As Yoshino opened the door to her home, she was immediately greeted by the familiar aroma of her mother's cooking. It signaled that it was time for dinner and that she had made it home just in time. Phew, alright, I'm not late; good.
She soon heard her mother's voice coming from the kitchen. "Yoshino, dinner's ready! Remember to wash your hands before eating!"
Yoshino rolled her eyes. "Come on, Mom! It only happened that one time!" she replied, her voice carrying a hint of mock annoyance as she stepped inside and closed the door.
"That was one time too many, and you know it! Now go wash your hands and come eat before it gets cold!" her mom demanded.
Yoshino sighed before she took off her shoes and began to make her way to the kitchen. On her way, she passed the living room, where the TV was playing a commercial.
[Buy Now at an Affordable Price! New Generation Washing Machine by Hagurama Industries! Only on Hagurama Electronics! We Guarantee That It Will Solve ALL of Your Problems!]
A fancy washing machine was front and center on the TV, with the price listed prominently. The brand's logo featured a series of interlocking gears, symbolizing precision and reliability.
Yoshino rolled her eyes at the last part of the commercial. Huh, and to think I was about to ask if this washing machine could solve the problem of me and my friend getting hunted by shadow monsters... I guess it could be useful if I fought evil monster clothes. Yeah, I bet that will show them! she thought sarcastically.
Her thoughts were soon interrupted by her mom's voice. "Yoshino! If you don't come sooner, I'll give your share to Tsuyoi, since he at least comes when I tell him to!"
Too hungry to test if her mother would follow through, she grabbed the remote on the sofa and turned off the TV. "Yeah, yeah, no need to say it twice, jeez."
When Yoshino entered the kitchen, she saw her older brother, Tsuyoi Kettei, an average 16-year-old teenager, calmly eating his food while watching a video on his phone.
As he looked away from the screen for a moment, Tsuyoi caught a glance at his sister from the corner of his eye and gave her a friendly wave. Yoshino returned it. Usually, Tsuyoi would have welcomed her with a 'Yo' or something similar, but with all the food in his mouth, it was impossible.
As Yoshino looked away from him, she saw her mother with a plate filled with today's dinner. She joined them at the table. After stopping herself from letting drool leak from her mouth, Yoshino walked up to the sink and washed her hands before grabbing a plate and sitting down with her family.
As she ate her mom's cooking, Yoshino fought to contain the tears threatening to escape her eyes. The realization that she was alive to eat it again, the disgusting taste of the few droplets of Judai's blood that had gotten into her mouth, and her palpable hunger combined to make this rather normal dish taste like it had been cooked in the kitchens of heaven.
After a few seconds of eating in silence, her mom broke it. "So... how was your day, Tsuyoi?"
Tsuyoi turned his attention away from the video. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I got the job at the arcade, and my boss said I can start tomorrow."
Her mom patted Tsuyoi on the back, smiling proudly. "There we go! See? I told you the job was as good as yours!"
Tsuyoi scratched the back of his head, his expression slightly flustered. "Yeah... I guess I was worried for nothing."
Seizing the opportunity, Yoshino chimed in with a fake smile. "Wow... that's really great. Congrats, Tsuyoi. Say, would you mind if—"
Tsuyoi interrupted her, mimicking her expression. "I'm not giving you or Nozomi a discount at the arcade." He said flatly, not matching his current expression at all.
Rejected, Yoshino looked to the side, her fake smile fading into disappointment. "Tsk, I hope you get fired."
"Hoi, don't even joke about that!" Tsuyoi replied, his tone annoyed as he stared daggers at her.
Kurai, their mother, rolled her eyes at their daily disputes. "Hey, HEY! You both know the rules about fighting in the kitchen... By the way, how was your day, Yoshino?"
As Yoshino turned her attention to her mother, she thought about her answer. "It was..." The memory of almost drowning in Judai's blood and surviving Nozomi's attack flashed through her mind. She blinked a few times before finally answering. "N-normal. Nothing noteworthy, really... how was your day, Mom?" She asked, trying to subtly change the subject.
"Well, mine was..." The memory of Kurai's failed summoning and the sick sensation from Judai's presence, along with the stress about someone possibly knowing about Darkspawns, flashed in her mind. "N-normal, yes. I also didn't have anything noteworthy... what a coincidence!"
Remembering something she'd planned not to forget, Kurai continued. "By the way... don't think I forgot that yesterday it was YOUR turn to clean the dishes, but you got home too late, and I had to clean them myself. As punishment, you're going to have to clean the dishes today and tomorrow, understood?" Although she wanted to be upset, she couldn't help but feel happy she managed to change the subject.
Yoshino rolled her eyes, too tired to fight her mother on this. "Yes, Mother."
After finishing her meal and cleaning up the dishes, Yoshino climbed her way to her room upstairs.
Once inside her room, the first thing she did was drop her schoolbag by the door before falling face-first into the bed. She felt its comfort throughout her body. Oh... how much I missed this!
After a few seconds, she begrudgingly got up from bed. As much as I want to sleep this day away... She walked up to her schoolbag and searched inside it. I still need to at least do some light reading to remember today's lesson before going to...
Her line of thought was interrupted when she laid eyes on the revolver inside her schoolbag. She sighed. Sorry, Uncle Henry... hope you don't mind me borrowing your gun without asking.
Yoshino picked it up to check the gun's condition before putting it back inside where it was. Hopefully, you're not going to miss your gun anytime soon.
After finding the book she had been searching for, she sat at her desk to read it.
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Meanwhile, not too long ago, Seiza and Nozomi landed in an alleyway near her home. Quickly, Nozomi looked around to ensure no one was watching before she took off her tiara and reverted it into a pendant, wearing it around her neck. Now back to normal, she nodded at Seiza, who waited at the end of the alleyway, and they both left the alley as if nothing had happened.
As Nozomi was about to enter her home, she stopped in her tracks when she placed her hand on the door's handle. She realized it would be problematic if Seiza were seen by anyone since she hadn't asked if he could live there.
She turned to Seiza, who was waiting for her to open the door. Seiza was about to ask what was wrong when Nozomi silently pointed upward for a couple of seconds. Eventually, Seiza's eyes widened in understanding. He nodded and flew into her house through an open window in her room upstairs.
Alone now, Nozomi sighed in relief before opening the door to her home. "I'm home!"
After placing her shoes by the entrance, Nozomi made her way to the kitchen. At the kitchen door, her eyes were greeted by her younger brother, Minokichi Nakagawa, who was eating dinner while watching a video on his phone, not paying attention to her.
Normally, this would be when Nozomi felt annoyed by his usual cold behavior towards her. But after everything that had happened in the past two days, she welcomed any semblance of her life before she started fighting monsters, even if it was her brother giving her the same cold treatment he always did.
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Nozomi walked up to the fridge and took out her frozen dinner. After putting it in the microwave, she waited for it to heat up. Out of curiosity and with nothing better to do while she waited, she sneakily tried to see what her brother was watching that had his complete attention. Walking behind him, she pretended to search for a plate.
When Nozomi took a peek from behind, she saw that her brother was watching a reaction video. The video showed an old-looking shonen anime with a small blond child shooting lightning from its mouth as a guy next to him, holding a glowing red book, yelled what Nozomi assumed was the name of the special attack. In the corner of the phone, Nozomi saw a 3D V-tuber model of a small girl with long black hair, skin as pale as snow, and a white kimono. She seemed to be reacting to the action with an expression of awe.
Nozomi's curiosity got the better of her. "Who's that?" she blurted out.
As if caught red-handed, her brother stopped mid-chew and stared at the screen for a few seconds before properly chewing and swallowing his food. Although his expression was as cold as always, Nozomi noticed a subtle, almost imperceptible, nervous twitch. She chalked it up to her imagination, a side-effect of the stress from the past two days. "What?" His tone was the same as always, validating her assumptions about imagining things.
Nozomi pointed casually at the V-tuber on the screen, who seemed to have been caught by surprise by something. "The girl reacting to the anime, what's her name?"
Minokichi blinked a few times. "O-Yuki."
Nozomi mulled over the name. "O-Yuki... that's a beautiful name. How long have you been watching her streams?" She felt a bit excited; this could be the longest conversation she'd ever had with her brother that didn't involve him reprimanding her for justified reasons.
"Since yesterday," Minokichi replied without much elaboration.
"Cool... are you following any other V-tubers?" Nozomi would gladly talk about V-tubers if it meant chatting more with her brother.
"No." His tone turned piercing cold, clearly signaling he didn't want to talk anymore.
"I-I see... well, ur..." Nozomi scratched the back of her neck, feeling the conversation becoming awkward.
PING
Nozomi mentally sighed with relief. The timer indicated her dinner was ready, providing a convenient excuse to leave the conversation.
By the time Nozomi sat at the table to eat, she was alone in the kitchen. Her brother had finished eating, cleaned his dishes, and gone upstairs to his room. Although the microwave had heated the food to the right temperature, it tasted slightly cold in her mouth. Nevertheless, it was good enough to eat.
After eating and cleaning her dishes, Nozomi went straight to her room upstairs. Inside, she found Seiza trying to read the first page of a familiar children's book from her childhood. Without looking away from him, she closed the door. "Has something caught your eye, Seiza?"
Seiza perked up in surprise before turning to face her. His expression relaxed when he saw it was Nozomi. "Oh, I guess? I've kind of taken to learning how to read as a way to pass the time, although..." He sighed. "I would be lying if I said I've made much progress…"
Feeling his struggle, Nozomi decided to help. "Do you... want me to help you?"
"You would? I-I mean, if it's not too much... I'll be in your care." Relief was clear on Seiza's face as his tail wagged happily.
Nozomi chuckled, a small smile forming on her face. She picked up the book Seiza was reading. "Alright then, let's read this book in a more comfortable place." She sat on her bed and motioned for Seiza to sit on her lap.
After Seiza hesitantly complied, Nozomi turned her attention to the book's cover. "Huh, this is actually one of the first books Mom bought for me. It will do. Are you ready, my student?" She teased the last part, hoping Seiza would play along.
He did. "Yes, teacher, this student is ready for your class."
With a tired but happy smile, Nozomi started reading.
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Back at the hotel, Life was about to read the manga of [Magical Girl Shiny Constellation] that he had been given before he came to this world. Now, let's see... if what Time said was right, this manga should not only show me the version without my presence but also have a [Anti-Spoiler] time-seal, where it will only show me up until the current time right now.
He counted on his fingers. So probably up to chapter 2 or 3. Of course, if I need to, I can remove the seal to read ahead. Unnecessary, but the gesture is appreciated.
As he looked at the pages of the manga, Life soon realized something. Wait a minute... Oh. He facepalmed. I forgot that reading entails reading... ugh, what a drag.
A figurative lightbulb lit up above Life's head. Wait... maybe if I...
He opened the menu of his over-armor and searched through its many options until he chose the one named [Recordings]. Alright, now let's see here...
Life looked up at the [Recent] section and, after scrolling down for a few seconds, found the recording from when he and Nozomi met for the second time at Judai's house. There. We. Go~! He pressed play.
A holographic screen appeared, showing both Nozomi and Yoshino talking to the camera, with Life's muffled voice also present but not in sight. Good, the over-armor's [Automatic-Recording] program is working as intended. It can access any previous conversation I was either part of or nearby to record.
Life sighed after watching the recording for a few seconds. Shame this version only has the first-person option for recordings. I wouldn't mind seeing more of me... maybe I could use the armor's holographic mirror to circumvent that? In any case...
Life spent the next few minutes fiddling with the recording until he finally finished, breathing a sigh of relief. Phew... that took a while, but it's almost done. Now I can use the armor's AI to simulate the voices of both girls. Of course, there's one last step.
The usual silvery liquid emerged from his clothes, slithering to envelop the manga completely. After a few seconds, it returned to its source, leaving the manga intact. Now, let's see if it worked.
Life closed the holographic screen showing his conversation with the girls before opening a new one. This new screen displayed the first page of the manga, and after a few seconds, Nozomi's voice could be heard from the first speech bubble. Good, this AI copy of her voice will do just fine.
After all the speech bubbles on the first page were read, the page turned automatically, lighting up the next speech bubble. Life raised an eyebrow. Why is the panel order going right to left instead of left to right? Is this another bug?
He sighed. Well, at least the story still makes sense... there's that at least. The fact that it's in black and white doesn't help much, but again, I can still make sense of what I am seeing... so whatever.
As he continued reading, Life was greeted by a scene with a cloaked figure walking around the abandoned castle's ruined halls. The figure soon entered a room with a summoning circle in the middle of the floor. This must be Yoshino's mother, not revealing herself yet; interesting narrative choice.
When the cloaked figure began chanting at the summoning circle, a robotic voice started reading the lines. Life blinked a few times before bursting out laughing. "Pffft, haha! Shit, I forgot to give her an AI voice! Haha, man, that actually got me."
As the story continued, Nozomi interacted with a Manabu who also had a robotic voice, amusing Life further. He watched intently as both girls looked at a poster for a new arcade machine. The poster featured a teenage girl in a white, fancy dress with a bow in a dramatic pose. Oh, I see, not too bad as foreshadowing goes. Although, what's the deal with the dress? It looks impractical.
Just as he was about to move on, Life noticed something peculiar written on the poster: [The Pink Heroine Who Will Defeat Evil!]. He raised an eyebrow. Huh? Pink?! But both her dress and hair were white in the image! Maybe it's a translation issue?
He decided to continue watching, his interest piqued. I made the right choice not to read it yesterday; having an entire day's advantage over the timeline of this manga is beyond ideal.
He watched what he kind of already put together, but it was nice to have confirmation. Seiza, who had a robotic voice, which again, amused Life, gave Nozomi her powers, at the same time Yoshino was approached by the nekomata. Soon enough, Seiza flew Nozomi to Yoshino's rescue.
Life still felt the need to have his guard up for any odd detail. Ok, nothing unusual yet, but the moment of truth is near. I don't know how she will defeat that summon without my help, but I mean, we're still at chapter one and she has proven capable of fighting other monsters of similar power like Judai. Yes, he was missing a whole arm, but I once was missing both arms and the left leg and I still managed to pull a win out of that fight, so really...that shouldn't be that much of a handicap to Judai.
He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw a full-page spread of Yoshino, who got up from the ground as she bled out. A pool of blood formed from a missing chunk missing from her leg. When Life squinted at it, he saw the bone from the leg as it poked out slightly.Oh...that will leave a mark.
After he analyzed everything that the page provided, he let it move to the next few pages without any further interruption. Wow, that monster is really going to town on her... Life thought neutrally as he watched the monster's one-sided beating of Nozomi.
On the next page though he was greeted by a gruesome panel of Nozomi as she was slashed with enough force to be sent backward falling near Seiza and the still unconscious Yoshino. Her body was no longer able to keep up with her determination to get up. Hmm, although her willpower is commendable to continue fighting, her body seems to have reached its inevitable limit.
Seiza, who had just finished healing Yoshino, opened his eyes and came to Nozomi's aid. Although his lines gave the idea of distress, the delivery of said lines from the same robotic voice certainly didn't.
As the page was flipped, Life saw the monster slowly walk towards Seiza with a demented smile on its face. Seiza turned around to face Nozomi with a desperate look on his face, saying that there was still a way that she could save Yoshino... but it would cost her life.
At that, Life's eyes widened in realization. Oh, ohhh... Shit! He proceeded to fast-forward his reading of the next few pages, not even bothering to let the AI properly finish its lines before he moved on.
He was soon greeted by a full-page panel of a white-haired Yoshino wearing a white school uniform and wielding a white bow. Anger in her expression, with tears falling from her eyes, she addressed the monster in front of her. "I am Guardian Sagittarius, and for my friend, I will kill you!"
Life stared at the page in front of him completely silently for a few seconds before he snapped out of his shock and closed the holographic window. He stared at the ceiling with only one thought in mind while breathing through his teeth. Well... this sure changes things.