Shiori: I'm Actually Panicking

Ever since the day she met that melancholy-eyed, purple-haired Sword Spirit and parted ways with Qian Huanyue, Shiori's life had been turned upside down.

First, her cute and clingy little sister Kotori had suddenly transformed into the commander of the airship Fraxinus, which belonged to the mysterious organization Ratatoskr. With an utterly matter-of-fact attitude, she had lectured Shiori on Spirits, spacequakes, and AST.

And that was only the beginning.

What came next was hellish "date training."

Shiori sat in Fraxinus's simulated training pod, staring at the options on the screen that seemed destined to lead to a Bad End no matter what she chose, and felt deeply powerless.

[Option A: Compliment her cute hair accessory.]

[Option B: Ask whether she needs help.]

[Option C: Remain silent and observe quietly.]

They all looked perfectly normal, right? But no matter which one she chose, the female character would somehow end up angry, sad, or simply vanish, followed by bloody cleaver murder plots!

Even more outrageous, some routes required triggering extremely obscure, even downright absurd "easter eggs" to clear them. Like staring blankly at the sky for three seconds at a specific moment, or accidentally stepping on her own shoelace and falling over...

"What kind of demonic game is this?!" Shiori slumped in her seat, feeling utterly exhausted in body and mind, as though her soul were being sucked dry. This was a hundred times harder than dealing with school exams and her little sister's unreasonable demands combined.

What unsettled her most was the method Kotori had informed her of in an incomparably serious tone for sealing a Spirit's powers—through a kiss.

Th-through a k... kiss, to seal something...

Right. A different way of dealing with Spirits from AST's method of exterminating them.

That was, talking to them, inviting them on dates, making them fall in love.

Then sealing them...

The realization instantly made Shiori's cheeks flush crimson, the heat spreading all the way to her ears. Qian Huanyue's face uncontrollably surfaced in her mind—those faintly violet eyes carrying a hint of gentleness, those slightly upturned lips that always seemed to hold a trace of teasing, and those lips that looked... looked so soft.

Ugh! Sometimes, having too vivid an imagination was not a good thing.

Shiori abruptly covered her burning face with both hands, trying to drive those inappropriate images from her mind.

"Shiori, we've detected Qian Huanyue's whereabouts through surveillance!" Kotori's voice came through the communicator.

"The timing is perfect. Get ready and try to make contact with her and 'win her over'!"

"—Huh?!"

Talk about thinking of something and having it appear. Shiori practically sprang out of her chair.

The owner of those lips she had just been unable to get out of her head... she had to face her in reality now?! And her goal was... that embarrassing "winning over" and "sealing"?!

"R-right now?! Win Huanyue over?!"

"N-no, no, no, no! I can't! Absolutely not! I'm not ready yet! Besides, I haven't even cleared the simulation training! Right! I need more training first."

Kotori impatiently interrupted her struggle. In the background, the sounds of other bridge personnel tapping keys could still be heard. "Actual combat is the best training! Opportunities vanish in an instant. Are you going to wait for AST to find her first?"

Shiori's mind went blank again, filling with Qian Huanyue's face wearing that lazy smile, and... those lips so close at hand.

Her face began heating up uncontrollably again.

"The coordinates have already been sent to your receiver, Shiori. Oh, no, 'Shido.' For world peace, and to save the Spirit—sortie!" Kotori's voice was firm with a commander's decisiveness.

"It's getting a little late. Wouldn't we be disturbing her?"

Kotori clearly was not buying it, and her tone remained decisive.

"Nighttime is the best time to deepen a relationship! Don't forget that your current identity is 'Shido.' Show some manly spirit! Or..." Her voice suddenly took on a dangerous edge. "Do you want to find out what 'your little sister's special encouragement' feels like?"

From the background came Kyouhei Kannazuki's indistinct, excited muttering of something like, "Oh! The commander's special encouragement!" It was immediately cut off by a muffled impact from some heavy object and then silence.

Though she had not heard clearly, Shiori felt that it was very bad.

"I-I understand..." She sighed as if resigning herself to fate, getting to her feet from the training pod with legs that felt a little weak.

"Good!" Kotori's voice returned to normal. "We'll provide necessary support and advice through your earpiece. Remember, be natural, like ordinary friends meeting... though the ultimate goal is that!"

"Of course, we Fraxinus crew members will give you our full support."

The godlike members of Fraxinus mainly included:

"Married five times and divorced five times as well, the genuine love master, Bad Moarriage Kawagoe!"

Wasn't that just getting divorced over and over again? Could someone who had divorced that many times really count as a love master?

"Highly popular with Midnight Nightingale, company president Karimoto!"

Did that really mean anything? Could his so-called popularity just be because he was especially generous with money?

"Her love rivals suffered misfortune one after another, the 2 A.M. Woman, Nail Knocker Shiizaki!"

Wasn't that a little too terrifying?!

"A man with one hundred wives, the Dimension Breaker, Nakatsugawa!"

Come to think of it, all those wives were fictional characters! Could being immersed in a virtual world count as real romantic experience?

"Because her love was too deep, the law prevented her from approaching him, Deep Love Minowa!"

She was completely a possessive lover! Her love was so heavy that it had reached the point of breaking the law!

Shiori complained inwardly while feeling deeply powerless. Were these people really reliable?

An invisible force teleported Shiori from Fraxinus to a secluded corner nearest the coordinates.

She saw Qian Huanyue in the distance, holding a cat.

Gathering her courage, Shiori greeted her in a tone that she tried to make sound natural.

"Hi... Huanyue, we meet again."

Kotori's voice came through her earpiece again. "Shiori, the Spirit's mental state has changed. The analysis AI has reacted. The Spirit's emotional level appears somewhat low."

Qian Huanyue seemed to take a few seconds to realize someone was calling her. She slowly turned her head, her pale violet eyes looking at Shido. Their usual sparkle was gone, replaced only by exhaustion and an aura of "I want some peace and quiet."

Then she softly muttered, "Shido?"

"Yeah, it's me."

After that simple exchange, the air fell silent again.

Kotori urged her through the earpiece. "Shido! Don't just stand there stupidly! Find a topic! Ask why she's here, or talk about the weather! Just say something!"

"That outfit looks really cool, Huanyue. Your headband, the bandages on your hand, and your new hairstyle all suit you. They go really well with your skirt too."

"...Thank you."

Before they had parted, Miku had hugged her and gotten her way.

She had pulled Huanyue tightly into her arms, and a kiss had almost landed on Qian Huanyue's cheek. Not long after Huanyue pushed her away, Miku finally left.

Qian Huanyue felt as though she had been drained dry.

Qian Huanyue looked at her still standing there somewhat stiffly, then at the empty end of the bench, and sighed softly.

"Sit down, Shido." She indicated the empty seat beside her with her eyes. "Aren't you tired from standing?"

Shiori froze for a moment, then sat beside her as though she had been granted a pardon.

At first, Shiori sat with her back straight from nervousness, but perhaps because the surroundings were too quiet, or perhaps because the past few days of "date training" had exhausted her too much, her taut nerves gradually relaxed without her noticing.

Even without conversation, she felt unusually calm and comfortable.

On Ratatoskr's airship Fraxinus, Kotori watched the surveillance feed, biting the stick of her lollipop with furrowed brows.

"What kind of strategy is this... They're basically just spacing out together!" she muttered unhappily, only to see that Spirit Qian Huanyue's mood level on the display did indeed show signs of recovering.

"① There's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time, Huanyue. I want to go on a date with you.

② The night is lovely today. Want to take a walk together?

③ The hotel room is pretty nice. Want to come with me?"

Selection begins.

Kotori looked at the options, especially Option ③, and rubbed her forehead.

Option ① was more direct, ② was more tactful, while ③ looked completely deranged no matter how she viewed it. It might cause the Spirit to go berserk!

Why were people even voting for ③?! Kotori glanced at Kannazuki, who was grinning foolishly nearby, summoned two burly men, and had them drag him away. He was hauled off with a delighted expression, crying, "Hehe, the commander's affection~"

Judging by the proportion of votes, choose ①.

"Shiori, choose ①."

Listening through her earpiece, Shiori spoke with a faint blush on her face.

"There's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time, Huanyue. I... I want to go on a date with you!"

Was... was she going to get hit?

Shiori squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to look at Huanyue's expression.

Qian Huanyue answered in a voice that was tired yet gentle. "Sure."

That simple response left Shiori's mind completely blank, and she carefully opened her eyes.

The earpiece instantly erupted with the chaotic cheers of Fraxinus's crew and Kotori's forcedly calm cough.