Listening to the guard's perfectly rehearsed response, Satoru Gojo hugged his pillow and muttered under his breath before reluctantly dragging himself out of bed.
"Fine then."
"I'll go meet your wise and benevolent Seitenshi."
Betty looked at him in surprise.
"I thought you'd sleep until noon."
"Huh?"
He looked offended.
"Is that really how little faith you have in my manners?"
"We never agreed on a specific time yesterday."
"I can't exactly blame them for coming early."
"So deep down, you're regretting not arranging a later meeting."
"...Maybe a little."
The two continued bickering as they followed the soldiers downstairs.
A black sedan was already waiting outside.
Once they climbed in, the car pulled away.
Betty quietly examined the interior before commenting,
"It doesn't seem particularly advanced."
"Of course not."
Gojo leaned back comfortably.
"When the world outside is crawling with Gastrea, any technological research is naturally focused on survival."
"Nobody's going to waste limited resources making luxury cars."
As he spoke, he opened the Supporting Character System.
Come to think of it...
Since arriving in this world, he hadn't even checked whether the System Store offered anything interesting.
Based on what he'd seen so far, this world's power level seemed rather underwhelming.
With a thought, the familiar interface appeared before him.
Besides items related to Cursed Energy from his own world and various abilities from the Re:Zero world, several new options had finally appeared.
The first thing that caught his attention was the Mechanized Soldier enhancement program.
Different amounts of Popularity Points could be spent to replace different body parts with mechanical augmentations.
The prices varied depending on the location.
The cheapest upgrades cost ten thousand points.
The most expensive reached one hundred thousand.
Gojo did a quick calculation.
Replacing his entire body would require several hundred thousand Popularity Points.
The cost-performance ratio was terrible.
The Ten Shadows Technique only cost five hundred thousand points.
A full-body mechanized conversion nearly approached that price.
The only genuinely interesting feature was that after enough of the body had been replaced, additional special components became available.
One example was the Repulsion Shield.
That was the ability used by Kagetane Hiruko.
It only became available after extensive mechanical enhancement.
The Repulsion Shield itself also appeared separately in the exchange list.
Several similar abilities were listed alongside it.
Then another option caught his eye.
Gastrea Virus Enhancement.
Gojo raised an eyebrow.
Over the past few days, he'd learned quite a bit about how the virus worked.
Ordinary humans infected by even a tiny amount of Gastrea bodily fluid would eventually transform into Gastrea themselves.
The Cursed Children were unique.
They'd been exposed to the Gastrea Virus while still developing in the womb, allowing their bodies to coexist with it instead of being consumed by it.
That was why they retained human form while gaining superhuman abilities.
The System, however, ignored those limitations entirely.
The enhancement menu displayed every stage of Gastrea Virus strengthening in precise detail.
Each upgrade increased the integration by ten percent.
Every stage provided nothing but positive effects.
There were no side effects whatsoever.
Unlike the Cursed Children, who lost themselves once the virus exceeded fifty percent compatibility, the System allowed enhancement all the way to one hundred percent without any risk of transformation.
Naturally, the further the enhancement progressed, the more Popularity Points it required.
Overall, these two enhancement paths represented this world's greatest strengths.
They weren't bad.
Just...
Nothing special.
Compared to Adaptation Power or the Divine Protection of the Phoenix, they barely deserved attention.
Maybe after he'd finished unlocking those two abilities, he'd consider investing in the Gastrea Virus.
As for mechanical enhancement...
He had absolutely no interest.
It wasn't worth spending Popularity Points on.
If he ever wanted mechanical modifications, he could simply acquire them in this world.
There was no reason to waste System resources.
It was the same reason he'd never considered exchanging for magic while he was in the Re:Zero world.
Looking at it that way...
There really wasn't much left for him to gain here.
How boring.
The Re:Zero world had offered magic, powerful enemies, and all kinds of fascinating abilities.
This place...
Didn't seem to have much of anything.
"What a dull world."
Closing the System Store, Gojo sighed.
"What brought that on?"
Betty looked over curiously.
"Isn't it the same as before?"
"I was hoping this world would be more like yours."
He rested his chin on one hand.
"I expected interesting powers."
"Or powerful opponents."
"So far..."
"It's been disappointing."
Betty clicked her tongue.
"You keep saying you want a peaceful life."
"But deep down, you're still drawn to exciting things."
"I just want to broaden my horizons."
He protested.
"Don't make it sound so dramatic."
Neither of them lowered their voices.
Every word was clearly heard by both the driver and the soldier sitting in the front passenger seat.
After roughly thirty minutes, the sedan passed through several districts before finally stopping.
Stepping out of the car, they found themselves before an imposing government building.
Soldiers stood guard everywhere.
Inside the spacious lobby, countless government officials hurried back and forth carrying stacks of documents.
Takuto Yasuwaki was already waiting near the entrance.
"Good morning, Mr. Gojo."
He stepped forward with a welcoming smile.
"What I'd really like to hear is 'good evening.'"
Gojo yawned.
"Tokyo has plenty of public servants, doesn't it?"
"So why does your Seitenshi have to wake up this early to work?"
"She isn't very considerate."
Takuto smiled politely.
"Lady Seitenshi always puts the people of Tokyo first."
"As her subordinates, we simply follow her example."
His answer was flawless.
"Fine, fine."
Gojo waved dismissively.
"If you need me in the future, afternoon or evening would be much better."
"Mornings are reserved for sleeping in."
"So."
"Are we meeting your Seitenshi now?"
"Lady Seitenshi is already waiting."
Takuto nodded.
"However, for security reasons, today's meeting will be conducted through a video conference..."
"Huh?"
Gojo slowly lowered his sunglasses.
His ice-blue eyes narrowed.
"What did you just say?"
"You dragged me out of bed this early..."
"Brought me all the way here..."
"And now you're telling me it's going to be a video call?"
The smile vanished from his face.
He'd already stayed up late the previous night.
Then Rentaro had woken him for breakfast.
That was understandable.
The guy had only been trying to warn them about the surveillance.
But this?
The moment he'd tried to go back to sleep, these people had shown up to drag him across the city...
Only to tell him they wanted to talk over video?
If that was the plan...
Couldn't they have done it while he was still at home?
Or simply waited until evening?
Instead they'd hauled him all the way here for nothing.
Were they deliberately wasting his time?
Did they really think he woke up without any morning temper?
The instant Gojo fixed his gaze on him, Takuto's entire body stiffened.
It felt as though he'd been abandoned alone in the wilderness before the gaze of an apex predator.
He didn't dare make the slightest unnecessary movement.
Even breathing became difficult.
He feared that one wrong gesture might be misunderstood and provoke an attack.
Unlike the Mechanized Soldiers, he was nothing more than an ordinary human.
Cold sweat slowly trickled down his back.
He opened his mouth several times.
No words came out.
Meanwhile, Betty wandered around the lobby with complete indifference, treating the place like another tourist attraction.
After watching Takuto stand there speechless for several seconds, she wrinkled her nose.
"You're taking forever."
"How boring."
"Let's just go home."
"Staying here is a waste of time."
Gojo chuckled softly.
"So..."
"Were you underestimating me?"
"Or did you think a video call would somehow stop me if I decided to do something?"
"N, no..."
Takuto forced out, desperately trying to explain.
Before he could continue, a soldier hurried over and whispered into his ear.
With Gojo's hearing, every word was perfectly clear.
Seitenshi had already been informed about the situation.
She had immediately changed the arrangements.
After listening to the report, Takuto quickly turned back.
"My apologies, Mr. Gojo."
"Our preparations were inadequate."
"Lady Seitenshi has changed her decision."
"She's waiting for you upstairs now."
"The meeting will be held face to face."
Gojo looked at him for a long moment before smiling faintly.
"It seems..."
"Your Seitenshi has more courage than the people serving her."
He tilted his head toward the elevators.
"Lead the way."
Takuto nodded heavily.
The previous embarrassment still lingered in his mind, but after everything that had happened, he no longer dared show even the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.
The group entered the elevator.
Moments later, they arrived at a reception room on one of the upper floors.
There, Gojo finally met the highest authority in the Tokyo Area.
The Third Seitenshi.
The reception room was elegantly furnished.
A young girl wearing a graceful dress sat quietly in the seat of honor.
A steaming cup of black tea rested before her as she patiently waited.
The moment Gojo saw her, he was reminded of the Royal Candidates he'd met back in the Re:Zero world.
He still knew very little about her.
Even so, Seitenshi carried herself with the unmistakable presence of someone born to lead.
Her youth and gentle appearance softened that aura somewhat.
But it was still impossible to miss.
"Lady Seitenshi."
Takuto bowed respectfully.
"I've brought Mr. Gojo and Miss Betty."
After making the introduction, he stepped behind her and resumed his position in silence.
"Mr. Gojo."
"Miss Betty."
Seitenshi rose gracefully with a warm smile.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"You're much younger than I expected."
Gojo casually sat down.
"I always imagined the ruler of Tokyo would be much older."
"Is that so?"
She smiled softly.
"I hope I haven't disappointed you."
"Compared to some old man?"
Gojo grinned.
"A beautiful girl is definitely much easier on the eyes."
He turned toward Takuto without the slightest hesitation.
"Mr. Yasuwaki."
"I'd like a glass of sweet milk."
"And watermelon juice for her."
"Thanks."
Takuto fell silent.
As the Guard Captain serving directly under Seitenshi, he ranked among the highest military officers in the Tokyo Area.
This was the first time in his life anyone had treated him like a waiter.
Unfortunately...
The one giving the orders was someone he couldn't refuse.
"I'll arrange it immediately."
He walked to the door and instructed someone outside.
"Oh."
Gojo added before he could leave.
"Bring some desserts too."
He had absolutely no intention of being polite.
Only after everything had been arranged did he finally look back at Seitenshi.
The girl sitting across from him appeared no older than fifteen or sixteen, about the age of a first-year high school student.
She was quietly studying him with unconcealed curiosity.
Clearly, she hadn't expected anyone to behave so casually in front of her.
"Now that all the preparations are finished..."
Gojo smiled.
"Miss Seitenshi."
"I think we can finally discuss the subject you're most interested in."
Hearing him turn to business, Seitenshi straightened slightly.
The gentle smile on her face gave way to a more serious expression.
"Mr. Gojo."
"I've already reviewed the recordings from last night, along with Guard Captain Yasuwaki's report."
"I'm extremely interested in the Cursed Energy and magic you mentioned."
"If you would be willing to help us obtain these powers..."
"So that more people can fight the Gastrea..."
"I would be sincerely grateful."