Midori Fuse's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but after a moment of thought, she spoke up. "I... can I go see it for myself first?" She wasn't in a hurry to bring her companions over. Instead, she decided to investigate personally first. She wanted to ensure there were no issues before bringing the others, so that her friends wouldn't be in any danger if something was wrong.
Yukino did not reject her request. She understood the girl's concerns and nodded in agreement. "No problem. I can take you there to see it first. Once you're satisfied, you can bring your companions over."
Seeing Yukino agree, Midori Fuse's face brightened with joy, and she immediately accepted. She stepped forward to pick up the food Yukino had placed on the ground and looked up at her expectantly.
Seeing her like this, Yukino's heart practically melted. She immediately stepped forward and took out a tissue to wipe the black stains from the girl's face, not caring about the strange smell clinging to her.
After cleaning the dirt from her face, Yukino spoke. "Let's go, little one. I'll take you there."
With that, she took Midori Fuse's small hand and led her toward the school. Midori Fuse looked up at Yukino, feeling a strange sense of peace. She couldn't sense a hint of malice from the woman—only genuine concern.
It took Yukino nearly half an hour to lead Midori Fuse back to the school, mainly because they were walking slowly. Had Yukino been alone, she would have arrived much sooner.
When Yukino arrived with Midori Fuse, Asuna and Megumi Kato had also returned. Both of them had two children with them, but Yukino was confused by the child next to Megumi Kato.
Why did she look so utterly listless, like a burnt-out salted fish? Yukino wondered what the girl could have possibly gone through. Meanwhile, Midori Fuse gazed at her surroundings with curiosity. Besides the girls, there were many other children here. *Is it really just as the Seitenshi said?*
As she was wondering, a gentle girl approached her and asked, "Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable? If so, tell me. I can provide treatment."
This was Mahiru Shiina. Her eyes sparkled when she saw Midori Fuse. *What a cute child. And she seems to have cat ears?* If her perception was correct...
Hearing Mahiru Shiina's voice, Midori Fuse shrank back in fear and hid behind Yukino. On the way back, Yukino had already managed to gain her complete trust.
It could only be said that she was truly a master at handling cats; after a single walk, Midori Fuse trusted her implicitly. A slight smile played on Yukino's lips at the sight, though she quickly regained her composure. "She's fine. I brought her here just to let her see the situation. She still has other companions who haven't come yet."
Yukino explained Midori Fuse's situation. She hadn't forgotten what she promised. The girl was only here to observe for now. Mahiru Shiina nodded thoughtfully. At that moment, Ren Isana walked over. He looked at the white-haired loli Yukino had brought back and was somewhat surprised.
*What's the deal? She actually picked up Midori Fuse? Does Yukino have some kind of cat-magnet constitution?* After a bit of internal grumbling, Ren Isana asked, "This batch of children is about to head over there. Are you girls going back?"
Ren Isana asked them directly. He didn't ask if their tasks were finished; since they were back, it meant the missions were completed. There was no need to double-check.
Hearing Ren Isana's question, everyone turned their gaze toward the passage. Yukino couldn't help but ask, "We can go back? Is that okay?" They were supposed to be here on a mission. Could they really just run back whenever they wanted?
"What could be the problem? If you want to go back, then go. The path between both sides is fully open now, though only we can use it whenever we like." After saying that, Ren Isana looked toward Miori Shiba.
"I plan to send Miori Shiba and Kisara Tendo over as well," Ren Isana continued, explaining his thoughts. This was something he had promised Miori Shiba earlier.
Everyone exchanged looks. Sending them over already? Was that allowed? Asuna couldn't help but ask, "If people from another world go to our side, they need to be registered, right? Won't there be problems with this world's status?"
It felt a bit rushed to send them over right after opening the path. She had a feeling the authorities on the other side might not agree so easily. However, Ren Isana replied calmly, "It's fine. Just let them go with the children."
The children needed to go through registration and disinfection, so Miori Shiba and the others would do the same. It was perfectly normal. Since the other side could easily accommodate so many children, taking in two more wasn't an issue.
The others looked at each other. After thinking it over, Yukino glanced at Midori Fuse beside her and said, "I'll go back for a bit. I'll take this little one with me so she can see the situation there before bringing her back. Then she can bring her companions over."
Yukino explained her reasoning. If the girl only saw this place, she might not be satisfied. It was best to take her to the other world to see for herself.
Once she understood the situation there, she would probably be more than willing to move, right? Yukino also planned to get things sorted for her, like buying her a phone and exchanging contact info so they could stay in touch after Yukino eventually returned home.
Yukino had already made up her mind. Once the business in this world was finished, she would have her mother adopt Midori Fuse. She needed a younger sister like this, Yukino thought with absolute certainty.
As she spoke, Asuna thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I won't go back. Yukino, if you're going, please take this little one and get her settled as well. Make sure to explain her situation."
Asuna looked at Tina as she spoke. This little girl had immense potential, especially with firearms. She was a specialized talent and deserved to be looked after properly.
Hearing Asuna's voice, Tina looked at her with sleepy eyes. She was so tired she just wanted to sleep. She didn't care where she went; Tina was a captive now, after all.
Moreover, she felt that these people weren't bad. They seemed to be gathering Cursed Children like her to send them somewhere. As for where, she assumed she would find out soon enough.
"I'll go back as well... I'm worried about this child." Megumi Kato spoke up this time. She looked at the listless Kohina beside her. The child was still questioning her own existence.
Ever since she had revealed everything she knew, she had been like this. It was quite a headache. Since they could go back, Megumi felt she had to make the trip.
Ren Isana nodded. Looking at the soul-crushed Kohina, he said, "Then you girls just follow them back and come back later."
The two nodded and moved into action. Kohina allowed Megumi Kato to lead her toward the passage. Yukino reached out her left hand to take Tina's and her right to take Midori Fuse's, following closely behind Megumi.
Watching the three leave, Asuna couldn't help but remark, "Yukino seems to really like that little girl."
Ren Isana chuckled and replied, "Well, she is a total cat lover. A cute cat-eared loli is something I don't think she can resist. If she could, she'd probably take her home and raise her herself."
Asuna thought that made a lot of sense. Given the chance, Yukino probably would do exactly that. Everyone knew she was a cat lover.
After they left, Ren Isana and the others continued with their work. When Yukino and Megumi Kato stepped through the passage, they were immediately noticed. After all, two adults stood out among so many children.
Several guards stationed there immediately approached them. "Are you students from Dimensional Nexus University?"
Facing the inquiry, Yukino nodded and quickly produced her student ID. "These are our student IDs. These children are a bit special, so we brought them over personally."
Both Yukino and Megumi showed their IDs. The guards didn't take them, but after a quick glance, they nodded and stepped aside. Since they were one of their own, there was no need to be overly strict.
As for what made the children special, they didn't care; it wasn't their job. Once the guards left, the girls led Kohina and the others toward the nearby nurses.
There were people specifically assigned here to guide the children, leading them to bathe, undergo disinfection, and receive gene injections to resolve their health issues. Finally, they would be organized into various primary schools or kindergartens.
Midori Fuse watched everything with eyes full of curiosity. She quietly stayed by Yukino's side and learned a lot about the situation. She even registered directly and received a small card.
It had her photo, her name, and ID information. Midori Fuse looked at the card in her hand, completely dazed. *I have an ID card now? Is something wrong here?*
She was confused, but after being taken for a bath and changing into beautiful, fragrant clothes, she fell silent. She felt especially strange after receiving an injection.
Though she was scared at first, the injection made her whole body feel comfortable. She also realized that even though the sisters here knew she had cat ears, they didn't find it strange. They even called her cute.
This made her blush furiously, but she didn't hate it at all. Furthermore, she was told that there were many other cat-girls here. The nurses even showed her photos of other demi-humans.
Looking at those pictures, she was completely shocked and felt a surge of joy in her heart. If there were other people with cat ears, she wouldn't be lonely anymore. She wouldn't be a freak.
Having processed all of this, Midori Fuse made her final decision. She wanted to bring her companions over. When she came out after her injection, Yukino was already waiting.
Seeing Yukino, she hurried over. "Yukino-san, can I go back and bring all my companions here?"
Her voice was small, but it made the corners of Yukino's mouth turn up. She nodded and said, "Of course. I can go back with you right now."
That was for the best. Once the decision was made, Yukino led her back toward the Dimensional Rift. As for Tina, she had been taken away by Megumi Kato.
Megumi Kato was currently with the two girls in an office. After mentioning their situation to the nurses, they had been brought here. Megumi explained the circumstances of the two little ones.
After learning the story, the person in charge looked at the two girls and sighed. "Some of the people in that world are truly scum. We will take good care of these two children. You girls did an excellent job."
The official genuinely praised them, though he felt they were being a bit too conservative. He felt they should have just pushed through and taken over the whole world in one go. But these students had done well enough; they were just kids, after all.
"Good, then I'll leave these two in your care." Megumi Kato nodded. The people of that world were indeed scum. She felt safe leaving the children with the university staff.
She looked at Kohina and Tina. After a moment of thought, she took a phone out of her [Storage Magic] and handed it to Tina. "Take this phone. You can contact me if anything happens, though it will only work when I'm back on this side."
Tina was stunned. She blinked and took the phone, then asked curiously, "Is that sister named Asuna with you too?"
Megumi found the question a bit odd, but she nodded. "She's a member of my team. I'll save her number for you."
She took the phone back and saved Asuna's number. This was Megumi's spare phone—her old one. After Asuna gifted her a new one, she didn't need this one anymore. She hadn't even used it for long, so it was perfect for Tina. Most of the data had been formatted already.
Since the phone was reset, she had to re-enter the numbers. After inputting Asuna's contact info, Megumi handed it back to Tina and couldn't help but urge, "Could you please look after this child more in the future?"
She was still somewhat worried about Kohina. Ever since being brought back, she had been in a daze, looking completely drained. Although she would listen when spoken to, she was clearly distracted, having not yet recovered from the incident with Kagetane Hiruko.
Hearing Megumi's words, Tina glanced at Kohina and nodded. "Okay, I'll take good care of this younger sister." As for why she was suddenly the younger sister, that didn't matter. Since she needed taking care of, she was the younger sister, or why else would she need help?
A question mark practically popped over Kohina's head. She tilted her head and glared at Tina. "Who are you calling a younger sister? I'll cut you!"
Tina looked at her with sleepy eyes. "You're the younger sister. If you weren't, why would you need someone to look after you?" Kohina was instantly dissatisfied. She reached for her blades, only to realize they had been confiscated. She slumped in frustration.
Watching the whole scene, Megumi Kato's lips curved upward. Perhaps these two would get along quite well. *So she actually cared about that? That makes things easier. Why didn't I notice before?*
Megumi nodded thoughtfully and then spoke to Kohina. "Make sure to get along with her, okay? If anything happens, have her contact me."
Kohina pouted and then spoke somewhat reluctantly. "I get it... Thank you."
Megumi Kato nodded and said nothing more. She turned and left to return to the other side. Now that the two girls were settled, she had to go back and help. There were still many more children to be sent over!
After Megumi left, Tina and Kohina were arranged to be taken to their residence. Their combat talent was quite high; according to Megumi, these two already possessed significant lethality.
If classified by this world's standards, they were around Tier 3. They just lacked True Qi or Magic Power. If they mastered either, their combat power would likely become very formidable.
Therefore, children like this required special training, with various resources poured into them. The person in charge silently marked their names.
Resources would naturally tilt toward them in time. Among the children Ren Isana's group sent back, there were many suited for combat. If raised well, they would be pillars of the future.
The greatest harvest from that world was likely these children. Thinking of this, the official's mood improved significantly. He could already foresee these children growing up to shine in various industries.
Megumi Kato soon returned to the other side. Just as she arrived, she heard Ren Isana's call. "Megumi, you're back just in time. Come with me. We found a big one!"
Ren Isana had just received a mass message from Asagi Aiba. Leo's team had discovered a high-level Gastrea—a super-sized one!