Origami Impossible
“Honestly, I am a pedophile.”
It was during a school holiday while sitting in a cafe at a street corner.
Shidou Itsuka admitted this quietly.
“Every day, I go to the nearby elementary school to watch the elementary school girls when they’re doing their PE classes. Their pure, flawless, flat and underdeveloped bodies make my Sandalphon go wild. Elementary school girls are truly the best!”
“Are they?”
With regards to listening to Shidou’s once-in-a-lifetime breaking news, the girl who was sitting across from him, Origami did not wear a disgusted expression but simply nodded slightly.
She had shoulder length hair and a slender figure. Her expressionless face was like that of a doll.
She suddenly glanced down, touching her chest unconsciously and then replied to Shidou and said:
“I can do it.”
“What do you mean!?”
Shidou couldn’t help but shout out before regaining his composure. It wouldn’t be any good if he started panicking now. He cleared his throat with a cough and then said:
“In fact, it’s not just that. I still have a serious Oedipus complex. Every morning, I still kiss my mother’s picture before I go to school.”
“Is that so?”
“...It’s true… in fact, I also have a sister complex and I often make Kotori sleep next to me.”
“Is that so?”
“Um…! I-I’m not faithful! Right now, I’ve got about ten girls!”
“...!”
Shidou’s eyebrows twitched for the first time after he shouted that out albeit in a half-hearted way.
He thought he finally managed to get a reaction out of her. In that moment, Origami’s lips moved and she said without a change in tone:
“It’s not a problem so long as I get rid of all of them.”
“What are you saying! Oh, what are you saying!?”
Shidou’s cries were almost as loud as shouts as he clutched his head.
Then, a stunned voice came from the earpiece he’d worn on his right ear:
[“...Wow, what’s with this unbearable force, has she become the overlord of the century?”]
Kotori, Shidou’s little sister, spoke through the earpiece. Obviously, he could only hear her voice, but he had a strong feeling she looked just as frustrated as he felt.
“She still looks like this… T-Tell me what to do now…”
[“Stop whining. Now as for the next move…”]
After she finished speaking, she gave him additional instructions.
This surreal dating scene was caused by what happened the previous day.
During the lunch break one day:
In a classroom at Raizen High School, Tohka Yatogami happily showed off the cell phone held in her hand.
“Oh, what do you think, Shidou! Kotori gave this to me! It seems to be something that I can use to talk to other people from far away!”
Her long dark hair fluttered in the air, a broad smile stretched across her beautiful face as Tohka raised the phone in her hand.
“O-Oh, that’s great to hear.”
Shidou smiled kindly.
...Tohka held it almost reverently in her hand. It seemed to be a simple and old-fashioned model that was easy for even elderly people to use. Anyway, it seemed that she was genuinely happy about it so there was no reason to spoil her good mood.
That said, Shidou and Kotori had spent a lot of time discussing all kinds of different models of cell phones. Although the appearance was just like any other phone, it could endure a ton of weight.
Also, even if the cell towers were destroyed in the event of a disaster, she would still be able to communicate via satellite.
...To be honest, such equipment was probably overkill for an ordinary high school girl to have.
But—this couldn’t be helped.
The truth was that Tohka was not an ordinary human being, but instead an existence known as a Spirit. It was an existence who wielded extraordinary power and had the potential to destroy the world.
Although it was possible to seal away Spirit power—if her mental state becomes unstable, the sealed power will reverse and flow back into her. So Kotori, who was the commander of the organization <Ratatoskr>, was obviously worried about this.
Therefore, it was necessary to ensure that she had a way to contact them in the event of an emergency beforehand.
“Okay, Shidou! I’m going to try it and see!”
However, Tohka turned away with a bright smile on her face that was such a stark contrast to that dangerous title.
“I’m going to call you from far away! Shidou, you absolutely have to answer it!”
“Oh… so that’s what you’re doing. I got it.”
Shidou smiled wryly as he nodded in agreement. He remembered when he’d gotten his cellphone, he wanted to try calling someone just like Tohka.
“Okay, I’m off!”
Tohka finished as she opened the classroom door and rushed down the hallway.
“Make sure you come back before the lunch break is over!”
“—I will—!”
Tohka’s faint response came from the other end of the corridor.
At that moment:
“—Shidou.”
“Whoa!”
Someone called out to Shidou from behind him and made his shoulders tremble.
Turning around, it was Origami Tobiichi who’d appeared behind him silently.
...It seemed she showed up as soon as Tohka disappeared.
“Yes… did you need something? Origami…?”
“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
“Huh?”
Suddenly being asked about this sort of thing, Shidou could only reply blankly… At the same time, he had a bad feeling about what was about to happen.
“W-Why so suddenly…”
“I want to go out with you.”
“T-That means…”
“A date.”
“...”
Shidou’s suspicions were confirmed as he broke into a nervous sweat.
“...Origami, just so I can confirm, we are—”
“A couple.”
“...”
“...I thought so.”
Shidou asked Origami nervously while Origami responded immediately without a trace of nervousness.
Sure enough she looked just as serious as ever.
Origami didn’t pay Shidou’s nervousness any mind and continued calmly:
“How about it?”
“Ah… I’m sorry. I’m busy tomorrow—”
However, halfway through the sentence, Shidou suddenly gasped.
He suddenly felt an oppressive pressure. If a weaker willed person faced this, there was no doubt that they might just pass out. This pressure was truly powerful.
“Ah, that...Ah, I’m sure that if anything comes up tomorrow, can you wait for me…?”
Origami nodded slightly.
Shidou immediately panicked as he jogged down the corridor while scrolling to find and select the name “Kotori Itsuka” from his call history. Although he was still waiting for Tohka’s call… if Tohka called, he should be able to answer her regardless so it should be okay. After waiting on the tone of the phone ringing, a warm voice came from the other end:
[“Hello~~! Onii-chan?”]
“...Kotori, please help find a way out of this…”
[“Huh? What are you talking about?”]
“Origami asked me to go on a date with her.”
[“...”]
After Shidou finished speaking, Kotori fell silent for a moment.
Next, Shidou heard the sound of cloth shuffling from the speaker. It sounded like she was replacing the ribbons that tied her hair.
[“—This is ridiculous, are you seriously still involved with her?”]
In the next moment, her tone, now more confident and terse, was completely different from when she picked up.
—Kotori had shifted into her <Commander Mode>.
“...In the end, if it wasn’t for your <training>, this relationship…!”
That’s right. When Tohka first appeared, they’d had Shidou do some special <Female Habitual Training> for Shidou to get used to talking to women. In that process, they’d forced Shidou to profess his love to Origami.
Unfortunately, because so much had happened between then and now, there hadn’t been an opportunity to resolve the misunderstanding—until now, that is.
[“This is a pain. Just ignore her.”]
“H-How could I do such a thing… Originally, it was our fault that all of this happened. How could we keep messing around with her like this!”
[“You want to be honest—then why don’t you just tell her that the whole confession was a misunderstanding?” ]
“...How am I supposed to pull that off?”
[“Hmm? Then why don’t you spit on her and then say: ‘I’m not going to date someone like you! Don’t be mistaken! You’re a psychopath!’”]
“If I say that, I’ll definitely get shot!”
Shidou couldn’t help but shout. There was no denying that if he said that kind of thing, he would be killed on the spot.
[“Since you’re so picky—Why don’t we make it so the other party hates you?”]
“Huh?”
[“Like I said, accept that date and in turn, I will adjust the AI settings on the <Fraxinus> to help you prepare options that will make the date terrible and make her want to break up with you. If the other party hates you, there’s no problem, right?”]
The so-called <Fraxinus> was the airship owned by <Ratatoskr>.
Normally, when a Spirit appears, the artificial intelligence aboard the ship will provide the options and choosing and following the prompts will help to improve the relationship with the Spirit.
“R-Really…”
It made sense. He would surely get slapped if he did something like that but he could handle that.
“...I get it. So I can count on you for support?”
[“Of course. Considering the future, it would also be troublesome if we have to deal with her all the time—but there’s still one last problem to deal with.”]
“What’s that?”
[“Tohka. We don’t have school tomorrow as it’s a Saturday, remember? If Tohka’s all by herself, she’ll come over to play. But if you’re not there, there’s no doubt that her emotional state will drop.”]
“Even if I’m not there…”
As soon Shidou said so, Kotori responded to him with a dumbfounded sigh.
“W-What are you doing?”
[“Nope, anyway, in order to focus resolutely on this, you have to get Tohka do something else beforehand.”]
“Something else… Ah…”
[“Right, it doesn’t matter what you want to ask her to do whether that means to buy things or anything else—just make sure to ask her to do something difficult so that it’ll take some more time for her to finish. In other words, it wouldn’t be strange for her not to be with Shidou at that time.”]
“—Anyway, promise Tobiichi Origami a date.”
“Right… I got it.”
After Shidou hung up the phone, he nervously returned to the classroom.
When he returned, he spotted Origami maintaining the same posture as ever, standing upright.
“How about it?”
“O-Oh… no problem…”
“...”
Origami remained silent but she made a gesture of victory with her fist without so much as a change in her expression…
“O-Origami…?”
“Tomorrow at 10:00 am, I will be waiting for you in front of the fountain in West Tenguu Park.”
Origami simply said this as she left.
He didn’t know why but he couldn’t help but watch her leave with a brisk pace.
“...”
Shidou felt sweat trickle down his cheeks, he heard loud footsteps sound outside the classroom.
The classroom door suddenly opened and Tohka, who seemed to be running, appeared once more.
“Shidou! This… How do I use this thing!”
It seemed that she didn’t know how to make a phone call, and so she’d asked Shidou while wearing a troubled expression on her face.
However, at that moment, Tohka seemed to notice Shidou’s expression which seemed even more trouble than her own, so she tilted her head in confusion.
“Shidou? Is there something wrong?”
“No! I’m fine…”
Shidou cleared his throat as he took his seat.
“...Ah, Tohka.”
“Muu? What’s the matter?”
“I’m sorry for asking so suddenly… but tomorrow, do you think you could run some errands for me?”
After Shidou finished speaking, Tohka’s eyes seemed to light up.
“Oh! Okay! What do you need me to do?”
She seemed to be very happy for the opportunity to help Shidou and leaned her body forward towards Shidou’s desk.
Feeling a twinge of nervousness, Shidou looked away awkwardly.
The following day, after Shidou asked Tohka to run some errands for him, he put the earpiece in his right ear, and made his way toward the destination for his date with Origami.
Incidentally, Shidou was currently dressed in a loose t-shirt, frayed jeans, and toilet slippers and he couldn’t bring himself to go.
Honestly, all of this was embarrassing to Shidou… However, girls hated boys who didn’t stay clean and looked sloppy. To start, using this method to make Origami hate him was the best bet.
[“Shidou, it’s fine to walk more slowly.”]
He could hear Kotori’s voice from the earpiece on his right ear.
Kotori was currently on the bridge aboard the airship <Fraxinus> that was floating above Tenguu City.
It was currently 10:50 am. It had been 50 minutes since the appointed time.
[“We have to be at least an hour late. Also, no matter what she says, you can’t ever apologize.”]
“Yeah…”
They were very thorough with the plan. But this all made sense: she would surely be angry if he was late. It might depend from person to person and it was possible that she’d already given up and gone home long before now.
He walked as slowly as he could and around 11:00 am, Shidou finally reached their meeting place.
There, Origami could be seen standing with perfect posture.
“Ah…”
There were obviously plenty of benches nearby but the fact that Origami had been waiting this long for Shidou and he couldn’t help but feel a stab of guilt for her. However, he couldn’t afford to show such a reaction. Because Shidou had to play the role of a terrible person who hated Origami for today.
[“Right, are you mentally prepared?”]
“I-I am…”
[“Very good—Now let’s get started. The first task is the first contact.”]
Kotori snapped her fingers.
Shidou gently slapped his cheeks and continued making his way toward Origami slowly.
At that moment, Origami noticed Shidou approaching and turned to face him.
Then…
“—Thank goodness…”
As soon as she spotted Shidou, she spoke gently.
“Huh…?”
“I was worried something terrible happened to you…”
“...Eh!”
Shidou had clearly messed up here. Not only did Origami not complain about his tardiness, but she seemed more concerned about Shidou’s safety.
[“What do you think you’re doing, Shidou? If you start feeling guilty because this, how are you going end this?”]
“A-Ah… you’re right…”
Shidou nodded slightly as he mumbled and then Origami gestured to her outfit.
“What do you think?”
“Huh?”
“Today’s outfit.”
As he heard her ask this question, Shidou took a closer look at Origami’s outfit.
She wore a shirt that not only looked nice but felt comfortable to touch, a pleated skirt, a sparkling necklace around her neck. Her outfit was a stark contrast to Shidou’s less than impressive outfit.
“O-Oh, it’s perfect for—”
[“Hey! Why are you praising her so naturally?”]
“...!”
After hearing Kotori calling him out on his behavior, Shidou quickly shut his mouth.
He cleared his throat and shook his head slightly and spoke again:
“No… Well… It doesn’t suit you at all…!”
“...”
Origami glanced down at her outfit silently. While there was no change in her expression, Shidou had the impression that she seemed a little disappointed and lonely.
Origami looked into Shidou’s eyes once more.
“What kind of outfit do you think would be best?”
“Huh…? T-That…”
The moment Shidou made to answer, Kotori intervened in from his right ear and said:
[“—Wait a minute! Now’s our chance. Deal a heavy blow to her!”]
Kotori finished speaking, she let out a breath with her nose.
Aboard the <Fraxinus>, Origami’s figure was now front and center on the main screen on the bridge.
There were various values displayed next to her image and a text window placed below her just like something out of a dating sim.
At that moment, three options appeared on screen:
① A tiny bikini with a maid apron.
② A sailor suit shirt and triangular sweatpants on the legs
③ A school swimsuit with dog ears and tail.
“Wow, these are so really good choices.”
There was a chupa chups lollipop in Kotori’s mouth and the crimson military jacket draped over her shoulders as she sat in the commander’s sesat. Her brows were furrowed as she looked at the main screen.
“—Everyone! Make your choices! Remember that we’re looking for the choice that is the most disgusting to the girl!”
After Kotori finished speaking, the small display in her hand immediately showed the final outcome.
“Although the competition was fierce… it seemed that the majority had chosen ③.”
“Hmm… It looks like ③ is the most popular choice.”
After Kotori conveyed the option, Shidou’s shoulders trembled slightly.
The options that Kotori proposed would make the other party doubt Shidou’s tastes.
...However, he still had to answer. Shidou gulped nervously and opened his trembling lips and said:
“...A-A school swimsuit with dog ears and tail.”
Shidou gritted his teeth and shut his eyes tightly as he tensed his body as he finished speaking.
...Of course, he was bracing himself for any furiously slaps or punches she’d planned to throw.
However, what actually happened was different from what Shidou was expecting. No matter how long he waited, he didn’t feel any pain from being attacked. He cautiously opened his eyes… It seemed that Origami’s figure had disappeared.
Maybe she’d gotten so angry that she’d decided to go home.
[“—Wow, that was much easier than I was expecting. Congratulations, Shidou. Mission accomplished.”]
“Y-Yeah… thanks.”
Shidou scratched his cheek while dealing with his conflicted emotions.
Anyway, this should have been fine. Origami no longer cared about someone like Shidou—
At that moment, Shidou was forced to stop thinking.
Because he spotted Origami running towards him from a distance.
—How did she manage to find those? Origami was now dressed in a school swimsuit complete with dog ears and tail.
“Wha…”
Shidou and Kotori said in unison.
However, after Origami reached Shidou, she tilted her head and asked casually:
“What do you think of this?”
After she spoke, she turned around in place.
The dark blue fabric covering her pale and slender body and the lovely dog ears and tail wobbled… It was equal parts cute and vulgar.
However, there was another issue that was of greater concern:
“Where did you get that outfit…”
“There’s a shop nearby that sells these kinds of outfits.”
Origami pointed vaguely in the direction of the nearby street… On that day, Shidou discovered something new about Tenguu City that he desperately wished to forget.
“We should get going.”
Origami turned around and pointed toward the shopping district.
“Uh… that…”
Just as Shidou was worried about whether it was really okay to wear such an outfit, Kotori’s voice sounded in his ears once more.
“...Why didn’t her favorability values fall with those kinds of words? This should have been simple!”
Kotori leaned back in her seat aboard <Fraxinus> and twirling the chupa chups stick as she spoke angrily.
“What should we do? Commander…”
“We’ll continue our attack! Come out with some truly awful choices that will make Tobiichi Origami recoil!”
After Kotori finished speaking, the next set of choices appeared on screen:
① “Hey! It’s too arrogant for you, a bitch, to be walking like a human. Get down in front of me!”
② “Ah~~~~! I’m so tired~~! I’m so tired of walking~~! Carry me~~!”
③ “Ugh, seriously, can you stay away from me? You’re disgusting!”
“...Hehe, this is good. Each option is absolutely terrible. Everyone! Your choices!” Kotori’s personal device immediately showed the outcome results.
“The most popular choice is ①—Ah.”
“Although these are all words and deeds that make people want to doubt human nature, there’s no denying that option ① is particularly awful.”
The crew seated in the lower level of the bridge explained. Kotori nodded in agreement.
“It’s safe to say that if someone like Shidou were to say such a thing, they would probably want to kill him.”
“...”
Somehow, the crew remained silent for a while but Kotori pulled the microphone toward as she spoke.
“What…”
He heard the instructions from Kotori and Shidou wiped his face with a hand… the difficulty had just increased drastically.
[“Why are you hesitating? Don’t you want her to hate you and leave you? How can you not do this? Or what? Do you really think you can gracefully handle a relationship with her?”]
“Ugh…” Shidou grumbled quietly. Kotori was right, of course. The whole point was to make Origami hate him and not try to protect her feelings.
Shidou glanced at Origami who was walking next to him and slowly moved his trembling lips and said:
“...You… are a bitch… to be walking at the height of human beings… too arrogant. Get down on your knees…”
After Shidou finished speaking, Origami trembled from her place beside him.
It seemed that this provoked her to annoyance. Shidou gently clenched his fists in triumph—yet…
“...”
Origami bent down onto her knees without a second thought and sat on the ground immediately.
“W-What…!”
[“W-What…!”]
The Itsuka siblings both watched this and let out surprised voices at the same time.
However, Origami tilted her head suspiciously as she looked up into Shidou’s face.
“Aren’t you going?”
“No, uh, that…”
While Shidou was stammering incoherently, Origami nodded as though realizing something and stood up.
Then she wrapped her hands around Shidou’s waist and began to loosen Shidou’s belt with a snap.
“W-What are you doing, O-Origami! N-No… d-don’t, s-stop it—!”
Even as Shidou let out a feminine-sounding shriek—Origami did not stop as she pulled the belt in one fluid motion from his jeans.
Then she wrapped it around her own neck and tightened it to serve as a makeshift collar and leash which she then handed the other end to Shidou.
Then…
“Woof!”
She barked out.
The passers-by around them looked at them as though they were witnessing a surreal event.
“...What a pain. To think that they’d be doing such things in broad daylight…”
“Wow, to think that couples like that actually exist…”
“Uh, I feel like I should be recording this…”
“Hey~~ Mom~~! Why is that Onee-san barking? Is she a dog?”
“D-Don’t look at them…!”
“...”
Shidou’s face was now drenched in sweat. He could no longer stop himself as he bowed down and shouted, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean for you to actually do it!”
Meanwhile, in the middle of the shopping district.
“Alright, what’s next…?”
Tohka looked down at the notebook paper in her hand and sighed.
The groceries she’d bought so far were in the bag that Shidou gave and was almost full to bursting. But as far as the first errand was concerned, so far it had been going smoothly.
“...Sata Andagi? What is that?”
The foreign words made Tohka frown. Although she didn’t know what it was, it sounded like it was very important.
—While Tohka looked around for something in search of something similar to this name while wandering down the shopping district, someone from behind her called out to her.
“Ah~~! Hey, wait a minute…! Could that lovely girl over there please chat with me?”
“Muu?”
Tohka turned around and spotted a man dressed in a gorgeous suit while sporting the flamboyant hairstyle she’d ever seen.
Loop
“...This is a pain to deal with…”
Kotori twirled the chupa chup in her hand and groaned while frowning.
It had been three hours since the date started.
No matter how poorly he spoke or how much he confessed to unusual habits, Origami Tobiichi's favorability points haven’t dropped a single point… not only that, but occasionally, it seemed to rise.
On the main display, she could see that they were busy ordering drinks at a cafe counter.
Origami’s expression hasn’t changed at all beyond the usual poker face she always sported.
Incidentally, she’d changed back into her usual outfit.
“Rgh… let’s try another approach…”
At that moment, new options appeared on screen.
① Knead her chest suddenly.
② Spit in her face.
③ Lift her skirt.
“If words won’t work, turn to action. Everyone, make your choice!”
Kotori’s display showed the results.
“The one that most people chose was—③.”
“...Hmm, if you do this kind of thing with a large audience, I guess it might reduce her favorability a little bit?”
Kotori pulled the microphone toward her as she spoke.
“R-Really…”
Shidou swallowed when he heard Kotori’s instructions from the earpiece.
[“Less talking, more action. If we don’t resort to something like this, there’s no way we’re going to be able to reduce her favorability.”]
“N-No...it’s not right…”
At that moment, Shidou was hit from behind by another guest who’d been walking behind him.
He’d lost his balance and fell forward.
“Whoa...!”
Although he tried his best to maintain his posture, there was nothing he could do. He landed on his face. He was almost certain he’d bruised his nose.
“That hurt…”
[“Well! You did it, Shidou!”]
“Huh? What...?”
At that moment, Shidou noticed that one of his hands was holding the light and familiar piece of fabric.
“...”
He suddenly had a bad feeling and slowly raised his head.
As a result, he saw Origami’s slender legs and cute designed undergarments as well as a holster strapped to her right leg.
It seemed that Shidou had accidentally ripped off Origami’s skirt when he fell. Shidou’s face suddenly burst out into a nervous sweat.
“L-Listen to, Origami, this is…”
However, Origami spoke with the same calm as always:
“Do you want to do it here?”
“...! You… What did you just say…!”
Shidou quickly fixed her skirt back into its original position.
Origami looked at Shidou with disappointment before looking back at the counter again.
[“...That didn’t work either?”]
He could hear Kotori’s increasingly frustrated voice in his ear.
“What… What are we supposed to do now?”
When Shidou finished, he figured it was useless thinking that nothing would work. As he put a hand to his forehead and shook his head—He heard the sound of a beep coming from his right ear.
[“—Eh, this really troublesome…”]
“W-What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
[“It’s got nothing to do with Origami. ...It’s Tohka. I’ve been watching Tohka as she’s been shopping… It looks like a strange man is talking with her. I can’t tell if it’s a normal conversation or a solicitation, but I have a bad feeling that this man will cause problems.”]
“Huh…”
Shidou frowned.
Because Tohka was not very familiar with this world, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t be tricked into something safe by flowery rhetoric.
...But if Tohka got serious, there was no doubt that such a person would disappear with a flash.
But it would be awful if things were to escalate to that point.
“We have to… think of a way…”
[“I know. It would be fine to send some agency personnel to her location… but I don’t want her to notice things related to <Ratatoskr>.”]
Kotori mumbled as she continued speaking:
[“—Shidou, I’ll connect your earpiece to Tohka’s phone. Can you stop her and warn her not to do such dangerous things?”]
“M-Me?”
[“It would be quickest if Shidou tells her. Now please.”]
“Wait!”
Before Shidou could protest, Kotori’s voice was gone. Instead, he could hear the sound of a phone ringing instead.
After a few seconds of waiting, he could hear Tohka’s voice on the other end.
[“Hello?—Are you saying hello? Who?”]
“Tohka? It’s me, Shidou.”
[“It’s Shidou! Wow! ...So we can really talk like this…!”]
Tohka spoke excitedly.
“Tohka, what are you doing right now?”
“Muu… A man I don’t know started talking to me. He is telling me that he wants me to work for a high salary…”
“...”
Shidou’s cheeks twitched in silence.
[“It seems that I can earn a lot of money by doing a simple service. He gave me a beautiful paper called a business. Can I go work there?”]
“N-No! Refuse him right away! Return that card back to him too!”
Shidou couldn’t help but shout.
[“Muu… is that so. Since Shidou said so, I’ll do it—Excuse me, mister, I will not do what you just asked.”]
“Whew…”
That was really dangerous. Shidou wiped the cold sweat trickling down from his forehead.
Then, at that moment, he spotted Origami standing in front of him with a tray holding two cups.
“Ah…”
“...”
Origami nodded without saying another word as she pushed her way through the crowd and returned to the counter again.
“I-Is something wrong…?”
“I want to return this.”
“Huh? Uh—you want to return this food...?”
The clerk, forced by Origami’s intense pressure, wore a troubled expression.
Because Shidou was shouting loudly, Origami seemed to mistakenly think he’d been talking to her. Shidou quickly called out to her.
“T-That’s not the problem!”
“...? Then is it alright?”
Origami turned his head and asked to confirm. Shidou nodded and answered her and said, “It’s okay.”
However, at that moment—
[“What’s that? It doesn't matter? —Hey, it seems like it’s okay. Give me that business card back!” ]
Then he heard such such a voice in his right ear and Shidou frantically shouted:
“N-No! You have to refuse him right away!”
[“Muu… I understand.”]
Tohka answered obediently.
“I know.”
—However, after Shidou said that, even Origami nodded lightly, then slammed the tray on the counter, and then pulled out a 9-mm pistol from the holster under her skirt (Shidou desperately hoped that it was just a model gun) and pointed it at the clerk.
“Obviously, you have to accept this return…”
“Huh…? Ah… Huh?”
The clerk was blindsided and the other guests around them looked scared. Shidou quickly intervened to avoid starting a panic.
“No… stop! Don’t do that kind of thing!”
[“Muu… Is that so?”]
Then he heard Tohka’s voice in his ear.
Shidou scratched his head and shouted loudly: “Ah~~ Really! You two aren’t helping me out here!”
The time was 3:30 pm.
Tohka, who’d managed to buy everything on the list, decided to take a break on a park bench.
Because today was a day off, the shopping district was more lively than usual, but this park she’d found across the street was quiet and comfortable which would be the best place to take a break. Tohka finished off the beverage she’d bought with the pocket money Shidou gave her in one gulp and let out a satisfied sigh.
Then her gaze fell to the shopping bag filled with groceries.
“Umu… Shidou will certainly praise me for this!”
Indeed, having completed her errand while also rejecting that man’s invitation at Shidou’s request. Once he gets home, hopefully he would pat her on the head.
“Muu…”
At that moment, Tohka pulled out the list.
As far as the errand was concerned, there is one thing that she hadn’t bought yet.
That’s right, she just didn’t know what it was.
“Muu… what should I do…”
Tohka hugged herself and mumbled to herself as she thought about it. A few seconds later, she suddenly realized something.
“Oh! For something like this…”
Tohka spoke loudly as she whipped out her phone.
That’s right, if there was something she didn’t know, she could just ask Shidou directly.
“Muu… Just now, Shidou called me, so I need to look for… call history?”
Tohka placed the phone on the bench, then carefully pressed the buttons with her index fingers using both hands.
“Ugh…”
It was 3:30 in the afternoon. Shidou leaned back against the chair in the cafe.
Of course, they weren’t in the same cafe as before, but a different one instead.
After Origami pulled a gun on the cashier, Shidou quickly made a mad dash out of the shop with Origami and walked down the street for a while—finally, they found this cafe.
[“...Since things have reached this point, we’ll have to rely on this last resort.”]
He could hear Kotori sigh in his ear.
“...The last resort?”
[“Yes. Can you get away from her for a bit?” ]
“...? Oh, sure…”
Shidou mumbled that he needed to go to the bathroom to Origami and stood up from his seat and made his way to the bathroom.
“...So? What’s this last resort you said?”
Since they were already well away from other people, there was no need for them to be quiet.
Shidou asked Kotori normally.
[“I think you’ve probably already realized this… But it’s almost impossible to reduce her favorability. What a terrible monster, I really want to see what’s going on in her brain.”]
“...S-So that’s your impression.”
[“—So, try changing the approach once and see what happens. Simply just do what you’d normally do.”]
“You mean…?”
[“Shidou, you really have to become Origami’s lover.”]
“E-Eh?”
Shidou couldn’t help but shout.
[“Just listen to the whole suggestion through to the end. Which is to say, you break up with her after having dated her. Tell her: “I want to break up with you. I don’t like you anymore.” Like that.”]
“A-Ah…”
Shidou’s cheeks were drenched in sweat as he moaned quietly.
He took a quick sip of water to moisten his throat and to deal with tension.
—However, after all, he still had to deal with this.
Although it was because of Kotori’s instructions to start, there was no denying that it was Shidou’s fault that Origami believed that they were dating.
But forcing Origami to hate him was too selfish.
Shidou liked Origami—he thought that she was a good friend and someone he respected from the bottom of his heart.
But—no, that’s why.
He felt that it was disrespectful to Origami to continue this relationship with an ambiguous state.
“...I know. That’s why it's called breaking up, right?”
Shidou took a deep breath to calm himself down and then slapped his cheeks several times.
...However, he could hear his heart thumping, his fingers trembling, and he could feel even more sweat on his face.
[“Just relax… Though I know it’s useless even if I say that. At least, at the critical moment, don’t mess up.”]
“Ah… yeah… it’s just that… it’s probably for the best.”
[“Are you going to screw it up right now?”]
“Hmm…”
Shidou scratched his head uncertainly and coughed to clear his throat.
[“Really… it was for the best to keep you away from her. Practice what you want to say now before you return to your seat.”]
“O-Okay…”
“—I want to break up. I… I don’t like you anymore. I want to break up. I… I don’t like you anymore.”
[“What are you talking about… Are you serious?”]
[“—Yes, I want to end our relationship.”]
[“T-This kind of thing, I don’t want it!”]
[“Please forgive me. I no longer have feelings for you...”]
[“You… Do you hate me…?”]
“Yes, I hate you.”
Then—
Shidou suddenly felt that something was off and tilted his head in confusion.
Why did he have the feeling that he was responding to someone very smoothly?
“Shi…do…”
At that moment, Shidou finally realized that the sound from his right ear was definitely not Kotori.
There was no way he could mistake that familiar voice—it was Tohka!
[“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”]
“F-For goodness sake...what happened to Tohka…!”
It seemed that as Tohka was crying, Kotori’s voice suddenly cut in:
[“—You idiot! Why didn’t you disconnect the line first!?”]
[“S-Sorry…!”]
He could hear the voice of one of the male crew members aboard the <Fraxinus>.
However, before Shidou could figure out what had happened, a loud explosion could be heard in the distance and the building began to shake. THe walls creaked loudly and pieces of building material fell from the ceiling.
“What…! T-This is—!”
For one wild moment, he thought it was an earthquake, but… it wasn’t that…
The shock was like a bomb exploding somewhere.
[“It’s Tohka! It looks like her mental state was drastically decreased! Her Spirit powers are flowing back into her at an incredible rate!”]
“W-What did you say!”
[“Umm… it’s our fault. Because I forgot to close the line connecting you to Tohka, the moment Tohka called you, he was talking to her again!”]
As Kotori finished explaining loudly, there was a startling noise outside the shop.
He could hear screams everywhere coupled with the frantic footsteps of people running all over the place without knowing where to go.
“Then...W-What should I do!?”
[“The only thing that can be done now is to reassure Tohka! Tell her that you hadn’t meant any of what you just said!”]
“R-Right...!”
Shidou quickly put his hand on the earpiece and shouted:
“Tohka! Can you hear me! Tohka!”
However, she didn’t seem to hear him or respond. There was another explosion and the store’s walls began to shake again.
[“I-It’s no good! Shidou, you have to find Tohka immediately!”]
“But Origami…”
[“There’s no point worrying about her right now! Get moving! She’s at the park across the street from the shopping district!”]
“I-I got it…!”
Shidou clenched his fists as he rushed out of the cafe.
It seemed that the streets were disturbed by the sudden event. He could hear screams and other such loud noises all around him and the pedestrians all seemed to be running in the same direction.
Almost immediately, Shidou understood the reason why: because the direction where the park was located, he could see smoke rising continuously.
“Is...Is that…!”
Things were worse than he’d expected. In order to avoid the crowds, Shidou rushed toward his destination as fast as he could via the alleyways.
Fortunately, the cafe where he and Origami were was not far from the park where Tohka had been taking a break.
...But considering the danger of running into Tohka by pure chance during their date, it wouldn’t have been very lucky.
“...!”
—At that moment, Shidou felt his phone still in his pocket vibrating.
It could probably be from Tohka. He didn’t slow down as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to answer it.
However, instead of Tohka, it was Origami on the other end of the call.
[“—Shidou, where are you?”]
“Origami. I’m sorry. Just give me a little bit of time—”
Before he could finish speaking, he heard another explosion and ruble fell just in front of Shidou.
“Whoa…”
Shidou just barely managed to dodge the rubble and continued to run.
He mentally apologized to Origami for what he’d done but now was not the time to talk. He tossed the phone back into his pocket and picked up his running pace.
Then—
“Wha…”
Shidou finally reached the park and stared with wide eyes.
In a corner of the large park, there was a large hole as though the result of a crater caused by a meteor.
It looked just like the spatial-quakes caused by the Spirits when they appeared in this world.
He could make out the figure of a girl squatting on the ground and her shoulders trembling from time to time.
“T-Tohka…!”
Shidou shouted as he ran forward, stumbling across the uneven ground.
At that moment, Tohka finally noticed Shidou’s presence. Her shoulders shook as she faced him timidly.
“S-Shidou…”
She called out his name, her face wet with tears.
“...!”
Shidou felt his throat squeeze tightly, making almost impossible to breath but nonetheless, he still shouted:
“W-What I said before, I didn’t mean any of it!”
“Huh…?”
After hearing what Shidou said, Tohka’s expression turned to one of stunned surprise.
Then her gaze turned contemplative for a moment as she wiped her tears with her sleeve before facing Shidou again.
“R-R-Really?”
Then she gazed carefully into Shidou’s face as he replied.
“Yes… that’s right.”
“Y-You don’t hate me…?”
“W-What? Of course I don’t hate you! How could I ever hate you?!”
“R-Really! Then… so, we can still be together?”
“O-Of course!”
“Can we be together forever?”
“Ah… Yes, we’ll always be together!”
Although it was a little sloppy, he still promised her. But first things first, he had to help her calm down. Shidou nodded while responding as loudly as he could.
Tohka sniffled as she stood up.
“R-Really…? U-Umu, that’s what I thought!”
Tohka seemed to be genuinely relieved from the bottom of her heart and showed the shopping that’d fallen aside (and for some reason was unharmed despite all the damage) to Shidou.
“M-Muu…? I managed to do all of the shopping!”
“O-Oh! That’s amazing, Tohka!”
“Hee hee hee!”
After Shidou finished speaking, Tohka smiled proudly.
But at that moment, he could hear Kotori’s voice in his ear once more:
[“Whew… Good job—Although, I really wish I could say that, you should probably get out of there first.”]
“Huh…?”
After hearing what Kotori said, Shidou frowned… However, he immediately understood what she’d meant.
He could hear the sound of fire trucks and patrol cars nearby. If they stayed in that area, things would only become more troublesome.
“T-Tohka, let’s get out of here!”
“Muu…? Oh, I understand.”
After Shidou finished speaking, Tohka nodded obediently.
“Whew…”
Long story short, it seemed that they managed to avert a full-blown crisis.
Shidou left the park with Tohka and was finally relieved.
“What happened? Why are we going so fast?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
Shidou explained while chuckling weakly to an uncertain Tohka.
But a few seconds later, Shidou froze in place once again.
The reason why was obvious. He didn’t know when Tobiichi Origami appeared before Shidou
“...”
“...! O-Origami…?”
“Muu…”
Shidou could feel his whole body tremble at the sight of her while Tohka crossed herself unhappily. This was hardly a surprise considering that Tohka and Origami hated each other.
However, it seemed that Origami was doing her best not to let her disgust for Tohka show on her face.
Actually, it was more accurate to say that she only had eyes for Shidou. While her expression remained the same, her gaze bellied her undying passion that he’d never seen before.
“O-Origami…? Is there something wrong?”
Although Shidou said this, he suddenly had a bad feeling much like the one he’d had before spread through his body.
Almost immediately, it seemed that his suspicions had been confirmed: he watched Origami move forward without so much as a change in her expression and reached out to embrace Shidou tightly.
“W-What do you think you’re doing!”
Tohka rushed forward to break Origami’s grip.
However, as Tohka tried harder to break Origami’s grip on Shidou, Origami’s embrace only tightened.
Then she spoke quietly:
“—Together forever…”
“W-What…!”
It seemed that Origami heard what Shidou said as he frowned.
“Hey… let go of him! He said that to me! The person he’s going to be together with forever is me!”
“—That’s not possible. He clearly said that to me.”
Tohka finally managed to get Origami to let go of Shidou as they continued to bicker.
Then, Shidou had another bad feeling as he pulled his phone which he’d carelessly thrown in his pocket in his rush to get back to Tohka.
He glanced down at the screen… and immediately realized that he was still talking to Origami. It seemed that he’d never hung up when Origami called him.
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