Date a Live Volume 18-22

Chapter 1: The World of Happiness

Dozing off is similar to death. Both cases, the consciousness falls into the dark. The difference is whether waking comes after that.

If so, did the awakening of the consciousness correspond to resuscitation or rebirth──while thinking over such a shameless topic, Itsuka Shidou slowly opened his eyes.

"............Hmm."

It wasn't the ceiling, but a white ridgeline that first came into view. After a few seconds later,
Shidou noticed it was a blanket. Apparently, he had been sleeping.

"Nn......"

Accompanied by a snore of laziness, Shidou turned over his body before standing up.

It was the room he was familiar with. It was the same unchangeable morning as usual. Warm sunshine was coming through the window, but the air was still a bit cool.

While thinking of this, Shidou slanted his head to the side.

"......What day is it today?"

As if in a state of being half-asleep, he couldn't remember the date at all. No, to precise, it was not only the day that was left vague, but the month as well. Shidou could only judge the approximate season from the temperature felt on his skin.

Although Shidou himself had no experience, it was probably close to the feeling of a morning hangover. His condition before going to bed couldn't be clearly recalled. Although it should have been the usual morning, a strange hazy feeling of something being out of place had wrapped around his mind. It was like an anxious feeling of having nothing to rely on.

"......Well, whatever."

It was strange, but he couldn't think up an answer. Shidou decided to cross-check everything for the time being as he walked out the room while scratching his head.

After walking down the stairs and through the corridor, Shidou heard the sound of the TV coming from the living room. It seemed that Kotori had gotten up.

"Good morning, Kotori. ......Hey, what day is it today──"

As the door to the living room was opened, Shidou's words came to a halt.

The reason was simple. It was because there was an unexpected face in the living room.

One of them was Kotori. That wasn't the issue. She was his cute little sister with black ribbons on her head. Right now, she was sitting on the sofa facing the TV with her favorite Chupa Chups in tow.

The problem was next to her. A girl was sitting next to Kotori, stretching her back beautifully.

Her light colored hair was tied around her neck. Her correct posture and manner was as if mechanical. The radiance exuded from her pair of eyes was like the light source of an electronic screen.

"──Ma......ria?"

As Shidou rounded his eyes staring, he called out the name that came to mind.

Yes. That figure was unmistakably that of Maria, the management AI of the airship <Fraxinus>. "Yes. Good morning, Shidou──you still have bed hair on your bangs. Are you still asleep?"

"Eh? A-aah......"
With a vague reply, Shidou brushed his bangs with his finger. Certainly, just as Maria had said, his bangs were leaping out sideways.

However, right now there was something Shidou cared about more than the bangs on his head. Of course, this matter was Maria sitting on the sofa.

Maria is the management AI of <Fraxinus>. Although through a previous major modification it was possible to communicate via voice, at best it would be only a personality existing in a computer.