Honestly, Shido had originally still been confident in his own self control. After all, he had gone on plenty of dates with many Spirits, had experienced quite a few fanservice events, and had even gritted his teeth and endured Kurumi's temptation when she had offered herself to him. Although it sounded a little like bragging, Shido felt that if it had been any other man, he probably would have already turned into a beast.
But even so, soaking together with a mber of the opposite sex in a narrow open air hot spring, both completely naked, with only the clear hot spring water and hazy mist blocking the view between them, inevitably made strange thoughts rise in his mind.
And to be perfectly honest, Reine's proud figure, which was completely contrary to her gloomy, languid personality, truly made it impossible for him to look away.
Normally, if he accidentally beca entranced like this, Kotori's cold warning voice would definitely be ringing in his ear by now, telling him to fix his attitude. But right now, what entered Shido's ears was only the slow sound of water pouring into the hot spring, along with Reine's breathing, which for so reason sounded faintly alluring.
He had to admit, a person's self control was indeed far weaker than one imagined.
Smack! Shido raised both hands and slapped his own cheeks hard.
"…Shin? Are you all right?"
"It's nothing… I just wanted to wash my face and clear my head a little."
The burning sensation on his face finally let Shido calm down. He raised his head and looked straight at Reine's face.
"Speaking of which, Reine-san, when did you start working at Ratatoskr?"
"That would be… around five or six years ago. It should have been around the sa ti Kotori took up her position." (TL:no six seven for you)
Reine thought for a mont before answering.
"I see. How should I put it… Thank you."
"Why are you thanking ?"
Hearing Shido's words, Reine tilted her head slightly in confusion.
"Because you were always by Kotori's side, supporting her. Kotori—back then, it must have been very hard for her."
Five years ago was the period just after Kotori had beco a Spirit. Faced with the changes in her own body and circumstances, the pressure and unease Kotori had been facing were easy to imagine. And the one who had supported Kotori through that ti in place of him, who had known nothing at all, was none other than Reine.
(Although, when I think about it carefully, the person who turned Kotori into a Spirit was Reine too.)
Shido smiled wryly in his heart.
"…I only did what little I could. Even without , she would certainly have beco an excellent commander."
Reine shook her head and spoke softly.
"No, no. I won't deny that Kotori is excellent. But I don't think that ans Reine-san was unnecessary."
Shido waved his finger and corrected her seriously.
"I'm her brother, so I know. She actually relies on you a lot, and she also sees you as an important friend. So please don't say things like it wouldn't matter if you weren't there."
"…Mm. That is true."
Hearing that, Reine froze slightly. After a short silence, she slowly spoke.
"I… also see Kotori as an important friend. And I am very glad… that I was able to know her."
"Kotori would definitely be happy to hear that."
If Shido had only learned from Yutsuki that Reine was the culprit who turned people into Spirits, then these words might have sounded different to him, and perhaps left a knot in his heart.
But after experiencing Shinji's mories, Shido knew that Mio had been an extrely pure and kind person. Even if thirty years had changed her sowhat, he could not arbitrarily hold prejudice toward her and then beco disappointed.
"And before that, Reine-san, what were you doing?"
"…Before that? That question is a little strange."
Along with the soft sound of rippling water, Shido felt Reine's gaze fall upon him. He did not avert his eyes and answered directly.
"That's right! I want to learn more about you, Reine-san. Because when I think carefully about it, even though we've known each other for so long, I actually know almost nothing about you."
"…My past is nothing worth ntioning."
Feeling Shido's burning gaze, Reine hesitated for a mont before helplessly beginning to talk about her past.
According to Reine, she had once been a student in the science departnt of an ordinary university. Because a thesis she wrote caught Ratatoskr's eye, she began working at the company.
Aside from that, there were also so trivial matters, such as losing both parents when she was young, mories of the few friends she had been on good terms with, and being nicknad "vampire" in her club because she always looked pale from lack of sleep.
Although she did not ntion the past in which she had lived with Shinji, Shido vaguely understood that Reine was not lying.
These were probably the life experiences of "Murasa Reine" that Mio had built from scratch so others would not suspect her, all for the sake of eting Shinji again.
"…That is about it. It sounds very boring, does it not?"
"Not at all. It was very interesting."
"…Isn't that strange?"
"Mm? Not really. It felt very normal to ."
"I see…"
For so reason, after hearing Shido's words, Reine rarely furrowed her brows and fell into thought.
"Could it be… that I was deceived?"
"What?"
"No… nothing."
Lightly shaking her head, Reine brought the topic back.
"Shin… is there anything else you want to ask?"
"Then—I'll ask one last question."
After thinking for a mont, Shido said sowhat hesitantly,
"Reine-san, is there soone you like?"
Hearing that question, Reine was montarily speechless. But after a brief hesitation, she still gave an answer.
"…Unfortunately, I have no real connection with romance. However—"
After a slight delay, Reine said,
"There is. Only one person."
"…"
Shido fell into a complicated silence. As Shinji, he naturally understood what those words ant.
Only one person. That did not an she, as "Murasa Reine", had fallen in love with soone. On the contrary, it ant that ever since she beca "Murasa Reine", she had never liked anyone else.
(This is awful… I clearly feel guilty that she still hasn't let go of my death, yet I'm also happy that she still likes .)
In Shido's heart, the part of him that was "Takamiya Shinji" stirred with such emotions.
"What kind of person is he?"
"…A secret."
Reine placed her index finger before her lips, and the corner of her mouth carried a faint smile.
"That was already your final question. Besides, letting only talk is a little unfair. So next… let hear your story too."
"My story?"
Hearing that, Shido smiled wryly and shrugged.
"Even if you say that… Ratatoskr should have already investigated everything about , right?"
"…Those are only words on paper. Surface facts recorded from the outside. I, just like Shin, want to understand the stories of your past."
"My past?"
"For example… do you still rember the ti before you were adopted by the Itsuka family?"
Hearing that, Shido could not help slightly furrowing his brows.
(Does she know that I recovered my mories?)
Looking at Reine's curious yet uneasy eyes, Shido did not dare make a judgnt. Honestly, he now felt as if he were standing on a decisive strategic dividing line, but he was not quite certain.
At a ti like this, Shido actually missed Fraxinus's affection analysis system a little.
(Do I say it or not? No… That's not where the important choice lies.)
Looking at himself reflected in Reine's eyes, Shido corrected himself inwardly.
(The important thing is who I want Reine to see as.)
"…Honestly, I don't rember very clearly. What I can rember is only the feeling that I was once held by a pair of warm arms, and the sense of loss when those arms left my side. I think… that was probably my mother." (TL:.....)
"…"
After a long silence, Reine quietly asked,
"…Do you hate the mother who abandoned you?"
Shido raised his head. After recalling everything he had experienced over the past seventeen years, he answered honestly.
"…I don't hate her."
"…Why?"
Hearing Shido's answer, Reine's tone carried both a trace of relief and a trace of confusion.
"Mm… How should I put it? When I was first taken in by the Itsuka family, I cried so hard that heaven and earth seed to turn dark. Doesn't that prove that I liked my mother that much…? Besides, even now, I still rember how gentle the arms that held were."
Shido scratched his cheek and answered a little bashfully.
"So I think my mother must have had so unavoidable reason for doing that. If I had experienced a lot of misfortune because of it, maybe I would hate her a little. But now, if possible, I'd rather understand her circumstances and help her." (TL:Man....Shido is such a good child)
Savoring Shido's words, Reine looked at him with a gentle gaze.
"I see… Shin… you have grown so much."
As she spoke, Reine slowly leaned toward Shido and gently stroked his head.
"Cough cough—Please don't treat like a child, okay?"
Hurriedly closing his eyes, after coughing twice in dissatisfaction, Shido took a deep breath and said to Reine,
"Reine-san, after this… there's still sothing I want to show you. Could you accompany for a while longer?"
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