Tale of Discovery

"That's already the hundredth time you have missed," I whisper into Kotori's ear as I tighten my hold on her thin waist.

"It's because of you!" she complains as her body fidgets slightly.

Hearing her words, I chuckle a little and say, "How is it my fault? You're the one aiming, no?"

This time, Kotori doesn't say anything as a response as she simply grits her teeth and tries her best to accurately point the gun's muzzle at the enemies displayed on the screen.

"Do you enjoy teasing me so much?" Kotori complains in a low tone as she uses her left hand to lower my arm away from her modest breasts back to her waist.

"Yes," I bluntly respond as I move my face closer to hers before giving her a quick peck on her soft cheek.

My actions cause her body to flinch, which accordingly results in her missing yet another monster on the screen.

"Looks like we're going to be very busy tonight," I say teasingly.

---

Exiting the arcade alongside Kotori, I glimpse at the darkened sky stretching my arms upward.

"How are we going back?" Kotori asks.

"We're going to fly through the air," I respond nonchalantly.

Due to my suspicion regarding Dominion having increased recently, I have begun refraining from using teleportation.

As such, in order to arrive in the arcade, we had the Fraxinus 'drop' us off nearby.

Now, however, I feel like spending some more time with Kotori, so I decided it would be better to fly through the night sky instead of having the vessel pick us up and drop us off elsewhere.

"Are you sure?" Kotori questions in a dubious tone.

"Why not?" I ask back, "It's not like being spotted would make much of a difference, considering what most conversation topics nowadays consists of."

By saying this, I am reminding Kotori of the recent 'blunder' that was the result of the two flying vessels combating so close to the city.

A lot of questions have been raised by the citizens which the government is having a hard time answering.

From the looks of things, it won't be long before the matter blows up internationally.

Either way, this won't affect me as much as it will the organizations all over the globe which specialize in hunting down spirits.

Truly, a mess.

"If anything," I continue from my earlier words, "Being seen would cause more issues for the organizations after me."

"That includes Ratatoskr too, you know?!" Kotori rebukes.

To this, I simply shrug before taking a step forth and floating into the air after taking a quick look around for pedestrians.

Following this, I point my finger at Kotori and telekinetically lift her off the ground and pull her toward myself.

Perhaps already used to my actions being abrupt and uncalled-for, Kotori doesn't react to the sudden movement much as she simply lets me wrap my arms around her.

"Hold on tight," I whisper before shooting toward the sky at a brisk speed.

---3rd POV---

"It's done," a black-haired man sitting in front of a computer screen proclaims as he leans back against his chair.

"The results?" a white-haired woman quickly questions as she approaches the desk with her sight directed at the monitor.

"As expected, there is nothing about her that stands out from the rest..." the man responds with an uncertain look on his face.

Hearing this, the woman, who is none other than Reine, frowns a little as she mutters, "That's not possible."

"How accurate are the results?" she inquires after a minute of deliberation.

"Not very much," the man responds, "We can't make any comparisons as we don't have any other data to compare these to."

Reine opens her mouth to say something, but before she can do so, a beeping noise emanates from the computer in front of the man as a warning appears within a red rectangle.

Remaining calm, the man clicks his mouse a few times before typing a few lines in through the keyboard while announcing, "She has woken up."

"I see," Reine responds, "Contact the commander."

"Understood."

---1st POV---

While sitting at the dining table with the rest of the girls, I notice Kotori's expression change suddenly.

Having also heard the words coming from the intercom she has equipped, I make haste in finishing my portion of dinner.

Kotori notices this and I assume also figures out the reason behind it as she also begins to eat a little faster.

A few minutes later, the two of us rise up from our seats at the same time, earning us curious looks from the rest, but we ignore them and both head toward the stairs.

Once the two of us reach my room, Kotori immediately presses her finger against the intercom before saying, "For how long has she been awake?"

"Since half an hour ago," comes a response, "For now, we are keeping track of her emotional state."

"Good," Kotori utters before lowering her hand focusing her gaze on me.

"What?"

"You heard it, didn't you? That girl that you found there and brought over to the ship has woken up."

"I assume there have been no issues so far?" I inquire.

"Indeed," she responds with a thoughtful look on her face, "If that were the case, they would have reported it to me right away."

"Alright, alright," I say, "So, what now? Should we head over to the Fraxinus?"

"Of course," Kotori responds as she gives me a 'what else is there to do' look.

"In that case, the location of the ship…" I say as my voice trails off, knowing that Kotori understands what I'm implying.

"Can't you 'teleport' there like usual?" she asks with an uncertain expression.

"Not anymore," I respond with a shrug, "My current circumstances prevent me from using that ability."

"What do you mean?" she questions as she narrows her eyes.

"Don't think of it too much," I say as I move a few steps closer to her and wrap my arms around her waist, "For now, let's settle the matter with the girl before returning home and going through with your 'punishment'."

Hearing my words, the lass whose face had already been a little reddened the moment I moved closer, gets even more flushed.

Seeing her like this, I chuckle a little before moving my face closer to her and giving her a mild peck on the lips.

Following this, I abruptly lift her and turn her body to the side while sliding my hand from her waist to her legs, so that she is lying within my arms in a princess-carry.

"Ready?" I ask as I look into Kotori's eyes.

"Just go already," she utters as she turns her face away from me.

To this, I chuckle once more before gradually floating up and utilizing Permeation to pass through the roof.

---

"Finally," Kotori mutters as I set her down once we're aboard the Fraxinus.

Currently, the two of us are in a room which I had entered from the outside through the usage of Permeation.

The room seems to be a storage room of sorts, albeit one that is different from what would usually come to one's mind when thinking of normal storage rooms.

Indeed, the storage we're in right now is one that holds quite a range of weaponry and other equipment.

Expectedly, they all have the 'futuristic' vibe to them similar to most other equipment I have laid eyes on during my stay in this Platform.

Soon, my interest in the room wanes away as I notice that Kotori is shivering.

"What's wrong? Do you feel cold?" I question while pressing myself against her back and wrapping my arms around her as I take her hands into mine.

"Of course, I will, you idiot!" she responds in a blaming tone, "You were flying at such a speed at this time. It would be weird if I didn't feel cold!"

"Come on, now," I say as I roll my eyes, "Your body is capable of producing flames, so can't you just 'deal' with the cold?"

"Easier said than done," she responds as she pouts, "I can't use my powers however I wish."

"What do you mean?" I say, "Actually, how about you try to use them right now in front of me?"

As a response to this, Kotori shakes my arms away before taking a few steps forth and turning around to face me.

"See?" she says as she extends her right arm, after which a small ball of a flame appears on her hand.

"Eh?" a bewildered voice escapes from Kotori's lips as her eyes widen.

"How…?" she mutters with confusion apparent within her eyes.

"Right," I say as I scratch the back of my head, "I had forgotten to tell you this, but I can allow those who have been sealed by me to use their powers according to how I will it."

Nevertheless, this just now confirms something that had been plaguing my mind before – Kotori's powers have been sealed by me.

However, what about before the happenings of that night, during which she burned her bed-sheet? Was she sealed before then? If so, by what or whom?

Or was it unnecessary?

Either way, it's good now that I have confirmed there is a 'connection' between us.

"Are you sure?" Kotori suddenly says in a baffled tone, "Since when did you know this?"

"Quite some time ago," I respond with a small smile plastered to my lips.

"And the reason you didn't tell us this earlier?" she continues as she frowns.

"Well," I say, "As I said, I forgot."

"You expect me to believe that?" she rebukes.

"Believe whatever you will," I say nonchalantly, "Come on, let's not waste any more time and head over to where the rest are."

Having said, I walk past Kotori who seems to have many more question she would like to ask, and phase through the door that has been sealed shut.

Taking a glance at the door, I shake my head slowly before beginning to walk through the corridor toward the control room.

Surely, as the commander, she can get that door to open one way or another…

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