"See you later, Origami!" A friend waved the white-hair... non-kuudere off.

5 years ago. Before the great fire.

"Yeah, see you!" Origami waved her off as she walked over a bridge.

And then... the city was on fire. From the slice of life city with a bright blue sky turned into a desolate wasteland with orange skies instead.

"...Huh..?" She squinted. "...Dad? Mom? Are you... in there?" She broke into a sprint to find them, her heart and breathing getting heavier, ducking to avoiding burning rubble. Eventually... she saw them as they looked at her. Origami beamed with happiness... until a bright sun-like object or entity shone above them. She looked up to see a giant blast nuke the entire radius, with Origami's parents at ground zero.

Origami slowly got up, looking at the crimson fire all around her. "Dad... Mom..." She looked to their original position, a large crater now taking place of them.

She teared up, wanting to vomit right there. She looked up to the sky for the source of her troubles. A Spirit. "You..." She got angry as she curled her fist. "You'll pay for this! I'm... I'm gonna kill you! Mark my words, I will kill you!"

"I know what you are." Origami loaded her gun and pointed it at Bowser Jr. "In my way."

"And I am not going to let any more distractions stop me this time. I'm putting my foot down now."

"...And that's what happened! If Kamek hadn't used his magic to save me, I would've been dead!" Junior relayed the story to Mario, Luigi and Peach.

Kamek was looking much worse for wear. "Anti-Spirit weapons are not to be messed with..."

Mario looked outside, pondering while Shido screamed in the background, asking something about 'why are you in my bed, Natsumi?!'. "I see. Mama-mia..."

Luigi looked at Mario. "She's never been THIS aggressive... I think? I hope?"

"Come-a on." Mario beckoned Luigi to follow him. "We're-a gonna find her."

"O-oh!" Luigi scurried in place before catching up to Mario. "Wait up, bro!"

Peach pondered. "I have a lot to catch up on..."

Bowser Jr deadpanned. "You have no idea."

Mario and Luigi walked throughout town, trying to find Origami. "If I-a know kuudere supergeniuses..." Mario spoke. "And I think I-a do..." He looked and went down some alleyways, with Luigi struggling to keep up. "If she's-a not playing games anymore..." He skidded to a halt, Luigi bumping into him. "Then she's-a likely camping in abandoned-a buildings!"

Luigi rubbed his nose. "And everyone calls Origami the stalker. How much do you know about her?"

"Hee-hee!" Mario gave a grin to Luigi. "She's-a gonna regret messing with-a my friends, that's for sure! WAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!" Mario cackled maniacally. Even heroes needed to let the intrusive thoughts win.

"Wait! Wait guys! Wait up!"

Mario's maniacal laughter was interrupted by a lonesome child just barely trying to catch up with them.

"?" They both looked at each other. Luigi went ahead, only to crash into someone. Luigi fell on his face as the stranger wobbled.

"Luigi!" Mario ran over to Luigi's laying body as he checked up on his bro.

"Mario! Luigi! There you are!" The stranger was none other than Bowser Jr. Why was he always around?

Mario helped Luigi get up as they smiled at each other.

"You think you can deal with a vengeful girl, eh? Well, I wanna punch people too!"

Oh, right, the brothers had this guy to deal with. They looked at Junior. "Oh, hey Junior. Uh..."

"Criminy..." Bowser Jr. shook his head and raised his fist angrily. "What's the big idea, huh? Not allowing me to..."

He punched his fists together. "Deck someone in the face!"

Another punch. "Send them FLYING!"

A defeated pose. "I give up."

Junior had dropped some stuff when he bumped into Luigi, as he scrounged around to pick it up. "I know we're not on the best terms, but remember, we have this whole truce going on. That's why I had Kamek conjure up some Power Ups! You know, especially considering you just ran out of supplies a while ago."

Mario blinked. "Uh... How... did you-a know that?"

Junior beamed beamed. "Ah HAH! So you are jealous, huh? It's my princely curse! I just know everything! I'm just too good for my own sake!"

Luigi peered from behind. "Just wanna know what happened."

"Well, I just so happened - oh, who am I kidding... I was... erm... just a little concerned. This... Origami. She's... got some scary firepower!"

Mario blinked. Wasn't this... Junior's first encounter with her? Seems pretty obvious if you asked him.

"But I've told you too much already!" Junior rambled. "I'm gonna help you, cuz that's what TRUCIES do!" He tosses Mario a mushroom. A tiny mushroom with an aqua blue exterior. A Mini Mushroom. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Juniooooor, out!" The Koopa Prince darted off, leaving Luigi coughing in the dust and Mario awkwardly blinking at the Mini Mushroom. He stuffed it in his pocket.

Luigi stepped forward, looking where Junior ran to. These alleyways were comically big. "Um... should we give chase?" Luigi waited for a response from Mario. "I know you said to find Origami, but..." Luigi walked on ahead, darting down alleyways. "He's always heading straight into danger, and I don't trust it! So I say, we track him... down..." Luigi suddenly paused. His shoes were the only source making noise. None of Mario's. Luigi retraced his steps...

Only to see his brother missing.

"Mario?"

Mario coughed, dust settling in his mouth. "Hack! Plah! Where the heck am I?!"

Mario tried to reach for his tongue to dig all the dust out, only to realize he was bound to a chair.

"It's no use struggling." An agitated female voice called out to him. Mario snapped his head to the voice (at least that wasn't bound) and revealed...

Origami. Her face was as monotone as ever.

"Origami!" Mario leaned forward in shock. "What is the-a meaning of this?! Let me-a go!"

"Like hell I would." Origami spat. Mario suddenly shut up. Despite the facial expression, his theory of her done playing around was true. "You will stay here. I will find Shido." She briskly turned around and left.

Without even checking his pockets? Mario struggled to reach for his pocket. Origami bound his body TIGHTLY with no chance of escape. Unless, he slowly craned his wrist and pinched the Mini Mushroom in his pocket.

"Bowser Jr, you are an absolute-a brat sometimes but, I-a owe you for this one..."

He flicked the Mini Mushroom up with his thumb, leaned forward, and extended his tongue as the Mini Mushroom just barely landed on it.

"Ah, pf.." Mario couldn't speak his victory, otherwise he would lose it. He put his tongue back in his mouth and swallowed the mushroom.

Shrink shrink shrink. Mario was but a speck in the room. He jumped down with floaty height. "Wahoo!" His high-pitched cheers announced nobody to double-check on him, thank goodness. His surroundings were green tiled walls, a singular chair that he was once prisoner in, and a light beaming down on said chair. Well, if this wasn't screaming interrogation. And where the heck would Origami put Shido in all of this?

Regardless, Mario crept out of the room, still in his Mini form. "I have to find-a Luigi."

Origami put Shido in a really bad spot. Shido was currently pounding at her apartment door. He heard, from Tamae, that she would be 'transferring to England' or something. This seemed... a little sudden. "Hey! Origami! Are you there?!"

And Shido does not like sudden developments. He's already living with 5 and a half living nukes in his house, and he wasn't going to tolerate Origami now. "Are you in there?! I know you are! Listen to me! I want to talk to you! Please!"

The door opened, as a hand with a towel covered Shido's mouth. Shido gasped, but unfortunately breathed too much.

Shido passes out.

"Ahhh, your lunch looks great, Kotori!"

Kotori Itsuka, painfully unaware of current events, was presenting a bento toward her classmates - white ribbons, of course, nobody was allowed to see what she actually was. "Of course! My brother made it for me!"

"Let's eat!" They all chanted together.

During the chant, Kotori's phone went off.

In a pretty impressive amount of time, Kotori was on the roof and wearing her black ribbons.

"You can't reach Shido? Isn't it because he's at school?" She was answering the phone. Yep. She darted to the rooftop before the phone went to voicemail.

"He left school early after hearing Origami transferred." Reine's voice was on the other end.

"What...?" Kotori asked. "Something isn't right. Where are Tohka and the others?"

"Tohka, Yamai and Miku are having lunch in their respective schools. Natsumi and Yoshino are wondering around the city."

"I see." Kotori confirmed. "I don't want to worry them, but we can't exactly hide this. Find Shido before they get back from school." She put her phone down and dismissed the call. She hung up.

This was getting way too troublesome.

In the same room that Mario was held prisoner, that sickly greenish light was now cast upon Shido. The same chair and everything. The schoolboy slowly came to his senses and immediately started to worry. "W-where am I?" He croaked with a shaky breath. He gasped and tried to move - chains holding him down just like they did to Mario (but Shido doesn't know that Mario WAS here). They seemed heavily reinforced to not allow escape. On top of that, handcuffs too. Shido was truly trapped. Even the chair was bolted to the ground. He stopped fighting and tried to remember. "I was trying to find Origami, then..."

Footsteps interrupted his thought process as he looked onward and let out another gasp. A white-hair girl emerged from the shadows. Shido called out. "Origami! Origami, you-!"

The girl reached into her bag and pulled out a water bottle. "I had Mario here earlier, but he escaped. So therefore, I am providing hospitality so you do not leave. Water? You must be thirsty."

"M-Mario?!" Shido gawked at Origami being able to kidnap such a man. The girl didn't respond and drank some of the water. Shido groaned, not knowing where this was going.

Origami held the water within her mouth and stepped closer to Shido.

Shido turned his head away and closed his eyes. "St-stop! I'll have some... the n-normal way!"

Origami complied. Holding the bottle closer.

"Lift it... slowly, pleas-" Shido couldn't finish his sentence, as Origami shoved the bottle in, twisting his head up forcing him to down it until it was practically empty. Once it was empty, she finally released as Shido hurled forward, coughing. Origami licked the cap of the bottle, just to be extra creepy. Shido looked up at her after fixing his throat. "S-so, what was that about Mario?! A-and can you please get these off me?"

"I can't." She answered the latter but avoided the Mario question.

Shido just decided to be as blunt as Origami always was. "Did you really just go and join DEM?"

"Yes."

"Did you kidnap me on Westcott's orders? Or Mario, for that matter? You seem to love avoiding that question."

Origami's face tensed. Deep down, she was humiliated that one of her prisoners broke free and was now running loose, most likely to find Shido. If only he knew his target was right where he started. "Bringing you both here was my decision. DEM has no idea any of this is happening. I had no choice." She looked away from Shido. "This is the best way for you to avoid what's going to happen."

Going... to happen... Shido pieced it together REAL fast, because contrary to popular belief, he isn't stupid. "Wait a second, this isn't about your-"

Origami crunched her empty water battle. "This is exactly about my grudge with the Spirits."

Shido growled. "You wouldn't-!"

"Contrary to your naive belief, they are monsters that roam the world. Yatogami Tohka is no exception. Yamai is no exception. Izayoi Miku is no exception. Even..."

"But the one who killed your parents is the one your AFTER!" Shido snapped. "And, as far as memory serves me, you stopped firing on that back at the water park!" Shido kept struggling to break free after laying it on Origami. "Tohka has NOTHING to do with this! You are AWARE of this!"

Origami tossed her bottle to the wall. "They're still Spirits." She replied with her monotone voice. "If you also recall, they will make natural disasters for the most petty of reasons. I will kill them to avoid others suffering the same fate I did."

Shido still persisted. "None of them are as powerful as they used to be! Why would you target them as they are now?!"

Origami walked forward, staring at a wall. "The Japan Ground Forces may think that way, but I'm under no obligation to play along any longer."

Shido's eyes watered as he looked down. "Hey, Origami... It's been half a year since Tohka transferred to our school. It's been half a year since Mario showed up. Time flies. Seriously. Felt like six years at this point... The, uhm, the point is..." Shido corrected his sidetracked mind "The Spirits you hunted for so long are a part of our daily lives. All of them are trying to live as humans. Can you really say nothing's changed for you even after living with them all this time?! You seriously can't believe Spirits can change as people, right?! That they're too dangerous to live, right?!"

Origami slammed her fist against the wall she walked to, startling Shido. "Of course I do! Yatogami Tohka, the others, even that PLUMBER will never change...! They're part of my revenge! That's how it's supposed to be... I can't forgive myself for ever drifting away from that belief... I swore to kill all Spirits on that day five years ago. It troubled me that I was getting used to this daily life..." She let her fist go as it slumped back to her waist. "I joined DEM because I realized it all. I couldn't ever forgive myself for ever living with monsters..."

Shido gasped again. "Why is that such a bad thing?! You know it's NOT a bad thing, don't you?! Everyone just wants to live a normal life!"

Origami's glare hardened, still not facing Shido. "And I can't forgive that. Not as long as they remain what they ARE. Spirits. They're not the only ones I have to kill. I also have to kill the girl who happily accepted her daily life to be with said Spirits."

Shido's pupils shrunk. Origami was talking about...

Shido couldn't even process that as Origami walked back out the door. "Wait! Origami! PLEASE WAIT!" Shido let out a skyward scream as the doors closed.

Mario ran through the city in mini form. "This is bad, this is bad, this is-a really really bad..."

Mario had to avoid crowds to get squished to death. Sure, taking damage is a way to get back to normal, but he didn't want to be crushed. He went his way down the stairs (after a lot of trial and error) and came across a shrine, with two small girls leaving it. With glee, Mario quickly hurried up after them - seemed like they were going to some sort of building.

After Mario caught up, he realized it was none other than Yoshino and Natsumi. Oh great, the depression girl. Well, she shouldn't be all too bad. Just gotta explain the situation.

"Heeeey! Guys! Mario shouted. I'm-a tiny! Help me!" Mario leaped with the Mini Mushroom's power onto Natsumi's shoulder.

The girl felt it and shifted her eyes. "Hah?"

"It's-a-me!" Mario beamed again. "Would you-a mind-"

"WAAAAH!" Natsumi shrieked as she flicked the tiny Mario away from her shoulder. Mario puffed out air and hit his back against a wall, reverting him back to normal size.

He slowly got up, groggy. "I-a know you've got-a some things to work out, but was-a that really supposed to be that-a hard?"

"...It's whatever." Natsumi let out a shoulder shrug. Mario shook his fist angrily and then remembered.

"Oh! Right! We're in-a huge trouble, any of-a you see Shido?"

They both stared at each other, then at Mario.

"I, uh.." Yoshino weakly raised her hand. "I don't... know... is he gone?"
Yoshinon chimed in. "Seems pretty sneaky to just vanish like that!"

"...yeah." Natsumi side-eyed. She still felt a little guilt from her guessing game. Wink wink nudge nudge. But regardless... "I DID see Origami exit from somewhere... so..."

"You-a did? Where?" Mario pressured.

"This way." Natsumi lead the charge as they cut through a shortcut. There, was a green building.

"Oh, that wasn't-a far." Mario peeked from beside Natsumi. "That's where I was-a captured."

"...captured...?" Natsumi glared. "Well, if Origami captured YOU, and you wound up THERE, then that means Shido is..."

All three parties went back to looking at the building.

Yoshino gulped. "S-Shido... he's in there..."

Natsumi raised her hand, stopping either one from just barging in. "Don't worry. I think I know a way in."

Tohka, Kaguya and Yuzuru were walking down the street. School had finished and they were going to go back home. Kaguya freemindedly put her arms at the back of her head, stretching. "Why did Shido leave school early? We really need to do better..."

Yuzuru chimed in as always. "Agreement: We're total weaklings. Let's start running tomorrow."

Tohka clinged her bag to her chest as she kept walking. "I... I think Shido has his reasons."

"Question: I heard that Master Origami is transferring out of the school. Do you think Shido leaving early has something to do with that?"

Tohka stopped and turned to face the twins. "...Yeah. After he heard the news, he ran out of the door."

Kaguya giggled. "Knew it! Knew it sounded fishy."

"Smells?" Tohka's stomach overtook her mind. "I don't smell anything."

Kaguya kept her smile, although was a bit annoyed. "No, it was a figure of speech. Huh?" She peered past Tohka, the princess also noticing and turning behind her. There, they saw a lilac-haired lady staring up at the Itsuka Residence. Izayoi Miku. The idol turned her eyes to the trio, then her whole body. She clasped her hands together in excitement as the three winced. There was nowhere to go but up from here.

"Tooooohka!" Miku started on the attack. "Kaguyaaaaaaa! Yuzuruuuuuuu!" She dived in to most likely bump the age rating up, but the three stepped out of the way, leaving Miku to tackle nothing and slide on the ground. Miku pouted as she turned to face them while she was on the ground. "Why are you dodging my expression of love?"

"Is that was it was?" Tohka stared wide-eyed.

"Yes, it was!" Miku got up and dusted her outfit off. "Everyone does it." She gaslit as she spread her arms out. "Come now, Tohka!"

Kaguya stepped forward. "Do not be deceived!"
"Warning: This stinks of lies." Yuzuru also retorted.

"I knew it!" Tohka glanced at them and back at Miku. "What are you even doing here, Miku?"

"Oh, right!" Miku clasped her hands together. "I came to see Darling, but nobody was home and I became terribly bored. Not even that lovely blonde princess around, per shame!~ Nobody was home at the apartment next door either."

Tohka grumbled. "Shido's not home yet?"

Kaguya tilted her head at Tohka. "Maybe it really has to do with Origami."
And as usual. "Agreement: Something might have happened to Shido."

"Mmm..." Miku pouted. "Fill me in on this too! Did something happen to Darling?"

"Well-" Kaguya was interrupted by... a spacial quake alarm.

The party looked around. Tohka was the first to question it. "Is that...?!"

"The spacequake alarm." Miku finished, a more serious tone.

Kaguya also questioned. "Another Spirit? Now? Out of all times? Should we go find... Shido.. or?"

Miku shut the idea down. "No, the alarm's ringing, we have to take shelter!"

"But Shido-!" Tohka insisted.

A new voice cut through the air. "Do not worry about him."

They all turned to meet... "Origami?!" Tohka yelped. "Why are you here?!"

"There is no spacequake."

"Huh...?!" Tohka stepped back. "What do you mean...?!"

The air was thick with dread as bypassers sprinted past the idle group. Tohka continued. "Everyone's running to shelter..."

Origami then admitted. "I made the alarms go off. But there will be no AST, or even Spirits showing up."

"Then why would you do that...?!" Tohka took her step forward to rebalance.

Origami held out some device in her palm and pressed her finger on it, the high-tech device activating. "So I can kill all of you!" She pressed the device to her head as her outfit was soon replaced by the DEM military uniform, massive guns on her back.

Everyone gasped as machines whirred to life, a cannon manifesting onto Origami's hand, immediately firing a laser on the four, the latter jumping out of the way and onto a nearby park, as Tohka REALLY started to lay it on. "What are you DOING?!"

Origami was now flying in the air thanks to the machine. "Didn't you hear me? I'm going to kill all of you. Once and for all." Her tone was really becoming sharper now.

Tohka worridly looked up at Origami. "This... isn't... like her... I can admit that..." She then called out. "Why did you go back to your old ways so suddenly?!"

Origami whirred up her gun again, only to hear whooshing in the sky. She quickly aimed up to fire a beam at the flying, limited-Astral-Dress Yamai twins, the two dodging it.

Kaguya grinned as she held her part of Raphael. "Good instincts!"

Yuzuru was also holding part of Raphael. "Admiration: I am impressed, Master Origami."

The twins landed next to Tohka and Miku, with Kaguya confident as always. "We'll hear out your excuse for this."
"Interrogating: Please tell us, Master Origami. I don't wish to fight you."

Origami glared down at them. "I have no reason to tell you anything!" The cannon manifested into a sword as she swooped down.

The twins swooped back up as a clash happened between both halves of Raphael and Origami's DEM weapons.

Tohka looked up at the battle, her skirt and wrist cuffs being replaced by fabric of light, along with an elaborate hair bow - her limited Astral Dress. She called out. "Sandalphon!" The sword manifested into her hand.

Miku also called out. "Gabriel: Rondo!" A keyboard hovered in front of her, as her schoolgirl outfit was also merged with particles of light. She pressed a few keys, which seemed to demobilize Origami for a little bit.

This gave the twins and Tohka a chance to go on the offensive. Tohka yelled as Origami snarled as she put up a Territory. She then swung her sword around aimlessly, as light filled the air.

The trio of Spirits came crashing down next to Miku, the idol worried. "Everyone! Are you all right?!"

The others didn't give their answer, but Tohka looked on. "Seems like Origami is serious."

The last of the spacequake alarm blared, Mario seeing off Yoshino and Natsumi as they went into a shelter.

"Mama-mia..." Mario scratched his head. "A Spirit? Here? Now? I don't-a buy it." Mario then recalled how serious Origami looked and clenched his fist.

He turned back, grinning to himself. "Nice-a try, but Mario isn't an idiot..."

Fraxinus crew members were scrambled.

"Origami is on the move!"

"The Spirits can't survive in their limited Astral Dress!"

"We're under attack!"

Kotori glared at the monitor. "What was that about being under attack?!"

"It's an enemy ship!" Kannazuki quickly interjected as the doors opened.

Bowser Jr. was back on the fraxinus, in a frantic state. "Eh?!"

"It's a DEM ship!" Kotori chewed on her lollipop. "We're stretched a bit thin, and I think DEM knows this...!"

One of the crew members spoke up. "Transmission request! Sending it in now!"

The screen flickered to show a face of Ellen.

Bowser Junior growled, readying his fists. "Oh, her again!"

Ellen started speaking. "I suppose I should start by saying nice to meet you. Thank you for accepting my transmission."

Kotori was about to reply, but was tackled by Bowser Jr. It took all of Kotori's strength not to fall off, as she fought for position of the commander chair. "Yeah?! Well, your transmission STINKS! Go away! Make your SHIPS go away!"

The whole room went silent, Kotori wide-eyed.

Ellen just slightly smirked. "Oh, confident and bold, are we?"

"Ghh-forget about him!" Kotori still fought for the position. "W-what do you want?!"

Ellen still remained stiff. "I want to clarify two things. First, anyone who values their lives should evacuate in the next three minutes."

Junior retorted. "Shootin' down my ships, eh?!"

"For anyone fleeing... ahem..." Ellen smirked. "YOUR ships... I'd like them to convey a message to Elliot. To Elliot: You're a damn traitor!" Ellen's glare narrowed. "A traitor who turned your back on the vow we made! Be ready for what's coming, because I will hunt you down and personally behead you!"

The room was silent again.

Ellen awkwardly coughed. "That is all. I'll wait three minutes starting now. I encourage you all to run."

Junior just stared at the screen. "Hard to deliver such a scary message."

Kotori finally won the battle as she sat down on the chair, cross-legged. "You hear that, everyone? Our opponent is the Strongest Wizard. I grant permission for anyone who wants to run, run."

The ship was silent one final time, before an uproar stirred within Fraxinus.

"No way we're quitting now!"

"We'll show her what we're made of!"

"I rigged my PC so when I die, my D-drive will be wiped!"

Junior got into battle stance again, putting his fists up, jumping in place. "And I ain't going down just yet, either!"

"...You hear that?" Kotori looked back to Ellen.

"I see. How disappointing."

Kotori stood up once again. "Alright, everyone, give it all you've got! I don't even care if we're gonna go down, we're gonna go down SWINGING! Target that DEM ship!"
"Roger!" All the crew members shouted at once as the Fraxinus steered towards the DEM ship.

Ellen was making preparations of her own. "I thought you were capable of making more rational decisions, Itsuka Kotori. Despite being blood-unrelated, you truly are Shido's little sister..."

Kotori smirked. "You flatter me. Alright, Kannazuki, enough fooling around. Let's get to work."

Kannazuki pointed at the screen as to semi-command. "Roger!"

Junior side-eyed the monitor and went off to do his own thing.

Meanwhile, in some abandoned building, we find Shido still trapped in there.

"D-damn it.. I can't move at all..."

"Somebody... anybody!"

Origami looked down at her foes.

A fallen Tohka, Miku, Kaguya and Yuzuru. Miku weakly reaching for her keyboard.

"Good riddance. Persistent to the end." Origami scoffed and loaded up her cannon. "Goodbye, Spirits."

Tohka closed her eyes... only to hear a loud CLANG. She weakly opened her eyes to see Origami slammed back onto the ground, and the backside of a certain plumber.

She weakly got up - only to fall down again, regardless, she shouted. "Mario...?!"

Mario looked back at Tohka. "Hey girls." He gave a single wave. "Don't-a worry, let Miku heal-a you when she's-a ready."

He turned back to Origami. His mere presence was ticking her off to the extreme.

"Hey-a there!" He grinned. "Nice to meet-a you again. Unfortunately for you, I'm-a not captured, so I apologize if we're-a not on.. ah... equal footing." He curled his fists up. It was hard to tell if he was genuinely berating her, or stalling for Miku.

Mario punched air, enticing Origami. "So, come-a on! What are you-a waiting for? Come-a closer! We'll-a go another round."

"You... damn you...!" Origami twitched.

"Yeah, come on, Origami! Let's-a-go!"