We meet again people! Here I bring you the next chapter of this crossover, and just after the first episode of "Date a Live IV" was released. I guess the trend of really long chapters continues… I honestly thought that this chapter wasn't going to end up that long. You could say that, when a reached a certain part of the chapter, my hands moved on their own and by the end of it the word count was already off the charts.

Now then, speaking about this chapter, it has two well-defined parts, but I think that cutting them might not be the best since the second part is hinted at throughout the first part. The first part is more akin to the "Date a Live" standard, that is, a lot of dialogue, dates, and not that much action. The other changes its approach radically and takes a more "Fate" approach. After a brief introduction, the action will be non-stop. You'll notice it pretty quickly.

This chapter will basically close both Kurumi and Mayuri's arcs, completing their character development, and leave the stage prepared for the final arc.

And to answer a question I got in the reviews, and I couldn't answer through PM, I can't add the characters from the videogames as the story is reaching its conclusion. However, I don't discard writing omakes about that after the story is finished. I have planned to write that special chapter with all the cast meeting with the cast of my other stories of F/GO as a way to close this one and give rise to the next… if I have free time or I don't die.

Without further ado, let the chapter begin!

Disclaimer: I don't own any right Type-Moon, the Fate franchise, or Date a Live.


"Ah… Even if Muku has been right there for an eternity, the beauty of the starry night is still unparalleled…"

"Yeah… Even with all the light pollution in this age, stargazing is the best option when I want to clear my mind…"

The hero and the spirit who fell from the cosmos because of love observed the night sky from the roof of the Itsuka residence in comfortable silence. They were holding hands, and a smile was visible on their faces.

It has been barely two days since her powers were sealed, but her reintegration into society was pretty smooth, and she was getting along with the other spirits. Her way of speaking like a true chunnibyou was still there, but that was a minor issue compared to her former condition.

Now, the question was, why did she arrange this meeting? Not that he disliked it, but he thought that she wanted to talk about something in private.

"Hey, Nushi-sama…" And as if on clue, she turned to look at him. "Muku's hair… would you aid trimming it?"

"Eh?" That took him by surprise. Of all the words that could have come out of her lips, he never expected those. "Are you sure? Wasn't your hair your most precious treasure?"

"That fact remains unchanged." There was a tinge of sorrow in her smile for a moment, but she continued to speak with renewed resolution. "However, Muku's new family shall have an even more special place in her heart, and Muku rather wishes for a novel guise. Needless to say, Nushi-sama has to be the one to trim it."

Shidou could just smile at her and pat her head fondly, causing her to emit a purr much like a cat.

"Very well then. Even if I'm used to cutting things, hair is not one of those. But I'll manage something."

This was her determination to leave her past behind and move forward, even if it was painful. And it was his duty to guide her and make sure she didn't regret it.

"Fumu, just as Muku foretold. When Muku is close to Nushi-sama, Muku feels her heart rate increase."

After saying that to herself, she quickly crossed the distance and pressed her lips against Shidou. It was so sudden that his eyes nearly rolled behind, and the way she licked her lips once the kiss was broken didn't help.

"Huh? Wh-what?"

"Isn't this kind of physical intercourse expected amongst family, Nushi-sama?"

Those words caused the memories from two nights ago to resurface, and he had to push them back to avoid becoming a flustered mess. He still couldn't believe he had it in him to do… that.

Whether it was due to the hormones or a natural disposition that he never knew of, the fact that he could remain composed during that night was a mystery.

"We-well, I don't think that would apply to… any family besides ours, but I would be lying if I said that kissing is a strange thing for us…"

Mukuro enjoyed every moment of his cute reaction with an even wider smile on her face.

Now she knew why everyone called him dense. He might have thought that her attempt to become his lover was her way to get him to accept her, but that wasn't entirely true. She wasn't lying when she said that he stole her heart.

"At any rate. Should we get down to it?"

"Aye. Muku will be in your care."

He took her hand like a knight would do with a princess, and the two descended to his room.


She was never a girl that knew about the difficulties of life. As someone born in a financially well-positioned family, she never needed to worry about what she was going to eat or how she was going to make ends meet, so she was able to enjoy regular student life, with a few luxuries even.

But perhaps, it was due to that lack of worries and concerns in her life that she was able to see those of the people that weren't that lucky. Whether it was on the TV, or in the same streets of the city she lived in, she was able to see the misery of those who had lost everything or didn't have anything from the beginning.

That caused an oppressing feeling to grow steadily in her heart. It was a dream that everyone thought, for everyone to be happy. But just like everyone else, she couldn't really do anything about it. She was, after all, just a regular girl that had been lucky in life.

However, unlike all those nameless masses that could look away from that misery and mind their own business, she couldn't. Deep in her heart, she wished her situation changed. That she awakened some mystical power that has been hidden in her body all this time or perhaps being hit by a random magical staff that appointed her as its master and told her to go hunting some random cards.

Maybe she read too many shojo mangas, all of them recommended by her best friend Sawa, but she knew that kind of thing was just delusional. She would most likely continue her regular life as an Ojou-sama of the high society, without ever accomplishing those daydreams.

But as fate might have it, such a situation actually happened. It wasn't an experience as pleasant as she imagined it though, as a monster made out of flames almost turned her into charcoal, but it was the day in which her life changed completely, nonetheless.

Her savior, a girl that didn't seem to be much older than her and whose beauty could mesmerize any person, landed in front of her and apologized for letting her see such a monstrosity.

And after that, she pronounced the words that she had been waiting to hear all her life.

"My name is Takamiya Mio, and I'm an ally of justice. Now tell me, would you like to have the power to aid me in my quest to protect humanity from these evil spirits?"

At that moment, Tokisaki Kurumi accepted the deal without making any questions and finally gained the power to fight to protect the weak.


"How are you feeling, Artemisia. Do you still experience dizziness periodically?"

"No, I'm feeling better today." Artemisia answered Reine's question with a sheepish smile. "I think I'll be able to walk around just fine."

"I see… You should continue to rest for some days just in case… What about your memories though?"

"I think I remember everything… and I can't believe I did all those things. I don't know how to apologize for all the trouble I caused… And now I feel bad for those times I tried to kill a spirit without asking questions even before I was abducted…"

The grievance on her face was so genuine that Reine didn't know how to respond as she leaned back on her chair.

"What's done is done." Fortunately, the golden girl took things where she left them. "The fabricated lie that portrays the 'spirits' as otherworldly calamities has been around for so long that changing it will be complicated. And judging by what you said, you made the correct choice."

"Yeah. I don't know when I will be able to assist you guys, but I'm willing to fight that demon alongside you. Even if it's just making sure you and Itsuka Shidou can fight it without no one intervening."

"Hmm… well, that thing as a servant was the weakest. Even a well-prepared modern magus would be able to defeat it. However, after being fused with the Greater Grail and turning it into a gate to literal hell, dealing with him can be bothersome. Its ability to kill humans is only surpassed by the Beast of Calamity or extraterrestrial beings."

Artemisia swallowed a lump in her throat, feeling a little bit dizzy after processing that bit of info.

"He never told me what he planned to do with it… Perhaps he was already planning to ditch me… or something worse."

"Well, I doubt he will try something like Gil did before getting here. He would need to feed it with several servants, and in the remote case he finds a leyline enough powerful to activate the Grail in its full capacity, betting all on his odds to win a Holy Grail War is absurd…"

Mana started to mumble to herself as she thought about the possible ways in which Westcott could use Angra Mainyu to his benefit. The only people that knew about the presence of that thing in this timeline were the three women in the room and Shidou since they didn't want to make the spirits freak out unnecessarily.

The reason why Gilgamesh and King of Fakers' souls reached this timeline now wasn't a mystery. The demon, in its desperate attempt to reincarnate with the energy of all the servants the Grail retrieved, used the Grail's capacity to punch a hole in the fabrics of space. The fabrics of the space were already weakened due to Gilgamesh using Ea at its maximum output, but instead of a gate to the root, the destination was completely random.

Now though, if the Counter Force was triggered, it was because the presence of the demon would actually have a huge impact on the timeline. And the Takamiya siblings, the humans chosen to be the vessels of the envoys of the Counter Force, most likely would have gotten involved with that mess even without their interference.

"…?" The dead silence in the room was interrupted when Mana's smartphone rang.

Her eyebrows twitched as she saw Kotori's name on the screen, remembering what happened a few days ago, but she took it quickly.

"What's up, Kotori?"

"Mana, is Reine with you!?"

"Yes… We are here checking Artemisia's condition." The golden started to get worried upon hearing Kotori's uneasy voice.

Reine and Artemisia couldn't hear what Kotori told her next, but judging by how her red eyes widened in absolute surprise, it must have been something really concerning.

"WHAT!? We'll be there in a moment!"


A few minutes before…

"Ohh! When did you get your hair cut, Mukuro!?"

"It really suits you… Mukuro-san…"

"Aaahh~ My heart can't resist so much cuteness…"

"Your position as the cute little girl of the group is in danger, Yosshi!"

Mukuro fidgeted with her fingers embarrassed as the spirits complimented her new look. Her Odango hairstyle was kept, but now her golden hair only reached the middle section of her back, with two tresses resting over her shoulder.

"Muku doesn't think she deserves your good words. Nushi-sama should get all the credit." Her ear-to-ear grin betrayed her words, but that managed to get the attention to focus on another one.

"Onii-chan, since when do you know how to cut a girl's hair that well?"

Shidou gave his sister a deadpan look. "Since you forced me to learn how to take care of a female wig."

"Oh, right… I almost forgot that was a thing…"

"Well, we should get to breakfast, or else it will get cold!"

Everyone giggled at Tohka's capability to change the subject to one about food, and breakfast at the Itsuka Residence started as always.

With one more mouth to feed though, the time Shidou required to prepare all the food increased even further. More so today that Miku and Nia joined them for some reason they didn't want to share. The part of him that wasn't used to not worrying about their finances suffered every time he went to the supermarket.

And after the events of some days ago, he appreciated these peaceful and endearing moments even more. He was starting to miss the pervert female samurai, his lost twin sister, and the quiet girl that was surely waiting for him to go save her.

He could just pray nothing happened to her while they finished the preparations for the assault. Things were getting derailed due to the huge hit Asgard Electronics suffered after losing one of its most important bases, but Kotori said Woodman wouldn't take long to give go-ahead.

"Hmm… There's definitely something different about those two…"

Unbeknownst to him, the two unexpected guests were whispering things among them while throwing looks at him and Tohka.

"Yeah… Tohka-chan seems even livelier than usual, and Shidou-kun no longer gives off the essence of a man who hasn't laid a finger on a woman in all his life…"

Perhaps the other girls with innocent minds weren't able to tell that a girl and a boy with bodies filled to the brim with hormones, and obvious feelings for each other, sleeping in the same room could only lead to one possible outcome.

"Do you think they actually did that?"

"I don't know, but the thought of Darling finally graduating from his virginity after an entire life makes my heart race. We are finally making progress. It's a pity I couldn't be the first, but at least I was the first to confess my feelings."

"We should ask him directly. His face's going to be a sight to behold."

"Tsk." The sound of someone clicking their tongue, accompanied by a murderous aura, made their conversation end prematurely.

"She got ahead of me again… I didn't think the advantage of being alongside him from the start in this timeline too would be so huge…" Origami's expression was a mixture of anger and sadness. She seemed like she was about to cry, but then her blue eyes were suddenly filled with determination. "I need to be more aggressive like Tamamo-san. I should go buy some preservatives…"

"Wow, Oririn is pulling out all the stops!"

"Fufufu~ The harem plan is becoming real."

"Wh-wh-what are you guys talking about!?" A Kaguya that was sitting not that far from them was blushing so hard that it seemed she would faint at any second.

"Pity. You're so innocent, Kaguya… You are going to get behind if you don't take the offensive." Yuzuru besides her gave her a really mischievous smile.

"He-hey, don't go pretending you're an expert regarding those things! I saw the things you did in your room while replaying the tantric ritual scenes over and over!"

"Confusion. I don't know what you can possibly mean by that. There's nothing weird in those scenes."

"Hey, Yoshino, do you know what they are talking about?" Natsumi asked her best friend, but Yoshino was too flustered to answer. Instead, she brought Yoshinon close to her ear.

Natsumi didn't have time to admire how she managed to make it really feel like the puppet was whispering to her ear as her face quickly matched Yoshino's.

"Wh-what!?"

"I see. Fumu, Muku is delighted to see that her efforts helped Nushi-sama to evolve as a person."

"And why do you keep calling him Nushi-sama!?"

And such was the situation when Shidou finally returned to reality. Most of the girls were blushing, and the other half were throwing looks at him with mischievous smiles, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing. We are just happy to see you finally became a man, Darling~"

Some of them busted out laughing when Shidou blushed and suddenly found his breakfast interesting. While Tohka by his side didn't catch the meaning behind Miku's words and just kept eating her breakfast, his sister, even with the white ribbons, did notice it.

"Onii-chan, what does she mean by that?"

Shidou couldn't tell whether she was really that innocent, or she wanted to embarrass him even more.

"You're too young to understand that Kotori…"

"Eeeeeeh? Why?"

It was just a fraction, but he finally caught her sadistic smile as she questioned further. Fortunately, he was saved by the bell, quite literally. But that brought an entirely different problem…

"Who in the world is ringing the doorbell at this hour?" Kotori asked annoyed.

"I'll go." Shidou immediately offered himself to check it so he could get out of that situation.

As he approached the door though, the feeling of a bad omen started to grow in the back of his head. There shouldn't be any danger as Mana's bounded field wasn't triggered, but he found himself readying Kanshou and Bakuya's blueprints as he opened the door.

"Huh!?" However, all the tension faded away instantly when the person on the other side of the door literally fell on him. "Are you alright-"

He helped the girl recover her balance, and when he was able to get a closer look at her, his eyes widened in surprise. That blonde hair with a side ponytail and those red eyes were unmistakable.

"Mayuri!?" He had to suppress all the questions he had as he noticed her erratic breath and all the sweat covering her body. She seemed to be in a fever, something that shouldn't be possible for a genuine spirit.

"Ma…" She weakly raised her head to say something in a faint voice. "Magical energy…"

That explained her condition to some degree. After several days of having to rely only on her own reserves, she was finally reaching her limit and her body desperately sought magical energy. However, she didn't seem like she was about to fade away any time soon. There must have been something else going on here.

"Shidou, who is- Mayuri!?"

The girls walked out of the living room since she was taking a long, and their faces were filled with surprise as well.

"Kotori, call Mana or Reine!" He immediately sprung into action. He could leave the girl in his arms in that state for too long.

"On it!" His sister quickly changed to her "Commander mode" and pulled out her phone.

Meanwhile, he bit his finger with enough force to draw blood, much to the dismay of the spirits, and he proceeded to introduce the blood-soaked finger into Mayuri's mouth.

She swallowed the blood swiftly, and her condition seemed to improve visibly. She wasn't a vampiric being, so she couldn't absorb all the magical energy in the blood, but the blood of a demi-servant contained more than enough for her to stabilize.

She still fell unconscious once all the tension left her body, worrying everyone even more.

Mana and Reine didn't take long to arrive and take her to Fraxinus, promising to keep them informed about her condition while they were at school.

Artemisia could just blink like an owl as Mana and Reine returned to the infirmary, the former carrying a fellow blonde girl she recognized. She dropped Mayuri on the bed besides Artemisia's, and the two drove it inside the scanner.

"That's the pure spirit? What happened to her?" The former DEM wizard asked with curiosity.

"We don't know but given that she had been kidnapped by that lowlife, it can't be good." Mana answered her question as Reine turned on the scanner and began checking the spirit's condition.

"She was kidnapped by Westcott? When?" Artemisia made a confused face

"So he just threw you under the bus without even telling you why… That just makes it more evident he was already counting on the fact that we were going to capture you. At any rate. This situation has "TRAP" written all over it. Why would he let go of a hostage just like that?"

"This is…" Reine finally spoke with an uneasy voice. "There's something in her body… I can't tell what it is, but for some reason, it is functioning as an anchor so that her body doesn't disappear even without a bond to someone on this plane… Perhaps it also caused her fever when she was low on magical energy? It doesn't seem to be actively causing damage to her body, but it gives me bad vibes…"

Mana opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out of her mouth as she looked at the screen. Artemisia was surprised to see how her eyes slowly widened as if she had realized something really horrible, but it was quickly replaced by a neutral expression.

"I see. That bastard has a weird fetish of messing with the bodies of girls…"

Artemisia could tell those red eyes saw something she and Reine weren't able to, but she refrained from pointing it out. She, or the heroic spirit within her, must have their reasons.

"We should let her rest and wait to see what happens."

And judging by the way Reine didn't question her decision, she must have reached the same conclusion.


"Huh?" Shidou found himself letting a surprised voice for the second time the moment he entered his classroom.

Even with Mayuri's incident, they managed to arrive at the school a little before the bell rang, so the classroom wasn't full yet. However, a particular desk that had been empty for several months, was now occupied by a girl that hid her left eye behind her bangs.

"Ara ara. Is it really that surprising to see me here, Shidou-san?" Tokisaki Kurumi, dressed in a school uniform, revealed an amused smile as she rose to meet the approaching Shidou. Tohka and Origami followed closely, ready to attack the 'Worst Spirit' at any time.

"What brings you here, Kurumi. Couldn't resist your desire to see me?"

"That is one of the reasons, my partner in crime. But would you believe me if I said that I just want to enjoy the experience of a regular school life that I was never able to finish?"

"Hmph, if you wanted to do that you could have done it earlier. Just like last time, you must have something in mind if you came to face me directly."

"I didn't know you observed me so much, Shidou-san. There's no point in hiding it, but this is not the place to talk about that matter. I assure you though, if I wanted to cause trouble, I would have already spread my City of Devouring Time and had all my clones point guns at all the students' heads."

"And force a situation in which I'm forced to kill you? Heh, now I see. You want to finish school so you can finally get your comedy doctorate."

Kurumi giggled at his joke. "Fufufu. How cruel of you to mock the honest wishes of an innocent maiden like me."

"If you truly want to enjoy a regular life, you wouldn't have rejected my offer so vehemently." Shidou decided to stop beating around the bush. "Or is it that you had a change of heart?"

"Sure, I don't mind Shidou-san sealing my power."

"Wat?" The trio in front of her widened their eyes for a moment. "Really? You don't have any condition?"

"Of course. But we should discuss it after school. The bell is about to ring." After saying that, Kurumi took a seat again with the dignity of an Ojou-sama.

Shidou squinted as he observed her for a moment. On a surface level, she seemed the same as always. Acting like a refined woman of high society with some sarcastic streaks that revealed the twisted personality she acquired after killing thousands of people.

But something was off. She obviously had some sort of plan, but this seemed… rushed.

He let lessons pass by, his mind completely focused on the sudden appearance of Kurumi and Mayuri's strange condition. The timing was so convoluted that it was hard to write it off as a coincidence, but he doubted Kurumi knew about Mayuri's situation.

In that case, did Westcott catch wind of Kurumi's plan and decide to drop Mayuri on them like a bomb to complicate things further? And if that was the case, in what way would that work so that it outweighed keeping her as a hostage?

So many questions and so few answers. At least, he was going to have Kotori and Reine's help during the confrontation since Mayuri's condition didn't get worse. Knowing the emotions of the opponent during negotiations was a huge advantage.

The bell rang signaling the end of the last lesson of the day, and Shidou saw Kurumi walk out of the classroom immediately. He waited a moment, and when the students started to leave the room without anything happening like last time, he turned to look at Tohka and Origami.

"You guys should go home while I deal with Kurumi. I don't think it will take too long."

The two girls immediately threw concerned looks at him. "Are you sure you don't want us near in case she tries something funny, Shidou-kun?"

Well, it wasn't that he didn't want their help. It was more like he wanted them at home in case DEM was the one to try something funny. With the help of the bounded fields, repelling an attack should be even easy.

"I think she's more than aware that she can't defeat me in a direct confrontation. And what kind of date would it be if I bring you guys along?"

While Tohka actually gave it some thought, Origami chuckled a little. "I guess in that case I can only wish you luck."

"Oh, yeah! Conquer her Shidou!"

Tohka's words caused the students that were still in the classroom to throw questioning looks at them. Some of them even contained ill intent as whispers started to spread.

"I'll be going then…" Shidou quickly walked out of the room to avoid an incoming headache.

"Go for it, tiger!"

"Sending off. You got this, Shidou."

The Yamai sisters waiting for him at the door to wish him luck as if he were walking into a boxing ring didn't help in the matter.

As if she wanted to recall that day in which… things escalated really quickly, they were going to meet on the rooftop. Just like that day, she was waiting for him in the middle of the rooftop with her hands behind her and a polite smile on her face.

"Ara. You actually bothered to comply with my request. Thank you, Shidou-san. But I can't help but notice how have you changed." Seeing his raised eyebrow, she elaborated on her observation. "That day eight months ago, you entered this place with a stoic face and ready for a battle. Now though, you come here with a confident smile like a full-fledged gallant that comes to steal the heart of a maiden."

A small giggle escaped his lips. "I guess that's to be expected after all those "battles" I've experienced. But you didn't make me come here to rememorate how us both and my sister tried to kill each other, right?"

"Hey, you don't have to remind me of that!" Kotori shout in his ear while Kurumi chuckled at that.

"I'll go straight to the point then. I want the spiritual energy stored in your body, and you want to seal mine, or in other words, give up on my objective and start living a regular life. Our objectives are mutually exclusive as you can see. Since you sealed Mukuro-san's power recently, I thought this was a good time to have this conversation."

"Then I assume you want to propose a solution for this stalemate."

"That is correct. A way to settle this that I think it fits well with your preferences. A simple dispute. The first to fall in love with the other loses."

He blinked a couple of times while processing her proposal, and he could just raise an eyebrow when he understood the implications.

"Do you really think I'll fall for you so easily?"

"Yes, I am confident that I can make Shidou-san give out his power willingly. Even give his life I daresay. Isn't it the same with you? Don't you have the confidence to make me choose you over my heart?"

The boy didn't answer immediately. More than considering the bet itself, he was trying to discern the reason why Kurumi was resorting to this.

She said she was confident, but she couldn't fool him. Her charade may have been almost perfect, but the fact that she kept her hands hidden behind her and the subtle trembling of her arms gave away that she was fidgeting with her fingers.

"Shidou, you aren't seriously considering her proposal, are you?"

"Why not?" He answered with a whisper, even if the girl in front of him was aware of it. "Do you think I'll lose?"

"Well, betting on you not falling in love is the same as going all-in with an ace poker in hand… But still… she wouldn't say that if she didn't have a trump card to cling to. How are her readings, Reine?"

"It's as she said. She's confident, but I would say not to the same degree as eight months ago… She's tense for some reason. Whatever she has prepared, it is not going to guarantee her victory."

"Just as I thought… This must be her last bullet. I say we go with it."

"Very well, we'll bet on your massive density. She won't achieve what we haven't in almost a year."

"Hey…"

"Have you decided already, Shidou-san?" Kurumi's sweet voice made him look at her again.

"Yes, I'll play along with this." The confident smile returned to his face. "I've already made a younger version of you choose me, a few more corpses won't make a difference."

"Fufufu, very well. As you guys say, let our date begin!"


With the confrontation against Kurumi established, Kotori decided to have a tactical reunion with everyone that night to discuss possible strategies.

Even if Shidou couldn't lose, he still needed to win by making Kurumi fall in love.

All the spirits, plus Mana and Reine, were reunited in the common room of the department of the spirits. Even Mayuri, who had finally woken up, decided to assist.

"… and that's the situation. Any question?"

Kotori finished surmising the result of his encounter with Kurumi, and the reactions of those who weren't present were more carefree than he thought. Most of them said something like "Nah, Shidou-kun's victory is assured", or "Yeah, that's a safe bet."

He could just sweat imagining the image they had of him.

"Now then, with that settled, there's a matter I would want to address." Kotori's red eyes drifted to the blonde girl that had been clinging to Shidou's arm since she arrived. "Now that you're feeling well, would you tell us what happened before you arrived here, Mayuri?"

The face she made before speaking was complicated, to say the least. "Well… I really can't remember it. I know that man has done something to me after she trapped me in that pocket dimension, but my mind goes blank whenever I try to remember it. The last thing I remember clearly is waking up in one of the abandoned buildings at the border of the city, and I made my way here as I could…"

While the girls now made concerned faces, Shidou turned to look at his biological sister. "A memory-erasing spell?"

"If that's the case, I couldn't find any traces of it. Even if it isn't full amnesia, I would say that whatever that lowlife did to her, it traumatized her so much that her brain is repressing those memories."

"We-well, apparently, now I only need a minimum of magical energy to remain in this plane!" She tried to appease the situation, but that just increased their suspicion.

"That must be just a side effect of the real thing. For the time being, you should be always accompanied by one of us just in case. The same goes for everyone. Try to go always in pairs if you go out of one of my bounded fields."

Everyone nodded to Mana's suggestion. Not only DEM, but Kurumi might try to take one of them as a hostage.

"Now, speaking of Kurumi, before we discuss strategies, we should discuss that objective she mentioned. The reason why she wants the power stored in Shidou's body basically. Someone's got an idea?"

"Well, isn't it natural for someone to pursue becoming the strongest?"

"Sigh. Dealing with her would be easy if she were as simpleminded as you."

"Hey, don't make me sound stupid."

"Clarifying. I didn't say it is a bad thing. In fact, it's part of Kaguya's charm."

"Putting aside Kaguyan's cuteness…" Nia's voice cut the discussion between the twins, making Kaguya blush embarrassed. "I might have something related to that. You see, some days before my Sephira Crystal was stolen, Kurumin barged into my house."

"WHAT!? Why didn't you mention that before!?"

"Did she try to do something to you!?"

"How did you come out alive!?"

"I-it's not like I didn't want to share it!" She tried to defuse the situation after being bombarded with questions. "I was bedridden shortly after that, and then we were thrown into that twisted Shimousa! Can you blame me if that slipped my mind!?"

"You have a point… What happened then?"

As Mana was the one asking, she didn't beat around the bush with one of her jokes.

"After checking her powers and realizing how busted is she, I decided to just comply with whatever she requested. To my surprise though, she wanted me to give her information about the Spirit of Origin that was born 30 years ago. But just like what happened when I tried to research "Phantom", the only thing I was able to get from her was the time and place she was born. Kurumin then asked about methods to defeat her, but when Rasiel started showing things like Excalibur, Ea, or your Unlimited Blade Works, she left with a sad face."

"I see… that's in line with that time she asked me what would happen if she traveled back in time and changed an important event."

A dead silence followed Shidou's words, making him realize that he never mentioned that either.

"When did that happen!?"

"She didn't ask me technically, but to the other me that traveled back in time to save Origami's parents. I couldn't see her expression when I told her that it wouldn't affect her present, but I would bet it was the same when she realized that she couldn't defeat the Spirit of Origin on her own."

"In that case, we just have to put two and two together and we have her objective. She wants Nii-chan's energy to travel 30 years in the past to kill the Spirit of Origin shortly after the moment she was born. The question now is, why?"

Reine was already expecting a glance from Mana as they talked about this issue. However, she felt a shiver running down her spine upon noticing another look pointed at her.

When she turned around, she was met by Mayuri's red eyes. Her face was set in her usual stoic, but the moment she noticed Reine returning the glance, a sly smile made its way to her lips as she clung to Shidou even more.

"We can only speculate, but I'd say she's really determined to achieve that goal." Origami spoke with narrowed eyes as she delved into the memories of her other self. "She was willing to accept my request of traveling to the past just to check how that bullet worked. And now she's resorting to this…"

"We should leave that for Shidou to ask her directly." Kotori spoke before the conversation got derailed. "Now, of the phew people that have had the chance to interact with her, someone's got a clue on her tastes?"

"Aside from having her head patted, I don't know what to say? Perhaps something that fits the Ojou-sama stereotype?"

"That's not a whole lot, and you're the one that has interacted with her the most…"

"I would say she likes shojo mangas!" Nia suddenly cut in, causing everyone to shoot blank stares at her.

"Aside from how in the world would that help in this matter, what is your base?"

Nia made a "tch tch" sound as she shook her index finger. "You can't underestimate the intuition of a mangaka. Besides, when I met her, I remember she referred to Shidou-kun as her partner in crime, so I would say she has the memories of her other self teaming up with Shidou-kun in high regard. She must have loved working with a husbando to solve a convoluted plot like a shojo protagonist."

"Yeah, but unless something like our adventure in Shimousa happens again, I can't use something like that."

"Ah…" All the emotion bled out of her face as Shidou's words sunk into her.

"She likes cats." The sudden voice beside him almost made him jump off his seat.

"Eh? Mayuri? How can you know that?" Kotori made the question in everyone's mind.

"I don't know. It just… popped in my head?"

Shidou caressed his chin as he thought about it. Perhaps she got that random trait from Kurumi just as she obtained knowledge from the other people whose energy was used to create her? It was quite farfetched, but it was the only thing that came to mind.

"I think that would actually fit her judging by the way she purred when I patted her head… Well done, Mayuri."

He patted her head, causing her to close her eyes and smile in delight.

The reunion continued for another hour with everyone suggesting strategies. The most popular of course was reaching her heart with his food, and he could get some tips on how to treat an Ojou-sama from Miku. She herself tends to act like that when he isn't around.

And certainly, he didn't miss the looks that Mana was throwing at Mayuri. She was clingier than usual, but that was still within an understandable margin. However, he would keep an eye on her just in case.


"Hehehe…" The next day in the morning, Shidou couldn't help but let out a wicked laugh as he finished the final touches of his secret weapon. The culmination of yesterday's reunion.

The bento was finally completed, and he carefully covered it with a thematic wrapper.

He even skipped his morning routine to make sure he finished everything in time, but now he would have to wait around half an hour until everyone arrived for breakfast. So he found himself sitting on the couch and turning on the TV to watch a random news channel.

They were talking about the incident at Tengu Tower. The "gas leak" that caused an explosion with enough force to break the crystals, but fortunately there were no casualties.

Yeah, covering that up had been a huge headache. They not only had to modify the memories of all the witnesses, but they had to eliminate all the picks and videos on the internet.

"Continuing with today's news, reports of missing persons continue to increase."

"Huh!? What the!?" That header immediately caught his attention.

"The local police department of Tengu City continues investigations, but no results yet. According to the commissioner, no signs of violence were found in any of the victims' houses, and all their belongings like mobile phones or wallets were there. It's as if they had been swallowed by the earth…"

The rest of the caster's speech consisted of random theories that could explain the incident. Aliens abducting them, a government conspiracy, reptilians, that kind of paranoia.

Shidou stopped paying attention to it as he pulled out his cell to check the internet.

The news regarding missing people started just a couple of days ago, and the victim count had already climbed to 300. Not only that, but the victims didn't all live in the same sector of the city.

All those facts made him discard his one and only suspect. He'd already seen how Kurumi's City of Devouring Time worked, and the time it took to suck people's lifeforce was proportional to the number of targets. And on top of that, she had to deploy it in a radius around her.

And it left dried-up corpses, but her clones could have handled the clean-up. However, he doubted she could have killed so many people so quickly.

The only way to know for sure though was to confront her directly.

"'morning, Onii-chan…" Kotori's drowsy voice brought him back to reality.

"Breakfast is all ready on the table. You can grab a bite whenever you want."

He kept the information to himself as everyone arrived to have breakfast. They had seen already enough death in Shimousa, knowing that people were dying in the place they left wouldn't do them any good.

He didn't have time to dwell on it either, as he found another surprise waiting at the other side of the door when he was about to head to the school, much like yesterday.

"Wow! Someone's eager to start, huh?"

"Well, is it too much to ask you to walk with me to the school, Shidou-san?"

Kurumi showed him her trademark innocent smile, making her really seem a regular schoolgirl. And Shidou smiled back at her as he intertwined his arm with hers, accepting her challenge.

"Let's get going, everyone."

The two started to walk like an actual couple, with Kurumi clinging to him in a way that put on edge all the other girls accompanying them.

While Tohka was oddly calmer than the other, Origami and Yuzuru seemed ready to jump at Kurumi's neck at any time, and Kaguya was making a pretty cute pout. The cheeky smile she threw at them wasn't helping.

"Kuh… I never got to walk to the school with Shidou like that…" Kaguya lamented her lack of forthcoming as she saw them. All those days she ran to the school with her sister because she was too embarrassed to do that.

But those thoughts were pushed into the back of her mind as a chill ran down her spine. She turned her head slightly, and the sight that was awaiting her caused her face to lose its colors.

Mayuri was glaring daggers at Kurumi's back, and her stoic face wasn't the same as always. In fact, Kaguya recognized it. It was the same one Shidou wore when he was about to destroy an enemy in the most efficient way.

"Ma-Mayuri?"

The moment her name escaped Kaguya's lips, she returned to her usual self and the murderous aura faded.

"Is something the matter, Kaguya?"

"N-no, nothing." She shook her head as she slowly picked up her pace to make as much distance as possible between the two.

"Soooo, have you checked the news lately?" Meanwhile, Shidou decided to test the waters with a subtle question.

"Of course, I'm aware of everything that happens around you, Shidou. Even the assault at that secluded island before you guys parted to space and the kidnapping of your friend there."

Well, her statement wasn't entirely correct. There was no way she could know about their little trip to the Shimousa during the Tokugawa reign. But most importantly, she either misunderstood the true meaning behind his question, or she swiftly deflected it.

"What about those 300 people or so that went missing in a couple of days?" He was more direct this time.

"Ara? Pointing fingers already, Shidou-san? That's a no-no if you want me to fall for you."

"I'm not accusing you, Kurumi. I'm just asking if you know something about those incidents. Weren't you so proud of your information network?"

"Well…" Oddly enough, she adverted her gaze for the first time. "…even I can miss a couple of details from time to time…"

That answer was vague if anything. Hers was still the only name on his suspect list, and that wasn't helping. However, there were going to be more chances to get information from her during their "duel".

The group finally arrived at school, and hardly anything worth mentioning during the first periods.

Mayuri had to justify her absence with a random illness, which wasn't that far from reality, and rumors about the missing people were already spreading. Every student that missed lessons during these days was labeled as one of the victims, and even Mayuri had been on that list until she showed up.

The usual whispers and paranoia in a high school. However, he was inclined to think that at least one or two of the students that didn't attend class today were actually missing. No one he knew personally though, but that was to be expected given how narrow is that list.

Once the bell signaling lunchtime rang, Shidou approached Kurumi with his secret weapon at hand. And apparently, she had the same idea as she pulled out another bento.

The two paused for a moment to observe the other. None of them lost their confidence, and they could even say that the other was smiling inwardly. Shidou's prowess in the kitchen was almost public knowledge, but Kurumi herself had her own pride as a chef.

The people around them could even see the sparks flying between their glances.

"Oh my, great minds think alike, wouldn't you agree, Shidou-san?"

"So it would seem. Where do you want to have lunch, Kurumi?"

"I'd prefer a secluded place, like the rooftop. In fact, that could be considered our private place after all that happened."

"Very well. Ladies first."

Ignoring the curious glances sent in their way, the two walked out of the classroom. However, Kurumi couldn't ignore the resigned faces of the three girls joining tables to have lunch together.

Or more exactly, she had the feeling that she was going to die just before she turned around. Which one of them produced that kind of killing intent was lost to her, but she decided to make an arrangement.

"You can bring your friends, too, Shidou-san. The more the merrier, no?"

He could just raise an eyebrow at her sudden decision, but it didn't take him long to make a gesture to let them know they could come, and they gladly accepted. The Yamai sisters joined them, too, making the perfect picture of the main cast from a slice-of-life anime eating on the rooftop.

The two opponents sat side by side, with their bentos resting on their laps, while the others observed from a safe distance. The duel they were already witnessing wasn't like anything they've seen so far.

What Shidou saw when Kurumi opened her bento could only be described as standard. However, that didn't mean that it was bad.

It might look like the typical bento sold in your average supermarket, but he couldn't see any flaw in it. Everything was meticulously cooked so that it looked delicious, and it smelled quite good.

"Not bad at all, Kurumi. Who would have said the "Worst spirit" would be good at cooking." He found himself admitting it in all honestly.

"Fufufu. I have to eat like a regular person, you know? And I prefer homemade food to precooked. At any rate, won't you show me yours?"

"Of course." Shidou showed her a smile as he opened his bento.

It was his turn to attack.

"Mukyu!?" Kurumi let out a muffled sound upon seeing the content of his bento.

One could say his bento was even simpler than hers since the only thing it contained was rice balls. However, it was a bento specifically designed to attack Kurumi's tastes.

All the rice balls had different shapes, all of them resembling kitties.

"What is it, Kurumi? Cat got your tongue?"

"I-I just thought you brought a really cute bento, that's it!" Kurumi forced herself to look away from the bento.

How in the world was he able to uncover her weakness for cats? That question was plaguing her mind to the point that she lost sight of the reality around her for a moment.

"Want to taste a one?"

Shidou's tempting offer brought her back to reality, and it took all her willpower to not answer immediately with a flat 'yes'. It would be her loss if she lost her cool like that.

"As delicious as your bento looks, it would be improper to eat from your bento without giving anything in return."

"What about we exchange them?" Shidou kept on the offensive, using all his willpower to hide his mischievous smile.

"That would be lovely. Here you go, Shidou-san."

That was actually part of Kurumi's plan, too, so she immediately accepted and the two started eating.

Tohka, Origami, and the Yamai sisters held their breath as the real duel started in front of them. Both combatants swallowed swiftly the food that the other prepared while doing their best to not let their delight show on their faces.

While it was Kurumi's first time tasting Shidou's cuisine, and she was having some trouble shrugging off the combination of cute appearance and exquisite, Shidou wasn't faring much better.

After observing all those dates from afar, Kurumi came to the realization that Shidou's tastes didn't match his cooking skills. For someone who was able to eat such delicious food every day, his tastes were more in line with someone who was used to eating whatever he could, and even whenever he could.

Therefore, she was confident that her cuisine would impress him even if it didn't surpass his. But their stubbornness was on equal foot too, with neither of them willing to give up, so she would need more firepower to tip the balance in her favor.

He was already finishing her bento, so it was now or never.

Kurumi stretched her arm and stabbed with her chopsticks a piece of fried egg from her bento and offered it to the golden-eyed boy.

"Shidou-san, say 'Aaahh'~"

"Oh, thanks!"

The boy accepted her offering without a second thought. It was better to not give it too much though and started feeling embarrassed by the situation. However, that was just the first part of Kurumi's attack.

"Oh my, you have some egg on the corner of your mouth. Allow me to clean it for you."

"No, you don't ha-"

Shidou was already reaching for a handkerchief when he noticed something soft and sticky on his cheek. When he turned his eyes to look at it, he realized Kurumi's face was dangerously close to his, and that she was licking his cheek. It was almost like a kiss.

His heart skipped a beat as he tilted his head back to gain some distance. She caught him off guard with such a bold offensive.

"Fufufu, did that shake your heart, Shidou-san?"

"No, I'm just a little surprised. Now, it's my turn to feed you, Kurumi."

Kurumi smiled with confidence as she saw Shidou stab the last rice ball. It really seemed a desperate counterattack to stabilize things.

However, she never noticed how he discretely poured magical energy into the rice ball before offering it, and that was the cause of her defeat.

"Mmm!?"

Shidou didn't even bother to hide the mischievous grin forming on his face as he saw Kurumi's eyes widening in utter disbelief and ecstasy.

The seemingly desperate counterattack turned out to be one that had been thoroughly prepared since this morning. It was the reason he spent all the morning preparing that bento. He for once went serious at it and poured every ounce of his cooking skills into that bento so it tasted sublime without having to rely on reinforcement.

And now that she became used to that level and dropped her guard, the reinforced rice ball caused an explosion of flavor the moment it touched her tongue.

Kurumi lost consciousness for a moment as her body reflexively leaned backward, and even some tears of joy slid down her cheeks.

Once she got a hold of herself, she tried to chew it slowly, but not only she did suffer another attack when the contents inside the rice ball came out, her body refused to swallow it. Her body and mind were defeated with that single attack, giving up completely as she released moans of pleasure.

However, her heart refused to give up on her dream. After a Herculean effort, she finally swallowed the heavenly peace of food in his mouth. By the end of it, she was struggling to catch her breath, as if she had just run a marathon.

"What's the matter, Kurumi? Did that touch a cord?"

She barely had any strength to answer Shidou throwing her words back at her. "I admit that one was… extraordinarily delicious… It's a pity that was the last one…"

"Yeah. I'm finished over here, so I guess this concludes our little duel."

"Fufufu."

"Hehehe."

With the adrenaline leaving their system, they started laughing wholeheartedly. Now they really did seem like a couple, but the good atmosphere was interrupted by some worried faces.

"He-hey, Mayuri!? Is everything fine?" Kaguya almost had a heart attack when the blonde spirit suddenly collapsed on her.

"Worried. She's sweating so much that her uniform is starting to get drenched."

"Those are the same symptoms as yesterday!"

"But didn't Reine say that she was stable!?"

At that moment, Shidou forgot completely about Kurumi as his body moved on its own. He was already biting his finger to draw blood, and Mayuri practically jumped at him like a shark attracted by the blood.

"Mu!?"

"Wh-what!?"

"Embarrassment. That…"

All the girls in the vicinity, and even Shidou, could only stare dumbfounded at the… suggestive way Mayuri was sucking the blood from his finger. She even started releasing some moans that got Shidou blushing.

Her condition quickly improved when her magical energy reserves were filled again, but this time, she didn't fall unconscious. In fact, Kurumi blinked a couple of times when she send her a smug smile as if to say that she achieved what she couldn't.

Her eyebrows pursed in frustration, but that said had been so fleeting that she couldn't be sure if it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her.

However, that only reinforced a thought that crossed her head. She almost lost in this direct confrontation on his terms. If she truly wanted to win, she would have to go with everything on equal ground. That is to say…

"Hey, Shidou-san, are you free tomorrow after school?"

He opened his mouth to reply but closed it as he quickly caught her intention. "Actually, no. I'm planning to invite a girl on a date that day."

He smiled at her and stretched his arm to her. "Would you go on a date with me tomorrow after school, Kurumi?"

"Ara, ara." The girl giggled at that. Even if he stole her offensive, she was good with it. "I'll gladly assist to that date."

And with that, the final showdown had a date.


"Thank you all for coming here once again." Kotori spoke up when she saw that every one of the girls she summoned to this emergency meeting at the apartment for spirits. "Is everyone aware of the recent development on Shidou's confrontation with Kurumi?"

After a round of nods, the commander got straight to the point. "Based on what I heard from the witnesses and the data collected by Reine, the conclusion we reached is that things aren't going to be as easy as we expected for tomorrow's date."

"Really?" Nia couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "Do you really think Kurumin has any chance against the incarnation of density?"

"Yeah, I find it hard to believe that Darling can fall in love that easily." Miku joined her in disbelief.

"I thought the same, but the numbers don't lie. His heart rate had some dangerous peaks during the confrontation, and from what Origami, Tohka, Kaguya, and Yuzuru said, the most likely cause behind that are Kurumi's straightforward attacks as a coquettish, mature Onee-sama. That is the only generic profile that Shidou had yet to face, so he doesn't have any defenses against it."

"Bu-but I'm a coquettish, mature Onee-sama!"

"Me, too!"

Every person in the room threw a blank stare at the mangaka and the idol, and Mana was the one to voice everyone's thoughts.

"The only requirement for that profile you two fit is being older than him, physically that is. 'sides, it's no wonder that Nii-chan's defenses are that low at this point. If that weren't the case, he would still be trying to deny reality."

"Well, yeah…" That was an argument none of them could deny.

"Then, what's the plan? We don't have too much time."

Kotori nodded at Tohka's question. "There's a reason why I made sure Shidou stayed out of this meeting. It's a simple plan. We just have to replicate the same attacks Kurumi is going to use so that Shidou gains resistance to them. In other words, we have to act as his Onee-samas for the rest of the day."

"But, Kotori-san…" Yoshino raised her hand timidly, her face still filled with concern. "Most of the people here… won't look the part…"

"That can be easily arranged, right, Natsumi?"

The little girl let out a screech when she suddenly found herself as the center of attention, but she quickly pulled herself together.

"Well, if everyone has a solid image of how they want to look like…"

"Then it's settled. You'll have ten minutes to think about your strategy. We'll start immediately once everyone is ready… Oh, what is it, Artemisia?"

Said blonde girl had her arm raised for quite a while. "Sooo… what do I have to do with this?"

"Isn't it obvious? You are a couple of years older than Shidou, and he has yet to know your real personality without that spell messing up your brain. If anything, you're our greatest asset for this operation."

"I-I know I said I was eager to help you guys, but this isn't quite what I had in mind…"

"You'll have to get used." Mana patted her on the back while giving a mischievous smile. "This is how we do things here."


"Hmm… I guess I should start with dinner…" Shidou whispered to himself as he descended from his room.

He had heard a lot of footsteps entering the house, so they must have finished that meeting Kotori banned him from assisting for some reason.

It would help him clear his mind from all the stuff going on lately. Kurumi's date, the missing people, and now Mayuri's sudden aggressive behavior. As she put it, she was born to love him, and he didn't have qualms with it. But she has always been reserved regarding her feelings. Now, however, she was even more aggressive than Origami when her other personality took control.

Perhaps she always had that on her and now whatever Westcott has done to her unleashed it?

That train of thought was completely derailed when he entered the living room and saw someone already in the kitchen. It was almost like a reminiscence of what happened recently, but this time what made him have a bad feeling wasn't his sister's strange behavior, at least not entirely.

It was her body. Never mind that she was wearing only an apron. She was taller than usual, and her body's curves were definitely more defined.

And there was another girl with a similar body besides her… also dressed in just an apron. And to make things worse, her aquamarine, wavy hair, and the rabbit puppet in her hand, made it quite obvious who she was.

"Kotori and… Yoshino? What in the world is happening here?"

His voice startled them, but they immediately turned around and gave him their best seductive smile… or at least they tried. Their faces were so flustered that it was hard to tell.

"Wh-what is it, Shidou? Yo-you were fascinated by the body of your Onee-sama? I-it can't be helped. You're a boy in that age after all."

"He-hello, Shidou-san…Yo-you don't have to worry about dinner, mo-mommy here will have it ready soon!"

Shidou blinked once, then twice, then several times. But the bizarre image in front of him wasn't replaced by the ceiling of his room. This didn't seem to be some kind of weird dream.

"Is there some kind of explanation behind this?" He ended up asking after accepting reality.

"This is your emergency training before your date tomorrow. If your heart rate remains too high for more than ten seconds, you'll be punished. For starters, I guess we can reveal Shiori's true identity…"

"What? Why-"

"C'mon, Darling, you just have to relax and enjoy yourself."

"Yeah, you're about to enter the paradise dreamt by every teenager in this world."

Now he was the one who was startled when some soft things were pressed against his back. A quick look at both sides revealed that they were Miku, wearing something akin to the dresses she used on the stage, but with a lot of see-through parts like the dress of a certain emperor, and Nia, who wore like a biker, most likely a cosplay from her own manga. And for some reason, Nia had now a pair of "assets" on par with Miku's, which looked really out of place on her.

It took a lot of willpower to keep his primal urges in check and prevent a huge nosebleed, but this was just the first part of the challenge.

"You better be ready, Shidou- no, Itsuka-kun! Our lesson is about to begin!"

He turned his neck to look in the direction that voice came, even if he knew that it wasn't a good idea. And as expected, the sigh caused him to almost choke with his own saliva.

Standing there was a 20-year-old Tohka dressed in a typical teacher's formal attire that was accentuating her curves. That short skirt and those tights weren't leaving much to the imagination. And on top of that, she had put on light makeup for the first time and was wearing fake glasses.

"I have to go to the bathroom for a moment!"

He had to turn off his brain for a moment so that he didn't start to get flashbacks of his "experience" a couple of days ago. And his body chose the safest option, a tactical retreat before his "blade" literally tore a hole through his pants to say hi.

"Eh? But I didn't do anything of what you guys told me?"

Leaving behind a confused Tohka and a myriad of amused laughs, the golden-eyed boy shamelessly made a run for the bathroom.

He then discovered that the laughs were because he ran straight into a trap.

"Ara?" The moment he opened the door, he was met by the sigh of a gorgeous body that seemed to be straight out of a model magazine, barely covered by a wet towel.

The attack was so effective that his arm didn't obey his command to close the door as he was too mesmerized looking at Natsumi's adult body.

"Oh my, did you come here to see Onee-chan's naked body, Shidou-kun? Too bad you are a little late. Or perhaps you actually timed it to have the pleasure of taking off my towel yourself. You're such a naughty boy. But Onee-chan doesn't mind if it's you."

The sexy adult Natsumi tilted her body forward, leaving her "assents" hanging in front of him.

The only thing that prevented him from doing something that he would regret later was that in some part of his remaining consciousness, he was still aware of Natsumi's real age.

"So-sorry!" His body finally reacted, and he slammed the door closed.

He needed a place to hide and relieve himself somehow before the hormones could take control. His first option, his room, his sanctuary, was completely discarded as there were a pair of sentinels guarding the stairs.

"Kukuku, what's the matter, Shidou? You don't look so well. Should I check your condition?"

"Alternative. If you prefer, you can let Yuzuru give you a nice massage."

Both sisters had their bodies turned into adult ones, too. Kaguya was barely wearing a doctor's gown and was carrying an endoscope, while Yuzuru was wearing a sexy nurse cosplay. To their credit, they were hiding their embarrassment quite well.

The main door then. Never mind any kind of training for tomorrow's date. His mental health came first.

Shidou didn't even bother to put on his shoes, opting to trace a pair since it was faster, and shouldered the door as if he were barging into the house instead of leaving it. But in his declining mental state, the possibility that there was another trap prepared in that escape route never crossed his mind.

As a result, he ended up stumbling with someone, his head sinking into another of those big, softs things. Fortunately, the girl in question held her ground and they didn't become a mess of limbs on the ground.

"Oh my, Nushi-sama's boldness knows no bounds I see." That chunnybio speech helped him recognize her before he even raised his head.

He just got a glimpse of her before her hands pulled him against her chest, but that was more than enough to cause a critical hit on his brain. Aside from having her body turned into the one of an adult like the others, Mukuro was wearing a kimono. But it wasn't just any kimono. It left her shoulders exposed, and that was more than enough to highlight her already attractive body.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Some of his stress was released alongside that shout of effort he let out while pulling his head from her chest.

But as he backpedaled and regained his balance, his hand ended up landing on yet another soft surface. It not only made him realize he was surrounded, but he found himself unable to do the math.

He knew there were only a couple of girls he had yet to meet, but none of them had such large "assets", and these ones didn't seem disproportionate. Just who was there…

"Err… I guess this is when I scream… Kyaaah!?"

The way she tried to make it sound like she wasn't embarrassed at all and failed miserably was really cute, but it was her identity and the way she was dressed that blew his mind.

"Artemisia!? What are you doing dressed like that!?"

The wizard that tried to kill them not that long ago, was now dressed like a classic French maid in front of his house. Yeah, she was no longer under a mind control spell, but that didn't explain this!

"Artemisia-san here mustered her courage to help you in your conquest. You have to answer her determination appropriately, Goshujin-sama."

Shidou's already ruined mind was almost shattered when an Origami with an adult body, and using Tamamo-no-mae's attire, including the fox ears, hugged his other arm.

"Should we continue where we left last time, Go-shu-jin-sa-ma~"

Those sweet words whispered into his ear almost broke him, and as a final attack, a Mayuri dressed in a regal bride dress joined Mukuro for a frontal assault.

However, there was something wrong there that activated Shidou's instincts. It was for just a moment, but he saw Mayuri giving Artemisia and Origami a really scary look, and there was even some killing intent there.

It was so ephemeral as she was looking at him blushing and with a timid smile at the next moment, but that slight moment was enough for him. Hormones, feelings he couldn't comprehend, everything was completely crushed in an instant as he quickly shifted to his battle mode for a moment.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH! ENOUGH ALREADY! HANIEL!"

Haniel Muramasa was projected into his hands, and he immediately dispelled all the effects of the original on everyone's body.

There was no dinner that night. It was a much more effective punishment than any kind of lecture.

While Kotori insisted that they achieved good results with this emergency training, none of them thought it was worth the punishment.


"Yo, Kurumi."

The girl who was pretending to not have noticed Shidou approaching her from the entrance to the school turned around and gave him her usual polite smile.

"Ara. You seem to be quite eager, Shidou-san."

"Well, who wouldn't be when they are about to go on a date with a beautiful girl like you?"

Inwardly though, Kurumi couldn't help but notice that the boy in front of him seemed even more confident than before. Aside from the way he ignored all the whispers around them, which contained a few embarrassing nicknames like "transfer student hunter" or "lady-killer", she couldn't see any opening she could exploit.

"Fufufu. You flatter me, Shidou-san. Now then, I have a place I want to go."

"Is that so?" That hardly surprised him. "That is actually convenient. I too have a place I want to bring you, and I'm sure it's the same you have in mind."

"Interesting. Very well then, I'll be in your care then, Shidou-san. Lead the way and let's see to what answer do you arrive."

"Leave it to me."

Kurumi's cold hand met Shidou's warm one, and the two started walking without missing a beat.

Shidou decided to be the one making the decisions on this date, not because he was still upset about yesterday, but because he for once had a solid strategy in mind. It was the culmination of all his experience going on dates, and also, that bit Nia said during the strategic meeting.

"We're here."

Kurumi observed the building in front of them and couldn't help but laugh.

It was a certain lingerie shop near the Tenguu Station and the Ocean Park. The place they visited during their first date due to one of the absurd choices proposed by MARIA.

Nia said that Kurumi seemed to hold dear the memories she made alongside him, and after reminiscing, he had to agree with her. Even in the other timeline, in which Origami was also involved, making it a mess of a triple date, Kurumi seemed to have enjoyed those moments.

"Fufufu. Does Shidou-san want to see my body almost naked that bad?"

"No, I just thought you probably wanted to continue where we left before things went south. Am I correct?"

"Yes, you hit the spot, Shidou-san. The fact that you brought me to the same place you brought me that time makes me happy. I always wondered what that Kurumi thought during that date."

Right, the Kurumi of that date was a clone that was killed later by Mana. However, that played in his favor, as she wanted to reenact that date so this time the memories were firsthand.

"Are you sure you want to follow the same route that allowed me to conquer your younger self?"

"That will just make things more interesting. I can't wait to see who will fall."

With that said, the two entered the shop without hesitation. Kurumi got ahead of him, walking straight into the section that had most alluring lingerie, and twirled around to face him.

"Will you choose one for me, Shidou-san?" She asked while spreading her arms as if all the clothes around her were lethal weapons.

And in a sense, they were. Shidou had the feeling that no matter what he chose, resisting the sight was going to be a challenge. So, this time, he didn't take long to pick one.

"Why of course. What about this one?"

"Hmm…" Kurumi inspected the set he gave her, searching for the reason behind the choice. But aside from the low level of exposure, she couldn't figure it out. "Very well. Wait here for a moment, would you?"

After minutes that felt like hours, the curtain of the changing room was pulled back, and Shidou felt the hit immediately, quite hard. However, yesterday's crash course served its purpose, allowing him to resist it to some extent.

"What do you think, Shidou-san? Does it fit me?"

"Yes, that pure white underwear fits you surprisingly well. To a terrifying extent, I might add."

Those words he blurted out while still pulling himself together managed to put a sincere smile on her face. She had to agree with his observation. This color was always associated with purity, so it shouldn't fit a murderer like her at all. But it suited her porcelain skin to a T, giving her a more regal look.

"I'll take this one then. You can have this, Shidou."

She tossed something to Shidou as she went back into the changing room. His eyes went wide upon realizing that it was actually the underwear she had been wearing until now.

"Huh? Why are you giving me this!?"

"Since this is a special occasion, wouldn't it be fitting that I wear the lingerie you chose for me? By the way, I don't mind if Shidou-san smells them or even eats them."

"What- No!"

Kurumi's laugh resounded throughout the place as Shidou pretended to not have heard that and no one was giving him weird looks.

The rest of the date proceeded in a similar way. Kurumi went with everything, attacking Shidou's hormones with her mature charm, but she was met with really tough resistance.

Drinking from the same glass with intertwined straws, watching a film while sitting on his lap, having him teach her how to throw a bowling ball by graving her arms so she could press her body against his. She tried everything. But much to her growing frustration, aside from blush and some funny reactions, nothing was working.

The sun was already set when they ended up sitting on a bank in a nearby park. A place that brought unsavory memories to Shidou.

That time he sat there with his stomach so full that he was fighting to not just throw up in front of everyone was one of the worst experiences in his existence.

"Doesn't this place bring memories, Shidou-san?"

He knew he wasn't referring to that, but it still caused him to grimace. "Yeah… great memories… Which do you consider best, the part in which you suck the life of some guys, or the part in which Mana turns you into a pincushion?"

Kurumi ignored his sarcasm and replied with a nostalgic glint in her voice. "I hold dear the first time Shidou-san showed me his real face. It came as a surprise, but it led to a really good business partnership. And of course, this wonderful date I enjoyed."

At that moment, it seemed like her defenses were completely dropped as she leaned her head on his shoulders. But he knew better. He needed a complete victory, or the sealing would amount to nothing.

"She isn't lying. I guess she truly enjoyed this date with you, Shin." Reine answered his question before he even voiced it. "However, even if her affection points have increased, she is still stubbornly refusing to let herself fall for you. And that sense of eagerness and even frustration is still there."

Well, it looked like beating around the bush wasn't going to work. It was time to confront her directly. And he could tell she was getting to the same conclusion. After all, it really seemed this date was her last hope.

"Kurumi… Why do you want to kill the first spirit and change the past so desperately?"

Her peaceful face quickly turned sour when her brain registered those words. "I guess I should have expected Nia-san to tell you about our meeting eventually…"

She stood up and walked slowly to get in front of Shidou. There was no trace of the sweet girl he had gone on a date with as she looked at him with piercing eyes.

"Shidou-san, do you really want to know everything about me?"

He stood up to answer her with an equally serious face. "That was the plan all along. The reason why you chose such a goal. The reason why such a sweet girl decided to wear a cold mask and become a murderer. I want to know it."

He didn't get an immediate answer, at least verbally. Her school uniform was replaced by her blood-red astral dress, and she summoned her two guns before firing each of them.

One of the shadow bullets graced Shidou's ear while the other was lost among the foliage of nearby trees. A first glance, it would seem she missed both. However, that was far from the truth as both his earpiece and the mini-drone Fraxinus used to get visual on him fell apart.

He didn't act to stop her because he hadn't felt any killing intent, but he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "If you wanted a private conversation, you could have asked. Do you have any idea how much these things cost?"

His attempt to ease the sudden tension was completely ignored as she turned around and started walking away.

"Follow me."

He did as he was told, and they walked for what felt like 20 minutes until they arrived at a multi-store communal building that seemed to be abandoned.

They climbed to the third floor, which surprisingly had power, and both left their coats hanging by the entrance.

"Nice apartment. This is hardly the first time I've been in a girl's room, but it's always an honor." He tried again to break the tense silence, and this time she let out a soft giggle.

"You really became a playboy, Shidou-san. Now then, just as you wanted…" She pressed her body against his and pointed one of her guns at her temple. "Accept my everything."

Much like in the other timeline, she fired Zafkiel's tenth bullet through her own brain first, so it carried her memories, and then hit his.

This time though, the memories he saw were of a more distant time.


The girl touched the patch she used to conceal her abnormal left eye. It was a little price to pay for her to achieve her dream, but she still found having her vision diminished almost all the time annoying.

Those concerns were about to end in a little as the bell signaling the end of today's class rang and she immediately rushed out of her classroom.

"Wait, Kusumi-san!"

Or that was what she planned to do before she heard the almost pleading voice of her friend Sawa. She turned to look at her, and she hesitated a little before continuing.

It was no wonder. After all, she had been turning her down every time since her new routine started.

"Are you… busy today, too? My aunt said she was going to bring the Chestnut siblings to play…"

That offer was so tempting she even considered it for a moment. It felt like ages since she saw those cute little kitties. However, she stood firm in her resolution.

"Sorry." She apologized with a bitter smile. "I have an errand to run… It can't be helped. But please, do invite me the next time."

It was the same excuse she had been using after the excuse of having medical check-ups for the condition of her left eye became too farfetched. However, her friend accepted it with a sorrowful smile.

"Next time then…"

After a short goodbye, Kurumi sprinted out of the school with a secluded spot in the city in mind. The outskirts of the city that were abandoned after the spacequake that destroyed a good chunk of the city.

It had been a month after her double life as an "ally of justice" began, but she never lost her enthusiasm at the time of meeting with her benefactor. In fact, you could say she was starting to consider Takamiya Mio as her friend.

"You seem to be eager as always, Kurumi. Please, do your best today as well."

"Yes! Leave it to me, Mio-san!"

The gorgeous girl greeted her with her always a calm voice, and she replied with the same enthusiastic smile as she summoned her astral dress and revealed her clock-like eye. Maybe she lost a part of her humanity when that strange crystal was fused with her body, unlike in those magical girl animes, but she didn't mind it.

As long as she could fight for what is right, she wasn't going to complain.

It didn't take long for them to track another of those mindless monsters, and Mio set up a barrier to prevent it from scaping as always. She called them bounded fields, but she didn't pay attention to the nomenclature.

She didn't try to reason with the monster either. No matter what she said to them, her words would be met with just unreasonable screams. As such, the only thing she could do for them was to put them out of their misery.

"Hahahaha!" Kurumi even allowed herself to laugh due to the tension in the heat of the battle as she fired bullet after bullet at the monster.

This one seemed to be a monster of flames just like the one that attacked her that fateful day. there was not much variety in the monsters she had to fight since she gained her power. Some used ice, some were just masses of power, and others could even warp space itself. But it felt like she was fighting the same type of enemies over and over.

Perhaps she was comparing the situation too much with all those shojo mangas This was real life. There was no necessity to entertain an audience with a great variety of villains.

Not that it mattered though. As mindless monsters, they couldn't wield their powers properly so Kurumi could take them down with just regular bullets. It would take something really dangerous to force her to use those special bullets that could end up draining her own lifespan. Her angel had a way to replenish the lifeforce used, but she would never do something so horrible.

"This is it!"

Kurumi fired a bullet at where she deduced was the monster's head among the sea of flames. It was the weak point of this kind of monster as they could regenerate wounds in other places of the body.

The monster fell limp into an alley without even letting out a scritch. She descended after it, but before she could confirm the kill, she felt a hand resting on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Kurumi." She was met with Mio's soft smile when she turned around. "You can go home and leave me the clean-up. You mentioned something about a promise with a friend while we were searching, right?"

"Oh, right… Take care, Mio-san."

She was used to this kind of goodbyes with her. Even the part in which the girl just popped behind her. She almost had a heart attack the first time.

After looking at her watch, she realized defeating the monster took less than she expected. Perhaps she would be able to spend some time with Sawa.

But as she was making her way out of the alley back in her school uniform, a fleeting thought crossed her mind. Why don't invite Mio, too?

After this month of working alongside her, Kurumi was able to notice her melancholic expressions from time to time. She seemed to be grieving for something. Perhaps caressing a cute kitty would be able to warm her heart.

With that innocent thought in mind, Kurumi turned around and headed in the direction in which the slain monster fell.

"Hey, Mio-" Her words were stuck in her throat when she entered the scene.

There was no monstrous corpse to be seen. What Mio was leaning over to retrieve a red crystal similar to the one she gave her, was the small body of a girl of her each covered in horrible burns and a hole in her temple.

"Ah…" Her voice cracked upon recognizing the face of that girl. She found herself struggling to catch a breath as the realization sunk into her. "Sawa-san?"

"Oh, you've seen it…" Despite the lack of emotion in her voice, Mio's face turned sad while looking at her 'sidekick'. "It's a pity. I wanted our current relationship to last a little longer, but I guess I couldn't trick a smart girl like you forever."

"Wh-what do you mean… Why is Sawa-san here?" Kurumi managed to ask between ragged breaths as her heart rate became alarmingly fast.

"This girl was your acquaintance? I made something unforgivable then…"

The fact that Mio didn't even make an effort to clear a misunderstanding was enough of an answer. She just killed her only friend while thinking she was some monster that wanted to invade Earth.

"Aah… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

She felt despair crushing her heart and soul as her body started to change. However, even in her poor mental state, Kurumi reacted quickly and summoned her angel.

"Zafkiel, Dalet!" She fired the fourth bullet at herself, and her time was rewound.

She always thought of that bullet as her only method of healing herself, but now it served to revert whatever was happening to her.

"Aah… Aah… Aah…" The feelings were still there, causing her to even hyperventilate, but she was managing to pull herself together.

"Hoh?" Mio observed her with fascination. "I never thought you would use your angel in such a creative way to avoid having your Sephira crystal inverted. I have to thank you for saving me the trouble of refining that crystal again."

"Inverted… refining?"

Mio nodded at her. Even in her state, she was still trying to get an explanation.

"As you most likely noticed already, the monsters you've been fighting, those spirits, were humans that received a Qlipha… Pseudo-spirits would be a more appropriate term though. The term spirit can only be applied to beings like me. But I digress."

The now identified spirit showed her the red crystal in her hand. "Qlipha crystals are just a fraction of my power, and as such, they are incompatible with humans. You've seen the result several times. However, every time the crystal is introduced into a body, it helps me refine them little by little to adapt them to a human body. The result is a Sephira crystal like the one I gave you. Once introduced in a suitable body, the user will not lose their mind and will be able to use its power at will. The process is quite risky though, but it was fine because you were there."

Kurumi felt her vision turn red as she processed all that explanation. She knew the girl in front of her wasn't human, but still…

"Why!? Why would you do that!?"

"I'm sorry. I really mean it. But now that I started this, there's no turning back. Now then, good night, Kurumi. We may meet again once I've finished."

"What? What do you-"

Kurumi's questions were left unanswered as she felt her consciousness fading away.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was in the middle of a huge crater, and her memories were messed up. However, that problem was easily solved with Zafkiel's tenth bullet.

Once she remembered, there was no Ojou-sama complacent with her peaceful life, nor an attempt of an 'ally of justice'. The only thing remaining was an avenger driven by fury.

She was going to stop that tragedy from happening, even if she had to change the world. Even if she had to kill countless people.


Shidou blinked away the dizziness as he processed all the memories poured into his brain.

That was a lot to take. Aside from now knowing what drove Kurumi's actions, and the striking similarities they had with a certain Archer, he finally got to see the real appearance of the Spirit of Origin, or as she called herself, Mio Takamiya. And it was suspiciously familiar.

"I'm going to do it…" But before he could utter a word, Kurumi started to speak while still pressing her body against his. "I know that what I'm doing isn't right. I killed a lot of people while I was blinded by that false ideal of an 'ally of justice', and I kept on killing innocent people for the sole purpose of killing that monster and changing the past. 'Nightmare' is really a fitting name to describe me. If there's such a thing as hell, I'm sure there is a place reserved for me in there."

She looked up so their eyes met. The resolution to change the world he saw in those memories was still there, but compared to that, the one he was seeing now was tragic.

"I don't mind going to hell if I can avoid that tragedy from happening. Even if it won't change this present at all, I will be at peace if I know that there is a timeline in which no one had to die due to that monster and my own foolishness. That is the only reason I kept on living. And for that, you don't have to give your life. You can use that thing called Unlimited Blade Works that Nia said could defeat that monster, right? You can share just half of the power sealed in your body and we can go fight her together."

Her voice grew pleading and desperate as those golden eyes stared back at her. There was some pity there, but that was it. She couldn't see that flame she saw when he helped those girls. And so, she pushed things further.

"I know this won't benefit you at all… that's why I'll offer you everything, not just my spiritual energy once we're done."

To his astonishment, she began to unbutton her blouse. After just a moment, she stood in front of him with only the pure white underwear covering her body.

She really was gorgeous, even more with the moonlight highlighting her pale skin. However, aside from a slight blush, there was no reaction from Shidou.

She then took his hand and pressed them against her chest. Using the momentary moment of surprise, she pushed him against the bed behind them, leaving her on top.

"Have you done this kind of thing already, Shidou-san? I won't mind. I'll do anything for you. You just have to ask."

She leaned towards him and moved her hands to touch his checks… but she was interrupted when her hands were caught by his just inches away.

"Sorry, Kurumi, but things don't work like that…" He rose to a sitting position and steeled his heart. Even in face of those pleading eyes, he had to say it for her shake.

She was committing the same mistake as EMIYA. No, it was worst in some aspects. She refused to accept her mistakes and move on, to the point that she considered it better to delude herself into thinking that changing the past would solve anything.

That man who broke under the realization that Counter Guardians weren't saviors and ended up blaming his ideals and his younger self as a separate entity for his mistake was already dead. On the other hand, Kurumi was still alive, but the way she clung to that impossible goal didn't make it any different.

It was not healthy. Even if they did manage to create such a timeline, what would that accomplish for her? Regardless of what she said, losing her only purpose in life would just turn her into a walking corpse.

It was time to beat some sense into her.

"You saw what happened to Origami's parents even after we saved them, right? History will correct itself even if the appearance of the Spirit of Origin isn't a crucial factor for Proper Human History. As my other self said, playing with time itself is not a great idea. You should give it up already and start thinking about the present instead of the past."

His tone was gentle, yet firm. Of course, he didn't expect her to give in just like that, but those words seemed to finally make her snap and let out all her accumulated stress and despair.

"How can you be so sure!? Why do you even know about such things!? Why do you refuse to help me unlike with those girls!? Why do you insist on saying that my dream is impossible!? Weren't you the one who said nothing is impossible!?"

Her beautiful face became distorted by the torrent of repressed emotions flooding her, and tears started to slide down her cheeks.

He let out a sigh. This was going to be tough. "Just as you opened up to me, I guess it's my turn to do so. I'm a Counter Guardian, one of those beings summoned to solve messes that threaten humanity. So yeah, I know about how the World works to some extent."

Even if he gave the abridged version, that was enough for her to start connecting points.

"Then… when you asked if I was able to defeat you… you were already implying that… But then… why did your other self…"

"I don't know why he did something so risky, and I'm grateful to him for allowing me to avoid that bad ending. However, unlike him, I don't have a reason to do that. Besides, there is something in this timeline that merited my summoning, and the Spirit of Origin played some role in how I ended up possessing this body after its real owner died. If we just kill the Spirit of Origin, chances are that I won't be able to manifest, at least completely, and whatever I need to deal with will mess up the timeline. And when such a thing happens, the entire timeline gets deleted."

"Huh? Wh-why?"

And the final hit. "I'm not going to delve into the theory, but the thing is that when the human history of a timeline diverges too much from the others, it is deemed a threat and erased. That includes dead ends, and basically any timeline in which humanity stopped progressing for some reason."

That was already making Kurumi's resolution crumble, but he kept on. He didn't want to deny her purpose in life. He needed to make her focus in another direction. To amend her sins in a way that will affect her present, not the past.

"Look, I'm not saying that your dream is impossible." He let go of her hands and hold her face so she didn't avoid his gaze. "It would require a miracle to work, but I won't stop you from trying it. However, even if it's hypocritical of me, I won't help you either. Not only because of my affiliation as a Counter Guardian but also because fulfilling it won't do you any good. Instead, I want to help you to move past it. To let go of that past chaining you. I'll ask you one last time. Kurumi, will you let me seal your powers to let you start that peaceful life you seek, and your friend wanted for you?"

He knew that last part hit her in the feelings as tears started to flow again. This time she buried her face in her chest and cried openly.

She wasn't crying just because that distant dream, that delusion of a promised world in which she kept living a regular life with her friend Sawa that kept driving her, was now shattered. Those were also the tears she never could shed for her.

The best friend she killed with her own hands. The treason of the other person who she came to consider a friend. The family and life she left behind in her path of murder. Her childish dream of becoming an 'ally of justice' that was cruelly shattered.

Shidou let her borrow his chest to let out all those feelings. He still thought she still had to amend for her sins, but he thought that carrying that burden was already enough punishment.

After some minutes, the tears finally stopped. She uttered no words as she separated her face from his wet shirt though. He then took her chin with her hand and forced her to look up.

Aside from a surprised yelp, she didn't put up any resistance when he started to slowly close the distance. In fact, she even closed her eyes and pursed her lips slightly.

Their lips joined in a soft kiss. The wall around her heart was finally surmounted, and the bond between them was formed. There were no clothes that suddenly disappeared, but Shidou was able to feel how her spiritual energy and the rest of her angel were stored in his body.

When he broke the kiss, a pair of red eyes met him. There were some final tears still lingering in the corner of her eyes, but she didn't look like an empty shell.

"Do I take this as a yes?"

"Yes, this is my defeat. But I didn't give up on my dream, Shidou-san…" Color slowly filled her face again as a small smile spread across her face. "Just as I entrusted my spiritual energy to you, I entrusted you with my dream. I know that you will reach that happy ending as the real hero."

Shidou finally let go of the serious face and smile back at her. "I guess I'll have to live up to your expectations then. You should get dressed though. You'll catch a cold at this rate."

"Huh? Don't you want to go further? I've already given you my heart, I don't mind giving you other things~"

She pressed her almost naked body against his while saying that. And with his guard low, he became a flustered mess.

"Do-don't you think you're going too fast!?"

She just giggled at his reaction. "I love the cool Shidou-san that is like the hero that conquers the heart of the main character in a shojo manga, but I guess this part of you is still cute."

He had to hold back his surprise at Nia actually getting Kurumi's preferences right.

The two walked out of the building after she put on her clothes again, but Shidou stopped before reaching his cell to let Kotori know that everything was fine. Kurumi stopped as well as she saw his expression turn serious.

"Is something wrong, Shidou-san?"

"Do you hear it?"

She stayed quiet for a moment, but she didn't pick up anything at all. "I'm supposed to hear something?"

"That's the thing. Tengu City isn't as bustling as Tokyo, but there should be at least some noise. And I have a really bad feeling about this…"

He walked at a fast pace towards one of the houses with its lights on, with Kurumi following suit. It didn't surprise her when he just suddenly climbed up to one of the windows, and she drew some of her power to fly after him.

They even entered the house after making sure there was no one there, at least alive. And the scene they stumbled upon was familiar for both.

Everything was intact, to the point that dinner was served and some of it was already eaten. It truly seemed like earth swallowed the people living in this place. And there was a somewhat familiar essence lingering in the air, but he couldn't put a finger on it.

"Kurumi, keep this to yourself. I'll fill you in later."

She looked at him with surprise, but nodded at him, nonetheless. "If that's what Shidou-san says…"


"Well, I think everyone knows me already, but I'll introduce myself properly. I'm Tokisaki Kurumi, the former spirit called 'Nightmare' and new addition to Shidou-san's harem. I'll be in your care from now on."

Kurumi bowed in front of everyone, and her welcome wasn't as vivid as all the other girls. Old habits die hard as they say. Aside from Nia and Mukuro, they always treated her as a potential enemy, so having her on their side now was strange, to say the least.

The looks she was receiving varied from skepticism to outright distrust, and it was discouraging her.

"C'mon guys, don't be so cold." Shidou rested his hand on Kurumi's shoulder reassuringly. He should have seen this coming. "Kurumi here decided to turn over a new leaf and join us after we had a long talk, so I'd appreciate it if you throw her a bone. She's still a novice when it comes to the real 'Moon-lit World' and not the façade DEM instilled."

"Fufufu. I really feel like the main character of a shojo manga being introduced to the plot. I heard something really interesting about a travel to a parallel world to save the world from Kotori-san. I would be happy to hear the entire story."

Amidst the following silence, a certain mangaka rose while waving her fist with enthusiasm. "I knew it! She's into shojo mangas! I can give you some recommendations if you ask, Kurumin!"

"Ara, Kurumin? I already have a nickname? This is going faster than I expected, but it's cute. And I'll gladly take that offer, Nia."

Her way of acting like a regular girl of her age, albeit dignified, managed to ease the tension. Yoshino, the Yamai sisters, and Miku didn't take long to approach her, too, and the rest followed them gradually.

He didn't know if she had done it on purpose, but way to go, Nia. That goofy personality of hers came in handy sometimes.

It was Saturday, so they would have a couple of days to get to know each other and bond. It would be ideal if they could leave behind hostilities before, well…

"I don't want to pop the party, but just as a reminder, even if we had to move our schedule a little to give Kurumi some time to adapt to her current state, the operation to retrieve Nia's Sephira crystal will take place Friday of the next week."

The atmosphere in the Itsuka residence turned more serious, but almost everyone treated that with optimism. Even the most recent addition to the group.

"You'll come with us, Kurumi?"

She nodded at Kotori's question. "Of course. I can't miss the opportunity to pay them back for all the times they got in my way. Although the main culprit of that is here."

"Hmph…" A certain golden girl grumbled at her. "Try to not get in the way. It would be problematic if some stray weapons turn you into cheese."

Yeah, those two weren't putting hostilities behind any time soon.

"I'm going, too." All heads turned at the owner of the voice. There they saw Mayuri standing with a determined expression.

However, as fervent as her resolution was… all the people in the room made complicated expressions.

"Mayuri… your condition hasn't stabilized yet… and well…"

"You would be a liability." Mana cut her brother and spoke bluntly, crushing her determination.

"Mana, couldn't you have said it a little more tactfully?"

"But it's the truth, Kotori. If she can't fight, then she should stay out of the battlefield. There is no shame in avoiding battles you know you can't survive."

"But still, she can-"

"No, she's right." Mayuri herself cut the redhead. She was trying her best to keep her cool as she sat again while giving a bittersweet smile. "I guess I'll stay here and prepare a welcome party for your arrival."

No words were said to cheer her up, as they knew they would be empty. All the spirits could empathize with her. They would be as, or even more dejected if they weren't able to fight alongside the boy they loved.

And she herself was more aware than anyone that she wouldn't be able to do little in a battle like that. She was reminded of it every time she had to watch from the sidelines how Shidou and the others risked their life.

She wasn't even there during Mukuro and Shimosa's incidents due to her own weakness. She could have helped them by making a contract with a compatible servant from Chaldea, but she got herself kidnapped.

Every time, she had to watch from afar how the others bonded with Shidou while she remained stuck…

'But you now have the power to change that.'

In that moment of weakness, a repulsive voice invaded her mind. No one noticed how Mayuri's expression was filled with horror as they conversed with Kurumi about why she had to read a certain visual novel.

Mayuri knew something was wrong with her, but up until now, she had managed to keep it at bay at best. She didn't want to trouble the others more than she already did, so she was dealing with it on her own. But this was the first time she heard that demon's voice so clear.

"That isn't true… I don't have that kind of power…" She whispered to herself while holding her head.

'But I can give it to you.' The tempting voice continued. 'Don't you want to prove yourself capable? Don't you want to fight so that your beloved one doesn't have to risk his life? Wouldn't it be nice to have him all for you?'

She knew she had to resist, that she had to ignore the voices. But they were the temptation was too much. Especially that last line that hit close to home.

"Shidou will love me… if I'm strong?"

'Of course. He will surely fall at your feet. In fact, if you're stronger than him, he won't have to fight at all.'

Mayuri's eyes widened as she processed those sweet words she wanted to hear. "Ah… That's right… If I hurt him, he won't be able to go around endangering himself…"

The moment those words left her lips, she realized how horrible they were and snapped out of it.

"No… I can't do that… I can't listen to your words…"

The voices didn't return as she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Fortunately, nobody heard her inner monologue.


Night came, and while everyone was already in their beds, Shidou finished getting dressed to go out.

In truth, the real reason why they postponed the attack on DEM's main branch wasn't Kurumi's condition. It was so that they dealt with whatever was causing the missing people cases.

It was obvious that had to be DEM's doing in some way, so ignoring it wouldn't do them any good. Woodman understood that too, so he gave them a time buffer. Shidou hoped they could get rid of it this night, but they would need time to track it if that thing was so elusive that he didn't notice an attack that took place in the same block.

Fortunately, having Mana's help will increase their odds. She was the closest one to a competent magus among them.

*Toc Toc*

But just when he was already finishing lacing up his shoes, someone knocked on his door.

"Someone's awake at midnight? Come in!"

His surprise grew even bigger when the person on the other side of the door entered. It was Mayuri, but for some reason, she was wearing just one-piece underwear that was see-through. But judging by her flustered cheeks, he could get an idea of what she wanted.

"Mayuri? Do you need more magical energy? If so, then let me-"

"Yes, I need to replenish my reserves…" She cut him as she walked up to him sensually. "But I would rather we do it in a more intimate way, Shidou~"

Just as she closed the distance, she sat on top of him and pressed her lips against his. It wasn't one of the modest kisses they had up until now, but a sticky, French kiss that seemed to last forever.

When she broke the kiss, Shidou suddenly felt dizzy. No, that wasn't exactly it, but he knew that his consciousness was becoming blurry. And on top of that, the lustful expression on Mayuri's face as she licked her lips was triggering all his primal instinct.

"Why don't we exchange other kinds of fluids? It would be more efficient than blood~"

She then proceeded to kiss and lick his neck, making it even harder for him to keep his basic urges in check.

"Mayuri… I don't know what's gotten into you… but please stop… This isn't like you…" He manages to force those words out of his throat, even if his body refused to for some reason.

"No, the fact that I love you with all my heart remains unchanged, Shidou~ Don't you love me, too?"

She didn't wait for an answer as she sealed his lips again. She pushed him into a lying position, and her hand started to massage a critical part of his body.

But unlike other times, even if she wanted to resist, he couldn't find the strength to do so. His consciousness grew even more blurred as the spirit did whatever she wanted with his body. He could only move slightly to answer to her rhythm as she drained his magical energy.

He didn't know how much time passed when he finally came back to his senses. His body and clothes, and even the bed, were drenched in sweat, and maybe other kinds of fluids he didn't want to know about.

And when he rose into a sitting position, he found the blonde spirit lying by his side. She was fast asleep, and the smile on her face seemed almost angelical. Nothing to do with the expression she was doing moments ago.

He gently caressed her messy hair, causing her smile to grow wider. Now that he thought about it, even if the magical energy deficiency influenced her, as a being that was born to love him, she was most likely growing tired from his indecision.

He had to make up his mind, as she clearly wasn't the only one. But he thought that could wait until they solved DEM's issue once and for all.

The golden-eyed boy wiped off the sweat with one of the towels he had always prepared for his morning routine and quickly changed to another set of warm clothes for the cold night.

"Heh, now you're starting to act like a real eroge protagonist, Nii-chan." His little sister was already waiting for him at the other side of the door, a cheeky smile plastered across her face.

He couldn't help but release a long sigh. "How long have you been here?"

"It's hard to tell, but I would say I caught you in the middle of it. You were fairly quiet I must say. I had to press my ear against the door to find out why you weren't answering. I doubt Kotori caught wind of it."

"It's not what you're thinking. She insisted on getting magical energy through other means."

"Whatever you say. Let's get going so you can be back in time for a second round before the sun goes up."

"Ahh… Anyway, do you have something in mind?"

"Just patrolling for now. I can't set up a bounded field if I don't know what I'm looking for specifically."

And with that, the two siblings ventured into the night.


"Huh? What's… Where am I?"

Mayuri blinked a couple of times, not recognizing the place in which she found herself. It seemed to be some kind of forest, and it was still night.

The most logical conclusion based on previous experiences would be that she was having a dream of the memories of the nameless hero. However, she didn't feel like that was the case this time. Even the most vivid dreams would have her just as a spectator that couldn't interact with them, but she was able to touch the trees around her.

With nothing better to do, she started walking aimlessly. She then noticed that she was having some trouble walking, and she realized she was in heels. Not just that. She was wearing a fancy dress for some reason, much like those dresses princesses wore in fairy tales.

After some minutes of walking, she finally emerged from the forest and stumbled upon what looked like a medieval city. The moment she put foot on it, some strange creatures surrounded her.

They actually had cute appearances, resembling piñatas of various shapes. Some were little bunnies of vivid colors, others were floating medusas. But despite that, their presence made her uneasy. Something was wrong with them.

The creatures started to guide her to the huge castle in the middle of the city. More ad more creatures joined her "entourage", adding up to her discomfort.

And to top it off, when she finally entered the castle, the appearance of the creatures became twisted. Disturbing smiles were plastered over their faces, showing horrible fangs as they surrounded her while looking at her body with lecherous eyes. They now looked more like goblins with malicious intentions.

Mayuri started to truly feel fear as those horrendous creatures closed in. Even if she, as a spirit, possessed superhuman strength, she was too scared to react properly. And she couldn't shift to her astral form after what that bastard had done to her.

"Kyaaa!" She swung her arm in a weak attempt to shoo one of the goblins, and to her surprise, its body was completely torn apart.

Its interiors, what seemed like several candies and chewing gum, rained over her. The unintelligible scritches those things were letting out ceased, and the entire place fell into a dead silence.

However, she ignored the shocked faces around her and picked up one of the candies on the floor. This was a dream, right? It wouldn't harm to taste one of these candies, even if it came out of one of these not so threatening creatures.

To her surprise, its sweet taste almost clouded her mind. It was almost irresistible.

Her red eyes wandered through the creatures now paralyzed in fear, and an idea crossed her mind.

Why not? They were being mean to her, right?

The change in her expression was the straw that broke the camel's back, and all the creatures started to panic and stumbled whiled turning their tails and running. But she didn't allow it.

"Hey!" She swung her arm again, this time with more strength, and all the goblins in front of her were obliterated, all their contents spreading over the ground.

A feeling of euphoria surged within her as she swung her arm over and over, exterminating every creature in her sight. It felt strangely satisfying and fulfilling. Was this what the others felt when fighting against those meager wizards and robots?

In less than a minute, the only things that remained around her were lots and lots of candies. She eagerly picked one and brought it to her mouth.

That intoxicatingly good taste again. But it didn't satisfy her, so she went o pick up more. It didn't start well, but this was one of the most pleasant dreams she had ever-

"I see you're truly making an effort…"

That familiar voice interrupted her. She was about to turn to look at her, but the moment she blinked, the scene she was seeing changed completely.

"Aah…"

The "candy" she was holding now resembled more… a severed human finger covered in fresh blood. The "hall of the castle" was actually a cold, dark alley, and the "candies" around her were unrecognizable corpses lying over a massive pool of blood.

"Huh? Wh-what's this? What happened here?" She was surprised, but something was preventing her from freaking out.

"You're truly making an effort to assimilate that unsightly thing instead of rejecting it! What happened to "I'll deal with it on my own"!?" The golden girl, no, the Golden King standing at the entrance of the alley raised 'his' voice to say mean things to her.

"But I… with this power-"

"Do you really think the Faker will love you more if you let yourself be tainted by that aberration!? You fool! You don't need that kind of power to help him, but you just threw away your own worth for it! Such a pitiful sight. I should end your misery now, but as a favor to my retainer I shall beat some sense into you instead."

"Shut up…" By the time 'he' finished speaking, her vision was so red that she missed the surprise on 'his' face.

What did those two know? One was the first heroic spirit recorded in human history, and the other was a girl chosen to be his vessel. What could they know about the feeling of powerlessness she had to endure since was stripped from her authority as a spirit? The feeling of hopelessness she felt since that woman told her about her plan and she knew she could do nothing about that?

'Wouldn't it be nice to step on them and show them their place?'

"Shut up already! Stop pretending to you know anything about me when you're the one pretending to be something you aren't, Goldie!"

Shadows crawled up her body as she let out her frustration, replacing her see-through underwear with a black dress that clung to her skin. Red lines of corruption crept through her cheeks, and her blonde hair took a paler tone.

"Hoh?" Gilgamesh didn't seem faced at all. "I see. Even if you don't have a twisted personality like that girl, it seems the fusion is more complete. I guess that mongrel is a better magus than the worm, or is it that he had access to the raw materials instead of the broken pieces of a corrupted doll? Regardless, it seems that thing now is desperately seeking for an alternative supply of magical energy to reincarnate."

"You're still looking down at me…" The rage in Mayuri's face suddenly turned into a confident smile as she extended her arm forward and clenched her fist. "Very well, allow me to change that!"

The shadows at her feet quickly expanded and shoot forward to engulf the little girl. However, the attack was halted when several weapons stabbed the shadow.

"Guh!" Mayuri let out a pained voice. Those were ritual weapons, akin to what would later be known as holy weapons. In other words, they were highly effective against the shadow.

"Did you really think I didn't come here prepared to deal with that thing?" 'He' returned the smug smile. "Know your place, lowlife. This will be painful, but I'll make sure to keep you alive."

A barrage of ritual weapons was fired directly at her. The prototypes of swords like Durandal or Ascalon. It wouldn't purge the demon completely, but it would surely destabilize its fusion with Mayuri.

However, now it was 'his' turn to widen 'his' eyes in surprise as clanging sounds resounded throughout the ally. All 'his' weapons were swiftly deflected before they could get even close to the tainted spirit.

"Were you saying?" Mayuri's smile grew twisted as she spread her arms. "Did you really think I would be as weak as that pitiful girl? Isn't it obvious that a genuine spirit can channel much more power than a sorry excuse of a magus?"

Emerging from the shadows around her, several blackened swords came into existence, all their blades pointing at the King of Heroes. 'He' immediately discerned the nature of that phenomenon. 'He' didn't even need his clairvoyance as it was really familiar.

"The combination of the parts of you and Shidou that gave birth to me is quite interesting, don't you think? Thanks to this demon, I was able to develop my own… how was it that humans called it? Oh yeah, marble phantasm. And with "sword" as my origin and element, it ended up being quite similar to your little friend's ability. Now then…" She licked her lips as she rested a hand on her cheek. "Let's see your face when I use it to crush you!"

"You…" Now Gilgamesh was livid. The notion of saving the girl acting as that thing's vessel was blown from his mind. "How dare you mock my one and only friend with that farce… DISAPPEAR!"

The Gate of Babylon was opened to its maximum, raining down countless weapons, and Mayuri answered in kind by creating and firing back an equal number of weapons.

The night turned day as sparks and broken pieces of steel flew all around the place. Any regular person that had the misfortune of being somewhere near that place would have had their eardrums shattered. The cacophony of metallic sounds could be heard for miles.

However, as the shadow devoured all the living beings in the vicinity, no one would be there to witness the clash.

"Kuh!" It didn't take long for the difference between the two opponents to make itself clear.

The Golden King's face became strained as she started to be pushed back. The number of blackened weapons being fired only grew with the time, and 'he' was struggling to keep up.

"Fufufu. What's this!? Don't tell me this is all you've got, King of Heroes! That weak body of yours is already running out of gas!?"

As much as it pained 'him' to admit, that was the reason why 'he' wasn't able to overpower her. The number of weapons 'he' could fire at the same time decreased remarkably due to Mana's condition. It hadn't been a problem until now as Shidou was the only one who could directly counter 'his' Gate of Babylon, but against an opponent that could use an ability so similar to Enkidu's Age of Babylon, 'he' was in trouble.

The obvious answer was to just pull the Original Sin and blast her, but there was a problem with that, too. Mana's magical circuits were already under an immense strain to keep the gate opened over her limits, so using a noble phantasm properly was not an option.

"Trace, on!"

Fortunately, help was on its way as a barrage of swords joined the ones fired by Gilgamesh and pushed back Mayuri's onslaught.

"About damn time, Faker!"

"Don't go complaining when you were the one who insisted on splitting! I really didn't think that bastard would do this! How did things get to this point!? There is no Holy Grail War here!"

"Nobody told that to that aberration apparently! Besides, with us and the Spirit of Origin around, that things have more than enough energy to replace the seven servants!"

"Oh, if it's my darling Shidou! Look, what do you think about this!? Isn't my new power amazing?"

Shidou found it hard to see the girl in front of him, standing on a pool of blood and trying to kill while speaking like a kid who received a new toy, as the same Mayuri he knew. There was no such a thing as a hidden dark side she had. The fusion is so complete that the shadow must be controlling her in some way.

"Mayuri, snap out of it! You're not some kind of messed up yandere! Don't let that thing control you!"

"Oh, but I'm the one in control here, Shidou. I've just found out I like being a bad girl. Fufufu. You don't have to worry. Once I eat that annoying sister of yours and that woman, we can be together forever."

She made an innocent smile while she increased the number of weapons she was firing, even more, pressuring the pair of natural enemies despite their combined effort.

"Tsk. Why aren't you using your noble phantasm to purify that thing, Faker! Do you need an invitation!?"

"That's the thing! I can't use it for whatever reason!"

The look Gilgamesh threw at him has "SERIOUSLY!?" written all over it, but 'he' immediately discerned the reason once 'he' laid 'his' red eyes on him. 'His' face then was filled with annoyance.

"How stupid can you be!? Of course, you can't use it! Even if your ideals remain the same, your path to achieving them has changed! Hurry up and make up your mind already, damn it!"

"That's easy to say for someone who hasn't been in a romantic relationship ever! A holy sword should do the trick, right!?"

After saying that, he projected a certain golden sword with lots of ornaments, to the point that it could be hardly considered a sword made for actual combat, and quickly poured magical energy into it.

"O' Sword of Selection, cleave the wicked! Caliburn!"

"Huh?"

To Mayuri's surprise, the light that burns everything it touches blew away all her weapons and hit her directly. As her weapons were tainted by the shadow possessing her, the holy light burned them like nothing.

The red knight and the Golden King had to close their eyes for a moment due to light, and in the midst of it…

CRACK!

"What?" Shidou looked with surprise at the sword in his hand falling apart and fading in specks of light. "How was Arturia able to use such a fragile sword for so long? I didn't even Muramasa's sword trial to its maximum."

"That woman always tended to do things the hard way. More importantly…"

The dust settled, but there was nothing there in front of him. Shidou apologized mentally to the relatives of the deceased whose bodies he just atomized… along with a good chunk of the building in front of them. But there was a more concerning issue plaguing his mind.

"Mayuri… I didn't vaporize her, right?"

"No, at least not her real body. That seemed to be some kind of mental projection."

The red knight let out a relieved sigh, but he immediately got serious again. "We have to find her. Even if I can't purify that thing, Rule Breaker should cut the connection between them as it did with Sakura."

Oblivious to the events taking place in the quiet night, Reine lay on her bed in her room at Fraxinus. It couldn't be said that she was sleeping, as she stared at the ceiling with her eyes wide open.

She hasn't been able to sleep for these 30 years, no matter how many sedatives she ingested. The moment she fell asleep, the horrible memories of those tragedies would torment her. Be it the moment in which the boy she loved died at the hands of that man that wanted to use her powers, or the moment in which the nameless hero sharing his body died alone on a hill of swords.

A being like her wouldn't need any sleep in regular circumstances, but in her current split state and with the majority of her power dispersed in the form of Sephira crystal, it was slowly taking a toll on her. That was the reason she always had those huge circles.

She thought this was going to be one of those monotonous nights in which she would have to pretend she was asleep to not raise any suspicion… until her mobile phone suddenly rang.

Reine lazily took her cell to check what it was, just in case it was something important and not just spam, and to her surprise, it was a message. From Mayuri of all people.

"There's something I want to speak with you about. Come to my room. It's urgent."

What should have been a normal message from a girl with an unstable condition made her feel a chill run down her spine. Her instincts told her that there was more to it than it seemed, but she couldn't just ignore it.

What if she actually needed medical assistance?

Using her authority as the Head Analyst, she used the ship's teleporter to descend to the street in which the Itsuka Residence and the apartment for spirits were without waking up anyone. She used her own key so as to not ring the bell and alert all the other girls leaving there, and silently made her way to the room in question.

"Oh, if it is Reine! Come in, come in. I have just finished brewing a tea."

The girl that had spent all day trying not to look sad or depressed, now greeted her all happy and with a wide smile. It almost seemed like it was an entirely different person.

"Then, by your permission…"

Mayuri's room was way more modest than that of the other spirits. There were no game consoles, a TV, mangas, or a PC, the walls didn't have a layer of fancy paint, and her closet didn't seem to be that filled. Of course, the souvenirs she got while she "judged" Shidou were carefully placed on her dressing table, not a single dust speck on them.

The two sat on opposite sides of her kotatsu, and while Reine took a sip from the cup with some skepticism, the girl in front of her carefree drank it.

"What is it that you want to speak about, Mayuri…" The head analyst ended up asking as the girl seemed the perfect image of health.

"Well, I just wanted to ask something. From spirit to spirit." Her smiling face slowly disappeared as she cut to the chase. "Are you really going to continue with that plan of yours?"

That question took Reines by surprise. Answering it several months ago wouldn't have been a problem. Now though, she hesitated. The objective she had been working to achieve during all these 30 years had become blurry over the course of half a year.

She knew the risks of interacting with him too much, but ever since she met that other version five years ago, she couldn't help but feel eager. Much like him, her feelings were now all over the place, so she no longer knew what to do.

"I'll do… what my heart tells me when the time comes…" That was the only answer she could offer her.

"I see. Then it's a pity." The smile returned to Mayuri's face, but Reine felt another chill running down her spine as the blonde stood up. "Because that time will never come."

The smile became twisted as shadows swirled around her and enveloped her body. Reine immediately stood up and put some distance between them, but she knew that she had been cornered. Her eyes didn't take long to discern what was going on with the girl, and she had to repress a curse for not seeing it coming.

"Mayuri, you don't want to do this. That demon is just using you while making you think you're in control."

"Again with that? You guys don't have something else to say?" The blonde spirit gave her a bored look. "And even if that's true, why should I complain when this thing will give me what I want?"

No good. Her perception of reality was so distorted that she really thought the shadow's interests were the same as hers.

The question now was, would she be able to remove all the seals she placed on herself so she could pose as a regular human in time?

"Now, should I eat you alone or should I eat all the other people in this apartment too? With their powers sealed, they are as nourishing as a regular human, but they will get between me and Shidou… What to do?"

Fortunately, her mental condition wasn't in the best condition, so she just stopped to think out loud instead of just attacking right away. Reine immediately sent a signal to her other half through their mental link. The only thing she could do now was pry so she arrived in time.

"Well, that can wait until I deal with the annoying Goldie and the bastard that did this to me. Now then, thanks for the meal~"

Her luck ran short as Mayuri didn't take long to make up her mind and expanded her shadow. Reines closed her eyes and prepared herself for a world of pain. At least it wouldn't be the end since her other half was still there…

"Huh? What's this?"

However, the pain never came. When Reine opened her eyes, she could see that something was preventing the shadow from reaching her. It was… another Shadow?

"Ara, what's that change of look, Mayuri-san? It doesn't suit you at all. You should go back to white."

A girl in a bloodred dress emerged from that shadow and stood between the tainted spirit and Reine. Despite the monster she was facing, Kurumi remained calm and wore her usual smile.

"How can you… No, I see. You broke your bond with Shidou forcibly… How considerate of you, Kurumi, to bring me a small snack before the main dish. Or do you really think you can defeat me?"

"Well, we won't know until I try it, right?" She knew her confident smile was just upsetting Mayuri, but she couldn't help but return the favor from a couple of days ago.

She didn't give her time to snap though, as she was already firing a round of bullets at her. A literal wall of shadows emerged between the two, blocking all the projectiles, but that was already on Kurumi's plan.

"Hold on tigh, Murasame-sensei!"

"Aah…"

What seemed like a surprised voice came out of Reine's lips as Kurumi suddenly held her in princess style and jumped through the window.

The two quickly descended the hill leading to the main districts of the city, and Kurumi started running across the rooftops.

"Kurumi, how did you-"

"I have ears in all places, Murasame-sensei… or that's what I'd like to say. In truth, Shidou-san asked me to keep an eye on Mayuri while he was out patrolling the city. I lack the full context, but he wanted to account for this regardless of how slim the odds were. Something about this having happened already in another timeline. Oh, and you don't have to worry. I'll refrain from asking about what you two were talking about until we're done with this."

That last bit reduced the tension on Reine's body, if only for a little. "But do you have a plan? We can't defeat her in a direct confrontation, nor can we run away from her forever…"

"We should be able to buy some time for Shidou-san and Mana-san to find us using the buildings-"

"Kurumi, Kurumi, stealing someone's meal is really rude, you know? I guess I need to punish you a little before eating you~"

Much to her horror, Mayuri was already on their heels. Tendrils of darkness were carrying her at an alarming speed, but that was the least of their concerns as a myriad of blackened weapons was descending upon them.

"What the… WE!"

At her command, several of her clones emerged from her own shadow and sacrificed themselves taking the full brunt of the attack.

"Zafkiel, Aleph!" Kurumi didn't stop there as she held Reine with just one arm and fired the first bullet of her anger at herself.

Her external time was accelerated, giving her a speed boost that allowed her to avoid being skewered.

The weapons rained over them mercilessly, without any care for property damage or the exposure of the supernatural. Kurumi had to zig-zag through the buildings, using them as cover. But she didn't have time to spare. The effect of the bullet was going to wear off, and they were going to die if they didn't find a way to avoid the constant barrage of blades.

In the end, Kurumi chose the abandoned buildings on the outskirts of the city. She would have more than enough buildings to use as cover, and she wouldn't have to worry about civilians getting involved either.

However, as luck may have it, the effect of her special bullet wore off before she could get to one of the buildings, leaving her a sitting duck in the middle of the main road that crossed the industrial zone. But no weapons rained over them. Instead, Mayuri gracefully landed in front of them while Kurumi put down Reine and stepped in front of her.

"Heh, what happened to my 'punishment', Mayuri-san? Are you getting cold feet?" Kurumi appealed to her sense of superiority to buy some time to summon her angel again.

"I couldn't help but find this curious." Mayuri rested a finger on her chin as if she was trying to remember something. "Why do you insist on protecting that woman, Kurumi? Don't you recognize the monster that tricked you into killing your precious Sawa-san?"

"…!" The tainted spirit delighted herself with the way Kurumi's expression was filled with surprise, disbelief, and anger. "How do you know that!?"

To answer her, Mayuri licked her lips. "Your clones were really delicious; I have to give you that. If I was able to reach that conclusion with some second-hand memories, you should be able to see through those circles, right?"

Kurumi quickly turned to look at the woman behind her. She didn't voice her question, and the head analyst didn't answer directly either, choosing to avoid her gaze and biting her lip. That was more than enough for an answer.

"Well, what are you gonna do, Kurumi? If you step aside, I might even consider letting you enter the special place I have reserved for Shidou instead of eating you~"

Kurumi's bangs were preventing Mayuri from seeing her eyes, but the way she bit her lips to the point of drawing blood made the spirit's smile widen.

Several seconds that felt like hours passed until Kurumi finally let out a long sigh and raised her head, allowing them to see her expression. And to the surprise of both women, Kurumi shoot a confident smile at her as she opened her mouth to reply.

"I think you got the wrong person, Mayuri-san."

"What?" For the first time, the smile left Mayuri's face as surprise assailed her.

"The one that stands in front of you is not the vengeful ghost called 'Nightmare'. Kurumi Tokisaki is nothing more than Shidou-san's ally now. So, I'm not going to kill anyone. I'm going to save you, no matter what you say." The girl clad in a bloodred astral dress readied her guns and manifested her angel behind her. "Now, let's begin our date/battle!"

"Tsk." The tainted spirit clicked her tongue with annoyance as she readied several blackened weapons. "I see. Fear is causing you dementia. Then I'll put you out of your misery!"

"Let's go, We! Zafkiel, Aleph, Hei!"

Just as Mayuri fired a multidirectional barrage of weapons of a quality comparable to a noble phantasm at them, Kurumi shoot Zafkiel's first and fifth bullets at herself. The former accelerated her time again, and the latter allowed her to see a glimpse of the future, so she could predict the trajectory of all the weapons.

"Zafkiel, Bet!"

The next step. She loaded several copies of the second bullet on both her guns and fired them in quick succession at all the incoming weapons.

"Huh!?" Mayuri's eyes widened in disbelief. In just a second, the time of all her weapons was slowed down to the point that they barely advanced inches per second. "How can you use so many special bullets- …!"

She almost dropped her jaw when her eyes discerned what was happening. "You're not just using all the time you've been saving up for years. You're even devouring your own clones!" She couldn't comprehend it. It was unbelievable. Why would she go to such lengths!?

Kurumi showed her a bright smile as she rushed at her. This was the final proof that she casted aside that dream that was tying her to the past, so that she could move forward, towards a bright future along with the boy she fell in love with!

"Kuh!" Mayuri created and fired more blackened weapons, and even added shadow tendrils to the attack.

But her opponent danced through them with grace, firing copies of the second bullet at the blades that she couldn't avoid, and using her own shadow as a shield to prevent any attack from below.

She didn't have too much time. Using her angel like that was putting her body and mind under immense stress, and even with that, she had to let several swords graze her and even cut her flesh in order to cut a straight path between them. But her mind was calm, and her objective was clear. All the training she did to face an opponent like Shidou or Gilgamesh finally paid off.

The distance between the two girls was closed in less than five seconds, just the amount of time she had before the effects of the first bullet wore off. By the time that happened, Kurumi was already in front of Mayuri, and the latter wasn't able to react properly

"Zafkiel, Dalet!"

The final blow. Kurumi shoot Zafkiel's fourth bullet right on Mayuri's forehead, and the effects were immediate.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" The tainted spirit let out a pained scream as the power of the bullet started to affect her. All the blackened blades faded into specks of light, and the shadows retracted under her feet.

Just like Kurumi was able to avoid the inversion of her Sephira crystal by rewinding her own time, she would rewind Mayuri's time to undo the fusion of the shadow with her body.

Confident in her victory, all the tension and adrenaline left Kurumi's body. She almost tripped as the fatigue caught up to her, and a sharp headache threatened to split her head from seeing her death in the future countless times.

But it was over. She could sit and get some rest-

"AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The screams of pain suddenly turned into a twisted laugh, causing Kurumi to skip a beat.

"No way!"

Mayuri straightened up before turning around to give her opponent a mocking grin.

"Did you really think that was going to work? Did you really think I wouldn't be able to eat that bullet before it affected me? Fufufu. The only thing you achieved is giving me more energy. However, that annoying shadow is still getting in the way, so I guess I'll have to renounce a fresh meal. Now die already!"

Kurumi could just hopelessly look at the approaching death in the form of five blackened weapons. Mayuri wasn't taking her seriously anymore, but she could hardly move a muscle, let alone get out of the way of the attack.

STAB!

The sounds of flesh being pierced and blood splattering over the concrete filled the place.

Kurumi opened her eyes slowly. The lack of pain could only mean that someone took the attack instead of her. And to her surprise, the girl in front of her with all her organs demolished had the same face as hers.

"Eh?" It wasn't a regular clone. The other Kurumi was wearing a gothic Lolita dress and a white patch over her left eye. The clone she created on a whim using the young Kurumi that still dreamed to be an 'ally of justice' and ran every day to meet with Mio as the model.

Of course, their way of thinking was like day and night, so she always refused to follow her orders and they rarely interacted with each other.

So then…

"Why?" Why would she sacrifice herself for her?

The gothic Lolita Kurumi used her last bits of strength to give the original a bloodstained smile. The one she was only able to wear before reality crushed her hopes.

"I can't… let you die… now that you're… finally acting… like a true ally of justice…"

After letting out her final words, the clone fell limp and her body sunk into Kurumi's shadow. Those words from that specific clone caused her to feel as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulder. Or more exactly, as if she was finally able to truly forgive herself for everything she had done.

Here is where she would get flashbacks of all the important moments of her life before standing up with a miraculous new power-up that would allow her to defeat the villain. Unfortunately, this was real life, not a shojo manga, so the only thing she could do was grit her teeth while watching how Mayuri started to laugh again.

"Fufufu. What a lovely fraternal moment. It's a pity she just bought you more seconds of life. Well, time to-"

"No, she has won. The psychological battle, that is."

"Huh!?" Mayuri quickly raised her head to look in the direction of that voice and had to immediately fire the weapons she had ready to kill Kurumi to counter the ones that were raining on her.

And while her attention was somewhere else, a red blur caught Kurumi and brought her to where Reine was hiding some meters away.

"You did a great job, Kurumi. Having one of your clones phone us was really the best call. You can rest now and leave her to us." Shidou gave her a reassuring smile as he placed her gently on the floor.

"I guess… this is my first time… being in the position… of the damsel in distress… It's not that bad…" Kurumi tried her best to return the smile, but staying awake was already taking all her remaining energies.

"Take care of her, Reine. Escape if things get rough."

She gave him a curt nod. There was no time to think about secret identities in a situation like this.

With that out of the wait, the red knight rushed to the Golden King's side to face the tainted together. It was the calm before the storm, as both sides just observed each other without throwing the first attack.

"So you made it in time, huh?" The annoyance was now plainly visible on her face. "What? Are you going to keep repeating that I shouldn't let this thing control me like a broken record? Don't you see that I'm now strong enough to take care of all our problems, Shidou?"

The red knight had to repress a sight. Seeing her like that, he knew that being soft with her wasn't going to help. This was going to be the third time he had to use the "tough love" in a week.

"No, you ain't strong. Not only did you let that thing take control over you, but as you're now you're just a one-trick pony. Spamming swords might get the job done most of the time, but you'll lose against someone who has mastered one. Do I need to remind ya of what happened in the alley?"

He was able to see in her face how those jabs affected her and using the old man speech Muramasa rubbed on him added a plus to that. But Mayuri pulled herself together quite quickly, confidence returning to her face.

"Fufufu. You keep underestimating me, Shidou." She extended her arm, and the shadow at her feet started to expand. Darkness started to accumulate in front of her until it formed a lump big enough to host a person. "I was trying to make a point using just this power I acquired, but if you want me to use the shadow's power that bad… Come, my knight!"

"What the-"

Gilgamesh widened his eyes in surprise. 'His' golden armor and Merodach were quickly summoned to block the surprise attack of the figure that came out of the shadow like an exhalation. And even with that, the black sword with red sigils blew 'him' away like a rag doll, causing 'him' to break through the wall of a nearby industrial warehouse.

The red knight could just stare dumbfounded at the dark knight that landed beside him. Small heigh, ash blonde hair tied in a bun but lacking a familiar ahoge, dressed in a rather bulky black armor with red lines over it and a matching visor that concealed her eyes, and wielding a corrupted version of the strongest illusion, Excalibur Morgan.

It was Saber Alter, the tainted version of the King of Knights that appeared in one of the possible timelines in which the Fifth Holy Grail War took place. However, she did not speak, and she was acting more like a puppet waiting for her master's commands.

"Fufufu." Mayuri's giggle brought Shidou's attempt after making sure the black Saber wouldn't attack him. "What do you think, Shidou? Don't you think I can be called 'strong' now? It isn't as impressive as the real thing, but it is a quite convincing imitation. You can watch it tear apart little Goldie there~"

As if to answer her master's order, the 'puppet' rushed at the building Gilgamesh crashed into. Her blackened Holy Sword wrapped itself in a dense mass of dark magical energy, turning it into a massive sword over five meters long that she swung at the building. The place was obliterated, leaving only a pile of rubble and dust.

A proper mana burst of a dragonkin was always a terrifying sight. Shidou wasn't concerned though, as he saw how the King of Heroes managed to get out of the building in time and was already dumping the contents of his treasury on her.

The question now was, where did she get the energy to create and sustain that thing? Even if it wasn't a real servant, it must take a good chunk of magical energy to pull that off on top of all those weapons she created. Even if the demon was most likely inhabiting this world's Greater Grial, there was no Holy Grail War here, so she couldn't have a connection to the Root with which she extracted infinite magical energy. And all the humans she had consumed shouldn't amount to that either…

"…!" It was then that the realization hit him like a speeding truck.

The reason why she seemed to have an endless supply of magical energy, and the reason why the shadow threw caution to the wind and was able to force itself onto Mayuri… It was his fault. Mayuri didn't just drain his energy. She must have drained some of the spiritual energy sealed in his body.

"Now then, I want to leave you for the end, but I guess I'll have to speed up my schedule~" Tendrils started to emerge from the shadow at her feet as Mayuri spread her arms as if she wanted to hug him. "Come, my darling. Let us become one once more~"

"Yeah, no…" His reliable twin swords appeared in his hands as he readied himself for the confrontation. If words didn't work, and talking through his steel didn't work either, then he would have to use a combination.

That thing was confectioned to hunt servants on its own, to the point that even Heracles could barely move once he was trapped on its mud and his God Hand was rotten to the point that a single blast from Excalibur was able put him down for good.

However, he wouldn't have to worry about it. Not only because of his status as a Counter Guardian but also because Kurumi's shadow was still pushing away Mayuri's. Even in her state, that girl was still trying her best.

"You better be prepared, Mayuri. Possessed or not, bad girls like you need to be punished!"


Meanwhile…

"Tsk." Gilgamesh clicked 'his' tongue as he was forced to dodge again, another building being smashed away like nothing.

That Saber puppet's extensive use of mana burst was allowing it to not just survive the firepower of the Gate of Babylon, but it was making it impossible to bind her with the Chains of Heaven.

Some of the weapons did hit her, piercing through her armor, but the puppet wasn't hindered by pain at all.

'He' could play the long run and wear her out. After all, that puppet would soon end up consuming all the energy Mayuri sucked from the Faker. But 'he' didn't have time on 'his' side either as 'he' had been forcing Mana's body into Demi-servant mode for a while. Besides, such tactics weren't befitting for The King.

"Now you place and die, mongrel! Merodach!"

Having run out of patience, Gilgamesh pulled out the model of all the swords that select the king and summoned its true name.

"Excalibur Morgan."

The puppet answered in kind, using the true name of her blackened sword, but the difference between that imitation and the real one made itself obvious. Where the strongest illusion should have won the clash by a considerable margin, the Original Sin's light pierced through the darkness, albeit with some difficulty.

'He' knew that it wouldn't be enough to get rid of that thing, as that form had a higher endurance stat than regular Saber aside from the heavier armor.

Of course, 'he' wouldn't use the Sword of Rupture on a simple puppet, and it would annihilate everyone in the vicinity. Another blast from Merodach would suffice, even if Mana's circuits were reaching their limit.

However, before 'he' started pouring magical energy into the sword, 'he' caught something in the corner of 'his' eyes. Reine and Kurumi were hiding not that far from where 'he' landed.

"Are you going to just sit and watch instead of making yourself useful for once, woman!? This doesn't have anything to do with your pitiful plan!" All the annoyance 'he' had accumulated all over the night came out in that remark.

To 'his' surprise, the woman answered by raising her arm and pointing at the sky. There, a blurry figure was hanging in the sky. The King and the former 'Worst Spirit' recognized it as 'Phantom', and she seemed to be holding a small flower in her hand, which wasn't covered by the layer of static.

"Ain Soph Aur: Henet."

With just those words as a warning, a beam made out of black particles was fired from the flower at the already recovered puppet.

The fake Saber Alter tried to defend herself firing her noble phantasm, and it held on for some seconds, but it was useless. The beam of absolute death easily pierced through the fake illusion like nothing and obliterated the puppet's spirit core in a matter of seconds.

The King of Heroes found 'himself' whistling at that. "An authority that imposes the concept of death. That mongrel's wish must have influenced the ritual used to create her… Well, whatever. It is time to finally bring down the curtain."

The King marched to the battlefield once again, and the concealed entity took her to leave as if she had never been there.

Her double though didn't think that even mattered at this point as she observed the conclusion of this very long night.


"Why!?"

A voice filled with anger and sorrow echoed through the cacophony of steel clashes and explosions. However, the red knight was too busy to properly answer it.

Even if Kurumi helped him by mitigating the effects on the battlefield of the shadow, Mayuri's capability to spam weapons was equal to Gilgamesh's in his prime. He couldn't allow himself to waste a single breath if he didn't want to end up skewered.

The married swords danced through the air, skillfully deflecting the blackened swords that got too close, and he continually traced and fired swords back to diminish a little the number of swords he had to avoid.

It seemed a stalemate at first glance. The corrupted spirit continued to create and fire blackened swords to keep him at bay and prevent him from talking sense into her. However, it wasn't the barrage itself that prevented him from getting close.

If he had been able to close the distance in a fight against Gilgamesh, what kept him from doing so now?

For once, getting too close would imply stepping out of the zone in which Kurumi could help him, so he would have to act quickly before the shadow engulfed him. And for another, he lacked the killer instinct that surged in him every time he faced the King of Heroes. He wanted to save the girl, not destroy her existence.

But as things stood, just stalling was actually doing the trick.

"Why won't you acknowledge that I'm strong!?" The façade of confidence she had been wearing the moment they appeared to save Kurumi was dropped as she started to get impatient. The fact that he was siding with another girl was playing a major role in that.

"Why won't you let me fight against DEM like the others!? Why won't you let me be by your side!? Why won't you accept my love!?"

Even if the demon was twisting Mayuri's emotions to point her in the direction it wanted, it could do nothing if her emotions were starting to get out of control.

Now, he just needed to create an opening to deal the final blow. And as luck may have it, that opening came in the form of a barrage of weapons deflecting all of Mayuri's swords.

Shidou didn't even turn to look at the King of Heroes. This was his only chance. He doubted that Gilgamesh could afford another attack like that, and the only reason Mayuri didn't just create more swords was because of the shock of her puppet having been defeated so fast.

The red knight filled his lings with air in preparation. He couldn't mess this up.

"Of course, I don't acknowledge this kind of strength, you dummy! If I wanted you to fight by my side, then I would have sought another way to save you! But you wanted to live a peaceful life, and I granted your wish! So stop being stubborn and fight back that thing's grasp!"

"But I… But I don't want to stay idle while you are fighting for my wellbeing! If living a peaceful life is going to stop me from helping you, then I don't want it!"

At long last those were finally her true feelings, unhindered by the shadow's influence. He just needed a final push. It was time to truly put into practice all the experience he accumulated in this second life from playing eroges!

"You don't need to go into the battlefield to help me! If letting yourself be tainted by a God of darkness is what it takes, then I'd rather see the shy but tender girl waiting for me with a smile on her face when I return from the battle. Seeing that beautiful and pure smile is what would make me truly happy! So let me save you once again! We can figure out something so you can use that new power without that thing, but please, come with me and let's live a happy life together!"

"Aah…" Those words seemed to finally reach her heart. The blush came before the tears started to slide down her cheeks. And finally, a shy smile made its way to her lips. "Yes… Please, save- Agh! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"

Unfortunately, the shadow was having none of that. Even if its host was rejecting it now, it would not let her go that easily. Mayuri fell to her knees due to the pain, and the shadow expanded on each own to protect her, finally overpowering Kurumi's own shadow.

"That's what I needed to hear!"

The red knight immediately rushed at her. The distance between them was short, but his speed was considerably reduced the moment he stepped into the shadow's mud.

"Kuh!" Shidou clenched his teeth as the tendrils of the shadow clung to his legs and started draining his energy.

Even if he was a Counter Guardian as EMIYA, the fact that he actually left a mark on human history made him more vulnerable to the shadow. In other words, he wasn't a distorted heroic spirit.

A mana burst on his feet would repel them, but more tendrils would replace them faster than he could fire another mana burst, and he would just waste his energy.

Seeing his determination. The shadow attacked him with giant tentacles, but he made a quick work of them with Kanshou and Bakuya. As Mayuri said, the marble phantasm that allowed her to create weapons from the materials around her was her power. The reason why the weapons were blackened was that she had been using the shadow itself for the materials.

So now that he didn't have to worry about the infinite spam of blades, there was nothing to fear!

"Mayuri, give me your hand!"

Mayuri reacted to his voice. "Yes!" She clamped down her pain and stoop up. Defying the shadow that was trying with all its might to get her away from him with its tendrils, she jumped forward and stretched her hand.

At the same time, Shidou used the most powerful mana burst he could propel himself. The shadow absorbed most of the impact, but it still was enough for him to reach her.

Their hands finally met in the middle of the pool of curses, and Shidou pulled her against him. Bakuya was replaced by Rule Breaker, and he stabbed the iridescent dagger into her chest.

The effect was immediate. The connection with the shadow was severed, all the curses around them faded away, returning to the place they came from, and the dark dress clinging to her body disappeared with them as well.

The position they ended up in was rather similar to the classic one a pair of dancers made at the end of tango, with Shidou preventing Mayuri from falling to the ground by holding her with one arm. And of course, she was completely naked.

None of them were bothered by it as they stared at each other with smiles on their faces. Mayuri didn't waste a second to kiss him. It was a modest one compared to what happened earlier that night, but both enjoyed it.

It wasn't without purpose though, as he could feel that their contract was reestablished. Now that there wasn't a third party obstructing it, she herself was able to handle the detail. A fitting way to seal it, depending on who you ask.

"Welcome back, Mayuri."

"Yeah, I'm back."

"Hey, don't forget about little old me."

Shidou didn't have time to react as a hand forced his head to turn around and another pair of lips sealed his. A bond that had been broken that night was reforged as he felt the spiritual energy enter his body.

When the kiss was broken, he saw Kurumi with a bright smile. For some reason, that smile felt more genuine than all the others he had seen on her. It even made him forget that she was left naked as well.

However, panic assailed him as he turned to look at Mayuri, but she wasn't making any scary face. It wasn't just that the shadow was no longer influencing her. After all, Shidou's speech was the closest thing to an actual love confession someone has gotten from him. So, one could say that her affection points were off the chart.

"All's well that ends well. Mayuri was saved and Nii-chan is a step closer to becoming a full-fledged eroge protagonist. I say this night's results aren't that bad."

Mana was also back, and the other two girls giggled at her joke while Shidou could only repress a retort. He was too tired to fight over that.

"Reine, why don't you call Fraxinus. We would appreciate a ride back home, right girls?" He quickly changed the subject, and everyone agreed with him.

"On it…" Reine pulled out her phone, avoiding looking into his eyes.

While everyone was celebrating the happy outcome, Reine could only do her best to not let her uneasiness show on her face. Even if Kurumi didn't tell him either, it was impossible for Shidou to not put the pieces together by this point.

The time to confront him is inevitably approaching.


And that's it for now. Yeah, King of Fakers got to sheath his "Excalibur" again. Don't expect it to be something recurrent though. The characters are going to be too busy for that. And well, this time it was an actual part of the plot and not fan service, if that can be called fan service as I basically omitted it again.

At any rate, as you might have expected, no infinite time loop and no Nibelcole, although the latter will appear in the final arc. I mean, the infinite time-loop that creates hundreds of timelines can fit in the Nasuverse logic as all the timelines that reach a dead-end would get pruned before causing trouble, but there isn't a reason for that in this story. Kurumi didn't get to be the heroine in the shadows, but I think that her ideology, suspiciously similar to Shirou's in her youth and EMIYA's later on, would make her develop stronger feelings for a hero that represents the realization of those ideals.

And well, Mayuri's part not only served to approach the issue of her feelings of powerlessness that have been there since she appeared but also is a way to give her a power-up so she isn't a sitting duck in the final confrontation. And before you ask, no, this isn't the end of Angra Mainyu in this story. He's still in the Grail and Westcott can still make use of him.

Now that the harem is complete and the tutorial boss has been defeated, we can proceed to the final arc. Well, the next chapter is going to be a "short", take that with a grain of salt as it might actually end up being long, interlude to give the other characters development before with start with the good stuff. As might already think, that includes approaching Reine/Mio's identity.

And you might be asking: "Author, how can you be calling dark Mayuri a tutorial boss if she is the most powerful villain that has appeared in this story? Even the ones from Shimousa would have a hard time with her."

Oh boy. Believe me, the next bosses are going to be on another scale. And only one of them is going to come from the original story. I'll leave it at that.

Now, on an unrelated note, I read again the volume 16 while I was writing the general script, and there is this scene in which Shidou is about to get bodied by the Nibelcole. It is supposed to be a tense scene, but then I read one of the Nibelcole said something like "why won't he die after we killed him", and I busted out laughing for several minutes. Yeah, my theory that "Date a Live" is heavily inspired by the original "Fate/Stay Night" is getting stronger by the day.

And well, I pulled ROMA in literally three tickets while I was never able to pull Umu Bride regardless of how many SQ I threw at her. I guess waifus are temporary, but Roma is eternal.

As always, I want to hear your thoughts on this chapter, and I hope I entertained you. The "Date a Density" marathon is still in place, so you know which is going to be the next story I update.

With this, I say goodbye for now. Hasta la vista.