Chapter 68

If Tohka really hit me with all her might, my upper and lower body would definitely separate, right?

At that time, one will no longer be a "Shido" (a person who follows the way of the scholar), but a "shi/do" (a person who follows the way of the scholar).

Just then, Lingmeng suddenly revealed a teasing expression and twirled her index finger on Shido's cheek.

"Hehe. But I never expected Shido you, Shido, this herbivore-no-! Extinction Type virgin, would actually peep on beautiful girls taking a bath? Could it be that you've finally awakened?"

Shido immediately offered an explanation.

"N-No, that's not true! I never intended to peep. I just went in because the door wasn't locked, and I didn't expect Tohka to be inside..."

As he spoke, Shido's voice grew softer and softer. Perhaps recalling the scene he had just witnessed, Shido's cheeks began to flush again.

At the same time, the bathroom door opened again, Tohka came out once more.

However, this time she wasn't naked; she was properly dressed.

At this moment, Tohka was not wearing her school uniform, but rather Shido's usual home clothes.

It must have been Kotori who lent it to her, right?

How should I put it? Because of the oversized size, you can vaguely see the collarbone from the neckline, which feels a bit erotic.

"Um... Tohka, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were in the bathroom, so..."

Looking at Tohka ahead, Shido said with embarrassment, "In this situation, it's best to apologize as soon as possible."

"I... I forgive you, so please stop saying anything..."

With a hesitant, swaying body, Tohka said this.

However, she then put on a shy expression and asked again.

"Shido... you probably didn't see it, did you?"

Tohka was probably referring to what she looked like when she wasn't wearing clothes and her nipples were showing, right?

Shido thought to himself.

To be honest, even though it was only for a moment, Shido did see a tiny bit of it.

But then I thought, if I just honestly told them the truth, I'd probably be in big trouble.

So Shido quickly shook his head vigorously.

"I didn't see it!"

(This tastes like... a lie!)

Seeing Shido's contradictory answer, Lingmeng screamed inwardly.

She was speechless at Shido's hypocritical attitude, as if he had gotten the better deal but was still acting innocent.

As for how she knew Shido was lying, it's actually quite simple—

Although most of her power was sealed, she could no longer easily spy on other people's thoughts and memories as before.

However, she can still perceive other people's current emotional fluctuations in a simple way.

Based on her observations, she realized that Shido was clearly lying. And not just seeing some of it, but seeing everything!

Just as Lingmeng was about to expose Shido's lies and bring him to justice, Shido's question interrupted her.

"Speaking of which, Tohka, why are you here?"

According to Shido's memory, since Tohka was sealed away, she has basically been staying in the "quarantine zone" arranged by Ratatoskr. She rarely comes here except to freeload meals.

Of course, Lingmeng, who is also a spirit, is the same, but she came at Shido's invitation.

Therefore, Shido was puzzled as to why Tohka was in his house.

This question also caught Lingmeng. She didn't say anything, but just silently watched Tohka.

As if in response to Shido, Tohka tilted her head in confusion.

"Didn't Kotori tell you? It seems like there's some kind of training going on, so she wants me to stay at your place temporarily."

"Train?"

Shido frowned slightly; he had never heard of such a thing.

"Lingmeng, Kotori still in the living room?"

"It's still there."

"Um."

After exchanging a few words, Shido nodded slightly. Then, without saying another word, he ran straight to the living room.

"Kotori! What's going on?!"

As Shido shouted loudly.

"Oh?"

As he expected, at that moment, a little imp with pigtails turned around on the sofa in the living room and looked at him with eyes as big as acorns.

"Yo Shido, you're back! Seeing your little sister who hasn't been home for so long, are you almost moved to tears?"

Kotori took out the Chupa Chups drink she had mentioned and spoke in Commander Mode.

Shido didn't say much in response to Kotori's teasing; he simply patted the sofa.

"This isn't the time for that. Can you explain to me why Tohka is here? I remember she should have gone home with Reine after school!"

"Oh, that thing."

Kotori held up one finger and pointed towards the kitchen.

"... Oh, sorry to bother you."

"Ah?"

Shido stared in the direction Kotori was pointing and then froze in place.

At that moment, on the dining table in his kitchen, a sleepy-looking woman was putting several pieces of sugar into a steaming cup.

Without a doubt, this person was none other than Reine Murasame.

Incidentally, Reine was wearing Shido's mother's pajamas, and had a towel around her neck.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Shido felt that Reine's hair seemed a little damp.

Why are you wearing my mom's clothes and using her things?

Just as Shido was about to make that comment, Lingmeng's voice came from the living room doorway.

"Oh, so Reine's here too? Sorry, I didn't notice."

Arriving beside Shido, Lingmeng said this.

Reine simply shook her head, seemingly unconcerned.

"... It's okay, I haven't said anything, it's normal that you didn't notice me."

But at that moment, Shido finally couldn't help but speak up.

"Hey, hey, don't ignore me! Reine, wasn't Tohka supposed to be staying in the quarantine zone you arranged? Why is she here?"

As mentioned above, Tohka and Lingmeng, being spirits, have been living in an isolation zone arranged by Ratatoskr since they were sealed away.

The purpose is to enable immediate response measures when an unexpected situation occurs to the spirit.

Therefore, Tohka would always go home with Reine after school. Lingmeng, on the other hand, would go home alone whenever she wanted.

But Tohka today--

"... Ah, I really need to explain this clearly."

Nodding in agreement, Reine rubbed her sleepy eyes and said...

"... But before you go Little Shido, why don't you go change your clothes first? The floor's all wet."

"Little Shido" Reine's nickname for Shido. Although she often reminds herself of her name, Reine never seems to reflect on her actions. So over time, Shido has gotten used to this nickname.

"Ah--"

Looking around at the area he had just walked through, which was almost entirely covered in water stains, Shido exclaimed in surprise.

Then Reine glanced at Shido, who was also soaked to the bone, next to Lingmeng.

"... Lingmeng, your clothes have already been delivered, why don't you change them too?"

As she spoke, Reine picked up a paper bag from beside her feet. Inside the bag were the clothes that Lingmeng usually wore.

"Oh, thank you."

Smiling, Lingmeng accepted the bag from Reine's hand and thanked her.

Chapter Thirteen: Moving into the Itsuka Residence

"So can you explain to me what exactly is going on?"

In a small, sealed room, Shido spoke.

He had already changed his clothes, and Lingmeng had also changed into casual clothes like him.

Shido, Lingmeng, Kotori, Reine stayed together in Kotori's room on the second floor of the Itsuka Residence.

The space, about six tatami mats in size, is filled with pink wardrobes and beds, and the room is crammed with all sorts of dreamy little things and plush toys.

Simply put, it has a very girly style.

They originally planned to talk things out in the living room, but it seemed there were some things they couldn't let Tohka hear, so they moved the location here.

However, Lingmeng was quite in favor of choosing this location for the conversation.

Looking around, Lingmeng took a deep breath.

Is this a beautiful girl's boudoir? I love it!

For Lingmeng, who was visiting a girl's room for the first time, she was quite excited. She took a deep sniff and felt as if the air itself carried a sweet fragrance.

And then at that moment--

"I'll be honest, Tohka will be staying with us temporarily starting today!"

"With a bottle of Chupa Chups in my mouth," Kotori said.

"Huh?" ×2

Lingmeng and Shido groaned simultaneously, a big question mark appearing above their heads.

"So, what I want to ask is, why did things turn out this way?!"

Shido retorted in a tone that suggested he was about to flip a table.

Then Reine spoke.

"... Calm down, Little Shido. I know you have a lot of questions right now. But it's better to explain slowly."

"I understand."

Scratching his head in utter helplessness, Shido had already accepted Reine's way of addressing him.

"... If I really want to explain, there are roughly two reasons."

Reine held up one finger, making a two.

"Simply put, Little Shido, there's an invisible wire inside your body that connects Tohka and Lingmeng."

If the spirit's mental state becomes unstable, then the power of the spirit you sealed will return to the spirit through this channel.

"What?"

Shido frowned, his expression not looking good.

If what Reine said is true, then Tohka and Lingmeng will once again possess that powerful force capable of destroying everything.

This also means they will once again be hunted by humans. This is not Shido wants.

However, Lingmeng didn't react much to Reine's explanation.

When Kotori and Kotori discovered her elf identity and took her to Fraxinus for tea, Kotori and Reine told her everything.