『 Chapter 4: Omniscient Nun』
Part 1
Nia expected herself to wake up in the hospital, if not the police station. Surprise, surprise— she found herself in her bedroom for some odd reason with her groceries on the table along with her purse and her expirables in the fridge. Nia counted her blessings and thanked the good Samaritan who brought her home.
"Raziel," she murmured, and the Angel appeared in the form of a book. This book contained all the secrets of the world. It granted Nia the powers of Omniscience, if she knew where to look. She usually wouldn't pull it out for every and all mundane tasks, but this was a special case. Her good Samaritan had to be rewarded for his – or her – efforts.
Nia didn't have to say any magic words. There was no "Mirror, mirror on the wall" or "Open sesame" for her to summon the knowledge of the book. She retrieved the floating tome and spread it open. The pages fluttered, all void of any writing or art. It was a blank book, until Nia concentrated on what she wanted to know.
Nia closed her eyes before opening them slowly. The tome, Raziel, encased itself in text that only Nia understood due to the link between her Angel and her soul. It wasn't something easily explained. To Nia, the feeling came naturally after years of honing the use of Raziel.
She mentally thought of what she wanted to learn and sent it into the book. The book relayed the information back to her. Asking a vague question gave Nia an equally vague answer, therefore, Nia had to ask questions that had a specific answer. That said, asking the correct question wasn't always easy. There was a series of back-and-forths with the tome before she could get the answer she was seeking for.
"A boy, huh," Nia saw him, an unassuming boy with dark blue hair, despite the vivid imagery from her Angel. Itsuka Shidou, a socially awkward second-year student at Raizen High School. Average grades, average physical abilities… Oh? Nia raised a brow. Information flooded her mind. He had the ability to seal Spirits? His adoptive sister and another Spirit? Ratatotskr… Fraxinus…
Nia shut the book with a resounding slam.
Never again.
She promised herself to never look into a person's past ever again. She got his name, school, class number, and home address, that should be enough. She didn't have to dig any deeper than that.
Curiosity killed the cat after all.
Nia's stomach grumbled, and she decided to boil some of her newly bought noodles. She could go see the boy tomorrow, there was no need to rush. As she waited for the water to boil, she opened the floating Angel once again. What did he like? What were his hobbies? It wasn't a good idea for her to go to her savior and thank him empty-handed.
Nia shut the book, gently this time. "He likes Silver Bullet, huh. I could gift him the next issue before it hits the shelves next week," she smirked to herself.
Making up her mind, Nia set out to finish cooking her noodles. Just as she finished pouring the hot water into the cup noodles, she eyed the book one last time.
"Itsuka Shidou, just who are you?"
Nia reached out to grab the book. A twisted, self-demeaning grin showed itself on her lips. She promised herself she wouldn't do this anymore, and yet, here she was, this close to allowing curiosity to kill the cat.
She eventually let go of the book without falling prey and focused on slurping her noodles. Her eyes kept glancing back to it, though, even as she forced herself to look away. Gaining knowledge about this… Itsuka Shidou felt too tempting. It wasn't fair…! The Kamis gave her an all knowing book and a mystery to solve! Nia couldn't resist! But she shouldn't—
She caved in to her curiosity.
Nia collapsed into her bed. Dawn had broken, and sweat drenched her frame, despite the cool breeze that flowed through her open windows. The heat tempted her to turn on the air conditioner, but she had been too concentrated on asking Raziel more information about this Itsuka Shidou. The thought for cool air kept crossing her mind and had been crushed by the truckload of information that she looked for.
Or, more accurately, the information that Raziel could not obtain. The results perplexed Nia. Ever since she had obtained the Angel, it had been an omnipotent tool that revealed everything. From the beginning of the world to her deepest secrets, from what lay at the bottom of the ocean floor to what the furthest star was made of at the current edge of the ever-expanding universe. And yet…
"What the hell is this?"
" ," was all the book had given in answer to the question of "Who gave birth to Itsuka Shidou."
This only happened twice before in Nia's use of Raziel. Once was when she tried to search for the First Spirit, otherwise known as the Spirit of Origin. The second was when she asked for the identity of who gave her the Sephira crystal that turned Nia into a Spirit. Seeing it happen once again, Shidou must have some connection to the Spirit of Origin.
"When was Itsuka Shidou born?"
« , .»
"Who is the birth father of Itsuka Shidou?"
«Takamiya Shinji.»
"The birth mother?"
« .»
It amused Nia to think that by redacting these things gave Nia some sort of answer inadvertently. It meant that the redacted things had some sort of connection to the Spirit of Origin and would help Nia's old friend in her search… not that Nia was incentivized to tell her. If the information was good, then Nia would tell her… but not now. Knowing her, she might go on another killing spree that might just lead her to a dead end. And behind her fake smile, Nia knew that the other woman had lost most of her sanity already. For her friend, there was only the faintest hope of revenge and redemption kept her going in her nightmarishly long murder streak. Nia didn't want that. It left some guilt in her mouth that she couldn't do much to help her younger… what was a good word? Her younger counterpart? Her fellow victim? The only thing Nia knew was that she didn't want any more kill assists.
Cracking a slight smile at her bit of dark humor, Nia turned in her bed to face the digital clock that sat comfy on the bedside table. "7:00" it read, just in time for rush hour, not that Nia—an author and an artist—needed to go anywhere at this hour.
Nia yawned unabashedly. Her body felt tired after getting no sleep through the night while slightly drunk on weak alcohol, yet her mind felt more awake than ever. And, as much as she wanted to get out of bed, she wanted to rest at the same time. Nia sighed to herself. "A few hours," she promised before closing her eyes and falling into a restless slumber.
Part 2
Shidou awoke to a pair- scratch that. A pair of pairs of feet on top of him. In his sleepy state he wondered what it was. He opened his eyes to see the garments of his sister that should never be seen…
"Shidou," Tohka whispered.
Shidou dreaded what would happen.
"Onii-chan," Kotori followed barely a second later, not giving Shidou the time to react.
"GET UP! GET UP!" Both girls started dancing/jumping on top of his prone form.
By Maou! There are now two of them. Shidou could only thank the Lady of Luck that they hadn't stepped on his family jewels… yet.
"I'm up! I'm up!" Shidou yelled.
"You're late!" his self-proclaimed little sister scolded.
"Mu!" his self-proclaimed girlfriend nodded.
"Give me a break, you two, I was up late last night finishing my Physics assignment."
"That's what you get for being late to Reine's second day at school," Kotori shook her head. Shidou eyed her ribbons and saw that they were indeed white. That means that he could have his fun with her. Reaching under her undefended armpits, he grinned before committing a war crime. "ONII-CHAAAAAN!" Kotori squealed in surprised laughter. "GA-HA-HA-HA-HA! STOP IT!"
"I have been infected by the T-Virus (tickle virus)," Shidou laughed evilly as he tickled Kotori until she lay breathless on the floor.
"Haaa… Haaa…" Kotori took in deep breaths as she gradually recovered. Shidou patted himself on the back for a job well done. The floor creaked, and his eyes darted to the hallway.
"Uhm, hi, Shidou, goodbye."
The tickle monster found its next victim.
Tohka bolted up the stairs with Shidou right at her heels. The girl's skirt fluttered, giving Shidou quite a nice view— if he wasn't so focused on retribution. Tohka reached the room and moved to shut the door behind her. It was unlucky for her that Shidou was just a tad bit too quick, and he tackled her to the bed.
"Shidou! Please!" Tohka managed to land back first, putting her limbs in between her and Shidou. The boy was relentless though, skillfully pinning Tohka's arms to her sides and entangling her legs with his so that she wouldn't be able to squirm around much.
Shidou looked at the girl under him, her hair a mess like the bedsheets under them. She looked beautiful, erotically so. Her beauty took his breath away, nearly making him want to give her mercy… Then he remembered how he was rudely awoken. And so, with a wide grin he spoke the word that would mark Tohka's doom: "No." His hands reached for her sides. Tohka squealed in laughter. She tried rolling on her side, but Shidou quickly adjusted. His attack was relentless and without mercy.
"Shidou! Shidou! Shidou…" Tohka weakly giggled to herself when Shidou finally stopped his attack.
The boy stood up and pumped his fist. Vengeance was his!
He glanced at the clock and paled. They were going to run late! Why didn't his alarm ring? Confused, Shidou checked the calendar he kept in his room.
It was a Saturday.
"Tohka."
"Shidou?"
"It's a Saturday."
"Ehe~" Tohka tried to bolt for the door, but just like before, Shidou was upon her like a wolf on sheep. The two tumble onto the floor, their fall cushioned slightly by the fluffy mat. "Waaaaah! Kotori! Help me!" Tohka wailed, dreading the giggles that would erupt when Shidou's fingers snaked in between her pits or waist. "Shidou is gonna tickle MEEEEEEEE! AHAHAHAHA!"
Who knew that rubbing one's hands very quickly against a girl's sides would feel so cathartic? Definitely not Shidou. He knew that now, though, and promised himself to do this everyday when possible.
"SHIDOUUUU~~" Tohka ended up crying tears of laughter, and Shidou decided that had given her enough tickles to last a lifetime. Standing up, Shidou remembered a little sister of his that needed a bit of punishment too. He left the exhausted Tohka on the floor and stalked down the stairs, eyes glancing left to right in search of his younger sister.
"Ko-to-ri~" he sang, lowering his center of gravity as he walked through the silent house. He saw a dash of a white ribbon and immediately sped to where Kotori hid.
"Eep!" the girl made a startled noise quite like a mouse as she tried to crawl away, but Shidou grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back before she went under the table.
"ORA!" Shidou hefted Kotori over his shoulder before pulling a wrestling move on her and throwing her onto the couch harmlessly. "Kotori, I hope you're prepared…" Shidou said ominously as he hovered over Kotori. There was no escape.
"Onii-chan. Mercy?" Kotori squirmed under Shidou.
Shidou grinned madly.
The cries of laughter from Kotori was beautiful music to Shidou's ears. There was nothing like the screams of his sister first thing in the morning. Especially, when he could've been sleeping in on a weekend!
The breakfast table was a rather awkward affair. Both girls were giving Shidou the cold shoulder. Kotori because she was annoyed at her brother, and Tohka because Kotori told her to do so. As much as it amused Shidou to watch Tohka follow Kotori's every command like a loyal companion, he didn't want to continue eating in silence.
"Alright. That's enough pouting from you, Kotori," Shidou reached out and flicked Kotori's forehead.
"Onii-chan. You tickled me for five minutes! Five. Full. Minutes!"
"Justice has been dealt. That's what you get for dancing on your dearest Onii-chan on a Saturday morning." Kotori pouted even more, her white ribbons bouncing as she bobbed her head and ate her cereals. "And Tohka, you don't have to do everything that Kotori says."
"But it was fun!"
Shidou shook his head in amusement at Tohka's antics.
"When you both are done, make your beds."
"Will do Onii-chan."
"Will do!" Tohka saluted enthusiastically as she dropped her bowl into the sink and ran up the stairs. She had finished immediately and was waiting on the siblings. Still so new to everything, she clung to their presence. It was hard to blame her…
Shidou picked up his own bowl and started washing his and Tohka's bowls and cutlery as Kotori finished up. The younger girl deposited hers a moment later before following Tohka up the stairs. Shidou finished cleaning up not long after, so he turnedon the morning news. Nothing special happened. The reporter just droned on about a festival here and there, a traffic accident in Tokyo, the lucky numbers for the day, and so on.
Ding Dong~
The doorbell rang and Shidou broke away from the Saturday news. "I'm coming!" he walked up to the door and opened it.
"Good morning, Shidou." Tobiichi Origami stood behind the door in casual clothes. Two large trunks of what Shidou assumed to be her belongings sat patiently behind her. A large backpack sat on her back.
Shidou shut the door.
The doorbell rang and Shidou opened it.
"Good morning, Shidou."
"Good morning, Origami."
"May I come in?"
"No."
She pulled out her phone.
[But in exchange, I will live in your house.] [Okay.]
Shidou's eye twitched at his voice being replayed perfectly.
"I've come to live here."
"You can't."
"You promised me, Shidou."
Time stopped, and Shidou screamed "ZA WARUDO" at the top of his lungs. It didn't matter to him since nobody would know anyway. The world lost its beauty of color; a dull gray coated everything. After the burst of stimulus, Shidou sighed and glanced at his options.
『 Of course. Let's sleep in the same bed.』
『 You can live here forever.』
『 You tricked me!』
『 It's a chance for yobai. Mfufufufu~』
Shidou groaned. He was careless. This girl was always so literal, so straightforward, and so… "Origami." He shouldn't have been so careless around her.
Shidou also promised her answers. He knew he shouldn't give her ALL the answers. But, he wanted to give her at least some, he treasured their weird friendship. It was one of the few he had… Technically one of the two he had,
"Shidou~ I'm done with making my bed!" Tohka sang as she came down the stairs, having recovered from the assault on her sides. Her smile of happiness turned into a snarl. "Why is she here?" she whipped an accusatory finger at Origami.
"Don't do that Tohka, that's rude," Kotori scolded just as she entered the living room, also done making her bed. Her black ribbons twirled a bit as she bit on a lollipop. Her gaze lingered a bit on Tohka before traveling to Origami. "Ah, Tobiichi-san! We have been expecting you! I heard that my dearly beloved Onii-chan said that you could live with us."
"Indeed."
"Maybe you could just sleep over for a few nights?"
"No. I am going to live here."
"But our parents–" before Kotori could finish that thought, Shidou's phone ran.
"Hold on," he stepped to the side before answering. "Yes, mom? — Are you sure? — Alright then…" he snapped his phone shut. "Mom said Origami could live with us for the time being," he casted Origami a suspicious gaze. "And also that your apartment caught fire?"
"Yes. It was an unfortunate accident. I left the gas stove on for an hour before lighting a match, and the whole place caught on fire."
"Why would yo—" Shidou gave up and just slowly brought his hand to his forehead. With a long sigh, he dragged his hair back as he massaged his scalp.
"Please don't leave me on the streets," words that should've been filled with sadness were delivered with a lack of emotion. Yet, Shidou felt the slight undertone of "you can't refuse me, Shidou" in that sentence. It felt like a threat. To him or this way of life, he wasn't quite sure.
Shidou groaned once again. "Yes, yes. You can live here."
"Yay," a word of joy was spoken with no sense of passion. If Shidou didn't know Origami as much as he did, he would have called her out on being sarcastic. "Excuse me," Origami stepped through the door and closed it behind her. Shidou took her singular luggage as she took off her shoes and neatly placed them on the shoe shelf.
"Hmph," Tohka did not spare Origami a second glance as she raced up to Shidou's room, which she currently occupied. Origami paid the other girl no extra thought as she followed Shidou.
"My mom said that you could use their room in the meantime," Shidou carried the surprisingly light luggage up the stairs and into the large room of his parents. They were rarely around nowadays, with him and Kotori being mature enough to not need them. Starting last year, they barely stayed the night in the Itsuka house, leaving both siblings to their devices.
"Thank you," Origami politely stepped into the room and took a quick glance around.
"If you need any help, I'll be right in the living room."
"I will need a little help," Origami said, pulling lightly on Shidou's shirt. Shidou turned around and placed his hands on his hips as Origami lay one of the trunks on its side and unzipped it. Shidou's eyes widened into the size of platters as Origami pulled out some kind of cloth. "Will this look good on me?"
Before Shidou could answer, the world turned black and white and four choices appeared in front of him. These were different from Tohka's and Kotori's choices with how they were colored. Paper cranes filled a corner of the buttons. The background were pure white with particles of light blue coloring the bottom part. The letters were written in an angular Arial font and a dark shade of blue– nearly black in color.
『 Babe. You look the best in nothing.』
『 Absolutely.』
『 M-Maybe something less skimpy?』
『 UOOOOOH! SEXXXXXXXXX!』
Shidou inhaled a deep breath. There was only one possible button to press, and he didn't like how weak that stutter made him sound. Heck. He didn't like how it looked on the button. Not wanting to sound like an uncool loser versus wanting to look like a pervert were now battling inside of him.
Shidou chose.
"Absolutely," he spoke reflexively.
"I see. I will be sure to wear it for you one of these days when I crawl into your bed."
"I would prefer it if you didn't."
"But I thought you said that it would look good on me."
"I did. But that doesn't mean I want you crawling into my bed wearing a string bikini."
Origami tilted her head. "Why not? I would like it if Shidou would crawl into my bed wearing a nice pair of briefs."
Shidou's face turned red. "Just because you would want that doesn't mean I would have to want it."
"Oh I see…" Origami brought her hand to her chin in thought. Shidou sighed in relief, glad to see that the girl rethought her course of action. "Would you prefer it if I snuck into your bed wearing nothing?"
"What?!"
"I guess that is doable. It would also be easier—"
"Slow down! What the hell are you saying?!"
"Yobai."
"No. There will be no yobai in this house."
"But yobai is an ancient Japanese tradition of lovers sneaking into one another's beds in the middle of the night."
"Tradition my ass!"
"That's rude to our ancestors."
Shidou didn't know whether or not the girl was messing with him behind her perfect poker face. He could only stare incredulously into her blue eyes that seemed to twinkle faintly. Yeah, she was totally messing with him. Shidou refrained from shaking his head with a sigh, and instead, turned away with his blush fainting, "If you need any help, I'll be waiting downstairs."
"I think I will be fine," Origami said sincerely. "Thank you, Shidou."
"It's no problem. It's the least I could do after you burned your own house down," Shidou welcomed her sarcastically.
"Funny," Origami's reply was equally as sarcastic and didn't lack in dryness.
Shidou left Origami to her own devices as he descended the stairs. He made sure to double-check the gas stove before lounging on the couch, a book in hand. Before he got a page into the book, somebody interrupted him.
"Shidou~" Tohka, in what was becoming a common occurrence, danced down the stairs carrying a large bag. The bag housed Shidou's old guitar that he rarely used nowadays. She spun around, unslinging it from her arm in the process and giving Shidou a heart-attack by how she handled his guitar, before holding it up with expectant eyes. "What is this?"
"That is a guitar. We use it to make music."
"Ohhh! Can you show me?"
Shidou gently took the guitar from Tohka's hands and took a seat on the couch. He gingerly fingered each string before nodding contentedly. All strings were still in perfect condition, despite it being quite some time since he had used the guitar. He sat it on his lap before strumming against the chords in a steady rhythm.
He started strumming to a mental beat and pressed the chords. It was an upbeat song named "Save the World." Kotori hummed a bit to the tune, and Tohka watched in rapt attention to the way Shidou's fingers skillfully glided across the guitar's fingerboard. Once the song was done, Tohka clapped her hands.
"Oh! Oh! Can you teach me?"
"Alright," Shidou agreed without missing a beat. "I will have to buy you a second guitar though," his eyes drifted to Kotori who gave the "ok" sign and Shidou was glad that Ratatotskr offered money for any expenses related to Spirits.
"Yay! When are you going?"
"I could go right away."
"Could I come?"
"Of course."
"Yay!"
"Put on some clothes. We'll be leaving in ten minutes."
"Okay!"
Shidou placed the guitar down as he also got ready to go out.
Part 3
The doorbell chimed with a beautiful ring as Shidou and Tohka stepped into the store. Musical instruments of all kinds decorated the store from top to bottom. Keyboards, trumpets, and basses to pianos, trombones, and guitars shined in their brand-new luster. Without hesitation, Shidou approached the guitar section and scanned through their selection with Tohka silently glowing behind him. He glanced at the clerk, who made no indication of entertaining him. He quietly sighed to himself before asking out loud. "Can I try them out?"
"Sure. Just don't break them or anything," the clerk lazily answered, their eyes not leaving their phone.
Shidou fought off the urge to roll his eyes and say, "kids these days," but the clerk was clearly older than him. He turned his attention to Tohka, who carefully kept her hands behind her back so as not to bump anything. "Tohka, careful when handling the guitars."
"Umu! Kotori told me to always be careful in stores!"
"Good, good. You can go around. Just be careful, alright?," Shidou patted her head.
The girl responded with a joyous "umu!" and left to explore the store.
With that, he followed her lead and admired the wide display. These were all acoustic in nature. Some had a pickup for when the guitarist wanted to connect it to an amplifier, while others didn't. Since Tohka was a beginner, one without a pickup would be fine for her. Shidou would just have to buy her a new one when she wanted to play with an amp. If she wanted to play with an amp.
"You there, boy," Shidou turned around to find his soul being pierced by a pair of mischievous turquoise eyes. The owner had a knowing smirk, as if she knew all of Shidou's secrets. Her ash gray hair showed that she had some age in life, but Shidou knew that hair colors nowadays didn't matter. His eyes glanced to the screen on her right and his eyes narrowed in recognition. The woman's grin widened even more. "Looking at the game menu, I see."
Shidou's eyes widened in shock. "You… You know about it?"
『 Name: Honjou Nia 【Sister】』
『 Heroine Summary: A forty-year-old virgin mangaka under the pen name of Honjou Souji, author of the manga, [Silver Bullet, and an otaku. This girl has no life outside of gaming, manga, and all things otaku. She spends half her day scrolling social media and whaling on gacha banners and the other half drawing her manga.』
『 Relationship Level: 0 【The Faithless Nun】
Relationship Points: 0/100』
"Of course. I can learn about everything. That is the power of Raziel, my angel," Nia said with pride, yet Shidou detected a hint of sadness. "It tells me all the things I want to know. Even about your powers," she continued. "You are like an Eroge protagonist lol," her smug grin ment by Vorpal Haze: u did it here, g jobComment by Mira Gest: tskr
Shidou cringed. "When you put it that way, Honjou-san…"
"Think about it. Time stopping abilities, a relationship meter, response choices. I'm surprised that you haven't fulfilled every man's dream yet and made yourself a harem!"
"It's not an Eroge power…" Shidou groaned. "And no, I do not want a harem, despite what this Gal Game says."
"But… Isn't it every man's dream?"
"I could assure you, Honjou-san, it is not."
"But my sources?"
"Your sources lied to you, Honjou-san."
"But Hyoudou Issei said: 'It's every man's dream to build a harem!' "
"I don't think he did. I think his most famous quote was, 'Breasts weigh more than a man's life.' "
"Aha! So, you are a cultured individual, I see Itsuka-boy."
"...who the fuck is Hyoudou Issei?"
"It's too late to back out now, boy!" Nia caught Shidou before he could backtrack his words.
"It was a slip of the tongue!"
"Yeah, sure, I'd believe that," Nia's grin said otherwise.
"Shidou~" Tohka came back after going through the store. She gave Nia a look over. "Who are you?" and turning to Shidou she continued: "Who is she?"
"You must be the Yato-girl, I'm Honjou Nia. A Spirit, just like you," Nia offered her hand. Tohka shook it unsurely. She turned to Shidou and Shidou nodded in approval, making Tohka smile more surely and shake Nia's hand with more vigor.
"A Spirit? What's that Shidou?"
"Somebody like this, Yato-girl," Nia was encased in light like how Tohka was when she changed her Astral Dress.
A second later, the light disappeared and Nia was clad in what could only be called a nun's garb. While it may be called a nun's garments, it looked nothing but. The cloth gave Shidou a delicious sight with its translucent material. He saw her fragile body under the thin layer of cloth in its detail. The only saving grace was the pair of string panties that she wore. Still, Shidou was not able to discern if she even had a bra on, the outfit getting more opaque at the top. A cross hung at her hip, whereas a tome floated beside her. Knee-high boots adorned her calves to her feet, and a habit sat on her head.
Nia grabbed the tome and the feathered ink pen that floated with it. Her arm moved with speed and precision, splattering ink in an orderly manner all over the tome. She showed the book to Shidou and Tohka. Shidou had a good look at the tome. Beside him, Tohka looked at it inquisitively.
Suddenly, Tohka pulled Shidou and promptly pressed him against the store's wall. She placed both her arms on either side of Shidou, effectively kabedonning and pinning him to the wall. Shidou and Tohka's faces turned red when they found the particular position they were in to be rather intimate. "What's happening, Shidou?"
"I don't know Tohka, but I think it has something to do with her powers."
"Ding, ding, you're right! This is another of Raziel's abilities. It may not have Sandalphon's raw power, but it is quite handy," the book orbited Nia before disappearing into green fractals of light.
"So, it has the ability to see the past and control the future?"
"To some extent, yes."
"Can you, uhm, let go of us now?"
"But I'm not even doing anything," Nia answered in confusion.
Shidou turned from Nia to Tohka. The intense look in Tohka's eyes sent his heart into a crazy beat. A sly yet shy smile wormed its way onto her face.
"Tohka?" Shidou whispered.
"I kinda like this position, Shidou."
Shidou's face turned many shades of red. "We're in public…"
"Mu."
"I don't want to interrupt anything…" Nia awkwardly brought back their attention to her. Tohka broke out of her spell and took two steps away from Shidou. She daintily folded her hands in front of her as she stared at the ground, plenty embarrassed. Nia flashed the girl a knowing grin before looking to Shidou.
"I'll go back to exploring the store!" Tohka excused herself, leaving Nia and Shidou alone.
Nia's smile grew a bit more serious. "I know you want to seal Spirits like me."
Shidou nodded solemnly; his face devoid of redness and humor. "Yes."
"May I ask… Why? Just for curiosity's sake."
"Well…" Shidou paused. Why had he gone along with Kotori in saying that he wanted to seal the Spirits? It was a madman's quest to go onto a battlefield between the Spirits and the Japanese government's Anti-Spirit Team just to side with the Spirit. Any sane man would have thought twice about it. He may be labelled a terrorist just because he went against the AST's orders.
Then, he remembered why he was in this music store. To buy Tohka a guitar. Yes. He did this for Tohka. Not because of this stupid power or because his sister was also a Spirit. And while Kotori being a Spirit may have been a motivator for Shidou to go down this quest, it wasn't the main aspect.
Shidou recalled that afternoon a few weeks back, when he first discovered the beautiful girl with midnight hair, dressed in what could only be called a warrior princess' armor. The next thing he noticed was how sad her eyes felt as it drifted over the destruction she wrought to a land unknown to her. Contrasting that were her eyes of wonder and joy whenever something new or something unremarkably normal that he had taken for granted came her way. Every single time, she'd turn to him, almost like a child but with hidden maturity that really gave credence to her title as "Princess." It was worth it. More than worth it.
Shidou gave Nia his answer. "I do it because I want to give you a happy life."
『 Gained 10 affection points with Nia』
『 Gained 5 affection points with Tohka』
Nia smiled. "I like your answer, boy. I would like to be sealed, Itsuka-kun. Please, make me fall in love with you." Nia had a good look at Shidou's expression before chuckling weakly. "Don't look so surprised, boy. Not all Spirits love their superpowers. I am one of them. I used to think of it as a blessing," Nia gave Shidou a wry and sad smile that convey more than her words could. "But now, all I see is a curse."
Shidou didn't know what to say.
"Don't look so sad. We've all had our shares of tragedies in life. What defines us is how we develop through them."
"Those are… really wise words, Honjou-san."
"Well," Nia laughed. "I don't want to toot my own horn, but being an author makes you learn how to develop characters properly. Or else you would have rabid fans clamoring to cut you down like Marie Antienette," Nia sighed.
Shidou smiled wryly.
"But I digress. You have that special power to seal Spirit power and an Eroge power."
"Please don't call it an Eroge power. That's just raising some flags that I don't want raised."
"Oh? Not interested in sex scenes?"
"Considering that my cute, adoptive, little sister is one of the 'Heroines,' yes, I am not interested."
"Unfortunate. Little sister routes are honestly underappreciated."
"Well, this is real life!" Shidou exclaimed.
"A tsukkomi! Nice one!" Nia sent a thumbs up.
"This isn't a comedy show, Honjou-san."
"Is it? Or is it not? Who knows? This may be a manga in another dimension. Or maybe!— a fanfiction! A fanfiction written by a 17-year old teen with no girlfriend."
"If that is the case, then it is so badly written? Or is the author on crack?" Shidou commented dryly. "What's next? I go back in time to impregnate my own mother to give birth to me? Yeah, nah, huge pass."
"That's oddly specific, but actually there is one story like that."
Shidou gave Nia a long stare of disbelief. "Bruh."
Nia gave Shidou a cheeky little grin. "I think I will enjoy our relationship, Itsuka-kun."
"He-he-he," Shidou laughed weakly. The tense atmosphere that hung over their heads earlier had gone but still lingered in that dark corner of his mind.
Nia's eyes penetrated through Shidou's soul, ending his weak laughs. He audibly gulped as she stared into him as if dissecting his brain. "You know, Itsuka-kun, I don't know how you got Princess to fall in love with you. You don't seem like the manly type. I know that you jumped in front of her and all that; your battle with AST too. That said, I just can't see it," Nia leaned in towards Shidou, "When I read Raziel, it told me of one of those shounen protagonists that would go in and save the princess but lived the dual life of a high school boy. But… The you in front of me seems so different from what I have read."
"Well, I don't know what to say to that…"
"You don't have to say anything," Nia tittered. "They say, 'don't judge a book by its cover.' I'm sure your story is quite interesting."
Shidou shrugged. "I'm just your regular teenage boy."
"I'm sure you say that about yourself, but I have yet to meet anybody who would do the things you do for a friend. Much less a stranger. I always believed that those people only existed in fiction. The people like Asia Argento who are bleeding hearts all the way, expecting nothing in return.
"But I digress. The faster you get me to fall in love with you, the faster I get rid of this," Nia gestured to a floating book that she summoned. "Call your little sister and tell her to get the Fraxinus staff up and running. My route won't be as easy to conquer as that Yatogami-girl's," Nia ended with a cheeky wink.
"Alright."
Both stood staring at each other. Shidou shifted awkwardly while Nia looked at him expectantly. "Well, aren't you going to ask for my number?"
"Oh, right!"
Nia laughed as Shidou pulled out his phone and contacts. Nia injected her number into Shidou's contacts list before doing a cute selfie and setting that as the contact photo. She held her hand to her ear in a "call me" motion before grinning. "Meet you in front of the Suehirochou station at three."
Shidou took the phone from Nia's hands and looked back up to her to find that the woman had already gone out the door, the windchimes ringing behind her as the door quietly shut. He pocketed his phone before going back to scanning the guitars on sale. His mind was no longer on which guitar to buy Tohka but what to do about the woman named Honjou Nia.
"Shin."
"Ah! Oh, it's just you Murasame-san. Also, it's not 'Shin' it's 'Shidou.' 'Shi-dou!' "
"Nevermind that, Shin. Is that the guitar that you are going to get?"
Shidou looked back to the guitar he was staring at, a cheap acoustic guitar with the bare minimum sockets required to attach it to an amplifier. "Yes," Shidou looked behind Reine to find the cashier gone.
"Don't worry about him. He just took a quick break."
With such a vague use of words, Shidou feared that the guy had been kidnapped, drugged, and left to sleep in a backroom or something. "Where's Tohka?"
"She's looking at the pianos."
"I'll be right back."
"Take your time."
Shidou searched for the girl known as Princess and found her admiring the store's one and only grand piano. The lid was opened, and its insides were exposed. A hundred strings were taught, ready to be struck and ring with their melodies. Shidou was about to reach out for her but stopped himself at the last moment, admiring the girl admiring the piano.
Tohka, even without her Astral Dress, looked just as majestic as the first time Shidou met her. Her dark mane contrasted beautifully with her pristine skin. She tilted her head slightly, and Shidou was immediately entranced by her dark eyes. Tohka brightened at the sight of him and gestured to the grand instrument eagerly. "What's this, Shidou?"
"This is a piano."
"It looks beautiful."
Shidou glanced at the piano for a moment. "Indeed."
"I'm sure its music would be as beautiful, wouldn't it?"
"It would," Shidou agreed before switching gears, "Did you hear my conversation with Nia?"
"I did," Tohka nodded. Slowly, she began to frown, losing her excitement. "Do you have to date her?"
"I do."
"...mu," Tohka wore a rather downcast expression. The expression painfully tugged at Shidou's chest.
"Let's get your guitar. Which one do you want?" Shidou asked, quickly shifting the topic.
Tohka's eyes brightened. "Ohh!" she immediately jumped and pulled Shidou along to the guitar aisle. She pointed to one of the guitars that was hung up. An acoustic one that looked pretty cheap, barely ten thousand yen. It didn't even have a jack. "This one!"
"We could get you a better one."
Tohka shook her head vehemently. "This one looks the most like yours."
Shidou felt his lips curl, first at her emoting than her words. "Well, if you say that… Sure, let's take this one."
"Yay!"
"Let me check that out for you," came a familiar deadpanned voice. "Would you also like a bag to come with it? A bag would be helpful in preventing scratches as you travel through the train system of Tokyo. You wouldn't want such a brand new guitar to be scratched as you go home, would you?"
"Murasame-san?" Tohka asked the older woman.
"Yes?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I work here."
"Ohhh, you have so many jobs," Tohka said in wonder.
"Money makes the world go round, after all," Reine sighed tiredly. "Now, about the bag?"
"I guess I'll take a bag too."
"Also, we have this amplifier for sale—"
"Murasame-san, you are a good businesswoman," Shidou commented.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"But I will not be buying an amplifier for now."
"The sale will be ending tomorrow, and it's 50% off right now."
The shopper part of Shidou wanted to bite the bait. Reine sure was a master baiter, nearly making Shidou say "yes" to the offer. "I will have to decline that for now, Murasame-san."
"I see. Would you like to hear about the Buy 1 and Take 1 Free promo we have right now?"
"...are you even an employee here?"
"Of course, do you not see the name tag?" Reine pointed to the bear in her breastpocket, which cutely held a name tag with the name "Murasame Reine '' on it.
"So not only are you a teacher, but also a clerk in a clothing store in a music store?"
"Ratatotskr needs all the money it could get its hands on, Shin."
Shidou chuckled. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Your mission to seal the Spirits helps all of us."
"I'll try my best."
Reine smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't push yourself too hard, Shin."
Shidou gave her his trademark wry grin. "I'll try my best."
Reine nodded as the wind chimes rang twice, signalling that Shidou and Tohka have already left.
Part 4
"Kotori! I'm back!" Shidou called out as he removed his shoes.
"Kotori! Look at what Shidou bought me!" Tohka skipped into the house while hugging the newly bought guitar.
"Remove your shoes first!" Kotori scolded, and in a softer tone, asked, "Did you already thank him?"
"All the way home," Shidou answered for Tohka. The girl was too busy running back to the doorway to remove her shoes.
After taking off her shoes, Tohka sat herself on the couch and opened the guitar bag. "Teach me please, Shidou!" Tohka requested excitedly.
"Give me a bit."
"Okay!" With that, Tohka carefully pulled her instrument into her lap and fiddled with it gently, growing more and more confident with each strum. The "music" she made could only be called "noise" but with a bit of learning, she would be able to play some songs. She was a fast learner, Shidou felt quite sure that she would take no time to learn how to play a simple three-chord song.
The pair of sibling watched for a moment. Shidou broke the scene first, "Kotori, I need to speak with you. Is Origami around?"
"She left earlier. Probably to report to her superiors that she has brought the Trojan horse into the city of Itsuka," Kotori mused as she changed her white ribbons to black. At once, her demeanor shifted from the jubilant younger sister to the confident commander. "I assume that a Spirit appeared. That's the only reason why you would ask if Origami is here or not. What happened?"
"She appeared whenTohka and I were picking up a guitar."
"I did not receive any notifications of a spacequake…" Kotori pulled out her phone and scrolled through her apps before opening an app that looked foreign to Shidou. Notifications popped up, messages and news probably from Ratatotskr and the Fraxinus crew. Her brows furrowed as her thumb dexterously swiped through the app. By the scrunched look on her face, she found nothing in relation to the Spirits.
"She did not appear with a spacequake. No…It's more like she walked," Shidou continued. "I met- well, not exactly met- but I found her the other day. She seemed like just another person." He then shifted uneasily, "She said that her Angel was like a curse to her."
Kotori expertly spun around the lollipop with her tongue. "Well, yes… Not everybody thinks that having an Angel is a good thing. I agree with her that I think that my Angel is also like a curse to me."
"She wanted me to seal her."
"At least she is cooperative."
"Yeah. Yeah," Shidou scratched the back of his head.
"Is something bothering you?"
"It's just…"
"I hope it's not second thoughts."
"Absolutely not!" Shidou said. He glanced at Tohka as she happily looked at her new guitar from stock to bottom, her fingers copying the way he had played before and looking giddy as they made their sounds. "I'd happily seal them."
"Enjoying the kisses?"
"Kotori…" Shidou rolled his eyes, "I'm being serious here."
"Yeah, yeah. Now, tell me what's bothering you."
"...I'm just… I'm just upset, I guess. Upset that these girls are being hunted for having Angels," Shidou all but grumbled. "Like Honjou-san earlier, she's a mangaka, and she could've definitely lived a normal life if she wasn't being hunted for having Raziel."
Kotori's commander act slipped momentarily with a glance to her older brother. "It is what it is, Onii-chan. These girls are dangerous. Don't forget that they cause spacequakes. Intentional or not, those spacequakes took many lives."
"I know that. But, I can't help it," Shidou sighed.
Kotori patted her brother's shoulder sympathetically. "That's one of the reasons I love you."
"...I'm sure if it was another guy that had these powers, he would seal the Spirits too."
"I doubt it, Onii-chan."
"Why not?"
"Because you are my special. You are my Onii-chan after all," Kotori winked.
Shidou gave his sister a warm smile. "Thanks, Kotori."
"It's my duty as your younger sister," Kotori faux sighed. "Seriously, taking care of such a stupid Onii-chan…"
Shidou playfully flicked Kotori's forehead. They both shared a grin. "Ah, right! I will be dating Honjou-san at three. Will you support me?"
"Always," Kotori smirked up to him. "We'll get her to fall for you in no time flat."
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I now have to teach Tohka how to play the guitar."
"Go ahead, I'll be in the Fraxinus. If you ever need me, just say so. We're always listening," Kotori gestured to the earpiece.
"Commander, you called?"
"Indeed," Ryouko stood, clad in her "casual" clothes, a military uniform. The woman looked Origami down from head to toe. "Are you okay?"
Origami raised an eyebrow. "I hope you didn't call me just to ask how I am."
Ryouko rolled her eyes. This particular subordinate of hers wasn't very amicable. She was the least amicable person that Ryouko had ever met. That said, despite her frostiness, Origami wasn't a bad person. Ryouko would know. She felt like a mother to the young girl, having trained her at a young age after Origami lost her parents. She must've been a happier girl back then… But Ryouko could only speculate. She never met the girl before that particular spacequake of five years ago and all data on the girl was wiped out with the fire that came with it.
Ryouko continued. "How did your move go?"
"It went fine."
"And Princess?"
"The sensor didn't pick up any Reiryoku from the identical girl."
"I see," Ryouko took a seat and hummed in thought, scratching her chin. "So, this girl isn't Princess?"
"No," Origami shook her head with a subtle sharpness. Her eyes narrowed. "I'm positive it's a Spirit. I recognize it from all the times we chased her. That thing is a Spirit," her facial expression turned into one of confusion. "But it picked up a bit of Reiryoku… From Itsuka Shidou."
"The boy you are so infatuated in," Ryouko couldn't help but tease.
"Yes." Origami was no fun, and Ryouko had to stifle a disappointed sigh. "Shidou did something to the Spirit. I do not know what," Origami recalled that event from a week back when Shidou carried the Princess in one hand and wielded a fiery club in the other. After that day, Princess started attending school like one would expect of a human and showed no signs of Reiryoku on every radar.
"Alright. I give you permission to investigate further. No use of force, though. They are still civilians."
"...understood," Origami nodded reluctantly.
"Also, take this," Ryouko stood and directed Origami to a table with a case. She opened the case and there sat something that looked like a vambrace. Its steel seemed to be patiently waiting for Origami. "It's a miniature wiring suit plus combat unit that covers only the arm. It gives you the ability to use a limited amount of Territory."
"I see," Origami made no move to pick it up, content to just stare at it.
"You may."
Origami nodded and silently picked up the vambrace before putting it on her forearm, needing to adjust the straps on the bottom. Ryouko felt the quiet activation of Origami's Territory. The vambrace hummed metallically before changing form like one would expect of the autobots of old. Metal stirred, and light beamed out of the front of Origami's forearm, forming laserblade, just barely missing her knuckles if she bent her fist inwards.
"A bit longer than [Nut Cracker] but a bit shorter than [No Pain]. It should serve you well in your investigation, if just as a last resort," Ryouko explained. "Dev team hasn't given it a name yet."
"It will do," Origami commanded her Territory, and the blade retracted before the unit reformed back into a stylish vambrace. She deactivated her Territory. The sense of unease that Ryouko felt when Origami activated it disappeared. This always happened whenever Ryouko was near some activated Territory; the edges of her hair rose slightly like there was energy in the air. That may not be so far from the truth since Territory was a sort of magic, backed with human technology. "Thank you, Commander."
"Don't mention it. Just…" Ryouko patted Origami's shoulders gently. "Look out for yourself, Tobiichi."
Origami simply nodded. "Is that all?"
"Dismissed."
Origami nodded and left the commander of the AST to her lonesome. Ryouko sighed and sauntered back to her swiveling chair and sank into it. "Itsuka Shidou…" Her eyes glanced to the screen where it displayed an image of a boy with a wry smile as he talked to Origami. Ryouko's eyes narrowed. "You have caught my interest."
Alarms blared and Ryouko stood. An alert appeared across the screen. "Spirit Reiryoku detected."
"Where?" Ryouko spoke to herself as her fingers swept across the keyboard, expertly hitting the proper keys. The clicking sound of the "enter" button signified the command being inputted, and the machine made some humming sounds as the alert screen turned into a map and narrowed in on Tengu city.
"Incoming transmission," the honing in of the map was interrupted by an important message. Ryouko wanted to curse whoever sent the transmission but held her tongue when she noticed the insignia of Deus Ex Machina Industries. This was the provider of the Realizers, the machinery that was used in their war against the Spirits, as well as the producers of wizards like Origami and herself.
The screens blinked and in the place of the map of Tengu, a woman with pale blonde hair and a harsh pair of purple eyes. "Mathers-san," Ryouko greeted.
The woman nodded in turn. "Commander Kusakabe, greetings. I understand you have received the whereabouts of a Spirit that we have been searching for years. We would like to ask you to stand down for now and observe for the time being."
"Why?"
"This particular Spirit has some properties that would greatly help in the extermination of other Spirits. Capturing it for research purposes is a top priority for DEM Industries," Ellen Mira Mathers' eyes narrowed threateningly. "Unless you would interfere with the progress of studying on how to improve Realizers."
Ryouko resisted the natural click of her tongue in response. "Of course. What would you have us do?"
"Standby for the time being. I will be arriving there in twelve hours. During that time, set up a perimeter around Tengu City. Although. if the Spirit attempts to harm any civilians, you are given permission to engage. That is all."
And with that, the video feed cut. The map showed no more signs of emergency, no more Reiryoku that signified that a Spirit had appeared. It just appeared for a second before vanishing into thin air. Ryouko once again sat herself on the uncomfortably comfortable desk chair. "What is happening?" she asked herself.
First, the Spirit named [Princess] disappears in the middle of a battle. And while it was common for Spirits to disappear from battle as they went back to the "other side," the scanner showed that the Reiryoku hovered over Tengu City for a few more minutes before disappearing. Ryouko assumed that the Spirit went back to the other side.
At least, she had believed that until Origami said Princess had enrolled into the school, into her classroom, as a student under the name of "Yatogami Tohka." Ryouko would have dismissed it at first if not for the images that Origami took of the girl in question. The girl that had enrolled into Raizen highschool looked eerily like Princess.
Yet, when they scanned the school, with Yatogami Tohka still in there, no sign of Reiryoku appeared. And so began Origami's covert operation of getting close to the girl who was identical to Princess. Which made the story even stranger when the small scanner that Origami had on her scanned Reiryoku not from Yatogami but Itsuka firstborn.
There was something afoot and Ryouko did not know how to feel about it. The latest conversation she had with the secretary of DEM Industries just made her neck hairs stand on end. She only hoped that her premonition was either wrong or false.
Part 5
Shidou gave himself one last look over in the mirror before nodding contentedly. He walked down the stairs to find Tohka standing in front of the door with her arms crossed and a frown on her face.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't like it, Shidou."
"Like what? The guitar? I guess we could exchange it since it hasn't even been a day yet."
"I love the guitar! But that's not what I'm talking about," Tohka shook her head before closing the distance between her and Shidou. She put her hands on her hips and stared into Shidou's eyes, although having to tilt her head slightly upwards. "I'm talking about the other girl."
"Honjou-san?"
"Yes," Tohka huffed. She took a few breaths, composing her thoughts properly before speaking again. "Whenever I think of you and her going on a date… It makes my chest hurt. I don't like it, Shidou."
Shidou opened his mouth in silent understanding, processing what Tohka just said. She was feeling jealousy and rightly so. Normally, any girl would want to keep their boyfriend to herself.
But that wasn't possible for Tohka. Shidou apologized to her in his heart. He took it up as his duty to seal the Spirits who caused disaster, who unknowingly killed innocents, and who were hunted down by the AST.
He wouldn't let that disaster five years ago happen ever again, not on his watch. The Spirits were as innocent as the people they killed, Tohka was proof of that. They didn't deserve the cards they were given. Shidou will save them from that life of endlessly running from the world and give them a normal one.
"Tohka…"
"I know that she's just like me!" Tohka cut Shidou off. "But I just don't like this feeling," At her pleading eyes, Shidou felt pins pricking his conscience. "What should I do? Shidou? I want to get rid of it…"
Before Shidou could answer, the world turned gray.
『 I'll fuck your brains out so you won't even remember this feeling.』
『 Those feelings are natural, Tohka. kiss her. But you don't have to feel them, I'll always be with you. 』
『 It's alright Tohka. You don't have to fight those feelings. This is my fault. I'm sorry.』
『 You'll always be the main girl in my harem, Tohka.』
Dear Gal Game… Could you please be serious… FOR FIVE SECONDS?!
Shidou slammed his fists into the floor, cursing both Kami and Maou for blessing him with this wonderful dating sim power.
Shidou sighed as he picked himself up from the floor. Throwing a tantrum wouldn't help in this situation. It was obvious that he only had one choice but for some reason, his intuition told him not to take it. He debated with himself what were the uses of the other choices.
Option A definitely shouldn't be chosen. Option B looked good. Option C was what he wanted to choose, but he feared what Tohka's reaction to it would be. Would she ever become too jealous that he wouldn't be able to save the Spirits? Would this be a trigger for her hating him? Shidou didn't want that for ten years at… Wait, not just for ten years at least, but for more than that! He didn't want Tohka to hate him at all. The bubbly, innocent girl hating him would send him into the depths of depression.
Option D?
No.
Just… No.
Shidou picked the second option.
The world regained its color and Shidou lost his control of self. On automatic, his hands shifted to Tohka's shoulders and drew her closer. "Those feelings are natural, Tohka," he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "But you don't have to feel them, I'll always be with you. No matter what."
『 Gained 10 affection points with Tohka』
"Shidou…" tears slipped from the creases of Tohka's eyes which she quickly wiped away. She tiptoed to get up to Shidou's height before taking his lips in a kiss. Shidou's eyes widened before he closed them, easing in the kiss. His hands dropped from her shoulders and onto her hips.
Tohka broke away from the kiss briefly. "Shidou," she whispered hotly.
"Tohka," Shidou did the same.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Tohka leaned forward once again, leaving a chaste kiss on Shidou's lips before taking a step back, away from his embrace. A bittersweet smile decorated her lips. Tohka still felt the pain of jealousy but swallowed it so that Shidou could save Nia. "Go get her, Shidou."
Shidou nodded before turning away. He bent over and tied his shoes. He sighed as he stood back up. "I'll be back, Tohka."
"I'll be waiting."
Shidou left the house.
The train ride to Suehirochou Station passed quickly yet so slowly. Shidou found himself staring blankly at Honjou Nia before the woman snapped her fingers in front of his face.
"Yo, shounen!" Nia greeted him happily. "Glad you came back to Earth. I thought you got blasted away."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"No worries. Everyone has their problems. Although, I hope that you'll get your head into the game. This final boss has yet to be defeated!"
"The final boss being?"
"My fair maiden heart, of course! Now come hither, this nun is here to help you through the first phase."
"Before we go," Shidou said and Nia stopped before turning to face him.
"Hm?"
"You look cute in your clothes."
Nia looked surprised before her open mouth turned into a flushed grin. "Thank you."
"Well, now, shall we?" Shidou offered his hand to Nia, who took it happily.
"All right!" Kotori's voice echoed across the Fraxinus, gaining the attention of the crew. "Honjou Nia is not like our first conquest. She's different, she has been living as a human in society for at least two decades already. She is not as innocent as Tohka and is not as naive either. Common tricks won't work on her. She has clear likes, dislikes, and hobbies that she has accumulated over the years."
"Commander!"
"What is it?"
"We have finally compiled Honjou-san's profile."
"Give them to me."
The video camera of Shidou and Nia was minimized as a picture of the woman appeared along with details of her life. Kotori's brows furrowed. "No date of birth?"
"None Commander."
Aside from her date of birth, several pieces of crucial information were also missing. Stuff like parents, schools, relatives, friends… they were all missing. "So she just truly appeared in this world, huh," Kotori whispered to herself.
"Her profile states that she is an otaku," Reine said. "Perhaps that is why she chose Akihabara as the date site."
"No doubt about it. It's a safe space for her."
"Don't you also watch anime, Commander?"
"I do," Kotori eyed the profile, "But I feel like our tastes are different. Onii-chan's preferences align closer with hers."
"That should give Shin an edge on this date."
"Indeed. Nakatsugawa!"
"Yes Commander!" a round man by the name of Nakatsugawa "Dimension Breaker" Munechika stood and saluted.
"I trust that you are confident in your ability to guide Shidou in this conquest?"
"Yes Commander!"
"Good, your opinion will be placed above all others for this mission."
"Roger."
"You may take your seat."
The screen minimized Nia's profile and swapped it back with the camera that floated above and behind the duo.
"If I may ask," Nia started.
"Go on."
"Why were you spacing out earlier?"
"You don't know?"
"Dear boy, I don't pull out Raziel for every single detail in life. Nor do I want to. In fact, I would rather do without it. Knowing everything is a pain in itself."
"Oh," Shidou scratched his chin in thought. "I would guess so."
"Indeed. That is why I have no plans for today's date! Do you?"
"No," Shidou gave Nia a wry grin.
"That's good then! There's nothing more fun than winging something," Nia's eyes shifted away from Shidou and behind him. A large grin blossomed on her face before she dragged Shidou across the street. "Boy! Boy! It's here! The long awaited Izayoi Miku scale figurine!"
"Who?"
"Oh, you don't watch idols?"
"I don't."
"Ahhh, I should introduce you to her then," the two halted in front of a large store that looked like one of the more high-end stores on the street. It looked like any other anime based store but had posters of 3D idols, Japanese and Korean, on their banners instead of the 2D girls on the screen. There were a few vtuber idols though from that famous 3D virtual idol company, Clover, but other than them, no other anime banners or figurines were in the store. Nia gestured to the largest banner stuck to the store's glass. "This is the current trending idol and one of the greatest idols to date. Meet, Izayoi Miku, you uncultured boy!"
"I just can't help but feel that you are insulting me, Honjou-san."
"That's because I am, Itsuka-kun."
Shidou gave Nia a long hard stare before reaching for her sides.
"Wait! Itsuka-kun!? Kyaaaahahaha!" Nia pushed Shidou away before kicking him playfully in the shins. "You jerk!"
"Welcome dear customers," before Shidou could retort to that, a random Murasame Reine appeared. "Do you need anything?"
"We're browsing for now."
"Please do it more quietly, thank you."
With a flat tone Reine left, Nia slapped Shidou on the shoulder. "Don't tickle me."
"Don't call me uncultured."
"Touche."
"It's going quite well," Kotori commented aloud.
"Yes Commander," spoke ment by Vorpal Haze: whoComment by Mira Gest: Random guy #69
"It's going so well, we might be able to seal her today," Reine commented.
"You hear that, Onii-chan?"
"Roger. I'll do my best."
A few hours later.
"...I'm sorry, Itsuka-kun."
How did it come to this?
"But I just can't fall in love with you."
Shidou didn't understand. He did everything properly. He followed Kotori's orders properly, chose every correct option from the Gal Game, and yet, here he was, being rejected. Were they forcing the issue? Were they going too fast?
『 Name: Honjou Nia 【Sister】』
『 Heroine Summary: A forty-year-old virgin mangaka under the pen name of Honjou Souji, author of the manga, [Silver Bullet, and an otaku. This girl has no life outside of gaming, manga, and all things otaku. She spends half her day scrolling social media and whaling on gacha banners and the other half drawing her manga.』
『 Relationship Level: 0 【The Faithless Nun】
Relationship Points: 35/100』
In the end, he couldn't raise Nia's relationship points past 35.
"It's not you, I promise," Nia continued. "It's me."
"No, Honjou-san—"
"You don't have to apologize, Itsuka-kun. I think it's my problem. I have closed my heart to people. I just can't trust them. I'm sorry, Itsuka-kun, I tried, but you just aren't 2D."