“…”
Origami, her vision sharpened by her Territory, watched Shido’s slowly collapsing form, her hand clutching the anti-Spirit sniper rifle trembling incessantly.
Just moments before, Origami had activated her Realizer. She had chambered a special anti-Spirit round into the sniper rifle, aimed perfectly at the Spirit, and pulled the trigger.
There had been no mistake whatsoever.
Had Shido not pushed the Spirit out of the way, that is.
The bullet Origami fired tore a gaping hole in Shido’s body, where the Spirit should have been.
“—”
This time, Origami couldn’t utter a sound. She was only aware of her trigger finger, still quivering slightly.
She had just done this to Shido, her own boyfriend…
“Origami!”
Ryouko Kusakabe roared, her voice laced with urgency.
“You can regret it later, and I’ll scold you senseless then. But right now…”
Ryouko gazed in horror at the purple figure slowly ascending from the park.
“…we must focus on survival.”
****
“Shido?”
Tohka whispered his name, but found no response. It was no wonder; Shido’s side now bore a gaping wound larger than her own head.
Tohka’s mind reeled, utterly incapable of comprehending the situation.
“Shi—do!”
She knelt beside him, poking his face, but he remained motionless. Only the lingering warmth of his blood remained.
“Ugh… AAAAAH!”
Tohka let out a mournful cry that echoed across the entire rooftop, a sound born of pure anguish.
She recognized the acrid scent of burning that permeated the air. It was an attack launched by the AST, the very organization that sought her demise.
It was truly a devastating strike. Even Tohka, without the protection of her Astral Dress, could not have taken such a blow unscathed, much less for the powerless Shido to endure it on her behalf.
“That woman!”
Tohka spat the words through gritted teeth. Yes, it was that AST woman who had murdered Shido, her most cherished companion.
Tohka slowly leaned forward, tenderly closing Shido’s wide, unseeing eyes. Then, she removed her own school uniform and gently covered him with it.
She lifted her gaze to the heavens.
“Ahhh—”
No, it was truly impossible. This world had ultimately rejected Tohka, and in the most contemptible manner imaginable.
“Adonai Melek, Tenth Form.”
Tohka forced the words out, each a struggle against her grief. Her unparalleled, most formidable armor materialized, replacing her school uniform as her most reliable defense.
“Sandalphon!”
With a resounding thud, Tohka kicked the ground. A colossal throne burst forth from the earth, manifesting instantly at her side.
She leapt atop the throne, her foot resting on its armrest, and drew the immense blade embedded in its back.
“AAAAAAAAAAH…”
“How dare she… how dare she… how dare she… how dare she… how dare she… how dare she… how dare she… how dare she… how dare she… how dare she… how dare she…”
Tohka stared ahead, at the woman who had murdered Shido.
“How dare you kill my dearest friend, Shido!”
Channeling power into her greatsword, Sandalphon, she launched herself into the air.
“What…”
“…”
In less than a breath, Tohka soared to a platform halfway up the mountain. Before her stood a wide-eyed older woman and a girl whose face was devoid of emotion.
“Sandalphon—Final Sword!”
In a flash, the throne fractured into innumerable shards, which then swirled around Sandalphon, coalescing into a colossal blade, easily over ten meters in length.
“Are you prepared to atone for Shido’s death?!”
Tohka shrieked, her voice laced with fury, and effortlessly swung the immense blade towards them.
“What?”
“Ugh…”
The sprawling platform was obliterated in an instant, leaving only two figures, scrambling desperately left and right, consumed by despair and terror.
****
“Alas, no matter the world line, Shido, your side always gets cleaved open once!”
Qianye, having appeared from seemingly nowhere, squatted beside Shido. She playfully poked his face with her delicate, pale fingers.
There was no reaction. After all, Shido’s side had been torn open so extensively that no one could possibly survive such a wound.
Though Qianye couldn’t see them, she imagined the audience before the large screens, unaware of the truth, must be in an uproar.
Yet, with a happy ending just around the corner, how could it possibly conclude like this?
“So hot, so hot…”
Suddenly, blue flames erupted from Shido’s wound. The searing heat caused him to leap to his feet, frantically trying to extinguish the azure fire on his body.
“Hm?”
Shido let out a sound of confusion. He realized that the areas touched by the flames had miraculously mended.
“What’s going on?”
“For this, you have your little sister, Kotori, to thank!”
Qianye gently touched Shido’s waist. The ghastly wound had vanished without a trace; aside from his torn clothes and bloodstains, there was no evidence of its previous existence.
“By the way, Qianye, where’s Tohka?”
“There!”
Qianye pointed to the purple figure soaring through the sky, who had just unleashed a purplish-black shockwave aimed directly at the platform.
“Whoa!”
Due to the suddenness of the event, Shido was unprepared and knocked to the ground by the powerful gust of wind.
“Is that… Tohka?”
Shido gazed with an incredulous expression at Tohka, who had clearly gone berserk, and at the utterly decimated buildings.
He could even discern the distinct marks of a colossal blade on the shattered remnants of the structures.
“That’s…”
As Shido muttered, utterly dumbfounded, he felt himself enveloped by a shimmering aura of light, and his body gradually began to lose its earthly weight.
Qianye, observing from beside him, found herself in a similar predicament.
“Oh, is this what they call spatial displacement?” Qianye murmured. It was her first time experiencing the Fraxinus’s spatial transfer device. It seemed Kotori must have included her on the transfer manifest as well.
“No matter. I’ve always wanted to see what an aerial battleship in Date A Live looks like with my own eyes anyway.”
As Qianye spoke, their surroundings shifted from the park’s elevated platform to the interior of the Fraxinus.
“Welcome to Fraxinus, Shido, and Miss Qianye.”
Kotori, seated in the commander’s chair with her legs elegantly crossed, gazed down at Shido and Qianye.
“Kotori, I’m a little confused about the situation.” Shido gently massaged his still-ringing ears, a frown creasing his brow.
“Basically, Shido, Origami managed to cleave your side open again, making Tohka believe you died. She’s now hell-bent on avenging your supposed death by Origami’s hand, which is why we’re in this predicament.” Qianye explained with an air of nonchalance.
“What? What do you mean ‘again’? And how do you even know Tobiichi’s name?”
“How could I not know? After all, I’ve gone a few ’rounds’ with the master.” Qianye said, forming a circle with the fingers of her left hand, then playfully threading her right index finger through it.
“Never mind that for now. The important thing is that Tohka has gone utterly berserk.” Kotori pointed to the Fraxinus’s main screen, which displayed an enraged Tohka unilaterally dominating Origami.
“It seems Tohka cannot forgive her for what she believes was your murder, Shido.”
“No, I’m obviously still alive! And how am I even alive?”
In response to Shido’s questions, Kotori and Qianye, both privy to the truth, exchanged knowing glances and giggled conspiratorially.
“That’s a story for another time. For now, the great Sir Knight must now ride forth to rescue the cursed princess.”
“Me… me?”
“Of course! Who else could possibly do it besides you, Shido? One might even say this moment was tailor-made for you.” Qianye’s face held an enigmatic smile.
“Then… what should I do?”
A bead of sweat traced a path down Shido’s forehead. With a soft pop, Kotori withdrew the lollipop from her lips.
“To save a cursed princess, there’s typically only one method…” Having said that, Kotori puckered her lips and blew a kiss at the candy.