“Sure enough, there’s nothing….”

At this moment, Liangyi Mengyue sat on a relatively clean boulder, biting on a bamboo skewer, staring at the information displayed on her tablet: “No results found for ‘Date A Operation’.” A faint bitter smile appeared on her face.

“That makes sense. It would be weird if a ‘Date A’ work appeared in the world of Date A Operation.”

Mengyue had currently appeared in a dense forest somewhere in North America. Perhaps because she had descended into an uninhabited area of the modern world, no spirit opposition force had appeared since the spatial tremor.

With the tablet, Mengyue could use her powers to charge its battery and connect to the internet. Even in a signalless, uninhabited area, she could leisurely browse manga, anime, and such.

“Roar—!!”

Suddenly, a violent roar interrupted Mengyue’s pleasant moment. Looking up, she saw a three-meter-tall brown bear standing right in front of her, its eyes brimming with a greedy hunger.

“Come to think of it, North America is the brown bear’s habitat. Judging by its size, it’s quite strong—maybe the owner of this area?”

Liangyi Mengyue stepped forward, analyzing the massive creature before her.

The bear exhaled a fetid, rancid breath, its lips and teeth dripping saliva. Its approach—boldly moving closer instead of fleeing—seemed strange, yet its simple mind still didn’t hesitate to strike with a heavy paw.

Honestly, if this were any ordinary human, they would have been flattened long ago.

Yet Mengyue’s seemingly slender arms easily caught the bear’s paw.

The bear roared in frustration, trying to break free, but its paw seemed bound by iron—it could not move even an inch.

“Come to think of it, it’s lunchtime. A bear paw, such a precious ingredient, delivered straight to me. How could I not cook it properly?”

Blue-white electric sparks began to dance around Mengyue. Looking at the bear, she stared as if it were a dish, saliva dripping quite unladylike.

Only then did the bear realize that it was no longer in the position of predator against the figure before it.

But by the time it understood, it was already too late.

---

—Here begins the completed cooking—

“Ugh, this aroma… I can’t resist!”

A simple container made from wood held the roasted bear paw, cooked to perfection in both color and aroma.

Although Mengyue had no knowledge of wilderness cooking, the internet allowed her to obtain recipes and cooking methods.

However, due to limited utensils, she could not create advanced dishes like braised or steamed flavors, so she chose simple roasted bear paw.

Even so, preparing the bear paw was complicated: cleaning, seasoning, and cooking in a deserted forest posed many challenges. Fortunately, Mengyue had ample time and patience, allowing her to follow each step meticulously.

Looking at the finished dish, she felt a sense of accomplishment amid her hunger and thirst.

Today, luck seemed to be on her side. She hadn’t received any signal of “vanishing,” suggesting she had experienced a rare “Serene Manifestation” in the human world.

According to records, spirits manifest in the human world in two ways: the usual kind, which lasts briefly and triggers a spatial tremor, and the rare Serene Manifestation, which neither triggers a tremor nor vanishes quickly.

Although Mengyue didn’t fully understand the mechanics, she decided to enjoy her meal regardless.

In high spirits, she lightly clapped her hands and said in Japanese etiquette, “I will start eating—”

Before she could finish, a sudden hurricane struck, followed by torrential rain covering the entire forest.

The previously sunny sky was now covered by two swirling, black clouds.

Amid the wind’s roar, tall conifers shook violently.

At the eye of the twin storms stood two young women in restraint suits, one with orange hair.

“—Amazing. Yuzuru, your half-body! To endure against my absolute power is truly commendable!”

The girl on the right, with her long hair pinned up, spoke in a tone that sounded less like normal speech and more like theatrical performance—a definite case of chuunibyou.

“Hmph… how foolish. My true power, ‘Trutheyes,’ is beyond your understanding. Under my gaze, your defeat is certain.”

The left girl, with her hair braided into three segments, bore a similar appearance, her expression always tinged with listlessness.

“Debate. In the last round, Yuzuru won, and I, Kaguya, said the same.”

“Ugh!”

Yuzuru spoke, and Kaguya’s words seemed to get stuck in her throat, stammering.

“Shut up! Winning one match is nothing to brag about. The current record is sixteen wins, sixteen losses, and seventeen draws. The fiftieth match will be my victory. Hand over the name ‘Yamai’!”

“Denied. The survivor will be Yuzuru. The name ‘Yamai’ suits you not.”

…

The Hurricane Children, codenamed Berserk, were spirits controlling wind. They often moved swiftly across regions, bringing disasters even more frequently than spatial tremors themselves.

Memories of this knowledge flashed in Mengyue’s mind as she stood in the storm, her body like a carved stone statue.

This was the first time Mengyue encountered a spirit besides herself. Normally, she would have been delighted to greet another, fostering camaraderie.

But now, the situation was unusual.

“My… lunch…”

The hurricane overturned the wooden bowl holding her meal. The once-delicious bear paw was now covered in mud.

Since arriving in this world, unable to blend into human society without a computer, Mengyue had taken to collecting ingredients herself and cooking for enjoyment. She had grown fond of this pastime.

Yet now, the rare delicacy she had painstakingly prepared was ruined before she could taste it.

What could be more unacceptable!

“Divine Armament, Second Form (Yod)!”

“Damn! You persist in your folly. Then allow me to awaken you with my strength!”

“Agreed. Actions speak louder than words.”

The hurricane swirled as the two girls assumed battle stances. They lunged at each other, weapons raised.

“Railgun!”

A column of orange light cut between the two hurricanes, creating a void in the storm. Sunlight pierced through the clouds above.

The hurricane and rain vanished as if by some trick of magic.

“What…?”

“What is this?”

Kaguya and Yuzuru, seeing the source of the attack, stared down in astonishment.

A girl with tea-colored long hair, wearing a white blouse, a light brown vest, a short skirt, and a large black overcoat, stood holding the weapon Ratziel (Dawn Sage). Her lightning-type mechanical arms formed a parallel cannon, tips emitting faint blue smoke.

“Spirit? Why do you stop my duel with Yuzuru?”

“Why do you interfere?”

Upon recognizing her, both girls expressed surprise and mild complaint.

“Why… you dare question me?” Mengyue sneered. Her amber eyes were like ice, terrifying Yuzuru and Kaguya.

Blue-white electric sparks danced around her.

“W-What? I don’t recall having a grudge against you.”

“It’s too late to speak now. You two, give me back my lunch!!!!!!!!!!!!”

With Mengyue’s roar, two thunderbolts capable of destroying a mountain struck from the sky.

PS: Readers may wonder—the second spirit should have gray hair and blue eyes. I realized this later, but the scene was already dramatic. I didn’t want to casually change it, so maybe it will appear in later events.