"Hmmm, hmmm, hmm, hmmm, hmmmm ​♪​“

One afternoon, the living room of the Itsuka household was filled with the melody of an adorable
hum. The person humming was a girl, about five years of age, sitting with her knees hugged
atop the living room sofa cushion. She had long, beautifully-braided hair and eyes that sparkled
like jewels. As she hummed along to the background music coming from the TV her big ribbons
swayed. Rio Sonogami. A daughter of sorts to Shido Itsuka, born from a Spirit that Shido had
sealed

"Haha."

"Heehee."

Watching Rio from the kitchen, both Shido and Rinne shared a light-hearted chuckle. The two
then paused from their laughter, each one looking at the other as if ready to call jinx, but they
simply continued their laughter, blushing as they giggled. The two were being observed by
Kotori, who sat on a chair in the dining room, rolling her eyes.

"My, my, aren't you two just a couple of' lovebirds."

The lollipop stick in her mouth bobbed up and down. Then, Maria and Marina, each of whom
was sitting on either side of Rio, both gazed at the couple and began whistling in playful
mockery, though there may have been a hint of jealousy behind it.

"Oh, um."

"E-Erm..."

All of a sudden, the two found themselves in a slightly embarrassing spotlight. Shido and Rinne
blushed harder, absentmindedly scratching their cheeks. From the other room, Kotori's
shoulders slumped as she heaved a big sigh.

"O-Oh. Why don't we start preparing for dinner?" Shido tried to play it off, chuckling once more
before getting to work.

It was 3 PM. Earlier than usual for one to begin preparing for dinner, but it doesn't hurt to plan
accordingly. In any case, the non sequitur provided Shido a chance to shift the focus of the
conversation.

"S-Sure. What would you like to make tonight?"

Rinne had seemingly picked up what Shido was hinting at. Sweat began to drip down her
cheeks, and she nodded. Shido opened up the pantries and the fridge, putting his finger under
his chin as he browsed through the ingredients.
“Hm. Why don't we make pasta? Haven't made it in a while. There's plenty of vegetables, so we
can prepare salad and soup, too."

“Oh, that sounds good. What kind of pasta were you thinking?"

"We have a whole red tomato, so we can make bolognese... Wait."

Shido stopped, taking another pass at looking through the fridge.

“Aw. We're out of ground meat. Well, I guess I'll go buy some, so could you start on the soup?"

"Okay, got it. Then​—​* Just as Rinne affirmed Shido's request…

"I want to go!"

A bubbly, energetic voice came calling from the living room. It was Rio, who had looked up from
the TV while leaning on the sofh, her eyes sparkling as they peeked out.

"Oh, Rio, you want to go too? Let's go together then." But Rio shook her head.

"Not if you want to go, too. I'm going. Papa, Mama, you guys wait at home."

"What?"

Shido's eyes widened incredulously. Just then, narration on the TV played,

"Can you take care of these errands on your own?"

On the screen was a girl who appeared to be a similar age to Rio, walking with a shopping
basket in her hand. ...Interesting, that must have influenced her. Shido crossed his arms, a
troubled expression warping on his face.

"H-Hm... Rio by herself, huh."

"Is that... okay?"

Both Rio and Shido exchanged worried glances. Noticing this, Marina spoke out from the sofa.

"Goodness, you're being overprotective. Let her shop."

"But…”
Despite understanding where Marina was coming from, Rinne still couldn't help from worrying
and furrowed her brow. However, Maria and Kotori came forth to set Rinne at ease.

"You have nothing to worry about. Rio should know the way to the market from here, and Tengu
City is incredibly safe."

"Right. Besides, you should encourage the child to do as many things as she sets herself to do."

"Hmm..."

Shido looked at Rinne once more, and walked her into the living room, bending down to get
eye-level with Rio.

"You sure you'll be okay on your own?"

"You won't be scared?"

"Nope! I'll do my best!" Rio answered with emphatic affirmation.

Shido and Rinne sighed before coming to a stand.

"All right. Then, I will task it unto you."

"Good luck, Rio."

"Okay!" Rio nodded, her eyes radiating with an eager gleam.

A few minutes later…

"I want you to get some aibiki ground meat. I wrote it on a piece of paper and placed some
money in your purse. Here, this is a cell phone. You know how to use it, right? If anything
happens, call us immediately. And here's the anti-abduction alarm. If a stranger tries to take
you, press this button, okay? Here's some tissue and a handkerchief, and this is​—"​

"Rinne, Rinne."

Watching Rinne hurriedly run through a list of amenities, Shido stopped her.

"I get where you're coming from, but this is a little much. She has more things than what we're
sending her to buy."

Rinne blushed, and Marina let out a sigh.

"Oh gosh. Seriously? Do not mollycoddle her, or she'll never become independent. Some slights
are better left unanswered."

"*whimper*..."

Marina's warning brought a slump to Rinne's shoulders. Maria smiled.

“Says the person who's the most child-focused. The ones who say that the most when they get
their own babies, they will be da ones tawking wike a baybeeee."

"Who are you talking about?!"

Marina screamed. Shido just laughed and tapped Rio's shoulders.

"All right, Rio. Good luck with shopping."

"Be careful, okay?"

"Okay! Bye, everyone!"

Rio beamed, waving as she ran towards the door. She walked a few meters forward, turning
around to check if Shido and the others were sending her off before waving once more and
turning the corner.

“...”

“...”

A few seconds had passed after Rio's departure. Shido and Rinne turned to look at one another
again.

"What do you want to do...?"

"Hm... Well, just in case, you know...?"

Both exchanged a nod and began to slip their shoes on. Nothing needed to be said. Shido knew
that him and Rinne were on the same page. In other words they decided to sneak around and
follow Rio. People were likely to harp on them for being overprotective, but it couldn't be helped.
After all, Rio was still new to this world. However safe the neighborhood may be, her lone quest
could present a cause for concern. Upon seeing the two ready themselves, Marina let out
another sigh.

"Whoa. Don't tell me you're following her. Don't do it. That's so lame! Trust Rio more, and just
stay home to wait for her."
“Well, I understand that, but..."

"We just want to make sure... Sorry guys, could you look after the house?"

Shido and Rinne smiled wryly, then turned to run to Rio.

"*sigh*. My, they worry too much. It won't do Rio any good."

After Shido and Rinne left the house, Marina let her irritation show as she plopped onto the
sofa. She sat cross-legged, letting her toes bounce while she tapped her fingers on the sofa's
arm rest. The sight caused Maria to tilt her head.

"Are you sure you don't want to go either, Marina?"

"WHAT! Why would I?!" Marina raised her voice, firing back with a piercing glare.

“...”

Maria shifted her gaze to Kotori, who must have had the same idea as she looked back at
Maria. Maria smiled and continued.

"I see. Then, let's wait for Rinne to return. Oh, Kotori. What was the statistic of known crimes
against children under 13 years of age, again?"

"As of last year, the number was approximately 27,000 cases."

“...”

Marina twitched.

"How horrible. For so many incidents to have occurred means danger really can lurk behind
every corner."

"Right. Kidnappings, assault, and sexual violence. At times, the worst can happen. Hearing
about the cruel crimes committed against impressionable children makes me livid."

As Maria and Kotori were discussing the matter, Marina quietly stood up.

"My, Marina. What's the matter?"

"...I'm going to go outside for a bit."

"Oh, is that so? Where?"

"Wh-Where...? Y-You know. Heading to the bookstore in the shopping district. I just remember
that a rare, discontinued edition of a book was recently imported. Gotta see if it's in stock."

Marina rushed out of the living room. Kotori and Maria exchanged another glance.

"She's so obvious."

"I know."

Both girls nodded, and immediately looked up.

"So, Maria..."

"Yes. I've already gotten ahold of the automated cameras throughout Tenguu City. Let's check
those."

"Amazing as always."

The two headed for Kotori's room, where there was an array of monitors.

•••ooo

“...”

In one of Tengu City's neighborhoods... Shido stood hidden behind a wall, watching Rio skip
merrily on the sidewalk. Of course, he wasn't alone. Beside him, behind the tall cement wall,
stood Rinne.

"...What? You got a problem?"

Shido looked over to find Marina glaring back at him. That's right. Only minutes after Shido and
Rinne set out to tail Rio closely, Marina soon followed.

"N-Nothing."

"Hahaha..."
"Hmph."

Marina huffed in annoyance and returned her gaze to Rio. Shido and Rinne did the same.

"Hmm hm-hm hmmmm ​♪​“

Rio gleefully hummed the theme song to the show she had been watching, walking atop a white
painted line on the street as if she were balancing herself on it. Shido recalled having a similar
habit as a child. Watching her do the same induced a sense of nostalgia.

"Well, at least she's confident, which makes sense given her insistence to carry this out herself"

"I know She doesn't seem shy at all. I think she'll be fine."

"Hmph. Told you so. You guys worry too much. Besides, before Rio even met you, she
wandered through town by herself This is a piece of ca​—”​ Then, Marina cut herself off She was
startled by the sudden sound of a large dog's bark. It seemed to come from the front yard of a
house by which Rio had passed.

"Aah!"

The bark jolted Rio, who leapt hack while looking towards the dog. Rio's stature was small,
almost no bigger than the dog's. It growled in irritation at Rio, keeping its gaze fixed on her.

"I-I'm sorry. Please let me pass, okay..?"

Rio treaded carefully past the house. However, the dog sprinted towards Rio in excitement and
jumped. Before it could reach her, it was blocked by the yard's iron gate, the metallic clang of
which echoed throughout the street.

"Aaaaaah!"

Taken by surprise, Rio darted away. In her panic, she ran in the opposite direction from the
shopping district.

"Oh, Rio!"

"Ugh. Let's go after her!"

"Okay!"

Shido sprinted after Rio. The dog's bark crescendoed in volume as the other people came into
view, but both Rinne and Marina flashed a glare intimidating enough to quell its bark.
"*pant, pant*...Oh​—!”
Rio, not paying attention to where she was running, tripped from a pothole in the street. Making
matters worse, she fell face-first into a puddle of water created by the previous night's rainfall.
The splash was large enough for water to sprinkle all over the street.

"*whimper*..."

Rio was drenched, on the verge of tears as she timidly lifted herself up.

“Rio..."

Shido nearly ran towards Rio, but someone placed their hand upon his shoulder

"Wait, look."

"Huh?"

He looked out at Rio in concern. Rio wiped the tears from her eyes and wrung out the water in
her clothes while standing up.

"Whoa..."

To see his daughter overcome this experience (although, technically speaking, she is not his
offspring), Shido welled with pride. He felt the urge to fight back tears.

"Rio... you've become so strong."

"I know.. She's amazing."

"Okay, you saps. Whatever."

Shido and Rinne held hands, beaming with pride as Marina squinted conspicuously.

"Anyways, look. 'We've got another problem."

"Huh?"

The answer revealed itself to Shido. Rio looked around herself nervously. Fleeing in desperation
had gotten her lost.
"Ayeee, this isn't good. If she crosses the street, then she'll be back on the right path without
going back to where the dog was, but..."

"Judging by her expression, I don't think she knows."

Shido and Rinne crossed their arms, growing more concerned. Crossing the street could only
confuse her further. It would be in everyone's interest for them to suggest the correct path to
her. But this is Rio's quest. If she were to discover that they had followed her, she would no
doubt become upset. If only there was a way to reveal the path without blowing their cover. Just
then, Marina looked up in realization.

"Fine. I have a plan."

"Huh?"

This perplexed Shido, and Marina looked him in the eye with a smile.

A few minutes later...

"Hey there! Young lady, is something wrong?"

Shido approached Rio with a bizarre greeting. A beanie, sunglasses, and a mask. Not the
greatest disguise. This proved to be Marina's so-called plan. The plan was as follows: Shido,
appearing in disguise, would pretend to be a kind passerby, assisting Rio on the way. His
disguise, however, was clumsy and hastily assembled. In their minds, given that Rio would
recognize everyone in their group, Shido had no choice but to hide his face. If there were a
Spirit who could freely change her appearance, it would have been a different story. But no such
Spirit existed, and there was no use in waiting for one to appear.

“...”

Rio stared at the mysterious person standing before her and remembered about the
anti-abduction alarm. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out.

"Oh... Wait! Wait! Stay! Please! I'm not gonna hurt you, ya?"

Not only was he dressed suspiciously, but if she had activated the alarm, chaos would have
ensued. Shido pleaded with her

"Who are you, mister?" asked Rio.

Shido puffed out his chest in desperation.

"I'm just a person who loves helping lost children, ya? Missy, the shopping district is this-a-way!
I'll take you half-way there!"

"Really?"

"Yes, really! Leave it to me, ya?"

Just as Shido was about to guide Rio down the right path...

"Hm? Rio, is that you? What are you doing here?" Someone approached her from behind.

“...?!”

A chilling tingle shot down Shido's spine as he recognized the familiar voice. There stood
Tohka, Yoshino, and Miku, who were by coincidence spending time together.

"Ah! Rio-chan, such a cutie as always!"

"Huh...? Who's this?"

"Whoaaaa. He looks totally suspicious. Is he trying to kidnap you?"

Yoshino tilted her head, and the rabbit puppet on her left hand, "Yoshinon", spoke out dubiously

"W-Well, umm ... Shido knew full well that his appearance hadn't exactly screamed
"trustworthy", which sent him into a panic as Tohka began sniffing the air in a peculiar manner.

"This scent. It is familiar..."

"...! B-Bye!"

The disguise was pointless with Tohka's keen nose around. Shido fled quickly, fearing that he
would be compromised. As he turned the corner, he ducked behind the shadows of the wall
where Rinne and Marina were standing.

"*pant*... *pant*... That was close."

"Hey, what are you doing? You didn't even show her the way."

"B-But..."
Shido began removing bits from his disguise and, while keeping one eye fixed upon Rio, Rinne
spoke up.

"Oh, looks like she'll be fine. See?"

All three of them glanced over to where Rio was speaking with Tohka and the other two girls.

"I see. So you're in the middle of an errand."

"All by yourself. You're quite talented."

"Yeah, but I got lost..."

"Ohhh, I sec. We were on our way to the shopping district, so it's perfect. Let's go together!"

"Oh, really? Thank you!"

A bright smile appeared on Rio's face as she walked off with Tohka and the others. Seeing this,
Shido heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

"Well, if it was going to happen like this," he thought, "I didn't need to be in disguise, but... I
guess everything worked out in the end."

As the thought ran through Shido's mind, Marina sighed as well.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

“Although it wasn't planned, she found someone to escort her. Which means there's no more
danger. I'm telling you, it's pointless to keep watching her."

"Oh..."

Shido scratched his cheek. Rinne, though often reserved, spoke up quietly.

"I... want to observe just a bit longer."

"Really? You're still worried?"

"It's not that. It's hard to explain, but I just want to watch Rio trying her best."

Marina let out another tired sigh, slumping her shoulders.

"Is that so? Well, do as you please."

"Hahaha..."

Rinne gave a wry smile. Shido gently patted Rinne's shoulders in understanding.

"Shido..."

"I'll watch her with you, too. Thanks, Marina."

Shido and Rinne went after Rio once more.

"Oh... Hey, I didn't say I wasn't going!"

Marina rushed to follow

•••ooo

Ten minutes after going down the street...

Rio and the others reached Tengu City's shopping district, which was packed with shoppers.
Lining both sides of the street were stores with big, open windows, where products were
arranged on display to entice eager shoppers.

"This is amazing, Tohka-chan. Are these all stores?"

"Yes, that is correct. So Rio, about the errands Shido asked…”

"Yeah. I have to find what's most important."

Rio nodded, and beads of sweat began trickling down the girls' cheeks.

"Hm. A rather epic quest."

"I feel like I've heard that before…”

"So, what is it specifically that you plan to buy?"

"Um..."

Yoshino posed the question to Rio, who bit her lip trying to remember the contents of her
shopping list. With everything that happened thus far, Rio struggled to recall exactly what sent
her on this mission in the first place. Concern appeared on her face.

"Oh, I know!"

Rio looked down and reached into her purse for a folded sheet of paper. That's right. Rinne
wrote the shopping list on the memo.

"This. I'm buying this."

Then, Rio faced the memo towards the girls.

"Hm...?"

“This is..."

“My…”

Troubled expressions appeared on each girl's face as they read the memo.

"Huh...?"

She was curious and looked at the memo. There, it read,

"AN ■ ■ ■ ■ ,"

but the text was smudged. When Rio fell into the puddle, the ink had blurred. Now, she was
without any idea what to buy.

"Hm. This is no good."

"Indeed. I wonder what was written on it..."

"What do I do?"

Rio furrowed her brow and hung her head low. Papa and Mama had trusted Rio to carry out her
errand. Rio had forgotten what she set out to buy, all because she had fallen into the puddle,
and she feared that she had betrayed their trust. Guilt grabbed hold of Rio's heart. Just then...

"What are you doing?"

Someone approached them.

"Huh...?"

As they looked over their shoulders, they saw another trio of girls. One of whom appeared like a
stoic doll, and a pair of twins standing in identical poses: Origami Tobiichi, and Kaguya and
Yuzuru Yamai.

"Ah. Everyone looks so gloomy!"

“Question. Are you participating in shopping as well?"

Right after asking, Kaguya and Yuzuru changed their poses. The girls paused for a moment,
looking at one another before explaining the situation.

“...”

Origami was deep in thought for a moment, then reached out towards Rio.

"Let me see that memo."

"Huh? Okay..."

Rio handed the memo over. Origami took it and squinted as she attempted to decipher its
contents.

"Based on the size of the text and the range of the smear, one can infer that the text contains
five words, and the first word begins with 'A’. If you are shopping for dinner ingredients, it is only
natural to assume these are food items. Additionally, if you were instructed to shop in this area,
there must be an establishment here that stocks them."

"So...?"

Origami nodded in response to Tohka's question.

"We should all split up and look for a five-word dish that begins with `mi'. If we work together,
there is a high chance that the target item will be included."

"Oh..."

The Spirits seemed impressed by the offer.

"I see. You have a point."

"Hehe. Does this mean we're on a scavenger hunt?" "Ah, how fun! Let's compete to see who'll
get it right!"

"Entering battle. I accept the challenge."

The collective fervor got everyone excited. Rio gazed at the group of girls around her with a
sparkle in her eye.

"You all will help me?"

Everyone looked dumbfounded.

"Huh? Of course."

"We're all in this together."

"If you're Shido's daughter, then you're my daughter, too. You can call me Mama."

"?! Really? Mama Origami!"

"Not you."

"WHAAA?"

Miku, in shock, fell backwards. The slapstick nature of the event got a laugh out of Rio.
Eventually, she bowed towards everyone. "Thanks, everyone."

Everyone smiled (well, all but one of them), and out cried a collective,

"Woo!"

•••ooo

"My, my"

Watching from the shadows of a back alley in the shopping district, a girl's voice murmured.
Eerily enough, the voice was nearly identical to a person being observed by the speaker.
"Seems like she forgot what to buy."

"Do you think Rio-san will be able to find the ingredients?"

"It'd be great if she could."

"But if she cannot..."

"Well, although I wouldn't want to, it can't be helped."

Afterwards, one girl emerged from the shadows.

•••ooo

"I think they found a solution."

"Yeah. Everyone's heading to the store."

Shido and Rinne hid in between a couple of buildings, nodding in agreement. The district's
shops buzzed with activity. With so many people around, it was difficult to pick voices out of the
crowd. It seemed, however, that the quest was back on track. Origami had a big hand in that.

"Hey, wait. They're buying aibiki ground meat, right? Why are they heading to a produce stall?"

Marina furrowed her brow curiously as she observed the group. Focusing back on the group, it
was as Marina had said: Yoshino was staring at an asparagus at a stall.

"Why.. asparagus?"

"Maybe because we mentioned making salad as well...?"

"Oh, wait. They bought melon pan, too. Judging by the packaging... It's Amusu melon."

"Hm. For dessert?"

"Oh, they're moving again."

They continued to hide while they quietly observed Rio and the others. Ladies shopping nearby
began whispering on the peculiarity of the trio in hiding, but neither Shido, Rinne, nor Marina
bothered to care.

"Hm...? A bakery?"

"Oh, are they ordering... an apple pie?”

"That's a lot of dessert."

Beads of sweat dripped down Marina's cheeks.

The Yamai sisters, who had visited a different store altogether, had brought back a bag of
goods as well. For some reason, they assumed a pose before showing the contents of their
bag.

"Is Kaguya-chap holding.. that famous brand, Aisu cream?"

"Yuzuru's got... Wha? Is that an ohagi?"

"No, look at the shape and yellow color. What Kaguya has is ice cream of some kind. Yuzuru's
looks like an ohagi, but it's an ankoro mochi."

"Oh. How can you tell from this distance? It's kinda creepy."

Marina's merciless delivery pierced Shido like a knife. He quietly placed his hand over his heart
in shame, to which Rinne laughed dryly while patting his back.

"L-Look, Shido. Everyone's going their separate ways again. Are they... going to the seafood
market?"

"They're buying fish, Shido Itsuka. What is that?"

"To prove to you that I'm not creepy, I have no idea."

"What are you pouting about...? Come on."

Marina dug her elbow into Shido's rib, prompting him to squint to get a better idea of
what they were holding.

"I think that's an aburabouzu. It's a deep sea fish, best prepared in a stew. As the name
suggests, it's a fatty fish, so you shouldn't eat too much at once."

"Whoa. How do you know such an obscure fish? That's creepy."

“...”

“A-Amazing! Shido, you're such a knowledgeable chef," said Rinne in a bright, comkrting tone,
patting his back again as if to reassure him.

The kindness was enough to soften the blow of Marina's insults. Yet again, he had to pull
himself out from his nebbish slump. Rio was gathering the items that everyone had purchased
and seemed to be on her way out of the shopping district.

"Oh. Looks like they're heading home."

"I know.. In the end, they didn't buy any aibiki ground meat."

"Haha... Oh well. We could prepare dinner without meat, so we'll figure it out. But more
importantly.."

Rinne and Marina nodded.

They couldn't let Rio realize they had been following her all day. It was imperative for them not
only to beat Rio back to the Itsuka home, but also play it cool.

"Well, I suppose there is no need to rush. I'm sure everyone will have to match Rio's pace on
foot."

"Hm. You have a point but-” as Shido spoke in agreement, they overheard the Yamai sisters'
voices.

"All right! Race you home! My ice cream won't wait to melt!"

"Challenge accepted. As if my ankoro mochi weren't proof enough, I shall be victorious once
more."

Kaguya and Yuzuru started stretching, causing Shido to break into a sweat.

"I take it back. Guys, We have to run for it...!"

"O-Okay!"

"Damn those twins...!" screamed Shido, as they ran frantically back towards his house.

"Kaguya-chan, Yuzuru-chan, are you ready?"

"Yeah!"
“Affirmative. At the ready"

Rio lifted one hand up, and both Kaguya and Yuzuru crouched into a starting position.
Assuming the role of starter was Rio. As soon as she lowered her hand, the twins were to sprint
as quickly as they could towards the Itsuka home. The unexpected responsibility felt heavy on
Rio's shoulders, but she prepared herself with a steady hand.

"Ready, set, goooo--!”

However...

Rio stopped herself from lowering her hand. The reason was simple: It was a young girl, who
had wandered in front of the Yamai sisters.

"What...?"

"Oyoyo..."

Mild shock appeared on Rio's face, as the girl with a strange accent fell onto the ground. She
wore a big bonnet, as well as glasses with lenses as thick as milk bottles, which made it difficult
to determine who she could be. To top it off, she was doused in a pungent perfume, almost as if
she were intentionally obscuring her scent.

"Are you okay..?"

Rio hurriedly bent down, looking at the girl in concern as she nodded.

"Aah, aaaaah... What a kind girl. Apologies. I felt dizzy all of a sudden."

The Yamai sisters and Tohka gathered around the girl, and the others soon Mowed.

"Hm. What's the matter?"

"My, is everything okay?"

Everyone cast their eyes downward at the girl on the ground, their eyes quivering with concern
until a certain "growl" punctuated the tense situation. It sounded like it came from her stomach.
One could have mistaken it for a raspy growl coming from her throat, but... that would be
preposterous.

"Are you... hungry?"

"Yes, yes... I'm so ashamed, yet I haven't had a bite to eat in three days. *whimper* I may die
from starvation." The girl continued on with crocodile tears.

"Ah. I know it's embarrassing, but one can only hope. If only someone here was kind enough to
share their food with me. If someone could help, I would be more than willing to compensate."

"What? What kind of compensation are we talking?"

"Miku, you're complicating things. Stay quiet."

Miku's eyes sparkled all of a sudden, but Kaguya put a swift halt to her fantasy. Rio kept her
eyes fixed on the girl who coughed pitifully.
Then, she looked at the Amusu melon in her bag. It was true; they had food on them. However,
Shido and Rinne put Rio on this important errand. Though she couldn't identify exactly what was
needed, if Rio were to give this pertinent food item away, Shido and Rinne would surely be
disappointed.

“...”

However, Rio pursed her lips tightly, gripping the shopping bag even tighter. That's right. Being
unable to fulfill her errand would be terrible. If it were Shido or Rinne her beloved Papa and
Mama they wouldn't ignore someone in need of help.

"Here you go..."

Rio nodded, as if she had made up her mind, and handed the shopping hag to the girl.

•••ooo

*pant, pant*...

"I-I'm home…

Shido and the others ran as fast as humanly possible back home and came stumbling into the
living room.

"My welcome home. You look positively exhausted."

"Oh, Marina. What a coincidence that you came back with Shido and Rinne. Were you able to
purchase the discontinued edition?"

Kotori and Maria were on the sofa, elegantly taking sips of tea as they welcomed everyone
home. Marina was about to volley back with a scathing retort, but opted not to. Instead, she
blushed while letting out a simple huff.

"I-It's none of your business."

"Never said it was, but why don't you wipe off that sweat? You want to seem like you've been
waiting at home, don't you?"

"Well, contrary to what you expected, it seems that Kaguya and Yuzuru stopped running, so
there was no need to rush."

"What? Are you serious? Hey?...”

Shido cocked his head. Rinne and Marina noticed, too. In fact, their expressions mirrored
Shido's. It makes sense. Kotori was home this entire time, so she couldn't have known that Rio
encountered the Spirits. The only explanation? They were watching via camera.

"Hey, why didn't you tell us you had these the whole time?"

"Oh. Well, you took off before I had the chance to, but it's not like you could run from here to
wherever she was if something DID happen. It all works out, right?"

"In fairness, your disguise was horrible, Shido."

"Y-You guys..."

As they were discussing Shido's costume, the sound of the doorway opening creaked through
the hallway.

"I'm home!"

It was followed by an energetic voice. Rio ran through the hallway, entering the living room
before jumping on Shido and Rinne. They patted her head with a warm smile.

"Welcome back, Rio."

"How'd everything go?"

"Good! I had everyone's help!"

Soon after Rio's proclamation, the Spirits came filing into the living room.

"Ah, I see! So you guys were with Rio, huh? Thanks."

"Why does he sound so coy?"

"Doubt. Suspicious, indeed."

"W-Well, ahaha..."

Shido tried to play off the Yamai sisters' statement with a dry laugh. Rio appeared to remember
something, and her eyes grew wide.

"Oh, yeah. Papa, Mama, I'm sorry..."

"Hm? What's the matter?"

"Rio forgot what to buy, so I bought all kinds of things with everyone. But it may not be what you
wanted."

Rio lowered her head forlornly. However, Shido and Rinne giggled and patted her head again.

"It's fine."

"Oh, yeah. Rio, you know how Shido cooks, right? I'm sure no matter what ingredients you buy,
he'd make something delicious out of it."

"Really?"

Rio's worry melted as Shido nodded and answered, "Yes." Relief washed over the precocious
Rio, and she began taking all of the ingredients from out of her bag. Asparagus, Aburabouzu,
and...

"...! Hey, Shido."

"Hm? What? Wait, huh?"

Rinne poked his shoulder, prompting Shido's eyes to widen in surprise. Of course. Stuffed into
her bag was a sealed package of aibiki ground meat.

"This is..."

"You think, maybe she remembered and bought it later?"

Shido and Rinne whispered to one another, and Rio noticed their incredulity.

"Oh. We met this hungry girl, and she gave me this in exchange for something sweet."

"Hungry girl…?"

Shido asked, and Tohka, who stood behind Rio, nodded.

"Yeah. Hunger is no laughing matter. So, we gave her something ready to eat."

"But... I wonder how she had ground meat."

"I know, right? Since the meat was raw, she couldn't have prepared a meal for herself, but it
was random nonetheless."

The Spirits all tilted their heads in confusion. Shido seemed the most perplexed of all. Then...

"My, my. The gang's all here. Such a lively bunch."

Another girl came walking into the living room. Hair as black as silk. A left eye resembling a
clock. It was Kurumi Tokisaki, the Spirit.

"Kurumi!"

"Yes, yes. Good day, Shido-san."

Shido called out to her, and Kurumi responded with a smile and a curtsy. Then, gazing at the
food upon the table, her eyes beamed with excitement.

"My, do I spy fish, meats, and vegetables?"

"Mm. We're about to prepare dinner. Care to join us for dinner, Kurumi?"

Kurumi is often referred to as the worst Spirit, but in Eden, she participates in a temporary truce.

"Would that be okay? Heh heh. If so, I'd love to take you up on your offer."

Kurumi returned the invitation with a smile, and she clapped her hands in realization.

"Oh, that's right. As a token of my appreciation..."

Kurumi picked up a shopping bag she brought with her before handing it to Shido.

"I hope that all of you will enjoy this. Please eat it."
"Hm? This is..."

Kurumi offering any sort of gift was rare. Shido peered into the shopping bag, and once more,
his eyes widened in surprise. Rinne and Marina did the same. It was understandable. Inside
was aisu cream, ankoro mochi, apple pie, and Amusu melon.

"Did you...?"

"Heh heh. What's the matter?"

A naughty grin appeared on Kurumi's face. Pressing her for answers would be pointless. Shido
sighed and looked back at Rinne. It was enough for Rinne to get the message, to which she
laughed and smiled softly. At the same time, both Shido and Rinne turned to face their guests
before donning aprons and posing.

"Thanks for taking care of the errand, Rio, everyone."

“Just one minute. Now, it's our turn!"

Shido dashed for the kitchen with the fresh ingredients and began prep. Preparing the fish that
Rio and the girls had bought, he sliced it into thin pieces, plating a carpaccio to pair with a
simple sauce. Rinne boiled the potatoes and the onions, and used a hand-blender to mix the
bouillon and milk to make potage. She swiftly chopped the asparagus for a salad. The dressing,
of course, was home-made. And finally, the long-awaited spaghetti Bolognese. With the aibiki
ground meat and a home-made meat sauce, the dish was served with pasta al dente and plated
beautifully. Now, for the finishing touch: A bit of parmesan cheese.

"Just about done. It's a bit early, but dinner is served."

"Eat up, everyone."

All of the dishes were placed upon the table.

"Whoa!"

Each Spirit's mouth was salivating, and they all gave a round of applause before shouting,

"Thank you for the food!"

"*nom, nom*... So good! Amazing as always, Shido and Rinne!"

"Aah! This fish is incredible!"

"Mmm. The salad, too. The asparagus makes for a lovely accent."

Dinner was a rousing success, and everyone raved about the meal. Shido simply hung his
shoulders.

"Haha. Guess everything worked out in the end."

"Yes. With your help especially, Rio. There’s plenty of dessert, too."

Shido and Rinne exchanged laughter, and admired the gleeful scene in the living room. As soon
as Rio left on her errand, Rinne and Marina soon followed. Kotori and Maria were there to watch
them from the safety of the house. Tohka and the rest of the girls came to the rescue after
bumping into Rio in town. And, of course, Kurumi.
After glancing at everyone happily eating, Shido turned to look at Rio.

"Rio, you sure are lucky to have so many Mamas watching over you."

"Huh...?"

Rio seemed puzzled, but she got the gist of what Shido was trying to say.

"Yeah!"

She couldn't agree more.

••• END ooo

Post Script

Hello, everyone. It's been a while. Or maybe for some of you, this is your first time. In terms of
bonus content for the game, this will be my 4th time.
Hi, I am Koushi Tachibana. How'd you enjoy the game and its special content? I hope you liked
it. Anyways, like I said, 4th time. I repeat, 4th time. "Rinne Utopia" and "Arusu Install" have been
combined, not only with new scenarios, but now in HD! I didn't expect that. This is all thanks to t
I it fans. Thank you for your continued support.
Hopefully, we can use this momentum for a 5th installment. There are a few characters I have
yet to introduce. It's kind of tough to have the later characters interact with the original ones, so
I'm a little sad. I'd like to try writing some scenarios where Rinne is taking care of Natsumi. Why
don't I?
Back to the topic at hand. This time, we included the bonus light novel for "Rio Reincarnation"
that depicts Rio running errands for the first time. I liked Mama Rinne and Mother Marina's
hard-fought effort.
In the last edition, it was "Rio's Reunion" (I heard this was included in this game, so check it out
now). This game also has Rio in the subtitle, but with all of the Spirits included, I've always
wanted to write a story with Rio as the main character.
Following the same reasoning, I also wish to write a story with Marina as the main character, but
I don't have many opportunities to do so. On a side note, I thought of a story with Shido and the
gang on a deserted island, forced to use their powers to survive, called "Marina's Survival", but
it was difficult to condense, so I had to let that idea go. I don't know how it was related to
Marina, though.

Now, this time, we had many people cooperate to make this game and its bonus material
happen. Tsunako, the staff on the game, editors, other supporters, production companies,
retailers, distributors. I would like to express thanks from the bottom of my heart.

Please continue to support "DATE A LIVE"!

July 2017 Koushi Tachibana