The incident that occurred two weeks ago still lingered like a thorn in Kotori Itsuka's heart, making it difficult for her to feel at ease.
At that time, a Spirit identified as the Witch appeared in the amusement park of Tenguu City. Just like the AST, who dispatched a squad immediately to eliminate the Spirit, Ratatoskr also acted quickly and sent their main strategy specialist: Shido Itsuka.
Dating the Spirit and making her flustered—this was the essential method for sealing a Spirit's power.
Only when a Spirit developed a high enough affection for Shido could he seal her Spirit power and turn her into a normal human.
Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the entire crew and Kotori herself, Shido had made decent progress with the Witch, increasing her favorability towards him even as a stranger.
Just as they were about to strike while the iron was hot and try to arrange a date for their next meeting, an unregistered Spirit appeared in the amusement park, interrupting Shido's progress.
That unknown Spirit uttered a series of incomprehensible phrases—about another world, a creator, and virtual characters. Though no one truly understood what she was saying, her goal was clearly to take the Witch away.
And she succeeded.
Since then, the Witch had not reappeared in Tenguu City, not even a trace of Spirit energy could be detected.
But now, after two whole weeks, the Witch had finally resurfaced on Ratatoskr's radar.
How could Kotori possibly remain calm?
"Commander, Shido has already been relocated near the Witch's location," reported Murasame Reine, the analyst aboard the Ratatoskr. "The operation can begin at any time."
"Commander, the AST members have also arrived on-site," added Vice Commander Kannazuki Kyouhei. "But after suffering a loss previously, they are hesitating to make any rash moves this time. They appear to be waiting for further orders. I believe this is the perfect moment to initiate our strategy."
"Excellent."
Kotori nodded decisively.
"Shido, you heard them. Quit dawdling behind cover and get moving!"
Meanwhile, at the corner of a commercial district street…
A boy with messy blue hair, wearing a school uniform and a delicate face, poked half his head out from behind a building.
Hearing his sister's urging through his earpiece, Shido's mouth twitched slightly, an obvious look of reluctance on his face.
"Our last 'coincidental' meeting at the amusement park was already pushing it. What excuse am I supposed to use to meet her again this time?" he muttered. "I can't just bump into her every time she appears—she'll definitely think I'm stalking her!"
"In her eyes, you're just a regular person. How could you possibly stalk a Spirit?" Kotori rolled her eyes. "And besides, third time's the charm. This is only the second time—it'll just seem like a coincidence to her."
"Are you sure?"
"What I am sure of is that if you keep stalling, AST will engage her in combat, and then your chances of success will plummet!"
"…Alright, fine."
Taking a deep breath, Shido slapped his cheeks and wore a dazed, slightly panicked expression.
He stepped out from the corner and jogged toward Natsumi Kyouno—also known as the Witch—looking like someone who had lost their way in the confusion of a spacequake alarm.
His unguarded approach quickly drew Natsumi attention. She turned toward Shido and raised her eyebrows.
"Wait, aren't you… that boy I met at the amusement park last time?"
After a brief moment of thought, she seemed to recall who he was. A soft smile curled on her lips.
"What a coincidence running into you again."
At that moment, aboard the Ratatoskr, the AI system presented three dialogue options in response to Natsumi words:
[Beautiful lady, I'm not a boy—I'm a man.][It must be fate that brought us together once more.][Y-Yeah, what a coincidence. What are you doing here?]
The five crew members assisting the operation quickly analyzed and chose a response, as they were experts selected by Kotori for their exceptional romantic strategy skills.
"The first one's too cheesy. It might work later when they're closer, but definitely not now."
"The second fits the situation, but since Shido is supposed to be someone lost during the spacequake alert, saying something mystical would be too jarring."
"The third one is plain but matches the situation and Shido's current persona best."
Following the team's suggestion, Shido wiped away imaginary sweat and cautiously adopted a wary look—like he was the one being approached, not the other way around.
"Y-Yeah, what a coincidence. What are you doing here?"
"Aww, don't be so wary, little brother," Natsumi replied playfully, winking charmingly. "You're making it sound like I'm a villain or something. Didn't we have a pretty good chat last time?"
Once again, the AI presented three choices:
[Did we? I think you might be mistaken.][I don't think you're a bad person, but I am a bit scared…][Haha, is that so? Then how about we continue chatting somewhere else, like a café?]
"The first one's too cold—no one likes having their warmth met with indifference."
"The second one makes Shido sound too timid—not good for romance."
"The third one shifts tone too quickly, and considering the current emergency situation, there's no way a café is even open."
This time, the crew fell into a brief disagreement without reaching a consensus.
Kotori narrowed her eyes, paused for a moment, and then made the executive decision:
"Shido, go with the second option."
"Commander, please reconsider!" cried Kawagoe Kyoji, one of the crew members who had been married and divorced five times, an absolute expert in romance. "That kind of line will make Shido seem like a weakling!"
"I understand your concern. But based on the Witch's prior behavior, we can infer that she enjoys being in control."
Kotori unwrapped a new lollipop and continued seriously, "For this type of woman, teasing a timid man is part of the fun. Showing a bit of vulnerability might actually bring them closer."
Hearing his sister's reasoning, Shido didn't delay any longer.
And as a "normal person" who had witnessed supernatural battles, a bit of fear seemed perfectly in character.
"I don't think you're a bad person, but… I'm a little scared. You won't hurt me, will you?" Shido asked, sounding sheepish.
"Haha, considering you saw two Spirits battling during our last meeting, I guess that was a huge shock to your worldview, huh?" Natsumi laughed casually. "But don't worry—I'm not the violent type. I won't hurt you."
The two continued chatting casually after that.
Once the atmosphere had warmed up, Kotori switched tactics—it was time for Shido to go on the offensive.
"By the way, I think your name was Natsumi, right?"
"Oh my, you remembered my name, little brother?"
"Well, you are very beautiful, Miss Natsumi. It's hard to forget someone like you."
"I thought you looked like a shy, herbivore-type boy, but you're actually quite the smooth talker."
With the crew's assistance, Shido continued to compliment Natsumi looks, taking the initiative for once.
Kotori watched as the favorability score displayed on the system began rising steadily, and she looked quite pleased.
Just as she expected, the Spirit known as the Witch seemed to enjoy compliments about her appearance.
Of course, this wasn't a video game—they couldn't measure affection with pinpoint accuracy.
The "favorability score" was simply a rough estimate calculated by the AI aboard the Ratatoskr, based on observations of the Spirit's facial expressions, micro-expressions, body language, tone, and more.
If the other party were acting—and acting well—they could potentially fool the AI.
But Kotori had never considered that possibility.
After all, why would a proud Spirit go out of her way to fake her feelings for an ordinary high school boy?
"Commander, AST is on the move."
Not long after, Kannazuki, who was monitoring AST activity, spoke up again.
"Their higher-ups must have issued an order. What should we do?"
"Hm, the favorability score should be high enough now," Kotori observed the score surpassing 50% and made her decision. "Shido, invite her to our house."
According to the system:
0% meant strangers,
20% acquaintances,
40% friends,
60% close friends,
80% confidants,
100% was the threshold for sealing—the moment of truth.
Truthfully, Kotori hadn't expected to raise the Witch's favorability that much with just two meetings.
Perhaps it was due to the Witch's naturally friendly personality, or maybe her brother's appearance just hit all her sweet spots. Either way, it was good news for Kotori.
Because only through such closeness could she extract the critical intel she needed.
"Have Tohka and the others step back for now, and teleport me to the house."
Kotori took out two white butterfly hair ribbons and stepped down from her commander's chair.
"Everyone else, keep monitoring the Witch's metrics. Report any changes immediately."
———
What existed here was nothing but darkness.
Boundless darkness enveloped every inch of space, as if it were the interior of a black hole—only void and nothingness existed.
There was no sound, no light, no tangible object to touch.
This place was the Neighbouring Realm.
A special dimension constructed at will by the Origin Spirit, Mio Takamiya.
Spirits who had not yet descended into the real world would slumber within this Neighbouring Realm. Only when attracted by something from the real world would they awaken from their slumber.
Within such a space, a girl wearing a dignified black military uniform, with steel gauntlets on her hands and long, pure-white hair, was imprisoned.
Her arms and legs were bound by an invisible force. Her eyes were tightly shut, as though enduring some form of torture. Her expression occasionally twitched, revealing traces of pain.
In this endless darkness, the concept of time had long disappeared.
She had no idea how long she had been imprisoned here, nor did she know how much longer it would last. The only thing she could feel was her gradually depleting power.
She deeply regretted the reckless actions she had taken.
Her arrogance had led her to this world—and into a predicament she could no longer escape.
"She's returned."
No one knew how much time had passed before a distorted female voice suddenly rang in her ears.
Altair forced her eyes open and saw a strange floating mosaic forming amidst the darkness in front of her.
"The child you sent away—she has returned."
The phantom—or rather, the half-body of Mio Takamiya—spoke with a hint of delight in her tone. "This is good news for me. And for you as well."
"What, are you planning to let me go?"
Enduring the pain surging through her body, Altair forced a sarcastic smile. "I don't think you'd be that kind, Mio Takamiya."
"Of course not. You're a variable—and I hate variables."
Mio Takamiya's tone remained unchanged. She approached Altair and placed a hand on her abdomen. "However, your torment can stop now… temporarily."
As spirit power was channeled into her, the pain within Altair body gradually subsided, eventually disappearing.
The disappearance of Natsumi Kyouno had created an irreversible impact on Mio Takamiya's plans.
In order to continue the plan, she had no choice but to split off a portion of her own power and create a new Spirit Crystal.
Then, she had inserted this new Spirit Crystal into Altair body.
Unlike ordinary humans, Altair physique could withstand the distortion of the Spirit Crystal and purify it at exponentially increased efficiency.
Once purification was complete, Mio Takamiya could seal away her memories, reintroduce her into the world as a Spirit, and have her take Natsumi place to be "conquered" by Shido Itsuka.
But now that Natsumi Kyouno had reappeared, Altair was no longer necessary.
"Although I'm curious about the 'real world' you speak of, I'm more eager to bring back Shin," Mio Takamiya said plainly. "Once Shin is revived, I'll consider what to do with you."
With that, the mosaic form disappeared from the scene.
In the silence of the darkness, Altair once again closed her eyes.
"Natsumi… came back?"
Altair slowly chewed on that piece of information. Her brows furrowed deeper and deeper, the doubt in her heart growing stronger.
"How could that be?"