"Ah..."
The Klaxosaur Princess and Setsuna, along with several companions, were touring the capital city.
She looked around—everywhere she saw unfamiliar buildings and technological marvels.
The Klaxosaurs had lived underground for tens of millions of years, long forgetting what it felt like to live on the surface.
All aspects of modern civilization were distant and strange to her.
From time to time, little girls greeted the Commander warmly as they passed.
When they saw this unfamiliar-looking girl, the people were surprised but showed no hostility or judgment.
Even the smallest children politely greeted her.
"Big sister, big sister, what are those tentacles behind you?" one little girl asked curiously.
"They're weapons," the Klaxosaur Princess replied concisely.
"I can use them to control Klaxosaurs or FRANXX mechs—and to fight enemies."
"Oh... can I touch them?" the little girl asked, tilting her head.
"...Do as you like."
The Klaxosaur Princess's expression was slightly puzzled as she turned toward Setsuna.
"They're not afraid of me?"
"Why should they be?" Setsuna smiled.
"Because I'm a monster, an outcast—different from everyone else," she said quietly.
"You're far from that," Setsuna shook his head. "We have all kinds of races here—everyone's used to it. We get along just fine. It's nothing unusual."
"See, the one next to you is a real dragon. The ones who welcomed you earlier were a Kancolle shipgirl and a Spirit. Strictly speaking, none of us are human."
He pointed toward Tohru and Mio.
"Oh, and Tohru could also be considered a dragon princess—her father's the leader of the Chaos Faction."
The dragon girl swayed her long tail, staring at the Klaxosaur Princess for a while.
"Strange... you're a dragon too, but you look completely different from me."
"..."
The Klaxosaur Princess was deeply amazed.
It was her first time seeing a city where multiple races lived together in harmony.
"Amazing... if only the humans on our side were as reasonable as yours..."
"People learn civility when they're well-fed and comfortable. The Earth in the DitF world was practically a wasteland—it's normal for the people there to be restless and unruly."
Setsuna smiled and continued walking with the Klaxosaur Princess.
Soon, when they reached the commercial district, Formidable nudged Setsuna.
"Commander, should we get the Princess some new clothes?"
"Isn't it a bit inappropriate for her to keep dressing like that? I mean, even the shipgirls don't wear something so... minimal."
The Klaxosaur Princess was wrapped only in a few black silk ribbons that barely covered her body, showing off her perfect figure.
In a sense, her "outfit" was more revealing than wearing nothing at all.
Even the Kancolle shipgirls found it excessive.
"?" The Klaxosaur Princess looked down at herself, confused. "Is there a problem with what I'm wearing?"
"Would you consider changing into something else?" Formidable asked carefully.
"Really? But the Commander often looks at me—sometimes on purpose, sometimes not—and he never complained. I thought this was fine?" the Klaxosaur Princess replied innocently.
She hadn't interacted with humans for millions of years, so her understanding of social norms was nonexistent.
"???"
"Commander?!" Formidable pinched Setsuna sharply.
"Ahem." Setsuna cleared his throat awkwardly.
He had to admit, anyone standing next to the Klaxosaur Princess would have their attention drawn to her whether they wanted to or not.
"You can dress however you like in the capital," he said, "but when you go out, you'd better wear something proper. The Starsea Empire has uniforms for official occasions—I'll have an Angeloid deliver one to you."
"Oh?" The Klaxosaur Princess looked thoughtful. Wanting to respect local customs, she nodded in agreement.
...
Back at the base, everyone once again saw the Klaxosaur Princess striding through the city wrapped in ribbons, turning heads wherever she went.
After a while, Setsuna brought her to a row of connected villas in one corner of the capital.
"Here—this is your house," he said. "You can move freely around the city. If you need anything, find an Angeloid or Yat Sen."
"I don't know much about Klaxosaur habits," Setsuna said, "but since you look pretty much like us, we'll just follow human standards."
"The Angeloids will handle your food, clothing, and living arrangements. Everything in the capital is free—you can take whatever you need."
Inside the room, two household-type Angeloids bowed respectfully.
"Greetings. Under the Commander's orders, we, Starsea Empire domestic-service Angeloid Model MK3, are at your service."
"..."
The Klaxosaur Princess looked around curiously.
The room was filled with high-tech smart devices—none of which she recognized.
"Thank you. This is more than enough," she said, nodding politely to Setsuna.
"This place... it's even more advanced than the civilization we once built."
Her gaze turned distant, as she recalled the ancient days when the Klaxosaurs had created a prosperous and magnificent civilization.
Their technology had far surpassed that of later humans—but was ultimately destroyed by the VIRM invasion.
"Don't dwell on the past. Start your new life," Setsuna said, patting her shoulder.
"There are countless worlds out there waiting to be explored. Since you're the last of your kind, make the most of your time here."
"Mm. Thank you," the Klaxosaur Princess nodded once more.
"If there's anything I can help with, I'll do my best."
"..."
"By the way," Setsuna asked suddenly, "do you have any particular skills? Mind sharing them with us?"
Several shipgirls looked at the Klaxosaur Princess curiously.
They only knew she could control Klaxosaurs and attack using the tendrils on her back—beyond that, nothing.
"I can pilot a FRANXX—the one you call Strelizia—and activate or enhance its final form," she answered calmly with her eyes closed.
"Strelizia Apus, huh?" Setsuna thought for a moment. In the hands of the natives, that mech could already destroy the VIRM homeworld. With a few upgrades, it had real potential.
"Also, in desperate situations, I can become a weapon myself—offer my body to you for use," the Klaxosaur Princess said solemnly.
"Just like my kin once did."
"That won't be necessary. I'm already a super-powerful weapon on my own," Setsuna replied with a grin.
"From now on, you'll lead the mech unit. Teach Gudako how to pilot a FRANXX."
"That girl? Sure. She seems to really like those weapons... strangely so," the Klaxosaur Princess agreed, puzzled but willing.
Suddenly, Setsuna remembered something.
"By the way, do you have a name? It feels weird to keep calling you 'Princess.' You should have a proper one."
"..."
The Klaxosaur Princess shook her head.
"No. Among our kind, we didn't have personal names—we identified each other through other means. If you think I need one, I can make one now."
She paused for a moment, thinking seriously.
"Since I'm starting anew... how about Zero?"
"...Already taken—that's the Spirit of Origin's spirit number, thanks," Setsuna said with a black line on his face.
"Uh..." The Klaxosaur Princess pondered again.
"Since there's already a Zero, and my clone is called 02... then you can call me 01."
"That's a bit too simple, isn't it?!" the shipgirls exclaimed, stunned by her naming sense.
"Names hold no meaning to me. They're just identifiers. If you think of a better one later, you can tell me then," the Klaxosaur Princess replied indifferently.
"...Fine."
"Naming, huh? I'm good at that!" Gudako suddenly spoke up, eyes shining mischievously.
"Let's see… Angelique, Fredonica, Illukuku, Pacnatus, Lance-Sanctus… pick one?"
"...?"
"What the heck are those last three?!" the others groaned collectively.
...
The main cast brought back from the DitF world had all reverted to loli form.
After a brief medical checkup, Chen Hai led them to school to begin their studies.
Most of the little girls had received some basic education while living in the "birdcage," so they could immediately attend classes alongside the previously created mini shipgirls.
02 was no exception.
She had been treated as an experiment subject—aside from having her blood drawn and being subjected to harsh physical training, no one had ever taught her anything.
Here, no one discriminated against her because of her unusual appearance. Whether it was children her age or the older girls, everyone treated her equally.
And she even received a little special care.
"Here you go, 02. This is your lunch—eat slowly," said Shoukaku gently in the school cafeteria, guiding her as if she were a small child.
02 didn't understand much yet and needed someone to look after her.
"Mm!"
The moment she took a bite, her whole body trembled, eyes sparkling with wonder.
She had never tasted anything so delicious.
Back in the laboratory, the adults had only given her food sufficient to sustain life—and sometimes, they deliberately starved her for tests.
"Take your time, don't choke..." Shoukaku patted her back softly, her heart aching for the child.
The other little girls had at least lived comfortably in the birdcage; they'd lost freedom, but not basic comfort.
02, however, had endured inhuman experiments and brutal training.
"..."
After lunch came the midday break.
02 tugged lightly on Shoukaku's sleeve.
"I... want to... look around..."
"Hm?" Shoukaku thought for a moment. The capital was perfectly safe—with Sophons and Angeloids monitoring everything, any incident would be immediately detected—so she nodded.
"Alright, just don't wander too far."
"..."
02 began wandering aimlessly around the school grounds.
Everything in the capital was new and fascinating to her.
There were no stern-faced adults barking orders, the other children were friendly, and the older girls were kind, often giving her tasty food.
At the same time, the city's advanced technology mesmerized her.
As she walked, she asked questions about everything she saw.
Eventually, after stumbling her way around, she found herself at the top floor of the school's tallest building.
Inside a large, open room—
A blue-haired girl wearing a white dress and beret sat on a tall stool by the window, painting.
Griseo gazed at the distant sun, whose rays bathed the capital's grand architecture in a golden glow.
On her palette, she blended colors delicately, her white dress speckled with drops of paint.
She didn't mind, gently swinging her little legs as she brushed stroke after stroke onto the canvas.
When she had followed Setsuna to the DitF world, she hadn't joined the battle. She had merely watched quietly, recording everything she saw and felt.
Griseo felt she had gained many new colors—thoughts she needed to express through painting.
"Eh?..."
02 tilted her head, staring up at Griseo's enormous canvas.
She couldn't understand it.
In fact, few in the entire capital could comprehend Griseo's paintings.
"Hm?"
Griseo noticed the small girl below, set down her brush, and hopped off the stool.
From 02, she could see a swirl of complex colors.
"Do you need something?" she asked gently.
Although the two were roughly the same size, 02 somehow felt that Griseo was far more mature.
"Paint... painting..." 02 stammered softly.
"Oh, you want to paint too? My tools might be too hard for you to use. You can ask an Angeloid to bring you a set," Griseo said kindly.
"No..."
"I have... but... I don't understand it..."
02 pulled a small sketchbook from her chest pocket.
It was her most precious belonging—though she had never been able to understand what was drawn inside.
Seeing Griseo paint gave her a strange sense of connection between them.
"Hm? A picture book? Do you want me to read you a story?" Griseo tilted her head.
Though she was also just a child, she felt confident she could look after 02 for a bit.
"Mm!" 02 nodded eagerly.
"...Alright."
Griseo opened the sketchbook, and the two of them sat casually on the floor as she began explaining each page.
The sketchbook was, in fact, the same one from the original story—The Beast and the Prince.
The tale was simple, and with just a glance, Griseo quickly grasped the story's meaning.
"Long ago, a demon princess lost her way in the human kingdom—and fell in love with a human prince..."
"But their love was forbidden by the world. The princess sought the witch's help, wishing to become human so she could live with the prince."
"The witch agreed, taking the princess's wings as payment, granting her wish. The princess paid a great price to stay by the prince's side."
"But the witch warned her: one day, you will devour the prince..."
"..."
It was a tragic, poetic story filled with deep meaning. 02 listened quietly, her eyes full of confusion and thought.
She looked at her own reflection—so different from everyone else—and thought back to all that had happened.
Pointing to herself, she asked softly, "Am I... the witch?"
"Is the Commander... the prince? We... can't be together?"
"No." Griseo shook her head.
She gazed at the sketchbook for a while before speaking again.
"I don't like this story. It doesn't suit you—not the you right now."
"How about this—I'll make a new one for you. It won't take long."
...
A few days later.
Setsuna came to inspect the school as part of his routine rounds.
The little girls from the DitF world had fully adapted to their new life and were studying interstellar-age knowledge.
In 02's dorm room, he found the girl dressed neatly in a clean school uniform instead of her old rough robe. The little loli lay on her desk, flipping through a picture book.
When she saw Setsuna, she ran over excitedly, clutching the book to her chest.
"Prince... Commander..."
"Hm?"
"Reading a story?" Setsuna asked, patting her head.
He noticed how much 02 loved that book—whether the original one or this new version Griseo had made.
"Mm... I want... to read together..." 02 said, holding up the book shyly.
The little girl simply wanted to share something precious with the person important to her.
"Oh?" Setsuna chuckled. He was curious about this new version—and it was a good chance to build some affection.
A wife should be raised early, after all.
He sat down, placing 02 on his lap, and began reading from the book.
"Long ago, a demon princess lost her way in the human kingdom—and fell in love with a human prince..."
"Their love was not accepted by the world. The princess sought the witch's help, wishing to become human so she could live with the prince."
The first part was identical to the original—Setsuna could recite it by heart.
But as he turned the next page, he froze.
"The witch tried to take the princess's wings as payment—but the prince found out and refused."
"The prince gathered his strength, built a mighty starship, and destroyed the evil witch. Then he conquered the demon kingdom and made them his vassals."
"Finally, he piloted the ship across galaxies and universes, founding a new nation with the princess."
"In that land, all races were welcome—and the two lived happily ever after."
"?????"
02 listened intently, completely absorbed, while Setsuna was full of question marks.
He could feel a familiar power emanating from the sketchbook itself—just looking at it gave him a strange sense of peace and joy.
"Wait—this is what 02's picture book looks like now?!"
"Griseo, what in the world did you draw?!"
—
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