"Come to think of it, Kurumi used to frequently send her clones everywhere to gather intelligence..."
Souta started recalling Kurumi's past habits in his mind.
He remembered that in the original story, Origami Tobiichi, after becoming a Spirit, had once captured some of Kurumi's clones scattered throughout Tenguu City. She then interrogated them to find Kurumi's main body and, after locating her, forced Kurumi to send her back to the past.
Because Kurumi wanted to find Honjou Nia, she would send her clones to any place where a DEM Corporation branch existed.
Needless to say, many of these clones were killed.
In fact, just the ones killed by Mio Takamiya alone were... No, stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it.
Souta suddenly felt a sharp pang in his heart!
At that moment, he made a firm decision—if he ever became powerful enough, reaching the level of a Toaru Majutsu no Index, Magic God, he would resurrect all of Kurumi's clones that had ever perished.
"I shouldn't be mistaken—looks like the Kurumi of this era has noticed me..."
The fleeting shadow outside the floor-to-ceiling window was most likely Kurumi.
Realizing this, Souta suddenly became vigilant.
Not because he was wary of Kurumi, but... if Kurumi could detect him, did that mean Mio Takamiya could as well?
Souta wasn't sure how skilled Mio was at gathering intelligence, but staying cautious wouldn't hurt.
With that thought, he immediately checked his remaining divine power.
Thankfully, it was nearly full.
Moreover, after five years of collecting faith for several days, the divine power converted from his divine spark had actually exceeded the capacity of his divinity.
The excess power had been uploaded to his store as a backup, so for now, there was no need to worry about consumption...
"Souta, Souta, where did they go?"
As Souta checked his own status, a crisp, childlike voice reached his ears.
It was young Origami's voice.
The little girl still called his name without hesitation, which was rather unusual for a Japanese person.
Japanese culture values hierarchical relationships, so could it be... that her fondness for manga characters had lowered her guard and deepened her sense of closeness with him?
Due to his heightened awareness, Souta had already sensed Origami approaching him, so he wasn't surprised when she suddenly spoke.
The serious expression on his face softened into a gentle smile as he turned his head toward the elementary school-aged Origami.
"They traveled back from the future, and they just returned to their own time."
"Time travel? Just like in the manga?"
Origami's bright eyes sparkled with admiration.
"That's right," Souta chuckled. "Remember that blue-haired girl? Her name is Itsuka Shiori. She's a really nice person and lives in Nankou Town, just like you. You should befriend her in the future."
"Mm! Since it's your request, I will!"
Origami nodded seriously, her expression solemn.
"How long will you stay in this era, Souta?"
She now wore a hopeful look.
Perhaps it was her childlike innocence—she really wanted someone with special powers like Souta to stay with her a little longer.
After all, who didn't dream of superpowers when they were young? Everyone goes through a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) phase.
"Hmm... It's hard to say for sure, but I'll probably be here for a few days at least."
Souta thought carefully before answering.
Besides wanting to leave a portion of his divine kingdom in this era, he also wanted to meet chuunibyou Kurumi from this period.
Getting a firsthand look at Kurumi's embarrassing past—opportunities were rare! There's a saying: "If you love her, you must accept everything about her," including her black history.
Exactly! That's the logic!
Kurumi had a different charm in every time period.
Souta still vividly remembered the "Four Heavenly Kings" among Kurumi's clones:
Seven years ago, the gentle Kurumi dressed in a white Lolita outfit—nicknamed "Loli-Kurumi."
Six years ago, Kurumi with bandages wrapped around her hands, legs, and head—probably her peak chuunibyou phase—nicknamed "Bandage-Kurumi."
Five years ago... which was the present time period, Kurumi wore a medical eye patch—nicknamed "Eyepatch-Kurumi."
Later on, she even wore a slightly gothic-style kimono, adding yet another distinct flavor to her persona.
...It was simply irresistible!
Back in the Akame ga Kill world, even though Kurumi had summoned many clones, she never summoned the "Four Heavenly Kings of Chuunibyou."
She was probably too ashamed of that phase of her past...
That had been quite a disappointment for Souta.
"Hmm... I just came up with a great way to tease Kurumi, hehe."
A mischievous grin spread across Souta's face.
"Souta, you look so dumb when you laugh like that."
Origami blurted out a brutally honest comment.
"..." Souta helplessly restrained his smile and looked at the young Origami. "Origami, you should show me a little more respect."
"Eh? But I do respect you, Souta."
Origami tilted her head in confusion.
"...Forget it, just keep being yourself."
Souta decided to let it go and changed the subject.
"You should be in sixth grade now, right?"
He remembered that in Japan, children started elementary school at six years old.
"Yes," Origami nodded. "I just got home from school today and saw our house on fire... If it weren't for you, my parents would've been hurt by that bad woman."
"Cough... You shouldn't call her a bad woman," Souta reminded her.
"Why?" Origami tilted her head.
"You'll understand in the future."
Souta answered ambiguously.
After that, the two chatted about various topics. Origami, seemingly lacking friends her age, gradually opened up to Souta, sharing stories about her school life.
Souta listened attentively, occasionally offering advice or playfully teasing her with jokes.
A pure and joyful smile appeared on young Origami's face.
After refilling their coffee several times, Origami's parents finally called for her.
They both nodded at Souta as a gesture of appreciation.
"Alright, that's enough talking for today." Souta pointed forward. "Your parents are calling you, go on now."
"...Are you leaving too?"
Origami gazed at Souta anxiously, her face full of reluctance. She was terrible at hiding her emotions.
Souta had treated her like an equal rather than a child, making conversations with him feel natural and comforting.
Moreover, he had saved her parents and was an incredibly handsome manga-like figure. She really wanted to befriend him.
"Don't worry. I'm an adult—if I were leaving, I'd say goodbye properly."
Souta gently ruffled Origami's hair and reassured her.
"I'll be around for a few more days, so you can always come find me here at this café."
"Then let's pinky promise!"
Origami held out her small, fair hand.
Amused by her innocence, Souta hooked his pinky with hers.