No, Sis, Can't You Tell I'm Your Kind?

April 10

"Spacequake precursors have just been detected in this district."

"This is not a drill. Residents, please proceed to the shelters immediately. Repeating the announcement, this area has just..."

Qian Huanyue stood quietly on the street outside, watching the activity at the shelter as she moved against the flow of pedestrians rushing inside.

Shiori Itsuka stood at the noisy, chaotic entrance to the shelter, her fingers clenched tightly around her phone.

On the screen, the location icon representing her younger sister Kotori remained fixed at the agreed-upon family restaurant like a stubborn thumbtack, utterly motionless.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

The mechanical female voice from the receiver mingled with the clamor of the crowd and the emergency evacuation notices endlessly repeating over the broadcast, creating a suffocating sense of anxiety.

I can't reach her... Why did it have to happen now...?

Kotori's usual innocent, carefree face surfaced uncontrollably in her mind—how she would happily swing her legs after getting a lollipop she liked, sleep defenselessly while hugging a stuffed toy, and excitedly chatter for days before they were supposed to have a big meal together.

That kid... What if she didn't notice the announcement at all? Or thought it was just a drill and stayed put because she was looking forward to the set meal?

Shiori pictured her younger sister crying at the restaurant entrance, clutching her head as she waited for her.

Shiori's pupils suddenly contracted. Without the slightest hesitation, she spun around and headed against the crowd still flooding into the shelter.

"Hey! Where are you going? Itsuka! It's dangerous outside!" her friend Tonomachi Zi tried to call after her.

But Shiori seemed not to hear her. Only one thought remained in her mind, one clear and powerful goal—

She had to make sure! She had to bring Kotori back!

Purple energy rippled toward her like a tide of destruction, easily sweeping Shiori's body up and hurling her into the air. The sensation of weightlessness made her squeeze her eyes shut instinctively, but the impact she expected never came.

A gentle force caught her.

"...Mm."

Still shaken, Shiori opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a transparent barrier rippling like water, completely isolating the destructive shockwaves and currents outside. Beyond it lay shattered street debris flying through the air.

She looked up at the figure standing in front of her.

It was no longer the casual outfit she usually wore, but an extravagant and mysterious Spirit Dress with an overwhelming presence.

The main body was a deep black gown. Its hem was not ordinary fabric, but some crystalline, translucent material, as though the night sky and dark crystal had been woven together. It reflected faint glimmers with the flow of energy. A translucent black veil covered roughly a quarter of her face with exquisite precision, lending her an air of hazy detachment. Black thigh-high stockings outlined the graceful curves of her legs, while elaborate lace-decorated black gloves covered her hands.

This was Qian Huanyue's Spirit Dress, "Divine Majesty Spirit Dress: Thousand Shifts."

The outfit carried both the solemn dignity of some ritual and an unmistakable sense of formidable power.

The person before her was undoubtedly Qian Huanyue, yet she was also a Qian Huanyue entirely unfamiliar to Shiori—the Qian Huanyue in her "Spirit" form.

"Hey, hey, hey—repeat after me: one, two, three, one, two, three. Are you okay, Shiori?" Qian Huanyue did not turn around. Her voice drifted through the veil, carrying her usual tone of effortless composure, and yet in this situation, it was strangely reassuring.

Qian Huanyue was making a joke only she understood, trying to lighten the mood. After all, the girl behind her looked terrified.

"...Mm." Shiori could only make another vague sound. The sight before her and the sudden shift in circumstances had nearly shut down her brain.

Qian Huanyue shielded Shiori behind her, a transparent defensive barrier unfolding before them.

Then she met the gaze of the Spirit before her, who wore magnificent armor and carried a greatsword.

That Spirit—[Princess]—showed not the slightest ripple in her amethyst-like eyes. She seemed to have decided Qian Huanyue was an enormous threat and swung her greatsword without hesitation.

The massive blade of energy tore apart the ground and the buildings behind it.

Qian Huanyue stood leisurely to one side, as though the sword strike capable of splitting the earth had been nothing more than an insignificant breeze. She even had the leisure to smooth the ends of her hair, slightly tousled by the airflow.

Shiori's pupils narrowed slightly. Everything before her was undoubtedly challenging the worldview she had held since childhood.

"Are you... here to kill me too?"

After asking that question, the Spirit identified as [Princess] swept her amethyst eyes coldly over the two of them and aimed her sword at Qian Huanyue.

After all, in her eyes, Qian Huanyue was the more dangerous one. As for the ordinary "man" behind her, she looked completely harmless.

"Did you misunderstand something?"

Faced with that life-threatening question and the glinting sword pointed at her, Qian Huanyue tilted her head slightly. The eye visible on one side of her face instantly turned into a dazed little dot.

Seriously, sis, can't you tell I'm different from the AST girls who usually attack you? I'm your kind.

The little person in Qian Huanyue's mind had already begun rubbing her forehead.

"Look closely," Qian Huanyue said through her veil with a hint of helpless amusement. "I don't have any of those annoying CR-Units or Realizers on me. This outfit of mine, just like yours, is a Spirit Dress."

She pointed at her own gorgeous black gown, then at the radiant armored dress worn by [Princess].

"We are... the same kind of existence."

The words were like a stone dropped into a still lake, sending faint ripples through [Princess]'s amethyst eyes. Her fingers around Sandalphon's hilt slowly began to lower.

For the first time, traces of "confusion" and "scrutiny" appeared in eyes that had previously been filled with nothing but vigilance and coldness.

She truly could not sense the loathsome spiritual energy fluctuations of AST's mechanical creations from the girl in the black dress, nor could she sense any undisguised killing intent. The power surrounding her was different in nature, but at its core... it really did seem to share the same origin as her own.

"The same... kind of existence?" [Princess] repeated quietly, a nearly imperceptible bewilderment in her voice.

Those words were far too unfamiliar to her.

Ever since she had possessed memories, all she had encountered were endless attacks, expulsions, and shouts of "Die!"

The concept of "kind" had never existed in her understanding.

Yet, just as the tension began to ease—

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!

Sharp whistles tore through the air from afar. Several figures wearing heavy tactical Realizers streaked in on blue thruster flames. A group of AST members landed precisely atop the various high points of the ruins, faintly surrounding the three below.

Among all the team members, Origami Tobiichi's gaze immediately locked onto the figure trapped between the two Spirits, looking incredibly small and helpless—Shiori Itsuka.

Shiori... Why is she there?!

Origami's pupils abruptly shrank, and her heart nearly stopped. The person she cared about most was now at the center of the most dangerous vortex, exposed at the crossing point of Spirit and unit firepower! The thread of reason snapped in an instant, and her instinct to protect Shiori overwhelmed every tactical order.

"Shift targets! Draw their fire!" Before she could even finish reporting through the communications channel, she shouted sharply. The thrusters beneath her feet erupted at maximum power, and she shot toward [Princess] like an arrow released from its bow without the slightest hesitation!

The assault rifle in her hands spewed blazing muzzle flashes, its bullets precisely striking toward [Princess]'s flank. Her intention could not have been clearer—to draw the Spirit's attention away from Shiori.

"Spirit [Princess] and... [Magic Swordsman] reactions detected! Highest-level threat! Commence extermination immediately!"

"Repeating, commence immediately..."

[Princess], whose expression had only just softened, had her gaze freeze completely at the word "extermination." It became even colder and more piercing than before. Sandalphon, which had only just lowered slightly, was raised high once more, and violent spiritual energy swept around her like a storm!

Qian Huanyue summoned her Angel, Seraph of Thousand Blades.

Countless swords suddenly appeared in midair, gathering together and merging into a single, heavier blade.

As she swung her Angel, space was torn apart once again, sword shadows flashing endlessly.

Those translucent sword phantoms seemed to possess minds of their own, transforming into a destructive torrent. Yet they did not strike [Princess]. Instead, they precisely avoided her and shot in every direction toward the surrounding AST members.

"What?! This is...!"

"Defend! Defend now!"

The AST members screamed in terror.

Their Territory Fields were effortlessly torn apart the instant they came into contact with the torrent of sword shadows, while their Realizers' alarms shrieked piercingly.

The sword shadows did not pierce their bodies directly. Instead, they grazed past them by a hair's breadth, precisely shattering their weapons, destroying their thrusters, and carving deep marks into their armor.

The formerly tight encirclement instantly collapsed. The AST members were forced to scatter and evade in disarray.

At the moment, the only AST member still capable of fighting was Origami Tobiichi, who was clashing blades with [Princess].