Renzeng High School
Boom—!
With a sky-shattering roar, the entire school was reduced to ruins by a spatial shockwave.
AST had been deployed and was lying in ambush in the nearby mountains and forests, monitoring the spirits' movements and the situation.
In the main control room of Fraxinus, Ling Feng stood beside Kannazuki, watching the images on the screen.
"Have they appeared already?"
"You don't seem to be in a hurry."
From the captain's seat, Kotori teased him, biting a lollipop and looking curiously at the instant noodle brand in Ling Feng's hand.
Instant Noodles of the Past—Flavorful Freshness
What the heck, I've never heard of this brand...
Kotori muttered inwardly, her attention not lingering on Ling Feng. She looked up at the large screen.
On the screen, Shido stood alone by the devastated school entrance. The clean and tidy campus was now littered with rubble.
"Shido, you're quite lucky."
"Cr—unit was never meant for indoor combat. Fortunately, 'Princess' entered the school building, so AST couldn't just barge in."
"Even so..." Looking at the surrounding destruction, Shido couldn't help but feel a tremor of fear in his heart.
"This is something only Shido can do. You've complained a lot this week, but you haven't shirked your training."
"You want to help the spirits, right?"
Hearing this, Shido's mind flashed with Tohka's melancholic and sorrowful expression from before. He murmured,
"Yes, I don't want to see her make that expression again. I can't let this happen."
Shido's initially hesitant and fearful gaze gradually became resolute.
"Kotori, I can do this, right!"
"Yes, you must have confidence. This is different from annihilation; it's another way of dealing with spirits, which is—"
"To converse, to go on dates, and to make them fall in love!"
Shido looked at the school building and stepped inside with firm, steady strides. His steps were solid and powerful, reflecting the determination in his heart at that moment.
In the command center, Kotori said seriously,
"Don't worry, Shido. The proud Fraxinus crew of Ratatoskr will give you our full support!"
Saying this, Kotori excitedly began to introduce the members of the conquest team.
"Married five times, divorced five times, a true master of love—Kawagoe!"
"Highly popular among night flowers, the boss—Kanmoto!"
"Her love rivals have met with misfortune one after another, the woman of two AM—Yuzaki!"
"The man with a hundred wives—Nakatsugawa!"
"Because she loved too deeply, unable to approach him due to the law—Minowa!"
...
(Are you sure this isn't a failed team?)
Ling Feng and Shido thought simultaneously.
"I suddenly want to go home."
Hearing that all his teammates were unreliable individuals, Shido's rekindled fighting spirit was extinguished with a puff.
"Don't worry, Shido. Everyone's skills are top-notch. Go for it!"
Sigh... Shido let out a long sigh, pulled open the classroom door, and looked up. Tohka stood quietly in the devastated classroom.
Xing—
Seeing someone approach, Tohka's first reaction was to raise her bracer. A purple spirit light flashed, and she delivered a hand chop.
A sharp blade energy, accompanied by a strong gust of wind, startled Shido, who quickly dodged. The ruined school building was once again blasted with a large hole.
"Wait a minute, I'm not an enemy. Just calm down for now."
As Shido tried to step forward, Tohka waved her hand again, a blade energy splitting the ground in front of Shido.
"Halt. Who are you?" Tohka said coldly, raising her wrist. If Shido made any threatening move, she would attack without hesitation.
"I am..."
"Wait a moment, Shido." Kotori suddenly called out to Shido, and the "failed team" members in the main control room immediately began to analyze the situation.
"The spirit's mental state has changed."
"The analysis AI is responding."
"Displaying options—"
"1 I am Itsuka Shido, and I am here to save you."
"2 I am a passing civilian, stop, don't kill me."
"3 How about introducing yourself first when asking someone's name?"
Ling Feng's forehead creased with black lines as he looked at the options on the screen. As expected... is this AI also poisonous?
However, the others present didn't think so. Kotori shouted loudly.
"They've appeared, everyone, please choose."
Soon, everyone's choices were displayed as a pie chart.
Option 3 had a 50% share.
Ling Feng smacked his forehead. Are you sure these choices aren't a joke? These people are completely unreliable teammates!
"Although option 1 seems like the obvious choice at first glance, in this situation, it might actually be suspicious and even a little annoying."
"We don't even need to discuss option 2. Even if you escape for a while, the game ends here."
"Exactly. Option 3 is not only reasonable but also allows you to gain the initiative in the conversation."
Ling Feng listened to their "rational and well-founded" and "earnest" analyses, his eyelids twitching wildly.
"Shido, can you hear me..."
"Wait, Commander Kotori."
"What is it?" Kotori was a little displeased when Ling Feng suddenly interrupted her.
In the end, Ling Feng couldn't bear to see Shido get screwed over by these terrible teammates.
"I suggest we don't choose 3. In this situation, introducing yourself softly and then asking for the other person's identity is the best approach."
"Are you questioning my decision?" Kotori glanced at Ling Feng indifferently, exuding a subtle sense of pressure.
"No, I'm just offering my suggestion," Ling Feng replied calmly, his expression unchanged.
Seeing this, Kotori lowered her head and pondered for a moment before tentatively speaking.
"Shido, can you hear me? Introduce yourself first and then softly ask for the other person's identity."
In the school building, Shido let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He looked up at Tohka and said softly,
"My name is Itsuka Shido, I'm a student here. We've met before."
"Met?" Tohka pondered for a moment, then her expression suddenly changed. "Oh, I remember. You're that rambling guy."
"I remember you said you didn't intend to kill me back then, so what's your purpose in coming here now!"
Tohka stared deeply at Shido, but her eyes still held that melancholic expression.
"Why... are you making that face?" Shido murmured.
Tohka's expression flickered slightly upon hearing this.
Shido slowly spoke.
"I have no ulterior motives. Not all humans want to kill you..."
"Lies! Everyone I've met has said I must die."
"How is that possible!" Shido retorted.
"Then... let me ask you. Since you don't intend to kill me, why are you here?"
On the Fraxinus, Kotori looked at the options appearing on the large screen and was about to speak when Ling Feng stopped her.
"What do you mean by that!"
"Let Shido answer for himself. I believe he already has the answer in his heart," Ling Feng shook his head and turned his gaze to Shido.
In the school building, after hearing Ling Feng's words through the headset, Shido remained silent for a moment, then raised his head with determination.
"I came here to talk with you. Anything is fine, and if you don't like it, you can ignore me. But... please understand one thing!"
"I... I will not deny you!"
Upon hearing this, Tohka's pupils dilated as if struck by a bullet. She looked at Shido in disbelief.
After a moment, Tohka turned around, her expression complex, and her voice softened.
"Your name is Shido, right... You really won't deny me?"
Since descending into this world, she had been very lonely, with no one acknowledging her, and people wanting to kill her...
Now, hearing someone say they wouldn't deny her was like encountering a ray of light in the darkness.
"Really," Shido said firmly.
"Is it really true?"
"It's really true."
"Is it really, really true?"
"..."
Tohka asked repeatedly, and Shido answered with unwavering determination each time.
Seeing Shido's reaction, Tohka suddenly felt a bit flustered. She scratched her head, her purple head ornament jiggling, her expression adorably blank.
Then, with her arms crossed and her cheeks slightly flushed, she bashfully said,
"Hmph~ Who would be fooled by such words! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"
"So I..."
"But, um, even though I don't know what your plan is, it's the first time someone has wanted to talk to me properly. To get information about this world, I'll just use you for now."
Tohka "hypnotized" herself with a serious expression.
Seeing that things were heading in a positive direction, Shido asked,
"Then, what's your name?"
"My name? I don't have one. But if I have someone to talk to, then I suppose I need one," Tohka pondered for a moment, then gave up thinking and looked at Shido. "Shido, what do you want to call me?"
Shido mused. He wasn't good at naming girls. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
"How about Tohka?"
"It's acceptable," Tohka considered for a moment and nodded.
Then, Shido wrote Tohka's name on the blackboard. Tohka watched beside him and copied what Shido wrote.
"Shido..."
"Yes?"
"Tohka, this is my name. It sounds nice, doesn't it, Shido."
The girl murmured a few times and then looked up at Shido with a smile.
"Yes," Shido nodded gently.
"Get down, Shido!"
Kotori's anxious shout suddenly echoed in Shido's ears. Immediately after, bullets rained down from the sky, whizzing towards Tohka.
AST had launched an attack!
But... such conventional weapons had almost no effect on spirits, and were all absorbed by Tohka's Spatial Tremor field.
"Shido, you should escape quickly. If you stay with me, you'll also be attacked by your own people," Tohka said gently, looking at Shido beside her.
"I don't care!" Shido shouted, sitting down on the floor and looking at Tohka seriously. "Isn't this our conversation time?"
"Don't you want to understand this world? Then... don't worry about those things."
"Shido..." Tohka walked slowly to Shido's side and sat down. The dense rain of bullets was completely absorbed by her Spatial Tremor field.
"Beep beep beep!"
Suddenly, an alarm blared from the Fraxinus.
"What's going on?!"
Kotori stood up and shouted.
"Commander, we've detected spatial tremor fluctuations! And... we've also detected spirit activity!"
"How can it be... Who!"
"The spirit activity detected this time doesn't match any previously appearing spirits. The only similarity is with 'Princess', but..."
Reine hesitated. It was simple: 'Princess', or Tohka, was currently talking with Shido. So... this must be a new spirit!
"How can this be..."
Kotori suddenly heard Ling Feng's low murmur. She turned to look at him and saw him with his head bowed, his brow furrowed into a deep frown, his expression grave.
"What's wrong?" Kotori asked curiously.
"In the original course of events, no new spirit appeared mid-way... so... it must be a Chaos Entity!"
"Chaos Entity?!"
Kotori blinked.
Ling Feng's identity from the future had already been confirmed. She clearly remembered his stated purpose for returning—to prevent Chaos Entities from altering the past.
In other words, this entity wasn't a spirit. But why... did it register as spirit activity?
At the same time... within the AST unit stationed at Renzeng High School, currently firing at Tohka, their captain, Kusakabe Ryouko, also heard a notification from the technical department.
When she heard that another spirit had appeared, her expression changed drastically. "What!"
"What's wrong, Captain?"
Tobiichi Origami, sensing Kusakabe Ryouko's exclamation and the somber expression on her face, knew something might have happened.
"The base has detected another spirit signature, and it's a new one!"
...
Concurrently, not far from Renzeng High School, a purple-black spatial tremor erupted in the city.
The spatial tremor directly blasted and annihilated everything in its surroundings.
"Origami, you immediately lead half the team to eliminate the new spirit. We'll handle 'Princess'!"
Kusakabe Ryouko commanded sternly! This situation was escalating beyond their expectations!
"Yes!"
Origami responded and, with half her team, flew at full speed towards the location of the "new spirit."
"It's appeared!"
On the Fraxinus, Ling Feng and the others also saw the full appearance of this "new spirit."
Everyone's faces were filled with shock, including Ling Feng.
"How can it be... Tohka?"
Looking at the familiar face in the center of the massive crater, everyone was stunned. The "new spirit" looked almost identical to Tohka.
The difference was that her Spirit Dress and the greatsword in her hand were different from Tohka's.
"Metalia..."
Ling Feng murmured. He recognized that greatsword.