scene. You can tell Shiori everything you want to say."
"But... even so, I'm still not ready..."
"You've waited all these years; are you really not going to have a good talk with Shiori? And you've been through so much, why are you still acting like a child?"
It must be said that Mio Takamiya was truly quite naive, or rather, very naive when facing Shiori. Her previous cold demeanor was completely gone, and a hint of pink colored her delicate face, giving her a unique charm.
"Wuwu~ Is this your plan? What if Shiori can't accept it?"
"If Shiori can't accept it, then make her accept it. Don't worry, I have tens of thousands of ways to make Shiori accept your identity."
"V-violence is not allowed! I won't let you hurt Xiao Shi!"
"I know you care for Shiori. Alright, hurry up! Hurry up! She's getting impatient!"
Shiori overheard every word of the conversation between Shiori and Mio Takamiya, but it only raised more and more questions for Shiori.
When Mio Takamiya turned around, shyly lowering her head and not daring to face Shiori, Shiori saw her face and finally understood why she had found that back familiar.
"Rei... Reine-san? No... no, you're not Reine-san."
Murasame Reine was Kotori Itsuka's good friend, but her true identity was a clone of Mio Takamiya, similar to a single mind, two bodies setting.
However, Murasame Reine had the appearance of a twenty-year-old, while Mio Takamiya was a sixteen-year-old beautiful girl; the difference between them was obvious at a glance.
What was going on? Wasn't she supposed to meet her mother? Why was this beautiful girl, who looked eighty percent like Murasame Reine, here?
However... the moment Shiori saw Mio Takamiya, she felt a sense of past life destiny, with her genes and soul yearning for her.
Shiori's gaze made Mio Takamiya nervously fidget with her dress. Despite possessing the power to destroy this world, in front of Shiori, Mio Takamiya was like a young couple on a date, not daring to meet Shiori's eyes.
Finally, with Illya's help, Mio Takamiya slowly and leisurely walked in front of Shiori.
"Um... um, my name is Mio Takamiya. In a sense, this is our first meeting, Xiao Shi."
"Takamiya? Why do you have the same surname as Mana? What... what is your relationship with me?"
Shiori had heard the name Takamiya from Mana, but she had only considered Takamiya to be the surname of her biological parents.
Mio Takamiya's name made Shiori initially believe that the other party indeed had some relationship with her. Whether it was her imagination or not, Shiori always felt as if she had seen Mio Takamiya somewhere before.
"I... I... um, Xiao Shi. Before I explain these things, please promise me, don't hate me."
"Eh?"
Shiori looked at the nervous Mio Takamiya, not understanding why Mio Takamiya would say "don't hate me."
"Because... because I've done things that hurt Xiao Shi. So, I hope Xiao Shi won't hate me after knowing about me. I... I can't be without Xiao Shi."
Although Shiori was confused by Mio Takamiya's words, she still nodded and agreed to Mio Takamiya's request.
After Shiori agreed, Mio Takamiya used her power to restore Shiori's memories of Shinji Takamiya.
The moment Shinji Takamiya's memories appeared in her mind, Shiori knelt on the ground, feeling dizzy, and her face grew paler and paler as the memories flooded her mind.
"Mio..."
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