Busted

"Now that you've seen Shido, what are you planning to do, erm..." Kotori trailed off, unsure how to address her.

"You can just call me Mana, Kotori-san," Mana responded with a bright smile.

"Well then, Mana, I'll have you know that Shido is also my brother, so—"

Before Kotori could finish, Mana's eyes sparkled with excitement as she suddenly interrupted, her voice brimming with enthusiasm.

"Are you also my Nee-sama?" Mana leaned forward eagerly, her eyes shining with curiosity.

Kotori flinched, her face turning slightly flustered. "No! Shido was adopted into the Itsuka family before!" she quickly clarified, moving back slightly to put some distance between them.

"Oh, I see..." Mana nodded thoughtfully, completely unfazed, as if she had simply confirmed a minor detail.

"So you shouldn't think about taking Shido away from me." Kotori crossed her arms, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.

Shido felt warmth spread through his chest at her words. Knowing that Kotori didn't want to part with him made him unexpectedly happy, and her embarrassed expression only added to the charm.

However, Kotori quickly sensed his lingering gaze. Her eyes sharpened as she shot him a glare, making Shido cough awkwardly and avert his eyes.

Mana, however, simply smiled and answered Kotori honestly. "No, I don't have any plans to take Nii-sama away. I just wanted to see him... He's the only family I have left."

"...I see." Kotori let out a small sigh of relief, though a tinge of sadness settled in her heart upon hearing Mana's words. The thought of her only having Shido as family made Kotori feel unexpectedly sympathetic.

"So, you don't need to worry about me stealing Nii-sama from you, Kotori-san." Mana added in a playful tone, watching with amusement as Kotori's face turned crimson red.

"Wh-Whose worried about him?! Take him then! You can take him back to your home!" Kotori shouted, her voice rising in a desperate attempt to cover her embarrassment. However, her outburst only earned more laughter from Mana.

"Okay, then! I'll go back home with Nii-sama~" Mana teased with a mischievous grin.

"NOOO!!!"

Kotori's panicked reaction came out instantly, making Mana giggle even more. Realizing she had just walked straight into the teasing trap, Kotori's face turned an even deeper shade of red.

Meanwhile, Reine sat at the table, quietly enjoying her coffee—practically more sugar than liquid at this point. She observed the girls' banter with her usual drowsy expression, seemingly unfazed by the chaos around her.

Shido took a seat beside her, exhaling as softly.

Mana, standing nearby, let out a small sigh before offering a warm, genuine smile.

"Well then, I've done what I came for. Seeing Nii-sama living a happy life is enough for me," she said, her gaze resting on Shido.

"...Mana."

"I should be going now," Mana said, preparing to take her leave. She didn't ask Origami to come with her, sensing that she had something to discuss with Shido as well.

However, just as she turned, Shido's voice stopped her.

"Are you sure this is okay?"

Mana blinked in confusion and tilted her head. "What do you mean, Nii-sama?"

Shido met Mana's gaze and offered her a gentle smile. "Did you really come here just to see me?"

"Yes, that was the plan?" Mana replied, tilting her head slightly, unsure what he meant.

"But… I want Mana to live with us." Shido said firmly.

"What?!" Two voices echoed in unison.

The girls were all caught off guard by his unexpected words, but the most startled were Kotori and Mana. Neither had any idea what Shido was thinking.

However, as they observed his unwavering expression, they quickly realized, he wasn't joking.

Mana forced a wry smile. "B-But… I still have responsibilities. I need to help the people who took me in." Mana couldn't help but let of a wry smile. She was tempted by Shido's offer. Even so, she knew leaving wasn't that simple. If she abandoned DEM, they would undoubtedly hunt her down, especially Jessica, who could never accept being ranked below her.

"Oh, you mean those from DEM," Shido said casually.

Mana froze. Her eyes widened slightly as she processed his words. 'Nii-sama knows about DEM?'

Her mouth was opened agape as she didn't expect him to know about DEM's existence.

'But, if that was the case… then did he also know about the AST? About Spirits?'

A certain memory from this morning flickered through her mind, causing her expression to shift ever so slightly.

Kotori and Reine on the other hand focused their attention to Mana to see her reaction. The two had already seen the footage they got just now. It was the scene of Shadow fighting Mana and even leaving unscratched. 

That was what Reine was doing, retrieving those footage so she was late.

Origami's sharp gaze remained fixed on Mana, analyzing every movement with caution. Though she trusted that Mana wouldn't harm Shido, the fact remained, Mana was a high-ranking Wizard of DEM, one of their top operatives. That alone made her unpredictable.

Meanwhile, Tohka and Yoshino exchanged confused glances. They had no idea what "DEM" was, only sensing the tension in the air.

Mana let out a soft sigh before forcing a bitter smile. "I see… So you knew I was from DEM. That means you also know I'm a Wizard, right, Nii-sama?"

"Yes." Shido affirmed with a firm nod.

"*Sigh* Now I'm sure it really was you." Mana let out a weary sigh, her wry smile never fading as she looked at Shido.

Shido blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"

Without a word, Mana pulled out her phone and tapped on the screen. She then turned it toward Shido, displaying a photo, one that made his breath hitch.

It was an image of him clad in Tohka's Astral Dress, the luminous violet armor unmistakable.

Kotori and Reine, standing nearby, stiffened. Their expressions darkened as they processed the situation.

Of course Mana would suspect him as that. Even though Shido didn't have any sigh of Reiroku with him right now. Mana connected all the dots with just those words from Shido.

"This is you right, Nii-sama? Or should I say, Lancelot?"