Shoujo Grand Summoning

"Ugh…"

The teenager's slender arm held a high school girl by her neck. Tobiichi Origami couldn't get out of her vice-like grip. Squirming just made the pain all the more mind-numbing. She's red as a tomato.

Her vision blurred as she suffered from oxygen deprivation. Even so, she still glared at Kotori. She looks like she's going to bite a chunk of meat off Kotori's face should she be given the chance to do so.

Kotori frowned at this sight.

This is abnormal even for Tobiichi Origami's standard.

She knew Tobiichi Origami since she's in the same class as her sister and brother.

Tobiichi Origami is a weird girl. She's also very distant when interacting with other classmates. Joining the AST is just a means to kill spirits for her. She didn't join AST out of a heart of justice or a desire to preserve world peace…

Tobiichi Origami hated spirits to the core.

Kotori got annoyed when she recalled Tobiichi Origami's background. She strengthened her grip. Tobiichi Origami started groaning.

Yoshino and Tohka didn't take any action because they haven't processed the series of events. Wu Yan sighed after taking a quick look at Tobiichi Origami.

He knew this was going to happen when Tobiichi Origami went for Kotori.

Wu Yan made a mistake. He shouldn't have told Kotori to use her Astral dress since Tobiichi Origami hated spirits, especially Kotori.

Blowing Kotori's cover would have been a better option than letting Origami see Kotori's Astral form. Though she might look like Efreet, if there are no Reiryoku signatures, Tobiichi Origami can't target as a spirit.

This is troubling, Wu Yan felt like it wasn't worth it to tell Kotori to turn her Astral mode on.

He glanced at Kurumi who kept the other AST members busy.

"Kotori, release her…"

Kotori flinched. She nodded before tossing Origami away.

Cough cough

Origami steadied herself, her boosters stopped her from crashing into the ground. Still coughing, she glared at Kotori, she made her seething hatred known.

"Cough… I am going to kill you… Efreet, I will kill you…"

Tobiichi Origami swore as she said something that unsettled Kotori. Her flames jolted as if hinting at her anxiety.

It's clear the girl really hated her guts.

Why though?

Is it because she's a spirit?

No, Tobiichi Origami already faced spirits on multiple occasions.

She didn't behave like this despite her recklessness in all previous encounters.

There has to be another reason.

Kotori's confusion got replaced by a frosty attitude.

"You know me?"

Kotori shook her head.

"No, do you know Efreet?"

"Know you? Do I know you?!"

Laughing out of anger, she scowled.

"Oh… I know you. I know you!"

Origami tore off her doll-like calmness. She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"How can I forget the visage of my parents' killer?!"

Kotori's cool look dissipated, her eyes also trembled.

"What did you say?"

Kotori's voice started shaking. Terror filled her inner mind.

"You said… I… killed your parents?"

"Yeah, it's you! Efreet the flame spirit! You started a great fire in Tengu city five years ago. You killed my parents!"

Origami roared despite her pale expression. There is only hate in that voice of hers.

Kotori also turned as pale as a ghost.

A great fire five years ago?

Is that from when she first got her Spirit powers? The first time she unleashed her powers as a spirit?

Is it possible that she accidentally killed her parents?

Kotori's fear started taking over her mind, her heart throbbed in dread.

Before meeting Wu Yan, she's a volatile spirit that can turn into a rampaging spirit when her Reiryoku goes out of control.

Five years ago, it is highly possible she did kill people with her flame powers.

"Just because she's a spirit of flames, that makes her the killer?"

The tone wasn't particularly low, however, that sentence still sent a chill through Origami's core. Next, a heat wave struck them, the area immediately rose in temperature.

"If that's the case then I might be your parents' killer too…"

She looked at the source of the sound in a stunned daze.

The flames he summoned engulfed Wu Yan in a baptism of scarlet flames. His deep red eyes reflected Origami's pitiful reflection. Tobiichi Origami froze up…

"Two spirits of flames?…"

Origami saw the pity and sympathy in Wu Yan's eyes. She couldn't believe someone gave her that look, she backed away only to steel her resolve up again.

"I will kill you both…"

"Both of us?"

Wu Yan chortled.

"Think you can do it?"

"I must!"

Origami raised her cannon once more.

"Die!"

"Laughable…"

Origami only saw a blurry figure sneaking past her aim. He pressed down her cannon. Looking into her eyes, he started scolding her.

"If you can kill spirits with just hate then the world wouldn't need AST."

Wu Yan disarmed her, he tossed the cannon far away.

Origami got thrown too.

When she steadied herself, Wu Yan and Kotori are already gone. Tohka and Yoshino also disappeared. Kurumi who held the AST back also vanished.

Wu Yan left her a final message.

"I don't care if you believe me or not, Kotori isn't the killer. It's someone else…"

Tobiichi Origami looked around in shock, she couldn't find Wu Yan no matter how hard she looked.

Ryouko came to her with the other AST members. Origami gnashed her teeth while clenching her fists.

"Itsuka Shido…"