"I rember... the residential area is in Sector B."
Shido walked at a slow pace through the corridors of Ratatoskr's underground facility.
"Oof!"
Just as he was turning a corner, Shido suddenly felt an impact on his chest. Looking down, he saw red twin-tails tied with black ribbons.
"Yo, Kotori. What's wrong, why are you running so fast?"
"A-Ah, Shido..."
Kotori replied awkwardly, then pressed herself against the edge of the corner and looked nervously behind her.
"Phew... that was close, I lost her..."
Seemingly confirming no one was chasing her, Kotori let out a slow sigh of relief.
"Did sothing happen?"
Shido asked, confused.
"Uh, nothing really..." After laughing it off with a vague answer, Kotori seed to want to change the subject. She looked at the suitcase in Shido's hand and asked, "Speaking of which, Shido, what are you planning to do?"
"Ah, this. Starting today, I'm going to live in the underground facility too."
Shido scratched his cheek and said.
It was quite a distance from the Itsuka house to here. Plus, to avoid being tracked by Ellen and other DEM mbers, he deliberately took many detours, making every trip here exhausting.
Even so, since Natsumi was staying here now, Shido had to show his face frequently. Considering this, Shido took a sick leave from school and brought so change of clothes and a toothbrush over.
"With Yutsuki's help, Natsumi should be getting a bit used to interacting with others now. So I want to take this chance to live together with Natsumi."
Hearing Shido's words, Kotori's expression beca a bit weird.
"I have to say... Yutsuki-nee being a girl is one thing. But the way you phrase it, Shido... Are you a lolicon?"
"No, no, no! Those two things have nothing to do with each other. Have a little faith in your older brother!" Shido hurriedly waved his hands to deny it, coughed awkwardly, and explained, "I phrased it wrong. What I an is, I'll live in the room next to Natsumi's. From morning to afternoon, I'll go to Natsumi's room to play with her alongside Yutsuki. And after helping prepare the three als, I'll go back to my room."
Hearing this, Kotori asked, confused.
"Honestly, you guys... is it really necessary to go this far for that Natsumi?"
"Isn't that obvious? How should I put it with Natsumi... Although she acts all guarded and keeps people away, I feel like... she's actually really lonely. How could I just leave a kid like that alone."
Shido scratched his cheek and said.
"Mhm—m-maybe."
For so reason, Kotori seed a bit unable to accept it.
"Right, Kotori. If Natsumi is getting used to interacting with others, how about next ti we take her out of that isolation room and have everyone gather together for dinner. I believe Natsumi would be a bit happier too... Kotori?"
Hearing Shido's proposal, Kotori let out a helpless, long sigh.
"Well... I never doubted from the very beginning that you are an idiot."
"Uh, I don't really get what you're saying, but I feel like my little sister just looked down on ."
Looking at Itsuka Shido's resentful expression, Natsumi couldn't help but let out a "Pfft—!" and burst into laughter.
(Seriously... why was I doubting these people?)
Natsumi thought to herself with emotion.
She rembered when she first ca to this world, Natsumi also always hoped soone would talk to her, take care of her, and acknowledge her existence.
However, no one here spared a single glance at the "original" her.
So, Natsumi used the power of her Angel—Haniel—to turn herself into a sexy, alluring, beautiful older woman. And just like that, everyone's eyes were drawn to her.
But that scenario—no matter how many tis it repeated, there was always a hole in her heart that couldn't be filled.
On the contrary, as the flattery directed at her transford self increased, unknowingly, even Natsumi herself—began to deny the "original" her.
But this place was different.
Whether it was Ryougi Yutsuki, Itsuka Shido, or the other Spirits. Even after seeing her true appearance, they all, in their own ways, cared for this Natsumi who had constantly made things difficult for them.
For the first ti, Natsumi's heart was filled with a warm emotion called goodwill.
"Kotori, why are you crying?!"
"...Huh?"
Natsumi snapped back to reality. Without her realizing it, her cheeks were covered in crystal-clear tears.
"Strange... I... this... why..."
She reached up to wipe away the tears, but they wouldn't stop, continuously overflowing from her eyes.
"Did sothing happen? Did you catch a cold? Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Did I do sothing wrong?"
"Calm down, Shido, I'm fine."
Seeing the panicked Itsuka Shido, Natsumi seed to understand why she was crying.
[If you want to leave here, as long as you don't interfere with Shido's life anymore, I won't stop you. It's your freedom to go wherever you want. But if you want to stay here... I don't dislike having a family mber with the sa hobbies.]
Choice? Stay?
Perhaps, the answer was already there.
"NATSUMI! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Suddenly, a furious roar echoed through the entire hallway.
"What's wrong with Yutsuki?"
Shido asked, completely bewildered.
(Uh, I think I'll lay low for a bit before that.)
The corner of Natsumi's mouth twitched slightly as she thought to herself.
"Hey, Itsuka Shido."
"Kotori?"
Hearing Kotori call him by his full na, Shido felt sothing was off.
"This ho... is a very warm place."
Natsumi whispered softly, a smile curving the corners of her mouth.
"Could you... possibly be..."
"Well then, I have sothing urgent, so I'll be going now~"
Before Shido could react, leaving behind a aningful expression, Kotori imdiately turned around and ran away at full speed.
"Hey! Wait..."
Seeing her rushing off like she was running away, Shido unconsciously chased after her, but lost her completely at the corner.
"Geez, what is she in such a hurry for? She even dropped her lollipop."
Picking up the Chupa Chups lollipop that had fallen on the ground, Shido muttered in confusion.
Imdiately after, hurried footsteps approached from behind.
Shido turned around, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and asked.
"Yutsuki, what happened to make you look like you ate gunpowder—whoawhoawhoawhoa."
When he turned around and saw Yutsuki's outfit, Shido's face instantly turned bright red.
Right now, Yutsuki was wearing the pink dress Miku and the others had half-forced her into a few days ago, but unlike before, her clothes were a complete ss. It looked as if she had just grabbed whatever was nearby and rushed out the door.
Putting aside the fact that she ran out barefoot, one shoulder strap of the dress had slipped down during her frantic sprint. It exposed her smooth shoulder, delicate collarbone, and half of her smooth, firm, perky chest...
"?"
Seeing Shido's strange reaction, Yutsuki first tilted her head in confusion. Then, following Shido's gaze down and realizing her current state, steam instantly poured out of her head.
"Turn around right now! You idiot Shido!"
"S-Sorry."
Shido hurriedly turned around, his back to Yutsuki. Then, Yutsuki ducked into a nearby resting room to fix her clothes.
(That was quite the sight...)
Feeling a mix of guilt and sha, Shido silently saved the image he just saw into to the deepest part of his mind.
______________________________
"I see. That Kotori just now... was Natsumi in disguise."
Hearing Yutsuki's explanation, Shido had an epiphany. No wonder he felt sothing was off during their conversation earlier.
"Seriously... once I find Natsumi later, I'm going to teach her a good lesson. I'll make her understand the price of casually using an Angel's power."
Watching Yutsuki cracking her knuckles with loud pops, radiating killing intent, Shido silently mourned for Natsumi for three seconds in his heart.
"But Yutsuki, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"From what you said, you left Natsumi's side on purpose today, right?"
"Mhm. That's right."
Yutsuki nodded.
"If that's the case, you should have predicted Natsumi would turn into soone, right? Why didn't you recognize Natsumi's true identity?"
Shido asked, looking confused.
Although Natsumi's transformation was indeed perfect, there was still a slight sense of incongruity when talking to her. If even Shido could feel it, there was no reason Yutsuki—who knew beforehand that Natsumi would disguise herself to escape—wouldn't notice.
"Ah, about that. It's because I had already decided this morning that, for the whole day, no matter who I saw talking to , I would treat them as the real person without any hesitation."
"Hm?"
Seeing Shido's confused expression, Yutsuki sighed lightly.
"True. When I left Natsumi's room today, I had already guessed she would most likely disguise herself as soone to escape or fish for information in this underground facility. Since the point was to let her confirm our true selves, what aning would there be in trying to figure out who she turned into?"
"Then why didn't you tell us beforehand?"
Yutsuki waved her hand helplessly.
"You idiot Shido, if I told you guys beforehand, wouldn't it just beco us colluding to trick Natsumi? Although I agreed to help conquer Natsumi, I will absolutely never lie to soone who is and might beco family." Yutsuki shook her head helplessly, then a smile ford on her lips, and she said confidently, "Besides, I believe that even if I didn't say anything, you guys would definitely give Natsumi the answer she most wanted to hear."
Hearing the girl's hesitation-free answer, Shido scratched his nose a bit sheepishly.
But for so reason, Shido's feelings were a bit complex.
It wasn't that the girl didn't trust him; on the contrary, it was because she completely trusted him that she didn't say anything to him.
However, despite that, just like usual, the girl had masterminded everything, shouldered the burden alone, and solved all the difficult problems for him without him knowing.
"Well then, next up. Let's go search all the places Natsumi might be. Yutsuki, you search the underground facility and Natsumi's room. I'll go look outside."
Shido proposed.
"Mhm, got it—wait, Shido!"
Yutsuki nodded in agreent, then seemingly thought of sothing and suddenly stopped Shido.
"What is it, Yutsuki?"
Seeing the girl's serious expression, Shido couldn't help but gulp.
"Well... I only just thought of this. Could it be that the you right now is actually Natsumi in disguise?"
"Huh?"
Faced with the girl's sudden accusation, Shido was completely dumbfounded.
"Co on, Yutsuki, what happened to 'I won't suspect anyone'? What happened to 'complete trust in us'?"
"Well~ That was then, this is now. Right now, I just want to find Natsumi imdiately. Of course I have to maintain a deductive spirit of doubting everything. Co here, let confirm your identity."
"Wait, I'm the real Shido!"
"Well... I'll have to check for myself to be sure."
Saying that, Yutsuki grabbed Shido's cheeks and rcilessly pulled them in opposite directions.
"Owowowowowow! Why are you pulling my cheeks!"
"Isn't pulling cheeks the standard way to verify a disguise?"
"Natsumi isn't Kuroba Kai-beep—!"(TL:magic kaito ref I guess?)
"OK. Verification complete. Confird as Shido."
"Seriously, where is the basic trust between people..."
Rubbing his stinging cheeks, Shido complained with a dissatisfied look.
In response, Yutsuki chuckled and waved her hand dismissively.
"Okay, okay~ Seeing you energetic enough to retort like that, it looks like there's no problem."
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