Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

Disclaimer: I don't own Date a Live but if I did, there will be MAJOR CHANGES.

It was still quite surreal to Shidou that he was in an airship when just a few hours ago, he was in a near-death situation when he encountered that mysterious girl in the crater.

This day has been one wild rollercoaster ride so far, and it's not over yet.

…because his little sister Kotori owes him a ton of answers to the questions that he had in his mind.

"So… what are you going to tell me about all this?"

"You call the shots, Shidou. Wouldn't want your brain short-circuiting because you can't handle so much information now, would we?"

"—you're saying I can ask whatever question about this whole issue?'

"Hah! Well, as long as those questions are relevant and are worth answering, so make them count!"

Furrowing his brows, Shidou thought about what he should ask her, which was a challenge within itself.

There were a lot of things occupying his mind right now, and Shidou was having a hard time deciding on what he wished to know first and foremost.

Initially, Shidou thought about asking why his sister is a military officer of some sort and how this all came to be behind his back.

Seriously, the thought of his cute little sister being a tough-as-nails commander all along was playing with his perception of reality.

…like, is this even his sister? Or is the real Kotori locked somewhere and this doppelganger took her place?

"Didn't you come here to eliminate me as well?"

The words uttered by the mysterious girl earlier suddenly popped up in his mind, as Shidou thought about her in particular.

Since Kotori is here, he could ask his sister anytime about how she's involved in all of this and she would be able to give him an appropriate answer.

—but the same can't be said for the girl he encountered hours ago.

Shidou had no idea where she was, if she was fine, or if she was still around.

For all he knew, she had been killed while he was out cold and he was unable to do anything to help her.

"That girl… that girl I met earlier. Who exactly is she?"

"Ah, I knew you would ask the right question, Onii-chan."

"—huh?"

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, the girl you met earlier is what we call a Spirit. A Spirit is a being that came from a different dimension and every time they appear in our world, the place where they end up in gets blown away."

With a snap of her fingers, a video footage of the mysterious girl from earlier appeared on the main monitor, which showed the precise moment when she appeared earlier.

Shidou watched the clip and grimaced at the destruction that took place, before the girl came into view from within the crater that she created.

"You're saying that she's the cause of the spacequake earlier?"

"Yes, she was."

Shidou bit the inside of his cheek from growing nervousness, even having second thoughts about asking his next question.

"...was she also the cause of the first spacequake many years ago?"

"No. The Spirit you met earlier, codenamed 'Princess', didn't cause a scale of destruction on par with the Eurasian Sky Disaster. It was only a fraction of what the first spacequake felt like."

Shidou allowed himself to sigh in relief, because the girl earlier wasn't the reason behind 150 million casualties the day of the first spacequake.

It was hard to imagine a girl who felt nothing but confusion and wariness to be the catalyst of over a hundred million deaths thirty years ago.

"Where is she now? Is she still there?"

"Nope. Not long after you were knocked out, Princess disappeared back into the dimension where she came from."

"I see…"

"—I hope you know how lucky you were, Shidou. If Princess' arrival caused a larger explosion, then you might have been blown away or worse, completely vaporized from the intense heat signature."

Kotori folded her arms and gave her brother a cold stare, showing that she wasn't pleased with his actions.

It made Shidou unnerved at how Kotori can just talk about these things without hesitation.

…the little sister that he grew up with in the same house would never act like this.

The scariest part about this whole thing is that Kotori was perfectly aware of what she's saying and didn't mince any of her words…

"If it's not Princess… then who was behind that first spacequake?"

"It's a mystery to us just as it is to everyone else, but that's not important. We're not historians, and we don't have time to dwell on the past. We can only focus on the present, Shidou. These Spirits are dangerous and they can destroy livelihoods if they're not dealt with."

"Spirits? You mean that there's more of them?"

"Correct. It's not only Princess. There are a lot of them, and no one knows when they'll show up exactly. Fortunately, all of the Spirits that we've detected were only located here in Japan, so we can deal with them when the time comes."

He listened to his sister's explanation and quickly wondered what they would do when one of these 'Spirits' shows up again.

They're in an airship, right?

That means that this whole thing must be equipped with lasers, turrets, and other weapons that can be found on battleships, or even completely new ones.

It wouldn't surprise him if they fight against a Spirit just like what Origami did earlier—

Shidou's eyes snapped wide open.

Origami…

"Kotori, do you know why Origami was down there?! She was fighting that Spirit and I had no idea what was—"

"Calm down, Shidou. Origami-nee was down there because she's a part of the Anti-Spirit Team or AST. They're a special unit of the JGSDF, specializing in neutralizing the Spirit threat and maintaining order."

"...but Origami was fighting that girl…"

"That's what the AST does. They believe that they can stop the spacequakes from happening by defeating the Spirits. In other words, killing them."

Wearing specialized Realizers to be able to hunt Spirits down and fight against them…

Stronger than the normal human, but not quite on the level of the Spirits themselves…

That's what the AST is and what they're capable of.

However, even with their training and advanced technology, they were still no match against the sheer power of a Spirit and the destructive tendencies that one had.

—that being said, this was not what caught Shidou's attention from Kotori's words.

"No… Origami—? K-Kotori, y…you can't be serious. There's no way Origami would do something like that… there's no way that she would kill someone else just because she's a Spirit… Origami isn't like that…"

After hearing those words, Kotori's serious look fell apart and gave way to a more sympathetic expression.

She got off the captain's seat and wrapped her arms around Shidou in a warm hug.

Kotori could only imagine what he must be feeling after finding out that his closest friend from childhood was hiding a secret of such magnitude from them…

"I know what you feel, Shidou. It was hard for me to accept that Origami-nee was a soldier of the AST when I first found out, but then I realized that there must be a reason why she's with them."

"...no, it's not that."

"What do you mean, Shidou?"

Shidou faced his sister as she pulled away from the hug.

He understood that these Spirits were dangerous and needed to be dealt with.

—but to go as far as killing them?

Shidou would never agree with that option.

Suddenly, a mental image of that girl appeared in his mind as he recalled her words once again.

"Didn't you come here to eliminate me as well?"

Her face the entire time screamed nothing but sadness and loneliness, two emotions that would never be exhibited by someone who only wanted chaos and destruction.

"—there's no way Origami would kill a Spirit just because she is one. Don't you think so, Kotori?"

In response to that, Kotori frowned.

"What are you talking about, Shidou? It would be for the best if these Spirits were gone in the first place."

"W-Why would you say that, Kotori…?"

"What's wrong, Shidou? These Spirits are monsters. Just by appearing in this world, they cause spacequakes. They do nothing but cause havoc and destruction when they show themselves!"

Shidou was gobsmacked.

He had thought that Kotori would be on his side and by appealing to her sense of sympathy, he'd be able to convince her that killing these Spirits is the wrong way of dealing with them.

He didn't think that Kotori would support the AST's actions, but that just means he'll have to work harder in order to convince her.

"How do we even know if it's intentional?"

"What are you talking about?"

"When I saw Princess earlier, she didn't look like she had evil intentions. In fact, she wasn't even aware that she was the cause of a spacequake. She had no idea what was going on at all."

The edge of Kotori's lips curled up slightly.

"There's your answer. These Spirits aren't aware of the destruction that they cause, yet they keep on appearing in our world because they feel like it. They must be stopped."

Kotori sat back down on her seat and unwrapped a fresh lollipop, before popping it in her mouth and handing over the previous stick to Kannazuki.

"That's not what I mean! If Princess was as bad as how you say these Spirits are, then she would have killed me."

"Have you forgotten that she pointed a sword at you and nearly killed you had it not been for the AST's intervention? Origami-nee saved your life."

"...because she was afraid!"

Shidou couldn't stop himself from yelling this time, which caught his sister off guard.

If Kotori was going to be stubborn about her stance in all this, then he'll return the favor and be stubborn about his decision too.

"She thought I was there to kill her, so she was going to kill me in self-defense. That's all that happened. When I explained to her that I wasn't her enemy, she wasn't hostile towards me anymore."

He could still remember how the entire scene played out in his mind.

When Princess finally lowered her hostility towards him, Shidou was able to have a normal conversation with her regarding her name [which she didn't have] before Origami arrived with the AST.

In those few moments, Shidou didn't see a raging monster, but a lonely girl who was confused.

He was looking at death moments before that and while it would be understandable for someone to stay away from it as much as possible…

Shidou couldn't let things play out this way, not when he can do something to help.

"Origami and those other soldiers attacked her first. She was defending herself from them, and that's why she fought back."

"I don't know why you're defending this Spirit so much, but your words don't hold any weight to them, Shidou. If the AST just stood by and did nothing, the Spirits would go out and spread havoc everywhere."

"—that won't happen."

"Prove it then."

Kotori narrowed her eyes at him, which he returned with a frown of his own.

"...when I asked her for her name, she said that she didn't have a name. She was confused more than anything. She had no idea what was going on. She could have killed me at any moment, but she didn't do it. I believe she just wanted to be left alone, but this AST… they won't let her."

Shidou knew that a weak statement like that wouldn't even scratch the surface as solid evidence, but he believed in himself more than anything.

"Kotori, you can't expect me to believe that that girl, even if she's a Spirit, is someone who enjoys destroying things—"

"—even if you're right and that Princess isn't a destructive force of nature, it doesn't matter, Shidou. Either way, these Spirits are the cause of the spacequakes. I understand where you're coming from, but you can't leave a dangerous entity unchecked just because you feel sorry for it. Today, it was only a small explosion, but we might not be so lucky next time."

"Yeah, we may not be lucky… but I still don't think that the best solution is killing them."

The red-haired commander leaned back and groaned.

"Good grief. You've only met Princess for a few minutes and on top of that, she tried to kill you. But here you are, still taking the side of these dangerous things. What, did you fall in love with her or something?"

"No, I was only wondering if there was some other way! Something we can do to stop them without having to kill them!"

"Some other way, huh? Do elaborate, Shidou."

"Kotori, the more she gets attacked by people, the more she'll fight back. This won't stop until either side gives up and even then, by the time that happens, the damage will have already been done. There's no recovering any losses if that came to pass."

The obvious result if the AST continued to fight against the Spirit would be a near-endless battle.

The aftermath of that battle would either be the defeat of the Spirit or the deaths of many soldiers.

No matter what result, the collateral damage from the fight alone would be too chaotic to imagine, and Shidou didn't even want to try.

"...but what if there's another way to stop the Spirits? Another way to deal with her that doesn't involve bloodshed. What if we can talk to her? I could do it. She's seen my face already, so I don't believe she would do anything to me."

Upon hearing his words, Kotori's lips curled into a mischievous smile,

"Haha…hahaha…hahahahahaha…!"

—before she descended into letting out a full-blown laughter, which left Shidou confused.

"Kotori…? Why are you laughing?"

"Hahahahaha…hahahahahahaha…!"

Shidou turned towards Kannazuki for a possible explanation to his sister being like this, only to see that he was chuckling to himself as well.

With that, he looked at Reine, but she was only giving him a blank stare.

He had a feeling that if he talked to her, she would give him a riddle-like answer or a completely unrelated one, so he quickly threw that idea out of his mind.

And with that, all he could do was wait for his sister to stop laughing so he could ask her what she found funny.

"Kotori, you are really starting to creep me out…"

Once she was done with her fit of laughter, Kotori wiped a few tears from her eyes before shaking her head in amusement.

"I knew that you wouldn't be able to resist doing the right thing, Onii-chan. Just what I expected from you."

"Huh…?"

Kotori brought out the lollipop in her mouth with a loud POP! and threw him a wink.

"Is it taking too long for your brain to understand, Shidou? I was just waiting for you to say those words, and you didn't disappoint at all, Onii-chan."

"...you were wa— w-wait, you were just pretending the whole time…?!"

Kotori nodded while crossing her legs together.

"So, you say that you want to talk to Princess, huh? If you were given the chance, what would you talk to her about?"

That was a quick and complete turnaround of events, and Shidou couldn't keep up for a good few seconds.

This was happening so fast that he wasn't even sure of what was going on.

Shidou took a moment to let her words sink into his mind, which also allowed him to think about his answer to her question.

"I… guess I'll try to get to know her better. Understand where she's coming from. There has to be a reason why she's upset and if I can help her with her problem, maybe she won't cause any more spacequakes."

"I'm impressed, Commander. Shidou-san almost spoiled his own assignment for himself."

"I told you he doesn't hesitate when it comes to doing what's necessary."

Kannazuki commented, to which Kotori responded with a loud snicker.

And this only served to confuse the hell out of Shidou even more.

"Wait, what…? What are you talking about? What's going on, Kotori?"

"What are you talking about, Shidou? You have a plan in mind on how to deal with Princess, don't you? You already know what to do."

"No, I don't! I don't even know if my idea could work!"

"Actually, Shin… your idea was spot-on."

"What do you mean, Murasame-san?"

"Let me answer that question, Shidou. It's time you know what we are and what we do."

"Finally, some real answers…"

Shidou internally groaned at how long it took for his sister to get to this point, but better late than never, right?

Now, if Kotori was indeed going to reveal the truth from here on out, there were several questions that he expected to be answered.

What this whole place is, why Kotori herself is a part of this, and why she hid this from him this whole time.

…although he wouldn't be surprised if those questions remain as they are.

"You see, there's actually two ways of dealing with a Spirit."

"Two?"

Kotori nodded and raised her index finger.

"The first is the approach that AST is taking. It's the method that you oppose as it involves exterminating the Spirits by any means necessary."

Following that brief explanation, her middle finger also stood up.

"The second approach is talking to the Spirits. This is the method that Ratatoskr uses and, coincidentally, what you proposed just now."

"Ratatoskr…?"

"Ratatoskr is an organization created for the purpose of resolving the spacequakes without killing the Spirits and, if possible, the purpose of saving them as well."

"...so you don't want them to die too."

Kotori nodded and lowered her hand.

"Then… have you saved any Spirits yet?"

"We can't save Spirits if we haven't even resolved the issue of spacequakes before that."

"Then how do you plan on talking with Princess?"

"You're thinking of us in the wrong way, Shidou. Ratatoskr is completely unlike AST and the JGSDF. While they take a direct approach in dealing with Spirits, Ratatoskr operates in the background."

"Huh? Then how will you guys stop the spacequakes from happening?"

"This is where you come in, Shidou."

"—me?"

"You're going to be our secret weapon in dealing with the Spirits."

"Secret weapon…"

"...because Ratatoskr is an organization created for Shidou's sake."

"Hu-Huuuuhhh…?!"

Shidou nearly lost his balance right there, and it took a lot out of him to stay on his feet.

It was a comedic scene for some of the crew members of the Fraxinus, who chuckled in amusement at Shidou's reaction to the commander's words.

But it was understandable.

Any normal person would be taken aback from what Kotori just said, because it sounded too out-of-this-world to even be possible.

"Hang on! You just made things even more confusing! What do you mean, 'for my sake'? How am I involved when this is the first time I've heard of this organization?"

Kotori put her hand on her chin in a thinking pose, ignoring her brother's outburst like it's something normal.

"Well, technically, it's more correct to say that one of Ratatoskr's objectives is to support Shidou's role in negotiating with the Spirits in any way. To put it simply, we're an organization that wouldn't exist if Shidou didn't exist."

"What do you mean…? Why am I the reason behind this?!"

"Simple. You're special, Onii-chan."

"...Kotori, can you just be straightforward with me? Hearing you talk in riddles will make me lose my mind more than whatever you're trying to tell me…"

"You're special because you are who we need, Onii-chan. That's why you'll be our 'secret weapon' in saving these Spirits. You have a gift and the only one who can do it is you."

Shidou listened to those words carefully and allowed them to sink into his mind. While it was beyond belief to even imagine, this was the answer that he wanted to hear from her.

"—you have the ability to seal a Spirit's powers and subdue them completely, keeping them from creating spacequakes ever again."

"I… can do that…?"

It was difficult for him to process this new information, but he did realize something important from this.

If he truly possessed this ability to save a Spirit, whatever it may be, then he could help the girl from earlier?

"Too much information for you? Don't worry, Shidou, you're not alone. All of Ratatoskr's power will go towards supporting Shidou."

"...sorry, I'm just… I needed a moment to take that in. Just to be sure, you're not kidding about me having a gift of some kind…?'

"Do you think I would kid around at a time like this? I take this seriously and I don't like wasting time. Maybe you're the one who's joking around because you're not taking this seriously."

"Sorry…"

Shidou hung his head in shame, which is embarrassing because this was his little sister who's calling him out.

…only an older sibling would know this particular pain.

"But I'm surprised, Shidou. Here I thought you'd go on a mindless prattle about how you're not special and that you're just a normal guy."

"The thought crossed my mind, honestly… but there's nothing else that I want to do right now other than helping that girl, Spirit, whatever she is. If you're saying that I can do something to help her, then I want to know what it is."

Pleased with her brother's resolve, Kotori flashed a proud smile.

"It's as I said, Shidou. Ratatoskr's method of dealing with Spirits revolves around talking and negotiating with them."

"...so that means I have to talk to the Spirits and try to convince them to let me seal their powers."

"Ah, about that—"

She then placed her hand on her chin, before her smile turned onto wild grin.

"—your job is to make the Spirits fall in love with you."

…?

…and just like that, Shidou's growing determination to help the mysterious girl in the crater deflated like it was a balloon.

It felt like his life was sucked out of him.

"...what?"

A line of sweat dripped down Shidou's face as he smiled nervously.

"...K-Kotori… did you just say that I have to make the Spirits fall in love with me…?"

"Introduce yourself to her, be friends with her, have conversations with her, flirt with her, date her, and make her fall madly in love with you. Heck, seduce her if you can, just as long as she falls into your hands."

Kotori nodded and explained things like it was a mission briefing, while Shidou buried his head in his hands out of embarrassment.

"...okay, and how exactly does this solve the spacequake problems?"

Kotori shrugged.

"It's simple logic, Shidou. We're trying to resolve the spacequake issue without resorting to a fight, which means we have to convince the Spirit somehow, right?"

"—uh… yeah, that's what I had in mind…"

"Don't you think that the quickest way to do that is to make the Spirit like this world? If a Spirit is convinced that this world is a place where they can find happiness, they wouldn't go on a rampage at all."

"I see."

"Plus, it's like what many people say. If a person falls in love, then the entire world will look beautiful in their eyes. Once a Spirit falls for you, it shows them how beautiful the world is when they're not trying to destroy it!"

"If that logic actually worked, then a whole lot of guys would have girlfriends of their own. Including Tonomachi."

Shidou deadpanned at his sister's questionable logic in his mind, before releasing a heavy sigh.

"...I don't want the AST to kill the Spirits, but is this really the only other way…?"

"What's the matter? Too embarrassed to make a girl fall for you? You're at that age already, Shidou."

"...no, that's not it. I have never flirted with a girl before and even if I tried, I doubt that I would be good at it. If anything, I'll likely end up dooming everyone because a Spirit doesn't like me."

"Origami-nee likes you. In fact, I'm surprised that you two haven't started dating yet."

"You and I both know that she doesn't count."

Shidou argued strongly, while Kotori shrugged.

Origami had the advantage of knowing him for years, while Princess had a few minutes at most.

He also had a good relationship with Origami beforehand, but the same can't be said for these Spirits.

…especially when there's no guarantee if he could even gain the favor and affection of these otherworldly beings.

"—Kotori, come on. Be reasonable. Are you really going to place all your hopes on me flirting with a Spirit instead of some other way that's more reliable?"

"Shidou, do you really think you'll be alone in this? I told you, one of Ratatoskr's objectives is to support you in dealing with the Spirits. All of our members, our experiences, and our technologies, will be backing your actions. You're not alone in this battle, Shidou. We are here for you."

While Shidou struggled to find the exact words to say, Kotori spread her arms out wide as if she was referring to the entirety of the ship. Reine, Kannazuki, and the whole crew turned to face him all at the same time to prove it.

For a few moments, Shidou felt too overwhelmed to come up with an answer.

But after a while, he finally understood.

Despite his qualms about their plan to use him as an emotional anchor for the Spirits by making them fall in love with him, Shidou didn't feel like he was on his own at least.

"...I understand."

Shidou sighed in defeat, while Kotori's smile grew wider.

"—good. Now, after you make them fall in love with you, you'll have to kiss them. That's how you'll seal their powers."

"Seriously, how do I know that you're not joking around this time for real? I can seal Spirits by kissing them? This sounds more like an overcomplicated plot for an anime that we watch…"

"I have no actual proof that I can give you, Onii-chan. You'll see for yourself when it happens."

Shidou wanted nothing more than to bury his head in the ground like an ostrich if it meant hiding his face from the world.

Unfortunately he was 15,000 meters above the ground right now.

"—okay. All I have to do is kiss them… I guess that's not so bad…"

"Oh, when did I say that it's over? You'll still have to accomplish one other thing after kissing a spirit."

"...why do I have a feeling that this will be worse than kissing…?"

"That'll depend on you."

"Fine, then let's get it over with. If I faint out of nowhere because I couldn't handle it, at least I warned you before it happened."

Shrugging to himself, Shidou mentally prepared himself for whatever bomb Kotori was planning to drop on him, but what came next was something that he didn't account for.

"Aside from Reine-san, I want everyone to leave the bridge. The things that we'll be discussing from here will be limited to the three of us."

"...wait, what?"

After hearing those words, Kannazuki cleared his throat and barked out the same order for the entire Fraxinus crew to hear.

One by one, the crew members left their seats and formed a line heading out, with Kannazuki directing them the whole way.

After everyone else left, Kannazuki himself followed afterwards, leaving Shidou with Kotori and Reine as the only people left on the ship's bridge.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Trust me, you're gonna thank me for getting rid of them."

Kotori answered his question so nonchalantly that it made Shidou grow nervous about what she's going to reveal next.

"For this one, I'm going to let Reine-san explain everything to you. She's our head analyst when it comes to Spirits and their nature, so she'll be able to answer your questions better than me."

"...thank you, Commander."

Shidou's gaze went from Kotori to Reine, as the woman stepped forward and stood beside the captain's seat with her clipboard in hand.

The swimsuit she wore under her lab coat still bothered him [it also made him wonder why Kotori isn't scolding her for being scantily-clad in a place filled with people], but he pushed that feeling down in favor of hearing out what she had to say.

"You have a very unique ability, Shin."

"Yeah, Kotori just said it. I can seal Spirits by kissing them, which is still ridiculous to think about."

"Sealing Spirits through a kiss is only a byproduct of your ability, Shin."

"...huh? Byproduct…? What do you mean by that, Murasame-san?"

"Your power goes far beyond sealing Spirits. In general, your body can store and harness 'reiryoku', or Spirit power. This grants you a wide array of abilities that only you can do, and one of those is the power to seal Spirits by kissing them."

Shidou suddenly felt like he was hit by a truck running at full-speed.

"—I… have Spirit power… hah… ahah…"

…because the entire weight of this revelation is enough to kill him and send him to another world.

Now he understood.

This must be why Kotori ordered everyone to leave the bridge.

"Shin?"

"Uhm… okay, uh… does… does this mean I'm a Spirit too…? Haha… it… it's pretty ridiculous to think about, but I'm willing to listen! Hahahaha…"

Kotori rolled her eyes at her brother's dramatic reaction and felt the urge to slap him out of it, but chose to let him calm down on his own.

"Don't be stupid, Shidou. You're not a Spirit."

"The commander is right. You don't have to worry about anything. Despite this peculiar ability you possess, you are a biological human. If you were to be scanned by any machine, the results would remain the same and say that you are a human."

Fortunately, Shidou wasn't far gone within his own delusions that he was able to hear and listen to their words, which managed to calm him down after a while.

"O-Okay, that… that's a relief to hear, Murasame-san. Thank you…"

"To give you some more insight, every Spirit that Ratatoskr has recorded throughout its history has been a female. There are no male Spirits."

Shido heaved a massive sigh of relief; that answers his worries about him possibly being a Spirit this whole time.

"Yeah, you don't have to worry, Onii-chan…~ You'll never have to kiss a guy because every Spirit out there is a girl."

"Huh! That wasn't what I was worried about!"

"Oh? Are you saying you're willing to kiss another guy if there was ever a male Spirit?"

"NO!"

Kotori cackled at the reaction she got from her brother, while Shidou frowned.

To distract himself from Kotori for now, he turned to Reine and gave her a look as if to say 'please continue', which she noticed right away.

"When you seal a Spirit, their reiryoku gets transferred to you. Your body acts as a massive storage for it. Do you understand everything so far, Shin?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so."

"Really? Mind summing it all up, Shidou? Just to make sure your brain hasn't short-circuited yet from everything you've heard. After all, you were about to have a mental breakdown a while ago."

Kotori folded her arms across her chest and smirked, while Shidou stared back at her with an annoyed expression.

"I can seal a Spirit's power by kissing them because my body can store and use reiryoku, which is basically Spirit power. That means I have to make that Spirit fall in love with me so I can get the opportunity to do that. That's it, right?"

"Good to know that you're still functioning properly."

Kotori grinned smugly, before nodding in satisfaction.

"Your assessment is correct, Shin. Now, that's the first part of your role."

"...first part?"

"Making a Spirit fall in love with you is the first step. You will have to accomplish a second objective whenever you are facing a Spirit."

"What is it?"

"Not only do you have the power to seal a Spirit's powers, but you can subjugate them completely."

"...when you say 'subjugate', do you mean—?"

"Yes. You'll be able to bring them under your control."

That did not sound good at all.

Shidou hoped that he was only hearing or misunderstanding things, because his instincts were telling him that he was about to step on a giant landmine from which there's no return.

"C-Control…?"

"Any Spirit that you seal and subdue will follow you as their 'Ruler'."

"That… doesn't sound right. Why would I do that?"

"It's to ensure a Spirit's absolute loyalty towards you, and to prevent a scenario wherein you lose control of the reiryoku that you harness."

"—isn't sealing their power enough?"

"Normally, it would. However, you have your own limitations. While you can seal a Spirit and store their reiryoku in your body, you are still a human. Too much reiryoku will cause an overflow of it and your body could react in a chaotic manner."

Shidou listened to her explanation and tried not to think about it much for his own sake.

The thought of his body being a store for Spirit power is freaky enough, he didn't want to add to that by imagining what could happen to him if it becomes too much.

"—subduing the Spirit prevents that, for it essentially makes her and her powers yours. Your body won't be a storage box of Spirit power anymore, as it will turn into a medium that can harness and utilize the Spirit's reiryoku to how you see fit instead."

Reine's last statement opened up a whole new set of questions in Shidou's mind regarding the reiryoku in his body, but he ignored them in favor of one that's been bothering him because of what it meant.

"And, pray tell, what exactly happens if I were to subdue a Spirit?"

"After you kiss her, a mark would appear on the Spirit to show her submission towards you. You'll then have to make her submit in order to bind your relationship with her, where she will recognize you as her superior. In other words, you'll become the Spirit's 'Ruler'."

"Make the Spirit submit… how…?"

"Simple. Touch her sensitive areas to create a stimulation and keep on doing it for about five minutes, or at least until the Spirit reaches the height of that stimulation."

"Ah—"

…oh, boy.

If kissing the Spirit was shocking, then this was a hundred times worse.

"Y-You can't be serious…"

Reine just stared at him with the same tired eyes that she's had ever since they met, which made it even harder for Shidou to think of her words as the truth.

…there must be a catch in all this.

There has to be.

"My job requires me to be serious, Shin. This is the most effective way of subduing a Spirit and to make her obedient towards you."

"T-There has to be another way! Please, I'm sure we can think of something!"

"It may sound overwhelming at first, but it truly is the most effective way. Through physical intimacy and stimulation, you will be able to obtain a Spirit's loyalty without losing her trust or earning her dislike."

"This is all wrong, Murasame-san. You're asking me to enslave and harass Spirits who are also girls, and I don't agree with either of those."

"You're free to call it how you want, Shin. However, it is the best way to ensure your and the Spirit's safety."

Shidou frowned and shook his head, finally deciding to put his foot down on the issue.

"No. I'm not on board with this."

"—are you really against it, Shin? Or are you simply embarrassed at the thought of doing it?"

"I am against it."

"Then wouldn't that make your words hypocritical? Because you have been doing this very act all along."

"What?! I just said that I don't agree with it! I would never do that sort of thing, Murasame-san! And I've never even met another Spirit before!"

"The commander herself would beg to differ."

"...HUUUUHHHH?!"

"You have been doing this with her, haven't you? Being physically intimate with her from time to time."

"H-How did you— no! No. No, I only do that sort of thing with Kotori whenever she—!"

Shidou's eyes went wide as he realized what he was about to say and what it entailed, but also the connection that his mind formed between his thoughts and Reine's words.

While the gears in his head started moving, he felt nervous about looking at his sister, dreading the obvious conclusion provided by the signs that were there.

"No way… Kotori…?"

The more he thought about it, the more he denied it.

The more he denied it, the more it made sense.

The collar that appears on Kotori's neck at certain times, the state of arousal she would end up in, and his involvement whenever it happens…

"Did you finally realize it, Shidou?"

Kotori's voice snapped him out of her thoughts, and he had no choice but to look at her this time.

"Kotori…? Y-You're—"

"Yes. I'm a Spirit just like Princess. My codename is 'Efreet'."

As she spoke, a pair of demonic horns appeared on the sides of her head and a large, double-edged battle axe appeared in her right hand, which she slammed into the floor to give him a good look at it.

The axe breathed fire, which looked kind of familiar in Shidou's eyes, but that wasn't what took precedence in his mind.

Seeing that Kotori was a Spirit just like the girl in the crater earlier created a massive pit in his stomach, to the point that it made him want to throw up.

His own sister… the person that he had looked out for all these years… the little girl that he always loved and took care of…

She was a Spirit.

—and all this time, he had no idea.

"This is an illustration of the mark that a Spirit will have once you seal and subdue her. Does it look familiar to you, Shin?"

Reine showed him her clipboard, where there was an illustration of the very same collar-like tattoo that would show up on his sister's neck at the most questionable of times.

Shidou wanted to respond to Reine's question, but he couldn't get anything out of his mouth.

All he could do was nod his head, still trying to process this piece of information because it was still hard to comprehend.

By the time that he was able to use his voice again, Shidou just had one question that he wanted Kotori to answer with complete honesty.

"When…?"

"Are you asking when exactly did you seal me, Shidou?"

Shidou nodded.

"...I can't exactly remember the moment myself, but according to Ratatoskr's records, I was sealed five years ago. I think it's safe to assume that I got the mark on the same day."

"Five years ago? I can barely remember anything from that time too…"

"Anyway, there you have it. You've already sealed and subdued a Spirit, Shidou. You're perfectly capable of doing it again."

With a wave of her hand, Kotori's horn and axe disappeared into small fractals of light, leaving her in her military uniform again.

"But I…"

"Even if you oppose it, I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter, Shin. "

Reine immediately acted to remove any kind of false hope that Shidou could have about his situation.

It would only be harder for him to accept all of this if she didn't.

"Once the relationship between you and the Spirit is established, she is bound to you by a pact and that cannot be undone."

"It can't…?"

"By sealing her powers and subduing her afterwards, the commander is already bound to you. This is what we refer to now as the 'Pact of Ruler and Spirit'."

Shidou glanced at his sister for a moment.

The thought of his own sister being bound to him through a pact made him sick, because he felt like it was no different than being a slave.

Shidou couldn't bear the pain of his sweet and cute little sister being stuck in this predicament, and he wondered if the world was just being cruel to both him and Kotori.

"This pact is fueled by the reiryoku that you and the Spirit share, and it is irreversible once it is established. In the case that a Spirit tries to rebel against this pact by disobeying you, the Ruler, in any way, a curse that takes over her body will activate.

"A curse? What kind of curse?"

"This curse is a condition that will cause the Spirit's senses to be heightened and her body to be more sensitive, similar to the effects of an aphrodisiac. I am sure that you already know what you, as the 'Ruler' in the pact, have to do in order to stop the curse."

And then, it clicked in his mind.

Shidou managed to figure out long ago on his own that her 'neck tattoo' would only show up whenever his sister was being a brat , but he never thought that the real reason behind it would be so… unhinged and perverse.

"So that's why that tattoo on Kotori's neck—"

"Yeah, pretty much. You don't need to say it out loud."

His sister cut him off with her face having the same color as her hair, and her gaze was directed elsewhere due to her growing embarrassment.

"Kotori, I—"

"Relax, Shidou. I was aware of it long ago, after you sealed my powers."

"...but whenever it happened, you—"

"I already knew what I would be getting into, so don't you dare think of blaming yourself, got it? I have never blamed you before, so you've got no reason to start doing it to yourself."

For a moment, Kotori sent a sharp look at her brother so as to tell him to not blame himself for anything that happened to her.

—and she was right in her assessment.

Shidou was ready to bury himself in self-deprecation and loathing because of what this 'pact' has done to his little sister, but Kotori's voice snapped him out of it.

For now, these thoughts remained in the back of his mind.

"I am sure you're wondering why the curse gives off the effects of an aphrodisiac."

"I don't think I even want to know at this point…"

"While we have no concrete reason why, our best theory revolves around the Spirit's feelings. In particular, it is what we concluded after the commander told us of her experiences as a Spirit who is bound to you."

Shidou didn't notice Kotori turning her head away to hide her pink face from him.

"Seeing as the last thing that a Spirit feels before being subdued is the height of sexual pleasure, the curse will force the Spirit to seek out that sensation by reliving the experience that their body was going through when it happened. Henceforth, it acts like an aphrodisiac to prepare them for when their Ruler touches their body again."

As complicated and as troublesome as it is to listen to, Reine's words actually made enough sense for Shidou to think of it as the reason why Kotori becomes aroused whenever the mark on her neck appears.

…still, it doesn't mean it's not ridiculous and out-of-this-world to imagine.

"As you may have already realized, that in order to stop the curse whenever it happens, you'll have to touch the Spirit's body until she reaches the height of that stimulation once again. Do you understand, Shin?"

He nodded slowly to show that he understood everything at least, despite having a hard time processing all of it in his mind.

"There is still important information about your abilities that you will need to know for the future, but I see that you are already overwhelmed by everything that you've learned today. Therefore, we'll stop here and continue whenever you feel like it."

"Thanks for being considerate, Murasame-san."

"Your gratitude is not necessary, but I welcome it. It is still my duty to take care of you, and your mental health is just as important as your physical condition. Now, I'll let the commander take over again."

With that, Reine stepped back and allowed Kotori to be the center of his attention.

Kotori didn't say anything for a few moments, taking notice of the expression on her brother's face that could only be described as 'lost', as though he had no idea of what he should be feeling right now.

Reine also made it clear that he may have reached his limit in terms of how much information he could take in one sitting, especially when said information was life-changing in every sense of the word.

Because of this, Kotori chose to take a careful approach with her next words.

"Are you okay, Shidou? Do you need anything?"

"Just… feeling conflicted about everything, I suppose. I don't even know why I'm still conscious until now, because I definitely should have fainted long ago."

"Shidou, I know that this is hard for you, but it's either this or the AST's way of doing things. Nothing less. Now the question is… will you help us save the Spirits and stop the spacequakes from happening?"

"Yeah, I get it… you guys don't really play around, huh? This whole issue gave me a lot to think about tonight and tomorrow, or even the days after that."

Shidou tried to lighten up his own mood by joking about his current situation, but all it did was remind him of everything that he learned in one sitting and how much information he would have to digest properly when he gets home.

"—I'm sorry if you expect me to give an answer right away, Kotori, but I need to sit down and take all of this in. Can I go home for now? A few hours should be enough, I think. Maybe I'll have an answer then."

"Of course, Onii-chan. We can go home. There are no Spirits around for now, so you can take your time with it."

The fact that Kotori said 'we' and not 'you' made Shidou feel somewhat better, and not just because he would have a companion heading home.

Despite being the commander of an entire airship and a Spirit at the same time, this was a clear sign that Kotori is still his little sister in spite of it all, and that was enough to get him to forget about his worries for the moment.

"Thank you, Kotori."

"I'll just say this. All that we did today is inform you of what'll happen if you decide to support our method of dealing with Spirits. But in the end, it's your choice, Shidou."

"My choice?"

"Ratatoskr will follow Shidou if he decides to save the Spirits. But we'll understand if you want nothing to do with Spirits at all."

That spelled an immediate red flag in Shidou's mind, considering what he just learned.

"But you're a Spirit too—"

Kotori stood up from her chair and stood right in front of him, before she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm also your little sister. And I don't want you to feel like we're pushing the weight of the world on you. We're not, in any way, forcing you to help in our cause. It's your decision to make on what you want to do with these Spirits."

"...I understand."

MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*

-Lance