Kamen Rider Date A Live

"...Okay, let's go in and find a seat."

Although he found the size of the Western restaurant somewhat unbelievable, Shido managed to keep a straight face and not let himself show any unpleasant expression.

"Shido! What's this book?!" Tohka pointed to the menu on the table and asked Shido in confusion.

"This is the menu. Tohka, just choose what you want to buy from here."

"Oh? So all I have to do is pick out what I want to eat from this book?"

"Ah, that's right."

"What about soybean flour bread? Don't you have soybean flour bread?"

"...No, they don't sell them here. Speaking of which, didn't you eat a lot of them at that bakery at the beginning?"

"I want to eat it again. What exactly is that powder...? This intense addictiveness... If it's allowed to exist in this world unchecked, it could cause a huge problem... People would definitely tremble with withdrawal symptoms and start wars over more soybean powder!!"

Tohka's eyes gleamed with the spirit of a martyr willing to sacrifice herself for the safety of the world, but Shido, seeing the drool about to spill from the corner of her mouth, paused for a moment, then...

"...No way."

(Aren't Kotori and the others coming yet? I can't hold on much longer!!)

"If you find this inconvenient, we have special set meals available." At that moment, a waitress appeared at the table and said to the two of them.

(The assistant is here! But...why does her voice sound so familiar?)

Filled with doubt, Shido turned around and almost spat out his drink!

"Qin!..."

"Huh? Shido, what's wrong?" Tohka looked at Shido with a puzzled expression, wondering why he had made such a loud noise earlier.

"No, it's nothing! Tohka! By the way, what's that special set meal?"

"A special set meal that's so lavish it's terrifying!"

As she said this, the maid (?) Kotori handed a "Special Set Meal Introduction" to Shido and Tohka. After glancing at the contents, Tohka immediately raised her hand and exclaimed happily,

"I want it! I want this set meal!!!"

————This is the dividing line for the package deals————

Three-tiered cream cake, steak, lamb chops, char siu, pasta, chilled pineapple juice, ice cream, fries, pudding, fried shrimp, roast turkey... and many other foods.

Uh…it truly lives up to its name as “so lavish it’s terrifying”!

Watching Tohka happily devour her food, Shido gave an awkward smile.

"Hey! What exactly do you guys want?" Shido glanced at Tohka, who was completely absorbed in her food, and asked Kotori quietly at the table.

"I'm just trying my best to help you with your date. The important part is coming up, Shido. After leaving here, head south to the station."

"South? That's a residential area, isn't it?"

"Please take it to me, please!"

After saying "Please," Kotori left, leaving only Shido sitting there dumbfounded, and Tohka, who had finished most of her food and was now desperately eating a cream cake.

'There's still a long way to go today.' Shido sighed inwardly as he watched Tohka devour her cake.

Upon arriving at the residential area to the south around noon, Shido was surprised to find that the neighborhood, which should have been full of houses, was instead lined with food streets selling takoyaki, rice balls, seaweed rolls, ramen, and more. This made Shido admire Kotori's organization for transforming the entire neighborhood into a food street so quickly. It seems that nothing is impossible.

After Tohka had sampled everything in the food court, following Kotori and the other team members' plan, Shido led Tohka to their intended destination: a hot spring inn…

"No, no! This is the only thing we can't do! We're not adults yet!!!"

At that moment, Shido ignored Tohka's curiosity about going inside and simply dragged her away. Are you kidding me?! They hadn't even developed the most basic boyfriend-girlfriend relationship to the most intimate stage, and they were already doing this kind of... adult-to-friendship thing. They'd be punished by heaven!

(Eyes-kun's Mental World Mini-Drama 2: (Yay!!! A bunch of onlookers appeared out of nowhere.) Under Shido's... well, you know... explanation, Tohka blushed and took off her clothes. At the same time, Shido appeared completely naked...??? ———)

(Shido? What's wrong with you? Why aren't you arguing back?)

(One or two are like this, one or two are like this, one or two are like this, one or two are like this... Shido has broken down.)

(Um, sorry... I'm really sorry!)

(Alright, everyone! Let's look forward to the next mini-drama of the spiritual world! Ero is with us! (Yay~~~ Another group of onlookers from who-knows-where.))

Less than a minute after Shido pulled Tohka away, someone who had been following them appeared—Origami Tobiichi.

"Target's actions confirmed. Please send over emergency equipment parts at coordinates 088, 107..."

But then the weather turned bad and it started to rain. Shido, who had just found a building to take shelter from the rain, suddenly realized that he had taken Tohka to a street full of shops selling plush toys!

"Wow! Is this a factory that produces a robot army?!"

It's understandable that Tohka, who is completely clueless about social etiquette, would react this way. Although Shido couldn't see any common ground between these plush toys, which were at most half a person's size, and the powerful women of AST.

"No...it's just a plush toy."

In the end, thanks to Tohka and Shido's efforts, a pillow shaped like a long loaf of bread was "unsuccessfully" retrieved. This pillow-grabbing activity was probably the most enjoyable thing the two of them did today.

————In Motion————

"Shido! Where are you going, running so fast?"

"I don't know either! The only thing I can say is that the light is guiding me!"

Shido and Tohka, holding umbrellas that appeared out of nowhere (provided by Eyeglasses-kun), ran in the rain.

(Absolutely right! The light is guiding me towards the spirits!! But... there's more than just Tohka as a spirit?!)

(Yes! Answer me!! Am I right?!)

(Well… I can’t say more, and I don’t want to say more. Some things are better left to your own efforts.)

(...Oh...I see, but thank you anyway...)

————Shrine at the foot of the mountain————

"Is this... this is it? The guidance disappeared, so it should be right." Shido said breathlessly, looking around.

"Shido! Why are you running so fast? Honestly!" Tohka jogged over with a relaxed expression, and because there was some distance between them, she called out to Shido loudly.

In the pouring rain, Shido stopped looking around.

It wasn't because my feet were too tired to keep going, nor was it because I thought they might get wet that I gave up.

But just ahead, something that seemed so distant that even the raindrops falling from the sky appeared right before our eyes.

"A girl? (Is she an elf?)"

Yes, it was a young girl, her small figure completely obscured by an adorable coat. The large hood, decorated with bunny ears, seemed to conceal her head entirely.

Then the most obvious feature is in the left hand.

The comical-looking rabbit doll was just sitting there.

The girl seemed to be happily skipping around in the nearly deserted shrine. She occasionally splashed in puddles formed by the rain, like a sprite in the rain.

Suddenly, the girl vanished, as if she had never been there. At the same time, the rain stopped.

"Shido! What are you daydreaming about? Is there something delicious to eat here?" Tohka is practically evolving into a glutton! But the best role model has to be Bear Grylls!

"(Didn't you see Tohka...?) It's nothing, Tohka. By the way, the scenery on the mountain is really beautiful, want to go?"

"Let's go! The rain has stopped! Let's hurry!"

"Okay! Let's go."

————On the mountain————

"Humans are so kind." Tohka had been in the world all day, yet no one attacked her, leading her to a new understanding of human attitudes.

"Ah, nobody wants to kill you at all." Although this statement contradicts the truth, Shido is confident he can make it true, as long as he and Kotori's organization work hard...

"Hmm, this world is so gentle, interesting and beautiful... I've never felt this way before... So, I can understand why the robot army wants to kill me. Every time I appear in this world, I destroy such a beautiful world."

Watching Tohka speak in a somber tone,

"Tohka." Shido murmured Tohka's name involuntarily, and Tohka turned to look at him.

"Hey Shido, it's probably better if I don't exist."

"Stop joking!!" Unexpectedly, Shido, unusually agitated, yelled at Tohka, staring directly into her astonished eyes.

"It's better if you don't exist. You didn't cause a spacequake today, did you?! You didn't destroy anything, and no one attacked you, did you?!"

"No, I can't guarantee I can do it again next time I appear. Once I go back there and fall into a deep sleep, I won't be able to control myself."

"Then don't go back!!!"

"what?"

"Have you tried it? Just once, try staying here all the time!"

"But... there are just so many things I don't know..."

"I can teach you this kind of small thing!"

"...And they also need accommodation and food, and there might be unexpected situations!"

"Leave everything to me! As for unexpected situations, we'll deal with them when they happen!"

"...Really? Can I really survive? Can I really stay in this world?"

"Ah, that's right!"

"...The only person who would say that is Shido. The robot army and other humans certainly wouldn't want a dangerous being like me nearby..."

"I don't care what happens! If anyone denies you, I will affirm you even more than they do! If someone wants to fight you, Tohka, just because of a 'dangerous' or 'shouldn't exist,' I will be the first to protect you!"

Shido's voice echoed in Tohka's mind, causing her pupils to contract in surprise. At the same time, Shido extended his right hand towards her.

"So... Tohka! Are you willing to stay here at the cost of losing your powers?"

"...Shido, will you always stay with me?"

"I'll always be with you, Tohka! That's my promise!!"

"...I'm willing...what do I need to do?" Tohka's voice was so soft when she said this that Shido probably wouldn't have heard it if his body hadn't been enhanced! By the way, Tohka's face was as red as a tomato.

(Kotori, what should we do next?)

————Kotoko-no-kuri————

"Things are progressing faster than expected, Shido. Listen up, the method is a kiss! That is, a kiss! Got it? Let me make this clear, I'm not kidding. And..."