Due to the spacequake, the school was undergoing reconstruction, and the principal had announced a one-week suspension of classes.
Ryuu sat at the dining table with Kotori and Tohka, waiting for Shiori to finish making breakfast.
"Whoa, what is this? It's delicious!"
"You don't even know what a sandwich is? Seriously?" Kotori sighed. "Just because you don't have to go to school today doesn't mean you can ignore basic knowledge."
"That's not good, Tohka," Shiori interjected. "Even if you don't go to school, you still need to eat properly!"
"Yes, yes! I'm starting!" Tohka declared enthusiastically.
After Ryuu's fight with AST yesterday, Tohka hadn't disappeared but had instead returned to the Itsuka household with him, staying there temporarily.
Kotori had reluctantly agreed to this arrangement, albeit with much reluctance—though in the end, Ryuu's pressure had forced her to comply.
Finishing his meal, Ryuu wiped his mouth and glanced at Kotori.
"I'm guessing we won't have any more trouble today, right, Kotori?"
"Well… who knows?" Kotori muttered. "I heard DEM transferred an important asset from headquarters recently. Their motives are still unclear."
"Well, not my problem... That is, if they don't stick their nose where they don't need to or... I won't have any choice other than to wipe em out."
"Don't say such terrifying things with such a casual expression!" Kotori snapped.
The memory of Ryuu's brutal abilities from yesterday was still fresh in her mind. She gulped, deciding it was best to hold back any further complaints.
Ryuu, however, remained indifferent. While his Geass could only be used once per target, he had plenty of other methods.
In this world, there was only one person he was wary of—and that was Shiori Itsuka, sitting right in front of him.
As much as he hated to admit it, Shiori possessed the attributes of a true protagonist. Even if she had been turned into a girl, a protagonist was still a protagonist.
Ryuu sighed, wondering if he was overthinking things. After all, looking at Shiori's harmless expression, she didn't seem like much of a threat.
"Alright, Ryuu! It's time for our date! Date, date, date!" Tohka cheered excitedly.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But you can't go dressed like that."
"Huh? Why not? I think this outfit is fine."
"It's fine for battle," Ryuu said, pinching his temples. "But if you don't want people staring at you like a zoo animal, you should change."
The last thing he needed was a repeat of what happened in the Fate world—where he had been completely surrounded by people.
Tohka pouted, still confused. "But… why would I be stared like that just for my clothes?"
"Ugh… just change, alright?"
There was no way Ryuu could explain to her that a Demon King like himself had once been trapped in a crowd because of something similar.
With some persuasion from Kotori and Shiori, Tohka finally changed out of her Astral Dress and into Raizen High School's uniform.
The moment she stepped out, Kotori—now in her white headband mode—immediately covered Ryuu's eyes.
"Idiot! Don't look!"
"Oi, what are you doing?! Wait, don't cover my—"
By the time Ryuu pried Kotori's hands off his face, Tohka had already finished changing. He let out a quiet sigh. What a shame.
"Is this alright now? Let's go! Date, date!"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go," Ryuu said, stretching. "I haven't explored this world much yet, anyway. Kotori, I'll leave things here to you."
Kotori crossed her arms but gave a reluctant nod, watching as Ryuu and Tohka left the house.
Once they were gone, she turned toward Shiori—who had a dumb smile on her face.
"Sis, you need to step it up. At this rate, Ryuu's going to take all the Spirits for himself."
"Isn't that fine? Ryuu is strong, and he can protect the world from spacequakes."
Kotori facepalmed. "You really don't get it, do you? Ugh, I have no choice… Time for the second round of demon training!"
"EH?! WAIT, WAIT, KOTORI—!!"
Shiori's screams echoed through the house, but Ryuu was already far away, unable to hear her.
He had brought Tohka to the busiest commercial district nearby.
While Ryuu had never gone on a date before, he had seen enough anime to have a general idea. He had already mapped out a few plans in his mind—one of them had to work.
Before he could execute any of them, however, Tohka had already pressed herself against the glass of a food stall, drooling.
"Ryuu! What's this?! It smells so good! What is it?!"
"Kinako bread," Ryuu answered. He sighed and turned to the vendor. "Give me two of those."
After paying, he handed one to Tohka and pulled her away from the glass before she started licking it.
Tohka eagerly sniffed the bread before taking a bite. Her black ribbon twitched up and down, as if excited.
She looked at Ryuu and asked, "Is this a date?"
"It's called kinako bread. If you want more, we can come back another time."
"No, I mean—is this a date? Why isn't this called a date?"
"...Even if you ask me, I can't really answer that," Ryuu muttered. "Come on, there are still other places to visit."
He grabbed Tohka's wrist and led her deeper into the commercial street.
He had assumed things would proceed smoothly from here.
He was wrong.
Every time they passed a food stall, Tohka rushed forward, demanding to know what it was.
And every single time, Ryuu had to buy it for her.
As he watched her eat through stall after stall, he had a sudden realization.
Wait a second…
A sword user… obsessed with food… and even has ahoge…
I see. You're Saber.
Watching her happily devour food after food, Ryuu felt a deep sense of dread.
He glanced at his wallet.
Can I even afford this…?
For a brief moment, he even considered kidnapping two chefs from another world to work as his personal cooks. Yes, this plan should definitely be implemented soon…
While Ryuu was deep in thought, Tohka was acting like a newborn child, excitedly pointing at things and asking about everything she saw—especially food.
"There are so many humans here! Is this some kind of mobilization for war?!"
"It's just a crowded shopping district," Ryuu replied, scanning the area. "...No, there are quite a few old acquaintances here."
Among the merchants, he spotted Ratatoskr personnel in disguise. Meanwhile, AST members lurked in the shadows, watching them.
The corners of Ryuu's lips curled slightly.
If they planned on interfering again, he wouldn't hesitate to wipe them out.
However, this time, he had misjudged Ratatoskr's intentions.
Kotori wasn't monitoring him—she was keeping AST in check, ensuring they wouldn't provoke him again.
She had even gone so far as to invest a significant amount of money to enhance surveillance in the area, watching over AST's every move.
Meanwhile, Ryouko Kusakabe was caught in the middle, receiving direct orders from her superiors to eliminate Tohka—while simultaneously knowing she had to avoid provoking Ryuu at all costs.
The arrival of a magician from England had only complicated matters.
The magician had ordered AST to focus solely on eliminating the Spirit. Ryuu, however, was her problem to deal with personally.
This had relieved some of Ryouko's stress, as well as given AST confidence.
But there was one person who wasn't convinced.
Tobiichi Origami.
She had experienced Ryuu's power firsthand.
And she knew—no amount of so-called "strategy" could possibly be enough to stop him.