"Oh, Miss Inaba, you really dote on your younger sister, buying different ingredients every day. But is that really alright?"
Shiori wiped the cold sweat from her brow. She was truly too worried about Inaba Tsukiyo's situation. You mean, letting a blind person cook, wouldn't she really cut her fingers?
She secretly glanced at Inaba Tsukiyo's fingers, found no band-aids or bandages, so nothing bad should have happened.
"There's nothing wrong. Don't worry about me accidentally cutting myself while chopping vegetables. I've been practicing kendo since I was little. A kitchen knife and a bamboo sword are quite similar in some ways."
"No... I think a bamboo sword and a kitchen knife wouldn't be similar no matter what, Miss Inaba."
While chatting and buying the ingredients needed for dinner, this everyday interaction left Kotori and those watching from the Bridge a bit bewildered.
According to their deductions, Spirits should be beings ignorant of worldly affairs, so how could she possess such comprehensive common sense about life?
And practicing kendo since childhood? What did that mean? Had Inaba Tsukiyo manifested in this world a long time ago?
"Is she really a Spirit? Could we have made a mistake?"
Kotori tilted her head. Inaba Tsukiyo didn't look like a Spirit no matter how she was viewed; she resembled an ordinary girl.
However, the last time Yoshino manifested, Inaba Tsukiyo manifested with Yoshino, and the power Inaba Tsukiyo displayed didn't look like that of an ordinary person at all.
"Could it be that this Spirit learned about human lifestyles through some channel? And disguised her background so that others wouldn't notice anything unusual?"
"Hmm~ That's not impossible. According to this Spirit, she has to take care of her younger sister who isn't good at dealing with strangers. That younger sister should be the Hermit (The Recluse). Sister... could she and the Hermit (The Recluse) be Twin Spirits?"
Kotori scratched her head in distress. There were too many peculiarities about Inaba Tsukiyo's existence, and with too few clues currently, she couldn't figure out the specifics of Inaba Tsukiyo.
"Commander, Inaba Tsukiyo's identity has been investigated based on the name Shiori provided. Age thirteen, no parents, and a younger sister named Yoshino at home."
It must have been the members responsible for investigating Inaba Tsukiyo's background. Inaba Tsukiyo's registered identity on the household register was released, along with her and Yoshino's ID cards.
From the photos on the ID cards, Inaba Tsukiyo's younger sister is Yoshino, who is also the Hermit (The Recluse).
Although it's unknown how Inaba Tsukiyo obtained legal identification, this should allow them to track their current address... or so they thought.
Despite what was said, Kotori and the others couldn't find Inaba Tsukiyo's address. There was no one named Inaba owning property in Amamiya City, not even as a tenant.
"Things are getting more and more interesting. Keep up the good work, Shiori. The other party's favorability towards you is still at the level of an ordinary friend. Try to increase it."
"Even if you say that, I don't know what to do."
Shiori looked at Inaba Tsukiyo, troubled. Suddenly being told to capture Inaba Tsukiyo and raise her favorability towards her, she had no idea how to proceed.
The protagonist of the otome GALGAME Kotori had her play was at least an upperclassman. It was normal for an upperclassman to approach a junior, but what identity should she use to approach Inaba Tsukiyo?
Ah~ her head hurt. This feeling was more terrifying than the final exams every semester. Why did she have to endure such punishment? Why, exactly?
"Um, Miss Inaba. What do you usually like to do?"
"Things I like to do? Hmm~ does cleaning weapons count? Weapons can rust easily if not properly maintained."
"Um... do you have any more 'girly' hobbies? And hiding weapons at home... that's already a bit illegal."
Shiori gave a wry smile. This was hardly a girl's hobby, and a wooden sword didn't need cleaning. Did that mean she kept real weapons at home? That was too terrifying.
"Illegal, you say? If you were a police officer, would you believe that this Little Loli, who looks about thirteen, would hide a weapon over a meter long in her home?"
Inaba Tsukiyo looked at Shiori with a grin, pointing at her own face as she spoke.
In the past, countless people had been deceived by her innocent face and lost their lives.
She had just arrived in this world. Neither AST nor Ratatoskr would reveal information about Spirits to ordinary police.
Even if a Police Uncle found a real sword in her home, he probably wouldn't think it was her weapon, but rather something someone maliciously left there.
"...Alright."
Speechless. Even she, when she first met Inaba Tsukiyo, didn't think Inaba Tsukiyo was a dangerous Spirit.
And... she was someone who would put medicated oil on a girl's most important place.
"Right, Shiori. Didn't she say she just arrived in Amamiya City? In that case, use the excuse of showing her around Amamiya City to invite her on a date."
Given the current progress, dating was the only option to increase Inaba Tsukiyo's favorability.
The atmosphere between Inaba Tsukiyo and Shiori was quite good. If a date invitation were extended now, there was a high probability of success.
"By the way, Miss Inaba. Do you happen to have some time? Would you like me to show you around Amamiya City?"
"Eh? Show me around Amamiya City? Hehe~ Can I take that as a date invitation, Mr. Itsuka?"
Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't help but ask.
At the same time, Kotori, who was on the Bridge, saw Inaba Tsukiyo's emotional value constantly changing. According to the chart's fluctuations, it was like a rollercoaster.
"What... what's going on? Are you sure this is the Spirit's emotional value and not some song's melody?"
"Report! This is indeed the Spirit's emotional value! It's so strange, there was nothing wrong a moment ago, why did it suddenly become like this?"
The members on the Bridge were sweating profusely, trying to fix the anomaly, but the emotional value fluctuated abnormally again. This time, it wasn't just a melody, but even a graph appeared.
Kotori was a bit nervous. She didn't know if Inaba Tsukiyo's mood was as displayed or if it was simply a system malfunction.
"Uh... if you don't want to, then never mind."
"No~ I'm actually very curious to see how you, Mr. Itsuka, would introduce Amamiya City to someone who can't see. Anyway, the TV show that child likes to watch has already started. As long as I'm back before it ends, there shouldn't be a problem."
Yoshino had recently become obsessed with TV dramas, and they were the kind of melodramas that made one's stomach hurt. She didn't know how this child got into them.
However, Inaba Tsukiyo didn't stop her. If she liked it, she should watch it. It was good that when she left, she wouldn't have to worry about Yoshino being bored at home.
Recently, she had tried installing internet and a computer at home, which could further broaden Yoshino's activities.
She just hoped this girl wouldn't become a shut-in, otherwise, if she became a bad girl, there would truly be no place to cry.
"Uh... that..."
Shiori looked at Inaba Tsukiyo with some hesitation. She had forgotten the fact that Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't see.
While she really wanted to know what TV show Inaba Tsukiyo's so-called sister liked, she was more concerned about what came next.
If she couldn't even see, would taking Inaba Tsukiyo to tour Amamiya City really be meaningful?
"Hmm? What's wrong, Mr. Itsuka? Didn't you want to show me around Amamiya City? Keeping a girl waiting isn't very polite, you know."
"But... your eyes..."
Shiori looked at Inaba Tsukiyo with some hesitation. She didn't want to be the only one enjoying herself the whole time, with Inaba Tsukiyo just accompanying her.
That would be putting the cart before the horse. Although she didn't know what to do on a date, she didn't want that to happen.
"There you go again, Mr. Itsuka. Constantly bringing up things a girl is sensitive about is a demerit. Even I don't care about this issue, so why do you keep bringing it up?"
Inaba Tsukiyo pointed at Shiori with some displeasure and said.
"Even if I can't see, letting me wander around casually, or seeing some unique places in Amamiya City, or even trying good food, would be fine."
"Do as she says, Shiori. The other party's emotions have stabilized. It seems she really doesn't care about her eyes, so just proceed normally."
Having no choice, Shiori could only take Inaba Tsukiyo to a few shops she knew.
As a girl herself, Shiori always chose places that were more feminine. Whether it was snack shops, clothing stores, or accessory shops, Shiori took Inaba Tsukiyo to every place she could think of.
On the Bridge, Kotori looked at the screen with some confusion, tilting her head in bewilderment.
The atmosphere between Inaba Tsukiyo and Shiori was very harmonious, yet the favorability score remained unchanged, staying at a stable, neither high nor low, value.
"What exactly is going on? Why hasn't the Spirit's favorability increased? Did something go wrong somewhere?"
To be honest, even Kotori didn't understand Inaba Tsukiyo's situation. After all, she was just a teenage girl, and even as the Commander of this Bridge, her experience was still too limited.
Not only her, but the other members on the Bridge also didn't understand why Inaba Tsukiyo's favorability hadn't changed. Was there a problem with the places Shiori took her?
Soon, two hours passed. Yoshino's favorite TV show was almost over, and Inaba Tsukiyo also needed to go back.
"Hehe~ Thank you very much for showing me those interesting things, Mr. Itsuka. You are truly a good person."
"It's nothing, as long as you're happy, Miss Inaba. Actually... I didn't really do anything."
Shiori felt that these two hours were entirely spent with Inaba Tsukiyo accompanying her, like an elder accompanying a junior, with their roles completely reversed, which made her feel very strange.
"You can't say that, you know. You're the first person who's made me feel interested. Mr. Itsuka... No, perhaps it would be better to call you Miss Shiori?"
"!!!"
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