"Papa, Mama, I'm off to school."
Two days after Origami was adopted, she quickly adapted to her new life, or more accurately, this had always been her life, so there was no resistance to it.
Kotamatsukami had altered her memories with an illusion, making her 'parents' appear to have always been with her, and erasing her time in the orphanage from her mind.
To Origami, from birth until her current age of 11, she had always had her 'parents' by her side, and she loved them deeply.
Yuki, who played the role of the father, used Kotamatsukami to alter the memories of everyone who had originally been in contact with Origami's real parents. This included Origami's own life and her school friends, so with no worries, he smiled as he saw Origami off. Natsumi also smiled, but her expression was still stiff.
She still wasn't used to playing the role of a loving mother...
"Is it still difficult for you?"
"..."
Natsumi didn't respond to Yuki's words. She simply crossed her arms and pouted. To be honest, she was still a bit surprised by Yuki's acting skills and the charade he was pulling off. Thanks to her Angel, Haniel, when Natsumi transformed, she also took on the personality and habits of the person she transformed into, making her a very good actress. But compared to Yuki, she still fell short.
This made Natsumi lose a bit of confidence since her mission was to make this man fall in love with her. But since he was such a good actor, Natsumi couldn't tell what was true and what was a lie, leaving her without the confidence to kill him.
She couldn't help but sigh for Origami, whose life had taken a 180-degree turn because of this bad man.
At the same time, she was also coming to terms with the fact that he had gone from being Origami's brother to being her father.
In fact, two days ago, Natsumi was against all of this, but in the end, she couldn't go against Yuki, since it was all to create a gap and avoid the paradox.
After all, Origami's parents no longer existed...
"You'll get used to it."
"It's cruel what we're doing, and I don't think I'll ever get used to it."
Natsumi didn't want to get used to lying, especially not to an innocent and sweet girl like Origami.
"We have no choice, and sometimes a sweet lie makes us happier."
Origami was happy. Although she had been cheerful in the orphanage too, there was no comparison between the two lives.
"And it's not necessarily a lie since she lived through all of this, it was just forgotten by the timeline that collapsed."
"..."
Seeing that Natsumi was unconvinced, Yuki took her hand and winked at her.
"What do you say we take a break? And since we're alone, how about we go on a date?"
"Huh?"
Natsumi was surprised. She hadn't expected this guy to suddenly ask her out on a date, so she cautiously asked...
"Why?"
"Aren't you curious? At this point in time, it's the start of the time node and the paradox variables. Wouldn't you like to visit your 'self' from this time?"
"No, there's no need."
Although she refused instantly, Natsumi was curious, but she was also afraid since her life was nothing to be proud of. On the contrary, she wished she could forget her entire human life.
She also didn't want Yuki to know about her life as a human, so she ignored him and walked into the house, not wanting to continue the conversation.
"Are you afraid?"
Yuki already knew the answer to his question. He shrugged, knowing it wasn't yet time for Natsumi's problems to catch up with her.
---
"Picnic! Picnic!"
The next day, continuing to play the role of a loving father, Yuki took Origami and his lovely 'wife' to the park. As a family, Origami held hands with both Natsumi and Yuki.
"Is all this really necessary?"
Natsumi didn't want to come, but due to Origami's insistence, she had no choice but to give in. Even so, she was not satisfied and glared fiercely at Yuki, who responded with a wink.
"Of course, as impostors pretending to be a couple that doesn't exist, it's necessary to leave a mark on this timeline. It's not enough to just alter memories; we need to leave solid proof that 'we exist.'"
"..."
Natsumi hesitated a bit. Now that she knew how good Yuki was at lying, she no longer trusted him. On the contrary, she thought this was all a trick for him to get what he wanted.
After all, in front of Origami, they had to act like loving parents, and Yuki always tended to overdo it with her, touching her very intimately. As the 'wife,' she couldn't refuse the affection of her 'husband.'
So it was very common for Yuki to have taken advantage of her often.
However, things weren't as they seemed, as the purpose of this, as Yuki had said, was to leave a mark.
And what better way to do that than by leaving solid proof...
"Smile for the photo!"
Family photos were irrefutable proof, so without wasting time, Yuki took as many pictures as possible during this family picnic.
"Hm?"
However, while the trio enjoyed the picnic, Yuki shivered slightly. Through his enhanced senses, he had detected a blurry, mosaic-like silhouette following them...
"The first Spirit..."
Yuki almost reflexively activated his Sharingan. Now that he no longer possessed his spirit power, the Rinnegan and Sharingan were his greatest strengths.
However, he managed to restrain himself. The first Spirit, after all, was very hostile, and her strength was greater than his.
Fortunately, he had no spiritual frequency, and his aura was disguised thanks to Haniel, so he appeared as just an ordinary 'father.'
(Why is she here? Is it because of Natsumi?)
At first, he thought Natsumi had been discovered, but after thinking it over, he dismissed the idea.
Haniel's transformation and copying abilities were at the highest level, even superior to ninjutsu, so the first Spirit shouldn't have been able to find them. This was confirmed since, in the previous timeline, to kill the first Spirit, Yuki had used Haniel and successfully disguised himself. Mio Takamiya couldn't detect him and was severely injured.
So they shouldn't have been discovered...
(That means...)
Looking slightly at Origami, who was hugging his neck, Yuki already had the answer.
As a candidate to become a Spirit, Origami was being watched by Mio Takamiya, so it wasn't unusual for her to be observing this little girl.
Still, this also confirmed Yuki's theory.
(Spirits weren't chosen at random.)
At first, he thought the humans selected to transform into Spirits were random, but he was wrong.
Since the moment Yoshino successfully transformed, Yuki had already suspected the first Spirit.
Not everyone could withstand the Sephira crystal in their bodies, even though Mio Takamiya had sacrificed hundreds of people to purify the Sephira crystals.
There was another requirement for a human to transform into a Spirit...
(The Soul of the Hero of the Void...)
Using the Rinnegan, Yuki discovered an interesting point in all the Spirits: all the girls bore some resemblance to either him or the Hero of the Void.
Kurumi, being Yuki's counterpart.
The Yamai sisters, being the heart of the Hero of the Void.
Mukuro, representing the Hero's desire...
Each of them had something that connected them to the Hero of the Void. Therefore, at birth, their souls fused with a very small, almost non-existent fragment of this legendary hero's soul.
This is why they could merge with the Sephira crystal without problems. After all, the Requiem wouldn't reject a fragment of its Master.
This was the reason Mio Takamiya appeared; Origami was an important fragment of her most beloved.
And because of that, neither he nor Natsumi could afford to make mistakes. They couldn't be discovered...
(Well, it doesn't matter. The paradox will soon disrupt this timeline, and the first Spirit should leave.)
With that said, Yuki didn't worry and continued his act. The first Spirit, of course, didn't notice. Her gaze was fixed on Origami from beginning to end, and the more she looked, the more certain she was of her decision.
"So it's her... She is very compatible with Metatron..."