Chapter 13: Ah, Interesting Women
At Satoru's usual teasing, Nia couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.
Though right now, she naturally wasn't in the mood for such things.
This was actually her first time facing another Spirit besides the Origin Spirit, so she felt somewhat apprehensive.
Kurumi's ability was the incredibly overpowered power of time—if she really decided to keep pursuing them, even if they weren't killed, escaping would take forever. The mere thought was exhausting.
But now, it seemed they had temporarily become "allies"?
Honestly, she wasn't entirely sure if the danger had truly passed.
"Haha~ Just kidding. But I really do think you're the most like me~"
Satoru, however, appeared completely relaxed, still in the mood to tease.
"You... I'm starting to wonder if you only approached me and started dating me because I'm a Spirit."
Nia fell silent for a moment before continuing her sarcastic remark, though this time, her gaze toward Satoru was tinged with complexity.
She used to overthink these things, but after getting together with Satoru, she stopped—because she found him genuinely interesting.
She was afraid that if she thought too much, she might uncover something unpleasant...
But now, discovering that he might also be a Spirit—and that he had known her identity all along—left her with a sense of betrayal. She couldn't trust him as freely as before...
"Did you agree to date me only after confirming my identity?"
"..."
At this, Satoru chuckled and turned the question back on her, leaving Nia momentarily stunned.
Then, he reached out and gently patted her head, his smile brighter than ever.
"I thought you were drawn to my fascinating soul, and that's why you chose to be with me~"
...
...
...
"You're pretty self-aware, kid~ But this head-pat move has a special effect on lolis—not so much on a mature woman like me~"
After a long pause, Nia finally broke into a relaxed smile, playfully elbowing Satoru in the stomach as she teased him.
Her laughter was light and carefree.
It was true—she had initially been curious about Satoru's identity, which was why she paid attention to him.
But falling for him and choosing to be with him? That had been entirely her own decision~!
Though she loved the 2D world, she still lived in the 3D one.
Yet, it was him who showed her that even in this messy, real world, there existed souls as pure and fascinating as those in 2D.
Because of him, she had come to love this 3D world—just a little.
"Oh? But your face is so red—seems like it worked just fine~"
"D-dummy! Don't say stuff like that! I'm not... Wait, would playing the tsundere role make me cuter?"
"Mm, absolutely adorable~"
Watching the girl before him, who was pretending to be tsundere while continuing to tease him—her face undeniably flushed—Satoru laughed heartily, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
This shy, flustered side of Nia was a rare sight indeed~
Moreover, pretending to be tsundere to hide her shyness—someone who didn't know her might find it exasperating, but Satoru was so familiar with Nia that he naturally understood. And honestly, it only made her even cuter~
"Alright, alright. It's still club hours, you know? I took leave to come here, young man. You didn't skip out, did you? That's a major hit to your likability, especially with someone as aloof as Ayano-chan. Early on, you've gotta play obedient and easy to win over. Time to head back."
But perhaps sensing her own awkwardness, Nia quickly shifted the topic and made moves to leave.
Of course, she framed it all in "dating sim" terms.
But that was just how Nia usually talked. She always felt that interacting with Ayano and the others was just like playing a 2D gal game~
"I took leave too, you know. Said I was handling Kurumi's situation. Don't worry, Mei already explained things to Ayano."
"Good, good. I guess the request is settled now. Let's go back, turn it in, and boost our affection points~!"
Speaking as if it were all a game, Nia turned with a laugh and started walking ahead, prompting Satoru to chuckle and follow.
Still… what about Kurumi's situation now?
Sure, he could just reveal the identity of the "First Spirit," but even if he did, Kurumi wouldn't stand a chance against her.
And more importantly…
In this world, he hadn't even seen any trace of a First Spirit yet!
For now, though, he'd just have to take things one step at a time…
"Ara~ Finally back, are we? We've been waiting for you two~"
"..." x2
But when they saw the black-haired twin-tailed girl sitting before them with a smile, flanked by a confused long-haired ravenette and an orange-haired girl, both Satoru and Nia fell into silence…