Date a Live

>Nepgear, nun and idol are cheering for you.
>You take them home
>You sleep in different rooms
What went wrong?

Is chapter 5 translated?

I bet its the editor again.

Youre sleeping in your bed together with Kotori thats why

Nepgear is complete trash no matter the dimension or franchise she appears.

It's me, chapter 5 is finially done and edited. I'll be posting in a few minutes.

Chapter 5 - Hero
“Ooh!”
Tohka, whose dazzling semblance was spectacularly ameliorated by the phenomenal miragematches,
broadened her two twinkling eyes as she studied the interior of the palace's exhibitory
special-purpose hall. She wasn't alone, as the Yamai sisters and Yoshino also vividly exposed
their ardent enthusiasms while they inspected the gallery-like court in enthrallment.
Of course, that couldn't be helped. Shidou and the other Spirits were currently located inside the
lavishly sumptuous party hall within the royal castle - a place which only existed within
imaginary fairy tales.
The crystal chandelier which sparkled in glorious splendor like rare diamonds perfectly
complemented the velvety vermillion carpet that impeccably bore no flaws. Even the marble
pillars and the lofty stairways were designed with an exquisite avant-garde touch which put even
the most refined aristocratic mansions to shame. Atop the grand oak table, that could easily be
mistaken by peasantry commoners to be a ceremonial article used for holy rituals, were
luxurious culinary delicacies and exotic gourmet food.
The majority of the people who gathered there were mostly from families of noble lineage or
descendants of renowned craftsmen and scholars. Everyone attending the ball was wearing
classy, à la mode attires and was playfully bantering with each other in eloquent miens.
Shidou and the others had heavily relied on Kotori’s sudden inspiration and finally succeeded in
surmounting the guard of the castle's gate. Despite this, the guard was still profoundly
befuddled when he saw them. They were a group of shabbily-dressed people that suddenly reappeared
in distinguished formal clothing out of nowhere. A modicum of doubt and suspicion did
arise, especially since the guard had memorized their facial features obliquely, but that was all.

“Ah everyone, I understand your state of minds, but don't wander too far. If you go out of the
flame’s range, your true self will be revealed. Especially you, Tohka. You'll turn into Japan’s
number one in an instant. Before that, bringing a katana to a VIP party is anything but
reassuring.”
Kotori informed them as she raised the emergency torch.
“Umu! Understood!”
Tohka replied with plenty of vitality.
However, a few seconds later, next to Tohka, the Yamai sisters defiantly charged out of the
flame’s limited range instead.
“Uohh?!”“Predicament. How unfortunate.”
Kaguya’s and Yuzuru’s beautiful dresses instantly reverted back to the ragged patchy clothing
that their representative characters had worn. The two let out unusual yells of bewilderment and
speedily swayed their bodies like trained gymnasts, coordinately leaping backwards afterwards.
In spite of the fact that a few participants had their utmost attentions unimaginably evoked by
the Yamai sisters’ elicited yelps, Hansel and Gretel were not witnessed by any of them owing to
the brevity of the two’s evanescent affair. Observing the volatile scene from afar, Kotori sighed
in a rather derogatory manner.
“Really, didn't I say to be careful? It wasn't easy for us to sneak in here.”
“S-Sorry…”
“Apology. I will exercise caution hereafter.”
Disheartened, both of them reverently lowered their heads to express their remorseful regrets.
Kotori could only shrug her shoulders helplessly.
“Alright… anyway, where's the said mermaid princess?”
“Uu… I can't see anything like that around here.”
Just as Shidou keenly glanced around the expansive hall, an anonymous figure could be seen
conceitedly approaching him out of the corner of his eyes.

“——Good evening, pretty Miss.”
“Ah?”
The unexpected salutation caused Shidou to turn his line of sight towards the source. Before his
eyes was a confident youth wearing a swallow-tailed coat, carrying himself with ease and
natural poise.
“May I have this dance?”
The youth gently smiled and extended his hand deferentially. Seeing this, Shidou looked
towards Kotori instead.
“Haha, he's asking you out. You're rather well-received, Kotori, Onii-chan is jealous.”
Yet the youth unfathomably shook his head and gazed directly into Shidou’s eyes while opening
his mouth once again.
“N-Not the little lady over there, I'm referring to you.”“....Ah?”
Hearing the youth's words, Shidou grimaced in perplexity. But he promptly recalled that his
current appearance had been transformed into the cute Shiori-chan through of Kotori’s matches.
However, Shidou had absolutely no interest in partaking in a dance with another male.
Moreover, if he accidentally went out of the match’s reach during the waltz like dance, he would
immediately return to his original male self. This kind of matter couldn't even happen to
Cinderella.
“.....Not her?”
Shidou, in cold sweat, pointed to Kotori, to which the youth shrugged his shoulders as if to say
‘you're joking’.
“Such a humorous Miss, but that pitiful little lady over there will feel bad. See that tasty cake on
the table there? Why don't you go eat a slice or two?”
The youth ludicrously ridiculed Kotori, as if he was coaxing an upset child. In a split second,
blue veins could be seen popping out of her temples angrily.
“W-What did you say?!”
“H-Hey calm down, Kotori.”
Not wanting to trigger any tumultuous disturbances there, Shidou hurriedly restrained his furious
sister's shoulders. Just in time, a woman who appeared to be the Master of Ceremonies
emerged on the grand stage situated inside the room, verbosely making a speech to all the
guests present.

“——May I have your attention please. In a moment, we shall be given the privilege to witness,
in person, a seldom seen mermaid princess’ enchanting serenade!”
Hearing the statement, the entire assembly hall vehemently flared up with ebullient exuberance.
Even the youth who had invited Shidou just now was zestfully viewing the raised platform in
high spirits.
“L-Let’s go, Kotori. There's our objective, we should look for a better position.”
“Hmph, fine. Let's go, everyone.”
Kotori did not hesitate to blatantly show a resentful expression as she beckoned everyone else
to head for an advantageous stead. Following closely, the curtains on the stage slowly unfolded
left and right, little by little. Instantly, the vast hall was enveloped by noisy excitement and
passionate sighs.
“Wow…”
“A real mermaid!”“So beautiful…”
Perhaps the theatrical scenery served to imitate the coastal seaside. The stage was nicely
decorated with water and a beach, along with some large sandy stones scattered here and
there. Atop one of the rocks sat a lovable young girl whose body had the exterior appearance of
a fish from waist down. She possessed slightly wet hair and a swimsuit made out of polished
shells; brightly smooth skin and a moist pair of eyes. It was self-explanatory; she was the very
epitome of the fairy-tale Mermaid Princess.
However.
“Kyaa—?! Where is this place—! Where's Darling!? Where did everyone go—?!”
She was the Spirit who also got swallowed into that oneiric world along with Shidou and the
others, Miku.

Miku haphazardly flicked her tail fin while cacophonously shrieking with a loud, blood-curdling
scream. She was undoubtedly unparalleled in beauty, yet utterly spoiled in many ways.
“Quiet down, you have an audience.”
“Even if you say that…”
Miku puckered up her eyebrows with indignation and embarrassedly said so. The emcee then
continued whispering into Miku’s ear.
“Now now, struggling is useless since you've been purchased by our generous King. You
should serve the King by singing a song. I heard that mermaids have very pleasant voices, so
let these honored guests who've come from distant lands indulge in your mellifluous singing.”
“I refuse! Although my voice is the best, I didn't agree to serve some company producer or some
King that I don't know! I don't work for things that have nothing to do with me!!”
Miku yelled as she arbitrarily turned her head to one side.
Miku’s defiant rebuttal caused a rather confused uproar among the populous crowd in the hall.
The emcee, who thought that it wasn't too encouraging to allow such a rebellious attitude
towards the King to be seen in public, put on an incisive look and fiercely glared at Miku.
“You're the castle's property now. If you aren't obedient, the King will not be pleased.”
“Hmph! I don't care!”
“Well can't do anything about it. A mermaid that won't sing is good for nothing. Go be
tomorrow's soup stock then.”
“Waa! Miku likes to sing!”Dreading being stewed into fish soup, Miku made an effort to smile obsequiously. Watching the
whole argument, Shidou feebly forced a wry laugh.
“Captured again huh… Miku.”
“Un. Looks like she was sucked into the fairy tale, Mermaid Princess…. Is this how the story
goes though?”
Kotori was utterly flummoxed by the unorthodox turn of events, replying to Shidou while inclining
her head to one side.

In any case, they weren't going to let Miku become the soup stock just like that, she was already
miserably pitiful to be compelled to sing unwillingly so Shidou and the others advanced a few
steps forward towards the stage. At that time, Miku finally noticed their striking presence and
opened her eyes, filled with hope.
“...Darling! Everyone! Are you okay…”
“Yeah, we're fine. We heard that there was a mermaid princess in the castle so we came to
visit…”
“Ah….! Where did you find such fancy dresses! And Darling is Shiori-san!? Ah! Ah! I wanna
listen to the detailed development!!!! Did you record any notes?!”
She resembled a stranded fish put back into the water. Miku’s eyes glistened rather lustfully as
she flapped her tail fin on the water surface nonstop. Although her vivacity wasn't detrimental,
the whole matter wouldn't be settled so easily. Shidou spread out his arms in order to sober up
Miku.
“C-Calm down… Anyway, how did you end up like that?”
Shidou asked sweat oozed out from his forehead.
“I was already like this when I woke up in the sea. When I was searching for everyone, a wicked
witch approached me and offered to turn me human in exchange for my voice.”
“Oh, so that's how it is.”
Shidou advertently nodded his head in acknowledgement towards Miku’s case. Indeed, her
featured story did vaguely adhere to the plot of the fairy tale, Mermaid Princess. Impressionwise,
however, the mermaid princess was supposed to fall in love at first sight with a handsome
prince on land and seek the witch for a forbidden method to become human. At least, that's how
the storyline develops.
“But if you're still mermaid that means…”“That's right. Hard to believe that witch tried to steal my voice. When I declined and wanted to
leave, she even kept bugging me to death! So I smashed her with my tail once and she ran
away.”
Miku said this with a grin.

Shidou could only go with the flow and laugh along *ahaha* at Miku’s coup de théâtre. Although
the witch didn't know inside information, the deal she unknowingly proposed was simply too
foolish. Miku was a popular idol and simultaneously a talented vocalist; therefore, her voice
equaled her life. There was no way that she'd accept the trade.
“But… when I tried to find you guys in this state, I got caught by some fishermen on the
shore…”
Shidou comprehended her situation and nodded acquiescently. True, her appearance was
rather conspicuous and had made it difficult for her to flee on land. As he and Miku talked, the
emcee that had been glaring at Shidou and the others from the beginning raised an objection.
“...Monsieur, is there a problem with this mermaid?”
“Ah it's like this. She's actually our friend, can you release her?” requested Shidou bluntly.
“Friend… the mermaid? I find that hard to believe. Even if that is true, she already belongs to
the King. I cannot accept your demand, so please give up.
The woman replied back in a stern tone.
“H-How can you be so unreasonable? What about Miku’s free will?”
“It doesn't matter with that kind of creature. She doesn't need a will since the King owns her.”
The cheerless host warned them in a desolate manner, causing the Spirits behind Shidou to
take offence from her deliberate wordings and expose penetrating gazes.
“Uu… you don't need to be so rude.”
“E-Exactly…! Miku-san isn't something for display!”
“Ah but, a line like ‘You're mine, you don't have the right to refuse’ has an air of a Shōjo manga.
Touching, right? In my opinion, it depends on the speaker. Boy, try saying that.”
“...Don't make things complicated, shut up Nia,”
Natsumi said so half-heartedly, causing a chuckle from Nia.
“.....”
The host pursed her eyebrows in annoyance towards their refusal to comply, and clapped her
hands a few times.

“Guards! These ladies shall be going now. Please see them off prudently.”
Immediately afterwards, a number of armored guards responded to her call and surrounded the
group, making a clamor as they resonated throughout the hall.
“Wha….!”
“Heh? Dare you disrupt peace?”
“Challenge. We will be forced to use force.”
The Yamai sisters’ expressions morphed into merciless frowns. The two adopted an offensive
stance, slightly leaning forward as if ready to kill at any moment. The wary guards were alerted
in response and assumed an encirclement formation.
“Haha, you have quite the nerve. Very well, those that feign fearlessness towards Death, bring it
on! Even without our angels we won't lose to scum like you!”
“Request. Allow Yuzuru and Kaguya to slaughter open a bloody path. We'll leave Miku to
Shidou and the others.”
Shidou let out a bitter look. He was against the obligatory usage of violence, but now that the
state of affairs had deteriorated to such an irreversible extent, there was nothing he could do
about it.
“Uh… I guess we don't have a choice. Everyone!”
“Ooh!”
“Alright!”
The Spirits collectively shouted a courageous war cry. Tohka unsheathed her blade from its
scabbard and Nia skillfully reloaded her dual pistols. However, through Kotori’s magical
matches, those deadly weapons took on the deceptive façade of being mere bouquets of
harmless flowers. Nevertheless, both factions entered their respective battle formations and the
scene brimmed with tension on the verge of eruption. If another turning point were to decisively
reoccur, a fight would undoubtedly break out.
On the contrary, someone else spoke at that time.
“....What's the meaning of all this raucous disorder?”
An austere voice reverberated throughout the combat-stricken ambience from the spiraling flight
of stairs leading to the upper levels.

“.....!”
As the unyielding voice reached the emcee’s ears, she inconceivably widened her now startled
eyes in a flustered manner. Meanwhile, all the stares and gazes in the hall converged at the
source of the articulate enunciation.
“H-Hey…”
“Isn't that——”
“It can't be… how lucky am I to be granted the opportunity to witness with my own eyes…!”
All the party participants gave out amazed yells of overwhelming surprise while the host could
only lower her head in deep veneration towards the revered voice, as if she was suffocated by
the intoxicating utterance.
“Forgive my impertinence, Your Majesty. Some uncouth commoners have come to wrest away
Your mermaid, that is fully Yours in all entirety. My humble self wishes to banish them, and
banish them I shall, with immediacy.”
“Your Majesty?!”
Shidou abruptly lifted his head in shock towards the woman's words, moreover her completely
disparate attitude. That was to be expected. The King was the master of the castle. That meant
that every guard there obeyed the King, and that the King was Miku’s owner - lucky. If they
could persuade the King, then perhaps they could somehow subdue the escalating dispute.
“A-About that! We are… the mermaid’s friends! So….. eh?
Shidou argumentatively debated as if he was pouring out his innermost grievances, only to
brusquely cease his speech halfway through. The reason was simple. The King looked
extremely familiar to him.
“O-Origami?!”
Shidou couldn't help but shout loudly. Before his eyes stood Origami, who was wearing a highgrade
loose red overcoat and a jeweled royal crown on her head.
“——Shidou.”
Origami declared tranquilly while observing the condition of the hall. She nodded with keen
insight of the circumstances, and let her overcoat flutter leisurely in the wind.
The next moment, Shidou and all the Spirits widened their eyes with shuddering shoulders,
except for Miku who exclaimed an *ahh*. It couldn't be helped.

After all, under the red overcoat,
Origami didn't have a single stitch of clothing on. Yet she showed no trace of bashfulness or
embarrassment on her face and even unhurriedly descended the stairs with a complacent
expression.“I-Is that the rumored…?”
“Y-Yeah… What a fantastic dress!”
“E-Exactly! Simply mystifying!”
Quite a stir was once again created in the room, but the dialogues seemed rather forced
compared to before, almost in sarcastic manner. Origami didn't have the slightest care about
the satirical uproar and merely forged ahead towards the raised platform. She exaggeratedly
swayed her overcoat as if issuing a manifesto.
“They are my guests. No harm towards them is permitted. Return to your respective posts.”
“B-But….”
“Do I have to repeat myself?”
Origami distorted her countenance as she glared fixedly into the self-deprecating host’s eyes,
causing the woman's body to shiver in fear.
“Uh…! M-My deepest apologies!”
The host deeply bowed her head once again and withdrew together with the guards. After
intently seeing them leave, Origami shifted her vision towards Shidou and the others.
“Shidou, everyone, good to see you're okay.”
“Y-Yeah… are you… uh… fine as well?”
Shidou didn't know where to look as his eyes frantically darted everywhere. Origami naively
tilted her head, unaware of what Shidou was ambiguously hinting at.
“I don't understand what you mean.”
“Ah… you didn't encounter any… plunderers, did you?”
Just as Shidou was measuring his words tactfully, Tohka bolted upright and pointed at Origami
straightforwardly.

“O-Origami! What happened to your clothes?! You aren't wearing anything!”The next moment, a storm of protest brewed inside the hall.
“That lass… how dare she say something so audacious!”
“Talking ill of the King's clothes like that… she'll be hanged for sure!”
Frightening utterances and suchlike could be heard from all four quarters of the crowded room,
far and near. What kind of tyrannical, despotic rule did Origami ruthlessly implement to inflict
such terrified veneration and fearful reverence upon the hearts of her subservient followers?
However, that was presumably a nontrivial matter of which was caused by the storyline that
Origami was intermingled with, and she wasn't necessarily responsible for the outcome.
Nevertheless, Origami didn't even look like she detested Tohka’s impudent statement in any
way. On the contrary, Origami barefacedly shook her head as if she was sympathizing with poor
Tohka.
“This, was purchased from a travelling tailor. My clothes are invisible to those who do not love
Shidou. If you are unable to see it, then that means, Tohka… you…”
“Wha…!? W-Wait a moment!”
Tohka objected in a hurry as she glued her eyes onto Origami’s body.“U-Uun… this is… a beautiful skin colored outfit!”
“You don't need to force yourself, Tohka.”
Kotori consoled her while gently patting Tohka’s shoulders.
“Origami, you've been fooled. No matter how you look at it, those are The Emperor's New
Clothes.”
“.....”

Origami remained motionless for a short period of time, and then closely tightened the front of
her overcoat afterwards. On a side note, Miku was bawling, ‘Ahh let me see some more!’
The Emperor's New Clothes. The emperor was fraudulently tricked into buying ‘clothes that
fools cannot see’ by a couple of dressmakers, making a fool of himself instead. It was a rather
well-known fairy tale that even Japanese people would have definitely heard of, however.
“I didn't notice at all,”
Origami muttered in an emotionless tone.
“Don't you guys think it's quite passable?”
“They told me that people who cannot understand love cannot see it, so I bought it in advance.”
“I-Is that so…? Scary how a wizard's imagination is.”
Kotori grimaced while subconsciously wiping sweat off her forehead.
“Well, now that we've found everyone, it's about time we look for a way out of this world.
Although our perceptions of time are different from the external world, a rather long period of
time has passed since we came here.”
Kotori sequentially shifted her gaze towards Miku and Origami as she continued explaining the
elaborate intricacies of the Adjacent World to them, roughly summarized of course, and posed a
doubtful query.
“The both of you were transported to two different locations, right? Up until that point, did you
encounter any characters that might be able to escape this world or maybe any items that could
have the same effect?”
Origami and Miku briefly faced each other for a short moment, and strongly shook their heads in
denial afterwards.
“Nothing special.”
“I didn't see anyone too, ah except for the witch and fishermen.”“I see…”
She didn't expect anything bright or outstanding, but Kotori couldn't help but sigh regrettably
with disappointment. The next moment, a narrow window of hope unraveled as Origami
continued her speech.

“Currently, I am the ruler of this country, and can issue a nationwide announcement. I should be
able to order the citizens to search for something similar to that.”
“Good idea, power in numbers huh. This way is far more efficient than us looking everywhere. I'll
leave it to you then.”
“Understood. But what should we search for, specifically?”
Origami inquired, to which Nia was the one who answered this time.
“Uu—Yeah, this world is pretty open to broad interpretations in the first place, so I think relics or
treasures which grant wishes exist here. Like Aladdin’s magic lamp or One-Inch Boy’s little
hammer. Even though both manga and video games have dimension-transcending espers, the
former’s more popular so we should have a higher chance.”
(TL note: Issun-bōshi ("One-Inch Boy"; sometimes translated into English as "Little One Inch" or
"The Inch-High Samurai") is the subject of a fairy tale from Japan. This story can be found in old
Japanese illustrated book, Otogizōshi, and has been various forms around the world and is
similar to the tradition of Tom Thumb in English folklore. Source:Wikipedia)
“Alright then. I'll immediately——”
At that very moment, the moment Origami responded.
A deafening resonance of shattering glass loudly echoed throughout the filled hall as a gigantic
wolf vigorously collided with the castle's fragile window casements, crashing the entire party in a
rampage.
“H-Hyaaaaa!”
“A monster!”
Confronted with the unanticipated violent intrusion of a grotesque, disproportionate monstrosity,
all of the ball attendants screamed in horror and chaotically fled in all directions. The wolf
brutally shoved away each and every being, living or otherwise, in its unstoppable path of
berserk destruction. Unwarily, Kotori’s torch dropped onto the adequately furnished floor.

“Ah….!”
The makeshift brand was actually just a broken piece of disused wood extemporaneously
wrapped in a thin strip of cotton cloth, and was on the brink of extinguishing. Fortunately, the fire didn't set the flammable carpet ablaze and burned out instead, leaving a faint black trail of
charred smoke.
In an instant, Shidou and the others who had been masterfully disguised by the flame’s
illumination returned to their original selves. Be that as it may, their attires constituted the least
of their concerns at that time, as an even more pressing obstacle had appeared before them out
of nowhere. Without even a minuscule shred of regard or interest towards the frenziedly fleeing
participants, the wolf ferociously charged at Shidou and the others straightaway.
“Hoh, I have repaid your petty kindness just now. How dare you little pigs treat me like some
dog that runs errands willy-nilly?!”
The wolf acrimoniously howled with rancorous animosity, to which Shidou could only furrowed
his eyebrows in utmost confusion, inquisitively wondering what he did to provoke such enmity
from the wolf.
“The wolf from before….!? Why, didn't you eat Tohka’s dumpling and turn good?!”
“Hah! I had digested that stuff long, long ago and expurgated it already!”
The wolf barked as it patted its belly.
“The dumplings use that kind of system!?”
Shidou was unable to refrain from shouting his reluctance aloud. At that time, the castle's
guards finally arrived and quickly aimed their barbed spears at the wolf, one by one.
“Your Majesty, please retreat!”
“Leave this to us!”
However.
“Don't get too full of yourselves, weaklings!!”
The wolf mightily swept its frontal limb, which was the size of a fully grown tree, and effortlessly
knocked a whole rank of soldiers airborne as a result, sending them crashing against the
opposite wall along with the grand table and everything on it.

“Woah… as expected of an adaptation. Tohka-chan, try giving it another one of your millet
dumplings!”
Nia instructed as she cautiously pulled out her loaded dual pistols. Tohka then inserted her
hand into the packed bag which hung freely on her waist.
“Un, ready. Wolf, eat this!”Tohka threw the millet dumpling with all the strength she could muster at the wolf's gaping
mouth. But, just as the dumpling was about to enter the wolf's waiting mouth, it was abruptly
stopped in midair as if time had been momentarily suspended.
“Wha….?”
Tohka yelled as her bleak situation fell into a disadvantageous predicament.
In that space, the shadowy figure of an old woman, who possessed a crooked nose and wore a
matt-black robe, slowly floated into physical appearance.
“Hihihi, pathetic wolf. Carelessness shall be your demise.”
The hideous woman ridiculed the wolf as she cruelly crumbled the caught dumpling into
countless bits, inexplicably sending a cold chill down Shidou’s spine.
Witnessing the malign occurrence, the Yamai sisters held their breaths with considerable
trepidation.
“U-Uahh! It's that aged hag!”
“Shock. She's the elderly woman who lives in the candy house.”
The Mephistophelean witch's sinister sneer grew even more horrifying. The slithering snake
named Fear sluggishly crept up the twins’ legs whilst constricting their remaining power with
great intensity, and gradually ascended their svelte abdomens till their faces paled.
“Hihihihi…. In the flesh, abominable Hansel and Gretel. Your insolent souls shall cauterize in the
Devil's mordacious hellfire for gourmandizing on my dwelling! Pity, I had graciously pardoned
the thinness of your tender bodies and hoped to consume you plumped, but restraints will be of
little utility to pardon you so graciously now!”
“Ahahaha! Hale and hearty despite the years eh, ancient human? Keep your filthy hands off my
prey, this little pig and red riding hood!”

The wolf roared with avaricious, mocking laughter. Kotori’s expression inevitably became
severe.
“Kuh… the wolf alone is more than enough, let alone a witch!”
“Heh? You seemed to have misunderstood something.”
“What did you say…?”
Kotori creased her eyebrows in disbelief as the wolf haughtily scoffed till the corners of its lips
extended to its ears.
“——Who ever said that that was all?”As the wolf finished its condescending intimidation, an immense volume of concentrated
seawater spontaneously poured through the previously broken glass windows.
“Wha….!? This is…!”
The arcane brine looked as if it darkened the party hall somehow, and unexpectedly swelled
into an irregular shape - the form of an ancient mermaid. Seeing the ghostly scene, Miku
immediately pointed her finger at the ostentatious apparition.
“Ahh! You! The witch that tried to steal my voice!”
“...Hahaha, correct. I come to return the slap on my face that you gave me! Not only will I
plunder your voice, I'll cut off your tongue as well!”
The ocean witch let out a contemptuous scorn. It seemed that the antagonistic villains from
every story who bore spiteful grudges against Shidou and the others had collectively joined their
evil forces in order to seek out vengeance.
Following closely was the seismic rumblings of gargantuan footsteps, which roughly mimicked
the magnitude of several tremendous earthquakes combined. A brutish ogre which wore a loose
loincloth made out of a skinned tiger pelt powerfully lifted a crude iron club and wrecked the
castle's wall into rubble, barging into the hall.
“Uah… could this be the Oni from the demon island!?”
Tohka said with quivering shoulders as the ogre viciously bared its fang-like teeth.
“Ouf coorse! Me wait and wait and wait.. forr you BITCH but neeever comme to me so me
comme to youu!!”
“You obviously have nothing to do with us and came by yourself!!”

Shidou couldn't help but verbally express his discontented misgivings towards the obnoxious
ogre’s absurd l’esprit de l’escalier. The forest and ocean witches had their own reasons for
amassing such intense hatred against Shidou and the others, but by the looks of it, that
mentally-challenged ogre had simply never even met with Tohka before.
But the madness didn't end there. As the formerly changed wolf's partners in crime gathered
one after another in the castle's hall, the now unguarded gates suddenly opened, revealing
three spoiled women wearing over the top ball gowns, with hearts rotten to the core.
“Ohohoho! Cinderella! You think an overrated girl like you can attend the ball?”
“Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters…?! Ah, although you guys are just remakes who don't
stand a chance, why are you being lumped with the witches and ogre there!?”
An underage youngster then naturally entered the room, for reasons unknown.“The king's naked… because I said this; my father got thrown in prison. But I'll keep saying the
truth, the king's naked!”
“Was there something so serious in the story!?”
The next instant, a massive fireball manifested in the sky, and within the flame emerged a
bereaved ghost whose dark eyes reflected no light.
“O granddaughter… ignite all your matches… and reunite with me…”
“The Little Match Girl's grandmother turned into an evil spirit?!”
Shidou exclaimed with a shocked demeanor.
A colony of innumerable bats flocked into the hall through the shattered windows, assembling
into a humanoid form. The moist surface of the wetted floor then perpendicularly bulged into a
zombie corpse, furthermore an indescribable, nerve-racking monstrosity which drove onlookers
insane by mere sight manifested from the shadows.

“T-This is…”
“Ah, that one's mine. The vampire from Chapter 1 • Nosferatu, the living corpse from Chapter 2 •
Undead Lord, and the unknown entity from Chapter 3 • Ancestral Deity—Silver Bullet’s atypical
massacre. This popular work of action and fantasy, 《Silver Bullet》, is currently being
serialized in the weekly Shōnen Blast!”
“That's why Shōnen manga has violence issues!!”
Faced with Nia’s shameless advertising, Shidou longingly pined to scream at the top of his
lungs. Inside the vast party hall, gathered irrational freaks and evil villains from every plot.
Furthermore, they had already surrounded the perimeter around Shidou and the others in order
to prevent any escape attempts, slowly closing down the distance apart with each step.
“Uh….!”
The overwhelming pressure exerted on them was completely incomparable to the castle guards’
formation before. That was to be expected. Right then, aside from a few distinct exceptions, the
despicable, degenerate existences which forcefully encircled Shidou and the group were vile
villains and alien monstrosities. In addition to the fiendish foes, their situation was invariably
worsened by the fact that they were utterly incapable of utilizing their angels’ abilities, be it
offensive or defensive. Each of their perishable bodies physiologically detected the life & death
crisis presented in front of them, resulting in a quickened heart rate and heightened brain
processes.
“We won't lose to the likes of you!”As everyone stressfully tensed up with anxiety due to the unfavorable circumstances, Tohka
alone yelled a loud battle cry and suddenly leaped into the air pouncing on the enemy with her
sharpened katana readily wielded.
“Haaaaaa!”
However, before her blade could even land an attack on the ogre, the witches to its right and left cast an offensive spell and energy projectiles. Their magic targeted her vulnerable body setting
off some minor explosions in the process

“Ack!?”
Tohka groaned as she unbearably suffered heavy attacks from both her flanks. Seizing the
onetime chance, the repulsive ogre exaggeratedly heaved its iron club and swung it at Tohka
from above her head with great force.
“Hahahaha! Tooo naiive, Momotarou!”
“Uhh….!”
Tohka subconsciously instructed her feeble arms to somehow defend against the bone-crushing
strike, but being in midair; she could not fruitfully exert any substantial force to move her hands
and got savagely staggered onto the decorated floor.
“Tohka!!”

Shidou cried out her name with all his voice and rushed to protect her, or at least, he tried to.
However.
“Letting your guard down is dangerous, little pig.”
As Shidou inadvertently heard the wolf's cold voice from above, his abdomen experienced an
intense impact without warning.
“Uaah!?”
He immediately understood why - his body had been swept by the wolf's colossal arm. Shidou’s
body flew across the capacious room, violently crashing into the hard wall and miserably falling
onto the also hard floor afterwards.
“Ou… ch…”
“Shidou!”
“S-Shidou-san!”All the Spirits cried out with distressed worry for him and attempted to approach Shidou with
unbreakable conviction, only for that very conviction to be mercilessly nullified as the wolf and
their other enemies sadistically blocked their determined path.
“Too bad, you won't be going anywhere.”
“Huh….!”
“Y-Yoshino….”
“I-It’ll be okay, Natsumi-san….”
The Spirits, some without resignation and some with uneasiness, earnestly snuggled close
together. The antipathetic bad guys who neatly stood in a blockading row perceptively smelled
this fear and laughed derisively, drawing nearer by the second.
“Prepare yourselves to be feasted upon!”
“Hihihihihi… Loosen up; I shall eat you from head to toe!”
“Kehehe, wonder what a mermaid’s tongue will sound like.”
“H-hyaa-…!”
Miku screamed in response while shutting her mouth tight.
However, Miku wasn't the only one compulsively shivering and trembling in fear. Despite their
uncommon reactions overall, everyone was sweating profusely as they helplessly awaited the
approaching monsters as if they had been condemned to the soulless guillotine.
“Kuh… bastards!”
Shidou muttered with his remaining strength as he supported his body forcefully.
“Don't you dare… lay your hands on them!”

However, Shidou’s emaciated body, being crashed destructively against the wall, was utterly
unable to act according to his sheer willpower no matter how resolute, and his lethargic legs
soon surrendered to fatigue, rendering his lower body completely paralyzed on the watery
ground.
“Uah….!”
In spite of his twisted expression, Shidou decisively gritted his teeth and endured the
excruciating agony. He pitifully clawed at the ground with his still functional hands, sluggishly crawling towards the Spirits, but it was already too late. The nefarious villains had already
beaten him to it.
“Ahahahaha! Let's start with you!”
“Kya….!”
“Y-Yoshino! D-Don't touch her you disgusting dog!”
The wolf dexterously controlled its paw and pinched Yoshino off the ground with its fingers.
Despite Natsumi firmly clinging onto its thigh, the wolf simply feigned ignorance and sized
Yoshino up in terms of edibility.
“Un un, looks scrumptious, little red riding hood!”
“Uu….”
“Ahh! Eating Yoshinon will give you a stomachache!”
“Kuh….!”
If that went on, it'd really be too late. Shidou’s heart fretfully pulsated. Even if he could somehow
catch up to them, the number of things he could actually do was extremely limited. At most, he
could only hope to stall them for some time. It was futile, for someone who had been effortlessly
hurled away by the wolf and was in the process of letting Yoshino be eaten.

At that moment he realized tsomething.
All of a sudden, the meaningful verses Mukuro had spoken through the communicator
intermittently flashed through Shidou’s wavering mind.
‘...If thou hath sealed me, couldst thou also ensure my protection? Hath thy sealed Spirits
never sustained another fiendish foray?’
“.....”
Shidou weakly extended his hand to reach for Tohka and the others, not stopping for even a
single moment.
“I….”
The Spirits who had their powers purposely sealed by Shidou himself were currently being
assaulted by various terrifying monsters. There existed only one cause for that, only one
reason, which was fluttering through Shidou’s dim consciousness as he pondered about his
actions. If he hadn't sealed their spirit power, perhaps they could have stood a chance against
Westcott’s Beelzebub. No, it wasn't limited to that occasion alone. Like Mukuro had said, Tohka and the other Spirits had been plunged, time after time, into numerous perils in the past. Shidou
had sealed their powers in order to save them, but conversely, for this very reason had Shidou
unknowingly endangered their lives as well. His aching heart felt as if it had been shattered into
pieces. Had he been doing the right thing all this time? Or was saving Spirits just some
insignificant medium to fuel his egoism like Mukuro had said?
“——Hey, it's not like you to worry like that.”
At that time, a nostalgic voice which seemed to have fully seen through Shidou’s personal
thoughts and emotions resounded from somewhere.

“Hm….?”
“Huh….?”
The confused utterances of Shidou’s bewilderment and the wolf's perplexity overlapped.
“What's going on? That sound just now—”
The wolf, with one paw securely holding Yoshino in midair, looked around for the source of that
voice with perturbation. However, just as its line of sight moved away from Yoshino…
“...Wha….!?”
A straight line streaked down the wolf's arm, obliquely dividing that limb into two adjacent
sections.
“T-This is, impossible!”
“Yaa….!”
Accompanied with the wolf's painful cries, Yoshino’s petite body was dropped towards the floor,
along with the animal's severed limbs.
Then, just before her body touched the ground.
“—Are you okay, Yoshino?”
Before her appeared a familiar boy who gently caught her falling body.
“Eh? T-That….”
Yoshino puzzled expressively as she tilted her head in order to briefly glimpse the boy's
appearance. No, Yoshino wasn't the only one.
“Eh….?”“H-How can this be?”
The other Spirits, as well as Itsuka Shidou himself, had all their attentions purely focused on the
familiar boy and widened their glistening eyes impassively. Although so, their unforeseen
reactions were undoubtedly inevitable. After all, the boy was expertly wielding a lengthy
broadsword which was unquestionably Tohka’s very own, Sandalphon.
“Alright, you villains. Allow me, the guardian of the Spirits, Itsuka Shidou, to take you on!”

The facial features of the undaunted person who fearlessly said so, no matter from what
perspective one looked at it, perfectly resembled Shidou himself.
“W-Who the devil are you supposed to be?! Suddenly appearing like that and speaking stupid—
”
The wolf questioned as it looked at its chopped off limb with lachrymosity and angrily glared at
Shidou.
However, Shidou failed to even grant the wolf the opportunity to disquietingly do so and raised
Sandalphon with an executioner’s pose. The next moment, the wolf's entire enormous body was
instantly sliced into two halves with one clean slash of the broadsword.
“Gah… Gaaaaaah!”
Leaving behind a deafening shriek, the wolf's severed body mystically transformed into torn
book pages, drifting in the wind until it eventually fell onto the ground. Witnessing the vindictive
slaughter that occurred right before them, the remaining villains held their breaths in awe as the
tables turned against them.
“Wha….! Wolf was…?!”
“You… what winds blow such a divine warrior to these lands?!”
The two wicked witches wailed while trembling with absolute fright. Shidou curved his lips into a
genuine smile.
“I’m just a high school student who happened to be passing by.”
Shidou replied to him while determinedly trampled on the damp floor and spontaneously
charged at the debilitated enemies with Sandalphon ready in his hand.
He deflected the horrendous witches’ cursed spells, fleetly sliced the iron club without any
resistance, and punctured a wide hole in the ogre’s deformed body. The wretched ogre gave out
an earthshaking screech similar to the wolf's dying throes, and transformed into torn pieces of
paper. However, Shidou’s unstoppable force did not cease there. He fluidly channeled his
physical power into his hands and feet, directly manipulating Sandalphon with grace as he
engaged in combat with what was left of the pathetic villains.
Shidou blankly surveyed the surreal scene.

“W-What’s happening…?”
“Shidou!”Tohka and the other Spirits quickly rushed to his aid after the once blocked path was subtly
cleared.
“Are you okay, Shidou? Did you get hurt?!”
“N-No, I'm fine. More importantly, who's that…”
Shidou once again perplexedly gazed at the Shidou who was currently fending off their sworn
enemies. Kotori then similarly furrowed her eyebrows with incredulity.
“That's you for sure… Say, are you able to use shadow clone jutsu, Shidou?”
“No, I don't remember ever apprenticing a ninja…”
Shidou chuckled as Nia then verbalized an *ah*, as if she had realized something remarkable
whilst fumbling her chin.
“Could Boy #2 be a character in this world?”
“Eh…..?”
Shidou fumbled his chin in astonishment as well. Her words were quite sensible, frankly. Yet
with that, another conflicting discrepancy would arise. They were trapped in an illusory world
which comprised of multitudinous intertwined fairy tales. If Shidou wasn't included in the
dramatis personae of a story, then character Shidou could only exist in——
“Aahhhh!”
At that moment, as Shidou mentally connected the congruent pieces of the puzzle up till there,
Natsumi suddenly yelled in a loud voice that was rather unfitting of her petite stature.
“W-What’s wrong, Natsumi?”
“...I-I know him…! I know, that guy…!”
Natsumi pointed at the Shidou, who was flowingly performing a magnificent battle against the
villains, with her quivering finger.
“You know him Natsumi?! Really?”
“Y-Yeah… actually, we all should! Because that guy, that Shidou... was the character we all
drew in the manga last month!”
“!!!”

Shidou and the other Spirits firmly held their breaths in utter shock at her headstrong words.
One did exist; a story which they had thought was nonexistent, a story that portrayed Itsuka
Shidou as the main protagonist. Shidou and the others had schemed a plot where they
collectively drawn a manga wherein Shidou unanimously played the leading character, in order
to cajole Nia, who was unable to fall in love with anything other than 2D.
“B-But…wasn't that a joint effort? To be saved by such a hero… it's way too coincidental!” Shidou exclaimed his protests, to which Nia gently shook her head.
“I've said it before, Boy. Works of literature have no limits when it comes to finished stories and
may very well appear in this world. Moreover, the authors of that manga have all gathered here.
Don't you think the chances are pretty high?”
Dressed in her very own original manga character, Nia excitedly continued.
“And that Boy #2, whether he's the real Itsuka Shidou or not, he's depicted in your joint effort as
the strengthened Itsuka Shidou who saves Spirits in order to flatter me!”
“W-What does that imply?”
“Request. Please elaborate.”
The Yamai sisters lightly inclined their heads to express their confounded incomprehension
towards Nia’s unceasing torrent of words. Thus, Nia resumed with a refreshed breath.
“In other words! He's the super-handsome, super-strong, ideal Boy sketched in everyone's
hearts!”
As Nia finally ended her eccentric speech, Shidou brandished Sandalphon elegantly after
annihilated the last of the manga enemies.

“Hu….”
He then briskly combed his hair and approached Shidou unhurriedly.
“Yo, everything alright, me?”
“Y-Yeah…”
Feeling completely unaccustomed to how he had never addressed other people in that manner
before, Shidou made an effort to reply nonetheless.
“Thanks for saving me… me.”
“Haha, we sound like Kurumi.”
Shidou responded as he laughed merrily.
Shidou couldn't help but laugh along, as he was confronted with the intriguing sensation of
viewing his reflection in a mirror.

“But… you guys are in quite a tight spot. For us to be here, I presume that this must be
Westcott’s doing?”
Shidou asked with in a keenly manner.
Unaffected much by the extraordinary instance of two Shidous, Kotori bluntly nodded in
affirmation.“Un, I'll be straightforward since you're already aware of our situation. Do you know how we can
return to our world? We need to go back fast.”
Shidou nodded, unperturbed.
“Oh, leave that to me.”
“Eh?!”
Kotor shouted in discombobulation. That was unavoidable, as Shidou had leisurely spoken
without indicating even an ounce of hesitation.
“Y-You can help us?”
Kotori asked, as Shidou then impressively demonstrated Sandalphon and responded.
“Un. This world was created with an angel's power, and can likewise be destroyed with that
same power. Even though I'm a fictional existence, in terms of this world, the angel I use is very
real.”
However, Shidou continued:
“I can only open this world's exit. When everyone returns to the other world, Westcott may be
there waiting for you.”
“Wha….!”
Kotori widened her eyes, unable to accept the fact that she hadn't thought of that fatal but
probable possibility before.
“What do you want us to do? We need to hurry to Mukuro and—”
Just as Kotori’s serious expression began to turn pale.

“I predicted that this would happen!!”
Nia shouted loudly, as if interrupting Kotori’s words.
“W-What Nia! You don't need to be so loud...”
“Ehehe, I've always wanted to try and say that line. How is it? Like a capable woman?”
“Are you kidding me…”
Kotori said with eyes asquint. Nia scratched her head bashfully, as if to say ‘ahh sorry sorry’.
“I've made the required preparations so Boy #2, you don't need to worry. Can you open the exit
immediately?”
“Hey, what are you saying, Nia? Even if we return to our original world, won't all our efforts up
until now be wasted if we appear in front of Westcott?”
“Hehehe, no need to worry.”Nia swayed her finger like a metronome, and drew back the corners of her mouth.
“You see, before I got swallowed here, Beelzebub had activated in that world. Rasiel and
Beelzebub are a single existence. Of course, it can also assume responsibility of the link
between both worlds.”
“That means…”
“Yup, unless that bastard stays there forever, the chances of meeting him are very low.”
Nia winked her eye, and the Spirits happily cheered in unison.
“Awesome, Nia!”
“Haha, very able indeed.”
“Praise. So you're not only a drunkard.”
“Nyahaha, I'm embarrassed, praise me more.”
Nia puffed out her chest complacently. Shidou then mightily propped Sandalphon up and shifted
his vision to Shidou and the others.
“Alright, is now okay?”
“Un, if you would,”
As Kotori requested, the next moment, Shidou firmly nodded and closed his eyes in order to
concentrate his energy, powerfully swinging Sandalphon down with a splitting momentum.
“——Hah!”
In an instant, a fierce gale of wind rippled from the sharp edge of Sandalphon’s divine blade,
and a dimensional rift cracked open within the narrow crevice of space slashed by the holy
sword.

“You should be able to go back through this passageway.”
Shidou smiled warm-heartedly while supporting Sandalphon as it was fixedly on the ground.
“About the Mukuro whom you mentioned earlier, she's the new Spirit, right? Do your best, me;
you definitely have to save her.”
“.....”
Hearing Shidou’s sagacious words, which sounded familiar to Woodman’s parting words;
Shidou felt his continuous heartbeat jump abruptly.
“...What are you doing, Shidou? Let's go.”
Kotori put on an inconceivable expression as she looked at her reticent brother in vexation and
eagerly waited for everyone to arrive at the transcendental fissure.“Thanks for saving us again, and take care of yourself, Shidou.”
“Un, I'll send your regards to your counterparts in this world.”
“Haha, I guess they're here too. Somehow that feels rather complicated,”
Kotori grinned as she waved him goodbye with her hand, and resolutely entered herself through
the portal.
Following closely behind her, the Spirits each bade their grateful farewells to Shidou one after
another as they entered into the rift. After everyone else had left, Shidou looked at Shidou.
“It's your turn, me. Go, they're waiting for you.”
“Y-Yeah...”
Shidou concurringly abided to Shidou's friendly command and headed to the passageway.
However, he suddenly stopped in his steps once again, as if his legs had been pinned to the floor.

——Shidou.
Via Shidou’s and the Spirits’ creative imaginations, the fictional Shidou was the ideal Shidou
that specialized to save Spirits. Facing this Shidou in person, a certain tiny wish sprouted within
Shidou’s pulsating heart. There are everlasting state of minds that should have been mutually
connected, and ephemeral entanglements that he should have been struggled free of. Yet these
particular things still stubbornly floated at the bottom of Shidou’s heart like precipitous
sediments.
“Hey… me.”
“Un? What's wrong, me?”
“What you said was right. I'll be going to the new Spirit’s, Mukuro’s side. But—”
Shidou slightly pursed his eyebrows as he stammered to narrate Mukuro’s story while hemming
and hawing. How he was coldly rejected, how he was blatantly accused of ignoring the Spirits’
personal opinions, and how he was simply incapable of denying that at all.
“.....”
Shidou let out an earnest expression as he attentively listened to Shidou’s pathetic confession,
and lightly exhaled.
“I see… another hard-to-convince Spirit huh?”
“...I have a belief. When everyone was being raided by the villains, I thought that if I hadn't
sealed them, they wouldn't have been so helpless… No, of course, if I didn't do that, they'd be in
greater trouble, but…”
He was unable to fairly conclude an equitable verdict out of his apparent thoughts. Shidou
forcefully scratched his head and continued.

“...Sealing Mukuro’s power. I don't harbor any complaints about that. If I don't, DEM will launch
another attack. But… I don't know what to do… what's your opinion? Do you think I even have
the right to stand before Mukuro even though I still have nothing to refute her with? Can the
indecisive me open the lock to her heart…?”
The Shidou who had stayed consistently silent for a period of time started to move his mouth.
“—If it's me, I'd do it again.”
“But, Mukuro wishes to be undisturbed…”
“Although she says so, isn't it odd if you think about it more carefully? Saying that she locked
her heart so that she wouldn't feel lonely, doesn't that sound like she can't bear the loneliness if
she hadn't used her angel?”
“...That…was undoubtedly true.”
If Mukuro was unable to experience the depression of loneliness, the grief of sorrow and the
displeasure of wrath from the beginning, then it would be essentially unnecessary to cruelly lock
her heart and emotions in the first place. There was probably no need to tell Shidou this.
“What she had said, no matter how I look at it, it feels like an S.O.S. signal from Mukuro herself.
Therefore, you must go no matter what she throws at you. By the way, don't you already have
the key to unlock her locked heart?”
“Eh….?”
Hearing Shidou’s words, Shidou inclined his head. In the twinkling of an eye, he immediately
understood where the unobvious significance of that sentence lied.
“...Could it be…”
“Correct,”
The other Shidou nodded contentedly towards Shidou’s uncovered reaction.
“One more thing, you’ll need to regard it as a separate matter,”
Shidou said this whilst thrusting his fist onto Shidou’s chest.
“What are you thinking, me? Wasn't everything you just said about Mukuro? Although it's good
to think about her, you won't notice her feelings with just that. Well, me, how are you going to
treat Mukuro?”
“.....!”

Listening to Shidou's useful lecture, Shidou abruptly held his breath. After a few seconds of
silence, Shidou deeply inhaled, and exhaled again.
“...Un—Alright….Okay.”Shidou gradually said so, ever so slowly. The answer to a question that was excessively easy to
discourse. When declared, however, there was always a feeling of releasing all the pent up
gloom accumulated in the bottom of your heart up till then. Shidou grinned, most likely having
perceived Shidou’s decision.
“Do your best, high school student.”
“You as well, high school student.”
Shidou and Shidou said good-bye by bumping their fists, and Shidou conveniently plunged into
the rift created in that space.
“....Uu.”

——The intimate sensation of his shoulders being gently shook back and forth gradually
restored Shidou’s latent consciousness. Shidou softly snorted and widened his unfocused eyes,
catching the vague sight of his adoptive sister as she was holding her stretched palm right in
front of his silly face.
“What are you doing, Kotori?”“God, you finally woke up. One second later and I would've hit you for the twentieth time.”
“...Eh? You've hit me 19 times already?! That many?!”
Shidou yelled angrily as he reluctantly placed his hands on his face, trying to feel the feverish
heat radiating from the scalding redness.
“Just kidding.”
Kotori replied with a sarcastic shrug.
As Shidou touched his face sensitively in order to reconfirm that the pain was definitely absent,
he concurrently did a quick inspection of his surroundings and present circumstances. He
wasn't located in the decrepit straw hut wherein he had previously awakened to his near-doom,
rather he found himself barely lying in one of the many corporeal corridors of Ratatoskr’s secret
base, whose hardened cement walls and steel-reinforced concrete ceilings had all collapsed
without exception into sizable heaps of scattered rubble.
The other Spirits were clustered together in one place and Tohka had placed her hands on
Shidou’s shoulders, gently shaking him. Everyone wasn't wearing patchy rough cotton outfits or
resplendent ceremonial dresses anymore. Their attires had already reverted to their original,
ordinary clothes.
“Really… didn't I say that we're running out of time? Stop dawdling around.”
Kotori stiffly crisscrossed her arms on her chest and exhaled perfunctorily.
“Oh… Sorry about that. But—”
Shidou clumsily stood up with all the strength carried in his legs and lightly clapped his face a
few times in order to clear his muddled head.
“—everything's fine now.”
“....? I see, well, it's good to see that you're energized.”

Kotori tilted her head to one side with a tinge of suspicion, but immediately judged that it was
not the time to sit idly, and conclusively motioned her chin to urge everyone.
“Anyway, we must make haste. Although the time we spent is shorter than we think, a surprise
attack may befall Fraxinus at any moment.”
“Un!”
“Understood.”
The Spirits shouted in agreement and followed Kotori compliantly, running through the run-down
corridor with resolution. Shidou wasn't far behind too, forging ahead through the bedraggled,
dilapidated base as loud, reverberant explosions and ear-piercing gunshots echoed still. After
randomly encountering and subsequently decimating a couple of units, Shidou
and the others reached the entrance of Fraxinus’ dedicated hangar at last. Perhaps the external surveillance camera had adequately recognized their respective identities
or detected the dire situation beforehand, but Shidou and the others were allowed entry into the
expansive hangar as Kannazuki’s voice was heard from the loudspeaker.
“——! Commander! You're safe!”
“Un, sorry to keep you guys waiting.”
Kotori lightly raised her hand in response and continuously walked towards the airship’s lower
deck. Shidou and the other Spirits tailed behind her, and were instantly transported to the ship's
bridge.
“—What's the situation?”
Once she entered the bridge, Kotori quickly advanced forward while swiftly undoing the button
on her military-uniform jacket, hanging it loosely around her shoulders. She abruptly extended
her bare right hand to one side, to which Kannazuki, who was obediently awaiting orders,
respectfully saluted and handed over one of the many identical lollipops neatly arranged on the
shelf.
Kotori gratefully accepted it, tearing the candy wrapper with voraciousness and putting the
ambrosial treat into her mouth whilst simultaneously sitting down on the captain's seat.

This is the final chapter right?

Shidou
couldn't help but ruefully marvel at his sister's smooth, almost graceful, sequence of
movements.
“Roger. At the moment, one Arbatel-type aerial warship is hovering above the base.
Approximately 120 wizards have infiltrated the base. 21 confirmed casualties have been
reported, including technical personnel, and 185 people have taken refuge.”
“...I see.”
As Kotori whispered mournfully, the characters MARIA was then observably displayed on the
main monitor.
『There is no time to become crestfallen, Kotori. You must carry out your duties now.』
“Un, I'm aware of that.”
Kotori calmly exhaled in order to abandon her lingering attachments and made a firm resolution,
lifting her head.
“—We will finish what we set out to do. Prepare Fraxinus EX for takeoff. I trust that the
maintenance has been completed?”
“Roger!”
The crew members all yelled out in unison.
“However, it seems that the power in the hangar has been disrupted by the enemy. We're
unable to operate the gate.”
“Hm, I guess we don't have a choice. —Break through.”“Link the basis Realizer unit with the propeller and deploy Territory. Initialize camouflage and
automatic evasion.”
“As you command, launching the basis Realizer unit and engine juxtaposition.”
“Deploying Territory. ——We're ready to depart.”
The trifling beeps and electronic tones of starting machinery coming from somewhere within the
ship were accompanied by the crew's voices of exaltation. As they gradually grew more
sonorous, Kotori softly nodded her head and shot a glance at Shidou and the others who were
conveniently standing behind her.

“Get ready, brace yourselves.”
“Oh, alright.”
Shidou nodded his head and firmly gripped onto a pillar positioned beside the wall. The Spirits
imitated his example accordingly, except for Origami and Nia who were holding onto his arms.
The two were ultimately pulled apart by Tohka and the others though requiring utmost force to
remove every reluctant finger clinging onto the poor boy's arms. Kotori sighed grudgingly and
turned back her head to the front, giving orders in a commanding tone.
“Fraxinus EX, go!”
Afterwards, the whole vessel vigorously shook as if heeding her command. The primary monitor
showed the hangar’s inner walls being crushed flat by an overwhelming, invisible force,
unyieldingly squashing it into mere scrap material.
A rather tingling, floating sensation enveloped the entire bridge, and the image displayed on the
large screen transformed into the blue sky the next instant.
“Uohh…”
Shidou exclaimed softly whilst exerting force into his legs in order to stabilize his body.
An airship which utilizes a Realizer unit does not need to acquire aviation lift like that of an
ordinary airplane in order to fly. On the contrary, the Territory which covers the whole ship
allows the enormous vessel to float unconstrainedly. For this reason, it can fly in a way which
defies the conventional laws of physics.
At that moment, a huge silhouette was confirmed to be flying in the sky and was shown on the
monitor, resulting in an alarm being set off in the bridge.
『The enemy warship hovering above the base has been confirmed. What should we do? 』
Maria’s voice was emitted from the loudspeaker. Kotori furrowed her eyebrows and uprighted
the stick of her lollipop.
“We must proceed to space as soon as possible.”

『Affirmative.』
“Even though we'll be subjected to graver harm, we mustn't slow down.”『Affirmative.』
“You know the rest, Maria.”
『Affirmative.』
As Maria insipidly replied, Kotori held her lollipop between her fingers and pointed at front.
“Sort it out within one minute.”
『That's the Kotori I know. 』
With Maria saying that rather happily, Kotori then issued directives to the crew.
“Discharge numbers one to three. Set the Territory to obstruct any intruders and
change its attribute to explosive afterwards.”
“Roger, units one to three on standby for launch.”
The auxiliary monitors displayed an outline of Fraxinus, showing its rear section which
resembled a giant tree glowing brightly. The next instant, some ‘unknown entities’, which
appeared on the screen flew towards the endless sky.
The reason why they were described as unknown entities is simple, as those unknown entities
were covered with invisibility camouflage. Shidou’s naked eyes were unable to see them.
Assuming the transparent was to come into contact with the enemy ship, its
assigned trajectory would slightly distort space.
A few seconds later, they arrived in front of DEM’s warship and those unknown entities
simultaneously detonated. Even the enemy did not expect that to happen. The pitiable airship
emitted billows of thick smoke and began its descent towards the surface.
“Hmm.”
Kotori pointed her thumb downwards.

I want to fuck Natsumi until she becomes as docile and cute as Yoshino

“Time elapsed, 52 seconds.”
“Just passable. We must recover that delay. Elevate altitude and rocket through the atmosphere
in one go.”
“Roger!”
Just as the crew responded, Fraxinus’ body faintly vibrated and the picture on the main screen
switched to the view underneath at an incredible speed. The mesmerizing scene resembled that
of one taken by a camera attached to a rising balloon.
Before a few minutes even passed, the scenery shown on the main monitor had already
separated itself from the sky. Pitch-black space crammed into the entire frame while countless
of shining stars flickered luminously.It exactly was the same scene that had been taken by the automatic camera previously. Shidou
gulped, gazing fixedly at the footage.
At that moment…
The figure of a young girl sunken in tranquil sleep with fluttering golden hair appeared.
“...Mukuro…!”
Shidou tightly clenched his fist as he called out the girl's name. Despite the fact that his voice
could not reach the outside of the ship, Mukuro’s eyebrows slightly quivered.
“...Huh?”
Fraxinus had most likely detected sound coming from the outside. Although weak, it was
definitely Mukuro’s voice which was transmitted through the loudspeaker.
Under normal circumstances, sound cannot propagate through the vacuum of space. But it was
probably due to the Territory-like effect of her Astral Dress that allowed her voice steadily and
clearly to vibrate into Shidou’s eardrums.
“Thou ought to have heeded mine admonishments, thou whose origin art unchanged.”
Mukuro stretched her body and raised her right hand, lips quivering slightly.

“——Michael.”
With that verse of hers, a key-shaped staff materialized in Mukuro’s right hand from the hollow
void. She then stabbed Michael’s serrated end into space.
“——《Unlock-Rātaibu》.”
Mukuro turned the key, creating a gigantic gate. She lifted her hand, and immediately flung it
down as if executing a death sentence. The innumerable pieces of garbage dispersed
throughout the nearby space were all attracted towards the gate and sucked inside, similar to
how a black hole absorbs everything. The next moment, even more gates appeared around
Fraxinus, pouring out barrages of uncountable bullets at the same time.
“U-Uawahh?!”
Shidou couldn't help but curl up when he saw the countless moving rocks of matter travelling
towards the ship at considerable velocities. However, Kotori was not in the least flustered and
promptly issued instructions.
“Territory, defense specialization!”
“Roger!”
The auxiliary monitor screens gave out a thin light. Meanwhile, the innumerable projectiles
instantly disintegrated right before contact with the ship's body.
“T-This is…”“It's another story if we were directly attacked by an angel, but these small peas have virtually
no effect on Fraxinus.”
Kotori explained triumphantly as she turned her captain's chair 180 degrees towards Shidou.
“Alright, Shidou, it's your turn next. Are you ready?”
“—Un, of course.”
Shidou nodded his head with zeal as he exposed his determination. Kotori then widened her
eyes as if she didn't expect his calm response.

“Although I don't know what you and the Shidou in the other world had chatted about, that ethos
of yours isn't half-bad. Very well, let our date begin.”
As she said so, Kotori used her chin to signal the crew members operating their automation
consoles. Around the outline of Fraxinus displayed on the monitor, a circular field enlarged.
“We will be expanding Fraxinus’ Territory up to Mukuro’s coordinates so Shidou, you won't need
to worry about problems like air or cosmic radiation. You’ll be able rely on your body to move in
space. —After all, wearing a spacesuit during a date is just way too unromantic and insensitive.”
Kotori shrugged her shoulders as if she cracked a joke, and continued her speech.
“You can depend on us for your basic movement control and defense. The Territory should be
able to block any attacks like before. Shidou, you have to do everything possible in order to
approach Mukuro. Begin strategy.”
“.....”
Shidou looked attentively once more at Mukuro who was subtly floating in the approximate
center of the LCD monitor, and lightly nodded his head whilst exhaling a breath.
—At that time.
“...A-About that.”
Natsumi, who was shyly hiding herself behind Yoshino's also petite frame, unexpectedly spoke
out.
“What's wrong, Natsumi?” asked Kotori, taken aback by the sudden voice.
“...No, it's nothing, it's a g-good, but Mukuro-san looks… f-frightening… shouldn't we go
together? It'll be… what you think?”
Natsumi muttered hesitatingly while shifting her gaze solitarily to one side.
As if somehow triggered by her rapturous panache, the other Spirits visibly verbalized their
supportive opinions as well.
“I-If I'm able to help… I-I’ll gladly assist in guarding Shidou-san with Zadkiel… if the Territory
can't hold Mukuro-san…”“Ah, good idea~. My Gabriel’s songs may come in handy too.”
“Ooh! I'll go too!”

The Spirits variously requested Kotori with pleading puppy eyes, to which she let out a
discomfited expression for a considerable period of time. Finally, Kotori had no other choice but
to renounce her blatant misgivings and heaved a heavy sigh of surrender.
“You guys really… But only go when Shidou’s life is in danger, this date was supposed to be for
persuading Mukuro in the first place. A crowd of people approaching her without rhyme or
reason would definitely alert her and make it difficult for us.”
“Ooh!”
The Spirits forcefully nodded their heads towards Kotori’s strict regulations. Shidou couldn't help
but grin wryly at the sight of their rallied unity.
“Thanks everyone. I'll do my best so that you guys won't need to act.”
Shidou steadfastly treaded towards and occupied the teleporter unit, which had previously
transported him to the bridge.
“Well then, I'm in your hands, Kotori.”
“Un, begin transportation immedia—”
However, just as Kotori issued the final command, a red light illuminated within the bridge and a
sharp, oscillating warning siren resounded throughout.
“What's going on?!”
“...! It's… an enemy! Above the Earth are three… no, four of DEM’s space warships!!”
As Minowa shouted the urgent emergency situation, the digital footage of many gigantesque
warships appeared on the monitor. The drastic change of events caused Kotori’s face to flip in
furious rage.
“Talk about bad timing… Although this was anticipated, I didn't think it would actually happen.
Well, they’ll turn out like that small fry before, no matter how many…—”
Halfway through her ireful words, Kotori’s eyebrows marginally twitched. Her eyes were fixedly
focused on the four great warships displayed on the screen, glued especially to the smallest
ship of the quartet. But ‘small’ merely described its relative size. Her expression became severe,
permeating with slight excitation.

The ship's characteristic streamlined body was of a platinum
finish, and its exterior appearance was obviously heterogeneous to the other three crude
warships. Since they had all came there, the space warships were without a doubt carrying
combat objectives. But the polished ship which exquisitely stood out from the four looked as if it
was a special-purpose vessel specially made for a special high-ranking official.
Kotori rolled the stick of her lollipop and blurted the ship's name out.
“Goetia…!”“Wha…!” Shidou widened his eyes in shock.
. Although it was the first time that he had directly seen the ship with his own eyes, the
portentous name had been spoken from Kotori’s mouth numerous times. That was Ellen Mira
Mathers’ personal warship, equipped with the strongest engine power in the world. Also, in the
‘past world’, the ship had ruthlessly shot down Fraxinus. Beads of sweat exuded from Kotori’s
face as she licked her dry lips.
“...Rather grudgeful eh, holding a rematch on the first day the newly built Fraxinus sets sail.”
“Is there a problem…?”
Shidou asked while pursuing his brows a bit. Maria then replied through the loudspeaker.
『Don't worry. I'm different from the previous version. I will let the enemy know - the
name of the world's number one airship.』
“Well said, Maria.”
Kotori drew back the corners of her mouth into a grin and instinctively ordered the crew
members.
“Deploy the double Territory! Expand the first layer to coordinates (6,2,2), set its attribute to
space control, and set the second layer as defensive! Prepare for battle!”
“Roger!”

The crew members simultaneously responded to her improvisational instructions and quickly
began operating their respective automation consoles. After Kotori observed the progress their
work, she turned her head towards Shidou and gave him generous thumbs up.
“Mukuro’s all yours, Shidou. Good luck in your fight, no, in this case it's… —Good luck with your
love endeavors.”
“Haha, what's that supposed to mean.”
Hearing his sister's strange but somewhat fitting blessing, Shidou couldn't help but burst into
laughter.
“You too, Kotori.”
“Un.”
Following Kotori’s brief reply, Shidou’s body was delivered outside the ship without delay. His
vision instantly changed from the ship's bridge to the infinite cosmos beyond. A levitating
sensation shrouded his entire body.
“Ooh…?!”
Shidou shouted as his body was abruptly released from the constraining shackles of gravity,
nearly rotating in place.Nevertheless, precisely as Kotori had explained, there was an inconceivable feeling of profound
stability as if an invisible hand was supporting him from behind. That was undoubtedly the
Territory maintaining Shidou’s body posture. Naturally, owing to the fact that he had absolutely
no experience of swimming in space, that peculiar tingliness could not be erased. But he could
breathe normally and the temperature felt by his skin was appropriate. These regulated
conditions were sufficiently enough to provide Shidou a suitable environment in order to
converse with Mukuro casually.

“—Okay.”
Shidou nodded his head gently, powerfully contracting his legs and pedaling through space. In
accordance with the thrust accumulated from his motions, Shidou's body was propelled in
Mukuro's direction as a result.
“——Huh?”
It was then that she finally noticed the annoying existence which was slowly nearing her.
Mukuro threw her vision aside and caught sight of the approaching Shidou, solemnly narrowing
her eyes in response.
“Thou, I recall… art named Shidou, regrettably with non-reminiscence. Did Muku not bid thee an
age long adieu added brimming abhorrence?”
Hearing Mukuro’s authentic voice for the first time without the means of any electronic devices,
a tiny hint of tense nervousness mingled with thrilled exhilaration and a determined sense of
duty evolved within Shidou's courageous heart as he attentively faced Mukuro.
“I'm honored that you remember my name. Could it be that you wanted to see me so badly?”
“...Huh?”
Mukuro inclined her head, but that did not imply that she didn't understand Shidou's persuasive
words. Saying such words so boldly made her suspect that Shidou had accidentally bumped his
head somewhere and became mentally impeded. However, Shidou didn't mind that at all and
leisurely continued.
“Get ready, you spoiled child. You should know that my ego has no end.”
Within the invariably dark world which separated heaven and earth, the heavy curtains unfolded
to unveil a clandestine [date] between man and spirit.
(To be continued.)

That's the end. It's a shame it had to end with that cliffhanger, I'll see you in vol.16.

乙

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