Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Date A Live
Yoshino's POV
I finished dressing myself into the spare clothes that Miyoi brought, which was a white one-piece dress and a sun hat. These are the same clothes that Reine gave to Yoshino after she was sealed in canon, so it's kind of a coincidence that Miyoi brought those same clothes.
Now clothed, I exit the bathroom with Tohka, and we see someone waiting for us. It was Reine Murasame, who I knew is Mio's clone.
"Reine? What are you doing here?" Tohka asks, confused.
"I was told that Shin had successfully sealed Yoshino." Reine explains. "I'm here to give her the same test to see if the seal is working, as well as how the Spirit of Origin's power effects it." Ah, that makes sense. Mio was never really sealed, so it's unknown how her powers would be effected by the Shido's ability.
"That's understandable." I nod. "Alright, let's go." I agree to follow Reine, and the two of us were teleported into Fraxinus' medbay.
"I'm surprised you let yourself be sealed so quickly, Fuyu." Reine says, calling me by my old name.
I look at her in response. "Are you sure you should be calling me by my old name?"
Reine smiles. "It's fine. It's just the two of us right now."
I sigh since she has a point. "Well, whatever. We both knew that I had to be sealed eventually, and I had a feeling that if things went as per canon, we would be dealing with DEM instead."
"That is true. You've become quite infamous since you defeated Ellen." She smirks. "Great work with that, by the way. That woman deserved a good punch to her ego."
"Ain't that the truth." Yoshinon says.
With the small talk done, I let Reine perform the test on me. "Oh? How interesting." I hear her say.
"What is it?" I ask out of curiosity.
"It seems that the Pure Reiryoku does indeed have an effect on the seal." She examines. "It is actually reinforcing the seal that Shin placed on you, resulting in a much more stable pathway compared to Tohka."
"That's a good thing, right?"
Reine nods. "For you, it means that you'll be able to draw out more of your power without risk of breaking the seal. In Shin's case, he'll be able to safely use more of your power, including the Pure Reiryoku."
"Good. That'll be helpful down the road." Shido being able to use Pure Reiryoku means that he's already stronger than he would be at this point.
"Hey, you also said that partner will be able to use more of her power, right?" Yoshinon asks. Admittedly, I am curious about that as well.
"Yes. I theorize that you should be able to use roughly 75% of your power." Reine states.
75% huh? That's not bad. I can definitely work with that.
"Also, I've made a copy of your stats so you could see them." Reine hands me a sheet of paper. "It was updated after your battle with Ellen."
Curious, I take the paper and take a look at my stats...
...
...
"WHAT THE HELL!?" I yell out loud.
"Why so surprised?" I look up at Reine. She was smirking, clearly amused by my shock. "We both knew that my Pure Reiryoku would make you stronger."
"Yeah, but..." I take another look at my updated stats.
Strength: 295
Consistency: 282
Reiryoku: 499
Agility: 412
Intelligence: 352
"This is a +200 boost to all my stats, except for my Reiryoku, which is up 300!" I quickly did the math in my head and it's crazy! This means I'm now stronger than Tohka, faster than Kaguya and Yuzuru, and overall more powerful than Rinne, who is a SS Spirit!
"Ah, about your Reiryoku, I believe it's because you are a reincarnated soul." I look at Reine when she said that. "The Pure Reiryoku boosted it by 200, much like your other stats, except for your Intelligence, which is tied to a Spirit's knowledge and reasoning ability." So my Intelligence is naturally that high? "But the extra 100 comes from your human soul merging with your Sephira Crystal." Yeah, that makes sense.
"Perks of reincarnation, I guess." I say with a sigh.
"And this is without the added power boost you are capable of with my power." Reine mentions.
"Ah, you mean Origin Mode. It's actually an incomplete version of it. I guess me being a Spirit who was formerly human is holding me back."
"Probably. We don't have the exact multiplier, but it's believed you can reach SSS with it."
SSS? As in the same level as Parallel World Tohka? Have I really become this strong without even realizing it?
"Damn! We really are OP!" Yoshinon voices what was on my mind.
While we're still nowhere close to Mio, we can at least handle any other unexpected anomalies.
The door opens as Kotori walks in with Origami. "Hey, Yoshino." The Flame Spirit greets me. "I figured I'd come tell you that Origami and Miyoi both joined Ratatoskr."
"Really?" I raise an eyebrow in interest and look at Origami.
"I wanted to be able to help the Spirits and fight alongside you, especially now that you're sealed." Origami explains.
"We were originally planning to recruit her anyway since it's rare to find someone who sympathizes with the Spirits like her." Kotori chimes in. "Since Miyoi also joined, she'll be giving her Wizard training."
"I see." I nod in understanding. "Well, I suppose I can help out your training as well."
Kotori raises an eyebrow at that. "How can you do that when your power is sealed?"
"Sealed, but not completely gone." I raise a finger and form a small shard of ice, surprising the two. "Now that I've been sealed, I actually got an understanding of how Shido's power works. When he kisses us, he doesn't completely take away our powers. Rather, the kiss forms a pathway that links us to him, allowing him to take in some of our power, while leaving an amount that is more easily controllable."
"She's telling the truth." Reine vouches for me. "When I first analyzed Tohka's seal, I found that she still had some Spirit Power left. The seal simply allows her to more easily suppress it and appear human, as long as she stays in a positive mood."
"That would've been nice to know beforehand." Kotori groans with a hand on her head.
"So Itsuka-kun keeps most of the Spirits' power inside of him." Origami says in thought, her eyes widening a few seconds later. "Wait, does that mean Itsuka-kun is able to use Spirit Power as well?"
"It is very likely that he can." I reply, already knowing the answer. "However, I don't think we should tell him."
"I agree with Yoshino." Reine once again sides with me. "Especially since we don't know the drawbacks of a human using Spirit Power. Besides, Shin isn't much of a fighter anyway."
"You're right about that." Kotori nods with a frown. "So, how much of a Spirit's power does he actually keep inside of him?"
"I believe Shin keeps half of the Spirits' powers, while the other half stays with the Spirits themselves." Reine deduces. "However, with Yoshino, it is a special case, and that is due to the power of the Spirit of Origin, which we call Pure Reiryoku. The Pure Reiryoku stabilizes the pathway between Shin and Yoshino. I'll have to double check to see if Tohka's seal is effected in a similar manner, but at the moment, this not only means that Yoshino can use far more Spirit Power despite being sealed, but it also allows Shin to more safely use the Spirit Power sealed within him."
"Huh. Pure Reiryoku really is handy." Understatement of the century, Kotori. "Well, in any case, I'll allow you to help train Origami, then."
"I would love to train with you, Yoshino!" Origami says excitedly. "I promise I'll do my best!"
I smile at her. "I know you will."
Shido's POV:
To be honest, I can't help but feel excited. First, I got to meet Yoshino, the Spirit that saved me twice now, and I managed to seal her pretty much all on my own. Not only that, but Origami and Ms. Hanakai also joined Ratatoskr. Honestly, I feel glad to have more people helping me out. The Fraxinus crew are good people, but my second encounter with Tohka made me question their reliability. Why would they choose the aggressive option for a Spirit that is already aggressive herself and can easily kill me!?
Well, anyway, I was kind of expecting Kotori to have her live in my house like Tohka, but I was surprised to hear that they let her stay with Origami and Ms. Hanakai. She said that unlike Tohka, Yoshino is much better at controlling her emotions as well as suppressing her power, so she doesn't need to constantly be close to me. That makes sense. Yoshino's been a Spirit for much longer, so she's more experienced at handling her power than Tohka is.
And yet despite that, Yoshino said she wouldn't mind going on a date every now and then, since she's usually the only one in the house whenever we're at school.
So, here I am, about to go on a date with Yoshino two days after sealing her. We agreed that I would pick her up at Ms. Hanakai's house, and I was given the coordinates beforehand.
Turning the final corner, I smile as I see her walking out the house and jog up to her. "Hey, Yoshino!" I greet her.
"Hello, Shido." Yoshino greets back.
"Good to see you could make it, lover boy." Yoshinon comments. I notice that she's attached herself to Yoshino's left hand.
I chuckle. "Yeah, well, Kotori would have my hide if I missed out on a date with you, or any other Spirit for that matter."
"And don't you forget it." Kotori says as a warning.
"You two have fun!" Ms. Hanakai shouts from the front door.
"Sure will!" Yoshinon shouts back as we wave her and Origami goodbye and head off for our date.
"By the way, why is Yoshinon attached to your hand?" I ask.
"Well, it would be weird if people saw a flying hand puppet flying around a little girl, wouldn't it?" Yoshinon asks as if it was obvious. "So, whenever partner goes into public areas, Yoshinon attaches to her left hand." I nod in understanding. It's easier for normal people to accept ventriloquism than an actual living puppet.
"Well, let's get going. I'm sure Ratatoskr has something planned." Yoshino says.
"Yep. Yoshino and I talked about it." Kotori tells me. "We're going for a more casual date, since she doesn't like being treated as a celebrity."
"Right. Let's go, then." I say as we head off.
Yoshino's POV:
I have to admit, even though the Fraxinus crew are a bunch of perverts and people with no healthy love lives, they know how to arrange a date.
First we went to one of the diners they set up for dates with Spirits. They also don't try the whole "You're our 10,000th customer!" or whatever, as to not add any unneeded flare, which is preferable. The food was still quite good.
Next we decided to go to the arcade for some fun. There were a couple games I could play one-handed, so Shido and I mainly focused on those, but on the way out, one game in particular caught my attention: a shooting game called "House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn". Huh, I'm familiar with House of the Dead, but I didn't think it would be in this world.
I also caught sight of a girl in a black dress also looking at the game. Her back was facing me, so I couldn't see her face, but is that...?
"Do you want to play that?" Shido asks. "I'll be honest, I've never held a gun before, but I'll give it a try if you are, Yoshino." I don't blame Shido for his nervousness. This series of arcade games require quick and steady reflexes, as well as good reaction time.
"Ara~ I knew I heard a familiar name." I hear a familiar voice and look to see the same girl walking up to us. Now that I could see her face, I immediately recognize.
"Kurumi!" I exclaim in surprise.
"It's been a while, Yoshino-san." The Time Spirit greets me with a smile.
"You two know each other?" Shido asks.
I nod. "Yeah, we're well acquainted."
Kurumi looks at Shido. "Ara ara~ You're pretty cute." She smirks flirtatiously. "What's your name?"
"U-um, Shido Itsuka." He nervously introduces himself.
Kurumi giggles at his nervousness. "I'm Kurumi Tokisaki. Nice to meet you, Shido-san." She introduces herself with a bow, before turning to me. "By the way, Yoshino-san, I heard you were looking at this game here." She points to the HOTD: Scarlet Dawn arcade machine.
"I would be lying if I said it didn't catch my interest." I admit.
"Well, I happen to be quite interested myself." She smirks. "It's been a while since we've seen each other. How about we play together?"
I smirk back, taking off Yoshinon and giving her to Shido. "Why not?" Might as well see how far two Spirits can go.
The game was just as hard as you'd expect from an arcade game, and the bosses prove to be quite challenging, including The Chariot and The Hanged Man from the first game. Being Spirits, though, we boasted great reflexes, and our teamwork meant that Kurumi and I could cover each others' weaknesses, which is good because my short height makes playing this a little difficult. It wasn't until stage 3 that one of us took a hit, and even then it was only that one hit.
What I didn't expect was for us to do so well that we'd attract a crowd. As we approach the final level, I look to see not just Shido, but multiple other people watching us.
"Seems we've attracted a crowd." Kurumi muses. "Shall we, Yoshino-san?" With a nod, we begin the final level, and soon, we reach the final boss, complete with an encounter with Thornheart.
"You!" Ryan shouts when he sees Thornheart. He approaches him, but Kate holds him back.
"You're Thornheart." Kate says sounding like she was in disbelief. "You're still alive.
"Goldman and Curien were gone, but I was reborn from a fatal disease." Thornheart says proudly. "I CHOOSE to be alive!"
"You use selective words!" Ryan shouts, and this time, Kate was too slow to stop him from getting close. "What are you planning!?"
"Can't you see it? The future looks plural, but in truth, there is just one." Thornheart says. "I can see it with my eyes."
The ground in-game starts shaking at the moment. "What?" Ryan wonders as he and Kate looks around.
"It is time. The time for new life to be born in a new evolution!" Thornheart declares as rubble starts falling down.
"Come on! This way!" Kate urges Ryan to run back as a glob of green liquid falls onto Thornheart.
The scene ends, and we are introduced to the final boss of Scarlet Dawn: The Moon.
The Moon was actually a very challenging opponent, very fitting for a final boss in an arcade game. There were a few instances where we could damage it, but only by a little bit before it became invulnerable. Other than that, it was just Kurumi and I working to stop its attacks from hurting us. This continued until Ryan threw his gun in frustrating, before noticing a metal pipe. Picking it up, he jumps up the roof of the structure he and Kate were on, and with a quick shot at the frame, Ryan rams into its head.
The final cutscene plays as lightning strikes The Moon where Ryan rammed the pipe, completely frying its body as it falls in defeat. Kurumi and I got our individual ratings, which we both got "S", before getting our overall ratings.
P1 Ryan Taylor
CHAPTER 1: S
CHAPTER 2: S
CHAPTER 3: S
CHAPTER 4: S
CHAPTER 5: S
Rank 1 Special Agent
P2 Kate Green
CHAPTER 1: S
CHAPTER 2: S
CHAPTER 3: S
CHAPTER 4: S
CHAPTER 5: S
Rank 1 Special Agent
2PLAYER AGENT RANKING: 1
Kurumi and I smile and high five each other as the crowd cheers behind us.
"You two were amazing!" Shido cheers for us.
"That's my partner and Kurumi for ya!" Yoshinon says proudly. Kurumi and I smile and wave at the crowd.
The two of us put in whatever nicknames we decide. It seems to only accept a maximum of six letters, so I opt to put in "CHESED" instead. Kurumi follows my train of thought and enter "BINAH" instead of her name. After that, the game does the usual of showing your ending progress as well as the player rankings. However, what caught my attention was the 2Player rankings, specifically, the pair under me and Kurumi.
KYAMAI Top Agent
YYAMAI Expert Agent
KYamai and YYamai... Kaguya and Yuzuru. So, the Yamai twins played this game as one of their duels, and looking at their Agent Ranks, Kaguya won. But the fact that they scored this high shows that despite it being a competition, they still showed good enough teamwork to beat the game.
"Well, that was a lot of fun." Kurumi says. "I hope we can play again like this Yoshino-san. And Shido-san, I do hope we meet again." She says her farewells and walks off.
"Hey, Yoshino." Shido speaks up as we also leave the arcade. "You and Kurumi know each other. Does that mean she...?"
I could tell what he was asking and nodded. "Yes, Kurumi was the one who helped me save Origami when she was kidnapped."
"That means she's also a Spirit."
I nod again. "Be careful of her, though. Miyoi already warned you, but she won't let you seal her without making you work for it." He nods at my warning. "Now, let's finish up our date." I say with a smile to lighten the mood, and he smiles back.
Shido's POV:
"Well, I certainly had fun today." Yoshino says, satisfied by today's date. The sun was going down, so it was time to head back home.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." I say happily. "Though, I'll admit that I was a bit surprised you chose a playground as our final destination."
"Mentally, I'm almost 40, but physically, I'm still a young girl." Yoshino smiles. "Might as well enjoy it whenever I can."
"So she's still fine with those kinds of thing. We'll be sure to remember that for future date plans." Kotori says, taking notes.
We soon stop in front of Ms. Hanakai's house. "Well, see you later, Yoshino." I say, turning to leave.
"Oh, Shido?" I stop when I hear Yoshino call to me. Turning back to her, she makes a hand gesture for me to kneel down. I do so, and my eyes widen when she gives me a quick kiss on the lips.
"I look forward to our next date." She says with a cute smile and a light blush, before she heads into the house.
"Damn, that was bold." Kotori comments.
Staring at the door for a few seconds, I smile and stand up. "Me too, Yoshino."
Heading back to the house, I resolve to prepare myself for whatever else comes in the future.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Kurumi Tokisaki, and I'm a Spirit."
... I was not prepared.
And here is the date that was skipped over.
We also see just how much stronger Mio's Pure Reiryoku made Yoshino. As stated, they are basically Yoshino's canon stats, except with +300 to Reiryoku and +200 to everything else. With the obvious excpetion being Mio herself, Yoshino's so much stronger than every other Spirit that stat-wise, no one can beat her, even with her now being nerfed to only 75% due to the seal. Except maybe Mukuro if she manages to hit with Segva, but Yoshino's so much faster than her, even with Shifuru, and that's without mentioning the whole turning her body into mist trick.
Also, I decided to give Kurumi an early reappearance. By having her and Yoshino play House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn! I always thought the gameplay looked fun, but I've never got to play it myself. Also, there's a mention of Kaguya and Yuzuru. They had like 99 duels before they met Shido, and I imagine this being one of them.
Well, either way, we end with her canon appearance, so next chapter will start the Kurumi arc!
See you guys then!