"Are you okay, Mana?!" Kusakabe called out as she descended from the sky, followed closely by Origami and the other AST members. Without hesitation, she moved to support Mana, who was visibly exhausted.
"I'm fine... just a little drained," Mana replied between breaths, trying to steady herself.
Kusakabe let out a sigh, shaking her head. "That's exactly why I keep telling you, we need to work as a team. Charging in alone like that is reckless." She gave Mana a light tap on the head, her tone both scolding and concerned.
"Ow!" Mana winced, rubbing the spot where she was hit before looking up at Kusakabe with a pitiful expression.
Kusakabe crossed her arms. "Do you understand now?"
Mana pouted slightly but nodded. "...Yes."
However, as Mana nodded in agreement, her gaze unconsciously drifted to the spot where Shido had disappeared. Even though he was supposed to be an enemy, she couldn't shake the strange throbbing in her chest. But she shook her head and blame it on his name since it was the same as her brother.
As Kusakabe observed Mana's reluctant agreement, she couldn't help but marvel at how someone so young had become so powerful, powerful enough to kill a Spirit. The thought lingered in her mind, but she quickly set it aside as she focused on wrapping up the situation.
When everything was done, Kusakabe contacted headquarters to report the encounter and assess the damage. Fortunately, the only significant destruction resulted from the clash between Mana's cannon and Shido's barrier, something that could be repaired within minutes.
With that Kusakabe's gaze shifted back to Mana, who was now engaged in a casual conversation with Origami. She had now a smile on her face unlike when she fought with Shido earlier. Even Origami's expression softened when talking to Mana.
Though Kusakabe was curious about their conversation, she decided not to pry. Judging by their expressions, it was something personal, something that, for now, she had no need to interfere with.
Kusakabe then turned her attention to the spot where Shido and Kurumi disappeared. Truthfully, she was confused about what happened earlier. When that male Spirit first appeared, Kusakabe and her team saw that he was fighting with Nightmare but now they were together and they seemed rather close and even intimate.
A sudden thought crossed her mind, stunning her. 'Wait… was that just a lovers' quarrel? Did they fight, make up, and now they're back together?'
The sheer ridiculousness of the idea made her shake her head. 'Do Spirits even fall in love like humans do?'
The thought was absurd, yet the way Kurumi clung to Shido, the way he had shielded her, it certainly looked like something out of a romantic drama.
Kusakabe sighed and dismissed the thought, chalking it up to fatigue messing with her reasoning. Yet, if Shido knew what was going on in her mind, he would be absolutely speechless. Her imagination truly was huge… as huge as her, ahem… never mind.
After ensuring her team was handling the minor damages, Kusakabe gave the order to return to headquarters.
Meanwhile, Origami and Mana were engaged in conversation, their topic revolving around Shido who had just left the battlefield.
Mana, brimming with excitement, eagerly asked Origami for Shido's address, excited to meet him and learn more about his life.
Origami initially considered giving it to her but hesitated. After a brief moment of thought, she decided otherwise. Instead, she calmly offered, "I'll take you there myself."
Mana's face lit up with joy. Without a second thought, she threw her arms around Origami in a grateful hug.
"You're really nice, Onee-sama" Mana said, smiling warmly.
Mana just smiled and felt happy. She hugged Origami tightly as she felt that her brother's girlfriend was really nice.
However, what Mana didn't expect was that Origami had an ulterior motive herself.
As for why Mana was in Tengu City staying in the AST headquarters. It was because the higher ups of AST wanted the AST operatives to gain firsthand experience from a Wizard who had successfully slain a Spirit.
To facilitate this, Kusakabe organized a mock battle between Mana and the entire AST squad. As expected, Mana dominated the fight, effortlessly taking down the opposing Wizards one by one. In the end, only Mana and Origami remained, leading to an intense one-on-one duel.
However, before a decisive winner could be determined, the timer rang, declaring Mana the victor.
Back at the AST base, Mana and Kusakabe was standing in front of the Wizards of AST including Origami who sitting in the front.
"Once again, I'm 2nd Lieutenant Takamiya Mana. Nice to meet you all!" Mana introduced herself enthusiastically, her voice full of energy.
"Yes, good job," Kusakabe replied, though her tone carried a hint of exasperation.
Without warning, she raised the board she was holding and lightly knocked Mana on the head.
"Ow!" Mana flinched, rubbing the spot where she was hit.
But Kusakabe wasn't done. She then walked over to Origami and did the same. Unlike Mana, however, Origami didn't even react and just maintained her expressionless face.
"What are you two doing, destroying precious equipment during a training exercise?" Kusakabe questioned, her voice laced with disappointment.
"I'm sorry" 2x
The two replied in unison.
However, their faces showed anything but remorse, causing Kusakabe to sigh heavily. She had thought one troublemaker was bad enough, but now she had two.
"That's the ground force's top ace?"
"She's so young."
Whispers filled the room as the AST members exchanged glances, showing their surprise towards Mana's young age.
"Just be careful from now on." Kusakabe rubbed her head feeling that she might get old faster if she thought of more problems.
After calming herself, she said "I'm going to show you the footage of 'Lancelot's' fight with the DEM's Wizard, you can sit anywhere you want."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Mana responded promptly before making her way toward Origami, taking the seat beside her without hesitation.
Hearing that codename, Origami felt a flicker of amusement.
"Lancelot, huh?"
As for who Lancelot was, it was obviously Shido. That was the codename assigned to him after he had faced off against Jessica and her squad, utilizing his Spirit Integration with Tohka's Spirit Power.