"Cough cough... What a ruthless sword, Mana Takamiya. You're much stronger than before," Kurumi said, still smiling and teasing the girl, even though her body had been split in two and she seemed certain to die.
Looking coldly at the scene before her, seeing that Kurumi still had a breath left, Mana didn't say anything, but raised her sword and thrust it down hard at Kurumi's head.
"Tch... Finally, it's quiet now," Mana said disdainfully, looking at Kurumi's corpse after delivering the fatal blow.
After doing all of this, Mana looked at the bloody alley and took out her phone to notify the AST to clean up the body.
She was already used to this kind of thing. Although she had killed Spirits before, that Spirit was 'Nightmare', a Spirit who couldn't be killed no matter how many times she was killed.
Even if she killed her a thousand times or ten thousand times, it wouldn't mean anything.
Sighing softly, Mana put away her phone and headed towards the Itsuka residence, the place she was planning to go.
Shiori Itsuka and Tohka were walking home. Because Arthas had been held up by Kurumi, Shiori had taken her to the supermarket for a big shopping trip to comfort the girl, who was in a bad mood.
Carrying shopping bags full of ingredients, the two girls walked down the already quite dark street.
From ahead, they heard a rustling sound, like the soles of sneakers rubbing against the asphalt. Shiori looked over there with some curiosity.
"Hmm?"
There, with her hair in a ponytail and a beauty mark under her eye, was a girl who looked to be in the same grade as Kotori, standing there with her eyes wide open in surprise.
She was wearing a parka and a pleated skirt. Her white sneakers had noticeable red stains on them... It was as if they were bloodstains.
A face she didn't recognize... That should have been the case, but Shiori tilted her head slightly.
For some reason, she had a subtle sense of déjà vu... It felt like she had met her somewhere before.
Just then, Shiori also noticed that the girl was staring straight in her direction.
Shiori couldn't help but turn around to look behind her, thinking that there must be something surprising at the end of her gaze.
But there was nothing. Aside from the familiar residential street, the regularly spaced telephone poles, and the garbage dump with netting, she couldn't see anything.
Could it be that she... knew her?
Shiori Itsuka thought this with curiosity. Just as she was about to speak, the girl moved.
She pounced into Shiori Itsuka's arms with a flying leap, saying in a moved tone.
"We've finally met, big sister."
"Huh... What are you saying?!"
Feeling incredibly puzzled by the girl's words, Shiori asked this.
"As expected, big sister doesn't remember me anymore, but I've been looking for you for a long time."
Saying this, Mana Takamiya showed Shiori a photo in her necklace. The picture of the two very similar girls snuggling together caused Shiori to fall silent.
That appearance certainly looked like her... It was true that she had been adopted by the Itsuka family. In other words, she had once had a younger sister?!
"Um... What are so many of you doing standing outside?"
Just as the atmosphere fell into an awkward silence, a curious voice rang out.
Before she knew it, Arthas had also come to the door, looking at the three girls standing at the entrance with some surprise.
"Who's this little brat?"
He reached out his hand and placed it on Mana Takamiya's head, and then the girl slapped it away in annoyance.
"You're the guy who protects the Spirits?"
"Hmm?"
Arthas was slightly stunned, feeling puzzled by the girl's words. It seemed that this girl wasn't an ordinary little girl.
"Well, let's go home first and talk about it after Kotori gets here."
Shiori Itsuka said this, and Mana Takamiya nodded in agreement.
Arthas scratched his head with some confusion. It seemed that Shiori and this girl were very familiar.
He lightly knocked on the door. Just as he knocked once, the door was pulled open with a whoosh, revealing Kotori's tense little face.
"Welcome back, big sister," Kotori said respectfully, like the best younger sister. But Shiori noticed the jet-black hair ribbons on her head.
Kotori, who was in commander mode, wouldn't be a cute younger sister. Shiori knew this from experience.
Then the reason for doing this was only one possibility, and that was...
Shiori thought this, looking at Mana behind her.
Ahhh... She had a feeling that something very bad was going to happen...
"Mm, I'm back," Shiori said, forcing a friendly smile and walking over.
"Ara, who's that?" Then, as if she had just seen Mana, she made a strange questioning sound.
"How rude. Is this how you greet your big sister for the first time?" Mana said unhappily at Kotori's deliberate behavior.
"Oh dear, don't go around claiming relatives when we've just met," Kotori said, looking at Mana, her eyes flashing with raging flames.
"Is that so... I'm Shiori-nee's real younger sister. So that makes me your older sister."
"Huh, younger sister? It should be that I'm the older sister and you're the younger sister!" Kotori said angrily, gritting her teeth.
"Um..." Holding her hands up, Shiori was just about to tell the two not to argue, but...
"Shut up!" They shouted in unison, Kotori and Mana miraculously coordinating, yelling at Shiori Itsuka together.
"How dare you be so rude to my big sister!"
"Huh, although I don't really want to admit it, it seems that that guy happens to be my big sister too."
"Geez..." Looking at the two arguing girls, Shiori Itsuka showed a speechless expression.
"Let's go inside first. This seems to be a family matter. It might not be good to interfere," Arthas said, pulling Tohka, who still seemed a little curious, and walking straight towards the inside of the house, leaving the space for the three sisters.
"You, don't go. The main purpose of my coming here today is for you!"
However, it seemed that Mana Takamiya didn't intend to let Arthas leave so easily. She coldly stopped him when he was about to leave with Tohka.
Here it comes again. What was going on today? First there was a Kurumi, and now there was another one. Why were so many girls looking for trouble with him?
Touching his nose, Arthas thought this with some incomprehension.
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