Kamen Rider Date A Live

"Let's take a look at this picture next."

The key fob operated the device, changing the image on the large screen. The image now displayed was a 3D image of Mana, albeit without color.

However, what was shown in the 3D image of Mana was not a good thing.

Because what is displayed here is Mana's physical condition, and the pattern on it shows Mana's entire body covered with countless lines, which looks quite terrifying!

"This is something you don't know. DEM has secretly modified you, making your body almost completely covered by magic circuits. These magic circuits not only give you powerful magic power, but also allow your body to withstand extremely powerful calculation capabilities. This is the source of your great power, because your body is already somewhat similar to Tohka and the others, which are spirits."

Key turned a page and handed the completed page to Shido and the others.

"However, this kind of modification is incomplete. If only a small amount of magic circuits are transplanted into one person, it will only be beneficial and harmless. But if a large amount is transplanted at once, like Mana did, it will only greatly reduce the lifespan of the person being transplanted. In Mana's current situation, she can only live for less than ten years at most before her body and brain explode because they cannot withstand the astonishing amount of computation and the enormous magical power."

"What! Mr. Jian! Is it true that she only has less than ten years to live?!"

Upon hearing this news, Shido was the first to recover from his shock, because he knew that Ken, as a scientist, would never joke with him about such a matter, or rather, he had never heard Ken tell a joke.

Moreover, when I had paused my training before, seeing how meticulous Key was, I couldn't resist asking Nanoha and the others a question.

Mr. Key always has this expression. Has he ever joked before?

Shido still can't forget the expressions on Nanoha's and the others' faces at that time. They were so comical, completely different from their usual capable expressions!

That's all for now! Let's talk about the others.

However, whether it's Kotori, Tohka, or Yoshino, although they know less about Key than Shido, they all know one thing: Key almost never jokes! And he certainly doesn't joke about such important matters!

Mana, who was initially skeptical, began to believe Ken's words after seeing that everyone else believed them, and after experiencing things that had shattered her worldview.

"If you don't believe me, you can go check it out on the airship Fraxinus in Ratatoskr. It's easier to trust the instruments in your own world."

"Ratatosk?! I've heard rumors about that. The rumors say it's an organization that doesn't annihilate elves by force, but rather aims to appease them through dialogue... I thought it was just an urban legend... I didn't expect it to be true..."

"...Could it be that my elder brother is a member there? If so, these elves can be explained."

Mana recalled some rumors she had heard at DEM, combined with the video she had seen in AST, and the fact that the elves were living well. Finally, she remembered the name "Ratatosk". Mana then realized that her older brother was a member of "Ratatosk".

"Well, you're right, I guess I'm a member of Ratatoskr, by all accounts. But if you're looking for someone, you should ask Kotori. Kotori is the commander of Ratatoskr's airship Fraxinus, so she's the more suitable person to talk to."

Shido admitted it somewhat stiffly, then bought teammates without hesitation, bringing up Kotori's other identity and explaining it to Mana.

However, Shido's stiff admission isn't surprising, since his joining Ratatoskr can be entirely described as forced. The difference is that Shido is the one who's willing to give, while Ratatoskr is the one who's willing to receive. It's a case of one willing to give and the other willing to receive.

"Miss Kotori is the commander of Ratatosk... I understand. So, Miss Kotori, please allow me to go there for another check-up. After all, DEM accepted me despite my amnesia and gave me a reason to exist, for which I was very grateful. But saying this suddenly feels a bit unreal to me."

A smile appeared on Mana's face, but whether it was a forced smile or not, nobody knew...

"It seems you've already discussed it. Kotori and Mana, go to the teleportation array over there and head straight to Fraxinus. Tohka and Yoshino, stay here for dinner. Shido, go back to your room; someone is waiting for you."

"No objections, right?"

"No!" everyone answered loudly.

"Okay. Oh, right, there's something else I need to mention. After your checkup, come to our clinic for treatment. The treatment pod has already been prepared for you. This specially made pod will not only solve your lifespan problem but also greatly enhance your calculation abilities and magic power. Don't worry, there are no side effects."

"...Thank you, Mr. Ken!"

"Alright, everyone get out of here. I'm going to start analyzing this chip now."

Suddenly, a chip appeared in Key's hand. The sharp-eyed Shido immediately recognized it as the one that the otaku had brought for Yuse. Then Key pressed a button, and Shido and the others were teleported out of the laboratory one after another.

The Seventy-Five: The Meaning of a Smile

The Seventy-Five: The Meaning of a Smile

—Fraxinus—

"Reine, take Mana to the treatment room for a thorough examination. We found something extraordinary in the 'villa' earlier. However, since Mana isn't entirely clear about the extent and power of the energy there, we'll conduct another examination here."

As soon as Kotori arrived at Fraxinus, she immediately pulled the bewildered Mana to the command room, pointed at Mana, and said to Reine.

"...Understood. Miss Mana, please follow me this way."

After a moment of silence, the sleepy-eyed Reine suddenly stood up and answered Kotori. Then she walked to Mana's side and gestured for her to follow.

Mana obediently followed Reine towards the medical room. After making sure the two of them were far away, Kotori changed into the dark red military uniform cape she wore when she was the commander and said to Kannazuki.

"Kannazuki! Inform those old fogies that there's important news and intelligence; a roundtable meeting is about to begin!" Kotori exuded an air of authority at this moment!

(Mysterious voice: I don't know who was complaining to God last time because Yoshino was one centimeter shorter than him but one centimeter bigger in the bust, and then spent the whole night drinking Fanta at the Fraxinus bar.)

(Note: This event does indeed occur in the original work.)

"Understood, Commander!" Kannazuki put away her playful smile, turned on her communicator, and started communicating. Meanwhile, Kotori was heading to the special communications room (Fraxinus) that only she, as the Commander, could enter.

(I never expected such a troublesome thing to happen this time...)

At this moment, Kotori was thinking about which toy to use to prank those old fogies, while also starting to feel a bit of a headache because of the complexity of this incident...

———Shido- ...

"If I go home, will there be someone who can answer my questions...?"

Back home, Shido was walking towards his room. He hadn't forgotten what they had talked about, and he knew he needed to find someone to answer his questions, but...

"Is this guy really capable?"

When Shido enters his room, he sees "Yu" engrossed in playing his PSP. Given Yu's usual goofy personality and the deep influence Shido has on him, it's no wonder he has such doubts.

However, if Shido knew that this usually goofy guy was one of the best negotiators among the "Kings", I wonder what he would think.

However, Shido will soon find out, and the next sentence he hears perfectly hits the nail on the head.

"Hey! Shido, put away that 'This guy who's usually completely unreliable and disappears all the time can actually solve my doubts' look! ...Hey! Stop looking around! There's no one else here! Don't you trust me that much!? Don't you trust me that much!? This is really hurtful! I thought we were friends!"

The voice uttering "Yes" was filled with sorrow (?), and tears streamed incessantly from the floating eyeballs. Of course, it would be quite touching if this thing had a physical body, but since it only has eyes and hands, the tears only make it look more frightening…

However, Shido and "Yu" were used to each other, so he didn't mind. Moreover, Shido, who knew "Yu's" personality well, wouldn't be fooled by such a thing, and wouldn't be fooled by "Yu" deliberately acting cute. Although "Yu" wasn't cute at all now, he was actually more terrifying.

So Shido didn't hold back at all when criticizing "having".

"Don't play those games with me, I know you too well. Besides, have you ever been reliable? It's only natural that I'd think this way. And don't go around saying 'we're friends,' that's a cursed death flag! You bastard!"

"Oh! Kid! You've got a good tongue-lashing! But... now you should be able to calm down and listen to me. My bewildered contractor, Itsuka Shido."

When he said "yes" at the end, his tone no longer carried the usual nonchalant and silly tone, but was filled with the same authoritative tone that Shido had when he first met this guy.

“I don’t know how to say it about having you…” Shido scratched his head.

"It's been so long since I've heard you speak so seriously. I'm actually a little nostalgic. Well then, I'll listen carefully this time and see what your thoughts are."

Shido spoke with a faint sense of nostalgia, sitting on his bed, crossing his arms on his lap, and looking at "You".

"Alright! Shido, what you want to know, I've figured out. It's because of that spirit named Tokisaki Kurumi, who personally killed many people, right? But let me tell you first, you've misjudged the number of people Kurumi killed. The spirit named Tokisaki Kurumi killed at least more than ten thousand people. And that's not even the figure calculated due to factors like spacequakes. If you really calculate it, it's probably even more. However, in my opinion, Tokisaki Kurumi, to some extent, saw humans as food."

As "You" said "okay," she subtly glanced at Shido, only to find that he merely flickered his eyes and made no other move. However, "You" also knew that Shido had probably anticipated this situation. After all, whether you kill one person or ten thousand, the only difference is the quantity.

"However, those who died at the hands of Tokisaki Kurumi were mostly delinquent high school boys who roamed the streets, as well as high-ranking mercenary leaders. They seemed scattered and disorganized, but they all shared a similar trait."

"Yes," he said softly.

"High school students shoot newborn kittens with replica guns, mercenary leaders kill innocent babies for high commissions... If these people have any similar characteristics, it is that they harm innocent lives for their own selfish desires."

"However, in our eyes, this kind of killing is nothing but self-deception. This reasoning is the same as thinking that 'humans feed on the flesh and blood of animals, so monsters can also feed on the flesh and blood of humans,' or 'if I kill someone who doesn't respect life, my sins will be lessened a little.' Tsk, what a naive idiot."

"The essence of the world is the survival of the fittest, and this cannot be changed even in today's society. Only those with strong abilities can live a high-quality life, while ordinary people, lacking strong abilities, can only live an ordinary life. This is the same in any world. However, opportunities are something you have to seize yourself."

"But Shido, do you know what it is that can support Kurumi Tokisaki on this path? The unwavering determination in her eyes is something even we have to admire."

"And Shido, do you know how to see into someone's heart and then accurately give them what they want?"

"You know, the true feelings of a human being are almost never expressed outwardly! Sadness doesn't necessarily mean crying, and laughter doesn't necessarily mean true happiness,"

"Humans are the most adept at disguise on Earth. Behind every detail of our appearance lies a huge secret! Everyone's hobbies, habits, interests, moods, values, and worldview are all hidden in these details!"

"Practice your eyes! Seeing only the surface is far from enough! Treat others as yourself, and yourself as others!"

"Don't just see a single point...see what's behind that point..."

"The whole world!"

"Shido, you've seen Kurumi Tokisaki's smile, haven't you? But Shido, can you see the secret hidden behind it?"

Eyes' Tip

I'm the main character from the moment I appear! (Just kidding)

Kurumi, the 77th character, is unable to die?

Kurumi, the 77th character, is unable to die?

The clock hands pointed to 8:30, the time when the morning class meeting would begin. The students, who had been chatting and laughing, returned to their seats noisily.

"...Ah?"

Among them, Shido, who had returned to his seat early, tilted his head slightly. Even though the bell had rung, Kurumi did not appear in the classroom.

Tohka was probably thinking the same thing, looking around anxiously.

"Hmm, Kurumi was late on her second day at the new school."

As Tohka said this.

"...They won't come."

From Shido's left neighbor came a joyful sound that, though he tried hard to hide it, could not be concealed.

Origami didn't turn her head, but only looked at Tohka and spoke.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"That's what I mean. Tokisaki Kurumi... she won't be coming to school anymore. I've already..."

"Huh? Do what yourself?"

Just as Shido opened his mouth, the classroom door swung open, and Ms. Kozuma, carrying the attendance book, entered the classroom. Immediately, the class representative gave the order to stand up.

"that……"

Although he cared about what Origami said, he couldn't ignore the order. Shido and the others bowed and got ready.

"Yes, good morning everyone. Now let's begin the roll call."

As she spoke, Teacher Xiaozhu opened the attendance book and began reading out the students' names.

"Tokisaki-kun."

Then Xiaozhu called out Kurumi's name, but there was no response.