Chapter 271: A Stranger's Past
Everything about the girl before her had already been thoroughly investigated by her over the past few days during the infiltration of DEM Industries.
Origami Tobiichi—her parents died five years ago during the birth of the Flame Spirit. Her hatred toward Spirits surpassed that of anyone else.
Although meeting her again today felt strange, Kurumi inferred that this was likely due to Franklin's influence. But how great could that influence really be?
Could some things truly be changed so easily? Tokisaki Kurumi watched the two with great interest, watching how they would reach a consensus and move toward the future.
Staring at the white Spirit Crystal being handed to her, Origami Tobiichi's heart was filled with complexity.
Because her memories had been sealed, her parents' deaths were mistakenly attributed to the Flame Spirit. Over the past few years, her hatred toward Spirits had grown day by day.
And in the despair following her parents' deaths, Franklin's timely comfort and encouragement had led her to devote everything she had—along with all her joy—to Franklin.
At this moment, although she knew these memories were false and even mixed with a trace of calculation, she had already carried them out unwaveringly for five years.
Both physically and mentally, she had already adapted.
Secretly tailing and investigating Franklin every single day, his every smile and frown had an irreversible impact on her.
And under the reinforcement of these false memories, she had met Franklin again—this time with his memories sealed—fallen in love with him, and even gone on dates with him.
Now that she had recalled everything, the feelings of the expressionless Origami Tobiichi were still vivid and unmistakable.
To directly discard all experiences and memories of these five years, letting newly born memories replace that emotionless version of herself—abandoning everything she once persisted in—was that really the right thing to do?
Facing the Spirit Crystal Franklin handed her, Origami Tobiichi hesitated.
Her kindness from the past made her unable to choose.
Five years of coldness and cruelty made her reject becoming a Spirit.
But if she did not become a Spirit, she would never be able to change the fact of her parents' deaths.
The choice before her was extremely difficult, yet the solution had always been right in front of her—it was simply that Origami Tobiichi did not want to choose it that way.
Gently touching the Spirit Crystal before her, white light instantly enveloped her whole body. In the end, she still accepted the power of the Spirit Crystal.
Watching this unfold, Tokisaki Kurumi's heart was filled with complexity. After letting out a soft breath, she looked at Franklin.
"The result you wanted has already been achieved. Shall I send the two of you over now?"
Before Franklin could speak, Origami—now a Spirit—floated over to Kurumi's side.
"Lin, I hope you won't listen in on my conversation with Kurumi."
Seeing the seriousness on Origami's face, Franklin immediately blocked his hearing and lowered his head.
Seeing this, Origami Tobiichi leaned close to Kurumi's ear and whispered a few words to her.
After learning Origami Tobiichi's purpose, Kurumi's expression subtly changed. After lightly nodding, the Twelfth Bullet was fired straight at Origami Tobiichi.
In an instant, Origami Tobiichi vanished from the rooftop. Sensing this, Franklin's brows slightly furrowed.
Before he could say anything, Kurumi immediately explained.
"Origami wants to go back first to deal with some personal matters. She hopes Mr. Franklin can arrive five minutes later.
So I decided to send her over first, then ask for Mr. Franklin's opinion—will you chase after her immediately, or arrive five minutes later?"
Hearing Kurumi's words, Franklin frowned slightly. After a long moment of thought, he made his decision.
"No matter when I go, as long as there's still the Twelfth Bullet, things can be changed. I lack many things, but spirit power isn't one of them.
Send me to five minutes after Origami arrives. If things turn out beyond my expectations, we'll redo it.
But for the first attempt, I want to respect her choice."
Hearing Franklin's words, Kurumi looked deeply at him, then used the Twelfth Bullet once more.
At the same instant, Franklin restored all of the spirit energy she had expended.
As the gunshot rang out, Franklin felt the world spin violently. When he awoke again, he found himself atop a high-rise building.
His domain expanded instinctively, and he saw Origami Tobiichi—now a Spirit—attacking Phantom like a madwoman, completely devoid of reason.
At this moment, with Franklin's domain spreading out, the Phantom suspended in midair froze for an instant.
In that very moment, Origami Tobiichi unleashed her strongest attack—
Angel of Annihilation · Artillery Crown.
In an instant, a white beam of energy over ten meters in diameter tore everything apart. Even the domain Franklin had spread was ripped open by the bizarre beam.
But what Franklin cared about was not that.
At the very bottom of Angel of Annihilation · Artillery Crown were Origami Tobiichi's parents.
Fortunately, Franklin reacted in time and successfully teleported the two of them away.
To perfectly close the worldline, Franklin sealed them and put them into a state of fake death, temporarily keeping them by his side.
Looking at the young Origami Tobiichi on the street below, her eyes filled with despair and hatred, then looking up at the adult Origami Tobiichi in the sky—her eyes filled with disbelief and despair, utterly hopeless toward the world and gradually beginning to invert—
Franklin's mind completely failed to process what he was seeing. He could not understand what had happened at all.
"You shouldn't be here… this is… Zafkiel… I see now…"
Looking at Phantom—half her body exposed, half still obscured by mosaic—Franklin extended his incomplete domain to probe her, only to be blocked outright by her own domain.
"Now is not the time yet… our future still has a very long time ahead… when that time comes, we'll never have to be apart again…"
As she spoke, Phantom vanished once more.
At the same time, the already inverted Origami Tobiichi in the sky also began to disappear for unknown reasons.
Seeing this, Franklin rubbed his forehead helplessly. It seemed he would have to make another trip.
But before that, Franklin looked toward the young Origami Tobiichi collapsed on the ground in despair.
With a casual wave of his hand, she was instantly brought to the rooftop. At the same time, Franklin transformed into his ten-year-old appearance.
Gently holding Origami Tobiichi, Franklin poured spirit power into her body, helping to ease the heart meridians on the verge of collapse.
"I'm sorry, Origami. I wasn't careful and still let you see something so despairing.
But I made it in time. Your parents are fine. I saved them."
While suppressing her despair, Franklin also allowed her to see her parents, who were still alive.
Words combined with reality—Origami Tobiichi, who had been on the brink of collapse, quickly regained clarity.
She broke free from Franklin's embrace and ran toward her parents, who lay unconscious in a state of fake death.
After calling out to them repeatedly without receiving any response, Origami Tobiichi finally calmed down and looked at Franklin.
"Lin? You're Lin, right? You're the one who saved my parents? Why aren't they saying anything now?"
Seeing Origami Tobiichi's tear-filled eyes, on the verge of crying in panic, Franklin did not soften his heart.
"You saw everything that just happened. They were originally meant to die, but because I intervened, they survived.
If I let them wake up now, the force of causality will activate. Before long, they'll die anyway due to various accidents."