Chapter 46: Contract with Kurumi, Mastery of Time

All good things must come to an end.

As the movie concluded, the sky gradually dimmed, signaling the perfect close to their date. Because he needed to seal a contract with Kurumi, after seeing Origami off, Su Mo found himself leisurely walking with Kurumi to the Heavenly Altar of Tenguu City.

They had come full circle—this was where he had first made a pact with Tohka. It was almost fate’s jest that he and Kurumi would end up here as well.

Watching Kurumi beside him, ever smiling, Su Mo lowered his head, pondering for a while before finally raising his gaze to her. “So, Kurumi, how do you feel about today’s date? Are you willing to sign a contract with me now?”

“Though there were some surprises along the way, overall, I’m quite satisfied,” Kurumi replied with a charming laugh, turning to face him. “Especially you, Mr. Su Mo. Though you appear cold on the outside, your personality is truly endearing. Of course, the most adorable is still you. So, to help you, and to fulfill my earlier promise, I am willing to help you save them!”

“What?”

“I can help you save Origami Tobiichi and Kotori Itsuka!” Kurumi repeated, and as she spoke, the angel of her Astral Dress, Zafkiel, appeared in her hand. “With this!”

Su Mo looked at Kurumi, his gaze drifting to the Zafkiel in her hand, and he couldn’t help but frown. “What exactly are you planning?”

“Must I spell it out?” Kurumi’s face remained unchanged as she slowly raised Zafkiel. “Five years ago, the great fire in Tenguu City—if Origami Tobiichi learns that the culprit was Kotori Itsuka, your sister, what do you think her reaction would be? But I can help you change that fate. If I use the Twelfth Bullet to send you back five years, you could alter their destinies. Well, what do you think?”

He knew very well what had happened five years ago. Though it was not Kotori who killed Origami’s parents, the root of everything lay in the fire of Tenguu City.

If Kurumi could really use Zafkiel to send him back, history might indeed be rewritten. Perhaps he could prevent Kotori from becoming a Spirit and the death of Origami’s parents.

But a question soon surfaced in Su Mo’s mind. He looked at Kurumi and couldn’t help asking, “Why are you helping me? And how do I know you’re not plotting against me?”

“You wound me, you know,” Kurumi said with a teasing laugh, her clothing transforming into a red-and-black Gothic dress—her Astral Dress, much like Tohka’s. “But to put your mind at ease, I’ll sign the contract with you first. However, I hope you’ll promise me one thing: that you’ll visit the Neighboring World in the future.”

With these words, she suddenly stepped forward and embraced Su Mo, burying her head in his chest. “After all, I don’t want you to forget me…”

Listening to Kurumi, countless questions arose in Su Mo’s mind, and he was surprised by her condition. The Neighboring World—what could be there?

The word was not unfamiliar to him; all Spirits in this world came from the Neighboring World—it was their homeland. But what it truly contained, Su Mo did not know. He had only watched the anime trilogy before crossing over; as for the novels, games, or spinoffs (including the Kurumi spinoff, which he intended to write later), he knew little.

He had no idea why Kurumi insisted he go to the Neighboring World.

“Why do you want me to go there? What’s in the Neighboring World?” Su Mo asked, his curiosity piqued.

Kurumi slowly released him, but did not answer directly. “In any case, you’ll understand when you arrive.”

“But I can tell you this: the Neighboring World is where all Spirits dwell. In fact, all Spirits in this world were originally humans, even myself. I was once human, but after becoming a Spirit, I lost all my memories. The true culprit behind all of this is the Primordial Spirit who appeared thirty years ago.” Kurumi’s eyes reflected distant memories, and for once, a rare trace of hatred surfaced on her face. “All Spirits were created by the Primordial Spirit. Because of her, I was forced to kill my dearest friend with my own hands. Unfortunately, she is too powerful. I had planned to use the Twelfth Bullet to return thirty years and kill the Primordial Spirit, rewriting history so Spirits would never appear in this world.”

“But for certain reasons, I had to give up on this. The Primordial Spirit is too strong—even my power can’t destroy her. You, Mr. Su Mo, are my only hope. I believe you can help me eliminate the Primordial Spirit,” Kurumi said, her eyes sincere, her confidence in him surpassing even his own.

Su Mo did know Muramatsu Reine’s true identity as the Primordial Spirit from thirty years ago, but he had told no one. For now, Muramatsu Reine, hiding within Ratatoskr, had done no harm to anyone, nor had she shown any hostile intent toward Su Mo and the others. Hoping to avoid unnecessary trouble, Su Mo had kept her secret. Otherwise, if she were provoked, her power as the Primordial Spirit would leave none of them able to stop her.

“I can promise you that much, but I can’t guarantee I’ll succeed,” Su Mo replied after a moment’s thought, accepting Kurumi’s request.

If he was to unravel the mystery of the Spirits, he would have to venture into the Neighboring World sooner or later.

But what would he find there?

Kurumi nodded, smiling. “That’s enough. Now, we can begin the contract.”

Gazing at Kurumi’s defenseless posture, Su Mo drew a deep breath. All or nothing—he summoned the system, and soon a contract’s glow connected him to Kurumi. The contract proceeded smoothly, as if Kurumi truly harbored no thought of resisting.

When the contract succeeded, Su Mo was still in a bit of a daze.

Was it truly so easy?

Had he really contracted with Kurumi Tokisaki?

[Host has successfully contracted with Kurumi Tokisaki. Drawing ability…]

[Congratulations, Host, you have gained Time Manipulation!]

Soon, Su Mo sensed a vague, unfamiliar power stirring within him. Time Manipulation?

Kurumi’s Zafkiel was the angel that governed time—had he acquired its abilities?

As he gained this power, Su Mo instantly understood its usage. In short, he could now manipulate time: accelerate, slow, even reverse its flow and travel through it. However, he also inherited Zafkiel’s flaw.

Every time he used this power, it would consume his own time—his lifespan!

In other words, with the short span of a human life, a few uses would exhaust all his years. As for time travel, that was out of the question—he’d likely die before he could even attempt it. Most critically, unlike Kurumi, he could not replenish his time by taking it from others; he could only expend his own, with no way to absorb anyone else’s.

It was practically useless!

Unless Su Mo could someday attain immortality.

(In fact, I’d wanted to write Kurumi’s spinoff for a long time, especially when I heard it would be animated. As for why Kurumi treats the protagonist so well, that’s a thread I’ll leave for the spinoff.

Lastly, please vote for recommendations!)