"Oh, flower that blooms with the asphalt,
What can you see from there?
Why is it that people
Cannot forgive each other?" (Euterpe song)
As dusk fell and Souta teleported back from his divine realm floating above the skies, the ethereal voice of Inori reached his ears, sounding so pure it felt like it could cleanse the soul.
Following the voice, Souta looked over to see the girl standing in front of a massive floor-to-ceiling window. Like a dream in motion, she looked out at the evening view, lips the color of cherry blossoms gently parting as she sang.
He suppressed his own presence, not wanting to interrupt, and quietly listened to the sorrow-tinged melody.
Inori's voice was truly beautiful.
No matter how many times he heard it, Souta always found it enchanting.
It reminded him of Hatsune Miku.
Miku felt more like a traditional idol, realistic and flashy.
Her songs leaned kawaii-style, which honestly wasn't his thing.
But Inori, she carried an otherworldly aura, untouched by the mundane. There was a serene detachment in her presence that perfectly embodied the essence of an "Idol" in his mind.
He preferred Inori's songs.
Of course, this was something he'd never admit out loud.
Before long, Inori's song ended.
She took a few deep breaths, and out of the corner of her eye, suddenly noticed Souta standing beside her, gazing thoughtfully into the distance.
"That song… 'Euterpe,' right?"
Souta asked without even looking at her.
"Mm." Inori nodded, eyeing his side profile with a hint of curiosity. She hadn't noticed when he arrived.
"It's a tragically beautiful song. Your voice is as lovely as ever."
Souta turned and met her gaze.
"Could you record all of EGOIST's songs for me? I want to collect them."
Inori gently nodded. "Southern Fried Chicken with Watermelon Salad, Spicy Nashville Hot Chicken with Watermelon Slushie, Honey-Glazed Fried Chicken with Watermelon Salsa, Jerk Fried Chicken with Watermelon-Cucumber Skewers…"
Was she… asking to trade songs for food?
"No problem. Whatever you want to eat, I'll cook it for you anytime."
He glanced at the time on his system phone, then said:
"But first, let's handle business."
This was his new bedroom.
Ever since the Illuminati transitioned from a secretive group to a fully public organization, they'd gotten pretty flashy almost like they wanted everyone to know about them.
Naturally, the headquarters moved from the underground base to a surface-level location.
During the day, Souta would be in the divine realm refining the "harbinger system," perfecting all the details.
At night, he came back here to rest.
"What do I need to do?" Inori asked.
She seemed to remember her mission and looked slightly anxious.
Souta had tasked her with imprisoning Mana's soul inside her body, a task that scared her. She feared losing herself.
But it was the first mission Souta had entrusted to her. She didn't want to disappoint him.
Souta noticed her shoulders trembling slightly and gently cupped her face with both hands, holding her gaze.
"Look into my eyes," he said. "Can you see the confidence in them?"
"Confidence…?" Inori stared into his eyes, those deep black irises pulling her in like a vortex.
As she focused, Souta let a faint divine aura seep out.
Suddenly, she sensed an emotion: fearlessness.
What she didn't know was that since becoming a god, Souta hadn't feared anything.
He carried himself as if nothing in the world could faze him from being aloof, proud, and above all things.
That was a god's nature. Even if he didn't always show it, it was part of his essence.
"Even if you don't believe in yourself, believe in me, your god."
Souta gave her a reassuring smile.
For over ten seconds, they held each other's gaze.
Miraculously, Inori's fear and unease began to fade.
Then, realizing how intimate the moment had become, she shyly turned away, unable to maintain eye contact.
It was like she was blushing.
Noticing this, Souta let her go.
"You and Mana's souls are both compatible with this body. Think of your body as a server. You and Mana are two terminals accessing it. The difference is: Mana's a hacker. She can use the server's network to attack your terminal."
Inori tilted her head, a bit confused by the metaphor.
After thinking for a moment, she asked:
"So… should we seal off Mana's hacking ability?"
"A seal… that's one way. Like putting a wall between your two souls. But…"
Souta smiled and dismissed the idea.
"That would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. Not a real solution."
Inori waited quietly for his next words.
A golden glow lit up at the tip of Souta's finger. He gently pressed it against her forehead.
Keeping his finger there, he spoke softly:
"Whoever has the stronger soul gets control of the body. Mana—no, Eve is much stronger than you right now. That's why she can take over your body at will and even fuse your souls by force."
"But the solution's simple: become stronger than her."
"Once she's inside you, you'll be able to squash her like a bug. She'll have no choice but to surrender."
Slowly, Inori felt a cool sensation rising in her head.
It was incredibly soothing.
As if something was unshackling layer by layer, her vision became sharper, more focused.
The feeling was so comfortable, she couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
It sounded gentle and tingling, even made her blush.
"Don't move. I'm strengthening your soul."
Souta reminded her quietly:
"It'll be over soon."
Inori suppressed the urge to moan again.
The growing spiritual strength was feeding back into her physical senses, it made her feel itchy.
She instinctively pressed her thighs together, squirming a little.
When Souta finally withdrew his finger, her face was flushed red, yet she wore a faint expression of longing.
Almost like she'd just fallen in love and was yearning for a lover's touch.
Souta found it a little strange.
He was doing something serious, wasn't he?
"All done. Your soul has been reinforced and completed. You're strong enough to face Mana or Eve now."
He congratulated her.
"You're no longer just a vessel. The virus's will can't control you anymore."
Inori touched her cheek.
Something powerful had risen inside her.
Just thinking of Eve no longer made her feel afraid, she no longer feared being replaced.
The reinforcement had hardened her spirit in a subtle but profound way.
After a long pause, Inori finally came back to herself.
Amazingly, her usually calm expression softened as she gave a small, relaxed smile.
"You smiled, finally" Souta said in surprise, then chuckled.
"Looks like your emotions are waking up, growing stronger."
"I… smiled?" Inori looked dazed.
"Yeah." Souta conjured a mirror and held it in front of her. "See for yourself."
PS: The song "Euterpe" that Inori sang is probably familiar to many, it's the one from the start of Guilty Crown episode 1.