A date with a Spirit... and her puppet. Seven days to thaw a frozen heart.
Shidou Itsuka has sealed the powers of Spirits before—but never one quite like Yoshino Himekawa. Shy to the point of silence, the gentle Spirit speaks only through Yoshinon, the irreverent rabbit puppet on her left hand. And Yoshinon? She's not impressed.
With a localized rain cloud parked stubbornly over Tengu City and the forecast calling for seven straight days of downpour, Shidou has one week to win over both the gi
Date A Live IF: A Do-Over Date With Yoshino - The Girl in the Rain and the Yoshinon Theft Case
The rain had been falling softly in front of Tengu City Library since morning.
Itsuka Shidou held his umbrella and checked the clock on his phone. Fifteen minutes until their meeting time. His heart wouldn't settle down.
(A date with a Spirit, huh.)
No matter how many times he'd done this, the nervousness never went away. And this time, his partner was a whole different story from anyone before. A girl who could only talk through a puppet. And the commander had told him to get along with that puppet.
"Man, talk about an unreasonable request."
Shidou muttered to no one in particular.
The rain had been falling steadily since morning. The forecast said that for the next seven days, it would rain only over Tengu City. Since yesterday, Ratatoskr's dedicated app on his phone had been warning him that a localized rain cloud was lingering over the city.
(So this is what Yoshino's spirit power can do.)
Shidou looked up at the sky. The clouds were thick and heavy, covering the whole city. It was as if the entire town had been locked away by someone.
That was when it happened.
A small shadow moved behind one of the pillars at the library entrance.
Shidou held his breath.
Standing there was a girl with light blue hair.
She looked thirteen, maybe fourteen. Barely four foot nine, tiny. Her fluffy, semi-long hair shimmered, damp from the rain. Her large, sapphire eyes wavered with unease.
She wore a yellow raincoat, the hood pulled down deep. And on her left hand, she wore a rabbit puppet.
A comical rabbit puppet with an eyepatch.
Shidou slowly approached her.
"...You're Yoshino, right?"
When he spoke, the girl's shoulders jumped with a start.
"Ah..."
A voiceless sound. A faint breath, like a mosquito's whine. Yoshino looked up at Shidou's face, then immediately dropped her gaze. Her body was trembling slightly.
(Yeah, she's really nervous.)
Shidou crouched down and met her eyes.
"I'm Itsuka Shidou. Looking forward to today."
Yoshino gave a tiny nod. But no words came out.
Then—
The puppet on her left hand suddenly turned toward Shidou.
" Oh my, Shidou-san, you're awfully nervous, aren't you? Your face is bright red!"
Shidou's eyes went wide.
The puppet talked. No—more precisely, Yoshino was moving the puppet and speaking through it. But that voice was so bright and clear, it was hard to believe it belonged to the same girl who could barely manage a whisper a moment ago.
" Ahaha, did I hit a nerve? So cuuute! Hey, Yoshino, this guy's been fidgeting since yesterday just thinking about meeting us."
"Th-that's not..."
Yoshino turned bright red and hugged the puppet tight. Even her ears were red.
(Th-this is what Yoshinon is like, huh.)
Shidou was bewildered. He'd heard she talked through a puppet, but seeing it in person was... surreal.
" Hey, hey, don't just stand there observing people—say something. Yoshino's uncomfortable, you know."
The puppet glared at Shidou.
"Uh, well... so, Yoshinon, right? Nice to meet you."
Shidou gave an awkward bow toward the puppet.
" Oh my, you do have manners. Very impressive. But if you're ever rude to Yoshino, I won't forgive you."
"I-I know that."
Shidou broke into a cold sweat.
(This is... tougher than I expected.)
He cursed inwardly. Now he finally understood what Kotori meant when she told him to get along with the puppet.
Yoshino, still hugging the puppet, glanced up at Shidou. When their eyes met, she hurriedly looked away again.
" ...Um, I'm sorry. Yoshinon is a bit... talkative."
Yoshino said in a small voice. Not through the puppet—her real voice. It was so faint it seemed like it might dissolve into the sound of the rain.
"Don't worry about it. My little sister's always scolding me, so I'm used to it."
Shidou smiled. He felt like Yoshino's expression softened, just a little.
" So then. I was thinking we could spend some quiet time at the library today... is that okay?"
When Shidou asked, Yoshino nodded.
" Oh, the library? Yoshino loves picture books. Isn't that great, Yoshino?"
"...Yeah."
Yoshino smiled faintly, still holding the puppet.
Seeing that smile, Shidou felt a warmth spread gently through his chest.
(She really is just a normal girl.)
Spirit, spirit power—none of that mattered. The person in front of him was a shy little girl who loved picture books.
Shidou decided to match Yoshino's pace.
" Well then, shall we go? The rain's getting heavier."
Shidou held out his umbrella. After a moment's hesitation, Yoshino stepped under it. The distance between them was closer than he'd expected. The scent of rain drifted from her damp hair.
(So close...!)
Shidou panicked internally. But he didn't let it show. As a Spirit negotiator, he couldn't afford to get rattled by something like this.
The library's automatic doors slid open, and cool air flowed out.
Tengu City Library was a large three-story building. The first floor held general books, the second floor children's books, and the third floor study spaces and local archives. It was a weekday morning, so the library was quiet, with only a few people around.
" The picture book corner is on the second floor."
Shidou lowered his voice. Yoshino nodded.
The two of them quietly climbed the stairs.
The second-floor children's corner had colorful bookshelves and soft mats on the floor. The light coming through the windows was dim because of the rain. But somehow, that made it feel like a secret base—comforting.
Yoshino stood in front of the picture book shelf, staring intently at the spines.
" Take your time picking whichever one you like."
When Shidou spoke, Yoshino gave a small nod and picked up a picture book.
The cover showed a girl who had wandered into a land of ice. Quiet colors of blue and white.
" That one looks nice."
Shidou sat down beside Yoshino. She placed the book on her lap and slowly opened it.
Shidou watched her profile.
Long eyelashes. Pale skin. Light blue hair falling across her cheek. Her sapphire eyes, fixed on the book, were serious—and somehow lonely.
(What is she thinking about?)
That was what Shidou wondered.
Yoshino turned the pages in silence. Shidou watched quietly too. The sound of rain tapped against the window. A quiet time flowed between them.
Eventually, Yoshino finished the book.
"...How was it?"
When Shidou asked, Yoshino hugged the puppet, thought for a moment, and then spoke.
" ...It's cold and lonely, but at the end, it gets warm."
Not through the puppet—her real voice. But it was a little clearer than before.
"It gets warm at the end, huh."
Shidou repeated her words.
(This girl lives in a cold, lonely world. But she wishes that someday, it would get warm.)
A hot feeling spread through Shidou's chest.
" ...That's a good story."
Shidou meant it from the bottom of his heart.
Then—
" Oh my, Shidou-san. Do you really like Yoshino that much?"
A sudden bombshell.
Shidou nearly choked.
"Wh-what are you—"
" I mean, you've been staring at Yoshino this whole time. Do you like her profile that much? You pervert."
"Th-that's not it! That's not what this is!"
Shidou denied it, bright red. For someone with zero romantic experience like Shidou, this kind of teasing was way too hard on his heart.
" Oh my, your face is bright red. Yoshino, look—this guy's blushing all the way to his ears."
Yoshino hugged the puppet tight. Her face was even redder than Shidou's. Not just her ears—her neck was red too.
"Y-Yoshinon, stop..."
Yoshino protested in a voice that seemed about to vanish.
" Why should I? Yoshino, you've got plenty of things you want to ask Shidou-san too, right? Hey, Shidou-san, what's your favorite food? What's your type? Do you have a girlfriend?"
"H-hey, cut it out!"
Shidou tried to stop her, but Yoshinon wouldn't let up.
" Oh, no need to be shy. Yoshino wants to get closer to you too, Shidou-san. Right, Yoshino?"
"...!"
Still bright red, Yoshino suddenly stood up.
"Ah, hey, Yoshino?"
Clutching the picture book, Yoshino ran.
" I-I'm sorry...!"
Her small back dashed down the stairs.
"Yoshino! Wait!"
Shidou chased after her in a panic.
Outside the library, the rain had grown stronger.
"Yoshino!"
Shidou ran after Yoshino's back through the rain. The yellow of her raincoat blurred in the downpour.
(Damn it, Yoshinon, you just had to open your mouth...!)
Shidou cursed inwardly. But he couldn't entirely blame Yoshino for running off in embarrassment.
Yoshino ran from the library toward the station-front shopping district.
Tengu City Station Shopping Arcade stretched eight hundred meters, with about two hundred shops. Even on a rainy day, it was bustling with shoppers.
Yoshino wove through the crowd and ducked into a back alley off the arcade.
Shidou chased after her desperately.
"Hah, hah... Yoshino, wait!"
The alley was wet from the rain and dim.
Then—
Shidou's ears caught a small crying sound.
"...Snff, snff..."
Shidou stopped in his tracks.
At the far end of the alley, a little boy sat huddled. Maybe five or six years old. He was soaked through from the rain.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
When Shidou called out, the boy's shoulders jumped.
" ...M-mommy, where...?"
He was lost.
Shidou paused his chase and approached the boy.
"Are you okay? Did you get separated from someone?"
The boy nodded, his face a mess with tears.
Then—
"...Um."
A faint voice came from behind.
Shidou turned. Yoshino stood at the entrance of the alley.
"Yoshino..."
Yoshino was staring at the boy. Her sapphire eyes wavered.
" ...Is this child lost?"
Yoshino timidly approached the boy. Then she crouched down to meet his eye level.
" ...Are you okay? I'll help you find your mommy."
Yoshino reached out her hand to the boy.
Then—
" Yoshino, stop."
Yoshinon's voice rang out, cold.
" Humans aren't worth saving. They'll only hurt you."
Yoshino's hand froze.
"Y-Yoshinon..."
The color drained from Yoshino's face.
" This child is probably the same. Even if you're kind to him, he'll just be scared of you and run away. That's how all humans are."
Yoshinon's words were cold and sharp.
Yoshino's hand was trembling.
" Come on, let's go. Just leave this kid alone."
Hearing those words, Shidou's blood boiled.
"Hey, Yoshinon."
Shidou looked straight at Yoshinon.
"I get that you've been protecting Yoshino. I can imagine how much fear she's been through."
Shidou's voice was low and calm.
"But hurting that kid—that's not right."
Yoshinon fell silent.
"Yoshino wants to help this boy. Don't deny that feeling."
Only the sound of rain echoed in the alley.
"Yoshino is a kind girl. Even without you protecting her, she would never hurt anyone."
Shidou gently wrapped his hand around Yoshino's trembling one.
"...Shidou-san."
Yoshino's eyes looked up at Shidou.
"It's okay. I'm right here."
Shidou smiled at Yoshino.
Yoshinon was silent for a while.
"...Hmph."
And then, quietly, she muttered that.
Shidou lifted the boy into his arms.
"All right, let's take you to the police box. Yoshino, will you come with us?"
Yoshino nodded.
The police box was near the entrance of the shopping arcade.
Shidou handed the boy over to the officer. The boy clung to the hem of Shidou's shirt and wouldn't let go, but when the officer gently said, "Your mommy will be here soon, okay?" he finally released his grip.
"Thank you. Thanks to you two, we got him sorted out."
The officer bowed to Shidou and Yoshino.
"No, we just did what anyone would do."
Shidou scratched his head, embarrassed.
Yoshino hid behind Shidou and gave a small bow.
When they left the police box, the rain had let up a little.
"...Yoshino, I'm sorry about earlier. For being harsh with Yoshinon."
When Shidou apologized, Yoshino shook her head.
" ...No. Shidou-san, you didn't do anything wrong."
Still hugging the puppet, Yoshino said quietly.
" ...Yoshinon was just trying to protect me too. So you didn't do anything wrong, Shidou-san."
Yoshino's voice
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