With that one warning, Shichen simply vanished right there in front of Yoimachi Tsukino.
She still wasn't scared.
Yoimachi stood where she was, not caring much about him disappearing out of nowhere. Instead, she turned his words over in her head.
"'Their true ugliness'…?"
The next morning, when Yoimachi woke up and checked her phone, she finally understood what he meant.
She was in the news.
They'd fabricated a scandal about her — baseless, without a shred of proof — smearing her name.
The content was disgusting and humiliating. A few casual photos of her going in and out of the agency and workplaces were used to claim she was "involved" with men, living a chaotic, indecent life.
Every last detail was a complete lie.
But no one questioned it. In the comments, the "fans" who had once claimed they liked her were all cursing her, spewing insults, filthy and vile.
She knew it was all fake. So why didn't anyone believe her?
Those people who had said they liked her, liked her songs, would always support her — was this what they really were?
It was all a lie.
They only liked her because of her looks. It had nothing to do with anything else.
They just wanted to lust after her.
They'd said they liked her songs… but this had nothing to do with the music, right?
So this was what he meant by "ugly".
Watching the comment section fill up with more and more cruel words, not a hint of kindness, Yoimachi felt her hands and feet go cold, her whole being hollowed out.
It felt like the sky was collapsing on her. She had no idea what she could possibly do.
Helplessness and despair wrapped around her heart, and her mind blanked out completely.
"Do you want power?"
Just then, that mosaic-filtered voice sounded by her ear.
"Power…?" Yoimachi repeated numbly.
"Yes. Power — power that will let you take revenge on them."
"Revenge…?"
"They did this to you, slandered you out of nowhere, just because you refused to play along with their 'unspoken rules'. Don't you think that's going too far?"
"Too far? No. They're disgusting." Yoimachi's eyes hardened, turning ice-cold.
"Exactly. Disgusting. So don't you want power to punish them?"
"Punish…?"
"They're vicious and shameless — they'll do anything to get what they want. All of this is just to force you to submit."
"Submit? I'd never agree to that!"
"Right. But what about other girls? Not everyone has your resolve. They'll get drawn into those men's claws and suffer humiliation."
"Disgusting."
"Exactly. Those disgusting people casually abuse the authority they have. They pay no price at all. They could erase this slander with a word, but they don't care about how much damage it causes. They only think about themselves."
"They only think about themselves…"
"People like that deserve punishment."
"I want to punish them. I want to make sure they can never hurt anyone else again."
"Then do you want this power? It'll let you punish them."
A ball of light suddenly appeared in the room. Inside that glow, a faint, translucent crystal hovered.
"What is that…?" Yoimachi lay on her bed, staring in shock at the crystal floating in midair.
"This is power. With it, you can do whatever you want."
"Do whatever I want… I want that power!"
"Very well. It's yours."
The crystal slowly descended, its light filling the entire room, reflecting in Yoimachi's eyes. She stared at it without blinking, as if the glare didn't exist, gaze fixed only on the gem.
The crystal fell against her chest, then sank straight into her body.
"Urgh—!"
Her eyes flew wide open, her face twisting in pain — it felt like something was tearing her heart apart from the inside.
The crystal was fusing with her body.
When something suddenly tries to merge with you, of course it hurts — and on top of that, there's the issue of compatibility. A normal person couldn't withstand it.
Some people who couldn't endure the fusion and adaptation of the crystal turned into monsters.
But this crystal was already a finished product. Someone else had paid the price before her — and Yoimachi Tsukino was the most compatible host.
Otherwise, the mosaic wouldn't have singled her out.
Soon, Yoimachi was completely wrapped in light, as though her whole body had been coated in a glowing film. Inside her, spiritual power surged violently.
No one had to explain anything. Knowledge bloomed in her mind — the name of what she had just awakened.
"Shaddai El Chai — Astral Dress, Ninth Spirit."
The moment she recited the name, her body floated up, then slowly touched down beside the bed, bare feet landing lightly. Her clothes began to change.
Her pajamas vanished, and in the glow, a luminous dress took shape.
It was a fitted top that hugged the lines of her body, with loose princess sleeves. Over that, bands of light formed a short, open-front jacket-like overlay. Below, layers upon layers of translucent skirts of light blossomed outward into a lavish dress.
When her dazzling outfit fully manifested, a moon-shaped accessory appeared in her hair, shining softly.
At this moment, she looked exactly like an idol on stage.
"This is… an Astral Dress? I'm a spirit?" More knowledge flowed into Yoimachi's mind.
Of course, this outfit was an Astral Dress — a spirit's strongest armor.
"Exactly. You've now become a spirit. You have power beyond human limits. You can freely take revenge on them… and help other girls," the mosaic voice said.
"Revenge… help…" Yoimachi clenched her fists and murmured.
More information unfurled in her thoughts — what she could do, the nature of her powers, what she could do to people — everything detail-clear.
With power like this, she could do whatever she wanted.
But… was she really going to?
If she used her power to rampage and do whatever she pleased, wouldn't she be no different from those disgusting men?
But those men did deserve punishment…
"Hm? He's here too? And he's from the future again? Before or after this point? …Better not meet him yet."
The mosaic glanced in a certain direction, muttered a few lines, then got ready to leave.
"I'm going now."
"You… don't need me to do anything?" Yoimachi asked.
"There's no need. You've already done enough for me."
"What?"
"Just like this… right now." With that, the mosaic's presence vanished from the room, not leaving behind even the faintest trace.
Yoimachi stared at the spot where it had just been, now empty.
The way it disappeared felt strangely similar to how that Shichen guy vanished last night…
Speaking of which — that Shichen had said he'd help her, and then just disappeared. Men really weren't wort—
"Looks like you really did become a spirit."
Before her thoughts could spiral, that familiar male voice sounded in the room again, and the owner of the voice appeared right in front of her.
"Shichen?" Yoimachi asked tentatively.
"It's me," Shichen nodded, letting his gaze roam over her.
She looked exactly like the figure he had in his memories.
He'd felt the surge of spiritual power and rushed over, but he was still a step too late.
The First Spirit's movements were fast.
But why wasn't that person visible now?
"Why are you here?" Yoimachi asked.
"You've changed into this — how could I not come?" Shichen shot back.
"You're… worried about me?"
"What else would I be? Do you have any idea what the consequences of this are?"
"Consequences…?"
"Now that you've become a spirit, your appearance will hardly change anymore. You'll stay young forever. You're no longer human — you're completely 'other'. Human society can't accept someone like you."
"Is that so… But this society already doesn't accept me." Yoimachi replied quietly, expression dim.
"How could it not?"
"How couldn't it?" Yoimachi suddenly raised her voice, emotions rushing to the surface.
"They slandered me with that garbage, ruined my name. From now on I won't even dare show my face in public. Anywhere I go, people will whisper about me. How am I supposed to live in this world?"
"Wait, you're kind of jumping to—"
"Didn't you say you were here to help me?" Yoimachi shouted, cutting him off.
"I thought you were actually some kind of prince, some angel come to help me… I'm terrified, you know. I didn't do anything wrong, but this is what I get. Why?" Her arms wrapped tight around herself, shoulders shaking.
Even with this new power, she was still scared. At the end of the day, she'd only been a girl who knew nothing but how to sing.
Shichen looked at her, stepped up, and gently ruffled her hair.
"Who said… I didn't help you?" he said softly.
"Eh?"