It seemed that this was Miku's first mission with AST, and now she could be considered an ace of the team.
Yuki had anticipated this development, and Rasiel had confirmed it. Everything was fine. The best scenario for Yuki was for Origami, Hermit, and Miku to be together, so there was no need to worry. However, Natsumi was an unexpected variable—she had appeared earlier than expected.
"What will we do? Will you let Witch join AST as well?"
Kotori was still not convinced that both Miku and Origami should be in AST. Ratatoskr was better than AST because it didn't treat spirits as weapons. Instead, their solution was to seal their powers and allow them to live normal lives like any other human. Kotori frowned, not wanting Witch to fall under the government's control either.
"No, not her."
With Miku in the magician squad, it was certain that Natsumi wouldn't be able to escape. There was only one way out...
"I'll go save her. I hope this helps."
Directly intervening with AST would reveal his existence to Miku and also go against Origami. But with the time to fix the paradox approaching, it didn't matter anymore. This had to happen anyway, and Yuki didn't want to send Tohka, Mukuro, or the Yamai sisters. It was better if Natsumi felt grateful towards him; it would be better than starting from scratch, even if it would reduce his existence to the limit.
"Fine, we'll assist you."
"Alright."
Sighing, Yuki sank into the shadows...
---
"Eek!"
Natsumi, on the other hand, shrieked in fear. Miku's eyes were terrifying. She tried to back away, but her body wouldn't obey, as if she were trapped in quicksand.
*Puff, puff*
Because of this, Natsumi lost concentration, and Haniel unleashed its attack. This caused the magicians to recover their CR, surround Natsumi again, and await orders.
"Well done."
Ryouko, the captain, nodded in satisfaction. She had doubts before Miku joined them—after all, it wasn't good for a spirit to hunt its own kind—but now it was good to have someone strong on their side. Moreover, Miku was easy to talk to, and despite her Yuri tendencies, Ryouko believed she was still a good person. At least, for now, she hadn't caused any spatial quakes and seemed to know how to adapt to the human world. In short, it was good to have Miku.
"Mh."
Only Mana seemed to hesitate. After all, she knew that Yuki had his eye on this spirit, and she didn't know whether to act or not, as that would expose her identity...
"Don't worry, sis. I'll handle it."
Fortunately, Yuki's voice whispered in her ear, calming her anxiety.
"Arrest her."
"Yes, Captain!"
Since Natsumi wasn't a threat, at least Miku had her under control. The squad's women approached, causing Natsumi to start sweating. Every step the magicians took made her heart race. She didn't know what fate awaited her, being captured by humans, and she was even more terrified of Miku, whose predatory nature made her shudder.
(This isn't good! This isn't good!)
What was a spirit doing with humans? Natsumi couldn't understand...
"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here."
She concentrated to the limit, and Haniel began to tremble. The Reiryoku concentrated as if it was about to alter reality again. However, at that moment, a voice whispered in her ear.
"Eh?!"
Suddenly, Natsumi's shadow expanded, and white arms emerged, grabbing the beautiful witch and pulling her into the darkness.
Natsumi panicked at this nightmare scene, and so did Miku and the AST squad, as they hadn't expected Witch to have such an anomaly, nor did they expect someone to move even when Gabriel was still active. Only one person opened their eyes in surprise.
"Onii-chan! Wait!"
Origami had seen this ability before and was sure it was Yuki. She tried to stop him but hesitated immediately, still not ready to face him.
"Onii-chan..."
What Origami said made Miku's eyes light up, as the one she was looking for had finally appeared.
"Darling~ wait for me~"
Unfortunately, Yuki didn't give her the chance to speak or use her ability, as he instantly vanished with Natsumi. Even when she struck at the shadow, she got nothing...
The rest of the squad remained silent, but from what Origami had said, they knew who had intervened—the spirit they had classified as the strongest so far...
"Emperor..."
---
Natsumi, on the other hand, was scared to death. Suddenly engulfed by darkness, she closed her eyes tightly and only opened them when she felt the warmth of the sun.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
A hand appeared in her vision, and Natsumi reflexively looked up...
"Huh?"
Natsumi blinked in surprise at the handsome boy in front of her. She remained silent for a few seconds until a thought gleamed in her mind...
"Yes! Thank you for your help!"
He was a man, but Natsumi had no doubt—this was the Emperor, the only male spirit in the world, and her target...
So she took the offered hand and stood up...
(This isn't what I expected, but it's fine, right?)
She had thought Yuki would come to her, but never like this, saving her at the last moment. Now, Natsumi felt a bit bad about her mission, as Yuki's gentle smile and warm aura confused her. She didn't know what to do.
Even though the first spirit had told her to kill him, Natsumi didn't have the guts to kill anyone. Her limit was to make him fall in love and extract information, and if possible, deliver him to the first spirit. But now that this boy had saved her, she was reevaluating her actions.
(But it's his fault, right? If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have come to this city.)
She even tried to soothe her conscience by finding excuses...
"That was close. Humans are getting stronger; you must be careful."
"Yes..."
"My name is Yuki Uchiha. And yours?"
"Huh? Oh... Natsumi... Natsumi Kyouno."
Still lost in her thoughts, Natsumi responded without realizing, while Yuki played along...
[What's happening with the Resonance?! Is this another one of your tricks, Yuki?!]
But while the tense exchange between Yuki and Natsumi continued, Kotori couldn't take it anymore and spoke up.
Until now, all spirits had entered spiritual Resonance whenever Yuki appeared. This so-called spiritual or mating resonance, as some experts analyzed it, had only exceptions for those spirits whose Reiryoku was sealed, like Origami or Kotori...
But until now, all spirits had gone crazy in his presence, and 'Witch' hadn't.
Kotori couldn't help but suspect that Yuki had already intervened, just like he had with Origami, sealing her in the past...
"No, this isn't my doing."
Yuki wasn't lying. He was also surprised that Natsumi hadn't gone mad. He had even prepared everything for a possible fight and deployed his domain in an uninhabited area to battle without alerting AST or causing damage. In the other timeline, Natsumi had fought Yuki just like Mukuro, and he had eventually subdued her. So Yuki couldn't explain why this time was different.
(What's going on?)
The Sharingan couldn't find anything unusual in Natsumi, so Yuki's suspicions were growing stronger, and unfortunately, Nia had already communicated that Rasiel didn't have the answer.
[Are you lying to me? Are you hiding something?]
"What reason would I have to do that?"
[...]
Kotori didn't speak again. Yuki was right. However, he had so many secrets that Kotori didn't trust him so easily. Even so, this was a new discovery. But while Kotori pondered, Natsumi recovered...
"Yuki? That's a nice name."
Natsumi smiled, having regained her composure. This time, with confidence, she brought a hand to Yuki's face, winked seductively, and Yuki didn't refuse. He opened his eyes slightly as Natsumi leaned in and whispered in his ear...
"Yuki, tell me... do you think I'm pretty?"
Such words left a deep impression on Yuki...
After all, Natsumi was pretty—very pretty—but compared to her true form, there was a significant difference...
As for whether she was referring to this false body or her real one, Yuki already knew the answer...
"Yes, you're beautiful (in both forms)."
---
TN: Yes. Everyone should appreciate lolis. (only legal ones tho)