Rei Ao: "Not just meFutaba Rio too."
Hiratsuka Shizuka: "Hmm?"
Eriri: "Huh? Rei Ao-kun, are you bringing her to another world with you?"
Rei Ao: "Sure am."
Eriri: "Aww, I want to go too~"
Rei Ao: "Haha, I'll bring you next time."
Eriri: "Okay"
Eriri wasn't upset, just happily looking forward to it next time.
Having settled all matters for school, Rei Ao wasted no more words. Holding Rio's hand, he said, "Let's go."
~~~
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Chapter 368: Mechas (Bonus Chapter)
"Where's Futaba?"
Futaba had disappeared.
Emilia, who'd been talking with her, looked startled. She shot up from her seat.
"Tohru! Futaba's gone!!!"
She hurriedly called for Tohru. Based on her time in this house, Emilia had a rough grasp of the hierarchy: Rei Ao > Tohru > Mai > Futaba, with Sora and Ilia belonging to Rei Ao as magical grimoires.
Since Futaba suddenly vanished, looking for Tohru the dragon was surely the right move.
"Ahh, I know. She only went off to another world with Rei Ao, so don't worry."
Tohru, who was basking in the sun, replied without even raising her head.
"Huh?"
Emilia stood there, baffled. Futaba was taken away by Rei Ao? And they went off to another world, together? Wait a minute
"Rei Ao can travel to other worlds?!"
Emilia's eyes gleamed. That meant he might be able to take her back to the Holy Cross Continent as well!
In the group chat:
Sui: "Did something happen to Yuzuriha Inori?"
Stella: "Hmph, probably some new danger."
Akame: "She did mention some kind of mission before."
Busujima Saeko: "Indeed, she did. Possibly something went wrong with that mission."
Frieren: "@Rei Ao, did you go?"
Rei Ao: "I'm already here, but it seems we're surrounded."
Misaka Mikoto: "??? Who dares to surround you?!"
Hiiragi Shinoa: "I want to see, Rei Ao-kun, you know what I mean."
Kasuga Hijiri: "Is it a livestream?"
Shiba Miyuki: "Curious~"
Rei Ao: "It's just a group of ordinary soldiers. Nothing worth looking at, really."
Rei Ao: "@Shiba Miyuki, you really want to see?"
Shiba Miyuki: "I-I'm just curious about the look of a new otherworld."
Rei Ao: "All right, since it's your request, Miyuki, I'll make sure to satisfy you~."
Hiiragi Shinoa: "Rei Ao-kun, that's playing favorites~"
Rei Ao: "Can't help it if Miyuki's so pretty and adorable."
Stella: "???"
Shiba Miyuki: "Ugh"
"!!!"
A blush crept over Miyuki's face. Being singled out for such special treatment was both embarrassing and made her a bit happy.
Meanwhile, in her world's group chat, her mom and aunt teased her about it:
Shiba Miya: "Oh my, Rei Ao-kun is really paying special attention to Miyuki, how enviable~"
Shiba Miyuki: "Mom, what are you saying? Don't make fun of me!"
Shiba Miya: "I'm not teasing you, Miyuki, I'm just stating the truth."
Yotsuba Maya: "Rei Ao-kun really is looking after you. We're lucky to benefit from that, so don't belittle yourself."
Yotsuba Maya: "So Miyuki, aren't you going to consider becoming Rei Ao-kun's wife?"
Shiba Miyuki: "Eh?!"
The abrupt topic left her unprepared, suddenly too flustered to respond. Even so if Rei Ao-kun were to propose right now, she definitely wouldn't be able to refuse.
[Ding! Rei Ao has started a livestream!]
A bunch of people flooded into the stream. Some still believed it might be a simple crowd of average people. But the scene on camera was anything but normal: Rei Ao, Futaba, Rio, and behind them, Yuzuriha Inori collapsed in a corner, were all surrounded.
First there were armed soldiers carrying guns. Indeed, at a glance, they looked as "ordinary" as Rei Ao had said. But looming behind them were tall, steel constructs resembling mechs. Each mechanical arm's gun barrel was aimed squarely at Rei Ao's group.
Yukinoshita Yukino: "Mechs Rei Ao-kun, is this what you meant by 'ordinary'?"
Yukino strongly suspected Rei Ao had a questionable understanding of the word "ordinary."
Megumi Kato: "It might be beyond normal people's grasp, but to Rei Ao, it's probably nothing."
Sakurajima Mai: "More than that, it seems this world's technology is quite advanced, doesn't it? They've got mechs we can't build in our world."
Frieren: "Steel giants. That reminds me of that giant in Akame's world."
Akame: "The Ultimate Teigu: Shikoutazer."
Frieren: "Yes, that one."
Yomogawa Ayame: "Though it looks smaller than that Teigu. I suppose a steel creation must be pretty powerful."
Tohru: "Tch, not enough to fill a gap in my teeth."
Sui: "Seems bulky."
Shiba Miyuki: "I have a thoughtwhat if we produced mechanical constructs like these and then reinforced them with magic?"
Izawa Shizue: "An interesting idea, but for a truly powerful mage, it'd still be useless."
Shiba Miyuki: "That's true."
Misaka Mikoto: "Hmm, am I the only one who feels like, at the end of the day, that's basically a big ballistic weapon?"
Stella: "Same. Feels flashy but not that useful."
Rei Ao: "Agreed. They really are showy but hollow."
"Who are you people?! What's your connection to the intruder who broke into the GHQ facility?!"
The soldiers' commander asked warily. The trio had appeared at a bizarrely convenient moment. He and his men were quite certain that, when they'd found the unconscious intruder a moment earlier, these three definitely hadn't been there. The three of them had just appeared out of nowhere, an exceedingly strange event, so the commander, cautious, didn't order them shot outright.
Of course, the biggest reason was that the highestlevel secure item was right by the woman behind Rei Ao's group. They couldn't afford to damage it.
However, faced with those dark muzzles, Rei Ao remained unruffled. He wrapped an arm each around Futaba and Rio, and calmly asked, "Do you two like being held at gunpoint?"
They exchanged glances, shaking their heads in unison.
"Heh, I don't like it either."
"So"
Seeing the dangerous smile curling Rei Ao's lips, the commander's alarms blared. He gave an instinctive shout: "Open fire!!!"
The soldiers and mechs simultaneously pulled their triggers and fired artillery. But
Click! Click, click, click!
No matter how they yanked their triggers, no bullets came out.
~~~
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Chapter 369: Tennouzu First High School (Bonus Chapter)
"Hmm?"
The commander noticed that after ordering them to open fire, not a single bullet had been shot.
"What's going on?"
He turned around, looking confused.
"Sirthe guns seem jammed!"
"The cannons too!"
The soldiers were all fiddling with their weapons in bewilderment. No matter what they tried, the guns wouldn't fire.
"What?"
In a hurry, the commander drew his own pistol.
Click!
That was jammed as well
"Are we really this unlucky?"
He even began suspecting that the armaments sent from headquarters were defective.
Otherwise, how could everyone's weapons all fail at once?
"Pfft."
Swallowing nervously, he shouted, "Everyone, draw your knives!"
At this command, the soldiers all pulled out tactical knives. There were so many of themwhat was there to be afraid of? They'd just rush in and hack him down.
The commander tightened his belt and turned around triumphantly, only to hear Rei Ao's calm words:
"You're fortunate. My girlfriend doesn't like bloody scenes."
"Whew"
Rei Ao exhaled softly.
It was as though an ice-cold wind instantly swept over everything. The ground abruptly formed a thick layer of frost. But Futaba and Rio, right by Rei Ao's side, felt no chill at all. In the blink of an eye, they realized that the soldiers and the mechs were now encased in sparkling crystals of ice.
Through the translucent ice, they could still see the soldiers, looking as if they were unaware of what had even happened. Especially the commander, whose face had been wearing that smug grin the moment he turned aroundnow frozen in that instant forever.
"!!!"
Futaba and Rio both shudderednot from the cold, but from shock at these people's fate.
"They're" Rio hesitated.
"Dead," Rei Ao answered briefly, almost flatly.
" "
Rio fell silent. Death used to be so distant to her, yet the sight of it was now all too close. There wasn't a drop of blood, but the fact that they'd died without even realizing it made it all the more chilling. It was her first time experiencing such a sceneher and Futaba's faces both went pale.
Rei Ao had done it intentionally. Experiencing situations like this more often would be a kind of "training," in his eyes. Besides, he hadn't employed any method that spilled blood. It might be easier for them to come to terms with it this way.
While giving them time to regain composure, Rei Ao turned away and spoke in an icy tone: "Stop hiding. Come out."
His words instantly drew Futaba and Rio's gaze. He didn't say it for no reason; his eyes were fixed on a break in the collapsed wall.
"I'll give you three seconds. If you don't come out, you'll join them as ice sculptures."
"!!!"
Crack, crack!
Hearing that, whoever was hiding behind the wall started to panic. He'd just witnessed that bizarre event, nearly crying out in fear. At the mention of turning into an ice statue, he hurriedly raised both hands and stepped forward.
"Don't kill me! II'm just passing by!"
It was a boy in a black school uniform.
Rei Ao narrowed his eyes calmly.
Ouma Shuthe protagonist of Guilty Crown, the one meant to become the "King" of Voids.
But not anymore. With Rei Ao here, there was no chance of that happening.
" "
Silence filled the air. The terrified boy just stared at him, speechless.
"Gulp!"
The mounting psychological pressure made Shu break out in a cold sweat. Especially when he glanced at those people sealed in iceterror took over his face, his legs going weak, afraid he'd be next. He really, really didn't want any part of this incomprehensible affair.
Rei Ao, however, didn't move against him. He casually asked, "You're a student?"
"Yes!"
Ouma Shu answered hastily, "I'm Ouma Shu, from Tennouzu First High School!"
Rei Ao nodded without much reaction. Then he turned, looking toward Yuzuriha Inori, who was lying unconscious in the corner, her face colorless. Her abdomen was stained red with blood, evidently from a bullet wound.
He gave the injury a quick tap with his finger.
"Ugh clink."
A bullet was drawn out, falling to the floor with a metallic sound.
"Mm."
Even in her unconscious state, Yuzuriha Inori frowned at the pain, though it quickly subsided. The small bullet wound swiftly began closing. A bullet hole like that was effortless for Rei Ao to heal in just a blink, and the wound sealed up.
"Ugh"
The tightness in Yuzuriha Inori's brow eased. She was now out of danger. Rei Ao simply scooped her up in his arms. The motion roused her; she slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring into Rei Ao's. In a soft voice, he said, "Take a little rest. There's no more danger right now."
" "
Realizing the pain and wound were gone, while surrounded by warmth she'd never felt before, Yuzuriha Inori felt a sense of security flood her. She gave a faint nod, closing her lovely eyes again and leaning quietly against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
"You over thereShu, was it? Take us to your school."
"Huh?"
Ouma Shu froze, testing the waters in a wary tone: "Bbut, you knowclass is still going on."
He was trying to figure out Rei Ao's intentions.
"Oh, class is in session? Then what are you doing out here?"
"Ahem, Iskipped because I was feeling down."
"Enough nonsense. I just want to check out your school. Even if it weren't for you, I'd still get there on my own."
"Uh"
Shu's forehead broke out in cold sweat, his heart pounding. Was Rei Ao implying that if he wasn't useful, he'd be disposed of? So he anxiously changed his tune.
"O-okay, I'll take you guys!"
Tennouzu First High School.
It was the only school in session in this quarantine zone at the moment. Yet there was no hint of youthfulness or laughter on campuseveryone seemed worried and down.
Even talking was just a form of bitter selfmockery. They were sealed off in the quarantine zone, with some people unable to return home outside of it. No one knew what was happening beyond the blockade.
" "
Ouma Shu hoped someone would notice the odd situation behind him. But no matter who walked past, none seemed to see the people behind him at all. Rei Ao must have used some small trick.
"Take us somewhere with nobody around?"
"Emptynobody around?"
Shu's eyes lit up. If it was deserted, no one else would get dragged into potential danger. Perfect.
"All right, let's head to the school auditorium. No one's there!"
~~~
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Chapter 370: Kuhoin Arisa
"Huh?"
Rei Ao stood at the back of the auditorium, looking amusedly at Ouma Shu.
At that moment, the auditorium was crowded with people.
They all seemed to be listening intently to the blonde-haired young woman at the front, who was giving a speech, apparently about food supplies and such.
" "
Ouma Shu, who'd been so confident that "no one was there," was now thoroughly embarrassed.
"Uh I skipped class, so I had no idea they were having this event today."
What an awkward moment.
In the group chat:
Yukinoshita Yukino: "Why do the students at this school seem so listless?"
She noticed that none of them had much energy, let alone bickering or playing around.
Kasuga Hijiri: "Right, from the look of it they all seem somewhat malnourished."
Yomogawa Ayame: "Could it be poverty?"
Busujima Saeko: "This place doesn't look impoverished at all, though."
Rei Ao: "Something happened here. You can consider it like an outbreak of a virus in this world. This entire area has been cut off from the outside world, supplies are scarce."
Stella: "I see. Just how dangerous is this virus that they'd completely seal off an entire city?"
Rei Ao: "The Apocalypse Virus, also called the 'Lost Christmas' virus. More specifically"
Rei Ao's eyes shifted toward the front, narrowing slightly.
"A perfect example is right over there."
