"Ah~ The tributes offered by this establishnt today were truly abundant... Burp!"
"Agreent. Since our last competitive eating contest, it has been a long ti since I ate so heartily... Burp!"
After three rounds of drinks and sweeping every last crumb off their plates, Yamai Kaguya and Yamai Yuzuru patted their stomachs contentedly and let out satisfying burps.
"I say..."
Yutsuki stared at the two girls in front of her, completely speechless. Even though she had eaten quite a bit herself—since it was a rare opportunity to eat at a family restaurant—it wasn't even a tenth of what those two had packed away.
Do Spirits naturally just not get fat? Glancing at the Yamais' still perfectly flat stomachs, Yutsuki couldn't help but marvel.
Suddenly, a very serious question crossed her mind.
"Speaking of which, Kaguya, Yuzuru. Do you guys actually have any money?"
Looking at the massive stack of receipts piling up on the table, Yutsuki couldn't help but ask with slight concern. From what she knew, Spirits didn't need human currency in their daily lives, and the Yamais didn't exactly look like wealthy Spirits.
However, even if they said no, Yutsuki was fully prepared to cover the bill.
"Heheh, fear not, Yutsuki. How could the flawless and perfect ever make such a mistake?" Hearing Yutsuki's worry, a triumphant smile appeared on Kaguya's face. She pulled an object out of her pocket, raised it high into the air, and declared in her signature exaggerated tone: "Behold! The supre treasure that cracks the myriad mysteries of the universe—the Key of Origins! With this in my grasp, there is nowhere I cannot go!"
Yutsuki stared at the object in Kaguya's hand, slightly confused. Okay—it was a Black Card. In a sense, it really was a supre treasure that granted access anywhere.
No wonder nobody called out for dining and dashing when I ran out of the restaurant earlier... They literally didn't dare to.
The corner of her mouth twitching slightly, Yutsuki decided to hold back her sarcastic remarks. She gulped down the rest of her juice, looked at the Yamai sisters with absolute seriousness, and asked: "So? Now that we've finished eating, isn't there sothing you need to tell ? For example... about those half baked Astral Dresses..."
Hearing Yutsuki's question, Kaguya and Yuzuru exchanged a glance and gently nodded.
"Mhm. I have already sealed my Spirit power into Shido."
"Likewise. That is why Yuzuru can only manifest a partial Astral Dress."
Just as she suspected. Yutsuki's worst fear had been confird.
"That absolute scumbag..." Yutsuki's face darkened drastically. Beneath the table, her hands clenched into tight fists.
Not only was his house full of beautiful girls parading around in cosplay, but Itsuka Shido had actually laid his hands on her friends too.
As her anger surged, faint arcs of electricity began to crackle around her. Her bangs fluttered slightly from the static charge in the air.
"Eh? Yutsuki, calm down. It is not what you are imagining. I was not forced into anything."
"Explanation. Yuzuru and Kaguya willingly gave our Spirit power to Shido to be sealed. We were not threatened. Please calm down, Yutsuki."
Hearing the Yamai sisters' explanation, the electricity crackling around Yutsuki gradually faded. Taking a deep breath, her expression softened slightly.
"Sorry... I lost my cool for a second there."
Thinking about it logically, Itsuka Shido's ability to seal a Spirit required the target's affection level to reach a certain threshold. If it wasn't voluntary, sealing the Yamai Spirits would have been a fool's dream.
"So, what happened then? Are you guys alright? Did that scumbag do anything awful to you? Did he force any weird demands on you or cross any lines? If you have any grievances, just tell . I'll go make sure he never sees the sunrise again."
(anwhile, Shido (shivering violently): "Why do I suddenly feel a massive wave of pure malice?")
Seeing Yutsuki so righteously indignant on their behalf, a warm, comforting smile appeared on the Yamai sisters's faces.
"I am truly fortunate to have a best friend like you. But do not worry, Yutsuki. Shido has not done anything untoward to Yuzuru or ."
"Affirmation. Shido is extrely kind to us."
"He's definitely faking it. So guys just love putting on a gentle mask to deceive won." Yutsuki sneered, grinding her teeth in frustration. "I thought he was a decent guy at first, too. But who would've thought his actual goal was to trick into going to his house so I could join his shaless, perverted cosplay party...!"
And of course, she wasn't feeling any envy, jealousy, or resentnt... Not at all!
Seeing Yutsuki's intense, burning hatred for Shido, Kaguya and Yuzuru could only smile bitterly.
"It seems Shido has been completely misunderstood."
"Pity. Calm down, Yutsuki. What you saw was rely a misunderstanding."
The Yamai sisters frantically tried to explain the situation to Yutsuki. They insisted that Shido himself never made any such demands and that the whole cosplay fiasco was secretly orchestrated by his little sister and her friends to cheer him up.
Although Yutsuki didn't entirely buy the story, seeing how firmly the Yamais stuck to it, she reluctantly nodded and decided to accept it for now.
"Alright, let's move past that issue. Next question: your duel. I take it a victor was finally decided?"
In truth, Yutsuki had already guessed the answer to this question.
"Mhm. In our hundredth match, Shido, acting as our judge, gave the most magnificent answer of all."
Kaguya held Yuzuru's hand tightly, and Yuzuru squeezed back in response. Both girls wore smiles of absolute happiness.
"Agreent. Only when both Yuzuru and Kaguya exist together... are we truly worthy of the na 'Yamai'."
As the judge of their final, hundredth match, Itsuka Shido refused to abandon either of them. Instead, he presented the Yamais with an entirely new possibility: coexistence. By sealing the Yamai's Spirit power within himself, he successfully averted their tragic fate of having to rge into a single entity.
"Is that so... That's wonderful to hear!"
Looking at the scene before her, Yutsuki's eyes were filled with complex emotions. Joy, envy, relief... and a tiny, lingering trace of unwillingness.
"Since you guys think it's fine, I don't have anything else to say. If that scumbag ever does anything to wrong you, just say the word. I'll rush over and avenge you anyti."
Having cald her emotions, Yutsuki stood up with a smile. After leaving them with that promise, she turned and began walking briskly toward the exit.
However, before she could leave, Kaguya and Yuzuru grabbed her hands.
"Wait! Yutsuki, you may have finished speaking, but I have not finished what I need to say!"
"Seconded. It is not too late to leave after hearing Yuzuru and Kaguya out."
"...Alright."
Yutsuki let out a defeated sigh, turned around, and asked, "What is it?"
Taking a deep breath, Kaguya and Yuzuru lowered their heads and said in unison:
"Please go on a date with Shido!"
"Request. Give Shido a chance!"
"...Hah?"
-----scene shift divider line------
"Kaguya, Yuzuru! So, how did it go? What was Yutsuki's answer?"
The mont the Yamai sisters returned to the Itsuka household, Shido anxiously asked them.
eting the expectant yet nervous gazes of everyone present, Kaguya flashed a victorious smile.
"Fear not! With taking the field, how could there possibly be a failure?"
"Addendum. 'et at the observation deck in Tengu City Park late tomorrow afternoon.' That is what Yutsuki said."
Hearing this response, the tense expressions on everyone's faces instantly relaxed.
"Seriously, why does Shido have to go on a date with that woman anyway?"
"It can't be helped, Tohka-chan. After all, this is just the kind of person Shido-kun is~!"
"Shido-san... please do your best."
While Tohka grumbled in slight dissatisfaction, the rabbit puppet on Yoshino's hand, Yoshinon, offered comfort, and Yoshino herself softly cheered him on.
"That's great news, Shido. It looks like there's still a chance. Do your best," Kotori chuckled, her face showing obvious relief.
"Yeah!" Shido nodded firmly, then turned to the Yamai sisters. "Yuzuru, Kaguya. You really saved this ti. Thank you so much!"
However, the Yamai sisters didn't look excited by his gratitude. After a mont of silence, they suddenly bowed their heads deeply to Shido.
"W-What are you doing? Yuzuru, Kaguya, please raise your heads!" Flustered by their completely unexpected behavior, Shido frantically tried to stop them.
Without showing any intention of raising their heads, Kaguya and Yuzuru spoke:
"Shido, no matter what happens, please save Yutsuki!"
"Pleading. You must absolutely save Yutsuki."
"Kaguya, Yuzuru..."
Shido looked at them in sheer astonishnt. Unlike their usual exaggerated tones, the two raised their heads and spoke with solemn calmness.
"On the day we t Yutsuki, after realizing that she had been tricked by us and forced into acting as our judge, Yutsuki was extrely angry and hurt. Yet, in the end... she still forgave us."
"Recollection. On the second day, when we parted ways, Yutsuki made a request to Yuzuru and Kaguya: 'Aside from competing, cherish each other.'"
Even though she had been deceived and angered, Yutsuki genuinely wished for the Yamais to reach a happy conclusion, and she actively tried to push them toward it.
It was precisely because of this profound kindness that Yamai Yuzuru and Yamai Kaguya acknowledged Ryougi Yutsuki—soone they had only known for a single day—as their best friend.
"I didn't expect Ryougi Yutsuki to say sothing like that."
"What a kind-hearted person..."
"Well... it seems she really is a good person after all."
Hearing this, traces of deep emotion appeared on the faces of Tohka, Yoshino, and Kotori.
A subtle ripple stirred in Shido's heart. Hearing about Ryougi Yutsuki's actions, he felt a strange sense of resonance, tinged with a hint of sorrow.
"Shido, Yutsuki is not like us. She has always been entirely alone. She yearns for humanity, constantly wishing she could beco human again. She just wants to live a normal human life."
"Petition. No matter what it takes, please save Yutsuki."
As her best friends, the Yamai sisters sincerely hoped that Yutsuki could be saved.
Faced with the heartfelt, earnest plea from the Yamai Spirits on behalf of their best friend, Shido nodded with unwavering determination.
"Don't worry. No matter what obstacles stand in my way, I will definitely conquer Ryougi-san!" (The Author: "...")
...
Tengu City Park, Observation Deck, Late Afternoon.
"Tomorrow at ten o'clock in the morning, Tengu City Plaza. Itsuka Shido... you had better show up in won's clothing and go on a date with !"
When he heard Yutsuki utter those words, Shido's iron-clad resolve instantly crumbled.
Original author's Note (PS): One more chapter, and the Yutsuki Date arc will conclude. After that, we'll enter the next arc: Yutsuki Change.
User Comments
0 comments from readers