"Hehe, Tokisaki Kurumi, if you can't keep up, you can always admit defeat."
"Don't be ridiculous! You're the one who's about to give up, Honjo Nia!"
The cool autumn breeze swept away the last remnants of summer's heat.
Inside the apartment, two exquisitely beautiful young women, rarely seen in such a state, were sweating profusely as they engaged in their competition.
"You stepped on the wrong spot! Honjo Nia!"
"You're the one blocking me, Tokisaki Kurumi!"
The dance machine… a game where players follow on-screen prompts to step on corresponding up, down, left, right, and jump buttons.
Yet, at this moment, Kurumi and Nia were performing various moves according to the dance machine's prompts.
Having sealed all their Spirit powers, relying solely on their human physical abilities to decide the true victor… this was the contest between Nia and Kurumi.
"Hehe, it seems this young lady's talent is as outstanding as ever, right, Ryuya-nii?"
Smiling sweetly at Ryuya, Nia had put down her beloved manga for a whole week.
To be honest, this version of Nia was hard to imagine. Ryuya knew just how important manga, games, and the 2D world were to her. This girl was a hardcore otaku who would even try to romance game and anime characters!
Seeing her now, willing to abandon her favorite manga to engage in a jealous rivalry with Kurumi, it was clear Nia cared deeply about winning this contest.
"What outstanding talent? Look closely, Honjo Nia! My success rate is the same as yours, exactly the same!"
Glaring angrily at Nia, Kurumi had truly put in the effort these past few days.
Scheming and battling wits with Nia, they had competed in several different contests.
So far, they were tied after six rounds.
Constantly vying for favor, Kurumi had used every trick in the book, even going so far as to deliberately please Ryuya at night, agreeing to the man's... unconventional requests.
Feeling rather strange all over today, Kurumi actually wanted to ask her other clones how they felt, but was too embarrassed to ask.
"Hah? A tie is a tie. It's not the first time."
"What's wrong? Is little Ku-chan trying to threaten her big sister now?"
Initially somewhat reserved around Ryuya, after all, Nia knew her own personality was rather scatterbrained and unreliable, but after these past few days of interaction, realizing she received Ryuya's affection no matter what, Nia gradually found that balance.
Often spouting outrageous remarks daily and wearing highly seductive cosplay outfits, she was increasingly letting loose, practically on the verge of a night assault.
"Little Ku-chan?"
Hearing Nia's presumptuous address, a vein twitched on Kurumi's forehead.
"I say, Honjo Nia... aren't you getting a bit too arrogant?"
"With a useless Angel that can't find any information, and yet you act so self-important now."
Her crimson eyes filled with dangerous intent, utterly fed up with Nia, Kurumi ran to Ryuya's side.
"Hubby~~~"
Rarely calling Ryuya this outside the bedroom, but now openly acting coquettishly in broad daylight, Kurumi looked utterly charming, "Hubby, let's continue looking for the other Spirits. This Honjo Nia is completely useless. Let's not keep her, okay?"
"Hey! Don't sabotage my close relationship with Ryuya-nii!"
A flicker of fear appeared in Nia's eyes when she looked at Kurumi. If there was anything the usually fearless Nia feared, it was undoubtedly Ryuya's opinion of her.
Similarly running to Ryuya's other side, grabbing the man's hand, she also spoke in a coquettish tone, "Ryuya-nii, you won't listen to little Ku-chan, right?"
"Sigh... You two, fighting like this every day, aren't you tired?"
Using Nia's Rasiel to search for information, Ryuya was still unsure how to absorb a Spirit's power.
In the original work, Itsuka Shido sealed Spirit powers through kissing, a specific benefit the original Mio had created for him.
But in this world, Ryuya, possessing the Kabbalah Tree of Life, couldn't absorb Spirit power through kissing.
It wasn't that he coveted their abilities, after all, based on past life simulations, as long as his rating was high enough, he would receive relevant rewards after the scenario ended. He was just curious about how to use the Kabbalah Tree of Life.
But unfortunately, Ryuya found that Rasiel couldn't display any information related to him or Mio.
Putting down Rasiel, he looked helplessly at Kurumi and Nia and continued, "You've already competed so many times. What's the point?"
"This isn't about winning or losing! It's about our love for you, Ryu!"
Shaking her head, Kurumi, insisting on determining a winner, showed rare seriousness, a state seldom seen since she got together with Ryuya.
"That's right! This is about love!"
Nia nodded in agreement, declaring she wouldn't admit defeat either.
Nia and Kurumi were determined to have a final showdown!
They had to determine who was superior!
"Love?"
Feeling somewhat embarrassed by this kind of love from Kurumi and Nia, Ryuya seemed to foresee the scene that would unfold when all ten Spirits, plus other girls like Mayuri, gathered together.
He somehow missed Haruno. As a King, Ryuya really wasn't skilled at handling harem situations.
"Well. Kurumi, Nia, I believe in your love for me. But you arguing like this isn't a solution. How about this: the next contest you decide will be the final one. No matter the outcome, it ends there. How does that sound?"
Shuraba... Ryuya hadn't actually experienced many situations like this. In Camelot, it went without saying. Artoria, Merlin, and Morgan had known each other since childhood, they're were like sisters, and of course never had conflicts.
As for Uruk, although Gilgamesh was a bit tsundere, under Siduri's gentleness and the authority of Mother Goddess Tiamat, the girls of Uruk were quite well-behaved.
In the Eternal Night Empire, Crimson Moon was the proud first wife, the maid Hope didn't compete, and even if you counted the two mischievous daughters Arcueid and Altrouge, it wasn't a big deal.
Only here, in the Date A Live World, could he slightly appreciate the dilemmas and frustrations of game and anime protagonists.
But unlike those hesitant, dawdling young boys, Ryuya declared that Kurumi and Nia's next contest would be the final decider. He authoritatively announced the ultimate outcome for the two girls.