"....."
Hearing Tohka's words, Origami Tobiichi silently shook her head. She wasn't stupid—fighting Tohka in her current condition would be nothing but suicide, and even if she'd come here intending to fight, she knew she'd be utterly crushed. After all, Tohka hadn't even suffered much facing Kurumi Tokisaki, while she herself, along with the others, had gone 1v10 and still lost—Mana Takamiya had been knocked flat by Kurumi in a single exchange. According to her own mental calculations, there was no way she could beat Tohka. Well, she was overthinking it—she hadn't realized that Tohka, in her current state, was actually not much stronger than Mana. The only reason she'd held her own was because she understood Kurumi's abilities.
"Do you still remember what happened yesterday about that spirit?" This time, Origami didn't bicker with Tohka. She knew that while Tohka usually seemed a bit airheaded, her mouth was just as sharp. If they started arguing, it'd take at least half a day to settle.
"Oh, you mean that spirit?" Hearing Origami's question, Tohka instantly realized what she was thinking. But since she wasn't the "original version," she couldn't act as stupid as the original novel's Tohka.
"My my—are you looking to get revenge on that spirit, Origami Tobiichi?" Without caring what kind of expression Origami was making, Tohka deliberately put on an extremely interested look. She knew that the one who had actually killed her family was none other than herself.
"What exactly do you know, 'Princess'?" Hearing Tohka's words, Origami's pupils contracted sharply. But that was all—even if she found it strange that Tohka knew, she didn't plan to pick a fight. She also hadn't suspected Tohka of being the culprit—after all, in her memory, the light cannon that descended from the sky was clearly not Tohka's sword attack. The colors didn't match, so it just didn't add up.
"Tch, do I even have to explain? Look in the mirror—your eyes, even if you're hiding it well, the killing intent and hatred are too obvious." This wasn't Tohka bluffing—she had always been very sensitive to that sort of thing. Origami had tried to cover it up, but she was still too obvious. And since Tohka had been watching her carefully, none of it escaped her notice. Of course, she knew the real reason but didn't say it.
"Hmph, then please—tell me. No matter the price." Origami only wanted revenge. She didn't care about the rest. She was now staring steadily at Tohka with determined eyes, and since Tohka had immediately guessed her purpose, she didn't bother playing innocent. Clearly, she wouldn't leave without an answer today.
"Sigh...seriously, is it worth it?" With a helpless sigh, Tohka didn't bother making Origami promise anything more. After all, that woman wouldn't die, so it was better to just let them fight it out. Holding hatred bottled up forever would only lead to something worse—it was better to let her vent it out.
"That spirit was Kotori Itsuka—Shido's little sister. That's all I can tell you. But think it through carefully. Sometimes what you see is only one side of the story, not the whole truth." She directly told her Kotori's identity. Unlike the novel, Kotori had extremely powerful regeneration. Even if Origami tried to kill her alone, it was nearly impossible, so Tohka wasn't worried.
"I see...I understand." Hearing Tohka's words, Origami narrowed her eyes slightly. But even so, there was still a cold gleam in them.
"You'd better think this through. I don't know where you get your confidence, but the fact is—even when you all faced the non-combat spirit 'Hermit,' Yoshino, you couldn't inflict any real damage. Do you really think you can beat Kotori?" Tohka wasn't making this up. Origami, before becoming a spirit herself, had almost never gained the upper hand in these encounters.
"That's none of your concern. I'll handle it. Also, Princess—you can consider this a favor I owe you. I..." Origami narrowed her eyes, about to say more, but just then, a voice called out from behind them.
"Origami Tobiichi, I told you not to wander off. And 'Princess,' what are you doing here?" Origami's team leader, Ryoko Kusakabe, appeared, intending to scold her—but quickly noticed Tohka. She reflexively reached for her weapon, only to realize she wasn't wearing any equipment. So, she drew her teleport device and watched Tohka warily, ready to act if she made a move.
"Hey hey, cut it out. Do you really think you alone could beat me? Even if I'm weaker now, that doesn't mean you're stronger." Narrowing her eyes at Ryoko, Tohka had no intention of fighting. AST had suffered so many humiliations at her hands that she had no interest in ambushing lone members.
"Don't worry—I'm not telling anyone. Good luck." She glanced at Origami, then simply walked past the tense Ryoko and left. Ryoko only watched her closely without attacking or even bothering to put on her equipment. She knew that even weakened, Tohka wasn't an opponent she could handle—and this was a school. If they fought here, countless students could be harmed. Since Tohka hadn't triggered a spatial quake, she couldn't justify an immediate evacuation, either.
"Whew—so that really was the 'Princess.' Damn it, where did her identity documents come from?" After Tohka left, Ryoko finally exhaled. She'd heard Origami say that Tohka was attending their class, but the background checks all came back legitimate. Plus, Origami and Tohka had been coexisting for quite a while without fighting—when usually the two of them started bickering the second they met. So, she had dismissed it, thinking it was just a lookalike. Seeing her in person now, she realized she'd been wrong—she'd never mistake that overwhelming aura.
"It's nothing. She has a legal identity now, and since she hasn't caused any spatial quakes, we can't assign people to fight her, so I didn't report it further." Origami, remembering that Tohka had only shared minimal information, didn't feel right trash-talking her.
"Understood. More importantly—get back to the hospital. You dragged your IV pole all the way here. You scared those doctors half to death." Ryoko glared at Origami. She wasn't stupid—she knew that fighting Tohka here was impossible. If they were ever going to settle this, it would have to be another time. For now, she just wanted Origami to go back and recover properly.
"Yes, understood." Origami didn't resist but obediently followed her captain back. Much of this had been a spur-of-the-moment impulse—when Tohka had told her she knew more, she hadn't been able to stay in the hospital any longer and had run out immediately.
"Mm, Tohka, you're back. Where's Origami?" Meanwhile, Tohka hadn't cared whether those people would cause her trouble—she would deal with it if it came. But seeing Tohka return alone, Shido was startled. He thought maybe Tohka had "snapped" Origami's neck. After all, those two always glared daggers at each other—and on the battlefield, they fought to the death. Even though Origami was considered an elite in AST, in her current state, Shido didn't doubt she'd be "snapped" if she picked a fight.
"You idiot, what are you imagining? Her captain dragged her back." Tohka rolled her eyes lazily at Shido. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she was sure it was something dumb.
"I see...then I'm relieved." Shido sighed in relief. If Tohka said so, it meant Origami was fine. Tohka might complain all the time, but she never lied.
"By the way, what about your date plans?" Just then, Tohka remembered Shido had been planning a date, so she asked curiously.
"Kannazuki suggested I take her to a water park, so we're figuring out the schedule." Shido didn't hide it and answered directly.
"You mean you listened to that perverted blond guy? Wow…" Tohka was speechless. She hadn't expected that creep to chime in after she'd left—and that Shido would actually take his advice.
"Mm. Oh, Tohka—do you want to go buy clothes?" Suddenly remembering something, Shido invited her.
"Tch, forget it. I'm not interested in providing fanservice. Ask someone else." Tohka rejected him without hesitation. Was he kidding? She'd avoid that kind of big fanservice scenario at all costs.
"Uh...okay." Seeing she wasn't interested, Shido didn't push. He quietly returned to his seat. Even in this short conversation, he'd already felt countless eyes on him—especially the class's trio of Yamaibuki Ai, Hiyori Mai, and Mii Fujibakamai. They were all on good terms with Tohka. After all, she was open, straightforward, and a beautiful girl, so she was popular with both boys and girls. According to what he'd heard, Tohka was among the most desired dates in the whole school—ranking even higher than Origami. Everyone knew Origami liked him, while Tohka was still single. So, if he pissed her off, he wouldn't even need Tohka to retaliate—the rest of the students would roast him alive.
And so, another day passed. Origami, who'd been dragged off by her captain, didn't show up again. Tohka spent the day spacing out—Origami was hospitalized, Kurumi was temporarily out of school, so she was bored.
"Hey, are you okay? And—could you let me out sometime? I've been stuck in here for ages." Just then, Inverse Tohka's voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
"Ah—fine, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. We're still in school, and even if you came out, you'd just have to sit through class." Anyway, nothing major was going on. As for Shido's harem squabbles, she didn't care. Origami only hated Kotori; she had no big grudges with the others. Kotori herself had incredible regeneration, so Tohka wasn't worried. And she wasn't about to ask Kurumi to go back in time—she didn't want that kind of mess yet. So, she could let her inverse self out for a bit. She felt bad leaving her stuck there so long.
"Deal. Oh—by the way, I've discovered a new, fun feature of your Kabbalah Tree of Life. You'll see when I show you." Inverse Tohka's voice took on an odd tone.
"Eh? What else can it do?" Tohka was curious. So far, it had only given her super regeneration—and a rather annoying sense of pain.
"Secret. You'll find out soon." Inverse Tohka clearly didn't want to explain, deliberately teasing her.
"Fine, don't tell me then." Tohka was curious, but couldn't bring herself to beg.
And so another day passed, and Tohka returned to her apartment.
.....
The next morning, she was still sleeping when someone came to wake her. Still half-asleep, she blinked at the person standing over her and was utterly bewildered.
"Nani—what the hell is going on here?"