Date A Live Encore - Volume 8 - Chapter 6

Shiori Spirit

 “…What?” 

 Itsuka Shido half-consciously made a stunned noise from his throat. 

 It was better to say it took a moment for him to recognize it as his own voice. It felt more like his body was being separated from his spirit and watching over him from above. 

 His reaction was understandable, after all. The situation that was expanding all around Shido was truly inexplicable. 

 “…” 

 Shido tried his best to maintain his composure. He first put a hand on his chest and took a deep breath while confirming what had happened to him just now. 

 —Several minutes ago, when Shido was in class at school, a spacequake alarm sounded. 

 In other words, a new Spirit had just appeared. Shido tried to avoid drawing the attention of his classmates as he secretly left the school and made his way toward the airship <Fraxinus>. 

 So far, there are no problems. Protecting the Spirits in a peaceful manner is <Ratatoskr>’s purpose and Shido’s mission. 

 Regardless, as usual, Shido put on the headset and was promptly transported to the scene where the Spirit appeared, standing while staring at the street ruined by the spatial quake. 

 But then he spotted the Spirit who had just appeared. 

 —A girl stood at the center of the explosion. 

 She wore a headdress made of spiritual power decorated with many shining ruffles. Her astral dress was cute and resembled that of a maid. 

 The wind blew her hair back and revealed neutral facial features. But that didn’t mean she lacked softness or rigidity. Rather, it seemed to exude a youthful slender style. 

 The best comparison that could be made about this girl was an uncanny resemblance. 

 Rather, it should be said that this Spirit— 

 “—She looks just like me!” 

 When he caught sight of her, Shido couldn’t help but shout this out. 

 Exactly: the Spirit standing in front of Shido, down to the smallest details, looked exactly like Shido. Well, to be more precise, she looked like Shido if he’d dressed up in women’s clothing—it was like she was carved out of a mold. 

 “…!” 

 She’s probably frightened by Shido’s voice and the Spirit’s shoulders shook in alarm. At the same time, the headset he wore on his right ear sounded the rebuke: 

 “Hey, Shido, why are you yelling all of a sudden? You’ll scare the Spirit if you yell!” A familiar voice snapped in his ear. It was Shido’s little sister, and the commander of <Ratatoskr>, Itsuka Kotori. She was monitoring Shido and the Spirit from the airship <Fraxinus> floating some distance away. 

 “But Kotori, don’t you think this is strange? That Spirit is obviously me!” 

 “…What? What stupid words are you using, Shido? Since when did you become a girl?” 

 Kotori asked with a confused expression. It didn’t seem that she was joking. She really didn’t understand what Shido was talking about. 

 “…No, take a closer look. It’s certainly not 100% exactly the same as Shido.” 

 It should go without saying that the body curve underneath the clothing is obviously not the skeleton of a man, but rather a girlish skeleton, with a little roundness. In that regard, Kotori was right. However, leaving that aside, the girl looked “too much like Shido”. It was like looking into a mirror. Even now, Shido felt dizzy just thinking about it. 

 “Hey, Shido, what happened to you just now? You’re really acting weird today.” 

 Just as Shido was trying to deal with the many questions swirling in his head, from the headset, he could hear Kotori’s voice call out to him uneasily. 

 It seemed that he’d been silent for longer than intended. Shido raised his head and slapped his cheeks to rejuvenate himself. 

 While the other party did look a lot like him, the fact remained that she was still a Spirit regardless of her appearance. It is often said that there are three people in the world who look identical to each other, so maybe there were Spirits that just happened to look like Shido…? 

 “Yeah, sorry. I was just a little confused for a bit.” 

 “Never mind that now. Her code name is <Avatar>.” 

 “Ugh, now you’re just asking for it!” 

 “What are you getting so worked up about? Anyway, get moving. Make contact with her carefully!” 

 “…” 

 Although he struggled to keep his thoughts under control, he adjusted his breath and resolutely walked toward the Spirit. 

 “—Hi, hello.” 

 “…Ah, hello.” 

 After Shido spoke out to her, the girl nodded her head gently and answered in kind. 

 Her voice was female, which made Shido feel much better. However, he immediately realized that the Spirit’s voice sounded exactly the same as his when he used the voice changer when he was dressed as a woman. He could feel sweat trail down his cheeks and then said: 

 “My name is Itsuka Shido. I’m not here to hurt you. Would you be willing to listen to me for a bit?” 

 Shido tried to keep his composure as he asked. So the girl nodded and answered: 

 “Ah… yes, of course. My name is Shiori. Please take good care of me—” 

 “—Hey, it really is me!” 

 “…!” 

 After hearing the girl’s name, Shido let out another shout in surprise. 

 However, this wasn’t a surprise, of course. After all, her name was “Shiori”, which was the exact same as the name Shido used when he was dressed as a woman. 

 “Shido! What’s gotten into you?!” 

 “What…?” 

 After hearing Kotori’s outburst, Shido’s shoulders shook slightly. He did his best to calm down and spoke again. 

 “Ah, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you.” 

 “N-No… it’s okay.” 

 After Shido scratched his cheek and apologized, the girl—Shiori, made the exact same action as him. Even if Shido surprised her twice like this, the result was the same reaction. A Spirit with such a calm personality was very unusual. 

 “So, what were you going to tell me?” 

 Shiori tilted her head as she asked. At the same time, the headset transmitted Kotori’s voice. 

 “Her values are all very stable. This is the first time we’ve encountered such a calm Spirit—this is very good. Just be open and tell her our intentions.” 

 Shido tapped the earpiece to indicate his understanding and then faced Shiori. 

 “Uh, I actually belong to the organization <Ratatoskr>, working to protect the Spirits. Have you ever been attacked when you came to this world? By the AST or DEM or uh… in short…” 

 “Ah yes…I understand this part.” 

 “R-Right. Anyway, we want to protect you from those people. <Ratatoskr> will help you prepare your household registration and residence. If you’d let me seal your Spirit powers, you can live a peaceful life as an ordinary person… would you be interested?” 

 Shido met Shiori’s gaze to observe her reaction. Shiori made some distressed sounds and considered the question. 

 “W-Well…” 

 “I can understand if you feel uneasy about your Spirit powers being sealed but—” 

 “Ah, no, that’s not what I’m worried about.” 

 “What?” 

 Shido’s eyes widened and Shiori scratched her cheek awkwardly. 

 “The power of sealing itself isn’t a problem. I’m very grateful for this because I don’t want to fight anyone. But about the method of sealing…” 

 “Huh?” 

 After Shiori finished speaking, Shido couldn’t help but make a similarly distressed sound. Shiori continued: 

 “Um, after all, can you imagine it? Letting me fall in love with you and then kissing…” 

 The way to seal a Spirit’s powers is indeed to increase the Spirit’s goodwill by taking her out on a date and then to kiss her. Shido hadn’t explained it to her yet but Shiori’s tone indicated that she already knew it. 

 “You… how do you even know about this kind of thing…?” 

 “Huh? Ah…” 

 After Shido asked the question in wonder, Shiori’s gaze wandered briefly and she smiled deliberately: 

 “Actually, the Angel I have can read people’s hearts… does that make sense?” 

 “Oh…” 

 What Shiori said wasn’t unreasonable. From her perspective, it was a sudden appearance of a human who looked exactly like her saying, “Come on, open yourself up to me! Let me kiss you!” In this case, it’s not difficult to imagine how serious her psychological hurdles would be. 

 Even so, there was still no other way to seal a Spirit’s power. During this period, in order to capture her, wizards from the AST or DEM industries— 

 “Shido—” 

 As Shido was thinking about such a thing, he heard Kotori’s cry suddenly vibrate in his eardrums. 

 The next moment, a deafening explosion echoed around them. 

 “Whoa!” 

 “Ah…” 

 Shido and Shiori made a startled sound while staring up at the sky and spotted countless shadows floating above them. 

 They were twisted bodies made of inorganic materials with long limbs and sharp claws. There were no emotions in their photographic eyes as they stared fiercely at Shiori. 

 The group of black shadows glaring down at them are DEM Industries’ robot the <Bandersnatch>. Their main goal was to either kill or capture Shiori. 

 “Huh…? <Bandersnatches>…!” 

 If they were members of the AST, they might notice Shido, identify him as a civilian, and stop the attack. However, because they were up against the <Bandersnatches>, they couldn’t hope for such kindness from them. 

 On the other hand, it also means that even if they destroyed them, no one would have to die as a result. Although his body would have to carry that burden, nowadays, Shido has since sealed the powers of many Spirits, so it wasn’t like he didn’t have a way to fight against them. He clenched his fists and glared at the bandersnatches. 

 However, Shido didn’t manifest an Angel—because Shiori seemed to make the first move to protect Shido as she quickly moved forward. 

 “Shiori—?” 

 After Shido called out her name, Shiori raised a hand as if to express “leave it to me”. 

 “Ah, it’s true. When someone is there…” 

 She then stared angrily at the <Bandersnatches> while glancing at Shidao. 

 “… It’s dangerous. You first must get down on the spot, then cover your eyes and ears. Do you understand? You absolutely must cover them.” 

 “Huh?” 

 Hearing such inexplicable instructions, Shido was dumbfounded. But Shiori didn’t wait for a response before she kicked off the ground and flew to the sky, and the skirt of the astral dress fluttered with the wind. 

 “<Ultimate Maid—Silky>!” 

 She raised her right hand, and an Angel appeared in her hand. The design of the Angel is like dividing a feather duster and magic wand in two. 

 Shiori’s cheeks burned a bright red in embarrassment before shouting: 

 “Shine it! The ultimate maid star shining love attack─!” 

The Angel in Shiori’s hand unfolded like a toy, shining and emitting a heart-shaped light wave from it. 

 It was similar to the most powerful skill used by the heroine in anime that girls love to watch… Although it is totally irrelevant, if Shido had been born a girl instead of a boy, there was no doubt she would have been fascinated by heroine anime rather than action manga and invented this sort of self-made nirvana to practice. …Her Angel is something that reminds him of such things. In any case, Shido suddenly felt his back turn cold. 

 However, regardless of the design, the power was genuine, which is completely opposite of it’s dreamy appearance. The bursting heart-shaped light wave pierced through the <Bandersnatch>’s hard body, completely destroying it and then promptly exploded. 

 A few seconds later and the group of robots flying in the sky had been reduced into silent rubble scattered about. 

 “W-Whoa…” 

 Shido looked at the remains of the <Bandersnatches>. When he let out an exclamation at the wreckage, Shiori, who was still hovering in the sky, cast her sights on him. 

 It didn’t take long for her to realize that Shido hadn’t covered his eyes or his ears, and Shiori’s face flushed a deeper shade of red as she asked with a faint voice: 

 “…Did you see that?” 

 “…I didn’t see or hear anything.” 

 Shido looked away and replied, but his unusual tone and behavior gave it away. 

 Shiori’s blushing face became even redder— 

 “AAAAAAAHHHHHH!” 

 She screamed loudly and flew away as fast as she could. 

 A Spirit that looked like Shido appeared the next day. 

 Shido lay on the sofa in the Itsuka hosuehold’s living room and yawned. 

 After letting the mysterious Spirit Shiori escape yesterday, Shido returned to the <Fraxinus> and was forced to attend the emergency countermeasure meeting to come up with a plan. It was no wonder that the fatigue would accumulate. 

 It was fortunate that today was a Saturday, so he didn’t have to go to school. Shido hadn’t put away the dishes immediately after eating breakfast on the sofa and instead took a break in the living room. 

 “Hooah … ahhhh?” 

 Just as Shido lost count of how many times he’d yawned, Kotori came into the living room and threw something into Shido’s open mouth. It felt hard, round, and had a sweet taste spread in his mouth—that’s right, Kotori often ate Chupa Chups lollipops. 

 “Uh… why are you giving me this?” 

 “It’s common sense to eliminate fatigue by eating sweets. You worked really hard out there—even though it doesn’t matter at home, don’t yawn when you go to meet the Spirits.” 

 “Got it.” 

 Shido said with a wry smile, pinching the lollipop with his mouth still open and licked the candy. It seemed to be strawberry flavored. After Shido said “delicious”, Kotori replied happily: “Right?” 

 “…Speaking of which, what happened with the Spirit yesterday? The lack of information is troubling; maybe she’s a type that we’ve never seen before?” 

 “Y-Yeah…” 

 Having listened to what Kotori said and felt sweat trail down his cheeks and he began to explain: 

 At the previous day’s countermeasure meeting, Shido asked the crew of the <Fraxinus> outside of Kotori why the Spirit looked like him. But the only reply he got was: “Is it like…”, “It’s just two eyes, one nose, one mouth…” Vague answers like these. 

 Was Shiori using the power of Spirits to let only certain people see her? Or could it be that she was letting Shido alone see hallucinations…? 

 As Shido was contemplating this, the sound of the doorbell ringing suddenly sounded. 

 He thought it was Spirits who lived in the apartment complex next door, but why would they ring the doorbell rather than just come in? Could it be the courier? Or perhaps a neighbor visiting? Shido sat up from the sofa. 

 “I’m coming!” 

 Then after throwing the lollipop stick in the trash can, he went to open the door— 

 “—Huh?” 

 When he opened the door, Shido immediately stiffened. 

 On the other side of the door was neither a courier holding a package nor a neighbor’s wife who sometimes shared vegetables from relatives living in the countryside, but— 

 “Um… thank you for last time.” 

 It was a girl, who seemed a little awkward and looked exactly like Shido. 

 “Wh-What…?” 

 Suddenly, Shido stared back behind him for a moment. It seemed that Kotori’s shout had echoed all throughout the house, as she peeked in from the entrance to the living room. 

 “Shi-Shiori?” 

 “I-I’m here…” 

 After Shido called out Shiori’s name dumbly, Shiori tilted her head in a cute way like she was covering her shyness. Her long hair and pleated skirt shook. 

 That’s right. Shiori’s current outfit was not the maid-like astral dress that she wore yesterday, but instead an ordinary high school uniform. However, there were more important things than her outfit right now. Shido was finally able to calm down his rapidly beating heart and asked: 

 “W-Why are you here…?” 

 “No, it’s just… I’m sorry. I ran away yesterday without really getting a chance to talk to you. And… as I told you before, I think it’s necessary to seal my Spirit powers, although I don’t know if there’s a way to do it…” 

 Th-This sort of thing…” 

 Shido was still confused. After responding to Shiori in that state, he glanced behind him at Kotori. 

 “…” 

 He saw Kotori’s intense gestures as she poked her head from the entrance of the living room. It was easy enough to interpret her intentions. “Go out with her”, “I will help you”, “Don’t keep her waiting”—was probably what she was telling him. 

 In short, she had the same opinion as Shido. Shido then faced Shiori, his expression tense as he nodded. 

 “Ah, um… Kotori, I’m heading out! Can you bring me my coat?” 

 “Sure!” 

 After Shido finished speaking, Kotori nodded as though she was aware of his intentions and grabbed Shido’s coat from the living room. 

 Shido pulled on his coat and gloves, put on his shoes and patted the pocket of his coat when he was sure that Shiori wasn’t paying attention to him. Unsurprisingly, he felt the earpiece that Kotori left there for him. 

 “So, let’s go.” 

 “Y-Yeah.” 

 Shido and Shiori nodded at each other and walked side by side down the road. 

 —Thus began Shido and Shiori’s date. 

 Such a smooth, unnatural procedure had never been seen before. This time, it wasn’t Shido but the Spirit who made the appointment, and she was also already familiar with most of Shido’s situation. Being able to read others’ hearts didn’t seem like it wasn’t a joke anymore. 

 However, if he kept thinking about these things, he would have nothing to say to Shiori. In order to avoid embarrassing her, Shido tried to talk to her cheerfully and just pretend for now: 

 “Oh After all, the weather is really good today.” 

 “Well, yeah. Fortunately it’s sunny.” 

 “…” 

 “…” 

 “Oh, thank you for saving me…” 

 “No, don’t worry about it. I also can’t stand DEM.” 

 “…” 

 “…” 

 “… you, what is your interest?” 

 “Huh? Cooking … something like that?” 

 “──Are you on a blind date?!” 

 At that moment, Kotori’s irritated voice came from the headset. It seems that she moved from the Itsuka household to the <Fraxinus>. 

 “It’s okay to try to find a topic, but it’s too painful to talk about these sorts of things. Try to focus more on the core!” 

 “…Uh, but I’m at more of a loss than ever.” 

 Shido lowered his voice to a whisper to avoid being overheard by Shiori. After he whispered into the headset, he could hear Kotori’s sigh vibrate his eardrums. 

 “Forget about it. The options just came out.” 

 After Kotori spoke, the earpiece came with an electronic sound associated with options. 

 (1) Take her hand casually. 

 (2) Hold her shoulder casually. 

 (3) Lift her skirt casually. 

 “… Well, we’ve decided, Shido, choose (3).” 

 “Why did you choose (3)…!” 

 After hearing Kotori’s instructions, Shido couldn’t help but make a complicated sound. It’s hard to keep his attention on Shiori now. She shook her shoulders and looked at Shido with a startled expression. 

 “Wh-what happened…?” 

 “N-Nothing…” 

 Shido smiled vaguely and walked side by side with Shiori again. Shiori showed a puzzled expression, and soon scratched his cheek as if to say “Forget about it…” and looked forward. 

 “Really, you have to be careful, Shido.” 

 “…Whose idea was this anyway?” 

 “Don’t worry, based on the values I observed here, she seems to be very stable. As long as (3) is successful, future actions should be able to make a big impact.” 

 “Really, you guys want me to choose (3)…? I don’t care what the result ends up being.” 

 After sighing with a bitter expression, Shido decided to take a step back. 

 He then went directly behind Shiori and mentally apologized to her: “I’m sorry…!” At that moment, he lifted her skirt. 

 “Ah…!” 

 The skirt suddenly flew upwards, revealing the underwear—or rather, the shorts. It seems that these were the same as the ones Shido happened to be wearing. 

 He saw Shiori’s cheeks flush slightly before looking at Shido with a confused expression. 

 “Uh, I was wondering, why did you suddenly lift my skirt?” 

 “I-I’m sorry.” 

 After Shido apologized honestly, if awkwardly, Shiori only sighed. 

 “…So? What were the other options?” 

 “Huh?” 

 Shido’s eyes widened. It’s no wonder, after all, the Spirit mentioned that it was a choice made from a list of choices. 

 However, Shiori didn’t show this ability anymore. Shido shook his shoulders apologetically and answered: 

 “…(1) Holding hands; (2) Arm around the shoulders. That’s it. I insisted that we should have done (1)! Even if you take a few steps back, at worst, it would have been (2).” 

 “…! Right! You think so too!” 

 “That’s for sure! It’s too much to suddenly lift a girl’s skirt especially during the first date! Anyway, choice (3) must be Kannazuki-san and Nakatsugawa-san!” 

 “Well, those two people definitely voted! Kannazuki-san may even have gone so far as to add a slap after lifting the skirt.” 

 “It’s possible! With him, it’s absolutely possible!” 

 “Anyway, who do you think picked the other choices?” 

 After shouting vigorously, the two stared at each other before looking away. 

 “A-Anyway, it’s still embarrassing…” 

 “No, I am suddenly really excited…” 

 The two laughed with bitter smiles. Despite the awkwardness, the tension was broken, both parties felt much more at ease now, and they were able to get the truth out of each other. 

 “…” 

 Then—This unexpected dialogue raised a possibility in Shido’s mind. 

 “Shiori—although he didn’t understand why no one else recognized it—looked a lot like him and seemed to have some knowledge about <Ratatoskr>. From the reaction just now, she also seems to act similarly to Shido. 

 At that moment, an idea struck him. 

 Since that was the case— 

 “…Um, there’s a place I want to go to, can you come with me?” 

 “Uh … That is to say, is it a date?” 

 Shiori raised her gaze slightly and said. 

 Looking at her behavior, Shido couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed himself. He cheeks flushed a faint red as he nodded and answered: 

 “Oh, um, sure.” 

 “Okay, that makes me very happy. Let’s begin our <war> date.” 

 “Y-You even know that phrase!” 

 “Ahaha… I always wanted to say it, just once.” 

 Shiori smiled in embarrassment while Shido nodded, and then led Shiori to the streets. 

 Ten minutes later, Shido and Shiori arrived at a certain place. 

 “Well, Shiori—this is the ideal country created with human wisdom!” 

 “Th-This is…” 

 Shido spread out his open hands in a grand fashion while Shiori’s eyes widened in surprise. 

 Because there was an expansion taking place, there are rows of shelves filled with commodities of the vast land, and a large number of items listed on the racks. These included carpentry supplies, cleaning supplies, washing supplies, craft supplies, and even supplies that are related to daily life that are readily available. 

 That’s right, the so-called mass merchandiser. 

 It’s generally not a place to bring fancy girls for a date. However, Shido had an inexplicable confidence and firmly believed that Shiori would be interested— 

 “—! Sh-Shido! Are you seeing this! This hanger, the hanging part is movable, and won’t damage the neckline of the t-shirt!” 

 Shiori picked up the convenience store goods and spoke aloud excitedly. Shido also replied excitedly. 

 “That’s not the only thing too! You can take it off just by pulling off the T-shirt…” 

 “Yes! Ah, with this is a laundry net that we can take anything straight into the sunlight after washing! Even pillows…!” 

 “Look! This cleaning product can use high temperature steam to remove oil and stains!” 

 “Ah! With that, greasy dirt will surely be cleaned with a blink of an eye!” 

 The eyes of both of them glittered like children and seemed to fully enjoy the lovely time of visiting a large supermarket. 

 After several minutes: 

 They spent time shopping for convenience goods (some of which they decided to buy), then moved on to look at the vegetable seedlings in the garden shop next door to the large supermarket. 

 “Hmm I’ve been really interested in home gardens for a long time but it’s really difficult to take care of.” 

 “It’s not a big hassle. As long as you have a courtyard-sized space, vegetables like small tomatoes, green peppers, and eggplants are easy for beginners to grow.” 

 “If that’s true… do you want to give it a try?” 

 The two of them discussed the topic seriously. Incidentally, there are also many beautiful flower seedlings in the garden shop but Shido and Shiori were only interested in looking at edible vegetable seedlings. 

 “I also think it’s convenient to grow herbs. If you ever want to add some flavor to a meal, just pick a leaf and add it.” 

 “Ah, that’s not a bad idea. It’s easy enough to go to the store and buy them. However, it looks like the vanilla seems to be very fertile so we’d have to separate it from the other vegetables and just plant them in their own pots.” 

 “Ah, in addition, if the vegetable stems end up attracting aphids, you can get rid of them by spraying milk with a spray bottle. 

 ‘Wow… to think that there’s such a secret technique…” 

 Shido’s eyes widened and Shiori smiled happily. 

 Another several minutes passed. 

 The pair’s emotions as they left the supermarket were incredibly high. 

 “Shiori! I grabbed two boxes of eggs!” 

 “I also grabbed two boxes of plastic wrap and aluminum foil!” 

 “That’s great! The remaining specials are—” 

 “Ah! A large pack of toilet paper is only 2880 yen…! One person can only buy one pack at a time!” 

 “That’s amazing! Let’s go and grab some, Shiori!” 

 “Sounds good!” 

 The two went to the special price area of the nearby supermarket and, squished between the energetic housewives, they were quick to snag the target special price item. 

 At that moment, the clerk’s voice came on the loudspeaker. 

 “Ah. At this time, the exotic meats area is beginning to sell their specials: one hundred grams of domestic beef is only 298 yen! Such an incredible deal is only available for today! Make sure to seize this opportunity—” 

 “What?! There was nothing on the flyer about this…!” 

 “Oh…! Is this the reality of the battlefield…?!” 

 Shido and Shiori spoke briefly before adopting the same evil smiles as they rushed into the battlefield of housewives. 

 “Hmm…” 

 The airship <Fraxinus> hovered 15000 meters above in the skies of Tengu City. Kotori watched the main screen showing Shido and Shiori from her place at the captain’s seat and muttered in embarrassment. 

 “Her affection values are good and her mental state is stable… just from the look of things, I think that everything is going smoothly.” 

 Kotori said as she continued licking the chupa chups in her mouth. At the same time, the crew in the lower section of the bridge smiled bitterly: 

 “It’s more like spending time with a boyfriend rather than a date…” 

 Kotori held her forehead as she sighed. 

 It was true. The two seemed to be having a lot of fun together and there didn’t seem to be any major problems with the numbers. However, it still wasn’t good enough to reach the sealable range. If anything, the current relationship was like spending time with a good friend… They weren’t visiting a playground or a restaurant but a large supermarket and a florist shop. It was like a friendship between two housewives. 

 “It’s probably because the interests and hobbies of the two are scarily similar… so it makes sense that Shido would also have fun.” 

 Kotori looked upset as she crossed her arms in distress. 

 “But… it’s not good to continue on like this. Whether it was good or bad, the relationship between the two of them has gradually stabilized. They were only one step away—as long as they were able to keep this up, they should hopefully get within sealing range…” 

 Kotori looked at Shido and Shiori who were smiling cheerfully at each other and touched her chin in embarrassment. 

 Kotori watched as Shido and Shiori smiled cheerfully at each other and put a hand on her face in embarrassment. 

 “Ah… what a great harvest.” 

 “Yeah! You were incredible there, Shiori! To be able to move so smoothly through the sale area.” 

 “Ahaha, just leave it to me! I’m very good at this kind of thing.” 

 Shido and Shiori walked down the road with their arms filled with loot after a deadly battle in the supermarket. The two of them exhibited incredible teamwork. There was already a comrade-in-arms level of trust between them, as people who fought together on the battlefield. 

 …Ah, of course, Shido understood that today’s meeting schedule was still at risk for failure. 

 Walking through mass merchandise shops, a florist shop, and finally going to a large supermarket to hunt for specials. If the target was an ordinary girl, the worst outcome would be getting slapped and never hearing from her again. 

 However, just as Shido suspected, Shiori’s interests and hobbies mirrored his own and he was more than willing to come along with her on these trips. In fact, Kotori had said that the numerical values were also very good. 

 However, Kotori also warned him that Shiori’s mental state was becoming more stable to the point that she thought of him as a good friend. In order to seal her Spirit powers, she needed to feel more strongly about Shido— 

 Just as Shido was thinking about this, Shiori seemed to guess what he was thinking and smiled bitterly: 

 “…To be honest, I had a really great time, but I guess we aren’t close enough to sealing…?” 

 “…You’re really keen…” 

 After Shido revealed a bitter smile similar to Shiori’s, Shiori made a contemplative movement for a moment and then spoke again: 

 “Well… I think that a house husband kind of man is very attractive.” 

 “Hm?” 

 Shiori suddenly blurted out that statement, making Shido’s eyes widen in surprise. Shiori’s cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment and then said: 

 “So if you can cook for me, and your cooking ends up being better than my own, I might get a little bit…” 

 Shiori said this and then laughed. 

 However, this time Shido didn’t smile back but murmured to himself with a serious expression. 

 “Cooking…” 

 In the Itsuka household, where the parents are often absent, Shido was the person in charge of the kitchen. 

 If someone asked what his speciality was, he wouldn’t hesitate in answering with cooking. Shido was very confident in his cooking. 

 “—Okay, I’ll accept your challenge. I want to put the ingredients we bought in the refrigerator first. Is it okay if we go to my house first?” 

 “Yes, of course!” 

 Shiori’s expression seemed to light up as she nodded. Shido and Shiori went to the Itsuka household together. Fortunately, the supermarket wasn’t far from the Itsuka home and so the two arrived home shortly after. 

 When Shido returned home, he quickly washed his hands and put the ingredients into the refrigerator. Meanwhile, Shiori put on Shido’s apron and rolled up her sleeves. 

 “Shiori? I thought I was going to cook?” 

 “Yeah, but didn’t I say—if you can cook better than me? So wouldn’t it be unfair if you didn’t get to know my craftsmanship first?” 

 After being asked, Shiori answered with a smile. 

 It seemed that Shiori was also quite confident in her cooking skills. Shido mumbled an “interesting” under his breath, and then took the posture of a rival school student in the preliminaries for reconnaissance of the rival’s situation: leaning against the wall and nodding. 

 “Then please show me your cooking.” 

 “Okay. Since it’s so rare to get beef, let’s make beef stew.” 

 Then Shiori raised the corners of her smile and then raised her right hand. 

 “<Ultimate Maid>!” 

 She then called the name. In the next moment, in Shiori’s hand was her Angel, with a feather duster and wings attached to it. 

 However, it didn’t end there. 

 “—<Delicious Praise>!” 

 After Shiori shouted that, the Angel separated into several pieces and transformed into different tools. 

 —It looked like a sharp all-purpose kitchen knife. 

 “Whoa…” 

 Shido made a startled sound and Shiori smiled triumphantly. After sharpening the kitchen knives in her hands, she began to cut the ingredients resting on the cutting board. 

 “Take this!” 

 In a series of swift movements, the ingredients were instantly cut down to appropriate sizes—no, not only that but the ingredients Shiori cut glittered like pictures in cooking comics, depicting an arc, and were quickly thrown into the pot. 

 “Aha!” 

 After Shiori turned on the gas stove, she flicked the pan and cooked the food smoothly. 

 So, five minutes later: 

 “—Come and try it. Eat while it’s hot!” 

 Shiori put the finished dishes on the plate and placed them on the dining table together with the pre-prepared salad and toasted bread. 

 “What…?! This is ridiculous…!” 

 Shido witnessed this incredible situation before him. His eyes widened in shock-—the speed of preparation was unbelievably fast. How could it be possible to prepare beef stew in such a short amount of time? 

 However, the beef stew that was presented to him was impeccably made and perfectly presented. 

 “Oh, wait until you finish eating before you say anything.” 

 She probably noticed Shido’s innermost thoughts, and Shiori politely urged Shido. 

 Shido smelled the indescribable aroma that spread around and had to swallow his saliva as he picked up a spoon with a trembling hand. He brought the beef stew to his mouth. 

 “—” 

 —It was delicious. This was the first thought that came to his mind. 

 The taste was as rich as though it had been stewed for several days. The beef was so tender that it could be crushed with just his tongue. The vegetables still retained their sweet and moist taste and they didn’t overpower one another. If anything, they all came together to build a joyous land on Shido’s tongue. 

 Such a high quality meal could only really be described as divine. Shido’s eyes watered the more he thought about it. 

 “S-So delicious…” 

 Shido admitted with a trembling voice. Shiori smiled happily. 

 “Right? My Angel <Ultimate Maid> can bring all of the ingredients to their greatest quality.” 

 As she said this, she raised her Angel now in its shape as a kitchen knife. As it turned out, this supreme delicacy could only be described by the power of an Angel. 

 “However, as you can see, I am a Spirit. Even if I cook something special, I don’t know who could taste it.” 

 “Is that so? That’s a shame…” 

 “Ahaha, it makes me happy to hear you say that. I occasionally eat it myself but the Spirits are different from humans. We don’t die if we don’t eat something every day. Ultimately, it’s a pretty useless power.” 

 Shiori smiled helplessly. 

 It really was very regrettable. Angels that can bring out the flavor of the ingredients to their fullest extent, and excellent craftsmanship in being able to manipulate the Angel’s powers to do what needs to be done. How happy would someone be to be able to eat such dishes every day? Just thinking about this— 

 “—Hey, Shido! How are you going to respond to her?!” 

 “…Huh?” 

 Kotori’s shout pierced his eardrums and Shido awoke from his stupor. 

 That was close. Knowing that she looked exactly the same as himself—but because what she made was also so delicious. She almost reminded him of a young lady in terms of her appearance. Shido put a hand on his chest in an attempt to calm his rapidly beating heart. 

 —However, this was a problem. Shido believed that his cooking was still superb but knowing that he was up against such a taste, his cooking skills may as well have been child’s play. Even if he asked <Ratatoskr> to help him prepare the highest quality ingredients, there was no way to beat Shiori. These thoughts swirled in Shido’s mind as he continued to eat Shiori’s beef stew. 

 There was one plate left. He needed to use his knowledge of cuisine in order to counter Shiori who had the power of that Angel and her own cooking skills. 

 “…” 

 At that moment, a thought crossed Shido’s mind. 

 “Shido, is there something wrong? There are still many other dishes left.” 

 “Huh! Really, there’s nothing wrong! Another dish is a must, but I won’t say anything else…” 

 Shido quickly cleared his throat and regained his energy while staring intently into Shiori’s eyes. 

 “—My food will take longer to prepare. Would you be willing to stay for dinner?” 

 “Huh?” 

 Shiori listened to Shido’s words and regarded him with a suspicious expression. 

 —A few hours had passed since then. 

 “Oh, Shido! There you are!” 

 “Mun… the preparations are finished, Nushi-sama.” 

 “I am looking forward to it…” 

 Shido took Shiori to the backyard of the Spirit mansion and the Spirits gathered at the same time spotted them. 

 Tohka, Yoshino, Natsumi, Mukuro, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Miku, and Nia, and Kotori, who should have been aboard the <Fraxinus>, had all gathered together. 

 Of course, to have so many people gather together like this couldn’t just be a coincidence. Shido had actually planned this ahead of time after explaining the situation to them and asked them to gather together. 

 “Uh… this…” 

 Shiori, who was surrounded by so many other girls, smiled bitterly in confusion. On the contrary, as soon as the other Spirits spotted Shiori, their eyes sparkled with interest. 

 “Hehe! Is this the new Spirit Shido mentioned? I am Kaguya, Child of the Hurricane: Yamai Kaguya. Remember this name well!” 

 “Greetings. Your name is—Shiori, right? My name is Yuzuru. This person, who is not called Yuzuru, is Kaguya.” 

 “How could you introduce me like that?!” 

 “Ahaha… please take care of me.” 

 Shiori and the other Spirits greeted each other. 

 However, there were other Spirits who reacted differently… 

 “Ahhhhh! The new Spirit is also a great beauty! And why do I have the strangest feeling that I’ve seen someone like her somewhere? Is this destiny? It has to be destiny! Do you believe in reincarnation?! Your previous life was probably as part of a couple but with others involved as well!” 

 “Incredible. The small folding sensor that responds only to Shido is showing a reaction to you as well. The hand that presses the shutter can’t stop. Shido, move a little bit closer to Shiori. I want to capture this moment with both of you. This miracle must be stored on a memory card.” 

 …The emotions were running inexplicably high. Shiori couldn’t help but smile bitterly. 

 “Shido, Shido.” 

 One of them whispered softly while hitting his side with her elbow—Kotori. 

 “I’m ready to follow your lead, but is this really okay…?” 

 Hmm… I don’t know for sure. Shouldn’t I have no problems?” 

 “That’s not very helpful…” 

 Kotori narrowed her eyes as she glared at Shido—she then shrugged and sighed. 

 “Ah, forget about it. If the lack of progress is a fact, then I think you need to make direct contact with Shiori.” 

 “Right.” 

 After Shido nodded gently, Shiori, who had fled Miku and Origami spoke to Shido doubtfully: 

 “So… what was your plan? Didn’t you say that you were planning to make dinner for me…” 

 “Well, of course. Everyone’s going to work together to make it.” 

 “Huh…?” 

 Shiori’s eyes widened in amazement. 

 At that moment, the Spirits gathered in the backyard moved aside and showed Shiori everything prepared there: 

 Big pots, a box of cooking tools, a brick stone, and a large variety of ingredients. 

 “This is…” 

 “I think that if we want everyone to make dinner together, curry is probably the safest bet.” 

 Shiori still couldn’t figure out the situation. Instead, she only got a confident thumbs up from Shido after he expressed, “you will understand when you see it”. He opened his mouth to issue his orders. 

 “Okay! Then let’s get started, everyone!” 

 “Oh!” 

 Everyone raised their fists together as they answered Shido. After recovering her composure, Shiori also replied, “O-Oh…” and hesitantly joined them. 

 —So in short order, the Spirit’s wild self-catering began in earnest. 

 Divided into a curry group, a rice group, and a fire group, everyone worked individually to arrange the chopping board on the table to cut meat, vegetables, prepare rice, or chop firewood. 

 But not everyone was comfortable with the assigned work, and several began to speak out: 

 “Mun… this potato skin is really hard to cut…” 

 “My eyes feel itchy…” 

 “Agh! Scharlachorot Feuer! …Uh, I can’t get this to light up at all!” 

 “Ah, I’ll show you how to do it.” 

 When Shido was about to teach them, Shiori took the first step forward, reflecting everyone else. 

 When Shido was about to teach them, Shiori took the first step toward reflecting everyone. 

 “—Mukuro, trying to peel the potato skins with a kitchen knife is really dangerous. It’s safer to just use a peeler. Yoshino, if you wear goggles while you cut the onions, your eyes won’t feel itchy anymore. If you can, please try it. Kaguya, if you’re having trouble igniting such thick firewood, let’s start by crumpling up some newspaper to start…” 

 And then gave clear and simple instructions. The Spirits nodded their heads and expressed “So it’s like that!” and then promptly returned to their respective jobs. 

 At that moment, Shiori felt Shido and Kotori’s gazes on her and showed a shocked look, her shoulders shaking. 

 “Ah, I’m sorry… I should be minding my own business.” 

 “What are you talking about, Shiori? It helped them out a lot. Many people aren’t used to this sort of thing. If you don’t mind, please keep taking care of them.” 

 After Shido and Kotori finished speaking, there was a sound of loud laughter behind them—it was Nia. She was sitting on a chair, happily drinking a canned beer. 

 “Hey, hey, it’s really amazing to act immediately when something happens, Kotori. It’s just like Boy. You would be a good wife, and mother too.” 

 “…Why would anyone want a wife or mother like me? Anyway, while everyone else is busy cooking, Nia, you decided to start drinking early!” 

 Kotori glared hard at Nia who shifted guiltily in her seat. 

 However, they didn’t pressure Nia further because at that moment, the chopping board group called out for help. 

 “Ah! The carrot fell into my chest! Can you help get it out, Shiori?” 

 “Shiori, I accidentally cut my finger! Can you lick the wound for me?” 

 “Uh, this…” 

 …Asking for help was fine, but Shiori frowned deeply in confusion as sweat poured down her cheeks. 

 —Although such an incident occurred, everyone was very serious about cooking, and it took about an hour for the Spirits’ special curry to be completed. 

 It was a rare chance to be able to cook outside, so it was best to enjoy it under the sky. Shido and the others set up tables and chairs intended for camping in the backyard of the Spirit mansion, and everyone sat side by side. They then put curry on each plate, taking as much as they wanted—and then put their hands together in silent thanks. 

 “So, let’s start.” 

 “Let’s start!” 

 After the Spirits nodded gently to echo Shido, they each picked up their utensils at the same time. They scooped up an adequate amount of curry and rice and brought it to their mouths. 

 “Oh…! It’s delicious, Shido! Is this really something we made?” 

 “…Well, is it normal? Isn’t it unpleasant…?” 

 “Natsumi’s been saying such things, but it’s really not bad at all.” 

 Everyone was chatting happily with each other as they ate their own curry rice. 

 Shido watched the scene unfold with satisfaction, then turned to Shiori who had taken a seat near the door. 

 “Shiori, do you want to try it?” 

 “Okay… I’m going to start.” 

 She and Shido had been watching the other Spirits talk as they ate beneath the sky. Shiori then imitated the others, scooping up curry with a spoon and staring at it for a moment and putting it into her mouth. She then chewed it for a while as though carefully tasting the taste. Probably after discovering Shiori’s move, the Spirits stopped talking for a moment and then watched her intently, waiting for her thoughts. 

 Shiori made a “gudu” sound as she swallowed the curry. 

 She then exhaled and then slightly raised her head and stared into the distance. 

“Ah—it’s delicious.” 

 “…!” 

 After hearing what Shiori said, the Spirits immediately stood up. 

 Shiori responded to them with a smile before breathing out again and glanced at Shido. 

 “…I don’t know what it was. Seeing everyone cooking and eating together like this made the meal even more delicious.” She said, her voice trembling with emotion. 

 That’s right. Even though Shiori’s appearance, the way she thought about things, and her hobbies were similar to Shido, there was one major difference here: that was that she was a Spirit, and therefore didn’t get a chance to know the fun of being able to eat together with everyone. 

 Shiori could use the power of her Angel to make dishes that could be considered the greatest in the world, and the curry that Shido and the others made, even though Shiori complimented it, was hardly perfect; the vegetables were cut in varying sizes, and there were a few charred bits. 

 But with everyone working together to create the taste together, the sweetness of the food wouldn’t be lost in any of the dishes. 

 Compared to the taste of the best food in the world made alone, Shido much preferred the simple meals that everyone made and ate together. Shiori must have felt the same way. 

 Just as a smile crossed Shido’s face, Shiori puckered her lips. 

 “…However, I think your approach is a bit treacherous.” 

 “Huh? W-What do you mean?” 

 “Well, it wasn’t just your cooking… in every sense, I guess it’s correct to call it a homemade dish…” 

 Shido smiled and shrugged awkwardly as he replied awkwardly: “S-Sorry.” 

 At that moment— 

 “…!” 

 The headset that he’d been wearing let out a bell-like sound. 

 The sound was very familiar and it was a signal when the Spirit’s affection levels reached the point that their powers could be sealed. 

 “…!” 

 It seems that Kotori was also wearing an earpiece. She winked at Shido as if to urge him: 

 “Go for it!” 

 “N-Now…?” 

 Kotori nodded vigorously. Shido sighed as he faced Shiori. 

 “Ah… um, Shiori?” 

 “Yes? Is something the matter?” 

 “Uh… it seems the time has come.” 

 Shiori’s cheeks blushed as though she understood everything. 

 “Then come on… we should probably go somewhere private…” 

 “…Oh, I was feeling… sorry.” 

 “No… I don’t mind… So… uh… do you want to kiss?” 

 “This … well, it’s also…” 

 As Shido and Shiori were looking for a proper moment, Kotori impatiently grabbed them by the back of their necks and dragged them to their feet. 

 “Okay, go off somewhere else and figure this out!” 

 “Ah, good idea…” 

 “Then, let’s go…” 

 Shido and Shiori walked away from the table to an isolated part behind the Spirit mansion, both of them taking deep breaths and facing each other. 

 They then stared into each other’s eyes and put their hands on each others shoulders— 

 It was at that moment that Miku, Origami, and Nia were watching them from afar while taking photos with their smartphones. Origami took it a step further and was holding a camera. 

 “…” 

 “…What are you doing?” 

 “Nothing! Don’t mind us!” 

 “Don’t worry about us. Come on, hurry up.” 

 “I’m trying to collect information! I’ve been having writer’s block for the longest time!” 

 The three of them urged quickly. 

 “But the next moment, there was a strange voice of knocking and clicking. 

 “Okay, okay, the curry is going to get cold.” 

 “What’s with that! I have to see this!” 

 “Let go of me, Kotori. I have to document this historic moment.” 

 “Speaking of which, why do you have to hit me so hard, imouto!” 

 The three of them were dragged away while moaning. 

 After watching the three leave, Shido and Shiori faced each other once more. 

 “…So, please take care of me.” 

 “…No, there is something I want to ask you first.” 

 “…” 

 “…” 

 “…Haha!” 

 “…Ahaha!” 

 They didn’t know why but the two couldn’t help but start laughing when they looked at each other again. 

 This scene was hardly romantic. However, kissing Shiori was definitely much easier with the tension in the atmosphere now broken. Shido pulled her closer by the shoulders the moment that Shiori smiled and her lips pressed against his. 

 —Through kissing, he could feel a warm current flowing into his body. That was undoubtedly the classic feeling when he successfully sealed a Spirit’s powers. 

 That said, while the Spirit power was clearly sealed, Shiori’s clothes did not disappear into light. That was because she wasn’t wearing clothes formed from her astral dress, but instead real clothes—as though she had already prepared ahead of time for this outcome. 

 “…Let’s head back.” 

 “…Sounds good.” 

 Shido and Shiori shrugged and finished talking to each other before returning to the others. 

 But during this period, the two didn’t look at each other but they didn’t feel shy or embarrassed. 

 However, the reason is— 

 A little. Just a little bit further. 

 “…” 

 Kissing a Spirit that looked a lot like him, there was a sense of inexplicable thrill like they were doing something sinful.