Another Male Spirit?

"Fire!"

With their captain's command, all of the DEM Wizards unleashed a barrage of missiles at the building.

The towering 20 story building crumbled within seconds, reduced to nothing but dust and debris.

"A-Amazing..." Kusakabe's jaw dropped at the sight of the devastating destruction. Their firepower was so strong that the building didn't even last for a minute, but her brows frowned at their carefree attitude. They hadn't even spared a thought for the collateral damage, recklessly unleashing destruction without a second glance at the surrounding buildings.

Kusakabe's eyes gazed around the area and saw the damage done to the nearby buildings and houses. She couldn't help but clench her fist in frustration. They always tried to minimize the damage to the city but these guys blatantly ignore the other structures and just concentrate on firing missiles.

While her captain was feeling helpless and frustrated inside, Origami didn't feel anything about the crumbling building and damaged surroundings. Instead, while there wasn't any change on her face, Origami was worrying inside her heart.

She knew that Shido would most likely also be with the Hermit since he wanted to save Spirits. It would not be Shido if he wasn't on the scene, so Origami could only hope that he would be okay.

Her eyes flickered when she recalled the time he was fighting Kurumi. Since he could survive Nightmare's crazy onslaught, then Shido would definitely be fine. Origami thought to herself.

Jessica, Kusakabe, Origami, and the rest focused their attention on the collapsing building, their eyes scanning for any signs of movement within the wreckage.

Thick smoke clouded their vision, making it impossible to see what was happening. But as it gradually dispersed into the air, the scene before them became clear.

Atop the collapsed building, two silhouettes stood close together, their figures emerging from the fading smoke.

Jessica's eyes widened in disbelief when she finally saw the Spirit. According to the higher-ups, there was only a Hermit inside the building yet, she was surprised to see that there were two of them and one of them was even a male Spirit.

Shido stood with his arms slightly raised while a purple barrier surrounded him and Yoshino who was hiding behind him, completely blocking all the missiles they were proud of. Yet, Jessica wasn't thinking about that right now.

At first, she thought it was Shadow. But after taking a closer look at his appearance, Jessica quickly realized this wasn't the Spirit she had been assigned to target.

Nevertheless, she didn't lose her interest, in fact, she felt even more excited knowing that there was another male Spirit.

The rest of the Wizard from AST and DEM have different expressions on their face. 

It was the second time the Wizards from AST saw a male spirit. While curiosity flickered in their eyes, they remained cautious, keeping their guard up. Meanwhile, the Wizards from DEM were just like Jessica who had an eager look on their face. It was the first time they had seen a male Spirit, unlike the female Spirits that they usually fight, they felt their breath become hurried seeing his striking appearance.

While everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Origami's gaze remained fixed on Shido, the male Spirit at the center of everyone's attention. Unlike the others, her eyes held only quiet relief.

She was relieved that he had emerged unscathed, even after enduring such a relentless missile barrage.

However, when her gaze shifted to the small figure peeking out from behind him while clutching the hem of his Astral Dress, the corner of Origami's lips couldn't help but twitch uncontrollably.

Initially, she thought that Shido liked mature and big-breasted girls like Tohka and Reine, yet seeing him now with a little girl with him, even in this dire situation, Origami felt an overwhelming urge to punch him in the face.

However, Shido didn't know anything about what was going on inside Origami's mind. Instead, he was looking coldly at the Wizards from DEM with his sharp purple eyes. 

If not for his Observation Haki warning him of the incoming danger, they would have been injured. He didn't care if he got hurt, but if Yoshino suffered even a scratch… He couldn't begin to imagine how furious he would be with himself.

Right now, he was using Spirit Integration with Tohka's Spirit form. In this state, Shido's appearance partially adapted some of the original Spirit's traits, because of that, his eyes and hair become purple.

Yoshino, on the other hand, stood in a daze, mesmerized by Shido's transformed appearance. Clad in radiant purple and white armor, he looked just like a knight from a fairy tale. Unable to help herself, a faint blush crept onto her face.

Shido was already handsome in his normal state, but in his transformed form, he became even more striking. His charming appearance left Yoshino completely captivated, unable to look away.

Yoshinon called out to her and even pinched her cheeks in an attempt to snap her out of her daze. But it was no use, Yoshino's mind was completely occupied with Shido. It made Yoshinon speechless yet when she turned to look at Shido herself, she could only sigh. As much as she wanted to complain, she had to admit that he really did look stunning right now.

It was understandable why Yoshino wore such a dreamy, lovestruck expression.

Yoshino only woke up from her dazed state when Shido turned around and knelt down to her height.

"Yoshino, Yoshinon, are you two alright?" Shido asked, his eyes staring at them with a concerned look. Although he had deployed the barrier before the missiles landed, he still wanted to make sure they weren't hurt.

"U-Un... I'm okay, Shido-san." Yoshino who woke up from her dream shyly answered him.

"I'm okay too, so no need to worry too much, Shido-kun~!" Yoshinon chimed in, playfully waving her tiny doll hands.

"I see, that's a relief..." Shido shoulder slump down as the worry in his heart was lifted.

However, Yoshinon still had a question lingering in her mind. Without missing a beat, she continued.

"Shido-kun~ Shido-kun~! I've been meaning to ask this but... are you a Spirit?" 

Hearing Yoshinon's words, Yoshino also looked at Shido curiously. Initially, Yoshino already felt it was odd when she met him for the first time. 

She felt so close to Shido as if he was a family member of her just like her mother even though they just met. Now that she saw him transform and sensed the massive amount of Reiryoku within him, Yoshino knew that he wasn't a human.

Despite that, she didn't change the way she thought about him. If anything, she felt even closer to Shido, because he was a Spirit, just like her.

Feeling the two curious gazes of Yoshino and Yoshinon, Shido could only reveal a wry smile while trying to explain. "Well, my situation is kind of complicated, but yes, I'm a Spirit."

"I see~! I see~! Well, I wouldn't have minded if you were human, but it's even better that you're a Spirit~!" Yoshinon chirped, crossing her tiny arms with a nod of understanding.

Then, without warning, she suddenly turned to Yoshino. "Right, Yoshino~?"

Caught off guard, Yoshino jolted in surprise.

"Y-Yes, I don't mind either..." Yoshino murmured, feeling embarrassed under Shido's gaze. Yet, despite her flustered state, she didn't look away. Instead, she answered him truthfully.

Hearing their responses, Shido smiled warmly and gently patted their small heads.

Yoshino's face turned an even deeper shade of red, but she didn't shy away from his touch. Instead, a sense of nostalgia washed over her, it felt just like when her mother used to gently caress her head.

Yoshinon on the other hand, let out a silly "Uhehe" laugh, making Shido think of a certain pink-haired girl with a pink halo on her head and a name that was almost the same as 'Yoshino'.

When he finished consoling the two, Shido finally turned to face the Wizards from DEM.