Chapter Thirty-Four: Kurumi Tokisaki (Please Vote for Recommendations)

After arranging Yoshino's room, Su Mo and Kotori moved Tohka's luggage next door again. At the same time, Shiori also heard about Tohka moving out. Although she felt somewhat reluctant at first, upon learning that Tohka was simply moving to the apartment next door and that they would still be neighbors and could meet at any time, her spirits lifted once more.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Su Mo also invited Yoshino to the Itsuka household. The explanation given was that she was Tohka's cousin and that the two would be living together. Gathering everyone, they enjoyed a housewarming dinner prepared by Shiori. During the meal, Yoshino remained as shy and timid as ever, but in the midst of this warm and cheerful atmosphere, she couldn't help but lower her guard and soon found herself accepting everyone with ease.

After settling both Yoshino and Tohka, Su Mo returned to his own room. He lay on his bed, staring blankly at the snow-white ceiling. With Tohka, that noisy presence, gone, the house felt much quieter—so quiet, in fact, that he found it hard to get used to. The girl who would burst into his room at any moment, shouting with excitement and curiosity about everything like an overgrown child, had now moved into the apartment next door. Even though he would see her again the next morning, some vague sense of unrest lingered in his heart.

At that moment, Su Mo's mind was a tangled mess of thoughts. One second he was dwelling on this, the next his mind had already drifted elsewhere. The world of two dimensions was indeed beautiful, especially since here he had Kotori and Shiori as family, and flawless girls like Tohka and Yoshino as romantic interests. Compared to the monotonous and dull life before his transmigration, this was undoubtedly far more exciting.

Yet for some reason, no matter how wonderful this world was, he couldn't stop thinking about scenes from before. He was, after all, someone attached to home. No matter how colorful the outside world might be, his heart still longed for that simple and ordinary life. Or perhaps, what truly bound him to his original reality was family—a bond he could never sever—and that was his sole motivation for moving forward.

Half-awake, Su Mo's eyelids fluttered, and finally, he drifted off to sleep.

………………

When morning came, Su Mo awoke in bed and rubbed his brow. He dressed skillfully, washed up, and descended from the second floor. Halfway down, he realized Tohka and Yoshino were in his house, which left him bewildered. Hadn't they moved next door? Why had they come back?

"Su Mo, you're up!" Tohka called out with an excited expression, and if Kotori hadn't been holding her back, she might have leapt at him right away. Yoshino, on the other hand, greeted him shyly, "Su... Su Mo, good morning!"

"Good morning!"

Su Mo looked at Tohka and Yoshino in confusion, then glanced at Kotori. "So what's going on? Why are you two here so early in the morning?"

"Obviously because these two idiots can't cook at all!" Kotori burst out laughing, pointing at Tohka and Yoshino. "Do these two look like they can make food?"

"I see!" Su Mo covered his forehead, a wry smile on his face. As spirits, Tohka and Yoshino hardly knew anything, let alone how to cook. When Tohka lived with the Itsuka family, Shiori always prepared her meals. Now that they had moved out, cooking was indeed a challenge for them. Tohka was a classic case of only knowing how to eat, not how to cook, and as for Yoshino, it went without saying.

So they had come over early in the morning mainly to freeload breakfast?

But seeing Kotori mocking Tohka so mercilessly, Su Mo couldn't help but retort, "It seems a certain someone isn't much better, right?" In the entire Itsuka household, Shiori was the most skilled in the kitchen, able to whip up any dish with ease. Su Mo, though not a master chef, could handle simple meals, but the three girls before him were classic examples of domestic incompetence.

Chided by her brother, Kotori bared her fangs, ready to attack Su Mo. Yet in her little sister mode, she could never win against him, and he subdued her easily, rewarding her with a head pat and a light flick to the forehead as punishment, leaving her curled up on the sofa, trembling in defeat.

"Alright, breakfast is ready. Eat up quickly, or you'll be late for school," Shiori announced, bringing out plates of breakfast and handing three lunch boxes to Su Mo, Kotori, and Tohka respectively.

"Is this today's lunch?" Tohka took her lunch box, eyes sparkling, even more excited when she saw the feast inside. Ever since moving in with the Itsuka family, Shiori had been in charge of their lunches, and even now that Tohka had moved out, Shiori still prepared a portion for her.

Su Mo glanced at his own lunchbox, then at Tohka's, and remarked with some surprise, "It looks like our lunches are different today?"

"Of course. Before, all three of our lunches looked exactly the same, which made some classmates suspect we lived together. It's easy to explain for us siblings, but Tohka is a different case, so this time I made two different lunches," Shiori replied with a gentle smile. In truth, nobody really cared about such things, but she had thought of it anyway.

After all, Tohka had no real connection to them, and if people got the wrong idea about her living with Su Mo, it would surely stir up a commotion at school.

Last time during lunch at school, Origami had grown suspicious when she noticed that Su Mo and Tohka had identical bento boxes. To avoid any trouble, Shiori had deliberately prepared different lunches this time.

After breakfast, Su Mo, Shiori, and Tohka set off for school together, leaving Yoshino in the care of Reine Murasame. As for Kotori, though she was supposed to be a middle school student, she never actually attended classes, often skipping school altogether. With Ratatoskr's help, the city mayor personally called in her absence, and no school would dare refuse such a request. Talk about power moves!

When Su Mo first learned of this, he was envious, jealous, and resentful for quite some time.

Once at school, Su Mo and Tohka entered the classroom. Immediately, they felt Origami Tobiichi's gaze upon them. Ignoring Shiori beside her, Origami's eyes swept over Tohka and Su Mo before finally settling on Su Mo alone.

After taking his seat, Origami suddenly handed Su Mo a note, then resumed reading her book with an expressionless face. Su Mo took the note, puzzled, but upon reading its contents, his mouth fell open in surprise.

It was an invitation from Origami to go on a date.

Yesterday, because of Yoshino, he had agreed to go on a date with Origami. He had assumed Origami was only joking out of rivalry with Tohka, but it turned out she was serious. Now Su Mo found himself in a predicament.

Before he could figure out how to respond, the classroom door slowly opened. In walked their teacher, Tamaki Okamine, a petite woman with glasses, gently wavy long hair, and a cute face, dressed in a standard professional suit. Instantly, she drew the attention of the entire class.

Despite looking like a student, she was in fact a twenty-nine-year-old single woman—Su Mo's homeroom teacher.

"Good morning, everyone!" Teacher Tamaki greeted them with a smile, making her way to the podium and sweeping her gaze mysteriously over the students. "By the way, I have an announcement. Another transfer student will be joining our class today!"

Two transfer students in a single month. It was unusual, but the other students were simply excited, buzzing with speculation about the new arrival's identity.

Only Su Mo frowned at his desk. Another transfer student? If he was right about the story's progression, then this transfer student must be—

Before he could even finish the thought, a girl walked in, clad in a winter jacket and black tights despite the blazing heat of June. Her jet-black hair and long bangs covered the left side of her face, leaving only her right eye visible. Despite this, her beauty was in no way inferior to Tohka or Origami, and the bewitching aura she exuded was utterly captivating.

"Well then, let me introduce myself!" she said with a sly smile. "My name is Kurumi Tokisaki, and I'm a spirit!"

(Author's note: Asking for recommendations—the new trial phase is about to begin next week, and I really need your support! Please give your daily recommendation votes to the Prince. How far this book will go depends entirely on you all. I don't want to crash and burn, so I beg you once again! Three deep bows!

Also, a note: the Date A Live arc won't be overly long. Or rather, it will be broken into several parts. I originally planned to write up to Mayuri, but after some thought, decided to cut Mayuri and bring in the Goddess of Origins instead. On reflection, the Goddess of Origins is even more pitiful than Mayuri—she truly deserves the main heroine spot.)