Date a Bride (Date A Live Fanfiction)

"Ike, I don't understand..."

"Hm?"

Hurrying her steps, Ellen caught up to Westcott, who had stepped out of the room without waiting for her.

Walking down the corridor of the DEM Industries underground facility while perking up her shoulders in irritation, Ellen locked her eyes on Westcott as if waiting for a reply.

Her mouth twisted into a へ shape, her eyebrows drawn together in a deep frown. Even her footsteps carried an uncharacteristic aggression. For Ellen—the strongest, the one who dedicated herself to maintaining an air of grace—this was a rare sight.

Noticing her intense desire for an answer, Westcott let out a snort before finally meeting her gaze.

"What is it that you don't understand?"

"With all due respect, Ike, but..." Ellen finally adjusted her stance, steadying herself as she matched Westcott's pace beside him. "Why did you set the Spirit free all of a sudden? I have an idea why, and I believe the sacrifices were inevitable if it meant reaching our goal, but that was too risky..."

"Hm? Are you implying that you wouldn't have been able to restrain the Spirit if she had broken through?"

"N-No! Sir, absolutely not!"

Ellen's voice came out sharper than she intended, her steps faltering for just a moment. She clenched her fists, forcing herself to regain composure.

"Restraint was never the issue...Even if she had broken through, I could have subdued her. But in her mental state...Even for me, bringing her down without risking killing her would've been... difficult."

Westcott let out a low chuckle, as if entertained by her concern.

"So that's what's bothering you?"

Ellen lowered her eyes slightly, as if admitting it—though there was clearly more on her mind.

Westcott observed her in silence for a moment before speaking again.

"Hm... Then, what's your theory?" he mused. "Why do you think I set the Spirit free and caused all that chaos so suddenly?"

"Ah—"

Ellen hesitated for a fraction of a second, but she had already pieced it together.

"You already knew how to turn her into that type of Inverse, and you wanted to test your theory before taking the next step—to trigger the perfect Inverse... Right?"

"Hm... As expected of my secretary. You got it all right, though there's one little detail missing..."

"Detail?"

He raised a finger, his gaze fixed ahead.

"You see, dear Ellen, after all those years of captivity, pain, and relentless torment, her heart has been drowning in hatred—so much that she's like a nuclear bomb with a random timer. You can't tell when it'll explode, but one thing is certain... even the slightest movement or touch could set it off."

Ellen remained silent, listening intently.

"If we had transported her just like that, with all that hatred still caged inside, she could have detonated at any moment—without warning, without control. The moment we tampered with her restraints, even the slightest trigger could have sent her spiraling into complete destruction."

He finally turned his gaze toward her, an almost amused glint in his eyes.

"So, I just released a little pressure—let her loose, ensuring there was at least a chance she wouldn't self-destruct at the worst possible moment."

Ellen pressed her lips into a thin line. She understood now. This wasn't just recklessness or a mere experiment—there was a method behind it.

"Of course, it wasn't nearly enough. She's still overflowing with enough hatred to tear through anything in her path. But at the very least, we've lowered the risk of her other self taking control and becoming a complete disaster... for now."

Ellen exhaled through her nose, folding her arms as she mulled over his words. Westcott, noticing the lingering doubt in her eyes, spoke up.

"Why are we risking transporting her in the first place—isn't that what's on your mind, Ellen?"

"Ah—I... I am curious. Aren't we risking one of our two most valuable assets like this? I just don't see the benefit of moving her, especially to our branch in Japan... It's far less secure and advanced than our current location."

"Ah, well... it's the first step toward our goal. In the end, we needed outside help after all."

"S-So you already know how—"

"Ah, by the way, Ellen, I have a mission for you."

Westcott suddenly cut her off, retrieving a tablet from the folds of his white coat and thrusting it into her field of view.

"...Yeah? Ike, what is it?"

Ellen's eyes flicked to the tablet screen. An image of a small, isolated landmass surrounded by endless ocean came into view—a place she didn't immediately recognize.

"Arubi Island?"

"Indeed," Westcott confirmed. "An unremarkable place at first glance, but recent circumstances have made it... relevant."

She looked up at him. "And I assume this has something to do with the mission you have for me?"

Westcott's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Very astute. Yes, it does. Just a month ago, we arranged for Raizen High School's trip to be relocated from Okinawa to this island."

The moment Ellen heard the high school's name, something clicked—wasn't that the school the suspicious boy and the code name Princess lookalike attended?

"And the reason?"

"You recall the spirit codenamed Princess, don't you?"

Ellen's posture stiffened as the pieces of the plan started coming together. Everything became clear now.

"Your mission is simple. Go to Arubi Island, infiltrate the school trip under a cover identity, and confirm whether the girl who resembles our target is truly Princess." He smiled. "If she is... then we'll decide the next course of action accordingly—"

"-Leave it to me"

Before Westcott could finish his sentence, Ellen said that as if she had already made up her mind.

Part 2:

On the remote Neryl Island, a small landmass adrift in the Pacific Ocean, an unusual commotion stirred that day.

Twenty years ago, this once-inhabited island was purchased by the United Kingdom's DEM Industry, Which Beneath its surface, a vast underground laboratory was constructed—a facility so secretive that its existence was never disclosed to the public, and its location remains absent from any map.

The reason for such secrecy was clear: the experiments conducted there would face inevitable global condemnation if exposed.

As a result, the island's usual inhabitants consisted of around fifty researchers, thirty support staff handling daily operations, and a handful of Wizards serving as bodyguards.

But if one were to count the test subjects within the facility—assuming they could still be considered human—the population would multiply a hundredfold.

From above, Neryl Island appeared quiet, disturbed only by the weekly supply shipments. With the higher-ups from the main branch never bothering to visit, the island remained unusually still.

But today was different.

Nearly a hundred Wizards had gathered, all clad in wiring suits and armed with CR-units, fully prepared for battle.

Adding to the tension, over three hundred remotely controlled Bandersnatch units had been deployed across the island. To an outsider unfamiliar with the island's usual state, it would seem as if war was about to break out.

"...This looks dangerous."

From the cockpit of the approaching transporter, Knox let out a sigh as he scanned the runway teeming with Wizards.

Beside him, his copilot, Burton, gave a small nod.

"That's just how important Material B is."

He gestured over his shoulder toward the cargo hold.

Their mission was clear—transport the most valuable asset housed deep within Neryl Island. The one known as Material B

The Spirit had only arrived on the island the day before, transferred from the United Kingdom experimental facility.

The orders were explicit: she was to be delivered to the Japan branch in Tengu City by today.

Direct transfer wasn't an option.

Instead, Neryl Island had served as a temporary stopover—a place to recalibrate containment protocols, ensure all security measures were intact, and confirm the cargo's stability before resuming transport.

With an asset of this magnitude, even the smallest margin for error was unacceptable.

Another reason for the stop was to ensure everything would go smoothly, as Martial A was scheduled to be transported here next week.

And yet, despite all these precautions, something still went wrong.

"Well, that's only natural. But even so, this is overkill. What's with all these Wizards? Are we planning to take on the Seventh Fleet or something?"

Knox's sarcasm hung in the air, earning a wry smile from Burton.

But before Burton could respond, Knox blinked in surprise.

A small figure had appeared on the runway—directly in front of the transporter.

"Hn...?"

At first, the Wizards assumed she was a researcher from Neryl Island. But they were wrong.

The figure was a young girl.

She wore a dress that seemed woven from blood and shadow, her disheveled hair framing an unnatural pair of mismatched eyes. And—most disturbingly—her left eye resembled a ticking watch.

"What... the hell is that? Halloween was months ago," Knox muttered, unease creeping into his voice.

The Wizards on the runway noticed her a second later. Their weapons snapped up, aimed directly at her as sharp voices crackled over the communicator.

"Who are you!? Where did you come from!?"

For a moment, silence.

Then—

"Kihihi... finally found you, Miss Abnormal Spirit-san."

The girl's voice slithered through the communicator, playful yet ominous.

Before Knox could process what she meant, the shadows beneath her stretched unnaturally, slithering across the ground toward the Wizards.

From the inky darkness, pale hands emerged—dozens of them.

And then, with a sickening pull, the Wizards vanished into the abyss.

"Wha... what is this!?"

"The shadows—!?"

"You fool! Don't get close! She's—Nightmare!"

The moment one of the Wizards shouted, the girl's lips curled into a sharp, sly smile.

Then, the shadows beneath her rippled like liquid, and figures began to crawl out—girls who looked just like her, their eerie forms emerging from the darkness like phantoms from a nightmare.

"U-Uwaaahhh!"

"Stay calm! We have to protect Material B!"

The Wizards steadied their CR units, but the Nightmares moved first. From the writhing shadows, they pulled out old-fashioned pistols and rifles, their eerie grins unwavering as they took aim.

The once-quiet island had become a warzone.

Despite the Wizards' relentless fire, their enemies never seemed to dwindle. No matter how many they cut down, more Nightmares kept pouring out—an endless tide of horror.

The defensive line crumbled.

The shadows were creeping closer to the transporter.

"Pilot Knox! We can't hold them off any longer! Start the transporter!"

"You're kidding, right!? There are still bodyguard Wizards out there! And how the hell am I supposed to take off in the middle of this!?"

"There's no other way! Just do it—NOW!"

Knox gritted his teeth, his hands tightening around the controls.

The transporter's engines roared to life.

The spirit's sharp ears picked up the distant roar of the transporter's engines.

She smiled.

Raising her pistol, she gestured toward her clones—the Group of Nightmares—and gave a single command.

"I won't let them escape. Am I right... all of me?"

At her words, several of her clones shot forward, racing toward the transporter.

But then—

"—!"

A faint gasp.

In the next instant, the heads of five advancing clones were sent flying into the air, severed cleanly in a single stroke.

A moment later, dark blood sprayed from their necks, their bodies crumpling to the ground, twitching slightly before falling still.

"Oh my, oh my?"

Nightmare's golden clock eye narrowed, her amusement laced with intrigue as she turned toward the source of the attack.

A lone figure stood amid the carnage.

She was different from the other Wizards—immediately noticeable. Blonde hair framed her youthful face, her wiring suit identical to that of Ellen Mathers. Though still possessing a trace of childish softness, her expression was anything but meek.

She exuded danger.

Nightmare let out a quiet snort.

Even without exchanging words, she could tell.

This girl was on a completely different level from the others.

The sheer quality of her Territory. The effortless way she had decapitated her clones in a single instant.

This was no ordinary opponent.

"An annoying one appeared, huh..." Nightmare mused, her lips curling into a sly smile. "But did you really think something so trivial would make me back down?"

The girl said nothing.

Instead, she silently raised her weapon—a sleek, glowing Laser Blade—and stepped forward, ready to fight.

"—Arondight."

At the girl's word, Nightmare's clones surged forward, closing in from all directions.

But the girl barely flinched.

With precise control of her Territory, she disrupted their advance—just for an instant, just enough.

It was all she needed.

In a blur, she dashed forward, her blade slicing through the air.

Schlk—!

A sharp gasp left Nightmare's lips.

A deep slash tore across her chest, blood spraying as she staggered backward. Her vision blurred, the endless blue sky above filling her gaze as her body collapsed onto the roadway.

The distant roar of engines thundered in her ears.

At the edge of her sight, the transporter was already soaring away.

Kurumi exhaled a ragged breath, coughing up crimson. Yet, even as the warmth of her own blood spread across her body—

She smiled.

"Oh my, oh my... I really got taken down, huh..."

Despite the pain, despite the fading strength in her limbs, her fearless grin did not waver.

"But... this is not the end, you know?"

Her golden clock eye flickered faintly.

"[I] will take... Miss Abnormal Spirit-san..."

The girl said nothing.

She merely raised Arondight, the blade gleaming coldly under the sun.