Chapter 1 - April 10th, Monday
...
Flames. Flames everywhere.
An unending conflagration consuming everything in sight. What's before me can scarcely be called a 'town' anymore.
I'm getting sick and fucking tired of this same dream over and over again.
'Oh, I'm sure you'll stop having that dream, Shidou.' Fuck off. It's been five years now and this keeps showing back up.
If that wasn't bad enough, just when I go a while without having the dream, it shows back up. It's like a stray cat you fed once, though nowhere near as cute.
This dream is just a reminder of what I've forgotten.
To keep it simple, the town I live in caught fire five years ago. I escaped unscathed, but only physically, as I lost all of my memory. Classic case of amnesia.
Though amnesia usually causes you to forget everything, at least in extreme cases. However, I can still remember my 'past life'. I guess I was reincarnated or some shit. I only lost all memory of being 'Itsuka Shidou', but still have most memories of who I used to be, save for what one forgets naturally over time.
I can very clearly remember who I was and what the world I lived in was, even today. Amnesia isn't that fucking selective, it can't be. There HAS to be more to this.
Regardless, I keep having dreams of that evening my home caught fire, the flames lighting up the rapidly darkening sky. It's just a burning memory, literally.
And to top it off, it's always the same damn dream. Every single time. I run around, desperately looking for my younger sister, whose family I was adopted into when my likely deadbeat mother tossed me aside. Oh well, I don't mind so much these days. I hope she's having a shit life, because mine with the Itsukas has been great... You know, minus the fire.
I run harder than I ever had in my life, calling out for her desperately.
Eventually, I find her, only to be slapped backwards by flames. This isn't Dark Souls! You can't just use Flame Whip on me like that! How did that even happen?! Fire doesn't slap people!
That bullshit aside, I fly back from the flames' attack, slamming into a building. I lay there, my eyes barely open and my mind barely aware of anything at all- save for Kotori crying out "Onii-chan!" desperately.
Then, I black out. Then, I wake up. It's like that every time.
I'm so sick of it.
At first, it terrified me, having to relive that over and over. Now though? It's just like another day at school, nothing new in the slightest.
I suppose I shouldn't say that. Every now and again, the dream 'expands', letting me see more of what happened. It's like a fragmented memory or something. Maybe I'll see the whole thing one day, but I'd rather never see it again.
Why, last time, I finally noticed Kotori's clothes. Was she always wearing a fancy-looking Kimono? And her eyes have some kinda weird glow to them. More specifically, her pupils were glowing a pale pink, a lighter shade of her pink-red eyes. The hell? That ain't normal.
This all SCREAMS strange.
Then again, I and the rest of the world looks like an anime or something. It's all Two-D, or something close to it, despite being Three-D. Two-point-five-D, that's what I'll call it. I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up in an anime I've never seen or something equally stupid. That's just my luck, huh?
Regardless of all my ponderings, my dream continues as usual.
Running as hard as I can, ignoring how tired I am and how out of breath I get. Never mind the smoke and shit I'm inhaling. I do hope my lungs are okay nowadays. I run, looking this way and that, occasionally climbing over rubble while trying not to get burned.
"Onii-chan...?" Ah, there's Kotori, afraid and surrounded by fire. It licks at her body, but doesn't harm her. Strange. Her fearful eyes- with oddly glowing pupils- slowly turn to hope and apprehension. I think she tries to warn me before-
"Onii-chan!" -that, before that. I fly backwards, head and back impacting hard wood, or perhaps bricks. Knowing my luck, it was concrete.
My vision wavers as I vaguely hear her cry "Onii-chan!" over and over again. Same as usual.
...Hang on. Those "Onii-chan!"s aren't getting any quieter. If anything, they're changing pitch and-
My world explodes in pain.
My eyes flutter open, not to see my usual ceiling, but my litter sister. She's not standing over me, she's standing ON me. Specifically, she's practically dancing on my stomach.
Don't get me wrong, I love her, but she REALLY needs to stop pulling this shit. I can see her panties under her school uniform's skirt, for God's sake. At least she's already dressed for school.
Right, school. Spring break's over, meaning it's time for a new school year. It's definitely something I had to get used to, previously being an American who started school in August, not April.
"Kotori... My adorable imouto..." I grumble out.
"What's wrong, my darling Onii-chan?" My thirteen year old sister asks, not bothered at all by the annoyed look on my face.
"GET OFF!" I snap.
She giggles with a nod, before leaping upward- her skirt and long, red twintails fluttering in the air, which once again reveals her pink and white striped panties.
Oh fuck.
I brace myself and clench my abdomen muscles right before Kotori's foot- singular- slams down onto my stomach with full force. "Gouf!" I let out a strange sound as I shout while having all the air smacked from my lungs, despite being hit in the stomach.
As she lands her feet on either side of me, she giggles cutely, "You just said 'Gouf!'. That's a mobile suit!"
I deadpan, stomach stinging, "Shut it, Kotori. You know I don't watch that shit. And what did I tell you about doing this?"
My sister pouts cutely, her red eyes still having an air of playfulness, "Not to."
"And what did you do?"
"I did it again." She pouts even deeper and cuter.
I roll my eyes with a sigh, "Just... go downstairs, Kotori. I'll be down in a sec."
"Okay!" She chirps, hopping down from my bed and running off, half-heartedly closing my bedroom door behind her, not actually getting it to latch.
I groan, tossing my covers aside and rotating around to sit on the side of my bed. Then, I stop faking it. "OUGHH! Why does she kick so damn hard...?" I groan out, standing up as I cradle my stomach. I stretch, walking over toward my dresser, which has a vanity mirror on it. I sigh, looking at my anime-style, short, blue hair, brown eyes, and vaguely handsome face. It's still weird to see my face like this, even now, five years later.
Taking off my blue pajama pants, I quickly get dressed in my school uniform and walk downstairs, seeing Kotori watching TV from the couch.
The girls' uniform Kotori wears has a long-sleeved, white top with blue on the collar and cuffs, and a small, black tie. She also wears a blue skirt, thigh-high black socks and brown school shoes. Her hair- like usual- is tied in twintails via white ribbons that she ALWAYS wears, no matter what.
I wear the male uniform: a white, long-sleeved, button-up t-shirt under a black blazer with white trim and a long, blue tie. It comes with gray pants and black dress shoes. It's certainly a far cry from the usual shirt and khakis we had to wear back in America. I'm just glad I don't have to wear shorts.
I fuckin' hate shorts.
I smile at her watching the TV while I go to the kitchen to begin cooking our breakfast after quickly putting on my apron- which I insisted to be one that reads 'Kiss the Cook' on the front when searching for one. She usually watches the horoscope program that plays at the end of the usual show aired at this time as she eats breakfast.
"Early this morning, a small spacequake occurred on the outskirts of Tenguu City."
I pause my egg cracking as the news lady speaks up. I look over at the TV and narrow my eyes. It shows a scene of a part of the city, which is destroyed- forming a perfectly circular crater. Buildings and roads are completely gone, as if something not only exploded- destroying things all around-, but disintegrated everything in a perfect circle. It's like the result of a bomb or a meteor.
"Again, huh?" I groan, a touch worried. "And it was pretty close."
"Yeah." Kotori mutters, likely worried as well.
'Spacequake' is the name given to the supposedly 'natural' disasters that have been occurring around this world for thirty years. Why thirty exactly? Because the first and biggest one happened back then. It was dubbed the 'Eurasia Disaster' and annihilated, destroying a shit-ton of Europe and Asia- including the Soviet Union, which broke apart soon after. All of that area was completely erased overnight, killing roughly one hundred and fifty MILLION people in an instant- regarded soon after as one of the worst things to ever happen to humanity in recorded history. It was like that bit from Fate Grand Order where the world got wiped clean at the start of the second act, albeit only in a limited area instead of the whole world.
The first 'quake' was a prelude to a large number of smaller ones over the next six months or so- around fifty. As a matter of fact, this city was built upon a place wiped clean by a spacequake.
The name isn't a misnomer either. Much like how earthquakes cause the earth to shake, so do spacequakes cause the very air to shake, before exploding. Their cause is completely unknown, which only causes more fear of them. The saving grace is that the quakes completely stopped after those first six months, only for them to start up again here in Japan.
And ONLY in Japan.
And they started again five years ago.
More specifically, they started HERE in Tengu City.
I lost my memory five years ago, crazy things happening only in Japan starting from the city I live in, reborn in an anime world?
There's something up with my amnesia and these spacequakes, and it all stays in my mind, worrying me constantly. There is something more to all of this.
There has to be.
I force myself to look away from the TV, going back to cooking our breakfast.
As I understand it, I was adopted into the Itsuka family when I was young. Apparently my mother gave me up for adoption not long after I was born just short of seventeen years ago. Whoever she was, fuck her, I'm happy here. The only downside is that both of my parents work at a large electronics company that the two of them built themselves. This means they're away for long periods of time, leaving Kotori and I alone. I'm just glad that despite her cheerful and energetic disposition, she isn't a troublemaker.
Needless to say, the girl cares for me quite a bit.
After a few, quick moments, our simple breakfast is done. Kotori seems to enjoy American-style breakfast, which I enjoy eating and cooking, so I often cook the usual combo of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast with a side of orange juice, instead of the traditional Japanese breakfast. As I sit down the plates, I look at the TV, seeing them still reporting on the latest nearby supernatural explosion. I'm just glad people figured out how to detect these things and evacuate people ahead of time. Because of this, as well as many alarms outside and shelters, spacequakes almost never cause any deaths or injuries.
Fascinatingly, the JSDF even made a direct response team, tasked with rebuilding destroyed areas. However, they're just as suspicious to me as these 'natural' disasters. Their work is like fucking magic, seeing as how they can rebuild in one night what a spacequake can destroy in an instant. To add to that, their work is top secret, not allowing ANY of the public to observe them rebuild. It's just another oddity which people of this country just seem to accept as normal.
I get Japanese don't question their government, but come on. This is way too fucking weird. Too many suspicious things all at once.
"Haven't these things been happening way too often lately?" I quietly ask myself with narrow eyes.
Kotori, however, hears me, "Seems that way, huh? ...We might have to move up the schedule."
My eyes narrow further. What does she mean by that? Her usual cheery tone of voice dropped right then and there, not to mention-
I walk over to the couch silently, before leaping in front of her, shouting, "Kotori!"
"AHH!" She shouts, revealing she has a pink lolipop in her mouth, and it's her usual brand- Chupa Chups- too. She quickly recovers, closing her mouth and tightening her teeth around the stick to ensure I don't try to pull it out of her mouth again.
I sigh, "What did I tell you about eatin' sweets before breakfast?" I ask with narrow eyes, only to receive a cute pout in response. She's lucky I'm not willing to hurt her. Finally, I relent yet again, admonishing myself for being to forgiving with her, "You'd better eat all of your breakfast then." I say, crossing my arms.
Honestly, doesn't the taste of my food get ruined by eating sweet stuff first? I know the orange juice will taste like shit.
"Of course!" She chirps, taking the candy from her mouth, before winking, "I love you, Onii-chan!"
Rolling my eyes, but unable to hide my smile, I head back to the kitchen to finish putting everything on the table.
Eyeing the calendar as Kotori and I sit down to eat, I remember that Kotori starts a new year of middle school today as well... Technically, as it's just the opening ceremony- meaning she'll get off right before lunch. "Say, Kotori."
"Hm?" She asks, mid-bite.
"Anything you want for lunch today?" I ask, feeling generous.
My little sister lets out a long hum as she thinks it over. After a long moment, she suddenly and dramatically stands up, slamming her hands on the table as she declares, "Deluxe kids' plate!"
That thing from that nearby family restaurant? She really likes that, huh? Still, I deadpan and jokingly say, "This chef cannot prepare such an item."
"What?! But I want it!" The redhead cries, before placing her palms together as she pleads, "Please! Please! I'm begging you, Onii-chan!" She begs, making her best puppy dog eyes.
I roll my eyes. I really need to stop being so forgiving. "Meh, it's a special occasion for you, so... Fine."
Her happy face makes up for my self-loathing.
After leaving the house, we quickly walk by the family restaurant- Danny's. It still feels like a rip-off of a name, seeing as how Denny's doesn't exist in this timeline.
"Deluxe kids' lunch! Having lunch at a diner!" Kotori sing-songs as she walks by the place alongside me.
"Is it really something to be that happy about?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm still happy. Thanks for agreeing, Onii-chan!" She smiles. "Let's meet up here when you get out of school, okay?"
Right, I have a half-day too.
I nod, "Got it."
Kotori furrows her brow, "I mean it! You have to keep your promise! You have to be there even if an earthquake starts or a fire erupts or a spacequake happens or the family restaurant is occupied by terrorists!"
"We ain't going near terrorists." I deadpan. What the hell is she thinking?
"You have to be there!" She stresses, looking a bit upset.
I chuckle, "Fine, fine." I say, patting her head. "You made your point, Kotori, so go on to school."
I'm being forgiving again, but Mom and Dad will be gone for a while, which means we'll have to eat at home for a long while starting today. I can accept this luxury, even if it's only seven hundred and eighty yen.
"It's definitely a promise!" Kotori smiles, "You have to come even if there's a spacequake!"
"I get it. Go on, git!" I grumble, causing her to giggle and run towards the middle school.
"Isn't that Itsuka-kun?" Oh no.
"Those two are way too touchy-feely." No, no. "So he really does have something for his sister."
"That's so lame." Goddammit.
"Oh, shut it, you three." I groan, turning to face the usual trio of Yamabuki Ai, the short haired blonde, Hazakura Mai, the short haired brunette, and Fujibakama Mii, the girl with glasses and medium length, dark blue hair. They always stick together, and I don't think I've EVER heard Mii say anything other than 'That's so lame.'
It gets old, needless to say.
The three of them just shrug and walk off, likely inwardly chuckling at my annoyance towards them.
"Good morning, Itsuka." A voice says as a hand is placed on my shoulder, causing me to jolt and whirl around to see a boy with slicked back black hair- my sort-of friend Tonomachi Hiroto. His hair makes him look like a boring, rip-off Vergil.
"Mornin', Tonomachi." I deadpan.
"Glad to see you're starting the semester in top condition." He smirks.
"Well, there's a rumor about him too." Ai comments, having not left.
"They say Tonomachi swings both ways." Mai adds.
"That's so lame." Guess who said that... Mii.
"Oh, for God's sake- GET!" I snap at the trio, who shrug and walk towards the school. I then turn to my friend, "You too, GET!"
"Fine, fine!" Tonomachi, ever the casual one, lazily waves as he too walks towards the school.
I groan, holding my forehead in my hand. And I thought today wouldn't be a bad one.
I take a step toward school, only to stop. Quickly whirling my head around, I see a small amount of white hair as it dashes behind a telephone pole. I narrow my eyes. Who the hell was that?
Sighing, I continue towards Raizen High.
After getting there at 8:15, I quickly check the class list in the main hall.
"Year Two, Class Four." I read aloud, before headed towards said classroom.
Raizen High is a pretty nice school, seeing as how it was built alongside a bunch of shit post-spacequake. Tengu is almost a test city, if that's a good term to be used. I mean, this school even has its own underground shelter! One of the new ones too!
I quickly arrive at the classroom, finding a few of my fellow students already there. They're chatting to each other mostly. I-
"Itsuka!"
"Oh, God." I groan as Tonomachi walks over to me.
"What a coincidence this is, Itsuka." He smiles, putting a hand on my shoulder again. "Being in your class once again makes me believe that we are fated to be together."
Grimacing, I grab his cuff and pull his arm off of me. "This is why there are rumors of you being gay, Tonomachi."
"Harsh as usual, Itsuka." He says, taking the insult in stride as usual. He then blinks as his phone rings, "Oh, excuse me. It's my girlfriend." He says, taking his phone out.
"You... have a girlfriend...?" I blink, before being unable to hide my laugh. "Hahahaha!"
"Of course I have a girlfriend! Stop laughing!" He says, looking annoyed.
"No, wait! Let me laugh harder!" I shout, laughing more.
He huffs, crossing his arms, "Well if you're going to be like that, then I won't introduce you."
I force myself to stop laughing as I look at him, "That's fine. I bet she's a V-Tuber or something."
"Of course not." He instantly denies.
"Then she's from a dating sim." I accuse.
He freezes.
"...Oh. Please tell me I'm wrong."
Tonomachi looks ready to cry as he holds out his phone, showing me his 'girlfriend'.
"...Why does she look like Kotori?" I ask, narrowed eyes.
"Wha?!" He recoils, holding his phone close, pressing the screen against his chest. "She does NOT look like your sister! Why would I even pick a girl that looks like her?!"
My stare intensifies, "Yeah, why would you?"
He huffs, pocketing his phone. "It's not like that. And a girlfriend is a girlfriend. Stop being so close-minded."
"I prefer to call it being sane." I retort.
Tonomachi crosses his arms, "These games teach the user all one needs to know about interacting with women! They're practically textbooks on dating. The one, 'Fall in Love: My Little Seed' is real-time and is especially-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" I interrupt, holding my hands out. "I get it. It's a dating sim. Seen one of them, seen them all."
Tonomachi begins to argue for the genre of game, causing me to tune him out and look towards the blackboard at the room's front- where the seating chart usually is. Oh, look- it's there. Now to find-
"Itsuka Shidou."
I jolt, hearing a feminine voice say in absolute deadpan. I don't think I've ever heard such an emotionless or quiet voice. Turning around, I see a very cute girl with short, white hair done in a bob cut with three hairclips on one side- the top and bottom being light blue, with the middle being darker blue, nearly matching her eye color. Sure enough, her face betrays no emotion whatsoever. Was this who I saw behind that phone pole?
"Yes?" I ask, "Who might you be?"
She tilts her head to one side slightly. Despite her emotionless face, her blue eyes do betray her emotions- namely confusion. "You don't remember?"
"No, sorry. That fire a couple'a years ago gave me amnesia." I admit with an apologetic twinge. At first, I was a bit hesitant to tell others about it, but I soon came to not care about it at all- same with the pitying looks I received.
The girl's face shows a hint of pity, but her eyes...
Are filled with pure hopelessness.
I don't remember her, but perhaps we were close friends? Maybe Kotori and my parents never met, so they couldn't have told me about her. Clearly we were very close by how crushed she looks. I'll never know unless I ask, I suppose.
"But that's no reason to not be friendly at least. Perhaps start over or something." I suggest, immediately bringing hope back to her eyes- although her face does not change aside from perking up ever so slightly.
Is she an honest-to-God kuudere? One that barely emotes? It's kinda bizarre to see, honestly.
I offer her a smile and say, "I'm Itsuko Shidou."
The whitette nods. She still looks completely expressionless, but her eyes seem happy. "Tobiichi Origami."
With a small glance towards the board, Tobiichi sits down at a desk near the back of the class- proceeding to open a thick book of some kind and read.
I resist a sigh. She's so hard to read. I'm just glad her eyes are still expressive.
whack
I lurch forward slightly as something slaps against my back. I whirl around to find it's the expected culprit- Tonomachi.
"I'll hit back next time, Tonomachi- friend or not." I threaten.
He just laughs me off, as usual. "That's fair, I suppose- so long as you tell me how you know Tobiichi Origami."
"Apparently she knew me before I lost my memory." I quickly answer, as he already knows about my amnesia. I cross my arms and follow up with, "How do YOU know her?"
"You're telling me you don't know about Tobiichi Origami, the super genius?" Tonomachi asks, taken aback.
I wordlessly raise an eyebrow, wanting him to explain further.
"She's got the highest grades in our year, including P.E. Our school boasts about her and everything." He explains.
"You're kidding." I blink, uncrossing my arms.
He shakes his head. "I'm shocked you haven't heard of someone as amazing as her. Her grades are always at the top of the year, and she got the highest score in the nation in some mock exam not too long ago."
I blink yet again. Wouldn't someone like that best better off at a private school of some kind?
"To top it all off, she's a real beauty." Tonomachi continues. Of course that's what he'd focus on. "In last year's 'Top Thirteen Most Wanted Girlfriends' ranking she got third, I think. Didn't you see it?"
"Do I look like the kinda person to keep track of rumors and wonky lists like that?" I ask, almost offended he'd assume as such. "And why best thirteen?"
"Because the girl who organized it was thirteenth."
"Ah."
"By the way, the 'Most Wanted Boyfriends' ranking goes up the the best three hundred fifty-eighth." He adds with a smirk.
"Why that many? Wouldn't the organizer be at dead last?" I ask, confused.
"Ahh. He really didn't know when to give up." My friend sighs.
Hang on... "What place did you get?"
"Three hundred fifty-eighth place."
"Goddammit." I groan, facepalming. I fucking knew it.
"The reasons for that were things like, 'his passion seems like it'd be too strong', 'he looks hairy', and 'his toenails probably smell'." He lists off, almost sounding proud of himself.
"You admit things like that too readily, Tonomachi." I deadpan.
"Oh, don't be like that, Itsuka." He smiles. "You were entered in as well and got one vote and fifty-second place."
"...The fuck?" I ask. Who the hell would even vote for a dickhead like me?!
"Well, they have reasons like, 'he doesn't even seem interested in women', and 'to be frank, he seems like a homo'."
I grit my teeth, "When I find who wrote that last one, that ranking of mine is gonna drop."
"Just calm down." He quickly tries to placate, holding out his hands. "In the 'Fujoshi-Selected Beat Couple', you and I made the top ranking as a pair."
"Why would a fujoshi's positive opinion of me make me feel any better?" I ask him with narrowed eyes. It's more of an insult than anything. It's only worse by by how he seems almost proud of this... AGAIN!
As I roll my eyes, the bell that signals the beginning of home room chimes out around the school. Turning towards the board, I quickly find my seat and-
Oh. It's right next to the window... and Tobiichi Origami.
Hang on, who the hell names their kid 'Origami'?
Just as every student manages to take their assigned seats, the teacher walks in- a short, cute woman with short, curly brown hair and matching eyes behind a pair of glasses. She wears a pink and white blazer-style top over a white shirt underneath. Below is a tan skirt covering her knees and black dress shoes. She also has on a silver necklace with an inlaid red gem of some kind.
I find myself surprised as a few of the girls recognize her- whispering loudly among them.
"So it's Tama-chan..."
"Ah, it's Tama-chan."
"Seriously? Yeah!"
Seems like they like her, at least. She seems to be nice. In the corner of my eye, I notice Tobiichi putting her book- now closed- in her desk.
"Good morning!" The cute teacher smiles sweetly. Well, she sounds nice. "I'll be your home room teacher for the year. My name is Okamine Tamae."
The class all clap as she bows- something that's customary here in Japan. With her short stature, easygoing nature, and cute looks, she barely seems to be older than us.
My clapping ends as I notice something to the side. Tobiichi- the only student who wasn't clapping- is staring directly at me with her blue eyes. She stares at me, expressionless with her piercing stare. Why? I furrow my brows as I look back at her from the corner of my eye.
What an odd girl.
The bell rings as the clock strikes noon. With it being a half day, noon means it's time to go home. Everyone begins to pack up and head home, many leaving as soon as the bell rings. I find myself sticking behind a bit to eye Tobiichi.
She stared at me... constantly.
"Itsuka~" Tonomachi calls out as he approaches my desk, bag slung over his shoulder. "You've got nothing to do, right? Wanna get something to eat?"
"Sorry, I've got plans already." I say, a touch apologetic.
"Oh? With a girl?" My friend asks with a smirk.
"You could say that." I admit, noticing Tobiichi's hand- laid on her desk- clench tightly. I attempt to continue before Tonomachi can freak out. Unfortunately...
"What the hell happened over spring break?!" He cries. "You're not satisfied even after being able to talk on good terms with Tobiichi, and now you promise to eat lunch with a girl?! Didn't we swear to become magicians together?!"
"When the fuck did I promise that?!" I snap, angrily. "And stop overreacting, I'm going with my sister!"
To the side, I notice Tobiichi unclench her fist. Was she... jealous? The hell?
"Seriously?! Don't scare me like that!" Tonomachi cries, causing me to roll my eyes.
"You're the one jumping to conclusions, dumbass." I deadpan.
"Meh, if it's Kotori-chan, then there's no problem. Can I come along?" He asks.
"I dunno..." I say, a touch concerned. Why would he want to come?
He surprises me by resting his arm on my desk, using his other hand to hide his voice. "Hey, hey, Kotori-chan is in her second year at middle school, right? Is it alright for her to get a boyfriend or something now?"
"What." I say with narrowed eyes.
"Um, there's no hidden meaning behind this, but... what would Kotori-chan think about a guy around three grades her senior?" He asks.
"...You stay far away from her." First that dating app 'girlfriend', now this? Fuck off, Tonomachi.
As usual, the guy laughs me off, raising his hands in surrender. "I'm not so much of a jerk that I'd disturb your happy sibling get-together. I try to play by the rules."
I sigh, "You always say a little too much, Tonomachi."
He merely chuckles once again. However, before either of us can say anything...
UUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...
Everyone remaining in the classroom jolt and look around with wide eyes as the loud sound of a spacequake siren rings out, shaking the windows from the volume. Outside, a flock of bird fly away in fear. I wince and cover my ears a bit. Ugh, I hate these damn sirens.
As usual, a voice accompanies the sirens. "This is not a drill. This is not a drill. The foreshock has been observed. The occurrence of a spacequake is predicted. Persons in the vicinity, please move to to nearest shelter immediately. I repeat-"
I tune out as the announcement repeats itself. Other students look around in fear, aside from Tobiichi- who looks... angry?
"There's a quake coming?"
"We should be fine in the school's bunker."
Everyone leaves the classroom quickly as I sigh. The hallways quickly become packed as usual as students fall into the routine of packing into the underground shelter. It's well-made with those flat escalators usually seen in airports, in order to get more people in quickly.
Despite the students' calmness, Okamine-sensei seems to be the most frantic as she waves her hands around and speaks nervously. "Calm down, everyone! Don't forget the three S's! Single file, steady line, skeletons!"
"Sensei, you need to calm down." Tonomachi deadpans, sounding sensible for once. What a shocker.
"Y-Y-You're right!" Our teacher says, not calm at all.
Since everyone is going one way, seeing someone going the other way is easily noticeable- especially when they have distinct white hair.
I call out to her from the back of the line, "Tobiichi! The shelter is THIS way!"
"I'll be fine." She calls out, her emotionless voice making her sound quiet as she runs away, her short skirt fluttering behind her, revealing-
...Goddamn hormones.
Speaking of panties, I find myself thinking about Kotori flashing me this morning. I hum to myself.
"You have to come even if there's a spacequake!"
I hope she got to a shelter... Feeling a touch worried, I pull out my phone and call her. The phone merely rings, despite calling her three times.
Kotori isn't that stupid... right?
My worry increases significantly, prompting me to open the GPS app instead. Our phones are connected via this app, allowing us to find each other if need be.
"It's definitely a promise!"
Despite the sirens and my calls, the idea of Kotori sitting outside the restaurant swirls in my mind. She is NOT that stupid. Promise or not, she would go to the shelter. The app loads her phone's location rather quickly and-
"?!"
My throat clogs up as I see her phone's location. Unless she dropped it there in panic, she's...
I grip my phone tightly. "That... fucking idiot!" I shout, closing my phone and pocketing it as I turn and sprint away from the shelter.
"H-Hey! Where are you going, Itsuka!" Tonomachi shouts.
"To dropkick my sister!" I snap, pissed and worried at the same time.
Running through an empty city... Why does this feel familiar? Oh, right, running to find and save Kotori five years ago. How ironic.
'Why?'
And when I say empty, I mean empty. No people, no movement, all street lights are locked up, and all electronic billboards and the like are displaying warnings. It's eerie. It's like the fucking rapture or something.
'Why?!'
Or maybe a horror movie? Makes sense, more people have their own shelters in Japan than anywhere else, never mind all of the public ones. That means there are plenty of places to run, which makes me ask-
"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING IN FRONT OF THE RESTAURANT, KOTORI?!"
As I run, I unlock my phone and check the GPS again. Still in the same place. The whole city is shut down, so what is that goddamn idiot thinking?!
And what the hell am I thinking? What can I do here? I can't outrun a fucking spacequake! I swear, after I find Kotori, I'll throttle her! I never had any siblings in my past life, and I love her. I don't want my sister to fucking die!
I ignore how my body screams at me to pace myself, seeing as how I broke into a dead sprint upon leaving the school and haven't slowed down at all. My feet hurt and my breathing and pulse are both quick as shit.
"Guh?!"
I jolt, feeling something push me backwards right as I near Danny's. What was-?
"Oh..." I blink, seeing a sphere of... something growing and approaching me. It's a strange, black sphere with vibrant and flowing colors on the edges, like oil on the ground- making that strange rainbow effect.
BOOM
The air itself seems to explode, nearly knocking me off my feet again.
"Shit, shit, SHIT!" I shout as it closes in, before another shockwave slams into me, knocking me off my feet.
...
...
...
After the earth stops shaking and my body stops flailing around, I open my eyes. I breathe slowly to take in air, since I was slammed against something, forcing all air out of me.
"What... the fuck...?" I groan, opening my eyes fully to see... destruction. The buildings, cars, roads, everything... all annihilated. The sphere of ruin ends just a few dozen feet ahead of me. I look side to side.
I hold back a chuckle, realizing that I'm still alive. I survived a fucking spacequake, even if I was only near it. I mean, I got slammed into a wall, but at least I'm not hu-
...Goddammit.
Like I'm imitating Christ, I find the back of my hand against a wall, held in place by a piece of rebar sticking out from the broken building next to me- pierced straight through the center of my palm. I don't even feel the pain. Maybe it's adrenaline.
Fuck it... Gritting my teeth, the pain kicks in as I grab my left wrist to pull on my left hand. My flesh, muscles, nerves, and bones all make horrid sounds as I pull my hand off of the rebar.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!"
squelch
I breathe heavily, holding my left wrist tightly as my hand feels simultaneously numb and on fire. I grit my teeth tightly as blood oozes from the new opening straight through my hand. "Shit, I need to stop the blee- WHOA?!"
I flinch back, eyes wide as my left hand is suddenly engulfed in a strange, blue flame. Before I can attempt to put it out, fearing I'll get burned, it fizzles out all at once, revealing... A perfectly pristine hand?
Using my right hand, I feel all over my left, checking for the disappeared injury.
"I... Wha? ...How?"
No, I can't focus on this insanity. I need to find Kotori.
...Hang on. Isn't the restaurant right...?
I look forward at the crater. Yeah, it's gone.
Huh, my face feels wet...
Likely on instinct, I stand up and walk towards the crater.
The restaurant is gone... So is Kotori, huh...? And-
Are those... purple flames? And... why is a girl there at the center? Could she be... the cause of the spacequake? Are there more of her or something?
The girl stands, resting one of her feet on the armrest of a golden throne. She's... well, gorgeous, for lack of a better term. She has long, dark purple hair with matching eyes that have a glowing, bright pupil of the same color. Just like...
...Just like Kotori's were five years ago.
The mysterious girl wears an armor of purple, black, and gold. Her skirt is a strange, translucent white-purple over her black and gold 'shoes' that have high-heels. She's got this 'regal beauty' look to her. Her unique hair color, glowing armor and sudden appearance makes her look super captivating.
Despite my gaze transfixed on her, my body seems to lock up as she notices me. Quick as a flash, she climbs onto the throne and pulls out a sword, it's hilt sticking out from the top of the throne. It's a sheath? The sword is a massive broadsword with a silver and blue blade, golden hand guard, and a black hilt.
Holding it up, the blade glows with a bright purple as she brings it down. I freeze as a MASSIVE wave of purple energy burns past me, destroying something behind me. Needless to say, fear strikes me.
"What the... fuck...?" I ask, barely standing as my legs feel like jelly. Turning around, it seems that the energy destroyed everything in its path.
Turning back to the girl, I see her move towards me, swinging the sword horizontally this time. My instincts scream at me, prompting me to duck. I slam to the ground on all fours.
Sure enough, the blade sliced through the remaining houses and such behind me, reducing them to the exact same height- around the height of my neck.
Bullshit... This is bullshit! I'm not gonna fucking die here! I CAN'T! I still have to find Kotori! To fucking LIVE!
Despite my mind's defiance, my body is locked up as I remain on the ground. Fear? Is that what it is, just to an absurd degree?
Finally, my body manages to move, raising up to my knees-
"You too... huh."
-only to freeze again as the mysterious girl has her great sword's point right at my face. Her purple eyes- which fade to near white at the bottom- stare at me emotionlessly. No, not emotionless, her eyes are like Tobiichi's- the only source of emotion on her face. This girl's eyes are filled with... exhaustion? Sadness? Melancholy? It's nothing good, to be sure.
My hormones kick in again as I look over her body- her thighs vaguely visible through her translucent skirt, her armor that covers all but the very top of her sizeable bust, her face that- despite the emotionlessness on display- is insanely beautiful.
As I suspected, she seems to be around my age- despite the weird, princess-like armor and massive sword pointed at me.
"What's... your name...?" My mouth surprises me as it moves on its own, asking a question I didn't even know I wanted to ask.
Her eyes narrow slightly- not with suspicion or confusion, but... sorrow? "I have no such thing."
She takes a step forward, causing me to fall back onto my butt. "Wait!" I shout, in fear.
"...What?" She asks, eyes looking confused.
"What are you trying to do?" I ask, afraid of the answer.
"To kill you quickly, obviously." She answers plainly.
"What." I blink. "Why?"
"Why...?" She asks, her confusion growing. "Isn't it obvious? You're here to kill me too, aren't you?"
"Of course not!" I snap, my anger at her assumption overpowering my fear. "Why the hell would I want to kill you? You haven't done anything to me!"
"W-What?" The purplette asks, eyes widening slightly in surprise, suspicion, and confusion before narrowing once again. "Then why are you here?"
"To find my sister. She's somewhere around here, but..." I trail off, looking around.
The girl lets out a small noise, her face wincing slightly. She's aware of the destruction she causes, huh? I do hope Kotori's okay- not just for my sake, or hers, but for this strange girl. I wouldn't want that to weigh on her conscience.
She then narrows her eyes and looks away, toward the sky. Following her gaze, I see...
What the fuck is this?!
There's a bunch of... girls in some kinda metal outfits, complete with jetpacks and big swords? There's even a number of them. Could they be with the military or something? They got here quick. Is the government aware of what's causing spacequakes? That's most likely, seeing as how their jetpacks open up, all of them firing off missiles.
Oh, they're firing missiles at the girl right next to me.
WAIT, WHAT?!
To my shock, the armored girl holds her free hand out- finally moving her sword away from me. A purple energy forms in front of her, stopping the missiles in their place. She lets out an exasperated sigh, "Why won't you realize the futility of it all?" She asks, sounding tired. The girl looks like she's about to fucking cry.
I don't know where she came from, but it must be hard being attacked every time she shows up here.
Squeezing her hand, the missiles crumple before exploding, the barrier protecting both of us.
I grit my teeth. Did those idiots not see me at all? No, of course all civilians would be in shelters by now. They must expect to be able to destroy whatever they want. After all, if they can fix a city after a spacequake, then they can fix whatever else they destroy.
It's still fucking anger-inducing! Are they blind?!
Those flying girls are determined, seeing as how they fire a few more missiles.
"Hmpf." The purplette huffs, jumping into the sky, cutting the missiles apart- making the sky before me light up like fireworks- as she seems to float in place. Can she fucking fly too?! Of course, why not? She turns around and looks back at me, eyes sad still. Was she... worried about me?
Quick as a flash, she whirls around and destroys another salvo of missiles, attempting to strike her from all sides. Slashing her sword twice, she fires off an X of purple energy, causing the squad of girls to disperse. One of them closes in as the purplette lands on the ground, pointing her 'sword' right in the strange girl's face, before firing off some green energy from the tip, only for the armored girl to casually hold up a hand to stop it. The soldier's eyes widen from her failed attack, only to move back as her weapon is cut in half. Another swing destroys one of her 'wings'. A green energy surrounds her as she dashes forward, leaping over her opponent and me- landing right behind me.
Hang on, I thought I recognized her... That's, "Tobiichi Origami?" Sure enough, it is her, but she's wearing a strange grey and black bodysuit, revealing her thighs. The middle section is like a leotard. It also has a gray, see-through section over her stomach, revealing her belly button and toned abs. Tonomachi did say she was good at P.E.
Her blue eyes flick down to me, the large amount of anger held within withering slightly as her eyes widen a very small bit. "Itsuka Shidou?" She's clearly surprised, but ignores me as she lunges forward, pulling a metal thing from her back, before-
She just formed a blade from the thing. Why does she have a knock-off lightsaber?! Tobiichi and the purplette cross blades- the former putting in all her strength whereas the latter is barely trying. They then begin to swing at each other, their arms and weapons becoming blurs as the impacts form a cacophony of clangs.
I pull my gaze away from the unrealistic battle. I knew this world looked like an anime, but come on! Forcing myself to stand amid the wind caused by the combatants, I take a deep breath. I need to find Kotori.
...Or what's left of her.
brrring brrringbrrring
My thoughts halt as my phone begins to ring in my pocket. Ugh, I don't have time for whoever you are!
I turn back to the girls as the sounds of metal clashing stop. Ah, they've both leaped back a short distance. That space is closed as they both leap up and slam their swords together with much more force than before- as evidenced by the blinding light and massive amount of wind generated by their clash.
Fuck! It's like a mini-spacequake!
Once again, I find myself flung away like a rag doll, only to slam into a wall again.
Fuck, this really is like five years ago- complete with getting knocked out like this.
I manage to eke out a final thing before I pass out.
"Goddammit... Kotori..."
"What's the situation?"
"Commander."
"Skip the greetings and explain the situation."
"Yes. The attack started as soon as she Spirit appeared."
"AST?"
"It seems so. We have confirmed ten people. At the moment, we are following one who is engaged in battle."
"Show me the visuals."
A screen appears, showing only visuals of two figures fighting using superhuman strength and speed.
"Hm. She's pretty good. But, well, with a Spirit as an opponent she probably won't be able to do anything."
"It is as you say, but we also cannot do anything."
"Hmph. I understand that even without you telling me. I'm just tired of only being able to watch."
"...Does that mean?"
"Yes. The Round Table finally gave their consent. The plan is starting now."
"...!"
"Now that I think about it, where is our 'secret weapon'? He didn't answer the phone just then. Did he make it to a shelter?"
"Let me investigate... Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"Well... that."
The camera following the two fighters moves slightly, revealing a teenage boy knocked out, sitting against a wall.
"Ah... Perfect timing. Go recover it."
"Roger."
AN
So... This is an idea that's been rattling around. SI Shidou who HASN'T seen Date A Live, thus no meta-knowledge. Expect more competency from our protagonist, and other changes of various shapes and forms.
This chapter is pretty much the same as in canon, but don't expect everything to go the same. Okay?
Just to be clear: I'm using both the Light Novel and Anime as references, so expect a bit of both in this story.
I've wanted to write some Date a Live stuff, but haven't wanted to get back to that other story. As for that one, I might come back to it. Might.
Anyway, this will be something new for me to write, and something new for you all to read and look forward to.
Again, a new chapter will be added whenever I finish one. Don't rush me and don't ask when a new one is coming. I'll post one around Friday if I have a chapter done. If there isn't one around that time, there won't be a chapter that week- for any story of mine. Patience is a virtue and all that.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next!