The M̶o̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ Night After
Somewhat disappointingly, losing his virginity had not turned Shidou into some paragon of manliness, complete with rippling pectorals or whatever. No, when he looked in the bathroom mirror, all he saw was the same old Shidou.
Well, not that he expected anything different. People like Tonomachi just made such a big deal out of their first time that it was hard not to expect something to happen.
Having examined his naked body enough, Shidou stepped into the shower room, sliding the door shut behind him. He was waiting for the water to heat up when the door suddenly flew open behind him, followed by an equally boisterous voice.
"There you are, Shidou!"
"Kyahhh!" He jolted into the air. "Tohka, knock before you enter!"
"Oh! Sorry..."
The girl then proceeded to step out, slide the door shut, knock twice, and then open the door again.
"How was that?" She smiled expectantly.
Shidou could only sigh at her naiveté.
"Good enough..."
Oblivious to his misgivings, Tohka strode into the bathroom, curiously inspecting the interior with the air of a visiting dignitary.
"So this is a shower... Kotori told me this is where we go to clean up."
She stopped in front of the bathtub, bending over to study it thoroughly. On an unrelated note, she was, of course just as naked as Shidou, so when she did this, she ended up flashing her undercarriage.
Not wanting to take advantage of the situation, Shidou turned his body and mind to less voyeuristic matters.
It was the night after Tohka's sealing. After a battery of tests had confirmed she was no longer producing spacequakes, Ratatoskr had mercifully decided that, after everything that had happened, Shidou would be allowed to head straight home and rest for the night, leaving all the discussion and planning that was no doubt waiting for tomorrow. They had also decided that for Tohka's mental state, it'd be better to let her live in the Itsuka household for the time being.
Tohka, having finished her inspection, turned and immediately found something else to marvel at.
"Shi-Shidou!" She pointed at his crotch. "You're penis! It's gone all squishy!"
"Wha—?!" He looked down incredulously. "Ah, wait, that's how it normally is."
"Really?" she murmured as she gave Shidou's penis an investigative fondling.
"Hey! Don't just grab people's junk without permission!"
Like it was on fire, Tohka yanked her hand away.
"Oh, sorry!"
The genuine guilt in her face and voice immediately made Shidou regret his reaction just now.
"You... can touch it if you want..."
More gently this time, Tohka restarted her examination of his member.
I guess she never has seen it flaccid before, huh...
She really didn't know anything about everyday life, did she? Not just basic social etiquette like knocking on doors, but birthdays, art, money, or even normal bodily functions. Basically, how to function as a normal human being. Tohka was a spirit after all, so such things should have been obvious, but it was hard not to take such things for granted.
In light of this, Shidou was very grateful that Ratatoskr would be handling most of Tohka's naturalization.
While he was lost in thought, he was still getting fondled by the girl in question's inquisitive hands, the predictable result of which was an erection.
Tohka gaped at the sudden transformation.
"Shidou, it's gotten so big! And hard!"
She said this like it wasn't his own dick that had just gotten hard.
Well, Shidou found he couldn't really blame her. This was just another thing that was completely new to her. Plus, he was more of a grower than a shower, so the difference in size was a bit more pronounced in his case. And then there was the way the foreskin peeled back in response...
"Dicks are pretty complicated, huh?" Shidou mused. "They get hard from physical stimulation or when a guy gets horny. Sometimes, they get hard for no reason at all. Oh, and—just because a guy's hard, doesn't mean he's down for sex."
Tohka took all this in before releasing little Shidou, an intense look on her face as she seemed to ponder something.
"Mmm... Then, are you down for sex right now?"
"Uh, well..."
It was a logical question after what he'd just said, but after everything that'd happened today, Shidou wasn't exactly in the mood for any hanky-panky. But, even before that, there was another consideration on his mind.
Since she had been sealed, Tohka could now get pregnant. As a result, she'd start taking oral contraceptives from tomorrow on, so long as there weren't any major side-effects.
Of course, this meant the answer was no for tonight, but just the fact that he was considering such things meant that he'd be having sex with this girl — with his girlfriend — on a regular basis from now on. In a sea of things that were fantastical, somehow this felt the most unreal.
It was then that he realized Tohka was just waiting, patiently and innocently, for his answer.
"Sorry, Tohka, but not tonight."
"Mm, okay." She nodded without any complaints.
For some reason, her frank acceptance of his response threw Shidou a little caught off guard. But he quickly recovered, lifting up the showerhead.
"Alright. Well then, let's get cleaned up."
Shidou showed Tohka how to shower and use the various soaps, before showing her to her bed in the guest room. It took a bit of work to convince her that sleep was a thing, but he eventually succeeded and finally turned in for some well-deserved rest.
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Honeymoon Period
From now until Shidou's high school was rebuilt, Tohka was to attend daily lessons from the likes of Reine and other Ratatoskr staff on how to live life as a normal Japanese citizen. Part of that was following a normal school schedule starting at 8:00 a.m. and finishing at 3:15 p.m.
Or so the plan had gone, Shidou mused as he waited in the foyer.
Apparently, Tohka had been getting anxious, so Reine had decided to send her home early, only three hours into her school day.
He didn't have to wait long, the ringing of the doorbell signaling her arrival. Followed by another. And another.
Shidou couldn't open the front door fast enough.
"Hey, Tohka—"
He'd barely even gotten the words out before Tohka threw her arms around his shoulders and pushed her tongue down his throat. There was so much momentum behind the girl he almost lost his balance, somehow managing to stumble backwards over the threshold without tripping.
For nearly a minute, the hallway was quiet save for the wet smacks of the two making out. All the while, Tohka pressed her body against Shidou's as if trying to become one with him. When she finally pulled back, it was with a lewd cast to her eyes that was quickly becoming familiar.
"...Shidou, can we have sex?"
Well, this wasn't what Shidou had been planning on doing right now, but after swapping spit with Tohka for the better part of a minute, he was more than a little horny himself.
"Sure. But—"
No sooner had he said this than Tohka pressed her mouth against his once more, kissing him like her life depended on it.
As they made out, Shidou lifted her shirt, caressing her breast and thumbing her nipple. Tohka hummed in satisfaction as she kicked off her shoes before unzipping Shidou's slacks and pulling them down. They made their way to the living room like this, leaving behind a trail of discarded clothing until they were bare.
Tohka leapt backwards onto the couch, spreading her legs eagerly.
At her enthusiasm, Shidou cupped his chin as an idea occurred to him.
"You know, Tohka, that's not the only way to have sex."
"Hmm? There are other ways?"
"There sure are." He sat down beside her. "Sit in my lap."
Tohka stood up and sat down on Shidou's lap, his erection slipping between her butt cheeks.
"Like this?
"Uh, well I guess that would work too, but no. The other way around."
Turning around, Tohka straddled him with her arms resting on his shoulders.
"Comfortable?"
"Mm-hmm."
They kissed for a little while more, grinding against each other until the need grew too great. Tohka pulled away, a strand of saliva stretching between their lips as her hand slipped down between their thighs.
It took a bit of adjustment from the both of them before Tohka could get him inside, but once she did she began moving her hips against Shidou's.
"Ah..." Tohka sighed contentedly. "Your penis is so hard, Shidou..."
Shidou moaned in response to her movements.
"Ooh... and you're so wet, Tohka... It's amazing..."
It didn't take long until she found a rhythm that worked for her, pumping her hips in a way that filled the otherwise quiet house with the sound of their lovemaking.
It was entirely different from the first time they'd had sex. Then, Shidou had taken the lead, setting the pace with his hesitant but passionate movements. The situation was reversed now, and there was not a hint of hesitation in Tohka's unrestrained thrusts.
Her whole body was squished against his — her thighs, her breasts, her face — all of it, save for her hips, which smacked against Shidou's relentlessly.
"Ooh~! It's incredible! My hips! They won't stop moving!"
"Oh god...! Don't... don't stop moving them, Tohka!"
Tohka could not have stopped her wild motions if she tried, her face scrunching up in exertion as the two hurtled towards climax.
Shidou came first, gripping Tohka's ass cheeks firmly as his hips bucked to meet her thrusts, the girl crying out in ecstasy as his cum filled her. Tohka came soon after, her body seizing in orgasm while Shidou continued to pound away.
All too quickly, the intensity of climax faded, and the two were left smushing their hips together in a desperate attempt to wring out every last drop of pleasure until their bodies were utterly spent.
With a shuddering sigh, Tohka collapsed onto Shidou and began nuzzling him.
"Ahh... That was amazing..."
"Whew... you can say that again."
Tohka sat up and threw her arms out elatedly.
"That was amazing, Shidou!"
He really should have seen that one coming.
Something else he probably should have seen coming was the way Tohka's motions dislodged his penis, resulting in a very predictable outcome.
Yes, it seemed he had forgotten one very important detail.
Sex was messy.
Not only were their thighs and asses slick with each other's fluids, but gloopy semen dribbled down the couch onto the carpet and hardwood floor, a steadily growing stain tracing its path. And somehow, a bit of Tohka's juices had splattered onto the coffee table across from them.
"Ah, Tohka! We need to clean this up! ASAP!"
"Uh, right, Shidou!"
He did not need cum stains getting in here of all places.
They waddled over to the kitchen while trying to keep from dripping all over the place, grabbing some dish soap and water.
As the two cleaned up after themselves, Tohka asked a very innocent — and very ominous — question.
"...Shidou, how many other ways to have sex are there?"
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Schooling (and Getting Schooled)
In a lot of ways, Tohka was basically a foreigner.
She knew nothing of the ins and outs of bowing, or train etiquette, or how to use chopsticks, or any other staples of Japanese life.
Ratatoskr took care of these general naturalization issues, but there remained specific subjects she needed to learn. Mathematics, history, literature — in other words, the kinds of things schools teach children, ostensibly to prepare them for the adult world.
So, after her lessons aboard the Fraxinus, Tohka received personal tutoring from Shidou in between his online lectures. Though it piled even more work onto him, the inherent romanticism in the act of supporting his girlfriend with steadfast effort as she acclimated to a foreign culture was reward enough for him.
Currently, the two were seated at the kitchen table, textbooks at their sides as they worked through their respective homework assignments on their terminals.
"Shidou, what's this one?"
"That's 'nichijou'. It means everyday or daily life."
"Mm-hmm..."
The plan was to have her ready for in-person schooling by the time Raizen High was rebuilt.
Tohka couldn't stay cooped up inside the Itsuka house forever, after all. Ratatoskr's goal was not only to save spirits, but to make them functioning members of society as well.
"Oh, look at this one, Shidou!" she pointed out a kanji. "It looks like a penis!"
Only Tohka could say such vulgar things with such innocence.
"I suppose it does, doesn't it? I never noticed that..."
She went back to studying, while Shidou marveled at how fast she worked.
For various reasons, he'd had her pegged as something of an airhead, but the girl was surprisingly intuitive when it came to these things. If she paid attention, she could memorize a kanji after only seeing it once.
As it was, she was blazing through grade 3 vocabulary and would probably be ready for high school level Japanese before the month was out.
I only wish I could learn so easily...
Shidou got back to studying and the house remained silent save for the sound of styles scratching against screens.
After some time, Shidou realized that Tohka had stopped studying in favor of sending him furtive glances as she rubbed her thighs together underneath the table.
Well, it didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on here.
"Tohka, are you horny?"
The girl started at his casual question before fidgeting in her seat.
"...Yeah."
At the apologetic way she said this, Shidou just smirked. She didn't need to sound so sorry about it.
He was no stranger to the occasional bout of random horniness during class. His usual stratagem was to just push through them, but something told Shidou that simply telling her to do this might not be the best strategy.
"How's about this. Once we finish studying, we can have sex."
"Really!?"
Shidou nodded and Tohka returned to studying with renewed vigor, something that got a suppressed chuckle out of him. It wasn't like getting through the problems faster was gonna make him finish any earlier.
Well, if she was this eager to do the deed, Shidou supposed he'd have to oblige the girl.
Not even fifteen minutes later—
"Shidou! I'm finished!"
"Is that so? Well, just give m—"
He'd hardly even gotten this out when Tohka pounced on him, sending the two flying out of their seats onto the hardwood floor.
"Gha—!"
Before he knew what was happening, he was peppered with kisses as Tohka ground her hips into his. Somehow, they'd landed so that he was the one straddling her while Tohka laid on top of him, her hands at either side of him.
She must have taken my words as consent to fuck as soon as she finished her work!
While Shidou was too stunned to do much more than realize this, Tohka tugged their pants down as soon as she felt his erection beneath her crotch, just enough to slip him inside her sopping wet pussy.
She bucked her hips with wild abandon, fucking Shidou with an unbridled desire that left him reeling. With every thrust, her insides squeezed and stroked him, quickly bringing him to the edge of orgasm.
"Tohka—Tohka, I'm gonna—"
Shidou came in record time, gritting his teeth as his cum squirted in concert with Tohka's movements. Feeling his erection jerking inside of her, she cried out and began slamming her hips even harder.
Even after losing her spirit powers, Tohka still had an inhuman, vice-like grip, which little Shidou was currently experiencing the full brunt of.
"Agh—! To-hka!"
It was too much.
After just cumming, Shidou's glans was far too sensitive for such direct stimulation. But no matter how he writhed in agonizing ecstasy beneath her, Tohka was too lost in sex to register anything but the building heat in her loins.
Less than a minute later, Tohka experienced a powerful orgasm. Shidou's eyes rolled into their sockets as wave after wave of pressure assaulted his cock from all sides, wringing out his second climax in as many minutes.
Trapped with no way to escape the overwhelming sensation, Shidou eventually stopped thinking.
Tohka, for her part, just kept cumming until she collapsed on top of him, gasping and trembling all over. Basking in the afterglow of sex, she slipped a hand over her ass to fondle his cock and balls, smearing her fingers with his cum.
"Ahh... Shidou's semen..."
As he laid there in a sex-addled daze, Tohka contentedly grinding her hips against his, a realization dawned on Shidou with a disturbing clarity—
He had unleashed a monster.
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The Soul of Karaoke
"Mm-hmm-mhmm-hmmm...!"
Beside Shidou, Tohka excitedly hummed a jingle as a karaoke attendant led the two to their booth. As soon as they were let inside, Tohka bounced around the small booth, finding new curiosities to grab her attention at every turn.
As she did this, he reflected on how things had gotten here.
Tohka was seated in the living room watching videos, while Shidou listened absentmindedly from the kitchen as he put the dishes in the dishwasher.
An ad played after the video ended, advertising a local karaoke place with saccharine visuals and music.
"Do you like karaoke?"
"Why, yes, I do!"
"Then come on down to Tarou's Karaoke Place!"
Seeing this, Tohka's face lit up and she spun around, gripping the couch in barely restrained excitement as she called out.
"Shidou! Can we go to Tarou's Karaoke Place!"
And just like that, here they were.
I swear, this girl is way too impressionable sometimes...
Eh, well. Karaoke was a good way to practice her Japanese and have fun while doing so.
Shidou took a seat on the soft, if firm, booth seating, getting the mikes ready and looking over the song listings via the terminal embedded in the booth's table.
When she finished her short examination, Tohka plopped herself down beside him, smiling all the while.
"This place is amazing, Shidou! It's just like the video!"
"Oh? A truthful ad? I didn't think they existed."
Tohka laughed and latched onto Shidou's arm, a certain vibrato in her voice which immediately caught his attention.
This girl had a real bad habit of getting turned on at the drop of a hat. At home, it was (arguably) no big deal but it was a no go in a public space, and especially in a karaoke booth.
Apparently, there was something of an epidemic of young people fucking in karaoke booths, imitating scenarios they'd witnessed in pornos and adult manga. As they'd entered this booth, the attendant had even eyed Shidou with a look that said, "Don't even try it."
In any case, for Shidou, who had been hoping to use this outing as a way for them to hang out without things devolving into sex, the familiar lilt he'd just heard in her voice was an ill omen.
"Well, let's not waste any time." He expertly redirected her attention to the song catalog. "Anything stick out to you?"
Tohka scanned the listings, humming as she did so. She'd gotten pretty good at reading, so it didn't seem to give her any trouble, and she eventually picked out a pop song from an old band.
Sweet ARMS, huh? Good taste.
As the intro to one of their hits played, Shidou realized a second before Tohka, that her mike wasn't working.
"Hmm... I think it's broken, Shidou. It's not picking up my voice."
To this, Shidou answered calmly.
"Oh, it is? Well, I guess we'll just have to share."
Why now of all times?!
Oblivious to his distress, Tohka pressed her body firmly against Shidou's, furthering the already intimate contact between them.
Damn it. If things continued like this, this girl was sure to get horny sooner or a later. Desperate to avoid that fate, he scooted to the side a bit, earning a surprised look from Tohka.
"We were... just a little too close."
"Too close? But this is a duet, right?" she scooted closer. "You have to be close to do it. I saw it on the TV!"
"Of course, hehe..."
The lyrics finally kicked in, Tohka's face slipping into an intense expression as she and Shidou began to sing the lyrics.
As they did so, a part of him was braced for the moment when her thighs would start squirming, or her face would turn that rosy shade of pink.
Now, it wasn't like Shidou hated sex, but the past few days had simply left him feeling more than satisfied on that front. After introducing her to the diversity of different sex positions, Tohka had insisted on trying every variation under the sun, to varying results.
Once, he'd slipped and nearly cracked his head open when they'd gone at it in the shower. Another time, he'd found himself literally shooting blanks after having sex five times in a single day, much to Tohka's consternation.
A bit of sexual incompatibility was par for the course in any relationship, but this was ridi—
"Shidou, what are you doing!" Tohka's voice broke through his thoughts. "You're not putting your soul into it! You'll never capture the soul of karaoke with that performance!"
"T-The soul of karaoke? I didn't know it had a soul..."
"That's because you underestimate karaoke."
"...My apologies?"
Where was this earnest devotion coming from?
"Watch me, Shidou! I'll show you karaoke's soul!"
The song swelling into the chorus, Tohka gripped the mic tightly, her chest swelling with a kind of restrained exhilaration.
He listened, utterly enthralled, to her sweet, resonant voice as Tohka completely lost herself in the moment and sang her heart out.
When the song finished, Tohka turned to Shidou, her chest heaving from her sincere effort but a triumphant smile on her face regardless.
"Phew. How was that, Shidou? Do you finally grasp the soul of karaoke?"
At the beautiful sight before him, he grasped something entirely different.
That's right. Just because Tohka likes sex doesn't mean everything's about sex with her...
He'd totally gotten it into his head that this girl only cared about sex. But that wasn't true at all. She just threw herself wholeheartedly into whatever she was doing.
Relaxing as he came to this realization, Shidou smiled softly.
"Yeah. I think I do."
So saying, he joined her and enjoyed a lively session of karaoke.
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Childish and Childlike in Turns
It was a calm, if chilly, day — clouds peppered the sky, blocking the sun's warmth-giving rays. Pulling his jacket a little tighter around his body, Shidou wished the Spring weather could hurry up and arrive already.
Marching off in front of him was Tohka, wearing a loose hoodie and black leggings that clung to her ass and legs like a second skin. Shidou would never admit this, but in that moment he was very grateful for her habit of excitedly running ahead of him in situations like this.
Anyway, the two were currently headed for the shopping district, to buy cooking ingredients among other things. This would be Tohka's first shopping trip, and it seemed the girl was raring to go.
Perhaps a little too much, Shidou thought as she was about to cross an intersection without waiting for the lights to change.
"Hey, wait, Tohka." He called out to her. "Don't just cross the street like that."
At his voice, she came to a halt in front of the crosswalk. Catching up to her, he pointed at the traffic light standing on the other side of the road.
"Make sure you wait for the 'walk' signal to show up. Okay? Otherwise, you might get hit by a car."
"Hmm? But there aren't any cars crossing right now."
"It's just to be safe. If a car hits you, it's not the one that's gonna get hurt."
Tohka made a face that made it clear she wasn't entirely convinced, but she waited anyway, crossing with Shidou once the walk light flashed.
Immediately, she took off, leaving Shidou to follow after her, a smirk playing at his lips.
I swear, that girl can be so childish...
...
Hmm... something about referring to the person I'm regularly having sex with as "childish" rubs me the wrong way... Thinking it over for a moment, Shidou eventually shrugged his shoulders. Eh, I know what I mean.
The two eventually arrived at their destination, Tohka for once clinging to Shidou as they met the throng of shoppers who were also there to get some shopping done on the weekend. She was clearly unused to so many people, but her curiosity seemed to keep her from totally shutting down.
Like that, Shidou brought them to the stall of a local fishmonger.
"Ah, Shidou! It's been a while!"
"Good afternoon, Miss Oda. I see those fish are looking as fresh as ever."
"Of course!" The middle-aged woman laughed. "But is everything alright? I heard Raizen High got demolished by a spacequake."
"Oh, it was after hours, so nobody got hurt. And repairs have already started. In about a week or two, the place should be as good as new."
"Ah, that's good to hear." Her worries put to rest, Oda leaned forward with a smirk. "Anyways, who's this young lady? A girlfriend, maybe?"
Shidou flashed a bashful smile.
"Ah, well actually yes, but I'll allow her to introduce herself."
The girl in question, who was currently hiding behind Shidou and drooling as she stared at the wide selection of fish on display, started as he stepped aside.
"H-Hello!" She gave a deep bow. "My name is Tohka Yatogami and I'm a foreign exchange student who's living with Shidou! Nice to meet you!"
That was the story, anyway. Tohka might have been a little overacted in her delivery, but it seemed to get a laugh from Oda anyway.
"My, my! Aren't you precious! I'm Teruko Oda, and it's very nice to meet you too." She stretched her arms out wide. "Well, don't be shy! I've got some great salmon in today..."
After that, Shidou and Tohka moved through the shopping district, introducing Tohka to the shopkeepers as they bought groceries. By the end, they had a respectable set of shopping bags between them, enough to last quite a while.
"So, how was your first shopping trip, Tohka?" Shidou asked as they made their way outside.
"Hmm... I haven't met this many people since I met everyone at Ratatoskr... But this was much better than that." She held up the bags like they were spoils of war. "Everyone gave us so much food!"
Shidou smiled at that childlike honesty of hers, until he noticed the rain pouring outside beyond the shopping district's entrance.
"Huh. That's odd." He stopped, Tohka following suit. "The forecast didn't call for rain..."
Well, I guess they can't get it right all the time...
"What do you wanna do, Tohka?" He turned to her. "We can wait in here for the rain to stop."
Tohka appraised the rain for a brief moment — then she charged forward.
"Let's race!"
"R-Race?"
Shidou stared dumbly after the girl as she ran out into the rain. When he didn't follow, Tohka stopped and spun around, letting the rain pour onto her without a care in the world.
"Come on, Shidou! I'm gonna beat you if you slack off like that!"
Standing under the dry protection of the shopping district's roof, Shidou considered his options for a long moment, before letting out a short huff and running out into the rain.
"Alright." He rushed past Tohka. "But let's hurry up! We'll catch a cold if we stay out in this too long."
Tohka cheered as she dashed forward, quickly overtaking Shidou. When he'd relented to this, he'd just been going along with the situation Tohka had put him in, but he quickly found himself sprinting to keep up with her.
In a scene right out of one his romcoms, they ran through the streets of Tengu City, accompanied by the other pedestrians who had been caught out by the sudden rain, until they came to a stop at an empty intersection, the traffic lights displaying "DON'T WALK".
Tohka, seeing no cars in sight, raced forward, leaving Shidou sputtering in the dust.
"H-Hey, wait! Tohka!"
She just laughed as she charged across the crosswalk. Having gotten one over on him, she flashed a childishly mischievous smirk. It seemed this girl had something of a competitive side.
Which was just as well, because the traffic light changed to "WALK" a second later, prompting Tohka to run as Shidou charged forward.
"Oh, you better run! When I get you, I'm gonna tickle you senseless!"
Tohka screamed in delight at this silly threat, water splashing behind her.
She was childish and childlike in turns.
But, as Shidou chased after her, he decided that wasn't such a bad thing at all.
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Reality Is Often Disappointing
Late one night, Shidou and Tohka were quietly watching television in the living room, the room dark save for the screen's light.
Tohka was nestled up to him snugly, her legs gathered up as she let out an unsuppressed yawn. In response, Shidou yawned himself, though this one was much more subdued.
The episode they were watching came to an end, a list of recommended shows and movies popping up from the bottom of the screen.
"Still up for more?" Shidou asked as he grabbed the remote.
Beside him Tohka hummed in thought before letting out a characteristic "mm-hmm".
Shidou began flicking through the list, waiting for something to catch Tohka's eye. But instead of her interest being piqued, it was his.
Near the end of the lineup was a classic romcom by the name The Lady in Mauve.
"This one looks interesting. Want to check it out?"
Shidou, who had already watched the film in its entirety three times before, asked Tohka, who nodded after a moment's thought.
This was the family account rather than his own, so there was no indication that the movie had ever been watched. Though, for it to appear in the recommendeds like this... had the algorithm caught on to his viewing habits and cross-linked it with this account based on their locations?
Man, modern technology sure is scary...
Anyway, the idea of sharing one of his favorite romcoms with his girlfriend filled Shidou with a warm excitement that took a real effort to keep off his face.
Set in Edwardian England, The Lady in Mauve was an early 30s film, one of the first entries in what was to become a renaissance of adult cinema throughout Europe. It represented an attempt to marry the nascent sex-positivity of the era with the staidness of English romance, an attempt which had been met with mixed reviews at the time.
Despite this, the movie held a special place in Shidou's heart, who didn't mind a bit of bawdy content if it was accompanied by an earnest romance.
Near the end of the first act, the male lead — a mousy up-and-coming journalist who had been sent to dig up dirt — accidentally walked in on the titular lady in mauve as she was changing. An incorrigible playgirl who had been left head of the family estate after losing her parents in a freak accident, she immediately began teasing the man.
For the first time, Shidou was reminded of his interactions with Kotori lately. Funny how that kind of thing was annoying when it happened in real life.
Anyway, when the help threatened to stumble upon this compromising situation, the two found themselves crammed into a nearby closet.
As the journalist struggled to keep his hands to himself in the cramped space, the lady in mauve let out an exaggerated moan, smiling playfully as he squirmed against her.
"What do you think you're doing?! If you keep making noise like that, people will hear us!"
"Well, then I guess you'll just have to shut me up."
"Whatever do you—"
"Kiss me, you fool."
At his side, Tohka laid her head on his shoulder. Feeling a deep warmth in his chest, Shidou intertwined their fingers.
They stayed like this as the story progressed, enjoying the silly hijinks and heartfelt moments, until the protagonists finally admitted their feelings for each other, cuddle together after making love to each other for the first time.
The lady in mauve reclined on her back as her chest heaved in time with her breaths. Her face was pensive, a hitherto unseen expression for the otherwise carefree woman.
"I never would have imagined I could fall for anyone like this."
"That is how these things often go, isn't it?"
"Then what of your reason for being here? If you publish that column, it will surely spell doom for this estate."
"Well then, I guess you'll just have to shut me up."
The lady in mauve let out a chuckle, and then stole a kiss from the journalist, as the background music gently swelled and the scene faded out.
Watching this, Shidou basked in the familiar warm fuzzies this moment always brought out of him.
"Oh, this part is beautiful. Isn't it, Tohka?"
At his hushed words, there was no response.
That was odd. Tohka wasn't the type to outright ignore him like that.
"Tohka?"
Shidou craned his neck to get a better look at the girl.
She was asleep.
Tohka was completely knocked out, a thick trail of drool hanging from her lips.
For a moment, Shidou couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Had she been asleep the whole time? Had she just slept through the movie?
Letting go of her hand, he placed his on her shoulder and gently rocked her.
"Hey, Tohka. Tohka. Wake up. You're missing the best part."
But the girl was dead to the world.
...
There was a long moment where Shidou was still, considering the situation before him. The living room was silent save for the sound coming from the television, now forgotten in the background.
Eventually, Shidou came to a conclusion.
She must have just been tired.
Tohka always seemed to live life at a hundred and ten percent; everything with her was supercharged with passion. It must have gotten exhausting. Hell, it was exhausting just watching her sometimes.
Yeah. That must be it.
Telling himself this, Shidou let The Lady in Mauve play out and when it finished, took Tohka to bed before turning in himself.
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Dreams and Nightmares
It's said that humans and other animals dream in order to consolidate their memories and review their everyday experiences. For Shidou, whose dreams often depicted random scenes from daily life, or else fantasies inspired by his love for romances, this explanation for dreams accurately described his relationship to them.
Similar things could be said for Tohka, a fact which Shidou would bear witness to late one night, after the two had fallen asleep in each other's arms after they had stayed joined at the hip long into the night.
He was unceremoniously knocked awake by Tohka's arm smacking him in the face. This girl always tossed and turned, so Shidou was prepared to just brush it off, but something about it felt different.
Blinking his tired eyes open, he took in the sharp outline of moonlight filtering in through the window, the even sound of rain just outside. At his side was Tohka, her body drenched in sweat and her face hard just like it was back then as she dodged imaginary foes and launched her own attacks. Her movements were sluggish with sleep, but the desperate ferocity came through clearly.
Shidou took one look at that sight and knew that Tohka was still fighting.
It hadn't even been a month since her spirit powers had been sealed, so perhaps it shouldn't have surprised him, but seeing her like this hurt all the same. It seemed he could take the girl out of the battlefield, but it would be much longer before he could take the battlefield out of the girl.
When Tohka rolled over onto her side, exposing her back to him, Shidou wrapped his arms around her tightly. Of course, she struggled against this sudden contact, but Shidou held on, his grip firm but gentle. Eventually, the soft touch of his bare skin seemed to settle Tohka down, and her restless breathing steadied before she drifted off into dreamless sleep.
Shidou lay like that, listening to the rain as he considered what had just happened.
That was his first time seeing something like that from her. Though he didn't spend every night in bed with Tohka, he'd spent enough time with her to know that nightmares like that thankfully weren't common. Perhaps that was why she did everything with such passion and energy — she was outrunning bad memories.
What a tragic fate. She wasn't fighting anymore, so why did she have to dream about such awful things?
In that moment, Shidou decided to make sure Tohka's days were filled with fun and relaxation, until she never dreamed about fighting ever again.
Having resolved so, he dozed off to dreams about protagonists overcoming all obstacles through the power of love, spooning Tohka all the while, until the sun finally peaked over the horizon, chasing away dreams and nightmares alike.
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Good Food and Good Company
The only thing that rivaled Tohka's appetite for sex was her appetite for food.
Shidou had initially noticed this during their first date, and it had only been confirmed after coming to live with her. The girl could seriously pack food away and somehow, no matter how much she ate, she never seemed to get indigestion. Did she simply lack a sense of satiety? A remnant of being a spirit?
Though, Ratatoskr had assured him that Tohka was now physiologically identical to a human, the odd show of superhuman strength aside. The mystery lived on.
Musing about such things, Shidou busily cooked in the kitchen. In the living room was Tohka, eagerly watching an action series about food-based superheroes.
It was in this calm atmosphere, that the sound of the door opening caught Shidou's attention.
It seemed the prodigal daughter had returned.
Though, Kotori's anything but prodigal...
Ever since Tohka's sealing, his sister had been up to her eyeballs in paperwork, ensuring Tohka had all the necessary documentation to attend school and live life as an ordinary Japanese citizen.
She'd already been out late most nights before this, but now that she was staying nights aboard the Fraxinus, Shidou barely saw her. The girl had always been a hard worker, but this had to be approaching workaholism.
Making sure the food wouldn't burn while he was away, Shidou went to predictably find Kotori in the foyer, wearing her school uniform with one hand on the wall as she tugged her shoes off.
"Hey, Kotori, can I ask you abo—"
"When I'm wearing these," she pointed at the white ribbons on her head. "I'm off duty, so no talking about work, okay?"
"Well, okay."
In a move that directly contradicted her brusque response just now, Kotori threw a coy smile his way.
"But anyway, you've been screwing Tohka nine ways to Sunday, right?" She sidled up to Shidou, pressing her body against his. "That give you any ideas? Perhaps make you miss your nubile, willing, little sister?'
Shidou threw her off.
"Not that mouth of yours, no."
"Aww? Then maybe you'll like my other mouth better?"
"Somehow, I doubt that..."
"Anyway, what are we eating today?" Kotori bounced past him. "I—am—starving!"
Watching her trailing twin-tails — and the white ribbons keeping them in place — Shidou tilted his head quizzically.
I guess it's like letting your hair down after a long day?
Shidou only wished he could compartmentalize his life so well.
"You had good timing," he said, following Kotori into the kitchen. "I just finished making some katsudon."
"Ooh~ That sounds perfect right about now."
He'd cooked a pretty big helping, in anticipation of Tohka's bottomless appetite, so there would be plenty for Kotori as well as him.
As he began setting out the bowls, Shidou called out to the girl watching television with rapt attention in the living room.
"Tohka, the food's ready!"
Immediately, Tohka turned off the TV, vaulted over the couch into the kitchen, and slid into her seat.
Beside her, Kotori began thumping her chopsticks against the table, the impressionable Tohka joining in soon after.
"Katsudon! Katsudon! Katsudon! Katsudon!"
"Oh my lord, the food's coming!" Shidou smirked with his back to the two. "Sheesh, you'd think you two haven't had anything to eat in days."
He turned around with two bowls in hand and set them down in front of the two impatient girls, making one for himself and joining them at the table.
As Shidou tucked into his bowl, he noticed Tohka struggling with her chopsticks.
"Do you need a knife and fork?"
Rather than respond, Tohka continued to pick at the bowl until she successfully held up a sliver of pork cutlet, a triumphant smile spreading across her face.
"Look! I did it!"
"Hey, looks like you've gotten pretty good at using the chopsticks."
"Mm-hmm!" Tohka nodded as she popped the food into her mouth.
A moment later, her back arched as she let out a muffled squeal.
"Aah~!" She cupped her cheek in euphoria. "The way the pork crunches so crisply in my mouth is just divine! And the light sweetness of the egg and onion balances everything so well!"
As Tohka began stuffing more cutlets in her mouth, Shidou let out a chuckle as he ate at a more sedate pace.
"You could become a food critic with that level of critique."
"A food critic? Is that someone who eats food in order to critic its quality?
"Uh, yeah. Basically."
"Whaaa!? Then I want to be one!"
A wry smile.
"You just want to be paid to eat."
"Mm-hmm!"
"You're not even trying to hide your ulterior motives!"
While Shidou and Tohka bantered, Kotori watched their exchange with a subtle, appraising look.
"So, Tohka, it seems like you're really acclimating well. Safe to say you're enjoying the human world, huh?"
"Oh, it's amazing! I never could have imagined the world was such an amazing place!"
"And how are the naturalization lessons? Are Reine and the others treating you well?"
"Mm-hmm! At first I was a little nervous, but they're all very nice people."
As the two engaged in an animated discussion about Tohka's naturalization, Shidou watched on in comfortable silence, a wry smile tugging at his lips.
Didn't she say no talking about work? Ah well...
A part of him had been worried his sister would start spouting inappropriate innuendo all throughout dinner, but it seemed she was too busy chatting with Tohka while enjoying his cooking.
As the two did so, Shidou was reminded of the lively dinners his family had often had back when they all lived together.
Save for him, the house had been empty more often than not these past few months, with Kotori doing her Ratatoskr business in secret, and their parents both working overseas. Shidou had spent many a night eating alone in his room.
He wasn't exactly the lonely type but, as he quietly enjoyed his katsudon — and the cozy atmosphere that accompanied it — with his sister and girlfriend, he thought he could get used to eating like this again.
And so, for the first time in a while, the Itsuka household enjoyed a lively dinner once more.
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She Was a Girl on Fire
"Shidou, let's go on a date today!"
At these enthusiastic words, Shidou looked back from his position in the kitchen putting away the dishes.
"Hmm... It's raining pretty hard today, though. I don't think it's a good idea to go out."
Tohka, who was propped up on the couch's backrest, slumped against it as her face fell.
"Oh..."
She looked for all the world like a dog who'd been abandoned by its owner. Seeing this, Shidou couldn't help a wry smile.
"Well, I never told you this, but you can have dates at home, too."
The way her face lit up at those words warmed Shidou's heart.
"Really!? You can do that?"
"Of course. Dates are about having fun with someone you love."
"Then what should we do?"
"Hmm..."
He had an idea.
After putting away the dishes, in the shower.
Seated on one of the shower room's plastic stools was Tohka, her long hair gathered up in a bun and her eyes gently shut. Behind her was Shidou, who knelt down as he ran a soap-lathered sponge across her back.
"Raise your arms for me, please."
Tohka did as asked, and Shidou scrubbed first one of her sides, then her armpit, followed by her shoulder and arm. He did the same to her other side before sponging her chest with the same steady motions, noting the amorous noises they elicited but continuing on regardless.
This moment was about the romantic intimacy of washing and being washed by one's partner. Of course, Shidou was not unaware of the sexual titillation inherent in such an act — the toned and naked body of his girlfriend sat before him, after all. It was undoubtedly an arousing sight, and the boner between his legs was evidence enough of that.
But right now that was not the focus, and it seemed Tohka had picked up on that fact.
She had a real knack for pulling Shidou out of his world and into the big, wide open world, but he thought moments like these, where he pulled her into his world, were just as precious.
When he finished scrubbing her body, Tohka gazed at him through half-lidded eyes.
"Ooh... that was amazing, Shidou..."
"Hey now, it's not over yet." He held out the sponge with a soft smile. "Now it's my turn."
They switched places, and Tohka began to clean Shidou's body. It seemed his scrub down had really left an impression, because her hands moved with the same deliberate slowness his had.
As she did so, Shidou couldn't help but notice that her hands felt a little softer than they had when he'd first felt them, half a month ago.
Eventually, she had cleaned every inch of Shidou's body, and the two stood to rinse themselves off. Tohka laid her arms around his shoulders with an erotic gleam in her eyes and pressed her lips against his, her tongue following soon after. Shidou acquiesced, kissing her back as he ran the showerhead over their bodies.
He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he had a feeling tonight was going to be a long one.
Well, whatever. It's not like we have anywhere to go tomorrow...
When the soap was washed away, and the water toweled off, they caressed and fondled the other's body until they stumbled into Shidou's room.
Overcast light filtered through the drawn curtains, casting the room in a soft glow. The quiet sound of the rain outside seemed to drown out the world as they fell onto the bed, Tohka spreading her legs beneath Shidou.
Sensuously, he ran his hands along her sides, until they stopped at her knees. There, he lifted them up, so that the lips of Tohka's sopping pussy spread, a wet strand hanging between them.
But, instead of going straight for the kill, Shidou peppered her ass and legs with tender kisses, drawing out the act. It left her body trembling in anticipation, so that when he merely nuzzled his nose against her clit, her hips bucked and she let out a shuddering moan.
And then, he finally pressed his open mouth against her pussy, forming a tight seal with his lips. Above him, Tohka let out a lewd cry, her head whipped about as Shidou put his tongue to work.
Salty, a little sour, and metallic, like a ten yen coin— that was Tohka's taste, and it was one Shidou had come to find very appetizing.
He'd also found that going down on her like this typically left the girl satisfied for much longer, giving little Shidou some welcome rest.
In light of this fact, he slipped his index and middle fingers into Tohka, thrusting his arm back and forth. Like this, he adjusted his technique in response to every ooh and ahh that shook Tohka's body, eliciting some very naughty sounds indeed.
It wasn't long before he noticed the meat of Tohka's thighs quivering at either side of his head. That was his cue to keep doing what he was doing and let her ride out her orgasm.
When she came, it was with one hand gripping his hair, her thighs squeezed against his head as her body arched, trembling from sexual tension. Shidou glanced up to find Tohka's head thrown back as she squeezed out a strangled, shuddering squeak.
And then she collapsed, her chest heaving as she gasped for air.
Feeling rather proud of himself for wringing out such a powerful orgasm for his girlfriend, Shidou rose from his position between her thighs, planting gentle kisses along her breasts and then neck, until he was over Tohka. Hanging erect from his crotch, his cock throbbed with an arousal that made his hips squirm.
Beneath him, Tohka stroked his member, tugging his foreskin off his glans and wetting her thumb with the precum there. Shidou gripped the sheets, his knuckles growing white, as she guided him into her hot, wet pussy.
While one arm supported his weight, he slipped the other beneath the small of Tohka's back, and they rolled over onto their sides as Shidou gripped her ass to press himself further against her. Tohka moaned in ecstasy, thrusting her hips out to offer him better purchase as she shakily braced herself against his chest.
"Shidou... your penis... it feels so good~" She gazed into his eyes, rocking her hips mindlessly. "Every time it moves back and forth... ooh... it's like it's... scratching an itch deep inside of me..."
"It's the same for me... It feels so good when you squeeze me..."
"Aah... like this?"
Tohka gripped his cock tightly with her pussy, drawing a moan out of Shidou as he started to move his hips in earnest.
"Oh, oh, yeah... that feels amazing..."
Like that, the bedsprings began to creak rhythmically as Shidou plunged his erection in and out of Tohka's pussy using slow, deliberate strokes that gradually built into a white-hot pleasure.
This was making love, and what a romantic thing it was.
The first time they'd had sex, it had just been a roller coaster he was along for the ride for. But now, Shidou had more experience, he knew what got both of them off, and how to prolong the experience as long as possible.
—Or so he'd thought.
His thrusts were quickly becoming shorter and jerkier, the approaching climax of orgasm fighting against his motions. He gripped Tohka's ass even tighter as if holding on for dear life, but it did nothing to stave off the inevitable.
"...I'm—gonna cum—!"
Her eyes shut and mouth gaping, Tohka moaned at those words. Her ass shook as her hips bucked lustfully.
"Ooo~! Give it to me! Shidou's semen! Shoot it! Shoot it all insi—"
They came at the same time, Shidou grinding his hips hard against Tohka's as he shot rope after rope of cum, her pussy hungrily tightening around his shaft, her body milking his for all its worth.
It felt like that moment could last forever, the two eternally lost in the pleasures of each other's body. But all too soon it came to an end, leaving them gasping in sweaty exhaustion as a thick stream of cum wetted their thighs.
"Oo, ooo..." Shidou's hips spasmed out a few mindless thrusts. "Fuuuuck..."
He tried to roll over, but Tohka clung to him with her arms and legs, so that they stayed connected like that as they cuddled.
"Mmm..." Tohka pressed her lips against Shidou's, her tongue following soon after, and they made out in between catching their breath.
Shidou was on cloud nine. He hadn't had an orgasm that satisfying since Tohka's sealing, and now all that was left was to bask together in the afterglow of—
"Oh!" Tohka shot up.
Shidou started at her sudden movement.
"W-Whoa! What is it?"
"Kinako-Man! The new episode comes out today! I totally forgot!"
And then just like that, Tohka leapt off the bed and made a beeline for the door, almost reaching it before doubling back, grabbing a tissue from the box at Shidou's desk, and stuffing it between her thighs as she hurried off out the door.
Left in the room like that, Shidou stared at the ceiling for a long moment. Eventually, he shrugged his shoulders and sighed, expelling whatever feelings had been building up in his chest.
What are ya gonna do.
Relieved of her carnal instincts, she had simply been reminded of her favorite serial, and so she went to watch it, right there and then. That was just the kind of person Tohka was — someone who lived squarely in the present, for better or worse.
Though he sometimes wished she'd slow down a little to smell the roses and be a little more romantic, Shidou found he couldn't really fault the girl for it, and even admired that boundless enthusiasm of hers to an extent.
Thinking such things, he stared at the ceiling for a little longer before getting up, deciding that the sheets weren't that dirty, fixing them up, and joining Tohka down in the living room.
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Rain In the Shrine
And so passed the peaceful days of April. Before Shidou knew it, May had started, and with it Tohka's attendance at the repaired Raizen High. The tale of her arrival at that school was anything but peaceful, but in the end, Tohka found a place for herself there as well.
It was on the way to that place that Shidou realized he had forgotten his terminal on the cabinet in the foyer. It had taken some convincing, but he'd managed to get Tohka to go off on her own while he doubled back to the house.
As he hurried back to school, Shidou reflected on that girl who had turned his life upside down.
It had been a real struggle getting that girl to be less clingy at school. It wasn't like he minded that aspect of her; what he minded was his classmates' response to her clinginess.
A common porn plot in this day and age involved a foreign — and therefore naive — girl being introduced to a whole new world of sexual pleasures at the hands of the male protagonist. He shuddered to think what would happen to him if it became public knowledge that he was living out such a plot.
His thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of rain landing on his head and shoulders. With an annoyed groan, Shidou picked up the pace as the rain began pouring.
"This again..."
For the third time in as many days, the forecast had predicted sunny, clear skies and the weather had been anything but.
What on earth were the weather people doing? Now he was gonna have to spend the day soaked, and he was gonna be freezing, and then he was probably gonna get sick, and...
He was grumbling to himself like this when something caught his eye.
In the courtyard of a shrine he was passing was a girl wearing an oversized raincoat with bunny ears and matching green boots. She was carefully hopping from puddle to puddle, seemingly trying to make the biggest splash she could.
Shidou watched her, entranced, as he was overcome by an uncanny feeling.
Where... have I felt this before?
As he puzzled this out, the girl continued bouncing around the mud, and it was during one of these hops that she tripped and fell flat on her face, creating quite the splash, but also sending the puppet on her hand flying.
Immediately, Shidou rushed over.
"Uh, hey, are you okay?" He helped her sit up. "Are you okay? That was a pretty nasty fall you just—"
Shidou's words died on his tongue as he got a good look at the girl for the first time.
She looked around Kotori's age, and had long hair the color of the sea which tumbled down her shoulders like ocean waves. It was a plainly unnatural shade of blue, yet somehow Shidou felt it was not dyed.
But what left him speechless was the fact that she wore nothing but a raincoat and boots. Save for the pink ribbon tied around her neck and hanging over her chest, she was completely naked underneath.
Instinctively, Shidou averted his gaze.
"Ah—S-Sorry—I—"
As he stammered this out in a desperate attempt to process this bizarre situation, the girl's sapphire eyes flinched open and all the color drained from her face.
In a blind panic, she scrambled out of Shidou's hold, never turning her back to him for a second. Her entire body trembled, and as the rain seemed to pour down even harder, she squeaked out terrified words.
"Please... d-don't hurt me..." Her teeth chattered in her mouth. "Don't b-be... mean to me..."
Shidou just stayed still, watching the girl with perplexed eyes.
...What is going on here?
In an instant, the worst possibilities passed through his mind and he wondered if he should call the police. A girl her age shouldn't be outside wearing next to nothing like that, and she shouldn't be so instinctively afraid of another person.
It was while figuring this out that Shidou noticed her eyes darting to the puppet some ways away. She seemed to be searching for a way to get it back without alerting him.
"...Hey, is that puppet yours?"
The girl flinched at his gentle voice, staring at the ground dejectedly.
"I'm... just going to go pick it up and hand it to you. Okay?"
Telegraphing his intentions like this, Shidou slowly stood and made his way to the now soaked puppet of a white bunny-like character with an eyepatch over one of its eyes.
"Uh, do you want me to come to you or should I just let you come to me?"
Shidou punctuated his words with a soft smile and, after a moment of hesitation, the girl began inching her way towards him, seemingly battling with her fear of him the whole time.
When she was finally within arm's reach of her prize, she snatched the puppet from Shidou with a lightning fast motion, slipping it onto her left hand just as quickly.
"Brr!" she made the puppet shake the water off itself like a dog. "Man, you are a life saver! I thought I was a goner for sure there!"
At this, Shidou frowned in confusion.
Ventriloquism?
He tried to address the girl directly, but she pushed the puppet in front of his face, blocking his view of her.
"So, when you picked me up there, it looked like you touched Yoshinon in all sorts of places. How'd you like it? These supple curves do it for ya? Be honest!"
At this point, Shidou was well and truly out of his depth.
"I don... What?"
The girl drew back, making the puppet cross its arms in thought as it nodded its head.
"Playing dumb, huh? Ah well, you did help me a lot just now. I'll let it slide, just this once, you lucky lecher you!"
Shidou balked at that last bit.
"Lucky... lecher?"
"Mmkay, then. Thanks muchly!"
With that, the girl whirled around and sprinted off.
"H-Hey! Wait!"
Shidou called out for her, but the girl had already disappeared around a corner.
Left alone after that baffling interaction, Shidou suddenly realized he was soaked to the bone. Cursing under his breath, he began running towards the school.
As he did so, he turned the situation he'd just been through over and over in his head, until he finally recognized what about it was so familiar.
It was just like when he'd met Tohka, just under a month ago.
The strange interaction, the inappropriate clothing, the otherworldly aura... it all pointed to one, inescapable conclusion—
That girl was a spirit.
It explained everything, and that meant Shidou's next course of action was decided.
I have to tell Kotori about this.