This is not the date I wanted.

(So...what will happen to me...who will...I...)

Unease and panic spread in his heart. Shidou tried to shout for help, but now he couldn't even be sure if he made a sound.

——No problem.

Suddenly, I felt something in the palm of my hand, as if I was holding something, and it was very warm.

——I’m right here.

A familiar and reliable voice echoed in my heart. It was incredible. Although I could still feel the pain, I was not as scared as before.

(Ah…it’s you…really…I’ve been helped again…)

While feeling relieved, Gokawa Shidao also felt a little unwilling.

(Hey... Meng Yue...)

Holding tightly the remaining warmth in his hands, Shidou muttered softly before sinking to the bottom of the sea.

(In your heart...I am...)

——————————————————I am the dividing line for shifting perspective————————————————————

In an underground facility belonging to Ratatoskr, Gokawa Kotori was sitting at a round table with a group of dolls.

Of course, this is not just Kotori's personal interest. Wireless speakers are installed under each puppet, each connected to high-level officials of Ratatoskr distributed around the world.

[——Commander Gokawa, what is going on? ]

A distressed voice matching the expression of the puppet came from the speaker with the crying mouse.

[The possibility of Gokawa Shido going berserk is very low. Didn’t you reply like this before? 】

"…There is nothing wrong with the data itself. This situation should have been avoided. This is all my fault."

Facing such an accusation, Kotori answered in a calm voice.

[Do you think this is a problem that can be solved by simply taking responsibility? ! ]

On the other side, the drooling bull puppet let out an angry roar.

[He currently has the spiritual power of nine elves stored in his body. If it were to explode... don't you know how big of a disaster it would cause?! ]

[Calm down. This is an unavoidable emergency. Commander Gokawa cannot be blamed entirely. And we prepared the 'Dáinsleif' precisely to prevent this kind of situation.]

The ugly cat stuffed animal next door made a frivolous sound, as if trying to excuse Kotori, but Kotori frowned and showed disgust.

After all, it was this ugly cat who proposed the corresponding conditions when agreeing to the combat strategy of using Shidao's ability to seal the elves.

[But now Gokawa Shidao is a very special existence to the spirits. If he is killed, the spirits will all go berserk at the same time, and in the worst case, there will even be a reversal, right? ]

[Under normal circumstances, this is indeed likely to happen, but don't worry about it now. 】

[Yes... it is true, but if we do this, won't all the spiritual energy we have collected with great difficulty be lost? ]

【But it's better than causing the worst. 】

[That’s true…]

"........."

Unable to suppress the anxiety in her heart, Qin Li secretly clenched her teeth.

Because during their discussion, Kotori felt that these senior executives had shown no respect for Gokawa Shido's life or death, nor did they even care. It was just a tool in their hands, and if it was useless, it would be thrown away, such a simple matter.

Although she really wanted to rush up and beat up these puppets, Kotori knew that this was an unintentional act and would only make her position more disadvantageous.

Just like that, ignoring Kotori Itsuka's opinions, the puppets came to a conclusion on their own.

[It has been decided. Commander Gokawa, if anything happens, I will leave it to you to deal with it. I believe that you will make a calm judgment.]

There was something slightly disgusting in the ugly cat's voice.

"..."

[Ah... That's right. ]

As if suddenly remembering something, the bullfighting puppet suddenly interrupted.

[Hacker... the elf named Liangyi Mengyue did not do anything strange.]

【…】

【…】

As soon as the words came out, the other two puppets fell silent, as if they were waiting for Kotori's answer.

"…Everything is normal. It remains stable like the other elves. There is nothing strange."

Kotori frowned, but luckily most of the council members didn't want to reveal their identities and therefore deliberately chose not to use video calls. Her expression would not be seen by the other party at this time.

【That’s it. 】

After hearing Kotori's report, there was an inexplicable feeling of relief among the puppets.

[Huh... no action yet...? ]

[But we can't be careless. It's different from ordinary elves. Even DEM suffered a lot from her. Even if it's sealed, we can't ignore it. ]

[That's true, so she must have had an intention to contact us. To be honest, if she goes berserk, she'd be worse than Gokawa Shido in a sense.]

"—!"

Hearing this, Kotori felt that her anger was about to reach a critical point.

Kotori naturally knew that the reason why Mengyue accepted the seal so readily was simply because she had the memories of the previous world. However, these people obviously would not believe this and would only suspect that Mengyue had some dangerous intentions.

She didn't want to destroy anything, nor did she want to take anything away from others. She just wanted a stable home and a peaceful life. However, just because of the dangers inherent in her own abilities, she became a target.

What do you know about Shidao and Mengyuejie? !

Just when Kotori couldn't help but yell, the squirrel puppet at the innermost side of the round table, the chairman of the round table meeting, Elliot Woodman, suddenly spoke.

[——Don’t misunderstand, Commander Gokawa.]

"Eh……?"

[Your most important job now is not to make a decision when something unexpected happens, but to do your best to prevent that unexpected thing from happening.]

"...!"

[I’m counting on you, Commander Gokawa. ]

"--yes!"

The old man's solemn voice gradually calmed Kotori down, and after straightening her posture and saluting, she replied firmly.

PS: I will update one chapter of the main text to satisfy your cravings, and then I will continue to write the extra chapter.

03 Strange throbbing

==============================

Tap tap tap tap——

At this moment, in the underground facility of Ratatoskr, a burst of hurried footsteps were moving quickly through the corridor, heading towards the infirmary.

"Shidou, are you okay?!"

Tohka asked nervously as she pushed open the door of the infirmary.

Inside the house, Gokawa Shido was lying on a hospital bed, his school uniform had been changed into a hospital gown, with many electrodes on his body connected to a machine to monitor his heartbeat, and a bottle hanging on his wrist for an IV. When Tohka saw this scene, she felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife.

"Ah, Tohka, you're here."

"Meng Yue, how is Shidao doing? Is he in any danger?"

"Hey, hey~ calm down. Don't worry, Tohka. Shidou is fine. His body temperature has gone down and he's sleeping now. It seems he's fine."

Looking at Tohka, whose eyes were filled with anxiety and panic, Mengyue smiled and comforted her.

"That's it..."

Fortunately, although Tohka could not understand the data displayed on the machine, she could still tell from his calm expression and steady breathing that Shidou was not in danger of life.

(Great, Shidou is still alive.)

The heavy stone in her heart was slightly relieved, and Tohka dropped her shoulders somewhat exhausted.

(…Huh?)

After calming down a little, Tohka noticed that Shidou, who was sleeping, was holding Mengyue's right hand.

(——!)

For some reason, Tohka suddenly felt a slight pain in her chest.

"Ah... well, since Shidou seems to be a little restless in his sleep, I'll feel more at ease if I let him hold it."

Noticing where Tohka was looking, Meng Yue gave a slightly embarrassed smile, scratched her cheek and explained.

"That's it..."

However, this unknown emotion only flashed by, and the self-blame and guilt for Shidao's illness prompted Tohka to lower her head in disappointment, and even the bow on her head drooped listlessly.

"I'm sorry Mengyue. I said I would protect Shidou. But I didn't even notice that Shidou was feeling unwell..."

"This isn't your fault, Tohka. If you want to blame someone, you can only blame Shidou yourself. You had a fever but you tried to get away with it. In the end, you ruined yourself. It's all your fault."

Mengyue shrugged, and while comforting Tohka, she also mercilessly insulted Shidou.

"But... it's still my fault..."

"What's wrong? You're not like Tohka at all to be so listless."

Looking at Tohka who was still very dejected, Mengyue sighed, stretched out her free right hand, rubbed Tohka's warm cheek to cheer her up.

"Um...what are you doing, Mengyue..."

"Tohka is still best suited to smiles - Shidou will definitely say that. Tohka, you too, if you wake up with a fever, you will be happier to see a smiling face than to see Shidou's distressed and worried expression, right?"

"Is that so... Yeah... It is true. Hmm, I understand Meng Yue!"

After pondering for a while, Tohka seemed to accept Mengyue's words and regained her previous vitality and enthusiasm.

"Meng Yue, I also want to take care of Shidao. Can you tell me what I can do?"

"That's true... Then, come hold Shidou's hand. With a cute girl holding his hand and accompanying him, I believe this guy will fall asleep and have sweet dreams."

Looking at the energetic Tohka, Mengyue thought for a moment and then made a proposal with a sly smile on his face.

"Oh, that's it!"

Hearing Mengyue's words, Tohka nodded in sudden realization, sat next to Mengyue, and held Shidou's hand.

However, rather than "hold", it would be more appropriate to use the word "cover". Tohka placed her hands on the back of Shidou's hands and prayed very seriously.

"Come on, Shidou. I'll bring out the limited edition kinako bread for you. The texture and aroma are absolutely second to none. So, cheer up quickly."

(Really... from where I stand, she's such a good girl. Shidou, you're really a sinful man.)

Looking at the somewhat clumsy but very hardworking girl next to her, Meng Yue couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap--

Suddenly, Mengyue heard a sound of footsteps approaching here, even more chaotic than before.

"My family, why are you running away in such a hurry? And my compatriots, how is the status of my belongings?"

"Inquiry. Mengyue, is Shidao's body okay?"

"Shidou. I came to visit you. Now I will use my body to warm your bed."

"Everyone...you're running too fast...Is Mengyue-san...Shidou-san...ok?"

"Ah my~ Shidou-kun, are you okay? The cute Yoshina and Yoshino-chan are here to take care of you~"

"Ha~ha——I say you guys——are running too fast. It's not like Shidou has gotten a fatal blow——Uh, no, let me catch my breath."

The door of the infirmary was once again slammed open, and Yakuya, Yui, Origami, Yoshino and Nanashi rushed in one after another.

"Well……"

As if disturbed by the sudden noise, Shidao, who was sleeping, frowned in pain.

"Shh! Shh! It's too loud. It will wake Shidou up."