"Ahem, so now that Human History has been restored and the world taken over, our campaign in the Type-Moon world is temporarily complete."
On the holographic interface, Setsuna marked a point on the star map.
"Once the Magic Division is fully in place, we'll begin further exploration of Lostbelts and parallel worlds."
As he spoke, he casually rubbed Nero's head.
"Didn't you say long ago that you wanted to compete with Qin Shi Huang? Conveniently enough, he's in a Lostbelt. You'll get your chance then, though I doubt you can beat him."
"Oh, unless you bring your Beast version along."
"Umu? Master, your memory is excellent."
The Umu creature nodded repeatedly.
"Even if the sun sets three times, I shall be reborn once more within the flames!"
Setsuna casually added several more names to the list.
Although the Type-Moon world largely shared one setting, across different eras and world systems there were still many interesting people.
For example, Arcueid, the Princess of the True Ancestors, the strongest Masters from past Holy Grail Wars, the eldest daughter of the Sajyou family linked to the Root, and a certain demon-hunting girl who would kill anything alive for you.
"Wow, eating from the bowl while eyeing the pot."
Gudako pounced onto Setsuna's back and pinched his face.
"Are we not enough for you, or are wildflowers sweeter than homegrown ones?"
"...This is necessary for exploring the Five True Magics and the Root."
Setsuna replied with a straight face.
"People linked to the Root are extremely important. They'll be valuable assistants in our future research."
"Oh? So what you want to enter isn't just the Root, but the girls connected to it too?"
Pfft—
Humanity's Evil casually said something outrageous, making everyone else spray tea across the table.
After successfully rising to power, her sense of shame had plummeted dramatically. She no longer even pretended.
"I never do multiple-choice questions."
Setsuna grabbed Gudako off his back.
"More importantly, let's rest in the capital for a while. Then we'll begin the next phase of expansion."
"Think of it as a vacation after saving Human History."
"Okay—"
Gudako patted her chest.
"No problem. So when are we going to the Theater of Domination? I'm not the same person I used to be. This time, I'll make you unable to rise again."
"..."
Setsuna had no idea why she was so enthusiastic, nor where that mysterious confidence came from.
Perhaps fleeing in defeat so many times before had made Gudako desperately want to regain some confidence in front of the other harem members.
"You're asking for trouble, aren't you? Hm?"
...
Setsuna did not have much official business to handle in the capital.
Almost all trivial work was handled by Sophon. The Sophon network gathered reports from every world and every star sector, then compiled them into precise data and summaries.
All he needed to do was make judgments based on the analysis and assign tasks to each department.
In theory, staying inside the administrative center was enough to remotely govern the Starsea Empire. Even if he never left for years, there would be no problem.
So in reality, what he received most each day were all sorts of bizarre invitations and applications.
"Commander, these are today's sorted invitations."
Richelieu pushed the holographic screen in front of him.
"I already streamlined the contents from the port girls. Just visit the port when you have time."
"Mm... The new companions are certainly enthusiastic."
The moment he opened it, he was drowned in an ocean of messages.
"Artoria, Artoria Alter, Artoria Caster, Artoria Lily... invite you to Totsuki Restaurant for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks."
"After learning of the existence of the Underworld, Mobius has conducted multiple radical human evolution experiments on herself. She has currently died sixteen times total and become the Starsea Empire's revival tournament champion. She requests permanent residence in the Underworld to simplify her experimental process."
"Ereshkigal strongly objects to this. In addition, she has redecorated the Underworld and invites you to visit. She also suggests that Ritsuka Fujimaru die once more for a brand-new experience."
"Grey invites you to the Three-Body world to test new weapons, then hold an alien hunting tournament aboard an FTL starship. All captured aliens will be used as wetware."
"Oriagami claims she and Nia Honjou developed a new drug that can maintain 128 hours of... what the hell?! Let Mio educate them."
"..."
The recruited companions of the Starsea Empire were wildly diverse, which often made everything seem rather unhinged.
Every time he looked at the imaginative invitations and applications, Setsuna felt that his subordinates were truly full of talent.
"Commander, whose invitation do you plan to accept? Or do you have other plans?"
Richelieu asked.
"Mm..."
Setsuna felt rather like an emperor choosing consorts. After thinking for a moment:
"I'd like to start with some normal human projects. Hunting aliens can wait."
"Something simple."
Within his means, he would accompany every girl, but some people's activities were far too mentally exhausting.
"Mm, understood."
Richelieu tapped the holographic interface and selected several messages.
"The simplest one is... Elysia invites you to go shopping together."
...
A few minutes later, a pink figure appeared before him.
"Commander~"
"You're finally back?!"
Like a ray of bright sunshine, Elysia moved to Setsuna's side.
"Mm, rare for you to come looking for me on your own."
Setsuna smiled.
"While you were out having fun, I was terribly bored in the capital."
"You threw me alone into the city before I'd even learned the roads. Hm... treating a girl like that is quite improper, don't you think~"
Elysia gave him a sly smile and poked him with a finger.
"Ah yes, of course. You, who remember every little loli's name perfectly and have walked every street in the capital, are saying you don't know the roads."
Setsuna noticed she often liked teasing him.
"Eh? You even know that?..."
"I guessed. That's exactly the sort of thing you'd do."
"So clever~"
Elysia seemed in an excellent mood as she followed beside him, strolling through the capital together.
"Why did you come to accompany me first, Commander? There should be many girls inviting you."
"Could it be...?"
She bought two ice creams, handed one to Setsuna, and looked at him with a teasing smile.
"...Because your request is the easiest to satisfy."
Setsuna answered honestly.
"Some invited me to tour the Underworld, some to hunt aliens, some to join food competitions, some for biology experiments and engineering experiments..."
"Only your invitation was normal, so I could accompany you first."
"Guh..."
Elysia puffed out her cheeks.
"That makes it sound like I'm easy to deal with... I should've given you a harder request."
"And what do you mean hunting aliens?!"
"...That's one of our traditional projects."
The two walked and chatted, exchanging remarks one after another.
Just like shopping in an ordinary city.
"You've been here for a while now. How does it feel?"
Setsuna asked.
"Wonderful. There's no better place than this~"
Elysia loved everything here: adorable little girls, an almost utopian living environment, and the marvelous blend of technology and magic gathered from many worlds.
Simply walking through it filled one with a light, joyful feeling and vibrant energy.
"Commander, can you tell me more about your past?"
Elysia tilted her head.
"The Starsea Empire history books have it."
"Reading books and hearing it from someone who lived it are different, you know. I want to hear more stories from other worlds."
A beautiful smile hung on her face.
"...Fine."
"Over there is the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps and Night Raid. We first met there..."
"That's Chaldea's base, the world we just visited..."
Wherever Setsuna walked, he explained, retelling his story to Elysia.
She listened seriously, nodding from time to time, thoughtful.
"..."
By evening, twilight covered the sky, and brilliant stars appeared overhead.
The two of them sat together in a small spacecraft, cruising beyond the atmosphere.
"We've toured most of the capital. Want to see some megastructures?"
"The giant shipyard? Or the Sentry Array? Or maybe visit another star system?"
Setsuna asked.
"Mm..."
Elysia was not especially interested in the ultimate technological creations of the interstellar age.
"Ah?"
She gazed at the endless starry sky and suddenly remembered something.
She nearly burst into tears.
"Ah, Commander, I'm so sad!!!!"
"???"
"What?!"
Setsuna stared at Elysia, who had suddenly put on a gloomy face, and was startled.
"Did the little lolis get annoyed because you teased them?"
"No."
Elysia shook her head, puffing out her cheeks as if sulking.
"My star is gone."
"What?"
"My Pink Elf Star!"
Elysia stamped her foot.
"When we went with you to that Singularity last time... it was called the Absolute Demonic Front, right?"
"Didn't we make a bet? If we could defeat Kukulkan, you'd give me a star... Hey, wasn't that girl a bit too overpowered?"
"Commander, you knew how strong she was when you agreed to that bet, didn't you?"
"Hah?—"
Setsuna recalled the scene and nearly burst out laughing.
Back then, everyone had been brimming with confidence when they went to challenge Kukulkan. They even made a wager: if they won, Setsuna would grant them one condition.
Elysia had said she wanted a star, to name it Elysia Star or Pink Elf Star. It was very much her personal style.
As for the result... unfortunately, they were beaten so badly by the Feathered Serpent that they could barely tell up from down, and in the end Setsuna had to clean up the mess himself.
"You want to laugh, don't you? I can see you barely holding it in??"
Elysia pinched him.
"No, no..."
"I still have the battle footage and photos from that day. Want to see them? I even have a close-up of you being flung into the sky with one hand by Kukulkan."
Setsuna opened the holographic interface. It was filled with videos recorded by Sophon.
"Oh, and I captured a few great shots. Your expression at the time was really... tsk, tsk..."
Since Kukulkan enjoyed Mexican wrestling, her fighting style was extremely direct. Unfortunately, it was far less elegant for the person on the receiving end.
That included, but was not limited to, grabbing someone by one foot and tossing them upward for 507 days, or performing an orbital Earth-suplex outside the atmosphere.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Elysia instantly lost her composure and pounced on Setsuna.
"Delete them! Delete them right now!! What kind of normal person keeps photos like that?!"
"Commander, when you take photos of girls, do you only pick the unflattering ones? That's how you get hated!—"
She suddenly realized something was off.
Setsuna's popularity with women was absurdly good. In the capital, from Outer Gods to little girls still in school, all of them were his loyal fans.
"Mm... come to think of it..."
Elysia paused, regaining her composure. She gave Setsuna a meaningful look.
"You're not planning to use those photos to threaten me, are you? Hm?~ Are you going to say something like, 'Elysia, you wouldn't want these pictures to leak, would you?'"
"I'm not that low. I'm going to project them onto the outer wall of the Imperial Administrative Center and loop them twenty-four hours a day."
Setsuna's expression did not change.
"So everyone can admire your glorious battle with Kukulkan."
"Hey!—"
Elysia pinched him hard.
"Vill-V and Mobius would laugh themselves to death, okay??!"
She realized that in front of Setsuna, she could never seize the initiative.
Depressing.
She was always the one teasing others. Now she was the one being toyed with.
"Bullying a girl... you're awful..."
She hugged herself and scooted a little farther away from Setsuna, sulking.
"Just teasing you."
Having had enough fun, Setsuna smiled, stood up, and pulled her back to her feet.
"Didn't you want a star? I'll just give you one."
"Go on, what kind do you want?"
"Eh?"
Elysia froze for a moment, not quite processing it.
"You mean...?"
"Take it as a small gift. Something like this is still within my abilities."
Setsuna smiled.
"Mm..."
She pressed a finger to her lips and immediately began thinking.
Not everyone had the chance to wish for a star.
"I want a star the same color as me! It has to shine in the night sky with the same color as I do!"
"Mm... in short, no matter who sees that star, they'll think it must belong to a girl as lovely and shy as a flower~"
Elysia gave him an oddly specific request in a coquettish tone.
"Alright. Watch closely."
Setsuna thought for a moment. He brought his palms together, then spread them apart, activating the authority of the Herrscher of Reason.
A small fireball was created. At first it was only the size of a fist, its color the same bright pink as Elysia's hair.
Yet it continuously radiated scorching energy outward. Observed up close, it even gave off a faint burning sensation.
"Oh? What's this?!"
Elysia leaned closer and reached out to touch it, sensing familiar Honkai energy within.
"A star is essentially a massive nuclear fusion reactor. By controlling the types of elements undergoing fusion, you can control the star's spectrum."
"For example, A-type stars with hydrogen absorption lines appear white. B-type stars with neutral helium absorption lines appear blue, and so on..."
Setsuna explained leisurely.
"A pink star is almost impossible to form under normal cosmic conditions. But I can artificially modify its internal elemental composition and make it the color you want. Astronomy is fascinating, isn't it?"
He extended his hand and released the small pink fireball into the starry sky.
It drifted farther and farther away, yet instead of shrinking due to perspective, it grew brighter and brighter.
Within a few breaths, it expanded into a star slightly smaller than the sun, fixed in the dark depths of space.
It radiated a gentle pink glow in all directions. Looking up, there was now a pink point of light in the sky.
Distinct from all the other stars, anyone who raised their head would inevitably be drawn to it.
"I placed it not far from the Solar System, at a position where it won't interfere with stellar gravity."
Setsuna said.
"Let's call it Pink Elf Star. I'll notify the astronomy department later to update our star charts."
"Mm... if you think that name sounds a bit strange, you can also give it a formal scientific name. We'll call it Elysia Star."
"From now on, the universe has a star that belongs to you."
"Ah..."
Elysia gazed at the starry sky, momentarily dazed.
The phrase 'I'll pluck a star for you' was no exaggeration in Setsuna's hands. Not only could he pluck stars and seize moons, he could create one and give it to you!
To personally create a star, name it after oneself, and set it in the sky.
In all the shoujo manga, films, and games she had seen in the Previous Era and in the Starsea Empire, there had never been a scene this romantic.
"Um... can people live on Pink Elf Star?~"
She asked a somewhat random question.
"Of course. I can create several habitable planets at an appropriate distance from it."
"Though being bathed in pink sunlight every day... I'm not sure what the flora and fauna would grow into. A star's spectrum does affect the ecosystem to some extent."
Setsuna considered it.
"I'm going to build a little house on Pink Elf Star and live there~"
"Anyone who sets foot on Pink Elf Star will get to see a real pink elf~"
With her hands behind her back, Elysia tilted her head and took small steps forward.
"How long will it exist?"
"Pink Elf Star has just been born. Under standard stellar evolution, it has a lifespan of at least ten billion years."
"If you think that's not enough, I can restructure it and reverse the course of its stellar life."
Setsuna replied.
"So as long as I'm still here, it will accompany you until the end of time."
"Ah..."
Elysia felt her heart thump.
She loved all beautiful things and believed she cared equally for everyone in the Starsea Empire.
Yet today she realized that perhaps there was just a tiny bit of something special.
"Commander, giving someone a star... you really know how to make girls happy~"
She placed one hand on Setsuna's shoulder and poked his cheek with a finger.
"I finally understand why there are always so many girls following behind you."
"..."
Setsuna neither confirmed nor denied it. After spending enough time with girls, this kind of skill became as natural as breathing.
"If you don't like it, I can take it back."
"No! I like it."
Elysia's eyes shimmered as she pondered for a moment.
"Mm... receiving such a huge gift without giving something in return doesn't seem right..."
She crooked her finger at Setsuna.
"Come here, I'll tell you a little secret~"
"Mm?"
The moment Setsuna leaned closer, Elysia rose onto her toes. A faint fragrance and soft touch brushed against his lips.
Unfortunately, before he could savor it, it was already gone.
"For you it may not be much, but for me it's very precious~"
The girl revealed a mischievous smile.
Just as she was about to run off, Setsuna wrapped an arm around her.
"That's not enough."
"Eh, eh?"
"Weren't you curious what Cecilia and the others did with me in the Theater of Domination? Come on—into the house."