I Became a Spirit in Date A Live, but I Refuse to Date

"Oh, just go already." Piano waved a hand, signaling that Shido could leave.

"Okay... is there anything you want to eat?"

"Anything I want to eat... hamburger steak, I guess." Piano thought for a moment. "Oh, right. Tohka said she wants to have dinner with us tonight, so remember to buy extra ingredients."

"Tohka's coming over tonight? Got it." Shido paused, then nodded.

Since Shido had sealed Tohka, she had spent the past few days in accommodations arranged by Ratatoskr. They took care of everything she needed, so her sudden decision to come over for dinner surprised him.

"I'm off, then." White light enveloped Shido. When he opened his eyes again, he stood in an inconspicuous alley.

Shido entered the Department Store, picked up a plastic basket, and set about shopping with practiced ease.

Before long, he had nearly everything he needed for hamburger steaks. Only the most important ingredient remained: meat.

On his way to the meat section, Shido mulled something over.

Kotori wants me to ask Lingmeng out the next time I see her? Easy to say, hard to do.

Remembering what Kotori had asked of him, Shido sighed helplessly.

He had agreed to win Lingmeng over, but Tengu City was a whole city, not a single street. Running into her again wouldn't be easy.

Besides, Lingmeng had legs and could go wherever she pleased. For all Shido knew, by the time he finished searching for her, she might have gone to another city—or even another country.

"Man, the pressure's really on." Shido frowned as he reached the meat section. Then he spotted one package left in the refrigerated case, and his worries vanished.

"One package left? Lucky me." Shido smiled and reached for it.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the meat, another hand reached in beside his.

Both hands landed on the package at the same time.

"Huh?" they exclaimed together.

The other person's hand was slender, and her voice was clear and pleasant. If Shido had to guess, she was a girl.

But when Shido turned to look at her, he froze.

The girl reaching for the same package was none other than the one he had just been thinking about: Qian Lingmeng.

"Hey, Shido. What a coincidence, running into you here."

Ignoring his stunned expression, Lingmeng greeted him warmly. Shido quickly came to his senses.

"H-hello, Lingmeng..." Shido managed a smile.

What the heck? Is the world really this small? Speak of the devil and she appears. Is Tengu City just one street after all?

Shido could hardly believe he had run into Lingmeng again so soon. For a moment, he considered buying a lottery ticket.

"Shopping, Shido?" Lingmeng asked, glancing at his basket.

"Y-yeah. I'm short on ingredients for dinner, so I came to pick some up. You too?"

Shido looked into Lingmeng's basket.

Inside were cucumbers, carrots, eggplants, corn... all discounted produce.

"You bought all these vegetables to...?"

"Ahem... money's been a little tight lately, so I bought what was cheap. Don't get the wrong idea."

Noticing his gaze on her basket, Lingmeng coughed awkwardly.

After all, when a girl bought that many vegetables of those particular shapes, people might think she either loved eating them or had some other use in mind.

If her wallet hadn't been nearly empty these past few days, forcing her to get by on discounted food, Lingmeng would never have bought anything so easy to misunderstand.

At that moment, Lingmeng felt that life as a Spirit had brought her remarkably low. She had to pinch pennies every day. If Xier Ya found out, she would never hear the end of it.

(Xier Ya, up in the sky, laughing her head off: "Too late. I already know.")

"I see... Then you can have this package of meat."

Shido hesitated before offering it to her. He felt bad for Kotori and Tohka waiting at home, but he decided to give way.

"No, you've probably got people waiting for you at home. You take it."

With that, Lingmeng put the meat in Shido's basket.

"Then... thanks." Shido thanked her, but still felt guilty. "Um... if you'd like, would you come over for dinner? We're having hamburger steaks."

"Huh? Can I? ⊙ω⊙" Lingmeng looked surprised.

"Of course."

"I'm coming!" Lingmeng answered at once. She had been eating as cheaply as possible lately and hadn't had meat in ages. Now she had a chance at a free meal. Why would she pass it up?

"All right. If you've got everything you need, let's pay and go."

"I've got it all. Come on!" Lingmeng grabbed Shido and pulled him toward the checkout.

"Wow, so this is your house, Shido? It's... pretty ordinary, huh?"

"Sorry it's so ordinary! -_-||"

Shido and Lingmeng had paid for their groceries and arrived at his front door.

The modest two-story house was the kind seen everywhere in Japan.

"Let's go in." Shido took out his key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside first.

At the sound of the door, Kotori, wearing a white hair ribbon, and Tohka immediately came running out.

"Welcome home, big brother!" Piano greeted him enthusiastically.

"Oh, Shido, you're finally back!" Tohka said with a nod.

"Wow, it's lively in here." Lingmeng stepped in behind Shido. "Sorry to intrude."

"Lingmeng! What are you doing here?" Tohka was delighted to see her.

Piano fell silent for a moment, then smiled. "Welcome to our home, big sis Lingmeng!"

"Huh?" Lingmeng and Shido were both dumbstruck.

Cooking

What's going on? Three days ago, she spoke to me like a stern commander. How did she turn into an innocent little sister so quickly?

Lingmeng's mouth twitched. She couldn't make sense of it.

Shido was just as surprised. In all his years as Kotori's brother, this was the first time he had heard her call anyone "big sis."

"Um... little girl, you're not sick, are you?" Lingmeng asked uneasily.

"I'm not sick!" Piano gave her an innocent smile.

"Then could you talk to me the way you did three days ago? This version of you is giving me chills."

Lingmeng hugged her shoulders and shivered.

"What are you talking about, big sis Lingmeng? I don't understand."

Piano tilted her head, looking adorably puzzled.

"Hey, Shido, what's up with your sister today? She definitely wasn't like this three days ago."

Lingmeng leaned toward Shido's ear and whispered.

"She's usually like this. With a black hair ribbon, she's in cold commander mode. With a white one, she's in cute little sister mode."

Shido whispered back.

"Right. So the hair ribbon's the real Kotori." Lingmeng glanced at the white ribbon on Kotori's head.

"Shido, Lingmeng, what have you two been whispering about?"

Tohka had noticed them talking in hushed voices.

"N-nothing." Shido hurried to cover it up.

"Oh, okay." Tohka folded her arms and nodded.

"Haha! You and big sis Lingmeng are so weird, big brother!" Piano laughed, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

Who's the weird one here? they both thought.

Shido and Lingmeng gave her matching deadpan stares.

"Come on in, big brother, big sis Lingmeng. Don't just stand in the doorway."

Piano waved them farther inside.

"Coming in, then."

Shido and Lingmeng changed into indoor shoes and went to the living room with the others.

"I'll go make dinner. Lingmeng, you can watch TV with Kotori and Tohka."

"Go on, then."

"Okay, big brother!"

"Oh, Shido, hurry up!"

Shido gave a wry smile and carried the ingredients into the kitchen.

"It's been ages since I watched TV. Let's see what's on."

Lingmeng couldn't remember watching TV since several years ago. She picked up the remote and turned it on.

"Hello, everyone, I'm Pe*. This is my little brother, Ge*—oink! This is my mommy—oink! This is my daddy—oink!..."

Lingmeng froze the moment the TV came on. The show seemed aimed at very young children.

"I must have turned it on wrong. That's got to be it." Muttering to herself, she changed the channel.

The next channel was no better.

"I refuse to believe there isn't a single decent show on all these channels!"

As if taking it personally, Lingmeng mashed the button. Several minutes passed.

"Okay, I give up. Why is every show the same?"

Lingmeng slumped against the sofa, defeated. She had flipped through hundreds of channels, and none had appealed to her.

How does anyone in this world sit through these shows?

"What's wrong, big sis Lingmeng? Don't you like watching TV?"

Piano looked at her curiously.

"It's not that I don't like it..."

Lingmeng gazed at Kotori's face. At first, she hadn't liked being called "big sis," but the more she heard it, the more she enjoyed it.

Piano was a beautiful girl, after all. Hearing her say it made Lingmeng feel her otaku soul stirring.

If Kotori had called her "big brother" instead of "big sis," Lingmeng was certain she would have had an unstoppable nosebleed on the spot.

Of course, she could only imagine it now. As much as she hated to admit it, Lingmeng was no longer a man. Sob.

"Is dinner ready yet, Shido?" Tohka's plaintive voice came from beside her. She lay sprawled across the sofa, her stomach growling.

"Just wait a little longer, Tohka. I've got my hands full right now."

Shido answered while bustling around the kitchen.

"Got your hands full, Shido?" Lingmeng leaned over the back of the sofa to ask.

"A little... But don't worry. Dinner should be ready soon."

"Want some help?" Lingmeng sprang up and hurried over to his side.

"No, it's fine. You're a guest, Lingmeng. How could I ask you to help?"