"Gudu~"
The faint sound of water dripping in the darkness echoed, but no one paid attention.
Something… no, someone stood silently in front of them, cloaked in the shadows, their presence unnoticed until now.
Finding this place hadn't taken much effort.
[Do you… want to find them?]
The voice was strange—distorted, wrapped in chaos.
Takagi Saya immediately rolled off the futon, flicked on the lamp, and raised her pistol toward the source. Her eyes sharpened.
"Shizuka-sensei! Something's there—take Alice and move!"
Marikawa Shizuka, still half-asleep and dressed only in thin white lace lingerie, flinched at Saya's urgent tone. She jiggled clumsily as she scooped Alice up into her arms.
When she turned toward the stirring shadows, her breath caught. "Eh? Wh-what is that…?"
The commotion stirred Alice awake. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, blinking at the strange figures forming in the darkness. Unlike the adults, she didn't scream—she just froze, small hands clutching Shizuka tightly.
Saya's voice was sharp and commanding. "Don't play ghost tricks with me!"
The shadows rippled.
A sigh. Then, from within the darkness, two figures stepped forward—Yami Tsukishiro and Ella.
Saya's body stiffened, her finger tightening dangerously on the trigger. "Who the hell are you? And why are you here?"
Yami's eyes narrowed. "Lady, I don't like having a gun pointed at me."
[Put. Down. The gun.]
The words were heavy. Each syllable struck like a drumbeat in an empty hall, echoing through the room.
Saya's eyes widened as if some invisible weight pressed down on her. Her grip faltered—the pistol slipped from her trembling hand and clattered to the floor.
The power of Kotodama—Word Spirit. Even at level one, it was more than enough to overwhelm ordinary people.
Saya's breath shook. "W-what did you do to me…?!"
Her expression twisted in frustration. She tried to bend down, to reclaim her gun, but her arms refused to obey. It was as if her limbs had betrayed her, no longer listening to her will.
"It's nothing," Yami Tsukishiro said bluntly, his voice low but clear. "I just want you to listen—quietly and honestly. Do you want to find your companions?"
Marikawa Shizuka stiffened, hugging Alice closer. "S-sir… do you know where Saeko and Rei are?"
Yami gave a short nod. "Certainly."
"Sensei, don't just believe him!" Takagi Saya snapped.
She knew Shizuka all too well. That airheaded, soft-hearted nurse would trust anyone with a smile.
One day, Saya thought bitterly, Shizuka might be tricked into doing something ridiculous and she'd probably even thank them afterward.
Yami slowly raised his hand. Three golden spheres of light floated upward, illuminating the dark room.
[If you want to find your companions, hold these.]
As his last words lingered, Yami and Ella dissolved back into the shadows, vanishing like they had never been there.
The only things left behind were the three glowing orbs.
Saya frowned, picking her gun. She glanced at Shizuka—still standing there in her underwear, breasts swaying with each nervous breath and sighed.
The apocalypse really didn't care about modesty. But Saya wasn't in the mood to appreciate the "scenery."
This wasn't about lust. It was about survival...not to mention she wasn't interested in women either.
"No way… they're already gone!" Alice whispered, covering her mouth in shock.
Saya ignored her own exposed triangle panties peeking from beneath her shirt and darted forward, checking the area where Yami and Ella had stood.
She pressed her hand against the wooden floor, scanning for any hidden trapdoors or tricks.
But there was nothing. Just plain flooring.
Saya muttered under her breath. "Impossible… how did they disappear so cleanly?"
"Sa…Saya, what should we do?" Shizuka's voice trembled. She was hopeless in moments like this, so naturally, she placed all her faith in Saya.
The bespectacled girl turned her gaze toward the three golden spheres still floating in midair.
Science… had no explanation for this. The shadows, the command that stole control of her body, the way they vanished into thin air—it was all beyond the realm of logic.
"Shizuka-sensei… when he said 'companions,' he must've meant Saeko-senpai and Rei."
"Mm… I think so too…" Shizuka nodded absentmindedly.
Saya exhaled sharply, her glasses glinting as her resolve hardened. "Then there's no hesitation. We're going to find them."
She reached her hand out toward one of the orbs—
"Wait, wait, Sister Saya!" Alice squeaked, tugging her sleeve. "Shouldn't we… um… get dressed first?"
Saya froze. Her cheeks flushed as she realized she was half-naked.
"U-ugh… dammit."
Meanwhile, Shizuka tilted her head innocently, pressing a finger to her lips. "Ah… so that man just saw us like this, didn't he?"
"..."
Saya's eye twitched. "Stop spouting nonsense and get dressed already!"
The three of them quickly scrambled into their clothes, grabbing what little equipment they had.
Once ready, Saya, Shizuka, and Alice each reached out their hands, touching the golden orbs together.
Buzz—!
A radiant glow burst forth, engulfing them in brilliant light.
Then, a voice...deep and resonant echoed in their ears:
[Adventurers… welcome to the Multiverse Dungeon!]
---
"...Pretty smooth."
Yami Tsukishiro could already sense it—the three golden invitations had been accepted. The connection was established. They qualified.
On his way here, he had noticed someone else too—a fat man who also carried the qualifications of a special invite. A plot character, without a doubt.
But after a moment of thought, Yami discarded the idea. No… not him. I'll start with women first.
Women drew more attention. They stirred emotions. They could serve as anchors in this crumbling world and in the dungeon he was constructing, they could play other… roles.
Men? Best to leave them out, at least for now.
He smirked faintly, leaning back into the shadows. "Besides… men should face their desires honestly, not pretend otherwise."
In the future, he intended to restructure the dungeon's foundation—separating it into different zones for men and women.
A necessary step before expanding the number of adventurers.
For now, there were two more candidates worth recruiting.
Takagi Yuriko—the calculating matriarch of the Takagi family. And Minami Rika—Marikawa Shizuka's close friend.
"…'Married Women,' huh," Yami muttered with faint amusement, though no real warmth touched his voice.
Truth be told, he wasn't attached to any of them.
They were simply the best options available. If he wanted to keep the current dungeon roster female-only, he needed them to balance the numbers.
Later, once the Bone City was reconstructed and its zones refined, he would consider opening entry to men. Until then—this was the way.
"Ella," Yami's voice cut through the gloom, summoning his companion. He let his thoughts flow into her, showing her the image of Minami Rika.
"You'll find this one."
Ella's eyes lit up, her excitement almost childlike. "Understood! Leave it to me, Master—I'll bring her back without fail!"
Yami gave a slow nod, his shadow stretching across the cracked wall. "Then go."
The darkness stirred, and Ella vanished into it, carrying his will.
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