As Tohka and Origami started pushing at each other, their bickering escalating into what could barely be called a fight, the rest of the group simply chose to ignore them.
Kotori, paying them no mind, turned her attention to Mana. "Let me clarify something for you, Mana. You've seen the video of Shido fighting DEM's Wizards, right?"
"Yes, I have. What about it?" Mana responded.
Kotori's expression turned serious. "Shido isn't actually a Spirit. However, he has the ability to seal Spirit powers, and use them as his own."
"...Is that so?" Mana nodded her as if understanding everything.
Kotori blinked in surprise. She had expected some skepticism, and even disbelief, but instead, Mana accepted it so easily.
"You believe what I just said?" Kotori asked, slightly confused.
"Yes, there are many mysterious things in this world so this kind of thing isn't much surprising."
Kotori stared at her for a moment before sighing. "Well… I guess that makes this conversation easier."
"And right now, whether Nii-sama is a Spirit or a human, it doesn't really matter anymore, as long as I can be with Nii-sama."
As Mana spoke, she suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around Shido, catching Kotori completely off guard.
Shido stiffened for a moment as Mana clung to him, her embrace was firm and warm. Without thinking, she subconsciously sniffed his masculine scent, and a faint blush crept onto her face. But despite her embarrassment, she refused to let go.
Shido, on the other hand, could only let out a helpless sigh, resigning himself to her affectionate display. He gently patted her back, making Mana feel even more comfortable as she leaned into him.
However, not everyone was pleased with this development.
Kotori's eye twitched as she watched them. A wave of irritation and even a little jealous that Mana embraced Shido so carefreely. Kotori couldn't do that on her Commander mode. And in her Imouto mode… well, she was far too shy to just throw herself at Shido like that.
All she could do was grit her teeth in frustration, arms crossed as she glared at the two siblings embracing each other. 'This is unfair…!'
But Kotori seemed to have no patience to wait so she grabbed Mana and pulled her away from Shido, using all her strength to separate them.
"Let go of him!" Kotori huffed, successfully prying Mana off.
"Aww, that's a shame," Mana pouted, looking genuinely disappointed. "I still wanted to smell Nii-sama's scent…"
Kotori's eye twitched violently. "What are you, a dog?!" she snapped.
However, as she was scolding Mana, Tohka and Origami was who supposed to be wresting on the sofa came over to Shido when they heard Mana talk about Shido's smell.
The two had smelled Shido's manly scent before and they know how addicting it was so the moment Mana reminded them of Shido's scent.
Without a word, they abandoned their fight, walked straight up to him, and before he could react, they latched onto him from both sides, burying their faces against him.
Shido stood there, utterly speechless, as the warmth and softness of the two bodies pressed against him from either side. He barely had time to react before he heard their blissful murmurs.
"...What are you two doing?" Shido was speechless when he saw Tohka and Origami came to him and started snuggling. He could see that the two were rubbing their thighs together as if they were in heat.
"Shido, I love your smell." Origami said plainly, her voice as expressionless as ever, except for the fact that her cute little nose was now buried against his shoulder, actively inhaling his scent.
"Me too! Me too!" Tohka chimed in enthusiastically, refusing to be outdone. She pressed her face against his chest, taking deep breaths.
"..." Shido
"Let's stop for now… Kotori is throwing me a deadly look," Shido muttered nervously.
He didn't even need to glance fully at Kotori to feel the sheer pressure radiating from her. Though her face remained expressionless, the ominous aura surrounding her was enough to make his survival instincts scream at him to run.
And right beside her stood Mana, who had just been scolded yet was now looking at him with an unsettling smiling yet not smiling expression.
Shido gulped.
The only ones in the house who weren't actively making his life harder were Reine, who remained completely unbothered, calmly sipping her coffee as if none of this concerned her, and Yoshino, who was sitting on the sofa, peeking at them bashfully from behind a pillow.
Her flushed face suggested that she was watching their intimate contact with a mix of curiosity and embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Yoshinon had no such restraint.
"Puhaha! Shido-kun~, you're so popular, huh?" the puppet cackled, thoroughly enjoying his misery. "How does it feel to be a walking air freshener for Spirits?"
Shido sighed deeply. 'I just wanted a normal day…'
...
After the messy chaos finally settled, they could at last focus on more serious matters.
"Now that everything is clear, let's talk about your situation first, Mana." Kotori said plainly, her crimson eyes locking onto Mana
Mana blinked, momentarily confused. "My situation…?"
Kotori leaned back slightly and crossed her arms. "Before that, let me properly introduce myself again. I am Itsuka Kotori, Shido's little sister and also the Commander of Ratatoskr."
Mana's eyes widened slightly before she nodded in understanding. "I see, so you're the Commander of Ratatoskr."
Though she was somewhat surprised that a girl around fourteen years old was leading an entire organization, she quickly reminded herself that she wasn't in a position to be too shocked. After all, she herself was a highly ranked Wizard, standing just below the strongest Wizard in terms of status and ability.
In a way, they weren't so different.
"Oh? So you already know about us." Kotori raised an eyebrow at Mana.
"Yeah, I've heard about Ratatoskr before," Mana admitted.
Kotori nodded. "That makes things easier, then."
She leaned forward slightly as her expression turned firm. "As you know, our organization's sole purpose is the same as AST and DEM and that is to stop Spatial Quakes. The only difference is that we solve it through peaceful means without killing Spirits..."
With that, Kotori launched into a detailed explanation, revealing many things that even Shido wasn't fully aware of.
Mana listened intently, her face shifting through various expressions as she processed everything.
Even Origami also listened as she could understand many things with this.
"Reine and Shido are also part of the organization," Kotori continued.
Mana nodded slightly. She had already guessed that much, Shido had been deeply involved with Spirits, so it made sense that he was working with an organization like Ratatoskr.
"So… what exactly are you getting at, Kotori-san?" Mana asked with a knowing smile, as if she was already expecting something.
Kotori met her gaze without hesitation.
"I want you to join Ratatoskr."
She didn't beat around the bush, her voice was confident while her crimson eyes were unwavering.
Mana fell silent at Kotori's words, contemplating the offer.
Just then, she felt a warm hand rest gently on her shoulder.
Turning her head, she saw Shido standing behind her, looking at her with a soft, reassuring smile.
"I also want you to join Ratatoskr too, Mana," Shido said sincerely. "I don't want you to be used by DEM to kill Spirits."
"Nii-sama..." Mana felt warm seeing the concern on Shido's face. Although her mind was that of a 14 years old girl. Mana could also understand that DEM was only treating her as an experimental object and killing machine.
Rather than spending her life with such a cold and cruel place, it was much better for her to live with her brother.
"But...I..." Still, she was hesistant.
Kotori, however, saw right through her concerns.
"Are you worried that leaving DEM will bring trouble for us?" Kotori asked smugly, her confidence shining through.
Mana blinked before nodding. That was exactly what troubled her. DEM wouldn't just let her go, they'd come after her, and she didn't want to put Shido and the others in danger.
But Kotori simply smirked.
"If you're worried about DEM causing us trouble, then you don't need to be," she said firmly. "We're not as weak as we look. Ratatoskr had the full support of Asgard Electronics after all."
Asgard Electronics, a massive corporation rivaling Deus Ex Machina Industries. Based in the United States, it provided Ratatoskr with cutting-edge technology, advanced weaponry, and powerful Realizers.
Even though, DEM beat them with quantities, Asgard Electronics beat DEM with qualities.
With such a formidable backer, Ratatoskr wasn't just some idealistic group. It was a force to be reckoned with.
Hearing Kotori's reassuring words, Mana no longer had any reason to hesitate.
Kotori extended her hand toward her with a confident smile. "So, are you in?"
Mana looked at Shido, who gave her an encouraging nod.
She turned back to Kotori, her own lips curling into a warm smile.
Without hesitation, she reached forward and grasped Kotori's hand firmly.
"Yes!"
"Great! Welcome to Ratatoskr."