Date A Live! Practice Chapter 14:
Origami was looking out over the one of the many balconies of the Spirit Mansion at Tengu City in silence, the wind blowing gently and making her short hair flow gently in one direction for a few seconds before the wind slowed down. She was thinking about her last conversation with Tohka, to stop blaming herself for the destruction she caused. This included her recent transformation into a Spirit, where Phantom manipulated her still very strong feelings for Michael to get her to touch that crystal. She wondered if that had anything to do with the same crystal Miku mentioned she touched.
Thankfully for her despite the rampage shortly after becoming a Spirit, Michael, like for the other girls, came to her rescue to seal her power… and was it just her, or was there more in that kiss than just 'it's part of the job'? It might have been wishful thinking at the time, but as it occurred, Origami couldn't help but feel something else in that kiss.
Love… and not just from her end.
-1st FLASHBACK-
"Origami! How the hell did you end up a Spirit?… How long have you been a Spirit?l" Tohka asked, still trying to process this new information that her first rival in battle and love was a Spirit now, or had been the whole time. It was so bizarre as Tohka never sensed any Spirit Power from the Wizard during the entire time they knew each other, but was now radiating it in waves. And at a similar level to her own.
Origami gasped in surprise looked at her hands. "Spirit?" She repeated… for real? She was a Spirit now? This power and this dress was the power of a Spirit?… so then that strange crystal…
"… this changes nothing." She said in a calm voice, regaining her composure. "In fact, that just makes this easier!" She declared, making Tohka mentally take a step back and also tighten the grip on Sandalphon. "I'll use this power to kill all Spirits, only now with no Activation Limit. And then when I eradicate them all, then I'll move on to one who killed my parents until I'm the ONLY one left!"
Origami began to flare a light-based aura… then several pillars came into existence that surrounded Origami. Tohka could feel a surge of power from the new Spirit as these pillars flashed into reality… her Angel? "And when that's done… I'll use this power… to protect Michael, from ANYONE who gets in our way! I'LL DO IT FOR HIM!" Origami said with gusto and a huge amount of determination… but there was some emotion in there too, her eyes burning with it. "Metatron - Shemesh!"
-2nd FLASHBACK-
POW!
Though after Origami turned back to face the Princess she dodged, said Princess had quickly shot forward and punched her right in the face and was hurled pretty far. It hurt, but Origami did recover in midair. She also noted pain from a Spirit wasn't nearly as bad against her anymore, probably because she was one now.
Tohka landed on the ground, but even though Origami was an enemy, she still tried one last time to reason with her. Even if they did bicker allot like Kotori and Michael did, she didn't want to take any drastic actions unless their was no other choice. "Origami? Is there no way to end this peacefully? Make things right between us?" She asked.
This only made Origami further agitated. "Make right?! Everything was perfectly fine until you showed up!" She snapped, having a black and white flashback image of the day Tohka first appeared when Michael first met her, then a second one to when she saw them speaking in the nearly-destroyed school building the very next day. "Not just you; but Kotori, Kurumi, Miku and everyone else! Each and every one of you putting his life in constant danger!" She added, speaking more from her overpowering emotions rather than common sense even if there was some truth to it.
Like before, this also caused black-and-white images:
•Kotori setting off her Camel's cannon when fighting Kurumi.
•Kurumi pinning Origami down in that stairwell and teasing her sadistically.
•Miku using her voice to blast Michael almost off the stage they were on when they met again after Miku quit her career the first time around.
•Kaguya and Yuzuru duking it out for the 100th time and making a massive storm that could've torn apart the island (and countless lives) if Michael and Tohka didn't stop it.
•Yoshino's power making Michael almost freeze to death when he tried to reach her.
•Natsumi impersonating him and made the next couple of days a living hell for all of them during her guessing game.
•Mayuri's Angel going out of control the moment it was released from its invisible ball.
•Finally, Inverse Tohka sending a enormous wave of Spirit Energy at Michael that wiped out everything in its path, not to mention could have easily killed him.
"But not anymore… this is my new mission, and my resolve cannot be changed… I'll use this power to protect him from all of you! From ALL Spirits!" Origami went on. " And when every single one is finally gone, we can go back to the way things were! Just Michael, and Me! No one else! The way it should have been!"
Tohka took all of that in… so that's what Origami really thought, huh? Of her and the others, even after all they've been through together? Well, she was his Ex, so fair enough; and she obviously still had some form of attachment to Michael… but if she thinks she's gonna let her hurt her or the others without a fight… "You leave me no choice…"
STOMP!
With a single stomp, Tohka summoned her throne; which then broke into pieces and fused with her Angel, forming its ultimate form. She then leaped into the air and flew before Origami, her Halvanhelev at the ready. "To protect everyone in this city… and Michael from you… I'll have to put you down!"
Origami immediately felt insulted, her eyes widening with shock… "Protect Michael… from MEEEE?!" Now switching to becoming enraged, she summoned even more Metatron pillars, where they all fused to make a cannon-shape in front of herself. Protect Michael?… From HER?! How dare she?! Who did this bitch think she was?!
"I'VE HEARD ENOUGH OF YOUR BULLSHIIIIIIIIIIT!" Origami shouted at Tohka at the top of her lungs, both offended and agitated by her comment. During her scream, she then charged energy into her new attack; aiming it right at the Princess, who dare insulted her for the last time!
"SANDALPHON! HALVANHELEV!"
"METATRON! ARTELIF!
Both of their attacks glow, indicating they were about to launch them at each other, the power of these moves only further amplified due to the emotions running through each of them… at maximum power.
-3rd FLASHBACK-
"I was scared, okay! Not of you, but of myself!" Michael admitted to his Ex. "That's why I broke us up, Origami! THAT'S why ended it!" It was unknown if it was triggered by his response or not, but more lasers from Origami's Satan were fired at him, which he evaded.
Nevertheless, he continued. "My plan was, after I found out the truth, I'd leave Japan, and never look back! So I figured if I stuck around, it would have hurt you once I left! I thought I was doing the right thing, breaking off on friendly terms, but I just ended up making things worse!"
The laser blasts only continued to increase in frequency and speed.
PEW!
One of them grazed his arm , it felt like his body was on fire, and not the kind when his healing flames get activated. The pain was indescribable, making him grunt out loud at a decent volume. It hurt like the fires of hell even after Camel's flames began healing him… but he remained silent, as much as his lips wanted to screech out in pain… he caused this, so he had to endure it as punishment/karma.
After grunting off the pain, Michael went on. "… But then, I met Tohka… Yoshino… Miku and Kotori… the Twins and Kurumi, along with everyone else! But mostly… I met you!"
It was small… very small… but Origami's eyes responded to that by slightly widening. The only way someone could tell is if they were directly in front of her face. Her attacks did not slow down however.
"It was a mistake… maybe we could have worked it out. Maybe you were strong enough to protect me… maybe then this never would have happened. And I'll now have to go on living knowing I've done this to you…" Michael's emotions were spilling out at this point in the form of tears, unable to hold them back.
"But I couldn't deny, that even after I ended it; I never stopped loving you Oreo! YOU HEAR ME, I NEVER STOPPED!" Michael's eyes then shut, but he still had tears in them. This made the eyes of Inverse Origami widen a bit more. "Please, Oreo… I'm sorry… I never should have left you. It was wrong… I seriously fucked up. So for the love of God, if your still in there…" He apologized, then shouted at the top of his lungs with the emotions for Origami fueling it: "WAKE THE HELL UUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!"
Though still Inversed, Origami appeared to have snapped out of it once she heard her nickname that she hasn't heard come out of his mouth in a VERY long time. Her eyes widened fully, and then her vision returned to her, seeing Michael in front of her, bleeding and his/Kotori's healing flames going off like crazy to heal the damage he sustained.
"Michael!" She called out to him once she came back to her senses. She then hugged him, realizing what was going on, and just like at the amusement park… she was crying… crying in his chest again. Not balling her eyes out this time, but showing remorse all the same. Because of this, the laser attacks from her Demon King ceased and returned to her backside. Michael was also returning the hug gently with his arms wrapped around her for emotional support despite the agony he was still very much in, for what she had just done hit her like a ton of bricks.
She hurt him… nearly killed him, just like the others… she was no different…
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Origami apologized, trying to calm herself down. "Its not your fault. We agreed… agreed to end it for our safety. But I never stopped loving you either, so I… I did this… for you… to have the power to finally protect you… like everyone else…" She said between sobs. "But now, I've ended up hurting you all over again… I'm such a monster…"
Michael hugged her a bit tighter. "No, your not…" he said softly. "You were tricked too… just like Miku, and just like Tori… but if I never would have broke it off, you never would have been pushed this far…" He ended up trying to pin the blame on himself.
Origami gasped before slightly parting from the hug to look up at him. "No! That's not true!" She argued. "We both decided it would be best! I was the one who sought power because Tohka was right… I was selfish, doing it all for myself…" She then put her head back in his chest again. "And I think deep down… I was jealous…" She admitted, more tears coming out. "I just… I wanted to go back… back to the way we were…"
Michael didn't respond right away, both his and her emotions bouncing off the walls. "… Ori?" Michael said, getting her to look back up. "… then if its not my fault, its not yours either… agreed?"
Origami also took a moment to reply, but did give a small nod. "Yeah… agreed."
Michael continued to look into her eyes. Even in her Inversion and her codename Devil, and despite all the tears soiling her face, she still looked very pretty… just like an angel, and he couldn't help but flashback to not only the day they first met… but the first official kiss they shared back at the AST building. He then pushed part of her Inversion's veil out of the way, including her hair. Origami didn't know why as this took her by surprise, but her heart was beating a little faster.
But that look in Michael's eyes…
Michael: I won't make that mistake again…
Hearing that, Origami gasped shakily and felt more tears slowly flow from her widening eyes… but with a different emotion. "M-… Michael…" They're faces drew closer as she said his name. You know how either Mike or the target Spirit ends up kissing him?
Not this time. Both Michael and Origami made lip contact at the exact same time before Fraxinus could give the all clear, assuming it could after the damage it received. Somehow… they both already knew…
FLASH!
In a bright flash of light, Origami's Inversion shattered away and her normal Spirit form was restored the very second they began the kiss. They continued to kiss however, and as a result of that, her energy, just like all the other girls, was absorbed into Michael's body. As her power slowly faded, Pathing itself into Michael, Origami's eyes were shut and tears were streaming down her cheeks… but all for a much different reason. She was even moaning a few times into the kiss before they both parted.
When they did finally part, she didn't care she was nude in front of him now… her eyes were bright full of happiness that she never thought she'd feel again, smiling with an open mouth while both were catching their breath after the lip-lock was over.
Michael was once again her's… and neither was gonna give the other one up again…
-END FLASHBACK-
To hear Michael never stopped loving her gave her so much joy. It was no wonder the other girls liked him… yeah, he's rough around edges, and yes he does and says stupid things sometimes… but he was honest, which is one of the reasons she fell for him before all of this. He told you how it was, how he felt it was, and right to your face. Made him come across as an asshole, but on the chance he does get something wrong, he works overtime to fix it.
The same thing happened with Yoshino, where yeah she lost her puppet and all, but it was Michael's fault that happened as he didn't understand how important it was to the bluenette. Even recently with herself was another example, although they both agreed it was neither of their faults it happened. One would require hindsight in order to predict the way things ended up playing out.
He may have ended their previous relationship… but it also made this newer one stronger. Her feelings towards him now could not compare to the older ones.
Also… Origami couldn't help but notice that her Ex-now-once-again boyfriend had been acting stranger lately, a little more than usual. Ratatoksr wouldn't stop bugging him one day, and it was during school hours. Then Tohka had that uncharacteristic "stomachache" according to Michael, which was strangely after Origami had the 'love making' talk with her… but that wasn't all. Kurumi had also been a little more… forward than she usually is; and even Miku, who had no issues with a harem idea due to being "not narrow-minded", seemed to want Michael alone with her more.
Now Origami could understand that, being in love with Michael herself. Love is a very powerful emotion and it makes people do crazy things. Even Spirits. It just… something else felt off. She couldn't explain it, but it was an instinct that had been poking at her brain for a while. And the last couple of Dates he went on, Michael would not return home with the chosen girl until late at night.
This was more apparent when he took Kurumi out. Origami just happened to be returning to her room when she heard footsteps coming down the hall, so she hid behind a corner in case it was an intruder and then she'd sneak attack them.
It was shown to be Michael heading to the guest bathroom with clothes in his arms, which that was the agreement at the time as he was sharing a bed with Kurumi due to the Nightmare's nightmares'… THEN it happened again much later with Miku, him sneaking out of her room early in the morning. And he took her out on a Date when she requested one that same day.
He also seemed very stressed as well, with it increasing every passing day. What exactly was going on? Origami wasn't stupid, but something was bothering him. As for what that was, she needed more information, but how would she get it?…
DING!
A lightbulb popped and lit over her head. Wait… this is just like a reconnaissance mission! She's been on a few of those during her AST days. How do you gather information? By talking to people! And what's the best way to do that without arising suspicion?…
A Date! Yeah! That's what she'll do! She'll ask him out, he'll most likely say yes as their shouldn't be a reason to say no, that'll get him to open up and relax a little, and she'll talk to him and gather intel! It's perfect!
She then headed back inside the house, wanting to go through with her plan before any of the others beat her too it… and if he says no, there's always the drugged cloth option…
CRASH!
The Angel/Devils body flinched at the sudden crashing sound from inside… oh no, what just happened? Not wasting any time, Origami hurried back in.
XXX
Earlier…
Michael was just coming into the living area himself from the front door after going shopping with Tohka, who wanted/begged/gave puppy-dog eyes to go with him. They were both carrying bags of food, though as you'd expect, Tohka was chomping away at a snack bag. Yoshino and Natsumi were sitting together at the TV, watching a show, and thankfully not another SOAP as Mike blocked those channels a while ago (though he never gave a reason). Finally, Kaguya and Yuzuru were playing chess… the one game they hadn't played as a contest during the 99 Duels they had.
Yuzuru took her turn, which was using her Black Knight to trample over Kaguya's White Bishop. "Hey, wait a second!" Kaguya said once Yuzuru went to take her prize. "Knight's can only go in the shape of an 'L'!"
As usual, Yuzuru kept a straight face. "Reply. That was an 'L' shape." She said.
"As if!" Kaguya claimed, then put her Twins piece back to try and explain what she did wrong. "Your supposed to move 2 spaces, then make a turn at least once to the left or right." She began, showing what she meant on the board. "You moved to A5, when you were at C6! You cheated!"
Yuzuru frowned, failing to understand. "Negative. From C6 to A5 is a straight line, then a turn."
The camera then changed to show Mike, who heard the commotion while emptying a bag and looked in the Twins direction. "No! It's NOT! Knight's go in a straight line, not across the board!" Came Kaguya's voice, which got him to sigh.
"Tohka, empty the bags…" He said flatly before walking towards Berserk 1 and Berserk 2, to which Tohka watched him go. Kaguya was continuing to say something else by the time he approached them, indirectly cutting her off. "Alright, alright, what's the deal now?" He asked.
"Yuzuru cheated!" Kaguya said, pointing to her other half. "I looked over her going diagonally with a Rook, but this is going too far!"
Yuzuru kept her composure, but did look annoyed being labeled as a cheat. "Counter. You ran into my Black Pawn with your White Pawn."
"Well, duh! Everyone knows Pawns only go in one direction!" Kaguya argued. Michael rubbed his right temple with two fingers as they continued to argue.
"Rebuttal. Queens can't run through multiple pieces in one."
"Oh really? Then how'd your King destroy my Knight?"
"Remark. You were baited by my Bishop."
"That's not the point! Why d…!"
"OKAY! Okay…" Michael grabbed both their shoulders (one of each) while leaning down to get their attention. He then stood back up a second later. "As the official arbitrator of your matches, I know the perfect way to settle this." He said. He then looked over the board for 6 seconds before reaching both of their Queens, one in each hand… and dragging them to each of the others Kings on the opposite side of the board before knocking both Kings over. Both girls just stared at the board in confusion.
DIONK!
"AHHH!"
Michael then tapped both girls on their noses with their respective Queens before either could react, both grabbing their noses from the quick attack which they both did in unison funnily enough. "Now THAT'S 100 ties…" He said before dropping the Queens on the board and walking off back to the kitchen.
Now that's not the first time Mike had gone that far with the Twins, dropping them into the spa bath after picking them both up by their hair when they first met being one example, but this seemed a little too much. At least back then he had an excuse as they pulled a fast one on him, but this time they were only playing a game. They do this crap all the time and it never seem to bother him THAT much before.
"Hey, Michael? Is everything okay?" Tohka asked, her voice full of concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" Michael quickly responded.
"Oh… well, its just…" Tohka began. "You seemed a little stressed after sealing Natsumi." She said. This was an accurate observation, as Mikey has been acting funny lately, then more so after sealing Origami where it got a tad bit worse. Not only that, he was more prone to anger outbursts than usual ever since. He had a long trigger when it came to having an emotional outburst, but lately it seemed to have been shortened or just nonexistent.
Michael thought about this… she was right, though not 100%. Just 10% off. It actually began when they all had that run-in with Phantom a while back, and then sealing Kurumi shortly after the glitchy Spirit decided to leave. Where, they don't know. Unlike other Spirits, she seems to just come and go (which ironically Kurumi did herself constantly for some reason), and was undetectable unless she wanted to be.
Not only that, his body felt warm when sealing Kurumi, which he just chalked up to hormones at the time. But then; he had begun been feeling hot after sealing Natsumi… really hot. Though it would go away after a while, but then return at seemingly random times. And this all happened before learning Ratatoskr's theory about the girls being close to human.
And that name he kept hearing echo in his head… Mio… whoever that was.
It was probably all just stress… these girls and the situations they lead him into took allot out of him. He never got this shit in America. "I'm fine, Princess. Really." Michael assured her nothing was wrong, he then looked away to set up prep for the next meal. "Its been… one of those weeks, ya know?"
"Oh… I see…" Tohka said. "I thought it was…" she trailed off, stopping herself.
"It was what?" Mike looked at her… only to she her face was flushing. Why? He couldn't think of a reason off the top of his head.
"… You know… us…" Tohka whispered, vaguely.
Michael blinked. Now he was really confused. What was wrong with Tohka all of a sudden? "What about us?" He asked, trying to understand what the glutton Spirit was trying to say. All Tohka did was flush redder, and glance away with a small moaning sound.
It only took him 4 more seconds… by 'us' she meant the time he… sealed her in a different way.
"… no. Nooooo!" Michael immediately went to her side, keeping his voice low himself, not that any of the other Spirits were paying attention. To think Tohka of all Spirits would bring this up. "Tohka, that's not it at all!" He said. "… I mean, kinda. If anything, I had no idea what I was doing, it happened pretty fast… n-not that it was bad or anything, it…"
The last part made Tohka's eyes and mouth widen a little bit… bad?!
Michael mentally kicked his balls… Fuck. He screwed his words up. 'The fuck am I saying? I'm acting like a Wattapad OC!' He yelled at himself, then sighed before trying again. "Look, Tohka…" He gently held her arm with a hand, she could feel the warmth of it upon contact. "It was… incredible…" he said, avoiding using amazing as he'd heard of that word overused in lemon FanFictions'.
What…? He's a guy.
Hearing that made Tohka relax a little as Mike continued. "I can't stop thinking about it… I keep seeing it in my head." He said, Tohka's eyes keeping locked on his as he admitted it. "It was a first for me, okay? I've never… done that… not even with Origami…" Hearing that, Tohka remembered Origami said something similar… she didn't know why, but something about being his 'first' made her heart skip a beat. But it felt good. "Our night was something special… something we shared together… its just kinda scary I guess, but its something I'll never forget."
Now if she was the old Tohka who still believed every human was out to get her, she'd probably question what was so scary about it, but she got the idea. It was a 'first' for her too, and she too was scared at the sudden emotions and instincts she was feeling when it almost happened in the living room when Michael got home that day… he was scared too… this smack-talking, brave boy who would put his life on the line was also scared at first. It gave her comfort knowing she was not the only one.
And hearing those words and how he described them, she wanted to kiss him right now. They were close enough, so she could steal one if she desired, but that would probably cause more problems with the other girls in the facility. That's the last thing she needed right now.
She placed a hand on the hand he was holding her arm with. "… me either." She said, softly. It was a night she couldn't forget even if she tried, and it gave her joy knowing Michael felt the same way. They just continued to stare at each other for a bit longer. "Okay! Let's get dinner ready! I'm starving!" She added, pulling away from Michael and resolved to help him get dinner ready. She went back to emptying the bags like before.
Michael just watched her, smiling… then slowly frowned. Saying all that to Tohka, while it was all true, made him now feel guilty; as he's been sharing other specials with some of the other girls, and he has not told any of them. Tohka was extremely protective so she might not take it so well, Miku could obviously care less, and while Kurumi teased allot… she didn't seem turned off by the idea, which was made more apparent by her comments during their night.
His and Tohka's alone time wasn't playing in his head over and over again not only because it was good… it was out of guilt.
He walked behind Tohka, and gently put an arm on her right shoulder. This didn't startle her but it made her turn her neck to look at him. "Tohka?" He asked, and she was going to ask what was up… but his eyes showed he was thinking of something important so she just let him talk by giving him an affirmative 'hmm?' sound. "Don't freak out, but…" he paused to gather his thoughts. "There's something I have to tell y…"
"EEEEEEEEEEK!" Miku's scream rang throughout the room. When Michael and Tohka looked in the direction of her squeal, they saw Mayuri standing with a frown and a highly embarrassed look on her face. Miku also slid in anime-style and gestured towards the recently revived Spirit. "I'm a genius! This is perfect! Doesn't she look adorable?!" Miku said with happiness, so it wasn't a scared screech.
Again, Mayuri was far from happy. As for what was so perfect about her, she was wearing different clothes from her human form. Instead of the sailor moon aesthetic she had previously, these clothes were instead a maid and/or french-type outfit, just in green and white as a opposed to the standard black and white. She still had the ribbon in her hair, which honestly went well with the outfit, and the outfit itself had a red tie.
Its not that she looked bad by any stretch of the imagination, in fact quite the opposite. She looked really cute, her embarrassed face indirectly adding to it, but it was just blatantly obvious she didn't want any part of it and was most likely forced into it by the Diva herself.
"Was this really necessary?" The poor Judgement Spirit asked while looking at Miku using only her eyes, the embarrassment she was feeling being too much to move her head or neck.
Miku then slid over to Michael in the same fashion as before, ignoring the fact he was with Tohka. "What do you think, Darling?" She asked, putting an arm around his neck to pull him closer, and using her free hand to gesture towards Mayuri. "Doesn't she look amazing?"
Michael did look at the Spirit in question, which only made her cheeks flush and look down in embarrassment while at the same time rubbing her hands together as they were folded in front of her, also making her shoulders move and down… why did these girls have to act cute?
When Mike didn't answer, Mayuri began to think he must have disliked it. "Well; yeah… very…" He ended up saying, which did calm Mayuri down, but she still looked mortally embarrassed.
"Good," Miku said… "Because I got us matching outfits!" Out of nowhere, she pulled out 2 more of the same uniforms on hangers with a cutesy background behind her, one outfit in each hand, and presented them to the entire room while holding them up. Both of them also having price tags on them, meaning they were bought very recently.
"No! Nooo!" Michael said, getting the gist of what Miku was doing. "One hour with her! One!" He said, bringing up the agreement they came to back when The Great Big Ball in the Sky happened… course Miku dragged it out, keeping him in public to prevent Michelle from leaving, but skill…
"Awwwwwwww!" Miku whined. "Why are you so mean, Darling?! Keeping a girl that cute locked up behind bars!" She then gave a very similar look to when she eventually guilt-tripped him during the previously mentioned event. "I just really want to try something with you…"
"Nope. Not gonna work." Michael said, resolving himself not to fall for it this time, also getting out of her grasp by gently lifting her arm off of himself and backing away, then going back to focusing on making dinner.
Miku was gonna complain as shown by her mouthing opening, but then stopped and smiled almost evilly. There was one more card she could play. "Please, Darling…" she said in a sweet honey-filled tone.
SMOOSH!
Michael then felt a material softer than the pillows by My Pillow right on his back. Tohka just finished emptying one bag when this happened and immediately reacted when this happened by staring in shock at Miku boldness.
"For me… my number one?" She said softly into his ear while snaking both her arms up his chest from to pull herself closer. "I promise… I'll make it worth it…" she said in an even softer tone, then used one of her hands to trace a finger down his chest. She stopped below his belly button, but if she went any lower…
"MIKU! GET OFF HIM!" Tohka ordered, as all this was done right in front of her so she snapped out of it. After tossing the empty bag she was holding, it floating off somewhere, she yanked him out of the Idols grasp, or at least attempted too. She did get Miku's giant mountains [literally] off his back, but the Diva still had a grasp on his arm.
"Hey! I was here first! Wait your turn!" Miku said, giving an out-of-character response while pulling him back towards herself. Normally she'd be all for sharing Michael or the others, so what's with the sudden claim on him? That confused Tohka for a second, but she refocused on trying to get Michael away from the aggressive celebrity a second later.
They both yanked him back and forth during the following discussion:
Tohka: It IS my turn, Michael and me are making dinner together!
Miku: You making dinner?
Tohka: YES, ME!
Miku: Oh, please! That's ridiculous!
Tohka: As ridiculous as "Singing in the Shower"?
Miku: You take that back!
As they continued to tug him around, Mike could swear that he felt his brain knock around in his cranium like an egg rolling around in a bowl. This also eventually caught the attention of everyone else in the room.
"Ara… looks like Macho Mikey's in a bit of a bind." Said Kurumi, who was sitting at the kitchen table nearby. She was also pouring herself a cup of hot tea.
"Think we should help him?" The camera panned to the right of Kurumi to show a 2nd Kurumi was sitting next to her, also with a cup of tea herself.
"Maybe we should…" said a 3rd Kurumi, also at the table with a teacup.
"Can I first get one more cup of tea, Me?" Asked another Kurumi at the edge of the table while holding out her empty cup, but by this point it was revealed every available seat was filled by a Kurumi.
"Coming right up Me!" Kurumi said to the other Kurumi, getting up out of her seat to walk over to delivery the drink. Miku and Tohka just kept tugging Michael back and forth, to the point he was getting dizzy.
"Um, guys? I think you should let him go." Mayuri said, no longer caring about her initial embarrassment anymore. She walked over to try and break it up, an action that was repeated by the Yamais'.
"Exactly! Michael is still mine and Yuzuru's property!" Said Kaguya.
"Confirmation. Damaging Michael is subject to a very expensive fine." Yuzuru said, both her and her sister working with Mayuri to try and pry Tohka and Miku off the MC of the house. This eventually got everyone in the house aside from Kurumi to turn the situation into a massive ball of bodies.
"Hey, big bro? Renie told me she and Fraxinus called you in from school once, and…" Kotori began walking into the room, only to have an anime-style shocked look on her face… ya know, the white eyes with no pupils and mouth hanging open a bit? Thats the most accurate description of the Commanders face, but it only lasted a few seconds before she shook it off. "What the hell is going on?! Why are you all…?" She asked while stomping over.
SLIP!
Kotori stepped on the bag Tohka discarded earlier, heading straight for the crowd of bodies! "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
BUMP!
It was too much weight, so the ball of teenagers began to fall backwards. The Kurumis' saw this, and immediately disappeared into pools of shadows on the floor.
CRASH!
Causing the crash to happen that Origami heard from the balcony. By the time she got in, everyone was in the living area, which wasn't too big of a surprise as that's were most of them spend their time together, though with one big problem: she saw Michael now standing up, pinching his nose, in an aggravated mood but remained as calm as he probably could.
Before she could ask why… the scene pretty much explained it:
The kitchen table was completely and utterly destroyed. In pieces was one accurate description. They'll have to buy a new one, which wasn't an issue thanks to Ratatoskr, but it was still a piece of Michael's/Kotori's property as it was their house to begin with.
The other girls looked concerned, some looked away guilty, others just stared at Mike seeing his reaction. "… What happened?" Origami asked, which probably was not a good idea because of Michael's mood, but she needed context.
Michael didn't answer, so Tohka was the one to try and explain it. "… Uh… me and Michael went shopping, we came home, Kaguya and Yuzuru were playing checkers…" she said, getting the game wrong but that wasn't the main issue.
"Then… Michael got mad at them, and Miku had Mayuri try on those new clothes…" Yoshino added.
"And everyone gave into temptation and formed a massive ball like snakes around him!" Yoshinon added. It was a joke; but Miku, Tohka, Kaguya, and Yuzuru hearing 'giving into temptation' blushed slightly, as that was kinda of true… just not today. Kurumi reacted to it as well, but with a smile instead.
"Th-Th-Th-That's not true!" Kaguya immediately countered.
"D… Deny… it was an accident…" Yuzuru added. "Point. M-Miku and Tohka were on him first."
"Well it wasn't my fault!" Miku claimed, then pointed to Tohka while extending her hand out to its maximum length. "Tohka interrupted us!"
"Interrupted you?" Tohka asked, her protective nature flaring up again. "You interrupted us!" She accused the Diva by pointing back, flapping her arm up and down while doing so.
The argument just continued, the girls trying to explain what happened, while some girls deflected part of their own faults on the situation. They were all talking at the same time, that it was impossible to hear what a single one was saying as they were trying to talk over each other.
This only further agitated Michael… him pinching his nose even harder while his face was cringing…
Then his eyes snapped open… and they were gold.
"WHY! DO I LIVE WITH YOU PEOPLE?!" He snapped, yelling. This of course stopped the girls from arguing. "Hearing Things 2 and 1 bitch over the stupidest shit! Misses Troll-saki holding a tea party with Herselves! And dressing up as a girl because one is too scared to be seen with an evil straight white man!"
The girls froze… Michael had never directly insulted some of them before. Jabbed at maybe, but never so vulgarly like that. "That's only a few things! Hearing Ginshin Impact's Lisa keep saying 'oh I'm so ugly, no ones gonna want me'; too a little girl who watched way too many Muppets episodes! What is wrong with all of you?!" He continued, having lost his cool and was now going on a rant.
"Can't you all just be NORMAL for one day?! Why is it I ALWAYS have too… URK!" Michael stopped his ranting to grab his face with a hand tightly.
His head… it hurt… it felt like someone was banging a hammer against his cranium trying to get out!
'… Mio…'
"NRGH!" Michael then used his free arm to hug himself around his stomach while still clutching his face. His body… it felt hot again… like he was on fire! He was even visibly shaking.
"Michael!" Tohka was immediately concerned, running up to him to try and comfort him. "Michael, what's wrong?"
"Michael… are you okay?" Asked Yoshino, shaking off the initial shame she felt when he targeted her.
"Darling? What's the matter?" Miku asked, she too getting very concerned for her number one fan.
"Michael! Speak up!" Natsumi said, she too very worried about Michael's state.
"Fear. And concern. Michael, say something!" Yuzuru, usually the calm one, had her emotions on her face on full display. Kurumi and Kotori were one of the few who, while they usually had something to say, just stared in shock. Everyone else was also in shock themselves.
Michael just stood there, seemingly in pain, but it finally managed to subside a bit. When this occurred, his eyes lost their gold coloring and went back to their natural Hazel color. He began breathing in and out very heavily, and lowered the hand he was clutching his face with.
He looked around him… the girls looked at him in very concerned ways.
"Michael?" Tohka asked him, but all he did was go around her, feeling bad about blowing her off but he needed to get out of here… he didn't feel right. "Michael!" Tohka called out, but it was pointless. Everyone watched as he just left the room.
They all asked themselves the same question: what was that all about?
XXX
Michael opened his bedroom door, but as he stepped into the room, he felt his ears ringing with a high-pitched sound. He used one hand to over one ear while tightening his eyes shut, and the ringing caused him to lose his balance as he walked toward his bed, nearly falling to the floor but managed to sit on his bed before he took a trip.
'… Miiiioooooooooo…'
Now sitting down, he was able to cover both of his ears, but that did nothing to drown out the noise. His ears kept ringing, getting progressively louder for a few more seconds before it just decided to slow down and then stop altogether. With it now over, Michael slowly opened his eyes, and removed his hands from his ears.
He took a closer look at his right hand… it was shaking… his fingers vibrating like his blood sugar was real low.
"… what's happening to me…?" He asked himself while looking at his shaking hand, but he had no answer. Then again, he barely got ANY answers anymore! It was getting ridiculous!
First it was him having this sealing power, second was that weird thumb drive, then was learning all the girls (except Mayuri considering her own origins) were human at one point, doing the naughty with a number of them already, Kurumi's night terrors, the twins holding more contests, Natsumi's pranks-gone-wrong… it's just been very stressful for him, more questions than answers. And when he DID get an answer, it just brought up even more questions!
*creak*
Michael's head snapped at the sound his door made as it opened. "Michael…" It was Origami poking her head in. "Is everything okay?"
Michael calmed down a little, or tried too. He was still a little on edge. "… yeah… sorry you had to see that." He apologized, which he probably should apologize to the others later on. "Its been… one of those weeks." He said as he looked down at his feet.
"I see…" Origami said, taking a seat next to him on his bed. "So what's really bothering you?"
Michael looked back at her, about to deny it, but she gave a stare that said 'I know you. Don't you dare'. He sighed and looked away. "Michael…" she gently put a hand in his knee and leaned closer, not in a sexual way, but just wanting to understand what was going on. "You can tell me anything… you know that, right?"
She couldn't see his face, but he looked so conflicted. He wanted to tell her, it's not that he didn't, but even he didn't know what was going on. Things going on in his body that he didn't understand… it honestly scared him.
"… I know…" Michael said before turning back to her again. "Its just… been a wild ride, ya know? Meeting Tohka, learning about Spirits, the fact my childhood celebrity and darling little sister were one of them, my daddy's responsible for all of it, bringing Mayuri back… saving you…" Michael continued, saying a few things he has experienced not necessarily in order of which they happened, but Origami got the point.
"You've been working too hard." Said Origami, which was partially true, but she was also using this to try and get him to open up so she kind of felt a tad bit guilty. Still, once they had a scheduled date, he could relax a little bit, so the pros outweighed the cons. "Maybe you should, take a day off."
Michael looked at her as if she grew a second head. "Me? A day off?" He asked. "That's ASKING for something to happen!" He said while getting up off the bed and Origami watched him, then he began pacing around. "I cook, I clean, I shop, I trykeeping you all in check…" he said while counting on his fingers. "I'm literally a Teen Mom here, tending to the cubs while also having a part time job, AND pursuing an education! If I don't do it, who will?!" He added. "Besides, if I'm not here, something's gonna blow up!"
Origami sat up straight. "Michael. Nothing's gonna blo-…" she WAS gonna argue Michael was exaggerating, but then stopped herself. Not only because of the 'really?' look on his face that included a head cock and an eyebrow raise, but also considering what kind of beings live with him in a large house… "… okay… maybe a little…"
"A little?" Michael said, calmly.
"But you can't keep going on like this either!" Origami got up from the bed as she declared that. "So tomorrow, we're going on a date."
Michael didn't expect her to say that. "As much fun as that sounds, that's not happening." He said. It's not that he didn't want to go out with her, its just he was acting weird and he had no explanation. What if he snaps out in public just like he did just a few minutes ago? That'll be embarrassing and make people stare at him depending on what he says.
Origami got closer to him, leaning up to his face due to her shorter stature. "Michael… Pelham…" She said, slowly. "Your stressing about all of us… you need to consider your mental health. So we are dating tomorrow morning at 10:00 sharp."
Michael did want too, but he still hesitated. "… I can't do this right now…" He began to walk away and towards his bathroom. He grabbed clothes from a drawer aa he made his way there. "I'll think it over during a shower." He said before closing the door.
Origami just stared at the door after being denied twice. The camera changed its position to show her right foot… that's when her skirt dropped…
Michael had gotten completely undressed and turned on the shower, stepping into it and closing the curtain. He didn't do much in the way of washing, just let the hot water soothe him, running down his body as he sighed. What he didn't notice was a shadow in his curtain that had just opened the bathroom door while he washed his hair with shampoo and rinsed, and that same shadow slowly walked up to the curtain by the time he rinsed off and reached down for the bar of soap…
SWISH!
"What the fu-?" That was Michael's first response… until he took in the view.
Origami, hand clutching the curtain since she was the one to open it, standing in front if him in all her naked glory not with an expressionless face, but with a stern one. They just stood like that for a while, one of them frozen with shock while the other just waited for his reaction.
…
…
…
"… WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Michael voice cracked, sounding like his alter ego Michelle for that time period. He also nabbed the curtain back from Origami, using it to cover himself and block the view of her body below her neck. "Put your clothes back on!" He said, now back to his normal tone of voice. He also hid his head behind the curtain so he didn't see anything he wasn't supposed to.
This is not to say the view was bad or anything. It was quite generous.
"Michael… we are going on a date." Origami said in an even more stern tone, almost threatening really. She was just standing there… menacingly.
Michael gave exhausted sigh but looked back out. "Can I at least bathe in peace?" He asked.
"If you don't give me the correct answer…" Origami warned him. "… I'll do something even bolder."
The color drained from Michael's face, dreading to know how much bolder Origami would push this. "… Just, let me clean myself first, THEN we'll talk." Michael begrudgingly agreed before shutting the curtain and sighing, despite and Origami's shadow outline was still there. She did not move from her spot, but she didn't try opening the curtain again either. Michael then reached down for the…
Wait… where'd the soap go? He lookd around the immediate area, but could not find it. He must've dropped it, but why wasn't it here? Where else could it possibly…?
…
…
…
… oh no…
SWISH!
He opened the curtain, keeping his man parts covered behind iy, and did see the soap…. in Origami's hand that was at her side. She most likely had picked it up while he was searching in the tub.
"Ori… give me the fat bar…" He asked slowly and sternly, also holding out his free hand and wiggled his fingers backward twice in a slow 'hand it over' gesture.
Origami, still naked mind you, looked at Michael directly, then used her eyes to glance down at the soap she had picked up before looking back at him a few seconds later. He could not read her expression as it was neutral, but he knew her well enough to see the wheels in her head were turning or at the very least, already had an idea.
She moved her hand very slowly to the left, but not up. Her eyes did not lose contact with him.
"What are you doing?" Michael asked, but then saw what she was doing… or rather where she was going. Michael's face slowly twisted with hormonal horror…
…
…
…
"… OKAY! OKAY! YOU WIN! YOU WIN! WATASHITACHI NO DETO HAJINMEMASHOU!" Michael panicked, his voice cracking at the final declaration of her victory, quickly giving up upon seeing what she was gonna do. Her codename Devil was quite fitting should such an action had gone through.
*Thunk*
Origami tossed the soap bar back into the shower, having gotten the correct answer. "I'll see you tomorrow." Origami turned around after saying that, leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
Michael stared at the door after she closed it, then looked down at the soap bar she tossed into the shower. Just the mere thought of where she was going to put it…
"… Where's the body wash?" He asked out loud as he stepped out of the shower and wrapped the hanging towel next to him around his body, walking off camera too retrieve said item.
XXX
Michael exited the house's front door at 9:00… why? Because Origami had been standing out there for the last 30 minutes, Michael having to have seen her out the window while he was getting dressed for their date on the higher floor. And after he got himself something to eat real quick, which only took him 10 minutes, he went to check on her to find she had pigeons on her, and even a squirrel eating a nut below her.
If that last one wasn't some kind of metaphor…
Origami was wearing a black shirt that revealed her shoulders, a long heart-shaped necklace around her neck that went down a little past her chest, and grey shorts. It was actually the same clothing she wore when Mayuri came into the picture. Ironically, Michael also wore the clothing from the same time frame. Black jacket with a plain white T-shirt, and dark blue jeans.
Mentally sighing, Michael decided to just let it go. He might as well start the date now. He opened the front door, turned around to lock it with his key, and turn back around to walk towards the Ex-Spirit Slayer. "You and your friends ready to go, Snow White?" He asked.
"Yes. I'm ready." Origami said, ignoring his jab. Of course Michael's sudden presence and Origami speaking scared off the little animals. They began to walk side-by-side, as Michael didn't make the plans this time.
Wait… something's missing…
"Hey, Oreo?" Michael asked her, getting her to glance at him. "I didn't see the others this morning. You know where they are?" He asked, as that was the strangest thing. Not one other person living in that house was in the kitchen or living room, either doing something random or just waiting for Michael to cook breakfast.
Kotori would sometimes be the first one up, Tohka was usually the first one in or near the kitchen ("big surprise"), Kaguya and Yuzuru would be competing over who'd get ready for the day faster, Kurumi would purposefully pop out of nowhere with her shadow powers more often than not, and sleeping in was kind of only Miku's thing… unless you count the one time Natsumi crawled into bed with him a day after sealing her.
"No idea." Origami said with a straight face as her's and Michael's backsides were shown walking away. "Maybe they're all sleeping in?"
"That's Miku's thing… tried pulling a Sleeping Beauty act on everyone, and I can't imagine Kurumi passing a chance to peek in while I'm taking a morning shower." He said those things mainly as jokes… however true they were. According to Tohka, Miku first pulled that trick on them in the woods when Origami first changed into a Spirit; and Kurumi has phased over his shower head once or twice, almost getting a glance at another head that was sometimes wooded in the mornings.
The camera pans back to the house, then through the front door, and then makes its way to the basement door down the hallway which had a Territory over it. We phase through it, and only then we hear the banging of Tohka's and Kotori's fists against the door.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Tohka: Origami Tobiichi! You open this door right now!
Kotori: If we get out of here first, so help me!
BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!
The Commander, Princess and all the other Spirits were locked in the basement, Origami probably having tricked them into coming down here before blocking access to the outside world. It wasn't a horrible basement mind you, it was actually quite nice. It was like a secondary living space; complete with a TV and couch, some tables and chairs, books, and fridges of extra food and drinks.
The other Spirits were sat around the room, but seeing as their powers were sealed, there wasn't much they could do to escape unless they beat their way out, but they didn't want to destroy their shared home… Origami thought ahead on this one.
"She is not my master anymore…" Kaguya said while pouting on the couch, sitting next to Yuzuru, who was sitting next to Kurumi.
Hearing her twins complaint, Yuzuru turned her head to Kurumi next to her. "Question. Why not use your powers to escape and let us out?" Yuzuru asked Kurumi. The Nightmare's only response was glowing red, summoning a Clone. All she did was point to a wall, where the Clone tried to phase through…
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
The Clone fell back, it's hair all frizzy after being zapped. There was some kind of electric trap inside the wall. Everyone who watched that just stared… Origami wasn't playing around. It looks like whatever reason she had for tricking them into this basement, they won't get out until she returns.
XXX
The date itself went very well. The first thing they did was see a movie on Origami's request. During said movie, she held his hand during the halfway point, which was fine with Michael… did take his attention off the movie, but there's always the Seven Seas to rewatch any parts he missed.
Currently at this moment, they were sitting in a restaurant grabbing a bite to eat, ironically the same one he and Kurumi went to when she showed up and Tohka was running interference keeping Origami busy.
Throughout all of this thus far, he enjoyed his time with her… it was just like old times. Times before he knew the truth behind Space Quakes… a more simple time that felt like many years ago.
As Origami finished the last bit of her meal and properly wiped her face with a napkin, she then noticed Michael barely touched his food. Right now, he was just staring at it, playing with it with his chopsticks. "Michael?" She asked.
No answer… its like he was lost in his own world, which honestly wasn't too far from the truth. She called his name twice more, but her voice slowly drowned out as we switch to Michael's perspective. He was in deep thought, mainly about whats been going on for the past several months.
The near life-or-death experiences he's been through, the 'bonding' he's done with the few of the girls… and that name he's been hearing over and over again like a broken record.
"Michael!" Origami's voice said, which snapped Michael out of it and looked up at her. She had a nervous look on her face as well, which was due to his lack of actions. Her loud voice also got some other peoples attention as well, which Michael noted.
"… s… sorry." He apologized. "Just spaced out for a second."
It was then he felt warmth in his free hand that was on the table. He saw Origami's hand had laid rested on his own, and when he looked back up at her, she was sternly staring right into his eyes. Without saying a single word, she was saying: "you can tell me", "you can confide in me", "I'm here for you".
"Michael…" was all she said, her tone adding: 'what's wrong?' without actually saying it. He could tell by the look in her eyes, knowing her too well. Expressionless Doll or not.
"… I really don't know…" he admitted, finally confining with her. Maybe talking about it was a good thing, even if Origami had no answers herself, she was the most recently transformed Spirit of the group so she could probably relate to his situation. Origami heard the tone in his voice as well… he was opening up. "I feel like… there's something, inside me."
Origami didn't blink, but did think about it as she retracted her hand away from his. "… you mean, our Spirit Powers?" She asked, trying to understand what her boyfriend was going through.
"No." Michael said. "… I mean… yes, but…" he attempted to clarify. Now Origami blinked, confused as Michael just retracted his original statement. He gathered more of his thoughts together before trying again. "… its just… really hard to explain. I get this… feeling in my body. Around the center of it most of the time."
Origami thought more about what Michael just told her in confidence… this sounded really serious, but she couldn't figure it out. It sounded like how she felt when AST/DEM equipment reached its limit on her body when she was human, but that was artificially generated power to match Spirits.
"Does it feel, like a heart beating inside your heart?" She asked as thats how she felt when she received the power of a Spirit and was open of how it felt, figuring it was the same idea for Michael as he absorbs it from the rest of them.
"I mean… maybe, I don't know…" Michael said. "But it feels more like something, trying to bust out."
Origami felt her heart stop and her face became very concerned… bust out? As in, break out of him like this one American horror film with aliens? Good film, if a little dated, don't get her wrong; but if the context of what he was feeing was the same, not to mention the visuals and all that blood…
"Then I start to burn up!" Michael continued, his tone getting more serious as he relived these feelings, but did keep his voice at a relatively inside volume so no one else could hear them. "My body gets so hot, like I'm on fire! Then out of nowhere, I get so, angry! And I have no idea why!" He added, his fists clenching as he held them up.
Origami didn't know what to do or say, what could she say? It sounded like Michael has been going through allot, with all these unanswered questions on what's happening to his body. Was it stress? Trauma? A side effect of all the Reiryoku he has? All three?
After a few seconds, he calmed down and spoke again. "And during or just before it actually happens… I hear this voice…"
"Voice?" Origami repeated.
"It just keeps saying this word over and over again in my head…" Michael said. "… Mio."
"Mio?" Origami questioned… the hell was that supposed it mean? That was a Japanese name, one meaning great beauty. It also had a secondary meaning of a pretty maiden migrating from her native country or place… didn't make sense why Michael would be hearing it; unless this voice was talking to 'Michelle'.
"Yeah… at first, I was thinking my brain was filtering out this one raunchy anime with a devil stepsister Hiroto wouldnt stop bugging me about. Or maybe it was that one pianist when I was rewatching K-ON…" Michael said, giving some possible answers. "And its honestly freaking me out… its kinda the reason I snapped at everyone yesterday, so… sorry." Michael said, adding an apology for his behavior.
Origami took all this information in. It was obvious to her that she was the first person he shared this with. She accepted his apology, though given the context behind how he's been feeling, it technically wasn't all his fault. He acted brave but the truth was… he was scared. Scared of what exactly was going on with his body, and it's not like he can go to a human therapist for advice.
That's when Origami had an idea. "Why not ask Reine?" She suggested. It wasn't a bad idea, at least to her. When it came to Spirits, she seemed to be the best person to talk too. She would often point them in a certain direction if the situation was too much or a clear solution wasn't in sight, and if not, her theories often helped; not to mention her being probably the most competent one of the bunch.
Michael of course got the idea Origami was going for, having thought along the same lines before… the problem was… "Believe me, I want too. In fact, that was my first thought." Michael told her. "But whenever I'm around her too long, I…" he stopped himself. Even before it came out of his mouth, it sounded very weird.
"You…?" Origami asked.
Michael sighed. "Look, don't take this the wrong way, but… whenever I've gone near her when this all started, I… I feel even worse."
Origami blinked. Then blinked again. "… You feel worse… around Reine?" She was struggling to understand. Likewise, neither did Michael.
"I know it sounds crazy, and again, please don't take this wrong; but when I go near her, I…" he hesitated again, wondering to himself if admitting this much was the best decision. After a moment, he decided since he shared so much with Origami already, it probably wasn't gonna make much of a difference. Sighing once more, he revealed it: "I feel this pain… in my heart."
Origami didn't say a word, unsure how to take that response. "Yeah. I know how that sounds, but that's not it. Was never into Milfs'." Michael explained using a bit of satire, knowing that was the way Origami was probably going to take such a confession, also considering he asked out their teacher as a 'Free Trial'. "It's like… sorrow… regret… shame… all rolled into one…" He added. "… this'll sound strange, and I can't really explain it; but it feels like these emotions… aren't even mine…"
Now Origami was even more confused, and now sort of understood why Michael didn't tell anybody. It sounded very bizarre. Feeling like he was gonna burst open was one thing, but somehow Reine's mere presence just made it even worse? Not only that, Michael felt the emotions he felt weren't his?
It's no wonder Michael kept this all to himself. None of it made any sense at all.
"I… had no idea…" Origami said, which is the only thing that came to mind. Sure it was nice to hear what exactly was bothering her rekindled boyfriend, and it sounded like he hasn't told anyone else so she was first (which she wasn't going to lie, that felt like a step ahead of the others which was a plus); but as for answers, she unfortunately had a none.
"Join the club, we get memberships daily." Michael dryly satirized even though it was true. "But… thanks. For listening, Oero. I think I needed that." He then added gratitude, as well as her nickname which both caught her off guard and made her blush a bit; but she smiled afterward, happy she was able to help out by just being the ear that listened.