The Service Club still existed at Shuchiin Academy.
Yes, even after moving to the other side of the Pacific.
Back in Japan, the club had only been established because Yukino Yukinoshita had gone through Shizuka Hiratsuka and gotten a few rules bent for her. This time, she hadn't asked for help from anyone. She'd simply submitted the application.
The student council had approved it immediately.
The reason was simple.
She was an esper.
Yukino might not have much presence among the known superpowered figures of the world, but that didn't change the fact that she was one.
Now the two Yukinoshita sisters sat across from each other in the clubroom.
"What did you want to talk about, Sis?"
As always, Yukino sat by the window. A light novel rested on the desk beside her, something to pass the time after school.
In the past, she was more likely to be reading classic literature, or maybe something gentle like Koisuru Metronome.
Now the book on her desk was Utaha Kasumigaoka's newest release, Naruto.
Yes. Yukino had read Utaha's debut novel, Koisuru Metronome.
It hadn't sold especially well, but she'd liked it. For a while, she'd even had a favorable impression of the author herself.
That goodwill had died the moment the black-stockinged vixen became Makoto Nishikado's woman and wrote Naruto.
Never mind that Naruto had been praised far more widely, or that its sales were in another league entirely.
That was the truth of it.
Nothing crushed a novelist quite like hearing, "I'm an old reader, and I prefer your niche early work." Not insults. Not abuse. That was the real killing blow.
Yukino's gaze lifted to her sister.
"It's been a year since you were first chosen by the Reincarnation Game, hasn't it?"
Haruno glanced around the empty classroom after sitting down. "Still no friends?"
Yukino twitched. "First, we must establish the precise definition of the word 'friend'..."
There it was again.
If this had been the old Haruno, she would've worn that soft expression she reserved for her favorite doll and let her little sister finish that self-righteous speech in peace.
Today, for some reason, she didn't have the patience.
"You've improved, Yukino."
The praise landed so unexpectedly that Yukino blinked.
Haruno went on, "You used to be like a hedgehog. Anyone who touched you got a hand full of spines, and sometimes you'd go out of your way to stab first. After all those crossings, you've learned to pull them in. Mostly. Even if they still slip out now and then."
What happened that morning might have looked outrageously bold to other people, like Yukino had lost her mind and decided to pick a fight with one of Makoto Nishikado's women.
But honestly, that had been the softened version.
The old Yukino would've traded barbs with Utaha in the middle of the street. In a worse mood, she might've demanded another Chunin Exam match on the spot.
She had almost lost control before Haruno arrived.
Almost.
At least she'd held back.
Yukino's expression turned strange. Was that supposed to be praise or criticism?
Then Haruno shifted.
"But Yukino... that still isn't enough."
"What?"
"Not only when you're facing Commander Nishikado. You need to show absolute humility... no, at the very least respect... toward his companions and his subordinates too."
Silence stretched between them.
After a while, Yukino said, "About this morning..."
"I know Utaha Kasumigaoka was the problem," Haruno said, cutting her off again with a sigh.
She had already looked into it. There had been plenty of students on the scene.
Fair was fair. Utaha had absolutely been the aggressive one.
But what did that matter?
Haruno's voice turned colder. "The issue isn't who's right."
"Makoto Nishikado... Commander Nishikado's woman... that alone is enough."
She corrected herself halfway through. These days, even saying Makoto's name too casually could be dangerous. Since the war in America, his fanatics had multiplied. Some of them couldn't even tolerate people addressing him by name.
Yukino lowered her head.
Haruno let out a long breath. "So stop opposing Lord Nishikado."
"When have I ever opposed him? I avoid him if I can..."
Even now, Yukino felt wronged.
Once, before one of the crossings, she'd nearly kicked Yu Ishigami in the face because he thought she was planning to ambush Makoto. Sometimes she honestly wondered whether these people overestimated her or underestimated him. What exactly did they think she could do?
Haruno looked at her. "Avoiding him is its own form of opposition."
"You know your history, don't you? When a paranoid emperor takes the throne, the officials who refuse to serve and try to resign are always the first ones executed."
"Right now, keeping your distance from Lord Nishikado is the same kind of insult those ministers showed that emperor."
Yukino gave a short laugh, sharp with disbelief. "That's absurd."
She knew the history.
Living inside something like it was another matter.
"Yes," Haruno said quietly. "It is absurd. America stationed troops in our country for years, and did Prime Minister Ooka ever dare object? Now even America has fallen apart in Lord Nishikado's hands."
That left Yukino silent again.
"You heard his speech too, didn't you?" Haruno asked.
Then she delivered the final blow.
"You remember what he said. If there are people who don't trust me, they can leave my country. You've not forgotten whose land you're standing on now, or whose protection you're living under."
This time Yukino had no answer.
It was a fact too solid to deny.
She was standing on Makoto Nishikado's territory.
She was living under Makoto Nishikado's protection.
Yukino was stubborn, but she wasn't blind.
At last she looked up. "Then what do you want me to do, Sis?"
"Buy a gift and pay him a visit. At least make your attitude clear. And..." Haruno paused. "I want to mend things with Mother too."
In the end, Yukino nodded.
No amount of talking from Haruno was going to turn her resistance into worship overnight. That much was impossible.
But she understood one thing now.
If she couldn't genuinely respect him, then she'd have to act like she did.
And she truly did want to repair things with their mother.
By the time the sisters left the school gates, they ran straight into Makoto's circle of women, all gathered together and preparing to head for Nakano Hospital.
Utaha spotted them first and drawled, "Well, if it isn't Miss Justice. What a coincidence."
That nickname was hers for Yukino. Back at the Service Club in Japan, she'd heard all those lofty speeches Yukino liked to make about justice.
The Yukino of this morning would've snapped back without hesitation.
But not now.
Yukino lowered her head and bowed. "I'm sorry, Senpai Kasumigaoka. I was immature this morning."
Haruno smoothly joined in. "Are you all heading back to the palace? I'd like to pay a visit too. If you don't mind, could we come with you?"
Utaha, Megumi Kato, the Akizuki sisters, and the rest all stared at Yukino in open disbelief.
Was that really Yukino Yukinoshita?
Had some other player transformed into her?
Utaha herself looked stunned. She'd been gearing up for another verbal duel. "Did you hit your head on the way here?"
Yukino only repeated herself, expression blank. "I was immature this morning. If there's anything I can do to make up for it, please say so."
Her mouth was apologizing.
Her face wasn't.
It wasn't even deliberate. She simply couldn't fake that much remorse.
Utaha watched her for a few seconds and understood immediately.
Fine. Good. So she hadn't been possessed after all.
"Tch. Boring."
She waved a hand. "No need to tell Makoto. I didn't take it seriously, and I'm not going to retaliate."
The truth was, Utaha liked having someone to spar with.
Maybe that counted as a hobby by now.
She bickered with the other girls all the time. She used to trade blows with Eriri too, but after spending four years together in the Naruto world, they had become friends, and with the kindness Sayuri Sawamura had shown her, Utaha couldn't really bring herself to rip into Eriri the way she used to.
Megumi was too gentle to fight with properly.
So whenever Utaha's tongue got itchy, she needed a target.
Yukino had always been perfect for the role.
And now she'd gone soft.
It ruined the fun.
A game only mattered if the enemy fought back. What was the point of swinging your sword if they just stood there and let you cut?
"I'm paying a visit. Can I come with you?" Haruno asked again, relentless.
"We're going to the hospital," Utaha said impatiently.
Haruno smiled and pulled Yukino along anyway.
Without an introduction, they wouldn't even make it through the palace gates.
Yukino and Haruno both knew their mother would almost certainly refuse to see them. Following Makoto's women inside was their best chance.
With the addition of American doctors, Nakano Hospital had grown far beyond what it had been in Japan, in both scale and capability.
Everyone knew American medicine was excellent.
It just usually served the ruling class.
"Dad, I came to see you."
Ran Mouri stepped into the ICU.
Through the glass, Sonoko Suzuki and the others felt their skin crawl at the sight of Kogoro Mouri's condition.
He looked awful.
Most of his hair had fallen out. Nearly every inch of skin on his body was damaged, large sections of it ulcerated and rotting.
When he saw his daughter, he forced a grin, showing a mouth with barely any teeth left in it.
It only made the sight more painful.
But Angel Ran didn't recoil at her father's appearance.
She took his ruined hand in both of hers and kept speaking to him softly, comforting him again and again.
Beside the bed, Eri Kisaki turned her face away and cried under her breath. Her daughter was trying so hard to stay strong that it hurt to watch.
"Why are you all at the hospital? Is someone sick?"
A middle-aged man in a white coat approached from the corridor, neatly parted hair framing a stern face. He was the director of the hospital, and also the adoptive father of the Nakano quintuplets.
Maruo Nakano.
Seeing his daughters there startled him. He knew how much the five of them hated hospitals. Their mother, Rena Nakano, had died in one.
The wound that left behind had never really healed.
"Dad."
All five sisters greeted him at once, the word still awkward on their tongues. They hadn't seen him in far too long.
Maruo glanced into the ICU room and quickly guessed the reason. "You've come to visit Mr. Mouri?"
Sonoko stepped forward at once. "Doctor, is there really nothing that can be done for Uncle Mouri? Money isn't a problem."
Only then did Maruo properly notice the crowd behind her, all those women around Makoto Nishikado.
Even he was shaken.
After taking a moment to compose himself, he said, "There's no need to talk about money. Medical care is free now. Lord Nishikado gave the order."
He looked at Kogoro again through the glass. "The problem is that modern medicine has reached its absolute limit here."
After leaving Japan, Nakano Hospital had absorbed a number of top American doctors. Its standards had risen again.
Even so, Kogoro's condition was too severe.
Then Maruo's gaze shifted across the group, over Reze, the Akizuki sisters, and the rest.
Something occurred to him.
"Excuse me... ladies... don't any of you have powers that can heal people?"
Kotonoha Katsura's expression changed first.
Right.
They had powers.
Sonoko smacked a hand against her forehead. They were all so strong she'd completely forgotten.
Unfortunately, most of their abilities were made for fighting.
Healing was another matter.
Haruno's eyes lit up as she turned to her sister. "Yukino, can you try your medical ninjutsu?"
If Yukino could save Kogoro Mouri, then Ran would owe the Yukinoshita family a massive favor.
And Ran's relationship with Makoto was as close as ever.
That would be a real connection.
"...I'll try."
Yukino blinked, then nodded and walked into the ICU.
Two minutes later, she came back out.
That was that.
Kogoro's condition was far beyond what her C-rank healing technique could manage. At this point, even Tsunade herself would struggle.
Silence fell over the corridor again.
Reze was the one who broke it.
"What about Nayuta? Or borrowing the power of a devil. That might work."
Everyone immediately thought of the little girl who ignored everyone in the world except Makoto.
Nayuta.
The Control Devil.
A root-class devil.
If anyone could save a life, it ought to be easy for her.
Sonoko hurried to tell Ran.
The moment Eri and Ran heard, both mother and daughter lit up with hope.
"Mom, stay with Dad. I'm going to see Sensei."
Ran quickly gathered her things and hurried back toward the palace with Reze and the others. The Yukinoshita sisters and the Nakano quintuplets went along as well.
Watching the five girls leave, Maruo Nakano was hit by a strange feeling.
It felt like he was about to lose something.
"Lady Airi, Lady Marina, Lady Utaha, Lady Megumi, Lady Reze... welcome home."
At the gates of the Nishikado Palace, the Lion Devil and Tiger Devil, serving as guards, rushed to open the doors. Like waiters rattling off a menu, they called out the names of every woman in Makoto's circle.
Guard devils?
Yukino and Haruno were stunned. So were Nino Nakano, Miku Nakano, and Itsuki Nakano, all of whom were entering the palace for the first time.
Yukino suddenly realized something else.
These devils were from the Chainsaw Man world. How had they ended up in reality at all? They weren't items like Naruto-world scrolls. They were living creatures.
Megumi sighed. "Next time, you can just open the gate."
Every time they left and came back, the devils wasted several minutes reciting names like a chant.
The women headed for the main hall together. Partway there, they ran into the Gorilla Devil, one of the members of the Fab four, and learned that Makoto was in his office.
Halfway down the corridor, Megumi noticed Yukino's tension and spoke gently. "Don't worry. Makoto won't mind. He really doesn't care."
Yukino fell silent.
That wasn't comforting.
Then a bright, energetic voice rang out ahead of them, just as enthusiastic as the guards had been when they started listing names.
"Ah! Sis Megumi, Sis Utaha, Sis Airi, Sis Marina, Sis Reze... you're back!"
The lively tone made Ichika Nakano instinctively think of Yotsuba.
When she turned, she saw a girl who looked no older than middle school, with a sweet, youthful face.
So young.
Then her eyes dropped lower.
Yukino took critical damage.
So big.
That was the problem.
The pink-haired girl looked fourteen or fifteen at most, and yet her chest was outrageous.
Fortunately, another girl with white hair was following behind her, and that one at least looked more normal.
Utaha's mouth twitched. "Who are you calling sis?"
That was Moeha Fujiwara, younger sister of Chika Fujiwara, the current prime minister of the Makoto Nation.
The white-haired girl behind her was Moeha's friend... what was her name again?
Never mind. She was just a background mob anyway.
Ever since moving into the palace, Moeha had started calling all of them "sis."
Her ambitions were written all over her face.
Utaha's sarcasm bounced right off her. Moeha threw herself into Megumi's arms instead, knowing perfectly well who had the softest temperament.
"Megumi, are you going to see Lord Nishikado? I am too."
Megumi could never handle that kind of clingy affection. In the end, she gave in with a helpless smile.
For some reason, the pair gave her the same feeling as Kaguya Shinomiya and Chika Fujiwara.
Behind them, Haruno leaned close to Yukino and murmured, "Looks like another girl is about to fall."
It was their first time meeting Moeha, but her feelings were written all over her face. She wasn't even trying to hide them.
"That won't happen."
The sudden voice from the other side startled both sisters.
Marina Akizuki glanced over and said, "Makoto doesn't touch girls under sixteen."
If he did, Airi wouldn't have made it all the way to high school before losing her virginity.
Yukino blinked. "W... why?"
She was still reeling from the blow Moeha's figure had dealt her, but even she had to admit the girl was adorable. The kind of quality Makoto usually wouldn't overlook.
Marina thought for a moment. "I think it's because, over in China, being with a girl under sixteen counts as a crime, whether she agrees or not."
The Yukinoshita sisters and the Nakano quintuplets all went quiet.
Unbelievable.
He was that powerful and still that law-abiding?
For reasons she couldn't explain, Yotsuba Nakano suddenly felt very grateful that she was already sixteen.