This is not the date I wanted.

"Well..."

For some reason, Kotori's expression suddenly became very awkward, and even her voice was hesitant.

"…Huh? Are you asking us to do it without even knowing how?"

Nanashi asked in surprise.

"No, no. I know the method..."

"Hmm... is that method very difficult to implement?"

"No... that's not the case..."

"Then tell us quickly - what can we do to save Darling?"

"This, this..."

Seeing everyone looking at her with anxious, urging eyes, Kotori's cheeks turned red for some reason. She lowered her head in embarrassment, and after a while, she answered in a voice as small as a mosquito.

"k...s..."

"?"

"Kiss, that means kissing."

Seeing that Kotori's voice obviously didn't reach everyone's ears, Reine had no choice but to stand up and explain on Kotori's behalf.

"Eh? What did you just say..."

As if answering everyone's doubts, Lingyin nodded in affirmation.

"…Shin sealed the spirit power of the spirits through kissing. The passage of spirit power was also established at that time. So, conversely, in order to expand the narrowed passage again, all of you need to kiss Shin again."

"I see……"

Hearing this, Shixiang couldn't help but reach out and touch her lips. Then, she seemed to realize something and looked at Lingyin with some doubts.

"Wait a minute, Reine... In other words, did Shidou kiss everyone here?"

“…? Yes, that’s right.”

Hearing Reine's answer, Tohka's eyes widened in shock.

“What… is that so?!”

"Um... my family, how do you think they sealed their spiritual power?"

"Well……"

Yakuya's question left Tohka speechless for a moment. She had never equated kissing with sealing spiritual power.

I see…I see.

In the past, Tohka once told Shidou that she hoped he could save other spirits, but at the same time, he should not kiss anyone other than her. Now, she could understand why Shidou had such an awkward expression at that time.

"...!?"

For some reason, the scene of Mengyue and Shidou holding hands just now suddenly appeared in Tohka's mind.

(I have kissed everyone... That is to say... Shidou and everyone... and Yumezuki...)

Just imagining the scene of Shidou kissing someone else, Tohka felt a wave of distress in her chest again.

It wasn't that she was unhappy with Shidou for hiding something from her. After all, this was a necessary step to save the spirits. Tohka actually regretted her own willfulness in asking Shidou an impossible problem.

However, even so, a corner of her heart still did not want Shidou to kiss anyone other than herself, even her closest people.

"Um--, Tohka-chan?"

"what?"

Miku's voice suddenly brought Tohka back to her senses.

(No, that's not right! What am I thinking? If I don't do this, Shidou won't be saved!)

Tohka couldn't help but feel disgusted with herself for having such a thought, and slapped her cheeks hard in front of everyone's surprised gaze.

"Ah...it hurts..."

"Tohka-san...are you okay?"

Looking at Tohka's red cheeks, Yoshino asked worriedly.

"Um...it's okay!"

Holding back the sparkling tears in her eyes, Tohka took a deep breath and shouted with all her might.

"Okay! I'll do my best! It was Shidou who saved me, so it's my turn to save Shidou this time!"

"I will...do my best!"

"Humph... you are such a troublesome brother."

"Kuku - waking him up with a kiss is like a fairy tale."

"Definitely. Sleeping Beauty knits princesses."

"That means you have to give Darling a good morning kiss when he wakes up, right? Leave it to me!"

"Not only can I save Shidou, but I can also kiss him. It's killing two birds with one stone. I have no objection."

"Well, if Shidou doesn't dislike me... I'll try my best."

After Tohka finished speaking, the elves around her all nodded in agreement.

After the discussion, Tohka and the others walked back to Shidou's ward while discussing the order of kissing.

however--

"Eh? Where are Mengyue and Shidao..."

When they returned to the ward, it was empty.

PS: Most of it is original, so this chapter was written very quickly~

PS2: Fixed a bug. The meeting room where Kotori and the others discussed seemed to be quite far from Shidao's ward. (sweat)

05 Sleepwalking?

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

In the Pacific Ocean, there is a small island called Nelilua.

Nerelujah is an uninhabited island that DEM secretly acquired 20 years ago. If the experiments conducted in the research institute on the island were made public, DEM would definitely be condemned by the whole world.

At this time, this place has become a battlefield with flames of war.

The sound of gunfire, the clashing of swords, screams, and laughter, all kinds of sounds intertwined together.

On this small island, there are nearly 100 elite magicians equipped with CR-Units and more than 300 remote-operated Bandersnatch aircraft, but this is enough to fight against the combat power of the space fleet. In front of Tokisaki Kurumi alone, it turned into a living hell.

"Oh, oh...I really made a mistake..."

Tokisaki Kurumi looked at the transport plane that was gradually moving away, and the feeling of loss was revealed in her eyes that was difficult to conceal.

After various investigations, Kurumi finally found this island that no longer existed on the world map, and in the laboratory inside, she found what she had been looking for - the second elf.

After finally finding her target, Tokisaki Kurumi launched action with swift and decisive action. She arrived in time when the second elf was about to be sent to other areas, and used the clone army created by the Eight Bullets to kill all the enemies.

Just when the transport plane carrying the second elf was intercepted, an annoying Cheng Yaojin suddenly ran out.

"Cough-cough!"

The wound on the chest couldn't stop bleeding profusely, and the severe pain that almost made her faint made Kuang San cough up blood.

Beside her were five separate bodies of Kuang San, whose heads and bodies had been severed.

And in front of him was a magician he had never seen before.

Equipped with a CR-Unit similar to that of Alan Mathers, there is a blonde woman around 20 years old, which contrasts with her mature figure. Her cheeks are somewhat tender and soft, and her comfortable aura always makes people feel intimacy involuntarily. If they meet in another occasion, Tokisaki Kurumi might have a good impression of this woman.

However, after the actual fight just now, Kurumi knew very well that the woman in front of her was no less dangerous than Ellen Mathers.

"But... things don't end like this... Miss Second Elf... sooner or later... 'we' will take her away..."

Maybe she was unwilling, or maybe she was annoyed, but knowing her fate, "Kuang San" showed a provocative smile.

"...Aroudight"

As if she had not heard what Kurumi said at all, Artemisia calmly raised the laser knife in her hand.

As the knife fell, Kuang San's vision turned into darkness.

"Report, target 'Nightmare' has been expelled, and the escort mission for 'Material A' will continue."

————————————————————————I am the dividing line that diverts vision——————————————————————

"Finally let go."

Taking advantage of the moment when Shidao's hand loosened, Mengyue quickly pulled her hand out.

It would be embarrassing if I still couldn't let go when it was time to change people. When Meng Yue thought of this, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"Hmm... the temperature has risen again."

He reached out and touched Shidao's forehead, and found that his body temperature, which had originally dropped, had risen again without him noticing.

"It's not just an ordinary fever..."

Meng Yue couldn't help but frowned in worry. He had already taken the medicine and was receiving an IV drip. The medical level of this era was obviously much better than that of his previous life. Shidao himself was not a weak and sickly person. If it was just a common cold and fever, it should have stabilized by now.

Recalling Shidao's abnormal performance in physical education class before, it was obvious that he was using spiritual power to improve his physical fitness.

Shidou had already promised himself that he would not use the power of the spirits for personal or daily purposes. Regardless of whether he intended to break the contract, using the spirit power at that time would not benefit Shidou himself in any way.

(My actions at that time were not my own will... The spiritual power in my body was rioting without my permission. Does that mean there was something wrong with the seal itself?)

Although it was just a guess, Mengyue came to a similar conclusion as Qinli.

"Forget it, let's think of a way to lower the body temperature first."

Kotori should have a solution, so there is no need for me to think about it alone. Meng Yue shook her head, shook off the distracting thoughts, found an ice pack in the cabinet in the ward, and hung it on Shidao's forehead.

"Then what happens next..."

After pondering for a moment, Meng Yue walked out of the ward, took out her cell phone, and dialed a number she remembered.

【Hello, who are you? 】

There was a somewhat doubtful voice coming from the other end of the line. Seeing that her call was connected, Meng Yue couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Mana, where are you now?"

[Who are you... Why do you know my name? ]

The other party's voice became somewhat alert.

"My name is Liang Yi Meng Yue. Do you know what I mean?"

[Liang Yi Meng Yue… Sorry, I have no impression of her at all. Let me make it clear that I don’t have much cash on me.]

"No, no, not that 'it's me, it's me' kind of scam."

Seeing that Zhenna thought she was a phone scammer, Mengyue smiled bitterly helplessly.

It wasn't surprising, after all, in this world, he had never come into contact with Takamiya Mana. From Mana's perspective, it was inevitable that she would be wary of hearing her name called out by a strange phone caller.

After thinking for a moment, Meng Yue spoke again.

"Well... let's put it another way. The elf Hacker that was sealed by your brother not long ago - Kotori should have told you about it. In this case, you should understand, the former No. 2 magician of DEM."

【——!? 】

Perhaps because he had heard of Mengyue's reputation among magicians a long time ago, Mana took a deep breath.

[…So, what does the most dangerous elf lady want from me? ]

"Hey, hey, you don't have to be so aggressive. I don't intend to hurt you."

Feeling the obvious hostility coming from the other end of the line, Meng Yue hurriedly explained.

"Didn't I just say that? I have been sealed by Shidao and am harmless now. I am Shidao's family. Also, the most dangerous thing is slander. I have never killed anyone."

[I see... Sorry, I was a little arbitrary. ]

After a moment's silence, as if to confirm that Mengyue's words were not a lie, Mana's voice softened a little.