Life is Often Cliché

Among Shidou's most hated works of fiction were those of the harem genre.From stale, antiquated clichés and characters, to copious amounts of meaningless, non-diegetic fanservice, this so-called "genre" was chock full of trashy, lowbrow wish-fulfillment. Sure, the romance genre could get unrealistic, but rarely did it reach the heights of unreality common to harem anime.And chief among these absurdities was the protagonist's oblivious refusal to commit to any of the woman inexplicably throwing themselves at him. For a romance junky like Shidou, slow burn romances were nothing new, but the fact that these perverse mockeries of romance so rarely progressed to any meaningful conclusion just left him feeling cheated.So, in light of all this, it was with no small amount of displeasure that Shidou realized his life was beginning to resemble one of these works."Shidou! I baked these things called cookies!""Shidou, if you want cookies, I have baked some for you."Tohka and Origami were currently standing before him, trying to shove the other out of the way as they forced their trays into his face.As a part of their education, the students at Raizen High were assigned regular laboratory practicals and home economics classes, conducted in small groups of students.It seemed today was Tohka and Origami's turns.Wearily, Shidou studied the trays pressed against his face.When it came to home cooking, a touch of amateurish sincerity could lend a sense of charm, but Tohka's cookies were clearly slapped together in a mad dash to beat out her rival — several of them were even burned. And while there was something to be said for consistency born of competency and skill, the assembly-line uniformity of Origami's batch seemed more soulless than anything else.Despite this, Shidou would have gladly enjoyed the girls' cooking if they weren't so clearly just using him as a third party in their games against each other. A scene like this was supposed to be romantic, yet these two were ruining it with their dumb, harem style antics.Not wanting to play into such games, he took a cookie from each tray and popped them into his mouth in an attempt to keep things neutral."Mmm... They both taste great! I honestly can't say which is better!"Tohka pumped her fist in triumph."Hehehe... He ate mine a little bit faster!""False, he ate mine point zero two seconds faster.""H-How could you know that!"For their parts, Tohka and Origami completely ignored his diplomatic efforts in order to continue their squabbling."Grr... I bet your dumb cookies don't even taste that good!"So saying, Tohka snatched one of Origami's cookie-cutter cookies and stuffed it in her mouth. Immediately, her body convulsed in ecstasy and she blissfully held a hand to her cheek."Delicious~! I-I mean, they aren't even that great! Isn't that right, Shidou! There's no way the cookies of someone who attacked you could ever taste good!""Please don't drag me into this..."How had things cone to this? Where had the passionate, sincere — and to be honest, a little naïve — girl he'd come to know in April gone? He never would have imagined Tohka could be so... well, petty.No, it wasn't like Tohka was acting this way without reason. He'd nearly been cut in half by Origami after all, not to mention she'd been gunning for Tohka in the first place. Perhaps it was just because he hardly remembered the actual experience, but it was difficult to register her actions back then as something that actually happened to him, so he lacked any ill-will towards her. Clearly, the same could not be said of Tohka.That said, Shidou wanted her to be able to coexist with people peacefully, and for Origami to accept her and understand that she wasn't a threat.As he thought this, Origami dropped into a deep bow."Once again, I deeply regret my actions last month."What was this? Perhaps Origami felt the same way?"It was a complete oversight on my part. My intentions were only to strike Princess."Never mind.It seemed Origami still refused to even see Tohka as anything but a spirit, and the girl fumed at the reminder of her past."Don't call me that! My name is Tohka! Tohka!"Before things could get any further out of hand, Shidou raised his hands placatingly."Everything turned out okay, right? So why don't we just consider it all water under the bridge?""No, that is impossible," Origami straightened. "A simple apology could never make up for what I've done."Then she leaned forward, grabbed Shidou by his necktie, and jerked him in close, gazing deeply into his eyes."That's why I'm willing to do anything to make it up to you. Anything.""Duly noted!"This girl could be oddly terrifying at times.Beside her, Tohka immediately bristled at the sight of Origami and Shidou so close, pulling them apart forcibly."Don't fall for her tricks, Shidou! She's obviously trying to lure you into a false sense of security!"Origami scowled at the interruption, releasing Shidou as she side-eyed Tohka."I said I'll do anything, but I won't tolerate cheating.""C-Cheating?!"Of all the things she could have said, it just had to be the most salacious line possible. His classmates were already spying on the ruckus these two were causing; this was only going to add fuel to the fire."Shidou is an honest boy! He would never cheat on a test!"And now Tohka, in her infinite ability to misunderstand things, was adding accelerant to that fire.Things continued on like this until the warning bell mercifully rang, forcing Tohka and Origami to retreat back to the home ec room, and leaving Shidou to ruminate over everything at his desk while he tried to ignore the scornful looks directed his way.What the hell am I gonna do?This situation was intractable. He didn't know how harem protagonists dealt with this stuff for an entire series.At least tomorrow was the weekend. He'd get a welcome break from the bickering then. He'd even get to see Tohka's softer side when she wasn't being antagonized by Origami.With that happy thought, Shidou prepared for the rest of the school day.⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯Late that night, after the Itsuka household had gone silent.Shidou slept soundly in his bed, a rare moment when he allowed himself to completely relax, and Tohka snoozed contently in her makeshift bedroom in the guest room, her arms and legs spread every which way.Yes, all through the house not a creature was stirring save one, who let out a long yawn before speaking quietly into her earpiece."Status report.""Based on his vitals, Chin has just entered deep sleep. He shouldn't wake easily.""And the others?""They are currently waiting on standby.""Good. Let them know to come in. The door's unlocked."With her clearance, several men clad in black combat clothing silently entered the house, heading towards the second floor.Well, except one, who stopped to marvel at the interior decor."So this is the Commander's illustrious quarters... *Sniff* Haaaah~ I can practically smell the—"This one received a swift kick to the ass for his impudence, releasing a quiet little squeal before following his comrades to their mark.The following morning—Shidou had a habit of waking up about fifteen minutes before his alarm every day, and this trend continued even on weekends when he had no alarm to wake up to. On days like these, he usually stayed in bed, enjoying the comfort of not having to get up for anything.Feeling well-rested and energized, he stretched the drowsiness out of his body and reached out for his terminal, ready to get started on a paranormal romance he'd had sitting in his TBR pile.Except, instead of the solid, flat device, his hand grabbed something quite a bit softer and rounder.Eyebrows furrowing, Shidou gave the object an experimental grope, a muffled moan accompanying this move. Immediately, his eyes snapped open to an impossible sight.Lying next to him was Tohka, snoring away without a care in the world, the sheets all over the place from her usual tossing and turning.Shidou released her breast like it was on fire and stared dumbly as he assessed the situation.What was she doing in his bed?No wait. From the layout of the room, to the laundry carelessly strewn about the place, this was clearly not his bedroom.Shidou was in Tohka's bed....What... the... hell...Had he accidentally gone to sleep in the wrong room?No. Impossible.It wasn't like the two of them didn't spend plenty of nights in each other's beds, but Shidou thought he would have remembered something like that. Tired as he may have been last night, going in the wrong bed would have been a first.Maybe he had sleepwalked? But he'd never sleepwalked in his entire life. Was that the kind of thing that could just develop one day?Before he could figure out how he'd ended up in this only-one-bed scenario, his thoughts were interrupted by a noisy yawn.Tohka had woken up.The girl blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she rolled over — right onto Shidou."...Mmmph?" She sat up and stared down at him. "...Shidou?""Uh... Morning, Tohka."She looked confused by the situation for a moment before, with a soft smile, she leaned down to press her lips against his, letting out a mumbled "Morning..." as she did so.Well, this wasn't exactly how he'd expected to wake up, but he had hoped to see some of her cheery side again.Tohka deepened the kiss, grinding her hips while Shidou massaged her ass, drawing out a muffled moan from the girl.Something that has been left unsaid up till now is that Tohka slept in nothing but Shidou's t-shirts, assuming she slept in anything at all, so when he did this, his fingers gripped naked flesh before eventually moving down and fingering her wet pussy.Things continued on like this, quickly progressing to full on sex but, as Tohka inserted his length and began to rock her hips, the question remained — how had he ended up in her bed in the first place?Thinking about it, there was only one possible suspect.⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯Shidou found the culprit on the living room couch, watching a video about confectioneries without a care in the world. She was wearing her white ribbons, but that fact wasn't going to save her right now."Morning, Kotori." He started, all smiles. "If you would be so kind as to spare a moment of your time."Before him, Kotori immediately flinched at the saccharine tone he said this with. Though, that probably had more to do with the fact that he currently had her skull in an iron claw grip from which she could not escape."M-Morning back... What's got you up so early in the morning?"She did her best to feign ignorance, which only earned her skull a disciplinary squeeze."Oh, I think you know exactly what caused that." Shidou leaned down, giving Kotori quite the side-eye even as he smiled. "Today, I woke up in Tohka's bed. I wonder, perhaps, could you know why that might have happened?"Raising a shaking hand, his sister pointed to the kitchen. Dropping the smile for a dubious frown, Shidou turned without releasing his grip and his eyes widened at what he saw.Fraxinus' resident analyst, Reine, was currently in the kitchen brewing a pot of coffee. She was wearing their mother's pajamas and it seemed she had just gotten out of the shower, on account of the towel around her shoulders and the damp look of her hair.Apparently, he had completely missed the woman in his indignant rush.Reine only yawned at his surprised look, looking as tired as usual as she adjusted the scruffy looking teddy bear resting snugly between her breasts."Morning, Chin. In short, this is all part of your continuing training."Shidou quirked a confused eyebrow at that."Training?"Five minutes later—Shidou, Kotori, and Reine were currently seated at the dining table. On Kotori's head where her black ribbons, and Reine was steadily dropping sugar cube after sugar cube into her coffee, earning an increasingly concerned look from Shidou."Oh, sorry." She glanced his way. "Am I using too much sugar?""I think you're not using enough coffee..." He shook his head. "Anyway, what's this about continuing my training? And why was I put in Tohka's bed?"Swishing her mug in a way that implied she expected the coffee to dissolve the pile of sugar cubes in it, Reine answered."Broadly speaking, there are two reasons." She raised a finger. "One: it's for Tohka's aftercare.""Her... aftercare?""When you had sex with her last month, that act created what's known as a Path linking Tohka and you. Her powers were sealed because of that."Shidou nodded. "Right..."He remembered hearing this explanation back in the physics prep room."The trouble is," Reine continued, "should Tohka ever lose herself and become hysterical, the spirit power sealed in your body would flow back to her, and she would start producing spacequakes again.""Okay, so why are you telling me this now?"Recently, we've noticed a sharp decline in your number of sexual encounters with Tohka."Shidou couldn't help but balk at that phrasing.Did these people have to say everything in the most clinical, dehumanizing way possible.Kotori, who up till now had been resting her chin on her interlaced hands, spoke up."Whatever you want to call it, that girl's happiest after sex, so we can't have you suddenly going all dead bedroom on her."So that was it?Shidou had painstakingly devised a schedule that accommodated his and Tohka's differing libidos, gradually easing her into said schedule without her even noticing, and now these two outsiders were coming in, with incompatible objectives that threatened to destabilize a delicate ecosystem.He just couldn't catch a freaking break, could he?"Please understand, Chin.""...I don't know what you want me to do," he finally said. "I'm only one man. I literally can't have sex as much as Tohka wants it. I mean, I can barely touch the girl without it leading to sex."Reine considered Shidou's words as she took a sip from her coffee."Hmm... Tohka does have a particularly high libido, and her expressivity is also very high, so when she gets aroused, she immediately wants to move to intercourse...""Is this more pickup jargon?""It's just a way to refer to her psychological stats." Kotori waved him off. "Either way, this is a part of your training. After all, you did run into a spirit the other day, right?"At that reminder, Shidou perked up in his seat."Okay, I've been meaning to ask about that. Why does it have to be me sealing all the spirits? I'm sure you can find plenty of guys who would be happy to seduce spirits, or whatever.""Did you think you were the first? We've tried this before, but it's not easy to gain a spirit's trust, Shidou. They're more likely to make war, not love.""And you sent me out there knowing this?""We sent you out there after getting your explicit consent. And besides, it's not like just any guy could do what you can.""What's that supposed to mean?"Kotori's eyes widened like she'd just said something she shouldn't, prompting Reine to join the conversation again."Your preference for romance sets you apart, Chin. Your willingness to take things slowly is likely what made Tohka trust you. That's why we need you to get better at picking up women. The world needs you to get better at picking up women."The world?The absurdity of that first bit suggesting that literally no other guys but Shidou would take their time aside, these two were really asking him to take on the weight of the entire world onto his shoulders?He had enough on his plate just taking care of his normal (or formerly normal), everyday life. This larger-than-life talk about saving the world just left Shidou feeling a profound sense of vertigo. When he'd agreed to seal Tohka back in April, it hadn't been for the sake of the world or anything grandiose like that. He'd just been trying to save a lonely girl who was tired of fighting.No, he shouldn't try to make it sound noble. A part of him had been hoping for something more to come of it, maybe not some effortless happily ever after, but a real romance that they could build up together.But in the time they'd been together, Shidou struggled to list any actions from Tohka that could be described as legitimately romantic. Sure, she liked him, but at the end of the day she was just having fun.Tohka wasn't wrong to do that. Just because he saved her didn't mean she had to be with him, but he'd just thought, once they got together, that it'd be more like an actual relationship, rather than just friends with benefits.I guess it's my fault for jumping to conclusions. The real world's not a romance novel, after all...Across the table, Kotori clapped her hands together, snapping Shidou out of his thoughts."I'll take your silence as you understanding what's expected of you." She snapped her fingers. "Reine, make the preparations.""Preparations? For what?" He shot to his feet. "And I haven't agreed to anything! I still need time to process all this!""Process this, process that, what are you, a classical computer?" The legs of Kotori's chair scraped across the floor. "Quit making things difficult and just—make yourself useful already!"The Itsuka siblings glared at each other until Reine set down her coffee with a quiet but decisive thud."Kotori, let's give him some time to think about things. This is a lot we're asking of him, after all."A long moment passed as she considered the words of her analyst, before she let out a frustrated "Fine" and stalked out of the kitchen.Reine watched her go, looking no more awake for the coffee she'd just drank."Chin, please think about what we've said."With that, she left him alone in the kitchen.After that, Shidou went to the shower room, wanting to wash the smell of sex off himself.He slid the door shut to find hair.Here, there, everywhere.Shidou was no stranger to the odd strand of red hair, but having a second girl living in the house with ridiculously long hair had just upped the encounter rate to ridiculous levels. By now, though, he was used to such things and he got to work scrubbing himself down with a sponge and as he did so., he thought about everything that had happened.Firstly, there was that nonsense they'd fed him about why only he should seal the spirits.Was he really expected to believe that his prioritization of romance was what made him special? True, polyamory had cemented itself as an accepted alternative in society, but he knew classmates who were monogamous, not to mention plenty of celebrities, politicians, and the like. It wasn't rare or uncommon, it just no longer stood as the default template for sexual relationships.It was just one more thing these Ratatoskr people were being tight-lipped about.And that was another thing; what on earth was his sister doing with these people, as a commander, no less? Who put a teenager in charge of a clandestine military organization? Obviously, this was all very important to her, on account of how hard she was pushing him to help, but he was more worried that she'd wound up in some criminal operation.That said, their desire to save the spirits seemed honest enough... Gah! It was impossible to make heads or tails of any of this without any information!What about the beings at the heart of this matter — the spirits?He had a lot of questions here that obviously weren't going to get answered: where did they come from, why did sex seal their powers, and why did they apparently all dress like strippers?How many spirits even were there, anyway?The thought of having to house dozens of Tohkas, all equally nymphomaniacal, filled him with an avant-garde dread.Though... speaking of the girl herself, Tohka had always had an appetite for sex, but now that he thought about it, he was pretty sure her desire for it had gone up a lot more only recently. Thinking about it, the peak in her libido matched Origami's return to school.Great, exactly what he didn't want. Girls fighting over him and making a mess of his love life.One of these days, he was gonna have to deal with that girl, who apparently still thought they were dating, to say nothing of her antagonistic relationship with Tohka.In the face of all this, Shidou could only let out a long sigh.What am I gonna do...He didn't know, and it was clear that thinking about it wouldn't do him any good right now, so Shidou rinsed the soap off his body and prepared to sink into the nice, warm bath he had set for himself.Except—just then, the bathroom door flew open."Oh, Shidou! I didn't expect to see you here."Shidou whipped around to see Tohka, entering the bathroom in naught but her birthday suit.Why is she here?!Whenever they bathed together, somehow it always ended in sex. So, for his own health, he'd made up some lie about how girls could only shower at night.The only reason he'd even felt safe to bath at this time was for that reason, so it raised the question of what had changed."So, Kotori told me that girls can shower any time they want. Is that true, Shidou?"Kotori... told her that?That... little... shit!How truly foolish of him, to have assumed that girl would actually wait to start the training! That little sister of his truly was a sadist.When he got out of here, he was going to flay her alive. Until then, though, he had to find a way out of this situation."Uh, yeah... I guess that's just a silly urban legend! Haha...?"His awkward laughter died off as he noticed Tohka's gaze was not directed at his face, but rather somewhere slightly lower.When he'd rinsed off, the stream from the shower head must have hit his dick just right, because right now he was sporting a halfie.Having had a penis all his life, such things were completely unremarkable for Shidou, so he hadn't paid it any mind until Tohka had zeroed in on it.Throwing his hands over his boner, he spun around in a futile attempt to escape the inevitable."Oh, you're so shy, Shidou! All you have to do is tell me!" Tohka wiped the drool from her lips. "You wanna do it in the bathtub, don't you!""Um, no! I jus—"But before he could even get the words out, the girl pounced on him like a lioness on her prey.In no time at all, Shidou found himself on his back, his legs spread wide as Tohka eagerly prepared to impale herself on his cock."Tohka! Wait, Tohka! Tohkaaaa!"⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯The following Monday, Raizen High."Shidou, it's time for lunch!"So saying, Tohka rammed her desk against Shidou's. At the same time, another desk knocked against his from the opposite side, courtesy of Origami.Annoyance on her face, Tohka glared at the girl across from her."Why are you here? No one invited you.""That would be my line," Origami shot back without missing a beat.Sandwiched between the two, Shidou pressed his palms together in desperation."Please, can't we just have a nice, relaxing lunch without any fighting? Is that too much to ask?"At his heartfelt plea, the girls relented and sat down at their desks.After the incident in the bath, Kotori had put him through hell, complete with episode after episode of the most clichéd scenarios seemingly lifted straight from the trashiest hentai manga and pornos. What was supposed to be a relaxing weekend had been transformed into a gauntlet the likes of which would have had the devil himself throwing his hands up in denunciation.Somehow, he'd managed avoid Tohka's many advances without hurting her feelings, but needless to say, Shidou was in no mood for any bullshit today.Right now, all he wanted was enjoy a calm, quiet lunch without any disturbances or commotions. Pulling out his bento, Shidou popped the lid off and contentedly began eating.It soon became clear, however, that his lunch would be anything but uneventful.To his left, Origami's eyes darted from Tohka's bento to his. Shidou couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about the girl's body language betrayed a profound sense of indignation.Apparently, Tohka had noticed too, because she leaned over to match Origami's stare with one of her own."What is it now? Just so you know, I'm not giving you any, even if you stare like that."Ignoring her words, Origami pointed at the pair of bento."What is this about?""Hmm... what are you—?!"In an instant, Shidou realized what she was talking about.In a lapse of judgment brought on by Kotori's needling, he'd accidentally prepared two identical bento for both himself and Tohka, a fact Origami had picked up on immediately.Tohka often went to the Fraxinus after school for regular checkups, so Shidou had been able to keep the fact that she lived with him under wraps. If word got out that he was sharing a roof with a beauty like her, there would be no end to the hate he'd get, from both the male and female student body alike.Currently, he counted no less than six people surreptitiously listening in on their conversation.Trying to avoid any disastrous situations, Shidou put on his best poker face despite the sweat pouring from his pits."Oh, are you talking about the bento?" He let out a laugh. "We must have bought them from the same shop. What a funny coinci—""Liar."Origami cut him off with a single, damning word, holding up the lid of his bento like an attorney presenting evidence in court."You bought this one hundred and fifty-four days ago at the discount shop down by the station for fifteen hundred eighty yen. It's not from a lunch shop."..."A-Are you a stalker?" Shidou whispered, his alibi in tatters."If keeping tabs on my lover counts as stalking, then yes.""Did we even know each other back then?!""Hey, what's this about stalking? Have you been following us!"Tohka jumped to her feet, starting the beginnings of a scene. For her part, Origami just reacted with the same cool, calm composure as always."Don't deny it. I know you two live together."Desperately trying to keep this powder keg from exploding, Shidou jumped in."W-Whoa! Hold on a second! You make it sound worse than it is! We're just... she's just a homestay!" He jabbed his elbow into Tohka's side. "Right? Tohka?"That was the story he'd told her to say if anyone asked. Her eyes lit up as she recognized her cue."Oh! Mhm!" She nodded vigorously. "I'm staying with Shidou until I can get a place for myself!"Saying this, her face unexpectedly grew sullen, and Tohka stared into her lap."Hmm... But if I leave, we won't be able to have sex as often..."In the silence that followed Tohka's words, the sound of a single pin hitting the floor would have been deafening.While Shidou tried to figure out just where he'd gone wrong, Origami blinked in utter confusion."...What did you say?""Mm-hmm! Shidou and I have sex all the time! Yesterday, we had so much sex!" Her eyes glazed over in blissful reverie as her thighs squirmed. "Ooh~ His penis always feels so good inside me..."Finally deciding that he'd never gone right in the first place, Shidou dragged a palm down his face in exasperation."Oh my God... Tohka, you can't just say that!"At the angry tone of his voice, Tohka snapped to."Huh? W-Why not?"As if in answer to her question, the sound of a dozen desks scraping the floor filled the classroom as students crowded around them."You're living with Yatogami?!""And not just that, they're fucking?!""That lucky son of a bitch...""I knew it!"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!""The only good Itsuka is a dead Itsuka... The only good Itsuka is a dead Itsuka... The only good Itsuka..."In the face of what was quickly shaping up to be an unmitigated disaster, Shidou shot to his feet in order to address the emerging public outcry."P-Please, everyone calm down! I promise there's a—there's a perfectly good explanation for everything!"In the back, the Ai-Mai-Mii trio observed this spectacle with all the dramatic objectivity of a Greek chorus."So Yatogami's not ace after all...""But didn't she reject all those suitors?""That's so sick."Back in the action, it was clear that the crowd was not listening to Shidou's words.Everyone's eyes are on me! It's just like back then...Succumbing to his panic, Shidou began waving his arms about like an air traffic controller. Perhaps this would direct everyone's attention to less troublesome topics.But, just before the public lynching could commence—"The signature of a spacequake has been detected in your area. This is not a drill..."Thankfully, at that moment the spacequake alarm began blaring in the distance.Wait, no! That's bad!Half the class was already standing, so when Reine came in, looking about as alert as a coma patient, everyone filed out of the classroom, their petty concerns put aside for more important matters. After the destruction of their school by a spacequake, it seemed they took the alarms a little more seriously now.As this happened, Shidou couldn't help but notice Origami slipping away from the crowd, no doubt to join her fellow wizards out in the field.Before he could react to this, he felt Tohka latch onto his arm."So this is a spacequake alarm..."Frankly, after what she'd just put him through, a part of him wanted to yank his arm away. But one look at the genuine concern in her eyes as she watched the students' serious faces banished such feelings.She was so sincere that it honestly felt like she couldn't have done anything else. But she could just be so... thoughtless sometimes.Was that just her personality? Would it always be like this? Shidou knew that Tohka was ignorant of a lot of basic things, but there had to be some things that were just obvious, right?Either way, he had no idea what he was going to do with this girl."Chin."Behind him, Reine's voice shocked Shidou back into present reality. He turned to find the woman with her arms crossed, wearing her lab coat as the school's sexual health and wellness instructor."Sorry about the other day. Kotori had already set the bathroom plan in motion before she agreed to give you time.""And what about the ones after that?""...She decided she might as well go through with things after that.""Of course.""I realize this is a lot to ask after everything that's happened, but I'd like you to come onto the Fraxinus. To witness the spirit's situation."Witness the spirit's situation?It wasn't like Shidou didn't know exactly what Reine was getting at. She was probably hoping the sight of the spirit in peril would make the decision for him.He didn't like the thought of being manipulated so openly like this, but it wasn't like he couldn't just say no even after seeing everything.His mind made up, Shidou turned back to Tohka, who was still watching the other students.After having her powers sealed, she was a normal human more or less. She didn't really have a place aboard the Fraxinus."Hey, Tohka, I'm gonna have to leave you here for a little while. Can you go with Miss Okamine and the others?"She frowned at that as she turned her gaze to him."Shidou?""Don't make that face." He put on a smile. "I promise, I'll be right back."Reluctantly, she released him, allowing him to leave with Reine, and as he did so Tohka couldn't help but stare at the retreating form of his back, an unfamiliar emotion settling in her chest at his parting words."Leave..."⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯15,000 meters above Tengu City—"Took you two long enough. The spirit's about to appear. Reine, get ready."As soon as the two hurried into the Fraxinus' bridge, Kotori barked out orders from her position in the captain's seat as she sucked on a customary lollipop.Shidou was about to reflexively snipe back, when he noticed something on the main monitor of the bridge.The video feed, which had just been displaying a bird's-eye view of a street, seemed to be experiencing some bizarre interference.No, on a second look, he realized the problem wasn't with the video but the space itself, which rippled three dimensionally. It almost hurt to look at, but it quickly collapsed in a bright flash of light that completely blew out the drone's camera.While Shidou watched on in stupefied awe, Kotori regarded his confusion with a sidelong glance."I take it this is your first time seeing a spacequake?""Uh... yeah."A month ago, when he'd met Tohka, he'd experienced the effects of one firsthand. But to observe a spacequake in crisp, high-definition?It was certainly something else.The camera's exposure finally adjusted to reveal the now ruined street as rain poured down on it. The top of a traffic signal pole lay lopsidedly over the edge of the shallow crater that had been carved out of the road as if by an ice cream scoop.The scale of the damage was smaller than what Shidou had seen back then, but just like then there was a girl at the center, seemingly pantomiming a conversation with the puppet on her hand."Hmm..." Kotori narrowed her eyes. "For a spirit, the damage is surprisingly minor."Behind her, Kannazuki crossed his arms in thought."Well, that is Hermit for you. This scale of damage is right around average."Kotori took this in before popping the lollipop out of her mouth."Shidou, this is the spirit you saw the other day?""Yeah." He nodded. "Without a doubt."There was no mistaking that girl and her unnatural blue hair.Sitting back and crossing her legs, Kotori smirked."Well that's good to hear. I trust you left a good impression? Then we can start the seduction right away."Shidou frowned at those words.As usual, it seemed his sister was ready to rush right past the human element."Seduce her? She's a child, isn't she?"Kotori let out a deep sigh as her enthusiasm evaporated, already anticipating another difficult argument."...That's a spirit, Shidou, not a child. Hermit's been active for more than twenty years."What was this? That played out "Kakaka, I know I look like I'm eight, but I'm actually a five-hundred-year-old vampire!" cliché? That kind of thing might fly in fiction, but in the real world, there was no such thing as adult women who looked like literal children.Or so Shidou would have thought, before he learned of the spirits.Beings who seemed to defy the natural laws of reality, if there were any who could circumvent human laws, it would be these so-called spirits.But even still..."I know what you're saying, but you've got to understand why I'm reluctant here." Shidou threw out a hand at the monitor. "I mean, look at her."Kotori dismissed his concerns with a roll of the eyes. "What are you talking about. She's just petite.""Petite? Is that what they're calling it nowadays? And what if I'm not into that body type?"Before his sister could respond to that, Kannazuki cleared his throat while wearing a stoic expression."If I may be so bold as to interject... but I'll have you know that flat is justice!"So saying, he threw his arms out to the side like a presenter at an exhibition."If you need proof, look no further than our dear Commander! Feast your gaze upon these gentle curves, those subtle swells! Surely, none can deny the budding appeal of an unripe body!"Kotori, who had endured this unsolicited speech with utmost grace, finally snapped — figuratively and literally — simultaneously snapping the lollipop stick in her mouth and the bones in her vice-commander's foot as she stomped it beneath her heel."Grr! What's that supposed to mean!"The man summarily collapsed to the deck's metal floor, emitting cries that sounded far more pleased than hurt. Shidou stepped aside as he rolled down the steps separating the captain's quarters from the main bridge.He'd thought this before, but he really needed to investigate this man's relationship with his sister one of these days.In a huff, Kotori adjusted her jacket as she sat back down."Frankly, I don't see what your problem is. She's, like, my age.""You're also my sister, so it'd be even worse!""Adopted sister.""Oh, do not give me that no chromo shit!"Before their spat could progress any further, it was interrupted by the explosive sound of military artillery.Everyone's attention snapped back to the main monitor, where Hermit had disappeared beneath a black cloud of smoke."It's the AST!" a crew member reported. "They're engaging Hermit!"The camera pulled back, until it had the entirety of the smoke in frame. A second later, Hermit shot out, a little line tracing her ascent as wizards fired round after round at her. Her shield protected her, just as Tohka's had, but the AST's nonstop aggression didn't give her a moment's rest.At this merciless sight, Shidou's fists clenched in indignant disbelief."...They're really trying to kill her."Looking down on him from her quarters, Kotori listlessly sucked on her lollipop."Of course. The AST doesn't care what the spirit looks like, they'll kill them all the same. That is, unless someone seals their powers. Gee, I wonder who that could be."She was laying it on real thick, wasn't she? But Shidou understood what his sister was getting at.As long as Hermit was still producing spacequakes, the AST — Origami included — would hunt her until they killed her.It wasn't like he didn't get that the AST were just trying to neutralize a threat the only way they knew how, but he just couldn't stand by and watch them try to kill that girl, who wasn't even fighting back, even as the wizards rained hellfire down upon her.Some things were just wrong, no matter the circumstances.His mind made up, Shidou turned to his sister."Kotori, let me seal her. Let me save her!""Oh?" She cracked a smile. "Has a good Samaritan finally arrived to save the damsel in distress?""Call it what you want. I just can't do nothing in a situation like this."Though, as soon as he said this, Shidou frowned."Just... I'm not gonna start undressing her and then a man in a suit will come out with a chair and ask me to take a seat?"Her previous enthusiasm dashed, Kotori just sighed as she massaged her brow."This isn't, like, a sting, Shidou.""I'll take your word for it."As her brother marched out of the bridge, Kotori crunched through the last of her lollipop, addressing her crew with a booming voice."Now then everyone, let us begin— our conquest!"It was time to make herself useful.⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯Sitting on one of the benches of the school's designated shelter, Tohka quietly listened to the students around her.They were chatting away as if all was normal, but she caught a subtle unease in their voices. With a practiced ease, they were keeping their minds occupied with idle chitchat until the situation resolved itself.Was it always like this?Since she'd started living with Shidou, Tohka had yet to experience a spacequake from the perspective of a normal human.It was... scary.But scarier than that was the way Shidou had spoken to her just before the spacequake alarm had sounded.Tohka had never heard him sound like that. But, come to think of it, he had seemed a little prickly the other day...As she mulled this over, a trio of her classmates sat down beside her."So, Yatogami, I never would have guessed you and Itsuka were an item...""I know, right. He's such a stick in the mud.""So sick."Caught off guard by the sudden conversation, Tohka furrowed her brows in confusion."Shidou's not a stick in the mud..." She cast her gaze onto the floor. "He's... Shidou's the person who saved me. He saved me and showed me how beautiful the world is..."At these somewhat cryptic yet heartfelt words, the Ai-Mai-Mii Trio made a very spurious connection.In this day and age, it wasn't uncommon to hear stories about refugees from countries with more restrictive attitudes about sex coming to Japan and struggling to acclimate to the foreign culture.Having decided on their own that Tohka was one such refugee, the three enveloped the girl in a tight hug, their faces expressing a deep regret."We totally misjudged you!""We had you all wrong!""We were so sick!"For some reason, Tohka had been getting reactions like this a lot since she'd settled down in the human world. It was kind of annoying, but she had more important things to worry about right now.She squirmed out of their grasp, careful not to hurt the girls as she did so, earning an apologetic face from Ai and the others."Oh, sorry! You're probably not used to being touched like that, huh?"Tohka wasn't listening at this point, instead replaying the parting words Shidou had left her with in her mind. When she thought about how he'd said them, that nameless feeling from before tightened her chest, until she wanted to curl up in discomfort.What... is this? And why does it feel so awful...While those feelings threatened to overwhelm her, the Ai-Mai-Mii Trio were busy holding an impromptu strategy meeting, huddled together with their arms interlaced."Are you girls thinking what I'm thinking?""Time to induct a new member into our little polycule?""That's so sick."Having passed this resolution, the soon to be Ai-Mai-Mii-Tohka Quad turned back to the girl in question"Yatogami, we have a proposi—huh?"The three turned to find nothing but air in the space formerly occupied by Tohka.She had slipped out of the shelter, charging through the halls at a dead sprint.Tohka needed to see him. She didn't know why, but she needed to. Maybe then, this aching in her chest would go away.⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯"Hermit has entered the Yamamoto Department Store.""Seriously? Again? They really are learning..."Captain Kusakabe's incredulous voice came over the comm, easily standing out amid the background of heavy rain that always accompanied Hermit's arrival.Within eyesight of her was Origami, a standard issue Realizer-augmented Gatling gun at her side. The two were currently in the airspace surrounding the department store. All around, AST wizards hovered around the building, patrolling for the first sight of the spirit."Permission to shoot?" Origami asked."I put in a request but I wouldn't hold my breath. The bigwigs always have to cross their i's and dot their t's."At this, Origami couldn't help an amused snort, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by more sober thoughts about what she had just learned before the spacequake alarm.Back when she'd first become aware of Princess' presence at her school, she'd immediately reported this fact to command, but they'd denied permission to attack because the spirit had somehow stopped emitting spirit energy. When she'd pushed to check "Tohka Yatogami's" papers, a thorough background check had found nothing out of the ordinary.It was bad enough that a spirit was just traipsing out about among regular people like that, but to add insult to injury, it was engaging in carnal relations with Shidou — with her boyfriend?Between recovering from her injuries and writing up her report about the near-disaster back in April, Origami hadn't been able to stalk—tail—observe Shidou as often as she would have liked, and while she was indisposed like this, things had been allowed to devolve to this state.It vexed her beyond belief. She was supposed to be the one getting her brains fucked out on a regular basis, not some harlot spirit who clearly only wanted Shidou for his dick.But now wasn't the time to be having such thoughts, Origami reminded herself. Right now, her target was Hermit, not Princess. She would deal with that one later.With this in mind, Origami put her thoughts towards the building before her.In the shadows of a nearby street, a figure materialized on their feet."Alright, I've touched down."Pressing the earpiece in his ear, Shidou reported his status after the Fraxinus' teleporter had transported him to the ground."Good. Hermit has fled to the department store in front of you. Be sure to sneak in without the AST noticing you.""Of course."As he did so, Shidou was once again struck by the familiarity of the situation. He'd done something very similar on his first "date" with Tohka, back in the ruins of Raizen High. That familiarity was doing a lot to keep his nerves in check and in the wake of it, he was struck by the absurdity of what he was doing.As he'd thought, seeing Hermit under attack like that had forced his hand, but he really was sneaking into a department store in the aftermath of a spacequake in order to seduce and have sex with a girl for the express purpose of stopping her from producing spacequakes.Is this really what my life has become?It was a completely ridiculous mission, ripped straight from the pages of trashy adult manga, but for whatever reason, he'd been chosen to fulfill this outlandish goal. A lot of guys — and girls — would have killed for the opportunity, but for Shidou it would have been rejected out of hand if not for the fact that for this to work, romance was compulsory.He didn't get to continue that line of thought, because right then he was interrupted by the sound of a voice above him."What's this? Don't tell me you're here to bully Yoshino too?"He jumped at the sudden sound. Looking up, he saw Hermit upside down, suspended in midair, her raincoat and hair hanging limply around her naked body. With an uncanny smoothness, she rotated in place until she was right-side up, before simply moving onto the floor.There, she pushed her puppet into Shidou's face."Oh? If it isn't the lucky lecher. Returned to cop a peek at this voluptuous body?"Voluptuous was certainly pushing it, but now that he got a good look, he had to admit that her body was not as childish as he'd made it out to be. Kannazuki's dubious speech came to mind, and Shidou found his eyes drawn to the subtle but distinct allure of her breasts and hips. And something about her wearing nothing but a raincoat only accentuated her demure sex appeal.In any case, he was knocked out of his trance when Kotori's voice interrupted."Shidou, stand by."On the bridge of the Fraxinus, the main monitor projected a visual feed of Shidou and Hermit, surrounded by various parameters and textual overlays, which were summarily covered by a set of three choices.1. Ah, it's been a while. How are you doing?2. A lucky lecher?! Did you just call me a lucky lecher?3. Heh... I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just a passing wanderer.Seated in the captain's chair, Kotori didn't have to wait long for the votes to come in, though a three-way tie was somewhat unprecedented."What?" Kawagoe jumped in. "It's gotta be number two. That line's straight out of a dating sim."Minowa responded promptly."We don't know the spirit's personality though. One is our best bet.""But we know from previous data that Hermit rarely attacks humans. I think we should go with option three."At Nakatsugawa's explanation, Kotori leaned forward and pressed the intercom."Shidou, go with three."Back in the field, Shidou blanched.What, am I supposed to be a rakish marquess?"Didn't your help just make things worse last time?""Quit wasting time and just say the line, line sayer.""Alright. Jackass..." To Hermit, Shidou flipped his hair and put on a pompous smirk. "Excuse me! I'm just a passing wanderer, nothing more!"There was a short moment where Shidou was able to suppress the crushing embarrassment threatening to crush him. And then there was a long moment where he was crushed by said embarrassment as Hermit simply gaped."K-Kotori! I told you nothing good would come of this!"But just then—"Pfft! Ahahaha!" Hermit made the puppet double over in laughter. "That's hilarious! What are you, a comedian! Oh, my sides!"As the girl continued to laugh heartily, Kotori just spoke with the simpering grin that was surely on her face bleeding into her words."See? Put some trust in your commander. Among other things."It was a struggle to keep his face from twitching."Anyway, glad you liked the joke. My name's Shidou, by the way. Shidou Itsuka."Hearing his introduction, the puppet let out an exaggerated gasp."Aah, what an oversight! I completely forgot to introduce myself! The name's Yoshinon! Ain't it just the cutest name you ever did hear!"This girl sure is intense...It was completely different from his first meetings with Tohka, but he wasn't going to complain about not having his life actively threatened.But more than that, this girl was way more... eccentric."Y-Yeah... it's adorable. The way you make the puppet talk with ventriloquism is also pretty cute."As soon as he said this, he heard the sound of an alarm through his earpiece."Shidou! What the hell did you do? Hermit's comfort levels are plummeting!""Huh? I just wanted to know why she's only speaking through ventriloquism!""Well figure it out!"Before he could even respond to this, he noticed Yoshinon looming in his peripheral vision. She stalked up to him with a surprisingly intimidating aura, pushing the puppet into his face."I know not what you speak of, Shidou. What. Is. Ventriloquism?"What was that about not having his life threatened? It seemed he'd thought too soon."D-Did I say ventriloquism? I meant Yoshinon's just Yoshinon! Hahaha!"At his strained laughter, Yoshinon mercifully backed off,"Oh, you're one of those people who like to tease, aren't you?""Yeah..." Shidou wiped the sweats off his brow. "What the hell was that?""No idea, but that's spirits for you. Sometimes they're completely irrational."Shidou felt like that was something of a reductionist take but given what had just happened, he wasn't really in a position to argue."Well? Don't just stand there like some chump! Make a move!"She made it sound so easy."...Say, have you ever heard of a date?"Yoshinon blinked in confusion at his question."A date? Are you asking me what day it is today?""Uh, no... a date is—""Oh, I'm just messing with ya!" She made the puppet slap his shoulder playfully. "So, where were you thinking of taking me? I'll have you know I'm an expensive lady with high-class tastes."In an already exhausting day, Shidou was feeling even more exhausted."Is that so..."With no destination in mind, Shidou led Yoshinon around the store, playing the impromptu role of a tour guide. Lucky for him, she seemed pretty happy just running a one-woman comedy act, and Shidou added color commentary as they encountered various stores and shops.Apparently, the values were good and, according to Kotori, he could probably shoot for a fuck close and walk things back if that Yoshinon's compliance threshold wasn't high enough. Shidou thought that was a little premature, but something more than that was bothering him.He'd been talking to this girl for the better part of an hour and not once had he spoken to her without the puppet acting as an intermediary. He'd tried to several times, but every time she responded through her puppet, even once teasing him for "talking to the air."Clearly she was hiding behind the puppet, but that only raised the question of why.Currently, Yoshinon was regaling Shidou with one of many stories that he suspected were just made up on the spot."And that's how I learned toothpaste is not a good substitute for cake icing!""Ah, that sounds... rough.""Well it was for them! Oooh! look at that!"Sighting a jungle gym in the toy department, Yoshinon made a beeline for the plastic castle, scrambling up to the top surprisingly well despite not using her left hand."Look at me!" She struck a pose with her puppet. "I'm king of the world!"Watching her recklessly climb the thing, Shidou was immediately struck by a premonition of her falling on her face just like the day before."Hey... careful now—!"A premonition that instantly materialized when Yoshinon lost her footing on the plastic bars and tumbled forward."I said be careful—ugh!"Shidou charged forward with his arms out, catching the girl as she fell.Well, catching was what he had intended to do, but before he realized it, he was on the floor, his front teeth stinging in pain and pinned down by something soft pressing against his lips.Shidou opened his eyes to a sea of blue and a pair of surprised eyes.Somehow, the two had ended up in a compromising position like something out of an ecchi anime. Yoshinon was straddling him, her naked body pressed tight against his, and their lips were in a similar position.The girl sat up and before Shidou could respond stuck the puppet between them, hiding the deep blush on her face."Ohohoho~ Trying to pull some moves on me already? You cad, you!""Ah, that—you're just too cute, Yoshinon, hehe.""Oh~ is that so?" She ground her bare crotch against his. "Then why don't I show you how cute I can get..."The sound of Kotori's self-satisfied voice cut in."See, what I tell you? She's totally down to fuck."He couldn't believe it. Kotori had been right twice now, both at the beginning with the first choice and now with this. Frankly, it was a little annoying, but Shidou could admit when he was wrong.Although... would having sex right now actually seal her? There needed to be love, right? Or at least some minimal level of affection.Before he could decide on anything, the shrill sound of the siren from before buzzed in his ear."Shit, what is she doing here!" Kotori shouted. "Shidou, get ready! The proverbial shit's about to hit the fan."Caught off guard by the panic in her voice, Shidou briefly wondered what could get his sister to react like this before he saw exactly what had earned this reaction.It was Tohka.Her clothes drenched and her chest heaving as she caught her breath, she was holding the frame of a nearby door as she looked down at Shidou and Yoshinon."Shidou... what's going on?" She panted. "Why didn't you... tell me you were leaving to do this?"Instantly, the blood drained from Shidou's face.What is she doing here?!Didn't matter. He needed to defuse this situation before she got the wrong idea."Ah, Tohka! This—this isn't what it looks like!"Shidou scrambled for an explanation and in his haste blurted out just about the most incriminating line imaginable.At the sudden intruder, Yoshinon leapt to her feet, stepping back and allowing Shidou to do the same. After a moment, Tohka moved towards the two, absentmindedly tearing off a piece of the door as she did so."What's that supposed to mean? What is this supposed to look like?" She pointed at his crotch. "There's a wet spot there. You were having sex, weren't you?""Shidou, be very careful with what you say next. Tohka's approaching hysteria and her spirit powers are returning."Kotori's warning couldn't have been more unnecessary. Of course he needed to be careful; Tohka had just walked in on him all but having sex with another girl. Was there even any coming back from this?Before he could respond, Yoshinon jumped in, somehow contorting the puppet's face into a malicious grin."Shidou here is cheating on you with me! Sucks that you had to find out this way, but them's the breaks."Remembering Origami's words from the other day, Tohka let out a horrified gasp."C-cheating!?""No! No, no, no." Shidou gestured helplessly. "Tohka, this is, um, not cheating?""Then why are you lying!" she cried. "I can hear it in your voice, Shidou!"Yoshinon walked up to her, pushing her puppet right into the girl's face."Tohka, was it? I'm sorry, girl, but it sounds like Shidou here has gotten tired of you.""Tired of me?!""From your conversation, it sounds like Shidou here lied about what he was doing and completely went behind your back. Now, I'm no expert, but that sounds like textbook cheating to me!"Shidou was beside himself with horror.That damn puppet's just making things worse!"Hey, now! That's—mmph?!"Before Shidou could argue his case, Tohka slapped a hand over his mouth, clamping it shut with inhuman strength. The force was such that he couldn't even move his jaw, much less speak."Shidou, you be quiet. You're just lying right now." She turned to Yoshinon, her voice little more than a whisper. "Is it true?""My apologies. I don't mean to wreck homes or anything, but I just can't help it!" The puppet struck a sexy pose. "My supple curves are just too much. Don't blame Shidou here for throwing you away to spend time with me."Throw her away?It felt like her whole world was crumbling.He couldn't. They had spent so much time together, done so much together. And, he had promised — Shidou had promised he would never leave her.But then... why wasn't he telling her the truth? Why was he lying right now? Why had he sounded so angry back then?Why had he left her?He doesn't want to be with me anymore.With that intrusive thought, the awful feeling burning in her chest turned into a searing agony, and Tohka screwed her eyes shut as tears spilled out of them."Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!""Come on, Shidou. You tell her too. Tell Tohka she's not wanted anym—"Before Yoshinon could harass her further, Tohka tore the puppet from her hand and began throttling the thing."You're wrong! Shidou said—he said he'd never leave me! So why are you lying! Why are you saying all these awful things! Why are you being so mean! Say something!"Having been released by Tohka in her distress, Shidou was left to just watch dumbly as Yoshinon reached futilely for her puppet, her voice coming out in a near inaudible whisper as she Tohka held it out of reach."...Give it back... please..."From his earpiece, Kotori's sharp voice added one more factor to the already chaotic situation."Damn it, now Hermit's getting hysterical! You need to do something now, Shidou!"What the hell am I supposed to do?!Way too much was happening right now. Shidou had never been the type who naturally thought on their feet; this situation had already pushed him to his very limits, and now Kotori expected him to salvage this mess?Well, no one else was going to do it, and he was the one who'd let things devolve to this point in the first place.At the moment, he wasn't going to convince Tohka of his innocence, questionable as that innocence even was, and Yoshinon was an unsealed spirit. She was by far the bigger danger right now.So, as much as he hated to do this to Tohka, he was going to have to prioritize Yoshinon.Gently, he rested a hand on her shoulder."Tohka, please... could you just... give her back the puppet..."Still holding it in the air, the girl sniffled loudly as she turned teary eyes on him."Shidou... why are you only thinking about her?""No—I—"But before either of them could respond, Yoshinon violently threw her raised arm towards the floor."Zadkiel!"The ground shuddered and quaked, and from it erupted a great rabbit-shaped puppet, easily three meters tall and equipped with razor sharp fangs. Both Shidou and Tohka retreated a step back from this fearsome sight."Great! Now she's bringing out her angel!""Angel?!""It's a spirit's weapon! The same as Tohka's Sandalphon! Either way, just get the hell out of there!"Yoshinon leapt onto the puppet — onto Zadkiel's — back and thrust her arms into the holes there. Immediately, the beast came to life, its eyes glowing a deep red as it let out a low, reverberating roar.And in that same instant, it got cold.Ice crept across the floor as the moisture in the air condensed into mist. At the same time, the rain, now hail, from outside shattered the windows of the department store.No, Shidou belatedly realized, rather than hail they were shards of ice. And a row of them were headed straight for Tohka."Watch out!"Tackling her to the ground, Shidou watched as Zadkiel charged forward, grabbing the puppet that Tohka had dropped before disappearing out one of the windows, taking the cold and rain with her.He kept an eye out for any danger until he felt a hand press against his face and shove him."Agh—Tohka!"Shidou looked up to see her, already on her feet, a frightened expression on her face.And then she turned and ran."Wait, Tohka! Tohkaaaa!"It was no use. By the time he'd gotten to his feet, the girl had already sprinted away.As he stood there in defeat, the equally defeated voice of Kotori came through his earpiece."Great. Not only has Hermit run off, but Tohka too. Talk about a real shitshow."At his sister's words, he could only sigh."You can say that again..."And thus, Shidou learned a hard lesson that day which all pickup artists must eventually learn—Those who spin plates eventually drop them.