Days passed quickly, and each day, Yuki and Natsumi created the happiest memories together with Origami.
This was Yuki's wish, although Natsumi disagreed, she did not go against Yuki's desire.
Then, the inevitable happened. The hands of Yuki's clock were approaching the point of inflection, so he had to distance himself from Origami.
Sighing, Yuki smiled at Origami and said, "Origami, could you do me a favor?"
"Yes, of course, Dad!"
Natsumi frowned at this but remained silent and waited until Origami left the house before casting a doubtful glance at Yuki.
"It's time for us to leave..."
Forming a hand sign, two clouds of smoke appeared, and two clones materialized.
*Puff*
"Go ahead, transform them."
"...."
Natsumi didn't respond, disliking where all this was heading. Yuki, on the other hand, shrugged.
"Do you think this is wrong?"
"Of course it's wrong! We're deceiving her! She doesn't deserve this; she was much better off in the orphanage!"
"...."
Natsumi was right. It's possible that Origami would be happier as an orphan, but this was necessary because not only was the timeline in danger, but the world itself. He needed to resolve this paradox.
"It's not deception; I'm just fixing what's wrong."
"Fixing? You've been repeating that since we arrived at this point in time. How serious is it?"
"If you want to know, come with me, and I hope you understand."
Raising his hand, Yuki waited silently for Natsumi's response.
He understood Natsumi's emotional conflict; after all, for her, something like 'family' had always been a source of pain. Seeing Origami being deceived with sacred love angered and saddened her. This was why she was so against it. Even so, she had to make a decision. Yuki could still go through with the plan without her, but he hoped that Natsumi would help him. Traveling to this point of inflection wasn't just for Origami; it was also for Natsumi. The knot in her heart needed to loosen. Only then would she accept joining the crown.
"Fine! I'll trust you!"
Biting her lip, Natsumi reluctantly nodded and then transformed Yuki's clones back to what they were before.
After completing the task, Yuki pulled her into his shadow, and they disappeared. There was a place they needed to reach...
Minutes later, they emerged from the shadows, hiding behind a tree. Yuki concealed his aura with Haniel's help as they watched a small playground. Natsumi didn't understand what was going on.
"Could you explain what we're doing here, Yuki-kun?"
"You wanted answers; you'll get them soon... here she comes..."
Fortunately, the duo didn't have to wait long before a girl of about 9 or 10 years old appeared. Upon seeing the familiar fiery red twin-tails, Natsumi's mouth opened in surprise.
"She... that's..."
"Yes, that's Kotori Itsuka."
Although Natsumi had only recently joined Ratatoskr, the impression Kotori left on her was deep. As a Commander, her strong character, always in charge, had intimidated Natsumi a bit. Seeing this innocent, harmless girl who didn't seem like the same person she would become in five years left her momentarily shocked.
"Hm? She's..."
"So, you noticed it too; she's waiting for someone."
"...."
Natsumi wanted to mention that Kotori seemed worried based on her expression, but she nodded in response to Yuki, as Kotori placed both hands behind her back, her gaze seemingly lost...
And then it happened. A static-like silhouette approached Kotori, and she extended her hand toward this figure. Natsumi, of course, recognized her—this girl was the one who gave her powers.
The first spirit...
"Is she... granting the Sephira Crystal?!"
"Good observation."
Although Yuki was also interested in the transformation, his attention was elsewhere. There was a boy with blue hair, about 16 or 17 years old, hiding and watching the young Kotori receive the Sephira Crystal...
"Itsuka Shido, the alternate timeline has entered. Here is the point of inflection..."
This point of inflection was quite special because three timelines were involved: the first timeline, the alternate timeline, and the phantom (the second timeline). All converged at this node in time.
"Huh?"
Natsumi also noticed the blue-haired teenager who looked like a pervert, but for some strange reason, she didn't have a bad impression of him. On the contrary, he seemed very familiar. The feeling the teenager gave her was something she had felt before, or to be more precise, she was feeling it now. It was similar...
(Yuki-kun?)
Yes, it was just like Yuki, except that Yuki was a warm light, and the world itself loved him. In Itsuka Shido, it seemed he was loved by fate. The karma on his body was enormous, far surpassing that of heroes, even the girls in the chatroom.
It's worth noting that Yuno, who has the lowest points, has millions in karma. Itsuka Shido, on the other hand, had karma that exceeded nine digits.
A hero so great was loved by fate, which made his aura very special, inspiring trust in others.
That's why Natsumi couldn't understand how there could be someone so similar to Yuki.
"Ahhh!!!"
However, while she was lost in thought, a pillar of fire shot into the sky, and the city was quickly engulfed in flames.
Kotori, who had received the Camael Sephira Crystal, lost control of her spiritual power due to the nature of the weapon. Her small body quickly began to change, her Astral Dress forming, and the energy in her body surged...
The first spirit watched all of this calmly, waiting for Kotori to complete the transformation. At that moment, Itsuka Shido stepped out of his hiding place.
"?!"
Unfortunately for him, before he could take a step, his body seemed to sink into a black swamp, and white arms began to swallow him...
Shido panicked, tried to fight, but it was useless; his body vanished...
---
**Alternate Timeline, Present Time...**
"Huh? This ability..."
Standing in the ruins of a building destroyed by Inverse Origami, Kurumi from that timeline, who shared her senses with Shido and sent him to the past, opened her eyes wide. The ability that had just swallowed Shido was too familiar to her.
Unable to understand what was happening, Kurumi continued to spy on the past through Shido, who had arrived in the shadow dimension.
"Itsuka Shido, I'm sorry, but I can't let you interfere any further..."
"Who?!"
Suddenly, a deep voice was heard, and a crimson eye lit up in the darkness. Seeing the crimson eye, Shido shuddered, yet at the same time, he also felt a déjà vu, as if he were looking into a mirror, which was strange.
"Who I am is not important. What you need to know is that if you don't want your future to end, you'll return from where you came. The same goes for the lady in your subconscious..."
[
*Shiiiii*
"Ahhh!!!"
Before Shido could speak, the crimson eye's pupil began to rotate its pentagram, and he felt as if his head was being struck by a hammer...
[Ahhh!!!]
And it wasn't just Shido who suffered; Kurumi also had a hard time. Sharing his senses, Kurumi also felt the impact of the Mangekyou Sharingan...
And before Kurumi and Shido could calm down, Shido began to glow, and a mini black hole appeared. The Sharingan was expelling them from this timeline...
[Who the hell are you?!]
Knowing that it was impossible to continue helping Shido, Kurumi, despite all the pain, still asked, her mind in chaos, demanding the name of her attacker...
The deep voice didn't refuse but didn't directly answer her question either.
"It's incredible, my soulmate is my soulmate. Even if I look like this, you still fell in love with me... That's why I love you, Kurumi, my wife."
[What?!]
Unable to resist the black hole, Shido was expelled, forced to return, leaving Kurumi in doubt. However, maybe it was her imagination, but before leaving, the crimson eye looked at her with tenderness...
----
TN: Oh so the shido who was sent to past by kurumi.. I see