Entry 3: Re;Take Yatogami Epilogue – The New Normal

In a different part of the world, an arms tech facility went up in flames. The company known as Arquebus was no more.

From the shadows of the flames, the silhouette of a figure could be seen moving. Barely anything about their details could be made out through the heat haze, but it didn't take an expert to know that they were the culprit behind the blaze.

One man tried to crawl out of the blaze, desperate to survive. A loud sound rang out, and even he fell over, dead.

The figure in the shadows smirked malevolently.

The day went on at a weird pace, Origami found. Of course, that was to be expected, given that Tohka was now a part of her class.

As was basically tradition with any transfer student in any class, the moment the first break arrived, Tohka had basically been swamped by every student in class. Questions like 'where did you come from', 'are you dating anyone', and 'what are your three sizes', were quite common.

Origami felt a bit annoyed on Tohka's behalf for that last one. That girl seemed far too innocent to even know what they meant by that.

After a while, though, the crowd dissipated, and Tohka slumped over her desk, exhausted.

"So," Origami said. "How would you rate your first proper experience with other people?"

Tohka looked over at Origami, and gave a thumbs up. "Amazing!" she said, remarkably more energetic than her previous sigh let on. "I wasn't aware that there were so many people like them!"

"Bit of an awkward thing to say," Origami noted. "I'm guessing Kotori set all this up?"

"Yup! She said something about 'needing to blend in with people my age'. Can't say I understood it too much." Subtly, Tohka's eyes drifted to Origami's right shoulder, where she had taken that bullet a few days ago. "Is... your arm okay?"

Origami's hand drifted towards the old wound. 'Old'. What an operative word that was these days. It had only been half a week since she had been shot, yet the scar it left looked years old already, because of the work put in by Medical Realisers. "I'm... managing," Origami answered. "Thankfully, it's not as bad as it seems."

That was mostly true, too. Origami had read the report that Kannazuki had put together about the shot that was fired. Fortunately, the bullet hadn't been a full 50 calibre; instead, it was closer to a 300 magnum size. That, at the very least, meant that being hit by that shot didn't absolutely vaporise her arm, along with most of her torso. This was added to the fact that, somehow, through the chaos of the moment, the bullet had missed any and all bones. It was no small miracle that that Origami came out of that with only severe blood loss.

Of course, that didn't mean she got off completely scot-free. Moving the arm anywhere higher than her shoulder was now very uncomfortable, as oppose to the previous 'greatly uncomfortable'.

But, that paled in comparison to what they had learnt was inside that bullet upon retrieval.

The round had been developed by a group called Arquebus, a name Origami recognised from her AST days as one of the companies that sprang up following the disaster that had happened to the AST's previous supplier, Deus Ex Machina Industries, or DEM. Nobody was sure what exactly happened, but DEM had basically dropped off the map, and from the vacuum that was left, several other Realiser manufacturers had sprung up. What was odd, though, was that Arquebus was a company that specialised in energy-based weapons. Plasma rifles and what not.

Then there was the fact that the bullet was packed to the brim with the sort of energy that would cause a most painful death for something like a Spirit. At least, on paper. There was only simulation data to say it would, and Origami would be glad that she took the bullet, and not Tohka. A now-bum shoulder was arguably a good price to pay for not risking whatever might have happened.

Then, there was the fact that, practically hours after they had discovered the source of the bullet, Arquebus' main HQ had gone up in flames. It was too soon to be a coincidence. Had someone from Ratatoskr seen to it, or was it the work of a third party? Origami didn't know, and that really bothered her.

"Origami?" Tohka spoke, dragging Origami from her thoughts.

"It's nothing," Origami said. "Just a bit lost in thought." Well, she was no doubt going to have to watch over Tohka for the foreseeable future, so she'd best make conversation. "Tohka, have you had a tour of the school yet?"

"We get tours?!" Tohka exclaimed, as she quickly grabbed Origami's left hand. "Let's go! Let's go!"

As Tohka dragged Origami out of the classroom, three of their fellow students watching bewilderment.

"Say," Yamabiku Ai said first. "Is it just me, or is Yatogami-san already attached to Tobiichi-san?"

"Yeah," replied Hazakura Mai. "How do you think that happened? I always thought Tobiichi-san was hard to approach, yet she managed it in no time at all."

"That's so lame," added Fujibakama Mii.

With a quiet nod between them, the trio decided to follow after them.

It felt strange, Origami believed, to be spending so much time with Tohka in such a normal setting.

Not to say it was bad, by any means. Far from it, in fact; Origami found it quite relieving to see the Spirit she had managed to seal living life like a normal person.

Just as Kotori had promised and planned, Origami had made more of a dent in the fight against Spirits through romance, rather than violence.

It was still such a weird thing to think about, too. So much of her life was spent hating Spirits, only for the change she could make in the world to come from loving Spirits. It was so ironic, she couldn't help but laugh about it. In privacy, though; Origami didn't want people thinking she had lost her mind, laughing about something as out of this world as that.

"Origami! What's that?!" Tohka asked, pointing towards the cafeteria.

"That's the school cafeteria," Origami answered. "It is the communal place for students to get food and eat. More often than not, though, students buy their food to eat elsewhere."

Tohka nodded along in understanding. "Do they have bread here?"

Origami assumed she was referring to kinako bread. "Probably not the kind you're interested in," she answered. "The bread here tends to be a bit stale." Tohka pouted at that revelation.

Thump-thump

Huh. What was that feeling just now? It felt like her heart-rate just jumped a little. Probably just compounded stress. It has been a stressful few days, after all.

"Origami, where's next?" Tohka asked. Origami couldn't help but notice her ribbon was twitching in anticipation. It was cute, no doubt, but how was it doing that?

Regardless, Origami led on, unaware of the trio following not far behind them out of shear curiosity.

Their next stop was a few levels above them. "This is the library," Origami explained. "It has books, and it has computers." … That sentence was finished. Origami just didn't use the library all that much, so she didn't have a lot to say about it.

That, however, was enough to get Tohka very excited, seeing as she was dashing back and forth between the shelves like an energetic puppy. It was, unquestionably, rather cute.

Thump-thump

Huh. There was that heart-rate jump again. Her stress must have been through the roof, if she was noticing it that much. Perhaps she should see a doctor about that.

"We should move on, Tohka," Origami said, before noticing that Tohka was already engrossed in a book she had picked out. Curious, Origami peeked at the cover of the book. It was a thick book, entitled 'Steins;Gate'. A sci-fi story then? Whatever it was about, it seemed to leave Tohka greatly perplexed. "Perhaps leave it for later?" she offered.

"But there just about to get to the part about time travel!" Tohka complained. "Five more minutes?"

The bell rang at that exact moment. Seems the option was no longer Origami's to make. "We'll come back after school is finished for the day and borrow it," Origami said. "How about that?"

Tohka looked slightly off put, but returned the book to the shelf.

The day trudged on. School ended, and Origami took Tohka back to the library to pick up that book. Origami took a quick flick through it while she could, and concluded that, while a whole lot of stuff would probably go over Tohka's head, it would be a good read. Perhaps she should pick it up at some point herself.

Of course, that is also dependant on how much Tohka can keep her attention on it. That book was a bible in thickness, and so far, Tohka approached the world with the attention span of a puppy in a toy store.

Then, a thought occurred to Origami. "Tohka," she said. "Where are you living right now?"

Tohka tilted her head in confusion, as the two walked the streets of Tengu City. "What do you mean?"

"What do I... I mean, where is your home," Origami felt odd that she had to elaborate on that. "You've got to be living somewhere, right? Didn't Kotori set something up for you?"

Tohka thought for a moment. It was a moment that was honestly a little too long for Origami's tastes. Before Origami could get an answer, though, her phone started to ring.

Origami had a hunch who it was going to be, even though she'd never really given her number out to anybody. Casually, Origami answered the call. "Hello?"

[Hey, Tobiichi Origami,] greeted Itsuka Kotori. [Holding up alright?]

"Just a few questions that need answers," Origami answered. "Namely, what are your plans for Tohka? Surely she has a place that's not onboard the Fraxinus."

[That's it, eh?] Kotori responded. [No worries on that front. You know your new home?]

That was a relatively dumb question. Of course she knew it; she lived there. She had to move out of her old one mostly because it came with working for the AST, and initially (that is to say, for around three days) used her sizeable severance pay to rent a small aparment not too far from where she use to live. A single room with kitchen attached for eating, recreation, and sleeping, a small room for the toilet, and an adjacent room with a decently sized bath and shower. Not much, but comfortable for one, and probably a little cramped for two or more.

"Of course I know my home," Origami finally replied. "What about it?"

[Well, there's your answer,] Kotori said. [Until further notice, Tohka will be staying with you.]

… This was becoming a reoccurring saying for her, but... "What?" Origami said. "Would it not have been a good idea to have informed me ahead of time?"

[Didn't I?] Kotori asked, in that tone of voice that said 'I know I didn't, but I'll pretend I did, because it just pisses you off more, and that's funny' kind of voice. [Must have slipped my mind.]

"Of course it did," Origami muttered sarcastically. "Might I ask why you chose this arrangement?"

[You're forgetting that this is the first case of a successful Spirit Sealing,] Kotori explained. [This requires observation, of course, and frankly, you're probably the best choice for the job.]

Origami was fairly certain that was a back-handed insult to the rest of the Fraxinus staff. While she did understand that, over the past few days, she had come to respect them a bit more as individuals. Granted, she would only trust them as wingmen in the way that a pharmacist would trust cyanide as a painkiller.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Origami said. "Still, a word in advance would have been nice. And you better have more space set up for the next ones to come along."

[Don't worry about that. We're working on something that should be ready by the end of next month at the latest. Just put up with it for now, okay?] With that, Kotori hung up.

With a sigh, Origami returned her phone to her pocket, and turned back to Tohka. "So, I guess you're staying with me, then."

"Is... that no good?" Tohka asked sheepishly.

"It just means adjusting the budget for a while, nothing more," Origami said. "Nothing to worry about."

There was an odd kind of silence that followed. "Hey, Origami," Tohka spoke hesitantly. "Are there... many other Spirits like me?"

It was a question Origami had found herself expecting at some point. A part of her was kind of relieved it was coming up now, rather than during another Spirit appearance. "There are, yes," she admitted. "In the AST records, you are listed as Spirit Number 10. I have personally encountered at least one other Spirit, not counting yourself or Efreet from five years ago, that being Hermit."

Tohka hummed in understanding, but Origami couldn't help but notice the slight sense of melancholy coming from her. "So... I guess I'm just part of a check list, then."

A dreadful feeling washed over Origami. It felt like frozen tendrils of darkness had wrapped around her heart for a moment. The feeling was foreign and terrifying to her, and she didn't know what emotion to quite attribute it to. Something about how Tohka said that just caused Origami to think of a sprawling chasm between them.

Origami felt as if she was rooted in place. What was this overwhelming conclave of emotions? She really didn't understand herself anymore.

"Tobiichi-senpai!" someone called out. It was a voice Origami didn't really know. She turned around, to see an unfamiliar girl in the Raizen uniform, with brown hair and eyes. Origami was fairly certainly she had never met this girl, no doubt a first year student, before.

"Who are you?" Origami asked.

"O-Okamine Mikie!" she introduced herself. "And... and I need to tell you to stay away from that woman!"

Several key pieces of information presented themselves all at once. First; Okamine. Relative to Tamae-sensei, then? There was certainly more than a passing resemblance. Second; that woman. Choice words to describe Tohka. No doubt she was AST. Judging from how unfamiliar she was, she was probably new, and if she knew Tohka was a Spirit, Origami could probably bet that she was the sniper from back then.

Origami quickly formulated a series of plans, before deciding her best course of action; play dumb. "Why?" she asked. "There is nothing dangerous about Tohka."

"WHAT?!" Mikie shouted. Did this girl not know about the whole 'confidentiality' part of being AST? "But... But she's a Spirit! She's dangerous! You've fought her many times before!"

So, she was well informed, then. Time to double down on playing dumb. "What is a Spirit?" Origami asked. She felt her past self cringe in disgust at the words flowing from her mouth, but her present self found a strange sense of amusement in Mikie's shocked expression. "Forgive me, but a while ago, I woke up in a hospital with a few gaps in my memories. But, Tohka was there, and she was worried about me. Isn't that prove enough that she's a good person?"

Mikie stuttered over her words. Had Origami really forgotten everything? (the answer was no, but it was better that Mikie didn't know that.)

"But... she's..!"

"Okamine-san," Origami interrupted. "I do not know what you are talking about, but I assure you, Tohka is a good person, and..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "... and someone very precious to me. I will not allow you to badmouth her, understood?"

Nervously and hesitantly, Mikie nodded. "Good," Origami said. "Now, I must catch up with Tohka. Good day to you, Okamine-san." With a polite bow, Origami turned and left.

When she turned the next corner that lead towards her home, she spotted Tohka waiting for her, and judging by her shocked, flustered expression, she had heard everything Origami had said.

And once again, Origami felt words jam in her throat. How was it that she could say so much about it to Mikie, but when it was directly to Tohka, she clammed up?

So, instead, Origami placed a hand gently on Tohka's head. "I apologise for any distress I caused you," she said. "I am... new to this sort of thing, and do not really know what I can say to ease your worries. But..." Damn it, come on Origami! You've got this! "You are precious to me. No matter what may come next."

Origami wasn't sure if her words would have been as effective as she had hoped when she said them, but Tohka's smile returned, which came as a relief. "Umu," Tohka said. "Thanks, Origami."

With that, Tohka embraced Origami. It was a warm, fuzzy kind of hug, that really made the heart flutter, just a bit.

Thump-thump

That... was more than a bit. Even in the embrace of Tohka's arms, Origami felt herself stagger. Tohka was trying to say something, but there was this odd ringing in her ears, blocking out all sounds.

Her thoughts became an absolute mess of white noise, and Origami was struggling to tell right from up.

Then, once more, much to her annoyance, everything went black.

When Origami once again regained consciousness, she was greeted to the familiar sight of her new home's roof. She was really getting tired of how often she was passing out these days.

She had to assume Tohka had carried her hear. That just made sense. When she thought about how Tohka might have carried her, the ideas of either piggy-back or bridal style came to mind, and almost immediately, her heart-rate jumped.

What was this feeling? Why was it so overpowering that it made her lose consciousness? And, why was it about Tohka?

The sound of running water came to her ears, before stopping soon after. Origami's thoughts concluded that it simply meant Tohka had taken a shower.

Tohka. In her shower. Just that thought alone seemed to cause more problems for Origami's condition, and she had no idea why, and that both scared and angered her.

She had come to terms with the idea that Tohka was a good person. There was no way in Hell that this was some deliberate attack on her part. So what was it?

After a few minutes of fretting, the sound of a door opening was heard. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know it was Tohka.

"Origami!" Tohka called out. "Are you feeling better?"

"Somewhat," Origami replied hesitantly. "I am... honestly, scared and confused about this. I..." Her eyes wandered to Tohka as she drew closer, and immediately, it felt like every cell in Origami's body was on fire.

Her face was so, so very close. She could see the remnants of dew on her pristine skin. The faint scent of the rather cheap soap Origami had bought tickled her nose, alongside the underlying scent that was unmistakably and almost intoxiatingly Yatogami Tohka.

What did the most damage to her ability to think, however, was the simple fact that, at this very moment, the only thing protecting Tohka's modesty was a towel.

Logically, yes, this made sense. Every last sign was pointing to Tohka having just used the shower. But right now, Origami's brain was filled with anything but logic.

Tohka noticed Origami's confused expression, and drew closer.

What followed could only be described as 'a flash of movement'. Nobody was able to process exactly 'what' happened, only that in the span of a few seconds, Tohka was now lying on the bed, with Origami on top of her.

Origami's breaths were heavy and laboured. The longer she stared into Tohka's eyes, the harder it became to even think. It was almost like she was being overcome by an insatiable hunger, and the only cure for it... was the girl right in front of her.

For a moment, Tohka looked like a deer caught in headlights, but quickly, her expression softened, as she placed one hand on Origami's right arm, and another on her cheek. "It's alright," she said.

Two words. That was all it took to snap Origami back to her senses. A look of pure horror and remorse washed over her face. "I..."

Tohka wrapped her arms around Origami, and drew her in close. She didn't say anything more, just held her close.

"I... I'm sorry," Origami said. "I don't... I don't know what's happening to me."

Tohka gently ran a hand through Origami's hair. "It's fine," she said. "I trust you, Origami. I still do."

Origami raised her head, and looked into Tohka's eyes. Eyes so full of trust, understanding... love, was it?

Was that what was going on, then? Was Origami just... in love? As she looked deep, deep into Tohka's eyes, the feeling washed over her once more, this time as a warm wave.

Maybe, then, all she had to do was follow that wave slowly and gently.

And through that wave, Origami locked lips with Tohka, in a kiss that delved deeply, passionately, and greedily for both.

And now, for something completely different.

Onboard the Fraxinus, the crew... well, they weren't watching Origami and Tohka directly, but they were observing the emotional and mental spectrums related to the two at present.

Right now, the only one truly 'watching' the two was Shiizaki Hinako, and considering she was actively looking away from the thermal camera with the most luminescent blush imaginable, it didn't take a genius to conclude what was going on down there.

"This is... something," Kotori said, after a long pause. "I honestly feel dirty just watching these charts go up."

"I think all of us do, Commanded," Kannazuki responded. "Except maybe Nakatsugawa, but don't quote me on this."

"No, this is making me uncomfortable, too," Nakatsugawa replied. "Very, very uncomfortable."

"But it's strange," Kotori said. "Ever since Tohka transferred into Origami's class, it's been like her very presence has been overwhelming Origami with Spirit Power. No, it's more like..."

"Like the seal is acting more as a vacuum," Reine finished. "Not only is Rei holding Tohka's power, she's also taking in a constant stream of Tohka's emotions."

"But it doesn't seem to be having any negative effect on Tohka-chan," Minowa commented. "Would it be something like dilution, rather than draining?"

"Likely," Reine replied.

"So... What then?" Kannazuki asked. "Does that mean Origami-kun's taking in Tohka-chan's lust alongside the powers of Princess?"

"Not lust, Vice Commander," Reine said. "I believe that Rei is taking in an emotion more akin to just pure and simple 'love'."

Everyone looked back at the graphs, then at Reine. "You sure about that?" Kotori asked. "Because that just looks like it's turned Origami horny on main."

"I only theorised that she was taking in Tohka's feelings of love," Reine explained. "I didn't theorise that she was translating them correcting."

Origami woke up the next morning naked and covered in sweat. She felt sore and light headed, and like there were pins and needles all up her right arm.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and beheld the sleeping form of Tohka in her arms, in an equal state of undress. Memories quickly rushed back to Origami, and a new sense of panic was found. Had that... seriously happened?

Origami found herself frozen stiff. Was this a bridge too far? Had she done something she really shouldn't have?

As the fear began to creep into her heart, Tohka began to stir. How was she going to react to... to this?

Tohka's eyes fluttered open, and upon seeing Origami, an intense blush grew on her face. "Ah," she gasped out. "G-good morning."

"Y-yes. Good morning," Origami replied hesitantly. Nothing quite like the awkward silence after spontanious, awkward, unplanned sex.

The two looked into each others eyes, and Origami was rather thankful to not be feeling that overwhelming amount of emotions from before. No, all that was left was the guilt.

Both tried to say something, before pausing to let the other speak first. Then, the alarm clock went off, and both sat bolt upright.

"We... We should get ready!" Origami said quickly. "F-for school!"

"R-right!" Tohka stuttered out.

It was the school's worst kept secret that something had happened between Tobiichi Origami and Yatogami Tohka.

The main reasons people took notice was the fact that Tobiichi Origami was A: The most frigid person to approach, and B: Ranked third on the school's 'top 13 girls you'd want as a girlfriend' list, which only reached that odd number because the one who made the list ranked 13th. This was compounded by the fact that Yatogami Tohka was A: the new student. B: Drop dead gorgeous. And finally C: Minutes away from turning that top 13 list into a top 14.

All throughout yesterday, it was plainly obvious that there was something between Origami and Tohka. You couldn't have torn them apart with a carjack, yet alone a crowbar. Yet, today, the two of them seemed to keep a decent distance between each other, and every time their eyes locked, they both got this bright neon blush, and quickly looked away.

When the school bell rang for the final time that day, neither of them got out of their seats. It was the world's most indirect staring contest; they seemed as if they were waiting for the other to blink first, so they could both go home.

Two groups decided that enough was enough, and coordinated their efforts.

[Group 1: Okamine Tamae.]

"Tobiichi-san," Tamae called out. "Could you please come with me to the staff-room?"

Origami stood up a little too fast to be considered 'subtle'. Origami quickly followed after Tamae, and left the classroom.

[Group 2: the Ai-Mai-Mii trio]

"Hey, Yatogami-san," Ai greeted. "You got a moment?"

"There's something we're curious about," Mai added, "and we were hoping to ask you."

"That's so lame," Mii finished.

Tohka gave the trio an odd look. "Sure thing," she responded. "But... can I quickly ask about..."

Mii looked down. "It's a bad habit, sorry," she said. "It happens every time I speak third."

That was... certainly odd. But, Tohka made sure not to judge her for it. Or think too much about it when it inevitably happens in the future. "So, what did you want to ask?"

The trio gave each other nervous looks. "Well, I think we'd best just come out and ask," Ai said. "Yatogami-san, are you and Tobiichi-san..."

[Group One]

"Tobiichi-san," Tamae said. "Is there something going on between you and Yatogami-san?"

Origami's eyes widened a fraction. "Was it... really so obvious?" Origami asked. "Actually, scratch that. We haven't exactly been hiding it that well."

"It was strange enough just how quickly you two warmed up to each other, yes," Tamae said. "But, it's not like anyone has a problem with that." Left unsaid: that is, anyone who wasn't hoping to have either of you as a girlfriend. "If anything, I'm glad to see you've gotten so close to someone."

Origami hummed slightly. "Before we continue, though," she said, "I'd like to apologise to you. For... last week. That... confession I gave you was..."

"I had a feeling it might have been," Tamae said with a sad smile. "That day, you were trying to work on how to confess, weren't you? I definitely got my hopes up a bit too high." If anything, they were both glad to have cleared that up. "But, what worries me right now..."

[Group Two]

"... is that ever since yesterday, you and Tobiichi-san have been avoiding each other," Mai said. "Just yesterday, you two couldn't tear yourselves away from each other, yet now you won't even make eye contact."

"That's so lame," Mii said. "You two actually look like a cute couple! What happened?"

Tohka thought about it for half a second, before she blushed intensely. "Well... you see..." she hesitated greatly. "Until I get my own place, I'm... staying with Origami, and..."

[Group One]

"... and I let my emotions get the better of me," Origami said. "I feel... as if I took advantage of her."

Tamae had to admit, she was not prepared for the conversation to go in that direction. She had honestly expected, after learning that they shared a roof, standard trope-y things like 'accidentally walking in on each other in the bath', not... straight up sex. "But, you did both consent at the time, right?" she asked hesitantly.

"At the end, yes," Origami said. "But, that doesn't change the fact that it all started because I lost control of my emotions. What if I do it again, and she hates me for it?"

[Group Two]

"I mean, it's not like I hated it," Tohka said. "But, I'm worried that Origami thinks I might hate her for it."

"Whoa," Ai muttered. "Was not prepared for that bombshell."

"No kidding," Mai added. "Did not expect them to hit a home run that quickly."

Mii didn't say anything. Rather, she kept her hand clasped over her mouth.

"I think... this is the kinda thing you need to talk out together," Ai said. "I know that's a total cop-out on our part, but... I mean, what else is there to say about it?"

"Hmm," Mii hummed in agreement. "I think things will be fine as long as you two set boundaries with each other. Make efforts to keep those boundaries."

[Group One]

"But... what if I lose control again?" Origami asked. "I... I honestly don't know if I can trust myself to... to not do it again."

"Tell me, Origami," Tamae said, dropping all honorifics. "Throughout today, what did you feel?"

"Aside from the guilt and embarrassment? Or the shame?" Origami thought hard about it. "I... honestly don't know the word for it. Even right now, when I think about Tohka, I feel... fuzzy."

At that, Tamae smiled warmly. "Tobiichi-san, if you don't mind me asking, when was the last time you experienced love?"

Origami looked down. "... 5 years ago," she answered. "The last love I ever experienced was my parents, and that was lost in those flames."

And with that, Tamae understood. "Origami, I think... you've forgotten what love feels like," she said. "It may just be my own conjecture, but I believe that, after not having loved someone else for so long, now that you're finally experiencing it again, your mind doesn't quite know how to properly process all the chemicals, and defaulted to what you assumed was the logical course of action. That is to say, sex."

Origami wasn't sure how to feel about that. Was that what it all came down to, really? Just a bad reaction to love? It felt almost stupid to think, but... somehow, it made sense.

"Perhaps we should head back," Tamae suggested. "Sometimes, the only way to learn is to be thrown in the deep end, right?"

That was probably the best sort of advice Origami had heard in a long time.

The walk back to the classroom was longer than Origami remembered it being. It probably had to do with the impending dread of what was to come.

Eventually, though, they reached their destination.

"Are you ready, Tobiichi-san?" Tamae asked.

"Arguably, no," she admitted. "But when has that stopped anyone?"

With a nod to each other, they entered the classroom, where they found Tohka still their, talking with the trio of Ai, Mai, and Mii.

The trio shared a nod with Tamae, as they all made to leave Origami and Tohka alone. As they passed Origami, Ai gave a curt nod. "Best of luck to ya both," she said quietly. "Do anything that breaks her heart, and will kill ya."

Origami gave Ai an odd look. "Not if I kill me first for it," she replied.

That, at least, got a laugh out of everyone. "What the hell?" Mai asked. "That's your big retort?"

"That's so lame," Mii added.

Then, it was just Origami and Tohka. As it always came down to.

Origami took a deep breath. "Tohka, I... I am sorry," she said. "Even if you don't hate me for it, the fact of the matter is that I took advantage of you, and I regret it."

Tohka stood and listened, until it was her turn to speak. "To be honest, I don't think I completely understand it all," she said. "But, I trust in you, Origami. And last night hasn't shaken that."

For the first time all day, Tohka and Origami looked each other in the eyes.

Origami felt her heart-rate jump again, yet this time, it didn't feel so overwhelming. It felt kinda... fuzzy, and warm. Was this really what love felt like? It was... nice.

"Then," Origami said hesitantly. "Despite everything we've been through... Despite everything to come, will you... stay with me?"

In response, Tohka kissed Origami. It was a simple kiss, yet it said more than any words could have.

The only way this moment could be ruined was if someone was to walk in on this and disturb them.

… For the record, Tamae, Ai, Mai, and Mii, were all watching from outside the classroom, just in case things actually went from bad to worse.

They made sure to keep their cheers of joy as quiet as possible.

A/N:

And with that, the Tohka arc is done.

It a rocky road, going from hating someone's entire existence to loving that deeply. Hopefully I got that sort of thing right.

Also, shoutout to that one reviewer on for acting like I had ever actually heard his opinions on Date A Live before.

I also find it interesting how different the opinions on this fic are between and AO3. The former is much more critical to the point of pretentiousness, while the later is more optimistic. Kinda says a lot, don't it?

Well, enough about that. Let's press on, shall we?