Kurumi awoke in an unfamiliar apartment room.
"…Oh?"
Unfamiliar, yet why did she think apartment? Tilting her head, she scanned the room. Everything needed was there, arranged as if by her own hand.
Her mismatched memory and perception muddled her mind when the doorbell rang.
"…?"
A chime at this hour—early morning, she somehow knew—was odd. Her body moved naturally to the door despite her confusion, crossing the hall to open the heavy door.
"—Morning, Kurumi!!"
"…Tohka-san? Good… morning?"
Tohka, in a school uniform, greeted her with boundless energy. Her radiant smile dazzled even Kurumi, a self-aware beauty. Caught off guard, Kurumi's greeting faltered. Tohka tilted her head.
"Hm, something wrong, Kurumi? Feeling ill?"
"N-No, it's nothing. Why are you here so early?"
"What're you saying? It's a school day!"
"—Ah."
Tohka's words clicked. Kurumi noticed her own matching uniform. How had she forgotten? She, Tohka, and him attended the same school—a former Spirit, now human.
"Are you really okay? Tell me if something's wrong."
"I'm fine, truly. Just a bit… uncharacteristically dazed."
"If you feel off, see Reine!"
"Yes, thank you for your concern."
Tohka, a senior in human life here, often checked on Kurumi. Though Kurumi was far more experienced in blending into human society, Tohka's genuine care warmed her heart.
Living as a human girl like this? Never since becoming a Spirit.
This forgotten—or suppressed—feeling was… fun.
"…Nice weather today, isn't it?"
"Aye! Shidou's lunch on a day like this'll be amazing!!"
"Hehe, you make it sound like it's not always."
"What! No way!! Shidou's food is always delicious!!"
"Of course, just teasing."
Tohka puffed her cheeks cutely, and Kurumi giggled.
Their banter en route to the entrance was mundane, a dreamlike scene Kurumi's heart secretly craved.
"Oh, Shidou! Morning!!"
"…!"
Tohka dashed out as the automatic door opened. Seeing the boy, Kurumi froze. Her heart raced, joy surging—then her sharp mind kicked in. This was impossible.
His carefree, happiest-in-the-world smile could make her happy daily.
"Hey, morning Tohka—morning, Kurumi."
But it couldn't be. Tokisaki Kurumi, the Spirit of Time, couldn't observe this future. Without being its observer, she couldn't choose it.
An unchosen future—blissful, yet cruel. Still, she smiled. If another her chose this dream, she prayed they'd never let go of his hand.
"Good morning—Shidou-san."
Her prayer, for one who didn't grasp that gentle hand, was warped and comical.
"…Cruel dream."
Such dreams were harsh. Rising, Kurumi felt no lingering pain from before. Her body, still a Spirit's, mocked her choice to reject that loss.
"You're awake, my queen. How do you feel?"
"…Regrettably, not bad."
"Good. Pleasant dreams are a fine thing."
The white-robed girl sat nearby, her affected tone met with Kurumi's practiced reply. She'd been there when Kurumi first woke, so her presence wasn't odd—yet something felt different before she lost consciousness. Kurumi stared, though the robe hid her face.
"…Something on me?"
"Nothing. Report what happened while I slept."
Even Kurumi couldn't know what occurred unconscious. She needed to know—especially about him. Normally, her clones would report, but the girl sufficed.
"As you wish, my queen. You recovered over three days. Kotori's power was resealed. Origami went berserk, but everyone, including Shidou, is safe."
"…I see. Origami's berserk?"
"She mistook Kotori, Ifrit, for her parents' killer from five years ago and attacked. I intervened on my own judgment. My apologies."
"Your choice is fine. I don't bind your will—five years ago, a Spirit…"
Five years ago, the Tenga City fire. Flames, a boy running through them, something approaching. The keywords and vision triggered a headache. Kurumi knew that fire—she'd gone to see it. Why this scene? Her thoughts halted at the girl's voice.
"Another thing. My apologies."
"…For?"
"Breaking your order not to act."
Kurumi tilted her head, then laughed, recalling. The girl's earnestness was absurd.
"No need to apologize. You saved us. I should thank you."
"You…?"
"Yes. My whims delayed your plan. But fear not—I'll ensure Shidou—"
"Kurumi."
The girl's scolding tone, a first, widened Kurumi's eyes.
"I follow your choices. But that's not your choice."
"…?"
"My plan shouldn't be your reason—or your escape."
—Yes, she was right.
Kurumi had fled. To devour him was her path for her vow. Her passion alone chose it. Yet she'd just twisted it, blaming the girl's plan to escape her guilt. How pathetic, needing such obvious truth pointed out.
"…I understand."
"Yes."
"I know. Shidou's vital to my vow. I know best. So…"
"You can't choose now. You pushed yourself to despair, yet didn't take him. Because—"
Kurumi knew the rest.
She'd fallen fatally in love. A warrior of carnage didn't need this irrational, unnecessary emotion. Yet she couldn't cast it aside.
Clutching the sheets, she tried to suppress it. She couldn't.
For the first time, she poured her emotions out before the girl.
"Yes, I know—I know! I admit it!! I lack the resolve, the strength, to ignore Shidou's will and devour him!!"
She'd fallen in love. Despite her strict self-discipline, she felt jealousy, yearning… A kind girl choosing hell to atone for lost lives inevitably sought his light.
"Then what do I do!? I can't stop!! I won't abandon my vow—or let Sawa die!! Yet why… why did I meet Shidou…?"
Had they not met, a different future might've existed. But meeting him birthed this love—a heart unwilling to deny it, maddeningly so.
Breathing heavily, she was on the verge of tears. Her usual confident, transcendent self was gone. So the girl—
"…Kurumi."
"What—ow!?"
A flick to her forehead.
"What was that!?"
"You looked ready to cry. Cry before Shidou, not me, my queen."
"W-Who'd…!?"
"—Struggle as much as you need."
Kurumi, stunned, clutched her forehead. The girl smiled beneath her robe. Her beloved queen rushed too much.
"You're too hasty. Your sharp mind leaps to conclusions, but if you can't choose, struggle more. Stop, vent to me, it's fine."
"But I…"
"Can't stop. I know. But you can pause, then move again. Struggle, find your answer, then act. No one else may allow it—but I do."
She'd said she wasn't allowed. So the girl would allow it. No matter who denied Kurumi, she'd accept her.
"For example… You said you can't ignore Shidou's will. Make him say it."
"…What?"
Kurumi stared, baffled. The girl continued, clown-like, entertaining an audience.
"Charm him into saying, 'Oh, Kurumi-sama, let me offer myself to you…' Then he's with you, your vow's fulfilled—a win-win. Problem solved!"
"—Pfft, haha! What's that? Utter madness!"
It was hilarious. Kurumi laughed, truly laughed, for the first time in ages, forgetting when last she did.
Her vision flipped—not flipped, embraced. The girl held her. Despite the suddenness, the warmth through the robe was comforting, inviting surrender.
"…See? You look better laughing."
"Oh? Am I being wooed?"
"Yup, I love you, Kurumi!"
"No passion in that…"
They laughed together, a rare light exchange. As her vow neared reality, such moments had vanished.
"…Struggle all you want. People think, so they struggle, right?"
"I'm a Spirit, not human."
"You were human before. Thinking makes no difference—human or Spirit."
"Sophistry."
"Whatever."
The girl knew Kurumi's vow, her burdens. She knew what Tokisaki Kurumi, human and Spirit, held dear. So she accepted her.
"Shidou, those around him, the First Spirit—take all the time you need. Struggle, then decide."
Whatever conclusion she reached—
"I'll accept your answer, no matter how cruel, rejected by the world, denied by all—I'll affirm it."
No one asked her to exist; a Spirit with no purpose. That was her meaning, her worth. That's all.
"…How much do you love me?"
"I said it—I love you, Kurumi."
"Kihi, that's harsh, demanding an answer."
"My Kurumi doesn't half-ass things."
"Indeed, indeed. Because I'm—Tokisaki Kurumi."
She laughed boldly, captivating, defiant. Kind yet stubborn, she was there. Blessed with divine beauty—loved by Shidou.
"…You seem fine now."
"I showed an uncharacteristic side. Thank you… I'll try hesitating a bit—from now on."
"Yes… hm?"
The girl's turn to widen her eyes. Kurumi's smile wasn't cute but fierce, mad.
"…Didn't you call it a mad idea, my queen?"
"Kihi, kihihihihi! Yes, yes. But I'm—already mad."
"Did it go as you planned?"
"Maybe, maybe not."
Kurumi, eyeing the maid-clad clone, scoffed. The original was gone, leaving them to "house-sit."
"I had some expectations, but this outcome? Beyond my imagination."
"I thought you were the story's mastermind."
"No such power. Even if I had, no one could predict it. Love—irrational, chaotic, world-altering."
Initially, neither expected Kurumi to set conditions on her goal. They thought she'd relentlessly pursue her vow, no matter her feelings. She tried—Shidou's strength overturned it, crafting an unpredictable end, or beginning.
"Oh, quite the romantic."
"Say what you want. I just know someone maddened by love."
She gazed at the clear night sky—perfect for a date. The vow and plan seemed further off, but a better outcome loomed, pleasing her.
Perhaps Phantom, that ghost, sighed in relief.
"Power needed for the vessel's completion… we'll see."
Her soliloquy faded into the stars. Thus, the mysterious girl's warped tale of two began anew.
Let's start a splendid war date.
What does Kurumi struggle with and accept? Her answer awaits. Next, the Answer arc's finale and Part 1's end, centered on those two.
The white girl, who went all out, steps back for the next arc. Her near-mad loyalty surprised even me (whispers). Though Shidou and Kurumi take focus, her spotlight may return.
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