Itsuka Residence, Tengu City.
After the small commotion earlier that morning, Itsuka Shido, as always, began preparing breakfast for Kotori and Tohka.
Initially, it had only been Kotori, but now Tohka had also become a regular at the Itsuka family’s breakfast table.
However, at this very moment, Kotori quietly sought out Tohka.
“Tohka, I need your help with something?”
“What is it?”
Tohka, who had been watching television, immediately turned her large, amethyst-like eyes towards Kotori.
“Is it about Shido?”
“Then why don’t we invite Shido to help solve it?”
“Well, the matter is a bit complicated. In short, Shido can’t know about it yet.”
Kotori explained with various gestures, while Tohka appeared to understand only vaguely.
“I understand,” Tohka declared. “Even if I don’t fully grasp the situation, since it concerns Shido, I must help!”
She spoke with boundless energy.
“That’s great!”
Kotori let out a sigh of relief, yet the image that persisted in her mind was still Shido dressed in women’s clothing.
Although the incident concluded with Kotori scolding Shido severely, it was merely her tsundere nature preventing her from expressing her true feelings.
In reality, Kotori was deeply worried about Shido.
She feared waking up one day to Shido in women’s attire, proclaiming, ‘Kotori, I’m your big sister now!’
‘(You idiot brother, I told you to wear women’s clothes to capture Spirits, not to actually become a girl!)’
****
Shido had no inkling of what Kotori and Tohka were discussing; he could only half-heartedly prepare their meal.
Why ‘half-heartedly’?
Because his mind wasn’t on the food, but on something else entirely…
‘(Qianye, what are you doing right now? Why did you leave?)’
Indeed, Itsuka Shido’s thoughts were consumed by the Phantom Qianye—the Spirit he had successfully sealed, only for her to depart on her own accord.
‘(Was it because you were once a man? I haven’t experienced that change; I can’t truly know your inner thoughts.)’
‘(But I hope that by dressing as a woman, I can understand—can experience your helplessness and your pain.)’
‘(Even though I dislike cross-dressing, at least I can use this method to understand Qianye’s feelings.)’
Lost in these thoughts, Shido neglected the kitchen knife in his hand. Carelessly, he nicked his finger, drawing a small bead of blood.
“Ah, I’m a bit distracted!”
Shido examined his injured finger, deciding to pause his cooking to find a bandage.
“Shido, did you get hurt?”
Tohka’s energetic voice rang out from behind him.
“Ah, Tohka, it’s nothing. This little cut just needs a bit of spit and… Woah!”
Shido’s words caught in his throat as he beheld Tohka’s dramatically different attire.
“Tohka, why are you wearing a bikini maid outfit?”
Indeed, Tohka was clad in a black-and-white bikini maid outfit.
It exposed large swaths of her fair skin to Shido’s gaze. Moreover, it seemed designed to evoke a ‘master’s pleasure’ in him.
“How do I look? Is it pretty?”
Tohka asked, a blush creeping onto her face as she fidgeted shyly before Shido.
“Gulp… Beautiful!” Shido swallowed hard, offering his praise.
“Hehe, that’s good then!”
As Tohka spoke, she gently pressed Shido’s injured finger between her well-developed breasts.
“Tohka, what are you doing?”
Shido’s face flushed, and he averted his gaze as he spoke.
“Um, I heard that body heat can speed up wound healing, so I wanted to help Shido.”
“How could that be possible?”
“Is it… false then?” Tohka asked, lowering her head in disappointment.
“But I clearly felt the warmth of Shido’s finger.”
“Eh?”
Shido pulled his finger away from Tohka’s chest and was astonished to find that it had indeed healed.
‘(This must be the power of my unknown flame, but I should still praise Tohka here!)’
“Thanks to you, Tohka, I recovered so quickly!” Shido beamed with a gentle smile.
“That’s wonderful! So, Shido, do you like me?”
“Of course I like you! I’ve always liked Tohka! My heart pounds whenever I see you.”
Shido’s words were genuine, not merely an attempt to appease Tohka, but a heartfelt expression of his affection for her.
“That’s great! I thought Shido had lost his male identity!”
“Who said I lost my male identity?”
Shido exclaimed, utterly bewildered by such a bizarre rumor.
“Kotori said it,” Tohka innocently revealed. “She told me you’d lost your male identity and needed us to help you get it back.”
Tohka spoke with childlike purity, even waving towards Kotori’s hiding spot.
“Kotori, come on out now!”
Shido followed Tohka’s gaze and indeed saw a red-haired loli with black ribbons in twin pigtails peeking from behind the sofa, her back turned to him.
“I get it, honestly…”
Kotori reluctantly emerged from behind the sofa, facing Shido directly.
Unlike Tohka, Kotori was clad in a pure white bikini.
Paired with her slightly budding, still-developing chest, the sight left Shido utterly dumbfounded.
“What are you staring at? Listen up, I didn’t dress like this for you!”
Kotori’s pretty face flushed faintly as she spoke with a tsundere pout.
Shido knew that Kotori, when wearing her black ribbons, was a tsundere who refused to voice her true feelings.
Nevertheless, Shido thanked her. “Arigato, Kotori! I’m truly happy to have such a cute little sister.”
“Hmph, as long as you understand. The commander of Fraxinus has deigned to grace you with her presence, so you’d better be properly grateful!”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Since that’s settled, let’s get back to cooking! After all, we still need to eat breakfast before heading to school!”
Kotori instructed.
“Alright!”
“I’m going to change first. Honestly, Shido’s dating skills have improved so much, yet why couldn’t he capture Qianye?”
Kotori muttered to herself, but Shido overheard her words, causing him to halt his cooking preparations.
“Shido, are you thinking about Qianye?”
Tohka asked, her voice laced with concern.
Though Tohka might not have been the most intellectually sharp, she possessed a remarkable sensitivity to the emotions of others.
She could tell that Shido had stopped because of Qianye.
“I’m sorry, Shido, I shouldn’t have said that!”
Kotori quickly apologized.
Yet, tears continued to stream from Shido’s eyes.
“Qianye…”