Saeko moved with one hand on the blade—raise, fall—cleanly clearing zombies one by one.
With stamina and spirit fixed to "endless,"
her bloodthirst had fully awakened.
Then—
rounds howled past, cracking skulls beside her in neat succession.
Saeko's lips curved. Bullets meant people.
Good enough.
…
At the manor, Ren's day began the usual way: cultivation, quieting the mind, study.
He'd been living this three-point rhythm for years. Thanks to Oba-san's guidance, the fidgety habits he'd carried from his past life had been smoothed away.
Even with a cheat Trait, if you can't sit still, it's pointless.
Near noon, finishing his morning block and returning to the main house, he felt it: the rift asking for "authorization."
"Authorized," he thought—and two life signs cleared at once.
A moment later, three figures stepped through in a line.
Saeko came first, freshly washed—hair still a touch damp—purple yokai blade in hand. She bowed lightly. "City Lord, I've brought them back."
Ren smiled. "Good work, Saeko."
"Yes, Ren-kun." Saeko's demeanor flowed back into the poised, gentle Yamato nadeshiko.
Behind her, Rika in full tactical gear…and Shizuka in office attire.
Mm.
One sun-browned, one snow-pale.
Both tall—and the…dango were, frankly, remarkable. Even Saeko's lost by a margin to Rika; as for Shizuka—well, that was a rout.
No wonder that "starter world" is famous for fanservice.
This black-and-white "mochi combo" would make anyone's head swim:
one lithe, one voluptuous;
one sharp and gallant, one adorably scatterbrained.
"Tsk, tsk…"
Hard not to be impressed. How high? Three, four floors high…
"Father."
Kaguya-hime arrived just then.
Saeko offered the violet blade back with both hands. "Kaguya-hime, thank you."
"It was my pleasure," Kaguya said with a great-house smile—then let her gaze sweep Rika and Shizuka up and down, like an X-ray. A nod here, a nod there—satisfied.
That look made Rika feel oddly…stripped, like a little lamb under inspection.
Unbothered, Kaguya smiled. "Saeko, your friends are excellent. Won't you introduce us?"
"Of course."
After quick introductions, Rika stayed standing, thinking aloud. "Ren—the City Lord?"
"Call me Ren if you like," he said easily. "Titles aren't a big deal."
"Then I'll stick with City Lord," Rika answered with a crisp grin. "Saeko gave me the outline. Your side is…?"
Ren nodded. "As she said: a phantasm world where yokai roam at night and humans and spirits live together; the age of gods has faded, but the gods themselves haven't died."
Simple lines—but the best frame for this place.
"Hard to imagine…" Rika murmured. She wasn't Saeko; as a professional soldier, she didn't buy monsters and gods by default.
But a glance into the corridor—moon rabbits bustling about, ears twitching when they felt her look—and she fell quiet.
"Waaah!" Shizuka, by contrast, lit up. "Bunny ears, bunny ears! Are those all yokai? So cute!"
Saeko stepped up to gently anchor her teacher.
"Then…" Rika refocused. "City Lord—our world…is it completely beyond saving?"
"Hard to say.
"Or rather—
"I don't know yet."
Ren shook his head. "From what I sensed, it shouldn't be too hard. But Eirin—mm, that name might not ring a bell. The 'wisdom kami of Takamagahara' will—yes?"
"The god of wisdom?" Rika said, eyes sharpening. She'd at least heard the myth.
"Good." Ren nodded. "Yesterday I went to your world—'Apocalypse,' as I'm calling it—and brought Saeko back. I planned to have Eirin study the pathogen. Her reply: she'll come in person tonight. And until then, I shouldn't reenter 'Apocalypse.'"
(End of Chapter)
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