Dusk was setting, bathing the towering buildings in purple and orange hues. One of the old clock towers, with cracks in its window panes like empty eyes, stood firmly amidst the emptiness. The once-shady trees were now only stiff silhouettes, framing the bleak view of a city seemingly abandoned by time.
Among the ruins of collapsed buildings, which may have once been schools or offices, a bridge still stood, crossing the chasm of destruction. The floors beneath were wide open, revealing rusted iron frames, like the exposed bones of giants. Dust and gravel were scattered everywhere, silent witnesses to the catastrophe that once struck.
However, amidst the silence, a bright green light suddenly appeared in the sky, shattering the peaceful silence of dusk. For a moment, a group of girls appeared out of nowhere, neatly lined up on the devastated ground. Their attire resembled combat fatigues, accentuated by strange rabbit ears. They stood still, as if awaiting something.
From the darkness, the voice of a girl with fiery red hair and piercing eyes rang out, "Shido, you're lucky this time."
The scene shifted to a futuristic control room. Monitors glowing bright blue filled the room, displaying a map of the city and the silhouettes of the girls. In the center, a red-haired girl with a serious expression sat in the main control chair, holding a lollipop in her mouth.
"That CR unit wasn't designed for indoor combat," she said, her voice filled with authority. "Since the Princess is inside the school, the AST can't just attack."
The screen returned to the outside view, this time focusing on a young man standing alone in front of the entrance of the destroyed building. Dust and debris still littered the surrounding area.
"But..." she said, her voice barely audible.
Back in the control room, the red-haired girl smiled faintly. "Only you can do it."
She looked at the monitor, where the young man was now in focus. "Despite your constant complaining, you've been keeping up your training these past few weeks."
Her face turned serious. "You want to help that Spirit too, right?"
The scene returned to the young man outside. He looked surprised, but then nodded firmly. "Right."
Beside him, a girl with long black hair in a purple dress and deep purple eyes appeared. She looked fragile, but her eyes held a hidden strength.
"I don't want to see that expression again," the black-haired girl muttered, her voice filled with pain. "I won't let it!"
Shido gritted his teeth, staring at the black-haired girl with determination. "Kotori, I can do it, right?"
Kotori, the red-haired girl in the control room, replied, "Of course. Believe in yourself. This is the only way left to appease the Spirit. You have to... talk to her, ask her out, and make her fall in love."
The camera shifted, showing the young man's feet walking on the cracked ground. Each step left a footprint among the rubble.
"Don't worry, Shido," Kotori's voice returned, reassuring. "The crew of Ratatoskr's proud Fraxinus is ready to assist you in any situation."
The control room was now fully displayed. Several crew members were busy at their posts. A bespectacled man with slick black hair appeared deep in thought. He was "Love Expert" Kawagoe, with a record of five marriages and five divorces. "Come quickly, leave quickly," Japanese text appeared on the screen, alongside the words "Bad Marriage." The man nodded, "Hmm, love."
Then "Boss" Mikimoto appeared, with round glasses and thinning hair, holding a cup in his hand. He was called "The seductive demon of the moonlit night." He muttered, "Our expensive."
Next, a woman with long black hair, Shizaki, was called "The Nailer." She was "the heartbreaker of all her love rivals," and "the woman at two in the morning."
Then, a man with many wives, Nakatsugawa, nicknamed "Dimension Destroyer." He looked indifferent. "Revolution."
Finally, a young woman with curly brown hair, Minowa, who was honest and sincere but "feared by the law" and called "The Watcher of the Bad Guys."
Returning to Shido, he descended the rubble-strewn stairs. "Suddenly, I feel like going home."
Kotori laughed lightly. "Calm down. They're all experienced. There are still many experts here in their fields. Don't worry."
"If it's 'game over,' you can still choose 'new game,'" Kotori continued.
Shido paused for a moment, then sighed. "It's easy to talk..."
"Trust your little sister," Kotori's voice returned, softer now. "Please take care of the Princess, okay?"
The young man arrived at the destroyed school corridor. Thick dust blanketed the air, and the orange-red light of dusk seeped in from The shattered windows illuminated the chaos within.
He peered into a classroom. The girl in the purple dress stood in the center, surrounded by scattered desks. Her eyes still held sorrow, yet also a menacing power.
An explosion suddenly erupted, and the boy was sent flying, covered in smoke and dust. "Wait a minute!" he cried, coughing. "I'm not the enemy!"
The girl turned, her eyes fixed on the boy now lying on the floor. She held out her hand, and a dangerous purple light began to glow in her palm.
"Calm down!" the boy shouted again.
"Stop," the girl's voice was cold and sharp. "Who are you?"
"I—" the boy began, but Kotori interrupted from the control room.
"Hold on, Shido!" The screen in the control room displayed the girl's data. "There's something strange about her Spirit's mental state! The data is being processed by the AI. The answer choices will be displayed soon."
Three answer choices appeared on Shido's screen.
"I am Itsuka Shido. I came to help you."
"I was just passing by! Please forgive me!"
"Before asking someone else's name, state yours first."
In the control room, the support team was busy analyzing the options. "That's the choice. Hurry up and decide!" Kotori urged.
Shido, can you hear me?" Kotori asked. "Repeat what I said."
Back in the destroyed classroom, the girl in the purple dress was still standing, pointing a pulsating purple light at Shido. "I'll ask again. Who are you?"
Shido stared at her, then his face turned serious. He remembered Kotori's words. "Before asking someone else's name," he shouted, his voice echoing in the wreckage, "state yours first!"
The girl was startled, but then another explosion rocked the building. Shido was thrown back, covered in dust.
"Huh? Why is that strange?" he muttered, rubbing his head.
"What's strange?! "Are you going to kill me?!" he shouted, panicked.
The girl in the purple dress stared at him, the purple light in her hand growing brighter. "This is the last time. If you still don't answer, I'll consider you an enemy."
Shido raised his hand, his face full of determination. "I'm Itsuka Shido! A student of this school! I had no ill intentions!"
The girl's face looked shocked. She lowered her hand, the purple light dimming. "We've met before, haven't we?"
"A-ah..." Shido remembered. "April 10th, in the middle of town."
"Oh, I remember now," he muttered. "You were the one who said something strange."
Shido smiled awkwardly, scratching his head. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
The girl stared at him blankly, as if something was bothering her. "I don't want anything," she said flatly.
Shido stared at her. "Not all humans want to kill you, you know!"
The girl looked down, her black hair covering her face. "Every human I've met has always told me I should just die!"
"That's not true!" Shido exclaimed.
The girl raised her head, her eyes filled with questions. "Then tell me. If not to kill me, why did you come here?
Three options appeared on Shido's screen again:
"Of course, to see you."
"None of your business."
"It's just a coincidence."
Kotori, in the control room, observed Shido's reaction. "Judging by his reaction earlier, I think option 1 is the most appropriate, Shido."
"I came to talk to you, whatever you want to talk about," Shido said quickly. "I don't even care if you ignore me."
"But, I just want to say one thing," Shido said, sounding very hurried.
"Shido, calm down!" Kotori's loud voice came from the communication device in his ear, but Shido ignored it.
"I won't deny your existence," Shido said with a very serious expression.
The girl heard Shido say this and felt her heart touched.
The girl, still hesitant, asked, "...Your name is Shido, right?"
"Yes," Shido replied.
"Are you really not going to deny my existence?" There was a tone of There was a plea in her voice.
"I won't," Shido replied without hesitation.
"You promise?" The girl's eyes sparkled, radiating a fragile hope.
"I promise," Shido nodded.
"You promise, never?" Her insistence grew stronger.
"I swear to God!" Shido exclaimed, earnestly.
The girl turned her head, staring out the window at the rosy sunset. A shadow crossed her face. Then, suddenly, she raised her hand, forming a threatening claw. "Huh! I won't be fooled like that! You idiot!"
Shido was shocked. "That's why—"
The girl turned, looking at Shido with a softer gaze, still filled with worry. "But, I... I don't know what you're thinking, but you're the first human to talk to me, so... I'll use you to learn about this world."
Shido smiled in relief. "Yes, that's important. That's very important."
"Th-Thank you..." the girl mumbled, then looked up at him again. "So, what's my name?"
"Yours?" Shido frowned. "I don't have a name. But I think I need one to interact with others." The girl looked down for a moment, then raised her head. "Shido, what do you want to call me?"
In the control room, Kotori seemed to be deep in thought. "This is a really tough question. Everyone, please think of a name!"
The screen shifted to show the serious faces of the crew. A silver-haired girl with a teddy bear in her arms looked at Kotori. "The data we have isn't enough. We need to consult experts around the world."
"That's best," Kotori agreed.
Meanwhile, in a hall, Tonomachi stood next to a vending machine, drinking something from a can. He looked down at his phone; an app with a picture of a purple-haired girl appeared on the screen. Below it, various names in Japanese. A faint smile spread across his face. "You want me to be her godfather, huh?" he muttered.
Suddenly, voices behind him made him jump. "Isn't that Tonomachi-kun? He's sending love messages to Itsuka-kun, isn't he?" The jeering voices made Tonomachi panic a little.
"Maniac," whispered one of the voices.
In the control room, various names were suggested. "Misako!" Kotori shouted, seeing one of the names on the screen. "Kawagoe! Misako is your ex's name, right?!"
Kawagoe gasped. "Clarabell!"
"Mikimoto, how do you read this?!" Kotori pointed at the screen. "Clarabell."
"Rejected!" Kotori flatly refused. "You guys don't have a more natural and popular name, huh? For example..." She pointed to one of the names listed. "Tome!"
Back in the classroom. Shido, amidst the rubble, smiled at the girl. "Your name is Tome."
The girl's face looked shocked, but then a small, genuine smile spread across her lips. A green bar on Kotori's screen, which indicated her 'Mood,' rose slightly. "Happy."
Kotori smiled with satisfaction. "Wow... this feels weird, doesn't it?"
Suddenly, Shido felt a strange sensation. His entire body was enveloped in white light, and his clothes transformed into a white uniform. The girl stared at him in confusion. "Somehow, I feel like I'm being toyed with."
"Sorry!" Shido shouted. "Wait a minute!"
"What..." Shido sighed.
The girl stared at him, her lips pursed slightly. "Isn't there a suitable name?!"
Shido stared at her, then an idea occurred to him. "Tohka."
The girl repeated the name, as if tasting it. "How is it?" Shido asked.
The girl smiled softly, a smile so beautiful amidst the ruins. "Not bad..."
As they were interacting, suddenly from the dark corner of the room came a flat, cold voice.
"So this is a spirit," the voice said in a cold tone.