Spirit Cruising
A loud horn echoed through the air.
The seabirds perched on the shoreline, upon hearing the sound of the horn, quickly took to the skies as they chirped loudly.
Following the birds as they flew away, what really caught an observer’s eye was a huge building in the distance. It was a magnificent and gorgeous looking white structure with countless windows on either side and countless chimneys on top.
But anyone looking at this building immediately noticed there was something off about it. Namely, the fact that it wasn’t on solid ground, instead it was floating on the ever shifting waves.
“What…! Is this a ship?!”
Upon seeing the huge structure, Yatogami Tohka exclaimed in wonder. Her beautiful crystalline eyes were wide with amazement and her long hair that was as dark as the night sky seemed to share her feelings as it danced with the sea breeze.
Having said that, Tohka’s reaction was understandable. Towering in front of her was a huge ship that seemed to radiate immense power. In fact, even Shido’s eyes were as wide as Tohka’s as he stared at the huge ship in front of him.
<Siren Marie>. This large cruise ship was the pride and joy of Siren Cruises—This was the ship that Itsuka Shido and the Spirits were going to take.
That’s right. Shido and the Spirits were now making their way to the port with luggage in hand for a three-day and two-night cruise.
“Yeah… It’s really amazing. It really is like a skyscraper floating in the sea.”
Shido said in wonderment as he heard pleased laughter from behind him.
“Nyahaha! That’s a great response! It was definitely worth it to bring you here! You can praise me now.”
A woman with red-rimmed glasses was laughing, arms crossed in approval.
Honjou Nia. She was a popular manga artist and, like Tohka, was a Spirit under <Ratatoskr>’s protection. She also happened to be the one funding this whole trip.
That’s right. The whole reason that Shido and the others were here at this port was because Nia won tickets for a luxury cruise at a party organized by her publishing house.
No, to be completely accurate—
“—It looks really impressive.”
“Yeah.”
Satisfied with the events that led up to now, Nia nodded gently.
Behind her was a slender girl whose red hair was tied into twin tails with black ribbons—Shido’s little sister and the commander of <Ratatoskr>’s battleship, Itsuka Kotori.
“Because you won two tickets, I figured you’d only invite Shido to come along with you. Fortunately, we can cover the rest of the travel expenses for everyone else with <Ratatoskr>’s funding.”
“Really, Imouto-chan, there’s no need to be so mean. Everything turned out well, and we’re all looking forward to this trip!”
As she spoke, Nia bent down. Her brief remark made Kotori and the other Spirits standing behind her let out a sigh of relief.
“W-Well, regardless of the outcome, this is still a rare opportunity. I don’t want everyone to get upset. Now, let’s go.”
“Yeah—!”
Everyone responded to Kotori as they made their way to the boarding gate of the <Siren Mary>.
◇◇◇
“This is Kitty #1. How are the preparations coming along?”
“Kitty #2 here. It’s ready.”
“Kitty #3 here. No problems here.”
“Kitty #4 here. I’m ready.”
“Alright. Let’s leave at 1600 hours today. Don’t be late.”
“Right, I know.”
“That being said, after our meticulous preparations, it’s impossible that we will fail. There isn’t even any security aboard this ship.”
“Haha, definitely!”
“This operation has to be done carefully. We can’t afford to be careless. This is our noble mission.”
“All for the sake of our goddess hee hee hee hee hee!”
“Hee hee hee hee hee!”
“Hee hee hee hee hee!”
“Hee hee hee hee hee!”
◇◇◇
“—Now then.”
After completing the boarding procedures, everyone put their luggage in their respective cabins before assembling at the ship’s lobby.
There were several gorgeous chandeliers hung high on the ceilings and beautifully painted murals on each of the walls. The design of the handrails for the stairs were very elegantly made, and the entire deck floor was covered with a thick luscious carpet. Everything onboard looked like something out of a high-end hotel. Were it not for the hull swaying gently with the waves, everyone would have forgotten that they were at sea.
Of course, Shido and the others’ cabins were no exception.
There were six cabins aboard the ship and all of them resembled luxurious suites rather than ordinary cruise ship cabins.
Incidentally, the way the groups were allocated to each of the cabins as such: Tohka and Mukuro, Kotori and Origami, Yoshino and Natsumi, Kaguya and Yuzuru, Miku and Nia, and Shido would have a separate room for himself.
Though at first, Nia said, “Eh~! But the cruise tickets I won were for me and Boy, so we should be the ones sharing a room—! Hey, Boy, don’t you think we should sleep together tonight?” Once she’d said that, all the other Spirits glared at her until the current groupings had been decided.
“Anyway, everyone’s luggage has been stored, and the rooms have already been arranged, so let’s all explore the ship however we want until dinner time.”
“Yeah, good idea… From the look of things, it looks like everyone else can’t wait to explore the ship.”
In response to what Shido said, Kotori nodded.
Indeed, just as Kotori said, for the Spirits like Tohka and the Yamai sisters who’d boarded a ship for the very first time, their eyes were alight with excitement.
“Umu!”
“I understand!”
“Approval. Understood.”
After hearing what Kotori said, Tohka and the others nodded in response. They all looked like puppies who’d been given delicious snacks for following their master’s orders.
Upon seeing such a scene, Kotori grinned slightly as she exchanged a look with Shido who likewise also smiled as she gave her instructions.
“Now then—let’s go!”
“Oh!”
In response to Shido, they all ran out.
Shido stared at them as they all dashed off and called out, “Don’t run! It’s dangerous—” The Spirits all shook at his call, transitioning from their run into a brisk walk as best as they could.
“Well, I guess I’ll take a look around for a bit. I heard that there was a casino on board? I’ve been wanting to try it. Could this feeling be the wheel of fate?”
“Ah, there’s a heated swimming pool here?! Natsumi-san, let’s go together!”
“Eh… I don’t want to go…”
Everyone chatted happily amongst themselves as the Spirits headed to wherever it was they wanted to go.
After watching everyone depart, only Kotori remained behind with Shido in the lobby. She looked over at him.
“Why don’t the two of us take a look around together.”
“Yeah. Then let’s…”
As he spoke, Shido looked down at the map in his hand.
“There’re so many places on this ship. Why don’t we go to the lounge first?”
“Okay, let’s take a look—But can you give me just a minute?”
“Huh? Is there something wrong?”
Kotori spoke casually as she put her hand in her pocket. Shido suddenly felt uneasy.
However, his unease went away almost immediately. Kotori pulled out her white ribbons from her pocket and tied them back into her hair at a speed faster than the naked eye.
“Alright! Let’s go, Onii-chan!”
After she finished speaking, Kotori pulled on Shido’s hand. Her expression and tone were drastically different from how she’d been acting before. She was much gentler now.
That’s right. The color of the ribbons that Kotori was wearing were different and indicated a change in her personality. When she wore the black ribbons, she was the reliable commander. When she wore the white ribbons, she became the age-appropriate, loving little sister.
That’s it, if she wanted to take a walk on a luxury cruise ship with Shido, this felt more appropriate.
“Yeah, let’s go!”
“Yeah!”
Shido nodded energetically as he and Kotori went off to explore the ship.
◇◇◇
“—Behold my deadly technique! This is my nirvana, the Whirlwind Gale!”
As she yelled and made exaggerated movements, Kaguya pressed the button of the slot machine.
The first, second, and third wheels stopped in turn, each of the coin icons were lined up and the slot machine flashed brightly and lively music played.
“Oh, awesome! Kaguya-chan.”
Seeing this, Yoshino who was sitting next to Kaguya—to be precise, her rabbit hand puppet worn on Yoshino’s left hand <Yoshinon> clapped her small paws together.
Kaguya and the others were currently in the on-board casino. In addition to the slot machines, they could also play blackjack, poker, even roulette; every table had a dealer at the ready. Because it was such a big ship, there was so much to do and there was still a unique sense of excitement in the air.
“Kaguya-san… you’re so amazing…”
Yoshino added, following Yoshinon, her eyes alight with amazement. Kaguya puffed out her chest proudly.
“Kuku, that’s it. Yoshino, please give it it a try too—”
Before Kaguya could even finish speaking, Yoshino’s slot machine indicated that she’d won the jackpot as the slot machine rang more loudly than before.
“Wow! I won…”
“Wow~! It’s too much—!”
“…”
Kaguya stared at Yoshino’s machine and then at her own, clenching her fists in frustration.
…Well, it’s better to have more chips than what you started with. Kaguya turned around and looked to her right.
Over there—
“…This is cruel… It’s absolutely cruel… Ah, ah, ah, ah… Money… my money was completely consumed…”
Nia turned the switch of the slot machine listlessly.
And just ten minutes before, she’d said, “Eh? Are both Kaguyan and Yosshi playing on the slot machines for the first time? I guess it can’t be helped—! Let the experienced Onee-san teach you~!” The deity who’d said these words was now in a tragic situation that was completely opposite of the self-confident person from before.
Kaguya sighed helplessly and finally Nia finally gave up, slumping against the slot machine.
“N-Nia…?”
“Ahhhhh!”
Kaguya asked in concern, but Nia suddenly bounced up like a spring.
“Sure enough, this slot machine must be malfunctioning! That’s why you don’t gamble with machines! The true essence of gambling is a game with the dealer! Come on, let’s go play roulette!”
With that said, Nia purchased more chips and made her way to the roulette table. Noticing this, Kaguya and Yoshino followed her to the same table.
“Just now, I was playing for fun. From now on, it’s time to get serious. Will it lead to victory or defeat? Roulettes are the hallmark of a casino. It’s a real battlefield between the dealer and the gambler and it doesn’t just depend on luck. If you don’t play skillfully and lack keen intuition, it will lead to a path to hell. Hahaha… Kaguyan and Yosshi, do you think you can survive this…?”
After speaking, Nia looked at the two of them provocatively and smiled confidently.
Only a few minutes later.
“Black, 15.”
“All… in.”
“Wow, you’re really bad at this. It’s Red 32.”
“WHYYYYYYYYY?!”
Nia’s sorrow could be heard all throughout the casino.
Yoshino had a stack of chips that was significantly more than what she’d started with.
Kaguya had the same number of chips that she’d started with piled up next to her.
Nia had no chips left.
“W-Why did it have to end like this…?”
“…No, I really have to ask, Nia. Why have you only been betting on a single number since we started? You bet so stupidly…”
“I’m gambling to turn this around?! What’s wrong with wanting to be cool?!”
“Where did you leave your experience and intuition?!”
Kaguya shouted helplessly while Nia stumbled to her feet and stood behind Yoshino.
“Yeah~…you seem to be really lucky, Yoshi—No, Yoshino-sama…”
“Y-Yoshino-sama…?”
“Ah, looks like Nia’s just ignoring it now.”
Yoshino responded in confusion while <Yoshinon> responded blankly. But Nia didn’t seem to care as she rubbed Yoshino’s shoulders with a charming smile.
“So do you think that you could lend poor little me a few chips…? I’m serious! I will definitely win next round! As long as I have the capital, I will definitely win! I will even double it for you! How about it? You should definitely invest in my dream…”
“In the end, you end up using such a bold-faced lie! Don’t let her fool you, Yoshino! This person is clearly hopeless!”
“No, she’s not… You don’t need to ask, please feel free to use it if you’d like.”
“Really?! Yay~! I really love you so much. Sure enough, there’s no way I could do it without Yosshi…”
“Yoshino—!”
Kaguya yelled in sorrow but knew she couldn’t stop Yoshino. Panting heavily, Nia took the chips from Yoshino’s hands.
“—Now then, dealer! Let’s play again! I’m getting my chips back!”
Nia, who clearly hadn’t learned her lesson, put all the chips she’d gotten from Yoshino on Black 22 this time. The dealer was wearing an uncertain expression as well.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Naturally! The protagonist has to be pushed to the edge in order to find glory! I believe in the bargaining chip of our friendship.”
For some reason, Nia clenched her fists confidently. Her eyes flashed red much like a protagonist from manga… it made everyone want to yell in protest. Yoshino simply smiled bitterly while Kaguya could feel sweat trickling down her face.
“If that’s the case, then I will begin.”
Then the dealer put the ball down.
“…what.”
Nia went pale.
Perhaps it was destiny but it looks like Nia missed again.
“Ah… really…”
“A-Are you alright, Nia-san?”
However, despite this result, the casino was full of noise.
The reason why was obvious: with the few chips that Nia had left, Yoshino managed to hit another 36x odds roulette.
Yoshino had won 10 consecutive victories since she started playing roulette. This was so-called astronomical fortune.
“…G-Guest-san, I’m really sorry, but could we check your rabbit?”
This was probably because this situation was too abnormal. The female dealer in the back spoke to Yoshino.
Well, Yoshino was obviously not the kind of girl who would rely on improper methods but from the dealer’s perspective, they needed to investigate the matter thoroughly.
“E-Eh? Could it be that you suspect <Yoshinon> of cheating? That’s really rude. Well, forget it. Isn’t this just proof that Yoshino is really lucky? Hurry up and prove that she’s innocent.”
“Y-Yes…”
Yoshino nodded in response to what <Yoshinon> said. The dealer tilted her head doubtfully as she watched the conversation, but in the end she stretched out her hand to Yoshino without a second thought.
“I don’t mean to be rude…”
After she finished speaking, the dealer took <Yoshinon> from Yoshino and took a peak at the inside of <Yoshinon>.
“What.”
“What.”
Watching this scene unfold before them, Kaguya and Nia’s eyes widened at the same time.
No, in fact, they both understood what the dealer was thinking. The rabbit doll on the girl who managed to win roulette 10 consecutive times was indeed unusual.
However, taking <Yoshinon> from Yoshino meant—
“Whoa—!”
Tears appeared in Yoshino’s eyes as Kaguya and Nia quickly snatched <Yoshinon> back and put her back on Yoshino’s hand.
◇◇◇
“—Wow!”
As Tohka pushed the heavy door open, the dazzling sunlight and the fragrance of the sea breeze wafted around her.
Tohka decided to come to the main deck of the huge cruise ship. In front of the cruise ship heading further to sea and before her, an endless horizon stretched out around her. The sea gleamed in the sunlight.
Leaning over the handrails and looking down, she could see the sea water rushing along the sides of the ship along with the waves. Although it didn’t feel like she was moving, it seemed that the cruise ship was moving at an impressive speed.
“Exclamation. This really is a superb view.”
“Mun. The scenery here is really pretty.”
Just as Tohka was looking around on the deck, she could hear voices coming from behind her.
Turning around, she spotted two girls standing behind her: one was a girl with a listless gaze and a girl with her long blonde hair tied into three braids around her shoulders.
It was Yamai Yuzuru and Hoshimiya Mukuro. Both of them were Spirits just like Tohka. It seemed that they also came to the main deck to take a look at the scenery.
“Oh! Yuzuru! Mukuro! You came here too!”
“Acknowledgement. Because such an opportunity is rare. I wanted to find a place with a good view to use as a background to take a commemorative photo. If possible, would you two also want to be in it?”
“Mun. That is a good idea. Please include Muku in your photo.”
“Umu! I want to be in it too!”
Mukuro and Tohka nodded. Yuzuru nodded exaggeratedly as she pulled out her mobile phone and an inexplicable stick from her bag.
“Muuu? Yuzuru, what’s with this stick?”
“Notice. This is a secret weapon for taking commemorative photos—a so-called selfie stick.”
“Selfie stick… is that what it’s called? With that sort of name, it sounds delicious…”
Tohka tilted her head while crossing her arms. Although, her mind immediately went to skewered, grilled, or fried chicken on skewers based on the name. However, there wasn’t anything skewered on the metal rod that Yuzuru was holding.
“Surprised. I don’t really understand what Tohka is talking about… Anyway, please look this way.”
Yuzuru placed her phone on the front of the stick in her hand and then lifted the stick smoothly.
“Explanation. Like this, I can press the button on the handle to press the camera’s shutter. In this way, even if you can’t rely on anyone else, you can take a picture that looks perfectly natural.”
Once Yuzuru finished speaking, the phone’s shutter was pressed with a click. Yuzuru pulled the stick back to its original length and checked her phone to confirm that the photo had been taken.
“Satisfied. It’s a good picture. I’ll share it with Tohka and Mukuro in a moment—”
Partway through her sentence, Yuzuru stopped speaking and suddenly turned her head to look behind her
“Muu? What’s wrong, Yuzuru?”
“…Surprised. Just a moment ago, I thought I heard a strange laughter coming from behind me…”
Yuzuru looked around skeptically. Tohka copied her and also looked around, but there were no other passengers on the deck.
“Muu, what kind of laughter was it?”
“Reflection. It sounded like… “heheheheh”.”
“Indeed, I think I heard such laughter somewhere else…”
“Sigh. Well, let’s forget about it. It must be my imagination or an evil spirit, Kaguya, who noticed that Yuzuru and her party were playing here.”
After that, Yuzuru removed her phone from the stick and aimed the camera at Tohka and Mukuro again.
“Suggestion. A rare location shoot. Actually, there’s another photo that I want to take. Could you two cooperate with me?”
“A picture that you want to take…? What kind of picture is it?”
“Explanation. First, please stand in front of the deck. Originally, I wanted to shoot from the bow, but it seems that it’s impossible to go there because of safety issues, so we’ll just shoot here.”
“Mun… you want Muku to stand here?”
Mukuro obeyed Yuzuru’s instructions as she stood in front of the deck. Tohka followed suit as she stood behind Mukuro.
“Instruction. Mukuro please spread out your arms and Tohka, hug Mukuro from behind.”
“Spread out Muku’s arms… is this right?”
“Then I hug Mukuro from behind… like this?”
“Sigh. Very good.”
After the two posed as instructed, Yuzuru began to press the shutter continuously in excitement.
It was at that moment, as if in line with this scene, there was a strong gust of wind and the three braids wrapped around Mukuro’s shoulders flared back along with Tohka’s long dark hair as it drifted in the wind. At that moment, the sound of Yuzuru’s shutter seemed to click quickly.
“Mun… Yuzuru, so what kind of pose is this? Is there a special meaning behind it?”
Mukuro asked. Yuzuru nodded as she explained.
“Commentary. It’s from a scene of an old movie. I’ve watched it with Kaguya before, and I have always been particularly fond of this scene.”
“So that’s what it’s from. What kind of movie was it?”
“Answer. It’s a movie about a huge cruise ship sinking.”
“…Eh?!”
After hearing what Yuzuru, Tohka and Mukuro’s postures suddenly collapsed.
“Don’t make us pose with such ominous postures!”
“So that’s what will happen! What if this causes the ship to sink?!”
The two of them shouted until they were blue in the face but Yuzuru only laughed happily.
“Excuse. Don’t worry. This pose didn’t cause a shipwreck itself. The ship in that movie sank because it hit a huge iceberg. There are no icebergs in this area, right? As long as no one made Yoshino cry—”
As soon as Yuzuru finished speaking, the temperature around them suddenly dropped drastically, and there was a huge block of ice forming on the sea in front of the cruise ship.
“Wh-What…?! T-That’s—”
“Trembling. Is that an iceberg?!”
“Muu, did the iceberg suddenly appear like this?”
Faced with such an unexpected situation, Tohka and the others leaned out from the handrail on the deck and shouted loudly.
Has the cruise ship’s captain noticed this yet? No, even if he did notice, it would be almost impossible to avoid the iceberg completely. Tohka took a few moments to assess the situation and then shouted once more.
“Mukuro! Yuzuru!”
“Mun…!”
“Echoing. You can rely on Yuzuru and her party to take care of this.”
After responding to Tohka’s call, Mukuro and Yuzuru began to fill their bodies with Spirit power.
◇◇◇
“…How did things end up like this…”
Natsumi, who was dressed in a swimsuit, hugged her knees and muttered to herself desperately.
The place where Natsumi was at now was the corner of a heated swimming pool at the top of the ship. Even though it was still winter, the sun was dazzling.
Through the glass-covered ceiling, the fluttering pool water’s surface shone brightly. In the surroundings, the passengers who put on swimsuits either played in the swimming pool or laid on the beach chairs, enjoying themselves.
Of course, Natsumi would never come to such a place on her own. After all, this environment was better suited to attractive people. This place was filled with colorful flowers in full bloom, unlike herself. This was not the place for girls who were like the mushrooms that grew in the corners and would rather stay in darkness.
The reason why Natsumi was here to begin was quite simple. It’s because—
“—Yahoo?!”
Natsumi wanted to disappear as quickly as possible. Just when she was about to hide behind the wall, a sharp voice could be heard from the other side of the pool.
The other passengers in the swimming pool looked over in that direction curiously.
Over there, there was a flower that was even cuter compared to the brightest of flowers.
That’s right. Miku, who’d decided to wear quite a bold swimsuit, was staring right at Natsumi.
“Natsumi—san! Your swimsuit—*Puff. Puff. Puff. Puff. Puff.* It suits you perfectly—! Eh?! Are you a fairy?! Are you an angel?! Did I somehow arrive at heaven and not realize it—?!”
Miku walked toward Natsumi, completely oblivious to the attention from the other passengers. The puffing was her voice as she jumped into the pool. It was probably because there was a pool separating Miku from Natsumi and she wanted the shortest possible route. Even though Miku wasn’t very good at swimming, her swimming style just now was just like a flying fish.
“Hey…! What are you doing… You shouldn’t shout so loudly. You’re a celebrity you know…”
“Eh?! I don’t care about that.”
“But I care a lot…! Won’t even someone like me be noticed if you are so dazzling? Can you just stay away from me…?”
“Ah, Natsumi-san has such a cruel heart…”
With that, Miku simply poked Natsumi’s arms with her hands. Natsumi sighed melancholically.
That’s right. Miku dragged Natsumi to this pool by force. Of course, Natsumi tried to resist, but being stripped of her clothes and being left with nothing but a swimsuit, Natsumi was forced to wear it.
Then, Miku clapped her hands as though she’d come up with an idea and pulled out a small bottle from the bag she’d brought along with her.
“Ah, by the way, Natsumi-san! Can you please help me apply sunscreen?”
“Eh… why?”
“That’s because tanning is the enemy of skin! I can’t be careless just because it’s not summer, right? I heard that the sun’s ultraviolet rays on a cloudy day are stronger.”
“No, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about why do I have to do it? You should do this sort of thing yourself.”
“There are some places I can’t reach. Well, it doesn’t matter, does it?”
Natsumi finished speaking with her eyes narrowed. Miku twisted her body exaggeratedly, but then, as though she’d come up with another idea, Miku’s face lit up once more.
“—Ah! Then why don’t you let me show you! As a demonstration, let me apply sunscreen to Natsumi-san! Then you’ll know how to do it! I’m a genius! I should be awarded with a Nobel Prize!”
“…Eh?”
Natsumi was dumbfounded when she heard Miku’s suggestion. It might have been because she couldn’t catch everything that she said so quickly or she was refusing to understand it in the first place.
But Miku didn’t care about that. She applied the sunscreen onto her hands, rubbing them evenly, all while wearing a scary smile as she giggled, “Ehehehe…”
“Come on, Natsumi-san. Please lie down here.”
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH—!”
Natsumi finally understood the situation and screamed as she fled from the spot.
“Ah, Natsumi-san! Wait, if you run by the pool…!”
While Miku was speaking seriously, hands outstretched to chase after Natsumi. Natsumi held her breath and quickly ran around the pool.
However, the poolside was very slippery. After a few laps around the pool, Natsumi suddenly slipped and lost her balance.
“W-Whoa!”
“Ah! Be careful!”
Even as she spread her arms out in a panic in an attempt to regain her balance, it was too late. Natsumi staggered forward.
However—the pain she was expecting did not come. Natsumi soon found herself buried in the chest of the person standing there.
“—Are you okay?”
“That hurt… Eh? Origami?”
Natsumi touched her forehead and looked up, calling out the name of the person standing in front of her. That’s right, the person supporting Natsumi was the fellow Spirit, Tobiichi Origami, herself. It seemed that she had also decided to come to the pool much like Natsumi.
“T-thank you… you saved me.”
“It’s fine. Nevertheless, are you okay? You looked quite panicked.”
“…! Y-yes! Save me, Origami! Think of a solution to deal with that pervert!”
Natsumi snapped as she pointed at Miku. In response, Miku puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
“Really, that’s so mean. I just wanted to touch Natsumi-san all over… Ah, wait. I just wanted to help Natsumi-san apply her sunscreen.”
“Didn’t you just reveal your true intentions just now?!”
Natsumi shouted mournfully while Origami nodded slightly.
“I understand the situation—Natsumi.”
“Huh…? W-What?”
“In exchange for eliminating Miku, I want you to transform into Shido and then I will apply sunscreen to you.”
“Ah! That’s not fair! Let’s all happily apply sunscreen to each other, together!”
“Why do I always have to deal with these kinds of things?!”
At that moment—
Just when Natsumi couldn’t help but scream.
There was a loud grinding noise… and following that, the hull tilted sharply.
“…!”
“AAAAAHHHHH! What the hell is going on?!”
In the face of the unexpected turn of events, Origami crouched down while rechecking her surroundings. Miku could only let out a mournful cry. Natsumi squatted on the ground while clutching her head.
For a moment, she thought that it was an earthquake or something but now that she thought about it, they were at sea. What happened? Was there a collision with another ship? An undersea volcanic eruption? Or were they being attacked by pirates?
She’d briefly considered that they might have hit an iceberg but immediately dismissed it. After all, there couldn’t be such a thing here.
Various possibilities came to mind and were promptly dismissed. But there was still no answer in sight.
The entire time, the ship continued to shake violently and the shifting became harsher and more vicious.
The passengers in the pool slid out and were sent careening toward the wall. The glass-covered ceiling shattered and glass shards fell all around them.
“A-AH!”
“Whoa!”
“Rgh…”
Seeing this, Natsumi couldn’t help but raise her hands. She felt the sense of her sealed Spirit Power flowing back into her body through the path. In the next moment, the swimming pool was suddenly bathed by a bright light.
“Just a little… No one’s hurt?”
“Ah… what’s with this wall? How could it be so soft…?”
“The glass too… it feels like rubber to the touch. It doesn’t hurt at all, even if I get pricked… Is this some sort of new material?”
The passengers in the swimming pool felt odd when they hit the wall and were struck by the falling glass shards.
“What…”
It seemed that she managed to pull it off just in time. Natsumi let out a sigh of relief.
That’s right. Natsumi activated the power of her Angel <Haniel> in an instant, transforming everything around them into soft materials.
After taking a look around at their surroundings, Origami and Miku seemed to have realized what Natsumi had done. Origami flashed a thumbs up as though to say “Nice job” while Miku blew her a kiss.
“…”
Natsumi casually waved her hand in response and then let out a second sigh.
Soon afterward, the ship’s shaking gradually slowed and their surroundings slowly returned to normal. Anyway, it seems the incident had been resolved… At least, they could think that for now. No one knew what happened, but there was no denying that the captain would provide a report before long.
However, at that moment, Natsumi frowned suspiciously.
The reason was simple. Because from the direction of the entrance to the swimming pool, there were rattling footsteps and a sharp whine.
◇◇◇
“A-Are you okay, Kotori? That was a bit loud just now.”
Shido and Kotori had been sitting in one of the cabins for a while. He put the cup and saucer that he’d been holding onto the table and looked at Kotori who was seated across from him.
“Oh… it’s nothing. But could it be… terrorists?”
Kotori, who was also holding tableware like Shido, tilted her head in confusion. Faced with Kotori’s doubts, Shido could only smile wryly.
“Somehow, I doubt that… Ah, I spilled the black tea I’d prepared.”
Shido looked down at the stained tablecloth stained with black tea and couldn’t help but sigh in regret. Although he knew that this wasn’t his fault, both the black tea and tablecloth were very high-quality items. That at least made Shido feel guilty.
At least the tableware wasn’t broken. Shido glanced around at the other passengers who had eventually calmed down, then turned to look at Kotori.
“This lounge was shaking quite a lot so maybe it was worse at the top. Origami said that she was going to the pool. We should probably take a look, right?”
“Well, I don’t think she would be in any trouble… but just to be on the safe side, let’s check it out.”
Shido and Kotori nodded to each other and stood up at the same time.
At that moment—
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, Shido couldn’t help but frown once more as he felt that someone had broken into the lounge.
Now that the lounge had finally become stable, he’d finally noticed ten people that hadn’t been there before that had arrived. His ears were soon filled with screams once more.
“W-What’s wrong? That…”
Shido stared in confusion as he faced the group of people who’d suddenly rushed into the lounge.
His surprise was understandable: because the way these people were dressed was very strange.
He noticed the group holding automatic rifles, wearing hoods that exposed only their eyes and dressed in all black. It made sense… if they were dressed like this, then their intentions were clear, it wasn’t hard to figure out what they were doing.
What stood out most, however, was that they all wore a clock-shaped eye-patch over their left eye, plus a headband with cat ears on their heads. These add-ons made it a bit more confusing to figure out what they were trying to do.
“…What the hell?”
Just as Shido was recovering from the shock of what just happened, the person he figured was their leader stepped forward and shouted.
“—Don’t move! This ship is now under the control of <Clock Cat>! If you don’t follow our orders, we can’t be held responsible for your safety or survival! Hehehehehe!”
“Hehehehehehe!”
“Hehehehehehe!”
As if to echo the leader’s sentiments, the subordinates kept repeating their distinctive slogan. Faced with what he’d been told, Shido’s face became increasingly confused.
After listening to what the newcomers said, the passengers in the lounge began to clamor.
“Ahahahahahahaha?! What’s with those ears?!”
“W-What is this? Is this a prank? And those ears, what the hell…?”
“This… are you joking? This isn’t a movie…! Also, what’s with those ears…?”
“…”
The figure stared around at the passengers talking amongst themselves and raised the automatic rifle to the ceiling and pulled the trigger. Bam! With this terrifying sound, glass shards from the chandelier fell to the ground like drops of rain.
“You are not allowed to speak without my permission. You are now offerings to the goddess!”
“…Huh.”
After hearing what the figure said, all of the passengers fell silent. The figure stared around again and nodded in satisfaction and continued.
“I repeat, we are <Clock Cat>. The Knights of the Goddess of Darkness! Additionally, the name <Clock Cat> means both clock and black cat! Hehehehehe!”
“Hehehehehehe!”
“Hehehehehehe!”
One after the other, the other figures cackled loudly.
“…I… I didn’t think I would actually be right, but sure enough…”
After hearing what the figures said, Kotori’s expression hardened and her brows furrowed. Upon closer inspection, somehow, her white ribbons had already been changed to black.
“Kotori, do you have any idea who those people might be?”
Shido asked quietly so that the figures couldn’t hear him. Kotori nodded in response as sweat trickled down his forehead.
“I believe that… these people are Spirit Believers.”
“Spirit… Believers?”
Shido tilted his head in confusion at the description as Kotori continued to explain:
“As you know, since the Spirits are the ones behind the spatial quakes, news about the Spirits’ existence has been hidden from the public… However, there are no perfect walls in the world. It’s possible that lazy government officials or military-related personnel leaked the news, or someone accidentally encountered one of the Spirits. Of course, it would be ridiculous to just tell everyone: they would just think of them as urban legends or unknown creatures. But for those who believe in the supernatural, they might confuse the Spirits with angels and demons, right? If that was the case, then it’s only a matter of time before organizations like cults appear. Things will only get worse if they find out that they actually exist.”
Kotori shrugged once she finished.
“After they find out that these supernatural beings aren’t just imaginary things, they’ll no doubt come up with some dangerous line of thinking. This group of people, who ordinarily just be a bunch of terrorists, have found excuses for their actions and have begun to worship these supernatural beings like Gods… at least, that’s what I think.”
“I-Is that really the case…? But come to think of it, those outfits are…”
Shido stared at the figures’ clothing. Kotori also nodded faintly.
“…Yeah, probably. Look, there are a lot of people, even if a spatial quake alarm isn’t triggered, certain Spirits can appear in the streets silently, so really, this Spirit being spotted was inevitable.”
“What…”
Shido put a hand to his forehead, his expression turning into one that resembled Kotori’s. So that’s it, this was a situation caused by people witnessing stuff they shouldn’t have.
While Shido and Kotori were quietly discussing the situation, the leader of <Clock Cat> raised their voice.
“—In other words! This is not death! It is salvation guiding you to a new and better life! This is a blessing! Rejoice! You will become one with our goddess! You martyrs will be reborn as cats in the next life! Enjoy the caress of the goddess! I want to be caressed by the goddess! The life of a cat is amazing! Being human is too exhausting!”
“Exhausting!”
“Exhausting!”
However, it seemed like the second half of the proclamation was expressing a personal desire, but that speech only served to worsen the expressions on the passengers’ faces… Well, it was to be expected after all, a group of people armed with guns were preaching complete nonsense. Of course, they would be terrified rather than laughing.
“Ah… there’s something I want to say.”
At that moment, Kotori raised her hand as if to interrupt the figure.
The slender person standing next to the apparent leader glared at Kotori viciously.
“Did you not just hear what our leader has said? No one is permitted to speak without permission.”
“I heard what your leader said. That’s why I’m now asking for your permission to speak.”
“You—!”
“—Just wait a moment. It’s fine. Her disciplined attitude is truly admirable. Ah, this child is a bit like a cat. The goddess is always quite fond of cats.”
“Really…?”
“Cat ears would suit her quite nicely…”
The leader silenced the member as they finished. The leader then made their way straight toward Kotori. Kotori, on her end, could feel a nervous sweat trickle down her forehead.
“So, what did you want to say, you cute little cat?”
“…Ahaha, it’s nothing very important. Just for the sake of clarity, I just wanted to make sure that this isn’t part of the ship’s entertainment activities or disaster prevention protocols, right?”
“Of course not.”
“So in other words… is this a real ship hijacking?”
“I wouldn’t have called it a hijacking, but in the most basic sense, you’re functionally correct.”
“Ah—…”
After hearing the leader’s responses, Kotori crossed her arms and her expression became increasingly indignant. Her eyebrows furrowed more deeply and she was starting to sweat more profusely.
“So that’s how it is… why did you pick this boat in particular to hijack…?”
Depending on the perspective, some people would shudder in fear when faced with a sudden threat such as this—However, despite the uncertain expression on Kotori’s face, one with mixed confusion and pity, she was still calm.
Kotori sighed deeply as she cast a withering look at the figure before her.
“…Might as well get the troublesome bit out of the way first. If you don’t want to get hurt, then just put down your weapons and surrender.”
“What did you say?”
Faced with Kotori’s provocative response, the figure’s originally gentle expression twisted.
“What the hell are you talking about? Who could possibly stand against us?”
“Who… Well, just from what you’ve said—your goddess?”
“…What?”
After Kotori finished speaking, the leader’s expression turned to one of surprise and a faint frown could be seen beneath the mask.
In the moment that followed, the walkie-talkie pinned to their sides beeped.
“…What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
The leader of the group put the walkie-talkie to their mouth with their hand as they spoke.
Then, terrible gunshots and screams could be heard from the other end of the walkie-talkie.
“—Please respond! Please respond! All of Unit B has been destroyed! Repeat, all of Unit B has been destroyed!”
“What…?”
A surprised expression appeared on what could be seen of the leader’s face. As if to amplify the grief of the current situation, more voices could be heard from the walkie-talkie and they sounded just as miserable.
“This is Unit C! Please provide support! Our guns don’t work! What the hell happened?!”
“My gun! My gun was snapped into two pieces like a baguette! Witch! There’s a witch on this ship!”
“It’s… It’s so cold… I can’t move my arms or legs… I feel… so sleepy…”
“—Ah, my comrade. A Goddess or whoever else doesn’t matter anymore. Compared to her, why don’t we just sing together. This winter, the hottest new song by Miku-sama, “Beautiful Moon”, is on sale now.”
…And so on and so forth, roars, screams and what seemed like the sound of a fan were disorderly mixed through the walkie-talkie. Although it wasn’t clear the specific expressions of the figures as their faces were covered, it was safe to say that they were confused.
“W-What…?! What happened?!”
Seeing the situation unfold, Kotori sighed.
“See, I warned you…”
“What…”
Just from the content of the calls, it was immediately clear what had happened. Shido and Kotori’s expressions matched as they scratched their cheeks awkwardly.
“Grr…!”
As if realizing something from Kotori’s expression, the leader fixed an intense glare on her face.
“What the hell happened?! What the hell is on this ship! Tell me right now! Don’t tell me—”
Almost immediately afterward, the leader raised the automatic rifle in their hand. With a loud ‘bang,’ the door to the lounge was blown open.
Then, Tohka who’d been dragging a few masked people appeared in front of them. Yuzuru and Mukuro were close behind as they walked in with loud steps.
“Wha…?!”
After spotting the girls, the figures gasped in amazement. Tohka and the others waved to Shido without a second thought.
“Oh! Shido! Kotori! So this is where you were! Who are these guys? I saw them shooting at some others before, so I decided to take care of them…”
“Barbaric. This happened the last time we went out to sea.”
“Mun… Muku knocked out these guys to start.”
“Ehehe…”
Shido waved back at them, a wry smile on his face.
The more he thought about it, the more the outcome made sense: there were ten Spirits on board this ship—It was too much to expect that they would just let the gunmen go.
While the figures were still stunned, the door next to the entrance was also blown open. This time, it was Kaguya, Yoshino, and Nia who’d dragged more people in. Their masks were removed with casino chips stuffed into their mouths and their arms and legs frozen solid.
“Well, it looks like there are still plenty of stupid people in the world who would act so barbarically in front of us.”
“Um… I-Is there any rope or something we can use? Wouldn’t it be too dangerous to keep them frozen in ice…?”
“Drink up! I didn’t expect to encounter a ship hijacking! If I continue to bet on the roulette then Nia will achieve a complete reversal! Today is surely my lucky day no matter what happens!”
Nia, who seemed delighted, spoke as she ran her fingers through her hair.
Almost immediately afterward, from another entrance, another group of people wearing cat ears appeared.
At first glance, this group of people looked like accomplices to <Clock Cat> who’d occupied the lounge… but they looked a little different…
They marched forward in neat and uniform steps. When they entered the lounge, they spread out to either end of the lounge with a sweeping sound and saluted the crowd with a standard military salute.
Immediately afterward, as though everyone was welcoming her to the stage, Miku, who was dressed in a bathing suit, waved her hands as she walked in. Origami and Natsumi followed her a moment later.
“Ah, Darling! I’m so happy to see that you’re okay! Everyone else thinks so too, right?”
“Yes! Miku-sama!”
The figures shouted in unison in response to Miku’s question. It seemed that this group of people were being controlled by Miku’s Angel <Gabriel>.
Faced with this unusual situation, the hijackers already in the lounge couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
“W-What the hell?! This… what happened?!”
The leader of the group shouted in embarrassment.
Having said that, this shouldn’t have been possible. They thought that they had total control of the entire ship, but they had no idea when their comrades were either knocked out or brainwashed. Of course, they weren’t going to get any sympathy for what they’d done, but they did receive a measure of pity for what happened to them.
However, despite seeing that their comrades were in a hopeless situation, the leader was still determined. They pulled out a remote-control of some sort from their pocket and shouted loudly:
“Grr… I didn’t expect to have to resort to using bombs. Even though the magic circle and the altar aren’t finished yet… But it can’t be helped, there is no way the goddess would forgive us otherwise. If we offer enough people as sacrifices, our goddess will surely be happy.”
“Wha—”
“B-Bomb?!”
“Everyone! Get down!”
After hearing what the leader said, Shido and the others couldn’t help but tremble.
Yes, they couldn’t afford to take this lightly. Their purpose wasn’t to use the passengers as bargaining chips against the government nor as ransom, but instead to offer them as sacrifices for their goddess. If they weren’t worried for their own lives, it was entirely possible for them to resort to a method like this to kill everyone.
“Everyone, fight until you can’t fight anymore! The next time we meet, we will all be kittens! Hehehehe!”
Accompanied by loud laughter, the leader pressed the button on the remote control without a moment’s hesitation.
However…
“…Huh?”
After a moment, the explosion they were expecting did not occur. After pressing the button a few more times, the leader turned to look at one of their accomplices.
“…Hey, you did remember to install the bomb, right?”
“Y-Yes. I put it in the swimming pool above the cabin…”
“…Eh…”
Natsumi made the faintest of sounds. No one knew why but Natsumi looked away in embarrassment while mumbling something under her breath.
“…Ah—should I not have used that bomb for cushioning material…?”
“What the hell is going on?!”
After hearing what Natsumi said, the leader of the group began to roar… Honestly, Shido didn’t really understand what Natsumi even meant.
But as it seemed, it was thanks to Natsumi that they were able to thwart the hijacker’s plans. The leader threw the remote control to the ground and shouted with a finger pointed at Shido.
“Now, my comrades, send this kid to—!”
The leader didn’t get a chance to finish speaking because at that moment, Kaguya, Yuzuru, and Origami rushed over from different directions and quickly subdued the remaining cat-eared figures without a second thought.
“Wow…?!”
“W-What’s going on…”
“Instantly crushed by the force of the wind—huh?!”
The figures who’d been previously screaming were now motionless. The leader who was still ignorant of what had happened continued to roar.
“Just… What a joke! What kind of place… is this?!”
The leader stared around, eyes wide as they pointed the muzzle of their rifle at Kotori.
“Che…”
“…! Kotori—!”
Shido jumped from the ground and with a burst of speed, dove in front of Kotori.
Immediately afterward, and with the click of the automatic rifle’s trigger, bullets buffeted Shido’s body in quick succession.
“What…!”
“Shido?!”
“Wha… Shido—!”
The surrounding Spirits let out a worried cry.
However, Shido, who’d managed to endure the severe pain, managed to force his trembling body to stand up once more.
Then, just as the flames from <Camael> licked the wounds from the gunshot, Shido slowly turned to face the group’s leader.
“You… How dare you do this. What would you do if Kotori who’d gotten shot…?”
“Eh…?!”
Faced with Shido who was engulfed in fire, the leader screamed in fear and then dove out the lounge window and fled outside.
“Grr…!”
“You idiot! What did you think you were doing! You’re a complete mess again…!”
Shido pressed a hand to his chest and groaned in pain. Seeing this situation, Kotori couldn’t help but let out a worried cry as she put an arm around Shido’s shoulder.
The other Spirits were quick to reach Shido’s side.
However, Shido raised his head weakly and said, “I’m fine…! Go after that guy first!”
◇◇◇
“Hoo…! Hoo…!”
—What the hell happened? What the hell! What the hell…!”
With cold sweat trickling down their face, the captain of <Clock Cat> rushed to the rear deck of the ship.
Their arms and legs were numb. Breathing was difficult. Their heart was hammering loudly in their chest and they could feel something flying out their throat.
They didn’t understand. They didn’t understand. They didn’t understand.
Obviously, they’d prepared everything in advance. They thought they had more than enough people and equipment. It should have been easy to take control of a cruise ship this size filled with tourists and weak guards who’d gotten lazy from leisurely sailing. If these 2000 people could be offered as sacrifices, they would surely be welcomed by their goddess. However—
“How did this happen…?!”
Obviously, they had very little strength left, but that didn’t stop the leader from screaming again.
Immediately, as though in response to the leader’s call, a voice came from behind them.
“—Over there!”
“Ah! How dare you shoot at Darling!”
“How dare you try to play this game of hide-and-seek with the Yamai sisters of the wind!”
“E-E-Eh…!”
Having heard the voices of the witches, the leader let out another wail. Their legs, that had previously had been drained of strength, found a second wind as they ran still more quickly.
No. If they died here, it would be impossible to go to the goddess’ side. If the goddess wanted sacrifices, it would be pointless without offering a large number of people to the goddess. But first, they had to escape—
However, in only the next moment, the leader of the group inadvertently ran into a figure who seemingly appeared from the shadows.
“Ara…?”
“Ah…”
The leader bumped into a young girl. The girl had long black hair and was dressed in the frilliest of dresses that seemed to exude a noble temperament. She had the air of a famous person.
“Guh…!”
His first instinct was to start shooting, but upon further reflection, they’d changed their mind. Anyway, even if they kept running like this, there was no denying that they would be quickly caught. If that was the case, then the only way to escape was—
“Come with me!”
They grabbed the girl’s hand and pulled it to their side. Then they pulled out their gun and pointed it at the girl’s temple.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing all of a sudden?”
“Shut up! If you don’t want to die! Just be quiet!”
“—Over here!”
Just as the figure had a secure grip on the girl, the voices of the witches from before could be heard from behind him.
“…! Found them!”
Together with the Spirits, Shido was chasing down the leader of <Clock Cat> and finally found the leader at the back deck of the ship.
“There’s no escape! Just surrender!”
As if to emphasize what Shido said, the other Spirits moved in formation around the leader to prevent any openings for an escape, surrounding them completely.
In front of the leader, there was nothing but the safety rail and the sea. Obviously, they were trapped. Even if the leader wanted to jump into the open ocean to escape, it would be nearly impossible to swim back to land from such a distance.
However, although the leader was sweating profusely, there was still a slight smile as they locked eyes with Shido and the Spirits.
“Don’t come any closer! If you do, this woman will pay for it!”
The figure yelled, pressing the gun to the girl’s head.
“Wha…?!”
Shido and the Spirits couldn’t help but stare back in shock. It seemed that criminal decided to take a passenger hostage while escaping.
Seeing everyone’s reaction, the smile on the leader’s face became more pronounced.
“Okay, great! Such a good child. If you don’t want this cute girl’s head to explode like a tomato, you’ll prepare an escape raft for me.”
“You’re joking, that kind of thing—!”
“Hurry up and get to it!”
The figure roared and pressed the muzzle harder against the girl’s temple. The girl flailed her body and let out a mournful cry.
“Eh! This is scary! This is scary! Please! Save me—!”
“…?”
Huh?
Shido’s eyes widened unconsciously.
No, it wasn’t just Shido. The other Spirits who’d surrounded the figure and the girl wore the same expression.
“Ah…”
“Damnit…”
Everyone realized it at the same time.
There was no fear in that girl’s voice. If anything, it was full of joy.
The girl’s shoulders were shaking as if trying to her best not to laugh.
Come to think of it—that girl’s face seemed vaguely familiar…
“Y-You’re…”
“—Ara ara. So have you noticed? I wanted to keep playing damsel in distress for just a little longer…”
Shido stared at her blankly, while the girl responded by giggling playfully.
That’s right. The hostage taken by the ship hijacker was—
The Worst Spirit, the so-called Goddess that they’d been talking about—Tokisaki Kurumi herself.
“K-Kurumi?! What are you doing here…?”
“Hehe, Shido-san. What a coincidence.”
As though feeling anxious about Kurumi’s presence, the head of the group shouted sharply.
“What the hell are you talking about! Hurry up and get me that boat—”
“—Shut up for a moment. You’re being too loud.”
After she finished, Kurumi turned her head and stared at the leader.
Then, the leader’s eyes widened in shock.
It seemed that he hadn’t noticed it until now.
—The clock dial that made up the left pupil of the girl’s eye.
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—You… are you…?!”
“—What the hell is going on?! Something like this… it can’t be happening…”
At that moment…
Kurumi snapped her fingers, and then, from the shadow underneath Kurumi’s feet, several white arms grabbed onto the figure’s legs.
“Eh…?! G-Goddess! Please listen to me! Meow! Meow! Meow!”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Um… well… as long as you chant that mantra, you will be treated like a cat by the goddess and earn her favor…”
“…”
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH…?!”
The man was promptly dragged into the shadows, his lingering screams echoing in the air.
Kurumi let out a faint sigh of disgust as she gently wiped her shoulders and then made her way toward Shido and his party.
“—While I was already warned by ‘us’ before about someone ruining my reputation, after seeing this situation myself… it’s worse than I thought.”
“K-Kurumi, you aren’t going to…”
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill him. Even though the ship’s hijacker isn’t here anymore, dealing with the aftermath is still troublesome.”
Kurumi shrugged as she added.
“I just have the occasional desire to ‘eat’ people.”
When she finished, Kurumi stuck out her tongue while pursing her lips.
…Kurumi herself had no intention of spouting nonsense. For Shido who had been targeted by Kurumi, he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or not.
◇◇◇
A few hours after the riot occurred, the pandemonium from hijacking caused by that cult gradually settled down and the ship continued to sail as usual.
The reason was simple. Due to <Ratatoskr>’s intervention by way of Kotori, the incident was treated as an unplanned sideshow by some of the crew’s staff.
Of course, the hijackers weren’t about to be let off so easily. They were handed over to the Coast Guard’s custody for prosecution for their crimes. They would be sentenced in accordance with the law.
That being the case, why did it require so much effort to resolve everything? It was thanks to the Spirits that everything was settled and yet so much had to be done.
At the casino, on the deck, in the swimming pool, and in the lounge, many people saw what the Spirits had done during the incident. Fortunately, the Spirits didn’t summon their Astral Dresses or their Angels during the hijacking. However, after everyone disembarked, they came to regard those girls as heroes who’d managed to fend off the hijackers. This was the sort of situation that <Ratatoskr> wanted to avoid.
Although the passengers who’d seen the hijacking first hand might have been a little confused, in the end, they all reluctantly accepted the report that it was, in fact, a performance set up by the crew. All things considered, they probably didn’t expect to get involved in a real hijacking nor would they expect the hijackers to be dressed in such odd outfits. In that regard, they were thankful that the hijackers wore cat ears.
Of course, after performing such a dangerous stunt that could very easily have caused the passengers harm, plenty of people would surely complain to the ship’s operating company. It seemed that the operating company would have to provide something significant as compensation… As usual, these sorts of business dealings were always messy affairs.
Although the Spirits were the heroes who managed to resolve the hijacking and were thought of as specially invited guests by the cruise ship, they received more attention from the other passengers. Perhaps it was because of that, they at least weren’t being hero-worshiped everywhere they went, which was about the best outcome they could have hoped for.
“—Speaking of which, ship hijackings are really scary. Do these kinds of things happen a lot?”
In the ballroom on the eighth deck of the ship, Tohka sighed while sipping a non-alcoholic cocktail made mainly of grape juice.
Tohka was dressed in a purple-toned evening gown with a very tasteful design. Even though it was a long journey, it was still a social space for ladies and gentlemen to meet in the evening, and all of the passengers were required to wear suits or dresses. Like Tohka, the other Spirits also wore their favorite dresses. It was like coming to a dance party held at a castle.
Even though it was a dance party, when talking about the Spirits’ dance styles, the Yamai sisters were worth mentioning, as they almost violently moved their bodies at the center of the dance floor. After hearing about dancing, Mukuro and the other Spirits had also joined in, but it seemed that some of them didn’t understand the difference between the dancing done on the ship and Bon dancing. Shido mentally promised to take them to the next Bon festival.
“It’s possible, if we lived in a country with a worse public security situation, this all would have made more sense, but that isn’t the case—really, this sort of hijacking should have never happened in the first place. Now that I think about it, the hull was shaking so much, those guys might have been behind that too…”
“…”
After Kotori spoke, for some reason, the Spirits around her suddenly looked embarrassed.
“…? No, it’s nothing? Leaving that aside, what was going on with those Spirit Believers? I didn’t think such people existed.”
Nia, who boldly chose a backless evening gown, spoke first to avoid giving off the impression that they were hiding something.
“Hmm… If I had to guess, I imagine this group of people had never heard the term ‘Spirit’ before. That’s one of the reasons that the existence of Spirits is hidden: to prevent people like these from cropping up and forming weird cults.”
“Nyah~!—Eh? So there are people out there who believe in us like goddesses?”
“Hmm… I’m not too sure, but someone like Kaguya and Yuzuru, who may have been seen many times before having their powers, might have their own following.”
“Presumption. Could it be that this group of people would wear silver jewelry and bandages on their arms, claiming to worship us? What a terrible group.”
“Why are you describing them using my elements?”
It seemed that the Yamai sisters overheard the conversation as they’d started wrestling with each other while dancing. The people around them couldn’t help but smile as they watched them.
“—All the same, Kurumi had it rough. She was being worshiped as a goddess without even knowing it.”
“Yeah…”
After listening to what Kotori said, Shido nodded in agreement.
When all was said and done, Kurumi handed over the unconscious leader of <Clock Cat> to Shido and his group before disappearing into the shadows.
“I didn’t even get a chance to thank her.”
“What are you talking about, Shido? Have you forgotten that Kurumi still wants to take your life?”
“No, but even though that’s true… if it weren’t for Kurumi being here as an ordinary passenger, I don’t think the situation would have ended nearly as well as it did.”
“Um… well, maybe…”
After hearing Shido’s response, Kotori still looked unhappy as she puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
However, at that moment—
“—Ara ara. Could you perhaps be talking about me?”
Greeted by that voice, a rare guest appeared, uninvited as she appeared in front of Shido and his group.
“Kurumi!”
Shido called out to her in an instant as Kurumi lifted the hem of the cute dress she was wearing and curtsied to Shido gracefully.
“Hehehe, hello Shido-san. Hello everyone.”
After Kurumi finished speaking, she looked at the faces of Shido and the other Spirits unscrupulously. The other Spirits were very nervous around her and the atmosphere of this meeting was quite unsettling.
“Hey, Kurumi. Haven’t you already achieved what you came here for? What are you still doing here?”
Kotori asked Kurumi bluntly. Kurumi put a finger to her lips as she snickered.
“Just like everyone else, I’m here to enjoy the trip. Is that a problem?”
Kurumi tilted her head as she replied. Kotori sighed, her eyes narrowed as though she were trying to figure out Kurumi’s true intentions.
However, Kurumi paid her no mind as she made her way toward Shido.
“Leaving that aside, was there something you wanted to say, Shido-san? I heard you say my name just now.”
“Yeah… you helped us before so I wanted to thank you somehow.”
“Ara ara… is that so? Haha, is there a reward for me?”
“A reward…?”
Upon hearing those words, the other Spirits’ expressions became more cautious.
Their reaction was understandable. Kurumi has always wanted to ‘eat’ Shido in order to claim the Spirit power residing within him for herself. No one knew for sure what kind of dangerous demands she would make.
However, Kurumi simply smiled and stretched out a hand toward Shido and said something that blindsided them all:
“—Could you dance with me?”
“Eh…?”
Shido’s eyes widened in shock while Kurumi’s smile turned more playful.
“Ara, did I say something strange? Aren’t we on a dance floor? Or, although you wanted to thank me for helping you arrest that hijacker, do you not want to dance with me?”
“No, that’s not it…”
“Then.”
Kurumi stretched her arm toward Shido. Shido took a deep breath, ready to take Kurumi’s hand.
However—
“Don’t even think about it!”
Almost immediately, as though to prevent Shido and Kurumi from holding hands together, Kotori immediately jumped between them.
No, it wasn’t just Kotori. The other Spirits who were also dressed in beautiful dresses, were also upset.
“What are you talking about! If anything, we should get the right to dance with Shido!”
“That’s right. In general, we should get to go first!”
“Yes! If I want to dance with Darling, I should be the one to go first!”
“…Yeah, that’s right.”
Words with all the same sentiment came from each Spirit in succession. Seeing that situation unfold before her, Kurumi was both amused and helpless as her mouth curved into a smile.
“Ara ara. This is really troublesome. Then, Shido-san, have you decided who you want to dance with first?”
“…!”
After hearing what Kurumi said, the Spirits’ gazes were locked on Shido.
“T-That…”
Confronted with numerous eyes on him, Shido could only smile bitterly and said, “…Then, let’s do it in order.” Shido stretched out his hand as he finished speaking.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login