And so, after an unknown amount of time had passed, Tohka suddenly opened her lips and spoke softly.
"...Reine told me everything."
"Everything...?"
"About Kurumi and Mana. Because I asked her why you've been acting so strangely—so she told me."
"I... I see."
After swallowing hard, Shido hesitated before responding.
In truth, Reine hadn't wanted Tohka to know about the Spirits or AST. The only reason she would've told her was because, if she hadn't, Tohka's emotional state might have become unstable.
And the emotional stability of a Spirit always came first.
"Shido. Do you remember what I told you when I was staying at your house?"
"Eh?"
Shido tilted his head, and Tohka continued.
"I said—if another Spirit like me were to appear... please, you must save her."
"Ah, yeah—"
Shido nodded gently.
Yes, he remembered those words clearly.
Indeed, he had promised Tohka back then.
And at that time, that feeling had been completely genuine. Even now, his resolve hadn't wavered in the slightest.
"But... Kurumi is..."
"Shido, I think... she's the same as me."
"Eh?"
Shido didn't quite understand what she meant.
"...I have you by my side, Shido. You saved me. But Kurumi... she's all alone. The time she's spent suffering without anyone to reach out to her... is probably far longer than mine."
Tightening her arms around him, Tohka's embrace grew so strong it was almost painful. Shido winced, but didn't say a word.
"If you hadn't been there for me, if I'd stayed the way I was two months ago—trapped in endless killing intent and hostility—then maybe... I would've become just like Kurumi."
"Tohka, that's not—"
Shido was about to object, but then he thought of something, and fell silent.
It was hard to imagine now, but two months ago, when he first met her, Tohka had been completely desolate.
She had been worn down by endless battles—tired, exhausted, and on the verge of emotional collapse.
Drowning in despair, it was a feeling even Shido could hardly comprehend.
"And... if Kurumi really is such an irredeemably evil Spirit... then I'll protect you, Shido."
"Eh?..."
"So please, Shido. I'm begging you. Face Kurumi again. Stop her from killing any more people. Save her... save the heart that's about to wither away."
"...!"
Hearing those words, Shido swallowed hard.
"Also... I heard from Reine about that girl named Tenki Sanluo..."
Tohka's tone clearly hesitated when she mentioned the name.
"She's probably... even more problematic than Kurumi. If Kurumi is what I might've become without your salvation, then Tenki Sanluo is what Kurumi would've become—consumed entirely by despair, her mind completely broken. If we let her go on like this, everything will truly be beyond repair."
"Eh?"
Shido was a little confused.
"I saw the footage. From her eyes, I saw a despair and emptiness even deeper than what I once felt... and a rage toward this world itself. To me, Tenki Sanluo is the one who most needs to be saved."
"So, Shido."
As she said that, Tohka's grip tightened once more.
"Please, Shido. When you save Kurumi... save Tenki Sanluo too. No matter if she really is that bloodthirsty Genie (Shura) they speak of, I still believe that beneath that cruel, hardened shell... there's a heart that longs to be saved."
"...!!"
In that instant, Shido seemed to understand something.
He truly hated Kurumi for killing people.
He could never accept Mana killing Kurumi.
And he couldn't tolerate Tenki Sanluo's indiscriminate slaughter either.
To end the endless cycle between Kurumi and Mana, Shido had decided to stop Kurumi.
As for Tenki Sanraku... he didn't know what to do. A part of him even thought of abandoning her entirely.
But he had overlooked something crucial.
"Ah... I see now. Thank you, Tohka."
"Eh? Why are you thanking me...? There's no need—"
"No... it's thanks to you."
Yes. At least now, Shido understood what he'd been missing.
His current mission—to kiss Kurumi and seal her power—was the duty Ratatoskr had assigned to him.
But what he had been thinking about was only the victims Kurumi had killed, and Mana's suffering.
It wasn't that those things weren't important—
—but he had forgotten something equally important.
He had forgotten why he'd started all of this in the first place.
Because he had seen things too horrifying, learned truths too far beyond comprehension, Shido had completely forgotten the most fundamental reason for his actions:
—to save the Spirits.
Kurumi Tokisaki and Tenki Sanluo truly were Spirits who had killed countless humans.
They had committed sins that could never be forgiven. Especially the latter.
But still...
When Shido sealed Tohka's power, he had truly wanted to save her—
—to help the girl who was being hunted by humans for no reason.
When he sealed Yoshino's power, he had truly wanted to save her too—
—because he refused to believe that a girl so kind she worried even for her enemies could be beyond salvation.
That was why Shido had thrown himself into danger again and again.
Whether it was taking a bullet for Tohka or diving into Yoshino's blizzard of spiritual power—
—it was all because he wanted to rescue the Spirits.
True, Shido possessed extraordinary healing abilities and the power to seal a Spirit's strength.
But in the end, he was still just a normal high school boy.
To accomplish something even AST couldn't do, he needed sheer, unshakable will.
To save Kurumi.
To rescue the girl bound by the chains of slaughter and reincarnation.
To protect Mana, so she would never again have to kill Kurumi.
And even Tenki Sanluo—
He couldn't let her continue to sink further into sin, forever despised as the Genie (Shura).
Call it delusion, call it fantasy—
—but without such conviction, Shido could never summon the courage to reach out to those who should be saved, no matter how deep the hellfire.
"—Tohka, I'm fine now."
"Shido... are you no longer lonely?"
"Mm. I guess not."
"And... are you no longer afraid?"
"Well... saying I'm not afraid of Spirits who've killed people would be a lie."
Shido gave a wry smile, scratching his cheek as the images of those two blood-stained figures filled his mind.
"But it's okay. I'll save them—Kurumi, Mana... and even the so-called Genie (Shura)."
"I see... that's good."
After saying that, Tohka loosened her arms.
Her strength had been so great that there was a faint mark around Shido's waist.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Shido quickly stood up and stretched lightly.
At that moment, his stomach growled loudly—come to think of it, ever since he'd thrown up his lunch earlier, he hadn't eaten a thing.
"...Guess I'll make something to eat. Tohka, want some?"
"Mm!"
Tohka nodded brightly.
"Kurumi, Mana, Tenki Sanluo... I will save you all."
As Shido cooked, he found himself muttering under his breath.
"Huh? Shido, what are you talking about?"
Tohka tilted her head curiously.
"Ah, nothing. I was just thinking—I have to save them all, even Tenki Sanluo, the one Kotori told me to give up on."
"I see. But, Shido—why do you always call me and Kurumi by our given names, yet say Tenki Sanluo's full name?"
"Uh..."
Shido was at a loss for words.
Why was that?
Thinking about it now... it was probably because Tenki Sanraku had left such a deep psychological scar on him.
Even though he said he wanted to save her, deep down he was still wary—afraid of that dangerous girl.
That wouldn't do.
If he truly wanted to save her, he needed to face her with sincerity.
"Alright... I understand now. I will... save Sanluo."
At last, Shido made up his mind and spoke those words with firm resolve.