The moon rabbit didn't mind Saeko's shock.
She didn't know much, but she did know this guest likely wasn't from this world—
but from a place without yokai.
"Lady Saeko, we've prepared clothing. Shall we attend you?"
"The City Lord will arrive shortly."
Her voice was soft as she reported.
"City Lord… you mean Ren-kun?" Saeko drew her thoughts back in and asked.
The rabbit dipped her head. "The City Lord's full name is Ren."
"In that case, I'll—"
"No need."
Saeko had been about to rise and dress, but a thought flickered; she wet her lips, violet eyes glinting with greedy devotion. "This is fine."
"…"
The moon rabbit regarded her for a quiet beat, then bowed and withdrew.
"A bit forward…"
"But between a man and a woman, that's natural."
Alone, Saeko flushed.
She knew exactly what she was doing.
A life saved.
Mystery like a veil.
Clean, decisive violence.
Any one of those would have struck straight through her heart; all three together were fatal.
That was Saeko's nature.
No dithering. Choose, and never look back.
"City Lord!"
"Your Highness!"
Voices sounded at the door.
"Your Highness…?" Saeko's thoughts skipped. Ren-kun already has a daughter? Can I be a good mother?
Ren, for his part, had no idea that a woman he'd met once was already planning to mother his child.
"Saeko."
"Ren-kun."
Ren stepped in—and blinked.
At the moment,
her pose was… bold. A pillow propped behind her, the thin quilt only covering her legs; as for the rest—
He did a quick mental math. No contest. "Meat-anime" indeed; outrageous.
Which meant—
if Saeko was like this, what level of danger would a certain curvy nurse be?
"Hm?"
Hands folded at her abdomen, Kaguya entered with a serene face, every inch the young lady of a great house.
"Lady Saeko."
"Good day."
"This humble one is Kaguya, Father's daughter."
"Good day." Saeko's lips curved into a refined smile eerily similar to Kaguya's own.
Ren let the greetings pass. He came to the bedside and sat naturally. "Saeko, how do you feel?"
"Ren-kun, I've recovered. Thank you for asking."
Her smile was gentle; the violets of her eyes seemed to ripple.
Kaguya stared for a beat.
Just… giving herself away? That fast?
She'd never had this sort of experience, but she knew people too well. One glance told her exactly what state Saeko was in.
If Father stood up now, wouldn't a beautiful snake coil right around him?
Ren noticed too—
but there was business.
"Saeko, I imagine you've guessed by now."
"I have," she said. "This is another world—phantasmagoric, with yokai walking the night and humans and spirits together."
"I suspected as much already."
In a few lines,
they made it plain.
From start to finish, beyond a moment's awe, Saeko felt no fear—only rising excitement.
In a world like this, perhaps her bloodthirst wouldn't make her an outlier.
"I'm curious—what happened on your side?" Ren asked about the Highschool of the Dead world.
"Five days ago, the zombie pathogen broke out. In half a day, it swept the globe."
"Three days ago, according to the Busujima family's intel—just before Father died—he sent word back: over 99.99% of humanity infected."
"Yesterday, I'd run out of stores and went to scavenge. An accident followed."
"In the end…"
Her voice lowered, eyes turning soft. "Ren-kun, without you, I would have been either food… or one of them. And then…"
The thought of becoming that—of never meeting him—brought a shiver, not of death, but of loss.
Truly the type to take one road into the dark—no flashy words; choose, then crash through every wall.
"So the world really is wrong…"
Ren narrowed his eyes and looked to Kaguya. "About the pathogen—any word from Eirin?"
"Eirin has made some progress."
"However—"
"She says she will personally descend tomorrow night," Kaguya said, dropping the bomb with perfect calm.
"Eh?"
Ren stared. "Eirin—herself? A Lunar Sage coming down to the surface? You're sure that won't cause a stir? The Lunar Capital won't explode over this?"
"It won't." Kaguya smiled, giving a tiny shake of her head. "Her reason is solid: to supervise this humble one's punishment. Ten or twenty years—even a century or two—won't draw much notice."
(End of Chapter)
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