Ex-Machina on a Dimensional Journey

As long as he could analyze and copy the Fake Demoness, he could disguise the mechanical parts of his body as those of a normal person and no longer worry about any other trouble he might encounter.

"Natsumi, huh? A child with quite a tragic backstory."

"But where should I look for her?"

Although the settings for the Date A Live characters had been recorded in Xiu Er's database along with his memories.

Xiu Er did not know where they would appear.

Still, if he truly wanted to find her, it would not be that difficult.

In an instant, streams of data began flashing through Xiu Er's eyes.

"Found her."

By hacking into surveillance systems across the country and using the Ex-Machina' overwhelming computing power, finding one person was absurdly easy.

In this technologically advanced modern society, the advantages of the Ex-Machina could be fully utilized.

Now that he had found his target, there was no need to hurry.

He could relax and experience life first.

Xiu Er picked up the cup on the table and drained the drink inside in one gulp.

He still had a sense of taste.

He just did not know where the things he ate went. Maybe they were all converted into energy for his body.

Yeah, he would not buy coffee next time.

He really could not get used to the taste.

Inside the Fraxinus in the sky—

"Idiot brother, did you understand that?"

Shido looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar sister before him and began doubting himself.

Is this really my innocent and adorable Kotori?

With a black ribbon tied in her hair, Kotori in Commander Mode displayed an imposing aura that sharply contrasted with the well-behaved yet mischievous girl she was at home.

Fortunately, Shido was highly adaptable and quickly regained his composure.

"According to what you said, that girl was one of the Spirits you mentioned, and she was also responsible for the Spatial Tremor."

"That's right. Looks like you're not as stupid as I thought. You understood pretty quickly."

Kotori licked her favorite-flavored lollipop, her lips curling upward as though she were mocking Shido.

Seeing Kotori in that state, Shido's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Give me back my sweet and adorable little sister!

Naturally, Shido could not say that aloud and could only roar inwardly.

"What about the other one?"

Naturally, Shido was referring to that mechanical Angel.

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

Kotori's straightforward answer left Shido completely dumbfounded.

Seeing Shido's innocent expression, Kotori sighed inwardly before tapping the control panel in front of her.

The large screen that had previously displayed the Spirit girl changed, bringing the other mechanical Angel into everyone's view.

The Fraxinus had already arrived nearby when the Spirit appeared, and they had recorded the entire battle between Xiu Er and the Spirit.

Did Xiu Er himself know?

He had indeed noticed them from the very beginning. However, as long as they did not reveal any hostility toward him, he would not deliberately cause trouble.

As for whether he should make contact with these people, there was no need.

Xiu Er's plan in coming to this world was to use the abilities of the Ex-Machina to copy the Angels of several Spirit girls.

Once he had obtained them all, he would activate the Dimensional Device again and leave this world.

As for whether this would affect someone's plans, that was impossible. Xiu Er did not intend to take or kill the Spirits, so he could not possibly interfere with that person's plans.

Naturally, the people aboard the Fraxinus had no way of knowing Xiu Er's purpose.

At that moment, they had all sorts of guesses regarding Xiu Er's origins.

Yet no matter how they discussed it, they could not come up with any theory convincing enough to gain everyone's approval.

Was she a mechanical warrior created by someone else?

Her style was completely different from DEM and AST.

Besides, if someone could create a machine capable of copying a Spirit's Angel, would things still be as they were now?

They would have long since hunted down all the actual Spirits.

Muramasa Reine was the analyst aboard the Fraxinus. At that moment, she stood silently behind Kotori, listening to everyone's discussion.

Her brows were tightly furrowed as she stared at Xiu Er on the screen, seemingly lost in thought.

Shido looked at the others but could not get a word in at all.

He could only walk over to the quiet Reine, where he found her wearing an unusually serious expression.

"Analyst Reine, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No. I was just thinking about something else. Don't mind me."

When Shido came to stand beside her, Reine returned to her usual listless expression.

"Is that so? That's good."

"How much longer are they going to discuss this?"

"I don't know. If you're tired, you can go back to the medical room and rest."

"Ahaha... no need for that."

In the end, Shido was forced to listen to an hour-long discussion before finally being freed and returning home.

Countless theories had emerged regarding that mechanical Angel, but no one knew which was closest to the truth.

First Meeting on a Rainy Day

The once-blue sky was now obscured by gray clouds, and the light over the entire city had dimmed considerably.

It was going to rain.

The pedestrians on the streets all knew it, so they quickened their pace, hoping to get indoors before they were soaked through.

Tengu City.

The place where the original main storyline took place, and also the place Xiu Er believed had the highest Spirit spawn rate.

At that moment, Xiu Er was strolling through the city streets. The dark clouds above did nothing to affect his leisurely mood.

After obtaining Natsumi's location, Xiu Er did not choose to head there immediately. Instead, he slowly walked in that direction.

Speaking of Tohka, when he analyzed her Angel earlier, Xiu Er had also recorded the type of her spiritual power. Now, if Tohka manifested in this world again, Xiu Er would immediately know.

Before long, the sky began to drizzle, just as expected.

Then, little by little, the rain grew heavier.

The pedestrians who had not made it indoors in time began to run, searching for somewhere to take shelter from the rain.

Yet Xiu Er remained unmoved.

Only when raindrops fell above him did the truth become apparent.

Xiu Er was already surrounded by his own shield. The rain was blocked outside it, with streams of water sliding down its surface.

In the end, a ball made of water moved through the rain.

New use for the shield acquired√

"Rain, huh? I remember there's a Spirit associated with rainy days."

Watching the rain, Xiu Er thought of the Spirit who often appeared on rainy days, Himekawa Yoshino.

A cute little girl wearing a green raincoat decorated with rabbit ears, always carrying a rabbit puppet in her hand.

In the original story, Shido first met Yoshino on a rainy day.

Could Xiu Er happen to run into her?

There was no need to calculate such a thing. The possibility existed, but it was not high.

If he specifically went looking for her... that seemed possible too.

Xiu Er could find Yoshino the same way he had found Natsumi earlier.

But she was not his current target, so there was no need to rush.

It would happen eventually. Xiu Er would seek out every Spirit in the end, analyze and copy their Angels. That was also his primary purpose in coming to this world.

Everything was to strengthen himself and ensure that he could survive with peace of mind.

When Xiu Er passed by a park, he stopped.

It was not because he had any interest in the park, but because a figure inside caught his attention.

In a park that should have been empty because of the rain, a little girl in a green raincoat with rabbit ears was stomping through puddles.

When Xiu Er saw her, a faint light flickered in his eyes. The machinery hidden beneath his hood projected that distinctive halo, fixing it above his head.

He temporarily abandoned his previous plan, turned without hesitation, entered the park, and walked toward the green figure still splashing in the puddles.

"Scan complete. Target matches the recorded characteristics of Yoshino. Confirmed. Target is the Spirit Yoshino."

Xiu Er silently approached Yoshino until he had drawn close enough.

As though she had sensed something, the girl in the raincoat suddenly turned to look behind her, meeting Xiu Er's gaze.

A girl with a strange halo above her head, her expression frighteningly cold. No trace of life could be felt from her body.

The rain did not fall on her, as though something stood between her and the downpour. In this rain, she seemed especially eerie.

In the girl's eyes, the other person was like a ghost in the rain, silently appearing behind her.

That was Yoshino's first impression.

So she made her choice and turned to run.

But Xiu Er naturally could not simply let her escape.

He saw it. Once Yoshino turned and saw his face clearly, an expression called fear visibly appeared on hers.

Xiu Er saw that, out of fear, she nearly slipped and fell while turning to flee.

However, Xiu Er could not treat her as some harmless little girl.

Yoshino's Angel, Zadkiel, was an Angel with extremely powerful defensive abilities among all Angels. It manifested as a giant rabbit.

However, Yoshino rarely summoned her Angel casually. Whenever she encountered trouble, her first instinct was always to run away.

To analyze and copy this Angel, Xiu Er needed to know her actual data.

Therefore, Xiu Er had to force her and make her Shifuru her ice Angel!

As Yoshino flew into the air to escape, the Spatial Tremor alarm sounded at just the right moment, and people quickly fled underground.

Xiu Er detected no signs of a Spatial Tremor, so there was only one explanation: those people had discovered Yoshino was a Spirit.

Before deploying their special forces, they first dispersed the civilians, then sent their units to attack the Spirit. This was their usual method.

Now, there were no civilians left on the ground. That was perfect—it gave Xiu Er the chance to act without restraint.