"Hello everyone, my name is Shiori Itsuka. I am Shido Itsuka's distant cousin. My brother had something to do in America, and now I'm taking his place. Please take care of me." Shido… oh no, Shiori, her heart was about to break. But there was no other way! She still needed a life, still wanted to go to college, and live a normal life. Although her brother was gone, one couldn't live in the past, right? So, Shiori, dressed in a girl's school uniform by Kotori and sent out of the house, had no choice but to suppress the pain in her heart, pretend to be her cousin, come to the familiar classroom, and see familiar faces.
"Oh~~ you two do look a bit alike!" Tonamachi stood up and said in surprise.
"…" Origami-dono's eyes lit up, discovering something extraordinary.
"Is Shido playing some kind of game?" Tohka looked at Shiori and said, but her voice was too soft for anyone to notice.
"Then, please take Shido's seat!" The loli-sized teacher said gently to Shiori.
"Hai!" Shiori replied weakly.
"Shido, Shido. What are you playing?" As soon as Shiori sat down, she heard a voice that exposed her, and it was Tohka. She slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Just call me Shiori now, Tohka." Shiori, weeping internally, swallowed all her tears.
"Mm! Alright, I'll play too. Shiori." Tohka, thinking Shiori was playing some kind of game, also followed Shiori's lead and called her Shiori.
And so, Shiori's delightful life began. Although, going to the restroom was inconvenient. She also had to manage her long hair, learn to put on makeup, and wear a bra. Hmm! It was bigger than Kotori's. (Kotori: I'm furious, I'll burn it for you!)
Meanwhile, Kuesumi was leisurely drinking tea brewed by Kurumi.
"Darling, darling. Let's go to the hot springs!" Kurumi looked at the flyer in her hand and said to Kuesumi, who was sitting on the sofa.
"Hot springs, huh! It's been a long time since I've soaked in one." Kuesumi thought for a moment and agreed. Only those who had truly experienced hot springs knew how good they were. That boiled water simply couldn't compare to the real pleasure of a hot spring.
"Let's go this Saturday! In two days, I'm going to meet a very interesting human." Kurumi said, sitting next to Kuesumi. Her words shifted Kuesumi's attention from her phone.
"Interesting human? Could it be Shido?" Kuesumi muttered to herself.
"Ara~ la, darling is interested?" Kurumi noticed Kuesumi's change and asked with some surprise.
"Not very interested. Is that human named Shido Itsuka?" Kuesumi asked.
"Yes! Darling, how did you know?" Kurumi asked in surprise.
"I met her once, a very special fellow." Remembering the injection she had given her, Kuesumi couldn't help but think with inner delight. She must be about to transform now, how exciting! Shiori.
"Since darling has said so, then, I'll observe her carefully!" Kurumi licked her lips, her eyes sparkling with playfulness.
"Where did you get your information?" Kuesumi asked curiously.
"Uh! It's not really a secret. I send out a large number of clones every day to investigate. The confined Spirits. Recently, I detected an interesting fellow. That person is Shido Itsuka." Kurumi slowly revealed the source of her information.
"Alright, stop talking. Let's go relax recently! I'll even give you a special fan service, I'll massage and scrub your back!" Kuesumi sat up from the sofa and said to Kurumi.
"Alright!" Let me immerse myself in this happy and peaceful life a little longer! If there is a God, please, I beg you. Let this time slow down a bit, thank you. Whatever it takes, I'll do anything. Only this warm daily life, I don't want to destroy it. Please, Kami (God).
Kurumi, praying internally, had no idea that a God King was standing right in front of her.
Kurumi's small wish was unintentionally overheard by the person in front of her. It was truly unintentional!
She would just watch you impassively, and then, at your most helpless moment, she would bring it up! Making you so embarrassed you'd want to find a hole to crawl into—hmm, a hole on her.
"I feel like something is about to happen," Kuesumi thought as she looked at the 'Tengu Paradise Hot Spring' in front of her, a very bad premonition washing over her.
"Shh~~ Let's go in, my dear." Kurumi pushed Kuesumi from behind, urging her inside.
"The proprietress is surprisingly nice! She gave us a lot of things." Kuesumi looked at the wooden tray floating on the hot spring, laden with snacks and drinks.
"Hurry and undress, my dear."
"Uh! You're so fast!"
Kuesumi looked at Kurumi, who was already wrapped in a bath towel, feeling a bit regretful she missed out on the 'benefits'. Although she had used Kurumi's 'body' before, this was the original! The yandere and evil aura that she could never perfectly imitate, no matter how high-fidelity her imitations were, couldn't be explained in a few words.
"Don't you have your own? Go pinch your own."
Kuesumi irritably slapped away Kurumi's paw. She never expected that the goddess from back then would turn out to be a hidden pervert. She really misjudged her. Who knew such a deep secret was hidden beneath that refined young lady's facade?
"I can't believe, my dear, that you're so disgusted with me. It truly breaks my heart! sob~"
She actually started crying. Though it was extremely fake, those two or three cat-like tears, were they not eye drops?
"Alright, alright. Do you still want your back scrubbed?"
Kuesumi said helplessly to Kurumi.
"Then, my back, I'll leave it to you, my dear." Instantly, she stopped crying. Kurumi grabbed her bath basin and walked out of the changing room.
"..." Women's moods change so quickly! Truly a born actress, Kuesumi thought helplessly, forgetting that she herself had long been one of them.
Just as the two were happily bathing,
"Shiori, Shiori, what is that?" Yoshino asked Shiori, who was smiling faintly (bitterly) beside her, the former Shido now Shiori.
"That's the sign for a barbershop!" Shiori gently stroked Yoshino's cute little head, answering Yoshino's question.
"I want one too, Shiori. I want one too," Tohka suddenly said, feeling jealous.
"Why is it like this!" As Shiori gave Tohka a head pat, she thought of her sister's words, her heart filled with tears.
"Shido... oh no, Shiori, go relax. Take a hot spring bath and unwind," Kotori said to Shiori, sitting in a posture befitting a grand BOSS.
"Ha~~, you want me to go to a hot spring with this body? No, no." Shiori blushed, clutching her hands; she still wasn't mentally prepared.
"It's precisely because you're like this that I'm giving you a chance to rest your body and mind. Accepting your current identity might not happen all at once, but you must learn to accept it. Have you forgotten your wish to save the Spirits? How can you save Spirits with this mindset?" Kotori saw through Shiori's current state of mind. For her brother... oh no, sister, she had worried a lot. And Shido becoming a sister was surprisingly good! Kotori scrutinized Shiori, making Shiori's back tingle.
"Alright, I'll go then!" Shiori said helplessly.
"I'll have Reine take you all. Go get ready!" Kotori made the arrangements and then sent Shiori away.
Thinking of this, Shiori couldn't help but shed sorrowful tears. She had still fallen into Kotori's trap! She hadn't expected Kotori to bring Tohka and Yoshino along. She had thought it would be a recovery journey for herself and her 'psychological counselor' Reine. She never expected it to be a family outing. Kotori really has a way! She truly is my sister, full of various schemes!
But reality often comes with all sorts of unexpected twists.
"Did you hear something?" Kuesumi asked Kurumi, who was enjoying the'service'.
"No, what's wrong?" Kurumi turned her head with a smile, replying.
"Uh! Maybe it was just my imagination!" Kuesumi relaxed and continued to scrub Kurumi's back. Even her own daughters hadn't enjoyed such a service.
The two didn't know that, in a town not far from them, a 'great battle' was about to unfold.
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