I'm Going to Set Things Straight

Higashino Makoto stayed in the Elf Kingdom world for an extra month.

Every time he picked up his luggage, someone would knock on the door.

Kurumi, wearing that black and red long dress, stood at the door, her right eye curving into a crescent moon as she spoke.

"Oh dear, you're leaving already? One more day won't make a difference."

Or perhaps Miku Izayoi rushes in, her first words being, "Darling~".

There was also Liu'er, dressed in novel clothes, with her arms outstretched as if asking for a hug.

In short, he lost himself in being addressed as "darling," "my darling," and "my husband," and stayed for another month.

When the tenth seed was completely stable, Higashino Makoto finally left.

Mio saw him to the door, her long white hair swaying gently in the morning breeze, her pale blue eyes looking at him, a faint smile on her lips.

"Go ahead. I'll take care of them."

"Um."

Come back soon.

"Okay, definitely."

He turned around and stepped into the spatial rift.

Novas Etier, the Seventh Floor.

Higashino Makoto stepped out of the spatial rift, onto the familiar carpet, and took a deep breath.

The air was filled with the smells of black tea and paper, mixed with the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen in the distance.

The magic lamps on both sides of the corridor emitted a soft, orange glow, casting his long shadow on the floor.

He walked along the corridor, his footsteps echoing in the empty space.

As I passed by the maids' dormitory, the door was closed, but I could hear voices coming from inside. It was Rem and Ram discussing tomorrow's menu.

He continued walking until he reached his room and pushed the door open.

There are people in the room.

She stood by the window, her back to the door.

Her long, black hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends slightly curled, gleaming softly in the sunlight.

She wore a white headband that held her bangs in place, revealing her entire delicate face.

She was wearing a school uniform: a white shirt, a black skirt, and a red ribbon tied at the collar.

The collar of her shirt was open, revealing a section of her fair collarbone.

The school uniform jacket was draped over the back of the chair, and a black handbag was placed next to it.

She turned around, her dark red pupils looking at him, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"My dear master, Higashino- kun, how could you abandon your own guardians and indulge in the gentle embrace of the Elf Kingdom? Have we not done enough?"

Higashino Makoto stood at the door, looking at that face, with only one thought in his mind.

You're really not being polite.

The new secretary, Kasumigaoka Utaha.

One of the twenty-four guardians of Novas Etier.

Long, straight black hair; sharp-tongued; cunning.

Hmm, being told that by the Guardian... how should I put it... it's quite a novel feeling.

I don't dislike it.

"I've been waiting for you here for two whole months."

She walked up to him, stopped, and looked up at him with her dark red eyes.

She was half a head shorter than him, and had to tilt her head slightly to see his eyes.

She reached out and tapped his chest with her fingers, one tap at a time, with just the right amount of pressure, like drumming.

"Shouldn't you make amends to me properly?"

Higashino Makoto looked down at the finger pointing at his chest, then at those dark red eyes.

There's no reason to refute it. The first month could indeed be explained by the instability of the Pride Demon's power, but the second month was simply because he was blinded by the Elf Kingdom's beauty.

He admitted that he lacked self-control.

"I'm so sorry. Just tell me what kind of compensation you need, and I'll do my best to help."

Utaha withdrew her fingers, crossed her arms over her chest, leaned back slightly, and rested on the windowsill.

The hem of her school uniform skirt rode up slightly with her movement, revealing a section of her fair thigh.

"I am but a mere guardian; how could I possibly allow the great Higashino to compensate me?"

Higashino Makoto stared into those dark red eyes.

The corners of her mouth were turned up when she said that, so it seems she wasn't actually in a bad mood?

However, she is likely to be sharp-tongued, cunning, and vengeful.

Two months is indeed a bit long.

He didn't say anything more.

He stepped forward, bent down, put one hand under her armpits, and supported her knees with the other, lifting her up in his arms.

Utaha's body stiffened abruptly, and her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck.

His long black hair fell down his arms, creating a striking contrast against the white shirt of his school uniform.

"You--"

"Compensation."

He carried her into the bedroom, then kicked the door shut with his heel.

That night, Higashino Makoto expressed his remorse through his actions.

Utaha struggled at first, saying things like "Put me down," "Who wants you to carry me?" and "I can walk by myself," but her arms remained wrapped around his neck and she didn't let go.

Later she stopped talking, just leaned on his shoulder, buried her face in the crook of his neck, her breath hitting his skin, hot and itchy.

The next morning, when Higashino Makoto opened his eyes, he saw long black hair.

Utaha lay beside him, her long black hair scattered on the pillow, the ends slightly curled, gleaming softly in the morning light.

Her face was turned toward him, her eyes were closed, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her breathing was steady.

The school uniform was thrown on the floor, the white shirt and black skirt were piled together, and a red ribbon was draped over the back of the chair.

He stared at her face for a few seconds, then looked away and gazed at the ceiling.

Utaha turned over, facing away from him, and pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders.

What time is it?

Her voice was hoarse, as if she had just woken up.

"It's still early, I'll sleep a little longer."

"Um."

She was silent for a moment, then turned back to face him.

His dark red eyes were half-open, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

"Higashino- kun."

"Um."

"I received the compensation from last night."

Higashino Makoto's lips curled up slightly.

Are you still angry?

"I'm not angry."

"You didn't look like you weren't angry yesterday."

"That was a performance."

Who is the performance for?

"Let me show you."

Higashino Makoto looked at her.

"Why?"

"Because I want to see how you'll coax me."

Higashino Makoto remained silent for a moment.

And the result?

"The result is good."

She nestled into his arms, her long black hair brushing against his chin.

"We can come again next time."

Higashino Makoto reached out and ruffled her hair.

Morning, in the conference room.

Higashino Makoto sat in the main seat, with a huge blueprint spread out in front of him.

The drawing depicts the structure of the small world, with Novas Etier at the center and the connecting points between the various worlds surrounding it.

No matter what, once you say something, you have to do it.

After Higashino Makoto raised the issue of time flow, the Guardians have already created basic blueprints and plans.

Utaha stood behind him, holding a cup of black tea, her dark red eyes fixed on the blueprint.

She had changed her clothes; she was no longer wearing her school uniform, but a black maid outfit.

Her skirt reached her knees, and a white bow was tied at the neckline. Her long black hair was styled in a bun at the back of her head and secured with a white headband.

"Higashino- kun, is your plan to manipulate the flow of time within the smaller worlds, making the timelines of different worlds asynchronous?"

"Right."

"Actually, I've read this plan too. To be honest, with your current capabilities, you can only make adjustments for a short period of time; it can't be sustained indefinitely."

"I know, but everything is difficult at the beginning. As long as we can adjust the schedule temporarily, it's only a matter of time before we can stabilize it."

Utaha thought for a moment.

"However, a stable energy source is needed."

"I plan to use 'Caloric Stone' as my energy source; it should be fine."

Utaha nodded and marked a few numbers on the drawing.

"So how exactly will the resources be allocated? Which world will be faster, and which slower?"

Higashino Makoto leaned back in his chair, looking at the blueprint.

The world of Black Bullet, the Executioner and Her Way of Life World, the world of One Punch Man- Punch Man, the world of Demon Slayer, the Overlord World, the world of Date A Live, and the Re:Zero World.

Before we knew it, the world we connect to has expanded so much.

"It's still very early, not even a hint of it yet. We'll see how it turns out after it's made. It's too early to talk about these things now."

He stood up, walked to the window, and opened it. Artificial sunlight flooded in, illuminating the entire conference room.

"Utaha."

"Exist."

"Next, I'm going to a place."

"Where?"

"A place where I suffered a setback, I'm going to get my revenge."

Utaha's brows furrowed slightly.