A day passed, and Itsuka-kun’s date began. The problem was that it had turned into a triple date.
“No, how does that even become a triple date?”
I was dumbfounded. I had clearly thought it was a date with the lady, but now Tohka and Tobiichi were joining in, planning to take turns dating him. I sighed inwardly and stared at the screen.
Itsuka-kun’s first partner was Tohka. Their destination was the aquarium.
[What is this!!!]
[Please be quiet.]
[S-sorry.]
Watching a young couple on a date made me smile instinctively. The same went for Yoshino. The two of them walked through a glass tunnel, gazing at the fish swimming above and beside them.
“Wait, you can actually smile like that?”
“Huh?”
“Your expression is different from your usual smile. Normally, it looks like you're forcing it, but right now, it looks natural.”
At the commander’s words, I scratched the back of my head and gave an awkward laugh. She looked at me, sighed, and turned her attention back to the monitor.
“I look like I'm forcing it, huh... You've got me figured out, Commander.”
Muttering to myself, I focused on the monitor again. The commander was informing Itsuka-kun that it was time; he needed to make up an excuse and slip away.
Itsuka-kun used a stomachache as his excuse to leave Tohka, then was recalled to the [Fraxinus] and redeployed to the ticket gate in front of Tengushi Station.
The next partner was the lady. Having run the entire way, Itsuka-kun was panting as he greeted her.
“Haa, haa. S-sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, I just got here too~ So, where are we going first~?”
As soon as she finished speaking, choices appeared on the screen: the shopping mall, the movie theater, or a lingerie shop.
“...Commander, if it’s a lingerie shop, that means... right? Women’s underwear.”
“Huh? Why are you asking something so obvious?”
I had no idea why that was even an option. Meanwhile, the other crew members were arguing over whether they should choose the movie theater or the shopping mall.
“Both the movie theater and the shopping mall are in the Tengushi Quintet. While the chances of running into someone are low, I don’t think there’s any need to take unnecessary risks.”
For once, Kannazuki was saying something sensible. Usually, he only said things that earned him a blow from the commander, but this time he was surprisingly rational.
“Even so, a lingerie shop...”
That was the real issue. What woman would actually want to visit a lingerie shop as a date? The commander seemed equally troubled by the choice.
“Didn’t you once readily agree to a request to show me your panties?”
Murasame even backed up Kannazuki’s logic. Hearing that, the commander immediately ordered Itsuka-kun to pick option three.
“No, seriously, a lingerie shop?! What if she refuses after this!”
[If it’s what Shido-san chooses... ]
“See? She accepted.”
“She actually accepted?!”
To my surprise, the lady agreed. Wait, don’t most women hate that? Am I the one with the narrow-minded perspective here? I was utterly confused.
『She really accepted~?』
“How bold...”
Judging by Yoshino and Yoshinon’s reactions, my thinking was still normal. I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Looking back at the screen, the two had already arrived at the shop; in fact, the lady was practically dragging Itsuka-kun inside.
[Wow~ There are so many~]
The lady exclaimed while browsing the underwear. I quickly covered my face with both hands. How could she be so calm standing there with a man?
“Huh? Why are you acting like that? Don’t tell me... you’re not used to this kind of thing?”
“Of course not...”
I muttered in response to the commander’s question. She let out a pitiful sigh and said quietly,
“Haa... Honestly, Hiki. What are you going to do if you're this inexperienced? You’re an adult; do you really think it’s okay to be like this at your age? Have you never even had a girlfriend?”
She was right about everything, so I gave a small nod. I’d never really felt the desire for a girlfriend. Before I was possessed, I was obsessed with games. After that, I entered a world where normal people no longer existed, and I avoided forming relationships because I just wanted to go home. And since being transferred here, I’d been through so much that I never had the time to date.
“...I asked something I shouldn’t have.”
Fortunately, after seeing my reaction, the commander turned back to the monitor. Feeling a bit hollow, I sank into my seat and lowered my head.
“A-are you okay...?”
Yoshino came over and gently patted my head. Startled by the sudden touch, I lifted my head to look at her.
“Haha, I’m fine now, thanks to you. Yoshino is very kind.”
It was slightly absurd to be comforted by a little girl, but it worked. I gave her a faint smile and patted Yoshino’s head in return. Her face turned bright red, and she shyly stepped away.
“Ah, no. I’m sorry for touching you so carelessly.”
“N-no...”
Then, I heard someone muttering.
“The dense type, huh?”
Dense? What was supposed to be dense? People only say things like that in rom-coms. It’s not like I was triggering any romantic flags.
Anyway, after being comforted by Yoshino, I pulled myself together and returned my attention to the monitor. On the screen, the lady was walking toward the underwear section.
[Which one is better~?]
Holding up two pairs of underwear, the lady asked Itsuka-kun. Immediately, choices appeared.
“Everyone, vote!”
The graphs shot upward. Option three was overwhelmingly popular. Honestly, any of the three choices would be a burden for Itsuka-kun, but the third was the most daring of all. Still, the decision was made: number three.
“Go bold! We’ll stimulate her and reduce her resistance to kissing!”
“She’s come this far, so it’s worth testing. Shido, go with number three!”
[Both are nice, but... I like that one better... ]
Itsuka-kun pointed to a set of underwear that was far more revealing than the ones the lady had been holding.
[Do you like this one better, Shido-san~?]
[No! You don’t have to push yourself!]
[Since you went to the trouble of choosing it, I’ll try it on and come back.]
The lady disappeared into the fitting room. Suddenly, the female customers in the shop began crowding around Itsuka-kun with judging stares. He could only sweat nervously under their gazes, pleading for the lady to come out as quickly as possible.
Before long, the lady drew back the fitting room curtain. She was wearing the underwear exactly as promised. Itsuka-kun swallowed hard at the sight. Naturally, I immediately looked away from the monitor.
[Itsuka-kun? What are you doing!?]
“Unexpected situation!”
When I looked back at the monitor, prompted by a familiar voice, I saw Ai, Mai, and Mii staring at Itsuka-kun and the lady.
[Why are you with Tokisaki-san?]
[And in her underwear, too?]
[That’s seriously gross~]
I could almost hear Itsuka-kun’s reputation crashing into the abyss. Of all the places to run into them, why there? It looked like Itsuka-kun was about to explain himself, but the scene transitioned to the next date. Under the commander’s instructions, he praised the lady, faked another stomachache, and retreated to an unpopulated area.
And so, Itsuka-kun’s consecutive dates continued. He cycled through Tohka and the lady, then repeated the process with Tobiichi over and over. Watching him work so hard, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
Some time later, the camera focused on the lady was suddenly covered by something, and the screen went black as it malfunctioned.
“What happened!”
“Is it broken? Fix it now!”
“Ah, damn it!!”
The commander and Kannazuki assumed it was a technical glitch, but I knew better. I had seen the shape of the hand just before the screen went dark. The lady had activated her ability. And the men who had been tormenting a cat just before the feed cut—they were in grave danger. They were in the wrong for bullying the animal, but that didn't justify their death. I shouted to the commander,
“Commander! Send me there!”
“What?! All of a sudden?”
“Hurry! It’s a matter of life and death!”
Sensing the urgency in my voice, the commander immediately prepared the transfer. In an instant, my body was warped to the lady's location.
“Aaaagh!!!”
A scream echoed the moment I arrived. I rushed forward and saved a man who was on the verge of death.
“I-I’m alive...”
“Run, now!!!”
“O-okay!”
Fortunately, the man fled quickly. When I looked at the lady, she had manifested her angel. Blood was splattered across the trees and the ground—a scene that vividly reminded me of that alleyway from before.
“Ah, I’ve been found out again~”
“Why are you doing this?”
A low voice escaped my lips. Even I was startled by how different it sounded—how much deeper and colder it had become. But the spirit in front of me didn't seem to care, answering calmly.
“Because they were bullying a cat~ Isn’t that just too awful~?”
I pressed a hand to the corner of my eye. There was no need to show this spirit any respect; she killed people as if it were a game. I dropped all politeness.
“Haha... Fine. I’ve got one thing to ask.”
“What is it~?”
“Can even the worst person change? If they just try hard enough, can everyone become a good person?”
“Why are you suddenly asking—”
“Heh. What a beautiful day. The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming... On a day like this, spirits like you...”
should be burning in hell.
With those words, I lowered my hand. My left eye glowed a menacing red. I reached into my inventory and equipped the court sorcerer’s staff in my left hand.
“Now then, shall we spend some horrible time together?”
I immediately unleashed [Sorcery: Soul Stream] upon the spirit.
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