056 - A Long-Awaited Reunion with Kurumi

When Souta opened his eyes again, the sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows shone directly onto his face. It was a bit dazzling.

It seemed he had been transported into a café.

However, none of the patrons around him were reacting with shock or alarm. Souta wasn't surprised by this.

Before coming, he had consulted the system about the details of world travel.

The system's teleportation mechanism was incredibly refined—it didn't just make him "pop" into existence. Instead, it gradually integrated his presence into the new world.

To the people around him, it would feel more like:

"Huh? When did this guy get here?"

Rather than:

"Holy crap! Someone just appeared out of thin air!"

Souta glanced outside.

"It was noon back in my world… Here, it looks like afternoon."

His gaze wandered across the café.

Something about this place felt oddly familiar.

After a moment, he remembered—

This was the same café where he had first met Kurumi.

His eyes scanned the room, searching for her figure.

Before long, he spotted her—seated near the corner booth.

Kurumi sat there elegantly, her posture as refined as a noble lady's.

Every now and then, she would glance out the window, lost in thought.

The golden afternoon light illuminated her delicate features, casting a soft glow around her.

It gave her the ethereal beauty of a dream-like maiden.

She was so breathtakingly stunning that—

It was only natural that she became the focal point of the entire café.

Souta noticed something.

A man in a casual suit had just sat down across from Kurumi.

Judging by his confident smile and body language…

He was trying to hit on her.

Kurumi barely spared him a glance before looking away indifferently.

But the man was persistent.

He leaned in slightly, flashing what he probably thought was his most charming smile.

His mouth never stopped moving, likely spouting all sorts of pickup lines.

And then—

Under the pretense of removing a piece of lint from her hair, he reached out to touch her.

SMACK.

Souta clapped a hand on his shoulder before he could make contact.

"Hey there, buddy," Souta said with a friendly smile.

"How about a handshake?"

The man blinked in confusion.

"Huh?"

Out of habit, he extended his hand.

Souta grabbed it—

And gently squeezed.

CRACK.

A sickening snap echoed through the café.

"AAAAGGHHH!!"

The man's agonized scream turned every head in the room.

The other patrons frowned in annoyance, throwing irritated glances their way.

Souta remained calm and composed, as if nothing unusual had happened.

With a serene expression, he said:

"You know, Jesus once said—"

"If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."

"So… would you like to shake hands with your other hand as well?"

The man looked horrified.

He scrambled to his feet, clutching his injured hand and bolted out of the café.

Even as he fled, he turned back to glare at Souta in disbelief.

Souta shook his head, unfazed.

'Dude… you have no idea… I just saved your life.'

But that was fine.

He was a man of noble morals.

A silent protector.

He did not require thanks.

"Souta, you finally came."

Kurumi's voice was soft, carrying a subtle smile.

Souta pulled out a chair and sat across from her.

"Yeah. Since time flows differently between worlds, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?"

Kurumi shook her head.

"Not at all. I only just arrived."

As she spoke, she stood up from her seat—

And then, to Souta's surprise, she walked over and sat beside him.

She leaned in slightly, pressing against his side.

Souta stiffened.

"...Kurumi?"

Kurumi responded with a playful whisper.

"Isn't it normal for old friends to lean on each other after a long time apart?"

At the same time, her hand started to move—

Her soft fingers traced over his chest, feeling through his shirt.

Souta: "..."

Something felt… off.

Wait a second…

Was this really her usual behavior?

No.

Something was wrong.

Kurumi was flirty, sure.

But this?

This was different.

Her gaze wasn't just teasing—

It carried genuine admiration.

Even… affection.

Souta could feel it—

A deep, overwhelming emotion, as if she was looking at someone she worshipped.

He hesitated for a moment before raising a hand to her forehead.

"...Are you feeling alright? You don't have a fever or something, do you?"

Kurumi's cheeks flushed pink.

Her eyes glistened with an intoxicating allure.

Her voice was breathless, almost like she was entranced.

"I… I'm fine. I just…"

She took a slow, deep breath.

"...I can't seem to control my emotions right now."

Her face was so red—

She looked like she had just swallowed an aphrodisiac.

Souta's expression turned serious.

After a brief moment of thought, he narrowed his eyes.

"Kurumi… is this one of your clones?"

Footsteps.

Souta heard approaching footsteps from behind him.

But before he could turn to look—

Two soft hands suddenly wrapped around his neck from behind.

A warm breath tickled his ear.

Then, a calm, refined voice whispered:

"I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly, Souta."

"Your powers of observation are truly improving."

A Gentle Embrace

Souta felt a gentle squeeze from behind.

Kurumi, now satisfied after embracing him from behind, walked around to take a seat across from him.

"As you can see," Kurumi gestured toward the girl still clinging tightly to Souta's side, "this child is one of my clones."

She cast a brief glance at her own clone and smiled softly.

"Do you remember last time?" she asked, "When you criticized me for the way I treated my clones?"

Souta nodded.

"I remember," he said, then hesitated for a moment.

"Wait… don't tell me… were you angry?"

"Of course not," Kurumi replied with a charming chuckle.

"If anything…"

She rested her delicate hand against her cheek, gazing at Souta with unusual warmth.

"I was actually… very moved."

Souta: "…Huh?"

"That moment," Kurumi continued, "was so precious to me that I wanted to preserve it forever."

"So I created this child."

She glanced toward her clone and smiled knowingly.

"As you can see, she really likes you."

Souta: "…"

He could feel the clone pressing against his side—soft and warm.

His expression turned into one of helpless amusement.

"So," he said, "she's basically… you, but stuck in that emotional state?"

"Exactly," Kurumi giggled.

"Well then, Souta-kun…"

Her voice was playful, but her golden eyes gleamed with mischief.

"Have you finally realized how utterly irresistible I am?"

…

Realized?

If she pressed any closer, Souta felt like he might turn into Yoshikage Kira.

Trying to compose himself, he reached out and ruffled clone-Kurumi's hair.

She purred in satisfaction, closing her eyes like a contented cat.

A strange itchy feeling crawled up his heart.

This… was actually kind of cute.

"By the way," he asked, trying to change the subject, "Did you finish testing the world-line shift delay?"

Kurumi nodded.

"For small events, the world-line takes about two seconds to adjust."

"Two seconds…?"

Souta's brows furrowed slightly.

Before he could dwell on it, he felt soft fingertips press against his forehead.

Clone-Kurumi was gently rubbing away the frown from his face.

Souta sighed in defeat.

"Two seconds isn't bad," he admitted.

"If we time it right, we should be able to escape to the real world without issue."

"But what about big events?" he asked.

"Are the delays… the same?"

Kurumi shook her head.

"I haven't had a chance to test that yet."

She hesitated for a moment.

Then, to Souta's surprise, she suddenly looked… unsure.

Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how.

Souta noticed immediately.

"What's wrong?" he asked, curious.

Kurumi fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, unexpectedly, she asked:

"Souta… do you think the other Spirits, the ones created by Mio Takamiya… are my sisters?"

"…Sisters?"

Souta blinked.

"Uh… I guess…? Technically?"

"If I change the past…"

Kurumi's voice lowered slightly.

"Will they… disappear?"

Souta froze.

He hadn't expected that question.

"Yatogami Tohka probably will," he said honestly.

"She was created entirely from Spirit mana, right? If Mio was never born, then she'd never exist."

"As for the others…"

He furrowed his brow, recalling the details.

"They were originally humans before turning into Spirits, right?"

"They'd probably just go back to being human again… as different people."

"In other words," Souta sighed,

"All the current Spirits would disappear."

The moment the words left his lips, a realization struck him.

His eyes widened.

"Kurumi…"

He suddenly felt uneasy.

"Wait… are you having second thoughts about changing the past?"

Kurumi gently shook her head.

"I want to change the past," she murmured.

"I want to erase the tragedies I suffered."

"But…"

Her voice softened.

She lifted her crimson gaze, eyes shimmering with an emotion that made Souta's heart tighten.

"I also want the Spirits to continue existing."

"I want them to stay in this world."

"Souta," she whispered,

"Tell me… what should I do?"

Souta: "…"

Suddenly, everything felt so much harder.

Way too hard.