Itsuka Shido's consciousness was in a state of chaos.
His body felt like it was burning and lting. He couldn't even confirm if he still maintained a human form. Even keeping his balance to walk on two feet was a miraculous feat.
However, in reality, from an outsider's perspective, Itsuka Shido's steps were exceptionally steady, not at all like a patient who had just been lying in bed with a high fever.
(Strange... what was I... doing?)
Shido pondered this question at a snail-like, sluggish pace.
When he woke up, before his eyes was a completely unfamiliar room. The noise from various machines was so clear it was irritating. The electrodes and IV tubes connected to his body felt botherso, so he simply ripped them off. Although there was nothing wrong with his vision, for so reason, his brain couldn't recognize the things he saw. His body moved rely on lingering instinct.
The scenery before his eyes was just a aningless drawing; in other words, it was no different from a blank piece of paper. One could say that the current Shido was no different from a blind person.
Who am I? Where am I? Where am I going?
With these questions entwined in his heart, Shido walked aimlessly.
"Thank goodness! The signal is finally restored. Let see... I see, when encountering a sleepwalker, don't try to forcibly wake them up. The best thod is to hold their hand and slowly guide them back to bed."
(Who?)
Suddenly, as if coming from a faraway place, a voice entered Shido's ears.
"OK. Just like this... calm down, don't rush. Slowly~ slowly~ just walk back like this."
As the voice fell, Shido suddenly felt soone gently holding his hand.
(...So cool..and fresh....)
Unlike Shido's scalding hot body, the other party's hand felt very cool.
(Such a familiar feeling.)
Shido couldn't help but think. For so reason, he felt like this was the second ti today he had held the other party's hand, except compared to this ti, the other party's hand was warr last ti.
But, whether it was cool or warm, Shido didn't want to let it go.
This voice, this touch, both brought Shido an unprecedented sense of familiarity. An indescribable sense of relief welled up in his heart.
Imdiately after, his sluggish consciousness seed to be stimulated by this and gradually beca active.
(Ah, right... I am Itsuka Shido.)
The mont he realized this, the hazy white world in his eyes also beca clear, like clouds being pushed aside.
On the street blown by the cold wind, he was walking in a thin school uniform. However, in reality, he didn't feel the cold at all.
"Good, good... just walk slowly like this."
Walking in front of him was the owner of the voice from earlier—a female of his age with soft, long brown hair. She held a smartphone in one hand, seemingly looking up so information, while holding Shido's hand with the other, walking slowly forward. Her originally pretty face was now red from the cold, making Shido feel a pang of heartache.
(Ryougi Yutsuki... Spirit...)
The mories surfacing in his mind told Shido that he knew the girl before him.
Then, the next mont, Shido understood what he was supposed to do.
To save Spirits in crisis, date them, and make them fall for him. The actions the boy nad Itsuka Shido had repeated countless tis.
"Yutsuki... you really are cute."
"...Huh?"
Hearing the dazed Shido suddenly spout an inexplicable line, Yutsuki turned her head and looked at Shido with a look of surprise.
"Are you... awake already? Shido."
"Mhm, in a sense, I am indeed awake. Or rather, the past must have always been living in a dream."
Holding Yutsuki's hand with both of his, Shido gazed at Yutsuki with earnest eyes.
"To think I hadn't noticed that you, Yutsuki, are such a beautiful and lovable woman. Even though you were right beside , I only realized it now. I really want to gouge out my own eyes."
"—!!!"
Yutsuki instantly felt a shiver down her spine, her face turning pale.
"Shido... could you not make such cold jokes? I'm getting goosebumps."
"I am not lying."
Hearing Yutsuki's words, Shido didn't waver, maintaining a gentle smile as he continued.
"Yutsuki is such a hardworking, understanding, and gentle, cute girl. I know it all. I've always been watching your every move. Precisely because of that, I want to be with you."
"Shido..."
Hearing Shido's words, a hint of surprise flashed in Yutsuki's eyes. Then, she suddenly looked at Shido suspiciously and muttered to herself:
"Was he swapped with a fake? No, he can use my Spirit power, so he shouldn't be a fake. Then... did his fever fry his brain?"
Shido: "..."
"Out of the way, out of the way! Get away from Yutsuki-san right now, Itsuka Shido!"
"I was wondering why you suddenly took a sick leave today. So you were planning to reach your evil clutches towards the lily flower, Yutsuki-san. There's a limit to being shaless!"
"That's gross!!"
Just at this mont, three people suddenly popped out, interjecting themselves between Yutsuki and Shido and pulling them apart. Yutsuki took a look. These three were none other than Shido's classmates—the trio of Ai, Mai, and Mii.
"Why are you guys here? Also, who's a lily flower?"
Looking at the three who suddenly appeared, Yutsuki retorted with a surprised look.
However, the Ai Mai Mii trio ignored Yutsuki's retort and spoke amongst themselves.
"Don't worry, Yutsuki-san, we will protect you."
"We all know that Yutsuki isn't interested in boys. Itsuka Shido definitely forced you, right?"
"That's gross!!"
No, no, no, no, you guys don't understand at all. Yutsuki looked at the three with a "speechless" expression.
The three cast hostile glares at Shido.
"I misjudged you, Itsuka Shido. You clearly already have the affection of a cute girl like Tohka-chan, yet you still try to make a move on other won."
"Yutsuki-chan already has Shiori-chan as a girlfriend. Stop your wishful thinking!"
"That's gross"
"Hmm..."
However, facing the accusations from the three, Shido didn't seem particularly angry. After a mont of silence, he spoke to the three of them affectionately.
"Yamabuki, Hazakura, Fujibakama... looking closely, you guys are really quite cute."
"Eh?"
Suddenly being called by their nas by Shido, the three instantly froze as if a pause button had been pressed on a TV remote.
"Hm?"
Seemingly noticing sothing was wrong, a thoughtful look flashed in Yutsuki's eyes.
Being confessed to by a classmate they weren't close to at all, the three initially adopted an attitude of "this guy finally showed his true colors" and warily distanced themselves from Shido. However, what happened next surprised Yutsuki.
The herbivore virgin Itsuka Shido in her mory, who couldn't even pick up a girl without coaching, was now acting like a seasoned playboy who had navigated the battlefield of love for years. Using various sweet words, he flawlessly pried open the psychological defenses of Ai, Mai, and Mii.
"I know very well that you have no feelings for . I won't force you to beco mine, but please allow to silently yearn for you in my heart."
Saying that, Shido clapped his hands together and then opened them. Imdiately after, three crystal-clear ice roses appeared in his hands as if by magic.
"This is!"
Yutsuki's pupils shrank violently. She knew that the thing just now wasn't magic, but ice sculptures created out of thin air by Shido using Yoshino's power to manipulate water and cold air.
"These flowers are myself. Epheral flowers that will disappear with the change of seasons—or rather, just from the warmth of your hands. Even if it's only for an instant, if they can exist in your eyes and leave a mark in your hearts, I will have no regrets."
Gently handing the flowers into their hands, facing Shido's romantic words akin to a shoujo manga protagonist, the cheeks of all three girls turned bright red.
"Y-You just wait, you jerk!"
"Although I don't understand what you're saying, it feels so gross—"
"T-T-That's g-gross"
In the end, faced with Shido's passion, the three all fled in a panic holding the ice flowers. Yutsuki couldn't help but sigh helplessly. In the past, these three might not have had feelings for Shido, but from now on, who knows.
By the way, weren't you guys here to stand up for ?
"Hehe, your slightly clumsy and innocent selves are also very cute..."
Seeing Shido still making sarcastic remarks, Yutsuki glared at him in annoyance.
"Give it a rest. You'll regret the consequences later. Let be clear first, I won't help you clean up this ss."
"My, my, a jealous Yutsuki is also very cute."
"I am not."
"..."
Shrugging her shoulders in response, Yutsuki took out her phone and contacted Kotori.
[Yutsuki-nee?! Where are you right now? Where did Shido go?]
As soon as the call connected, Yutsuki heard Kotori's panicked voice.
"It's fine, Kotori. I'm outside right now, and Shido is right beside . We're currently heading towards the shopping district."
[Is that so... That's good.]
Hearing Yutsuki's report, the worst-case scenario she anticipated hadn't happened, and Kotori let out a long sigh of relief.
"Kotori, let ask you a question."
[What is it?]
"Shido's Spirit power went berserk, right?"
[...Don't worry, I won't let the worst-case scenario happen.]
After a mont of silence, Kotori gritted her teeth and answered slowly.
"I see."
Hearing Kotori's answer, a relieved smile appeared on Yutsuki's face.
"I understand. I trust you, Kotori. I'll keep an eye on Shido here, don't worry."
[Thank you. The others and I will head over there shortly. We're leaving Shido in your care for now, Yutsuki-nee.]
"Mhm."
With that, Yutsuki hung up the phone.
"Well then, you heard what I said to Kotori. Be a good boy and co back with . No more ssing around."
"..."
"Shido?"
Looking at Shido, who had suddenly fallen silent, Yutsuki tilted her head in confusion. She reached out and patted his shoulder. Suddenly, with a "poof," Shido's body turned into a mouse stuffed animal and fell to the ground.
"A decoy created using Natsumi's ability... to be able to swap it out without noticing at all. Quite capable, Shido."
Yutsuki scratched her hair, feeling a headache coming on. If the usual Shido were this good, Yutsuki would be thrilled. But in the current situation where his Spirit power was berserk, she couldn't laugh at all.
(But why did he suddenly slip away?)
This doubt surfaced in Yutsuki's mind. Although she was a bit curious, she didn't know what kind of personality the current Shido had, so she couldn't make arbitrary guesses.
(Let's find Shido first.)
"Marina, help track the location of Shido's phone signal. If it's blocked, search the area where the signal is being jamd."
[Yes, yes, understood. I'll send you the location right now.]
The work efficiency of an electronic Spirit was truly extraordinary. The mont Yutsuki called to ask, Marina imdiately found Shido's current location.
"—!"
While hurrying towards the location Marina indicated, Yutsuki suddenly felt an incredibly furious killing intent. Her vigilance towards danger made her quickly stop and hide in the shadows of an alleyway.
"...Unforgivable... to subject to such humiliation... absolutely unforgivable... Itsuka Shido."
Peeking her head out slightly to glance outside, the other party was soone Yutsuki was very familiar with—Ellen Mira Mathers. The strongest Wizard of DEM was currently wrapped in extrely heavy winter clothing, making anyone who saw her suspect this was Moscow or so northern polar region.
"Could it be..."
Looking at her murderous—no, it would be more accurate to say incredibly aggrieved—appearance. Yutsuki vaguely guessed what happened, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.
After Ellen left, Yutsuki quietly slipped out of the alley and then hurried towards where Shido was.
Before long, at a street corner, Yutsuki saw Itsuka Shido, whose clothes were slightly tattered, and craters on the ground that were clearly created by the gravity manipulation of a Territory.
"Ah, Yutsuki. You found ."
Seeing Yutsuki, Shido showed a cheerful smile.
"...Shido, what happened here?"
"It's nothing. I found a stubborn little kitten. She looked so cute throwing a tantrum that I couldn't help but tease her a little."
Shido winked playfully.
"..."
Yutsuki, who had already guessed the cause and effect, didn't know what to say at this mont.
"Good thing I contacted Mana earlier."
Sighing helplessly, Yutsuki reached out and grabbed the air, pulling Shido out of thin air just as he was preparing to slip away using the sa trick.
"Oh my, I got caught."
"What kind of trouble are you going to cause next, Shido?"
Gripping Shido's wrist tightly, Yutsuki asked with a fake smile.
"I saw Tama-chan sensei."
"And then?"
"I'm going to propose to her."
Shido said with a very serious expression.
"You stay right here and behave."
Yutsuki warned, staring at Shido's face. she finally understood, the berserk Shido was just a troublemaker.
"Mhm... sure."
"Eh?"
Sowhat to Yutsuki's surprise, Shido gave up very easily.
"But in exchange, I have a condition."
"What condition? Let's hear it first."
Yutsuki looked at Shido suspiciously.
"About that—heave-ho."
With an intriguing smile on his face, Shido exerted a little force. An unexpectedly massive strength pulled Yutsuki, making her lose her balance and fall into Shido's embrace.
Shido took the opportunity to wrap his arms around the girl's slender waist. Sowhat forcefully, but also very carefully, he pulled her into his arms.
"..."
Gazing into Yutsuki's clear, amber-like eyes, Shido couldn't help but be srized. Then, raising his head slightly and adjusting his breathing, he said softly:
"As long as you tell , 'Don't leave my side, only look at ', I'll obediently listen to you and won't run around."(TL:damn the rizzzz, shessssh)
"...Anyway."
Looking at Shido helplessly, Yutsuki calmly exhaled. Her free hand pulled out a paper fan from who knows where, and aiming at Shido's head—
"Divine Punishnt!"
—Smack!!
A vicious swing!
...
"If it's for conquering Spirits, I naturally wouldn't say much. But Shido, let be clear first. I hate irresponsible scumbags the most. Understand?"
"...Yes."
"Until Kotori and the others get here, you stay right here with and behave. Got it?"
"Yes."
Original author's PS: If you want to know how Shido teased Ellen and the trio, go read the original work~
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