Ding dong!
The doorbell rang from outside.
Shido, who was in the middle of cooking, walked to the entrance while still wearing his apron.
"Coming. Who is it?"
It was already very late. Who could it be? Mana, Reine, or maybe Kurumi?
Thinking that, he opened the door.
And what he saw was a girl with violet-colored hair, her cheeks slightly puffed out in anger as she glared at him. (TL:ayoooooo)
"M-M-M-Miku?"
Shido had never expected Miku to co all the way here. He stepped back in shock.
In truth, finding Shido was not difficult. It did not take long for several controlled students or even the Spirits to tell Miku that the lights were on at the Itsuka house.
"Could you not call my na so casually? If my cute na is called by a voice made from your throat and tongue, it will get dirty."
Her tongue was still as sharp as ever.
However, she did not seem to be here to attack him. That made Shido feel a little more at ease.
"Why did you co here?"
Unable to understand Miku's reason for coming, Shido asked in confusion.
"Why? Who was it that told to help him save Mikoto-san? Or was that just a lie after all?"
"Of course it wasn't! I just thought you refused! Then, does this an you're willing to help ?"
Shido's expression brightened.
With Miku and Kurumi's help, the chance of saving Mikoto was getting higher and higher.
"I! Am! Not! Don't… don't misunderstand. All cute Spirits belong to . I'm only using you as bait for the ti being, before I make Mikoto-san my fan too!"
Miku shouted with puffed cheeks. For so reason, her face had turned red.
"Bait again? Well… no matter what, thank you for coming to help ."
Having heard sothing similar not too long ago, Shido gave a wry smile.
"I told you—I didn't co to help you! Hmph!"
Miku huffed angrily and walked into the Itsuka house.
Behind her were Yoshino, Kaguya, and Yuzuru.
As a result, dinner suddenly had to be prepared for four extra people.
___________
On the other side, not long before that…
"Ugh…"
The man who had walked in locked his gaze on Mikoto, making the girl tremble slightly.
That man's eyes could only be described, in a certain sense, as madness—or inhuman.
"I am Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott. I look forward to our future acquaintance, Miko… or perhaps it would be better to call you Yakumo Mikoto?"
He greeted her in a tone that held no hostility at all.
And yet, for so reason, that voice made Mikoto feel even more uncomfortable.
"Nice to et you, Westcott-san. May I ask what your purpose is in capturing ?"
She asked.
"Purpose? It is sothing very simple. I rely want the power of you Spirits. To overturn the laws of this world."
He smiled.
"Overturn the laws? Do you truly believe Spirits have that kind of power?"
Mikoto frowned slightly.
"You, as you are now, certainly do not. Or rather, are you truly a Spirit, Yakumo Mikoto?"
Westcott spread his arms and continued.
"In any case, your existence in this world is far too stable. So first, you must be put to sleep. Just as you drifted upon the sea of the boundary. No, to be precise, perhaps I should say you must awaken within the boundary."
"You…"
Mikoto furrowed her brows.
This man seed to understand Spirits extrely well. Perhaps even better than Mikoto, who was a Spirit herself.
"Now then, what would make you fall into despair?"
"What?"
The sudden question left Mikoto unable to react for a mont.
But imdiately after—
"Let think… direct physical pain would likely be best. Shall we use electric current? Or perhaps lower the oxygen level in this room? Or pull out your nails one by one… Ah, right. How about shaving away part of your teeth? I hear pain involving the nerves is quite difficult to endure."
"Ugh…"
As she listened to the man's words, Mikoto's face began to pale.
She finally understood why she felt so uneasy when facing this man.
The reason was simple.
Whether it was his eyes or his tone, when he spoke to her, he looked exactly like a researcher facing a lab mouse inside a cage.
She had no doubt that he would carry out every torture he had just ntioned without the slightest guilt, as casually and easily as ordering takeout.
"How about poisoning her, Ellen? Or perhaps we could try injecting anesthetics. Ah, right, what are your views on chastity? If we thoroughly trample your dignity as a woman, would you fall into despair? Do you have any close family mbers or friends? What would happen if we killed them in front of you?"
"Tsukuyomi!"
Not wanting to hear that madman continue, Mikoto raised a barrier and rejected all sound from entering her ears.
"It seems I have been thoroughly hated."
Westcott shrugged.
"I believe that is only natural hearing those thing. Should I break that barrier by force?"
Ellen asked.
"With only Ellen, it would be difficult, wouldn't it? Tomorrow, have two warship-class magic convergence cannons brought over from headquarters. I am used to waiting. One night is nothing."
After saying that, Westcott left the room with Ellen.
After confirming that the two had left, Mikoto canceled the barrier.
[Shido…]
She longed for Shido to co and save her again.
At the sa ti, she worried that he would fall into danger because of it.
For a while, Mikoto's thoughts were trapped in that conflict.
______________
After finishing a dinner that, judging by the ti, could almost be called a midnight snack, Shido returned to his room.
Ti spent doing nothing was the hardest to endure.
Before Reine brought news of Mikoto, he looked around the room, trying to find sothing to do.
His eyes landed on an old CD.
It was the CD of Tsukino Yoimachi that Mikoto had worked so hard to bring back.
[I'll listen to a song.]
He wanted to listen to Miku's singing.
Sohow, he felt that if it was Miku from her days as Yoimachi Tsukino, that voice that sang as though she was giving it everything she had, it would surely help him gather his courage.
So he placed the CD into the player, then put on his earphones.
Closing his eyes, a lively singing voice slowly flowed into his heart.
Knock, knock, knock.
At that mont, soone knocked on the door.
"Co in."
The door opened, and Miku entered with an unhappy expression.
"You say you're going to save Mikoto, but why are you just hiding in your room? Are you scared after all?"
"Of course not! It's just that before we know where Yakumo-senpai is, all we can do is wait. Miku, aren't you the sa? Even if you want to go, you don't know where senpai is, right?"
"Hmph!"
Hearing Shido's explanation, Miku snorted without agreeing or denying it.
Then her gaze fell on the CD player.
"Listening to music? Who's your favorite idol? If you give up on Mikoto-san, I can use my voice to command that idol to love only you."
"Don't joke around! No one can replace Yakumo-senpai!" (TL:ay yo)
Shido knew he should avoid arguing with Miku as much as possible.
But those words just now were sothing he could not pretend not to hear.
"You don't have to act so serious. Let hear it. Whose song is it?"
For so reason, Miku was curious to know whose fan this man was.
She pulled out the earphones and switched the CD player to speaker mode.
And then, her expression froze.
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