"I'm stuffed! The kid's cooking really is something else."
Nia leaned back, patting her round belly with a satisfied sigh.
"Ugh, Nia, that's so unfair! You stole the last piece of mochi!"
Tohka glared at the morsel vanishing into Nia's mouth, her lips pursed in indignation.
She shot Shuo Nangong a pleading look, hoping for a little sympathy.
Shuo just smiled, running his fingers through Tohka's silky hair. "Don't mind the manga addict. I bought you all some snacks—why don't you take Yoshino and go raid the pantry?"
Tohka's eyes lit up instantly. Food always worked.
Meanwhile, Nia wailed about Shuo's obvious favoritism, accusing him of ditching old friends for new ones.
Shuo rolled his eyes. "Drama queen."
"But Shuo, why is Origami here at our house?"
Tohka's gaze zeroed in on her eternal rival, Tobiichi Origami, who sat across the table. Her mood soured instantly—Origami had made her life a headache at school for ages.
"Hmph. Princess, you're just a guest here too. Don't act like you own the place."
Origami was quick to fire back, her tone icy.
"You evil robot, you—"
Tohka bristled, ready for round two.
Before things could escalate, Shuo reached out, gently patting Tohka's head. "Easy, Tohka. Remember, you're a princess. Princesses are supposed to be gracious."
He produced a kinako bread from thin air and handed it to her.
As soon as Tohka saw the treat, her irritation melted away. "Thanks, Shuo! For you, I'll let the robot's rudeness slide this time."
"Foodie," Origami muttered, deadpan.
Watching Shuo defuse the tension so effortlessly, Nia grinned. "Well, looks like you're the only one who can keep these two in line, kid."
Shuo shot her a look, then turned serious, eyes settling on Origami.
"Origami, I promised you answers. Today, I'll tell you the truth."
The room fell quiet. Tohka, Kotori, Shiori, and the others all looked confused. Even Origami herself seemed lost, her expression blank.
"Everyone's probably wondered why Origami hates Spirits so much. Let's hear it from her first."
He squeezed Origami's hand, giving her a silent nudge of encouragement.
Origami lowered her gaze, memories swirling.
She'd once been just another happy kid, her childhood filled with warmth and laughter. Until five years ago—when the flames came, and her parents were gone.
The culprit? A Spirit. The flame Spirit.
From that day, hatred had been her only fuel. She'd joined AST, vowing to destroy every Spirit she could find—so no one else would ever suffer like she had.
"For five years, I've searched and searched, hunting for the one who destroyed my family. I swore I'd kill them, even if it cost me my life."
Her voice trembled, tears soaking her shirt. The pain was raw, undeniable.
The room was silent. Kotori and Reine looked devastated, guilt etched across their faces.
After all, the Spirit who caused that fire—was Kotori herself, back when she was still a child.
The Flame Spirit.
Reine, too, was wracked with remorse. She'd given Kotori the Spirit crystal, turning her into what she was. When Kotori lost control, tragedy followed.
Yoshino, Tohka, and Nia bowed their heads as well. Every time a Spirit appeared, disaster followed. It was an uncomfortable truth.
Shuo broke the silence.
"Origami, your parents' deaths weren't caused by the Flame Spirit. The truth isn't what you think."
"!!!"
Kotori froze.
Origami's eyes snapped up, wide and wild. "No way! I saw—"
Shuo interrupted, voice steady. "Did you see the Flame Spirit kill your parents with your own eyes?"
"I..." Origami faltered, words dying on her lips.
Shuo took a breath. "Let me tell you all a story."
He began.
"Once, there was a clan of magicians. Their power made humans afraid, and eventually, they were wiped out. Four survivors swore revenge on humanity. Thirty years ago, they founded DEM—a corporation built on that grudge. Using forbidden arts, they gathered all the spiritual energy in the world and created the First Spirit: Takamiya Mio. She was their weapon, meant to destroy humanity.
"But things got complicated. One of the four, Elliott Baldwin Woodman, fell in love with Mio at first sight. His hatred faded—he wanted to protect her, not use her. He clashed with Isaac Ray Peram Westcott, the most ruthless of the group. After countless arguments, they split.
"Woodman became the founder of Ratatoskr, an organization dedicated to protecting Spirits. That's why Ratatoskr saves Spirits, while DEM hunts them.
"Mio's story took another turn—she fell for a human girl. But Westcott killed that girl, and Mio, as a Spirit, couldn't die. To bring her love back, she split her own spiritual power into crystals, granting them to human women she called 'daughters.'
"By the way, Tohka is the only Spirit who formed naturally, without a crystal."
The room was dead silent.
"Spirits... are transformed humans?"
"That old man never told me!"
"No way..."
The shock rippled through the group.
Everyone—except Nia and Reine, who already knew—looked shaken to the core.
Well, everyone except Tohka, who was still busy munching bread, blissfully oblivious.
"This... this can't be real. Spirits came from humans?"
Origami looked utterly broken, her body rigid, eyes empty.
Shuo sighed. "But it's the truth. And Origami—did you know you're one of Mio's chosen targets?"
"If things go as they did before, your hatred will lead you to seek power. You'll accept Mio's crystal and become a Spirit—the Angel of Extinction."
He glanced at Reine, who nodded, her expression grim.
Origami's world shattered.
A crack of realization hit her—her entire life, her purpose, everything she'd believed—turned upside down.
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