Here's today's chapter.

If you'd like to read 3/7/13 chapters ahead, or simply support me, you can do so on my (P)(A)(T). If not, I still want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading—your support means a lot to me!

With that said, have a great night, and enjoy the chapter!

(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori.

[...]---[...]

POV: Devas Asura.

It had been about an hour since that gate opened in Ginza, and roughly an hour and five minutes since I had suppressed the invasion.

To be honest, I was disappointed.

I had expected to find a God, and instead I found a few thousand random lunatics, goblins, and orcs.

Maybe it was a bit disturbing—and even wrong—for me to think that way, since encountering a God would have caused far more destruction and far more deaths. The invasion being just a random human army that looked like it came out of a pirated version of D&D was undeniably much better.

But it was a total letdown…

After the whole incident, the Japanese police and military moved efficiently. I don't think it took them more than half an hour to arrive. Of course, with everything already under control, it must have been easier on their end.

After that, amid shouts of terror, surprise, and several weapons pointed at me in confusion, I had a brief phone conversation with a man named Shigenori Hōjō—using a device one of the military officials handed me after the situation was partially explained.

Apparently, he was the Prime Minister of Japan in this world. Whether that was also the case in my Earth, I had no idea.

My knowledge of important political figures was, I admit, scarce and limited to names that had the potential to turn the world into Chernobyl with the press of a few buttons. Beyond that, I didn't know much.

I thought they'd go for the cliché of handcuffing me and throwing me into some dark room for intimidation, because someone very stupid at the top of the hierarchy thought that would work.

But no—I had been very well received at the Kantei, the Prime Minister's official residence.

It was probably thanks to Shizuka and Itami, who spoke in my defense while everything was happening.

That, or the fact that I was exuding death and "flickering" out of reality while the space-time around me was distorted due to the abilities of the Moon Shield and the Teardrop Cleaver.

Or maybe it was because I'm friendly and kind. I didn't rule out the possibility that my smile had convinced everyone.

Either way, the room I was in at the moment was spacious.

There was a set of dark leather sofas around a glass coffee table. The walls were in neutral tones, with no windows, decorated only with wooden panels.

In one corner, a low sideboard held bottles of water, tea, and a few porcelain cups that made me want to steal them.

The fact that almost everything was tea was a tragedy, but since I knew most Japanese people loved that garbage drink, I wasn't too surprised.

Overall, it was a stereotypical high-end corporate environment—the kind I'd expect to see in a movie scene where some diplomat or important figure waits before entering a meeting room.

I kind of wanted to leave already…

The room was completely bugged, of course. A few dozen microphones and micro-cameras—but I mostly ignored them.

I was alone—well, as alone as I could be. They had left me here and politely asked me to wait, saying someone would come see me shortly, and apologized for the inconvenience.

They were very polite, and given the situation, I didn't mind waiting.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind waiting in most situations.

Shizuka and Itami had been taken somewhere nearby. Interrogation, probably—especially since, from their perspective, Shizuka clearly knew me.

I had placed a few Nightmares, along with Tyrian, in Shizuka's shadow in case anything happened. Not that I expected it to—but just in case.

("What information do we have, and how bad is the situation?") Jinn asked, her voice coming from within the Spirit Realm.

I glanced at one of the cameras and smiled, giving a small wave, before sitting down on the sofa and tapping the Slick Cane against the floor with my right hand.

I had switched back into my suit the moment I realized the battle wasn't going to happen. I also stored away all my weapons.

The area around my body was still slightly distorted due to time and space being messed up around me, but I was careful not to break anything—out of politeness.

("Aside from what that Roman-named guy said—not our Roman—I pulled more from the blood, thanks to the Chalice.")

And from his "story," thanks to the Transparent World—but that part was a secret.

I projected my thoughts into the mental microphone so everyone in the stream, as well as Jinn and Ozma, could hear.

("This was all a planned invasion by the Empire of Sadera, after they carried out a smaller reconnaissance incursion.")

("The portal had a different form before. Something more natural, like a rift. They used magic and camouflage items at night and stayed only briefly. They abducted some people and returned quickly, in case anything went wrong.")

("After kidnapping a group of civilians for interrogation, they decided this side was weak enough to be dominated and began constructing the portal's stabilizing structure, calibrating it to open in a more strategic location.")

I let out a snort. Calling the middle of a street in Ginza a strategic point was laughable.

("Well, at least strategic based on what they knew.")

("Which, assuming they kidnapped random people, probably isn't much.") Ozma joined in. ("And Hardy? Domintus said she's the Goddess of the Underworld… It's likely she was the one who opened the gate, right? What are the chances she crosses over to this side and our problems escalate?")

I hummed, tapping my fingers against the handle of the Slick Cane.

With my right hand, I grabbed one of the rewards I had received from the recently completed mission: a small purplish sphere of light, roughly the size of a baseball.

Remnant of Hardy's divine essence...

It was cold and trembled slightly, somewhat translucent. It was strangely inert, not trying to escape my grasp or even react.

("It's unlikely she'll come over. I don't know much, but from what I do know, her personality is capricious.") I said, recalling the information.

That was a bit contradictory—since being capricious meant she might very well come over just because she felt like it.

I tossed the divine essence into the air, playing with it like a ball.

("If I had to guess, she opened the gate because she wanted entertainment or was bored. Maybe some other equally stupid reason. Sadera just took advantage of it—or thought it was some kind of mission or divine revelation.")

The information that Hardy had opened the gate wasn't something that idiot knew, but it was a fairly simple conclusion.

Besides the gate reeking of Hardy's divinity—and being one of the elements stabilizing space, preventing it from collapsing in on itself and causing the portal to disappear—if the Saderan Empire had the resources to open a portal like that, it would've been easier to wait and open several across multiple points, launching a large-scale multi-front invasion.

Overall, everything pointed to Hardy.

After I finished speaking, another portal appeared in front of me. From within it, a few messages emerged:

[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]

What about the feathered ones up above?

[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]

It might not be like here, where the Abrahamic factions have a stronger presence in Japan, but I seriously doubt they didn't notice the planet getting invaded.

[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]

If this Hardy invades, throw her into Heaven and let them deal with it. Then collect the rewards after everyone gets screwed.

[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]

Or throw her into Hell. A Goddess of the Underworld would obviously be interested in another underworld. Let this world's Big L deal with her.

("That was actually my plan B. But like I said, I doubt she'll really cross over to this side.") I replied to Serafall using the mental microphone.

She had woken up from her "fainting" a few hours after what happened with Patrick and the murder in the park.

She seemed a bit embarrassed about losing control like that, but recovered within two or three messages before going back to normal and declaring she now had a new arch-nemesis—on top of Gabriel, the angel who had licked me.

As for her new form, which Sirzechs had mentioned, I had asked about it.

Serafall's response, quoting her exact words, was: "It's a secret, but it's something really cool and sexy. When you come to my world, I can show you—if you ask nicely… Or maybe I'll attack you with it. So be prepared!"

Properly threatened, I ignored that problem and left it for future Devas to deal with.

("As for whether the ones up there reacted, the answer is I have no idea.") I continued, glancing upward. ("There doesn't seem to be any kind of movement on their part, but I can't exactly tell what's happening up there. Same goes for Hell.")

I highly doubted they hadn't noticed anything, but there was no way to check.

While I waited for whoever was coming to speak with me, I kept playing with and poking at Hardy's divine essence.

I wasn't entirely sure what to do with it…

My first idea was to let Shadowflame eat it, but after thinking it over, I decided that, for now, that wouldn't be the best use. The little guy had "woken up" a few hours ago, finishing its evolution.

The flame was definitely interested in the divine essence. It was practically begging, like a child, for me to let it consume it.

"You've eaten enough already. I have other possible uses for this." I said, glancing toward the interior of the Spirit Realm.

Shadowflame, "physically," was the same—still floating above the lake of black sludge—but it had grown much stronger and developed two rather terrifying new abilities:

-//-

[Fragmented Shard of the First Shadowflame (Weakened)]

[Max Bond!]

Type: Ability.

Rarity: Orange >>> Pink (Formerly Red) (Weakened) (Evolving)

Damage: 989 ~ ??? >>> 1940 ~ ??? (Weakened) (Evolving)

Current Maximum Temperature: 5439 degrees Celsius (9822.2 degrees Fahrenheit) (Evolving)

[...]

Ability(1) - White: The Shadowflame is capable of consuming Materials/Energies/Sins to strengthen itself and return to its peak.

The stronger/stronger the Material/Energy/Sin, the longer the Shadowflame will take to consume it!

If the Material/Energy/Sin is at a much higher level than the Shadowflame, it will not be able to consume it or will consume it partially!

Ability(2) - Blue: The Shadowflame is capable of generating small tentacles that latch onto the target, hindering the extinguishing/displacement of the flame.

The Shadowflame's tentacles operate based on the sins of the target, clinging to them and consuming them to strengthen itself!

Ability(3) - Green: The Shadowflame is capable of restoring the Aura of "The Streamer" by consuming its own 'Vital Flame'.

The 'Vital Flame' of the Shadowflame can be restored by consuming Materials/Energies/Sins!

Ability (4) - Orange: The Shadowflame has its damage and temperature increased against beings with attributes [Fallen], [Fallen Angel], [Angel], [Good], [Evil], and [Divine].

Any being connected to the Christian Pantheon (DXD) will struggle to resist the Shadowflame.

The being known as the "God of Light (Remnant)" will take increased damage from the Shadowflame.

The inner heat of the Shadowflame's fire withstands the "cold" that comes from the "void."

[NEW!] Ability(5) - Light Red [Shadow Spark (Shadowflame Servants)]: The moment a target looks at the Shadowflame, their sins are reflected in their left eye, generating a "Shadow Spark" inside it.

This parasitic spark takes the form of a flaming eye with tentacled optic nerves.

The greater the target's sins, the stronger the generated Spark. It remains inside the eye until "The Streamer" decides to activate it.

Closed State: The Shadow Spark remains completely inert, silently parasitizing the eye without triggering any physical or magical alarms.

Open State: The spark subtly drains all types of energy and sins from the host to strengthen itself. To remain undetected, it hides within the target's "Concept of the Left Eye," enveloped in a false, non-existent experience created by a glimpse of Ability(6)

Activation: The spark physically manifests, instantly consuming the host's left eye. It shreds through flesh and bone, tearing out of the skull to aggressively attack its former host.

Note: Due to the interaction with Ability(6), depending on the duration of parasitism, the host's overall strength, and the volume of sins/energy consumed, the Shadow Spark can completely devour the "idea" or "concept" of the left eye directly from the host's soul, making any form of healing or regeneration impossible.

[NEW!] Ability(6) - Pink [The Memories of Foreigner Sin: Eyes Are The Door To The Soul]: This ability alters the very "idea" of sin itself. When a target looks at their own sins reflected in the Shadowflame, any memory carrying sin is instantly infected by the "Foreigner Sin."

The Shadowflame can consume infected memories without the target realizing it. The exact moment the original memory is devoured, a "Foreigner Memory" is generated in its place, acting as a perfect "shadow" replica of the original event.

Corruption Cycle: If a pure, sinless memory is touched by a "Foreigner Memory," it may begin to hallucinate. The harmless memory gradually twists into a sinful one.

Example 1: A harmless memory of receiving a gift distorts into a memory of committing a premeditated theft.

Example 2: A legitimate moment of self-defense is rewritten into a sadistic, cold-blooded murder.

Once the memory carries a sin, it becomes infected, restarting the corruption cycle.

Memory Discard: "The Streamer" can actively discard a "Foreigner Memory." Doing so permanently erases the very concept of that memory from the target's mind. The forced erasure generates "Mental Shadowflames," inflicting agonizing, structural burn damage directly to the target's soul.

Puppet State: If every single memory of the target is consumed and replaced by a "Foreigner Memory", the Shadowflame instantly chains the soul with its tentacles and drags it inside the flame.

The soul becomes a Hallow Puppet, a manipulated soul wiped of its sins.

The physical body left behind becomes a Hollow Puppet — an empty, soulless vessel with the tally of all its consumed sins etched deeply into its skin like a written history.

Note: This ability can currently only be used on beings with one or more of the following attributes: [Human], [Humanity], and/or [Divine].

Ability(7) - Light Purple: [Locked!]

Ability(8) - Lime: [Locked!]

Ability(9) - Yellow: [Locked!]

Ability(10) - Cyan: [Locked!]

Ability(11) - Red: [Locked!]

Ability(12) - Purple: [Locked!]

-//- 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

I had a vague—very vague—impression that maybe the fact Shadowflame was one of, if not the, flames of Hell was something I'd been ignoring most of the time.

This evolution basically reminded me just how terrifying this thing was supposed to be at its peak—and that the Shadowflame I had received was little more than a nearly extinguished spark.

And maybe feeding it the flesh of 'The Eye' had been a mistake.

The moment I realized Shadowflame had finished evolving, the information about the changes in the flame came to me unconsciously, before I could even open my status to check what was written.

Originally, I intended to show the changes to the (CHAT), but after learning that this thing could now affect others just by being looked at, I changed my mind.

Especially since this "Foreigner Sin" infection wasn't something that took time.

The description made it sound like a slow corruption cycle, but I knew that, to consume all the memories of a normal person without mental protection, it would take one or two seconds at most.

I'd have to be almost consciously careful whenever I used this in the future…

For those reasons—and others—I decided to keep this as another one of my trump cards, in case something happened.

I had no doubt this would eventually "leak" at some point, but until then, I saw no reason to let that fact become public…

About ten minutes after they had left me alone in that room—most of which I spent staring at the hidden cameras, one by one, until I had looked at each of them at least once—the door opened again.

Four people walked in: two I knew, and two I didn't.

Of the ones I knew, one was Shizuka Hiratsuka, the woman I vaguely remembered from that anime with the dead-fish-eyed guy.

I hadn't watched it, but I had her image in my memory and a few scattered bits of information from conversations.

She was wearing the same clothes as before, from when I arrived in Japan: a white jacket and dark blue jeans. A black bag rested on her right shoulder, and she carried a shopping bag in her left hand.

Her face had a naturally tired look. Fair skin, long, messy black hair, and gray eyes. She wore short heels.

The cigarette from earlier was nowhere to be seen, though I could still smell it. She smoked a lot, and her lungs weren't completely ruined yet—but they'd turn black as coal if she kept it up.

The other one I recognized was Yoji Itami. Well, at least his face—he was the guy from earlier, the one who moved when the gate opened.

I had a feeling he was someone important, but I didn't know where he was from or what story he belonged to. Probably something involving the gate.

He wore the same outfit as before: an anime-print T-shirt and light denim shorts.

Casual shoes, and he was looking at me like I was some kind of anime character that had stepped out of the screen. An otaku, probably.

His posture was upright, but he carried a somewhat sloppy air.

The other two were a suited man and someone from the military.

The military man was older, in his forties, with a straight posture and a stern gaze. A walking military stereotype, basically—he looked like he wanted to interrogate me.

His name was Koichiro Hazama, according to the information the Chalice gave me. Short hair, square face, sunburnt skin—and if I had to guess, he was a general or something along those lines.

Finally, the one leading the group—the first to enter—was Shigenori Hōjō, the Prime Minister I had spoken to earlier.

He was a man who could be considered elderly—or close to it. Sixty-nine years old, according to the Chalice. He wore a dark suit, his gray-white hair combed back, and had a triangular face with that unmistakable politician's air.

Before I could even stand, Shigenori bent forward at nearly a ninety-degree angle. It was one of those deep, formal bows—almost comical, if not for the seriousness on his face.

The silence in the room didn't last long before he began speaking, still bowed:

"On behalf of the government, the people of Japan, and myself, I sincerely thank you. What you did today… the speed of your actions and what you demonstrated at that location… you saved hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives that would have been lost before we could even respond. Japan owes you an unpayable debt."

I blinked twice before sighing and storing Hardy's divine essence inside the Voidbag, then stood up, resting my weight on the Slick Cane.

I walked over to him and placed my free hand on his shoulder.

"Stand up. I accept your thanks, but if you're going to give them, say it while looking me in the eyes." I said, helping him straighten.

I considered saying that I didn't need thanks and that I did what I did because I wanted to—but I realized that would be rude, so I chose not to.

Dismissing it would mean the lives he was thanking me for meant nothing.

Shigenori stood. I could see hesitation in his gaze before his eyes fixed on my right eye. I don't know what he saw there, but he seemed relieved.

Then he repeated it, meeting my gaze:

"On behalf of the government, the people of Japan, and myself, I sincerely thank you for your actions. Thank you."

I gave a small smile.

"You're welcome."

I noticed that Shizuka… thinking that name reminded me of Shizuka from HOTD. It's been a while since I last spoke to her. I'll ask Saya how they're all doing later.

I noticed that Shizuka Hiratsuka, standing to the side, looked a bit surprised by my actions. I glanced at her.

"What?"

"Nothing…" Her voice was a bit hoarse, from smoking. "I just thought you'd refuse the thanks."

("She's probably been watching you for a while. Knows you well.")

I ignored the voice of my blue schizophrenia and looked at her for a moment.

I activated Spirit Vision—it was becoming a habit. The Chalice could give me information, but I liked using the ability to get used to it.

The colors of her aura overlapped with reality, but they weren't very clean.

In her chest, where a vibrant red of vitality should shine, I saw patches of murky, speckled gray. Around it, closer to the trachea, there was also an opaque haze that seemed to be suffocating the natural glow of her health.

If it kept going like that, that dirty color would eventually swallow the rest.

"You should quit smoking." I said, deactivating Spirit Vision. "Your lungs are starting to take damage. It's still reversible."

I'll give her a Purification Powder pill later to fix her lungs.

Shizuka looked back at me, then sighed with a faint smile.

"You're reminding me of one of my idiot students… You know, you're the same, but at the same time, you're very different in person."

I gave her a nod but didn't respond. Not the moment—I'd talk to her later.

I turned back to Shigenori, who had been listening to the exchange in silence, and asked:

"Are we talking here, or moving somewhere else?"

"The meeting room is prepared, but if you'd prefer to stay here, we can, sir." he replied.

"Drop the 'sir.' I'm Devas—pleased to meet you, Prime Minister Shigenori Hōjō." I gestured toward the door with my chin, tapping the Slick Cane lightly against the floor. "Shall we?"

The walk to the meeting room was brief.

The meeting room was exactly what I expected. A long dark wooden table dominated the center, surrounded by black leather chairs, and on top of it were several maps I recognized as being from the Ginza area.

Not because I knew the region's layout, but because they were identical to the information I had on my Minimap.

The air still carried traces of other people's scent, including the four accompanying me. This must have been where they were discussing what happened while I waited.

I hadn't really been paying attention earlier—I could've listened in if I wanted to.

I walked to the right side and, without waiting, sat down in one of the chairs near the center. I rested the Slick Cane against the table as the others took their seats.

Shizuka chose to sit to my right, on my side of the table. Opposite me, across the table, sat Shigenori, with Koichiro to his right and Yoji to his left.

"How much did Shizuka tell you about me?" I didn't bother with pleasantries.

Silence took over the room for a second.

"Not much, but enough." Shigenori spoke for their side. "Miss Hiratsuka explained only that you were an ally and that you were here to help. The rest, she said was not her place to tell, and that we should ask you ourselves."

He paused.

"She also reiterated that you are human, so that we wouldn't form any wrong impressions about your powers and actions."

I glanced at Shizuka from the corner of my eye.

"What? If I can avoid problems between my country and you, I will." she replied to my look. Then added, a moment later: "That, and I don't want to risk getting banned for saying too much."

I let out an amused huff.

"I wouldn't ban you from the stream over something like that, don't worry. But I appreciate the thought."

I had noticed that Shigenori had lied about something—Shizuka had probably told them more than that.

("Tyrian, what isn't he telling me?") I asked, directing my thoughts to the Nightmare in the shadow of the woman seated beside me.

I kept the mental microphone off this time.

The response was immediate, in the same delirious tone as always:

("My lord and master, the woman called Shizuka warned those named Shigenori Hōjō, Yoji Itami, Koichiro Hazama, and several other politicians who attempted to interrogate her not to become your enemies, nor to create any hostility with you.")

("In her words, she warned them that nothing the Japanese government possesses could force you or defend against you, should you decide to act against them. That, although you, my lord, are kind and gentle, you are not a fool, nor would you accept being trampled if attacked.")

("She also instructed them not to ask how the two of you know each other, my lord.")

And then he fell silent.

Well… that was more or less what I expected. Shizuka seemed like an intelligent person, so it was obvious she'd try to warn the government not to do anything stupid.

Not that I would've done anything if I were treated rudely or anything like that, obviously.

Mass genocide over being offended was usually something you saw from transmigrators with surnames like Che, Yuan, Xiao, or Long.

In my case, I'd just leave.

I'd deal with whatever was invading Earth and then get out of the country—it was much simpler and avoided unnecessary headaches.

I turned and looked at the three of them.

"She didn't lie. I am—and will remain—an ally, unless you give me a reason not to be." I nodded. "Since I'm sure you have questions, let's do this: one question each. You go first, then me. Just to keep things organized."

("I feel like I've seen this a few times before…") I heard Ozma's voice echo from within the Spirit Realm.

Along with that, two messages appeared, floating inside two small suits of armor:

[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]

I find it hilarious that your go-to method when dealing with governments or authorities is always this college party Q&A game. All that's missing is the "whoever refuses to answer takes a shot."

[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]

By the way, it's still nighttime here. You running around the planet at hypersonic speeds probably fucked up the stream's time zones.

(Iron Man checking-his-watch emote)

I gestured for the three across the table to begin while sending my thoughts to the stream:

("I'll stop using this method when it stops working. And the stream's timing should normalize eventually.")

If it didn't normalize while the stream was active, it definitely would once I turned it off. So I wasn't worried about that.

In the time it took me to reply to Stark, someone on the other side spoke. Surprisingly, it was Yoji.

"Are there others like you?" he asked. "More specifically—if that was too vague—are there other users of magic, ki, chi, or whatever it is you use?"

I turned to look at him.

"So that's why you're here?" I asked back instead of answering. "Aside from being there as first contact when I arrived in Japan, the fact that you're an otaku and have more knowledge about fantasy is what got you into this meeting?"

The reason Shizuka was here was obvious—she knew me.

Shigenori was here because he was, quite literally, the Prime Minister. Koichiro likely held a high-ranking military position and would be responsible for something involving the gate—defense or reconnaissance, if they decided to cross over.

The only one I wasn't sure about was Yoji—but apparently, it really was just because he was an otaku.

To his credit, Yoji didn't look embarrassed in the slightest and simply nodded.

"Yes, my knowledge of anime is useful in this situation, and I was assigned to assist." He actually sounded proud of it.

I hummed, acknowledging his answer as I tapped my fingers lightly on the table, then finally replied:

"Yes, there are other types of people like me. Mages, magic users, ritualists… call them whatever you want."

It wasn't exactly a certainty, since I hadn't encountered any of them since coming to this world. But given the existence of Heaven and Hell, it didn't take much to conclude people like that had to exist.

The mana present in the atmosphere was also a factor. It wasn't comparable to Terraria, but it was higher than the mana density of Remnant, HOTD, or Demon Slayer.

"Since I've asked my question, you can continue and ask another."

A flicker of excitement crossed Yoji's face at my answer, but he held himself back and glanced at the two men beside him.

With a nod of permission from Shigenori, he asked:

"Is it possible for ordinary people to acquire these powers?"

"Is that for the military?" I asked, looking at Shigenori and Koichiro. I didn't wait for an answer. "Short answer: yes. Long answer: yes, but it's complicated to teach, and it would take time for someone to learn how to use any kind of power or technique, even if it's possible."

I asked my question before they could respond:

"What's the casualty report for Ginza?"

I'll admit I wasn't paying much attention to the civilians—more to the army and the portal—so I didn't know the answer.

This time, Koichiro spoke, his tone rigid:

"We are still conducting counts. For now, we have one hundred and twenty-two injured, thirty-eight missing, and fifty-five dead."

Less than I expected—and more than I would've liked, unfortunately…

The next question also came from Koichiro:

"What would be the price for you to act as an instructor for a small group and teach them how to use powers similar to yours?"

Yoji seemed a bit surprised that he was the one speaking, but Shigenori didn't. Something they had already discussed—without Yoji.

"Most of what I can teach would take too long for anyone to learn," I replied. "Time I'm not willing to spend."

"And the things that wouldn't take as long?" Shigenori asked.

I hummed, organizing my thoughts for a moment.

"Give me a group of no more than five people. Preferably a group you'd have sent through the gate." I said, pointing at Yoji. "He should be one of them. During the time I'll be in Japan studying the gate and deciding what I'll do, I can teach them. But whatever they manage to learn is not my responsibility."

I paused briefly.

"The price I want is materials: seawater from around Japan, water from lakes, sand from various beaches, soil from different locations across the country, and seeds from random plants and trees. All cataloged."

That would cover part of the materials for the model.

I would've asked for technology, tanks, and fighter jets under normal circumstances, but given that this world was in 2009, current technology was something I could easily build using Jarvis and Stark as references.

And I highly doubted this would be the only deal I'd make with Japan, so if I changed my mind, I could always ask for something else later.

As for manga, anime, and books, I planned to get those myself. I could enjoy some time exploring, so there was no need to ask.

I looked at Shigenori. He, along with Yoji and Koichiro, seemed surprised by my request.

Yoji, in particular, looked excited that I had chosen him. Also nervous and somewhat hesitant—contradictory emotions all at once.

Shizuka's emotions were more restrained. Her surprise was mild—she seemed used to it, almost as if she had expected something like this.

And before I forgot…

I stood up, raising my right hand, and gave the Prime Minister of Japan a small smile.

I extended my hand for a handshake as I let my voice carry slightly:

"So—do we have a deal?…"

[...]---[...]

A chapter focused on introduction/thoughts/explanations/exposition.

Things have happened, Devas is starting to understand what's going on, Shadowflame has finished evolving, and living alongside Devas/eating the flesh of 'The Eye' has… not exactly been "good" for the little flame.

I'll speed up the interactions in the next chapter and move the story forward. If you have any comments, feel free to leave them. I read every single one—I might take a while to reply depending on the situation, but I always do.

That said, have a good night and enjoy the read!