"I knew it, there's no way..."
Ryougi Yumetsuki sat on a relatively clean boulder, casually chewing on a bamboo skewer. Staring at the message on her tablet screen [No results found for Date A Live] a bitter smile crept onto her face.
"Makes sense, I guess. It'd be way weirder if the actual Date A Live franchise existed inside the world of Date A Live."
Currently, Yumetsuki was deep in a North American forest. Perhaps because her landing spot this time was in an uninhabited wilderness, not a single Anti-Spirit Team had shown up after the spacequake subsided.
Now that she had a tablet, Yumetsuki could use her own powers to charge the battery and force a network connection. Even in a dead zone with zero signal, she could still leisurely kick back and catch up on her manga and anime.
"ROAARRR—!"
Suddenly, a ferocious roar shattered her good mood. Looking up, she found a three-meter-tall brown bear standing right in front of her. Its eyes were locked onto her, practically dripping with drooling appetite.
Speaking of which, North America is prime brown bear habitat. This one looks pretty beefy. Is it the boss of this area?
Yumetsuki stepped forward, appraising the massive beast before her while silently analyzing the situation in her head.
Foul breath puffed from the bear's maw as drool began to drip from its teeth. Although it found it slightly strange that its prey wasn't running away and was actually approaching, its simple brain didn't hesitate. It brought its massive, heavy paw crashing down.
Honestly, if this were an ordinary person, they would have been flattened into a meat patty instantly.
However, Yumetsuki simply raised her seemingly slender, fragile arm and effortlessly caught the bear's strike.
The brown bear roared furiously, straining with all its might to break free, but its paw felt as if it were locked in an iron vice. No matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't move an inch.
"You know, it is about time for lunch. It's rare to have such a premium ingredient like bear paws deliver itself right to my doorstep. It'd be a crime not to cook it properly, right?"
Blue and white electricity began to crackle and dance around Ryougi Yumetsuki. Looking up at the brown bear as if it were an item on a menu, she unconsciously let a line of drool slip from the corner of her mouth.
Only at this exact moment did the brown bear finally realize that, in the face of the entity standing before it, it was not the predator.
But by the time it figured that out, it was far too late.
------------------cooking complete divider line-------------------
"Mmm, this smell... It's seriously irresistible!"
Resting inside a crude container carved from a tree trunk were roasted bear paws, cooked to absolute perfection in color, aroma, and taste.
Even though Yumetsuki didn't have any formal survival cooking knowledge, having internet access meant looking up recipes was a breeze. Given her limited cookware, she couldn't pull off complex, high-end dishes like braising or steaming, so she opted for a simple roast.
But even so, preparing bear paws was an incredibly tedious process. Handling the ingredients and mixing the seasonings in the middle of a deserted forest was no small feat. It was only thanks to Yumetsuki's enormous amount of free time and patience that she managed to follow the steps and finish the dish.
Staring at the masterpiece she had poured her heart and soul into, Yumetsuki felt a surge of pride mixed with her hunger.
Looks like my luck is pretty good today. I haven't felt the signal to disappear at all. Seems I've actually triggered a rare Silent Manifestation.
According to records, when Spirits manifest in the real world, it usually falls into two categories: a "Normal Manifestation," which triggers a spatial quake and only lasts for a short period, and a much rarer "Silent Manifestation," which doesn't cause a spacequake and allows the Spirit to remain in the human world for a significantly longer time.
While Yumetsuki still didn't fully understand the mechanics behind the two, since it had happened, she wasn't going to complain. She was more than ready to enjoy her gourmet meal.
However, because her mood was so high, Yumetsuki completely failed to notice the sky rapidly turning pitch black.
Mimicking Japanese etiquette, Yumetsuki lightly clapped her hands together. "Itadaki-"
Before she could finish the phrase, a violent hurricane slammed into the area, followed instantly by a force that flattened the entire forest.
The clear, sunny blue sky from just moments ago was now completely choked by two swirling vortexes of pitch-black clouds.
The wind howled like a weeping beast, and the towering old trees were violently shaken back and forth by the gale.
And standing at the center of the two eyes of the storm were two young girls with orange hair, both wearing straitjacket like outfits.
"—Truly impressive. Yuzuru, my other half! To think you could hold out this long against my absolute power. You are truly worthy of praise!"
The girl on the right, her long hair braided and pinned up, spoke with a tone that was less 'strange' and more 'theatrical.' That bizarre way of speaking instantly brought one specific term to mind:
Chuunibyou....
"Mockery. The one holding the advantage is clearly Yuzuru. Kaguya is the one on the losing end."
The girl on the left, her hair styled into a long braid, shared a strikingly similar face with the other. However, her expression was permanently accented by an aura of utter lethargy.
"Hmph... Truly foolish. How could you possibly comprehend the mysteries hidden within me? Under the gaze of my true power, the Truth Eyes, your defeat is already a set-in-stone reality."
"Rebuttal. Yuzuru won the last match, and Kaguya said the exact same thing then. (Laughs)."
"Guh!"
After Yuzuru spoke, Kaguya choked, suddenly stammering.
"S-Shut up! So what if you won one measly match? You think that's something to be proud of? The current score is sixteen wins, sixteen losses, and seventeen draws! This fiftieth match will absolutely be my victory! You should just obediently hand over the title of 'Yamai' to me!"
"Denial. The one who will survive is Yuzuru. Kaguya is completely unsuited for the name 'Yamai'."
...
Children of the Hurricane. Identification Code: Berserk. Spirits with wind manipulation. They constantly move across different regions at high speeds. According to records, the typhoons and disasters they bring cause more damage than their actual spacequakes.
As the relevant data flashed through her mind, Yumetsuki stood perfectly still amidst the raging storm, frozen like a statue carved from solid rock.
To be honest, this was Yumetsuki's first time encountering other Spirits. Normally, she would have been more than happy to walk up, say hello, and foster some inter-species friendship.
But right now, the situation was special.
"My... lunch."
The hurricane had completely flipped over her wooden basin. The tender, mouth watering bear paws were now thoroughly coated in mud and dirt.
When she first arrived in this world, unable to blend into human society and without a computer or internet, Yumetsuki had turned to learning and cooking her own meals as a hobby to kill time. And truthfully, she had genuinely grown to love it.
And yet, this incredibly rare, high-end ingredient...a dish she had carefully prepared after so much effort...was ruined before she could even take a single bite.
Was there anything more unforgivable than this?!
"Spirit Dress... Yod!"
...
"Dammit! Since you refuse to see reason, I shall use my true strength to awaken you!"
"Agreement. Letting our strength speak is much more convenient."
The winds intensified as the two girls took their stances. They lunged forward simultaneously, raising their Angels to strike at each other.
"RAILGUN!"
At that exact moment, a blinding pillar of orange light blasted right between them. Carrying an unstoppable, annihilating momentum, the massive beam of energy blew a massive void right through the center of the two hurricanes. It punched a massive hole straight through the dark clouds above, allowing a single ray of sunlight to pierce through.
The next second, the hurricane and torrential rain vanished without a trace, as if it had all been a cheap magic trick.
"What..."
"Disturbance. What is this?"
Kaguya and Yuzuru, holding their massive lance and pendulum respectively, stared in dumbfounded shock. Following the trajectory of the blast, they looked down.
Wearing a white collared shirt under a light brown vest, paired with a short skirt and an oversized black trench coat, was a girl with flowing brown hair. In her hands, she held the Angel, Ratziel. The two jagged, lightning-bolt-shaped limbs of the bow had snapped forward, aligning parallel to form a massive, pincer-like cannon barrel. Faint wisps of blue smoke were still rising from the tips.
"A Spirit? Why do you interfere with my duel against Yuzuru?!"
"Question. Why did you stop our duel?"
After recognizing her identity as a fellow Spirit, the twins were momentarily surprised, but quickly began complaining in dissatisfaction.
"Why...? You actually have the nerve to ask me why?"
Ryougi Yumetsuki let out a cold chuckle and slowly raised her head. Her amber eyes were now as chilling as solid ice, glaring at Yuzuru and Kaguya so intensely it made their skin crawl.
Blue and white lightning began to dance wildly around Yumetsuki!
"W-What? I don't recall ever having a grudge against you."
"Shiver. Requesting the opposing party to calm down."
"It's too late for talk! You two... GIVE ME BACK MY LUNCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
With Yumetsuki's furious roar, two massive bolts of lightning—powerful enough to cleave a mountain in half....crashed down from the heavens.
Original Author's Note (PS): To address a reader's question: I only found out after I started writing that the Spirit corresponding to the Second Sephira is supposed to have gray hair and turquoise eyes. But since I've already written it this way, I don't want to casually retcon it. I might just ignore it, or maybe I'll address it in the future plot!(TL:is that true? was the second spirit specifically meant to have gray hair and turquoise eyes like Nia?)