"You... are you really Yoshino? Why?"
Why did she feel so unfamiliar? If it weren't for the familiar feeling, Inaba Tsukiyo would have started to doubt if this Yoshino was someone else impersonating her.
"Don't be nervous, Tsukiyo-chan. The connection between us already proves our bond, doesn't it? Do you remember why you appeared in the Neighboring World where I was when you first met me?"
"I… I don't know. I only know that after I completed the task Alaya gave me, I came to that place when I was traveling between worlds…"
She began to suspect that Alaya had orchestrated all of this, but what was Alaya's purpose in doing so? She didn't seem to have anything worth being used by Alaya, did she?
"Alaya-chan… it really is her… No wonder I haven't seen her with Gaia recently. It turns out she's been focusing her attention on you."
Yoshino nodded thoughtfully, as if she had understood something.
It seems this Yoshino is very familiar with Alaya, even intimately calling her Alaya-chan, and the name Gaia even appeared.
"Oh my~ oh my~ It seems she doesn't quite believe you, Yoshino. Shall I talk to her? I guarantee I'll make her understand the whole process."
Suddenly, a 'Yoshino' with the exact same appearance as Yoshino walked out from behind her. This 'Yoshino' wore a white dress and had a kind smile on her face.
However, this smile made Inaba Tsukiyo feel very dangerous, as if she was being stared at by something terrifying.
"Hmph! Talk to her? I'm afraid you're planning something bad. Because you've seen another reincarnation, you can't help but want to bully her? What a twisted fellow."
Alright, another 'Yoshino' walked out from behind Yoshino. However, this Yoshino was different from the previous two.
As if to distinguish herself better, she wore a black Gothic Lolita style dress. Her face lacked Yoshino's soft cuteness and the other's smile; instead, it held an expression of disdain, completely contrary to Inaba Tsukiyo's impression of Yoshino.
"What are you looking at! What's so good to look at! Do you think all Yoshinos are timid and submissive? Believe it or not, I'll teach you a lesson!"
Alright, can't mess with her, can't mess with her. Inaba Tsukiyo took two steps back, somewhat scared.
The moment this 'Yoshino' got angry, Inaba Tsukiyo clearly saw the inverse kabbalah evil tree beneath the kabbalah tree of life begin to react, as if she represented the inverse kabbalah evil tree.
"Alright, alright. Don't be like that, Evil. You should also know that everyone who sees you has this reaction, especially since she has lived with Yoshino for so long."
"Tch! That little time of hers, how is that long! We've lived together for hundreds of years, and she's only been a few months. Also, don't touch me! You pervert! Good!"
Evil pushed away Good, who was trying to get closer, with a look of disgust. Good seemed used to Evil's actions, constantly approaching her with a smile, and finally hugged her, continuously rubbing her head amidst Evil's dissatisfied.
Inaba Tsukiyo stared blankly at the scene before her. She had initially thought they were very powerful people… No, the feeling they gave her was indeed terrifying. If she didn't use all her strength, she probably wouldn't be able to last a single move against them.
But what was with this scene? She had initially thought Evil was some kind of criminal, but now it seemed she was just a tsundere Yoshino, while Good was a cunning Yoshino.
"Don't worry, Guardian. This is their way of communicating. We just need to watch them from the side."
Seemingly noticing Inaba Tsukiyo's confusion, the Angel came to her side, embracing Inaba Tsukiyo from behind and said, "I remember... you seem to be... Randegil. The Guardian Angel of the fourth sephirah of the kabbalah tree of life..."
Because Yoshino and her companions' power system originates from the kabbalah tree of life, she has some understanding of it, especially the knowledge concerning the fourth sephirah.
"Yes, I'm grateful you still remember my name, Guardian. However, I am not the Randegil of this world. And I am not Randegil's Original Body; I am merely a clone summoned, a part of my Original Body left with the Guardian."
"A... clone? No way?"
Inaba Tsukiyo sensed Randegil's power. This brief sensation was fine, but after a more careful examination, Inaba Tsukiyo became a little flustered.
Randegil's power was immense, so powerful that Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't see its limits. Which world's Randegil's clone was this? Was it really that terrifying?
"Don't be surprised; this is all thanks to the Guardian. If it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't have reached my current level."
Originally just a clone, her ability to possess power far exceeding her Original Body was all due to Yoshino, which is also why she is so loyal to Yoshino.
"Oh my~ Oh my~ Seriously, I didn't expect little Randegil to set her sights on a new little Master. How sad, I didn't think little Randegil was this kind of person..."
The red-clad older sister next to them said with a crying voice, but Randegil saw through her scheme at a glance, glaring at her disapprovingly.
"Enough, Asta. Don't use your clumsy acting in front of me. If you do this again, I'll..."
"Throw away all my games? Heh heh~ Little Randegil, you underestimate me too much. Do you think I don't have any preventative measures? I have backups for every single game."
The older sister puffed out her chest proudly, seemingly very satisfied with her decision, but didn't notice the slight upturn of Randegil's lips.
"Oh? Is that so? Then you're very impressive. In that case, I'll try a different approach. How about I erase all your game saves?"
"!!!! You're a demon!"
As if seeing something terrifying, Astaroth looked at Randegil in horror, with an expression that screamed, "You are the devil."
"Excuse me, I am Randegil, the Guardian Angel of the sephirah. The true demon is Astaroth, the fourth cardinal vice, which is you. You are the true demon. I am merely performing the duties an angel should."
"..."
Well, the relationship between this angel and demon was also very confusing. What was going on with them?
You are an angel and a demon, right? Why is your relationship so good? Why do you seem like friends?
Inaba Tsukiyo felt her common sense being challenged. Angels and demons, who should be incompatible, were bickering like friends.
Could it be... this was Yoshino's effort? Did she make Randegil and Astaroth's relationship the way it is now?
(fuhai: No, it's simply because Astaroth has fallen, which is why it's like this.)
Watching Yoshino mediate, Inaba Tsukiyo felt she should have a good talk with her.
Yoshino, who had finally calmed down the good and evil, led Inaba Tsukiyo to a quiet place and offered her tea and pastries.
"This ability... I remember it's Kurumi's City of Devouring Time..."
"Oh? You mean this. It is Kurumi's power, but I don't use it to steal other people's time. Instead, I put some necessary things inside and take them out when needed."
"..."
Well, Inaba Tsukiyo was impressed, though she wondered how Kurumi would feel knowing her ability was being used this way.
Through their conversation, Inaba Tsukiyo gradually understood why she had come into contact with Yoshino. It was mainly because the Yoshino in her world had formed a connection with the Yoshino before her.
Although due to world reasons, the Yoshino before her could not directly descend into Inaba Tsukiyo's world, she could project her consciousness onto Yoshino, meeting in this manner.
"So... we are all lives born from the soul of that person named 'Lin'? Our current state is related to that guy's identity?"
"If you want to think that... it's not impossible. However, Lin is already dead, so even if we are lives born from his soul, it has nothing to do with him."
Compared to Inaba Tsukiyo's confusion, Yoshino saw through this relationship more clearly. She had experienced far more than Inaba Tsukiyo, and her thoughts were a bit more mature.
It was just that her soft personality wouldn't disappear due to these experiences, which troubled her a bit, as too many people liked to bully her because of her personality.
Yoshino actually wished she had Inaba Tsukiyo's personality; just by closing her eyes and sitting there silently, a sense of authority continuously emanated from her.
(fuhai: This is your illusion, girl. As soon as she encounters a strong-willed girl, her personality becomes as soft as can be.)
"Then... why did you meet me this time? According to game and novel plots, we should meet at the very end, shouldn't we?"
"Please don't use game and novel plots to explain this matter. This isn't some RPG game; we don't need to act that way."
Yoshino said with a wry smile. Perhaps it was because they were all lives born from Lin's soul, Yoshino felt very close to Inaba Tsukiyo, and Inaba Tsukiyo felt the same way.
"The main reason I came to meet you this time is that I recently learned about you from Nero, Okita Souji, and the others, so I couldn't resist coming to see you."
Not long ago, she learned of Inaba Tsukiyo's existence from Nero. After realizing that Inaba Tsukiyo's world was a parallel world of Date A Live, with Manjuka's help, she found Inaba Tsukiyo's world and couldn't help but chat with her through the Yoshino of this world.
"Due to my identity, I cannot give you too much help. However, when you encounter trouble, I will help you as much as possible. And you also need to accept the person inside you; only then will your strength improve."
"Accept... are you talking about that guy? But I've clearly already accepted her identity."
"Not that kind of acceptance, but seeing her as a part of yourself. That's what you need to do now, Tsukiyo-chan."
There was another thing Yoshino didn't mention, and that was the other existence within Inaba Tsukiyo, Victorica.
Originally, she had intended to tell Inaba Tsukiyo about Victorica, but after realizing Victorica didn't want Inaba Tsukiyo to know of her existence so soon, she gave up on the idea.
This was Inaba Tsukiyo's matter; she shouldn't interfere. And in a way, it was also quite interesting, wasn't it?
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Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
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