Watching Koushi and Hiroto, those two clowns, finally disappear outside the store, Kotori, in her maid uniform, let out a long, silent sigh, feeling more mentally exhausted than commanding a Spirit engagement.
She rubbed her slightly stiff cheeks, put back on her professional sweet smile, and bowed slightly to the other customers in the store whose attention had been momentarily drawn by the commotion, perfectly resolving the small incident.
"Seriously... those two troublesome guys are finally gone."
She muttered softly, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible fatigue.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly and successfully scared them off with the accusation of "hentai," otherwise Heaven knows what other trouble those two idiots would have caused, ruining the dating atmosphere Shido had finally managed to stabilize.
"Those two idiots almost ruined everything. But... by some twist of fate, they also helped bring Tohka here to Shido."
Just then, Murasame Reine also walked out from the back kitchen area. She was still wearing her white lab coat, completely out of place with the sweet and cute aesthetic of the store.
She walked over to Kotori, her gaze sweeping over Tohka nearby, who was immersed in the extreme happiness brought by the combination of kinako bread and ice cream, flashing a brilliant smile at Shido from time to time.
She then adjusted her glasses, looking at Little Shido, who was flustered but seemed to be gradually getting into the swing of things.
"From the current observation, Little Shido's response... is satisfactory. Tohka's mood is very stable, and she has shown extreme interest in 'dating' and 'food.' The initial contact objective has been achieved."
"Temporarily stable," Kotori said, lowering her voice.
"Tohka is extremely lacking in common knowledge about modern society, but her learning ability and adaptability seem very strong. Her mood is currently very positive, especially concerning kinako bread... her reaction was a bit too enthusiastic."
Her mouth twitched slightly as she recalled Tohka's dangerous declaration about "starting a war."
Reine nodded, recording the information. "What about Shido's performance?"
"He's... passable," Kotori pouted. "Although he was a bit clumsy, he at least maintained basic sincerity and didn't trot out the greasy rhetoric taught by Fraxinus. It seems Chinatsu's comment yesterday about 'not liking sleazy boys' did have a certain deterrent effect."
At the mention of Chinatsu, both of their expressions grew a little more serious.
"It's inconvenient here. Let's return to Fraxinus first," Kotori decided immediately.
She signaled the store manager, who was clearly one of their pre-arranged personnel, and then she and Reine quietly left the dessert shop via the employee passage... A moment later, on the Fraxinus bridge.
Kotori had already changed back into her familiar black Commander jacket and was once again sucking on a precious jewel, as if the maid uniform had been only a brief illusion.
She sat in the command chair, staring at the real-time monitoring reports of Tohka's various physiological data and mental state on the main screen.
"How is the situation?" She looked at the main screen.
"Tohka's silent manifestation was successful. Her mood is currently stable, and her favorable impression of Shido is steadily increasing. As long as there are no accidents, the conditions for the first sealing will soon be met."
"Very good." Kotori relaxed slightly, but then her brow furrowed again.
"Then... another issue. Regarding the Heavenly Judgment, have we detected any abnormal spiritual wave reactions? Especially since Tohka's silent manifestation."
"No, Commander. Since the silent manifestation of the 'Princess,' no spiritual energy fluctuations matching the Heavenly Judgment Herrscher have been detected."
She pulled up Chinatsu's data file; the golden eyes in the file seemed to be coldly watching everyone on the bridge.
"According to Tohka's previous testimony and the timeline we reconstructed, Chinatsu herself is a Spirit, possessing the power of the Heavenly Judgment, and may have later acquired the Spiritual Crystal representing the Herrscher of Reason, inherited from Welt Yang, through some means."
"She proposed an 'Anti-Entropy recruitment' plan, but when she tried to recruit Tohka yesterday, Tohka politely refused, citing 'wanting to be with everyone.'"
Kotori pondered for a moment, lightly tapping the armrest with her finger: "Tohka has clearly rejected her 'Anti-Entropy' invitation. Logically, she shouldn't waste any more time or effort on a failed target."
"Perhaps... she really has gone to look for the next Spirit who might be 'recruited,' as we previously speculated?"
This was the most logical inference. It is reasonable behavior for a powerful Spirit with a clear goal to move on to the next target after a failed recruitment attempt.
However, Murasame Reine slowly shook her head. She looked at Kotori with her heavily dark-ringed yet unusually clear eyes, proposing another possibility:
"There is another possibility, Kotori. Don't forget, she possesses the authority of the Herrscher of Reason. Even if that power might not be fully recovered due to core damage, it is not impossible for her ability to construct some miniature surveillance units that barely emit any spiritual energy."
She pointed to the image of Shido on the screen, emphasizing yesterday's "practical training."
"Let's recall the timing of Chinatsu's appearance yesterday—it was precisely after Shido accepted our...'special guidance' and said those... well, 'enthusiastic' lines to Tobiichi Origami and Teacher Okamine Tamie. Her appearance was, at least in part, clearly targeted and purposeful; she came specifically for Shido."
Reine thus concluded: "Therefore, we cannot rule out the possibility that Chinatsu might be continuously monitoring Shido through some means we haven't yet detected. Once Shido's words and actions touch her 'bottom line' again—"
"—such as demonstrating the'sleaziness' or 'frivolity' she despises, she will likely manifest again to 'correct' him, just like yesterday."
"The timing was too coincidental. If she wasn't constantly paying attention to Shido, how could she so accurately grasp the moment of his 'abnormal behavior' and immediately appear to 'correct' him?"
This deduction made the atmosphere on the bridge heavier. If Chinatsu really was continuously monitoring Shido, it meant that their every move, especially the strategies targeting Spirits, could be exposed to her surveillance.
This undoubtedly greatly increased the uncertainty and risk of their operation.
Kotori paused her movement of sucking the precious jewel, her expression turning grim: "Are you saying... she might be continuously... monitoring Shido using a method we can't detect?"
(Monitoring Shido constantly? That Chinatsu? What exactly does she want? Is it just because she can't stand Shido becoming a'scumbag'? Or does she still harbor a deeper... concern... for Shido?)
"The possibility is high."
Reine nodded. "This also explains why she hasn't appeared today. Because Shido's performance today, while clumsy, was'sincere' enough and aligned with the direction of her 'correction' yesterday. So she chose to hold her position and wait to see what happens.
This inference was more chilling than the idea that "Chinatsu has already left."
A powerful Spirit with unclear motives, who might be constantly monitoring Shido—or even Fraxinus itself—through some unknown means... Kotori took a deep breath, feeling that the precious jewel in her mouth was no longer sweet.
Regardless of the possibility, it meant they had to readjust their strategy for dealing with Chinatsu.
This Spirit, possessing dual powers and an unpredictable behavioral pattern, had already become the most complex and dangerous variable on Shido's path to sealing Spirits.
"Immediately increase the monitoring intensity on all transmitted signals, especially weak, non-typical energy signals! At the same time, re-evaluate all suspicious items that Shido has come into contact with!" Kotori ordered sharply.
"If she really is using this method to monitor us... then we must find her!"
She did not want her older brother's clumsy "acting" to draw out that troublesome white-haired Spirit again. Today's date must proceed smoothly!
Fraxinus tensed up once more due to Chinatsu's potentially omnipresent "attention."
They realized that the game against the Heavenly Judgment was far more than a direct confrontation of power; it was likely an omnipresent, hidden war of surveillance and counter-surveillance.
Meanwhile, Shido, who was currently strolling through the shopping district with Tohka and striving to act as a "sincere" date, remained completely oblivious to all of this.
He was even less aware that his every action might be silently watched by that "departed" white-haired girl, in a way he could not comprehend.
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