“Thirty years ago, a spatial quake swept across the entire Eurasian continent, shaking the entire world to its core.”
“Land and homes were reduced to ashes, populations instantly evaporated, and the earth was flattened as if by some colossal force. The entire topography of the Eurasian continent was irrevocably altered.”
“Just when humanity believed it was all over, they discovered that it was merely the beginning.”
“In the years that followed, these spatial quakes continued unabated. Though none matched the sheer magnitude of the Great Eurasian Spatial Quake, their random occurrence and high frequency ensured that the cumulative damage was far from negligible.”
“Most people believed these so-called spatial quakes were natural phenomena. However, those privy to the truth knew otherwise: spatial quakes were not born of nature, but rather unleashed by powerful, beautiful beings—Spirits!”
Donning her glasses, Murasame Reine stood before a large screen, a pointer in hand. She gestured towards the display, explaining everything to Itsuka Shido with the air of a melancholic, beautiful teacher.
“Ms. Reine seems quite knowledgeable about spatial quakes.”
Hearing Shido’s remark, Reine paused for a moment, her expression flickering, before quickly returning to her usual composure.
“The reason I’m able to work at Ratatoskr is because the Director submitted a thesis on spatial quakes.”
“I see!”
Itsuka Shido nodded affirmingly, though despite his outward acceptance, an unsettling feeling stirred within him.
‘It’s as if Ms. Reine experienced it firsthand,’ Shido mused.
Such thoughts even crossed Shido’s mind. However, he didn’t dwell on it excessively.
“Spirits originally inhabit a world we call the ‘Neighboring Dimension.’ When they cross over into our world, it’s known as ‘Manifestation.’ A spatial quake, then, is essentially a spiritual energy fluctuation caused by a Spirit’s Manifestation.”
“Because their appearance in this world inevitably triggers spatial quakes, inflicting immense damage on their surroundings, nations across the globe have established specialized anti-Spirit forces. Their mission: to annihilate Spirits upon their Manifestation.”
“That’s too cruel!” Itsuka Shido exclaimed, unable to contain himself.
Observing Shido’s look of utter disbelief, Itsuka Kotori adopted a knowing expression, exactly as she had anticipated. She propped her chin in her hand, watching him with an amused glint in her eyes.
“It’s perfectly normal, isn’t it? After all, they are monsters possessing power far beyond human comprehension! Simply by appearing in this world, they cause spatial quakes and wreak havoc on their surroundings. In short, they are calamities that tear the world apart!”
“But judging by Ji Qianye’s actions, a Spirit’s Manifestation and departure aren’t something they can control themselves. That means spatial quakes have nothing to do with a Spirit’s own will!”
“Precisely! At least, that’s how it appears so far. However, there’s no evidence to prove that they *can’t* trigger spatial quakes by their own will, is there?”
“Furthermore, regardless of whether it’s by their own volition, the destruction caused by spatial quakes is undeniably real. By any measure of reason or sentiment, we simply cannot allow such entities, possessing power far beyond comprehension, to act freely. Who knows what consequences that would unleash?”
“But…”
Itsuka Shido attempted to argue further, but Kotori cut him off.
“What, have you completely fallen for her after just one night of passion? Shido, you truly are an animal who thinks with his lower half!”
“No, I’m not!” Itsuka Shido quickly refuted.
“I was just wondering if there was another way to save her without harming anyone.”
“A way to save her, huh…” Seeing his earnestness, Kotori sighed. “Do you truly believe there’s another method? You understand that spatial quakes aren’t caused by her own will. It’s like how human existence inevitably leads to the death of other living beings. Do you have any way to stop *that*?”
“Well…”
Faced with such a question, Itsuka Shido genuinely found himself at a loss for words.
‘His mind understood: no matter what, simply existing in this world would cause it harm. For a calamity that tore reality apart, there seemed to be no other solution but annihilation.’
‘Yet, the thought of this mischievous, enigmatic, and utterly strange girl, Ji Qianye, vanishing completely from this world, was something he couldn’t accept.’
‘This had nothing to do with that passionate night; it was simply Shido’s unilateral desire to save her.’
‘Moreover, what had Ji Qianye said the first time they met?’
‘She had said, “Finally, I can end all of this…”‘
‘And then she had forcefully kissed Shido.’
‘Although it hadn’t ultimately ended, Shido felt that Ji Qianye must know the solution—he simply hadn’t met the conditions yet.’
‘Coupled with Kotori’s strange behavior, Shido was quite certain the solution lay within their ‘date’.’
“Um, Kotori!”
“What is it, you idiot big brother?”
“That… you said I should go on a da—a date with Ji Qianye… what exactly is that for?” Itsuka Shido stammered, his face flushing faintly.
“Oh? Shido, you’re already thinking about another date so soon? I’d say that girl has an unusual constitution; I wonder if your body can even keep up?”
“No, that’s not the date I meant!” Itsuka Shido quickly denied, realizing Kotori was leading him astray.
“I’m asking if the solution has something to do with dating! After all, Ji Qianye explicitly asked to go on a date with me, and you also told me to date her. If it wasn’t related to the solution, you wouldn’t have brought it up so proactively!”
“Oh, my! Shido, your brain has finally started working! All my painstaking efforts to ‘train’ you haven’t been in vain!”
Kotori’s lips curved into a slight smile, revealing an expression that plainly said, ‘I was just waiting for you to say that.’
“Wait, did you just say ‘train’?”
“Don’t interrupt!”
Kotori clapped her hands sharply, and a host of elite (unreliable) staff members immediately sprang to their feet.
“Don’t worry, Shido! My Fraxinus is staffed with many trustworthy talents. With their help, even someone with an intelligence comparable to a paramecium—like you, Shido—will successfully pull this off.”
Kotori’s face glowed with pride as she gestured to her meticulously trained subordinates.
“Allow me to introduce them. First, this is Kawagoe, a ‘love master’ who has been through five marriages.”
‘Doesn’t that just mean he’s been divorced five times, quickly entering the burnout phase?’
“Next, we have Senbon, who prides himself on being popular among Filipinos at nightclubs—their self-proclaimed ‘President’!”
‘Isn’t that just the charm of money?’
“Then there’s Shiizaki, the ‘woman of 2 AM,’ whose romantic rivals keep meeting with ‘accidents’—our very own ‘cursed doll’!”
‘She must have cursed her rivals! What a terrifying woman.’
“And here’s Nakatsugawa, the man with a hundred brides—a true ‘dimensional traveler’!”
‘Aren’t those all 2D wives? It’s not like he’s confessed to a hundred real girls!’
“Finally, Minowa, whose love runs so deep that she’s been forbidden from coming within five hundred miles of her beloved—currently under ‘protective observation and punishment’!”
‘What on earth did she do? And why are all these people so utterly unreliable?!’