The next day, Tohka arrived at school as usual. But she didn't wear that outfit—if she wanted to, it wouldn't take long to go back and get it anyway.
"Aiyaa, good morning, little Tohka." Sure enough, not long after Tohka sat down, Kurumi Tokisaki came into the classroom. Then she casually sat in front of Tohka, of course not forgetting to tease her a little.
"You old hag in your thirties, yes, you're older than me, but do you really have to stick the word 'little' in every sentence?" Although she knew strictly speaking this woman was basically an aunt, and it was fine that she was older, but the way she talked just made Tohka feel like she was about to explode.
"Aiyaa, how can little Tohka say such things to me?" Hearing Tohka's words, Kurumi didn't get angry. Instead, she showed a fascinated smile that made Tohka feel completely uncomfortable.
"Isn't this woman supposed to be looking for prey? Why is she acting like this?" At this point Tohka was thoroughly losing her mind. She wasn't stupid, but she really wasn't a match for this scheming manipulator.
"Hey, Tohka, hold on. This Spirit's affection level for you isn't low, don't panic." At that moment, Kotori's voice came through Tohka's earphones. Just yesterday, before Tohka left, Kotori had given her the earpiece Shido used. Plus, she'd come by her house early in the morning to make sure Tohka wore it, so she was still wearing it now. That way Kotori could direct her in real time. Though Tohka had no idea what method they'd used to switch the affection level from Shido to her.
"Hey, hey, what the hell is 'affection level'? Don't you know that with her it means the degree of interest in a thing?" Tohka silently complained in her heart when she heard Kotori, but she didn't say it out loud. Instead, she just slumped over her desk in exhaustion. She ignored the glances coming from both sides—after all, her relationship with Origami had never been good. It wasn't like these two were going to start a fight with her here, so she couldn't be bothered. Honestly, she even missed being in the Marvel world—there she never had to worry about any of this. If there was a problem, you just fought it out.
"Don't give up! Your affection level is still very stable." Apparently Kotori on the warship could also sense Tohka's mood, so she quickly tried to cheer her up.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." With a helpless sigh, Tohka sat there waiting for class to end. No matter what, they had to wait—saying anything now was pointless.
Just like that, as soon as class was over, Kurumi enthusiastically came over to Tohka's seat, wrapped an arm around her, ignored Origami's murderous glare and Shido's shocked expression, and simply pulled Tohka along as she left.
"Uh, Kotori…is this okay? Tohka is still a girl, you know." Watching the two of them leave, Shido asked uncertainly.
"Mm, it should be fine. Kurumi's affection level toward Tohka is quite high, so we'll leave it to her. Also, you're really hopeless. In that kind of situation, Tohka was fine, but you were the one who almost broke down." Hearing Shido's voice, Kotori nodded blandly, then sighed at him in disappointment.
"I couldn't help it, okay? That scene was way too intense." Shido looked helpless too—after all, he was just a high school student. He'd never seen anything like that before. His reaction was honestly pretty normal. In fact, he'd held up better than some might have—someone with a weaker mind could've had an even worse reaction.
"Mm—oh no." At that moment, Kotori's voice came through again: "Looks like Tohka threw away her earpiece. We can't hear what they're saying now."
"What should I do, should I go over there?" Hearing this, Shido immediately moved to rush after them.
"No need. Even if we can't hear, as long as they show up on the streets, we can track them. After all, Kurumi's Spirit waves are very distinct. But if you go, it'll be dangerous. If that Spirit targets you, Tohka won't be able to protect you." As soon as he lifted his foot, Kotori stopped him. She knew Kurumi might usually only kill criminals, but that didn't guarantee she wouldn't attack anyone who got in her way.
"All right, then I'll go home for now." Hearing that, Shido could only sigh. He looked at the setting sun and decided not to waste time here anymore, heading straight home.
Meanwhile, Tohka had no idea what was going on up there. As soon as she walked out of the classroom, she ripped out her earpiece. Then, under Kurumi's surprised gaze, she turned around and dragged Kurumi into a small storage room.
"Aiyaa, little Tohka, you seem quite eager. What is it? Go ahead, I won't resist." Typical Kurumi—she immediately made a strange request the moment they were alone.
"Uh." Tohka, who had been so full of momentum a second ago, deflated as soon as she heard that voice. She really couldn't bring herself to do anything weird like that. She'd only pulled Kurumi here to talk.
"You… What the hell are you doing, showing up and harassing people like this?" Tohka knew Kurumi's methods all too well, so she wasn't in the mood to play along. She just wanted to figure out what Kurumi was after. Although honestly, she could guess most of it already. And besides, despite her elegant appearance, this woman was basically a yandere.
"Ara ara, little Tohka, I'm here for you, of course—because you're so adorable." But no matter what, Kurumi remained composed, even while pinned against the wall, still in the mood to tease Tohka.
"Will you knock it off? Don't think I don't know this is just one of your clones. If you really want to talk, bring your real body. You think I can't tell the difference?" Knowing this was going nowhere, Tohka simply stated her demand. There was no point in talking to a clone—if by chance she managed to reach an understanding, the real body would just erase it anyway. She wasn't going to waste her time.
"Oh? Looks like you know quite a bit." Hearing that, Kurumi's gaze turned dangerous. Just as she'd expected—Tohka seemed very well informed about her.
"Tsk, who knows? I just hope the next time we meet, it's the real you. Don't try to fool me with clones." With that, Tohka didn't give her a chance to reply and simply walked out.