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

Before Shiori could finish speaking, a camera shutter clicked.

When she came to her senses, she found Origami holding up her phone and photographing her nonstop with a remarkably professional stance.

"Cute. I don't know why you're dressed like this, Shido, but if you like it, I support you."

Origami kept edging her phone's camera closer to Shiori's skirt as she muttered.

"Safety shorts... Shiori, take them off!"

Disappointment crossed Origami's face when she spotted the safety shorts hidden beneath Shiori's skirt. She made her demand with more excitement than usual.

"No! You're making me really uncomfortable!"

Shiori immediately clutched the hem of her skirt and refused.

"I see..."

Origami said nothing more when Shiori refused. She simply lowered her head and browsed the photos she had just taken.

"Not bad. You look good from every angle, Shiori."

A satisfied smile tugged at Origami's lips.

(Why do you have the same expression as Lingmeng...?)

The familiar sight brought a bead of cold sweat to Shiori's forehead.

"Oh, right—Lingmeng!"

Remembering she had something far more important to do, Shiori sprang to her feet and pleaded.

"Tobiichi! Please, you have to help me! Lingmeng's in danger!"

Lingmeng was still fighting over a hundred Wizards. Shiori had to do something.

But Origami's answer stopped her cold.

"I refuse." The answer was blunt.

"Why...?"

"If I remember correctly, the girl you mentioned, Lingmeng, is the one who was with you yesterday, right, Shido?"

"Y-yes... Um... Is that a problem?"

Shiori asked timidly.

"Then there's no question about it." Origami's expression turned grave. "That girl, Qian Lingmeng, is a Spirit, isn't she? And she's Element Make, the strongest Spirit currently known."

"!!!"

Shiori's heart lurched. She hadn't expected Origami to know.

"You already knew, Tobiichi? When did you find out...?"

"I became certain she was a Spirit yesterday, after she teleported and knocked me unconscious. An ordinary person couldn't move that fast.

"When I looked through the Spirit records afterward, I found exactly what I expected. Her appearance was a one-hundred-percent match for Element Make (Element Maker)."

"I see..."

Shiori's face darkened. She knew Origami, whose parents had died because of a Spirit, would never help Lingmeng. Even so, she had to try.

"So what if she is? Tobiichi, please believe me. Lingmeng may be a Spirit, something people call a natural disaster.

"But she doesn't mean anyone harm. She feels happiness and sadness just like anyone else, and she blames herself when she causes others pain. She never wanted to trigger a Spacequake.

"So please give her a chance. I promise I'll seal her powers and make sure this doesn't keep happening!"

"No. Spirits are evil creatures. They can never live peacefully alongside humans. Even if you're the one asking, Shido, I can't agree.

"Besides, my mission is only to monitor DEM. I can't interfere with their attempt to capture Element Make (Element Maker)."

Origami refused again.

Shiori still wouldn't give up. She dropped to her knees and bowed until her forehead touched the floor.

"Please!"

Origami's answer remained unchanged. "No."

"Please!"

"No."

"Please, Origami... You're the only one I can count on now..."

They went on like that for several minutes. Shiori was breathing hard, and repeated blows against the floor had left blood on her forehead.

But that wasn't enough to shake her resolve.

"..."

Origami fell silent as she looked at Shiori.

She had never imagined Shiori would go this far for someone she had known for less than two days.

Then she remembered the boy who had appeared before her five years ago, after a Spirit killed her parents. He had comforted her and given her both the hope to keep living and the drive to take revenge on Spirits. Origami's resolve began to waver.

To stop Shiori from hurting herself any further, Origami finally sighed helplessly.

"All right... But you have to tell me what happened, Shido."

"Huh?" Seeing that her plea had worked, Shiori answered with delight. "Yeah! Of course!"

"So that's what happened."

After hearing the gist of it, Origami rubbed her chin and frowned.

"If that Bomb really goes off, it'll be a disaster."

"Do you have a way to deal with it, Origami?" Shiori asked.

"Find it and dismantle it," Origami replied seriously.

"Huh?" Shiori blinked at her answer.

It was certainly the most useful plan they had, but Shiori struggled to picture a second-year high school student dismantling a bomb.

Well... most second-year high school students haven't joined AST like Origami, either.

"Then there's no time to lose. Let's head downtown, Shiori."

"Uh... You can keep calling me Shido, like before..."

The change in how Origami addressed her left Shiori looking awkward. Then she gave a small smile.

"Thank you, Tobiichi. Thank you for being willing to help Lingmeng."

Origami answered without expression.

"Don't misunderstand, Shiori. I'm doing this for you, not for Qian Lingmeng. Besides, if she uses her powers to avoid capture, this whole city could be destroyed. Those are the only reasons I agreed."

"Uh... I see." Shiori's mouth twitched, and she gave an uneasy smile.

A Brush with Death

"Oh, right, Tobiichi. Could I borrow your phone?"

Before heading downtown to find the Bomb, Shiori suddenly remembered someone else who could help her: her younger sister, Kotori Itsuka.

"Sure." Without asking questions, Origami handed over her phone.

Shiori entered Kotori's number and pressed call.

"Beep... Beep... Beep..."

At the same time, Kotori's phone rang as she sat in the commander's chair.

"An unknown number? Who's calling?"

Kotori eyed the unfamiliar number on the screen. She assumed it was a sales call and thought nothing more of it.

So Kotori simply shouted in a firm voice.

"I'm not interested in whatever you're selling. Don't call again!"

But just as Kotori was about to hang up, Shiori's voice came through.

"Wait, Kotori! It's Shido!"

"Hm?"

Kotori sounded puzzled, but quickly caught on.

"That really does sound like my idiot brother. What's wrong, Shido? Why are you calling from someone else's phone? You sound frantic. Did something happen on your date with Lingmeng?"

Kotori doubted a sudden call from Shido meant anything good.

At Lingmeng's request, Ratatoskr hadn't interfered with their date that day.

Yet Shido, who was supposed to be alone with Lingmeng, had called her. Something had definitely gone wrong.

"Yeah... And it's bad..."

"I knew it. We dressed you up well enough to turn even a straight man's head, and you still failed? I guess your brain really is the size of a walnut."

Kotori gave no thought to Shido's feelings as she unleashed her commander-mode sharp tongue.

As she spoke, she pictured an absurd scene from Shido and Lingmeng's date.

"This isn't the time for that! Lingmeng's in danger!"

Shido was practically shouting from the other end of the call.

"..." Kotori frowned when she heard her brother speak that way.

Normally, no matter how harshly she spoke, Shido would only grumble a little. She hadn't expected him to get so worked up. This really must be serious.

"Calm down, Shido. Tell me exactly what happened."

"Okay..."

"What!? DEM threatened Lingmeng with a bomb to capture her!?"

After hearing Shido's explanation, Kotori slammed a hand onto the desk before her.

The crew below could tell from their commander's reaction how serious the situation was.

After a few seconds, Kotori managed to steady herself.

"Don't worry, Shido. Ratatoskr will do everything it can to help you both.

"We'll send specialists to help you disarm the bomb. As for Lingmeng, we'll send capable reinforcements to her. So try to stay calm."

Kotori laid out her plan without rushing, trying to calm Shido down.

"Got it. What should I do next?"

"Come back to the Fraxinus and rest. Don't think you're useless. You've already done well."

"...All right..."

Shido wasn't happy with the answer, but he agreed. He had reached Kotori and gotten her help.

He had done the one thing he could do. Staying here now would only put him in the way.

"Sorry, Tobiichi. I might not be able to go downtown with you. Kotori will send people to help you soon. If we all make it through this safely, I'll do my best to give you whatever you ask for afterward."

"Shido, I won't let that bomb hurt you."

"Thank you..."

Shiori gave Origami an apologetic look. A moment later, she was teleported back aboard the Fraxinus.