Chapter 1: What Bad Intentions Could a Beautiful Girl Have?
Crush, expand, shatter.
The piercing sound of the alarm echoed loudly, and people methodically evacuated from the streets, heading toward underground shelters.
This phenomenon occurred from time to time, known as a “spacequake.”
Buildings and ground facilities at the epicenter of the explosion would be obliterated as if swallowed by a volcanic crater, while the surrounding areas would suffer damage due to the blast.
The first occurrence, thirty years ago, caused nearly 150 million casualties and was dubbed the “Eurasian Air Disaster.”
Since then, spacequakes have frequently occurred worldwide.
However, six months after the South Kanto Air Disaster, the phenomenon seemed to subside, and no further spacequakes occurred.
Before the “aftershock” of the explosion arrived, a precursor phenomenon known as a “spatial tremor” would occur.
The warning time was sufficient, allowing those trained in evacuation protocols to enter shelters in an orderly manner.
Despite efforts to estimate the blast range of the aftershock based on the intensity of the spatial tremor, no progress had been made so far.
Small shops in the city were equipped with protective measures to sink underground, but larger buildings could only accept their fate.
It was as if a giant monster suddenly appeared, recklessly destroying the streets.
Interestingly, during the quiet period following an aftershock, accidents like pipeline explosions, road cracks, or evaporating walls often occurred.
Experts attributed these to negligence by unscrupulous contractors or natural gas explosions in underground pipelines.
Those culprits should go door-to-door apologizing to the gas companies, shouldn’t they?
“What do you think, dear visitors from afar—” In a pit about five meters wide, a girl in a purple performance outfit raised her right hand, offering a friendly greeting to the hospitable girls around her.
In an instant, the crisp sound of weapons being drawn and the humming of glowing swords rang out, while shields clad in armor unfolded in unison.
The enthusiastic audience, brimming with intent to surround and overwhelm the stage’s protagonist, aimed their “fireworks” at the purple-haired girl.
Unfortunately, these weren’t colorful paper streamers, and the ground beneath her was merely a heat-filled pit, not the theater she longed for.
“I’ve managed to suppress the scale of the spacequake on my own, sparing you much of the cleanup work. Yet, instead of gratitude, you point your blades at me?”
Her fingertips, wrapped in dark long gloves, playfully twirled the hair falling by her ear.
Her rose-red right eye reflected the well-organized encirclement, and the slender, delicate girl’s lips curved into a relaxed smile as she greeted the familiar yet unfamiliar figures.
As expected, there was no response.
The calm before the storm was intoxicating, but it was destined to be shattered.
This was her fourth manifestation.
The girl had come to understand the calamity her appearance brought and acknowledged their efforts to protect humanity.
In the face of armed forces, there was no need for unnecessary words.
A black-purple bandage covered her left eye, wrapped twice around her forehead—a small price paid for her misfortune during her last manifestation.
But it wasn’t without gain.
This brief “harmony” was the reward she had earned.
There was no sudden attack, no swarming assault.
They remained cautious, expanding the encirclement while leaving a slight gap on one side.
Without this small gain, she might have faced another brutal and unreasonable attack this time.
That gap was the AST’s compromise with the spirit.
If killing the spirit wasn’t feasible, their primary goal was to drive her away, pushing her far from the city, delaying, guiding, and exhausting her until the “manifestation” phenomenon ended and the spirit vanished from the material world.
According to the script, she should tactfully leap through that gap and stage a tedious chase scene.
After all, if she didn’t move soon, their fleeting patience in this moment of calm would wear thin, and they’d resort to less civilized measures.
As if sensing this, the girl squinted slightly and tilted her head.
Normally, she wouldn’t mind indulging them in a flight exercise, but now was an exception.
Releasing the curled hair from her fingertips, the girl raised her hand with a mischievous smile, holding up three fingers.
“Special circumstances. Please leave my sight within three seconds. Until then, I won’t show any hostility~”
Her compromising words intertwined with an expression eager to stir up some fun, provoking the already tense nerves of the AST members.
For some reason, every combatant she’d encountered during her manifestations seemed to be young girls, though this didn’t affect their combat prowess.
Even if provoked by the spirit girl’s words, no one lashed out with insults or…
“—!”
A purple-red longsword, over a meter long, was gripped backward by the girl, deftly parrying a laser sword slashing from the side.
A flicker of surprise crossed her face as she turned her gaze to the attacking figure, beginning her countdown without hesitation.
“Three~”
White short hair, azure eyes—even though her doll-like face was contorted with anger, her attack wasn’t swayed by recklessness.
If anything, the force behind it matched her furious state.
Had I not parried but blocked head-on, I’d probably have been blasted away.
“Though not quite on my level, you’re indeed a cute beauty,” she said, twisting her body and raising her arm to let the opponent’s kick land on her wrist with a dull thud.
“Lacking composure isn’t good. Take note next time.”
“Origami!!!”
The girl’s name was easily gleaned from the shout, and though it was trivial information, it brought a touch of novelty to a spirit who was either chased or forced to fight during her manifestations.
Despite the slight disarray caused by the impulsive team member, a woman who seemed to be the captain quickly made a decisive order, commanding half the team to join the attack.
“Then, one.”
Skipping the middle numbers, the girl announced the final count the moment the order was given.
The piercing alarm sounded again, causing even the white-haired girl wielding her blade to tremble.
With a nimble sidestep, the spirit dodged a distracted slash, closed in, and grabbed the opponent’s arm, pinning the girl known as Sergeant Tobiichi to the ground with force.
“Guh—cough—”
“Second warning. The intensity surpasses mine. I suppose an unidentified spirit manifesting directly in the city center poses a far greater threat than me, who’s near the outskirts, don’t you think?”
Whether due to the second alarm or their hesitation to act rashly with a hostage, no one continued the attack as originally ordered.
The city’s anti-spirit forces were limited, with nearly all combat personnel gathered here.
But for those who had truly faced spirits, splitting their forces was never an option.
Containing a single spirit required the full team’s effort to restrain and drive away, with the goal of expulsion alone demanding readiness for heavy casualties.
Yet now, a second spirit had appeared, and in the city center, where it could cause the most damage.
So, which side will you choose?
“I’ll behave and wait quietly until my manifestation time ends. As a gesture of sincerity, I’ll return this girl to you.”
With no intention of keeping the hostage, the girl tossed her into the air, where a teammate swiftly caught her.
“Of course, if you’re not at ease, you can leave a few people to monitor me. Whether you can keep up is another matter. What do you say?”
***
[The spirit girl proposes a negotiation, presenting a choice.]
[1. Accept the proposal: AST fully deploys to the city center to expel the unidentified spirit.]
[2. Accept the proposal: AST members head to the city center to expel the unidentified spirit, leaving three squad members to monitor the girl.]
[3. Accept the proposal: AST members head to the city center to expel the unidentified spirit, with Origami Tobiichi volunteering to stay and monitor the girl.]
[4. Reject the proposal: All members attack, attempting to drive the girl out of Tenguu City before returning to the city center to expel the unidentified spirit.]