Chapter 19: Young Man, You Are About to Commit a Crime
"What a cute girl, so delicate. But honestly, this one seems a bit too young, doesn't she? While big sis allows you to have a harem as long as you pick good girls, aiming for a loli is morally and legally unacceptable."
"What are you talking about? I meant this girl has the ability to make Kurumi invert. And relatively speaking, she should be a safer choice."
"Is she also a Spirit?"
After hearing Satoru's somewhat exasperated remark, Nia turned her gaze back to the drawing before her.
It depicted a young girl with long golden curls, amber eyes, and a petite yet surprisingly voluptuous figure. One had to admit, the combination looked almost dreamlike.
For any man, seeing such an exquisite lolita would surely warrant a second glance.
But right now, what concerned Nia more was the girl's identity...
"Wait, I can fully grasp her information. She's just an ordinary girl, albeit exceptionally cute."
She should be human, right?
The girl was an orphan adopted by the Hoshimiya family and now being cared for by them, living happily together.
Her entire life story was quite wholesome. Spiritually, she was also a very pure girl without any issues.
But the problem was—she wasn't a Spirit.
"Well, not yet at least."
"Not yet? You mean she might become a Spirit in the future?"
"Yeah, that's probably the case. Though I'm not entirely sure if it'll succeed."
"...Kid, just what exactly is your ability? Can you even predict the future?"
Hearing this, Nia's expression grew peculiar.
She initially thought his ability was similar to hers—knowing past events. But now it seemed he could even foresee the future.
Though it didn't appear as precise as her ability. His "power" seemed rather vague.
"Well, to some extent and for certain things, yes. But most of the time, it's not possible. Still, I know that if she becomes a Spirit, her ability can help Kurumi invert. Then we'll see the results."
Satoru naturally wouldn't explain that he didn't actually have any ability—he'd simply "watched the anime."
But he did have some understanding of Hoshinomiya Angel's "Michael."
In the original story, everyone's memories were sealed, and only inverted Origami and Tohka appeared to turn the tide of battle.
So Michael's capability to make Spirits invert shouldn't be an issue.
"Is that so? Then we can just wait until she becomes a Spirit before approaching her. Going now would be pointless."
"No, by then it'll be too late. We should build a relationship with her now."
"...Kid, you're starting to sound like a criminal trying to groom a loli. You really shouldn't say things like that in public."
"I already told you it's not like that!"
Finally unable to take it anymore, Satoru delivered a karate chop to Nia's head.
She clearly knew it wasn't about that, yet she kept teasing him on purpose!
"Then why the rush?"
"...That girl doesn't trust outsiders. If we wait until she becomes a Spirit, it'll truly be too late. I don't know her either, so let's go check as soon as possible. Sigh, somehow I've gotten dragged into this strange affair."
By the end of his sentence, Satoru couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Although he had established the Service Club, he'd really only done it for fun—something to pass the time when he was bored.
But now things were getting increasingly bizarre, weren't they?
First there was Kurumi, then helping Kurumi revive her friend, and now searching for new Spirits... He was just an ordinary guy who preferred his daily routine. Why did he have to get involved in such dangerous and complicated matters?
...Still, even without Kurumi's pressure, he probably would have wanted to change this predicament.
After all, he had once been genuinely moved by their stories.
And he could hardly stand by and watch girls suffer without doing anything~
"Who told you to pick such a difficult girl to approach~? But while investigating earlier, I did discover something interesting~ We're not completely without connections after all~"
"Hmm?"
——————
"Yahallo~ Asahi-chan, I came to visit~!"
"Long time no see, Mei-chan~ Huh? Is this... your boyfriend?"
"No no no! Not at all! Just a friend from club activities! And Ayano-chan is here too! Everyone happened to be visiting my place today, so we all came together~!"
Hearing the black-haired girl's question, the orange-haired girl with her hair tied up hastily waved her hands in denial before cheerfully introducing Ayano and Satoru standing beside her.
"A-anyway, is Mukuro-chan home? I haven't seen her in so long~"
"..."
You're being way too obvious—as if anyone wouldn't realize we came specifically to see her, right?
Watching the somewhat silly and overly nervous orange-haired girl before him, Satoru massaged his temples with a headache.
While it was unexpectedly fortunate that she happened to be neighbors with this family, was this really going to be okay???