"Oh my! How cute! Which one do you like, Shido?"
Kurumi, who had quickly found two sets of underwear she liked, held them up for Shido to see. Both were two-piece sets with delicate lace decorations in a sweet, cute style. Shido's face instantly turned red.
"Uh… well… um…"
"Wait a second, Shido."
On the main monitor aboard Fraxinus, new options appeared:
① The one on the right — pink base with black lace, a seductive design.
② The one on the left — light blue, refreshing and pure.
③ "I prefer something more revealing…" (point to the lingerie hanging in the back).
"All personnel, start voting!"
As soon as Kotori gave the order, the results appeared on the screen. The difference was just a single vote — but surprisingly, the winning option was… ③.
"Since they're already in that store, of course they should go on the offensive! Start numbing her resistance little by little, so she won't resist the kiss later!"
Perhaps to match the previous "③" choice, the crew cheered loudly.
Kotori muttered something unintelligible, then rested her chin on her hand in thought.
"Fine. If even the AI suggests option three, it's worth trying. Shido, go with option ③ — point to the lingerie behind Kurumi."
Following her command, the Shido on screen nervously pointed behind Kurumi.
"R-Right… both are cute, but I think I prefer that one over there…"
He pointed toward the lingerie displayed behind Kurumi — and then his face twitched.
Hanging there was a set made entirely of semi-transparent material — the kind of scandalous design that could make anyone blush.
Even Tianqi Sanluo, standing casually at the entrance, turned her head away awkwardly after catching a glimpse.
"What the hell kind of taste does that boy have…"
"Does Mr. Shido… like this kind of thing?"
"N-No! That's not… I mean…"
It was no use. This was his foolish little sister's command from Fraxinus — he had no way to explain it.
While Shido stammered helplessly, Kurumi gently placed the lingerie she'd been holding back on the rack, then walked over and carefully took down the scandalous one Shido had pointed to.
"No, Kurumi, really—if you don't like it, don't force yourself—"
"It's fine. This is the one you chose for me, Shido… I'll try it on. You'll help me see if it suits me, won't you?"
"Uh… y-yes… okay…"
Shido nodded weakly. Kurumi then stepped into the fitting room and drew the curtain closed.
And just like that, Shido was left standing awkwardly alone in the women's lingerie store — well, not completely alone, since Tianqi Sanluo was still waiting near the door.
Even so, he could feel the stares around him growing sharper and more judgmental.
With Sanluo standing nearby, it almost looked as though Shido was a cheating scumbag toying with two girls at once.
Just then, someone tapped his shoulder twice.
"Hmm…?"
Shido turned around in confusion — and found himself face to face with three girls.
It took him a second to recognize them.
They were his classmates — Ai, Mai, and Mii — also known collectively as the "Triple M" trio.
"Hey, Itsuka! Fancy meeting you here—wait, huh? What are you doing here? Crossdressing? You pervert?"
"By the way, weren't you supposed to be on a date with Tohka at the aquarium today?"
"Ugh, unbelievable."
Ai, Mai, and Mii took turns, one after another, speaking with increasing sharpness and suspicion.
"Eh? Ah, n-no, that's not it…"
Flustered, Shido's voice faltered.
He wanted to know how these three even knew about his date with Tohka, but now was definitely not the time.
If they caught him here with Kurumi, he'd be in serious trouble.
His already shaky reputation at school would crumble completely — he'd be branded a two-timing scumbag.
Seeing Shido's guilty reaction, the three girls glared at him in unison.
"Wait, for real? No way. Did you seriously ditch Tohka?"
"N-No! That's not true! I was just about to go meet her!"
Shido shook his head desperately, but the three still eyed him suspiciously.
"Oh? So this Shido Itsuka plans to date two Spirits at the same time? And judging by his arrival time—ten-thirty—he must've been on a date with that Spirit named Tohka earlier, and then rushed here afterward?"
Watching Shido being cornered by the "Triple M" trio, Tianqi Sanluo's interest in him only deepened.
So sealing a Spirit's power came with its own hardships, huh?
She didn't particularly dislike scenes like this — in fact, she rather enjoyed them — but if those three kept pestering Shido here, things would definitely get troublesome once Kurumi came out of the fitting room.
"Tch."
While the trio was focused entirely on Shido, Tianqi Sanluo quietly closed the distance — her movements swift and silent — and struck each of them lightly on the back of the neck.
She'd never learned how to knock people out properly, but with a bit of Spirit power infused into her hand strikes, it became easy.
Still, for someone like Tianqi Sanluo — who'd spent so much time killing rather than holding back — trying not to kill them felt oddly awkward.
"Ah, thanks… they're still alive, right?"
"Mm."
Not wanting to talk with Shido, Sanluo just dragged the three unconscious girls away one by one.
Leaving them there would only be a nuisance — what if they woke up too soon?
This was her first time knocking people out, so she had no idea how long they'd stay unconscious.
Just then, the fitting room curtain slid open.
"Does it… look good on me?"
Kurumi's voice was soft and hesitant. She rubbed her feet together shyly, her face flushed, as she stepped out wearing the revealing lingerie — the minimal fabric barely covering her fair skin, far too daring for a high school girl.
Shido, overwhelmed, quickly averted his gaze in embarrassment.
At that moment, a cheerful chime sounded in his right ear, followed by Kotori's voice.
"Shido, time's up! Ideally, this would be when you give Kurumi your full attention, but if you're late and Origami starts looking for you, that'll be trouble. So hurry and move toward her location."
"B-But… you're saying that now…"
"Come on, hurry up—and don't forget to tell Kurumi, 'You look so cute!'"
"I-I got it."
Taking a deep breath, Shido clutched his stomach and cried out,
"Ah, it hurts, it hurts…!"
"Sorry, Kurumi! I suddenly feel a bit sick! I'll just run to the restroom real quick! Please wait here a bit! Oh, and by the way—that lingerie really suits you! You look super cute!"
After blurting out the line, Shido dashed off.
Kurumi, left standing there, let out a small, "Oh my," her cheeks glowing red.
"...Such terrible acting."
Even Tianqi Sanluo, who was far from socially aware, could see through his painfully fake excuse.
And the "You look cute" line? That was clearly something fed to him by the people in his ear — after all, from the moment Kurumi stepped out of the fitting room, Shido hadn't dared look directly at her even once.
As Shido's figure disappeared into the distance, Tianqi Sanluo walked up to Kurumi.
"Miss Tokisaki, you noticed it too, didn't you?"
"Oh my? Whatever do you mean? I'm just thoroughly enjoying my date."
This woman was still playing dumb.
"Cut the act, Tokisaki Kurumi. You're not stupid—you must've realized that Shido's every move on this date is being directed by someone from behind the scenes."
"And what of it?"
At that moment, the blush of shyness on Kurumi's face completely vanished.
As expected, she had been acting all along — playing along with Shido's little performance.
"So this is what you wanted, huh?"
"Why not? Or perhaps… Miss Tianqi would like to try it too?"
"..."
Tianqi Sanluo found herself more and more unable to understand these people.
But that was fine — after all, the unknown was always the most interesting thing of all.