After confirming Asaka Mibu would join them, their party gained one more member as they headed to the next destination.
Yuki also conjured a new outfit for Asaka—a set of blue samurai armor that accentuated her warrior spirit.
With a snap of his fingers, Yuki opened a shimmering portal. "Let's go. This time, we're heading to the distant United States."
He stepped through first. The two lolis, hearing this, followed closely behind.
They didn't know why he was going somewhere so far away, but they knew one thing for sure: following Yuki was never wrong.
When they emerged on the other side, they found themselves inside what seemed to be a specialized facility. An assembly line stretched before them, producing various weapons and mechanical body parts. The people who had been operating the line were already lying motionless on the ground. Clearly, Yuki had eliminated them all in less than a second.
Acting as the sword in Yuki's hand, Asaka immediately scanned their surroundings, her body tense with vigilance. Not to be outdone, Enju positioned herself protectively in front of Yuki as well, her eyes sharp as she scouted for any remaining enemies.
Watching the two compete to prove their usefulness, Yuki couldn't help but shake his head with a faint smile. He reached out and gently ruffled each of their hair.
"Alright, alright, relax. The enemies here were dealt with long ago," he said soothingly. "As for any survivors..."
His gaze lifted towards the exhaust duct on the ceiling, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "...There does seem to be one lovely lady left up there."
His words made Enju and Asaka snap their heads upward, their eyes instantly locking onto the ventilation shaft.
"Leave it to me (This one)!" they shouted in unison, both launching themselves toward the duct.
At that moment, a gunshot rang out from within the ventilation system.
A muzzle flash erupted, and a bullet shot directly toward Enju and Asaka.
Though fast, their speed was nothing compared to a bullet. Just as it was about to strike one of them, Yuki flashed in front of them. He caught the bullet mid-air, then ripped the vent cover open.
In one swift motion, he reached in and pulled out the culprit who had taken the shot—a girl with pale blonde hair—holding her in his arms.
Enju and Asaka, realizing they were unharmed thanks to Yuki, turned to see him holding a girl who looked utterly lethargic, even yawning.
If not for the sniper rifle in her hands, they would never have believed she was the one who had just fired.
"She's a Cursed Child, just like you," Yuki said with a soft smile, setting the girl down.
"Tina Sprout," the girl mumbled, her voice drowsy. "That's my name. Haaaah~~~"
"Uh... How can you be this tired just introducing yourself?! Show some spirit! Hey!!" Enju couldn't help but yell, exasperated by the girl's completely drowsy demeanor.
"Alright, Tina, why don't you introduce yourself to them," Yuki said with a gentle smile, softly ruffling Tina's hair.
"Okay..." Tina mumbled, her voice heavy with sleep. "Tina is like you... a Cursed Chi— Haaaah~~~"
Halfway through her sentence, her eyes simply closed, and she fell asleep standing up.
"Hey! Hey! How can you fall asleep in the middle?!" Enju exclaimed, utterly defeated.
"Never mind, I'll explain," Yuki said, taking over. "Tina is an Owl Initiator. She's a NEXT mechanized soldier for this company..."
He went on to explain briefly. In short, Tina was a soldier created by this corporation, often sent out on assassination missions, most of which were politically motivated.
Hearing about Tina's experiences, both girls couldn't help but feel a wave of sympathy for her. So young, yet forced to carry the weight of so many lives on her shoulders. The pressure she must have endured was unimaginable to them.
As for Yuki's sudden appearance and his elimination of everyone in the company, it had naturally triggered Tina's combat instincts, making her view them as enemies—hence the earlier gunshot.
However, the moment Tina saw that Yuki had caught her, she gave up resisting. She knew that being captured meant she had already lost, so she resigned herself to whatever fate he decided for her.
"So... what are you going to do with Tina?" Tina asked, her eyes struggling to stay open as she looked at Yuki.
It was daytime. For someone with owl factors, it was impossible to feel alert. Owls are nocturnal, and she had naturally inherited this trait.
"Nothing will be done to you, just like I said on TV before. You will be under my protection and go to the new world to start a new life."
Yuki rubbed the girl's head and spoke gently.
Yuki's words clearly struck a chord within the girl, causing her to tremble slightly.
But soon, a flicker of hesitation crossed her face. "Someone... someone like Tina... is that really okay?"
"Of course. Your past is hereby pardoned by me," Yuki stated, his voice firm and gentle. "So don't hold back. Dream freely of the future life you long for."
He looked at Tina with sincere conviction.
Beside them, Asaka Mibu and Enju Aihara moved closer to Tina, offering her encouraging nods.
Tina felt a wave of emotion wash over her. This was the first time anyone had told her she could let it all go, lay down her gun, and never have to kill again.
"Mmm! Then, please take care of Tina..." Tina began, bowing slightly to the two girls and Yuki, but halfway through her sentence, she succumbed to sleep once more.
The three of them could only smile wryly at the sight.
Yuki then picked up the sleeping Tina and led the group back to the starship.
Upon their return, Seitenshi immediately came out to greet them. She had changed out of her ornate ceremonial dress into simple, casual clothes. Paired with an apron, she had the distinct air of a homemaker.
Seeing the three children Yuki had brought back, she inquired about them. Upon hearing Tina's story, She sighed repeatedly. It was truly pitiful that someone so young had been used as an executioner.
Seitenshi then took Tina from Yuki to find her a room to sleep in.
Yuki, accompanied by Asaka and Enju, went to check on the other Cursed Children aboard the ship.
As soon as he entered the mess hall, Yuki was swarmed by a large group of excited little lolis. They showered him with praise, calling him "Big Brother Yuki" with voices sweeter than honey, which made Enju, watching from the side, green with envy.
But that wasn't all. When they reached the serving counter where meals were being distributed to the Cursed Children, the two lolis, Kiriya and Saya, excitedly threw themselves into Yuki's arms, causing Enju to nearly scratch her ears and cheeks in frustration beside them.
"You've all worked hard," Yuki said, acknowledging their efforts in helping Seitenshi.
"It's alright! We have help, you know!" Saya grinned, pointing in a certain direction. "That's Huashi Cui, and there's Koro Hozumi, and... they're all helping us! So it's not hard at all!"
Following her gesture, Yuki saw a group of familiar faces from the original story—little lolis he recognized. He couldn't help but nod gently in approval.
Noticing his gaze, the girls blushed to varying degrees, some looking shyly away.
After checking on the Cursed Children, Yuki went to see the area where the "good people" were being housed. He had separated the two groups to facilitate their eventual settlement in the new world.
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