After returning home, Rito found Mikan in the living room, quietly studying with her materials spread neatly around her. She barely glanced up when he entered—until he wrapped his arms around her in his usual greeting.
"R-Rito! Stop hugging me out of nowhere!" she complained, pinching his cheek sharply.
He winced, apologised, and retreated to his room with a defeated smile.
Inside, he lay on his bed for a while, scrolling through his smartphone. He flipped through light novels, checked out some trending titles, and even reread a few chapters of his favourites just to refresh his mind. Eventually, though, fatigue crept up on him. The day had been long and filled with more thoughts than actions.
A bath sounded perfect.
He headed to the bathroom, stripped down, and stepped under the warm water. The steam eased the tension in his shoulders, but his mind was far less peaceful.
'I totally forgot about Lala's appearance…'
Even though he remembered the anime fairly well, he didn't recall every detail precisely. Some parts were blurry, others mixed up, and there were definitely scenes he had skipped entirely.
'I should've watched the whole thing before dying… seriously.'
He let out a breath, scrubbing his hair.
'But one thing I know for sure… I'm supposed to meet Lala tonight.'
He leant back, letting the water cascade over his face.
What he didn't know was that this world had its own laws—its own form of fate. And despite him regaining his past-life memories, despite the ripples that caused in the world, some events were simply destined to happen. Lala's arrival… was one of them.
When he finished cleaning up, he slipped into the bathtub and submerged up to his shoulders, letting the warmth soak into his sore muscles. Earlier, he had done a quick indoor workout, and now the fatigue felt pleasantly heavy.
His thoughts drifted.
Those black-suit aliens… the ones who chase Lala in the first episode.
He remembered bits and pieces—the chaos, the running, the confusion.
If they show up… what do I do?
Could he fight them off? Probably not. But he could help Lala escape. That much was doable.
Should I take her somewhere safe… like a hotel?
Smartphone, check.
Money, check.
I can pay through the scanner if needed…
Lost in strategy, he completely missed the faint distortion forming in the air above the bathtub.
A soft humming sound began—barely audible—but before he could look up, a blinding flash swallowed the room.
"W–What the—?! " The bathwater exploded upward, splashing everywhere. Instinctively, Rito threw his hands forward to guard himself—and felt something soft. Warm. Smooth.
His eyes snapped open.
Floating out of a shimmering layer of warped space was a slim, completely naked girl, her long pink hair fanning out like a blooming flower.
"E-EHHHH!?"
Rito froze. His brain lagged. His soul left his body. And with that, only one explanation came to him—[Pyon-Pyon Warp-kun.] Lala's invention from the later chapters. The one infamous for teleporting the user's body only—and leaving all clothes behind.
'Oh… so that's why she appeared naked…'
A vague memory resurfaced, one he had forgotten because he'd skipped the episode long ago. After all, rated things like this were covered with blurry video, so he definitely skipped it for it.
The girl blinked, water dripping from her lashes, and smiled brightly.
"Escape successful!"
She opened her eyes. Her emerald eyes were staring back at him with a look of surprise on her face. The stunning girl who materialised in front of Rito drew his attention.
It has a lovely style. She has a devilish figure with long pink hair that reaches her waist and a right curve, especially the bouncing part he was currently grabbing.
For a virgin like old Rito, Lala's whole being was like a living weapon. However, the current version of himself was slightly different, and he reluctantly turned away from her bouncing asset to gaze at her.
"Say! Are you done?" Her innocent eyes stared at Rito, and with a sweet voice, she asked the boy in front of her.
"Uhh. Yeah. Anyway, I am Rito Yuki." Thinking about it, Rito never had planned to meet her like that and was only able to introduce himself to calm his thoughts down.
"Uh! Right? I did not introduce myself... I am Lala." She said, standing fully nude despite having most of her hair covering her. However, Rito thought that if it went on that way, his younger brother might give a standing salute.
"Rito! What was that..." While Lala introduces herself with her name. It was at that moment, Mikan voice echoed from the outside. "Eh! Wait..." When Rito attempted to grab a towel from the outside, the bathroom door opened, and Mikan discovered Rito standing completely naked and sounding like he was talking inside, with a pink-haired girl's head peeking out from the door.
"Eh!!!" Mikan felt a little stunned.
After all, the current situation was not something she had expected. "Please continue; I will not disturb you two." She closed the door and blushed as she remembered naked Rito, while shaking her head.
"What is that baka doing inside..." A soft mutter echoes in the gallery.
"Mikan! Can you bring some clothes for this girl?" Rito called out, trying to keep his voice steady.
From the stairway, Mikan peeked at him with a tiny pout tugging at her lips. Her eyes narrowed just slightly, as if she were still mentally replaying what she'd witnessed earlier.
"When," she asked slowly, "did you even let her in…?"
Rito felt the urge to hit his head against the wall. "I'll explain later. Please, just—help me out for now."
Mikan let out a breath, more resigned than annoyed, and turned around. "Fine. I'll bring one of your jerseys. Make sure you both dry off first," she scolded, walking up the stairs with her usual responsible air—even as the tips of her ears remained pink.
As her footsteps faded, Rito exhaled in relief.
And then—
[System has been activated.]
A translucent blue screen blinked into existence before his eyes.
Rito didn't scream or flinch. He had expected something eventually.
But a jolt of excitement still shot through his chest.
[Criteria has been met.]
[Lala Asta Deviluke: Has been registered as host first target.]
Lines of text began rolling down like cascading light.
[Skill: Ninja Parkour [Lv. 1: 1/1000 Exp]]
[Re:Zero All-volumes manuscript.]
[Skill: Language Mastery [Lv. 4: 1/50,000 Exp]]
[Skill: One for All [Lv. 2: 1/5000 Exp]]
[Current] Skill Tab: Ninja Parkour Lv.1; Language Mastery Lv.4; One for All Lv.2.
[Note: Each day, 100 points of Exp will be added to all host skill.]
[Current] Experience Tab:
[Lala Satalin Deviluke: [+100 Exp/Day.]]
Along with the blue glow, a surge of warmth crashed into him. Memories—not his, yet now undeniably his—flooded his mind. Ninja footwork. Balance techniques. The rhythm of silent movement.
And then—
Izuku Midoriya's controlled power at 10%.
The sensation of strength coiling in his muscles, of force rippling beneath the skin. A controlled storm.
His body tightened instinctively. Energy coursed through him like a living current.
Even with the Level 2 limitation, the freedom of using 10% without injury felt like a miracle. And with Midoriya's battle instincts settling neatly in his mind, Rito felt a strange, new confidence blooming in his chest.
"Say! Why are you looking down?" Lala asked sweetly.
Her voice brought him back to reality. She tilted her head, pink hair slipping over her shoulder, towel draped loosely around her. Her gentle emerald eyes blinked at him in curiosity.
A moment ago he had been analysing his new abilities.
Now—
Now the towel was doing a very poor job of staying in place.
Rito cleared his throat, forcing his gaze upward. "W-We can talk more after Mikan brings something for you to wear."
Lala blinked, then smiled as if she could see straight through him. "But you were looking at me earlier. Why not now?" Heat crawled up his neck. He fought the urge to look away—but didn't. Rare experiences like this didn't just fall from the sky every day, even in reincarnated anime worlds.
Lala giggled softly. "How cute…" Her smile was disarming—innocent yet teasing—and Rito felt his heart thump harder than any newly gained skill could explain.