Outside the orphanage.
Awashima Seri walked up to a luxury car, opened the door, and sat in the driver's seat.
"Miss Haruno, I've informed him."
She glanced at the rearview mirror, where a girl with short chestnut hair and a delicate face was seated in the back.
"What was his attitude?"
Awashima Seri recalled Kuzeha Yuu's final smile. After a slight pause, she replied, "He seemed… quite willing."
"Is that so?"
Yukinoshita Haruno turned her head to look out the window.
The slightly dilapidated orphanage was full of an old-time charm.
"Although this project is important, it's still an orphanage. Be mindful of your tone, and try to complete this cooperation pleasantly."
"I understand, Miss Haruno."
Awashima Seri nodded.
Although Yukinoshita Haruno spoke with kindness, this was, after all, the first major project personally entrusted to her by Madam Yukinoshita.
There was no room for failure!
If the other party didn't cooperate, Awashima Seri had full confidence in Haruno's methods.
This young lady, raised to be the Yukinoshita Conglomerate's heir, resembled Madam Yukinoshita not only in beauty!
...
Kuzeha Yuu reviewed the entries he currently possessed.
[White] Russian Proficiency; [Green] Hundred-Pace Archery; [Blue] Handy and Dexterous...
[Purple] Training Speedrunner: Enhances physical training and skill progression speed by 3x!
[Purple] Sword Master: Elevates basic swordsmanship to a peak level!
[Gold] Imaginary Space: A sub dimension unaffected by time or space in the real world!
[Gold] Conqueror's Haki: Innate kingly aura; enemies may faint from your presence, causing real damage!
[Gold] Divine Avoidance: Releases Conqueror's Haki as a shockwave!
"Besides Imaginary Space, I finally got another gold entry—and a highly destructive one at that!"
Kuzeha Yuu nodded with satisfaction.
Imaginary Space was incredibly useful. Not only could it store and transfer items, but more importantly, it could absorb attacks and remain unaffected by the real world. In dangerous situations, he could simply hide inside it.
But retreating into a hiding hole every time danger struck felt stifling.
The two golden entries gained today finally gave him powerful offensive tools.
This multiverse world was anything but peaceful.
Demons, ghouls, and ogres frequently appeared in the city.
Many lost their lives in an instant due to carelessness.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many orphanages in this world.
Naturally, Kuzeha Yuu hoped his strength could grow as much as possible!
"I wonder when I'll finally get a top-tier red entry…"
He thought with anticipation.
At that moment—
A strand of silver-white ahoge lazily floated out from the room behind him.
Soon after, a cascade of silver-white hair poured down like a waterfall, revealing a delicate, pitiful face. A slender figure was wrapped in a pure white Gothic Lolita dress.
A silver-haired girl, like a fairy born from the snowy fields.
Kasugano Sora!
Years ago, her family perished in a disaster, and Kuzeha Yuu brought her to the orphanage.
Due to her frail body and slightly withdrawn personality, she had yet to attend school.
"Yuu, is this place getting torn down?"
Kuzeha Yuu walked over to the girl and skillfully pinched her cheek.
"Of course not. This is our home!"
Hearing that, Sora's sadness instantly turned into joy.
She nodded vigorously.
She had always believed in Kuzeha Yuu's words unconditionally.
If he said it wouldn't be demolished, then it wouldn't.
Sora wrapped her arms around Kuzeha Yuu's, tossing the little black bunny plushie she'd been holding onto the sofa.
Who needs a stuffed animal when she had her brother?
Feeling the softness pressing against his arm, Kuzeha Yuu looked slightly helpless.
As the girl grew older, instead of becoming more distant like most siblings, she only got clingier.
"Just go with the flow, I guess…"
Kuzeha Yuu thought to himself.
After all, he'd long developed the good habit of always closing the door behind him.
Even the lock on the entrance had been replaced with a brand-new, heavy-duty one.
"Big brother…"
A gentle voice, as warm as a spring breeze, floated in from the front door.
"Sakura's back."
The corners of Kuzeha Yuu's mouth lifted slightly.
Sora, on the other hand, pouted her lips.
And held onto Kuzeha Yuu's arm even tighter.