“Shido, the AST has mobilized!”
“What?”
Shido cried out, heedless of Tohka, who stood before him and would surely hear.
In that instant, the figure of Origami Tobiichi, Shido’s classmate, appeared in the classroom, which had inexplicably become wide open.
“——”
Tohka’s expression hardened instantly, and she spread her fingers where she stood.
Immediately, as the crude device in her hand transformed into a lightsaber, Origami launched her attack on Tohka.
Tohka blocked the lightsaber bare-handed, sparks flying like a welding torch, before she loudly rebuked Origami.
“How insensitive.”
Origami bit her lip slightly, adjusting her posture as she flew backward, landing perfectly on the ground.
“Tch, so it’s you again!”
Tohka flicked the hand that had just blocked the energy blade, her voice dripping with disdain.
Origami paid her no mind, merely glancing at Shido and letting out a sigh of relief.
‘It’s a good thing Shido is safe!’
Regardless, Origami’s actions were a direct defiance of orders, and even as the AST’s ace, she couldn’t escape punishment upon her return.
Yet, to Origami, Shido’s safety was paramount above all else.
Originally, Origami had been on standby outside with the other AST members. To ascertain the Spirit’s status, she had deployed her Territory and looked towards their location.
However, to her surprise, the Spirit was indeed there, but it wasn’t just one. Moreover, next to the Spirit was Itsuka Shido, her recently “confirmed” boyfriend—at least in her own mind.
Presuming Shido was there because he “hadn’t had time to escape and had been abducted by the Spirit,” Origami disregarded Ryouko Kusakabe’s orders, discarded her Gatling gun, grabbed her lightsaber, and charged towards the Spirit.
Even before Origami made her move, her mind had already conjured a vivid mini-drama of how the Spirits were coercing Shido.
In Origami’s imagination, the two Spirits, “Princess” and “Succubus,” advanced on Shido step by step, their faces twisted into villainous expressions.
“Ohohoho, foolish human! You have nowhere left to run!”
“I will never surrender to you! I have a girlfriend to whom I’m pledged for life. Origami will surely come to save me!”
“Kukuku, don’t waste your breath. Come to us!”
“No! My virginity is for Origami! Origami, save me now!”
“Stop!”
Like a hero finally making their grand entrance in a tokusatsu show, a dashing Origami descended from the sky, vanquished the two evil Spirits, and successfully rescued her prince.
“You’re amazing, Origami! Thank you for saving me.”
“You’re welcome, Shido. It’s a girlfriend’s duty.”
“Even ‘girlfriend’ can’t express my gratitude for you, Origami. How about this, Origami, let’s get married!”
And so, Origami and Shido walked down the aisle, living happily ever after.
(All of the above was Origami’s fantasy.)
However, Tohka, who was locked in battle with Origami, had no idea about the elaborate scenario playing out in Origami’s mind. She stared defiantly at Origami, then instinctively stomped her foot on the floor.
“Sandalphon!”
The classroom floor suddenly buckled and rose, forming a throne-like structure out of thin air. Tohka then pulled the sword embedded in it and slashed towards Origami.
Sandalphon clashed with Origami’s lightsaber, unleashing a powerful shockwave that radiated outwards from their point of impact, inevitably engulfing the area where Shido stood.
“Waaah!”
“Heh!”
As if anticipating the blast, Qianye scooped Shido up in a princess carry and leapt in the opposite direction from Origami, evading the shockwave’s force.
“Kotori, he’s all yours!”
Qianye whispered into Shido’s right ear, then tossed him into the air.
“What are you doing?”
“Nice!”
Just as Kotori’s voice echoed, Shido felt an incredible sensation of weightlessness envelop his body. After a moment of floating, Shido found himself back inside the Fraxinus.
****
“…It’s no wonder. Normally, classes would be suspended…”
Shido scratched the back of his head as he walked up the slope leading to the entrance of his high school.
This was the second day since he had asked Tohka out on a date.
As usual, Shido had woken up early for school, only to find the school gates tightly shut and the campus buildings reduced to mountains of rubble.
“I’m such an idiot! I saw with my own eyes yesterday how Tohka and Origami’s battle destroyed the school, yet here I am, still in my school uniform, going to school!”
Shido vehemently chastised himself.
Though he had indeed witnessed everything firsthand, the surreal nature of the event made it feel like a dream, impairing his judgment and causing him to head to school as usual.
Of course, it could also be attributed to the lack of sleep from being forced into an all-night meeting with Kotori.
“Ah, well, since I’m already here, maybe I’ll buy something before heading back!”
With a sigh, Shido turned onto a path different from his way home.
He had barely walked a few minutes before he stopped.
A “No Entry” sign hung prominently in the middle of the road.
“Ah, no thoroughfare.”
Without even needing to look, he knew: crumbling walls, cratered ground, collapsed houses—a scene of utter devastation, as if ravaged by war.
“Huh, isn’t this the place where I first met Tohka?”
Shido remembered the spot. Perhaps the disaster relief teams hadn’t yet begun their work, for the area still retained its original, ruined appearance.
Recalling everything that had transpired yesterday, Shido sighed.
Where was that innocent girl now, the one with power so immense it was denied by the world?
“Hey, hey, Shido…”
Her pained and melancholic expression lingered in Shido’s mind, further strengthening his resolve to save her.
“Hey, hey, Shido…”
Clenching his fists, Shido’s gaze was filled with unwavering determination.
“Tohka… I will definitely save you.”
“Qianye, what’s wrong with Shido? He’s been talking to himself since earlier.”
“Who knows?”
Perhaps Shido wanted to save Tohka so badly that the voices of Tohka and Qianye had unconsciously appeared in his mind.
“Hey, Shido, can you hear me?”
Shaking off the voices in his head, Shido’s mind was filled with Tohka’s melancholic and sorrowful expression—a sight he found utterly unbearable.
Lost in thought, Shido unconsciously found himself back at the school gate.
“Don’t ignore me!”
“—Huh?”
Shido finally registered the voice. He turned around, shifting his gaze to where the sound originated.
“Tohka, when did you get here?”
Indeed, the owner of that voice was none other than Tohka, the beautiful Spirit girl, standing atop the rubble in her dazzling Astral Dress.
“You finally noticed me, you baka, baka!”
As if in a huff, Tohka leaped down from the pile of rubble, an annoyed expression on her face as she kicked away the sign in front of her.
“Yeah, I was starting to wonder if you went deaf from the last shockwave.”
Another familiar voice spoke from behind, a hand lightly resting on Shido’s shoulder.
Feeling the smooth touch, Shido knew who it was without even looking.
“Qianye, you’re here too?”
“Of course I’d be here!”
Qianye spoke, playfully tossing her hair with her other hand. “How does that saying go again?”
“Oh, right!”
“Now, let our war begin!”