"What about you, Origami?" Kotori asked, turning her gaze to the silver-haired girl now seated at the table with them.
After Shido firmly told Tohka and Origami to stop clinging to him, the two reluctantly let go of him and decided to sit with them in the table. anwhile, Yoshino and Yoshinon remained in the living room, but neither seed to mind.
Yoshino, in particular, was completely engrossed in the soap opera playing on the television.
Shido, Kotori, and the others paid her no mind, letting her enjoy her drama in peace. She looked utterly captivated, especially when the two main characters, Haruka and Sora, appeared on screen.
While Kotori and the rest of the girls didn't have an idea about that drama, Shido knew very well what it was about. But he chose not to say anything as it should be a little different from what he know since it was another world.
Back to the discussion, Kotori asked Origami if she wanted to join Ratatoskr.
Origami remained silent for a mont, seemingly deep in thought. Then, with her usual expressionless face, she finally answered.
"I'll stay in AST for a little while longer."
Kotori and Shido exchanged glances before nodding in understanding.
"I see." Kotori said simply.
Neither of them questioned her decision further. Origami wasn't the type to make choices lightly, if she decided to remain in AST for now, she must have had her reasons.
"Well, now that we've settled so matters, let's move on to the real topic of our discussion."
"Reine." Kotori turned to Reine and gestures her.
Reine gave a small nod in response before reaching into her bag and pulling out an iPad. Without a word, she tapped the screen and played a video.
The footage displayed Mana engaged in battle against Shadow.
"This was taken from one of the security caras in the alley earlier." Kotori explained as the video played.
anwhile, Shido couldn't help but feel his lips twitched looking at the scene of him fighting Mana.
"What's wrong, Shido?" Kotori noticed his weird expression so she called him. Her sudden question caught the attention of Reine, Mana, and Origami, who all turned their curious gazes toward him.
"Nothing." Shido replied quickly, trying to sound casual. "I just didn't think that Shadow and Kurumi would be allied when they were fighting previously."
But still, his words made Kotori nod since what he said was really true.
"You're right, they should be enemies, but what we can see in this video is Shadow protecting Kurumi. And it seems that Shadow beca stronger." Kotori thought, analyzing the details she had gathered.
Seeing Kotori distracted, Shido subtly let his shoulders slump in relief as he change the subject.
However, he could feel the strange gazes of Reine and Origami on him, but he chose to ignored those stares and act innocent.
"Can you tell about your experience fighting him?" Kotori turned to Mana as her expression turned serious.
Mana nodded, her gaze turning distant as she recalled her battle with Shadow. "There's only one thing I felt while fighting him."
Kotori, Reine, Origami, and even Shido remained silent, their eyes fixed on her, waiting for her next words.
Mana hesitated for a mont before finally speaking, her voice laced with bitterness.
"...Helplessness."
A wry smile tugged at her lips as the mories resurfaced, the overwhelming power, the crushing gap between them. No matter how hard she fought, she had been utterly powerless.
"Helplessness?" 4x
Mana nodded, her expression grim. "Yes. From the very start, I was already dancing in the palm of his hand. I couldn't even touch a strand of his hair."
"That... strong?" Kotori's mouth beca wide open when she heard from Mana how helpless she was in front of Shadow. Those words ca from Mana, an Adeptus 2 just belong the strongest Wizard, yet she was helpless.
The male Spirit who had once escaped Nightmare's pursuit and evaded the AST had now grown strong enough to overpower even an elite Wizard.
"AH!"
Mana's sudden scream shattered the tense silence, making both Shido and Kotori jump in shock.
"W-What?!" Kotori turned to her in disbelief, clutching her chest as if trying to steady her racing heart. "Don't just scream out of nowhere!"
"Sorry, sorry." Mana grinned sheepishly, sticking out her tongue in an attempt to look cute.
Kotori exhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. "So? Why did you scream all of a sudden?"
"Ah, right!" Mana's expression quickly turned serious. "I just rembered sothing"
"Nightmare seed to call Shadow by Nii-sama's na."
Hearing Mana's words, Kotori's eyes widened in disbelief. She imdiately turned to Shido, who was desperately trying to keep a neutral expression, but the beads of sweat forming on his face betrayed him.
anwhile, Reine remained as listless as ever, quietly listening. Origami, on the other hand, showed no change in expression either, her eyes was staring at Shido waiting for his answer.
"Shido, huh?" Kotori muttered.
"Wh-What?" Shido stamred, feeling the weight of Kotori's piercing stare. It was so intense, it felt like it could drill straight through him. Unable to help himself, he gulped nervously.
"There's no way that would be Shido, right?." Kotori said dismissively, her expression shifting from stern to a smile.
"Right! That's what I thought, too." Mana nodded in agreent, her tone light.
Despite her hunch that Shido and Shadow might sohow be connected, the idea seed almost impossible to believe.
Mana, unaware of a certain Spirit capable of turning humans into Spirits, dismissed the thought entirely. Kotori, on the other hand, knew, but the idea hadn't crossed her mind either.
"Why did you think so?" Reine asked, her curiosity piqued as she looked at both Kotori and Mana, awaiting their reasoning.
The two sisters exchanged a glance, their expressions unchanged as they replied in unison, "Because Shido (Nii-sama) is not as handso as Shadow."
Shido stood there, completely dumbfounded by their response. He stared at them in disbelief, his mouth slightly agape.
"Pfft!" A small laugh escaped from Reine as she overheard their reasoning. She couldn't help but look at Shido with a playful smile, her amusent was clear.
Origami, too, had a subtle smile tugging at the corners of her lips, her eyes glinting with quiet amusent.
Tohka, however, was having none of it. She wrapped her arms around Shido, holding him close as she declared, "Shido is way more handso than that male Shadow I don't even know!"
Her words made Shido feel a warmth in his chest. "Tohka..."
He couldn't help but gently pat her head, his voice soft. "I'll cook you sothing special tonight!"
"Really!? Yehey!" Tohka cheered, her eyes lighting up with joy. She imdiately snuggled closer on Shido, pressing her face against his cheek, though she made sure to smugly glance at Origami from the corner of her eyes.
Seeing Tohka's playful behavior, Origami's lips twitched slightly, a thought running through her mind 'This stupid girl isn't as stupid as I thought.'
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