"She took the bait, she took the bait."
Sitting in the airship, Kotori happily waved her lollipop. On the big screen, they could see a doll-like girl with long white hair crossing the overpass, heading toward the shrine.
"Tobiichi Origami, a mber of the Tengu City AST unit."
Kotori looked at the file in her hand. Just yesterday, Origami had called the shrine, saying she wanted to offer a doll.
They had tried Mikoto's "Urban Legend Plan" just to see if it would work, but the results were surprisingly good. With Ratatoskr's help, the ghost story spread through all of Tengu City in a single night. After that, Kannazuki used Realizers to fake sleep paralysis and ghost sightings among the AST girls, which sealed the deal.
While a military base was hard to break into, ssing with off duty AST mbers was very easy.
"Is this really okay? The shrine maiden is Mikoto," a crew mber asked.
Since Mikoto looked exactly like the Spirit Miko, the AST would surely notice the mont they t.
"Don't worry," Kotori said full of confidence.
Ratatoskr didn't want the Spirits to live like wanted criminals, hiding in fear of being recognized. If they lived like that, it would only cause problems as Shido saved more Spirits.
On the screen, Origami had already walked through the shrine gates and stopped in front of Mikoto.
"Ah, you must be Tobiichi Origami-san?" Mikoto stopped sweeping and looked at the girl.
"Yes, that's . You are Yakumo Mikoto-san, right?"
Because they had set up an appointnt over the phone, they already knew each other's nas. Origami studied the girl in front of her. She stood gracefully, wearing the traditional white top and red skirt of a shrine maiden. Her black hair was tied into two tails with white paper, giving her a pure and clean feeling.
"Yes, I am Yakumo Mikoto."
"As promised, here is the puppet I want to offer."
Mikoto took the rabbit puppet from Origami. Without a doubt, it was Yoshinon.
"Leave it to ."
Mikoto took Yoshinon to a smaller shrine building and placed it down. Holding a ritual wand, the young girl smoothly perford every step, from driving away evil to offering the item.
"A-Amazing..."
On the airship, Shiizaki, who loved occult stuff, watched in awe.
"Well... she did live with Tsukuyomi. That's a real god, you know," Kotori said, biting her candy.
It seed that when the moon god Tsukuyomi left, she had given so of her mories to Mikoto. Because of that, Mikoto was probably the most qualified shrine maiden in the entire world.
Not only the crew on the airship, but even Origami was drawn in by the girl's clean and elegant movents. It felt as if any evil really had been washed away from the rabbit puppet. Even its funny smile looked pure now.
"Are you the only one at the shrine, Yakumo-san?"
"Yes. It would be better if my grandma was here, but it can't be helped. Health cos first."
"Is it okay without a head priest?"
"It's fine. Not all shrines need one."
Through their questions and answers, Origami noticed that Mikoto knew everything about a shrine maiden's duties and how a shrine worked.
If she was really a Spirit playing dress-up, she would easily make mistakes. But the shrine maiden answered flawlessly, so Origami didn't get the opening she wanted.
"I don't understand why a Spirit is staying at a shrine pretending to be a shrine maiden."
Origami decided to be direct.
"Umm... What do you an by... Spirit?"
"Playing dumb won't work, Yakumo-san. Putting Princess and Hermit aside, we already got Miko's fingerprints before Tamako Obaa-san even left the shrine. And those fingerprints perfectly match yours."
This hard proof was Origami's trump card.
"She got us." Kotori waved her lollipop. She didn't expect the AST to have Mikoto's fingerprints.
"...Would you like to co in for so tea?"
Since pretending was useless now, Mikoto decided to sit down and talk.
"Alright."
Origami nodded. The two went into the living room. Mikoto brewed green tea and brought it to the table with so snacks.
"So, you really are a Spirit, right?" Origami asked.
"Yes, I am what you call a Spirit."
With that clear answer, Origami tapped her headset. As long as Ryouko passed this ssage to the higher-ups, the order to kill might be given imdiately.
[Jamming?]
However, only loud static ca through her earpiece.
[Fraxinus is blocking the signal. The AST won't hear a word of this conversation.]
Kotori's voice echoed in Mikoto's earpiece instead.
"So, what do you plan to do?" Mikoto asked.
"I want to know why there is no Spirit energy coming from you or the girl nad Yatogami Tohka. If I'm not wrong, Tohka is Princess."
"I can't tell you the details. All I can say is that it is a form of salvation."
"Salvation? Disasters that threaten the world just by existing can get salvation?"
"Yes, they can."
Origami's eyes were filled with total rejection. She was rejecting Mikoto—no, she was rejecting all Spirits.
"Even if you have killed countless humans?"
"Even so, we desire to be saved, and we have been saved."
Mikoto did not plan to deny the sins caused by the spacequakes. And yet, even with those sins, Shido had saved her.
"How ironic."
"Ironic?"
"Five years ago, in the great fire of Tengu City, a boy was killed by a Spirit while trying to protect my parents. The one saving people loses their life, but the murderer gets salvation. Isn't that ironic?"
For the first ti during their talk, Origami showed a look of deep anger.
"You are taking your anger out on others. It's like hating all humans just because of one murderer."
Mikoto shook her head. She had no mory of the Tengu City fire. Furthermore, she hadn't even been in this world for five years.
"Even so, the existence of Spirits is a disaster."
"I agree with you, and I understand what the AST is doing. That's why I don't hate you. But with all due respect, Tobiichi-san, compared to us—who sought salvation, lost our powers, and will never cause another spacequake—what exactly has the AST accomplished?"
[!!!]
It was an incredibly sharp question. It was true: the AST in Tengu City hadn't managed to defeat a single Spirit so far. In contrast, Mikoto's "salvation" had safely solved the spacequake crisis.
"If the AST truly wants to protect humans, I hope you won't treat Spirits who have lost their power as enemies," Mikoto said.
If the AST tried to kill her or Tohka while they were sealed, they wouldn't just sit there and die. If pushed, their only choice would be to take their powers back and beco natural disasters once again.
"Even without Spirit energy, Spirits are still dangerous. Not to ntion, we don't even know why your powers are gone." Origami shook her head.
"Does that an... you still plan to..."
"...However, according to orders from the higher-ups, as long as we don't detect Spirit energy, we are to treat you as normal humans and not attack." Origami quickly added.
"I see. That's enough then. Thank you."
"..."
Mikoto smiled gratefully. The young girl's completely genuine kindness made Origami feel a bit lost.
Origami, who had never talked to a Spirit and only saw them as disasters, felt sothing new for the first ti. She realized that Spirits themselves also felt helpless and sorry for what they did to the world.
[I agree with you, and I understand what the AST is doing. That's why I don't hate you.]
Yakumo Mikoto was showing understanding to the people trying to kill her.
So, in return, could Tobiichi Origami try to understand Mikoto's desire to live?
No one is born just to be killed. Maybe what the Spirit Miko was doing wasn't so wrong after all.
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