Souta furrowed his brows, trying to recall if he had forgotten something important.
Wait… why did he even come back to the his world again?
Just then, his system phone buzzed.
It was a private message from Izayoi Miku.
Izayoi Miku: "Darling, are you here yet? I've been waiting for over two hours."
Izayoi Miku: "Standing this long… my legs are sooo sore…"
Souta's face stiffened. He finally remembered, he had completely forgotten about Miku!
Miku's not at the apartment… which means if someone else comes to my world while I'm away, they get teleported to a random location? Just like how I do...
Souta quickly deduced the logic.
Telling the truth now would just be low EQ. He needed to cover this up.
Clearing his embarrassment, he started typing a response.
Souta: "Sorry, time flows differently between worlds. I just arrived on my end."
Souta: "Tell me where you are, I'll come get you."
The system phone came with a translation function for group members, bi-directional. Miku could just ask someone nearby to learn her location.
Izayoi Miku: "Hold on, I'll ask someone."
Soon, she sent a location.
Souta cloaked himself in a concealment illusion and teleported over.
Using his spiritual energy to scan for "spiritual presence," he quickly pinpointed Miku in front of a large shopping mall plaza.
She was being hit on.
Souta wasn't surprised.
After all, she looked just as stunning in real life as she did in the anime. No filters, no exaggeration.
If the setting said she was supernaturally beautiful, then she really was breathtaking.
Take Shinobu, for example: her beauty was said to make people lay down their lives for her, leaving trails of bodies wherever she walked. Souta felt that was fair, she carried a natural aura of seduction.
Miku wasn't that intense, but it was like she had a top-tier beauty filter on all the time.
And with that eye-catching, curvy figure of hers, she was an absolute magnet.
No man could easily resist her.
So getting hit on? Totally expected.
Souta gradually made his presence known, revealing himself as he approached Miku.
"Darling!" Miku spotted him immediately.
Souta grabbed her hand and led her toward the Starbucks on the mall's first floor.
The guy hitting on her frowned and followed.
But before he could speak, Souta cut in:
"You really need the restroom right now. Go, don't hold it in."
The man stopped in his tracks. His irritated expression faded, and he obediently went to find a bathroom.
"Darling, your power… It's like mine."
Miku looked curiously at him, her hand still in his.
Souta met her gaze and explained:
"It's the mental manipulation power I got from you. Makes sense that it feels similar."
He briefly explained how reaching a certain affection level lets him acquire one ability from the other person.
"Why didn't you just use your powers to drive that guy off?"
"Because I promised you I wouldn't casually use spiritual power on ordinary people. I've been very strict about it!"
Her expression practically screamed "Praise me!"
Souta chuckled and gently patted her back.
"You waited two hours. Must've been a lot of creeps, huh?"
"Yeah, super annoying. I changed spots a few times, but they still came like flies."
Miku's tone was tinged with frustration.
For someone with homophobia, it had to be a pretty rough experience.
"Next time, just use your power." Souta said.
"You misunderstood what I said before."
"I meant you shouldn't go around manipulating people on a whim, don't be the one causing trouble. But if someone bothers you first, don't hold back."
Then he added with a laugh:
"Feel free to interpret that a little loosely. No need to be overly strict about it."
They reached the café.
Souta ordered two coffees and found a quiet corner for them to sit.
Originally, he intended to sit across from her, but Miku pulled him down beside her instead.
"Darling, my legs are so sore from standing. Rub them for me?"
Leaning against him, she asked in a playful, slightly pouty tone.
Souta didn't refuse. He placed his hand on her thigh, over the fabric of her skirt, and gently began to massage as he gently takes a whiff to the musk.
Her legs were soft and smooth, with hardly any fat at all.
No wonder she managed her figure so well like a true idol.
"When Mio [Phantom] found you, did she attack right away?" Souta asked.
"She said a few things first," Miku replied, a little shaken. "I couldn't match her at all. If I hadn't run, she would've caught me for sure."
Souta patted her head to comfort her and asked, "What did she say?"
Miku mimicked Phantom's voice quite well:
"So, you've found someone you like… I'm sorry, but to accelerate the plan, I'll have to take away your most important memory. Please forgive me."
"What does that even mean?" Miku asked.
"She probably wanted to erase your memories of me. Then Itsuka Shiori could re-capture you from scratch."
Souta summarized the plan, along with Shiori's identity, in a few brief lines.
Miku suddenly puffed up her cheeks, clearly upset.
"Trying to make me forget my Darling? That woman's evil! Totally vile!"
"If she's willing to do that to you, she'll do worse to others. My presence must've pushed her to act faster."
Souta frowned. He was starting to worry about Tobiichi Origami.
Mio forcibly interfering in the Spirit-capture process was never part of the original plot.
He feared she might start escalating her methods even further.
He had to check on things immediately.
"Miku, wait for me at my place. I'll go scout out what Mio's up to."
"Shouldn't I go with you?" Miku asked.
TO BE CONTINUED —————→