Chapter 37: Kururin~

Shidou sleepily rubbed his eyes as he slowly made his way to his classroom, his mind still reeling from the events of the day before. Not only had he met Mana, his self-proclaimed real little sister, but there was a certain other event that happened late into the night. An event that kept on replaying itself in his head, resulting in his sleepless state.

——————I am the dividing line that flashbacks——————

"AAAAAAAAUGH!"

Blood splattered all over the alleyway as the man was quickly shot in all four extremities. The one holding the gun, a girl dressed in a red-and-black dress, smiled gently. 

"What's wrong? Didn't you say you wanted to 'have some fun' with me?" She licked her lips in a flirtatious manner at the man writhing in pain on the ground. "Well, don't worry. Even if you aren't enjoying yourself, it'll all be over soon."

Countless pale white arms erupted from beneath the man, covering his mouth and dragging him into his own shadow. Soon, there was nothing left of him, save the blood that now stained the streets. The girl laughed softly to herself.

"Tch. Looks like I'm late again." An unfamiliar voice sounded. A blue-haired girl dressed in a bulky CR-unit landed down in front of the entrance to the alleyway, her face twisted into a scowl. "And it's just as bloody as always… you're quite the messy eater, aren't you? [Nightmare]?"

"Oh? You are… Takamiya Mana, is that right?" The Spirit designated as [Nightmare], Tokisaki Kurumi, bowed her head mockingly.

"Keep my name out of your mouth, filthy Spirit." Without another word, Mana fired a flurry of six lasers, instantly piercing Kurumi's chest from multiple angles at once. 

"Ahaha… so eager…" Kurumi struggled to stand up before being interrupted by another volley of laserfire. When she fell this time, she didn't get back up. Still, Mana approached her still body and raised her arm. A beam of light condensed around her hand into a blade-like shape, and she slashed down mercilessly-

"STOP!" Reine paused the recording as Shidou gasped for breath. "Wha… what is this?"

"The truth. A mere six hours ago, only around thirty minutes before you met with Mana, Tokisaki Kurumi was murdered," Reine explained calmly.

"You…" Shidou's stomach churned. "Was that… really Mana?"

"We tried to track her location via local surveillance cameras after this shot was taken. Although there were a few blind spots, we can say with high confidence that it was indeed the same Mana you met today." Reine stood up and patted Shidou on the head. "Don't blame yourself for this. According to our information, [Nightmare] has demonstrated the ability to revive herself."

"What?!" Shidou backed away from Reine, his eyes widening. "You're saying Kurumi could still be alive?"

"Mm. We have recordings of at least four other 'deaths,' and if DEM records are to be believed, she has 'died' over fifty times now." Reine stifled a yawn. "Although, we don't know if her revival ability has a limit…"

Shidou grit his teeth. "No, she's alive. She has to be."

"Well, I guess we'll find out tomorrow." The older woman gave him an appraising look. "Shin, to be honest, I didn't want to show you this footage-"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks for showing me the truth." Shidou glared down at his hands, clenching them tightly against his chest. "I'll save Kurumi, and I'll make sure she never has to die again."

"...alright."

—————I am the dividing line that flashes forward—————

That being said, I don't have proof that she didn't reach her revival limit… no, don't think like that. Shidou absentmindedly greeted his friend Tonomachi as he sat down in his seat. She has to come. Please…

As the minutes passed, Shidou noted every person who came in through the door. Origami, a couple of people he'd never talked to, the Ai-Mai-Mii trio, Tohka, a few more unknowns, then… no one.

Maybe she's just late. As Ms. Okamine began recording attendance, Shidou began to sweat nervously, drawing a concerned look from Tohka.

"Hey, Shidou? Are you ok?" She whispered quietly.

"Eh? Yeah, I'm great. Don't worry." He silently berated himself for his poor acting.

"If you say so…"

————————I am the dividing line that skips time————————

"Yatogami?"

"Present!"

"Alright, let's see… er, Tokisaki? Are you here now?" Silence. Ms. Okamine sighed and scribbled something down on her board. "I told her to contact the school if she was ever absent. Kids these days…"

Shidou felt his stomach sink. Then, she really isn't-

"I'm here, teach." Slowly sliding the door open, Kurumi entered the classroom, an embarrassed smile on her face. Relief flooded Shidou's being. She's here! And she looks totally unharmed!

"Ms. Tokisaki, you're very late!" Ms. Okamine reprimanded with a stern tone.

"Sorry about that. For some reason, my stomach felt like it got shot multiple times, so I took a little bit of a rest before coming here." Kurumi bowed her head. "I'm sure it won't happen again."

"Er, no, it's fine. In fact, if it's really that bad, then I'd rather you rest for a while instead of coming to school. Do you maybe need to see the school nurse?" The teacher's voice quickly changed into a worried tone.

"No thank you, I'm feeling much better now." Kurumi shot a smile at Shidou… no, to his left, where Origami was sitting. Wait, was she there when Mana killed Kurumi?

"Alright, if you say so… in that case, please take a seat so we can begin class."

"Of course." Kurumi walked down the rows of desks before abruptly stopping next to Shidou.

"Wh-what is i-"

"Meet me on the rooftop at lunch." Kurumi looked deeply into his eyes and smiled. "I have something to ask of you."

Beside him, Origami's eyes darkened.

————————I am the dividing line that skips time————————

"Don't go meet her." Origami stood in front of the stairwell, staunchly blocking any and all of Shidou's attempts to bypass her.

"Shidou, it's been five minutes since your lunch break started. If that number reaches ten, the Fraxinus computer has calculated a 70% chance that Kurumi's happiness will plummet. Think of something!" Kotori's voice commanded from his earpiece.

What do you want me to do?! Shidou screamed internally. She's way too athletic for me to get past her!

"Shidou?" Savior! Shidou cheered as Tohka showed up, holding the bento he made for lunch. "Did you want to eat toge- what are you doing here, Tobiichi Origami?"

"It's none of your business, Yatogami Tohka." Origami's eyes narrowed. "Now, leave."

"W-what? How rude! Who do you think you are, ordering me who to eat with?" Tohka stomped her foot in anger. "I think I'll stay, actually!"

"You…" Origami put her face in front of Tohka's. "You're nothing but a hindrance right now. A danger to Shidou. So leave, before you get him hurt."

"Don't forget, you're the one that shot him!" Tohka glared defiantly in return, refusing to budge an inch. As the two continued to bicker, Shidou silently tiptoed up the stairs. Before long, he came to the roof entrance.

"Alright, let's do this, Shidou. Fraxinus is on standby, but hopefully we won't need to interfere. Let's try to at least secure a date today," Kotori reminded. 

"Right." Shidou took a deep breath as he opened the door.