"Uh, fine." Hearing Kotori's message, Tohka didn't think too much at first. She reflexively stepped out of her room into the hallway, and then a wave of energy instantly enveloped her and she disappeared.
"Uh…what's all this?" When she reappeared, she was already aboard the Fraxinus, and then she saw the pile of photos Kotori handed her. One of them was of herself, which made Tohka feel inexplicably annoyed.
"Don't tell me you people secretly take pictures of me when you have nothing better to do. If you're all this bored, should I help you find something to do?" Rolling her eyes at Kotori and Shido, Tohka spoke with clear irritation. Although the photos weren't anything too private, the person in them was definitely her. And judging by the angle and her expression, it was obvious these were candid shots.
"No, not those—the spirit." Hearing Tohka's complaint, Shido hurriedly explained. He definitely didn't dare let Tohka stir up trouble, or who knew what kind of chaos she'd cause.
"That spirit made it into a game. She said I have to pick out which of these is her transformed form. Otherwise, she'll start making people here disappear one by one." Saying this, Shido looked thoroughly exasperated. What kind of joke was this? It was not fun at all—and could easily start a panic. So, the first person he came to was Tohka.
"Then just let her come find me. I'll personally teach her how to be a spirit who respects elders, cherishes the young, studies hard, and improves every day." Hearing his explanation, Tohka rolled her eyes again. She was still fretting over how to deal with Nia and had zero interest in anyone else. As for Natsumi—Tohka felt the best method was to beat her up, tie her into a bundle, and toss her onto the Fraxinus.
"Uh, no need. I just wanted to ask your opinion, but since this is you in the picture, never mind." Hearing her attitude, Shido quickly backed down. If he let Tohka in this state handle it, the situation would spiral into the worst possible scenario.
"Then that's settled. What were you even thinking?" Seeing that he understood, Tohka turned to leave. But at that moment, she suddenly grew curious and asked, "How exactly are you going to confirm it? You know, not everyone can be sure."
Though she hadn't read the later chapters carefully, after seeing a dozen photos, Tohka could already guess what that girl had transformed into. A few of these photos clearly showed Yoshinon, Yosino's rabbit puppet—too conspicuous.
"This, uh…" At her question, Shido began stammering awkwardly. Some people here he could simply ask directly, but others were harder to deal with. That was the dilemma—plus, even if someone thought they knew, there was no guarantee it was correct. Honestly, even Tohka couldn't guarantee she'd recognize every little motion of herself.
"Are you seriously thinking of going on dates with all of them? Whatever, I won't say more. You really have some unusual tastes." Glancing at the pictures—among them were not all women—Tohka found it hilarious. But she didn't bother staying any longer and left. She had her own problems to deal with. As for whether Natsumi would come back to mess with her, Tohka wasn't worried. Natsumi's angel, Haniel, could transform people into little girls, but against Tohka now—whose power was not only restored but stronger than ever—that trick was worthless.
"You're not actually going to do that…are you?" Watching Tohka swagger off, Kotori's lips twitched as she turned to Shido. After all, after what Tohka had said, Shido's face was flushed but—shockingly—he hadn't denied it outright.
"How could I? I'm not gay! I just planned to talk to them separately to see if I could figure out which one Natsumi became… Hey—hey—what's with those looks? I swear I'm not!" As Shido fumbled through his explanation, everyone in the control room gave him strange stares. Especially the male specialists in spirit strategy—they instinctively scooted back a step.
Seriously—while they were all cultured gentlemen, they weren't as heavy a case as Shido…
....
Meanwhile, Tohka paid no attention to how her parting words had made the Fraxinus's atmosphere extremely awkward. She returned to her room, took out her phone, and dialed the familiar number.
"Who is it—don't bother me when I'm catching up on—uh, Tohka? What is it? You just left—did something come up?" Since Kotori had given Tohka detailed information on Nia Honjo, of course the file included her home phone number. And honestly—after all this time, the line still hadn't been shut off for unpaid bills.
"You… You really shouldn't just sit there watching anime all day." Tohka sighed, exasperated, but went on, "You can't just stay holed up in your house forever. Do you want to go out somewhere?"
"Oh my, Tohka—you're being so proactive." Nia sounded genuinely intrigued. Then she said, "Hm, let me think, let me think… Oh! I just saw on the news there's going to be a big convention. How about we go check it out? They're having a massive cosplay event."
"Cosplay… Sure. That's fine." Hearing Nia's suggestion, Tohka blinked and then nodded in agreement. She gave a quick goodbye and hung up. Then she opened her phone again, and Kotori's voice soon came through.
"What is it? You just left—why are you calling back already? Did something happen?"
"Hey—tomorrow there's that convention, right?"
"Yeah, hold on, let me check…" Kotori paused for a moment, then said, "There is. What are you planning? You know that's basically a paradise for shut-in otakus, right?"
"That's none of your business. Just help me get a cosplay outfit." Tohka spoke directly. Although these people weren't always reliable, they certainly had money to spare—so they were the best ones to ask.
"Uh…" Kotori sounded confused. "Who do you want to cosplay?"