— — — — — —
To Kaguya Houraisan, if she were to rank things, then, without a doubt, Saeko Busujima's talent would be somewhere around SS-tier.
And her two friends, Rika Minami and Shizuka Marikawa? Absolutely S-tier.
Which was… ridiculous.
Three women brought back from the Apocalypse world, and even the "worst" of them had potential that could one day rival a great yokai?
Sure, having talent and actually developing it were two different things. But still—wasn't that a bit too absurd?
"Hehehe~~"
Kira chuckled softly. "Kaguya, if you think about it, it actually makes sense. In the Apocalypse world, over 99.99% of people turned into zombies. The ones who didn't? Obviously extraordinary."
"For people like that, coming into contact with mysterious power or awakening to strange talents isn't strange at all."
Kaguya thought it over, and it did make sense. In a world overrun by the undead, anyone who hadn't turned was basically a "main character."
Having freakish talent was practically a given.
The fugitive princess of the Moon couldn't help but feel a spark of glee at the thought.
Just imagine—
Her father would one day command an army of absurdly strong warriors. Add in his own impossible power, and maybe—just maybe—storming the Lunar Capital and capturing Tsukuyomi wasn't such a wild dream after all.
Kira shook his head with a knowing smile. He could easily guess what was running through his daughter's mind.
No doubt, she was already plotting a grand gekokujo—a good old-fashioned overthrow of her superiors, complete with a march to the moon.
After a bit of light conversation, Kira, Matsuyoi, and Kaguya wrapped up their lunch and headed off to take care of their own things, leaving just Rika, Shizuka, and even Saeko sitting at the table together.
They didn't really have a choice.
Matsuyoi, after all, was a born yokai. Teaching wasn't exactly her forte—and asking a yokai to teach humans how to control spirit energy was… laughable, really.
As for Kaguya? Also a no-go. Teaching wasn't her strength either.
Kira?
Lol.
Even worse. His growth came from ridiculous "traits" and a cheat-like ability that literally rewarded effort with power. Not exactly something you could teach.
So for now—there was nothing to do but wait.
Fortunately, tonight, Eirin Yagokoro would be arriving.
And she was the perfect teacher—utterly flawless when it came to instructing others. Teaching Saeko, Rika, and Shizuka would practically be a waste of her skill. She'd have them mastering the basics in no time.
...
As night fell, Kira and Kaguya walked hand in hand into the bamboo forest beyond the city.
Saeko had wanted to come along, but she was too exhausted to even walk, so she just decided to go lie down and rest.
That was because Kaguya had dispelled her "Eternity and the moment" ability, causing all the exhaustion from her adventure to crash down on her at once. She could barely keep her eyes open and desperately needed some real rest.
...
Moonlight spilled through the trees, and then—
A streak of light descended from the heavens.
In the next moment, it felt as if everything changed… or perhaps nothing had.
⌠⟦Orange • World in a Jar: Lv1⟧⌡
Kira blinked, vision briefly blurring—then a new "trait" appeared before his eyes.
"What's wrong, Father?" Kaguya asked, noticing his sudden pause.
Kira scanned the surroundings. The bamboo forest around them now shimmered with vivid green light, the air itself glowing with lunar radiance. The moonlight above had become liquid silver, cascading in thin streams from the sky.
"World in a Jar?" Kira murmured.
"Eh?"
Kaguya blinked, her dark eyes widening before realization dawned.
"So it's true—you really are special. Just by being pulled into my 'World Within a Jar,' you already grasped the corresponding skill?"
At that moment, a calm yet inquisitive voice drifted through the air.
A tall woman stepped forward, her figure graceful and commanding. Her outfit was a strange yet elegant blend between a nurse's uniform and a shrine maiden's garb, colored in red and blue. constellation patterns—Lyra, Cassiopeia, the Big Dipper, Sagittarius, Andromeda—were embroidered along her hat and sleeves.
Long legs moved beneath a flowing skirt embroidered with the Eight Trigrams of Hakkero, and the faint glimpse of pale ankles above soft cloth shoes added an almost ethereal grace.
Silver hair, braided neatly down her back. Eyes like polished amber—intelligent, curious, and piercing as they fixed on him.
The Lunar Capital's sage herself.
The Ame no Yagokoro Omoikane no Mikoto.
Eirin Yagokoro.
[Image]
...
"Eirin."
"Princess."
Kaguya smiled politely, folding her hands over her abdomen as she greeted the woman with perfect decorum.
Eirin's face softened into a small smile as she met Kaguya's gaze.
"Mm."
Kira, meanwhile, spoke without pretense, a hint of amusement in his tone. "So, Eirin—when you pulled me into your 'World Within a Jar,' I actually gained the corresponding spell."
He'd more or less figured out how his "traits" functioned by now.
The abilities Eirin chose for him tended to be technical in nature. His previous "Space Step," for instance, wasn't divine power—it was technique.
Those could be absorbed into [Master of All Martial Arts], strengthening it as fuel for further growth.
But [World in a Jar] was different.
It was a spell.
In other words—
The former was a warrior's skillset. The latter belonged to the realm of mages.
They couldn't be merged together.
"So then…" Kira mused, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "If I raise my spell arts to the max level, does that mean I can eventually create a unified, growth-type trait for magic as well?"
.
.
.