"We're here."
Following the address Yutsuki sent, Kotori and the others arrived at a plaza in the shopping district. Soon, they sensed sothing abnormal.
"This is..."
"So many people."
Everyone couldn't help but widen their eyes in surprise.
At this mont, the passersby in the vicinity were gathered around the outer edge of the plaza. Applause and cheers rose and fell consecutively; they seed to be watching so kind of performance.
Although the crowd blocked the view and it was hard to see what was happening inside from the outside, directly above the empty space, sparkling, crystalline snowflakes were drifting down from the sky, slowly landing in the center of the clearing.
And while the rest of the area was cold, it was completely clear.
"This is... the power of Zadkiel..."
Yoshino couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
That's right. Manipulating cold air to change the weather and cause snowfall in an extrely localized area—the only one capable of such a feat was Yoshino's Angel, Zadkiel.
"Using Spirit power in such a conspicuous place, what on earth is Shido thinking?"
Although she had already heard a brief explanation of the situation from Yutsuki over the phone, upon seeing it in reality, Kotori still gritted her teeth in anxiety and quickly squeezed into the crowd.
"Um! Excuse , coming through."
The density of the crowd was thicker than imagined. Every step forward was t with massive resistance from the throng of people, making Kotori feel the illusion of charging into the school cafeteria during lunch break. However, fortunately, the idol Miku was a household na to the citizens of Tengu City. Upon noticing Miku in their group, most people politely made way.
Then, passing through the wall of people, Kotori looked at the scene before her, completely dumbfounded.
Right in the center of the crowd, the falling snowflakes had piled up into an exquisite square stage. At the four corners of the stage stood elegant candelabras. Beautiful symphony music played from sowhere, and a boy wearing a masquerade mask stood on the stage.
Despite the mask, Kotori could tell at a glance that the boy standing on the ice stage was her brother—Itsuka Shido.
Snap—!
With a crisp snap of Shido's fingers, a ball of fla suddenly appeared above the stage. The flickering firelight gradually twisted under the crowd's gaze, turning into a cute sparrow, then a fierce lion, and then a burly wyvern. As if possessing a life of its own, it constantly changed and danced in the air. This drew another round of enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Shido bowed slightly to the crowd. At the sa ti, the flas in the air turned into four birds and swooped down towards the ground. Then, they suddenly scattered, landing on the ice candelabras on the stage, turning into candlelight that added a dreamlike color to the stage, drawing cheers of approval from the audience.
"Is this... the power of Camael?"
Watching Shido use his power like a circus act, Kotori looked in disbelief. After all, she herself couldn't possibly achieve such extrely precise manipulation.
"Darling is so cool!"
"Ugh, it's true... Ahem, as expected of the person I have my eyes on. Although it's frustrating, the current him is indeed stronger."
"Retort. That is not the main problem here, Kaguya. Question. What should we do next, Kotori?"
(Uh, now is not the ti to be admiring!)
Yuzuru's question snapped Kotori back to reality. Even if Shido's manipulation of Spirit power was miraculous right now, it wouldn't change the fact that his physical condition was extrely dangerous.
"Where's Yutsuki-nee? Where is Yutsuki-nee right now?"
"If you're looking for Yutsuki... she's over there."
Kotori looked in the direction Natsumi pointed.
"Co on over, take a look! Take a look! A brilliant, unparalleled street magic performance! Ah—thank you! Thank you! Thank you all for your support."
"Pfft—!"
Looking at the brown-haired girl shouting while collecting loose change handed over by passersby, Kotori almost couldn't stop herself from faceplanting on the spot.
"Yutsuki-nee!"
"Ah, Kotori-chan."
Noticing Kotori and the others, Yutsuki imdiately put down her money-collecting job and ran over.
"Yutsuki-nee, what are you doing?"
"As you can see, collecting money?"
Shaking the small wooden box full of coins in her hand, a shrewd smile appeared on Yutsuki's lips. Seeing this, Kotori felt the corners of her mouth twitching slightly.
"Collecting money... is this the ti to be doing such a thing?"
"Well, calm down a bit. I have a reason for this."
Patting Kotori's shoulder, Yutsuki began to explain the whole story to everyone.
At first, Shido and Yutsuki were indeed just waiting honestly here for Kotori. But the berserk Shido only stayed put for three minutes before getting restless again. Right in front of Yutsuki, he started hitting on passing won, sparing no one, from grandmothers in their sixties and seventies to little girls as young as six or seven(TL:no, I didn't do the 67 on purpose). His overly bold hunting range actually left Yutsuki unsure of how to get angry.
Although Yutsuki intervened to stop him, preventing any terrible incidents, a side effect occurred. The innocent bystanders who mistook the special effects Shido created with Angels while picking up girls for magic tricks gathered one after another. In the end, it snowballed into the current situation.
Seeing that she couldn't disperse the crowd, Yutsuki had no choice but to go with the flow, pretending to be a street perforr duo and letting Shido continue the show.
"This way, not only can we avoid Shido causing chaos by using Angels, but it also saves the trouble of Shido running around everywhere. And we also get to make a handso sum of extra cash on the side."
"That last reason clearly shows impure motives, Yutsuki-nee."
Facing Kotori's questioning gaze, Yutsuki waved her hand without the slightest guilt and laughed,
"Well, don't mind the small details. It's not like this is illegal inco. Besides, I don't plan to pocket it all. Let's use it to buy everyone sothing to eat after this is over."
"That's not the problem... Forget it."
Kotori looked at Yutsuki with a conflicted expression, seemingly wanting to say sothing, but ultimately gave up.
In reality, Yutsuki had already managed to suppress the situation to the minimum possible extent. Or rather, Kotori should be grateful for Yutsuki's ability to improvise.
(But it would be better if she had a bit more sense of tension... No, the most serious person here is actually Yutsuki-nee.)
Kotori thought secretly. This kind of optimism and composure, being able to consider future matters even in critical monts, perhaps Kotori should learn from Yutsuki instead.
Taking a deep breath and adjusting her mindset, Kotori took large strides onto the stage.
"Shido, found you. Running out of the hospital room while sick, what exactly are you thinking?"
"Ah, you're here, my cute little sister."
Shido generously gave Kotori a passionate hug.
"Wh-Wh—"
Looking at the instantly flustered Kotori, Shido smiled slightly, clapped his hands, and said to the audience outside the stage.
"Sorry, everyone. Today's performance ends here. Thank you all for your support."
As soon as he finished speaking, the music floating around the stage changed its tune, turning into a slow-paced closing lody. Under slight psychological suggestion, the audience, who originally wanted more, left the place with satisfied expressions. Soon, the entire plaza was completely cleared out, leaving only Shido and the Spirits.
"Wow, Gabriel can be used like this too. As expected of Darling."
Miku couldn't help but praise.
"Ahem—"
Kotori coughed violently with a red face. Adjusting her rhythm that Shido had ssed up, she glared at Shido sowhat bashfully and angrily.
"Alright! Playti ends here. Hurry up and co back with , Shido!"
"I refuse!"
Shido exercised his right of refusal without hesitation.
"Shido?!"
"Well, don't be so impatient, Kotori. I know you and everyone are worried about . But it's no problem. The current has completely recovered. I even feel power constantly surging up."
Smiling to comfort the anxious Kotori, as if to prove what he said, Shido clapped his hands lightly, and the ice stage vanished instantly, turning back into an ordinary plaza.
"See? This isn't going berserk. The current can manipulate Spirit power freely. I have the power to protect everyone. From now on, I will never let you guys fall into danger again—"
"Shido!"
At this mont, Tohka suddenly shouted, interrupting Shido.
"Um... Kotori-chan said a lot of complicated things about expanding paths, I couldn't understand any of it. But I know that right now, Shido is in a very dangerous state, and you might even lose your life if things go wrong! I don't want you to beco super strong to protect everyone. I just want Shido to always stay by my side. So, don't make things difficult for Kotori-chan, okay? I... I don't want to lose you, Shido!"
"Tohka..."
As she spoke, tears welled up in Tohka's eyes. Kotori couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise; Tohka saying such things was clearly beyond her expectations.
Taking a slow, deep breath, Kotori's expression gradually cald down, and she said seriously to Shido.
"Brother, making a girl cry is incredibly despicable."
"...Alright. I concede."
Shido raised his hands in surrender with a bitter smile. He walked forward and reached out to stroke Tohka's head.
"It's okay, Tohka. I will listen to Kotori seriously."
"Really?"
Tohka looked at Shido uneasily.
"Really."
Shido nodded firmly.
"So, don't be afraid anymore. I like Tohka's smile, you know."
"...Mhm!"
Seeing Shido finally behave, Kotori sighed in relief and explained his physical condition to him.
"I see. So to return to normal, I need to kiss everyone."
Shido nodded in understanding, looking thoughtful.
"Right. So hurry up and co back with us."
"But I refuse!"
"Shido!"
"Haha~ Sorry, sorry. I don't an I refuse to be sealed. Sorry for the misunderstanding, Kotori."
Comforting the bristling Kotori, Shido placed his index finger on his lips and winked playfully at everyone.
"It's just that, it's a pity to simply give up this hard-earned power. Since it's a rare opportunity, treating sothing as important as kissing like an assembly line process is too much of a waste. So I hope to make precious mories with everyone."
"mories?"
Everyone looked at Shido, completely baffled. But Shido, as if having already planned it out, clapped his hands.
"Well then—In fairy tales, doesn't the magic always break at 12 o'clock? Then, I will kiss everyone at 12 o'clock tonight. Before then—"
Next, Shido proposed his condition for consenting to the kisses.
"Go on a date with ."
"In the past, I went on dates with everyone to seal your Spirit power, making you all blush."
"So this ti, it's everyone's turn to date , and make blush."
Hearing the condition Shido proposed, everyone present fell silent. Including Yutsuki, without exception.
(So basically, "I wooed you guys once before, so if you don't woo back now, I won't give you kisses"... since when did this guy Shido beco so shaless.)
Yutsuki thought, looking speechless.
"Any thod is fine, as long as it makes my heart throb. Enough to make want to kiss you uncontrollably."
Saying that, Shido even made a finger-gun gesture, pretending to shoot through their hearts, acting incredibly flirtatious.
"Shido... I should have explained it very clearly just now. Your condition is very unstable. No one knows what will happen if we drag this out until 12 o'clock. Can we save the heart-throbbing dates for after the problem is solved?"
Suppressing the anger in her heart, Kotori earnestly advised Shido.
"No. I've already promised to give up the power. If you don't accept my condition, I'll renege on my promise and leave right now."
For so reason, Shido glanced at Yutsuki, then shrugged and bluntly rejected Kotori's proposal.
"Ah..."
Kotori couldn't help but let out a groan of a headache. Although his Spirit power was berserk, the current Shido could indeed use all of their powers freely. If he truly wanted to escape, she absolutely wouldn't be able to catch him.
"Yutsuki-nee, don't just stay silent, help persuade Shido."
Left with no choice, Kotori cast a pleading look at Yutsuki.
"Yes, yes. I don't really understand the situation either, so I was listening to your explanation."
Nodding in understanding, Yutsuki looked at Shido. After slightly considering her words, she put on a look of disgust and spoke up.
"Shido, so many cute girls are willing to set aside their maidenly modesty to kiss you in order to help you. Why are you acting so wishy-washy as a grown man? Are you even a man?"
"Uh..."
Hearing Yutsuki criticizing him without rcy, cold sweat broke out on Shido's forehead.
"No, Yutsuki, I'm just trying to..."
"What? Still trying to make excuses?"
Raising her eyebrow slightly, Yutsuki's gaze beca cold. At so point, she already had the paper fan in her hand. After waving it in the air a few tis, she slowly walked towards Shido.
Shido timidly took a step back.
Honestly, although Yutsuki's paper fan hits didn't hurt at all, once hit, he would always inexplicably feel like he was in the wrong when talking to Yutsuki afterwards.
However—
"Hmph... Too bad, Yutsuki. I won't fall for the sa trick twice."
Shido smiled slyly. The next instant, his body emitted a faint light.
"Wha—"
Kotori couldn't help but let out a gasp of astonishnt.
"—Shiori."
Origami softly called out the na of the person before her.
That's right. The Shido before them had already transford into a woman with waist-length hair, wearing the Raizen High School girls' uniform. The curves of her body beca very soft, her breasts protruded with significant presence, and the thighs peeking out from the short skirt had also beco very tender and smooth.
The person before them was no longer her brother Itsuka Shido, but from a biological standpoint, her sister—Itsuka Shiori.
Obviously, Shido used Natsumi's power to turn himself into a woman.
(Oh no!)
Her brain working at top speed, Kotori quickly understood the true intention behind Shido's action.
"Kotori, since Shiori has already agreed to your request, then granting such a small request as making mories isn't a big deal for us, right?"
Yutsuki, who had moved to Shiori's side at so point, spoke with an expression of strict righteousness.
The most reliable ally betrayed us instantly!!!!!!!!!!
"Thank you, Yutsuki! I love you the most."
Shiori couldn't help but excitedly hug Yutsuki tightly in her arms, burying her face in Shiori's soft breasts.
"Ah... this sensation... I have no regrets in this life..."
"Ah, that's so unfair, Honey! I want to hug and be affectionate with Darling too!"
"Shiori, I support your idea. Let's create precious mo(ba)ries(bies) together."
Seeing the other two naturally defect to the enemy camp, Kotori suddenly felt a sense of "whatever," and her entire body drooped listlessly.
"Yutsuki-nee... I trusted you so much..."
"Forgive , Kotori-chan."
Lifting her head from Shiori's breasts, Yutsuki closed her eyes, took out a tissue to stop her nosebleed, and answered calmly.
"This Shiori... truly understands the human heart."
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