Date A Live Encore - Volume 1 - Chapter 1

Tohka Game Center

 
“Origami Tobiichi, You~~ stupid dummy—!”

 
—Bang!

 
While roaring, a fist connected with its target at a speed that was too quick for anyone to quickly cover their eyes and ears.

 
In the next moment, the fist connected with the stand: piercing the LCD screen in front and tearing a hole through the machine.

 
Slowly, the broken wires let a few weak sparks and the now destroyed screen exploded, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.

 
“A-Ah…!”

 
The sudden explosion made Itsuka Shidou who had seen what happened in front of him stare with his eyes so wide in shock that they might just fall out of their sockets.

 
Currently in a game center in Tenguu City.

 
The game console with boxing gloves and targets—which was to say, the boxing machine.

 
“Haah, I feel much better now.”

 
Tohka Yatogami let out a sigh as she spoke, she then pulled off the gloves that had pierced past the machine and tossed them onto what was left of the machine.

 
She had a slender body, hair as dark as the night sky, and crystalline colored eyes.

 
If life was kind, then such beauty may be possible in this world.

 
In front of the girl was a damaged boxing machine that continued to play the trumpet sound despite being heavily damaged. This was surely a surreal situation.

 
The other guests around were similarly dumbfounded.

 
“Y-Yeah… th-that’s really good to hear…”

 
As Shidou responded while sweat trickled down his face, he could hear the sound of footsteps from behind him.

 
“Hello...guest! Hey, what do you think you’re doing! What a pain!”

 
The man who seemed to be a staff member at the game center rushed over in a flurry of panic.

 
“Huh?”

 
“Ah… It’s no good!”

 
But—

 
“...Huh?”

 
The staff member stopped just short of reaching Shidou and Tohka.

 
The reason was obvious. Because there was a dark skinned man dressed in black who appeared to be more than 2 meters tall and appeared before as though he intended to prevent him from moving forward.

 
“You… what are you…”

 
“Don’t be rude. Let’s talk over there…”

 
“Huh? Hey, wait a minute...huh? N-No, stop it! A-A-Ah!”

 
Shidou could only watch as the staff member let out a wail of protest as he was dragged away by the much taller man.

 
“What happened just now?”

 
“...No… I don’t know.”

 
Although Shidou responded to Tohka in the way he had… but he actually had a suspicion who the man actually was.

 
Sure enough… From the earpiece clipped in his right ear, he could hear a young girl’s voice in his ear.

 
[“—We’ll clear out any obstacles in your path. You can relax while you continue the date. Let Tohka get a chance to relax a little bit.”]

 
“...Got it.”

 
Shidou answered quietly in order to prevent Tohka from overhearing him.

 
This was surely a lovely date for an after school setting.

 
It all started earlier in the day.

 
“Tonomachi, what’s that thing on your phone?”

 
Classes had ended for the day. While all of their classmates had started to make their way home in twos and threes, Shidou was busy organizing the contents of his school bag as he spoke to his classmate: Hiroto Tonomachi.

 
“Hmm? Are you talking about this?”

 
Tonomachi waved the cell phone in his hand while running his fingers through his hair, styled with liberal use of gel.

 
The animal charm attached to the corner of the phone shook.

 
“It’s cute. It’s a colorful animal charm.”

 
“Right… Be careful not to commit the crime of displaying obscene objects.”

 
“Don’t you think this is the best character design? How would this be considered obscene?!”

 
“Oh… sorry, I just spoke unconsciously…”

 
Shidou apologized while smiling bitterly. “It can’t be helped.” Tonomachi shrugged and answered:

 
“I have more of them. Do you want one? It seems like this series is very popular right now. If you hang it on your phone, girls will surely come in droves!” Tonomachi finished as he pulled out a paper bag from his uniform pocket. Inside were charms sealed in a simple plastic packaging.

 
“Ah? So you have two of them?”

 
“No, I won this from the game center. The last time I was there, I managed to get two in one try.”

 
“Wow, this is amazing.”

 
Shidou stared at the thing that Tonomachi brought.

 
...The eyes looked a little too real for his taste and he didn’t think that they were very cute.

 
“...But never mind. I’m not into that.”

 
“You’re not? I think it’s cute.”

 
“Ah, well, I think this one’s cute.”

 
Shidou pointed to the panda bear mascot printed on the back of the packaging.

 
“Ah, you’re a fan of the dream panda [Panda Ronnie]. He is a good friend and seems very good at playing with a ball.”

 
“I don’t know about all of that. But if I had to pick one, I think i would pick this one.”

 
“It’s a pity that I don’t have that one. I’ve tried to get it a few times but with the way that he’s positioned makes it difficult to win and the clerks aren’t at all helpful.”

 
“Right.”

 
Shidou responded in that way at that time.

 
“—What did you say!?”

 
Suddenly there was such a loud roar in the rear and Shidou’s shoulders trembled.

 
“W-What happened…?”

 
He looked behind him, shoulders trembling and spotted two female students arguing with each other.

 
“No… that can’t be true…! You bastard, if you keep spouting nonsense, I won’t spare you next time!”

 
“I’m just telling the truth.”

 
“Shut up! Who would believe such things!”

 
“It's you who is being loud. Be quiet.”

 
“What are you talking about!”

 
“Are you done?”

 
It seemed that the two sides had no intention of giving in to each other.

 
On one side was Tohka, and the other side was a girl with an expression like that of a doll and replying calmly: Origami Tobiichi.

 
She boasted excellent grades and was incredible at sports. She was the perfect superhuman to be the pride of Shidou’s class.

 
“All of a sudden… what happened…”

 
Shidou turned around and noticed that Tonomachi’s figure seemed to have vanished.

 
“T-That guy…”

 
It seemed that he’d encountered something troublesome.

 
Shidou sighed loudly.

 
Although he didn’t know the reason for their quarrel, they can’t seem to let it go. Shidou spoke fearfully:

 
“H-Hello…”

 
“Hello!”

 
“How are you?”

 
Shidou spoke to them and almost immediately Tohka and Origami turned their gazes on him at the same time.

 
Although he flinched for a moment: Shidou mustered enough courage to continue the conversation:

 
“C-Calm down, what happened between you two?”

 
As Shidou asked, Tohka and Origami clashed with each other again.

 
...He’d always noticed that they seemed to act like this and their conflict seemed to make the air vibrate slightly.

 
“—I just said something that is often taken for granted. It is Tohka Yatogami who lacked understanding.”

 
“What are you talking about! After all, It’s your fault—”

 
“J-Just calm down, okay?”

 
“...Hmph!”

 
As Shidou stepped between the two of them, Tohka simply turned away and with a scoff, sat down in her seat.

 
“...”

 
Origami, on the other hand, Origami simply walked out of the classroom without another word.

 
“Ah… what’s this?”

 
—At that moment, Shidou’s eyebrows shot up.

 
“...Huh?”

The name displayed on the phone’s screen was “Kotori Itsuka”: Shidou’s younger sister.

 
Once Shidou made his way to an isolated corner of the classroom, he pressed the call button.

 
“—Hey? What’s wrong, Kotori?”

 
[“How dare you ask such a question as “What’s wrong”, you jerk!”]

 
“...”

 
Almost immediately after hitting the call button, Shidou received a vicious scolding from her.

 
Shidou’s face twitched slightly.

 
...Since when had Kotori switched into her <Commander Mode>?

 
[“—Just now, Tohka’s mental state started to rapidly fall!”]

 
“What....?”

 
Shidou frowned and replied in such a way. Kotori, in turn, sighed and continued:

 
[“Didn’t I already warn you to be careful? Although most of her Spirit Power has been sealed, but because she is Spirit and is an existence powerful enough to cause natural disasters, if her mental state becomes unstable, the sealed power may reverse and flow back into her.”]

 
“...!”

 
After listening to what Kotori said, Shidou gulped nervously.

 
That’s right. Just like Kotori said: Tohka was not an ordinary human girl.

 
She was an existence called a Spirit and the reason behind why she appeared and her existence remained unclear.

 
For now, her powers had been sealed away and she was currently under the protection of Kotori’s organization <Ratatoskr> but for Shidou who’d once witnessed her overwhelming power, this was surely a terrible situation.

 
[“So, I want to know why her mental state suddenly became so unstable—Shidou, what perverted things did you do to her?”]

 
“Why are you assuming that it had something to do with what I did?”

 
[“So what do you think happened?”]

 
“Oh… well, she had a big fight with Origami.”

 
“When you say Origami, do you mean Tobiichi Origami of the AST?”

 
“Yes.”

 
The AST also known as the Anti-Spirit Team.

 
Unlike Kotori and <Ratatoskr>, they are the special forces to deal with the Spirits by eliminating them by force.

 
Origami Tobiichi was not just a high school student but also one of the few talented members of the AST.

 
Now that Tohka’s powers were sealed, she wouldn’t attack her openly again—but even so, it seemed that the relationship between them was still poor.

 
“Hmm, true love troubles—never mind. I guess it can’t be helped if things have already reached this point. Shidou, focus on stabilizing Tohka’s mental state.”]

 
“Her mental state… ah…”

 
Shidou spoke as he looked at Tohka.

 
...There was an aura of darkness surrounding her. If a sapling was placed next to her, it would likely wither away instantly.

 
“Even if you ask me to do that…”

 
[“The hell are you talking about? Isn’t it obvious? Take her out on a date. Now that I think about… why don’t you take her to the game center to help relieve her stress—Don’t worry, we will support you.”]

 
“What!”

 
[“Then, I’ll get everything set up beforehand. You need to hurry up!”]

 
Kotori arbitrarily made the decision before Shidou could get a word in as she hung up the phone.

 
“...”

 
Although there were many things he still wanted to say, there’s no point talking about it now.

 
Shidou put his phone away and took a deep breath before making his way to where Tohka was.

 
“H-Hey, Tohka.”

 
“...Muu?”

 
Tohka replied unhappily.

 
Although he felt nervous for a moment, Shidou firmed his resolve as he stayed in place and continued to speak:

 
“...No, that… If you don’t mind, do you want to go out together with me?”

 
“Muu?”

 
The moment that Shidou finished speaking, he could feel that the frustration that Tohka had built up seemed to fade away little by little.

 
“Go out… that is to say, Shidou, do you want to take me on date?”

 
Tohka seemed to be anxiously waiting for Shidou’s response. His gaze drifted upwards when she asked.

 
...Well, she was right. But then again… it was a little embarrassing when put like that. Shidou scratched his cheek awkwardly in agreement.

 
“Ah… That’s right.”

 
After Shidou finished speaking, Tohka stood up from her seat, her expression much brighter than it had been previously.

 
“Oh…! Let’s go!”

 
“O-Oh! Yeah, let’s go.”
“So, where are we going?”

 
“Hmm… why don’t we go to the game center?”

 
“Game center?”

 
Tohka looked confused as she tilted her head.

 
“Uh...In short, it has many interesting things like ‘games’.”

 
“Oh, is it fun?”

 
“Yeah, there are games like boxing machines and whack a mole. It will be fun and relaxing to play.”

 
“Not only fun but it’s also relaxing! What other games do they have there?”

 
“Now that I think about it, it would be pretty difficult to play fighting games if you haven’t played them before… Oh, there are also dancing games, if we play in beginner mode, you should be able to play it.”

 
“Music games?”

 
“Yeah. It's like dancing where you use your feet to step on the arrow-painted control panel, or tapping a drum-shaped controller with a stick. If you like those, it can be relaxing.”

 
“Are there others!?”

 
“There are other games that use machines to grab snacks too.”

 
“Wow…! I can still get snacks from there…! Isn’t that super incredible!”

 
“Yeah, really incredible.”

 
“I could live there!”

 
Faced with Tohka’s shining expression, Shidou smiled bitterly.

 
“That might be a challenge… after all, people under the age of 18 can’t go out after 10:00 in the evening.”

 
“Muu, is that true?”

 
“Yeah, according to the customs laws and the like. Ah, you have to remember this other thing: because the family register that Kotori prepared for you has your age set at 16 years old, you can’t go just to the Game Center but outside in the middle of the night.”

 
“Umu, I will remember.”

 
Tohka finished as she crossed her arms thoughtfully. It seemed that he may have given her too much information in one sitting.

 
Perhaps it was because of Tohka’s enthusiasm that a group of girls still in the classroom approached the two of them.

 
“Hey~~ Hey~~ What are you two talking about?”

 
“Huh? Oh, uh…”

 
After being confronted like this, Shidou scratched his cheek awkwardly.

 
Just as he was about to speak, Tohka spoke up first:

 
“I’ll tell you, just wait a minute, Shidou is going to take me to a fun place!”

 
The girls who’d heard this sentence glanced at Shidou with smiles on their faces.

 
“Hmm… could it be that you’re expressing your love for her?”

 
“Ahh~~! It’s so cute, so cute!”

 
“Itsuka-kun really is dedicated~~...”

 
“No… that…”

 
...What could he say, they’d struck a nerve. Shidou’s cheeks flushed a deep red as he turned his gaze away from them.

 
“Hey, hey, Tohka, you said a fun place, where exactly are you going?”

 
One of the girls asked Tohka.

 
“Muu?” Tohka uttered as she thought for a moment. Her eyes widened as she began to speak one she remembered.

 
“Muu… where were we going again? I remember it was supposed to be fun… Ah, yes! We’re going to a place where we can’t get in unless we’re 18!”

 
“What…?”

 
Hearing what Tohka said, the girls froze.

 
“...! Tohka, that’s not true! That only applies after 10:00 pm in the evening—!”

 
“Muu? Is that true?”

 
Even though Shidou was quick to correct her, the girls didn’t seem to hear them.

 
They exchanged looks with each other and started muttering amongst themselves.

 
“Talking about places prohibited from entering while under the age of 18…”

 
“Sure enough, it has to be a love hotel, right…?”

 
“No, maybe it’s the kind of place that’s mainly open at night…”

 
“Y-You’re misunderstanding it!”

 
Shidou was quick to protest the injustice as loudly as he could.

 
Tohka noticed Shidou’s response and thought that she said something odd so she seemed to clarify Shidou’s explanation.

 
“Although I don’t know what everyone is thinking… but you’re wrong. Shidou just wants to make me feel relaxed.”

 
“What…!”

 
“By the way, he said it would be relaxing if I stepped on it with my foot and beat it with a stick!”

 
“...”

 
The female students grabbed Tohka’s hand, putting her behind them as though to protect her from Shidou.

 
“W-What? What’s wrong?”

 
After Tohka stared at the girls in confusion for a moment, the girls frowned, glanced away and shook their heads.

 
“It’s okay, Tohka. We already understand everything.”

 
“Fortunately, we found out about this in advance… Otherwise, the innocent and ignorant Tohka would have become a victim of pervasion.”

 
“...That’s so gross! You have no shame!”

 
Of course these final words were intended for Shidou.

 
“No, that’s not what I meant! I was just saying—!”

 
As soon as Shidou opened his mouth to protest anew, the girls spread out their arms to protect Tohka.

 
...And almost immediately was regarded as an enemy of women.

 
“You are wrong! Shidou is not a bad guy!”

 
Tohka spoke in a panic.

 
“Tohka is such a good girl… Because of this, Itsuka-kun who was aware of this tried to take advantage of the situation…”

 
However, it seemed the girls were too far gone to listen to her.

 
Nonetheless, Tohka tried her best to erase their suspicions about Shidou but she ultimately groaned and slammed her hand on the desk.

 
“...! By the way, Shidou said that if I went there with him, he would give me snacks! Does that make sense? Is everything fine now?”

 
“...”

 
The girls remained silent for a moment while glaring hard at Shidou.

 
“...No, that…”

 
Even if they weren’t saying it aloud, it was obvious they had a mental image of Shidou saying,

 
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Miss, if you come with me, I’ll give you a delicious snack!”

 
Just then, Shidou’s cell phone rang again—it was Kotori.

 
“...Ah, let me answer the phone.”

 
Shidou informed the girls as he answered the call.

 
“...Yes?”

 
[“What are you doing? Slowpoke. Hurry up and get the date started.”]

 
“Ah… we encountered an unexpected obstacle…”

 
[“I don’t want to hear you make excuses. I’ll only give you three minutes to get off the school grounds.”]

 
“Hey, wait a minute—”

 
He heard the click and beep indicating that she’d hung up without so much as giving him a chance to explain.

 
“...”

 
He’d better hurry. After all, this was the <Commander Mode> Kotori that he was dealing with here. If he and Tohka didn’t get out in the next three minutes, there was surely going to be a severe punishment waiting for him.

 
“...Tohka! Let’s go!”

 
Shidou put away her cell phone and called out to her.

 
“Umu!”

 
Tohka, who originally looked troubled as she watched the situation unfold, looked more cheerful as she forced her way through the girls back to Shidou’s side, pausing at her desk only to grab her school bag.

 
Once Shidou was sure that Tohka was at his side, he immediately fled the classroom with Tohka in tow.

 
“Ah…! Tohka!”

 
“Hey you cheater! Get back here!”

 
“Tohka! Please come back! Tohka is about to be defiled—!”

 
It sounded like they were about to say something dangerous as their voices became more faint and Shidou did his best to ignore them and ran as fast as he could.

 
Which brought them to now:

 
Shidou and Tohka had attracted attention from the other guests in the Game Center as they walked around at a leisurely pace.

 
The reason for this increased attention was obvious:

 
That’s right because Tohka has managed to completely destroy the boxing machines, the whack-a-mole, and the other games that required physical fitness.

 
Of course, in this case, the term ‘broken’ was being used literally here which made the attention that they were drawing more understandable.

 
“Wow! These games are really fun!”

 
“Yeah… they are…”

 
Shidou heard what Tohka said as she smiled innocently while he responded with a weak smile.

 
At the same time, he muttered into the earpiece:

 
“...Hey, Kotori, is this really okay?”

 
[“Yes. <Ratatoskr> can handle everything afterwards. Although it’s not good that there’s a lot of attention on the two of you, but for now, our biggest priority is that Tohka can relieve her stress.”]

 
“That’s good…”

 
“Shidou?”

 
“...! W-What?”

 
Tohka spoke from her place next to him and gently tapped his shoulder.

 
After glancing at Shidou with a puzzled look, she looked around at the game center again.

 
“What game should we play next?”

 
“A-Ah, what game should we play next…”

 
Shidou glanced around at the remaining games, then…

 
[“Wait just a moment.”]

 
He heard Kotori’s voice from the earpiece.

 
“—Okay, what should we play next?”

 
These words echoed throughout the bridge of the <Fraxinus> that was gliding 15,000 meters above Tenguu City.

 
Kotori Itsuka leaned back in her chair, a chupa chups in her mouth.

 
She was a young girl with long red hair tied into two long twin tails and was dressed in a red military uniform with the jacket draped over her shoulders.

 
She was clearly the youngest person on this bridge, but despite that, she was seated in the commander’s seat of the <Fraxinus>

 
“—Reine, how is Tohka’s mood?”

 
When Kotori asked, Reine Murasame, the head analyst who was operating a console on the lower bridge, rubbed the dark circles around her eyes as she spoke:

 
“...Well, it looks like the values are good so it isn’t a problem now. Although she continues to damage the machines, her powers have gradually stabilized.”

 
The screen on the center of the bridge now showed an image of Tohka’s upper body. Then around her, there were rows listed with various values such as ‘mood’ or ‘favorability’. There was even a dialogue window open. It was something straight out of a visual novel.

 
“Really? That’s good to hear.”

 
“...Yeah. But there’s still one thing I’m concerned about.”

 
“What is it?”

“...Although her mood has improved, it seems her uneasiness numbers are still high. It looks like she may be worried about something.”

 
“Worried about something—Shidou, can you think of anything?”

 
Kotori spoke through the microphone. Shidou’s response was just as prompt.

 
“No, at least not off the top of my head.”

 
“Really? That’s useless.”

 
“Never mind. Let’s just let her keep playing for a while longer and see what happens.”

 
The moment Kotori finished speaking, a new window appeared at the center of the screen with a list of choices:

 
① The two of them work together to play a guessing game!

 
② Play the game of detection fit and recognize the bond between the two again!

 
③ Take a picture together and leave sweet memories!

 
The artificial intelligence of the <Fraxinus> was able to assess Tohka’s mental state and proposed a series of options that would fit the situation.

 
“—So this is what we have to work with. What is your choice?”

 
In less than five seconds after Kotori spoke, the device in her hand showed an image of a bar graph.

 
The crew on the bridge were quick to make the decision and submitted it to Kotori’s terminal.

 
The choice with the most votes was—③.

 
“Hmm, it looks like everyone seems to agree then.”

 
“There’s no need to discuss why ① is out: you might get frustrated because you can’t guess the correct answer.” The vice-commander who was standing behind Kotori explained. “...Although ② is not a bad option, but if it turns out that they aren’t compatible with each other, it would only make things awkward between them. ③ is perfect because not only do they get a souvenir featuring the two of them, they will also become attached to the photos. Plus they’ll be able to get some privacy in that confined space concealed by the curtain.”

 
This was Reine’s explanation.

 
“That’s our best approach—Shidou, take Tohka to the photo booth. Let’s take some cute pictures together.”

 
“...I understand. But I… I don’t know how to use the sticker machine.”

 
“There are instructions on how to use it written there. To waste time talking, get moving.”

 
“...Got it.”

 
“—Tohka, do you want to go over there?”

 
“Muu, alright.”

 
Shidou accepted <Ratatoskr>’s instructions as he guided Tohka toward the photo booth.

 
“...? Shidou, what is this?”

 
“A-Ah, in simple terms, it’s a machine that can take cute pictures.”

 
“What…!”

 
Shidou explained in a simple way. However, Tohka’s eyes went wide and her cheeks turned red.

 
“Y-You said pictures…?”

 
“Huh? Tohka, are you okay?”

 
“...No, I don’t really like having my picture taken like this…”

 
“Huh? Is that so?”

 
Shidou asked as Tohka nodded, her face flushed.

 
“Well, if that’s the case, then why don’t we play something else?”

 
“Muu…”

 
However, Tohka mumbled to herself for a moment as though deep in thought. After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke:

 
“...Shidou, do you want my picture?”

 
“Eh…? A-Ah, of course, I want it…”

 
Shidou’s answer was a little unclear so Tohka took a deep breath as if to calm herself down and then locked with Shidou who’d since turned his gaze to the ceiling.

 
“...Just this once, I’ll do it for you, Shidou.”

 
“A-Ah, okay…”

 
Shidou suddenly felt a wave of calm sweep over him for some reason and nodded at the same time. Tohka walked into the photo booth labeled “Full-body shot”.

 
Shidou intended to follow her inside, however—

 
“...! W-Wait, Shidou, why are you coming in?!”

 
He found himself stopped by Tohka.

 
“Huh? Are you supposed to do these sorts of things together?”

 
“Don’t… Just stop talking nonsense! Just wait for me outside!”

 
After Tohka finished speaking, she drew the curtain.

 
“A-Ah…”

 
Shidou lightly tapped the earpiece as he tried to figure out how to deal with this.

 
“Let’s just wait for her. Once she’s done, just take a picture with both of you.”

 
“Ah… right…”

 
Shidou nodded slightly as he rested against the machine where Tohka walked in.

 
...However, after waiting for a while, nothing seemed to happen.

 
“...Hey, Kotori, does it usually take a while to take a picture?”

 
[“It depends on how things go. The latest models let you add text and other filters after taking the picture. If you want a really beautiful photo, it will take some time.”]

 
“Wow… such an incredible machine… But where did Tohka learn how to use it?”

 
“Who knows. But I know that Tohka has had her picture taken before. I think it was when <Ratatoskr> took her photo while we were working on her protection…”

 
Just as Shidou and Kotori were discussing this, the photo printout installed on the outside of the machine spit out the printed photo sticker.

 
“Um…? Have you finished having your picture taken?”

 
Shidou bent down to pick up the sticker—

 
“Pffft…!”

 
His entire face immediately turned red.

 
[“What’s wrong, Shidou?”]

 
Shidou quickly hid the picture in his hand in his school bag.

 
The reason why was obvious: the picture featured Tohka’s naked figure.

 
“Tohka! What the hell are you doing—”

 
Shidou was confused by the unexpected turn of events and immediately pulled the curtain open.

 
At that moment, Shidou immediately regretted his carelessness.

 
Because that kind of photo just came out, it meant—

 
“—!”

 
“Why…!”

 
Shidou felt his body freeze as he threw the curtain open.

 
She’d clearly intended to put her clothes back on. When he opened the curtain, she was clad only in her underwear and was busy pulling on her long black socks. She wore nothing else; her dark hair was splayed across the hardwood bench.

 
“K-Kotori… the photo she had taken for <Ratatoskr>...”

 
[“Ah, yeah, she was basically naked for that one. Ah, rest assured, only female staff members were allowed to help her.”]

 
“N-No, that’s not the issue here—”

 
[“Ara~? Haven’t you closed the curtain yet? Stupid…!”]

 
“AAAAAAHH!”

 
Shidou’s face was devastated by the Spirit.

 
“...”

 
Meanwhile in another part of the game center.

 
Origami was silently operating the buttons of a skill crane machine.

 
Needless to say, among the prizes inside were the panda Ronnie cell phone charm of the dream panda that Shidou mentioned before.

 
There were three colors in total: the ordinary panda color, red, and the inverted colored black and white.

 
—That’s right. She happened to overhear the conversation between Shidou and his friend after school that day.

 
After all, she hadn’t stayed behind to eavesdrop and Shidou and then gotten into an argument with Yatogami Tohka. Definitely not.

 
“...”

 
The robot arm barely grazed over the negative color form of panda Ronnie’s head—still not captured.

 
However, Origami’s expression remained unchanged as she inserted another coin.

 
At that moment.

 
A “ding-dong” sound could be heard from the entire game center.

 
“W-What happened?”

 
“Ah, it looks like there’s a couple playing too harshly with the boxing machines and the gloves are dangling inside.”

 
“Really? What, is the boyfriend a professional boxer or something?”

 
“No, it seems that the girlfriend went overboard.”

 
“W-What is it like right now?”

 
“...”

 
—It sounded like a very troublesome couple. Origami mused as she continued to operate the crane silently.

 
If it were her and Shidou Itsuka, there was no doubt that they wouldn’t be doing this kind of thing.

 
Instead, they would have been enjoying a quiet cup of tea in an outdoor cafe.

 
“...”

 
At that moment, the robotic crane managed to catch the negative color panda Ronnie and managed to make its way toward the exit but ended up dropping it halfway.

 
While unfortunate, it was nonetheless still in a good position and would be easy to capture on her next attempt.

 
—She made to insert another coin but her fingers stopped.

 
It seemed that she’d run out of game tokens.

 
“...”

 
Origami had no choice but to run to the currency exchange machine.

 
“...Sorry…”

 
“No… It was my fault.”

 
Tohka who was now fully dressed apologized to Shidou while Shidou responded in kind while touching his now swollen cheeks.

 
“But... Anyway, now you know, you don’t have to take off your clothes while having your picture taken.”

 
“...Umu… I will remember.”

 
Tohka nodded, her frustration clear on her face.

 
[“Ahahaha! Looks like your face wasn’t fully beaten in! You’re really luck, Shidou!”]

 
He could hear Kotori’s cheerful voice in his ear.

 
He tapped on the earpiece in protest and she continued onward.

 
[“—Anyway, it looks like Tohka's mental state has stabilized. We’ve achieved our goal. Now, as long as you manage to figure out how to lower her anxiety value, things will be back to normal for now.”]

 
“...Anxiety…”

 
Shidou looked at Tohka and tilted his head.

 
“—Huh?”

 
Tohka’s gaze was fixed on the crane game machine on the right side.

 
“Tohka? What’s wrong?”

 
“Shidou? How do you play this?”

 
“Ah… after you press that button…”

 
Shidou quickly explained how to play the game and then glanced at the prizes in the crane game machine. The previously mentioned panda Ronnie mobile phone charm was present and was each individually packaged.

 
“—Maybe it’s that feeling…”

 
“Umu.”

 
Tohka said as she pulled out a 100-yen coin from her wallet and inserted it into the machine.

 
She then operated the machine just like Shidou taught her to just now and moved the robotic arm.

 
However—even without catching the prize.

 
“Muu… this is so hard…”

 
“It’s hard to play this game with ease… If you want, do you want me to get it for you?”

 
When Shidou suggested this, Tohka shook her head vigorously.

 
“No, that would be nonsense. Let me play.”

 
“So that’s it—Ah, why don’t you try to grab that? It’s positioned well.”

 
“Muu?”

 
Tohka’s gaze locked onto what Shidou was pointing at

 
Indeed where he was pointing was the inverted colors Ronnie placed at a wonderful angle. If she could successfully hook the claw around the hole in the plastic packaging, she could definitely catch it.

 
“Oh!”

 
Tohka’s eyes lit up once more as she inserted another 100-yen coin.

 
She then pressed the buttons and managed to get the robot arm to hook around the hole in the plastic packaging.

 
“Oh! I got it, Shidou!”

 
“Yeah, that was really amazing! Even if the position was good, you still managed to catch on the second try!”

 
“Well, something like that…”

 
At that moment, Tohka suddenly stopped speaking.

 
Although the robot arm returned to the top to deposit the prize out, the prize did not fall.

 
“Muu… what’s going on?”

 
“Ah… it looks like it's stuck. If you run into a situation like this, just tell the clerk—”

 
“Hmph!”

 
Just as Shidou was partway through the sentence, he could hear a loud thud.

 
He didn’t need to think about the cause because he already knew: it was Tohka who’d punched a hole through the plastic window of the crane game machine.

 
“...Tohka…”

 
“Umu.”

 
Tohka removed the panda Ronnie charm hooked on the robot arm casually and nodded in satisfaction.

 
“Muu, let’s go home, Shidou.”

 
“O-Okay, let’s go home.”

 
“...”

 
After exchanging the money, Origami quickly made her way back to the crane game machine and froze on the spot.

 
The reason was obvious—now there was a giant hole in the machine where Origami had been playing. More importantly, it looked like the inverted color panda Ronnie was also gone.

 
“Who did this…?”

 
She spoke quietly.

 
However—

 
“Come on~~! Excuse us~~! Right here~~!”

 
With those noises, there were several workers who’d just entered the game center and immediately went to work replacing the previously damaged machines with the brand new replacements from their transport.

 
The new machines were brought in immediately while the old machines were taken out.

 
“Okay~~! We’re done here so we’ll be off now~~!”

 
It seemed that the operators had reconnected all the wires and replaced the prizes and confirmed that all the machines were working the way they should.

 
—This whole process took less than ten minutes.

 
It seemed that the other machines destroyed by the mysterious couple have also been replaced with brand new replacements in much the same way.

 
“...”

 
Although these were inexplicable circumstances, Origami had more important things to be concerned about right now. She stood silently in front of the crane game and stared at the countless panda Ronnies.

 
Unlike before, they were all positions so that it would be easy to capture them.

 
If that was the case…

 
Origami’s eyes shone brightly but quietly as she stacked 5 100 yen coins next to the buttons.

 
“...Did you want that one so badly?”

 
On their way home from the game center, Shidou tried to talk to Tohka who was walking next to him as they made their way down the dark streets.

 
“Muu…”

 
Tohka suddenly stopped.

 
“Tohka…?”

 
Shidou also stopped as he turned to face Tohka.

 
She lowered her head slightly and handed the panda Ronnie to Shidou.

 
“Huh…?”

 
“Here. This is for you, so—no, it seems weird to say it like that. How do I say…”

 
Shidou was confused by Tohka’s vague way of speaking.

 
“What are you trying to say?”

 
Shidou asked as she bit her lip anxiously but she strengthened her resolve and continued: “...Please don’t hate me.”

 
“W-What? You… what are you talking about?”

 
Shidou frowned in deep confusion and then with an ‘ah’ of revelation, he remembered what happened before.

 
“Are you still worried about what happened before?”

 
“Muu… It’s a little…”

 
Tohka was silent for a moment and then said:

 
“...Shidou, do you remember when I quarreled with Origami Tobiichi?”

 
“Ah… I remember.”

 
Tohka, in that moment, looked like an upset child with her lips formed into a pout as she continued.

 
“...At that time, she said.”

 
“What did she say?”

 
When Shidou asked, Tohka glanced up briefly as though trying to peak at Shidou expression while stuttering, she continued:

 
“...Spirits, it is impossible for them to coexist with humans. And humans can’t allow Spirits that destroy the world. So—”

 
After biting her lips in determination, she continued:

 
“Shidou hates creatures like Spirits the most.”

 
“...Oh.”

 
Shidou scratched his cheek.

 
She looked to be in distress. Although it would be inappropriate to say this out loud… but he thought that sort of thing was pretty weak.

 
It must have been this kind of thing that made Tokha feel scared.

 
...He briefly wondered if she actually wanted to take that picture even though she didn’t want to but she was worried about being hated by Shidou.

 
“...Now, Shidou is that actually the case? That Shidou also hates me—”

 
“It’s alright.”

 
“...Really?”

 
Tohka looked at Shidou uneasily.

 
“Really.”

 
“Is it really true?”

 
“Really true.”

 
“Is it really really true?”

 
“It’s really really true.”

 
Shidou thought for a moment and then said:

 
“Plus, I don’t think I would want to go on a date with someone I didn’t like, something like that…”

 
“Oh…!”

 
After Shidou finished speaking, Tohka’s eyes widened.

 
“Ah… that’s what I thought…”

 
Tohka’s cheeks were flushed a faint pink and a gentle smile graced her lips.

 
Shidou then returned the inverted color panda Ronnie to Tohka.

 
“So you hold on to this. It’s rare to be able to catch it by yourself. Think of it as a memento for today, okay?”

 
“Umu, I will.”

 
Tohka mumbled happily as she accepted the inverted panda Ronnie.

 
At that moment, he could hear Kotori’s voice in his ear again.

 
[“—75 points. That’s good enough for a pass…”]

 
“...That’s good to hear.”

 
The following day.

 
While waiting for Shidou to come to school, there was a group of girls with their arms and legs spread out dramatically, standing and exuding fierceness.

 
“The pervert is here.”

 
“Why don’t you just die already?”

 
“Oink like a pig!”

 
“W-What?”

 
Although Shidou didn’t understand what was going on, he immediately froze on the spot, but when Tohka who was standing right behind him wore a troubled expression, they seemed to immediately understand the situation.

 
“Everyone! I already said that Shidou didn’t do anything wrong.”

 
Tohka said to the other girls.

 
“It’s alright, Tohka, we will make sure that this perverted sexual beast won’t be able to gain a foothold in society.”

 
“You must have been so scared. Poor Tohka, let us avenge you of your chastity!”

 
“...That’s how it is. In order to understand the situation, you need to tell us in as much detail as possible about what happened yesterday. What did he do to you? Tell us, what did he do to you?”

 
Tohka shook her head vigorously in response to what the girls said.

 
“No! Although I don’t really understand what you are talking about, you are probably mistaken! Yesterday, Shidou just took me to a place called a game center!”

 
“What…?”

 
Upon hearing what Tohka said, the girls suddenly froze.

 
Then their gazes glassed over as they remembered what was discussed yesterday—

 
“...Really? Itsuka-kun.”

 
“...Yeah. That’s right.”

 
“...”

 
The girls should have understood from the beginning but now that they knew the full situation—

 
“Ahhhhhh! Whoops! How could we think that Itsuka-kun could do that kind of thing.”

 
“I...I already tried to tell you from the beginning that this was all a misunderstanding.”

 
“In short, Tohka is really safe…”

 
When they finished speaking, there were relieved smiles on their faces.

 
“...Anyway, now the misunderstanding was cleared up…”

 
Shidou sighed helplessly as he took his seat and pulled out the textbook for the first lesson from his school bag.

 
—At that moment, something fell out of Shidou’s school bag.

 
“Ah, something fell out, Itsuka-kun.”

 
“Ah, thanks—”

 
At that moment, Shidou felt the blood in his veins freeze in an instant.

 
Because what fell out of the schoolbag was—

 
“—What...!”

 
The female student who’d picked up the picture gasped.

 
Honestly, her reaction was understanding because suddenly seeing Tohka’s nude photos, surely anyone would respond like that.

 
“Wait! This is just a misunderstanding!”

 
“What kind of misunderstanding could this possibly be! Doing it right in the game center… forced nudity! Isn’t that even more perverted!?”

 
“N-No… This is—!”

 
“Don’t try to resist—!”

 
“A-Ah!”

 
Shidou covered his face with hands as he ran out of the classroom.

 
“Ah! Shidou! Where are you going!”

 
Tohka called from somewhere behind but he didn’t have a chance to glance over his shoulder because he knew that if he stopped for even a moment, there would be a cruel and unrelenting assault waiting for him.

 
“Ah! Why did I do such a stupid thing! Why didn’t I put it away when I had a chance! I’m an idiot—!”

 
Shidou shouted as he ran down the corridor.

 
Then—

 
“Whoa!”

 
Halfway down the corridor, he could feel someone grab the neckline of his shirt and he’d almost fallen over.

 
“W-What’s going on?” He coughed.

 
For one wild moment, he thought that the girls managed to catch him—but that wasn’t the case.

 
It was Tobiichi Origami who’d grabbed onto the collar of his shirt.

 
“Origami?”

 
“Take this.”

 
After letting go of Shidou’s shirt, Origami pulled something out of her school bag and passed it over to Shidou.

 
“Huh? Isn’t this…”

 
That was the panda Ronnie (red) cell phone charm of the dream panda.

 
“Take it.”

 
“Eh… I can’t do that.”

 
“Take it.”

 
“...Ah…”

 
“Take it.”

 
“...Thank you…”

 
Shidou was overwhelmed by Origami’s oppressive momentum as he accepted the panda Ronnie from her.

 
Then Origami pulled out her cell phone with the normal colored panda Ronnnie from her school bag.

 
“We match.”

 
“Ah… Y-Yes…”

 
“...”

 
After Shidou nodded, Origami put her cell phone away and made her way back to the classroom.

 
“W-What was that about…?”

 
Just as Shidou slumped to the ground in the corridor with a blank look on his face, this time he heard hurried footsteps coming toward him. It seemed that Tohka had been chasing after Shidou.

 
“Shidou! Are you okay?”

 
“A-Ah…”

 
“It’s safe to go back. I explained everything to them—Eh?”

 
Halfway through her sentence, Tohka’s gaze drifted to Shidou’s hand.

 
Of course, because in his hand was the panda Ronnie charm that Origami gave him just now.

 
“Oh!”

 
Tohka pulled the inverted color Panda Ronnie from her pocket.

 
“We match, Shidou!”

 
“Y-Yeah…!”

 
Shidou scratched his cheek as he answered.

 
Shidou, Tohka, and even Origami somehow came out to have the same thing.