"Hm…"
A girl in a black-and-red dress walked along the nighttime streets of Tenguu City, taking in the glittering lights of the metropolis.
It was, one could say, the first time she had ever appreciated the beauty of a city at night with such a peaceful mind.
That someone as bloodthirsty and violence-loving as Tenqi Sanluo could calm down enough to simply enjoy the night scenery was, to a large extent, thanks to the afternoon tea she had with Yuyou Miku earlier today.
When she entered Miku's home, she had already prepared herself to summon her Angel at any moment.
After all, a Spirit who had lived in human society for so long couldn't possibly have no defenses at home. To prevent intruders, she should have set up traps or mechanisms.
Especially since Miku's spiritual power didn't seem particularly strong. That made it even more likely she relied on special methods to protect herself — such as Tokisaki Kurumi.
Moreover, Tenqi Sanluo had noticed something very strange about the way Miku looked at her. It wasn't friendly Spirit-to-Spirit goodwill. It was more like the way Kurumi looked at Itsuka Shidou — like a hungry wolf discovering a flock of sheep, eyes full of desire.
She had even tried to use her power to control Tenqi earlier. That definitely wasn't something a gentle Spirit would do — clearly, she was after something on Tenqi's body.
And the result—
Inside Miku's home, all they did was drink afternoon tea and chat.
No matter how cold Tenqi was, Miku kept a friendly smile the whole time, actively trying to start conversations, dragging Tenqi — who knew almost nothing about school life or modern society — into the discussion, chatting happily.
Even though Tenqi remained alert the entire time, scanning the room for traps.
No one gives kindness for free — unless they want something.
Yet until the very end, Tenqi didn't detect the slightest intention from Miku to attack her. The worst was just one moment when Miku suddenly leaned close — right when Tenqi was ready to summon her Angel and decapitate her — and instead buried her face in Tenqi's chest, rubbing back and forth?
That was completely outside Tenqi's knowledge base, so she had no idea what was happening.
Feeling that strange sensation on her chest, Tenqi blushed, dismissed her Angel, and pushed Miku away.
"Please behave yourself, Miss Miku."
"My my, Tenqi-chan, you really are interesting."
"…"
In the end, Miku treated Tenqi with constant positivity — aside from some odd actions — leaving Tenqi unable to attack. As the saying goes, you can't hit someone who's smiling at you, especially when they have done nothing wrong.
In the end, Miku even helped Tenqi complete her school enrollment. In less than half an hour, the admission notice and uniform arrived — the speed left even Tenqi astonished.
Thinking of this, Tenqi licked her lips.
"I don't want to admit it, but that afternoon tea really was delicious."
Sitting in an elegant Western-style building, sipping tea, chatting about girl-topics while watching the scenery outside — this unprecedented experience made Tenqi feel almost dazed.
As for the spatial quake earlier — she happened to be there. It was probably caused by Miku using her spirit power to sing; in any case, it had nothing to do with her.
And to Tenqi, something of that level didn't even count as a spatial quake.
It didn't affect the city, nor even herself standing next to it. How could that count?
"…So where should I go now?"
Even though she had visited a few times, Tenqi was still unfamiliar with the city.
"Whatever. I'll just improvise. Next, I guess I'll go find Itsuka Shidou and see if anything interesting is happening…"
As she walked, casually glancing around, her eyes narrowed sharply when she spotted a boy not far away.
"…Well. Speak of the devil."
---
It was like riding a high-speed elevator. Shidou felt a floating sensation envelop his entire body, and the view before him shifted from the dim interior of the airship to a nighttime street.
Once the blurriness faded, Shidou looked around.
He had arrived at the plaza in front of Namiuchi Station in the western part of Tenguu City.
Because it was the nearest station to the Tenguu Grand Theater, whenever a concert or event was held, this place would be packed full of people.
He still remembered once passing by during a major concert, being shocked by the massive crowds.
But now, the once crowded plaza was completely empty.
Naturally so — because of the spatial quake earlier.
Although it hadn't caused much damage or casualties, most people had evacuated to shelters.
"Looks like you arrived safely."
A voice came from the small earpiece in Shidou's right ear — Kotori's voice.
As commander, Kotori was aboard the airship Fraxinus, floating fifteen thousand meters above, monitoring Shidou and the area.
"The Spirit reaction is moving south from the point where the spatial quake occurred. Hurry."
"Got it!"
Shidou immediately broke into a run.
"Wait — no, stop!"
He had only taken a few steps when Kotori suddenly yelled frantically.
"W-what is it, Kotori?"
"Shidou… behind you!"
"Behind me?"
Shidou turned his head — and met a pair of blood-red eyes.
"Eh— AAAAAAAAH!!"
Terrified by the silent figure behind him, Shidou fell onto the ground and scrambled backward.
"…Still the same as ever, Itsuka Shidou."
Bathed in moonlight, Tenqi Sanluo looked down at him with an expressionless face.
"T-Tenqi-san?"
Shidou took several deep breaths to steady himself before slowly standing, eyes fixed on her movements.
Last time he had nearly fallen into this Spirit's hands. He couldn't relax.
No wonder Kotori had panicked.
But how did she appear behind him? On such a quiet street, even soft footsteps should be audible.
"Itsuka Shidou, wherever there's a Spirit, you're always there."
Tenqi wasn't in a hurry to do anything; playing with Shidou a bit wasn't a bad way to pass the time.
"Tenqi-san, sorry, but I really don't have time now—"
"Oh, I know. You're going to meet a Spirit for one of your so-called 'dates', right?"
This guy was still stubborn after months, still believing he could resolve Spirit problems with such a ridiculous method.
"Shidou, we don't have time to waste on Tenqi Sanluo. The Spirit reaction might disappear at any moment — hurry!"
Kotori's urgent voice came through the earpiece.
"Okay, I know."
Shidou took a deep breath, his tone firm:
"Tenqi-san, I'm sorry, but I have to go save the Spirit. Please don't get in my way."
"Oh? Ah, is that so? Mm, I see—"
Tenqi deliberately drew out her words, clearly preparing to surprise him.
But Shidou didn't wait. He turned and sprinted toward the Spirit's location.
"—The one you're looking for… is Yuyou Miku, isn't it?"
"Eh?"
Shidou froze and looked back, shocked. Tenqi wore a playful smile.
"Tenqi-san, you know this Spirit?"
"Well, I only met her this afternoon. I don't know her codename, but she said her name is Yuyou Miku."
That name — Shidou recalled hearing it from a friend earlier. She was apparently a very famous idol.
"The spatial quake earlier was indeed caused by her. I witnessed it myself."
Seeing Shidou's growing shock, Tenqi felt pleased. This was exactly the reaction she wanted.
"So? Want me to come along? I might be useful for your little 'strategy.'"
She extended her hand as she spoke.