Kamen Rider Date A Live

The light blade reappeared, its edge falling towards Mana's back, aimed at the gap that appeared when Mana was focused on countering the thrusters—a sure-fire strike!

Just as Origami aimed, the light blade left a shallow scratch on Mana's CR-Unit, but...

"Varied……"

The origami couldn't help but make a sound.

The moment the lightsaber's blade touched Mana's equipment, her entire body felt as if it were being stroked by a hand—her origami movements stopped.

"Phew, that was dangerous!"

Mana turned around and looked at Origami behind her, whose brows were furrowed and who seemed to be having difficulty breathing. There was no mistake. Mana, using her Freedom Domain, stopped Origami's movements.

However, this outcome was not entirely unexpected.

I've also considered that if Mana had the reaction speed, she might be able to react to Origami's actions in the instant she encounters the thrusters. In any case, this place is incredibly close to Mana's body, right within her territory—her Free Domain.

However, if we consider the realm of origami condensed to 30 centimeters, it is not impossible to create an activity based on that, which was originally estimated.

But... it wasn't as easy as I had imagined.

"Unfortunately, it's a checkmate."

Mana slowly turned around, and the blade of light touched Origami's shoulder.

At the same time, the signal device above my head beeped. Then, a voice came from the combat suit.

"The exercise is over. Lieutenant Takamiya Mana is victorious."

Eyes' Lecture

The author has absolutely no morals.

Coach number forty-eight! He's a pervert!

Coach number forty-eight! He's a pervert!

After the exercise ended.

Back at the hangar, Origami, while composing herself, looked at the ground as if trying to recall the feelings she had just experienced a dozen minutes earlier, and clenched her right hand tightly.

"........."

Having lost the previous sense of freedom, the body felt incredibly heavy. Even raising an arm or clenching a fist felt unnatural, as if swimming in highly viscous mud.

But this seemingly natural phenomenon hints at her own powerlessness, and Origami unconsciously injects more force into her clenched fist.

"Takamiya - Mana".

Her proficiency in wielding her domains and special weaponry as if they were her own limbs was almost a boast. Indeed, she was a genius worthy of the legend.

This is a welcome development, isn't it? Mana is human, a member of AST. That means she shares Origami's goal of defeating the spirits. If there were magicians with her level of skill, the success rate of operations would probably increase significantly.

However, despite understanding this, Origami felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety growing stronger.

"...So strong..."

Origami stared with her clenched fists and said, at the same time, a familiar voice came from above her head.

"You're amazing too, Tobiichi~~"

Suddenly, I looked up and saw Mana, dressed in a combat suit, standing there holding sports drinks in her hands. I don't know when she had approached.

"You're welcome!"

As he spoke, he handed over the sports drink in his left hand.

"........."

Despite having just been released from the Freedom Domain, Mana's movements were in no way inferior.

Origami looked up at Mana with mixed feelings, then raised her heavy arm and took the bottle.

Mana nodded in satisfaction, took a sip of her drink, and continued.

"To be honest, I was startled. Even though it was only a sword tip a few millimeters long, it's been a long time since anyone could hit me."

It wasn't sarcastic; it was simply a pure evaluation of the origami skill.

"...How can I become as powerful as you?"

Origami asked, and upon hearing her question, Mana seemed quite troubled, her eyebrows furrowing into a V-shape.

"I've heard that you once killed an elf. I'd like to hear the details."

Mana shrugged slightly at Origami's words.

"You've...killed an elf...? Well, that's true..."

Faced with that vague answer, Origami tilted her head slightly.

"what happened?"

"Hmm...it's somewhat related to 'that,' and unlike other elves, do I still have to listen?"

"Anything is fine, no matter how small the information is. Just tell me."

"Well, it's alright... Although I can't announce it to the outside world, I think I'll have the opportunity to see it for myself soon. That's why I'm here."

Origami tilted her head at the pretentious remark.

"...I heard that you were assigned here to enhance our combat strength."

"That's true! But to be more precise, we came here to confirm the reaction of 'a certain elf' in this area."

"A certain spirit?"

"Hmm. The most vicious spirit I've been hunting all along. Identification name—"

Just as Makoto was about to continue speaking.

boom!boom!

The two men were hit on the head.

"……hiss…"

"pain!"

Origami and Mana pressed their heads down at the same time and turned their heads to the right. Standing there was Ryoko Kusakabe, the captain of the AST, wearing the Self-Defense Forces uniform, holding a crumpled booklet-like object in one hand.

“You guys! Hey…”

His forehead veins throbbed and popped, and at the same time, he pointed with a "whoosh!" at the iron block retrieved from the training ground—

A beautifully split thruster.

"Wasn't this supposed to be a simulated battle?! Why are you destroying valuable equipment?!"

The two stared at Liaozi's fingertips and spoke.

"They attempted to exploit Lieutenant Takamiya's weakness using a half-baked method, but failed."

"Although it's a simulated battle, if we don't fight it seriously, we won't be able to obtain the correct data. That's my assessment."

So, the two of them were hit on the head again.

"That's a brilliant idea. Go and thoroughly investigate the price range of combat components that support the display device before we talk about it! Don't forget the huge amount of equipment we lost to the armored men the last few times! Our budget isn't unlimited!"

"learn."

"understood."

"Really..."

Liaozi left with the words "Be more careful next time," shrugged, and walked away.

After her figure disappeared, Zhenzhen pouted in dissatisfaction.

"Honestly, Captain is such a headache. It's because he's so stingy that he's as annoying as an elf."

"Feel the same."

Origami nodded, and Mana smiled happily.

"I feel like we get along really well, Tobiichi. We're the kind of people who fight against monsters like elves. If we keep focusing on money, we won't be able to win even when we could."

After saying that, he shrugged exaggeratedly.

Origami silently re-examined Mana's face, and sure enough... both her features and her aura were very similar to Shido's.

However, Shido should only have one sister.

Although they've never spoken, they've met a few times—Kotori Itsuka. Needless to say, she's a different person from Mana.

However, according to Origami's information, Shido is an adopted son. Therefore, the possibility that she is Shido's true sister cannot be completely ruled out.

"Third Lieutenant of Chonggong Palace".

Origami spoke naturally.

"It's a promise. Tell me about your relationship with Shido."

"Shido...? Who is that? Who is that?"

"Mana tilted her head... That's really unusual," Origami continued, somewhat surprised.

"I saw footage of the battle a few days ago—the name of the boy reflected in it. You, the one I call my elder brother. You promised to tell me if I participated in the exercise."

"...Si, elder brother—sir...?"

Mana frowned slightly.

"what happened?"

"No, I have a slight headache..."

As he spoke, he pressed his hand against the side of his neck.

Origami felt that this appearance looked somewhat familiar. — Just like Shido, whom she saw in the video last month.

"...Hiss...My apologies! It's all alright now. Um, about my brother's matter!"

As if shaking off a headache, she gently shook her head and took out a small silver pendant from the chest of her combat suit.

Then, open it. Inside are photos of little boys and girls.

"——Shido."