"That Mobius is coming to Tengu City?"
At the Itsuka family dinner table, Kotori stared incredulously at Amber, who had just dropped this bombshell with utter nonchalance.
"Mhm, probably tomorrow morning. Or maybe she'll arrive late tonight."
Amber, busy comparing Shiori's and Rita's cooking skills in her head, answered somewhat absently.
"Wait, isn't she the Bishop of Schicksal? You know, their central figure? Why would someone like that come to a small place like this?"
Kotori's expression grew increasingly troubled. She couldn't shake the feeling there was some hidden depth to this move that she was missing.
Why would a ruler just up and leave their own domain for no reason? What business did she have here?
It wasn't that Kotori looked down on Ratatoskr or Japan.
To be honest, while Japan might be small, its national power surpassed ninety-five percent of the world's countries.
It's just that a few major powers loomed so large overhead, making Japan seem like a tiny speck in comparison.
Even so, from Schicksal's perspective, this place really should be considered insignificant.
"Dr. Mobius's thought process is not something the average person can easily grasp," Rita said with a gentle smile, seated beside Amber. "It's not that I'm underestimating you, that's simply the truth."
She genuinely held no sarcastic intent toward Kotori. Given Kotori's age, the level of thought and composure she displayed was nothing short of genius.
Although that unilateral decision yesterday to act without notifying Schicksal was… certainly something, it was still understandable.
But even so, in Rita's eyes, compared to Mobius, Kotori still seemed young and inexperienced. For someone like Mobius, genius was probably just the bare minimum requirement to even warrant her attention.
Kotori knew this, of course, but it still grated on her.
Logically, she knew the other party was an ancient fossil who'd lived who-knows-how-long.
But her appearance was undeniably similar in age to Kotori herself, and her beauty was flawless, leaving Kotori unable to find a single fault.
Worse, that unique aura of hers gave her a distinct charm that set her apart.
Both in tactics and in looks—the two things Kotori was most confident in—she felt overshadowed by this other woman in front of the person she cared about. And it stung especially hard coming right after Kotori had tried to act cool.
"It's alright, Kotori," Shiori, not really knowing how to comfort her, could only say, "No matter what, your big sister is on your side."
"I don't need my idiot big sister worrying about me," Kotori retorted, holding a hand up in a 'stop' gesture.
"And put your hair ribbon back to normal during meals!" Shiori felt a pang of hurt, always being called an idiot by the little sister she doted on.
"Who is this Mobius you're all talking about? Is she a bad person, like those mecha groups?" Finally giving up her struggle with the bread, Tohka looked puzzledly at Shiori.
Shiori had just forbidden her from eating her beloved bread, insisting she try this thing called 'rice' instead. Though reluctant, thinking of all Shiori had done for her, Tohka had obediently let the bread go.
"I don't think she's a bad person… probably…" Shiori replied softly, patting Tohka's head.
Just last night, not long after Amber had left, the two had formally sealed Tohka's spiritual power, and Tohka had naturally become a member of the Itsuka household.
"But she's certainly no saint either," Kotori snorted, not holding back in the slightest despite having two key Schicksal figures right in front of her.
"She definitely has some agenda for coming to Tengu City."
It wasn't that she was being disrespectful.
She had mentally separated the two from their 'Schicksal Valkyrie' identities. Her bluntness now came from a place of speaking her mind as a friend.
Rita didn't refute Kotori's statement. Not only because she had a soft spot for and genuinely doted on kids like Kotori, but also because… she knew all too well what 'Mobius' was like.
Kotori's stereotypical impression of her wasn't entirely accurate, but it wasn't far off the mark in essence.
Amber, however, believed that Dark Amber meant no harm—or that she would forcefully suppress any ill intentions for her sake—and so she spoke up in her defense: "Bishop Mobius isn't the person you imagine her to be. For Valkyries, and for humanity, she is a hero."
"I don't deny that," Kotori frowned, "But whether she's a hero for us is another matter entirely."
This 'us,' of course, referred to the Spirits and Shiori.
"Believe me, she is not an evil existence. She might occasionally do things that cause misunderstandings, but her actions never go too far."
Amber knew that Kotori was still somewhat traumatized from her last call with Dark Amber, which had deepened her prejudice.
Dark Amber had brought that entirely upon herself.
Still, Amber didn't want her friend to view Dark Amber as some monstrous threat, so she vouched for her on a personal level.
"…Alright then." Kotori's trust in Durandal's assurances was quite high.
While it didn't immediately make her classify Mobius as harmless, it did settle her nerves a bit.
At the very least, judging by Durandal's attitude, she stood firmly on the side of justice. Even if she had been fooled by Mobius, the fact that she made this guarantee meant she would surely offer help to Kotori and Shiori if she discovered the truth.
That was enough for now.
Shiori, however, took it at face value: "See, Kotori? Since Durandal says so, you don't need to worry."
Tohka nodded in agreement: "Durandal is very reliable."
"You two just love taking her side," Kotori merely sneered, completely unmoved by their attempts to comfort her.
Shiori felt a little embarrassed, having just declared she'd stand by Kotori.
But… this was a guarantee from Durandal. Given Durandal's character, surely there wouldn't be any problems.
Feeling slightly guilty, Shiori decided to give her own hamburg steak to Kotori as a peace offering.
Kotori's eyes lit up almost imperceptibly—usually, Shiori strictly managed her diet—but she kept her expression composed, feigning resignation as she accepted Shiori's apology.
Noticing this, Tohka frowned, feeling left out. "Shiori! I want to eat that too!"
"Huh?" Shiori was taken aback. "Should I go fry another one? But now that your spiritual power is sealed, can you really eat that much, Tohka?"
"Of course not," Kotori speared the hamburger steak on her plate with her fork, a victor's smile gracing her lips. "Once your powers are sealed, you're just like a regular person. Aren't I the best example?"
"In that case, Tohka, you can't binge eat like you used to," Shiori said, glancing at Tohka's plate. Driven by curiosity about the unfamiliar dishes, Tohka had taken a bit of everything, piling her plate high until it was almost overflowing.
"If it's not enough, I can give you a larger portion tomorrow, but for today, this is all you get."
"Whaaat!?" Tohka couldn't understand it. She'd only asked to be fed like usual, so why was her food suddenly being restricted?
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.