Five years ago, Tengū City didn't look that different from now—just a bit older.
Of course, five years of development isn't nothing; compared to the present, there were noticeably fewer tall buildings back then.
"Nothing's really changed…"
Having returned to five years in the past, Origami looked around and muttered to herself.
The scenery around her was exactly the same as in her memories.
"Well, that's normal, isn't it? It's not like you weren't here five years ago," Shichen said with a smile, ruffling her hair.
"That's true…"
Origami pressed her lips together. The realization that they really were five years in the past hit her, and her heart began to race.
Her parents were here. Right now. Somewhere in this city.
"Shichen-san!" She looked up at him, voice full of desperate hope.
"I know. We're here to find out what happened—so first, let's go see your mom and dad—"
Before he could finish, a change in the distant sky caught his attention.
Far away, the sky suddenly turned bright red, as if something were on fire.
And it was. Under that burning-red sky, a massive pillar of flame erupted upward, then burst outward, scattering like a fiery wave.
In an instant, the surrounding area was engulfed in flames. Fire surged across the streets like a rising tide, swallowing buildings and greenery alike.
Soon, screams rang out—people crying out in fear and begging for help.
Rumble, rumble—
Chaotic footsteps thundered through the streets as residents fled in a panic.
"This is…?" Shichen frowned, and the reason clicked in his mind.
This moment, five years ago, wasn't only the turning point in Origami's life—it was also the turning point in Kotori's.
This was when Itsuka Kotori became a Spirit.
"That fire… is Kotori, isn't it?" Origami recognized the abnormal flames too.
"Yeah. This should be the moment Kotori turns into a Spirit."
"So that's how it is… Then, Shichen-san, you should go help Kotori," Origami said immediately.
"But you…"
"I'll be fine. I'm a Spirit now too; I won't go down that easily." Origami smiled slightly, trying to reassure him.
"…Got it. I'll come find you as soon as I can." Shichen didn't hesitate and made his decision.
"Okay."
Right now, Kotori needed him more. And things were different this time—there was no way Origami would accidentally attack her own parents now.
More importantly, he knew: her parents hadn't died. They'd vanished.
"Oh, right—whatever happens, don't fight. Don't attack, no matter what you see. Even if you run into the First Spirit," Shichen warned, just in case.
"Okay." Origami nodded. She didn't know why he was asking that of her, but she trusted him.
They split up. Origami headed toward her house, while Shichen sprinted toward the source of the flames.
He hadn't marked this time point in space, so he couldn't just teleport straight there.
Still, it wasn't far.
The pillar of fire had erupted from a park. Now, in the middle of it, a little girl in a red kimono that looked like a shrine maiden's outfit was kneeling on the ground, sobbing.
Her hair was a vivid shade of red—impossible to mistake. It was a young Kotori.
But she wasn't alone.
Right beside her stood a mass of distortion, like someone had slapped a mosaic over reality itself.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The mosaic noticed Shichen. Whatever it said came out garbled, as if censored, but the surprise—and the delight—in its tone were obvious.
"Kotori!"
Ignoring it, Shichen rushed to Kotori's side, helping her up and pulling her into his arms.
"Who… are you…?" Kotori looked up at him through tear-filled eyes, her voice small and shaking.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here to protect you," Shichen said gently, smiling down at her.
"Protect me…?"
"Yeah. You don't have to worry. Everything's going to be okay. Nothing bad is going to happen to you." He softly patted her little head.
"R-Really…?"
"I wouldn't lie to you."
"Th-That's… great…"
Kotori threw herself into his chest and burst into fresh tears.
"Uuu… I don't know why I turned into this… I thought I'd done something terrible… uu…"
"It's fine, it's fine. It's all small stuff. As long as I'm here, you'll be okay," Shichen soothed her, patting the back of her head.
"Mm!"
Kotori nodded vigorously in his arms, her crying gradually quieting down.
Good thing she was still small—it made it easier to calm her down.
Once he'd reassured Kotori, Shichen finally looked back at the mosaic, his gaze sharp.
"Shichen~ We finally meet again. I knew I was doing the right thing," the mosaic said, voice brimming with excitement.
"'Again', huh… Why did you turn Kotori into a Spirit?" Shichen asked coldly.
He knew exactly who this mosaic was—the First Spirit—but there was no need to rip her mask off at this point in time.
First, he wanted to settle some things and then go even further back—to when she first came into existence—and get the truth before confronting her.
"Don't worry, Shichen. I won't hurt Kotori. The core I gave her is a fully tested one; there won't be any side effects," the mosaic replied quickly.
"'Fully tested', huh… But Kotori's just a kid. How is she supposed to control that kind of power?"
"I know she can't handle it right away, but I don't have a choice. I need to move on to the next phase of my research."
"Next phase?"
"New core experiments, of course."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Why…? Obviously, I'm doing it for you."
Her tone suddenly softened, tinged with loneliness.
"For me? What's that supposed to mean?" Shichen couldn't help asking.
"I can't tell you that yet. You're here from the future, aren't you?"
"You can tell?"
"Of course. If my Shichen existed in this era properly, there's no way I wouldn't know about it."
"Is that so… So what are you planning to do?"
"Just keep going~ Shichen, let's talk again in the future."
As soon as she said that, the mosaic vanished.
It was like a corrupted texture had just been patched out; she was simply gone, leaving no trace behind.
No spatial shift, no teleportation—Shichen couldn't sense anything about her exit.
Still, right now, she wasn't his biggest concern.
He lowered his gaze to Kotori, her small face still tear-stained.
"All right. It's really over now."
"Okay…" Kotori looked up at him and gave a pure, innocent smile.
"Shall we go home?"
"But I look like this…"
"True. It might hurt a little. Think you can bear it?" Shichen asked encouragingly.
"No problem! I'll endure it, Onii-chan!"
"Onii-chan, huh…" Shichen chuckled, then leaned down toward her neck. His fangs extended and gently pierced her skin.
"Mm~"
Kotori winced, brows knitting, but she stayed still and endured it.
Shichen took just a small taste of her blood, then began transferring his own into her.
"Okay, Kotori, try to control that power inside you."
"Control it…"
Kotori thought about it, then focused. She could feel a force within her, one she could move at will—so she pulled it inward, drawing it back.
At the same time, particles of light began to glow across her body. Her Astral Dress started dissolving, vanishing bit by bit.
In an instant, the crimson Spirit outfit disappeared—and Kotori was left pale and bare.
"Th-This…?"
Realizing what had happened, she hurriedly clutched her arms around herself, cheeks blazing red.
Her clothes had already burned away earlier. With the Astral Dress gone, there was nothing left.
Small and delicate, her skin was smooth and white as carved jade.
"Heh, that outfit was your Astral Dress. It's formed by that power inside you. Once you pull it all back into your body, of course it disappears," Shichen explained, while reaching into his Treasury.
He had plenty of clothes in there that could fit little Kotori, including underwear. She was about the same size as Ai Hoshino had been when he'd prepared outfits for her, and Shichen had long since stocked clothing for everyone in all sorts of styles.
Kotori accepted the clothes and turned her back to him to change, only showing him a small bare back and a tiny round bottom.
Not that it mattered much—he'd already seen everything from the front, and she figured it was better to just get changed as quickly as she could.
Shichen didn't bother staring. She was still so young—it didn't feel right.
She wasn't like Kanna, who could be over ten thousand years old and still look like that.
Kotori finished changing quickly. Now she wore a white princess dress; when she turned back around, her face was still flushed, and she was obviously embarrassed.
"Onii-chan… I'm done…"
"Mm. Let's go home," Shichen said, patting her small head.
"Okay!"
Holding Kotori's little hand, Shichen followed her toward her house. This wasn't the later apartment—it was the house she'd lived in back then.
"Oh, right. Are your mom and dad home?"
"They are."
"Hm?"