Chapter 241: The Turmoil of "Deep Interaction"
"Thought we were going to go hungry. Looks like big brother still remembered us after all. Seriously, why did you have to follow the Princess to the Neighboring World? That was really dangerous, you know."
Origami Tobiichi looked expressionlessly at Kotori beside her, then shifted her gaze back to the soap opera on the TV.
Realizing she had misspoken, Kotori immediately covered her mouth. Seeing that Origami showed no intention of pressing the issue, she finally let out a small sigh of relief.
At that moment, the sound of a key being inserted into the lock rang out. Kotori's eyes lit up as she jumped to her feet and rushed toward the living room entrance. Origami also stood up and silently followed behind her.
"So this is the home Lin and I will live in in the future? It's so big…"
Shido—no, Tohka—who entered first hadn't even finished her exclamation when her gaze collided head-on with Origami, who was standing in the hallway. After clearly seeing each other's faces, both instantly became wary.
Franklin followed closely behind, with Yoshino and Yoshinon entering the house along with him.
A startled cry rang out as Kotori rushed straight up to Franklin, forcibly pulling him out from between the two smaller girls and pushing him outside before slamming the door shut.
"Yoshino? Why did you bring Yoshino back here, big brother?! And why wasn't there any Spacequake warning? Why wasn't there any spiritual energy reaction?! Most importantly—why did Yoshino turn into two people?!?"
At this moment, Kotori's mind was filled with nothing but questions. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't figure out how Franklin had managed to pull this off.
"Relax. Their spiritual power has already been sealed. As for the rest, we'll talk about it later. If we don't step in now, things inside might actually turn into a fight."
Realizing she had lost control of her emotions, Kotori took a deep breath and finally let go of Franklin. When the door opened again, they saw Tohka and Origami already standing face to face, practically about to clash.
"Why are you here? This is Lin's and my home."
"Spirit, you're the one who came later. Lin and I already have experience with deep interaction."
"Deep interaction?"
Just as Franklin and Kotori finished taking in the scene, they saw Origami calmly making a hand gesture—one finger.
At that instant, only one thought flashed through Franklin's mind: It's over. I really should've held back this morning.
"Hmph. Lin and I also have experience with deep interaction. Lin was very proactive—he kept going even after I refused."
The moment Tohka said that, Kotori's eyes widened as she stared at Franklin in disbelief.
Origami still wore her usual expressionless face, but the shock in her gaze was unmistakable.
Franklin wanted to explain, but the words reached his lips only to be swallowed back down. If he explained it clearly, things would become even harder to deal with on Tohka's side. In the end, he simply chose to tacitly accept it.
At this moment, only Yoshinon truly understood how aggrieved Franklin was.
"Lin, did you really have deep interaction with that one?"
Hearing the voice echoing directly in his mind, Franklin looked at Yoshinon in surprise, only to receive a blink and an innocent expression in return.
"Don't stare. It's probably an unintended effect from the soul connection earlier. Now that there's a body you created and her spiritual power has been sealed, it resulted in some special side effects."
Ignoring Yoshinon's teasing, Franklin cleared his throat and looked at everyone.
"Well… don't get hung up on that. Tohka, didn't I already tell you before? Tokisaki Kurumi, Origami Tobiichi, and my little sister Kotori Itsuka—those are the three people I like. You're the fourth."
With Franklin speaking so openly, Tohka felt a little uncomfortable inside, but she quickly adjusted herself.
"I understand, Lin. But this Origami Tobiichi isn't a Spirit. What we agreed on was that only Spirits were allowed."
Seeing the obvious hostility toward Origami in Tohka's eyes, Franklin rubbed his forehead helplessly. The white crystal in his pocket was taken out for an instant, then put away again.
"Origami's situation is special. Now isn't the time yet. But our agreement is one hundred percent valid in this world. I can guarantee that."
Tohka, who knew the origin and function of Spirit Crystals, pursed her lips slightly before finally nodding.
"I'll get along with her properly."
"I won't. All Spirits must die. I hope you can always maintain your human form—otherwise, I will definitely kill you."
Provoked so directly, Tohka instantly flared up. The anger she had just suppressed surged back again, and the two moved close to each other once more, only a step away from fighting.
Franklin was utterly helpless, but there really wasn't much he could do.
"Origami, don't forget our agreement. As long as Spirits become human, you're not allowed to attack them anymore."
"I know this will be painful for you, even mentally torturous. But I promise you—some of the secrets about you, I'll tell you as soon as possible. When the full truth comes out, I believe your mindset will change greatly."
Origami stopped arguing with Tohka, silently turned around, and walked up to Franklin, staring straight into his eyes with seriousness.
"I want Lin to treat me the same way he treats that Spirit. Falling behind a Spirit—I'm not willing to accept that."
Such a blunt request made Kotori's cheeks flush red.
"No way! I don't agree! You and big brother aren't even in a relationship—how can you do those things? Absolutely not!"
Origami gave Kotori a calm glance, paying her words no heed at all.
"Lin, I won't fall behind a Spirit."
After saying that, Origami turned and walked back into the living room. Seeing her drop the topic so easily, Kotori felt relieved—but at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Shaking her head lightly, Kotori turned to Franklin.
"Big brother, we're short on rooms. There's only one empty room left. And more importantly—I'm starving to death. Hurry up and make dinner."
"If there aren't enough rooms, I can share one with Lin."
"I… Yoshinon and I can also… share a room with Lin…"
Looking at the small statures of Yoshino and Yoshinon, Kotori gave Franklin a strange look. That single glance made Franklin feel inexplicably guilty.
"Ahem. Let's discuss the room arrangements after dinner. First, let's take care of dinner for Kotori and everyone else. We should also take this chance to properly introduce everyone.
"We're going to be spending a long time together in the future. Staying in a constant state of hostility isn't realistic—we should try to ease things as much as possible."
Yoshino nodded lightly in agreement.
"Lin… is right… we should try to understand each other… hurting each other… really hurts…"
Tohka wanted to say something, but after looking at Franklin, Yoshino, and Yoshinon, she turned her head slightly and swallowed the words back down.
After dinner, Origami's attitude toward Tohka remained cold, while Kotori had already started chatting animatedly with Yoshinon.
Watching the two of them whisper to each other and occasionally glance his way, Franklin felt a distinct chill run down his spine.