Shido? No, Shiori? Yes

Tenguu City

'Shido Itsuka' hurried down the street at a jog. She handled the housework and looked after her little sister, making her unusually capable for someone her age. Right now, though, all she could think about was the supermarket's discounted food. What could be more urgent than buying the hamburger patties her sister wanted and restocking the family fridge with vegetables?

As she rounded a corner, 'Shido' failed to notice someone ahead. A sweet fragrance brushed past her, and with a thud, she collided with something soft and stumbled backward.

"Ugh." Rubbing her eyes, 'Shido' steadied herself and hurried to help the other person up. Before her stood a breathtakingly beautiful girl with cascading white hair and a white dress. From her expression, the collision had hit her hard too.

Qian Huanyue took 'Shido's' outstretched hand and used it to steady herself, then let out a relieved sigh.

As a Spirit, Huanyue could hardly be that fragile. She was only putting on an act to meet Shido Itsuka. Since she was a Spirit, she was bound to encounter Shido eventually.

She would get sealed, run into a few major events, help everyone out, and then let Ratatoskr support her for the rest of her life. The organization existed mainly to help Spirits, after all. All that for one kiss—wasn't it a bargain?

That was right. As a Spirit, she really was that shameless.

"I'm so sorry!"

'Shido' apologized, her face bright red. The girl's beauty had caught her off guard.

She's so, so beautiful.

"Mm, it's the corner's fault. Neither of us was watching where we were going, so don't worry about it too much." Huanyue's voice was gentle. "I should apologize to you too."

Under the sincere gaze of those amethyst eyes, 'Shido' turned her head away. A blush spread across her face, and her cheeks grew hotter by the second. She had no idea what to say.

"...Mm."

'Shido' was about to speak when she noticed the city guide map in Huanyue's hand.

Catching her gaze, Huanyue opened the map for her to see. As she did, she unconsciously leaned closer.

'Shido' felt as if the air around them had turned unbearably hot. How else could her face be burning this much?

"I only recently came to this city, so I was checking the map for directions. Then I looked up and bumped right into you. What's your name?" Huanyue asked gently.

"I—I'm Shido Itsuka! I've lived here all my life. If you don't mind, where would you like to go? I can take you there."

The heat in 'Shido's' cheeks had yet to fade. Looking into Huanyue's sincere eyes, she found herself wanting to help—and oddly reluctant to part from her.

Huanyue played along, her eyes lighting up as she clapped her hands eagerly. "I'm Qian Huanyue. Just call me Huanyue. So, Mr. Shido, are there any interesting places in Tenguu City?"

"Mm, there are! I'll take you."

The train doors opened with a ding, and the aromas of the snack street swept toward them.

'Shido' led Huanyue there with practiced ease. "The takoyaki and candied apples here are famous! My treat!"

Huanyue lightly twirled a lock of silver hair around her left fingers. After looking at Shido long enough to make her self-conscious, she shook her head with a soft laugh. "You're the one helping me, Mr. Shido. I should be treating you."

There was something special about Huanyue. 'Shido's' ears stayed warm even after she accepted the takoyaki Huanyue handed her.

Still, she felt as though she had forgotten something.

Oh well. She couldn't remember.

At home, Kotori Itsuka stared at the empty house, her stomach growling. She bit through the lollipop in her mouth in frustration and decided to wait a little longer. If her idiot big sister still didn't come back, she would have to treat herself at a Ratatoskr-owned restaurant.

'Shido' and Huanyue sat side by side on a bench, the takoyaki in their hands still steaming.

"Delicious!" Huanyue popped one takoyaki ball after another into her mouth, her eyes brightening. "Shido, do you come here often?"

'Shido' scratched her head. "Mm... I used to come with my little sister." Mentioning her sister made her remember why she had gone out in the first place—to buy hamburger patties for Kotori and restock the fridge!

"Ah!"

'Shido' sprang off the bench, nearly dropping the takoyaki in her mouth.

"Oh no! I forgot to buy hamburger patties for my little sister Kotori!" She clutched at her hair and paced in a circle. "Sorry, Huanyue, but I have to hurry to the supermarket or Kotori will be mad!"

Huanyue couldn't help laughing at her panic. She pointed to one side of the city guide map. "You should still have time, Mr. Shido. There happens to be a supermarket nearby. I'll go with you. Consider it my thanks for being my guide today."

'Shido' froze. Before she could respond, Huanyue gently nudged her forward.

"I couldn't ask you to do that," she said, blushing faintly.

"It's what friends do." Huanyue walked with a light step, her silver hair glowing softly in the sunset. "Unless you don't want to get there sooner, Mr. Shido?"

Friends?! She already thinks we're friends?

'Shido' felt her cheeks grow warm again.

After crossing two streets, they found a tidy supermarket. To 'Shido's' delight, its hamburger patties were on sale and looked especially fresh. She selected them carefully, explaining now and then how to judge the quality of the meat.

Huanyue nodded along, answering with the occasional "Oh!" or "Mm-hmm."

"You really know a lot about this, Shido." Huanyue leaned against the shopping cart, resting her chin on her hand as she watched her.

"Sorry, I got carried away." Shido felt embarrassed. She had been rambling like an old granny. Had she bored Huanyue?

Even her little sister couldn't always stand her nagging.

"It's all useful stuff to know," Huanyue said, tapping a fingertip against the edge of the cart. A gentle smile shone in her violet eyes. "I've never heard any of it before. It's really interesting."

For 'Shido,' who had no experience winning over Spirits, almost no experience with girls besides her sister, and rarely spent time with anyone of the same sex, those words hit like a torpedo exploding underwater. Her heart felt like fireworks were going off inside it.

At the checkout, 'Shido' insisted on paying, but Huanyue gently held her wrist. "We agreed. This part is my treat." Her fingertips were cool, yet the touch made Shido's ears burn.

Outside the supermarket, 'Shido' looked at her full shopping bags and finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I really owe you today. Kotori would have been so angry otherwise."

"I'm glad I could help." Huanyue tilted her head slightly. "But in return, you'll have to take me somewhere else next time, Shido."

The sunset dyed her white hair warm gold, and her amethyst eyes shone in the gathering dusk. 'Shido' stared at her, forgetting to answer.

Is she an Angel?

"It's a promise, then." Huanyue laughed softly and took two steps back, waving to her. "Take care on your way home. Say hello to little Kotori for me."

Only after Huanyue disappeared around the corner did 'Shido' realize they hadn't even exchanged contact information.

"Ah! I forgot to ask for her phone number or email!" 'Shido' stood there with her shopping bags, kicking herself.

Meanwhile, after turning several corners and making sure Shido could no longer see her, Huanyue slowed down. Her flawlessly gentle smile faded a little, replaced by a sly look of satisfaction and... a touch of guilt.

"Got her to remember my face. Not bad, not bad."

Just as she had planned, approaching Shido Itsuka early would make it easier to meet the other Spirits. She knew how the story went and trusted Shido's character. Getting acquainted with her so soon had been the smart choice.

"But..." Huanyue touched her wrist. She could almost still feel the warmth of Shido's hand—and the sudden quickening of her pulse when Huanyue had held her wrist at the checkout.

"She really is just like in the anime. A straightforward, easily embarrassed softie..."

She didn't dislike the feeling.

In fact, it was a little more interesting than she had expected.

She glanced back in the direction Shido had gone. The corner of her mouth lifted almost imperceptibly as she murmured,

"Well then, Mr. Shido Itsuka, I'll see you 'next time.'"

Elsewhere, 'Shido' carried her shopping bags home and opened the front door with some trepidation.

"I'm home..." Shido set down the groceries. Out of habit, she reached up and deftly removed her soft blue short-haired wig. Silky blue hair cascaded over her shoulders, revealing her true appearance. Beneath the wig

was a cute face almost identical to "Shido Itsuka's," but noticeably softer. Her brown eyes looked gentle, her features were more delicate, and her long, dark-blue hair gave her the grace of a young woman rather than a boy's spirited air.

Yes, the Itsuka family had always raised her as a boy.

For as long as she could remember, she had been required to live as a boy named "Shido Itsuka." She didn't fully understand why. It seemed to have been something her adoptive father, Tatsuo Itsuka, had insisted on.

Over time, she had grown used to hiding her real gender with a wig and somewhat androgynous clothes, playing the role of an "older brother" while looking after Kotori, her younger sister in name.

At present, probably only Kotori and their parents, who were away on business, knew her real gender.

"Big... Sis...!" A drawn-out voice thick with resentment came from the living room.

Kotori Itsuka sat on the sofa, her trademark white ribbons looking almost as limp as their unhappy owner. She had a fresh Chupa Chups in her mouth and was crunching it loudly. "So you do remember where home is! Where are my hamburger patties?!"

"I bought them! I bought them!" Shiori hurriedly held up the shopping bags like a shield against execution. "They were on sale, and they're really fresh!"

Kotori came over suspiciously and inspected the bags. Her expression eased a little, but she still puffed out her cheeks. "Hmph, bad big sister. Did you go to the ends of the earth to buy them? Why are you back so late? Did some bad woman make you forget your adorable little sister?"

"Uh... well..." Shiori's face warmed again as the image of the white-haired, violet-eyed girl surfaced in her mind. "I met someone asking for directions on the way... and helped her out for a bit."

"But your face is all red, Sis," Kotori said suspiciously.

"I-it's not red!" Shido instinctively touched her cheeks. Sure enough, they were hot again. Under her sister's scrutinizing gaze, she grew even more flustered. "She was really just... a girl who'd only recently come to Tenguu City and didn't know her way around..."

"A girl..." Kotori almost switched the white ribbons in her hair for black ones. Still in Little Sister Mode, she couldn't let her temper show. Instead, she crushed the candy in her mouth and resolved to investigate at Ratatoskr's Fraxinus later. Hmph. Some temptress has stolen my sister's heart.

After settling herself back into Little Sister Mode, Kotori puffed out her cheeks and pointed toward the kitchen. "I want double for dinner tonight! It's the least you can do for making me wait so long!"

"Yes, yes. I'll make it now."

Shiori smiled helplessly but fondly and carried the ingredients into the kitchen. Yet even as she tied on an apron and got to work, her thoughts drifted away again.

The tempting aroma of hamburger patties filled the kitchen, but Shiori Itsuka's thoughts sputtered as restlessly as the oil in the pan.

That softness... The springy feeling when she had bumped into Huanyue.

Those violet eyes, so close to mine...

That warm, radiant smile.

"Friends...?" Shiori murmured, her spatula slowing. An unfamiliar, burning feeling stirred in her chest, leaving her both confused and captivated.

Today, when she was with Qian Huanyue,

her blushing, racing heart, her awkwardness, and her inability to decide where to look had been exactly what the textbooks described as a crush! But... she was biologically a girl!

"What's wrong with me..." Troubled, Shiori turned off the heat and plated the cooked hamburger patties.

Was it because she had gone so long without living normally as "Shiori" that even her sexual orientation had become strange? Or did the "Shiori" buried deep inside her long to be like an ordinary girl—to admire, approach, and perhaps even... fall for another wonderful girl?

The moment that thought occurred to her, Shiori's face went scarlet, and she nearly overturned the plate.

"No, no, no! I must be imagining things!" She shook her head hard, trying to drive the dangerous thoughts away. "I just think Huanyue is beautiful, kind, and special! It's admiration, that's all! Yes, pure admiration!"

Huanyue... will I see her again?