“Wh-what did she say, Itsuka?” Origami peered at Shido’s face anxiously.
“Mm.” Shido nodded firmly and handed her phone back. “She said they’ll help.”
“Really?! That’s great.”
“Yeah. Really great,” he agreed. “Thanks for being the go-between there, Origami.”
“Uh-uh.” She shook her head vigorously from side to side. “I didn’t do anything. It was your words that reached them, Itsuka.”
“No, Kotori doesn’t remember me right now…”
Origami shook her head again. “She may not remember you, but there’s something else there. Somewhere deep down, she understands you. You’re siblings, after all.”
“Think so?” He gave her a pained smile, took a deep breath to get himself back on track, and slapped his cheeks. “We’re finally at the starting line. We gotta do whatever it takes to stop Mukuro and Tohka. I don’t know what your likability with Mukuro is at. Even if I do manage to kiss Tohka, I don’t know if she’ll go back to her regular self with her memories locked away, but…it’s do-or-die time. I have to try.”
He clenched his hands into fists, turned back to Origami, and looked her square in the eye.
“…I need you, Origami. I can’t take on both of them at once all by myself. Will you help me?”
“Itsuka…” Origami smiled brightly and nodded. “Of course. If I let you go by yourself, I’d end up in a huge fight with myself later.”
She locked her fingers together as she turned her back to him and continued.
“And…I’m glad you’d turn to me. That you’d let me stand beside you. A girl can’t be happy just having someone take care of her, after all.”
“Origami…”
She shot a look at him over her shoulder, smiled mischievously, pulled what looked like silver dog tags out of her pocket, and held them up to her forehead with a chank.
“Acknowledged, Origami Tobiichi. Brunhild deploying.”
The next instant, her body shone faintly, and gold armor with a graceful silhouette appeared around it.
A CR unit. The tactical culmination of the miraculous Realizer technology, and the sole power that allowed humans to fight Spirits.
That wasn’t all. Over and interwoven with the CR unit Brunhild, a snowy white Astral Dress manifested, reminiscent of a bride’s gown.
“You…” Shido stared in disbelief.
“Hee-hee! Falling for me all over again, Itsuka?” Origami joked, then flushed, embarrassed by her own words. “Um. Uh. I didn’t mean…”
“Oh. Ha-ha!” He smiled at her adorable awkwardness before narrowing his eyes sharply. “Here we go, Origami.”
“Right…Itsuka.”
The two of them leaped up toward the battlefield.
✦ ✦ ✦
A siren blared in the city.
Natsumi watched the waves of people hurrying to shelters and furrowed her brow. “…A spacequake alarm? So then…”
“What if…it’s Tohka and Origami?” Yoshino said, anxiety coloring her tone.
Natsumi bobbed her head up and down. She didn’t really want to think about it, but it was perfectly possible.
Natsumi and Yoshino had been walking around the city looking for Tohka and Origami ever since their sudden personality shifts. Kotori had told them to let her handle it, but none of the Spirits could simply sit back and watch.
Natsumi didn’t know what exactly had happened to Tohka and Origami, but she did know it had to have been something extraordinary.
Origami had become much kinder than normal, which was a marvel all by itself, but the real issue was Tohka. She’d abruptly doubled over in anguish, and the next moment, she lifted her face, radiating a sinister aura.
It was the same inversion phenomenon that she’d seen in Nia. She didn’t know what had caused it, but—
“Yoshiii! Natsuuun!” A voice called out these unique nicknames while Natsumi was deep in thought. It was Nia.
Natsumi turned to find that Nia wasn’t alone. All of the Spirits who had gone out to look for Tohka and Origami were walking alongside her. She guessed that they’d all met up again at some point on their way here.
“What?” Natsumi asked. “You find them?”
“That’s a big nope. I’m hearing talk of a big kaboom over at Tengu Tower, though,” Nia said, pointing in the opposite direction from the flow of people. “Let’s go check it out!”
Natsumi exchanged a look with Yoshino and then nodded.