Kamiyā Yuu turned his head slightly and gazed at Kamiyā Sora, whose attention was focused on the movie playing on the laptop. Her breathtaking profile made him recall an idiom he had long since forgotten in his language textbook—picturesque beauty, untouchable.
Loose strands of her silver hair partially covered her face. Her skin was as smooth as jade, without the slightest flaw or visible pore. Her delicate nose was straight yet soft, complementing her small face and giving her a charming, youthful cuteness. Yet her beautiful eyes were too vivid, too cold—her pitch-black pupils rippled faintly, carrying an inexplicable authority that made it hard for anyone to meet her gaze.
—I'm done for. Completely done for in this world with its so-called "Four Great Asian Sorceries."
Kamiyā Yuu shouted inwardly, unsure whether he felt excitement or despair. Even though he was holding Sora in his arms, the difference in their identities subtly prevented any improper thoughts from taking root.
"Yuu, what are you getting excited about?" Sensing the shift in his mood, Kamiyā Sora paused the movie and asked with a slight frown.
"Nothing. I just think Sora is very cute," Kamiyā Yuu replied honestly with a laugh, even as his legs began to feel numb—yet he was reluctant to ruin the moment.
A faint smile appeared on Kamiyā Sora's lips. She adjusted into a more comfortable position in his arms and replied, "Mm."
—Not modest at all.
Kamiyā Yuu chuckled silently. The two of them spent the entire afternoon stuck together like this. When they were tired, they leaned against each other to rest; when thirsty, they grabbed cola from the fridge; when hungry, they fetched snacks from the cabinet. Acting like a servant, Kamiyā Yuu felt as though the entire afternoon had passed in the blink of an eye before it was already evening.
Having fully recharged during the day off, he took the laptop back from Kamiyā Sora that evening. While continuing his programming work, he also sketched out Ruby Rose's design from memory onto animation paper. In truth, there was someone far more qualified than him to handle her visual design—his key animation teacher, Uehara Etsuki, a master unrivaled in gothic animation style in this world.
"Monty Oum may be extraordinarily talented, but he couldn't oversee everything comprehensively. I, however, have that possibility."
"Whether it's animation scenes,"
"character design,"
"or fight choreography…"
"Standing on the shoulders of giants, I can do it even better."
Fully immersed, Kamiyā Yuu carefully drew each line, recreating the lively gothic girl from his memory. Her refined nose, sharp black short hair, playful expression—she wasn't just a static anime figure, but someone vividly alive in this world, fixed firmly in his mind.
At some point, his thoughts became as fluid as if he had entered the consciousness space. Ruby Rose was no longer just an image in his head—she seemed to leap into existence before his eyes. Every stroke sharpened her presence; every line defined her existence more clearly.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he finally came back to his senses, a lifelike and expressive portrait of the girl was complete. Despite being only black and white, it was more exquisite and captivating than countless colored key frames he had seen before.
"Just one character design drawing took me two hours… I'm a pretty unqualified animator," Kamiyā Yuu muttered, though his face was filled with satisfaction.
Setting aside the gothic costume details, Ruby Rose's core character design was now officially established. Next, all that remained was for Uehara Etsuki to add the finishing touches.
"I'll continue refining the character details. That way, Uehara-sensei can further enhance her outfit design."
...
"Crack! Crack! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Thunderous gunfire echoed through the sky. Kamiyā Yuu stood atop a mound of snow, watching in the distance as the red-cloaked gothic girl slaughtered a pack of shadow wolves. Unlike before, she was no longer an expressionless puppet—her face now brimmed with battle hunger and pride as she fought.
"Next is the combat design. This might already surpass the original work, but it's still far from enough to truly amaze me!"
Kamiyā Yuu focused intently on Ruby Rose's movements—sometimes graceful, sometimes swift, sometimes unpredictable. From a visual standpoint, even a professional action director would rate it beyond perfect.
"...I should join in myself. That way I can feel it more directly."
When the last shadow wolf was slain, Kamiyā Yuu, standing atop the snow mound, let out a roar toward the sky.
"Awooo—!"
His body rapidly transformed. Savage black fur burst through his clothes as his form expanded into a towering five-meter-tall shadow werewolf. His roar sent nearby snow scattering under invisible shockwaves.
"Boom!"
Like a cannonball, the werewolf Kamiyā Yuu charged toward Ruby Rose.
"Click!"
Ruby Rose showed no fear. Gripping her massive scythe in reverse, she swiftly pulled out a black ammunition magazine from her waist and inserted it into the weapon's handle.
Her small, delicate face was filled with excitement as she shouted sharply, "Come on, Yuu!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The roar of cannon fire tore through the silent world. The powerful recoil blasted away the snow around Ruby Rose. Invisible shells carved deep furrows into the snowfield as they tore through the air with violent force.
Yet they couldn't hit Kamiyā Yuu, who moved at extreme speed. Each magic-infused shell, with power comparable to anti-tank rounds, exploded into craters several meters wide—but even the flying debris couldn't match his speed.
A life-and-death battle had begun.
Closing in, Kamiyā Yuu swung his massive wolf arm. Steel-like claws extended from his fur-covered bones as he slashed through the air.
"Shrrk—!"
A sharp, tearing sound rang out, leaving three deep gouges in the snow. Ruby Rose simply leapt back lightly, dodging the attack. A glowing blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet, supporting her midair stance. Holding her scythe in reverse, the power within her body surged endlessly.
A crimson phantom shot forward.
From afar, in the silent white world, a red streak collided with a black streak, intertwining violently. The resulting shockwaves whipped up a fierce storm.
"Rumble—!"
Countless clashes left scars across the snowfield. Even the distant black forest was cut down in swathes by the aftermath of their battle.
"Crack."
After an unknown amount of time, Kamiyā Yuu—fighting for the first time—finally failed to keep up with Ruby Rose's tempo and was cut cleanly in half. The blood spilling from the black werewolf transformed into crimson roses, scattering through the air before gathering on the snow to form another Ruby Rose.
Two gothic girls in red cloaks stood facing each other across the devastated snowfield, each raising a massive mechanical scythe.
"Yuu, I win the first round!" Ruby Rose declared proudly, pointing her scythe at her opponent.