October 15th, Sunday. It was the ti of year when the streets began putting up Halloween decorations.
Since the end of September, after Miku's sealing, quite a few things had happened one after another.
First was Phantom. Miku's words confird everyone's guess. It really was Phantom who had turned Miku, originally a human, into a Spirit. Unfortunately, Miku also could not recognize Phantom's true identity. To everyone aboard Fraxinus, that person was still a mysterious figure covered from head to toe in mosaic.
On the other hand, after saving Shido from danger, Mana quietly left Fraxinus and set off once again on her search for Kurumi.
And now, Mikoto was shopping together with Shido, enjoying the Halloween mood spreading through the streets.
"Halloween, huh? The pumpkin decorations are so pretty. Should we buy two and put them in front of the door? Maybe so children will co asking for candy."
Mikoto smiled as she pointed at a shop selling pumpkin decorations.
"Before that, Tohka might eat them."
Shido smiled wryly. Although the pumpkins were quite large, apparently these decorative pumpkins could not be eaten.
"Even Tohka wouldn't eat decorations. She'd feel hurt if Shido said that about her."
Mikoto pulled Shido into the shop, picked up a pumpkin headpiece, put it over her head, then waved her little hands at him.
"Gao!" (TL:ugh cute)
"Yakumo-senpai… you really like Halloween, don't you?"
Seeing the girl acting so childishly, Shido said with a helpless smile.
"Mm. I was thinking of dressing up as a pumpkin monster, then going to Shido's house and saying, 'Trick or Kiss.'"
The girl put down the pumpkin and smiled brightly.
"No, no, that's not how Halloween works."
Shido waved his hands and seriously retorted. If he did not stop her here, she might really do it.
"Excuse , do you know where the hospital is?"
Just as they walked out of the shop, Shido and Mikoto were stopped by a foreign man around fifty years old, sitting in a wheelchair. Behind him, a woman around twenty five or twenty six was pushing the wheelchair. (TL: aha~ it's them again)
"The hospital… go through the shopping street and turn left at the intersection, then turn right at the third traffic light and keep going straight. You should see it."
Shido thought for a mont before answering.
"I'm still not quite sure. Sorry, could you take there?"
The man spoke fluent Japanese.
"Sure, this way."
It was not very far anyway, so Shido thought for a mont and decided to help guide them.
"My na is Baldwin. This is Karen."
Baldwin pointed at the woman pushing the wheelchair. She simply said, "Nice to et you", then fell silent again.
"Um, I'm Itsuka Shido."
"I'm Yakumo Mikoto. It's nice to et you."
For so reason, both Shido and Mikoto felt that this woman nad Karen looked sowhat familiar.
"Mm. To et such a wonderful couple in a foreign land… I truly should thank God."
Baldwin said with so emotion.
"Pff!"
Hearing that, Shido could not help spitting out a sound.
"W-we're not…"
Shido tried to explain, but before he could finish, he noticed Mikoto's smile.
It was a very familiar, sly smile. The kind that was ready to follow up his denial with the [Mm, Shido and I are just ordinary friends who have gone on dates, kissed, and who have cook at his house every day.] again.
As a result, the words he had said halfway were forcibly swallowed back down.
"Mikoto-san, how long have you known Shido?"
Fortunately, Baldwin did not dwell on their relationship and instead looked at Mikoto as he asked.
"About half a year, I think."
Mikoto thought for a mont and gave a rough answer.
"I see. That would be when the school year starts in Japan, yes? Is that how you t?"
"No. The first ti I t Shido was at a supermarket… no, maybe even earlier than that."
Thinking back to her first eting with Shido, Mikoto smiled sweetly. Looking back now, before their eting at the supermarket, the boy and girl who had desperately tried to break into Tsukuyomi must have been Shido and Tohka.
"Ahaha…"
Seeing the girl looking so happy, Shido scratched his cheek in embarrassnt.
"I was planning to ask whether Mikoto-san feels happy now, but it seems there is no need."
Looking at the two of them, Baldwin smiled as if he had understood sothing.
"Eh?"
On the contrary, his words made Mikoto feel strange. Sohow, she felt that this man had not simply co to them to ask for directions.
Woooooo——!
But at that mont, the spacequake alarm sounded.
"Um, Baldwin-san, it's dangerous here. Please evacuate right away."
Shido said. A spacequake alarm ant that a Spirit had appeared. After around a month, a new Spirit had manifested.
"Very well, I will. What about you?"
Baldwin asked.
"I… um… I have sothing else I need to do."
Shido answered vaguely. On the other side, Baldwin gave a kind laugh.
"Haha, I seem to have troubled you. I hope we et again… please do your best. I leave the Spirits to you."
"Eh?"
Hearing those words, Shido frowned. However, Baldwin did not answer anything. He simply had Karen push him away from there.
"Shido, is sothing wrong?"
On the other side, Mikoto, who had just contacted Fraxinus, turned around and looked at Shido in confusion.
"No, it's nothing. Let's go, Senpai."
Shido shook his head, took Fraxinus's earpiece out of his pocket, and put it in his ear.
___________
[This place is really creepy.]
After the spacequake, Shido's voice, already at the destination, ca through the speakers on Fraxinus's bridge.
Standing beside Kotori and looking at the screen, Mikoto could understand why Shido said that.
Because the place where the spacequake had occurred was the abandoned amusent park on the outskirts of Tengu City. Now, even the nearby residents only called that place the "Ghost Amusent Park", a strange and bizarre demon realm.
Everywhere were rusted facilities, making people think of a naturally ford haunted house.
"Ah… uu…"
As for Shido, that was one thing, but just standing on the bridge and looking at a place like this already made Mikoto feel a chill down her back.
"Stop dragging your feet. The Spirit has moved west. If you don't hurry, AST will arrive."
Kotori, however, was completely unmoved. She simply urged Shido forward.
After running ahead for a while, Shido suddenly stopped and spoke in shock.
[Hah?]
"I told you, the Spirit is farther ahead…"
Kotori was about to continue urging him, but after seeing what was on the screen, she froze.
Likewise, Mikoto, standing beside her, was stunned.
The reason was simple. Judging from the screen, the amusent park ahead had turned into a Halloween world straight out of a cartoon.
Abstract gothic buildings, crosses, graves.
All of them were things that should not have existed in an abandoned amusent park.
[Ara.]
While everyone was still confused, a woman's voice ca through the speakers.
In the next instant, the image switched to the roof of a church.
There—sat a "witch."
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