Ha! The Other Side Is a Spirit

As she turned, Kotori's white ribbon had already changed into a striking black one. The cute little-sister expression on her face became firm, decisive, and faintly scheming—the Commander mode. Black-ribbon Kotori made her dazzling entrance.

"Reine, initiate the highest-level investigation," Kotori said into her earpiece, her tone utterly different from before. "Target: Qian Huanyue. I want all the information we have on her."

Aside from a little selfishness, the original purpose of this investigation was to stop her innocent older sister from being swept away by some woman of unknown origins.

This was important!

Yes, extremely important!

After all, her sister still had to seal Spirits. If her sister really got herself a lover, it would create more obstacles for the task of sealing Spirits later on.

Kotori repeated that reason to herself three times, as though doing so could conceal the vague, indescribable anxiety in her heart.

"Reporting, Commander. There is no information on anyone named Qian Huanyue in the files."

"Ha?"

Kotori nearly bit through the lollipop in her mouth. She stared at the words "No such person found" on the screen, her brows furrowing tightly beneath her black ribbon.

"That's impossible," Kotori said firmly. "Search again. Expand the scope—household registration, school records, medical records, spending records... any data that can prove she exists."

"All databases have already been searched, Commander." Reine's calm, flat voice came through the earpiece.

"Commander, a special spiritual-wave reaction was detected at the Itsuka residence just now. After comparison, it highly overlaps with [Magic Swordsman]."

"What?! She's a Spirit!"

Kotori shot to her feet, her black ribbon swaying slightly with the motion. The result was both unexpected and perfectly reasonable—someone who could flawlessly hide her identity, leave no records behind, and possess unusual spiritual power had to be a Spirit, didn't she?

But the identification codename [Magic Swordsman] left her feeling both unfamiliarity and wariness.

After Kotori said goodnight to Shiori and pretended to go to sleep,

she quickly changed clothes and used Ratatoskr's Fraxinus teleportation device to transport herself aboard.

"Pull up all relevant data immediately!" Kotori ordered rapidly. "Identification code, appearance records, ability assessment—I want to know everything about this Spirit!"

Data began scrolling rapidly across the control room's giant screen.

Reine's voice remained steady, though she spoke a little faster. "There are only scattered records in the database. Identification codename: [Magic Swordsman]. Threat level assessment: A+. The most recent record was three weeks ago."

"At present, a phenomenon known as Silent Reality Manifestation appears to allow [Magic Swordsman] to manifest without triggering a spacequake."

Kotori carefully watched footage of [Magic Swordsman] fighting on the display—the figure in the recording was graceful and deadly upon the battlefield, a stark contrast to the silver-haired girl who had sat in her home earlier with sparkling eyes while eating.

Feeling this shocked was normal, right?

"Understood." Reine rapidly operated the console. "But, Commander, regarding Little Shido..."

"I'll explain it to my sister myself." Kotori cut her off, leaving no room for argument in her tone. "Now that we've confirmed the Spirit's existence, we can't keep letting her remain in the dark."

As she said this, Kotori could not help recalling Qian Huanyue's gentle farewell when she left, as well as the way her sister had stood at the door so reluctantly. She let out a soft sigh, and her black ribbon swayed slightly.

"Sis, you really are such a good sister..." Kotori murmured, complicated emotions in her voice. "Do you know you were sharing a room with a potentially dangerous Spirit...?"

Yet strangely, despite confirming Qian Huanyue's identity as a Spirit, Kotori did not feel the vigilance or hostility she had imagined she would.

The sight of that silver-haired girl contentedly narrowing her eyes at the dinner table, along with the gentle gaze she had worn while sincerely giving thanks, made it impossible for Kotori to completely equate her with the dangerous [Magic Swordsman] on the screen.

Meanwhile, in a shadowy alley elsewhere.

"Hi~ Did you miss me?"

"...!"

With the silver-haired girl's sudden ambush, Qian Huanyue streaked through the air at incredible speed, drawing a strange silver line behind her.

Kurumi was hugged. The utterly outrageous impact left Kurumi briefly unable to catch her breath. If she had not been a Spirit, her fragile spine probably would have gone crack, and she would have been pitifully folded in half.

Qian Huanyue also realized that she might have gotten a little too excited just now, and gave an embarrassed little chuckle.

Kurumi Tokisaki, who had just stepped out of the shadows, had gone completely rigid. Never mind her spine—before she could even assume her usual composed demeanor, she had been tightly wrapped in a warm, forceful embrace. A faint, unfamiliar fragrance lingered around her nose, mixed with a strangely pleasant scent.

Luckily, she was a Spirit, or she would have been done for.

Getting hugged by a friend she had only just made and all that.

"Ah..." Kurumi was unusually at a loss for words. Or perhaps Qian Huanyue's personality was simply her natural nemesis.

Qian Huanyue buried her face against Kurumi's shoulder, her voice muffled. "I missed you so much, Kurumi."

Sniff sniff.

Sniff sniff again.

Ah, Kurumi smelled so nice!

Am I in heaven?

I'm definitely in heaven, right?

The words were far too natural, far too intimate, leaving Kurumi unsure how to respond for a moment.

"...We've only been apart for a few weeks, haven't we, Yue-chan?" Kurumi finally found her voice. There was a hint of helpless teasing in her tone, but her hand still moved of its own accord to gently pat Qian Huanyue's back.

Qian Huanyue lifted her head, her pale violet eyes glimmering beneath the moonlight. "But to me, it feels like it's been a very, very long time."

In truth, for Qian Huanyue, it had been like taking a nap. She had not experienced any waiting at all, but she still wanted to use that aggrieved tone to act a little spoiled with Kurumi.

Kurumi looked somewhat surprised. "Ah, where did Yue-chan learn to act spoiled like that?"

Qian Huanyue keenly caught that barely perceptible softness in her tone. Taking advantage of it, she buried her face deeper into the crook of Kurumi's neck, making her voice even softer and gentler. "I didn't learn it... I just can't help acting like this whenever I see Kurumi."

"Honestly... I just can't do anything with you." Kurumi sighed softly. She raised her hand, hesitated for a moment, then finally let it settle on Qian Huanyue's silver hair. It felt even softer than she had imagined, like the finest silk.

Like a cat being stroked, Qian Huanyue contentedly narrowed her eyes and even let out a tiny hum. The reaction pleased Kurumi, making her rub her hair twice more.

"Huanyue-chan is like a clingy little cat." Kurumi chuckled, winding a lock of silver hair around her fingertips as she played with it.

"Meow?" Qian Huanyue lifted her face. Her amethyst-like eyes sparkled in the moonlight, filled with anticipation and a trace of mischief.

"Ah, what a naughty girl." Kurumi laughed softly at her sudden "meow," unconsciously winding the lock of silver hair around her fingers a little tighter.

"I want to stay manifested in this world forever. Kurumi, teach me how to stay here, okay?"

"Ah, of course that won't be a problem. In fact, I had wanted to give you some guidance that very day."

"Yay! Great!"