Shido Pov-

"How can you guys not find anything related to those two? It's like they appeared out of nowhere in this world." Kotori shouted, hitting the desk in anger.

It's been a day since everything at school happened. AST was able to cover up the incident through unknown means, indicating their influence. Origami and Mana were taken back by AST shortly after the incident was over, or that's what Reine-san told me. She told me that I could find them at Tengu JSDF Hospital, so I decided to visit them this afternoon.

After waking up, I had a conversation with Kotori about her being a Spirit and honestly, it was a lot to take in. But for some reason, she refused to talk about what happened after I passed out. I was worried about what that guy could've done to her.

'Maybe she's worried about not being strong enough?' That was what I concluded after thinking about it. Kurumi, Mikasa and Tatsuya showed up at school today as if nothing happened. But there was nothing Ratatoskr or AST could do about them since their threat level is unknown.

Kotori told me that the first thing they did after everything happened was to look for Tatsuya's DNA samples to check what he exactly was. They were able to find it in a tissue paper he threw on the rooftop. For some reason, it made me quite uncomfortable that the organisation that paid attention to me was focused on someone else.

"He... is a normal human. And unlike Mana Takamiya, his body doesn't have any magical power either." Riene-san muttered, her face full of shock. Ever since I woke up, I noticed that she was quite panicked, unlike her unusual calm self, as if something that she never expected happened. Normally, even the appearance of a Spirit won't surprise her.

"That's just absurd." Kyouhei, the Vice-Commander of Ratatoskr muttered. He turned towards Kotori before asking. "Commander, what should we do about this?"

And to my surprise, most of the higher-ups of Ratatoskr already knew about Kotori being a Spirit.

"What do you think? Attack him without even knowing how strong he is?" Kotori replied, rubbing her forehead.

'Right. Unlike me, he is strong.' I thought, wondering what would've happened if he had decided to kill us back then.

"What are AST and DEM up to?" Kotori asked, looking at Reine-san.

"Both of them are most likely the same as us. They've increased the surveillance around Shin's school area and are actively searching for the 'new' Spirit that appeared yesterday while keeping tabs on Tatsuya. AST has also placed a team of Wizards near the school, most likely planning to attack Tatsuya the moment they get a chance." Riene-san explained.

"That means they aren't related to either of those two groups, which is good for us. And I doubt that AST would be so reckless to attack Tokisaki Kurumi and Tatsuya together. Not to mention that Mikasa's strength is unknown." Kotor I replied, leaning back on her chair. "Reduce our activity in that area by half. Make sure that no one discovers the existence of Ratatoskr. The higher-ups of DEM are already suspicious of our existence, so be extra cautious."

"Then, Commander, what about the Spirit Kurumi Tokisaki?" Kyouhei asked.

"For now, we'll keep saving her on hold. With Kurumi and Tatsuya together, DEM or AST won't make any funny moves. So she won't be in any danger." Kotori replied.

After a while, Kotori ordered everyone to keep looking in Tatsuya's background as we left the main hall. Right now, it was only me, Kotori, and Riene-san inside the room.

"What is it, Shin?" Riene-san asked, looking at me. For some reason, she'd always call me Shin, which was quite weird, but that name was strangely familiar to me.

{A/N- For those who don't know, Riene is Mio's clone. She calls Shido by his previous self's name- Shinji because neither Mio nor Riene sees him as a person of his own, he is more like a way to reincarnate Shinji.}

"I..." I muttered, looking down as I dropped my head. "Can I even do anything at this point? Save Spirits? How am I supposed to do that with someone like him out there? Not to mention that Kotori almost died."

"Shin, if there's someone who can save Spirits, it's you. As long as you don't give up, you can save every Spirit there is. Even Kurumi will realise that you are correct." Reine-san said, patting my head as she pushed my face into her chest. "Only you can save them."

After staying like that for a minute, she left.

"Kotori, is there even a point in doing this?" I asked.

Slap*

Kotori slapped me hard enough to knock me off the chair.

It hurts.

"A point? Shido, do you think it's a game? You can't give up at this point. No matter what happens, you are the only one who can save Spirits without killing them." She shouted, looking down at me. "Or do you want that guy to kill me next time?"

"I-"

"After all, if anything like that ever happens again, you'll save me, right?" Kotori asked with a sweet smile, tilting her head slightly. For some reason, that smile was able to help me regain my confidence a lot.

"Yup. No matter what happens, I'll always protect you. I said with a smile. "And I'll save every Spirit, even Kurumi." Yes, I need to save every Spirit. That's something only I can do.

'Yes, I'll save them. I'll save Kurumi... from Tatsuya. There's no way a Spirit would do something like that. They are all nice like Kotori, Tohka and Yoshino. Tatsuya must've done something to Kurumi, and she might need my help.' I thought, reassuring myself.

Kotori helped me get up from the ground before staring at me for a while.

"Is something wrong?" I asked with a smile.

"There is something different about you." Kotori muttered, looking at me without even blinking.

"What is it?" I asked, taking a step back. I blushed hard at how close her face was to mine.

"It feels like you're a different person to me now although I know it's you." Kotori muttered before continuing. "You won't hit me back although I slapped you, right?" She asked, turning away from me.

'What's up with the silly question?' I thought before answering. "There's no way I'd ever hit my cute little sister. What are you talking about?" I placed my hand over her head, patting her with a smile on my face.

"Then..." She didn't turn back but continued instead. "What if I tried to kill you after losing control?"

'Is she worried that she'll attack me after losing herself in her powers?' I thought, angry at the fact that Tatsuya was the reason something like this happened.

"Then I'll save you. I said it already, didn't I? I'll save all the Spirits. That included you as well." I said in a confident tone. No matter what happens, I will protect everyone precious to me, even if I had to fight Tatsuya myself.

"Then, no matter what happens, you won't treat me badly or hit me?" Kotori asked in a very strange tone, turning towards me. There was a bit of hope in her eyes as if she was expecting a particular answer from me.

'Is she scared that I'll hit her? Is this because of Tatsuya beating her? That bastard.' I almost cursed out loud, thinking about how he treated Kotori. This further reassured me that he was the one who was manipulating Kurumi. Maybe Mikasa was like Kurumi as well, being used by him?

"I'll never treat you badly, okay?" I said with a smile. There's no way I'll ever treat my precious sister like that.

"Is that so. Then I'll believe you." Kotori said, hugging me tightly, I wasn't able to see her facial expression, so I guessed that she was most likely smiling. But there was a slight disappointment in her tone.

'Yes, I must protect them. I will protect all of them. I am the only one who can save Spirits.' I thought, patting Kotori's head.

{Author died from hypocrisy. Let's just end his POV.}

---

Origami POV-

Looking at this wall in front of me, I was wondering about what happened yesterday.

'It was definitely her.' I thought, remembering the Spirit that appeared yesterday. The Spirit of Fire, Ifrit.

The Spirit that killed my parents.

That scene was still vivid in my mind as I looked at my parents, glad that they were alright even after the sudden appearance of a spacquake. That happiness turned into unrestrained grief as I watched them disappear the next moment. All because of that Spirit.

At that time, I was so fixated on Ifrit that I didn't even notice what was happening around me. And after a while, I realised something. I can't defeat her, even with all the training I've been through just to avenge my parents' death, it wasn't enough.

But for some reason, he was able to do that. Even though he was a human, he played around with a Spirit as if it was a child. He could've easily killed her if he wished to, she was at his mercy.

The man called Tatsuya Shiba did what I desired the most, what I've lived for my entire life so easily as if it was some household chore.

I had no idea about who Ifrit actually was, but I had a feeling that she was somewhat familiar. But even if I knew who she was, what can I even do?

It's frustrating to be weak.

"Mom, dad." I muttered, trying to calm my mood.

"Quite the shabby place." I heard a voice from my left. Without even thinking about it, I pulled out the knife near my pillow before throwing it where the voice came from as I jumped off the bed.

Looking in that direction, I saw Mikasa standing there with a smile on her face while looking at the knife she caught using her index and middle finger.

She turned towards me. "That's a rather dangerous toy, you know. It might've killed a normal person, but alas, it's no use against Spirits or those who are stronger than you, right?" She said with a smile.

"How are you here?" I asked. Many might not know but this was the base for an AST squad, so infiltrating it was more or less impossible.

"Do you believe that those bunch of goons can stop me?" Mikasa asked, walking forward before taking a seat on my bed. "And yes, don't even try to press that emergency button behind your back. The moment you do, I'll turn this whole area into rubble. And no matter what I do, there won't be a Spacequake alarm since I am a human." She said with a smile.

Hearing her words, I felt a chill run down my spine before giving up on the idea of asking for reinforcements. If she came all the way here, that means she wants something from me.

"So, why are you here?" I asked, still on guard.

"5 years ago, it was Ifrit, wasn't it? The Spirit that killed your parents?" Mikasa replied with a mocking smile. Picking the apple on the table before eating it.

"H-How do you know that?" I asked, taking a step back. Even within the AST, not many people knew about my past.

"Well, I know a lot of things. For example, how to be strong enough to beat a Spirit." She paused, giving me another smile. "Or Ifrit's true identity."

"... Just what are you after?" I asked, she was definitely trying to bait me. And I had to admit, she was doing a very good job at it. Even after realising her motive, I couldn't decline her, it was as if she had a grip on my heart.

"Would you believe me if I said it was that it was the goodwill of my heart?" She said, taking another bite of the apple. "These are good." She muttered while eating.

I just stared at her without replying.

"I guess that didn't work." She paused, pondering for a few seconds. "Let's just say I hate Spirits as much as you do."

"Then why didn't Tatsuya kill Ifrit when he could've easily finished her?" I retorted without any delay.

"To give you a chance to avenge your parents. To see the one who took everything away from you crumble before your feet, begging for mercy, isn't that what you're after? Don't you want that? To kill Ifrit even if you have to die in the process?" The scariest thing was that she said it without the slightest change in expression. She knew exactly what I wanted.

"I haven't lost everything." I retorted. If nothing else, I still have Shido.

"Right. You do have Shido." She looked at me as if I was a clown. "Or do you not?"

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, worried about Shido's safety.

"What if I told you that the Spirit Ifrit was actually..." She paused for a second, giving me a knowing smile. "Shido's little sister, Kotori Itsuka?"

My eyes widened in surprise before something clicked in. No wonder Ifrit looked so familiar. I'll kill that bitch the moment I get a chance. It doesn't matter if she was Shido's sister or not.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I asked, losing my calm demeanour.

"Well, I told you, didn't I? I hate Spirits as much as you do. So I can't just watch you being played around by Shido like that." She said, shaking her head.

"... Shido would never do something like that." I said.

"Are you sure about that?" Mikasa replied, getting up from the bed. "You know it too, don't you? That Shido doesn't remember anything about meeting you that day. Did you even meet him in the first place? Even if you somehow cornered Kotori, Shido would definitely protect her. Do you think your parents' death is worth it for him? Oh, wait. I am quite sure that he won't even blame Kotori for what she did. He'll probably pin the blame on someone else." I could understand that Mikasa was blandly mocking me, but there was nothing I could say.

'I know that but...'

"You don't have any proof." I said the last thing I could have thought of to defend Shido.

"Well, how about this. Tell Shido about the Spirit that murdered your parents and see if he tells you about his sister? Or you can ask him about him meeting you five years ago." Mikasa said, shrugging her shoulders. "From what I know, he'll probably make some excuse like there was a third Spirit involved or maybe he'll shout that it was a road roller? Who knows."

"He isn't the type of person who'd ever lie." I almost shouted at her.

"Well, I just came here to warn you as a fellow human. If you ever wish to obtain power strong enough to kill Spirits, you know where to find me. Right, keep this with you." Mikasa said with a smile while tossing a small silver coin over to me.

"What's this?" I asked, doubtful.

"A lucky charm. You can toss it away if you don't want it. Well, I am gonna leave now." Mikasa replied.

"Huh? Was that all?" I muttered, confused. Forget about manipulating me, that conversation wasn't enough for me to even think about accepting her offer. Maybe she was an idiot trying to act all cool?

"It was. I hope that you can see the truth, Origami. Who knows, you might even see your parents again." Mikasa replied.

"What do-" Before I could finish my words, she left.

After making sure that she left, I fell onto my bed. If it wasn't for her talking about Shido, I would've accepted any conditions she had about obtaining power strong enough to kill Spirits.

'Maybe she was here out of concern?' I thought, shaking my head.

"There's no way Shido would ever lie to me. No way, right?" I muttered, trying to reassure myself.

After about half an hour, Shido came to visit me. We talked about some things regarding Mana and what happened at the school before I asked him about the Spirit that controlled fire. And his reaction was enough to tell me that he knew something but purposefully tried to hide it.

He asked me what was so special about that Spirit and I told him everything that happened five years ago and asked him again about the Spirit.

"I don't know anything about that, Origami." He replied, dramatically shaking his head.

"I see." I took a deep breath, there must be a reason why he's lying to me. "Then, do you remember meeting me just after my parents' death?" I asked him.

"I don't. I told you already, didn't I? I first saw you on our first day of High School." And he wasn't lying. It was easy to see through Shido, so it was pretty obvious.

"Then where were you at that time?" I asked again.

"I-I was with Kotori since our house was caught in the fire too." He replied, trying his best to act normal.

"I see." That was all I could say. Without even waiting for me to say anything else, Shido left.

I was confused and disappointed. Confused about what Mikasa said and disappointed in... Shido. If Mikasa wasn't lying to me, there is no reason for Shido to lie. But he lied straight to my face, without even trying to convince me that there was a reason behind what happened that year.

'I just...' I sighed, falling onto the bed before going back to sleep.

---

Mana Pov-

"What's this?" I muttered, looking at the injection-like object in my hand. The only difference it had was the small screen attached to it. My eyes fell on the note left on my table before picking it up.

[This can determine a Human/Spirit's true age. If you want to find out more, come to the given location anytime.]

'This is strange.' I thought, looking at the funny note. At the back of the note, there was a long speech about how Dio is the saviour of all mankind and how we were all Dio's spawns with him giving Eve an apple full of seed.

Out of curiosity, I injected the needle into my skin before the screen on the device lit up.

[Age: 42]

"Huh?"

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A/N-

A useless chapter, I know. Sorry.

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