Chapter IV
Greetings all! I have come with the next chapter of Armored Spirits! I hope everyone enjoyed the previous chapter, at least some of you did it seems, which is good. If you enjoyed this chapter be sure to leave a review letting me know. That said, I would like to thank my coauthor Bakuto Masaki for all of his help so far and going forward. So, without further adieu, on with the reviewer responses!
Just an Idiot: Um... yay? I think. I don't quite know how to react to that.
Guest: I can understand that. Sort of an inverse of the usual perverted anime characters, and I like it.
If you read between the lines, she already did.
Fortitude: Nope. Have no real desire to do so.
You should really make an account for the site, dude. I enjoy the added review numbers, but I think this topic would be best served in PMs.
Name the ones you don't know and I'll tell you.
Skull Flame: Fuck no.
Kerlongs Evert Orlejov: Fuck. That. I am never, EVER adding more guys to a sex scene besides the MC. At best I'd have him use some kind of cloning magic or similar technology so that there's more of him. Or, better yet, tentacles!
Nah, it's okay, the topic is tangentially related to the story.
Souji is a girl. Oh? Why not?
He's getting the IS, Souji has the TG. I hope it's as fun as you're expecting.
Nowhere, it's an idea me and some cowriters for an old story of mine came up with that ended up getting scrapped, so we used it here. It's mostly original content. Though if you must know, the idea originally sprang forth from TheLastNanaya. I'm sure they will.
It's a really great series, and the most recent volumes have taken a hard left turn on fourth and bananas.
Yeah, it's the kind of thing I watch almost exclusively to use in my stories to "fix" it rather than enjoyment, as I don't enjoy that kind of shit.
Blade1986: With where things are now, you can't even see the bottom yet.
correnhimself316: Shidou certainly has his work cut out for him.
CrocoerGinex01: Can't say I know what Yuki Yuna is, but yes for the rest of it.
Phew! That was a big one! Well, before we get on with the main event, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is after I put up this chapter, I will be going on an extended hiatus for all writing. I have a bunch of anime, video games, and more to catch up, most of which I plan to use in my stories, so at the very least once it's over my writing should be somewhat improved. But as an apology, and as the good news, this chapter is going to be a bit longer than most chapters I upload, and then I will also be putting up a poll so that you guys can vote what story gets updated when I finally come back from my hiatus, so do look forward to that. With that said, on with the show!
"What was that!?" Souji demanded loudly.
"The Tail Gear!" Twoearl cheered.
"Why'd it turn me into a little girl!?"
"It still has some unintended side effects. It's tech based on the Hearts after all."
"The Hearts?" Shidou questioned.
"Yep!"
"Which are…?"
"Divine beings!"
Shidou just stared at her. "Right…"
"They are!" she added with a pout, annoyed that he did not believe her.
"If you say so…"
"How do you get this damn thing off!?" Souji growled as she attempted to pull the red bracelet off of her arm.
Twoearl hummed in thought before looking at her and answering bluntly, "You can't."
Souji just stared in disbelief. "… Wh – What?"
"To make Tail Red work, it had to genetically bond to –" she began to explain before an enraged Aika kneed her in the back of the head.
"You idiot! What the hell's wrong with you?!"
"Gah!" she shouted as she stumbled forward.
"Why would you stick something like that on her?!"
Twoearl frowned as she rubbed her head. "Because she's the best candidate for the old unit."
Chifuyu groaned in exasperation. "I knew you were unstable but this is something else…"
Twoearl just shrugged in response. "Hey, not my fault the best weapons need such a link."
Miharu clapped her hands together with excitement. "I don't believe it, my little girl's a Magical Girl!"
"This is not something to be happy about, dammit!" Souji cursed.
"But this is great! Now you can take on my childhood dream of being a heroine of justice!"
Souji twitched an eyebrow before turning to Twoearl and sticking out her arm. "… Get it off…"
"Okay, but I'll have to strap you to a table, fry your nerves, and rewrite your DNA a bit to do it."
"Eh!?" she shrieked, Shidou just staring in disbelief.
"Yep. Still can't feel most of mine after I removed it."
Souji's shriek turned to a frown of fearful confusion. "… Why did you…?"
"Because I was no longer worthy of having it."
Shidou frowned somberly as Souji stuttered, "A – Ah… Sounds like it'd be more trouble to get rid of it… So I guess I won't."
At that moment Kotori walked into the room, looking rather irritated.
"Kotori?" Shidou asked before Kotori shot a glare at Twoearl.
"What the heck was all that?!"
"What was what spirited one?" Twoearl retorted.
"That stuff with the new IS!"
"What about Tail Red, red tail?" Twoearl asked, raising an eyebrow when Kotori just stared at her. "What?"
"Nothing…" the petite redhead groaned.
Souji raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You're acting a bit weird, Kotori."
"She's a Spirited girl," Twoearl noted.
"Indeed she is!" Miharu added, causing Kotori to look at her with concern before the woman blinked curiously. "Oh wait, you meant Kotori."
Twoearl looked at her in thought. "Who else is so Spirited?"
"Souji," Miharu answered bluntly.
The white-haired woman waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, she lacks Spirit."
"Hey!" Miharu shot back, somewhat insulted.
"What?"
"My girl is plenty spirited!"
"Nope. She lacks it."
Miharu just gave a stern frown at the woman, Shidou looking between them curiously before asking, "Um… What exactly do you mean by Spirited, Twoearl?"
"Huh? It's because s –" Twoearl began to answer before Kotori suddenly leapt up and kneed Shidou in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.
"Not. Another. Word," Kotori ordered crossly.
Twoearl blinked in shock before nodding. "Right…"
Souji just stared in disbelief. "… Now I'm the one who's confused."
Twoearl urged, "Don't be, or she might get mad enough to set off a Space Quake."
Kotori growled and smacked Twoearl upside the head. "Can it!"
Souji gaped in surprise before stepping back. "… Mom, let's go home."
"Huh?" Miharu wondered.
"I think things are about to get very crazy, we should probably go."
Sometime after the two left, Shidou groaned as he woke from the attack and sighed. "What a day…" he grumbled before looking at Kotori. "Why'd you knock me out?"
"My leg slipped," the redhead retorted with an ambivalent shrug.
Shidou just stared incredulously. "… Right…"
Twoearl suddenly interjected, "So, time to get the next date set up."
"I already have it set up," Reiri interjected.
"Right, remember not to use protection!" she cheered before Reiri whacked her on the head, hard.
Shidou watched this exchange in exasperation before sighing. "… This is my life…"
"Isn't it grand?" Twoearl asked with a smile, ignoring the large welt on her head.
"It's insane," he shot back.
"At least it isn't boring."
Reiri stepped between the two and grabbed Shidou by the arm. "It's time for the next date, we don't have many days to waste. Now let's go Shidou."
"N – Now?!" he asked in surprise.
"Yes," she answered firmly with a nod.
"Wh – Where to…?"
"Not far."
"Wh – What should I wear?"
"What you have on now is fine," she replied simply.
"Um… okay?" he wondered in confusion as he followed her.
After a short walk, the two ended up at a small clearing near their home with several gazebos, a small swing set, and other play areas for children and a field nearby.
"This is… a park," Shidou commented in confused surprise.
"Yes," Reiri replied as she walked to one of the covered picnic areas and depressed a section on one of the pillars. "The best place to hide an entrance."
Shidou stared in bewilderment. "… Eh?"
"Come. One of the training ground entrances should be near here."
Shidou still stared in disbelief as a section of the cement floor moved, exposing a long staircase.
Following Reiri down, they entered a large, open area that was well over nine meters high and just as long and wide.
"Th – This is… huge…"
"It's a training area for Slayers."
"And it's been hidden right near our house this entire time…?"
Reiri nodded as she pressed several keys on a nearby panel. "It's so Slayers can train in privacy when not on Little Garden."
"Th – There are that many in this city?"
"Not necessarily. It's just that there is one in any city with a large enough population."
"A – Ah…"
"Well, let's get this date started."
"Right. Wait, what?! Our date is here?!"
"Yes," Reiri answered plainly before she began to unbutton her top.
Shidou flinched as he turned away. "Wh – What are you…?" he wondered before glancing back and seeing her now in a loose-fitting black top and dark blue shorts.
"Is something the matter?" she questioned as she stretched.
"N – No… D – Don't you think that shows off a little… much?"
"No, not particularly."
Shidou just sighed before gulping nervously as Reiri got into a fighting stance.
"Now get ready. The real training starts now."
"E – Eh…?" he stuttered, Reiri not answering before charging at him. "H – Hold up!" he shouted before receiving a powerful punch to the abdomen, knocking him back.
"Your enemies won't 'hold up', little brother."
Standing with a groan, he retorted, "I don't even know how to fight like this!"
Reiri frowned in frustration. "Have you forgotten your kendo training?"
"Kendo training is a bit different than fighting with bare fists!" he argued desperately.
"It's the same basic concept. Now dodge!"
"H – Hah!?" he gaped, narrowly avoiding her fist this time, only to get a knee to the abdomen, buckling him like a chair. "… That… hurt…"
"You didn't dodge."
"I'm still not sure what the hell's going on! I thought this was supposed to be a date!"
Reiri sighed before folding her arms under her sizable bust. "The dates are to train you. Your date with Reine was partly to train you how to make a good date. This date is to get you better at fighting, regardless of whether you're armed or not."
"Ah…"
"Tomorrow, your date with Chifuyu will be to make you physically stronger, so for now it's my job to make sure that if the Spirits end up getting rowdy you can subdue them without needing to use weapons. Now, dodge!"
Shidou winced as Reiri again charged.
"Pain…" Shidou groaned as he sat up slowly.
Reiri frowned with her arms folded. "You really know nothing about fighting without a sword, do you?"
"I told you that already!" he snapped back. "You never even bothered teaching me hand-to-hand!"
Reiri furrowed her brow in confusion. "We should have. It's the basis of all combat. Only a fool would entrust their life to a weapon."
Shidou just stared silently in exasperation.
"Very well. I'll spend the rest of our time teaching you how to fight with your hands. Might even call Yu-Mi in to help me."
"Who?"
"My partner," she answered plainly.
"I… see? What now?"
"We have a couple hours left, I'll try and teach you the basics in that time."
Shidou sighed heavily. "… Yay…"
"Sore… Can barely move…" Shidou noted weakly as he and Reiri, back in her usual attire, walked back into the house, Shidou looking worse for wear.
Twoearl gasped in excitement. "Wow, guess you two got really 'active' huh?"
"Yes, we were," Reiri replied, Shidou looking at her incredulously.
"Wow!" Twoearl gasped, Kotori behind her twitching an eyebrow.
His tired face turning red, Shidou shouted, "Sparring! It was sparring and training, not what you're thinking!"
"Aaww…" Twoearl pouted, Kotori heaving a sigh of relief.
Shidou groaned as he flopped onto a chair. "So crazy… Why can't my family be sane…?"
Karen sat beside him with a disappointed pout.
"Tomorrow's my turn then," Chifuyu remarked.
Shidou gulped deeply with fear. "… I'm gonna die…"
"You'll be fine!" Twoearl encouraged.
"Then you train with them!"
"Okay!" she cheered, Shidou just gaping in disbelief.
"… Crazy…"
Shidou sighed with exasperation as he sat on his bed before hearing a knock and sat up to see Karen wheeling into his room.
"B – Big Brother…?" she asked timidly in the doorway.
"What's up Karen?" he returned as he sat up and motioned her in.
"Are you okay…?" she questioned as she moved over to his bed.
"Yeah, why?"
With a heavy expression on her face, Karen explained, "You look tired, and the others have been dragging you around…"
Shidou looked at her in mild surprise before smiling and grabbing her, gently moving her from her chair to his bed, next to him. "It's okay."
"Are you sure…?" she returned as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Yeah. Don't worry."
"Okay…" she responded uncertainly.
"Are you okay?"
Frowning, she leaned up as best she could to look at Shidou. "There's all this crazy stuff going on and no one will explain it…"
"Ah, it's nothing for you to worry about."
"But I do! You're… you're my big brother! My only one. I don't want you get hurt…"
"I won't. I promise. There's just a lot of stuff going on, a lot of scary stuff. And I have to protect you from it." Patting her on the head with a smile, he added, "And if I got hurt, I wouldn't be around to play with you anymore."
Outside the room, Chifuyu and Reiri listened quietly.
"So, even like this he's still the same," Chifuyu remarked.
Nodding in agreement, Reiri added, "So it seems."
Sighing heavily with a scowl, Chifuyu thought aloud, "I wonder what Nayuta did to him…"
"I don't know. Maybe the next few days will show us."
"Right…"
"It's done!" Twoearl cheered the next morning.
"What is…?" Chifuyu questioned with trepidation.
"My secret underground base!"
"It's not much of a secret if you announce it like that," Kotori noted flatly.
"Well you're all the ones who need to know." She then turned to Shidou in realization. "Oh, Shidou, if you could, bring Miharu and Souji over too."
"Why…?"
"Since Souji is Tail Red she needs to know where it is."
"Right…"
"Now what?" Souji asked as she and Miharu stood in the home's kitchen, before Twoearl pushed a button, causing the fridge to descend into the floor and show a hidden door behind it. "Whoa!"
Reiri looked at her, irritated. "… You messed with the fridge…?"
"It was the perfect size and shape."
"You messed. With the fridge."
Twoearl waved her concerns away. "The fridge itself is fine, I just put it on a lift."
Reiri proceeded to grab the silver-haired woman by the collar. "You messed. With. The. Fridge. Do you have any idea how that will effect Shidou's cooking!?"
"I – It's fine on the inside, I assure you!" she coughed.
Shaking her angrily, Reiri shouted, "Still!"
"S – Sis! It's okay!" Shidou urged, pulling her away from Twoearl. "I – I'm sure everything inside is fine!"
"She. Messed. With. The. Fridge."
"L – Let's just head inside…"
The group all walked through the door and into an elevator that proceeded downward at high speed.
"… How far down does this thing go…?" Shidou questioned as it proceeded further and further.
"Hm… I'd say about two kilometers," Twoearl answered.
His jaw almost on the floor, Shidou shouted, "EH?! How'd you dig a hole that deep in one night? Why did you dig a hole that deep?!"
"Nanomachines and secret base," she answered plainly.
Shidou and the others just stared in disbelief before the elevator stopped with a ding.
"Ah, we're here."
"It's huge!" Aika exclaimed as the door opened to a huge room filled with panels, monitors, and more unknown devices scattered around the area.
"We are so moving here," Miharu declared bluntly.
"Eh?! Why!?" Souji shouted in disbelief.
"It's wonderful!"
"We have a h – you lost the house… didn't you…?"
Miharu stiffened before looking at the wall with a weak smile. "… I didn't say that…"
"… Why do you keep forgetting to pay the lease?!"
"Because I have more important things to spend money on," she answered firmly.
"Like what!?"
"You."
"… How?!"
"Your schooling and everything you need."
Twoearl clasped her hands with a smile. "Aw, how sweet! What a caring mom!"
Reiri sighed and redirected, "Moving on."
"Ah, right, right." Walking over to a set of cylinders with large reflective panels inside, Twoearl explained, "Here we have the matter transmitter. It can send you to any location anywhere on the world in a moment."
Reiri narrowed her eyes in thought. "Really now…?"
"Yes. I can't guarantee it'll send you where we want it to all of the time, but most of the time it will, and your clothes should be on you too, most of the time."
"I would hope so!" Shidou snapped.
"Yeah!" Kotori added, a tic mark popping on her forehead.
Twoearl, ignoring their comments, motioned to the series of large monitors. "We can observe everything going on in the battlefield with these monitors, which are linked up to all the spy satellites."
Reiri stared in bewilderment. "… How do you even have that?"
"Big Sis," Twoearl answered plainly.
"Of course…" Chifuyu sighed.
"Next, over here, we have the recuperation room, in case you ever get heavily injured or extremely exhausted. It'll rejuvenate you real quick!"
"I see…" Souji remarked in slight awe as she looked around.
"This is a lot of stuff. I guess to a degree it's reassuring to have this kind of back up," Shidou remarked in subdued gratitude.
Twoearl nodded with a smile. "I know, right?"
Annoyed, Aika asked, "This is becoming a pretty full-blown thing, just how many guys do these Ultimagil people have anyway?"
Twoearl shrugged in response. "The number is unclear, but if I had to guess I'd say somewhere between one hundred thousand and a million."
The others stared in shock before Aika howled, "You expect Shidou and Souji to fight them all?!"
"Not alone."
"Yeah, well who else can help?"
Concerned, Miharu questioned, "Twoearl, aren't there other Tail Gear candidates?"
Stiffening somewhat, Twoearl laughed weakly. "Well… there is one… but she's still under review, and she's a bit brutish."
Aika folded her arms in thought. "Really? Must be a real bitch."
The others just stared at her before Twoearl stated, "You said it, not me."
Aika raised an eyebrow as the others stared at her. "What? … Why is everyone looking at me?"
"No reason…" Souji muttered quietly.
Aika continued staring at them, perplexed, before her brow went flat in thought following a glare of recognition. "Seriously?! I'm not that mean!"
Frowning, Twoearl noted, "… You called me… that…"
The entire room went silent before Shidou moved things along. "M – Moving on…"
"Agreed…" Souji mumbled.
Suddenly, a loud alarm started blaring.
"Oh great…" Shidou groaned as Twoearl rushed to the large chair at the center of the room.
"We've get Elemelian activity in the city!" she exclaimed as a monitor showed several creatures attacking a large building.
"And I still don't have an IS… Great…"
Souji swiftly transformed into Tail Red and eased, "I can handle them for now."
"Right…" Shidou noted as Tail Red ran to the teleporter and vanished.
Later that day, Souji sighed as she sat on the sofa of Shidou's home. "That was easy."
"You're getting much better much faster than I did," Twoearl complimented.
As they spoke, Shidou sat nearby, his fists tense with frustration. "Why am I even here…?"
Chifuyu interjected, "Right now that's not what you need to worry about, it's my turn next."
"The point being?"
"It's time to go train you, my way."
Shidou just stared blankly before following Chifuyu to the underground training area once more.
"So this place again…"
"Yes. However, I highly doubt you're going to enjoy my methods as much as Reiri's."
"More dodgy training…"
"Reiri wants to train you on the intricacies of fighting, I intend to help you become strong enough that you don't need to do much fighting."
Shidou began to sweat in concern.
"I'll go easy on you. Twenty sit-ups, twenty push-ups, twenty squats, three chin-ups, and a two-kilometer run."
"That's going easy?!"
"You want me to add the weights already?"
Shidou just stared in disbelief.
"Thought so, now get to it."
"Eighteen… nineteen… twenty…!" Shidou gasped as he finished the last of his sit-ups and the exercise routine in general after nearly an hour. "There… done…"
"Good," Chifuyu remarked with a nod. "Now that you're warmed up, I'm going to solidify your sword training. So go get one out of the storage area."
"Right…" he sighed as he went over the large closet and started looking for a sword before he noticed something gleaming in the dim light, and looked up to see an angular, black and grey IS unit with red accents. Grabbing the long katana next to it, he looked at Chifuyu and questioned, "Hey, Sis, why is this IS stuffed in a closet?"
"Hm?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she walked in and saw the unit. "That old thing? It's called the Flying Swallow, it's one of the old Second Generation units, it was supplanted by the Uchigane. Why?"
"I need an IS. This is a free IS."
Chifuyu looked at him confused before shrugging. "You want to trust your life to this old unit, go ahead."
"Really?!" he asked with excitement.
"Don't blame me when it can't keep up, but you're more than welcome to take it."
"Thanks, Sis, now I can actually be of some use!"
Chifuyu furrowed her brow in confusion before shrugging. "Right… well, this trip is focused on using swords, and I don't have an IS to use, so we'll focus on using the IS some other time."
"Right."
"So grab a training sword and let's get started."
Shidou grabbed one of the wooden swords and approached her.
After nearly an hour of sparring and trying basic moves, Shidou sighed as he stood with his sword as a third leg.
Chifuyu nodded with approval. "It's good to see you haven't gotten too rusty. Though it's a mystery why you can't transfer these skills to hand-to-hand."
Shidou just stared at her, annoyed. "They're completely different."
"No, using a sword and a gun are completely different. Regardless, that's enough for now, so let's return home."
"Right…"
"Welcome back! Have fun!?" Twoearl cheered as the two returned.
"No," Shidou replied bluntly, "got an IS though."
That caught Reiri's attention. "Really? How?"
"He found it in a storage unit," Chifuyu explained.
Reiri raised an eyebrow in thought. "You mean one of those old Swallow units?"
"Yes."
"Hm… that's actually quite a good fit for him. Though we need to ensure it still works."
"But, tomorrow's my turn!" Twoearl cheered.
"A shame."
"Aw, why?" she pouted, Shidou and Reiri just staring at her. "What?"
"Nothing," Shidou remarked quietly, causing Twoearl to frown uncertainly.
Chifuyu then spoke up, "Ah, Shidou, you need to be sure to do those exercises every day."
"Yay…" he groaned before hearing the doorbell ring and opening it to see Miharu and Souji at the front door, carrying several boxes. "That was quick…"
"You were serious!?" Aika exclaimed as the two walked in.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Miharu retorted.
"You're actually moving into their house!?"
"Yep! Maybe even witness the conception of my grandchildren too!"
"M – Mom!" Souji stammered, her cheeks turning red.
"What?"
"There's no way you'll be there!"
Miharu gasped with excitement. "Whoa! So you do plan making grandbabies for me!"
Now Souji's entire face turned as red as her hair as she stammered and sputtered. "U – Um…"
Shidou just stared blankly in bewilderment. "I'm going to bed…"
"Take Souji with you!" Miharu cheered with a smile.
Shidou just walked away without another word.
Souji frowned in contention before turning to her mother with irritation. "Mom, you perverted idiot!"
Miharu's lips curled with a frown as Souji stomped away. "I was just trying to help…"
"Maybe pimping out your daughter isn't the best way," Aika retorted.
"But she wants him…"
"Maybe she's just not ready yet."
"I was her age when I met her father."
Aika just stared at her incredulously. "Seriously…?"
"Yep."
Sighing, Reiri interrupted, "I think that's enough crazy for now, just get your stuff where you plan on putting it."
"Okay!" Miharu cheered.
Shidou groaned as he entered his room and flopped onto his bed. "What a crazy week… So I guess I'm going on a date with Twoearl tomorrow… that should be interesting…" After a moment of thought, he nodded to himself and went to sleep.
Shidou sighed after finishing breakfast and prepared to head out. "I need a few things, so I'm – huh?" he stuttered as Twoearl suddenly walked up to him and grabbed his arm.
"Nah, ah, ah…" she chimed with a wag of her finger.
"Eh? What?"
"My. Date," she stated with emphasis.
"… R – Right…" he stuttered in concern.
"Don't you want to go on a date…?" she asked with worry.
"I – I do…"
"… You're worried I might do something…?" she questioned with a frown.
"No," he replied bluntly.
"Then why are you so apprehensive?"
"I just don't want to hurt you."
Twoearl blinked once, twice, and then tilted her head from one side to the other, thinking. "Why would you?"
He just stared silently.
Twoearl proceeded to wrap her arms around his left arm, burying his elbow in her cleavage. "Nothing you do could hurt me, Shidou."
"Ah…" he muttered with a combination of concern and embarrassment.
"So, want me to teach ya the basics or want to try what you've learned on me?"
"I'll try what I've learned."
Twoearl excitedly pumped a fist in the air with a grin. "Right! Then lead the way!"
'Okay… try to remember what Reine taught you…' Shidou muttered in his mind as he walked with Twoearl. 'Okay… take her somewhere to eat… something to do… but what does Twoearl like…? Action movies? Or fantasy? Maybe she's a gamer?' Glancing at her in thought as she looked around, Shidou just sighed. 'Okay, we'll go to the theatre and then I'll just try and watch her reactions. Best plan I can hope for.'
With that goal in mind, Shidou led the silver-haired beauty to a cinema and did his best to subtly watch her reactions to the various options.
Twoearl just hummed in thought as she looked around.
'Okay… I think she's spent the most time looking at… this one,' he noted in his mind as he picked a movie he recognized as some form of action-heavy sci-fi.
Next to him, Twoearl blinked before smiling. 'You pass.'
As the two sat in the cinema watching the movie, Shidou gulped slightly as he watched a scene of a monster attacking the pilot of a giant robot. 'This movie sure is bloody…' He glanced over and noticed Twoearl smiling as she watched it. 'Well she's enjoying it, so that's good.' He then offered her a piece of popcorn, Twoearl opening her mouth happily, though Shidou merely tossed it in, causing her to pout with a chuckle as she ate it.
"So, what do you think?" she asked, seeing the slight bewilderment on his face.
"About?"
"The movie."
"Oh… It's… interesting…"
"Good," she chirped before returning her attention to the film.
'I hope I'm doing okay…' he wondered anxiously as the film continued.
"Oh that was fun!" Twoearl cheered as the two left the cinema.
"Glad you enjoyed it," Shidou noted with a slightly tired sigh.
"Yup!"
"Let's get something to eat."
"Right!" she cheered with an energetic fist pump into the air.
'Where to eat…? Hinako's maybe? No… that might not work with Twoearl… Hm…'
"Ooh, this place looks nice!"
Shidou looked up in interest and quickly realized she was pointing at Hinako's. "… Sure."
"Yay!" she exclaimed as they walked in. "Wow, nice place."
"It is," he responded plainly.
The two were quickly greeted by Hinako herself. "Welcome to – oh my, Hida? Back, with another girl," she commented with a sly smirk. "You dog…"
"I know, right?" Twoearl teased with a smirk.
"Indeed. It's almost like he's building a harem."
Twoearl just waved a hand nonchalantly. "Nah. His sister is for him."
Hinako and Shidou both just stared in disbelief at her candidness. "… I was only joking…"
"I'm not," Twoearl responded bluntly.
"I see…" Hinako muttered as several expressions appeared and disappeared from her face before she finally settled on an intrigued smirk. "Well, I hope you enjoy your meal."
"Oh I will," Twoearl returned.
Shidou felt a shiver go down his spine as the two women spoke. '… I feel like I should be scared… Very scared…'
"So good…" Twoearl exclaimed as she ate the curry on her plate.
"Yeah, it is," Shidou responded as he ate a steak.
"Yours is better though."
"That's debatable."
"No, it's not," Twoearl replied with the most earnestly sober expression the teen had ever seen on her. "It's the best. You could probably get a job as a five-star chef."
"I highly doubt that, but thanks for the compliment." Twoearl watched Hinako nearby with a suspicious frown before turning to Shidou with her usual smile. "… Shidou, shouldn't we be going?"
"H – Huh? Oh sure."
Hinako pouted as the two paid and then left.
Outside, Shidou looked at Twoearl, slightly confused. "Why were you in such a hurry?"
"No reason," she chirped.
"I see…" With a heavy sigh, he lamented, "This date didn't turn out like I planned…"
"Oh? I really enjoyed it. You did well."
The teen turned to her with a grateful smile. "Thanks, I'm glad you did. I still think I could've done better."
"I don't think so. Given your level of experience I think you did really well," she offered before wrapping her arms around his right arm.
Shidou gulped as his arm was swallowed into her valley.
"Okay, Shi-Kun?"
"R – Right…"
"Well?" Reiri asked with curiosity as Shidou and Twoearl walked back into the house.
"It was great!" Twoearl cheered.
"Good. Very good indeed. Meet anyone new?"
Twoearl answered with a shake of her head. "Not anyone new, no."
"I see. Disappointing," Reiri lamented. "If not new, then who was it?"
"The owner of that restaurant. Hinako."
Reiri twitched an eyebrow before sighing.
"Something wrong, Sis?" Shidou asked.
Sighing, Reiri explained, "Hinako. She's not dangerous, but she is a rather… frustrating, shall we say, individual."
Chifuyu added bluntly, "Kotori standard is more mature then her."
"Wow…" Shidou mumbled in disbelief.
Reiri continued, "She doesn't actively try to hurt anyone, but she also enjoys pranks that can go a little too far."
Chifuyu nodded in agreement. "Main reason she doesn't work on Little Garden and all."
Shidou began to feel a sense of foreboding. "Ah… So… Why does she want me?"
"She probably thinks getting close to you would get us to let her back in."
"Ah… why was she kicked out?"
"Because of her pranks."
"Were they really that bad?"
"You don't want to know…" Reiri groaned.
"Ah…"
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room before Shidou decided to break it.
"A – Anyway… how about my IS?"
Reiri folded her arms in consideration. "Tomorrow is a weekend, so we should be able to spend the day getting you used to it."
"Cool." After a moment, Shidou looked around the room in confusion. "Hey, where's Kotori?"
"Not sure," Chifuyu responded bluntly.
"Probably trying to get ready," Reiri explained.
Shidou tilted his head in confusion. "Eh?"
"Did you forget?"
"Oh. The date. Is she really that nervous?"
"How would we know?" Chifuyu retorted.
"Right… anything else?"
"Do your training yet?"
Shidou winced and fell silent.
"Go."
Shidou defeatedly dragged himself out.
After completing his circuit of exercises in the small park nearby, Shidou flopped against a tree, tired. "Done… So… tired… Need… sleep…" He swiftly fell asleep against the tree.
What felt like mere moments later, he awoke and noticed a warm, soft sensation against the back of his head. Opening his eyes, he saw Reine's face above him. "… Eh?" he muttered before realizing he was laying in her lap.
"Sleep well…?" she asked in her seemingly normal sleepy tone, though she looked somewhat more rested than before.
His face turning red, he nodded slowly. "Y – Yes, thank you…"
"Good…"
"S – So, what are you doing here…?"
"Taking care of you…"
"A – Ah… not what I meant, but… thank you."
"Is something wrong…?"
"… It's nothing…"
"Just tell me who the problem is and I will make them go away…"
"… Th – That's really not necessary…"
"I see… I understand."
Shidou breathed a sigh of relief in response. "Anyway, shouldn't you be on the Foxyinu?"
Reine's lips curled down slightly in a frown. "… Do you want me to leave…?"
Shidou immediately sat up with a firm denial, "No, not at all! I just know you have a job there. I think."
"They will survive without me."
"Kotori is their boss," he deadpanned.
"… The might survive without me…"
"… Right…"
"Did you have your date with her?"
"Yeah."
"Was it pleasant?"
"It was… different."
"I see…" she noted with a frown, causing Shidou to panic.
"N – Not bad, not bad!"
"Good…" she answered, her expression softening.
After a rather pregnant silence, Shidou spoke up with a question. "Hey, um, can I ask you something…?"
"Yes," she replied with a nod.
"Why do you care so much about me?"
Reine remained silent for several moments as her face subtly shifted with thought.
After a lengthy pause, Shidou interjected, "Reine?"
"Yes?" she replied, her face still somewhat caught in uncertainty.
"If you don't want to tell me, it's okay. I was just curious."
"It's not that… It's something you'd not understand yet…"
"I see?" he responded, somewhat perplexed. "If you say so."
"Good…"
"… Can I ask you something else?"
She merely nodded.
"… Who's Shinji…?"
Reine remained silent for a moment, thinking. "… Someone close to a lot of people… Including Nayu…"
"I see… wait, Nayu?"
At that moment Reiri showed up, interrupting the conversation. "There you are. I've been looking for you Shidou."
"H – Huh?" he stuttered as he turned to her.
"You've been gone for almost three hours."
"… Eh?!" he gasped before turning to Reine in shock. "Why'd you let me sleep so long?!"
"You looked peaceful."
Shidou just stared at her as Reiri sighed.
"What?"
"Shidou, home," Reiri ordered.
"R – Right!" the teen stammered before sprinting away, leaving Reine with a pout.
"… Mean…"
"What are you doing here?" Reiri interrogated.
"Bismarck can handle commanding Fraxinus. I'm not needed much."
"I see," Reiri answered suspiciously before a man in a suit, or rather, the corpse of a man in a suit, slumped over from behind the tree with a large hole in his chest. "That explains a lot."
Reine merely nodded. "He was trying to take Shin. I stopped him. Hard."
Reiri narrowed her eyes in thought. "I see… Does he work for…?"
"No, he works for DEM."
"I see."
"They are a threat to Shin. Nayu isn't."
Reiri merely huffed with a shrug. "That's debatable, but okay."
"… You shouldn't hate her."
Not acknowledging her statement, Reiri urged, "You can go back to the Fraxinus or with me to our house, but either way I'm heading home."
"Right…"
"That was irresponsible!" Karen chided Shidou loudly.
"Eh?" Shidou muttered.
"Being gone that long, and making us worry!"
"… I'm sorry…"
Karen shook back in her chair somewhat, surprised at the response. "… O – Okay, as long as you understand, Big Brother."
"Okay…? Anyway, have you seen Kotori yet? I'm getting kinda worried."
"No."
"I see…"
Reiri walked in with Reine, somewhat confused, before they all heard loud banging nearby.
"What was that?"
"Nothing important," Karen argued. "So why don't we go out, Big Brother?"
"You mean on the date tomorrow? But it's Kotori's turn."
Reiri narrowed her eyes in thought.
Karen frowned slightly in thought. "Not today?"
"No, it's tomorrow."
"Ah…" Karen remarked before turning to the side with a frown, whispering, "Darn, I acted too quickly…"
"You say something?" Shidou questioned curiously.
Turning back to him with a bright smile, Karen answered, "No, nothing at all, Big Brother," before she noticed Reiri approaching the home's hallway closet.
As she opened it, Kotori, tied up with a rope and a bandage around her mouth flopped out, growling.
Karen gasped in shock. "Oh no! Kotori messed with Big Sis Chifuyu's liquor again!"
Kotori muffled and growled in response, though unable to really speak.
"You should stop doing that," Reiri chided.
"HHMM!"
"I'm going to untie you, but then you need to go apologize to Chifuyu."
Kotori twitched an eyebrow as she looked at Karen, though Shidou sighed in exasperation and relief. "Well at least the issue isn't you being nervous."
"Yeah," Karen added with a nod.
Kotori just continued to glare before Reiri ripped the bandage off. "Yowch! Be gentle! Besides, it wasn't Sis, it was Karen!"
"Huh?"
"Seriously?" Shidou asked in disbelief.
"I heard a wheelchair moving and then, BAM! Frying pan against my head!"
Reiri sighed as she folded her arms. "If you're going to pass blame, at least make it believable."
"It's true!"
"Right…" Shidou muttered incredulously, Karen beside him looking as innocent as ever.
Kotori just gaped in disbelief.
"Well?" Reiri urged.
"… I'm sorry…"
"Good."
Shidou sighed as the event continued.
Later that night, Shidou sat in his room looking over Flying Swallow, folded up in the corner of his room. "Wonder what it can do… Maybe I can get out without them noticing." After a moment of thought he quickly equipped the unit and proceeded to slowly move his way through the house. "Okay so far…" However, he was stopped when he rounded a corner and saw Reine standing in the hallway.
"What are you doing?"
"Uh… going out for a walk?"
"In a full IS unit?"
"… Yes. Got to get used to it. Right?"
"I see." After a moment of quiet, Reine merely walked away.
'Good… she bought it. Now to get out of here.'
Shidou sighed in relief as he made his way into the city's park. "Okay, didn't get spotted by anybody. Now to get this working… Let's see if I can draw the sword first…" With a swing of his arm, a long, curved katana with portions sticking off the back appeared. "Good… Now to try and get used to movement… Shouldn't be hard." He proceeded to practice several swings and maneuvers with the sword. "So far so good. Now… to see if it can still fly…" After a moment of standing still, he frowned in thought. "… How do I make it fly…?"
"Jump and then angle your feet downwards," Origami explained, suddenly standing beside him.
"Oh, tha – kya!" he shrieked as he jumped in shock as he noticed her. "O – Origami!? How long have you been there!?"
"A little bit."
"… How long is a little bit…?"
"Since you got here."
"… A bit creepy, but okay… Anyway… that's how I get it to fly?"
"Yes. You need to angle your feet after the jump or you'll slam into the dirt."
"Okay. Like this?" Shidou asked as he made a small hop and then pointed his feet down, causing him to instantly shoot straight up into the air uncontrollably before his flailing aimed him back down and he slammed into the ground, hard. "… Ow…"
"I forgot to mention, how far down you point your feet determines the power of the thrust."
"That's an important detail to miss…" he groaned as he lifted his head from the dirt. Sighing, he stood up and tried again, just barely angling his feet down, resulting in him unsteadily floating in the air. "… Well this is," he stopped as he stumbled but managed to right himself before he could slam into the ground again, "is an improvement… I think. That said… I'd best keep practicing…"
"Yes."
Managed to land himself without too much trouble, he sighed before looking at Origami. "This is much harder than I expected. How do you do it?"
Origami merely tilted her head in confusion.
"Using these things," he explained, motioning to the armor on his body.
"I trained."
"… That's not… oh forget it."
"Want help?"
"Yes."
Nodding, Origami quickly summoned her IS, the same armor she had worn before.
"Beautiful…"
"What?" she asked, having not heard him.
"N – Nothing."
"Okay? Just copy me."
"Right…"
After a period of time working with Origami, Shidou stood in the air, hovering comfortably, occasionally wobbling but righting himself swiftly. "I… I think I'm getting the hang of this…"
"Yes. Now try some swings," Origami suggested, at which point Shidou swung his sword a few times, knocking himself off-balance and nearly causing him to spin into the ground, though Origami flew over and managed to catch him, stopping him from falling.
"… Thanks…" he answered, embarrassed, before his face turned red as he felt a soft pressure against his arm. "Soft…"
Origami merely looked at him curiously, tilting her head in thought.
Feeling his face heat up even more, Shidou quickly put distance between himself and Origami. "… S – Sorry…"
"For what?"
Shidou stared at her in disbelief.
"Shall we continue?" she asked, redirecting the conversation.
"Sure…" he answered, uncertain of how her mind worked.
Shidou slumped on a bench with a groan after deactivating his unit. "Well that was fun…"
Origami, showing no signs of fatigue at all, nodded in agreement, a minute smile on her face, almost imperceptible had Shidou not been as close as he was. "We should do this again."
"Right. Now… I should probably get home…" he muttered, both in truth and in an effort to exit the awkward situation. As he began to leave, Origami called out to him once more. "Y – Yes?"
"Please… don't help the Spirits…"
"Even though they need it?"
Origami just silently stared, a frown subtly on her lips.
"Anyway, why are you so determined to just kill them?"
"They do nothing but kill people. When the First Spirit did nothing but appear, it killed millions of people, and each time a Spirit appears in our world, it endangers the lives of innocent civilians."
"And? The Nova seem way worse to me."
"We're trying to wipe them out too."
"Have you ever thought of asking the Spirits for aid? Seems to me Spirits can be reasoned with. Nova can't. Or does your personal hatred of them blind you to that option? And if so, if it came to it, you'd probable kill me if it meant killing a Spirit."
Origami winced but remained silent, causing Shidou to frown in disappointment.
"I feared as much…"
"No," she suddenly answered firmly.
"Huh?"
"I wouldn't hurt you to get to a Spirit. I would find a way around you."
Shidou frowned again, this time frustrated rather than disappointed. "… And if there wasn't one?"
"I hope I don't have to make that decision."
"Because you'd take the shot and kill me."
"Not if I can avoid it."
"Best way would be not to kill them."
"I can't do that."
"And why is that?" Shidou questioned, starting to grow further incensed.
"They need to pay…"
"Did your family's death hurt that much?"
Origami stared at him with subdued shock before quickly returning to her normal expression. "… I don't see how it wouldn't."
"… I see… What would happen if you or I somehow became one?"
Origami went completely silent, as if her mind had completely shut down.
"… Origami?"
"I don't…"
"Don't what?"
"… I need to go," she urged before turning and leaving.
"Why?" he called out before sighing as she was out of earshot. "Another failed attempt… just great… At least it can't get any worse…"
The area was suddenly shaken by a larger and powerful explosion, and Shidou turned to see a massive black space quake erupt at the school.
"… Oh goddammit!" he cursed before running off towards the explosion.
As he approached the school itself, he noticed a faint purple light shining from within one of the shattered windows. "… Crap… is it her…?" Sprinting close, and as he expected, he saw the black-haired, armor-clad girl at the center of the explosion, moving towards one of the classrooms. After taking a moment to think the situation over he approached her. "You okay?"
She turned to him, startled.
"What's wrong?" he asked, keeping a neutral expression as he thought, 'I don't care how dangerous it's going to be… I don't want to see her make that expression again.'
"What are you doing here…?" she asked suspiciously.
"I… I saw the light from your appearance." Their admittedly short conversation was interrupted when Shidou's phone began to ring and he reached for it, causing the armored girl to narrow her eyes and raise her sword defensively. "I – It's not a weapon, calm down, please."
Looking at the small, strange device, she nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on him as she lowered her sword.
"Hello?"
"Ah, Shidou, perfect timing," Kotori, on the other end, speaking in her black ribbon persona, retorted.
"Kotori, right now isn't a good time."
"Now is the best time, since you're in conversation with Princess."
"I'd say worst."
"Oh don't be like that. We've got our team of experts ready to guide you through the right choices!"
"This isn't a game!" Shidou shouted angrily. "And don't even think of saying life is one!"
"Tch, well do you think you can win her heart on your own? You may have been training the past week, but I can't vouch for the usefulness of most of it in regard to subduing Spirits."
The armored girl narrowed her eyes and moved closer to try and hear the conversation.
Shidou began to sweat as he worried what Kotori might say next. "Um, I need to go. Bye."
Kotori twitched an eyebrow as the call ended. "… He hung up on me."
And there you have it! Another chapter down for Armored Spirits. Hopefully you all enjoyed it, be sure to leave a review if you did. If you were confused, unsure, or simply have questions on anything, leave a review letting me know and in the next reviewer responses, whenever that may be, I will answer your concerns. If you did not enjoy the chapter, review if you must, but having a coherent understanding of the English language and a point would be helpful. Anyway, until I am done with my hiatus, this is me, signing off.