Reincarnated as Itsuka Shido: Collecting Spirits as Lovers

The morning sky outside Raizen High remained overcast, a dull gray that mirrored the subdued mood of the school after its recent reopening. Despite the weather, the bustling energy within the classrooms had returned. In Class 2-4, Shido sat at his desk, scribbling down notes in his notebook, when the door to the room slid open abruptly.

"Shido! I made these things called 'cookies!'"

Tohka declared enthusiastically as she strode in wearing a pink apron.

Her face lit up with pride as she carried a tray full of cookies toward him. Without a second thought, she slammed the tray down onto his desk, her excitement uncontainable.

"During cooking class, I kneaded them while the others taught me. Here, try some!"

Her bold announcement quickly drew the attention of their classmates, who started whispering among themselves.

Shido couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious about the curious stares and amused giggles directed their way. Regardless, he smiled warmly at Tohka and said, "Oh, thanks, Tohka."

Ignoring the eyes on him, Shido reached out to take one of the cookies from her tray. But just as he was about to grab a piece, his gaze caught a familiar figure approaching from the other side of the classroom.

Like Tohka, she was also dressed in a pink apron. "Tobiichi?" he asked aloud, his tone a mix of surprise and confusion.

Origami Tobiichi, Raizen's top-performing student, approached with an flat expression.

The moment Tohka noticed her, she immediately bristled, puffing up her cheeks in a theatrical display of indignation.

"Why are you here?" Tohka demanded, her arms flailing as if to ward Origami off.

"Are you trying to do more damage? Be careful, Shido!"

Origami ignored Tohka's protests entirely and instead fixed her gaze on Shido.

Without saying anything, she reached out and grabbed his necktie, pulling him slightly forward. Her icy blue eyes locked onto his as she declared firmly, "I won't let you cheat on me."

"Hey, don't touch Shido!" Tohka yelled, flustered and clearly irate at Origami's audacious actions.

Shido sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Seriously, what's going on with you two?" he muttered under his breath, but neither girl seemed to hear him.

Finally turning her attention to Tohka, Origami narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I received a report about you, but why are you still here?"

"It's none of your business!" Tohka huffed indignantly, folding her arms over her chest in a pout.

Then, as though deciding Origami wasn't worth her time, she turned her focus back to Shido. "Now, Shido, forget about her and eat my cookies!"

But Origami wasn't about to back down. "I baked some cookies, too." she announced, presenting her tray as if issuing a challenge.

"What? D-Don't copy me!" Tohka exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at her rival.

Origami's reply came in her usual calm tone. "I baked mine first."

"Shut up! There's no way your cookies taste good!" Tohka snapped.

To prove her point, Tohka grabbed one of Origami's cookies and took a bite.

Almost immediately, her expression changed to one of blissful delight, as if she'd ascended to another plane of existence.

For a moment, she looked genuinely awestruck, but she quickly caught herself and, with obvious awkwardness, said, "T-They weren't that good!"

Desperate to shift the focus back to her own cooking, Tohka shoved her tray toward Shido. "You should eat my cookies, Shido!"

"You should eat mine." Origami countered, holding her tray up as well.

Shido was left with no choice but to press his temples in frustration. With the entire classroom watching the spectacle unfold, he realized there was no way to escape their relentless determination.

Sighing, he decided to try both sets of cookies, much to the delight of the two girls.

"They're both good." he said diplomatically after chewing for a moment.

Tohka, however, wasn't satisfied. "He ate mine a little faster." she declared.

Origami, never one to concede, replied flatly, "He ate mine 0.02 seconds faster."

"What did you say?!" Tohka exclaimed, flustered once more.

Before the argument could escalate, Tonomachi entered the classroom holding a small tray of cookies of his own.

"Hey, I got these cookies from some random stranger outside." he said, winking as he displayed a picture of his gacha-game girlfriend on his phone.

"Want one? She doesn't, so you can have 'em."

The entire classroom fell silent, staring at Tonomachi with a mix of disbelief and exasperation.

Shido shook his head, choosing not to engage. His patience had already been tested enough for one day.

...

The day passed, and by the time school ended, heavy rain was falling.

Shido hurried along the wet streets, his footsteps splashing through puddles as he made his way home. "How could I forget about Yoshino's ability?" he muttered to himself, cursing his lack of preparation.

Yoshino's powers would constantly cause it to rain, symbolizing how sad and lonely she was.

The sunlit skies in the past few days had lulled him into a false sense of security.

His thoughts drifted to Yoshino as he paused in front of a shrine.

The memory of her timid demeanor tugged at his heart. "I wonder how she's doing." he said aloud.

After a brief moment of reflection, he resumed his sprint, eager to get back home and dry off.

Unbeknownst to Shido, behind a nearby tree, a rabbit puppet emerged into view.

Yoshinon's glossy eyes gleamed as it observed his retreating figure in the rain.

...

Shido finally reached the front door, soaked to the bone. Kicking off his shoes, he called out, "Kotori, I'm going to shower first."

With no response from his sister, he shrugged and made his way to the bathroom.

His wet clothes clung to him as he stripped off his uniform piece by piece.

"Let's see, what was the next event in the anime?" he wondered aloud, trying to piece together the sequence of upcoming scenes.

It wasn't until he reached the bathroom door and slid it open that the realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.

Standing in front of him was none other than Tohka who's body was completely naked.

Her slender, delicate figure was bathed in the steam of the shower, droplets of water clinging to her smooth skin and cascading down her purple hair.

For a moment, neither of them moved, their stunned expressions mirror images of each other's shock.

Shido snapped out of his daze first. "I'm sorry! I didn't know you were here!" he shouted, slamming the door shut as he quickly calm his heart down.

He then noticed uncomfortable on his lower body.

He looked downward and laugh awkwardly at his perverted thoughts.

His heart raced as he leaned against the door, his mind struggling to process the sight he'd just witnessed.

Inside the bathroom, Tohka crouched down, hiding her chest with her arms. Her face was an intense shade of red, and she let out a mortified scream. "Kyaaah!"

"I'm really sorry, Tohka." Shido called out again, his voice was flustered. "I didn't mean to walk in on you."

Tohka, still crouched on the floor, felt her heartbeat pounding against her breast.

She pressed a hand to her chest, confused by the strange warmth spreading through her. "What is this feeling?" she murmured to herself.

"Why is my chest beating so fast?"

Her thoughts drifted back to the image of Shido staring at her moments ago, his eyes clearly captivated by her figure.

A memory surfaced, and she couldn't help but recall an odd detail she'd noticed in those fleeting seconds.

Below his stomach, something had been… standing tall. Remembering the sight made her face flush even deeper, and her breathing grew unsteady.

"What was that?" she whispered, bewildered and overwhelmed by emotions she didn't understand.

Meanwhile, Shido had composed himself enough and wrapped a towel on his body. Fully clothed and thoroughly annoyed at being played, he stormed into the living room, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"KOTORI!!!"