"What does this an?"
Seeing the ssage on the postcard, Shido felt a bit uneasy.
"If we take it literally, it ans Natsumi has already disguised herself as one of these thirteen people. And she wants us to guess who she is?"
Kotori frowned seriously, rolling a Chupa Chups in her mouth.
It had been proven during the incident at school a few days ago that Natsumi could disguise herself as other people. It wasn't impossible that Natsumi had really swapped places with one of them, especially...
"Before everyone disappears..."
This last sentence made it impossible for Shido and Kotori to brush this off as a simple prank.
"Disappear... does that an literally vanishing from the real world?"
"Isn't that obvious, you idiot Shido."
Kotori sighed helplessly.
The thought of everyone in the photos 'disappearing' right in front of him made Shido very anxious. After thinking for a mont, Shido took out his phone to call Yutsuki.
"Wait!"
Kotori suddenly stepped forward, snatched Shido's phone, and hung up the call.
"Wh... what's wrong, Kotori?"
Shido asked in confusion.
"What do you an, 'what's wrong'? You were going to call Yutsuki-nee for help, weren't you?"
Kotori said in an annoyed tone.
"Yeah."
Shido nodded. Since Yutsuki had great observation skills and was exceptionally good at deduction and analysis, having her help would make it much more likely to solve this difficult problem.
"Has your IQ dropped to the level of an ape? Yutsuki-nee is also one of these thirteen people. If Natsumi is pretending to be Yutsuki-nee, then wouldn't you just be led around by the nose? We'd get a ga over before we even start!"
Kotori shook her head, speechless, and scolded Shido. After all, the thirteen people in the photos were Natsumi's hostages, but they were also the biggest suspects. Taking advice from one of them before confirming their identity could very likely lead them to a conclusion completely different from the truth.
But following that logic...
"Well... if you put it that way. I might be Natsumi, purposely stopping Shido from asking Yutsuki-nee for help."
Realizing she was in the sa position as Yutsuki, Kotori shrugged with a wry smile. She then called Reine, told her about Natsumi, and discussed a plan.
Natsumi, has she already co near us...
____________________________________________________
"Shido? Shido—!"
"—Ah?!"
Hearing Yutsuki's loud shout next to his ear, Shido suddenly snapped out of it.
"Geez. Why are you spacing out? Are you daydreaming?"
Yutsuki waved her hand in front of Shido's face, looking at him helplessly.
"Um... well, I zoned out for a bit."
Yutsuki shook her head and let out a long sigh.
"Geez, I get that you've been stressed about Natsumi for days, and it's understandable to relax a bit. But don't overdo it."
Shido scratched his head awkwardly and smiled bitterly.
"Ahahaha... sorry."
It was now October 22nd, around 8 PM. Shido was in Yutsuki's room at the Spirit apartnt complex.
Yutsuki had been practicing the pumpkin dishes for the Halloween party over the past few days, so she asked Shido to co over for a tasting. Since everyone's room in the complex was a spacious 3LDK, Yutsuki could easily prepare the food in her own room.
As for whether a boy and a girl alone in a room would spark so intense romance, Yutsuki calmly stated: "If Shido really had that kind of guts, Tohka and the others would have beco his harem in an R18 sense a long ti ago."
"Mhm... it's about ti."
Yutsuki looked at the clock on the wall, waiting quietly in front of the oven.
Her brown hair was tied back with a clover ribbon into a smooth, low ponytail. A simple loungewear outfit paired with a light blue apron added a touch of holy, gentle charm to Yutsuki, who usually gave off a very straightforward impression.
"You look really pretty."
Shido couldn't help but say what he was thinking out loud.
Yutsuki's face flushed slightly, and she turned her head away.
"...Just so you know, complinting won't make go easy on you."
"Wait, what did you put in the food that makes you use the words 'go easy'?"
Shido suddenly felt a bit panicked.
"Well~ boy, you need to know. Pursuing the ultimate deliciousness in cooking requires all sorts of exp... trials."
A aningful smile appeared on Yutsuki's lips.
"You were going to say experints, weren't you!"
After a "Ding—" from the oven, Yutsuki, wearing a mischievous smile that made Shido slightly uneasy, put on oven mitts and pulled a tray of steaming hot pumpkin croquettes out. The croquettes were a good size, and the crispy crust shone with a golden glow. Just looking at the presentation, they were on par with what you could buy in a store.
Well, it's not like Yutsuki didn't know how to cook. As long as she wasn't doing it on purpose, she couldn't possibly make so terrifying dark matter food. Shido comforted himself with this thought.
Yutsuki picked up a small piece with her chopsticks and held it out to Shido.
"Here~ Shido—say ah."
"Yutsuki... what are you doing?"
"What's wrong?"
Yutsuki tilted her head, acting like she didn't see anything wrong.
"Nothing..."
Seeing Yutsuki's expression, Shido scratched his cheek and swallowed the words he was about to say.
"Nom~"
"How does it taste?"
Yutsuki asked, her face full of anticipation.
"It tastes pretty good. It's just that the sweetness feels a bit light. And it's stead a bit too soft."
Swallowing the pumpkin croquette in a few bites, Shido savored it and gave his review.
"I see, not enough sugar, and stead and baked for a bit too long." Yutsuki nodded thoughtfully, took so notes, and picked up another piece. "Then try this one. I tried making it Japanese style with soy sauce and salt. Ah—"
"Yutsuki... I can actually feed myself."
Seeing the girl bring the food to his mouth again, Shido said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Well, of course I know that. But I just like doing this."
Yutsuki looked full of expectation and clearly had no intention of putting down the chopsticks. Shido had no choice but to obediently eat it.
"How is it?"
"Well... it's a very unique taste, but surprisingly good."
Hearing Shido's positive review, a bright smile blood on Yutsuki's face.
"Great. Then let's add it to the nu as a surprise for the party. Now, try this one. Ah—"
"...Ah~"
After a mont of silence, Shido obediently accepted Yutsuki's third feeding session. Honestly, if this continued, Shido felt he would lose his focus on judging the food.
Just as Shido was thinking this...
"So sourrrrrr!"
A sudden, intense sourness hit him, twisting Shido's face into a hilarious expression.
"Pfft—hahaha! Shido, that face could totally go on a cody show!"
Seeing Shido fall for the trap so easily, Yutsuki clutched her stomach and laughed out loud.
"Wah—what kind of filling is this?"
Taking a sip of water to dilute the sourness in his mouth, Shido finally caught his breath and asked, feeling a bit traumatized.
"Well, it's a jam made from pickled plums and other fruits. Isn't it perfect as a surprise for a Halloween party?"
"That's not a surprise at all, okay? Don't make a normal party feel like a terrifying ga of Russian Roulette."
Shido complained, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"There, there, this is just a trial run. Shido, I made a lot of other flavors too. You'll eat them all, right~"
"Please spare ."
Seeing Shido beg for rcy, Yutsuki showed a cheerful smile.
Could a Yutsuki like this be Natsumi in disguise? Looking at Yutsuki thoroughly enjoying herself, Shido pondered in his heart.
...
"...A date?"
After finishing the tasting and cleaning up the kitchen, Yutsuki looked surprised when she heard Shido's words.
Shido nodded. That morning, after Kotori called Reine over, the three of them discussed their next plan. Since they couldn't be sure if Kotori was Natsumi in disguise, Kotori was temporarily banned from entering the airship until Natsumi was found.
Then, since soone had been replaced by Natsumi, that ant soone was Natsumi's hostage. The crew of the Fraxinus would be in charge of finding the kidnapped person. Reine would use a Spirit power observation device to monitor the Spirit power levels of these thirteen people. If Natsumi's Spirit power was detected, that would be the best proof.
As for Shido himself, he needed to go on dates with these thirteen people to see if he could tell from their words and actions if they were Natsumi in disguise.
Even though one of them was a guy... Shido decided it was best not to worry too much about that detail.
"Well, I don't mind. But why so suddenly?"
Yutsuki tilted her head in confusion. She asked,
"Is everything okay with the Natsumi problem?"
Being asked the crucial question by Yutsuki, Shido started sweating a little. Although Shido didn't think there was anything wrong with Yutsuki, they didn't have solid proof yet that Yutsuki wasn't Natsumi in disguise, so Shido had to keep Natsumi's letter a secret. He gave a vague answer:
"N-Nothing yet! It's just that being tense all the ti isn't good. I just wanted to go out and have so fun together to relax—or sothing."
...Sothing definitely happened.
Yutsuki gave Shido a speechless look for his terrible acting. She sighed, shrugged, and nodded in understanding.
"I'll take your word for it. Tell when you feel you can."
"Yeah, sorry, Yutsuki."
Seeing Yutsuki's attitude, Shido knew she had figured sothing out from his expression and even sowhat understood his difficulties. Shido felt sorry that he couldn't tell her the whole story.
"So, can you make so ti tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow... I have sothing going on. Can we do it in two days?"
Yutsuki scratched her cheek, looking a bit troubled.
"That's fine with . But do you have plans, Yutsuki?"
Even though he knew it wasn't a great question to ask, Shido couldn't help his curiosity. Yutsuki shrugged and answered casually, not minding the question.
"I'm going on a date—"
"What!?"
"—Just kidding, of course."
"..."
Shido felt like his emotions had just been on a roller coaster.
Yutsuki gave a happy little chuckle, waved her hand, and explained,
"I'm just eting up with a girl I know. It's not a date, don't worry."
Hearing that the person was a girl, Shido let out a sigh of relief, smiling bitterly at how the girl teased him to show a little bit of her mood.
"Yutsuki, do you have plans with a girl from class?"
"No, you probably know this girl better than I do, Shido."
Yutsuki glanced at a thick photo album on her bookshelf, a weird smile forming on the corners of her mouth.
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