Date a Live:This is not the date I wanted! Chapter 521 521: If Route: The Uncalmed Natural Disaster (Pa

Back when she had just started high school, Obaa-chan would often gather the whole family in the living room at night to eat together, or watch all kinds of movies, enjoying warm family ti.

During one of those tis, a very classic science fiction movie had such a scene.

The leader of a rebel organization took out two pills before the protagonist.

One was red.

The other was blue.

If he ate the red pill, he would understand the truth of the world, and at the sa ti welco an extrely rough and cruel fate.

On the other hand, if he ate the blue pill, he would forget everything and return to a peaceful and stable everyday life, even if that everyday life was a huge lie carefully built by soone else.

——What happens if you eat both?

In Origami's mory, everyone had simply treated it as a pretty good movie and, from the position of bystanders, made so unrelated jokes to liven the mood.

But Origami herself had felt sothing in her heart when she saw the choice facing the protagonist.

(If it were , what would I choose?)

Origami asked herself that in her heart.

...

Late at night, while everyone was asleep, Origami secretly slipped into the command headquarters's computer room.

After cracking the database encryption, Origami finally found the remaining records from when the Self-Defense Force had fought Spirits.

"So this is... a Spirit?"

Looking at the footage playing on the screen, Origami whispered softly.

What appeared in the footage was a ruin shattered by sound impact, a huge crater gouged into the earth, and at the very center, a strange crystal shining with mysterious light like the sun.

Soon after, the Self-Defense Force magicians arrived at the Spirit's location and took various asures, trying to interfere with the Spirit. But in the end, all of it was useless. They could only watch as the Spirit disappeared from the real world.

After watching the video and reading the records, Origami's eyes showed a little disappointnt.

The contents recorded in these files were not much different from what she had discussed with Ryouko and the others during the day. They were only richer and more specific in details.

There was no valuable information.

What were Spirits?

Where did they co from?

How were they destroyed?

Was there a risk of spacequakes happening again?

None of these questions could be answered.

"..."

After a mont of silence, Origami did not directly shut down the computer and leave. Instead, she put on a headset and dialed a certain number.

[Beep——beep——Hello? This is the Itsuka residence. May I ask who is calling?]

"It's , Kotori."

Origami answered softly.

[O-Origami?!]

The voice on the other end first cried out in a panic. Then, after a series of slightly hurried footsteps, she finally replied again.

[Sorry. I was just in the living room with Mom and Dad, so it wasn't convenient to talk.]

"Were you eating dinner?"

Origami asked while glancing at the ti on the computer.

[We just finished. Tonight, Dad made borscht. The taste was so-so. As expected, Yumi Obaa-chan's cooking is better.]

After a few simple words of small talk, Kotori seed to realize sothing and asked uneasily.

[By the way, Origami, judging by the ti difference, it should already be one in the morning in Japan, right? And didn't you join the military... Is it okay for you to contact ?]

In response to Kotori's worry, Origami answered without changing expression.

"It is fine. I will not be caught."

[Honestly, you...]

After letting out a helpless sigh, Kotori gave in and said,

[Then? You contacted specially. Is there sothing you need?]

"Did you get any results from the investigation I asked you to do before?"

[Ah... about spacequakes...]

For so reason, Kotori's voice sounded hesitant.

[I did indeed find out the truth about spacequakes... but I think it is probably not what you are expecting, Origami.]

"What do you an?"

Hearing that, Origami frowned in confusion.

[Mm... If I only explain it verbally, you probably won't be convinced. Can you receive files over there? I'll send you what I found while explaining. Rember to delete it after reading. I did not find this information through proper channels either.]

"...Do not do dangerous things."

[Please allow to return those words to you exactly as they are.]

After talking back in irritation, Kotori sent the files to Origami.

[First, starting with the conclusion: spacequake really will not happen anymore.]

"...What is the basis?"

Origami's eyebrows moved slightly as she asked calmly.

[You can first take a look at the file I sent you. It is a research paper written by the head of our company—Elliot Baldwin Woodman. It explains in great detail the origin of spacequakes, the principle behind their occurrence, and the concrete evidence that they have been eliminated.]

Listening to Kotori's explanation, Origami carefully began reading the material Kotori had sent.

At the beginning of the article, it ntioned that, just as Origami knew, spacequakes were a disaster phenonon caused by special energy bodies known as Spirits.

However, unlike what Ryouko and the others had said, spacequakes were not disasters caused by the Spirits themselves. They were only a natural phenonon accompanying their appearance.

What Ryouko and the others had called the secondary destruction caused after a spacequake was the true disaster caused by the Spirits's own energy.

"...Neighboring World?"

[That is the world where Spirits live. It is close to Earth, but exists in another dinsion. Of course, aside from Spirits, no one has entered to investigate it, so we do not know what kind of world it is in detail. But one thing is certain. Spacequake occur because Spirits co to the real world, and when the Neighboring World and the real world co into contact, distortion forms.]

Kotori patiently explained over the phone.

[Apparently, over thirty years ago, a company called DEM was researching new energy. Because of an experintal accident, the originally incompatible Neighboring World and real world accidentally ca into contact. The enormous collision caused large-scale spatial distortion, which then triggered an enormous spacequake. That was the Eurasian Great Disaster ntioned in history books. Spirits were the product they developed at that ti.]

[Because their energy nature and existence were unstable, the Spirits split into multiple parts and traveled back and forth between the Neighboring World and the real world. This then caused a large number of frequent spacequake.]

[In other words, Spirits are nothing more than keys connecting the real world and the Neighboring World. As long as all the keys are destroyed, spacequakes naturally disappear.]

Listening to Kotori's explanation, Origami raised a question.

"Destroyed? But as far as I know, Spirits cannot be destroyed."

[Well, under normal circumstances, that is true. Spirits cannot be destroyed because the scale of their energy itself is not sothing ordinary forces can handle. But as long as a magician's power reaches a certain standard line, it is still possible to destroy Spirits. In fact, it was precisely that single 'hero' who reached that standard line who sacrificed herself during the global great disaster and perished together with the Spirits, bringing peace to the world.]

"Who?"

Hearing Kotori ntion this legendary person who saved the world, Origami felt a trace of curiosity.

[Ellen Mira Mathers. The strongest magician in the world. Before the global great disaster, every successful Spirit destruction mission was also completed by her. It is said that if she wished, destroying a town like a Spirit would be easy for her.]

"What is that supposed to be? A monster?"

[Who knows? But she was once part of DEM. Maybe she underwent so superhuman experintal modification.]

"..."

Hearing Kotori's answer, Origami felt confused and lost.

There were countless questions in her heart, but most of them clearly would not receive answers.

After a long silence, she finally asked the point she cared about most.

"Spacequakes... really will not happen anymore?"

[...Yes.]

Kotori affird in a solemn tone.

[From long ago... the head of the company had been researching the patterns of spacequakes. According to him, because of the appearance of Spirits, the Neighboring World, which originally existed in a different dinsion, beca fixed to the surface of the world like a thin mbrane. Every ti a spacequake occurred, the environntal values of the Neighboring World and real world at the corresponding coordinates would change clearly. Humanity had also always observed changes in the Neighboring World's values to predict spacequakes. Although there was once a period of more than twenty years when spacequakes did not occur, during that ti, the existence of the Neighboring World could still be detected. But now——]

"It can no longer be detected, right?"

Origami said in a calm tone.

[...Yes.]

Kotori gave an affirmative answer.

[Perhaps the Neighboring World has already disappeared completely. Or perhaps the two worlds have completely separated. In these past few years, research institutions all over the world have been unable to detect the existence of the Neighboring World.]

"I see..."

After hearing Kotori's explanation, Origami let out a long breath.

[Are you all right, Origami?]

"Mm... I'm fine. Thank you, Kotori."

After thanking her, Origami hurriedly hung up the phone. Her whole body leaned weakly against the back of the chair, and she raised her head, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She understood that what Kotori had said was already an undeniable fact.

In truth, the paper written by Woodman was broadly consistent with Kotori's spoken explanation. Whether in data collection and analysis, or theoretical reasoning, it was very comprehensive and rigorous.

If it were Origami, to complete the sa amount of work and reach the sa conclusion, she would probably need at least ten years, or even several decades of effort.

Finally, the doubts that had always occupied her heart had been answered.

However, for so reason, compared to relief and gratitude, Origami felt more regret, remorse, and a sense of confused defeat.

It was only natural.

Ignoring the advice of her teachers and the opposition of her family, she had spent several years of ti and effort, even risking disobeying military orders.

And the result she finally obtained was such a harmless conclusion.

It was as if saying that everything had rely been her worrying too much.

(If that is the case, then why did I go out of my way to join the military?)

She had never considered her own future or dreams.

Now that her obsession had lost its aning and value, Origami was like soone who had lost her signpost, not knowing where to go.

"Haha... What is this? Am I an idiot?"

In the end, Origami could only look powerlessly at the gradually whitening night and give a self-mocking bitter smile.

The red pill represented cruel reality.

The blue pill represented a comfortable lie.

If Tobiichi Origami had to make a choice, she would certainly choose the red pill without hesitation.

But "having the freedom to choose"—that itself was already a rare happiness.

Looking at most people in the movie, they had no right to choose from the very beginning.

——————————

"I am very sorry! My daughter caused you trouble."

"It is fine. This is my job too."

Looking at the young mother bowing in thanks, Origami smiled and shook her head. Then she crouched down and gently spoke to the little girl.

"Little girl, be careful not to get lost next ti. It will make your mother worry."

Hearing Origami's advice, the little girl obediently nodded.

"Mm. Thank you, police officer onee-san."

"What a good girl."

Smiling as she stroked the little girl's head, Origami stood up and continued her patrol.

After that, Origami did not choose to remain in the military after finishing her service. Instead, she returned to the hotown that had raised her and beca an ordinary police officer.

It was not that she was dissatisfied with life in the military.

She had simply lost her reason to stay there.

Perhaps Mikie and Ryouko had noticed what she was thinking, which was why they had called her over to talk back then.

"Ti really passes quickly..."

Origami could not help sighing.

Even if the answer had not been what she hoped for, that ti was not aningless.

That was the conclusion Origami reached after thinking for a long ti.

She had also thought that if she had not chased after the so-called truth, she might have had more ti to plan her future, arrange her path, and walk a completely different life.

But if that had happened, fear and unease would likely have stayed wrapped around the depths of her heart, preventing her from ever letting go.

In the end, the reason Origami was so obsessed with spacequakes was not because she truly wanted to understand the past.

She only wanted to protect her family and prevent that unreasonable natural disaster from taking away her ho again.

In that case, becoming a police officer now, maintaining the peace and order of the town while also making it easier to take care of her family, was actually not a bad choice.

"I didn't see that tourist... Did she already leave?"

After patrolling around the town once and not seeing the black haired girl she had t during the day, Origami felt a little regret.

Although this was a small town with no real highlights, as one of its residents, she still hoped Kurumi could leave with a good mory of this place.

"Forget it... Peace is not a bad thing either. Let's keep working."

Today as well, Tobiichi Origami continued working hard for the peace of the town.