Chapter 194 Whispers of the Lost Memory

"… …"

The night enveloped the entire Tengu City. The blue-yellow moonlight covered the city with a hazy veil, adding a touch of dreamy beauty.

In addition to the stars, there are also thousands of lights competing with the moonlight. Each star is a different scenery, and each light tells a different story.

Origami sat at the desk in front of the window, turned on the desk lamp, and used watercolors to color the painting she had already drawn.

---When did she start learning to paint? About four and a half years ago. She wanted to imprint that figure in her heart, but was afraid that she would forget it one day, so she wrote it down in this way---

The painting shows a young boy with short yellow hair, yellow eyes, and a cheerful smile on his face.

"Ding Dong---"

With a slight blush on her face, Origami was concentrating on coloring a picture when she heard the text message notification sound from her cell phone. She raised her head in confusion, picked up the phone and checked it. The sender was Itsuka Shido...

"Can we meet near the Shishi Garden fountain at ten o'clock on Saturday morning?"

Looking at the content of the letter, Origami sighed. In fact, she didn't want to go out, but - this person was the younger brother of the other boy after all...

So, Origami picked up the phone and recovered. "Okay, I'll remember that."

… …

… …

Under the moonlight, Kurumi, dressed in black and red spiritual clothes, looked down at Tengu City under the skyscrapers below and whispered softly: "Where are you?"

Having used [Twelfth Bullet] several times and having used up more than half of her spiritual power, Kurumi is now somewhat disheartened.

But every time I blink, the moment I close my eyes, that figure pops up in my mind...

"Hu... Zafkiel ---[Twelfth Bullet]" Once again, Zafkiel released his strongest ability that had never been released before a few days ago, and Kurumi's face turned slightly pale.

"Bang---!"

A solemn and low gunshot sounded, and a moment later, Kurumi's figure disappeared from this world...

… …

… …

Saturday, November 11th.

Shidou was walking alone on the road to Amamiya Station.

The weather is sunny, the air is a little cold, but the sun is very warm, it doesn't look like the coming winter weather, it's a very good day for a date---Unfortunately, Shidou is not here for a date... just a simple chat... Of course, Shidou thinks so, but Kotori doesn't think so. Although Shidou told Kotori before that Origami likes Katsu, she has no memory of Katsu. Naturally, Kotori will not give up because of this problem---

So, at Kotori's insistence, Shidou put on the wireless headphones to contact Flaxinus.

"—By the way, aren't you a little early? The agreed time is eleven o'clock, right?"

Kotori's voice came from the small headset on her right ear.

This headset can receive signals from the aerial ship Fraxinus, which is floating about 15,000 meters above Shidou's location, and the crew members gathered on the bridge will assist Shidou in his "date".

"It's better than keeping her waiting, right?" Shidou said softly. At the same time, he glanced at the time on his phone. It was 10:12, and there were still 48 minutes until the agreed time.

"I see..." Kotori said through the headset.

However... ...About forty minutes later, Origami, who had arrived earlier, saw Shidou sitting next to the pool with his head drooped---

"Ah... Itsuka... classmate?"

Hearing Origami's voice, Shidou's eyelids twitched slightly, and then he saw the girl who appeared in front of him---

The upper body is a cute blouse with a knitted jacket, and the lower body is a skirt with autumn colors.

Shidou was slightly stunned, and couldn't help but be attracted by the girlish style that Origami didn't wear in his memory..

"Shidou?"

"...! Oh...Oh oh." Hearing Kotori's call, Shidou shuddered suddenly.

"Alas... the future is worrying."

"Sorry..."

"Focus on me. I don't know what her personality is like in the original world, but at least the one standing in front of you now is a demon who hunts spirits. If you are careless, who knows what will happen. Just treat it as if you are facing Tokisaki Kurumi!"

Kotori reminded Shidou. Upon hearing this, Shidou's eyebrows twitched. Is he facing Tokisaki Kurumi like this? Come on, he hasn't lived enough. He hadn't made Miss Reine his girlfriend yet.

 "Yeah, I know."

"Very good." Kotori took a deep breath and said, "Okay──let's start our war (DATE)." The battle was declared to begin.

At the same time, Shidou moved his stopped steps again and walked towards Origami.

… …

In the dark expanse of space, all of Katsu's injuries from his training with Future Katsu had fully healed. As he rested, Mana gently offered him a lap pillow, providing comfort while he processed the insights about advanced Armament Haki that his future self had shared.

The brutal training he endured was not limited to mere light-based attacks; it also involved intense physical blows. The light attacks were meant to sharpen his reflexes, helping him adapt to the speed of future assaults, while the physical strikes allowed him to experience the true power of advanced Armament Haki firsthand. Now, all that remained was for him to refine these skills through his own training.

Since the Future Katsu had already disappeared, he was the only one here now.

The surrounding environment is absolutely quiet and bland. Fortunately, Mana and Kisara were by his side, keeping him from losing his mind in this desolate space. With nothing else to do, he decided to continue training.

"Let's start Kisara, Mana" Katsu said as he stood up cracking his body.

Mana nodded in response, while Kisara's claw materialized over her arm.

… …

"Hmm..." In a room in the spirit apartment, Tohka was lying on the sofa hugging a large pillow.

She wasn't alone. Glancing toward the TV, she saw the Yamai sisters locked in an intense car race, the prize being ice cream. Meanwhile, Yoshino and Natsumi sat behind them, chatting and laughing.

Today, since Shidou and Kotori had important matters to attend to, no one from the Itsuka family was around. As a result, everyone had gathered in Tohka's room.

"Hmm..."

Tohka sighed for what felt like the hundredth time, turning over on the sofa. How should she describe it? For some reason, she felt unusually restless. 

No, it wasn't just today. Ever since Shidou acting strange a few days ago, an unshakable sense of unease had settled in her chest.

As she let out another frustrated sigh, Miku suddenly popped up from behind the sofa, her face peeking over the edge.

"Hehe, Tohka, what's wrong with you? Are you in a bad mood?"

"It's not like that. It's just..." Tohka made a sad face and fell into thought, looking for words to express her current mood. However, she couldn't find the right words.

"...Hmm." Miku let out a dramatic sigh before her lips curled into a teasing smile. Without hesitation, she vaulted over the back of the sofa, squeezing herself into the narrow space between Tohka and the cushions.

"It's unbearable! Seeing Tohka all confused like this is just too much! Huuu! Huuu!"

She wriggled playfully as she spoke. The strange sound at the end was her rapid breathing as she buried her face into Tohka's back.

"What are you doing, Miku? It's itchy!"

"Well, what's the matter? It won't cost you a piece of meat." Miku hugged Tohka's body and rubbed her cheek passionately. Tohka put her hand on Miku's forehead and pushed back hard, trying to pull Miku off her body---

Suddenly, Miku stumbled accidentally, and Tohka, who didn't notice this, was still pushing Miku, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Ah! Sorry! Miku, are you okay?" Tohka hurriedly stepped forward and helped Miku up.

Miku was helped by Tohka to sit up on the ground, frowned and shook her head.

"That's strange… why do I suddenly feel so… sad?"

"Huh? Sad?" Tohka blinked in confusion. "Did you get hurt when you fell? I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's not that…" Miku murmured. Her voice sounded distant, like she was lost in thought. "It's something else… It feels like… something's missing…"

"Like?"

"Like I lost something important."

"… …I don't know…but I suddenly feel so sad… …" Miku's voice suddenly became tearful. Tohka was stunned for a moment, then she raised her head and looked at Miku's cheek. Tears had covered her face without her knowing when.

"Ah!" Tohka panicked, and then the girls in the room turned their eyes over here.

"Miku, what's wrong with you?"

"Miku said that she lost something important..." Tohka scratched her head and said distressedly.

"What's missing? What's missing? Let's help Miku find it!"

"Yeah, Miku... don't be sad, we'll all help you look for it, and you'll definitely find it."

"I agree. Kaguya is the best at finding things."

Miku sniffed, looked at everyone who expressed their willingness to help her, and said with emotion: "Everyone... Thank you everyone..."

"So---Miku, what did you lose?"

Miku hesitated before whispering, "I… I don't know…"

"ah?!"

The group fell into a brief silence before Kaguya sighed in frustration, scratching her head.

"If you don't know what you lost, how are we supposed to find it?"

Tohka, deep in thought, suddenly perked up. "Hmm… Maybe we should check around the room? If it's something physical, we might find it."

Natsumi nodded slightly. "Well… it's worth a try."

"Then let's get moving!" Kaguya cheered, raising a fist.

"Alright!" The group sprang into action, determined to help Miku recover whatever it was she had lost—whether it was something tangible or something much deeper.