"Here they are. The Spirit's appearing soon. Reine, prepare."
"…Right."
Nodding at the voice from above, Reine Murasame, Ratatosk's analyst with dark circles under her eyes, sits at the console below the bridge. Fraxisnus, Ratatosk's proud airship, supports Shidou in protecting Spirits. At the helm, a girl with crimson hair in twin-tails tied with black ribbons—Kotori Itsuka, Shidou's sister and the ship's commander.
"Time's short, Shidou. Decided yet?"
Kotori addresses Shidou, silent since arriving. He's here to conquer another Spirit. He thought sealing Tohka ended it—but who said there's only one Spirit? He couldn't abandon Tohka, despite knowing her power and facing death. She was like him. But another? The weight of a world-altering fate burdens him. Deciding lightly is too much.
Time, cruel, moves on. A shrill siren blares.
"What's that?"
"Strong spiritual wave detected! It's coming!"
"Okay. Switch the main monitor to the predicted location."
Kotori snaps her fingers, calmly issuing orders. The monitor shows Tenguu City, a ghost town under a spatial quake alert. The center distorts.
"What…?"
A glitch? No—the space ripples like water.
"What's this…?"
"First time seeing it, Shidou?"
A flash blinds the screen, followed by a deafening blast. Shidou instinctively shields his face. When the light fades, the cityscape is gone—replaced by a crater.
"Spatial… quake!"
He mutters, certain. He saw it a month ago. A quake erases everything, leaving a void.
"When a Spirit manifests, it distorts space, causing this disaster," Kotori explains.
The sight of a ruined city hits differently than witnessing the explosion. Everyday places—gone in an instant. Shidou shudders, realizing this will persist if he quits.
"Small-scale explosion, though," Kotori notes.
"Indeed," agrees Kyouhei Kannazuki, the tall vice-commander behind her. Also, a pervert.
"Lucky, but typical for Hermit," Reine adds.
"Gentle temperament among Spirits," Kotori says.
"What's Hermit?" Shidou asks, shocked a small quake could be so devastating.
"The Spirit's codename. Can we zoom in?"
Kotori answers as the crew magnifies the crater's center. The image darkens, rain falling—like yesterday. Then, a small girl appears.
Shidou's eyes widen.
"That's…"
"What's wrong?" Kotori asks.
"I've met her…!"
The blue-haired girl in a rabbit-eared hood, a puppet on her left hand. Unmistakable—the girl from his reunion with Kurumi.
"They're at it again, even though Hermit doesn't resist," the robed girl mutters atop a building, watching a battle—or slaughter—unfold. Her robe sways, but no one's nearby to respond, except a voice in her ear.
"Natural. To them, Spirits are absolute threats—humanity's enemies."
Kurumi's voice, slightly displeased, agrees. The robed girl sees AST soldiers in heavy armor unleashing a barrage of ammunition, chasing Hermit. Bullets hit, exploding mercilessly.
"Will Shidou show up?"
"He will. Shidou-san will—definitely."
Hermit leaps from the smoke, fleeing without counterattacking.
Watching this one-sided assault, the robed girl wonders if Shidou will rush in. Kurumi, unwavering, insists he will.
"You trust Shidou a lot."
"Not trust. I'm certain he'll save her."
Trust, isn't it? The robed girl holds her tongue—Kurumi would deny it. Shidou's selflessness is clear from his actions with Princess, but risking his life repeatedly? This is a battlefield.
Yet Kurumi's certain. For her to say this—remarkable.
"Besides, he must seal Spirits. He has to come."
"True. I'll trust your word."
Shidou's sealing is crucial for Kurumi's wish and the robed girl's plan. She brought Kurumi here for him. They watch as Hermit hides in a building.
"She's escaped into a structure. Perfect timing for Shidou to contact Hermit."
"Yes, until those trigger-happy folks lose patience. That's his only chance to talk. Don't get caught."
"Obviously. Their security's a joke."
The robed girl leaps, undetectable by Realizers or eyes. She, not Kurumi, monitors Shidou for this reason. Slipping past AST surrounding the department store, she enters, following Hermit's presence.
"Voices."
She hears two people talking faintly, moving toward them.
"Shidou's really here."
"I told you—definitely."
Shidou, like a month ago, is engaging a Spirit—here to seal, no, save her. His courage, or recklessness, stuns the robed girl. But Hermit's demeanor is off—hostile.
"She's oddly aggressive."
"Strange. She's not a volatile Spirit. What did Shidou say?"
"Something about her only talking through ventriloquism…"
"Ventriloquism…"
Kurumi ponders as the robed girl observes. Shidou, likely following stiff comm advice, invites Hermit on a date. She, unused to such interactions, accepts. Her hostility eases.
"He's recovered. Any insights, Kurumi?"
"No proof yet. Need more info."
"Let's follow them."
Amazed at Kurumi's deduction from one word, the robed girl tracks the pair.
"Things are going… too smoothly."
"Eerily so."
An hour into Shidou and Hermit's date, they chat and wander the store, enjoying themselves. No resistance from Hermit. The robed girl expects Shidou to meet sealing conditions easily.
"Anything bothering you, Kurumi?"
"No proof, no certainty. I'll talk when I have it."
"You're too cryptic."
"Not as much as you."
The robed girl, guilty of secrecy, falls silent. During their banter, Hermit climbs a jungle gym, boasting.
"Look, Shidou! Cool, right? Is Yoshinon cool?"
"Hey, that's dangerous!"
"I'm asking if I'm cool—whoa!"
Predictable, the robed girl thinks. Hermit loses balance, falls onto Shidou, and—
"Oh my."
"Tch!"
They kiss, crashing to the floor. A perfect, accidental kiss—report-worthy if seen out of context.
"Kurumi?"
"What? Who Shidou kisses doesn't matter! It's necessary! Like with Princess! I feel nothing!"
"I didn't say anything."
Kurumi's pressured outburst silences the robed girl. A kiss, accidental or not, should partially seal Hermit, given her openness. But Hermit rises, puppet chattering cheerily, unchanged. No spiritual power flows to Shidou.
"Thought Hermit was friendly enough for a partial seal. Guess not."
"Seems my hypothesis gains traction."
Proudly, Kurumi speaks. The robed girl, noting her quick recovery, asks about the hypothesis but hears footsteps.
"—Shidou."
The robed girl, alert despite the conversation, recognizes the voice. Shidou must be chilled to the bone.
"What were you doing?"
"N-Nothing…"
Soaked, Princess—Tohka—likely sprinted here, worried. Shidou touches his lips, then hides his hand—too late. Her fragile heart shatters. Her face, like a child holding back tears, radiates rising spiritual power.
"Power's reversing…"
"Making me worry, then flirting with another girl?!"
A thunderous stomp cracks the floor, embodying Tohka's rage and sorrow.
"This is a shuraba? First time seeing one."
"I haven't either. A life-or-death one's rare."
Sealed power reverses. Tohka's power, sealed in Shidou, flows back via their path when her emotions destabilize. Stress triggers this loosening.
"It's minor. Shidou's gotta handle it. But I want Detective Kurumi's hypothesis."
"That nickname… Fine."
As the shuraba continues, the robed girl prioritizes Hermit's unsealed state over intervening. Kurumi, without hesitation, shares her theory.
"The puppet has a separate personality."
"A talking split personality?"
"Likely. While she wears it, the puppet has a distinct, communicative personality. Shidou couldn't seal her because he was engaging the puppet, not Hermit."
"I don't know why it's like that," Kurumi adds. The robed girl nods. It explains the failure—Shidou won over the puppet, not Hermit.
"But Kurumi, you built this from 'ventriloquism'? Hiding something?"
Kurumi's too sharp to deduce this from one word and footage alone. Her tone suggests familiarity with Hermit.
"Nothing hidden. I spoke with Hermit yesterday evening."
"I wasn't told."
"Obviously. I didn't mention it."
The robed girl groans at Kurumi's unapologetic secrecy. It explains her hypothesis, though. Hermit poses no threat to Kurumi—even in combat, Kurumi's unbeatable. Still, contacting a Spirit without her knowledge is chilling.
"Don't worry me like that—"
"Zadkiel!"
Hermit swings her hand, and the robed girl heightens her alert. A massive rabbit-eared puppet, etched with white patterns, bursts through the floor—her Angel.
"When Princess grabbed the puppet, Hermit destabilized. Is it her emotional anchor?"
"Not certain yet—here it comes."
Zadkiel roars, emitting freezing air, shattering windows. Raindrops, frozen into bullets, scatter—some toward Princess.
"Tohka!"
Shidou tackles her, dodging the bullets by a hair. His recklessness, despite his regeneration, impresses the robed girl.
"Reckless. One mistake, he's a pincushion."
"She's leaving. Admire Shidou later—focus."
Zadkiel grabs the puppet, crashes through the window, and escapes. The robed girl, following Kurumi's order, leaps to a rooftop for a better view.
A scream. An AST homing missile hits Zadkiel, exploding. Relentless gunfire follows, but Hermit vanishes into the Boundary without retaliating.
"She summoned her Angel but didn't fight back. Calling her cowardly's too simple."
The robed girl leans on the railing, gazing at the crater. Hermit's power could counter AST, yet she only used those rain bullets.
"Thought it'd be an easy seal. With Princess involved, Shidou's in for it."
"Indeed… Can I ask a favor?"
Kurumi, after a thoughtful pause, speaks. The robed girl has one answer.
"Of course—anything for my queen."
"'Don't care! Just go away, idiot!'"
A sigh escapes Shidou, shopping in the rain, recalling Tohka's sulky words from yesterday's failed war date with Yoshinon. The accidental kiss should've sealed her, given her high affection, but no power transferred. Worse, Tohka saw it, souring her mood.
Reine suggested Shidou leave Tohka's feelings to her—female nuance eludes him. So, with time to kill, he shops, unable to yesterday.
Turning a corner, he freezes.
"Yoshinon…?"
The rabbit-eared hood is unmistakable. Searching the ground, she notices Shidou's mutter, looks up—
"?!"
"Hey, wait—"
She bolts. Shidou curses his loudness, calling after her. A shadow blocks her path—not a shadow, but a gothic-clad girl with a black umbrella.
"Kurumi?!"
"Shidou-san? And this girl—"
Tokisaki Kurumi, startled, widens her eyes, recognizing the trapped girl. Yoshinon, escape cut off, pales in panic. Her usual calming hero—the puppet—is missing.
"…!"
She raises her hand. Shidou freezes, recalling her Angel-summoning gesture.
"No, Yoshinon!"
He can't involve Kurumi. His shout doesn't reach her. Her hand swings down—
"It's okay."
Shidou's mind blanks—not from the gesture, but from Kurumi's expression. She embraces Yoshinon, speaking gently, like soothing a child.
"We won't hurt you. Calm down—"
Two umbrellas roll, rain soaking them. Shidou feels nothing—no discomfort.
He's losing it, he thinks. Kurumi's expression, reserved for him, is divine, saintly.
The gathering cold dissipates. Kurumi holds Yoshinon until she calms, and Shidou—captivated—stares, entranced.