Shidou Itsuka lay on the ground.
His mind replayed the events of this whirlwind period—
When the spacequake hit, he noticed via GPS that his sister was still at the family restaurant.
He ran desperately to bring Kotori to a shelter, only to witness the spacequake firsthand.
Then, in a sci-fi twist, he was teleported to an airship, where he learned that Kotori, his cute and lively sister, was its commander, exuding a newfound domineering and sharp-tongued persona…
He learned that spacequakes weren’t natural disasters but caused by spirits—girls at the epicenter of the explosions…
He underwent training to save spirits…
Forced to play through dozens of dating sims…
Practicing confessions with teachers and classmates at school…
And today, a week later, he reunited with the beautiful spirit girl he’d named Tohka.
Their conversation was interrupted by the AST.
Origami tried to rescue him but was intercepted mid-attempt by another spirit.
Brought here and forced into a dialogue…
Attacked, his arm severed…
Flames erupted, pain and burning intertwined, his limb reattached as if reborn in fire…
The next strike would target his neck…
And then…
A flame-wreathed battle-axe, the clash of axe and blade.
The metallic roar, a deafening thud.
“My, attacking my brother in front of everyone? Don’t you think that’s a bit much, you deaf piece of trash~?”
“Another spirit? Is this your trump card?”
Another spirit?
What?
“Kotori—?!?!”
The burning sensation faded, but the searing phantom pain lingered in his arm.
His strength sapped by the agony, Shidou Itsuka barely propped himself up, eyes wide, staring at the figure wielding a battle-axe, standing protectively before him.
No mistake—that commander’s outfit, the familiar figure, the red twin-tails.
But why?
That extraordinary power…
A spirit?
His sister—Kotori Itsuka, a spirit?
No, no, no, impossible.
They’d lived together all this time.
His lively, adorable sister, even if she was secretly the commander of an airship with a nasty streak, was something he could barely accept. But a spirit…?
The flames that had healed his arm, that blazing restorative power?
Could it be that a dormant power awakened in me, and I’m a spirit too?!
“What the hell is going on!!!”
He couldn’t comprehend it.
Too many inexplicable things were happening, and a sharp pain throbbed deep in his head, as if his brain were rejecting the deadly information his eyes were seeing.
Despite his frantic denials and wild thoughts, a faint realization stirred within him.
Somewhere, somehow, he felt he’d seen Kotori in this spirit-like form before…
“Idiot Shidou, you’re in the way! Get back!!!”
Kotori, gripping her axe with both hands, blocked the purple-haired spirit’s slashing claw.
The floor tiles shattered beneath her, spiderweb cracks spreading instantly.
Half her body was slammed into the ground.
“Tch…”
Kotori’s arms trembled, no room to wrestle back.
The purple-haired spirit raised an eyebrow, pressing down harder, driving the girl deeper into the floor.
“Kotori—!!!”
“Your spiritual power isn’t complete. A seal’s influence?”
Instead of pursuing, the spirit stood upright, looking down at the fresh crater where flames flickered.
“If this is the result of sealing a spirit, then you’ve gone far enough.”
Receiving no response after a few moments, the purple-haired spirit lost interest and shifted her gaze back to the panicked boy.
“Give him back to me for now, Shidou.”
But a cold, furious voice echoed from the crater, followed by a tangible burst of flames that surged toward the standing spirit.
“Hm? This reaction…”
Blocking the fireball with one hand, the girl’s figure emerged within it, no longer in her initial commander’s outfit.
A kimono-like attire, with fluttering sleeves half-turned to flames swaying in the wind, and burning cords tied around her arms and waist, like the robes of a celestial maiden.
But sprouting from the girl’s head were two sturdy, sharp horns, making her less a princess and more akin to a Japanese demon—oni.
“A seal you can undo at will? Not bad.”
Seeing no action from the boy, she deduced, glancing at the girl in the fireball.
“You seem eager to fight, so let’s continue.”
“Oh, I’m beyond pissed right now. You went too far. You’d better kneel and apologize properly,” Kotori said, gripping her giant axe, a snort escaping her nose.
The fireball expanded, spreading, nearly engulfing the opponent’s arm in flames.
“So, let’s start our DATE (war)—”
“DATE (date)…?”
Swatting away the fireball, the spirit crouched, touching the ground with one hand, and leaped with a sonic boom, charging at the girl flung into the air.
A nimble fire snake, burning the air black, couldn’t withstand the descending giant claw.
The flaming axe handle sparked dazzling lines against the claw’s underside, but that was all.
The demon-like spirit had one battle-axe, while the beast’s four limbs were all weapons.
A blade-like heel sliced across her abdomen, followed by a kick that sent the celestial maiden crashing down.
The ground rumbled, dust billowing.
Gutted and spine shattered, Kotori Itsuka lay in a sprawling crater of spiderweb cracks, brows furrowed but lips curling into a wicked smirk.
Her gruesome wounds were enveloped in flames.
The flame spirit rose unnaturally, like a plank, with a push from her heels.
The gash in her abdomen vanished, and her torn Divine Raiment restored itself.
“Round two,” the flame spirit raised her battle-axe, its blade retracting to leave only the staff, wrapped in flames and mounted on her arm like a gauntlet.
The staff’s surface unfolded, revealing striking conduits, resembling a cannon mounted on a warship.
“Camael (Scorching Annihilator)—Megiddo (Cannon).”
The flames around her converged, surging into the cannon’s mouth.
She aimed it at her opponent.
Even just looking at it sent chills down the spine.
Terrifying spiritual energy poured into the weapon.
Kotori raised her gaze, her eyes glinting with a fearsome crimson glow.
“Turn to ash.”
Her voice was cold and merciless.
The flame spirit focused the accumulated energy, and a red light streaked forth.
“—What?!”
The raised cannon was knocked off course, its overwhelming heat incinerating the roof, carving a straight line to the sky.
Through the window, the light in view was overtaken by red, as if the heavens themselves were burning.
“That’s enough.”
With the cannon misaimed, the heat still dissipating, switching to the axe was too late.
The purple-black giant hand smashed the staff linked to the flame spirit’s arm aside.
From mere momentary contact, it turned charred and faintly melted, but the outcome was clear.
The shadow of the claw loomed large in the flame spirit’s vision, but what entered her sight wasn’t the terrifying claw—it was a slender arm with a curled index finger.
Tap— A flick struck her forehead.
The flame spirit reeled back, bewildered, her crimson-glowing eyes dimming as her body collapsed…
…into the girl’s arms.
“Hiss—” Kotori, snapped out of it by the forehead flick, clutched her head.
The cannon linked to her arm spewed white smoke before clattering to the ground.
“Hm, I’ve thought it over,” the purple-haired girl said, supporting Kotori’s smooth back, a pleased curve on her lips.
“I accept your date invitation. Prepare for our next meeting, cute little oni~”
“Huh? You—”
Kotori’s body was gently steadied, but a gloved fingertip pressed against her lips, silencing her.
“I’ll tell you my name next time. For now,” the spirit stepped back lightly, her mischievous grin widening, “thanks to you, this mall’s about to collapse. Take the boy and get out~”
With those words, the girl’s figure vanished from sight.
Not an escape—her manifestation time had ended, forcibly returning her to the Neighboring World.
“What the hell—!!!”
In the crumbling mall, the girl’s roar echoed.