Genichi wrote out a list of names and handed it to Haruno.
There weren't many names on it, only a little over a dozen. Each one had been neatly written on a sheet of white paper with a black pen.
The paper itself was perfectly ordinary, torn from a notebook with rough edges still visible.
Yet when Haruno accepted it, she felt as though it weighed more than any contract or official document she had ever held.
"I want you to find the people on this list," Genichi said calmly. "I don't know their exact addresses, so you'll have to locate them yourself."
Haruno lowered her gaze to the list, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
Meiko Honma, Kanade Tachibana, Yuri Nakamura, Yukiteru Amano, Yuno Gasai...
She had never heard of any of them.
But whether she recognized them or not, these weren't the names of ordinary people.
Kanade Tachibana, for instance, was a name she had never once encountered in the news.
"Where exactly am I supposed to find these people for you?"
Haruno raised her head and looked at Genichi, her eyes filled with confusion.
Genichi didn't answer.
Of course, he wasn't going to tell Haruno that these names came from anime he remembered.
In their respective stories, several of these characters had appeared as spirits.
Meiko, the girl who always wore a white dress and sat in a tree.
Kanade, the expressionless girl who loved mapo tofu.
Yuri, the leader of the Afterlife Battlefront.
They had been spirits in their stories. Did that mean they would become spirits in this world as well?
Genichi didn't know, but he wanted to find out.
Haruno studied his calm expression and sighed inwardly.
She knew he wouldn't explain, and she didn't need to know his reasons.
All she had to do was carry out his orders.
That was their agreement. He gave her power, and she worked for him.
Simple and fair, with no room for negotiation.
"All right. I'll find them."
Haruno put the list away, turned around, and left.
Genichi remained by the window, watching until her figure disappeared through the doorway.
Sunlight streamed into the room, casting his long shadow across the floor.
His fingers tapped lightly against the windowsill in a steady rhythm.
Haruno returned less than a day later.
There was a trace of exhaustion on her face, but her eyes gleamed with excitement.
She placed a thick folder in front of Genichi and opened it. The pages inside were covered with photographs and densely packed information.
"Most of the people on your list are already dead," Haruno said softly, unable to completely conceal her excitement. "Meiko Honma is dead. Kanade Tachibana is dead. Yuri Nakamura is dead as well."
Genichi flipped through the documents. His expression remained calm, but his fingers stopped tapping.
Just as he had expected.
They were dead.
Then what had happened to their spirits?
If they had become spirits, where were they now?
"You're searching for dead people," Haruno said tentatively from behind him. "Don't tell me you're actually looking for their spirits."
Genichi turned to face her.
This woman really was clever.
"Since you're so smart, why don't you take another guess? Where do you think these girls' spirits are now?"
The corner of Haruno's mouth twitched.
How was she supposed to guess something like that?
She had never seen their spirits, didn't know where they had died, and had no idea where they might have gone after death.
She only thought Genichi's behavior was strange. It was so strange that she couldn't stop her imagination from running wild.
Genichi didn't wait for her answer. He turned away and continued examining the documents.
Countless possibilities churned through his mind.
Kanade. Yuri. The Afterlife Battlefront.
If these characters truly existed, did that mean the Afterlife existed as well?
In the anime, it was a place only the dead could enter. It had an enormous cafeteria, an Angel, and all sorts of strange rules.
Could such a world also exist here?
Genichi's fingers began tapping against the desk again, faster and faster.
If the Afterlife existed, could it be connected to the spirits of this world?
Could the souls unable to pass on, the people who died while clinging to powerful obsessions, have escaped through cracks in that world?
Could they be residents of the Afterlife?
His gaze deepened.
If the Afterlife truly existed, what kind of place was it?
Was it an independent world, or some kind of dimension attached to reality?
Perhaps it was similar to the alternate dimension in the High School DxD world, the space specifically used for Rating Games. It existed independently from the physical world, yet remained closely connected to it.
Genichi recalled the alternate dimension Rias had once taken him to.
Its sky had been dark purple. There had been no sun or clouds, only an endless void.
If the Afterlife existed, could it be something similar?
An independent dimension attached to reality, yet still connected to it in some way.
Were the spirits escaping from that world?
Were they its native inhabitants?
Or were they prisoners?
Genichi rose from his seat and walked to the window, gazing up at the sky outside.
The sun shone brightly in a cloudless sky, but he knew another world existed beneath that peaceful surface.
It was a world ordinary people couldn't see.
A world inhabited by spirits.
A world shrouded in death.
Genichi wanted to find its entrance, discover the source of the spirits, and obtain the key to advancing to Satan-class.
"Haruno."
He spoke without turning around.
"Yes?"
Haruno's voice came from behind him.
"Find out which schools Kanade and Yuri attended when they were alive."
Haruno nodded, then turned and left.
Genichi stood by the window and watched her disappear, a complicated emotion stirring within him.
If the Afterlife truly existed, and if the spirits were connected to it, then he might not be facing a mere handful of spirits.
He might be confronting an entire world.
That world would have its own rules, its own power, and its own ruler.
The corners of Genichi's lips curved upward.
So what?
He wasn't afraid of the three factions in the High School DxD world. Why would he fear the Afterlife?
He had survived the slaughter in the arena. Why would he fear a few spirits?
He wasn't even afraid of the countless versions of himself scattered throughout the myriad worlds. Why would he fear a realm inhabited by the dead?
If the Afterlife truly existed, Genichi would find it.
Then he would seize control of it.
If possible, he would claim its throne and use it to advance to Satan-class.
(End of Chapter)
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