— — — — — —
"..."
Saeko Busujima stood frozen, dazed. A strand of her purple hair slipped down in front of her eyes, still streaked with blood.
Kira sighed when he saw it. "Sorry. My control's… still not precise enough."
His [Master of All Martial Arts] Orange Trait was very powerful—but his level was still too low. His mastery, at least for now, left much to be desired.
"You…"
Saeko finally came to her senses and looked at the man before her. He wore a traditional yukata, his black hair falling neatly down his back. Everything about him felt out of place in this modern world—like he'd stepped straight out of the past.
"Kira Kuroda," he said.
"Saeko Busujima," she replied.
They exchanged names, simple but solemn.
"Then…"
A faint, tender smile bloomed across Saeko's normally cool, mature face.
She stepped closer, stopping about a meter away, then said softly, "May I call you Kira-kun?"
Kira blinked.
Honestly, that was… a bit intimate. But knowing Saeko's personality as he did, it wasn't exactly surprising either.
"You can," he said with a smile and a nod.
"Thank you, Ki—"
Her words froze. The smile vanished. Her blue eyes rolled back, and her body went limp as consciousness completely left her.
Kira caught her before she could fall, pulling her gently into his arms.
"Both her mind and body have reached their limits. Let's take her back first."
He glanced at the massive zombie nearby—one so large it made the ground tremble.
This thing… didn't exist in the original story.
"What the hell happened to this timeline?"
He shook his head. "Forget it. I'll grab a sample to analyze later."
He filled a crystal vial with some of the creature's fluid, sealed it, and stored it away before lifting Saeko again.
It was time to head back.
Except—
Something was off this time.
"What the hell?"
"Authorization required for Saeko Busujima to cross worlds?"
"And… if two people from different worlds cross together, time in both worlds becomes synchronized?"
The system's rules appeared clearly in Kira's mind.
"Oh, so the authorization is just to let her access the Anime Gate. That's a useful feature."
After a brief moment of thought, he authorized Saeko's passage and left the world with her.
— — —
Main World - City Lord's Mansion
"Father, may fortune favor you," said Kaguya Houraisan, folding her hands gracefully before her waist and bowing slightly.
As her words faded, she noticed that her father—Kira—stood before her as if he had never left.
"Father?"
Her gaze shifted to the woman lying in Kira's arms. "I see," she murmured. "If not for my… unique nature, I wouldn't have sensed the temporal disturbance. Now that I can, it's honestly a bit of a headache."
Kira chuckled. "That's true. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss."
Indeed, it's easier when you can't see the ripples. But once you can feel them… they never stop bothering you.
"So, Father," Kaguya asked with a teasing smile, "is she your spoils of war?"
Her eyes drifted over Saeko's form—her beauty, her figure. Why was everything... big?
But not bad at all. Her father really knows how to pick.
"Have someone take her to rest," Kira said.
"As you wish."
Kaguya didn't move, but ten Moon Rabbits appeared silently at her side.
"City Lord!"
"Princess!"
The rabbits bowed in unison.
Kira handed Saeko over carefully. "Clean her up and let her rest."
"Yes, my lord!"
Once they left, Kira turned back to Kaguya, holding up the crystal vials. "When you have the lab study these, be careful. There is something wrong in that world."
For Kira, the Highschool of the Dead world seems to have changed a lot from what he know.
The deserted city. Saeko's condition. The massive zombie.
Everything pointed to one thing—the story was no longer following its script.
Something had shifted. Something big to affect the world.
"I understand," Kaguya said with a serene smile.
After thinking for a while, Kira decided not to travel again. Instead, he waited patiently for Saeko to wake.
He needed answers—what exactly had happened there?
. . .
And time passed quietly.
Other than his usual training, Kira spent the day reading in his study.
Until—
After dinner, a Moon Rabbit appeared. "City Lord, the lady has awakened."
"Good."
He placed a bookmark in the book before him, stood up, and followed the rabbit to Saeko's room.
Thankfully, the Moon Rabbits had finished restoring the mansion.
If not… even with Kaguya, there wouldn't have been enough rooms for everyone, let alone another guest like Saeko.
...
Inside the room
Saeko's eyes flew open. Instinctively, her hand reached for her sword—only to realize something was wrong.
She sat up abruptly. The blanket slid down, revealing bare skin beneath, but she didn't seem to notice. Her eyes swept across the room.
The décor was elegant, ancient, classy. Yet the bed was a modern, large one.
"Where… am I?"
"Last thing I recall is.... Kira-kun?"
The name slipped out before she even realized it. The memory of the man flashed through her mind—his calm voice, his dark hair, his steady gaze.
Did he bring her here?
"Lady Saeko," a voice called softly.
A Moon Rabbit stepped into the room and bowed.
Saeko froze. Her pupils shrank sharply.
Those ears—were they real?
She stared hard. There were no seams, no headband, no trick.
They were real. Actual rabbit ears.
Her mind went blank.
.
.
.