I Became a Spirit in Date A Live and Refused to Date

"...Well, you couldn't blame Little Shido entirely. What he went through was too cruel."

Reine agreed, dark circles heavy under her eyes and looking ready to collapse at any moment.

"Have you sorted things out with Tohka and the others?"

Remembering that Shido's triple date had been exposed, Lingmeng pressed on.

"We just explained it to Tohka. Surprisingly, she didn't lose her temper. That's one stroke of luck, at least."

Kotori folded her arms as she answered.

Lingmeng merely sighed.

"That's good... I thought Tohka might be angry again and you'd want me to calm her down."

With Shido shut away in his room, Kotori would probably ask her to stand in for him if Tohka really was angry.

"...Oh, that reminds me. Lingmeng, there's something we'd like to ask you to do."

Reine seemed to have remembered something important.

"Huh? Seriously? Something else?"

Lingmeng tilted her head, a little surprised.

Reine nodded and spoke calmly.

"...Could you talk to Little Shido? We're worried that if he stays like this, it'll affect future missions."

Lingmeng understood what Reine meant.

Shido was Ratatoskr's secret weapon for making peaceful contact with Spirits and sealing their Spirit Power.

After what had happened, he was bound to have some misgivings about Spirits. Better to deal with that as soon as possible.

"I get all that, but why am I the one comforting him? Wouldn't family be better for this?"

As she spoke, Lingmeng shot Kotori a look.

Reine answered her question.

"Normally, yes. Kotori's his little sister, so she would be the better choice. But she's too headstrong when she's acting as commander. I'm afraid she might say something she shouldn't."

"Uh..."

Listening to Reine, Lingmeng couldn't help picturing Kotori sneering at Shido with a look of contempt.

That wouldn't comfort him. It would