When Nia read the conclusion given by the game, she knew, deep inside her, that it was the truth.

She was probably…no, surely in love with Shidou.

This warm feeling flowing through her body, her heart beating fast each time she thought about Shidou, the fact that she wanted to be with him more and more… what was it, if not love?

Despite all her efforts, Nia had fallen for someone who was not 2D.

She was the first one to be surprised by this revelation.

Yet, when she realized that, she did not feel any happiness or relief.

These things that often happened in mangas, games, light novels and animes did not apply to her.

Nia only felt sorrow and fear.

Her heart froze.

"Reine! What is happening?! Why is Nia's mood dropping like that?!" Kotori asked.

"…maybe… Nia's feelings are even more complicated than what we thought…" Reine answered, checking the readings on her screens.

"But why did it turn like this?... She was supposed to feel happy and flustered like a young maiden!" Kotori insisted, waving her Chupa-Chups furiously.

"…Yes."

The reason behind Nia's sudden depression was that she was finally understanding herself.

Or to be exact, she understood why she unconsciously hid, rejected her genuine feelings.

(Aaah…so that is why I ran away…)

Nia was a Spirit.

A supernatural being, blessed with a powerful Angel.

But over everything, she was immune against aging. Her current appearance was proof of that, and it was not limited to her appearance.

People over thirty-five often complain that their body was not as light as before, or that a pain suddenly appeared somewhere one morning.

Most of the time, it was not an illness, just aging. Despite being over forty, Nia felt nothing like that: she truly felt like her organism was frozen at the age of twenty.

Even if she didn't know if she was truly immortal, it was at least certain that Nia would live much longer than a normal human.

A normal human like… Shidou.

Yes. That was the conclusion Nia had reached when she had realized her feelings toward Shidou.

No matter what was destined to happen between them, no matter the nature of their relationship.

The harsh, cold truth was that Shidou would die long before Nia… leaving her alone.

Even if he were to love Nia and to choose her, he would eventually leave her in solitude one day or another.

Not only that. While Shidou would age normally, Nia would remain the same, physically and mentally.

Could she bear that? Could Shidou bear that?...

That was why Nia had tried to ignore her feelings. She did not want to taste happiness and be deprived of it. She did not want to suffer forever.

In addition, there was the risk of being rejected, as Natsumi had said.

These were her two biggest fears.

(Yes… why would Boy like me, in the first place?)

Nia's thoughts became darker and darker as she started to compare herself to the other Spirits that obviously loved Shidou.

Nia was old, compared to the others. She didn't have any asset to charm Shidou.

Her body itself was nothing extraordinary or attractive, unlike Tohka or Miku.

She did not have Kaguya or Yoshino's innocence, Origami or Yuzuru's perseverance, Mukuro, Kotori or Natsumi's natural charm.

(I'm only joking and jesting to hide my feelings.)

Nia's chest was hurting.

She didn't want to suffer but she couldn't escape her feelings, her doubts, her fears.

(Still… I can't lie to myself. I love Boy, but I'm afraid that he wouldn't love me. At the same time, I don't want to confess my feelings because even if he were to accept them, he would die before me and I'm too coward to accept that.)

Tears of anger, sadness and guilt pearled in her eyes.

When was the last time she had experienced this distress?...

(My heart…what is it to do?... Nee, Boy…)

Nia's thoughts sank and sank.

(If it hurts so much… maybe, maybe I should never have met Boy…)

Suddenly, the door opened and the light of the corridor blinded Nia.

Kotori, panting, was standing there, Reine standing behind her.

"Nia! What's happening?!"

Nia only then noticed the tears on her cheeks.

She wiped them off and weakly smiled while standing up.

"… it hurts…" she whispered, much to Kotori's anxiety.

"What is it, Nia? Why… just what happened?!"

To Kotori's eyes, Nia was not the same person who had entered the room earlier. She looked like a ghost. A blank void, as empty as could be.

"I always thought love was cool, moe, cute… In all the manga and light novels I read, in all the games I played, it seemed such a beautiful thing..." Nia said.

She clenched her fist.

"So…why does it hurt so much to love someone?!"

Kotori closed her eyes, feeling her heart tightening.

She knew too well that feeling of loving someone with little chances of being loved in return.

After all, to her, Shidou was…

Kotori rejected her thoughts and glanced at Nia. She had to act as a commander. She then talked with a serious yet soft voice.

"…it hurts because it is real. Your love is real, and as a normal person, you are afraid to lose that love."

Nia laughed bitterly.

"Hehe…so right now, my status is "Charmed". Tell me, imouto-chan, is there a potion or a quest to cure me?..."

Kotori had a wry smile.

(If only…)

"Not really, no… You have to accept your feelings first. Once you do, it hurts… less. And you have to cherish them. I… don't know if Shidou loves you the same way, but one thing is certain… he wants you to be happy."

"…yes, that would be Boy for you."

Nia nodded and sighed.

"If that's all, imouto-chan, I'll go home. I… need to calm down for a bit…"

"Sure. The teleporter is ready."

Nia slowly walked toward the teleporter room, her head full of confused thoughts.

She was trying to set her thoughts in orders, yet, they kept spinning and flowing.

(I was persuaded that I could only love 2D. And now… here I am, in love with a high school student thirty years younger than me.)

Usually, in the movies or the newspapers, it was often disgusting old men who were peeping at younger girls.

They were either pedophiles or lolicon, and condemned by the law.

But in that case, it was the opposite.

Nia was the "criminal", as Shidou had not even reached majority.

"I'm glad he's a high schooler, though… I would have been flagged as a shotacon, if he was younger… gosh…"

She laughed aloud.

(I'm sorry, Tokiya. Even though you're my waifu, I betrayed you…)

Nia apologized to her first love, the lonely hero of [CHRONICLE].

But in a certain extent, Nia was relieved. Kotori was right.

Accepting her feelings was making things a bit easier. She had not completely mastered this skill but needed to… it was now basically a prerequisite to progress.

(Well, at least, all of this could serve me, were I to write a shoujo manga…)

In Fraxinus' main control room, Kotori let herself fall in her chair.

"Talk about a day…" she groaned.

The other crewmembers were not in the room, let alone Kannazuki who was still doing his squats and sweating profusely, a look of pure bliss on his face.

Kotori wanted to shut him up as his breathing was hard and loud but considered it would only make him happier.

However, despite the appearances, she was relieved. She inadvertently played with a new Chupa-Chups.

(I am glad we managed to solve this, at least…)

Kotori was not especially worried about Nia being in love with Shidou.

After all, the majority of the Spirits were too, and despite that, they managed to live together and like each other.

Shidou was a not some kind of gigolo, they were very lucky on this point. She shuddered when she reminded how he was right before the Ituska Disaster kicked in: he was literally hunting every woman he found…

That being said, the entrance of a potential new rival was a little bit disturbing.

(Nia, hun. She's old but the fact she shares the same tastes as Shidou can't be ignored…)

Indeed, Nia and Shidou had both an otaku side and thus a link was naturally born between them.

The fact that Nia knew about Shidou chuuni period also brought them closer.

Of course, Kotori still held more secrets about him (although she didn't realize it didn't make her different from a stalker).

"Guhh. I should not mind it. After all, Onii-chan is mine and–"

"Commander! I feel like I'm going to faint! Can you please give me some motivation?!" Kannazuki suddenly yelled.

His uniform was a mess, as well as his hair, both wet with sweat. His movements were slower than before, yet carried all his will.

It was truly impressive in a way but also disgusting and creepy.

Kotori clenched her teeth and threw her Chupa-Chups stick with a tremendous power, in a technique that reminded the Gae Bolg of a certain Lancer.

The stick found its way in Kannazuki's right eye.

"Gyaaah! ~ Thank you very muuuuuch!" he screamed, holding his eye but not stopping his squats.

"Tch. I'll discipline you later."

"That would be my utmost pleasure!"

Kotori was taking out a new Chupa-Chups when Reine entered the room –not paying Kannazuki a single glance–.

"Kotori. You should see this."

Reine had brought her tablet with her.

"I told you earlier that I would send the Chupa-Chups invoice directly to the main branch" Kotori sighed.

"… this is not about that. Look at Shin's readings."

Kotori did so and felt her jaw dislocating.

Her reaction was only natural.

"…what does it mean, Reine? Why is Shidou's and Nia's pass still perturbed? I thought it was supposed to get better!"

On the screen, the reiryoku of Nia's colour was still irregular compared to the other Spirits' waves.

"It's true that Nia herself admitted her feelings but it shall take some time for her to completely stabilize. However, you're right, there should have been a slight improvement. I analyzed the reiha signatures again… and I think there is an issue on Shin's side as well."

Kotori frowned at Reine's hypothesis.

"Shidou? You mean… Shidou may not like Nia anymore? Or…"

"...No. Maybe… Shin's relation with Nia is not as deep as the other Spirits because he does not get to see her as much. Maybe their bond just needs…a little help? It seems highly probable."

"Huh… I see. After all, relationships are the same in reality or in games. If you don't preserve them, they don't last" Kotori said, thoughtful.

(Still, both of them… they really like to scare us…)

She then snapped her fingers.

"But this is truly unacceptable. Call all the crewmembers right now. We need to take action immediately. Our main objective is for Nia and Shidou to deepen their relation!"

Kotori stood up.

"For Shidou's and Nia's sake…let begin our (war) date!"

The same evening, at the Itsuka household.

Because of cram school, Shidou had just came back home and still had work to do.

He was now supposed to have a week of break, but in truth, this week was for the students to study hard for the upcoming school exams.

Shidou was bound to attend cram school for the rest of the week, mostly on the afternoon, working even more than usual. It would have bothered him, if he was not too tired to think about it.

He had bags under the eyes, consequences of the hours he had spent to study late last night.

Shidou was tired because of his rhythm but not only. Something else was bothering him deep inside, causing his chest to slightly hurt every day.

Thus, he was in a way trying to bury these feelings by focusing on his studies: it was good to keep his mind busy.

All the lights of the house were turned off. None of the Spirits was present, due to the late hour. Kotori wasn't here either but she was probably working aboard Fraxinus.

It was not unusual for her to be away, from time to time. In these moments, the house felt kind of lonely.

Shidou heavily sighed and get rid of his uniform and bag at the entrance as usual, then took off his shoes.

He then went in the kitchen living room and opened the fridge. Usually, he would cook for the other Spirits and for himself when he had the time.

Shidou loved to cook in a certain way. It was a pleasant, relaxing task: he could empty his mind from his worries and create delicious dishes that would make other people happy –Tohka in particular–.

But this evening, Shidou did not have the faith to do so. He only wanted to sustain himself and get the energy he needed to work for a few more hours.

However, inside the fridge was a surprise… or rather, something clearly standing out.

An entire fried chicken.

From the look of it, Shidou guessed it had been immersed in boiling oil, without further preparation or seasoning.

The dish –Shidou did not know if it deserved that title though– was clumsily presented on a plate.

It was the literal definition of fried chicken, yet, no one would call it this.

That unexpected sight made him smile nonetheless.

"… I think I know who prepared this…"

The image of a clumsy girl full of goodwill came to his mind.

He felt sorry for not eating it despite all the troubles Tohka surely went through to prepare it, but in his state, his stomach would not endure it.

Shidou instead grabbed an energy drink with some onigiris he had made the day before, and, still smirking, went to his bedroom.

(I guess I'll eat chicken tomorrow…I'll have to arrange it a bit though. Maybe some chicken broil?...)

With that idea in mind, he mustered up his courage and, sitting at his desk, opened his textbooks.

A long night was waiting for him.

Shidou was having a dream.

A blurred dream that would leave no trace of his existence, ephemeral as could be.

He was standing, looking at a boy who was and was not himself, himself looking at a boy who was and was not himself.

Because, the two boys were looking at each other.

But the other boy was like him… the same appearance, the same soul. And yet, it was not him.

Shidou could not move. He even doubted he really existed there, drowned with strange sensations.

He could see, yet, his mind doubted what he was seeing, it was the same for the sounds he heard.

The other "Shidou" started to talk with a dizzy voice.

"I… Where?... White…black… where am I?..."

He then looked at Shidou without seeing him.

"Mio…where?..."

"–dou! Shidou!"

Someone, having grabbed Shidou's shoulders, was vigorously shaking him.

"Mmmh?..."

Shidou suddenly woke up.

Immediately, he felt confused. His entire body was painful, stiff, his head and eyelids heavy.

"Shidou! Are you okay?!"

A familiar voice called him again as the shaking stopped.

Shidou understood that he probably fell asleep on his desk while working last night.

As panic of being late at school took over him, he suddenly remembered that he had not to attend classes this morning. Cram school would start later, in the afternoon.

Still…

"Guuh…"

Shidou lifted his head and look at the person that was trying to wake him up.

Dark purple hair tied with a ribbon, a slender yet curved body, beautiful eyes and a worried face.

Tohka was looking at Shidou, still holding his shoulders.

"Shidou! What happened? Did someone attack you?!"

"Uunn, Tohka… sorry. I just fell asleep…" Shidou answered with a tired smile. "I'm fine…"

"Mmuu…you sure, Shidou?" Tohka asked, worried. "You don't look well… your face, is kinda pale…"

"Ah, yeah… that's because I worked a lot. But I'm fine now. Look!"

Shidou put up a brave smile and get up, trying to reassure Tohka.

Noticing that his efforts were not convincing, he changed the subject.

"A-anyway! I'll prepare breakfast, okay?"

"Umu, good idea, Shidou!" Tohka nodded, her eyes suddenly sparkling.

Baiting Tohka only required food and Shidou was feeling slightly guilty for that.

"I'll show you how to cook karaage, okay?"

"Karaage? But I know how to, Shidou! I prepared some yesterday for you!"

"That, errmm, you musn't fry the entire chicken, Tohka…"

"But this is fried chicken, right?"

"Yes… but that's different… anyway, I'll show you. Okay?"

"Umu!"

Tohka cheerfully climbed down the stairs, an air of pure happiness on her face.

Shidou followed her while smiling at her innocence and contagious mood.

He had no memories of his dream of the last night…

Shidou first intended to prepare karaage for everyone in the Itsuka household, but Tohka, as enthusiastic as always, ate all the ones he prepared, just "to taste".

"I'm sorry, Shidou! There is some kind of spell working here! As soon as I take one, it… what! It disappeared!"

"Tohka, you just ate it without realizing it…"

"Mu?!"

Shidou kindly laughed and patted the teary-eye –but so cute – Tohka.

"It's alright. I'll just prepare something else."

Shidou then cooked several leftovers of the previous meals, a special portion for each Spirit living near the Itsuka household.

He didn't know if all of them would come, but he wanted to make sure they had something to eat.

However, one by one, the Spirits knocked at the door.

"Kakaka! Rejoice, mortals! The hurricane children are here! Pray that your offering meets my expectations or feel my divine wrath!"

"Translation. Kaguya hopes that Shidou's food will be as delicious as usual so she can compliment him."

"Wh–Yuzuruuu!"

The Yamai sisters were the first to entered, with Kaguya's usual chuuni entrance and Yuzuru acting as a grown up sister.

"H-hello, Shidou-san…"

"Hey… I didn't really want to pass by because I know my mere presence ruins the mood but Yoshino insisted, even if she's too kind and knows one day I'll be a hindrance to her…"

Yoshino and Natsumi – as negative and reluctant as ever – followed them.

"Nushi-sama, dost thou need Muku's assistance?"

Mukuro was the last one to enter the Itsuka household and immediately looked for a way to be with Shidou.

The only absent ones were Miku, who was on a concert tour, Nia, who was surely working and for an unknown reason, Kotori.

It appeared that Origami had infiltrated the house at dawn (Tohka had surprised her searching the family albums for shota Shidou photos).

With the Spirits' help, the table was soon dressed and the food ready. Due to the growing number of Spirits however, Kotori had ordered a new, larger and longer table for their living room to be installed.

The scene of the Spirits surrounding Shidou while eating was something to picture.

Tohka was literally swallowing her plate (like someone with long dark hair and red eyes), Natsumi was eating in the corner, Kaguya and Yuzuru were engaged in a "who eats the faster" competition, and on Shidou's side…

On Shidou's side, Mukuro was trying to feed Shidou who himself was feeding Yoshino –handicapped because of her puppet and friend Yoshinon on her hand– while Origami was trying to steal that food that in her own words was "impregnated with Shidou's particules".

Amidst that cheerful chaos, Shidou could not keep himself from wondering where Kotori was.

It was not in her habit to miss one of these meals, as she could relax herself and behave like a little sister (basically spamming Shidou with "Onii-chan!") and not like a commander.

(Or perhaps she is too busy with Ratatoskr… I almost forget that we're supposed to be at war with DEM…)

Shidou had a bitter smile.

However at the same time, his cellphone rang.

Shidou interrupted his task, his fork still mid-air, Origami and Yoshino mouth wide open.

"Yes?" Shidou answered the call.

"Shidou."

Kotori's voice echoed in his ear.

"Ah, Kotori, where are you? I prepared food for you too, but…"

"Thanks, Onii-chan~… I mean, hum, thank you, Shidou. But I didn't call to tell you I couldn't come to the party… Isolate yourself from the other Spirits for a few moments. It'd be better if none were to hear what I'll tell you."

"A-re?... alright."

Shidou excused himself and left the table (though Origami, thinking that he was going to the toilets, tried to stalk him) to take refuge in his bedroom.

"So, Kotori, what is it?"

"Shidou, when was the last time you went to the Komiket?"

Shidou suddenly shivered.

Komiket.

That name alone brought back memories of his chuuni period.

The Komiket was a four days event held in Tenguu City and resembled the Comico Colosseum (the convention where Shidou and Nia had a competition about who would sell out their doujins).

However, if the Comico only gathered doujins artists –amateurs or not–, the Komiket was an assembly reserved to professional mangakas, who would propose original works derived from their series, as well as anime and game producers who would make announcements and sell exclusive merch.

In definitive, it was not a crappy convention organized by people who just wanted to make money on so-called otakus.

It was an event organized by pro and fans for fans who shared the same passion about the 2D world, during the week where most of the students were free.

To tell the truth, these students were supposed to attend cram school but most of them skipped it to go to the Komiket.

Between studies and such an event, one would not hesitate twice.

Shidou had attended several Komikets in the past, cosplaying and getting the merch he desired as a chuuni otaku, but he had forced himself to forget that dark past.

"…long ago…" Shidou eventually replied, on the edge.

He knew that Kotori mentioning this event did not mean anything good.

"I'd like you to accompany me there, Onii-chan!"

Kotori's sudden childish behavior took him aback.

"Huh…Kotori?... What did you…"

"I said: I'd love to have you accompanying me at the Komiket, Onii-chan!"

"Yes, but…"

"See you tomorrow at the station, Onii-chan!"

Kotori hung up the phone, leaving Shidou completely dumbfounded.

This sudden invitation inspired him suspicion and fear.

"…since when does Kotori love anime and manga?..."

Knowing perfectly that he had no chances to discuss with his sister, Shidou quickly addressed a mail to his cram school teacher to inform him that he was sick and could not attend classes the next day.

He then returned to the living room, unable to chase away the chills he felt.