“Phew… finally over…”
Shidou Itsuka let out a long sigh, packed his textbooks, and stood up with a slightly wilted posture.
It wasn’t surprising that he looked drained.
After two full days of emergency construction, not only had the school building been repaired, it had been completely renovated on top of that.
Everything was so brand-new that not even cleaning was required.
And today, Monday, classes had resumed normally.
According to Kotori, if they hadn’t needed to do a final investigation of the underground tunnels Kyoumi had left behind, the original plan could have fixed both the school and the spacequake-damaged streets in a single half-night.
Even though just a few days ago he’d been in mortal danger, everything had ended well in the end.
Tohka was now living a normal human life, Kotori was safe and sound, and although he had a tiny grudge against his little sister for not coming home for several nights “because of work,” at least she had properly attended school today.
When all was said and done, he was still a student; of course he had to attend class properly~
In that sense, Shidou Itsuka was nothing more than an ordinary second-year high school boy.
While inwardly marveling at the power of modern technology and the return of peaceful daily life, Shidou had been casually chatting and slacking off with his friend Tonomachi Hiroto as usual.
That is, until Origami Tobiichi showed up during the break with a deadly serious face and warned him, “You must not be unfaithful.”
That was the moment Shidou finally felt something was very wrong.
To be honest, Origami Tobiichi was an undisputed beauty; according to Tonomachi, she ranked in the top three of “Girls at school I’d most want to date.”
But Shidou was not officially dating her; at least, that’s what he believed.
…It all started back when he was doing special training to save spirits.
To test the results of his training, Shidou had practiced confessing to his homeroom teacher Tama-chan (Okamine Tamami), and later to Origami, whom he happened to bump into in the hallway.
Leaving aside Tama-chan-sensei, who went from worrying about a student-teacher romance to debating whether she should wait until Shidou was legally an adult…
…When he nervously asked Origami, “Wanna go out with me?” she instantly replied “Very well” with an utterly serious expression.
Origami Tobiichi was an extremely beautiful girl, and he had even accidentally discovered that she was a member of the AST, but…
The whole dating thing was definitely a misunderstanding.
More than that than anything, what worried Shidou the most was the overwhelming hatred Origami had shown aboard the airship toward the spirit she called “Ifreet”; his own little sister, Itsuka Kotori.
Origami’s parents had died five years ago because of a spirit.
In her eyes, the only spirit present at that fire had been Kotori and Kotori alone.
Even after Kannazuki’s explanations and advice, even after Shidou’s own pleas and the clear statement “There was someone else at that fire,” she had only refrained from attacking outright.
Unless the real culprit was placed right in front of her, no amount of words would ever erase that burning hatred clinging to Kotori’s shadow…
Toward this girl who was “currently dating him” and who had lost her parents to a spirit five years ago, Shidou always felt a little guilty and awkward.
…And then, right after Origami’s declaration caused an uproar in class, the follow-up attack finally demolished whatever reputation Shidou had left, dropping him from 【Cute ascetic pretty-boy with possible yaoi vibes】 straight to 【Damn life-winner scumbag】.
“How strange, Shidou. You look so listless. Are you lonely because I wasn’t by your side?”
“You already did that kind of thing to me, didn’t you?”
“Eh? You’re going to call it a misunderstanding now? But that was my first time…”
From a common-sense standpoint, a kiss was definitely going too far!
But what’s with those super misleading lines—!
The super energetic girl possessing violently beautiful looks launched a shame-tinged accusation that effortlessly dealt massive damage to Shidou’s reputation.
That’s right; the spirit he had saved, the girl who had studied common sense aboard Fraxinus and received her surname from Analysis Officer Murasame Reine, was now officially named Yatogami Tohka.
With full legal paperwork, she had transferred into Shidou’s class as a new student, and it seemed some very strange vocabulary had been drilled into her along the way.
Seeing Tohka living a healthy, normal life really did make him happy…
If you asked any healthy high school boy whether he’d like to study and spend time with such a beautiful girl, not a single one would say no, right?
But… in his class there was also the girl who was “officially dating him” and who, very unfortunately, happened to be the same person as the member of the Anti-Spirit Team.
Whether it was his imagination or not, ever since Tohka transferred in, she and Origami had been naturally incompatible, fighting over Shidou like he was the piece of lettuce in a hamburger.
For the former “official class CP with Tonomachi” grass-eating pretty boy Shidou, today’s experience was five times more exhausting than pulling an all-nighter-and-a-half to clear a spirit-dating galgame for special training.
“Shidou! Let’s go home together!”
“Shidou would rather walk home with me, his lover.”
“G-Go home together?! What are you saying, you obstacle! Shidou obviously wants to walk home with me after school!”
“The obstacle here is you. Leave at once.”
“…”
Even after the final bell, the battle showed no signs of stopping.
Thankfully, the two were only arguing and hadn’t started swinging.
Maybe Kannazuki’s request to the JGSDF had actually worked, or maybe Tohka had properly learned that she mustn’t casually hurt people.
Feeling a strange sense of relief, Shidou quietly began shuffling away.
Running away is shameful but effective.
It was rude to both girls, but if he stayed any longer he really would be torn in half.
Decision made, Shidou seized the moment they weren’t looking, grabbed Tonomachi Hiroto’s hand, and bolted from the classroom.
“ITSUKA! You’re abandoning your two beautiful girlfriends to run off with Tonomachi?! You damn life-winner!”
Stumbling from the sudden pull, yet still loudly denouncing him, Tonomachi Hiroto; sporting wax-stiffened upward-spiked hair and a muscular build; shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Shhh! Shut up! It’s all a misunderstanding! I’m not in that kind of relationship with Tobiichi either!”
Terrified of alerting the girls, Shidou clamped a hand over Tonomachi’s mouth while glancing back to check whether they were being chased.
Well… part of the reason he dragged Tonomachi along was revenge.
If they did get questioned, he could always say “Tonomachi invited me to walk home first” and use his best bro as a meat shield to temporarily escape the situation…
Who told this guy to make that horrified “Have you betrayed our friendship?!” face the moment Tohka started talking?
But for now, he hadn’t reached the point of needing Tonomachi to take the fall.
“Hah? So that super beautiful transfer student who makes me believe in love again isn’t your girlfriend either?”
“T-Tohka…”
“You’re on first-name terms and you still play dumb with me?! Traitor!”
Tonomachi dramatically peeled away Shidou’s half-hearted hand and made an exaggerated gesture of disgust, but his tone softened.
After all, knowing Shidou’s ascetic personality, it would actually be weirder if he really was dating Tohka.
“Anyway, I’m not in that kind of relationship with Tohka either!”
…He couldn’t explain.
Ratatoskr, spirits, the AST; none of those could be revealed to a normal person.
All Shidou could do was give a vague answer and quicken his pace.
“Something obviously happened, but if you say so, I’ll believe you this once, Itsuka…”
“I’m truly, deeply grateful?”
Relieved by his friend’s understanding, Shidou replied in a joking tone and stepped through the school gate side-by-side with Tonomachi.
“Yo, Shidou. I came to pick you up~”
A purple-haired girl hugging two plushies, the corner of her mouth curled in clear mischief, distinctive eyepatch covering her left eye, dressed in an eccentric outfit that screamed personality; every gesture radiating a unique, captivating charm; stood right in his field of vision.
“—Kyoumi?!”
Someone who absolutely should not be here.
Yet she had apparently been waiting for a while, because quite a few students had stopped to stare at her unusual attire.
“Mm~ It’s me~”
She tilted her head cutely, drawing out the syllable.
“And this time, I even brought you a present~”
Right in front of everyone, a dolphin plushie dropped into Shidou’s arms.
Along with it came his best friend’s anguished wail:
“ITSUKAAAAA!! YOU REALLY DID BETRAY MEEEEE!!!”
I didn’t betray anyone—!
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