On the eve of the grand battle

"Didn't we already send you the documents earlier? Why didn't you follow the orders?"

I remained calm, meeting their gaze directly. "I received the documents, but I chose to act according to the actual situation. Besides, I don't fully trust the capabilities of the people sent by D.E.M."

"Do you realize that your actions have violated direct orders from your superiors? This could not only jeopardize the mission but also cause diplomatic issues with the D.E.M. Corporation."

"I understand! I'm willing to accept the current punishment!"

"Good! I hope you don't act as recklessly as Sergeant Tobiichi Origami. You still have a bright future ahead of you with your talents."

"Understood!"

"Your punishment has been decided. For the upcoming mission to eliminate <Diva >, you will be stripped of your command. D.E.M. will take over your role. You will still participate, but as a member, not as a team leader."

"So who will be in command for this mission?"

"Jessica Bayley will take direct charge of AST."

Those words felt like a heavy blow to my pride. I clenched my fists, suppressing the rage swelling within me.

"Understood," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

"You may leave." The officers nodded, signaling for me to exit.

I turned and walked out of the room, feeling a mix of helplessness and fury. But even though I had been stripped of command, I swore that no one would stop me from destroying DIVA. This battle wouldn't end just because I lost my position as team leader.

On my way back to my room, Origami slowly approached me.

"Why did you try to attack Shido when the mission was focused on the spirit <Diva >?"

"What are you talking about, Origami?"

"Don't pretend! I noticed your strange behavior and Jessica's too."

"Answer me quickly."

"Come on, you're scaring me. I only flew in to protect him, after all, it was like a battlefield, wasn't it dangerous?"

Origami's eyes never left mine, her gaze as sharp as a blade cutting through my lies. She might have seen through my actions because I knew that what I did was too obvious to someone like Origami, who had incredible observational and movement-reading skills.

"If you do anything to Shido," Origami whispered, her voice turning hard and threatening, "I won't forgive you! Absolutely not!"

"I understand."

Origami stared at me for a moment longer, as if trying to read my thoughts one last time, then turned and walked away. She moved with a decisive stride, leaving me standing there, rooted to the spot.

"You're something else, Origami," I muttered in my mind, my eyes burning with hatred. "But no matter how strong or clever you are, I'll crush every bone in your body before you get a chance to meet Phantom. I won't let you turn into a spirit because that would be too troublesome for me."

I gritted my teeth, feeling the hatred in my heart grow stronger. "I thought I'd try to convince you to stop protecting Shido and live peacefully with those spirits... but... But this is fine too, you've outlived your usefulness to me anyway."

A cruel smile crept onto my lips. "Thanks for the time in AST, and soon, it'll be time to say goodbye forever... HAHAHAHA."

◊

The familiar chime signaling the end of class rang out, pulling me out of my hateful thoughts. Today was September 11th, and from now on, students from various schools would be participating in preparations for the Tenou Festival.

Even though I wasn't a member of the organizing committee, under the pressure of the trio of Mai, Mii, and Ai, I was forced to go to Tenguu Square to check on the progress of Raizen High School's preparations. It was a bother, but there was no other choice.

As I was heading towards the school gate to catch the nearest bus, I encountered a scene that, despite knowing about it beforehand, I wasn't entirely sure how to react to. Before me was Shido, but instead of his usual school uniform, he was wearing a cardigan—a strange choice in the summer heat. But what shocked me more was that he was wearing a skirt and a long blue wig.

I blinked several times, making sure I wasn't seeing things. Shido, a regular male student, was dressed as a girl. He looked uncomfortable, his face flushed as if he knew he was being watched, but he still tried to act calm.

"Oh... I almost forgot this is the time when he's about to meet <Diva >..."

Because <Diva > despises men, Shido had to resort to such measures.

Nearby, Tonomachi was chatting with Shido in disguise, seemingly unaware that the "girl" in front of him was actually a guy.

"Whatever, it's none of my business."

After about 15 minutes, I arrived at Tenguu Square. Although the area had been heavily damaged by a spacequake four days ago, it didn't dampen the bustling atmosphere of the Tenou Festival. Stalls were set up everywhere, with lights and sounds blending to create a vibrant, colorful scene. People and students from different schools had gathered, busily preparing, creating an exciting atmosphere.

Approaching Raizen High's booth, I saw Mai, Mii, and Ai busy directing other students. They waved at me as soon as they saw me, signaling for me to come help. Despite not being thrilled about it, I walked over, ready for the troublesome tasks they would assign me.

"You're quick, Watano. Take care of the maid café, make sure the decorations look nice. Shiori, Tohka, and Origami are handling the stage for our performance, and now we're off to practice."

"Shiori?"

"Oh, she's Shido's little sister. I heard that jerk Shido dumped the responsibility on his sister."

"I see..."

"Alright, leave it to me."

I knew full well that "Shiori" was just an alias Shido used to disguise himself as a girl.

The three of them quickly left, leaving me surrounded by decorations, maid costumes, and signs that needed finishing. I glanced around, sighed, and got to work. Even though this wasn't my area of expertise, I knew what to do to make the place look attractive. And after a long time struggling with everyone, the job was finally done. By then, I was utterly exhausted, wishing I had refused to help from the start.

◊

Day after day, right after school, I was dragged off by the trio of Mai, Ai, and Mii to help with the class booth, even though it wasn't even my responsibility. This left me with no chance to monitor Shido's actions, and AST had no additional information about <Diva > in recent days.

The frustration in my heart grew as I felt trapped in these trivial tasks while important events were unfolding elsewhere. Even though I knew I couldn't entirely blame them, the irritation made it harder to focus on what I had to do.

Just as boredom was about to overwhelm me, the radio suddenly crackled, breaking the dull atmosphere. I quickly grabbed the radio, and an urgent voice came from the other end.

"Captain Watano, we have an emergency meeting! Please return to base as soon as possible!"

"Understood! I'll be there in five minutes."

Putting the radio down, I quickly left the booth without offering any explanation to Mai, Ai, and Mii. I donned my uniform and headed straight for the JGSDF base. Entering the meeting room where the other members were already waiting, I immediately sensed the gravity of the situation. Everyone's faces were full of concern, and I knew this wasn't an ordinary meeting.

"What's going on? Why does everyone look so serious?"

"Ah, finally, you decided to show up, Captain-san?" A familiar voice called out from the back of the room. I turned and frowned when I saw Jessica.

"It's you again, Jessica?!"

"Of course, this time I'll be leading the team." She smirked, her usual self-satisfied expression unmistakable.

"Whatever! But what's the next mission?"

Jessica stood up, walking over to the large map in the center of the meeting table. She pointed to an area marked with a red circle, her voice as arrogant as ever.

"Our mission this time targets Tenguu Square during the Tenou Festival. The targets are <Diva >, <Princess >, and a boy from Origami's class named Itsuka Shido."

"Tenguu Square??? And why during the Tenou Festival??? There will be a lot of people there!" I protested, my anxiety rising.

"That's why they'll show up," Jessica replied without hesitation. "Oh, and don't tell Sergeant Origami about this mission. Those are orders from above."

"This is insane! We can't attack with civilians present! This is far too dangerous!" I shouted, unable to believe what I was hearing.

Jessica raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on her face. "Those are the orders, Watano-san. If you don't follow them, you can choose not to participate, but it wouldn't matter if someone as useless as you is there or not."

"YOU..." I was furious, my fists clenching, but I struggled to suppress my anger.

"Fine, I'll follow your orders."

"You should have agreed from the start." Jessica sneered, her eyes full of disdain. I turned away, conflicted, but knowing that now I had no choice but to go along with this plan, and I would definitely find a way to stop it.

---

*A few announcements (You can skip if you want): 

- Hello, dear readers. I apologize for posting this chapter behind schedule (it's been more than 3 days since the last one). Since summer break has ended, I have to return to university, so the release schedule might be extended in the future (instead of every 2-3 days, it might become 4-5 days). I'm very sorry about this, but I hope you can understand. I promise I will still release chapters regularly until the end. 

- I want to inform you that my fan-fic will try to develop in a multiverse direction, with each universe being a different story of "me" in the DAL world. If you have any ideas, don't hesitate to leave a comment and share them with me. Thank you for reading!