Chapter 79 Volume 4 Chapter 12: The Girls’ Date (Part 2)
After Tenqi Sanluo arrived, the situation fell into a deathly silence.
Itsuka Shiori, intimidated by Tenqi Sanluo, didn’t dare speak carelessly.
Tenqi Sanluo had no intention of initiating conversation either; she simply stood by, ready to enjoy the show.
As for Miku... well, fine—she was also waiting for Itsuka Shiori to speak.
“Shidou! Shidou!”
Kotori’s voice came through the earpiece.
“Ah, Kotori…”
“Keep your voice down, Tenqi Sanluo is staring right at you—looks like she’s already figured out who you really are. But regardless, you can’t just let the atmosphere freeze like this! Hurry and start a conversation!”
“Oh…”
Shiori cleared her throat and began speaking slowly.
“Um, I have a question…”
“Oh?”
“I saw the sealing tape up there… Isn’t this area off-limits?”
This topic was extremely lacking in finesse, and her tone even carried a faint hint of accusation.
Fortunately, Itsuka Shiori was currently a cute girl—Miku’s natural weakness.
“Ah, that—sorry, I was being a little naughty.”
As she said that, Miku showed a mischievous smile.
Seeing that charming smile, Shidou’s heart involuntarily quickened.
“But you came in here too, didn’t you?”
“Uh, that’s…”
“By your logic, that makes all of us naughty kids—including Tenqi-chan.”
“Eh? Ah…”
That was indeed the case. Shiori waved her hands wildly, as if desperately trying to defend herself.
“That’s right. Looks like I’m a naughty kid too.”
At this moment, Tenqi Sanluo seemed amused, showing an innocent smile as she chimed in.
“……”
Whether it was Shiori down on the ground or Kotori’s group up in the air aboard
“You’re right, Tenqi-chan. But—”
Miku moved in, placing her hand on Tenqi Sanluo’s cheek.
“Even if she’s a naughty kid, my dear Tenqi-classmate is still very cute.”
Hearing the phrase “my dear Tenqi-classmate” again made Tenqi Sanluo’s mouth twitch twice.
She absolutely did not want to hear such cringe-inducing nicknames anymore.
“Um, I just—really…”
“Oh, it’s fine, don’t worry~”
After her “salty pig hand” was smacked away, Miku didn’t seem to mind. She walked slowly toward Shiori.
She kept approaching until they were close enough to hear each other’s breaths—close enough that if one of them leaned forward, their lips might meet. Then she raised a finger before Shiori’s eyes.
“Let’s just make this our little secret, okay? A promise between naughty kids.”
“Uh… o-okay, okay…”
Shiori practically bounced backward, making Miku laugh even more happily.
This girl’s reaction was so different from before that Shiori began doubting whether she had misjudged her a few days ago—maybe she was some sort of twin like the Yamai sisters?
But from every angle, she must have been right: this was indeed Diva—the spirit who had insulted her in the harshest terms at the grand theater and even ordered Tenqi Sanluo to dispose of her.
Though honestly, even if Miku hadn’t reacted, Shiori felt Tenqi Sanluo would have pulled the trigger anyway.
“Shidou! Don’t let your guard down!”
“……”
Kotori’s voice came through, but Shiori completely ignored her.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-no, nothing, nothing…”
Miku was standing too close; even though Kotori’s voice was soft, she must have heard a bit of it. Luckily, she didn’t pay much attention.
“Your… uniform. You’re from Raizen High School?”
“Eh? Oh, o-oh, yes.”
At that moment, Shiori finally noticed that Tenqi Sanluo was wearing the same Rindouji Girls’ Academy uniform as Miku.
“Hmm… did you attend the meeting the day before yesterday?”
“No… I happened to be feeling unwell at that time.”
A universal excuse—cliché, but reliable.
“Ah, so that’s why.”
After asking, Miku extended her right hand.
“Let me properly introduce myself—I’m Miku of Rindouji Girls’ Academy. This is a transfer student who just transferred in—my classmate, Tenqi Sanluo. Let’s work hard together to make this Ten’no Festival a success!”
“W-what… oh, right, pleased to meet you!”
Shiori suppressed her startled gasp just in time and shook Miku’s hand.
Still, her eyes kept drifting toward Tenqi Sanluo.
“When did Tenqi-classmate transfer into Rindouji Girls’ Academy?!”
She wasn’t the only one confused—Kotori and the others aboard
“When did Tenqi Sanluo enter Rindouji Girls’ Academy?”
Kotori frowned and issued the order. Soon, the crew returned with information:
“Commander, it seems that a few days before the encounter with Diva at the grand theater, she officially enrolled in Rindouji Girls’ Academy under Diva’s arrangement.”
“……”
This was not a good sign.
“H-hello, my name is Itsuka Shiori.”
“Shiori…? What a lovely name.”
Miku smiled warmly.
“Itsuka Shiori… Itsuka Shiori…”
Meanwhile, Tenqi Sanluo was struggling not to burst out laughing.
She had once been a man herself, so she deeply understood Shidou’s awkwardness. And following her principle of “I’m happy when others are suffering,” watching Shiori endure this much for the sake of conquering spirits was simply too amusing.
Finally, when Shiori stated her name, Tenqi Sanluo couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Hahahahahaha… Itsuka Shiori… Itsuka Shiori…”
While Miku and Shiori stared in shock, the blood-red figure held her stomach, laughing as if she’d heard the funniest joke in the world.
“Um… Miss Tenqi?”
After a while, Miku cautiously approached and patted Tenqi Sanluo on the shoulder.
“Oh, Miku, I’m fine…”
When she finally calmed down, she waved a hand to show she was okay.
“Are you sure? Why did you suddenly laugh like that?”
“Oh, I just remembered something funny.”
“What funny thing?”
“Someone smiling joyfully in a convertible car and then having their brain explode.”
“???”
It was a pitch-black joke, and naturally both Miku and Shiori responded with multiple question marks.
But none of that mattered. Tenqi Sanluo soon walked up to Shiori, stretched out her right hand as if she didn’t know her at all.
“Sorry for losing my composure earlier—I’m Tenqi Sanluo.”
“Ah…”
Shiori finally snapped out of her confusion.
“H-hello… I’m Itsuka Shiori.”
As they shook hands, Tenqi Sanluo leaned in close to Shiori’s ear and whispered teasingly:
“Itsuka Shiori is a nice name. Itsuka Shidou… let me see what kinds of amusing tricks you can pull off.”
“!!!”
Hearing this, Shiori’s heart trembled.
As expected, she had known her true identity all along.
“Oh my? What are Miss Tenqi and Miss Shiori whispering about?”
Miku seemed eager to join.
“N-nothing…”
Shiori waved her hands. Tenqi Sanluo stepped aside, and Miku focused on Shiori once more.
“Shiori-chan, you’re tall and cool-looking.”
“Ahaha… not very feminine, right? Sorry about that.”
“Not at all~ I think you’re very cute—and so is Tenqi-chan here.”
“Eh?”
Tenqi Sanluo, who had only planned to watch the show, froze. How did this suddenly involve her?
“Ah, thank you…”
Being complimented didn’t feel bad, but something felt off.
He was clearly a boy, yet a girl was telling him he was cute…
“Actually, I—”
“There’s no need to put yourself down, Shiori-chan. You really are cute.”
Never missing a chance to stir the pot, Tenqi Sanluo added with a smile.
Of course, when Shiori shot her a glare that could kill, she calmly pretended she hadn’t seen it.
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