Anime Collector: Starting With the Malevolent Shrine

The two people sitting in the bedroom were silent.

Nino sat calmly in front of her vanity mirror, wearing a face mask, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Nino, I never would have guessed you were such a diligent student!" Ichika said mockingly as she picked up the fallen test paper.

The pristine test paper was unmarked by ink, though faint juice stains were still visible.

Had she really spent half an hour in Miku's bedroom teaching nothing?

It seemed more likely she had been impersonating Miku rather than actually studying.

"Hmph? We haven't even discussed Daiki-kun yet. I asked you to return his lunchbox, but instead you stayed over at his house?" Nino's voice was sharp with betrayal.

Daiki should have been hers, but someone had interfered.

It was like watching someone ruin her ice cream — worse, they had kept quiet about it while making her feel guilty with their words.

And still Ichika brazenly continued to take what wasn't hers.

"What?! I told you I was staying at Yukinoshita's house! Besides, my relationship with Daiki-kun is legitimate! Everything I did with him was for your sake!" Ichika snapped back, bristling.

Nino scoffed, "How does this help us? Theft is theft — and you're still making excuses after being caught!"

"That's not true! It was... it was all for Miku's sake!" Ichika frantically explained, "If I hadn't intervened, Haruno Yukinoshita would have made her move! I chose Daiki-kun for everyone's benefit. His Spiritual Power comes from his Innate Technique! Each strand requires ten extractions — I did it to protect everyone!"

So his Spiritual Power came from his Innate Technique? That explained its limitations.

Five strands for the Nakano family, nine for the Yukinoshita family, plus his personal reserve.

But something about those numbers didn't add up.

Just how many times had they been together?

The visible Spiritual Power totaled fourteen strands — no, fifteen counting Haruno's share!

That meant approximately 150 extractions!

"Damn it! How many times did you go behind my back?!" Nino's fists clenched as she ground her teeth in fury.

Her own encounters with Daiki barely produced two strands. Where had the other thirteen come from?

Her gaze locked onto Ichika.

She narrowed her eyes, "So you're claiming that your intervention stopped Haruno from getting her chance?"

"That's... of course..." Ichika's mouth twitched as she lowered her head guiltily.

She had succeeded that day, but afterward... She couldn't watch over Daiki constantly — how could she prevent everything?

But she couldn't admit this to Nino. Wouldn't that just prove her failure?

Thinking this, Ichika straightened her back, forcing a confident pose.

Nino's face turned cold — this girl was admitting it shamelessly. A clear provocation!

"I see, so Ichika did everything for all of us!"

"Of course, that's what being the eldest sister means!" Seeing Nino playing along, Ichika eagerly took the bait.

"Then you won't have to sacrifice anymore. I'll take over all the Spiritual Power extraction work from now on. Unlike you, who did it for everyone, I truly love Daiki-kun, so please step aside! From now on, it's between me and Miku competing for him. You shouldn't interfere anymore — consider it for mine and Miku's sake."

Nino's gentle words left Ichika stunned.

Her sister's logic was impossible to counter. She had used Ichika's own justification to trap her.

Agreeing would mean giving up. Disagreeing would destroy her reasoning.

"Well?" Nino removed her face mask and fixed her with a serious stare.

"That won't work — we're sisters, we share our burdens. As the eldest sister, I... how could I let you bear... I... No!"

The hesitant words finally crystallized into two firm syllables.

Looking at Ichika's lowered head, Nino's mood darkened.

"Why? Didn't you say it was for everyone? Now for mine and Miku's sake, why can't you—" An agitated Nino stepped forward, reaching for her sister's wrist.

Slap!

Ichika knocked away the reaching hand. She stood there, her hand still raised, thousands of words trapped in her throat.

She could have stepped aside... It was between Nino and Miku... It had nothing to do with her...

But! The words of agreement stayed locked in her throat.

Her hands clenched into fists, her inner turmoil rendering her speechless.

"No!" She turned her head stubbornly, those same two syllables firm as ever.

Nino watched for a moment, then wordlessly returned to her vanity mirror.

The room plunged into a deathly silence once again.

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What neither of them noticed was Itsuki standing there with a fruit platter, frozen in disbelief.

In the empty second-floor hallway, she remained rooted to the spot.

'Wait, am I understanding this correctly? Miku is Daiki-kun's girlfriend, but Nino has feelings for him too. She asked Ichika to step aside, yet Ichika refused! And Nino accused her of stealing — but stealing what exactly? They couldn't mean... No, why would Nino talk about stealing? Daiki-kun isn't her property, and surely she's not planning to take Miku's boyfriend?'

The tangled web of relationships made her dizzy.

From their conversation, it seemed they had all participated in this "stealing".

Which meant... Miku...

Itsuki covered her mouth, stunned by the shocking revelation.

She'd thought she knew her sisters well, but now she realized an invisible wall separated her from them.

How had things gotten so serious without her knowledge? If she hadn't happened to bring fruit by, how long would they have kept this secret?

What was she supposed to do now? Should she tell Miku?

If she exposed this deception, wouldn't it destroy their relationships?

But keeping silent seemed terribly unfair to Miku.

And then there was Haruno to worry about, according to Ichika. No wonder they'd been so agitated by her visit this morning.

Itsuki stood paralyzed, her thoughts in complete disarray.

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