"Hehehe, isn't it wonderful? This is my City of Devouring Time . As long as someone steps on my shadow, this barrier will devour that person's 'time.'"
Kurumi seemed amused by Shidou's reaction; the smile on her face grew deeper.
"Devour... time?"
Shidou repeated the words, trying to grasp their meaning. At that moment, Kurumi, still smiling, began walking slowly toward him.
When Shidou lifted his gaze and saw her peculiar left eye, he couldn't help but frown.
There was something clearly unnatural about it.
What should have been a normal black eye was instead an inorganic gold, surrounded by Roman numerals—with a pair of clock hands fixed in its center.
Yes—Kurumi's left eye itself was a clock.
And stranger still, the hands were turning counterclockwise.
"Oh? So this is what you call 'time,' Kurumi? How interesting."
Tenqi Sanluo continued to watch the two of them closely.
"Th-this is..."
"Hehe, this is my time—you could also call it my lifespan."
As she spoke, Kurumi turned her gaze outward toward the scenery beyond.
"My Angel possesses an extremely powerful and mysterious ability... but in return, I must pay a great price. Every time I use my Angel's power, a large amount of my 'time' is consumed. That's why—" she raised her hand slightly, "—I sometimes have to replenish the 'time' I've lost from the outside world."
"What...!?"
Hearing her words, Shidou felt a chill run down his spine.
Though Kurumi's explanation sounded abstract, he could clearly understand what she meant—her black shadow was continuously devouring the "time" of the teachers and students throughout the school—that is, their lifespans, or in simpler terms, their life force.
In other words, even if Kurumi wasn't directly killing anyone, through this barrier known as the City of Devouring Time, she was indirectly killing innocent people.
"There's such a thing...? Has Kurumi further developed her Angel's ability?"
Scanning the shadows around her, Tenqi Sanluo—who was unaffected by the City of Devouring Time—lifted the inverted triangle pendant on her chest. The alternating red, blue, and black lights flickered across its surface as if she were deep in thought.
Seeing the shock on Shidou's face, Kurumi's expression unexpectedly softened into one tinged with loneliness—completely out of place with the situation.
But that fleeting look was quickly replaced by a chilling smile. Kurumi continued forward, and before Shidou could react, she hooked a finger under his chin, like a predator toying with its prey before a meal, and parted her lips.
"The relationship between Spirits and humans is just like this—everyone is my poor, adorable food. Nothing more."
Then, as if to tease him, Kurumi's brows furrowed slightly, her other hand resting over her chest. With a faint, sorrowful look, she continued:
"Ahh—but, but, Shidou-san. You're special. You are the most special of them all."
"Me?"
"Yes, yes. You're the best, Shidou-san—so that's why I came here, for the sake of completely becoming one with you."
"...Becoming one with me? What do you mean by that?"
"Ah~, don't worry, Shidou-san. I won't kill you. That would make it meaningless. Instead—I'll simply eat you."
Whether Kurumi meant "eat" literally or metaphorically, Shidou couldn't tell.
But one thing was certain—whatever she meant, it definitely wasn't good for him.
Clenching his fists, Shidou took a deep breath and shouted,
"If I'm your target, then come at me! Why do something like this—"
"Hehe, because I need to replenish my 'time' first. It's like having dessert before the main course—and besides..."
Suddenly, Kurumi's gaze sharpened.
"Before I eat you, I want you to take back what you said this morning."
"What I said this morning...?"
"Oh, you know—the nonsense you spouted about 'saving me.' That absurd statement—and of course, the one you made to Miss Tenqi as well."
"!!"
Seeing Kurumi's cold, unfeeling stare, Shidou instinctively swallowed hard and turned his head toward Tenqi Sanluo.
But she gave no reaction at all—she was just idly playing with the pendant on her chest.
"Tell me, Shidou-san," Kurumi continued softly, "seeing me do something like this for such an absurd reason—you must find me terrifying, don't you? Dragging innocent people into this... you must despise me, right? You must have realized by now that I'm not someone worth saving, haven't you?"
After striking a dramatic pose like a stage actress, she went on:
"Moreover, since you already know what Miss Tenqi has done, you should understand that she is an even less redeemable being than I am. We—'the Worst Spirit' and 'the Most Brutal Spirit'—our actions are sins that can never be forgiven by anyone."
At those words, Tenqi Sanluo frowned slightly, but said nothing to refute them.
"So," Kurumi declared, "take back what you said. And not just that—promise that you'll never say it again. If you do that, I'll release this barrier and prevent any further casualties. After all, my original target is only you, Shidou-san."
"Wh–what..."
Shidou's eyes widened. If he ignored his own safety, the condition seemed almost too simple.
"...Kurumi seems to be serious," came Reine's calm voice through the earpiece.
She had analyzed the data from Fraxinus.
"...There are no signs of deceit in her mental state. And according to the readings, Tenqi Sanluo appears to agree with her proposal."
As Reine relayed that information, Kurumi once again curtsied deeply. Her smile grew darker, almost demonic.
"Fufufufu... Fufufu. Well then, you'd better hurry and make your choice, right? If you don't act soon, it might already be too late~."
Shidou locked eyes with Kurumi.
He only needed to retract what he said. Such an easy condition.
After all, Kurumi wasn't going to let him go anyway.
But if he refused, everyone within the City of Devouring Time would be in mortal danger.
Taking a deep breath, having made up his mind, Shidou finally said:
"...Lift the barrier."
"What, that's all? How disappointing. And here I was, waiting eagerly to see if this guy would keep that smug mouth of his even at death's door."
Tenqi Sanluo sneered, casting him a dismissive glance, already preparing to leave after watching him be devoured.
Kurumi, on the other hand, exhaled softly, as though relieved.
"In that case, please say it. Say that you'll never speak of saving us again."
Shidou swallowed hard, then replied—
"I... can't do that."
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
Both Kurumi and Tenqi Sanluo froze in shock at his words.
The latter looked surprised; the former looked comically dumbfounded.
"...Oh my, oh my, oh my."
But then, Kurumi's expression darkened with clear displeasure.
"Didn't you hear me? If you don't take it back, I won't lift the barrier."
"Lift it! Right now!"
"In that case..."
"But I won't take it back! I will never give up on you two!"
Shidou shouted, shaking his head firmly.
Because if he took back his words now, then nothing would ever change.
He would never again be able to reach out to Kurumi or Tenqi Sanluo.
"This guy... not only is he stubborn, but he's brain-dead too?"
Tenqi Sanluo looked at Shidou's foolishly determined stance with growing disgust.
"He has no power, yet he dares to speak so boldly; Kurumi even offered a condition to release the City of Devouring Time, yet he still refuses, hoping for some miracle. He's just an ordinary high school boy—does he think he's some kind of god who can change everything?"
Now, she was already thinking that if Kurumi didn't make a move soon, she herself would. She'd give him a taste of true pain—perhaps mutilate him, turn him into a human swine—and see whether he still clung to such childish ideals after being beaten by a Spirit.
"I hate disobedient people!"
Kurumi screamed, leaping lightly backward to put distance between them.
Then, raising her right hand high above her head—
—the air around her began to tremble violently.