Chapter 53: This Might Make People Think I'm a Sadist

Once again struck by the Bullet of Twelve, Su Mo was prepared this time. The dizziness was far less intense than before, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself back in the deserted alley.

"It always feels like I'm playing a game, constantly restarting from a save point," he muttered, glancing at the familiar scene before him.

But soon, he noticed something peculiar. Although the spot was the same, why had everything around him grown taller? His perspective was obviously much lower.

He looked down, eyes widening at his hands. They were small and delicate, completely out of proportion with how he remembered. Examining his body, he saw that his height, once nearly six feet, had shrunk to about five feet. He was half his former size.

The shock nearly made him jump. "What on earth is happening? How did I get smaller?" Rubbing his cheeks, he realized he now looked just like he did in grade school.

As Su Mo flailed in confusion, Kurumi's voice echoed, "Hehe~ Su Mo, you were quite adorable as a child."

Su Mo stood there, face clouded, certain that Kurumi was behind this transformation.

"Kurumi, what’s going on?"

"Oh my, this is the power of the Witch of Facsimile. It can turn anyone or anything into something else," Kurumi explained cheerfully, then added, "But your current form isn’t my doing—it was the Kurumi from five years ago."

Is there any difference? Whether it’s the Kurumi from five years ago or you now, it’s still you.

Besides, Su Mo had plenty of other questions. Why did Kurumi impersonate him at the Itsuka household five years ago? What was the reason behind it all?

"Witch of Facsimile?" Isn’t that the power of Seven Sins? In Date A Live, another spirit possesses the ability to transform at will. But Kurumi is the spirit of time and shadow—why would she have another spirit’s power?

"Yes, that power came from another spirit," Kurumi replied calmly.

"Another spirit?" Su Mo’s heart skipped a beat. Did Kurumi kill Seven Sins and steal her spirit crystal, gaining the Witch of Facsimile’s power? Could a spirit possess two angels at once?

This was never mentioned in the anime, so Su Mo had no way of knowing.

Kurumi continued, "Relax. I simply obtained another spirit crystal, which granted me the Witch of Facsimile's power. I haven't harmed anyone. As for why I possess this power, you'll understand in time."

Knowing Kurumi well, Su Mo understood that if she wanted to tell him something, she would. If not, no amount of questioning would help.

He didn’t press further, and instead asked, "So why did the Kurumi from five years ago turn me into this? And why did you impersonate me back then?" Su Mo pressed on. He had only arrived in this world for the first time five years later, so had Kurumi been pretending to be him during that blank period?

"Probably because it seemed fun!" Kurumi pondered a moment. "I don't remember this timeline, but judging from my personality back then, I suppose she wanted to help you."

"Don’t worry, the Witch of Facsimile’s transformation won’t last long. Once the spirit energy is depleted, you’ll return to your original form. Besides, don’t you think your current appearance makes moving around this world much easier?"

Kurumi’s reasoning was sound. Changing history was perilous. If, as Kurumi said, there was another version of himself in this timeline—though that self was Kurumi in disguise—acting in this form would indeed be convenient.

With that thought, Su Mo set off for the Itsuka household.

As before, along the way he met Teacher Shizuku. Following his actions from the previous round, he made sure to comfort her, and left quickly while she remained bewildered. Finally, he reached the door of the Itsuka home.

Turning the corner, Su Mo saw, as expected, Kotori and Phantom talking at the doorway.

Same time, same place.

Phantom slowly reached out and handed Kotori a red spirit crystal.

Witnessing this, Su Mo’s pupils contracted. He had already absorbed the spirit crystal in the previous timeline, yet here it appeared again. This time, however, he didn’t rush forward to seize it.

In the last round, Origami's parents died because Phantom relentlessly chased him. If he tried to snatch the crystal again, Phantom would surely pursue him once more.

Even if Su Mo didn’t attack Phantom, she might attack him, and Origami’s parents could be killed by mistake in the chaos.

To change history, he couldn’t let Phantom fixate on him.

That meant he could only watch as Kotori became a spirit, powerless to intervene. Still, he felt little pressure; he'd already completed the second mission, so even if the crystal reset, it didn’t matter.

He watched Phantom hand the crystal to Kotori. The moment Kotori touched it, a faint glow radiated from her body.

"Ah, ah, ahhhh~" Kotori cried out in pain.

At the same time, waves of intense heat erupted from her, culminating in a vortex of flames. Kotori stood at the eye of the storm, wearing a white kimono, ethereal and beautiful—like a fairy.

Suddenly bestowed with immense power, everything around her was engulfed in fire.

Such a terrifying sight would have frightened any young girl. Kotori shrieked, "Onii-chan, Onii-chan!"

Phantom disappeared as soon as she saw Kotori become a spirit.

Once Phantom was gone, Su Mo stepped forward.

"Is she gone?" Su Mo looked around. As he'd guessed, as long as he didn’t attempt to seize the crystal, Phantom would leave after Kotori became a spirit.

Seeing Kotori collapsed and anxious, Su Mo's heart ached.

In his mind, Kotori was a cunning, venomous girl. While she was lively and timid in her "little sister" mode, as commander she was resolute and brave. During his time at the Itsuka home, Su Mo mostly interacted with the commander mode Kotori, except for mornings when she switched to her little sister persona.

"If you want to change history, there are two ways: first, prevent Kotori from becoming a spirit; second, seal the runaway spirit energy within her before the fire spreads," Kurumi’s voice offered two options in his mind.

He'd tried the first in the previous round. Although he'd stopped Kotori from becoming a spirit, Phantom had been enraged. This time, he could only attempt to seal Kotori's power.

Su Mo frowned. "But to seal Kotori’s spirit energy, I need to form a contract with her. How can I possibly raise five-years-ago Kotori’s affection for me to the maximum in such a short time?"

"Su Mo, you really are slow. Don’t forget what you look like right now," Kurumi reminded him, her voice dripping with charm. "Also, five years ago, I already maxed out Kotori’s affection for you. If you try to form a contract now, your chances of success are one hundred percent."

Hearing this, Su Mo was speechless. Why did you not only impersonate me five years ago, but also pursue Kotori? It makes me look like an absolute fiend.

(Asking for recommendation votes.)