I use Yugioh to battle the multiverse

In the evening, Kotori, with her hair tied up with a black ribbon, sat on the sofa in her living room facing the opposite direction, staring at a certain place.

In front of her line of sight was the back of her brother Shidou, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen. The sky blue apron suited him very well.

That being said, this scene itself is not unusual. However, Kotori had a strong feeling that something was wrong with Shidou this morning. Not only him but everyone despite their usual activity there is something that is missing causing their high mood in the morning to become lower.

She always feels uncomfortable.

After Kotori turned her legs over with a stern face, Yoshino, who had also been looking at Kotori, spoke worriedly: "Kotori...what happened?" She was a girl with fluffy hair and sapphire eyes, and was about the same height as Kotori.

Now she was wearing a light-colored one-piece dress.

"That's right, you look listless~~" In line with what Yoshino said, the rabbit puppet Yoshinon on her left hand opened and closed its mouth.

Then, the other girl sitting next to Yoshino, Natsumi, showed a sad expression and put her hand on her chin and replied: "I always feel like something is missing."

"Hmm? Why do you say that?"

"I want to remember what it is but it hurts!"

Kotori and Yoshino both turned their heads to look at Natsumi with an interested expression.

However, after being looked at by the two, Natsumi lost his confidence... "Ah, no, maybe I made a mistake, don't take it too seriously..."

"Don't be so weak at this time, tell me what you think." Kotori stretched out her hands, grabbed Natsumi's head, and turned her to face her.

So, Natsumi nodded, even though her eyes moved around with an uneasy look on her face. "...When I attempt to remember my memory becomes foggy I tried to reach out to something but it becomes more painful as I try."

"Is… is that so I only remember someone's warm hand touching my head but I can't remember whose," Yoshino said with a meek expression.

Natsumi nodded deeply and continued to speak: "That's it. Let's team up! And solve this mystery I feel like we need to consult everyone and try to find why we have these gaps in our memory."

… …

Shidou sighed and shook his head lightly.

He seemed to care more about this inexplicable feeling of...lack than expected.

However, he couldn't keep this attitude forever. If he continued to chop vegetables distractedly, Kotori and the others would end up eating vegetables filled with Shidou's blood.

"Ah---focus! Don't think about anything else!" Shidou took a deep breath to cheer himself up, then held the kitchen knife again.

… …

While eating, Shidou, who was somewhat absent-minded, nearly stuffed the food into his nostrils several times. He failed to pick up the food several times, and put the empty chopsticks into his mouth as if he didn't see it.

In the end, Kotori couldn't bear it anymore---

"Shidou! If you keep being depressed, I'll be in trouble because I don't know when another spirit will appear. Not to mention the unknown spirits, there's also Kurumi, not to mention that [Devil]──" "Huh?" Shidou couldn't help but frowned when he heard the identification name that Kotori said.

"Wait...wait a minute, Kotori, [Devil]...? What's with that spirit?"

Shidou quickly looked at Kotori and asked. [Devil], at least Shidou had never heard of this name.

However, Kotori frowned suspiciously.

"What are you talking about, Shidou? It's that demon that hunts spirits! He's on the same alert level as Tokisaki Kurumi, isn't he? Don't tell me you forgot."

"Same as Tokisaki-san?" Sweat broke out on Shidou's forehead.

The reality of how this world turned out is subtly different from the world Shidou knew──Shidou deeply realized this today.

In this case, it is possible that a spirit that Shidou doesn't know about has appeared.

However──Shidou couldn't believe it for a moment, that a spirit that was listed as a must-be-alert like the most evil spirit, Kurumi, had actually appeared.

Seeing Shidou's reaction, Kotori crossed her arms in even greater confusion.

"Are you... serious? What happened to you today? It's as if you have lost all your memories before yesterday."

"...Ah, sorry." Hearing Kotori's words, Shidou bowed his head slightly to apologize. Then, Kotori sighed and raised the candy bar in her mouth.

"…So, you really don't remember?"

"Yes... Can you explain it to me? About that spirit called "Devil"." After Shidou finished speaking, Kotori sighed again and then nodded in agreement.

"[Devil]. Although it is confirmed that she has appeared, we have never successfully contacted her. She is a spirit whose true identity is unknown. And──" Kotori paused for a beat before continuing:

"--I'm afraid it's an inverse form." "What...!" Shidou couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"I said I don't know the details yet," Kotori said impatiently. This must be information that Shidou in this world must have known long ago.

Why did the inverse spirit appear? There were still many things that Shidou didn't know. Shidou regained his spirit and continued to ask: "Wait...wait a minute. Attacking the spirits? That's..."

"That's right. It's just like AST and DEM. We also suspected at first whether it was related to those organizations, thinking that they might win over the spirit and let her hunt other spirits... But from my observation, the [Devil] doesn't seem to have any cooperative relationship with AST and DEM. In fact, AST and DEM have also launched attacks on the [Devil]."

"So... why would the [Devil] attack the spirits...?"

"Who knows. There must be a reason, but I can't guess it without asking her. Because she disappeared somewhere immediately, Ratatoskr had no contact with her at all." Kotori shrugged exaggeratedly. Shidou's cheeks were sweating and he put his hand on his chin.

A spirit that hunts spirits [Demon]. Ever since hearing this name, Shidou has felt a strange sense of strangeness in his heart.

"Let me ask you... Is there any video or picture of that [Devil] that I can see...?"

"Yes, there is... but I guess there's no point in watching it."

"Eh? Why?" Shidou asked, and Kotori moaned "Hmm..." and then she grabbed her head and moved the candy bar in her mouth up and down.

"Anyway... seeing is believing. Wait for me." After saying that, Kotori left the living room and immediately took out a B5-sized terminal from her room.

"Look, that's her." Then she put the terminal on the table and played the video.

It was a video of a town completely destroyed. There were explosions and smoke everywhere, indicating that fighting was going on.

──[That]… It's right here in the picture. It's a human-shaped silhouette that seems to be wrapped in darkness. I see, no wonder Kotori said, "There's no point in looking at it." Even though she finally figured out that it's a human shape, her face is covered in darkness and she can't see it clearly.

However, the countless feather-like parts floating around the humanoid figure made it quite convincing to call that silhouette a "Devil".

Seeing this scene... "...Ah──" Shidou let out a small cry. It was not because he saw the strange appearance of the spirit.

——It was because he had an impression of that spirit. He really couldn't see the spirit's face and expression clearly.

But he just knew that he had seen the spirit before.

"No way... I guess..." Shidou's teeth made a "click-click" sound and his whole body trembled slightly.

Because, that was── "...Origami..." That's right. That was the figure of Origami turning into a spirit.

… …

… …

The next day, Shidou went to school with Tohka just like yesterday. As soon as he sat down at his seat, he yawned loudly.

Tohka, who was sitting on the seat to his right, widened her eyes with suspicion.

"Um, Shidou, are you sleepy?"

"Yeah...I didn't sleep well last night."

"Well, I also didn't sleep well. Shidou can I ask who seal us?"

Shidou's head suddenly becomes painful. 

"Who seals these spirits it definitely isn't him!"

Shidou slipped out of school alone and went somewhere. That's right. His destination was the apartment where Origami lived in the original world, and the residential area in Nanjia Town, Tengu City, where a fire broke out five years ago.

He had a reason for doing this, thinking Origami might be there maybe she could explain all of these thing happening.

However, reality is often not as expected. No one lives in the apartment, and the house where Origami's family used to live has a house number of someone else. Shidou still asks the current residents about Origami's family, but he still doesn't know Origami's exact whereabouts..

Shidou gritted his teeth. -- He was completely puzzled.

She should have successfully changed history in the world five years ago. Logically, Origami could live in an ordinary world as an ordinary girl.

But... why did Origami become a spirit? And why did she inverse? And according to Kotori, Origami seems to attack other spirits. Isn't this the same as when she was a member of AST?

Thanks to this, the town was not destroyed so badly.

A lot of incomprehensible things made Shidou's mind confused. What on earth happened in this world during these five years? Shidou scratched his head hard.

"Damn it... Why did it have to be..." Shidou said this irritably while remembering another action he had taken yesterday.

Another action Shidou took was to gather as much information about this world as possible.

——The moment he learned about Origami's situation in this world, deep uneasiness and suspicion surged in Shidou's mind.

Shidou thought that maybe he was just unaware of it, and in fact, other things happened in this world that were inconsistent with Shidou's memory, or - something that should have happened was erased.

As soon as Shidou returned home, he asked Kotori and others about this world, and also asked Kotori to let him take a general look at the database of Fraxinus.

As a result, he discovered that the history of this world developed almost according to his own memory.

Five years ago, Kotori became a spirit and was discovered by Ratatoskr.

 But why is the database about the moment of sealing the spirit empty? Who sealed them?

… …

Soon it was time for class. Teacher Tamae Okamine arrived at the classroom on time as usual, but unlike usual, she first took out the roll call list -

This time, as soon as she stepped onto the stage, she smiled and said, "I have good news for you all. Today, I have a new friend to introduce to you. Come in."

As soon as the words fell, the door of the classroom opened with a click, and a girl walked in. Although it was strange for someone to transfer in during this period, now was not the time to worry about such things.

Shidou didn't turn around to look at the transfer student, but just glanced at her.

However── "...Huh?" Shidou's eyes widened in shock when he saw the girl walking up to the podium.

The girl had a doll-like face and a slender figure. Her hair was a bit light in color and covered her back, making her look like an exotic princess.

The moment the girl appeared, her classmates started to make noises. The boys exclaimed "Ouch!" and leaned forward, while the girls' eyes sparkled.

However, Shidou was the only one who looked stunned and stared at the girl's face. The reason was simple. Because the girl's face looked familiar.

"Okay, then please introduce yourself." Tamae Okamine urged the transfer student.

She nodded, turned her face to the front, and said in a calm voice: "I am Tobiichi Origami. Please give me your guidance."

Then he bowed deeply. All the students in the class exclaimed "Wow~~". Some of them probably remembered the strange name "Origami" that Shidou said yesterday. Some tilted their heads in confusion, while others smiled teasingly at Shidou as if some obscene thoughts came to their mind.

However, Shidou had no time to react to them now. At this moment, his eyes widened and a trembling sound came out from between his lips.

Because the person standing there, although her hair length was different, was undoubtedly Tobiichi Origami in Shidou's memory.

Shidou was so surprised that he was speechless, so Tama looked around the classroom.

"Let me see. There's no one sitting next to Tobiichi-san... Shidou-san. Can you please sit over there?"

"I understand." Origami nodded and walked slowly towards Shidou. However, after taking a few steps, Origami suddenly stopped.

Shidou knew the reason immediately. He had been staring at Origami, and their eyes suddenly met.

"Ah—"

"Eh...?" As a brief sound came out of Shidou's throat, Origami opened her eyes wide in surprise.

She made eye contact with the boy who had been staring at her, so it was no wonder she was surprised. But for some reason, Origami's reaction didn't seem like she was surprised for that reason.

"──No way, you were with that yellow-haired boy at that time---"

The moment Origami said "that yellow-haired boy", Shidou's heart suddenly tightened---

A vague figure appeared in his mind...

"…Who?" Shidou's eyes widened, his heart pounding, then he raised his head and looked at Origami.

However, Origami immediately shook her head as if she had changed her mind, and this time she suddenly changed her attitude. She nodded and greeted Shidou, and sat down in the seat designated by Kotari.

Shidou watched Origami's series of movements and felt his heart beating faster and faster. ──What on earth happened just now?

Who is that yellow-haired boy Origami mentioned? I don't have any memory of him, but... why do I feel so familiar and sad?

And... does Origami know me? Logically speaking, Origami cannot know itself.

But, what exactly was her action just now──

"Okay! Then I'll call the roll again!" Tamae started calling out the students' names in an energetic voice, but Shidou couldn't hear a word they said.

… …

… …

After class, Shidou rubbed his temples, frowned, and thought carefully about the vague figure, but no matter what, he couldn't think of anything about this figure---

"Ah---" After a long sigh, Shidou glanced to the side at Origami who was surrounded by some classmates and talked to her, and then sighed again---

"Anyway, let's deal with the Origami first..."

A few minutes later, on the rooftop.

From the phone that Shidou placed next to his ear came Kotori's surprised voice: "...What?"

This is understandable. If someone suddenly called him during break time to tell him "that kind of thing", Shidou would definitely have a similar reaction.

Right. Shidou slipped out of the classroom right after the class meeting and went to a deserted place to call Kotori.

Kotori answered the phone and casually agreed with him in a light-hearted tone at first, but in the middle of the call, a sound like the friction of fabric being changed was heard, and then the previous sentence came out immediately.

Kotori continued in a confused tone, "Wait a minute. What on earth is going on? Explain it to me carefully."

"...As I just said, the [Devil] has transferred into our class."

Shidou gritted his teeth and repeated what he had just said to Kotori.

She just don't understand what this sentence means.

Why did the Devil transfer into the school? Besides, isn't the Devil an unknown spirit? We don't even know her name or appearance, so how do you know that the transfer student is the Devil? "

"Well..." It was natural for Kotori to ask this question. Shidou hesitated, unable to explain.

"I don't have time now. I'll explain the details to you after I get home today. But... I'm telling the truth, believe me."

"..." After Shidou finished speaking, Kotori was silent for a while, then sighed.

"... I understand. I'll use the detector to test it first. No matter what the result is, you are not allowed to have any opinion."

"...Are you willing to believe me?" Although he was the one who proposed it, he was still a little surprised.

Shidou made a surprised sound, and Kotori responded with an exclamatory tone: "To be honest, I'm still skeptical. However, since you said that you have learned the true identity of the [Devil] without any information source, I have to take some action."

——Kotori continued: "I don't think you would say something like that without any evidence. No...even if it was just your intuition, your previous actions are enough for me to believe what you said."

"Kotori..."

"Well, I'll trust you for now. Then I'll order the crew to investigate immediately. Um, what was the name of that female student?"

"Her name is Origami, Tobiichi Origami."

"Tobiichi is folding paper. Tobiichi--" At this moment, Kotori suddenly stopped talking and uttered a slight groan as if she remembered something.

"She...could she be AST's Tobiichi Origami?"

"What...!" Hearing what Kotori said, Shidou opened his eyes wide. AST is the abbreviation of the anti-elves force of the Ground Self-Defense Force.

Origami did belong to that organization. But that should be something from the original world, Kotori wouldn't know about it. Shidou thought of this and suddenly shook his shoulders.

"Kotori, you still have some memories of your original world, right?"

"Ah? What are you talking about? Are you still not awake from the dream you had yesterday?" However, Kotori answered as if nothing had happened.

"I remember there was someone with this name among the AST members, and she fought against Tohka and the others a few times. But, she should have resigned not long ago."

"What—" Shidou was speechless for a moment. Kotori didn't remember the memories of her original world, but Origami was once a member of AST.

These two things point to a very simple fact: Origami once participated in AST in this world.

"Then why is that..."

"Are you asking... why she quit AST? How would I know that?"

Perhaps mistaking Shidou's mumbling for a question to her, Kotori snorted and said so.

"But now that you mention it, the time when Tobiichi Origami quit AST was roughly the same as the time when the [Devils] began to appear. Well, if the reason for her resignation was because she turned into a spirit..." Kotori hummed and began to mutter.

However, Shidou didn't listen to half of those words. Because his mind was still confused about the fact that Origami had joined AST. In the original world, Origami joined AST because she wanted to defeat the spirits that killed her parents. In this world where Origami's parents should have been saved, what exactly made her join AST?

"Hey, Shidou, are you listening to me?"

"...! Oh… Oh… I'm sorry." Shidou came to his senses when he heard Kotori's call.

"Really? Cheer up. Anyway, I will investigate whether Tobiichi Origami is a spirit. If you find any clues, remember to report to me. However, if Tobiichi Origami is really a "Devil", then she is a very dangerous inversion. You must not act rashly."

"Yeah... okay... I get it."

"That's it---"

"Wait---Kotori, do you...know...a boy with yellow hair?"

"Yellow-haired boy? What are you talking about? Are you concerned about your sister's love life?"

"…Ah, no - I'll hang up now then."

"oh---"

Shidou threw the busy-ringing cell phone into his pocket and leaned against the wall. There was too much complicated information in his mind, making it difficult for him to sort out his thoughts.

"About Origami, and about the yellow-haired boy..."

But it was useless to continue standing there, and the world knew this very well. So, he took a deep breath and returned to the classroom of Class 4, Grade 2.

As soon as I stepped into the classroom, I immediately found that there were still a lot of people gathered at the seats by the window. It seemed that everyone was very curious about the cute transfer student. At this moment, Origami was surrounded by classmates and looked at a loss.

At this time, the bell rang to announce the start of class, and everyone waved and returned to their seats. Origami also waved to the students and let out a sigh.

"...Ha." Shidou couldn't help but smile at this unfamiliar scene. If it was the Origami Shidou knew before, she would definitely look indifferent and totally unmoved.

But... it is precisely because of this that Shidou is puzzled.

Why did Origami join AST in this world? Why did she become an spirit? Why?

——It's inverse? And why can it still maintain its self and return to its human form even though it's inverse? ...And the yellow-haired boy she mentioned... ...No matter how Shidou thinks, the puzzle is still endless.

Just as Shidou was lost in thought, the teacher walked into the classroom.

"The class is about to start. Go back and sit down."

"Ah...I'm sorry." Shidou hurriedly returned to his seat, took out his textbooks and notebooks and placed them on the table.

But of course, Shidou couldn't concentrate on the class. He shifted his gaze and glanced at Origami.

——As expected, I have to talk to her once, because Shidou knows nothing about origami in this world.

But when the get out of class is over, there will be a group of people around her like before. In that situation, it will be difficult for Shidou to talk to Origami.

Shidou thought for a while and wrote something on the edge of the notebook.

Then tear it off, fold it in half, and place it on the origami table when the teacher isn't paying attention.

Origami tilted her head slightly when she found the note. Then she opened the note and read the words written on it, and her eyes widened in surprise.

… …

… …

It was soon time for lunch break, and Shidou slipped out of the classroom and came to the stairs next to the top floor.

As it is far from the classroom area, few students visit here. In fact, the noisy lunch break in the school building seems fake, and the stairwell is silent.

However, that doesn't mean there's no one there.

A girl was already standing there. She was the transfer student who had become a hot topic, Tobiichi Origami.

In such a remote place, many students probably didn't even know it existed, and three years had passed like this. It was unbelievable that a transfer student would appear in such a place.

However, Shidou was not surprised. Because...

"Excuse me, what is this?" Origami took out a piece of paper from her notebook from her pocket and spread it out for Shidou to see. The paper was indeed written by Shidou, and it said that he hoped Origami would go to this place to keep the appointment during lunch break.

That's right, it was Shidou who asked Origami to come here.

"Ah, sorry for calling you here so suddenly."

"No. That doesn't matter...but what do you want to talk to me about?" Origami asked with a somewhat stiff expression.

But, this was only natural. After all, it was not surprising that she felt dangerous when she was called to such a deserted place by a male student she met for the first time.

Shidou even wanted to thank her for coming here alone to keep the appointment as he requested.

"Ah... that---" Shidou scratched his cheek, not knowing where to start. He wanted to ask her a lot of questions, but asking her without any reason might make her more wary.

At this moment, Shidou remembered what Origami blurted out in the morning.

"I said, origami."

"Huh?" Origami showed a surprised expression. Although Shidou couldn't understand it for a moment, he soon found the reason.

"I'm sorry, ... classmate. It's really rude to call you by your name all of a sudden."

"No, I'm just a little scared. Uh... Shidou-san."

"Ah... Let's not talk about this for now---Tonichi-san, when you saw my face this morning, you said something, right... For example... a boy with yellow hair or something..."

"Oh..." After Shidou finished speaking, Origami showed an expression as if she remembered something.

"If I made you unhappy, I apologize. I was a little surprised because you look exactly like someone I knew before, Shidou-san. As for the boy with yellow hair..." Origami blushed and then showed a sad look. "That... he is..."

"Eh...?" Shidou frowned involuntarily. Let's not talk about Origami's reaction when she mentioned the boy with yellow hair---just the fact that she said that he looked exactly like someone she knew before made Shidou's heart beat wildly---

"They look exactly the same... Is that person──me...?"

"No, that's impossible. Because I met that person five years ago, and Itsuka was still an elementary school student at that time. And──" Origami suddenly lowered her eyes.

"——That person is dead. Five years ago, right in front of my eyes... and that boy with yellow hair, they worked together to save my parents..."

"What...!" Upon hearing this, Shidou's eyes widened instantly. First of all, there was no doubt that the person Origami was talking about, who looked exactly like him, was him, but... the yellow-haired boy... At first, seeing Origami's reaction when she mentioned "him", Shidou thought that the yellow-haired boy might be Origami's lover in this world... But when he heard Origami say that it was the yellow-haired boy who saved her parents together with him...

"…What…is going on here?" Shidou's eyes trembled, and he frowned as he began to recall his memories… …At that time, Origami's reversal put the entire Tengu City in danger, and at the critical moment, Kurumi helped him go back to the past…Then, the first time failed, so he found Kurumi from five years ago and asked her to help him go back to the past for the second time. Finally, when Origami's parents were about to be killed, he rushed out and pushed them away… …

The memory was a little fuzzy, but it was basically like this. As for the boy with yellow hair... I had no memory of him - when I pushed Origami's parents away, I didn't have any memory of him either...

"What the hell! You idiot! What are you doing standing there?! She can't hold on any longer!"

Suddenly, this sentence popped up in Shidou's mind for no reason... At the same time, he saw a picture - in the picture, there was a yellow figure.

Shidou's breathing was a little disordered. First of all, the person Origami was talking about who looked exactly like him was undoubtedly himself. Although it was only a moment, Shidou did meet Origami's eyes when he saved Origami's parents five years ago.

As for that yellow-haired boy... Shidou thought that he should know him... He had no memory of him --- so, since waking up yesterday morning, all the strange and weird feelings he had had could be explained --- he should be someone very close to him... …

Just then---

"Is that all you have to say? I have to go back to the classroom..."

"...! Ah, wait a minute." Shidou hurriedly stopped Origami who was about to go down the stairs, because Shidou had almost not obtained the information he wanted.

Having said that, Shidou thought that if he continued to play the role of a student who knew nothing, there would be no further progress, so he made up his mind and said, "Those two people you mentioned, could it be that they were at the time of the Nanko district fire?"

"Eh──?" Origami's eyes widened when she heard what Shidou said.

"Why... do you know..." Origami had only said half of the sentence when a look of sudden enlightenment appeared on her face.

"That guy who looks exactly like you... Could he be your brother...?"

"Eh?" Shidou made a surprised sound after hearing Origami's unexpected words. It seems that Origami thinks that the person she met five years ago is her brother. It's no wonder. Even if she said that the person was Shidou himself, she probably wouldn't believe it. Although I don't want Origami to misunderstand... but if the conversation can go smoothly because of this, there is no other choice. Shidou nodded after making such a judgment.

"Hmm... I guess so." After Shidou finished speaking, Origami's expression suddenly changed. She frowned and looked like she was about to cry.

"...Origami ...classmate?"

Origami lowered her head with tears in her eyes, and said apologetically: "Your brother and his friends saved my parents. Without them, my parents would have died. Even if I say more words of thanks, it may not be enough to express my gratitude, but please let me say one thing, really──thank you very much...!"

"Oh...oh..." Shidou felt at a loss as to what to do with Origami's reaction and responded to her vaguely.

However, what she said revealed an important piece of information, that is, Shidou had indeed successfully saved the lives of Origami's parents five years ago. Shidou breathed a sigh of relief.

However, while one fact has been clarified, some mysteries have become even more confusing.

"Um... Tobiichi-san, the boy with yellow hair... can you tell me more about him?"

"Eh?" Origami looked at Shidou's eyes in confusion: "Don't you know him?"

Shidou shook his head: "...I don't remember..."

Hearing this, Origami couldn't help but look even more bitter. Over the years, she had actually tried to find that man's family - but to no avail. No one in that area knew him - and now she heard that even his friend's brother didn't remember him. Origami felt like crying - that man... was like he had never existed...

Taking a deep breath and wiping his eyes, Origami said in a low voice: "I know it all too well. We only met once, when your brother and he saved my parents together... I remember that he was very handsome, very handsome - with yellow hair... and he also had superpowers... um... I mean... he was very powerful and he has someone like a blue hair girl following him."

"...?" Shidou's eyelids twitched, and then he shook his head. This... ...Is this all you know? --- However, even with this little information, Shidou has confirmed one thing - he definitely knows this person - but he has "disappeared" from this world..., and so have other people's memories of him...

He took a long breath---Shidou suddenly had an idea... ...I couldn't remember anything about that "yellow-haired boy", so...what about Kurumi? I went back five years ago to save Origami's parents, but in Origami's words, it was that "yellow-haired boy" who was with me. Doesn't that mean that Kurumi also fired the "Twelfth Bullet" at that yellow-haired boy? Maybe...Kurosan might know something... ...

Just like that, thinking about it, Shidou let out a breath, and having made such a plan, his attention returned to Origami. He looked Origami up and down, and then he recalled the matter of the spirit [Devil], so he couldn't help but ask from the side---

"Uh... Tobiichi-san, your parents were saved, right?"

"Yes." Origami nodded.

After Shidou breathed a sigh of relief, he continued, "So, are you living with your parents now?"

"…No. My parents died in an accident four years ago."

"Eh...!?" Hearing Origami's words with her eyes lowered, Shidou couldn't help but let out a high-pitched cry of surprise.

"How... could it be..." The words "the power of history to correct" flashed through Shidou's mind.

No matter how hard Shidou tried, he couldn't change the fate of Origami's parents' death? This feeling of powerlessness invaded Shidou.

"Shidou-san...?" Origami frowned in confusion at the trembling Shidou. No wonder. It's natural to find it strange that a boy she just met today would react like this.

However, she immediately shook her head as if she changed her mind, and then lowered her head.

"I'm sorry...your brother and his friends finally saved my parents."

"No, don't say that."

"But..." Origami raised her head and continued in a serious tone: "About a year after your brother saved my parents, I gained a lot from them. If it weren't for the help of your brother and his friends, I wouldn't be able to enjoy these irreplaceable things. I really──thank them very much."

There was no false expression on Origami's face as she said this.

"Is that so..." Shidou said as he looked away. Origami's parents passed away, and Shidou felt sorry and sympathized with her... But after hearing what Origami said just now, Shidou felt that his efforts were not in vain, and he felt much more relaxed.

However, Origami said that her parents died in a traffic accident. If this is true── Shidou raised his head, stared into Origami's eyes, swallowed his saliva, and spoke with determination: "Then... why did you join AST?"

"Huh---?!" Origami held her breath when she heard what Shidou said.

That's right, this is Shidou's question. On the day of the fire, Origami's parents should have escaped the angel's attack. If that's the case, Origami shouldn't have any hatred towards the elves...

"How do you know about AST──" Before she could finish her words, Origami frowned as if she remembered something.

"Have you ever walked out into the street when a space quake alarm sounded?"

"Ah--" Shidou made a short sound after hearing Origami's words and seeing her confused expression. Thinking about it carefully... ...Since Origami was once a member of AST in this world, it is possible that she witnessed Shidou going to the scene to talk to the spirit.

"Yes... that's right... it happened before."

"...Sure enough. I wasn't mistaken."

"Huh?"

"It's been a topic of conversation among our team a few times, saying that there are ordinary citizens left in the danger zone. I was thinking that he looked very similar to the person at that time', but I didn't expect it to be you, Shiodu-san." Origami said with a sharp look.

"Your behavior is very dangerous. Please don't do this again in the future."

"Uh... I..." Shidou was at a loss for words. Even though Origami warned him, since he had Ratatoskr's mission, Shidou would have to stand in front of the spirits from now on.

I don't know how Origami interpreted Shidou's reaction, but she just sighed softly.

Shidou was prepared to be questioned, but Origami showed no sign of exploring the matter further.

Instead, she looked back at Shidou with an expression that made one feel her strong will.

"You're asking me why I joined AST...right?"

"Yes, if you don't mind, can you tell me?"

Shidou finished speaking and Origami nodded: "Since you know AST, you also know the cause of spacequake, right?"

"…Spirit."

"That's right. The life forms designated as special disasters are spirits. Also, you may have already started investigating. It was also a spirit who killed your brother and his friends in the fire five years ago."

Shidou swallowed his saliva...

Although Shidou is still alive, from the perspective of the paper at that time, it seems that someone was killed right in front of him---

Wait? Shidou was suddenly stunned---They were killed... The world now no longer has that "yellow-haired boy"... ...So... could it be because... He... is really dead? Died in the past that traveled through time and space? Therefore, no one has any memory of him... ...Shidou's breathing slightly stopped, but immediately, he denied this possibility... ...There was no reason, he just denied it, he absolutely did not want to think that it would be possible---

Origami didn't stop talking at this time. She clenched her fists and continued: "They sacrificed their lives to save my parents. It was thanks to that person's help that I became who I am today. That's why I thought that I couldn't let others suffer the same fate as him. I wanted to be someone who could protect others from being harmed by spirits..."

"Ah..." A sound came out of Shidou's throat inadvertently.

It's like the scattered pieces of a puzzle coming together to form a complete picture.

Origami in the original world was angry because her parents were killed by the spirit, and she decided to defeat the spirits.

In order to prevent this from happening, Shidou probably brought someone with him... ...They returned to the world five years ago and successfully rescued Origami's parents.

However, avoiding the "death of parents" caused another "death the yellow-haired boy", which became the reason for Origami to make a new decision. Although she is still alive, the yellow-haired boy disappeared...

How ironic. Shidou felt a commotion in his heart at the cruel trick of fate.

"...Shidou-san?" Perhaps puzzled by Shidou's silence, Origami tilted her head. Shidou's fingers trembled slightly.

"Ah, I'm fine..." Of course, Shidou couldn't be fine. But this was the only answer he had now.

Successfully changed the world. But in the end, Origami still witnessed the sprit killing someone.

However, this does not mean that only desperate things happen.

What happened in the original world and this world are different. Although the results are the same at first glance, in the original world, the people who were killed were Origami's parents who had spent many years with her, while in this world, Origami only witnessed the death of two unknown boys.

More importantly, one of the boy is still alive and well in this world... Although the other one "disappeared"... But Shidou doesn't know whether he died or for some other reason... Maybe Kurumi will know...

Shidou bit his lip at this time.

Suddenly, he remembered something else---the Origami in this world not only turned into spirit, but also turned inverse.

Shidou didn't understand the phenomenon of "inverse" very clearly. But he knew one thing, that is, this phenomenon would only occur when the spirit was immersed in despair.

"..." Shidou looked at Origami again. Her tone and the aura she exuded were indeed different from the Origami Shidou knew in the past. However, at least the girl standing in front of him now did not look like she was desperate about this world.

Although Kotori warned him not to do anything rash, Shidou had to ask.

"Can I... ask you one more thing?"

"What is it?" Origami tilted her head. Shidou was determined to ask his question.

"Why did you turn into a spirit?" However...

"What?" Origami heard what Shidou said and just widened her eyes in confusion.

"Uh, become a spirit...? What do you mean by that?"

"Huh?" Faced with Origami's unexpected reaction, this time it was Shidou's turn to widen his eyes.

Shidou thought Origami was playing dumb for a moment... but that wasn't the case. Origami looked like she really didn't understand what Shidou was saying.

"What's going on...? That's right..." Just as Shidou was mumbling and thinking, the bell for preparation rang throughout the school. It seemed that the lunch break was over.

"Lunch break seems to be over. I'll go back to the classroom first. Thank you, Shidou-san. It's great to chat with you." Origami said and walked down the stairs.

"Ah--" Shidou said, trying to keep Origami. There were still a lot of questions that had not been answered. Shidou thought that he couldn't just let Origami go.

"Can...can you talk to me again?"

"But, class is about to start."

"It doesn't have to be today! If you're free some other day, can you -- meet me again?

"Huh? What are you doing—" Origami showed a surprised expression, and then her cheeks turned slightly red.

Seeing Origami's reaction, Shidou realized something and blushed with a sound of "Ah".

—The way he spoke just now sounded like he was asking her out on a date...!

"Um---I'm sorry, I already have someone I like...even though he's gone..." Origami's face was still a little red, but it was replaced by more sadness...

"Huh?" Shidou was slightly stunned at first, then couldn't help asking-"There is someone you like... but he is no longer here. Could it be that you are talking about---the one with yellow hair..."

Origami blushed and nodded---

If you think about it carefully, this is quite normal, isn't it? When Origami was a little girl of eleven or twelfth years old, a handsome boy appeared in despair. 

Such a boy is enough to satisfy a girl's fantasy---

… …

… …

At this moment, in the pitch-black space, Katsu stood there in a daze, looking at the young boy Katsu not far in front of him, he blinked---

"What's going on?"

Katsu looked at the young boy Katsu who was standing quietly not far away, and made a confused sound.

"Well... should I say... you're here---?" Shota Katsu said to Katsu in a pure shota voice with a conflicted look on his face.

"... ...Are you... my future self... or my past self? And... where is this?" Katsu was really confused. He just remembered that in order to save Origami's parents, his Susanoo was broken and his chest was pierced... Then his eyes blurred and he ran here - now his chest is still bleeding...

Katsu looked at Katsu for a long while, and finally sighed---

"I am your future self, right? Of course, I don't have to be. After all, the future is not set. You can think of me as one of your futures." Katsu explained his identity in the simplest language, then shook his head and continued, "Let's not talk about that for now. It doesn't matter what I am. As for where this place is..." Katsu paused for a moment, then exhaled and said, "This is a gap in time and space."

"A gap in time and space?" Katsu was puzzled.

"As the name suggests, this is a gap between time and space... How should I tell you --- um... You... or [us], are all outsiders to this world - I think you should not forget this."

Hearing this, Katsu nodded. He came here through the system, and he would never forget this---

"So, why did I come here..." Katsu frowned.

Seeing Katsu like this, future Katsu shook his head in annoyance, and then continued: "Forget it... Let me explain it to you---First of all, we are outsiders, this point, you can understand it, right?"

"Hmm…" Katsu felt that his IQ was insulted.

"As outsiders, this world will reject us, just like the body will not welcome foreign objects into it. The reason why we enter this world is because of the power of the system, but the system sent us in so that we can complete the task and harvest energy to feed back to it. The system will not help us for no reason. By the way, I remind you that in the system, equal exchange is the truth."

"Ah---" Katsu was slightly stunned again when he heard this: "Why…from your tone, it seems that you know the system very well? Have you…left this world and succeeded in the mission?"

"Well... it's okay to tell you. I have indeed completed it... Of course, this is not important. My experience may not be able to help you. After all, based on what I know, some of your experiences have deviated significantly from what I remember---"

"Why did you come back? Are there any regrets that we have?" Katsu asked hurriedly.

Future Katsu shrugged his shoulders: "Of course there are. I can't bring back Tohka. My card can't bring back anyone who doesn't even have a body. The other way to revive in the system is too expensive, so I return to change the past."

"Is there no other way?" Katsu's face was a little gloomy.

"NO! I try and you should know how painful to lose one of our bond. Sorry I got too emotional."

"… …" Katsu stopped talking, but his mood was obviously much more depressed.

As Katsu's , he naturally noticed Katsu's loss easily, so he sighed and said: "Don't be discouraged. I am back now~--Of course, my experience does not mean that your future will definitely happen. Maybe something unexpected will happen and you will be trapped here and unable to get out---"

"... Ah... So that's it---" Obviously, although future Katsu was comforting Katsu in this way, Katsu did not cheer up---

"Well... never mind, let's not talk about this anymore, let's get back to why you came here---"

"Oh... OK." Katsu forced himself to cheer up. Live in the present. Who can predict the future? His future self said that his experience may not be his future...

Seeing Katsu cheer up, Shota Katsu nodded with satisfaction and continued: "Because you are an outsider, this world does not welcome you. The reason why you can enter is because of the system, and the reason why you came to this time and space is because of Kurumi's [Twelfth Bullet]. Now, the power of the Twelfth Bullet has disappeared, so Shidou has gone back. Because he is originally from this world, it is no problem, but you are different. You don't belong here. The power of the [Twelfth Bullet] has disappeared. You can't exist in the past, but you don't belong to this world's future either. So you who are rejected by the world and not tolerated by the past are naturally caught in the gap between the two time and space of this world."

"Why didn't I have this backlash when I traveled back in time before" 

"The last time we used our card to travel back in time so we could ignore the rule, but using Kurumi power is different, causing confusion in this world and erasing the identity that the system provides. You just need to return back and everything will be back to normal. The spirit power of the girls is still connected to you, so don't worry about the timeline change affecting you. Besides, the bond we created has affected the world too much for it to be completely erased. They will soon realise the problem."

"… So, how do I get back now?"

"If you go back to the system, just submit the mission. You should have completed the mission by now - um... just kidding, I know you won't choose this. We still haven't reached the end"

"… …" Katsu's face turned even darker. He didn't like this person…even though this person was himself.

"Well, well, don't look at me like that. In fact, I have been unhappy with myself for a long time. Now I have the chance to see myself being humiliated. Anyway, there is no one else but myself, so don't take it so seriously." The young boy Katsu waved his hand.

"… …"

"Okay---You want to go back to your original time and space, I know, I thought so at the beginning---"

Katsu's expression softened, and he cast a questioning look---

"Well...it's actually very simple - just wait."

"What?" Katsu was puzzled.

"That's right, just wait. Wait for Kurumi to rescue you."

"What do you mean?" Katsu was very confused.

"Tsk..." The young boy Katsu smacked his lips, unable to believe that this person was his former self... Too stupid, he didn't even understand this.

"To put it simply, you are now trapped in a world of the past five years to your own time and space. Although it is a gap between time and space, strictly speaking, you are indeed on this timeline. There are countless timelines, and each time node will derive countless timelines. In short, it is not easy to accurately find this timeline."

"Then... why does Kurumi have to come and take me back? I can..."

Shota Katsu looked at Katsu with an idiotic look---

"Do you know the power of time? You only got her skill but not her experience."

"..."

"That's it. Wait for Kurumi to come to this timeline, and then I'll bring her here. Then you can get out naturally."

"oh… …"

"Next time don't use [Twelfth Bullet] to travel back in time use the card [Quick Spell Card: Time travel] it's safer. Despite how expensive it is to recharge back from its hollow form it is better for us as outsiders to use that card."

"Wait, can't you just send me back"

"Hey, although I now have the power of Emperor Zafkiel, but… I am cheating using a loophole to change the past to help myself so the system won't tolerate anymore help… So I can't use it to send you back… Anyway, you just need to wait patiently for Kurumi to come. She will come sooner than scheduled."

 "While we wait for her I have a training plan just for YOU! Try to dodge, you will thank me in the future." Shota gives out the brightest smile as countless white dots appear in the dark void.

 "I hate myself!" Katsu said as those dots rained down from the sky to attack him.