Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Date a Live.

Shido's POV:

So, I have to date everyone within the given time limit to see if I can find any oddities that would me to believe that they're actually Natsumi. I've spent enough time with all the girls to know each of their quirks, so it should be simple in theory.

But I have to keep in mind Yoshino's advice: the biggest hint to a riddle is how it is worded. It's entirely possibly that I might be overlooking something.

Anyway, first on the list is Tohka. Since she's the biggest eater out of all of us, taking her to the bakery and seeing how much she eats is a safe bet.

As such, I order a lot of kinako bread for Tohka. Watching her eat, I notice that she's surprising conservative.

"You're not eating as much as usual, Tohka." I notice.

"Hm?" Tohka looks up from her kinako bread at me. "Sorry. I was kinda thinking about something." Huh. When Tohka starts thinking, then it's probably something serious.

"What are you thinking about?"

"It's about the Impostor Shido from yesterday. When we chased after him to the rooftop, he was suddenly gone, but Rinne and I could feel lingering traces of Reiryoku, and it wasn't yours." She tells me. "Could that Impostor Shido actually be a Spirit? Is it the same one you met at the latest Spacequake?"

I find myself surprised by Tohka's question. "Tohka's unusually sharp when it comes to Spirits." I was thinking the same thing, Kotori.

I decide to sneakily use my Mana Sense to check Tohka's Reiryoku, but I soon find myself confused. She has her usual purple aura around her, but... I'm also sensing a green aura... on her head? Is that her bow?

"Shido?" Tohka calls for me, snapping me out of my Mana Sense.

"Ah, sorry. Yeah, that impostor was the Spirit that I met." I answer. "I did something to accidentally upset her, so she decided to cause trouble while looking like me."

Tohka frowns. "So she's a Spirit that can change her appearance..."

"Yeah. I'm trying to find her right now and hopefully fix things, but for now, I figured I'd spend time with you and all the other girls." My words make Tohka smile.

My date with Tohka ends, and I deduce that she's the real Tohka.

But why was her bow giving off a different aura from her? I'll have to jot that down for later.

This next day did not start on a good note.

Reason being that Kaguya said that Yuzuru suddenly disappeared.

The other girls aren't in the know about the current situation, but to those who do know, it's obvious what happened. Natsumi took her.

And if I fail to find her in time, then she'll take everyone else, too.

This time, I'm going out with Rinne and Rio together. This is less of a date and more of a family outing.

"Papa." I hear Rio call to me, sounding worried. "Are you ok?"

I look at Rio and sigh. "To be honest, Rio... not really." I admit.

"Is it about Yuzuru suddenly being gone?" My daughter asks, also sad about Yuzuru's disappearance.

"Yes, it is."

"It's very disturbing how Yuzuru could just disappear overnight." Rinne says seriously. "It's highly possible she was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" Rio asks, sounding scared. "Could it be those meanies from DEM?"

"If it was DEM, they would've kidnapped everyone." I say knowingly.

"Your father's right." Rinne agrees with me. "This could be the work of a Spirit."

"A Spirit?" Rio asks with surprise. "But why?"

"Because apparently, I saw something I shouldn't have." I answer, even though I'm sure that I didn't see anything because my eyes were closed. "But everything will be ok. I'll figure this out and save Yuzuru."

"You can do it, Papa!" Rio cheers me on.

Right. I can definitely tell that Rinne and Rio are real.

My next date is with Yoshino, but she also brought her mom along as well. In a way, this is also a family outing.

I guess we're doing family outings today.

"So, basically, there's a Spirit hiding as one of us, and we have to find her before everyone disappears." Himekawa-san summarizes the situation.

"Yep!" Yoshinon confirms. "We have to find the impostor... among us!"

*cue Among Us jingle*

... What is that jingle I'm hearing?

Yoshino karate chops Yoshinon on the head. "That meme is SO overdone."

"Heh heh... Sorry, Partner." Well, it's obvious Yoshino and Yoshinon are real. Actually...

"Yoshinon and Yoshinon Jr. are connected to you two, right?" I ask.

"That's right." Yoshino confirms. "So if Natsumi tried hiding as either of them, we would tell immediately because she can't imitate the connections between us." Huh. That's actually really handy.

Hold on. That means even if Rio was somehow Natsumi, Rinne could tell right away because they share the same seal.

"That's right! These bunnies are 100% real!" Yoshinon declares.

"Though, it does sound scary..." Yoshinon Jr. chimes in. "She could hide as someone's clothing and we wouldn't be any wiser..."

Someone's clothing...

Actually, didn't Yoshino say that Haniel let's Natsumi transform into whatever she wants?

"Something on your mind, Shido?" Himekawa-san asks, catching the look on my face.

"Yeah, actually." I admit. "It's about my date to check Tohka. I subtly used Mana Sense to check to see if she was actually real, but there was something odd about her."

"Odd how?" Yoshinon Jr. asks.

"Well, the top of her head was giving off a different Reiryoku signature." I explain. "I think it was coming from her bow?"

Yoshino looks serious after hearing my explanation. "I see. I'll look into that. Thanks for telling me, Shido."

I hope that piece of information helps.

Yoshino's POV:

So he detected a different Mana signature on Tohka's bow.

Given how Natsumi's powers work, allowing her to become not just anyone, but anything, he may have just found her already.

It was now night time as I prepare to go to bed. Everyone else is already asleep, and I stayed up a little late to help Kotori with paperwork. As I reach the stairs, though, I run into Tohka. "Tohka?" I call to her, surprised to see the Energy Spirit up this hour. Though, looking at the snack in her hand, she must've gotten hungry.

"I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about something, so I decided to grab a bite to eat." Tohka says.

Thinking about something, huh? "You were thinking about the Spirit we're dealing with, weren't you?"

Tohka frowns. "She's the one who took Yuzuru, isn't she?" I nod at her question, making her worry. "Is she... gonna come after us, too?"

"Most likely." I answer truthfully. "She wants to make Shido suffer, and she plans to do so by taking away everyone precious to him."

"I see..." Tohka says quietly, mulling over the situation.

"Tohka, give me your bow." I tell her, making her look at me with confusion. "If we all do disappear, then we should at least leave behind something for Shido to remember us."

Tohka thinks about it and nods. "You're right. We should at least leave something to comfort Husband if we're gone." She unties her bow, letting her hair fall down as she gives it to me. "Here. I can trust you to give this to Shido."

I nod. "Got it."

As Tohka walks upstairs to her room, I look at the bow in my hands with narrowed eyes. "I hope you're enjoying this, Natsumi."

A flash happens in front of me and I see Haniel floating before me. "So, you can tell that it's me." Natsumi says. "I didn't expect a little kid to be able to find me first. I'll have to eliminate you now before you rat me out to Shido." She looks at me with a sinister smirk. "Now that I think about it, you're actually the closest to Shido despite the obvious age difference. I wonder how he'll feel after losing you."

"You won't win this game, Natsumi. Shido will find you."

Natsumi laughs. "I doubt it. That fool's still fumbling around on dates trying to figure out if I'm someone else. He'll never suspect that I was that Tohka girl's bow." Oh, you don't know how wrong you are on that front. "I hope you enjoyed your little date, because it shall be your last."

Haniel's mirror starts glowing, and I feel myself being pulled in.

I've done my part. The rest is up to you, Shido."

Tohka's POV:

Knowing that I could suddenly disappear from Shido's life... it honestly scares me.

Shido's taught me so much about the world ever since I met him. I don't want those days to suddenly be cut short.

And I can only imagine the sadness he would feel if I were gone forever.

At the very least, if the worst does come to pass, at least Yoshino will have given him my bow so he can remember me.

As I walk into my room, I look on the dresser and see... my bow?

Why is it here? Didn't Yoshino say she was gonna give it to Shido? Not only that, but I didn't hear her walking up the stairs behind me. Did she use Mist Dash to get ahead of me?

Hmm... Maybe she changed her mind and wants me to do it myself? To see Shido one last time before I do disappear? Yeah, I guess that makes sense.

I grab my bow off the dresser and head off to see Shido. But the moment I leave the room...

"NATSUMI! WHERE IS YOSHINO?!"

I hear Shido yelling from all the way downstairs. At someone named Natsumi, demanding where Yoshino is.

... No. Don't tell me...!

Hurrying down the stairs, I see Shido glaring at a floating broom with a mirror attached to it. I can feel Reiryoku coming from it. That's an Angel!

"That's a wonderful look on your face." I hear a voice coming from the broom and see a person in the mirror. Is that Natsumi? "To answer your question, I decided that today would be the last day you get to see her."

I feel my heart stop hearing those words. Yoshino's... gone?

"You..." Shido growls angrily. "Give her back now!"

"Ah ah ah~ You know the rules, Shido." Natsumi says tauntingly. "If you want her and Yuzuru back, you'll have to find me." She smirks at Shido. "So, let's hear it. What's your answer today, Shido? If you're wrong, someone else is gonna disappear. Like Tohka there, for instance."

Shido looks at me with wide eyes after Natsumi makes my presence known. "Tohka?"

"Yoshino..." I whisper. "She's really gone?"

Shido lets a sigh. "I guess there's no point hiding it." His expression turns grim. "The truth is that Natsumi's got us all wrapped up in a sick game. If I don't find her soon, she'll take everyone who was ever close to me."

"And she just took Yoshino." I say sadly. "Is that why she gave me back my bow?"

Shido blinks. "What do you mean?"

"Yoshino suggested that we give you something to remember us if we do disappear." I explain as I walk up to him and show him my bow. "I asked her to give you my bow, but then I found it lying on the dresser in my room, which is weird because I didn't hear her follow me up the stairs." I look in the bow in my hand as I say that. Did Yoshino know that she was gonna disappear today? Is that why she left my bow on my dresser?

"... Yoshino's hint." Shido suddenly says after a moment of silence.

"Huh?" I give him a confused look after he said that, then see the look on his face that says he just realized something.

"When the game started, Yoshino gave me a hint: The biggest clue to a riddle is how it is worded." Shido explains before looking at Natsumi. ""Among the 16 pictures, I am here. Can you find me, before they all disappear?" That was your riddle, right, Natsumi? You said you were in the pictures, but you never said you were any of the people within them!"

Natsumi grits her teeth at his words. "Fine. So you realized my trick. That still doesn't help you if you don't know who- or rather, what I am."

In response to that, Shido smirks. "Ou contraire, Natsumi. You've actually given yourself away."

Natsumi raises a nervous eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Shido looks at me. "Tohka, you said that you gave Yoshino your bow before she disappeared, right?"

"Yeah." I answer Shido's question.

"And yet despite that, you found your bow on your dresser, even though you went upstairs first."

"Yeah. I thought she had used her Mist Dash to place my bow there, but now that I think about it, I would sensed lingering traces of her Reiryoku if she did." I realize the fault of my logic, and then my eyes widen. "Wait. Are you saying...?"

Shido gives a triumphant smirk. "You were never wearing your real bow! You were actually wearing Natsumi!" He looks back at Natsumi, who now has a look that says she messed up. "Isn't that right, Natsumi?! You were Tohka's bow this whole time!"

*CRACK*

The mirror that was showing Natsumi cracks at Shido's answer, and then there was a flash as two people suddenly appear on the ground unconscious. Yoshino and Yuzuru! They're back!

I let out a sigh of relief. Guess I won't be disappearing after all.

"Yoshino!" Shido moves over to Yoshino, holding her close as she starts to wake up.

She opens her eyes and looks up at Shido with a smile. "I knew you'd figure it out, Shido."

"You were the one who opened the way for me." Shido says, hugging Yoshino close to him. "Though, next time, try doing so without any self-sacrificing plays."

Yoshino giggles in response. "I'll try."

"Oh, and Tohka?" I perk up when Shido calls my name, and I see him let go of Yoshino and walk up to me. The next thing I knew, he's kissing me on the lips, but I quickly relax and kiss him back, accepting that this is my reward for helping him win the game. He parts from the kiss after a minute and gives me a grateful smile. "Thank you. You were just as big of a help as Yoshino." I smile happily at Shido's praise.

Suddenly, we hear the sound of someone sniffing and look to see a kid around Yoshino's physical age crying on the ground. Her hair is messy, but it's the same color as Natsumi's... Wait, her aura is the exact same.

"Natsumi?" Shido says, looking at her with surprise.

"Yes." Yoshino confirms. "This is Natsumi's true form." Natsumi's true form?

Natsumi flinches at Yoshino's words and feels her own face, and then looks back at us and panics. "Haniel!" She calls her Angel, and then her body transforms into a woman a little bit older than me. So that's a transformation caused by her Angel.

"You saw!" Natsumi glares at us with intense hatred. "You saw! You saw! YOU SAW!" The anger in her words makes us flinch back. "You saw my secret not once, but TWICE! I'll never forgive you for this!"

"Hey, wait a minute! I didn't see you the first-"

"Haniel!"

Natsumi doesn't give Shido a chance to finish as she activates her Angel again, a bright flash taking the room. By the time it died down, Natsumi was gone.

"Natsumi!" Shido calls her Natsumi.

"She's already gone." Says... someone I don't recognize.

I quickly look around for the source of the voice and realize that Yoshino is gone again. In her place is a girl mine and Shido's age with chestnut hair and blue eyes.

"Who are you?!" I demand the girl. "What have you done with Yoshino?!"

"What are you talking about?" The girl says. "Tohka, I'm... Yoshi..." The girl starts to trail off her eyes widening as she brings a hand to her mouth, as if she's surprised to hear her own voice.

The girl then takes a moment to look herself over, before giving a response.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

A loud response.

Fanfiction was having problems on Saturday, so I had to focus and do the whole chapter on Sunday. I even went as far as staying up all night. Because of this, the chapter may seem of lower quality.

Anyway, the game is done. And the correct answer is: Tohka's bow!

This game itself got done much faster, mainly due to Shido hinting at possibly detecting Natsumi earlier and Yoshino putting the pieces together. Then, our heroine decided to bait Natsumi into taking her, leading to Natsumi exposing herself when Tohka came back downstairs.

But Natsumi has escaped and she's still at large! But what's this? Yoshino is gone once again, and some other girl is taking her place!

Find out what's going on next chapter!

Also, Happy New Year!