I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

"Hello." Only a single word — yet that minimalist, reserved greeting somehow carried an undeniable, knightly charm. "So cool!" "She's just l

"Hello."

Only a single word — yet that minimalist, reserved greeting somehow carried an undeniable, knightly charm.

"So cool!"

"She's just like a real knight!"

The spirit girls' eyes lit up one by one, and they quickly began introducing themselves.

"My name is Tohka! Yatogami Tohka!"

"Shidou gave me this name!"

"Yoshino..."

"I'm Yoshinon!"

"This adorable little bunny here is Yoshino!"

"Nice to meet you, cool knight girl!"

"Oh, but be careful — don't fall for Yoshino's world-class cuteness and try to steal her away~."

"I am the Dancer of the Wind!"

"The Spirit who bears the name of the whirlwind — Yamai Kaguya!"

"Gaze upon me with the reverence I deserve!"

"Same here."

"The name's Yamai Yuzuru."

Each of their introductions showcased their distinct personalities instantly.

Melusine nodded slightly and said in her usual calm tone:

"His Majesty bestowed upon me the name Lancelot."

"You may call me by that name."

"Lancelot?"

The spirits tilted their heads in unison, puzzled.

Compared to names like Yatogami Tohka, Yoshino, and even Kotori, "Lancelot" — a Western name — definitely stood out.

And more importantly—

"His Majesty?"

"Are you really a knight who serves some emperor or king?"

Yamai Kaguya's eyes sparkled as she leapt forward.

"So cool—!"

"Ahem, what I mean is,"

"I, the Queen of the Winds, naturally find your 'His Majesty' quite intriguing!"

"Surprised: I didn't think anyone else on this planet could actually match Kaguya's delusions.

Yuzuru thought no second case of such severe illness existed."

"What did you say, Yuzuru?!"

Kaguya stomped her foot in indignation.

It seemed the Yamai sisters had completely taken Melusine's words as harmless chuunibyou rambling.

"Hmm..."

Melusine thought for a moment — and then simply gave up explaining.

Too much trouble.

If they want to think it's chuunibyou, so be it.

"Even though it's a bit late..."

Kaguya declared grandly, raising one hand high,

"Since we have a new companion, let's prepare a room for her!"

The other girls quickly voiced their agreement.

However, Melusine had no intention of accepting their kindness.

"Sorry," she said flatly.

"I have no plans to live here."

A collection of shocked gazes fell on her — but Melusine remained utterly unaffected.

"Uh..."

Yoshinon, the bunny puppet, asked hesitantly:

"Did Kotori and the others arrange a different place for you?"

"No."

Melusine shook her head.

"It's simply that I have no need for sleep."

"Besides... I don't plan on joining your group yet."

"In other words, I'm not your companion — not officially."

"Sorry for letting you down," she added dispassionately.

Kaguya immediately turned toward Shidou, flustered.

"What's going on, Shidou?!"

Yuzuru frowned slightly at Melusine.

"Confused: Weren't you already sealed by Shidou?"

"Why say you're not a companion?"

"Hmm... I see."

Melusine stroked her chin lightly, her tone unchanging.

"Because you can't sense any spirit energy from me, you assumed I've been sealed?"

"This is a misunderstanding I must correct."

"I have not been sealed."

"The reason you can't sense my spirit energy is because I've hidden it myself."

"Otherwise, my movements in this world would become far more troublesome."

After all, even though she wasn't afraid of AST or DEM, drawing unnecessary attention from official organizations would only complicate things.

Unless she intended to cut herself off from human society entirely, it was better to stay inconspicuous.

"You really won't stay here, Lancelot?"

Shidou looked at her earnestly.

"Everyone really likes you, you know."

Even Tohka made a startling offer:

"If you stay, I'll even share my kinako bread with you!"

Emmm...

Only those who truly knew Tohka would understand just how significant that offer was.

Even Yoshino came forward timidly and tugged gently on the edge of Melusine's cloak, her eyes shimmering with watery innocence.

It would take someone truly heartless to say no to that gaze.

"...If you insist, then at least keep a room for me."

Melusine said softly.

"Although,"

"I probably won't come often."

"I have no need for sleep, after all."

Leaving those words behind, she turned and walked away without a backward glance.

They watched her retreating figure.

At the next corner, her form would disappear from view.

Gritting his teeth, Shidou summoned his courage and shouted:

"Won't you stay for a meal, at least?!"

"...No."

Leaving the building where Shidou and the others lived, Melusine glanced back one last time at the floor they were on.

"Hmm... Looks like the Yamai twins have already been conquered."

Visiting Shidou's "stronghold" had given Melusine a rough idea of the current progress of the story.

Of course, it was only a reference.

Who could say how much chaos her own existence had already introduced?

For all I know, she mused dryly, Phantom Beasts might swoop down any second trying to squash me like a bug.

Now alone again, Melusine felt a bit more relaxed.

For example—

that constant sense of being watched that she had felt while walking beside Shidou had lessened noticeably.

And she wasn't talking about the surveillance from Fraxinus.

That was still locked onto her even now.

No — she meant a different presence.

"Hmm... Could it be Master Origami?"

Melusine judged the odds to be quite high.

After she had left Itsuka Shidou's residence, she could still feel that gaze following her for a while before it eventually shifted away.

"Come to think of it, when I followed Shidou into the building earlier, that person's surveillance disappeared..."

"Looks like Ratatoskr really has set up some kind of protection measures around those apartments — to block off Master Origami's spying."

With her hands clasped behind her back, Melusine strolled casually under the streetlights, her shadow stretching long across the pavement.

"Hmm... It's late, but I wonder if anyone still needs help?"

"Well, let's just wander for a bit...""

"'You' and I, our time together —

"I'm already looking forward to it!"

"As long as 'you' are with me,"

"even in this cold, lightless night,

"I can still feel endless warmth."

"After all, this is the world of Date A Live, isn't it?

"So of course, 'you' and I have to experience the greatest date in the world together."

Gone was the cold detachment from her voice.

In its place, only the sweetness and happiness thick as honey.

"Our date, just the two of us —"

"it must let 'you' feel the heat,"

"the affection beating in my heart."

Everything Melusine experienced in this world —

she treated it as a date between [Melusine] and [Fenghuang].

Two hearts drawing closer than ever before, the joy overflowing ceaselessly from the Spirit Origin that was [Melusine] herself.

The night was still long.

...

School bullying — an everyday occurrence.

Melusine had heard that the worst cases happened in places like Australia and Korea, though she wasn't sure if that was true — she had never really visited those places.

Back in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, she had already encountered school bullying several times — even cursed spirits born from such bullying.

Honestly, that world was pure chaos.

And now, once again —

Melusine found herself confronting bullying tonight.

"So... what should I do about this?"

Kneeling like a knight, she tended carefully to the unconscious girl slumped in a heap beside a trash pile.

When Melusine had arrived, the girl had already been beaten unconscious by three bullies.

One of the bullies had a bruised face too —

seemed this girl wasn't completely helpless, at least managed to land a few hits herself.

Melusine confirmed it was bullying by peeking briefly into the girl's memories.

"Glue smeared on her chair, scribbles all over her desk, worms shoved into her backpack, water dumped on her while using the bathroom, garbage stuffed into her shoe locker..."

"Hmph."

"Such childish pranks."

For someone who had fought in the Holy Grail War in Romania, slain gods in other worlds, and traveled alongside a Hero for ten years in Chaldea — honestly, this level of cruelty seemed downright petty to her.

Melusine also found out the reason this girl had been targeted.

"Her father was a prominent official— someone highly respected by her classmates, and because she was beautiful and kind, she became extremely popular at school."

"But recently, her father was framed by a rival political faction and imprisoned."

"The very classmates who used to flatter her turned overnight, calling her the 'criminal's daughter' and began harassing and bullying her."

That was what Melusine saw in the girl's memories.

In truth, the girl's father, judging from her memories, was a genuinely good official —

rare enough to be an endangered species.

The girl adored her father deeply — and the bully she had punched earlier had insulted her father, triggering her desperate retaliation.

"If your memories are true, then honestly... they should release your father."

"This world could use more officials like him."

Melusine finished healing her physical injuries.

As for the psychological trauma —

the scars left by prolonged bullying —

there wasn't much she could do.

As the ancients said: "Heart wounds must be healed by heart medicine."

Standing up, Melusine suddenly turned her gaze toward a distant direction.

"...I don't actually dislike that kind of stubbornness."

She murmured.

"Wanting to save someone precious — without at least this much tenacity, I would have no respect for you."

"After all... in that respect, you and I are very much alike."

With those words —

Melusine vanished from the spot.

---

Elsewhere, Itsuka Shidou was racing toward Melusine's last known location, following directions from Fraxinus.

Since Melusine was either helping people or on her way to help people, and she wasn't even trying to hide her movements, Fraxinus had no trouble tracking her.

In order to boost his chances, Kotori and the others had arranged an endless series of "coincidental encounters" between Shidou and Melusine.

Emmm...

Did they seriously think Melusine couldn't tell?

She's not Yatogami Tohka, you know.

Who the heck runs into the same person five times a day, every single day?

And you've got five other spirit girls at home waiting for you, Shidou! You're just gonna leave them all hanging?!

"Wait! Shidou!"

Kotori's panicked voice came through the earpiece.

"Meteor's signal — it's suddenly disappeared!"

Upon losing track of Melusine, Kotori immediately ordered her crew to scan for her again.

And then—

"Commander! We've found Meteor's spirit energy signature!"

"Good! Where?!"

"...Ahead of Itsuka Shidou!"

Right as they spoke, Shidou had already stopped moving —

standing frozen, staring wide-eyed at the figure who had appeared right in front of him.

Their gazes locked — molten-gold eyes meeting his.

Shidou's heart began to pound harder.

Not from excitement — but sheer nervousness.

"You again, Shidou."

Melusine's eyes were cold, her voice utterly calm — almost terrifyingly so.

"Lancelot..."

"Hold on! Shidou!"

"Let us handle this from Ratatoskr's side!"

In Fraxinus, the crew scrambled into action.

When supporting Shidou in capturing a Spirit's affection, their system would usually generate three dialogue options — just like a galgame.

Then, the self-proclaimed "Love Experts" on board would vote on which response Shidou should choose.

The lineup included:

— Kawagoe, who had married and divorced five times: [Premature Relationship Fatigue]

— Senbon, the nightclub heartthrob: [CEO]

— Shiizaki, the woman whose rivals suffered "unfortunate accidents": [Strawman]

— Nakatsugawa, the man with 100 wives: [Dimensional Drifter]

— Minowa, forbidden by law from approaching his beloved within 500 meters: [Restraining Order]

Emmm...

Truly, an elite roster.

Without them, Shidou's conquest journeys would probably have been much smoother — but then again, without chaos, there would be no drama... and no fun for the audience either.

"Options generated! All units — vote now!"

Kotori puffed up her chest, rallying the team...

(Not that there was much chest to puff.)

And then—

"Ah, by the way, Shidou,"

Melusine said suddenly, her voice slicing through the tension.

"I forgot to mention it last time:"

"I can hear everything that's said through your earpiece."

The room aboard Fraxinus went dead silent.

"W-what are you talking about, Lancelot?"

"Though I don't know exactly what you mean by 'options,'"

"I will say this — I want to converse with you, Itsuka Shidou, directly."

"If your responses are just parroting someone else's instructions — then there's no point in continuing our conversation."

The moment Melusine uttered the word "options," even the most self-deluded person aboard Fraxinus had to admit — she wasn't bluffing.

She really had heard everything.