Chapter 34: Unforgotten

It happened so fast—so suddenly—that for a moment, time itself felt distorted, stretched thin like a frayed thread.

“Huh—!”

The burning need for air in his lungs yanked him back to reality. His gaze, torn away from the eerie figure looming above—the source of his shock—landed instead on the trembling form collapsed on the ground.

Miku.

The color had long drained from her face, leaving her deathly pale—ashen, almost. Her fingers hovered near her cheek, frozen midair, as if unwilling to accept the warmth of her own blood.

He couldn’t blame her.

Just seconds ago, she had been standing on the very edge of death.

And it wasn’t an exaggeration.

That attack had been meant to kill her.

No malice. No hatred. Just a cold, calculated execution.

His hands clenched into fists.

This is bad…

“Umu, that was really impressive.”

Shido flinched.

Eh?!

His head snapped toward the voice on his left.

Tohka?!

She stood there, arms crossed, nodding to herself—not in disbelief, not in shock, but as if she had just witnessed an interesting sword technique rather than a blatant attempt at murder.

“Though,” she added, tilting her head slightly, “it would’ve been much more impressive if it had actually hit its target.”

Shido’s breath caught in his throat.

The casual tone in her voice…

As if she hadn’t just watched someone nearly die.

As if this was just another thrilling battle.

His stomach churned.

“Tohka… What are you saying?” His voice came out hoarse, still unsteady from the sheer weight of what had just happened. “That was— That was wrong! You saw that, right?! She wasn’t just trying to fight Miku—she was trying to kill her!”

Tohka tilted her head slightly, puzzled by his reaction.

“And?”

Shido felt his breath hitch.

“And?! Tohka, that’s—!” He struggled to put it into words. “Killing someone isn’t—”

“But isn’t it bad to harm the innocent?” she cut in, her voice as calm as if she were discussing the rules of a simple game. “Miku is the enemy, isn’t she?”

Shido’s mind blanked.

W-What is she saying…?

The way she responded—it wasn’t defensive, nor was it aggressive. There was no hatred. No anger.

Just pure, unshaken curiosity.

Simple, undeniable logic.

And then it hit him.

…!

These weren’t normal humans.

Their sense of morality, their view of life and death—it wasn’t the same as his.

Tohka, the twins, Miku… all of them. They hadn’t been raised in a world that taught restraint, that valued life the way humans did.

They weren’t human.

To them, fighting wasn’t about justice or evil. It wasn’t about right or wrong. It was about survival.

If someone was deemed an enemy, then there was only one logical outcome—erasure.

It was as natural to them as breathing.

How had he forgotten something so simple?

Tohka had been the same when they first met. Back then, she had raised her sword at him with the full intent to kill.

That wasn’t cruelty.

It was simply what made sense to her.

And now, it was the same for that Spirit in the bear costume.

This wasn’t about revenge. It wasn’t about malice.

She had simply decided—Miku was an obstacle that needed to be removed.

If that attack had landed…

Miku would be dead. Just like that.

Shido swallowed, his throat dry.

Tohka was still looking at him, waiting for his response.

For her, it was a simple question.

For him, it was a horrifying realization.

How was he supposed to bridge a gap this vast?

No… Wrong is wrong.

That didn’t change, no matter who understood it—or who didn’t.

Taking a life so easily shouldn’t be something that can be done so casually. It shouldn’t be the first option, not even for them.

Yes, in some situations, there could be no other choice. He knew that.

But it should never be the first.

Especially not this time.

"Shido?"

Tohka noticed the serious expression on Shido’s face.

Did she say something wrong? Was she the reason for his silence?

For a brief moment, she hesitated, sensing the weight behind his thoughts. But before she could press him for an answer—

"!!"

The air around them shifted.

A gust of wind?

No—something more.

A force, an unseen pressure that made the very atmosphere bend.

Their instincts flared. Their eyes snapped toward the disturbance.

And then—

Without a sound, without a trace—yet still, the tip of her feet barely grazing the stage—time seemed to slow as the Spirit in the bear costume—Sawa emerged on their right.

Too fast.

The air trembled, rippling from the sheer force of her sudden arrival.

"Miku—!"

Shido’s breath caught.

He knew what was coming next.

Sawa stepped forward, her foot tapping against the stage—right in front of Miku.

Smooth. Deliberate.

Her right hand lifted skyward—slow, effortless—almost serene, as if pulling at something unseen.

And then—

Threads.

Several of them.

So thin, nearly invisible, like strands of plant silk, weaving into her grasp.

—Snap!

A sharp sound rang out as the threads coiled, entwining—solidifying into form.

A sword.

Or at least, something like one.

So thin that, when pointed forward, it would vanish from sight.

From the side, it shimmered—transparent.

Like the fragile, peeling skin of a shedding insect.

"E-Eh—!!"

Miku's mind was still struggling to process what had just happened a moment ago, yet now—another threat loomed before her.

And in that instant—through the empty, round eyes of the bear costume—she met Sawa’s gaze.

There was nothing in those eyes.

No grudge. No hatred.

The same pure, innocent look she had seen in their first meeting that day.

Yet—

There was something different.

She could swear, without a doubt—

That girl… was smiling at her.

In joy.

The sword came down in a blur, trailing an afterimage. Sawa’s eyes held no hesitation—

A shockwave erupted.

A deep, metallic clang rang out, reverberating through the air as if the very stage had caved beneath her strike. A cloud of dust burst outward, obscuring everything in a swirling haze.

And yet—

"?"

A flicker of confusion crossed Sawa’s mind.

Something was wrong.

The sound was wrong.

Her blade—meant to cut clean through flesh in an instant—had met resistance. A surface that shouldn’t have stopped it. One that should have yielded, even to a diamond.

The dust began to settle.

A sharp, grating crack filled the silence as Sawa's blade pressed downward—slowly, painfully—before stopping.

Blocked by—

Why is she... standing there?

The thought barely formed in Sawa's mind before—

"Shido?!"

Tohka’s voice rang out—stunned, instinctive.

before Followed by the twin crises of Yuzuru and Kaguya, both laced with disbelief.

And finally—

"S-Shiori...?"

Miku’s voice was softer. Almost a whisper just as lowered her trembling hands.

A figure stood between her and Sawa.

A solid, unmoving presence.

A broad back, shielding everything—shielding her—from the attack.

"Ha-ha…"

A wary laugh left Shido’s lips as his arms trembled, struggling to withstand the force of Sawa’s strike.

His right knee had already given out, barely supported by the cracked wooden floor. Sawa’s blade had sunk halfway through Sandalphon.

At that moment, the only thought in his mind was relief—relief that he had managed to form Sandalphon strong enough to block an attack like that. If not, he would’ve been screwed long ago.

"U-Um…"

A small, hesitant voice broke through the tension.

"Hm?"

Shido blinked, drawn back to reality.

Sawa tilted her head slightly, her round bear mask making the motion strangely innocent.

She seemed puzzled, as if she were trying to figure out why he was in front of her in the first place, already stopped pressing her strength into the strike to not hurt him.

Then, in the same casual tone one might use to suggest moving a chair, she said—

"C-can you m-m-move your sword a-away for a second?"

…

"EH?!"

Shido nearly dropped Sandalphon.

"W-What do you mean, ‘move it away’…?!"

"I-I mean…I-I can’t k-kill her if y-you don’t m-move away… I-I can, b-but… t-that’d be r-rude…!"

…

Shido’s brain stopped working.

Huh?!

Was she serious?!

She nearly got Miku bisected in half, and her biggest concern was whether or not it was rude to kill Miku through him?!

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!" he shouted instinctively.

"A-Ah…?!"

Tohka, Yuzuru, and Kaguya also flinched at the sheer volume of his outburst.

Even Miku, still collapsed on the ground, stared at him wide-eyed.

Shido sucked in a sharp breath, desperately trying to steady his nerves. He was not dealing with a normal person.

No—

He was dealing with a Spirit that had no concept of why this situation was messed up.

If he didn’t explain it right now, she might actually try to stab through him just to reach Miku.

And he really didn’t want to test if he could take that kind of damage.

"Listen to me. You. Are. NOT. Killing. Miku!"

Sawa blinked.

“E-Eh? B-but—S-She caused this…”

She gestured toward the audience, still frozen in place, their minds trapped under Miku’s control.

“That can be undone. Killing someone can’t.”

Shido straightened as Sawa slowly withdrew her sword. He sighed, brushing the dust off his maid outfit—his crossdressing was the least of his concerns right now. “And take a look at her.” He stepped aside slightly, revealing Miku trembling behind him. “Does she really look like someone who deserves to die over one moment of recklessness?”

Sawa’s masked head tilted as she hesitantly turned her gaze toward Miku. Tears had already begun to form in the girl’s eyes.

She’s right…

A pang of guilt twisted inside Sawa as she looked away, lowering her blade completely.

That creepy spirit is just a kid… I can’t believe I was about to—

Shido exhaled slowly. He needed to push a little further, make her truly understand.

“Look, for now—”

But before he could finish, a brilliant light erupted from above, drawing everyone's gaze skyward.

A cross-shaped cut split open the stage roof.

From the breach, a figure descended into the venue, encased in sleek, mechanical armor.

Shido’s breath hitched.

“Th-that’s—”

For a moment, hope sparked in his chest. Was it Ratatoskr? Reinforcements?

But no. It wasn’t them.

He recognized this girl.

A platinum CR unit wrapped around her slender frame, exuding an overwhelming presence. Silken, pale-blond hair swayed as if caught in an unseen breeze, rippling inside her Territory.

She floated above gracefully, her deep aquamarine eyes narrowing as she scanned the scene.

“So, Bailey and her squad failed... Well, that’s fine. This was expected.”

Shido tensed. He knew exactly who she was.

Ellen Mathers.

The leader of the Bandersnatches who had hunted Tohka during their school trip. Back then, they had barely escaped with a series of lucky breaks.

But luck wouldn’t save them this time.

Her power far surpassed that of a limited Tohka. And now—she was here.

However… if that Spirit is here, this time then maybe—!

Shido immediately swallowed his words just as his gaze snapped toward the source of his hope.

The Spirit—Sawa had already taken several steps back. Even through the thick, oversized costume, her trembling was painfully obvious. Shido caught a glimpse of her face through the bear mask’s eye holes—and his breath hitched.

Pure terror.

Not just fear. It was something deeper. As if she had seen a ghost. No… even worse than that.

“W-what’s wrong with her—”

“Hey… What’s she doing here…?”

Tohka’s voice pulled Shido’s attention back. She had already noticed Ellen’s presence and instinctively formed Sandalphon, her Astral Dress shimmering despite being in its limited form.

“Targets: Tohka Yatogami and Shido Itsuka… A girl with Itsuka’s signal acquired. Proceeding to capture.”

Without so much as a glance at Miku and the others, Ellen moved straight toward them.

Tohka gasped, grabbing Shido’s arm. “We have to get out of here, Shido!”

“S-sure, but how exactly…?” Shido stammered, panic rising.

“Ngh—!”

Ellen closed the distance in an instant.

Tohka’s grip on Shido tightened before she suddenly wound up—and flung him straight toward the hole in the ceiling.

“Waaaaaah?!”

Even in her limited state, a Spirit’s strength was far beyond human.

Shido was effortlessly launched out of the building.

“…Oh-ho.”

Unconsciously, Ellen halted mid-step, momentarily caught off guard by this unexpected move from Princess—Tohka Yatogami.

An instant before Ellen could reach them, Tohka had managed to get Shido Itsuka (…or at least, she assumed it was him based on the verification results… probably) out of the venue. Perhaps she had deduced Ellen’s true target from her gaze and movements, but to make such a sharp judgment in mere moments was undeniably impressive.

However, for Ellen—whose mission was to capture both Tohka Yatogami and Shido Itsuka—this was beyond frustrating.

“A level-headed decision. Worthy of praise.”

“Hmph!” Tohka huffed, gripping her sword tighter. “I don’t need compliments from you!”

“I see,” Ellen replied curtly before shifting her gaze back toward the stage to reassess the situation.

“Hey, Miss Bear, mind lending me a hand?”

Tohka called out while pointing Sandalphon toward Ellen, expecting a response.

But none came.

“Hm?”

She wanted to glance back to check why Sawa wasn’t responding, but taking her eyes off the enemy even for a second felt like a mistake.

“…Oh?”

It was only then that Ellen’s gaze locked onto Sawa’s.

“Long time no see… <Material B>.”

In that instant, it felt like a massive weight crushed Sawa’s chest. Her breathing hitched. Unpleasant memories—ones she had desperately tried to bury—resurfaced without mercy.

No… No, no, no—

I don’t want to go back.