A few days later.
Whoosh—
Hundreds of starships broke through the clouds above Earth, slowly descending onto the aerospace base in Constantinople.
When traveling to the Black Bullet world, Setsuna had actively opened a passage himself.
The fleet moved swiftly, and on the return journey, they placed an anchor point on the Moon, using it to teleport back home.
Due to the sheer number of ships, they had to land in batches.
The first wave of shipgirls disembarked with the little lolis before retracting their ship forms, allowing the next set of shipgirls to land.
The young girls were instantly thrilled upon seeing the new city.
Even before landing, they were already pressing their faces against the portholes, gazing in awe at the vast metropolis below.
"Wow! What a huge city! It's even bigger than Tokyo!"
"Are those wheat fields outside the city? That's great! There shouldn't be a food shortage here, right?"
"There are people in the city! Huh? Why do they all look the same?!"
Aboard the Eternal Snowfall, Seitenshi, Kisara Tendo, and Miori Shiba were also astonished as they overlooked Constantinople from above.
This city was simply enormous.
In the Black Bullet world, Tokyo, as the capital and largest city of the island nation, covered just over 2,000 square kilometers.
Constantinople's urban area alone was nearly 30 times that size.
If the surrounding aerospace base and agricultural zones were included, the scale was even more staggering.
The city's architecture was also highly distinctive, seamlessly blending modern and classical styles.
The different functional zones were clearly delineated at a glance.
"What's that compass-like thing?!"
Kisara Tendo quickly noticed a colossal structure under construction in the northern part of the city.
It was far too conspicuous, roughly the size of a small city.
"A wonder—the Sundial Array. Still under construction," Setsuna answered with a smile.
"It'll probably be completed in a few more months."
Every newcomer seemed to have their attention drawn to that structure.
"Wait! Mr. Setsuna, your starships are retractable?!"
Miori Shiba asked in shock, eyes wide.
She had just witnessed a shipgirl landing, clapping her hands, and then instantly stowing away her massive vessel.
A kilometer-long space battleship disappearing in mere moments was beyond her comprehension.
All this time, she had believed that Setsuna ruled as the leader of an advanced, purely spacefaring civilization, commanding a fleet of hundreds of ships.
She had assumed that those beautiful girls were captains or crew members of the ships.
It was only upon landing here that she realized—
They were the ships themselves.
Normal spacecraft were still within the realm of her understanding as the heiress of Shiba Heavy Industries…
But ships transforming into humanoid forms?
That was straight into the realm of magic for her.
"Oh, you only saw their ship forms in that world, right? These are shipgirls—they are both the warships themselves and their own entities."
Setsuna explained to the equally bewildered Seitenshi and Kisara Tendo.
"Amazing, isn't it? By the way, the Eternal Snowfall is my true form—I can also project and retract it at will."
"However, you can't do that while in flight. Otherwise, you'd all be flung out."
"…"
Seitenshi and her two companions had a newfound understanding of Setsuna.
A ship that could be retracted at will?! A starship controlled purely by thought?!
Mr. Setsuna, you're actually an alien disguised as a human, aren't you?!
I suspect you're just pretending to be human, but I have no proof… for now.
Click—
After the Eternal Snowfall and a dozen accompanying Bulin-class starships landed first, the hatches slowly opened.
Inside the ships, the little lolis stood nervously in formation. Their eyes were filled with anticipation and excitement, mixed with a hint of fear at arriving in a new world for the first time.
However, their anxiety was quickly dispelled as the enthusiastic Purple Bulin rushed forward, accompanied by a little yellow chick.
"Buli!"
"Everyone, follow Bulin! Bulin will take you to your dorms, buli!"
Bulin also looked like a little loli herself, and she was warm and welcoming.
With just a few words, she had already bonded with the Cursed Children, leading them toward their temporary lodging.
Since all the Cursed Children were still young, their dormitories were designed in a school-like fashion—four-person rooms with bunk beds and study desks below.
Amenities like air conditioning and heating were all crafted by Bulin, who had worked overtime to get everything ready.
"Wow…"
"I've never stayed in such a nice room before…"
Enju Aihara looked around the bright and clean room, pinched her own cheek hard, and made sure she wasn't dreaming.
Most of these children had spent their lives either hiding in sewers, wandering the streets, or seeking shelter in the ruins.
"The Commander says you're still young, so for now, you'll live in the dormitories. But once you grow up, you'll be assigned larger homes."
"Heroic Spirits and Spirits all have their own villas, you know!"
Bulin puffed out her chest and proudly introduced the accommodations.
"I don't mind staying here forever! Just having a place to sleep at night is more than enough. This room is so big, and it even has a roof and windows…"
"That's more than I could ever ask for…"
Several little lolis quickly waved their hands in panic, as if refusing a greater luxury was an instinctive reaction.
They even bowed deeply to Bulin, saying,
"Please thank the Commander for us… we haven't had the chance to meet him yet…"
"…"
The shipgirls accompanying them felt a pang in their hearts.
"You can tidy up a bit and change your clothes. I'll take you to eat afterward."
Yat Sen took a moment to steady her emotions before speaking.
Inside the rooms, a full set of daily necessities and children's clothing had already been prepared in advance.
Some were handcrafted by Bulin, while others had been imported from the Date A Live and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid worlds.
The little lolis had no real belongings—only a few of them clung tightly to their worn-out stuffed animals, carefully tucking them away in the wardrobes.
Then, dressed in their fresh new outfits, they held hands and followed the shipgirls and Bulins out the door.
A massive procession of little lolis walking down the street made for an impressive sight.
They looked around with curiosity, taking in every detail of their surroundings.
The city was populated mostly by Bulins, Siren shipgirls, and small yellow chicks busily going about their tasks.
It all looked like something straight out of a fairy tale.
The Bulins running street stalls enthusiastically welcomed their new little residents, stuffing their hands with all sorts of snacks and toys.
The little lolis were overwhelmed by the kindness.
For the first time in their lives, they felt truly welcomed.
In the past, walking down the street at best earned them disdainful glances, and at worst, they were driven away—or even beaten and killed by unscrupulous security personnel.
"Ugh… No one here will hurt us, right? Is it okay if I don't hide my ears?"
A white-haired, cat-eared loli looked up and asked hesitantly.
She was terrified of revealing her Cursed Child traits in front of others.
"No one will harm you here. Everyone here is kind."
"There are even catgirls like you in the Sakura Empire fleet."
Yat Sen gently ruffled her hair.
"In that other world, the Commander has already punished those who bullied you."
"Oh…"
Midori Fuse didn't entirely understand, but she nodded.
Soon, Bulin led the lolis to the grand dining hall.
In Setsuna's city planning, he had arranged a full suite of living facilities for the millions of little lolis.
There was no shortage of places to eat—every few dormitory buildings shared a five-story dining hall.
The kitchens were also staffed by Bulins.
After intensive training under the fleet's shipgirl chefs, they had mastered a variety of culinary styles.
To ensure food safety for the little lolis, the Royal Navy fleet only provided fish and chips on their menu.
Each floor of the dining hall specialized in a different cuisine.The more complex cuisines, such as Dragon Empery, French, and Italian, each occupied a full floor, while Sakura Empire, Eagle Union, Northern Parliament, and Iron Blood shared the remaining levels.
Here, they could taste dishes from all over the world.The sheer variety of food left the lolis dazzled.
"Um… everything here must be really expensive, right?"
Enju Aihara leaned against the display case, watching as a Bulin chef skillfully handled lobsters and crabs—luxurious seafood that she had never even dared to dream of before.
"Actually, fish, shrimp, and crab are the most abundant. When our submarine shipgirls have free time, they go out and fish."
"Dining here is completely free, but please try not to waste food."
Yat Sen replied with a warm smile.
"Waaah—"
The little lolis cheered in excitement.
A place to live and free meals?!
To them, this was nothing short of paradise!
"Um… where does all this food come from?"
A particularly curious loli asked.
Earlier, they had seen wheat and rice fields in the city's agricultural zones, but those were nowhere near enough to explain the incredible variety of food in the dining hall.
There was chicken, beef, lamb, duck, and all kinds of seafood—fruits and vegetables of every kind, all looking incredibly fresh.
"They come from other worlds."
Yat Sen answered gently.
Thanks to the sustainable resource-harvesting strategy, the production output from the Demon Slayer world had been steadily increasing.
And once they secured the Date A Live and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid modern worlds, procuring supplies would become even easier.
"Yay—3.7—"
The little lolis cheered, grabbing their trays and lining up for food.
Back on the starships, they had been given simple meals, but nothing compared to the feast in a proper dining hall.
They devoured their meals ravenously, a sight that made the shipgirls' hearts ache.
"Is there anything we can do to help?"
Enju Aihara asked, speaking with her mouth full.
She couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't right to eat and drink here without contributing in some way.
"I'm a rabbit-type infected. I can run really fast, and my legs are super strong! Is there anything I can help with?"
"Fighting monsters, working somewhere—anything's fine…"
The other children quickly chimed in as well.
"I'm an owl-type—I have night vision and really sharp eyesight."
"I'm a planarian-type—I have super regeneration…"
"No need. There are no enemies here."
Yat Sen gently patted her head.
"The Commander said that he hopes you can have a proper childhood here."
"Forget about things that no child should have to worry about. Focus on studying, learning, and growing up…"
"This is the life you deserve to have."
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