Chapter 262: Not Failures ; Thought

"So, Origami," I say, resulting in the taciturn girl in front of me to break out of her stupor, "I would like to ask of you the same thing that Kurumi so forcefully did.

"Unless you have a proper reason to do so, don't meddle in my business with spirits, including Kurumi, alright?"

Hearing my words, Origami remains expressionless as she peers into my eyes for a dozen or so seconds before opening her mouth and responding, "Alright."

Surprised, my eyes widen as I question my judgment for a short while. After all, I expected her to refuse my suggestion quite stubbornly.

"You're fine with it?" I dubiously ask while squinting my eyes.

"Yes," she bluntly responds.

"Why did you accept it so easily?"

"Because you said so," she responds without missing a beat.

Hah~ The fact that I'm unable to sense any falsehood in her words is astonishing. Nevertheless, she sure is a lovely girl now that I think about it.

"Origami," I say, to which she simply responds, "Yes?"

"Have your 'reliable sources' informed you of anything else that couples would normally do?"

Origami takes a moment to deliberate on her answer before nodding her head as confirmation.

"What did they say?" I curiously ask.

"That when a couple comes to the school rooftop, they must kiss or else they fail as a couple," she replies in her monotonous voice.

As expected, her reliable sources have rather skewed views regarding relationships, let alone the crappy advice they give for furthering a relationship.

Nevertheless, I am grateful this time around...

And so, I take a step forth, closing in the distance between Origami and me. As a response to this, Origami remains motionless while continuing to gaze at my face with an impassive expression.

Being this close to her, I can smell the scent of shampoo wafting from her silky hair.

"You better not regret this," I say before swiftly wrapping my arms around her body with my left palm right against her nape.

Then, I don't wait for her reaction - not that she would've had any - and press my lips against hers.

Following that, our lips remain locked for a few seconds before I find myself getting a little impatient as I proceed to use my tongue to pry into her mouth.

A short while later, I detach my lips from hers before taking a step and asking with a grin, "So, how was that?"

"Good," she responds, "Now, we won't be considered failures if we leave."

...

Seriously? What's up with this girl? According to bits of my memories and the title students use when referring to her, she is a 'genius'.

Well, whatever. As long as she doesn't cross a certain line, she is fine being the way she is right now.

Shaking my head, I face her properly and say, "Let's head back to class."

"Alright," she responds.

---

Arriving home with Tohka, I directly proceed to head over to my room and lie down on the bed.

Then, I begin to think of today's happenings and whatever information I have now regarding Kurumi.

Firstly, she is extremely polite to the point that I'm suspecting she is from a noble family of sorts. But, then again, what are spirits? Do they have a family?

Simply put, despite AI identifying them as Codes, it's apparent that they are different from us. Different from me, Yuno and Siesta, that is.

The reason I suspect that is simply because of how AI described their Code waves; stating that they're weaker than even a 3-Digit Code. AI didn't mention anything about '4-Digit Codes' or something similar, so it's safe to assume there isn't such categorization.

Apart from that, there is the matter with 'space quakes' that occur every time a spirit 'appears'.

What is a space quake exactly and why does it occur? It's a rather odd phenomenon that I haven't experienced before in any way or shape.

Leaving that aside, there is the second matter, which is the shadow that formed on the rooftop and the hands that reached out from it.

Whatever they were, they seem to be related to Kurumi's Code which I have yet to have much information on.

Well, I will find that out in due time. For now, I should focus on the third point, which is the fact that Kurumi had supposedly 'died'. Not only did it occur, but it was taped and viewed by my little sister, Kotori.

This brings forth a question from before - Is Kurumi immortal? No. I don't think that's the case. After all, if I were to consider what happened that night, the truth of the matter becomes obvious.

Along with the hands that protruded from that odd shadow, I can conclude that Kurumi is able to form copies of herself which turn out to be Binary Factors.

That's rather interesting. What power could she be using to create them? How long do they last? Are they on par with her 'original' self? And the most important question - Can they be considered to be Proxies?

{Negative.}

Hearing AI's voice in my head, my thoughts come to a halt as I focus on what she has to say.

{If an entity were a Proxy, I would have been able to detect it.}

And you say that despite not being able to detect Kotori's Code?

{The reason for that is because the entity identified as Kotori Itsuka was in a temporary Dormant state, which is something a Proxy is incapable of.}

Oh? Do you know why?

{Negative.}

As I continue to deliberate on the matter, a small figure enters the room and walks over to my bed before a soft voice reaches my ears, "Shido, are you okay?"

Turning my head to face the concerned Yoshino, I adopt a smile and respond, "Of course, I am. Why do you ask?"

"Because... Shido didn't come over."

Hearing her words, I begin to look for the meaning behind them before realization suddenly hits me - I never got to my room before. Despite her not being here for long, Yoshino knows that I head over to the living room, I presume.

Letting out a small sigh, I lift my body from the bed and beckon to Yoshino, who is surprisingly not wearing her puppet, to approach me.

After a slight moment of trepidation, Yoshino meekly does as I gestured her to and embraces me.

Holding her close to myself, I close my eyes and rub her back while whispering, "Sorry for that. I just wanted to think of something."

A shorty while later, I let go of Yoshino before leaning forth and pecking her cheek, earning me a small smile from her.

"Should we head downstairs?" I say while stroking her cheek, to which she simply nods her head a few times.

"Alright then," I say before suddenly pulling her to myself and lifting her off the ground.

Startled, a confused expression appears on Yoshino's face before fading away the next moment as a cheerful one appears in its stead.

Seeing her smile like this is rare, so I relish the sight for a few seconds before giving her a quick peck on the lips and princess-carrying her out of the room.