3rd Person POV
[Kuoh Academy]
The classroom door slid open with a whisper, revealing Aruto flanked by Rias and Akeno like a trio of chess pieces—king, queen, and bishop. Sunlight caught the edge of Rias's crimson hair as she tilted her head, surveying the hallway with the lazy confidence of someone who'd already mentally checked out for the semester. "Well," she mused, tapping her exam booklet against her palm, "that was almost disappointingly easy."
Akeno's laugh was a wind chime in a summer breeze. "Rias-chan, you say that every time." Her fingers brushed Aruto's sleeve, a silent check-in. He responded by rolling his shoulders—a gesture that meant no surprises, no voids, just trigonometry and pretentious literature essays.
Aruto adjusted the strap of his bag, the black-eye pendant beneath his collar warm against his skin. "The real question," he said, nodding toward the vending machines, "is whether we celebrate with melon soda or coffee jelly."
Rias scoffed. "Celebrate? Please. We've been acing these since middle school." But she was already veering toward the vending alcove, heels clicking with purpose. Akeno followed, her skirt swaying like a pendulum.
The classroom door slid open again, this time with Nami half-dragging Tamiko out by the collar, her grin sharp enough to cut glass. "Stop fidgeting," she chided, knocking her knuckles lightly against the shorter girl's temple. "You didn't blank on the quadratic formula this time—I watched you solve three of them." Tamiko's fingers twisted the hem of her uniform skirt into knots, her nervous system apparently wired directly to the fabric.
"But what if I messed up the logarithmic functions?" Tamiko's whisper was barely audible over the hallway chatter. "Sensei said—"
Nami rolled her eyes skyward as if personally offended by the ceiling tiles. "Sensei also said dinosaurs were cold-blooded until someone found feathers in amber. Relax." She plucked Tamiko's exam booklet from her grip and flipped it open with the casual expertise of someone who'd been forging report cards since middle school. "See? No panic scribbles. Your handwriting only goes chicken-scratch when you're drowning."
Behind them, the classroom door wheezed shut on its hydraulic hinge, sealing away the scent of sweaty erasers and graphite. Tamiko blinked at her own work like it might bite her. "But you're not...worried at all?"
Nami tossed the booklet back with a scoff, her gold-threaded braid swinging like a pendulum. "Sweetheart, I could've written that test in my sleep while pickpocketing the proctor." She leaned in, stage-whispering: "Hundred percent. Guaranteed."
"How are you so confident, Akemi-san?" Tamiko asks, Nami grins and pats her shoulder once more "Because....I am Nami, girl, now, I'm heading to the cafeteria for lunch, want to join us?" Tamiko thinks for a moment before answering "I-I have to go home early today, my grandmother is coming to visit." Nami nods understandingly "Alright, see you tomorrow then."
As Tamiko scurries away, Nami turns on her heel—only to collide face-first into Arto's chest. He steadies her with hands that don't linger, already stepping back before she can bristle. "Easy there, Cat Burglar," he murmurs, low enough that only she catches the old alias. The corner of his mouth twitches—not quite a smirk, more like shared electricity arcing between them.
Rias steps behind Nami, grabbing her shoulder "Ahh, to think the Void navigator to bump into his most comfortable pillow, I think it's intentional~" she whispers into Nami's ear, making the orange-haired girl stiffen slightly. Akeno giggles into her sleeve while Arto rolls his eyes—but his fingers twitch toward the pendant beneath his collar, an unconscious gesture when navigating emotional crossfire.
The vending machine whirs as it dispenses Nami's coffee jelly. She snatches it with practiced ease, cracking the lid open with a thumbnail. "Comfortable pillow?" she echoes, arching one perfectly groomed brow. "I'd be insulted if that wasn't objectively true." The quip lands exactly as intended—Rias's smirk falters for half a second before she recovers with theatrical outrage.
Akeno smoothly interjects, pressing a melon soda into Rias's hands like a peace offering. "Now, how about we head to lunch? We all agreed to keep the family things concealed in public, what would people say when they hear Nami likes squeezing Aruto-kun's ches...." Nami covers Akeno's mouth with her palm, cheeks flushing coral. "Don't even finish that sentence."
[Kuoh Academy - Cafeteria]
The cafeteria hummed like a beehive struck by sunlight—students clustered around tables, chopsticks clattering against trays, laughter bouncing off the tiled walls. But the real hive was the line snaking from the curry counter, curling past the salad bar and nearly doubling back on itself. At its epicenter stood Miss Miki, her apron dusted with turmeric and her wrists flexing under the weight of a ladle that never seemed to empty.
Arto slid into place at the end of the queue, while Rias, Akeno and Nami go find a place to sit because if they wait for him, the place will be packed. Aruto is standing in the line with his rice box ready to get a scoop of curry over his rice, 'I'll pay her, seriously, it's inappropriate getting it for free, people might say things about me getting priviledges' he thinks to himself as he takes the money out of his wallet, ready to pay quick and leave before she could insist otherwise.
The line moved forward inch by inch, punctuated by the occasional groan from students shifting their weight—until finally, the stainless steel counter gleamed under fluorescent lights ahead. Steam curled from the industrial-sized pot where Miss Miki stood, her forearms glistening with exertion as she ladled another portion. Her smile didn't waver, even when a first-year fumbled their tray and sent chopsticks clattering across the floor.
Arto stepped up, already extending his yen notes. "One regular portion, please." His tone was deliberately neutral—the same he'd use ordering from any vendor. But Miss Miki's ladle paused mid-scoop. Her eyes flicked to the money, then back to his face. "Absolutely not." She said it lightly, like refusing an overeager child seconds at dessert. The ladle descended anyway, heaping twice the usual portion onto his rice before he could protest.
He opened his mouth—then closed it at the stubborn set of her shoulders. Resigned, he pocketed the bills with a quiet exhale. Behind him, someone whistled. "Damn, Hyoudou's mom playing favorites?" The comment carried no malice, just the usual cafeteria banter. Miss Miki didn't react beyond tightening her grip on the ladle handle.
Arto lingered despite the growing line. Up close, the fatigue was unmistakable: the way her knuckles whitened between servings, how she subtly rolled her stiff neck when she thought no one was looking. "I'm sorry," he murmured, low enough that only she'd hear. "I didn't mean to turn this into..." He gestured vaguely at the snaking queue.
Her chuckle surprised him—warm and rasping, like wind through autumn leaves. "You think this is your doing?" She wiped her brow with the back of her wrist, leaving a faint smear of turmeric. "My curry was just fuel before you started eating it like it was gourmet. Now everyone wants to know what the 'transfer student with the weird foreign palate' sees in it." There was no resentment in her tone, only wry amusement.
"Miss Miki, don't say that, it's just really that good, calling it food for fuel is really an insult, you know?" He pulls the money out and places it on the counter "You will receive this, Miss Miki, seriously, people are gossipping about me getting to eat this for free, so please, save my reputation a bit, okay?"
Miki's fingers twitch toward the bills before she sighs and pockets them with a sharp nod. "Fine. But next time, I'm doubling the portion again." Her eyes flick past his shoulder to the murmuring line. "And tell those vultures staring at us that my curry doesn't discriminate—it's just their taste buds that lack refinement."
Aruto nods courtly as he gets out of the line and towards the place where Rias, Akeno and Nami are sitting and sit down next to Nami with his rice cover in curry "You know, Aruto," Nami starts "you've been eating that curry non-stop for a week now, even Grayfia started asking if there is any problem with her cooking?"
Arto paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth, steam curling from the curry-laden rice. The cafeteria's din faded into white noise as he registered Nami's words—and the way Rias and Akeno had gone suspiciously still, their own meals forgotten. "Grayfia asked that?" His voice was carefully neutral, but his fingers tightened imperceptibly around the lacquered wood.
Nami smirked, twirling her own chopsticks like a conductor's baton. "Oh, she phrased it more elegantly—something about 'concerns regarding nutritional balance.' But we all know what it really means." She leaned in, her whisper carrying the weight of a stage aside. "You've wounded our head maid's professional pride, Boss"
Akeno giggled into her napkin while Rias—ever the instigator—traced a fingertip along the rim of her melon soda can. "Honestly, I'm more offended you haven't shared," she purred. "Is Miss Miki's curry really worth risking Grayfia's wrath? Do we need to stage an intervention?"
Arto set his chopsticks down with deliberate precision. "It's simple, this rice Grayfia used to cook the rice goes perfectly well with the curry, that's all, I have no problem with her cooking, I love it to the point I accpeted putting on weight and being called 'Chubby Wolf'" he said sarcastically as he looks at Rias, the author of that nickname.
Nami snorted, flicking a grain of rice at him. "Excuses. You're avoiding the real issue—Grayfia thinks you're cheating on her cooking. Right, Grayfia?" Nami pulls out her phone, which is on the call with the head maid of the mansion "Right, Master Arto?" Grayfia's voice carried through the speaker, crisp as freshly starched linen.
Arto froze mid-chew. His chopsticks hovered over the curry like a guilty verdict. "Grayfia, this isn't—"
"—a betrayal?" Grayfia interrupted. The cafeteria noise seemed to hush around them. "Of course not, Master. Though I must confess... I did attempt to replicate Miss Miki's recipe last night. The turmeric proportions were particularly vexing." A pause. "Would you like to sample my efforts this evening? For... comparative analysis."
Rias choked on her soda. Akeno's shoulders shook with silent laughter while Nami grinned like a cat who'd not only found the cream but orchestrated its delivery. Arto exhaled through his nose—slow, measured—before deliberately taking another bite. "Grayfia," he said after swallowing, "your cooking is impeccable. This is just—"
"—a culinary affair," Nami supplied, dodging the potato Arto flicked at her forehead. "Face it, Boss. You've got two women fighting over your taste buds. Should we start calling you Casanova of the Cafeteria?"
"Stop it, Nami, not fun" Arto takes the phone from Nami's hand "Grayfia, I love your cooking, seriously I'm willing to lose my physique because of your food—" Grayfia cuts his voice "I know, Master, I'm just teasing you, Nami asked to me to put on some theatric because you've been too composed lately she couldn't tease you....but let me be clear about one thing"
Nami, sitting next to him, was listening in "Ohhh~It's coming, her outrage, her limit, her claim for your tongue...." She basically vibrating in her place, waiting for Arto's face to twist in fear before the head maid he never dares go against.
Grayfia's voice dropped an octave, threading through the phone with lethal precision. "You can eat the curry in the cafeteria, Master, I never pack it for you because the smell is just too strong for the bento box to carry it an entire morning, it makes washing them a battle, so be at ease, I am not jealous, but I'll take note to make you some for late night meals when you stay up late in your lab"
Nami's grin faltered—Grayfia's unexpected pragmatism had defanged her teasing. Arto exhaled through his nose, relief and exasperation warring in his shoulders as he passed the phone back. "Satisfied, saboteur?"
Nami snatched the phone back with a theatrical pout. "You're no fun when you're this composed," she muttered, stabbing her jelly with unnecessary force. Across the table, Rias' fingers drummed against her soda can—"Well, you can spare our genius and let him finish his lunch, the maid has stated, she doesn't mind"
Akeno nods, leaning towards the orange-haired CFO "That's right, if you like the shiftment in faces that much, you can join it in our training session in Sector 1 this afternoon~" Even the sound of it makes Nami shiver "Nope, nope, nope, one time is more than enough for my whole damn life, you demons."
"Then what are you going to do while we're away, dear~?" Akeno cooes playfully, but Nami already has the answer for that "I'll be in Sector 80 with Boss, testing the new update of WAH (World Analyzing Handler) and Boss's Void reach, if this goes well, we are set for a place for our vacation before the new school year starts, I am aiming for a beach in a foreign reality"
This gets Rias and Akeno more than excited as they lean towards Nami, trying to contain their excitement "Did you say....beach?" Rias asks, her fingers twitching with barely contained excitement "Yes, a beach, not just any beach, I'm talking about a beach in a foreign reality, untouched by our worlds' tourists" Nami says smugly, twirling her fork in the air before taking a bite from her jelly "And guess what? I already have the perfect spot picked out—white sands, crystal waters, and most importantly, zero paparazzi."
Arto watches the exchange with mild amusement, though his fingers tap a silent rhythm against his thigh—a tell only Grayfia would recognize as him mentally calculating logistical variables. "Well, it all depends on the training of my ability to bend space inside the Void to get us there, I mean the eye pendant that contains my Void power has proven that it can carry signal back and forth between realites, that's why WAH could work at such speed, but bending space between 2 reality bubbles and connect into it is another matter, so don't get the hope up too high, we can still head to beaches on this world." He says while eating his curry-covered rice.
Nami leans in, her grin sharpening. "Oh ye of little faith. Sector 80's latest test jump took us to one world, and even with your current reach, we still have like....hundreds of worlds we can go to in the current vision of the eye pendant." She cups her chin. "The only problem now is maintaining the connection for our return, because we've never tested if we can send signal back to our world once we go in and the spacial bent is returned to its original form, severing the bridge"
Arto chewed thoughtfully, the curry's spice lingering on his tongue. "Robin proposed that if we can't make contact back to the original world, we can make the signal that WAH would defintiely recognize and can't mistake for anything else to send message back here to open portal home, and maintaining its connection with one world is always more economic than doing so with the bridge"
Arto takes out his notebook and shows it to Nami "This is my proposal of the wristband that contains the commands to our computers back home via the Abyssgard Code signals, it now has some commands used to send signal to open portal back home, open communication channel, the frequency of our computer scanning for signal is about once every 24 hours to minimize the energy consumption. If it detects our signal, it will open the portal to our place for us to return home"
Nami plucks the notebook from his fingers with the precision of a pickpocket, scanning the schematics with narrowed eyes. The cafeteria's fluorescent lights catch the gold in her irises as they dart across the pages—calculating, assessing. "Hmm. Clever," she murmurs, tapping a line of equations. "But what if we're in a world where electromagnetic waves don't propagate normally? Your fancy wristband's just a bracelet then."
Arto leans forward, his chopsticks sketching invisible vectors in the air. "That's why the system uses Void resonance—same principle as the pendant. Even if physics work differently, the Void exists between all realities. But that's only for when I am not with you, if I came along, I can open the portal back home anytime I want as I can trigger the eye pendant from anywhere inside the Void"
Nami's smirk softens into something dangerously close to admiration. "You've been holding out on us, Boss." She flicks the notebook back at him. "So basically, as long as you're there, we're never stranded?"
Arto nods "Yeah, but that's the case, I can't always be there, so I am thinking of a way so that you can send an emergency order back home to open the portal when you're in danger, but I haven't figured anything out yet, that's why I asked you to add the danger calculation of destinations into WAH, so that we can adjust the scanning frequency of the computers via the eye pendant"
"I've already done that, the time-dilation is also on the moment the portal is opened, stabilizing the time difference between worlds, so I say we are at the stage that we can test the wristbands of yours now, starting from worlds that has the time flow similar to ours" Nami says, tapping her fingers on the table in anticipation, her eyes gleaming with the thrill of untapped possibilities.
Rias' fingers twitched around her soda can—carbonation hissed as she squeezed too hard. "You're telling me we could be standing on an alien beach by sundown?" Her voice dipped dangerously low, the way it always did when she suppressed excitement.
Akeno's chopsticks hovered mid-bite, her usual serene expression fractured by naked curiosity. "I'm so buying new bikinis now," she breathed—then blinked as Rias elbowed her ribs. "What? It's practical planning!"
Arto rubbed his temple where a headache threatened to form. "You can get excited all you want, but that's for when the school year ends, we still have plenty of time until then to test and develop Sector 80. And because I'll be accompanying you all, there is no need to worry about this wristband."
Nami's grin sharpened—the kind that preceded financial mayhem. "Oh, I'm not worried. I'm already calculating resort development opportunities." She twirled her fork like a conductor's baton. "Imagine—pristine beaches untouched by capitalism. We could buy the whole damn coastline for pocket change before anyone realizes what's happening."
Rias choked on her melon soda. "You're not seriously thinking of—"
"Colonizing via tourism economics? Obviously." Nami licked jelly off her thumb with predatory precision. "First rule of interdimensional commerce: be the monopoly before they invent the word for it."
Akeno's eyes gleamed with sudden understanding. "That's why you've been hoarding gold bars in the vault. But it's a vacation, don't you think you should...relax a bit?"
Nami's grin turned razor-sharp as she leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Relaxing is profit, Akeno. Do you know how much a single seashell from an undiscovered dimension would auction for? Especially if we seed rumors it grants immortality?"
Rias groaned, thunking her forehead against the cafeteria table. "We haven't even left yet, and you're already plotting inter-reality scams." Nami sticks her tongue out "Hey, that's why we are rich you know, princess? Me and Boss working our ass off so that you can buy whatever you want"
Arto sighed, rubbing Nami's head "I know you're excited, but Rias is right, relaxing is also a part of the job, so for once, rest for me, no, rest with me, okay?" Nami blushes, trying to hide her face "Sh-shut up, who says I don't relax?" She grumbles while taking a bite from her jelly, but her fingers curl tighter around the fork. "As long as you give me your chest as the pillow, I will be the most relaxed you've ever seen"
Rias immediately protests "Oh, no no no no, that spot is mine" while Akeno giggles behind her hand, watching Nami's smirk sharpen like a freshly honed blade. The cafeteria noise swells around them—chatter, clattering trays, the occasional burst of laughter—but their table might as well be its own little pocket dimension.
Arto exhales through his nose, chopsticks hovering over his curry as if contemplating using them as defensive weapons. "You both, stop, do you want everyone to hear us? What have we agreed about not disclosing family stuffs in public?" His voice drops to a murmur—the particular cadence that usually snaps them into professional mode.
Nami leans back with exaggerated nonchalance, twirling her fork. "Relax, Boss. The closest eavesdroppers are too busy debating whether Class 2-A's goalkeeper deserved that red card." She jerks her chin toward a table of sports-jacketed boys gesturing wildly over spilled curry. "But fine—I'll behave." Her wink suggests otherwise.
[Timeskip]
[ORC clubhouse - Simulation Room - Sector 80: Inter-dimensional Portal]
By the evening of that day, everyone in the family is gathering inside Sector 80 to witness the functioning of the portal as they first witness it opening into a new reality, Arto, Nami and Robin are controlling the operation, before them is the base where the black eye pendant is resting, with the eye partly opened as it projects 360 degree map of realities in the Void, Arto's training result, each dot of light a reality within reach.
Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, Kuroka, Grayfia, Albedo head into the sector in subtle amazement like they are seeing a sky with a lot of stars, but this sky has a lot of dots of light, each one of them represents a reality, a world, a place where they can go to—Akeno is the first one who couldn't contain herself as she clings to Arto's arm "Arto~Can we go to this one?" She points towards a particularly bright dot.
Arto smiles "We'll see, touch it, love" Akeno obliges and takes her finger towards the dot and one touch, the world is immediately zoomed in, the dot becomes a spherical hologram that shows a planet that looks like their earth, but more....ancient. "This is the main setting of this world, searched by the condition of a planet that supports human's life."
Nami joins as she starts typing the searching conditions "WAH initiating"
The spherical hologram fractures into cascading data streams—continental outlines sharpening, atmospheric compositions scrolling alongside gravitational variances. Rias gasps as the projection resolves into crystalline clarity: an archipelago of emerald islands encircling a sapphire lagoon, their shorelines edged with powder-white sand.
Koneko's ears twitch violently. "That's...our world?" Her whisper cracks mid-sentence.
"No." Robin materializes behind them, arms crossed as analytical eyes track the hologram's rotation. "Parallel evolutionary patterns, similar axial tilt—but observe the landmass distribution." She gestures toward the eastern continent's jagged coastline. "No tectonic plate on Earth fractures quite like that."
Albedo presses trembling fingers against the projection, her wings fluttering with barely contained excitement. "Master...those coral formations near the atoll. They're bioluminescent." The hologram obligingly zooms—revealing underwater towers pulsing with eerie blue radiance.
"So this is the new reality?" Kiba comments as he looks closer "Can you search the mana structural flow for me, Nami?
Nami's fingers dance across the holographic interface, pulling up cascading data streams that twist into intricate lattices. The mana flow diagrams pulse like arterial networks. "Huh. That's weird," she murmurs, tapping a node where energy converges asymmetrically. "Localized mana flows is less dense on the surface, 60% less than our world, but it's extra strong under the water...."
Robin contiues the search as she realizes "I see, the mana flows in this world is the sea current, all the big leylines lay in synced with the sea flow, and since this world is 90% islands and seas, it's not hard to understand"
Arto's fingers twitch—not toward the controls, but to the pendant glowing faintly against his chest. The Void energy hums in response, pulsing in time with the hologram's rotation. "That explains the bioluminescence," he murmurs. "The coral's feeding off concentrated mana currents." His eyes flick to Nami, already vibrating with suppressed excitement. "Before you ask—no, we can't harvest it. Not until we understand the ecosystem's balance."
Nami pouts, but her fingers are already flying across the holographic interface, pulling up tidal charts that overlay the leyline patterns. Until she found something "Look, everyone, bio-signals—from under the water" The projection zooms to reveal a scene that was make everyone stunned.
Sea creatures start appearing—but these weren't ordinary fish. The look like human, but they have fish tails for legs to swim "Mermaids?"
Albedo's wings snapped open with an audible whoosh, her claws digging into the hologram's edge as she leaned in. "Actual merfolk?" The projection flickered under her grip, distorting momentarily before stabilizing.
Robin's fingers traced the holographic merfolk's movements with clinical precision. "Observe their gill structures—those aren't decorative. Fully functional aquatic respiration." Her voice dropped, intrigued. "And their tails...the musculature suggests evolved propulsion, not magical alteration."
Koneko's ears flattened. "They look...happy?" The merfolk were indeed laughing, their shimmering tails flicking playfully as they wove through underwater caverns strewn with glowing coral. One paused, tilting its head as if sensing observation—then blew a stream of iridescent bubbles directly at the "camera."
Nami's grin turned predatory. "Oh, they're definitely sentient. Which means..." Her fingers danced across the interface, pulling up trade route simulations. "We could negotiate. Imagine the export potential—bioluminescent dyes, deep-sea pearls—"
Grayfia's teacup clinked against its saucer with deliberate sharpness. "We are not colonizing sentient beings for export contracts." Her glacial tone made even Rias pause mid-reach toward the hologram.
"They seem to be able to speak with their own language, meaning we can negotiate with them, they maybe the equivalence to human in this world" Robin concluded, arms crossed as she studied the holographic merfolk's intricate hand gestures—some clearly conversational, others possibly ritualistic.
Arto exhaled sharply through his nose, tapping his pendant. The hologram flickered, zooming out to reveal the archipelago's full scale. "Before Nami starts drafting trade agreements—" He shot her a warning glance as she opened her mouth, "—we need to establish first contact protocols. Grayfia's right; we're not here to exploit. But..." His fingers traced the coastline thoughtfully. "If they're the dominant species, we'll need to respect their territorial boundaries."
Koneko's tail lashed once. "What if they're hostile?" Her claws flexed unconsciously—years of youkai-hunting instincts surfacing.
"Then we leave," Arto said without hesitation. "No beach is worth cultural contamination." The hologram rotated lazily, sunlight fracturing through virtual waves. "But their body language suggests curiosity, not aggression. See how they're investigating the bioluminescent nodes? That's scientific behavior."
Akeno clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling. "Oh! We could gift them something! A cultural exchange!" She turned toward Grayfia. "Do we have any waterproof textiles? Or—"
"It's hard to pinpoint what they actually appreciate, so what we do first....if we decide to come here is learning their language, then we can talk to them, understand them and maybe befriend them" Arto states "We can start by landing on an island, Robin will establish her network to gather intel, especially about their culture language." The plan is set out, but before they can proceed, Nami has already pulled up another hologram, showing a group of merfolk gathering around a massive underwater structure—its architecture resembling a fusion of coral and carved stone, pulsing with the same bioluminescence as the creatures themselves.
"Look at this," Nami murmurs, her voice laced with fascination. "That's not a natural formation." The structure's intricate carvings depict swirling patterns, suggesting a written language. Robin's fingers twitch—her historian's instincts flaring. "If we can decipher those symbols..."
Rias leans forward, her fingers brushing the hologram. "They have cities." The realization settles over them like a wave. This wasn't just a species—it was a civilization.
Grayfia's teacup pauses halfway to her lips. "Master," she says slowly, "if they are indeed sentient, we must consider the ramifications of interdimensional contact. Even peaceful intentions could destabilize their society."
Arto nods, rubbing his chin. "We'll treat this like anthropological fieldwork. Minimal interference. Robin, you'll lead the cultural assessment. Nami—no trading unless approved." Nami huffs but nods, already sketching potential negotiation tactics in her notebook.
"Well, it seems everyone is excited in this trip, then I will record the coordination of this world so that we can go once the school year ends" Arto announces as he starts to type the coordinates into the WAH's database, while the hologram starts zooming out, showing the entire planet once again.
Rias leans against the control panel, her fingers tracing the holographic archipelago with restless energy. "The trip is a month away and I already can't wait to visit those beautiful islands, dating my beloved underwater—" She stops abruptly, realizing her slip-up as Nami's eyebrow arches dangerously high.
"Our beloved," Akeno corrects smoothly, draping an arm around Rias' shoulders—though her grip suggests it's less affectionate and more preventative. "But that's not the only thing we do in this place today, right, Darling~?"
Robin nods "Indeed, we still have something else to test tonight, that is..." she shows everyone a new platform inside the sector "a new function of INA, it's the machenic to search for people's variants via magical and biological signature"
Rias freezes "You're saying that there are other 'me' out there?" she points at the shutdown portal of Sector 80, her voice cracking slightly. The holographic merfolk still flicker in the background, casting eerie blue light across their faces.
Robin's fingers tap against the console, pulling up a new interface—this one pulsing with crimson sigils. "We think so, that's why we made such function, the sole purpose is to give Arto a way to find his homeworld, I doubt it could because despite the vision of the eye pendant is quite wide now after Arto's intensive training in manipulating the Void and we can reach about 4000 worlds from here, but comparing to the infinite nature of the Void, it's quite small" She turns to Rias with a slight smile "But yeah, in theory, there's infinite versions of everyone here"
Koneko's ears flatten. "That's...weird." Her tail bristles as she glares at the crimson interface. "Like a bad clone jutsu."
"No," Robin corrects gently. "More like... reflections in different mirrors. Same essence, different contexts." Her fingers dance across the controls—the sigils twist into a double-helix pattern. "And we can do that by standing on this platform and lets it scan us, the bio and magical signature will be recorded and used to search the array of worlds within the reach of the eye pendant via WAH."
Arto steps onto the platform first, his pendant pulsing in sync with the scanning beams. The hologram flickers violently before stabilizing—revealing....nothing, "Expected, my homeworld is further away, but I doubt my body would still around after thousands of years, so maybe searching for bio and magical signature won't work at all"
Nami nudges him aside with her hip, already inputting new parameters. "Then let's test someone whose variants definitely exist within our reach." Her fingers fly across the controls—the crimson sigils twist into Rias' family crest. "Princess first."
Rias hesitates, her fingers tightening around the hem of her skirt. The scanning beams hum to life, painting her in geometric light patterns. For three agonizing seconds, nothing happens—then the hologram erupts into a constellation of crimson dots.
"Thirty-seven," Robin murmurs, circling the display where each dot expands into a miniature Rias—some in royal regalia, others in tactical gear, one startlingly clad in what appears to be a shrine maiden's hakama.
Akeno's breath hitches. "That's... you." Her usual playful tone fractures as she points at a variant mid-combat, lightning arcing between her fingers. "But also not you....wait, is that....me?" The projection zooms—revealing another Akeno with cropped hair and military fatigues, her smile sharper than any blade in Kiba's arsenal.
Grayfia's teacup shatters on the floor. No one reacts. The silence is viscous, pressing against eardrums as thirty-seven Rias-es flicker like candle flames. One variant—dressed in Kuoh's uniform but with a scar bisecting her left eyebrow—reaches out as if to touch them through the hologram.
"Fascinating," Robin breathes, fingers dancing across the controls. The display fractures into data streams—biometrics, magical resonance charts, timelines diverging like fractured glass. "Genetic variance averages 2.3%, but observe the magical signature clusters." She highlights three pulsating nodes. "These variants share our Rias' exact devil lineage, yet their power distributions—"
Koneko's claws unsheathe with a metallic shink. "Which one's the real one?" Her tail bristles, pupils slit thin against the hologram's crimson glow.
Arto steps between her and the platform, his voice deliberately calm. "They're all real. Just... elsewhere." His fingers brush the pendant—its Void energy pulsing irregularly, as if strained. "Robin, do you wanna try?"
Robin steps forward without hesitation, her boots clicking against the platform's metal surface. The scanning beams envelop her in prismatic light, and for a moment, nothing happens—then the hologram erupts into a kaleidoscope of green. "Fifty-two," she murmurs, watching as each dot expands into a miniature Robin. Some wear lab coats, others tactical gear, one startlingly clad in a Soviet military uniform with red armbands.
Nami whistles low. "Damn, girl. You're popular across the multiverse." She leans in, squinting at a variant lecturing in what appears to be a university hall. "Is that... us?"
"Where?" Robin asks, Nami points "That one, there we're a duo on a rocking ship with....some more people....like this one who stands out the most with the straw hat...and that simping blonde guy in tux...." he eyes stops at one particular small one with reindeer horns.
"OH MY GOD~THAT SMALL BUNDLE OF JOY IS SO CUTE!" She yell out loud as she grabs Arto's arms and shakes him violently "Boss~Boss~Boss~I want that one~I want that one~" She points at the mini creature with reindeer horns who's currently nibbling on some sort of cotton candy-like substance. Arto sighs, rubbing his temples as Nami continues shaking him like a ragdoll.
Robin follows Nami finger and notice that creature is sitting on her variant's lap while she is reading book "I have to admit, that one is cute, making me want to adopt it" Nami agrees "Right? Say, Robin, how about we head there and ask them if they can sell that creature to us? I'll pay them in gold bars" Nami pulls a literal gold bar out of nowhere "See? I'm serious!"
Robin raises an eyebrow "Nami, that creature is sentient, you can't 'buy' them like some pet" She turns to Arto "Darling, what do you think?"
Arto observes the hologram carefully—the way the reindeer-horned creature clings to Robin's variant, the easy affection in their body language. "I don't know, that creature seems quite attached to Robin's variant, so buying him won't work, but you can head there to pet him and confirm the searching accuracy of WAH, that's the point of this test, right?
Nami's fingers twitch toward the holographic controls like a gambler eyeing a roulette wheel. "Then let's go now—" She tugs Robin's sleeve, pulling them both towards the portal "We're ready, Boss, open the portal for us" Arto stops Nami mid-track "Hey, hey, wait, wear these one first"
He hands them the wristbands he design for the sector to scan signal, detect and open portal home from this side "Test this for me, will you?"
Robin examines the sleek black wristband with clinical precision, tracing the faintly glowing Void sigils etched into its surface. "Resonance frequency stabilizers...clever." She snaps it onto her wrist just as Nami—already vibrating with impatience—jams hers on right after.
The signal of theirs appears on the computer "Good, your signal is on, now everyone, step away from the portal, let me show you to travel between realities" Arto announces as he starts typing the commands "The eye pendant will bend the space between 2 worlds so that we can bring them closer to us to create a bridge through, that way we can travel faster than the speed of light to reach them"
The eye pendant starts glowing brighter as the space around the portal bends, twisting into a vortex of shimmering energy. The holographic display fractures—rearranging into a tunnel-like projection that stretches impossibly toward the variant world where Robin's reindeer-horned companion resides.
"Whoa," Koneko breathes, her ears twitching at the harmonics of distorted spacetime. The air smells faintly of ozone and something indefinably other—like the scent of an ocean that doesn't exist.
Nami bounces on her toes, wristband already pulsing in sync with the portal's rhythm. "So we just... step through?" Her voice cracks with barely contained excitement.
"Wait," Robin interjects, one hand outstretched toward the vortex. "Darling, what's the temporal differential?" Her fingers splay—calculating invisible variables. "If time flows differently there—Nope, there is none, good, I'll be back in a few days, bye Arto, bye everyone"
Robin steps through the portal first, her silhouette dissolving into the shimmering distortion like ink in water. Nami hesitates for half a second—just long enough for Arto to catch her wrist. "Three rules," he murmurs, low enough that only she can hear. "No swindling indigenous populations, no pocketing unstable artifacts, and absolutely no gambling with alternate versions of yourself."
Nami's grin is all teeth. "What's the fun in that?" She wiggles her fingers in a mock salute before vanishing into the vortex. The portal snaps shut behind her with a sound like a thunderclap swallowed by velvet.
The silence that follows is thick enough to slice. Rias exhales sharply through her nose. "They're going to start a war, aren't they?" Koneko's tail lashes once. "Nami's going to try to buy that reindeer."
After Robin and Nami disappear behind the portal, Albedo is the next one to raise her hand "Master, Master, me next, scan me next" she slams herself against Arto to make her point, hugging and tugging his arm "Alright, alright, you're next, head to the platform, let's see how many your are there out there"
The platform hums to life as Albedo steps onto it, the computers receive the data and start searching. After a while, the hologram flares up with realities that contains the succubus that loves her Master a little too much "5 realities, that's a low number I must say" Arto tilts his head as he zoom in on one of the realities "Master, Master, which one is that?"
Albedo leans forward, her fingers twitching with barely restrained curiosity. The hologram resolves into a medieval battlefield—That Albedo is wearing the armor exactly like the one Arto forged for her for training in Sector 1, swinging the halberd exactly identical to hers, and she is defending someone fiercely like that's her master against a bunch of sorcerers.
"Yep, that's Albedo alright, yandere" Koneko comments, making Albedo tilt her head "Do I seriously look like that when expressing my love to my eternal love?" Kiba nods "Yes, you do, Lady Albedo, remeber that time you...." Albedo raises a hand towards Kiba "You can stop there, Kiba, I know what you're talking about. Anyway,..."
She hugs her Master's arm again, lacing their fingers as she looks at the figure the other version of her is defending "An Undead? Name is Ainz? That Albedo reveres him like a god"
Arto's fingers tighten reflexively around Albedo's. The battlefield projection flickers—an armored Albedo kneeling before a towering skeletal figure, her halberd discarded, her wings spread in supplication. The skeletal mage—Ainz—places a gauntleted hand atop her head with eerie gentleness. "Fascinating," Robin murmurs, stepping closer. "Parallel devotion, divergent object."
Grayfia materializes at Arto's shoulder, her voice dry. "At least yours doesn't worship a walking ossuary." Albedo whips around, indignant—then freezes. "Of course, I am more controlled in worshipping my Master, I only have a small shrine worshipping him in my room" She said innocently.
Koneko's ears flatten. "That explains the incense smell." Arto was put at a state that no reaction is enough to express his awe to the revelation of Albedo's perspective of him "Do you really thing I am...something to worship?"
Albedo tilts her head, her golden eyes glinting with something between amusement and reverence. "Well, you're my savior, you pulled me out of that auction house and gave me like...everything, from a home, knowledge, power, influence, even a status as your wife, even if it's only your alias, but most importantly, you gave me love, pure, relentless and fierce as I. You're my messiah, Master."
Arto hugs Albedo into his arms "I love you too, Albedo, and I know it's your way to express your love, I respect that and I won't stop you as long as you don't harm yourself, but please, don't spread this, okay? I need to stay secretive, remember?"
Albedo nods enthusiastically into his chest "Of course, Master! Your secret is safe with me!" Rias clears her throat loudly "Well, now that we have settled Albedo's...religious tendencies, shall we continue?" She gestures towards the hologram of realities that have Albedo in it.
Rias comes closer to the hologram as an idea comes to her "Hey, Albedo, I see this one is really like you, how about you go scan her to check the searching accuracy of INA" Albedo narrows her eyes "Are you suggesting me to dettaching from my beloved Master?"
"Well, you have to go on your own once in a while, right? I mean, where they hell will you ride that horse Arto gave you for Christmas?" Rias asks back, grinning mischievously. Albedo looks at Arto, "Do you really want me to go Master? What about the work in Atreides Domain?"
"I'll arrange it myself, Albedo, you don't need to worry, if you truly want to run free, you can go ahead, I won't stop you" Arto answers warmly, pressing a kiss to her forehead, which earns a delighted squeak from the succubus.
Albedo blushes as she smiles "Fine, I'll go, I want to have some free spaces anyway to run without spreadsheets and orders anyway" with a flick of her hand, a portal opens to the stable where Otra is living, she whistles loud enough to wake up the whole manor, and then the winged white horse comes galloping straight to her side, neighing happily as she pats its mane "Hey Otra, we're going somewhere"
The horse flares its wings, shaking its head in excitement. Albedo mounts it with practiced ease, adjusting her grip on the reins as she glances back at Arto "I'm heading out, Master...." But Arto's attention was on the stallion, he comes to it, his eyes gleaming with that blue fire the horse fears so much "Don't get any bright idea with my Albedo, got it?" he whispers in the horse's ear. The horse nods frantically, whimpering.
"Yandere" Koneko comments flatly at Arto, making him flinch "I am not-" Arto tries to protest, but Rias interrupts him "Oh please, you just threatened a horse." Grayfia appears at his elbow, passing him a clipboard "The Atreides quarterly shipment manifests require your approval before Albedo's departure."
Akeno taps the projection, freezing the image. "Note the necrotic energy signatures—this iteration appears to serve a death-aligned sovereign." She adjusts her glasses. "And yet her devotion remains structurally identical."
Koneko's ears twitch as Otra's hooves clatter against the simulation room floor. The horse rears up when the portal shimmers into existence, revealing a mist-shrouded battlefield. Albedo strokes its neck soothingly. "Easy, boy. We're just visiting..." She glances at the hologram. "...me."
The moment Albedo crosses the threshold, the portal closes behind her, Arto sighs as he checks the signals of his succubus "Her wristband is stabilizing, the signal is consistent, we'll check it again after 24 hours. Now, with Nami, Robin, and Albedo heading to other realities, we have had our first contacts to the Sea of Worlds, the data they return with will help us advance further. Now, the rest of you, Rias's peerage has training session with Sona's peerage in Sector 1, Kuroka, do you want to join them?"
Kuroka stretches lazily, her tail flicking in amusement. "Maa, training with the kiddies? Sounds boring~" Her golden eyes gleam as she sidles up to Arto, draping herself over his shoulder. "Unless you're offering private lessons, neko-chan might reconsider."
Arto shakes his head "That's a no then, I'll be heading to deal with the work Albedo left behind, Nami has called absence on business trip at the main log of AFM, so the company will run normally under her subbordinates"
"You can let me handle the work at Atreides domain, Master," Grayfia interjects smoothly, plucking the clipboard from Arto's hands with glacial precision, then with a snap of her fingers, she turns into the Masked Baroness Albedo Atreides "Keeping the Simulation Room's operation stable is at utmost importance, Master, your AI assitant Celine is still in training, she hasn't been able to take the work yet"
Arto exhales through his nose—half-amused, half-exasperated—as Grayfia's illusion settles over her with eerie perfection. Even the subtle sway of Albedo's hips as she walks is replicated flawlessly. "You've been practicing," he observes. Grayfia adjusts the cuff of her sleeve, the motion identical to Albedo's habitual fidgeting. "A necessary skill. Baroness Atreides cannot vanish without explanation."
Koneko's ears twitch. "So you're just gonna...be Albedo?" Grayfia's borrowed golden eyes glint. "Until she returns. Politics require continuity." Rias muffles a laugh behind her hand. "I know your game, Grayfia, practicing to be his wife, yes? Or is it because there is a deal with Lucifuge clan you want to deal with.....personally? That's what I call family priviledge."
Grayfia stiffens imperceptibly—a tell Arto catches only because he's seen her dismantle three assassins without wrinkling her apron. "Irrelevant." She snaps the clipboard shut with Albedo's signature flourish. "Atreides requires stewardship. I volunteer." The air shivers with unspoken tension before Kuroka yawns pointedly. "Nap time. Wake me when there is food~" Kuroka turns herself into a cat as she drafts herself around Arto's neck, and begins to purr.
Rias rolls her eyes and heads to the portal leading to Sector 1, dragging a protesting Koneko by the scruff. "We're late for training, Sona has made up a new strategy today to fight against the Adaptive Training Ground, we need to hear her briefing before heading in." Koneko digs her heels in, her claws scraping against the polished floor. "I can walk!" Rias doesn't loosen her grip. "And yet, you never do."
Arto watches them vanish through the shimmering gate before turning to Grayfia—or rather, the eerily perfect imitation of Albedo now standing before him. The illusion doesn't waver even as Grayfia adjusts her stance slightly, settling into Albedo's habitual posture—hips tilted just so, fingers tapping against her thigh in restless patterns. "You're really committing to this," Arto observes. Grayfia's borrowed lips curve into Albedo's signature smirk, though her voice carries a fraction more dryness. "Unlike certain succubi, I don't half-ass my duties."
Kuroka's tail flicks lazily against Arto's collarbone from her perch around his shoulders. "Maa, but Grayfia~ You're not even charging him for the roleplay." Grayfia's glare could flay skin. Kuroka merely purrs louder.
"I know you can handle this, Grayfia, but....are you sure?" Arto asks, watching as Grayfia adjusts Albedo's signature cufflinks—a wedding gift from their proxy marriage under the Atreides alias. The illusion doesn't waver, but her pause is palpable.
Grayfia exhales through Albedo's nose—a perfect mimicry of exasperated fondness. "The Lucifuge delegation arrives in two hours. They'll expect Baroness Atreides to broker their...unusual request." Her borrowed fingers trace the edge of the clipboard. "And we both know what happens if they smell weakness."
Arto nods "Okay, handle it well, Grayfia, I'm heading out now" Arto leaves Sector 80, bringing a purring Kuroka with him to operate the Simulation Room's work flows while Grayfia departs to Atreides Domain to deal with the Lucifuges.
[Timeskip: Brought to you by chibi Grayfia meeting the delegation of her own family in Albedo's form]
[Kuoh Academy - Class 1-C]
Issei comes to school like normal, the final exam has ended, his result was....mediocre, not too bad, not too good, just enough to get him to the next level of studying, his history score carried hard this year with the appearance of Nico Robin-sensei in the faculty.
He has been studying history like on steroid to impress her in class, and that obsession did help him get the 2nd place in history score among the first year grade, compensating for other subjects he didn't bother studying, giving him a decent GPA to pass to the second year.
He has spent most of his time before the break to attend school counsels, with another person of course, not Robin-sensei, and doing public service as ordered by the court as a part of his sentence after the lawsuit with Nami-senpai ended with him losing.
The counsels helped him realize that he has been a jerk in the past and he has been trying to redeem himself with effort, though Nami-senpai still avoids him like plague, which he understands.
He still has more than 100 hours of public service which contains a lot of works for him to choose from from day to day, he just needs to log his hours with his supervisor, he has been doing charity works lately, assisting at homeless shelters and helping the disabled with day-to-day tasks, gaining a little bit of recognition among the locals as the kid who turned himself around, and it makes him feel happy, or at least less guilty after what he did to Nami-senpai.
Coming into his class, he sees everyone is here, only the seat next to him is empty, he sits down, turning back to Matsuda and Motohama, the 2 friends he has tried to not interact with too much, but still classmates at the very least "Guys, where is Kosuke?"
"He moved, after the final exam, he moved with his family, his father got transferred to Hokkaido branch of their company," Matsuda replies, flipping through his notebook absently. "Left yesterday." Issei blinks, feeling oddly hollow—Kosuke had been....decent, they talk to each other usually, but never too close, mostly exchanging notes from class, but they never shared any hobbies, still, it's weird, losing contact with someone you see every day.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Issei asked "You never stayed behind to hear him talking about it" Matsuda answers, so it's been his public duties that made him lose contact with Kosuke. Issei sighs, then the bell rings, signaling the beginning of homeroom.
The classroom door slides open—their homeroom teacher, Riku-sensei, enters with a new student following him, she stops at her desk while the new student stands at the center of the podium, gathering all attention with her beauty, setting his books down, he starts "Okay everyone, today we have a new student who will be studying with us, please, introduce yourself dear"
The girl bows—a practiced motion that sends her waist-length raven hair cascading over one shoulder. When she straightens, the overhead lights catch the pink glint in her pupils. "Hello everyone, my name is Yuuma Amano"