She had returned to this world once again.
A hazy, grayish realm. No water, no fire, no light, no sky, no earth, no signs of life, and not even the concept of direction. Aside from Yutsuki herself, everything else in this space was pure, unadulterated chaos.
The Neighboring World—the place where Spirits resided before manifesting into the physical world.
It felt as though she were subrged in water. She drifted aimlessly through the chaotic void in a daze, unable to control the flow of her own body. This continued until, on so unknown day, the space would seemingly decide it was in a good mood and violently toss her into the physical world, only to unreasonably drag her back again after a while.
No matter how many tis she experienced it, Yutsuki simply couldn't get used to the feeling.
"I feel kind of bad for that boy."
Almost as if trying to kill ti, Yutsuki couldn't help but recall the events of their previous encounter.
When she manifested in Tengu City, a boy nad Itsuka Shido, who hadn't managed to evacuate in ti, accidentally ran into her and then... confessed his feelings to her.
As to why she interpreted it as a confession, Yutsuki's reasoning went like this:
High schoolers nowadays, even if most of them had outgrown their excessively self-conscious chuunibyou phase, still harbored a faint yearning for a beautiful, fated encounter or a supernatural, extraordinary life.
An unexpected accident, a fateful eting with a mysterious girl, and a supernatural battle that defied common sense.
It was exactly like the opening of a light novel. If the boy had even a shred of courage, he would probably take his first step into the unknown world, attempting to fight against powerful evil forces before inevitably falling in love with the heroine.
It wasn't ant to be a boast, but even though she found it annoying, her current body was undeniably that of a peerless beauty. If Yutsuki put herself in his shoes—experiencing such an event and having a mont of brain damage—she would probably have done the exact sa thing as Itsuka Shido.
Unfortunately, Yutsuki wasn't an impulsive person. There was absolutely no need for her to bend over just to fulfill so boy's cliché fantasy. It was best to nip those ambiguous, romantic feelings in the bud as early as possible.
And the most important reason of all...
I'm a grown man on the inside! Why the hell would I agree to go on a date with a guy?! (╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴
In this empty void, Yutsuki couldn't control her physical body, but her mind remained highly active.
However...
[Please go on a date with !]
[I've been single my whole life. If I get isekai, I want a beautiful romance. At the very least... even a single date would do.]
Shido's single sentence had awakened a wish Yutsuki had long forgotten.
I can't believe I said sothing so stupid right before I died... I'm too ashad to show my face in public.
If she could, Yutsuki really wanted to bury her head in the sand like an ostrich.
Still... running into sothing that bizarre was actually pretty fun. I'll go play around in Tengu City again next ti.
It wasn't that she was moved by the boy's request, but in the incredibly dull and repetitive life she had been living since arriving in this world, such a rare and amusing incident felt exceptionally refreshing.
Just as Yutsuki was quietly thinking to herself, she suddenly felt the surrounding space begin to ripple slowly. Carried by the propulsive force, her body was gently pushed out of this world.
Eh? I can go out again? That was unexpectedly fast this ti.
-----perspective shift divider line------
"..."
In the living room of the Itsuka household, Shido looked as if his soul had completely left his body. His eyes were dull, his face looked aged by years of hardship, and his entire existence seed to have been drained of color.
"Seriously, throwing a curveball straight to the heart when you had absolutely no way of confirming her affection level... you really are a brave hero, Shido."
Standing next to him, Kotori, wearing her black ribbons and sucking on her usual Chupa Chups lollipop, rcilessly mocked him.
"I'm sorry... After all, soone like ... is just a good guy..."
Unlike his usual self, who would either retort to Kotori's sharp tongue or brush it off with a smile, Shido's face grew even paler as he muttered with severe self-deprecation.
It had to be said, the destructive power of Yutsuki's "Good Guy Card" was absolutely devastating.
"Alright, alright. I know you had a rough ti. Let's drop the subject!" Seeing her brother looking so utterly depressed, Kotori couldn't bring herself to keep teasing him.
"Shido, are you okay? Do you want a kinako bread? Cheer up!"
Looking at Shido with deep concern, Tohka offered him her absolute favorite kinako bread.
Shido forced a faint smile, patted Tohka's head, and took the bread. "Thanks, Tohka. I feel a lot better now."
"Really? ...That's good then." Although still slightly worried, seeing Shido finally snap out of his funk allowed Tohka to breathe a small sigh of relief.
"Honestly, our Mr. Knight really loves being pampered, doesn't he? It was just one rejection. What is there to be so down about?"
"I guess you're right..." Shido smiled bitterly.
However, Kotori's tone shifted to one of self-reproach. "This was also my negligence. I didn't expect the Spirit that appeared to be Hacker. Because we hadn't prepared any counterasures in advance, you ended up in such a difficult situation."
"Ah, it's fine, don't worry about it," Shido comforted Kotori before asking, "Is Hacker the codena of that Spirit?"
"Exactly. She is an S-Rank threat, just like Tokisaki Kurumi. To humanity, she is the most dangerous Spirit of all."
"The most dangerous? Does she personally murder people like Kurumi?" Shido's expression turned grave. Tokisaki Kurumi was deed the most evil Spirit because she had slaughtered over ten thousand people. Did that girl from earlier do the sa...?
"No, quite the opposite." Kotori shook her head definitively. "Hacker has never attempted to kill a human. For so unknown reason, her intent to attack humans is even lower than Yoshino's. From her very first appearance until now, setting aside the lack of any death reports, even reports of injuries caused by her are incredibly rare."
Hearing this, Shido beca even more confused.
"If that's the case, why would you call her a Spirit as dangerous as Kurumi?"
At this, Kotori's expression turned unprecedentedly serious. "Because she is the Spirit that poses the greatest absolute threat to humanity itself. Shido, do you rember what happened when you encountered Hacker yesterday?"
Recalling the scene, the corner of Shido's mouth twitched. "She was playing a Galga..."
"I believe I ntioned this already. That ga is stored exclusively within the Fraxinus mainfra. It has never been released to the public."
Kotori's face grew incredibly grim.
"And yet, it appeared in Hacker's hands. Do you understand what that ans?"
Shido seed to grasp Kotori's point, his eyes widening in shock. "We were hacked?"
"Yes! And she did it completely without triggering a single alarm. Like a ghost." A rare, bitter smile appeared on Kotori's face. "Just as the na 'Hacker' implies. This Spirit possesses hacking skills that far surpass the highest level of human technology. Even the AI at DEM Industries was successfully breached by her."
"DEM Industries...?!"
Involved in pharmaceuticals, food, tourism, heavy industry, and various other fields, DEM was the most famous ga-corporation in the world. Its na was known to everyone. But more importantly, it was the primary manufacturer and distributor of anti-Spirit weaponry—Realizers.
Just during their school trip, they had been cornered by DEM's strongest Wizard, who was attempting to capture Tohka. If it hadn't been for sheer luck, she might have actually been taken.
"And the most critical point of all is this: Hacker has already mastered the thod to completely disable CR-Units. Shido, you should understand what that implies."
The barrage of shocking revelations Kotori delivered left Shido completely speechless.
A Spirit who had mastered the thod to disable humanity's ultimate anti-Spirit weapon—the Realizer. Among all Spirits, Hacker might not possess the highest raw combat power, but to humanity, she was undeniably the most terrifying threat.
Against other Spirits, humans at least had the ability to take up arms and resist. But in front of Hacker, they were reduced to nothing more than lambs waiting to be slaughtered. If she so desired, she could inflict unprecedented devastation upon humanity with a single thought.
So that was why she was called the most dangerous Spirit.
But that's not right! A voice continuously echoed in Shido's heart.
That night, Shido had noticed that even though the AST mbers who attacked the girl had all been knocked unconscious and subdued, in reality, they hadn't suffered any actual harm.
If she simply wanted to deal with humans attacking her, she could easily resolve the issue with pure violence.
Why bother using a thod to disable their Realizers? Wasn't the answer obvious?
An inexplicable surge of frustration welled up in his heart, and Shido clenched his fists tightly.
"No! What 'most dangerous Spirit to humanity'?! She's clearly the least dangerous Spirit! That girl... she just didn't want to hurt anyone..."
"Calm down, Shido. I know what you're trying to say." Kotori sighed helplessly. "But the reality isn't about whether she wants to attack humans or not. It's about the fact that humanity fears the weapon she holds."
An innocent man holding a priceless treasure will inevitably be targeted.
Even though he didn't want to accept it, Shido had to admit that Kotori's words were correct.
It had nothing to do with personal morality. She was shunned and targeted simply because her very existence threatened their safety. The calm, unfazed deanor the girl had displayed back then... it was as if she were saying she had long grown used to such treatnt.
Looking at Kotori, Shido said with absolute seriousness.
"Then, as long as I seal her, it'll be fine, right?"
At Shido's response, a satisfied smile spread across Kotori's face. "Exactly. In the end, that's the only thing you need to do."
Make the Spirits blush, seal their spiritual power, and allow them to live a normal human life. This was the only thing Shido needed to do, and the only thing he could do.
Grumble————!
Just then, a completely mood-breaking sound rang out. Shido and Kotori turned to see Tohka standing off to the side, her stomach letting out a loud, roaring growl.
Shido and Kotori exchanged a glance, and then, without any prior coordination, burst out laughing.
"What is it?! What's so funny about being hungry?!" Tohka shouted, her face blushing bright red.
"Tohka, we just ate lunch. How is your stomach already growling?"
Kotori was laughing so hard she couldn't even speak, so Shido barely managed to suppress his own laughter to ask.
Feeling utterly embarrassed, Tohka buried her face into a kinako-bread-shaped cushion, playing the ostrich.
"It's because Shido and Kotori kept talking about complicated things I couldn't understand, and before I knew it, I got hungry."
From beneath the cushion, Tohka's muffled, dissatisfied grumbling could be heard.
Please, girl. A normal person's reaction to sothing they don't understand is falling asleep, not getting hungry!
"Sorry, sorry! We completely left you out." After calming down her laughter, Kotori quickly apologized.
"Mhm~ As long as you know you were wrong."
Watching the heartwarming scene unfold before him, a small smile graced Shido's lips. Standing up, he said, "It's a bit early, but I'm going to go buy the ingredients for dinner. Tohka, there's more kinako bread in the cupboard. If you're hungry, you can eat that first."
"Really?!" Hearing those words, Tohka instantly perked up and sprinted toward the kitchen cupboards, full of energy.
Honestly, the kinako bread is your actual main course, isn't it?
"I'm heading out now."
"Have a safe trip... Oh, right, Shido." Just as Shido was about to open the door, Kotori suddenly rembered sothing. "Based on our investigation, there is an eighty-to-ninety percent chance that Hacker is the exact sa person as the 'Ryougi Yutsuki' Yuzuru and Kaguya told us about."
"Is that so..." Shido didn't show any surprise, simply acknowledging it with a soft nod.
Another reason to save her has been added.
Shido silently reaffird his resolve, swearing that he would definitely seal Yutsuki's spiritual power.
[I am sorry, but you are a good guy.]
Ah—it really does still hurt though (ToT).
"Shido-san seems like he's not in very good moods."
"He looks exactly like a salaryman who just failed a business deal."
Watching Shido's grey, depressed figure walk out the door, even Yoshino and Yoshinon, who had just entered the living room, felt a twinge of concern.
"Seriously... is he still brooding over that?"
Even Kotori frowned in slight worry.
As girls, they would probably never be able to truly understand just how massive the psychological damage of being called a "Good Guy" by a woman was to a guy.
"U-Um... Kotori-san. I want to help Shido-san cheer up. Do you have any good ideas?"
Though she spoke timidly, Yoshino earnestly proposed her thoughts.
Honestly, Kotori was quite surprised that Yoshino was the one to suggest this.
But it was true. Even if she didn't say it out loud, Kotori was actually very worried about her older brother.
"I got it. I have a magazine here we can use for reference. But let make this perfectly clear—this was just forcefully shoved onto by a classmate! I absolutely did not buy this myself, you hear ?!"
After making a very strong, defensive disclair, Kotori ran to her room and ca back with a magazine, her face entirely flushed.
"T-This is...!" Yoshino's face instantly turned bright red.
"Wow~ As expected of Kotori-chan, what wonderful hobbies you have~" Yoshinon teased from the side.
"I ALREADY TOLD YOU A CLASSMATE FORCED IT ONTO !"
"Whash are oo guish talkim 'bout?" (What are you guys talking about?) Tohka asked, her mouth completely stuffed with kinako bread.
She then shifted her gaze to the magazine in Kotori's hand: [Top 10 Cosplays n Love the Most~].(TL:we are so cooked)
-----perspective shift divider line-----
"Alright then, what should I buy?"
Currently completely unaware of the conspiracy brewing back ho, Shido had managed to adjust his mood and calm down. As he walked toward the shopping district, he silently pondered the nu for tonight's dinner.
"Ah! Crap, I used up all the grocery money. I need to withdraw so more."
Flipping through his wallet, Shido realized he only had a few coins left.
If he didn't get more cash, he'd probably only be able to afford a single clove of garlic, and he would definitely be t with death glares from the girls waiting at ho.
Looking up at the sun, Shido couldn't help but feel thankful that he had left the house early. Even if he took a slight detour, he should still be able to buy fresh ingredients at the shopping district.
Because he was in charge of the household chores and their parents were often away, Shido managed all the finances for the Itsuka family.
Quickly checking the map on his phone for nearby ATMs, Shido headed toward the closest one.
Walking to a secluded corner of Tengu City Park, the area was sparsely populated due to its location, making it feel slightly unsafe to withdraw cash. Shido spotted a small, unmanned bank branch with a few ATMs inside. Soone was already there.
"Mhm... This definitely isn't a cri. I'm just performing necessary maintenance on a malfunctioning ATM. Since the security cara also conveniently broke down, it can't capture my face, so it can't be helped. Yep! Completely unavoidable!"
Wearing an oversized black trench coat and sporting flowing brown hair, the petite figure from behind clearly belonged to a girl.
The girl was muttering strange excuses to herself while simultaneously emitting highly suspicious Bzzzt-Bzzzt~ sounds.
Seeing this scene unfold before him, Shido's eyes widened in sheer shock. Unable to hold back, he pointed his finger at her and shouted:
"Ah!..Ryougi Yutsuki!"
"Huh..!!Who's there?!" The guilty-looking girl jolted in panic. Spinning around frantically, she babbled, "U-Um! Listen to my explanation, things aren't what they look like... Ah, you're the boy from yesterday."
Just as Yutsuki recognized Itsuka Shido—the boy who had confessed to her the day before—the ATM's cash dispenser suddenly violently spat out a massive pile of Yukichi Fukuzawa bills (10,000 Yen notes). The cash fluttered in the air between the two of them, scattering like falling cherry blossoms.
"..."
"..."
At that exact mont, the atmosphere between the two of them beca indescribably awkward.
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