"Boom!" The two attacks collided above Tengu City, but in the end, Tohka's attack was only one. Faced with the inverted Origami's relentless outpouring of magic power, the sword energy held for a few seconds before being forced back.
Of course, Tohka hadn't expected that single attack to end it. She swiftly swung her weapon, sending blade after blade of sword energy through the air. Even the inverted Origami, under this unending barrage, couldn't withstand it head-on. In less than a minute, Tohka's final slash cleaved the energy column in half, and the strike flew straight toward Origami.
"Hmm?" At this moment, the inverted Origami saw the attack and had to halt her own offensive. Black feathers formed wings behind her, rapidly propelling her to the side to dodge Tohka's uninterrupted assault.
But right then, a blue-violet flash appeared. Tohka's figure emerged in front of her—after all, Origami was a long-range spirit. There was no way Tohka would give her any time to react. She relied on her power to close the distance and press the attack point-blank.
"Heh, take this." Seeing the panic in Origami's eyes, Tohka raised her sword to strike. But suddenly, she froze, because she realized Origami's gaze, once filled with hatred, had turned blank.
That wasn't the main issue, though—Tohka could feel the corrective force of the world itself starting to shift. Her once-fluid movements abruptly slowed, the very air becoming thick and viscous. She was forced to stop moving, feeling as though some memory was about to be torn out of her mind. But in that instant, the Kabbalah Tree of Life within her body spun violently, and the sensation of stripping away vanished.
Origami's form dimmed and faded, finally disappearing completely, leaving Tohka alone in the sky, staring at this world that felt both strange and familiar.
"It reset…the world." Glancing around, Tohka immediately flew toward the Spirit Apartments. Because right then, she could clearly see Kurumi and Shido standing on the rooftop.
"Looks like you succeeded. The world has changed. But it seems that apart from you, who went back to the past, Kurumi as the spirit of time, and me, everyone else has already forgotten what happened." Looking at the two surprised by her sudden appearance, Tohka spoke calmly. Shido didn't know, but Kurumi had probably done things like this before—so she was only surprised that nothing at all had changed for Tohka. Naturally, Tohka wasn't going to explain.
"It changed…that's impossible." Hearing Tohka, Shido blinked in astonishment, scanning Tengu City, which looked completely unchanged, and said uncertainly.
"Hmph, sure, not much changed." Tohka curled her lip, then added, "That's only because the alteration was within this world's capacity to absorb it. Saving her parents was insignificant on a cosmic scale, so there wasn't much upheaval. But some minor details are definitely different. You'll see soon enough."
She didn't say more, since the matter of Origami's split personas didn't really concern her. But then she looked at Kurumi, who met her gaze and blinked before Tohka continued: "But if you change something too drastic, beyond this world's power to correct, it could create two entirely different timelines starting from that point."
"Hmph." Kurumi clearly heard that the comment was directed mainly at her, but only snorted coldly, completely unmoved. Whether Tohka was telling the truth or not, she was going to try it herself. Even if she failed, she wouldn't regret it. And besides—who knew if Tohka was even right? She had no proof.
"Sigh—whatever, today's business is finished. Oh right—Shido, you'd better contact Origami right away. See if anything changed. And it'd be best if you sealed her powers. I really don't want her shooting those needle cannons at me out of nowhere. That would be unbelievably annoying." Seeing that nothing more needed doing, Tohka gave Shido a quick order, then flew back toward her room. Kurumi slowly sank into her shadow and disappeared.
"Hey—wait, you two! I haven't even asked everything—ugh, forget it, I'll just head back." Shido looked around, realizing everyone was gone. He opened his mouth, then closed it, finally deciding to follow Tohka's suggestion. Since no one was here to argue, he had nothing else to say.
The next day, around noon, Tohka left her house and headed to Nia Honjo's place. Why at that hour? She was a shut-in—how early did you expect her to be up? Naturally, Tohka bought some food on the way; otherwise, she half-suspected the girl might starve herself. As for Origami's situation, she didn't ask anyone about it—since it didn't have much to do with her, why invite aggravation?
"I knew it—you never even think of going out to buy food, do you? Looks like you haven't eaten in a whole day. Sure, spirits don't have to eat, but your stomach still feels empty. Unless you can completely suppress your senses, you'll eventually go crazy from hunger." Seeing Nia slumped over the table, weak as a dying fish, Tohka pressed a hand to her forehead and set the food down. Honestly, she hated the feeling of hunger the most. She'd never let herself suffer that discomfort.
"Mmm…food…" The instant she saw the meal; Nia's lifeless body sprang to life. Without caring about appearances, she pounced, opened the containers, and started devouring everything. Even with her mouth full, she managed to ask, "So…what are you here for…this time?"
"Heh—how about we have a little contest?"
"Contest?"
"See who can make the best doujin."
"!!!"