"So, you people just teleported me up here without a word again—come on, what is it this time?" The moment Tohka stepped out of the buffet restaurant, she was once again caught off guard and transported to the battleship above.
"That Kurumi Tokisaki—what happened to her? Can you seal her power?" The moment she stepped out of the transport room, Tohka saw Reine Murasame waiting at the door. Clearly, this woman had been watching their whole performance from above. After all, even though the fighting never stopped, it never really reached the point of threatening her plans, so she never had to step in herself.
"She ran away. If she wants to run, I can't stop her." With dead-fish eyes, Tohka stared at Reine and answered irritably. She had only wanted to spectate and eat popcorn, but got forced onto the stage to act along. Otherwise, she'd have been happily playing games in her apartment instead of being dragged out to fight.
"I see. As expected, that one's the most troublesome." Reine muttered almost inaudibly, then stopped asking about Kurumi as if this outcome had been within her expectations.
"Right, what about that little girl I knocked flying? An attack like that shouldn't have hurt her too badly." Seeing Reine drop the topic, Tohka didn't pursue it either, but instead asked about Kotori Itsuka, whom her inverse self-had sent flying with one blow.
"Come with me. She's in the observation room now." Hearing Tohka's question, Reine looked at her with a strange expression. Apparently, she hadn't expected Tohka to remember what happened. Maybe she was wondering if she'd made a mistake before.
"Hey, what's that look for? I'm standing here just fine. What are you imagining?" Tohka asked blankly, not understanding what this original spirit was thinking. She hadn't told Kurumi any detailed information about her, only directed her to another spirit.
"It's nothing. Come along—Kotori is in the observation room with Shido." Reine didn't pursue it further either, instead leading Tohka toward another part of the battleship. Soon Tohka saw Shido and Kotori sitting together. But the observation room made her a little speechless—it was fully equipped, more like a fancy lounge than any interrogation room.
She hadn't been in such a place before, but she'd seen them on TV—and this looked nothing like her impression. Still, she couldn't be bothered to comment.
"Tohka, you're here too. How's that spirit doing?" After talking with his sister, Shido came out and greeted Tohka warmly. Since she'd stepped in this time, he hadn't been hurt, so he was still energetic. But he was still very worried about his sister's condition.
"She ran off, obviously. You saw her powers yourself. Do you really think if she wants to leave, I can stop her?" Seeing everyone's reactions, Tohka knew they didn't know what had happened afterward. Clearly after she left, their attention had gone to retrieving their commander and they hadn't noticed her and Kurumi's "nonsense." So, she would never bring it up herself and could only say this much.
"I see, that's really a shame… Wait—hold on, do you think that woman will come after me again? She definitely had me in her sights before…" He had just sighed in relief, but then suddenly remembered Kurumi's earlier behavior and shivered instinctively. He'd seen what she did to some punks and was really scared.
"Relax, that woman won't be coming after you anytime soon. Even if she does, she'll be looking for me, so you don't have to worry at all." Tohka shrugged. Although Kurumi hadn't said anything, she was sure her target had shifted and she wouldn't be bothering Shido or the others for now. After all, that battle had drained a lot of her time, and it would take quite some effort to replenish it again. And she wasn't some mass-murdering lunatic who'd prey on ordinary people.
"Phew—really? Then I feel better." Reassured by Tohka, Shido finally let out a breath. At least he wasn't going to be hunted by that terrifying spirit.
"Mm. By the way, what about Mana Takamiya? I remember before I left, you were holding Kotori. How come you ended up dumping your own sister on the cold floor?" Tohka suddenly recalled how he'd been acting when she left and couldn't stop herself from teasing. Watching Shido squirm was one of her little amusements.
"Uh, that—that's not how it was!" Shido hurriedly tried to explain, but quickly realized he sounded too defensive—no, the more he tried, the guiltier he looked—so he quickly added, "Mana has already left DEM, so she was on a bed nearby. That spirit didn't hit her too hard—neither she nor Origami were badly hurt. They just have to stay in the hospital for a while. So, it really wasn't what you think!"
"Tch, got it, got it." Tohka waved dismissively, then turned to leave. "You'd better start thinking about sealing your sister's powers. Tsk tsk, that little girl's condition seems very unstable. She could lose control again any time."
"I know. Leave it to me." Shido didn't argue, instead starting to discuss with Reine. After all, Kotori was still out of commission and he needed to figure out what to do next. As for Kyouhei Kannazuki, he subconsciously ignored that guy—he had a sister complex just as bad as Shido's best friend. Asking them for help would only end in chaos.
Tohka ignored the others and left the battleship, returning to her apartment. As for school—she'd nearly demolished the entire place yesterday. Was she really supposed to show up again so soon? The teachers and students inside were probably all still unconscious anyway.
So, the day passed with Tohka happily playing games at home. Kurumi had disappeared somewhere, Miku Izayoi was still touring with her concerts, and Tohka really had no one to hang out with. As for the four-loli next door—forget it. She was still too innocent. Besides, Tohka knew she actually had the mindset of an experienced old-timer, she just hadn't shown it yet. When she finally did, everyone's worldview would collapse.
The next day, classes resumed normally. Kurumi had only knocked people out temporarily, and because Tohka had intervened, the barrier had ended early. So, after sleeping a day in the hospital, everyone was fine again—hospital bills were definitely not in Tohka's plans.
"Huh—you showed up. You didn't come home all day yesterday, so Yoshino came to my place for dinner. Want me to contact a German orthopedic clinic for you? Their service is top-notch." The next morning, Tohka was surprised to see Shido walk into the classroom. But unable to resist teasing him, she blurted it out with a grin.
"Wah!!!" Unfortunately, her voice was way too loud—everyone in the class heard. A wave of chatter broke out immediately.
"Ugh, crap—does this world have German Orthopedics too? Damn it…" Surrounded by all the stares, Shido instinctively wanted to run. But he held back—he wasn't the one who'd invented German Orthopedics, anyway.
"Shido, you bastard! So you're not only living with your little sister—you're also shacking up with the beautiful new transfer student Tohka! Do you want me to burn you alive?!" His good friend Tonomachi Hiroto ran over, shouting dramatically, clearly ready to incinerate him.
"Tohka, did Shido bully you? Just tell us and we'll deal with him!" At the same time, Yamaibuki Ai, Hiyori Mai, and Mii Fujibakamai surrounded Tohka, looking concerned.
"You're so kind—did he do anything beastly?" one of them added, glaring daggers at Shido.
"..."
Both Tohka and Shido were dumbfounded. Clearly everyone had misunderstood—but apparently "German Orthopedics" didn't exist here.
"You guys are mistaken. We're just neighbors. My apartment is near his. The one staying with him is a little girl, not me." Tohka quickly explained—but then added, "Yoshino's probably elementary school-aged. Yesterday Shido wasn't home, so she came to my place for dinner."
"Shido, you scum—you're even preying on little girls?!" Tohka didn't realize she hadn't clarified anything—she'd just made it worse. The class's outrage instantly hit a new peak.
"Wait, let me explain! It's not like Tohka says—I didn't… Yoshino and I didn't…" But Shido faltered. Because thinking about it, it really did look suspicious. Even if she was just a little girl…
"Shido…" Sure enough, seeing his reaction, everyone knew there was something fishy going on. All eyes turned on him again, while cold sweat poured down his back.
Bang. Just as Shido was about to die in a sea of righteous condemnation, the classroom door slammed open. Everyone turned to see Origami Tobiichi standing imposingly in the doorway—dressed in hospital clothes, wrapped in bandages, and even carrying her IV stand. Her eyes locked directly on Tohka and Shido.
The sheer pressure from Origami made the room fall silent. Nobody knew why she'd dragged herself here in such a state.
"Origami—what are you doing? Weren't you still recovering in the hospital?" Shido knew her injuries, while not as severe as Kotori's or Mana's, were still bad enough that she shouldn't have been up yet. He'd even visited her the previous night—though what had happened then, Tohka didn't know.
Bang, bang, bang. But Origami ignored everyone, dragging her IV pole straight over to Tohka. Without a word, she grabbed the baffled Tohka's hand and led her out of the classroom.
"Whoa—what are those two doing? Are they… oh God, what a waste…" As they disappeared, the class buzzed with speculation again. Everyone knew Tohka and Origami often clashed—so to see them leave together was… suspicious.
"Sigh… what the hell is going on?" Shido clutched his head, overwhelmed. Him bullying Tohka? Come on—she could dismantle a Gundam barehanded. If she didn't go after him, he was already lucky. And those two were enemies—they didn't even brawl this time, and people thought they were involved?
"Let's just hope they don't start fighting. If they do, the school will have to be rebuilt again…" But he wasn't too worried—Tohka wasn't the type to pick fights for no reason, and Origami was still so injured she couldn't fight if she tried. That was the only reason he stayed calmly in his seat.
"Hey—why'd you suddenly drag me out here? You seriously think you can beat me like this? Don't be ridiculous—you'll just end up stuck in the hospital again." Tohka looked blankly at Origami as she was pulled along. She couldn't figure out what this girl was thinking. Instead of starting trouble, she'd just hauled Tohka away.