Plot Twist

The blinding pillar of light closed in instantly, reaching Kaguya in the blink of an eye, seemingly poised to engulf her in its mighty onslaught.

Kaguya frowned, raising her arm as a powerful force gathered in her palm. Getting attacked out of nowhere would leave anyone in a sour mood, and the whole situation was already so convoluted that Kaguya felt like she was lost in a fog.

Just as she was about to counterattack, a white figure streaked toward her like lightning. Instinctively, Kaguya pivoted, aligning her hand toward the incoming figure. But when she recognized who it was, she hesitated slightly—she could clearly see it was none other than Origami Tobiichi, who had just left moments ago.

What's she doing back here? Could this be some kind of plot with Kotori Itsuka to lower my guard so that she could strike?

That thought flitted through Kaguya's mind in a flash, but she quickly dismissed it. From the look in Origami's eyes, she didn't seem to be preparing to ambush her. If that had been her goal, a heavy anti-materiel sniper rifle would've been far more suitable. Besides, Kaguya sensed no killing intent in Origami's movements. No matter how deeply hidden, killing intent was hard to conceal from someone like Kaguya.

Within those few split seconds, Kaguya's thoughts raced, but in the end, she didn't strike back, wanting to see what Origami intended to do.

To her surprise, Origami didn't attack. Instead, she grabbed Kaguya by the waist, and with a powerful burst of speed, they hurtled away from the Fragnarok's cannon blast.

"Boom!"

An intense flash of white light erupted, followed by an earth-shaking explosion that reverberated through the sky. The shockwave, mixed with hot winds, swept across the area like a tsunami. Everything in its path was reduced to rubble—skyscrapers, fountains, plazas, streets—all reduced to a wasteland by the sudden attack. Flames surged upward, thick black smoke billowed around, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of scorched debris.

"Why did you…?" Kaguya turned her head, looking at Origami in surprise. "Why did you help me?"

She was puzzled. Why would Kotori Itsuka, who was so pro-Spirit in the original story, now harbor such animosity? And why would Origami, who had been notoriously hostile to Spirits, now act as her ally?

"This isn't the place to talk. Let's go." Origami replied, gripping Kaguya's arm and quickly pulling her away from the scene.

Meanwhile, aboard the Fragnarok, hovering 10,000 meters above.

"Reporting to the Commander," a soldier announced loudly. "The Spirit is retreating towards the city center. Cooldown time on the main cannon: one minute and thirty seconds."

"One minute and thirty seconds?" Kotori stomped on the control panel, visibly irritated. "What a piece of junk! How can it need that long to cool down? Next time, we're scrapping this useless thing."

"Commander, you can't!" A handsome, golden-haired man protested hastily. "This is the main base for Ratatoskr—if you dismantle it, we won't have anywhere to operate from! But if you're set on dismantling something, you're welcome to dismantle me—I'd gladly oblige." He flashed a bashful smile, his body swaying slightly.

This was Kannazuki Kyouhei, the Deputy Commander of Ratatoskr and the Fragnarok's vice-captain, known far and wide as both an eccentric and a masochist.

Kotori, sucking on a lollipop with a deadpan look, stretched out her leg and firmly stomped on Kannazuki's foot.

"Ohhh…" Kannazuki let out a long, drawn-out scream, clutching his foot. Yet his expression wasn't one of pain—rather, he seemed to be enjoying it, true to his reputation as a devoted masochist.

The rest of the crew, witnessing the display, shook their heads. Kannazuki's antics were well-known by now, so they continued with their work, largely unfazed.

Annoyed by Kannazuki's noise, Kotori frowned, raised her leg, and gave him a fierce kick to the gut, sending him flying across the room. Finally, peace and quiet were restored.

"Spirits…" Kotori clenched the lollipop in her teeth, a flicker of hatred appearing in her eyes. She bit her lip, muttering, "Those things have no right to exist in this world. Since they've shown up, I'll take care of them myself."

Elsewhere, Origami and Kaguya were zipping through the city's skyscrapers, quickly moving towards the city center. Finally, they stopped in front of a building marked with an evacuation sign. Origami tapped on a wall, and a keypad emerged from its smooth surface. Entering a code, she triggered a door that revealed a deep passageway.

"Come in. They won't be able to track us here." Origami stepped inside, with Kaguya following closely behind.

"What is this place?" Kaguya asked, glancing around the corridor.

From the outside, the building didn't look particularly large, but inside, it was well-lit and spacious, with multiple passages leading off in all directions.

"This is one of the evacuation shelters," Origami explained, casting a quick look at Kaguya. "It was built to protect people from Spirit-related spacequake."

"I see." Kaguya nodded. This wasn't entirely new to her—she'd seen such things in the anime several times.

They continued down the corridor until they reached a door, where Origami opened it and led Kaguya into what looked like a cozy lounge, complete with chairs, a TV, and even a small kitchen stocked with supplies. Most likely, the provisions were meant for long stays during spacequake alerts.

Seated on the sofa, Kaguya couldn't help but ask again, "Why did you help me just now?"

Origami's expression fell slightly, as though she was disappointed. "Have you really forgotten everything that happened before?"

"before?" Kaguya's confusion deepened. If she remembered correctly, she had only arrived in this world today. How could there be any "past" between them?

"Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?" Kaguya asked.

"No," Origami replied, turning her head, her clear eyes fixed steadily on Kaguya. "I could never forget what happened, even though now only I seem to remember. Originally, both of us shared those memories."

Although Origami's expression was as stoic as ever, Kaguya could sense a hint of loneliness within her.

But can someone please tell me what is actually going on?

Kaguya sighed, thoroughly bewildered. She was sure she had never done anything remotely like what Origami was implying, nor had they ever met before. How could there possibly be such memories?

Suddenly, Origami reached out, gently taking Kaguya's hand. "Don't worry," she said softly. "I'll figure out a way to help you regain your memories."

But there aren't any memories to regain, Kaguya thought wryly. However, she held back her response, recalling something else that had piqued her curiosity. "Do you know why Kotori Itsuka would go after Spirits so violently? Didn't she originally advocate for peaceful measures?"

"Huh?" Origami looked at Kaguya in surprise. Reaching out, she placed her hand on Kaguya's forehead, blinking her beautiful eyes in concern. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Kaguya frowned, lifting Origami's soft hand from her forehead. "I'm not sick."

"Then why are you talking nonsense?" Origami tilted her head, her expression puzzled. "Could it be that you hit your head earlier, and it's affected your brain?"

"I'm fine," Kaguya insisted. "You have to believe me."

"Right… let's go to the hospital then. They have the best neurologists in the city."

"..."

Is she genuinely concerned or just messing with me?

Despite her exasperation, Kaguya managed to glean some useful information from Origami, and when she finally pieced things together, she was stunned.

Five years ago, a spacequake had occurred near Kotori Itsuka's home. A Spirit's reckless attacks triggered a massive fire, killing her parents. From that day on, Kotori harbored a deep hatred for Spirits, blaming them for her parents' death and everything she had lost. She later became the next commander of Ratatoskr, determined to drive Spirits out of the human world or, if necessary, destroy any who dared appear. This explained why she had attacked Kaguya so fiercely upon confirming her identity as a Spirit.

After hearing Origami's explanation, Kaguya had only one thought: Director, this script doesn't match!

She had initially planned to use Kotori's resources and influence to make approaching and "winning over" Spirits much easier. Kotori also had access to substantial intelligence on Spirits, which would have saved Kaguya the trouble of searching blindly.

But it seemed her arrival had drastically altered the course of events, and now her well-laid plans were useless.

"Oh, right," Kaguya remembered something and asked, "back then, during the fire, you—"

"The fire?" Origami's face brightened, and she moved closer, her sparkling eyes fixed on Kaguya. "You remember now? Do you remember what happened back then?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kaguya replied, feeling slightly thrown. She quickly regained her composure and added, "Ah, sorry to disappoint, but I don't seem to have any prior memories." Of course she didn't—there was nothing to remember in the first place.

"Is that so…" Origami lowered her gaze, her eyes shadowed by a faint sadness.

Seeing her looking so downcast, Kaguya felt her curiosity grow even stronger. What exactly had happened to make Origami look so heartbroken?

"Then… back during the fire, you…" Kaguya began, unable to hold back her question.

Suddenly, Origami's eyes widened slightly, as if realizing something. She raised her head and asked, "If you don't remember, then how did you know I was involved in that fire?"

Kaguya froze. Not good. She had been talking about Kotori this entire time, but she had never actually mentioned that Origami had been involved in that incident too. By saying that, she had inadvertently exposed herself.

When Kaguya glanced up, she was startled. Origami had leaned in close, her delicate face only inches away. They were so close that she could feel Origami's warm breath.

What's she doing? Kaguya thought in confusion. Does she think I've got something on my face?

Subconsciously, Kaguya wiped her cheek, but she didn't feel anything unusual.

As she was contemplating whether to push Origami back, something unexpected happened. Origami leaned forward even more, and her soft, fragrant lips pressed against Kaguya's, her warm tongue gently exploring.

For a moment, Kaguya was utterly stunned—she had been kissed.

Finally, Origami pulled away, calmly wiping the moisture from her lips, her expression as serene as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

The atmosphere suddenly felt very strange.

Just as Kaguya was about to say something, Origami spoke up, "Just now, I was checking if you had a fever."

Kaguya's eye twitched. Was that supposed to be an excuse? Surely, only a three-year-old would buy that.

"You could've just said you were giving me medical treatment," Kaguya replied, her mouth twitching in exasperation.

"Oh." Origami's face lit up in realization. She nodded, her expression serious as she said, "I see. Then, to help you recover your memory as soon as possible, I am currently treating you."

"..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon: 

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven