Reincarnated as Itsuka Shido: Collecting Spirits as Lovers

Reine listened silently, her expression as impassive as ever, absorbing his explanation with a faint nod. Once he finished, she exhaled softly.

"This is more troublesome than I thought." she remarked, her tone as unflappable as always.

"You tell me." Shido shrugged, letting out an uneasy chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head.

Reine's sharp gaze seemed to pierce through him, causing him to straighten slightly. "Then... are you aware of your ability to seal Spirits?"

Shido hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Yeah. Kissing seals their powers, right? Kind of… an odd ability, don't you think?"

His mind flickered to the kiss they had just shared.

A vivid and embarrassing memory that refused to leave him alone.

Reine's eyebrow twitched faintly as she immediately caught onto his thoughts.

Her expression remained flat, but her voice took on an icy edge. "Don't think about that."

Shido stiffened at her reprimand.

"I won't." He laughed sheepishly while scratching his cheeks.

Reine sighed, shaking her head slightly. "That odd ability of yours..." she said pointedly, "Sealed my powers just now." Her flat tone gave her words a sense of helplessness.

"I'm powerless at the moment."

Her calm delivery did little to hide the gravity of the situation.

Shido winced slightly, scratching the back of his neck again.

"R-Right. Sorry about that..."

"I can unseal your powers anytime, Reine-san."

"In the meantime, when you're without your Reiryoku... I'll protect you."

Reine's gaze flickered with a hint of something unreadable as her flat expression softened ever so slightly. His determined yet sincere expression stirred a memory deep within her. 

A certain someone from a distant past. She sighed quietly, her shoulders relaxing as if resigned to the thought. But looking at Shido again, seeing how ready he was to take responsibility for her, a rare glimmer of amusement appeared in her eyes.

"Fine..." she replied, her lips curving faintly. "I'll leave it to you for now."

Shido was glad by her reply. Frankly, he was worried that she might hate him for sealing her Reiryoku but now, all those worries was now replaced by relief.

Still, Reine sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose. "And you don't even seem that fazed."

"It's… not exactly my first weird encounter." he admitted, trying for a lighthearted grin that came off as slightly sheepish.

She tilted her head, regarding him with mild curiosity. "In your inner world, you transformed into a spirit." she said.

"That form of yours, if you can maintain it, you might have a chance of catching up to the First Spirit or even surpassing her."

The name rang in his mind like a bell.

'Takamiya Mio'.

Shido's calm expression didn't waver, but internally, he couldn't help thinking. 'Aren't you her doppelganger?'

Instead, he replied with a shrug, "That's one hell of a benchmark."

"It is." Reine agreed, her tone neutral, but there was a weight behind her words.

After a short pause, she continued, "What happened today needs to stay between us. No one else can know especially Kotori."

Shido's mind faltered for a moment, but he quickly masked his reaction. Playing dumb, he raised an eyebrow.

"Kotori? What does she have to do with this?" He leaned forward slightly, his curiosity a mix of genuine confusion and tactical diversion.

"And how do you even know her?"

Reine's gaze shifted toward him, her expression impassive.

"You'll find out soon enough." she said, her voice carrying a trace of finality that brooked no argument.

Shido let the moment hang, deciding to let it go for now. He nodded, his voice steady as he replied, "Alright I promise not to reveal what happened between us."

"Hmm? Why does your words seems weird."

"Haha... That's just your imagination."

Shido just laugh making Reine even more confused.

For the briefest moment, Reine's lips almost twitched into what might have been the beginning of a smile. Or maybe he imagined it.

"Good." she said simply.

"And also, try to avoid kissing more Spirits unintentionally. It's not as easy to solve as you might think."

Shido chuckled awkwardly, his composure faltering ever so slightly as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… noted."

Her faint smile surfaced, lasting barely a heartbeat before disappearing. "Let's hope you actually remember."

He cleared his throat, his expression returning to his calm but mildly awkward demeanor. After a moment, he decided to address something that had been on his mind. "So, uh… what should I call you from now on?"

Reine, who was ready to stand up, glanced at him with her usual unreadable expression. "Reine is fine." she said plainly.

Shido nodded thoughtfully, a small smile curving his lips. "Alright, Reine-san it is. You can just call me Shido."

Reine tilted her head slightly, almost as if testing the feel of his name on her tongue. "Shido..." she murmured softly.

"I'll just call you Shin, is that okay?"

"Shin? Well, okay. I don't mind."

She then nodded her voice carrying a rare, faint warmth, "Nice to meet you, Shin."

A smile spread across Shido's face as he replied, "Nice to meet you too, Reine-san."

For just a second, the room's tension lightened, a brief reprieve in the weight of their conversation, leaving Shido with both answers and questions still lingering unspoken.

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Sorry this chapter is short.