"...Do you realize your mistake now?"
After repeating the question several times, when Tenqi Sanluo finally let go of her hand again, Tohka's eyes had already gone vacant — she floated on the water like a corpse that had been dead for days.
"..."
"Tch, lost consciousness already? And she calls herself a Spirit."
Tenqi Sanluo raised her hand and pressed hard on Tohka's philtrum.
With a series of coughs, Tohka finally came to, raising her head to look at Sanluo's emotionless face, eyes full of fear as she frantically backed away.
"Uuuhm... wh-what are you trying to do...?"
"Do you realize your mistake now?"
It was the same question again. Seeing this, Tohka quickly nodded.
"I—I was wrong! I shouldn't have rushed in and bothered Shidou...!"
"..."
Looking at Tohka's pitiful, tearful expression, Tenqi Sanluo felt absolutely no sympathy — if anything, she found it slightly amusing.
This kind of child was stupid but pure; at least she didn't need to worry about Tohka scheming against her.
Still, as a Spirit, this girl's endurance and mental fortitude were truly lacking.
In her previous life, Sanluo herself had been treated much like Tohka just now — thrown repeatedly into an icy pool in the dead of winter. Each time she managed to climb out using what little strength she had, she would be beaten again, while being interrogated with all sorts of bizarre questions. If she failed to answer, she'd be tossed right back into the frozen water.
Even so, even after she learned the answers to some of those questions, the Sanluo of that life never gave in — she held out until those people grew tired, threw her nearly frozen body into the water one last time, and walked away. Only then did she crawl up from the other side, barely clinging to life.
By comparison, Tohka's treatment was merciful. The pool wasn't deep, the water wasn't cold, and she even had a swim ring. On top of that, she was a Spirit — her condition was far better than Sanluo's back then.
With that thought, Sanluo even wondered if she'd gone too easy on her. Maybe she should have used Polar Ice Burst to freeze the pool solid while Tohka's head was underwater.
"...Tohka, are you all right...?"
"Ah— Tenqi-san, you seem kind of... uh, never mind, forget I said anything."
Yoshino swam over, her puppet Yoshinon floating beside her.
"Uuuhm... I'm okay... just a little dizzy..."
Tohka shook her head woozily.
"All right. Time's about up — you two can go find Itsuka Shidou now."
Throwing out the line, Tenqi Sanluo didn't bother to see their reaction. She simply strode off at a startling speed toward where Shidou should be.
"Um... Tohka..."
"Phew— that scared me half to death. I didn't think Miss Tenqi would be so... violent."
Once Sanluo was out of sight, Yoshino and Yoshinon spoke one after another.
"Uuuhm..."
Tohka glared hatefully in the direction Sanluo had gone.
"What's so great about her anyway! She's just... just a little stronger than me!"
Then she looked up at the big water slide above, clenched her teeth, and grabbed Yoshino's hand.
"Come on! We're going to find Shidou! He'll make this right for me!"
"Uuh... Miss Tohka..."
"Oh dear, I'm afraid Mr. Shidou won't dare stand up to that Miss Tenqi!"
"No matter what, I'm going to Shidou!"
With that angry declaration, Tohka dragged the reluctant Yoshino toward the water slide.
---
Meanwhile, at the end of the slide pool, Kotori's black hair ribbon had returned to its place — she was back to being the cunning commander who loved to tease her brother.
"...What? Something on your mind?"
Noticing Shidou's gaze, Kotori narrowed her eyes and glanced at him suspiciously.
Caught, Shidou awkwardly scratched his cheek.
It was something that had been bothering him for a while. Ever since April 10th, the day he learned about the existence of Spirits, the "Commander Mode" — the black-ribbon Kotori — had been appearing more and more often.
But which one was the real Kotori?
And why did she have such opposing personalities?
The white ribbon represented his innocent, sweet little sister;
The black ribbon represented the sharp-tongued commander.
What deeper meaning lay behind these two sides of her?
"Kotori... why are you wearing the black ribbon today?"
"Hm? What's the problem? You got something against it?"
"Uh, no, it's just... I was curious, that's all..."
Unable to find a better excuse, Shidou used curiosity as a cover.
Hearing his question, Kotori proudly lifted her chin, trying to show off her figure — though her chest was completely flat.
"The white me is the weak me. For today's kind of date, I need to be the black me — the strong me."
"Huh? Weak? Strong?"
Shidou scratched his head, baffled.
What did today's date have to do with strength or weakness?
"..."
At that moment, Tenqi Sanluo silently approached and, overhearing their conversation, blinked in mild confusion.
"? What's that supposed to mean?"
Even someone as sharp as Sanluo couldn't quite grasp what Kotori's words implied.
"Could it be... that Itsuka Kotori is suppressing or hiding something today? That's why she needs to rely on her so-called 'strong self'?"
Thinking this, Sanluo sat down beside Shidou.
"Ah, thank you, Te— uh, Tenqi-san, I—"
"Forget it. That favor doesn't count. Up to now, you only owe me one."
Sanluo's gaze drifted toward the end of the water slide, where Tohka and Yoshino had just come down together.
"Eh?"
"Holding Tohka back just now had the same purpose as pushing your date forward earlier. I have no need to hoard favors — I doubt I'll ever need to use them anyway."
Her expression unchanged, Sanluo watched as Tohka and Yoshino splashed into the pool below, sending up a spray of water.
"Uh... Tohka?"
Shidou had just opened his mouth when he saw the familiar figures climbing out of the pool.
"Shidou!"
Spotting him, Tohka immediately brightened and ran toward him excitedly.
"...Shidou..."
Yoshino, still clinging tightly to Yoshinon, followed close behind.
"Oh, Tohka, Yoshino — looks like you two had fun."
Kotori's mouth twitched as she smiled faintly.
"Uuuhm, it was fun until... this woman ruined it!"
Dripping wet, Tohka stomped over to Shidou and pointed straight at Tenqi Sanluo.
"...You mean me?"
For a moment Sanluo didn't realize the "woman" referred to her, blinking in surprise before it clicked.
"That's right, you! Shidou, listen — she kicked me into the pool, held my head under the water, and kept asking if I admitted I was wrong! And whenever my answer didn't please her, she'd shove my head under again—!"
Tohka, flustered and furious, poured out her grievances to Shidou and Kotori.
"! Tenqi-san, you—"
"What, are you saying I went too easy on her? You're right, after all — she's a Spirit. It's not like she'd actually drown, right?"
As Shidou and Kotori both shot sharp looks at her, Sanluo simply leaned back, looking utterly indifferent.
"But, Tenqi-san..."
"Miss Tenqi Sanluo, don't you think you went a bit too far?"
Before Shidou could finish, Kotori cut in sharply.
Because Shidou's body was blocking her view — and because she was flustered by their closeness — Kotori hadn't noticed what Sanluo had done to Tohka earlier, including those first two kicks.
"Oh? Itsuka Kotori, are you here to pass judgment on me?"
Sanluo's expression hardened, twisting slightly.
"My sister used to be like you — reckless, thoughtless. Sadly, unlike you, she didn't have that miraculous self-regeneration ability of yours. In the end, her fate was about the same as when you were riddled with Kurumi's bullets... except she didn't even have a body left. If not for a few identifying marks, I might not have recognized her at all."
"Eh...?"
Kotori froze, her intended rebuke caught in her throat.
Not just her — even Shidou opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
Until now, Tenqi Sanluo had never spoken about her past, so neither of them knew she carried such a story.
"Mm... ⟨incomprehensible murmur⟩..."
"I'm not saying this for any particular reason — Itsuka Shidou, protect your sister well."
With that, Sanluo's expression returned to her usual playful calm.
"Oh, and by the way — my sister also wore twin tails... with one black ribbon and one white."