The sun of Tenguu City glowed like an ember behind the thin veil of clouds, casting streaks of gold and orange across the skyline. The air carried the freshness of early spring — crisp, lively, edged with a warmth that threatened to grow stronger as the day aged.
From atop the sky, **Fraxinus** hovered silently — cloaked and anchored behind clouds. Inside the floating warship, tension thickened the air.
"Commander Kotori," a young technician called out, "the Spirit's energy readings are... stabilizing."
Red ribbons tied tightly into her twin-tails, **Kotori Itsuka**, both commanding officer and Shido's younger sister — or so it appeared to the outside world — kept her lollipop tightly clenched between her teeth. Her crimson eyes scanned the digital readouts before her, then turned toward the holographic projection displaying the city. In the upper-left of the interface flickered the blurred outline of **The Unknown**, ever lingering just out of reach.
"Still no precise lock on her?" she asked without emotion.
"No, Commander. Optical feeds and ether-sensors remain inconclusive. She's… always one step ahead."
Kotori sucked on her candy, then sighed. "Keep eyes on Shido and the Spirit — **Tohka**. The Unknown is watching them for a reason. I want to know what that is before something explodes."
---
Shido paced anxiously outside a quiet café, his heart thudding in his chest. Tohka, the purple-haired girl who was technically a walking natural disaster, had agreed to this… date.
He looked at his phone. 10:02 AM.
"I'm not late, am I?" came a soft, innocent voice behind him.
Turning, Shido saw her — Tohka Yatogami. Her school uniform was replaced by a simple lilac dress, hugging her figure gently, with soft white lace tracing the hem. Her hair, thick and voluminous, cascaded around her shoulders like a waterfall of amethyst.
"No! Not at all. You look... beautiful."
Her cheeks flushed. "R-really?! I wasn't sure what to wear…"
The air around her shifted slightly — not in a destructive way, but like someone holding their breath.
From a rooftop nearby, **The Unknown** watched silently, her golden eyes reflecting both light and curiosity. Her body remained still, cloaked in distortion, hidden from both sight and sensors. But her thoughts echoed through the broken spaces of her mind.
*Why is this boy special? Why does he change the nature of beings like her? Is it his voice? His soul? Or is it... a deception?*
---
The first hour was awkward. Shido tried to lead conversation, while Tohka examined everything with a child's wonder.
"What's that smell!?" she cried as they walked past a street vendor.
"Takoyaki," Shido smiled. "Wanna try?"
She nodded eagerly.
One minute later, she was stuffing her cheeks with octopus balls, mouth steaming, lips puckered from the heat.
"It's so hot!! But... tasty!"
Shido laughed, handing her a cold soda. They moved on to other stalls — shaved ice, candied fruit, grilled meat. Tohka insisted on trying *everything*. Her mood lifted with each bite, with each kind word from Shido.
From a far distance, AST sniper **Mana Takamiya** watched from a rooftop scope.
"He's taming it," she muttered into her comms. "Like a wild animal."
Her commander replied coldly, "It won't matter. The first sign of instability and we'll move in."
---
After their food adventures, Shido guided Tohka to a park. They sat by a pond, tossing bread crumbs to the ducks.
Tohka lay in the grass, looking at the sky. "The clouds… they move so fast. Like they're running away."
"Running away?" Shido asked, sitting beside her.
She looked at him. "Where I come from, the sky didn't move. It was... stuck. Cold. Empty."
Shido swallowed. "Do you remember much of it?"
She shook her head. "Only feelings. Cold. Loneliness. Screaming."
There was a pause. The sounds of laughing children and dogs barking filled the air.
"But here," she whispered, "with you... I feel warm."
In the shadows of the trees behind them, **The Unknown** crouched near the water's surface, her reflection rippling. She tilted her head, her eyes twitching as if trying to understand something impossible.
*Warmth. Compassion. These are not weapons... and yet they destroy so much inside me.*
---
The mall buzzed with activity. Tohka dragged Shido from shop to shop, eyes wide at the sheer volume of... everything.
They passed a bookstore. Tohka's eyes locked on the colorful displays.
"What are these?"
"Books. Stories."
She picked one up. A love story.
"Does this happen often?" she asked. "Do people fall in love, even when they're... not meant to?"
Shido hesitated. "Sometimes. That's what makes it special."
Elsewhere in the store, Shido's face turned beet red as Tohka dashed into a lingerie shop, pulling him in behind her.
"Do these... feel good?" she asked, holding up a silky bra.
"W-we don't need to go in there!!"
Female clerks stared at him. Some giggled. Others whispered.
"Pervert," one muttered.
They left the shop quickly. Tohka, surprisingly, had bought nothing.
"They all looked at you funny," she muttered.
Shido scratched his cheek. "Yeah... I noticed."
---
"Commander Kotori," said Reine, her voice calm but troubled. "Their harmony level is rising. But The Unknown hasn't moved. She's observing, but not interfering."
"Maybe this is part of the test," Kotori muttered. "Maybe she's waiting for... him to fail."
Reine looked deeper into the data. "She's not Spirit-like. Her energy patterns shift. She mimics others. She's learning."
---
At a candy store, Tohka picked a caramel and held it up.
"Is this one good?"
"Try it," Shido grinned.
She did. Her eyes sparkled. "SWEET!"
They left the store as a train rumbled in the background.
"Wanna ride it?" Shido offered.
She nodded.
On the train, Tohka leaned her head on his shoulder. People stared. But Shido didn't care.
The Unknown rode silently in the back, invisible, observing.
*She trusts him without knowing him. He bleeds kindness...*
But her eyes twitched at a faint pulse she sensed. Something approaching.
---
In a borrowed car, they climbed the hill roads that overlooked Tenguu City. The sun had begun to set — painting the sky in gold, red, and purple.
Tohka looked out the window. "It's... beautiful."
Shido pulled over. They stepped out. Wind tugged at their clothes.
"This world," Tohka said, "it doesn't hate me."
"Because you belong here," Shido whispered.
Suddenly — a blinding light. A shot rang out. Tohka turned, confused.
Blood sprayed.
Shido fell forward, collapsing in her arms.
A single AST member stood far away — her gun still smoking.
Tohka's eyes widened in horror. "Shido...?"
Alarms blared in the distance. The sky cracked. Purple energy surged.
*Spirit Energy Surge Detected*
---
**Tohka, now trembling, screamed — a noise like the shattering of glass.**
Buildings nearby cracked. The ground shook. A barrier formed as her astral dress appeared — her sword manifesting beside her.
From every corner, AST and Fraxinus went to high alert. The Unknown simply watched, perched on a tree behind the hill.
Shido groaned in pain, but smiled faintly. "Don't… don't be mad..."
Tohka wept. But she held him tightly.
Then, suddenly, a rift of light opened — Fraxinus teleported both of them away before AST could strike again.
---
Back on the hill, The Unknown stepped forward into the crater where Shido's blood had soaked into the dirt.
She crouched, touching the ground.
"He's... broken," she whispered. "But not dead."
The sun finally dipped beyond the horizon.
In the shadows, The Unknown turned her gaze skyward.
*Why do I feel pain I do not own?*
The wind carried the sound of Shido's name, whispered by a voice far too powerful to be so soft.
---