Date a Live:This is not the date I wanted! Chapter 558 558: Strategy Meeting

—I've already given the information to Shido-san and the others. They should make preparations now.

"I see."

Hearing the report from her clone, Kurumi let out a small breath of relief.

"I'm glad nothing went wrong. Thank you for your hard work, ''."

—Hehe, it was nothing. Just a small errand.

The eyepatch-wearing Kurumi chuckled and shook her head, preparing to return into Kurumi's shadow. But midway, she seed to rember sothing and stopped.

—Oh, right. I almost forgot. Shido-san asked to pass along a ssage.

"A ssage?"

Kurumi showed a puzzled expression. The eyepatch Kurumi cleared her throat in an exaggerated manner, then spoke in a deep, magnetic voice full of feeling.

—Ah, Kurumi. I love you so much! I love you, love you, love you, love you—please marry ! My honey!

"Wha—"

Kurumi was montarily speechless, her cheeks burning hotter than they ever had before. But when she saw the playful smile on her clone's face, she imdiately realized what was happening and shouted in flustered anger.

"You're lying to , aren't you?! There's no way Shido-san would say sothing like that!"

—Mm, that one was fake.

The eyepatch Kurumi nodded, then corrected herself.

—What Shido-san actually said was, "The next ti we et, I'll definitely steal your lips, My Honey!"

"Hmph… that's a lie too, isn't it? I won't fall for the sa trick twice."

—No, that part is true.

"…"

As if soone had suddenly punched her in the stomach, Kurumi silently crouched down on the spot.

—Ara, ara. 'I' really am adorable.

Seeing the original's ears turn as red as tomatoes, the eyepatch Kurumi could not help laughing.

"Shut up! If you're done, get back into the shadows already!"

—Yes, yes. I shall take my leave then~

"Honestly… have I been spoiling 'myself' too much lately…?"

Watching her clone return into the shadows, Kurumi complained in dissatisfaction. She had rely been a little gentler toward her "clones", and now they were already getting carried away and teasing the original.

"Hah… never mind."

Kurumi let out a long sigh and gave up on arguing with her clone. After all, this was a special period. Kurumi would not do sothing foolish like reduce her own fighting strength. Getting petty with her own clones would only leave her feeling empty and waste calories for nothing.

After steadying her mood, Kurumi walked to the edge of the rooftop and let the strong wind blow across her face as she gazed over the cityscape.

"…How strange."

It was a view she had looked upon countless tis, yet now it stirred completely different ripples in Kurumi's heart.

Vast and colorful. Beautiful and moving. Existing as if it were only natural, plain and ordinary, yet fragile and precious.

Perhaps that was only to be expected. A starving person would find even a bowl of plain rice to be the finest delicacy. After witnessing the world's destruction more than a hundred tis, even the scenery others took for granted moved Kurumi like a miracle.

"February 15th… it has already been two days…"

Looking at the date displayed on the billboard of a building across from her, Kurumi murmured softly.

Two full days had passed since the last point in ti when Itsuka Shido had died. During that period, DEM had attempted to assassinate Shido, but every attempt had passed without disaster. Kurumi had therefore not used Zafkiel's Vav (Sixth Bullet) to loop ti again.

"But… I still cannot let my guard down…"

Kurumi warned herself in a low voice. Although they had endured two days, that did not an Shido had escaped his fate of death. On February 20th, DEM would mobilize all of its forces and launch a total attack. Unlike the assassinations so far, the enemy intended to crush everything with absolute violence. Unless they could find a breakthrough, nothing was truly over.

—Still, we've seen a slight turning point.

A clone's voice ca from the shadows.

"To think that the reason the flow changed was only such a tiny shift in ntality."

Kurumi said with a wry smile.

—Yes. You cannot have both the fish and the bear's paw. This is what it ans.

—Well, whether to understand it correctly or to accept it and let go, either way, it takes quite a bit of ti.

—And precisely because of that, the current you is standing here.

—We have already experienced over a hundred loops. If it is to save Shido-san and Yutsuki-san, what does stepping into the loop once more matter?

—Only that future… absolutely must not happen again. (TL:ah yes...)

"Mm. I know."

Kurumi nodded solemnly and answered with a voice full of resolve.

At exactly ten in the morning, fifteen thousand ters above Tengu City, inside the strategy eting room of Fraxinus EX.

Sitting at the round table, Yutsuki looked around. Present at the seats were not only Kotori and her crew, but also Shido, Tohka, and the other Spirits. The AI sisters, Maria and Marina, were present as well, and even Woodman and Karen at Ratatoskr headquarters was participating through remote video.

It could be said that almost everyone Yutsuki knew had joined this eting.

"Thank you all for gathering here."

Kotori stood from her seat and addressed everyone present.

"This morning, Kurumi left us with intel. DEM is expected to launch a large scale attack with the objective of killing Shido and provoking the Spirits into inversions."

A bombshell from the very beginning. The previously sowhat relaxed atmosphere instantly tightened.

After confirming that everyone had digested the information, Kotori continued.

"Although we cannot rule out the possibility that Kurumi is lying, we also cannot ignore it as a joke. That is why I asked all of you to gather here."

Kotori took a deep breath and declared loudly.

"I'll begin with the conclusion. We must confront DEM head on."

The eting room imdiately broke into murmurs.

(Well, that's the natural result.)

Yutsuki was not surprised by Kotori's decision in the slightest. The enemy's objective was to kill Shido, invert all the Spirits, and seize their Sephira Crystals. That had already crossed Ratatoskr's bottom line. There was absolutely no room for compromise or retreat. Running away was not an option either. As long as Beelzebub was in Westcott's hands, no matter where Shido and the Spirits hid, they could not escape the enemy's eyes.

Negotiation and flight were both impossible. That left only one choice: battle.

Next, Kotori explained the reasoning behind her decision to everyone. The content was essentially the sa as what Yutsuki had already thought. This gesture was not aningless. Although many of those present had guessed that things would turn out this way, it was only when Kotori, as commander, stated it clearly that the situation truly felt like an established fact.

"This will not be simple. While we have a slight advantage in Realizer technology, the enemy possesses more than ten tis our number of wizards. If Bandersnatch units and Nibelcole are included, the gap becos difficult to even imagine. If they disregard collateral damage and social scandal, focusing solely on attacking us, then our odds of victory will likely be extrely low. Even so, we have no choice but to fight. This attack may have been decided suddenly, but the enemy has already made over a hundred assassination attempts up to this point. In fact, they succeeded."

"…"

When Kotori said this, Tohka and the other Spirits's expressions changed to varying degrees. Although they had heard it once yesterday already, the fact that Shido had died still filled them with self bla and anger.

"If Kurumi's ability did not exist, we would have already reached a bad end hundred of tis by now. And the enemy is now making their next move to break through Kurumi's interference. Next ti, Kurumi may not be able to correct the world again. That is why we must shift from defense to offense. We must grasp tomorrow with our own hands."

After Kotori finished speaking, the eting room filled with an enthusiastic response. As expected of the commander, she understood how to ignite everyone's fighting spirit.

(But pouring cold water on everyone is my job.)

Silently apologizing to Kotori in her heart, Yutsuki raised her hand.

"Do you have a question, Yutsuki-nee?"

"Mm, there is sothing I'd like to confirm first. Confronting DEM head on is fine, but to what specific extent? Their victory condition is clear: kill Shido. No matter how much sacrifice it takes, that is all they need. But what is our victory condition? Surely we don't have to annihilate the enemy, right?"

[I will answer that, Yutsuki-san.]

At that mont, Woodman, who had remained silent on the screen, spoke up.

[DEM is an organization ruled entirely by Isaac's charisma and Ellen's ability. In other words, as long as those two are removed, the remaining wizards and automatons are not a problem no matter how many are left. His organization is too massive and too loose. It can no longer be described as unshakable. Once those two are gone, the remaining opposition forces inside the company will naturally busy themselves cleaning up the aftermath.]

"I see. That is indeed a simple victory condition. Then—"

Yutsuki nodded in understanding, then looked toward everyone in the eting room.

"Who here can kill those two? Let's not consider whether you can accomplish it first. I'm asking whether you can bring yourselves to do it."

"I have no problem."

"In that case, neither do I."

Origami and Mana answered imdiately.

"Umu… if it is to protect Shido…"

"Kuh—kukuku! F-for one such as I, burdened with the sin of slaying gods… th-this is nothing."

"Comntary. Your voice is trembling, Kaguya. Do not force yourself."

"I-it is not trembling!"

"Okay, then we'll leave that mission to Origami, Mana, Tohka, and Kaguya—although I'd like to say that, unfortunately, once battle begins, there will be too many variables. Anyone might encounter Westcott or Ellen. Suppose the ones who encounter them aren't Origami or Mana, but Natsumi, Yoshino, or Mukuro?"

Hearing Yutsuki ntion her na, Natsumi's face instantly turned pale.

"Don't make such a terrifying hypothetical, Yutsuki! There's no way I can win!" (TL: hehehehehehhee (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ fight fight Natsumi-chan~)

"U-um… I…"

"Er… even if Onee-chan asks, Muku has so resistance to killing…"

"It's fine, it's fine. I myself don't have the resolve to kill soone either. Rather, if you all forced yourselves to say you could do it, that would trouble more."

Yutsuki smiled and waved her hand, soothing their emotions.

After all, Shido and Ratatoskr's objective was to save Spirits, not to beco an organization of killers. Aside from Kurumi, none of the Spirits had personally killed anyone before. Suddenly demanding that they be prepared to kill would probably only make them more confused.

It was clear that everyone was better suited to defensive battles than offensive ones. That was exactly why Yutsuki had never proposed launching a proactive attack against DEM.

"Even if the enemy deserves to die many tis over, that doesn't an we have to dirty our own hands. Laws exist for this purpose."

[Um, Yutsuki… You're not thinking of handing Ellen and Westcott over to legal punishnt, are you?]

Hearing Yutsuki's words, Marina could not help retorting.

"Yes? Is there a problem?"

Yutsuki asked back as if it were only natural.

Her words plunged the eting room into a strange silence. It seed like there was nothing wrong with it, yet at the sa ti, sothing felt very off. For a mont, nobody knew where to begin retorting.

"Wow—just as expected of Biri-chan. Defeating the final boss and then handing them over to the law… if this were a supernatural battle light novel, nobody would dare write that."

Nia could not help comnting.

"Well, reality and stories are different. Don't worry. As long as we win, I have ways to make them obediently accept punishnt. To the point where bribery, lawyers, or prison breaks will all be aningless."

At that mont, the smile on Yutsuki's face made everyone present shiver.

"But Yutsuki-nee, forgive for speaking frankly. Westcott and Ellen are not opponents who can be defeated while holding back."

Mana frowned and voiced her concern.

"Mm. You're right. In fact, I hope everyone can fight without hesitation or restraint, with your own safety as the highest priority. If you can't win, run imdiately. If combat happens, blades have no eyes. If the enemy dies in battle, that is rely excessive legitimate self-defense on our part, and you don't need to carry too much ntal burden over it. If we win and the enemy is still alive, do not concern yourself with surrender, since there is no need to finish them off in the first place. But you must render the opponent unconscious and completely unable to act. As for the thod, use your own judgnt."

"I see… I understands."

"…As careful as ever."

Kotori let out a slight breath of relief. Deep down, she was extrely opposed to dragging the Spirits into the fight between Ratatoskr and DEM.

However, with Yutsuki and Origami present, hiding the truth and making the Spirits withdraw was impossible. On top of that, their actual odds of victory were not high. If they forced themselves out of aningless pride and lost to DEM, it would be completely backwards. After considering many factors, she decided to let the Spirits participate in the eting.

Of course, Kotori understood that Yutsuki's point was not really serious about making Westcott and the others face legal judgnt. She was giving the Spirits a clear action guideline they could accept. Otherwise, if they beca lost in hesitation during battle and the enemy exploited that opening, the ones who suffered would always be themselves.

"Chairman Woodman, I agree with Yutsuki-nee's proposal."

Kotori supported Yutsuki and addressed Woodman. Woodman also understood and nodded.

[Mm, of course. There is no problem. This is a grudge between Ike, Ellen, and myself. You have no need to bear responsibility for it. I will also do everything within my power.]

After that, everyone continued the strategy eting. However, because Westcott could use Beelzebub to look up the contents of their eting, even if they discussed a tactic capable of reversing the war in one blow, it would lose its aning once the enemy knew it.

Therefore, what they discussed in this eting had to be trump cards that would still function even if exposed to the enemy.

After a heated discussion, everyone arrived at a very simple and brute-force conclusion.

"Let's train. Leveling up before fighting a powerful enemy is an essential part of a shounen manga!"

Nia's joking suggestion unexpectedly gained quite a bit of support.

"Mm, that is true. If direct battle is our only choice, then strengthening ourselves is the only path left. Swords and strength will never betray you. This one has walked this road all along."

"Umu, I want to participate in the training as well and beco stronger to protect Shido!"

"But there are only five days left until the twentieth. Training for such a short ti won't an anything, right?"

[No need to worry about that. As long as we accelerate ti in the computer world, training for a month within five days is entirely possible.]

Maria answered Natsumi's question.

"—Oh! The classic Hyperbolic Ti Chamber is here!"

Nia could not help cheering.

"Co to think of it, boy trained there before, right?"

"Uh… well, yes."

When Nia suddenly ntioned him, Shido's mouth twitched slightly, and he answered vaguely.

[That being said, neither Marina nor I know how Spirits should train to beco stronger. And even if you train in there, your physical body in reality will not change. Without a clear goal, entering it will simply waste ti.]

"How did Shido train before?"

[Oh, that was a training nu arranged by Yutsuki.]

Hearing Marina's words, everyone's gaze naturally focused on Yutsuki.

"Well, I figured it would end up like this."

Yutsuki sighed. When Nia made the suggestion, she had more or less predicted this developnt, so she was not especially surprised.

In truth, she did have so ideas. Unlike Shido, the Spirits knew how to use their Spirit powers from the beginning. But after living peacefully for too long, their battle senses would gradually dull. If they were only completing assigned tasks, that would be fine, but if they were entering a large-scale battle, they truly needed to familiarize themselves with independent judgnt, instant battlefield analysis, and the ability to respond to unexpected situations.

"Mm… I don't mind. But if I'm really teaching, I'll be very strict. Is that okay?"

"Oh~ what an unexpectedly shounen teacher line, Yutsuki-chan. But Yoshinon and Yoshino-chan won't be scared off so easily."

"I also… want to help… Please guide … Yutsuki-san…"

"I'm signing up too! Honey's personal education! Please make sure to let join!"

"Kukuku—the trial bestowed by the Lightning Shrine Maiden? Perfect. No matter what sort of tempering awaits, bring it on. I shall overco it all and grasp new power in my hands."

"Excitent. Yuzuru very much looks forward to Yutsuki's training."

"Mm… Shido? What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

Seeing Shido's face turn pale blue, Tohka asked worriedly.

"Tohka…"

Shido placed his hands on Tohka's shoulders. After a long pause, he squeezed out one deeply aningful sentence.

"Good luck… co back alive…"