Chapter 28: The Yamai sisters

"Incoming from Adeptus One. The target has landed on the island."

"Camera six, north sector, Akaru Airport. Target confirmed."

"Confirmed here as well. It's Princess."

As the voices rose from the lower deck of the bridge, a girl was shown on the monitor. A girl who looked exactly the same as the AAA-rank Spirit—code name Eclipse.

"Target two confirmed. It's indeed Eclipse" the voice continued, as the image on the monitor shifted to a girl who bore a striking similarity to the A+ rank Spirit—code name Eclipse.

But this time it wasn't a picture but instead, a drawing of the girl...

"Hmm..."

The middle-aged man sitting in the captain's chair on the Arbatel, a DEM-made 500-meter-class airship, murmured and stroked his beard.

James A. Paddington. With a rank equivalent to colonel in DEM Industries' second enforcement division, he had been assigned by Westcott to captain the ship.

"Surprisingly anticlimactic," he remarked. "Are those two really Spirits?"

"Please make sure to stay on guard," came the voice of a young girl through the speakers on the bridge. The voice of call sign Adeptus One and the head of the second DEM enforcement division, Ellen.

"They may be Spirits. That is reason enough to be on high alert."

"...Tch." He clicked his tongue too quietly for her to hear.

He didn't care if she was the strongest wizard or whatever; he didn't particularly enjoy being ordered around by someone young enough to be his daughter. All the more so when the woman giving him orders was rumored to be Westcott's mistress.

Paddington, however, wasn't so incompetent that he didn't understand his position here and role in this mission, and he was also not so childish as to pointlessly share his personal distaste for her. He cleared his throat and addressed the two girls on the screen. "So what do we do? they might be Spirits. but, A lone girl, and the other with a low mana capacity that i still don't understand how she got an A+ rank spirit rank. It should be easy to capture them and bring them to Bandersnatch."

"It's not that simple. We proceed with caution. Please interrupt electronic communications."

"Roger. Parallel activation of Ashcroft-β twenty-five through forty, deployment of Permanent Territory. Target: Arubi Island."

The crew quickly began to tap at their consoles.

A thin CG dome was rendered over the image of Arubi Island on-screen—an invisible wall, undetectable by the naked eye, untouchable in the physical space. A Territory.

Arbatel was floating twenty thousand meters above Arubi. From where it hung in the sky, it used its Ashcroft-β Realizers to deploy a Territory large enough to cover the entire island; AST member Territories paled in comparison. With this dome in place, transmissions between the island and the outside world were possible only via the special devices used by Ellen and her comrades. Meaning that whatever happened on the island, the AST could not interfere.

<Back to shido>:

As the violent storm raged on, Shido found himself caught in the midst of an otherworldly confrontation.

Two Spirits, so alike in appearance that they could only be told apart by the subtlest of differences, engaged in a heated argument.

Meanwhile, Hikaru sat calmly in their midst, chatting and laughing with herself as if oblivious to the world around her.

he turned his head a little, just to see tohka's Body sprawled motionless on the ground beside him, her body battered by a fierce gust of wind that sent a metal garbage debris hurtling toward her head.

he quickly turned his attention back to the strange and perilous situation unfolding before him.

"How did I even got dragged to this situation," He asked a meaningless question.

"Keh... Your struggle is in vain. I foresaw the outcome long ago with the future sight of my witch's eye: You pierced by the next blow of my Sturm Lanze!"

"Argument. There have been no instances of your witch's eye being correct," Yuzuru said.

"Sh-shut up!" Kaguya stammered, her dramatic style of speech completely vanishing. "It totally has been right before! Don't make fun of me!"

"Demand. Yuzuru requests that Kaguya provide a specific list of examples."

"Nnngh! Look, come on. You know... I've predicted the weather right."

"Sneer. I cannot contain my laughter at this paltry result of your witch's eye—"

"CAN YOU SHUT FUCK UP PLEASE!"

"...!"

"...?!"

The sudden outburst made Both of them turn their heads to the source of the voice, surprised to find a disheveled figure sitting on the floor.

glared at them with a fierce expression, her hair a mess and her clothes torn. "Do you have any idea how loud you're being? i am talking to my wife here"

"HUH?"

Hikaru then held her hand up to her ear as if she were on the phone. "My sincerest apologies, honey. some freaks can't keep their mouths shut, everything is alright now," she said in a bright, cheery voice, even though she wasn't actually holding a phone.

"When am I coming home from work? Soon, honey. I still have some tasks to complete... What do you mean you've had enough?... Of course, my family is my top priority.... now what brings that bastard to that... Wait, don't tell me... Honey, please, wait don't hang up !!!..."

Hikaru slowly lowered her hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. "She hung up on me," she cried, "this is the first time she's done something like this!"

The two sisters shared a puzzled glance, unsure of what they had just witnessed.

"What was that...Yuzuru...? ."

"Report. Kaguya, no idea..."

on the other hand, Shido placed a hand on his forehead, letting out a deep sigh. "She's truly lost her mind," he muttered under his breath.

"Are you okay?..." Kaguya asked hesitantly, unsure of how to approach the situation.

Hikaru slowly turned her face towards the girl, tears streaming down her cheeks. "To be honest," she said, her voice filled with despair, "she belongs to the street, And who wants anything that comes from there? It's like buying a hotdog from a street vendor - you never know what you're gonna get."

As the words left her mouth she stood up, striking a pose as if nothing had happened. "Well, that's that then!" she exclaimed as if dismissing the whole situation with a wave of her hand. "I mean, who needs a street-savvy companion anyway? I'll just stick with my billionaire, playboy, philanthropist boy" she finished as she pointed at a certain boy sitting near them

"playboy?" Kaguya said

"Philanthropist?" Yuzuru added

"Billionaire??????" shido finished

Yuzuru and Kaguya trailed their gaze to where Hikaru was pointing, their eyes settling on a young boy with vivid blue hair, perched upon the ground.

For some reason, Shido turned his head and peered behind him, as if he was expecting someone to appear from thin air.

Kaguya turned toward Yuzuru once more and looked her up and down carefully from head to toe as if appraising a piece of merchandise.

"Question. What is it, Kaguya?"

"Keh-keh... I have been struck by a flash of inspiration, Yuzuru. You and I have battled in many different ways. To the point where we have exhausted all paths," Kaguya continued, gesturing dramatically as though she were acting in a play.

"But...perhaps there is one score we have yet to settle?"

"Doubt. What do you mean, one score we have yet to settle?" Yuzuru looked at her quizzically, and Kaguya chuckled as she glanced at Shido.

"Huh...?" Shido saw something a little cold in her expression.

(...)

While the eleventh-grade students of Raizen High School were heading to their first scheduled destination, the wind started gusting violently in the blink of an eye, and before they knew it, they were in the middle of a violent storm. Unable to continue at a leisurely pace, they ran into the museum at the instruction of their teachers, a place not far from the airport.

"Shido...," Origami murmured into the powerful wind making the thick glass of the windows creak, and she clenched her fists.

There was no sign of Shido (and those two dung beetle) among the students taking refuge in the museum.

He must have gotten separated from the group along the way and been left alone outside. Origami had obviously tried to race outside to go look for him, but she was stopped by a teacher when she was almost out the door. Even if she had gotten past them, she wouldn't have made much headway in this typhoon.

"Ngh..." All she could do now was pray for Shido's safety. She was overcome by an intense helplessness and frustration that had no outlet.

"Hey, is the sky kinda clearing up?" asked a boy near the window. The rest of the students clustered around the windows to look outside.

Origami yanked her head up as if compelled by that voice and wove her way between the other students as she headed straight for the door of the museum.

"Ah! T-Tobiichi! It's still too dangerous out there!" Tamae tried to stop her, but Origami ran right past her and yanked the door open.

"...?" She stopped in place. The person she sought was standing before her in front of the museum.

"H-hey...Origami," Shido said. Maybe because of the wind, his hair and clothes were a mess, but fortunately, he didn't appear to have been injured.

Even so, she felt no relief. Instead, she frowned and sharpened her gaze.

Something was off with Shido... Or rather, he had some strange new accessories.

First, there was Tohka on his back. She had apparently passed out.

That was fine. Well, technically, it wasn't, but it wasn't totally unexpected.

Hikaru stood next to him, wearing that creepy smile and hollow eyes, it had been a month since she started to give her those expressions every time they face each other, but that was fine too, as she didn't care

The issue was...

"Well, Shido? I'm more appealing than Yuzuru, right? Choose me, and I'll let you plant a kiss wherever you wish to conclude our contract!"

"Temptation. Please choose Yuzuru. I will do good things for you. I'm amazing. Kaguya is nothing."

Clad in school uniforms, two girls with identical faces stood on either side of Shido, touching him in an excessively familiar fashion as they tried to seduce him.

The eyes of his classmates boring into him now were painful.

"I-Itsuka? Who are these girls with you? I've never seen them before..."

"Huh? Have you already picked up some local girls and are forcing them to cosplay? You always carry girls' uniforms around with you, Itsuka?"

"I just thought of a great job for you, Itsuka. You wear a signboard around school that says: HUMAN PUNCHING BAG, 1,000 YEN PER MINUTE. I'm sure you'll be able to buy a house in no time."

The students all started to talk at once. But that was only natural, given that Shido had supposedly gotten lost in the storm and somehow returned with two strange girls in tow.

Per Reine's instructions, the pair had dematerialized their Astral Dresses and clothed themselves in the Raizen High School summer uniform. Just like he had with Tohka, Shido had helped them produce the outfits with the information they could glean from looking at the uniform.

The entire situation might have been weird already, but if they had still been wearing that bondage gear, his classmates would have misunderstood and taken that to mean that Shido had particular fetishes.

"Oh, Nee-san, you're finally awake," Hikaru exclaimed, noticing that Tohka had finally opened her eyes.

Shido, upon hearing Hikaru's words, he breathed a small sigh of relief as Tohka stirred awake. He had been worried about her condition, but now that she was conscious, he felt a sense of reassurance

With gentle care, he lowered her onto the ground and gave a comforting pat on her head as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Are you okay, Tohka?" he asked, worriedly.

Tohka blinked her eyes a few times, trying to get her bearings. "Wh-where am I?" she asked, confused.

"In the resident," Shido replied, helping her up. "We got caught in a storm, but we're safe now."

Tohka looked around and noticed the two girls standing next to Shido. "Who are they?" she asked, tilting her head.

Origami chimed in, adding to Tohka's question. ."Yeah, Shido. Who are these people?"

"Uh. Umm...," he stammered, averting his eyes. Beads of sweat popped up on his face, but then a sleepy voice came from the back of the crowd as if to put a stop to the growing commotion.

"...Aah, there you are. Transfer students Kaguya Yamai and Yuzuru Yamai...right?" The assistant homeroom teacher Reine Murasame was standing there, her head wobbling from side to side.

"Transfer students?" Origami asked.

Reine nodded. "...Normally, they'd transfer after the summer break, but they wanted to come on the school trip no matter what. So we decided they would meet us here. I got a message earlier that their flight had landed, so I sent Shido to meet them."

"What? Tr-transfer students?" Tamae's eyes grew round as saucers. "Ms.Murasame, I haven't heard anything."

"...It happened pretty suddenly. I'm sure you just missed the e-mail."

"Uh. Uh-huh..." Tamae retreated, a look of bewilderment on her face.

Well, that was the look a person would make if the person who was notified of transfer students was not you, the homeroom teacher, but Reine.

Origami looked at Reine with doubtful eyes before returning her gaze to Shido. "Really?"

"R-really...," he replied, his voice strained.

Kaguya and Yuzuru nodded from where they were glued to either side of him. As a condition for helping judge their final battle or whatever it was, Shido had told them to go along with his story.

As the party discussions grew more impassioned, a sudden hand reached out to grab Tohka's. She turned to face the mysterious stranger and was surprised to see it was Hikaru.

"hmmm, Hikaru?"

"I heard that the cafeteria has opened and they're serving an all-you-can-eat buffet," Hikaru suggested, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Realy?!" Tohka's stomach rumbled at the thought of food. "I guess I am kind of hungry," she admitted with a sheepish grin.

"Then, To the cafeteria, we go!" Hikaru declared, her mischievous smile spreading across her face as she looked back at Tohka. With a skip in her step, she led the way

As they turned to leave, "Hm? Tohka, Hikaru, where are you going?" Shido called out to them, his attention caught by their departure.

Hikaru flashed a bright smile at him. "We're heading to the cafeteria!"

Tohka chimed in, "Wanna come too, Shido?"

Shido hesitated, his stomach grumbling in protest. He was hungry, but his current condition made it difficult to leave the bridge. "I think I'll pass this time. You girls go ahead and enjoy yourselves," he replied.

Tohka gave a pout, but Hikaru just shrugged. "Suit yourself, Boy. More food for us!"

Tohka waved at him cheerfully as she followed behind Hikaru. "see you later, Shido!" she called out.

(...)

As they entered the cafeteria, the sight of the delicious food made Tohka's mouth water. she could barely contain her excitement as she pointed to all the different dishes. "Look at all the food! Let's start with the sushi, and then we'll move on to the tempura, and then the ramen, and..."

"Slow down, Nee-san! We don't want to eat everything in sight."

Tohka's eyes widened in surprise. "We can't? But didn't you say they give us the pass to eat as much as we can"

Hikaru raised a hand to her chin, pondering the question. "actually you got a point, it's not our fault if they offer us unlimited food, right?" she replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Tohka's face lit up with excitement. "Then let's dig in! Sushi first!" she exclaimed, grabbing a plate of the delectable delicacy. Hikaru followed suit, grabbing a plate of tempura and dipping it into the savory sauce.

they devoured their food with enthusiasm, savoring every bite. They tried everything on the menu, from the crispy fried chicken to the steaming hot bowls of ramen. Tohka even went back for seconds and thirds of the sushi, determined to eat her fill.

As they ate, The cafeteria had become noisy and crowded, with everyone talking about the two girls who seemed to have an insatiable appetite. But Tohka and Hikaru didn't let it bother them. They were used to being stared at, and they didn't care as long as they could enjoy their meal.

"I need to take a picture of this. My friends won't believe me when I tell them." One onlooker exclaimed in disbelief.

"They must be aliens. No human can eat that much!" another one added

Amidst the crowd, there was a man who was teasing a girl, perhaps his girlfriend.

"You really should take notes from those two on how to be confident?" he jokes

the girl didn't seem to take it too well, " and you have to learn from your brother how to last more than two minutes on the bed" she retorted, before storming off, leaving the guy red-faced and speechless.

"Huh, what do you mean?" the guy followed after her

Tohka and Hikaru continued to eat with gusto, unaware of the commotion they were causing around them. They were too focused on the delicious flavors of the food to pay attention to anything else.

"Mmff! Thiff ffried rice ish sso ghood!" exclaimed Tohka, her mouth still half-full of rice.

Hikaru nodded in agreement, taking a mouthful of noodles. "I know, right? And this tempura is so crispy and flavorful. Mmff!"

Finally, after what felt like hours of eating, they were both satisfied. Tohka leaned back in her chair with a contented sigh, while Hikaru dabbed her mouth with a napkin.

"That was amazing," said Tohka, her eyes shining with happiness.

Hikaru smiled. "Yes, it was. I haven't had such a satisfying meal in a long time."

As they got up to leave, they could hear people whispering about them. But they didn't mind. They were used to the attention

As they walked out of the cafeteria, they were greeted by a beautiful sunset. The sky was painted in shades of pink, orange, and purple, and the clouds looked like they were on fire.

Tohka's eyes widened with excitement as she turned to her sister. "Oh by the way Hikaru, wanna try the springs?"

"The springs?" Hikaru echoed, her curiosity piqued.

Tohka nodded with a grin. "Yes, the hot springs. I heard from one of my classmates that there's a great one here. We should definitely check it out."

Hikaru hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Well, I think it's okay... but I will need something to cover my eyes,"

"Why?" Tohka asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hikaru just shook her head. "You really don't have to know."

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(A/N): I am here again!!!

the yamai doesn't look like it will take much time to finish

i would say 3 more chapters.

but well iam really wanna finished this arc, as the next arc is Miku

the Yuri princess.... anyway see ya next time...