I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

That silver-bell voice seemed to carry some kind of magic within it, making Itsuka Shidou unconsciously turn toward its source.

Standing at the end of the narrow alleyway was a girl so elegant and beautiful she seemed almost like a princess.

Silver hair, shimmering like an aurora fallen from the night sky, a dress of blue and white so exquisitely crafted it seemed made for a grand stage performance, a small cape fluttering from her left shoulder adorned with flawless white flowers, her slim legs wrapped in white patterned stockings, with a small strip of bare thigh between the skirt and stockings gleaming like polished jade.

Staring at her graceful figure, Shidou found himself overcome with an almost irresistible urge to catch a glimpse of her face.

It was instinct— a deep, innate longing in all sentient beings: the pursuit of beauty.

"Oh my, young lady, you've already helped me enough. Let me take care of the rest."

"It's fine, grandmother. This much is nothing for me. After all—I'm the strongest."

Her tone was perfectly calm, as if declaring herself "the strongest" was a simple statement of fact.

In the end, the elderly woman didn't press the matter any further.

From a distance, Shidou watched as the silver-haired, princess-like girl lifted several pots of greenery and followed behind the old woman, gradually disappearing from view.

"Ah—! Found you!"

A high-pitched call growing closer snapped Shidou out of his daze.

He turned to see Yoshino running toward him at a light jog.

"Shidou... -san..."

Yoshino called out to him in a voice as soft as a whisper.

"Geez~, Shidou, Yoshino's been calling for you a bunch of times, you know?"

The rabbit puppet Yoshinon chirped from Yoshino's hand:

"Could it be~ that you spotted a legendary-level beauty over there and got so distracted you didn't even hear her?"

"Oh~ Shidou, you're such a hopeless romantic~."

"I-I wasn't!"

Shidou flushed a deep red, clearly flustered.

And truthfully, even he was a bit surprised.

He had, after all, been living under the same roof with several Spirits— each of them girls whose beauty easily outshone 99% of women worldwide.

After seeing Tohka and the others day in and day out, he had built up a decent resistance to dazzling beauty.

Yet even so— the brief glimpse of that silver-haired girl had left him momentarily spellbound.

It wasn't just her looks.

It was the aura she exuded— something that reminded him of fairies from old fairy tales.

"But... Yoshino, what are you doing around here?"

Gathering his focus, Shidou turned toward Yoshino and asked the question.

Suddenly being put on the spot, Yoshino flinched.

"Uh, well... that is..."

"Honestly, it's your fault, Shidou,"

Yoshinon interrupted, arms crossed dramatically.

"You invited Yoshino over for dinner, but when we arrived, you were nowhere to be found. Yoshino got worried and went out to look for you."

"Y-Yoshinon!"

Mortified at having her real feelings exposed, Yoshino quickly covered Yoshinon's mouth with both hands, causing the puppet to make muffled, drowning noises.

(Wait—how can you even suffocate a hand puppet?)

"I-I see..."

Embarrassed, Shidou instinctively wanted to scratch his cheek— only to realize both his hands were still full of shopping bags.

So instead, he bent down slightly and spoke to Yoshino with a gentle smile:

"Sorry for making you worry, Yoshino... and you too, Yoshinon."

"Thank you."

"Y-yes...!"

Yoshino nodded vigorously, then shyly pulled the brim of her hat down to hide her blushing face.

After that, the boy, the girl, and the rabbit puppet set off toward home together.

At a crosswalk, they paused—the traffic light ahead was still red.

There weren't many cars on the road, but Shidou had no intention of jaywalking.

Especially with well-behaved Yoshino by his side— he didn't want to set a bad example.

Living with Tohka and Yoshino had changed him for the better.

He had grown more disciplined, slowly working to eliminate the bad habits he used to have—

because someone as pure as Tohka would even unknowingly copy those flaws if she saw them.

As Shidou waited at the crosswalk, a faint sound brushed against his ears— a sound so subtle he might have missed it if he hadn't been spacing out.

But somehow, he instinctively raised his head.

As if some unseen voice had whispered to him—

Something's about to happen.

The sound came again.

No one else seemed to notice.

Turning toward it, Shidou saw a large billboard—about three meters wide and five meters long— tipping dangerously to one side.

"Watch out! The billboard's falling!"

Someone in the crowd shouted.

People began looking up— seeing the huge sign listing more and more heavily, as if it might collapse at any moment.

Panic erupted.

People scattered, screaming.

And then— with a deafening crash, the billboard broke free, falling toward the street below.

In the chaos, Shidou saw it clearly— a young girl in a school uniform had tripped and fallen, unable to get out of the way.

Everyone froze.

Some held their breath.

Some covered their eyes.

No one moved to help.

Shidou wanted to run to her.

He knew he had the power of the Spirit Flame within him— even if he was injured, he could heal.

But— he was still just an ordinary human when it came to physical ability.

The billboard was already falling.

There was no way he could reach her in time.

He hesitated for just a moment.

And in that moment—

A silver flash streaked past him.

Like a shooting star.

BOOM!

The billboard crashed to the ground, warping the metal frame and shattering the concrete beneath it into deadly shards.

Anyone caught under it should have been killed instantly.

Anyone would have thought so.

And yet— what the crowd saw next left them utterly stunned.

Under the collapsed sign, the silver-haired girl was standing, holding up the entire billboard with her right hand, while cradling the terrified schoolgirl gently in her left arm.

The young girl, who hadn't felt the expected pain, slowly opened her eyes— and found herself staring into a pair of brilliant golden eyes.

"You're safe. I'm here. You have nothing to fear."

The silver-haired girl's voice was calm, as if she were merely stating a simple, undeniable fact.

With a slight exertion, she pushed the massive sign aside with ease.

"I—uh—you... are you okay? Do you need to go to a hospital?"

The girl stammered, overwhelmed by the surrealness of it all.

"I'm fine," the silver-haired girl replied serenely.

"After all, I'm the strongest. No matter what happens, I'll be alright."

Her golden gaze softened slightly.

"And you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"N-no... Thanks to you."

"I see. I'm glad. If you were injured... it would trouble me greatly."

"U-um..."

The young girl's cheeks flushed deep red, her hands fidgeting nervously at her waist.

"Can I at least... know your name...?"

Before she could finish— the crowd that had scattered earlier now swarmed back.

"So cool!"

"Are they filming a movie?"

"The special effects look so real!"

"Hey, silver-haired girl!"

"Can I be your fan?"

"Can you say something to me?!"

"She's like a real knight—so gallant!"

"Not only gallant, she's also as beautiful as a porcelain doll..."

"Could someone this perfect really exist?"

"That outfit looks so expensive!"

"Where did you get it?"

"I want one too!"

It seemed most people thought Mélusine was part of some elaborate production.

Understandable, really— who would believe a girl could survive being crushed by a giant billboard, let alone lift it with one hand?

Her dress was too elaborate for normal fashion, and her way of speaking was... admittedly a little theatrical.

Just like that— Mélusine became the center of attention.

But—

Only Shidou and Yoshino saw the truth.

"That silver-haired girl..."

Shidou's gaze sharpened slightly.

He recognized her.

She was the same fairy-like girl he had glimpsed in the alleyway earlier.

Shidou wanted to approach her— but by the time he moved, she had already vanished without a trace.

The dim alleyways, the crosswalks lit by neon, the empty playground at the nearby school—

Shidou scanned the surroundings carefully.

But that breathtaking, starlight figure was nowhere to be found.

"Shidou-san..."

Lowering his gaze,

Shidou met Yoshino's worried eyes.

The tension in his chest melted away.

He softened his expression.

"Sorry, Yoshino... I got a little too caught up thinking about that silver-haired girl."

"It's okay!"

Yoshinon chirped.

"After all, she's probably someone like Yoshino and Tohka, right? Of course you'd worry about her~."

"Y-yes..."

Though her voice was small,

Yoshino echoed the sentiment.

Looking at her sweet, earnest face,

Shidou's smile grew even gentler.

"Alright, let's go home."

"We'll need to report this to Kotori."

He glanced once more at the twisted remains of the fallen billboard.

Home wasn't far now.

Taking Yoshino's hand,

Shidou resumed their walk back.

Only—

Something feels... off.

Holding Yoshino's hand, Itsuka Shidou absentmindedly rubbed his chin with the other.

There was a vague sense of wrongness gnawing at him— but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite grasp what it was.

It wasn't until he arrived home, opened the door, and was immediately greeted by a near-rampaging Yatogami Tohka, that it hit him.

"Shidou! Where's dinner?!"

"...Crap!"

He had originally gone out because they were out of ingredients— and somehow he'd completely forgotten to bring the groceries back!

---

The blood-red evening sunset stretched their shadows long across the ground.

Mélusine, cradling a large crate of beer, walked into a small shop.

"Kondou-san, I've put the beer here."

She stacked the crates neatly, her breathing still perfectly calm.

"Is there anything else you need moved?"

The man she called "Kondou-san" shook his head.

"Nope, that was the last one... Thanks a lot, Lancelot."

"I see?"

Mélusine tilted her head slightly.

"Then... is there anything else I can help with?"

"No, no, you've already helped us way more than enough," Kondou-san said quickly, waving his hands.

"This shop belongs to me and my wife—you're doing too much already."

"Mmm... that's true."

Mélusine frowned lightly.

"After all, I shouldn't be helping you too much either. If I made you dependent, that would be my fault."

At that moment, a lively voice rang out.

"Little Lan~!"

Before Mélusine could react, she found herself scooped up into someone's arms—

her head pressed against something wonderfully soft behind her.

"...Kondou-san's wife. I believe I have corrected you before. My name is Lancelot, not Little Lan."

"What's the difference?"

The woman hugged Mélusine even tighter, laughing happily.

"Isn't Little Lan way cuter than Lancelot?"

Still holding her tightly, she continued brightly:

"Besides, didn't I tell you? Don't call me Kondou-san's wife! You're so adorable, Little Lan—you should just call me Onee-chan!"

Held like a doll in her arms,

Mélusine turned her head slightly, casting a silent look toward Kondou-san behind the counter.

He simply shrugged helplessly, as if to say there's nothing I can do.

"...Do you have business with me, Kondou-san's wife?"

In the end, Mélusine still refused to use the term "Onee-chan."

"Mmm... You're so cute, but your reactions are so boring, Little Lan."

Sighing dramatically, she finally set Mélusine back down— then reached out and pinched her cheeks.

It had to be said— the sensation was absolutely top-tier.

---

T/N: whjoop whoop idk if i get names right im a filthy casual