I'm republishing this because I split the chapter up into two since it was getting to around 20,000 words which is a little too much for one chapter. I also added more to the next chapter after this one.
WHICH MEANS THE NEXT CHAPTER IS ALREADY OUT!!
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"Heeey, Tohka... Come on, open up..."
While letting out a concerned voice, Goku knocked on the door, but there was no response.
"Tohka please, hear me out! It's not what you think..."
Once more, he said that while knocking on the door.
When he did that— Don! A loud noise occurred, shaking the whole house.
And from the other side of the door Goku was knocking on, a mumbling voice echoed. "...Fuun. Don't bother me. Hurry up and go away baaka baaka!"
And with that response, the matter ended like that. Tohka was completely sulking.
"Geez... What am I supposed to do?"
Goku was at a loss and sighed gloomily as he gave up trying to talk to Tohka.
It had been 5 hours since [Hermit] had returned to the other world.
After that, he was retrieved by <Fraxinus> and went back to his house, which was a good thing. But, upon entering the house he found that Tohka had locked herself inside her room and refused to come out.
"—Hey Goku, got a minute?"
From the intercom on Goku's right ear, Kotori's voice was heard. "Uh, sure. But I don't think this is the right time for that."
"Goku, you did kiss Yoshinon correctly, right?"
"What? Is there a wrong way to kiss?"
"Just answer the question. At the time your and Yoshinon's lips touched. This isn't a mistake right?"
"Aah, yeah."
"Fumu..."
"So, what happened? If anything that was just an accident."
"I know that. Instead of that, I would even praise you for achieving the goal we were aiming for."
"Then what's wrong?"
When Goku asked, Kotori after groaning replied;
"—It seems that even though you kissed, you couldn't seal any of the Spirit's power at all."
After being told that, Goku's eyes widened.
"What?? Why?"
"Well, the affection level wasn't raised as high as that time with Tohka and of course sealing all of the power is impossible, but even so, it is a little concerning that not even a little bit of it could be sealed. In numerical values, I thought that even at that stage it would be divided by 2 or even 3."
After saying that, she once again returned to talking to herself. "...Somehow either Yoshinon has a hidden special ability, or—"
"Okay, okay. I get that Yoshinon is a big problem and all, but..."
Goku, while saying that, had his eyes turned to Tohka's door.
Kotori probably guessed what Goku was thinking, and replied immediately replied. "—Ahh, it's about Tohka, huh? How is her condition now?"
"Well... It doesn't seem like she wants to talk to me right now..."
"I see. From seeing the numerical values it would seem that her powers temporarily resurfaced, though then they flowed back into the Pass and are once again sealed.
But...it would be better if you hurried up and fixed her mood."
"Her mood... How do I do that?"
"...Goku. If it's okay with you, would you leave this problem to me?"
After Goku asked, he heard a strangely sleepy voice from the intercom— It was Reine.
"Eh?"
"...As expected, she is getting worked up about that. If I am not mistaken, tomorrow is a Saturday. Would you mind leaving Tohka to me in the afternoon? Let's see... How about you let us go out and buy the groceries?"
"Sure, but why so suddenly?"
After a few moments after Goku asked, Reine sighed.
"...With things like this, it is better if the person concerned is not there. These are delicate traits of a woman's heart. Please remember that."
"Aah... Okay..."
Goku scratched the back of his head with a confused feeling.
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The next day, May 13th. (Saturday)
"...And so, that's about it Tohka. I am thinking about going out shopping, would you mind accompanying me?"
Just like what she said yesterday, and from beyond the door echoed an irritated voice.
"Shut up! Leave me alone......!"
She still sounded angry. Goku, who was standing right beside Reine let out a sigh. "She's been like this since yesterday..."
"......Fumu."
Reine put her hand on her chin to show that she was thinking.
And then from the bag she brought, she took out a terminal-like computer, and started fiddling around with it using her other hand."
After looking at the terminal screen, she closed it and stepped forward towards the door.
"......Tohka."
"I told you to leave me alone......! I wa—"
"......I'm thinking of eating something outside while shopping. How about it."
When Reine said that, Tohka went unexpectedly silent. And then, after 10 seconds.
...
Creak
The bedroom door opened, and from inside Tohka's angry face popped out.
She probably hadn't changed her clothes since yesterday; she was still dressed in her high
school uniform. What's more her clothes were still wet. Speaking of which, maybe she hadn't slept, there were dark circles under her eyes. If she were to walk beside Reine, others would say they were sisters.
Goku opened his eyes wide in surprise.
"R-Reine, did you do something—"
"...Nothing. It's because her hunger value is rising. I thought it was probably time that she was reaching her limits now."
"I see... I did try to call her for dinner, I even left the food in front of her door but she didn't even bother to look at it..."
"...It's likely because she doesn't want to see your face."
Goku was told those words in such a harsh and plain way.
But, it was the truth. Tohka, who had finally come out of her room, upon seeing his face, pui, turned her face away and walked away with heavy steps.
"Hurry up and let's go!"
"...Un, let's do that. It's also been raining since this morning. Please don't forget to bring an umbrella."
While saying that, Reine made eye contact with Goku that seemed to say "Leave this to me."
"I'm counting on you..."
The only thing Goku could do was to send both of them off. And just like that he was standing there in silence for a few minutes.
He had never felt something like this before. Because of course, he had Chi Chi, who was very forgiving. But Tohka wasn't Chi Chi, and for some reason, he felt very sad that Tohka was upset with him.
He wanted to make up with her as soon as possible.
But, after a few more minutes of just standing there, he quickly realized he was wasting his time.
"I might as well be productive while they're out."
He originally planned on going grocery shopping and sneaking a meal in yesterday, but due to some... Certain events, he wasn't able to.
Goku hurriedly finished dressing and left the house taking an umbrella with him.
"Since Kotori is asleep I'll just take this just in case."
After opening the umbrella and saying that, Goku made footprints on the road of rain.
After what felt like an eternity of walking, "Huh?"
In the middle of walking to the shopping street, he noticed the back of someone he recognized.
Goku quickly stopped his legs.
That was because he found someone with rabbit-like ears attached to a green-colored hood.
He raised his eyebrows as he realized who it was.
Yes, due to the area being destroyed by yesterday's Space quake, from the other side of the [Do Not Enter] sign that was placed up, the Spirit [Hermit], otherwise known as Yoshinon, was there.
Goku hid himself behind the corner of a wall, observing Yoshinon from afar.
"No alarm huh? Just like Tohka... And that time before..."
Maybe because of how frequently Yoshinon appeared in this world, she caused fewer Space quakes.
Now that he found her, there was no way he could just ignore her now— and he didn't know what to do.
After a few moments of thinking, he took out his phone and pressed call on a certain number.
"......Fua—....Hello.......? Onii-chan..........?"
It was the sound of her just waking up. And of course, it was Goku's sister, Kotori.
"Hey, good morning Kotori."
"Unn—...Gud morning. What's wrong...........?"
"... It's an emergency. I found Yoshinon."
The moment Goku said that, on the other side of his cell phone, Pachin!
Pachin!, he heard the sound of cheeks being hit with all her might.
And right after that a dignified voice, that he knew and at the same time doesn't, echoed.
"—Tell me about the whole situation in detail."
"Aah, yeah, sure."
While being a little overpowered by the sudden change, Goku explained the current situation in a simple manner.
".....I see. Another quiet appearance huh? This is troubling—So, Goku's existence hasn't been discovered by the Spirit yet, right?"
"No, she's been rummaging through the rubble for a while now."
"Do you have the intercom?"
"Yep, just in case."
Goku, lightly felt his pocket to confirm the feeling of the small device was there.
Since the affair with Tohka, he was told to carry one just in case there was a problem. "That is good. Wear that. Don't lose sight of the Spirit and standby for orders."
"Alright. I'll keep doing what I've been doing..."
Toot, toot, toot
The call disconnected.
Since there was nothing else to do, he quickly put on the intercom and peeked at Yoshinon's condition.
After 5 minutes had passed, from the intercom he heard his precious little sister's voice.
She had finished preparing in such a short time, then moved to the <Fraxinus>.
"—Goku, can you hear me?"
"Yep, loud and clear."
"Alright. For now, let's make first contact. We can't just leave her alone if this continues."
"Okay."
Goku started to steadily walk towards Yoshinon.
Even now she still hadn't noticed Goku was there, as she was desperately looking at the ground.
"......Well then talk to her."
"I'm going to...! You just have to—"
Because of Goku approaching the Spirit, a window was displayed on the bridge's main monitor.
① At the same time when trying to talk to her, face upwards after rolling over then show your stomach, to show that you have no hostility towards her.
② Immediately hug her tightly, to tell her the love from this side.
③ To show that you are unarmed, talk to her after getting stark-naked.
The method to avoid provoking the Spirit was shown in 3 patterns. "Tsk Although it hurts to not have Reine here, it can't be helped."
Kotori, after taking a glimpse at the vacant seat on the lower bridge, clicked her tongue.
Currently, Reine should be taking Tohka shopping right now. They also couldn't take the chance of abandoning Tohka and lowering her mood even further.
"—All members, choose!"
Together with that order, from the display on Kotori's hand, the crew's choices appeared on it.
—①, ②, ③. Altogether, almost all the votes of that amount were gathered. "Tsk It's a little broken."
While Kotori was murmuring frustrated, voices from the lower bridge echoed.
They all argued over which choice was better before Kotori finally snapped.
"......Quiet!!"
Bam! The console got hit and the crew that was getting heated, got yelled at. And inside the quiet downed bridge, she slowly took the mic and—
"—Goku, before talking to her, take your shirt off."
She calmly said that.
Then, from the lower bridge, a few of the female crew members did a guts pose.
"Aah, sure? But I really don't see how this is going to help talk to her."
Goku complied, removing his sweater and shirt, revealing his surprisingly average physique. His once well-built body was nothing but a mere memory to him now, and if Vegeta were to see him, he'd be disappointed.
"—Good, now go ahead and talk to her."
"Mhmm."
He slowly approached the desperate-looking Yoshinon.
"Uhhhhh..."
The moment Goku's voice was heard, Yoshinon, turned towards him with a trembling motion.
Her face turned pale and her teeth made a clattering sound, and her whole body started to tremble.
"...Erm. Hi?"
And then, she was making a face showing that she would cry at any moment now and raised her hand high up.
Goku remembered what had previously happened yesterday, and quickly raised his voice.
"Wai-Wait! Calm down!"
But, even though he said that, there was no way for her to hear it.
When Kotori realized what Yoshinon was trying to do, she too shouted.
"—Goku! For now if you still have time—— pick ①! Show her your belly and roll over!"
"Aah! R-Right!!"
Roll, he threw himself down and rolled. "I give up! I give up!"
".....!?"
At that instant, when Yoshinon was about to swing her hand down, she made a dumbfounded face.
And then timidly, she slowly her hand to its original position, and started examining Goku's state.
"...Does this mean we win?"
"—Probably, try talking to her while you avoid provoking her."
Being told that, Goku, who was still rolled over and getting cold, slowly raised his neck.
"Erm... Yo."
"......"
Even when he tried to talk to her, Yoshinon continued staring at him in full alert mode.
"Nice weather we're having...?"
"......"
"This rain is very... rainy."
"......"
Nothing. No replies were coming back. Goku sighed and tried tilting his head to the side.
And it might have been a mistake— but right now, he thought he could see Yoshinon's left hand.
Which means, she was not wearing her puppet.
"Hey, are you trying to look for your puppet...?"
The moment Goku said that, Yoshinon immediately opened her eyes wide.
Goku slowly stood up and put his wet shirt on, and when he looked back up, Yoshinon ran towards him and immediately grabbed his shirt tightly and look up at his face, as if to ask a question.
".......! .......!?"
"Is that what you're looking for?"
After asking that, Yoshinon kept nodding her head hard.
After that, Yoshinon looked at Goku with very worried eyes. It was as if she were asking for the puppet's whereabouts.
"Sorry... But I don't know where it is either..."
When Goku said that, Yoshinon made a face as if the world was about to end, and losing her strength she sank down to the floor.
And just like that she hung her head low, "ue......, e........" and the sounds of weeping started to leak out.
"H-Hey..."
If she were to go on a rampage it would be a big problem, but this was also a problem in its own way.
"Yoshinon, how about... we look for your puppet together?"
Goku dropped down to his knees to be on Yoshinon's level, before placing his hand on her shoulder.
Yoshinon slowly raised her head to look at Goku, tears falling down her face.
"Come on, don't cry, I'm sure we'll find it. We gotta retrace our steps first though. When and where do you think you lost it?"
"......Yes...terday........"
And then, she pulled the rabbit ears that were stuck on the hood and covered her face, while hiding her eyes she carried on talking awkwardly.
"The scary..... people, when I realized...... we were...... attacked, I lost it......"
"Aah, so you were attacked by the AST huh?"
When Goku said that, Yoshinon threw her head down vertically.
"I see, so it was after that..."
When Goku was talking, he looked around by craning his neck to the left and then right.
Whether it was destroyed buildings or cracked roads, he expanded his full view as much as possible. This was going to be a hard task since Yoshinon's puppet didn't have a ki signature.
And as if matching together with that reaction, from his right hear sounds were delivered from <Fraxinus>.
"——We will try to find that puppet from our end. Try to communicate with her as much as you can while searching."
To show that he understood, Goku slightly shook his head, and once again brought his eyes to Yoshinon.
"Alright Yoshinon, let's start searching."
" !"
Yoshinon consented—— and after mumbling a little in her mouth, she let out her voice."
"I, I am......"
"Hm?"
"I......am not, Yoshinon,......but Yoshino. Yoshinon...... is my friend......"
"Ahh, sorry about that, Yoshino.—Here, use this. Even though you're already wet, it's better than nothing, right? Don't want you getting sick after all."
He picked up the umbrella that he had placed down earlier and gave it to Yoshino.
"? ? ?"
"Oh—Right. This is how you use it."
He grabbed Yoshino's hand while she was tilting her head in curiosity, and held it up.
When he did that, she was surprised by the fact that raindrops no longer touched her, and Yoshino looked up with her eyes that were turning around in amazement.
The transparent vinyl umbrella was repelling the rain that was falling and hitting it while shining brightly.
"......! ......!"
Yoshino excitedly, flapped her other hand that was not holding the umbrella.
"Yeah, pretty cool right?"
Goku could help but smile seeing Yoshino being happy.
And after he said that, Yoshino turned her eyes to Goku as if she was asking him.
"Hm? Me?"
Yoshino nodded her head repeatedly. "Oh—Nah. It's alright. You can keep using it."
After hesitantly looking at the umbrella and then to Goku for a few moments.
"Th......ank, y......ou."
And after she bowed and lowered her head, they continued their search for the puppet.
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"...Umu."
While Tohka was rubbing her stomach and sighing, she was following Reine as they walked through town in the rain.
She was feeling somewhat bad from having not eaten anything yesterday afternoon, and for not having slept much.
But, the reason for this uneasiness was not from her lack of sleep or from her empty stomach—Tohka somehow understood that.
Tohka clenched her teeth, and splash, kicked the wet ground.
But even if she were to do something like that, there was no way the irritating swirling in the bottom of her stomach would just end.
And Reine who was walking in front of her suddenly stopped walking. Tohka stopped right on the verge of bumping into her.
"...How about we go and have our lunch first. Is this place okay?"
Right in front of them was a building with a colorful signboard. If she wasn't mistaken, this place was a family restaurant.
Tohka made a big nod.
"Un... It would help if you were to do that. My stomach is so empty that I think I am going to die."
"...Well then, let us enter."
When both of them folded their umbrellas and entered the shop, following the shop attendant, they settled down at the end of the non-smoking area.
Immediately, they skimmed through the menu and placed an order.
While waiting for their orders to come, in order to calm her stomach, she drank the water the attendant placed on the table in one gulp.
"...Tohka."
Reine faced Tohka with her pair of eyes decorated by thick and cloudy eye bags. "What?"
"...Before the food gets here, I would like to have a little talk... is that okay?"
"Nu... Well, I don't mind but... What kind of talk is it?"
Tohka, in order to show that she was alert, lifted her body from the table and nodded.
The woman known as Murasame Reine was..... hard to understand because she seemed always to be thinking of something and because of that habit, it felt like she could see through anything-it felt a little irritating.
Whether or not she realized what Tohka was thinking at that moment, Reine remained in a dreamy mood and took out a machine-like object from her bag, and then unfolded it on the top of the table.
"What's that?"
"...Aah, please don't mind this."
While saying that, Reine was using her other hand and click click ...and lightly operated it.
She focused intensely on the terminal, filled with curiosity but Tohka finally managed to ignore it and returned her sights back to Reine.
When she did that, Reine returned her eyes back to Tohka and opened her lips.
"... Well, I am not good at making conversation so I will get straight to the point. Tohka, the reason you are irritated-no, it would be better if you could-can you tell me the reason why you have been irritated and the origin of it?"
"—Kuh."
From Reine's words, Tohka unintentionally gasped.
"Uh, I am not really—"
"...As expected, you can't forgive Goku for meeting up with another girl."
"Wha, why did Goku appear right there..."
"...Oya, is it not related to him?"'
Tohka placed her elbow on the table and then scratched her head in a sign of surrender.
And after making a big sigh, she said in a suffering voice. "...I don't understand."
"...Don't understand what?"
Reine tilted her head to the side as she replied. And Tohka whose face was down, lifted her face up.
"Umu......Even I don't know why it turned into this kind of feeling." She seemed to be troubled as she continued her words.
"Yesterday...Goku left the school and—kissed or whatever it's called, that girl."
Kiss. Just that single word, caused pain around her chest area. "...Aah, it would seem so."
"It's not really... It isn't any of my business who Goku meets with and where, and whoever he kisses. I am not supposed to find any faults in it. ...But, the moment I saw that, it was already—How should I put it? It was rather—yes, it was a rather bad feeling."
"...Fumu."
"When I realized what had happened......I started raising my voice. What's more... Right after that, the rabbit said that girl was much more important to him than me... I was already sad, and scared, to the extent that I couldn't do anything, and I became unable to understand what happened at..................... I don't even understand what this means....... this is the first time this happened."
And once again she made a big sigh.
"As expected........Is there something wrong with me?"
"..... No, you are not sick or anything. That is a normal and healthy response."
"I-Is that so?"
"...Aah, it is nothing to worry about. But—it is better if we clear that misunderstanding first."
"Misunderstanding...?"
"...Aah, regarding that kiss, that was a total accident, and... it doesn't mean that girl is more important to Goku than Tohka."
After Reine said that, she glimpsed at the machine, as Tohka raised her face. "Uh, re-really...?"
"...It is true."
"Bu-But Goku was..."
"... If he doesn't think of you as someone precious to him, do you think that he would go out of his way to save you?"
"—Ah..."
After being told that, Tohka was at a loss for words.
She completely forgot about the weird and indescribable swirl of emotion that was affecting her heart and stomach.
—Yesterday, didn't Goku protect Tohka? Just like last month?
And what's more, in spite of knowing the chances of dying by getting shot by an assassin.
Tohka, while pushing her hands around her chest area, swallowed her saliva.
"I—"
I've been so stupid.
Tohka shook her throat to make a groan, and then scratched her head again. And after that, immediately stood up from her seat.
"...Tohka?"
"Sorry, can we postpone today's shopping to another day?" Tohka bit her lips before letting out her voice again. "...I have to, apologize to Goku."
Reine made a small nod. "...Then go."
"...I am grateful, for today. Thank you."
Tohka made a short reply and left the family restaurant taking the umbrella in her hands, she ran out into the rainy town.
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After 3 hours of Yoshino and Goku digging through rubble, Goku wiped the sweat off his forehead, even though it quickly got wet again by the rain, and turned to Yoshino.
"So, anywhere else you think Yoshinon is at?"
And at that moment, riiinnnngg, such a sound leaked out and Goku heard it.
" !"
Yoshino twitched her shoulders as if she were embarrassed.
"Ah, are you hungry?"
When Goku asked, Yoshino's face turned red and she swung her head from side to side.
But at that time, her stomach grumbled.
" !!"
He remembered from Kotori's boring lecture about Spirit that they didn't need to eat because of Spirit energy, but maybe she was wrong.
He didn't really mind at all, to be honest. After all, he was getting hungry too.
"Yoshino, how about we take a break and eat something? I'm starving, and I bet you are too!"
When Goku said that, Yoshino swung her head sideways. And then her stomach grumbled again.
"......!"
Goku chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Come on, how about we go back to my house? I can make us some great lunch.—But only if you're okay with it."
Yoshino, while remaining silent, gave a small nod.
"Alright then, let's get going!"
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"Here you go, it's done. Let's hurry up and dig in so that we can get back to finding Yoshinon!"
While talking, he held the bowls of Oyakodon made of leftover food from the fridge and headed to the living room where Yoshino was sitting.
He put one in front of Yoshino and right across her he placed his own portion, and he entered the kitchen again to get a chair and some utensils before returning to the living room.
"Now... Itdakimasu!"
Goku clapped his hands together while saying that, and Yoshino imitated that movement then lowered her head.
Then, she grabbed the spoon with her hand, took one scoop from her bowl, and transported it into her mouth.
".........!"
When Yoshino did that her eyes immediately opened wide, and slam slam, started hitting the table.
"Aah, do you like it? I did try my best to impress after all, hehe..."
But when Goku said that, she turned her eyes away in embarrassment.
Afterwards, Yoshino looked like she wanted to tell him something, but instead she made an embarrassed faced and found difficulty in putting it intro words, gu, she gave Goku and thumbs up.
Goku scratched the back of his head while smiling.
"I'm glad you like it."
They were both quite hungry; as both of them opened their mouth wide with all their might, and started munching down.
And by the time Yoshino finished her meal and Goku went for seconds, thirds, or was it fourths— Kotori started talking.
"Do you still want to rest? I still want more information if possible from the Spirit. Since this is a good chance, why don't you ask Yoshino how old she is?"
"Aaah, Shure..."
Goku replied while his mouth was full.
He quickly finished his final bowl as he exhaled a satisfied breath and then turned his eyes towards Yoshino.
"So Yoshino, now that we're both filled up, can I ask you a few things?"
Yoshino tilted her head in curiosity.
"You seem to be very close to your puppet—Yoshinon. What is she to you?"
When Yoshino was asked that question, she timidly opened her mouth with difficulty.
"Yoshinon, is ......a frie...nd, and also....... a he...ro."
"Your hero?"
When asked again, Yoshino nodded.
"Yoshinon is......my, ideal... ...yearnings of... ...myself. Unlike me... ...not weak, unlike me... ...not hesitant... ...is strong, and cool..."
"Your ideal self... huh."
Goku scratched the back of his head and recalled back the time when he met Yoshino inside the department store.
Well, certainly the current Yoshino compared to Yoshino talking through the puppet, from the tone to the attitude it was like she was a different person. But—
"I dunno, I think I like the current you better though."
During the time when Tohka appeared, he remember the number of jokes accumulated from the puppet, and he made a soft smile.
Certainly, during that time, Yoshino was talking cheerfully but— he just preferred this one over the other one.
She was sometimes hard to hear and thought she was awkward, Yoshino had been honestly answering his questions, and it was a good feeling.
She resembled Gohan when he was a child, shy and quiet, yet so powerful at the same time. He couldn't help but want to protect her.
But the moment Goku said those words, Yoshino's face went poof, and her face blushed red. She then hunched her back and used the hood to cover and hide her face.
"Hm? What's wrong Yoshino?"
Goku said that while trying to peek, Yoshino lowered the hands that were holding onto the hood and, gradually raised her face.
"......Tho, those words, because......it was the first time... ...I have been told."
"I-Is that so...?"
Yoshino made a deep consent.
Well...originally she was a Spirit that only had a few chances at having a conversation with a person. It might be because of something like that.
"Goku, was that... ...in your calculations?" And, over there Kotori asked such a question.
"Calculations? What are you talking about?"
"...Never mind. If that wasn't then it's okay."
"Uh, okay."
It was his sister that said something that didn't make sense, Gokuknitted his eyebrows.
"Don't mind it. There is not a problem for now—it's just unexpected how calm you are. Your heart rate hasn't changed a bit! I guess the results of the 'living together training' are starting to show."
"Ahaha... Yeah, sure."
Goku replied vaguely. There was no reason to freak out right now.
But, he couldn't afford to be occupied with Kotori right now. Goku fixed his sights back to Yoshino, and asked the next question.
"So—Yoshino, why don't you fight back when the AST attacks you? You have every right to defend yourself against them."
When Yoshino was asked that... she looked down again.
".......I ...hate, painful things. I also hate...scary things. Surely, those people too...whether it's pain or scary things, I think they...don't want it too. That's why, I..."
It was such a small and faint voice, Goku could have easily missed what she was trying to say.
But because of that-from those words Goku, felt a piercing wave in his heart.
"......Yoshino......you, just for a reason like that—"
But, Goku did not finish the end of his sentence.
While Yoshino's whole body was trembling, she continued talking.
"But.......it's because, I... ...am, weak... ...and a coward. If I am alone... ...I am useless. I am... ...scared of being hurt, when I can't, do anything... ...the inside of my head... ...will go crazy..., that's why, I might... ...do bad things to everyone..."
Halfway through, it became a teary voice. After sucking in her snot, she continued on.
"That's why......Yoshinon... ...is my, hero... ...when Yoshinon is... ...with me, even, if I get scared......she would say... ...it's okay. And, then... ...it will really turn out okay. That's why... ...that's why."
"......"
Goku, was speechless. He just couldn't bear it anymore. He couldn't bear to see her like this.
Yoshino. This small girl was... Too kind... And too sad.
Whether it was pain or scary things, it was certain she did not like it.
Thinking of the enemy, that had targeted her countless times with hostility, bad intentions, and killing intent, and yet— still she decided not to hurt them.
She chose to do that over her own life? Such a difficult thing?
Yoshino is— weak?
Yoshino's head was shaking from her own evaluation— there was no way someone like Yoshino was weak.
Her sense of mercy was even softer than Goku's. While he still fought his enemies for the fun of it, he didn't want to outright kill them. But Yoshino, didn't want to hurt them at all.
"——"
Without a second thought, Goku stood up from his seat.
He then circled around the table and knelt down beside Yoshino— and just like that, he gently caressed Yoshino's head.
"......... ,e...,err"
"I will."
"——,...?"
"I will—save you."
He said that, full of determination, and Yoshino stared in wonder.
"I will definitely find Yoshinon and hand her over to you. Also... I will make sure Yoshinon doesn't have to protect you anymore. I'll make sure you no longer need to go through those painful or scary things anymore. I promise you— I won't let them near you. I'll protect you. I will become your hero."
He didn't stop there.
Because, in Yoshino's kindness, there was something important lacking.
It was only one problem which was: even if she has the mercy of a saint, that mercy would not be shown in return to her.
If that was the reason, then there was no choice but to have it be given from the outside.
He didn't care anymore. Spirit or not. To Yoshino. To this... overly kind, innocent little girl, to have nothing to save her, that kind of thing, he could absolutely not forgive.
He had to fight. For her, for Tohka, for any Spirit he encountered.
During that time, Yoshino's eyes had turned black and white but, after ten seconds had passed, she opened her lips.
".....Th...ank you... very m...uch."
He was happy when Yoshino honestly said such a thing. He softly smiled, and nodded as he stood up, and removed his hand from her head.
"Now are you still hungry or—"
But— at that instant. "Goku! I'm sorry! I was—"
Suddenly, the door opened and Tohka, who left the house early in the morning, while she was still breathing hard on her shoulders, entered the living room.
She wasn't able to finish her sentence before being attracted to the pleasant smell of Oyakodon in the kitchen.
However, the moment she turned her gaze to Yoshino and Goku, piki, her body stiffened up.
"Oh, hey Tohka. Are you feeling better?"
"Y-You—! What are you doing here!?"
Tohka completely ignored Goku's question, and pointed at Yoshino instead.
"..... Hi..."
Yoshino probably felt something strange; she turned backward and leaked a soft voice.
But it might be something that can't be helped. To Yoshino, Tohka should be the scary opponent that took her puppet away from her—and on top of that, Tohka who was quietly lingering around the living room entrance, a difficult-to-explain pressure was leaking out from her.
"Aah, I invited Yoshino to eat lunch with me, do you want to join in?"
Goku explained to Tohka, then turned back to introduce Yoshino—
...who was not there anymore.
"——It looks like Yoshino returned to the other world when Tohka was approaching her. Having her puppet being taken away must have been a traumatic experience for her."
"Oh..."
Tohka, whose mood completely brightened up the moment Yoshino vanished, served herself some food before sitting next to Goku.
Moments later, Kotori's voice was heard in Goku's ear.
"—Ahh, Goku. I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we found the puppet."
"Really? Where is it?"
"Well... It's kind of in an awkward place."
After hearing where the location of Yoshinon was, Goku made a puzzled face. "A-Aaah... Okay."
------------------------------------------------------
"So this is the place right?"
Goku was holding a paper bag of pastries in his left hand, while in the right a map drawn on some memo paper.
He looked up to see the high-rise apartment.
"So do I just go in there and take it... or do I ask for it?"
"Well, since you are probably the only person that can get invited into the Tobiichi residence, you could try to ask for it, but it'd be better if you followed the plan."
When Goku asked, from the intercom on his right ear, he heard Kotori's voice.
From the carefully investigated images taken at the time when Yoshino returned to the other world, the <Fraxinus> found out that when Origami was returning to base, she picked up the puppet and brought it back to her.
The first step to reclaim it was to: "Hey Tobiichi, is it okay if I come over to your house to hang out?"
He asked this a couple of days ago and thus he was invited to her house.
"Wait... Couldn't you just retrieve the puppet without me even helping? You got all this crazy tech so I'm sure you could—"
"...We already tried to."
"Eh?"
From the sigh of Kotori words, Goku tilted his head.
"I'm saying that even though we tried infiltrating 3 times a few days ago, all of it was a failure-In the room there were infra-red lasers set up, tear gas that sprays out, even sentry guns were installed in important parts of the room... 6 members of our mechanics division got sent to the hospital. Seriously, what on earth is that girl fighting with?"
"I see..."
"There is the possibility of retrieving it by forcefully entering and using brute
force but if we have the privilege of getting an invitation... Then isn't that a better choice?"
"Hmm... I guess you're right."
After seeing the uneasiness in Yoshino, he just had to do this.
And, what's more—to Goku himself, there was something he had to ask Origami personally.
"Speaking of which... what the heck are you wearing?"
"Hm? What's wrong with it?"
Kotori questioned, and Goku tilted his head in confusion.
To Goku, what he was wearing was completely normal, but to everyone else, it was far from something you'd wear to a girl's house.
He wore a sleeveless orange martial arts top with a 亀 on the front, matching orange pants, a blue belt, blue wristbands, a blue undershirt, and even blue boots.
"It's just—how do I put it? What you're wearing is flat-out weird."
Goku looked down at his outfit, his orange and blue gi. He scratched his head, contemplating Kotori's comment.
"Well, I think it's comfortable, so I'm gonna wear it!"
He said, and Kotori chuckled.
"I can see that... but still— it's a bit out of place for a casual visit to someone's house."
"That's not a problem, I'm sure Tobiichi won't mind."
Goku assured Kotori as he faced the apartment door.
He stepped inside and to the machine installed near the entrance, he typed in Origami's house number.
When he did that, he immediately heard Origami's voice. "Identify."
"Hey, it's me, Goku."
"Enter."
As soon as she said that, the automatic door of the inside entrance opened.
Goku entered the apartment, and rode the elevator 6 floors up, just like that he reached the designated room number.
"So we're sticking to the plan?"
"Yep. Leave it to me."
He said that, and Kotori replied back with those words.
Right now, flying around near Goku was <Ratatoskr>'s controlled super small camera that was the size of a bug.
The plan was while Goku was distracting Origami, the camera would go around performing the search.
The moment Goku rang the doorbell, immediately—as if Origami was waiting in front of the door, the door opened.
"Hey Tobiichi, I got you a..."
Goku lightly raised his hand to give a greeting—and froze.
The reason was simple—Origami's attire was just as weird as Goku's was.
It's true this was her house and she could was what she wanted to, but still...
A dark blue one-piece with a frilled apron attached to it. And on her head a cute headdress.
Yes, right now Tobiichi Origami was dressed in a maid-style costume.
"...What are you wearing?"
"A maid uniform."
Origami tilted her head a little, her expression as always, was expressionless like a doll.
"You don't like it?"
"No no, it uh, looks good on you."
"I like your outfit too."
"Aah, Thanks."
Still with her cold expression, Origami invited Goku inside the room.
"Enter."
Goku walked into Origami's home and closed the door behind him.
"...You see? I told you she wouldn't mind..."
He said under his breath to Kotori. However, when he did that, all he got back was her voice mixed in with static.
"Ku......uh, Not again———jamming——Goku—, Can't——connect——, somehow——"
He heard it until there and then, snap, that sound interrupted, and he no longer heard anything.
"Eh? Hello? Heeeelloo?"
"What's wrong?"
When he tried to ask about the intercom, Origami who was in front of Goku turned back.
"Oh— Uh, it's nothing."
"I see."
Origami turned back to the direction she was facing.
He didn't know why, but the transmission wasn't getting through here. If that's the case then the camera was probably not working either.
And even if it was working it wouldn't change the fact they couldn't communicate to Goku.
As the two of them pressed on and finally entered the living room, something caught Goku's nose.
"Un? What's this smell?"
And, the moment he entered the living room, he smelled a floating sweet aroma. Although, it doesn't feel like the smell of food.
"It's an incense."
"I see..."
Goku didn't know what that was, but it was a little unexpected.
But he wondered why...
This aroma, when he sniffed some of it, he got a little dizzy, as if his head were going blank. It was like if you were to space out you'd probably lose consciousness.
"Have a seat."
"Aah, sure."
After being told that, he sat down in front of the coffee table that was placed in the middle of the living room.
"You know, Tobiichi, you live in a pretty nice place."
And then, after seeing Goku sit down, Origami also lowered her hips to settle down.
Right beside Goku.
"Thank you."
Normally people were supposed to sit opposite of him, but maybe it was a normal thing in the Tobiichi house.
As expected it started to get awkward as Origami just stared at Goku.
"To-Tobiichi, I haven't seen anyone besides you here, do you live alone?"
Origami made a small consent by nodding.
"So when did you start living alone?"
When Goku asked her, as if complementing she continued adding on.
"Right after my parents died 5 years ago, I lived with my grandmother for a while but around the time I entered high school, I transferred here alone."
When Goku heard the word grandmother, a soft but sad smile formed on his face.
"You know, when I was a kid... I used to live with my grandfather in the mountains. I never actually got to meet my parents."
Although it was barely, Origami's eyes widened as if she were surprised to hear that.
"And what happened to your grandfather?"
"He's..."
Goku swallowed his saliva as he continued to speak.
"He's dead... He got— killed by a monster when I was very young and... I lived alone ever since."
The room went quiet for a few moments as Origami processed what Goku had just said.
"But I'm okay now. It's been—"
However, faster than Goku talking. Origami stood up from her spot.
"Wait here."
And just like that even without the sound of footsteps, she walked into the kitchen.
Goku was blankly staring at Origami's back who was standing in the kitchen. And as he started to space out, he felt a little dizzy.
But, he quickly snapped out of it as Origami returned carrying a tray that had a pair of saucers and teacups with sugar and milk.
While being silent, she arranged all of it on the table.
She approached Goku and once again she lowered her hips to settle down beside him...albeit much closer than before.
"Aah, Thanks."
He extended his hands towards the teacup, but just before touching it, he paused.
The contents of the teacups between Origami and Goku were night and day. From looking at Origami's tea, it was clear, transparent, and reddish.
And the other one which belong to Goku, he could not understand what was at the bottom of the cup. It was a mud-like liquid.
To try to identify what the liquid was, he lowered his face towards it, and the moment he got close. a strong irritating smell performed a raid inside Goku's nose.
But, he merely scratched his nose a little, assuming it was a kind of tea overseas or something like that.
"Well then, Itadakimasu!"
He held up the cup in his hand, and with one go, he let the liquid flow into the depths of his throat.
In an instant, the taste of the tea violated Goku's taste buds.
"——Obufuuu...!?"
It was a kind of taste that wasn't bitter or spicy, It just hurt.
He felt like he was about to vomit as he grasped his neck as if he were choking.
Then, he lost all of his energy and fell on his back before finally taking a deep breath.
"Haa..., haa..., —...Huh?"
Goku pressed his chest.
For some reason, his body was strangely hot. It felt like his body was burning up.
In addition to that. "..."
For some reason, Origami, placed her hands beside Goku's face which was now facing upwards because of him falling over. Her body sat over his stomach area, in a mount position.
"...To-Tobiichi wh—"
"Yes?"
It sounded like Goku was the one saying weird things since Origami replied back with a cool and calm manner.
"What are you do—"
"I can't?"
"...Can't ...what?"
"..."
Origami still on top of Goku, stared blankly into his face, before opening her lips.
"Let's make a trade."
"A trade?"
"I'll get off you if you agree to grant me one request unconditionally."
"Uhh, sure?"
When he said that, Origami, after taking some time hesitating, let out a soft voice.
"You call Yatogami Tohka with Tohka."
"Hm? Yeah you're right."
Goku made a small nod. It was certainly true.
Well actually, it was because the name "Tohka" was originally given to her by Goku, so of course it was a normal thing to do. Her last name was all Reine's doing.
"But you call me by using Tobiichi.
"Uh-huh...?"
"This is quite unfair."
When that said, pui, Origami turned her face away.
"—So do you want me to call her Yatogami or..."
"......"
Origami without saying anything, tightened the mount, increasing the weight on his stomach.
It was still around the weight of a normal girl, so it wasn't really that heavy.
"Then what are you telling me to do??"
When Origami relaxed the mount back to normal, while turning her face away slightly, she let out her words.
"I want you, to call me Origami."
Although it was the usual vocal sound without any accent but— just a little, Origami was holding in an insecure echo in her voice.
"Oh, is that it?"
Goku's confused expression quickly went away as he let out his voice again.
"Sure, I can do that Origami."
When Goku called out her name, Origami raised her hips from Goku's stomach without saying anything, and then stood up on the spot.
And then while being expressionless, hop, she hopped.
"—Goku."
Goku, who had also gotten up, heard his name being called. Usually, she'd call him "Itsuka Goku" but this time it was only his first name. He didn't mind at all though.
Then— he remember why he was here.
But without the camera, he'd have a hard time finding it himself...
"To—I mean, Origami."
"Yes?"
"I uhh, I mean— My sister Kotori dropped her bunny puppet a while back at the department tower in the shopping district, and I've been looking for it ever since. Do you have it?"
"I have it."
Goku asked, and Origami replied with a cool and calm tone.
"Can I have it?"
"Sure."
"Really?"
"Yes."
That was much easier than he thought it'd be...
And then— "Please wait."
She said that and Goku tilted his head, confused.
"Wait for what?"
"......"
"...Where are you going?"
"Shower."
"But what about the puppet—"
"Room."
Origami turned to Goku and made a small glimpse, and replied to Goku with only one word each time before leaving the room.
She probably meant her bedroom, but still... Why would she take a shower right now?
Goku didn't think much of it, besides it being weird.
He stood up from the floor and started searching around the apartment for the door to Origami's bedroom, and eventually, after a couple of minutes, he approached a door that was connected to the bathroom door.
He heard the sound of water dropping from the shower coming from there. Since there were only two doors to begin with, this had to be it.
Goku impatiently placed his hands on the last door and flung the door open.
"This has gotta be it..."
In the space of about 10 square feet, the bed and closet were arranged in... an interesting way.
Somehow, he felt like the room was a little small for the furniture in it.
No, it wasn't that.
"...That girl sleeps in quite the huge bed."
Yes, for some reason the bed was a queen size bed. Thanks to that, the room looked strangely small.
And mysteriously, compared to the other furniture this bed was oddly new. New as in, it seemed that it was just removed from its packaging just now.
And what's more, he noticed a pink pillow with some interesting wording on it. "No problem~" was embroidered on it.
"..."
"Maybe it was under the pillow..."
Goku thought as he flipped it to the back.
On the back "As you please~" was written there.
Since he didn't understand it no matter how much he thought about it— eventually Goku, stopped thinking about it.
And—over there.
"Ah."
Goku that had his face looking up let out a small sound.
On the top of the tall wardrobe located at the side of the room, a slightly recognizable silhouette was enshrined there.
A rabbit-shaped puppet that had been given a comical design—without a mistake, was Yoshinon.
Like this, he was able to save Yoshino now. But, the moment Goku took a step towards the wardrobe's direction, at that moment. " . "
From outside the bedroom. kachin, he heard such a sound.
It was not the sound of a normal door. It was most likely the sound of the shower room being opened.
It was likely Origami had finished showering.
"Ah crap..."
Goku quickly grabbed the puppet on top of the wardrobe and stuffed it under his gi; he then killed the sound of his footsteps and returned back to the living room.
He had completed his mission, but— there was still something he had to ask Origami.
With a determined look on his face, he opened the living room door. It would seem that Origami returned.
"Yo, Origami, I got the puppet, but there's something I want to ask you about—" But.
"Wh... I— Wha...!?"
Goku placed his eyes on Origami, and stopped at her body.
The state of Origami that was inside the living room was, not the maid outfit from just now—She was now naked and was covered with a bath towel.
What's more, since she had just showered, the towel was gracefully clinging to her, and because of that her body line rose up to the surface.
Goku tried to brush it off by clearing his throat, but instead started to cough over and over.
"What?"
But when Origami said that like it was completely normal, she tilted her head a little as if wondering why Goku was acting like that.
"Cough, Ahaha... Did you forget your change of clothes? That's pretty clumsy of you...!"
When Goku made a dry laugh, like a machine that hadn't been oiled up, he twisted his head away from Origami.
"..."
What's more, while being silent, Origami approached Goku without making any sound of footsteps— like the same as earlier, she folded her knees to sit down, right beside Goku.
However this time, it was at a distance where their legs were touching.
"—!?"
Origami tilted her head in wonder.
"What's wrong?"
"Erm... Nevermind. A-Anyway—"
"I also have something to ask you."
Before Goku could ask his question, Origami asked hers instead.
"On the 21st of April, I saw you when I was in the middle of an operation."
"...Uh."
When she said that date, Goku's back froze.
It was the date that Goku had his date with Tohka, and in the end, sealed her powers.
"Right before I fell unconscious, your hair—
...Just what in the world are you?"
"—I..."
Goku had to be careful with his words, or else he could reveal too much. He hesitated for a moment before opening his lips once more.
"Origami, I can assure you, I'm not a Spirit."
"Then how were you capable of—"
"I can't tell you that right now. But I promise you I'm not a Spirit."
"..."
Origami couldn't find any sign of Goku lying, which made it difficult to process what he was saying, even for her.
For Goku to not be a Spirit, and yet still be capable of such power was absurd.
"Even if that is the truth, you have still been marked as a B-Class Spirit."
"Woah, a B-Class? Does that stand for the best?"
"It's the second to last ranking."
Goku who was interested asked, and Origami, still with her cool and calm tone, she replied.
"Oh..."
"You are in the same class as [Hermit]."
The moment Goku heard the word [Hermit], his chest started to ache, reminding him of what he was going to ask Origami.
He took a few breaths to calm himself down before confronting Origami.
"...Origami, speaking of [Hermit], you might not believe this, but could you please listen to what I have to say?"
Without a speck of hesitation, Origami lowered her head forward.
"Yeah, I've actually talked to Spirit a bunch of times now. Not just Tohka, but Yoshino too."
"Yoshino."
"Oh— it's the Spirit you call [Hermit]."
Although Origami expression did not move at all, the moment Goku said that, breathe, it felt as if her usual breathing got a little faster.
"That is very dangerous. You should stop it."
"Origami, have you even tried talking to Yoshino at all? Actually— You probably haven't since you don't even know her name..."
He turned his whole body to face Origami, and continued.
"Please, Origami, even if it's just a little. If Yoshino appears again, can you at least try talking to her? Sure, there might be some bad Spirits out there, but Tohka and Yoshino aren't! They're both really kind... So please, just this once don't attack her."
"....."
Without saying anything, Origami was staring at Goku in a very calm state.
It was quiet. He couldn't feel the cold and mysterious aura off Origami anymore, instead, it was a mysterious gaze instead.
"......"
—Oh yeah... Goku finally realized it.
He knew that Origami wasn't in any position to make big decisions like this in the AST.
But even so, he still had to try.
Once again, he faced his eye toward Origami.
"Yoshino—... Yoshino doesn't like to be attacked by you guys, but at the same time, she doesn't want to hurt you guys either— which is why I want to save her. I also want you and Tohka to get along too. But at the same time... Origami, I don't want you killing those good people."
"......"
"I know you're a good person too! You're a high school girl fighting to protect the world! I think you're super cool for that—!"
Goku didn't have any right to say that Origami was wrong.
She had lost her parents to the Spirits 5 years ago—and she did not want other victims to be like her anymore. She was a noble girl that took up weapons to protect others.
But still...
"I don't get how things turned out this way... I can't seem to find anyone who is bad at all out there. Tohka, Yoshino, and even you Origami, are all good people!"
"That is—"
Beginning to speak, after Origami made a small gulp she continued.
"That is something that cannot be helped."
"..."
"Provisionally, the things you said are true, about [Hermit] not wishing to have
any conflicts with us —But, as the fact is, she is a Spirit. Therefore the threat of a Spacequake occurring is still there. We can't just ignore this danger that threatens so many people, just for that one girl only."
Goku remembered Kotori had said something similar.
Goku ground his molars trying to hide his expression.
In his head, Origami wasn't wrong, but still... He just couldn't accept it.
"Origami."
When Goku called to her, Origami tilted her head in curiosity.
"I... I get what you're saying. But you're hurting an innocent girl. Can't you see what you're doing is just wrong?"
Goku turned to Origami, his face etched with a concerned look.
"Let me ask you this, if you all can't confirm Spirit powers like Tohka, there won't be any reason to attack them, right?"
"......"
Origami kept silent for a while before replying.
"From my point of view, it is not my intention to do so. Just because her readings disappeared, it is too dangerous to leave the Spirit alone."
"Then what's stopping you from killing me right now?"
"......."
Origami took a moment to think of her reply, before she opened her lips.
"To the higher-ups— as long as there is no confirmation on the Spirit's readings, we have no choice but to recognize it as human. I can not attack any of you based on my own judgments. Also— you previously said that you yourself were not a Spirit."
Goku unconsciously drank his saliva, and gripped his hands tightly. "Thanks, Origami. I feel better now that I heard that from you."
"—Is that the only reason why... you said you wanted to come over today?"
Just a little, just by a little, her eyelids fell as she was unhappy.
"Uh, no... Is there... anything you want to do?"
"......"
As soon as Origami heard Goku's question, the atmosphere that because a little thorny vanished in an instant.
And then, she steadily approached Goku for a second time.
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—
And, the Spacequake alarm rang from outside.
"......"
Origami became silent for a few moments. Before standing up she took a breath.
"Origami...?"
"—Dispatch. Hurry and go to the shelter."
Origami said only that before going out to the corridor.
Right after Goku was left alone and was confused for a while. He then closed his eyes and tried to sense who the Spirit was.
Then, he raised his eyebrows as he opened his eyes— moving his hand to the puppet inside his pocket, gripping it tightly.
"Yoshino..."
And then— he moved his free hand's index and middle finger to his forehead, before suddenly vanishing from the room in an instant.
END OF CHAPTER
Oh yeah, you can't tell through the cover but Goku's hair isn't entirely black.