Date A Live: Starting as Acheron

"You idiot! Why did you buy groceries BEFORE you went to [Sister]'s place? Was your plan to drop by with a full bag of produce and make the two a meal?!" Kotori's voice pierced Shidou's eardrum through his earpiece, causing him to wince in pain.

"I'm sorry, ok?" But didn't you say to get them on the way there? He complained inwardly as he readjusted his grip on his umbrella. And another thing, how many days in a row has it rained now?

Kotori went silent, then sighed. "Well, since you've already bought them, you might as well offer to cook a meal. Maybe it'll get you in [IX]'s good graces."

"Hm?"

"Are you listening?"

"Yeah, it's just…" Shidou looked down an alleyway, where a familiar green raincoat seemed to be shuffling around on the floor. "...Yoshinon?"

[Hermit] shot straight up at the mentioning of that name, hurried glancing around before her eyes locked onto Shidou. She let out a squeak of fear and backed away, hugging herself tightly.

"Look, don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you." Shidou slowly approached the shivering girl, noting the absence of a certain accessory on her hand. "Er, where's your puppet?"

Upon hearing his question, [Hermit] stopped cowering and slowly approached Shidou, gently tugging on his uniform.

"Oh, is that what you're searching in the rain for?" 

A small nod affirmed his guess. 

"Well, do you know where you lost your puppet?"

She shook her head. She sure is less talkative today… 

"Do you at least know when you lost it?"

A nod.

"Er, was it after we met?"

A nod.

"Was it when the AS- er, when the ladies in mecha suits attacked you?"

A third nod in a row. Shidou sighed and pressed on his earpiece. "Kotori, can you help find out where it went?"

"We're already checking the footage from surveillance cameras in the area. However, due to the nature of Spirits being a secret to the public, getting access to public security cam footage will take a little longer. You should take this time to search with Yoshinon, and try to keep her happiness from dropping any lower."

"Got it." Shidou turned back to [Hermit], who was looking at him apprehensively. "Don't worry Yoshinon, I've just called a few more friends to help look for your puppet. We'll find it in now time, I promise."

"...shino." A small whisper tickled Shidou's ears.

"I'm sorry?"

"...Yoshino. My name is Yoshino. The puppet is Yoshinon. My friend," Yoshino squeezed out, averting her eyes.

"Yoshino, huh? Gotcha. Oh, here." Shidou handed her his umbrella, which she took with a slightly confused look. "You'll catch a cold if you just stand around in the rain like that."

Yoshino gazed pointedly at Shidou.

"Oh, me? Don't worry. I'll definitely be fine, so just take it." He gave her a thumbs up. Yoshino responded with a small bow.

"...Thanks. That's very kind." 

"Sure, anytime." Shidou gave her a smile.

"I can't believe you just gave an umbrella to a girl wearing a raincoat, but I guess I can't argue with the results," Kotori muttered quietly.

————————I am the dividing line that skips time————————

Grumble~

Shidou glanced over at Yoshino, who held her stomach with embarrassment. "Are you hungry?"

She quickly shook her head, only to be interrupted by more grumbling from her stomach. Pulling the hood of her raincoat over her face, she knelt down, presumably in an attempt to avoid Shidou's gaze. 

"You've been searching for over an hour now. Why don't you go home and make something for her to eat? Maybe ask her some questions too, while you're at it," Kotori advised.

"Good call. Hey Yoshino, let's head back to my place for a meal first. We can continue searching with a full stomach."

"...ok."

————————I am the dividing line that skips time————————

"And that's all for Tengu City's 2pm hourly broadcast. I've been your host, Albert Fukuro-" 

Shidou frowned as he turned off the TV. "Kotori, did you forget to turn off the news when you left today?"

"I, uh, no? Anyways, that's not important. Just get to making food already." Kotori quickly changed the subject. This isn't the end of this, Kotori.

Despite his thoughts, Shidou turned to the blue-haired Spirit who was still standing in the doorway. "Yoshino, you can take a seat wherever you like." She nodded, jumping on a couch and peeking over it at Shidou in the kitchen. The house went silent for a while, with nothing but the sound of Shidou preparing ingredients filling the air. Three eggs in a bowl, whisked together. Oh, gotta make the rice too. Wait, where did I put the dashi-

"Hey, big bro? Questions?" Kotori reminded him impatiently. Oh, right.

"So, Yoshino, you seem really attached to that puppet. Most people would've given up and bought a new one by now. It must be really important to you."

"...yes, that's right. Yoshinon is my friend. My best friend. And my hero."

Shidou turned to look at Yoshino in confusion. "Hero?"

"Oh, yes. She's bold, brave, and confident. Even when she meets someone she can't beat, she won't be afraid. And she's constantly working to protect me. She's everything I'm not, and everything I want to be." Yoshino spoke more clearly than Shidou had ever heard her as she dumped praise on her puppet.

"Wow, that's impressive. But y'know, even if she's all that, you don't need to be like that. Me, I like you just the way you are now."

"!!!" Yoshino blushed and pulled her hood down to cover her face.

"Um, is something wrong?" Shidou asked with concern.

"It's just, no one has ever said that to me before. Thank you. It's nice."

"Wow, smooth. Did you rehearse that line, or did it come naturally to you?" Kotori's smirk was apparent even through the earpiece.

"-but you're wrong." Yoshino uncovered her face and gazed down with an emptiness in her eyes. "Because I'm such a coward, I lost Yoshinon. He was right, after all. I held her back, and how she's gone. It's all my fault…" Tears started forming in her eyes. Shidou rushed from the kitchen without a second thought and embraced her.

"Hey, it's ok. Breathe. Whoever 'he' is, they're wrong. You're not holding anyone back." Shidou let Yoshino sob into his shoulder for a minute, patting her on the back gently. How could anyone say something so heartless to a child as pure as her? "I'm being honest. After all, you've never attacked anyone before. That's something you can be really proud of."

"It's… it's only because I don't like pain, so I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me either. But more than that, I freeze up whenever someone tries to hurt me. If I were more like Yoshinon, she would still be with me!" Yoshino's voice raised for the first time, causing Shidou to stumble back in surprise.

"I- let me be your hero, then! At least until Yoshinon comes back. I'll protect you in her place, and we'll find her together." Shidou said sincerely. I want to protect her, and that wouldn't change, even if she weren't a Spirit. Someone as gentle as Yoshino deserves that much.

Yoshino didn't respond for a long time, but she continued to avoid his gaze, her body quivering unceasingly.

"This is getting hard to watch."

An unfamiliar, yet familiar voice interrupted the two. Both Shidou and Yoshino looked up for the source. Before their eyes, another Spirit appeared on an empty chair, though his posture seemed to indicate that he had been sitting there a while. His purple hair was streaked with white, and his eyes seemed to contain nothing but a deep violet emptiness. He clutched an ominous sheathed sword in one hand and held the other behind his cloak as he slowly stood up and faced the two with an expressionless face.

"Good afternoon, Yoshino," he said impassively. She nodded weakly in response. [IX] then turned his attention to Shidou. A chill went down his spine as he gazed into the desolate void of his eyes. "As for you, I don't believe we've formally met. Hello there. My name is-"

"SHIDOU! I'm so sorry that I-" Tohka burst through the door before freezing, her remorseful expression quickly morphing into an agitated glare as she looked between Shidou and Yoshino before finally settling on [IX]. Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait, it's you!"

"Yep," he agreed. "It's me."