The kitchen felt smaller with Yoruichi following behind me, her bare feet silent on the hardwood floor. I focused on the simple task of preparing food, grateful for something concrete to do while processing this surreal situation.
A naked former captain of the Soul Society in my kitchen asking for milk. Just another Tuesday in my increasingly bizarre life.*
"So," Yoruichi said, hopping up to sit on my counter with zero self-consciousness, "tell me about these devils and angels you mentioned?"
I paused while opening the refrigerator. "They're more like... organized political factions. Devils run their society like nobility with complex hierarchies. Angels are what you'd expect—heavenly beings with a focus on order and purification. Fallen Angels are somewhere in between."
"And they're all after you?"
"Not exactly." I pulled out milk, eggs, and various ingredients. "I'm technically allied with all three factions, but there's a rogue group called the Khaos Brigade that wants me dead, and they might have backing from Hades himself."
Yoruichi's golden eyes sharpened. "The Greek god of the underworld? That's... concerning."
"Tell me about it." I cracked eggs into a pan, the familiar motion helping me think. "What's your world like?"
"Soul Reapers maintain the balance between the living world and Soul Society—the afterlife, essentially. We purify Hollows, which are corrupted souls that prey on the living." Her voice took on a more serious tone. "I'm... was... a captain in the Gotei 13, the military organization that oversees this work."
"You sound like you left under complicated circumstances."
Yoruichi's laugh held no humor. "You could say that. I was framed for conducting illegal experiments and had to flee Soul Society to protect someone important to me."
"Sounds familiar," I muttered, thinking of my own complex relationship with authority figures.
"Oh? Rebel with a cause?"
"Something like that." I served the scrambled eggs onto two plates, along with toast and a large glass of milk for her. "I've made enemies of some powerful people by refusing to play by their rules."
Yoruichi accepted the plate with genuine gratitude. "Thank you. It's been... a while since I had a proper meal."
We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Despite the bizarre circumstances, there was something oddly domestic about sharing breakfast with her. Of course, that domesticity was somewhat undercut by the fact that she was still completely naked and seemed entirely unbothered by it.
"Question," I said finally. "Do you always eat naked, or is this a special occasion?"
"Special occasion," she replied with a grin that was pure mischief. "Though I have to say, you're handling it better than most people would."
"I've had practice dealing with unexpected situations."
"I can see that." Her golden eyes studied me with obvious intelligence. "You're much calmer than I expected for someone who just pulled a stranger from another dimension."
If only she knew how much experience I have with impossible situations.*
"What did you expect?"
"Panic, stammering, maybe some awkward attempts to be a gentleman and offer me clothes." She took a sip of milk, somehow making even that simple action seem elegant. "Instead, you're treating this like a slightly unusual business meeting."
"Would you prefer panic and stammering?"
"Absolutely not. I like competent people." Her expression grew more serious. "Though I am curious about one thing."
"What's that?"
"This bond mark you mentioned." She held up her paw, where I could now see the faint glowing symbol more clearly. "What exactly does it do?"
I showed her the matching mark on my palm. "According to the system, it prevents you from intentionally harming me, and the intensity correlates with how well we get along."
"And if we don't get along?"
"I honestly don't know. You're my first summon, remember?"
Yoruichi nodded thoughtfully. "It's not unpleasant, just... present. Like a warm spot I can always sense." She paused. "Can you feel it too?"
Now that she mentioned it, I could sense something—a subtle connection that I'd initially attributed to my enhanced awareness. "Yeah, actually. It's faint, but it's there."
"Interesting." She finished her milk and set the glass down. "So what's the plan? You mentioned fighting terrorists and death gods."
Right back to business. I can respect that.*
"Tomorrow night, I'm leading an assault against a terrorist organization that's trying to summon something dangerous from another dimension. The day after that, I have to attend a supernatural summit where various faction leaders will decide whether to trust me or try to eliminate me."
"Busy schedule." Yoruichi's tone was dry. "And you want me to help with this?"
"I want you to survive it," I corrected. "Helping would be appreciated, but I'm not going to force you into a fight that isn't yours."
"Even though you have this bond mark that could theoretically compel my cooperation?"
I met her gaze steadily. "Especially because of that. I don't want allies who only fight beside me because they're magically compelled to."
Something shifted in Yoruichi's expression—surprise, perhaps, or reassessment. "Most people with that kind of power wouldn't hesitate to use it."
"I'm not most people."
"No," she said quietly, "you're not."
The moment was interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Multiple sets, approaching quickly.
Great. The cavalry's arriving.*
"Akira-kun?" Asia's voice called out. "We heard voices—oh my!"
The door opened to reveal Asia, Valerie, and Xenovia, all of whom froze when they saw Yoruichi sitting casually on my counter in all her naked glory.
Asia's face turned bright red and she immediately spun around. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—"
"Well, this is interesting," Valerie said, her red eyes taking in the situation with obvious amusement. "Should we come back later?"
Xenovia, predictably, was the most direct. "Who is she and why is she naked in our kitchen?"
"Everyone, meet Yoruichi Shihōin," I said, deliberately keeping my voice casual. "She's... an ally. Yoruichi, these are my allies—Asia, Valerie, and Xenovia."
"Charmed," Yoruichi said with a wave, apparently finding the whole situation hilarious.
"Another one?" Valerie's expression sharpened with interest.
"And before you ask, the nakedness is apparently her thing."
"It's practical," Yoruichi protested with a grin. "Clothes just get in the way when I need to transform quickly."
"Transform?" Xenovia asked.
"Cat to human. It's convenient for reconnaissance and infiltration."
"That's... actually quite useful," Valerie admitted. "Though perhaps some clothes would be appropriate for general social situations?"
"If you insist." Yoruichi hopped down from the counter. "Though I'll need something that won't restrict movement if we're going into battle tomorrow."
Asia, still facing away, squeaked. "Battle?"
"I'll explain everything," I said, shooting Yoruichi a look. "But first, let's get everyone properly dressed and seated."
Thirty Minutes Later*
Yoruichi had borrowed some of Valerie's clothes—a simple black outfit that she'd somehow made look effortlessly stylish. We'd gathered in the living room, where I'd brought everyone up to speed on our new ally's capabilities while keeping the specifics of how she'd arrived deliberately vague.
"So she's from a world where dead souls become monsters unless spiritual warriors purify them?" Asia asked, looking fascinated despite her earlier embarrassment.
"Oversimplified, but essentially accurate," Yoruichi confirmed. "Though the reality is much more complex, involving multiple dimensions and various spiritual hierarchies."
"Sounds familiar," Valerie muttered, and I could see her drawing parallels to our own supernatural politics.
"What are your combat abilities?" Xenovia asked bluntly. As usual, she cut straight to the tactical considerations.
"I'm a master of Shunpo—high-speed movement that makes me nearly untouchable in close combat. I'm also skilled in hand-to-hand fighting, kidō, basically combat magic, in your words and I have considerable experience in military strategy and stealth operations."
"How considerable?" I asked, curious about her background.
"I was captain of the Stealth Force for over a century, then spent several decades as a fugitive evading the best trackers in Soul Society." Her smile was sharp. "I know how to fight, how to hide, and how to lead."
A century of command experience. That could be incredibly valuable.*
"Any limitations I should know about?"
"My spiritual pressure—essentially my magical energy—is substantial but not infinite. Extended combat will tire me eventually. Also, some of my techniques require specific positioning or preparation time."
Xenovia nodded approvingly, with arms crossed "Honest assessment of capabilities and limitations. I can work with that."
"We all can," Valerie added. "Though this does complicate tomorrow's mission."
"How so?"
"Georg is expecting you, possibly expecting us. He's not expecting her." Valerie's red eyes gleamed with strategic thinking. "An unknown factor could be exactly what we need."
She has a point. Georg's been accounting for my known abilities and likely allies. A master of stealth from another dimension definitely wasn't on his list.*
"What do you think?" I asked Yoruichi. "Ready to jump into someone else's war?"
"You rescued me from eternal boredom and potential imprisonment in my own world," she replied. "The least I can do is help you save this one."
That's one way to look at it.*
"Then welcome to the team," I said. "Fair warning—things tend to get complicated quickly around me."
"Complicated I can handle," Yoruichi said with that predatory smile. "It's boring that kills me."
Asia clapped her hands together excitedly. "It's wonderful to have another ally! Though..." She paused, looking uncertain.
"What is it, Asia?"
"Well, if your power can bring allies from other worlds, does that mean you might find more people in the future?"
Good question. I couldn't exactly explain the gacha system, but the possibility was definitely there.*
"Maybe. I don't fully understand how it works yet."
"Then we should probably prepare for that possibility," Valerie said practically. "Additional rooms, resources, orientation procedures..."
"You're thinking like this is permanent," I pointed out.
"Isn't it?" Yoruichi asked quietly. "You said yourself there might not be a way back to my world."
The room fell silent. Right—from her perspective, this wasn't a temporary assignment. This was her new life, for better or worse.
Great job, Akira. Real sensitive handling of the situation.*
"We'll figure it out," I said finally. "I got to the world of ninjas, so interdimensional travel is possible. It might just take time to find the right method."
"And in the meantime?"
"In the meantime, you have a place here. All of you do."
Yoruichi studied my face for a long moment, then nodded. "I can accept that arrangement."
"Good, because we have work to do." I stood up, feeling the weight of leadership settling on my shoulders once again. "Tomorrow night, we hit Georg before he can complete his ritual. I want everyone at peak readiness."
"What about backup?" Xenovia asked. "You mentioned the devil heiresses were insisting on helping."
Right. Rias and Sona. Another complication to manage.*
"They'll be there whether I want them or not. Might as well coordinate our efforts."
"More allies is always good," Asia said optimistically.
"More people to keep track of in combat," I countered. "But yes, their abilities could be useful."
Yoruichi stretched languidly, her borrowed clothes shifting with the movement. "How many enemies are we expecting?"
"Unknown. Georg, definitely. Possibly other Hero Faction remnants, definitely whatever he summons from the Dimensional Gap, and potentially divine-level opposition if Hades decides to make an appearance."
"Divine level?" Yoruichi's eyebrows rose. "As in, actual gods?"
"Welcome to my world," Valerie said dryly. "Where the stakes are always impossibly high and the opposition is always impossibly powerful."
"And somehow we keep winning anyway," I added. "Must be doing something right."
"Or getting incredibly lucky," Xenovia muttered.
Probably both, if I'm being honest.*
"Either way, we stick together tomorrow. No heroic sacrifices, no splitting up unnecessarily, and if I say retreat, everyone retreats. Clear?"
A chorus of agreement answered me, though I noticed Yoruichi's slight smile suggested she might have her own interpretation of those orders.
Why do I feel like I'm collecting increasingly dangerous allies with questionable concepts of authority?*
"Alright then," I said, clapping my hands together. "Let's go save the world. Again."
As everyone began to disperse to prepare for tomorrow's mission, I caught Yoruichi's eye. She hung back as the others left, that thoughtful expression returning to her face.
"Something on your mind?"
"Just wondering," she said quietly, "what kind of person you really are. You could have compelled my obedience with this bond mark, but you chose not to. You're facing threats that could destroy this world, but you're worried about protecting people who chose to fight beside you. You summoned me by accident, but you're taking responsibility for my situation anyway."
Where is she going with this?*
"Your point?"
"My point is that you're either genuinely noble or an incredibly sophisticated manipulator." Her golden eyes met mine directly. "And I'm starting to think it's the former."
"Don't put me on a pedestal," I warned. "I've made plenty of mistakes, and I'll probably make more."
"Everyone makes mistakes. The measure of a person is how they handle the consequences."
Before I could respond to that, she was already walking away, leaving me alone with thoughts that felt far too heavy for the morning after gaining incredible new power.
Tomorrow night, we face Georg and whatever he's planning to unleash. The night after, we navigate supernatural politics at the highest level. And somehow, in the middle of all that, I need to figure out what to do with a displaced Soul Reaper who's apparently decided I'm worth following.*
I looked down at the bond mark on my palm, still faintly glowing. Whatever this connection was, it was more complex than simple magical compulsion. And something told me that complexity was only going to grow.
One crisis at a time, Akira. Focus on what's in front of you.*
But as I headed back to my room to continue preparing for tomorrow's assault, I couldn't shake the feeling that summoning Yoruichi was going to change things in ways I hadn't anticipated.
And given my track record with unexpected complications, that was saying something.
. .
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