"Thank you very much this time, Mr. Itsuka. I've only just moved to Amamiya City and am not familiar with the supermarket. Thank you so much for your help."
As they left the supermarket, Inaba Tsukiyo carried a bag of groceries. These were ingredients bought on Shido's suggestion, almost all of them good finds from the discounted section.
He had to admit, this girl truly had the potential to be a good wife and mother. Although she was still a high school student, she was already very capable.
"No, no. It's fine as long as you don't blame me for meddling, Inaba. And since you can't see, it's only right that I help you choose ingredients."
Shido waved his hand, saying somewhat awkwardly.
He had originally wanted to choose some good ingredients for Inaba Tsukiyo, but his own pocket money was limited, and the amount he spent on groceries each month was carefully calculated.
If he accidentally spent too much, then his and his sister's meals for the month would be in jeopardy. Choosing ingredients from the discounted section was the most sensible approach.
"Hehe~ Can't see? Usually, the world before my eyes is indeed black, but in certain situations, I can still'see' many things. This is also why I can go out alone."
The two chatted briefly for a while, preparing to part ways at an intersection.
"Do you really not need me to take you back? Is it okay?"
Before parting, Shido couldn't help but ask. He was a little worried about letting Inaba Tsukiyo go back alone.
"It's fine. If I couldn't even find my way home, I would have died a long time ago. Besides, taking a girl home whom you just met not long ago, that can easily lead to misunderstandings, you know."
After teasing him a bit and confirming that he had no intention of following, Inaba Tsukiyo turned and left.
Shido watched Inaba Tsukiyo's back until she disappeared before turning and walking towards his own home.
Not long after Shido left, Inaba Tsukiyo reappeared at the corner, her eyes slightly open, watching Shido's retreating figure.
"Heh heh~ What an interesting person. Is it a personal hobby? Or for some reason? She's clearly a girl, yet she speaks like a The Boy and dresses like a Boy."
Using the excuse of not being able to see, Inaba Tsukiyo easily saw through Mr. Shido, realizing he was actually a girl. She had very few feminine gestures, so it seemed she had been dressing as a Boy for a long time.
Don't think it's easy to recognize a girl dressed as a Boy. Just look at the cross-dressing men who cosplay female characters at anime conventions or the cross-dressing streamers on Niconico. You'll find that if they dress well, it's actually very difficult to tell if a girl is dressed as a Boy, or a Boy as a girl.
However, this didn't escape Inaba Tsukiyo's ears. She could still distinguish between girls and The Boys, and the other party's male disguise hadn't reached the level of a master, so it wasn't that simple to recognize.
"I wonder if I'll have another chance to see her. If we meet again, how should I play with her? Heh heh~"
Shido didn't know that her true gender had been recognized by Inaba Tsukiyo. On her way home, she kept thinking about Inaba Tsukiyo, so much so that she didn't even realize she was home.
"Hey, Shiori, what's wrong with you? Why aren't you even saying 'I'm home'? Did you buy a head full of silly while out grocery shopping?"
"..."
Alright, Shido was actually Itsuka Shiori. Shido was just an alias she used to conceal her identity as a girl. Her full name was Itsuka Shiori.
The girl who had just mocked her was her adorable younger sister, Itsuka Kotori, fourteen years old.
Just a few days ago, she was her angelic sister, but she suddenly became a rebellious girl who gave her sister headaches. She had been trying to correct her problems, but the effect was not obvious at all.
"No, not at all. It's just that something happened when I went out earlier."
She recounted how she had encountered Inaba Tsukiyo surrounded by delinquents, rescued Inaba Tsukiyo, and then gone to the supermarket with her.
"Oh? It seems letting you play those games actually has an effect. I didn't expect you to start applying this knowledge in real combat so quickly. Not bad, not bad."
Kotori nodded with satisfaction, pleased with her sister's behavior. The purpose of having her play those GALGAMEs was precisely for this effect.
Shiori glared at Kotori exasperatedly. Of all things to bring up, she had to mention games. Did she not know that her head was spinning trying to conquer that game recently to achieve the so-called "all CG" achievement?
"Alright, don't make that childish expression. You still have something you haven't told me, Shiori. Otherwise, you wouldn't be like this."
"Shiori... Not even calling me 'Sister' anymore? Really, you've become completely uncute."
Shiori complained softly, recalling the angelic sister who had disappeared somewhere, sighed, and then spoke about what she had been thinking.
She talked about Inaba Tsukiyo's inability to see, and also about Inaba Tsukiyo's eyes being red, just like Kotori's.
"Hmm~ So, you sympathize with her situation. That's why you've been thinking about her ever since you came back?"
"Yes, that's right. I admire her strength. Even though this world is so unfair to her, she can still smile."
"...Life is unfair to many people, Shiori. If you want me to help that person, I can only apologize in advance."
After a moment of silence, Kotori, knowing what Shiori wanted to say, shook her head and explained.
"Although I have some special privileges, I am only responsible for the Spirit project. I can't interfere with other matters."
"Kotori..."
"That's why many tragedies happen every day in this world. Just like those who died in the spatial quakes, do you think you can protect all of them?"
Kotori said with a serious expression. She liked Shiori very much, and she also liked Shiori's kindness.
But this kindness couldn't accomplish anything, nor could it prevent tragedies from happening.
"She herself hasn't said anything, and as someone you just met, not even an acquaintance, you're already considering this problem. Even if you're a good person, there's a limit, Shiori. If you keep this up, you'll cause trouble for others."
"...I understand."
Nodding, Shiori no longer dwelled on the issue.
Shiori had suicidal tendencies in her childhood and had a low psychological tolerance, so she could deeply feel the despair of others.
But in Inaba Tsukiyo, she didn't feel the presence of despair.
Just as Kotori said, even Inaba Tsukiyo didn't care about this matter, so for an outsider to care about it felt a bit like meddling.
Seeing that Shiori was no longer concerned about the matter, Kotori breathed a sigh of relief. If Shiori were still concerned, she wouldn't know how to persuade her.
"By the way, can you tell me what kind of girl she is? I'm quite curious."
For Shiori to have such a reaction, Kotori was a little curious about what the girl Shiori met looked like.
"Eh? Hmm~ From her figure, her age should be around thirteen or fourteen."
"Mm, mm."
"Silver twin tails, with a bell tied to the left ponytail. She was wearing a red and white miko outfit..."
"Mm... Mm?"
Kotori, hearing this, realized something was off. According to Shiori's description, Kotori recalled the mysterious Spirit that all Fraxinus members had been searching for during this time.
'No way, could Shiori be so lucky as to encounter this Spirit?'
Kotori took out her phone, retrieved the image she had downloaded on the battleship, and showed it to Shiori.
"Is the girl you're talking about this person?"
"Eh? Kotori, how do you have a photo of Miss Inaba? Do you also know Miss Inaba?"
Shiori looked at the photo on Kotori's phone with some surprise. The person displayed in the photo was indeed Inaba Tsukiyo.
After Shiori gave an affirmative answer, Kotori pulled out her phone and dialed the number of a certain counselor on the battleship.
"Pull up all the surveillance footage from Shiori's route today! The Spirit we've been looking for has finally appeared!"
Meanwhile, Inaba Tsukiyo, after bidding farewell to Shiori, arrived at her residence in Amamiya City.
This was a property she had purchased using her abilities. It was a legally acquired house, but as for the means used to purchase it, that remained a secret.
Inaba Tsukiyo's black card could not be used in this world, and her status in this world was that of an undocumented person.
Having no other choice, to obtain legal rights, Inaba Tsukiyo had no option but to use her abilities, secretly hacking into the government's network to create legal identities for herself and Yoshino.
She originally thought this would be a very difficult task, but she didn't expect the government's firewall to be more fragile than imagined, allowing her to hack in easily and find a lot of interesting content inside.
A special unit of the Ground Self-Defense Forces named AST, also known as the Anti-Spirit Unit.
And another organization above this one, DEM Inc., a world-leading large enterprise that manufactures the special armor for the Anti-Spirit Units.
Besides these two organizations, Inaba Tsukiyo also found another organization: Ratatoskr.
This organization is different from DEM Inc.; the latter actively eliminates Spirits, while the former protects Spirits, making them opposing forces.
However, if this information appears on the government's network, what is the true status of this world?
Spirits should be the term this world uses for special beings like Yoshino, and she was curious about what DEM Inc. and Ratatoskr intended to do with Spirits.
Protect Spirits? Eliminate Spirits? Haha~ If things were really that simple, those special armors probably wouldn't have been developed.
Even the government has probably been bought off by these organizations, which indicates how powerful they truly are.
"Forget it, none of this concerns me. All I need to do is protect Yoshino and make sure she doesn't get hurt."
After discarding all those jumbled thoughts, Inaba Tsukiyo opened the door and called out, "I'm home~"
"Wel...welcome back, Tsukiyo-chan."
Yoshino is still so cute.
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