She took a quiet breath, swallowed the food in her mouth, and said nothing, merely continuing to eat quietly, as if silently committing this moment of warmth and that seemingly simple yet immensely heavy sentence to memory.
However, in the next instant, Tohka's phrase, "I will never forget it for the rest of my life," acted like a stone dropped into a calm lake, stirring up different yet subtly related ripples in the hearts of Shido and Kotori.
(Wait a minute! Tohka's sense of smell is abnormally keen! She was previously able to distinguish the trace spiritual energy of Chinatsu remaining on Shido!)
(Koushi was searching so abnormally close to the night market yesterday. If Chinatsu or her alternate personality really appeared nearby, Tohka might have...)
The two of them looked up almost simultaneously, their eyes meeting for an instant in the air. No words were needed; the sibling tacit understanding made them immediately grasp what the other was thinking:
—This was an opportunity, a breakthrough that might indirectly confirm certain suspicions.
Taking advantage of Tohka being fully immersed in her "battle" with the food, her cheeks stuffed and her eyes squinted in happiness, Shido took a deep breath, put down his chopsticks, and asked Tohka—who was currently "wrestling" with a fried pork cutlet—in the most casual, unobtrusive tone possible:
"Um... Tohka, speaking of which, yesterday when we were being chased all over the place by those two, Koushi and Hiroto..."
He paused, observing Tohka's reaction. "Did you... smell anything unusual? For example, something a little familiar... like the scent Chinatsu had?"
"Hmm?" Tohka looked up from her food, her amethyst-like eyes filled with pure confusion. She struggled to swallow the food in her mouth, tilted her head, and asked, "Chinatsu? Who is that?"
Shido and Kotori realized then that Tohka didn't know the name "Chinatsu." Shido quickly explained, "It's that white-haired girl who suddenly appeared at school that day and told you the name 'Yatogami Tohka'."
"Oh, oh! It's that 'companion' who smelled really good!" Tohka realized, nodding vigorously, an understanding expression on her face. "I remember her!"
"Yes, that's her." Kotori took over the questioning, guiding Tohka. "Yesterday, when you were with my Idiot Older Brother, did you smell a similar scent to hers in or near a place where she might have appeared? A very faint one?"
With a clear objective, Tohka finally began to concentrate on recalling yesterday's chaotic chase scene.
She put down her chopsticks, frowned slightly, and her purple eyes flickered with the light of memory. Her small nose unconsciously twitched twice, as if she could still catch the scent from yesterday.
"...A scent..." she murmured. "It seems... there was a little... familiar feeling..."
Shido and Kotori watched her, holding their breath, awaiting her answer.
However, after a long moment, Tohka opened her eyes somewhat dejectedly, shook her head, picked up a spoon, and shoveled a large scoop of curry rice into her mouth, saying vaguely:
"Mmm... I can't remember... I was only thinking about 'running away' with Shido at the time, and it was fun... Plus, there were so many people on the street, and the smells were all mixed up..."
She chewed hard, continuing her recollection: "It seems... it seems like there was a tiny bit of a familiar feeling, but it was too faint... Faint like... like sugar in water. You can taste a little sweetness, but you can't find which piece of sugar dissolved... I couldn't tell if it was the scent of that 'companion'..."
"And we were running so fast then, and those two were making so much noise... I was only focused on having fun and running with you, Shido. I didn't pay close attention to figure out what the smell was..."
She swallowed her food and added, "I could only feel that it was a little familiar, but whose it was, and whether it was like Chinatsu... I really can't remember."
This answer left Shido and Kotori somewhat disappointed, but it was understandable.
The streets were crowded yesterday, the scents were mixed, and Tohka's attention was mainly focused on the "game" and Shido. It was not surprising that she couldn't clearly distinguish the possibly extremely faint spiritual energy signature belonging to Chinatsu.
(It seems we can't get definitive confirmation from Tohka.) Kotori conveyed this message to Shido with her eyes.
Shido sighed and nodded. It seemed that finding direct evidence from Tohka to prove that some connection still existed between Koushi and Chinatsu was temporarily impossible.
Tohka looked at their somewhat serious expressions and blinked. Although she didn't fully understand the reason, she could sense the change in atmosphere. She thought for a moment and added a remark, attempting to be helpful:
"But... if I smell it again next time, I promise I will distinguish it carefully! Shido's food is so delicious, I want to help!"
Shido still offered Tohka a reassuring smile. "It's okay if you can't remember. Hurry and eat, it won't taste as good when it gets cold."
"Mhm!" Tohka immediately cast the small interruption aside and re-engaged in her "battle" with the delicious food.
Watching her simple yet earnest demeanor, Shido and Kotori exchanged wry smiles. Although the clue was vague, Tohka's sincerity still eased the serious atmosphere somewhat.
(It seems that finding out the truth between Koushi and Chinatsu will require other avenues and methods.)
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