Souta didn't have to wait long.
Around 7:30 p.m., he sensed a powerful Spirit aura appear within Tengu City.
Each Spirit had a distinct aura, and this one was very familiar to him.
Immediately, Souta spread his mental awareness. About five kilometers away, on a city street, he detected Kurumi's presence.
She wasn't in Spirit dress but wore a sleek black dress, her long hair flowing freely, very much like a refined lady.
A smile lit up Souta's face. He locked onto her position, ready to consume divine power to teleport her over.
But suddenly, a suffocating pressure hit him, like the weight of mountains was pressing down on him. He could barely breathe.
He immediately halted the teleportation.
This was the first time he had ever failed to teleport someone.
"Well then… looks like Kurumi's become far stronger than I am."
Souta quickly realized the reason.
What he'd tried to do was akin to using divine power to move a planetary leyline. With his current weak rank-7 godhood, it was simply impossible.
The only reason he didn't suffer backlash and cough up blood was probably because Kurumi hadn't resisted the attempt too strongly.
Kurumi had sensed the spatial distortion caused by divine power and, following the subtle traces, locked onto a direction.
It was exactly where Souta was.
Without hesitation, she began channeling reiryoku, invoking the power of her "Second Angel", the one that controlled space.
Reiryoku formed the pattern of a constellation.
A blue glow surrounded her, warping space.
Ignoring the startled looks of nearby pedestrians, Kurumi's figure vanished on the spot.
The next instant, as if teleporting, she reappeared right in front of Souta.
Souta blinked at the sudden appearance of the stunning girl and murmured, surprised:
"This is… spatial teleportation?"
"Mhm. One of the twelve powers of [Lunatic Emperor: Kurumi]."
A shallow application doesn't even require a specialized bullet."
Knowing Souta was curious about her angel powers, Kurumi gave a detailed explanation.
Then, gazing at the man right before her, she suddenly leapt into his arms. In the next second, her arms wrapped around his neck, and she buried her face into his chest, nuzzling softly like she was inhaling a familiar, comforting scent.
Souta wrapped his arm around her slender waist, chuckling gently.
"Welcome back, Kurumi."
Kurumi tightened her embrace.
She stayed like that for several minutes, silently holding on.
"Alright, I'm not going anywhere. You'll have plenty of time to hug me later."
Souta hadn't expected her to be this emotionally attached and tried to gently comfort her.
"Oh my, complaining after just one hug?" Kurumi looked up at him, face close to his, her voice teasing.
"You've hugged a lot of girls while I was gone, haven't you, Souta?"
Her tone was light, unreadable but neither angry nor playful.
"…" Souta stayed silent. There was no right answer to that.
Instead, he simply pulled her closer until she was fully pressed against him.
Kurumi's lips curled slightly. "That's more like it. But you still haven't answered my question, have you hugged a lot of girls?"
"Kurumi, you know I have to hold someone to take them across timelines. That's just how it works."
"You know that's not what I meant, right?" she said, eyes full of mischief.
The way she looked at him, it was like she enjoyed watching him squirm.
This was a true soul-level interrogation… Souta felt a bit uneasy.
But if he was going to maintain a harem, he'd have to endure this much.
"I don't remember," Souta replied. "Do you remember how many pieces of bread you've eaten in your life?"
That caught Kurumi off guard.
It was like he was saying he'd hugged so many girls, he couldn't even keep track anymore.
She wasn't sure if he was serious or just trolling her on instinct.
"Fine, I'll stop teasing you. For now."
Kurumi let go of his neck and raised a finger in front of his face.
"One. That's how many clones I have at the moment. Excited?"
"A thousand?" Souta guessed.
"…Kurumi, your clones aren't for stuff . You need to respect their basic rights."
"It's fine. They all like you just as much as I do."
Kurumi's eyes sparkled with amusement.
"And you like a lot of girls, don't you? A few more won't make a difference."
This "few"... Souta suddenly had a bad feeling.
Looks like he'd better conserve every drop of divine power from now on.
Save it all for emergencies!
If he couldn't hold out against Kurumi in a power match, he'd get ruthlessly mocked.
He might not even be able to show his face in front of her afterward.
That must be avoided at all costs!
"Let's talk about serious stuff now," Souta changed the subject.
Kurumi gave him a sideways glance but let him off the hook.
"Alright. You've already informed Shiori and the others, right?"
Souta nodded and explained in detail:
"I've negotiated with them. I'll draw out Takamiya Mio, expose her identity and plan, and force her hand.
To prevent Spirit power from flowing back into Shiori, she'll likely try to kill the other Spirits and start her plan early.
Alternatively, she might capture everyone and wipe their memories, restarting everything from scratch.
No matter which path she takes, she'll act. Once Shiori and the others see the truth, they won't try to stop us again."
"And when that happens, I'll step in and defeat Mio. Right?" Kurumi followed his logic.
She looked genuinely surprised.
"I'm shocked you actually convinced them to go along with this… Have your negotiation skills improved?"
"Yep," Souta said proudly. "I just said a few words and they agreed. Impressive, right?"
Kurumi's astonished expression said it all.
"…You're being rude," Souta said, exasperated.
"Oh, don't pout. I'll make it up to you with my clones," Kurumi giggled.
"…Clones have rights too, Kurumi."
"It's fine. They all love you."
"Then give me the Four Great Heav—"
"Souta! Guess how many clones I can make in a day? Every time I'm in a bad mood, I make more."
Kurumi's "gentle" smile turned sharp.
"For example, when people bring up embarrassing past stories... I get really, really upset. Still want to mention the 'Four Heavenly Kings' thing?"