Chapter 1 (rewrite)
A bird chirped softly in the early morning light, its song weaving through the open window of a modest bedroom. Sunlight spilled across the floor, casting a warm glow on the boy sprawled across the bed. With a groan, he draped a hand over his face, shielding his eyes from the brightness.
His name was Shido Itsuka.
Just an ordinary sixteen-year-old boyâor so he believed.
He had a pretty typical life, or at least it seemed that way. School, homework, a few awkward crushes here and there. He even had a younger sister whoâon paperâseemed normal.
Her name was Kotori Itsuka, thirteen years old, cute as a button... and a certified menace. Every morning, without fail, she woke him up with a flying kick to the stomach. Who needed an alarm clock when your little sister treated you like a wrestling dummy?
And donât even get him started on her lollipop addiction. Shido had long since stopped questioning where she got themâshe always seemed to have an unlimited supply hidden away like a candy-smuggling goblin. He worried about her teeth, naturally. But despite the sugar intake of a small nation, she somehow still passed every dental check-up. Maybe nagging her to brush after every sweet was both helpful and pointless at the same time.
Stretching with a yawn, Shido shook the sleep from his limbs. Just another average morning in the life of a very average boy.
Or at least, it was, until everything flipped upside down.
Turns out, his little sister wasnât just a candy-loving gremlin with a killer roundhouse kickâshe was also the high-ranking commander of a secret organization that specialized in dealing with Spirits.
Spirits. As in supernatural beings with enough power to accidentally wipe a city off the map just by sneezing in the wrong direction.
Noble cause, right? Helping powerful, misunderstood beings find peace?
Yeah, Shido thought so tooâuntil he found out he was the one expected to deal with them.
Not just talk to them.
Not just befriend them.
He had to date them.
Yes. Date. Them.
The logic, apparently, was that emotional connection helped stabilize their powers. And the organizationâs big plan? Have Shido swoop in like some kind of teenage Casanova and tame the raging Spirits with the power of romance.
At first, he thought it was a joke. Some weird prank cooked up by his sister.
Then she dropped the real bomb: in order to truly "seal" a Spiritâs powerâand save the world from disasterâhe had to kiss them.
Thatâs right. Kiss. Like, full-on, lip-to-lip.
Shido Itsuka. A boy who had never even held hands with a girl excluding Kotori, which didnât count. Now suddenly thrust into a life where kissing mysterious, potentially volatile supernatural girls was a regular part of his schedule?
Was this real life? Or had he been isekai'd into a dating sim without reading the terms and conditions?
And as if that wasnât enough, Kotori herself had some... quirks. When she wore her white ribbons, she was her usual mischievous self still annoying, but manageable. But the moment those ribbons turned black, it was like a personality swap. Cold, commanding, and scarily competent. It wasnât hard to see why she was in charge of the organization.
So here he was. Shido Itsuka. Once just a regular high schooler. Now? He was the universeâs most reluctant romance expert(?), tasked with saving the world one awkward date at a time.
No pressure, right?
Just as Shido stepped out of his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and preparing to wash his face, he paused. A chill lingered in the air, subtle but distinctâlike winter brushing past him in a room that was moments ago warm.
ââŠYoshino?â he murmured, concern blooming instantly.
He hurried to the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face, and made his way to the living room. There, a soft, blue-haired girl with teary eyes knelt in front of the couch, her arm outstretched underneath, fingertips straining toward something just out of reach.
Sure enoughâYoshino.
She looked up at him the moment she noticed his presence, eyes shimmering with emotion.
âSh-Shido-san⊠Y-Yoshinon⊠YoshinonâŠâ she stammered, clearly on the verge of tears.
Without hesitation, Shido knelt beside her and offered a reassuring smile. âItâs okay, Yoshino. Iâll help you get Yoshinon back.â
Yoshino nodded shyly, her small hands clutching the edge of the couch.
Shido reached under the furniture, feeling around in the shadows until his fingers brushed against soft fabric. Slowly, carefully, he drew out the familiar rabbit puppetâYoshinon.
As soon as she saw it, Yoshinoâs face lit up like a sunrise breaking through storm clouds. She slipped the puppet onto her hand, and instantly, the lifeless plushie sprang to life with exaggerated gestures and a playful voice.
âYoshinon is back! Yeah!â the puppet exclaimed. âThanks, Shido! Iâd kiss you if I couldâgahaha!â
âTh-Thank you, Shido-sanâŠâ Yoshino added softly, her cheeks tinged with pink.
Shido chuckled and gently patted both Yoshinoâs head and Yoshinon's fuzzy ears. âNo problem. Iâm just glad youâre okay.â
Crisis averted. The temperature in the room began to normalizeâa sign Yoshino's emotional state was stabilizing.
âAlright,â Shido said, standing up and stretching. âBetter start breakfast before Tohka wakes up and tries to eat the table again.â
But fate had other plans.
Without warning, a voice rang out behind him, high-pitched and terrifyingly familiar.
âKnight Kick!â
Before he could turn around, Shido felt a sharp impact slam into his back. He was launched forward, flailing helplessly, until he collided face-first with the couch cushion.
Groaning, he pushed himself up, his spine aching.
âWhat the hellâŠ?â he muttered, rubbing his back and glancing over his shoulder.
Kotori. His little sister. She stood there with her hands on her hips, a glint of fury in her eyes.
But she wasnât wearing the black ribbonâthe one that signaled her no-nonsense Commander mode. No, today her ribbon was white.
Which only made things more confusing.
âKotori? Why are you acting like this if you're not inââ
âWhy did you let the Spirit's spiritual power fluctuate again?!â she snapped, cutting him off. Her voice was sharp enough to slice air. âEven a goldfish remembers things longer than seven seconds! Has your brain finally degraded below aquatic life? Are you planning to enter the evolutionary race backward and compete with a paramecium for survival?â
Shido winced. âKotori, youâre not even in commander mode right now. Why are youâ?â
SMACK.
Another hit. She didnât even wait for an answer.
âDonât waste someone time with dumb questions, My Onii-chan,â she said, voice brimming with disdain. She pulled a lollipop from her pocket like a chain-smoking detective, unwrapped it in a single motion, and stuck it into her mouth with practiced nonchalance. âYou're lucky I don't deduct points for existing.â
Shido slumped. He didnât have the energy for another of her âtraining sessions.â Especially not the ones where he was forced to marathon dating sim games as if his life depended on picking the right dialogue option.
ââŠDonât you think youâre being a bit harsh?â he asked carefully.
From behind him, Kotori's tone turned cold. âIf you're this careless, how do you expect to protect Spirits like Tohka and Yoshino? Or do you just not care if they get hunted down by AST?â
Shido spun to face her, eyes wide. âOf course I care! Iâd never let that happen!â
For a moment, her expression softened. Just a flicker. Then it was gone again, buried under her usual cool-headed bravado.
âWell, at least your determination isn't completely pathetic,â she said, crossing her arms. âBut you think thatâs enough? AST won't stop just because you feel like doing your best. This isnât a shounen manga where screaming louder magically fixes everything. And it sure as hell isn't a dumb harem anime where you stumble into victory by accidentally falling into a girlâs cleavage.â
Shido opened his mouth.
The words âIâll try my best.â were on the tip of his tongue.
But one glance at Kotoriâs glare shut him up. His instincts screamed: Donât say it. Donât you dare say it.
He could already picture the punishmentâbeing locked in a soundproof room, forced to play every twisted, emotionally exhausting Galgame in existence, all supervised by a grinning Kotori in full black-ribbon Commander mode.
Or worseâsheâd design some overly dramatic ârescue romanceâ scenario with Tohka and Yoshino that played out like a parody of every game heâd ever been forced to suffer through.
And that⊠was a fate worse than death.
âYes, sorry... Iâll try really hard this time,â Shido muttered, shoulders slumping as he accepted his fate.
Kotori gave a satisfied nod. âGood, good. Thatâs my Onii-chan,â she said, hopping onto the couch like nothing had happened, swinging her legs as she popped the lollipop back into her mouth.
Rubbing his aching back, Shido stood up and made his way toward the kitchen, thinking breakfast might finally be within reach.
But thenâ
WEEEOOOO! WEEEOOOO!
A sharp, blaring alarm tore through the air, so loud it shook the walls.
For most people, it meant seek shelter.
For Shido and Kotori?
It meant it's time to take action.
Aboard the aerial battleship Fraxinus, the bridge was already a storm of motion by the time they arrived. Holographic displays flickered with spiraling data streams. Crew members barked out updates. Alarms pulsed in crimson bursts across the ceiling.
Kotori strode in like a lightning bolt, her voice cutting through the chaos.
âReport!â she snapped, moving toward her command chair.
Her deputy, Kyouhei Kannazuki, was for once without his usual comedic flair. He raised a hand, signaling silence.
âCommander!â a crew member called, pulling up a massive holographic projection. âAn unrecorded Spirit has appeared!â
Kotoriâs crimson eyes narrowed. She leaned forward, lollipop between her teeth as the projection flickered to life.
âSo⊠this is her first manifestation,â she murmured, eyes scanning the fluctuating spiritual waveform. âNo identification. No known power profile.â
âExactly,â Kannazuki confirmed grimly. âWeâre flying blind. If we make a wrong move, it could trigger a catastrophic reaction.â
Everyone on the bridge knew what was at stake.
Shido Itsuka had the ability to seal Spirits. But it wasnât as simple as asking nicely. Two strict conditions had to be met:
The Spirit had to open her heart to him.
He had to kiss her to complete the seal.
It sounded like something out of the world's most cliché harem anime. And in many ways, it was. But the danger was all too real. One failed encounter could spell total destruction.
âThe less we know, the higher the risk,â Kotori said, arms crossed. âWe canât just wing this. If sheâs not docile like Yoshino, even encountering AST could escalate things into a full-blown disaster.â
She paused, processing everythingâthen froze.
The noise of the bridge... stopped.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
The crew went silent, eyes wide. Fingers hovered motionless over keyboards. The ambient hum of Fraxinus faded into an eerie stillness.
â...Hey!â Kotori command, alarm creeping into her voice. âWhatâs going on?!â
It was like theyâd been snapped out of a trance. Panic bled into their expressions.
âC-CommanderâŠâ one of the operators stammered. âTh-the scale of the spacequake⊠itâs... itâsââ
âSpit it out!â Kotori snapped.
Another crew member took over, trembling as they pointed to the display. âItâs already exceeded Tengu City. The expansion... hasnât slowed. Itâs now covering a quarter of Japan!â
âWHAT?!â Kotori bolted upright, her chair screeching. Even the lollipop slipped from her mouth.
Shido staggered beside her, blood draining from his face. âT-Thatâs⊠thatâs bad. Really bad.â
Fraxinus buzzed with panic. Hands flew across keyboards. Graphs exploded in scale. Data was being rewritten in real-timeâbecause it was unprecedented.
âIf the readings are accurate,â a crew member murmured, voice almost breaking, âeven underground shelters wonât protect civilians if this keeps up.â
Spirits triggered spacequakes just by manifestingânatural disasters tied directly to their power output. Tohkaâs appearance had triggered a B-rated spacequake, leveling part of a school district. Yoshinoâs was lighter, at a C-rating.
But thisâŠ
This spacequake had no rating. It was off the charts.
âCheck the equipment,â someone begged. âThis has to be a glitch.â
âI wish it were!â another shouted back.
The last time a spacequake approached this magnitude was thirty years agoâthe Eurasian Air Disaster. 150 million dead. Entire nations scarred.
And now? The signs pointed to a calamity even worse.
In the rear of the room, a silver-haired woman in a lab coat sat quietly. Her face was pale, eyes sunken, and her expression unreadable. She said nothingâbut her silence carried weight.
Thenâ
The alarm stopped.
No warning. No fade-out.
Just⊠silence.
The entire battleship froze, suspended in an unnatural quiet.
Even Kotori couldnât find her voice for a moment.
ââŠWhy did it stop?â she finally asked, voice low.
No one had the answer.
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(A/n: chapter 2,3,4 soon)
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