For a mont, Origami felt that she should try to understand Spirits.
"Don't misunderstand, this is just because of orders from the higher-ups. To , Spirits are still just targets that must be killed."
However, thinking about the boy who sacrificed himself to save her parents five years ago, she still couldn't let go of her hatred for Spirits, as well as her duty as a mber of the AST.
Even if it was like Mikoto said and the AST hadn't actually accomplished anything, Origami didn't think joining the AST was aningless.
Wooooooooooooooooooo—!!!
Just as their conversation was coming to an end, the spacequake alarm sounded.
"Well then, I will be taking my leave."
Origami stood up, getting ready to leave.
"...Please wait a mont."
"Is there anything else?"
She looked at Mikoto with a hostile gaze. Although she had orders not to hurt Spirits who had lost their Spirit energy, it would be a different story if Mikoto tried to stop her from going to the spacequake location.
"For the exorcism and offering of the doll, that will be 5000 yen."
"..."
Looking at the girl's business-like smile, Origami was speechless for a mont.
After Origami left, Mikoto grabbed Yoshinon from the small shrine and started running. A spacequake ant a Spirit had appeared. Based on the Spirit wave analysis, it should be Yoshino.
[Mikoto, take Yoshinon and et up with Shido. The spacequake location isn't far from you.]
"Understood."
Mikoto nodded. She crossed the overpass; Shido was not far away.
"Here you go, Shido."
"Ah, thanks, you're a lifesaver."
Shido took the puppet, and the two ran together toward the expected spacequake location.
Boom—!!!
About ten minutes after the evacuation was complete, a loud explosion ca from nearby. At the sa ti, freezing rain began to fall on the ground.
[She's here! Spirit confird as Yoshino. Shido, you and Mikoto head into the building on your left right now. Based on past analysis, Yoshino should head that way after being attacked by the AST.]
Because she was a Spirit who appeared often, her movent path could be predicted. Rather than charging into a spacequake zone filled with a hail of bullets, waiting for her at the place she was likely to go was the best plan.
"Let's go, Yakumo-senpai!"
"Yeah!"
Mikoto and Shido both ran into the building, waiting for Yoshino to arrive.
Boom—!!!
Shortly after, along with the roar of missiles and the sound of machine guns, a small green figure appeared at the end of the street.
"Yoshino!!!"
Shido shouted. But his voice didn't reach the girl's ears. A missile trailed behind the tiny figure and exploded right behind her.
"Damn it!!!"
Watching Yoshino get bombed and fall to the ground, Shido couldn't help but want to rush over. But moving even faster than that was the heavy machine gun fire from the AST, and...
"Zadkiel—!!!"
The manifestation of an Angel.
Guooooohhhh—!!!
The giant rabbit puppet roared, spreading freezing mist and turning the ground to ice.
[An Angel? Of all the tis...]
Kotori's panicked voice ca through the earpiece. The Spirit's actions had strayed from the Fraxinus's calculations.
"Yoshinon" Shido said.
"Eh?"
Even Mikoto didn't understand why this was happening. Logically speaking, an attack like that shouldn't be able to pierce through an Astral Dress. If she didn't want to fight, she could have just run into the building to hide.
"Yoshino said that Yoshinon is her hero. As long as she has Yoshinon, she can endure being attacked by the AST. She doesn't want... she doesn't want to hurt anyone."
[I see. She really is a gentle child] Reine said. Normally, a split personality is created from abuse or stress, making another personality to take the pain and escape. But that wasn't the reason for Yoshino. The girl used Yoshinon to hold back her power so she wouldn't hurt anyone else.
[So because Yoshinon is gone, that child has gone out of control.]
Kotori understood what Shido ant.
"Shido, let's go to the roof. We should be able to reach Yoshino from there."
Mikoto grabbed Shido's hand, and the two ran up the winding stairs.
Bang!
Bursting through the door to the roof, the two arrived at the top. In the wide open view, they saw Yoshino running away with the AST chasing right behind her.
"Yoshinooo—!!!" Shido yelled.
Because they were up high in an open area, Shido's voice reached the girl's ears. The giant rabbit puppet clearly paused for a second, then turned toward them.
"Great, she heard you," Mikoto said happily.
Before she could finish speaking, a powerful cannon shot flew past her and Shido from behind, hitting Zadkiel heavily.
Mikoto and Shido turned their heads and saw that not far behind them, a girl with long white hair and several AST mbers were aiming their laser rifles at Yoshino.
"Yakumo Mikoto, and..."
Origami looked at the two people nearby. The Spirit, Yakumo Mikoto, and... soone who looked very familiar, almost exactly like the boy who saved her parents five years ago.
"...You two over there, it's dangerous here, get out of here right now!"
Ryouko Kusakabe shouted in a business like tone. Because of the distance, she didn't notice that one of them was Mikoto, the girl she believed looked exactly like the Spirit Miko.
But it was too late...
"Ugh... Uwaaaahhhhh!"
Because she was attacked, Yoshino, who was riding Zadkiel, fell into a panic. The giant rabbit puppet let out a roaring Guooooohhhh, and then began sucking in the surrounding air.
"Oh no!"
Mikoto's eyes went wide. She could feel Spirit energy gathering in Zadkiel's mouth. The panicked Yoshino seed like she was going to fire a massive attack at the AST mbers.
And very unluckily, she and Shido were caught right in the middle between the puppet and the AST.
[Run? No, there's no ti.]
At the speed it was gathering energy, they would be hit head-on before they could even run down one floor.
[Shido! I have to protect Shido!] she thought.
"Tsukuyomi! Tsukuyomi!"
The only thing that can fight an Angel is another Angel. But even though Mikoto clapped her hands until they were red, Tsukuyomi did not appear between them.
[Hurry! Please hurry and appear!]
For a second, an image flashed in her mind of both her and Shido being frozen into blocks of ice.
Because she had promised Tsukuyomi, she absolutely had to live. Because Shido was her savior, she would never let him die here.
"Please!!! Descend!!! Tsukuyomi!!!"
At the exact sa ti the girl shouted, freezing light shot out from the puppet's mouth.
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