"W-wait a second!? You can resolve this just by dating? No! More importantly, big sister has never been in a relationship before!"
Shiori's emotions were a turbulent mix of shock and complexity. After hearing all about the disasters caused by Spirits and their terrifying nature, she never imagined the method to resolve these disasters and seal their power would be something so... frivolous.
Rita's smile became somewhat strained. "Commander Itsuka, this is..."
She adored children, especially those who were cute and pretty, but Kotori's statement was genuinely a bit...
Even though Rita doubted the other party would make such a whimsical claim just to lighten the mood in this situation, this reason was truly hard to accept.
"It's true."
Kotori stated expressionlessly. "Whether you think it's unscientific or not is irrelevant. This is reality."
"I see."
Amber, already privy to this information, wasn't surprised and easily adopted an accepting expression. Unlike the others, however, she didn't seem to find this method particularly problematic.
"Your complete lack of surprise is honestly a bit frustrating..."
Kotori was thrown off by her calm demeanor.
Why are you accepting this bizarre, soap-opera-esque setup so placidly?!
"No, I am surprised, actually."
Amber shook her head, indicating to Kotori that she wasn't as indifferent as she seemed.
Then, with a serious expression, she added, "I just didn't expect that you two, being sisters, had that kind of relationship. While I personally can't quite understand it, I wish you both happiness."
"Hah!?" x2
Both were initially baffled by her words, but the meaning quickly dawned on them.
Sealing a Spirit's power required making the Spirit bashful and then kissing them.
In other words, it necessitated romantic feelings between two people. And since Kotori said she had already been sealed, that implied such feelings existed between Kotori and Shiori.
Realizing this, Shiori stared at Kotori in utter astonishment.
Even though they weren't biological sisters, they had lived together as such for as long as she could remember.
Shiori's doting and care for Kotori stemmed from a sense of sisterly responsibility and affection. She never imagined her little sister harbored those kinds of feelings for her.
Even in Commander Mode, Kotori's cheeks flushed red at Amber's statement. But before she could say anything, she saw Shiori's shocked face.
Even though she'd long known Shiori didn't feel that way about her, it still stung.
So, she immediately pivoted. "Don't be ridiculous! I was only nine years old back then! What did I know about liking someone that way?! More importantly! Why do you always have to hit a nerve when you speak?! And the thing a normal person would find shocking is this whole method of sealing Spirits! Get your priorities straight!"
Thinking back, this blonde loli's words always managed to land a precise blow. Itsuka Kotori felt her blood pressure rising.
Hearing her sister's outburst, Shiori belatedly recalled their ages at the time.
With a child's understanding, they probably genuinely couldn't distinguish between admiration and romantic love. That's how she'd managed to seal Kotori, almost like exploiting a bug.
Phew, thank goodness...
"Anyway! That's the situation!" Kotori steered the conversation back on track. "So, what does Schicksal have to say?"
Perhaps because they were at home, or because revealing their secrets had brought them closer, or maybe just because this wasn't a formal negotiation table, Kotori didn't use an overly official tone.
Instead, her inquiry was laced with a very personal, almost petulant vibe, still carrying the sting from Amber's previous verbal jabs.
Rita tilted her head. Although Bishop Mobius had tasked her with assisting the Durandal in the negotiations to secure more advantages and a dominant position... she was actually more concerned with Bianka's own will and thoughts.
Her role was to ensure Bianka wouldn't be deceived or shortchanged.
As for whether this negotiation turned out profitable or extremely profitable, that would depend on Bianka's own inclinations.
Forfeiting some personal gain for the sake of a friend was entirely in character for Bianka.
This wasn't because she was foolish or enjoyed being tricked, but because her immense power allowed her to disregard such so-called 'interests.' She valued a friend's feelings far more than any potential profit.
"Understood. On behalf of Schicksal, I accept this cooperation."
Amber nodded. Refusing was never an option for her. Whether to gain their acceptance or to get closer and observe these characters she'd once adored, her path was inevitably drawn to their side.
"Then, let's cooperate happily."
Kotori also let out a sigh of relief, a smile returning to her face.
"Before that, there's one more matter to confirm."
Rita suddenly interjected with a smile.
"What is it?"
Kotori's brow furrowed slightly.
To be honest, compared to the golden-haired girl whose combat prowess was second to none, she was actually more wary of this perpetually smiling maid.
The Durandal was undoubtedly powerful, but their two meetings had allowed Kotori to shed much of her Spirit-born preconceptions about her.
Far from being some terrifying battle machine or human-shaped tyrannosaurus, Kotori now understood this girl was, despite her world-topping strength, fundamentally simple and pure in nature.
She wasn't particularly scheming. Her way of speaking and thinking were straightforward to a fault, but this also clearly revealed her upright character. Dealing with someone like her required less caution, which was why Kotori had quickly become more casual with her.
But this maid was different. She was clearly the type who played mind games.
This time, however, Kotori had misjudged Rita.
Rita was indeed skilled at negotiation and securing advantages under normal circumstances. But the current situation involved parties now recognized as friends by the Durandal. However nascent that friendship might be, Rita wouldn't go so far as to scheme against them.
'After all,' she thought, 'Durandal's martial power is peerless. If we discover we've been cheated, any so-called treaty is just a worthless piece of paper.'
Confident in this, she naturally felt unconstrained.
"Commander Itsuka, are you familiar with the concept of statistics?"
She intended to bring up a different matter.
Statistics? Why bring that up here?
Kotori was puzzled but nodded. "I understand the basic concept, yes."
"Naturally, statistics is a broad field. To help you grasp my point simply, let me ask you a question."
The maid's smile remained unchanged. "Suppose you had no romantic partner last year, but this year you gained one. How many partners will you have next year?"
"Hah?"
"The answer is two."
Rita continued. "The year after, three. Or perhaps four."
Kotori's face clearly said, 'Are you even listening to yourself?'
"You find it absurd? But this is statistics."
Rita finally revealed her point. "How did Ratatoskr arrive at the conclusion about sealing Spirits? Aside from your own case, is there any other data? When data is insufficient and imprecise, the resulting conclusions are inevitably laughable. Especially since you yourself aren't clear on what your feelings were back then."
Now Kotori understood. The other party was questioning the validity and success rate of their entire plan.
And this was precisely the biggest stumbling block for Ratatoskr, the key issue hanging over their heads. It was the very reason they hadn't been upfront with Schicksal from the start—the plan lacked credible proof.
Kotori pondered how to bolster her argument.
Would she really have to claim she genuinely had feelings for Shiori?
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.