This is not the date I wanted.

"Commander, how about taking a break? You haven't had a good rest these past few days, have you?"

"Protective observation punishment" Minowa asked with concern.

In the past few days, Fraxinus EX has been working hard almost 24 hours a day to be vigilant about the actions of DEM and Tokisaki Kurumi. The employees have also maintained their work and rest schedules by taking turns. However, as the commander, Kotori must confirm the situation and make judgments as soon as possible, so she has spent most of her time in the airship in the past few days.

"Thank you for your concern, but it's okay, it's just a small matter."

Kotori smiled and waved her hand.

[No, that's a lie.]

At this moment, a warning box suddenly popped up on the computer screen from a white-haired figure in nun's clothes.

[Ms. Kotori, according to my assessment of your physical data, your blood pressure and blood sugar concentration have slightly increased; your concentration and reaction speed have also decreased by 13% compared to normal. You have obviously entered a state of fatigue.]

Kotori looked at Maria with some distress.

"Juya... I don't remember allowing you to monitor my body data."

[The task assigned to me by the system includes ensuring the physical and mental stability of the 'elves'. Ms. Kotori is also a member of the elves, so I naturally have the obligation to confirm it.]

"Really are……"

Looking at the self-righteous Maria in front of her, Kotori held her forehead and sighed. She didn't know whether her reason was true or she was deliberately fooling her.

"Commander, just like Miss Maria said, you should take a good rest."

At this time, Kanbutsuki who was standing next to him made a suggestion.

"The war is coming, so we need to conserve our energy. Although being looked down upon by a weary and cold gaze is a different kind of fun, it would not be worth it if it affected the commander's beauty."

It was rare to see Kannazuki make a serious suggestion. Kotori was stunned for a while before she sighed and compromised.

"...Okay. I'll take a break then. Kannazuki, I'll leave this job to you for now. You know the consequences of failure, right?"

"Of course! But Commander, if I complete the task perfectly, please consider my previous request to tie me up with a tortoise shell and make me your personal chair—"

……

——Clang.

"Papaya milk..."

In the lounge of the airship, Kotori tried the vending machine with a lottery mechanism that Mengyue proposed to install. Looking at the drink she had drawn in her hand, she felt an indescribable subtle feeling.

(I sense some kind of malice. Well, never mind...)

Perhaps because she was really tired, the signal that she was craving for water and sugar made her choose to ignore these small details and directly pull the pull ring of the can.

“Gulp gulp—ha~ it tastes pretty good.”

With a contented sigh, Kotori placed the can on her knees and admired the night sky while enjoying her short break.

[By the way, Meng Yuejie, you and Shidao didn't hide anything from us, right?]

[Yes. But I can’t say yet.]

(Sister Mengyue...you are too straightforward.)

Recalling the conversation a few days ago, Kotori couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Don't lie to your family - this is Mengyue's principle. Qinli certainly understands this, but not lying does not mean not hiding anything, so Mengyue's statement at that time did surprise her.

However, this also indirectly shows that Meng Yue did not hide the truth because she did not trust them, but there was another hidden reason. Otherwise, Qin Li might have chosen to ask further questions or investigate on her own.

(Wait until my brother finds the answer? Ah——I’m really concerned about this…)

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Kotori couldn't help but shake her legs.

Honestly, if you ask Kotori whether she cares about what Yumezuki and Shido are investigating, the answer is yes. But because of her trust in the two, Kotori still remembers Yumezuki's advice, restrains the urge to find out, and waits honestly.

The reason why I have been working overtime on the airship these days is, to some extent, to divert my attention.

"Ok?"

Just then, Kotori's cell phone suddenly vibrated. She opened it and saw that it was a message from Junai.

"Ju Nai? What do you want from me?"

[Hehe~ Nothing much, I just found something interesting. I just wanted to share it with you. ]

"Something interesting?"

Looking at the playful smirk of the black-haired nun on the screen, Kotori couldn't help but feel a little confused. While drinking milk, she opened the video attachment that Junai mentioned.

[Ms. Lingyin, can you go on a date with me tomorrow? ]

"puff----!!"

The moment she heard this, Kotori couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She saw on the screen that her brother, Itsuka Shido, was inviting his subordinate Murasame Reion to a date with a serious and sincere face.

"Ahem - what's going on? Why would Onii-sama - Shidou want to date Reine?"

After coughing twice and recovering from the pain, Qinli couldn't help but ask.

[Sa~ According to my observation, Shidao may have become accustomed to girls and lolita, and has begun to have a need for older, mature women. That's why he found Reine at this time, hoping that before the life-and-death battle, an experienced older sister would guide him to become an adult. ]

Junai teased with a smirk.

"Varied--"

The moment she heard this, Kotori almost flew into a rage, but she knew that Junai was teasing her on purpose, so she suppressed her anger and calmed herself down.

(Calm down... No matter how stupid Shidou is, he can't do something so out of the ordinary at this important moment. Could it be that the thing that Mengyue-sister said she wanted to investigate is related to Reine?)

Kotori frowned, lost in thought.

What a coincidence. At this moment, there was a sound of gentle footsteps not far from the corridor.

Kotori turned around and saw the brown-haired girl named Ryogi Yumezuki walking slowly towards her.

(Dream--?!)

Kotori was about to say hello, but when she saw Mengyue put her index fingers in front of her lips and closed her right eye, she chose to remain silent.

That was the secret code everyone agreed on with Mengyue during training in the virtual world - Mo Li, Mo Hui.

When Mengyue makes this gesture, you must ignore her. No matter what Mengyue says, don't pay attention to her and treat her as if she doesn't exist.

This is also to a certain extent a way of taking advantage of the loophole that the Whispering Chapter cannot directly observe the Yin-Yang Dream Moon, so as to prevent some important information from being known by Westcott.

"...Ha, I have nothing to do when I'm free. Junai, is there anything you can recommend to kill time?"

Pretending not to see Mengyue, Qinli spoke to Junai on the phone.

[That's true. Then I'll recommend the soap opera that Yoshino often watches at the noon theater. ]

As she spoke, the display screen not far from Kotori automatically began playing a clichéd love drama.

At the same time, Mengyue also walked over to Qinli and sat down in the seat next to her.

"Sorry for the wait, Kotori. I'm here to fulfill my promise and report to you what I know."

Kotori drank the papaya milk in her hand, pretending to watch TV, and listened to Mengyue's words calmly.

"I think you already know from Junai that Shidou asked Reine out on a date. So I'll get straight to the point and start with the conclusion. Murasame Reine is an elf. Her real name is Takamiya Mio. She is the Phantom that turned you and Miku into elves. She was also the first elf to appear in this world thirty years ago."

"Ugh—cough—ah—cough—"

Kotori accidentally choked on the milk and started coughing.

(How is it possible? Reine is an elf? Or a Phantom from that time? The first elf that appeared thirty years ago? And Takamiya Mio is not Mana and her brother's——)

The overly shocking information made Qin Li's mind a little confused.

[Oh my? What's wrong, Kotori-chan? You're so excited just by the kissing scene. I didn't expect our commander-sama to be so innocent.]

"…No, I just choked accidentally."

Giving Junai a displeased look, Kotori wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, touched the black headband on her head, then adjusted her mood and looked at the TV again.

"Then I'll continue."

Meng Yue's voice rang in my ears again.

"About thirty years ago, she, as the original spirit, came to a certain city. There she met Shidou, was adopted by their family as their daughter, and was given the name Takamiya Mio."

(Thirty years ago? But Shidou was only seventeen years old.)

"You may be wondering, how could Shidou know Mio when he was not even born at that time? Strictly speaking, the one who adopted Mio was not Shidou, but an ordinary man named Takamiya Shinji. He refused to hand Mio over to DEM, and was killed by the other party as a result."

"—!!"

Hearing this, Kotori's pupils suddenly contracted, but she still controlled her emotions.

"Then, Mio used some method to revive Shinshi, turning him into a baby with no memories of the past. This is the Shido we know. Mio changed her name to Murasame Reine, an ordinary person. As for why they didn't recognize each other and caused so much trouble behind the scenes, it's probably all for Shinshi."

(For... Shinshi?)

When Kotori heard Mengyue's nickname, she had a bad feeling in her heart.

"This is my guess. I'm afraid that for her, the resurrection of Shinshi is not complete, or it is not yet complete. Shidou may be closer to the physical container used to resurrect Shinshi. She turned humans into spirits, and then let Shidou seal the power of the spirits in his body. It should be a transfer of the power of the spirits so that Shidou can achieve some kind of evolution."

(Some kind of evolution...)

Kotori couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Indeed, as long as Shidao didn't suffer a fatal injury, he could heal himself. If he abused the power in his body, destroying Japan would not be a joke.

"There are only two spirit crystals left that Shidao has not sealed yet, and she is very close to her goal." Meng Yue analyzed, "I am afraid that when we start a melee with DEM and Kurumi, she will take advantage of the chaos to seize the remaining spirit crystals and complete the resurrection of the real Shidao."

"..."

[What's wrong, Kotori? You haven't said anything since a while ago. ]

"Sorry, I was too focused. I was just wondering what the male protagonist was feeling at that moment."

Kotori said, pointing at the TV.

[Ah~ Isn't this obvious? He must be trying to show off in front of the woman he likes. And that's——]

"Shidou knows these things. Or rather, I basically learned these from him. Rokuko's unsealing master did help him regain his past memories."

Meng Yue explained further after understanding the hidden meaning in the piano.

Hearing this, Kotori pursed her lips nervously. To be honest, if Mengyue said that Shidou did not recover his memory, she would feel relieved. If he remembered another memory, would he become Takamiya Shinshi, no longer Gokawa Shidou, no longer her brother.

As if Mengyue saw her uneasiness, Qinli felt her head being gently stroked.

"Recalling the past doesn't mean that the time you spent with Shidou was fake. Although I asked Shidou to date Reine because I wanted to use her to obtain information, I said that I just wanted to help Reine get over the past. So don't worry. I don't think what you are worried about will happen."

Although she was a little unhappy about being treated like a child, Kotori did feel a little relieved.

"Well, that's the end of my report. I'll leave now. Good night, Kotori. Ah - it's annoying to be talking to myself."

As she spoke, Mengyue stood up, and the sound of her footsteps gradually moved away from Qinli until they disappeared from the lounge.

Looking up at the sky, Qin Li was digesting the information Meng Yue brought her, and her heart was as complicated as if a bottle of overturned five flavors.

(Origin Spirit, Phantom, Resurrection of the True Spirit... In the end, are you just using me to help Shidou seal the spirits? Reine...)

Reine is Kotori's subordinate, but in Kotori's eyes, she is a close friend who is older than her. During the time when she became an elf and became the commander of Fraxinus, she also received a lot of help and support from Reine.

The other party was getting close to her for other purposes. The so-called friendship was just her wishful thinking. Thinking of this possibility, Qin Li felt betrayed and wanted to go to Lingyin's room right now to confront him.

But at the same time, she also vaguely understood Lingyin's feelings.

Once you have experienced the pain of separation, you will be very afraid of losing again. After she learned that Shidao might be killed by DEM, she was a little reluctant to let Shidao go to the battlefield again.

[You traitor, I will never forgive you! ! ]

Seeing the scenes broadcast on TV, Kotori couldn't help but frown and asked Junai.

"Ju Nai, what on earth is this drama about that has led to this?"

【Oh? Don’t you understand? 】

"Asking knowingly."

【Hi Hi~ Actually, the heroine who thought they were truly in love unexpectedly discovered that the other party approached her for other purposes, so she broke up in anger. But in fact, the hero gradually developed a liking for the heroine after spending time together. But fate played tricks on them, and the misunderstanding between the two deepened due to various mistakes. In the end, after the hero sacrificed himself for the heroine, the heroine finally woke up and cried for everything she had lost. 】

After listening to Junai's introduction which was almost a spoiler, Kotori's brows grew deeper and deeper.

"…Are you sure Yoshino likes to watch this?"

【Well, a must-see every week. 】

“…Haha—my head hurts.”