While Natsumi Kyouno was carrying out her mission, the rest of the creations were waiting anxiously outside, more or less tense.
Although the other Natsumi Kyouno likely wasn't in the best state, and her control over the Replica Witch's copying abilities wasn't refined, even if a battle were to break out, the chances of victory still leaned toward their side's Natsumi.
However, the park was adjacent to a residential neighborhood.
The creations couldn't afford to be discovered by ordinary people. Even though it was the middle of the night and 99% of the population should've been asleep at this hour, a fierce battle would definitely draw unwanted attention.
So, the creations held their breath in silence, ready to provide backup at any moment.
Meteora had even quietly set up a barrier, so that if a battle really did occur, the effects would be minimized as much as possible.
Inside the department store, all was quiet.
No one knew how much time had passed, but soon, the sound of commotion came from within—clearly the two Natsumis had encountered each other.
The hearts of the assembled creations leapt into their throats. They were prepared to rush in as soon as a fight broke out.
But after that initial burst of noise, the department store fell into silence once more.
"Did it work?"
Meteora pondered to herself.
If the other Natsumi didn't put up a fight, then it meant their plan had succeeded—they had achieved the best possible outcome.
"Little Nana probably used the primary seal to suppress the spiritual power of the second Nana," said Mamika Kirameki, who had been tightly gripping her wand. She sighed in relief, feeling a sense of gratitude.
Everyone's mood relaxed slightly as they waited for the two Natsumis to come out.
However, after a while, no further sound came from within the department store.
Considering that something unexpected might have happened, Meteora hesitated for a moment before summoning the Thousand Mile Grimoire.
A complex spell formation appeared around her. As she chanted a string of obscure incantations, a semi-transparent, water-like mirror formed beside her.
Within the mirror appeared the interior of the department store.
Seeing the two Natsumis in the scene, Meteora finally let out a sigh of relief.
She had feared that perhaps Altair was hiding inside as well, waiting to ambush their Natsumi and kill her, then lay in wait for the others to walk into the trap.
"You had this kind of magic too?" asked Mamika Kirameki, leaning closer curiously as she looked at the mirror. "Pretty convenient! You just locked onto Little Nana's location. Why didn't you use it earlier?"
"I wasn't sure about the other Nana's state earlier," Meteora replied while adjusting the mirror's angle. "If she had sensed the magical fluctuations during the spell's formation, it might've alerted her."
As the viewpoint moved closer to the two Natsumis, not only did the mirror show the image, it even transmitted their conversation.
[I didn't originally plan to tell anyone these things… It's just too embarrassing.]
[But since you're also Natsumi, I guess it's fine to tell you…]
Hearing the voice from the mirror, the two outside were momTachibanarily stunned.
As a keeper of secrets, Meteora instinctively wanted to cancel the spell—she had only meant to check on Natsumi's safety and assess the situation inside.
Now that everything seemed fine, canceling the spell was reasonable.
"Wait a sec,"
But Mamika Kirameki stopped her, a bright smile forming on her face. "I want to hear what Little Nana has to say."
"This isn't really appropriate."
"This is a rare chance to know her true thoughts. How could we pass it up?"
"But…"
As the two argued, Natsumi's voice continued through the mirror.
[Because I met people who accepted me.]
[They are kind, good people. They helped me realize that even someone like me could be accepted—that I could have a place in this world.]
Hearing her shy yet sincere words, Mamika Kirameki's smile only grew wider.
Words like these were impossible to hear in day-to-day life.
The Natsumi she knew would never open her heart like this to anyone.
But this was different.
Because Natsumi was speaking to another version of herself.
Only in such a situation could Mamika Kirameki truly understand what was in her heart.
In addition to satisfaction, a lingering worry within her quietly faded away.
During the time she'd spent with Natsumi, she had often worried whether she was forcing her too much—whether her idea of being a "friend" might be making Natsumi uncomfortable.
She had even asked Mr. Tachibana in private—the person who knew Natsumi better than anyone.
But his reply was a thumbs up and the comment: "Little Nana's just a tsundere. The way you're getting along now is perfect."
Although the creator's assurance had given Mamika Kirameki confidence to keep trying, Natsumi's lukewarm and sometimes resistant attitude still left her uneasy.
Now, after hearing Natsumi's heartfelt words, she finally felt at ease.
"Just like Mr. Tachibana said, Little Nana really is a tsundere!" Mamika Kirameki thought happily. "She says no, but her heart means yes!"
While Mamika Kirameki was beaming with joy, Meteora, who had unwillingly overheard the confession, felt more moved than anything else.
Though they hadn't been together that long, Natsumi had clearly grown.
She could now open up, even guide her other self through her emotional turmoil.
That was a good thing.
The second Natsumi had grown increasingly extreme under Altair influence. If there was anyone in the world who could reach her, it would be Natsumi herself.
Soon, the conversation within the department store came to an end.
Meteora quickly dispelled the spell, hiding all traces of their eavesdropping.
Moments later, the sound of footsteps echoed as the department store doors opened again.
Two girls—identical in appearance but dressed differently—walked out.
"Alright, Nana, don't be so shy."
The Natsumi walking in front turned to look at the one hiding behind her. "I know this is probably your first time appearing before others as your true self, and you're still uneasy. But I've shown my real self to them long ago—they're already used to it. No one's going to laugh at you."
"That may be so…"
The true Natsumi still looked nervous, peeking out with just half her face visible.
Seeing her so adorably timid, Mamika Kirameki walked right over and gave her a big, warm hug before she could react.
"Hehe, second Little Nana!"
She rubbed her cheek against the true Natsumi's, clearly overjoyed. "Double the happiness!"
The real Natsumi was completely unprepared for such an overly friendly approach. Her body stiffened momTachibanarily before she struggled to escape the hug.
But with her spiritual power sealed, her slim arms and legs were powerless against the unstoppable force that was Mamika Kirameki.
Turning her head, she looked pleadingly at the other Natsumi for help.
"Mamika's just like that—you'd better get used to it," said Natsumi with a shrug, helplessly. "Because she's not going to stop anytime soon."
"Mamika, don't scare her. This is your first time meeting this Natsumi."
Before the real Natsumi could explode in frustration, Meteora stepped forward in time. "Hello, Natsumi… Hmm, to distinguish between you, can we call our Natsumi 'Little Nana' and you 'Little Tsumi ?'"
"I guess that's fine."
Though such an intimate nickname made her uncomfortable, she couldn't exactly object since there was a logical reason behind it.
Besides, she had already agreed back inside the department store to join Meteora camp along with the other Natsumi.
"Then, let's take Little Tsumi home with us."
Meteora said cheerfully.
"Everyone else is still waiting for us back at the base."
Speeding all the way, the group quickly returned to the base.
Although staying up late to write wasn't uncommon for creators, the onset of sleepiness was still inevitable.
When Natsumi Kyouno and the others returned to the base with Little Tsumi (Shou Tsumi), they found the creators sitting in the living room, each holding a cup of coffee, waiting for their return.
Sweeping her gaze across everyone present, Natsumi Kyouno noticed that only Kōshi Tachibana was not among them.
That, too, was expected.
Just before they arrived, she had already asked Meteora to notify Kikuchihara Aki to drive Kōshi Tachibana into his room ahead of time.
Otherwise, tonight that guy's face would definitely end up with several fresh scratch marks.
"Nice to meet you, the other Natsumi Kyouno—or perhaps I should call you Little Tsumi."
Kikuchihara Aki maintained her professional demeanor, smiling as she spoke. "I'm Kikuchihara Aki, representing the Japanese government. Welcome to our team."
Following Kikuchihara Aki's self-introduction, the other creators also introduced themselves one by one.
In order to avoid giving the sensitive Little Tsumi any misunderstanding, even the typically cold and gloomy creator wore a friendly smile.
Because they all understood how important this version of Natsumi Kyouno was.
After a brief round of introductions, Kikuchihara Aki got straight to the point.
"Little Tsumi, could you tell us everything you know about Altair—the Princess in the Military Uniform?"
"On the way here, Natsumi and Meteora should have already told you a bit about Altair, such as how her goal might be to destroy the world. To stop her, we need your help," Kikuchihara Aki said.
"Mm."
Little Tsumi nodded and didn't refuse.
When she chose to trust Natsumi Kyouno, she had already betrayed Altair.
Besides, she didn't have any emotional attachment to the Princess in the Military Uniform. They had only met once, so there was no reason for her to keep any secrets.
"I met the Princess in the Military Uniform, Altair, about two weeks ago.
At the time, I was talking to someone named Shido Itsuka, when Altair suddenly descended. She said that the world I existed in was fictional, and mentioned some other things she had lost. She said that if I was interested, I could go with her to another world—the real world.
Back then, I thought she was a spirit like me. It was the first time I had seen someone of my own kind, so I was excited and agreed.
But just as she was about to take me away, a mass of mosaic suddenly appeared and began fighting with her.
In the middle of the battle, she used the chaos to teleport me into this world, and gave me some instructions.
After that, I followed her orders and transformed into Tokisaki Kurumi. Then I found Alisteria and Blitz and learned more about this world from them."
Hearing Little Tsumi's account, Natsumi Kyouno quickly realized that her first meeting with Altair had taken place in the Date A Live world.
And the timing was probably around the beginning of Season 3, when Shido Itsuka was preparing to win over Natsumi Kyouno for the first time.
That wasn't a good time.
Because behind Shido Itsuka was Ratatoskr, and within Ratatoskr was Mio Takamiya—the Spirit of Origin disguised as Reine Murasame.
Seeing that the sacrificial offering she had prepared to revive Shido's father was about to be snatched away by someone who appeared out of nowhere, of course Mio wouldn't stand for it.
So she appeared under the identity of the mosaic spirit Phantom, and fought Altair.
That made sense.
"Altair was pretty bold, huh? Didn't even build up much influence but dared to snatch someone right under Mama Mio's nose."
Natsumi Kyouno expression didn't change much, but her mind was racing.
At that point in time… could Altair even defeat Mio Takamiya?
Although by the end of the original work her powers had grown enough to create an entire world, she definitely hadn't reached that level yet.
"But Altair hasn't shown up since then… which means, she's still in the Date A Live world?"
Gai Takarada also sensed something was off, his expression growing subtle. "Missing for two weeks… don't tell me she got caught by Mio Takamiya?"
As that possibility was raised, most of the people present suddenly wore strange expressions.
The atmosphere fell into an extended silence.
"If Altair really did get caught by Mio Takamiya, then could it mean…"
After a long pause, Gai Takarada scratched his head and asked tTachibanatively:
"Does that mean… the crisis of our world being destroyed is basically over?"