Shidou Itsuka was walking side by side with the spirit girl he had just met.
Normally, he occasionally went on walks with his little sister, but the atmosphere of walking with those three people earlier felt less like a date between a boy and a girl, and more like a group of close girlfriends out shopping.
To be precise, this was the first time he was alone with a cute girl who was not his sister: and without the earpiece provided by Fraxinus.
Roughly estimating, Kyoumi’s height was about the same as Origami Tobiichi’s.
Even with the noticeable heels on her spiritual armor’s short boots, she was still half a head shorter than Shidou Itsuka, who stood exactly 170 cm tall.
It was a height that clearly made one recognize she was a member of the opposite sex, not a child.
“By the way, why did you claim to be my older sister…?”
Although the girl had already explained this earlier, Shidou couldn’t quickly think of any better topic on the spot.
If he were in his usual calm state of mind, Shidou Itsuka would probably have managed a more suitable greeting.
But the boy whose nerves had already been worn down by both Origami Tobiichi and Tohka now felt his head completely empty.
“If I just dragged you out like that, it would affect your daily life, wouldn’t it?”
“I myself am the very aggregation of the concept of 【Beauty】.”
“It is inevitable that I would draw unnecessary jealousy and rejection toward you.”
“Lucky people always face such things~”
Although it sounded a little narcissistic, it was indeed a conclusion reached after careful consideration.
“Besides, if my guess is correct, my age should be a bit older than yours.”
“Huh?”
Even though he already had the precedent of their legal-loli homeroom teacher Tamae Okamine, Shidou still widened his eyes in shock.
“Age has no meaning for spirits.”
“Although my recorded appearance in this world is recent, I possess common knowledge that could only be gained from living in human society for a very long time.”
“So, as expected, I must have been active in this world much earlier, then was rejected by the world afterward.”
“My actual age should be higher than yours.”
Embracing the orca plushie, the girl’s rose-colored single eye reflected Shidou’s surprised expression.
“Is that so…”
It didn’t feel real.
If Tamae Okamine didn’t always look like she was desperately trying to get married, most ordinary people would probably feel the same lack of reality if told she was already on the road to thirty.
“Wait a second?!”
His sluggish thoughts gradually became active again.
Shidou suddenly recalled the moment when the girl had explained vocabulary to Tohka, as well as that mosaic that had appeared beside Kotori in the video recording he had watched inside the airship.
“Kyoumi, don’t tell me you’re also?!”
“Just like Kotori, a spirit who used to be human?”
She could tell exactly what the boy was thinking from his expression alone.
Kyoumi pressed the orca plushie against the face of the boy who had just shouted loudly in the middle of the street, attracting the attention of passersby.
Although the girl herself already had the trait of drawing eyes, there was no need for the boy to broaden the range further.
“I object to that point.”
“I am indeed missing some crucial memories, but this body shows no traces of having grown up.”
Kyoumi denied the boy’s guess, withdrew the orca plushie, and hugged it again.
“I may not be a natural spirit, but I am definitely not the type that transformed from a human.”
“That type…”
Shidou rubbed his cheek.
The girl’s strength hadn’t been heavy, but the plushie was rather large, so the pressure was still considerable.
“Additionally, I already have some leads on how spirits can remain in this world.”
“Given time, I won’t need you anymore.”
“…Eh?”
That’s right.
As long as a spirit could remain in this world and didn’t return to the Neighboring World, they naturally wouldn’t passively cause spacequakes.
In that case, according to Shidou’s logic, there would be no need to seal spirits who caused spacequakes and were hunted for it.
Conversely, a spirit who deliberately stayed in this world and caused spacequakes to create disasters would have no right to complain even if they were subjugated by the Self-Defense Forces.
“Spirits can stay in this world on their own?!”
“It’s only a lead for now.”
“At the moment, the majority of other spirits will probably still need you to trouble yourself with sealing…”
“Also, pedophilia is not allowed, Shidou.”
“Who’s a pedophile, damn it!!”
Shidou reflexively retorted at the girl’s sudden leap in topic at the end.
Although Shidou-san’s reputation had already suffered a bit of damage, as a normal human being, Shidou wasn’t even a lolicon, much less a pedophile.
“It was just a warning.”
Kyoumi turned her gaze away, shifted the orca plushie under her arm, and continued walking at a leisurely pace.
“But since it’s a promise I made, I’m still interested for the time being, so I won’t go back on my word right away.”
“I’ll give you a chance to try sealing me.”
“If Kyoumi can stay in this world by yourself, do you still need to be sealed?”
The girl was the type who could live normally on her own.
Up until now, Shidou Itsuka could make that judgment.
“Although sealing isn’t necessary, having a walking ATM around does feel nicer.”
“…You’re way too blunt, aren’t you?”
“I provide power, and your Ratatoskr provides funds.”
“Doesn’t that feel a lot like collecting protection money?”
“I feel like there’s still a bit of a difference…”
Sometimes it was really hard to keep up with the girl’s train of thought.
Shidou gave a wry smile and quickened his steps to catch up with her.
“Is that so?”
“Shall I take a little advance payment then?”
“…Are you actually listening to people when they talk?”
“I can’t help it with you~ I’ll allow it.”
Putting on a helpless expression, Kyoumi took hold of Shidou Itsuka’s empty hand.
“Kyoumi…?”
“Just holding hands.”
“If you’re already getting embarrassed over something like this, then I’m really looking forward to your expression during the sealing ritual~”
A faint blush appeared on the boy’s face.
Finding it amusing, Kyoumi teased him.
“…Ah… Y-Yeah…?!”
It wasn’t as if the boy had truly never touched the hand of a girl besides his sister: at the very least, that was no longer the case after the weekend.
But unlike Tohka’s, Kyoumi’s palm was far more delicate, giving the boy the fragile feeling that it might break if he applied even a little strength.
The cool, silky texture of her gloves rubbed against his fingertips, and because of the girl’s words, even more stimulating images surfaced in the boy’s mind.
The boy’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to those soft, slightly parted lips…
Does it taste like chocolate?
Shidou Itsuka couldn’t help but associate it with the food Kyoumi seemed to prefer each time she appeared in this world.
“…You still need more training, Shidou.”
There was a saying: once you’ve tasted the marrow, you crave its flavor.
For a boy who had never had a girl get close to him before, the sensation he had felt when sealing Tohka resurfaced in his mind once more.
For a moment, the boy didn’t even hear what Kyoumi had said.
“Hiss——”
It wasn’t until a stinging pain came from his hand that he snapped back to reality.
His gaze slid downward accordingly.
There, the girl’s fingertip was pressing on a long, narrow cut that had appeared on the back of the boy’s hand at some unknown time.
The wound wasn’t very deep, but under the pressure, blood was already seeping out again from the center.
“You can’t have distractions on our date, and I absolutely won’t allow anyone else to interfere.”
The girl released Shidou’s palm.
It was as if that momentary hand-holding had only been to stimulate his sense of pain.
“It still hasn’t healed even now.”
“Just this little bit of blood would have been enough to ignite flames last time.”
“I understand the principle of first come, first served.”
“This time, Kotori gets priority~”
The little devil with a captivating smile passed by the boy’s side.
“Next time, then.”
“If this time you can’t look only at me without any reservations, then next time it’ll be both the hand-holding and the sealing.”
“I’ve always been very patient~”
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