The fight with Cid gave Takumi a rough grasp of his current strength.
"Judging from the anime's portrayal, I should be one of the top powers in this world now."
Although Cid was only eight and still in a weak stage, *The Eminence in Shadow* was a power fantasy series—and Cid was the template of an overpowered protagonist. That meant his battle potential was top-tier.
Defeating even a young Cid gave Takumi confidence to thrive here.
"Even if I did nothing and simply kept growing, it would take Cid until he's thirteen to surpass me. By then, I'd be twenty-five."
A twenty-five-year-old only on par with a thirteen-year-old Cid? That spoke volumes about Cid's monstrous potential.
"Fortunately, I have a cheat."
His enhancement system included a guaranteed reward every 30 days: his first SSR-level enhancement card.
Even SR+1 level magic growth had pushed him this far. If upgraded to SSR, Takumi was certain Cid would never catch up.
Magic growth increased with age, and Takumi was twelve years older. Even if Cid reached SSR-level magic growth, the twelve-year head start meant he'd always live in Takumi's shadow.
"Besides, SSR may not even be the system's limit."
Within a year, either his magic growth or control would likely reach UR level.
Takumi couldn't imagine the gap between UR and SSR—but one thing was clear: within a year, he'd surpass even peak Cid and stand atop the world.
[ Ding! Binding with host complete. Welcome to the Dimensional Chat Group. ]
Just as Takumi was fantasizing, a sudden notification interrupted his thoughts.
"What's this...?"
He blinked. Was he hallucinating?
"A chat group? But I already have a system."
Then again, the chat group wasn't a system. That was fine.
[ 'Shadow's Radiance' has joined the chat group. ] [ 'Spirit of Time' has joined the chat group. ] [ 'Iron-Head Kid' has joined the chat group. ] [ 'Railgun' has joined the chat group. ] [ 'Amnesiac Xiao Bai' has joined the chat group. ]
Five consecutive notifications appeared, revealing the initial batch of members.
"Lord Takumi? Is something wrong?"
Seeing Takumi dazed, Xue Ji asked in confusion.
"No, just found something interesting."
Not forgetting the task at hand, Takumi casually sent a message before leaving the chat group:
Shadow's Radiance: "Thanks for the invite, busy IRL, catch you all later."
"Let's gather the survivors, Xue Ji."
Looking at the ruined village, Takumi spread his magical senses and quickly located the villagers who had fled or hidden.
"That guy may be nuts, but he can still judge right from wrong."
Cid had avoided harming innocents in his attack.
He knew how to distinguish bandits from innocents.
But Takumi didn't want to bet on him staying rational in battle. He had intentionally moved the fight to an empty area to protect the village—but Cid had still gone wild.
"A shame."
If Cid hadn't attacked first, they might have had a decent chat.
But Cid didn't listen.
Yes, Takumi hit back hard too—but that's beside the point.
"He may be the protagonist, but so what?"
Takumi chose to ignore Cid. He had injured beastmen to treat and no time for a chuunibyou.
With his help, gathering survivors went smoothly.
Seeing Xue Ji alive gave the villagers hope.
Soon, she found her mother's body in the ruins.
She wept bitterly but knew it wasn't the time to grieve.
After a night of slaughter and betrayal, she had matured. As the heir of the village, she had to be strong.
"Twenty-one children total. Oldest is thirteen, youngest is just two."
Unlike Momiji's group, this one had both boys and girls. All beast children were adorable regardless.
Takumi wasn't one to favor girls over boys, nor did he plan to build a harem.
Both genders were necessary for future prosperity.
"Including Momiji's side, that makes thirty-three."
He told Xue Ji his plan. "I'm taking you all east, beyond the mountains, to build a new base."
"Wherever you go, I'll follow."
"Even to the ends of the earth."
Xue Ji knew no safer place than beside Takumi. With him, the flame of the fox village would reignite.
The children had no objections. Xue Ji was like a big sister to them—and the highest-ranking white fox.
By tradition, with her mother gone, she was now the village chief.
Xue Ji knew her responsibility: to protect the children.
She believed in Takumi.
With him, not only could they survive, but perhaps one day, avenge their tribe and families.
"First task."
"Before dawn, gather all usable supplies from the village."
"Don't worry about carrying them. I have a way."
With that settled, Takumi stayed outside the village with the under-five children while Xue Ji led the others to search every house.
"I'm Takumi. You can call me Big Brother Takumi."
The kids, wary at first, gathered around curiously.
They had lost everything—family, home—and faced a scary future.
Takumi smiled warmly.
He spread his arms, and silver-white magic burst into the sky like fireworks, raining down like droplets.
Instantly, the magic healed their wounds and bruises, washed away fatigue, and strengthened their bodies and magic circuits.
"So warm..."
"It feels nice."
"Thank you, Big Brother..."
His kindness quickly earned their trust.
The children snuggled close, calling out affectionately.
"Good kids."
He focused on two girls nearby, gently patting their heads.
"Soft ears... What species are they?"
"Round ears, like bears... but that tail... raccoon?"
He continued petting while thinking.
The girls squinted happily.
For beastmen, ears and tails were sensitive, reserved for close bonds. Takumi wasn't family—but he had saved them.
Being touched wasn't a big deal, especially with his sincere care.
"So lucky..."
"I want head pats too..."
Soon, all the children surrounded him.
"Alright, alright, everyone gets a turn."
A paradise for fluff lovers.
"Can we touch your tail too?"
Strange or not, the kids were eager.
Takumi didn't mind, and they were overjoyed. They pounced into his arms.
Half an hour passed.
Comforted and relaxed, the children drifted off to sleep.
Just like the Misty Fog kids, these little ones had endured unspeakable trauma.
Now, exhaustion hit them like a wave.
Meanwhile, survivors were still combing the ruins.
They searched every inch, collecting food, clothes, tools, valuables—anything they could carry—and piled it outside the village.
With time to spare, Takumi opened the chat group.
It already had many messages—left by the initial members.
Half an hour earlier...
Spirit of Time: "Oh dear, another annoying trick by those buzzing flies?"
In the Date A Live world, Kurumi Tokisaki stood atop a skyscraper in her gothic dress, searching for tonight's target. The sudden ping and floating chat window stole her attention.
"A dimensional chat group? That can't be real."
Kurumi, the time-manipulating spirit, assumed it was an AST trap.
Amnesiac Xiao Bai: "Um, hello? Does anyone know who I am?"
Railgun: "Hah?! What do you mean, 'who am I'? You don't know yourself?"
In Academy City, Misaka Mikoto had just stolen a drink from a vending machine. She popped it open, sipping as she mentally grumbled.
Chat groups were familiar to a modern girl like her. She wasn't worried about tampering.
"Hey, Shokuhou!"
"Stop hiding and come out already!"
Naturally, her first suspect was the curvy queen bee.
But no one answered. Curious passersby stared.
"Uh..."
Blushing, she hurried away—but kept an eye on the chat.
Iron-Head Kid: "Hello, Mr. Xiao Bai."
Amnesiac Xiao Bai: "You know my name?"
Spirit of Time: "..."
Railgun: "..."
In both Date A Live and the Index worlds, Kurumi and Mikoto giggled at Xiao Bai's adorably clueless reply.
Amnesiac Xiao Bai: "Oops, sorry! Mr. Xiao Bai—right, that's me! Hahaha!"
In a ruined city, a silver-haired boy stood up, brushing off dust, confused about how he got there.
Soon, everyone digested the system's basic info.
The group's first function was to provide members with knowledge about infinite dimensions and the multiverse.
Even someone like Iron-Head, from Taisho-era Japan, figured out how to communicate in the chat.
"Hmm..."
Takumi scrolled the messages.
"Railgun and Spirit of Time—those should be Mikoto and Kurumi."
"Iron-Head is hard to guess."
It could refer to personality, stubbornness, or even a literal iron head.
Too many possibilities.
Probably a young person, based on the 'Kid' part.
"Xiao Bai... that's kind of a lazy username."
But apparently, he had amnesia.
Maybe 'Xiao Bai' was a nickname, or maybe it meant he was inexperienced.
"Hmm... doesn't matter."
He could just ask them directly.
Shadow's Radiance: "Hey everyone, I'm back."
Iron-Head Kid: "Hello, Mr. Shadow."
Railgun: "Hey, why are you so calm about all this?"
Spirit of Time: "Yes, you seem unusually composed. Do you know something we don't?"
With Mikoto's bluntness and Kurumi's suspicion, it was a fair question.
Shadow's Radiance: "That's because I know who you all are."
Takumi didn't bother with pretenses or cons. He wasn't here to scam anyone.
He had a cheat system already. No need to act out of character just to gain favor.