Reincarnated as Itsuka Shido: Collecting Spirits as Lovers

The next morning, as the sunlight shined through the curtains of the Itsuka household, Shido lay lazily on his bed, the exhaustion from the previous night was still weighing on him. After barely escaping Kurumi's relentless pursuit, he decided to call back his clone when he arrived at their house. 

...

Inside Fraxinus, Shido's clone had thought of a random excuse so that he could get back, but the severity of his situation didn't go unnoticed.

Kotori just waved her hand and let him go back as she focused on her work to deal with the aftermath of the battle.

Meanwhile, Reine who was perceptive despite her sleep-deprived expression, had stepped in to assist. "Let me handle it." she had said calmly, before accompanying Shido's clone to the Transport Chamber.

As they made their way down the ship's pristine corridor, Reine turned to him with quiet concern. "How's your original body holding up?" she asked in her characteristically soft voice.

Shido had smiled bitterly, rubbing his temple. "Not too bad, but honestly, I feel like collapsing. It's like my whole body weighs a ton."

Reine's expression remained mostly blank, though her drowsy eyes betrayed a flicker of worry. Shido, noticing this subtle shift, gave a reassuring chuckle. "Don't worry, Reine-san. I'll manage it. You're tired, you should rest too."

Satisfied by his response, Reine gave a small nod but she stayed by his side until he reached the chamber.

As the transporter activated, a soft light enveloped his body, transporting him back to the familiar sight of the Itsuka residence.

When his clone arrived, Shido, who had transformed back to his human form, examined his body, which had faint bruises visible on his skin.

However, the unique properties of his Spirit body and Camael were already at work, mending his injuries at an accelerated rate. After dismissing the Concept of Multiply ability, his clone dissolved into nothingness, leaving no trace of evidence.

Silence settled in the house, Shido was still feeling fatigued due to the battle dragged himself toward his room.

On the way, a sliver of light caught his attention from a partially open door. Curious, he glanced inside and saw Tohka sleeping peacefully.

A soft smile crept across his lips.

Tohka lay on her bed was hugging a Kinako bread plushie riddled with bite marks and her face had a happy smile.

It wasn't hard to imagine the dream she was having, perhaps a festival dedicated entirely to Kinako bread. Shido lingered for a moment as warmth filled his chest while he reflected on her newfound happiness.

Only months ago, Tohka had been a lonely, mistrusting Spirit burdened by hatred and solitude. Now, she looked like someone living her best life.

After taking one last look, he continued to walk to his room, where his legs gave way the moment he reached his bed.

His body aches so much from the battle, combined with sheer exhaustion, pinned him in place. He groaned softly, staring up at the ceiling.

"All I wanted was to try using my Astral Dress and Angel… Then a crazy Spirit shows up wanting to devour me."

"What a bad luck..."

He let out a dry laugh, thinking to himself, 'Note to self: When I'm strong enough, I'm definitely slapping that plump butt of hers.'

As the moonlight bathed his room, the tension in his body slowly dissipated. Whether it was the restorative properties of his Spirit body and Camael or the soothing essence of his light attribute, he wasn't sure, but sleep claimed him not long after.

...

The following day, Shido was up early, busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Kotori lounged on the couch with her lollipop as usual, flipping through TV channels with practiced ease.

Meanwhile, Tohka was slumped over the dining table, her stomach growling audibly. "Shido… Is it not ready yet?" she whined, rubbing her belly as if she was wronged by someone.

"It's almost done." Shido replied, though his tone betrayed how often he'd said the same phrase that morning.

He focused on cooking the food, sparing Tohka's antics a helpless smile.

As he finally set the food on the table, Tohka's face lit up with joy. She eagerly reached out, only for Shido to slap her hand lightly, halting her mid-motion.

"Shido! What's the meaning of this?" she demanded, her voice rising in indignant protest.

Before she could escalate further, Shido brought his hand down lightly on her head in a chop, making her flinch. Her hands shot up to cradle her head, and her wide, tear-filled eyes fixed on him like a scolded puppy. "You should help set the plates in the table first," Shido said sternly.

"But I'm hungry!" Tohka retorted, her voice cracking under the weight of her despair.

Ignoring her pouting, Shido kept his stance. "You need to learn proper manners."

Tohka's shoulders slumped, and she trudged off to gather the plates, mumbling to herself all the way. Once the task was done, she sat back at the table with a wronged expression visible on her face. She stared at the food but did not touch it, tears welling up from her eyes.

Shido sighed, his heart ache to see her like this. "Alright, sorry, Tohka." he said gently, crouching beside her. "I'm not mad at you. I just want you to learn the right way to do things. Please don't cry, okay?"

As if a dam had burst, Tohka leaped into his arms while wailing, "Waaaaa, Shido is bullying me!"

Caught off-guard, Shido subconsciously caught her. "I'm sorry, Tohka. You can even hit me if it makes you feel better."

Shido was consoling Tohka as he gently patted her slender back.

"You're a bad guy!" she hiccupped.

"Yes, yes, I'm a bad guy." Shido replied, resigned but still hugging her while patting her back.

After a few minutes of crying, Tohka finally calmed down, her face lighting up again as she dug into her breakfast.

"Shido! It's delicious!" she exclaimed, all traces of her earlier misery forgotten.

Shido was really speechless to see how fast her emotions changed.

Seated on the couch, Kotori looked at the spectacle, her lollipop nearly dropping from her mouth. "Isn't it a bit early for all this drama?" she muttered, clearly unimpressed.

Hearing her, Shido glanced over. "Kotori, no breakfast for you!" he shouted across the room while a mischievous grin forming on his lips.

"What?!" Kotori snapped upright, glaring at him.

"Why not?!"

"You didn't help set the table," Shido replied in mock indignation. "Tohka helped, so only she gets to eat today!"

Tohka chimed in gleefully, already halfway through her food. "Kotori didn't help, so her breakfast is mine now!"

"What?! That's not fair!" Kotori roared, darting toward the table to grab whatever scraps she could before Tohka devoured everything.

Shido watched the scene unfold with a bemused smile, shaking his head. Life with these two was far from peaceful, but moments like this made it all worthwhile.