Laying everything bare to Doma was a gamble.
However, the girl had not said those words without thinking. At the very least, she was not worried that Doma himself would spread the fact that they were Spirits. Under the premise that the nation had decided to hide the existence of Spirits, and with Ratatoskr and DEM added on top of that, if Doma alone wanted to make the fact that they were Spirits known to everyone, it would be no different from courting death.
Of course, whether Doma would accept their identities, and whether he would redirect his anger over Hina and his wife's deaths onto them, was another matter.
On the other hand, if Doma was willing to believe them, things afterward would beco much simpler. At the very least, they could directly learn part of the truth from Doma himself.
"Tell . What exactly is going on?"
Doma's gaze grew sharp, and he gave off the air unique to a detective.
"Although I can't explain everything…"
Mikoto thought for a mont, then told him so details that were not especially critical, but were enough to explain why everyone had co to Izu and encountered Doma and the serial murder case.
"So… you're the Spirits Hina always talked about?"
Doma said.
"That's right. However, we are not the culprits who killed Hina. On the contrary, we want to help you, Doma-san."
Mikoto said seriously.
"Sorry, but I can't trust people like you who can cause spacequakes at any ti."
However, Doma rejected them decisively. Although he did not understand the characteristics of Spirits in detail, Doma had heard countless tis from Hina that spacequakes occurred when Spirits appeared.
"I-is that so…"
Mikoto showed a dejected expression. Although she had ntally prepared herself to a certain extent, hearing Doma's words still made her feel helpless.
Not only Mikoto. Most of the Spirits also showed saddened expressions.
"Wait! Aren't you being too arbitrary, Doma-san?"
At that mont, Shido stepped forward.
"What do you an? Am I wrong? Spirits are beings that cause spacequakes. What do you think forces us to rush into underground shelters from ti to ti?"
Doma replied coldly.
"Even so, Yakumo-senpai and the others are very, very good people! If not for them, you would already be dead right now!"
Shido said angrily. No one understood better than Shido that Spirits caused spacequakes. Even so, he still chose to stand on the Spirits' side, to protect them and give them happy lives. That was the conviction the boy nad Itsuka Shido had always upheld.
"Are you saying you want to stand against humanity, boy?"
Doma's gaze was filled with pressure. It was the kind of look that seed capable of piercing through a criminal.
"Yeah. Unfortunately for you, even if everyone refuses to acknowledge the Spirits, I'll still stand by their side."
However, Shido was unmoved. He simply nodded firmly.
"Pfft… hahahahaha!"
Just when Shido thought he was about to enter an intense debate with Doma, the other man suddenly burst into laughter.
"W-what are you doing?"
This sudden change left Shido sowhat at a loss.
"Well, I give up, I give up. Sorry, I only wanted to test you earlier. I didn't expect you to be this serious, boy."
Doma laughed and raised both hands to show his surrender.
In truth, everything earlier had been a test. He wanted to know what kind of people these boys and girls before him were. Would they fly into a rage at being unilaterally denied, and even use force? Or did they simply want to resolve the murderer wandering through Izu?
Even if they were Spirits, Doma had no intention of directing Hina's death onto all of them. Rather, the upright Shido, the gentle Mikoto, the calm Origami, the famous Miku, and the childlike Natsumi—no matter how he looked at it, he could not connect the people before him with evil.
It was just that the word Spirit had struck him too deeply. And after losing Hina and Yuko, it had been a long ti since he had t people he could trust from the bottom of his heart.
"Good grief, please don't test us in such a hurtful way."
Mikoto sighed helplessly.
"Ah! Darling was so cool just now!"
"Shido."
"Well, that just now counts as a pass."
On the other side, Miku, Origami, and Natsumi gathered around Shido because of his performance. For a mont, a rosy atmosphere rose around the boy.
"I already apologized, didn't I? How about I treat everyone to udon?"
Doma waved his hand, then looked at Shido and said:
"You're pretty popular with the ladies, kid. But—in Japan, polygamy is illegal. Be careful, or I'll arrest you."
"I'm not committing polygamy!"
Hearing Doma's words, Shido shouted awkwardly.
"Ahem. Let's return to the main topic."
Although Mikoto also wanted to join them and hug Shido to act spoiled, especially after hearing that speech, she restrained the desire in her heart and spoke seriously.
"Yeah. Then let's talk. What do you want to know?"
Doma also beca serious and asked.
"As far as we know, Hina is only recorded as missing by the AST, not dead. What exactly happened?"
Mikoto asked.
"That happened two weeks ago…"
Along with Doma's words, everyone gradually learned the truth.
That night, Yuko, who had gone shopping at the supermarket, was late coming ho. While father and daughter anxiously waited, a phone call rang.
The call was for Hina. After hearing it, Hina deployed ergency equipnt without saying another word and rushed out.
Even with Doma driving a car, he could not keep up with a Wizard deploying a Territory. As a result, Hina did not return even by the next day.
"Not long after, the AST sent word that Hina was missing, and Yuko's body was found that sa day. That's right. That was the beginning of the serial murder case."
Doma said with a heavy expression. Even now, that was a sequence of events he did not want to recall.
"Hina said before that no one could defeat Wizards, except… you Spirits. So I thought a Spirit must have killed Hina."
In Doma's mind, Spirits were monsters that caused spacequakes, disasters whose very existence threatened the world. Then naturally, if Hina had fallen into the hands of a Spirit, her chances were grim.
"I see. In other words, the starting point of everything was here."
After hearing Doma's words, Mikoto understood sothing. Hina's disappearance had absolutely been a conspiracy, and it had the sll of DEM about it.
"Do you have any plans? If there's anything I can help with, just say the word."
Having gained the Spirits's help, Doma's confidence grew greatly.
"Doma-san, do you know of any DEM facilities around here?"
Mikoto asked.
"DEM? No, I don't."
Doma frowned. He still knew DEM's na, after all. Aside from the confidential Realizer technology, DEM was involved in many different fields, and just like Micro○ or App○, it was also a famous company even among ordinary people.
However, in his impression, DEM had not established a branch company in Izu or any nearby city.
"Why bring up DEM?"
Doma asked in confusion.
"Actually, that robot that tried to kill you today—was a product of DEM."
Mikoto said.
"Wha… t…"
The girl's words once again shattered Doma's impression of the normal world. That famous company had actually tried to kill him.
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