Kita a Live!

by KamisetaRX

Cosmic Energy, the energy of the universe! Reiryoku, a power that fuels beings known as Spirits! These two forces will be combined through the efforts of two. With their comrades, these two young men will go on an incredible journey to save the world! (Updates every two weeks)

4. Tohka Integration - Normal Days & Dates

Preface:

Welcome back to Chapter 4! This is quite a long chapter, which I apologize for. The second "arc" of this fanfic is now commencing! With the long fight done, it's time we take a little break to settle in.

---

Chapter 4: Tohka Integration - Normal Days and Dates

April 24th

Mondays. Man, I hate Mondays.

Begrudgingly, I slowly get out of bed and go through the motions. I wash myself up, eat some breakfast, put on my uniform, and head out.

I heard the usual sounds on the walk: birds chirping, engines running, and folks chatting. Eventually, I reached my destination, a pristine, large school building.

Ehh?

I look at the building, wipe my eyes, and look at it again. Nope, it's not a trick. Raizen High looks completely normal. I knew the relief corps worked fast, but their work was of really high quality, too. You couldn't even tell that this school was practically a pile of rubble a couple of days ago.

I enter the school. The interior is also completely refurbished. Even things like the noticeboard look exactly like they were before. How in the world did they manage to recreate everything so perfectly?

I head up the stairs and walk toward Classroom 2-4, but I hear some loud commotion from inside. I open the door, wondering what in the world is causing everyone to be so worked up early in the morning.

"I'm sorry. A simple apology won't fix what I've done." Origami sincerely expressed as she bowed her head to Shido. Origami stood next to Shido's desk. From head to toe, she was covered in bandages. The entire class looked on at the scene, whispering and theorizing to each other about what happened between the two. After all, why would Origami, one of the most popular students, apologize to Shido?

"Hey, Kengo, what's going on?" I silently shuffled to my desk and whispered to him.

"Apparently, Tobiichi was the one who shot Itsuka last Friday evening." Kengo explained in a hushed manner. My eyes widened and I nearly let out a shout, but managed to hold myself back.

"B-But, Shido is completely fine?!" I whispered back, though the shock made it hard to keep my voice down. Kengo only shrugged in response.

"Apparently, Itsuka has a 'special power' that allows him to regenerate wounds—or, in Commander Itsuka's words, the ability to 'continue.'" Kengo explained.

"And you know this because…?"

"I asked her on Saturday. I had questions after all. I presumed that the blood I saw pooled on the ground alongside the condition of Shido's uniform must've meant that he suffered a fatal wound. Yet Shido was completely fine when we met him that day." Kengo stated.

"If we're collaborators, I'd like for them not to hold out information on us." Kengo finished explaining.

"I see…" I shakily responded. I guess that explains how Shido was completely fine, but the power to regenerate wounds? Where in the world did he get that ability? Is that even possible?

Suddenly, the bell rings, and the murmuring among the students ceases. Everyone begins heading to their assigned desks.

"Okaay! Homeroom is starting!" Tamae entered the room, upbeat as always. When she got to the lectern, her mouth frowned a little.

"Umm… Tobiichi? Is something wrong?" Tamae worridly asked. I looked over my shoulder behind me. Origami grabbed Shido's tie and pulled him in close. If they were any closer, their foreheads would've touched (and maybe a little more than just foreheads).

Origami let go of Shido's tie and sat down on the desk behind me. It was no exaggeration to say that nearly everyone was sweating at the awkwardness of the atmosphere.

"I-If everyone's seated at their desks, I would like to make an announcement!" Tamae brightly proclaimed, doing her best to dispel the awkward mood.

"You can come on in!" Tamae announced. The door suddenly slammed open and a girl with long purple hair tied with a red ribbon walked in. She was wearing a female Raizen High uniform. The moment she walked in, Kengo, Origami, Shido, and my eyes all widened in shock.

"This is Tohka Yatogami, and she'll be joining us from now on today!" Tamae exclaimed as Tohka stood at the front of the classroom, a giant proud smile plastered on her face.

"Tohka?!" Shido cried out in shock, though only loud enough for those close to him to hear.

"Princess…" Origami silently muttered out.

"Yatogami…?" Kengo and I spoke at the same time. Of course, we both knew of Tohka, but the surname Yatogami was new to us.

As Tohka wrote her name on the chalkboard, and quite largely at that, murmurs once again filled the classroom. Listening closely, most of them were about how beautifulTohka looked. It was hard to deny. She certainly is a beauty.

Putting down the chalk, she turned to face the classroom once again. Her eyes immediately sparkled the moment she laid eyes on Shido.

"Shidoooo! I missed you!" Tohka dashed her way over to where Shido was sitting before hugging him. The once subtle murmurs of the classroom had now erupted into shouts of confusion and jealousy.

I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine. I looked behind me toward Origami, whose face had twisted into a scowl. Her hatred was palpable, I felt like I'd get burned by sitting too close to her.

"H-Hey! Tohka, what are you doing here!" Shido questioned while pushing Tohka away, embarrassed by the public display of affection.

"Well, after they finished their tests, they said I lost most of my powers. But that's ok because that means I can stay here and not make anyone cry!" Tohka explained.

"A-And the surname?" Shido questioned further.

"Ahh, that! It was… uhh… I can't remember her name… It was the sleepy-looking woman who gave it to me!" Tohka gleefully explained. Shido put his palm against his forehead and looked upwards in exhaustion.

"Argh, I should've known they had a part in this!" Shido complained. It wasn't exactly hard to discern who, rather what, Shido and Tohka were referring to. The secret organization dedicated to saving Spirits, Ratatoskr.

"Shido? Is everything ok? Why are you looking so down?" Tohka asked worriedly, though her face beamed upon coming to a realization.

"Ahh, I know! Is it because I wasn't there to comfort you?" Tohka innocently proclaimed, not realizing the implications of what she was saying. The commotion in the room exploded after hearing this, I couldn't help but cough in shock after hearing what she said.

"T-Tohka! You can't just say things like that or else people will get the wrong idea!" Shido desperately pleaded with Tohka, his face completely flushed. The air had shifted in the classroom. Everyone was sharing this hot new gossip with the rest of the student body.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Origami's voice suddenly cut through the air, killing the chaotic atmosphere and replacing it with a much darker one.

"You… I could ask the same as you." Tohka's mood soured as she glared at Origami.

"I am performing my duties as a normal human being. You have no right being here." Origami coldly stated.

"You're wrong! I have every right to be here! Shido said he'd accept me!" Tohka argued back, the murmuring of the room had died down a little, but still discussing whatever could be the beef between the new student and the elite.

"Don't let yourself be deceived by her words, Shido Itsuka. She is a Spir—" Origami stopped herself before changing her words. "She is humanity's enemy. Her existence will bring about nothing but despair." Origami pointed directly at Tohka, her other hand clenched tightly in anger.

"Now, now, Tobiichi. You can't say that about Tohka. She's not who you think she is." Shido defended, and Tohka's face washed over with relief. Origami, undeterred, refocused her expression toward Tohka.

"To be abusing Shido's kindness for your own twisted goals, despicable." Origami cursed.

"W-What did you say?! I'd never do something like that!" Tohka argued back as the two were at a standoff. Things were becoming pretty hectic. The murmurs of the classroom once again peaked, this time completely enraptured by whatever possible drama could've happened between the two of them.

"T-That's enough! We're all friends here!" Tamae's voice cut through the air. The chaos and tense atmosphere immediately died down. Both Tohka and Origami glared at each other before looking away, clearly deciding not to escalate the situation any further.

"N-Now, if everyone's calmed down, on the topic of your seat, Yatogami…" Tamae nervously spoke up, still rattled about having to defuse the situation. However, before she could continue, the classroom door opened once again.

"...that won't be necessary. Here." Reine groggily spoke as she entered the classroom. She handed Tamae a sheet of paper, her eyes widening a little as she scanned the paper.

"Is this…?" Tamae asked curiously.

"...A new seating chart. It's for efficiency's sake." Reine proclaimed. Tamae looked at her in confusion, baffled about how a new seating chart would make the class more efficient. Regardless, Tamae followed Reine's chart and asked the students to move around.

Not much changed. Some students in the front were swapped around, but most of the change was in the back row. Everyone moved one seat down to the right, with Tohka now taking the free seat in the corner. This meant that it was now Shido behind me and Origami behind Kengo.

For some reason, I feel like it's intentional that Tohka and Shido are sitting so close to each other…

With the hectic morning finally over, Tamae began her attendance roll call. I felt a fierce pressure emanating from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see Tohka and Origami angrily glaring at each other. Shido put his head down on his desk, his hands over his head in defeat.

…we're never gonna have peace in this classroom, are we?

---

"That was hectic…" I exhaustedly spoke while lying on one of the table benches in Rabbit Hutch.

"You could say that again…" Shido nervously scratched his chin while sitting on one of the other benches. Kengo was in the computer lab, doing more testing or something like that. To be completely honest, I wasn't sure what exactly he did in that room.

After school ended for the day, Reine accompanied Tohka back to Fraxinus. Apparently, for the time being, she'd be staying her nights on the airship for check-ups and monitoring. With Tohka gone, the three of us made our way to Rabbit Hutch to destress and get away from the chaos of the school environment.

"Still, are you ok? I heard you got shot but regenerated." I asked him, a mixture of curiosity and worry. Shido looked a little taken aback before regaining his composure.

"Oh, so you heard about that. Yeah, I'm not entirely sure myself. All I know is that I have this ability for some reason." Shido weakly explained.

"To think Origami would shoot you though… speaking of Origami, she really hates Tohka for some reason. Is there a reason for that?"

"Well, uhh… there is but…" Shido stuttered. "I'm not sure I have the right to tell you."

"Is it something personal to Origami?" I asked. Shido nodded in response.

"I won't go into the details, but it was the day after I met Tohka. She told me that five years ago, a Spirit took the lives of people dear to her…" Shido somberly stated. My eyes widened as everything clicked into place.

So that's why she hates Tohka… or, more accurately, Spirits in general. She wants revenge.

"I see…" I felt conflicted about the information I learned. I empathized with Origami's desire for vengeance. On the other hand, to take it out on someone who may not even have anything to do with her loved ones' deaths just because they're also a Spirit is unreasonable.

After all, even the Spirits are victims in all of this.

Suddenly, Shido's phone began to ring. He answered it, and after a brief call, he hung up.

"Sorry, I have to go. Kotori's calling for me."

"That's fine. Tell her we said hi." I waved him goodbye as Shido exited Rabbit Hutch. With that, Kengo and I were alone in Rabbit Hutch. Kengo walked into the main chamber of Rabbit Hutch, holding the Fourze Driver.

"For revenge, huh? I can understand the feeling." Kengo mused before handing me the Fourze Driver.

"Come on. Training." Kengo ordered before heading to get a suit. I let out a small groan as I stood up.

However, something fell out of my pocket and onto the ground. I picked it up and inspected it. It was the note hidden in my desk after lunch. Rereading the note, the words "Let's prepare a welcome party for the end of tomorrow!" and a scribble of a figure holding a peace sign was drawn on it. It didn't take a genius to know who exactly this party was planned for.

Still, it's a good idea to help Tohka integrate with others. Shoving the note into my pocket, I followed Kengo towards the airlock.

---

April 25th

Bored. I'm bored. Why does the clock move so slowly?

It was the sixth period of the day, AKA the last one of the day. Tamae was teaching social studies, but my mind was completely zoned out.

The only thing keeping me going at this point was the secret surprise party for Tohka. I wasn't exactly sure what a good gift would be, so I just ended up buying a small purple diary that she could use.

I looked toward the window, seeing the kids in P.E. preparing to begin a race.

Ugh, if they're doing a race, then that means the gym teacher's pulling out that again.

I close my eyes and internally brace myself for the starting pistol to fire. Even if it's muffled by how far we are, it's still loud as hell. Plus, the sounds of gunshots always scare me.

BANG

I slightly flinch at the muffled gunshot, though it seems other classmates had a more intense reaction, as the sounds of chairs slightly jolting echoed in the classroom.

"Yiii?!" Someone squealed out of panic before the sound of someone falling to the ground reverberated.

Not even a millisecond after that squeal…

CRACK

I immediately turned to face the source of the sound. The windows that were so cleanly polished on my left seconds ago now had several large cracks on some of them. I widened my eyes in panic. Did they somehow load real bullets into that pistol?!

As the classroom filled with sounds of panic, I turned to face the origin of who made the loud squealing noise.

It was Tohka, who was now cowering underneath her desk, desperately taking shelter underneath it.

"Shido! Get down! People are attacking us!" Tohka panicked as she desperately tried to warn Shido of the imaginary danger she'd concocted in her head. Shido could only scratch his chin in response. He took a deep breath and knelt next to Tohka.

"Tohka, listen, that was just a signal for people to start running. Don't worry, no one's attacking us." Shido reassured.

"R-Really… is that it?" Tohka nervously whimpered out.

"Yeah." Shido reassured.

"I-Is that so…" Tohka stood up before sitting back into her seat. "Hmph. I wasn't scared at all, just so you know." Tohka stiffly spoke while putting on a brave front.

The commotion over the situation began to die down at this point, with other people sitting back down. I looked at Tohka, feeling sad for her. All she's known is violence, she barely knows what the world is like. Of course she wouldn't like the sound of something so loud and sudden.

I sit back down in my seat. Tearing off a piece from one of the pages in my notebook, I write a simple message. "Is everything ok?"

I fold it up and discreetly pass it off to Shido, as Tamae resumes her lesson after restoring order.

A minute later, I got a note in response. Opening it up, I read it.

"Tohka's mental state is getting unstable. Need to calm her down. Fraxinus is helping." I turn around to glance at Shido. Upon noticing me, he taps his ear, pointing out the earpiece he has equipped. I shoot him a quick thumbs up as if saying "Good luck," before facing back to the front of the classroom.

Unfortunately, it would not go much more smoothly. A loud clattering sound after someone dropped the pencil case caused Tohka to shout out and demand whoever it was to reveal themselves. Then Tamae pulled out a laser pointer and pointed it at the board, with Tohka shoving Shido to the ground and loudly declaring that Tamae's finally shown her true colors of being with the "mecha-mecha squad."

I felt really, really bad for her. Thankfully, Shido always managed to defuse the situation, but unfortunately, Tohka looked super on edge by the time class was coming to an end.

"Okay, today's class ends here." Tamae smiled a little before rummaging through her table. "Now, is everyone ready?" Tamae spoke encouragingly.

It took only a second for me to recall what she was referring to. Before 6th period started, a small note was snuck into my desk. "Tohka's welcoming party officially confirmed! When sixth period ends, pull this at the teacher's signal!" was scribbled on it, alongside another drawing of someone holding up a peace sign.

And taped to the note was a brightly colored cylindrical cone with a small string attached to the pointy end—a party popper.

Oh no.

"Ready!" The entire class, except for Shido, Kengo, and I, shouted out as they all pulled out the party poppers hidden in their desks. Even Origami held a party popper in her hands. Tohka's face twitched in anxiety as she stood up so fast she knocked over her chair.

"Wha-what are you all doing?!" Tohka shouted out in confusion. The unnerving smiles everyone was giving her were not making the situation great. And to make matters worse…

"Everyone, begin the attack." Origami commanded. Tohka's expression went from shock to despair upon hearing that.

PAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAP!

A chain of loud pops and explosions soon occurred as everyone who had a party popper pulled their strings tightly.

"Wu-Wuaaaaaaa!" Tohka cried out with tears in the corners of her eyes as she ran out of the room.

"Tohka!" Shido anxiously exclaimed as he quickly followed Tohka to chase after her. I couldn't help but facepalm at this outcome. The writing was on the walls.

Most of the class was completely shocked at what just happened. No one dared to say a thing to break the awkward atmosphere. I snuck a glance at Origami, who only had the slightest hint of vindication and smugness on her face.

I turned my attention to Kengo, who looked equally as exhausted as I did over the situation. He simply nodded his head and I nodded in return.

"Everyone, let's find Tohka!" I exclaimed, trying to rally the class out of their stupor. Thankfully, this worked, as everyone gave out a cheer in response.

"I'll stay here. The drinks and food need to be protected." Origami proposed. No one argued with her, so we decided to just let her be as we all left the classroom to find Tohka. While most of the class went as one large group, I elected to split up and go on my own to widen our search.

After a couple of minutes of running through the school however…

RUMBLE RUMBLE CRACK

An intense rumbling trembled throughout the school, soon followed by the sound of something cracking loudly above my head.

"Above…? The roof?!" I internally wondered as I dashed up the stairs toward the roof and slammed open the door.

CRASH

The sound of something enormous hitting the ground reverberated in the air. I saw a large crowd gathered on the rooftop. Part of it had broken off. I could barely make it out, but I could see Shido holding onto a part of the railing while slightly dangling off the broken part of the roof. Tohka was desperately holding onto Shido's other hand. She'd fall to the ground below if Shido were to let go.

Before I knew it, I broke out into a mad dash for the two of them. Pushing my way through the crowd, I noticed that Shido's grasp on Tohka was slipping.

Come on, come on, come on!

GRASP

I reached out for Tohka's hand and managed to grab it before Shido's grip completely slipped.

"A-Asher?!" Shido strained out, but I ignored it and continued focusing on holding onto Tohka. Even though it was two of us, the awkward angle still made it hard for us to even pull Tohka up. At this rate, all I did was just delay the inevitable.

Then suddenly…

"Here!"
"We've got you guys!"
"Everyone ready?!" The other classmates shouted as they came to assist us. With everyone's help, we managed to pull Tohka back to safety and breathe a sigh of relief. The sound of clapping and cheers filled the air. Even though I didn't do that much, I still felt completely exhausted and just lay completely flat on the roof.

Shortly after, people surrounded Tohka, profusely apologizing and asking whether she was ok. Tohka in the meanwhile just looked completely confused at what was going on.

"Shido… why did these people…?" Tohka questioned.

"Ahh… well, if I had to say… it's because we're all friends." Shido responded. Tohka's eyes involuntarily widened in response.

"If everyone's okay, then let's celebrate Tohka's welcoming party!" Someone in the crowd shouted. Subsequent yells of joy and excitement rang out in the air.

"Par… ty…? What is that?" Tohka slowly spoke.

"A party is like a get-together with people… it's to show how much they care about you." Shido answered. Tears of happiness began to well up in the corner of Tohka's eye.

As most of the crowd began to leave the roof, Shido approached me and extended his hand.

"Thanks for saving us, Asher." Shido thanked. I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up.

"Don't worry about it. It's what I'm here for." I smirked. With that, the two of us descended to officially start this welcome party.

---

Since the school's roof was in massive disrepair, the higher-ups barred entry for the rest of the night. Of course, this meant that we couldn't hold it in one of the classrooms, but we managed to set up a spot outside in the courtyard. The food and drinks were safe, so the party could still go off without too much of a hitch.

"Shido! Look at this! I got so many sweets from everyone!" Tohka proclaimed like an excited child, running up to Shido with a bag on her right arm. Shido burst out into a small laugh.

"What's wrong?" Tohka tilted her head slightly.

"Nothing, nothing. It's just… it seems you've established a good relationship with everyone."

"Umu! Everyone was very nice! They talked about how pretty and beautiful I am!" Tohka proudly proclaimed. Shido just laughed more in response.

"It's good to see that, Tohka." I spoke up, though she just looked at me in confusion.

"You're…" she concentrated intensely. Her face beamed upon coming to a realization. "It's you! You're that White Rocket Man!" Tohka proudly proclaimed.

Shido nearly spat out his drink as my face paled.

"SSHHH! Not so loudly!" I desperately tried to hush her, looking around to see if anyone heard what she said. Tohka just looked completely confused, unsure why saying that was a bad thing.

"About that topic, let's just say that the whole thing is supposed to be secret," I explained. Tohka nodded her head in understanding.

"My name's Asher, Asher Seung." I introduced myself.

"Ok, I got it! Asher!" Tohka chirped back.

"Now that I think about it, what happened to Utahoshi?" Shido questioned.

"Ahh. About that. He isn't one for social gatherings so he left for that place. He told me that he wishes Tohka fun." I explained before remembering something in the back of my mind.

"Oh, that reminds me. Here." I pulled out the purple diary and gave it to her. She looked at me in confusion, unsure of its purpose. I looked over to Shido, allowing him to explain it to her.

"That's a diary. You can write down what happened each day on those pages." Shido carefully explained. Tohka's eyes began to light up upon realizing what its purpose was.

"Umu! I see! Thank you, Asher!" Tohka earnestly expressed with a great big smile on her face. I couldn't help but smile in return. That smile—man, was it infectious.

"No problem. Speaking of which, don't you have a gift, Shido?" I asked Shido as Tohka eyed him dubiously. Shido began to sweat a little before bowing.

"Sorry! To be honest, I didn't even know there was a surprise party for Tohka until the sixth period, so I didn't have time to prepare one." Shido confessed.

"Well, it's not your fault then. But seriously? You didn't receive a notice yesterday?"

"No, for some reason I never got one. I guess they forgot to give me one?" Shido theorized, but there wasn't much room to speculate on what happened.

With that, we began to drink from the paper cups we had in our hands.

"PWAH! Cough, cough!" Tohka suddenly spat out her drink and started coughing.

""Tohka?!"" Shido and I cried out.

"Poi-Poison, Shido! Be careful!" Tohka got out through her coughs. I grabbed the cup from her hand and carefully put it to my nose. A vinegar-like and spicy aroma immediately invaded my nose.

"There's Tabasco sauce in this!" I informed the two.

"What?! How dare they… to try and poison me when my guard is down!" Tohka angrily grumbled.

"It's not poison, it's just tabasco sauce, Tohka." Shido tried to calm her down.

"But Shido, it tastes awful! It has to be poison!" Tohka argued back. The two of them bickered for a little while. My mind wondered how exactly Tabasco sauce got into Tohka's drink.

---

Third Person POV

From a distance, Origami let out a small smirk of contentment upon seeing Tohka violently coughing after taking a sip. She achieved her goal for now.

She then took out a crumpled note and looked at it. It was the note that Shido was supposed to find the previous day, informing him about the welcome party. She crushed it in her hands again and threw it into a nearby trash bin.

"I'll be the one to get a gift from Shido first." Origami internally remarked before walking away from the party.

---

Asher's POV

"You got permission to do this?" I asked Shido.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Nothing should go wrong as long as Tohka's calm." Shido calmly responded.

"Nn? Shido? Asher? Where are we going?" Tohka questioned with much curiosity. Shido and I were guiding Tohka through the Raizen Spacequake Bunker's old halls toward one special destination. Opening the door to the old storage room, we quietly entered the room before shutting the door.

"Oooohhhh…" Tohka mumbled, completely starstruck as I opened the locker door and let the light pour out. We walked through the tunnel of light, though Tohka held onto Shido's sleeve as she marveled at the sight.

"Hey, Kengo." I greeted him upon entering Rabbit Hutch and saw him still in the computer lab.

"Oh, Asher… and Itsuka and Yatogami?" Kengo responded, a bit surprised upon seeing the additional guests.

"Whoaaaa…" Tohka gasped as she examined the new area.

"Sorry for intruding a bit late. Do you mind if we could get some suits? Think of it like a gift." I questioned. Kengo sighed, indicating his approval.

"I don't mind, but you know, this isn't supposed to be a tourist attraction." He grumbled as I left to go to the storage room.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. Things like this are meant to be shared." I retorted back. Moments later, I returned with four suits in hand and laid them on the table.

"Hmm? What is this?" Tohka questioned.

"Oh, this is like a suit. Come on, I'll help you get changed into it." Shido remarked. Tohka's face immediately blushed.

"S-Shido?! What do you mean by that?!" Tohka blurted out, her face completely red. Seconds later, Shido's face also turned red, as he realized the implications of his words.

"Y-You're wrong, Tohka! I didn't mean anything like that! I just meant that I'll help put the suit on you! You don't need to undress or anything like that!" Shido stammered as he desperately tried to defend himself. Kengo looked a little unamused, but I couldn't help but slightly find amusement at this awkward exchange.

"Alright, that's enough you lovebirds. Come on." I joked, motioning them to put on the suit.

""L-L-L-Lovebirds?!"" Shido and Tohka shouted out in sync. Alright, maybe it was time to stop teasing them.

After that, we managed to help Tohka into the suit, though Shido did most of the work. Both Shido and Tohka were heavily blushing the entire time, as their recent exchange was still fresh in their minds.

"[Now, Tohka, whatever you do, do not take off your suit, ok?]" Shido explained as we entered the airlock and closed the door.

"[Umu!]" Tohka happily answered as the airlock door began to open. The sound of air hissing out as it escaped into the black void slowly died down as the door fully opened.

"[What is this place…?]" Tohka curiously stated as she examined the pitch-black gray landscape. She began to walk off the ramp but started floating a little as she took her first steps.

"[S-Shido! Help me! I'm floating!]" Tohka worriedly cried out. Shido immediately ran up and helped her settle her feet onto the surface.

"[I'm sorry, Tohka. I should've explained it better. We're on the moon.]" Shido casually stated.

"[The… moon…?]" Tohka slowly repeated, though her tone implied that it was more of genuine confusion as to what the moon was.

"[It's the astronomical body that orbits Earth. You must have seen it when you looked up at the night.]" Kengo interjected.

"[You know, the white orb in the night sky?]" Shido added further. Tohka's eyes began to widen upon realization.

"[Whoooaaa! I never knew it was so big! It looks so small when I see it!]" Tohka excitedly cried out as she began slowly running around the moon, now getting used to the lower gravity.

After a little while, we guided Tohka up towards a nearby hill. Upon reaching the top of it, her breath halted as she took in the sight.

"[Shido… what is that giant blue orb?]" Tohka responded while in a trance.

"[That's the Earth. That's the planet you and I live on. Tenguu City and Japan are just a small part of that giant blue planet.]" Shido softly explained. Tohka just stared at the blue marble, completely in awe of its beauty and scale.

"[There's so much I want you to see and experience, Tohka. I'll make sure you get to see it all.]" Shido proclaimed. Tohka just sat in silence before slowly speaking once again.

"[Shido. This is so beautiful. I love it.]" Tohka remarked with delight, tears welling up a little in the corners of her eyes.

The four of us sat in silence for several more minutes before heading back into Rabbit Hutch.

"Just remember Tohka, aside from the people here and the Fraxinus crew, you cannot mention this to anyone else. Ok?" Shido reminded Tohka as he helped her out of her suit.

"Oh, but that's such a shame…" Tohka mulled over before asking another question. "But why? Don't tell me, this place is also a part of that organization!?" Tohka shouted out.

"Well, you're not wrong exactly. We're the Kamen Rider Club, protecting Earth in secret from those monsters known as Zodiarts!" I proudly proclaimed.

"Kamen Rider Club…?" Tohka repeated.

"We're collaborating with Fraxinus, but right now, it's just the three of us. Shido and I are members of this club while Kengo's our club president!" I explained.

"Like I said before, I never agreed to becoming president…" Kengo exasperatedly stated as he facepalmed slightly.

"Alright! If Shido's in this 'club' then I'm joining too!" Tohka defiantly stated. This took the three of us for a loop. We didn't expect her to want to join so spontaneously.

"Why are you two looking at me?" Kengo asked suspiciously as Shido's and I's gazes turned to Kengo for answers.

"Well, you are the president. It's up to you to make decisions like this." I explained.

"Like I said…! Nevermind…" Kengo defeatedly got out. Kengo looked at Tohka, who had the biggest determined puppy-dog eyes on her face.

"What we're doing is not a game, this shouldn't involve innocent people like…" Kengo argued, but Tohka's eyes continued to peer into Kengo's face, her determination to join was evident.

"...there's danger involved; you shouldn't join, so…" Kengo continued to try to convince Tohka to rescind her offer, but Tohka continued to shine with resolve. Kengo was finding it harder and harder to argue against her.

"Well… fine… As long as you don't get into trouble, you can join." Kengo finally acquiesced.

"Yay! Thank you, Kengo! Now I can spend more time with Shido!" Tohka excitedly shouted out as Shido's face turned a bright red.

"One moment, Yatogami. It's Utahoshi. It's more polite." Kengo responded, not comfortable with Tohka calling him by his given name.

"Umu? But Kengo is Kengo, just like how Asher is Asher and Shido is Shido!" Tohka innocently responded. This left Kengo truly speechless as he stammered to come up with something to say.

"...never mind. Just… don't cause trouble." Kengo huffed out as he left this exhausting situation and went to the computer lab.

"Well, if that's the case, I think it's time we head home now." Shido stated.

"That's fine. Remember, Tohka, everything about us and the moon remains top secret, okay?" I reiterated to Tohka, who simply responded enthusiastically with "Umu!". "I'll see you two tomorrow in school, then."

"Ok, see you, Asher."

"Bye, Asher! Bye, Kengo!" Shido and Tohka bid their farewells and left Rabbit Hutch.

The moment they left, I sat down, just contemplating everything that's been happening recently.

It sure is nice having friends…

---

Third Person POV

"And that's everything that happened tonight." Shido reported to Kotori as he was cooking up some dinner. Kotori was relaxing on the nearby couch, watching television while licking one of her many lollipops. It's probably the new chocolate mint flavor that came out a few days ago.

"Hmm, I see." Kotori mused as she collected her thoughts. Her black ribbons tied up her long hair into twin tails.

"Well, as long as Tohka isn't directly involved in any of their conflicts, this isn't too bad of a thing." Kotori explained. "It'll allow you to keep a closer eye on Tohka. Besides, joining a club might help her better fit into society."

"Well, I don't think that club's exactly a normal club by standard definitions though." Shido retorted back as he finished cooking dinner and put their meals onto plates.

"Come on, Kotori. I made Hamburg Steak for tonight." Shido announced as he laid the plates on the table. Kotori suddenly changed her black ribbons to white ones.

"Waah! My favorite! Thank you, big brother!" Kotori excitedly cried out as she ran to the table before sitting down. Ahh, why can't she be like this all the time?

"Gough!" Shido huffed out as Kotori's foot stomped on his own.

"Big brother, you better not have thought 'Why can't Kotori be like this all the time'. After all, I'm always your cute adorable little sister!" Kotori proclaimed before digging into her food.

Scary…

---

Third Person POV

A young girl lay in bed as the night sky blanketed Tenguu City. Swiping through her phone, she looked at posts on the usual social media sites.

Post after post, all she saw from other Raizen High students was about how "pretty" and "beautiful" this mysterious new transfer student was. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that every single Raizen student was enraptured by one Tohka Yatogami.

She shut off her phone in annoyance before getting up. She went over to her desk, which was cluttered with bottles of makeup and beauty accessories. Next to it was a large round mirror with Post-it notes plastered near the top. Things such as "Research the most popular trends!" and "Remember to buy the new product that comes out next week!" were scribbled on these notes.

The young girl looked at herself in the mirror. Her long blond hair with two small ringlets flowed elegantly down to her back. Even without her makeup, she was still certainly beautiful, best exemplified by her shining green pupils.

"Tohka Yatogami! I swear… I'll show you it's not easy to dethrone the queen of Raizen High!"

---

Asher's POV

April 26th

"Hmm? What's this?" I lean forward to look at the weird flyer posted on one of the school's bulletin boards.

"Vote for this year's Raizen's Top Girl and Boy? Results announced this Friday?" I repeated the lines printed on the poster. It was a somewhat flashy flyer with big fonts and bright colors. Why in the world are they doing this now? It's still the first month of school.

I start walking towards homeroom once again, though, on my way, I see an odd sight.

"Make sure to vote for Reina Utsukushi!" A blonde-haired student said in the hallway. She handed out flyers about the upcoming vote to passersby and repeated that phrase to anyone who approached her.

"Hello, sir! Make sure to vote for Reina Utsukushi!" She elegantly stated as she handed me a poster. Not wanting to make a fuss, I reluctantly accepted the poster and gave a small courtesy bow.

With the poster in hand, I made my way towards the classroom. Upon entering, I could see that practically all of the students already had a poster in their hands. It seemed like everyone encountered Reina on their way to class.

Some looked at it and contemplated, while others discussed who they would vote for or theorized who would win.

"Hell yeah! It's time for my comeback this year!" Tonomachi eagerly stated as attempted to flex his muscles and strike some poses, which came off as more awkward than anything else.

"They're doing this already?" A girl with short spiky blond hair asked curiously. This was Ai Yamabuki, one part of a distinct trio.

"Seems that some of the boys are already getting delusional." A girl with short brunette hair flatly stated. Mai Hazakura, number two of the trio.

"That's so lame!" A girl with long purple hair added on. Mii Fujibakama, the last of the Ai-Mai-Mii Trio. Take one guess as to why it's called that.

"This year for sure! If I can get even one vote, this year will surely be a success!" Tonomachi hyped himself up, ignoring the trio of girl's comments.

That's kinda sad.

"Shido! Shido! What is this?" Tohka asked Shido as she waved her flyer in front of Shido's face.

"It's a vote to see who the most beautiful and popular girl and boy at Raizen is." Shido explained.

"Then Shido… who are you going to vote for…?" Tohka anxiously questioned.

"Ehh?! Well… about that…" Shido nervously stammered out.

"Isn't it obvious? Shido will be voting for me." Origami suddenly interjected as she appeared behind Shido.

"Tobiichi?!" "You?!" Shido and Tohka cried out in shock upon her sudden appearance.

"Grrr, I won't let you steal Shido away from me!" Tohka angrily grumbled.

"Hmph. Your defeat is all but confirmed. Shido will definitely vote for me." Origami stoically rebuttled.

As the two once again got into a glaring contest with Shido caught in the middle, I took my seat in the class while looking over the poster.

"For your information, I'm not planning on voting for anyone. I find this ludicrous farce undeserving of my attention." Kengo suddenly spoke up.

"Ok…?" I nervously responded. I wasn't exactly going to ask you about this anyway. I eyed the poster, looking over the big bold letters printed onto it in more detail.

"Reina Utsukushi… hmm?" I repeated the name relayed to me earlier. Immediately, Tonomachi perked up.

"Don't tell me? Are you voting for Reina too? As I thought, she's truly a force to be reckoned with this year!" Tonomachi shouted out. I turned my head and looked at him in pure confusion.

"Huh?" I weakly responded.

"Oh, don't give me that look. Everybody knows that Reina Utsukushi is one of the top candidates when it comes to winning this competition." Tonomachi explained. "After coming in 13th place last year, she's done nothing but dedicate herself to the pursuit of pure beauty! Her pursuit of beauty is truly inspiring! It gives us hope that even the smelliest pieces of trash can one day grow into a great blooming flower!" Tonomachi began to fake sob as he regaled Reina's inspirational tale of growth.

You know, she was 13th last year. That isn't that bad compared to Mr. 358th.

"I… see…?" I wasn't exactly sure what to say to something like this.

"By the way… I know you. You've been getting all close and chummy with Itsuka recently, haven't you?" Tonomachi accused. I stammered, unsure of where he was going with this.

"Well, I'll have you know. He was mine first, buddy. Don't think you'll be stealing him away from me! Itsuka will never be yours!" Tonomachi defended.

"Haa?!" I responded in shock. When did I ever imply I wanted to steal Shido away from him?

"Hold on! That's completely—" I tried clarifying the misunderstandings when another voice suddenly rang out.

"Asher, you! You've been trying to steal Shido away from me as well?!" Tohka recoiled in shock dramatically.

"No, Tohka you're—" Another voice cut me off once again.

"Wow, I never knew that guy also swung that way." Ai spoke up.

"To be getting all chummy with Shido, those two must be up to something." Mai added on.

"That's so lame!" Mii finished up.

"No! This is just a misunderstanding!" I desperately cried out for them to just listen to me, but it seemed no one was listening to me. I put my head down defeatedly upon realizing my efforts were futile. Giving a side-eye to Tonomachi, I could see he was looking down at me smugly, seeing how thoroughly I'd been defeated.

I'll get you for this one day.

The bell suddenly rang, causing everyone to go back to their seats as Tamae entered the classroom. I let out a small groan, hoping that this whole Best Boy/Girl Ranking stuff would quickly wrap itself up.

---

Third Person POV

April 28th

"Shido, Shido! Look at this!" Tohka excitedly spoke as she held out a pink rectangular object in her hands.

"It's something called a 'cell phone'! Kotori gave it to me and said I could use it to call you!" Tohka continued.

"That's good to hear. Be sure to thank her later." Shido responded as he smiled at her. Right now it was around the middle of the lunch break, so not many people were in the class to be disturbed.

Both Shido and Kotori had been planning this out for quite a while. In case of emergencies, it was vital for Tohka to easily contact them and vice versa. Even if her Spirit powers had been sealed, who knows if they would remain like that forever.

"Shido, is it okay if I call you now?" Tohka asked with a big, bright smile.

"Hmm? Of course." Shido responded. He didn't want to ruin her good mood.

"Then I'll be off!" Tohka then suddenly dashed out of the classroom.

"T-Tohka, where are you going?!" Shido concernedly called out.

"I'm going someplace far!" Tohka's voice echoed from the end of the corridor. Eventually, the echo of her footsteps faded into the distance. Good grief. Well, not like he should complain.

Shido suddenly felt a presence behind him.

"Shido." An emotionless voice suddenly called out behind him.

"Waah?!" Shido jumped a little as he turned around. Behind him was Origami, who managed to sneak up behind him like a ninja.

"T-Tobiichi… is there something you need?" Shido shakily got out, his nerves still calming down.

"Have you cast your vote yet?" Origami asked.

"Hmm? Ahh, no." Shido responded. Shido hadn't even intended to cast his vote in the first place. If he chose between Tohka and Origami, then regardless of which option he chose, it would just make the other one mad at the other.

That wouldn't do. After all, he sincerely hoped that one day, Tohka and Origami could become friends.

"I see… well, the voting closes by the end of the day." Origami clarified before looking directly at Shido's eyes.

"Make sure you vote for me, Shido." Origami stated, completely stoically yet with serious pressure emanating from her.

"I… I'll think about it…" Shido nervously got out, averting his eyes away from hers.

"In any case… is that everything you wanted to ask me?" Shido stammered out. Origami's eyes lit up a bit as if remembering her true purpose.

"I want to ask if you are free tomorrow." Origami asked.

"Huh? Why?" Shido couldn't help but have a bad feeling about where this was going.

"I want to go on a date with you tomorrow." Origami stated casually. Shido could only feel the sweat dripping off his brow.

"Ahh, Origami… but we're—" Origami cut him off.

"Dating are we not?" Origami finished his sentence for him.

"Dating… yea…" Shido nervously repeated, his mind flashing back to when he was forced to confess to Origami for part of his training. Damn it Kotori! You and your training!

"Well, about tomorrow, I'm not really free—!" Shido tried to explain, but he suddenly felt an immense pressure that nearly suffocated him. He felt like if he continued with what he was saying, he'd pass out on the spot.

"Ahaha, I think I actually have some free time now that I think about it!" Shido nervously blurted out. Just like that, the pressure died down in an instant.

"Good. Then I'll meet you tomorrow at 10 AM near West Tengu Park's statue." Origami stated with a hint of happiness as she walked off.

"What have I gotten myself into now…?" Shido thought to himself. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts before selecting the one labeled "Kotori Itsuka".

"[What's up big brother?]" Kotori affectionately stated. She must be in her "Little Sister Mode".

"Kotori, please help me. Origami asked me out on a date, and I couldn't refuse it." Shido desperately explained. Shido heard the sounds of fabric and hair ruffling before Kotori's voice rang out again.

"[Haaa?! Why didn't you turn her down?]" Kotori annoyedly asked, her tone indicating she was now in "Commander Mode".

"Well, it's because of your training that she thinks we're dating." Shido fired back.

"[Pffft. Then just don't show up tomorrow.]"

"I can't do that! It's my fault she's caught up in this misunderstanding. I can't toy with her feelings any longer than this."

"[Hmm… if that's the case, why don't we try shooting for a bad end?]"

"What do you mean?"

"[Go on the date tomorrow, but do everything in your ability to make Origami hate you. By the end of the date, Origami will want to break up with you and then the whole situation is resolved.]"

"You really think that'll work?"

"[It can. If we modify Fraxinus's AI then we can tune the results to make sure we get the worst possible choices imaginable.]" Kotori concluded.

"Well… I guess it can't hurt to try." Shido acquiesced.

"[Shido, before you do that, you'll need to take care of one more problem.]" Kotori continued.

"Eh? And what's that?"

"[Tomorrow is a Saturday. If Tohka comes over to our house and you're not there, her emotional state will surely destabilize as a result. She enjoys your company a lot, you know.]"

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Shido asked as he slightly blushed at that statement.

"[Just have Tohka run some errands or something of the like. It doesn't have to be something complex; just make sure she's occupied for a couple of hours.]" Kotori explained.

"Well, I think I can come up with something."

"[Good. Well then, I'll be making preparations to help you out for tomorrow.]"

"Alright. Thanks a lot, Kotori." With that, Shido hung up as he let out an exhaustive sigh. However, the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching him caught his attention.

"Shidooooo!" Tohka cried out as she ran up to him. "How do I use this?" Tohka asked with a troubled expression on her face.

"Oh, if you want to make a call you just…" Shido then spent a minute or two explaining how to use a cell phone properly, Tohka looking like an amazed child with each button Shido pressed.

"Wow…!" Tohka excitedly gasped. She then took her phone and prepared to run off again to make her phone call.

"Ahh, hold on, Tohka!" Shido called out to her, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Is something wrong, Shido?"

"I'm sorry for asking something so sudden, but do you think you can do some things for me tomorrow?"

---

Asher's POV

"So, what's on the docket for today?" I asked Kengo, who was working hard in the computer lab.

"Hmm, about that Asher. Today will be pretty light. I'm starting work on restoring a new Astroswitch." Kengo nonchalantly responded.

"A new one? Really?" I walked into the lab and saw Kengo typing away at the computer as one of the blank Astroswitches from the board nearby was now inside some sort of container.

"How long will it take?" I asked inquisitively.

"I'm unsure. The first eight Astroswitches were basically complete when I found them in Rabbit Hutch. This is the first one where I'm starting from scratch." Kengo explained.

"I see… well then, I guess I'll just do some simple training for today. I'm kind of curious to see the ranking results." I responded as I exited the room and began stretching in the main room.

"Don't tell me, you participated in that poll?" Kengo asked.

"Uh… yes?"

"I see. And who did you vote for?" Kengo asked. For someone who didn't want to participate, he sure was interested in the opinions of others.

"I didn't really know anyone that well, so I just voted for Tohka and you, Kengo." I explained. I could hear Kengo suddenly stop typing for a few seconds before resuming again.

"…thanks I guess." Kengo stoically stated as he got back to work. Well, guess I should get to training.

---

Third Person POV

"This… this can't be…!" A long-haired blond student stood in front of the main bulletin board. In big bold letters, it revealed the truth of the matter.

In first place… was a tie. Tohka Yatogami and Origami Tobiichi, 124 votes each.

In very distant second place, Reina Utsukushi, 54 votes.

She stared at the results again. Surely this must be a mistake? No way that both that new student and the girl who only got third last year tied for first this year. Reina rubbed her eyes and looked at it again.

The name at second place didn't change.

"DAMN IT ALL!" A loud voice cried out from her right.

"Why… I thought I'd be able to get at least one vote…" Tonomachi sulked as he stumbled off into the distance.

Reina looked at the results once again, her hands trembling as she gripped the sheet. This didn't make sense. How in the world did these two best her? She practically spent the entire time campaigning herself, applying the most expensive jewelry and makeup, and spending every waking moment trying to appeal to the hearts of others.

Meanwhile, these two did nothing! Hell, they acted utterly oblivious to the entire thing, and yet they still won! How?! HOW?!

"ARRRGHH!" Reina cried out as she ripped the sheet of paper off the board. No. She wouldn't accept this. In no world does it make sense for the people who don't even try to somehow come out on top.

Reina stormed out of the building, her mind hazy and filled with vitriol. Somehow, some way, she would prove herself to be better than those two. If she didn't prove herself, then why would anyone even care about her, let alone pay her any attention?

"I can see you're quite upset. Don't you want it? The power to change your fate?" A booming voice called out to her.

"W-Who's there?!" Reina nervously cried out, stopping dead in her tracks.

"I can see it in the stars. In this swirling cluster, you're nothing but a dying star. Slowly fading away to be lost and forgotten by everyone." The voice echoed out once again.

"W-who are you? What do you want?!" She turned around several times, trying to identify the location of the mystery voice.

"You can change that. You can become the most magnificent star that will shine eternally on in the hearts of everyone."

"What do you mean?!" Reina nervously called out. Suddenly, she heard footsteps from behind her. She turned her head, only to see a horrifying creature. A large monster in an ornate black cloak with gold markings approached her. The head was that of a scorpion, with many eyes and hair tendrils that mimicked a scorpion's legs.

"W-W-What are you?!" Reina cried out as she tripped and fell on her behind.

"I'll give it to you, the ability to achieve everything that you desire." The scorpion monster tempted as it leaned towards Reina. Reina couldn't help but shiver. Her legs screamed for her to run, but her thoughts said otherwise. She wanted to know more, learn more, and have the power to change her fate, no matter what.

"Now, make a wish upon the stars." The monster twirled its hand before presenting a Zodiarts Switch to the young girl. Trembling, Reina nervously reached forward and grabbed the switch. She could feel it, the power within.

She'll become a star, brighter than Origami and Tohka could ever hope to be.

---

Third Person POV

April 29th

"[Are you ready, Shido?]" Kotori's voice rang out through the communicator.

"...as ready as I'll ever be." Shido deadpanned. Right now, it was around 11 AM, exactly one hour after Origami had asked him to meet him.

"[And the clothes?]" Kotori asked.

"Oh yeah… they're certainly the worst." Shido was currently wearing a brightly colored anime T-shirt with many female characters printed all over it. Only those without morals would dare to wear this shirt so proudly in public.

"[And finally Tohka?]"

"She'll be busy. I asked her to get some ingredients for dinner tonight. Of course, I made sure that the ingredients could only be found in different shops, so she'll be walking around for the next couple of hours." Shido responded.

"[Alright then. It's time we begin this war of ours.]" Kotori demanded. With that signal, Shido stepped out from the tree he was hiding behind and walked up to Origami.

"Yo, Tobiichi." Shido curtly introduced. Origami turned her head and looked at Shido.

"Thank goodness. I thought something terrible had happened to you." Origami spoke with genuine relief in her voice.

"Gwah!" Shido couldn't help but recoil from the bullet of guilt Origami had fired at him.

"[Get your act together, Shido! If you buckle from that, you'll never get Origami to hate you!]"

"...I'm sorry…" Shido painfully got out as he refocused his attention on Origami.

"Clothes." Origami suddenly spoke up. Shido reflexively covered his shirt in embarrassment but then realized Origami wasn't looking at his shirt but rather looking him straight in the eyes.

"What do you think?" Origami asked. Clearly, she was asking Shido what he thought of her clothes. Shido couldn't help but be impressed. A nice-looking gray shirt, a pleated skirt, and a fabulous pearl necklace.

"Ooh! They look gr—" Kotori cut him off.

"[Hey! Every word counts! Even one complement can undo a thousand insults!]" Kotori reminded.

"I mean they look grating on the eyes, it doesn't fit at all!" Shido nervously stated. Origami looked down at her outfit, a hint of sadness painted on her face. Origami then looked back at Shido.

"Then, what outfit would you think fit best?" Origami asked. Shido couldn't think of anything to say, but luckily, Fraxinus's AI kicked in and generated some responses.

Onboard Fraxinus, Kotori and the other crew members were presented with three possible responses for Shido to say.

1. A tiny bikini with a maid apron.

2. A sailor suit shirt and triangular sweatpants on the legs.

3. A school swimsuit with dog ears and a tail.

"Wow, these are the best worst choices I've seen." Kotori remarked as she licked her lollipop.

"Everyone, cast your votes! Remember, the goal is to choose the most repulsive option possible!" Kotori demanded.

Seconds later, Shido got a response from Kotori.

"[Shido! Go for number three!]" Kotori demanded. Shido could only steel himself and prepare for the backfire this response would cause.

"A… school swimsuit with dog ears and a tail!" Shido nervously blurted out as he gritted his teeth. Origami looked at him, her expression completely unchanged.

"She's going to hit me…!" Shido nervously thought to himself as he closed his eyes. However, several seconds had passed, yet no blow had been struck.

Shido slowly opened his eyes, only to see that Origami was no longer there.

"Ehh…? Tobiichi?" Shido nervously asked out. Shido turned his head only to see a truly terrible sight.

Running up to him was Origami, now wearing exactly what Shido had asked for. A school swimsuit with dog ears and a tail.

"WHYYYYYYYY?!" Shido could only cry out in shock as Origami finally stopped in front of Shido.

"Tobiichi?! Where did you even get those clothes?!" Shido demanded to know.

"There was a shop over there that sold them." Origami nonchalantly explained.

"What?! What is the city coming to?!" Shido internally asked himself as Origami just looked at him.

"We should get going." Origami pointed in the direction of the shopping district.

"[Why didn't that make her happiness meter fall at all?]" Kotori angrily pondered through her communicator. "[Shido, this opponent's tough. We're gonna have to make more drastic options.]"

Now, the Fraxinus crew was presented with three more choices.

1. "For a bitch like you, you sure like to be arrogant acting like a human. Come on, get down on your knees in front of me!"

2. "Ahh~~ I'm tired, I'm tired, I'm so tired! I don't wanna walk! Gimme a piggyback ride~"

3. "Wait, you seriously want to walk with me? Get away from me. You're disgusting!"

"Alright, I'm confident at least one of these will drop her happiness meter." Kotori smirked. Seconds later, the votes were cast.

"[Shido, it's one!]" Kotori responded as dread filled Shido's mind.

"F-For a bitch like y-you, you sure like to be a-arrogant acting like a human. C-come on! Get down on your knees!" Shido painfully got out. He couldn't help but be aware of the stares he was receiving from the other visitors of the park.

Shido was trembling by the time he finished, but he couldn't help but tremble more at what Origami did next.

Without any hesitation at all, Origami immediately dropped to her knees.

"WHAT?!"/"[WHAT?!]" Shido and Kotori cried out in sync. Meanwhile, Origami just looked at Shido, confused about why he seemed utterly dumbfounded. Then, seconds later, she came to a realization.

She quickly crawled over to Shido and unbuckled his belt. Taking it off, she then formed a makeshift collar and put it on. She then handed the leash to Shido.

"Woof!" Origami barked out. At this point, Shido and Kotori were at a loss for words.

As passersby began to whisper about the perverted situation going on, Shido felt his sweat drench his clothes.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it at all! Please forgive me!" Shido got down to his knees and bowed. He didn't care if Kotori would berate him, he couldn't let this situation get even more out of hand.

"Woof?" Origami responded.

---

Third Person POV

"Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!" Tohka happily hummed to herself as she walked through the city. She was almost done with her task of obtaining the groceries that Shido had requested of her the other day.

Looking at the piece of paper she held in one hand, Tohka could see that she only had a couple more items to grab. Reshifting the bag of groceries on her shoulder, she looked back up and headed towards the next shop with a renewed sense of purpose.

"I'm sure Shido will be proud of me once I complete my goal!" Tohka eagerly thought to herself as she approached the next vendor.

"Excuse me! Can I get one of those green thingies?" Tohka asked as she pointed at a bundle of vegetables behind the shopkeeper.

"Of course, just hold on one second." The elder shopkeeper turned around to grab the bundle. In the meanwhile, Tohka looked down and took out something Kotori and Shido called a "purse". She looked through the purse and found what she was looking for. A piece of paper called "money".

She wasn't sure what money was, but Shido told her that it's an important item to give if you want to buy things from others.

Just then…

"Umu?!" Tohka cried out in shock as a blinding flash of light suddenly came from one of the nearby mirrors. Perhaps it was the sun's angle, but the flash was so bright that Tohka couldn't help but close her eyes out of reflex.

"Is something the matter dear?" The shopkeeper asked concernedly.

"I-I'm fine!" Tohka responded enthusiastically as she opened her eyes once again.

"Ok. If that's all, here's your…" The shopkeeper slowly trailed off as she noticed something in Tohka's bag.

"Hey. What's that in your bag." The shopkeeper accused as she pointed at an item in Tohka's bag. Tohka looked at her bag in confusion. She pulled out the item that the shopkeeper pointed at. It was a different bundle of vegetables, but Tohka could only look at it in confusion. She doesn't remember buying this at all.

"What do you think you're doing, trying to steal my goods?!" The shopkeeper shouted at Tohka.

"But I didn't put this in there?" Tohka innocently clarified.

"What? Don't try to lie to me, thief!" The shopkeeper angrily responded.

"But I didn't take this! I swear!" Tohka defended herself. The shopkeeper let out a sigh in response.

"Just give it back and I'll pretend nothing happened. Come on." The shopkeeper demanded. Tohka did what she asked and gave the item that mysteriously appeared in her bag back to the shopkeeper.

"Here's your change. You know, it isn't good to lie to others." The shopkeeper exhaustedly got out as Tohka began to walk away from the vendor.

"Muu… but I wasn't lying…" Tohka muttered to herself. Her heart felt heavy. She knew that she hadn't put that into her bag, so why was it there? And why didn't the shopkeeper believe her?

Dejectedly, Tohka looked for the next item on the list and made her way over to the next shop.

"Welcome, what can I get for you?" The middle-aged shopkeeper asked energetically.

"Muu… can I get one of those?" Tohka, a bit troubled, pointed at the next objective on her list.

"Of course, just hold on one second…" The shopkeeper turned around to grab the item. Tohka began to grab her purse when once again…

"Muu..?!" Another bright flash came from one of the shop's mirrors, blinding Tohka.

CRASH CRASH CRASH!

The sounds of trinkets hitting the ground and smashing into little pieces were then heard.

"H-Hey?! What do you think you're doing?!" The shopkeeper quickly swiveled around and turned to look at Tohka, who was only just recovering from the blinding light.

"W-what do you mean?" Tohka looked at the man nervously, but by her feet, she could see several shattered trinkets on the floor next to her.

"You shouldn't be touching and breaking things young girl!" The shopkeeper angrily huffed out.

"B-But I didn't touch them, I swear!" Tohka cried out, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

"You're lucky those were quite cheap. Just pay for those as well." The shopkeeper sighed.

"Muu…" Tohka groaned as she took out several more bills to pay for the damages she knew she hadn't caused.

"What's going on? Why is no one believing me…?" Tohka whimpered to herself, now sitting on a bench at a nearby park. She couldn't continue like this. Her heart was full of anxiety and doubt.

"I know I didn't take or touch those things so why…?" Tohka consoled herself. Just then, another bright flash of light suddenly appeared from a nearby parked bicycle's mirror.

"Hmmm?!" Tohka closed her eyes out of reflex again, though her heart sank when she opened her eyes.

The bag with all of the groceries that she had purchased was now completely missing.

"Where? Where? Where did it go?!" Tohka nervously cried out as she looked around the area for the bag. Yet, no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find it at all.

"Muu, what am I supposed to do now?!" Tohka asked herself nervously. She didn't want to disappoint Shido, not after he had entrusted her with such an important task.

Hang on… this was an emergency, and Shido said to call him in an emergency! If she calls Shido, maybe he would know how to fix this!

Tohka quickly got out her phone and tapped on her contact list, which only had Shido as her only contact. Tohka nervously tapped the button and put the phone to her ear. It only took a couple of seconds for her to connect.

"Shi—" Tohka tried to talk to Shido, but she was immediately cut off.

"[I want to break up. I want to end our relationship right here and now.]" Shido said completely earnestly. Tohka couldn't help but tremble in shock.

"W-What are you talking about? Are you serious?" Tohka nervously responded.

"[Yes, I'm serious. I'm sorry. I don't have feelings for you anymore.]"

"Do… do you hate me?"

"[Yes. I hate you.]"

Tohka's mind went blank. Shido must hate her for losing the bag of groceries. That's why he wants to leave her. It's because she was a failure. Because she causes trouble for other people. Because she can't be trusted to do anything.

"Shi… Shido…" Tohka cried out desperately.

"[Hang on… this voice…]" Shido nervously spoke, but at this point, it was too late. Tohka's emotional state had gone off the deep end.

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Tohka cried her heart out as several explosions rang out beside her.

---

Third Person POV

"[Origami's happiness meter still hasn't gone down at all. At this rate, there's only one thing left to do…]" Kotori mused as Shido hid in the bathroom stall. Origami and Shido were currently at a nearby fast-food restaurant, hoping that Origami would be disappointed in Shido for bringing her to such a cheap place on their important day. Unfortunately, it didn't work at all. In fact, nothing worked.

"What am I supposed to do?" Shido asked nervously. Regardless of how much humiliation either he or Origami underwent, nothing seemed to sway Origami's opinion of Shido.

"[At this point, we'll have to play it straight. Officially declare your feelings for her before confessing you want to cut ties with her.]" Kotori explained.

"Hey, do you really think something like that would work?" Shido responded.

"[Of course! If you play your cards right, such a thing would break any girl's heart!]" Kotori exclaimed. Shido's heart twitched with guilt. He didn't want to sadden Origami, but he didn't want to continue this lie either. If this was what it took then he'd have to do it.

"Then, how should I go about it? Just a simple 'I want to break up with you?'" Shido asked.

"[No! You have to be serious and confident! If you fumble this, then you'll never get her off you! Come on, practice this if you need to before you return.]" Kotori angrily demanded.

"Alright then… here goes…" Shido sweated as he smacked his lips together, trying to calm himself.

Suddenly, an unknown Ping sound came from his headset communicator. However, he ignored it and attempted to practice his breakup confession.

"I want to break up. I want to end our relationship right here and now." Shido earnestly said out loud.

"[W-What are you talking about? Are you serious?]" A trembling voice responded on the other side. Was this Fraxinus's AI assisting him?

"Yes, I'm serious. I'm sorry. I don't have feelings for you anymore." Shido responded, deciding to use it to help better prepare himself for the upcoming conversation.

"[Do… do you hate me?]" The voice responded back.

"Yes. I hate you." After a couple of seconds, whimpering could be heard on the other side of the line.

"[Shi… Shido…]" The voice cried out. Hang on, this voice sounded familiar.

"Hang on… this voice…" Shido nervously stammered out. It sounded exactly like Tohka's voice.

"[WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!]" Tohka cried out as seconds later, the line disconnected. An explosion rumbled in the distance as the building shook.

"[Oi! What the hell were you doing?! Why didn't you disconnect the line immediately!]" Shido heard Kotori reprimand one of the Fraxinus staff for their failures.

"Kotori, what happened? Was that Tohka?!" Shido desperately asked for answers.

"[Our apologizes, Shido. Tohka's mental state suddenly decreased very rapidly, causing her powers to return to her. It seems she must've connected to your call while you practiced your speech about breaking up.]" Kotori calmly explained.

"What?! How in the world did that happen?!" Shido shouted back in shock.

"[...As an emergency measure, Tohka's phone is automatically set to connect to your headset if she calls you.]" Reine sleepily stated.

"What kind of measure is that?!" Shido angrily vented. "So, what am I supposed to do now?"

"[Isn't it obvious? Find Tohka and tell her everything was a lie. She's at the park across the shopping district!]" Kotori hurriedly commanded.

"Got it!" Shido ran out of the bathroom and out of the fast food joint, heading in the direction of the park. However, his phone began to ring.

It was Origami.

"[Shido, where are you?]" Origami questioned.

"Sorry, Tobiicihi, I'm a bit—" Shido tried to explain when another explosion rocked the streets. Shido heard the sound of rubble falling above him. Putting his phone in his pocket, he narrowly dodged the falling debris and continued running towards Tohka's location.

"T-Tohka!" Shido cried out as he arrived at the park. Shido looked around, only to focus on the center of the park.

There was an enormous crater, similar to the ones created by Spackquake. In the middle of it was Tohka, on her knees and wailing heavily.

"Tohka!" Shido cried as he ran up to her.

"Shi-Shido… I'm sorry…! I'm sorry for being useless!" Tohka sobbed out.

"What are you saying?! You're not useless! And I'm sorry! Everything I said to you was a complete and total lie!" Shido explained seriously.

"A lie…? But Shido… the bag… I lost the bag…! You trusted me, and I…! Y-You hate me for losing the bag and want to leave me!" Tohka wailed out. Shido then looked around and realized Tohka was telling the truth. The bag that he had given to Tohka to buy her groceries was no longer on her person.

"So?! I could never hate you for that! And I will never leave you!" Shido responded. Tohka's eyes widened, red and puffy from all the crying.

"R-Really? Do you mean that? That we'll continue being together?" Tohka nervously asked.

"Of course! Didn't I tell you? We'll be together forever!" Shido earnestly responded. Tohka wiped her eyes, now genuinely relieved at Shido's confession.

"I see…! Thank you, Shido!" Tohka shakily got out, still recovering from the outpour of emotions. Shido helped her get slowly to her feet, though Tohka's face began to sullen again.

"But Shido… the groceries you told me to get…" Tohka somberly muttered.

"It'll be fine. The two of us can just go buy the groceries again!" Shido happily answered.

"U-Umu!" Tohka responded. A smile on her face once again.

As the two caught their breath, Kotori's voice rang out from the headset.

"[Good work Shido, but you might want to get out of there now.]" Kotori spoke, but her voice was slightly nervous for some reason.

"Hmm?" Shido questioned, unsure of why she was nervous. It wasn't until he felt someone running into him and hugging him tightly that he realized why.

"T-Tobiichi?!" Shido gasped out, though Origami just continued hugging him tighter.

"Together… forever…" Origami spoke quietly.

"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Tohka angrily demanded as she tore Origami away from Shido. "Those words were meant for me."

"Nonsense. Shido said those for me." Origami countered. "Come on, Shido, let's buy groceries together now."

Shido felt a chill run down his spine as Tohka and Origami bickered again. It couldn't be…

He pulled out the phone he had shoved into his pocket after some rubble began towards him. Sure enough, it showed that the call with Origami was still connected.

"Oh… she heard everything too?" Shido groaned.

"[Well congrats, Shido. You've managed to go over the max level with Origami's happiness meter. I've never seen this before.]" Kotori apprehensively stated. Shido could hear the sounds of slow clapping from the other Fraxinus crew members.

"[It's all in your hands now, Shido. Enjoy your love life with Origami.]" Kotori sarcastically stated before disconnecting.

"Hey, Kotori! Don't leave me to fend for myself!" Shido desperately pleaded, but it was too late. Looking up, Origami glared at him like a feral predator as Tohka desperately tried to pull her back from making a move on Shido.

---

Third Person POV

Origami returned to her apartment, satisfied after a long day. How could she not? She had gone on a date with Shido, after all. His clothes, his attitude, his choices for food—all of it were immaculate.

"Hnn, good." Origami pulled out the camera she had sneakily brought and inspected the film. All of the photos she had taken were still preserved in perfect quality. She'd have to make prints of them later.

Setting the camera on the dining table, she went to the bathroom and prepared to wash up. Pulling out her phone, she noticed a new notification from her superior at the AST. Tomorrow morning, the AST will have a short meeting to discuss the events of the past couple of days, specifically what should be done about Princess and the new mysterious white armored warrior, now codenamed Apollo.

Apparently, the codename was based on the space shuttle Apollo 11, given that some of the AST members reported the warrior as looking similar to a rocket.

Origami gritted her teeth, her eyes fixating on the text "Princess." She knew her superiors knew that Tohka Yatogami was Princess, yet they wouldn't allow anyone to harm her from now on. The meeting for tomorrow was most likely to make that order public: No members of the AST were to go after Princess now that she had seemingly lost her powers.

She clenched her phone tightly. Even if she no longer had her powers, that didn't change the fact she was a Spirit. There was no telling when her powers would even return to her.

And for her of all things to be that close with Shido…!

Origami closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Right now, she couldn't act rashly. She was already on thin ice for her previous actions. She'd have to listen to her supervisors and their orders, no matter how infuriating they were.

Scrolling through her phone, she opened up her folder of recordings and selected one of them as she washed up.

"[Of course! Didn't I tell you? We'll be together forever!]" Shido's recorded voice echoed from her phone's speaker. The entire conversation was edited to play only the relevant parts.

As she turned to grab a towel to dry herself off, from the corner of her eye, a bright flash of white light radiated from her bathroom mirror.

CLATTER CLATTER

The sounds of things toppling and falling over echoed in the bathroom. Origami quickly forced herself to open her eyes and face in the direction of the light.

"Who's there?" Origami cautiously asked, though upon turning around, she only saw several of her products and toiletries on the ground. On closer inspection, some had cuts or large holes.

As she carefully eyed the broken bottles, she felt the presence of something behind her. She quickly turned her head, only getting a glance at some weird creature near her bathroom door. Although the creature ran the moment Origami spotted her, Origami managed to get a brief glance at it. It was a humanoid creature, similar in shape to the red one she had seen a couple of days ago.

Origami immediately gave chase, though as she turned and entered the doorway to the living room, she found that the monster had seemingly disappeared into thin air. Being cautious, she quickly searched the other rooms and any potential spots it could've hidden in, though her search turned up nothing.

Origami sighed; perhaps the ecstasy she'd experienced while being on a date with Shido was finally getting to her. She decided to call it a night. After all, she'd have to wake up early tomorrow anyway.

"Hmm?" Origami went to grab the camera she had placed earlier on the table, only to notice something off.

"It's gone…" Origami quietly stated as she made a rare frowning expression. The camera she had used while on her date with Shido was missing from its spot. Damn. They were great photos, too.

---

Asher's POV

April 30th

"Thanks for coming on such short notice." Kotori welcomed Kengo and me as we entered the command room.

"So? What's the reason you called the two of us here?" Kengo asked. Kotori sighed before showcasing some recorded footage of Tohka walking around shopping in the city.

"The previous day, Tohka's mental state became quite unstable. This resulted in some of her Spirit power returning to her, destroying the nearby area." Kotori explained.

"There is more to this, correct?" Kengo asked. Kotori nodded and highlighted three clips from the footage.

"We learned that part of Tohka's instability was caused by her being erroneously blamed for things she hadn't committed—stealing food and breaking store goods. However, the biggest factor was the stress caused by losing the bag of groceries." Kotori detailed as the footage played out.

"Reviewing the footage, it's clear that Tohka isn't to blame for any of the actions accused against her." One of the clips was maximized to show Tohka asking a shopkeeper for some goods. Just then, a bright flash of light appeared from a nearby mirror.

As this occurred, a blurred figure could be spotted on screen. Then, the sound of objects shattering on the ground echoed.

"What in the world?" I muttered as the other clips were maximized to showcase a similar story. A blurred figure appeared each time the bright flash emitted from a nearby mirror, and the crime was committed. The "stolen goods" appeared in Tohka's bag, and the bag sitting next to Tohka vanished.

"You don't think that this could be the work of a Zodiarts?" I turned to ask Kengo for his opinion. However, Kotori answered in his steed.

"If we didn't think it was a Zodiarts, I wouldn't have called you here." Kotori explained. "So, do you have any clues about what this could be?"

"Hmm. Judging from the footage, this mysterious Zodiarts has the power to appear from mirrors. This explains how they were able to appear and disappear so quickly." Kengo surmised. "Furthermore, their actions seem to be deliberate with the sole intent of ostracizing Yatogami by making her seem guilty of committing small crimes."

"So, it's a Zodiarts who has a grudge against Tohka?" I asked.

"Yes, it's very likely." Kengo replied before looking towards Kotori.

"I'm sorry. This is our first time hearing about this, too. We don't have any information other than speculation we can glean from this footage." Kengo apologized.

"Well, that was about the answer I expected." Kotori let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back on her chair. "In any case, we have a request for you."

Both of our eyebrows raised at this possible request.

"We would like you to act as bodyguards for Tohka and Shido while they're on their date." Kotori requested.

"I mean, I don't mind, but why while they're on their date?" I asked inquisitively.

"Even though Shido stabilized Tohka's mood yesterday, it still isn't at an ideal level. Thus, Shido's taking Tohka on another date to further increase her mood and thus stabilize her emotions." Kotori then leaned forward, a serious complexion on her face.

"Also, I want you to ensure neither Tohka nor Shido discovers that a Zodiarts is targeting Tohka." Kotori added on.

"But why? If Tohka's in danger, wouldn't it be best to let her know?" I replied.

"Because if Tohka finds out someone's targeting her, then that would emotionally ruin her." Kotori fired back. "She's just escaped a life of being constantly targeted and started anew. How devastating do you think it would be for Tohka if she discovered that people were still after her even in this new life?" Kotori reasoned.

"Besides, if Shido found out, he wouldn't be able to focus on cheering up Tohka at all." Kotori continued. I was about to object, though Kotori must've noticed this and immediately shut me down.

"I do hope that you remember that if Tohka becomes mentally unstable, then there's a very real risk of people getting injured when her powers flow back into her." Kotori warned. I closed my mouth for good this time.

"So? When are we supposed to be looking out for Itsuka and Yatogami?" Kengo asked.

"Ohhh. About now-ish? They're at an arcade center right now." Kotori nonchalantly responded.

"They're on a date now?! And you couldn't have warned us earlier?!" I cried out.

"Well, sorry, I can't exactly act faster; I'm a busy person." Kotori huffed out. Besides, they only started their date 20 minutes ago. If we teleport you two, you can begin your lookout immediately." Kotori reasoned. I felt myself groan a little. It would've been nice if we had at least a little heads-up so I could prepare.

"Alright, alright. Fine. I'll do it. Kengo?" I turned to Kengo, though he just sighed.

"Well, if you're going, I don't have much choice in the matter, do I? Besides, if there's a Zodiarts involved, we can't exactly leave it unchecked." Kengo exasperatedly got out. With that, Kotori smiled and called for Reine.

"...Follow me." Reine calmly demanded. With that, the two of us followed her to the teleportation room. Standing on the big circle in the middle, I anxiously held my breath as Reine typed in several commands.

Then, the white light surrounded my vision.

---

Third Person POV

"Wow! This is fun!" Tohka happily hummed as the smoke billowing from one of the boxing machines continued to rise. Shido could only sweatdrop as the eyes of other onlookers continued to stare at them.

"It sure is…" Shido could only exasperatedly respond as he lowered his head to cover his voice.

"Hey, Kotori, is this really working?" Shido silently muttered into his communicator.

"[Well, Tohka's happiness meter is steadily increasing, though it'll take a bit longer before you manage to undo the damage caused by your screw-up the other day!]" Kotori retorted. Shido could only wince from that reminder. Memories of him telling Tohka he wanted to leave her replayed in his mind. Even if it was unintentional and a freak accident, it still didn't erase the guilt from his mind.

"Shido, Shido! Where else should we go?" Tohka turned to ask Shido, though Shido could see some custodians clean up the broken machine and replace it with a brand new one.

"Hmm, well… let's just walk around for now. We can do anything that catches your eye." Shido explained. Tohka responded encouragingly as the two walked deeper into the arcade center.

---

Third Person POV

Currently, Origami was hiding behind a nearby arcade machine, watching over Shido. Why did Origami know where Shido would be? Simple. She's his girlfriend.

"Ohh, that's interesting." Shido commented as he looked at a big promotional poster near the point redemption center.

"Shido? What is this?" Tohka asked as she looked at the poster he was looking at, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Ahh. Apparently, the arcade chain's running a promotional campaign for the time being. If you collect and redeem all of these figurines, you can get a special prize." Shido explained. The figurines plastered on the poster were more aptly described as key chains, meant to promote an upcoming anime.

"Oooh! We should do that, Shido!" Tohka excitedly shouted out, though Shido was busy reading the fine print of the poster.

"'Collect them all from our other locations?' Oh, I guess it seems we can't get all of them here. I'm sorry, Tohka." Shido told Tohka, who only made a sad noise upon hearing the news.

"Oh, this one looks pretty cute. Pandarone?" Shido pointed to the image of the panda bear figurine printed on the poster. Immediately, Tohka's eyes lit up with a smoldering determination.

"Well? Let's go Tohka. There are other machines we can check out." Shido called out to Tohka, causing her to snap back to reality.

"Hmm? Umu!" Tohka happily responded as the two walked off. When the coast was clear, Origami sneakily made her way and inspected the poster.

Reading the fine print more closely, she discovered that the Pandarone figure was available at this location. Scouring the machines, she eventually found where the treasure was located. A large claw machine game, waiting for its next victim to give it their money.

Origami took out her wallet and opened it, counting how many coins she had on her person.

"Un. This is sufficient enough." Origami looked at the machine, a fierce resolve hiding under those emotionless eyes of hers. She approached the machine and inserted one ¥100 coin into it.

Right now, her war was just beginning.

---

Third Person POV

"Shido, Shido! What's that machine?" Tohka asked, as they stopped by a large square machine with a curtain as its entrance.

"Ah, that's a photo booth. You can make cute pictures using that machine." Shido calmly explained. For some reason, Tohka became extremely flustered and stepped back a little.

"P-Pictures?!" Tohka shouted out.

"What's wrong?" Shido asked.

"It's just… I don't like having my picture taken here…" Tohka embarrassedly responded.

"Oh, that's ok. We can go somewhere else if you'd like." Shido casually explained. However, as he turned to leave, Tohka grabbed his sleeve.

"S-Shido… do you want a picture of me…?" Tohka nervously asked, her face as red as a tomato.

"A-Ah? Of course, I would… If you don't mind, could we take the photo together?" Shido asked innocently, but Tohka's face became impossibly red as she jolted in shock.

"Nononono! Not together! Just myself!" Tohka stuttered out. Shido couldn't help but be completely perplexed as to why Tohka would demand to take the photo by herself, but he decided to acquiesce to her demands. After all, if he pushed the topic further, she might become even more stressed.

"Then… I'll just wait for you out here." Shido responded. With that, Tohka awkwardly entered the booth.

Several minutes passed by, Shido looking anxiously at his phone to keep track of the time.

"Hey, Kotori? How long are these supposed to take?" Shido silently asked.

"[Well, if they spend time decorating and drawing on the photos, then several minutes, but otherwise it shouldn't take too long. Maybe Tohka's just camera shy?]" Kotori reasoned.

Then, Shido heard the sound of the printer whirring and spitting out a photo.

"Tohka? You took your picture?" Shido knelt to pick up the photo, though the moment he saw it, his face turned a bright red.

"T-T-Tohka?! What are you doing?!" Shido yelped as he folded the picture and hid it in his pocket. The photo displayed Tohka's completely nude figure.

"S-Shido?! Don't tell me… you…!" Tohka stammered out from behind the curtain.

"I didn't look! I swear! Just make sure you're dressed!" Shido nervously cried out.

"You did look!" Tohka's voice was shaking, nearly on the verge of tears.

"[Ahh… I see…]" Kotori's deadpan voice rang out through the communicator.

"What?!" Shido asked in a hushed manner.

"[Well, when we took Tohka up for examinations, we had her get naked for her photos. Don't worry though; only female staff members were with her at the time.]" Kotori explained.

"You…" Shido could only grit his teeth in exasperation.

The minutes passed by like hours. Eventually, Tohka opened the curtain, fully dressed. She pouted at Shido as her face was red with embarrassment and shame.

"I'm so sorry!" Shido frantically apologized as he bowed.

"...it's fine… just don't look at it here…" Tohka silently got out before she began raising her voice. "Anyways! W-why did you yell at me like that? Didn't I take the picture right?!"

"No! Well, you did take the picture right, but you don't take pictures like that!" Shido responded.

"What do you mean?! You mean it's not normal for people to take photos without their clothes?!"

"Yes! It's not normal!" Shido cried out before taking a deep breath. "Tohka, I can show you how to take a photo."

"Y-You will? We won't have to take off our clothes?" Tohka asked nervously.

"We won't! Come on, we can get in the booth together." With that, they got into the cramped photo booth together. Both of them blushed, especially Tohka, as the events of her botched photo replayed in their minds.

"Y-You've operated the machine right before? Well, just smile into the camera. You can also do faces or poses to make them more unique." Shido explained as he inserted money into the booth to get it started.

"Umu… then, to smile… uhh, what is that, Shido?" Tohka asked. Shido was slightly baffled by this statement since Tohka smiled at every new thing she met, though perhaps she didn't know what the term meant.

"A smile's this, look." Shido turned to Tohka and gave her a wide smile, her eyes widening with realization. "It's easier to smile if you think of something that makes you happy."

Suddenly, a digital voice emitted from the photo booth as the camera started counting down.

"Oh! Remember Tohka, look into the camera and smile!"

3.

2.

1.

SNAP

---

Third Person POV

Origami pressed the button. The claw moved downwards before opening and closing. In its grasp was a small box labeled "Pandarone."

As the claw moved upwards, the box was still in its grasp, albeit loosely. Then, the claw began slowly moving toward the drop-off zone. Origami waited with bated breath as the prize drew closer and closer to its goal.

And then.

SLIP

The box fell mere centimeters from the hole. Origami let out a small noise of annoyance. No matter; she still had more… coins…

Origami looked at the cup she had put all her ¥100 coins into. It was empty.

"I'll be back." Origami stated before leaving to exchange her bills for coins for the third time today.

---

Third Person POV

"That's a good photo, Tohka!" Shido praised Tohka as they walked alongside some more machines in the arcade. "That's a great smile too!"

"I did what you told me, so of course it would turn out great!" Tohka happily responded.

"Oh, so you thought of something that makes you happy? What was it?" Shido asked innocently.

"You, Shido!" Tohka happily answered. Now, it was Shido's turn to be a blushing mess.

"M-M-Me?!" Shido stammered out.

"Muu? What else would it be?" Tohka tilted her head and looked at Shido in confusion. She then turned to look at the other machines before coming across something that made her eyes shine.

"Oooh!" Tohka ran up to the machine, putting her face up to the glass.

"It's filled with those promotional figurines. If you want, I can get one for you." Shido commented.

"No! I'll do it myself!" Tohka defensively replied. Shido was a bit taken aback but eventually yielded after seeing how determined Tohka was to do this herself.

"Alright, Tohka. You've done this before. Remember? From our first date? I believe in you." Shido confidently stated.

Tohka inserted the ¥100 coin into the machine. Pressing the buttons, she was clearly aiming for the figurine that was very conveniently only centimeters away from the hole. As the crane descended, it picked up the figurine and easily nudged into the hole.

"You did it, Tohka!" Shido happily exclaimed. However, he inspected the pick-up area and realized the figurine didn't fall into it. It must still be stuck in the machine.

"Ah, Tohka, it seems like it's stuck. Hang on, I'll grab someo—" Shido was cut off by Tohka punching the machine. She punched it so hard that it dented.

And just like that, the figurine fell into the pick-up area.

"Umu! Let's go home now!" Tohka replied with satisfaction on her face. Shido could only nervously sweat at this outcome.

---

Third Person POV

Origami returned to the claw machine with a fresh cup of coins, only to see several workers wiping sweat off their brows.

"Whew! Good as new!" One of them remarked as they all left the area. Origami looked at the claw machine. Despite being the same model as before, the arrangements of the prizes inside were different compared to the last one.

However, looking closely, she saw that one Pandrone figurine was conveniently placed at the top of the stack in a very accessible position.

"Un. This can work." Origami confidently stated as she inserted one coin into the machine.

---

Third Person POV

Shido and Tohka exited the arcade center. Shido took out the photos he had taken with Tohka and split them individually.

"Here, for you." Shido stated as he handed one of the photos to Tohka, who happily accepted it.

"Today was so fun! Thank you, Shido!" Tohka happily chirped out. The two walked in silence for a little while, though Shido couldn't help but notice that Tohka was getting restless.

"Tohka? Is something the matter?" Shido asked. Tohka froze in place before reaching nervously into her pocket.

"Here. This is for you…" Tohka presented Shido with the figurine she won from the claw machine.

"I thought you wanted this?" Shido asked, though Tohka just silently shook her head.

"Muu, that's true, but I wanted to give this to you."

"To me? Why?"

"Because you thought it was cute?" Tohka nervously confessed. Shido could feel his heart thump. He paused for a couple of seconds before opening his mouth to speak.

"I think you should hold onto this, Tohka."

"But why?"

"Well, you won it yourself, right? Besides, I think you want it more than me. Just think of it as a memento of this day. If I end up wanting one of those figurines, I'll invite you to come with me." Shido admitted.

"Umu! I see! If Shido says so, then I will!" Tohka happily mumbled. With that, the two continued walking down the pathway.

Then, all of a sudden.

FLASH

A blinding light came from the reflection of a nearby shop's mirror. Both Shido and Tohka shut their eyes out of reflex.

SNAP CRACK

Shido could hear the sound of a nearby light pole breaking. He immediately opened his eyes, only to see that the light pole was about to fall directly onto them.

"Tohka!" Shido shouted as he grabbed her and dived away from the falling pole.

"Hey?!" Tohka shouted in shock as she was just beginning to regain her vision.

SMASH

The two landed on the ground just as the pole toppled over and crushed the area where Shido and Tohka were previously standing.

"Tohka, are you alright?!" Shido asked.

"I'm fine, but that light… it's just like those times…" Tohka nervously mumbled. The two stood up, and Shido constantly moved his head to find the culprit.

"Who's there?!" Shido shouted, yet only silence greeted his answer. Tension filled the air as the seconds continued to tick by. Suddenly, something passed in between Shido and Tohka.

"Huh? Noooo!" Tohka suddenly shouted as she knelt to the ground. Shido looked over at Tohka, only to see her clothes now had noticeable holes and tears.

"Tohka?!" Shido shouted out, though he stopped when another voice rang out.

"Tohka Yatogami, you… It would be so much better if you and that Origami girl just disappeared." A deep feminine voice called out. Both Tohka and Shido looked in the direction of the voice's origin.

What they saw was a humanoid monster with porcelain-like skin. White robes were draped on its body, making it seem as if it was clothed. The face looked uncannily like a classic portrait of a beautiful woman, but its features were distorted so that any resemblance to a human was impossible. Atop the monster's head was a yellow crown.

"You two…! Stealing everything that should be mine! I'll never never never forgive both of you!" The monster rambled on. Tohka began trembling in fear as Shido nervously positioned himself in front of Tohka to try and defend her. What was he going to do? The monster was only getting closer. Does he stand his ground and fight or run away with Tohka?

But before any decision could be made…

"Stop right there!" A voice rang out. The three of them turned their heads to see where the voice was coming from.

"Ha!" The man yelled out as he delivered a drop kick to the monster, which sent it flying a little. Unfortunately, the man landed pretty hard on his back, causing him to recoil in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow. Lesson learned. I'm not doing that over concrete again…" The man groaned as he stood up. It didn't take very long for Shido to recognize him once he finally got a clear look at his face.

"[Good to see they're finally making their move. If they were any later, I would've stuck them doing chores for Fraxinus for a week.]" Kotori's voice rang out from Shido's communicator.

"Asher!" Shido cried out. His cries attracted Asher's attention, and he looked in his and Tohka's direction.

"Are you two alright?! You guys should get out of here!" Asher yelled out. However, before the two of them could respond, another person appeared before them.

"Itsuka. Yatogami. I'll help you two get to safety." Kengo calmly stated as he helped Shido and Tohka get to their feet.

"Utahoshi, why are you two here?" Shido questioned.

"Well, your commander is an overprotective one." Kengo responded as he helped the two find shelter in a nearby alley.

Upon getting to safety, Kengo opened his Astroswitch case and took out Burgermeal.

"Oooh!" Tohka exclaimed as she watched Kengo shove in the Camera Astroswitch, causing the burger to transform into a rover.

Kengo pointed the rover at the Zodiarts, who was just beginning to get back up.

"Those markings… hmm…" Kengo mused before suddenly shouting.

"Asher! It's the Cassiopeia Zodiarts! You know what to do!" Kengo shouted out to him.

"I'll do my best!" Asher shouted back. He took out the Fourze Driver and put it on his waist.

As the belt materialized around his waist, he flipped the four switches on the Driver before placing his hand over the lever.

【THREE】【TWO】【ONE】

"Henshin!" Asher yelled out before pulling the lever. With that, a bright light appeared from the Driver as smoke and fierce winds bellowed out from his position. Soon enough, his body was completely covered in the familiar sleek white armor.

"UCHU KITA!" Asher squatted down before standing right back up and extending his arms skywards.

"Kamen Rider Fourze! I'm sure this strength will bring about a miracle!" Asher cried out before rushing to combat the now recovered Cassiopeia.

As Tohka and Shido watched on, only one thought rang out in Shido's head.

"That's… so… cool…!"

---

Asher's POV

I threw some punches toward Cassiopeia, but it dodged all of them. Cassiopeia was constantly moving yet never attempting to harm me, as if trying to show off rather than fight.

"Hohoho! You really think those brutish attacks of yours could ever touch my beautiful body?" Cassiopeia gloated as it once dodged another of my attacks.

"If that's how you want to play!" I shouted out before putting some distance between myself and her.

【LAUNCHER ON】【RADAR ON】

With the two modules equipped, I pointed Radar and waited for the confirmation beep as Cassiopeia looked at me dumbfounded.

"There!" I stomped my right foot hard, sending the missiles flying in her direction.

"Naive!" Suddenly, several floating mirrors appeared in front of Cassiopeia, acting like a barrier. The moment the missiles touched the mirrors, they bounced back and turned in my direction.

"AARGH!" I yelled out in pain as the explosions knocked me away.

"I truly am the best! Unlike those two, I worked hard to earn my status!" Cassiopeia smugly laughed as she taunted me.

"Asher! Use this!" Kengo shouted out before throwing an Astroswitch at me. I caught it in my hand and inserted it into the driver, disabling Launcher and Radar while I was at it.

【MAGIC HAND ON】

A large extendable arm then appeared on my right arm. I then thrust it in the direction of Cassiopeia.

"When will you learn—" Cassiopeia shouted as she simply side-stepped the arm. However, she cut herself off when the arm's joints suddenly bent toward her direction.

"What?! Let me go! Get your hand off me!" Cassiopeia cried out as the arm's pincer grabbed her tightly, preventing her from moving. The arm dragged her closer and closer to me.

【DRILL ON】

Activating Drill, I simply waited for Magic Hand to bring Cassiopeia in range for an attack.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Cassiopeia screamed out in pain as I kicked Drill into her chest. The Drill rotated fiercely for several seconds before sending Cassiopeia flying.

"How dare you…! How dare you!" Cassiopeia cursed out before a bright light emitted from where she was standing. I couldn't help but close my eyes due to the brightness. The moment I regained my vision, however, Cassiopeia was gone.

"Is she gone? Or is she just hiding?" I asked myself nervously as I deactivated the two modules. I spun around multiple times, unsure where she'd pop out next.

"Asher! Keep an eye on the mirrors! She'll pop out of one of them!" Kengo advised. I constantly spun around, keeping an eye on the few nearby mirrors. There weren't many, so narrowing down where Cassiopeia would pop up next shouldn't be hard.

FLASH

Suddenly, a bright flash occurred behind me. I only managed to turn around before seeing Cassiopeia running straight towards me before slashing me with her arm.

"Did you really think I was limited to only mirrors?!" Cassiopeia's voice rang out as she disappeared into the reflection of a nearby store's glass pane. Great, so it wasn't mirrors—it was any reflection in general!

Getting back up, I constantly spun around, but the added pool of objects that she could pop out of was too numerous. Every time she reappeared, it was always a place I wasn't expecting. A pole with a shiny surface or the body of a nearby parked car. It was practically impossible to guess which one she'd pop out from next.

With each reappearance, I was getting slashed left and right. While they didn't hurt, they certainly stung. Death by a thousand cuts might be on my tombstone if I didn't counter her fast.

"Hohoho! You'll never be able to dethrone the best!" Cassopeia's taunting voice again rang out from the area as she hid in one of the reflections.

"Asher! Behind you!" Shido cried out as I felt a bright light come from behind me. Instinctively, I turned around and kicked in that direction, which hit Cassiopeia square in the face.

"You—!" Cassiopeia cried out before disappearing into a reflection once again. Seconds passed by once again as the unsettling air filled the area.

"On your right!" Shido once again cried out. Countering with a jab this time, I managed to hit her square on the chest.

【CHAINSAW ON】

Inserting Chainsaw, I followed up with several rapid sweeps while she was staggered. After one final sweep, Cassiopeia was sent flying and rolled several times on the ground.

I could hear Kengo, Shido and even Tohka cry out cheerfully upon seeing this.

"Thanks, Shido!" I turned around and gave him a quick thumbs-up.

"My beautiful face… my beautiful body…!" Cassiopeia shouted out as I turned around. She summoned more of her floating mirrors, but they then suddenly grouped in a circle formation. Then, they all started rapidly spinning like a disc.

"Take this!" A bright beam of light suddenly shot out from the combined mirrors. I only had enough time to bring my arms up to defend myself, but the force of the beam sent me flying, causing me to crash against a nearby shop's wall, cracking it.

"""Asher!""" I heard Kengo, Shido, and Tohka cry out with worry. They ran over to me, though Cassiopeia began to growl loudly.

"Tohka Yatogami! You!" Cassiopeia madly yelled out as she jumped straight towards her. Tohka could only look on in fear as Cassiopeia drew ever closer to her.

"Tohka! AAHHH!" Shido cried out as he pushed Tohka out of the way before Cassiopeia grabbed him.

"Shido!"/"Itsuka!" Tohka and Kengo cried out as Cassiopeia took Shido and escaped into the distance. Seeing this, I powered through the pain and got up. I ran in Cassiopeia's direction, but when I turned the corner, neither of them was there.

It was like both of them disappeared into thin air.

---

Author's Note:

This is an awkward place for a cliffhanger, but this was already getting long enough.

Anyways, for those who are more familiar with Date a Live's side content, you probably weren't expecting me to pull out these!

For those unaware, this chapter utilizes the short stories of Tohka Fearful, Origami Impossible, and Tohka Game Center. If you've watched the anime, you might recognize the stories of Origami Impossible and Tohka Game Center, as they were adapted for the S1 OVA. However, Tohka Fearful is essentially a LN exclusive chapter.

Going forward, I plan on integrating more Encore/Short Stories into this fic, since I think they're all fun stories. It's such a shame that none of them were adapted (outside of the ones that got turned into OVAs).

However, maybe adapting three short stories into one chapter wasn't the brightest idea. That chapter word count, jeez.

To add on, your eyes aren't deceiving you. That's an entirely original Zodiarts! I'm not the best when it comes to these kinds of original creations, so please forgive me if my descriptions aren't the best. I was kind of aiming for a "Greek statue-esque" monster, if that helps you visualize it better.

Finally, the progress report. Chapter 5 is complete and will be the concluding chapter of this arc. Chapters 6 and 7, which will cover Arc 3, are also basically complete. Chapter 7 just needs the epilogue written, and that arc will be finalized. However, the most exciting thing is that Arc 4 (which will be Yoshino's arc) is now fully outlined. I have some exciting stuff and slight deviations from canon that I can't wait to start writing about.

As a final word, this is practically unconfirmed and may never come to pass, but given the rate of my work, I'm currently judging whether I should move my upload schedule up from every two weeks to around every ten days or so. This is mainly just because I've noticed that I've essentially had four complete chapters before Chapter 4 came out, which translates to an 8-week safety net, which I feel is too long.

However, whether I decide to shorten the releases between chapters will ultimately depend on my confidence in keeping up this schedule.

Regardless, I thank you all for sticking along with this fic. I will see you all in another two weeks. Take care.