— — — — — —
Apocalypse World
Kitagawa Marin carefully blew the head off a zombie.
Only after the body dropped to the ground with a heavy thud did she pat her chest and let out a breath of relief.
Her heart was pounding like crazy.
Up until today, she'd just been a regular girl. This was her first time facing such bizarre, beyond-common-sense monsters, so it was only natural she felt a bit nervous.
Even though the zombies weren't exactly hard to deal with — and Shiina Mahiru was there watching her back — Marin still couldn't help but be on edge.
Compared to Marin, Himeragi Yukina was way calmer.
After testing her new abilities on a few zombies, she casually started sizing up the world around them.
Yep! No doubt about it.
This was another world.
Yukina could tell for sure — there were no such things as zombies back in her original world.
Also the air here didn't seem to have any special energy or anything.
Aside from the zombies, this place felt just like a normal world.
Gripping her Snowdrift Wolf spear tightly, Yukina felt a rush of emotion.
A real, honest-to-god other world.
Seeing that the two of them were getting the hang of things, Shiina Mahiru finally spoke up: "Alright, that's enough for today."
Snapped out of their thoughts, Marin and Yukina both nodded.
It didn't take long before the three of them returned to the Familia base in the zombie world.
The sight that greeted them immediately caught Marin and Yukina's attention: many little girls with wings fluttering about here and there.
Marin couldn't help but ask curiously, "Are they... also members of the Familia?"
Mahiru smiled and nodded."Yep, they are."
Marin clicked her tongue in amazement.
There were so many of them.
She glanced down at her own very developed figure and started feeling a little uneasy.
Could it be... Lynn prefers lolis?
Before she could dwell on it too long— The three of them passed through a Gate and returned to the Supernatural Research Club.
Yukina's mind was still a little foggy.
Just that short trip to another world had completely overturned everything she thought she knew.
And there were still three more worlds left to explore.
She glanced toward the other Gates, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
What are the other worlds like?
On the other side, Mahiru said casually: "Each Familia member has a place they can stay. If you two want, you can move in too."
As she spoke, she shared the location of Lynn's Manor with them.
Marin's curiosity got the better of her: "Do most of the Familia live at the manor?"
Mahiru's eye twitched slightly. If you counted the lolis, then "most" wasn't exactly the right word.
After thinking for a second, she just smiled and said: "Well... there's a pretty good number, yeah～."
"Great! I'm in!"
Marin pumped her fist, eyes full of determination.
Got to be close to the source if you wanna make a move!
If she couldn't get close to Lord Lynn, how was she ever going to climb into his bed?
Uhh?
Was she being shameless thinking that?
Marin's cheeks turned a little pink.
But no matter what, she wasn't backing down!
She wanted to show Lord Lynn just how warm she could be!
Mahiru watched Marin with an amused smile.
Looks like this newbie has a clear goal in mind.
Maybe they'd be comrades-in-arms soon enough.
"I'll go too!" Yukina suddenly said.
"...?"
Mahiru blinked at her in surprise.
From what she'd observed, Yukina didn't seem like the type who'd willingly throw herself into Lynn's arms.
More like she was here because she had no choice? So this sudden eagerness caught Mahiru a little off guard.
But Yukina's calm expression hid her real thoughts.
She was thinking about Sayaka.
Even if she'd ended up joining the Familia herself, Yukina hadn't forgotten about her best friend.
Even if she couldn't rescue Sayaka, she at least needed to know how she was doing.
Wait. Couldn't she just ask about it directly?
Snapping back to herself, Yukina turned to Mahiru and asked:
"Mahiru-senpai, um... has there been a girl around here recently? She's really busty, but super scared of guys?"
Senpai?
Mahiru's heart skipped a beat.
First time one of the new recruits had called her that.
Mahiru's mood instantly improved.
"Let me think."
"Hmm..."
"You mean Kirasaka Sayaka, right?"
Yukina's eyes lit up. She nodded frantically.
Mahiru tilted her head, curious. "You're friends with her?"
A little embarrassed, Yukina nodded again and admitted honestly: "Actually, the whole reason I joined the Familia... was because of Sayaka."
After seeing Lynn's methods and the power behind the Familia, Yukina realized she couldn't afford to play games.
Might as well lay her cards on the table.
Mahiru nodded in understanding. "You wanted to save her?"
Yukina nodded.
Mahiru smiled wryly. "Yeah, that's probably not gonna happen..."
After all, Sayaka was a talented recruit. Now that she was in Lynn's hands, there was no way he'd let her go.
Yukina wasn't surprised to hear that.
Sayaka had snuck in here on a secret mission, after all. She was kind of in the wrong.
Still, Yukina couldn't help but worry: "Then... how is Sayaka doing now?"
Noticing the concern in Yukina's eyes, Mahiru reassured her: "Don't worry. She's not in any danger."
"And actually..." Mahiru's expression turned weird."Your friend is currently undergoing treatment for her androphobia (Fear of men)."
"...Huh?"
Yukina froze. "You can treat that?"
Mahiru gave an awkward chuckle. "Uh... maybe?"
At the very least, Sayaka had already gotten pretty used to Lynn's touch.
Yukina didn't know what to say.
This outcome was way different from what she expected!
Not only had Sayaka not been mistreated, she was actually being treated?
This Familia of "devils" was way more humane than she'd imagined!
From the moment she met Lynn, Yukina's preconceived ideas about devils had started to crumble.
And now, after hearing about Sayaka's situation, they were completely gone.
Besides she was technically a devil now too!
Hearing that Sayaka was okay made Yukina feel a whole lot lighter. Then she hesitated for a second before asking: "U-Um..."
Scratching her face awkwardly, she admitted: "I'm actually from the Lion King Organization... So what—"
Mahiru immediately understood and gave her a reassuring smile: "Don't worry. If you still want to stay in the Lion King Organization, you can."
"Eh?"
Another surprise!
Yukina was starting to get seriously shocked.
Wasn't this devil Familia too good?
Mahiru just smiled mysteriously.
The Familia never forced anyone to cut ties with their original organizations.
Mahiru's words and attitude melted away all of Yukina's lingering worries.
Otherwise, with her still officially tied to the Lion King Organization and now carrying all these secrets about the Familia, she would've been a nervous wreck.
...
Yukina and Marin finally left the Supernatural Research Club.
They were heading back to pack up their things and move to Lynn's Manor.
Of course, Marin still needed to convince her family first.
Yukina's situation was way easier.
She was living alone in a rented apartment anyway.
Back home, Yukina quickly packed her things. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to call Endou.
"Moshi moshi~"
The call connected, and Endou's lazy voice came through.
HISSSSS~
Yukina frowned. "Master, what are you doing? It's so noisy over there."
---
At the Lion King Organization—
Endou sighed, glancing toward the courtyard.
There, a man in a white suit with flowing blond hair stood tall.
Behind him, a giant green serpent loomed over the assembled agents.
'The Snake Charmer,' Dimitrie Vatler.
Endou could only sigh helplessly.
Seriously, of all people, the Frivolous Master of Serpents had to show up?
Living up to his nickname, this guy wasn't just obsessed with snakes — he was also a battle maniac!
Fight first, talk later, huh?
So arrogant... it was basically a slap in the Lion King Organization's face!
"Master?"
Yukina's slightly anxious voice came through the phone again.
Endou snapped back and laughed it off: "It's nothing. Just got challenged by a vampire."
Yukina: "?"
You call that "nothing"?!
.
.
.