Chapter 24

Thump, thump, thump. It was the sound of a lie being exposed. The atmosphere froze.

"Ah, so you've seen through me? Fine, I admit it. I'm a Spirit."

Lingmeng sighed, scratched her hair, and came clean.

"When did you figure out I was a Spirit?" Lingmeng asked.

"Not long ago. Just now."

"Why? I thought I'd hidden it pretty well."

"Did you think we'd let an ordinary person who'd seen a Spirit and the AST wander around freely? Besides, you weren't scared at all when you saw them. You adapted on the spot. That alone was suspicious.

"I asked Shido about you yesterday. Once I learned your name was Qian Lingmeng, I used every connection Ratatoskr had to look you up.

"To my surprise, there was nothing about you in the resident records. So I had Reine check the Spirit files on the off chance she'd find something.

"The results came in just now. I never expected the girl who'd been beside Shido all this time to be a Spirit too—and the strongest known Spirit so far, Element Maker."

"What a meticulous deduction. If I'd known, I would've acted a little more frightened."

Lingmeng smiled and gave a soft clap. Then something seemed to register, and she exclaimed in shock:

"Wait! You said I'm the strongest Spirit? How did that happen? Wasn't my danger rating only B+? How did I become the strongest?"

"Oh? You didn't know? That's a surprise." Kotori looked startled, then snapped her fingers. "Reine, show her."

"...Mm. All right." Reine nodded from below and produced a file envelope from somewhere, handing it to Lingmeng.

"What's this...?" Lingmeng stared at the envelope in her hands.

"Your file. Open it and you'll understand."

At Kotori's words, Lingmeng opened the envelope, took out the papers, and read them carefully.

Codename: Element Maker. First appearance in Japan...

The earlier details were much the same as before. But when Lingmeng reached the danger rating, she was stunned—

Danger rating: SS. (Having easily defeated the World's Strongest Wizard, Ellen Mira Mathers, she has been designated the strongest Spirit currently known.)

"Seriously, is that Ellen woman really such a big deal? I beat her once, and my rating jumped from B+ to SS? Is she some kind of premium experience pack?"

Lingmeng's eyes widened as she said exactly what was on her mind.

Lingmeng wanted nothing to do with the title "Strongest Spirit." In anime, people called the strongest usually ended up dead or reduced to background characters later on.

Take Kars and Lord DIO from JoJo. One gave up thinking, and the other was burned to ash by the sun. (Kidding.)

Rather than "Strongest Spirit," Lingmeng would have preferred "Weakest Spirit." People called the weakest in anime might never accomplish much, but at least they usually stayed alive.

"I don't know the details, but it looks like DEM Executive Director Isaac Ray Peram Westcott changed your danger rating."

As she spoke, Kotori unwrapped another Chupa Chups and put it in her mouth.

"Does that Isaac guy have nothing better to do? He's a director, for crying out loud." Lingmeng's mouth twitched.

Forget it. I'll just deal with them one at a time. If even the Strongest Wizard couldn't handle me, who else could beat me?

"By the way, little girl, are you sure you should be telling me about your organization?"

Lingmeng tilted her head as she looked at Kotori.

"If I remember correctly, you can read people's memories, can't you? You'd find out sooner or later, so I might as well tell you."

"Uh... you do have a point." Lingmeng scratched her cheek awkwardly. She had just been thinking of reading Kotori's memories if Kotori refused to talk.

No wonder Shido was acting so strangely after we'd been apart for only a week. You people were behind it all, huh?

"Um... now that you've told me all this, don't tell me you want me to..."

"That's right. I want you to go on a date with Shido, then kiss him so he can seal your powers."

Kotori stated her reason outright.

Lingmeng's expression shifted. "Sorry to bother you!"

With that, she vanished from Fraxinus.

"Tch. She used her powers to escape?" Kotori pursed her lips. "Whatever. We'll run into her again sooner or later. For now, let's focus on Tohka."

No sooner had she said that than Shido and Tohka were transported aboard Fraxinus...

Lingmeng Is... a Spirit?

"Ah, finally, a break!" Shido leaned against the wall in a school corridor and sighed.

Three days had passed since he sealed Tohka's powers. Today, she had joined his class as a transfer student. But the moment she arrived, she said a string of things that were easy to misunderstand—

"What's wrong, Shido? You look so listless. Ah, did you get lonely because I wasn't around?"

"What a cold person you are. You were so rough when you begged me back then..."

"Are you saying it was a misunderstanding? That was my first time..."

Her remarks were short but devastating. The classroom erupted at once.

All day, the boys had looked at Shido with envy and resentment, while the girls had scorned him with every insult they could think of.

If class hadn't let out just then, Shido might not even have had a chance to catch his breath.

He had a feeling his already-poor relationships with his classmates would be even worse after today.

"I wonder what Lingmeng's doing. I haven't seen her since I sealed Tohka's powers. When I asked Kotori, all she said was, 'She left on her own.' What happened while I was sealing Tohka's powers?"

Looking up at the blue sky, Shido couldn't help thinking of the girl who appeared and vanished without a trace.

Ring, ring, ring... While Shido was lost in thought, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.

"Oh, it's Kotori." Shido took out his phone and saw that his sister was calling.

He answered. "Hello, Kotori. What's up?"

"Shido, come to Fraxinus after school. I have something important to tell you." Kotori hung up as soon as she finished speaking.

"Hello? What is it?" Shido called into the dead line a few times, then muttered in confusion, "What could be so important she can't tell me over the phone? Oh well. I'll find out when I get there."

As soon as school ended, Shido hurried aboard Fraxinus as Kotori had instructed.

"Hey, Shido. You got here fast," Kotori remarked.

Shido wiped the sweat from his forehead, still breathless from running.

"You said on the phone that you had something important to tell me. What is it?"

"Impatient, aren't you?" Kotori unwrapped a Chupa Chups and put it in her mouth. "It's about Qian Lingmeng."

"Lingmeng? Did something happen to her? Didn't you say she'd just gone home?" Shido asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"Well, listen carefully to what I'm about to say."

Shido swallowed.

"The next time you see Qian Lingmeng, I need you to ask her out on a date."

Kotori stated her request without beating around the bush.

"Huh? You want me to ask Lingmeng on a date? Why?"

Shido couldn't make sense of it. He wanted to clean out his ears and check whether he'd heard correctly.

"Is your head made of tofu? I've said this much, and you still don't get it?" Kotori looked at Shido as though he were hopeless.

"Who could get it from that...?" Shido muttered. Then a possibility struck him.

"Kotori, if you want me to date Lingmeng, does that mean she's..."

"Finally figured it out, idiot Shido? That's right. Qian Lingmeng is a Spirit—and the strongest one known so far."

Kotori took the lollipop out of her mouth and smiled, her eyes half-closed.

"...You're joking, right? No matter how you look at her, Lingmeng's just an ordinary girl. Sure, she can fight a tiny—okay, enormous—bit better than most."

Shido stared at Kotori in disbelief.

"Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me... here. Read her file."

Kotori tossed Shido the same file she had shown Lingmeng.

Shido examined it closely. He didn't want to admit it, but the Spirit identified as Element Maker looked exactly like Lingmeng.

"So Lingmeng really is a Spirit..." Shido frowned at the papers in his hands.

"Well? Do you believe me now?"

"...Yeah. Given what's in front of me, I can't exactly deny it."

Shido gave a rueful smile.

"Wait. If Lingmeng's a Spirit too, then Tohka isn't the only one?"

Something else had occurred to him, and he asked at once.

"When did I ever say Tohka was the only Spirit? Several others have already been identified besides Tohka and Lingmeng."

"...So that means..."

"It means you'll have to find them, date them, and seal their powers one by one." Kotori smiled as if it were no big deal.

"I refuse! If I agree, I'll become the lead in an endless harem story!"

Shido sounded agitated, but Kotori's next words stopped him cold.

"What made you think you weren't already?"

"...I have no answer to that..."

"Shido, you need to understand. If you don't date the remaining Spirits, including Lingmeng, they'll have to live in pain every day, just like Tohka used to."

"But..." Shido fell silent. Whenever he remembered the pain on Tohka's face, his heart ached.

Lingmeng had never looked despairing. She even seemed especially warm with other people. Still, Shido always felt she was hiding a secret, and he was curious about her.

"The choice is yours, Shido. Are you going to walk away, or will you keep helping the other Spirits escape their suffering?"

Shido hesitated at Kotori's question. Then he scratched his head and smiled bitterly.

"Do I have any choice besides the second option?"

Kotori smiled in satisfaction and gave him a thumbs-up.

"That's more like my big brother!"

"Um... Kotori, there's something else I want to ask."

"What is it?"

"Why did Lingmeng suddenly leave? From what you've told me, she didn't simply want to go home, did she?"

"Oh, that." Kotori thought for a moment. "I only told her she'd have to date you. She ran off without another word. Talk about touchy."

"Hey, anyone would leave if you suddenly asked them to do that!"

Shido's mouth twitched. He was at a loss for words.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kotori looked displeased, then added:

"Anyway, if you see her again, don't just let her leave. Fraxinus's investigation suggests she's still in this city."

"Okay, okay. I got it." Shido waved a hand dismissively...

Big Sister Lingmeng?

"If there's nothing else, let me off. The ingredients at the Department Store are on sale today. If I don't get there soon, everyone else might buy them all."

Shido took out his phone and checked the time, calculating silently.

I should still make it if I go now, right?