The three were led by Belfast onto a spaceship, heading toward the Eternal Snowfall.
It was their first time seeing a spacefaring vessel, and they were visibly uneasy.
Even Miori Shiba, the heiress of Shiba Heavy Industries, had never seen such a massive craft before.
Inside the cabin, several familiar faces were already seated.
"Matsuzaki?"
Seitenshi noticed that many of the people here looked familiar.
To put it simply, they were all individuals with ties to the Cursed Children.
Some were security officers who had secretly helped or funded the Cursed Children.
Others were kind-hearted individuals who had sheltered them in secret.
There were also scholars and politicians who advocated for equal coexistence between humans and the Cursed Children.
Before today, due to her position, Seitenshi had never been able to openly interact with them.
Yet now, they had all been gathered in the same place.
The arrival of Seitenshi and Miori Shiba surprised the others as well.
These were people they had only ever seen on television—why were they here too?
"Seitenshi, do you know what's going on?"
"The aliens only told us they would properly resettle us and the children… but I can't help but feel uneasy."
An elderly man asked hesitantly.
Beside him stood a small girl with twin crimson ponytails, dressed in a white dress and a yellow jacket.
Enju Aihara.
In this world's timeline, it was still early—she was still living in the underground sewers.
"I'm sorry… All I know is that they came for the Cursed Children. As for everything else, I'm just as uncertain as you are…"
Seitenshi shook her head.
She had little information herself.
The spaceship ascended steadily.
Before long, the colossal form of the Eternal Snowfall appeared ahead.
Its lower hangar bay doors opened, allowing the shuttle to enter.
Seeing a three-kilometer-long starship up close was an overwhelming experience—its sheer size made it impossible to take in at a single glance.
Only now did the passengers realize that the ship they had boarded was merely a small shuttle attached to the Eternal Snowfall.
It wasn't even one-twentieth the size of the massive flagship.
Once they entered the docking bay, the airlock doors sealed behind them.
Model 287 Bulin guided them off the ship.
Everyone obediently followed.
They walked through a long corridor, winding through the vast ship interior.
Finally, inside the command tower of the bridge—
They saw Setsuna.
He stood before the main control console, processing data streams sent from various fleet divisions.
Beside him stood a strikingly beautiful secretary shipgirl—Richelieu.
"She's so beautiful…"
The moment she laid eyes on her, Miori Shiba couldn't help but murmur in admiration.
To her, Seitenshi was already an unrivaled beauty, hailed as the most beautiful woman in Tokyo.
Yet in front of this shipgirl, it felt as though something was still missing.
"Commander, the people have been brought."
Belfast gave a graceful bow and stepped aside.
"Oh, hello there."
"Seitenshi, Kisara Tendo, Miori Shiba… and the rest of you whom I don't know."
Setsuna turned around, greeted the crowd, and gestured for them to take their seats.
"I am Setsuna, from another world. As you can see, I have come to rescue the Cursed Children."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
The man before them wore a black and red uniform, his tall figure exuding an air of authority. His face was both handsome and resolute—undeniably the commander of a fleet.
He didn't look anything like what they had imagined an alien to be.
"I thought he'd be some kind of slimy monster with tentacles all over his face…"
Miori Shiba muttered under her breath.
"I'm afraid not, Miss Miori Shiba," Setsuna responded, patting her shoulder. "Just like you, I am a genuine human being—just with a few minor differences."
The girl flinched in surprise, worried that the fleet commander might toss her out of the airlock if she displeased him.
"May I ask… what is your objective? Are you here to conquer the entire Earth?"
Seitenshi voiced the question that weighed most heavily on her mind.
"Of course not. Most of the people on this planet do not deserve to continue living."
"I have no intention of ruling over them."
Setsuna's expression remained indifferent.
"!!!"
Seitenshi and the others were stunned into silence.
They were well aware of the horrific persecution that the Cursed Children had suffered.
But to hear Setsuna sentencing humanity to death so decisively was still a chilling shock.
To a man who commanded a vast space fleet, the humans of this world were nothing more than ants.
"Then why have you called for us…?"
Someone cautiously asked.
"Oh, don't be afraid," Setsuna clapped his hands together. "I wasn't referring to you."
"I am grateful for the kindness and protection you have shown the Cursed Children in this cruel world. You are deserving of a reward."
"We will take care of the Cursed Children from now on. As for you—you should leave this Earth. How about living in the Dragon Maid world?"
"It is exactly like the world before the Gastrea invasion—no monsters, a common language, and we will ensure you have everything you need to live comfortably."
To Setsuna, the humans of the Black Bullet world fell into three distinct categories:
The Cursed Children—the little girls.
The very few good people—those who had helped them.
Non-burnable trash.
As the shipgirls scoured the planet for the Cursed Children, Setsuna had taken time to consider what to do with the few genuinely good people in this world.
Bringing them back alongside the little girls? That felt… off. The shipgirls weren't used to having too many strangers at the base—it would make things uncomfortable.
Leaving them behind? That didn't sit right either.
After careful thought, he realized the best solution was to relocate them to a peaceful, everyday world.
Whether it was the Date A Live world or the Dragon Maid world, either would work.
There, they wouldn't have to fear Gastrea or war—just a normal modern society where they could seamlessly integrate and live in peace.
As for the immigrants' livelihood, while Setsuna's side didn't have a formal currency, they had an abundance of gold, a universal hard asset.
Enough to ensure they never had to worry about food, clothing, or shelter for the rest of their lives.
This was the greatest advantage of an interdimensional empire—they had plenty of places to resettle people.
"Move to another human world?!"
The crowd was stunned, overwhelmed by this unexpected generosity.
At first, it sounded strange.
But upon deeper thought, this was an incredibly generous offer—one beyond even their wildest dreams.
A life free from the threat of Gastrea, with ample food and shelter, enjoying all the benefits of a modern civilization…
This had been the dream of countless people.
"Then… what about the children?"
The elderly Matsuzaki, still holding Enju Aihara's hand, asked hesitantly.
"Rest assured, we will properly care for them and cure them of the Gastrea virus."
"Once everything is settled, they might even be able to visit you in the other world."
Setsuna smiled as he spoke.
"…"
"Then… thank you."
"Please take good care of them."
The old man gently placed Enju Aihara beside Setsuna.
While they had done their best to provide food and shelter for the Cursed Children, they were powerless against the Gastrea virus.
Entrusting them to a far more advanced civilization was undoubtedly the best decision.
The little girl hesitated, nervously clutching Richelieu's uniform and shrinking behind her.
"Don't be scared. We'll take you to your new home soon."
Richelieu patted Enju Aihara's head, gently comforting her.
...
"Alright then… Belfast, Harbin."
Setsuna called over two shipgirls.
"Go to the Dragon Maid world, find a place in Tokyo or another suitable city, and settle these kindhearted people."
"Hmm… there aren't too many of them, so buying a few apartment buildings should be enough, right?"
"Also, take care of their residency paperwork, set up bank accounts, and exchange some money for them to use."
"From now on, they should just enjoy a peaceful life in a normal human world."
...
"What about us?!"
After those assigned to the Dragon Maid world departed via an anchor portal, Seitenshi, Kisara Tendo, and Miori Shiba turned to Setsuna, looking thoroughly confused.
"You three? Oh, you could always live in the Commander's harem—I mean, Crystal Palace."
Gudako suddenly chimed in.
"After all, white-haired ojou-samas, black-haired JKs, and Yamato Nadeshiko types are totally his thing—"
Bang!
She was immediately cut off by a flick to the forehead from Setsuna.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
Gudako crouched on the floor, glaring up at him in defiance.
"Am I wrong?! Tell me I'm wrong!!!"
"Exactly, which is why I knocked you."
Setsuna grabbed Gudako by the face and pulled her up.
She was smart—sometimes too smart for her own good—spouting off exactly what was on his mind.
Clearing his throat, he turned to Seitenshi.
"We've already rescued over two million Cursed Children. Moving to an unfamiliar world might be scary for them."
"You, as a national idol, are highly popular among the little girls. You'd be the perfect person to lead them and help with their transition."
"As for Miori Shiba and Kisara Tendo… you're from the same world as them. Plus, Tina is also in the group. How about joining her in looking after the children?"
Honestly, having a mascot idol around had its advantages.
Just seeing Seitenshi made the Cursed Children feel significantly more at ease.
"…"
The three women thought it over and realized they had no real reason to refuse.
If this man harbored any malicious intent, he wouldn't be negotiating so peacefully with them—not with the level of power he commanded.
So, they agreed, deciding to take this opportunity to see another world.
"Wait a moment—before we leave, there's something I need to do."
Kisara Tendo, dressed in a black sailor uniform with a katana at her waist, suddenly raised her hand.
"I need to go to the Tendo family estate."
"Oh?"
Setsuna recalled that she had a personal grudge against certain members of the Tendo family.
She had dedicated years to mastering swordsmanship for the sole purpose of one day killing the head of the Tendo family with her own hands.
Click—
One of the Eternal Snowfall's secondary cannons slowly rotated, locking onto a large mansion below.
Inside that mansion, Kisara Tendo's target—Kisara Tendo's grandfather, Kikunojou Tendo—was trembling in fear, huddled with his subordinates.
They were desperately trying to evade the Siren Executors patrolling the streets.
"That him?"
"Uh… yeah."
Kisara Tendo instinctively nodded.
Bzzzzt—
Boom!
The cannon fired.
A crimson high-energy beam tore through the sky and obliterated the mansion in an instant.
As the smoke and dust cleared, nothing remained—just a massive crater over a hundred meters in diameter.
The mansion, the people inside—completely vaporized.
"Anything else?"
Setsuna asked.
Kikunojou Tendo: "…"
"No… thanks."
Suddenly, the katana in her hands didn't seem all that impressive anymore.
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