Kanshi Dust: Chapter 2

Kanshi and one of his classmates were currently cleaning up the classroom. While Kanshi was finishing wiping down the blackboard, his partner in this job called out, "Alright, I'm done over here, want me to help you with that Itsuka?"

"Ah, no need, I should be able to handle this much at least," Kanshi shook his head. "Thanks for offering though."

"No problem, I'll head out now then. Later!"

"Later!" Kanshi called out after his classmate.

The door slid closed, leaving Kanshi in silence as he focused on getting that one spot that simply refused to be wiped clean. Finally, after several more swipes than it should have taken, the blackboard was completely wiped down. Kanshi cleaned up, picked up his bag, and left his classroom. Making his way down the halls, he passed by a certain lab room. It was the Physics Lab. Apparently, Shido was undergoing training there under Kotori's supervision. Should he drop by to say hello? He hadn't so much as checked in with his siblings after school in a while, he was scared that he'd disrupt whatever was going on. Just a peek wouldn't hurt would it?

Kanshi approached the door and peeked in the small window on the door. Inside, illuminated by just the screen of a computer, were three people. Kanshi could make out Shido and Kotori, the third one took a bit longer but he eventually realized it was Reine Murasame. She was supervising the training as well? Oh wait, that's right, she's the new Physics teacher, so they'd probably need her to enter the Physics Lab, at least through legal means. At any rate, it didn't look like he'd bother anyone by going in.

...

Alright, here we go.

"Uh, hello?" Kanshi tentatively called out as he opened the door.

"Oh, hi Kanshi," Kotori said disinterestedly, the stick of a lollipop coming from her mouth. She turned her attention back to Shido and whatever was on the screen soon after greeting Kanshi. "If you're going to come in, then come in."

Shido… didn't respond. Whatever was on the monitor must've been really interesting or really difficult.

"Hello Shikan," Reine's voice was as sleepy as it ever was.

"Oi, I'm the Commander here, not Kanshi," Kotori remarked.

"Sorry, I stuttered."

"Haha," Kanshi laughed awkwardly. "Um, I hope I'm not disturbing you all."

"Oh no, not at all, if you want, you can pull up a chair and watch."

"Uh," Kanshi drew closer to the PC, what was on it anyway? Peering from behind Shido's head, he saw… a dating sim?

"A… dating sim?" Kanshi looked over at Kotori.

"Shido needs experience in talking to girls."

"And this is how he'll get it?"

"Well… unless you think he can do it for real without being called out for sexual harassment."

"Why not have one of the female crewmembers practice with him then?"

"...I'm pretty sure that'd count as sexual harassment too, Kanshi," Kotori blinked. "Do you have that sort of fetish?"

"N-No! I just... erg..." Kanshi scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Yeah, dating sims did seem like the only option here.

"Agh!" Shido clasped both of his hands to his head. Looking at the screen, Kanshi could make out the words, "BAD END" written on it.

Kotori put a hand to her ear and said, "Do it," before retracting it. Narrowing his eyes, Kanshi could make out an earpiece nestled into her ear. It must've had a direct connection to Fraxinus or Ratatoskr or whatever.

"What was that?" Kanshi asked.

"...Motivation."

"Huh? Oh, hi Kanshi. Sorry, I was too focused on the uh…" Shido gestured at the screen.

"I could tell," a hint of amusement lacing Kanshi's voice. Looking over at Kotori he asked, "How many times has he failed?"

"Hmm… I think somewhere like in the 60s?" Kotori shrugged. "I kinda lost count by 58, to be honest."

"Ouch," Kanshi winced. "That bad huh?"

"Shut up," Shido blushed. "It's not like you could do better, Kanshi."

"Are you sure about that?"

"The only girl you interact with on a daily basis is Kotori."

"I'll have you know that's not true. I at least talk to Hikari."

"Hikari? Who's that?" Kotori asked.

"She's a classmate of mine. Hikari Ito is her full name."

Kotori muttered something to herself before speaking more clearly. "If you two are feeling competitive, I could always have Ratatoskr develop a new game for you two to compete in. The first one to clear a route with a good end wins?"

"That's fine with me."

"What happens to the loser?" Shido asked.

"Well, isn't losing a good enough punishment for the loser? After all, it's you two we're talking about here."

"...Alright, count me in I guess," Shido said after a moment's thought. The two brothers shook on it, solidifying the deal. "Anyways Kanshi, is there something you needed?"

"Oh no, I just decided to check in on how everything was going. Sorry about derailing the whole training thing."

"Ah, I see," Shido nodded. "Well, in that case, I'll just get back to getting this over with." Saying so, Shido restarted the game from his latest save file.

Not really interested in the game and having nothing better to do there, Kanshi decided to head for home.

"Well, I'll just head on home then," Kanshi headed back towards the door. Just before sliding it closed behind him, Kanshi paused. "By the way Nii-san, don't pick the choice you're on right now."

"Huh?" Shido turned to face Kanshi and in doing so, accidentally selected the very choice Kanshi warned him not to. "Wait! No!"

Kanshi chuckled to himself as he walked away, unaware of what punishment would befall Shido for failing. Of course, he would find out at a later date and apologize profusely for this incident, but that's for another time.

Anyways, back to the present, Kanshi was walking down the halls towards the lockers by the entrance of the school when he ran into someone carrying a stack of papers.

"Oof," he grunted as he stumbled a bit at the collision.

"Uwah!" the other person, however, fell backward onto their butt in a vain attempt to keep the papers in their stacked while maintaining their balance. "Ow," they said, gingerly rubbing their sore bottom.

"Sorry!" Kanshi apologized. Kneeling down he began to gather the papers back together again.

"Don't worry about it," the girl Kanshi had knocked down said. "It's my fault for not asking for help in carrying this stack in the first place. Thanks."

"It's the least I could do," Kanshi shook his head, handing the stack he had back to the girl. "Um…"

"I'm Mikie Okamine."

"Okamine? Isn't that—"

"One of the teachers' last names? Yes, I'm her cousin," Mikie seemed to anticipate the question.

"Oh, that's… nice I guess? I… uh…" Kanshi felt his cheeks flare as he stumbled to try to find the right words. "That is to say… um…"

"It's fine," Mikie shook her head as she got back on her feet, a stack of paper in hand.

"Let me help you carry that. Wouldn't want a repeat of this incident," Kanshi said, taking a good chunk of the papers off Mikie's pile. "Ah, I'm Kanshi Itsuka. It's nice to meet you Okamine."

"Thank you, Itsuka. It's nice to meet you as well."

"So your cousin is Okamine-sensei? My brother has her as his homeroom teacher."

"Really? He's in Class 2-4?"

"Yup."

"Does that mean he knows Origami-senpai?"

"Tobiichi-senpai? Yeah, I guess he does…"

"Really?! Ah, Origami-senpai is really cool isn't she?"

"Uh…" Was that meant to be a pun on how Tobiichi-senpai could be called an ice princess? "Sure?"

"She's so strong and smart! Oh, I wish I could be half as strong as her!"

Mikie was practically swooning at this point. She must really respect Origami a lot. Hm… but strong? What does Mikie mean when she says that?

"That's great but uh… you might want to watch where you're walking."

"Hm? Gah!"

Had Mikie not snapped out of whatever daze she was in, she would've walked right into a wall.

"Thanks, Kanshi," she said.

"No problem. We're heading for the Teachers' Office right?"

"Yup. Sorry to take away your time like this."

"It's nothing. Besides, I basically asked for this when I bowled you over. I'm just making things right."

"Still, I feel kind of bad for dragging into what should be just my job. Ah, we're here, I can handle it from here so you can go."

"You sure?"

"Yes yes," Mikie insisted as Kanshi gave the portion of papers he had taken back. "It was nice talking to you Itsuka."

"Likewise Okamine. Later," Kanshi waved as he walked off.


The day after Shido had successfully talked Princess, now named Tohka, into a date, Kanshi found himself wandering around Tengu City without much to do. School had been closed on account of the spacequake yesterday damaging the building, Shido had left to do something, as had Kotori. That had left him the only one at home. Being home alone didn't really bother him, but there was only so much you could do by yourself.

Then again, wandering around without a clear goal in mind was just as boring. Kanshi let out a sigh as he stood at a corner, waiting for the light to change. The sounds of bustling metropolitan life did little to drown out his boredom. To try to stave off the boredom, he replayed the events of yesterday again in his mind.

Tohka had appeared near Raizen High School and promptly fled inside the school from the AST. Shido had approached her and after convincing her that he wasn't there to harm her, they talked. The topic of names came up quite quickly upon which they discovered that Tohka didn't have a name, so Shido gave her one, that name being Tohka. Eventually, Shido was able to invite Tohka out on a date before the AST launched an attack, spearheaded by none other than Origami Tobiichi.

Judging by the talk she and Shido had on the 11th, Kanshi suspected that much of the AST's forces had some personal hatred of Spirits. If that were the case, then it was possible that if they discovered the existence of Ratatoskr, a cold war would've probably been waged over who could deal with more Spirits. Kanshi certainly hoped that such a thing wouldn't happen, but Kanshi knew that strong emotions, like hate, could often lead to people doing stupid things, disciplined or not.

Anyway, Shido was teleported up to the Fraxinus and Tohka disappeared soon after, a phenomenon involving Spirits called, going Lost. Essentially the Spirit slips back to the world that they belonged in. And that was the end of that.

Kanshi's role was still being decided on so Kanshi suspected he'd be just observing the events again once Tohka comes back.

Turning his attention back to navigating through the bustling streets of the shopping district, Kanshi spied what appeared to be a music store selling CDs. Huh, now there's something you don't see every day. Music could easily be downloaded online, both legally and illegally, so to see a store selling physical disks was a surprise. Didn't he have an old CD player he found during one of the numerous "Spring Cleaning" sessions? It definitely still worked, it was just… his foster father's choice of music wasn't to his own taste. Deciding he might as well browse the store for anything that might catch his attention, he headed towards its entrance.

Entering the store, he found that there weren't that many customers. It seemed like all of the few customers were adults. The store would probably fit in if it were the 1980s or sometime around there. That was when CDs were popular right? Perhaps he should generalize it to just the 1900s instead.

"Welcome!" the cashier called out upon noticing Kanshi's arrival.

Kanshi nodded in acknowledgment of the cashier's words. Moving further into the store, he had to admit, he felt a bit out of place. What was the first thing he knew about music? He wasn't an aspiring musician nor was he a lover of the classics. So why was he here?

Beginning to feel more and more self-conscious about his impulsive decision to come in here, Kanshi just picked out whatever CD pack was in reach.

"Tsukino Yoimachi?" he read the name of the artist. The cover's design indicated that the case was an idol album or whatever that particular genre is called. Glancing around, Kanshi couldn't spot a price tag anywhere. Maybe he wasn't looking hard enough?

"Um… are you sure you want to buy that?" a soft voice spoke up from beside Kanshi. Startled, he jumped a little as he faced the speaker. It was a girl with long black hair and grey eyes. She had on a T-shirt with… something on it. Was that some band name or something? She didn't look to be much older than Kanshi. There were a couple of CDs in her hands.

"Eep!" she squealed at Kanshi's sudden movements. Well, she certainly was the opposite of Hikari… besides her behavior. She was able to keep a hold onto the CDs though.

"Ah, sorry, you just startled me a bit," Kanshi apologized. Now that he thinks about it, didn't they scare each other?

"Ah, no, I should be the one apologizing. Um… that CD in your hands, that's one of Tsukino Yoimachi's songs right?" the girl pointed to the case in Kanshi's hands.

"Huh?" Kanshi quickly scanned the cover for the name of the artist before nodding. "Yeah… is there some sort of problem?"

"Huh?" the girl tilted her head to the side. "No, it's just there aren't many physical copies of her songs left. A lot of them were recalled and never re-entered circulation, not after all the scandals."

"Scandals?" Kanshi repeated. Looking down at the cover again, he said, "But aren't all celebrities surrounded by one scandal or another?"

"That may be true," the girl nodded in agreement. "But those scandals are usually resolved quickly. Yoimachi's scandals never seemed to go away. Her career ended soon after they started to surface."

"I see…" Kanshi said. He didn't really understand celebrity life but it sounded a bit pitiful, the way Kotone described Yoimachi's end.

"Ah! I didn't mean to discourage you from buying it!" The girl quickly raised her hands in the air as she jumped back a bit. "If you have the money, I highly recommend you buy it. Yoimachi's songs are really good! They're just… expensive."

"Huh?" Kanshi blinked. "Ah, no, I-I was just… lost in thought I guess?" he stammered, at a loss for words for how he could calm the girl down. "I mean, if you say her songs are good then, I might as well buy it. I have plenty of money, I should be able to afford it. Ah, my name's Kanshi Itsuka by the way."

"Um… My name is Kotone Matsuno. It's nice to meet you Itsuka," the now-named Kotone bowed.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Matsuno."

Kanshi and Kotone headed towards the cashier, their purchases in hand. When Kanshi approached the cashier, the man behind the counter took one look at the CD before looking at Kanshi's face. Shrugging, he punched in… wasn't that a bit too many zeroes?!

Kanshi stared at the number displayed on the cash register. Kotone did say it was going to be expensive… Pulling out his wallet, Kanshi counted how much yen he had. He had enough to afford the CD, but…

Kotone was waiting behind him, her head tilted to the side. Kanshi once again found a wave of embarrassment wash over him. He had been so confident walking up to the counter too. Forcing a stoic mask on, he pulled out the money. The sound of the cash register swallowing all that yen made Kanshi's eye slightly twitch.

"Would you like a bag?" the cashier asked.

"Sure," Kanshi absentmindedly responded. He was still staring at the cash register. All those years of slaving away at chores, gone in an instant. Maybe next time he should pay more attention to price tags…

"Thank you for your patronage!"

Receiving the bag with the CD, Kanshi nodded in thanks. He stepped off to the side to allow Kotone to finish her business. Once she was done purchasing her far cheaper CDs, the two stepped outside whereupon an awkward silence enveloped them.

"Um…" Kotone's nervous voice broke that silence. "Maybe I shouldn't have promoted Yoimachi-san's music so much. Uh… sorry."

"Oh no, it's fine," Kanshi winced slightly. So she realized it huh? She's pretty sharp. "Besides, if I was going to pay that much for something, I'd rather it end up being worth it."

"Oh it most definitely is!" Kotone nodded. All traces of her previous nervousness were gone just like that. Kotone went on describing why Yoimachi's songs were so good… and on… and on... and on. Kanshi just kept a patient smile on his face as he nodded along to whatever musical jargon Kotone was spewing out. It seemed that she realized she had been rambling, however.

"I'm so sorry for going on and on like that!" Kotone bowed her head.

"Don't apologize, it's always interesting when someone shows their passion for something," Kanshi chided. "It's uh, I guess inspiring is a way to put it."

"Ah, I-I see. Um… what about you Itsuka?" Kotone asked, her eyes not quite meeting Kanshi's.

"That's…" Kanshi thought back to that conversation he had with his brother that day when everything began. Should he say cooking? But he wasn't really passionate about it, it was just something he did. If anything, cooking was more Shido's passion. So what was his passion? "…I don't know. I haven't quite figured out what I really enjoy."

"I-I see. Um… I apologize if I put you on the spot there," Kotone ducked her head.

"It's fine. It's fine. Besides, I guess I should start to think about that sort of thing. What my passions are and what I want to do in the future," Kanshi reassured. He was only a first-year high school student, but the next few years could blow by quickly. Better to start thinking about his future now rather than later.

As his eyes drifted towards his left, he realized that he and Kotone were still standing in front of that music store's door.

"We should probably move out of the way." With a nod from Kotone, the two stepped off to the side of the door, no longer blocking it. "I guess it's fine now though," Kanshi continued from where he left off once they were no longer obstructing the entrance to the store. "I'm only a first-year after all."

"Eh? You're a first-year?!" Kotone sounded shocked.

"Well… yeah," Kanshi nodded. "What did you think I was?"

"It's just… you seem so… mature. I thought for sure you were at least a second-year," Kotone's embarrassment was plain to see. "Um… please don't be mad."

"Haha, don't worry," Kanshi laughed. "It probably has something to do with having a younger sister. I have to be a good role model after all."

"You have a younger sister?" Kotone asked.

"Yup, we're not related by blood though. I was adopted."

"Oh… I see," Kotone seemed to be at a loss for how to continue the conversation. "Um… I'm sorry about your original family?"

"You mean my biological family? Don't be, I don't remember them at all! So I don't really feel like I miss them too much," Kanshi shrugged. "It may seem a bit… callous, but that's just how it is."

"I… I see." Kotone pursed her lips. "Um, I lost my family too, around ten years ago, so you're not alone in being adopted…" A strange silence descended upon the two of them. How exactly were you supposed to continue a conversation that left off with the death of your parents?

"So uh… you're also a first-year huh? What school do you go to?" Kanshi recalled that small bit of info.

"Oh, Raizen High School."

"Raizen High School? No way, I go to Raizen High School too!" Kanshi exclaimed. "I'm in Class 1-1, what about you?"

"Class 1-2," Kotone said, a small smile on her lips.

"Wow, right next door huh? That's… what a coincidence," Kanshi scratched the back of his head. "So… uh, how are you holding up so far? If you need any help with—"

"Hey Kanshi!" a very familiar, upbeat voice called out. Blonde hair streaked towards Kanshi and Kotone. "Huh? No way, you've made yourself a new friend?! And without my help?!"

"Oi," Kanshi frowned. "That makes me sound like some socially awkward loner."

"You kind of are," Toyaki bluntly stated as he trailed after Hikari. "Kanshi," he nodded in greeting.

"So who's your new friend? Come on, introduce us!"

"Calm down Hikari, you don't want to be too overbearing to the poor girl," Toyaki chided.

"Right. Matsuno, this is Hikari Ito and Toyaki Hirai, they're my classmates from Class 1-1. Toyaki, Hikari, this is Kotone Matsuno, she's from Class 1-2."

"A pleasure to meet you Matsuno," Toyaki nodded. "I apologize in advance for Hikari's overeagerness."

"Hey! I'm not that overbearing! But it's nice to meet you too, Matsuno! I hope you've been taking care of Kanshi here for us."

"Again, you're making me out to be some problem child," Kanshi frowned.

"Ah, it's nice to meet you two as well, Ito, Hirai," Kotone bowed to each in turn.

"Matsuno-san's in the class next to our's," Kanshi informed the duo.

"Really? What a coincidence!" Hikari exclaimed. "So what are you two doing in front of this store? I never took you for a music person, Kanshi."

"Ah well, I was just wandering around when this store caught my eye," Kanshi shrugged. "Besides, I have an old CD player at home that barely sees any usage so I thought, why not put it to use?"

"I see," Hikari nodded. "I can kind of get the feeling. But hey, you guys want to join us? We're heading for the doll shop. I heard they had a new shipment arrive recently! I have to finish filling out my army of dolls!"

"I'm fine with that, what about you Matsuno?" Kanshi shrugged before turning towards his new friend. The black-haired girl seemed to mull over the question a bit before responding.

"Um… sorry, but I have some things I need to do at home," Kotone apologized.

"Ah, no need to be so polite with us," Hikari chided. "We're all out here to have fun today! School's out so what else are kids like us going to do?"

"Work?" Kanshi said.

"Study?" Toyaki spoke up.

"Gah! You two are no fun! I'd better get out of here before it spreads! Later Matsuno!" Hikari said as she took off down the street.

"Oi, Hikari! Eyes on the road!" Toyaki shouted as he chased after his old friend. "Oh, and bye Matsuno."

"See ya, Matsuno," Kanshi began. "And thanks for the info about… well, this." Kanshi raised the bag with the CD in it.

"It was nothing," Kotone shook her head. "Anyways, you should go catch up with your friends. Bye, Itsuka. Tell the other two I said bye for me."

With a wave, Kanshi took off down the street after his friends. Regrouping by a doll shop that Kanshi was very familiar with, the group went inside. Kanshi looked around the store. Row upon row of shelves adorned with dolls filled much of the store's interior. But, it was near the back that Kanshi saw something that made his eye twitch in irritation.

"So that's still here huh?" he muttered under his breath. Kanshi's gaze was focused on one of the store's claw machines. There were three of them next to each other, each had a different theme to their design. One was animals, another was space and aliens, and the final one was fantasy.

"Hmm? Kanshi? You alright?" Toyaki asked from beside Kanshi. "You're staring really hard at those claw machines."

"I'm fine. Just… bad experiences with claw machines," Kanshi gritted out.

"Oh? I'm sensing a story there," Hikari said in a song-like fashion.

"...Kotori's tenth birthday. That's all you're getting from me. Fill in the blanks yourself."

"I see, I see," Hikari nodded. "So you failed at getting a doll from those claw machines for your little sister's birthday."

"Wha-No! I got it in the end!"

"Got it in the end?" Toyaki repeated with a raised eyebrow. "That implies you had to make multiple attempts."

"Of course I had to make multiple attempts, it's impossible for anyone to get something on the first try," Kanshi claimed, folding his arms against his chest.

"Whoa, easy there. Didn't mean to poke at the hornet's nest," Toyaki, who was right next to Kanshi and thus the one closest to the potential eruption of Mount Kanshi, said with hands raised in mock surrender.

"What are we doing here anyway?" Kanshi asked.

"Something like an errand," Hikari said before going over to inspect a shelf full of dolls.

"An errand?"

"Oh yeah, my mother's a doctor you see, and well… you know how children get around doctors."

"Hm? Your mother's a doctor?" Kanshi repeated.

"Yeah, so is my father actually," Hikari added with a frown. "He always comes home super late though. He won't tell me where he works too, something about him being afraid I'll scare off his patients."

"If I had you as an angry-worried daughter, I'd be scared too," Toyaki muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something Toyaki?"

"Nothing."

"Hikari? What's your mother's and father's names?" Kanshi asked, a certain suspicion creeping up in his mind.

"Hm? My father's Hajime Ito and my mother's Nagisa Ito. Why do you ask?"

"Ah, I just know a Dr. Ito. I was just wondering if he was your father is all. Guess Ito is a more common family name than I thought." That was a lie. What were the odds that he'd run into Dr. Ito's daughter? Judging by what Hikari said, she doesn't know about Ratatoskr, or Fraxinus, or Spirits. "So you're looking for dolls to help make your mother's office more friendly-looking?" That was a deflect.

"Yup, of course, it can't just appeal to girls, it'll have to appeal for boys as well."

"A universal doll beloved by all," Toyaki said. "Not exactly an easy requirement."

"Ah, it's more of a recommendation than a requirement. I mean, you two didn't mind girly things when you were little right?" Hikari asked.

Toyaki shook his head but Kanshi awkwardly cleared his throat instead.

"Oh right," Hikari's eyes widened. "Sorry, Kanshi."

"It's alright. My circumstance just slipped your mind," Kanshi shook his head. "Hm, I'm not sure if I'll be much help here. Most of the things I get for Kotori, I don't get the appeal of. I mean, I guess you should probably lay off on animals though; wouldn't want to offend any polar bear fans that visit your mother's clinic."

"I guess so," Hikari laughed, the atmosphere returning to normal once more. "I'm more of a dog person myself."

"I guess we're just fated to be arch-nemeses then," Kanshi raised an eyebrow. "I'm on team cat."

Hikari and Kanshi both looked at Toyaki expectantly.

He looked between the two of them before finally saying, "Fish."

"Huh, I guess that's why you were so broken up when we found Mr. Goldy dead," Hikari wondered aloud.

"Mr. Goldy?" Kanshi asked.

"Old pet goldfish," Toyaki said without elaborating.

"Ah, I see," Kanshi said, nodding sagely. "May Mr. Goldy rest in peace up in fishy heaven."

"We're getting side-tracked. Anyways, what do you think of thi—"

The sudden blaring of an alarm interrupted Toyaki as he held out a plastic doll of a girl that wouldn't look out of place in a horror film. A spacequake?

Actually wait, before that, Toyaki wasn't about to seriously suggest putting that potential eldritch monstrosity in a doctor's office to help make kids feel at ease?! What about the piercing dead stare it has? Or the fact that Kanshi swore that its hands twitched as Toyaki picked it up? Or even better the fact that its head was a bit loose causing it to rotate until the thing's eyes were staring directly into Kanshi's soul?! It'll only hurt for a little bit alright, cause you'd be too terrified of that… thing to feel any pain at all!

Forget Spirits! The true enemy of mankind has always and will always be those creepy dolls!


Kotori having recently been teleported back up to the Fraxinus to help better support Shido on his date with Tohka stared with widened eyes at the monitor.

"A spacequake?" she muttered. "But… right now? Of all the times…"

"Commander," Reine called. "Should we teleport Tohka and Shin here?"

"Do it," Kotori ordered. Their involvement couldn't be hidden from Tohka forever after all, might as well reveal it now. Plus, packing a bunch of people into a room with a Spirit who has no idea what is going on is just a recipe for disaster.

A call came to Kotori's computer. It was Kanshi.

Answering it, Kanshi spoke first, "Kotori, is it Tohka?"

Ah, that was right, Kanshi hasn't been informed yet. They had been so busy running around trying to prepare everything for Shido and Tohka that telling Kanshi this was going on completely slipped her mind. Alright Kotori, you'll just have to lie again. You'll just have to lie… and hope things don't blow up in the worst way when the lie is revealed.

"We're trying to pinpoint where the spacequake will happen. There's an… anomaly though so I want you to head for a shelter."

"Got it… stay safe alright?"

"I'm far safer than you are right now."

With that, the line went dead and Kotori swallowed another bout of guilt. It was for Kanshi's own good that she lied. It was so that what happened three years ago wouldn't happen again. More pragmatically, to be honest, Kanshi would just get in the way if he tried to help.

Shido and Tohka appeared on the bridge shortly after.

"Kotori! What's going on?" Shido asked immediately as he set foot on the bridge.

"Calm down Shido," Kotori said, replacing the Chupa Chups lollipop in her mouth. "We're currently investigating the situation. For now, we'll need to keep you and Tohka on board."

"Eh? Shido, who are all these people?"

Kotori ignored Tohka and Shido in favor of staring intently back at the information that was on screen. When she had told Kanshi that there was an anomaly, she wasn't kidding.

The way spacequakes were predicted was less than mundane. It relied heavily on using Realizers to detect shifts in mana, or more specifically, the gathering of a large quantity of mana. The technique had been refined over the years allowing for fewer false alarms. Certain thresholds had to be surpassed over a short period for the alarm to sound.

The strange thing about this spacequake was that last part, the thresholds. The numbers coming in were exactly at those threshold numbers throughout. To put it bluntly, it was the weakest spacequake that could be detected. That came with another problem, there were no recorded Spirits who outputted such low numbers whenever a spacequake happens.

"Have we found the location yet?" Kotori asked.

"No, in fact, there's been no—"

The readings on the graphs suddenly spiked before the bridge was suddenly drowned in darkness. For a split second, Kotori felt weightless as Fraxinus began to plummet. Then just as quickly, everything came online again.

Kotori blinked. "What just happened?"

"We just temporarily lost power for… everything! Realizers, electronics, everything!"

"Are there any anomalies in our equipment?"

"No, we haven't detected anything wrong."

"What about the spacequake? Have we found the Spirit that caused it? Or at least the location?"

"Negative, we can't find anything. It's like it was all a false alarm. No damage, no Spirit, nothing."

"What about the AST?"

"Some of them suffered some injuries, though not from fighting anything. It looks more like they had been affected by that blackout as well and some weren't able to save themselves."

"So it wasn't just us…" Kotori muttered.

Kotori watched as several AST members carried their injured comrades away. An EMP? But even then EMPs couldn't affect Realizers. And the last time she checked, a Realizer EMP was just impossible to create.

"It seems like the alarm's been lifted," Kotori said. "We'll send you two back down if you feel like finishing your date. Just let us know where you'd like to touch down."


After the spacequake alarm was lifted, Shido decided that it was worth a shot at finishing the date. If it could save Tohka, if it could make it so that she would never have to make such a face again, then there should be no harm in trying, right? After treating Tohka to more snacks and sweets, Fraxinus led Shido to a park on the outskirts of the city.

The sun was setting over Tengu City. Shido had led Tohka up to a park that overlooked most of the city. The twilight sun cast the city in a beautiful orange-red hue. Shido and Tohka stood against a railing as they watched this scene.

"You know, Shido; this date, this world, it can be pretty fun and beautiful huh?" Tohka spoke. There was a hint of regret in her tone that Shido picked up. Her eyes seemed a bit melancholic as she stared out into the city.

"Your right, it can be fun and beautiful. And no one tried to kill you at all today did they?" Shido agreed.

"Your right…" Tohka paused, as though deep in thought. "Hey, Shido. Whenever I appear in this world, the same thing happens right?"

"Huh?" Shido blinked.

"When I appear, I end up destroying this wonderful world. I make people afraid. I can kind of understand the mecha-mecha squad now. Today, when that alarm went off, and all those people began rushing for those shelters you told me about… then that moment when we were on that ship and the power went out… I-Even though I knew I could live, for a moment, I was terrified that I was going to die."

Shido stayed silent, watching over Tohka with mild concern. This all sounded very similar to something he had heard long ago, about four years back by now. The details, although different, the general idea behind the words were the same. It was making him remember something that he had tried to forget.

"I can't help but wonder if this world would be better off without—"

"Tohka," Shido said firmly. His heart was pounding, a wave of anger washed over him. But that anger wasn't directed at Tohka, it was at himself, for that very dark moment in the Itsuka family. A day where he had failed, both as a person and as an older brother. He wouldn't let the events of that day play out again. "Don't you dare finish that sentence," Shido all but growled out.

"But—"

"You're not at fault for such a thing. You can't control when you come to this world, but today, today was different. When you came there wasn't a spacequake. So there's a chance for you to not destroy this world!"

"Even then, there's nothing that prevents me from coming back to this world at random."

"Then don't go back! Just stay here!" Shido grabbed Tohka's hands in his own. "I swear that I'll do everything I can to make your life here comfortable and happy! So just don't go back!"

"I…" Tohka averted her eyes. "That's… not possible."

"Have you tried? Just once?" Shido pressed. "I don't care about the hardships that we might have to face tomorrow, that's for tomorrow's me. Right now, I'm telling you that I will never reject your existence! I will never think of this world as better off without you!"

"Shido…"

"Alright Shido, her mood's high enough. Go for a kiss!" Kotori's voice came in through the earpiece. "If you want to save her, then you have to kiss!"

Shido, in his current state, was riding high on adrenaline, so he didn't react as he would if he had properly registered Kotori's words. Without a second's hesitation, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her's.

"Mmh!" Tohka let out a muffled squeak.

An instant after their lips met, Tohka's clothes began to disappear into motes of light. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that Tohka's Astral Dress, in a Raizen High School design, began to disappear.

"Wha—!" Tohka pushed Shido away as she kneeled down and tried to cover herself as best she could. "D-Don't look!"

"Sorry!" Shido shouted, the adrenaline wearing off and being replaced with embarrassment.

"That's no good either! You're squinting aren't you?"

"T-Then what do you want me to do?!"

Rather than answer Shido with words, Tohka tightly embraced Shido. "There. Now you can't see anything."

"T-True…"

"Hey, Shido? Will you… take me out on a date again?"

"Absolutely," Shido let out a small chuckle. "Whenever you want."


As the moon rose at the end of a rather eventful day, Kanshi sat alone at the dining table. No one had come home yet. He had called Kotori earlier to ask if she was alright. She had said that everything was under control and that he should just enjoy the rest of the day.

Yeah, as if he could do that. How could he go about the rest of his day as though everything was fine? As a matter of fact, he doubted anyone could be comfortable going about their day as usual after that blackout. Sure it had only lasted for a moment, but it was the fact that it had happened at all unnerved people. After all, spacequake shelters were meant to be their safe space during a spacequake, but now, something came along to disturb that sense of safety.

Kanshi's stomach rumbled. He eyed the rapidly cooling food with hunger. He was so tempted to take a bite—no. He would wait for Kotori and Shido to come back. They always had their dinner together, even during that week of training Shido had undergone.

Where the heck were they?! They should be back by now, right? It was already around 6 o'clock! What kind of overtime were they doing?!

The sound of the front door being unlocked drew Kanshi's attention. They're back!

"We're home!" came the voices of his siblings.

"Welcome back!" he replied.

Kotori and Shido emerged in the entryway to the living room. From there they could see Kanshi sitting at the dining table, waiting.

"Geez Kanshi," Shido said, scratching the back of his head. "You didn't have to wait for us."

Kanshi shook his head. "It's fine."

"I still have work I need to do, I'll just have my dinner in my room," Kotori sighed. Ah, she was in her Commander-mode was she?

"Aw, but I made pudding," Kanshi said loudly. "I guess since you're not eating with us, no pudding for you."

Kotori's stature stiffened as though she were struck. "Y-You think that'll convince me?"

"Oh well," Kanshi shrugged. "I guess we'll be having extra dessert Nii-san."

"T-That's!" Kotori made a face like she was swallowing a lemon. "Fine!" And the dam broke.

Kotori all but raced off to the bathroom to wash her hands, leaving the two brothers behind. Shido watched Kotori run off before turning back towards Kanshi.

"Wow. When did you get so devious?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Nii-san."

"Hurry up Onii-chan!" Kotori's voice came from the hallway. Huh, back to normal Kotori? That was fast.

"Yes, yes. I'm hurrying," Shido said in a drawl.

"Gosh! You're so slow! We'll never finish dinner before it gets cold at this rate!"

"I think dinner's already gone cold."

"Well then it'll freeze if you don't hurry!"

"Yes yes. Whatever you say, Kotori."

Kanshi looked on with a small smile on his lips. He was supposed to go about the rest of his day like normal right? Well, what counts as a person's day differs from person to person. For Kanshi, the day ends when he falls asleep. He was just following orders, surely he couldn't be blamed for that. Besides, it'd probably be better if they went over everything that happened tomorrow.

It wasn't like anything of importance happened, besides that spacequake, right?


A much shorter chapter this time finishing up where Tohka's arc should end. I didn't want to stretch it out for more than it was worth. We'll handle the aftermath of Tohka's arc next time as well as pick up Yoshino's arc. Ugh, I have to admit this chapter feels off somehow but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is that makes it feel that way.

Oh, the new title, summary, and chapter names. Don't worry, it's nothing too drastic, just ascetic changes, makes it feel more... professional you know?

Anyway, as usual, I recommend you bookmark this story or Follow it or something so that you don't lose track of it. Also please leave a review telling me what I did well and what I could work on, every little bit counts.


Edit 8/12/2021: Added an extra scene and some other small tidbits to hopefully make the chapter flow better. Who knows whether or not it did the trick? I can't really think too much on it otherwise Chapter 3 will never come out.