As the spacequake alarm blared, Kotori and Shido stood up from the bench. Before they could react any further, a massive explosion erupted right behind them.
"Kurumi!?" x2
The two turned around and saw Kurumi being attacked by a brand-new CR-Unit.
[Since when!?]
For a second, cold sweat soaked Kotori's back. Tokisaki Kurumi had manifested her Angel so close to them, and she hadn't noticed a thing. If the AST hadn't intervened, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
[Kurumi... is being attacked by the AST.]
However, compared to Kurumi's own danger level, Shido was far more concerned with the fact that Kurumi was being attacked by the AST. Visible injuries were already covering the girl's body, likely left by the cannon fire just now.
"Stop it!!!"
Shido broke into a sprint, running straight toward Kurumi, who was under AST fire.
"Stop, Shido! Right now, you'll easily get..."
Kotori tried to stop him, but she was a second too late.
"Everyone! Lay down suppressing fire! Create an opening for Origami to kill Nightmare's main body!"
Seeing Kurumi release her clones, Ryouko calmly issued orders to all her squad mbers. In an instant, countless missiles flew toward Kurumi's location. However, Ryouko failed to notice that the boy and girl who had almost been attacked by Kurumi earlier didn't run away to evacuate like everyone else, but instead charged straight into the battlefield.
"Shido! It's dangerous—!!!"
"Shido-san?"
Hearing Kotori's voice reach her ears, Kurumi turned her head and saw Shido—his eyes filled with nothing but panic and worry—running toward her completely regardless of his own safety.
"I really am no match for Shido-san."
In a flash, the mory of Shido standing in front of the Spirit of Fire's cannon on the school rooftop just to protect her resurfaced in her mind. And now, with countless missiles raining down on Kurumi, Shido once again charged in without hesitation.
Kurumi raised her hand and fired Aleph—originally intended to be used for kidnapping Shido at one of her clones.
"You really shouldn't do this, Shido-san."
"Kurumi?"
Moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye, the clone grabbed Shido and pulled him to a safe place.
"Although your gentle nature is your charm, Shido-san, if you don't take proper care of yourself, 'we' will get a very bad headache."
Just as Kurumi spoke, the woods were swallowed by a massive explosion.
"Kurumi!"
"Ara, are you worried about 'us'? Rest assured, re AST mbers could never kill ''."
Placing Shido down in a safe spot, Kurumi spoke completely unbothered.
"Kurumi..."
"Get away from Shido!"
Just as Shido wanted to say sothing to Kurumi, flickering flas sliced through the air like a sharp blade, forcing the two apart. Kotori rushed over, shielding Shido behind her back.
"Ara ara~. The terrifying Spirit of Fire has arrived."
Kurumi hopped lightly to the side, dodging Kotori's attack.
"What are you plotting now!?" Kotori asked, her battleaxe raised.
"Kihihihihihi! Plotting? Naturally, I plan to eat Shido-san~" Kurumi answered with a smile.
"You really never learn, do you."
Hearing Kurumi's words, Kotori readied her stance.
[!!!]
However, right at that mont, several lasers struck Kotori from behind. She turned around and saw that, at so point, three AST mbers had already begun attacking her.
"Tch!"
Kotori clicked her tongue. Having manifested her Astral Dress and Angel, she was also a target for the AST. In the blink of an eye, the small amusent park turned into a chaotic free for all battlefield between Nightmare, Efreet, and the AST.
__________________
Wooooooooooooooooooo!
It was a familiar sound, and a highly unpleasant one. While on a cruise ride with Tohka and Yoshino, Mikoto suddenly heard the spacequake alarm blaring across the marine park.
"It can't be helped. Let's go evacuate for now."
Mikoto, Tohka, and Yoshino stepped off the boat, which had made an ergency stop, and prepared to head to the nearest shelter.
BOOM!
But right then, a massive explosion echoed from the direction of the amusent park. At the sa ti, Mikoto felt a distinct surge of Spirit energy.
Mikoto, Tohka, and Yoshino looked at each other. From the looks in their eyes, the three of them confird it—there was absolutely no mistaking it, that was Spirit energy...and close.
Just as the three were about to take action, Mikoto suddenly felt her body floating. The space around them twisted, and a second later, their surroundings had changed into the interior of the airship.
"What happened?" Mikoto asked as the three of them rushed to the bridge.
"Kurumi... and the AST."
Reine concisely explained the situation currently unfolding.
"Shin and Kotori entered the amusent park's mirror maze, and we've lost track of them."
To hide from the AST and Kurumi, the two had run into a mirror maze. However, while it made it difficult for the AST and Kurumi to find them, it also ant the airship lost visual contact with them.
"Tohka, and Yoshino. I'd like to ask you two to hold off Kurumi and the AST."
"Umu! Leave it to us!"
"F-For Shido-san... I'll do my best."
"Yep, yep. For Shido-kun, Yoshinon will lend a hand too!"
The two Spirits nodded.
"Mikoto, can I leave Kotori and Shin to you?" Reine looked at Mikoto and asked.
"I understand. I'll definitely bring them out of the maze." Mikoto nodded.
Kotori's ntal state was already being forcibly stabilized by an overdose of dication. After fighting both the AST and Kurumi for a few minutes, she began showing signs of collapsing.
Taking advantage of the mont Kurumi and her clones got tangled up with the AST, Shido grabbed Kotori and ran into the nearest building.
It was a mirror maze—a magical world crafted out of mirrors and illusions of light.
"Ugh..."
"Hang in there, Kotori."
Kotori clutched her head, her face twisted in pain. Shido kept encouraging his sister as they ventured deeper into the maze.
"Ara ara~. Are we playing hide and seek? Well then... have you hidden yourself well, Shido-san? 'It' is coming for you."
Kurumi's voice echoed from a distance.
[!!!]
Realizing that Kurumi had also entered the mirror maze, Shido picked up the pace.
"Shido..."
"Kotori!"
He didn't know how long they had been walking, but Kotori's body suddenly went limp, and she collapsed to the floor. Shido quickly caught her.
[This is bad. If this keeps up, Kotori will...]
Looking at Kotori's pained expression, Shido grew increasingly anxious. The young girl could be completely consud by her destructive urges at any second. If that happened, the entire marine park would be turned into a sea of fire.
[I have no other choice!]
The words Mikoto had told him echoed in his mind.
[Oh right, just to be safe, I'll teach you a magic spell that is guaranteed to conquer Kotori.]
It was a thod Shido had never even considered.
[If there's absolutely no other way, just go straight for a kiss.]
That was what Mikoto had said.
There was no ti left to slowly raise Kotori's affection level. Even though he didn't understand why, if Mikoto said it would work, Shido chose to trust her unconditionally.
"Kotori..."
He held the young girl in his arms, leaned down, and pressed his lips against hers.
"Eh?"
In an instant, Kotori's eyes flew wide open.
Inside the mirror maze, what filled her vision were countless reflections of herself and Shido. On the ceiling, on the floor, in the corridors—every single mirror reflected the image of the young girl being kissed by Shido.
For a mont, Kotori felt as if she had fallen into a beautiful dream.
User Comments
0 comments from readers