"Yutsuki! I leave Shido to you!"
"Tohka!"
Yutsuki looked up and shouted anxiously. However, Tohka, along with her gradually receding figure, was blown away by the raging tornado.
"Damn it..."
Clinging tightly to the branches of the large tree to avoid being blown away by the hurricane, Yutsuki looked at Shido not far away and gritted her teeth.
Everyone had already retreated with injuries, and Tohka was also blown away by the tornado. Right now, the only person still around Shido was Yutsuki herself.
And that strike just now had completely depleted all the Spirit power in Yutsuki's body. It could be directly said that the current Yutsuki was nothing more than an ordinary person with slightly better physical stat. Rushing recklessly to Shido's side might not only fail to save him but could also cost her her own life.
"Ah—I'll do it. I'll do it, alright?!"
Yutsuki roared loudly, trying hard to dispel the cowardice surfacing in her heart.
Pressing her body tightly against the trunk to minimize the surface area exposed to the hurricane, Yutsuki climbed down from the tree bit by bit. Once her feet touched the ground, she lay prone in the mud, disregarding the ss.
Craaack—
Just three seconds after Yutsuki left the tree, the large tree, which looked at least fifty years old, finally couldn't withstand the tearing force of the tornado and was uprooted and swept into the sky.
Ahaha... If she had stayed a bit longer, she wouldn't be laughing at all.
Yutsuki let out a dry laugh with lingering fear. Disregarding the mud, she lay flat on the ground and crawled forward against the freezing hurricane that cut like a sharp blade.
It hurts... It hurts...
Yutsuki's entire body was screaming in pain.
What was sweeping towards her wasn't just a simple hurricane. Although the concentration had decreased significantly, Shido's surroundings were still filled with a considerable amount of Spirit power.
For Yutsuki, who could no longer deploy her Astral Dress, this was as painful as plunging her naked body into a sea of sulfuric acid.
But even so, Yutsuki didn't shrink back. Whether it looked miserable or unsightly, her fingers dug tightly into the earth, dragging her body forward bit by bit.
"I've already co this far... Letting everyone's efforts go to waste... How could I possibly allow that..."
Yutsuki squeezed these words out through gritted teeth.
Seriously, why did things turn out like this? Yutsuki couldn't help but wonder.
Saving Spirits—this was the principle the boy had always adhered to. Like an absolute fool, the boy abandoned his peaceful and tranquil world and stepped into this dangerous conflict.
Yutsuki couldn't stop him. Because she herself was one of the Spirits saved by that naivety, she had no right to stop the boy from doing good. All she could do was minimize the danger and give him a push from behind when he encountered an obstacle he had to overco.
But at the sa ti, she didn't intend to demand much from the boy.
The feelings she held in her heart were not fake. Even though Yutsuki didn't want to admit it, no matter how many tis she repeatedly confird it, the answer she got was always the sa. And precisely because of this, she also knew that she wasn't the only one harboring such feelings.
Yutsuki didn't intend to say she was inferior to everyone else. If the situation were different, she wouldn't mind trying to act according to her heart like characters in those school romance light novels. Regardless of the outco, Yutsuki was confident she could accept it calmly.
However, the boy and she both had things they had to do right now. So, Yutsuki temporarily decided to give up.
To gain sothing, you must discard sothing else. Although it might be a bit frustrating, if the outco was already decided without her knowing, Yutsuki would just have to obediently accept it.
No, it would be more accurate to say that because everyone else was unexpectedly such good girls, Yutsuki could make such a decision with peace of mind.
Therefore—
Smack—!
"Ah... damn it... I'm bleeding... It's so annoying..."
She was probably hit by a piece of flying gravel caught in the wind. Bright red blood trickled down her forehead, and the blood mixed with dust flowed into her eyes, blurring Yutsuki's vision.
Left with no choice, Yutsuki could only continue crawling forward relying on the mories in her mind.
Perhaps only a few short minutes had passed, but to Yutsuki's senses right now, those few minutes felt incredibly long.
Three more ters...
Two ters...
One...
Finally, through Yutsuki's efforts, a blurry yet familiar silhouette appeared in her vision.
Just a little bit more...
Yutsuki slowly reached out her hand, desperately trying to grab the hem of Shido's clothes.
However, just as Yutsuki was about to touch Shido, the earth, unable to bear the violent wind pressure, cracked open. Losing her solid foothold, Yutsuki felt her body float up uncontrollably.
"—!"
In an instant, Yutsuki's pupils contracted sharply, and she frantically reached her hands forward, as if trying to grab Shido.
Even with such desperate struggles, the distance between him and her was still widened.
"Shido!!!!!"
———————————
The beast didn't move.
Or rather, there was no longer a need to move forward.
The signal for help had stopped midway. It didn't understand whether the other party had been saved or had perished on their own. The beast's reason, weak like a candle in the wind, couldn't process such complex thoughts.
Ultimately, why was it moving forward? The beast itself couldn't provide an answer either.
If forced to say—it was because it heard the voice.
—I can't leave her alone
—I want to save her
—No matter what obstacles I face.
Just like "stop" and "don't hurt them," these contradictory words constantly echoed in its mind.
Although it couldn't understand the aning behind the words, the residual instincts in its body urged the beast to take action.
So at this mont, after making the judgnt 'no need to continue moving forward', the beast fell into silence, motionless, and the world before it turned completely grey.
(Is it done? Is it over? It's done, it's over. Then—)
Looking at the bottomless darkness around it, the "beast" fell into confusion.
(Where do I go—next?)
The beast felt that this wasn't where it belonged. In its mory, the place it should go should be brighter, warr.
—By the way, after hearing about the contract to beco family from you, I still haven't given my response.
(Who?)
Seeming very close, yet seeming to co from very far away. In this pitch-black darkness, the beast heard such a voice.
—Perhaps one day, we will go our separate ways. Perhaps the forever you wish for won't co true. But, I am willing to swear, no matter what happens, you are my most important family.
As the voice fell, the beast felt a soft touch on its lips.
The scalding heat in its body subsided. Imdiately after, fragnts of mories flooded its mind like a tide. Along with them, the world before its eyes beca clear and bright.
"Yu... tsuki...?"
Looking at the incredibly familiar brown-haired girl before him, the beast—no, Itsuka Shido—spoke up involuntarily.
"You're finally back, Shido."
Seeing Shido's reaction, Yutsuki let out a soft sigh, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.
"What exactly happened... Aaaaaah—Yutsuki, how did you get so many injuries?"
Shido clearly didn't understand the current situation, but upon realizing that Yutsuki in his arms was covered in cuts and bruises, he instantly tossed his confusion aside. He hurriedly pushed his Spirit power, summoning Kotori's healing flas and Miku's Gabriel to heal Yutsuki's wounds.
"Phew... Say~ Shido~"
Silently waiting for Shido to heal her injuries, once the wounds closed, Yutsuki took a deep breath, and a rather "friendly" smile appeared on her face.
However, to Shido, this smile exuded an imnse sense of danger.
"Wh-What is it, Yutsuki?"
Cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, Shido asked uneasily.
"You know, although I'm quite tolerant towards family. But as expected—when you make a mistake, you have to be taught a lesson."
"U-Um—"
Shido instinctively felt things were going south and tried to back away and escape. However, before he could, Yutsuki's hands were already tightly strangling his neck.
"W-Wait—Yutsuki—B-Breathe—"
Shido's face instantly turned purple.
"Spirit power suddenly going berserk... Running amok and causing a huge ruckus on the streets... Shalessly making everyone date you and beg for kisses... And in the end, still losing your mind and destroying everything around you... Making everyone worry so much... And even getting everyone hurt because of you..."
It would have been better left unsaid. The more she recalled it, the angrier Yutsuki beca.
"I-I'm sorry—I-I'm reflecting—So your hands—"
"Go to the next world and reflect properly! Divine Punishnt!!!!!!"
—Crack.
With a crisp sound, Shido's consciousness sank into darkness once again.
"...Co out. I've already put Shido to sleep."
Holding the unconscious Shido in her arms, Yutsuki turned around, looked up, and stared at the empty night sky.
[...]
As her voice fell, a small section of the image before her suddenly pixelated, forming an unidentifiable mosaic.
The Spirit—Phantom.
[As expected, I can't hide from you, can I?]
The other party spoke with a voice of indistinguishable gender, seemingly not surprised at all that Yutsuki had discovered them.
"Hmph, you did sothing so obvious. It would be harder not to notice."
Yutsuki answered with a light snort.
Actually, just now, Yutsuki had failed. Despite trying her best, she still missed the perfect opportunity and was blown away by the strong wind.
But just when Yutsuki felt everything was irredeemable, an unknown Spirit power suddenly descended from the sky, suppressing the berserk Shido. And simultaneously, as if soone pushed her from behind, she returned to the front of Shido.
If it weren't for this, Yutsuki alone could never have saved Shido.
As for who could accomplish such a feat, Yutsuki could guess without even needing to think.
"Let be clear first, I'm not going to thank you."
Not relaxing her guard in the slightest, Yutsuki glared at Phantom and spoke bluntly.
The one responsible for turning Miku, Kotori, Origami, and highly likely everyone else into Spirits. Yutsuki wasn't naive enough to think the other party ca to help out of the goodness of their heart.
[That's fine. I didn't need your thanks anyway. After all, I originally planned to step in when the satellite launched its attack. I just didn't expect you to resolve the danger with your own power.]
Phantom answered nonchalantly.
[Afterwards, it was just a sudden whim. That person was definitely going to be saved, but I suddenly got curious to see just how far you and my child could go.]
"..."
[It seems I've talked a bit too much.]
Seeing Yutsuki remain silent, Phantom realized they had spoken too much. Their figure gradually disappeared into the night.
[Let's et again next ti, Ryougi Yutsuki.]
"Hah—"
After a long while, Yutsuki closed her eyes and couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
"Forget it, I'll think about the troubleso stuff later. Shido, let's go ho."
"..."
"Asleep? What a selfish guy."
Weren't you the one who knocked him out? If Phantom were still here, they would definitely retort like this.
Carrying Shido on her back, Yutsuki walked through the devastated forest. Looking at the dim lights of Tengu City in the distance, a smile couldn't help but appear on her lips.
"Welco back, idiot."
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