At a military base connected to a special airport somewhere in the vicinity of Tengu city, scientists were conducting something, as Mana was plugged into various machines. She then slowly opened her eyes.
Meanwhile, Shido ran up to Origami and Sera by the fountain. He was exhausted. Sera looked frustrated, as both he and Origami were a resting place for pigeons, as more stood behind them.
"Sorry... I'm a little... late," uttered Shido.
"No problem. I just got here."
The pigeons flew away, as Sera got a little scared by the sight.
"Are you tired?" she asked.
"N-Not at all! Um, where do you wanna go?" nervously asked Shido.
"To the movies. You, Sera?" she responded.
"Uh... I'm fine with whatever you two choose. Don't let me be a bother."
Shido gasped, but Origami began walking. Sera shook his shoulders, and they followed her.
"Which theatre? Could it be..."
"Tengu Qwinted. I've already made reservations."
"This is bad," said Kyouhei, as the crew observed.
"It's looking pretty bad for Tohka, too," noted Yoshinon.
The screen shifted to Tohka looking a bit sad again, wondering where Shido went.
Origami led the two boys to a fast-food restaurant, and sat down, gesturing to them to do the same.
"Your order will be ready shortly," said the waitress after taking their order.
"Huh?"
"We have time until the showing. Let's have a light lunch," said Origami.
"Oh, I'd love that!" responded Sera.
"O-Okay," uttered Shido.
He gulped down the iced water.
"Hey, Origami. Why'd you ask me out on a date? And why's Sera here?"
"I didn't want you to be alone, nor did I want Sera to be alone."
"Huh?"
"After the movie, I want you two to come to my place."
"Wh-Why..." asked Shido.
"Origami..." uttered Sera.
"And I want you to stay over for the time being."
"What?!" let out Shido.
"I'm serious," said Origami quietly.
Shido gulped, but Sera seemed to understand.
The waitress shortly brought in the order.
"Thank you for waiting!"
"I see she's the same as always," said Kotori.
The warning light buzzed.
"Commander, Tohka-chan is..."
The footage changed to Tohka leaving the aquarium.
"Oh! Shido, Tohka is inbound on your position! Get out of there!"
The three meanwhile began eating their lunch, Sera getting into it quite ravenously, as Shido spat it out and coughed.
"Are you all right?" asked Origami.
"Yeah. I'm gonna use the restroom!"
He ran out, as Origami and Sera looked after him, confused.
"Is the food that bad?" wondered Sera.
Origami stared at Shido's plate.
"Sera, please go," she suddenly said.
"Huh?"
"Keep Shido in your eye's view, no matter what happens."
He shook his shoulders.
"Let me finish this first at least," he said.
Shido ran out of the place and after Tohka, calling out after her.
"Tohka!"
"Shido!"
He walked up to her, as she stopped.
"Is everything okay?" asked Tohka.
"Y-Yeah."
Her stomach suddenly rumbled.
"Wanna go get something to eat?" he asked.
"That sounds like a great idea!" she smiled in response.
Back at the Fraxinus, it was time for the crew to do their magic and allow Shido to take on all three girls at once.
First, Shido and Tohka went into another restaurant. She ravenously ate multiple dishes of food, with Shido looking amazed.
"I'm amazed you can stuff yourself with sushi after seeing all those fish."
"More pickled mackerel, please!" she called out to the waiter.
She stared in awe at the food, as he excused himself. Meanwhile, Sera and Origami finished their food, Shido's included. Shido was teleported nearby Kurumi and ran up to her.
"You bought that underwear?!" he asked.
"You did say it made me look cute," she responded, holding up her shopping bag.
Then, he went back to Tohka after excusing himself again. She took him out onto the streets and stopped when they passed a food shop.
"Shido, ramen! Let's have ramen!"
"Please, no!"
Origami then led him to a hotel, as Shido looked a bit nauseous. However, the realisation shook him up instantly.
"Which room should we use?" asked Origami.
Shido ran back while screaming in embarrassment.
Then, he took Kurumi to see puppies. She was enamoured by them, but suddenly, the trio appeared from the corner in search of him.
"They're about to find him!" said Kyouhei.
Yoshino ran out and teleported near them, and just before the trio spotted Shido, she bumped into them.
"Th-That hurt!" said the blonde.
"I'm sorry," she apologised, sitting on the ground with pleading eyes.
The three were absolutely into her adorableness and stopped paying attention to anything else. Shido meanwhile slowly took Kurumi elsewhere.
"I hope you weren't hurt!"
"She's so cute it's almost gross!"
Back on the Fraxinus, Kotori grinned.
"Yoshino! What a pleasant surprise!"
Shido then took Tohka to check out the ice-cream shop, as the trio arrived behind them. However, they were so tired they fell on the ground.
Origami then took Shido to an outside restaurant, as he was ready to fall asleep from exhaustion as well.
The trio was using a telescope to locate him, until Yoshino dropped in front of them again and smiled. Again, this took their focus away, as Shido walked off with Origami once more.
This went on again and again, and as Yoshino helped Shido stay undetected, Reine then picked her up.
"Time for doctor's stoppage. Well done," she said, as she carried her and smiled.
Shido excused himself once more from Kurumi, who sighed. They were just outside the plaza in a small forest.
"That Shido-san... Even though we're on a date, he's being so restless. But I suppose that's just fine."
She sat on one of the benches and looked out into the wilderness.
"You'll be mine in the end, after all... My, I need to contain my excitement. My cheeks are so flushed."
She closed her eyes and rested, as a cat suddenly meowed in the distance. She ran up to the sound and saw a group of young men doing something.
"That little guy's pretty quick!" one of them said.
They were shooting softballs at the poor little albino cat with blue eyes.
"There, take that!"
Kurumi sat in the shadows, and then came out.
"My, my. I see you're doing something quite intriguing."
They stopped and looked at her, as she walked up to them.
"Whoa!"
"Pay me no mind. Please allow me to join your amusement. I'm quite an adept with a gun, despite my appearance."
"What should we do?" asked one of the masked guys. The other giggled.
"Guess we'll let her."
"Thank you so much. I would, however, like to make a suggestion. Why don't we modify the rules? Nothing complicated. Let's just try... a different target."
The camera footage back at the Fraxinus was covered by something dark.
"What happened?" asked Kotori.
"Is it broken?! Hurry and fix it!" commanded Kyouhei.
"Dammit!" said Kotori, frustrated.
Meanwhile, Origami bumped into Tohka, who also bumped into her.
"Sorry!" said Tohka.
"No need to apologise. I should've been more careful."
They realised something.
"T-Tobiichi Origami! Why are you here?!"
"Yatogami Tohka!"
They stood up.
"I got no obligation to tell you."
"What—Fine! I don't have time to deal with you."
"I am also occupied."
"I must find Shido," both said in sync and promptly realised.
"What?! Shido's on a date with me! Don't you lie!
"I'm not lying! Shido is on a date with me!"
The two stared at each other furiously, until Origami suddenly ran away.
"Hey, hold it! I'm not done talking with you!"
Shido came back to the bench, but Kurumi was nowhere near to be seen.
"Shido, we lost sight of Kurumi!" said Kotori.
"What are you guys doing?!" he asked, frustrated.
"Commander, we've detected Spirit waves in the area!" reported Mikimoto, as the alarms went off. They're coming from the woods near the park's east gate!"
"Shido, get yourself in there right now! Something's happening!"
He ran along the road, and then turned into the woods. Then, he noticed something horrifying. The trees were splattered with crimson red blood, and further out in the open, the whole section of ground was covered in blood splatters as well.
The crew saw it, and everyone was left speechless in shock, including Kotori.
Then, Shido realised this too, as he screamed and entered a state of shock.
"Shido! Calm down!" tried to calm him Kotori, but he couldn't even hear her.
He clutched his mouth, trying to resist the urge to vomit, falling to the ground.
"Oh?" said Kurumi.
He looked in front of him, and saw Kurumi in her Astral Dress, crimson red and black. She was aiming her pistol at the last remaining person alive, who had a painted target on his chest.
"Shido-san, you're already here?"
Shido stared in shock.
"H-Help me! She's a m-monster!" pleaded the guy.
"You were ready to kill another creature, yet you're scared of being killed yourself? Don't you think that's strange? When you point a gun at a living being..."
She shot. And again, and again, as his lifeless body hit the ground.
"This is the meaning of that act."
She then turned around at Shido, still frozen by shock.
"Shido, get out of there!" shouted Kotori.
He slowly got up with great effort, as she smirked.
"No running!"
The white glowing arms emerged from the ground earlier and pinned Shido on the ground.
"Wh-What is this?!" he asked.
She slowly walked up to him.
"Ah, ah. I messed up. I messed up! I would've liked to enjoy my date with you for a bit longer, but there isn't much that can be done about that now."
She grasped his head and giggled maniacally, as he stared in shock. She was ready to finish him, but then, a spear flew out of the foliage and pierced Kurumi, pinning her on the first tree. Then, she was lifted into the air, and thrown around, being sent promptly unto another tree.
Sera ran out of the woods, as someone else appeared out of nowhere.
"Are you okay, Nii-sama?" asked Mana.
"In a nick of time, huh?" asked Sera.
"Mana! Sera! What..."
"That was a really close call. Thank goodness Sera kept a watch on you, Nii-sama."
The spear flew back into Sera's hand.
"Getting used to this. Are you alright, Shido?" he asked.
"Y-You..."
"Yes. I'm sure you're surprised. Don't worry, I was too when I saw Sera keeping watch on you," said Mana, smirking at Kurumi, who got up. Sera braced himself.
"My, my. Don't you think you're being extremely rude by interrupting my rendezvous with Shido-san?" said Kurumi in a thorn-like tone.
"We'll talk later, Nii-sama. This will soon be over."
Mana readied her arsenal, and shot a barrage of lasers at Kurumi, who jumped into the air. She tried to dodge.
"Divine Pendule!" called out Sera, throwing the Spear of Truth at Kurumi. It distracted her enough for Mana to concentrate all her lasers, which pierced Kurumi utterly and completely.
"Kurumi!" shouted Shido.
She fell on the ground, as the brown was replaced by her crimson red.
"Stop! Don't kill her!" said Shido.
"You're too kind, Shido-san..." uttered Kurumi.
Mana used her blade and finished her off.
"How... How can you be so calm about this?! You just killed a person." shouted Shido towards the two.
"If you're ready to kill another living being... then you should expect death yourself. Isn't that what she said, Shido?" asked Sera, trying to hide his disgust at how Mana killed Kurumi.
"Besides, it's a Spirit, Nii-sama."
Her suit disappeared, as she was enveloped by a green aura, before promptly returning to her former clothes.
"Plus, I'm used to it. Neither you nor Sera should have to do this."
"Mana..."
Sera's spear dissipated.
"I never would agree with a death sentence, but it's not my call to make. She killed those people, Shido... and she was ready to kill you too," said Sera with a heavy heart.
"Now, you've already learned some of the details from Master Sergeant Tobiichi, haven't you? Well, you should consider what you've seen a bad dream and forget about it," said Mana.
"As if I could!"
"She won't stay dead. Nightmare—Tokisaki Kurumi—is a special Spirit. No matter how many times you kill her and what method you use, she'll come back as if nothing happened, turn up somewhere, and kill people. So I have to keep on killing her. Relentlessly hunting her down. Again, and again, and again, and again—"
"Enough already!" shouted Shido.
Mana was taken by surprise.
"That's not "being used to it!" You've just become jaded."
"No one else can do it. If I didn't today, Sera would have to choose."
She began channelling something.
"Wait! I'm still—"
They were both thrown away, as Shido ran up to the shield.
"Dammit!"
Mana stood next to Kurumi's body, as the cat from before meowed at it.
"How..."
""How?" you ask?"
She clutched her head.
"Abort the operation! Withdraw at once! Shido, do you copy?" said Kotori's voice on the earpiece on the ground, which Mana noticed.
Meanwhile, Tohka and Origami were running through the streets, looking for Shido. Eventually, they saw him and Sera, both looking glum.
"Shido! Shido, where have you been?" Tohka asked.
"Sera? What in the world happened?" Origami asked.
"You're hurt!"
Shido realised that was not a wound but blood and withdrew the hand from Tohka.
"S-Sorry. Did that hurt?"
"No... Sorry," he responded meekly, running away promptly.
"Shido!" all three said.
He ran and gasped, until he was teleported back onto the Fraxinus.
"Did we... do something?" lowered her head Tohka.
"Sera, what happened? If you're with him, then that must mean..."
He meekly nodded.
"A tragedy. I... I don't think I can even utter a word about it."
"What happened to Shido? Please, tell me!" pleaded Tohka.
"No... no more. I can't..." he uttered, before slowly walking away, deeply disturbed from what happened.
Tohka wanted to go after him, but Origami stopped her.
"I don't think that's appropriate right now. We should extend them a bit of privacy."
"But... Shido..."
Origami looked at Sera as he walked away.
As he walked with his head down, he wondered.
"How did it come to this...? Just a bit before, we were..."
Suddenly, something enveloped him, as he was teleported onto the Fraxinus, where Shido also was.
Kotori stood in front of them, arms crossed as he exited the teleportation process. They looked at each other in confusion.
"I'm glad you're safe," she said.
"H-Huh?! What..." they both blurted out.
"Follow me. We'll get your hand treated, Shido."
They didn't object, and she led them to the sick bay. She sat opposite Shido, as Sera sat next to him. She began bandaging his wound.
"Was I... were we doing the right?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" asked Kotori.
"Spirits don't cause space-quakes on purpose. They don't want to hurt others. That's what I believed... but Kurumi is different."
Sera looked at him sadly, silently sharing his sentiment.
"So?" asked Kotori.
"I can't do this," said Shido.
She slapped him, surprising even Sera.
"Stop being a cry-baby!"
He looked up at her in shock.
"If you give up, Kurumi is going to kill even more people. Mana gave up everything to face Kurumi, as did Sera. You don't have the right to give up!"
"Kotori, how can you say that?!" asked Sera sternly.
"You should understand, of all people! Violence will only lead to more, and more violence! And more, more people will die!" she responded, and stared at Sera.
"I don't...?" uttered Shido as they argued.
Kotori looked to the side.
"You don't. Go home, and rest. Tomorrow... is another day."
He walked up and left the room, as only Sera and Kotori were left, aside sleeping Yoshino. Sera got up.
"If Mana wasn't there, or I wasn't there... he'd be dead. If you think he isn't giving up everything to save the Spirits... then you're wrong," he said.
Kotori tried her best to keep her collected expression.
"Go home, Sera. There's nothing else for anybody today."
He shook his head and walked out. Then, he made his way home, as it was already approaching evening. His mom greeted him, but noticed he looked glum and upset.
"Sera, dear... you're making that expression again. What's wrong?" she asked.
"Everything's going wrong. Even after all that effort, I can't protect them. Not my friends, not other people. I don't understand anymore, what's right and wrong, I... I..."
He started tearing up, realising how messed up everything is. Shido went home sad and traumatised, Tohka and Origami riddled with worry, Mana a cold killer, and Kurumi who painted the very earth with blood, not just her own. And let it all happen.
He fell to his knees, as his mom rushed to comfort him.
"Dear, dear... calm down. Please stop crying..." she said, almost tearing up too.
He took notice and was temporarily snapped out of his trance.
"M-Mom? Why are you...?"
"I don't know what's troubling you, but I don't want to see you like this, so please tell me what's making you sad. I want you to smile again..."
He looked down.
"I... I can't tell you. It's too dangerous, and I don't want to involve you—"
"No, I don't care anymore! Whatever's making you sad... making you worry like this; I want to help you."
He looked surprised at her.
"No matter how bad it may be... no matter what you do... I'll be by your side. You're my son! You're someone I love. Your dad feels the same... but I had to tell you when I saw you like this. If you really don't want to tell me... then please, I want you to at least know that I'm always here for you."
"Mom... If you had to choose between two evils, what would you do?"
His mom faintly smiled as she held him in her arms.
"Evils? No one—nothing is evil. We're all from the same knit. Some of us just choose a different path. Each of us... sees the world in a different way."
"Would you... kill someone to protect what you love?"
His mom thought for a second.
"A weapon shouldn't be a tool for killing. My one true wish is for a world where everyone is happy and at peace, one you can live in. And if I killed someone... I'd be denying them that world. I'd be the very thing making that world an impossibility."
Sera thought back to when he first held the Spear of Truth when he fought Kusakabe. His goal wasn't to harm her, but to protect his friends. As his mom held him, he realised something. Even if all paths led to despair and darkness, the only way to break through it and make that dream true...
"...is by fighting for what I believe in. If I follow my heart while it's set on that one goal, then surely... I'll find a way to make it come true," he uttered.
His mom was surprised but smiled at him with joy.
"I'm so proud of you, Sera. I'll always be. Whatever you have to do... I know you can do the right thing. Not just the one which exacts justice, or allies with the light... but the right thing."
"Mom, thank you..."
He embraced her as well.
I was given my weapon by a hero... and I'll make it just that. A tool to make things right!
"When this is all over... I promise to tell you everything. But for now, I could use a moment of rest," he awkwardly smiled.
"There's my Sera. Don't worry, the dinner's still warm! Dad will come home soon."
They pulled away from each other, wiped their tears off and went to eat dinner. Sera's dad came soon, and he told him what he told his mom. His reaction was just like hers, and after the evening was over, he gathered his courage.
"Mom, dad... I need to go comfort a friend of mine. He's lost, just like me... I have to help him."
"...Good luck, son."
Sera was surprised they let him go but smiled, as they smiled too.
"Thank you. I won't let you down!"
He took his things and ran out of the door into the street enveloped by the night. He ran towards the Itsuka residence, with one goal in mind.
To be continued...
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