Chapter 9: Heart-to-heart

Is this what it means when your mind goes blank? I was so detached that I was conscious of it. But these soft voices, those eyes…They are…

I definitely felt them. A nostalgic feeling - their warmth…

"Shido?"

Kotori asked worryingly.

"Huh…No, I'm okay, I…" Shido shook his head as if to pull his thoughts back to reality, then looked at Rinne in front of him. "I know I have definitely seen you before, but I just can't remember it, sorry."

"It's okay, sooner or later, you will remember."

Rinne gave a weak smile. She seemed a bit sad, but she didn't want to show it.

"As for you…" Shido turned his head to Rio who was holding Rinne's hand, asking: "Weren't you here just earlier?"

"What? Rio doesn't understand…"

Rio shook her little head in confusion and looked at Rinne for answers.

"No way, Rio is with me the whole time!"

Rinne's tone changed into a serious one, before realizing something, and remarked:

"Please don't trust the girl you met earlier. She's a dangerous Spirit!"

"?" x 2

Shido and Kotori were dumbfounded by the sudden news.

"It's hard to explain with words when you have no memories of us." Rinne took a deep breath and calmed down her emotions, seemingly trying really hard not to panic. "But when Mayuri is back, she will help you remember."

"Mayuri!? You know about Mayuri?"

Shido took a step forward with an agitated tone.

"Hehe, Rio helped with the process of resurrecting Mayuri-san."

Rio giggled and smiled.

"So it was all you…Thank you, Rio!"

Shido smiled gratefully.

"..."

Rio was silent after hearing those words from Shido, tears welling up in her pretty eyes.

"I..I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for it to come out like that! I'm so sorry for saying something that could have hurt you…"

Shido quickly held up his hands and apologized.

Rinne caressed Rio's cheeks and wiped her tears gently, taking a step back and saying: "Don't worry about her, she's just emotional that you called her by her name."

"Sorry that we will have to go now. The next time we meet, you will probably remember everything."

"But first, make sure to give Mayuri a satisfying date that she never had."

Upon saying those words, Rinne and Rio disappeared in particles of pink lights.

Shido and Kotori stared at the empty air, still surprised by the sudden turn of events. They soon realized something and looked around, trying to see if anyone had seen the supernatural incident, but to their surprise, there was no one looking in their direction.

It seemed like they had the ability to filter themselves from ordinary people's visions.

"Shido, what were those things all about?"

Kotori finally broke the silence.

"No idea, but the best we can do is wait."

Shido gave a wry smile, then held out his hand to her.

"Shall we? Let's continue our date."

Walking around in the open-air mall for a while, although there was nothing special, the two of them had the happiest moment together. Shido chose some accessories and bought some clothes for Kotori. In the end, he bought Kotori's favorite strawberry Mochi, and it was a rewarding experience.

Kotori jumped and jumped, obviously very happy. She was biting a lollipop, her face was full of the happiness of a little girl.

It was the same with Shido. He hadn't tried this kind of date with Kotori for a long time, it certainly felt nice when nobody else bothered him anymore.

After returning home, the two sat on the sofa and snuggled together, watching the news on TV to find out what had happened recently. There was also mention of the case two days ago, but for Kotori, who already knew the truth, it was nothing too special.

"Shido, be careful about that, don't be too impulsive."

Kotori reminded him softly.

"I know what to do, so don't worry!"

Shido smiled. He naturally knew that what the other party meant was about the two Rio they met earlier. She didn't want him to go looking for them impulsively, trying to find out which one was the real deal. If he were lured into a trap, that would be very dangerous.

"Good. Now, here's another thing…"

Kotori took out the lollipop from her mouth, then asked:

"When do you plan on telling me that this world has anime characters?"

Shido was shocked by Kotori's question, unable to respond for a while.

"That Haruno Yukinoshita from earlier, she was a character from the anime 'My Teen Romantic Comedy'."

Kotori continued, licking the lollipop again.

"About ten days ago when we went to the hot spring together, we saw five identical sisters. They were the 'Quintessential Quintuplets', weren't they?"

Knowing that his little sister had caught up to the truth, Shido finally accepted defeat.

"Indeed, they were from the anime that I watched earlier in high school." Shido gave a wry smile. "Remember the romance training that Ratatoskr made me go through? Not only did they make me play gal-games, but they also made me watch romance anime."

"For some reason, those characters became alive in this world. It's ridiculous!"

"I thought you wouldn't believe me even if I told you, so I decided to observe them more…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a mighty punch on his stomach!

"Baka Oni-chan! Why keep this to yourself!? You have me to talk to!"

Obviously, Kotori wasn't happy that Shido kept things from her, and delivered a powerful punch to her idiotic brother.

"Not only that, you kept the pressure of having to care for 11 girls to yourself. You didn't even ask for a consultant or a psychiatrist for help."

"Just because our greatest enemies were defeated, it doesn't mean you can solve every problem yourself."

"Life is full of hardships, you need families to help you get through!"

After saying all that, Kotori's eyes were already red, tears flowing down her fair cheeks.

Seeing her like that, Shido felt a pain in his chest, overcoming the one in his stomach. He quickly stepped forward and embraced his delicate little sister.

The two held onto each other for a long time, until they finally broke apart for a break.

Shido looked in Kotori's eyes, saying earnestly:

"Kotori, from now on, I will be open to you in everything, so be ready for annoyance."

Hearing him say that, she smiled calmly:

"Baka Shido, I'm used to it. I always have to pick up after you."

The two siblings laughed in unison, completely acknowledging each other's feelings.

"Hey, it's getting late, why don't we take a bath?"

Kotori winked her big eyes and asked.

"Sure, you can go…"

Suddenly, his lips were sealed by Kotori's. The soft and sweet feelings made his head light for a second.

"Together."

Kotori smiled mischievously, before taking Shido's hand and dragging him inside the bathroom.

A/N:

The next chapter will be full of lemon! It will take a while, so sorry in advance for the inconvenience.