After parting ways with Yoimachi Tsukino—no, she should be called Izayoi Miku now—Shichen returned once more to five years ago.
He didn't go keep Origami company, nor did he look for Kotori. Instead, he went to save Honjou Nia.
This point in time was exactly when Honjou Nia was captured. If Shichen didn't save her now, she would soon suffer inhuman treatment and be subjected to all kinds of experiments.
After all, she was a spirit, and that bastard Westcott had his eyes on the power of the First Spirit. Studying Honjou Nia's body could give him a lot of useful information.
Shichen wasn't some soft-hearted man who'd "cherish fragrant flowers" out of pity, but in Nia's hands Westcott would absolutely become the worst kind of nightmare.
If Shichen hadn't intervened, Honjou Nia would have gone through unspeakable torment, endured the most despair-inducing experiments, to the point that she'd completely lost all memory of that time.
And just remembering it later would plunge her into despair and trigger her inversion.
Spirit inversion happens when a spirit falls into absolute despair. Their spirit power becomes tainted, and their angel transforms into a demon king form—the complete opposite, filled with cruelty and savagery.
While an inverted spirit's power grows dramatically and their abilities far exceed their normal state, they lose their mind and sense of self, becoming violent and destructive.
They're like monstrous beasts who only know how to destroy—and they have the power to match.
Shichen didn't particularly like their inverted forms—not just because the Astral Dresses looked worse, but because they were the embodiment of their despair.
Since he'd run into them and had the power to stop that despair, he naturally wouldn't let them invert.
Saving Honjou Nia was an easy task. Even if DEM transported her in secret, Shichen still found her effortlessly.
And the escort in charge… was Ellen.
Originally, Shichen had planned to quietly extract Nia and leave, but he remembered she was a manga artist who loved two-dimensional characters and dramatic scenes.
He also remembered that when she first met him, she'd called him "Hero."
So, in the end Shichen decided on a flashy entrance—just like a hero in a story. He took down every escort, including Ellen, knocked her out, then carried Honjou Nia away.
"Hero? Are you a hero? Did you come here specifically to rescue me?"
Being carried in a princess-style hold, Nia didn't look shy at all. Instead, she was excited, arms wrapped around his neck as she asked.
"More or less," Shichen nodded.
"What's that supposed to mean, 'more or less'?" Nia pouted a little, clearly dissatisfied.
If he'd come just to save her, that would prove she was like a real heroine.
"Fine. I came specifically to save you."
"Really?" Nia still sounded uncertain.
"…Really. I even know your name, Nia."
"Oooh~ You even know my name. Looks like you did come just to save me. Hehe~ Then you're my hero."
Overjoyed, Nia pressed her cheek against his chest and kicked her legs happily.
"Don't move so much, or you'll fall."
"Hehe~ My hero will definitely protect me."
"Stop being naughty!" Shichen couldn't help giving her a light smack on her perky butt.
"Kyaa~ Well, it's fine. You're allowed to treat me like that, since you're my hero~" Nia said without a hint of shame.
"...Where do you live? I'll take you home first."
"Home? Eh, nooo, I don't want to go back. I don't want my editor to chase me for pages. It's torture…"
"That's your problem. I still have other things to do. Once I send you home, I have to leave."
"Eh? Hero, you're leaving already? You're just going to abandon me?"
"Relax. We'll see each other again. Doesn't your Ratziel let you find me?"
"Hero really knows everything~ All right then, if you say so, we'll meet again. A heroine can't hold up the hero from doing his work."
"…"
"Oh, right—at least tell me your name, Hero."
"Shichen."
"Shichen? Nice name. I'll remember it forever!" Nia leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
"...You're awfully forward, you know?"
"Can't help it. I've already decided you're my hero."
"That's what they call 'white-haired girl handing herself over' in manga, you know."
"You don't like it?"
"As the guy involved, of course I like it," Shichen replied solemnly.
"Then it's fine~ As for what comes next, we'll leave that to when we meet again~" Nia smiled faintly, her tone teasing.
…
After sending Nia home, Shichen thought for a moment and eventually chose to return to the present.
Everything that needed to be handled was more or less done. Only the matter between Tokisaki Kurumi and the First Spirit remained.
The past was already set in stone; he planned to resolve things slowly. There were still spirits he hadn't even met yet—time still needed to move forward.
Back in the present, it was still nighttime. Shichen returned to his room, planning to sleep until dawn.
Only then did he realize there was a splash of red on his bed.
She was curled up alone on his mattress, hugging his blanket, breathing evenly, clearly fast asleep.
Unlike usual, her vivid red hair wasn't tied up in ribbons. It simply spilled loose, like a blooming flame lotus across his pillow.
Her body was small, her face still youthful; one glance from a stranger would stir a protective instinct—let alone Shichen, who knew her well.
Coming to the bedside, he looked down at Kotori, dressed in a red nightgown and utterly defenseless in sleep, his gaze softening.
These past few days, she'd been coming to find him every night, wanting to sleep with him—because he'd finally become her "Onii-chan," and all her pent-up attachment had come pouring out.
Kotori's parents, Haruko and Tatsuo, had to go overseas for work and couldn't stay with her. For these past years, she'd been living alone.
It wasn't that they didn't want to take her along; it was that she wanted to stay and wait for him to come back.
If she were just a normal girl, that'd be one thing. But she'd become a spirit, gained extraordinary power, and her fateful encounter with Shichen was too miraculous to ignore.
All that gave her the courage to stay behind by herself.
Shichen felt deeply guilty toward her.
Without making a sound, he changed clothes, pulled on his pajamas, climbed into bed, and gently drew Kotori into his arms, giving her warmth and a place to rest. He was just about to drift off with her when—
"Onii-chan…"
Kotori stirred awake, rolled over, and buried her face into his chest, taking in his scent.
Like sunlight, it was dazzling and addictive.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Shichen asked softly.
"No…" Kotori shook her head. She hadn't been sleeping deeply.
"Then let's just sleep."
"Mm… Onii-chan, did you solve everything?"
"Yeah, it's handled."
"No problems?"
"Who am I? I'm your Onii-chan. How could there be any problems?" Shichen teased.
"That's true. Onii-chan is the strongest!" Kotori tilted her head up, smiling proudly.
"All right, sleep," Shichen said, dropping a light kiss on her smooth forehead.
"I don't want to sleep yet…"
"You've got something on your mind?"
"I… I want you to take me," Kotori suddenly said, gaze steady.
"You…" Shichen frowned slightly. "Why are you suddenly saying that?"
"I'm serious."
"Why all of a sudden?"
"Because you're already my Onii-chan. I want to be with you forever."
"We can already be together forever."
"It's not the same!"
"You're afraid I'll leave without taking you with me? Relax. I won't abandon you again."
"That's not it! I'm just… scared…"
"Scared?"
"There are more and more spirits around you now. Even Kaguya and Yuzuru have already… done that with you…"
"About that…"
"And I'm sure Tohka and the others will too. I don't want to fall behind. I was the first one to meet you!"
"You… don't need to worry about that kind of thing."
"Do you not like me, Onii-chan? Is it because I'm too small?" Kotori pulled back a little and glanced down at her own very flat chest.
"You know full well I don't care about size…"
"Then what are you hesitating for? I've already said it clearly. Do you want to embarrass me?"
"Kotori…"
"Please take me, so I can have some confidence." Her voice was tinged with pleading.
"…All right." Looking into Kotori's ruby-red eyes, Shichen nodded.
"Onii-chan!"
Kotori's face broke into a radiant smile. She immediately began unbuttoning her nightgown, and her pale collarbone came into view.
"Aren't you a little too impatient?" Shichen couldn't help laughing.
"What if you went back on your word?"
"How could I? I already agreed… Besides, Kotori is so cute it's hard for me not to fall for you."
"R-really?" Kotori asked, delighted.
"I wouldn't lie to you. You're incredibly cute. You make my heart race; you make me want to hold you and pamper you forever, never letting you go."
"Onii-chan suddenly got so proactive…" Kotori pressed her lips together, her face flushed crimson.
"Well, I'm a man who keeps his word. Since I've agreed, of course I won't act all reserved now."
"Mmm…"