Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

To Tobiichi Origami, life had always felt like something important was missing.

At first, she thought the answer to that was obvious: her family, murdered many years ago by a rogue creature called a Spirit.

The past few years, she had dedicated herself to revenge. Joined the Anti Spirit Taskforce, or AST for short. Made a name for herself as one of their best new recruits.

Yet, something was still missing. Something that was both related and unrelated to Spirits. But, the more she tried to think on it, the more she tried to figure it out, the further the truth seemed to slip.

It was currently April 10, the first day of her second year of school. Today was only really looking to be a half-day for orientation, so she could dedicate the afternoon to training.

She arrived early to school, and found that so many others had as well. She found her class, 2-A, and took her seat, last row, by the window.

Then, as she sat, she found her gaze drifting to the seat next to her. The seat was empty, and from what she recalled from seeing the seating planner, nobody was assigned to it.

Something about this felt wrong. There was suppose to be someone there. Right? Someone... important.

Origami shook the thought off. It was probably nothing. Just... remnants of a dream, maybe.

Class moved at what she would liberally describe as a snail's pace, with the only outstanding thing being that her homeroom teacher was Okamine Tamae, known to the rest of the student body as Tama-chan. There was really nothing bad to say about her, even for someone as emotionally distant as Origami. She was kind, not bad on the eyes, and didn't really ask that many questions when Origami had to run off during a Spacequake alert.

And speaking of Spacequake alerts, there's one right now. Guess it was time to work.

Origami hung to the back of the crowd, tuning out the teachers that gave instructions to the nearest shelter, as checked her phone for instructions. Once they came in, she slipped away from the group, and headed for the barracks.

Flying was one of the most liberating things about being in the AST. The CR-Units that each member was equipped with made flight for humans not only possible, but easy, and Origami had to admit, the feeling was rather nice.

At least, she would have, were it not for the fact that she was currently en-route to kill the Spirit that had no doubt appeared at the centre of the recent Spacequake. Any sort of pleasure she might have gotten from the flight was overridden by the burning desire for revenge.

“Origami!” called the captain of her unit, a black haired woman named Kusakabe Ryouko. “Remember to keep your head on straight. This is Princess we're going up against.”

“I know, commander,” Origami replied. Each Spirit had a designated 'code', and Princess was certainly... one of them. Origami had had encounters with only two other Spirits, those being Hermit and Efreet, with the later being the main target of her revenge; the Spirit responsible for the tragedy five years ago that claimed her parents.

Little was known about Efreet, and Hermit was an elusive target when she appeared. Princess, however, was a far more combative Spirit. Origami had crossed blades with her many times now, and each time she was left either defeated, or in a state where, while she didn't lose, she didn't exactly win either. Somehow, that was more annoying.

“We're coming up on the zone,” one of her other comrades said.

“Roger. All units, prepare to engage,” Ryouko said. “You ready, Origami?”

“Ready, commander,” Origami replied. “This time... This time, I won't fail to kill you, Spirit.”

The moment they arrived at ground zero, Origami was once again struck by the sense that something was missing.

The Spirit, Princess, was there, in all her unearthly beauty, with hair a nightly black that shone purple in the sun, a dress of steel armour and fabric made out of light, and that strange stone throne that seemed to follow her.

Yet, in Origami's heart, she felt like there should have been someone else. Someone pivotal, whom Princess should have been pointing her blade at. But no, it was just her, waiting for them, as logic would dictate.

Princess leapt to the top of her throne, and drew the sword that laid within. It was a large blade, with a golden guard inlaid with a large blue stone, a core of silver, and an edge of glass. It was sword befitting its wielder: beautiful and dangerous.

The first swing of that sword came like a hurricane. The squad barely managed to scatter before the air they previously occupied was taken up by a slash of light. This was what Princess was; no elemental gimmicks, just raw power.

Almost all of her squad-mates charged at Princess, hoping that the tried and true Zerg-rush tactic would work. This, as one might expect, did not work out well, as all Princess needed to wipe them all out was a single kick.

One kick, and a whole squad was out for the count. Such a monster couldn't be allowed to exist in this world.

Origami unloaded her rifle, either until the energy in it ran out, or it overheated and the barrel melted. Whichever came first. In this scenario, it was the later.

Origami drew her blades, and charged. If anything, she was at least confident in her speed. She had to be, otherwise once hit would take her out.

Swing, slash, dodge, counter. Every movement between the two was a deadly dance of death. Even one slight slip up could spell the end for Origami. Fortunately, after all their encounters, Origami knew how Princess fought. It was a style of pure aggression, and was best met in kind.

So, it came as a surprise to Origami when what she expected to be a roundhouse kick turned into the flat of Princess' sword coming in from the same direction.

Origami had to divert all the power in her CR-Unit to mobility, so right this moment, her defences were completely down. On complete instinct, Origami raised her right arm to block.

What followed upon contact was a sound similar to that of gravel being crunched under foot. What followed after that was being thrown into a building that was somehow still standing.

Origami coughed up blood. She tried to move, yet found herself pinned to the ground. She could barely feel anything in her right arm.

Through the opening in the building, she saw Princess look at her with a mix of disappointment and... sadness? Before swinging her sword in a wide arc, causing the building to collapse on Origami.

So, this was how she was to die, then? Unable to accomplish anything? All Origami could do at this moment was curse the fate she had been stuck with, as the world faded to black.

…

Movement. Crumbling. Rustling. Something was happening, yet Origami was still too far from conscious to tell what it was.

A prick of light. A shout of finding something. Was it the rescue squad, then? If so, then that was certainly a relief.

More shouting, this time commenting on the extent of her injuries. Was it really that bad? This was probably delirium talking, but she didn't feel in that much pain at the moment.

Bright light, and the silhouette of what she assumed was a young girl with her hair in twin tails. “So, this is the one?” the figure asked. “Let's see... Tobiichi, eh? Record states... strong hatred for Spirits, huh? We've got our work cut out for us, then.” There was a slight feeling of a hand being placed on her head. “Best make peace with your grudge, buddy. You want to save the world? You're going to have to do things our way.”

When consciousness fully returned to her, Origami found herself in an unfamiliar medbay. She attempted to sit up, yet an unimaginable amount of pain shot through her whole body, forcing her back down.

“Try not to move around too much,” someone said. “You were on death's door when we got to you.”

Origami glanced over to her side, to see a woman with pale blue hair, a pair of blue eyes with dark rings around them behind a pair of round glasses. Her clothes, while not professional, gave the impression that she was a nurse of some kind. There was also the patchwork teddy bear in her breast pocket, if it mattered at all.

What Origami knew for certain, however, was that this woman wasn't part of the AST. “Who... are you?” she asked. “Where am I?”

“One question at a time, please,” the woman said. “To your first, I am Murasame Reine. I am the analysis officer for this vessel, the Fraxinus. A pleasure to meet you, Rei.”

Origami was confused. “My... name's not Rei.”

Reine tilted her head. “Really? You look like a Rei.” Reine shrugged. “Oh well. The commander is going to want to speak with you, so just wait here.”

'Not like I can go anywhere,' Origami thought. After all, she was fairly certain that her legs were strapped to the bed right now.

Once Reine left, Origami let out a sigh, before realising that right now, she only really had full control over her left arm. Her right arm felt like it was being held up in a cast of some kind, and on top of that, it felt... weird. Hesitantly, she looked over at her right arm, and instantly felt sick to her stomach.

It was a thick, heavy cast wrapped around her arm, but that wasn't what disturbed her the most. No, instead, it was the long bits of metal that stuck out and through it that churned her stomach. Every twitch of her muscles sent pain shooting through her mind.

Origami knew what the extent of these injuries entailed. She had seen such things a few times before, mostly in movies, reports, and photographs. This was the sort of injury that ended careers.

The door slid open once more, and a set of footsteps was heard. “Finally awake, are you?” a voice far too young to belong to someone of employable age said. “Took you long enough, Tobiichi Origami.”

Origami looked at the new arrival, and saw a young girl with fiery red hair, kept in twin-tails by a pair of black ribbons. There was a general air to her posture that indicated that she was someone of importance to whatever organisation she worked for, despite her apparent age.

“Who are you?” Origami asked. “And what have you done to my arm?”

“To the first question: Itsuka Kotori, commander of the Fraxinus, and of Ratatoskr,” came the answer. “And for the second: Everything we could to make sure we didn't have to amputate it. After that battle, it took us three hours to get there to exfiltrate you, the rest of your squad was still out for the count, and AST medics were nowhere in sight. It took us another hour to get you out of that rubble, and another again to get you here. By the time we could get the Realizers working on you, too much permanent damage had been done.”

“So, I will be unable to fight again, is what you're saying?”

“In short, yes,” Kotori admitted.

Origami gritted her teeth. Her revenge, once so close, was now long gone. And she could do nothing about it now.

“Bemoaning your lost revenge, I take it?” Kotori asked. “Trust me, I've seen your record. Can't say I've seen too many with such a burning hatred for Spirits.”

“Get to the point,” Origami said. “What do you want from me? Why did you bring me, specifically, here?”

Then, Kotori grinned. “Let's say I have an offer for you,” she said, as she pulled a lollipop out of her skirt pocket and plopped it in her mouth. “You'll have to make a sacrifice on your wish, but it'll still mean saving the world.”

Origami found the whole thing, understandably, suspicious. “What's your game here?” she asked.

“It's quite simple, at the end of it all,” Kotori said. “We here at Ratatoskr know of a way to seal a Spirits power, and to do it, we require your cooperation.”

Sealing... Spirits power? Was such a thing possible? No, more to the point... “Why should I?” Origami asked. “My hatred is against all Spirits. Why should I seal them when I could easily kill them?”

“And how's that working out for you?” Kotori rebutted. “Still no sign of Efreet either, I take it?”

Origami's eyes narrowed threateningly. “How do you know about that?” she asked.

“You weren't the only victim of the fires five years ago,” Kotori answered. “My brother had the same power of sealing that you currently have. He lost his life then, but not without managing to seal away Efreet's power.”

Origami felt herself freeze. “Efreet's... already sealed?”

“That got your attention, huh?” Kotori smirked. “Yeah, she's sealed. I would know; I was there when it happened. A regular girl, like you and me, forced to become a Spirit against her will.”

That... certainly shifted Origami's perspective a bit. She had always assumed that Spirits were born as such, not force-converted by someone or something else. Several thought began to fill her mind, many of which fell on Efreet.

“Surprised?” Kotori asked. “Believe it or not, but just about every Spirit is like that; a victim like you and me. That's why you fight, isn't it? Not just for revenge, but to make sure there aren't any more victims like us? Like them?”

Origami's mind was becoming overwhelmed with contradicting information and ideas. She had never once considered Spirits to be victims themselves. A small part in the back of her mind seemed to goad her into accepting the offer. After all, what did she have to lose?

'The burning hatred,' a nameless voice in her subconscious said.

'You say that like that's a bad thing,' another voice responded. Oh great, now she was losing her mind. What's next, a voice that speaks in Underline?

“So, what do you think?” Kotori asked. “For the sake of operations security, I can't give you much more information unless you agree to work with us, so what will it be?”

Yes, that was the question, wasn't it? Could Origami forgo her hatred of Spirits and save them, or abandon her quest all together? Either way, her goal of killing Spirits was out of reach for good, considering her injury. So, she either took a backseat in the war, or fought on a different front.

“One question first,” Origami said. “You mentioned that Spirits are victims. Does that mean of cosmic chance, or some larger perpetrator?”

“A good question,” Kotori said. “We have nothing concrete, but as of five years ago, we're fairly certain about the later.”

A picture was forming in Origami's head, specifically of Kotori's plan in the long run. It was revenge from a different approach. Rather than meeting the enemy head-on in battle, she was intending to take the enemies toys away like a reprimanding parent. A different sort of punishment. Almost crueller, in a way, and far more demeaning to the foe than just fighting the battles.

It was almost sadistic, from a certain point of view. Like having an enemy brag about '3D chess' strategies against your '2D chess' ones, only to be blindsided when you pull out the checkers pieces. Like winning at Uno because you had all five pieces of Exodia in your hand.

… What was up with all these analogies Origami was coming up with? She didn't play those kinds of games.

But it all came down to whether she wanted to take the backseat in this battle or not. In that case, there wasn't really an option.

“Fine,” Origami said. “I'll play by your rules. Point me at the targets, and I'll do what you need me to do.”

Kotori let out a breath she had been holding for a while. “Glad to hear it,” she said. “For now, focus on your recovery. Tomorrow, we'll begin your initiation.”

Great. Initiation. That was always fun. As Kotori left the room, Origami was once again left with her own thoughts.

How unpleasant.

Time seemed to blend together, and before Origami really knew it, tomorrow had become today.

The Realizers that had been used to expedite the healing of her arm had done all they could, and both the cast and braces were removed early that morning.

The only word that Origami could really use to describe the state her arm was in was 'gnarly'. Huge swaths of scarred tissue covered her arm, from her shoulder all the way to the tips of her fingers. Her hand was covered in many small cuts from any number of surgery, and even the simple act of closing her hand was sent waves of pain through her body. It was almost like someone had taken the nerves and tendons of her arm and rewired the whole thing in the most unoptimal way ever. Even poking the ends of her fingers with her other hand felt like a nail being driven through her skin

Strangely enough, it also made Origami feel like suing an electrician.

Presently, she was in a dark room with Kotori and that strange not-nurse, Murasame Reine.

“So, you ready?” Kotori asked. “I will warn you, there's no backing out at this point.”

“I am aware of that,” Origami replied. “If I wasn't, I wouldn't have agreed. This is the only chance I have remaining to get back at the Spirits.”

“Oh, trust me,” Kotori smirked. “You're gonna wish you could back out after seeing this. Reine, start the program.”

“Roger, commander,” Reine saluted, before typing away at the keyboard. The screen flashed white, before...

“... What,” Origami said, “is this shit?”

“What does it look like?” Kotori responded, not masking the sarcasm in her voice. “I told you you'd hate it.”

“This is not a training program,” Origami pointed out. “This is a dating sim video game.”

A very pink, very bright, and very girly dating sim, to be exact. It was so garish, in fact, that Origami couldn't even read the title screen.

“There is a good reason for that, Rei,” Reine said. Seemed she was sticking to calling Origami 'Rei'. “In order to seal the Spirit's powers, they need to be placed in a state of heightened positive emotions directed at you, whereupon you will be able to seal and house the the power within yourself through the primal intimate act.”

“Basically, what you need to do is make them fall in love with you, kiss the girl, and save the world,” Kotori summarised. “Simple, right?”

Origami could only stare dumbly at the two. There big plan, the only alternative to killing she had, was the Power of Love? That was... that was...

“What an utter load of shit,” Origami stated plainly. “Do you really expect this plan to work? Seriously? What sort of fool do you take me for?”

“One desperate enough to try anything,” Kotori answered. “Isn't that the case? You don't have what's needed to fight the war, so by that equation, your only option left is 'Love' isn't it?”

Origami got what she was saying. Didn't make it any less stupid, though. Unfortunately for Origami, though, she was still right; this was the only path left for her, as far as she could see.

“...Tch,” Origami clicked her tongue. “Fine. I'll play by your rules. But, if this turns out to be a load of shit, you're dead.”

“I'd be that, one way or another.”

It was a few days later. After the first day, her arm had healed to the point that, while it still looked like roadkill, it could at least she could hold cutlery with it.

From the second day onward, however, she was taking part in this new farce that Ratatoskr called 'training'. It was basically just a Dating Sim marathon.

It wasn't even all that useful. Just a matter of choosing the right options based on the target. It was liking firing a rifle in the practice range, only instead of a rifle, it was cheesy one-liners.

After those few days, though, she was done. That finish line came with a sigh of relief that Origami didn't realise she had been holding on to until just that moment.

Origami really wasn't sure what to make of all that. In fact, she really didn't know if that 'training' would even prove useful. The characters in visual novels, and just about any work of fiction, were caricatures; exaggerations of tropes and traits done for the sake of appealing to a wide audience. They weren't actual people, and those stupid, cheesy one-liners that the protagonists of these dating sims wouldn't actually work in real life.

At that point, Origami quickly dropped that train of thought. It was getting a little too meta for her liking.

“Rei, are you listening?” Reine spoke, dragging Origami from her thoughts.

Ah, right. There was now that matter or Reine having taken up the job of assistant teacher in her class. Guess there would be no separation of work and life, then.

“Of course,” Origami lied.

Reine, not believing that for a moment, continued to speak. “Now that your training is complete, it's important to do a live-fire test.” She handed Origami and earpiece. “For this trial, I'll be handling operations. In the future, you'll have a team of experts backing you up, understood?”

So, even after all that, she'd have someone else feeding her lines. Somehow, that made it worse. Deciding it was whatever, Origami put the earpiece in, and stepped out of the room.

[Am I coming through alright, Rei?] Reine asked over the com-piece.

“Loud and clear,” Origami replied. She had to admit, the audio quality was quick stellar. How was it that an organisation she had never heard of had better equipment than the AST?

[Now, for this test run, we'll need a suitable target,] Reine continued. [Fortunately, one's coming your way now. 12 o'clock, sharp.]

Origami turned her attention to the 'target'. That... was Okamine Tamae, her homeroom teacher. Great. For her training, she was going to have to hit on her own teacher. This seemed like the sort of thing that would come back to bite her on the ass.

“Ah! Tobiichi-san!” Tamae greeted, equal parts enthusiasm and worry on her face. “How are you holding up? Is your injury okay?”

It wasn't like Origami could hide an injury as severe and as obvious as what happened to her a bit over a week ago. The 'official' cover story was that she was caught in a building collapse rescuing a child during the last Spacequake.

Nobody said it was a good cover story, but people bought it anyway.

“I am holding out, at least,” Origami responded. “Tamae-sensei, there is something I need to discuss with you.”

“Oh? What is it?” Tamae asked. “And please, feel free to call me Tama-chan, like everyone else.”

This... might prove to be an easy trial run. Tamae was a very gentle soul, and even Origami, indifferent to other people as she was, found it impossible not to at least somewhat like her. Thinking over her 'training', Origami chose her approach.

“I cannot do that,” Origami said, much to Tamae's confusion. “If I were to call you something that everyone else does, I would be doing a disservice to my feelings.”

“Eh?” Tamae was caught completely off guard.

First part; catch the target off guard. Next, go in for the combo. “Truth be told, Tamae-sensei, I've been holding on to something for the longest time now,” Origami continued. “Feelings that I have been unable to express since the day I met you, but if I held on to them any longer, I fear my heart may burst.”

“Y-your heart?!” Tamae exclaimed.

“Yes, my heart,” Origami elaborated. “You see, the truth is... I have been in love with you for the longest time.” Origami gagged internally at how easily and faithlessly the word 'love' just left her lips.

“L-l-l-l-l-love?!” Tamae stuttered out. “T-Tobiichi-san, that's...!”

“I realise the immorality of it,” Origami cut in. “You're a teacher, and I'm a student. There's at least a 13 year age gap between us. But, I do not care about that. What I care about, more than anything, is you, Tamae.”

For a brief moment, Origami could see Tamae gradually become redder and redder, like a ripening tomato. Then, the air changed. Okamine Tamae's eyes, previously filled with unbridled kindness, now showed glints of tamed madness, like a caged beast finally being shown light for the first time in years. “Do you mean that, Tobiichi-san?!” she yelled. “Do you truly, absolutely, totally, whole-heartedly mean that?!!!” Origami was completely caught off guard by the sudden change in the direction the conversation was going.

[Ah, the sign of madness,] Reine spoke up. [Using up to three exclamation marks in one go.]

“If we were to do a ceremony, it would have to be on the small side,” Tamae began rambling. “The combination of two girls and the age gap would no doubt draw ire from all sorts, but this is the 21^st century!!! There's no problem with two girls of consenting age to be together or get married!!! As for children, medical science it at an amazing point in life!!! Fertilisation between two women is more than possible!!! And if that's not an option, there's always adoption!!! What do you think, Tobiichi-san?!!!”

By the time Tamae had finally turned her attention back to Origami, she had long since bailed from the scene. Roughly two corners, a flight of stairs, and a hallway away, Origami lent against a wall, catching her breath.

“That was... unexpected,” she decided.

[Perhaps using the 29 year old single woman was a bad starting point,] Reine conceded. [Still, you handled that quite well for your first time. You're a regular Casanova, Rei.]

“Do not call me that,” Origami said. “This is merely a means to an end. Nothing more.”

[How about we try one more practice target?] Reine continued, unfussed by Origami's comment. [How about that girl on 9? Black hair with one red eye showing?]

Origami looked to her left, and saw the person she was talking about. A girl that looked to be her age, with jet black hair kept in uneven twin-tails and blood red eyes, or at least, eye, as her left eye was covered by her hair. Strangely, Origami couldn't help but think that this girl was uncomfortably familiar.

“... No,” Origami decided. “Last thing we need is another situation like that. The sooner we can prove whether this strategy is legitimate or not, the better.”

[Fair enough, Rei,] Reine conceded.

Then, much to Origami's relief, the alarm for the Spacequake sounded.

The bridge of the Fraxinus was, Origami had to admit, state of the art. In fact, the whole Fraxinus itself was pretty out-of-this-world. It had freaking personnel teleporters. Even the AST didn't have those.

Origami really couldn't help but wonder who was backing Ratatoskr. The AST was, in a way, the front line in regards to dealing with Spirits, yet the most they had were basic Combat Realizers. And now, along came an organisation she had only learnt about a week ago, with airships, teleporters, and probably a bottomless budget, since it could afford to hire at least six other people that Origami had yet to meet.

“Now, before we begin, it's high time I introduce you to the rest of the crew,” Kotori spoke from the captain's seat. “Everyone, sound off!”

With a resounding 'Yes Commander' from everyone, the tall, blonde haired man that stood next to Kotori spoke first. “Vice Commander Kannazuki Kyouhei, at your service. It is a pleasure to make your acquantance, Tobiichi Origami. I am sure our relationship will be a fruity one-” He was quickly interrupted by a swift kick to the ass, courtesy of Kotori. Somehow, he looked quite pleased with it.

Kannazuki Kyouhei. Origami knew that name. He was the previous commander of the AST, and a master at using remote-controlled Combat Realizers. The only thing more outlandish than his skills were his quirks; namely, he was a huge masochist. She remembered the horror stories of his 'punishments', which involved cosplay and stepping on him. Rumour has it, he left the AST to 'find his true master'. Guess that true master was a 14 year old girl who could kick good.

Then, there was the rest of the crew. They had: Kawagoe 'Bad Marriage/Master of Love' Kyouji, Mikimoto 'Boss' Masaomi, Shiizaki 'Nail Knocker' Hinako, Nakatsugawa 'Dimension Breaker' Munechika, and Minowa 'Deep Love' Kozue.

Origami wished she could call these oddballs 'background characters', but she was more horrified by the prospect that these were going to be her 'wingmen', so to speak. Apparently, even after all that 'training', she still needed some kind of guidance through all this. That alone wasn't a problem, but these... people? These divorcees, stalkers, otakus, and flirts?

It's official, the world is doomed.

“Now that introductions are out of the way,” Kotori continued, using Kannazuki as a foot-rest (much to his delight), “it's time to begin the operation. “Origami, are you ready?”

“Arguably, no,” Origami said, “but it's not like I have a choice in the matter.”

“Well said,” Kotori smirked. “All hands on standby! Mission is a-go!”

The Spacequake this time around was a small one, and strangely enough, took place at Raizen, Origami's high school.

Even stranger, however, was the fact that, right this moment, the Spirit Princess was currently holding up inside her own classroom. She wouldn't call it irony, as that was blatantly the wrong use of the word. But, at the very least, there was a strange sense of humour to the idea that Origami was going to a place she considered one of her 'safe havens' to meet someone she considered one of her greatest enemies, in the hopes of getting her to fall in love.

What a strange turn of events.

[Alright. Princess is just beyond that door,] Kotori said over the coms. [Take it away.]

Letting out a small sigh, Origami gently opened the door.

The setting sun illuminated the wrecked classroom. Standing at the far wall, staring out the half broken window, was Princess. The sunlight shone against her black hair, giving it a warm glow, and her translucent dress fluttered gently in the breeze. It was moments like these that gave rise to the cliché line 'it was like we were the only ones in the world', and Origami could kinda see why.

At least, she would, if it wasn't for the remnants of her grudge causing her right hand to twitch like she was holding a gun. Guess old habits die hard.

Princess turned around, saw Origami, and her expression immediately soured. “You again,” Princess spoke. “What, do you think coming at me without a weapon will give better results?”

Now that she was listening to her voice outside of the battlefield, Origami had to admit, Princess had a melodic tone to her. [Alright, folks, we're up!] Kotori spoke before Origami had the chance to. [Options are as followed!]

A. Perhaps I wanted to try a more intimate form of combat. (75%)

B. Your combat prowess has left me head over heels for you. (25%)

C. Indeed. Square up.(0%)

What. The hell? Was that seriously how this was going to go? All that training, and they were just going to feed her lines? And this was the stuff they were going to feed her?

Screw that noise. If Origami was going to do this, then it would be her way. Those wack-jobs on the Fraxinus can offer advice, sure, but she is not using such cheesy lines unless she intends to do it herself.

“Fighting you is no longer an option,” Origami responded. “Our last battle has left me unable to ever cross blades with you again.”

The statement caught everybody off guard, for two different reasons. For Princess, it was the surprise of the person who was effectively her greatest adversary admitting to hanging her hat. For the Fraxinus crew, it was the fact that she disregarded their call.

“You've... stopped fighting?” Princess asked, while Origami quietly ignored Kotori's yelling in her ear. “Why? You hated me so much, why are you just letting it go?”

So, she was aware of that, then. Origami couldn't say she was surprised; she made her rage very clear. Before the Fraxinus crew could try to tally her options, Origami rolled up her right sleeve. “Because during our last battle, you were able to do extensive damage to my arm. Even with top of the line medical treatment, this is the best they could do for it. I am no longer capable of trading blows with you, yet alone trying to kill you.”

There was something... odd, in the way Princess was looking at her arm. It was like she was horrified by it. Suddenly, Princess seemed a whole lot more human to Origami than she was a moment ago.

Princess slowly approached Origami. Origami had to fight her own instincts just to stay still, as Princess reached down and grabbed both of her hands, looking at them curiously.

“These... are human hands?” she asked.

“... Yes?” Origami replied, more a question if anything. Oddly enough, Princess' hands were strangely comforting on her scarred hand. “Why is that strange?”

“Well... The only humans I've met up to this point were you buzzy people,” Princess answered. “I just started to assume all humans had big patches of grey and black skin that was kinda metal-like.”

There was a brief moment of silence between the two. How was Origami suppose to approach this now? “So, if you're not going to fight,” Princess continued. “What are you here to do?”

Before the crew could try to come up with options, Origami replied. “Have you ever wondered why the AST attacks you?” she said. “Why the world looks so destroyed when you're around?”

Princess looked at her with wide, confused eyes. “Kinda, yeah,” she admitted. “I just kinda thought that was how the world was whenever I woke up.”

Woke up, huh? Origami was definitely starting to see the informative side of this job. “The reason behind all that is because, whenever a Spirit like yourself wakes up, a Spacequake occurs, and leaves the area devastated.”

Princess looked shocked by this revelation, and looked around the wrecked classroom. “So, this place... isn't suppose to look like this?”

Was she... terrified of what she was capable of now? Origami was starting to feel conflicted herself. Here was this embodiment of destruction, realising that she herself was a walking force of nature, and being horrified of herself. In Origami's eyes, gone was the destructive Spirit, and in its place was just... a girl forced into an unfair game, where she was the bad guy without even knowing or wanting it.

As much as the commander was really starting to get on her nerves, Kotori had been right. The Spirits were as much a victim as Origami and others like her were.

At that moment, Origami was sure that she was going to commit to this path, strange as it was.

“What if I told you,” Origami began, “that I had an option for you to live in peace? No more destruction, and no more being attacked by the AST?”

Princess looked at Origami with wide, hopeful eyes, though quickly replaced that look with suspicion. “How do I know I can trust you?”

“You don't,” Origami admitted. “And in a way, neither do I. But that's what trust is; a risk.” After a moment's pause, Princess nodded hesitantly. Origami felt herself smile slightly at this progress.

[Okay, as much as I'm very annoyed with you,] Kotori spoke, [you're making some damn good progress. Try getting her name now.]

Finally, a course of action that doesn't involve them trying to feed her cringy lines. “Perhaps we should introduce ourselves,” Origami said. “My name is Tobiichi Origami. What is yours?”

“Origami...” Princess muttered, as if rolling the name on her tongue. Then, she smile. “It's a nice name. I'm... Hmm... actually, I don't think I have a name.”

That managed to raise more questions than Origami was comfortable with. It was already easy enough for her to dehumanise the Spirits back when she worked for the AST, and they were just threats with code-names. Now she was learning that they didn't even have names of their own?

“Could you give me one?” Princess asked. “A name?”

'Oh no,' Origami thought. 'I was not prepared for THIS level of responsibility.'

[Origami's brainwaves have elevated!] Kotori shouted. [All hands, get to work! Make suggestions! Anything!]

Several different names, all of varying quality, shouted through her ears. When two names, Tohno and Renka, passed her ears, a combination of the two popped into her mind.

“... Tohka,” she said. “How does 'Tohka' sound to you?”

“Toh...ka?” Princess repeated. “Tohka, Tohka... Hmm!” She nodded pleased. “I like it!”

[Well damn, that was a good call,] Kotori commented. [Her affection meter's risen quite high. Now, go in for the kill and ask her on a date!]

'Do you have to say 'go in for the kill'?' Origami thought. “Tohka,” she said. “If you are willing to trust me, would you go on a date with me?”

[Way to phone it in, bud,] Kotori muttered.

“Date?” the newly christened Tohka asked. “What's a date?”

“Ho boy, this'll be a tough one,” Origami couldn't help but mutter under her breath. “A date is a sort of... get together, between people who care about each other, where they... have fun together?” She'd have to admit, while she conceptually knew what a date was, trying to explain what it was was a whole different ball game. “You wish to see the world as it really is, right? Then, I...” A small blush crept onto Origami's face, as Kotori's voice egged her on to finish the line. “I... can show you the world.”

[She said the thing!] Kyouhei shouted. [Pay up!] What followed with the sound of a swift kick, followed by a 'Thank you!'.

“A way to see the world...” Tohka muttered quietly. “I think I-”

A sudden tension filled the air. Tohka's gaze, now a glare, had turned from Origami to somewhere to the right, and just as quickly, she dragged Origami to the ground, covering her as explosions suddenly blanketed the area.

“It's the buzzy people!” Tohka said.

“Buzzy... the AST?” Origami muttered. “They took a while to get here.”

[Origami, you need to get out of there!] Kotori shouted. [Find a chance to slip out, quick!]

Before Origami could think to respond, Tohka had pulled Origami up, and was looking into her eyes.

“Origami,” she said. “Next time we meet, okay?”

“Wha-?” Origami tried to speak, before she was all but thrown through the door, and out of the combat zone.

The last thing she saw, before Tohka charged off to fight the AST and Origami was teleported back to the Fraxinus, was a sad smile.

Chapter Text

Origami stood outside the wreckage of Raizen, and remembered the events that happened yesterday.

Meeting with the Spirit Princess, actually managing to bury the hatchet with her, giving her the name 'Tohka', the AST strike, asking her on a date, everything.

Seconds after Tohka had gone out of sight, Origami had been teleported back onto the Fraxinus, without anyone being the wiser.

Kotori had some... choice words to say, about Origami all but ignoring Ratatoskr's guidance, but gave her a pass in the end for the simple fact that her own choices were very effective. Apparently, this resulted in Princess' 'affection meter' going up from 0 to 70 over the course of a few lines of dialogue. Even Origami had to admit that she was impressed with her own performance.

Yet, now that this part of the ordeal was over... Origami had to say, she felt almost hollow.

All that progress. All that momentum, just... come to a halt.

Origami had to admit, while she was working on it, it had become quite easy to look beyond her desire for revenge. To see past the Spirit, and look the person in the eyes.

It has only been a little over twelve hours between then and now, and Origami could already feel old biases begin to creep back into her mind. She needed to focus, to not forget the genuine emotions that Tohka had shown.

“Hey.”

It was strange, Origami felt, that she was so invested in this. How had so much changed so quickly for her?

“Hey.”

Perhaps that was part of Kotori's plan. Prove that humans and Spirits could co-exist by making the person with the biggest grudge against Spirits lead the charge. Well, she had to admit; it was working.

Still, Origami wondered when the next chance she'd get to see Tohka was. It wasn't like Spacequakes had a set schedule she could plan around. The next one could be a month away, or it could even happen this afternoon. Supernatural disasters weren't the sort of things you could set a clock to, after all.

“Hey! How long are you going to ignore me, Origami?”

Origami was snapped out of her thoughts by a familiar voice. But, that was impossible. It couldn't have been who she knew the voice belonged to; there hadn't been a Spacequake alert! Was she...

Origami scanned her environment, and her eyes landed on the girl with black hair that carried a tinge of purple, and those familiar indigo eyes.

“Tohka...?” Origami asked hesitantly. The question 'How was this possible' repeated endlessly through her thoughts.

“Of course it's me,” Tohka said, as if her being there was the most natural thing in the world. “Should I not be here?”

“I mean, I'm glad you are here,” Origami quickly said, “but... how? Did you not disappear after the AST showed up yesterday?”

“Well, of course I did,” Tohka replied. “But, after our talk, I just... Well...” Oh God, she looked cute acting bashful. “I just wanted to see you again, so I woke up, and here I was.”

So, a Spirit could appear without causing a Spacequake? That was... a very enlightening fact, to say the least. But then, that also raised the question of just what Spacequakes are. “You... woke up?” Origami asked. “Is that any different from when you usually appear in this world?”

Tohka crossed her arms, and tried to think on it. “I'm not sure,” she admitted. “Usually, it's like I'm being forced awake, but I guess this time... I just wanted to wake up?”

So... what was Origami suppose to make of that? That Spacequakes were just city-gouging alarm clocks? It's official; while Origami might be able to forgive the Spirits, whoever was actually behind their creation was a dick.

“Anyway, enough about that!” Tohka said. “The date! The date!”

“The date?” Origami asked. “Ah, right. To be honest, I thought I was going to have more time to plan it out.”

“Who cares about plans?” Tohka grabbed Origami's hand, and began to drag her off. “Let's go! Let's go!”

“Wait wait wait!” Origami quickly said in a panic. “You... you can't be seen dressed like that!”

“Hmm? Why?” Tohka asked, looking at her clothes; her Astral Dress of armour and light.

“You do know the AST would recognise you in a heartbeat, right?” Origami said. “This is a situation that requires being conspicuous.”

“Hmm... In that case, what about what you're wearing?” Tohka asked. “If I wore something like that, would that work?”

Origami looked at her own state of dress, which was the standard winter uniform for Raizen high. “... Yes, that would be a good idea, actually,” Origami said. “That way, it wouldn't look out of place, two high school girls going about their day.” There was, however, one problem; where were they going to get the uniform? Tohka was a few centimetres taller than Origami, and noticeably more 'filled out' in the chest. Maybe not by a lot, but enough that if Origami were to donate a shirt, it would risk running into cliches.

“Right then! Let's fix this problem!” Tohka said. With a wave of magic from her hand, her Astral Dress vanished, and in its place was a perfectly normal Raizen high uniform. Even that armoured ribbon she wore was replaced with a normal red bow. “So, how is it?”

Origami was quite blown away. Both by the fact that Spirits can just do that... and the fact that there was roughly 1/8 of a second where Tohka was wearing nothing at all. And she just... didn't mind that she flashed her like that? Or, did Tohka not realise it?

“Um... yes,” Origami said, suppressing any sign of a blush. “Yes, that works out perfectly.”

“Great!” Tohka exclaimed, once again taking Origami's hand. “Now come on! Date time! Date time!”

With that, Tohka dragged Origami along as they headed towards the city proper.

As they walked, they passed several military style trucks that were heading towards the school. Origami quietly noted their presence, and mentally thanked that they didn't seem to notice them.

Unfortunately, however, the last truck in the convoy stopped, and the driver looked out the window at them.

“Wasn't that... Tobiichi?” questioned Kusakabe Ryouko. “And that girl she was with... that looked too much like Princess to be a coincidence.”

“What do you suggest, captain?” the girl in the seat next to her, AST mechanic Mildred F Fujimaru, asked. “Looking into it?”

“Hmm. We can't let this slide if it is the case,” Ryouko replied, before grabbing the radio. “This is Kusakabe to inspection team. We're breaking off to investigate something. You know what you need to do.”

“Aye, ma'am.”

[… And that's the situaion,] Kotori told Origami over the comm. [Looks like your date's gonna be a bit on the run, now.]

“Guess it was too much to ask for things to be easy,” Origami replied quietly. “Any suggestions, commander Itsuka?”

[Leave misdirecting the AST to us,] Kotori answered. [You focus on raising Tohka's affection. How's she doing, anyway?]

Origami looked over at Tohka, who could be seen with her face practically plastered to the window of a local bakery. “Not bad, all things considered. She's none the wiser, at least.”

[Let's try to keep it that way,] Kotori said. [When you can, take the next street to the right and go three city blocks down it. We've set up something that'll knock both your socks off.]

“When you say that, do you mean both me and Tohka, or just both of my socks?”

“Origami!” Tohka called out. “What is this stuff?! It smells so good!”

Kotori let out a small laugh. [Looks like you'd better get to work, Origami. Keep a weather eye out.]

“Roger.” With that, the comm switched off, and Origami turned her attention back to Tohka. “That's bread, Tohka. Specifically, kinako bread. It's a type of bread known for its nutty taste, and is made using roasted soybeans.”

“That sounds amazing...”

Just the knowledge of bread had her so hooked... Spirits were really something else, and Origami meant that in a good way for once in her life.

“Wait here one moment,” Origami said, before walking into the store, and leaving it a minute later with a piece of kinako bread in hand, which she handed over to Tohka. “Here. Enjoy.”

Tohka looked quite ecstatic as she took the bread. So much so, that it really looked like her ribbon was twitching like a pair of animal ears. When she finally took a bite of the bread...

Origami had never, in her life, seen anyone as enamoured by bread as Tohka was right now. The word 'jubilation' came to mind, going off of her expression.

“Amazing!” Tohka exclaimed. “How can something be crunchy on the outside, but so soft on the inside?!”

“If it's only taken bread to get you this excited,” Origami said, “then the rest of this date will leave you on the floor.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?” Tohka asked.

Without explaining further, Origami led Tohka on.

Off in the distance, a member of the AST spied on the two. She was a year younger than Origami, with brown hair and eyes.

[Mikie, report,] spoke the voice of Kusakabe over the comm. [How's it looking?]

“It's as you suspected, leader,” replied Okamine Mikie. “The mana patterns of that girl match that of Princess.”

[Sometimes I hate being right,] Kusakabe muttered. [But why is Origami with it?]

“Couldn't it be some plan to get the Spirit while its guard is down?” Mikie asked. “A big ambush of some kind?”

[Origami may hate Spirits, but I don't think she'd be reckless enough try to fight Princess with that injury of hers,] Kusakabe explained. [Mikie, pull back to base for the time being. We need to get you equipped for combat. Remember, this is your first sortie; don't take unnessecary risks.]

“Understood, leader,” Mikie responded.

It had been nearly a year ago that Mikie had started to desire joining the AST. After being caught up in a disaster caused by the rampaging Spirit Princess, Mikie had been saved by none other than Origami herself.

Mikie wasn't skilled, per se, but she had drive. Enough drive, in fact, that she had actually managed to make it into the AST. It was finally her chance to meet her hero.

Only to learn that, two days before she arrived, Origami had been discharged after receiving a grievous injury from Princess. Yet another thing taken by that Spirit.

She may have been weak, and clumsy, and something of a scatterbrain, but she'd avenge it all.

Origami lead Tohka down the directions Kotori had given, and eventually, the two girls had come across... a pretty substantial number of food vendors and carnival games.

Origami knew for certain that those had not been there an hour ago. Ratatoskr certainly worked fast.

The two went from stall to stall, simply 'happening' to be the '1000^th customer' and earning free food. Certainly considerate of them to have mercy on her bank account.

Especially since Tohka seemed to be a bottomless pit for food. Takoyaki? Devoured. Cotton candy? Devoured. Hotdogs? Do we really need to spell it out?

They passed many establishments, among which included... a love hotel. It took an obscene amount of effort to get Tohka's innocent curiosity away from it. She was really like a kid.

“Origami!” Tohka called out, face pressed against the window of a crane game. “There's big bread in this box!”

“That would be a crane game,” Origami explained. “They're known for being notoriously rigged against the people who play them.” Tohka didn't seem to notice what she had said, outside of 'game' and 'play'. She gave a cautionary glance to the person running the stand, who quietly gave an 'okay' hand-sign, as if to say that 'this thing is the least rigged machine in the city'. Given that that man was probably Ratatoskr staff, she could probably trust it. “Right, then. Move over,” she said, gently moving Tohka aside, and taking the controls of the crane in hand.

Five minutes and several tries later, and Origami had no luck in winning. She gave a fierce side-eye to the 'store owner', who could only shrug sheepishly. Somehow, it annoyed Origami more to know that the only reason this was going south was because she was bad at games.

Origami dug around in her pockets, and found one last coin. “One more chance,” she muttered. “Tohka, take control of the right-moving button. When I give the first signal, push, and release on the second.”

“Umu!” Tohka nodded, taking up position.

This was going to take as much concentration as they could muster. The coin was inserted, and the game was on. Origami held her button down for roughly 2.45 seconds, before she gave the signal for Tohka to take over. Around 1.829 seconds later, the second signal was given, and the crane stopped. The crane slowly descended, picking up one of the plush bread pillows, and slowly began to carry it over to the hole. Origami realised that through this whole thing, she was remarkably tense, judging by the amount of pain shooting through her right arm.

The crane stopped over the hole, but when it was dropped, it fell at an angle, and landed mostly on the glass rim.

That was... remarkably disheartening. Perhaps it was the teamwork aspect at the end, but she had been very invested in this.

“... Fall,” Tohka muttered quietly. “Fall... Please fall! We tried... tried so hard! So please, fall!”

Was she... really that hung up about it? Origami had to admit, she kinda understood the feeling. All that work, and the only thing to show for it was that Origami was bad at this sort of thing.

One heavy shove from Tohka shook the machine in its entirety. Enough so, that the plush that teetered on the edge of falling and staying... fell.

There was a moment of silence all around, until cheers and congratulations broke out. Tohka looked at Origami with that big, earnest, happy smile.

And honestly, Origami couldn't help but smile back.

Ryouko was utterly confused right now.

Every drone that the AST had sent out to track Princess had mysteriously gone silent. Every operative she had sent out, save for Mikie, whom was currently being outfitted for the next stage, had been caught in crowds of people, mysterious traps, or hordes of animals. Where had those animals come from, and why was that the part that bothered her the most?

“Mily, hows the equipment coming along?” she asked Mildred, the technician.

“Just about... Ready!” Mildred replied, stepping away from Mikie. “You're good to go, Mike-chan!”

Mikie looked at her CR-Unit, which was more or less the same as any other standard issue CR, save for the heavy duty sniper she had. “Will this really work against a Spirit?” she couldn't help but ask.

“The rifle's only the delivery boy,” Ryouko replied, as the pulled a small box out of the desk she sat at. “The real payload... is this.” Inside the box sat one large calibre bullet. “Ever since most Realizer based companies went under from attacks by the Spirit Nightmare, we've had to start outsourcing to other companies, like those wackos at Arquebus. According to them, this anti-mana round will pierce right through a Spirits barrier, and if struck by it, with cause their mana to go haywire, effectively killing them from the inside.”

That was... scary to think about. “And... we only have one round?” Mikie asked. “What if I miss? Or worse, accidentally hit Origami-senpai?”

“Tell you what, then,” Ryouko said. “Don't miss. That bullet cost us a whole lot of money just to get, and while I can't confirm if it'll have the same effect on a human, it'll definitely make someone wish they were dead. Probably go clean through, if not blow a whole limb off.”

Mikie swallowed nervously at the thought. “It a lot of pressure to put on a new recruit, I know,” Ryouko admitted. “But sadly, you're the only one we can count on for this.”

Mikie was understandably terrified about the prospect, but she nodded anyway.

Several hours had passed, and now, Origami and Tohka were standing at the railing of the park which overlooked the whole city. The setting sun illuminated the world in a wave of orange glow. It was the textbook definition of romantic.

“It's beautiful,” Tohka said, nearly at a loss for words. “Why do you think the sun sets red?”

“Because of science,” Origami answered. “Light is made up of a spectrum of colours, and among those colours, red travels the fastest. The reason the sunset is red is because, with there being less light coming through, red, the fastest colour, gets to our eyes first.”

“So is that why red is used on the cars that are meant to be fast?”

Origami looked at Tohka, surprised. “You didn't know what bread was a few hours ago, but you already know the 'red=fast' cliché?”

“Hey, I'm not a complete idiot!” Tohka said. “Just mostly!”

After a moment of silence, the two laughed. For Origami, it was the first honest, heart-felt laugh she had had in years.

“Still, the world is so beautiful,” Tohka said, her smile turning said. “It... makes me understand why you hate me.”

“Hated,” Origami corrected. “Past tense. I hardly consider you an enemy at this point.”

“But still, after all this... I think I get that the world's better off without me.”

A strange pain wormed its way into Origami's heart. A month ago, that might've been the exact thing she wanted to hear, but now, after seeing Tohka for the person rather than the Spirit...

“There is never a person the world is better off without,” Origami said on instinct. “Tohka, you are... far kinder than anyone was aware. You deserve to live in the world.”

“But every time I appear, something is broken!” Tohka shouted. “I'm dangerous, and every time I fall asleep, I go back to that place! I can't...”

“Then stay here,” Origami cut in. “Stay in this world. You have that right.”

“But I'll just endanger more people, regardless!”

“I won't allow that,” Origami said. “You and I are proof that former enemies can become close. We can coexist.”

“But... I can't stay,” Tohka muttered sadly. “I'll just... run out of energy, and end up back there.”

“Then I'll give you a place to stay here,” Origami said. “It is within my power to do so. You can live in peace here.”

The scary feeling called hope began to well up in Tohka's heart. “So, I... can stay here?” she asked.

“If the world chooses to become your enemy, then the world has chosen to be mine as well.” Origami was starting to wonder where all these lines were coming from. It all seemed to flow so naturally. “Will you trust me?”

Origami held out her hand. It felt almost surreal that she was doing this at all. But, after the past two weeks, it felt... right.

Slowly, Tohka reached her hand out, and was just about to take it...

Until Origami, eyes wide, saw something glimmer from atop the hillside, just beyond the treeline. Years of training and instincts told her that there was a sniper up there. No doubt aimed at Tohka. No doubt armed with something that, with Tohka's guard down, would kill her.

Origami's brain went into overdrive. Calculate how much the light off the lens is flickering. Judging by how much it flickered, the sniper must be new. Distance was well over a few kilometres away. If it was an energy rifle, then time of firing to hitting the target would be well under a second. No, it couldn't be an energy rifle; the AST didn't have one powerful enough to pierce even a passive barrier. That just left ballistic rounds. Speed would probably be around 3000 km/h, seriously above the speed of sound. No way could she react to it; if she was going to protect Tohka, she'd have to preempt the shot.

The flicker of light stopped. Now or never. There was going to be at least a 1.5 second delay between the sniper relaying the lock, and the commander giving the order, followed by at least 0.25 seconds to pull the trigger.

Origami grabbed Tohka's arm, and quickly pulled her aside. Then, she was thrown back by the force of something striking her in the shoulder, followed immediately by the sound of a resounding 'crack'.

Somewhere in the back of Origami's mind, she had to admire just how clean the shot actually was. It had pierced straight through, thankfully missing anything vital, and more importantly, missing Tohka.

Then, as she hit the ground, the blood started to pool, and she lost consciousness a moment before the pain hit.

Tohka sat on the ground, dumbfounded. Her mind was still catching up with what had happened, but the truth was right in front of her eyes.

There was Origami, her first real friend, lying in a pool of blood.

Was she... dead? Was this what seeing death was like.

“Ori...gami?” Tohka asked. No response. She gently shook her body. No response. The blood soaked into her clothes, and stained her hand.

She was gone. That body... was no longer Tobiichi Origami.

Tears began to stream down Tohka's face, but she did not wail in anguish, for another emotion was beginning to form inside her heart; rage.

“I'm sorry, Origami,” she said quietly. “I know now that you wanted me to live a peaceful life, but... the world, it just keeps rejecting me. I can't... my heart just can't take it.” The wind wrapped around her, and her Astral Dress manifested on her form. “But... thank you. For showing me the good in this world.”

Tohka's eyes turned to where the shot was fired from. Just barely, she could see the sniper; a young girl with brown hair and eyes, who looked completely stunned that she'd missed her target.

She was just a kid. But Tohka didn't care. Tohka, the Spirit Princess, was absolutely fucking pissed.

“SANDALPHON!!!”

The sounds of a raging battle. The clashing of blade against barrier. Unbridled fury.

As Origami slowly regained consciousness, those were the sounds that greeted her. Somewhere among the cacophony of rage, she could make out the sound of Kotori and the rest of the Fraxinus crew panicking.

[Commander! Tobiichi Origami's brainwaves are stabilising! She's regaining consciousness!] one of the crewmen shouted.

[Best piece of news I've heard all minute!] Kotori responded. [Origami, do you read me?!]

“... Barely,” Origami replied. “Not sure how long I can remain conscious. How long was I out?”

[Barely two minutes,] Kotori replied. [Listen, we're getting you aboard the Fraxinus for a quick patch-job. After that, you need to calm Tohka down.]

“Toh...ka?” At recalling the name, adrenaline shot through her body, and Origami managed to force herself up, despite the pain.

There, in the distance, she could see Tohka fighting the sniper. Well, 'fighting' was a strong choice of words. That sniper, whoever she was, was hardly trying to fight back; she looked far too shell-shocked to put up much of a fight.

Plus, there was something... off about Tohka's sword. It wasn't its usual gold, silver, and glass form, but rather, an almost grotesque, single-edged monstrosity of stone and crimson mana.

[Beginning transportation sequence!] Kotori shouted. [Shiizaki, get ready for immediate medical treatment!]

The world flared briefly, and Origami found herself back on the Fraxinus. Rushing towards her was Shiizaki Hinako, so-called 'Nail-Knocker', with a syringe gun in one hand, and a needle and thread in the other. Before Origami could properly process what she had seen, the syringe was injected, the pain subsided, the wound was already stitched up, both the entry and exit.

“Nail-Knocker to commander,” Hinako quickly said. “Wounds have been treated, and the clock is ticking.”

[Copy that,] Kotori replied. [Origami listen close, because we don't have much time. That anaesthetic that Shiizaki shot you up with will keep the pain at bay, but in less than ten minutes, it'll knock you flat. We're going to teleport you back out there, and I'm sure you know what to do, right?]

“Kiss the girl,” Origami answered. “Save the world. Right?”

[Couldn't have said it better myself.]

“Just one request,” Origami said. “Put me in the sky. If I'm going to get Tohka's attention back...”

[Say no more.]

Unbridled rage. Overwhelming despair. Two emotions clashed on the battlefield. One a blazing inferno. The other, the depths of the sea.

Neither could see the world. To the inferno, there was only the source of rage that had to be slain. To the depths, there was only the tragedy that she caused.

“You!!” the inferno known as Tohka screamed. “You killed her!”

Mikie could barely speak. The horror of what had happened had left her paralyzed. Numb, perhaps. It made no sense. Why would Tobiichi Origami take a bullet for a Spirit? But now... she was dead. And Mikie had been the one to kill her. All she could do was wallow in grief, as her CR-Unit's auto defence took the brunt of the attacks.

Yet, even that wouldn't last forever against the strength of a raging Spirit.

“Carve through it all!” Tohka shouted to the heavens. “Halvanhe-”

“...!” A voice was carried on the wind. It wasn't loud enough, nor clear enough, to be understood, but Tohka still heard it, just enough to stay her hand. “Tohka!”

Tohka's eyes shot towards the sky. A faint figure could be seen falling towards her. It was impossible, but... that was Origami, wasn't it?

Tohka flew quickly towards her, struggling to believe her eyes. But, the closer she got, the more real she seemed.

With tears in her eyes, Tohka called out. “Origami!”

Tohka caught Origami, and every sense in her body overwhelmed her with the information that this was real. “You're... you're alive...” Tohka muttered, struggling to keep back tears.

“I said I'd give you a place to be, didn't I?” Origami said. “Try to have a little faith in me. I've survived all this time fighting you, haven't I?”

That managed to get a small laugh out of Tohka. Yet, before the conversation could continue, rampant mana began to pour from her sword. “What's happening?!” Origami asked.

“Halvanhelev... It's overflowing!” Tohka noted. “I need to disperse the energy somewhere!”

“If it's done at this altitude... it'll level the whole city,” Origami noted with horror. There wasn't much time to think, and really, there was only one option left. “Tohka! Do you trust me?”

“Eh?” Tohka questioned, before seeing that the look in Origami's eyes said everything they needed to say; that this was going to be that chance to live in peace she had offered, and that there was no going back from it. There was no question about it. “I do!” Tohka said. “I trust you!”

Then, without much warning, Origami kissed Tohka.

…

…

'So,' Origami thought. 'This is the kiss. It's... actually not bad.'

The feeling of Tohka's lips on her own was almost intoxicating. Actually, scratch that. It was, hands down. Origami was starting to understand why certain groups of people just couldn't get enough of kissing, that they had to do it wherever they went. Perhaps those idiots who indulged so much in public displays of affection were on to something.

Origami absently noted that, during this kiss, they had descended to the ground, enveloped in a gentle wind. Seemed like the worst case scenario had been averted.

Origami and Tohka broke away from the kiss, something Origami was surprised to feel sad about, and softly looked into each others eyes.

Then, Origami looked down slightly.

… Huh. She... was naked now.

Why was Tohka naked now?

Surprisingly, Tohka didn't panic at the revelation, but she did bashfully cover herself up. “Please...” she said quietly. “Don't stare at me like that.”

And it was at this point that the anaesthesia finally kicked into full effect, and Origami left the waking world.

Three days had passed since then, and life had more or less returned to normal. School had resumed, as if the past week and it being nearly obliterated by a Spacequake had never happened.

Well, that was basically normal for the world. Spacequakes, while dangerous, were a common occurrence.

Yet, for Origami, there was no real 'return to normalcy'. How could there be, after the things she had experienced?

Absentmindedly, she turned her attention to the empty seat next to her, as if expecting the person who should have sat there was going to hold all the answers.

Of course, there was no answer from an empty seat.

Origami wondered just who she was expecting to be there. That seat, back row, second from the window, had always been empty since day one. Nobody had claimed that seat.

So why did it feel like it was the hole for a missing piece of a puzzle?

The door at the front of the classroom slid open, and Tamae stepped in. “Good morning, everyone!” she greeted happily. At least she seemed to be past the whole... incident from the other day. “Before we begin today, I'd like to introduce you to a new transfer student who'll be joining us from now on.”

That certainly got the students into an excited state. A transfer student, this soon after the start of school?

Still, a strangely foreboding feeling wormed its way into Origami's mind. Like the one part of her life left that could be considered 'normal' was going to go right out the window.

“Alright, come on in, Yatogami-san!” Tamae said. Okay, that was a good sign. Origami didn't know of any Yatogami's. This could just be an odd coincidence.

The door slid open, and in walked a girl with familiar black hair that had a purple tint to it, and the concept of normal was thrown right out the window.

The girl wrote her name on the board, and a part of Origami's mind that wasn't overcome with resignation noted that she had very nice handwriting. “I'm Yatogami Tohka!” she greeted energetically. “Nice to meet you!”

Fair well, normal school life. We hardly knew ye.

Chapter Text

In a different part of the world, an arms tech facility went up in flames. The company known as Arquebus was no more.

From the shadows of the flames, the silhouette of a figure could be seen moving. Barely anything about their details could be made out through the heat haze, but it didn't take an expert to know that they were the culprit behind the blaze.

One man tried to crawl out of the blaze, desperate to survive. A loud sound rang out, and even he fell over, dead.

The figure in the shadows smirked malevolently.

The day went on at a weird pace, Origami found. Of course, that was to be expected, given that Tohka was now a part of her class.

As was basically tradition with any transfer student in any class, the moment the first break arrived, Tohka had basically been swamped by every student in class. Questions like 'where did you come from', 'are you dating anyone', and 'what are your three sizes', were quite common.

Origami felt a bit annoyed on Tohka's behalf for that last one. That girl seemed far too innocent to even know what they meant by that.

After a while, though, the crowd dissipated, and Tohka slumped over her desk, exhausted.

“So,” Origami said. “How would you rate your first proper experience with other people?”

Tohka looked over at Origami, and gave a thumbs up. “Amazing!” she said, remarkably more energetic than her previous sigh let on. “I wasn't aware that there were so many people like them!”

“Bit of an awkward thing to say,” Origami noted. “I'm guessing Kotori set all this up?”

“Yup! She said something about 'needing to blend in with people my age'. Can't say I understood it too much.” Subtly, Tohka's eyes drifted to Origami's right shoulder, where she had taken that bullet a few days ago. “Is... your arm okay?”

Origami's hand drifted towards the old wound. 'Old'. What an operative word that was these days. It had only been half a week since she had been shot, yet the scar it left looked years old already, because of the work put in by Medical Realizers. “I'm... managing,” Origami answered. “Thankfully, it's not as bad as it seems.”

That was mostly true, too. Origami had read the report that Kannazuki had put together about the shot that was fired. Fortunately, the bullet hadn't been a full 50 calibre; instead, it was closer to a 300 magnum size. That, at the very least, meant that being hit by that shot didn't absolutely vaporise her arm, along with most of her torso. This was added to the fact that, somehow, through the chaos of the moment, the bullet had missed any and all bones. It was no small miracle that that Origami came out of that with only severe blood loss.

Of course, that didn't mean she got off completely scot-free. Moving the arm anywhere higher than her shoulder was now very uncomfortable, as oppose to the previous 'greatly uncomfortable'.

But, that paled in comparison to what they had learnt was inside that bullet upon retrieval.

The round had been developed by a group called Arquebus, a name Origami recognised from her AST days as one of the companies that sprang up following the disaster that had happened to the AST's previous supplier, Deus Ex Machina Industries, or DEM. Nobody was sure what exactly happened, but DEM had basically dropped off the map, and from the vacuum that was left, several other Realizer manufacturers had sprung up. What was odd, though, was that Arquebus was a company that specialised in energy-based weapons. Plasma rifles and what not.

Then there was the fact that the bullet was packed to the brim with the sort of energy that would cause a most painful death for something like a Spirit. At least, on paper. There was only simulation data to say it would, and Origami would be glad that she took the bullet, and not Tohka. A now-bum shoulder was arguably a good price to pay for not risking whatever might have happened.

Then, there was the fact that, practically hours after they had discovered the source of the bullet, Arquebus' main HQ had gone up in flames. It was too soon to be a coincidence. Had someone from Ratatoskr seen to it, or was it the work of a third party? Origami didn't know, and that really bothered her.

“Origami?” Tohka spoke, dragging Origami from her thoughts.

“It's nothing,” Origami said. “Just a bit lost in thought.” Well, she was no doubt going to have to watch over Tohka for the foreseeable future, so she'd best make conversation. “Tohka, have you had a tour of the school yet?”

“We get tours?!” Tohka exclaimed, as she quickly grabbed Origami's left hand. “Let's go! Let's go!”

As Tohka dragged Origami out of the classroom, three of their fellow students watching bewilderment.

“Say,” Yamabiku Ai said first. “Is it just me, or is Yatogami-san already attached to Tobiichi-san?”

“Yeah,” replied Hazakura Mai. “How do you think that happened? I always thought Tobiichi-san was hard to approach, yet she managed it in no time at all.”

“That's so lame,” added Fujibakama Mii.

With a quiet nod between them, the trio decided to follow after them.

It felt strange, Origami believed, to be spending so much time with Tohka in such a normal setting.

Not to say it was bad, by any means. Far from it, in fact; Origami found it quite relieving to see the Spirit she had managed to seal living life like a normal person.

Just as Kotori had promised and planned, Origami had made more of a dent in the fight against Spirits through romance, rather than violence.

It was still such a weird thing to think about, too. So much of her life was spent hating Spirits, only for the change she could make in the world to come from loving Spirits. It was so ironic, she couldn't help but laugh about it. In privacy, though; Origami didn't want people thinking she had lost her mind, laughing about something as out of this world as that.

“Origami! What's that?!” Tohka asked, pointing towards the cafeteria.

“That's the school cafeteria,” Origami answered. “It is the communal place for students to get food and eat. More often than not, though, students buy their food to eat elsewhere.”

Tohka nodded along in understanding. “Do they have bread here?”

Origami assumed she was referring to kinako bread. “Probably not the kind you're interested in,” she answered. “The bread here tends to be a bit stale.” Tohka pouted at that revelation.

Thump-thump

Huh. What was that feeling just now? It felt like her heart-rate just jumped a little. Probably just compounded stress. It has been a stressful few days, after all.

“Origami, where's next?” Tohka asked. Origami couldn't help but notice her ribbon was twitching in anticipation. It was cute, no doubt, but how was it doing that?

Regardless, Origami led on, unaware of the trio following not far behind them out of shear curiosity.

Their next stop was a few levels above them. “This is the library,” Origami explained. “It has books, and it has computers.” … That sentence was finished. Origami just didn't use the library all that much, so she didn't have a lot to say about it.

That, however, was enough to get Tohka very excited, seeing as she was dashing back and forth between the shelves like an energetic puppy. It was, unquestionably, rather cute.

Thump-thump

Huh. There was that heart-rate jump again. Her stress must have been through the roof, if she was noticing it that much. Perhaps she should see a doctor about that.

“We should move on, Tohka,” Origami said, before noticing that Tohka was already engrossed in a book she had picked out. Curious, Origami peeked at the cover of the book. It was a thick book, entitled 'Steins;Gate'. A sci-fi story then? Whatever it was about, it seemed to leave Tohka greatly perplexed. “Perhaps leave it for later?” she offered.

“But there just about to get to the part about time travel!” Tohka complained. “Five more minutes?”

The bell rang at that exact moment. Seems the option was no longer Origami's to make. “We'll come back after school is finished for the day and borrow it,” Origami said. “How about that?”

Tohka looked slightly off put, but returned the book to the shelf.

The day trudged on. School ended, and Origami took Tohka back to the library to pick up that book. Origami took a quick flick through it while she could, and concluded that, while a whole lot of stuff would probably go over Tohka's head, it would be a good read. Perhaps she should pick it up at some point herself.

Of course, that is also dependant on how much Tohka can keep her attention on it. That book was a bible in thickness, and so far, Tohka approached the world with the attention span of a puppy in a toy store.

Then, a thought occurred to Origami. “Tohka,” she said. “Where are you living right now?”

Tohka tilted her head in confusion, as the two walked the streets of Tengu City. “What do you mean?”

“What do I... I mean, where is your home,” Origami felt odd that she had to elaborate on that. “You've got to be living somewhere, right? Didn't Kotori set something up for you?”

Tohka thought for a moment. It was a moment that was honestly a little too long for Origami's tastes. Before Origami could get an answer, though, her phone started to ring.

Origami had a hunch who it was going to be, even though she'd never really given her number out to anybody. Casually, Origami answered the call. “Hello?”

[Hey, Tobiichi Origami,] greeted Itsuka Kotori. [Holding up alright?]

“Just a few questions that need answers,” Origami answered. “Namely, what are your plans for Tohka? Surely she has a place that's not onboard the Fraxinus.”

[That's it, eh?] Kotori responded. [No worries on that front. You know your new home?]

That was a relatively dumb question. Of course she knew it; she lived there. She had to move out of her old one mostly because it came with working for the AST, and initially (that is to say, for around three days) used her sizeable severance pay to rent a small aparment not too far from where she use to live. A single room with kitchen attached for eating, recreation, and sleeping, a small room for the toilet, and an adjacent room with a decently sized bath and shower. Not much, but comfortable for one, and probably a little cramped for two or more.

“Of course I know my home,” Origami finally replied. “What about it?”

[Well, there's your answer,] Kotori said. [Until further notice, Tohka will be staying with you.]

… This was becoming a reoccurring saying for her, but... “What?” Origami said. “Would it not have been a good idea to have informed me ahead of time?”

[Didn't I?] Kotori asked, in that tone of voice that said 'I know I didn't, but I'll pretend I did, because it just pisses you off more, and that's funny' kind of voice. [Must have slipped my mind.]

“Of course it did,” Origami muttered sarcastically. “Might I ask why you chose this arrangement?”

[You're forgetting that this is the first case of a successful Spirit Sealing,] Kotori explained. [This requires observation, of course, and frankly, you're probably the best choice for the job.]

Origami was fairly certain that was a back-handed insult to the rest of the Fraxinus staff. While she did understand that, over the past few days, she had come to respect them a bit more as individuals. Granted, she would only trust them as wingmen in the way that a pharmacist would trust cyanide as a painkiller.

“I guess I shouldn't be surprised,” Origami said. “Still, a word in advance would have been nice. And you better have more space set up for the next ones to come along.”

[Don't worry about that. We're working on something that should be ready by the end of next month at the latest. Just put up with it for now, okay?] With that, Kotori hung up.

With a sigh, Origami returned her phone to her pocket, and turned back to Tohka. “So, I guess you're staying with me, then.”

“Is... that no good?” Tohka asked sheepishly.

“It just means adjusting the budget for a while, nothing more,” Origami said. “Nothing to worry about.”

There was an odd kind of silence that followed. “Hey, Origami,” Tohka spoke hesitantly. “Are there... many other Spirits like me?”

It was a question Origami had found herself expecting at some point. A part of her was kind of relieved it was coming up now, rather than during another Spirit appearance. “There are, yes,” she admitted. “In the AST records, you are listed as Spirit Number 10. I have personally encountered at least one other Spirit, not counting yourself or Efreet from five years ago, that being Hermit.”

Tohka hummed in understanding, but Origami couldn't help but notice the slight sense of melancholy coming from her. “So... I guess I'm just part of a check list, then.”

A dreadful feeling washed over Origami. It felt like frozen tendrils of darkness had wrapped around her heart for a moment. The feeling was foreign and terrifying to her, and she didn't know what emotion to quite attribute it to. Something about how Tohka said that just caused Origami to think of a sprawling chasm between them.

Origami felt as if she was rooted in place. What was this overwhelming conclave of emotions? She really didn't understand herself anymore.

“Tobiichi-senpai!” someone called out. It was a voice Origami didn't really know. She turned around, to see an unfamiliar girl in the Raizen uniform, with brown hair and eyes. Origami was fairly certainly she had never met this girl, no doubt a first year student, before.

“Who are you?” Origami asked.

“O-Okamine Mikie!” she introduced herself. “And... and I need to tell you to stay away from that woman!”

Several key pieces of information presented themselves all at once. First; Okamine. Relative to Tamae-sensei, then? There was certainly more than a passing resemblance. Second; that woman. Choice words to describe Tohka. No doubt she was AST. Judging from how unfamiliar she was, she was probably new, and if she knew Tohka was a Spirit, Origami could probably bet that she was the sniper from back then.

Origami quickly formulated a series of plans, before deciding her best course of action; play dumb. “Why?” she asked. “There is nothing dangerous about Tohka.”

“WHAT?!” Mikie shouted. Did this girl not know about the whole 'confidentiality' part of being AST? “But... But she's a Spirit! She's dangerous! You've fought her many times before!”

So, she was well informed, then. Time to double down on playing dumb. “What is a Spirit?” Origami asked. She felt her past self cringe in disgust at the words flowing from her mouth, but her present self found a strange sense of amusement in Mikie's shocked expression. “Forgive me, but a while ago, I woke up in a hospital with a few gaps in my memories. But, Tohka was there, and she was worried about me. Isn't that prove enough that she's a good person?”

Mikie stuttered over her words. Had Origami really forgotten everything? (the answer was no, but it was better that Mikie didn't know that.)

“But... she's..!”

“Okamine-san,” Origami interrupted. “I do not know what you are talking about, but I assure you, Tohka is a good person, and...” She paused, trying to find the right words. “... and someone very precious to me. I will not allow you to badmouth her, understood?”

Nervously and hesitantly, Mikie nodded. “Good,” Origami said. “Now, I must catch up with Tohka. Good day to you, Okamine-san.” With a polite bow, Origami turned and left.

When she turned the next corner that lead towards her home, she spotted Tohka waiting for her, and judging by her shocked, flustered expression, she had heard everything Origami had said.

And once again, Origami felt words jam in her throat. How was it that she could say so much about it to Mikie, but when it was directly to Tohka, she clammed up?

So, instead, Origami placed a hand gently on Tohka's head. “I apologise for any distress I caused you,” she said. “I am... new to this sort of thing, and do not really know what I can say to ease your worries. But...” Damn it, come on Origami! You've got this! “You are precious to me. No matter what may come next.”

Origami wasn't sure if her words would have been as effective as she had hoped when she said them, but Tohka's smile returned, which came as a relief. “Umu,” Tohka said. “Thanks, Origami.”

With that, Tohka embraced Origami. It was a warm, fuzzy kind of hug, that really made the heart flutter, just a bit.

Thump-thump

That... was more than a bit. Even in the embrace of Tohka's arms, Origami felt herself stagger. Tohka was trying to say something, but there was this odd ringing in her ears, blocking out all sounds.

Her thoughts became an absolute mess of white noise, and Origami was struggling to tell right from up.

Then, once more, much to her annoyance, everything went black.

When Origami once again regained consciousness, she was greeted to the familiar sight of her new home's roof. She was really getting tired of how often she was passing out these days.

She had to assume Tohka had carried her hear. That just made sense. When she thought about how Tohka might have carried her, the ideas of either piggy-back or bridal style came to mind, and almost immediately, her heart-rate jumped.

What was this feeling? Why was it so overpowering that it made her lose consciousness? And, why was it about Tohka?

The sound of running water came to her ears, before stopping soon after. Origami's thoughts concluded that it simply meant Tohka had taken a shower.

Tohka. In her shower. Just that thought alone seemed to cause more problems for Origami's condition, and she had no idea why, and that both scared and angered her.

She had come to terms with the idea that Tohka was a good person. There was no way in Hell that this was some deliberate attack on her part. So what was it?

After a few minutes of fretting, the sound of a door opening was heard. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know it was Tohka.

“Origami!” Tohka called out. “Are you feeling better?”

“Somewhat,” Origami replied hesitantly. “I am... honestly, scared and confused about this. I...” Her eyes wandered to Tohka as she drew closer, and immediately, it felt like every cell in Origami's body was on fire.

Her face was so, so very close. She could see the remnants of dew on her pristine skin. The faint scent of the rather cheap soap Origami had bought tickled her nose, alongside the underlying scent that was unmistakably and almost intoxiatingly Yatogami Tohka.

What did the most damage to her ability to think, however, was the simple fact that, at this very moment, the only thing protecting Tohka's modesty was a towel.

Logically, yes, this made sense. Every last sign was pointing to Tohka having just used the shower. But right now, Origami's brain was filled with anything but logic.

Tohka noticed Origami's confused expression, and drew closer.

What followed could only be described as 'a flash of movement'. Nobody was able to process exactly 'what' happened, only that in the span of a few seconds, Tohka was now lying on the bed, with Origami on top of her.

Origami's breaths were heavy and laboured. The longer she stared into Tohka's eyes, the harder it became to even think. It was almost like she was being overcome by an insatiable hunger, and the only cure for it... was the girl right in front of her.

For a moment, Tohka looked like a deer caught in headlights, but quickly, her expression softened, as she placed one hand on Origami's right arm, and another on her cheek. “It's alright,” she said.

Two words. That was all it took to snap Origami back to her senses. A look of pure horror and remorse washed over her face. “I...”

Tohka wrapped her arms around Origami, and drew her in close. She didn't say anything more, just held her close.

“I... I'm sorry,” Origami said. “I don't... I don't know what's happening to me.”

Tohka gently ran a hand through Origami's hair. “It's fine,” she said. “I trust you, Origami. I still do.”

Origami raised her head, and looked into Tohka's eyes. Eyes so full of trust, understanding... love, was it?

Was that what was going on, then? Was Origami just... in love? As she looked deep, deep into Tohka's eyes, the feeling washed over her once more, this time as a warm wave.

Maybe, then, all she had to do was follow that wave slowly and gently.

And through that wave, Origami locked lips with Tohka, in a kiss that delved deeply, passionately, and greedily for both.

And now, for something completely different.

Onboard the Fraxinus, the crew... well, they weren't watching Origami and Tohka directly, but they were observing the emotional and mental spectrums related to the two at present.

Right now, the only one truly 'watching' the two was Shiizaki Hinako, and considering she was actively looking away from the thermal camera with the most luminescent blush imaginable, it didn't take a genius to conclude what was going on down there.

“This is... something,” Kotori said, after a long pause. “I honestly feel dirty just watching these charts go up.”

“I think all of us do, Commanded,” Kannazuki responded. “Except maybe Nakatsugawa, but don't quote me on this.”

“No, this is making me uncomfortable, too,” Nakatsugawa replied. “Very, very uncomfortable.”

“But it's strange,” Kotori said. “Ever since Tohka transferred into Origami's class, it's been like her very presence has been overwhelming Origami with Spirit Power. No, it's more like...”

“Like the seal is acting more as a vacuum,” Reine finished. “Not only is Rei holding Tohka's power, she's also taking in a constant stream of Tohka's emotions.”

“But it doesn't seem to be having any negative effect on Tohka-chan,” Minowa commented. “Would it be something like dilution, rather than draining?”

“Likely,” Reine replied.

“So... What then?” Kannazuki asked. “Does that mean Origami-kun's taking in Tohka-chan's lust alongside the powers of Princess?”

“Not lust, Vice Commander,” Reine said. “I believe that Rei is taking in an emotion more akin to just pure and simple 'love'.”

Everyone looked back at the graphs, then at Reine. “You sure about that?” Kotori asked. “Because that just looks like it's turned Origami horny on main.”

“I only theorised that she was taking in Tohka's feelings of love,” Reine explained. “I didn't theorise that she was translating them correcting.”

Origami woke up the next morning naked and covered in sweat. She felt sore and light headed, and like there were pins and needles all up her right arm.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and beheld the sleeping form of Tohka in her arms, in an equal state of undress. Memories quickly rushed back to Origami, and a new sense of panic was found. Had that... seriously happened?

Origami found herself frozen stiff. Was this a bridge too far? Had she done something she really shouldn't have?

As the fear began to creep into her heart, Tohka began to stir. How was she going to react to... to this?

Tohka's eyes fluttered open, and upon seeing Origami, an intense blush grew on her face. “Ah,” she gasped out. “G-good morning.”

“Y-yes. Good morning,” Origami replied hesitantly. Nothing quite like the awkward silence after spontanious, awkward, unplanned sex.

The two looked into each others eyes, and Origami was rather thankful to not be feeling that overwhelming amount of emotions from before. No, all that was left was the guilt.

Both tried to say something, before pausing to let the other speak first. Then, the alarm clock went off, and both sat bolt upright.

“We... We should get ready!” Origami said quickly. “F-for school!”

“R-right!” Tohka stuttered out.

It was the school's worst kept secret that something had happened between Tobiichi Origami and Yatogami Tohka.

The main reasons people took notice was the fact that Tobiichi Origami was A: The most frigid person to approach, and B: Ranked third on the school's 'top 13 girls you'd want as a girlfriend' list, which only reached that odd number because the one who made the list ranked 13^th. This was compounded by the fact that Yatogami Tohka was A: the new student. B: Drop dead gorgeous. And finally C: Minutes away from turning that top 13 list into a top 14.

All throughout yesterday, it was plainly obvious that there was something between Origami and Tohka. You couldn't have torn them apart with a carjack, yet alone a crowbar. Yet, today, the two of them seemed to keep a decent distance between each other, and every time their eyes locked, they both got this bright neon blush, and quickly looked away.

When the school bell rang for the final time that day, neither of them got out of their seats. It was the world's most indirect staring contest; they seemed as if they were waiting for the other to blink first, so they could both go home.

Two groups decided that enough was enough, and coordinated their efforts.

[Group 1: Okamine Tamae.]

“Tobiichi-san,” Tamae called out. “Could you please come with me to the staff-room?”

Origami stood up a little too fast to be considered 'subtle'. Origami quickly followed after Tamae, and left the classroom.

[Group 2: the Ai-Mai-Mii trio]

“Hey, Yatogami-san,” Ai greeted. “You got a moment?”

“There's something we're curious about,” Mai added, “and we were hoping to ask you.”

“That's so lame,” Mii finished.

Tohka gave the trio an odd look. “Sure thing,” she responded. “But... can I quickly ask about...”

Mii looked down. “It's a bad habit, sorry,” she said. “It happens every time I speak third.”

That was... certainly odd. But, Tohka made sure not to judge her for it. Or think too much about it when it inevitably happens in the future. “So, what did you want to ask?”

The trio gave each other nervous looks. “Well, I think we'd best just come out and ask,” Ai said. “Yatogami-san, are you and Tobiichi-san...”

[Group One]

“Tobiichi-san,” Tamae said. “Is there something going on between you and Yatogami-san?”

Origami's eyes widened a fraction. “Was it... really so obvious?” Origami asked. “Actually, scratch that. We haven't exactly been hiding it that well.”

“It was strange enough just how quickly you two warmed up to each other, yes,” Tamae said. “But, it's not like anyone has a problem with that.” Left unsaid: that is, anyone who wasn't hoping to have either of you as a girlfriend. “If anything, I'm glad to see you've gotten so close to someone.”

Origami hummed slightly. “Before we continue, though,” she said, “I'd like to apologise to you. For... last week. That... confession I gave you was...”

“I had a feeling it might have been,” Tamae said with a sad smile. “That day, you were trying to work on how to confess, weren't you? I definitely got my hopes up a bit too high.” If anything, they were both glad to have cleared that up. “But, what worries me right now...”

[Group Two]

“... is that ever since yesterday, you and Tobiichi-san have been avoiding each other,” Mai said. “Just yesterday, you two couldn't tear yourselves away from each other, yet now you won't even make eye contact.”

“That's so lame,” Mii said. “You two actually look like a cute couple! What happened?”

Tohka thought about it for half a second, before she blushed intensely. “Well... you see...” she hesitated greatly. “Until I get my own place, I'm... staying with Origami, and...”

[Group One]

“... and I let my emotions get the better of me,” Origami said. “I feel... as if I took advantage of her.”

Tamae had to admit, she was not prepared for the conversation to go in that direction. She had honestly expected, after learning that they shared a roof, standard trope-y things like 'accidentally walking in on each other in the bath', not... straight up sex. “But, you did both consent at the time, right?” she asked hesitantly.

“At the end, yes,” Origami said. “But, that doesn't change the fact that it all started because I lost control of my emotions. What if I do it again, and she hates me for it?”

[Group Two]

“I mean, it's not like I hated it,” Tohka said. “But, I'm worried that Origami thinks I might hate her for it.”

“Whoa,” Ai muttered. “Was not prepared for that bombshell.”

“No kidding,” Mai added. “Did not expect them to hit a home run that quickly.”

Mii didn't say anything. Rather, she kept her hand clasped over her mouth.

“I think... this is the kinda thing you need to talk out together,” Ai said. “I know that's a total cop-out on our part, but... I mean, what else is there to say about it?”

“Hmm,” Mii hummed in agreement. “I think things will be fine as long as you two set boundaries with each other. Make efforts to keep those boundaries.”

[Group One]

“But... what if I lose control again?” Origami asked. “I... I honestly don't know if I can trust myself to... to not do it again.”

“Tell me, Origami,” Tamae said, dropping all honorifics. “Throughout today, what did you feel?”

“Aside from the guilt and embarrassment? Or the shame?” Origami thought hard about it. “I... honestly don't know the word for it. Even right now, when I think about Tohka, I feel... fuzzy.”

At that, Tamae smiled warmly. “Tobiichi-san, if you don't mind me asking, when was the last time you experienced love?”

Origami looked down. “... 5 years ago,” she answered. “The last love I ever experienced was my parents, and that was lost in those flames.”

And with that, Tamae understood. “Origami, I think... you've forgotten what love feels like,” she said. “It may just be my own conjecture, but I believe that, after not having loved someone else for so long, now that you're finally experiencing it again, your mind doesn't quite know how to properly process all the chemicals, and defaulted to what you assumed was the logical course of action. That is to say, sex.”

Origami wasn't sure how to feel about that. Was that what it all came down to, really? Just a bad reaction to love? It felt almost stupid to think, but... somehow, it made sense.

“Perhaps we should head back,” Tamae suggested. “Sometimes, the only way to learn is to be thrown in the deep end, right?”

That was probably the best sort of advice Origami had heard in a long time.

The walk back to the classroom was longer than Origami remembered it being. It probably had to do with the impending dread of what was to come.

Eventually, though, they reached their destination.

“Are you ready, Tobiichi-san?” Tamae asked.

“Arguably, no,” she admitted. “But when has that stopped anyone?”

With a nod to each other, they entered the classroom, where they found Tohka still their, talking with the trio of Ai, Mai, and Mii.

The trio shared a nod with Tamae, as they all made to leave Origami and Tohka alone. As they passed Origami, Ai gave a curt nod. “Best of luck to ya both,” she said quietly. “Do anything that breaks her heart, and will kill ya.”

Origami gave Ai an odd look. “Not if I kill me first for it,” she replied.

That, at least, got a laugh out of everyone. “What the hell?” Mai asked. “That's your big retort?”

“That's so lame,” Mii added.

Then, it was just Origami and Tohka. As it always came down to.

Origami took a deep breath. “Tohka, I... I am sorry,” she said. “Even if you don't hate me for it, the fact of the matter is that I took advantage of you, and I regret it.”

Tohka stood and listened, until it was her turn to speak. “To be honest, I don't think I completely understand it all,” she said. “But, I trust in you, Origami. And last night hasn't shaken that.”

For the first time all day, Tohka and Origami looked each other in the eyes.

Origami felt her heart-rate jump again, yet this time, it didn't feel so overwhelming. It felt kinda... fuzzy, and warm. Was this really what love felt like? It was... nice.

“Then,” Origami said hesitantly. “Despite everything we've been through... Despite everything to come, will you... stay with me?”

In response, Tohka kissed Origami. It was a simple kiss, yet it said more than any words could have.

The only way this moment could be ruined was if someone was to walk in on this and disturb them.

… For the record, Tamae, Ai, Mai, and Mii, were all watching from outside the classroom, just in case things actually went from bad to worse.

They made sure to keep their cheers of joy as quiet as possible.

Chapter Text

It was a rainy day, this years 11^th of May. It was coming up to the end of spring, and the start of summer, yet with how much the rain fell, one wouldn't be remiss for thinking it was simply a warm winter.

Origami ran through the rain as quickly as she could, using her bag for what little cover it could provide. If only she hadn't forgotten to bring an umbrella, or that she had errands to run.

At the very least, Ai, Mai, and Mii, all had enough umbrellas between the three of them to share with Tohka. For those interested in doing the maths, the answer was two.

As it would have been too much of a squeeze to fit in, Origami elected to just cope with the rain.

Besides, it wasn't like rain was bad for you. A bit chilly, maybe.

Taking shelter beneath the tori gate of a local shrine, Origami tried to brush the rain off her blazer. This had the natural effect of merely dampening her clothes more.

“Hmm,” Origami hummed in annoyance. “I certainly picked a bad day to forget my umbrella. Perhaps food shopping can wait an extra hour or two.”

The sound of footsteps in a puddle echoed over the rain. Strange, Origami thought. There wasn't anyone playing her when she ducked under cover.

Probably just a cautious kid who decided Origami was no threat. Possibly. Out of sheer curiosity, Origami turned around.

Origami's eyes widened in surprise at the sight. A girl with light blue hair and eyes, no older than at least 14, wearing a large green raincoat adorned with a pair of rabbit ears over a white dress, and a rabbit-like hand puppet on her left hand.

That was the Spirit Hermit. No doubt about it. And for the second time she was aware of it, a Spirit had appeared without a Spacequake.

Just how much was hidden from the AST? How much didn't they know?

Questions for later. Right now, she needed...

Right, no ear piece in right now. Not that those guys would offer much insight right now. Guess she was flying blind, then. Now, how to approach her? Hermit was known for being docile, so it wouldn't surprise Origami to learn that she was also rather timid.

As if to answer her question, Hermit tripped and fell face first into the water.

A plan formed in her mind, and Origami initiated Operation Kind Stranger.

… Nobody ever said she was good at naming missions.

She jogged forward, before crouching down in front of Hermit. “Are you alright?” she asked, holding out her left hand. It wouldn't do to scare her with her other hand.

Unsurprisingly, though, Hermit looked afraid of her. Whether it was from recognition or not, Origami couldn't quite say.

“Please...” Hermit whispered quietly, barely audible over the rain. “Don't... hurt me...”

Origami froze. It was the please that really got her. The new perspective she had on Spirits made the 'please' hit with so much force, it might as well have knocked her off her feet. She at least had the decency to feel guilty about it; after all, her old vendetta would have had something to do with that.

During that moment of hesitation, though, Hermit disappeared. There was no rush of air to fill the void, nor was there the pitter patter of steps in the puddles to tell of a direction. Just there one second, and gone the next.

In the AST, this was known as the Spirit being 'Lost'. The AST had to maintain a facade that Spirits becoming Lost was deliberate on their part, if only to maintain their funding.

But, that was all in the past. Now, Origami had a future to look towards. And to reach that future, she'd need to contact Kotori.

After a quick trip home to inform Tohka, Origami quickly got in contact with Kotori, and the two were transported to the bridge of the Fraxinus.

Once more, Origami wondered why this sort of technology wasn't readily available elsewhere.

“A sighting of Hermit, huh?” Kotori asked, popping a lollipop in her mouth. “You know, Origami, you have the strangest luck.”

“Was that before, or after I was shot?” Origami asked. “I've lost track by now.”

“Glad to see you're still snarky,” Kotori said.

“So, that's another Spirit,” Tohka muttered, looking at the image of Hermit. “Just like me.”

“Is it weird?” Kotori asked. “Seeing one of your own kind for the first time?”

“Kinda,” Tohka said. “But, she looks so... scared.”

Origami couldn't help but think that that was a good sign. At the very least, it was less of a risk of jealousy throwing things off.

“I'll see to it that she is saved,” Origami said. “Do not worry.”

Fortunately for Origami, after the 'incident' a while ago, her condition had stabilised considerably. While Origami still felt a surge of emotions looking at Tohka, she didn't feel any need to violate any boundaries. At worse, it was the desire to kiss her that became overwhelming.

Reine had theorised that, alongside sealing Tohka's powers, Origami had created a link of sorts between their emotions, so while Origami had her own affection, she was also taking in some of Tohka's affection for her, which resulted in something of an overload.

Of course, this was all theory at the moment. One subject does not a case study make, after all.

An alarm began to blare. “Spacequake detected!” Mikimoto announced. “It's a small one, in line with Hermit's habits!”

“Bringing area up on screen now!” Minowa stated. “Location is not far from the shopping mall down town!”

The image of the Spacequake site came up. The crater, compared to the ones Tohka made in the past, were small in comparison, being barely as wide as the street.

And there, standing in the middle of it, was Hermit.

“Several blips on the radar,” Shiizaki said. “The AST is on scene.”

“Looks like you're on the clock, then,” Kotori stated. “Ready for round two, Origami?”

“Little choice in the matter, don't I?” Origami snarked. “Send me in.”

Once Origami was sent onto the field, Tohka was left just sort of standing around. “Um, is there anything I should be doing?” she asked.

“Good question,” Kotori said. “You could join us as an Operator, or you could...” She paused to think about the alternative. “I dunno, keep the home fires burning? The only other thing I can think of is running decoy on the AST, but given you're powers are sealed, I'd rather not risk that.”

Tohka felt somewhat conflicted by that. She understood (most of) what Kotori said, but it still stung quite a bit.

Origami dashed from the shadows of one alleyway to another. Knowing how the AST operated, it wouldn't be too difficult to say out of their line of sight.

It seemed that, at some point, Hermit had given them the slip by going inside the shopping mall.

The AST, with their heavy weaponry, couldn't go charging in. Origami remembered a time when she would have disregarded that sort of order, and done so.

And now, here she was, sneaking in to save a Spirit.

… One of these days, she'll stop marvelling at the irony of her new life.

Slipping through a back door into the mall, Origami got a good baring on her surroundings.

Long story short; it was dark. It certainly made for a creepy atmosphere, to say the least.

[Origami, you read me?] Kotori spoke over comms. [Hermit is roughly 16.5 metres to your 11. Get in there, and work your magic.]

“Please do not phrase it like that,” Origami retorted.

Origami made her approach slow, if only so she could plan out first contact. How was she going to handle this?

Through her ear piece, she heard the crew of the Fraxinus (plus Tohka, at that) doing their usual vote, before reaching the result of 'casually approach and say 'I did not expect to see you again''.

She supposed they reworked their systems a bit after last time.

After a minute or so, Origami caught a glimpse of Hermit from around a corner.

Time to get to work.

Walking carefully, Origami approached Hermit, and leaned around the corner. “Hello, there,” she greeted calmly. “I did not expect to run into you again.”

Hermit flinched, as one might expect, yet surprisingly, she only looked at Origami inquiringly.

Then, the hand puppet spoke.

“Oh?” it said in a voice that sounded to Origami to be remarkably tomboyish. “That chick from the shrine? What, you a stalker or something?”

So, either Hermit herself had quite the personality under her docile demeanour, or the puppet was an extension of herself, used to handle talking with the outside world.

[So, there's two of them?] Tohka asked. [Which one's the Spirit, then?]

That... posed an interesting question, actually. Less about 'who the Spirit was', honestly, but more about how many degrees of separation there are between the girl and the puppet. Perhaps it would be best to treat them as two separate individuals, then.

“I am no stalker,” Origami answered. “However, I do have an offer for you. One that I believe you would find most beneficial.”

There was a moment of silence on all ends. [Dude, that did not help your case,] Kotori muttered. [Let's just be glad that didn't tank her charts.]

“An offer, eh?” the puppet asked. “Not the best way to prove you ain't a stalker, toots. So, what do ya have to offer us?”

“Freedom from being hunted,” Origami answered. “Those people outside the building want to hurt you. I have a way to get them to stop, if you are interested.”

“Oh? You can do that, can you?” the puppet said. “Pretty tempting offer ya got there. What's your name?”

“I am Tobiichi Origami,” she introduced herself. “What about the both of you? What are your names?”

[Ooh, nice one, Origami,] Kotori commented. [Treating the puppet as its own person seems to have had a positive effect on her mood.]

'Thank you, back-seat driver,' Origami quietly snarked.

“Origami, eh?” the puppet asked. “So, you're named after folded paper, then? Well, who am I to judge? The name's Yoshinon! And she,” the puppet gestured to the puppeteer, “is Yoshino.”

The girl, Yoshino, seemed to shy away, hiding behind the puppet, Yoshinon, as if it were a creature of gigantic proportions.

Honestly, it was actually kinda cute.

“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you both,” Origami said, smiling as kindly as she could.

Outside the mall, the members of the AST were going over their plan of attack.

Right now, Okamine Mikie was on lookout duty. In this scenario, that meant looking at a building with thermal goggles. It was neither as boring, nor as exciting, as you might expect.

[Come in, Mikie,] the voice of her commanding officer sounded over the comms. [What's the status of Hermit?]

“No change, captain,” Mikie responded. “The coldness that Hermit exudes is still making it hard to tra...” The visuals changed, and Mikie could faintly see the heat signatures. “Hold that thought, captain! I have a visual!”

[What on earth caused that sudden change?] Ryouko asked. [What do you see?]

“I see...” Mikie froze momentarily. “I see two signatures! One human!”

[A human?!] Ryouko shouted. [Did they not evacuate in time? And, is Hermit using them as a hostage?]

Fear coursed through Mikie's body. Someone was in danger. Fear turned into adrenaline, and drawing her blade, Mikie took flight. “I'm going in!”

[Private Okamine, wait!]

“I do not believe that is safe,” Origami said, as she watched Yoshino climb up the jungle gym in the malls indoor play area. Her usual monotone tone of voice betrayed the actual worry she felt, because Jesus Christ that is a child doing something remarkably dangerous.

“Aw, don't be a spoilsport,” Yoshinon replied. It should also be noted that Yoshino was climbing one handed. “See? We're queen of the castle!”

There she was, standing on top of the jungle gym. “What are ya waiting for?” Yoshinon asked. “You gonna get up here?”

“Unfortunately, I am unable to,” Origami answered. “I sustained a terrible injury a while ago, and am unable to perform such activities any more.”

“Well, I guess that sucks for-”

Then, as one would have easily foreseen, Yoshino lost her footing and fell forward. Origami reacted quickly, getting beneath Yoshino, and catching her as she fell.

As one might expect, however, the sudden addition of weight caused Origami to lose her balance, and fall to the ground herself.

“Ouch,” Origami muttered. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, that one's our bad,” Yoshinon admitted. “Gotta say though, you may not look it, but you're actually packing quite a bit under this blazer, ain't ya?”

[Is that so?] Kotori asked in a sly tone of voice. [Tohka, can you confirm?]

[Hmm,] Tohka hummed, taking the question a little too seriously for Origami's liking. [I'd say so, yeah.]

“Please no running commentary on my breasts,” Origami muttered.

A wall some distance away exploded. Origami's training kicked in, and wrapping her arms around Yoshino, she kicked off the ground, sliding a ways away as an energy blade slashed at the ground where they once were.

Origami supposed that the AST decided to forego the usual caution. “Yoshino, run!” she instructed.

Yoshino let out a small yelp, but nodded, and made her retreat. And by retreat, we of course mean 'summoning a giant rabbit-like creature, and bursting through the roof of the mall'.

Because apparently, nobody in this damn world knew a thing about 'moderation'.

“I won't let you escape, Spirit!” the AST soldier shouted, attempting to charge after her. She was stopped, however, when Origami got in the way, arms stretched out.

And it was there that Okamine Mikie and Tobiichi Origami stood, face to face.

“O-Origami-senpai?!” Mikie exclaimed.

“Okamine Mikie,” Origami regarded. “I cannot let you go after that child.”

Mikie, as you might expect, was surprised by Origami's statement. “Senpai, have you... really betrayed the AST?” she asked. “You, who hated Spirits so much?”

“It's true; I did hate Spirits,” Origami replied. “So much so that it burned. It's what kept me going for a long time. But, now I've learnt better. Found a method that actually works for everyone.”

“What are you talking about?” Mikie asked. “They're Spirits! Walking disasters! I would have died to one if you hadn't saved me!”

At that, Origami was confused. When had she ever saved this kid from a Spirit before?

That question would have to wait, as explosions echoed from outside. Panic welled up inside Origami, as she only just now recalled that the rest of the AST was waiting outside. She was really beginning to slack.

“Shit,” she cursed.

[Private, do you read me?] Ryouko shouted over the AST comms. [Get out here and provide backup! We have Hermit on the run!]

“Understood!” Mikie replied. She tried to move forward, yet Origami continued to block the way. “Origami-senpai, please move!”

“I will not,” Origami stated. “Not when this can end peacefully. I do not know how much you, or the rest of the AST knows about Spirits, but they are not some rampant force of destruction, out to exterminate humanity.”

“Eh?” Mikie paused. Was this really Origami, saying something like that?

“Okamine Mikie, I need you to really think about it,” Origami continued. “Both Tohka and Yoshino, the ones you call Princess and Hermit, have only ever fought us in retaliation. They never had a choice but to appear through Spacequakes.” Okay, that last one was a half truth at best. “And even if you do kill one, another will just take its place. Can you not see you're fighting a losing battle like this?”

“Is... is that what you learnt?” Mikie asked. “That it was a pointless fight?”

“That there was a better way to fight it.”

Both their comms buzzed individually, yet both relayed the same information; that Hermit had been Lost.

Origami cursed her luck.

Origami returned home that evening feeling rather dejected. It wasn't a feeling that she was foreign to; in fact, it reminded her of the first time she actually talked to Tohka.

She recalled the frustration of having made so much progress, only to have the AST snatch it away. The same AST she had previously been a part of.

Somehow, that made it even more frustrating.

“Origami!” Tohka called out. Somehow, Origami had come in without realising Tohka was already home. “Welcome home!”

There was the smile. That kind, almost naïve smile, that really seemed to win Origami over, and ease her worries.

“I'm home, Tohka,” Origami greeted. “How are you?”

A part of Origami's mind wanted to chastise herself for asking such an idiotic question. After all, she did technically just try to hit on another girl.

“Well,” Tohka hesitated. “Kinda conflicted, actually. Mostly about that buzzy girl.”

“You mean Okamine Mikie?” Origami asked. “I was half expecting you to have more thoughts about the Spirit.”

“Well, I kinda get her, ya know?” Tohka said. “She's... just like I was, right? Just so... confused and scared. That Mikie, on the other hand...”

“She is misguided,” Origami said. “Much like I was. The only difference is that she doesn't have the same sort of baggage that I do.”

Tohka looked somewhat surprised by that statement. “You think she'll be a friend, then?”

“At the very least, she won't have to be an enemy,” Origami answered, as the two sat down on cushions on the floor. “I want to say the same about the rest of the AST, but right now, I don't know how much they know about the current scenario.”

Tohka hummed in agreement. “Origami,” she said. “You'll help her, right? Yoshino?”

Origami placed a hand on Tohka's head. “I'll do everything I can.”

Chapter Text

It was the second day after contact with Hermit- no, with Yoshino and Yoshinon, and Origami had found herself back at that mall. It was still raining. It had been raining for three days straight now.

The mall was still a wreck. There were large piles of rubble still strewn all over the place, and it looked as though the mall itself wouldn't be open for another week or so.

Origami was quite familiar with the process or post-Spacequake repairs. Most of the damage caused by the Spacequake itself was often repaired within the hour, while other damage was repaired over the course of a few days, depending on what it was.

There was something rather sombre about looking at a ruined mall. A place where everyone could gather, just... destroyed like this.

A slight pang of pain found its way into Origami's arm. It had been a while since she'd felt more than just a dull stiffness from it.

Before she could think more on it, she heard an unusual sound. Rubble being shifted. It was a rather heartbreaking thought, to know that someone was digging through the rubble to find something, or worse, someone.

Overcome by a sense of sympathy, Origami followed the noise to its source, and happened upon a girl in a familiar green raincoat.

“Yoshino?” Origami asked. The figure flinched, before turning around to look at her with nervous blue eyes. No doubt about it; that was Yoshino.

The tiny Spirit looked nervous, though not as much as she did when Origami first met her.

“Is everything alright?” Origami asked. “Are you looking for something?”

Yoshino looked around nervously, and Origami took notice that she could clearly see both of Yoshino's hands.

“Say,” Origami said. “Where's your friend?”

Yoshinon was missing. Really, there was no need for Origami to even ask.

Yoshino tried to speak, but kept stumbling over her words. So, Origami supposed that Yoshino needed Yoshinon to properly interact with the outside world, then.

Well, only one thing to do, then.

Placing her umbrella in her bad hand, Origami began shifting through the rubble, much to Yoshino's surprise. “Your friend might be under all this, right?” Origami asked. “Then please, let me help you.”

Yoshino looked at her, surprised, before nodding in response.

Hours passed in the blink of an eye, and they were nowhere closer to finding that hand puppet.

Up onboard the Fraxinus, the crew + Tohka watched as the duo bonded quietly and slowly.

[So, who exactly is Yoshinon?] Origami asked. [You must really respect them a lot, to be so attached.]

“That was a bit weak,” Kotori commented. “Well, can't really fault her for it, since we're talking about a sock puppet.”

“Isn't it mean to consider Yoshinon-san just 'a sock puppet'?” Tohka asked.

[Yoshinon is...] a small, quiet voice said, catching everyone, Origami included, by surprise. [… my Hero.]

[A hero, huh?] Origami muttered.

Yoshino hummed. [Yoshinon... can say the things I can't. Do the things I can't. Without him, I...]

[I understand,] Origami cut in. [Honestly, I'm a bit envious. If I had someone like Yoshinon-san in my life... maybe I wouldn't have turned out as twisted as I am.]

There was a rather expected pang of sympathy among the crew. “All hands, review footage!” Kyouhei instructed. “Find that rabbit, no matter what!”

Kotori kicked her sub-commander on the ass. “Don't take my lines, jackass!”

“Understood!” Kyouhei replied in ecstasy.

Not even a minute later, and the results were in.

“Target located,” Reine said. “The puppet known as Yoshinon is currently in the possession of AST member Okamine Mikie.”

Well, that was certainly going to make things... maybe not 'difficult', but certainly complicated.

“I'll go,” Tohka said suddenly.

Down on the ground, Origami flinched in surprise. [Are you sure about this?] she muttered under her breath. [The AST, not to mention Okamine Mikie herself, have it out for you.]

“I know,” Tohka said, “but Yoshino-san... I want her to know she's not along. That there's others like her out there, and that you can help us.”

Prove that there are sisters in arms, then. It was a pretty good idea, actually.

“Permission granted,” Kotori said. “Reine, Kozue and Hinako, you three are on Tohka duty! The rest of you, back up Origami! When we get a chance, send her a signal to meet up with Tohka!”

Tohka stood before the door of the apartment that belonged to Okamine Mikie.

A strange, nervous energy was building up inside of her. This was someone who had a mild vendetta against Spirits, and now here she was; a Spirit asking her to return something that belonged to a Spirit.

A part of Tohka wondered if this was what Origami had been feeling. Irony, was it? Having to try and turn a current enemy into an ally to actually make a difference?

It kinda made Tohka feel just a bit closer to Origami.

Shaking the thoughts off to focus on the here and now, Tohka knocked on the door.

“One moment, please!” someone called out. Tohka may not have met her that often (there was one or two moments during school over the past few days), but she knew that voice well enough as the one that belonged to her rival (she was trying not to consider her an enemy).

The door swung open. “Yes? How can I-”

Stunned silence filled the air. Neither party knew how to address the situation.

For Mikie, it was the shock of a potential threat being at her door.

For Tohka, it was the shock of a potential threat wearing nothing more than a towel, and still being covered slightly in water.

Tohka had caught Mikie fresh out of the shower.

After a long moment of silence, they both shouted their surprise.

Five minutes later, and the two were sat at opposite ends of the table.

Tohka felt more weirded out by the fact that, despite offering to wait a few minutes, Mikie hadn't thought to at least get dressed. Was this some sort of psychlo- psyco- spi... mental warfare?

In truth, the reason Mikie was still wearing the towel was because she believed that Tohka would take the chance to strike her down the moment she dropped her guard. Of course, this was all while ignoring the fact that Mikie didn't have a CR-Unit on hand right now, so even if she kept her guard up, she was completely vulnerable.

“So,” Mikie said, fighting desperately to maintain composure. “Why are you here, Yatogami-senpai?”

Tohka took a deep breath. Right now, she needed to focus on the mission. “Mikie-san,” she said, “Origami and I are looking for something. A few days ago, a little girl lost a white rabbit sock puppet at the mall. Origami said she saw you there on the day, so I thought I'd ask you if you saw anything.”

It was, for all intents and purposes, Tohka reading a script. They both knew each others worst kept secrets, but at the moment, it was best for them to just not address the war-shaped elephant in the room.

“Eh? That's it?” Mikie asked, surprised. “You're... not here to kill me in an ambush?”

“Eh? Why would I kill you?” Tohka asked. “I mean, sure, I was pretty angry a while back after you shot Origami.” Understatement of the decade right there. “But I don't think you're an enemy.”

“But-!” Mikie slammed her hands on the table, before quickly returning them to their previous job of keeping the towel on. “But you're a Spirit! Enemy of mankind!”

At that, much to Mikie's surprise, Tohka looked sad. “It's not like we want to be,” she muttered. “But, with Origami's help, we don't have to be. We can live peacefully, without breaking things.”

Mikie looked at Tohka. Really looked at her, and saw not a walking force of destruction, but a girl barely older than herself, scared of what she once was, and was now free of that shackle, simply wishing the same for others like her.

And to that, Mikie began to cry.

“Ah!” Tohka exclaimed. “What's wrong? Why are you-”

“Because you're right!” Mikie sobbed. “I don't even know you, and I... I just assumed you were a bad person!”

Tohka was... seriously caught off guard. This was someone who had previously tried to kill her, right? And now, that someone was bawling her eyes out in front of her. It was... actually similar to what happened with Origami, now that she thought about it.

Although, with Origami, there was less tears. And more clothes being worn.

Tohka reached into her pocket, and pulled out a handkerchief, offering it to Mikie. “You know,” Tohka said, “I think I get why Origami's so hung up on getting you out of the AST. You're... really kind, you know?”

Mikie sniffled for a moment, before standing up, and walking over to a drawer nearby. Reaching into it, she pulls out the much sought after puppet. “This is the one you're looking for, right?” she asked, sitting back down at the table. “I found it just after Hermit was Lost.”

Tohka picked up the puppet. It felt weird, not seeing it alive and moving. But, she got what she came for, and then some. “Thank you, Mikie-chan,” Tohka said.

Mikie's heart skipped a beat at being called 'chan'. “So,” she said hesitantly. “Does this mean... we can at least be friends?”

“Of course!” And with that, Mikie began to cry again. “Ah! Why are you-”

Then, two phones began to ring. One for Tohka, and one for Mikie.

Both parties excused themselves to answer the phones. Seconds later, they both hung up in a panic, and both shouted “This is bad!”

Origami had to admit, the situation was easily the worst it could have been.

Behind her was Yoshino. In front of them, the AST. Legitimately a worst case scenario.

“I was honestly hoping it was just a one time thing,” spoke Kusakabe Ryouko. “You helping a Spirit. I guess desperate times, and all that.”

“I think 'shift in perspective' would be more accurate,” Origami pointed out. “I do not suppose we can talk this out, can we?”

“The job of the AST is to defend the citizens from the threat of Spirits,” Ryouko answered. “You know that better than anyone, Origami. In fact, you, out of everyone, stood by the belief that all Spirits needed to be eliminated.”

Origami could tell that Yoshino was surprised by that statement, even without looking. “That was then,” she said plainly. “Things have changed. How many Spirits does the old method have under its belt?”

It was a fair point, Ryouko had to admit. The AST had yet to actually defeat a Spirit, and Origami had, basically the moment she swapped sides, done... something to Princess that seemed to make her not only docile, but also managed to bring her down to a state of being a simple human girl.

But, the AST had a job, and she couldn't ignore it. Plus, there was a creeping suspicion in the back of Ryouko's mind. “Tell me, Origami,” she said. “Can you prove that you are acting on your own influence?”

“What are you saying?” Origami asked.

“You were the one out of all of us who harboured the most hatred for Spirits,” Ryouko explained. “You'd have done anything to eliminate the enemy. Yet, here you are now, getting all cosy with them. For all I know,” she levelled her rifle at them, “you could just as easily have been brainwashed by those Spirits, for all we know!”

“That's...” Origami muttered. “That's unbelievably stupid.” Everyone was caught off guard by her blunt statement. “We have fought with Toh-Princess for how long, and never once has the ability to brainwash ever come up? Even you have to admit, that's a poor excuse to not rethink your stance.”

For a moment, Ryouko hovered there, wide-eyed. That was... actually a good point. In fact, no matter how she looked at it, Origami's current path was the right one.

Yet, command had given their orders, so what was she to do?

“Please wait!” a pair of voices called out, which was followed by two familiar individuals getting between Origami and Ryouko.

It took Origami half a second to recognise the duo as Tohka and Mikie. It took a further quarter of a second for her to quickly cover Yoshino's eyes, because for some ungodly reason, Mikie was only wearing a towel.

At least Tohka had thought to bring an umbrella for her. That was considerate thinking.

“Private Okamine,” Ryouko said. “As much as I should be more concerned with you gallivanting with a Spirit, I must ask; why are you practically naked?”

Mikie looked momentarily confused, before reality caught up to her, and she blushed. “I did tell you to take the time to put some actual clothes on,” Tohka said. “Mikie-san, you don't really think ahead, do you?”

“I-I panicked!” Mikie defended herself. “We were a bit pressed for time, Tohka-san!”

“Look, just-” Tohka quickly took her blazer off, and draped it over Mikie's shoulder. “At least wear that, okay? Save your dignity.”

Origami, and frankly, the majority of the AST present, were confused. When had those two become so close?

“Alright, now I'm just confused,” Ryouko muttered. “Private, mind explaining why you're with Princess?”

“Tohka,” Tohka corrected. “My name is Yatogami Tohka.”

“Right, sorry,” Ryouko apologised automatically. “Private, mind explaining why you're with Yatogami Tohka?” A moment later, and Ryouko's expression turned into one that seemed to not believe either what she just heard, or what she just said.

“Why are you surprised she has a name?” Origami asked.

“Because!” Ryouko shouted uncharacteristically. “Spirit!”

“Tohka,” Tohka responded.

“And this,” Origami added, pointing at Yoshino as she removed her hand from her eyes, “is Yoshino.”

Ryouko, and the rest of the AST for that matter, blinked in bewilderment. “They... have names,” one of them said.

“I am...” Ryouko muttered. “So damn lost.”

“Captain,” Mikie said. “Tohka-senpai and Yoshino-chan, they're... they're just as much people as the rest of us. They don't want to destroy things just by being dragged into our world.” Tohka and Yoshino nodded in response to that. “And Origami-senpai, she's able to help them. She managed it with Tohka-senpai, so why aren't we giving it a chance?”

“Because-” Ryouko cut herself off. Now that she really thought of it, she didn't really have a strong enough reason to stop them, right? “Okay, I'm just going to ask: How does it work?” she finally said. “How is Origami able to make it so that Spirits are pacified?”

“Rude,” Tohka muttered. “We never wanted to cause trouble in the first place. You guys shot first.”

“Easy, Tohka,” Origami said. “It's less 'pacifying', and more 'sealing', honestly.”

“Okay, then. Sealing,” Ryouko said. “How does it work?”

Origami and Tohka shared a look between them. “Power of love,” they both said with straight faces.

This, naturally, caused the expected responses. That being: Most of the AST face-faulting, and Yoshino blushing intensely.

“Are you pulling a fast one on us?” Ryouko asked. “No, of course not. You're Tobiichi Origami, after all.”

“I know that,” Origami said. “So, how about a bet? If I can make it so that Yoshino here can live peacefully, will you concede the handling of Spirits to us?”

“That's a tall order,” Ryouko said plainly. “I'll give you ten minutes. If you can do as you say, then we'll... conveniently go slow on our work going forward.” This was met with a raised brow from Origami. “And offer a liaison between our forces in the form of Private Okamine. How's that?”

“Wait, really?!” Mikie called out, sounding... a bit too excited about the idea.

[She drives a good bargain,] Kotori commented over the comms. [Plus, Yoshino's already at the tipping point of being sealable. All you really need to do is return the puppet, and you're golden. Take the deal!]

“I accept,” Orgami replied. “Might you give us some space?”

“Very well,” Ryouko agreed. “All troops, fall back! Keep an eye of the read-outs while you're at it!”

And with that, there was now only the four of them remaining. With the looming threat of the AST just around the corner, sure.

At that moment, Origami noticed Yoshino begin to tremble in fear. “Hey, it's alright,” Origami tried to reassure.

“But,” Yoshino muttered in a small, trembling voice. “But I...”

Tohka walked over to them, and crouched down beside Yoshino. “Origami's right,” she said softly. “It will be alright. I was in the same situation as you a while ago.”

Yoshino looked at Tohka in surprise. “Are you...”

“A Spirit, just like you,” Tohka said, as she took Yoshinon out of one of her pockets. “Origami was able to save me, just as I'm sure she can save you.”

Yoshino hesitantly took Yoshinon from Tohka, before looking at Origami. “I can... live in peace?”

“You can,” Origami reassured. “You have the right to.”

Tears began to well up in Yoshino's eyes. [Alright! You're in the clear!] Kotori shouted. [Kiss the girl, and save the world! Again!]

Steeling her determination, Origami placed a hand under Yoshino's chin. “Do you trust me?” she asked.

A nod was the only response needed. With that, Origami lent forward, and locked lips with Yoshino.

Both Tohka and Mikie looked away in embarrassment. In the recesses of her mind, Origami couldn't help but note that Yoshino carried the smell of a snowy day.

As she pulled away, Yoshino's Spirit Dress began to break apart into particles of light. Thinking quickly -and remembering what happened with Tohka-, Origami removed her own jacket, and draped it over Yoshino's petite frame. It was important to preserve this child's modesty, after all.

And, as if to signify this success, the clouds parted, and the sun shone through for the first time that day.

“Amazing,” Mikie muttered. “She actually did it.”

“Still wonder about the clothes thing, though,” Tohka muttered.

Footsteps echoed through the empty streets, and Ryouko returned to them. “To think it was actually possible,” she muttered. “Guess I was wrong to assume otherwise.” Then, she noticed Yoshino's new state of dress, and sighed. “It's just one of those days, huh?” she muttered. “One of those days were everyone is inexplicably naked.”

“For the record,” Origami said, “I'm only 40% certain about why this occurs with Spirits. Okamine Mikie is an outlier to the statistic, and shall not be counted.”

“Understandable,” Ryouko agreed.

“Please don't treat me as a variable!” Mikie shouted.

Several days had passed since then. In that time, a new building had been constructed around Origami's home, which was to be the home of the Spirits going forward.

Something Origami had quickly learnt over the course of those few days was just how the sealing process was actually affecting her. Amazing what you could find out with a second subject to analyse.

Origami had first noticed (and subsequently gained an idea) when they had first returned to the Fraxinus after the sealing. Despite knowing the protocol, Origami had developed a sort of protective nature towards Yoshino. Reine had described it as almost maternal, and Origami felt inclined to agree.

Romantic love for Tohka, and maternal for Yoshino. Both a sort of exaggeration of what she felt towards them. Emotions that were not false, but enhanced by the connection they shared. It was somewhat confusing, to say the least.

On this Sunday, Origami was waiting outside her home with Tohka, Yoshino, and Mikie. Mikie had become, as promised by Ryouko, a quasi-liaison between Ratatoskr and the AST. Of course, the higher ups that gave the AST their orders weren't all too happy with this development, but the AST was short-staffed as it was, so they couldn't afford to fire Ryouko. Job security in such a sparse industry was amazing.

So, what exactly were these four waiting for, exactly? The answer came in the form of a van that had just pulled up before them. In the drivers seat was Reine, and riding shotgun was Kotori.

“Yo,” Kotori greeted. “Keep you girls waiting long?”

“Yes,” Origami answered bluntly, as she and the others climbed into the vehicle. “You are exactly 37 minutes and 41 seconds late.”

For the record, the seating arrangement was: Origami in the middle, Tohka on her left, Mikie on her right, and Yoshino on her lap.

“Eh, details,” Kotori shrugged. “Now, are we heading to those hot-springs or not?”

“Ain't the old lady the one driving?” Yoshinon commented. “Shouldn't you be askin' her?”

“Please do not call me 'old',” Reine said. “I am still under 30 years old.”

“Ah, whatever,” Kotori said. “Go! Go!”

The car drove off. After a few minutes of silence, the radio came on, playing a rather upbeat idol song. “Oh! I know this song!” Mikie said. “It's by Yoimachi Tsukino!” This was met by blanks stares and a resounding 'who' from everyone else. “Seriously?! None of you know the legendary idol Yoimachi Tsukino?!”

“I've mostly been 'career focused',” Origami defended.

“Same here,” Kotori answered.

“I didn't even have a name up until a month ago,” Tohka said.

“We barely had more than that,” Yoshinon added.

“I'm just not big on music,” Reine said.

Mikie seemed to deflate somewhat after that. “Aw. I was kinda hoping I could share an interest of mine.”

“Um,” Yoshino said quietly. “Could you... tell us about her, then?”

Mikie looked at Yoshino with stars in her eyes. Origami pulled Yoshino closer.

“You see,” Mikie started energetically. “ Yoimachi Tsukino first debuted two years ago under a stage name, where she became a smash hit overnight. But then, scandals broke out, forcing her into a temporary retirement. I heard for a time that she managed to start doing private concerts again, but I haven't heard much more for the past year. It's a shame, too. Her music was amazing.”

“Probably a sex scandal,” Kotori said. “My bet is, she refused to sleep with a big-shot producer, he took offence to that, and made her out to be some loose woman. To call that 'a shame' would probably be selling it short.”

Origami had to agree with that. Why so many people could thing they were allowed to ruin another persons life was, at this point in time, beyond her understanding.

Sometimes, humans were the real bastards.

Chapter Text

The month of June rolled around, and all was relatively peaceful.

In class on this day, both Origami and Tohka sat at their desks with their faces pressed against the surface. At a glance, one might have just thought 'oh, they're tired', but much to the envy of every male student at that school, it was the worst kept secret that there was something between the two of them.

Most could only speculate. Only the trio of Ai, Mai, and Mii, as well as Tamae and Mikie, knew the truth. Or, at least, they were the only ones who knew where to look to find the hickeys.

“This has been happening every week now,” Ai commented, standing between the two desks. “I get that you two are all lovey-dovey and all that, but is a bit over the top.”

“It's nice that you're not doubting yourselves about this and all,” Mai added, “but you've been getting a bit carried away with it, haven't you?”

“That's so lame,” Mii finished.

“I am aware of that,” Origami responded. “But, I just find myself overwhelmed at times. Tohka is...”

“Yes, we know,” Ai cut in. “Tohka is simply the best. No other girl can quite compare to her in terms of stunning beauty.”

“Honestly, I'm more surprised by just how horny on main you are about it,” Mai added. “You had this whole Ice Queen thing going for you before.”

“That's so lame.”

Tohka turned her head to the side. “Do you mean the Ice Queen part, or the horny on main part?” she asked. “Because I take exception to one of those on Origami's behalf.”

Mii thought for a moment. “Little bit of both?” she offered. “Which one are you taking exception to?”

Tohka sat upright. “Not the Ice Queen one.”

The Ai-Mai-Mii trio were the only ones to have the decency to look mildly embarrassed at that.

At the other end of the classroom, the door slid open. “Okay, everyone!” Tamae called out. “To your seats please. I have an exciting announcement to make!”

As everyone moved back to their seats, there were murmurs all around about what this announcement could possibly be.

Once everyone had settled down, Tamae motioned for someone else to come in. “We've got a new student joining us today,” Tamae said. “Please, give her a warm welcome.”

Ah, that would explain it, then. People always got excited about transfer students, and this was their second one since Tohka two months ago.

The new student stepped in, and... Huh. Origami was hit with a wave of deja vu. That raven-black hair which covered one eye, the other eye a blood-like crimson colour, and skin that seemed almost as white as snow. Where had she seen this girl before?

Then, it occurred to her. The middle of April, while she was training to seal Tohka. After that... disastrously successful attempt at wooing Tamae-sensei, Reine had offered to run another trial on that one nameless student. Wasn't that this same girl? But, transferring in... Something about that was confusing to Origami. Wasn't she already a student at Raizen? Or, was she swapping classes? Too many questions.

“Okay, go ahead and introduce yourself,” Tamae said to the newcomer.

“Certainly, sensei,” the girl responded. “It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Tokisaki Kurumi, and I'm a Spirit.”

…

WHAT-

On this day, Ryouko was overseeing the delivery of a large piece of DEM tech that they had salvaged from the ruins of Arquebus HQ, following its complete desolation.

“The White Licorice,” she muttered. “How the heck did something like that fall into Arquebus' hands?”

The White Licorice was a large, single person weapons platform, equipped with two massive blades, twin laser cannons, and eight containers dubbed 'Loot Boxes', used to carry a large assortment of weaponry.

“These things always looked like they came straight out of Gundam,” Mildred commented. “What's the plan with it?”

“It's far too powerful for any of us to safely use,” Ryouko said. “Perhaps we should pawn it off to some mercs. Make a decent buck off of it. Gods know those jackasses supplying us from Balam are gouging their prices out the ass.”

“Sounds like an absolute waste,” a new voice said. “You'd be better off leaving it with me, you know.”

Ryouko grimaced as she and Mildred turned around to see a young looking girl with deep blue hair.

“Um, Ryo-chan,” Mildred muttered. “Who is that?”

“A Raven,” Ryouko replied. “Freelance mercenary type. This one just so happens to be among the five best Wizards, and one of the most violent out there.”

“That's a bit rude, captain,” the merc said. “Aren't I on your payroll?”

“Plans have changed, Takamiya, and so has your contract,” Ryouko said. “The higher ups can bitch all they want, but...”

“What, you expect 'the power of love' to be a viable solution?” Takamiya retorted. “They're Spirit, Kusakabe. Fakers wearing human faces. They wouldn't know what love was, even if it bit them on the ass.”

“Evidence suggests otherwise,” Ryouko stated. “And believe me, the evidence is damning. You have your orders, Takamiya Mana of the Raven Corp. There will be no fighting unless deemed absolutely necessary, and that will be our call, not yours. Got that?”

Takamiya Mana saluted, but the disdain was plainly evident in it.

Origami stayed sat in her chair, even when the break period arrived. Frankly, she was too dumbfounded to move at the moment.

That girl, Kurumi, had just openly admitted to being a Spirit. That just seemed completely antithetical to the notion of survival. At the very least, the other students didn't seem to think much of it. Gods bless humanities innate weirdness censor.

Reine had returned to the Fraxinus in the interim, in order to check the scans and confirm Kurumi's claim to being a Spirit. Given the circumstances, though, bets were on the claim being true.

In the corner of her vision, Origami could see Tohka sizing Kurumi up. She was a strange one, that Tokisaki Kurumi, after all.

Then, at a seemingly random moment, Kurumi staggered a bit, clutching her head. “Apologies, everyone,” she said. “I'm afraid my condition is still not as good as I would like.”

“That's no good!” one of the miscellaneous male classmates, Origami believed his name was Tonomachi Hiroto “You should probably check in with the nurse.” The other students nodded in agreement.

“I shall take your advice, Tonomachi-san,” Kurumi replied, before standing up... and walking over to Origami. “Tobiichi-san, yes?” Kurumi asked. “Apologies for imposing on you, but might I ask your help in getting to the nurse's office?”

There was a moments pause, before Origami responded. “Certainly,” she said. “But why me?” She could hear the not so quiet mutterings of the other students, saying things like 'Of course Tobiichi would be the one asked, she had serious harem protag energy all year'.

Was that really what people thought of her? Sure, it wasn't hard to say that Origami and Tohka were a thing, but the only other girls you could really paint in the same brush was Mikie and Yoshino, with the former being more of a normal friend these days, and the later...

(A few days ago)

Origami opened the door, having returned home after a rather dull day at school.

“That you, Origami?” the voice of Yoshinon called out, as the white rabbit sock-puppet poked its head around a corner, followed closely by Yoshino.

“W-welcome home, Origami-san,” Yoshino greeted hesitantly.

There was a flash of movement from Origami, and before anyone was any the wiser, Origami had pulled Yoshino into a tight hug.

“Again, huh?” Yoshinon commented. “If I didn't know any better, I'd say your addicted to Yoshino's smell.”

“I merely find this comforting and refreshing,” Origami responded. “That's all.”

“I-” Yoshino barely managed to mutter between blushed stuttering. “I'm... glad I could help, Ma- Origami-san.”

(Present)

Origami hadn't picked up that 'Ma-', and thus hadn't pieced together what it could have meant, but you'd still be hard pressed to call them an 'item' in the same way as Tohka.

“I suppose I'd like the chance to know more about you,” Kurumi answered. “I would hate for my weak constitution to get in the way of making a new friend.”

Origami shared a slight glance with Tohka, before nodding. “fair enough, then,” she said, rising from her seat. “If you need my shoulder for support, please do not hesitate to say so.”

As the two walked down the school halls, Origami couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was abnormally wrong.

Something about Tokisaki Kurumi bothered her, and she honestly couldn't say what. For all that she claimed to be feeling unwell at the moment, Kurumi was walking around perfectly fine.

And that eye. That crimson eye was looking at her, as if it were unravelling her entire history.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?” Origami said.

“Certainly,” Kurumi replied.

“When you introduced yourself, you called yourself a 'Spirit'. What does that mean, exactly?”

“Oh my?” Kurumi said. “I'd have thought you'd know the most about that, Tobiichi-san. Or, may I call you Origami-san?”

There was that chill again. “Call me whichever you're most comfortable with,” Origami said. “But what are your plans if that belief of yours is verified?”

“What, indeed?” Kurumi muttered. “Tell me, Origami-san...”

“How is your shoulder doing?”

Origami's hand instinctively went to her right shoulder in a panic. Over the past months, she had gotten relatively comfortable with the state her arm was in. Not ideal, by any means, but it was normal to her now. She didn't try to keep it secret, nor did she draw attention to it. If anyone asked about it, she would just say that she was caught up in an accident saving someone during a Spacequake (which was mostly true), and that all the scars were from the reconstruction surgery.

Nobody questioned the two bullet-sized scars in her shoulder. They could have easily been explained as the scars left behind by the metal brace used to keep her bones in place while they healed. Nothing weird about that.

And yet... Kurumi drew attention to it. A small part of a large injury. A part of the injury that was covered up nearly all the time. A part of the injury that Kurumi had no way of knowing about.

“... Who are you?” Origami asked. “Really?”

Kurumi let out a low, almost ominous chuckle, as she approached Origami on her left. The air shifted, and beneath her bangs, Origami noticed a faint hint of yellow in Kurumi's hidden eye. “Let's say,” Kurumi began, “that I'm someone who has your long-term preservation in mind. After all...” Kurumi's hand made its way to Origami's right shoulder, and lightly poked the exact spot the bullet scar was. “Tell me, don't you find it interesting? How a shot with that much power, going at mach speeds, wound up only leaving a small wound like that? A shot like that would normally blow an entire limb off, wouldn't you say?”

Origami felt a chill run throughout her entire body. “How do you know this?” she asked.

“How, indeed?” Kurumi laughed. It was a laugh that found amusement, but Origami found it more terrifying than anything. “You modus operandi is a date, yes?” she asked. “How about this Sunday, then? 9AM at the central park? See if you can't win me over as easily as you did Hermit?”

Kurumi's finger traced along Origami's chin, and with a giggle, she walked on. “I'll see you then, Origami-san.”

With Kurumi gone, Origami slumped against the nearest wall, and released the breath she didn't realise she was holding.

The sun was starting to set over Tengu City. Auburn light flooded the streets, as Tokisaki Kurumi made her way down them.

“That was a bit much, wouldn't you say?” a voice with no earthly origin said. “I thought the plan was to try and keep on her good side.”

“And we are,” Kurumi replied. “But I just couldn't resist teasing her a little, you know?”

“What, considering the last time we met her?” the voice asked. “Kurumi, you need to remember that, at this moment, she's the only chance this world has. The only chance you have.”

“I know,” Kurumi said darkly. “Because heaven knows you don't want to make this easy on me. We're very low on power because of your conscious, so the only me's I have available are us younger, naiver versions. For all that we have our older selves' skills, the odds of one of us getting wooed is non-zero at the least.”

“There you go, acting like it'll be the end of the world,” the voice sighed. “It'd do you some good, you know. Falling in love. It'll make up for the strength you've lost.”

“Strength I also can't get back because you refuse to let me feast on anyone,” Kurumi pointed out. “Because of that, I only have five bodies to spare.”

“Lucky you! Some of us only get the one.”

At that, Kurumi giggled. “I so enjoy our talks,” she said.

Then, something in the air changed. A murderous intent filled the streets. “I guess I'm going to have to make that 'four', then,” Kurumi sighed, as she looked up at the sky. “Hello again, dear Raven.”

A round table conference had been called. Seated in this circle was Origami, Kotori, Tohka, Yoshino, Reine, Kyouhei, Mikie, and Ryouko.

“We've completed all the necessary scans,” Reine said first. “We have confirmed that Tokisaki Kurumi is, in fact, a Spirit. More than that, we have identified her as the Spirit Nightmare.”

“Sheesh, what an edgy name,” Yoshinon commented. “So what's her deal?”

“Nightmare is one of the most hostile Spirits out there,” Ryouko answered. “Out of all the Spirits we've recorded, she's probably the only one with an actual kill count. At least, until a few months ago, where she suddenly went silent.”

“Nightmare completely dropped off the map,” Kyouhei continued. “For a while, I'm sure everyone was thinking that a Raven had gotten to her.”

Tohka raised a hand. “Sorry, but... what do ravens have to do with this? Are those birds really that strong?”

“Raven refers to a particular brand of freelance mercenary Wizard,” Kotori explained. “Mostly made up of former DEM Wizards, at that. As I recall, there are some on the AST's payroll now, right?”

“Just one, and they're a very recent addition,” Ryouko answered. “Weren't even hired until after Hermi- sorry, Yoshino-san was sealed. We figured it would be better for everyone to keep her on the roster, and try to rein her in, but she's proving quite problematic in her own right.”

“So, it's going to be tender footed, going forward,” Kotori muttered. “Then, all we can do is plan out this date between Origami and Kurumi.”

“I never thought this was where my life would go, joining the AST,” Mikie muttered.

“You and me both, Private,” Ryouko agreed.

“Now, then, with formalities out of the way,” Kotori said. “Let's get this date plan started!”

Hours passed. Slowly, Origami, Tohka, and Yoshino, all trudged home.

“That took... much longer than anticipated,” Origami muttered. “All that to plan out a date.”

“Is it just me,” Yoshinon said, “or did it feel weird for us to be there? Like, is it weird to be playin' wingman for this?”

“It was like that for my first time, too,” Tohka told her. “Well, this is only round two for me, but it's not so bad!”

Origami felt a certain peace of mind at Tohka saying that. It felt quite reassuring to know they were in her corner, after all.

Spirits, in Tobiichi Origami's corner. Once again, she had to marvel at the strangeness of the idea. But, it wasn't a bad feeling.

As they passed by a seemingly ordinary alleyway, an ominous chill wormed its way up Origami's spine. A familiar smell tickled the edge of her nose.

Blood. Lots of blood, if it smelt that strong. Something was very, very dead right now.

On the edge of her hearing, Origami heard Tohka and Yoshino call out to her. It was hard for her to focus on their voices, though.

Slowly, Origami stepped down the alley. Every instinct, every fibre of her being, was screaming at her to turn back now. However, curiosity has killed many a cat in its time, and it has shown no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Something splashed at her feet. Origami looked down, and- Yup. That's blood, alright. That's a whole lot of blood. Whoever previously had this blood was probably a very dead body right about now.

… Origami was very concerned for her state of mind right now, she had to be honest.

“Oh?” a voice said from up ahead. “I did not expect to see you here, ex-AST Wizard Tobiichi Origami.”

A figure could be seen, illuminated by the remnants of the setting sun and the gleamed energy blade in her hand.

She was a young girl, probably around Yoshino's age, with dark blue hair. The Wiring Suit of her CR-Unit was a mostly transparent blue with patches of both black and white, and was splotched with blood all over.

“Raven...” Origami muttered, recalling the earlier briefing. This was the Mercenary that Ryouko was talking about. Worse yet, Origami recognised this person. She had seen the dossier on all mercenaries going by the title of Raven, and knew that most of them were high-ranking DEM Wizards. And this was ranked pretty damn high on those lists.

“Takamiya Mana,” Origami said. “What are you doing here?”

“Isn't it obvious?” came the response, followed by the sound of Mana kicking something heavy. “My job.”

Something rolled towards Origami, and bumped into her leg. With terror working its way through her body, Origami looked down... at the severed, desecrated, brutalised head of Tokisaki Kurumi.

Chapter Text

That following morning, Origami rose from a sleepless sleep.

How was she suppose to sleep, after seeing what she saw yesterday?

Tokisaki Kurumi was dead. There was no getting around that fact. Unless that head that had been kicked her way was just a seriously convincing replica, but odds were not likely in that regard.

Origami had been fortunate (read: thankful) that Takamiya Mana had decided against turning her blade on her, or either Tohka or Yoshino, since they had seen just as much of that.

Takamiya Mana was a threat, one that Origami couldn't protect anyone from. That thought alone caused her heart to sink.

Slowly and sombrely, she and Tohka walked the path to school. Hardly any words had been spoken between the two of them today. What was someone to say, after seeing someone you knew get killed like that?

Truthfully, that was the first time Origami had actually seen a corpse. Seen someone killed before, sure, but there wasn't a body left behind at that time. The death of her parents, sickening as it was to think about, was remarkably clean. This case, however, was anything but.

As they drew closer to the school, however...

“Oh my,” a familiar voice said. “Is everything alright, Yatogami-san? Origami-san? You're both looking rather down this fine morning.”

Both froze in place, and slowly turned around. There was no way this could be right, but the proof was standing right in front of them.

“Tokisaki... san?” Tohka asked hesitantly.

“Yes?” Kurumi asked. “You look as if you've seen a ghost, Yatogami-san.”

Origami, contrary to her usual demeanour, stuttered out a few sounds, before she found her words. “But... that alleyway... Takamiya Mana... Your severed head!”

“Oh my,” Kurumi said casually. “Perhaps you both merely had an odd dream? I feel I would recall having my head cut off.”

Origami and Tohka were both dumbfounded by the simplicity of the situation. Well, scratch that; it was far from simple. But all the same, it seemed as if everyone could just play it off like nothing happened.

“I... see,” Origami muttered. Perhaps, for the time, it would be best to just play it all off.

“Perhaps it's merely nerves getting to you?” Kurumi said. “After all, our date is not far off.”

Hours passed by in the blink of an eye, and the lunch break finally came.

And with that break, came the need to reveal to Origami and Tohka's school friends what was going to transpire in the next few days. Well, most of it, at any rate.

“Seriously?” Ai nearly shouted. “You have a date with the new girl?”

“As if having one incredibly hot girlfriend wasn't enough?” Mai added.

“That's so lame!” Mii finished, this time most definitely meaning it.

“Look, I only had so much of a say in the matter,” Origami defended. “It happened fast, and I panicked.”

“You seem to be doing a lot of that, lately,” Ai said. “Panicking, I mean.”

“There's been a lot to panic about,” Origami pointed out.

“We've already got a bit of backup from other friends of ours,” Tohka added. “But we figured we'd get your advice as well.”

“So, you're alright with this?” Mai asked. “With your girl getting dragged into a date with another girl?”

“Your relationship's so open, that it's lame,” Mii added.

With a sigh, Ai continued. “Fine. I think the fact alone that you're willing to confide in us, and ask for help, is well worth it. We'll back you up.”

And so, the rest of the day (at least, the parts that weren't preoccupied with classes) was spent planning out the date with Kurumi. Not like Origami didn't already have plans in place, but if she were to be honest, she'd rather trust the advice of girls her age, opposed to middle-aged men and women with rocky relationships at best.

The day was finally upon her. Time for a proper mission.

Origami arrived a full hour and 49 minutes ahead of the meeting time. It was, after all, considered good form to be early about a date.

As she waited, Origami took a small book with all the plans for today written in them. She had compared all the notes and ideas shared between the Fraxinus crew and the Raizen students, and compiled what she believed to be the best date itinerary she could create.

There were some... odd choices on the list, but all in all, it was the most extensive plan Origami had ever had going into one of these things. The fact that this was only the second time she had planned a date wasn't helping much (especially since they kinda skipped a few steps with Yoshino).

Origami quietly glanced off to her right and left. While she knew without question that Kotori and the others would be watching from the Fraxinus, she could plainly see that the trio of Ai, Mai, and Mii were hiding around the corner of a building far to the right, and the trio of Tohka, Yoshino, and Mikie were in the bushes far to the left.

This was... excessive, to say the least. Three sets of wing-men, when current results (all one of them) showed that Origami was more than capable of handling a date, even if it was with the dreaded Spirit Nightmare.

[I still can't believe you went and got ideas from your school mates,] Kotori commented over the comms. [You do know we're suppose to be a secret organisation, right?]

“A secret organisation that relies on the dating experience of people with rocky track records in dating, I know,” Origami replied. “Frankly, I think I'd rather trust high school girls for dating advice as opposed to divorcees.”

[Tongue's as sharp as ever, huh?] Kotori mused. [Well, whatever. Just don't disregard us too much, yeah? We still need to be paid somehow. FYI, you're date's two minutes out.]

Two minutes. A lot could happen in two minutes. Spacequake, meteor strike, true love, that sort of thing.

As she flicked through her notes, Origami noticed that she had circled and underlined one particular event as 'mandatory' for the date. She raised a brow inquiringly, not particularly recalling why this one was deemed so essential, but shrugged it off. If it was marked as such, it must have been.

Then, finally, Kurumi arrived.

“Good day to you, Origami-san,” she greeted politely. “Were you waiting long?”

“Not at all,” Origami replied. “I only got here a short while ago.” That was a blatant lie, and most everyone knew it. Using that line was as cliché as cliché got, but it was the most appropriate thing to say. “Shall we get started?”

“But of course,” Kurumi said. “Where shall we start, then?”

Part one was food. Several restaurants were scouted out ahead of time, and the one chosen was the best mix of reasonable pricing and quality food. Part two was a trip to the aquarium. Origami had to admit, she didn't know what it was about the aquarium that made it such a popular dating spot, but somehow it was working.

Finally, though, came part three. The strange, mysterious part of the strategy, that all parties insisted on: the lingerie store.

“Oh my,” Kurumi commented, sounding slightly amused. “This is a bold choice, wouldn't you say? What made you think of this?”

[Running options!] Kotori exclaimed. The options that came up were: 1) No reason. 2) I wanted to see just how sexy you could be. 3) I needed some new undergarment anyway, and figured we could get matching pairs while we were at it.

The voting came back unanimously in favour of option 3, and Origami had to agree.

“To be perfectly honest,” Origami said. “I've been meaning to replace some of my old garments, and since most of them are rather plain, I thought I'd like your opinions, and we could, perhaps, get matching sets.”

There was a slight moment of silence that followed. [Dude,] Kotori said, [if your delivery was any more wooden, I'd wonder if there were Greek soldiers in it, trying to sneak into the city of Troy.]

Kurumi, on the other hand, laughed about it. “You are remarkably cute when you want to be, Origami-san,” she said. “Very well, then. I shall oblige.”

As the two entered the store, the sextet of teams Tohka and Ai peaked around the corner.

“Looks like they're in,” Mikie said. “But I have to ask, senpai; why is an underwear store on the date plan?”

“Oh, you poor, naïve girl,” Ai commented. “Don't you know? Exposing yourselves like this is a surefire way to strengthen a relationship.”

“When in a state of near nudity, people expose who they really are,” Mai added. “All secrets, laid bare. I'm sure Yatogami-san can attest to that, as well as it just being kinda hot.”

All eyes fell on Tohka. Tohka didn't say anything in response, merely kept her eyes on the store with a bloodied nose.

“That's so lame,” Mii muttered.

Yoshino, as well, didn't make much comment. Instead, she was blushing intensely at the mere thought of it all, and covering her eyes. To not see the shop that had no windows to see through at all.

“Man,” Yoshinon said. “What a sitch, huh?”

Back with Origami and Kurumi, the two were calmly browsing the lines of undergarment, mentally considering their options.

Well, Kurumi was. Origami was simultaneously doing that, on top of wondering just what the hell she had gotten herself into. She didn't know the first thing about this fancy underwear stuff! She'd only ever gotten the plain, cheap stuff before! How does one judge the quality of lingerie?

Origami picked out a bra that was so much lace, it might as well be transparent. This is what people considered 'sexy'?

“How about this, Origami-san?” Kurumi's voice drew her from her thoughts. Origami looked over, and was quickly awestruck. At some point, without Origami even realising it, Kurumi had picked out a set, gone to the changing room, gotten changed, and returned. What she wore now was a pair identical in design to what Origami had picked out, just in black, with a matching garter-belt, and... Origami understood now. She finally understood why such things were considered so attractive. It was that tantalising closeness to nudity, where the eyes could see so much, yet the imagination had to fill in the last few bits of detail, that got people salivating.

Noticing her dumbfounded look, Kurumi giggled. “That effective, is it?” Before Origami could finally say anything, Kurumi grabbed her by the hand. “In that case, perhaps we should match?”

Origami was dragged into the changing room. Half a minute later, and she had been stripped naked, and put into a white variant of the same garment Kurumi was wearing.

“Hmm. I thought so,” Kurumi said. “White works quite well on you, Origami-san.”

Origami looked herself over in the mirror. She knew, objectively, that other people found her attractive, but considering that she saw her own face every day in the mirror, she wasn't always 100% sure what they saw. Looking at herself in this lacy white underwear, though, she could kind of get it.

And yet, Origami's gaze fell on her scarred arm, and in particular, the bullet wound in her shoulder. Then, she recalled her previous conversation with Kurumi.

“Tokisaki Kurumi,” Origami said. “Would you mind if I asked you something?”

“But of course,” Kurumi replied. “However, if it's for a kiss, it'll have to wait.”

“I am aware. What I wanted to ask was how you knew about this.” She pointed at the bullet scar. “As far as I can recall, I did not see you at that park when I got hit.”

At that, Kurumi giggled. “I suppose I can let you in on some of my secrets, then,” she said, before drawing so close that her breath tickled Origami's ear. “My weapons are flintlock guns, my power is over time, and while I was working more in the background back then, I have a very... vested interest in you prolonged survival, let's say. Merely a case of preventing major damage to an investment while making survival look like a miracle.” Kurumi's hand slowly traced up Origami's frame like a feather on a light breeze. As she moved ever so slight, Origami got a good look at Kurumi's left eye, and saw the yellow clock in it. The two hands of that clock were between 12 and 1, though much closer to the former. Origami wasn't sure what that meant.

Then, Kurumi pulled back, smiling innocently. “Let us leave that there for now,” she said. “We still have the rest of our date to get to, after all.”

With not much of a word between them, they got back into their usual clothes, and purchased their choices.

Part four of the date plan was a movie. There had been much debate within all the parties wing-manning Origami as to what movie it should be, but since the deciding vote came down to her, she chose, of all things, a cute animated flick based around cats. Origami was fairly certain it was an adaptation of a manga of some kind, but she wasn't exactly knowledgeable on that stuff.

What she had learnt from that movie, though, was that Tokisaki Kurumi really, really liked cats. So much so that, every time there was a cat on screen (which, for that movie, was 90% of the time), Kurumi was... Origami actually wasn't sure what word to use for the emotion that permeated from Kurumi at that time. Blissful euphoria, maybe? Ecstasy? Whatever it was, it left Kurumi with stars in her eyes. It honestly made Origami forget that she was currently on a date with the Spirit Nightmare.

After the movie, the two sat on a bench in the local park. At some point, Origami noticed, they had lost their six followers.

“My, what a lovely movie that was!” Kurumi said happily.

“Indeed,” Origami agreed. Truthfully, she was only half following the plot of that movie. It... wasn't the strongest, in her opinion, but apparently it help raise Kurumi's affection stats by quite a bit, so it can't have been that bad.

There was a strangely comfortable silence between the two. It really did feel like they were just a pair of girls, going on a date. No world ending threats, no complicated motivations, nothing. It was... nice.

“Kurumi-” Origami opened her mouth to speak, before what could only be described as a sonic boom echoed, and the bench she was sitting on fell sideways, having lost the half that Kurumi was previously sitting on, with the girl in question no longer being there.

Dread filled Origami's mind. There was only one scenario where this sort of event could happen.

[Tobiichi Origami, do you read me?!] she heard Ryouko shout over the comms. [It's Takamiya Mana! She's here!]

“Damn it,” Origami cursed. “I hate it when my gut's right. Where are they?”

[Half a kilometre away, on your six!] Ryouko answered. [I'll contact Okamine and get her kitted out for combat. You do what you need to!]

“Roger.” With that, Origami ran off towards the danger.

What she saw was close to pandemonium. What was once a peaceful clearing in a line of trees was now strewn with shattered branches and splintered logs.

On one side of the clearing was Kurumi, dressed now in an orange-red and black dress, with her hair tied in high, uneven twin-tails, and wielding... Yup, a pair of flintlock guns. Just as she said earlier.

On the other side was Takamiya Mana, dressed in, as you would expect, her Wiring suit, with a combination blade-rifle in her right hand, and... was that a freaking pile-bunker in her left hand? Origami remembered when the corps had first tried to sell that as a weapon, and she had to admit, it looked mighty appealing: Imagine, if you would, a massive nail that, once positioned close enough to the target, gets launched at high speed by means of an explosive warhead. It was the sort of weapon that could pierce through several inch-thick armour plating, so naturally, it would be effective against a Spirit's barrier. One problem, though; it was heavy as sin. At minimum, it needed both hands to keep steady, and two people just to move.

And here was that Raven, wielding it one handed like it was nothing.

The battle between the two looked, on the surface, remarkably even. Blows were traded back and forth between the two at a constant pace.

Yet, Origami knew. She had been in fights like this before, and could tell immediately that Kurumi was on the back foot.

Kurumi let out a cry of pain, as she was flung back and crashed into a tree. Mana drew back with the pile-bunker, and began to charge forward.

A reckless, idiotic idea filled Origami's head, and before she even realised it, she had gotten between the two. Mana, at least, had the decency to redirect her attack.

The pile-bunker erupted with a kaboom, and the nearly five-inch thick nail shot past Origami's head. The main thing Origami thought, aside from the obvious 'that was close', was 'Christ that was loud'.

“Tobiichi Origami,” Mana said. “You must have a death wish of some kind.”

“I have no intention of dying,” Origami said. “All the same, I will not allow you to commit needless manslaughter.”

“It's a Spirit,” Mana pointed out. “It's closer to corralling livestock, if anything.”

“And how many have you managed to kill, in comparison to how many I've saved?” Origami asked. “I was able to let go, and have saved more lives. Surely you can-”

Origami was cut off by a punch to the gut. While she buckled, she did not fall to her knees. “Shut your damn mouth, traitor,” Mana spat. “What do you know about these monsters?”

Origami coughed, gasping for breath. On the edge of her hearing, she could hear genuine concern from Kurumi. “More... than you do,” she replied. “I know... that they're as much victims as we are.”

“Bullshit!” Mana shouted, showing a rare instance of rage. “You think I'll just... forgive those monsters?! For the fires that took Shido's life five years ago?!”

Origami wasn't entirely sure, considering the ringing in her ear, but she thought she heard someone gasp in shock. Shido... hadn't she heard that name at some point? Where was it, again?

No good. Try as she might, she couldn't pull up a memory of them. But, the fires...

“So, you lost people there, too,” Origami noted. “So did a lot of people. So did Efreet. She's-”

She was cut off by another strike. This time, however, the point of the pile-bunker dug deep into her side, just next to her stomach. The logical part of her brain quickly deduced that she'd be fine, since it missed any and all organs, and just had to apply enough pressure until she got to safety. But, that was only 10% of her active thoughts; the other 90% was preoccupied by the fact that there was now several centimetres of hardened steel penetrating her body.

The nail was pulled back, and Origami fell to her knees.

“Origami-san!” Kurumi called out. Any plan she might have been cooking up had long since gone out the window, as she rushed to try and help stem the bleeding.

“You disgust me, Tobiichi Origami,” Mana said. “Here I thought we were the same. Driven by the same desire to kill that monster Efreet. I guess I was wrong about you.”

“Yeah, you were,” Origami said. “Because unlike you, I can see the victim behind the Spirit.”

Rage flared in Mana's eyes, as the pile-bunker prepared its warhead once more. Origami prepared herself mentally as best she could, but there was no two ways about it; this was probably going to be the death of her.

Mana charged forward, and thrust the pile-bunker towards Origami at such an angle that, when it goes off, it'll probably take out Kurumi too. What a shit way to go.

The explosion rang out, and was immediately followed... by a metallic clang. A shout of surprise, from neither Origami nor Kurumi, was heard, followed by clattering shards of metal.

Origami looked up. Standing before her, dressed in a strange mix of Astral Dress and casual wear, wielding that crystal-like sword, was...

“Tohka?” she asked hesitantly. “How are you...”

“I don't really know,” Tohka said. “But, this woman... she hurt you.” Even from behind, Origami could see the rage build up. “I... will not forgive her!”

Mana reoriented herself, tossing aside the wrecked pile-bunker. “Fine, then,” she said. “I'll make mince meat of you, Princess!”

The battle that unfolded, contrary to everyone's expectations, was remarkably one-sided in Tohka's favour. For all that Tohka was still in a sealed state, and all that Mana was among the best Wizards in the world, all the strikes that were occurring in this battle were in Tohka's favour.

“Why!” Mana shouted. “Why! Won't! You! Die?!”

Tohka batted away Mana's blade with Sandalphon, and punched her square in the face. “Because you hurt Origami,” Tohka said. “And I don't take kindly to that.” One swing of Sandalphon, and the air wave that shot forth shattered Mana's blade.

For the first time in a long while, Takamiya Mana felt pure, undiluted fear. How was she so outclassed by this... this thing?

In the blink of an eye, Tohka closed the distance, grabbing Mana by the collar of her CR Unit, and pulling her close. “Run,” she said darkly. “Run, and don't ever hurt Origami, or any other Spirit, again.”

Overcome by the fear of death, the moment she was released, Mana took off, flying into the horizon.

There was a moment of silence, before Kurumi said something. “Zafkiel,” she said, as a giant clock manifested behind her. From there, she held her guns in such a way as to represent 1 o'clock. “Aleph.” Dark energy came from the roman numeral 1, and into Kurumi's gun, which she quickly aimed and fired in Mana's direction.

“What are you-!”

“Relax, Tohka-san,” Kurumi cut in. “Aleph is not a fatal bullet. It merely speeds up the internal time of whoever or whatever it hits for a while. For about... five seconds, let's say, she's going to be going uncontrollably fast.” Tohka and Origami looked dumbly at her. “What? I can be petty.”

After a moment, Origami let out a small sigh. “Well, I'm... glad we made it out of that in one piece,” she said. “Now, if you'll both excuse me... I'm going to pass out from blood loss now.”

And with that... Origami did just that.

Darkness. Origami was quite familiar with it, especially in recent months. It was cold, inhospitable, yet comforting, in a way. Like old socks.

“Bit of a weird analogy there, don't you think?”

Who said that? It sound... familiar, somehow.

“Oh, right. The italicised voice,” Origami muttered into the void. “I haven't heard from you since I got this job.”

“The italicised... What?” the voice asked. “This is the first time we've talked to each other, Tobiichi Origami-san.”

“Then, who are you?” she asked. “The one who's turning people into Spirits?”

“What?! No!” Wow, he sounded offended by that. “I have just as much beef with them as you do! It because of them that my sister's...” The voice went silent for a moment. “No. That's best left for someone else to answer. Just know that I'm on your side.”

“Then, what is your name?”

The void shook. “Seems we're out of time,” the voice noted. “Sorry, Origami-san. If we get another chance, then I'll try to tell you. For now, though... Please, look after Kotori, would you?”

When she came to, Origami was greeted by the familiar ceiling of the Fraxinus' medical bay, feeling remarkably well for having a hole the size of at least two billiard ball put into her gut.

“I think I'm starting to get why Murasame Reine keeps calling me 'Rei',” Origami muttered. “Especially if I keep waking up in med bays like this.”

Curiously, though, she was all alone. She had kind of expected someone, maybe Kotori, Reine, or Tohka, to have been by her side when she woke up, but no; it was just her, all alone.

It made her feel kind of sad, in a way. She had gotten really use to having them in her life.

She recalled having a dream of some kind, but the memory of it had already faded.

Origami took a look at her side, where she had been stabbed some time ago, and found no wound, stitching, or even a scar. Guess she can assume it hasn't been that long, then.

Calmly, she left the medical wing, and stepped out into the hallways of the Fraxinus.

At just that very moment, Mikie jogged past her in a hurry.

“Okamine Mikie,” Origami called out.

Mikie quickly came to a halt, before jogging back to Origami. “Origami-senpai!” she exclaimed, still jogging in place. “Are you feeling better?”

“Better than last time I was here, at least,” Origami said. “How long was I out? And, more pressingly, why are you in such a hurry?”

Mikie quickly looked at her watch. “It's been a little over two hours, senpai,” she answered. “And it's the commander! She's missing!”

Commander Kotori? Missing? “When did this happen?” Origami asked.

“Not long after you and Tohka-senpai got back,” Mikie answered. “Actually, the sub-commander thinks it happened some time during the fight with Takamiya-san, but nobody knows where she's gone.”

A dreadful feeling worked its way into Origami. She wasn't sure what it was, but something in her gut told her that this situation was going to go bad.

The day ticked over into the next, and there was still no sign of Itsuka Kotori.

During that time, Origami was caught up on everything that happened in regards to both Tohka and Kurumi. For the former, her recent display of power did nothing to the seal; it was simply a case of her tapping in to what Spirit power she still had. It really put into perspective just how powerful Tohka actually was for Origami, that she was able to, in a greatly weakened state, overpower one of the strongest Wizards out there.

It really made her shudder to think about what Tohka could have done to the AST if she decided to go full violence right from the start.

Finally, Kurumi had gone into hiding during the aftermath of the battle. She had left a message of 'We will meet again', before she left, though.

According to Tohka, Kurumi didn't show up at school today. Then again, neither did Origami. Hence the need to relay this information.

Today, Origami found herself walking through a part of Tengu City she didn't often visit. Actually, nobody really visited this part of of the city.

For the past five years, this neighbourhood has been unnaturally disaster prone. Now countless numbers of house fires broke out on a near monthly basis, to the point where this part of Tengu was treated as a ghost town. Charred walls and ashen frames lined the streets, where houses should be.

Origami wasn't sure what drew her to this part of town. Maybe it was a desire for some different scenery. Maybe it was a reminder of what's at stake. She really wasn't sure at this point.

When Origami passed one particular house, she paused. Something about it caught her eye. Despite its burnt walls, it was arguably the most intact house of the lot.

Walking up to the nameplate, Origami brushed the thick layer of soot off it, revealing a familiar name.

“Itsuka,” Origami read. Then, this was Kotori's home. At least, what's left of it.

A thought worked its way into Origami's mind. Could this be where Kotori's gone to? There was enough logic to it that it made sense.

Origami stepped towards the damaged gate, and let herself through. The gate creaked against its age and rust, before the hinges tore from the wall they were bolted to, and fell over. A melancholic feeling washed over Origami. How long ago had this house last been lived it? Were Kotori's parents still around? Did she have... anyone in her life?

Kotori was the commander, sure, but that just made it easy to forget that she was only 13, maybe 14, years old. Origami had only been a few years younger than that when she lost everything to those flames five years ago. What about Kotori, who would have been much younger than that?

Standing before the door frame which lacked a door, Origami took a deep breath, and stepped through the threshold.

Chapter Text

In her mind's eye, Origami could make out what this world once looked like.

It was a bright home, fit for a family of four. Wooden floorboards, white walls framed with pictures, a potted plant here or there, stairs leading up to the next floor. Faintly, she thought she could hear the echoing memories of children laughing happily.

But there was none of that to be found here. Not anymore. The floorboards creaked painfully underfoot. The stairs were indistinguishable from a slope. Shards of pottery and ashen picture frames littered the floor, and the only sounds to be heard were the howling of wind.

Origami walked forward a bit, and looked through the doorway on her right. Inside would have been the combination living room and kitchen, yet the only evidence of that was the broken TV on one side, and the remnants of a counter-top on the other.

The frames of chairs, lining the ashes of what might have once been the kitchen table, could be seen in the middle, next to the frame of a sofa.

Places for family to simply sit and enjoy life together, now little more than ashes upon ashes. Empty chairs at empty tables.

It was a sight and thought that just broke her heart. How much was Kotori hiding behind the mask of a strong commander? How much pain was there? How many tears were there?

From above, the wood creaked and groaned in pain. Origami stepped away from the doorway, as the roof above the living room gave way and collapsed.

Origami looked back into the room, dust and debris filling the air. Yet, within that smog, she saw something.

It was person sized, it glowed orange, and it was making a pained, uncomfortable sound. Then, whatever it was rose on crooked legs, and looked at Origami.

Whatever it was, it radiated a lot of heat. Faintly, Origami could hear the crackling of flames from it. Those eyes, white and hot and bestial, seemed to stare straight into her soul.

Origami knew, deep in her heart, what this was.

“... Efreet,” she muttered, seemingly in disbelief. This was it. The one who started Origami down this long, winding, confusing journey. And now, here they were... and Origami could safely say she was not prepared for this.

This was a Spirit, right? So, why was it so... monstrous? Origami had to remind herself that, despite her past history, this was still a victim in its own right.

So why was Efreet looking at her like a starving beast?

Efreet let out a low, guttural groan, baring jagged, fiery fang. Then, it roared, and lunged at Origami.

Instincts took over, and Origami quickly rolled out of the way, causing Efreet to crash into the wall behind her. Unfortunately, this left it between Origami and the way out. With no other choice, Origami turned, and ran up what was left of the stairs.

Efreet raised a hand, and a twisted, burning scythe formed in its hand. As she ran, Origami thought she heard it say something along the lines of 'Asmodeus'. But, she didn't exactly have time to ponder that name.

Origami rounded the corner, barely maintaining her footing, while Efreet leapt from wall to wall. Origami quickly ducked, as Efreet sailed overhead. A quick glance to her right showed Origami that there was one room she could dash into, and if she used the window, she might be able to get out. So, naturally, she did just that.

Unfortunately, she had not been fast enough to reach the window, before Efreet was right on top of her. A clawed hand grasped her throat, and strangely enough, while the grip was hot, Origami didn't feel herself burning against it.

Efreet raised its scythe, and then... paused. A moment later, it released Origami.

As Origami fell to the floor, breathing deeply, she noticed something very odd about the room she was now in.

There was carpet beneath her feet. As she looked around, she could also see that the walls looked far cleaner than the rest of the house. A bed sat by the window, freshly made. Not far from it, a desk with a small supply of school equipment and a monitor sat.

This room was like a whole other world. A capsule of time, ripped from the past, and placed in the future. It disturbed Origami, and it seemed to cause Efreet a great deal of stress.

The scythe dropped from Efreet's hands, as it clutched its head. The flamed danced around it, ebbing and fading, all the while it let out a painful, sorrow filled scream.

That was a girl's voice. A young one, at that.

Then, the flames coalesced on Efreet's frame, and in a small burst of light, was replaced... by Itsuka Kotori, clutching her head in pain.

Origami struggled to find the words. Kotori looked like an absolute mess right now; her usually clothes now burnt tatters that barely preserved her modesty, and her hair, now without those black ribbons, was covered in a thick layer of soot.

“Commander?” Origami asked hesitantly. “Is that... you?”

She tried to get closer, but, to Origami's shock, Kotori drew back, fear evident in her eyes.

“Shi-” she muttered through hiccups, sounding on the verge of tears. “Shido... Where are you?”

There was that name again. Shido. Mana had said it, and back then, Origami had a strange sense of deja vu from it.

Then, before Origami could ask anything more, Kotori began to cry.

“Shido!” she called. “Where are you?! Onii-chan!”

This was, for Origami, very uncomfortable to watch. Someone who was, in a way, a pillar of strength and support, so... broken. Unable to keep herself from doing anything, Origami grabbed Kotori, and drew her into a tight hug.

“It's alright,” Origami muttered. “You'll... you'll be alright. Just... take some deep breaths, and let it all out.”

By the time it was all over, and Kotori had cried so much that she passed out, the sun had begun to set. Origami stepped out of the house with Kotori, wrapped in her jacket, in her arms.

Almost unsurprisingly, when she stepped out, Origami found Reine waiting for her.

Origami stopped just in front of Reine. “Did you know?”

Reine raised an eyebrow inquiringly. “That's a rather broad question, Rei.”

“That Itsuka Kotori was Efreet?”

“Yes.”

Origami took a deep breath. She understood why they kept it secret for so long, really, but to know that Efreet had been so close... it felt odd.

“Why?” she asked. “Why was she so different from the others? From Tohka, Yoshino, and even Kurumi?”

Reine seemed almost caught off guard by that question, yet she quickly regained composure. “Let's discuss this on the Fraxinus,” she said. “Best to get Kotori somewhere safe, first.”

On that, Origami could agree.

Not even an hour later, and Origami was sitting across from Reine in the cafeteria. Hot mugs of coffee were placed before each of them.

“You wanted to know how the commander differed from other Spirits,” Reine said, as she shovelled a copious amount of sugar into her coffee. “To do that, you'll need to understand what an Inverse Spirit is.”

“Inverse?” Origami replied.

Reine, all while still adding more sugar to her drink, tapped on the table, causing a holographic screen to appear. On it, Origami recognised, were the graphs that showed Tohka and Yoshino's brainwaves. “As you already know, the stability of a Spirit's state is determined by their mental well being. The more it drops, the more likely they are to cause Spacequakes, among other things. And, in regards to you, the more likely it is for the seals you place to break.” Another graph appeared, labelled as Kotori's, and all the values were deeply in the negative. Origami didn't even know that was possible. “When a Spirit's mental state becomes significantly unstable, they become an Inverse Spirit. I suppose they could be described as what you originally believed Spirits to be, Rei; mindless forces of destruction. Sorry, did you want some sugar?”

Origami was stunned silent. Not by the brief description of the Inverse, but by the mountain of sugar that filled Reine's cup. “No thanks,” she said. “I feel like I'm getting diabetes just looking at that.”

“Alright,” Reine shrugged, taking a swig of her sugar mountain. It sounded like she was drinking one of those frozen slurpees from the petrol station. “There are many ways for a Spirit's mental state to become so unstable,” Reine continued. “I'm sure you can guess what caused it for the commander.”

“The death of her brother,” Origami concluded. “His name was Shido, right? Do you know how Takamiya Mana seemed to know him?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, Rei,” Reine said. “Your next question is no doubt about why we kept it hidden for so long, even after you realised that you were able to seal Spirits, right?”

“I've no doubt that is was in case I still held the desire to kill her,” Origami concluded. “And that, even after I had made enough peace with the idea, I'd need the practice in order to properly seal her, right?”

“Correct. At least, that was the plan.” The air immediately turned dark. “After that transformation, I fear Kotori doesn't have long left before the shift becomes permanent. Last time was barely a week ago, and the time before that, not even two weeks. Time is running out.”

A heavy feeling sat in Origami's heart. “How long would you say we have?”

“A few days, at best,” Reine answered. “After that...” She reached down, and from somewhere beneath the table, produced a smallish briefcase. Going by the size, Origami concluded that it was probably holding a gun, and really did not like the implications of that. “After that, I fear drastic measures will have to be taken.”

The case was opened. Inside, Origami recognised the firearm as a Thompson/Center Contender, a single round break-action pistol developed in America, and next to it was a single, large calibre round, with the letters 'A.M.R.' etched onto the casing. There was something... unpleasant about that bullet. Familiar. Just looking at it caused a dull pain to throb in Origami's shoulder.

“An Anti-Mana Round,” Reine said. “Created from the same blueprints Arquebus used for the round that was shot at you and Tohka months ago. If Kotori transforms one more time, then...”

It didn't need to be said. Origami knew what she was getting at; if Kotori were to lose control, she'd have to be put down.

And that, that did not sit well with Origami. “How many days?” she asked. “You said earlier that it was 'a few'. Do you have a rough estimate of what that is?”

“Three days,” Reine said. “That's the best guess we've got. And before you ask, Rei, I would not bet on you being able to successfully seal her in that time.”

Origami understood why she thought that. Her and Kotori had a professional relationship at best, and more often than not, Origami trusted her own judgement over that of the Fraxinus crew, much to Kotori's increasing annoyance. Added on top of the fact that Kotori's mental state was, to put as fine a pin on it as possible, rock bottom?

“For now,” Reine continued, “we can only wait and see.”

Wait and see. Three of the worst words to hear in regards to someones life.

Origami sat in the darkness and solitude of her own home, barely remembering the last time she had felt this hopelessness.

What should she do? What can she do? If she wanted to save Kotori's life, she'd have to seal her Spirit power, that was obvious, but could she? Could she build up enough trust, enough love, to do that?

All those thoughts swam around in her head, and left her feeling pathetic.

A knock was heard at the door, but Origami didn't have the energy to answer it. The door opened anyway, and Yoshino stepped in.

“O-Origami-san?” she asked hesitantly. “Is... everything alright?”

Origami looked at Yoshino. There was clear, genuine concern in those blue eyes. But could she say it? Could Origami tell this innocent girl that the person spearheading the operation that saved them both was likely going to die?

“No,” she decided to admit. “No, everything is not alright. Kotori's...” Origami hesitated slightly, but decided that Yoshino deserved to know the truth.

So, she told her all of it. By the end, Yoshino looked rightly scared. “Kotori-san's... suffering that much?”

“Yeah,” Origami answered. “And I... I don't know what to do. I don't... I don't know if I can save her.”

Yoshino fell silent, unsure of what to say. “Sheesh,” Yoshinon commented. “Sounds like a rough spot to be in, eh?”

“Y-Yoshinon!” Yoshino exclaimed, surprised.

“Well, one of us has to say it,” Yoshinon replied. It was quite unusual for them to be so at odds with each other, but since Yoshinon was pretty much Yoshino's internal monologues made external... “Origami-san, why don't you think you can save Kotori-chan?”

Why? “Do you really need to ask?” Origami said. “There's only three days until the point of no return. I don't nearly have enough ti-”

Origami paused. Yoshino had a look of equal confusion on her face, yet Yoshinon, for all that they were a puppet, had a look that seemed to egg Origami on; convince her to continue with that train of thought. Had Yoshino realised something without being aware of it? That must be one of the perks of having someone like Yoshinon, who can voice your unspoken thoughts.

Origami lent forward, and thought as hard as she could. What was she about to say? That she didn't nearly have enough what? Time. That's what it came down to. She believed that she didn't have enough time to save Kotori.

Why? Why did she believe there wasn't enough time? Because there was only three days to save her, and the first day, aka today, Kotori would be out of commission, leaving only two, and two days was the average for Origami to successfully seal a Spirit, not counting the time needed to plan out the needed date.

But why did it take a bit over two days? Because the first day had to be spent getting acquainted with the Spirit in question, naturally. When she first met them, Origami was little more than a stranger to Tohka, Yoshino, and Kurumi.

And therein lied the rub. It was like that for those three, but Kotori... Kotori was an outlier. They already knew each other, even if only professionally. Sure, they rubbed each other the wrong way at time in how to approach certain date topics with the others, but they were more than just acquaintances; they were war buddies.

Which meant... which meant...

Which meant... she could rightfully cut out one whole day she would have normally needed. But, there was still the planning, the prep time... Even without that day of first meeting...

“Yoshino,” Yoshinon said. “Perhaps we should show her what we got now? We were planning to anyway, and it might just be the headwind she needs.”

“What you've got?” Origami asked, partly more surprised that Yoshinon had used a word like 'headwind' properly.

Yoshino rummaged around in her pockets, before producing a pair of tickets. “We... got caught up in a lottery while shopping today,” Yoshino said, “and won tickets to a new water park that opened recently. I... thought you might like them.”

A water park... Origami remembered Ai and the girls talking about that as an option for the date with Kurumi, but ruled it out for being a bit too much for a first date.

But this wasn't about Kurumi anymore. This was Kotori, someone Origami knew.

Which meant that the whole planning stage has officially been taken care of already.

Origami leapt to her feet, and wrapped her arms around Yoshino. “Thank you, Yoshino,” she said. “Thanks to you, we still have a fighting chance.”

Yoshino stammered a bit, while Yoshinon let out a cheeky laugh. “Looks like we've successfully become wingmen, eh?” they said. “Well, what are ya waiting for? That boss ain't gonna conquer herself, ya know.”

Nodding in agreement, Origami quickly kissed Yoshino and Yoshinon on the forehead, and ran out the door. Time was wasting, and may God have mercy on anyone who got in the way of someone who had reached rock bottom, only to find the hope they needed.

Itsuka Kotori was feeling understandably glum when she finally got her thoughts in order. Anyone would be, after being told they have less than a week to live.

But, what could you do? Some things are just beyond ones control. All she could do right now was go over her final will and testament with Reine.

At least, that was what the plan was going to be, until the door to her room in the medbay was unceremoniously kicked down by Tobiichi Origami.

It should be noted that those doors are not only made of steel, but are sliding doors at that. This naturally begged the question; how?

Origami walked towards Kotori with the determination and certainty of an executioner. It was the sort of walk that came from a strong sense of confidence and foresight.

“What's up, Origami?” Kotori asked as casually as she could. “If you're looking for a chance to kill me, then could you give me, like, half an hour to sort out some things?”

Origami stopped at the side of Kotori's bed, reached into her pocket, and practically threw a pair of tickets onto the paper Kotori was using to write.

“The day after tomorrow,” Origami said plainly. “You and me. The water park.”

Kotori and Reine blinked in bewilderment. “Um... what?” Kotori asked. “What's going on?”

“Do I really need to spell it out?” Origami retorted. “This is a date.”

There was a brief moments pause. “You... you serious?” Kotori said. “Hasn't Reine told you? There's not a chance you'll be able to pull it off.”

Origami glared at Reine, before motioning her head towards the door, instructing her to leave. She was mildly confused by this, but Reine complied, as stepped out.

Now, it was just Origami and Kotori. Basically how it started.

“You seem prepared to let it all end,” Origami stated plainly.

“Of course I am,” Kotori replied. “Not like I'm happy about it, but there's nothing more to be done, and I doubt you'd...”

“I refuse,” Origami cut in. “I will not let it end like this.”

“Why's that?” Kotori laughed drily. “Don't think the terrible Efreet's suffered enough?”

There was a loud bang, as Origami's hands flew past Kotori's head, and slammed into the wall palms first, trapping Kotori between her arms, and forcing their faces remarkably close. Kotori felt her heartbeat jump considerably.

“Because I believe Efreet's suffered enough,” Origami answered. “You're the one that got me on this ride, Itsuka Kotori. The one that convinced me that Spirits were worth saving. So don't go bitching about me treating you as no exception.” Origami pulled back, and began walking to the door. “I will be spending tomorrow preparing for the date, and would advice you to do the same. We meet at 11 on the day. That is all.”

With that, Origami left. Kotori let out a sigh associated with an emotion she wasn't completely sure of, and as blissfully unaware of just how much she was blushing.

Tomorrow came around, and Origami found herself facing a whole new quandary she hadn't entirely been prepared for. It wasn't to say that she didn't know the matter was coming; just that she wasn't prepared for solving it to be this hard.

The matter was simple on paper: Origami needed a swimsuit. The complications arose when she realised that she didn't really know the first thing about picking one out, thus leading her to calling on four people she knew she could trust to help with this matter, those being Tohka, Yoshino, Mikie, and Kusakabe Ryouko.

Ryouko was mostly here to be the voice of reason among the youths.

“Never thought I'd see the day,” Ryouko muttered, “that I'd be trying to save the world by helping a subordinate pick out a swimsuit.”

“Welcome to my life for the past few months,” Origami replied, examining a white two-piece sporting type of swimsuit.

“Well, since we're here,” Ryouko said, “that one you've got right now's a no-go. It'd be like going to a restraunt in a tracksuit.”

“Figured it wasn't dating material,” Origami agreed. “By the way, where are the others?”

In response, Ryouko simply pointed her thumb towards the changing rooms, where Yoshino and Mikie stood, waiting with baited breaths. A moment later, Tohka stepped out of one of the changing rooms boldly, wearing a black and purple one-piece swimsuit that really, really accentuated her features.

“Origami,” Ryouko said. “You're drooling.”

Origami quickly wiped her mouth down. “My apologies, Captain,” she said. “I got distracted.”

“Yeah, I saw,” Ryouko snarked. “Honestly, if the you from half a year ago saw you today, she'd have flown the coop.”

“Let's be real,” Origami said, picking out another swimsuit. “She'd have killed me where I stood.” Origami examined the swimsuit in hand; a white bikini. “What about this one?”

Ryouko examined the option closely. “Not a bad option,” Ryouko admitted. “Might work better in black, though. Go for contrast rather than complimentary.”

Origami nodded in response, before switching the swimsuit out as instructed. “At least one of us is taking this matter seriously,” Origami muttered, looking back over at Tohka and the others. For a moment, she wondered where they had gone, before all three stepped out of the changing rooms, with Tohka now wearing a dark purple bikini, Mikie in a dark blue one-piece, and Yoshino... well, it looked as if she was halfway between wearing a pink one-piece with white frills and a wardrobe malfunction.

“Oi,” Ryouko said. “You're drooling again.”

Origami quickly snapped back to reality. “My apologies.”

“I guess this is what the kids mean when they say someone's 'down bad',” Ryouko muttered.

“It's a weird experience, I'll say that much,” Origami agreed. “If I might ask, what's happened to Takamiya Mana?”

“That Raven? Unfortunately, she hasn't RTB'd since the battle,” Ryouko answered. “I've put out orders to apprehend her for insubordination, but frankly, I'm not getting my hopes up that we'll be able to bring her in. She's a Raven, after all; a professional mercenary that stands heads and shoulders above the rest.” She was met with silence. Cautiously, Ryouko glanced over, and noticed that, once again, Origami was off in her own little world again, gazing at Tohka and Yoshino. “Oi-rigami!”

That snapped Origami back to reality. “Did... you really just make a pun?”

“You'd be surprised how effective they are,” Ryouko said. “Now, are you going to try that swimsuit on, or not?”

The day ticked over, and it was finally time.

Origami arrived at the park at 10 o'clock sharp, had already gotten changed into her new swimsuit (with added hoodie over it, for the reveal factor), and was now waiting for Kotori to arrive. For once, Origami was actually very nervous. More so than when she had her date with Kurumi.

After all, a life was actively on the line here. If she failed this one... Kotori was going to die, and worst case scenario, she might end up bringing down a lot of people with her.

The fate of the world hung in the balance with this date, that was only mildly exaggerating, and to make matters a bit more annoying, everybody aboard the Fraxinus and within the AST right now had a betting pool going.

Odds were currently 3:1, world ending's favour. Origami wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that.

But, that was far from the worst part.

“Whoa!” a familiar voice called out. “So this is a water park!”

The worst part was that Tohka, Yoshino, and Mikie were also here. Why were they here? Because they had convinced Kyouhei and Ryouko to get them day passes as well.

Their justification? Because those three looked like kicked puppies at the prospect of not being able to go to the water park, even if it was for the greater good.

It certainly presented a different challenge.

Fortunately for Origami, though, she was in 'the zone'. She couldn't afford major distractions. This was a matter of life and death.

“Got here early, did you?” Kotori's voice interrupted her thoughts. “Guess I shouldn't expect less from someone as diligent as you.”

Origami turned around, to see Itsuka Kotori standing there, wearing a white bikini that looked quite... mature for someone of her age, Origami felt.

But, all in all, it looked quite good on her.

Kotori noticed her stunned silence. “What's the matter?” she asked. “If you're busy ogling Tohka -a bad move on a date, by the way-, then she's a bit more to your left.”

“Actually, I was in awe as to how good you look right now,” Origami answered. In her ear, she heard everybody aboard the Fraxinus cheering about how effective that was as a verbal sucker-punch. “You look remarkably beautiful today, Kotori.”

Kotori stammered and blushed briefly, before quickly regaining her composure. “Oh? Pretty smooth words there. Which one of the bridge bunnies fed you that line?”

“You say that like I've ever used one of their choices word for word,” Origami rebutted. “And I mean every word I use. Surely you know this by now. Cutie.”

[Don't mind her sour, unamused expression, Origami,] Ryouko's voice said over the comms. [That last one gave her quite the boost, if I'm reading these charts right.]

So much for 'close to zero chance of success'. This was beginning to look less like an uphill battle already.

“Well, then,” Origami said, holding out a hand to Kotori. “Shall we begin our date?”

In response, Kotori gave a remarkably confident smirk, as she took Origami's hand. “Alright, then. Let's see firsthand what your dating prowess is like.”

“Umm,” Kotori muttered nervously. Right now, she was sat in Origami's lap, whom was sat in a flotation tube, at the top of the parks large water slide. “I can't say I expected us to start here.”

“Feeling nervous?” Origami asked. “You're quite cute like that, you know.”

“S-stop trying to butter me up!” Kotori yelled. “And I'm not nervous! What do I have to be nervous about? It's a damn slide!”

Kotori really wasn't fooling Origami with that. Somehow, the more she thought about how nervous she was, the more Origami felt the carnal urge to tease her. She wondered, briefly, if this is what being an older sibling was like; if this was something that her late brother felt.

“Ready?” Origami asked, and before Kotori could respond in any way, she pushed forward, and let the waves take them down.

Origami had to admit, this was... mildly underwhelming. It probably just comes down to the fact that she's use to experiencing greater g-forces than what a water slide can create, but somehow she had expected more from this.

Then again, having Kotori clinging to her so tightly wasn't a bad feeling. A good sign of trust, at any rate.

Before too long, their raft crashed into the pool, sending out a wide arc of water before they came to a floating stop.

“There. That wasn't too bad,” Origami said.

“S-s-says you,” Kotori stuttered out. “That was... way too intense!”

Origami wanted to point out that it was hardly more than 2-gs of motion, but decided against it. Underselling a person's personal fear wasn't necessarily a good idea, after all.

“But still, aren't you glad you at least tried it?”

Kotori looked up at Origami, pouting. “Geez. You're a real jerk sometimes, Onee-chan.”

Silence fell once again, as Kotori realised what she had just said. “Kotori,” Origami said. “Did you just-”

“No!” Kotori yelled. “You have no proof! I- just- I'm getting off!”

As one might expect, hastily trying to get off a floating object tends only to cause said object to tip, such as what happened right now with their raft, causing both Origami and Kotori to fall into the water.

Origami resurfaced first, followed not long after by Kotori. “Are you alright, Kotori?” Origami asked, before noticing something... different about Kotori.

It didn't take long for her to realise that her hair was down now, those black ribbons she always wore having disappeared.

Kotori's hands slowly reached up to her head, and, realising the ribbons were gone, her expression shifted to one of childlike fear as she frantically began looking around for them.

Origami put thinking about it aside for the moment, and searched the water until she finally spotted the ribbons. As quickly as she could, she swam over, collected them, and swam back. “Kotori, I've found then,” she said.

Kotori looked over, and upon seeing the ribbons, quickly snatched them from Origami's hands. The look of sheer relief on her face was, frankly, something Origami couldn't quite comprehend coming from Kotori.

At that point, Origami made a decision, and picked Kotori up bridal style. Kotori could barely stammer out a repeated 'O' sound, and Origami wondered if she was trying to say her name, or 'Onee-chan' again. “It's alright,” Origami said. “I'm just gong to get us out of the water, okay?”

Kotori looked wide-eyed, yet nodded in response.

Origami sat Kotori down on the first open bench they could find, and quickly began tying the ribbons back in her hair. Quietly, Origami took note as to what Tohka and the others were up to, and was at least relieved that they didn't seem to notice any change on Origami's end.

Not inherently a bad thing, she thought. Less people to worry.

After a moment, Origami tightened the bow on the last ribbon. “There. All better now,” she said.

It was like watching a switch flip, the way Kotori went from 'scared little girl' to 'Fraxinus commander' the moment the ribbon was tied.

Kotori let out a small, dejected sigh. “Sorry you had to see that,” she said. “I'd thought those were tied on better.”

“It's... no problem,” Origami replied. “Do you... mind if I ask about it?”

“You've already seen it twice now,” Kotori said. “Guess you deserve an explanation.” Kotori took a deep breath, and Origami thought she saw some cracks in the way she presented herself. “These ribbons, they... they were the last thing my brother ever gave to me. You remember that day five years ago, yeah? August 3^rd?” Origami simply nodded. Of course she knew that day well, but it would be better to keep the snark at bay for now. “Well, guess what? August 3^rd is... my birthday.”

Oh. That was... a revelation, to say the least. Not only had that tragedy that turned her into a Spirit taken her brothers life, but on a day of celebration like that? For once in a long while, she didn't know how to respond to that.

Then, as a saving grace, she heard Ryouko's voice over the comms. [Run our options!] she shouted. The options came out as: A) compliment her brothers tastes. B) Ask what kind of person her brother was like. C) Hug her in silence.

Those were all pretty good options, actually. The voting results came back pretty quick, and it was a tied lead between B and C, with A actually not too far behind.

Well, from here, Origami was able to formulate her approach. Step 1: follow the first part of option C, and hug Kotori. Kotori stuttered out a sound of surprise, before seeming to melt into the embrace. Step 2 was to enact option B. “Would you be willing to tell me about him?” she asked. “Your brother? I've... only ever heard his name.”

Face buried in Origami's chest, Kotori nodded. “Shido... he was a very kind person,” she said. “An absolute idiot at times, but... if someone was in trouble, he'd always go out of his way to help. He cared that much, even about complete strangers. He was... he was my hero, and...”

As Kotori's story continued, the crew of the Fraxinus carefully watched the charts as they moved.

“Commander Kotori's emotions are steadily on the rise,” Hinako said. “She's ebbing closer to the sealing threshold.”

“Energy levels are high, but remaining below dangerous levels,” Kyouji added. “If we're able to keep at this pace, Origami-chan might just pull this off.”

“Then let's hope we stay this course,” Ryouko said. “Remain diligent for any changes, everyone!”

Kyouhei stepped up to Ryouko's side. “You've become quite the leader since I left, Ryou-chan,” he commented. “I'm quite impressed.”

“And personally, I'm more perturbed that this is where you left us for,” Ryouko responded. “Are you sure you're not on a list?”

“I merely found my master, that's all,” Kyouhei shrugged. “Commander Kotori just does things the right way, you know?”

Deciding she wasn't even going to grace that with a comment, Ryouko turned to face Reine. “How about you, then? Feeling like you've bet on the wrong horse yet?”

“I'm a pragmatist by nature,” Reine answered. “But, if I've bet wrong, then I'll be glad to be wrong.”

“Not a bad philosophy,” Ryouko said.

Just then, Ryouko's phone began to ring. She checked the caller ID quickly. “Mildred?” she questioned. “Sorry, I need to take this. Might be bad.” Ryouko stepped away from the command platform, and answered the phone.

A minute later... “This is bad!”

Things had suddenly taken a drastic turn for the worst. First, the Spacequake alarm had gone off. That alone was cause for concern. Next, while they had expected Tohka and the others to come running their way, only for the trio in question to get caught up in the crowd and effectively dragged off towards the shelter.

The problem, however, came when their route was cut of by, of all things, a missile strike. Origami could only think of one person who would go that far.

Massive CR-unit hovered in the air before them. It would have probably been easier to describe it as 'a battleship equipped to a human', with how large its boosters and cannons were.

Matters were made worse, however, by the person who was currently operating this CR-unit.

“I honestly didn't quite believe it,” she said, “when I found that report on Efreet's identity. But, I guess the proof is right in front of me.”

Tightening her grip on the twin blades she held in hand, Takamiya Mana glared at Kotori. “Yo, you monster. Time for you to pay the Sanzu toll.”

Chapter Text

It took some time, but Tohka had finally broken free of the crowd that was rushing towards the shelter. There was something wrong going on, and it wasn't a Spacequake; she could feel it.

Worse still, she had lost track of Mikie and Yoshino. She was... well, generally speaking, she wasn't their guardian, but she had age seniority on them, and that had to count for something, darn it! Origami would not be happy if something happened to them.

Speaking of which, Tohka really hoped that Origami was alright at the moment. She was remarkably danger-prone, to say the least, and after what happened during the date with Kurumi, Tohka really couldn't help but wonder just what kind of mortal danger she'd get into next.

“Tohka-senpai!” Mikie's voice called out. Finally! Friend located! … Located where? Tohka scanned the area as best she could, until she finally spotted Mikie and Yoshino, keeping a rather low profile in the crowd.

As she quickly made her way over to them, Tohka noticed the clear signs of distress on Yoshino's face, followed closely by the realisation that she no longer had Yoshinon the puppet on her hand.

“Mikie, what happened?” Tohka asked.

“I'm not sure,” Mikie replied. “I think we might have lost Yoshinon-san in the crowd, but no matter how much we trace our steps, we can't find them.”

That was certainly concerning in its own right. Yoshino and Yoshinon were a package pair, after all, and a Yoshino without her Yoshinon was... Tohka wasn't sure what to compare it to, but it wasn't good, to say the least.

Before Tohka could ask Yoshino if she's okay, a series of explosions sounded. The trio quickly pivoted, to see a massive CR-unit in the skies, raining down heavy ordnance onto one specific location.

“That's... the White Licorice unit!” Mikie shouted. “If that's here, then...”

“White Licorice?” Tohka repeated. “Mikie, what's that?”

“A powerful Combat Realizer,” Mikie explained. “And the only one who could possibly be strong enough to operate it in the AST is the Raven, Takamiya Mana-san.”

“That blue haired girl?” Tohka questioned. “If she's here... then Origami and Kotori are in danger!”

“Wh-what should we do?” Yoshino asked. “She... she looks scary...”

Too much was going on now. What was Tohka to do? She wanted to rush to Origami's side, but she also knew that Origami would want her to look after Yoshino, especially when she was distressed from losing Yoshinon.

“Tohka-senpai,” Mikie said. “You look after Yoshino-chan. I'm going to try and distract Takamiya-san, and get her away from Origami-senpai and the commander.”

“Eh?” both Tohka and Yoshino sounded. “But, how?”

With a slightly nervous smirk, Mikie tapped the side of her forehead, causing her to be engulfed in a bright light. After some mildly uncomfortable grunts, Mikie's swimsuit had been replaced with her AST Wiring Suit. Suffice to say, Tohka was quite impressed by this.

“Whoa. How'd you do that?” she asked.

“Implant,” Mikie said, sounding exhausted. “They're only used for emergencies, considering just how uncomfortable it is to activate them.” Producing her phone from somewhere (to this day, science still has yet to figure that part out), Mikie quickly dialled a number. “This is Private Okamine, calling Tengu City Garrison. Requesting deployment of aerial armaments.”

Not even ten seconds later, and an ordnance crate containing crashed down not far from them. The contents of this crate were... not what anyone expected. A weaker, beat up version of the usual flight unit, an old model rifle, and a single energy blade. This was... pretty bottom of the barrel, all things considered.

“This seems...” Tohka muttered.

“A bit lacking, yes,” Mikie agreed. “Oh! There's a note in there.” Pulling out the small slip of paper, it read; 'Sorry! Raven wrecked the garrison when she stole the White Licorice! This was the best we could scavenge! With love: Mildred'.

The trio slumped slightly. “That does make sense,” Mikie muttered, “but did she have to sign it 'with love'?”

As if to draw their attention back to the situation at hand, a pillar of fire erupted from off in the distance. The White Licorice could be seen pulling back a ways, followed closely by something that can only be assumed to be Efreet.

Being their first time seeing her like this, Tohka and company were understandably distraught by the sight of Kotori like... like that. She was less a person, and more a burning wraith; a grim reaper shrouded in hellfire.

But, more terrifying than that... was the question of what happened to make her shift now.

(Moments earlier)

“Yo, Efreet,” Takamiya Mana spat venemously. “Time to pay the Sanzu toll.”

Origami kept herself between Mana and Kotori, assessing the situation as calmly as she could. Of course, 'calm' in this situation still had a certain degree of panic to it. “Takamiya Mana,” Origami said. “It doesn't have to be this way. This can end peacefully.”

“You're joking, right?” Mana questioned. “Could a rat make peace with the cat about it eat it? A tree, with the fire about to take it over? There is no peace for monsters; only oblivion.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Origami couldn't help but wonder if Mana was being just a bit more dramatic than last time. Something to do with that massive CR-unit?

“Kotori,” Origami whispered. “Stay close. I'll keep you safe.”

“No offence, Origami,” Kotori muttered, “but how do you plan to stop that? She's literally a walking arsenal.”

“I'll work something out,” Origami said with faux confidence. “I've pulled miracles off before, haven't I?”

A series of clicks echoed, and from the White Licorice shot out numerous missiles. Grabbing Kotori's hand, Origami ran as fast as she could, weaving between the explosions. This was no easy feat, as each explosion was close enough to stagger the duo.

She had only taken her eyes off Mana for two seconds. That time was all she needed to close the distance, where she thrust one of the two massive cannons between Origami and Kotori, and with a mighty swing, slammed it into Origami's gut, knocking both the wind out of her, and her into the furthest building.

Before Kotori could let out any sort of exclamation, all of Mana's weaponry was primed and aimed at Origami. “Be gone from this world, you traitorous cur!”

It was impossible to say just how much ordinance was fired. How many missiles, whether the lasers were broken up or each one continuous stream. It wasn't even possible to know if any of them hit Origami directly, or if all the shots just struck the building around her. From an outside perspective, however, it didn't matter, as the building itself very quickly came down, burying Origami beneath its rubble.

Terror began to overtake Kotori's mind. She didn't want to think it, but...

“One down,” Mana muttered, turning back to Kotori. “You're next, Efreet.”

Tobiichi Origami... was dead? It couldn't be. Not like this. This... this couldn't be how it ended, right?

Despair took over, and, to Itsuka Kotori, the world went red as Efreet took over.

(Present)

Origami could barely make out the sounds of battle. There was also this strange sense of deja vu right now, as she slowly regain consciousness.

It was dark, with small spots of light breaking through. What had happened?

Ah, yes. She recalled now. Takamiya Mana, the Raven, had ambushed them, and exploded a building on her.

But, if that actually happened like she remembered, then how the hell was she still alive?

Moving her left arm as much as she could, Origami dug herself out of the rubble. Pain shot through her right arm as she tried to pull herself up, and a cautious glance showed that she, once again, had a length or rebar piercing her bicep.

Serious case of deja vu.

Up in the sky, Origami could see Takamiya Mana doing battle with the Spirit Efreet, while off in the distance, Okamine Mikie was attempting to take potshots at Mana. At the very least, Efreet wasn't attacking Mikie, which was... something.

Finally, Origami pulled herself out of the rubble. She was rather banged up, but overall, she'd been in worse condition.

Footsteps echoes behind her. Origami turned around, to see Reine approaching her, gun case in hand.

“It seems things have gotten out of control,” Reine said sadly, looking up at the fight that was unfolding. “It's unfortunate, but...”

“Don't,” Origami cut off. “Don't say it.”

Reine looked Origami in the eyes sympathetically. “Don't blame yourself for this. None of us saw this coming. If anything, I... was starting to have hope it might have worked.”

Slowly, Reine held the gun case out to Origami. “So, that's it, then,” Origami said. “I'm expected to be the one to play executioner?”

“Unfortunately,” Reine admitted. “Mikie is presently trying to draw Takamiya's attention, and nobody else is a good enough shot. Sadly, this curse has to fall on you.”

The case was opened, revealing the Contender. The bullet itself, not being present in its previous spot in the case, was no doubt already in the chamber.

Origami took it in her left hand. Curious, she found; she had a lot of experience wielding guns, but today... this one felt so much more heavier. The weight of life, she supposed.

“When you see an opportunity, you know what to do,” Reine said. “I just hope that, one day, you'll be able to forgive me for giving you this burden, Origami.”

Reine was teleported away at just that moment, no doubt back to the Fraxinus. Origami was caught quite off guard by her suddenly using her actual name, but put that aside for the moment. With a flick of her wrist, the barrel opened, and she confirmed the bullet was loaded.

Origami looked skyward at the battle. Efreet was being bombarded with more missiles than the White Licorice should logically be able to carry. Every time she got a chance, Efreet would charge forward, letting out a feral roar.

No... not feral. Even down here, she would hear it; the sheer, overwhelming despair in Efreet's cry.

The twin cannons of the White Licorice flared to life, and its beams struck Efreet dead on, throwing her through several buildings, and into the ground not far from Origami. Moments after, Mikie charged at Mana, drawing her attention, if only for a while.

This was it, then. The moment of truth.

Slowly, Origami approached Efreet.

The sight was, to put it mildly, uncomfortable. Efreet's body was twisted and broken, yet all the same it seemed to force itself back into shape. The air smelt of sulphur and blood, and every breath Efreet took was heavy with pain.

Origami felt a myriad of conflicting emotions, looking at the Spirit like this. This was the Spirit she had sworn to kill all those years ago. The same one that Kotori, Efreet herself, had convinced her to try and save. The same being that Origami had actually come to forgive... and was now forced to put down.

Efreet raised its head, looking at Origami through eyes that were like white-hot sunspots. Its fanged maw parted as it breathed out in exhaustion. Origami couldn't get a good read on its emotions; there was no telling if it was blinded by fury, or if it recognised her in any way.

Origami raised the Contender, and looked it over once more, noticing the trembling in her hand. The gravity of the situation still preyed on her mind.

Then, Efreet reached a clawed hand up, grabbing Origami's hand... and moving it so that the barrel of the gun was directly on its forehead.

That only served to make the conflict in Origami's heart worse. Kotori was still in there, she was fighting back, and knowing she was losing, she was choosing her way out through Origami.

Origami struggled to breath. A choice had to be made, here and now.

The sound of Mikie screaming as she was knocked from the sky barely reached Origami's ears. Within the minute, Mana would be here, and the choice would be out of her hands.

So really, the choice was already made. She... would have to...

Why? Why was it too late?

Because she had gone Inverse, and there was no way to seal a Spirit in that state? Says who?

As things stood, there was still a non-zero chance she could pull off a miracle and save Kotori. Should she risk it?

Well, that was the thing about miracles: they were a chance.

“Die, Efreet!” shouted the voice of Mana, as she charged their way.

It was now or never. Use the bullet to kill Efreet and ensure she's no longer a danger, or don't, and risk many lives.

Taking a deep breath... Origami pivoted around, turning the Contender on Mana, and fired.

Pain surged through Mana's body, as a large chunk of her side was blown off by that gun, the bullet piercing through the hull of the White Licorice and lodging itself in the internals.

Had that... really just happened? Did Tobiichi Origami seriously stare a monster in the face, and choose to save it?

Anger quickly overwrote the pain, as the White Licorice's engines roared to life once more... before the main body began let off a series of random explosions. Mana attempted to cut the mana supply, only to find that the power that was already being stored within it was running rampant.

In a panic, Mana disconnected herself from the White Licorice, taking one of its blades in her right hand, and one of its cannons in the other, before the machine finally exploded.

Mana's Territory faltered, as she struggled to stay on her feet. Forcing herself, she aimed the cannon in the direction that Origami was running with Efreet, poured all her power into one last shot...

… Only for the cannon to fire out a stream of bubbles, before itself turning into water.

What the fuck was today?

From high up on one of the still intact buildings, a figure that could only really be described as a witch watched the confusion on Mana's face with complete amusement.

“I'll call that you owing me one, Origami-chan,” the witch commented. “But, I'll cash that in later. For now, I'll be getting back in position. Shouldn't make little Yoshino worry too much.”

With a wave of her staff, the witch turned herself into a familiar white sock-puppet, and poofed away.

Finally rounding one last corner, Origami came to a stop, panting for breath as she held Efreet tight to her chest. She found it remarkably curious, how the mere act of holding her wasn't resulting in setting herself on fire.

Efreet broke away from her grasp, falling to the ground. “--y?” she barely managed to groan out. “W-y?”

“Why?” Origami repeated, to which Efreet nodded. “Because I'm not giving up on you.”

“No---use,” Efreet barely managed, as the flame-like shroud cracked off little by little, revealing bits of Kotori's face. “Losing control... Only despair left.”

“No,” Origami said plainly. “You don't only have despair left. You have us.” Another crack formed on Efreet's visage. “I know I cannot truly replace Itsuka Shido in your heart. I know this, but he gave his all and more to save you, and I'm not going to let all he did be in vain.” Another crack. “I many not know him, but I know he loved you, and wants you to live. I want to see that wish come true, so tell me, Kotori; what do you want?”

“I...” she muttered, as one last crack formed, and the ember-coloured face of Efreet broke away, leaving only a tear-stained Kotori. “I want... I want to live!” she wailed.

Origami had no idea if this would work. She didn't know how infinitely close to zero the odds were. But, she had only one card left to play.

It was time to roll the dice, and do what she did best.

Kiss the girl. Save the world.

Mana staggered down the streets as she gave chase. Blood-loss was starting to catch up to her, and her consciousness as slowly fading away.

But, she could still track Efreet's signature. She could still catch up to that beast, and put it down. She could...

Then, the signal vanished. Efreet was Lost.

“No...” Mana muttered in disbelief. Was this really how it was going to end? All that work, just to get snubbed by that white haired bitch Origami? She checked the coordinates of the last signal.

There were two Wizard level readings. One of which was no doubt Origami, which made the other one...

But... it wasn't registering as Efreet. Impossible, inconceivable, how could that be?

Finally, Mana rounded the last corner, and saw Origami standing there, that same red haired girl in her arms and... naked, for some reason.

Mana didn't have the strength to raise her voice as high as she wanted, but she spoke anyway. “What the hell did you do?” she spat. “Why... is Efreet no longer responding?”

“Because she is no longer Efreet,” Origami replied, as she calmly put the girl down behind cover. “I did what I do best, and have sealed her power. She is no longer the target of your vengeance.”

“Bullshit!” Mana yelled lowly. “As long as she exists, Shido can't rest in peace!”

“Shido, Shido, Shido,” Origami repeated. “Who is Shido to you?”

“My brother!”

“Funny thing, that. You see, she had a brother named Shido, too, that died in the same fires five years ago.” The shock on Mana's face was almost palpable. “He had the same ability to seal Spirits that I do, and he gave his life to save her. I simply finished that job.”

Mana was beginning to lose steam. “But, the moment you die, she'll just go back to being a monster...”

“Tell you what, then,” Origami shrugged casually, seeming to lap up the atmosphere. “Just make sure I don't die.”

Mana stammered out a few illegible words, before she let out a cry of sheer desperation, and charged at Origami, swinging with all her might.

The slashes were slow and frenzied. Easy enough for even a child to dodge. Yet, there was this strange urge in the back of her mind, begging her to raise her left arm in defence.

Against logical judgement, she did that, and azure flames erupted in a pole-like shape in her hand, blocking the blade.

Well, that was new. With a simple swing, Mana was flung back.

The flaming pole-arm burst, and in its place was, beyond all expectations, a red halberd.

The first thought that popped into Origami's head was the name 'Asmodeus', as Kotori had called it days ago, but a nagging voice in the back of her mind corrected that.

“Camael,” she said quietly, feeling the weapon hummed in her hand. This was the true weapon of Efreet, wasn't it? Not that twisted scythe, but a mighty, almost gallant looking axe.

Origami gave it a few twirls in her hand. It felt remarkably light in her hand. Yet, that wasn't all; she could feel something from it. Something more. It was like Efreet was asking her to demonstrate its true power, to put that blue haired pain in the butt in her place.

And frankly? Right now she agreed with it.

Origami gave the halberd a dramatic flourish, before it flashed red, and of all the things it could have done, 'turning into a cannon' was not on Origami's list.

Mana looked dumbly at the display before her, falling to her knees. This was... well beyond what she had expected. Her scanner was picking up Efreet's signature again, but in a smaller, controlled version from Origami herself (as if she couldn't confirm that with her eyes).

The cannon was aimed at her. Burning crimson energy began to build at the end. This was it; this was how she'd die.

Then, half a second before it fired, Origami turned her aim skyward.

The shot was a massive, solid beam with white hot energy. The clouds parted in fear of it, and everyone who saw it half expected the blue sky to turn red.

Yet, once the firing stopped, all was normal. There was no doomsday raining down on anyone.

“Takamiya Mana,” Origami said as she stepped forward, cannon disappearing from her hands. “I do not know who Shido is to you, but I'm sure he would want you to live, just as he wanted Kotori to. I spare you out of the memory of what he would want, but know this.” She grabbed Mana by the collar of her Wiring Suit. “If you threaten Kotori's life, the lives of anyone I love, or take the lives of any Spirit you meet out there, know that I will not extend this mercy a second time.”

Origami released Mana, whom fell to the floor. As Origami made her way back to Kotori, blood-loss finally caught up to her, and Mana blacked out.

Aboard the Fraxinus, everybody was in silent awe at what happened.

“Where... do we even begin to dissect all that?” Ryouko asked. “Was Origami... always able to use the Spirits powers like that?”

“That's... the first I've seen it,” Kyouhei replied. “But regardless... she actually did it. She saved the commander.” A weak, nearly broken laugh escaped his lips, before it broke out into full on cheers from the entire crew.

Ryouko glanced over at Reine, whom merely stared at the screen in dumb silence. “The odds...” Reine muttered. “There should have been no way... Astronomically, infinitely close to zero... It should have been impossible to seal and Inversed, and yet...”

“You sound almost disappointed,” Ryouko commented, slapping Reine on the back. “Weren't you the one who said you'd be happy to be proven wrong on this occasion?”

“I did... I just...” Reine sniffled, removing her glasses. “I had given up... I had lost hope, and...” A sob broke through her lips, and Reine was unable to keep the floodgates closed.

Ryouko put a supportive arm around Reine's shoulders. “We've all had those moments,” she said. “Just let it all out. You'll thank yourself tomorrow.” She turned her attention to the rest of the crew, whom seemed to be eagerly awaiting orders. “All hands! Get our girls back here.”

“Yes ma'am!”

This was the crew of the Fraxinus, the pride of Ratatoskr. People that went above and beyond for complete strangers, and further still for their own.

Ryouko had to admit, she could respect it.

Origami found herself standing in a pure white world, and immediately assumed it was a dream. Either that, or she had been dumped in an endless field of snow.

“Hey,” a familiar voice greeted. “I see you made it.”

“Define 'it',” Origami replied. “Do you mean I made it 'here', or that I fulfilled your request? Or, does 'it' perhaps pertain to something tangible that I created?”

The voice hummed in thought for a moment. “Yes,” it replied. “You've made it to this place, you've saved Kotori, and you've formed an unbreakable bond. I'd say that matches all three definitions.”

“Smartass, aren't you?” Origami snarked. “So, why are I here this time?”

“Because this will be the last chance we have to talk,” it said. “And I wanted to thank you, for saving Kotori.”

Origami smiled slightly. “You know, I think I've figured out who you are,” she said. “Do you want me to say it?”

“You might as well,” the voice said. “I don't have long left, being a Chronophantasma and all.”

“Chronophantasma?”

“Sort of a time ghost. By abandoning my name, I was able to sort of... exist in a quiet fold of reality. At least, that's how Kurumi-san described it.”

“So you've been working with her, then?”

“For the most part, yeah. More as a little voice in the back of her head, though. For the nameless to be named is to attach them back to reality, and in my case, I'd go on to... whatever happens after death. But... I think I'm ready for it.” Origami thought she could hear a small smile from them. “I think I'm prepared to move on now, now that I know Kotori's safe.”

“Then, shall I?” Origami asked. “Shall I give you that release?” There was a moments hesitation, before the voice said yes. “Then, I grant you peace... Itsuka Shido.”

The world became overrun by a sky blue, and the figure of a young man materialised before her.

Origami wasn't sure what she expected him to look like. Kotori had described him as being only a few years older than herself, and if he were alive, then he'd be around Origami's age. This boy, however, was Origami's age, and even wore the Raizen High uniform.

More than that, however, was the fact that this boy, Itsuka Shido, was just so familiar.

Then, a memory flashed in her mind. Moments after her parents died, and she had sworn her vengeance, there had been a boy. A boy with blue hair, who tried to comfort her, and steer her off the path of vengeance. She could not be swayed then, and instead left her heart with him, the boy she'd never see again, and never knew she'd miss.

Everything... it all seemed to come back to him. The man who would have been saving Spirits in her place if he was still alive. The man who, five years after death, had finally completed his mission of saving Kotori and steering Origami down a better path.

Origami allowed herself a small smile. “It's you,” she said simply.

“Yeah,” he replied, smiling. “It's me. And it's still you, after all this.” With a small chuckle, Itsuka Shido began to fade away. “I'm sure I don't have to say it, but... I'm leaving Kotori in your care, Origami.”

“It really didn't need saying,” Origami replied. “I was going to look after her anyway. I may not be you, but I can at least be the next best thing.”

“Then that is all,” Shido said. “If you break her heart, I'm coming back to haunt you!”

“I'm sure some people would like that,” Origami snarked back, as the world faded to white once more.

Origami came to, finding herself asleep in her own bed. Her entire body hurt, but it was a nice kind of hurt.

It was the hurt of a job well done. Of a miracle happening. It was a hurt one could be proud of.

Origami thought of getting up, until she realised a strange sensation was occurring. Something or someone was jumping up and down on her. Each step was so light, Origami had first thought a cat must have snuck in somehow. That thought was quickly dashed, by the simple fact that she could tell those feet belonged to a human.

“Goooood...” a cheery voice said, as the feet momentarily disappeared from her quilt. “Mooooorning...” Strangely, Origami thought she recognised that voice. But, it couldn't be who she thought it was. Surely, after the chaos that was yesterday, she'd be resting today, right? “Onee-chan!” The question was answered by means of a dropkick to Origami's gut.

“Gouf!” she cried out, more in surprise than pain.

The person currently standing on her laughed. “Kya ha ha! Gouf! Onee-chan, that's a Gundam ground type!”

Origami looked up in surprise, at the girl on top of her. She was young, dressed in the uniform of the middle school attached to Raizen high, with flaming red hair tied up in twin-tails by two white ribbons. “...Kotori?” Origami asked, utterly bewildered.

“Hmm?” Kotori hummed, looking at Origami with bright, innocent eyes.

Thump-thump.

Oh, now that was a familiar feeling. She had that generally under control these days, so for it to rise up now just meant she was really off her game.

Regardless, Origami wasn't completely worried about it. While it did cause her to act against her better judgement at time, she still acted within a sort of logic.

So, she decided to roll with it. See what her heart feels.

Origami quickly sat upright, causing Kotori to lose balance momentarily. Taking this opportunity, Origami wrapped her arms around Kotori's petite frame, and dragged her into the bed. “You're being a naughty girl, Kotori,” Origami said. “You know what happens to naughty girls?”

Kotori looked remarkably skittish, like a deer caught in headlights. “Wh-what happens to them?”

To that, Origami smirked. “Naughty girls... get the tickle torture!” With that, Origami began her assault on Kotori's sides, causing her to laugh like mad.

“Haha, ah ha ha ha! St-stop, Onee-chan!” Kotori barely got out between laughs.

Origami relented, feeling the emotion that she could only describe as 'the love of siblings' subside. From there, she wrapped her arms around Kotori once more. “I'm glad,” she said. “I'm glad it worked out.”

“Hmm,” Kotori mumbled, burying her face in Origami's chest. “It's... a little sad, accepting that Onii-chan's... gone. But, I think I'll be fine now.” Kotori looked up at Origami, with a bright, beaming smile. “Because I have you, Onee-chan!”

Later that day, Origami would come to learn about the different aspects of Kotori's personality, particularly how it changes depending on the ribbons she wears. But, that was for later.

Now, though? Now was the time to enjoy the peace they earned.

When Takamiya Mana finally woke up, she was largely unsurprised to find herself handcuffed to a hospital bed.

That wasn't what worried her. After all, she did break into a military base, steal top of the line equipment, and attempted to murder people who were, from a legal standpoint, civilians.

No, what worried her now... was where she would go from here.

Tobiichi Origami... that girl had not only busted down her motivation for revenge, but had also taken the target of it away from her. Efreet, by all rights, no longer existed. Origami had sealed the Spirit away, so well in fact, that she had even tapped into its power.

There was just... a void in her heart now, where the fires of rage once burned.

What was she suppose to fill that with?

Chapter Text

Today was a remarkably normal day in Tengu City.

Well, okay, maybe not 'normal' normal. 'Normal' in this part of the world involved a whole lot of weird occurrences, at least one or two Spacequakes, and a girl having to date another girl to save the world, while under threat of at least one person trying to kill the latter girl in a misguided attempt to also save the world.

This wasn't a regular 'normal' kind of day, though. This was the kind of normal that one would most attribute to the word; where nothing of note was happening.

“Uuugh...” groaned out Tobiichi Origami, face firmly planted on her desk.

Well, okay, maybe something of note was happening. But nothing that could threaten any lives!

… Maybe.

Let's wind it back a bit.

(Two days ago)

The school day ended without event. Origami could honestly say she was rather relieved about that.

Well, maybe not completely without event. The first thing Origami had to note was that Tohka was looking rather... distracted, to say the least. This had been going on for the past two days, and every time Origami tried to approach the subject, Tohka found some way to avoid answering.

Tohka. Avoiding a question. It wasn't completely unheard of for Tohka to do that, but it was always cause for concern. Sometimes it was as innocent as her wanting to surprise Origami with a cooked meal, but Origami tended to err on the side of caution. The same could be said about Yoshino, too. Ever since that day at the water park, where Yoshinon had apparently disappeared and reappeared with seemingly little logic, she had been noticeably concerned about something, but much like Tohka, seemed to avoid telling Origami about it.

Then, there was 'the letter'.

When Origami arrived at school this morning, she had found a letter in her shoe locker. It was a plain white envelop, with only her name on it.

Origami had read those sorts of book, and seen those sorts of shows. She knew this was an absolutely classic case of 'love letter'. The letter asked her to meet them at the edge of the school once classes were done.

Considering Tohka was avoiding her lately (much as it broke Origami's heart), she decided it might be worth it to at least investigate the letter. At the very least, she should shoot down any annoying suitors.

At the edge of the school, there was a large tree. It was exactly as cliché as one might expect. The only thing really missing from it were the falling sakura petals.

And, standing under that tree, was...

“Okamine Mikie?” Origami questioned. Out of all the possible outcomes for this, Mikie had been... actually pretty high on the list. Not the complete top, no, but top three, easily.

Mikie turned around to face Origami, and Origami couldn't help but notice that there was something indescribably different about her. Mikie had always been a rather open book, but today, she seemed more... reserved. Hesitant. She looked like... No, it couldn't be. Could it?

“Sorry I called you out here like this,” Mikie said sheepishly. “And... I know you've got a lot on your plate right now, and I should add more to it, but...”

“Mikie, it is alright,” Origami said. “You are a trusted ally, and a friend. Were it not for you, I might not have had enough time to save Kotori. If anything, I can at least give you the time of day.”

Mikie looked remarkably relieved to hear that, as she took a deep breath. “Well, I know this will be asking a lot of you, but...” Mikie fidgeted again. “But I... I want to go on a date with you!”

Admittedly, it took Origami a lot of effort to keep herself from mentally blue-screening at that moment. That... well, realistically, that was something to expect from a letter in a shoe locker, but it still wasn't something she expected form Mikie. “Might I... ask what brought this about?” Origami asked.

“I... I don't know how to explain,” Mikie muttered. “I- I'm sorry, forget I said anything!”

Before she could run away, Origami grabbed her arm. “I didn't say I wouldn't!” she said hastily, unsure of where that urgency came from. “I was merely caught off guard.”

Mikie looked back at Origami, hope in her eyes. “Re-really?” she asked. When Origami nodded in response, she jumped for joy. “Alright!” And, just as quickly as that, Mikie dashed off again. “I'll see you at the fountain tomorrow, at 10!”

And so, Origami was just left standing there, alone underneath the tree. “What just happened?”

Later that afternoon, Origami and Tohka were walking home together. In the corner of Origami's eyes, she could see that Tohka was looking apprehensive about something, but for the life of her, she couldn't guess what.

Eventually, the two stepped through the threshold of Origami's home. “Alright,” Origami sighed in relief. “Tohka, what would you like for dinner tonight?”

Tohka didn't move from the door for a moment, and seconds later, Origami could have sworn she heard the click of the lock turning. At the time, she thought nothing of it, but that changed when Tohka just as quickly closed the curtains.

Origami turned to face Tohka, but before she could get a word out, Tohka untied the ribbon around her neck, and undid the first few buttons of her shirt.

Thump-thump.

Oh, not now! Now was not the time for getting aroused!

Tohka slowly walked over to Origami, producing a pair of tickets from her skirt pocket, and placing them in her cleavage.

Thump-thump.

Oh, this was getting hard for Origami. But, she had a few months to get use to this, so thankfully, Origami wasn't at risk of losing control.

“Origami,” Tohka said quietly. “Would you... go on a date with me?”

Was... that it? Origami certainly didn't expect it to go that way. “Sure?” she responded hesitantly, taking the tickets from where Tohka had stored them.

“Alright!” Tohka exclaimed happily. “I knew getting advice from the girls would pay off!”

Ah, so she took pointers from the Ai-Mai-Mii trio. That made a whole lot of sense. Still, it seemed bit... extreme.

Before Origami could get another word in, Tohka ran out the door, saying she'd see Origami at eleven tomorrow.

… Wait a minute.

Origami was quick to get in contact with Kotori about this. In response, Kotori couldn't help but laugh.

[Man, leave it to you to accidentally get booked for multiple dates!]

“This is hardly a laughing matter, Kotori,” Origami responded. “I can't exactly cancel on either of them.”

[Well, you picked a bad time to call,] Kotori replied. [Because like it or not, you're officially triple booked.]

“... What.”

[Yeah, I told Yoshino that you'd go on a date with her tomorrow. 10:30 at the park. Guess you're gonna be working hard tomorrow.]

Origami was stunned silent from this. “Okay, why?”

[Tohka and Yoshino have been feeling... neglected, let's say,] Kotori answered. [Not any fault of your own, I assure you. Whole lot's been happening lately, after all. But, since it's been a while, both Tohka and Yoshino's graphs have been dropping a bit, so I figured I'd step in and help set Yoshino up. Guess I botched the timing on that.]

“That means three dates I can't afford to cancel,” Origami muttered. “Seems I'm gonna need backup for this one.”

[And you'll get it,] Kotori replied. [Though, I am curious about why you decided to go on a date with Mikie.]

“We owe her a lot,” Origami answered. “It's as simple as that. We would not have gotten as far as we have without her on our side.”

[Fair enough,] Kotori said. [Now, let's work out the plan for tomorrow.]

The tricky part of the day was definitely going to be the start.

10 o'clock at the fountain, 10:30 at the park, and 11 at the aquarium. If it wasn't for the fact that the Fraxinus had actual teleportation technology, Origami would have said it was impossible to pull off.

Then, there was everything in the itinerary. With Mikie, Origami honestly didn't know what the plan was. With Yoshino, it was probably going to be a lot of simple fun and games. With Tohka... well, they were going to an aquarium; it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how that would go.

This was going to be a challenge, but Origami had faced life and death barely a week ago. Surely she could handle three dates at once.

[Two minutes until the start,] Ryouko said over the comms. [Hope you know what you're doing, Origami.]

“So do I, captain,” Origami replied. “So do I.”

[It's game time,] Kotori said. [Let's get these dates started.]

The clocked chimed 10, and Origami arrived at the fountain. Mikie was already waiting there, looking rather nervous. Her attire was remarkably simple, consisting of a blue top over denim shorts. A remarkably cute kit overall.

Also, interestingly enough, Mikie hadn't noticed Origami yet. This could make for some fun.

Origami snuck up behind Mikie, and tapped her on the shoulder. When Mikie turned around, Origami made sure she was as physically close as she could be without making actual contact. “Good morning,” Origami greeted calmly.

“Gyah!!” Mikie shouted in surprise. For some reason, Kotori commented that that sound was one letter off of being a melee-focused Gundam. Origami was starting to wonder about her focus on Gundams. “O-O-Origami-senpai! When did you get here?!”

“Just now,” Origami replied. “Were you waiting long?”

“Oh! No, not at all!” Mikie waved off. “I only just got here myself.”

That was a bald-faced lie and Origami knew it. After all, she had used that line before, too. “Fair enough,” she said. “So, shall we?”

“O-of course!” Mikie said. “Now, first off was... ooh, what was it again?”

Mikie began to panic, seeming to forget her own plans. Origami gave a small, amused sigh. This girl was earnest to a fault.

“Perhaps we should start with some simple walking around,” Origami offered, much to Mikie's relief.

The two of them walked around the general area, making small talk all the while. However, there was a looming dread hanging over Origami's head.

10:30 was approaching fast. It was currently 10:25. She needed a way to justifiably bail. Well, when in doubt; fake stomach problems.

A rounded corner, and two quick teleports later, and Origami had arrived at the park where Yoshino was waiting.

Yoshino was dressed in a simple white sundress with a matching hat, and Origami honestly felt her heart skip a beat or three.

“Yo!” Yoshinon greeted first. “You took your time, eh?”

“G-good morning, Origami-san,” Yoshino said nervously. “How... how are you?”

Origami smiled slightly. Yoshino was such a gentle soul. “I am doing fine today,” Origami replied. “And how are you?”

“Oh, you know us!” Yoshinon replied. “Still doing all hunky-dory!”

“I see. I'm glad to hear that,” Origami said. “What would you like to do today?”

“Well... um,” Yoshino hesitated slightly. “I was... hoping we could just talk. Is... that okay?”

[That's... that's it?] Kotori asked, bewildered. [I thought it was going to be something bigger, but this...]

Origami had little to complain about. Something small like this would be a nice change of pace.

However, the fact remained that Origami was on the clock, and when 11 o'clock loomed close, and Origami had to excuse herself from the conversation, once again with the excuse of stomach pains.

It was honestly amazing how much one could get away with, using that excuse.

Origami arrived at the aquarium at just on 11, already feeling the exhaustion of having to switch gears so quickly. She had fought in intense combat before, and yet somehow, triple dating was more taxing on her.

At the entrance of the aquarium, she saw Tohka waiting for her, dressed in a somewhat frilly top and purple skirt. It was a remarkably mature look on her, and Origami couldn't help but feel her heart flutter slightly.

Tohka saw Origami, and a bright smile broke out on her face. “Origami!” she called out, waving eagerly.

… No, Origami did not have a bias. Why do you ask?

“Good morning, Tohka,” Origami greeted, maintaining her composure. “Have you been waiting long?”

“Not at all,” Tohka replied. “Maybe about ten minutes, but nothing major!”

[That's a lie,] Ryouko voiced. [She's been waiting there for twenty minutes.]

Kind of unsurprising, really. “So, what's the plan?” Origami asked. “I wasn't aware that you had an interest in aquariums.”

“It's not that I have an interest in them,” Tohka said. “I just wanted an excuse to spend time with you.”

Thump-thump.

Gods, Origami was simple at time.

The time they spent in the aquarium, while short, was certainly entertaining. Mostly, that was because every time Tohka looked at the fish, she wondered what they tasted like.

One of these days, Origami would have to treat her to proper sushi. Although, she was fairly certain that there wasn't a restaurant out there that served sting ray. At least, none that she knew of.

But, like twice before, Origami had to bail herself out, and switch gears to another date. From this point forward, each shift took less and less time, so as to not leave the others waiting long.

Walking around with Mikie, chatting with Yoshino, and more walking with Tohka. Every so often, one of the three would stop for food.

Yet, something still nagged at the back of Origami's mind about Mikie. Sure, Tohka and Yoshino's moods were improving, even if they looked a bit sceptical about it all, but Mikie still looked rather nervous about something.

At the start of the fifth rotation, where Origami was really starting to feel the drain of all this, it all finally came to a head.

She saw Mikie standing before a tall, imposing man, whom had a very cold stare. Origami recognised this man as Okamine Kotaro, an entrepreneur who backed the AST, and also held stocks in the Realizer manufacturer Balam. She had met him once, months before her... turn, let's call it. So, it was natural that it only now dawned on her that Mikie was related to this man in some way.

Mikie noticed Origami's return, and ran over to her, hiding from Okamine Kotaro by getting Origami between them. No words were spoken, but at the moment, none needed to be.

“Is there a problem?” Origami asked the man. Kotaro had the kind of stare that could turn ice into fire. Unfortunately for him, Origami's mind (on most days that don't involve a Spirit) was like steel. “You are causing my friend undue distress.”

Kotaro looked Origami up and down. “You are Tobiichi Origami, correct?” he asked, to which she nodded. “Former AST member? The one who changed the entire prerogative of the organisation?”

“Is that what they say about me?” Origami asked. She had never really thought about what the AST's backers actually thought about the whole paradigm shift that occurred a few months ago because of her actions. Then again, it kind of didn't matter.

“Alongside a vast collection of other things,” Kotaro said. “But for now, if you are one of her friends, perhaps you can talk some sense into my foolish daughter, who insists on remaining in the AST.”

Oh, he was her father. That explained... actually a bit more than Origami expected. “What sense is there to talk?” Origami asked. “Okamine Mikie has been nothing short of a valuable asset to the team. Dare I say, we wouldn't be having this conversation if it wasn't for the work she has put in until now.”

Origami could feel intense stares coming from both Okamine's. Cold indignation from the father, and pure awe from the daughter.

“What sort of idiocy is this?” Kotaro asked. “I was under the impression that you were someone with their head screwed on straight. How could you consider a clumsy girl like this reliable?”

The last time Origami felt as intense a desire to punch someone in the face like this, she was still trying to kill Spirits. What sort of hole did this jackass live in?

“Don't say means things about Mikie!” a familiar voice shouted. The three turned to the left (Origami and Mikie's left, that is), to see...

“Tohka?” Origami asked, surprised. “Yoshino?”

“Yoshino's right!” Tohka continued. “Mikie's one of the best friends we have! You don't have the right to call her stupid!”

As subtly as she could, Origami put a finger on her earpiece. [Yeah, things were looking rather bad,] Kotori answered the unsaid question, [so I informed Tohka and Yoshino about everything. And before you ask, that includes the triple date thing.]

Welp, the lid was blown off now. “Who are you two?” Kotaro asked. “What business to you have in this conversation?”

“We're the girlfriends!” Yoshinon stated bluntly. “What's it to ya?!”

If there was any statement Origami had heard in her whole live that could constitute being called a 'verbal flashbang' that one was a strong contender. And from Yoshino, of all people? Although, Origami couldn't help but note that Yoshino herself looked rather surprised at what Yoshinon said. Curious.

“What...” Kotaro muttered. Before he could say another word, however, a hand grabbed him by the shoulder.

“I was wondering why I could hear familiar voices,” spoke a usually kind, docile voice. “Good day to you, Uncle Kotaro.”

All eyes turned to the person standing behind Kotaro, who was immediately identified by her short stature and brown hair.

“Tama-nee-chan?” Mikie questioned.

Okamine Tamae looked at her students with a kind smile. “Good afternoon, children,” she said in a way that, on the surface, seemed friendly, but to anyone who really knew her, was laced with a sort of threatening venom not often attributed to her. “Uncle, would you mind if I borrowed you for a minute or five?”

For a brief moment, Origami had wondered what it would take to crack Kotaro's stone-cold visage. Turns out, all it took was a rather irate Tamae.

Not even a minute later, and it had all passed, leaving the four alone.

“Wow. Tama-chan-sensei's scary when she wants to be,” Tohka said, before turning to Mikie. “Mikie, are you alright?”

“I... I'm alright,” Mikie stammered out. “But, Tohka-senpai, Yoshino-chan... Why are you both here?”

Tohka and Yoshino shared a look between each other, then decided to tell Mikie everything.

By the time they were done, the trio were having to do all they could to convince Mikie that she wasn't getting in the way of anything.

“It's fine, Mikie, really!” Tohka said. “I mean, you asked Origami out first! We're the ones stepping on your toes!”

“T-Tohka-san's right!” Yoshino agreed.

Mikie, however, still looked rather put off by this. “But, like Father said, I'm...”

Origami placed a hand on Mikie's shoulder. “Mikie,” she said. “I meant every word I told him. If it wasn't for the work you put in, some, if not all of us, might not be standing her right now. Kotori might not be alive if you hadn't gone toe to toe with Takamiya Mana. You are an indispensable member of this team, and an irreplaceable friend.”

Mikie's eyes became somewhat misty. “Do you... really mean that?” In response, the trio nodded. This resulted in Mikie crying tears of joy, followed by the four going on one large, group date for the rest of the day.

“Honestly, Uncle,” Tamae reprimanded. “Why is it that you keep treating Mike-chan like that? She's one of the hardest workers out there!”

“This has nothing to do with you, Tamae,” Kotaro responded, as the two finally came to a halt. “This is...”

“Don't you dare say it's 'a family matter',” Tamae interrupted. “Because in case you've forgotten, my mother's your older sister. Is that what you want? For me to inform my mother that you're being a butt again?”

Kotaro grimaced slightly. “Please don't,” he said weakly. “I got enough of that from when we were kids.”

Tamae let out a sigh. “So? Care to explain why you always give Mike-chan such a hard time?”

Not many could handle Okamine Tamae when she was in full-on teacher mode, and Kotaro was no exception. “Hah... The truth is, Tamae; I'm worried that someone might take advantage of her in the GSDF.”

“What do you mean?” Tamae asked. “I know that Mike-chan volunteers for the GSDF, and that they're the reason the city is able to get back on its feet so quickly after a Spacequake, but why do you think they'd take advantage of her?”

Kotaro had to quietly remind himself that Tamae was one of those people who didn't know the truth about the Self-Defence Force being a front for the AST, yet alone the whole Spirits thing. “Tell me, Tamae. How often do you see Mikie's academic scores?”

“Often enough, I suppose,” Tamae said. “I'm not in charge of her class, but I've snuck a glace every now and then to see how she's doing. She actually scores quite high in her grades.”

“And that's part of what worries me,” Kotaro said. “Almost a year ago, she was barely below average, and the week after I reprimanded her about it... Suddenly she was at the top of her class.”

Tamae looked, understandably, confused. “I... don't see what the problem is.”

“The problem is that it happened basically overnight,” Kotaro explained. “Mikie's a talented girl. When she commits herself, she's capable of amazing things, and the thought... the thought that there might be someone out there who could guide her down the wrong path scares me to no end.”

That, at least, Tamae could understand. “Then, why not tell her as much?” she asked. “Isn't it doing more harm, being so cold to her about it?”

At that, Kotaro could only look mildly ashamed.

The sun was beginning to set, as the four found themselves sitting on a park bench that overlooked the whole of Tengu City. Overall, the mood they had was a vast improvement from earlier.

Mikie let out a rather content sigh. “You know, it might not have been to plan, but this was really fun.”

“I'm glad you think so,” Origami said. “I was kind of worried how things would go if the secret got out, but I'm relieved it worked out so well.”

“I know,” Tohka agreed. “Although, perhaps next time, we should check with each other first. Shouldn't run Origami ragged, you know?”

“I... agree with Tohka-san,” Yoshino said.

“So,” Origami said. “Was the main thing that's been troubling you lately your father?”

Mikie flinched slightly at the proverbial band-aid rip. “... Yeah,” she admitted. “It's... always been like this, though. Ever since his business managed to fully take off, I've... just been a burden to him.”

There was a brief moment of silence, before Origami responded. “If anything, he's more of a burden to you,” she said bluntly. “You've done more for us, this city, and the world at large, than he has. As I said before, you are a valuable, irreplaceable member of our team, and a good friend.”

“That's right!” Tohka agreed. “I mean, sure, our first meeting wasn't exactly the best, but it was thanks to you that we were able to help Yoshino, and get the AST fully on our side!”

Yoshino nodded in agreement. “Mikie-san, you kept Yoshinon safe. You're... a very good person.”

“And if anyone were to tell you otherwise,” Origami continued, “or that you're 'only in the way', then I'll tell them they're wrong every time.” There was a brief pause. “Assuming I don't just outright kill them in a fit of rage.”

[Here here, sis,] Kotori added from the Fraxinus.

Mikie's expression had gone from dejected to flustered embarrassment. So flustered, in fact, that she could barely get any words out.

Over the comm-link, Origami could hear Kotori smirk. [Hey, Origami,] she said. [I've just had an idea. Listen...]

Origami listened to Kotori's idea, and by the end of it, Origami had a slight smirk on her own face. Gently, Origami placed a hand on Mikie's shoulder. When Mikie looked over at Origami, about to ask what she was doing, before Origami kissed her.

It was a simple, short kiss, yet it was more than enough for Mikie to freeze like a blue-screening computer.

“Hey!” Tohka shouted. “No fair!”

Mikie briefly snapped back to reality when she felt her face being turned towards Tohka, before her mind once again went completely blank from Tohka kissing her.

[Whoa ho! Did not see that coming!] Kotori laughed.

Seemingly not wanting to be left out, Yoshino crawled across Origami's lap, and, after using Yoshinon to Mikie's face (whom, at this point, hadn't recoverd from Tohka's kiss), and gave a kiss of her own.

[Now that was bold!] Kotori commented. [Kinda wishing I was there to join in on the fun now.]

[Commander, please,] Ryouko said in the background. [I think Mikie's brain has been fried enough for one day.]

Mikie wobbled in her seat, before slumping her head on Origami's shoulder, thoroughly unconscious. The trio shared a look between each other, and couldn't help but laugh.

The day finally began to wind to a close. While Tohka and Yoshino went home on their own (with Origami kissing Yoshino lightly on the forehead as a parting gift), Origami made sure to carry Mikie back to her apartment, before walking back home alone.

Today had certainly been eventful, to say the least. Origami was just glad it was an normal kind of eventful, rather than actual life-threatening. God knows that the dangerous stuff would probably start up again next month, so a relatively normal day like today was a nice change of pace.

When she finally returned home, Origami noticed that her door was slightly ajar. One part of her mind said it was a break in, but instincts told her that it probably wasn't.

Cautiously, Origami opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind her.

The moment the door clicked shut, a pair of hands grabbed Origami's shoulders. For the briefest moment, her fight-or-flight responses kicked in, but died down when she recognised it was just Tohka. Before she could ask what was going on, however, Tohka had locked her lips on Origami's in a deep, passionate kiss.

Surprise, however, quickly gave way to Origami's arms wrapping around Tohka. After what felt like minutes, their lips parted.

“Were you... feeling left out?” Origami asked.

Tohka hummed in affirmation. “Yoshino and Mikie... I like them, but... Why did they get a kiss and not me?”

Origami smiled softly. “Because if I gave you yours then,” she said, “I don't think I'd be able to stop until morning.”

And not stop until morning they did.

(Present)

Ai, Mai, and Mii all entered the classroom, thoroughly confused. They had passed their teacher, Tamae, as well as Mikie, and both of them looked... off, to put it bluntly.

Tamae looked a mix of worried and annoyed with something, while Mikie looked completely spaced out, like her mind wasn't in this realm of existence at the moment. It was easy enough to assumed that Tamae's worry was about Mikie, but for something to annoy her so much you could see it left the trio curious.

When they stepped into the classroom, they saw both Origami and Tohka with their heads firmly planted on their desks, hair very dishevelled, and numerous hickeys on every square inch of skin that was visible.

“Whoa,” Ai said plainly. “Talk about intense.”

“I'm putting money on Origami-san kissing Mikie, and that's why she's a space cadet today,” Mai said. “Any takers?”

Mii kept silent for a second longer than usual. Some wondered if she was thinking about what to say without giving the impression of disgust, when in actuality, her mind was wondering about the circumstances that could have involved Origami kissing Mikie into a stupor, then absolutely going to town on Tohka.

Eventually, it devolved into the mental image of a threesome.

“That's so hot.”

Chapter Text

July. The middle of summer. The season of heat. The season of beach parties and tan lines. Of romance by the shore.

This... was not one of those summers.

“This just in,” the TV reported had said earlier this morning. “The twin typhoons previously reported off the coast of Japan have since intensified. Due to powerful winds and rain, all flights in and out of Tengu City have had to be cancelled.”

This was a summer of lashing winds and flooding rains. A summer of delayed opportunities.

This... was a summer Tobiichi Origami and Yatogami Tohka were both very displeased with.

Thunder and lightning rolled overhead. The wind caused the classroom windows to rattle and shack fiercely. The weather, frankly speaking, was just depressing.

But, the only thing that was more intense than the storm outside, was the one brewing within these very walls.

Everybody at Raizen High knew there was some kind of relationship between Origami and Tohka. Many people suspected that Okamine Mikie was also a part of that relationship. Few people knew that the second point was true.

Everybody knew that Origami and Tohka were basically joined at the hip, and in some cases, the lips. Yet, for some reason that nobody could fathom, there was a tension that could turn even a dragon away in fear.

Something had happened between the two. Nobody was sure what it was, but they hadn't said a word to each other all day. Nobody dared to approach either of them and ask what was wrong, in fear of losing their lives. People's imaginations were enough to imagine what Origami, a usually cool-headed individual, could do when angry; nobody could imagine what an angry Tohka was capable of.

On the other side of the room, Ai, Mai, and Mii all watched the duo in cautious curiosity.

“How the heck did this happen?” Ai asked. “I've never seen those two at odds like this.”

“This is just so out of left field,” Mai said. “The closest we've had to this sort of thing was the day after their first you-know-what.”

“It's so lame,” Mii muttered. “They've never fought like this before.” Oh, if only you knew.

The door at the other end of the classroom slid open, and a dejected Tamae stepped in, followed by Reine. “Okay, children. Gather around please,” Tamae said sadly. “As I'm sure you all heard on the news, all plane flights have been cancelled. That means, sadly, that the school trip to Arubi Island has been postponed.” A chorus of understanding yet disappointed moans echoed through the classroom.

“Calm down, kids,” Reine said in a tired voice. “The trip itself hasn't been cancelled entirely. Merely put off. For now, though, we'll be focusing on what we had planned for after the trip.”

One student raised their hand, and asked the obvious question. “What would that be, sensei?”

Tamae brightened up a bit at the question. “I'm glad you asked! Until further notice, we shall be planning and preparing what we'll be doing for the Tenou Festival in September!”

There was mixed reactions from everyone, particularly from those wondering just how long they expect this storm to last.

Origami and Tohka... showed no signs of caring about it. This did not go unnoticed by Tamae or Reine.

Before anyone could start pitching suggestions, however, the Spacequake alarm began to blare once more.

Origami and Tohka stood up and left the room basically the exact second the alarm sounded. Only some people noticed them during the panic.

Surprisingly, the Spacequake that went off was quite the small one, gouging out not even half the width of the average road in Tengu City. The location that Origami was transported to, however, wasn't the site of the quake, but rather, a small performance venue a few blocks down.

“This is where the Spirit has relocated to?” Origami asked.

[According to our readings, at least,] Kotori responded. [Well, we are dealing with Diva today, so frankly it's no surprise that we'd end up here.]

Diva. Out of all the Spirits Ratatoskr and the AST had on record, Diva was one of the ones they had the least on. In fact, the most anyone knew was that they used sound to attack, and had a white colour scheme.

[Before we go in,] Kotori said, [I've been meaning to ask about what's going on between you and Tohka. Your graphs are...]

“Let's put a pin on it for now,” Origami cut off. “I'm going in.”

Kotori was understandably concerned at how the question was dodged. But, for now, she supposed that there were more pressing things to worry about.

The main stage was remarkably plain, but then again, Origami didn't have much experience with that sort of thing.

Standing on centre stage was a girl around Origami's age with light indigo hair, and dressed in a white and yellow dress that wouldn't be unfitting on an idol. Origami supposed it was fitting of a Spirit called Diva.

The spotlight shone down upon Diva, creating the image that she was the only girl in the world. Her hand rested softly on her remarkably ample bosom, as she took several deep breaths, seemingly to calm herself.

Then, Diva opened her silver eyes that seemed to glisten in the limelight, and she sang.

As Origami slowly and quietly made her way towards the stage from the right, she took the time to really listen to the song. The way Diva's voice carried was strained, like the vocal cords had been unused for a long time due to injury. The tempo of the lyrics seemed fitting for a pop song, yet the lyrics themselves felt like they belonged to a dirge. It was a sad song, to say the lest.

The song broke, however, when Diva began to cough. It was rough, and scratchy, and full of pain.

Origami couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Carefully, she stepped up on stage, the echoing of her footsteps causing Diva to flinch.

[Alright, game time,] Kotori spoke up. [Displaying options!] The options came up as: A) Approach slowly with hands raised, and say 'I mean you no harm'. B) Approach at a normal speed and compliment her singing. C) Spring up to her and hug her, saying you're her biggest fan.

[You know, sometimes I wonder who writes this shit,] Kotori muttered. [Then I remember that technically, we do. Votes are tied between A and B, Origami.]

Then, she decided, she'd go for a mix of the two. Slowly, Origami stepped into the light. “I'm sorry for startling you,” she said. “I heard your singing from outside. You have a lovely voice.”

The silence that followed was very uncomfortable. The light was just bright enough, and Diva just far enough away, that Origami couldn't get a good read on her expressions. Just then, however, alarms began to blare through her earpiece.

[Negative emotional spike detected!] someone shouted.

The air began to tremble. Origami felt a pang of fear take her mind. This didn't feel like another Spacequake, but it was certainly close.

[Origami, get out of there!] Kotori commanded. [We need to regroup and restra-]

Kotori was cut off when Diva let out a powerful shockwave in the form of a high pitched, terrified scream. Origami, hit with the full brunt of the wave, was flung back several feet, and sent crashing through multiple chairs in the audience. It hurt, sure, but to be fair, Origami had suffered worse in the past. When Origami got back to her feet, Diva had vanished entirely.

[Spirit has been Lost,] Kotori said. [That certainly went south fast, didn't it?]

“My apologies,” Origami said. “I must have messed something up on my approach.”

[No, you handled your part pretty flawlessly,] Kotori responded. [Must have been something on Diva's end. Problems interacting with people, I guess. We're transporting you back, Origami.]

Origami nodded as the lights of the transport Realizers engulfed her. This would have to have been a new record for 'quickest first interaction' for her.

Onboard the Fraxinus an hour later, Mikie and Minowa Kozue were going over what little data they had gathered from this one encounter with Diva.

Mikie let out a small hum. There was something unusually familiar about Diva, but she couldn't quite put a pin on why. Something in the voice, she believed, but again, she couldn't quite be sure.

“Are you having better luck than me, Kozue-san?” Mikie asked. Minowa Kozue, title 'Deep Love', was the crew's master of information gathering. Mikie knew this to be because Kozue was a stalker for those she fell for (she had checked to see how many restraining orders had been placed on her, and was shocked to see them reach the double digits).

“Not much, no,” Kozue admitted. “Then again, maybe we're banking too much on Diva-chan being like the Commander.” 'Like the Commander', of course, meaning that she was a human turned into a Spirit. Right now, all identified Spirits save for Kotori were in a sort of 'Spirit first, human second' sort of state. Tohka, Yoshino, and Tokisaki Kurumi, all only really had their Spirit identities to them, rather than any human one that came before the former. “Maybe we should take a music break. Come back in ten minutes with fresh eyes and ears.”

Music. Something about that tickled at that part of Mikie's mind that thought Diva was familiar. Mikie focused hard on that one idea, until finally... “I got it!” Mikie shouted. “Kozue-san! Can you do a face comparison between Diva and former idol Yoimachi Tsukino?”

Curious, Kozue ran the check. [Match found,] the computer responded. “Whoa! Good call,” Kozue said. “How'd you make that connection?”

“Diva-san's voice just sounded familiar, that's all,” Mikie replied. “And that song she's singing was one of Tsukino-san's, although it's a bit strained in this case.”

“Still, it's a good find,” Kozue said, as she began typing away at the computer. “With this, we've not got a foot in the door in finding her.”

“So, this makes us two for five in Spirits being humans in the past, right?” Mikie asked.

“Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence,” Kozue said. “Once we figure out a third, we'll have found a pattern.” One final key press, and Kozue leaned back in her chair. “Alright! We've got her real identity!”

“You figured that out?!” Mikie asked. “How?”

Kozue wagged a finger at Mikie. “Now now. If I told you... you'd have to go to the police, because let's be real, what I did was very illegal. Like, this is the sort of shit that people who doxx others online do, but better.”

“So... no telling the top brass?”

“Why do you think they hired me?”

That... was a fair point, actually. Ratatoskr and the AST both dealt with things that were, by rights, above the law.

Deciding there was nothing more to think about in that regard, Mikie took a look at the data Kozue had pulled up.

… Well. That was certainly interesting.

The following day at school, it was announced what Raizen High was going to be doing for the Tenou Festival. The decision came after the class had been brainstorming in the Spacequake shelter, after all, so really, the only ones who had no idea what was going to happen was Origami, Tohka, and Mikie.

The task was; a movie.

Origami blinked in bewilderment, as she looked over the script that had been provided. How on Earth did they manage to prepare this much in one day?

Worse still, was who they had allocated the roles to.

The female lead was being played by a second year student Origami didn't know, but the three males leads (because whoever wrote this script was clearing aiming for the otome demographic) were being played by... Origami, Tohka, and Mikie.

“What,” Origami said plainly. “Reine, would you care to explain this?”

“The plot of the movie is a romantic drama,” Reine answered. “It is focused around a young girl with severe social anxiety being caught in a love square between three fellow students; the cool-headed lead played by you, the energetic first year played by Mikie-san, and the hot-headed rival played by Tohka. Both you and Tohka will be actively vying for the lead's affection, while Mikie-san's role will be as the naïve, unwitting affection magnet.”

“Sounds like a fitting role, I guess,” Origami said. “But that's not the answer I was asking for.”

“It's actually mostly Mikie-san's idea,” Reine continued, passing a dossier to Origami. “She and Kozue-san have managed to find out Diva's human identity.”

Okay, now it was making sense. Origami opened the dossier, and looked over the information presented.

The name was the same as the one playing the female lead to this movie; Izayoi Miku. Formerly a student at Rindouji All-Girls Private, she transferred to Raizen nearly half a year ago after an undisclosed incident. At age 15, she was working as an idol under the name Yoimachi Tsukino (a name Origami remembered from a conversation she had with Mikie a few months ago), until, at age 16, she was forced to retire after losing her voice. Not long after, Diva was first sighted by the AST, she enrolled in Rindouji, and half a year later, moved to Raizen.

The photos that were provided from both her time at Rindouji and at Raizen were strikingly different. At Rindouji, she was a marvellously beautiful young woman, with straight, light indigo hair, that was perfectly maintained, with a small flower clip as an accessory, and silver eyes that shone with confidence. The Raizen picture, however, was like comparing night and day. In it, Izayoi Miku's hair was messy and unkempt, her expression was marred by sorrow, a pair of thick glasses covered her eyes, and Origami was fairly certain she could see scarring poking out from the edges of her uniform; possibly something to do with the change.

“Okay, now I understand the plan,” Origami said. “But, do you not believe she will recognise me from the other day?”

“A moot point, Rei,” Reine answered. “Even if she does, you can easily play it off by not recognising her as Diva. Plus, this isn't a scenario she can get out of.”

“What blackmail are you using?”

“Izayoi-san only attends the bare minimum of classes,” Reine answered, “and this project is extra credit.”

“Fair enough.”

At the very least, that made things make sense for Origami. It was going to be a long game plan, but she could work with it.

“Now then,” Reine said, pulling out a tape measure. “Let's get your outfit fitted.”

Tamae and Mii sat and waited. They, alongside Ai, Mai, Reine, and one Tonomachi Hiroto, were the behind-the-scenes part of this production, and right now, the former three were helping their 'male leads' get into costume. Right now, Tonomachi was tied in a corner in order to keep him from doing anything he might regret.

“Sensei,” Mii said. “Are we sure about this? I mean, not to throw shade on Origami and the girls, but we don't know much about this Izayoi girl, do we?”

“I'll admit, I'm a bit perplexed about this as well, Fujibakama-san,” Tamae replied. “But, Murasame-san swore by her, and she hasn't let us down yet.”

There was a small knock at the door. “E... excuse me,” a quiet voice said. “It... it's Izayoi.”

“Oh! Please, come in!” Tamae said eagerly. The door opened just as Mii turned around to see just who Izayoi Miku was.

She was by no means a short girl; in fact, Mii was a good 10cm shorter than her, yet somehow, this Miku girl had a way of making herself seem really small. She wore her uniform a size larger than one might think she needed, and her long, messy hair masked her eyes, even though those thick glasses did the job well enough on their own.

Mii could tell that this was a girl that was afraid of people, and would really rather not be here right now.

“Ohh!” Tonomachi said from his corner. “So this is Miku-tan, then? I must say, she's...” He was cut off by a swift and sharp roundhouse kick to the face, courtesy of Mii.

“If you know what's good for you, keep that mouth shut.”

Tamae let out a small sigh. Kids will be kids, after all. “Izayoi Miku-san, yes?” she asked. “It's lovely to meet you. I'm Okamine Tamae, the teacher in charge of this project. Thank you for agreeing to work with us on this.”

Izayoi stuttered her words a bit. “I-it's nothing, really... I...”

Tamae smiled warmly. “I know,” she said. “School life can be hard for some people, and not everybody is able to understand how someone's struggling. Even if I can't understand your struggle, I just hope that, should you need it, you'll come to any of us for help.”

There was a small, noticeable shift in Izayoi's body language, which Mii picked up on. After all, nobody survives Tama-chan's 'I'm there for you' speech.

“Okay, everyone!” Ai's voice called out from behind the dressing curtains that had been set up. “Mikie-chan's all ready to go!”

“Same with Tohka-san!” Mai added soon after.

“Rei is now prepared,” Reine said alongside them.

“Alright! Let's see what they've managed,” Tamae said. “Izayoi-chan, I'd like you to meet your co-stars for this production. I promise you, they're all good girls.”

Mii had to admit, she was curious to see what the girls were going to look like, dressed up as pretty boys.

First, the curtain that covered Ai and Mikie opened. Mikie's only real change, aside from wearing the male uniform of their school, was the fact that her pigtails had been undone, and her hair was roughed up a little more than usual, giving the appearance of the sort of young boy one might compare to an eager puppy.

Minimal as it was, it caused Tamae to squee happily. Izayoi was slightly confused, though that was overshadowed by the sudden appearance of more people.

Next, came Tohka and Mai's turn, and... Whoa. Mii had to admit, what Mai had done with Tohka was a work of art. Some very good binding of the chest that didn't seem uncomfortable for her, her usual ponytail was now tied lower on her head, and the slightest application of makeup created the image of a true samurai warrior.

“Jesus,” Tonomachi muttered. “She's become manlier than most of the guys I know combined.” Mii would give him that one, but it wasn't a high bar.

Finally, though, came Origami's turn. Mii honestly wasn't sure what to expect, but she felt that Reine-sensei had something up her sleeves. The curtains opened, and...

Huh. Did it just become a few degrees hotter in here?

Good chest binding, like with Tohka, but aside from that and the pants, Mii really couldn't see any other change. No additional makeup, no hairstyle change, nothing. Yet, there was something in the eyes... Something sharper than the usual cool expression she wore. Origami's entire aura had changed completely, and as if she wasn't already, she was now undeniably cool.

“Whoa...” Mii muttered. “Reine-sensei, what did you do?”

“It's all in the attitude,” Reine explained. “It's one thing to make others see you as male, but if you can act in a way that convinces yourself, then the rest will follow.”

Origami glanced at Tohka and Mikie. Mikie blushed somewhat fiercely at the sudden eye contact, while Tohka... Well, both her and Origami quickly looked away, much to the concern of everyone else.

Then, Origami looked at Izayoi Miku. There was a sense of recognition between the two, as Origami slowly walked over to her. Izayoi backed up a set nervously.

“Izayoi Miku, yes?” Origami spoke, using a voice that was subtly different from her usual, yet carried such a different feeling. It was smooth, self-assured, as truly conveyed the feeling her character was going for. Origami took Izayoi's hand in hers, and kissed it on the knuckle. “A pleasure to meet you. I hope we can get along.”

Everybody in the room swooned, and Izayoi passed out.

Once everyone had gathered their sanity back, they sat around a table to go over the plan for this short film.

There... actually wasn't that much of a plan to it. It basically boiled down to the four of them going about their day in character, trying to woo Izayoi, while the rest of the crew filmed.

Origami felt rather conflicted about it, but decided that it was probably for the best. After all, if she was going to seal Izayoi's power, it would probably be best to do it in the most genuine way possible.

Even if that meant she'd have to act like a guy for a while. At least she was able to put up with her friends (and Tonomachi) possibly being around any corner with a camera.

After the meeting, Origami was left alone with both Tohka and Mikie. The silence was palpable.

After a while, Mikie sighed. “Origami-senpai, Tohka-senpai,” she said. “You've got to stop this. Everyone's worried about you two.”

Origami gave Mikie as sideways glance. “We've been telling them it's nothing.”

“Yeah, and they don't believe that,” Mikie pointed out. “I get it, Kotori-chan and Yoshino-chan get it, but the others don't. You really need to explain it to them.”

“But, Origami's right,” Tohka said. “It's really nothing.”

Mikie let out a defeated sigh. “You two can be so confusing at times, you know?” she said. “Oh well. I guess we'll just have to work out our plans going forward, then.”

At that, the two nodded in agreement.

Miku really had no idea what was going on anymore.

She understood that she had no real choice but to go along with this production thing that Okamine-sensei had presented to her, considering her attendance was the bare minimum, and her academics dangerously low.

She was starting to wish she didn't agree to this. Dealing with people was bad enough as it was, but for one of them to be that girl from the other day, too?

Tobiichi Origami. Miku didn't know much about her, outside of the fact that she was basically the single most popular person in school. Word very quickly got around back in April about her and the new transfer at the time were an item, which was a case of 'whatever'... up until rumours started to spread about Origami going on a date with another girl named Tokisaki Kurumi. From the sounds of it, though, it was more that Kurumi girls idea rather than Origami, so benefit of the doubt there... up until the point where it seemed blatantly obvious that Okamine Mikie was a part of Origami's relationship tirade. And this wasn't even counting the supposed rumours of there being two others from outside of the school. That was... most of the reason she panicked the first time she met Origami at that theatre.

Miku loved to sing. Singing came as naturally to her as flight did to birds, or swimming to fish. When she finally made it as an idol, it was like a dream come true. Then it all came crashing down, all because she refused to sleep with a TV producer. From there, she was hit with scandal after scandal, allegation after allegation. She thought she could power through it... up until the stress of it all made her lose her voice.

It was like the world had been plunged into darkness. The one thing she had to be happy about, ripped away.

For weeks on end, Miku could only wallow in her own self-pity, to the point where it would have been preferable to... She shook the memory from her mind. She hated remembering those thoughts.

Finally, though, that person came to her. It was a spectre of some kind, that offered her power beyond her wildest dream.

That was how Miku became a Spirit. It was amazing! With the simple use of her voice, people had become little more than toys to her! She could kick those nasty men to the wayside where they belong! And the girls who flocked to her, obeying her every order without question... Well, can a girl be blamed for getting carried away with something like that?

But then, she met that woman.

She didn't have the chance to learn her name, but at the time, Miku didn't exactly care. It was another gorgeous woman to add to her entourage. But, the second her ability didn't work on her...

Miku gripped at her shirt collar, just below it being where a length of bandage wrapped around her neck, concealing nasty, uneven scars. That one had used her bare hands to do this to her, and Miku had been reminded just how dangerous humans were. It didn't matter what supernatural powers one was given, when dealing with someone who was just flat-out stronger than you.

This injury had left her without a voice for a good few months, and even when she could speak again, it was in strained whispers at best. She couldn't hold a note for longer than a few seconds. And without her voice... the spell she had on people broke. She was no longer their idol; just a pompous brat with delusions of grandeur.

Thus, she transferred schools. Started again, this time just as another face in the crowd. As tempting as it was... Miku didn't want to give up on life. She wanted to make a comeback, but... it was hard.

For now, though, she coasted along, doing the bare minimum to survive physically and socially. And now... here she was, stuck playing the lead role in some miss-match reality TV romantic drama movie for a festival that was at least a month off, with her co-stars being the three most romantically gossiped about girls in the school, and they were playing the role of guys.

Admittedly, they made very attractive guys, but a part of Miku's mind still thought they'd be better as girls. Miku may have been depressed about life, but she still had her tastes, damn it.

But, she supposed, this was done to appeal to the otome market. Most girls would prefer to project themselves onto a shy girl getting hit on by hot guys, after all.

She could... she could survive this. It probably won't take longer than the rest of the month to wrap this up, and put it all behind her.

But... there was something in the back of her mind. A general curiosity about this Origami girl. Before April, she was known as something of an ice queen, and afterwards, suddenly she had the biggest harem this side of a trashy isekai novel? She wanted to know more about how that came to be.

There was also the fact that, during their first meeting, she approached with kindness, or at least, something resembling it, and the thought of being among those girls, stripped down, ravaging and being ravaged, until they were all an indistinguishable, moaning mass of horny...

O-KAY, stopping that train of thought right there! All passengers please disembark, you'll get refunds at the ticket booth! Miku seriously wondered where that had come from...

Putting any steamy thought aside for the moment, Miku decided that it might be worth it to investigate Origami and company. As she approached the school library, the door slid open, and out stepped Yatogami Tohka.

It was subtle, but Miku knew that Tohka was like her; a Spirit. Whatever she was doing to suppress her power, it was the most effective thing she had ever felt.

To be able to live such a casual, normal life... Miku couldn't help but feel jealous.

“Ah,” Tohka said, noticing Miku. “It's... you. How are you?” It was actually kinda cute, seeing her trying to sound masculine. Professional, too.

“I'm... fine,” Miku muttered. “Um... I was... hoping to ask you something, Yatogami-san,”

“Oh? Go right ahead.”

Miku took a deep breath. “How... did you meet Tobiichi-san?”

Tohka crossed her arms, and thought about it... for much longer than Miku believed was necessary. It wasn't that hard a question, was it?

“Well, it's a bit of a long story,” Tohka said. “We started out as enemies, no question about that. But, after a while, we found common ground, and... well, things just sort of worked out from there.”

The phrase 'started out as enemies' stood out to Miku. That told her that Origami was, at least previously, one of those Wizards. “Then... what changed?” Miku asked.

“Fighting was no longer an option,” Tohka answered. “So, instead, we got to know each other, and... here we are now.”

Miku blinked in bewilderment. That was it? Tobiichi Origami lost the ability to fight, so instead decided to wage love, not war? That was... that was...

Actually, Miku didn't quite know what to make of that. On one hand, could you really trust someone who swapped sides so drastically? But then again, if people can change that drastically...

“And you're... like me, right?” Miku said. “How do you manage to live so... peacefully, despite it?”

Tohka thought for a moment, before smiling, and by God was it a gorgeous smile. “By love,” she answered. “How else?”

Miku was stunned silent by that answer. Even after they parted ways, she still couldn't make heads or tails of it.

From around the nearby corner, Reine and Ai watched the conversation unfold, camera in hand.

“I gotta be honest,” Ai said. “I didn't follow half of that. What do ya think they meant by all that?”

“Who can say?” Reine shrugged off. “We should probably try to get a scene with Tohka and Rei explaining this connection in their own way.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ai agreed. “Always did want to hear the story behind that, even if only in, like, a half-truth sort of way.”

“Those girls can be rather secretive when they want to be,” Reine said. “Still, it's worth a shot.” This, itself, was a half-truth. Reine had already brought up the idea of Origami and Tohka sharing a watered down version of how they met. The script was already planned out.

The day wound on and on. Origami had to admit, pretending to be a guy for so long, even if she was only having to put in the minimum effort, was exhausting.

Also, these school pants? Damn uncomfortable. She wasn't a stranger to wearing military cargo pants, but those were designed to actually be, you know, worn for long periods of time. Perhaps school uniforms were just not made with comfort in mind. Form over function, like RGB lights on a gaming PC. Like, seriously, what was the point of them? It was just an energy guzzling add-on to an already energy taxing device.

Origami shook that tangent out of her head. There were other things to worry about. Primarily, how she was going to approach Izayoi Miku.

Sure, this whole 'movie' farce was a good excuse if any to talk to her, but the girl was guarded. She had struck up a conversation with Tohka today, seemingly in order to figure out more about Origami, but there was only so much Tohka could have said with cameras rolling.

In the corner of her eye, Origami spotted something deep blue out there in the pouring rain, which she recognised as the uniform of Rindouji Private. What were girls like that doing here?

The answer came in the form of a slap, followed by someone hitting the wet ground. Between their legs, Origami could see the figure of Izayoi Miku.

… Oh yeah. Now she was getting involved.

Fury threatened to overtake Origami's mind as she walked towards the crowd, and once again she couldn't help but marvel at how far she had come in life. The Origami from half a year ago would not recognise the Origami of today, and it wasn't just because of the pants.

Seeming to have heard her approach, the Rindouji students all turned around... and were immediately stunned by the sheer beauty of the 'man' that now stood before them.

Before any of them could say a word, Origami spoke. “Move,” she said plainly, with the authority of a drill sergeant that was too angry to yell. The girls parted, and Origami crouched besides Miku. “Are you alright?”

Miku looked up at her with a pained, fearful expression. Her glasses had been knocked far enough away that neither of them had any idea where they'd have gone.

“Ah,” one of the Rindouji girls tried to speak. “You shouldn't bother with this girl. She's a bit loose, unless you...” She was cut of by the sort of glare that could silence Gods. It was the glare of someone who would probably kill if they heard any more from the person speaking.

Origami gently supported Miku's weight, as she pushed her way through the crowd. “Honestly,” Origami sighed, catching everyone's attention. “Girls like you, who mock and belittle others with no understanding of what they're going through... are the scum of the Earth.”

The words struck those girls like a tonne of bricks. Putting them aside, Origami guided Miku out of the group, and ideally to somewhere safer than here.

As it turned out, 'somewhere safer' happened to be Origami's home. Miku would have questioned this, but given that Origami lived remarkably close to the school (at least, compared to herself), this did make a certain degree of sense.

All in all, though, Miku had to admit, it was a nice place. Quiet and quaint.

“Why... did you help me?” Miku finally asked, as she was offered a towel. “Because I'm... a Spirit?”

Origami thought about her answer for a moment. “I suppose, at the end of the day, yes,” she said honestly. “Tohka told you a bit about how I got roped into this, right?” Miku nodded. “Did she tell you about the injury I took, leading to me retiring from the AST?” Being new information, Miku shook her head. In response, Origami rolled up her sleeve, revealing the scarred tissue. “Believe it or not, but I got this injury during a battle with Tohka herself. Building collapse, to be specific. Even with extensive use of medical Realizers, this was the best we could get it. I agreed to try Ratatoskr's Spirit sealing idea because, frankly, I didn't have any other options going forward.”

“And, as it turned out... you could,” Miku concluded. “You put it all behind you, and sealed Tohka-chan's power.”

“As well as two others,” Origami said. “Yoshino, the Spirit Hermit, master of ice, and Itsuka Kotori, the Spirit Efreet, wielder of flames. For the past five years, I have held a very specific grudge against Efreet, believing her to have killed my parents.”

This managed to stun Miku quite a bit. “And yet... you still saved her?”

“I did,” Origami answered. “Because Kotori showed me a truth I had ignored until that day. That some Spirits are just as much a victim of tragedy as I was. And that's why...” She stepped towards Miku, an extra towel in hand, and helped dry her hair. “That's why I'll help you. No matter what. If all of Rindouji were to call itself your enemy, then I would cut them down without hesitation, if it meant keeping you safe.”

Miku's heart fluttered. How long had she waited, wanting to hear those words from someone, anyone? A strange sense of conflict overtook her at that moment. It wasn't like her life was in constant danger like her fellow Spirits, but every so often, she did need to cause at least a small Spacequake, and each one ran the risk of becoming a target.

This was a guarantee to live quietly, at the cost of the only power that could let her still sing.

Miku swallowed nervously. “Origami-san, I...” she said hesitantly, slowly undoing the top few buttons of her shirt. “I want to... show you something.” Then, she undid the length of bandages that wrapped her neck, revealing the horrid, blotching scar beneath.

Origami had to admit, when she saw the scar, she was quickly sickened by it. Whatever had caused that wound had been ruthless and brutal. Where the scar on Origami's arm was uncomfortable to look at from a surface level, what had been done to Izayoi Miku's throat was nothing short of gruesome. It was best described as a tightly packed, uneven star-like shape, with jagged, ragged tendrils of uneven healing surrounding it. If Origami had to make a conclusion about it, she'd say that it was more likely that someone had tried to tear her voice-box out with their bare hands. It was no wonder she had trouble speaking.

“Do you... understand?” Miku asked. “I've... already lost everything. Whether I'm sealed... or die, it doesn't matter to me anymore.”

Origami ran her hand over the scar, and honestly found that it felt somewhat concaved. Much to Miku's surprise, Origami placed both hands on her shoulders, and pulled her into a hug.

“It might not matter to you,” she said, “but it would matter to us. Even if the world would ignore your death, we would miss you.”

Miku's heart-rate jumped a bit. What was she to do in this situation? How long had it been since she last received such unapologetic affirmation?

For now, though, she allowed herself to melt into the embrace.

Chapter Text

For the first time in a long while, Takamiya Mana stepped out into the fresh air. The rain did not help anything at all.

All alone, she let out a dejected sigh. As long as she was still contracted to the AST, she wouldn't be able to use her CR-unit without permission. It was strange enough that they didn't fire here after the stunts she pulled, but then again, she was probably easier to manage if she was still on the payroll.

But, what was she to do now? Tobiichi Origami had been right; Spirits could be sealed. Itsuka Kotori was no longer Efreet. What was she going to do, now that she had no target for revenge?

With another sigh, Mana decided to wander around town a while, and hope inspiration strikes.

Miku let out a small, wistful sigh, as the warmth of the bath water wrapped her body.

After their rather... longer than expected hugging session, Origami had offered her bathtub for Miku to use. A nice enough gesture, sure, but there was just one problem now; she wasn't going to be able to get back into those wet clothes she was wearing before.

This might come off as pretty obvious, until one remembers that Miku didn't exactly bring a spare change of clothes, and she really doubted that anything Origami had on hand would fit her. As far as she knew, her three sizes were quite noticeably larger than Origami's.

Origami. There was something about her that filled her with an overwhelming feeling of... Miku actually wasn't quite sure what the feeling was. Hope? Love? Was she really in love with her, after so few interactions?

Her hand placed itself gently on the scar on her throat, as she thought back to what Origami had shown her. What Origami had told her.

They weren't all that different, the two of them. This war between humanity and Spirits had taken their deepest wishes from them at the time, but unlike Miku, Origami had found a new goal; a new purpose despite her injury.

And what about Miku? She had run away from the world after she lost her voice a second, more violent time. The first time led to a distaste in men, but the second left her with a fear of everyone... and now, along came Origami, so stoic yet so warm. So...

Miku felt herself warming up unusually, the more she thought about Tobiichi Origami. That girl was... she was just remarkable in so many ways, she didn't know where to begin.

She felt inspired. Inspired to try and do better. To get back the things she'd lost, and maybe...

Miku shook the thought out of her head. Origami was certainly kind enough to help her with a lot, but she couldn't ask her to go out with her. Miku had learnt the hard way what rampant use of her power on others could do, and Origami already had Tohka in her life... even if they seemed to be at odds lately. Even if there were rumours of Okamine Mikie being in a relationship with those two as well, they were just that; rumours.

And yet... the mere idea of suddenly having three girlfriends, who like her for who she really is... it was a nice thought.

But, if she wanted to be honest to herself, then there was one thing she had to start with. So, taking a deep breath, she called out.

“Um, Origami-san?” she said. Her voice was scratchy, having not been raised to that volume in a while. For a moment, she believed that Origami didn't hear her.

At least, until there was a single knock at the bathroom door. “I'm here,” Origami said.

Miku's heart fluttered briefly. She had been heard. “I've... got something of a request, if you don't mind,” Miku continued. “I'd... like to cut my hair... If you could help me with that...”

After a brief pause, Origami responded. “Give me a second, please,” she said, followed by the sound of footsteps leaving. Five seconds later, the footsteps returned. “I'm back,” Origami spoke. “Would you like me to come in now, or in a bit to help you?”

Miku's face broke out into an intense blush. Was she really prepared to just... show her naked body to Origami, whom she had known for all of a day at most? Then again, there'd be a bit less cleanup if she did it now, so...

“U-um...” she spoke nervously. “Please... do.”

Mikue really wasn't sure what to expect when the door opened. In her mind, she thought that Origami would have still been wearing the male uniform of Raizen High, which, while awkward in the sense of having someone who looked, on the surface, to be a very attractive young man in the bathroom with her, an attractive (and specifically naked) young woman, made logical sense.

What she hadn't expected, though, was for Origami to walk in, wearing only a loose-fitting shirt and panties. Her chest wasn't compressed anymore, either, giving Miku a remarkably good view of just how much she was packing in.

The younger, somewhat aroused part of Miku's brain had to say; nice. The older, more timid part of her brain quickly found the opposing wall to be very interesting all of a sudden.

Origami tilted her head in confusion. “Is everything alright?”

“Y-yes!” Miku squeaked out. “Um, why are you... dressed like that?”

Origami looked down at her clothes -or rather, lack thereof-, and shrugged. “Comfortable,” she answered, before brandishing a pair of hairdresser scissors and a comb. “How much would you like cut?”

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Miku answered. “I'd... still like it long. Just... manageable.”

“Something like it once was?” Origami offered, to which Miku nodded. “Understood. Please hold still.”

What followed, Miku had to admit, was a major surprise for her. Her knowledge on what Origami can do may be limited, but she never in her wildest dreams thought that this amazingly attractive girl was also a trained hairdresser.

The truth was, though, that Origami currently had some backseat help in this, courtesy of Ratatoskr's very own Shiizaki Hinako, who was currently in front of a perfect, 1-1 replica of Miku's current hairstyle, and walking Origami through the process over comms to a mathematically perfect degree. Origami may not be a pro hairdresser, but she could eyeball numbers like nobody's business.

Once the back was trimmed to perfection, it was time to work on the fringe. That, logically, meant Miku would have to face Origami. Closing her eyes, Miku turned herself around, keeping her body low in the bathtub to preserve some semblance of modesty. You know, despite already inviting someone into the room you're currently naked in.

The scissors glided through the strands of hair, and after a while, Miku felt Origami shift her posture. “Sorry,” Origami said, “just need to get a bit closer.”

“Cl-closer?” Miku asked quietly, as curiousity got the better of her, and she slightly opened her eyes.

Oh. That is a direct line of sight at Origami's breasts. They may not have been the largest out there, but they were a nice, rounded shape, that looked like they'd fit comfortably in the hand, and what are you doing, Izayoi Miku, you are fantasying about the girl who's going out of her way to help you, stop it!

Miku quickly snapped her eyes shut again, yet the mental damage had already been done. Origami either didn't notice, or didn't mind, and Miku wasn't entirely sure which she'd prefer it to be.

“Okay, I'm done,” Origami said after a while. Feeling Origami backing away, Miku opened her eyes, found that Origami was now holding a mirror up to her.

The face that looked back at her was one she remembered well, but never thought she'd see in the same light again. Being able to see her own eyes so clearly was certainly a change for her. Looking into her own, silver-coloured eyes, she found herself remembering the day she first got on stage.

That naïve optimism... How she missed it. She knew she could never get it back, but... maybe she could capture some new optimism?

“I must say, I think I did pretty well,” Origami commented. “For all that this was the first time I've tried such a thing.” Was this girl a God in human form or something? How was she able to do so much, so well, on a single try? “I've asked someone to come over with a set of sleepwear for you. I'd hate to send you back out into this weather.”

… What? “I'm... staying here tonight?” Miku asked hesitantly. “But... won't that just anger Yatogami-san?”

“She already knows,” Origami said simply. “She's already here. In fact, she's the one bringing the clothes, anyway.”

… WHAT?

Sitting on Origami's couch was a strange experience for Miku. Not because it was a particularly bad couch, by no means. No, what made it strange was the fact that she was; fresh out of the bath, wearing what amounted to an oversized shirt, and sitting between two admittedly gorgeous girls from her school who may or may not be an item, and said two girls are acting like there is nothing wrong with this situation.

Weirder still, was the fact that Origami and Tohka were talking like they weren't actually fighting with each other.

“Um... question,” Miku finally spoke up. “I know you keep saying it, but... Are you two... really not fighting?”

“This again?” Tohka asked. “Why does everyone keep saying that? Origami hasn't done anything to make me upset!”

“Nor has Tohka to I,” Origami added. “Although, I am relieved to hear that.”

“But... you both avoid eye-contact at school,” Miku pointed out. “In fact, for as long as I've known you two, this is the most I've seen you both talk to each other.”

“Really?” both asked, equally confused. How was it that they both seemed to get dumber just by being around each other?

“Oh! Actually,” Tohka said. “Could it be about... 'that'?”

Realisation seemed to dawn on Origami's face. “Oh, right. Ever since 'that', it does feel like I've been actively trying not to think about it. Perhaps its just manifested in you and I seemingly ignoring each other?”

And now they were playing the pronoun game. It had been a while since Miku felt such irritation. “And... what does 'that' mean?”

Tohka and Origami looked at each other with an expression of... maybe not shame, but not quite guilt either. “Well,” Tohka said, “you know how the school trip was postponed?”

Yes, Miku remembered that. It was suppose to be something of an educational vacation to Arubi Island. Apparently, the people in charge of the island had paid good money to get Raizen High to make it their travel destination, because they really needed a boost in tourism.

Finally, it all clicked into place. Everything suddenly made sense. “You're... both upset that it was postponed?” Miku asked in disbelief. “That's why people think you're fighting?”

“I guess?” Origami said. “It left us both pretty bummed out, so for a while now, we've just been doing what we can to not think about it.”

So... that was it? The whole 'lovebirds are fighting' thing was just because they were trying not to think about being disappointed by the weather?

Miku was no longer sure what she thought about these two. It was like they were both smart, mature people individually, but the moment they were in the same room, their combined IQ dropped by 50%.

Does love really make you a bit dumber? Or, does being around someone you love just make it easier to live in the moment, and not think about what others think?

Would it be weird for Miku to say she was envious of that feeling?

The streets of Tengu City were unseasonably wet. Mana knew it had been raining heavily while she was in confinement, but she didn't think it'd be this bad.

So much for summer, she guessed. Well, not like she'd have been able to enjoy the season anyway.

Once again, though, she had no idea what to do going forward. There was no revenge left for her to pursue.

So... what? Was she now suppose to put her effort into backing Origami's Spirit Sealing Escapades? Credit where it was due, Origami did have a better track record in sealing that Mana did in killing. Killing one Spirit multiple times didn't really count for much in the long run.

But, would they even accept her help? What help could she offer that the rest of the AST couldn't already deliver?

As she was musing, she heard something in her pocket go 'ding'. She recognised that sound as the indicator of Spiritual power being present. Pulling the device from her pocket, she checked the reading, mostly out of habit.

Strange, she found. It was smaller than anything she'd ever seen before. A fledgling Spirit, perhaps? No, if such a thing existed like this, someone would have written about it.

This was something else. And the reading... the Spirit Diva? Mana may not have encountered that particular Spirit, but she was fairly certain she was a lot more powerful that this. This was like... someone had ripped a portion of Diva's power out of her for their own use.

“Alright, then,” Mana muttered to herself. “This might be worth checking out, just to sate my curiosity.”

Following the signal took Mana to an abandoned warehouse. Abandoned warehouses were always fun. They tended to be the sort of places nefarious near-do-wells hung out.

Snooping around a corner, Mana spotted someone that stood out amongst the crowd; the source of the signal. She knew for certain that this was not Diva.

It was an older woman with blonde hair and tanned skin. She wore a standard Wiring Suit, equipped with an unfamiliar CR-Unit, and had a very nasty-looking scar over her right eye.

Mana recognised this woman as a fellow Raven. This was Minerva Riddell, formerly of DEM's Secret Sorcery Service, or SSS for short. But, what was she doing here? While Mana may have been a blood-soaked fighter in her own rights, she at least focused more on the Spirits. Minerva, however, took glee in the collateral damage. This was something everyone in the Spirit-fighting business knew, so it's not like Kusakabe hired her.

It looked like Minerva was talking to someone, probably over comms, but Mana was too far away to hear any of it. She couldn't even read her lips from her.

But, there was something about that unit on her back. It seemed to be the source of Diva's signal, but there wasn't a chance in hell she could get close enough to investigate it.

So, Mana did the one thing she could think of that might work; took out her phone, at took some pictures. Gathering evidence was basically 101 for a situation like this.

After taking the pictures, Mana sent a copy of the data-readings to her phone, put it all in a digital dossier, and emailed it to Kusakabe. Once that was done, she quietly made her escape.

Mana may not have the ability to do much at the moment, but she might as well do something.

Something on the edge of Minerva Riddell's instincts stood on end. She scanned the perimeter, and found all to be in order.

[Is everything alright, Raven Minerva?] the voice on the other end of the comms asked.

“It's probably nothing,” Minerva responded. “This storm has been messing with my equipment.”

[Even in Tengu City, the signal seems patchy at best,] the voice agreed. [Just goes to show how powerful Berserker's storm is, I suppose.]

“Indeed,” Minerva agreed. “Now, about this job...”

[Of course,] the voice said. [As you have already demonstrated with Diva, the harvesting of a Spirits power, their Reiryoku, is possible, and thus, so is turning that harvest into the fragment of a Sephira Crystal. Such a process has lead to the creation of powerful Combat Realizer Units, capable of rivalling even the strongest Wizards. The task I wish for you to undertake, Minerva Riddell, is to harvest the power of the Spirit Princess.]

“Princess, huh?” Minerva mused. “She's a tough one, to be sure. But haven't we not had a signal from her in months?”

[All we know is that she has successfully been sealed by the Ratatoskr institute,] the voice replied. [These days, she's is living under the guise of a normal human. Finding her will be part of your job, if you think you can handle it?]

“It shouldn't be too hard,” Minerva laughed. “Spirits tend to stand out amongst a crowd, after all. It'll be like finding a glowing needle in the dark.”

The following day at school, Miku had to admit, she was not use to all the attention she was suddenly getting.

It was, to a degree, a return to form for her. Being the centre of attention was the norm for her before, but after the run-in with that one person, attention scared her.

But, this was a major step forward. Back to who she wanted to be. And, it was all thanks to that girl; Tobiichi Origami.

Over the course of last night, Miku had learnt that there were many facets to Origami's person; the many masks she wore. Which one was the real Origami? Or, were they all real in their own, subtle way?

There was Origami the Friend; probably the closest thing Miku knew to a 'normal' Origami. She was someone who seemed to have no shame, and went out of her way to help Miku where she needed.

There was the current Origami; The Actor. A version of her that, on the surface, seemed the same as ever, only she carried herself more like a man than a woman. There were bits and pieces of Origami the Friend in Origami the Actor, but how much they crossed over, she couldn't tell.

There was Origami the Sister; the version of Origami that showed itself in interactions with the red haired girl named Itsuka Kotori, whom Miku met briefly last evening. This Origami was affable, friendly, and the ideal sibling.

Then, there was Origami the Parent, whom showed herself in the presence of the young Yoshino. Here, she was doting, compassionate, and very inclined to hugging. It was an Origami fuelled by parental love for another, and was far more genuine that Miku had expected.

Finally, there was the Origami that showed itself around Tohka and, to an extent, Okamine Mikie. This... was The Lover. The changes were subtler than the others, but they could be seen if you knew where to look. It was the faint longing in the eyes, the slightest of blushes on the cheeks, the nearly subtle desire to remain in the same room as them.

It was strange, but... Miku envied it. She envied that someone could be so blatantly affectionate. That someone could spread their heart in so many different ways across so many people, and not suffer the strain of it. She envied... that she wasn't part of it in the same way that Tohka and Mikie were.

Miku blinked in bewilderment when she made that conclusion. Was that what was bothering her? That she wasn't loved by Origami the same way others were? Was she afraid of being just another tally-mark on her quest to seal Spirits?

But that wasn't how it was, and Miku knew it. Tohka, Yoshino, and Kotori, were the furthest things from 'tally-marks' to Origami, and that much was obvious when she met them. They were more like a family than a job to be done.

Half of Miku's mind told her that she wouldn't be like that. The other half questioned why she would be any different.

“Izayoi-san?” a voice drew her from her thoughts. It was that girl, Mai, she believed. The camera in her hand was facing down, so whatever it was she wanted to talk about, it was something not for the movie. “Is everything alright? You seem a little out of sorts.”

“I'm... fine,” Miku said quietly. “Just... confused.”

“Let me guess,” Mai said. “Origami?” A nod was the only response she got, or really, needed. “Yeah, I get it. She's an odd one, to say the least, huh? Hell, before the end of April, when Tohka transferred in, you'd be lucky if she so much as looked your way. She was just that cold.” Then, Mai faked a sniffle. “It's like I'm a parent, watching their kid grow up and finally make friends.”

… The people Origami surrounded herself with are weird.

[So, how goes it?] Kotori asked. [What's your take on progress, Origami?]

“Personally, I feel like we're in the endgame with Izayoi Miku,” Origami answered. “She trusts me enough, at least, as you've no doubt seen.”

[Yeah, letting you into the bathroom while buck naked's a good sign,] Kotori agreed. [Yet, there's still something off about the graphs. The numbers are teetering on the edge of being enough, yet every time they cross the threshold, they quickly drop back down.]

“Mental suppression, then?” Origami asked. “Suppose she's afraid to go the full mile?”

[Possibly,] Kotori said. [Either that, or it's something to do with her fractured power.]

“... This is the first I'm hearing of this,” Origami stated. “Explain.”

[It's a theory we've had for a bit now, but just last night, we got some info that might confirm it from the AST. Basically, that wound on her throat? Not just a physical thing. The one who made it also tore a portion of Miku's Spiritual power out through it. Simply put, we're working on the theory that Miku's currently not a full Spirit, and that sealing her as she is now might not work as well as we'd like.]

“I see... and do we know who did it?”

[As a matter of fact, yes. We have an ID: Former SSS member and current Raven, Minerva Riddell. A real piece of work, to say the least.]

Another Raven, huh? “Was it Captain Kusakabe who identified her?”

[Nope. Believe it or not, but this info comes straight from the least likely source; our very own Takamiya Mana.]

Now that was a surprise. “Really? Why would she go out of her way to help us?”

[Ya got me on that one, Origami,] Kotori shrugged. [For now, though, focus on keeping your affection with Miku up. This problem with Minerva Riddell is something that's gonna need to be solved the ol' fashioned way.]

“Gratuitous violence?”

[Gratuitous violence.]

Nodding in response (well, more nodding to herself, really), Origami switched the comms off, and left the empty library she was having the conversation in.

“Yo, Tobiichi!” greeted Tonomachi. “All done with your phone call?”

Origami wasn't quite sure how she felt about having the one actual guy (not to mention the biggest pervert in school) as her cameraman for today, but she had to admit... it was better she be the one to deal with him than anyone else. Although, it wasn't like he was that bad. In fact, as far as Origami was aware, the worst Tonomachi was was just 'open about what he's attracted to'. Even though he joked about it, she had yet to see him actually cross any lines.

“I apologise for the wait,” Origami responded. “Just needed to touch base with my sister on something.”

“Never knew you had a sister,” Tonomachi said. “Think you could hit us up?”

“Touch a single hair on her head, and I'm shoving your eyeballs up your ass.”

For all that it was a rather grotesque thought, Tonomachi seemed to just laugh it off. “Ah, shot down again.”

Sighing, Origami walked on. “Come on. We've got a scene to shoot, do we not?”

As the two walked down the halls, Tonomachi was oddly quiet. “Hey, Tobiichi,” he said hesitantly. “Do you mind if I ask something... a bit odd?”

Origami bit back the urge to deliver a snarky 'you just did'. “Sure,” she answered. “What is it?”

“Well...” Tonomachi hesitated strangely. “Lately, it feels like... something's been missing. Kinda like... someone's been edited out of a family photo.”

Huh. That was... a strangely familiar feeling. “I think I know what you mean,” Origami admitted. “Ever since April 10, it's felt like there should be someone else. Someone... important. I don't know who they are, but... I just know that the world would have been better with them in it.” At that, Tonomachi nodded sombrely. “What about you?” Origami asked. “What do you think this missing person was like?”

Tonomachi thought about his answer for a moment. “Someone I'd call my best friend,” he answered. “A guy who'd not only put up with my idiocy, but also play off it, like the foil in a comedy duo.”

Certainly an unusual thing to be missing in his life, Origami felt, but it served to remind her that Tonomachi had a certain degree of self-awareness.

Before any more conversation could take place, however, the most dreaded Spacequake alarm began to blare once more.

“Status report!” Kotori called out. “Where's the Quake going to occur?!”

“Location data is fluctuating!” Kyouji replied. “We can't get a good lock on!”

“Spirit pattern has been identified!” Munechika said. “ID is... Diva?!”

“Second ID pattern detected!” Hinako added. “Identified as... also Diva! Location of the second signal is Raizen High!”

“What the hell is going on?” Kotori muttered. “Is that Minerva broad on the move?” Quickly tapping away at the keyboard, Kotori opened the comms with Origami again. “Origami! Change of plans! Find Miku now, and keep her close! Something's going down!”

“Copy that,” Origami responded, quietly thankful that Tonomachi had already dipped out to get to the shelter. Last thing she wanted to have to deal with was trying to cover this up.

If she recalled correctly, Miku should be in her classroom, 2-1. It was a bit of a sprint from here to there, but it wasn't like Origami had lost any endurance over the past few months.

As she got closer to her target, Origami noticed something was very wrong. All the windows had been broken, and if the shards of glasses scattered everywhere was anything to go by, it was done by a sound wave of some kind.

Before she could get to the door of 2-1, something exploded. Origami hopped back a step, as the door to the classroom was flung off. The door crashed into the wall, and upon it, Origami spotted Miku's bloodied figure.

Origami quickly ran to Miku's side. Miku's Astral Dress was active, but it did little to cover up all those wounds, half of which looked to have been done by a blade, and the other half a lance.

“Oh? And here I thought the vermin had already scurried off to their holes,” a menacing voice said.

Instincts quickly took over, and Origami quickly scooped Miku into her arms, before dodging out of the way of an oncoming barrage of... blades? There was something far different about them, compared to the usual kind used by Wizards; these blades moved more like numerous tails as opposed to lengths of energy.

The dust began to settle, and the attack made themselves apparent. They were a tall, older woman, dressed in a Wiring Suit, with a tanned complexion, a nasty scar over one eye, short blonde hair, and a whole sleuth of Combat Realizers equipped. If Origami had to say anything about this woman's load-out, it would be that she looked like she was prepared to fight a one-woman war. If Origami were a betting woman, she'd guess that this was that Minerva Riddell person Kotori warned her about.

“And you seem to be holding up against my power quite well,” the woman said. “Interesting. You'll make a good plaything. Better than that washed up bag of trash.”

Origami glared at the woman. She was getting a serious case of deja vu right now. Something about a mercenary type attacking a Spirit in board daylight...

There wasn't enough time to try and interrogate this person, however, as the shoulder-mounted missile launchers she had roared to life, firing off a barrage at Origami.

Origami acted quick, getting out of the way as the missiles came crashing down. This attack was followed closely by several thrusts of that spear in her right hand, and slashes from the sword in her left. How could one Wizard, no matter if she was a Raven or not, be able to handle such a CR-Unit?

A blade sliced by, leaving a cut on Origami's cheek. “Not bad, boy!” the woman called out. So, she was that skilled, but was fooled by Origami cross-dressing? That's embarrassing. “But it's time for you to die!”

What followed next... was something nobody expected. Rather than another blade, or series of missiles, Minerva Riddell was instead hit on the back of the head by a fire extinguisher. “Who dares?!” Minerva shouted.

As it turned out, the one who dared was Tonomachi.

Now, to say that Minerva Riddell was pissed off would be like saying that lava was hot. If looks could kill, Tonomachi would already be dead several times over. “Oh, you can go straight to hell!” Minerva yelled, thrusting her lance at Tonomachi.

Origami cursed the fact that there wasn't much she could do now. There was, after all, a very fine line between heroic and stupid, and it seemed Tonomachi was willing to pay his life to walk that line.

But, as is often the case, fortune favours the bold. Before Minerva's strike could land, a blur of blue wooshed past, and Tonomachi had vanished. Another second later, and both Origami and Miku had been scooped up in the arms of someone else, and quickly dragged away from the area.

When they came to a stop, not far from the school's Spacequake shelter, Origami was able to identify their saviours. “Mikie? And Takamiya Mana?”

Okay, Mikie, she could get, but seeing Mana swooping in to save Origami, Miku, as well as Tonomachi, was a surprise. A welcome one, to be sure, but a surprise none the less.

“Just taking some of your advice,” Mana answered the unspoken question. “Trying a new calling, and all that.”

From the ground, Tonomachi was, understandably, freaking out a bit. “What's going on?” he said. “Why is Okamine-san dressed like a mecha-girl?! Who is this mysterious blue haired babe?! Why is Miku-tan wearing this sort of clothing all of a sudden?! Why is there a terrorist attacking the school?!!”

Mikie, Origami, and Mana, all shared a glance at each other. “Should I knock him out?” Mana asked. “Schedule him for a memory wipe?”

“Pretty sure we don't have the budget for that,” Mikie responded.

“We'll deal with it later,” Origami said. “Tonomachi. For the next short while, I want you to keep Izayoi Miku safe.”

“That terrorist has, like, a bazillion guns!” Tonomachi pointed out. “I don't know how you expect me to be able to pull that off!”

“Just stay with her in the shelter,” Origami said plainly. “These things are designed to handle realty itself tearing apart... apparently.” There was an unhelpful silence that followed her words. “You know, I do not believe the shelters have ever been tested like that. Would the shelters survive a direct Spacequake?”

“That is not helping!!” Tonomachi shouted.

The door to the shelter slid open, and through it came Ai, Mii, and Tamae. “Origami!” Ai called out. “Thank God! We were so worried!”

“Is... is that Miku-san?” Mii asked. “What happened to her?”

“And... Mike-chan?” Tamae asked. “What are you wearing?”

Out of the frying pan, and into the dumpster fire.

“Those last two are highly classified,” Origami quickly interjected. “But, that aside... Ai, Mii, where's your third? And... what about Tohka?”

“We don't know,” Ai admitted. “Last we knew, Mai was with Izayoi-san, and nobody's seen Tohka!”

Which probably meant... Ground Zero. Right in the thick of where the action was.

“Takamiya-san!” Mikie called out, her CR-Unit activating as she dashed off the way she came.

“Right behind you!” Mana shouted back, following after her.

Most were stunned silent. “What the hell,” Ai muttered. “When did this become a mecha anime?”

Origami cursed under her breath. Too much shit had hit the fan to worry about secrecy now. Hastily, she opened her comms to Fraxinus. “Origami to Fraxinus, come in!” she said. “We need a strategy down here.”

[Fraxinus reads you, Rei,] Reine's voice responded. [To answer the main question on your mind, Tohka is currently engaged with Minerva Riddell right now. Whatever her goal is, it seems to involve Princess. Hazakura Mai is currently in class 2-1, but if things go on too long, her life may be in danger.]

“Shit,” Origami cursed. “What can you tell me about the Combat Realizer Minerva is using? Seems a bit much for one woman.”

[That's because she's actually equipped five Realizers,] Reine answered. [We just got the data on them from Kusakabe. They are prototype DEM CR-Units known as Ashcroft. Originally, they were suppose to use a harvested human brain to help offset the power demand, but after DEM went under, they were shelved, up until someone had the idea of harvesting a fragment of a Spirit's power source, their Sephira Crystal. We've both determined that it is a fragment from Izayoi Miku, as well as it's location on the back unit of her CR-Unit setup.]

“So, we need to bust open the back unit,” Origami summarised. “Anything you can tell me about these Ashcroft Units?”

[You've already seen Lion's bombardment and Unicorn's lance, units three and four. Unit two, Jabberwock, is capable of generating an anti-Territory that can suppress movement for other Wizards. Unit five, Cheshire Cat, has a high-power healing factor. Finally, Unit one, Alice, is equipped with a powerful Territory generator, an absolute defence, if you would. If she knows you're there, getting a shot in would be nearly impossible.]

As luck would have it, during that entire info-dump, Ai, Mii, Tonomachi, and Tamae, heard it all. And, fortunately, Tonomachi had an idea.

“Um, actually,” he spoke up. “What if you tried a ricochet shot? If you want a surprise back-shot, then aiming at something behind her to bound a bullet back at her would probably work.”

That was... certainly a plan. “Dude, are you freaking stupid?” Ai asked. “Not only is this way outside our field, but that's the best idea you've got?! And don't think I missed that double entendre!”

“That was so lame!” Mii shouted.

“Well, what do you expect me to do?!” Tonomachi yelled back. “There's a freaking terrorist up there, some supernatural BS is going down, and apparently, Tobiichi Origami's a secret agent of some kind! Can you really expect me to sit on my ass and not contribute?!”

“Actually...” Origami muttered, deep in thought. “Do any of you have a small, reflective surface? Compact mirror, for instance?”

“Origami-san, you're not serious, are you?” Tamae asked. “And, why a mirror? How would...”

“... H-here,” a weak voice, belonging to Miku, said. All eyes turned to her, as she weakly held out the requested compact mirror.

Origami knelt down beside Miku, gently holding her hand as she took the mirror. “Thank you, Miku,” she said. “Don't worry. Once this is over, things will improve for you, I promise.”

Despite her exhaustion, Miku blushed, before smiling weakly.

As Origami turned around and began to head back towards the stairs, the others called out. “Hey, no offence...” Mii said. “But how to you plan to make this work? I mean, it's not like you have a gun, or a laser rifle.”

Origami glanced back at them, and a rather unprofessional thought crossed her mind. [I know what you're thinking, Origami,] Kotori's voice cut in. At first, Origami thought she knew where this conversation was going, until... [They're already neck deep in this. Make it flashy.]

At that, Origami smirked, and turned back around. “You four,” she said. “Do I have your word that you'll not utter a single word of this to anyone?”

The four gulped nervously. “Does... that include Mai?” Ai asked.

Origami thought it over for a second. “Okay, we'll allow that one exception. Other than that?”

“Yes, ma'am!” the four quickly shouted.

Her smirk returning, Origami felt the power of the Spirits flow through her. Specifically, the flames of Efreet began to wrap around her leftt arm as she held it out. With a wide flourish, Camael appeared in her hand, taking its cannon form, Megiddo.

As Origami slung the cannon over her back, the four stood there, slack-jawed. What the hell were they suppose to say about... any of this? Not only were there supernatural terrorists, not only was one of their underclassmates (and, for one of them, their cousin) secretly moonlighting as what might be a super-soldier, not only was their resident harem queen a secret agent of some king... but now said harem queen could just... summon a freak cannon on command.

Tonomachi was quietly glad he kept the camera rolling.

“Hold the fort,” Origami said. “It's time for me to begin our date.”

Chapter Text

Tohka wasn't sure what was going on right now. The familiar sound of the Spacequake alarm had gone off, but something in her gut told her that it was right.

Usually, when a Spacequake was about to actually go off, she could feel... something in the air. Kind of like how old people would mention their aching bones when a storm was coming. It was something like that, only different.

Following her gut instinct, Tohka found herself running the path down to class 2-1... she thought. To be honest, she didn't exactly keep track of where classrooms other than her own were. That needed too much brain power, and right now, she needed all she could get to figure out what was going on.

In the distance, she heard someone unfamiliar let out a yell of frustration. She wasn't sure exactly what to make of it, but she had a feeling it wasn't friendly.

Finally, she came into view of what could charitably be called 'a crime scene', in the middle of which stood one of those mecha-mecha women, with tanned skin, blonde hair, and a whole lot of weapons.

Like, damn, that was a lot of weapons. She thought that big thing that Mana had last month was a lot, but this looked like someone tried to duct-tape several weapons together.

The woman took notice of her, and looked both perplexed and intrigued. “Oh? It's just one after another, isn't it?” she said. “Why's a guy like you giving of the Spirit reading of Princess?”

Princess. Wasn't that the more technical term for Tohka? This person knew she was a Spirit, but not that 'she' was the Spirit? … That thought didn't make any sense to Tohka. Perhaps a better way to phrase it was; this person identified that Princess was present, but not that Tohka, the one in front of her, was Princess.

Then again, it seems she didn't even realise that Tohka was a girl.

“Well, no matter,” the woman shrugged. “Tell me where the Spirit is, and I'll make your death quick. Or let you have some fun before I kill you.”

Oh, Tohka was not liking this woman one bit. But, she got the feeling that words would not do anything to dissuade her. Added on top of the fact that there were injured students in the classroom nearby, and there was no turning back.

Taking a deep breath, Tohka slammed her foot into the ground. “Sandalphon!” she called. The woman looked on in surprise, as light wrapped around Tohka's frame, forming a partial Astral Dress, and the glass-like sword Sandalphon appeared before her.

“Oh?” Minerva mused. “So that's it, then. The boy's got the power of the Spirit. Could have sworn I was told that Princess was a girl, though.” After a moment of thought, she shrugged. “Oh well. A corpse is still a corpse.”

At that, Minerva lunged forward, with a sort of speed that Tohka had not experienced much from an enemy before. Tohka reacted quickly, parrying the lance aside, and dodging into the classroom before the followup from the sword could land. Minerva followed up with a barrage of missiles, all of which Tohka was quick enough to cut down before they even had a chance to explode.

Tohka had her back against the wall, or at least, towards the injured students in the classroom. She needed to change the battlefield, and quickly. If this goes on too long, then...

“Yato...gami?” a weak voice spoke. Tohka knew that voice. She looked down, to see...

“Mai...?” Tohka asked hesitantly. That... was Hazakura Mai, right? Those injuries she had made it hard to identify her, but it had to be her, right?

“Seems some of the vermin's still holding on,” Minerva commented, almost as casually as if she were commenting on the weather. “Guess we can leave them here, though. The collateral will make for a nice backdrop.”

An unfamiliar rage built up in Tohka's heart. How could one woman be so casual about killing other people? Mana from a month ago, she could kind of get, and at least she gave time for other people to evacuate. This woman... she couldn't forgive this woman.

But how was she suppose to turn this all around? If she moved from this position, then chances of Mai and the other students getting caught in the crossfire would increase.

A saving grace came in the form of a pilebunker striking against Minerva's Territory, which, while not doing a whole lot of damage to her personally, at least knocked her into the next classroom over.

“Still holding out, Princess?” asked a familiar voice. “Backup's arrived.”

“Takamiya Mana?” Tohka asked. “Why are you here, too?”

“Tohka-senpai!” cried out Mikie, as she arrived a second after Mana (despite having rushed off first).

“Mikie!” Tohka said in relief. “Good timing! Mai needs help!”

A burst of energy erupted from the neighbouring classroom. Mikie quickly erected a Territory to block the oncoming attacks, and barely managed to hold on. “I'll keep them safe! Tohka-senpai, Mana-san, you two need to try and stop her!”

“Focus on severing the power source on Minerva Riddell's back!” Mana told Tohka. “She's holding a fragment of Diva's power there!”

Then, not only was there all this... but this woman was the reason Miku was the way she was? So scared of everything? So wounded? Suddenly, this rage she was feeling was becoming all too familiar.

“Takamiya Mana,” Tohka said, voice sounding very dark. “Let's do this.”

Mana felt a shiver run down her spine, and was quietly glad she was now on Tohka's side. “Roger.”

As Origami ran through the damaged halls of school, feeling... something twinge in her heart. Something wrong.

It was Tohka. She knew that much. But what about her? Did something happen?

No, but Tohka was feeling something, and the seal Origami had on her power was causing it to bleed back into her.

Origami mulled on the emotion, like one would hard candy. She knew this emotion well; revenge. The anger born from injustice.

It had been a while since Origami had last felt it, and now... Tohka was feeling it.

This was wrong, she couldn't help feeling. Tohka didn't deserve to feel such an ugly emotion. Origami would need to put an end to this battle quickly.

Finally, she came upon the hallway where the fighting was taking place. She could see Tohka and Mana going head to head against Minerva, and judging by the barrier that was peaking out through the classroom, Mikie had probably set up a defensive Territory. It was good strategy.

But, she could admire that later. She had lives to save right now.

Taking aim with Camael, Origami fired off two shots, which crashed against Minerva's Territory, and drew the woman's attention her way.

Both Tohka and Mana seemed concerned, seeing Minerva change course, and dashing towards Origami. Origami, however, could only think that this was all according to plan.

Origami took the compact mirror out of her pocket, opened it slightly, and then flipped it into the air like a coin, letting it sail over Minerva's head. Minerva... paid it no attention. What good would doing such a thing do?

Origami took aim, and even then, Minerva didn't both to expand her Territory. After all, Origami wasn't even aiming at her.

This shot would require an astronomical amount of calculations, and half of those would be reliant on chance. The position and angle of the mirror, the angle of Origami's shot, Minerva's position, everything needed to be exactly right.

But, if there was one thing Origami was sure about, after a long time serving in the AST... it was her ability to run the maths.

The moment the light glinted off the mirror, she took the shot.

Minerva felt a horrible, burning pain strike her back. What had just hit her? It couldn't have been Princess or her fellow Raven; she would have felt their attack coming. The only one who had attacked was this person, whoever they were, and they... missed...

A somewhat terrifying thought crept into her mind. As she tried to regain her balance, her eyes drifted to what was behind her.

A small, clam-shaped object, hit the ground. It was burnt nearly black, but there was still enough of a reflective surface to it to identify it.

She didn't even register that the Sephira shard she had had fallen out. The rage that she had just been blindsided by this brat overwhelmed her.

“You LITTLE SHIT!” Minerva cursed, allowing all the thrusters of her CR-Units to flare to life, and she charged at Origami once more.

One second later, her mind went blank. The next second, and Origami had punched her square in the face.

Minerva staggered back, coughing up a frankly startling amount of blood from one punch. Gritting her teeth, Lion's launchers prepared to fire... before she keeled over again, vision awash in red.

“Wh... what's happening?” Minerva questioned, blood dripping from her eyes, nose, and ears.

“Magic overload,” Origami explained. “You don't deserve much more than that explanation. Mana!”

Mana quickly appeared besides Minerva, pilebunker drawn back, and primed to strike. Minerva quickly erected the strongest barrier she could, as much as it brought great physical and mental pain to do.

The pilebunker unloaded, the force transferring into Minerva's body and launching her before the barrier could break. Minerva was flung into, and subsequently through, the wall, launching her out of the school, and far into the distant rain. Several pieces of her CR-Units were left scattered around the hole.

After a moment or two, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “It's over,” Origami muttered. “That was... too action-packed for my liking.”

“Leave it to Minerva to turn a school into a war zone,” Mana said. “Never liked that woman. Okamine! We're in the clear!”

Mikie lowered her Territory, breathing heavily. “Never again, please,” she said. “I don't think I could have taken many more of those missiles.”

“You did pretty well, kid,” Mana complimented. “Considering you managed to match me for a while in the White Licorice last month, you'll make a great Wizard yet. Ever think about becoming a Raven?”

As the more 'human' trio talked, Tohka found herself distracted by something shiny on the ground. If she recalled correctly, this was what fell out of that woman's backpack, meaning it had something to do with that power source thingy from earlier... which meant it was connected to Miku.

Carefully, Tohka crouched down, and picked up the shard. It felt... strangely warm in her hand. Yet, there was a strangeness emanating from it. Like... it exuded pain and sorrow.

“Tohka,” Origami voice cut in, drawing her from her thoughts. “Are you alright?”

“I...” Tohka hesitated. “This thing... it's what was stolen from Miku, right? How could... how could anyone do such a thing to someone?”

Origami gently held Tohka's hand in her own. “People are capable of many things, when they don't really understand something or someone. By not knowing, or not acknowledging, someone as a person, you find it remarkably easy to do something as cruel as making them wish for death. I know that ugliness well.” Carefully, Origami closed Tohka's hand around the Sephira shard. “Hold on to this, Tohka. Just for a while.”

Slowly, Tohka nodded.

“Hey!” a new voice called out. One that most of those currently present recognised as belonging to Tonomachi. The four turned around, to see him, followed by Ai, Mii, Tamae, and Miku, whom was currently on Tamae's back. Were it not for her general irritation at them not staying in the safety of the shelter, Origami would be marvelling at the fact that Tamae was pretty strong, for not even being five foot flat.

“Why are you guys here?” Origami asked. “It's... well, it's safe now, but you couldn't have known that.”

“Actually, Izayoi-san said she felt a change happen,” Tamae answered. “We thought that would have meant you... did whatever it was you needed to do. Did you...?”

“We did,” Tohka said. “We won.” There was a general sigh of relief, up until... “Oh, NO. Mai!”

Tohka quickly rushed back into the classroom, followed by an equally panicked Ai and Mii. Mai, still buried under some of the rubble, was quickly dug out.

Mikie, rushing to their side, checked Mai's pulse. “It's faint, but still there,” she said seriously. “She needs immediate medical attention.”

Origami found herself cursing her lack of attentiveness. She should have remembered sooner that their friend, HER friend, was still in a bad state. Mikie was right that she needed medical help right this instant, but no hospital would be staffed at the moment. That left...

Origami tapped her earpiece. “Origami to Fraxinus,” she said. “Do you read me, Kotori? I need you to...”

[Let me guess, transport everyone with you onboard?] Kotori finished for her. [Way ahead of ya, sis. Tell 'em to brace themselves.]

“Roger.” She looked back at everyone. “Okay, everyone. Things are about to get really weird, really fast, so brace yourselves.”

Before anyone not 'in the know' could ask any questions, the world faded to white.

Okamine Tamae slowly came to her senses, hearing the faint sounds of lots of yelling. The last thing she could recall was Origami warning her and the students that things were about to get weird (not like they weren't already), before... something.

She opened her eyes, to the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling, and a cold, steel floor beneath her.

“Kyouji, Masaomi!” an unfamiliar, yet strikingly handsome voice said. “You two are to get Hazakura-san to the medbay, pronto! Hinako is already on standby with the medical Realizers!”

“Roger, Vice-Commander!” two more voices replied, followed by the sound of them quickly rushing down the nearest hall, presumably with Hazakura Mai on a stretcher.

“What the hell happened?!” she heard Ai shouted. “Where are we? Who are you people?! Is Mai going to be okay?!”

“Your friend will be fine, Yamabuki-san. I promise you,” the man assured her. “As for the other two, we'll get to that in due time, once everyone's called down and come to.”

As Tamae slowly forced herself upright, she looked around, to see that, among those she knew had been them when whatever happened had happened, Tonomachi and Mii were both out cold, Izayoi Miku was looking around nervously, and the quartet of Origami, Tohka, Mikie, and that fourth girl with the blue hair, looked remarkably calm.

Mikie, noticing Tamae trying to get up, quickly rushed over to her side. “Tama-nee-chan!” she called out. “Are you alright?”

“I'm... a bit woozy,” Tamae admitted. “What on earth happened?”

“The first transportation is always a weird feeling,” that handsome voice said, as the sound of approaching footsteps was heard. “Do you need a hand, ma'am?”

Tamae looked up, and... oh. Oh. Who was this handsome stranger? Those flowing blonde locks of hair, those brown eyes that looked almost golden, those sharp, inviting curves to his slender face... This... this was a man.

Off to the side, Origami had a look of not quite disgust, but at least feeling off-put. “She's crushing on the VC,” she muttered. “God, that's going to be a wake-up call, her meeting Kotori.”

“Don't crush the girl's dreams,” Ryouko's voice interjected, as she entered the room. Then, she clapped her hands once, getting everyone's attention. “Okay, everyone! I'm going to be dolling out instructions now, so I must ask you all to cooperate!”

Ai raised a hand. “Um, Mii and Tonomachi haven't come to, yet.” Then, as if just to spite her, the two in question finally sat up. “Never mind.”

“And let this be a lesson for you all,” Ryouko said sagely. “Sometimes, it's important to tempt fate. Now back to the topic at hand. Origami, Tohka, you two are to look after Izayoi Miku until further notice. Use one of the rooms in Block B, they're far more comfortable. The rest of you are with me and the Vice-Commander, whom the elder Okamine-san is... currently fawning over.” All eyes fell back on the duo, who were suddenly looking like a pair of star-crossed lovers, much to Mikie's general discomfort.

“Extra question,” Tonomachi said. “What's going to happen to us?”

“And, what about Mai?!” Mii asked. “Is she alright?”

“You're friend is in good hands, I promise you,” Ryouko answered. “And for yours, young man, you guys are already neck deep in all this, so we're going to give you the rundown on... pretty much everything. Followed by needing you all to sign some NDAs.”

“Ah, bureaucratic processes,” Origami muttered to Tohka. “We'd best leave them to it.” The two walked over to Miku, and Origami held out a hand. “Are you alright, Miku? Do you need a hand?”

Before, Miku looked like a deer in headlights, but upon seeing Origami and Tohka, calmness seemed to return to her, as she took Origami's hand.

The rooms in Block B, as Ryouko had said, were quite a bit more comfortable than any of them had expected.

Granted, what they expected was more along the lines of 'nice room on a battleship', not... a fully furnished living room.

The three sat down on the couch, feeling a strange sense of deja vu.

Right now, none of them really had an idea of what to talk about. Who goes first in this situation?

Eventually, though, Tohka spoke, holding out her hand to Miku. “Here,” she said, opening it to reveal the Sephira shard. “This is rightfully yours, right? We should probably return it.”

Looking at the shard longingly, Miku gently took it from Tohka's hand... Nothing happened.

“... So,” Origami said, after a long pause. “I'm not the only one who expected something to happen, right?” Both Tohka and Miku nodded in response.

The three thought about how to handle this, until Miku placed the shard against the scars on her throat. The shard began to shine brightly, before bursting into innumerable moats of light, which wrapped around Miku's throat in a warm glow. When the light finally died down...

“Whoa!” Tohka exclaimed. “Miku! Your scars are gone!”

Miku, in her shock, ran her hand over where she expected to feel rough, damaged skin, and found nothing of the sort. Everything felt... normal.

Origami quickly dug around in her pocket, and pulled out a scorched yet familiar compact mirror. “Here,” Origami said. “I know it's in rough shape, but the mirror part still works.”

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Miku opened the mirror. The first thing she was surprised by was just how intact it actually way. The second surprise... was the fact that her old wound was completely gone.

“It's... healed,” she said in disbelief, her voice feeling like it hadn't felt in a long time; whole. “I... I...” She could barely get the words out, as tears of joy and relief began to fall from her eyes.

Taking this as a sign to do something, Origami and Tohka moved closer to Miku and wrapped her in their embrace. It felt like an eternity of weak sobs and quiet 'thank you's, before they finally released her.

“I... honestly can't thank you two enough,” Miku finally said. “I haven't felt so much like myself in... in ages. But, for it to be at the cost of Mai-san...”

“She'll pull through,” Origami reassured her. “Trust me. The Realizers they have for medical use are something else entirely. They've brought me back from the brink of death more times than I'd care to admit.”

Miku, understandably, looked rather shocked by that. “I'm sorry?”

“Let's see,” Origami said, beginning to list off the times. “The first was when I was still Tohka's enemy, and she beat me so bad, my arm was totalled, and I was relieved of AST duty. Second time, I took a massive bullet to the shoulder for Tohka, courtesy of Mikie, since the AST wasn't properly on our side yet, and the last time was when we first met Mana, and I, once again, took an attack meant for someone else.”

Miku, as if she wasn't shocked enough, went a bit slack-jawed. “Origami-san... How are you still alive?”

“Like she said,” Tohka spoke up. “Good doctors.”

Miku really felt like she should be more worried about this. But, then again, they did just go to battle with a powerful foe, so... she guessed this was just part of the norm. “So, this... sealing thing,” she said, changing the subject. “How does it work, exactly?”

At that, Origami became unusually bashful. “Well, to make a long story short,” she said. “The usual method is to get the Spirit, in this case, you, to fall in love with me, then seal your powers with a kiss.”

That... was certainly a surprise. It put a lot of things into perspective, and... it made Miku's feelings a bit complicated.

On one hand, it confirmed that there was some 'end goal' to all this. On the other hand, though... why did that mean it wasn't genuine? Why did it have to mean that Origami didn't actually, genuinely, care about her? Just look at her and Tohka; they've been a thing for months now. If their feelings were still the real deal, why couldn't Miku's...

At that point, Miku could hear her own heart pounding loudly. Now that things had reached a certain level of stability, she could finally put words to some of her more confusing thoughts, and finally concluded that... Yes; she had fallen in love with Tobiichi Origami. How could she not? How could a girl like her not have fallen in love with someone so... so out there? So willing to go out of their way for her? So... God damn beautiful? Knowing everything she knew about Origami, how could Miku not have fallen for her?

“If it's... alright with you, Origami-san,” Miku said hesitantly. “Could you... give me an extra day, before the sealing? There's something... I'd like to do first.”

At that, Origami smiled. “Of course,” she said. “Take as much time as you need.”

Hazakura Mai had woken up around five minutes ago. The medical Realizers certainly worked some magic, managing to do all that so quickly.

After a tearful reunion with her friends (that involved at least three instances of Mii saying 'that's so lame'), Mai was given the same rundown of everything that had been going on behind the scenes.

“That's... wow,” she said simply. “To think, all this time, Origami was actually becoming a harem queen to save the world.”

“That's... one way to look at it,” Ai agreed.

“That's so lame,” Mii added.

“More like 'enviable', really,” Tonomachi said. “But, maybe that's just me.”

“Definitely just you, dude,” Ai said.

“Yeah, totally,” Mai added.

“That is so lame,” Mii finished.

Tonomachi, for what it was worth, chuckled at the barbs sent his way. “Ah, it's good to get a proper combo after the day we've had.”

“Still, I'm glad that Izayoi-san is alright,” Mai said, sounding relieved. “When it all started going down, I just kinda acted on instinct.” After a moment, she looked around the med-bay. “By the way, you said Tamae-sensei and Mikie-chan were here, right? Where are they?”

“Having a rather important discussion,” Tonomachi answered. “You know, considering Mikie-tan's actually a soldier fighting the good fight and all that.”

In the mess-hall, Tamae and Mikie sat on opposite ends of the table.

“I... don't really know where to begin with all this,” Tamae admitted. “This is what your father was trying to get you out of the other day, right?”

“It is,” Mikie admitted. “I know he means well by it, but... I chose to be here, and I want to stick to that choice.”

Tamae couldn't help but be surprised. She had known Mikie for all of Mikie's life, and she knew her as an eager, awkward, clumsy girl. The Mikie that sat in front of her... well, she could still see the shades of the girl she was, but there was more drive; more fire in those eyes. Mikie had grown up a bit without her noticing. “Could you tell me how it all started, then?” Tamae asked. “How you came to join the GSDF?”

Mikie took a deep breath. “I think it was back in either February or March,” she began. “I had... just had a fight with Father, and was wandering around the city in a daze. I was so out of it, I didn't even realise the Spacequake alarm had gone off, until a Spirit had appeared right in front of me.” Tamae remembered what Reine had said, about Spirits being the cause of Spacequakes. “That Spirit... I thought she was going to kill me, and when I readied myself for it...she appeared.”

“Who did?”

“Origami-senpai,” Mikie answered, smiling softly. “She was... so gallant. So heroic. Watching her fight, it filled me with a hope I thought I had lost. After that time, I trained as hard as I could to join the AST, and come April, I finally did... only to just as quickly learn that Origami had taken a serious injury fighting that same Spirit, and been forced to retire on the 10^th.”

That seemed to line with some of the stuff that Tamae had been told. Yet, something stuck out to her. Mikie said 'the 10^th'. April 10. Why was that date sticking out to her? Sure, it was when Origami got that injured arm, but there was something... else about it.

“As Captain Kusakabe told you, later that month, I was tasked with trying to take out the Spirit Origami-senpai was with,” Mikie continued. “As you might guess, I failed then. Probably the best failure I've ever had, though. That following month, when the next Spirit showed up, Tohka-senpai was the one who convinced me to look at things in a different light, which led to me trying to convince the captain of that same thing, and now... here we are.”

Finally, it clicked in Tamae's mind. That first Spirit Mikie was alluding to was Tohka. The time frame matched up, and... there was also the fact that Tohka's name was written with the characters for the date 'April 10'.

So much seemed to come back to Tohka, now that she thought about it. It was kind of strange, but maybe it was just coincidence. Fate works in mysterious ways, after all.

“You came to admire Origami-san after she saved you, right?” Tamae asked. “That didn't change at all when she and Tohka-san became... you know?”

Mikie shook her head. “I did become a little jealous, I'll admit,” she said. “But, I was able to put it away. It was for the sake of the world, after all, and Tohka-senpai, Yoshino-chan, Kotori-chan, and even Kurumi-senpai... they're all just as much victims of circumstances as the rest of us.”

Ah, right. Tokisaki Kurumi called herself a Spirit when she transferred into her class. Tamae remembered that now. At the time, she thought it was just something silly. A little bit of chunnibyou, perhaps some spiritualism stuff, something like that. Not her actually being a completely different existence. “Whatever happened to Kurumi-san?” Tamae asked. “Officially, she's off sick from school, but since she has a record for it, I didn't think much about it until now.”

“I... honestly don't know,” Mikie admitted. “After her date with Origami-senpai back in June, she's gone into hiding. None of us have seen her at all since then.”

That was certainly concerning. Not in a 'dangerous being on the loose' way, but more 'one of my students is missing', at least as far as Tamae was concerned.

“Then, just one more question from me, Mike-chan,” Tamae said, voice becoming increasingly serious. “How far have you gone with Origami-san and Tohka-san?”

Mikie blushed so brightly, you'd have thought the sun had risen. “I-I don't know what you mean!” she stuttered out.

“Have you gone for the home-run?!” Tamae shouted. “The adult naptime?! Done the dirty deed?! Have you, or have you not, had sex?!!”

Mikie became a stammering mess, having not entirely expect Tamae to be so blunt about it. Eventually, as one might expect from Mikie at this point, she overheated and passed out.

The wind thoroughly taken out of her sail, Tamae sat back down with a sigh.

The problem wasn't that she didn't trust Origami with her cousin. The problem was that it probably meant that Mikie, a girl who was half Tamae's age at this point, most likely had one up on her. It was a wound to the pride that Tamae might not be able to live down.

The following day... the rain finally stopped. It felt almost poetic, as the sun shone down on a drenched Tengu City, the rest of the world blissfully unaware of the events that had transpired yesterday.

For Origami and friends, there was no further filming to be done. Not because they didn't need more footage, but more because how were they going to get back to that after everything that had happened? As much as she had recovered, Mai was jumping at shadows quite a bit. Understandable, considering she had just had a near-death experience.

When the day finally waned to a close, however, the Spacequake alarm went off. Again.

This time around, rather than rushing off, Origami calmly broke away from the group, and began making her way to a familiar location. It never was hard to give her fellow students the slip, but now that she had Tamae (and pretty much everyone worth noting in her class) in her corner, it was like going on a casual morning walk.

The location in question? The stadium where she first met Miku.

It was kind of the closest thing they had to a date, this one. Of course, the first time ended with Origami getting sonic-boomed into a wall.

Good times.

As she stepped into the main auditorium, a beautiful song echoed through, reaching her ears. Even without backing instruments, Origami knew it was a happy, lovely song.

Far down there, on the stage, was Miku, singing freely for the first time in forever. She looked so much happier than the first time they met.

Miku opened one eye, noticing Origami off in the distance, and smiled, all while not dropping the song. A serious far-cry from their first meeting.

When her song ended, Origami did the only thing she felt it was fitting to do, and began clapping. The sound echoed very weirdly, considering it was just them.

As Origami began her approach, Miku curtsied playfully. She certainly seemed happier.

“I was right the first time,” Origami said, climbing up on stage. “Your voice really is beautiful.”

Miku giggled in response. “Hearing that now, I can't help but think you have a way with corny lines,” she said. “I get the feeling you could convince a girl the sky was red, with how you deliver them.”

“And when have I ever told a lie with them?” Origami rebutted. “Was this what you were wanting to do?”

“Not quite,” Miku answered. “This was just the start. After all, if you were to pin me down right this minute, and have your way with me... Well,” she looked away almost bashfully. Almost. “I can't say I'd be against it, and I can pretty much guarantee you'll have me. But, there is one step that I'd like to take first.”

“And what might that be?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Miku asked. “I made sure the Spacequake I caused was small, and high in the sky. By now, all the shops will have reopened.” Origami felt she had a good idea where this was going now. “There's usually an order to this sort of thing, so what do you say? How about we do this right... and go on a proper date?”

Chapter Text

The mid-summer sun still hung high in the sky. The humidity was rather annoying, with all the rain water evaporating in the light, but it was still a remarkably beautiful afternoon.

But, that wasn't the most captivating sight people had to see today. Rather, everyone's attention was stolen by two remarkably beautiful girls on a date together.

Origami quickly concluded that Izayoi Miku, in her natural state, was just a stunning eye-catcher. She understood that quite well; as she was now, Miku exuded confidence, and had the figure to back it up.

There was something... different about Miku's clothes, now that Origami had a chance to look. She had changed from her Astral Dress to the Raizen uniform, yet the way she wore it made such a world of difference.

Before, she made a point of keeping a large jacket on, even in the warm (yet wet) summer weather, making herself seem slight and small. Now, as she was wearing exclusively the summer uniform, with its short sleeved shirt and all... Really, the only word she could find to describe it was 'Damn'.

Origami had seen Miku's figure full on before, but there was something about putting clothes over it, especially clothes that showed off that figure, that really got the heart pounding.

The way Miku wore the summer uniform seemed to only draw her eyes to those curves more and more. If it wasn't for the fact that Origami already swung that way, she would have been questioning her sexuality by now.

“Ah! Look!” Miku called out, pointing towards a food stall. “They're selling crepe's over there! Let's get some, Darling!”

Origami had become use to verbal flash-bangs at this point. Being called 'Darling' hit her more like a live grenade. “So I'm... Darling, now?” Origami asked.

“Of course,” Miku replied. “Why wouldn't you be?”

… Fair enough, then. Far be it for Origami to question.

A few minutes later, and the two were seated on a bench by a fountain. The crepes were actually quite nice, and despite her suspicions, the man running the stall was not actually part of Ratatoskr. Origami had gotten a bit too use to them taking over every food stall or game corner.

In the corner of her eye, Origami could see that Miku was really enjoying her crepe. Had it really been that long since she last got to eat one so eagerly?

After a bite, Origami noticed a small bit of cream on Miku's cheek. It was such a cliché setup, and by the very subtle smirk she had, Miku very much intended it.

She wondered; was she doing this to see how Origami would react? What would surprise her more? Well, in this case, perhaps it would be best to play it by the book.

“Miku,” Origami said. “You have some cream on you.”

“Do I?” Miku asked, her tone of voice indicating absolute intent. “Darling, do you think you could get it for me?”

So this was her game, then. See how Origami reacts to this scenario. Well, unfortunately for Miku... Origami knew not this thing called 'shame'. She lent forward, and much to Miku's surprise, licked the cream off her cheek.

A blush filled Miku's cheeks, but she managed to play it off. “My, Darling. That was bold of you.”

“If you consider that bold,” Origami replied, taking a bite of her own crepe, “then wait until you see what I can do at night.”

Credit where it was due, but Miku managed to keep herself from getting too flustered while they ate.

Their next stop, equally as cliché as the first, was the arcade. Once again, two beautiful high school girls proved to be real head-turners in any environment.

“Darling! How about that one?” Miku asked, pointing towards a crane-game filled with various plushies. “Shall we try that one?”

“I do not see why not,” Origami responded. “I have some experience with these sorts of games.”

“Tohka-chan told me about that,” Miku said. “She told me all about how much effort you both put into winning that large stuffed bread plush.”

“Well, these games are notoriously rigged in the house's favour,” Origami said. “And then I went and got shot, like, an hour later, staining it with my blood. Not a good look for a date, I won't lie.”

“Ah, right...” Miku muttered. “They did also tell me about... that first time with Mike-chan. I'm surprised at how quickly you forgave her.”

“She was misguided,” Origami said. “Much like the rest of the AST. Most of what we understood about Spirits was given to us by the former DEM. Besides, it's not like Mikie really shot me.”

“It was actually Tokisaki Kurumi, making sure it looked like Mike-chan had,” Miku finished, as the two began working on the crane-game. “Tohka-chan told me as much. Whatever happened to Tokisaki-san?”

“We are not sure,” Origami answered. “She disappeared in mid-July, and we haven't seen or heard anything from her since.”

“The one that got away,” Miku muttered. Over the course of their conversation, they had managed to win at least one of every prize in the machine.

Origami and Miku looked down at the fifteen plushies they had obtained. “... Perhaps a bag is in order?”

“Sounds like a good idea, Darling.”

After the arcade, the two spent an hour simply walking around the city. Looking at the sights, window shopping, small things like that.

At one point, Miku misplaced a step, and nearly fell over, before Origami caught her.

“Careful,” Origami said. “I would hate for you to get dirty like this.”

“R...right,” Miku replied quietly. She was once again in awe; not by how quickly Origami was able to react to that situation... but by just how well defined her muscles were. Like, it made sense; she was former AST, after all, but damn. Those were the sort of toned arms one could safely fall asleep in.

Then, without warning, and without letting go of Miku, Origami pivoted around. What followed was the sound of something wet hitting her.

Origami had been hit in the side of the head... by a ball of mud. Some of the splatter had gotten on both their uniforms, too, but that was secondary at the moment.

Origami glared at the ones who threw it. Miku recognised those girls well; that group from Rindouji.

“Well, look who it is,” one of the girls said, in a voice that just begged to leave her punched in the face. “Never thought we'd see you again, Hussy.”

“What, did your boy-toy up and leave you?” the next one over said. “Shouldn't be too surprised! Anyone would get bored of a loose...”

The temperature immediately dropped several degrees. The Rindouji girls had all frozen in fear of something they couldn't quite figure out.

Miku carefully glanced at Origami, and for a split second, she thought she was looking at a god of war. The sound of reality itself cracking (Miku later realised that it was actually the water on the ground around them was freezing and cracking) echoed over the sounds of city life, and for a moment, the mud on her face looked more like blood.

“Rather petty of you,” Origami said darkly. “What, do you pretentious idiots not have anything better to do with your lives than make it worse for someone else?”

“Who... who do you think you are?” one of the girls spat. “You're just some nobody!”

Origami ran a hand through her hair, and something 'clicked' into place.

It was all about how one perceived themselves. Miku remembered that from when Reine had shown off how she had made Origami up to look like a guy when filming started. The hardest person one had to convince was themselves; when that was out of the way, the rest of the world tended to follow.

The way the eyes looked changed ever so subtly, and suddenly Origami seemed a whole lot taller.

The Rindouji girls all stood in shock and awe. “People like you have no right,” Origami began, voice sounding like it could set the ocean on fire. “No right to treat other like trash, when they've suffered enough as it is. What gives you the right to judge someone harshly, when they've already been thrown under the bus?”

Miku couldn't help but look at Origami in amazement. Just how far was she willing to go for her?

While those other girls were stammering and trying to figure out what just happened, Miku decided to take action. “Leave us,” she said, invoking the power of her Angel, Gabriel. “Leave us, and never bother us again.”

The words washed over them like a wave. Then, like puppets on strings, they all turned around, and walked off.

Origami blinked in surprise, her state of mind shifting back to normal. “Miku, was that...”

“My Spirit power,” Miku admitted. “Through the use of Gabriel, I am able to influence the thoughts and emotions of others. It's... the same power that, when it failed once, lead to the state you found me in.”

“You've been hesitant to use it,” Origami noted. “Having it go so badly that one time has left a bitter taste, I take it?”

“It has,” Miku said. “I... I use to treat others like toys. I was a cruel, horrible person, and... and I truly believe that what happened to me was my comeuppance; that karma had finally decided to collect.”

“Do not sell yourself short,” Origami said. “You were dealt a bad hand in life before you became a Spirit. When people at their lowest are given such power, they tend to make bad choices. I know that, if I were made a Spirit before I met Tohka, that I would... make horrible choices that the me of today would hate.”

Miku looked at Origami... then couldn't help but giggle. “I'm sorry, but... It's a bit hard to take the conversation seriously when you have mud on your face.”

Origami touched her face, rubbing the mud between her fingers. “Yes, I suppose so,” she said. “And we've gotten a good deal on our clothes, as well. Whereabouts do you live, anyway?”

Miku looked aside, shamefully. “I... rent a small apartment on the other side of the main city. It's a bit too far from here.”

“As is my home,” Origami muttered. “... I have an idea. It's not the greatest, but it can also double as a proper finish to this date.”

“What is it?”

… Izayoi Miku was currently in the process of freaking out a little.

She hadn't been entirely sure what Origami meant when she said that Ratatoskr had set 'something' up as a surprise tool for Spirit dating. Origami had only known from doing a bit of extra digging after first learning about it that it came with all the facilities that they currently needed.

Miku absolutely did not expect it to be a freaking love hotel. A normal hotel, maybe, but this? This was... okay, maybe not outside the wheelhouse as far as Origami went. Still it was a bit of a curve ball.

The only thing weirder than that was the fact that the room came equipped with a washing machine. Why did the love hotel have a washing machine in every room?

Miku would be wondering more about that, alongside the question of where her normal clothes disappear to when she dons her Astral Dress (which she currently wore, as her normal clothes were in aforementioned washing machine), if it wasn't for the simple fact that Origami was currently in the shower right this second.

How did she do it? How did Origami manage to so deeply ingrain herself into Miku psyche, that just the thought of her naked self, separated by a thing door, was enough to leave Miku completely flustered.

Was it her confidence? Was it the fact that she could walk around wearing little more than a loose fitting shirt without batting an eye? Was she just able to exude that much charisma without thinking about it?

Miku found she couldn't suppress a flinch when she heard the water stop. The door slid open. Taking a deep breath, Miku looked over to Origami.

… She had fully expected her to come out wearing only a towel, but that wasn't what took the wind from her sail. No, what really caught Miku off guard was getting a full look at those scars.

The shirts for Raizen's summer uniforms weren't especially thick, but they did enough of a job at covering the scars from just before the elbow all the way to the shoulder. Miku would freely admit that, until this point, she had never seen that far.

Those surgical lines, those dots where rebar had pierced through, that bullet scar high up there, all of it was on full display. What amazed Miku more, though, was the fact that Origami seemed like she wore those scars with pride.

Really, how couldn't she? Origami was the person she was today because of those wounds. Without them, she would still be trying to kill Spirits; trying to kill her, and Tohka, and Yoshino, and Kotori. Especially Kotori, from what Miku recalled.

“Are you still in there?” Origami asked. “You're spacing out.”

Miku snapped back to the present, and remembered that; oh yeah, naked amazing person in front of me.

Miku quickly looked away, and fought hard not to look back when she felt Origami sit down next to her.

Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, Miku looked at Origami. “I guess... it's time, then,” she said, locking eyes with the white haired beauty.

“If you're ready,” Origami replied, placing a hand on Miku's cheek. “I'm sure Tohka warned you about it, but even I'm not sure what I'll end up doing once the seal is in place.”

“I know,” Miku said. “But... I'll be fine with whatever it is. After all... it'll be you.”

And that was the truth. Whatever it was that Origami would feel after this... it would still be genuine, and Miku would still love her.

The two leaned in close, and after what felt like an eternity... kissed.

As Miku's Astral Dress began to break off in moats of light, Origami couldn't help but note the smell of lillies.

As the two broke away from the kiss, they stared longingly into each others eyes. For half a second, Origami wondered what to do next.

Thump thump.

Well, that was quick. Not to mention... familiar. It was very similar to the feeling she got around Tohka.

Seeing Miku in all her glory, no water, no bathtub to obstruct her view, only served to hasten Origami's heartbeat.

Placing her other hand on Miku's shoulder, and kissed her again.

The kiss was far more intense than before. More passionate. Longer. They both felt it was impossible to tear themselves away.

Miku reached a hand up, and practically tore the towel off of Origami's body, before groping at one of Origami's breasts.

Origami let out a small moan, muffled by Miku's lips on her own. Not being one to be dominated in situations like this, however, Origami removed her hand from Miku's cheek, slowly let it run down Miku's body, before finding its place between her partner's legs.

Miku's eyes shot open, and her back arced in response to the sudden influx of pleasure.

Origami wrapped an arm around Miku's back, drawing her closer still.

Pandora's box had been opened, and it was far too late to put the lid back on.

Early the following morning, Okamine Tamae was waiting by the school gates. Waiting alongside her was Mikie, Tohka, Ai, Mai, Mii, and Tonomachi.

What, or rather, who they were waiting for, was obvious, especially since they all knew the truth.

“Tohka-chan, Mike-chan,” Tamae spoke up. “Have you heard anything about them?”

Both girls shook their heads. “Kotori-san said that they wouldn't be observing them,” Mikie said. “She said that it would probably be best for them to handle it themselves.”

“Still, how would we know if it worked?” Ai asked. “Like, is there some kind of tell that lets you guys know that it's worked?”

“If we're talking 'graphs' and such,” Mikie answered, “then Ratatoskr would see a large drop in Spirit power radiating from Izayoi-senpai. As for the 'in the moment' part, well...”

“We lose our Astral Dresses,” Tohka added. “Basically, we're completely naked for a while.”

There was a moment of awkward silence, followed by the sound of Tonomachi getting punched in the face by Mii. “Why?!”

“Because I know where your mind went!” Mii yelled.

“Don't act like you didn't think it, too!”

The rest watched as the two went back and forth. “So, is it just me,” Mai said, “or do those two have, like, hella compatibility?”

“You know, I was just thinking that,” Ai agreed.

“You think so?” Tohka asked. “It really seems like Mii hates his guts.”

“It's just a way some people show their love,” Ai said. “And before you say anything else, Tohka-chan, that only applies to some people. You just keep doing what you're doing with Origami-san.”

“By the way, how do you feel about it?” Mai asked. “You know, Izayoi-san being added to your... relationship thing? And I kinda want to know how you feel about the whole 'other Spirits' thing in general.”

Tohka thought about it for a good minute. “Well, I get why it needs to be this way,” she said. “And, when it was Yoshino or Kotori, I didn't really think much of it. After all, they just became like family. This is... probably the first time I've felt... challenged, is it?”

At that, Mikie pouted. “I feel like chopped liver.”

“Th-that's not at all true, Mikie!” Tohka quickly backpedalled. “We- I mean, Origami and I... Uuhh, how does Origami do this so well?”

Watching this, Tamae couldn't help but smile to herself. Mikie was really loved by them, and she could at least be happy about that.

“Ah! There they are!” Ai shouted. “Yo! Origami! Miku!”

All eyes turned to the duo as they approached, and... Yeah, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out just how far they had gone. Messy hair, shirts not properly buttoned, more hickeys than there were hexagons in a beehive...

“Sheesh, you two look like hell,” Ai commented.

“You really put new meaning to 'road hard and put away wet', huh?” Mai said.

Mii gave Mai a sidewards glance. “That was so lame.”

With a slight huff, Mikie and Tohka both walked up, and began fixing up their uniforms. “C'mon, senpai,” Mikie said, fixing up Miku's shirt. “You don't want to draw too much attention to yourself, do you?”

Miku looked at Mikie in surprise. Not because it was a rather pretentious thing to say, but because somehow, the youngest one among them was playing the role of the mum friend.

With a smile, Miku picked Mikie up by the waist, and twirled around with the girl in a tight hug. Considering the size difference, it wasn't hard. “Oh, you are just a treat, Mike-chan!” Miku exclaimed, before kissing her on the mouth.

“Easy, Miku,” Origami said, as Tohka tried to straighten her hair. “Mikie gets flustered pretty easily like that.”

True to form, when Miku backed off, Mikie had a blank, dazed expression on her face. “Oops.”

“Wow. Talk about a change of character,” Ai commented. “You would not think that this was the same shy girl from... what, a few days ago?”

“Has it really only been a few days?” Mai asked. “Guess that just goes to show what Origami does to a girl.”

“That's so lame,” Mii finished.

“There we go,” Tohka said, stepping back from Origami. “That should stop anyone else from staring. Good thing Reine taught me a few things, huh?”

“Indeed,” Origami replied, before kissing Tohka on the cheek. “Thanks.”

One could imagine a puff of steam shooting from the top of Tohka's head, the way she quickly turned red.

Miku pouted. “No fair,” she said. “I wanted to kiss Tohka-chan, too.”

“W-well!” Tohka said, flustered. “Not like I can say no to a face like that!”

The rest of the group stood on the sidelines, watching the lovebirds do as lovebirds do.

“I'd... better make myself scarce,” Tonomachi said. “Otherwise, Mii-tan might start kicking my teeth in again.”

“Good call there, dumbass,” Mii snarked.

In an abandoned park on the outskirts of Tengu City, Minerva Riddell, even 48 hours later, was still coughing up blood.

Every nerve felt like ice on fire. Every thought she tried to think made it feel like she was suffering ten aneurysms at a time. It was all made worse by the fact that, out of all the equipment she had lost in that last battle, the entirety of the Cheshire Cat unit was among them.

“Damn it...” she cursed. “Damn you, Takamiya Mana! Next time... Next time I see you...!”

She swore she would make them pay. That bitch of a Raven, that AST brat, and those two boys who somehow had Spirit powers.

They would pay. They would all pay.

“I guess a worm would be hard to track down,” an unfamiliar voice said. Minerva forced herself around, to see a woman equipped with a standard CR-Unit, and black hair.

“You...” she spat. “You're that captain of those plebs in the AST.”

Kusakabe Ryouko looked at Minerva with more contempt than she ever had before in her life to anything else. “Unlike you, Minerva Riddell, those girls actually stand for something. You've probably never fought for a cause larger than your own ego.”

“What, so the Anti-Spirit Team is protecting Spirits now?” Minerva laughed, painful though it was. “That's rich.”

“We've rebranded recently,” Ryouko said. “These days, we're the Allied-Spirit Team. It at least saves money on having to relabel everything.”

“Are you taking the piss?”

“Well, I guess it doesn't matter to you, anyway,” Ryouko shrugged, letting her sword flare to life. “After all, you're not walking away from this one alive.”

With a wet chuckle, Minerva forced herself to her feet. “And what, might I ask, makes you think you can take me in a figh-”

There was the sound of steel and energy slashing through the air. “Bold of you to assume it would be a fight at all,” Ryouko said, as blood began to flow from a slowly opening cut on Minerva's neck. “The truth is, Raven; I was never going to give you the chance to fight back.”

Ryouko did make sure that Commander Kotori was alright with this. Well, saying that she was 'alright' with it would be overselling it. Kotori understood and accepted that Minerva Riddell was almost certainly too dangerous to be left alive. But, at the end of the day, Kotori was still just a kid. Asking her to decide on whether someone lived or died was a bit much. So, the order was worded that the choice was left to Ryouko herself.

Ryouko was a military woman. She knew when the tough calls had to be made. She was glad when things turned out well, but in regards to Minerva, the only peace that could be had would be a swift end to her.

Finally, after one final, desperate gasp, Minerva's life expired, and her body crashed to the floor.

With a heavy sigh, Ryouko tapped her earpiece. “This is Kusakabe to base. The job is done.”

[We copy, Ryouko-chan,] replied the voice of Mildred. [How'd it go?]

“It's left a bad taste in my mouth, Milly,” Ryouko admitted. “If only because the final call was Commander Itsuka's to make. How is she, by the way?”

[Koto-chan's keeping a brave face, but we can see that it bothers her,] Mildred answered. [Yoshino-chan's making sure not to leave her side for a moment.]

“That's a relief, at least,” Ryouko muttered. “Send a chopper my way. I'm not a fan of scavenging this corpse for its weapons, but I'd rather that as opposed to letting them fall back into the hands of whoever our enemies are.”

[Copy that, Ryouko-chan. Chopper will be there in ten.]

The comms switched off, leaving Ryouko with nothing more than her thoughts.

“... Better me than anyone else,” she told herself. “They may be strong, but... they're still kids. They don't need this kind of blood on their hands.”

Gossip travelled fast around Raizen High. It didn't take long for people to learn, or at least theorise, that Tobiichi Origami had gotten herself a third girlfriend.

At the very least, Origami could deal with the envy. It was for the fate of the world, after all, at hey, at least things were still going smoothly. Well, as smoothly as they could be, considering that each Spirit to this point has involved some kind of near-death experience in some way.

At least the weather had finally changed. All that rain was really annoying.

The door to the classroom swung open, and both Tamae and Reine walked in. “Okay, everyone!” Tamae called out. “To your seats, please. We have a few announcements to make!”

Everybody made their ways to their seats, wondering what was to come. “Now, first off,” Tamae continued, “we have a little bit of sad news. Rentarou-kun has had to move overseas, and won't be joining us here anymore.” Origami briefly wondered just who this 'Rentarou' was. Probably one of the classmates she never talked to. “In regards to that, we've had a bit of a class reshuffle with 2-1, and we'll be having a new friend join us in his place.” One unifying thought crossed the minds of every student in this class, and that was 'It's Origami's new girlfriend, isn't it'.

When Izayoi Miku walked through the door, it was met with a resounding 'called it'.

“Say,” one of the other students said in a hushed whisper. “Wasn't Izayoi-san that one gloomy girl? How'd she change so drastically?”

“Because of Tobiichi-san, duh,” another student replied. “Haven't you seen the effect she has on women?”

“Actually,” another student said. “Word on the grapevine is, before Yatogami-chan showed up, Tobiichi-san actually tried proposing to Tama-chan.”

“Yeah, I'd buy that.”

“Attention, please!” Tamae called out. Whether she had heard any of that conversation or not, nobody would know. “For out next announcement, I have some news I'm sure many of you will be happy to hear. Since the weather has finally cleared up...”

Excitement began to build up once more. They had a good idea where this was going.

“The school trip's back on!”

And with that, cheers erupted throughout the classroom.

Chapter Text

“Well, this certainly took a turn.”

In the darkness of the deck of an unknown ship, a white haired man watched the monitor before him with intrigue.

“Our apologies, sir,” the blonde haired woman beside him said. “We did not expect her to escape so easily.”

“Easily? Hardly,” the man said affably. “Those girls put up a strong fight, and overpowered the best of the best. Such is a Spirit, I suppose.”

“Should we give chase?”

“No. I'm actually more curious what will happen, now that Berserk is in the wild. Whereabouts are they heading, anyway?”

“Arubi Island, sir. A vacation resort, and little more. The only thing worth noting is that it's currently the destination of a school trip, courtesy of Raizen High.”

The main raised a brow, inquiringly. “And why is this interesting, might I ask?”

“Do you recall what happened to Minerva Riddell last month?” the woman asked. “We tasked her with apprehending the sealed Princess, and as far as we know, she tried using Diva, whom attends this very school, as a spring board to get started on that.”

“Oh, right,” the man recalled. “And whoever it was that has been doing the sealing gave her quite the beating. I recall now. Were we able to identify this person?”

“Unfortunately, no. And, equally regrettably, the reason behind that is because of our experiments on Berserk causing that typhoon that lasted all month. Our ability to observe Tengu City was very limited at that time.”

Despite that, the man chuckled. “Well, at least that means it'll be fun,” he said. “After all, where's the joy in knowing where all the pieces are in Battleship? Half the fun of the game is figuring out where everything falls.”

“What shall we do now, sir?”

The man looked back at the monitor, grinning sinisterly. “For now, let's just observe. See how our 'friends' play their cards.”

It had been a long time since Origami last rode on a plane. When you've had the power to fly under your own will for a while, the act of riding commercial airlines feels almost dull in comparison.

“Woah!” Tohka exclaimed from the seat next to her. “We're so high up!” This was where the 'almost' came from in the previous example; having a girlfriend who had never flown before.

From her other side, Miku giggled. “Is this really the first time you've been in a plane, Tohka-chan?” she asked. “I would have thought you'd find it dull, considering you used to fight at such high speeds.”

“But this is a plane! A plane!” Tohka explained. “It's different!”

Yeah, it was impossible to get bored with people like this in her life.

This plane was bound for Arubi Island. They would have been here last month, if it wasn't for the fact that the weather decided to take exception to them travelling.

Of course, this poses the question; if Origami's class is going to Arubi Island now, what's going to happen with the movie project that they were working on for the Tenou Festival in September? Well officially, Reine had elected to stay behind, and work on it with the help of Okamine Mikie. Behind the scenes, though, it was being worked on by most of the crew of the Fraxinus. Assuming that there's no Spacequake this month (which, let's be real, you can never count on it, much like the weather in Australia), they'd need to do something while Kotori was away at a meeting with Ratatoskr's higher ups.

So, where did that leave Yoshino?

“Alright, y'all!” Yoshinon commanded from the Fraxinus' bridge. “Let's get this thing done, double time!”

“G-good luck, everyone!” Yoshino added.

“Yes, Boss!”

In change. It left her in change. Why Kotori made that choice, Origami honestly couldn't say. But, it was kinda funny, so they left it at that.

But then, there was another question to consider; was it really alright for Reine to be holding the fort back in Tengu City, while Origami, Tohka, and Miku, were all basically out of the country? That was where Tamae came in.

One of the major perks of having a teacher that knew the big secrets of what was really going on in the world, was that you had an easily justifiable operator on the ground. So, for the time they were on Arubi Island, Tamae would be the Fraxinus' eyes on the ground. For this, she was being paid a lump sum of money that wasn't anything to sneeze at, as well as Kannazuki Kyouhei's phone number. He gave it willingly.

Finally, after an extra hour or so, the call for everyone to return to their seats and fasten their seatbelts was heard.

Origami really hoped nothing major would happen for the coming week. Knowing her luck, though, she was going to encounter the next Spirit by the end of the day. End of tomorrow at the latest.

Arubi Island was a very tropical place. That much was to be expected, really. The heat was something else entirely, but again, this was a vacation resort.

The main goal of this 'school trip' was to research the local legends, but even Tamae wouldn't deny that it was just an excuse to give the students the high-school-rom-com-beach-episode moments that many could only dream of.

It... may have also helped these days that she had a little something-something to look forward to, but that wasn't anyone's business.

The first order of business, however...

“Okay, everyone!” Tamae called out. “We're going to be assigning rooms now!” This was a simple matter, really. Everyone was just going to be paired up. “Now, unfortunately, one of the rooms is currently under renovation, so two rooms are going to have to triple up.”

All eyes immediately fell on two particular trios: The Ai-Mai-Mii three, and the Origami-Tohka-Miku three.

The six looked at everyone else, then each other. “Are we really that surprised by this?” Ai asked.

“We're like, the most famous trio and the most famous throuple,” Mai added. “Was there ever any doubt how this would go?”

Mii looked at the two, and sighed. “That's so lame.”

Considering it was getting late into the afternoon, everybody settled for having dinner, and retiring to their rooms to sort out who gets what bed or which bunk.

Well, it wasn't like any of these rooms had a bunk bed to speak of.

For Origami's room, there were three futons lined up neatly on the ground.

“My!” Miku commented. “This looks like it'll be rather cozy, wouldn't you girls agree?”

“Hmm,” Tohka thought. “I've never actually used a futon like this before. Is it any different from a mattress?”

“Largely speaking, not really,” Origami answered. “A futon is softer, and thus more portable, than a mattress, but a mattress, on account of its sturdiness, would generally last longer.”

“I see,” Tohka muttered. Truthfully, Origami didn't know much about the intricacies of futons and mattresses. Everything she had just said was more conjecture on her part, based on logical leaps.

“So, what do we do now?” Tohka asked. “We've already had dinner, though I could honestly go for a bit more...”

“Let's be real, you could always go for more food,” Origami snarked playfully. “But, it's not like we can do much of anything else tonight.”

“Au contraire, Darling,” Miku said, quietly making her way behind Tohka. “There is some... strenuous experimentation we could be doing.”

Before either could ask what Miku meant by 'strenuous experimentation', Miku had gotten behind Tohka, and began massaging the later's breasts.

“Hey!” Tohka exclaimed. “Don't just ambush me like that, Miku!”

“Why not?” Miku asked playfully. “We usually do this one on one, or with Mike-chan. We don't usually get to play with just us three.” To express her point, Miku nibbled on Tohka's ear, causing her to let out a muffled moan.

Origami's heartrate jumped immediately. With a great deal of speed, she closed the distance, wrapping her arms around both of them.

Guess this was happening, then.

In the next room over, Ai, Mai, and Mii, were playing card games.

“So, who wants to take bets?” Ai asked. “How long until Origami and her harem start going at it?”

“No dice, sis,” Mai answered. “They're almost certainly 'going at it' right now.”

“That's so lame,” Mii muttered under her breath. “Do you girls ever wonder what it's like?”

“What do you mean?” Mai asked.

“Sex. That sort of thing,” Mii said. “I mean, let's face it, Origami-san's gone from being the school's Ice Queen to a veritable Sex Fiend. Surely the thought of what that's like has crossed your minds.”

Ai and Mai crossed their arms in thought. “You're not wrong,” Mai said. “But I think we need to remember that Origami-san's situation is... special.”

“Yeah, they got that whole 'emotional feedback loop' thing, right?” Ai said. “How does that work, anyway?”

“I think Reine-sensei said it was a compatability error between Origami-san and the sealing ability,” Mii said. “I dunno. It all went over my head.”

Origami was the first to wake up, early that next morning. Dressed back up in her school uniform, she had elected to take a short walk on the beach, to clear her head.

Four months. It had been four months now since her life goals were turned upside down. Overall, it wasn't that bad. Actually, that was selling it short; the life she now led was easily more fulfilling than it was beforehand.

But, there were still some questions Origami had wanted answered. Mainly, why did the ability to seal Spirits result in her becoming over-encumbered with an emotion? Why was that emotion so different for each Spirit? And why, in regards to Tohka and Miku, did it result in sex so much?

Origami didn't have much to complain about in that regard; if anything, she actually quite enjoyed it. But, it still perplexed her. Plus... both Tohka and Miku had exceptional stamina compared to Origami. After a while, Origami always seemed to fall behind, and they took the lead.

When Miku took over... Hoo boy, Origami never knew a woman could be so ravenous in bed. When Tohka was in charge, she was gentle... well, gentler than Miku, at least. When both of them were getting at Origami at once, well... at that point, you'd think they had no concept of stamina. It made her wonder if Miku's... lust, she supposed, which enhanced Origami's own, was in turn enhancing Tohka's.

… This made no damn sense at all. The only thing that Origami understood well was that her life now had 100 times more intercourse in it than it did at the start of the year.

“Tobiichi-san?” a familiar voice called out. There was only really one person these days that called her by her family name.

Origami turned around, to see Tamae approaching her. Before she could properly greet her, though, Origami noticed just how dishevelled Tamae's hair was. A few seconds later, and the dots were connected.

“Tamae-sensei,” Origami said. “What brings you out here so early?”

“I've always been an early riser,” Tamae answered. “What about you?”

“Much the same. Plus... the expected.”

“Ah.” Surprisingly, Tamae was not as flustered knowing about 'that'. “Have you at least been using protection?”

“We're all girls, sensei,” Origami said. “I think that's the last thing we have to worry about. But what about you? Are you and the vice-commander being safe?”

Tamae's face turned a luminous red. “H-how did you know that?!”

“I saw the way you swooned when you first met him,” Origami explained simply. “That, and Reine told me that she left the number to his personal terminal with you, alongside the line to the bridge.”

Tamae pouted. “Reine-sensei, you narc,” she muttered. “Listen, Tobiichi-san, Kyohei-kun and I are adults, and know how to handle this sort of thing responsibly.”

“So he's already Kyohei-kun, is he?” At that, steam began to rise from Tamae's head. “Still, I'm surprised. Most people get put off by his... kinks.”

“You mean the fact that he's a bottom?”

Origami blinked a few times. “That... doesn't surprise me, but I'll just add it to the list of things I didn't need to know. I'm talking more about the masochism.”

“Well, it is a bit unorthodox, but that just...” Tamae blushed once more, shaking her head. “No, I shouldn't say it. It's too inappropriate.”

Origami, though, didn't need her to say it out loud to understand what she was getting at. It meant that Tamae tops in that relationship.

Before they could talk about something else, an odd sound came from the ocean. A sound of slightly broken waves and footsteps in damp sand.

From the ocean walked a single, orange haired figure, dressed in tight black and purple clothes, with metal wings from her back. It didn't take a major leap in logic to conclude that this was a Spirit.

Origami and Tamae quickly ran over to the girl, who looked at them with icy-blue eyes. For a moment, there was a look of relief on the girl's face, before she collapsed to the ground. Light enveloped her form, before splitting into two vessels.

Origami and Tamae shared a look. This vacation just got a whole lot weirder.

The two halves of the Spirit were laid out in separate beds. Watching over them, Origami felt a great deal of confusion.

What had happened here? Was one the manifestation of the human, and the other the Spirit? Were they both Spirits? Too many questions, not enough answers.

“We've got the results back,” Kannazuki said, as he entered the room. “They both Spirits. Specifically, they're both classified as Berserk.”

“I'm familiar with that one,” Origami noted. “Otherwise known as the Children of the Storm?”

“The same,” he answered. “Whenever they appear, storms tend to follow. But weirder still is that they appeared before you as one person, right? Every other report we have of Berserk was that they appeared as two individuals. No understanding as to why, though.”

“Too many theories,” Origami said. “Best we wait for them to wake.”

The wait wasn't that long, before the one with the shorter hair (and, maybe worth noting, the smaller rack) began to stir awake.

Origami quickly went to her side. “Are you alright?” she asked.

“I...” the girl murmured. “Where am I?”

“Arubi Island,” Kannazuki answered. “You and your other half washed up here not an hour ago.”

“My... other...” she said quietly, before quickly sitting upright. “Yuzuru!”

The girl wobbled as she sat up. Origami quickly moved to support her. “She's alright,” she reassured. “She's in the next bed over. Hasn't woken up yet.”

The girl looked over, seeing her 'other half' resting peacefully in the bed, and the tension left her body. “Oh... Thank god,” she muttered weakly.

“Let's take this one step at a time,” Kannazuki said. “What's your name, young lady?”

“Me? I'm Kaguya,” she answered slowly. “And her, as you've guessed, is Yuzuru.”

“I see,” Origami said. “When you washed up, you both were a single person. What was up with that?”

“That was...” Kaguya hesitated for a moment. “That was who we were before becoming a Spirit. Her name was Yamai. We... don't remember much about how we split into two, but it caught the eye of that freak with the white hair. He tried to see what could happen if he forced us to fuse back into one.”

“White hair,” Kannazuki muttered, becoming deathly serious. “His eye wouldn't happen to look like a dead fish, would they?”

“Yeah. How'd you know?”

Kannazuki clicked his tongue. “Isaac Westcott,” he said bitterly. “Former head of DEM, before it went under. Easily the biggest threat we'll be facing.”

Origami felt a chill run up her spine. She hadn't heard the vice-commander get this serious before. “Tobiichi, I'm returning to the Fraxinus to inform the crew. You're in charge of the usual down here.”

“Understood,” Origami replied, saluting him as he left the room.

At that moment, Yuzuru began to stir. “Inquiry: Where am I?” she asked.

“Yuzu!” Kaguya shouted, leaping from the bed to her other's side.

“Kaguya?” Yuzuru muttered. “Inquiry: What happened to us?”

“For the time being, you are safe,” Origami said. “My name is Tobiichi Origami. Let me fill you in on everything.”

By the time she had finished explaining everything (that is, everything that was important to the moment), the sun was high in the sky.

Origami was fortunate that both Kaguya and Yuzuru had agreed to trying out the sealing method of keeping that Westcott person off their backs. Of course, that meant they now had to fall in love with her, and given they had just met...

Well, according to the crew, helping them had given Origami a bit of an early boost. Not much, but better than zero.

As Origami sat on the beach, now changed into her swimsuit, she was going to need a plan. At the very least, explaining all this to Tohka and Miku would be easy, and they could easily help speed things along.

Once more, Origami found herself confronted with the strangeness of her current life. She was thinking about 'speeding along' romancing two girls, like it was perfectly normal. She was becoming increasingly disturbed by her own thought patterns lately.

“Origami!” cried out the familiar voice of Tohka. Origami turned her head, to see both her and Miku walking her way. Tohka was wearing the same bikini she had during the date with Kotori, while Miku wore a yellow bikini that looked to be one misplaced hand away from a wardrobe malfunction.

Were it not for the fact that they had already addressed certain 'urges', or that Origami was deep in thought, we might all know where this could have gone.

“Tamae-sensei told us about the girls that washed up this morning,” Miku said, treating the situation seriously. “Is it bad?”

“If you consider the fact that the vice-commander went grim as serious, then yes,” Origami answered. “Those girls have been mistreated and experimented on, probably by the same people that hired Minerva Riddell.”

Origami felt a surge of two emotions coming from Miku and Tohka. She felt Miku's fear... and something dark from Tohka. Familiar, even. “Why?” Tohka muttered. “Why are some people so cruel? I don't understand it.”

“These days, neither do I,” Origami admitted. “I use to be like that, but looking back, I no longer understand my own blindness. Though...”

“Darling?” Miku spoke. “You've been looking sad for a while now. Is everything alright?”

“I'm...” Origami took a deep breath, trying to calm her own nerves. “I'm concerned, Miku. When I started down this road with Tohka, I knew I would change for the better. But now... I can hardly recognise the me from the AST as being even remotely close to the me of today. I can no longer distinguish between what are my own feelings, and the feeling of those I love, and whom love me in turn. I've found myself lost to carnal desire so often, I... I don't know if I'm just a degenerate sex fiend at heart or not. I don't... know myself anymore.”

A sombre air hung over the trio. Unbeknown to them, Kaguya and Yuzuru hadn't been too far behind Tohka and Miku, and rather than interrupt the moment, hid in the tree line and listened. Surprisingly enough, though, as the Fraxinus crew could attest, hearing this actually gave another boost to their affection. It was proof that Origami really did care, even if to the point where it's left her lost and confused.

Two pairs of arms wrapped around Origami's body, as Tohka and Miku embraced her from behind.

“I owe you an apology, Darling,” Miku said. “I got... so swept up in what I thought was a fairy-tale romance with you girls. Even knowing about the whole emotions part of our seal, I didn't... realise how much it scared you.”

“Same here,” Tohka said. “Being the only one for so long, I just... I kinda just thought this was how you were. I'm sorry too, Origami.”

Origami let out a slightly ragged breath, as she placed her hands on their arms. 'I'll be alright,' she told herself. 'Just because I'm unsure of myself... Doesn't mean I have to be unsure of them.'

Then, a sinister...ly fake laugh echoed through the trees. “Well, this is a touching display!” Kaguya stated boldly.

“Observation,” Yuzuru added, as the two approached. “There is a great deal of trust between you girls.”

“It's actually quite impressive,” Kaguya said in her fake haughty voice, before just as quickly dropping it. “Like, no lie. Anyone could get jealous of seeing that sorta thing.”

“I see,” Origami said plainly, as she took in the two's appearances. They wore strikingly similar swimsuits, though where Kaguya's was white with black polka dots, Yuzuru's was the inverse. Together, they made for quite the striking pair. “For now, I think introductions are in order.” So, in turn, she introduced Kaguya and Yuzuru to Tohka and Miku, and vice versa.

For now, though, it was time to get to work, and in this particular situation, work meant... fun in the sun.

Again: How did her life come to this?

From the captain's seat onboard the Fraxinus, Yoshino watched the cameras. One part of her felt a sense of jealousy at not being able to join Origami and the others. Another part, however... Another part of her mind didn't want to add more to the existentialism that Origami was going through right now.

She, and the rest of the crew, for that matter, never realised just how much Origami was actually bothered by her sudden change of lifestyles. She had hidden it so well up until now.

“Um... Vice-commander-san?” Yoshino said.

“Yes, acting commander Yoshino?” Kannazuki replied.

“What... do you think we should do?” she asked. “Origami-san... she seems troubled.”

Kannazuki hummed in agreement. “I wish it was that simple. However, the situation we live in is very volatile. It's impossible to know when the situation will change. Honestly, we had been hoping that this trip would be the downtime she needed.”

“Still, who'd have thought she was this troubled by it all,” Yoshinon said. “Just goes to show that, at the end of the day, she's still human.”

Yoshino hummed in agreement, yet something about that pipped Kannazuki's curiosity. Not the subject of the conversation, but rather, how Yoshino and Yoshinon seemed to be interacting with each other.

Lately, there seemed to be something of a disconnect between the two. Usually, they were two halfs of a single whole, with Yoshinon being the voice of Yoshino's inner thoughts. Yet, somehow, it felt like there was a slight disconnect between the two lately. Almost as if Yoshinon had slightly different thoughts to Yoshino.

Well, it was a touchy subject, in any case. Something to address later, maybe. Right now, the matter with Berserk needed to take priority.

Beach volleyball. One of the many mystifying sports created by the creatures known as humans.

Take the concept of volleyball, a game of two teams tossing a ball over a net in a (take a guess) volley, make the team sizes more modular, put it on a beach, and there you go; beach volleyball.

The winners got bragging rights, the losers lost nothing, and the spectators got a legitament excuse to ogle the competitors without feeling too creepy.

The one downside about being a group of five, though, was that one person had to sit out during a round. For the most part, that ended up being Origami, mostly for being the only human in the group. Even Miku was able to deliver a spike that could knock a lesser person out cold.

Boing

Speaking of Miku... Despite her current mental predicament, Origami had no idea where to keep her eyes. The job of refereeing in a game like this was to keep track of the ball, but... It probably doesn't need to be spelt out, but Origami was a girl with two gorgeous girlfriends, both of whom were currently wearing very generous bikinis, and were in the middle of playing a high octane sport with two equally gorgeous possible future girlfriends in equally generous bikinis. There were too many 'round objects' to keep track of, that Origami was starting to feel like the heat was getting to her.

“Ah! There they are!” a familiar voice called out. “Hey girls!”

Origami looked over, just as the game came to a slow halt, to see the familiar and welcoming Ai-Mai-Mii trio approaching them. And, of course, they were wearing their own swimsuits. Fortunately for Origami's sanity, Ai and Mai both wore more sporting one-piece swimsuits. Mii, on the other hand, was dressed in a sport-like two-piece, almost a sort of middle ground between her friends and the Spirits.

“Hey there, Ai! Mai! Mii!” Tohka called out, waving energetically. “Good to see you guys!”

“Right back at ya!” Ai shouted. “Who're the new friends?”

“Yo!” Kaguya greeted. “Name's Kaguya, the harbinger of darkness!”

“Greetings,” Yuzuru said, calmer. “I am Yuzuru.”

Mai lent closer to Origami. “Are they Spirits, too, by any chance?”

“They are,” Origami whispered. “Tamae-sensei and I found them earlier this morning. Their situation is... a new degree of complicated.”

“That so lame,” Mii said quietly. “Why can't it ever be simple?”

“Question of my life,” Origami said.

“Oh! I have an idea!” Miku said. “Now that we're eight, we can all play together!”

It wasn't a bad idea, really. This way, nobody had to miss out on a turn.

“I like it!” Kaguya said. “But, how should we divide the teams?”

After some debating, it was decided. On team A would be Origami, Kaguya, Yuzuru, and Ai, while on team B was Tohka, Miku, Mai, and Mii. Two humans and two Spirits per team, with the stipulation of making sure Origami was on the same team as Kaguya and Yuzuru. Not too hard.

You'd think, given that Ai was the most athletic of her trio, and Origami was former military, that team A would have the advantage. Unfortunately for them, Tohka alone made up for it in raw power.

The day pressed on with a whole lot of fun in the sun. If it wasn't for the looming duty of having to win hearts, then Origami would easily be having the time of her life.

Well, 8/10 was still a good day. Heck, Origami still wouldn't have complained if her mood had brought it down to a 7, or even 6.

The girls had learned quite a bit about Yuzuru and Kaguya over the day. To start, it was clear that these two cared greatly about each other. There were plenty of moments when the two tried to hide it, sure, but the love between the two was blatantly evident.

Familial love. It had been too long since Origami had seen the real thing. What she had with Kotori and Yoshino was, realistically speaking, a close approximation of the sort of family that was Yuzuru and Kaguya.

Well, one good thing about today, at least, was that Tohka and Miku were both getting along with the sisters.

Eventually the day began to wind down. The sun started to set, and the girls all made their way towards the hotsprings. After some debating and consideration, it was decided that Tohka and Miku would go in together first, and Origami and the twins would go in afterwards.

When it finally came time for her turn, Origami found herself perplexed to see that just one of the twins was joining her in the water. What made this even more confusing was the fact that this one looked like a combination of the two.

It didn't take long for it to click in Origami's mind. “Yamai?” she asked.

“Got it in one, Tobiichi-san,” Yamai answered. “Surprised?”

“Very,” Origami said. “How does this work, exactly? A time of day thing?”

“Maybe. This was the first full day we've had in relative freedom. Haven't exactly had the chance to figure out what those jerks did to us.”

Origami hummed a bit. “So, are you of two minds, or just one in this form?”

Yamai thought for a moment. “Kinda both? The 'I' that is 'me' only has one mind to think with, but it's still made up of two, if you follow.”

“I understand completely,” Origami lied. “Then, I suppose my next question is...”

“What will happen to us when we're sealed, right?” Yamai finished. “I don't know, but... if possible, I want those two to be able to live.”

“Even at the cost of yourself?”

Yamai smiled sadly at Origami. “I've always been living in place of someone else,” she said. “There was always suppose to be two of us, so... I just think it's the right thing to do.”

This seemed to be something that weighed heavily on Yamai's mind. A part of Origami wanted to ask 'well what about you', but stopped short. This was a situation she knew nothing about. Her opinion on the matter would have to wait until she had more information.

The two (three? The maths on this was odd) left the hotsprings, joining up with Tohka and Miku.

The four decided to take one last stroll along the beach before they headed back to the hotel, just as a way to cool off a little.

“My, what a harrowing situation,” Miku said quietly. “Are you sure there's not a way for all three of you to come out of this?”

“I can't think if it being possible,” Yamai answered. “Besides, who are you fooling? You're asking that because you like the idea of adding three to your orgies.”

Miku, at least, had the decency to look like she was caught in the act. “That might get a bit cramped, though,” Tohka said. “It's already a tight squeeze when it's just three of us.”

“And it's not like we've dared to try it with four yet,” Origami added. “God, listen to us. Talking about sex so casually.”

“Well, it is a part of our normal lives,” Miku said. “I mean... When we're not counting identity crises, at least.”

“I'll drink to that,” Origami responded. Fortunately, it seemed that laying bare her concerns had actually done wonders for levelling them out. Whether it was a solved problem or not was a question for later tonight.

As they walked, however, Origami felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Her instincts told her something was wrong, but what? If anything, this was the safest place to be; surrounded by three Spirits, and that wasn't even counting Origami's access to their powers.

So what was it? What was she suddenly afraid of?

The sound of sand crunching underfoot echoed from elsewhere. Acting on instinct, the girls quickly formed up around Yamai, scanning the area.

There, in the distance, an unfamiliar man with white hair and cold, dead eyes, approached.

“Good day to you, ladies,” he greeted affably. “I must say, I didn't expect to run into two more Spirits while tracking our little project down. And Princess is one of them, too? It must be my lucky day.”

A chill ran up everyone's spine. There was something fundamentally wrong about this man. “You...” Yamai muttered. “How did you find us?”

“Come now, Berserk. Did you really think we wouldn't have planted a tracking device on you?” the man asked. “Of course, it didn't work as well when you were split into two, but since you fuse in the same way a werewolf comes out, it was a matter of waiting.”

“You're Isaac Westcott, aren't you?” Origami asked. “Former chairman of DEM.”

“Indeed I am,” he replied with a bow. “Now, forgive me, but while I'm familiar with Berserk and Diva, and passingly so with Princess, I don't think I've had the pleasure, miss...?”

“Why?” Origami asked, not even giving him the pleasure of her name. “Why do all this? Spirits are just as much victims as the rest of humanity.”

“If you know that, then you must be Ratatoskr's little sealer,” Westcott noted. “I must say, you are certainly not what I expected. For some reason, I thought it'd be... an oddly familiar boy with blue hair?” Dismissively, he shook his head. “Listen to me, talking nonsense. To answer your question, though; my problem isn't with Spirits. No, what I hate is the world at large. But, that's none of your business.”

“And why's that?” Origami asked. There was that feeling again. That sense of dread, what was it?

“Well, I'd think it obvious,” Westcott said.

SHINK

“After all... what need does a corpse have for knowledge?”

Chapter Text

A deafening silence filled the air. When had that blonde haired woman gotten behind them?

The length of that golden sword had torn through Origami's chest. As casually as lifting a skewered marshmallow over a roaring flame, Origami was raised from the ground.

Breathing had become hard. Words were impossible. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, as her blood dyed the sand in its hue.

With a flick of the wrist, Origami was flung from the blade, landing just where the tide met the beach.

The Spirits were stunned silent, and Tohka was the first to finally react. “Origami!!” she shouted, attempting to run to her side.

Only for the blonde haired woman to get in the way.

“The plan is a go, Ellen,” Westcott said. “You know what to do.”

“Of course, Ike,” responded Ellen Mira Mathers, as she flourished her blood-stained blade.

Tohka grit her teeth in anger, as Sandalphon was called to her side. “Get out of my way!!”

Shocked as she was, Yamai managed to maintain enough of a level head to get Miku down to the ground before the fighting started. She looked over at Origami, whom was still motionless. “Shit, this ain't good,” she muttered. “Izayoi-san, we have to move!”

Miku, however, couldn't seem to hear anything in the world around her. Her eyes were focused solely on Origami. “Dar...ling?” she said weakly.

“Probably died from the shock,” Westcott commented casually, as if rating ducks during hunting season. “What a sad, pathetic way to go. Am I right?”

Immediately, Yamai felt something wrong begin to stir in Miku's being. Dark Spiritual energy began to coalesce around her being. Quickly realising what it entailed, Yamai did the one thing she could think of, and chopped Miku on the back of the neck, knocking her out cold.

“Oh? Smart thinking, Berserk,” Westcott admitted. “Stopping her from going Inverse like that.”

“So, is that your plan, then?” Yamai asked, as the battle between Tohka and Ellen moved a bit further down the beach. “Send as many of us into an Inverse state, and let us destroy the world?”

“Well, that's part of it,” Westcott said. “Or, more accurately, one outcome. I won't bore you with the details, though. I must say, though; you are made of quite hardy stuff, Berserk, to not Invert at the sight of your new friends death.”

“Well, unlike scum like you, I happen to love this world,” Yamai said. “I'm mature enough to put off on grieving for an hour or so. And besides...” She flashed a confident smirk as she hefted Miku over her shoulder. “Unlike you, I still have this thing called hope.”

With a rush of wind, Yamai spirited herself away from the battle.

Rage and desperation was burning in Tohka's mind. The longer she spent fighting this person, the more likely... the more likely Origami was to...

Her breathing hitched slightly. She was getting more and more tired by the second, and this woman JUST. WON'T. DIE!

A swift kick to the gut sent Tohka flying. “Is this really all you've got?” Ellen commented. “I'm honestly disappointed. How did someone like you manage to kill Minerva Riddell?”

Thump Thump.

What... did she just say? “You... Because of you, Miku had to suffer so much?”

“What of it?”

Thump Thump. Thump Thump.

Something dark began to take over Tohka's mind. Because of these people... these fiends... not only did Miku suffer because of them, but Origami was...

Tohka saw Origami in the corner of her eye, and when she looked over...

No movement. Just... a body whose blood was being washed away with the tide.

THUMP.

And then, it all went black.

When Yamai landed back at the hotel, dark power erupted from the beach front. It didn't take much for her to realise what was happening.

Yamai cursed her luck. That darkness meant that Tohka had just Inverted.

Two friends, just... gone now.

“Hey!” a familiar voice called out. Those three... ah, yes. Ai, Mai, and Mii, she recalled. “We heard things blowing up,” Ai said quickly. “What's going on?!”

“Things have gone tits up,” Yamai answered bluntly. “Tohka-san... And Origami-san, too... They...”

She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud, but the implications were not lost on the girls.

Light began to coalese off to the side, and from it, Kannazuki materialised.

“Handsome blonde!” Mai shouted. “Is something happening on your end as well?”

“Dreadfully south, yes,” he replied grimly. “After Origami took that fatal wound, we had to sedate Yoshino before she went Inverse. As for Tohka, I'm afraid she's already...”

The trio were stunned silent, as Yamai bit her lip in frustration. “Request,” she said. “Kannazuki, take Miku back to your ship. And, if you can, these three as well.”

Kannazuki took Miku from Yamai carefully. “What about you, though?”

“This all started because of me,” Yamai said. “So, I'm going to be there to end it.”

Kannazuki took a deep breath. “Very well,” he said finally. “Just don't die out there, understood?”

With that, he and the other girls vanished, leaving Yamai all alone. “Sorry about this, Kaguya, Yuzuru,” she said to herself. “You deserved better than getting dragged along by me.”

Everything felt cold. Was she... dying?

She couldn't be, could she? After all, it's not like this was the first time Origami had taken a lethal blow like this.

But, they hadn't gone for her vitals like this before. It had been; arm, shoulder, side of the torso, arm again. Not right down the middle like this.

And yet... she could feel something warm. Something that was insisting she mustn't give up.

Slowly, Origami opened her eyes. She could feel the waves crashing against her body, and the sand beneath her. As slowly and motionlessly as she could, she shifted herself to look at her wound.

… Why was it on fire? Yet, somehow, it didn't feel like it was burning. It was... like a warm embrace.

Origami traced a hand along where the stab wound should have been, and found it had already closed up. This warmth... this was like what she felt when she had called on Camael before. So this was another aspect of Efreet's, of Kotori's power?

Putting her gratitude to the side for a moment, Origami glanced up at the battle that was unfolding.

What had happened to Tohka? She looked... different. Almost evil, in a way. Her eyes were cold as ice, her blade jagged and long, and her Astral Dress... showed off a whole lot more skin than normal. It didn't take much for her to conclude that Tohka had gone Inverse.

The connection they shared... it was weak, but she could still feel it. It burnt with rage, anger... it was that familiar tang of revenge.

Origami felt a strong sense of guilt about that. It was just like last month, while fighting Minerva Riddell.

That blonde haired woman, no doubt the one who ambushed them and stabbed her, landed next to Isaac Westcott. “Well, it's certainly been a blast,” Westcott said. “But, perhaps it's time for us to leave. Let you rampage to your hearts content, Princess.”

“And what makes you think you'll leave here alive?” Tohka asked. Gods, her voice sounded so... dead.

Westcott shifted his position, holding up his left hand flippantly. Wait... if they all thought she was dead... and none of them were looking her way... A plan formed in Origami's head, and she was liking it.

“Well, it's not as if you can stop us,” Westcott said. “After all, for all your power, you're not-”

A scarlet beam shot forth, taking Westcott's arm clean off. There was a moment of stunned silence, before the blood started to gush dramatically.

“Ike!” Ellen shouted, before looking around for the one who shot.

Much to Westcott and Ellen shock, as well as Tohka's confusion, all eyes fell on Origami, with Camael in her hand. “My apologies for interrupting,” Origami said, “but you were making it too easy. I just couldn't pass up the chance.”

Rage overtook Ellen, as she charged at Origami in blind fury. She was fast... but Origami was prepared this time.

“Zadkiel!” Origami shouted, as icy spikes shot from the ground, one of which struck through Ellen's sword arm.

Origami cast a glance to Tohka, who quickly charged towards Ellen, and with a fierce kick, sent her flying back at Westcott.

Tohka brought the sword that was not Sandalphon down, sending out a massive wave of dark energy. Unfortunately, it seemed that those two had been whisked away before the strike could land.

Origami clicked her tongue in frustration. Their biggest enemies had just gotten away, and all they had to show for their victory was an ungodly canyon from where Tohka had swung her sword.

That just left the two of them... alone on the beach... and one of them was currently in a super-powered evil state...

Origami looked over at Tohka, who was staring at her like a starving wolf that wondered if the thing in front of it was edible.

Suddenly, Origami's prospects of survival seemed very grim.

Onboard the Fraxinus, things were rather chaotic in their own right.

“Izayoi Miku has been laid down in the medbay!” Kozue called out, returning to her seat. “Vitals are all stable!”

“What's the status on the beachfront?” Kannazuki commanded. “Is Yatogami-san still okay?”

“All graphs are already Inverted!” Munechika stated. “State of the battle is a stalemate between Yatogami Tohka and Ellen Matthers!”

“Vital signs detected!” Masaomi shouted. “It's Origami-chan! She's alive and recovering!”

“Best news I've heard all minute!” Kannazuki said. “Any idea what she's planning?” All eyes turned to the screen, as Ellen retreated back to Westcott, he said is piece to the Inverted Tohka... and got his arm blown off by Origami. “Doesn't it just bring a tear to your eye, seeing just what kinda badass we've got on our side?”

“Dude, be real,” Kyouji spoke. “You just want her to step on you.”

Much to their chagrin, Ai, Mai, and Mii were all present to hear that last part. They were also present for the followup.

“Can you blame me?” Kannazuki defended. “But, nothing would ever come close to the commander's strong left hook kick.”

“I'm starting to wonder what Tama-chan sees in him,” Ai muttered quietly.

“Maybe she's into it?” Mai offered.

Mii gave her friends a slight glance. “That's so kinky.”

The two looked at Mii, puzzled. “Okay, how are you only able to change your thing when it's about sex?”

“I wish I knew.”

“Westcott and Matthers have teleported away!” Hinako shouted. “Tracking signal... They're outside our range of attack!”

One of the screens to the side flickered, and Ryouko appeared on it. [Vice commander, permission to give chase?]

“Do you think you can catch up to them?” Kannazuki asked.

[I'll have an easier time at it than the Fraxinus,] Ryouko stated. [I should be able to hold them back for you to catch up, if need be.]

Kannazuki thought about it for a while. “Negative on that,” he decided. “Ellen Matthers is still a capable opponent, and was largely unharmed from this battle. We can't risk any more damage to ourselves giving chase.”

Ryouko looked as if she wanted to protest, but bit it back. [Under...stood, sir.]

The screen switched off, and Ai couldn't help but noticed the rather pained expression Ryouko had. It wasn't the look of someone missing out on a battle, but more the look of someone wanting to avenge someone dear.

In a way, she understood that well.

The beach was eerily silent. Even after Yamai had returned, and expressed her relief (and utter disbelief) at seeing Origami alive, nobody knew quite how to go forward.

After all, Tohka was still Inverted, and staring them down.

“This is... awkward,” Yamai whispered to Origami. “Tobiichi-san, do you have any sort of plan for this?”

“Working on it,” Origami whispered back. “Last time I had to handle an Inverse Spirit was Kotori, and I had to work from the ground up, there. I'm not sure where we stand here.”

“Hey,” Tohka said. “You, with the white hair.”

Origami quickly snapped to attention, hiding any nervousness she felt. “Yes, Tohka?”

Tohka raised a brow. “Two questions for you. First, who is this Tohka?”

That... did not bode well. “That's... your name, isn't it?” Origami said.

“Is it?” 'Tohka' asked. “I have never once been called that name before, and yet... it doesn't feel wrong. My second question, then; who are you, and why do I feel like I know you?”

Origami kept herself from pointing out that that was technically two questions. “I am Tobiichi Origami,” she answered, “and I am... I suppose 'friend' would be the safest word to use at the moment.”

“Friend?” 'Tohka' repeated. “No. That's... not right, is it? You're... more than that.” Origami felt a spark of hope in her heart. That was definitely a good sign. “Damn it, it's on the tip of my mind, and yet...”

“April 10,” Origami said. “That was the day our fates changed. Do you remember it?”

'Tohka' though about the date. She imagined a battlefield, a swift kick to her opponent, and...

The building in front of her collapsed, crashing down on the girl with white hair.

'Tohka's hand shot out, grabbing Origami's wrist in a panic she didn't know she would feel. “This feeling... What is it?” she asked. “Why is it, that when I think of you coming to harm...”

“It's called fear,” Origami said. “It's something we all feel as we live. Something we all learn to live with.”

“How do you do it?” 'Tohka' asked. “How do you live with it?”

“With help,” Origami answered, taking 'Tohka's hand in her own. “It's something you do with the help of others. I managed to handle with... thanks to you, really.”

'Tohka' felt something in her heart stir. A new emotion she could not put words to.

Well, it was a leap of faith, but... she decided to follow what this emotion wanted of her.

Which, in turn, lead to her kissing Origami. The feeling was incredible, overwhelmingly so. She could feel her hostility, her fear, melting away.

Moats of light dissipated into the sky, and Tohka opened her eyes once more.

“Ori...gami?” Tohka said weakly. Her mind was abuzz with noise and memories.

“I'm here,” Origami replied. “I always will be.”

Her mind catching up to the present, Tohka let out a weak, relieved sob, before embracing Origami tightly. “You... you idiot!” she said quietly, face buried in Origami's chest. “Why do you keep doing that?”

That, of course, referring to Origami's habit of getting badly injured. “Because there are things worth risking my life over,” she said.

To the side, Yamai couldn't help but smile. So, this was the girl she was to bet on, then? Yeah... She could get behind that.

A few hours passed, and things had finally calmed down. Both Miku and Yoshino had regained consciousness, and upon learning that Origami had miraculously cheated death (for like, the third time this year), they were quickly transported down to at least confirm with their own eyes.

As the two embraced Origami tearfully, Kannazuki quietly dreaded (if 'dreaded' was spelt the same way as 'looked forward to') having to write all this in the report to Commander Kotori when she got back.

After a while, Miku, Yoshino, and Tohka, were all put to bed, leaving just Origami and Yamai alone in the hotel room that they had rented out for Yamai/the twins.

“You know, Tobiichi-san,” Yamai said. “You really have a way of surprising people.”

“I do get that a lot lately,” Origami said. “You can thank the commander for that when you finally meet her.”

“I'll be sure to. But, you really do care for Spirits, huh?”

“It wasn't always like this,” Origami explained. “I used to hate Spirits with a burning passion. Honestly, I can't help but feel like the remnants of that are what pushed Tohka over the edge like that. This emotional feedback loop we've got certainly has its downsides.”

“I'll bet,” Yamai agreed. “But, you still love them, right? After all, all that wouldn't have happened if they didn't love you, and you wouldn't have gone this far if you didn't love them.”

Origami thought on those words, and found they rung true. “That's right,” she said. “If I didn't love them, then I suppose I wouldn't be in a position to complain about this problem, would I? But, if the solution to it is to not love them... then I'm just going to have to live with it.”

At that, Yamai couldn't help but laugh. “Yeah. You're a good egg,” she said. “Definitely makes me glad to do this.”

Before Origami could ask what she meant, Yamai kissed her. It was a simple kiss, and Origami could have sworn she could taste rain on her breath.

Yet, contrary to previous experiences, Yamai herself began to dissipate into orbs of light.

“What are you-?!”

“Going back to how I was,” Yamai answered. “When I became a Spirit, 'I' became 'we'. 'I' was already dead when I became a Spirit, and my wish is for those two to live life to the fullest.” Yamai gave Origami a bittersweet smile. “Request; please look after these kids, yeah?”

Origami smiled sadly. “Or course,” she answered. “We'll make sure they are never threatened again.”

With one last smile, Yamai vanished, leaving behind both Kaguya and Yuzuru, both naked... and both crying at the disappearance of Yamai.

“She...” Kaguya sobbed. “She's gone...”

“Ack...acknowledge,” Yuzuru replied. “Yamai is... no more...”

Feeling their sorrow as her own, Origami hugged the two. “Just... let it all out,” she said weakly. “Let yourselves grieve. I'll... I'll be here for you, for as long as you need.”

And so, the twins cried their hearts out, for the loss of their other self.

Morning finally came around, and with it, new problems. The AST was good at covering up Spirit battles, but it was kinda hard for them to when the battle A) Took place on an island far from shore and with no base, and B) There really wasn't a Spacequake alarm going off to warn anyone about it.

So, everyone just had to deal with the fact that the island had this massive gash cut into it.

Well, at the very least nobody was hurt. Or, rather, nobody that couldn't walk off a sword in the chest.

Origami once more found herself sat on the beach, overlooking the ocean. This time, however, she was joined by Kaguya and Yuzuru. At this point, Origami considered it important that they not be left alone, even if they had been successfully sealed.

“How are you both holding up?” Origami asked.

“It's... weird,” Kaguya said, after a pause. “It feels like... we're a pair of magnets that have lost their pull.”

“Agreement,” Yuzuru said. “It is as if the threat that kept us tied together has been cut, and now we are at risk of drifting apart.”

“That won't happen,” Origami said. “Not if you do not wish it. And if anyone were to force you down that road, they would have to contest with me.”

At that, the sisters laughed. “Yeah, I'd hate to be on your bad side,” Kaguya said.

“Inquiry,” Yuzuru spoke. “How were you able to survive that wound? That stabbing should have been fatal.”

“To be honest, I did not expect to come out of that in one piece, either,” Origami admitted. “Whenever I seal a Spirit, I end up being able to use a portion of their power. I believe what saved my was a portion of Kotori's power, but that same power is what lets me use that big cannon.”

Kaguya chuckled. “Well, it seems you've got yourself quite the cheat power, Boss.”

Origami raised a brow in confusion. “Boss?”

“Agreement,” Yuzuru said. “Master is a very powerful ally to have, and also magnanimously kind.”

“Master, too?” Origami asked. “It seems I'm picking up new titles left and right.”

The sisters both looked at Origami. “Was that a joke you just made?” Kaguya asked.

“I do have something of a sense of humour,” Origami defended. “It's still a work in progress, though.”

“Mocking. Keep working on it,” Yuzuru stated.

“Anyway, shouldn't you be getting back to your girlfriends?” Kaguya asked. “I'm pretty sure Miku-san's fretting up a storm after last night.”

At that point, several thoughts occurred to Origami in rapid succession. First was the simple matter that Kaguya was right. Second, though, was the fact that, despite having sealed them, Origami wasn't feeling much in the way of the usual emotional feedback. It wasn't that there was a lack of care; the fact that they had managed to be sealed was proof of that, but it was... not as intense or awkward like the previous time.

Origami looked between the two, trying to figure out just what emotion she was suppose to be getting overloaded with this time. It wasn't 'love' in the same way as Tohka and Miku, nor in the same way as Kotori and Yoshino. If she had to pick a word, any word out for it, then maybe... respect? Admiration? Whatever the word was, it felt almost platonic in nature. Kind of a nice change of pace, actually.

“I'd best take you up on that advice,” Origami said. “Do you know what's going to happen next for you?”

“Affirmative. After some test to make sure we are healthy and stable, we will both be transferring into your school in the coming week,” Yuzuru answered. “For now, we are officially 'heading home' to your ship, so to speak.”

“Ugh, did they have to call them 'tests' though?” Kaguya asked. “Don't get me wrong, Boss; I trust those guys, since they're your friends, but still...”

Origami gave a small smile, as she pat the sisters on the head. “Well, you're very brave to be able to put aside how uncomfortable it makes you,” she said. “You will be fine, I promise.”

Origami made her way back to the hotel. She was glad that they had weathered the storm that was last night, but she had to admit, there were a few too many close calls during that time. Frankly, Origami could do with far less instances of near-death, and this one would have to have been the worst, by far.

At least with Tohka and Mana, the near-deaths weren't intentional... for the most part. Still, at least those two were on her side now.

It was half a miracle that she had been able to communicate with Tohka in her Inverse state, and the other half was that she was able to successfully reason with her. One too many crises to avert, and nearly too little time to do so.

When she returned to her hotel room, both Tohka and Miku had quickly latched on to her, and refused to let go.

Movement was a pain for the rest of the day, but really, after everything they'd been through in the past 24 hours, Origami could hardly complain.

Here's crossed fingers that next month will be peaceful.

Chapter Text

Do you remember the 21^st night of September? Origami didn't, because absolutely nothing happened. Like, at all. For the whole month.

The only thing of note that actually happened this month was the Tennou Festival, where the students at Raizen managed to sweep the competition off their feet with their masterfully executed movie.

To say that they had humbled those Rindouji girls who had been bullying Miku would be an understatement, and something everyone was proud of.

And so, as the first month in a long, long while, that nothing of note had happened, was coming to an end, and October was just around the corner, Origami found herself falling into a comfortable rhythm.

First, after the events on Arumi Island, Kaguya and Yuzuru, now under the surname Yamai, had enrolled into Raizen High, though surprisingly, not into Origami's class. They guessed it would have been too much to give class 2-4 even more transfer students.

Second, was the fact that the sort of affection that the Yamai sisters had for Origami was, as had been concluded before, more platonic in nature. The two looked at her like she was their master (in the teacher sort of way, specifically), and Origami, in turn, saw them somewhat as disciples. What was she suppose to teach them? She didn't know, but so long as she didn't do it wrong, it would all work out.

Interestingly enough, though, Kaguya ended up having a serious case of chuunibyou- middle schooler syndrome. Credit where it was due, though, she was at least self aware of it.

Finally, though, was the rules that Origami had put in place for herself, Tohka, Mikie, and Miku. Considering Origami's concerns of self-identity, this was readily accepted by the girls.

It wasn't a major change from the usual, it was just... toned down considerably. At least until Origami was no longer having an existential crisis about her sex life.

So, September passed by without any incident. Coming into October, there was the oddity of someone announcing an out of season Tanabata festival. No, Origami could not find the reason behind this. No, Ratatoskr was not responsible. No, the AST had nothing to do with this. The more anyone looked into it, the more they believed it was just someone's idea of an expensive joke. Considering all the effort that was going into the setup, whoever they were seemed to be taking it seriously, and not just saying it for a laugh.

Still weird, but it was something relatively normal to look forward to this month. That was a nice change of pace.

On the morning of the 7^th, the day of the Odd Tanabata... the apartment complex the Spirits were staying in was suddenly frozen solid.

It was starting to look a lot like Monday.

Origami stood alone outside the apartment complex. It would be wrong to say she wasn't worried in any way, but her expression seemed to betray none of that turmoil.

This was, however, a unique turn of events.

Pulling out her phone, she quickly dialled Kotori. “Commander Kotori, mind explaining?”

[Working on it,] Kotori replied, sounding dreadfully tired. It was, after all, remarkably early in the morning. [Unfortunately, the density of the ice is making it so that we'll have to dig our way in. No convenient teleportation for us.]

“Why are I not surprised,” Origami muttered. “Just when I thought we'd all be able to enjoy a festival in peace.”

[With ya on that one,] Kotori agreed. [It only took forever to get through all those blasted meetings with the higher ups. Right now, I just wanna wash these black ribbons.]

Origami cursed under her breath. Considering the situation, the likeliness of this being a result of Yoshino's power running rampant was pretty much assumed.

Right now, though, there wasn't anything Origami could do. At least, not without drawing an ungodly amount of attention her way.

Tohka woke up this morning feeling dreadfully cold. At first, she thought she might have actually caught one of those 'cold' things that humans talked so much about, but upon opening her eyes to see that her walls had been covered in ice, she quickly struck that thought from her mind.

Despite the situation, Tohka wasn't particularly concerned about it. Truthfully, this sort of thing happened every other week, and was a result of Yoshino waking up from a nightmare of some kind. There was one or two during the first two months, but they started to happen more often after Kotori was sealed, no doubt because Origami had come out of that, and the first meeting with Takamiya Mana, gravely injured.

After Miku and the Yamai sisters, these nightmares started happening more and more, which was understandable, since in Miku's case, there was the threat of that Minerva Riddell lady (Tohka wondered whatever happened to her), and in the sisters' case...

Tohka hated remembering that night, in all honesty. The image of Origami being run through with that blade was seared on the back of Tohka's eyes. She had gained so much in the past month, and all of it... was almost taken away in an instant.

Tohka couldn't remember much from when she... Inverted, was it? She remembered the buildup to it, and that cold rage that took over her mind, but the rest was a blur.

Tohka shook the memories from her mind. She had other things to worry about right now, such as the fact that her room was metaphorically frozen solid.

Making her way over to the door, she gave the doorknob a twist, and a hearty push, causing the ice to crack and break away. Whatever had spooked Yoshino so much must have been pretty big.

“Y-yo, Sis!” called Kaguya as Tohka exited her room. Both Kaguya and Yuzuru had taken to calling Tohka 'Sis' when they moved in, and Origami 'Boss'. For the record, Kotori was 'Commander', Yoshino was 'Junior', and Miku... didn't get one. Even Mikie got her usual 'Mike' from them. Miku was sad about it, but the truth was, the Yamai's didn't exactly have an idea as to what to call her. At least, nothing came to mind that couldn't have come off as insulting.

“I-inquiry,” Yuzuru spoke up, shivering all the while. “Is it Junior again?”

“Most likely,” Tohka answered. “Try not to think too badly of her, okay? Yoshino's still a kid.” There were seldom opportunities for Tohka to be the voice of reason before, but ever since meeting the Yamai's, chances have skyrocketed by a factor of two.

“Hey, we get it,” Kaguya shivered. “If anything, we're more worried for her, yeah?”

“Agreed,” Yuzuru said.

Well, at least that's a relief. “Could you two go help Origami get it? I'm going to check up on Yoshino, and hopefully find Miku.”

Kaguya and Yuzuru gave Tohka a quick salute each, before quickly running towards the main foyer.

As Tohka approached Yoshino's room, where the ice was getting thicker and icicles began to hang from the ceiling, she heard Miku's voice calling out to the younger Spirit.

Finally, she came up to it; the veritable Fortress of Solitude (whatever that was), with Miku right outside.

“Yoshino-chan! Can you hear me?” she shouted. “If you can, please give me a sign!”

Tohka placed a hand on Miku's shoulder. The two of them had gotten to know each other well enough that words weren't even necessary in the more serious situations like this.

Taking the hint, Miku stepped back a bit. “Yoshino? It's Tohka,” Tohka called out. “Is it alright if we come in?”

There was a moment of silence, followed by a weak sound of acknowledgement. Despite the situation, Miku couldn't help but pout. “She still doesn't like me as much,” she said sadly.

“It's not a matter of disliking you, Miku,” Tohka reassured, gripping the frozen handle. “Yoshino takes a while to warm up to people, and with everything that's happened lately, she probably just very scared.”

“I know,” Miku said, “but it still kinda hurts.”

With a small shove, the ice around the door cracked and fell apart, leaving it free to open. The two stepped inside, to see Yoshino huddled on the bed, crying.

Tohka sat down on the frozen bed next to Yoshino, and placed an arm around the small girl. “Hey,” she said gently. “What's wrong? Another nightmare?”

Yoshino looked up at Tohka with teary eyes. “Y-Yoshinon...” she said quietly. “Yoshinon's...”

So, something happened to Yoshinon? That was never a good sign. Last time Yoshinon went in the washing machine, Yoshino was nearly inconsolable.

“Um... Tohka-chan?” Miku spoke up, looking... distinctly on in her or Yoshino's directions. “I think that might have something to do with it.”

'That'? What did she mean? Tohka followed Miku's gaze, to see an unfamiliar girl with green hair, dressed as a witch.

Oh... That'd probably be enough to set Yoshino off, then. Missing Yoshinon and icicle lady. Not to mention that this girl, going by her attire, was almost certainly a Spirit.

“We'd best get Origami in here,” Tohka decided.

By the time the clock struck 10, Origami had finally gotten into the apartment complex. After consoling Yoshino as best they could, and being filled in on what happened by Tohka, Origami made her way towards Ground Zero; Yoshino's room.

Well, the break was fun while it lasted. Might have liked for it to last until the end of the day, but beggars and choosers.

Origami reached the door to Yoshino's room, and upon grabbing the handle, found it was still cold to the touch. Not surprising, really. With a small sigh, she opened the door.

… The girl currently sitting on the bed was not the one Tohka and Miku had described. She had been told of a girl at least around Yoshino and Kotori's ages, not... an absolute bombshell of a beauty with a body that would give Miku a run for her money.

“Ah, good day to you, Origami-san,” the witch greeting casually, as if she hadn't been frozen solid an hour ago.

“You seem to have me at a disadvantage,” Origami replied. “You know my name, but all I know of you is that you snuck into Yoshino's room. I don't take kindly to that.”

“Hey, now! I didn't exactly intend for this to happen!” the witch defended. “A... friend, let's call them, wanted me to keep an eye on you guys. Make sure nothing bad happened, you know? You do owe me one for June, you know.”

June. The date with Kurumi? Or the one with Kotori? One way or another, she's been watching them for a long time now. Concerning. “Who is this friend of yours?”

“I never got a name,” the witch shrugged. Useful.

“Then, what's yours? I need something to call you.”

The witch gave a calm, melodic giggle. She really seemed to think she was in control of the situation. “You can call me Natsumi, dear. Kyouno Natsumi. I had planned to hold back for a while longer, but I guess now that the cat's out of the bag, you'll want to seal me, yes?”

“Considering you've scared Yoshino? That's the kindest things I can bring myself to do.”

“Dare I ask what the worst is?”

“Seeing if you're into S&M.”

Natsumi shivered slightly. “I forgot that you could be scary when you wan-” Then, she sneezed, and in a puff of smoke, changed into a much smaller form that more fit what Origami was told about.

There was a brief, awkward moment of silence between the two, before Natsumi quickly transformed back into her older form. “You saw nothing.”

“I saw everything,” Origami corrected. “Might as well get explaining, because I will not stand for you causing trouble after you've already opened the can of worms.” Right now, the last thing Origami, and really anyone, for that matter, needed was for a game of 'Guess the Imposter' with Natsumi taking someone's form and causing all sorts of trouble.

Natsumi met Origami's glare, and blinked first. “Alright, fine,” she sighed. “But... it's not something I'm happy about, okay? That runt you saw was who I was before I got this transforming ability.”

“So, your true form?”

This time, Natsumi's glare overpowered Origami's for a moment. “Don't,” she said darkly. “I refuse to accept that as me. That... minuscule, frail, bitterly jealous person is not me.”

Origami kept herself from pointing out that this was a pretty serious complex. “Not words I would use to describe what I saw,” she decided to say. “I saw someone as cute as a button, and I can't exactly comment on the rest of those.”

Natsumi laughed bitterly. “Don't try to butter me up that way. It won't work.”

“If you've known me for so long, then you must know I've never spoken a lie about another girl before.” That, at least, managed to knock a bit of bitterness from Natsumi's face. “One last question, unrelated to your... thing; Where's Yoshinon?”

Calmly, Natsumi opened one of her hands, and in a puff of smoke, Yoshinon appeared in her hand. “To answer your next question,” Natsumi said, “I've been switching out with this thing every few days.”

“Best not to call Yoshinon an 'it',” Origami pointed out.

“Sheesh, talk about a mess,” Kotori commented. “How'd we miss a Spirit literally right under our noses?”

“Best hiding spot one could ask for,” Origami concluded. A bit of time had passed since meeting Natsumi, in which Kotori had come down from the Fraxinus and been filled in on everything. “It's the one place we'd never think to look.”

“Like hiding a needle in a haystack made of needles,” Kotori concluded. “So, I take it you have some sort of idea in mind? A way to win her over?”

“I have an outline of a plan,” Origami answered. “Unfortunately, it means hijacking our original plans for today.”

Kotori clicked her tongue in annoyance. Obviously, she had been looking forward to today. “Well, it is what it is, I guess,” she said bitterly. “First proper day off in a while, and it gets hijacked by someone living under our noses.”

“I'll be sure to make it up to you,” Origami said, patting Kotori on the head. “Will that be alright?”

Kotori blushed slightly, still not completely use to such displays of affection. Such is the life of a Tsundere. “So, what's the plan, then?”

“It's going to need some backup from you and Yoshino,” Origami said. “Here's the idea...”

Whelp, this was it. The date. Natsumi had watched a few of these over the past few months, so she had gone into this thinking she knew what to expect.

She had not expected them to bring along a +2.

She had expected a sort of one-on-one with Origami. Direct Woo-to-Woo combat, so to speak. She had not expected Yoshino to be brought along, and even less that the commander was here... wearing the white ribbons.

“Come on, Onee-chan!” Kotori exclaimed, dragging both Origami and Natsumi along. “We're going to miss out on the food!”

“You can slow down a bit, Kotori,” Origami said, keeping a hold of Yoshino's hand. “The stalls aren't going anywhere.”

Seriously, what was the plan? Why did Origami think a group date that looks like babysitting was a good idea? Nothing about this made any sense.

As they passed a few stalls of this weird Tanabata festival, Natsumi felt someone tug on her sleeve. It was Yoshino.

Oh, Yoshino. Having acted as the small girls voice to the world for the good part of nearly a quarter of a year, she had something of a soft spot for the girl. Kinda what happens when you spent most days on a person's hand. “Something the matter, dear?” she asked.

Yoshino pointed to one particular stall, which seemed to be selling cotton candy. “Take a wild guess, toots,” Yoshinon commented. “Eating contest, you and us!”

So... a challenge? That's what this was about? “Well... I mean...” Natsumi hesitated. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea, per-se, but it wouldn't gel that well with the image she was trying to maintain.

“What, feeling threatened?” Yoshinon asked. “Ain't ya our age, though? What have ya got to be ashamed about?”

That was the one question Natsumi dreaded, but coming from Yoshinon, and therefore Yoshino, it didn't hit quite as hard as she expected. “What don't I have to be ashamed of?” Natsumi muttered. “I'm an ugly runt. Friendless. Who in their right mind would like a girl like that?”

“Origami-san doesn't think so,” Yoshino said. “And... Origami-san isn't a liar.”

“That's right!” Kotori exclaimed, somehow getting behind them after having been right in front the entire time. “Are you calling Onee-chan a liar, Natsu-chan?”

Natsu-chan? Was that what she was going to be called from now on? It was quite cute how girly Kotori could be when she wanted to. “I'm not saying that!” she quickly defended. “It's just... Well...”

“You'd disagree with these two?” Origami asked. “Really?”

Natsumi looked back at the two, who were giving her the biggest puppy-dog eyes one could imagine. How could anyone argue with that?

It was at this point that Natsumi realised Origami's plan, and that it was working. Get the girls who she could absolutely not argue with to say it. Clever.

“Ex...cuse me for one moment, please,” Natsumi said quickly, before quickly rounding the corner of a nearby alleyway. A small poof was heard, much to the brief confusion of the other girls, before a very different Natsumi came back around.

Shorter, more petite, with her long green hair tied up in two low-hanging tails. Gone was the look of confidence she wore, and in its place was complete nervousness.

Kotori was the first to react, eagerly hugging Natsumi. “See, Natsu-chan? You're an absolute cutey!”

“Took the words right out of my mouth, sister,” Yoshinon agreed. “Seriously, how can ya think you're not drop-dead gorgeous?”

Now, under normal circumstances, Natsumi's brain would have taken the statement 'drop-dead', and spun it into something unbelievably negative. But, unlike normal circumstances, it was a statement coming from Yoshino -or, at least, Yoshinon-, so she really felt like she could trust it.

Origami placed a hand on Natsumi's head. “See? Nobody here thinks poorly of you at all,” she said. “And if anyone were to come up and start trouble, I think you know what we'd do to them.”

“Evisceration!” Kotori happily proclaimed.

“Diabolical manslaughter!” Yoshinon added.

“A slap on the wrist,” Yoshino offered. “That... takes off the wrist?”

The others all looked at Yoshino for a moment, until Origami pat her on the head. “That'll do, Yoshino.”

Hours pressed on, and while Natsumi was clearly dealing with some discomfort in being in her true form, the presence of Kotori and Yoshino seemed to alleviate some of that.

Origami found that relieving. It meant the plan was working as intended. Now, it just needed an extra push. But what would work for that? What would...

At that moment, the group happened to pass a rather unique building. A chapel of some sorts, that was hosting faux-weddings. And, more importantly, it seemed to be holding Natsumi's attention.

As a famed demon hunter once said; Jackpot.

“Interested?” Origami asked.

Natsumi blushed, and looked away in a panic. “Why would I?” she said. “Besides, it's not like anyone would want me as a bride.”

And there it was. Hook, line, and sinker. Origami shared a look with Kotori and Yoshino, both of whom gave a nod in response, before Origami led them inside.

“Welcome!” the receptionist greeted pleasantly. “How may I help you ladies?”

“I understand that you don't take reservations for high school students and below,” Origami said, “however, I'd like to make a request, if that's alright.”

“I'd be glad to help, if I'm allowed to!” the receptionist said.

Origami leaned forward, and whispered something to the receptionist. The receptionist nodded a few times in understanding. “Give me three minutes to clear it with the boss,” she said in response, before quickly leaving the counter.

“What did you tell her, Onee-chan?” Kotori asked.

“Just the truth,” Origami answered. “With a little exaggeration.”

“What's there to exaggerate?” Natsumi asked.

Before Origami could answer, the door shot open, and out stepped a massive, hulking man, dressed in a suit that looked to barely be containing his muscles.

The man walked up to Natsumi, looking her up and down with a discerning eye. It was, as one might expect, rather unsettling.

The man then looked up at Origami, and gave her a thumbs up. The receptionist came through the door a second later. “He's all for it!” she shouted.

An absolute win in Origami's books.

With the help of the receptionist, Origami adjusted the cuffs of the groom's suit she now wore. It was rather tight, but then again, they couldn't find any that could accommodate her brests.

“I must say, miss,” the receptionist spoke, “this is a nice thing you and your friends are doing for that young lady.”

“I'm glad you think so,” Origami replied. The 'story' she had fed to the receptionist was that Natsumi was a bullied child whom was, despite putting on a strong front, was starting to believe the things being said about her. As Yoshino was their mutual friend, she, Origami, and Kotori, all decided to pool their efforts into helping rebuild her confidence, and since Natsumi was of the opinion that she'd never make a good bride, and they happened upon this place...

Well, that's just what Origami told them. Only a few small parts of the story weren't true. Origami would probably be surprised to learn just how little was actually a lie.

“And might I also add, miss,” the receptionist continued, “that you look mighty strapping in that suit. Anyone who actually marries you would be a lucky person indeed.”

Marriage. Not something Origami had stopped to think about before. At first, it was due to focusing on revenge, but now... she practically had a harem. If she were to actually get married...

That could be a recipe for disaster. Picking one over another at this point could cause others to go Inverse. Why did her love life have to be so weird?

There was a knock at the door. “We are ready on our end,” a gruff male voice, no doubt the man from before, said.

“Sounds like it's time,” the receptionist said. “Are you ready, miss?”

“As ready as I can be,” Origami answered.

The doors to the mock-chapel opened before her. Taking a deep breath, Origami stepped through.

The sight that greeted her was quite unique. On one hand, there was something uncomforting about the implications of a girl as slight in stature as Natsumi in a wedding dress. On the other hand, though... she still looked good in it.

Natsumi saw Origami, and looked away in what looked to be embarrassment. “I-I told you,” she stuttered. “I did say it wouldn't suit me!”

Origami smiled as she approached. “I'm afraid I don't see it the same way you do,” she said. “In my eyes, I see a very beautiful princess.”

Natsumi's face flushed red in an instant. Even her mind, so use to twisting anything into a negative, couldn't find a fault in what Origami had said.

The receptionist, having followed behind Origami, couldn't help but coo at the sight. “Alright, everyone! Let's get set up for the photo shoot!”

The sun was starting to set, as the four made their way through dissipating crowds. Natsumi looked at the printout of the photo they had taken, feeling something quite unfamiliar.

“So, how was it?” Kotori asked. “Feeling like a married couple already?”

“Don't be stupid!” Natsumi shouted. “It was all pretend and you know it!”

“But how much of it was pretend?” Kotori retorted. “I mean, you look pretty happy next to Onee-chan.”

That, she couldn't deny. For those few minutes, she was really able to forget all her pain. “Origami-san,” Natsumi said. “Thanks. I mean it. Was this your grand plan at winning my heart?”

“Would you believe it if I said it wasn't?” Origami answered. “The only thing I aimed to get out of this was healing your wounds.”

“... Are you for real?” Natsumi asked. “All this work you girls put in, and it was... just to make me feel better? You weren't even trying to seal me today?”

“I mean, if you want, we could try the kiss now,” Origami said. “But that's right; I did not plan all this out with sealing you today in mind.”

Natsumi was utterly flabbergasted. All of this, and just because it was the kind thing to do? It was... it was...

Ah, to hell with it.

Natsumi grabbed Origami by the collar of her shirt, and pulling her down to eye level, kissed her.

Now, one might expect this to result in the expected wardrobe malfunction that occurs with Spirit Sealing. Fortunately for Natsumi, she was already wearing normal clothes, so aside from the few motes of light, nothing seemed to change on her.

“Well, there ya go,” Natsumi said, deeply embarrassed. “Mission complete, and all that.”

“Just like that, ey?” Yoshinon commented. “So, when'd she win ya over? Before or after the wedding?”

Natsumi huffed, much to the amusement of the others.

Origami couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief. Sometimes, things really do just work out that easily.

Chapter Text

Have you ever wondered how the world would end? Would it be a loud explosion, or a quiet whimper? Would it be the third world war, or something from beyond the stars?

A young man stood on the edge of the building, as he watched Tengu City burn. How many times had it been now? How many times had he seen this scene?

Once more, he couldn't prevent it. He couldn't save anyone.

“We're running out of chances,” a voice in the back of his head said. “There are only a scant few timelines left that haven't been laid to waste.”

“Then we keep trying,” he replied. “We can't give up yet. I refuse to give up.”

“You say the sweetest things, as always,” the voice said, sounding like it was shrugging. “But you're running on fumes. If you use the Twelve Bullet again, you won't have enough power for another. Not without you-know-what.”

“Then, it's our last chance,” he said, as a flintlock pistol manifested in his hand. “Sorry for dragging you along for all this, but...”

“I know, I know,” the voice said. “That's just part of who you are, after all. Can't complain about that. Let's just hope the next timeline has the chance we need.”

“Yeah. See you on the other side.” Taking a deep breath, a clock formed in his left eye, the hands moving closer to 12 o'clock. “Yud Bet!” With that, he shot himself in the head.

It was a quiet morning in Tengu City. Nothing was burning down, no explosions were rocking the Earth. All was peaceful.

Origami slowly woke up on this morning, feeling a whole lot of pressure on top of herself. She had finally managed to come to terms with the emotional effect that sealing the Spirits had on her, so for her, the feeling of someone on top of her wasn't too much of a worry. The question mostly came from wondering who it was this time.

Considering she could feel two large mounds pressing against her, she was betting on Miku. As she opened her eyes, she was greeted to the sight of green hair.

Natsumi, then. Guess that was one more bet Origami had lost with herself.

It didn't particularly surprise her to see Natsumi in her adult form. After all, it wasn't like Spirits lost all their powers upon being sealed.

With a small moan, Natsumi raised her head, looking at Origami with flirty eyes. “Good morning,” she said in that sultry tone of voice she liked to use in that form.

Without a moment's hesitation, Origami gave Natsumi a quick kiss on the lips, causing her to transform back into her normal form in a puff of smoke. This did not, however, change the size of the negligee she was wearing, resulting in the rather adorable sight of the petite Natsumi being nearly nude in thin clothes that were several sizes too large for her.

“Good morning, Natsumi,” Origami replied, before wrapping her arms around Natsumi and rolling onto her side. “And good night.”

“H-hey!” Natsumi shouted, voice more affectionate than annoyed. This was the sort of 'love' that seemed to work between the two; both trying to get a rise out of the other, and enjoying the loss.

Surprisingly, this was the secret to Origami's peace of mind. After a few months that, from the perspective of a sex fiend, would be defined as abstinence (objectively speaking, it wasn't, but it still helped), Origami had found the mindset she needed to feel comfortable with all this. Simply put; fuck it. It was just a part of her now, and after a few months of holding back, and finding she was actively missing the intimacy, she could accept that she was now just that one person with many girlfriends, and they shared their emotions physically. It was weird, sure, but since it seemed that there wasn't much Origami could actually do about it, she might as well accept it.

The sound of the door opening was heard. “Ah! No fair, Natsumi-chan! Darling!” Miku's voice shouted. “Getting all snugly without the rest of us!”

Origami and Natsumi turned their heads towards Miku. Natsumi, being relatively uninitiated, was surprised to see Miku come in wearing nothing but an apron. For Origami, it was just another day ending in the letter Y.

This was just... normal.

Within the AST barracks, Kusakabe Ryouko sat at her desk with a million thoughts running through her mind.

It had been just over half a year since actual progress on the whole Spirit situation started being made. Over half a year since it was discovered and confirmed that Tobiichi Origami could seal Spirits, and thus stop the cause of Spacequakes.

Yet, after having sealed six (seven? How did Kaguya and Yuzuru count towards that number?) Spirits, with half of them involving close brushes with death in some way for Origami, Ryouko couldn't help but wonder just how much more this could go on.

The alternative was completely unacceptable, no two ways about it. But, surely there was a better option, right? Surely Origami wouldn't have to keep doing this until she had a million girlfriends and counting? Surely there was a reasonable limit to just how many Spirits there were? Like... ten? Would that count as a reasonable number?

The more she thought about it, the more it caused her brain to hurt. It wasn't like she could do anything to help alleviate the burden on Origami's shoulders. She was a soldier; she'd only really have something to do if DEM decided to stick their heads out and try to kill one of her allies again.

'What's even the point anymore? It's a losing battle. It'd probably be easier on everyone if we brought the fight to DEM, but who knows how many operatives they have hidden around Tengu City...'

Ryouko felt herself freeze. Had those been her own thoughts? It sounded like her own internal monologue, only... it felt wrong.

“Maybe I'm just tired,” she said to herself.

Then, the familiar sound of the Spacequake alarm blared... for all of two seconds, before stopping.

“What was that?” Ryouko asked. “Did someone trip and hit a button on the way down?”

Okamine Mikie was making her way to Origami's home on this morning.

Lately, she had started to feel... almost like a background character, in a way. Ever since she helped with Izayoi Miku, she had started to feel like her place in the grand scheme of things had shrunk considerably. In fact, Ai and her friends had more to do with the Yayoi sisters' sealing than she did!

She wasn't upset about it; of course not! But... she was starting to feel just a little bit left out.

Just then, the sound of the Spacequake alarm was heard, before almost immediately stopping.

“A false alarm?” Mikie questioned. “Can't say I've ever seen that happen before, but I guess there's a first time for everything.”

“...”

Mikie's ears perked up. She could hear something on the wind. What was that?

“...!”

Someone... yelling?

“Look out below!”

Mikie looked up, and half a second later, something or someone hit her head, and she fell to the ground.

“Owie,” Mikie muttered, feeling ever so dazed all of a sudden.

“Ouch... Sorry about that,” an unfamiliar voice said. “You'd think, after how many times I've done this now, I'd be able to get the landing right.”

Mikie forced herself up, and looked at the person who had just crashed into/fell onto her.

… Huh. There was something... familiar about him. That blue hair, those brown eyes that seemed almost golden in some light. He looked to be a year or two older than she was, which would put him around Origami's age.

The boy looked at her with eyes that radiated kindness. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“I... Yes, I'm fine,” Mikie answered. “Um... are you... a Spirit?”

There was a brief flash of recognition on his eyes, yet it was quickly masked. “Do you ask that of everyone that falls on you?” he asked jokingly. “Isn't the usual thing to ask is 'are you an angel'?”

Oh, he was good. Mikie couldn't help but blush at just how well he managed to inadvertently flirt like that.

“My, what an entrance you made,” a new, more familiar voice said. Both turned quickly, so see a figure emerging from the shadows of the nearest streetlight. “Good day to you both.”

“Kurumi!” the boy said, sounding remarkably relieved to see the Spirit Nightmare. “Glad to see you. How bad are things in this one?”

“Yet to hit the fan, thankfully,” Kurumi replied, voice losing the usual jovial tone. “I heard all about it from 'me'. Sounds like things are pretty bad on your end.”

“I've already lost count as to how many worlds have been lost,” the boy said. “And we've got less and less time every time we attempt.”

“Then, I suppose we haven't the time to lose,” Kurumi decided, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, as her shadow spread out around them.

“W-wait a second!” Mikie called out, as the two began to sink into the darkness. “What's going on?!”

“Deepest apologies, Okamine-san,” Kurumi said. “But it would be better if you don't get involved. We'd like to keep Origami-san and the others out of this, if at all possible.”

“Wait, what was that about Ori-” the boy's words were cut off, as they disappeared from the world.

Mikie only had more questions.

“That's certainly a lot to take in,” Kotori said, having heard Mikie's rundown of what had just happened. “And no idea where they went?”

“No, ma'am,” Mikie said. “It's... not like I know how to track Tokisaki-san.”

“Or like the rest of us could, fair point,” Kotori agreed. “And that guy with her, you're sure you didn't get a name?”

“Positive,” Mikie answered. “But, all the same, I couldn't help but feel like I've seen him before.”

“Blue hair and brown eyes... that sounds almost like...” Kotori shook her head. “No, it couldn't be him. He's... gone.”

Mikie knew enough to know not to delve any deeper down that rabbit hole. “What should we do now, commander?”

“I'll fill Origami and the girls in on this,” Kotori answered. “Mikie, I want you as eyes and ears on the ground. Something big is clearly coming, so if you see anything, holler out. Got it?”

Mikie saluted, yet something in her heart gnawed at her. This was as good as being on the bench, wasn't it? Big things were happening, and the bigger they got, the less Mikie was involved.

It was weird... just how lonely it made her feel.

“So, let me get this straight,” the boy said, as he and Kurumi walked through dark alleyways. “I don't exist in this world, and it's Origami that seals the Spirits?”

“Well, it's not that you 'don't exist',” Kurumi corrected. “It's more that you died years ago. I've had to put up with your voice in my head for a while now.”

“A voice of consciousness, I hope,” the boy muttered. “No offence, but you not...”

“As strong as the me's you've met, I know,” Kurumi finished. “You have only yourself to blame for that, you know. Unless I get some kind of supplement, I won't be able to send you back another time, one way or another.”

“Then we'll have to make this one count, won't we?”

“And how many times have you said that?” The boy looked away sheepishly. “You really shouldn't make promises you know you can't keep.”

“Haven't kept yet is different from can't keep,” the boy said. “I'll keep fighting the good fight. I have to.”

He wasn't sure how long he had until all hell broke loose this time. He needed time to prepare for the war to come.

As Origami went about her day, she couldn't quite shake this strange, foreboding feeling. It had all started with that seemingly false Spacequake alarm earlier, and everything afterwards felt like walking on egg shells.

How long had it been since Origami was in a state of mind where she was jumping at shadows? It honestly felt like anything could go wrong at any moment.

Being a Sunday, there wasn't much to really do today, so Origami had taken it upon herself to do a self-imposed patrol of the city.

Everybody else agreed that this was objectively a terrible idea. Origami didn't think they were wrong, either, but this was one of those situations where sitting around and waiting for something to happen just wasn't going to cut it.

As Origami passed through the park near the Itsuka household, she couldn't help but think of five years ago. It was at this exact spot where it all started. Where Kotori became Efreet and it all went downhill, at least until last June.

How much had changed, and yet... there was something off putting about the fact that Origami couldn't quite see the end in sight. How much more could Origami handle? And, it all came back to that one question; why her? She was at a point where she could accept that her original revenge was just a stroke of cosmic cruelty, and that maybe the death of Itsuka Shido had something to do with her acquiring the power to seal Spirits. But, it still didn't answer why.

Why do things play out the way they do? Was there always fated to be someone with the power to seal Spirits, and upon one's death, another is selected? How did it all work?

And then, there was the question of the one turning people into Spirits. Where was this enigmatic being? Were they watching all this unfold right now? What did they think of it? Were they the ones giving out the sealing ability, and to what end if so?

Too many questions. Not enough answers. It was really starting to infuriate her.

“Origami-senpai?” a familiar voice called out. Origami turned to her left, to see Mikie standing there.

“Mikie,” Origami greeted. “Are you doing alright?” It was a bit of a moot question, really. It was evident on Mikie's face that there was something troubling her. It was all a question of 'what'.

… Origami was getting really, really tired of all the questions today.

“It's...” Mikie hesitated. “Origami... am I just a burden to you guys?”

Oh. That... that's a dangerous question to be asked. “Of course not,” Origami responded on instinct. “What's brought this on? You've done lots for us, and you're a precious part of our family, no two ways about it.”

“But... you've almost died,” Mikie said. “Several times. At most, I've just been a distraction for you to do your thing, and even then, Mana-san does a better job than me. She can...”

Origami placed her hands on Mikie's shoulders in an attempt to ground her back in reality. “But she's not Okamine Mikie,” she said. “She's not the girl who managed to convince Captain Kusakabe to give Spirits a chance, or the girl who held Takamiya Mana off for long enough to save Kotori. These are all things you did, Mike. We would not be here without you.”

Mikie looked into Origami's eyes. In them, Origami saw a worrying amount of scepticism. One of the many downsides of dating multiple people. One of the many downsides of having the ability to seal Spirits.

The blaring of the Spacequake alarm cut through the air. Seems it was finally time to take action.

“Mike,” Origami said. “You'll have my back, right?”

“I-”

Wind rushed fiercely overhead. Origami quickly shielded Mikie, pulling her to the ground and the space high above them was ripped asunder. Seeing the aftermath of a Spacequake was one thing; seeing one in action was an entirely different beast.

It was like watching multiple kaleidoscopes intersect and overlap in impossible ways, through angles the human mind couldn't fathom. Like a fifth-dimension black hole forcing its way onto a 2D plane of existence. The world just couldn't handle it, so everything caught up in it was just... gone. It was like a nuclear explosion in reverse.

Eventually, the wind died down, but before the girls could look at the Spirit that had appeared, a bombardment of lasers rained down on the neighbourhood.

“Guess this one's not on friendly terms!” Origami shouted.

“Origami, get to the Fraxinus!” Mikie yelled. “I'll handle things here!”

“But-!” Almost as if on cue, Origami was transported away. Pressing her phone against the implant in her forehead, Mikie's clothed disintegrated, and in their place, she wore her Wiring Suit. A few extra taps on her phone, and a pod containing a flight unit and several weapons arrived.

She needed to prove to herself that she wasn't some burden. She didn't have much of a plan, outside of tiring the Spirit out for Origami to do her thing, but it was better than nothing.

She flew up, preparing to engage this Spirit dressed in what looked to be a black wedding dress. As she got closer, however...

“You... You're-”

Origami landed on the Fraxinus bridge, startled.

“Send me back,” she said plainly. “Mikie's in danger.”

“We can't do that,” Reine responded. “The situation's too dangerous to risk it.”

“Why?”

“Because this Spirit's already Inverted, whoever she is,” Kotori answered. “There's too much interference to get a read on her, and all this wanton destruction... We've a real troublemaker on our hands.”

“So it's fine to leave Mikie out there, alone?” Origami said, voice edging on the dangerous side. “We can't just-”

[This is Kusakabe!] Ryouko's voice sounded over the comms. [We're approaching the combat zone now! What's our status?]

“Private Okamine has already engaged the foe,” Kyouhei responded promptly. “Visuals on our end are spotty at best; so support will unfortunately be limited. I'd advice you to have a sniper on the edge of the comms blackout zone.”

[Acknowledged,] Ryouko responded. The AST members all spread out around the designated battlefield, with Ryouko and two others taking up the rear with snipers.

[Damn. Hard to get a clear visual on the target,] Ryouko muttered. [Way too many lasers, and-] An explosion roared through the comms. [Shit! Mikie's down!]

Those two words were enough to send fear coursing through Origami's veins. “Send me down,” she said. No response came. “Damn it, send me down there!”

The sudden outburst of anger caught just about everyone off guard. “Rei, calm down,” Reine said. “Her vital signs are still stable. She'll be...”

“I don't care! She's...”

[What the hell?] Ryouko's voice cut in. [Are we seeing this right?]

“Ryouko, what is it?” Kyouhei asked. “Report!”

The Fraxinus shook violently, as a barrage of lasers struck its hull. This Inverted Spirit, whoever it was, knew where they were.

[I need you to confirm something!] Ryouko shouted. [Tobiichi Origami is onboard the Fraxinus, right?!]

That... was a concerning question, to say the least. “I am,” Origami answered. “Much to my anger. Why?”

[Well, if you're there...] Ryouko said ominously, [then why are you also out here as a Spirit?!]

Everything hurt like hell. Even thinking was a daunting task for Mikie right now.

That... had been Origami, right? Her hair had been longer, and those eyes... looked so very wrong, but Mikie could never mistake that face.

What had happened to her? How had Origami been in two places at once, and been a Spirit on top of that?

And... why didn't this new Origami recognise her? What had she been through, for that to happen?

As scores upon scores of lasers shot out, plucking her fellow AST members from the skies, and bombarding the Fraxinus, tears began to fall from Mikie's eyes.

What had this new Origami been through? Were the Tohka, Miku, and the other Spirits unable to help her? Was the Mikie that this Origami knew... unable to save her?

A sob broke through Mikie's lips, as from the corner of her vision, she could see the Fraxinus going down. Was she really that much of a failure, that she couldn't even stall for that long?

As each sob broke into a wail, the sound of grass being crushed underfoot was heard. A ghastly figure loomed over Mikie's crying form, looking on in an unreadable expression.

For it all to have come to this...

Mikie found herself looking at this figure. The voice did not travel by wind, yet resonated within her mind.

I am sorry... I am truly, truly sorry, Shinji.

Shinji? Who was Shinji? Was this figure talking to a memory of someone?

I promised you I wouldn't... But, for her, this power is needed. I'm truly sorry, Shin.

Mikie wasn't sure how, but she knew that the figure was now looking at her. Trying to understand what she was looking at was like trying to view a mosaic through tiled, frosted glass magnifier. She could see the shade of a woman, but it was like her brain could not comprehend what she looked like.

My child... My dear, innocent child. If you wish for the power to save those you love, then please... Use this.

A pure white crystal appeared before Mikie. She knew what that was, and from that, realised who this being was.

I beg of you... save them. Save my daughters. And... save Rei.

So many thoughts ran through Mikie's head at that moment. Too many for her to properly form conclusions or ideas.

But... she still knew what needed to be done. Tohka and the others wouldn't be able to fight her. The rest of the AST stood no chance. Origami had the best odds of winning, but would she even get the chance?

Mikie's job was to back them all up. If she had to make this sacrifice in order to do that, then... so be it.

Channelling all her strength, Mikie grabbed hold of the Sephira.

Chapter Text

A dull ringing in her ears was the first thing that greeted her senses as she came to. Was she still alive? She must be, if everything hurt so much.

Origami could feel the warmth of Efreet's power flowing through her veins, gradually closing her wounds.

She could barely make out the sounds of the rest of the crew, injured, but still in one piece. In a slight panic, she quickly searched for Kotori, finding the young commander digging herself out of some of the rubble.

“Kotori, are you alright?” Origami asked. “Anything broken?”

“Still alive, sis,” Kotori answered. “What's the last thing we heard before it all went down?”

“That apparently, Origami's the Spirit attacking us,” Kyouhei called out. “Something that should be impossible. Someone has to say it, and it might as well be me.”

“You say that like I don't agree with you,” Kotori replied. “What, did you think I'd kick your ass for saying it?”

“A man can dream!”

Origami felt something in the back of her mind. A faint, tickling sensation, almost foreboding. “Move!” she shouted, diving at Kotori and moving her away, just as lasers rained down on that spot.

Origami held Kotori close, as she glared up at the attacker. There was something truly unsettling, staring back at your own face and hardly recognising it. Her hair was much longer, with the ends looking to be frayed by improper care. The eyes, even with that usual light that came from being a Spirit, were glassy and unfocused on anything except their next target. Her clothing was as black as a moonless night- at least, what little there was of it; consisting of a few sparse pieces of black armour that covered the essentials, a cut down skirt that belonged on a mourning dress, and a black veil to top it all off. It was a haunting, grim look, and Origami felt her stomach churn at it.

“...” the Inverse Origami breathed shallowly. How much was she actually aware of? Given that she was targeting Kotori at the moment, probably a whole lot.

With a raised hand, several of those floating weapons formed up around her. Briefly wondering just what to call them, Origami settled on 'Funnels' for the time being, as she kept herself between them and Kotori.

The Inverse Origami raised a brow, confused at the sight of herself protecting Kotori. As if testing the water, a shot fired from one of the Funnels, which Origami quickly intercepted with her right arm. A small chunk of flesh was blown off, as Origami bit back one of the foulest curses she could muster on pure instinct. Efreet's flames erupted from the wound, and seconds later, the hole was patched.

Inverse Origami's expression turned into one of realisation, and not in a good way. There was horror, there was disgust, there was confusion, and there was anger. The idea of a version of herself standing side by side with a Spirit was contemptible to the Inverted One.

“Origami!” a voice called out, drawing the two Origami's attentions away from each other.

There, climbing atop the rubble of the Fraxinus and the buildings, was Tohka. Followed closely by Yoshino, Miku, and the rest of the Spirits.

Panic quickly rose in Origami's heart. “Get out of here, now!” she shouted. “It's too-”

The Funnels were quickly turned towards the Spirits, and fired a blinding volley their way. Panic gave way to fear, as Origami quickly charged at her Inverse counterpart. Before she could close the gap enough, one of the Funnels slammed into her, throwing her aside.

Getting back up, Origami looked at where Tohka and the others had previously been, only to see them gone. Had they...

A quick look up filled Origami with relief, as she saw that the Yamai's had quickly taken to the skies, carrying Natsumi and Tohka, while Yoshino had called forth her own Angel, Zadkiel, with Miku riding behind her.

From the smoke, a figure burst forth, charging at the Inverse Origami. It was Mana, with her trusty pile-bunker primed to strike. The warhead erupted forth, yet before it could strike it's target, Inverse Origami caught the nail head with ease.

Mana couldn't help but flinch, as those cold eyes gazed back at her. She honestly wasn't sure if she saw her physical reflection in them, or just a mirror of her own soul. With a simple flex of her fingers, Inverse Origami crushed the pile-bunker's nail, and with her free hand, punched Mana square in the face, sending her back into the wreckage.

Then, all the Funnels turned towards Kotori again, four shots primed to fire at a moments notice.

At that moment, Origami realised she wouldn't make it in time. She forced herself back up, ran as fast as she could, and even with the other Spirits moving to do the same... they wouldn't make it.

The shots fire, and...

“ALEPH!”

A shout. A rush of wind, and not even a tenth of a second before the shots landed, Origami saw Kotori vanish from that spot. The shots, originally aimed at Kotori's heart and head, all whizzed past and struck the building off in the distance.

In that moment, Origami realised... someone was now behind her, who hadn't been before. Slowly, she turned around.

There, with his arms wrapped around Kotori protectively, was a young man with a familiar head of blue hair. One of his eyes was a golden amber, and the other, the familiar yellow clock that was Zafkiel.

Kotori looked up at the boy, wide eyed. “Ah... you're...”

“Yo, Kotori,” he said, almost casually. “Mind if I take over from here? This is a problem I'm suppose to be dealing with, after all.”

Inverse Origami's expression shifted to one of pure horror. “Shi...” she muttered in a voice that sounded like it hadn't been used in a long time. “Shi...do...”

The Funnels all turned their aim skyward, as Inverse Origami let out a horrific wail.

“All of you!” the boy shouted. “Get clear of the skies!”

Knowing better than to question that in this situation, the Spirits quickly flew down to ground level, as a barrage of lasers shot into the sky, converging on a single point.

The result of that convergence could only be described as a 'hole'. Not in the same way a Spacequake could, which was almost as if a singularity had been localised in the neighbourhood, but more in the way a doorway would.

As Inverse Origami rose up towards it, the Funnels all turned back towards those on the ground, and several parting shots were fired... only to be intercepted by strikingly similar shots, and nullified.

Just then, a white silhouette charged forward, tackling Inverse Origami. It took Origami a second to recognise that it was Mikie, wearing... actually, Origami wasn't 100% sure what she saw Mikie wearing, but she did see golden versions of those Funnels Inverse Origami was using, so... a white variant of Inverse Origami's clothes? Those questions, and many more, would have to wait, as Mikie's tackle... sent both her and Inverse Origami through that hole in space. Fan-freaking-tastic.

“Seriously? Already?!” the boy shouted, as a familiar flintlock pistol manifested in his hand. “Never do things by half, huh? Kurumi!”

His shadow twisted, and from the darkness, Tokisaki Kurumi emerged. “I know, I know,” she said with a heavy, amused sigh. “You're a real slave driver at times, you know? I've only got one shot myself, no thanks to you.”

“That makes two of us,” the boy snarked back. “I'll go on ahead, okay?”

“Wait!” Kotori called. “You... Are you really...?”

The boy looked at Kotori, and smiled sadly. “I wish I had more time just to chat, Kotori,” he said. “But, I've got to stop her. We'll chat later, okay?”

The boy raised the flintlock, and aimed at his own head. With a shout of Yud Bet, and much to everyone's (save for Kurumi's) surprise, pulled the trigger. The shot rang out, and he had vanished completely.

As Kotori lightly flopped onto the ground, Kurumi let out a sigh. “I swear, he's such a drama queen,” she said, before turning to Origami. “Now, I suppose it's your turn, Origami-san.”

As Kurumi aimed her gun at Origami, much to the terror of everyone present, Origami raised a hand in slight protest. “Can I at least get a rundown on what the hell's happening?” she asked. “Before you shoot me in the face?”

Kurumi thought about it for a moment. “Very well, you get one run-on sentence,” she said. “I am about to shoot with you the Twelfth Bullet, Yud Bet, to send you back in time after those three, where you will either save the world, or die trying, and that boy can summarise it for you better when you get there.” After that, Kurumi gave the sweetest smile she could. “Good luck!”

Origami wished she could've gotten one last passing remark in before the gun fired. Preferably, something like 'I'll see you in hell, then'.

When light finally returned to her eyes, Origami found herself standing in a familiar street of Tengu City. She had walked this path many times over the years, yet something about it looked... wrong.

“It's like walking through a memory, isn't it?” the voice of the boy said. Origami turned around, to see him standing not far off. “Yo. Good to see you again. Or, I suppose 'nice to meet you' would be more appropriate?”

“You,” Origami said, still having trouble believing her eyes. “You're Itsuka Shido, aren't you?”

“Last time I checked, yeah,” he replied. “Kurumi gave me a bit of a run down. Apparently, I died in your timeline?”

“You did. Five years ago, during the fires. Kotori... didn't have many details to share about it.”

“I see... And that's today, I guess.”

One of Origami's brows rose. “What do you mean 'that's today'?” she asked. “I literally just said 'five years ago'.”

“Yeah, and that's when we are,” Shido answered. “Five years ago. August 3^rd, to be exact.”

Origami felt her jaw drop at that simple revelation. “Time travel,” she muttered. “Of fucking course it is. Kurumi said as much.”

Shido blinked in surprise. “You're... very different from the Origami I knew,” he said. “I don't think I've ever heard her swear like that.”

“Yeah, well, I doubt your Origami has quite the same sex life that you and I do.”

“You have a sex life?!” Shido shouted. “And, what's this 'you and I' business?!”

“You mean to tell me,” Origami strained, “that you don't have to deal with this odd emotional feedback loop with the Spirits you've sealed? How the cycle of power between you and them also carries along some emotions, which mix together with your own, before getting sent back, and the process continuing on until it becomes too much?”

Shido's mouth hung agape. “No!”

A moment of silence followed. “Lucky,” Origami muttered, looking away. “I've come to accept it at this point, but that was one long-term headache I could have done without.”

[Aw, you two get along so well,] Kurumi's voice echoed in both their heads. [Need I remind you both, however, that YOU'RE ON THE CLOCK?!]

“... She sounds angry,” Origami said simply. “You're not very good at handling women, are you?”

“... So different from the Origami I know,” Shido muttered. “Please tell me you're not into kinky stuff in this timeline?”

“Define kinky.”

“Ever worn a school swimsuit with dog ears and a collar?”

“Yes.”

“God damn it!”

The two could feel Kurumi's presence tapping her foot in irritation. “Let's... get moving, shall we?” Origami offered hesitantly. “We can compare notes as we walk.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

The silence between the two was very awkward, to say the least. How was one suppose to hold a conversation in a situation like this?

For Origami, it was the awkwardness of having to try and converse with someone she knew was dead, while in the time period where he died. For Shido, it was more to do with the fact that this Origami was somehow the same as him, as well as having the face of the one who put him in this mess in the first place.

“So...” Shido started, scratching the back of his head. “You seal Spirits in your timeline? Must be... pretty awkward.”

“At first, yes,” Origami answered. “After my arm became useless for fighting, doing things Kotori's way was the only option I had, and after actually talking to Tohka, I was committed.”

To that, Shido smiled. “I'm glad,” he said. “That you could look past your revenge. I just wish the Origami I knew could do that.”

“I'm guessing your Origami never took a career ending injury to the right arm, then,” Origami asked. At Shido's puzzled look, Origami rolled up her sleeve, revealing her old, scarred arm. “April 10^th. Had a building dropped on me. Ratatoskr got to me three hours later, but the damage was too much for the Realizers to handle.”

“Whoa,” Shido muttered in shock. “I'm... guessing you didn't have Efreet's powers on hand for this, either.”

“Kotori was struggling to keep herself from permanently Inversing at the time,” Origami answered. “By the time June came around, and I'd had my second near-death experience, she was at the end of the rope. You're other sister wasn't much help at the time, either, but we still pulled through, by some miracle.”

Shido cringed in response. “Yikes. Makes me wished I held back a bit before time leaping. Share some more words than a passing remark to sound cool.”

Silence fell once more. “So, what's the plan, then?” Origami asked. “You've obviously done this several times before. How do things play out?”

Shido hesitated for a moment. “Are you... sure you want all the fact, though?” he asked. “Because... the truth might be a bit painful.”

Origami understood he was being considerate about something, but... “Now's not the time for that, Itsuka Shido,” she said. “We're past the point of me backing out of this. Whatever truth you know, I'll deal with it, and process it when we get back to the future.”

Shido looked at Origami, before sighing in defeat. “Alright then. In half an hour's time, Kotori will make contact with Phantom, the being that's been turning people into Spirits. Ten minutes later, my version of you arrives, and attempts to do battle with Phantom. Every time, without fail. The battle is intense, from the angles I've seen of it, but the collateral...” Shido's gaze was filled with sympathy. “I'm sorry, Origami, but... your parents... they died to a stray shot from your angel.”

Origami felt her blood run cold. The memory of their death played in her mind, and, gazing up at that light in the sky with pure hatred in her heart... she had been swearing vengeance against herself? “That's...” she barely managed to mutter. No, focus. Process the cruel irony of it later. Lives need to be saved now. “Putting... all that aside for a moment,” she said. “How is she able to travel through time like that?”

“At first, it was Yud Bet that sent her back. After Invesing and returning to the future, I'm not sure. I think she might have found a way to rip Kurumi's power from her.”

“Then, how did you use Zafkiel?”

“I... made a deal with the Kurumi from this time,” Shido admitted rather sheepishly. “It was the end of the world, after all.”

“Then... couldn't you have done something? Broken the timeloop by getting my parents out of the way?”

“That's the thing; I did,” he replied. “I've saved them countless times, even resulting in my own death which gets undone because of course it's weird, and every time I changed the future, they still ended up dying a year later from now. And... your Inverse self would still exist in the depths of your heart, coming out every time a Spirit showed up. Eventually, it would take over, and we're right back where we started.”

So... it was a trial in futility, then? Was there no way they could stop this?

“The main change I've seen for the past few loops,” Shido continued, “was that after the inevitability of... all that, she would then make her way towards present day me and Kotori, and attempt to kill her. I'm sorry to say this, but... I don't think there's a chance we can save your parents. Our best bet is stopping her at this point.”

Origami hated it, but... he was right. She may have only known him for a short while, but she could tell he was someone who wouldn't lie like that. “Alright,” she said. “How will we go about this?”

“It's important that I'm there to comfort past you,” Shido said. “Especially if we're not... saving them. I'll go there and fill that role, while you stay with past me and Kotori, and prepare to hold off yourself.”

“So, that's how it makes sense, then,” Origami muttered. That's how Itsuka Shido had originally managed to be in two places at once on this day. “But, the vague memory of you I have has you as a kid. How are you-”

With a slight smirk, Shido held out a hand. “Haniel!” he called, materialising a familiar broom Origami knew to be Natsumi's angel. Light sprinkled out of it, and suddenly, Shido was a child again.

“That's how,” he answered. “Definitely makes me glad Natsumi happened before this, right?”

“With you on that one,” Origami admitted. “Now, how should I approach my... other self?”

“Try to reason with her, if you can,” Shido said. “If that doesn't work... I don't know, use your head?”

“How helpful,” Origami snarked.

“Sorry. I'm not use to having help,” he admitted. “I'm too use to rushing around and not being able to get to both places in time.”

“Then let's hope this is the last time you have to,” Origami said, holding out a hand to Shido. “Best of luck to you. Make sure you survive this.”

Shido took the hand in response. “Right back at you, Origami.”

When Mikie regained her senses, she quickly realised she was falling. Calling on the powers she had, her momentum came to a sudden halt.

Being a Spirit was so... weird. It was like the power that came from wearing her Wiring Suit was active at all time, and there was so, so much power at her fingertips.

But, she could gawk at her new power later. She had to stop Origami. Or, other Origami, at least. This multiple instances of the same person was doing her head in. How did Kurumi-san manage it on her own?

Reorienting herself, Mikie quickly scanned the horizon. Tengu City was still below her, but it looked different, and on fire in all the wrong places. She couldn't see the crashed Fraxinus, and the layout of the flames... this reminded her of those repeated broadcasts of the Tengu City fires from five years ago.

Could it be... that the evil Origami had opened a portal to travel back in time five years? That... really made the most sense right now, which really said something about everything that had happened lately.

Finally, Mikie spotted the black-clad Origami, fighting... what was that, mist? No, it was probably that spectre person that gave Mikie these powers.

That was a priority target in its own right, but at the moment, Other Origami needed stopping.

Charging forth, Mikie called form the four... things that made up Metatron. Those needed names, didn't they? Perhaps... Funnels? Like those things from Gundam? Yes, that would do for now.

“Kadour!” Mikie instructed, as the Funnels flew off on their own, firing at Other Origami. Mikie made sure that all her shots didn't, in any way, aim even a degree towards the ground. She was here to save lives, not take them.

Other Origami took notice, a moment that the spectre person used to slip away. Those black Funnels took aim at her, all... ten of them?! Oh, so not good.

Mikie moved as fast as she could manage, dodging between shot and trying to get closer. A thought occurred, and she tried manifesting enough Funnels to match Other Origami. It wasn't hard to manifest them, but keeping track of them all was quite taxing on the poor girl's mind. For now, she limited herself to six. Six was manageable.

With a shout of “Mal'akh”, the Funnels formed up behind Mikie, granting her a massive burst of speed, and closing the distance between her and Other Origami.

“Why?!” she shouted. “Why are you fighting us?! We're your friends, Origami-san!”

No verbal response came, but Mikie noticed the black Funnels forming behind her, primed to shoot. She quickly dodged out of the way, something Other Origami did in kind, as numerous shots struck the ground.

At that moment, Mikie noticed a slight change in Other Origami's expression, as if... something important had just happened, and it was time to shift priorities. The black Funnels formed up behind Other Origami, and she flew off towards one of the neighbourhood parks.

“Stop! Please!” Mikie called, giving chase.

Unbeknown to her, the hands of fate had been set into motion...

Shido coughed violently, as pain coursed through is body. That... certainly played out differently, to say the least.

Usually, it was a single, concentrated blast, not a rapid onslaught.

As he forced himself up, Shido felt a burning pain at his side. He looked down, to see...

Oh. That was a large hole in his side. And it wasn't healing. “Shit,” he couldn't help but say. “Guess I'm... really out of juice, huh?”

[Why the hell are you being so casual about it?!] Kurumi's voice shouted in his head. [You're-]

“I know, just...” Shido paused, as he looked forward. Through the smoke and rubble, he could see a familiar sight.

Tobiichi Origami, age 11, staring up at the sight above in fury. Yet, it was different. There was... a hole in Origami's stomach that shouldn't be there.

In that moment, Itsuka Shido knew what had to happen. It suddenly all made sense; how Origami got the powers he had.

Because right now, he was the only one who could save her.

“Kurumi,” he muttered, feeling blood fill his mouth. “Tell Kotori... I'm sorry, okay?”

Not waiting for a response, Shido forced himself to his feet. One step at a time, he told himself. “This is it, huh?” he said. “A whole new closed loop. Guess I'd better cast the die, then.”

When he finally closed the distance, he wrapped his arms around Tobiichi Origami. “It's alright now,” he said. “You'll make it through this, I promise. Just... don't give in to revenge, okay?”

Slowly, Tobiichi Origami turned her head towards Shido. Her eyes looked to be on the verge of losing all light they had in them.

Only one thing left for him to do. Only thing he's ever been able to do, really.

“Look after Kotori for me... okay?”

Kiss the girl. Save the world. Right?

Origami felt a strange chill run up her spine. Like someone had walked over her grave, as the saying went.

Yet, somewhere in her gut, she knew; Shido had just died.

She bit back bitter feelings. She had a job to do here and now. She could worry about how she'd break this to Kotori and Mana later.

Right now, the younger Kotori and Shido were fine, albiet unconscious. Efreet's power had just been sealed, the being Shido called Phantom was nowhere to be seen, and it sounded like the fighting had changed pace.

Any moment now, she'd see herself descend like a fallen angel.

Then, as if on cue, she appeared. Other Origami stared at herself with those cold, distant eyes, as the black Funnels coalesced into a direct circle formation.

Dodging was out of the question. She'd have to do this the hard way.

A massive laser fired at her. Calling on all of her strength, Origami drew forth Sandalphon, and slashed the laser in half, like Moses parting the Red Sea.

Other Origami seemed to not expect that, going on her reaction. “... Traitor,” she spat.

“That's rich, coming from you,” Origami rebutted. “How many times have you killed our own parents now?”

Other Origami fell silent. “When it's all over,” she muttered. “When it's over, then it'll never had happened at all.”

“Keep going your way, and it'll never be over!” Origami shouted. “If we could have succeeded your way, we would have already! But, I'm still here! Accept it; you can't do it! You... you can't save them!”

There was something fundamentally weird about her saying it, especially to another version of herself. Yet, it felt like a sense of closure had washed over Origami. That small thought, if she could actually save her parents, had long since nagged at the back of her mind. Could she have actually managed to save them, all without breaking the timeline she lived in? Now that she stood in opposition to the living embodiment of that attempt, she could see it for exactly what it was; a fool's errand.

Her parents were fated to die, and there was nothing Origami could do about it. One way or another, she would lose them. Yet, because her life played out the way it did...

Memories of Tohka flashed through her mind. Memories of Yoshino, of Kotori, of Miku, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Natsumi, even Kurumi. Memories of Tamae, Ai, Mai, Mii, and even Tonomachi.

From her greatest tragedy, Origami had acquired so many thing she never would have imagined. And, if she was honest with herself... she wouldn't give that up for the world.

The Other Origami noticed this very determination. Her expression shifted between overwhelming despair and unbridled fury. “... not fair,” she muttered. “Not fair. Not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, not fair, notfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfair NOT FAIR!!!”

The black Funnels shot off wildly, blasting car-sized holes in the walls around them. “WHY?!” the Other Origami screamed. “Why do you get to choose that?! WHY DOES YOUR CHOICE HAVE TO BE THE RIGHT ONE?! WHY?!”

Well. On one hand, it seems Origami was able to get through to her. On the other hand, though... her prospects for survival just dropped considerably.

Origami swung Sandalphon as fast and as fiercely as she could, desperately keeping away any and all shots that came towards her or the Itsuka siblings. No more blood had to be spilt on this day.

From above, someone shouted “Shemesh”, as a barrage of lasers rained down around the Other Origami. Origami looked to her side, as a familiar face landed. “Mike!” she said, relieved.

“Sorry I'm late, Origami,” Mikie replied. “Your other self is... very fast.”

“But her defences are lacking,” Origami pointed out. “We can use that to our advantage. Once this is over, however,” she glared at Mikie, “we're going to have a serious talk about accepting ultimate power from strange ghosts.”

Mikie swallowed nervously. “Yes, ma'am.”

The dust settled, and the Other Origami glared viciously at the two. There was hardly any recognition in those eyes; just the pure fury of a starved lion breaking out of its cage at the circus.

Hundreds of black Funnels appeared, becoming quite literally a wall of death. Origami and Mikie could only share a single thought, and that was 'oh crap'.

The barrage launched. Origami and Mikie did everything they could to keep as many shots as they could away, but it was a losing battle.

A shot struck Mikie in the shoulder, sending her reeling back, as another Funnel took aim at her. Origami tried to get in the way, but the barrage was too much, keeping her pinned in place.

Origami could only watch in horror, as the shot was fired.

Itsuka Shido slowly regained consciousness to the sound of battle. His mind was abuzz with white noise.

He opened his eyes, to see three girls locked in battle. Two of them, one with short white hair and carrying a large sword, and the other with long brown hair and dressed in what looked almost like a wedding dress, were defending him and Kotori from a girl with longer white hair, dressed sparsely in black.

It was a scene straight out of an anime. Lasers flying left and right, being deflected by the girl with the sword.

Then, The brown haired one got hit, and even from his position on the ground, he could tell that the one in black was going in for the finisher.

Itsuka Shido didn't even stop to think. There was only one thing he could do now.

As he forced himself to his feet, ran towards the brown haired girl, and pushed her out of the way, he really hoped that Kotori could forgive him for this.

All shots came to a sudden and abrupt stop. Silence deafened and smothered everything.

Mikie landed on the ground, staring at where she once stood.

Both versions of Origami watched, wide eyed, at the boy named Itsuka Shido fell to the ground, a hole blown through his heart.

Inverse Origami's Funnels all disappeared, as horror overtook her expression. “Ah... Shi...do?” she muttered weakly.

Mikie slowly crawled to the boy's side, and checked his pulse. “... Nothing,” she said sadly. No pulse, not even Efreet's powers kicking in to revive him. The boy was dead.

“No... No, it... it can't be,” Inverse Origami said, falling to her knees. “He... he was suppose to live... He was...”

She was cut off by a powerful punch to the face. Inverse Origami had been in such disbelief, she hadn't seen her other self storming up to her until the fist collided.

“Open your God damn eyes!” Origami yelled. “When are you going to realise?! This, right here, is the result of your choices! It wasn't going to end any other way!”

“But... but I...”

Origami grabbed her other self by the collar of her Astral Dress, and, holding her up, began punching her repeatedly in the face. “Look at you!” Origami shouted between punches. “All this power! All this compromise, all for revenge, and what has it gotten you?! All you have to your name is a mountain of corpses! Look at the monument you have erected to your sins!!!”

Origami's hand was starting to bleed as much as her Inverse self's face. Inverse Origami could only get out a few weak sobs, with just how relentlessly furious Origami was being.

Origami could tell her Inversed self was still alive, but there was now barely a whimper from her. Yet, her rage right now was impossible to rein in.

“Origami, stop!” Mikie cried out, grabbing her arm before another punch could be thrown. “Please, that's enough!”

Origami's breaths were heavy with emotion, as she looked at her Inverse counterpart. Her face had been beaten so black and blue, it was almost difficult to remember that it had once looked just like her own. Those eyes were clouded and unfocused, signifying that she was no longer conscious. Her breathing steadying, Origami looked back at Mikie, whom kept her body firmly wrapped around Origami's right arm.

Blood dripped from her hand, staining Mikie's dress. It was impossible to tell just which Origami's blood it actually was, from how numb her fist was. She looked into Mikie's eyes; those innocent brown eyes that cried tears for her, and finally, after an eternity, relaxed her fist.

There was... nothing left for them to do here, was there? The damage was done, the 'evil' was defeated... it was over.

As Mikie finally released Origami's arm, Origami then wrapped it around Mikie's shoulders, and drew her in close. She did not let go of her Inverse self. “Let's... go home, Mike,” Origami said. “Home to everyone.”

“Hmm,” Mikie hummed in agreement. “Please... Let's go home...”

Light enveloped them, and the three vanished, as if they had never been there to begin with.

Within the eternity between seconds, a memory played out.

Tobiichi Origami was staring up at the sky. She recalled the image of a boy with blue hair, holding her, promising it will all be alright. She recalled a kiss. She recalled him vanishing without a trace.

Her eyes never left the skies. She swore she would find the one who caused this tragedy, and kill them herself.

She could hear someone crying. It was a voice she didn't know. She felt someone approach her from behind, but she couldn't look back. She wouldn't. She would burn this sight into her soul.

Why? a rough voice, deep in despair, asked. Why did he do it? Why did he save you?

The only words that had been leaving her mouth were 'revenge' and 'kill you', but her voice had gone long ago. So, to whoever it was behind her, it sounded like “Re... ...i...”

Origami slowly regained consciousness, and smelt the familiar smell of her native timeline; burning metal and blood. It was... honestly concerning how she could tell the different between then and now.

She could still feel Mikie in her arms, and she could still feel the grip she had on her other self. As she opened her eyes, she saw... that they were buried under some rubble.

At that, she couldn't help but sigh.

“Hmm...” Mikie stirred quietly, eyes fluttering open in the darkness. “Are we...”

“We're back, Mike,” Origami said. “Stay close, okay?”

She felt Mikie nod into her chest. As Origami shifted her weight around, she found the rubble they were beneath wasn't too bad. Mostly loose bits of things.

Well, time to be dramatic.

“All hands, get to work!” Kannazuki instructed. “We've picked up three signals somewhere around here!”

It had been roughly fifteen minutes since Origami and that boy had given chase to the other Origami and Okamine Mikie. An awful lot had happened in those minutes, mostly regarding clean up of the Fraxinus wreckage with the help of the Spirits.

There was, however, one major scare to be had. Roughly five minutes in, Tokisaki Kurumi started coughing up blood, and collapsed to the floor. Reine had rushed her to one of the emergency care units of their backup base, and upon establishing contact, explained that Kurumi had burned so much energy sending Origami back in time that she was practically on her last legs.

Meaning that Origami and that boy only had one chance at this. If it all goes wrong... well, they probably won't be around to see it.

That boy... from the looks and sounds of it, that had been Itsuka Shido, Kotori's long dead older brother. How could that be, though? The dead don't just reappear one day like that.

Kannazuki heard the sound of rubble shifted nearby. Then, rising like a zombie, he saw Tobiichi Origami rise from the debris, Mikie clinging to her front, and the other Origami in hand.

“Origami-kun!” Kannazuki exclaimed, getting everyone's attention.

“Vice commander,” Origami greeted almost casually. “Would it be rude of me to say I was half expecting Tohka or Kotori to be the first to find us?”

“For what it's worth, I would not be offended!” Kannazuki dismissed. “You holding up alright?”

In response, Origami held up her other self. “You can start by taking this off my hands,” she replied. When Kannazuki complied, he couldn't help but notice just how... beat up the other Origami was.

But... a question lingered. “Origami-kun,” he said. “Where's...”

“ORIGAMI!!”

Several voices cut him off, as Tohka and the rest of the Spirits very quickly and very suddenly tackle hugged Origami and Mikie, sending them all back to the ground.

Never by halves, these girls.

“You're back!” Tohka said. “You're back, you're back, you're back!”

“You scared us too much with this, Darling!” Miku said. “And Mike-chan, why are you suddenly a Spirit, too?!”

“Seriously, do you two actually look before you leap?” Kaguya shouted. “You're scaring us half to death!”

“Acknowledged,” Yuzuru agreed. “This was too much, even for you.”

“You say that like we had much of a say in the matter,” Origami replied weakly.

“But!” Yoshino said, eyes puffy from crying. “But still!”

“And look at you!” Natsumi exclaimed. “All beat up like that! And your hand!”

“Alright, girls, break it up!” Kotori instructed. “Give the girls room to breath already.”

The Spirits parted a bit, though Tohka and Miku refused to let go of Origami, as Kotori approached. Suddenly, though, Origami and Mikie felt ever so small.

Not because Kotori was angry at them, by no means. But... because of the truth of what happened. They didn't have a plan to explain it all.

Kotori looked at the two, expression filled with relief. “I'm glad you two made it back in one piece,” she said. “But... what happened to... that guy?”

Nervousness began to overwhelm Origami's mind. She needed some way to break it to her, but how? When she tried to speak, Origami lost her balance, saved by the fact that Miku and Tohka were supporting her.

Miku placed a hand on Origami's forehead. “She running a fever,” she noticed. “Kotori-chan, perhaps we should get her somewhere to rest first?”

Kotori paused for a moment. “That's... a good call,” she agreed. “Kannazuki, you're in charge down here. Do what you think's best, especially with... her,” she gestured at the Inverse Origami. “Girls... we're heading home.”

Home. It felt so... weird, finally being back there. By all rights, it hadn't even been a full 24 hours since Origami had last stepped through this doorway.

The moment she did, she felt all the strength she had leave her body. Were it not for the fact that she was being supported on all sides, or the fact that she was adamantly refusing to release her hold on Mikie, Origami might have collapsed to the floor then and there.

“It's alright, Darling,” Miku said, supporting her weight. “We've got you.”

Origami took a deep breath, regaining a little composure. “Thanks... Miku,” she said weakly.

“Let's get her to the couch,” Kotori instructed. “Kaguya, Yuzuru, get them something to eat and drink. Everyone else is... I dunno, stay close at hand, I guess. Support where you think is necessary.”

Origami was gently sat down on the couch, and let out a ragged, exhausted breath. Her right hand, still around Mikie's shoulders, trembled slightly, its wounds still not healed.

Tohka was the first to notice this. “Origami, your hand...”

“I know,” Origami replied weakly. “I just... can't allow myself to forget this pain. Not yet.”

“Sounds like it really was that bad,” Kotori muttered. “Can you... tell us anything about it.”

A small sob broke from Mikie. The weight of it all must have finally set in.

“We... went back in time five years,” Origami explained. “To the day of the fires.” The implications of that statement were not lost on the others. “The other me... she's been repeating that same timeloop for who knows how long, trying to save the lives of my parents, and... kill the Spirit Maker, Phantom.”

“Phantom?” Kotori repeated.

“It's... what he called them,” she answered. “Itsuka Shido.”

Kotori was the only one to react to the name, her hands noticeably trembling. “So... that really was him?” she asked, shocked. “What happened to him? Wouldn't he...”

Another sob broke from Mikie. “... I'm sorry,” she muttered into Origami's chest.

Origami's breath grew ragged, hating that she'd have to be the one to say it at all. But, it was either her... or Mikie would have to, and she couldn't put that burden on her. “We... had to split up to cover all the ground we could,” Origami said. “I went to the site where you became a Spirit, Kotori, and he... went to where my parents would die. I'm... not sure how I know this, but... he and my younger self were both took bad injuries at that time. I think he...” Origami hesitated. She really wasn't sure how she came to know this. She hadn't been near that area, but... it was like the memories were only now coming back to her. “I'm...” She couldn't even bring herself to look at Kotori at this point. “And... the Shido that you knew, from back then, he...”

“It... it's my fault,” Mikie sobbed. “He... he took an attack that was... meant for me... If I... If I wasn't there, he'd...”

Silence fell once more. Kotori's hand trembled in shock. “G-geez, that's... that's just like that idiot,” she forced herself to say, voice just as shaky. “Of course he'd fine... some way to get himself killed twice in one day! That's... that just really damn typical of...”

A hand was placed on her shoulder. Kotori looked over, to see Natsumi there. “You... don't have to force it,” she said quietly. “You... you know that, right?”

“I... Of course I do!” Kotori refuted weakly, as her hands were desperately trying to grab her ribbons and failing “I know that! I... I-”

Gently, Natsumi guided Kotori's hands to the ribbons. The two shared a small look, and with a nod from Kotori, who's eyes looked like they were about to burst from welled up tears, Natsumi helped undo the ribbons.

The lengths of black fabric drifted to the ground slowly, as Kotori's arms went limp at her side. “... It's not fair,” she said weakly, before clinging desperately to Natsumi, crying her heart out. “He was... He was right there! I saw him! I felt him! He was there!”

Origami's heart ached for Kotori. She had regained and lost a brother in less than an hour. The amount of pain that must be causing her, Origami couldn't even begin to understand.

After all... Origami was still yet to process everything on her end.

Five years ago, Tokisaki Kurumi stood at the top of a school building, and watched the fires unfold before her.

She had seen it all, from when those two strangely similar Spirits had appeared, to when those two instances of that boy with blue hair had died. What a strange day this turned out to be.

As she turned to leave, she felt something incorporeal approach. Calling forth her guns, Kurumi scanned the horizon, until she saw what was best described as a faint wisp approaching her.

“Oh my,” Kurumi said. “What brings something like you to me?”

There was a very unique power to this ghost. But, it was dwindling, whatever or whoever it was.

“Ah. Looks like I made it,” the ghost said. “Sorry to do this to you, Kurumi, but I need your held.”

“Oh? You know my name?” Kurumi asked. “Who are you?”

“Perhaps using Yud would be easier than me explaining?” the ghost offered. “Might make it easier for you to believe.”

“... Not a bad idea,” Kurumi said, sceptically. “Though, you already seem to know much about my powers.”

The ghost floated next to Kurumi's head, as she lined up the Tenth Bullet, and fired.

And so it was, that Kurumi and the lingering ghost of Itsuka Shido would form an unlikely team for the next five years. All the way until one fateful day in June...

Chapter Text

The clock had finally ticked over midnight. The day had finally ended, and the calendar had turned over to November 11.

Origami could not remember the last time she had celebrated her own birthday. For the past five years, she never had a reason to.

Ever since she met Tohka, though, Origami began to feel that, just maybe, it might be worth celebrating her own birth for once. As time went on, and she met more and more Spirits, made more and more friends of them, and fell in love more and more, the idea that she could be glad she had been born for this life grew more and more. She had honestly started to love life again, and it was all thanks to Tohka, Kotori, and everyone.

But now... now she knew the truth; she knew the horrors that laid beneath the surface. She knew that the only reason she could have this life was because of the lives taken that day five years ago, all by her own hands, in a way. The millions upon millions of times she had killed her own parents... and the death of Itsuka Shido.

Origami sat up in her bed, her right hand covering her mouth. Her breathing had become ragged and heavy at some point, and it took all her concentration just to stabilise it.

Breath in. Breath out. Just keep repeating that slowly. Calm your nerves.

Lowering her hand, her eyes fell on the bandages that wrapped it. She could still feel the shock from each punch she threw. She had felt so much raw hatred at that point, and all of it was directed at... herself, in a way.

Her eyes wandered the room. It was a bit cramped, but the girls had insisted on staying the night, refusing to leave any one of them alone.

Mikie was on Origami's left, still in that Astral Dress she got from becoming a Spirit. The dress itself was, much like her Inverse self, rather sparse with just how much it covered up. It did more than the Inverse version, sure, but it was still just a few bits of armour-like fabric to cover the more private areas, a skirt with a slit down the side, and a veil that was attached to a golden crown. She was the absolute picture of a cute bride-to-be.

Beneath Mikie laid Miku, and on Mikie's other side, Tohka. It made the bed a bit of a tight squeeze, but it was the best they could do with the limited space they had.

The floor was lined wall to wall with futons, but the rest of the girls here all huddled up under fewer blankets, where Kotori was sandwiched between Yoshino and Natsumi, with Kaguya and Yuzuru behind them. Everyone was bundled up with someone in some way.

But... all this pain, all this joy, all this compassion... It was all her own fault.

She wanted so desperately to reach out and hold Kotori. To comfort her and assure her that everything would be alright.

But... did Origami have the right to do that?

Origami's hand covered her eyes, as she tried and failed to stifle a sob. Everything Kotori had lost, Origami's whole existence... it was all built upon the death of Itsuka Shido.

“I'm sorry,” Origami cried. “I'm so, so sorry, Kotori.”

There were rarely times working with Ratatoskr that could be classified as 'overtime'. Sure, the hours were gruelling, the crew basically lived on the Fraxinus, and were on call nearly 24-7, but there was nearly always a designated 'time off' period between Spirit appearances.

During those times, the crew was on rotation for taking time to themselves. It wasn't the best working conditions, but they all knew that when they signed up for it, and they believed in their cause.

Right now, after everything that had happened, Kannazuki Kyouhei had spent all his time from when Origami and Mikie returned to now dealing with report writing and scene cleanup. By the time he had finished it had become 5AM.

And to think, everything happened almost 24 hours ago.

Natsumi had been kind enough to send him an update on what Origami and Mikie had been through, and... suffice to say, he was still processing all that information.

The burden on those poor girls... Kyouhei was usually more for receiving pain than dishing it out, but whoever this 'Phantom' was, he would personally make their life hell for what they put them through.

The commander didn't deserve to lose her brother. Origami and Mikie didn't deserve to shoulder the guilt of Itsuka Shido's death. And... the other Origami didn't deserve to feel like the whole world was her enemy.

There were many things Kyouhei had omitted from his report. At least, from the copies he had sent to everyone other than the founder and primary benefactor of Ratatoskr. He was the only man Kyouhei was willing to trust with the full story. Among the things omitted, there was the existence of the second, Inverse Origami, who was currently being held in the ICU of their backup base.

Kyouhei was at a loss of what to do about her. He was trained in a million and one ways to handle Spirits, but not ones barging in from separate timelines with a murderous agenda. This was compounded by the fact that she was already Inverse, and so ideologically juxtaposed to their Origami, that who knows if sealing will even be possible. If it wasn't, the only option left was...

Kyouhei punched himself in the face, hard enough that his nose started to bleed. “No, Gods damn you,” he muttered to himself bitterly. “We do not give up on them! We didn't give up on the commander, we haven't given up on Tokisaki-kun, and we are NOT giving up on this one!”

Giving up on Spirits wasn't what Ratatoskr did. Sure, Kyouhei's main motive behind joining the organisation was because the commander had a marvellous roundhouse kick to her, but he was still part of this team, and he'd be damned if he didn't show his commitment to it.

“Kyouhei-kun?” a familiar voice called out. He turned around, and was met with a familiar head of fluffy brown hair.

“Tamae-san?” Kyouhei said. “What brings you out here?”

“I'm a teacher, of course,” Tamae answered, laughing slightly. “I like to get to school early. But, what about you? And, are you bleeding?”

Kyouhei quickly wiped the blood from his nose on his sleeve. “No need to worry about it,” he said quickly. “Just... needed to get my head on straight. A lot has happened in the past 24 hours.”

“You mean, from that Spacequake yesterday?” Tamae asked. “Is Origami-san alright?”

“That's...” Kyouhei hesitated. “That's something I can't say. It's all so complicated right now. Plus...” Ah, now here was a conundrum. Should he break it to Tamae that Mikie, her dear sweet cousin, was now a Spirit? Was it really his place to share this information? But, at the same time, the only other people who's place it would be, Origami and Mikie herself, were... not exactly in the mental state to do so. Kyouhei sighed in defeat. “Sorry. Here I am, dancing around things you have a right to know, like some kind of fool.”

Despite his expectations, Tamae smiled warmly, and patted him on the head. It was a bit of a stretch, considering there was a 30cm height difference between them, but that just made Tamae look all the more cuter. “That's... just proof... that you're kind...!” Tamae strained, trying desperately to keep her balance. “You're... a good man... Kyouhei-kun!”

As Tamae rocked back on her feet to regain her balance, Kyouhei felt an emotion bloom in his heart. This was... far different from anything he had felt for anyone before. His mind was all aflutter with rosy thoughts and romantic get togethers.

Such a thing had never happened to him before. This wasn't the usual feeling he got from getting kicked in the face by the commander. Was he... in love?

“... Marry me,” he blurted out randomly.

Silence fell, as the two processed what he just said.

“Eh?”

“Wha?” Neither of them could quite believe what had come from his mouth. “Did I... just say that?”

“I... think you did?” Tamae said hesitantly. “Kyouhei-kun, did you... really mean it?”

“I...” Kyouhei hesitated slightly. He searched deep within his soul, just to make sure he didn't say those words in jest.

The more he searched, the more he found that, yes, he had meant it. Not even in a fetish sort of way, though her being of such a short stature may have managed to help it; he just... really enjoyed her company. No sado-masocism about it, either. It just... was.

“I did,” Kyouhei finally admitted. “I will say, though, that I wasn't... exactly prepared to just say it like that. I had thought, maybe... something a bit more romantic. Not... just after Origami-kun and the others had been through quite possibly the worst experience of their lives.”

Tamae could understand that. At least, with what little information she had to go off of. “Then, how about this,” she offered. “I help the girls come to terms with what they're going through, and later... you and I? Dinner for two at that one restaurant at Tengu Tower?”

Kyouhei couldn't help but smile at that. “That sounds lovely, Tamae,” he said, before slapping both his cheeks. “Right! No more time to dally! It's time I picked up the pace, and made the impossible possible!”

As Kyouhei ran back the way he came, Tamae waving him off, she couldn't help but wonder... if it was too late to use some of her sick leave at work for today.

Sleep was never something that came easily to Reine. It was a mystery why that was, but she had long since grown use to it.

That being said, there wasn't time to sleep right now. Too much had happened, and someone had to watch over these two.

Tokisaki Kurumi, Spirit name Nightmare, was currently on life support, having burnt through the vast majority of her power sending Origami back in time. Something about this, however, just didn't seem to add up to Reine. Sure, sending someone across linear time would be expected to take a lot of power, but surely not so much that it would leave here so close to death.

Then, there was the matter of the Inverse Origami. Reine had no idea just what to make of her. They had patched up her injuries, but there was no sign of her waking up any time soon. Plus, there was... the mess that was her mental graphs.

Reine idling pulled the graph back up, hoping that half an hour of looking away would be enough to refresh herself, and make sense of it. It did not.

It was like somebody made a mosaic using bombs. The graph was less a bunch of lines, and more a single coloured mass. Right now, she wasn't sure where to start with trying to dissect this monstrosity of an algorithm.

“Sheesh, and I thought us foot soldiers had it hard,” Ryouko's voice said as the door slid open. She placed a cup of coffee down besides Reine. “Here. You look like you need it. Just how you like it, much as that's a crime against coffee.”

How Reine liked her coffee was when it was less a fluid and more like a Slurpee of pure sugar with the faint taste of caffeine to it. Even those on the crew that didn't care much for coffee thought it was a bit much.

“Thanks,” Reine said, taking a swig from the coffee-flavoured sugar mound. Ryouko could hear the crunching of the sugar. “Anything change on your end?”

“Just nursing the girls back up,” Ryouko answered. “Though, we seemed to get less of a beating in this one.”

“Wish we could say the same about the Fraxinus,” Reine said. “That'll take a few months to get back into business. Since you're here, captain, what do you make of this?”

Ryouko leaned in closer, looking at the screen. “Frankly, I can barely make out any lines on this,” she said. “This is the other Origami's brainwaves, right?”

“It is, and it's an absolute mess,” Reine answered. “I don't know what to do with this sort of information. An outsider's perspective might help, so feel free to throw ideas at the wall.”

Ryouko stared long and hard at the screen. “Does this thing have a zoom function?” she asked. “Because either my eyes are playing tricks on me, or there's like, a pixel's worth of gaps in the middle.”

Curious, Reine focused on that point. “I think you might be on to something.”

As luck would have it, it wasn't too late. So now, here Tamae was, standing outside of Origami's home at just gone 9AM.

It wasn't often that Tamae made home visits to her students, and even less so that she did it during actual class time. But, these were unique circumstances, so this called for doing things outside the norm.

Tamae knocked on the door. A part of her was really hoping it was Origami that would answer, but she'd take anyone just to get this started.

The door opened, and she was greeted by Tohka. “Ah! Tama-chan-sensei,” Tohka said, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“I ran into Kyouhei-kun a while ago,” Tamae answered. “He... told me a bit about what happened yesterday. Is Origami-san here?”

“She is. Mikie and Kotori, too. Just...” Tohka hesitated slightly. “It's been... really hard on them. We're all at a loss.”

“Well, that's what I'm here for,” Tamae said. “Sometimes, an outsider's perspective might be able to help, you know?”

Tohka hummed in agreement. “Then, come on in,” she invited. “Kotori's using one of the guest rooms, and Mikie's taken the couch. Origami's locked herself in her room, too.”

So, three different rooms. That made things a bit easier for Tamae, as it would allow her to handle each girl one at a time. “By the way, Tohka-san, what about the others?”

“Well... Miku and them figured it would be best if only one of us skipped school today. As for Yoshino and Natsumi, they're doing a bit of shopping for food. Those three... haven't had anything to eat since yesterday.”

Tamae couldn't help but smile. “You all really care for each other, don't you?”

“Of course,” Tohka said, slightly confused by the question. “We're all in the same boat, after all.” After a moment, a thought occurred to Tohka. “Oh! Right, just... one thing you should probably know about Mikie.”

Oh, that was concerning. “What is is?” Tamae asked. “What's become of my darling cousin?”

“Well... promise you won't be mad about it, but... she's become a Spirit like us.”

… “WHAT-”

Tamae approached the living room, where Mikie was suppose to be. There was a faint glow coming from within, and upon getting a good look, it seemed to be coming from Mikie herself.

… Was she going to have to find a way to explain to Mikie's father that his daughter was now bio-luminescent? That was not going to be a fun day.

Mikie had a blanket wrapped around her body, and most of the glowing was coming from that golden crown that floated above her head. So, fine, maybe the bio-luminescent joke wasn't completely accurate.

“Mike-chan?” Tamae called out. “It's me.”

Mikie looked over, and Tamae saw a strange mix of light and sorrow in her eyes. “Tama-nee-chan?” she said, sounding very tired.

Tamae walked over slowly, sitting down next to Mikie. “Can you tell me what's wrong?” she asked. “I don't know how much I can help, but I want to at least try.”

Mikie took a deep breath. “Yesterday... Origami and I actually went back in time,” she said. Under normal circumstances, Tamae would find this hard to believe. However, these were anything but normal. “And... Kotori-chan's big brother... he died back then... saving us.”

… Oh, this was going to be hard hard, wasn't it? “I... see,” Tamae muttered quietly. “And, I guess you blame yourself for it?”

“Of course I do,” Mikie muttered. “I... I shouldn't have been there. He would still be alive if I wasn't...”

“You can't know that for certain,” Tamae cut in. “Chances are, it might have been a whole lot worse if you two weren't there.”

“But... you can't...”

“I can't know that, I know,” Tamae admitted. “Just as you can't know it would have been better. And, isn't there something to be said about the fact that things aren't worse now?”

“But...” Mikie hesitated. “But it's still not fair. He...”

“I know. Sometimes, life just isn't fair. But, I don't think that boy would hold it against you, all the same. Neither would Kotori-chan, I believe.”

“But... I...” Mikie spoke, quieter than ever. “What am I suppose to do? How can I... or Origami... live up to the lives it cost for us to be here?”

“By doing your best,” Tamae answered. “By doing what you can to make the world a better place. You've already been doing that, right?”

Mikie felt a swelling emotion in her chest. “You're right, Tama-nee-chan,” she said, rising to her feet. “I can't just... do nothing! That would be throwing the life he saved away! That... that would be so much worse!”

As she pumped herself up, the blanket that had been draped over herself fell to the floor, and Tamae got a full look at what Mikie's Astral Dress was. Specifically, she learnt just how little it covered.

Tamae went from wide eyed shock to deep breathing in a matter of seconds. “OKAMINE MIKIE, WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU WEARING?!”

After... that, Tamae made her way over to the guest room, where Kotori was. Frankly, she had even less of an idea as to how she could handle this one, as she was only so acquainted with the young girl. She knew that she lead the team that Kyouhei-kun was a part of, but she also knew that she was a year younger the Mikie.

Tamae knocked on the door. “Kotori-chan? It's Tamae,” she said. “May I come in?” No response came, but a test of the door knob showed that it was unlocked. Carefully, she opened the door, and peaked her head in.

The bed sheets were a mess on the floor, and Kotori sat bundled up on the mattress, her hair messy and free of any ribbons. Her skirt had been carelessly thrown upon the quilt, leaving her wearing nothing more than her usual work shirt and her undergarments. This, however, wasn't the time to be worrying about states of undress.

“Kotori-chan?” Tamae spoke again, approaching slowly. “How are you holding up?”

“... Nt good,” Kotori muttered. “Just... tired.”

Tamae hummed. “Mike-chan and Tohka-san told me what happened. I... can't imagine how you must feel.”

“I...” Kotori sniffled. “I thought I had made peace with it... back when Onee-chan saved me. That... I could finally accept that Onii-chan was gone. But... for that brief moment, I... I had him back... and now I know that the only reason I have Onee-chan and Mikie in my life... is because he gave his life for them...”

“Do you hate them for it?” Tamae asked. “Do you hate that they lived where your brother did not?”

“Of course I don't!” Kotori yelled. “I could never hate them! I just... I hate that the choice ever had to be made...”

Tamae smiled, as she hugged Kotori from behind. She had such a level head on her shoulders, for someone so young, and having gone through so much. “You're not wrong for feeling this way,” she said. “And, it's important to remember that it's alright to take a step back from everything and let it all out. Once that's all done, I hope you can remember that the people who love you will still be waiting for you.”

Kotori sniffled, and nodded in response. Briefly, Tamae wondered if this is what being a parent would be like.

Finally, came the big hurdle; how to comfort Origami.

The door to Origami's room had been left open. Tamae wasn't sure quite what way to think about that. Poking her head through, Tamae noticed a bundle of blankets, clearly wrapped around a person, sitting on the bed. Next to them, there were numerous photo albums, all opened at seemingly random pages.

“Origami-san?” Tamae called out. The was a slight movement beneath all the blankets, yet it didn't seem to be in response to her. As Tamae approached carefully, she looked down at one of the albums, and saw a picture of a young girl, 11 years of age, with snow white hair and beautiful blue eyes, smiling happily with her parents. It didn't take much for her to conclude that these were family photos of the Tobiichi family. “Origami-san? Are you alright, dear?”

“...” No response came. Tamae placed a hand on what she believe to be Origami's shoulder, and felt her flinch underneath. “... It's all my fault,” she finally said, after a pause that felt like an eternity. “All because I came out of those fires desiring revenge... All because of that damn anger I felt... he died.” Tamae had no idea how to respond to that, she all she did was tighten her grip slightly on Origami's shoulder. “The person we were following back through time... it was me. A me that followed a different path... that became a Spirit in place of Mike... and killed our own parents in an attempt to save them.”

Oh. That was... far more than Tamae was prepared to handle. She wasn't sure what to expect exactly, but 'clone from an alternate timeline' was definitely not on the list. No matter, though; she could work this.

“But, you didn't have a choice in that matter, did you?” Tamae pointed out, wrapping herself around Origami. “It wasn't your choices that caused it.”

“No... but it was her choices that made me who I am,” Origami replied. “If she... if she hadn't been so far gone... I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't be the one saving the Spirits. Mike wouldn't be a Spirit. I don't...”

“Don't say it,” Tamae cut in. “Don't say you don't deserve to be here. These choices... they weren't yours to make. That guilt is not on your shoulders.”

“But... it all comes back to my old hatred,” Origami said. “If I didn't...”

“Tobiichi Origami,” Tamae said. “You're not giving yourself enough slack. Remember, you're only human. It's only natural that you could be blinded by rage and grief.”

Origami trembled beneath the blanket. Carefully, Tamae moved the sheets, so as to get a good look at her face.

Tamae had seen Origami looking worse for wear before, but not quite as bad as this. Those times, it had been about her integrity as a person and lover to others, but his... this was the damage done by having her entire world view shattered beyond recognition.

“Yes, the circumstances that led you to where you are today were... too harsh,” Tamae continued. “But, that doesn't mean the blame lies with you. Sure, an alternate you dropped the ball, but that was because of her choices. You didn't make those same choices. You chose to be the kind girl you are today, and that's what everyone fell in love with.”

Origami trembled in her embrace. “Am I... really allowed to be here? With them?”

“Of course you are,” Tamae reassured. “Sure, things might not be the same. But, when is anything the same, after learning something big? What matters is we'll all pull through this, because none of us are alone. Okay?”

Origami let out a ragged breath, as she reached up and grabbed Tamae's arms with shaky hands. She was scared. So, so scared. Tamae just hoped that she could alleviate that fear, just a bit.

A few minutes later, and Tamae had managed to convince Origami out of her room. A bit of colour had returned to her face, yet there was still a considerable amount of nervousness to her. Well, nobody said healing was easy, or quick.

As the two entered the living room, they found Tohka, Mikie, and Kotori all waiting for them. What surprised everyone, though, was that Kotori was the first to make a move, quickly rising from her seat, running over to Origami, and hugging her.

Only four words were spoken for the longest time. “I don't blame you.” Four very simple words, yet it seemed to do everything for her.

Tamae and the others could only smile. It was the biggest first step they could take at the moment, after all.

After a moment, the two broke off, with Kotori pulling her black ribbons out of her shirt pocket. Holding them nervously, Origami took them, and helped tie Kotori's hair up.

Once the ribbons were in place, Tamae couldn't help but marvel at the quiet change that took over Kotori. The sorrow was still there, but it seemed far more controlled now.

“Alright,” Kotori said, voice suddenly sounding far more level. “This has been... a whole lot. For all of us. But, we've still got a job to do.”

Origami's eyes seemed to glow with steely determination. “Right,” she said. “Although, before we head off, you might want to get a skirt back on.”

“And a shower, too. I know,” Kotori replied, walking back over to the guest room. “And you've got a girl to kiss right here, but you don't see me complaining.”

Mikie began to blush at that. “Oh. Right. I forgot about that part.”

At that, Tohka looked confused. “What do you mean?” she asked. “You've kissed Origami plenty of times before.”

“Yeah, but those didn't have the same weight to them!”

Tamae really wasn't sure if she should be here to listen to all this. Finally, though, Kotori came back, properly dressed. “And, just like that, we'd best get outta here, teach,” she said, taking Tamae by the hand. “They're definitely gonna be here a while.”

Tamae could only really stutter in embarrassed confusion as she was dragged out of the house, leaving Origami, Tohka, and Mikie alone.

Mikie fidgeted nervously, suddenly feeling very much aware of how little clothing she was technically wearing. She was so distracted, that she didn't notice Tohka sneaking up on her before she had already wrapped herself around the small girl.

“T-Tohka-san?!”

“What?” Tohka asked. “We already know how this is going to go, and I'm not missing out on it!”

Tohka began playfully nibbling on Mikie's ear. As that happened, Origami approached, and wrapped her arms around the two. “Mike. You remember what I said?” she asked, face so close their noses were touching. “You are precious to us. Always have been, and always will be.”

“I...” Mikie hesitating, fighting to retain some degree of composure as Tohka continued to bite her. “Even still, I felt like I was falling behind. Like... as things went on, I was going to lose my place at your side. When Phantom gave me the option to become a Spirit... I hardly hesitated.”

“But we'd never abandon you like that!” Tohka pointed out.

“Yet, you still felt like you couldn't keep up,” Origami said sadly. “I'm sorry it got to a point where you felt like that. Had I known sooner...”

Mikie cupped Origami's face in her hands, and planted their lips together. Both Origami and Tohka were caught off guard by the sudden boldness, while Mikie's face was bright red from it. The motes of light began to fly up towards the ceiling, leaving Mikie stark naked between the two.

“Well, maybe think about it this way?” Mikie said hesitantly. “If I'm a Spirit, then that's one less for you to worry about?”

Frankly, it wasn't a bad argument. If Phantom had a limited amount of Spirits she could create, then this was really the most effective way of draining it's power.

At that, Origami couldn't help but laugh. “Fair enough,” she said. “But, what do you think, Tohka? Doesn't the fact that she still acted so rashly warrant... a bit of punishment?”

A slight shiver ran down Mikie's spine, both in response to that, and from the fact that she felt one of Tohka's hands getting progressively lower on her body.

“Oh, I agree!” Tohka said in a remarkably dark voice. “Mikie's been... very naughty, hasn't she?”

“Ah... Wait a min-” Mikie was cut off by the combination of Origami taking her lips with her own once more, cupping both of Mikie's breasts in her hands, while Origami bit down on the side of her neck.

Several hours passed. It was now 1PM, as Kotori lead the girls into the backup base for Ratatoskr.

Now, one might be wondering; did Origami, Tohka, and Mikie really have sex for nearly four whole hours?

No. They only went at it for an hour. The first time, at least. It was a session so intense, that the trio had to break for lunch, and then wash themselves off for being so sweaty. One problem, though; they were slightly pressed for time, so Mikie had the bright idea of them taking a shower together.

So, it might be more accurate to say that it was either one session with a break, or two sessions back to back.

Suffice to say, it was probably a good thing that Tamae and Kotori had run into Yoshino and Natsumi when they first left, otherwise... Well, the disaster that those two walking in on them would have been does not need to be spelt out.

For once in a blue moon, though, Origami was rather thankful for the emotional connection that came with sealing Spirits. The sheer amount of pleasure that had hit her brain at that time had certainly... been the pickup she needed. The fact that such feelings were also to the others like vibrations on a piece of string was a weird yet beneficial bonus. Of course, that meant that Kaguya and Yuzuru, both still at school, were baffled by the sudden warm and fuzzy feelings they got, while Miku, also at school, who realised what was going on, had to live with the disappointment of missing out on it.

Tamae really wasn't sure what to make of it all. Mostly, though, it came back to the fact that Mikie had so much more of a sex life than she did. Well, not like she could do much about that.

The door to the main bridge of the sub-base opened, and everyone present quickly stood at attention. “Commander on deck!” Kawagoe Kyouji stated loudly.

“At ease, everyone,” Kotori instructed. “Sorry we caused you guys so much trouble.”

The moment everyone relaxed, both Hinako and Kozue ran up and hugged their commander. “I think everyone's just glad you managed to bounce back, commander,” Kannazuki said, as he approached.

“Well... sorry we caused you guys to worry,” Kotori said bashfully. “Anything to update us on?”

“Reine-san is still running checks on the second Tobiichi Origami,” Kannazuki answered. “As for Tokisaki-san, she's still yet to regain consciousness.”

“Net zero on progress, got it,” Kotori summarised, as Hinako and Kozue finally broke off. Before she could continue, though, she noticed that both Kannazuki and Tamae were obviously avoiding eye contact. “Okay, what's going on with you two? You're tiptoeing around each other more than usual.”

“The vice commander accidentally proposed to Tamae-san!” Munechika called out, much to the shock of everyone.

“You bastard! Who told you?!” Kannazuki cursed.

“It was just that obvious!”

Kotori's jaw, alongside many others, went slack. Origami and Mikie both quickly looked over at Tamae, who had gone as red as a cherry.

“Oh... my... God...” Mikie muttered. “It's finally happened!”

The only thing less surprising was just how ecstatic Mikie was about it. Kotori, on the other hand, cast a curious glance to her second in command. “Really?” she asked. “Not to question your tastes, because to be fair, Tamae-san's a damn good choice, but... this seems well outside your kink-house.”

“This has nothing to do with my kinks!” Kannazuki retorted with surprising vitriol. That, above all else, was the most surprising. “I was... I mean...”

At that, Kotori could only really smile warmly. “Just don't screw it up, yeah?” she said, slapping him on the butt. “Break her heart, and I'll make sure your death is as painless as possible.”

“To anyone else, that would sound like a good way to go,” Kannazuki responded quietly.

Another door opened, through which stepped Reine and Kusakabe. “Commander,” Reine greeted with her usual curtness. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Somewhat,” Kotori answered. “Same with the others.” After a brief pause, though, a sceptical look made its way onto her face. “You two haven't hooked up since the last time we talked, right?”

Confused, the two looked at each other. “You serious?” Ryouko asked. “No offence, but Murasame ain't exactly my type. Plus, I feel like I'd break her in bed.”

“I've been scarred too much by love to try again just yet,” Reine responded. “Plus, no offence to the captain, but she's giving herself too much credit; I could outlast her any day of the week.”

There was a moment of silence following that. “Next week, on competitive sex,” Origami muttered quietly.

“No need to brag, Origami. We already know you're topping the leader board in that,” Kotori said. “Now, Reine, anything to report?”

“More working theories at the moment, but yes,” Reine answered, before pressing a button and bringing up a bunch of graphs on the main monitor. “First, let me introduce you to the other Tobiichi Origami's brainwaves.”

What followed was a rather awkward silence. “Did someone trip and use the fill tool in Paint?” Kotori asked.

“It's completely black?” Tohka said. “What does that mean?”

“At first, we couldn't figure that out,” Reine admitted. “For a while, I thought it was a byproduct of being Inverse, until the captain here spotted a pixel sized gap in it all. From that, we tried looking at it from a more 3D perspective, and found... this.”

Another button press, and the black screen turned into a balled up mess of lines.

“What?” Mikie asked. “What is all this?”

“Right now, we believe it's the congealed mess that is every version of Tobiichi Origami that ended up becoming a Spirit,” Reine answered. “Every timeline that she had gone through, overwritten by the Inverse Angel. I can't image what's going on inside that mind.”

While everyone nodded solemnly, something odd and sceptical twinged in the back of Origami's mind. Everything Reine said had made sense, but there was something about the facts she presented that just didn't quite add up. Yet, no matter how much she thought about it, she just couldn't quite pin down what it was.

It was probably just the fatigue. Yeah. Most likely she was just overthinking an admittedly weird scenario.

“After comparing it to what we were able to salvage of the readings from first contact,” Reine continued, pulling up another, seemingly identical graph, “we found one major discrepancy.”

Everyone swallowed nervously. “And... what's that?” Kotori asked.

On the newer graph, it zoomed in on a brainwave depiction that was much larger than the rest, with innumerable others wrapping around it, giving the impression of a frayed length of rope. Then, the same happened on the other graph, only... the larger wave wasn't there, at least discernibly, and the ones previously wrapped around it had shifted considerably.

“Our working theory right now is that the large wave was 'the original', so to speak. Following everything that happened up until now, we believe the dominant Origami might have either retreated into the recesses of her own mind, or... the stress of it all has left her brain-dead.”

The thought alone sent shivers down spines. “What does that mean?” Tohka asked. “Is... the other Origami alive, or not?”

“Hard to say,” Kusakabe responded. “Physically, she's all there, but if she does wake up, there's no telling who's going to be behind the wheel. It's... entirely possible nobody could be in control.”

That was... a nerve wracking thought. A strange sense of guilt washed over Origami at the mere thought that she might have technically killed her.

The other Origami needed to be held at least somewhat accountable, but she also deserved a second chance. Now, though...

What on earth was anyone suppose to do now?

Chapter Text

Her eyes slow fluttered open. A mechanical, slow beeping echoed through her ears. Her breaths came through with a strange echo, no doubt because of the mask on her face.

She did not recognise this ceiling. She did not recognise anything around her. She... did not even recognise her own thoughts.

Where was she? Who was she?

The sound of a door sliding open was heard. Panicked, she quickly shut her eyes, though that beeping sound sped up a little.

The footsteps stopped briefly. “Her heart-rate's up?” a mildly familiar voice said. “Well, not by much, at least. But, that might just mean she's coming to. God knows we need some new news today.” The footsteps began to move away, in the opposite direction she assumed the door was. Cautiously, she opened one eye a bit.

Standing over the bed next to her was a girl with familiar blue hair. Where had she seen that colour before? “As for you...” the girl said, looking over the person in the other bed; a girl with jet black hair. “No change, it seems. Still fighting for your damn life.” A dry chuckle escaped her lips. “Look at us. Never thought I'd see the day where I'd be worrying about you, Tokisaki Kurumi. But then, I never thought I'd see you sticking your neck so far out for others, either, so let's say we're even.”

Tokisaki Kurumi... where had she heard that name before? She tried to think but... nothing. She couldn't recall anything.

“Tobiichi and the commander have managed to bounce back,” the girl continued. “You know, I think I'm glad I was out cold for most of what happened yesterday. I... can't imagine what Kotori's going through at the moment. For Shido to just show up out of the blue, only to disappear and be proclaimed dead minutes later... I'm not sure I could have remained sane. I don't quite have the same support that she does, after all.”

Shido... That name... who was it? She knew it, but she just couldn't put a face to it.

The beeping quickened. “What the?” the girl said, startled. “Her heart-rate's jumped again. Is she coming to?” She felt the girl place her finger and thumb on one of her eyelids, and gently opened the eye.

She pulled back in fear, startling the girl. “Whoa! Okay, you're awake, then!” the girl said. “And not trying to kill us, at that. Good sign.”

She didn't know what the girl meant. Kill? Why would she kill anyone? What was going on?

Takamiya Mana was very confused right now.

The other Origami had finally woken up. That was good. She wasn't trying to kill anyone at the moment. Also good. She was currently trembling like a scared puppy, as far from Mana as she could be while still being on the bed.

Confusing.

The more she looked at this Origami, the more confused she became. All the visual indicators told her that this was almost certainly Tobiichi Origami, as aside from having longer hair, everything else was exactly the same.

Yet, those eyes. Those eyes were neither the Origami who attacked them, nor the Origami they knew. This was... something else entirely.

“Are you... okay?” Mana asked hesitantly. “Nothing broken?” No response came. This was rather concerning. Thinking for a moment, Mana thought to try something. “Can you tell me your name? Anything about yourself?”

A nervous whimper escaped the other Origami's lips. “... dunno,” she muttered. “I dunno... where am I?” In fear, her hands went to the side of her head. “Help me... Mama... Papa...”

This was... going to be a problem. Carefully, Mana approached, and placed a hand gently on her head. “Hey,” she said softly. “It's... going to be alright, okay?” Carefully, Mana pulled out her phone, and quick-dialled the captain. “Hey, it's Takamiya. The kid's woken up.”

Nobody was quite sure what to expect when Mana said 'kid', but after seeing just how timid the other Origami was, alongside the blatant lack of memories, it all made sense.

“This was... definitely not what I expected,” Kotori said, standing behind the one-way mirror alongside the others. “Seems your theory might be on to something, Reine.”

“That doesn't change the fact that we don't know what implications that might have,” Reine pointed out. “She's still dealing with a broken psyche and an overlap of multiple minds.”

Origami stared at her other self, unsure what to make of her. It was... all too strange. Like meeting your twin for the first, and they're nothing like you expected.

After a long pause, Origami spoke. “I'm going in.” She didn't even wait for a response, before opening the door.

The other Origami flinched in fear, which quickly turned to confusion upon seeing Origami. A faint sense of recognition, perhaps?

“How are you feeling?” Origami asked. “Any problems?”

“I...” the other spoke. “I don't know. I don't... know anything. Do I... know you?”

There was... such an oddness to hearing her own voice like this. It wasn't cool, or level, or disconnected, or anything. It was just... scared. “You do not remember anything?” she asked, to which the other nodded. A completely clean slate, so to speak. How... odd. Carefully, Origami sat down beside her. “You are...” and just as quickly, her mind went blank. Was she really going to name her other self? Without a plan? She needed to think of something that could help avoid confusion, without putting this girl down as just 'The Other Origami'. But, what? “You are... Rei,” she decided. “And I am Tobiichi Origami. We've only recently met.” Was that really the best she could come up with? A nickname that Reine uses?

“?” she tilted her head. “We look alike... are we...”

“I do not have that answer,” Origami cut in. “Right now, the only thing I can assure you of is that we are here for your safety.”

A wave of fear washed over her. “Then... am I in danger?” she asked.

“At the moment, we are unsure,” Origami admitted. “Can I at least ask for your cooperation in this, going forward?”

To that, she nodded.

“You've really got a talent for this, Origami,” Kotori said. “One conversation, and you've already got her trusting you this much.”

“With nearly a year of experience, I'm not surprised,” Origami responded.

“Still, using Reine's nickname for you as her name? Bit weak, don't you think?” Mana asked.

“It was the first thing I could think of, so sue me.”

“And what about you, Reine?” Kotori called out. “Think you'll be able to handle the differences?”

“Rei will always be Rei,” Reine answered.

“What a non-answer,” Kotori muttered. “Any change in the brainwaves?”

“Yes, and they're very odd,” Reine said. “We can assume that the one that used to be the centre has vanished, and been replaced by the personality now dubbed 'Rei'. The rest of the minds that have been gathered inside her head seem to be dissipating; drifting away, now that the main anchor is gone. With that said, the power of the Spirit is still within her, and could cause any number of problems down the line.”

“So, we'll still need to seal her power, then,” Origami concluded. “How long would you give us?”

“I would hesitate to give more than a small handful of days,” Reine answered. “I would say it's important for this to be handled promptly.”

“So, I've officially got to date myself,” Origami said. “Didn't think my birthday could get any weirder.”

“It's certainly been a rather lousy one, hasn't it?” Kotori added.

“Wait, today's your birthday?!” Mana exclaimed.

Origami looked over, confused. “Yes? November 11, same time every year.”

Mana, and everyone else for that matter, looked surprised. “You know, I'd say something about you not telling us,” Mana said, “but a whole damn lot's happened, so I won't blame you for it.”

“You say that like I've celebrated it any other year,” Origami rebutted. “But we can talk about all that some other day. We've got a date to plan.”

“I hate how that's a legit reason to drop a topic,” Mana muttered.

“In the interest of doing this as soon as possible, I'd recommend tomorrow,” Reine spoke up. “With how volatile Rei is, I would not want to risk it any longer than needed.”

“So now, I've got to plan a date for myself,” Origami muttered. “What a weird turn of events.”

“Got anything in mind?” Kotori asked. “Amnesia or no, you are planning around your own interests.”

Origami thought for a moment. “I do have something, actually,” she said. “Right now, though, we should make sure she's up for a date.”

“A date?” Rei asked, looked confused.

“I take it you are familiar with the concept?” Origami asked cautiously, to which she got a nod. “Given everything that's happened, I'm sure you are scared of what's to come, yes?” Another nod. “In that case, I believe an ideal course of action would be to help alleviate that fear, thus, a date.”

Rei still looked rather confused. “I... sure?” she said hesitantly. “But... I don't know how that's suppose to help anything.”

Blast. She was using her brain. “Plus...” Rei continued, suddenly blushing. “Isn't a date... suppose to be between couples that love each other?”

Was... Origami always able to look so bashful? “Friends are allowed to go on dates,” Origami pointed out. “And dates can often be the first step towards romance.”

Rei's blush intensified three-fold. “Are... are you saying you want that sort of thing?!” she asked.

“I wouldn't say no,” Origami said. “But, at the same time, I will not force it. What do you say?”

In Rei's mind, it was a storm of confusion. Why was she being asked on a date, of all things? Yet, something about Origami was... welcoming. Maybe it was the fact that she was the first person she came to trust after waking up. “O... okay,” she said meekly. “I'll... give it a try.”

Origami smiled in relief. “Thank you,” she said kindly. “Kotori and Reine will help you prepare tomorrow. Will that be alright with you?”

“Of... of course,” Rei responded. “Just... one question. Who's Kotori-san and Reine-san?”

The morning finally came, as Origami walked down the familiar streets of Tengu City's shopping district. Once again, she couldn't help but marvel at just how quickly the city could be repaired after being damaged. Then again, it's not like the battle from the day before was that wide spread.

After a few minutes, Origami arrived at the fountain where she was going to meet up with Rei.

Rei... Origami never quite thought she'd end up using that name, yet alone for someone else entirely. Well, it was still herself she was using it on, so... did that even it out or not?

Well, she was about half an hour early, so nothing more for her to do but wait.

“Origami-san?”

Well. Never mind, then. It seems she had the same idea. Origami looked around, finding the source of her own voice.

There she was, dressed in a long blue skirt and white blouse. Origami had never really been one to wear skirts that went to or below her knees, but she had to admit, Rei made it look good.

Rei, noticing Origami's staring, blushed. “Um, how is it?” she asked. “Do I... look alright?”

“You look good,” Origami answered. “You certainly wear those clothes better than I could hope to.” Rei's blush intensified. Was Origami really this easy to fluster, or was it just a product of not being weighed down by trauma and rage for five years? Questions for later, she supposed. “Well? Shall we get started?”

In response, Rei nodded bashfully.

Within the Ratatoskr base, everyone watched the monitors as the two Origami's went about their date. And when we say 'everyone', we do mean everyone; the crew, all the Spirits, even Tamae, Tonomachi, Ai, Mai, and Mii, were present. Of course, half of the fun of the Raizen students being here was having to explain everything that had happened, up to and including the fact that there were now two whole Origami's.

That was a fun conversation.

“So, question,” Ai spoke. “Do we know what Origami's plan is?”

“She was pretty secretive about it, I won't lie,” Kotori admitted. “But, if there's anyone who knows her interests, it'd be Origami.”

“They're approaching a restaurant,” Munechika called out. “I think I know that place, actually.”

“I think we all do,” Kozue responded. “They do a great pasta there.”

The two Origami's spent a little over an hour at the restaurant, chatting rather simply.

“Huh. This is kinda... underwhelming,” Natsumi commented. “Kinda expected something a bit more exotic.”

“What did you have in mind, Natsumi-san?” Mii asked.

“Dunno. Something a bit... more. Origami's an oddball, after all.”

“Subjects have left the restaurant,” Kozue proclaimed. “They are heading towards... Um... I don't know what that shop is.”

“Oh! That's Kinazou's,” Hinako exclaimed. “It's a variety oddity shop. I go there from time to time to restock on voodoo dolls.”

Everyone looked at Hinako in bewilderment. “Okay, I knew you had a thing for them,” Kotori said, “but you buy them from this place? What, do they sell them in bulk?”

“Discount prices, too,” Hinako replied. “Better than the other place down the road.”

One bewildered moment later, the Origami and Rei had left the shop, a bag of good that looked to have been Rei's purchases in hand.

“So, Darling's into that sort of thing?” Miku said, taking notes. “Interesting.”

Tonomachi looked... perplexed. “I kinda want to make a joke here,” he said, “but I feel like it'll just get me killed.”

“Glad to see you have some sense of self preservation,” Ai said.

“Only took forever, dude,” Mai added.

“That's so lame,” Mii finished.

“Hard hitting as ever,” Tonomachi sighed. “... By the way, Tohka-chan and company, I've been wanting to ask for a while now, but... how do you girls handle it?”

Tohka tilted her head in puzzlement. “What do you mean?”

“Well... Tobiichi-san's just one person, and she's dating all of you to various degrees, right?” he asked, to which each Spirit nodded. “Does it ever feel like... I dunno, like she pays more attention to one of you girls more than the others? Do any of you ever feel jealous at all?”

A moment of silence followed once more. “That was... actually a pretty insightful question,” Kotori commented. “I can't say I'm too troubled by it, but then again, I set her down this path in the first place. Girls?”

Each of the Spirits gave it a bit of thought. “Well, I kinda knew from the get-go that Origami would need to spread herself thin for all of us,” Tohka said. “I just think that's one of her good qualities.”

“Personally, we see Origami-kun as more of a parental figure,” Yoshinon spoke. “None of that lust business for us.”

“Kinda the same with us,” Kaguya said.

“Agreement. Master is more like a beacon of hope and guiding post for us.” Yuzuru added.

“I just like Origami-san for who she is,” Mikie said. “Plus, everyone else is so nice.”

“I just like girls,” Miku said plainly. “Darling's a fine catch, to be sure, but the fact that I can share her with so many others is, honestly, a plus for me.”

“So, that answer your question, dude?” Ai asked.

“Well enough, I guess,” Tonomachi said. “Then again, I've never been in a real relationship, so I don't know if this is normal or not.”

“For what it's worth, Tonomachi,” Kotori said, “we've never been in a normal relationship, either.”

The date went on and on, with Origami and Rei going between numerous different shops that sold various odds and ends. It was... a weird date, to be sure, but the affection meters were going up, so it couldn't be a bad one.

As the sun began to set, Origami and Rei stood at the edge of a familiar park, overlooking Tengu City.

“It's... over,” Rei said, letting out an exhausted sigh. “What a long day.”

“But you still enjoyed it, right?” Origami asked.

“I did,” Rei agreed. “It was very fun, today. And I feel like I learnt so much about myself. But...” The air around Rei grew sombre. “But I can't shake the feeling that... I don't belong here. Like this isn't my world to live in.”

“Everyone has the right to live in the world,” Origami said, skirting around the subject of 'this world'.

“But... I just feel like me being here... cost too much to happen,” Rei said. “Like... someone lost their life for me to even...”

“Don't say that,” Origami cut in. “Please. Do not say that your life wasn't worth saving.” She wasn't entirely sure where this was coming from, other than the fact that she was accepting that her own life was built on so many sacrifices. If Origami could forgive herself for existing, then surely she could forgive... herself as another person. “If you disparage your own life, it... it's like insulting the people whom got you here in the first place. I was... much like that for a while.”

Origami held her hand out to Rei. “I know things must be scary and confusing for you,” she continued. “But, you are not alone. The burdens of your past are not just yours to bare. You can rely on me, on us, to get through it. You can forgive yourself for whatever it is you may have done. So please,” she implored, “trust me, and take my hand.”

For Origami, it was more than just saving a Spirit this time. This time, it was proving to herself that, even at her lowest, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Even if Origami's path was stained with blood, she could still live.

Rei hesitated slightly, reaching out to Origami's hand...

Then, the world went cold.

Elsewhere in the city, a pair of mismatched eyes shot open.

For the longest time, the world stood still. For the longest time, Origami forgot how to breath. She struggled to make sense of what had just happened.

Why? Why was there... one of Metatron's Funnels piercing Rei's chest?

“... Eh?” was the only sound that managed to escape Rei's lips, before a shot fired from the Funnel at Origami. She was barely able to dodge it, the shot grazing her shoulder, as dark energy began to erupt from below Rei's feet.

“Rei!” Origami called out, as Rei began to scream in pain and terror. Why was this happening now? It was going so well!

Suddenly, Rei's body went limp. “...Unforgivable,” a cold voice said, escaping Rei's lips. “Why do you get to be right? Why do you get to have things your way? It's not fair.”

Origami realised that she was no longer talking to 'Rei'. The Inverse Origami was back, and she was pissed.

“It's only because your way is wrong,” Origami said. “You still have a chance to turn things around. Please, don't throw that away!”

The Funnel dug its way out of her chest, though the most unsettling part of it all was the simple fact that the wound didn't magically knit itself back up. “You don't get to decide that,” she spat. “You don't get to decide that our revenge- YOUR revenge, is not worth it.”

“We just made the wrong choice!” Origami retorted. “There's nothing wrong with that! We learnt better- I learnt better! And you can too! In your timeline, didn't you work together with the Spirits, at least a bit?!”

The Inverse Origami hesitated slight. “That doesn't matter,” she said. “Not anymore. They're dead, as they should be.”

A sickening feeling wrapped itself around Origami's heart. “You don't mean that,” she said, feeling almost helpless in the face of her own darkness. “They... Even Yoshino and Natsumi? But... they didn't do anything wrong. They just... they just wanted to live peacefully. You didn't... you couldn't have!”

“They were Spirits,” the Inverse Origami said. “Once the world is rid of Spirits... then it can all be over.”

A familiar rage began to build in Origami's heart. “And what about you?! Are you suppose to be some overbearing God, hunting down any Spirit that shows up?!”

“Once they're all dead... Then I, too, can rest in peace,” the Inverse Origami answered.

So... that was it? Just endless killing in an endless war, just to die at the end? It sickened Origami to no end... just how close she really was to becoming that.

One by one, more and more Funnels appeared in the air behind Inverse Origami. Small blades of light extended from each one, and Origami was fairly certain that she didn't have a chance in hell of surviving this.

“Die, traitor,” the Inverse Origami said, as each Funnel took aim.

A lone gunshot echoed through the park. Time seemed to stand still for a long while, before Inverse Origami fell to her knees, or rather, what was left of one of them.

Origami turned around quickly, to see none other that Tokisaki Kurumi standing there, looking particularly exhausted.

“Good grief, you're a real piece of work,” Kurumi said, forcing her usual apathetic tone. “I regret to tell you this, but you've missed your chance, Origami-san.”

“What do you mean?” Origami asked. “I can still...”

Kurumi quickly grabbed Origami by the collar of her shirt, and dragged her out of the way as three Funnels stabbed the ground where she stood.

“Oh, to be ever the optimist,” Kurumi sighed. “Regrettably, she does not seem to think that way.”

Kurumi dodged through the air nimbly, dragging Origami alone as numerous Funnels followed after them. The expression on Inverse Origami's face was entirely unreadable.

“But... we can still save her,” Origami said, a sudden feeling of hopelessness overwhelming her. “It's...”

“God, but you sound just like that idiot,” Kurumi sighed. “As endearing as it is on you, I'm afraid you never had a chance.” With a mighty heave, Kurumi threw Origami across the park, before turning back toward the Inversed one. “After all, without Itsuka Shido around, you don't have a heart anymore, do you?”

The Inverse Origami grit her teeth in barely contained fury. “What would a monster know about having a heart?”

“You'd be quite surprised,” Kurumi shrugged. “But, how about we skip the formalities? After all, you have something that doesn't belong to you.”

The air around Kurumi became dangerous and suffocating. How she was able to command such a presence, despite how drained she was from a few days ago, Origami couldn't say.

The Funnels all took aim and fired at Kurumi, whom dodged through the lasers with remarkable grace. When she finally closed the distance, her gun pressed firmly against Inverse Origami's throat...

“Stop!”

She pulled the trigger.

Blood sprayed out of the back of Inverse Origami's neck. The world seemed to come to a complete halt. Every Funnel that had manifested disappeared from whence it came, as the Inverse Origami clutched at the hole in her neck.

Origami's blood ran cold. She wanted so desperately to rush over, but there was no strength in her legs. She wanted to call out, but no voice came to her lips. There... had to still be some way to make this right, right?

Through some miracle, Origami managed to move one leg, yet found it held in place by hands reaching out of her shadow. No, not her shadow; it was that Kurumi's shadow had extended so infinitely that it covered everything.

“You are going to hate me for this, Origami-san,” Kurumi said, voice level and emotionless. “However, this was a losing battle from the word 'go'. The moment her memories came back, the one you named Rei was gone.”

“You... you can't know that,” Origami said weakly. “There was... still a chance I...”

“You'd have died trying,” Kurumi cut off. “And don't give me any of that 'at least I'd die trying' crap. Your life stopped being your own to throw away a long time ago.” Her shadow stretched out to the Inverse Origami, as shadowy hands grabbed hold of her, and began to drag her into the darkness.

“Stop this... please,” Origami said weakly. “She doesn't...”

The Inverse Origami struggled as much as she could, yet every passing tick of the clock was more strength lost, until finally, she collapsed into the darkness.

And, just like that... it was over. The strangling darkness vanished, and only Origami and Kurumi were left in the park.

Tears began to fall from Origami's face. All this time, everything that happened, and all for nothing... It just...

“... Not fair,” Origami muttered. “This... this shouldn't be how it ends... It's... it's not fair...”

Kurumi stood there, not meeting Origami's gaze as the clock in her eye wound forward rapidly. “You're right. It's not,” she said. “So many things deserve to have a better ending, only for it to be ripped away from them. That girl... was a ticking time bomb. Once she went off, someone would die, and you'd have only yourself to blame for it. This... was the best way out.”

“How?!” Origami shouted. “How is this the best?! She deserved to live, even in spite of what she's done!”

“... You're right. She did. And you know something?” Kurumi looked back at Origami, fire and sympathy in her eyes. “The only person there is to blame for this is the Spirit of Origin. The monster that set her- set YOU, down this path.”

“But I-”

The barrel of Kurumi's gun was pressed against Origami's head. “Open your eyes already,” Kurumi said. “This? This would not have worked. What happened just now was going to happen at any point in the future. Either you would have died, or one of your girlfriends would have, and you'd never live with the consequences. I do not expect your forgiveness for this, Tobiichi Origami... but I expect you'll come to understand this, one day.”

The gun was lowered, and Kurumi stepped back, sinking into her own shadow. “We will meet again, Origami-san,” she said. “And only time will tell how that meeting plays out.”

With those parting words, Kurumi was gone, and Origami was completely alone.

“Ah...” Origami squeaked, trying desperately to convince herself that all this did not just happen.

It had been going well.

There had been a chance to make things right.

She could have saved her.

Yet, now...

That light had been snuffed for good.

Towards the distant, setting sun, Origami cried.

Chapter Text

December. Usually, the month of festivities. The month of Christmas. The month of joy and snow.

Yet, there was no joy to be found on these streets. There was no snow to be found in this rain.

A lone, pale figure walked the rainy streets of Tengu City. The rain soaked her down to the bone, yet she didn't even have the energy to care. Her spirit had been beaten and trampled on too much for the rain to bother her.

She had a job to do. A simple one, on paper, but an important one.

Kiss the girl.

Save the world.

Ellen Mathers did not care much for the rain. She didn't care much for Tengu City, either. Why would she, when it's the base of operation for their enemy?

It could be said that she was here on recon, but only in the unofficial sense. Ever since the incident on Arumi Island, her leader and close confidant, Isaac Westcott, has been incapacitated, and their operations all but ceased.

All because that girl managed to defy the odds.

Tobiichi Origami. An anomaly to the big plan. Someone with the power to seal Spirits, and seemingly wield that power for herself. Ellen had read through what information they could dig up on her, and was confused even more to find out that she was former AST, and a staunch believer that Spirits needed to be purged.

To go from that, to saving then... Quite baffling, to say the least.

The streets of Tengu City were basically barren, yet Ellen still chose to walk the back alleys, just in case the Ratatoskr organisation had some form of surveillance in this city, which, she would bet on.

As she walked the streets under the cover of her umbrella, she heard something; the splashing of extra footsteps. Was someone following her?

Cautiously, she glanced back, and saw, much to her own surprise, the object of her ire and thoughts; Tobiichi Origami.

She looked... remarkably worse for wear, actually. Her clothes were completely soaked, and her head was drooped low, causing her bangs to cover her eyes.

Ellen wasn't exactly in a position to go into combat with her, especially with the unknowns that was her abilities. For now, she would just have to hope there wasn't any recognition at the moment.

She stopped not two feet in front of Ellen, and looked up at her. So much for not being recognised, but... there was something about those eyes. It was like Origami only half recognised Ellen.

Perhaps she could play this off. “Can I... help you?” Ellen asked. Origami simply... stood there, looking at her with those cold eyes. This was getting very unsettling, even by Ellen's standards. “Um... excu-”

She was cut off by Origami lunging forward, grabbing Ellen by the collar of her jacket, which resulted in her dropping the umbrella, and... kissing her. Ellen's eyes shot open in surprise. What the hell had gotten into this girl?

Ellen broke Origami's grip, and stepped back a few paces. “What has gotten into you?!” she shouted. “Forget the fact that we're enemies; who goes up to random strangers and just kisses them like that?!”

Origami voice no response. Instead she lunged forward once more, and despite Ellen's best efforts to avoid her, was pushed to the ground, with Origami straddling her. Before Ellen could voice her confusion, Origami locked lips with her once more.

Despite her struggling, Ellen couldn't force Origami off of her, as the kiss became deeper. One of Origami's hands began massaging Ellen's breasts, yet still, she couldn't fend her off.

Roughly half an hour later, Ellen would leave the alleyway alone, her clothes in drenched disarray, and her dignity in tatters.

The atmosphere in Ratatoskr's base of operations was solemn and tense. All hands were working hard at the tasks they were given.

“Anything?” Commander Kotori asked.

“Still nothing, commander,” Kyouji responded. “Neither hide nor hair of Tobiichi Origami to be seen.”

It had been a full month since the disaster that was November 12. It could arguably be said to have been the first failed operation in the crews time at this job.

The Origami from the other timeline, the one that was henceforth dubbed Tobiichi Rei, had been killed by Tokisaki Kurumi. There was a level of understanding in those action, given that Tobiichi Rei's memories had returned, and she was back on the war path, but this didn't change the fact that the end result was as bitter as the blackest coffee.

And, worst of all, it had broken Origami. Ever since that day, she had become harder and harder to locate, and even harder to keep in one place when they did. Eventually, come December 1, she had somehow managed to drop off the map.

They knew she was still alive, and still in Tengu City, just by the simple fact that they could trace the seals she had on the Spirits. But, while one might think this very thing could be used to triangulate her position, like one might do when navigating by the stars, there was some unnatural interference going on, leaving them with the unhelpful answer of 'somewhere in Tengu City'.

Then, there was the problem of the feedback loop. That strange, annoying aspect of the seal that heightens the emotions of both Origami and the Spirits.

This whole situation was a ticking time-bomb, and the moment it goes off... goodbye Tengu.

“Use every camera you can get into,” Kotori instructed. “We don't have time to waste.”

Everybody understood that. They didn't have time to waste weeks ago.

Kotori let out a sigh, as her hand moved from her forehead to her thigh with a little more force than intended, forcing her to bite back a slight moan.

Whatever was going through Origami's mind right now, it was affecting all the Spirits, causing this low, intense smouldering feeling in their hearts. At first, they tried to pass it off as stress, but it was getting harder and harder as time went on.

At first, the feedback loop showed itself as an intensification of the sort of love Origami developed with each Spirit, ranging from familiar to lover. Then, it became apparent that even the negative emotions, not directed at any one Spirit, could be pulled along. And now, there was 'this'.

Whatever was going through Origami's mind right now, it was leaving the Spirits, for lack of a better word, in a state of heat.

“What on earth?” Kozue spoke. “I've found something. It's not Origami-san, but it's definitely... odd.”

“Talk to us, Minowa,” Kotori instructed.

“It's... Ellen Mathers,” Kozue answered. “She looks like... I dunno, she had a rather passionate moment with a lover moments ago.”

“... What?” Kotori asked. The camera feed in question was pulled up on the main monitor, showing Ellen Mathers, all dishevelled and winded, making an effort to look presentable. “Who the heck could have done that to the world's strongest Wizard?”

“I'll check the recordings,” Kozue said, typing away, until... “Oh. That's, um...”

“What is it?”

“That's... not safe to show,” Kozue answered, blushing intensely. “On the plus side, though, I... found Origami-san.”

“You're telling me... Origami did that?” Kotori asked. “It's worse than I thought. Any idea where she went after... that?”

“Checking neighbouring cameras now,” Masaomi said. “Found her! City block 67, heading southbound!”

“First bit of good news I've heard in a long time!” Kotori said. “Get someone down there and bring her back!”

“Yes, ma'am!” everyone shouted in unison.

As the crew dispersed, Reine approached Kotori. “Kotori, there's something else to report,” she said. “And it concerns the Spirit pathways between Rei and you girls.”

“When it rains, it pours, huh?” Kotori muttered. “Alright, let's have it.”

With all the Spirits gathered in one place, it was remarkably easy to say the air was heavy with nervousness.

Reine looked over each one, noting each emotion on their faces. For the most part, especially for the older girls, their expressions were simply worry and distress, but with Kotori, Yoshino, and Natsumi, there was a sense of barely contained flustered warmth.

Those girls were not use to these sorts of emotions.

“I'll keep this brief,” Reine said. “I believe the reason we've had a hard time tracking Rei down was because she's just been emitting that much Spirit energy. And, if we don't act soon, it could only get worse.”

Everyone gulped nervously. “What... do you mean?” Mikie asked.

“As you all already know, the Spirit Pathways between each of you and Rei are rocky at best. A byproduct of the fact that she wasn't the original holder of the ability to seal your powers. Now, with seven Spirits sealed- or eight, depending on how one counts the Yamai's, as well as the stress of... last month, let's say.” Talking about the events of last November was hard for everyone. It being the first ever failure in this long, seemingly endless job, after seven successes in a row, certainly hit the general mood of things hard. “All of these things compounded is causing the power sealed within Rei to go out of control. If it's left alone, then it will result in a Spacequake the size of which would be hitherto unheard of.”

Fear washed over everyone. “Then, what are we suppose to do?” Tohka asked. “How do we save Origami?”

“The same way she saved you all,” Reine answered. “By reinforcing the pathways between you and Rei through a kiss. By my estimates, I believe we have, at most, to the end of the week to do this.”

“Not a terrible time-frame,” Kotori muttered. “But not one we can completely rely on. It could change at any moment.”

“Correct,” Reine agreed. “Thus, I would say our deadline is within the next... four days, at least.”

“But, will Darling even cooperate?” Miku asked. “She's... not in a good mindset right now, right?”

“To be honest, with how she is right now, getting Rei to kiss you might not even be the problem,” Reine said. “I believe the problem will be whether or not she'll keep herself from going too far with all of you.”

“Nice as that sounds for some of us,” Kaguya muttered, shifting rather uncomfortably.

“We just have to accept it's for the greater good,” Kotori said.

Tohka sat in silence, unsure of how to contribute to any of this. This was all a bit hard for her to follow.

“T-Tohka-san?” Yoshino whispered to her. “Is... everything alright?”

“I... I don't know,” Tohka admitted. “Is this what Origami felt every time one of us showed up? This... overwhelming pressure?”

“Hard ta say,” Yoshinon commented. “Us? We've never felt quite like this. Not to say Yoshino-chan hasn't had curious thoughts about it~”

Yoshino blushed intensely at the revelation, but did not deny it.

“Right, let's go over the plan,” Kotori spoke up. “If we all go at once, it'll frankly be a bit of a mess, so...”

Origami trudged through the soaking streets of the city.

She had one mission, yet no guiding post from which to go by. She couldn't just sit and do nothing, but she had no way in which to find any new Spirits.

She had to save them... She had to save them...

On the edge of her senses, Origami felt a presence. She looked up, to see a familiar man with blonde hair.

“My word, you're looking worse for wear, Origami-kun,” Kannazuki said as affably as he could. “Been well enough, I hope?”

Origami knew him. She knew he wasn't a Spirit. With unfocused eyes, she continued on, passing him.

Kannazuki let out a sigh. “Second right, followed by the third left!” he called out. “You'll find the water park two blocks down after that. They're waiting for you there.”

'They'. Who was 'they'? It must mean Spirits. Finally, a guiding light.

She wouldn't fail again. COULDN'T fail again.

With a small nod, Origami began walking again.

Kannazuki tapped his ear piece. “This is Kannazuki. The bird in hand is on her way to the bush,” he said. “Now RTB.” Turning his comms off, he looked over his shoulder at Origami. “Here's hoping this works.”

The main lobby of the water park was remarkably warm, and noticeably empty. If Origami was in possession of all her faculties, she might have taken note of how weird that was, given that there's been no Spacequake alarm.

But, she wasn't, so she didn't. She only had the mission on her mind.

Unheard to her, someone whispered into a radio. “This is Phase One. Target has entered the building.”

“Request. Shall we begin?” another voice whispered.

[Take it away, girls,] the response came.

Origami heard the rattling of chains for all of a brief second, before a length of chain wrapped itself around her arm, and she was dragged into what looked to be the changing room.

Before she could gather her bearing's though, she felt two bodies press up against her from both sides. Origami recognised two heads of orange hair. “Kaguya... Yuzuru...” she said, voice rough and scratchy.

“Geez, look at you!” Kaguya said. “You're a complete mess, Boss!”

“Argeement,” Yuzuru said. “Allow us to help warm you up.”

Before Origami could so much as question it, there was a blur of movement, and suddenly she was very much naked, standing beneath a running shower head with the Yamai twins.

“What's... going on?” Origami asked, as one of Kaguya's hands began massaging her breast, and Yuzuru began caressing Origami's thigh.

“You've been gone for a whole month, you know,” Kaguya whispered into Origami's ear, before playfully nibbling on it. Origami felt an unexpected burst of pleasure from the feeling.

“Agreed. And now, we are all feeling rather pent up,” Yuzuru added, as she allowed one hand to run through Origami's damp hair.

Origami's back arced in response to Yuzuru's hand, as it made its way between her legs. Were it not for the sisters keeping her upright, Origami might have buckled under her own weight. Origami's mind began to blank for a moment, as suddenly all the tension was released from her body. Within this state of euphoria, the Yamai's drew their faces close, and kissed Origami's lips.

Something in Origami's heart felt like it was mending, like a wound being stitched up. It wasn't big, but she definitely felt it.

The sisters pulled away, as Origami found her balance. For the first time in weeks, Origami felt her heart-rate jump. In that moment, Origami's mind only told her one thing; return the favour.

As one of Origami's hands held the back of Kaguya's head and drew her in for a deep, passionate kiss, her other hand worked its way down Yuzuru's stomach, rubbing against her crotch. Their moans came as a sort of melody to her ears, until finally, there was the release.

Both Kaguya and Yuzuru leaned their heads on Origami's shoulders, panting heavily. Origami could barely form a coherent thought now. Well, outside of 'More', at any rate. But, Origami still had enough reasoning to know that such a thing would not come from these two; they were already out of breath, after all.

Guiding the two to a nearby bench, Origami found a familiar black swimsuit set out for her.

Well, it at least beat walking around naked. For the most part.

As Origami entered the main pool area, she felt simultaneously hot and cold. Her mind was abuzz with so many emotions that drowned out the sorrow that had suffocated her up until this point.

Her memory had become somewhat foggy, too. She remembered what had happened a minute ago, but now, she could barely recall why she was at the pool in the first place.

Just then, a small pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Looking down, Origami saw the familiar blue hair of Yoshino.

The thought begging for 'More' echoed in her mind, yet was countered by that small part in Origami's mind that knew better than to go there with Yoshino. The conflicting thoughts felt as if they were going to burn a hole in her brain.

It was then, that Origami realised she could feel both of Yoshino's hands behind her; which meant there was no Yoshinon.

“Yoshi...no?” Origami spoke weakly. Maybe this was about something else? No; she could feel Yoshino's grip, not to mention the small girl was trying to either pull herself up, or pull Origami down.

Origami's heart once again sped up, as she allowed herself down to her knees. Now that they were relatively eye level, Origami could see the sheer amount of overwhelming emotion in Yoshino's eyes.

Yoshino's breathing was heavy. She wasn't use to these kinds of emotions, yet... it was enticing. A forbidden fruit, so to say.

Placing her hands on Origami's shoulders, Yoshino drew close, and lightly kissed Origami on the lips once, then twice. They were the kisses of someone wanting to go further than this, yet was too afraid of the unknown.

Well, nothing else to do but show her a little of those depths, Origami supposed.

All it took was a slightly more passionate kiss, and Yoshino had passed out. It was honestly quite adorable, how she pushed herself so far for...

For what, exactly? Why had Yoshino been overcome with the need to do this? To come on so strong?

A part of Origami's mind, as she set about sitting Yoshino comfortably on a nearby chair, said: 'Who cares? This is to save the Spirits.'

Another part responded: 'We have already sealed Yoshino. She's already saved, and even then, our love for her is not like this.'

'Then why aren't we allowed some reward?'

Origami's mind was ablaze with conflicting thoughts and overwhelming lust. The more... intimate time she spent with Tohka, Miku, and Mikie weren't a 'reward', they were...

… Huh? What exactly were they to Origami? She did genuinely love them, right?

'And it's because you love that you can't let another Spirit die,' the thoughts said. 'You failed her. And you'll fail them, too, if you don't pull your head in and SAVE THEM.'

Right... That's why she...

“Oh? I was wondering when you would show up,” a deep, sultry voice said, as two pairs of arms wrapped around her, followed by the familiar pressure of two pairs of amply sized breasts pushing against her back.

“We finally found you, Darling!” another voice said.

“Natsumi, Miku,” Origami spoke in a daze. She felt their hands gently moving up and down her body, each touch a sensation beyond anything she'd felt before.

“Well, aren't you sensitive today?” Natsumi said, keeping her adult form up far easier than usual. “If it wasn't for the fact that we're the half-way point, I'd so love to hear just what kind of sounds you make.”

“Believe me, Natsumi-chan, they're beautiful sounds,” Miku said happily, as one of her hands slipped underneath Origami's swimsuit. “Shall I give you a sampler platter?”

Origami arched back, as Miku's fingers effectively shot pleasure through her whole body once more. Natsumi cupped Origami's chin in one hand, and drew her in for a deep kiss. Once more, Origami's mind was filled with white noise, her eyes becoming unfocused. When the kiss was broken, her head was turned towards Miku, who's kiss was much deeper, and involved just a bit of tongue.

At that moment, Origami's mind went completely blank.

When she finally came to, she was walking down the length of the pool. What had happened to Miku and Natsumi? What... was happening to her?

Her entire body felt like it was on fire. The soles of her feet were sensitive to the ground beneath her. Every muscle twitched ever so slightly with ecstasy whenever she moved. Half of her couldn't get enough of this feeling, while the other half questioned why it was like this.

Focusing back on the present, she saw a familiar head of red hair approaching her. It was Kotori, dressed in that white swimsuit from their last date here.

She really was adorable in that swimsuit.

“This all it takes to turn you on, huh?” Kotori asked, blushing rather intensely. “You're actually quite a pervert deep down, aren't you?”

Before Origami realised it, she had closed the gap between her and Kotori. Gripping one of the young girls shoulders, her other hand moved towards Kotori's chest, before stopping just shy of it.

“... I shouldn't,” Origami struggled. “This... this isn't right. I...”

Kotori grabbed Origami's hand, and placed it against her chest. “You're not well, Nee-chan,” Kotori said. “You haven't been well for a while. Please, let us help you.”

Origami could feel Kotori's heartbeat through her chest. It was just as fast as her own, if not more so.

Origami drew her face closer to Kotori's, the hand she had placed on her shoulder now moving to her waist, and kissed her. It was remarkably gentle, and Origami felt a bit of whatever ailed her melt away.

As they pulled away, Origami felt herself lose her footing slightly. Fortunately, Kotori was there to support her. “Easy, Nee-chan,” she said. “Just a little more, okay? You've got this.”

“Do I?” Origami asked. “I don't... even remember why I'm here anymore. I can't think straight anymore. I just know that I...”

“I know. Just... get a move on, would ya?”

Back at base, things were looking... not bad, per-se, but not entirely good, either.

The connections between Origami and the Spirits were stabilising one by one, sure, but the fact that there were still two that weren't were bottle-necking the rampant energies, causing all that excess mana intensify in its own new way.

“Concerning developments,” Kannazuki muttered. “Reine, what's our status?”

“Both plus and minus,” Reine answered. “Rei's connection with the others are stabilising, but it's putting more strain on the ones that haven't yet. Estimated time for disaster is now... ten minutes.”

Kannazuki clicked his tongue. So much for all the time they thought they had.

“We have an incoming transmission from HQ!” Kyouji called out. “What should we do?”

“Ignore it!” Kannazuki directed. “We've got this under control!”

An alarm began to blare. “Satellite cannon Dainsleiff has been activated!” Hinako shouted. “It's target is... Tobiichi-san!”

“What?!” Kannazuki yelled. “What the hell are the brass thinking?!”

[You really wish to know?] a voice said, as a comms line was forced open. [In case you haven't realised, Kannazuki Kyouhei, things are getting out of hand.]

“They're not out of hand yet!” he shouted back. “We can still get this under control!”

[It does not look it from here,] the voice said. [You have five minutes to make your peace with this.]

The comms line shut off, and Kannazuki slammed his fist on the console.

Everything felt like it was burning. She could barely remember her own name at this point.

Tobiichi Origami, she told herself.

But why was she here? She could not remember at all.

In front of her were two familiar faces, struggling against the rampant waves of energy that were coming from her body. Their expressions were ones of worry.

She could hardly recall their names. But, she knew that... she loved them.

Love. What was love? Why did it seem to hurt so much?

And... why did she covet it still, despite the hurt?

Tohka and Mikie kept putting one foot in front of the other, as they desperately tried to approach Origami.

All that rampant Spirit energy was pouring out of her. They was no longer time for foreplay, as Miku might have said.

Tohka nearly lost her footing for a moment. “Geez, how much has Origami been bottling up?” she complained, half joking.

“A bit too much, it seems,” Mikie responded. “You'd think she didn't trust us.”

The thought did cross Tohka's mind, but she had just as quickly dismissed it. Origami was just the kind of girl who tended to carry her burdens alone, after all.

A scream of pain erupted from Origami, as waves of power pushed the two back. “Mikie!” Tohka called out. “I'm going to try throwing you at her!”

It was an absurd plan, but at this point, it might just work. “Do it!”

Slowly sidling behind Mikie, Tohka picked up Mikie like a javelin (surprisingly enough, this was a formation the two had thought of and practised before), and tossed her at Origami.

When she drew close enough, Mikie wrapped her arms around Origami, holding on desperately as the energy threatened to blow her away. Origami looked into Mikie's eyes, a mix of fear, confusion, and recognition on her face.

“Come on, Origami,” Mikie said with a small laugh. “That sort of look doesn't fit you.” Using what strength she could, Mikie drew closer, and managed to kiss Origami before being blown away.

The waves intensified, but Tohka continued to step forward.

Just then... a strange prickly sensation tickled her skin. On instinct, Tohka looked up, to see a massive beam of energy falling from the sky, heading right to Origami. Before panic could take over, though, the beam was blocked by something that existed just outside the range of her vision.

Go, a strange, kind voice said. Save the one you love, my daughter.

Tohka wasn't sure who that was, but she was thankful all the same.

The closer she got, the stronger the waves were. When she was just a hair's breadth away, Tohka found she couldn't take a single step forward anymore. At least, not until she felt someone push her forward from behind.

It was all the momentum she needed, as she quickly latched her arms around Origami.

“... I don't...” Origami muttered. “I don't want to hurt anyone... I don't understand anything... I don't even know myself anymore...”

“That's fine,” Tohka said softly. “I'm much the same, really. I wasn't really anyone until I met you, Origami. It's fine to rely on us from time to time.”

“But... Rei... she died because I wasn't good enough.”

“That's not true,” Tohka corrected. “Sometimes... sometimes things just don't go how we want them to. It's okay to feel sad about that. But please, let us help you. Let us ease the burden you carry.”

Origami looked into Tohka's eyes, and the waves slowly died down. “Toh...ka...”

“Origami. I love you,” Tohka said, as she kissed Origami. “You gave us a chance at life. So please, don't grieve alone.”

The whole world seemed to calm down. The rain had parted at long last, and peace, temporary as it was, returned to Tengu City.

It had been two days since the near disaster and death of Tobiichi Origami. For the sake of safety, Origami had been put under an unofficial house arrest, just to make sure she didn't go wandering off again.

For the first day after she had come home, she allowed herself to mourn the life she couldn't save. In a small corner of her home, they had put up a small shrine to the girl the world would never truly know.

The job may never truly be over for her. But... she wasn't alone in her fight. She had Tohka, Mikie, Yoshino, Kotori, Miku, Kaguya, Yuzuru, and Natsumi. She had Reine, Ai, Mai, Mii, Tamae, and Kusakabe. She had Kannazuki and Tonomachi. She wasn't alone.

So, as she laid in bed, with Tohka, Mikie, and Miku at her side, Origami slept.

Chapter Text

<The following is a perspective from an incident that happened back in April, after the sealing of Yatogami Tohka>

Sneaking around was never one of Kurumi's favourite things. Sure, she made it look shockingly easy, given that she could creep in, out, and through shadows, but sometimes she just craved good old fashioned violence.

A shame, then, that she'd had this annoying boy haunting her.

“You know I can hear your internal monologues, right?” the voice of Itsuka Shido asked. “C'mon, Kurumi, we talked about this.”

Kurumi let out a slightly irritated sigh. “I know, Shido-san,” she said. “But need I remind you that it's your principals that make my life harder?”

“Well, someone has to keep you on the straight and narrow,” Shido said. “You're not as beyond saving as you think, and I'm going to make sure of it.”

“You're incorrigible, Shido-san,” Kurumi sighed. Well, she wouldn't deny that having someone like him trying to constantly see the best in her wasn't a bad feeling.

Eventually, she came upon her destination; a sealed chamber.

This would be her first step towards getting revenge against the Spirit of Origin. She just needed answers from the one inside this room.

She needed the information that only the Second Spirit could access.

The chamber doors slid open, and Kurumi clicked her tongue in annoyance.

The chamber was empty.

<Present Day>

It was coming up to the end of December. For the first time in a while now, Tobiichi Origami walked the streets of Tengu City alone.

There wasn't any deep, foreboding, or melancholic reasoning behind this one; it was just that, after the last incident, she was to be kept under close observation, just in case.

Fortunately, after a long, boring week of nothing, she was allowed out of the house without a guard. Origami might have been mortified at the thought of needing an escort, if she wasn't already scared at just how far she had fallen into despair.

The wounds on her heart, from seeing the death of Rei, the Origami from another timeline, were still sore. But, she wouldn't fall into despair; not again.

She had too many relying on her. She had so many to rely on.

It was a weird feeling for Origami, knowing and truly understanding that she had a safety net to fall back on if it all became too much for her. Nearly a year ago, if you asked her if she believed in the power of love, she'd say it was full of shit, but now? Now she was all for it. Power of love saved her soul, after all.

Origami wasn't sure how she'd pay everyone back for saving her from the brink. She could think of 'some' way, but... she wasn't sure anyone had the stamina for that sort of thing, and to be honest, she was still a bit weird about her primary form of affection being so sexual.

So, she needed new ideas. A Christmas gift for each of them, to say thanks for saving her life. Preferably, gifts that won't end up leading to sex.

… Though, to be perfectly honest, no matter what she got them, it would probably lead to that conclusion anyway.

“I wonder if I'm just an absolute pervert now,” Origami muttered to herself.

Well, she supposed that was just her life now.

“Origami-san?” a familiar voice called out. Origami turned, to see who else but...

“Fujibakama Mii?” Origami responded. “It's... strange to see you without Ai and Mai.”

“Can't argue with that,” Mii agreed. “But, I was actually hoping to run into you or Tohka-san. I... kinda need some advice from an expert on love.”

Origami blinked a few times in surprise. “You... do know I'm not a prime example of being in a good relationship, right?” she pointed out. “That I'm the sort of person that gets used as an example of what not to do in a relationship?” Specifically, she was talking about the act of building a harem and regularly engaging in rampant sex.

“I don't think you give yourself enough credit, Origami-san,” Mii said. “After all, I hear most relationships only feel like the fate of the world hangs in the balance.”

… Well damn. She's got her there.

“Well, I can try to help,” Origami conceded. “Let's find somewhere to sit down, first.”

The spot they chose was a park bench by the fountain in the middle of Tengu City's park.

“So,” Origami began, “since you were specifically looking for one of us, and about love, I'm guessing you've fallen for someone?”

Mii blushed at the bluntness of the statement. “Well... Yes,” she admitted. “And I honestly don't know how to go about it.”

“Why not ask Ai or Mai?” Origami asked. “Surely they'd be of better help.”

“With how little experience they have?” Mii pointed out. “And that's not to mention my little... thing.”

Ah, yes. Mii's strange verbal tic, where anytime she speaks third out of her group of friends, all she can say is 'That's so lame'. “Have you even been able to figure out why it happens?” Origami asked.

“Still no idea.”

Well, for now, they might as well focus on the task at hand, rather than the weird character quirk. “So, I'm guessing right off the bat that it's not Ai or Mai, right?” Origami asked.

“Those two are like sisters to me, so no,” Mii answered quickly. “It's... a guy I'm interested in.”

That, at least, narrows the pool down considerably. Narrowed down to... one person. “It's Tonomachi, isn't it?” At that, Mii nodded, blushing all the while. “Not to sound too judgemental, but... why him?”

“It's...” Mii hesitated. “To be real with you, it's because he's so honest about himself. He's not afraid to speak his mind.”

“He could do with being more tactful, though,” Origami muttered. “But, to each their own, I guess. So, are you looking for advice on how to ask him out?”

“In a nutshell, yes,” Mii admitted.

“... And you came to... me, for it,” Origami felt the need to point out. “Me. And not, say, Reine.”

“Origami-san, you're the only person close to my age in a relationship,” Mii pointed out. “Weird as your relationships may be.”

“It's precisely because they're weird that I'm a bad reference point,” Origami stated. “The only advice I can reasonably give is 'be honest with him' and 'be willing to compromise'.”

“... So, literally the most generic advice ever.”

“What do you want from me? Half of the time, my relationships revolve round sex.”

A moment of silence followed. “So... can you still help?” Mii asked. “Despite the... weirdness of your love life, you're still the only one I can comfortably ask this.”

“... Well, I never said I wouldn't,” Origami decided, handing Mii a red earpiece. “Put this in your ear. I'll walk you through the interaction as best I can.”

“You can't just give me the advice straight, huh?” Mii muttered.

“Look, my dating experience has involved a peanut gallery of divorcees and stalkers,” Origami said, tapping at her phone a bit to connect to the comms. “Your choices are either this, or the latest version of the training program I used.” Noticing Mii's confused expression, Origami opened an app on her phone, and showed it to her.

“... Fall In Love, My Darling Origaim?”Mii read out. “This is a visual novel.”

“Correction,” Origami stated, “it's an eroge.”

“... That's... I don't even have the words to describe how weird that is.”

“Very weird, I know,” Origami admitted. “Now, which will it be? Guidance from a deviant, or training on porn?”

Things in Ratatoskr's temporary base were quiet. This would usually be the part where it's said that 'such a thing is a rare occurrence', but truthfully, it comes and goes in waves. Stress went up, and stress went down. Such was life for the crew.

… Such was life in Tengu City, if one thought about it.

One of the consoles began to beep. “Um, commander?” Hinako called out. “Origami's accessing our systems.”

Kotori looked in Hinako's direction, rolling a lollipop in her mouth. “That... doesn't exactly sound like something to worry about,” she said. “What system is she accessing?”

“She's connecting her phone to her earpiece, as well as connecting to the choice-making AI.”

“So... what's she trying to do, then?” Kotori asked. “Get the camera up!”

“Putting visuals on screen now,” Masaomi stated.

The main monitor flicked on, showing where Origami was. She wasn't alone. “If I recall right, that's Mii, yeah?” Kotori said. “And it looks like she's got the earpiece on, too.”

“I'm picking up one other person in the area,” Hinako said. “It's... Tonomachi Hiroto, from their class. He's checking his texts right now, and it looks that Mii called him there.”

Things quickly clicked into place in Kotori's mind. “Ah, I get it now. Mii wants to confess, and Origami's backing her up.”

“... That's adorable,” Hinako commented. “What are we gonna do?”

“Watch, obviously.”

[Okay, are you ready?] Origami asked.

“Arguably, no,” Mii answered. “Are you sure this will work?”

[Arguably, no,] Origami retorted. [The results from this thing tend to be mixed. But, I'll walk you through this, no question about it. Now, get out there.]

Mii was starting to think that this was a fool's errand. Perhaps she should have gone to Miku or Kotori about this.

Regardless, Mii stepped out of the alleyway. Tonomachi was right there, and he'd taken notice of her.

“Yo, Fujibakama-chan!” he greeted earnestly. “I got your message. Did you need something?”

Mii felt her heartbeat pound loudly. Come on, girl, it was just Tonomachi! You've talked with him millions of times before! Mostly just calling him lame, sure, but still!

[Running the options now,] Origami said. The options were:

A) I was hoping you'd go on a date with me (timid).

B) I wanted to know what you thought about me (timider).

C) Yes. You (brave).

… What? [I seriously forgot how crap these could be,] Origami muttered. [Option C is right out. Go for a mix of A and B, and repeat after me.]

Mii took a deep breath. “I... wanted to know what you thought about me,” she said, following Origami's lead. “So... I suppose I'm... asking you out on a date.”

Tonomachi seemed to freeze, his phone falling from his hand. [I think we broke him,] Origami commented. [That was actually impressive.]

Before Mii could snark back at her, Tonomachi placed a hand on her forehead. “Are you okay?” he asked genuinely. “Not running a fever... Did you hit your head at all?”

Mii blushed and backed away in shock. “Personal space!”

“Sorry!” Tonomachi quick said. “But... what's this about? I just can't imagine why you'd... you know, confess like that.”

She had half expected him to jump at the chance for a date, yet instead, he was remarkably reserved about it.

[Options coming through,] Origami stated.

A) Be honest with him, and admit your feelings.

B) Be a Tsundere and claim you're humouring his feelings.

C) Deck him in the face with your lips.

… What the hell was that last one? [… Go with option A.] Origami instructed. [Seriously, who wrote the algorithm that comes up with this crap?]

Mii was starting to think this was a bad idea. “I... don't quite know how to explain it properly,” she chose to say. “Just that, lately, I've had these... odd feelings in my chest whenever I'm around you.”

“Um... what?” Tonomachi asked. “I think you should get that checked out by a doctor or something.”

[I'm with him on this one,] Origami added. [That sounds a lot like heartburn.]

Mii's brow twitched in response to these two idiots. “I'm saying that I think I've fallen in love with you and want to give dating a go, you moron!”

“Yes ma'am!” Tonomachi said in fear, before really thinking about what she just said. “Wait, really? Me?” he asked, pointing to himself in emphasis. “The biggest dweeb in school? Is... is this some sort of prank? Did the other girls set you up for this?”

Mii shook her head. “No, this is... genuine,” she said. “I... If I'm being honest, I'm... hooked on just how real you are.”

“Um... what?” Tonomachi asked,

[What?] Origami repeated. [That was a bit clunky. Try to elaborate for him.]

“You're just so... honest about what you like,” Mii chose to say. “You don't try to pretend to be someone you're not, and I... kinda like that.”

Tonomachi fell silent. He had... really not expected any of this. To an otaku like him, as much as he liked to boast about his ability to, the idea of getting a girlfriend was something he had long accepted as 'not happening'. So, for a girl to show genuine interest in him... could you blame him for blue-screening at that moment? To take himself out of the daze, he pinched his own cheek. Ow.

“Really?” Mii asked. “You're going to act like this is a dream?”

“Well, can you blame me?” Tonomachi replied. “Getting a girlfriend that wasn't a PNG wasn't exactly in my bingo card for the year!”

“Well, falling in love wasn't exactly in mine, either!” Mii yelled.

An awkward silence hung in the air. “Did you... really mean it?” Tonomachi asked. “That you like my honesty?”

“Why would I lie about that?” Mii asked. “In a time where so many people keep their own interests a secret, someone who's able to just... openly enjoy something, is different. Nice, I'd say.”

“... There are a lot of secrets going around these days,” Tonomachi muttered. “For good reason, too, I think. Plus, I mean... we've only really properly known each other a few months.”

“You say that like Origami-san's not an example of sex by the second date.”

[Hey.]

“Isn't that a 'bad example'?”

[I hope you remember that I can hear you both smack-talking.]

“Fair point,” Mii laughed. “But, there is something genuine about her way. Though, maybe not the way we should go?”

[I will find ways to get back at you both for this. I hope you know that.]

“Well,” Tonomachi approached hesitantly. “I'm willing to give it a go, if you are.”

Well, Origami thought that this went rather well. Back-handed comments aside, at least.

In a different part of the city, Izayoi Miku let out a small sigh of relief as she made her way backstage.

For a few months now, she had been planning something of a comeback concert in secret. Today was her first day back on stage, and she honestly had to say, it went remarkably well.

Her heart still felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, though. It was her first time back on stage in forever, after all. She didn't draw the biggest crowd imaginable, but 70 people for a small venue? Not too shaby.

“Good work out there, Izayoi,” spoke her acting manager, none other than Kusakabe Ryouko herself, whom offered her a towel. “Here.”

“Thank you, Ryouko-chan,” Miku replied, taking the towel. Truthfully, she hadn't told absolutely everyone about this plan of hers, mostly because if she told too many people, it'd get back to Origami, and given everything that she had been through over the past month, the last thing she wanted to do was give Origami something more to worry about.

Plus, let's be real; so much as being in the same room as Origami these days makes it infinitely harder to concentrate on anything other than her. Origami's mental state was improving, sure, but it was still a case of walking on eggshells. Very, very sexy walking on eggshells.

Miku quickly shook the thought from her head. As much as she personally enjoyed those 'nights of passion', it was for Origami's mental health that they were holding back on them.

It was for this reason that Miku went to the one person she knew that could keep a secret; Ryouko. Because she was the captain of the AST, Miku knew she could trust her with keeping this under-wraps, at least until she was confident enough to tell the others herself. Plus, in Ryouko's own words, the extra income helped her pay the other AST members.

Once she had finished wiping the sweat from her brow, Miku noticed a rather pensive look on Ryouko's face. “Is everything alright, Ryouko-chan?” she asked. “You look troubled by something.”

“Oh, no it's...” Ryouko tried to deny, but cut herself off. “Actually, I shouldn't beat around the bush. I've recently had some... troubling thoughts about you girls, and it's kept me rather distracted lately.”

Well, that was certainly concerning. Out of just about everyone, Ryouko was easily the most emotionally mature person Miku knew, so for her to be troubled about something Spirit related... “What is it?” Miku asked. “I promise I won't get mad about it, if that's what you're worried about.”

“I'm more worried about upsetting you with the topic, rather than anger,” Ryouko replied. “But... it concerns parents.”

Ah. Now Miku could understand why she was so hesitant about it. Still, she let Ryouko continue. “With Commander Itsuka, I at least know that her parents are members of Ratatoskr, and are pretty 'in the know' about everything. Similar story with Mikie's father, too, and Origami's parents... I don't need to elaborate on that subject. Yatogami-san's... well, she didn't even have a name before she started dating Origami, so there's even less to work off of there, but for Yoshino-san, the Yamai sisters, Kyouno-san, and yourself, I just can't help but wonder.”

“Just where they are in all this, right?” Miku asked, to which Ryouko nodded. It was a fair question, to be sure. Miku had only been 15 when she became a Spirit, and that was two years ago at this point. As she tried to recall, a shiver ran down her spine. An unpleasant memory. “Well, to be honest... when I first started out as an idol, my parents... they were my managers at the time.”

It didn't take much for Ryouko to connect the dots on that one. She had heard about the 'scandal' that caused Miku's early retirement, and the 'situation' that lead up to it. With this one piece of information, Ryouko felt sick to her stomach. “In that case, I should be glad they're nowhere to be found,” she muttered darkly. “Because if I ever saw them, I might just kill them on the spot.”

“I... do understand that feeling,” Miku admitted. “When I lost my voice, they both just... disappeared from my life. I have no idea where they might be.”

Ryouko took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “I just hope it's not going to be this bad for the other girls, otherwise... I'm going to have to fill in a whole lot of adoption forms.”

Miku blinked in surprise. “You... what?”

“It's an adult's duty to look after the next generation,” Ryouko explained. “Sometimes, a woman's got to pick up the slack where others have failed, even if she's not fully prepared for it.” Quietly, Ryouko rubbed her temple with one hand. “God knows I'm going to have to budget like there's no tomorrow if I want to go through with that.”

Miku felt her heart flutter somewhat. She had pretty much gotten use to just how much the people Origami worked with actually cared, but for Ryouko to be so willing to become a parent for people less than half her age...

Miku stepped forward, and hugged Ryouko tightly. She wasn't able to bring herself to say anything, with her feelings on the matter bundled so tightly.

It was nice, knowing someone had your back like that.

Tohka was at home alone today. It wasn't often that things turned out like this, but sometimes they just do.

Miku was off doing... whatever it was she was doing these days. Tohka didn't really know what it was, and as much as she'd like to ask, she believed that Miku would tell them when the time was right. Plus, if it was something sensitive, pushing the subject might go horribly south.

Tohka was getting better at reading the room.

At the same time, Mikie was out shopping with Tama-chan-sensei, Kotori was at work, and Yoshino, Natsumi, Kaguya, and Yuzuru, were all out playing at the amusement park.

So, why wasn't Tohka out with them, then? Why did she decide to stay home instead?

Because she wanted to be there when Origami came home. She had needed an escort for weeks now, and was now being allowed to roam freely. Tohka just thought it'd be good for her to have someone waiting for her when she got home.

… Didn't mean it wasn't lonely.

Idly, Tohka took out a sheet of paper that Ai and her friends had given her a few days ago. Some sort of checklist to 'get her heart pounding'. Wasn't the heart always pounding, though? Was it a sort of resuscitation instruction?

But, what did a 'naked apron' have to do with that? She did not get that one.

As she pondered these things, she heard a knock at the door. Curious, she got up to answer it.

When she opened the door, the person on the other side was not who she expected.

“You're...”

Having had her earpiece returned to her, Origami was once more walking the streets alone. She felt a certain sense of fulfilment, and a new degree of perspective on the sort of thing she did.

Still didn't know why the system Ratatoskr used was so weird, though. Questions for later.

It was getting late in the afternoon, now. Perhaps she should start heading for home.

As she turned the next corner, Origami spotted the fifth strangest thing she had seen all year.

A girl around her age, with ash-grey hair, lying face down on the ground. From what Origami could see of her attire, she wore a large black coat, and rather standard jeans.

She... didn't seem to be moving. An old part of Origami's mind thought to just leave her there, and keep going, but that was quickly disregarded by the rest of her.

Plus, if Origami was to be honest... chances were, this was going to be the next Spirit. She'd put actual money on it.

Gently, she knelt down next to the girl. “Are you okay?” she asked, poking her shoulder lightly. “If you're dead, please confirm.”

In the span of time it would usually take to blink, the girl bolted upright, grabbing Origami's wrist, and shouted “Human!”

If anyone were to ask, Origami did not let out a yelp of surprise, or punch a crater into the ground next to the girl with her free arm.

Silence hung in the air once more. “I'm... sorry about that,” Origami said first. “I startle dangerously.”

“I can see that,” the girl replied, seeming unfazed by what just happened. “Lotta baggage, huh?”

“Like you wouldn't believe,” Origami admitted. “So... why are you lying here?”

“Oh, this? I was going to get something to eat after pulling a few all-nighters, and just kinda collapsed. It happens.”

Well, that was certainly a normal answer. At least, by Origami's standards. “What sort of job do you work to need several all-nighters?”

“Oh, I'm a mangaka,” the girl said. “Name's Honjo Nia. Nice to meet ya.”

“Tobiichi Origami. Charmed,” Origami replied. Honjo... Why did she feel like she'd heard that name before? Maybe she read one of her books in the past? Unlikely, really, as Origami wasn't entirely big on manga. “Let me at least help you up.”

“Thanks for that, Oririn,” Nia replied. “If it ain't too much to ask, could ya help me out a bit more?”

“Just don't make a habit of calling me 'Oririn', please.”

Helping Nia out ended up involving taking her to the nearest fast-food place, picking up a decent meal, and taking her back to her apartment.

Looking around the place, Origami noted all the things that gave credence to Nia's claim at being a mangaka. A vast collection of pens and pencils, that light-board thing that's used for drawing which Origami would admit to not known the proper name for, several bookshelves worth of manga, including one called 'Silver Bullet', written by a 'Honjo Souji'. That was a name Origami actually recognised, if only for the fact that she recalled Natsumi reading a book by that author.

Must be Nia's pen name. “So, how long have you been drawing manga?” Origami asked, trying to make conversation.

“'Bout ten, twenty years? Give of take?” Nia answered between bites of her burger. “Kinda lose track of time as you get older.”

… Did she just say 'twenty years'? “You... don't look much older than twenty yourself,” Origami pointed out. “In fact, I'd say calling you 20 would be pushing the bar a bit high.”

“Aw, thanks, Oririn!” Nia said happily. “I do wear my age well, don't I?”

“Again, please don't call me that,” Origami muttered.

Nia stuffed down the rest of her burger, sighing contently. “Man, that hit the spot! You really saved my skin back there!”

“I'm just...” Origami hesitated slightly. “I'm just following a good man's example. That's all.”

“Oh? An old flame of yours?” Nia asked. “Spill the tea, Oririn! I gotta know the details!”

Origami's brow twitched. Guess this was just another 'Rei' thing, then. “You recall the fires that tore through Tengu City over five years ago, yes?”

“I heard about them, yeah,” Nia answered. “I was personally out of town at the time, so I guess I dodged a bullet there. Not so lucky for you?”

“I lost pretty much everything,” Origami said. “My home, my family... The only reason I'm still alive today is because of one boy deciding that my life was worth more than his. I'm... still trying to live up to that.”

“Sounds rough,” Nia said kindly. “But, I'm sure Itsuka-kun made the right call.”

Origami froze. The silence became so heavy, you could have heard a pin drop from across the country. “Honjo Nia,” she spoke darkly. “Perhaps you'd like to explain who you really are? Because I didn't say Itsuka Shido's name.”

Nia's eyes widened for a moment, before she sheepishly scratched the back of her head. “Aw, geez. Really dropped the ball there, huh?” she said. “And here I was, wanting to see was the vanilla strategy was like.” Standing up, she brushed the dust from her coat. “Alrightie, then. You ready, Oririn?”

Origami nodded, keeping her guard up. That said, considering she was still maintaining that affable attitude, the likelihood of her being a Spirit and not DEM just skyrocketed from 'moon distance' to 'sun distance'.

Light enveloped Nia's body. Her clothes disappeared, and were replaced with a black, semi-transparent nun-style dress, with a cross tied to her waist by a rosary, thigh-high boots, and a veil. It was also worth noting that, yes, Origami could see that Nia was wearing simple black underwear, though Nia's breasts were slight enough that Origami wasn't sure if she was wearing a bra or not under all this.

“So, what do ya think?” Nia said, showing off her new outfit with a twirl. This caused her to knock over one of her cups full of pens. “... Damn it.”

“So, you're a Spirit, then,” Origami stated. “Hate to tell you this, but... Called it.”

“You really are just use to the weird shit, huh?” Nia commented, fixing up the pen mess. “Well, can't say I didn't see that coming. Still waiting on the comment about my fit.”

“Very nice. You wear it well,” Origami answered. “Now, how do you know about Itsuka Shido?”

Holding out her hand, a black book with a blue gem inlaid into its cover materialised. “My Angel, Rasiel, Book of Revelations. Basically, think of it as Google on steroids. Anything that's been said or done, I can learn. I can also influence the future a bit, too. Watch.”

Pulling a pen out from, of all places, her collar, Nia began drawing in a blank page of Rasiel. Once she was done, Origami felt the sensation of her own body acting against her will, as she stepped towards Nia, and... flipped her skirt up.

Nia let out a rather playful shriek, clearly having fun in this situation.

“There, you see?” she said. “Influence the future a bit.”

“That's... certainly a scary prospect,” Origami noted. “But, I can already see your panties.”

“Yeah, I think whoever designed this Astral Dress just has a fetish or something,” Nia surmised. “Maybe the Spirit of Origin has a thing for nuns?”

“... Okay,” Origami said. “I've confirmed that you don't have evil intentions, at least. And that you clearly already know what I'm about, no need to dance around that subject.”

“Yeah, I know about your whole sealing gig,” Nia admitted. “Gotta say; pretty hot. Though there is one thing Rasiel can't do.”

“And what's that?”

“Tell me why,” came the answer. “Rasiel can get information that is done or spoken, but not thought. I can know what you had for breakfast ten years ago, but unless you specifically said why you wanted it, I can't know that.”

“So, you approached me... because you wanted to know why I do this?” Origami asked.

“Bingo.”

Well, that certainly made Origami's job a bit easier. “What's the catch?” she couldn't help but ask. “It can't be that simple, can it? You're willing to let your powers be sealed, simply because you want to know what love is? Because you want me to show you what goes on inside my head?”

Nia was silent for a moment. “You know, I thought I was being funny slipping a minor Backstreet Boys reference in my dialogue, but I did not expect you to one-up me with Foreigner.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Right. You're young,” Nia conceded. “Well, to tell ya the truth, this power ain't all it's cracked up to be. You know how hard it is to trust people, when you quite literally have their secrets on speed-dial? I could literally out every secret that every politician in the world has. I can find out the codes to launch every nuke imaginable. For the longest time, I've only really been able to find solace in the realm of 2D. And... I'm tired, Oririn,” she admitted, taking a seat on the nearby table. The orange light of the setting sun illuminated her, giving a certain sense of gravity to the sombre expression she wore. “I'm tired of not being able to assume the best of people. I'm tired of only being able to trust characters on a page, and... I guess I'm tired of being so alone.”

That... certainly got heavy fast. Origami would admit that she had been lulled into a false sense of security from just how Nia was acting, only to just as quickly be told it was a coping mechanism. “So, what do you want out of all this?” Origami asked. “I still can't quite wrap my head around it.”

Standing up, Nia walked over and placed a hand on Origami's cheek. “Then, I'll try simpler words,” she said quietly. “I want to fall in love again, and making people fall in love is what you do best. So, how about it? Date tomorrow?”

That was a lot simpler to understand. “Alright,” Origami responded. “I'll make you fall for me. Guaranteed.” Just then, a familiar sound began to play. Origami reached into her pocket, and produced her phone. “Sorry, mind if I take this?”

“Oh, no worries,” Nia said. “Might be important.”

“Thanks.” Origami pressed the answer button. “Is something wrong, Kotori?”

[Yes, something is wrong!] Kotori yelled. [Where are you right now?!]

“Getting to now the next Spirit,” Origami answered plainly. “I promise you, I'm not joking about that.”

“Heya, Imoto-chan!” Nia greeted.

[… Right, whatever,] Kotori brushed off. [We've got bigger problems right now! Tohka's in danger!]

…

“WHAT-”

Chapter Text

Usually, one would think that the combination of Kaguya, Yuzuru, Yoshino, and Natsumi, was an odd group. Considering how different all their personalities were, those people would, objectively, be right.

So, what could have brought these four together?

(Earlier)

Kaguya quietly poked her head out of the door. Nobody was in the halls. And yet, she could still hear that sound.

“Inquiry,” Yuzuru spoke quietly. “Can you see anything?”

“Negative, my Boon Companion,” Kaguya replied. “Yet, the sounds persist still. I suspect it's coming from one of our younger comrades.”

“Mocking; Ha. Boon Companion.”

“Do you have to laugh about it every time?” Kaguya asked. “Seriously. Let me have my character quirk in peace.”

“Rejection; No.”

“Jerk-ball,” Kaguya huffed. “Now, we gotta figure where that sound's coming from. It sounds too much like crying.”

“Noting; The only other people here right now are Junior and Natsumi,” Yuzuru pointed out.

One of the other doors along the hallway opened, and both Yoshino and Yoshinon poked their heads out. The three (four?) locked eyes for a moment.

“Something tells me that this is answering a lot of questions,” Kaguya stated. “You don't suppose Mikie's back, do you?”

Yuzuru quickly checked her phone. “Negative. I am still in a text conversation with her, and she is still with Okamine-sensei.”

That left only one option. Swallowing nervously, Kaguya took the lead, making her way towards Natsumi's room, with Yuzuru and Yoshino close behind.

When they approached the door to Natsumi's room, Kaguya knocked gently. There was a slight hiccup, but the noise continued. Sharing a concerned look with her sister and friend, Kaguya gently opened the door. “Natsumi?” Kaguya called out. “Everything okay in there?”

On the bed, Kaguya could see Natsumi, bundled up in bed sheets. Going by her body language, it really seemed that she didn't want anyone coming in. To Kaguya, this was just more reason to go in.

The trio walked carefully towards Natsumi, and sat down beside her. “N-Natsumi-san?” Yoshino spoke first. “Are you okay?”

Natsumi finally looked up, tears staining her face. “Was it a bad dream?” Kaguya asked, gently placing a hand on her head. To that, Natsumi nodded. “Wanna talk about it?” Natsumi shook her head. Not much more she could do to push the subject, then.

“Offer,” Yuzuru spoke. “Perhaps we should go out for crepes? It may prove helpful in lifting your mood.”

There was some slight hesitation, but Natsumi still nodded. “Right!” Kaguya said, picking Natsumi up bridal style. “For the rest of the day, you are our princess, and we shall treat you as such until you are better!”

“Fweh?!” Natsumi exclaimed, caught thoroughly off guard this time.

“Yuzuru, acquire our funds!” Kaguya instructed. “Yoshino! You're on door duty! We march, Comrades!”

“... Mocking; LOL, Comrades.”

Roughly one hour later, and the four were sat at the park, a crepe in each of their possessions.

“Feeling a bit better?” Yoshinon asked, as Yoshino took a bite of her crepe. The fact that Yoshino was able to talk through Yoshinon and eat at the same time was an impressive display of ventriloquism, but, of course, they couldn't say that out loud, because Yoshinon was a friend, not a puppet.

“... A bit,” Natsumi said softly. “Sorry you guys had to see all that. It was... pretty ugly, huh?”

“That's... an odd thing to say,” Kaguya said.

“Observe; There is nothing ugly about being sad,” Yuzuru added. “Why do you believe your sadness to be ugly?”

“Because that's all I am,” Natsumi muttered. “Just the ugly duckling who can't do anything.”

“What the heck are you saying?” Kaguya asked. “Who's been filling your head with lies like that? You've got plenty of things none of us have!”

“You're just talking about Haniel, aren't you?”

“... That's getting added to the list,” Kaguya stated, in a tone that implied she genuinely forgot that part. “But, to save on time, none of us are Kyouno Natsumi.”

“But... I couldn't really do anything to help Origami!” Natsumi shouted. “Both during the incident with... with Rei, and even when her powers ran amok! I was...”

“Now, I'm gonna stop you right there, Natsumi-san,” Yoshinon cut in. “You did just as much as everyone else back then. You don't get to say you did nothing!”

“I'm with Yoshinon and Junior on this one!” Kaguya stated. “If you're not pulling your weight, than neither are we!”

“Observation; We haven't exactly done much since we were sealed, though,” Yuzuru pointed out. “Compared to the other girls, we are something of a B Team.”

“... We really are, aren't we?” Kaguya muttered. “Well, worse things in the world, I guess.”

Half an hour passed by, and thankfully, the mood had brightened. Natsumi was at least smiling a bit more, so mission complete on their part.

Eventually, Mikie and Miku both happened upon the group, and, after being filled in on what was happening, joined them for crepes.

All in all, it was looking to be a good day. At least, until the Spacequake alarm began to blare, something in the distance exploded, and Origami was seen running towards the danger, followed by a nun, and not long after that, Kotori.

“... Really starting to look a lot like Wednesday, huh?” Kaguya muttered, somehow unsurprised by all this.

“Should we go with them?” Mikie asked. “They could probably use the backup.”

After a few seconds, it was a unanimous decision.

Tohka skidded to a halt, using Sandalphon as a makeshift break to slow her momentum. “You two just don't know when to leave us alone, do you?!” she shouted. “What do you want this time, Isaac Westcott?!”

Westcott approached casually, with Ellen Mathers standing in front to keep Tohka from striking him. He certainly looked well, for all that he was still missing most of his left arm from the fight back on Arumi Island.

“I suppose 'I wanted to see how the most dangerous thorns in our side were doing' isn't an acceptable answer?” Westcott answered, as affable as ever. “Well, I suppose not. We did do quite a number on each other the last time we met. But, it seems you've bounced back from it better than I have, Princess.”

Tohka's brow twitched in anger, but she maintained her cool. “I have a name,” she spat. “Now talk! Why are you here?!”

“To be honest, this is more Ellen's thing than my own,” Westcott shrugged. “Apparently, your communal girlfriend slighted her in some way, and she wants revenge. I'm honestly just here for the exercise; been in the hospital since our last visit, after all.”

“Could you not make light of this, Ike?!” Ellen yelled. “That girl... Tobiichi Origami violated me! I will not stand for it!”

Tohka blinked in surprise, some of the tension leaving her body. “Um... if that's all it is, would it help to know that Origami was in a bad mental place at the time?”

“No!”

Westcott clapped his hand against his stump of an arm. “I think that one did psychic damage.”

“Don't encourage her, Ike!” Ellen yelled. “Now, where is she?!”

“Tohka!” Origami's voice called out, as the person in question rounded the corner between them, followed closely by a nun, Kotori, then the rest of the Spirits.

“Looks like the gang's all here,” Westcott stated. “And Material A, as well! Long time no see.”

“Geh, it's the Fish Eyed Freak,” Nia gagged. “Probably the last person I wanted to see today.”

“You...” Ellen spat viciously, glaring at Origami. “Do you have any idea the pain you've caused me?!”

Origami blinked in mild surprised, more-so at the fact that, apparently, they were here for her, and not the Spirits. At least, Ellen was. “For... what it's worth,” Origami spoke, “I'm genuinely sorry.”

Unfortunately, that only seemed to anger Ellen more. Behind Origami, she could hear Mikie asking why Kotori had rushed to the scene with everyone. Apparently, the answer was that DEM were blocking all visuals, and she wanted to be eyes on the ground, in case things got bad.

“Well, since we have the chance,” Westcott spoke, “perhaps it's time to move forward with one of the old plans.” Everybody stood at the ready, as Westcott raised his good hand high, and with a click of his fingers...

Something inside Nia's brain, almost like a switch, flipped, as pain and dark energy erupted from her body.

Origami and the others were blown aside, though they quickly regained their footing. “What did you do to her, Westcott?” Origami shouted, glaring at the man. “Depending on your answer, I may make your death quick.”

“But not painless, I imagine,” Westcott noted. “I have merely reminded her of the times we spent together in the past. Perhaps not the best memories, but still.”

The dark energy engulfed Nia. Yet, while everyone was completely distracted by it, nobody took notice of a single sheet of paper slipping into Origami's pocket.

Inversion. At first, you'd think it's a rare process to happen, but Origami had dealt with it in some way for pretty much half of the Spirits. As depressing as it was, Origami had come to see the Inversion process as just another hurdle.

The darkness faded, and Nia stood there, with red eyes devoid of life. Her torso was covered in pieces of paper to mask her modesty, and a tattered length of cloth wrapped around her waist. It was a simple, almost modest change, but it certainly made her look more demonic.

“Remarkable,” Westcott muttered. “Merely reliving the trauma of those experiments was enough to cause her to Invert.”

Nia looked over each and every one of them dispassionately, as a dark version of Rasiel manifested in front of her. The second the book snapped open, the ground itself turned into a pool of black, and everyone started to sink.

Well, excepted for Ellen, who was the only one to react fast enough to get airborne.

“Well, this backfired spectacularly,” Westcott said casually.

“Ike!” Ellen called out.

Origami struggled through the mud-like darkness, trying to reach Tohka and the others. Yet it was too much, and the darkness consumed them all.

…

It was cold. Was this how it was going to end? Just... unceremoniously?

It frustrated Origami to no end. She had just managed to pick herself back up, and now... this.

“WAKE UP!”

Something small kicked her in the side of the head, and Origami's eyes shot open. She saw blue skies and sunshine, as opposed to the expected darkness.

“Finally up, Oririn?” the voice from before spoke. If it was calling her that, then it could only be one person. Origami looked to the side, and saw... something that defied logic.

“... Honjo Nia?” Origami asked. “Why are you a fairy?”

True to word, Nia looked pretty much the same as she did pre-Inversion, only now she was roughly four inches to a foot tall, and floated in place thanks to a pair of fairy wings from her back.

“It's a backup plan,” Nia replied. “World's greatest search engine, remember? I knew that fish-faced bag of dirt was gonna do something when he got the chance, so I tore off a page to work as a sort of drone. At least this way, I can back you up somewhat!”

“... That's very impressive,” Origami commented. “You were able to plan that far ahead?”

“I suppose 'know thy enemy' came into play,” a new voice spoke, catching them off guard. They pivoted, to be greeted by none other than Isaac Westcott, seated just under a nearby tree. “Good day to you, ladies.”

The two looked at him darkly. “How were you not dropped in a pool of lava when you were brought here?” Origami asked.

“Believe me, I've been asking myself that question for the past five minutes,” Westcott replied. “Now, as I'm sure we're all aware, I am at a severe disadvantage in this situation, so I'd like to call a temporary truce.”

“And why should we?” Nia asked. “Like you so kindly pointed out, you've got no bargaining power here. Why shouldn't Oririn just blow your head off like she did your arm?”

“Trust me, I'm tempted to,” Origami added. “But... at the same time, this might be the only chance to get some information out of you.”

“So, my life for knowledge?” Westcott said, almost laughing. “Would it be too much to say 'I can live with that'?”

“Don't be smart, dude,” Nia said. “And are you sure about this? It'll probably come back to bite you if you don't off him now.”

“She's not wrong there,” Westcott agreed.

“Stop agreeing with me.”

“I won't deny that,” Origami said. “But, I'm also confident that we'll still be able to beat him later down the line. So we might as well drain him for what he's worth.”

“Didn't want to use the phrase 'milk me', huh?” Westcott pointed out.

“... He's not making this an easy choice.”

“I am to please,” he shrugged. “But, I accept these terms. Ask any questions you want, and I shall try to answer them.”

Nia and Origami shared a glace. “There gonna be a limit on these questions?” Nia asked.

“You're the ones with the powers here. You tell me.”

… He was going to be insufferable, wasn't he?

“Very well, then,” Origami sighed. “Tell me: Why all this? Why all the suffering, and experimenting on Spirits? What is it that you're fighting for?”

At that... Westcott smiled almost sadly. “Ah. The right question,” he said whimsically. “If answers were clothes, mine would be a jacket you are remarkably familiar with, Tobiichi Origami. A little something called revenge.”

Origami's eyes widened at the revelation. It was honestly hard to tell whether Westcott was lying or not, but she felt he was too... unconcerned, to be putting in the effort to hide the truth.

“It all started... 40 years ago, I'd say,” he continued. “Ellen, her sister Karen, our good friend Elliot, and myself, were all kids living peacefully in our village. It was a village of mages, cut off from the rest of the world, for they feared what we were capable of. One day, normal people like you once were came, with their guns and bombs and tanks, and burnt it all to the ground. The four of us, the only survivors of that purge, swore revenge against humanity. Sound familiar in any way?”

Origami couldn't help but nod. After all... “It's like how I was with Efreet... With Kotori.” she said. “But then, why be so cruel about it? Why the twisted experiments?”

“Are you familiar at all with the phrase schadenfreude?” Westcott asked. “It's a German word with no direct translation, meaning 'to take joy in the misfortune of others'. It's something I realised was core to my nature when my mother passed away. I grieved, like any normal person would, but knowing that others were in just as much, if not more pain, I found myself filled with a strange sense of jubilation.”

“So... that's it?” Origami said in disbelief. “All this, just because you get some sick kicks out of hurting others?”

“Oh, don't get me wrong. My desire for revenge is genuine,” Westcott said. “I feel sadness and anger just as anyone else does. I'm just acutely aware that the things that bring me joy are not the same as regular humans, and who am I to deny who I am?”

In a way, Origami could understand that, albeit begrudgingly. “So, where do the Spirits come into this?”

“Easy. Myself, Elliot, Ellen, and Karen, were the ones the summoned the Original Spirit 30 years ago,” Westcott answered. “We summoned, or perhaps even created her, as a means to create a Neighbouring World, which we had intended to use to overwrite the one we live in. Alas, a lapse in judgement led to Deus, as we call her, escaping. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“So, you're hoping to gather the Spirits together as bait?” Nia asked. “Considering I haven't seen her since she gave me these powers, I don't think that's a good plan.”

“If only I could argue that,” Westcott shrugged. “No, my plan is more to Invert the Spirits, and take their Qlipha, the corrupted Sephira, as my own, and become the new Spirit of Origin. Only then, can my revenge be complete.” He looked towards Origami, with an unreadable expression. “You know, I do actually envy you a bit, Tobiichi Origami. You were able to free yourself from the shackles of revenge, and find your joy elsewhere than in the suffering of those who you believe wronged you. You are far stronger than I am, and I mean that genuinely.”

“And let me guess,” Origami said. “The only reason you can't bring yourself to give up is because of the sunk cost fallacy?”

“A good summary, I'd say.”

Origami thought deeply about it. It was like looking in a mirror, just how shockingly similar Westcott's motives were to her old ones. “And there's no way I could convince you to not go through with it? To forgive those that couldn't possibly have known your pain?”

“Unlikely, I'm afraid,” Westcott shrugged.

“Guess that's all we'll be getting out of Fish Face,” Nia commented. “You really going to keep him alive?”

“I gave my word,” Origami answered. “If I didn't, I'd be no better than him.”

“Nor will I take advantage of this kindness,” Westcott said. “At least, not until another day.”

In the real world, the Inverse Nia looked at Beelzebub, reading the action taken and words spoken by all in the world she had made. All the actors were in place, now she just had to let things play out.

Well, she would need to evict that one 'outlier', but that would be easy enough, once the protagonist was in place.

“Khh... Damn you!” Ellen Mathers cursed, sprawled on the ground. “How dare you take Ike!”

Nia looked at her impassively. She was persistent, and no doubt strong, but her actions were too clouded by rage. Defeating her was easy, even for someone as unaccustomed to combat as Nia.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Ellen took to the skies, and flew off, deciding it would be best to regroup with her allies. Smart.

From an alleyway, shadows twisted. A figure obscured by darkness rose from within.

“Good day to you, Second Spirit,” the figure said in a voice as smooth as velvet. Yet, even in her darkened state, Nia knew there was something... wrong about it. An edge that didn't belong there. “I was hoping you might share some information with me.”

Nia waved a hand, sending numerous burning pages towards the shadowy figure. Yet, before they could connect, the figure vanished.

Laughter echoed throughout the streets, as figure after figure rose from every shadow.

The unlikely trio trekked through the woods they found themselves in. The silence that hung between them was deafening.

“So... Nia,” Origami spoke. “What exactly is this place?”

“This is Ashufiriya, the Phantom Library,” Nia answered. “Basically, we're trapped in a fictional world, and I can't quite tell if it's a fairy tale, or a manga, or even a VN. Been on a bit of a binge of those lately.”

Origami and Westcott shared a look. Origami wasn't sure how to feel about sharing a look with Westcott. “So, this sounds like it'll be fun,” Westcott said. “If this is a visual novel, perhaps you're going to have to 'capture' the targets before we can get out?”

“You say that like it's going to be a victory lap of all the wins I got over you,” Origami said. “Not that I'm against rubbing that in your face.”

“You do get laid more than me, I will admit that,” Westcott added. “But, even when I was your age, I wasn't exactly 'active' like that.”

“Yeah, how old are you, anyway?” Nia asked. “You mentioned your tragic backstory started 40 years ago, so... guessing 45, or something?”

“Closer to 50, honestly,” Westcott shrugged. “You'd be amazed what Realizers can do for one's physical age.”

“... Damn it, he's right,” Nia muttered. “He does wear his age well.”

“Hold that thought,” Origami said. “I see something.”

The trio broke through the treeline, and entered... a massive amusement park looking area. eight structures lined the park, ranging from an auditorium, to a sky-piercing tower, a starry tent, two portable classrooms, a castle, a windmill, and a home. Just... a normal looking home.

Somehow, the home stood out as the strangest of them all.

“So...” Westcott spoke first, surprisingly caught off guard. “Care to explain what we're looking at?”

Nia nodded sagely. “Hmm. Yes, I know what this is now,” she said. “We're def in a VN right now. Specifically, one about capturing the targets to create a stairway towards the God of the world, and capturing her.”

“That's... awfully specific to my life,” Origami noted. “But, why eight? Assuming each of these represents a Spirit, does that mean it counts Kaguya and Yuzuru separately?”

Nia focused on it for a moment. “I don't think so,” she said. “I can faintly feel the Spirit's powers, and two sources seem to be coming from the windmill. Which means...”

“Either Material A is represented in one of these buildings,” Westcott surmised, “Nightmare is in this, or there's another Spirit none of us are aware of.”

“Do we have any bets?” Nia asked.

“I'm going to put money on a newcomer,” Origami answered.

“How bold,” Westcott commented. “But which one could this newcomer be, I wonder?”

As the trio stepped forward once more, the sky turned a blood red. A tear in the sky opened up, and numerous paged descended, circling around Westcott, before binding him, and lifting him up.

“Oh dear,” Westcott said casually. “Either I'm being evicted from the stage, or killed. What a way to go.”

“You're awfully calm about it,” Origami pointed out.

“It'll be what it'll be,” Westcott shrugged. “If I survive this, I'll see you two on the war-front. If not, it was nice chatting.”

“Feeling's not mutual, Fish Face!” Nia called out, as Westcott was whisked away. “You know, it kinda feels like he was only here to exposit his backstory, and then dip on us.”

“Awfully convenient,” Origami agreed. “But, at least we won't have to deal with him any more.”

Nia nodded in agreement. “So, where are we starting?”

Origami gave it some thought, before pointing to one of the two classrooms. “I've got a hunch about that one being out outlier. I say we start there.”

“Heading all set!” Nia exclaimed. “Tally-ho!”

Within Ratatoskr's backup base, Kannazuki and Reine kept a watchful eye on everything happening outside.

“It's bad enough that Origami-kun and the Spirits were all dragged into that... whatever it is,” Kannazuki muttered. “Now Isaac Westcott's free, and Nightmare's engaging the new Spirit in battle?”

“I suppose it's a small blessing that Westcott chose to retreat,” Reine said, an unusual edge to her voice. “But, what is Tokisaki Kurumi after? And that power she has...”

“We're picking up Spirit Waves identical to that of Mikie-chan from Kurumi!” Kozue shouted. “We believe it might be from the other Origami!”

“So, she's... harvested her power?” Kannazuki said, thinking about the admittedly horrifying implications of that. “I may be into painful play, but that's just sick.”

The sound of the door sliding open was heard. “Indeed. I can't think of many things worse than such a fate,” a new, mostly unfamiliar voice spoke.

Everyone turned, to see an older man with light blonde hair and green eyes, seating in a wheelchair that was being pushed by a woman with short blonde hair and purple eyes. Kannazuki and Reine were the only ones to recognise them.

“Founder Woodman! Sir!” Kannazuki said, snapping into a salute. “I did not know you were arriving!”

“It's quite alright, Vice Commander,” Woodman said in a kind voice. “Commander Itsuka was the only one I had informed ahead of time that I'd be coming by, and I had asked her to keep it quite. Alas, it seems a situation has arisen on its own.”

Munechika leaned forward towards Kyouji's terminal. “That's the founder of Ratatoskr?” he asked. “He looks so...”

“Not like you'd expect, right?” Kyouji said. “When you think of a Founder, you think of an indomitable old man, not someone's kind grandpa. But, since Ratatoskr was founded on saving lives, it kinda makes sense.”

“Regrettably, we have our hands tied here,” Reine spoke. “We're unable to interface with the dimension that Rei and the others are trapped in, nor do we have soldiers to deal with the battle between the two Spirits.”

“We've reached out to the AST, in hopes that Takamiya Mana might be able to assist,” Kannazuki said. “Unfortunately, the chaos out there is making it harder than any of us expected.”

“I see,” Woodman muttered. “Karen, would you mind?”

“Certainly, Elliot,” the blonde haired woman, Karen, replied, before abruptly leaving.

“Is she... going out there to fight?” Kannazuki asked.

“Karen is more than just my secretary, Kannazuki,” Woodman answered. “She is also one of the strongest Wizards there is.”

The door to the classroom slid open, and both Origami and Nia entered.

It was identical to her classroom at Raizen, all the way down to the way the chalk looked to have been rubbed off by someone far too short for it. The setting sun shone through the window, illuminating the room with its amber glow.

Origami recognised this scene. It was like the first time she and Tohka had finally talked for the first time. Well, a less destroyed version of it, at least.

Standing at the window, looking out at the world outside... was not Yatogami Tohka. In fact, Origami could say for certain that she did not recognise this person at all.

It was a girl with short, light-pink hair, and dressed in Raizen's summer uniform. When she turned around to face them, Origami noticed that her eyes were a light-brown colour.

“So,” Nia whispered. “You know this chick?”

“I was going to ask you that,” Origami replied. “Considering I have never seen this person before in my life.”

The girl looked at the two oddly. There was something distant yet warm about her stare. “I wasn't expecting it to be you,” she said in a kind voice. “I guess the world's just full of surprises, huh, Origami-san?”

Origami felt alarm bells go off in her head. “How do you know my name?” she asked. “Who are you?”

“Ah. Guess you don't have me in this timeline, huh?” the girl said, unsurprised. “But, I guess that's no shock, since he's not the one doing this job.”

The girl slowly approached Origami, as if she were an old friend. Origami had to admit, there was something inexplicably comforting about her... which gave her enough cause for concern. “You haven't answered my question yet,” Origami pointed out.

“I guess not, huh?” the girl laughed. The world around them flickered, as if glitches on a computer screen. “Sorry to cut this meeting short, but I just wanted to see what you were like over here. And honestly? You're everything I was hoping you'd be and more, Origami-san.”

“Red flag,” Nia said. “Serious red flag.”

Once the girl was face to face with Origami, she saw a familiar cold glint in her eyes.

There was always something unique about the eyes of a Spirit. It wasn't exactly obvious at polite distances, but when you really looked closely, you could see a certain ethereal light in the back of their eyes. Origami always had a hunch it was there, but only really took notice of it when Mikie became a Spirit, and had a direct 'before and after' comparison to go off of. It was that way, too, that Origami could effectively know the general mental state of a Spirit, if she was close enough.

And thanks to that new knowledge, she knew that this girl, whoever she was, was not entirely sane at the moment.

“We'll meet again, Origami-san,” the girl continued, placing a hand on Origami's shoulder as the world glitched out. “And when we do... I hope we can create a world for just the three of us...”

And with that, everything went black.

When light came back, Origami and Nia found themselves standing outside once more. A quick look around showed that the building they had just entered had vanished completely.

“Well, that was freaking scary,” Nia surmised. “You're sure you haven't met that chick before?”

“Positive,” Origami answered. “Are you sure you haven't? Either she's left a ghost of herself in your psyche, or she's managed to break out of this place all on her own.”

“I'd think I'd know if I'd met another Spirit,” Nia said. “I dig into the backstories of everyone I meet. But, this 'he' she mentioned... was she talking about...”

“Itsuka Shido, probably,” Origami said. “Even after all this, everything seems to come back to him.”

“Feeling kinda jealous?” Nia asked.

“More sympathetic, if I'm to be honest,” Origami answered. “I can't imagine how difficult things would be for him if he was actually around.”

“Definitely an important player, that boy,” Nia said. “Once we're done here, we've got a lot of research to do on that chick.”

“Agreed. But, for now,” Origami turned to face one of the other buildings, “we have work to do.”

Chapter Text

Takamiya Mana flew through the skies as quickly as she could. There wasn't much information to go off on, but she knew that Nightmare was causing trouble.

There was a long, messy history between Mana and Tokisaki Kurumi. A history that involves a lot of dying for the later, admittedly. For the longest time, Mana was just sort of 'whatever' about it all, until she learnt that her brother, Itsuka Shido, had effectively been living rent-free in Kurumi's head for the past five years, up until Origami managed to seal Kotori.

That certainly made things far more awkward for Mana, knowing that Nightmare was so much of a pushover because he was there, and the only reason he was still sort of around was because he was doing his part to save Kotori, the person Mana believed responsible for his death.

And THEN there was that time-travel nonsense that happened last month, where she learnt that her brother had, through some astronomically absurd odd, found a way to die twice during the Tengu City Fire, and both of them involved saving Origami from... Origami.

Say what you will, but Itsuka Shido never did things by half.

Mana had managed to come to terms with that, even accepting (to a degree) that Kotori was the closest thing she had to family. Then... Tokisaki Kurumi killed the second Origami.

Life was weird that way.

Honestly, during that period of time where Origami was... not her best, Mana couldn't really do much to help her. For all that they were on the same side, Mana was still something of a stranger to her. Yet, her brother still died for Origami. Twice.

Really weird to think about.

Mana tapped at her ear-piece. “This is Callsign Raven,” she said. “I'm 2 minutes ETA to the battlefield. What's out status?”

[Things are looking pretty dicey for our new friend,] Ryouko responded. [The newly Inversed Spirit, designation Sister, is engaged in battle with numerous copies of Nightmare, all of whom seem to be wielding two Angels; Zafkiel and Metatron.]

A Spirit wielding two Angels? She'd like to say that was unheard of, but that doesn't quite make it grounds to say 'impossible'.

“Copy that,” Mana replied. “I'll-” An alarm in her ear blared, and, allowing instinct to take over, Mana dashed to the side as numerous missiles shot past, eventually exploding on the ground. “Hold that thought, actually,” Mana said. “Seems I've some unwanted company.” Four Wizards revealed themselves, surrounding Mana. “Didn't think DEM would have invested in more Ravens. Long time no see, Artemisia Bell Ashcroft and her Three Stooges of the SSS. How many pennies are they paying you chicks?”

“As friendly as ever, Miss Mana,” Artemisia replied. The SSS, or Secret Sorcery Service, was the equivalent to the AST in England, and had close tied to DEM back when they were working in the open. Artemisia herself was a very attractive young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in a blue and white CR-Unit. At Mana's other points were the brown haired Cecile O'Brien, the blonde haired Ashley Sinclair, and black haired Leonora Sears, each of which, Mana recognised, was equipped with one of the Ashcroft Units that Minerva Riddell had used a while back.

“Surprised you're still kissing up to those traitors in the AST,” Ashley snarked. “What, those traitors pay that well?”

“Ravens fly under their own banners,” Mana responded. “Their own beliefs. Not like I'd expect third-rate hacks that fly on borrowed wings to understand that.”

“Last I recall,” Cecile said, “you were quite the hater of Spirits. Ratatoskr must have done something to twist that around.”

“Times change, and so have I,” came Mana's answer, as she primed her weapons. “Now, are you idiots going to float around cawing all day, or are you going to fight? If you want to make this a fair fight, you might want to bring some more cannon-fodder.”

“Are you sure about that?” Artemisia asked. “I'm still ranked above you as far as Ravens go.”

“And what makes you think I've been taking the time to update the scoreboard?” Mana asked. “Now, come at me!”

Origami and Nia entered the second classroom cautiously. After the mystery that was last time, caution seemed to be the smart thing to do.

It was... literally just another classroom, indistinguishable from the previous one, save for the fact that it was clearly earlier in the day.

Sleeping at one of the desks in the back was Okamine Mikie, dressed in her winter uniform.

“One of the minis, eh?” Nia said. “What's this one like, anyway?”

“Mike is an energetic girl,” Origami answered. “She can be surprisingly bashful when embarrassed, but she's been with us for about as long as Tohka has. She also shot me in the shoulder once with with what amounts to an anti-material rifle.”

Nia looked dumbly at Origami. “How are you not dead?” she asked. “Or rather, how do you still have both your arms?”

“Spite against fate, mostly,” Origami said. “You'd honestly be surprised what one can do like that.”

Walking forward quietly, Origami approached Mikie's side, and gently shook her shoulder. “Mike. Wake up,” she said.

Mikie groaned quietly, her eyes fluttering open. “Origami?” she asked quietly. “How long was I asleep?”

“I do not know,” Origami answered. “What I can say is that we're trapped in another world, and that we really need to find the others and get out of here.”

“Hmm...” Mikie groaned tiredly. “Dun wanna...”

That... wasn't a good sign. “Either wake up now, or I treat you like Sleeping Beauty,” Origami stated. Mikie squirmed quietly, clearly eager for that sort of play. Origami sighed fondly. “Honestly. The things I do for us.”

Origami lent forward and kissed Mikie lightly on the lips. Or, perhaps 'pecked' would be a more accurate word for it. It was still enough that, when Origami pulled back, Mikie's eyes were wide open, and she was blushing intensely. “... 'm awake now,” she said quietly.

“I'd be worried if that didn't work,” Origami said. “Are you alright, Mike?”

“Just... kinda sleepy,” Mikie answered, rubbing her eyes. “Why are we in a classroom?”

“We're in the phantom world of Ashufiriya, one of my abilities,” Nia said. “Sup, shorty? Name's Nia.”

“Oh! You're that nun from before!” Mikie exclaimed. “But, didn't you Inverse?”

“Kinda a drone, I am,” Nia explained. “But we can compare notes later. Got a 'me' to stop.”

Mikie rose from her seat. “Right! We can't be lying around!”

“Even though you were the one lying around,” Origami pointed out. “You want to lie back down? I've got other ways to wake you up.”

“No! No need!” Mikie said quickly. “Let's get moving!”

As the trio made their way towards the door out, they found it locked. Because of course it was; why wouldn't it be?

“And where do you think you're going?” a new voice said. Mikie froze in fear, while Origami felt the voice sounded familiar. They all turned back, to see a tall, middle-aged man with a steel glare.

“That's... Okamine Kotaro,” Origami noted quietly. “Mike's father.”

Mikie was visibly shaken by his appearance. The last time either of them had seen him was several months ago, right after sealing Kotori, and just before Mikie officially became part of Origami's harem. He had been... less that pleased with Mikie's career choices, to say the least, and less so with her choice of love. Origami wasn't sure what became of Okamine Kotaro's conversation with Tamae on that day, but from the looks of it, nothing more had been done about that confrontation.

“F-Father,” Mikie greeted nervously. “Why are you here?”

“Someone has to bring you to your senses, idiot girl,” Kotaro said. “Why must you continue to act so rashly?”

Origami lent over to Nia. “Care to explain this?”

“Me-thinks it's a manifestation of a past trauma,” Nia answered. “Perhaps we can take this as a sign of what's to come?”

“Hopefully.”

“On top of all that, how were you able to fall for someone like that?” Kotaro asked, gesturing at Origami. “A woman as loose as that with love is hardly fit for one of our name.”

Origami felt a pang of annoyance crease her brow, but it was quickly overshadowed by the feeling of the air seeming to chill over. Origami and Nia glanced to the side, and saw that Mikie was no longer trembling in fear of her father. In fact... Mikie's glare was chillingly angry.

“How. Dare. You,” she said dangerously. Origami felt herself backing away instinctively, in hopes to not get caught in the crossfire to come. Mikie may have been a bit of a fighter, but she was the gentlest person Origami knew, next to Yoshino. She had seen Mikie's anger only in desperation before, so to see genuine fury... that was scary. “Even if you were my real father... what give you the right to say Origami's not worth it?!” Mikie continued. Kotaro backed up fearfully in response, and Mikie stormed forward. “You were the one that cast me out! You were the one who made me feel like I'd never live up to anything! You don't know me like Origami does!”

The words struck like a mallet, and the form of Okamine Kotaro shattered like glass. The three watched in confused horror as the shards of the man fell to the ground, and the sound of the door unlocking echoed. “O...Origami,” Mikie said hesitantly. “I just... broke my father by shouting...”

“It's only an illusion,” Origami said, attempting to reassure her by placing a hand on her shoulder. “Once we're out, perhaps... we should have a talk with him?”

Mikie nodded meekly, as they made their way out of the room.

Upon returning to the 'Hub Area', as Nia called it, the classroom they had previously been in vanished entirely.

“So, what have we learnt from this?” Origami asked.

“Mostly that these 'closed rooms' seem to be manifesting traumas,” Nia answered, “and that the best way to do that is to confront the trauma head on, I guess.”

“You know, I don't think that quite works for everyone,” Mikie pointed out. “People react to trauma in very different ways.”

“Fair point, Miky,” Nia agreed. “Only way to find out will be to press on. What's our next stop?”

Origami thought for a moment. “We'll go counter-clockwise,” she decided. “From here, it'll be; tent, stage, windmill, house, tower, castle.”

“Sounds easy enough to keep track of,” Nia said. “What's your plan, Miky? Gonna come with, or hold back?”

“I... think I might wait here,” Mikie decided. “I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I just yelled my father into shards.”

“For what it's worth,” Origami said, placing a hand gently on Mikie's head, “you made that look very hot.”

“Fweh!?” Mikie meeped, her face turning bright red.

“Can we save the flirting for when we're out of here?” Nia asked.

“It's a force of habit,” Origami shrugged.

As Origami and Nia entered the star-patterned tent, the first thing they noted was the fact that the insides did not match the outside by a wide margin.

They had expected a circus of some kind, not... a neglected house. Rubbish littered the floor beneath them, and the smell was, for lack of a better word, pervasive.

“I'm just gonna say it,” Nia spoke. “Whoever's in here, I am so sorry for this.”

“This place looks like it hasn't been cleaned in months,” Origami noted calmly, though there was no masking the fury in her eyes. “There will be... a lot of words to be had with whoever's responsible for this.”

“With you on that one, Oririn.”

As they pressed on, the two stopped by a doorway where light could be seen coming out of. They peaked their heads through carefully, and saw an older woman sitting on a couch in the middle of the room, watching TV, and, in the far corner, was Natsumi.

“... That explains so many things,” Origami muttered. “And it just makes me all the angrier for her.”

“What's the plan, then?” Nia asked.

Origami thought for a moment. “You hold back here. I'll try and sneak Natsumi out.”

Crouching low, Origami stepped lightly behind the couch. Stealth was one of the skills Origami had an easy time picking up while training with the AST. Origami had gotten so good, in fact, that she could cross a 2km field before the branches and grass had time to realise they had been stepped on.

A faint snoring sound could be heard from the woman on the couch. A good sign, in a way.

Finally, she reached Natsumi. The poor girl looked to have seen better days, with a glassy, wide-eyed expression on her face. Origami placed a hand on Natsumi's shoulder, causing her to flinch back in fear. Upon realising it was Origami, though, Natsumi's expression softened into sheer relief.

There probably wasn't much room for words at the moment, so Origami motioned towards the doorway, before picking Natsumi up in a tight embrace. “... Thank you,” Natsumi whispered quietly. This was going to take a lot of unpacking.

Suddenly, a chill ran up Origami's spine. Years of training had sharpened her instincts, and they were all saying that they were in imminent danger. It was then that Origami realised she could no longer hear the woman snoring away.

A shadow that defied human shape stretched out over the light of the TV. Origami didn't look back; she could tell by the expressions on both Natsumi and Nia's faces that whatever was behind her was terrifying to behold.

“Oririn!” Nia shouted. “Use the Secret Joestar Technique!”

Origami had no idea what that meant. She chose, however, to assume it was code for 'fucking run', and quickly broke into a mad dash to the door.

The woman, if it could even be called that at this point, spoke in an almost indecipherable tongue, with the occasional moment where Origami thought she heard Natsumi's name. Natsumi herself seemed to be repeating apologies like a mantra to a God that couldn't hear her.

If this was some representation of parental trauma, like what happened with Mikie before... then Origami was going to need someone to really hold her back, before she commits to wholesale manslaughter.

“Um, hate to remind ya, Oririn!” Nia shouted. “But door's stuck!”

… Shit, that's right. Unless they defeated that... whatever it was, they'd be stuck here. It might be better to try and get Natsumi to pull through and slay this beast, but in Origami's heart, she wanted to carry this burden for her.

In her free hand, Camael manifested. Pivoting on one foot, Origami swung the axe with all her might, trailing fire and destruction behind it. She barely got a glimpse at the inhuman horror that followed them, before it was cleaved in two by the might of Efreet's axe.

It was moments like this that caused Origami to almost delight in the irony of how much she relied on Camael. The power that belonged to the Spirit she once cursed for her misfortune, now one of her go-to saving graces.

The sound of the door unlocking was heard, and Origami wasted no time getting them out.

Natsumi was still a frantic, nervous wreck when they rejoined Mikie. The only words that seemed to come from her mouth were apologies for, Origami believed, being born and being 'ugly'.

This left everyone feeling equal parts concerned and angry.

Thinking of some way to calm her down, Origami cupped Natsumi's face in her hands, and pressed their lips together. It was a simple kiss, with little that could be considered 'special' but it was enough to help ground Natsumi back in the here and now.

When Origami pulled away, Natsumi's expression was replaced by one of slight embarrassment. “... Fweh?”

“Finally back with us?” Origami asked. Natsumi could only really nod in response. Natsumi could only really nod in response. “Would one of the cutest girls there is like to talk about what she's been going through? Or not yet?”

Natsumi's expression darkened slightly. It was obvious that she really didn't want to talk about it, but she chose to speak anyway. “That woman was... my mother,” Natsumi said. “I was born out of wedlock, and to her, I was... really just kept around for the child support money. I was lucky enough to even be fed most days.”

“And... I take it she's the one that absolutely ruined your self-image?” Nia asked. Natsumi only nodded in response.

Origami's expression turned dark. “If she's still alive by the time we're out of here,” she said, “then I'm committing my first murder.”

“With you on that one,” Nia added.

“Do not!” Mikie shouted. “... At least not without planning your alibi!”

“Good call on that, Miky,” Nia said. “We'd also need to find a way to make it look like an accident. Throw the cops off our trail.”

“Why go through the effort to do that?” Origami asked. “The perfect crime is the one you can't prove happened, after all.”

Natsumi looked at them all with a bewildered expression. “You'd... do that much for me?” she asked. “Why?”

Origami and Mikie looked at her as if she had grown another head. “Because we love you,” Origami answered. “I thought that would be obvious. Though, I can't exactly speak for Nia at the moment.”

“Trust me, first impressions are in your favour, Nattsun,” Nia said.

After collectively agreeing to the act of murdering Natsumi's mother once all was said and done, Natsumi decided to hang back with Mikie while Origami and Nia pressed on, entering the auditorium.

There... wasn't all too much to say about it. It looked exactly as one would have expected from an auditorium. A stage up front, rows of chairs between the entrance and the stage, and a single spotlight illuminating the stage.

From the entrance, Origami could see, without a shadow of a doubt, that Izayoi Miku stood in the centre of the stage. She could also see what looked to be wires running from the ceiling to her arms and legs, keeping her in place.

Strung up like a puppet for the amusement of others. Paraded around like a doll. Origami had to take a deep breath to calm herself, as she manifested Sandalphon in her good hand.

“Ya know, Oririn,” Nia said, as they made their way to the stage. “I'm starting to see something of a pattern with us Spirits. So far, we're three for three on trauma, and I'm willing to bet this one's also familial in nature.”

Considering what I know about the Yamai twins and Kotori, I'd agree with you,” Origami replied. “And now, it really makes me wonder about what the one behind it all is planning.”

“Ol' Fish-Face called her 'Deus', yeah?” Nia asked. “What do ya think her big plan is?”

“At this point, I couldn't even guess,” Origami answered, as they climbed on stage. “When I first started with Ratatoskr, I thought it was going to be as simple as 'us and her'. That sealing Spirits would be akin to depriving her of soldiers. Now, though, knowing that it all came back to Isaac Westcott, I don't know what to think, other than the fact that I know I love these girls, and I would walk through Hell barefoot for them.”

Origami looked up, following the wires. She could make out two nearly faceless individuals in the rafters, each holding marionette controllers. Her brow furrowing, Origami swung Sandalphon, cutting the wires with ease, and catching Miku before she collapsed to the ground.

Miku slowly opened her eyes, and looked up at Origami. “Darling?” she asked weakly.

“It's me,” Origami said softly. “Sorry if I took too long to get here.”

Miku shook her head. “It's fine. It... wasn't too long, Darling.”

Two marionette-looking figures dropped from the rafters, landing with a loud thud and kicking up a lot of dust.

Origami glanced towards Miku, noticing her slightly apprehensive look, but otherwise holding strong. “Just taking a guess,” Origami said, “but those wouldn't happen to represent your parents, would they?”

“I believe so, yes,” Miku replied, somewhat surprised. “How'd you guess?”

“Just noticing a trend, is all,” Origami answered, as she readied Sandalphon. “Want me to make this quick?”

In response, Miku straightened herself out, and stepped forward towards the marionettes. “Please, let me handle this, Darling,” she said. “You've still got things to do, right? Let me handle my demons.”

The marionettes lunged forward towards Miku, and before Origami's instincts could take over and leap to her aid, the puppets were blown away by powerful waves of sound, as an illusory pipe organ materialised behind Miku.

“Gabriel!” Miku shouted, as her Angel took form. The keys of a piano appeared before her, as she lowered her hands upon them. “Symphony!”

For both Origami and Nia, the song Miku played was a sombre one, yet for the marionettes, the sound hit with the force of a storm, breaking them apart into chunks of wood and rope.

“Whoa,” Nia said. “That was sick.”

“She certainly made it look easy,” Origami added. Noticing Miku had started to sway where she stood, Origami ran up and caught her before she toppled over. “Are you okay, Miku?”

Miku looked up at Origami again, looking... none the worse for wear. “Oh, I'm fine,” she smiled. “I just wanted to see how quickly you'd catch me, Darling.”

Origami couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that. “You're incorrigible, you know that?”

There wasn't much to be said about the return trip. They met back up with Mikie and Natsumi, got everyone caught up, and Miku decided to hang back and shower Natsumi with all the affection she could give to make her feel better.

That meant nearly permanent hugs.

Origami and Nia entered the windmill next, and... it was a trend breaker.

The structure of the inside was pure white, and looked more like a museum with a turning spire in the middle. The walls were lined with portraits of an orange haired girl with the face either scratched off or painted over.

Origami quickly picked up the symbolism of it. “Dissonance in their identity,” she muttered. “The Yamai's are two, yet one.”

Nia looked at Origami, confused. “I don't follow.”

“Kaguya and Yuzuru used to be one person before becoming a Spirit,” Origami answered. “Or, Spirits, in this case. They were also held in captivity by Westcott for a time, because of this, and experimented on to see if two could become one again. He half succeeded.”

“And just like that, Fish-Face has climbed higher on the 'To Murder' list.”

“It'll have to wait a while,” Origami pointed out. “For now, let's just find the girls.”

The two pressed on, finding a set of stairs that led up to another floor. The floor above, however, came across as more spooky than the previous, as it was a hallway lined with innumerable versions of either Kaguya, Yuzuru, or their combined form of Yamai.

Nia shivered slightly. “I swear, if any of these move when we blink, I'm out of here.”

Origami looked at each of the statues. There were numerous, minute differences between each one, and at the base of every statue was a question: Who am I?

This told Origami everything she needed about what to do. Find the real ones. But that still left a question; was she suppose to find the real Kaguya and Yuzuru, or the real Yamai?

Remembering the original's wish... the answer was obvious. Origami walked down the rows of statues like a woman on a mission. Which, to be fair, she was. Despite her speed and the constant questioning from Nia, Origami was quickly taking in every detail of every Kaguya, Yuzuru, and Yamai they passed. That one was too thin, that one too tall, and that one's hair was the wrong shade. Such thoughts constantly crossed Origami's mind as she looked over each and every one of them.

Eventually, though, she stopped in front of the only pair of statues that could be mistaken for a single unit. A 'statue' of both Kaguya and Yuzuru, supporting each other.

Origami allowed herself a small smile. “Found you both,” she said gently.

The two Yamai's opened their eyes gently, and, upon looking over and seeing Origami, quickly rushed into her embrace.

“It's alright, you two,” Origami said softly. “I'm here.”

While Kaguya sniffled nervously, Yuzuru spoke. “Confusion. Even though she chose us over herself, we are meant to be one. But, Yamai chose us over herself...”

“So... who are we?” Kaguya asked. “We, who are but shades of the original? It's like we're... twin shadows born of a single light source, stretched too thing to be independent, but too distinct to be interchangeable.”

“But, you're still you,” Origami said. “You're both still Kaguya and Yuzuru Yamai. Kaguya, you're a natural leader that Yoshino and Natsumi look to for guidance, and Yuzuru, you're level headed and good with ideas. You are two; different, but that doesn't mean you have to define yourselves by being separate. Siblings aren't defined exclusively by being siblings. You are both precious to us, because you are Kaguya and Yuzuru.”

Their arms tightened around Origami, yet she could tell it was a feeling of being reassured. Origami herself, however, felt awful for not having noticed this sooner, or for even assuming that they were handling it well. It had been quite some time since Arumi Island, but this was a matter of their identity; it would take more than a few months and some new friends to handle that problem.

“Um... girls?” Nia called out. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but... I freaking called it.”

The trio looked Nia's way, and saw that all the other statues had moved, now staring directly at them, and blocking the way out.

“Oh,” Origami said plainly. “That's terrifying.”

Kaguya took a deep breath, before cackling evilly. “Well, it seems the Shades of Evil long to take our thrones and Queen,” she spoke, as her Astral Dress materialised.

“Agreement. These false idols dare encroach upon us,” Yuzuru added, as her own Astral Dress formed. “It would be pertinent for us to 'clean house'.”

“Then, let us unleash our full power!” Kaguya exclaimed, as their Angel, Raphael, materialised as a single wing on each sister, a lance in Kaguya's hand, and a length of chain in Yuzuru's.

Contrary to what Origami had expected, the wings came off, and came together to create a metal bow, with the chain acting as the string, and the lance its arrow.

The sisters took hold of the bow, and drew the lance back. “Raphael!” they said in unison. “El Kanaph!!”

The arrow was launched, though it felt more like someone had fired a hurricane out of a cannon. Wind and light shot forth, and when it finally cleared, there weren't any enemies left.

There wasn't much of a floor left, either.

The Yamai's had the decency to look rather sheepish at it. “Whoops,” Kaguya said. “A bit overboard?”

“No kill like overkill,” Origami responded. “Now, let's get out of here.”

Returning to the hub area, the expected trio of Miku, Natsumi, and Mikie, greeted them.

Origami sat down between Mikie and Miku (whom still had Natsumi in her grasps), while the Yamai's took up space behind her. “We've passed the half-way point,” Origami noted. “Now, aside from the real Nia, we've just got Kotori, Yoshino, and Tohka to find.”

“Do you think they'll be okay?” Mikie asked.

“Hard to say,” Nia answered. “After that last one, we've confirmed that whatever I've gotten us into isn't limited to family. It just so happens that 'family trauma' is a common denominator with you girls.”

“Hardly something to brag about,” Origami pointed out. “What about you, then, Honjo Nia? You have any family troubles to share?”

“Nah. Any family I had passed away years ago,” Nia answered. “I just have trust issues these days. Kinda hard to take people at face value when you can read everything they've ever said.”

An awkward silence fell upon the group. “Isn't that... a bit unfair, though?” Miku asked. “Sometimes, people are forced to say things they don't mean, just to survive. And, sometimes those secrets never come to light, at least, not until it's too late.”

“That's a good point, actually,” Mikie agreed. “I've hardly even been able to say what I really feel to my fathers face, and if it wasn't for Origami and everyone else, I'd have nobody to talk to about it, and all those thoughts and feelings would probably stay bottled up inside of me.”

Everyone save for Nia nodded their head in agreement. Nia herself was deep in thought about that idea. For as long as she could remember, she had been dealing with an inability to trust others, but now... now she was wondering if she had been jumping the gun too much.

It definitely helped that she didn't have access to all that information right now, and couldn't pull anything up on these girls. An inability to feed her bad habit went a long way, it seemed.

While she thought, Origami stood up. “I'm getting back to the job,” she said. “The longer we wait around, the more things could be going wrong out there, and the longer the others are left alone.”

And then, there was Tobiichi Origami herself. Nia had known her for all of a few hours at this point, and with most of her memory being used to remember what she had read on her with Rasiel, Nia couldn't help but want to believe what Mikie was saying before.

Perhaps... it was worth it to believe again.

Chapter Text

The house was the next stop for Origami and Nia, and for Origami, she had half a mind to know what to expect from this one. It was mostly coincidental that the order she had chosen had actually ended up being the reverse of when she had originally sealed the Spirits, and assuming that trend was kept up, that meant it was going to be Kotori next.

Then again, they did briefly have 'parental/maternal trauma' as a trend in this, and that was broken with the Yamai's, though it was still family related. Just... kinda different.

Still, there was a certain degree of relation between setting and person, and Kotori was the only one Origami could directly relate to a 'house'.

Stepping through the door, they were greeted by... a remarkably normal looking hallway. Perfectly polished wooden flooring, pristine walls, a flight of stairs at the end, and a few pictures hanging here and there.

Origami knew, however, where this place was. It had not looked like this before, but she had set foot in this house once.

“Man, this is a homely place,” Nia said, looking around. “Very comfy. Any idea where it is?”

“The Itsuka household,” Origami answered. “But, the real one is burnt down. This was probably what it was like before that.”

“How can you tell?”

“The smell,” Origami said plainly. “This place carries Kotori's scent. Unmistakable.”

“... You know your girls by scent?” Nia asked in disbelief. “Like, for real?”

“I know everybody by scent,” Origami said. “I memorised yours ten minutes after we met.”

Nia found that to be quite weird, to say the least, but chose not to comment further.

Origami walked forward, looking through the doorway that she remembered lead to the scorched remnants of the dining room and living room. Seeing them in their original glory was certainly odd, but the house felt far more lived in than when she first saw it.

And yet... there was nobody around. Dew clung to the dishes on the rack, left out to dry. The TV was on, though there was no discernible picture or sound to it. Chairs were improperly pushed in. There were so many signs that, up until a few moments ago, there had been at least somebody here.

Origami made her way towards the stairs, remembering that the bedrooms were up them. If Kotori was anywhere, it would be in one of them.

At the top of the stairs, there were a few options available. Origami had to admit, this was a pretty high-end house, having a master bedroom and three guest bedrooms. Two of those 'guest rooms' were labelled as 'Kotori's Room' and 'Shido's Room'.

Origami fought to suppress a sad sigh. It should have been him, Itsuka Shido, that was here. Every now and then, Origami found herself reminded of the fact that, really, she was just filling in an empty role. Every time she thought about it, it made her wonder if she really deserved this lot in life. If she really deserved to meet the people she met.

As quickly as the thoughts returned, Origami shook them off. There wasn't time to be worrying about whether or not she had a place doing this job. None of that changed the fact that people she loved were in danger. Kotori needed her right now, more than Origami needed this reassurance.

The existence of this internal turmoil was not lost to Nia. But, as she was unable to read minds, she didn't exactly know what it was about. To her, it really just seemed that Origami was someone genuinely worried about the people around her. Which, to be fair, wasn't a wrong conclusion to reach.

Origami slowly approached the door to Kotori's room. She couldn't afford to be apprehensive right now; Kotori needed her. Steeling her nerves, Origami grabbed the door handle, and opened the door.

She wasn't sure what she expected, but a remarkably stereotypical girls room was somehow not it.

If this was the room that Kotori called her own five years ago, then Origami could tell that she was very much loved by her family. And yet... the only person that was here was the girl hiding under the bed sheets.

Origami once more felt the pang of annoyance that came from the absence of someone's parents. Come to think of it, Origami had never once seen the rest of Kotori's family, save for Shido. Where were they in all this? Did they know that Kotori was commander of the Fraxinus? That she was a Spirit?

Were the older generation really so... so negligent?

Origami shook the thoughts off once more. She was dwelling too much on 'what-ifs' at the moment.

Origami approached the mound in the bed, and sat down beside it. “Kotori,” she said softly. “Can you hear me?” The mound shifted, which Origami took as confirmation. “Are you okay?”

“... Lonely,” Kotori replied weakly. “There's nobody here.”

“I can see that,” Origami said. “But, we're all waiting for you to join us.”

“... Don't need me,” Kotori muttered. “You're the one that matters.”

“That's not true,” Origami refuted. “You're our leader, and... and my precious sister. None of us would be here if it wasn't for you.”

“But I'm not needed anymore,” Kotori said. “Just let me rot away in peace.”

“You know I can't do that,” Origami said, as she finally removed the bed sheet from Kotori. “We'd be sad if we lost you.”

Kotori looked up at Origami with tear-stained eyes. Origami had to fight back the thoughts about how long Kotori had been here, waiting for her. Taking a deep breath, Origami held out her hand. “Shall we?”

With a slight nod, Kotori took Origami's hand.

As they returned to the hub, Nia couldn't help but think back on everything she's noticed about Origami up until this point.

She knew that Origami had her own baggage. This much was obvious by their first meeting and conversation. It was also blatantly apparent that the other girls all had chips on their own shoulders, which they were struggling with handling on their own.

Nia understood this feeling well, though most of hers came from after becoming a Spirit, not before. That wasn't what troubled her, though. The thing that bothered Nia most of all was the fact that Origami was spreading herself too thin.

Origami was acting as the pillar of support for so many people, and she could see that it was burning her out. One person couldn't handle everything, and with just how much emotional baggage everyone else had, piling on top of her own... Origami was going to crash and burn some day, and this wasn't a question of 'if'.

And yet, Nia felt a strange feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. That familiar pang of sympathy; that feeling of wanting to be there to support someone. Nia could not deny that she was falling for Tobiichi Origami, that she wanted to be there to support her.

Nia couldn't remember the last time she had been in love with a real person. Now, with a fictional character, she could name every last one of those moments, but when it came to real, 3D people, love was the furthest thing from her mind.

And yet, just as Origami was a pillar of support for these girls, Nia found herself wanting to be just that for her. How... intriguing.

“Alright,” Kotori spoke, having now regained herself. “Going by what we know -which, let's be honest, isn't a whole lot-, we're royally screwed.”

“Way to pump us up, Little Sis,” Nia said. “Last thing we need is a downer right now.”

“Well sorry if I can't help it,” Kotori replied. “You're the only real source of information we have here, and that information's spotty at best. Can you blame me for being a bit pessimistic?”

“Well, we can't exactly just sit around and wait for me to kick the bucket out there, can we?” Nia asked. “Please say we can't. I'm actually enjoying my time with you girls.”

“Hey, I'm not saying we shouldn't try,” Kotori replied. “Just that I wish we had more to go off of.”

“Preaching the the choir there,” Nia said.

Off to the side, Origami was wrapped in an embrace from the other Spirits. There were only two more stops to make before they could wholly focus on finding a way out of this strange dimension.

“Just two more to go, right Darling?” Miku asked. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I have to be,” Origami replied. “Yoshino and Tohka are depending on it.”

“Aren't you pushing yourself too hard, though?” Kaguya asked. “I mean, it hasn't even been a full month since... well, That. Are you sure you're not burning yourself out?”

“Agreement,” Yuzuru said. “Master Origami, you're trying to do too much, too fast. At this rate, you're...”

“I know,” Origami cut in. “But, if I don't... If I don't, then who's going to...” She really didn't want to admit it, but for as simple as this was on the surface, she was starting to run on fumes. Such was the burden of shouldering both the power and emotions of the Spirits. But, she couldn't stop. She refused to stop.

Not while Tohka and Yoshino were still in harms way.

After a while, Origami and Nia pressed on to the tower. Origami would admit that she had little to no idea what to expect from this one, or the castle after it. If things were going the way she's come to expect, this tower probably had something to do with Yoshino.

But what that was, Origami had no idea.

The inside of the tower looked to be made of glass. Or, perhaps it was ice. Ice would make a good deal of sense, given Yoshino's command over it.

“It's quiet,” Nia commented. “Too quiet. If fiction's anything to go by, something big's waiting for us.”

“Can we not jinx it already?” Origami asked. “That is the last thing we need right now.”

“Hey, better we get it out of the way now, yeah?” Nia said. “The longer this goes on, the more strain it puts on you. The other girls are worried enough as it is.” Silence fell between the two for a moment, before Nia continued. “So why do you keep doing it? You're allowed to look after yourself, too. If you stretch yourself too thin, you'll just snap.”

“I know,” Origami admitted. “But, if I don't do this much...”

“Pull yourself together already!” Nia shouted. “You're doing more harm to yourself than good, rushing like you are! So why are you...”

“Because this is all I have left!” Origami shouted, her voice echoing through the tower. “They're... all I have left. My whole life has been defined by Spirits. At first, hating them, and then loving them. They're...”

Origami was interrupted by something large crashing into the ground behind her. Hesitantly, the two turned around, to see...

“Is that... a dragon with rabbit ears and an eye-patch?” Nia asked.

“...Yes. That is indeed what you just said,” Origami replied.

“...Why?”

“I think it's suppose to represent Yoshinon.”

“You mean, that rabbit puppet?”

The dragon snarled angrily. “...Should not have said the P-word,” Nia muttered. “We got a plan right now, Oririn?”

“Do you see stairs anywhere?” Origami asked.

Nia quickly looked around. “I seem 'em. 15 meters away, on your seven.”

“In that case, I'm going to get a bit rough,” Origami said, as she grabbed hold of Nia. “So sorry in advance.”

“Usually, I'd ask you to buy me dinner first,” Nia teased. “But I'll forgive this.”

The dragon roared, icy air spewing from its maw, as Origami quickly turned on her heel, and sprinted for the stairs. Now that she was looking at them... those stairs could easily support the Dragon-Yoshinon.

That was certainly going to make this a whole lot harder.

It took what felt like hours, but Origami finally reached the top of the stairs, where they found a lone hospital door.

Fortunately, it seems the Dragon-Yoshinon gave up at some point. Either that, or it had decided to let them through. Origami wasn't sure which it was at this point, but her brain was too fried by adrenaline to care.

“Next one's probably in here,” Nia said. “Any idea what to expect?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Origami admitted. “Yoshino doesn't remember much of her past. Or, at least, she hasn't shared much of it with me.”

“Feeling a bit left out?”

“A little, yes,” Origami said.

Taking a deep breath, Origami reached for the handle, and opened the door. She felt like she was invading Yoshino's privacy, doing this, but she would have to worry about forgiveness later.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sound of a heart-rate monitor echoed dully through the doorway. At the far end of the room, Yoshino sat alone in a hospital bed, looking out the window at her side.

Origami wasn't sure what she had initially expected, but this wasn't it. Not a nearly empty hospital room.

“... Nia,” Origami whispered. “When this is over, can you...”

“I'll look into it,” Nia answered quickly. “I'll look into every last one of them if you want to. Where Little Sis' parents are, how much dirt there is on Nattsun's and Mikki's parents, this... You ask, and I'll deliver.”

That was probably the most serious Origami had heard Nia speak. It was remarkably reassuring.

Origami walked gently towards Yoshino, her footsteps echoing. Yoshino flinched slightly at the sound, but upon turning and seeing Origami, her face lit up. “O-Origami-san!”

Origami felt a wave of relief wash over her. Suddenly, it felt as if she could do anything.

“Sorry I took so long, Yoshino,” Origami said, patting the girl on the head. “Are you ready to go?”

“You bet we are!” Yoshinon's voice called out, as the puppet jumped out from beneath the bedding. Well, we say 'jumped out', but considering they were joined at the wrist, it looked more like Yoshino simply raised her arm, and there Yoshinon was.

“Yoshinon, you were here, too?” Origami asked, legitimately surprised.

“Of course I was!” Yoshinon replied. “Where else would I be?”

“Well, we were just chased by a dragon that looked an awful lot like you,” Nia answered. “So, y'know.”

“... That's badass,” Yoshinon said.

Origami couldn't help but chuckle slightly, as she picked Yoshino up bridal-style. Strangely enough, despite the aforementioned heart-rate monitor, Yoshino wasn't actually wired into anything. “Were you scared at all, Yoshino?” Origami asked.

Yoshino shook her head, much to Origami's surprise. “It's... been kind of lonely, but... also familiar,” Yoshino answered quietly. “Like... I'd been here before.”

So, was Yoshino hospitalised in the past, before becoming a Spirit? Definitely worth looking into.

Returning once more to the hub, Yoshino was quickly embraced by Miku and Natsumi. Those two were very attached to Yoshino, it seems.

Origami couldn't fault them for it; she was pretty attached to Yoshino herself.

Nia couldn't help but notice a renewed sense of vigour from Origami, too. Not a large amount, but enough to be considered noticeable.

The conclusion Nia was beginning to draw was that Origami's mental state was dependant on all of the Spirits, and the longer she had been with a Spirit, the more she depended on them. The fact that Yoshino did so much to ease Origami's peace of mind was incredible to behold.

And yet, this dependency could not be healthy for her. It just gave Nia all the more reason to want to support her.

Nia couldn't help but scoff internally at the thought. Here she was, quietly berating someone for taking on the emotional baggage of so many others, while wanting to take one someone else's emotional baggage herself. The hypocrisy was not lost on her.

But, Nia did have the bonus of age on her side. So had the emotional maturity to handle that extra weight, even if her own personal coping mechanism... wasn't the greatest.

The whole gang now stood before the castle. Now that it was the only stop left, it left quite the impression on the mind. Tall, imposing walls, high spires, and a drawbridge held up by rusted chains.

“So, Tohka-san's in there?” Mikie asked. “Do you think she's alright?”

“We can only hope so,” Kotori said. “Now, since we don't know what'll happen when Tohka's saved, we can't risk be split up, so we're all charging in there. Ready?”

“When are we ever?” Kaguya asked. “The forces of darkness keep ambushing us at every turn!”

“Mocking,” Yuzuru spoke. “Forces of darkness. LOL.”

“And there goes the tension,” Nia muttered.

“At least we're consistent,” Origami added. “Now, let's get moving.”

Nobody was sure what to expect from the inside of the castle. A vast void of [NOTHING] was not even on the list.

It was the kind of void that defied all words. The kind of emptiness that the word 'nothing' didn't do enough justice for, and needed to be capitalised to even come close to describing it.

Even when they looked behind them, the door they entered through was nowhere to be seen.

A strange sense of panic filled Origami's heart. With everyone else, they had something that represented a trauma of some kind. Yet here... [NOTHING]. Not even a template of something.

Just what was going on inside Tohka's mind? Inside her memories? What haunted her at night, when nobody could ask?

Yoshino huddled up to Origami's side, shaking nervously. “It'll be alright,” Origami reassured. “We'll find her.”

“Um... I don't think that's gonna be a problem, Boss,” Kaguya called out, point off in a seemingly random direction. “I think she's already found us. And... in the worst possible way.”

Everybody follows Kaguya's finger, and saw a figure standing off in the distance. At a glance, it was unmistakably Yatogami Tohka, but that aura, and the sword in her hand...

“Nervous,” Yuzuru said quietly. “That is Tohka's Inverse form.”

“You mean... we took too long to get here?” Mikie asked.

“I don't think so,” Nia said. “That... feels more like a product of this world, rather than a prisoner of it. Don't exactly make it any less dangerous, though.”

“Such a vote of confidence,” Origami snarked. “I'll see if I can't talk our way through this. Everyone else, hold here.”

Origami walked forward carefully, so as not to cause the one ahead to suspect an attack. It had been a few months since that time Tohka had Inversed, but the memory was still prime in her mind.

She was hauntingly, coldly beautiful. Where the usual Tohka once had sorrowful contempt with was now naïve innocence, this version had a look that knew that you were beneath her. It was the look of someone who saw no value in the life before her.

It was, for Origami, rather heart-breaking to see.

A blade manifested in Inverse-Tohka's hand. A dark, twisted version of Sandalphon, who's form, now that Origami could see it up close, churned her stomach.

“It doesn't have to be like this,” Origami said, keeping her arms limp at her side. “Violence will only bring out more violence.” It was rich of her to preach that, but it was a lesson she learnt thanks to Tohka.

The Inverse-Tohka showed no signs of caring, though. Her demonic blade was raised high, but just before it could be swung, someone shouted for it to stop, and it did as such.

Then, Yatogami Tohka appeared, standing in the way of her Inverse self and Origami.

Tohka stared down her Inverse self defiantly. “I won't let you hurt her,” Tohka said. “I won't.”

The Inverse Tohka stared back dispassionately. “You would defend a human?” she asked coldly. “One who, moons ago, denied your very being?”

Tohka flinched slightly, but remained strong. “I would!” she shouted back. “Because even despite that, she still accepted me! She accepted all of us!”

Origami wouldn't deny that she felt her heart flutter just a bit from that. The Inverse Tohka lowered her sword slowly, though the icy glare never left her face. “So be it,” she said. “But know that you court danger at every turn. When this all goes south -and it will-, know that I will be waiting.”

Like a gust of darkness, the Inverse Tohka vanished. Tohka sighed in relief, the strength leaving her body, as she collapsed into Origami's arms.

“Sorry I'm late,” Origami said. “Were you scared?”

“A little,” Tohka admitted. “But, I knew you'd get here.”

As the two momentarily looked longingly into each others eyes, Nia turned to Kotori. “Are they... always like that?”

“You get use to it,” Kotori answered. “Tohka has 'first girl' perks.”

Then, the world began to shake violently, and the sky (or perhaps it was the roof) split open. “Is that suppose to happen?!” Kaguya called out. “'Cause I really hope it is!”

“The world's starting to fall apart!” Nia said. “Now that the conditions for victory have been met, Ashufiriya is crumbling!”

“Does it have to be so dramatic, though?” Yoshinon asked. “Also, don't wanna alarm ya, but you're turning into light.”

Nia looked down at her hands, and saw she was becoming transparent. “Well, since I'm just a clone of the original, I guess this makes sense,” she sighed.

“Will you remember any of this?” Origami asked. “That is, the real you?”

“God, I hope so!” Nia laughed. “Could you imagine, having to get me to fall for you all over again? Man, that'd be a waste of time we'd already spent together!”

“You're... awfully calm about it,” Mikie said. “Doesn't it scare you? The thought of just... not being?”

“Oh, like no tomorrow,” Nia admitted. “But, like you girls... I'm gonna have faith in Origami.”

Origami felt a shiver down her spine, at Nia using her name properly. “Well, Oririn,” Nia continued, ruining that brief moment. “See ya on the other side.”

And so, everything faded to black.

The moment the slightly semblance of consciousness returned, Origami's eyes snapped open. She felt the damaged pavement beneath her hands, and smelt smoke and blood on the air.

Origami quickly pushed herself upright, looking around to see the other Spirits doing the same.

Yet, Nia was nowhere to be seen, Inverse or otherwise.

“Kehehehehehe...”

The hairs on Origami's neck stood on end. She and the Spirits quickly huddled together, standing back to back, and keeping their eyes on the surroundings.

She knew that laugh well. It had haunted her dreams for the past month now.

“Show yourself!” Kotori shouted. “You're not exactly being subtle, Tokisaki Kurumi!”

The shadows of buildings and lamp post grew, until the entire floor was coated in black. Numerous figures, all of which were Kurumi, rose from the darkness.

Instantly, Origami could tell that something was different about her. Her Astral Dress had a new look to it, mixing the colour scheme of her usual red and black one with some of the design that Origami recognised from her Inverse self, Rei.

Somehow, the fact that there was more than one Kurumi was the least of their worries.

“Good day to you all, ladies,” the Kurumi's spoke on concert. “I was wondering when you'd all get back. Heavens know those two have been making my life hard.”

“Where is Nia, Kurumi?” Origami asked, doing her best to mask her anger and fear. “We don't have time for your games.”

“Oh, how cold, Origami-san!” Kurumi laughed. “They're just ahead, but perhaps you should worry about the ones in front of you?”

Each of the Kurumi's raised their rifles, and behind them, numerous black Funnels that they knew as the Angel Metatron appeared.

“Why do you have that?!” Mikie called out. “How are you able to use Metatron?!”

“I believe you mean 'Satan' Okamine-san,” Kurumi corrected. “You'll find these Qlipha powers are far above what your Sephira can do.”

Origami grit her teeth nervously. So, Kurumi was straddling the line of Inverse and... whatever the correct term for 'not being Inverse' was. She was dangerous; unhinged. Was this her end goal this whole time?

In the distance, past the horde of Kurumi's, Origami saw the Inverse Nia, fighting off her own horde of Kurumi's. Worse yet, Nia seemed to be losing.

She had to help her. But how? How could Origami get through all these Kurumi's? Origami was already getting a migraine having to think of Kurumi as a plural.

A light fell from the sky, striking the ground, and clearing a path through the Kurumi's. A figure descended; a woman with blonde hair and violet eyes, dressed in a remarkably plain looking CR-unit. The first thought that crossed Origami's mind was 'Why is Ellen Mathers helping us', before she noticed the rather subtle differences between this woman and her.

“You're... Karen!” Kotori exclaimed. “Woodman's secretary!”

Origami... had no idea who either of those were.

“I'll keep Tokisaki Kurumi at bay,” the one named Karen said. “Tobiichi Origami, you do what you must.”

Origami was still a bit confused, but she could accept that this woman was an ally. Nodding at her, Origami and the Spirits broke into a sprint, heading towards Nia.

“Do we have a plan at all?” Kotori asked. “Because I don't know if we'll be able to get through to her, yet alone get close enough to try!”

“Leave that to me and Natsumi-chan!” Miku called out. “We've already cooked up just the performance for this!”

“I'll probably just drag it down,” Natsumi muttered. “But, I'll try anyway!”

“Whatever it is, do it quick!” Kaguya shouted. “Because Tokisaki Kurumi's gaining on us!”

Miku and Natsumi ran ahead. “Gabriel!” Miku called, manifesting part of her Astral Dress and the illusory keyboard.

“Haniel!” Natsumi said, doing much the same, and grasping hold of her broomstick. “Kaleidoscope!” A flash of light, and the broomstick turned into an exact copy of Gabriel's keyboard.

Miku and Natsumi took a deep breath, their fingers resting on the keyboards. “This is... Requiem!”

The two played their song; a sombre melody. The moment fingers met keyboard, all fighting came to an abrupt halt. Every Kurumi froze in place, captivated by the melody the two played.

Origami wished she had the time to just listen to those two playing in perfect harmony, but right now, Nia needed her; needed them. So, she ran on.

Nia stood in place, looking the same as she did before they fell into that world, with a serene look on her face. The light in her eyes flickered between normal and Inverse, as the melody of Requiem eased the storm in her heart.

“Nia!” Origami called out. Nia looked over to Origami, recognition flashing in her eyes. “I need to know! Do you trust me?!”

Nia tilted her head, as if pondering the question, before stepping forward, and collapsing into Origami's arms. First signs were looking good.

Origami helped steady Nia, whom looked up at Origami, and... quickly locked lips with her.

Seconds signs, looking better.

The Inversed Astral Dress began to fade away in motes of light, telling them that this was a success.

“Well, how about that?” Nia said weakly. “Didn't have to repeat character development.”

“Really?” Origami asked. “After all that, including potential existential dread, that's the first thing you say?”

“I try not to think about it too much,” Nia shrugged.

“Khh... Ahck...”

Alarmed, Origami and Nia glanced over at the nearest Kurumi clone, who seemed to be writhing in agony, clutching at her own head.

“Hurts... Splitting... Pain...” Kurumi groaned. “Too much... Stop it stop it stop it STOP IT!!”

Every Kurumi, in equal amounts of pain, turned their guns towards Miku and Natsumi. Origami felt panic rise in her heart when she heard them fire, but it was quickly replaced by relief, when thick walls of ice blocked every shot, followed by a wide sweeping slash of Sandalphon, cutting down many of the clones.

The clones that remained, still writhing in pain, retreated back into the shadows, leaving only the one Kurumi that was closest to Origami and Nia.

It looked as if she was fighting something inside her own head. “Splitting... Hurting...” Kurumi moaned painfully. “Stop it! Stop talking!”

“Um... is she alright?” Nia asked.

“I'm going to go with 'no' on that one,” Origami answered.

“You gave up!” Kurumi shouted at seemingly nothing. “You abandoned our mission! You no longer have the right to this body!”

“She's lost it,” Nia stated. “She's... officially lost the plot.”

“Let's save the peanut gallery for when we're not in the line of sight of the time-manipulating madwoman,” Origami said.

With one final scream of anguish, dark energy erupted from Kurumi. When it finally died down, she was nowhere to be seen. “... I guess we're in the clear?” Nia said. “In which case... What the fuck?”

“Question of the day,” Kotori muttered, as she and the others finally caught up. “We appreciate the assist, Karen. Might not have made it, otherwise.”

“Merely doing my job, commander Itsuka,” Karen replied politely.

“At least one of us was able to,” a new, familiar voice said. Everyone turned, to see a battered and bruised Mana land.

“You alright, Takamiya Mana?” Origami asked.

“Yeah, just got held up by some 'old friends', let's say,” Mana shrugged. “DEM's got a few more Ravens on its payroll now. Barely able to fight them back.”

“At least you're still in one piece, though,” Kotori said, patting Mana on the back. “Christ, it's been a long day. Everyone... just find some way to get comfortable somewhere safe. I'd take a stiff drink if I was legally allowed to.”

An hour had passed since everyone had gone their separate ways. Well, mostly separate, at any rate. Everyone had elected to stick with at least one other person. In Origami's case, that had been Nia.

Understandable, really, given that Nia had been Inversed, un-Inversed, and sealed, all in remarkably short order. Fortunately, they weren't far from Origami's home, and considering the evacuation order was given out pretty quickly when everything hit the fan, Nia didn't have to suffer too long through the indignity of being naked.

Well, naked in public, at any rate. Nia was a good 16cm taller than Origami, so the most she could do to cover herself up was wrap a bedsheet around herself.

“Well, today was certainly exciting,” Nia said cheerfully. “Is it always that crazy when you pick up girls?”

“Honestly? I'd call this 'par for the course',” Origami answered. “Most of the time, I sustain some sort of grievous injury in the process. Aside from the emotional duress, I'd say this went pretty well.”

“That should be concerning,” Nia muttered. “Hey, quick question, though. After a sealing, do the other girls ever feel this... hot?”

“What do you...”

Thump thump

Oh, that's what she meant.

Now that she got a really good look, Nia was remarkably beautiful. For being taller than Origami, her figure was mostly the same, making her look very slim. Origami had gotten so use to seeing people was either 'her height with equal to bigger boobs' or 'shorter with less boobs', that Nia's slight-yet-mature figure was hitting Origami as a shock. Not an unpleasant shock, either.

Nia, face slightly flushed, noticed Origami staring, and, quickly putting two and two together, smiled playfully. “So, that's how that whole 'feedback loop' thing works?” she asked. “Just perpetually getting hornier as time goes on?”

“Once the thought is in one of our heads? Then it's already too late,” Origami answered.

“Well, when in Rome,” Nia said, as she shrugged the sheet off her body, stood up, and wrapped her arms seductively around Origami's neck. “Now, care to show this girl a good time?”

The kiss that followed started deep and slow, before it divulged into fiery passion. Origami's clothes were very quickly discarded, as the two fell onto the bed.

Normally, Origami was the one to take the lead when it came to things like this. Yet Nia, it seemed, had more command over this sort of thing than she did.

It was strange, but... Origami felt like she was able to allow herself to melt into Nia's caress. And, after as hectic a day as this was...

There were worse things in the world.

Chapter Text

Two days had passed since Nia was successfully sealed, and she had to say, her mind felt a whole lot clearer now than it had in years.

Well, she'd admit, part of that might have to do with the fact that she had gotten laid recently, too. That little fact probably helped a lot.

The sound of the MRI scanner finishing was heard, and Nia was slid out. “Everything looks in order,” Reine said. “No lingering damage to be seen.”

“That's a relief,” Nia sighed. “Sooner I can get out of these hospital rags, the better. No offence, but these things... bring back a few too many bad memories.”

“None taken. I'm more surprised you agreed to go through with this. What are your plans now?”

“Me? I've got some dirt to dig up,” Nia answered, flashing a 'peace' sign. “What's Oririn up to, anyway?”

“She's having tea with Founder Woodman,” Reine answered. “They are, arguably speaking, the most important people in Ratatoskr. It's only fitting that they actually have the chance to sit down and talk for a bit.”

When Origami was told that the Founder, Woodman, wanted to speak to her, she wasn't sure what to expect. She knew next to nothing about the man, after all, and before the day after sealing Nia, she knew literally nothing about him.

Now, here he was, sitting across from her in an empty cafe, a cup of tea in front of each of them.

Origami calmly looked the man over as they drank their tea. He had a remarkably gentle disposition, with hair that tread the line between blonde and white, and eyes that looked blue in some light, and green in others. The combination of his wrinkles and the wheelchair he sat in made him look the part of the gentle, caring grandfather. Perhaps it was fitting, then, that this man was the one who created Ratatoskr, the organisation that focuses on saving Spirits.

“The tea here is always so lovely,” Woodman said, dragging Origami from her thoughts. “Even thirty years later, this fact hasn't changed a bit.”

“Was this shop around back then?” Origami asked. Thirty years ago would have put it around the time of the Eurasia Sky Disaster; the first Spacequake in recorded history. Not long after that, the area south of Tokyo had been gouged out by what had been, for the time, the second largest Spacequake, and that area was rebuilt as Tengu City, where they lived now.

“Hmm. Back before Tengu City,” Woodman answered. “Though, I don't believe it went by the name it does now. But, it has been a long while since I was last in this country, so my memory may be leaving me. A downside of getting old, I guess.”

Woodman had the kind of laugh that one could let their guard down around. He had this strange, comforting aura about him.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?” Origami said. “Or, a few things, I suppose?”

“Of course,” Woodman smiled. “I'm guess it has to do with some things Ike told you while you were all in that pocket dimension?”

“Indeed,” Origami said. “And the fact that you called him 'Ike' actually answers one question, Elliot Woodman.”

Isaac Westcott had talked about having three friends when he summoned the first Spirit, Deus. Among those friends was one named Elliot, and Origami knew from her interactions with Ellen Mathers that Westcott's friends called him 'Ike'.

“So, he talked about me, then?” Elliot asked, very much unfazed by this. “I honestly never took him for one to reminisce like that.”

“He told me about your village,” Origami continued. “And about Deus as well. What I wanted to ask you was for your take on it. And... why go on to create Ratatoskr? What changed?”

“What, indeed?” Elliot said wistfully. “In the beginning, after our village was burnt down, I was completely in it to burn humanity to the ground. The hatred consumed me... until we finally summoned her.” Ellliot looked at Origami, though it seemed as if his eyes were looking far beyond the here and now. “You walked the path of revenge too, before joining Ratatoskr, yes? Tell me, what did it feel like for you, when you finally, truly, changed your perspective on Spirits?”

Origami gave it some thought. The conclusion she reached, though, wasn't what she expected. “I can't properly answer that,” she said. “The things I felt a year ago, and the things I feel now, are so vastly different, that even the memory of my old hatred towards Tohka is jaded by the love I feel to her now.”

“Hmm. A fine answer,” Elliot said. “For me, I'd dare to describe it as 'love at first sight'. The moment I first laid eyes on her, brief though it was... in that moment, I had forgotten about my revenge.” Then, he laughed mirthfully. “Of course, she ended up slipping away from us minutes later. We chased after her for six whole months, until we ended up right here, in this very city, before it became Tengu. I had been the first to find her again, and... well, she had changed a whole lot.”

“In what way?”

“She spoke, for one,” Elliot answered. “Was far more expressive, too. That was the first time I'd heard her speak, and she sounded just as beautiful as I imagined she would, if not more so. And, it was all thanks to that young man she was with.” Something about that tickled a sense Origami didn't know she had in the back of her mind. “It was plain for me to see; she had found someone she loved, and he loved her in turn.”

“... What happened to him?” Origami asked, suddenly feeling a foreboding sense of dread.

“I tried to point them away from where Ike was, but... he found them anyway. The one she loved was shot and killed. The Spacequake that followed soon after, I'm sure you can guess the results of.”

“Tengu City,” Origami muttered. It was a harrowing thought, knowing that the place she had called home her entire life... was built on the death of the one Deus loved. “Did you... ever learn this person's name?”

“At the time, the only thing I knew was that Deus had called him 'Shin',” Elliot answered. “It was a few years down the line, when Ratatoskr was taking off, that I happened to mean some high school friends of him and his younger sister. These friends actually had a hand in the design and construction of the Fraxinus, and are currently handling the hand over of the new model to the Commander.”

“So, they're some real big shots,” Origami noted.

“More than just 'big shots', I'm afraid,” Elliot said. “Their names are Itsuka Haruko and Tatsuo. Commander Kotori's parents.”

Origami instinctively took a deep breath. One of her long-time nagging questions, where Kotori's parents were in all this, had just been answered. “Does Kotori...”

“She's aware of this,” Elliot answered. “And Miss Murasame has kept them updated on Kotori's condition. If anyone is to blame for their absence in her life, let the blame lie at my feet.”

Origami felt a slight warmth run down her spine. The people she had thought of as negligent... were doing all they could, in their own way, for their daughter. It was something of a load off her mind.

Elliot reached into one of his pockets, and pulled out a photo of some kind. “Miss Haruko was quite a help in my research into this 'Shin' that Deus had fallen for. In fact, she had played a hand in picking out Deus's outfit for that date they were on.” Carefully, Elliot placed the photo down on the table, and pushed it towards Origami. “The young man was, by and large, nobody special. Just someone who happened to be in the right place at the right time, and on the wrong side of Ike. His name was Takamiya Shinji.”

Takamiya. That name caused sparks to fly in Origami's mind. Was he a relative of Mana's, then? Perhaps, the child of that sister he mentioned before? A strange sense of nervousness running through her veins, Origami picked up the photo, and felt her breath hitch.

That face. Even in a mono-toned Polaroid like this, she knew that face. You could put this face in among a million look-alikes, and she could pick it out in a heartbeat.

“How... is this possible?” Origami asked.

“Miss Origami?”

“You say this photo... is at least thirty years old?”

“Yes. I was given it by Miss Haruko herself, at least twenty years ago, at that. Why?”

“If that's the case, then... Why does this man look exactly like Kotori's brother, Itsuka Shido, who died five years ago?”

Aboard the bridge of the Fraxinus MKII, Kotori stood before the two chief engineers of this marvel of technology.

“As head of engineering, I, Itsuka Haruko, hereby hand over the Fraxinus II to Commander Itsuka,” one of the engineers, a tall woman with red hair and amber eyes the same shades of Kotori's, said professionally.

“As commander of the Ratatoskr Front Line division, I, Itsuka Kotori, hereby accept custody of the Fraxinus II,” Kotori replied professionally. A few digital stamps later, and once more, the crew of the Fraxinus had their ship. Kotori let out a sigh of relief, now that the formalities were done.

Before she could get a word off, however, the engineering duo had quickly embraced her. “Kotori!!” the second one, a tall man with dark hair, exclaimed. “Oh, we've missed you!!”

“Kn-knock it off, Dad!” Kotori shouted. “You're embarrassing all of us!”

“Sorry, sweetie, but that's the executive right of us parents!” Haruko retorted. “God, if work wasn't keeping us on the other side of the damn globe...”

“Hey, you've got your jobs, and I've got mine!” Kotori rebutted. “Now get off me already!”

From down at their new stations, the crew looked up, smiling warmly. “Y'know,” Munechika spoke. “I was always kinda worried about what to expect from the commander's parents. This is nice.”

“Still can't help but wonder how they'll react to Origami-san,” Kozue added. “Their daughter is a part of a harem, after all.”

“And have gone for the home run,” Hinako followed up. “Mustn't forget that part.”

“Right, right. The sex thing,” Masaomi nodded. “On a mildly related note, where's the vice commander?”

“Date night with Okamine Tamae,” Kyouji answered. “Which, hey, keeps him out of our hair.”

“You lot!” Kotori shouted. “Less chatting, more calibrating!”

“You've really got a handle on these folks, Kotori,” Tatsuo said. “But, are you holding up okay?”

“It's...” Kotori hesitated. “It's been rough at times. Especially the last month. But, I'm holding on. It's... not like I'm alone, after all.”

“Sounds like that Origami-san's doing wonders,” Haruko commented. “We've really got to meet her and the rest of the girls. You've been beside yourself ever since...”

“... Even since Onii-chan died,” Kotori finished weakly. “I know. It's... been hard for all of us.”

Tatsuo gently ran a hand through Kotori's hair. “I just hope this doesn't have to go on much longer,” he said. “You girls deserve a better life than... all this. All these tests and charts.”

“Sometimes, we can only role with the punches we're thrown,” Kotori muttered. “At the very least... I wouldn't have met Origami, otherwise.”

“Commander!” Kyouji called out. “We can handle the rest of this. Why don't you and your folks go out for a bit? Spend some quality time together.”

“You get it!” Haruko said. “Somebody better give that man a raise!”

As the older Itsuka's whisked their daughter away, the crew waved them off. Kotori, embarrassed, at least gave them a thankful smile.

“Welp,” Masaomi said. “Today's been a good day.”

In a completely different part of Tengu City, Mikie and her father, Kotaro, as across from each other on a picnic table in a park. The silence was awkward, to say the least.

Mikie was nervous, since this was the first time in months she had seen her father. Well, first time in months that didn't involve magic of some kind, at any rate. Yet, somehow, it looked as though he was just as nervous, if not more so, despite his efforts to hide it behind his usual stony expression.

“I was... surprised, to say the least,” Kotaro spoke. “When you reached out, saying you wanted to talk.”

“It... took a bit to work up the courage, I'll admit,” Mikie responded. “But, this is something neither of us can avoid forever, is it?”

“No, I suppose it isn't,” Kotaro agreed. The silence that fell between them was deafening, until Kotaro continued. “I... owe you an apology, Mikie. Many, in fact.” Mikie was caught off guard, but remained silent, and let him continue. “Back when we lived a more impoverished life, after we lost your mother, I was always afraid of what would happen if I lost you. I thought that fear would go away when we finally hit it big, but upon seeing just how dark the world of Realizer distribution was... Truthfully, it only made my fear for you worse.”

“I...” Mikie hesitated. “I know that I've never been the brightest kid there was, but...”

“That's just the thing, though,” Kotari cut in. “You are far more capable than you give yourself credit for. It was only a matter of giving yourself reason to commit the effort. Do you remember the last time we talked, before we... went our separate ways?”

Mikie nodded. “It was just after I'd shown you one of my tests from school. The one before that, you had said that I was slacking off too much.”

“And yet, you aced that second test,” Kotaro pointed out. “When I realised what you could do, I became afraid of what would happen if anyone else knew about this. That's why I pushed you away; because I was a fearful fool.”

Mikie wasn't entirely sure how to process that, except for realising the silver lining in it all. “But, if you didn't...” she said. “Then I wouldn't have met Tohka-chan and Origami that first time, and been inspired to join the AST. I wouldn't have met so many wonderful people.” Mikie smiled brightly. “So, honestly? I don't think I can be too sad about that!”

Kotaro let out a shaky breath he didn't realise he was holding. “Still... I don't know how I could make it up to you, Mikie.”

It was, at the very least, the right first step to take.

“Okay, girls. We all ready?” Nia asked, sitting at a desk in front of Kaguya, Yuzuru, Natsumi, Miku, Yoshino, and Tohka. All six responded with an emphatic yes. “Alright. Now begins the Round Table 'Let's find out where the hell we came from' meeting!” With a dramatic wave of her hand, Rasiel appeared before her. “So, who wants to go first?”

Suddenly, everyone was a little less eager to speak up. This was, after all, the moment where they'd finally find out who they were (in some cases) or where the people that messed up their lives to the point of needing to become supernatural were (in other cases).

A shaky hand was raised, courtesy of Natsumi. “I... I'd like to...” she said timidly.

“You sure about this, Nattsun?” Nia asked. “Nothing wrong with waiting a little to steel your nerves.”

“If I do... I'll probably just chicken out...” Natsumi admitted. “I'm... just pathetic like that.”

“That's not true, Natsumi-chan!” Miku shouted, quickly hugging Natsumi. “You're being very brave right now!”

Nia couldn't help but smile at the scene before her. Kyouno Natsumi; a girl beaten down by unfortunate circumstances and a negligent mother, and Izayoi Miku; a former idol snuffed by the greed of those who should have looked out for her. The introvert and the extrovert.

The pages of Rasiel flipped open. “Alright, then. Let's begin.” Nia began chanting in false latin, for no other reason than to set the mood. It at least got a snicker out of most of the girls, and some awe from Tohka and Kaguya. A flash of light later, and Rasiel gently floated into Nia's hands. “Okay. We've got it,” she said. She read through the information once, twice, three times, before frowning in disgust and annoyance. “Now that just blows.”

“How bad is it?” Miku asked, holding Natsumi tightly.

“Well, I'm not sure if it counts as good or bad news,” Nia said, “but she's... no longer part of this world. Drug overdose.”

That was, truthfully, only half the story. It hadn't been the drugs that killed the woman, but it left her in such a catatonic state that, when the next Spacequake happened... Well, sometimes it was best not to try and describe the horrific.

“She's... dead?” Natsumi asked, shocked. Nia nodded in response, as Natsumi buried herself into Miku's embrace. Losing family was never easy, even if you were estranged from them.

“Certainly a dark start to this,” Nia muttered. “I know we've only just begun, but...”

“We can keep going,” Natsumi muttered. “I'd... feel pretty rotten, if everyone was there for me, and I... wasn't for them.”

'She's a strong kid,' Nia thought. 'More than she gives herself credit for.' “Alright, then,” she said. “Mikki, do you want to go next?”

“Please,” Miku responded with a nod.

“Copy that,” Nia said, as Rasiel flashed once more. Calmly, she flipped through the pages. “That's... not much better. Seems that, not long after you lost your voice, they skipped town, and tried to start again in America. One drunken night a year ago, they got into a fight, resulting in your father dying, and your mother getting sentenced to life in prison.”

Miku trembled slightly, as her hold around Natsumi tightened a bit. Nia quickly jumped over the table, and, following the lead of the other girls, embraced the two in the tried-and-true group hug.

It took a few minutes for composure to be regained, and everyone to get back to their seats. If Nia had to be honest, though, she wouldn't have minded it going on a bit longer. It was warm.

“Well, since we're already kinda in order,” Nia said. “Kaguyan, Yuzurun, you two wanna go next?”

“Hesitation,” Yuzuru said. “We accept this burden.”

“W-We got this!” Kaguya said hesitantly. “Totally!”

Those girls were honest, even when they tried to look strong. Nia called on Rasiel's power once more, and checked the pages, making sure to remember that she was looking for the parents of Kazamachi Yamai. “Okay, found it,” she said. “They're living in the Saga prefecture right now. They... they still morn the loss of their daughter every day, but they're staying strong. They've... even had a child recently, a baby boy.”

Kaguya and Yuzuru gasped in surprise. “We're... big sisters?” Kaguya asked in awe.

“Awe-struck,” Yuzuru muttered.

“But... how would we show ourselves?” Kaguya asked quietly. “Can't just go up to them and say 'hey, we're your dead daughter, reborn as twins', can we?”

“They'd think you were crazy, at best,” Yoshinon pointed out. “At worst? Things might get violent.”

“Yeah. Kinda sad to think about,” Kaguya agreed.

“But...” Yuzuru spoke up. “I'm glad that they're... doing okay.”

It was rare, hearing Yuzuru not preface her sentences with anything. Still, it was nice, having a good result for a change. “Alright, next up...”

“Um!” Yoshino spoke up. “I'd... like to go next, if that's okay.”

“I'm all good with that, Yosshi,” Nia said. “What about you, Tohka?”

“All good!” Tohka replied, giving a thumbs up.

Nia really did appreciate Tohka's simpleness. The only downside Nia could thing of was the fact that Tohka's name didn't exactly work for shortening, like with everyone else.

Nia flipped through Rasiel's pages once more, stopped, and had to focus on one particular point of interest. “...That can't be right, can it?” Nia asked herself, as she took a pair of red-framed glasses from her pocket, and looked once more. “Huh. Well, I'll be damned.”

“What's up?” Yoshinon asked. “Don't just leave us hanging!”

“Well, for starters, your last name is Himekawa,” Nia answered. “And... you're also legally 40 years old.” An awkward silence fell. “I wish I was kidding,” Nia continued, “but according to this, 26 years ago, before you became a Spirit, you were constantly in the hospital.”

“Whoa,” Tohka muttered. “So, you're actually our senior, Yoshino! Amazing!”

“Ah... Th-thank you?” Yoshino replied hesitantly. “Um... Is there... anything about parents?”

“Hmm,” Nia flicked through a few more pages. “Just on your mother, Himekawa Nagisa. There's... a disturbing lack of information about her, actually. Says that she was in an accident days before you became a Spirit, but it just... ends there. Nothing on whether she's alive or not.” It was a truly worrying thing, when Rasiel wasn't able to get a piece of information. It wasn't like Rasiel was omnipotent, though; it could only parse information that was 'spoken to the world', so to say. Anything thought by one person and not spoken, even in the solitude of their own company, would not pass these pages. So, for the life and death of a person who was in such a public incident like a car crash to not be known... something was going on, there. “Oh! But here's something interesting!” Nia exclaimed, hoping to lighten the mood. “Seems Nagisa-chan was the one who made Yoshinon!”

“Woo-hee! Ain't that exciting!” Yoshinon exclaimed. “Looks like you and I are true blue, bona-fide sisters!”

Yoshino certainly looked excited about that fact.

“Now, that just leaves...” Nia muttered, as everyone's gaze fell on Yatogami Tohka, whom looked... remarkably eager about it being her turn. “Y'know, you could have offered to go sooner, right?”

“Yeah, but we had this kinda pattern going,” Tohka pointed out. “It would have felt weird to break it.”

“Point taken,” Nia accepted, as the pages flipped once more. “Now, let's see what our grand finale is!” Nia looked down at the page it stopped at, and paused. She tilted her head to one side in confusion, then the other. She closed the book, shook it next to her ear, opened it again, turned it upside down, shook any loose bits of dirt out of it, and looked again. “It's... blank,” she said finally. “There's... nothing from before she first woke up as a Spirit.”

They had come to expect depressing, but this... this was a whole new level of off-putting. “You're... you're joking, right?” Tohka asked. “Nothing?”

“It's just... blank,” Nia said, flipping page after page. “Either something or someone with a lot of power's trying to cover something up, or... or there's nothing. And I don't know which answer scares me more.”

The prospect that there was something that couldn't be perceived by Rasiel was scary enough, but the idea that there wasn't anything in Tohka's past that could be perceived... that was just heart-breaking.

Nia stopped flipping through Rasiel's pages, and, on the page it stopped on, she saw something. She had to lean in closer, just to see it.

“What is it?” Kaguya asked. “Did something show up?!”

“Kinda?” Nia questioned herself. “It's... a dot.”

It was no bigger than a pin prick. Nia checked the next page over, out of curiosity, and found another dot in exactly the same spot, just slightly bigger. Next page over, the same story.

“What the hell is this?” Nia asked, stopping when the dot became the size of a 100 yen coin. Now that it was this size, Nia could see that it wasn't a 'dot', it was a 'hole'. It had depth, to say the least. “It's like... a void of information, I guess?” Nia supposed weakly, unsure herself.

“Sh... should we leave it be?” Yoshino asked. “I'm... scared.”

Yuzuru placed a hand on Yoshino's shoulder to reassure her, though she fought hard to hide her own fear.

There was something primal and wrong about this thing. Every instinct in Nia's body was screaming at her to close the book right this second. But then... if she did... would they be losing out on answers?

“I'm going to take a gander,” Nia decided. “If I start screaming and backing away, someone make sure to slam this thing shut.”

The others all nodded hesitantly, as Nia leaned in closer to look through this hole.

On the other side was [VOID]. A darkness so thick and visceral, it was the looking equivalent of walking through honey. Truly, it was the one thing fit to be called an [ABYSS].

And, deep in that [ABYSS], Nia saw something. Or, rather, some[REDACTED].

Nia blinked, as she felt her brain fail to process that information. She focused again on it, trying to take in as many details as she could.

It was a [REDACTED] of around [REDACTED], with [REDACTED] of [REDACTED], and [REDACTED]. The [REDACTED] were [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], and...

Nia stood up quickly, backing far away from Rasiel, breathing heavily. Taking that as a sign, Tohka quickly ran over, and slammed the book shut. “Nia-chan!” Miku called out. “Are you okay?!”

Nia tried to steady her breath, sweat dripping from her brow. The more she tried to think about what she saw, the more she realised just how little she was able to process about it.

For a brief moment, she couldn't even remember what freaked her out so much, until the phrase 'gaze into the abyss long enough' popped into her head.

“Whatever that was...” Nia muttered. “Whatever I saw through there... I think it saw me.”

Nia flinched, as Tohka placed a hand on her shoulder. But, the look of compassion, worry, and guilt, that Tohka wore, managed to ground Nia back in the here and now. Nia drew Tohka into a tight hug, running a hand through the younger girl's hair. “I'm sorry,” Nia whispered. “Don't... don't blame yourself for this, please. This isn't a burden for you to carry.”

Nia wasn't sure which of them was more shaken up by this, but as the eldest, she felt a need to reassure Tohka more than herself. If there really was nothing to her past... Then, by right, Tohka was just an innocent kid. And the last thing Nia wanted to do was make a kid feel like it was her fault Nia was scared shitless.

She'd have to tell someone about this, though. She felt like she might go insane if she kept this to herself.

Reine sat alone in the cafeteria of the new and improved Fraxinus. Everyone else was away doing something else, which just left her alone with her thoughts.

Most times, a dangerous proposition.

So much had happened over the past year. Where had it all gone? From convincing a sceptical and apprehensive Tobiichi Origami to give Tohka a chance, to now, with eight Spirits successfully sealed, the AST on their side, and the possibility of making several therapists very rich.

So much had happened. Reine couldn't help but feel relieved it was all working out so well, one way or another.

Yet, strangely, Reine couldn't help but feel a pang of... something. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, though.

Then, something in the air shifted. The hair's on the back of Reine's neck stood on end. A presence made itself known.

“You shouldn't be here,” Reine muttered quietly. “You're risking too much, making yourself known now.”

Whatever it was, stirred quietly in response, before fading away, seeming to get the message.

Too close, Reine felt. Becoming too eager.

The plan already went up in smoke. There was no salvaging the original idea. All that was left was picking up the pieces, and see what could be rebuilt.

“Yo, Murasame,” a familiar voice, belonging to Kusakabe Ryouko, said. Reine turned, to see the woman in question approaching, followed by that blonde AST mechanic, Mildred, she believed.

“Captain Kusakabe, Mildred-san,” Reine greeted. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“No, we were just in the area, and saw you alone,” Ryouko answered. “Though, it sounded like you were talking to someone?”

“Merely reminiscing,” Reine answered. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Hmm,” Mildred hummed. “Reine-chan, do you mind if I ask you something?”

“What is it?” Reine asked.

“What sort of experience do you have with love?”

Reine blinked in surprise. “Not quite what I was expecting,” she said.

“I've been kinda wondering about that too, actually,” Ryouko admitted. “I mean, the rest of the crew's a bunch of divorcees, stalkers, and weirdos. We've been wondering how you fit into all this.”

“I see,” Reine muttered, trying not to think much on the implication of Kotori fitting in under the 'weirdo' category. “Well, it's not as complex and dramatic as the others. I have been in love before, but... he's gone. I haven't been able to love again for well over 20 years, at least.”

“Ah...” Mildred said, suddenly feeling very awkward. “I'm... sorry I brought it up.”

“It's fine,” Reine responded. “It's not like it's a big secret or something.”

“Hmm... What was it like?” Ryouko asked. “Falling in love, I mean.”

Reine tried to think on it; on those feeling. “Like the world expands on forever,” she decided. “Like you can do anything and everything you set your mind to. Perhaps... magical isn't a bad way to describe it.”

“And you've... never tried again?” Mildred asked.

“I've wanted to, but...” Reine hesitated. “Sometimes, the first one you find is 'the one', and when they're gone... nothing is ever enough to fill that void.”

“Sounds... harsh,” Ryouko muttered, placing a supportive hand on Reine's shoulder. “And you've had this feeling for over two decades?”

“After a while, feelings of grief become familiar,” Reine said. “Like old leather, it becomes comfortable.”

Comfortable. Yes, that wasn't a bad way to describe it. After all, no matter how much she tried to change...

Reine's heart would always be there, on that beach.

Origami walked quickly through the streets of Tengu City, as if on a mission. After her talk with Elliot, she had more questions than she knew what to do with.

Deus was a tragic figure. She had come to accept that. Deus had loved a human. That was easy enough to wrap her head around.

That human was the spitting image of Itsuka Shido, and was named Takamiya Shinji, sharing a family name with Mana.

That was were the facts lost Origami.

Everything always came back to Itsuka Shido. Origami didn't hold this against the guy; for the short time she knew him, he seemed like quite the nice guy.

But before, it had made some sort of sense. He was Kotori and Mana's brother, and the one who previously held the power to seal Spirits, before passing it to Origami at the cost of his life. Three times was a bit much, but she could accept it as a coincidence. These three events were all mostly tied together, after all.

But for him to be connected to the First Spirit from 30 years ago... If there was a moment the envelope was pushed too far, this was it.

Kotori's parents, strangely enough, were going to be her best source of information. Since they were in town at the moment, she'd have to make time to meet them.

Not like she didn't already have a reason to, being romantically involved with their daughter and all.

Origami paused as she passed an alleyway, feeling a wave of... something wash over her. It was oddly warm.

Origami looked down the offending alley, and saw nothing of note. Yet, for some reason... her heart-beat was quickening.

“Good afternoon, Origami-san.”

Origami quickly spun around, and saw a familiarly unfamiliar face. “You're... that girl from Ashufiriya,” she muttered.

“That's right,” the girl with light pink hair said, smiling warmly. “I'm glad you remembered. This might have been a bit of an awkward reunion if you didn't.”

“Yet, I do not know your name,” Origami pointed out. She could feel sweat beading on her brow. Was she afraid of this girl?

“Right. Sorry about that,” the girl laughed. She had... quite the nice laugh, too. “I promise to give you your answers, but... I need your help with something important.”

Origami tried to ask what she meant, but just as she did, she felt as if the world fell out from beneath her feet. She toppled forward, falling into the embrace of the girl. She was... warm, and smelt comforting.

“I really am sorry about this, Origami-san,” the girl said softly. “I don't like that I have to do this to a friend. But, I promise I'll make you happy. So please, sleep well. I'll see you in the morning.”

With that, Origami's consciousness drifted away.

Chapter Text

The sound of an alarm clock blaring dragged her from her sleep. She opened her heavy eyes, and glared at the offending clock, which read 6AM.

No human being should be awake at 6AM. Whoever set her alarm for 6AM was an absolute butt.

Then, she remember that she, herself, set that alarm.

… The point still stands. It just meant that she, in fact, was the butt in question.

She reached up weakly, missing twice before finally shutting the blasted contraption up. As she rose, the bed-sheets falling from her frame, she shivered. It was two days before Christmas, after all, and... and...

Strange. She couldn't quite recall what she had planned for Christmas.

She ran a hand through her hair, and paused when she noticed the length. Had she always had hair this long?

Of course you have. Don't worry about it.

Maybe she was just groggy. This sort of thing happened all the time. Getting off the bed, she shivered once more as her feet made contact with the floor. Why did she have to sleep in such a thin night gown?

Once she reached the bathroom, she quickly splashed her face with water, properly waking herself up. When she looked up, and into the mirror, she briefly wondered if that was really what she looked like.

White hair that came down to her shoulders. Bright blue eyes. A pale, seemingly flawless complexion. She looked like a doll brought to life.

It's you!

This must just be one of 'those' mornings, where you wake up and think 'Man, I really won the genetics lottery'.

She must really be out of it this morning, if she was momentarily forgetting what she looked like.

Another shiver ran through her body. “...Clothes,” she muttered to herself, quickly running back to the bedroom. “Get clothes on.”

She couldn't quite recall at the moment, but... she was pretty sure she had to meet someone.

Thus began Tobiichi Origami's day.

A thin blanket of snow lined the streets of Tengu City. At least, that's what the news was showing.

Origami didn't always pay much attention to the news. She mostly kept it on as a form of background noise. Living alone tended to make things... uncomfortably quiet.

She had lost her parents a few years ago, due to one of the last recorded Spacequakes. At the time, she had sworn revenge against... something, but since Spacequakes had abruptly stopped, she had no choice but to accept it as cosmic chance.

But, what was she to do with all that anger? All that grief? Well, that was where...

Origami's thoughts were cut off by a knock at the door, and she felt as if her heart skipped a beat. There was only one person who'd be coming by at this time of the morning, on a day off.

As she approached her own door, Origami felt a wave of flustered apprehension wash over her. Why was she getting nervous now, of all times? This wasn't the first time they'd been over like this.

...Right?

Placing a hand on her chest to steady her breathing, Origami opened the door. On the other side was a beautiful girl with light brown eyes and light pink hair, styled in a braid that acted as a hairband. She was dressed in a red jacket over a white shirt and light brown skirt, with black tights under it all.

“Good morning, Origami-chan,” the girl greeted. “Did I wake you?”

“N-no, not at all,” Origami responded nervously. She knew this girl, right? She felt like she knew this girl, yet Origami was still completely out of it, and couldn't recall.

Come on. It's Rinne.

Right! Right! Sonogami Rinne! How could she forget about her?

“Sorry about that, Rinne,” Origami said. “I'm just a bit out of it this morning. Please, come in.”

Rinne laughed melodically. “Don't mind if I do,” she said. “You know, for all that you wake early, you've never been good with morning, Origami-chan.”

Origami laughed nervously about it. “I can't deny that, can I?”

Origami had known Rinne since around the time her parents died. Because of her belief that there was some greater power behind the Spacequakes, Origami had become estranged from the family she had left. They provided money and food for her to survive, but other than that, nothing else. She was in a dark place, mentally, until one day, a new family moved in next door.

Origami didn't meet Rinne's parents much, but Rinne herself came over every day since they met. At first, Origami had been cold and distant, but Rinne's warm, friendly personality had eventually cracked the ice. And, as we all know, once the seal is broken, there's no getting the genie back in the bottle. The walls Origami had put up came crashing down, and she had finally, truly, been forced to face her grief. For days, she had cried her heart out, and for days, Rinne remained at her side.

Rinne was everything Origami needed. Kind, patient, and not judgemental. She was just... amazing.

And this incredible girl...

“Origami-chan?” Rinne spoke up, drawing Origami from her thoughts. “You're spacing out again.”

“Sorry,” Origami replied. “I still can't help but wonder what God blessed me, so that I'd have you in my life.”

Rinne blushed in surprise. “Geez. Aren't you laying it on a bit thick, Origami-chan?” she asked. “You're acting like you were carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

“At a time, it felt like that,” Origami admitted. “But, if I didn't have you... I might not know what joy is anymore.”

Rinne smiled warmly, as she walked up and embraced Origami. “Well, I think I'd be a pretty bad girlfriend if I failed to bring you joy,” she said. “I'm just glad I was able to help, Origami-chan.”

It was two years ago that they started officially dating. For years now, Origami had basically clung to Rinne wherever they went. She was Origami's crutch; her anchor to the world.

On top of that, Rinne was just perfect. An amazing cook, top of the class in all subjects, and easily one of the most popular girls in school. Apparently, Origami was in that bracket, too, but she couldn't see why. Regardless, the fact that so many eyes were on Rinne caused an unfamiliar emotion, jealousy, to burn within Origami's heart.

So, one day, Origami worked up the courage, and asked her to be her girlfriend. Rinne's response? She thought they were already dating.

It was an absolute silly thing, but just thinking back on it was enough to cause that feeling of butterflies in the stomach for Origami.

“So, Origami-chan,” Rinne said, looking deep into Origami's eyes. “Do you want to get going, since we have things to prepare for tomorrow? Or... should we wait half an hour?”

That was as good as a 'go ahead' from Rinne, as Origami pressed her lips against hers. A simple kiss, filled with so much passion and emotion.

“Honestly,” Rinne muttered fondly, as their lips parted. “You can be remarkably greedy, Origami-chan.”

“I can't help it,” Origami replied with a smile. “Being with you... it's the happiest I've been in forever.”

Origami felt like white noise was filling her head, as she went back to kissing Rinne with renewed passion. It was like electricity was dancing between their tongues. Rinne's hand, having wormed their way beneath Origami's shirt, felt as if they were tracing fire on her skin.

This was what it was like to be in a relationship with Sonogami Rinne. It was intoxicating, completely and totally.

It took 45 minutes for them to finally break away from each other, and leave the house. What could she say? Origami was a very passionate lover.

Origami nearly always felt as light as a feather afterwards, and the afterglow Rinne's face bore was a thing of beauty.

As they walked through Tengu City's shopping district, hand in hand, Rinne checked their shopping list. “Let's see... we've still got a few things to get,” she said. “But, why don't we stop for lunch? We've been at this for a few hours now.”

“Has it really?” Origami asked. “I didn't notice.”

Rinne giggled. “Geez. You never seem to pay attention to the time, Origami-chan.”

In response, Origami leaned her head on Rinne's shoulder. “I can't really help it,” she said. “Every moment with you feels like it could last forever.”

Rinne chuckled lightly. “Sometimes, I wonder if I've spoiled you too much,” she said. “But, it's not like I hate that.” With that, Rinne lightly kissed Origami on the cheek.

Somewhere off in the distance, Tonomachi Hiroto could be heard cursing the fact that the two most popular girls in school hooked up with each other. Because truly, we live in unjust times.

As they made their way towards the nearest diner, something in the corner of Origami's eye caught her attention. A sort of bending of the light. When she looked over, she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Deciding it was just her mind playing tricks on her, she ignored it.

After a while, they had chosen on the family diner for lunch. A bit of an odd choice, maybe, but it was going to be packed for the next few days, so they might as well get a meal there now, while they could.

As they sat there, waiting for their orders, Origami felt her mind begin to wander.

It felt like... she was forgetting something important. Some... great mission, or something, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

You're just imagining things.

The small voice in the back of her head, her voice of reason, made sense, but the feeling lingered. Like... there was something she should be doing right now.

“Origami-chan?” Rinne called out. “You're spacing out again.”

Origami snapped back to reality. “Sorry. I've just... been a bit lost in thought today,” she said.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Rinne asked. “I'm always happy to help.”

Origami smiled. “Thanks, Rinne. It's just...” she hesitated slightly. “I'm not sure how to explain it. Ever since I woke up, I've felt like I've been forgetting something. I... don't know how to describe it, other than the feeling that something is missing. Something important.”

“Hmm,” Rinne thought for a moment. “I'm not sure how much I can help with that, unfortunately. After all, it's not like I'm the master of your mind.”

Origami couldn't help but laugh. “I guess not,” she agreed. “Sorry. I shouldn't be burdening you with something so silly.”

“Now you're being silly, Origami-chan,” Rinne said. “You're not a burden to me at all. I love you, just as much now as I did the day we became official, if not more so. If anything's troubling you, I want to be there to help, even if only a little.”

Origami felt her heart-rate skyrocket, especially when Rinne placed her hands on top of Origami's in support. Rinne was just... perfect.

“How about this, then?” Rinne offered. “Once we've eaten, we'll head back home. Save the rest of the shopping for tomorrow. We'll still have time for it.”

“Are... you sure about that?” Origami asked. “You know how I get when we're alone.”

“I know,” Rinne replied, a faint blush creeping across her face. “But... maybe I feel like getting on the naughty list with you.”

Origami's face turned bright red. For the rest of their time in the diner, Origami's mind was... far away, let's say.

Origami followed behind Rinne at a slower pace, still in something of a daze.

Despite her efforts to the contrary, Origami had... quite the degenerate mind. She kept it hidden most of the time, but whenever Rinne so much as entered her line of sight, her mind would wander to thoughts of... we'll say 'romance', in the interest of keeping it tasteful.

For the first while, when Origami realised she was having these thoughts, she felt dirty about it. At least, until Rinne had admitted to similar things herself. Now Origami just felt like a pervert, rather than an absolute degenerate.

It made Origami actually sympathise with Tonomachi, in a way, how he constantly bemoaned his misfortune in romance. It was, frankly, addicting.

“_____!”

Hmm? What was that? Origami took a quick look around, yet saw nothing out of the ordinary. Was it just the wind?

“______!”

No. It sounded like a voice. Or, rather, the absence of a voice, if that made sense.

“Origami-chan?” Rinne called out. With that, any idea that there was something wrong was gone. “Spacing out again?”

“Sorry, Rinne,” Origami said, quickly catching up to her.

Rinne giggled lightly. “Are you really that excited about it?” she asked. “You do seem to get really into it.”

Origami's blush intensified two-fold. “That's! I mean...”

“It's alright if you are,” Rinne reassured. “There's nothing wrong with that.”

Once thoughts of what was to come filled Origami's mind, all other thoughts were quickly expelled like steam through a hose.

Shifting the shopping bags in her hands, Rinne linked arms to Origami. “Come on, Origami-chan. We're almost home.”

Sometimes, it was hard to tell which of them had the more perverted thoughts.

Eventually, they returned home. And, the second the shopping bags had been placed down, Origami felt all restraint leave her body.

She wrapped her arms around Rinne from behind, breathing in her scent as she nuzzled her neck. “Geez,” Rinne said fondly. “You can be remarkably aggressive when you want to be, Origami-chan.”

Several hours later, and Rinne laid in bed, looking at Origami's peaceful expression with a smile.

It was quite common for Rinne and Origami to share a bed like this. After all, Origami was very physically affectionate.

Of course, that was just short-hand for 'lots of sex'.

Rinne brushed a few strands of hair from Origami's face. She looked so... at ease like this. So calm, like she didn't have the weight of the world crushing down on her shoulders.

It did leave Rinne feeling just a little bit guilty, though. After all, she hadn't been entirely truthful with Origami about some things.

She didn't like having to lie like this. But, she wanted Origami to be happy. She needed Origami to be happy.

Even if it cost her all this... Rinne needed Origami to be happy.

On the edge of her senses, Rinne felt the air shift on an axis imperceivable to human senses.

“You shouldn't be here,” Rinne whispered quietly, so as not to disturb Origami. “You weren't invited.”

This isn't right, a voice that wasn't a voice said. You shouldn't be here. Not like this.

“That doesn't matter anymore, does it?” Rinne replied. “What is, is. And I won't let you take this from us.”

The presence loomed grudgingly. It seemed to want to do something, but for one reason or another, didn't. “I won't let you take this from us,” Rinne repeated. “We're happy here. We're together here. You will not take this from us.”

It will not last, the voice said. Such a false happiness will do neither of you any good.

“Maybe,” Rinne said. “But I won't let you take this away from us. Not when we're so close.”

Something about the mood changed. It felt as if the being watching over them felt sympathetic to their plight.

Then, like a breeze, the being was gone.

“Just until tomorrow night,” Rinne muttered, stroking Origami's hair. “When Christmas Day finally comes around... I'll have enough to save her.” Rinne looked deeply at Origami's peaceful, sleeping face. “I'm sorry about this, Origami-san. Really. But... you're the only chance I have to save her. I've already lost so much... I can't lose her, too.” Moving slightly closer, Rinne kissed Origami's forehead, as a small bead of light left her skin. “I just hope you can forgive me, one day.”

Chapter Text

Tobiichi Origami was missing. For the third time this month. If it wasn't for the fact that this was a serious situation for Ratatoskr, Kotori might have joked that they'd need to microchip her or something, just to keep track of her at all times.

Fortunately, this time around, they knew exactly where she was; in a dimensional prison floating high in the skies above Tengu City, nearly unseeable to the human eye.

Never said the silver lining was any good.

“Any updates?” Kotori called out.

“Negative, Commander,” Kyouji responded. “However, most of our systems are still calibrating. The Fraxinus is not quite up to operational capacity.”

“Just our luck, being caught with our pants down,” Kotori muttered. “Nia, what about you? Any luck with Rasiel?”

“Getting somewhere, Imoto-chan,” Nia answered, flipping through Rasiel's pages. “But whatever's up there's really trying hard to keep me out. Ever gotten signal jammed through a book? It's weird as heck.”

“Can you tell us if Origami's safe?” Kotori asked.

“Yup. As safe as can be,” Nia said. “Well, as safe as can be, all things considered. Not 100% sure, but I think our perp's suppressing her memories.”

“You 'think'?” Kotori asked. “Isn't your Angel's whole thing information gathering?”

“I know I hyped it up as 'better than Google', but even I'm second guessing it at this point,” Nia agreed. “Whole lot of good it did us the other day.”

Maybe it was a byproduct of the sealing, this unforeseen nerf to Rasiel's ability. “Reine, how are things on your end?” Kotori called out. “Any cracks you could find?”

“I've found one,” Reine responded. “Either an oversight on the barrier's construction, on a form of consideration for the rest of the Spirits. There's a gap large enough to accommodate the bridge between Rei and everyone she's sealed.”

“So, they're considerate enough to not screw us over down here,” Kotori muttered. “Anything else worth mentioning?”

“Two things,” Reine answered. “First, there seems to be something or someone trying to force entry into this prison through this gap. Still unable to identify who or what it is, but I can only say that it's having little success. Second, there have been regular spikes in Rei's brainwaves, followed by slight dips in the amount of Spirit energy she's currently holding.”

“In plain speak?” Kotori requested.

“Somebody's wooing Rei, and using the emotional rush to siphon power from her.”

“That... was plain speaking,” Nia commented. “But, this does give me an idea.”

“Let's hear it, newbie,” Kotori instructed. “It'd be better than anything Kannazuki could come up with at the moment.”

“Your words fill me with great joy, commander!” Kannazuki said.

Everyone turned to face Kannazuki. “That was... weaker than normal, vice commander,” Kozue pointed out.

“Get your head in the game, Kannazuki,” Kotori instructed. “Seriously, I hardly even feel like kicking you after that shit showing.”

At that verbal beating, Kannazuki let out the expected moan of delight. This would probably be something to check up on later.

“What's the status on the other Spirits, by the way?” Kotori asked.

“Most of them are holding up in the cafeteria, waiting for news,” Masaomi answered. “Though, right now, Tohka-chan's wandering the halls restlessly.”

“Girl's been through some things lately. Can't really blame her,” Nia muttered. Then, a metaphorical light-bulb went off in her head. “I've had a headache with pictures!”

“... You mean an idea, right?” Kotori asked hesitantly. “Please stop trying to sound like you're 'with it'. You're 40.”

“And still don't feel a day over 20!” Nia said proudly. “Now, hear me out here, but what if we tried to overload whatever's suppressing Oririn's memories by funnelling as much of our power to her as we can.”

Kotori thought about this for a moment. “You sure it'll work?”

“I'd say it's a coin toss, but it's better than nothing.”

“Better than nothing it is, then,” Kotori agreed.

Origami woke up to an empty bed and a burning feeling in her mind. Groans of pain escaped her lips, as her fingers tore into the bedding beneath her.

She tried to focus on one thing, and hope the pain would pass. Focus on one thing; focus on love. Focus on...

On who?

Focus on -----!

Who... said that? What was going on, where was she?

Focus. Focus. Focus focus focus focus focus focus focus focus!!!

The sound of something stabbing into the ground echoed through the room, and suddenly, everything was clear. Slowly, Origami raised her head, and saw a familiar sword of gold and crystal.

“Sandal...phon?” she questioned weakly. Right, Sandalphon; Tohka's sword. The Angel of the first Spirit she'd sealed.

Why had she forgotten that? Why had she forgotten everything? Why did she believe that there hadn't been any Spacequakes since five years ago?

… That girl. Sonogami Rinne. No doubt she had something to do with all this.

Actually, who was Origami kidding? Now that she remembered everything, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was responsible.

Yet... there was something deeply sad about her. Almost like she was doing this for something greater than herself. Whatever it was, Origami felt she could sympathise with it a bit.

Forcing herself out of bed (and damn, was it cold), Origami quickly got dressed, grabbed Sandalphon, and quietly made her way downstairs.

The time was currently 5:30AM. If today's schedule was anything like yesterday's, Sonogami Rinne would be here around 6:30 to 7AM. But, Origami also assumed that she was probably aware that the spell was broken, so she'd probably be here sooner rather than later.

Origami's eyes drifted down to Sandalphon, and her thoughts towards Tohka. It had been... quite a while since the two of them had just sat down and spent time together. So much had been happening over the past two months, and this December alone had been just back-to-back chaos.

But, there were so many Spirits under her care, it was hard not to feel like she was accidentally neglecting some of them. Perhaps, if the new year started off quietly, she'd set aside as many days as she could for each of them.

Reaching the door, Origami grabbed the doorknob with her right hand, and paused at the sight of it.

It was like she was seeing different things through each eye. She could see a perfectly fine hand superimposed over the scarred tissue she had come to be familiar with.

Her past was being that supplanted, was it? Yet... Origami couldn't feel angry about it.

Please, stop! a voice in the back of Origami's head called. Please, don't open that door! I can...!

“You were trying to make me happy,” Origami said. “I don't know what was in it for you, but... I thank you for this time. Now, though, you're going to tell me exactly what's going on.”

With that, Origami tore the door open.

The neighbourhood looked like it had been filtered through a kaleidoscope. Roads bent at angles that were physically impossible, housed clashed and clipped in ways they shouldn't. Origami could feel a migraine coming on just looking at this mess.

As she looked up tot he sky, or at least, what could be called 'the sky', she saw fissures of numerous colours. Her breaking the spell she was under must have shaken the structural integrity of this place. Either that, or rose-tinted glasses were in effect until now.

“Origami-chan!” a voice called out. Origami looked aside, to see Rinne running up to her, looking panicked. “What... what's going on?!”

Origami raised a brow inquiringly. Was this Rinne a figment of the world? Or, was she playing it dumb right now?

After a moment, her expression shifted to one of concerned resignation. “No good, huh?” she said sadly. Playing dumb it was. “I don't suppose I can convince you to hear me out?”

“Hearing you out was my plan from the start,” Origami said. “As much as I do not agree with you doing... this,” she gestured at the world around then. “I will not deny the affection that I have felt for you, even if it was orchestrated.”

Rinne blinked in surprise. “... Really?” she asked. “I was... expecting you to try and bust out of this place violently.”

“That's still on the table,” Origami pointed out. “It'll just depend on what answers you give me.”

Rinne swallowed nervously. “Okay... I'll explain it all,” she accepted. “If... you find the answer satisfactory... could I... ask for your help, Origami-san?”

There was something about her switching back to 'san' that played at Origami's heart. “If it's within reason,” Origami elaborated. “That is, not life-threatening to me or anyone else. That's the basic criteria I'm aiming for.” Origami really had to worry about her standards, when she had to elaborate on something so simple as being her baseline.

“Oh, I'd never!” Rinne said, seeming genuinely offended at the implications. “The last thing I'd want to do is end up hurting anybody! My whole existence is about keeping Shi- keeping you happy!”

“...You were about to say Shido, weren't you?”

“Yes,” Rinne admitted sadly. “I'm sorry, I...”

“No, I get it,” Origami cut in. “He's the one who should be here. Please, elaborate on the other point.”

Taking a deep breath, Rinne was enveloped in light, taking on her Astral Dress. Her hair grew in length, taking on a more pink tinge, and her eyes turned red. Her clothing took on a more regal look, with a blue, gold, and white cloak covering her figure, and a veil over her face.

“My Spirit name is Ruler,” Rinne said in a deeper voice. “This world we are in, Eden, is my Angel. I first came into existence in July of Shido's timeline, just after he had resealed Kotori-chan's power. The energy he had accumulated had begun to run rampant, you see, and so, I and Eden were created.”

A sort of emergency measure, then. “And, let me guess,” Origami said. “You went rogue trying to keep him in Eden? Give him a happy life with no worries?”

“And everyone in Tengu City,” Rinne elaborated. “All trapped within an endless July. But, Shido-kun... He...”

“Decided that a happiness just handed out wasn't true happiness?” Origami guessed.

“Ah ha ha... Yeah,” Rinne laughed sadly. “In the end, I was sealed. But, I can't exist outside of Eden. With Eden gone, so to was I, and Shido-kun's memories of me. At least, for a while.”

“What changed?”

“It would have been... a while after the Tenou Festival, where Shido-kun sealed Miku-chan. For some reason, Eden was recreated, but I wasn't 'Ruler' that time; just another player brought back to life.”

“Then, who was?” Origami asked. This was certainly more complex than she expected it to be.

Rinne waved a hand, and a small glass capsule appeared before her. Inside it was a girl, looking no older than at least 7 years of age, with plum-pink hair and dressed in pink and gold finery.

“This... is Sonogami Rio. Born from the mixing of mine and Shido-kun's powers through some sort of cosmic chance. In a way, she's... our daughter.”

Origami felt like a bomb just went off in her mind. “Wow,” she said simply. “I... did not see that coming.”

Rinne couldn't help but laugh. “That was my reaction, too. And probably Shido-kun's as well. I'm... sure I don't need to explain, but Shido-kun eventually undid Eden again. From there, Rio and I were just a small part in the back of his mind. At least, until all the time-travelling that lead us to here and now.”

“Another result of my revenge,” Origami muttered. “And that's how you were able to exist outside of Eden, now?”

Rinne nodded. “We're... barely holding on, you see. Rio and I have been in hiding for five years now, and... and she's running out of time.” Carefully, Rinne ran a hand over the capsule, as if wanting to caress Rio's face. “We don't generate Spiritual power the same way the other girls do. I was desperate, and... had the idea of using your emotions to siphon off power to save Rio.”

“Using our own strategy against me,” Origami said. “Make me happy, and use that to chip off a bit of the stored power.”

“I... I'm running out of time, Origami-san,” Rinne said. “I only have until midnight tonight, before I run out of power, and Eden collapses. At the very least, I... I want to-!”

The sound of glass shattering echoed from above. Wind began to rush violently upwards, as the sky split open.

Origami and Rinne looked up in horror at the thing that descended. It was humanoid, to be sure, but it seemed completely transparent, to the point Origami would sooner compare it to a glitch in the signal of a TV than a person.

Yet, a memory tickled the back of Origami's mind. A recollection in flames.

“Deus...” Origami muttered. “The Spirit of Origin...”

Rinne wrapped her arms around Rio's capsule, keeping it as safe as she could.

I said you shouldn't do this, Deus 'spoke'. I said that this false happiness wouldn't last.

It was such a strange voice, to the point where it couldn't even be called one. “I can't just abandon my daughter!” Rinne shouted. “This is my only chance to save her, even if it costs me my life!”

Deus looked at Rinne dispassionately. I am sad that I have to do this, my child, it said. Deus raised a 'hand', and an enigma of a flower bloom formed. Half Release- Ain Soph Aur.

Onboard the Fraxinus, Murasame Reine collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath.

“Reine!” Kotori called out, leading from her seat. “Reine, talk to us!”

It felt like wires had wrapped around her throat, and a hammer was pounding the air from her lungs. In the deepest parts of her mind, she knew what was happening, but she had no strength to speak it.

“Shit. Kannazuki!” Kotori instructed. “Get Reine to the med bay!”

“At once, commander!” Kannazuki saluted, quickly and carefully lifting Reine up, and leaving the bridge.

“Nia, you're our only source of information now!” Kotori shouted. “Tell me you got something to work with!”

“Give me a minute!” Nia called back. “Okay, I... Oh. Oh that's not good.”

“What is it?”

“Well, that entity we noted earlier? The one trying to break into that bubble?” Nia asked. “It has, and... If Rasiel's anything to go by, it's the Original Spirit.”

The colour drained from everyone's faces. “Oh,” Kotori muttered. “Oh fuck.”

Nia continued to flick through Rasiel's pages, under the general search criteria of 'Spirit Powers'. She needed information, if they were going to get Origami out of this in one piece.

The sight before her defied belief.

A luminous flower had bloom from Deus' hand, the centre of which comprised of a statue for a girl Origami had never seen before.

Moats of light floated from the petals of this flower, much like pollen on the breeze.

But, for all its beauty, the sight filled Origami with a primal fear. That Angel, Ain Soph Aur, was going to kill them.

Quickly putting herself between Rinne and Deus, she swung Sandalphon as hard as she could, and was fortunate enough that the arc of energy she shot forth blew the majority of the light balls away.

For all that there was no discernible face, Deus looked at Origami in confusion. This has nothing to do with you, it said. Please, let me correct this.

“There's nothing for you to 'correct',” Origami said. “I will not let you kill either of them.”

That is not your choice.

“Nor is it yours,” Origami retorted. “You know... it's funny, in a way. I've been dying to meet you for the longest time now. First, to kill you, then to rub our victory in your face, and now to save you. But, you'll be making that infinitely harder if you kill these two here and now.”

… I don't want to do this, Deus said sadly. I don't want to have to break their hearts by killing you, too.

Origami swallowed nervously, as her free hand reached back and gripped Rinne's arm supportingly. “Stay close,” she instructed. “I'm not letting either of you die.”

This wasn't the time to admit it, but Rinne did feel her heart skip a beat.

Stress was starting to build up on the bridge of the Fraxinus. Nia desperately flicked through the pages of Rasiel for something, anything, that could help them in their time of need.

In the back of her mind, though, Nia couldn't help but wonder about how the other girls were feeling right now. Rasiel at least gave Nia an information bonus that could work in this situation, but the others... their powers were more tuned for combat, rather than utility.

That just meant she'd have to work ten times as hard for all of them!

Finally, Nia found herself stopping on one particular page. Information on someone they hadn't met yet.

She gave the page a few goings over, before smirking. “Got something that'll work!” she shouted, as she quickly produced a pen from her pocket.

“I won't count on us having enough time, so whatever it is, do it!” Kotori instructed. “We can work the detail out later!”

“Roger, Imoto-chan!” Nia replied, as she began to write into Rasiel's pages.

The ability Future Entry. If anything written in Rasiel was fact, then Nia could, in a way, influence actions. There was, however, no guarantee that it'd work on the target in question. After all...

She was dealing with an unsealed Spirit.

Nia just hoped that the element of surprise would work in their favour.

The world eroded around them as they ran.

Origami knew she had no chance of fighting off Deus head-on, while keeping Rinne and Rio safe. She needed a plan, and fast.

Quickly, she rounded a nearby corner with the two Spirits, as a torrent of light washed through the street they previously occupied, leaving behind a vast nothingness.

“There's... no hope...” Rinne muttered in despair. “Origami-san... Please, just...”

“Don't,” Origami cut off. “Don't tell me to abandon you. I said I won't let either of you die, and I mean it.”

Then, a strange sensation came over Origami. It felt as if her right hand, still gripping Sandalphon, was no longer under her control. The point of the sword dug into the nearby wall, and... began writing something.

It was a message. It read: Distract Deus for at least 5 seconds. Signed, Nia.

“Future Entry,” Origami recalled. So, Nia had a plan in motion, then.

Now, how to distract a veritable God?

One idea sprang to mind. It was an idea that was most certainly going to damn her to Hell, though.

Deus was a persistent predator. She knew where they were, and unlike them, she didn't exhaust as easily as they did.

Truthfully, she didn't take joy in having to do this. But, Ruler, despite being her daughter in a manner of speaking, did not belong in this world. And, the white haired one... Deus would have to do something about her. She couldn't afford to kill her.

As Deus rounded the corner, they froze in shock.

Standing in their way... was a boy with blue hair and gold eyes.

“Don't do this,” he said. “Don't go down this path, which I can't follow.”

Deus trembled in shock. He shouldn't be here. He couldn't be here.

… “Shin?” Deus mumbled, voice cracking through the filter. “Is that... really you?”

The illusion was cracking. Deus knew she needed to get her head back in the game, but she didn't care; Shin was right in front of her!

Suddenly, it felt as if space itself had been torn open behind Deus. She turned, to see a blackened circle behind her, sucking in the air. A flash of light came from Shin, and when she turned back, that white haired girl was back, swinging the flat end of Camael at her.

Deus blocked it, but the force sent her through the portal, and out into... space, it seemed.

Origami breathed a sigh of relief when the portal, wherever it came from, closed. She certainly felt dirty, having used Shido's face like that, but it was the best she could come up with at the time.

“She's... gone?” Rinne asked.

“She is,” Origami responded. “I'm... probably going to need a church once all this is over, though.”

Rinne collapsed to her knees, the tension leaving her body. “I'm... so tired,” she said.

Origami knelt down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don't give up just yet,” she said. “I promised you I'd save you both.”

“But... how?” Rinne asked. “Even if you seal me, I'll... and Rio will...”

“That was how it worked with Itsuka Shido, from what I understand,” Origami pointed out. “I know this sounds trite, but sealing Spirits has never been as simple for me. Emotions are shared between me and the Spirits, not just power. If one is a two-way street, then the other can be made to be as such.”

“That's... what you're counting on?” Rinne asked. “It... sounds like such a gamble.”

“Perhaps it does,” Origami agreed. “But, that's what life and love are; gambles. And if saving both of you means taking this risk, I'm willing to try it. For you.”

It was the 'for you' part that got Rinne flustered. She may have been more focused on saving Rio, but Rinne was still a young girl, susceptible to talks of love. Plus... what did she have to lose? After Deus' attack, Eden was falling apart at the seams, and without enough power to fulfil her plans her own way...

“... I trust you, Origami-san,” Rinne decided. “I'd rather take this chance and be wrong, than do nothing an regret it in death.”

Origami drew closer to Rinne, and kissed her. Truthfully, she had wanted to say more, but felt it might have come across as hollow, or simply an attempt at delaying what needed to be done, one way or another.

Rinne's Astral Dress burst into light, and with it, her hair and eyes returned to their previous colours. And... Rinne remained there. No fading away, nothing.

Origami had gotten quite use to the feeling of a connection being created when she sealed someone. With this one, she could feel a flow of energy from herself to Rinne, alongside the expected results.

“How is it?” Origami asked, when they broke the kiss. She was really, really hoping that this had worked.

“I'm... okay,” Rinne muttered in disbelief. “Everything... feels right.” She felt like her body was starting to generate its own power to keep herself alive, though she was certain it was courtesy of the connection between her and Origami.

The capsule in her arm began to glow, and burst into light, leaving Rio of float gently into Rinne's embrace. “Rio!” Rinne called out. “Rio, can you hear me?!”

A small groan escaped the girl's lips, as her eyes fluttered open. “Mama?” Rio asked weakly. “What's wrong?”

Rinne and Rio were of the same Spirit Origin, similar to how Kaguya and Yuzuru were. But, while those two were akin to shards of one whole, Rinne and Rio had a connection that superseded that, like two instances of the same being, that just happened to take the form of mother and daughter.

It was thanks to that, that Rinne could tell that Rio was now receiving the energy she needed to survive.

Tears began to fall from Rinne's eyes, as she hugged Rio tightly. “Mama? Why are you crying?” Rio asked. “Are you hurt?”

“Not hurt,” Origami answered for her. “Your mother is just happy you're awake now.”

The sight of these two sent pangs of nostalgia through Origami's mind. How long had it been since she laid eyes on a parent so happy to see their child? How long had it been since she felt that sort of love?

Rio looked over at Origami, and her eyes practically lit up. “Ah! Papa!” Rio exclaimed, pointing at Origami. “Hi, Papa!”

Origami blinked a few times in surprise. She... had not expected that. She opened her mouth to protest the point, but found she couldn't in the face of such an innocent smile. Origami shot Rinne a look, asking what to do from here, but the smile she got in return said 'I don't know'.

“... Guess I'm Papa now,” Origami muttered.

“Rio,” Rinne said. “Why not give Papa that welcome you wanted to try?”

Rio hummed in eagerness, and before Origami could so much as question what she meant, Rio leapt from Rinne's arms, and just as quickly kissed Origami. “Welcome home, Papa!”

… Was it possible to get diabetes simply by being around someone? Because Origami would swear she felt her blood-sugar content rising just from being around this child who was now, apparently, hers.

And, unsurprisingly, Rio's Astral Dress burst into light, much like her mothers. Thinking quickly, Origami took her jacket off, and put it over Rio's shoulders.

Rio, however, was more distracted by things happening above them. “Ah! Eden's falling apart!”

Rinne and Origami looked up, to see everything around them fading to white. “It's kind of sad, when I think about it,” Rinne said. “Like... leaving home for good.”

“I suppose so,” Origami agreed. “But, in the end, 'home' is where you feel the safest, right?”

At that, as Eden fully disappeared, Rinne smiled.

Chapter Text

“The prison is breaking up!” Hinako shouted. “All Spirit patterns are dropping to expected levels!”

Kotori let out a sigh of relief. “Looks like your plan worked out, Nia,” she said. “What exactly did you do, anyway?”

“Just something to get the Spirit of Origin out of the picture for a bit,” Nia answered. “Managed to find some pretty useful information about another Spirit out there in the wild. I'll give ya all the details once things have calmed down for, I dunno, a week?”

“Cross fingers for that,” Kotori muttered. Then, one of the crew members raised their hand. “What is it, Bad Marriage Kyouji?”

“Commander... A thought just occurred to me,” Kyouji spoke hesitantly. “That prison's breaking apart, yeah?”

“As we can see. Why?”

“... Tobiichi-san's still in there, right?”

Silence fell upon the bridge. After a minute, Kotori could only think of one thing to say...

“Oh fuck.”

The rushing of wind snapped Origami back to reality. The next thing she became aware of was the feeling of falling.

Her eyes quickly snapped open, and she realised that Rinne and Rio were nowhere to be seen.

“No...” she muttered in horror. It couldn't have just ended like that! It worked out! She saved them! She...

Looking down (or up, from her orientation), Origami spotted the two, falling just as she was. Good news; they didn't blip out of existence. Bad news...

They were still falling.

“Rafael!” Origami called, manifesting the metallic wings of Kaguya and Yuzuru's Angel. Truthfully, outside of Sandalphon and Camael, Origamid didn't have much practice with the other powers she'd sealed. Mostly, it was a matter of circumstances not needing much more than a sword or a big axe at worst. Other times, though, Origami was distracted from practising for... reasons.

But, no time to worry about that. She had a job to do.

Power flowing through Rafael, Origami shot forth, trying to catch up to Rinne and Rio. The feeling of flight was far, far different from what she was use to from the CR-Units. With those, the Territories they generated counteracted things like wind resistance. Here, though, being propelled without such protection, Origami could safely say that flying was actually remarkably painful.

Perhaps she should invest in a personal Wiring Suit for situations like this.

Origami quickly caught up to the two, and grabbed hold of them. They were out cold, but otherwise okay.

Now, though, Origami had a new problem.

She didn't have a landing strategy. She could try to crash-land in the water park, but at this speed, and from this height, that would prove just as fatal as landing on solid stone. Perhaps she could angle her landing, at let Efreet's power offset the damage? No, the friction would grind her to dust faster than she could heal.

What to do, what to do?

Elsewhere in the skies above Tengu City, a test flight was taking place.

Takamiya Mana shot through the skies with what could only be described as 'an excess of rockets' attached to her back. This was one of Mildred's little projects, born from the scraps of the White Licorice, called the 'Overboost Pack'.

To make a long description short; this thing was designed to do one thing, and that was 'go very, very fast'. The most the pilot Wizard had to do was focus their territory into wind resistance and making the pack as light as possible.

During this test flight, a call came in. Apparently, Tobiichi Origami was now falling to her death.

It was beginning to look a lot like Monday all of a sudden.

“Coordinates received,” Mana muttered, as a huge payload of data was sent her way. “Calculating trajectory now...”

[You sure about this, Mana-chan?] Mildred asked over comms. [One slight miscalculation, and things could get messy.]

“Better to regret taking the chance, right?” Mana pointed out. “Calculations complete. Time for a trial by fire.”

[Try not to break my baby while your at it!]

The rockets flared to life, and Mana shot forward.

Usually, acceleration is measured on a scale of how quickly something goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour, or 0 to 100 kilometres per hour, depending on whether one uses the metric system. Using this as a baseline, the Overboost Pack had gotten Mana flying at roughly 600km/h in the span of 3 seconds.

This resulted in a gravitational force of 6g, when rounded up. The average maximum threshold for a human.

Mana felt her field of view narrow drastically. It would take barely 10 seconds to reach Origami at this speed, but... if she tried to catch her at this speed, Origami would probably turn into paste.

Two seconds later, Mana disconnected from the Overboost Pack, and used her Territory to increase air resistance, and control her deceleration. The Pack had a rudimentary AI installed, so it should, theoretically, make it's way back to base.

At the moment she reached Origami and caught her and her unannounced 'plus two', Mana was going at a more reasonable speed, so that it wouldn't be like hitting a fly with a sports car.

“Takamiya... Mana?” Origami said in surprise.

“Yo. You seriously need to learn to take a day off,” Mana replied. “You just never do things by half, do you?”

“Take that up with whatever God I managed to piss off,” Origami said. “Now, can you please land us?!”

Mana shifted their positioning, and manifested a line of barriers which she crashed through feet first, until finally, she came to a complete halt. “Done and done,” Mana said. “You can thank me at any time now.”

“Yes... Thanks for the save,” Origami replied, sighing in relief. “It's... been a day.”

“I can see that,” Mana said, looking at the two unfamiliar girls Origami was holding onto. “Bagged two Spirits, did you? Barely been a week since Honjo.”

“Yes, but please don't phrase it like that,” Origami stated. “Also, had a run-in with the Original Spirit. Have to say; I don't think she's a fan of me.”

“Very busy day, then,” Mana surmised. “This is Raven to Fraxinus. I've got your girl. Requesting landing permission.”

[Permission granted] responded Kotori's voice. [You're a real life-saver, Mana. I mean it.]

“I might have to start asking for a raise, with how much I've bailed you guys out.”

Finally onboard the Fraxinus, Origami felt all the built up tension leave her body, as she fought to keep herself standing.

She had, with a great deal of reluctance, let Kozue and Hinako take Rinne and Rio from her for treatment. It wasn't that she didn't trust the two; it was more that she had expected Reine to be the one to do so.

Mana carefully escorted Origami to the cafeteria, where, it turned out, the other Spirits had been waiting with baited breaths for any news. With her return to them... as expected, came the group hugs.

It's tradition at this point.

After finally getting a chance to sit down (one would be amazed at how weak a persons legs became after free-falling like Origami did), Origami shared what had happened in Eden, up to and including the fact that she was, in a way, a father.

Everyone was eager to meet Rio at that point.

“Well, let's just be glad it's over,” Kotori sighed. “It's like there's no breaks on this train for you.”

“You say that like I choose to go that hard,” Origami pointed out. “Plus, Sonogami Rinne didn't have much choice but to do the things she did.”

“All of it was for Rio-chan,” Miku sighed. “Rinne-chan sounds like such a good mother.”

“Yeah, unlike some of ours,” Natsumi muttered. Origami recalled that, before getting trapped in Eden, those two, as well as the Yamai's, Yoshino, and Tohka, were going to work with Nia to track down their families. Evidently, what they found out had been far from good.

Speaking of which, though...

“Where is Tohka, by the way?” Origami asked.

“She stepped out moments before you arrived,” Mikie answered. “I think she's still a bit shaken up by what Nia found out about her family.”

Origami took a cursory glance at Nia. “Should I ask?”

“Honestly? I can't even begin to explain it,” Nia answered. “Things that defied human languages, I can say that much. Might be an idea to check up on her, though. One on one, I'd suggest.”

Origami did agree with that, but having to juggle the mental well-being of everyone else at the same time...

“Alright, everyone!” Kaguya shouted suddenly. “Best we clear out, and let Boss Origami and Sis Tohka have their moment!”

Everyone immediately agreed, and began to funnel out, much to Origami's surprise. “For what it's worth,” Kotori spoke up. “We've been just as worried about Tohka's mental state as we have your physical one. We'll catch you up on everything else later, okay?”

“Very well,” Origami agreed. “But, if they're still around, I want to schedule a talk with your parents. Before Eden, I learnt some... odd information I want to confirm with them.”

“Make it sound ominous, why don't you?” Kotori muttered. “I'll pass along the message, Big Sis. Now, get to your girlfriend.”

In one of the other lobbies aboard the Fraxinus, Tohka stood by the window, looking out at Tengu City.

Origami was back. Origami was safe. This was something to be happy about, but... Tohka's mind was preoccupied by thoughts of other things.

What Nia had seen through Rasiel... Tohka didn't know what it was, other than it terrified her new friend.

Tohka knew nothing about her life before being a Spirit. The only thing she had learnt was that her past may consist of unimaginable horrors that could not be fathomed by the human mind.

What did that make her? Was she... ever really human to begin with? Could she prove it? Just... how dangerous was she, really?

“Is everything alright, Miss Yatogami?” someone asked. Tohka turned around, to see that blonde haired man, Woodman, she believed, slowly approaching her. “I'd have thought you'd be with the others.”

“I...” Tohka said hesitantly. “I'm just... confused, I guess.”

“About what Miss Honjo found out, I take it?” Elliot asked. “A little advice from the elderly, then,” he said. “When you're in love, you find that the past is only a guide post for the next step.”

“But, what if I'm a danger to everyone?” Tohka asked. “What if I'm a danger to Origami?”

“Something tells me you two would be able to find a solution,” Elliot smiled. “After all, you love Miss Origami, right?” At that, Tohka could only really nod in response. “Then, allow that feeling to be your guide forward. After all, it's said that, without love, the truth cannot be seen.”

Tohka looked at Elliot. “I don't get it.”

“Hmm,” Elliot hummed. “Maybe I'm forcing that quote a bit. I suppose the point I want to make is that the world looks so much brighter when you're in love.” That, Tohka could understand. She still vividly remembered the first kiss she shared with Origami. Everything after that seemed so fun and exciting. “Perhaps I'd best leave the rest of this to her,” Elliot said, as he turned around. “I'd hate to step on anymore toes in my life accidentally.”

Confused, Tohka turned around, and saw who else but Origami standing by the doorway. As Elliot passed her, the two shared a mutually understanding nod, before Origami began to walk towards Tohka.

Tohka felt her heart beat faster. It had been a few days since she'd last seen Origami; not since the day before all this went down.

“Hey,” Origami greeted... remarkably awkwardly. “Are you... holding up okay?”

“... Scared,” Tohka admitted. “Scared, because I don't know who I am anymore.”

Origami wrapped her arms around Tohka in a tight embrace. “You're Yatogami Tohka,” she said softly. “My dear, beloved Princess. Whatever Nia may have found about your past, it doesn't change who you are right here and now.”

A faint wetness washed over Tohka's eyes, as she returned Origami's hug. “You always know what to say, don't you?”

“What can I say?” Origami said. “I have... had help.”

Tohka laughed lightly. “Didn't want to call it 'good' help?”

“It's more... good examples of bad ideas, let's say.”

The two shared a laugh, followed by a kiss.

Evening finally came for the 24^th of December. It had been a long, gruelling day, but finally... it was properly Christmas Eve.

Origami never made much in the way of plans for Christmas in the past. She had attempted to make plans this year for everyone, but, as we are well aware, that went absolutely tits-up.

So, instead, it was decided that Christmas was going to be spent with everyone just... hanging out at home. No elaborate dinners, no presents (Tohka didn't even know presents were suppose to be a thing until a week ago), just... comfort in each other's company.

It was both a way for them all to unwind, and for Rinne and Rio to get familiar with everyone.

“So, you knew Shido, then?” Kotori asked. “And... trapped us in the same way you trapped Origami?”

“Well, I wouldn't quite say 'the same way',” Rinne said. “That time, it had to do with Shido-kun's power going out of control. This one was... more personal, really.”

Most everybody looked over to the couch, where Origami laid with her head resting on Tohka's lap, Miku with her head on Tohk's shoulder, Mikie with her head in Miku's lap, and Rio happily splayed out on top of Origami.

“Yeah, I don't think anyone's gonna fault you for that,” Kotori said. “You have a very adorable daughter. And she's apparently Shido's?”

“Mostly on a technicality,” Rinne admitted. “To be honest... Origami was my first.”

“Welcome to the club, brood sister,” Kaguya voiced. “With that, you are officially 'one of us'!”

“You girls know I'm not actually asleep, right?” Origami said. “None of us are. We can hear everything you're saying. It's just a matter of standing sucking.”

“Laying down gang!” Rio cheered, followed by cheers from the other three.

“Addendum; We know,” Yuzuru said.

“Shame there's not enough couch space for the rest of us, though,” Nia said. “I'm sure Nattsun and Yosshi would love to join ya.”

“Hey, leave us out of this!” Natsumi shouted.

“That... sounds kinda nice, actually,” Yoshino mumbled.

Origami quietly smiled to herself. “Papa?” Rio spoke. It was... going to take a while to get use to that. “Are you happy?”

Origami gently ran a hand through Rio's hair. “I am,” she answered. “Even with some sad times here and there, I'm happy. Are you happy, Rio?”

“Hmm!” Rio hummed happily. “Very happy!”

That happiness of Rio's was infectious. It was nearly impossible for anyone within a fire kilometres radius to feel even remotely down with her around.

Things were looking up, finally.

Reine stood on the edge of the beach, and knew immediately that she was in a dream.

It had been forever since she'd last slept at all. Only took being knocked out by forces beyond human understanding to do it. Absolutely typical.

In the corner of her eye, Reine could see the blurred frame of a figure, hunched down by the sea shore.

Reine made no attempt to approach the figure, but spoke anyway. “You took it too far,” she said. “Why did you think it was necessary?”

“I didn't want to,” the figure said, voice drifting between spoken and projected. “I didn't want to hurt them, but...”

“But because Rei has the last thing that was 'his', you decided that Sonogami Rinne was too much of a risk, is that it?”

The figure nodded sadly. “I'm a fool,” they said. “Even if they're from another time, Rinne-chan and Rio-chan are...”

“You are,” Reine agreed. “But, that doesn't mean you can't make things right. Even if we can't bring 'him' back.”

The figure looked up at Reine, the bending light fading slightly, revealing a pair of sad, blue eyes, and hair that was long and silver.

“It's a hard thing to do,” Reine continued, “but sooner or later, you'll have to accept it, and move on. We can't bring Shin back.”

The figure sniffled sadly, before fading away. Following that, the beachside became washed in light.

Reine slowly opened her eyes to the familiar roof of the Fraxinus medbay. Well, maybe not entirely 'familiar', since this was the Fraxinus II.

“Ah, you're finally awake,” a familiar voice said. Reine looked over, to see who else but Tobiichi Origami sitting at her bedside. “This is rather ironic, isn't it? Me, waiting for you to wake up.”

“The irony is not lost on me, Rei,” Reine said, sitting upright. “How long was I out?”

Origami looked down at her watch. “It is currently 9:30AM, Christmas Day,” she answered. “You have been unconscious for over 12 hours, but below 20. How was your nap?”

“I've had too little experience with it,” Reine said. “I cannot give an accurate rating. How's...”

“Everyone's okay,” Origami said. “Including the two Spirits I met inside Eden.”

“And the Spirit of Origin?”

“MIA. Nia pulled off... some sort of miracle,” Origami answered. “She insists on keeping it a secret until after we've had a break. Can't say I blame her for that.” There was a brief silence between the two, before Origami continued. “Kotori and the others told me about how you collapsed. I... won't pry you for answers if you don't want to give them.”

“... Thank you,” Reine mumbled. “I... can't say for certain when I'll be ready to spill the beans, though. It's... complicated, and I'm honestly afraid of losing your trust.”

“I understand that feeling,” Origami said, as she stood up. “And, know that whatever the truth is, doesn't change the fact that you're our friend, who has had our back since day one. Nothing will change that.”

As Origami took her leave, Reine couldn't help but sniffle slightly.

As Origami made her way through the halls of the Fraxinus, she couldn't help but think about what Reine had been through.

Origami meant it when she said 'it wouldn't change anything', but that didn't stop her from wondering what this had been all about.

Reine had become indisposed at the same time Deus had begun their attack. There was no way that this was a coincidence.

So, was Reine connected to Deus in some way? The briefest look Origami had gotten at Deus' true for reminded her of Reine, but at the same time, she was pumped up on adrenaline trying to save Rinne and Rio, so she wouldn't exactly trust her memory at the moment.

Once again, too many questions.

“Excuse me?” she heard someone call out. Origami turned around, to be met with a man with brown hair and a woman with red hair. Going by their uniforms, she assumed they were maintenance staff or engineers, but Origami couldn't help but notice something familiar about them. “You're Tobiichi Origami-san, right?” the man asked.

“I am, yes,” Origami replied. “Forgive me, but I don't think I've met you two before?”

“You haven't,” the woman answered. “Itsuka Haruko and Tatsuo, at your service!”

Origami's eyes widened in surprise. “Then... you're Kotori's parents,” she said.

“That's right,” Tatsuo said. “We've been wanting to meet you for a long time now, Tobiichi-san.”

“The feeling's mutual, actually,” Origami replied. “Though, I'm not sure where to begin...”

“Then, let us take the lead,” Haruko said, as she approached Origami, and embraced her tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered surprisingly weakly. “Thank you for saving Kotori. Thank you... for saving our daughter...”

Origami's breath hitched slightly. “I...” she muttered in bewilderment. “I was just doing what I had to. If anything, Kotori was the one who saved me.” She knew she was selling her part in all this short, but what was she suppose to say at this point? Origami was not the sort of person to brag.

“But still, you did what we weren't able to,” Tatsuo said, bowing deeply. “So really. Thank you, Tobiichi-san.”

The moment held for longer than Origami was comfortable with, but she didn't have it in her to be the one to break it. At the very least, it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt just how much Kotori meant to them. Eventually, the hug did break. “Not to... change the subject suddenly,” Origami coughed. “But, there's one thing I want to ask you. It's about Itsuka Shido and Takamiya Shinji.”

“Ah, you noticed it, too?” Haruko asked. “That they look basically identical?”

“When we lost Shinji-kun and his sister all those years ago, we were absolutely gutted,” Tatsuo said. “They were our best friends, after all. So, imagine our shock when, one day, we find an abandoned child that looks exactly like one of our lost friends. We couldn't not take him in.”

“So... it was all a matter of chance?” Origami asked.

“Way we see it? Yeah,” Haruko answered.

Origami hummed in thought. Was it... really just a chance? It couldn't be, could it? “On the day he... died, was Takamiya Shinji with anyone?”

The two thought for a moment, before Haruko's face lit up. “Oh! There was that girl!” she said. “The two of them were on a date! I actually helped pick out her outfit!”

So there was someone else. “Can you tell me anything about her?” Origami asked.

“Let's see... she was very pretty,” Haruko said. “Long white hair and bright, blue eyes. I think her name was... Mio. Written with the characters for 30^th.”

Mio. Finally, something concrete to go off of. “Then, one last question,” Origami said. “This sister of Shinji's. Who is she? Would she happen to have any relation to Takamiya Mana, the Raven employed by the AST?”

A heavy, awkward silence fell between them. For a moment, Origami really felt like she said something she shouldn't have. “That...” Tatsuo muttered. “That is his sisters name. And... you're saying she's with the AST?”

“...Yes?” Origami replied hesitantly. “But... she's also around Kotori's age, so...”

“Does she... have a mole under her left eye?” Haruko asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” Origami answered.

As always; one question gets answered, and ten more pop up.

Within the Tengu City Garrison, where the AST mainly worked out of, Mana looked over her CR-Unit. Or, at least, what was left of it.

“Sorry, Mana-chan,” Mildred said. “I really don't think I'll be able to salvage this.”

“Shame, but not a surprise,” Mana said. “It took quite a beating from Artemisia's posse.”

“The least I can do is set you up with something new, though,” Mildred added. “No offence, but your CR-Unit is...”

“Pretty retro and slapped together, I know,” Mana sighed. “I'm just rather attached to it, is all. Been using it for as long as I can remember.”

“Oh, I know that feeling!” Mildred agreed.

Then, there was a knock at the door. “Is Takamiya Mana here?” the voice of Tobiichi Origami called out.

“Yeah? What's up?” Mana called back, making her way over to the door. “It's not like you to ask for me so politely.”

“There have been... developments, let's call them,” Origami replied, as she opened the door. Entering in behind her were two people Mana had never...

No... that wasn't right. Mana recognised these two. She wasn't sure how, but... she knew them.

“Right. So, introductions,” Origami said awkwardly. “Mana, this is Itsuka Haruko and Tatsuo. They're the commanders parents. Haruko, Tatsuo, this is... Takamiya Mana.”

Haruko... Mana knew that name too well. Why did she...

A memory flashed in her mind, from a time long gone. A girl that looked so, so much like Kotori, down to her fondness for lollipops. “No... Not Itsuka,” Mana mumbled. “You were... Homura Haruko, weren't you?”

With that, all the memories came flooding back to Mana. Memories from a time where, by all rights, she couldn't have been alive. She hadn't been born over 30 years ago, right?

Tears began to fall from Haruko's eyes, as she rushed forward and hugged Mana.

“But... how?” Tatsuo muttered in disbelief. “How hasn't she aged a day since we last saw her?”

“I...” Mana mumbled, as conflicting memories flooded her brain. Memories of her brother, Shido- no, Shinji. Why had she believed that Shido, Kotori's brother, was her own, even if they look alike? And worst of all...

Came the realisation that she had spent most of her life trying to hunt and kill the daughter of her best friend.

For the first time in a long, long while, Takamiya Mana cried tears of anguish.

Chapter Text

“I see,” Isaac Westcott mumbled. “Spiritual waves within the high atmosphere, you say?”

“Yes, sir,” Ellen replied. “Specifically, high in the Karman Line. We picked up Deus' signal there briefly, before it was Lost, but another signal still remains. Our scans indicate that it's Zodiac.”

“Zodiac, huh?” Westcott mused, as he tweaked with the artificial arm before him. Ever since the island, he had been working on a replacement arm for the one Tobiichi Origami had severed. He wasn't even that mad about it, either; it had been a very impressive shot. “A rather reclusive one, more so than even Hermit.”

“What do you propose we do, then?”

“I think,” Westcott said, tapping a screwdriver lightly against his lips, “that it's time to bust out that.”

“You mean, Project NEXT?” Ellen asked. “I know we've been working on that Realizer Unit for over 20 years, but we don't exactly have the funding to finish it.”

“Perhaps not,” Westcott agreed. “But, our LYNX isn't in terrible shape. They're still loyal to us, and I'm sure they're dying to dig their claws into the fresh meat waiting for them.”

“... I'll see to preparations, then.”

The month of January rolled around, and so far, all was well.

Origami sat on the bench of the park that overlooked Tengu City, as she watched over Rio, Yoshino, and Natsumi.

It took... not as long as Origami would like to admit to get use to being Rio's 'Papa'. You try saying no to a girl this cute; bet you can't.

In fact, Rio had been quick to warm up to everybody, hence why she was running around with Yoshino and Natsumi, the latter of which taking it upon herself to be their go-to guardian while Origami was out of reach.

Origami was glad to see that Natsumi cared so much as to take a role of responsibility for the younger members, even if there was a question mark over if she was technically older than Yoshino or not.

Origami still recalled the shock she felt when she was finally caught up on Nia's deep dive into everyone's backgrounds. Suddenly, Yoshino went from 'child' to 'old enough that she could have known her mother'. It did make her seem more mature all of a sudden, Origami wouldn't lie.

Yoshino did try to play into this, but after a while, the status quo came back into effect. As long as everyone was comfortable with who they were, that was all that mattered.

“Oh, what sweet dears those three are,” an elderly lady said, sitting down next to Origami. “Are you watching over them, dear?”

“I am,” Origami answered. “They're... the closest thing I have to family, after all. If anything were to happen to them, I don't know what I'd do; only that it would probably end violently.”

The old lady chuckled. “Yes, you look like a girl with passion,” she said. “Mind if I ask how you all met?”

Origami wasn't sure what to think about this lady, but perhaps she was just lonely and wanted to see what life for the younger generation was like. “We've... all been through a lot, individually,” she hesitated to answer. “Lost people we cared about in various ways. Then, fate brought us all together, and... I'd like to think it's been mostly uphill since then.”

“There a lot of you, then?” the lady asked. “To this found family of yours?”

“Including those three and myself? 11.”

“A big family, then!” the lady said happily. “That's something to take pride in, that is! I take it there's still some rocky areas ahead, though?”

“Life still tries to kick us while we're down,” Origami said. “But, I like to think that we can pull each other back up.”

The two shared a moment of silence. Origami really didn't know what to make of this woman, but she wouldn't deny that it was nice to be able to talk to a complete stranger about it.

“Papa!” Rio called out. “It's time to go home!”

The old lady looked at Origami with a face of good humour. “Papa, is it?” she laughed.

“It sort of happened,” Origami answered, “and who am I to say no to that?”

The old lady barked out a laugh. “Yes, I'd say you're doing just fine, lass,” she said. “Go on, then. Be with your family. Don't worry about an old crow like me.”

Origami bowed politely to the old lady. “It was nice to talk to you, miss,” she said, before walking over to the others.

“Who was that?” Natsumi asked, once Origami joined them.

“Don't know,” Origami answered, taking Rio's hand in her own. “But, she was very kind. I imagine her family is one filled with joy.”

“Do you... think we'll meet her again?” Yoshino asked.

“I hope so!” Rio said. “Papa really liked talking to her!”

Origami smiled in response. “I hope so too, Rio.”

Back at home, Rinne was leading what was effectively a cooking class, consisting of Tohka, Miku, Mikie, and Mii. Why Mii, you ask? Because she wanted some pointers as well.

The first order of business for this 'class', so to speak, was to see where everyone's baseline was.

Results were as follows: Tohka can do simple dishes very well. This means huge plates of meat. Miku was contradictory, where her cooking looked like a sin against God, but actually tasted pretty alright. Mikie struggled with timing, and either over or under cooked things. As for Mii... she was perfectly normal.

“Well, I can't say this'll be too hard,” Rinne said, looking over the results. “But, Mii-chan, do you really feel like Tonomachi-san won't appreciate your cooking?”

“Because I want him to think he can't do any better,” Mii said plainly. “It was either this, or showing the knife collection.”

“I don't think you have to worry too much about that, Mii-chan,” Miku said. “I'm pretty sure Tonomachi-kun knows he's not able to bat much higher.”

“Izayoi-san, are you calling me a low bar?” Mii asked dangerously. “Because I promise you, I know more than 40 ways to kill a man.”

“But, Miku's a woman?” Tohka pointed out, as if this had something to do with gender rather than species.

Rinne placed a hand on Tohka's shoulder. “Tohka-chan, never change.”

Mikie flipped through the recipe book in her hand. “I just don't get how I keep messing this up,” she said quietly. “I'm cooking for the recommended amount of time.”

“Sometimes, it's the little things that throw timing off,” Rinne answered. “The size of the vegetables can actually make it harder to steam them properly, if they're tightly packed. Just the same, a thin slice of steak could get overcooked in the same time it takes a think slice to become medium-rare.”

“So, there's a lot of guess work, then?” Mikie asked. “How do you make sense of it?”

“After a while, it becomes second nature,” Rinne explained. “Before that, it is kind of trial and error. I know it took me a while to get as good as I am now.” That was only mostly a lie. Considering she was born from Shido's rampant powers way back when, it would be more accurate to say that she was created with Shido's talent in cooking. But, at the same time, she had knowledge of his experience learning how to get as good as he was, and knew that talent came more from hard work than it did luck, even if luck played a bit of a role in it.

Still, Rinne wouldn't deny that she felt a certain degree of eagerness at the prospect of teaching these girls.

It was further proof that she had a place to belong.

In a bush by the base of Tengu Tower, Kaguya and Yuzuru looked through a pair of binoculars each at their target.

The target... was Kannazuki Kyouhei, whom was dressed quite formally for his designated day off.

“This is Crouching Vulture, reporting in,” Kaguya said into her earpiece. “Subject is still waiting for the fated arrival, over.”

“Mocking,” Yuzuru spoke. “Crouching Vulture, LOL. Why would a vulture need to crouch, when they hunt from the air?”

“Because stealth!” Kaguya shouted quietly. “Don't judge!”

[Could you two please focus?] Kotori instructed. [Seriously. You're both there to make sure that idiot doesn't screw up this date.]

“Question,” Yuzuru said. “Why didn't you just wire the vice commander, then? Why are we having to sneak around like this?”

[Two reasons,] Kotori answered. [First, professional courtesy. Kannazuki asked to do this solo, and we're respecting that in our own way. Second, we still need the data to feed into our new onboard AI. Y'know, since Origami's constantly going off about how weird the options it feeds her are.]

“So, we told him we wouldn't spy... and we're going to spy anyway,” Kaguya said. “That's a bit dishonest, isn't it?”

[Oh, he knows what we're doing,] Kotori explained. [We're just not going to actively back him up. Only if he really screws the pooch.]

Okay, now things made sense to the sisters. Still didn't make it less weird, though.

“Observation,” Yuzuru proclaimed. “Okamine Tamae has arrived.”

Tamae approached Kannazuki, greeting him in a polite yet bashful manner. She was dressed in a very nice evening gown, that really accentuated her petite yet mature figure.

“Y'know, Tama-chan is quite the beauty,” Kaguya noted. “Any kids those two have are going to be blessed with damn good genes.”

[Don't put that image in my head yet,] Kotori sighed. [Besides, they're just as likely to have some weird perversion.]

“Intrigue,” Yuzuru spoke. “The vice commander is acting very shy at the moment. He seems overly cautious.”

[He knows not to screw this up,] Kotori said. [Maintain observation distance!]

“Understood,” Kaguya cackled. “This is... the will of Steins;Gate!”

“... Question,” Yuzuru said. “What is a 'Steins Gate'?”

Kyouhei was more nervous than he'd ever been before in his life.

Right now, it was just him and Tamae, going out for an early dinner, then a movie, and then... Honestly, Kyouhei was struggling to remember what the plan was after that. All he knew was that he couldn't afford to screw it up.

It's not that it would be the literal end of the world, no; it would just be a personal end of the world.

Kannazuki Kyouhei had felt infatuation before. Any girl of short stature who had kicked him in the nuts in the past could attest to that. But being in love? This was a first.

With most people, especially the commander, he only had to focus on the task at hand, and how to get his own pleasure in. But with Tamae? With Tamae, he forgot about things like kinks altogether. With her, he just felt... pure happiness.

Sure, Tamae did have a secret bit of fire in her soul that could get Kyouhei going in that way, but that was more a bonus in his eyes.

So, he really didn't want to screw this up.

For Tamae, it was much the same. Being nearly 30 years old and having never been in a committed relationship, she had been reaching a point where she'd be willing to accept just about anything to be with a handsome man. Then, along came Kyouhei, who was not only gorgeous beyond all belief, but kind, and with his own quirks.

Tamae wouldn't admit it out loud to the world, but she liked a man with quirks. It added a bit more spice to life. She wouldn't act like she knows how to handle a sado-masochism type of relationship, but life was a process of learning.

And by God, she was going to learn this man inside and out.

On the bridge of the Fraxinus, Kotori monitored the influx of data. Usually, this would be Reine's job, but Kotori had ordered her to take some actual time off work, after what happened last month.

There had been many instances where Kotori felt scared. Seeing Reine writhing in pain was definitely in the top three.

Reine was one of those constant pillars of support Kotori had in her life. Seeing her just... drop like that was shocking, and if it wasn't for the fact that they were dealing with other problems at the time, Kotori might have been freaking out.

“Well, things seem to be going smoothly up here, at least,” Kotori muttered. “Munechika, how's the AI's development coming along?”

“All green across the board, commander,” Munechika responded. “A little bit more, and MARIA should be up and running.”

Kotori nodded calmly. “And Hinako? How's the uploading of our old data from the previous Fraxinus?”

“Done and done, commanded,” Hinako replied. “By all rights, we could operate the Fraxinus completely manually right now. Not that... any of us know how to steer this thing quite like the vice commander can.”

“Kannazuki is a top-class Wizard, after all,” Kotori agreed. “Though, in a pinch, I imagine Mana or Kusakabe could pull it off.”

“What ever happened to Mana-chan, anyway?” Munechika asked. “Y'know, after that whole thing with your parents.”

“Honestly, I haven't a clue,” Kotori admitted. “Plus, I don't even know where to begin with unpacking... everything they're going through. I mean, the fact that Mana is apparently my mother's school friend, her brother wasn't Shido, but the guy that Shido looks too much like to be coincidental, and, if what Origami told us is true, was romantically involved with the Spirit of Origin, who may or may not be named Mio? I think I'd just get in the way of all that.”

It was a lot to take in. Kotori wasn't sure if she was more perplexed at just how much everything came back to her brother, or at the fact that Takamiya Mana was suddenly older than most people she knew. It was bad enough when Yoshino did it, and now Mana as well? That put three Spirits at an age far higher than they looked. Who was next?

It was all just becoming a headache at this point. She really needed to stop thinking about it all.

Mana sat on the roof of the Tengu City Garrison, and stared off into the vast sky above.

It had been a few weeks at this point, but she was still struggling to come to terms with the new truth of her life.

Who even was she anymore? Could she still call herself a Raven, if the reason she'd flown was all a lie?

It was bad enough for her when she learnt that Kotori was never really an enemy. Now she knows that she was the daughter of her oldest friend, and that the brother she had been trying to avenge was just someone who looked a great deal like her actual brother.

“I thought I'd find you up here,” a voice said. Mana turned her head, to see Kusakabe Ryouko walking her way. “Still dealing with your confusion?”

“Trust me, captain. I'd tell you if I wasn't,” Mana said. “It's just... I don't know who or what I am anymore. For crying out loud, I'm older than you, all of a sudden!”

“Join the club, I say,” Ryouko shrugged. “You've got Yoshino-san to keep you company.”

“This isn't a laughing matter, captain,” Mana muttered. “That's... I lost 30 years of my life, just out of nowhere. Friends who had been looking for me all that time, finally found me, and... and I didn't even know I was missing.”

Ryouko placed a hand supportingly on Mana's shoulder. “It must have come as a shock,” she said. “Have you... talked with them any more? The Itsuka's, I mean.”

“How can I?” Mana asked. “A 30 year gap, and I've tried to kill their daughter in recent months. Can't exactly talk about that over coffee, can I?”

Ryouko cringed slightly. Mana made a good point. “... You want to test-run some experimental CR-Units, then? Take your mind off things for an hour or three?”

“... Do they have giant cannons?”

“One of them is all cannons.”

Now that did sound tempting. “Alright,” Mana decided. “Let's shoot some shit for a while.”

Evening came as Origami and the younger Spirits finally returned home. On the way back, they passed Mii, whom was on her way home from her lesson with Rinne and the others. From the sounds of it, they still had a few things to learn from the newest addition to the group.

When they entered the door, they found a veritable buffet waiting for them. Seems their cooking lesson went a bit... overboard, let's say, and now wanted her opinions on the dishes.

Now, Origami was far from being a picky eater. She could eat just about anything, assuming it wasn't literal poison. She did need to get help from everyone else just to finish it all, though.

She was also very surprised to see that, despite how it looked, Miku's cooking was actually pretty alright.

Rio was hesitant to eat it, though. She was at that age, Origami supposed.

“Thanks for agreeing to teach them, Rinne,” Origami said, as the two of them set about washing up. “I know it must be... weird for you.”

“Not as weird as not having to worry about fading out of existence,” Rinne responded. “To be honest, I'm still waking up in a cold sweat, thinking I'm dying.”

Origami blinked a few times, trying to formulate a response. “You... want to talk about it?”

“I'm... not really sure how I could,” Rinne admitted. “I mean, the problem's already been addressed. Rio and I are safe, now, thanks to you, Origami-chan.”

“That does not mean the fear's left you yet,” Origami explained. “I'm sure Reine would be more than happy to help if you asked her.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” Rinne said. “You certainly rely on Reine-san a whole lot, don't you?”

“I suppose it wouldn't have been like that in the other timeline,” Origami muttered. “And really, I can't help it. I think, out of everyone, she's been the most consistent source of help I had. From start to now, she's always been there, in good times and bad.” Origami felt something in the air shift. “You're doing that thing again.”

“What thing?” Rinne asked, in the tone of voice that implied she knew exactly what thing she meant.

“That warm smile,” Origami answered. “The one that says you're happy for me. You know what happens when I see that smile.”

“Well, maybe I like what happens when you see my smile,” Rinne said teasingly. “Have you considered that?”

Origami knew this was bait. But, she took it anyway, and faced Rinne.

That smile. That damned smile, that was like the sunset over the ocean.

Overcome by the sight, Origami drew Rinne in and kissed her. It was a short kiss, more akin to a snack if anything.

“Geez,” Rinne said, blushing slightly. “I stand by what I said, but you can be remarkably honest about your feelings when your in a good head space.”

“And who's fault is that, then?” Origami asked.

“Oh, I know,” Rinne teased. “Now, go share that love around, before I hog it all to myself.”

With one last peck on the cheek, Origami took her advice. Once she had cleared out, Rinne let out a small sigh. She was... definitely still getting use to how Origami did things.

Well... at least it left her feeling more alive.

Morning rolled around before anyone realised it. Origami woke up in bed, slightly dazed and totally naked. Again.

She was completely unsurprised by it at this point. Nor was she surprised to find herself snuggled up to equally an equally naked Tohka, Mikie, and Miku.

Always these three. It was always these three she ended up with at the end of the day. It was always these three that made for the 'morning after'.

Gently, she heard Tohka moan, as she opened her eyes, and stared straight into Origami's.

“Good morning,” Origami said. “Did you sleep well?”

“Hmm...” Tohka hummed, as she buried her face in Origami's shoulder. Origami felt a slight twitch in her arm, as Tohka's cheek brushed against some of her scars. Origami reached up, and ran a hand through Tohka's hair. With Tohka, it sometimes felt like Origami wasn't saying enough to her, yet whenever she was face-to-face like this... it felt like words weren't needed.

The feeling of Miku's chest pressing against her back intensified slightly. “Geez, Darling,” Miku said, kissing Origami on the back of the neck. “You could at least say good morning to me, too.”

Origami couldn't help but laugh quietly. “Sorry, Miku,” she said. “I had thought you and Mike were still asleep.”

“We're not,” Mikie said groggily, as she poked her head out from behind Tohka. “You two are just very noisy when you wake, Origami.”

“But we were whispering,” Tohka pointed out.

“It's a small bed,” Miku pointed out. “But that's more a benefit for us.” With a slight giggle, Miku crawled over Origami, and began kissing Tohka on the cheek.

“Really? Right on top of me?” Origami asked. “That just gives us an opening. Mike?”

“Roger, Origami!” Mikie replied.

There was a sudden ruffling and flash of movement, and before Miku knew it, she was in the middle, with Tohka and Mikie on her arms, and Origami on top of her.

“Miku, I know you saw this coming,” Tohka pointed out, as she pecked at Miku's cheek. “You just really like being topped, don't you?”

“Miku just really like the attention,” Origami said, as she claimed Miku's lips.

“Part of being an idol, I guess,” Mikie added, as she attacked Miku's other cheek.

Just like that, Miku was in heaven.

In the light of the early morning, Nia and Natsumi sat side by side in a quiet spot of Tengu City.

“You sure she'll come?” Natsumi asked. “This is the third time this week we've tried.”

“Right now, it's just a case of 'one of these days',” Nia answered. “She won't let that stunt I pulled go, I'm sure of it.”

Nia referred, of course, to the currently unnamed Spirit that she discovered and used Future Entry on last Christmas, in order to save Origami and Rinne. She fully believed that this Spirit wouldn't take that lying down, and was waiting for her to show up.

Natsumi made a point of joining her, just to make sure DEM didn't ambush her or anything like that. On days when Natsumi wasn't the one to, Reine took her place.

“Y'know, Nattsun, I'm kinda surprised,” Nia said. “That you haven't spilled the beans about us being 'partners in crime'.”

“Honestly, the moment's kinda passed where that was relevant,” Natsumi pointed out. “I'm sure nobody actually remembers that I pretended to be Yoshinon on someone else's orders.”

It had been not long after Nia had busted out of the facility she was last held in, that she'd first met Natsumi. That meeting had been... rocky, to say the least, considering Nia could pull up anything she wanted to know about Natsumi at any moment. After an... uncomfortable back and forth, the two learnt about the existence of Ratatoskr, and struck a deal. Nia kept Natsumi's secrets, and Natsumi kept tabs on Ratatoskr.

Seems like a bit of a bad deal, but remember; Nia didn't exactly trust people back then, and Natsumi had skewed priorities.

“Well, if nothing comes of it, then nothing comes of it,” Nia decided. “Not like anyone'll lose sleep over us working together in the past.”

Silence fell for a moment, before something in the wind changed. The two quickly looked up, to see a black void had opened in the sky.

“There we go,” Nia muttered, sweat beginning to form on her brow. “Sure took her sweet time.”

“Talk about an entrance,” Natsumi said.

A figure emerged from the darkness. A jaw-droppingly beautiful girl with golden eyes and long blonde hair, with extra emphasis on 'long'. She was dressed in a white and lilac qipao, with the edges of the skirt decorated with various constellations.

It was also worth noting, especially for these two in particular, that this girl was absolutely stacked in the chest department. We're talking sizes that rivalled Izayoi Miku.

Nia was able to hide any envy she might have had. Natsumi, not so much.

“Were you the one?” the girl said in a completely flat voice. “The one who made Muku work?”

Nia tried to play off her nervousness with a laugh. “Yeah, that was me. Sorry about that,” she said. “We were in kinda a pinch, you see. Figured it'd be better to ask forgiveness than permission, ya know?”

The girl, whom they assumed was 'Muku', tilted her head. “You are... like Muku?”

“Yup. Spirits, just like you,” Nia said. “Name's Honjo Nia, and this kiddo...”

“Kyouno Natsumi,” Natsumi answered. “Nice to meet you.”

'Muku' looking at the smaller girl. “Muku's name is Hoshimiya Mukuro,” she said. “Why were you waiting for Muku?”

“Because you're in danger,” Nia said simply. “A man named Isaac Westcott is after you. The things he'll do to you, I can't even begin to describe.”

“Muku's not scared,” Mukuro said. “Why would Muku be?”

“Because he's a dangerous man,” Nia emphasised. “We want to help you. Keep you safe. Because if not, he will hurt you badly.”

“... You two are weaker,” Mukuro noted. “That's why he hurt you. He will not hurt Muku.”

“He was able to hurt us when we were stronger,” Nia corrected. “He less likely to now, because we're not alone.”

Whether Mukuro took that into consideration or not, neither of them could tell. “Muku doesn't need anyone,” Mukuro said. “Muku is in no danger. Muku can handle everything alone.”

Natsumi blinked a few times in surprise. “But... aren't you lonely?” she asked. “Being on your own like that?”

“Why would Muku be lonely?” Mukuro asked. “Muku... has already sealed off her heart.”

Chapter Text

“So, that's your secret, then,” Kotori said, after Nia and Natsumi had filled her and everyone else in on their encounter with the Spirit Mukuro on the bridge of the Fraxinus. “Well, not like I can hold any of this against you. You did what you had to.”

“Still, it worries me,” Nia muttered. “How she said she'd closed off her heart.”

“You said that was part of her powers, right?” Origami asked. “The ability to open and close anything?”

“More 'sealing and unsealing', but yeah,” Nia said. “I'm guessing she'd could stop the rotation of the damn planet if she wanted to. But, it sounds like she doesn't care about anything.”

“Sealed her own heart,” Origami mumbled. It was a thought that hit remarkably close to home for her. “We can't leave her alone. If what you said is true, then we need to hurry.”

“Agreed,” Kotori said. “Nia, where is she? Do you know that?”

“Way ahead of you, Imoto-chan,” Nia said, as Rasiel flipped open. “I've already told Reine the exact coordinates, but to keep it simple, she's located high up in the Karman Line.”

“Seriously?” Kotori asked, exhasperated. “Guess we're not doing this by half.”

“Umm, question,” Tohka spoke. “What's a Karman Line?”

“It's a border approximately 100km above sea level,” Reine answered. “It's the boundary that separates Earth's atmosphere from the void of space.”

“Seems we're going to be giving the new girl a serious test drive,” Kannazuki said.

Origami raised a brow, noticing the wording of what he'd just said. “What do you mean, 'new girl'?”

“Guess now's as good a time as any,” Kotori said. “MARIA! Introduce yourself.”

A series of beeps followed. <Understood, commander Itsuka,> someone said. <Greetings, everyone. I am the Fraxinus' autonimous AI system, MARIA.>

“Whoa! The ship talks now!” Yoshinon exclaimed. “That's cool!”

<Thank you for the compliment, Yoshinon,> MARIA replied.

“You upgraded the Fraxinus to have a sentient AI?” Origami asked.

“Oh, she was always sentient,” Kotori smirked. “The only upgrade she got was the ability to speak. So... she knows everything you've said about her systems.”

Suddenly, Origami felt very not safe. “Like... everything everything?”

<That is correct,> MARIA answered. <As time is of the essence, we shall address your... criticisms, at a later date, Tobiichi Origami.>

“Whoo, boy,” Nia whistled. “She does not like you, huh, Oririn?”

“Aw, but she sounds so cute, too,” Miku said.

“Miku-senpai, that's all you think about,” Mikie pointed out.

“Save the flirting for later,” Kotori said. “MARIA, how long would it take you to get us up there?”

<Could everyone please take a seat?> MARIA asked, as a number of extra chair rose from the floor. Deciding not to argue or ask questions, everyone sat down, and safety belts shot out, strapping them all down. <We will arrive at our destination in 30.>

“30... what?” Kotori asked, suddenly very nervous.

<29. 28.>

The ship began to rumble violently. “Everyone hold on!” Kotori shouted.

The Karman Line. The edge of space. It was safe to say that this was the highest any of them had ever been before in their lives. They may have been pressed for time, but that didn't mean they couldn't take a moment to appreciate the view of the Earth's curvature.

Everybody made sure to take a picture of it through the window. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

“We're picking up multiple vessels ahead of us!” Kyouji shouted, once the moment had passed. “Numerous Wizards as well!”

“No doubt Ike and his ilk,” Elliot said.

“You sure you want to be around for this, Mr Woodman?” Kotori asked. “Things are going to get dicey from here on.”

“All the same, commander. I'd rather sit on the front lines, than in some cushy hotel,” Elliot replied. “I was party to starting this war, and I'd sooner see it end in person.”

“Understood,” Kotori said. “Everyone else! Prepare for combat! MARIA will fill you in on your roles for the battle to come!”

Onboard the DEM vessel Goetia, Artemisia and her team were busy checking and rechecking their weapons, making sure everything was in order for when they got the call to sortie.

“God, the boredom is killing me!” Ashley complained. “Why can't we get out there with the rest of the grunts?!”

“Because we're waiting for Ratatoskr to make their move,” Cecile answered calmly from her wheelchair. While on the battlefield, Cecile O'Brien looked as normal as any other Wizard or Raven, that was only thanks to the miracle that was Territories. Without her CR-Unit active, she was both blind and crippled. “As things stand, we're the only ones capable of going toe to toe with them.”

“But... can we?” Leonora asked. While imposing on the battlefield, she was actually quite skittish. “The four of us... barely managed to take on Takamiya.”

“And worst of all, we're leaving Zodiac to that damn outlier?” Ashley shouted. “What'd they call it? White Glint?”

Truthfully, Artemisia was hesitant in trusting this person, whom Westcott called a 'LYNX'. Were they a replacement for Ravens? She didn't know.

[Attention, my dear Ravens,] Westcott's voice spoke over the intercom. [Your time has come. Ratatoskr's vessel has arrived.]

“Freakin' finally!” Ashley shouted.

“What are our orders, then?” Artemisia asked.

[To do as you please,] Westcott answered. [Stall them, slaughter them, the choice is yours. Ellen will be there to back you up, as well.]

An odd choice of orders, too up to interpretation for Artemisia's liking. But, she wasn't paid to question orders.

She was paid to execute them.

Mukuro slammed the end of Michael, her Angel, into the void below her. With a twist, a wave of energy washed over every Wizard that had surrounded her, and they all went limp, before falling towards the Earth. With a closed heart, why should she care about them burning up in the atmosphere?

That was Michael's main power; sealing. It could open and close pretty much anything Mukuro wanted, even minds and hearts.

A flash of white shot past her vision. Another Wizard had appeared to take the place of the ones who had just fallen.

This one, however, was different. With long lines of boosters retracting into its shoulders, heavy armour that gleamed silver in the sunlight, and a visor of numerous blue lights.

Nothing could be discerned about the person wearing the armour, but the air about them was one of death.

The Wizard aimed the twin guns in their hands, and opened fire on Mukuro, whom dodged effortlessly. She closed the distance with ease, pressed Michael against the Wizard and turned.

That should have been the end of it, but a wave of energy emitted from the Wizard, knocking Mukuro back.

Then, a bang echoed, and Mukuro gasped in surprise. Her hand pressed against her side, she looked down, to see her own blood dyeing the air.

Thump Thump

She had been shot.

Thump Thump

For the first time in who knows how long, Mukuro felt something... and it was fear.

[Spirit Mukuro's brainwaves are erratic!] one of the bridge crew shouted. [She's been hit!]

“Looks like we haven't a moment to waste, then,” Mana said, as she was equipped with the Overboost Unit.

That wasn't to say she was flying solo, though. Her job right now was to be the delivery girl for the trio that was Origami, Natsumi, and Yoshino. Why Yoshino, as well? For part of the plan they had in getting to their destination fast.

“Okay, you're all loaded up!” Mildred shouted. “Don't bust up my baby, got it?!”

“No promises!” Mana called back. “You girls ready?”

“As we'll ever be,” Origami replied.

“I know I'm the backup in case you miss,” Natsumi mumbled, “but surely I'm not needed, right?”

“Now, don't sell yourself short!” Yoshinon said.

“Th-that's right!” Yoshino agreed. “You'll be fine!”

[Mikie's team has already engaged with the enemy Ravens, and both Tohka and Miku are against Ellen Mathers!] Kotori stated. [It's an all out war, so don't let your guards down!]

“Roger!” Mana said. “Takamiya Mana! Overboost Care-package! Beginning Operation Gungnir!”

Fighting on the edge of space was quite the experience for Mikie, Kaguya, and Yuzuru. They would have liked to admire it more, but they were currently in the middle of battle.

Mikie came to a halt, projecting her Territory in order to simulate friction. As she and the other Spirits only had limited Astral Dresses, they were each equipped with a Realizer in order to protect themselves from the elements. The rest of the fight, that just relied on their powers.

Right now, Mikie and the Yamai's were staring down the three Ravens, Ashley, Cecile, and Leonora. Where Artemisia was, they weren't sure, but there were enough allies around to worry about that.

“Man, you people really fell off,” Ashley said, hefting the lance of the Unicorn Unit over her shoulder. “Seriously. The Anti-Spirit Team, backing those Spirit loving wack-jobs? What were you thinking?”

“That maybe violence wasn't the answer?” Mikie offered, trying to hide any hint of sarcasm that might have slipped in. “We only became Spirits out of desperation, you know.”

“A monster is still a monster, regardless of intent,” Cecile brushed off. They had been fortunate enough that, even in their limited state, the suffocating pressure that her Jabberwock Unit could put out to freeze them in place wasn't having much effect.

“Observation,” Yuzuru spoke. “You strike me as the kind of person who claims not to be racist.”

“You know, I was just about to say that!” Kaguya agreed. “I mean, talk about close-minded bigotry, right?”

“Wha-? Who are you calling a bigot?!” Cecile shouted indignantly. “I'll have you know I lost my eyes and legs because of that Spirit, Hermit!!”

The three Spirits blinked in surprise. “Did... she attack you first?” Mikie asked. When no answer came, she sighed. “And have you had any sightings of Hermit through Spacequakes since May?” More silence followed.

“And just like that, Mike wins,” Kaguya stated. “You girls are too close-minded. Not like our Raven.”

“Oh, don't compare us to that turncoat!” Ashley shouted. “She-”

“Is a mercenary,” Mikie finished. “One who made her own choice, when presented with all the information. Do you girls even know that Westcott's the one who brought the Spirit of Origin into this world?”

As their jaws dropped at the revelation, what could only be described as an arrow of ice and wind shot past, heading towards the thick of the battle. “Wh-what was that?!” Leonora shouted.

“Khe he he... You really wish to know?” Kaguya laughed menacingly. “That, blind birds, is the Arrow of the Gods, flying towards the future where man and Spirit can live, hand in hand. They are that which fly on the Wings of Freedom, towards the tomorrow that we already live in; a future where no humans live in fear of Spacequakes, and no Spirits live in fear of being attacked. That! Is our! Shooting Star Bifrost!”

Everyone looked at Kaguya at that moment. “Mockery,” Yuzuru said. “'Shooting Star Bifrost', LOL. Kaguya, you've been playing too much Hyperdimension Neptunia.”

“Sh-shut it!” Kaguya blushed. “It's a fun series! What more do you want?!”

“You...” Cecile muttered. “You're not taking this seriously, are you? We're fighting for our lives, and you're making a mockery of us!”

“No, we're fighting for our lives,” Mikie corrected. “You're fighting to kill us, but you don't know us. You don't know Yoshino-chan, the one you only know as Hermit. You don't know how scared she was, every time she was attacked! We're fighting for everyone's survival! You're fighting for a paycheck! Even Yoshino-chan's doing her part, helping Origami get to Mukuro-chan!”

“You mean...” Cecile muttered, looking back at the comet that had passed. “... HERMIT!!”

With that, Cecile dashed off, giving chase.

“Where are you going?!” Kaguya shouted, launching torrents of wind to cut her off. That, however, was interrupted by a barrage of missiles, fired from Leonora's Lion Unit.

“Observation,” Yuzuru said. “We'll have to deal with these two first.”

“Maybe,” Mikie said, summoning more Metatron Funnels to her side. “But we have the advantage!”

Ellen's job had been simple; get in close to Ratatoskr's ship, and destroy it while the Spirits were occupied.

Unfortunately for her, they had planned around that eventuality, as Spirits Princess and Diva, Yatogami Tohka and Izayoi Miku, had been there to intercept her.

“So, we clash again,” Ellen said. “This would be our third time now, wouldn't it? First on the island, and again last month. Both draws, as I recall.”

“The last one was a draw,” Tohka corrected. “I recall Origami saying you ran with your tail between your legs that first time.”

“We had gotten what we wanted,” Ellen pointed out, her brow twitching.

“And that lousy man of yours lost an arm in response,” Miku stated. “Honestly, what do you see in a creep like him? He's got no charm, unlike Darling.”

“I would not expect an ignorant child to understand,” Ellen yelled. “Our goals...”

“Are to end the human race with the power of Spirits, we know,” Miku waved off. “Just one problem; we Spirits want no part in genocide. So, we're going to stop you, here and now.”

“And what makes you think that'll work?”

“Well, you've never properly won a fight against Tohka-chan, have you?” Miku pointed out, as she channelled Gabriel's power into Tohka. “And you've never fought her without an ambush first.”

“And, unlike you,” Tohka said, readying Sandalphon, “I'm not alone.”

Ellen readied her own blade in response. “Then, let's see how well that goes for you.”

When Artemisia saw that comet fly past, followed distantly by Cecile, she dearly wanted to give chase. However, she had grossly underestimated her opponent.

“What's the matter?” Kusakabe Ryouko asked, cracking her knuckles. “Aren't you suppose to be the world's number 2?”

By all rights, the AST captain should not have had an even playing field. She was packing a few weapons on her backpack, sure, but up to this point, she had only relied on a pair of knuckle-duster CR weapons to fight Artemisia.

Artemisia was a talented Wizard, no question about it, but she didn't become the second best, behind Ellen, on talent alone. She honed her skills, sharpened her senses, found a cause to believe in and stick to it...

And she was still being met blow for blow by a career military woman.

Artemisia charged forth, and slashed innumerable times in the span of one instant. It was one of her trademark techniques, something even Ellen couldn't quite equal... yet Ryouko dodged each slash with precision.

“... Where do you pull your strength?” Artemisia asked. “With skills like yours, there's no way I could not have heard of you as more than just 'captain of the AST'. You have to be fighting for something, right?”

“I am,” Ryouko admitted. “I'm fighting for those children, whom fate has made into Spirits. Have you ever stopped to talk to one? Like, really stopped and talked?”

“How could I? In a fight for survival, stopping for even a moment spells death,” Artemisia pointed out.

“Exactly. It's been like that for them since the start,” Ryouko pointed out. “They've had no choice but to cause Spacequakes, and Ratatoskr found a way that actually stops the quakes without resorting to bloodshed. When presented with that, how could I not change sides, and find a new cause? The Spirits... Those children have suffered enough, and I consider it my duty as an adult to set things right.”

At that, Artemisia couldn't help but smile slight. “... Yes, not a bad cause,” she said. “But, I still cannot forgive the Spirits, especially Hermit, for robbing Cecile of her eyes and mobility.”

“You are holding a grudge against a timid 14 year old girl,” Ryouko pointed out. “And unfortunately for you,” she cracked her knuckles once more, “I'm something of a mamma-bear these days.”

Were it not for the wonderful powers of Territories, the g-forces Origami's team were experiencing would have been deadly to them.

“We're coming up on the combat zone!” Mana shouted. “Yoshino! Drop the ice barrier!”

“R-right!” Yoshino responded, as the ice cone that protected their front shattered. The air may be thinner up this high, but a narrow point flies better.

In the distance, they caught a glimpse of the battle between Mukuro and a mysterious white Wizard.

“Something's not right,” Natsumi said. “Mukuro-san was far more composed when we first met her. It's like...”

[Got an update for you girls!] Nia's voice shouted over comms. [That Wizard, whoever they are, seems to be able to reflect attacks! Mukki-chin's attempt to seal her backfired, and now your works been done for you in the worst way possible!]