Actions and expressions: **

Thoughts: ()

...

Narrator's POV

As Y/n was running towards the school exit, Shiori was running through the city streets looking for Kotori

Shiori: (I have to run faster, if something happens to Kotori, i-?!)

Suddenly, the inevitable happened. When Shiori turned a corner, she saw how a spacequake appeared not far from where she was

The spacequake was so strong that it sent Shiori flying a few meters backwards

As the quake stopped, Shiori opened her eyes, finding everything shattered in front of her

Shiori: What the-?

Carefully, Shiori began to slowly approach the place where the spacequake stopped

When Shiori reached the edge of the crater, she stopped and looked into it, causing her to make a surprised face

Shiori: A... Girl...?

That's right, in the middle of the crater was a girl in armor in front of a throne, said throne had the hilt of a sword on top of it

The moment the girl noticed Shiori's presence, she took the hilt that was on the throne, pulled it and pulled out a sword, with which she made a vertical cut in the air in Shiori's direction

As she did this, a wave of purple energy shot out of the sword, which passed through Shiori's side, causing her to close her eyes tightly

???: You too...?

Due to the question, Shiori opened her eyes, finding the girl just a few meters away from her, pointing her sword at her neck

???: You too... are you here to kill me?

Stunned by the question, Shiori fell backwards, sitting on the ground

On the girl's side, she kept pointing her sword at Shiori

???: You also came to kill me, right? If so, I'll finish you right now

This comment alerted Shiori, who quickly reacted

Shiori: W-Wait! I would never do something like that!

???: What?

Shiori: I'd never be able to kill someone! Also, who-?!

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of something approaching towards both of them

Confused, they looked up at the sky, noticing how a group of girls was flying towards them, one of them being the super genius girl, Tobiichi Origami

The first thing Origami and the group of girls did was launch missiles at both of them, to which the armored girl responded by raising her hand towards them

When the missiles were about to hit the girl, a purple barrier appeared, stopping the missiles

???: Why don't they realize that all this is useless...?

Immediately afterwards, the missiles exploded, although they did not hurt the girl due to the barrier

Origami and the group of girls didn't flinch, they just kept launching more missiles, so the armored girl responded by jumping, then destroying all the missiles with a single swing of her sword

All this was seen by Shiori, who was still stunned by everything that was happening

Shiori: (Why that girl...?)

Suddenly, the armored girl looked at Shiori for a few seconds, letting her see her face

Shiori: (She has incredible strength... But she looks so sad...)

The attack of the group of flying girls didn't stop, so the armored girl turned to face the front again and began to destroy the new missiles that were thrown at her

The girl finally decided to counterattack, so she made an X-slash in the air, causing two waves of energy to fly towards the group of girls, which they narrowly dodged

Determined, Origami moved away from the other girls and launched herself head-on against the girl in armor, being noticed by her, who went down to the ground and then looked ahead, finding Origami's weapon

Without hesitation, Origami pulled the trigger, so the armored girl stopped the shot with the palm of her hand

After this, the armored girl counterattacked making several slashes with her sword, which Origami miraculously dodged

After doing a backflip, Origami fell behind Shiori, who finally realized who she was

Shiori: You're the girl who sits between Y/n and me...

Due to the comment, Origami looked down, noticing Shiori

Origami: Itsuka Shiori?

Shiori: W-What are you doing here...? And what the hell with those clothes...?

The small conversation between the two did not last long, since the girl in armor released a wave of energy at both of them

Origami dodged the energy wave with a jump, while Shiori was blown away due to it

As she fell, Origami pulled out a hilt, from which came out an energy sword with which she attacked the armored girl, who defended herself using her own sword

Both began to exchange blows, neither giving the other a chance to counterattack

This lasted several seconds until, in one of those sword clashes, an explosion happened

Meanwhile with Y/n

After running for a while, Y/n had already left the school and was now running through the streets looking for Shiori, but suddenly stopped when he heard the sound of something exploding

Y/n: (What the hell was that?)

Sirin: (I don't know, but it's best to get away)

Ignoring the explosion sound, Y/n took out his phone and looked at the screen, noticing how there was a message saying "Connection lost", causing him to lightly squeeze the phone

Y/n: (Damn, why now?!)

Airin: (Well, now what?)

Frustrated, Y/n put his phone away and started running in the opposite direction of where he heard the explosion

Y/n: (I just have to pray that Shiori continued in a straight line from where she was last time I checked her location)

With Shiori

Returning to Shiori, she had fainted after the explosion that caused the sword strike between Origami and the armored girl, but now she was waking up

As soon as she opened his eyes, she saw a flashlight pointed directly at her eye

Without warning, Shiori abruptly stood up while breathing heavily

???: It seems you're awake

Confused, Shiori turned to where the voice came from, noticing a woman standing next to her

Shiori: W-Who are you?

Reine: I am the analysis officer, Murasame Reine, and don't worry, I may not be a doctor, but I can still do basic care

Shiori: (The last thing was a bit worrying...) Um, could you tell me where I am?

Reine: In the Fraxinus's infirmary, we brought you here while you were unconscious

Shiori: Fraxinus...? Unconscious...?

Suddenly, Shiori remembered what had happened a few moments ago

Shiori: That's right, I got in the middle of a fight... Wait, Kotori!

As she remembered the fight between Origami and the armored girl, she finally remembered why she ended up there in the first place

Shiori: My little sister, I'm looking for her! She was in front of a restaurant instead of a shelter, and then-

Reine: Calm down, she's fine

Shiori: H-Huh?

Reine: I know you have many questions, but I'm not the right person to answer them. The commander can do it

Shiori: Commander...?

Reine: That's right. Follow me, it's waiting for you

Desperate for answers, Shiori nodded her head and got off the bed before following Reine

...

After a while, they both arrived at what seemed to be some kind of control room, where they were greeted by a blond man who looked at Shiori with a smile

Kannazuki: Nice to meet you, I'm the vice-commander, Kannazuki Kyouhei

After introducing himself, Kannazuki bowed slightly, while Shiori looked away, finding someone she didn't expect to see there

Shiori: Kotori?!

Kotori, who was sitting in the commander's chair, looked at Shiori with a smile

Kotori: Welcome aboard. This is my command center, the Ratatoskr

After saying this, Kotori turned to the front, looking at a huge screen which displayed a picture of the armored girl from a while ago

Kotori: That girl over there is something known as a spirit, which we just lost, in other words, she disappeared

As she spoke, the image changed, now showing the same girl from a slightly further perspective

Kotori: And this is-

Shiori: W-Wait a second!

A bit irritated, Kotori turned to Shiori

Kotori: What's wrong? You are receiving an explanation directly from the commander, you should be crying with happiness, although for now I will give you the privilege of licking my feet

Due to the comment, Shiori made a surprised face as she backed up a bit

Kannazuki: Really?!

Kotori: Not you!

Suddenly, Kotori punched Kannazuki hard in the stomach, causing him to make a happy face

Kannazuki: Thank you!

Due to Kotori's attitude, Shiori was doubting whether it was really her or not

Shiori: Are you really Kotori...?

Kotori: What? Did you forget your sister's face, Shiori?

Shiori: (She just called me by my name?!)

Kotori: I knew you had a bad memory, but I didn't think it was that bad. Maybe I should find an asylum or something for you

Shiori decided better to ignore this comment and better try to solve her doubts

Shiori: What are you doing here? Where is here? Besides-

Kotori: Slow down, I'll tell you the details later, but for now I want to make something clear to you. First of all-

As she spoke, Kotori turned to the screen showing the armored girl in the middle of the crater, so Shiori looked at the screen as well

Kotori: She's a spirit, beings that shouldn't exist in this world, when they get here they generate explosions

Shiori: Explosions...?

Kotori: I'm beginning to believe that your brain has broken down. In other words, the phenomenon known as spacequakes are caused when a spirit comes to earth

Shiori: (W-What? She did that...?)

Kotori: Secondly...

Suddenly, the image on the screen changed, now showing Origami and her group

Kotori: These are the AST, they are the Anti-Spirit Team. If a spirit appears, they come to the place and take care of it. Basically, they kill them

Shiori: T-They kill them?!

Due to this revelation, Shiori finally understood why the armored girl was asking her if she was there to kill her

Kotori: Third, apart from AST, there is another method to deal with spirits, although for this method we need your help, Shiori

Shiori: My help...?

Kotori: Your training starts tomorrow. I have to do some preparations, but for now, you should go to school as usual

Shiori: W-Wait! What kind of training are you talking about? And what do you want me to do?!

Angry, Kotori stepped on Kannazuki, who squirmed in pleasure

Kotori: I didn't ask for your approval, all I want to hear from you is a "yes"

This statement caught Shiori off guard, who made a surprised face

Kotori: By the way, I know that half of your neurons are dead, but what were you doing outside? Do you want to die?

Shiori: I was looking for you! You were the one who told me to go to that stupid restaurant even if a spacequake happened!

Kotori: Yes, I said it, although to believe it, it seems that I was wrong. More than half of your neurons are dead

Shiori: Of course I believed it, the GPS said you were in the restaurant!

Kotori: The GPS...? Oh, that's because now we're above of the restaurant

Shiori: Huh?

Kotori: Turn off the filter

Suddenly, the whole place changed. Now you could perfectly see what was outside

Kotori: Right now, we are 15k feet above Tenguu city. We are inside the Fraxinus

Surprised, Shiori looked at the city under her feet for several seconds until the filter was activated again

Kotori: Anyway, now go away. I have things to do

Shiori: W-Wait!

Kotori: *Sighs* Now what?

Shiori: What about Y/n? I don't see him around here, where is he?

Kotori: Most likely, he is in a safe place. Unlike you, you airhead

Shiori: Wait, does that mean he doesn't know anything about this...?

Kotori: That's right. After all, that other method of dealing with spirits only requires you, not Y/n. More importantly…

Suddenly, Kotori's expression changed to one of concern

Kotori: If he knew, his life could be in danger. After all, he would surely try to help us help the spirits

Shiori: I see...

Kotori: Having said that…

Suddenly, Kotori looked at Shiori with a serious expression, causing Shiori to swallow hard

Kotori: Don't even think about telling him about all this, understand?

Shiori: Y-Yes!

Kotori: In that case get out of here. I have a lot to do

Shiori just nodded and then turned to Reine, who started walking towards the exit, so Shiori followed her

With Shiori no longer there, Kotori let out a sigh

Kotori: (For nothing in the world Y/n should know about this, I don't want to risk losing him...)

Inadvertently, Kotori clenched her hands tightly and gritted her teeth

With Y/n

Returning with Y/n, he kept looking for Shiori without any success

Y/n: (Where the hell is she?) Shiori! Are you here?!

Despite his screams, no one responded, indicating that she was not around

Sirin: (To all this, why did she come out in the first place?)

Y/n: (I don't know, but it has to be something important to risk being hit by a spacequake)

Y/n kept running until he remembered something

Y/n: (I think I'll check in the area where we heard explosions. I didn't want to go but I have to make sure)

Sirin: (Hmm, before you do that, why don't you check your phone? Maybe it already has connection again)

Y/n: (I don't lose anything trying)

Following Sirin's suggestion, Y/n took out his phone and opened the GPS app

It took a few seconds to load but when it did it showed Shiori's location, which was inside her house

Seeing this, Y/n breathed a sigh of relief before starting to run towards his house while Sirin grunted

Sirin: (You here risking being hit by a spacequake and she is calm at home)

Y/n: (That doesn't matter, the important thing is that she is okay)

Sirin: (You wouldn't think the same if a spacequake had hit your face)

Y/n: (If that had happened we wouldn't be having this conversation)

Without saying anything else, Y/n kept running towards his house

...

After running for a while, Y/n got home, so he took a second to catch his breath and then he walked in, slamming the door open

Y/n: Shiori, are you here?!

Shiori: I'm in the living room!

Shiori's voice was heard in the distance, so Y/n walked to the living room door and opened it, finding Shiori watching TV

Now that he was completely sure that Shiori was alright, Y/n sighed and fell to his knees, exhausted from running through half the city in just a few minutes

That's right, half the city. The only part he didn't check was where he heard the explosion since it was far from the place where Shiori was the last time he checked her location before he lost connection

Seeing how Y/n fell to his knees, Shiori got up worried and approached him

Shiori: Are you alright?! Something happened?!

Angry, Y/n stood up and pointed a finger at Shiori

Y/n: That's right! What the hell were you doing outside during a spacequake?!

Shiori: H-Huh?

Y/n's question caught Shiori off guard, who stepped back a bit and began to sweat

Shiori: I-I have no idea what you're t-talking about

Y/n: Don't play dumb. When you didn't get to the shelter I got worried so I called you to ask where you were, you didn't answer

This took Shiori by surprise, who took her phone out of her skirt and looked at it. Sure enough, there were 10 missed calls from Y/n

Seeing this, Shiori put on a nervous smile while scratching her cheek

Shiori: Ha-Hahaha. I-I didn't hear it... *Sigh* I'm sorry...

After saying this, Shiori lowered her head a bit, causing Y/n to let out a sigh

Y/n: Never mind, you are safe and that's what matters. But could you at least tell me what you were doing outside?

Shiori: W-Well...

Shiori was hesitating what to say. She wanted to tell him about what happened during the spacequake but then she remembered what Kotori told her, causing her to sigh

Shiori: (I don't want to lie to him but there's no other choice) W-Well, what happened was...

...

Y/n: I see... *Sighs* Sorry I didn't notice. I could have helped you look for her

Shiori: N-Don't worry. I was the one who decided not to tell you anything, I didn't want to risk your life too

Summarizing what Shiori told him, she told him about the GPS saying that Kotori was in front of a restaurant instead of a shelter and how she went to look for her, leaving out the spacequake and what happened after that

Shiori: Also, it was a false alarm. Turns out that Kotori dropped her phone in front of the restaurant, that's why her location was there

Y/n: *sighs* That's a relief... But I'm still sorry I didn't help you...

Shiori: It doesn't matter, I know very well that if you had noticed you wouldn't have hesitated for a second to go looking for her

Shiori's words cheered up y/n a bit, who felt bad for not taking the trouble to call Kotori to see if she was alright

Y/n: By the way, where is Kotori?

Shiori: Oh, when I went to school to give her the phone, she told me that she would be a little late since she had an exhibition

Y/n: I see...

Shiori: (I don't like lying to him like this but it's for the best. Seeing the destruction that girl is capable of with a single movement of her weapon, it's best that Y/n doesn't get involved in this...)

Sirin: (Y/n)

Hearing Sirin's voice, Y/n looked away from Shiori and started to look the wall

Y/n: (What's up?)

Sirin: (I just remembered that we should visit someone)

Y/n: (Hmm? Who are you talking abo- That's right!)

Suddenly, Y/n remembered what Sirin was talking about, so he turned around and walked towards the door, confusing Shiori

Shiori: Where are you going?

Y/n: I remembered I have to do something so I'm going out

Shiori: Don't be late, it's almost time to eat

Y/n: I'll try

Without saying anything else, Y/n left the living room and walked to his room, went inside and locked the door behind him

Y/n: (I hope she's not upset, the last time we were late she didn't want to talk to me for a week)

Sirin: (Then let's go)

Nodding, Y/n snapped his fingers, causing a portal to appear in front of him

Without hesitation, Y/n entered the portal and closed it

...

When he got out of the portal, Y/n appeared inside a cave that seemed to be empty

But the reality was different, since a few steps from Y/n was a white and blue dragon which seemed to be sleeping

Seeing the sleeping dragon, Y/n gave a slight smile before walking towards its head and patting it

Y/n: Wake up, Benares

To be continued...