Chapter 40: The True Nature of the Sacred Palace

Origami's words were succinct to the extreme; she hung up before Su Mo could even respond.

"What...?" Su Mo stared at his phone, lips parted, his expression a complex mix of surprise and bewilderment.

What was going on with this world? Was there nothing to do here but go on dates? As expected from a world themed after a galgame, ever since Su Mo had arrived, he’d been swept into a relentless cycle of dates—compulsory ones at that—and all his dates were problem children. It was utterly exhausting.

“What’s wrong?” Kotori asked, noticing Su Mo’s speechless expression.

Putting away his phone, Su Mo answered honestly, “Origami asked me to meet her tomorrow at Tenguu City Square.”

At this news, Tohka, who had just been comforted, grew agitated all over again. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “What? You’re going to date that girl? Absolutely not!”

At school, Tohka and Origami never got along. Now, hearing that Su Mo was about to go out with Origami, she felt like she was about to explode. If it were another girl, perhaps Tohka wouldn’t be so upset, but Origami was strictly forbidden.

“I agree with Tohka this time. Besides, tomorrow you’re supposed to go on a date with Kurumi, so you’ll have to cancel with Origami,” Kotori declared, dressed smartly in her red military uniform, her twin tails swaying. Clearly, she was also against Su Mo’s date with Origami.

In truth, were it not for the need to win over the Spirits, Kotori would never allow Su Mo to have contact with any of them. She’d reluctantly accepted Tohka and Yoshino, but Origami was just an ordinary human—and a member of the AST. Such a person had to be kept at arm’s length.

Faced with Kotori and Tohka’s objections, Su Mo felt caught in the middle. After all, he’d already promised Origami.

Last time, in order to save Yoshino, Su Mo had agreed to accompany Origami on a date. If he went back on his word now, wouldn’t that make him an absolute scoundrel?

“Besides, if I turn down Origami’s invitation, she might become even more hostile toward Tohka and Yoshino,” Su Mo explained. He’d agreed to the date precisely to prevent Origami from antagonizing the Spirits. If he refused now, she would surely target them again.

Su Mo couldn’t help but recall the image of Origami struggling with all her might to climb to the rooftop to rescue him. The memory softened his heart; he couldn’t bear to hurt Origami. But if he agreed to both dates, he’d have to juggle two at once tomorrow.

Just picturing that scenario made Su Mo’s head spin.

At least he’d settled things with Tohka in advance. If he were in Shido Itsuka’s shoes from the original story, dating three girls at once—just thinking about it was terrifying. That wasn’t dating; it was pure self-torment.

“You have a point. Only Origami knows Tohka and Yoshino’s real identities. If you refuse, and she decides to leak that information, we’ll be in serious trouble,” Kotori said, frowning after hearing Su Mo’s explanation. “So, to keep Origami in check, you must go on the date tomorrow.”

“What about Kurumi?”

“Worst case, you see them both. I believe in you, big brother!” Kotori clapped Su Mo heavily on the shoulder, her eyes devoid of sympathy, even a hint of mischief in her gaze—as if to say, this is the price of being a flirt. With so many girls at home already, he still couldn’t keep himself from chasing more outside. Now he was getting what he deserved.

Still, winning over Kurumi was a top priority, so Kotori offered her plan.

“To ensure tomorrow’s dates go off perfectly, I’ve devised a detailed schedule. Meet Kurumi at the ticket gate of Tenguu City Station by ten in the morning. Partway through, make up an excuse to slip away. We’ll use Fraxinus’s teleportation device to send you to Origami. But to avoid making Kurumi wait too long, you’ll need to carefully balance the time between them. We’ll manage the schedule from our end. In theory, you shouldn’t spend more than thirty minutes with each girl per session. When time’s up, you move to the next location.”

In short: half an hour with Kurumi, then half an hour with Origami, and repeat. As for the details in between, they’d have to improvise.

Ideally, Kurumi’s date would come first, but Origami’s was also critical. Neither could be neglected. Just thinking about the double-dating predicament awaiting him tomorrow gave Su Mo a headache.

What a pain...

After leaving Fraxinus, Su Mo went home with Kotori.

After escorting Tohka back to the neighboring house, Su Mo and Kotori returned to the Itsuka residence.

Within the house, Shiori was already busy in the kitchen. It seemed that every time Su Mo came home, Shiori was either cleaning or cooking, managing all the housework single-handedly—a model of the perfect wife and mother.

But just as they stepped inside, the doorbell rang.

“Could it be Tohka and Yoshino?” Su Mo wondered. Lately, even though Tohka and the others had moved next door, they often dropped by, so he was used to it.

However, when he opened the door, he was greeted not by a familiar face, but by a clever-looking girl with a single ponytail and long blue hair, appearing about fourteen years old. Beneath her right eye was a beauty mark, lending her a unique charm.

“Hello, is this the Itsuka residence?” she asked politely.

Seeing her, Su Mo felt a sense of familiarity, as if she were a younger version of Shiori. Suddenly struck by a realization, he nodded, “Yes, this is the Itsuka residence. Who are you looking for?”

“Wonderful, I’ve finally found it.” The girl’s voice brimmed with delight. She bowed deeply. “I’m here to see Shiori Itsuka. I’m her younger sister—my name is Mana Takamiya!”

The girl, Mana Takamiya, stood on the Itsuka doorstep and introduced herself as Shiori’s little sister.

Her voice drew Kotori and Shiori out of the house. Upon seeing Mana, both were momentarily taken aback. Mana and Shiori truly looked alike—both had long blue hair, and their faces bore a striking resemblance.

Upon seeing Mana, Shiori’s calm heart gave a sudden, powerful thump—a feeling of kinship, as if their blood was calling out. The instant she laid eyes on Mana, a sense of inexplicable familiarity and warmth welled up inside her.

“You are...?”

No sooner had Shiori spoken than Mana’s eyes lit up with excitement. She threw her arms around Shiori, shouting, “Sister!”