[Third Person Pov]
"So what the hell were you three wishing for so badly that you managed to create this fucked-up dimension?!" Clark demanded, his voice echoing through the distorted space as his patience finally snapped. His eyes burned with frustration, jaw tight as he snarled, "Because from what I can tell, this entire place—this warped reality—is the result of your desires syncing together!"
Miku, Nino, and Ichika froze at his words. The three sisters exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes widening in disbelief as the realization dawned on them—they had all been wishing for the exact same thing at almost the exact same moment.
A heavy silence followed before their faces simultaneously flushed crimson. They all looked away, their embarrassment practically radiating off them like heat waves, none of them able to meet Clark's piercing gaze.
Nino was the first to snap. She clenched her fists, puffing out her cheeks as Clark's glare bore into her. "We wanted you to come over to our home and tutor us!" she finally shouted, her voice echoing awkwardly through the warped air.
Clark's expression went completely blank for a heartbeat—then exploded. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? ALL OF THIS—" he pointed around them furiously, the entire dimension trembling with his voice "—BECAUSE YOU WANTED EXTRA LESSONS?!" Flames licked at the corners of his mouth as his temper flared, fire briefly igniting around his clenched fist.
The three sisters flinched, shrinking back like scolded children, covering their ears as if to block out his booming voice.
"It wasn't just for the extra lessons…" Miku murmured timidly, peeking out from behind her hair. Her voice trembled with embarrassment as her cheeks glowed red. "You should know by now we hate studying… We really just wanted to get to know you better."
Ichika quickly nodded in agreement, crouching down with her arms wrapped over her head. "Yeah! You just seem like a really cool and interesting guy," she blurted out, her voice muffled. "I thought that if you came over, we could all get to know each other better. Maybe even… become friends."
Clark just stood there, blinking in disbelief. His eye twitched slightly as he stared down at the three sisters, all huddled together with bashful faces and pleading eyes. He honestly didn't know whether to laugh, scream, or walk straight out of whatever dimension this was.
"You know," Sol chimed within Clark's ear, voice dripping with amusement, "if you think about it, it's actually kind of sweet. Their desire to be your friend was so strong that they managed to create an Amasogi. An alternate infinite dimension at that. That's quite the compliment."
"Shut up before I deactivate you," Clark hissed under his breath, not even bothering to hide his irritation.
"...Noted. Shutting off speech function," Sol replied flatly before falling silent.
Clark exhaled sharply through his nose, rubbing the bridge of it as a small sigh escaped him. As annoying as the situation was, Sol wasn't entirely wrong, it was kinda sweet, although he would never outright admit it. He thought to himself, 'Seriously, what a mess… Though I guess it's not the worst outcome. I did want to study their Tsukumogami—those things are starting to develop into full-fledged Tsugumomo. Maybe the answers I'm looking for are in their house.'
His expression softened slightly as he weighed his options. 'But then again, I've got Superman duties to handle… Still, I could leave some of the minor stuff to the Superman robots—they're capable enough.'
After a long pause, Clark finally said, "Alright… fine. I'll come over and help you guys study. You clearly need the extra help anyway."
The reaction was instant. All three girls perked up with radiant smiles, their earlier fear replaced by giddy excitement.
"Really?!" they exclaimed in unison, voices filled with hope.
"Yeah, but," Clark added, crossing his arms with a faint smirk, "I'm gonna need a pay raise now that I'm doing house visits."
Ichika laughed in amusement, tilting her head. "Clark, are you sure you're not just in need of money?"
"Nope," Clark said without missing a beat. "I live in a temple, so I'm actually pretty well off." He raised one flaming finger, shaping it into an "OK" sign. "I just like to be properly compensated for my work. You'd have to be out of your mind to think I'm pulling an extra shift for the same pay rate."
The sisters burst into laughter, unable to help themselves. "Deal!" they shouted cheerfully.
As soon as the words left their lips, cracks began to splinter through the air around them. The world shimmered and fractured like breaking glass. The endless shelves and swirling colors of the dimension shattered and fell away, revealing flickering shards of light.
The three sisters gasped as the illusion dissolved, and before they knew it, they were standing back inside their school library. The familiar scent of books and the sound of students chatting and packing their bags returned as if nothing had happened.
Nino blinked, looking around in confusion. "Whoa… we're out. It's like nothing ever happened."
Ichika rubbed her head, still dizzy from the transition. "What actually happened?"
Clark, now back in his school uniform with his glasses resting perfectly on his nose, calmly slung his bag over his shoulder. "It's one of the four ways to defeat an Amasogi," he said simply.
"What are the four ways?" Miku asked curiously as she packed her bag. Her sisters followed suit, each glancing at Clark as they trailed beside him as they exited the library. The aftereffects of the shattered dimension still weighed faintly in the air, like a fading dream.
Clark adjusted his glasses and replied evenly, "The first is the one I just used. Since an Amasogi is born from the desires and wishes of its host, fulfilling that desire causes the Amasogi to vanish—it's essentially destroyed by satisfaction. Once its purpose is served, it ceases to exist."
The three sisters nodded along, listening with wide, attentive eyes.
Clark continued, holding up two fingers. "The second method is simple but costly. You can destroy the Amasogi directly. However—" his tone sharpened slightly, "—if you do that, the host will experience backlash related to the wish that birthed it. For example, if I had actually destroyed the library you three created…" He paused for emphasis, looking at them over his shoulder, "you would've probably ended up illiterate—or just genuinely retarded."
All three froze mid-step, eyes widening in horror.
"Thank you for not doing that…" Ichika said with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her neck.
Clark gave a dry snort. "Based on your test scores, it wouldn't have made much difference if I had."
The words hit like a slap. The sisters stopped in unison, staring at him with their mouths agape—offended, shocked, and deeply betrayed. Clark couldn't help himself; he burst out laughing, his voice echoing down the hall.
He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye as he reached the bottom of the staircase. The three of them were still pouting at the top, arms crossed in defiance.
"Oh, come on," Clark chuckled, motioning for them to follow. "You know I'm right."
With collective huffs, the sisters stomped after him.
"The third method," Clark went on as they descended the stairs, his voice returning to its calm, instructive tone, "is basically the counter to the second. You convince the host to destroy the Amasogi themselves. If they willingly destroy it, there's no backlash—since they've accepted the loss of their desire. But that method's far harder than it sounds."
The hallway grew quiet. His voice had deepened, carrying a weight the sisters hadn't heard before.
"Because," Clark said softly, eyes distant, "you're asking someone to destroy something born from their deepest wish. And most people… can't let go that easily."
The sudden shift in his tone made them uneasy. The sisters exchanged worried glances, noticing the shadow that passed over his expression.
"And the fourth method?" Nino asked carefully, her voice quieter now.
Clark stopped walking for a brief moment before continuing forward again. "The fourth is the last resort," he said bluntly. "If the Amasogi's completely out of control… you kill the host. No host means no Amasogi."
The air seemed to thicken. The sound of their footsteps echoed softly down the empty corridor.
Even though his back was turned, Clark could hear the subtle skip in their heartbeats—the sharp intake of their breaths.
"Believe it or not," he added after a pause, "the most recommended option is the second one. Destroy the Amasogi directly. Sometimes fulfilling the host's wish is impossible, and killing them is… well, something you don't want to live with." He gave a faint sigh. "So, yeah—you three got lucky. Your wish was simple to grant."
The sisters slowed their pace, staring down the stairs with thoughtful expressions. The gravity of his words sank in, making them realize just how close they'd come to a far darker outcome. Clark had chosen the one method that didn't hurt them—one that granted their wish.
Their hearts swelled with gratitude.
"Clark!" they called out suddenly, jogging down the stairs toward him.
He half-turned, puzzled. "Hm?"
Before he could react, Miku and Nino leaned in and kissed him on either cheek while Ichika quickly planted one on his temple.
Clark froze mid-step, eyes wide, the tips of his ears burning red. The three sisters leaned closer, smiling brightly as they said in perfect unison, "Thank you~"
For a split second, time seemed to stop. Then reality rushed back in all at once—along with the collective gasp of several nearby students who had just witnessed everything.
Clark's entire face turned crimson, down to his neck. He could feel the stares piercing through him. Students were frozen mid-walk, jaws hanging open like they were watching a scene out of a romance drama.
His eye twitched. "What the hell is your problem?!" he barked, glaring at the sisters.
That snapped everyone out of it, though a few still whispered and giggled behind their hands.
The sisters broke into laughter, sprinting ahead toward the hall. "We just remembered we never thanked you properly!" Nino called out, grinning.
"See you later, or we'll be late for class!" Ichika added, turning around long enough to flash him a playful wink.
"Sorry!" Miku called, cupping her hands around her mouth. "I'll text you our address later!"
Clark stood frozen for a second longer, still processing what had just happened. Then he noticed more students whispering and quickly tugged his hair forward to hide his face.
"The hell are you all staring at?!" he growled again, his glare enough to send them scattering. "Keep looking and the next thing you'll be seeing is stars!"
With a low grumble, he slung his bag over his shoulder and trudged down the hall, muttering incoherently to himself as his ears continued to burn bright red.
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