Date A Live: Starting as Acheron

"This is…" Shidou stared in shock at Fraxinus' monitor, "...the power of [IX]?"

"It's actually much better than we thought," Kotori noted grimly. "The last time he encountered the AST, they recorded his speed as rivaling that of light. This time, even though he seemed angry, he still took over fifteen seconds to deal with the AST. Come to think of it, how did he even move that fast? After all, moving at that kind of speed would create terrifying shockwaves just as a byproduct… well, we're talking about a Spirit here. Anything is possible."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Shidou smiled bitterly. "How should I even go about sealing him if he can go invisible and move faster than I can blink?" Not to mention, he's a guy. 

"We'll get to that later. For now, we already have two major headaches to deal with." 

"Tohka and Yoshinon, huh…" Shidou sighed. 

"Exactly. I'm especially concerned about how [IX] said Yoshinon was a Spirit 'under his watch.' After all, if he tries to stop us from sealing Yoshinon, there's nothing we can do."

"Excuse me." Shidou and Kotori looked up in tandem at the approaching Reine, who offered the pair a coffee and new lollipop respectively. "I'm not sure if I can help with [IX], but I think I can talk to Tohka for you."

"But she's-"

"You're probably the last person she wants to see right now, so just let Reine do her thing." Kotori grabbed the lollipop whilst bopping Shidou on the head. "Your job now is to negotiate with [IX] about Yoshinon. Kay?"

"W-wai-"

"Good, it's decided. You'll go tomorrow afternoon. And get some groceries on the way there; we're out of eggs."

"...yes." Shidou slumped over and mumbled his reluctant agreement, taking a sip of Reine's coffee. Ugh, way too sweet.

——————I am the dividing line that shifts perspectives——————

"No… not there…"

"..."

"Too rough… ugh, wait, no…"

"..."

"HOLD ON! DON'T DRAW IT LIKE THAT! MY MANUSCRIPT!" Nia bolted up from her desk, panickedly surveying the room. Kyo was shooting her an unamused look from his couch, seemingly in the midst of examining a white rabbit puppet. She blushed and quietly rested her head back on her desk. Wait, what's with the puppet? Have I seen it before?

"...were my drawing skills really that bad?" Kyo asked offhandedly as he returned his attention to the puppet.

"Nonono, they were fine. Please continue to help me in the future." Nia immediately sat upright to clasp her hands over her head in apology. "I just had a nightmare, completely unrelated to you. Your inking is only a little worse than mine, honestly!"

"...ok then. Thanks." 

Nia paused. What's with that short reply? Don't tell me I seriously made him mad… "Uh, so, when'd you get back?"

"Five hours ago. It's 8pm now." Kyo's voice still sounded a little distant. Nia furrowed her brows and stood up.

"Hey, don't be so mad. It really was just a dream. Here, why don't I make it up to you with a little massag- GAH! COLD!" She hastily retracted her fingers from Kyo's shoulders, which felt as cold as a fresh ice pack even through his clothing. "Did you catch some sort of disease while I was out?!"

"Hm? I'm not mad. As for being cold…" Kyo touched his shoulder. "...probably just a bit of overexertion."

"What exactly did you do…" Nia sweatdropped. 

"I went way too overkill on some small fry and used up a good 15% of my total Reiyroku. The coldness is from the corrosion of Nihility seeping through a little. It'll be fine in just half an hour, after my Reiryoku recovers to max. It's not like it's hurting me, anyway."

"Right…" Nia smiled awkwardly. "Does the corrosion from Nihility also affect your mood?"

"Uh, no. That's a little bit more of a serious condition. Maybe if I was just left with 30% of my total reserves…"

So he is still mad! Nia complained inwardly. Ugh, how do I make it up to him? As Nia silently brainstormed some ideas, Kyo suddenly let out a sigh and grabbed the hilt of [Naught], allowing [White] to envelope the both of them.

"Hey, Nia?"

"Eh? Yeah?" 

"Would you mind looking up a fact for me?"

"Spirit detection devices again?"

Kyo's face darkened. "Those muddlefudging pieces of scrap metal? No, there's nothing else to know about such garbage."

"Ah. Right." He's still hung up over how those things work, huh. Nia gave a cramped smile as she recalled what happened earlier.

——————I am the dividing line that flashbacks——————

"What." Kyo's jaw dropped in shock as Nia struggled to stay awake.

"Yep. Large-scale Spirit wave detectors can only detect when Spirit energy condenses, such as into an Angel or Astral Dress, while precise Spirit wave detectors have a really small range, no larger than a small room. So it's perfectly fine to just go find [Hermit] yourself and let me get some sleep." Nia waved goodbye before promptly collapsing on her desk.

"...what was I activating [White] for all this time?"

—————I am the dividing line that flashes forward—————

"I need you to confirm where the weapon used on Yoshino was developed, and the reasoning as to why." Kyo's voice shook Nia out of her daze. 

"Ah? That doesn't sound like something you'd usually be interested in. Don't tell me you've developed an interest in guns?"

"They shot explosives filled with napalm at her."

Nia summoned [Raziel] without another word, allowing it to flip to a blank page. After a moment, she looked up again. 

"Someone named Dr. Rudol Von Stroheim, who built it with the express purpose of melting Spirit-made ice. Oh, and because he wanted to prove that, in his own words, 'German science is the best in the world.' Seems like he was a fan of Jiojio's Strange Escapade." Kyo's expression increased in severity as she spoke, and Nia could swear she heard something snap after saying "Strange Escapade."

"...barring the second part of what you said, it seems Ryouko told the truth. I see, I see." A twisted smile appeared on his face as he looked Nia dead in the eyes, an ominous determination in his eyes. "Thank you, Nia."

"Uh, that sounds like a flag. Don't tell me you're planning to fly all the way to Germany to kill him…"

"No, not at all," Kyo gave a strangled laugh. "Don't worry; no one will die from this. Anyway, do you happen to have any sewing equipment?"

"Sewing equipment?" Nia questioned, completely baffled. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Someone lost their friend today." Kyo gestured to the rabbit hand puppet. "In light of this, I've decided that attaching a strapping mechanism on the inside is the best way to ensure this situation is promptly avoided in the future."

"Oh, so that's where I've seen it from. That's Yoshino's puppet." Nia scratched her head. "I think I might own a basic sewing kit, but for things like straps, I think there's a store three blocks down the street that's still open.

"Got it, thanks." Without further ado, Kyo got up and walked out the door. Nia stared at it closing for a moment before turning and looking out a window. The last vestiges of the orange and yellow sunset dyed her face.

"...so, in the end, was he really mad?"

"No?"

"GAH!" Nia jumped as Kyo made his presence at the door known. "Why're you back? When did you get back?"

"Please come with me. I'm afraid I'll get lost."

Nia froze. What are you, a child?