Inside the Ratatoskr command center, blue indicator lights criss‑crossed in the darkness, their glow reflecting off the tense faces of everyone present.

"I am a person from another world."

Rei Ao's calm statement detonated in the once‑quiet control room like a nuclear warhead.

In that instant—

All sound vanished, leaving only a suffocating silence.

Itsuka Kotori's eyes flew wide open, her whole face frozen in disbelief.

A strange tension flooded the air; even breathing felt dangerous.

With a sharp scrape of chair legs, Kotori sprang to her feet.

Shock and vigilance burned in her crimson eyes as she stared hard at Rei Ao, trying to see straight through him.

"?????"

Her lips moved, yet only a handful of baffled syllables escaped.

As Ratatoskr's commander, she had witnessed plenty of impossible things.

But a man who suddenly appeared claiming to hail from another world still shook her to the core.

Almost instinctively, she touched the ribbon hidden in her pocket—the item that let her shift into combat mode.

Yet, more than Rei Ao's identity, there was someone she cared about even more: Murasame Reine, standing right beside him.

"Reine is my analyst—how could she possibly be—"

Kotori's voice rose on its own, tinged with panic and denial.

In Kotori's mind, Murasame Reine was the person she trusted most:

For years Reine had stayed by her side, offering the most professional advice and the warmest support;

Whenever Kotori was swamped with Spirit‑related disasters, Reine always pressed a cup of hot black tea into her hands;

Whenever she doubted her decisions, it was Reine's calm voice that restored her confidence.

"The First Spirit—Mio Takamiya."

Rei Ao met Reine's gaze without a flicker of fear.

Reine's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

The brief, lightning‑fast motion did not escape Kotori's watchful eyes.

Kotori's heart tightened; a sense of dread swept over her.

"Reine… he's joking, right?"

Her voice began to tremble uncontrollably; the resolve in her eyes melted into confusion and fear.

Time seemed to freeze; every second dragged on unbearably.

At length, Murasame Reine removed her glasses and delicately rubbed the bridge of her nose.

When she looked up again, the fatigue in her eyes had vanished without a trace.

In its place radiated an aura beyond human—she seemed to command the very space around her.

"How did you find out?"

She did not deny it; instead, she asked Rei Ao straight out.

Her voice was still calm, yet carried an unmistakable authority.

"!!!"

Kotori's mind went stark white, as if struck by lightning.

Her red eyes stretched to their limits, brimming with shock and disbelief.

"Reine… you…?"

Cold seeped into her words. Her most trusted analyst had another identity?!

Her fingers dug into the console's edge until her knuckles turned white.

"Sorry, Commander Kotori."

Murasame Reine—or rather, a clone of Mio Takamiya—spoke in a frighteningly even tone.

"I am indeed not an ordinary human."

A trace of complicated emotion flickered in her eyes, but serenity quickly returned.

The sentence stabbed Kotori like a knife.

She staggered back a step, lost her balance, and only just caught herself on the console.

Her most trusted partner of many years… a fragment of the First Spirit?

The truth was absurd—yet it instantly explained so much:

Reine's uncanny knowledge of Spirits;

her ageless face; those mysterious dark rings under her eyes…

Kotori suddenly recalled that no matter how late they worked, Reine never seemed to need sleep.

"Why?"

Her voice was hoarse and full of anger.

"Why did you infiltrate Ratatoskr?"

Her chest heaved, as though something inside were ablaze.

Reine's expression did not waver, as though none of it concerned her.

"To monitor the Spirits' movements and make sure the plan proceeds smoothly," she answered.

Her gaze slid to Rei Ao, a glint of caution flashing within.

"Until this man's arrival upset everything."

As she said it, her fingers trembled ever so slightly—an emotion she almost never showed.

Rei Ao chuckled softly, a hint of amusement in his smile.

"An honor, truly."

He turned to the still‑stunned Kotori and spoke gently.

"Don't be too upset, commander-chan.

"Even if she's only a clone, the care she's shown you all these years wasn't real."

His eyes drifted between the two women, clearly finding the scene entertaining.

Kotori jerked her head up, fury blazing in her eyes.

"What do you know?!"

Tears and grievance filled her voice.

"You barge in, expose something this ridiculous, and act like it's perfectly normal… Who on earth are you?"

Her shout echoed through the command room.

"Ah, almost forgot introductions."

Rei Ao snapped his fingers, confidence all over his face.

"I'm Rei Ao, owner of the Trade Chat Group."

He flicked a challenging glance at Reine.

"As for how I uncovered her identity… I just happened to know."

He shrugged, as if it were nothing at all.

A flash of wariness crossed Reine's eyes; her body tensed.

"Incredible. My disguise was flawless—no instrument, no matter how advanced, could pick it up."

Her voice remained tranquil, but spoke faster than usual, betraying inner unrest.

"That may be true… for this world," Rei Ao said lightly, blinking.

"But to me, your spiritual fluctuations stand out like a lighthouse in the night."

As he spoke, strange light danced in his iridescent eyes—countless stars glittering within.

[Ding! You have chosen to grant sub‑group chat privileges to: Itsuka Kotori, Murasame Reine!]

~~~

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