Chapter 10: Invitation.

Jay/Bronya POV

This is awkward...

I didn't expect that trying to get these two together would end up with both of them with me.

Maybe this is karma...

"Bronya! Tell me what you think of my name! It's better than yours, right? C'mon, tell me."

"...*sigh* Tohka is a good name."

I end up patting her head, it was a little funny since she didn't understand why I was 'comforting' her, but after explaining it was also an act for praising someone, she started to pat me again... 

Maybe I should stop teaching her things... It does feel good, though...

"Tohka, Bronya understands why you are proud of this name, but... why did you bring subject Shido with you?"

The protagonist, who thought he was simply forgotten, got surprised as I mentioned him, Tohka looked at Shido and stared at him for a few seconds, making him sweat before opening her mouth.

"Why are you here?"

I facepalm at this question... She didn't even notice she brought him along with her, did she?

"You were holding my arm, and then... I was here?"

"Is that so? Want me to send you back? I'm fast."

Shido pales as she grabs his arm once more and starts shaking his head from side to side in desperation. 

"No, no, no! My arm still hurts! It might fall off if I go with you again... And I need to speak with you both anyway."

"Nn, fine. You are a good human, so you can stay."

What about my opinion?… Never mind.

Shido looks at me somewhat embarrassed. 'I didn't expect to meet you so soon,' he says. I nod, it's been less than a day, so it really is weird to meet him again so soon.

Determination flashed in his eyes for a second, but for some reason he slowly started to lose focus and looked away. What's up with that?

"I... Can answer your questions from yesterday better now."

"... Is that so? Then, Bronya will continue the questioning from yesterday."

This will decide if I can trust him, if I should help him, and what really is at stake here. 

Tohka noticed the tension between Shido and me and walked over to my side. I figured she deserved to be part of this too, so I explained she could also ask questions if she had any.

Her eyes lit up as she smiled a little.

"Hmm, information is important... Ok, I will ask questions too! Let me start!"

Tohka immediately takes the honor of first question for herself, but I guess it doesn't matter who begins. With a dead serious face that made Shido and even me a little nervous, she spoke. 

"Is there any food tasty enough to compare to ice cream?"

""..."" x2

Tohka tilts her head cutely as she looks at both of us.

"...What?"

I can't say I didn't expect something like this happening since she did calm down because of ice cream, but still... The serious mood was destroyed!... Give me back my serious mood!!!

Shido, somehow, managed to stay composed and answered the question, saying there were tons of different foods, so there are probably plenty of foods better than ice cream.

Tohka's questions were mostly on how to find tasty food and fun things, so I ended up ignoring them for the most part... 

And then came my turn to ask.

My questions were simple: 'Do you still trust that organization? What's their objective? How will they reach this objective? Why do they need you?'

Most answers were something I expected, but some gave me insight on how this 'story' works, like...

""Sealing our powers?"" x2

...It makes sense, no powers means no destruction, and it will also be easier to manage any spirit without destroying them. It's the 'perfect solution' and easy to understand too. The problem is how only the spirits would end up taking the price, so I really don't want this, though I still hope Tohka herself doesn't take this badly.

Tohka moves closer to me and whispers in my ear.

"...What does sealing our powers mean?"

Maybe it's not easy for everyone to understand... I lean over and whisper back.

"It means you lose your powers."

"That... Doesn't sound like a good thing, though."

"It depends on who you ask, but for us it probably isn't..."

Tohka quickly glanced between Shido and me, her expression one of growing confusion. She didn't seem entirely sure what to make of all this talk about sealing powers, but...

Tohka slowly narrows her eyes towards Shido, who quickly starts to understand the situation was going sour, so he quickly tries to explain himself.

"Look, I know that sounds bad, but-"

Tohka's sword materialized silently as she slowly took a stance. Shido froze on the spot, and I commanded Project Bunny to hold her back if she goes too far.

"Since Bronya said it isn't good, then you are definitely a bad guy!"

I almost stepped in. Almost. But she didn’t feel like she was going to snap again. Not this time. This was more like a kid throwing a tantrum for getting deceived but not wanting to really hurt someone. With Bunny ready to intervene at any moment, I decided to watch what was going to happen, if this was part of the 'story,' maybe it would jog some memories.

That’s when the alarm hit.

BEEEP

An alarm sounds in my head, which startles me as a blue screen appears before me...

A blue screen? In an isekai? Is it the all-powerful system?!

...Except it wasn't.

[SCOUT UNIT 3: CRITICAL DAMAGE. FUNCTIONALITY: 15%. CORE SHIELD FAILURE. AUTO-RETURN: DISABLED.]

That scared me, it's just... what?

"Damage report?... This is bad."

It's the first time I saw something like this, even against the missiles and guns from the AST, the shields of my drones made most attacks bounce off. Even without shields, the damage never reached such a critical mark. It's part of the reason why I never felt danger, since the barrier around me is way stronger and always on.

But this wasn't a long fight, it was nearly instantaneous. A single attack that pierced the shield and nearly destroyed my drone... Did the AST find me, and are they using their secret weapon? No way, why use that on a scout? But the only way to hit it this hard is if...

"...Bronya, let's go!"

As I was worried about the hidden enemy that showed itself, Tohka grabs me by the arm and pulls me over, nearly dragging me across the floor.

"W-wait! Bronya is confused!"

"Don't worry, we are going on a date! It will be fun!"

 "........Wha?"

Bronya.exe has stopped working...

Bronya.exe is rebooting...

Does she... like me?

No. No, that’s impossible. She’s just... an idiot. A powerful idiot.

"It's a date with who…?"

"Well, obviously it's me, you..."

She pauses for a second as she points forward.

"And Shido!"

"As expected..."

I mutter this quietly to myself, because what else do you do when someone declares a group date without asking?

Tohka’s still gripping my arm like I’m her personal emotional support plushie. Shido is awkwardly standing nearby, half-smiling like he's not sure if he should be flattered about getting a double date or terrified.

...Aren't these two supposed to get together or something? How did it end up with these two glued to me?!

Tohka basically marches forward, not minding my existential crisis.

"Alright! Let's go play together!"

"Play together?"

"Yes, we go out to play and have fun. That's a date, right?"

 "...It's not wrong."

But I quickly shake her hand off me. No matter what, going on a date with a guy is too much.

"Ehhh... Why did you shake me off? We are going to have fun, let me lead the way!"

She tried once more to hold my arm, but I stopped her. Sorry, with that mysterious attacker on the loose and Shido being part of the 'fun,' I decided it's better for us to split off now... Hmm, this could work. I slowly put as much sass on my deadpan voice as I could muster as I spoke.

"Bronya can have waaay more fun alone. Tohka and subject Shido are unnecessary."

""Wha...""

Both of them become stunned by my provocation, but Tohka quickly falls for it.

"That's not true! We are going to have more fun than you! Waaay more fun than you, stupid Bronya!"

"Is that so? Then it is a competition. Bronya will go play, and Tohka and subject Shido will go on a date. The one who is happier in the end wins."

"Good! Let's go, Shido! We need to play a lot! Show me everything fun!"

Shido wanted to speak but stopped when I glared at him and was quickly dragged away by Tohka. I'll send a little message to him... And also a camera to understand what he will try to do, but if he ever tries to hurt her, I will... Don't make me regret this, Mr. Protagonist.

I change my clothes from the student uniform to my battle dress with a burst of light and quickly use Project Bunny to fly towards my destination.

I find my damaged drone quickly, the damage is small but deep. Maybe a bullet? But with this I can find the trajectory of the shot and can properly know where it came from. I dismiss the drone before going towards an alley.

"It's a pretty deserted place, so people won't be coming here. Perfect for an ambush or a secret talk. Then... friend or foe? Which one are you?"

I aim a cannon at a shadow as a girl slowly gets out of it. From the crimson goth dress with black frills she is using, this girl is definitely a spirit... probably part of the main cast since she is so unique. If this also means she is the villain... I don't know.

"Ara, ara~ Aiming such a dangerous thing at me on our first meeting. That's bad manners, but I forgive you."

She smiles. A shiver runs down my spine. All systems ready to fire. If she tries anything...

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Tokisaki Kurumi."

A small pause before she steps closer, her sweet smile feels like a trap...I get it now.

Even if she isn't a villain, she...

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Anomaly."

...Is definitely a yandere!