The bell signaling the end of lunch was like a pardon, temporarily rescuing Shido from the emotionally complex lunch with Koushi.
He almost impatiently found an excuse, quickly left the classroom, and hid in a secluded corner downstairs in the school building.
His heart was still pounding violently from that astonishing discovery.
He leaned against the cold wall, took a few deep breaths, tried to calm his surging emotions, and then quickly pressed the switch of the invisible communicator in his ear.
"Kotori! Can you hear me? It's me!" His voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement, even trembling slightly.
"Shido? What's wrong? You sound very anxious."
Kotori's voice came through immediately, with the usual low hum of mechanical operation from the Fraxinus bridge in the background.
"It's Koushi! I just had lunch with him..."
Shido spoke rapidly, almost without interruption, recounting everything that had just happened—Koushi's praise for his bento, his confused murmur about "what he ate at home," and his own astonishing conjecture that "feelings and body memory might not be completely erased"—he told it all.
"...So, Kotori! What do you think? Does this mean that Chinatsu... hasn't completely disappeared? She might still be somewhere in Koushi's body, just 'hidden'! Do we have a chance... to bring her back?"
Shido's tone was full of hope, like someone who had walked in darkness for too long and finally saw a glimmer of light.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the communication, seemingly digesting this sudden information and analyzing its possibilities. Then, Kotori's calm voice sounded, with a hint of cautious approval:
"...Your observation is very keen, Shido. This inference... is not without reason."
"Memory erasure, especially memory manipulation targeting a specific object, theoretically might not completely cover all subconscious associations, such as taste preferences, muscle memory, or a certain...'sense of familiarity'."
"If the existence of 'Phoenix-in Chinatsu' has some deep connection with Koushi that we do not yet have Understanding, then it is possible for some 'echoes' to remain."
Hearing Kotori's affirmation, Shido's heart almost leaped with joy, and the light in his eyes grew brighter.
However, Kotori's next words were like a well-timed splash of cold water, slowly pouring down.
"But, Shido."
Kotori's tone became particularly serious.
"You need to understand, this is just a possibility, a very slim and unknown risk-filled conjecture. We don't even know how Chinatsu managed to erase her memory, let alone how to 'reverse' this process."
"Moreover,"
She paused, her voice lowered slightly, with a hint of imperceptible helplessness and a slight grumble.
"I must remind you, your level of attention to this 'Phoenix-in Chinatsu' seems to be... excessive."
The excitement on Shido's face stiffened slightly.
Kotori's voice came through the communicator, clear and direct.
"I understand, Shido. She was the first Spirit to appear before you in such a... well, impactful way. A tragic past, a sudden confession, a resolute departure, and she even pulled off an 'existence erasure'..."
"This 'white moonlight' script, for you, a... uh, pure young man who has hardly had any deep contact with girls, is indeed nuclear-level destructive."
(Kotori's inner thoughts: Oh my goodness, how did Chinatsu choose such a good script! Now it's done, she's directly engraved 'unforgettable' in my idiot older brother's heart! Her impression points are almost maxed out!)
"But, Shido."
Kotori's tone became earnest again.
"You need to remember, she is not the only Spirit."
"Our goal is to save as many Spirits as possible who are rejected by the world and fight alone, to give them a place to belong."
"There may be many more Spirits you need to save in the future. If you pour all your attention and emotions too early and excessively into one person..."
Her words were left unfinished, but their meaning was self-evident.
Shido, do you understand what I mean?
On this end of the communicator, Shido fell silent. He leaned against the wall, slowly sliding to the ground.
The spark of hope that had just ignited was not completely extinguished, but Kotori's rational and realistic words undoubtedly cooled his overheated brain.
(Spirits... not just one...)
(I... need to save, not just Chinatsu...)
He, of course, understood Kotori's meaning.
As the one chosen by Ratatoskr, the only person who could seal Spirit powers through a "kiss," he carried the fate of more than one person on his shoulders.
If his mind were completely occupied by one person, it could lead to errors in judgment, or even... missing the opportunity to save other Spirits.
(But... Chinatsu she...)
The image of Chinatsu crying goodbye, and her final cold and crazed eyes in the thunder, reappeared in his mind.
That complex and intense emotion was not so easy to let go of or transfer.
He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palms again.
"...I understand, Kotori."
After a long while, Shido responded in a low, somewhat hoarse voice, "I won't... forget my responsibility."
"Very good."
Kotori's tone softened a little.
"Regarding Chinatsu and Koushi's situation, Ratatoskr will continue to monitor and analyze it. Your current task is to adjust your mindset, return to normal life, and be prepared."
"No one knows when the next Spirit will appear, or in what way."
"Mm... I know." Shido replied.
After ending the communication, Shido did not get up immediately. He sat alone in the quiet corner, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadow at his feet.
The spark of hope still flickered in his heart, reminding him of Chinatsu's possible existence. But Kotori's admonition also echoed in his ears like a warning bell.
He needed to find Chinatsu; this desire was incredibly real and strong.
But he also could not, because of this, ignore other existences that might need his salvation.
This newly ignited, faint hope, intertwined with the heavy sense of responsibility on his shoulders, formed a brand new, more complex pressure, falling on the still young shoulders of the boy.
He looked up, gazing towards the noisy classroom at the end of the corridor, his gaze seeming to penetrate the wall, to see his best friend who was unaware of all this and still playing the role of a "normal high school student."
(Chinatsu... wherever you are, I will definitely find you.)
(But... I must also keep going, along this path that is destined not to be smooth.)
He took a deep breath, stood up, dusted himself off, and walked towards the classroom. His steps were much steadier than before.
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