Moving In

Shido ignored Yoshinon's teasing, choosing instead to focus on the adorable Spirit in front of him.

"Close your eyes, Yoshino..." he said gently, his fingers lightly caressing her soft, porcelain-like skin in an attempt to soothe her flustered reaction.

"Y-Yes..."

Yoshino responded meekly, her voice barely above a whisper. Embarrassment still lingered in her expression, but she obediently followed his request, squeezing her eyes shut.

Even as nervous anticipation swelled within her, she remained still, waiting for Shido to seal her Reiryoku.

As Yoshino obediently kept her eyes shut, Shido knew there was no reason to hesitate any longer.

Slowly, he leaned in, closing the small gap between them until their faces were mere centimeters apart. His hands cradled her delicate cheeks with his touch warm and gentle.

With one final movement, he pressed his lips softly against hers, sealing her Reiryoku, along with taking Yoshino's very first kiss.

"Mnn~"

A soft, delicate sound escaped Yoshino's lips as she felt the warm and gentle touch of Shido's against hers. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, yet she didn't open her eyes. Instead, she simply let herself sink into this new, unfamiliar sensation.

Shido-san…

Kissing felt strange, yet, at the same time, it was undeniably pleasant. A warmth spread through her, different from anything she had ever felt before. It was both embarrassing and comforting, leaving her with a feeling she couldn't quite describe.

Ding!

[Quest 2 Completed: Seal Hermit's Spirit Power.]

As Shido pressed his lips against Yoshino's, a familiar sound echoed in his mind, the system notification he hadn't heard in a while.

A part of him was pleased. Completing Quest 2 meant he was one step closer to achieving his ultimate goal of traveling to another world. But right now, none of that mattered.

Shido pushed those thoughts aside, choosing instead to focus entirely on the adorable Spirit in front of him.

Meanwhile, Yoshinon watched the two in a daze. The usually chatty puppet remained silent for once, simply staring at Shido and Yoshino's shameless kiss.

Just as Shido was about to continue kissing Yoshino deeper, he suddenly felt a surge of Reiryoku entering his body, causing his Reiryoku to increase by a big margin. He thought to himself that if he battled Kurumi again, he might be able to defeat her now.

Shido let go of Yoshino's lips causing her to open her hazy eyes, unable to focus. However, she woke up immediately from her daze expression as her Astral Dress suddenly glow. Then it evaporated from down to her head leaving her surprised naked.

"Shido-san... this..."

Yoshino's voice trembled as she instinctively covered her chest, her face turning a deep shade of red. Her wide sapphire eyes darted between him and her now bare skin, completely flustered.

Nevertheless, he quickly snapped out of his daze, having already experienced a similar situation with Tohka.

Even so, his gaze briefly wandered to Yoshino's petite frame, and he had to admit that she was in her growing phase, subtle curves beginning to take shape on her small body.

Despite that, Shido grabbed the blanket from the bed and gently draped it over Yoshino's exposed body. For a brief moment, a flicker of reluctance crossed his mind, feeling as if he was missing something, but he quickly shook his head to banish those thoughts.

'My intensions are pure.' 

He nodded to himself trying to convince himself. 

However, Yoshinon wasn't about to let that slide. With a playful tone, the puppet smirked at Shido, clearly sensing his inner turmoil and ready to tease him about it. Even though Yoshino's Reiryoku had been sealed, just as Shido had said, she was still able to maintain Yoshinon's body, giving the mischievous puppet free rein to torment him.

Meanwhile, Yoshino, wrapped tightly in the blanket, blushed a deep shade of red. She stole shy glances at Shido from time to time but quickly averted her gaze whenever their eyes met.

Shido, utterly speechless by Yoshinon's playful words, decided the best course of action was to ignore her entirely. Instead, he pulled out his communicator and called Reine. As he done that, he decided to change clothes when Reine arrives as his clothes was still wet from the rain.

As he waited, his gaze drifted toward the window. The storm had passed, and the sky was now clear, bathed in soft sunlight, free of the dark clouds and heavy rain from earlier.

He let out a small breath of relief.

The world outside was bright again, just as it should be.

...

"Say, Kotori..."

"Hmm? What is it, Onii-chan?"

Kotori replied with a smirk, a lollipop lazily rolling between her lips. Her black ribbons signaled that she was in Commander mode, yet her playful amusement was unmistakable. She watched Shido with interest, clearly enjoying his stunned reaction.

Meanwhile, Shido was staring speechlessly at the five-story building that now stood beside their house. This was not here in the morning, however when they came back, Shido was dumbfounded by the sight.

He knew that the people in this world were incredibly fast workers, especially when it came to constructing buildings due to the frequent Spatial Quakes. However, seeing an entire apartment complex suddenly appear next to his house was still unbelievable to him. There was no way people from his previous life could have built something this massive so quickly.

"So, um… what exactly am I looking at?" Shido asked, still trying to process the sight before him.

Kotori smirked, clearly enjoying his bewilderment. "Didn't I tell you before?" She twirled her lollipop between her fingers. "This is a special housing unit for Spirits."

"After all, our house isn't that big. So, Tohka can move out today and live here." Kotori stated

"And someone else too."

She then paused, her gaze shifting to the side as the soft sound of footsteps approached.

Noticing this, Shido also turned his head toward the newcomer. The moment he saw who it was, a warm smile naturally formed on his face.

A small girl with soft blue hair, adorned with a beret cap, stood before them. She wore a light purple dress that only enhanced her delicate, doll-like appearance.

"I-I'll be in your care from now on..." Yoshino bowed her head slightly toward Kotori and Shido, her voice timid and a bit nervous.

Noticing her nervousness, Shido's smile softened. He gently placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair with care.

"Right. It's the same for me, Yoshino." he reassured her warmly.