As a result, failing to answer the teacher's question because he wasn't paying attention in math class made Shido feel his cheeks burn with embarrassnt.
To avoid such an awkward situation from happening again, Shido had to put his previous thoughts aside for now and seriously focus on taking notes on the lesson.
Just as Yutsuki had said before, what Shido longed for wasn't that abnormal world surrounded by Wizards and battles. Therefore, he couldn't simply ignore his everyday life as an ordinary person.
Peaceful ti slowly flowed by. After finishing a full day of classes with Tohka and the Yamai sisters, Shido went to the shopping district to restock on groceries, then returned ho to prepare dinner for everyone.
"I'm ho."
After a simple greeting, Shido opened the door and entered the entryway. Just as he was about to take off his outdoor shoes, a series of light footsteps ca from the direction of the living room.
"Welco back... Shido-san."
"W-Welco back."
It was Yoshino, wearing a light-colored dress, with fluffy hair and sapphire-like eyes, and Natsumi, wearing simple casual pants and a white T-shirt, with curly erald hair, looking sowhat timid, coming to welco Shido.
"Yo yo, welco back, Shido-kun. Are you going to eat first? Take a bath first? Or eat—Yo-shi-no—first?" Yoshinon, the rabbit puppet in Yoshino's hand, asked Shido with a sowhat flippant laugh.
"Yoshinon!"
Yoshino, her face completely red, covered Yoshinon's mouth, although its vocal organs weren't there.
"Ah... idiot Shido, I'm so jealous of you."
Natsumi curled her lips sowhat dissatisfied.
"Haha..."
Shido smiled bitterly twice, then seed to think of sothing and turned to look at Natsumi.
"By the way, Natsumi, could you answer a question for ?"
"Wh-What is it?"
Being suddenly called out made Natsumi a bit nervous.
"When you ca over for breakfast this morning, you did say that you stayed up all night playing gas yesterday, right?"
"So what if I did? Are you going to lecture ?"
Natsumi looked at him warily, instinctively covering her right pocket with her hands. It seed she thought Shido was going to confiscate her ga console.
"No, no."
Shido hurriedly waved his hands, indicating he had no intention of reprimanding Natsumi for staying up all night playing gas.
"I wanted to ask, why did you start liking video gas?"
In the previous world, a large part of the reason Natsumi started liking gas was because Ryougi Yutsuki used gas as a common topic to make Natsumi gradually trust and accept Shido and the others, eventually letting Shido seal her Spirit power.
Then, if the world had changed, and Ryougi Yutsuki's interference was missing, why would Natsumi start liking gas?
"Eh?"
Hearing Shido's question, Natsumi looked at Shido, completely baffled.
"Why do I like them... Because gas are fun, of course. Especially this PS Vita ga—'Fairy Dream 3'. The character designs and battle system are really well done, the music is great, and Tsunako-sensei's artwork is excellent... Ah, I get it now. Staying up all night playing a moe RPG ga, I'm just a useless otaku wasting ti aninglessly. If soone heard this, they'd probably say sothing like, 'Ah, Natsumi really likes gas,' while showing a polite, fake smile and subtly taking a step back. Plus, since I wasn't born naturally beautiful like Tohka and the others, if I stay up too late, my skin will get worse and I'll get dark circles, becoming a complete ugly monster, hahahahahahha—"
As she spoke, a bleak, self-deprecating smile appeared on Natsumi's face. She crouched on the ground, falling into her negative inferiority mode.
"Wait, I didn't think that at all."
Shido and Yoshino hurriedly comforted Natsumi together. It wasn't until Shido promised that he would accept Natsumi no matter what she looked like that Natsumi gradually recovered.
"Well, anyway, I'll go prepare dinner first."
Left with no choice, Shido had to put the question of what triggered Natsumi to play gas aside for now. He patted Yoshino and Natsumi on the head, picked up the groceries in his hand, walked into the kitchen, and started preparing dinner.
Natsumi and Yoshino looked at each other, quietly walked to the kitchen door, peeked their heads in, and looked at Shido, who was focused on cooking. Then they whispered to each other:
"Mhm... Shido-san... seems to be fine now..."
Yoshino couldn't help but show a relieved expression, while Natsumi frowned suspiciously.
"Mhm, he definitely looks much more normal than he did this morning. But we can't be completely sure yet. Honestly, I thought he was dumped by so woman and got his heart broken. Or is it like the saying that girls feel refreshed after cutting their hair when they get their hearts broken?"
"Ooh, did Shido-kun go get a haircut?"
"Is that so... It doesn't... seem very obvious."
Yoshino and Yoshinon tilted their heads in confusion.
"Uh, that was just a taphor... If it's a guy, he's more likely to go vent... Sorry... please forget what I just said."
Perhaps because Yoshino's innocent gaze was too dazzling, Natsumi looked away, unable to et her eyes.
"Seriously, what are you two doing hiding here and peeking?"
Gently tapping Natsumi and Yoshino from behind, Kotori sighed speechlessly, tied on her black ribbons, and walked into the kitchen.
"Did you need sothing, Kotori?"
"Shido, I want to eat foie gras for dinner tonight."
"...Sorry, my cute little sister, this establishnt does not serve French cuisine. Also, don't eat lollipops before als."
Shido retorted, black lines appearing on his forehead. Putting aside the fact that he was only making ordinary ho-cooked als right now, even if he had the money to buy an expensive ingredient like foie gras, Shido wouldn't know how to cook it.
"Hmph—Looks like he's back to normal."
After observing Shido's face for a mont and confirming he was indeed fine, Kotori finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, I gradually cald down while at school." Shido scratched his cheek with a bitter smile and said, "After all, if I kept looking depressed, it would make Tohka and the others worry."
"Hoh~ You've grown, Shido."
Flicking the lollipop stick in her mouth, a smile appeared on the corner of Kotori's mouth.
"By the way, and thank you, Kotori. For going out of your way to check on ."
"Guh—Th-That can't be helped, who asked Shido to always be so worriso."
Kotori blushed and looked away. After a dry cough, she asked in a slightly serious tone:
"So, what happened this morning? You suddenly looked elated for no reason, and then inexplicably beca listless. Just like a salaryman who got promoted and was overjoyed, only to go ho and find his wife ran away."
Pfft— Shido almost cut his finger with the kitchen knife.
"Shido?"
"Haha—It's nothing, it's nothing."
Shido smiled bitterly and waved his hand.
Although there was no malice, Kotori's words still made Shido feel like he had taken an arrow to the knee.
"Um... Have you ever heard the na Ryougi Yutsuki?"
Putting down his work, Shido hesitated for a mont before asking sowhat uneasily.
This morning, upon discovering that Yutsuki didn't live in this house, Shido didn't ask Kotori and the others in detail if they knew Yutsuki. One reason was that the situation was too sudden, leaving Shido not knowing what to do at the ti.
The second reason was that he was a bit afraid he would hear an unacceptable possibility from everyone's mouths.
For example, an answer like—in this world, the Spirit nad Ryougi Yutsuki simply doesn't exist.
"Ryougi Yutsuki... the na you ntioned this morning?"
Kotori crossed her arms, pondered for a mont, and shook her head sowhat apologetically.
"Sorry, Shido. At least in my mory, I've never heard that na."
"Is that so..."
Hearing Kotori's answer, Shido dropped his shoulders in disappointnt. Then, seemingly unwilling to give up, he continued asking.
"Then, in this world, is there a Spirit with long brown hair, wearing a black trench coat Astral Dress, who can manipulate lightning?"
"Oh—?"
Hearing Shido's description, Kotori's eyes widened in surprise.
"What, so you were talking about Hacker."
"H...acker?"
Shido hesitated as he repeated the na Kotori said.
A few seconds later, Shido realized that Hacker was Yutsuki's identification codena before she was sealed.
"Yes, yes—that's her, Ryougi Yutsuki! What, so you did know."
Shido nodded vigorously. At this mont, Yoshino, Yoshinon, and Natsumi suddenly peeked their heads out from outside the door.
"What, so Shido was talking about Hacker-chan this morning. Seriously, Shido-kun~ Don't make such a fuss over nothing."
"So it was... Hacker-san..."
"I see, that Hacker... Well, it has been a long ti since we saw her."
Seeing everyone's reaction, Shido couldn't help but feel a hint of strangeness.
Why was it that when he asked about Yutsuki, everyone looked confused, but when they heard Yutsuki's codena, they seed very familiar with her?
"Everyone, why do you use Yutsuki's identification codena to refer to her?"
"That's a question I should be asking you, Shido."
Kotori scratched her hair, sowhat gloomily holding her lollipop, and asked:
"And how do you know, Shido? That Hacker's real na is Ryougi Yutsuki?"
"Ugh—"
Shido was instantly left speechless. The sense of incongruity during the conversation made him clearly feel the butterfly effect brought about by changing the past.
But no matter what, having confird that Yutsuki did exist in this world, the heavy boulder hanging in Itsuka Shido's heart was slightly lifted.
"Let's put the na aside for now... Kotori, do you also know this Spirit, Yutsuki?"
"Ugh, if the Spirit nad Yutsuki you're talking about is the Hacker I know, I should know her. Or rather, how could I not know her."
Saying that, Kotori sighed, expressing her exasperation:
"She's a Spirit who clearly has a good affection level for you, Shido, but just constantly refuses to be sealed."
"Eh?"
Hearing Kotori's words, Shido froze.
Yutsuki, refused to be sealed? Why? What happened? A series of questions constantly flashed through Shido's mind. With a mix of anxiety and anticipation, Shido hurriedly asked Kotori:
"Kotori, do you know where Yu—Hacker is right now? I have sothing I want to say to her."
"Yes, yes. I fully support your enthusiasm in conquering Spirits, Shido. But unfortunately, I don't know where Hacker is right now either. After all, even if Hacker manifests in this world, she doesn't cause spacequakes, so we can't detect her exact location at all."
Kotori shrugged, indicating there was nothing she could do.
Doesn't cause spacequakes even when she manifests?
Before Shido could digest the information in Kotori's words, Kotori turned to glance at Yoshino and Natsumi, leaned slightly into Shido's chest, and whispered:
"Also, right now, compared to Hacker, Shido, you should focus your attention on the Spirit Hunter, Devil."
"Spirit Hunter... Devil...?"
Hearing a title that never existed in his mory, Shido looked bewildered.
"What's wrong with you? Acting like you've lost your mory." Kotori first gave him a surprised look, then sighed and whispered, "Forget it, after dinner, we'll go to the Fraxinus and I'll explain it."
...
Then, after finishing dinner with everyone, Shido, following Kotori's instructions, went to the Fraxinus airship.
In the command room of the ship, Murasa Reine showed Shido a video clip.
A ruined city, deafening explosions, and billowing smoke rising into the air. Without a doubt, a fierce battle was taking place here.
And in the midst of it.
Shido saw—a Spirit.
A humanoid silhouette seemingly wrapped in darkness. Appearance, physique, body shape, all covered by a layer of black shadow, making them indistinguishable. And the wing-like parts floating around the humanoid were constantly firing lasers, destroying the city.
"You're kidding... right..."
Shido felt his throat beco exceptionally dry, his voice unknowingly turning hoarse.
It wasn't because he was surprised by the Spirit's bizarre appearance. Although her appearance and expression were obscured, he had seen a Spirit using a similar Angel in another world, destroying Tengu City, where Shido was, into ruins.
"Is it still not over... Origami..."
That's right, the Spirit codenad Devil on the screen—was precisely Origami, who had fallen into Inversion out of despair before the world changed.
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