Tokyo Area, Tendō Civil Security Corporation.
A strikingly beautiful girl of about fifteen or sixteen, with hip-length black hair, snow-white skin, and a surprisingly well-developed figure, sat in a daze in her office.
Mob characters, Demon King, tiered-ranks, destroying planets, space stations, chat group...
The conversation that had suddenly appeared in her mind left her completely frozen.
At first, she even thought that the immense mental pressure and her will for revenge had finally driven her insane, turning her into a bona fide lunatic.
It was only after doing a couple of math problems that Tendō Kisara managed to calm down.
Okay, good. I can't do the high school problems, but I can still solve the middle school ones. That proves I'm still sane.
So, what in the world was this "chat group" that had appeared in her head?
Could it be that she had undergone a mechanization procedure like Satomi Rentarō and had some kind of chat-enabled chip in her brain?
No matter how she thought about it, it seemed impossible.
Never mind that current technology was nowhere near the level of virtual reality, even if it was, there was no reason to give her access to this function and force her to listen to a bunch of chuunibyou-esque conversations.
With so many doubts, Tendō Kisara had to suspect that she was experiencing some kind of miraculous encounter.
Whether it was aliens or gods, she might have stumbled upon something incredible.
No!
In fact, she desperately hoped that what she had encountered was something beyond the realm of common sense.
"If this is real... then my father's revenge..."
At this thought, the pretty-faced girl couldn't help but grip the hilt of the sword that was almost never far from her waist.
Recalling the deep-seated grudge she carried, and the kidney that still ached with phantom pains, a terrifyingly cold light erupted from her eyes.
If there truly was a god who could hear her wish, who could answer her prayer...
She wouldn't just offer her hand in marriage; she would gladly offer her entire being—body, soul, and everything in between.
For her, that was a goal worth sacrificing everything for.
However...
"I can't fully trust it just yet."
Looking at the seemingly concerned inquiries from the girl named Kanae in the chat group, Kisara, a scion of the Tendō family, was wary of conspiracies and unwilling to trust so easily.
Although it was unlikely that current human technology could achieve this, and she herself wasn't valuable enough to be targeted in such a way, who knew if this wasn't some hidden plot?
Her academic performance wasn't the best, so she was a little worried. If this was a technology developed by the legendary Four Sages, perhaps brainwave communication via an implanted chip was actually possible.
So, it was safer to continue observing.
"Perfect. They seem to be going to deal with some 'Demon King.' If they really are people from different worlds, they'll surely do something to prove it."
With this in mind, Tendō Kisara suppressed her excitement and decided to continue watching.
Other things were easy to fake, but a setting like another world wasn't something you could bluff your way through with just some text or a slideshow.
---||---
The people in the chat group, while not fully aware of the newcomer's thoughts and concerns, could guess the gist of it. After all, they had all been through this stage, just perhaps not as cautiously as the new girl.
Right now, they were more concerned with Su Mo and Kanae.
Kanae Kocho: "Lord Su Mo, please wait just a moment! I-I-I'll go arrange a welcoming ceremony right now!"
Confirming that Su Mo was coming, Kanae spoke in a flustered rush.
Su Mo: "No need. I'm just going over to clear out some dust. Don't go to so much trouble."
Ceremony itself had meaning, but for the current Su Mo, such formalities were unnecessary. What was so special about cleaning up a mob character that required special preparations?
Kanae Kocho: "Even if you say that, I must at least inform everyone. Most of my comrades are not well-read and don't know proper etiquette. If they were to offend you, even if you wouldn't hold it against them, I could never forgive such a lapse."
On this point, Kanae's attitude was firm.
While it was a small matter that Su Mo could handle with a wave of his hand, for the Demon Slayer Corps, it was a life-saving grace.
If such a god, a savior, were to be offended by a common mortal upon his descent, even if the god himself didn't care, it would still be a grievous error on the part of the Demon Slayer Corps, one that would require them to die in apology.
If they allowed such a thing to happen, they would be unworthy of receiving Su Mo's mercy. Others could plead ignorance, but she, who knew Su Mo's identity, could never afford such a fluke.
That kind of luck, that kind of arrogance, was in itself a disrespect to a god, the greatest stain on Su Mo's kindness.
Jibril: "Master, for once, I think Kanae has a point!"
Jibril: "The weak must learn to respect the strong. That is the basic principle of their survival."
Rin Tohsaka: "It's rare for me to agree with Jibril."
Rin Tohsaka: "To put it bluntly, if Lord Su Mo goes to help and gets slandered for it, then that world isn't even worth saving."
March 7th: "That makes sense!"
March 7th: "I wish the natives on the planets I visit would learn that lesson!"
The pink-haired girl, who spent her years as a Trailblazer saving worlds and getting wanted posters for her trouble, was deeply envious of the awareness the others showed.
Damn it, if everyone was this reasonable, would my trailblazing be so hard every time?
Kanae Kocho: "I agree with everyone else!"
Kanae Kocho: "Even though it's my own world, I want to show Lord Su Mo its best side... At least, it should look a little bit worthy of being saved."
Clearly, for the members of the chat group, Su Mo was more important than some nebulous world. Not just anyone was worthy of Lord Su Mo's personal intervention. That would be devaluing his kindness.
Su Mo: "If you all insist, I don't mind."
Su Mo: "After all, this is just for leisure."
Su Mo didn't stubbornly stick to his opinion.
After all, they had a point. If he encountered something truly unpleasant and accidentally destroyed the entire world, that wouldn't be good.
Besides, with Jibril's personality, even if Su Mo didn't do anything, she might sneak off to retaliate later. To avoid that, waiting a little while was fine.
Seeing him agree, Kanae finally let out a sigh of relief.
Kanae Kocho: "Please rest assured! I will take care of everything as quickly as possible. I won't keep you waiting long!"
With that, she immediately logged out of the chat group.
As mentioned before, by carefully controlling the frequency of logging into the chat group, one could somewhat control the time flow ratio between their world and the chat.
So, as long as she could resist logging in for a while, even if a week or two passed in her world, it would only be a few dozen minutes in the chat.
Of course, she couldn't keep Lord Su Mo waiting that long. She had to complete all preparations within three days.
---||---
"Sister?"
As soon as she stepped outside, she saw her younger sister Shinobu and Kanao practicing their swordsmanship in the courtyard.
Seeing her older sister rushing out, Shinobu was a little surprised.
Strange, isn't she usually holed up in her study at this time, foolishly pining for someone? Why is she out and about today?
Before she could ask, her sister walked over, examining her with an unusually serious gaze, even sniffing her a few times, which made Shinobu feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Sister, what are you doing?" Shinobu asked, a little embarrassed and annoyed.
"Shinobu, no sword practice for the next few days. Go change into your prettiest clothes and take a bath three—no, ten times a day!"
In the face of her sister's annoyance, Kanae gave a strange command with a completely serious face.
"Ten times? Even a pig for slaughter doesn't get washed that many times! And why can't I practice my sword? Have you lost your mind, sister?" Shinobu was utterly baffled.
"Don't talk back! Shinobu, this is a very important mission. You must do as I say, no matter what!"
For once, the usually gentle Kanae adopted a firm stance.
"Oh, and don't you like to study herbs and flowers? Make sure to prepare some nice perfume. You must present yourself in your most beautiful state!" she continued to nag like a mother hen.
"Huh?" Shinobu froze, finally realizing something. She instinctively took a step back. "Sister, don't tell me you're trying to set me up for an arranged marriage? I'm only fourteen! And you're sixteen! Even if someone's getting married off, it should be you first!"
In this era, both sisters were considered old maids. Shinobu naturally wanted nothing to do with such things. They were in the Demon Slayer Corps, after all, and could die at any moment.
They had long been cut off from ordinary happiness. If her sister was trying to force her, she could use her sister's own age as a shield.
Though she suspected her sister had a crush on someone, some "Lord Su Mo," she had never actually met the person!
Of course, Kanae was oblivious to the wild theories running through Shinobu's head. But hearing her sister's words, she remembered something.
"Right, prepare two extra portions of perfume! Not just for you, but for Kanao and me too! We'll all use it. I'll be supervising you, so no slacking off. Not one bath less than ten!"
Tapping her head, Kanae's added instructions left the two younger girls stunned.
With that, Kanae turned and left, her flowing haori as beautiful as a butterfly's wings, vanishing in an instant.
Judging by the direction she was heading in such a hurry, she seemed to be going to report something to their master.
"It's over!"
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Shinobu silently hugged her adopted sister in front of her.
"?"
Kanao Tsuyuri tilted her head, looking at Shinobu in confusion.
Seeing her innocent and worldly-unaware expression, Shinobu's face was filled with sorrow.
"Our sister has gone mad with lovesickness! She's completely lost her mind!"
"?"
The cute girl with the side ponytail still looked confused.
Seeing this, Shinobu had to explain more bluntly.
"The three of us sisters are probably getting married off..."
"!"
Kanao's eyes widened, and she subconsciously gripped Shinobu's sleeve. As dense as she was, she knew what "getting married off" meant.
Before her indecisiveness could kick in and she could figure out how to express her reluctance, she heard Shinobu's next sentence.
"And what's more, we're probably all marrying the same man. The one our sister has a crush on."
"..."
Phew~ Kanao instantly calmed down. She didn't look nervous at all; in fact, she seemed vaguely happy.
"Wait, what's with that reaction?" Shinobu's eyes widened, staring at her dazed adopted sister. "We're being married off!"
"?" Kanao blinked, still silent. But from her calm and composed eyes, Shinobu understood what she meant.
The three of us sisters marrying the same man... wouldn't that be great?
In this era, the practice of tengqie was quite common.
Sisters would marry the same man, and their children would be considered part of the same family line.
The younger sister served as a substitute for the older one, able to advise her and also attract the husband's favor, gaining more grace for their small group. It was a small-scale political or harem alliance.
Shinobu had been agitated at first, but after seeing the look in Kanao's eyes, she finally realized.
"Oh, that's right! This way, I can stay with you and our sister forever! I guess there's nothing wrong with that!"
As for the man himself, anyone their sister liked couldn't possibly be a bad person!
Realizing this, Shinobu breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, she looked down at her sweat-stained uniform, lifted her arm to sniff, and immediately flushed red.
She finally understood what her sister meant.
While she didn't smell bad, she wasn't particularly attractive either. Her figure wasn't as good as her sister's to begin with. What if her sister's beloved didn't find her appealing and she was rejected?
Wouldn't that mean she'd be separated from her sister and Kanao?
At this thought, she immediately dropped the sword in her hand.
"?"
"Kanao, let's go! Time for a bath!"
Hand in hand, the big and little butterflies hurried off toward the bathhouse.