Origami didn't speak, but her silence confirmed Miku's suspicions.
(As expected of Darling, even his sister is adorable.)
Miku was secretly delighted. As a bisexual, Origami was exactly her type. It was a pity that Origami's heart already belonged to someone else.
For a few seconds, the two women stared at each other, and AST seized the opportunity to surround Miku. Miku, however, didn't seem to care; she was more interested in Origami, trying to find any resemblance to Yuki in her. Unfortunately, she found none. But noticing that Origami remained expressionless, a thought flashed in her mind.
"I don't want to fight anymore, and I think there's a misunderstanding. We're on the same side. Let's talk."
Raising both hands in a gesture of surrender, Miku smiled while Origami frowned suspiciously.
For Miku, who had been causing so much destruction, to suddenly surrender was unheard of.
"After all, we'll be family in the future. Please take care of me, dear sister."
"!!"
Perhaps it was Miku's relaxed attitude that irritated Origami, or maybe it was her words about stealing her brother, but Origami couldn't control herself. She fiercely lowered her light sword once more, and another round of battle ensued.
It wasn't until Origami and AST were thoroughly exhausted that Miku spoke again. This time, her tone was much softer, as AST had to admit they couldn't kill Miku.
"What do you say we cooperate? I can see you have a goal too, and my intuition tells me we could get along very well."
This was the first non-violent contact between the Spirits and AST, leading to the establishment of a new department within AST—not one to exterminate Spirits, but rather to understand them, and, if possible, control them. These beings were pure sources of energy that any country would covet, especially if they could be turned into weapons...
Miku, of course, knew that her actions would have consequences, but she was more interested in finding Yuki, not caring about what the government planned. After all, their efforts wouldn't work, not against her Angel, which could control the masses…
---
"Hm."
Yuki, who had listened to Mana's explanation, fell into deep thought. He hadn't imagined that Miku would be so desperate to find him that she'd even join AST.
If Mana hadn't told him, Yuki wouldn't have believed it. Confirming it with Rasiel, Yuki couldn't help but sigh. Women do crazy things when they're in love…
Yuki was also a bit concerned—not about the government's intention to use Spirits as weapons, since humans didn't deserve his attention—but about DEM.
DEM had a vast network worldwide, and it wouldn't be surprising if Isaac went after Miku…
(It's not time to kill him yet.)
Unfortunately, Yuki couldn't completely destroy DEM just yet. Isaac wasn't someone to be trifled with. The fact that the First Spirit had allowed him to live for thirty years was proof enough of that.
If Mio couldn't kill him, then Yuki couldn't either—at least not for now. Isaac was as slippery as Aleister, so Yuki had to be patient.
"Hyaa~ With Mikki, AST already has two Spirits. What will you do, Yui-kun?"
Lazily reclining, Nia munched on some chips while Tohka, beside her, stole from her food…
(TN: Exactly what I would do :D)
"You're right. For now, let Mana keep an eye on her. AST knows her, and if DEM sees her, they might not dare to bother them."
Mana was a former DEM member whom Yuki had kidnapped in their last confrontation. DEM had already written her off as dead, so they wouldn't do anything if they saw Mana with Miku, since there would only be one reason Mana would be with a Spirit: either on Yuki's orders, or because that woman wasn't really Mana.
DEM wouldn't be foolish enough to think Mana had escaped from Yuki, and if she did and didn't return to DEM, it would only make her more suspicious.
In any case, Mana's presence would serve as a deterrent to DEM.
At least until Yuki could elevate all the Spirits to the throne of his Crown...
"Can you handle it, Mana?"
"If it's Nii-sama's order, I'll do it."
Nodding without hesitation, Mana quickly began operating her computer and found the files DEM had prepared for her within AST.
"Tsk! We could avoid all this if you'd just bring her here, but you refuse!"
Kotori, unaware of the danger Miku posed, thought it was a complete waste of time. Now that she knew Diva was interested in Yuki, a single word would be enough to bring her to Ratatoskr.
"Hm? Wait, did you say two Spirits?"
Suddenly, Kotori realized she had overlooked something. From Nia's words, there was another Spirit besides Miku in AST, which left her stunned for a few seconds. She asked to make sure she hadn't misheard...
"Oh? Didn't I mention it? AST has a Spirit among their ranks."
However, it wasn't Nia who responded—it was Yuki, who, with a hand on his head, pretended to be clueless. This only made Kotori angrier…
"No, you didn't! How long were you planning to keep it a secret?!"
"Ahh!" x2
Kotori jumped up and ran toward Yuki, grabbing him by the neck and pulling his face close to hers, so their faces were only inches apart…
"Fear: Yuzuru fears for Kaguya's life. I shall pray nothing happens."
"Ha?! What do you mean, Yuzuru?! Are you implying that I'm problematic?!"
The Yamai sisters hugged each other in fear, looked at each other, and silently vowed never to anger this commander. They also respected Yuki even more, as he was the only one with the courage to mess with Kotori…
But they also began to argue, as despite the truce between them, Yuzuru's sharp tongue remained…
"What else are you hiding from me?!"
Kotori was so furious that she bit through her lollipop, her face turning red with anger. Fortunately, her power was sealed; otherwise, her Angel would have already been summoned to cut him down…
"Nothing. At least, I'm not guilty."
Raising his hands in innocence, Yuki smiled bitterly, while Kotori didn't believe a word he said...
"Who is the Spirit?"
Getting Yuki to talk was harder than climbing the sky. He wouldn't speak even if tortured, so Kotori decided to focus on another problem: the Spirit in AST. Ratatoskr knew nothing about it, and Kotori was worried that the Spirit might be suffering in AST, being treated like a guinea pig or being deceived…
It was necessary to bring her to Ratatoskr immediately.
"If you're worried about the Spirit, don't be. AST doesn't even know they have a Spirit among them, so there's no problem. In fact, she doesn't even know she's a Spirit."
"And she doesn't know?"
Kotori's curiosity was piqued. Being a Spirit and not knowing it seemed impossible. A human who becomes a Spirit would realize it immediately. But for someone not to know was surprising…
"That's right. She doesn't know anything yet. Otherwise, she wouldn't have joined the Spirit-hunters."
"Hunters? Is she a mage?"
"That's right. She's Sergeant Tobichi Origami..."
"What did you say?!"
Yuki's words hit Kotori like a bomb—not just her, but also Mana, who had previously interacted and even trained with Origami.
Knowing that she was a Spirit shocked her…
"Impossible! How is it that there are no signs of Reiryoku?"
It's true that Origami is stronger than other mages, but being a Spirit was too much. And for her to still not have released her Reiryoku was almost impossible, especially when fighting other Spirits. The danger and battles should have triggered the release of her Reiryoku, but it hadn't...
In terms of hiding, Kotori had to admit that Origami was the best. There was no better hiding place for a Spirit being hunted than alongside the hunters.
"Oh, that's because she's sealed."
However, the explanation was simple enough that Kotori's eyes widened...
"Sealed? By whom?"
"By me. I sealed her five years ago."
"..."
Once again, Kotori was left speechless...
-----
TN: If USA is so great then why did someone make USB?
Yes I uploaded this chapter just to share this joke I saw online and thought it was funny. Do not stab me if you found it unfunny :D