Kurumi Quintuplets

The sky hung low beneath heavy clouds, and a storm was brewing.

Having somewhat fallen out with Ratatoskr, Qian Huanyue leaned against the table, fiddling with the phone Kurumi had bought for her.

For a Spirit without much in the way of ideals, what was the meaning of existence?

Qian Huanyue took a big bite out of a slice of cantaloupe. The freshness and sweetness of the fruit made her squint contentedly.

The fruit platter Kurumi had cut was so delicious.

"Oh my, so Huanyue-chan needs 'us' to help investigate information on a human named Yoshino Himekawa?"

"Mm, she was probably in a hospital. Records from decades ago. I want to know which hospital room she once stayed in."

"If you can find out what I want to know..." She paused, then offered a bargaining chip the other woman would find hard to refuse. "Kurumi can absorb my Spiritual Power."

"Hehehe..." Kurumi's laughter sounded thoroughly delighted. "Huanyue-chan truly understands 'me.' Then, 'I' accept this deal. Please look forward to the news."

Just as Kurumi's figure was about to completely melt into the shadows—

"Wait." Qian Huanyue suddenly spoke. Her voice was not loud, yet it brought the writhing shadows to a halt.

Kurumi turned back, only to meet Qian Huanyue's suddenly close face. Those violet eyes reflected Kurumi's slightly startled expression.

"It's fine even if you can't find it."

"My, my... Huanyue-chan, honestly." Kurumi covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Now that you've put it that way, 'I' want to investigate it properly for you even more."

Pfft. Qian Huanyue laughed along with her.

After the shadows completely swallowed Kurumi's figure, Qian Huanyue looked around and confirmed that there were no living creatures in the entire room besides herself and Dog.

"You can come out now."

From the patch of shadow Kurumi had vanished into, five Kurumis with entirely different styles of dress emerged.

"Oh my, now it's 'my' time to act."

"Oh my~ Yes. The original is so cruel, making 'me' stay cooped up in the shadows for so long."

"Oh my, indeed~"

"That's right~"

Eyepatch Kurumi, Bandage Kurumi, Sweet Loli Kurumi, Goth Kurumi, and First-Meeting Kurumi emerged from the shadows.

The Tokisaki quintuplets made their grand entrance!

The four who made the original's blood pressure spike began excitedly discussing islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The islands connected to DEM had all been circled, including the island Kurumi had marked as the most likely location.

At some point, a detailed nautical chart had been spread out before them. Islands linked to DEM were conspicuously marked with red circles, and one had been specially highlighted—it was the location the Kurumis had determined was most likely holding Nia Honjo prisoner.

"Nia Honjo is probably imprisoned on... this island in the Pacific Ocean." Eyepatch Kurumi precisely tapped a spot on the map with her fingertip.

"'I' prepared things so thoroughly."

"As expected of 'me.'"

The room immediately became incredibly lively—if the people before her had not all been the same person.

As a strange wave of mutual self-praise arose, Qian Huanyue found it amusing. She had previously considered asking Kurumi to shoot her with Zafkiel's Eighth Bullet to create a clone for herself.

But Kurumi's somewhat strange look had stopped her. If she held Kurumi's hand next time and used every ounce of her ability to act cute, would Kurumi relent?

Nia Honjo was imprisoned on an unknown island in the Pacific Ocean.

There were several islands connected to DEM.

"Let's go! All you Kurumis!" Qian Huanyue enthusiastically opened a spatial passage with Seraph of Thousand Blades.

The Kurumis entered the space together.

In an instant, an entirely different scene lay before them, saving them the effort of traveling.

"Oh my, what an utterly undisguised evil lair." Goth Kurumi lightly covered the corner of her mouth with her fan, though her gaze sharply swept over the distant buildings.

"It saves us the trouble of finding our way and brings us directly near the target. Huanyue-chan's ability is truly convenient." First-Meeting Kurumi analyzed calmly. "Then, according to the plan?"

"Of course~" Bandage Kurumi lazily took over, her figure merging into the nearby shadows first. "'I' will scout the eastern side."

"Leave the western patrols to 'me'~" Sweet Loli Kurumi blinked playfully and silently sank into the darkness as well.

Eyepatch Kurumi gave a soft laugh. "'I' will prepare some... little surprises for them." Naturally, she meant all sorts of traps to delay and mislead the enemy.

Goth Kurumi and First-Meeting Kurumi turned their gazes toward Qian Huanyue. "The infiltration of the core area will be handled by 'us' and Huanyue-chan together."

Qian Huanyue nodded. She had infused each Kurumi before her with Spiritual Power, allowing them to temporarily use Angel Zafkiel's First Bullet and Seventh Bullet.

That gave them a certain degree of self-defense.

The operation swiftly began.

The five Kurumis divided their tasks clearly, their efficiency astonishingly high.

Thanks to the clones' shared information and exceptional tactical instincts, they quickly figured out the surveillance blind spots and patrol patterns around the outer perimeter of the DEM facility.

Qian Huanyue followed Goth Kurumi and First-Meeting Kurumi, slipping through the facility like ghosts.

At the end of the corridor stood a heavy alloy door, beside which was a complex identity verification system.

"Looks like we'll need a little 'violence.'" Qian Huanyue was eager to try, and Seraph of Thousand Blades at her side began to glow faintly.

The alarms let out a fierce Hibiki the moment they detected the powerful spiritual particles in the air.

Countless Phantom Beast Bandersnatches emerged.

Their bodies were made of metal armor, their heads smooth and rounded, their arms thick, and their legs equipped with reverse joints. Their proportions were unbalanced, and every part of them was fitted with components of Realizers.

"Looks like we'll need a little 'violence.'" Qian Huanyue was eager to try as Seraph of Thousand Blades beside her transformed into thousands of swords.

Magnificent greatswords shot forth as if alive.

Since the infiltration plan had failed, they could only wipe them all out.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

There was no technique to it, only pure Spiritual Power output! Wherever Seraph of Thousand Blades passed, Bandersnatch's hard metal armor was effortlessly pierced through, torn apart, and crushed as if it were paper! Explosions flashed one after another, shattered parts and cables flying everywhere.

"Oh my, it seems our warm-up has to begin early." Goth Kurumi elegantly lifted her skirt and performed a flawless curtsy, though her eyes gleamed with dangerous excitement.

Qian Huanyue did not even move her feet. Merely by controlling her Angel with her thoughts, she cleared a vacant stretch littered with wreckage ahead of them.

At the same time, the two Kurumis displayed the terror of a time Spirit.

At times, they used the First Bullet to accelerate themselves, darting about like phantoms and shattering Bandersnatches' cores before they could react.

At other times, they used the Seventh Bullet to freeze local time, turning a group of charging machines into ridiculous statues before the aftershock of Seraph of Thousand Blades swept them into dust.

First-Meeting Kurumi was even more precise and efficient. She used time differences to predict her shots, every bullet striking a Bandersnatch's joints or energy core at exactly the right moment, causing maximum destruction with minimum expenditure.

Every one of them had her own special moves, every one had her own tricks.

The surroundings briefly erupted in noise, filled with the Kurumis' giggles and snickers.

Eyepatch Kurumi: "—Hehehehehe."

Bandage Kurumi: "Heehee—hehehe—"

Sweet Loli Kurumi: "Hehehe—ah, hehehehe—"

Goth Kurumi: "Hahaha—hahahahaha—"

First-Meeting Kurumi: "Hehehehehehehehe—"

The Kurumis were having the time of their lives. As clones, it had been so long since they had fought such a lavish battle. The abundant supply of Spiritual Power and the endlessly dismantlable targets before them made them completely let loose.

Qian Huanyue was infected by their mood as well.

Laugh—! Qian Huanyue... laugh already!!

The corner of Qian Huanyue's mouth curled into an arc tinged with madness, and she let out a string of strange, delighted laughter:

Qian Huanyue: "Heh, keh keh keh keh keh—keh keh keh—"

Apparently, her laugh was a little strange.