"Hu—"
Inside the classroom, Shidou took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
He was about to face off directly against the "Worst Spirit," Tokisaki Kurumi, and had to summon every ounce of focus he had.
"...Alright!"
The time was 4:30 p.m. The surrounding halls echoed with the voices of students heading to their club activities.
However, to Shidou's surprise, ever since that conversation earlier, he hadn't exchanged a single word with Kurumi today.
When homeroom ended after class, Kurumi didn't even glance his way—she simply left the classroom in a hurry.
"? Could it be... that Kurumi was just a clone?"
While Shidou was deep in thought, a drowsy voice reached his right ear through the earpiece. It was Reine.
"...You okay, Shidou?"
"Yes. I'm... very calm right now."
"...Good. But stay sharp. By the way, Kotori had to go deal with something else—she's temporarily away from her station."
"What...? Kotori left her post?"
Shidou swallowed hard and scratched his head.
"No way... at such an important time, why would Kotori—"
"Trust me, Shidou. Kotori understands the importance of this situation better than anyone. That's exactly why she went to handle it personally. If she's taking direct action, it's because minimizing unexpected incidents before confronting Kurumi is absolutely necessary."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"...For now, focus entirely on Kurumi. She's not someone you can win over with half-hearted effort."
"Alright... you're right."
Although Shidou couldn't help but wonder what kind of situation would make the usually devoted commander leave her station... now wasn't the time for that.
Kurumi was likely already waiting for him on the rooftop.
Shidou began climbing the stairs—
"??"
Suddenly, it was as if the sun had been swallowed by heavy clouds. Sensing a strange change in his surroundings, Shidou furrowed his brows.
He couldn't describe what exactly was happening in words, but at the very moment the world dimmed, a wave of exhaustion and weakness swept through his entire body.
It felt as though he'd been submerged in thick, viscous liquid—his movements were drastically restricted.
"This is..."
Shidou forced himself not to collapse on the spot and somehow managed to stay on his feet.
At that moment, the surrounding students began to groan in pain one after another, collapsing to the floor—as though their very life force had been drained away.
"! Reine, this is—"
"...We've detected an intense spiritual reaction centered around the high school. There's no doubt—it's Kurumi's doing. Some sort of special barrier... People within it are growing weak for some reason."
"Kurumi... why would she do something like this...?"
"You'll get a faster answer by asking her directly."
Reine's tone was calm but sharp.
Shidou swallowed again and stood up.
Though his body felt heavy and sluggish, he clenched his teeth—it wasn't to the point he couldn't move.
"By the way," Reine continued, "according to the latest readings, Genie (Shura) seems to be on the rooftop with Kurumi as well."
Hearing Reine's report, Shidou nearly lost his balance and stumbled forward.
"Sanluo? Why is she...?"
"No idea. Based on previous observations, Genie (Shura)'s manifestation intervals have never been shorter than a day. This is likely an emergency appearance. Be mentally prepared, Shidou."
"Ah... I will."
Dealing with one Tokisaki Kurumi was already troublesome enough—but now Tenki Sanluo just happened to be on the rooftop too.
That meant Shidou would have to face two Spirits at once and try to persuade them both—an unimaginably difficult task.
"Wait a minute... Why am I even—"
"Did you forget, Shidou? Your body currently seals the spiritual powers of Tohka and Yoshino. You may not realize it yourself, but you're basically under the protection of Spirits."
"Spirit power... That's bad!"
Murmuring under his breath, Shidou's eyes widened.
He rushed back to the classroom he'd just passed and shouted loudly inside:
"Tohka!"
That's right—Tohka should still be in the classroom.
Although Shidou had told her he had something to do and asked her to head home first, she had insisted on waiting for him.
About a dozen students still remained inside. Shidou's anxious gaze darted among them until finally—
"Shidou..."
Tohka responded softly to his call, her voice hazy as if she had just woken up.
Though most of her power had been sealed, she was still a Spirit; her resistance to a spiritual barrier like this was far higher than that of a normal human.
"Are you alright, Tohka!?"
"Mm... I'm okay, but... my body feels so heavy... What is this...?"
Her tone was weak and feverish, her head drooping as if she were ill.
"...Shidou, Tohka's fine."
Reine's voice came through the earpiece again.
The meaning was clear.
"Tohka, stay here and rest. This will all be over soon!!"
"Shi... dou...?"
"It's alright."
Shidou gently patted Tohka's head. Her face immediately softened—like a dog blissfully being petted.
Kurumi was likely on the rooftop.
Forcing his heavy body up the stairs, Shidou felt as if each step took immense effort—his limbs were leaden.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached the door to the rooftop.
As expected, it wasn't locked.
—or rather, it couldn't be locked. The door's lock had been completely blown apart by flintlock bullets.
There was no doubt who the culprit was.
After taking a deep breath, Shidou grabbed the ruined doorknob and pushed the door open.
Even after stepping onto the rooftop, the thick, suffocating air showed no sign of thinning. In fact, the sense of weakness pressing down on his body only grew stronger. Shidou couldn't help but frown.
He glanced around—the familiar rooftop of the school.
For some reason, it felt eerie, as if someone had once died here.
Shaking off that ominous thought, Shidou looked toward the center of the space—
"Welcome. I've been waiting for you, Shidou-san."
Kurumi lifted the hem of her black-and-red frilled astral dress and curtsied gracefully.
Standing to her left, leaning against the wire fence at the edge of the rooftop, was Tenqi Sanluo, clad in her spirit armor—the strongest shield among Spirits. Her cold eyes studied Itsuka Shidou up and down, as though observing some rare creature.
"Kurumi... Sanluo..."
Shidou muttered both of their names, his expression a mix of confusion and tension.
Kurumi still wore her enchanting smile, while Sanra, on the other hand, showed clear displeasure.
"Who gave you permission to call me by name?"
Although her tone seemed casual and carried no particular threat, to Shidou, a question from the "Most Brutal Spirit" was nothing short of a deadly warning.
He had no intention of angering her before the confrontation with Kurumi even began—he didn't want to risk another disaster in Tenguu City.
"Alright then... Miss Tenqi, is that acceptable?"
Strictly speaking, Tenqi Sanluo had never actually enrolled in the school—she'd merely worn the school uniform once yesterday.
But she didn't seem to care. Waving her hand dismissively, she signaled Shidou to hurry up and deal with business—she was just here to watch the show.
"Ah~, Miss Tenqi, you saw it, didn't you? Shidou-san addressed me the same way this morning."
"Spare me your nonsense. Settle your business already. As far as I'm concerned, this boy called Itsuka Shidou is nothing but an idealistic fool with his head in the clouds. There's nothing remotely attractive about him."
What Sanluo really wanted to know was what kind of mindset could make this boy utter words about "saving her."
The outcome was obvious—he would surely fail miserably.
But with such an amusing soul before her, wouldn't it be a waste not to see what went on inside his head?
Shidou took a deep breath, cast a quick glance at Tenqi Sanluo, and forced himself to ignore the extra presence in this already tense situation, steadying his resolve.
"Kurumi... What exactly have you done!? What is this barrier...!?"