Dragging his soaking, heavy body, Shido finally arrived at his doorstep. He habitually reached for his keys, only to find the door was merely ajar, not locked at all.
"Sigh... Kotori forgot to lock the door again." He sighed helplessly and pushed the door open.
In the entryway, besides Kotori's shoes and his own, there was a familiar pair of men's athletic shoes. Shido paused, then immediately recognized the owner of the shoes.
(Koushi? Why is he here? Wasn't he missing?)
Filled with questions, he changed into his slippers and walked into the living room. The sight before him made him momentarily dazed.
He saw Koushi Hōointhe guy he and Ratatoskr had been searching frantically forsitting casually on the carpet in his own living room.
Even more surprising, Tohka was sitting properly beside him like the most obedient student, her purple eyes fixed on Koushi, filled with curiosity and concentration.
Koushi was currently making some extremely embarrassing, dated (to Shido, at least) gestures, chanting under his breath:
"Hear me! Spirits of the elements that surround the world! In the name of the 'Dark Flame Master,' I command you to gather here and burn away all defilement! Dark Flame MasterIncinerate!"
This was the title and move name Koushi had bestowed upon himself during the period when he and Koushi were obsessed with chuunibyou!
"Oohh!" Tohka gasped softly, looking at Koushi's exaggerated yet inexplicably imposing movements, her face full of admiration and a desire to learn. She even started clumsily imitating Koushi's gestures, mumbling along: "Dark... Dark... Flame?"
Kotori, meanwhile, was sitting on the opposite sofa, chewing on her familiar precious jewel, her head adorned with the black ribbon representing her "commander mode," her expression unprecedentedly serious.
She watched the somewhat comical scene before her without a hint of amusement, her eyes sharp as if she were evaluating something.
"I'm back..." Shido greeted them weakly.
Hearing the voice, Koushi immediately stopped his "lesson" and turned around. Seeing Shido, who was dripping wet, hair plastered to his forehead, and looking utterly miserable, his eyes lit up. He instantly sprang up from the floor, a familiar, slightly mischievous smile spreading across his face.
"Yo! Isn't this our dear 'Contractor' Itsuka Shido?" Koushi walked over in a few strides and unceremoniously threw an arm around Shido's soaking wet shoulder, completely disregarding the water stains on his own clothes.
He leaned close to Shido's ear and whispered in a teasing tone, low enough for only the two of them to hear:
"Hey, hey, Shido, you're quite something! It's only been a few days, and you've already snagged such a beautiful, innocent girl? Quick, share the secret with your brother! Did you use some ancestral pick-up spell, huh?"
As he spoke, he lightly nudged Shido's ribs with his elbow.
Shido was torn between laughter and tears by his actions and words. He helplessly pushed him away: "Stop messing around, Koushi! There's no secret... Anyway, why are you at my house?"
Koushi shrugged at the question, then pointed at the serious-looking Kotori on the sofa:
"Your little sister specifically came to my place and 'invited' me over. I don't know what's going on; she's being all mysterious and incredibly serious."
A hint of confusion appeared on his face as he continued to complain:
"Speaking of which, Shido, isn't your sister usually sweet and cute? The one with the white ribbons. Why does she look like a completely different person today, so aggressive, like a little adult? She's making me a bit nervous."
Shido looked at Koushi, who was oblivious and still worried about Kotori's demeanor, and immediately understood.
(As expected... is it time for the reveal?)
He looked at Koushi's eyes, which still held a teasing glint and were completely unaware of the approaching storm, and felt a complex mix of emotions.
The lighthearted banter was about to end. Next, his friend of many years would face a reality far beyond his imagination.
And all of it stemmed from the "sister" who was related by blood yet a strangerPhoenix-in Chinatsu.
Shido took a deep breath, feeling the cold dampness on his body seem to spread into his heart.
He knew that, from this moment on, the peaceful routine would be completely over for Koushi.
The steaming food was already laid out on the table, but none of the four people presentShido, Kotori, Koushi, and Tohka, who was unusually quiet after keenly sensing the strange atmosphere despite not Understanding ithad any intention of picking up their chopsticks.
The air seemed to solidify, permeated by the oppressive feeling of a storm about to break.
Even Koushi, who was usually thick-skinned, clearly felt that something was wrong.
He sat next to Shido, constantly nudging him with his elbow and asking with a wink: "What's going on? Did your sister take the wrong medicine today? This atmosphere is terrifying!"
(King Crimson... Gold Experience Requiem! The Boss failed to erase time, quickly say thank you Giorno.)
Shido wailed internally, but real time continued to tick by, second by second.
Finally, Kotori cleared her throat, breaking the suffocating silence.
She rested her crossed hands on the table, looked directly at Koushi, and began her narration in her commander mode's unmistakable tone.
From the existence of "Spirits" to the truth behind the "Spatial Quake," and then to the organization established to prevent the Spatial Quakes and protect the coexistence of Spirits and humans, "Ratatoskr."
As well as its core strategy"Date them and make them fall in love"... The sheer volume of information was like a tsunami, crashing against Koushi's Understanding.
As Kotori spoke, Koushi's expression went from initial confusion to surprise, then disbelief, and finally, it gradually became rigid.
When Kotori mentioned that he, Koushi Hōoin, had a biological sister who had been missing for many years, now manifesting as a "Spirit" named "Phoenix-in Chinatsu," and that this sister was currently in a dangerous state of uncontrolled power and personality fragmentation... Koushi suddenly raised his hand, interrupting Kotori, his voice trembling with a barely suppressed, almost absurd shock:
"Wait! Are you saying... that I was supposed to have a sister?"
Shido forced himself to nod: "...Yes."
Koushi's eyes darted around, as if processing the information, then he confirmed in an even stranger tone: "She... turned into... a magical girl? And she erased my memories?"
Shido's mouth twitched. He tried to find a more accurate description: "Emmmm... that's not exactly wrong as an Understanding... but the situation is much more complicated..."
Koushi's gaze suddenly sharpened, cutting across Shido's face like a knife, and his voice dropped:
"And then... you, Itsuka Shido, one of my best friends, are supposed to 'capture' my sister? Date her, make her embarrassed, and finally... steal her first kiss and add her to your harem?"
"That's putting it too..." Shido tried to argue, but Koushi suddenly stood up with a bang!
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