As he returned to his senses, Shu Ouma found that in the midst of the heavy snow, a girl was struggling to push a wheelchair forward. The snow on the street was deep, making it hard for the wheels to move. Even with gloves on, Ayase Shinomiya's hands must have been freezing from turning the wheels.
On top of that, it was inconvenient for her to hold an umbrella. Her body was covered in snow, as if the wheelchair existed only to collect it.
Shu Ouma walked over and held out an umbrella to her. "Senpai, where are you heading?"
"What are you doing! I don't need your pity. I can do it on my own." Ayase Shinomiya didn't take the umbrella, instead scolding Shu angrily.
"I know, Senpai can do it alone. I've always known how amazing you are. But... I'd like to pick a gift for Hare. Could you help me?" Shu smiled gently, his expression warm enough to melt the winter frost. The sunlight of that smile thawed Ayase's heart.
When she came to her senses again, Ayase realized she was already holding the umbrella, and Shu was the one pushing her wheelchair down the commercial street.
"Senpai, what kind of gift should I give a girl? I don't have any experience," Shu asked from behind in a soft voice.
"Today's Christmas. Just give her a towel," Ayase said softly, lowering her head a little.
The two of them shopped together in the business district. In the end, although Shu bought the towel, he ended up buying far more things for Ayase instead.
After the brief joy, Ayase noticed her arms were full of shopping bags—she couldn't even move her wheelchair anymore.
"Senpai, this is a thank-you gift." Shu placed a white, summery sunhat on Ayase's head, then gently pushed her wheelchair toward Kurumi's home. Ayase was currently staying at Kurumi's place.
"You're really strange. Who gives a summer gift in winter?" Ayase pinched the brim of the hat, adjusting its position.
"Haha! Sorry, I really have no experience giving gifts to girls."
With one hand holding the umbrella and the other carrying their shopping bags, they moved slowly through the snow. Ayase found her heart wrapped in an indescribable calm.
"Shu Ouma, you've changed. You've become really gentle now," Ayase said quietly, but Shu didn't seem to reply.
"I heard about your mother, Haruka Ouma. Actually, I used to have an older brother too. Our situations are kind of similar. But I chose to hide my weakness beneath strength, while you chose to bear your pain and let your heart shine with kindness. You really are... incredible." As she spoke, Ayase began to cry, her tears falling softly.
"I always thought that if my brother hadn't died, he might've been as great as Gai. But now I realize... the brother I prayed for wasn't like him at all. Shu Ouma, seeing you like this—it gives me courage. I feel like even if I'm alone, I can still accomplish many things." Wiping her tears away, Ayase touched the brim of her hat again, then lowered her head.
"Senpai, we're here." They had arrived at Kurumi's apartment complex, where a maid was already waiting to receive Ayase.
"I know Senpai can do it. You've always been amazing," Shu said as he waved to Ayase being wheeled away. Then Ayase suddenly realized—the umbrella was still in her hand.
"No need, we have two umbrellas here," came two voices beside her. Ayase turned and was surprised to see Kurumi Tokisaki walking gracefully in her black gothic short dress and high heels, elegance and composure in every step—so much like Shu.
Shu had the warmth of strength, while Kurumi radiated confident beauty. Their biggest similarity was how naturally they expressed themselves—without pretense, without disguise.
"I really was blind before... comparing Kurumi to Gai? How could he ever compare?" Ayase laughed bitterly and shook her head. In that moment, she felt her heart finally lighten. There were people far greater than Gai everywhere. She had simply been blinded by him before.
"Shu-kun." Kurumi held out her umbrella to Shu. His heart skipped a beat. Was this... a moment where they would share one umbrella together?
Step! Inori hurried over, raising her umbrella above Kurumi's head with both hands, her eyes glaring at Shu with fierce hostility.
"Hehe..." Shu smiled helplessly, then walked ahead into the snow, his umbrella held high.
"Victory." A small spark of joy bloomed in Inori's heart. With her innocent expression, she looked up at the umbrella, carefully angling it completely over Kurumi's head, terrified that even a single snowflake might land on her. But because of this overly biased way of holding it, Inori's own shoulders were exposed to the snow, her pink hair quickly catching flakes of white.
"I'll hold it." Kurumi took the umbrella from Inori and adjusted it to the center. That was already the best compromise Inori could accept. She lowered her head shyly, her fingers interlaced before her chest, her heart filled with both sweetness and embarrassment as her cheeks slowly turned red.
"Just the three of us going?" Shu Ouma's voice came from behind, directed at Kurumi.
"Mm. If even we can't manage it, then sending more people would be meaningless." Kurumi nodded lightly.
"How much chance do we have?" Shu asked. Tilting her head thoughtfully, Kurumi considered for a moment, then said, "Half."
"So it's not certain at all!" Shu was startled. Did Kurumi actually take on things without full confidence?
"That's right. This time, we're betting our lives. But compared to sitting idly by and watching the end of the world, this is already far better." Kurumi turned to Inori and smiled faintly. The rise or fall of everything rested on this moment. If they won, they would continue as the Angel's Heroic Spirits; if they lost, they might vanish together with humanity.
"I've been standing here waiting for you for more than a week. And yet you've been with another woman. Unforgivable."
Everything happened so suddenly that Shu didn't even have time to speak to his sister, Mana Ouma, before she went mad. Layer upon layer of gray-silver light engulfed her, and dark red radiance surged skyward, spreading across the world. This wasn't a prelude—this was the end itself. The Lost Christmas had arrived.
The European Council—Brussels. The national leaders and representatives had long since gathered in the council, calmly watching the transmitted images from around the world. One city after another was ravaged by the virus, as people turned into crystalline statues.
"The end of the world again... but this time, we haven't lost hope."
In the United States, countless streams of people walked in unison toward a single destination. Even as some of them crystallized and disintegrated, the rest kept marching forward with unwavering determination—toward the heart of the city.
Ten years ago, during the first Lost Christmas, the Statue of Liberty was destroyed. When America rebuilt, they didn't restore the Statue of Liberty—they replaced it with a statue of the angelic form of Miku Izayoi. Later, other cities followed suit, constructing similar statues.
Now, countless citizens sat before the statues, gazing up resolutely at Miku Izayoi's form. One after another, people turned into particles and vanished, yet those in the back moved forward without hesitation, filling the empty space.
"The angel protects us. We fear nothing." Every pair of eyes was filled with calm conviction.
In London, the great cathedral bells tolled. As people gradually turned into crystalline dust, the nuns raised their voices in song—not singing hymns from the Bible, but Miku Izayoi's songs.
"The angel lives within our hearts. Hope endures with us. Let us pray with greater devotion!" This was neither Christianity nor Islam—it was the Church of the Angel.
This faith had emerged ten years ago but had swept through all religions, dominating Britain and spreading even overseas. It had no doctrines—only pure, unending prayers to the Angel. Yet it endured mysteriously without fading.
Before Shu Ouma's eyes unfolded a miraculous sight. After being consumed by the virus, Mana Ouma had transformed into an enormous creature—a colossal jellyfish made of silvery-gray light.
That jellyfish was immense—thousands of meters tall.
"Shu-kun! I crown you!" Kurumi grasped Inori's hand with one hand and Shu's with the other, transforming into Miku Izayoi as she did so.
"Kurumi-san! You're actually the Angel?" Shu was dumbfounded. Wasn't "Angel" just a codename? How could she truly become one? This was... unscientific.
"How strange... this person looks a bit like Shido," Miku Izayoi muttered, giving Shu a curious glance. For once, she didn't complain about the inferiority of men inside Kurumi's mind.
"Astral Dress! Angel—Gabriel!" A massive stage rose from beneath the three of them. The platform spread through the void, extending into the hearts of people all over the world. Everyone across the globe could feel it—their hearts were now connected to something beyond themselves.
The virus spread wildly, staining the entire sky a deep crimson. Then, it began to rain—gray-silver rain. Anyone who came into contact with even a single particle of it would die instantly. Having learned from the tragedy ten years ago, Gaia's restraint would not act unless necessary—but once it did, it struck with absolute annihilation.
"I am the King of Voids, and also the Spirit of Music. Now, I stand as an Angel. Do not fear, and do not despair. I am right here, by your side." Standing upon the grand stage, Miku Izayoi's voice rang out with confidence and grace. On that stage, she shone brighter than any other—an angelic diva who illuminated the world.
Every time,
I wander alone yet grow stronger.
Every time,
Even when I'm hurt, I never let the tears fall.
I know,
I've always had a pair of invisible wings.
They take me high,
Flying past despair.
As the melody filled the air, tears shimmered in Inori's eyes. Memories flooded her mind—every time she fell, every time she was hurt, it was always Kurumi-chan who helped her stand again. She had become strong because of Kurumi-chan. Wasn't Kurumi-chan her invisible wings? Now that Kurumi-chan needed her, she too had to spread her wings—to fly even higher.
A Void hollow appeared within Inori's heart. But nothing emerged from it; instead, it expanded, enveloping her entire body.
A pillar of light shot upward, piercing through the crimson sky, carving a radiant scar of brilliance amid the darkness.
The light grew, pressing back the blood-red hue of the sky. As it reached Shu Ouma, a sword manifested in his hand—a mighty greatsword, gleaming in pure silver light.
The pillar of light continued expanding, flowing into the dimensional rift Kurumi had opened—connecting to the hearts of every soul across the world.
At the very instant Miku's song resonated through the void, the hollows within everyone's hearts awakened. Yet even with Kurumi's vastly strengthened power, it was still impossible to draw out the Voids of all humanity.
This was Inori's Void spreading forth, assimilating the Voids of every living being. Every hollow within every heart transformed into a pillar of light, surrounding the people, pushing away the gray-silver rain of death.
Of course, Inori herself could never accomplish such a feat. This was, in truth, the work of her ultimate boss—Alaya's Counter Force.
Unlike the opposition from ten years ago, this time Alaya's restraint had chosen to channel all its power into two individuals. Alaya was taking a gamble—a wager on the infinite potential of humankind.
If it succeeded, Gaia's Counter Force would be permanently suppressed, and never again would the world face another apocalypse.
If it failed... humanity would vanish from this world forever.