Dimensional Kaguya Ōtsutsuki

"I'm sorry to disturb you so late."

Standing at the doorway was a tall, white-haired elderly man, bowing slightly with a gentle smile—Yoshimura, the manager of Anteiku.

"It's nothing. I wasn't sleeping anyway," Kaguya replied with a smile, folding her arms and leaning against the wall.

Though she said that, she couldn't help but complain inwardly.

Does this old man have a habit of spying?

Otherwise, why else would he come knocking on a young girl's door in the middle of the night?

"Miss Fueguchi has been a frequent guest of Anteiku. No one wished for such an unfortunate incident to happen, and Anteiku bears some responsibility," Yoshimura said, bowing slightly once more. "You saved Miss Fueguchi, and for that, I sincerely thank you."

"If that's all, there's no need for thanks," Kaguya waved her hand dismissively. "She's Hinami's mother, and I know her. Saving her was only natural. But I doubt that's the only reason you're here, is it?"

Yoshimura was silent for a moment before saying, "Previously, Anteiku was in grave danger. If not for your help, it might not exist today. I originally wanted to thank you personally, but never had the chance. This visit is to express my gratitude."

Kaguya remained silent, her clear eyes studying the old man before her. She spoke in a steady voice, "So you really do know everything."

Yoshimura smiled. "I only discovered it by coincidence, and I mean no harm. If my presence is an inconvenience, I apologize."

"So you're saying I'm an idiot for doing a poor job hiding it?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow.

"No, no," Yoshimura quickly waved his hand, smiling. "That's not what I meant at all. Please don't misunderstand."

"Tch, whatever. It doesn't really matter if people know now. I wasn't planning on keeping it a secret much longer anyway," Kaguya shrugged. "Besides, if I had to guess, you all already figured it out, didn't you?"

Yoshimura nodded. "Yes."

"I thought so." Kaguya sighed, rubbing her forehead. In truth, there was little point in hiding it. Every time trouble came, she couldn't resist stepping in, and the abilities she used were always the same. Only an idiot wouldn't notice.

Well… maybe only that airhead Yoriko Kosaka wouldn't realize.

After a brief pause, Yoshimura said, "Actually, I have another important matter to discuss."

Kaguya narrowed her eyes slightly and straightened up. "What is it?"

If her guess was correct, this was likely the real reason for Yoshimura's visit.

"You've heard of Akihiro Kanou, haven't you?" Yoshimura asked solemnly.

"Yeah," Kaguya nodded. "I found Miss Fueguchi in his lab."

"This is exactly what I wanted to talk about," Yoshimura said, his expression growing solemn.

It turned out that just earlier, Ryouko Fueguchi had regained consciousness for a brief period. Despite her exhaustion, she had forced herself to reveal a terrifying secret she had overheard in the laboratory.

"They're experimenting on transforming humans?" Kaguya was slightly taken aback.

"That's right," Yoshimura said gravely. "And it's not just a few individuals or even a dozen—they intend to turn the entire human race into ghouls."

Kaguya's eyes narrowed slightly, her brows furrowing deeper.

From Ryouko Fueguchi's fragmented words, Yoshimura had learned a shocking truth—Akihiro Kanou's experiment aimed to convert all of humanity into ghouls. The project had already reached a crucial phase, and it wasn't simply about forcibly transforming people into ghouls anymore.

On the contrary, the experiment had significant flaws. While it could indeed turn humans into ghouls, due to the unstable nature of the process and numerous experimental failures, the result was no longer true ghouls. These transformed beings lacked sentience and only retained the instincts to hunt and feed. They weren't ghouls but mindless monsters.

And more terrifyingly, this transformation wasn't stable. These creatures rapidly deteriorated over time, ultimately perishing. In their final moments, they would even lose the ability to move, collapsing into nothing but a grotesque mass of flesh.

Hearing this, Kaguya recalled the mindless ghouls she had encountered in the laboratory on Ryushima. They had no human consciousness and seemed incapable of logical thought, acting solely on the instinct to devour. Could they be the results of this experiment?

But that wasn't all—Kaguya had learned another piece of information that left her stunned.

The root of this experiment stemmed from Akihiro Kanou using her blood as the prototype to develop a virus. This virus was not only highly infectious but could also be transmitted through blood. Once infected, a human would undergo a bizarre transformation, ultimately becoming a creature devoid of intellect, driven solely by predatory instincts.

Kaguya's first reaction upon hearing this was to scoff at the absurdity of it all.

What kind of script is this?

Why does this feel like Resident Evil?

This was literally a Resident Evil scenario!

But seeing Yoshimura's grim expression, it was clear he wasn't making this up.

If this was true, then things had just gotten annoying. Kaguya had planned to enjoy her peace for a while longer, but now, because of these idiotic pests, she had to step in.

She could turn a blind eye to their little tricks, but if they dared to interfere with her mission…

Then, sorry—but you can all just go to hell.

A cold snort escaped her lips, and her clear eyes sharpened, a chilling light flashing through them.

At the same time, an overwhelming aura exploded from her body, engulfing everything around her.

It was like a divine thunderclap splitting the heavens, suffocating and freezing the air itself. The sheer pressure alone was enough to make one's breath hitch, a bone-deep cold seeping into every inch of the space.

Yoshimura's eyes widened in shock, his face displaying rare astonishment as he stared at the black-haired girl before him.

It had been so many years since he had last felt something like this.

That monstrous presence crashed over him like a tsunami, drowning him in an unfathomable abyss of fear. It was as if he had been plunged into a freezing chasm, his limbs stiffening, his very soul trembling.

At that moment, it wasn't a young girl standing before him.

It was a supreme ruler, one who could crush him with a single thought.

"Uh... is there still dinner left?"

Just as Yoshimura was still reeling from Kaguya's overwhelming presence, she suddenly seemed to remember something. Turning her head, she flashed a bright smile and chuckled, "I just realized I haven't eaten dinner yet. Just something simple will do."

With that radiant smile, the oppressive aura she had exuded moments ago vanished as if it had never existed.

Only then did Yoshimura finally snap out of the invisible pressure that had held him in place. Unbeknownst to him, cold sweat had already soaked his back. In his entire life, he had never experienced such an aura before—it was as if his very thoughts had been frozen.

Just what kind of person is she, to possess such an aura?

Yoshimura steadied his heart, took a deep breath, and managed a smile. "There is some food left, but all we have are sandwiches. If you don't mind—"

"Of course, I mind." Kaguya replied matter-of-factly.

Yoshimura blinked in mild surprise.

Kaguya batted her pretty eyelashes and added, "But if it comes with a cup of coffee personally brewed by the manager, I suppose I wouldn't mind anymore."

Yoshimura was momentarily speechless.

If there was one thing Kaguya had ever considered the best coffee she'd ever had, it would be the one Yoshimura personally brewed. The difference between his coffee and anything else she had tasted before was like heaven and earth. It was so good that even her once-beloved red tea had been demoted to second place. And pairing it with the signature sandwiches from Anteiku? Perfection.

While Kaguya was devouring her food, a blur of motion suddenly rushed toward her like a gust of wind—before she even had time to react, someone had tightly embraced her.

Kaguya blinked in confusion.

"...Touka?"

The person in front of her was none other than Touka Kirishima.

She looked completely different from her usual self—her face lit up with joy, her brows arched in happiness, and she even seemed... giddy? She was smiling so brightly that it was almost blinding.

What the hell is this?

Did she win the lottery or something?

Kaguya was utterly bewildered.

"Thank you."

Touka Kirishima, seemingly realizing her own uncharacteristic behavior, quickly composed herself. She cleared her throat and said with rare sincerity, "Thank you."

"Huh?" Kaguya was even more confused. "Are you okay? You don't have a fever, do you?" As she spoke, she instinctively reached out to touch Touka's forehead.

To her surprise, Touka didn't swat her hand away like she usually would.

Instead, she let Kaguya touch her forehead—without any trace of annoyance. She didn't glare at her, nor did she complain. Instead, she just stared at Kaguya—intensely.

Kaguya felt a chill run down her spine under Touka's oddly tender gaze.

"What's wrong with you?" Kaguya muttered, feeling unnerved. "Did you take the wrong meds?"

"Thank you for the gift," Touka suddenly said, her voice soft.

She seemed to realize how strange she was acting and awkwardly coughed twice before turning her face away. "That gift... I really like it."

And before Kaguya could even respond—she was gone.

She vanished in an instant, dashing away at full speed as if she were fleeing the scene of a crime.

Kaguya sat there, still holding her sandwich, utterly baffled.

What the hell just happened?

Just as Kaguya was feeling utterly confused, Kaya Irimi walked over from a distance with a knowing smile. "So? Feels pretty good, doesn't it?"

"What's supposed to feel good?" Kaguya mumbled through a mouthful of sandwich. "Did she eat something weird or what? She's acting strange today."

"There's something you should already have a vague idea about," Irimi said softly, turning her gaze toward Touka Kirishima. "She has always wanted to become human. Or, at the very least, to live like one. And she has a close human friend. To keep her identity as a ghoul a secret, she has suffered a lot."

"So… you gave her the vial?" Kaguya blinked, sandwich still hanging from her mouth.

"Sorry. I made this decision without your permission," Irimi said apologetically. "I know you gave it to me for my sake, but... such a precious thing has little meaning for me now. I'm not young anymore. Even if I had it, I couldn't fulfill my past dreams. Instead of wasting it on me, I'd rather give it to someone who truly needs it."

Kaguya remained silent.

To her, blood wasn't anything precious—it was just another component of her body. It held no special meaning. But for ghouls who desperately longed to live as humans, it meant everything.

What surprised Kaguya, however, was that Irimi had given away something so important without hesitation.

She didn't even know that Kaguya's blood could be mass-produced.

Which just showed how much she cared about Touka.

As for why Touka had thanked her—that was obvious now. When Irimi handed it over, she must have said it was a gift from Kaguya.

"Hah… maybe my whole life will just be like this," Irimi shrugged with a carefree smile. "Though I have my regrets, staying here doesn't feel so bad either."

Kaguya put down her sandwich.

For some reason, a rare warmth filled her heart.

In a world where self-interest reigned supreme, where people fought ruthlessly over resources and power, someone as selfless and kind as Irimi was truly… a rarity.

"You must be mad at me," Irimi hesitated. "After all, something so important—"

"What if I told you," Kaguya interrupted, staring directly into her eyes, "that I can make as much of that stuff as I want?"

"…Huh?"

Irimi was momentarily stunned.

"Actually, I kinda forgot to mention it before," Kaguya coughed lightly, looking slightly awkward. "That stuff? That's my blood."

Silence.

Irimi froze.

Her beautiful golden eyes widened in shock.

"…Eh?"

—

When Kaguya walked out of Anteiku, her cheeks were bright red, as if she'd smeared on an extra layer of blush.

But don't misunderstand—she wasn't blushing.

She had just been mercilessly pinched by Kaya Irimi.

"Ugh… should've just kept my mouth shut," Kaguya grumbled while rubbing her poor, tormented face.

She had expected Irimi to be overjoyed after learning the truth.

But instead, Irimi had fiercely 'punished' her—grumbling about why Kaguya hadn't told her sooner and accusing her of deliberately making her look foolish.

The result?

Her face had suffered the consequences—Irimi had pinched, squeezed, and kneaded her cheeks relentlessly.

However…

Kaguya didn't exactly lose in that situation either.

Especially when Irimi had held her close—her soft, fragrant embrace was simply divine.

And despite her slender appearance, Kaguya had unexpectedly discovered that Irimi was… very well-endowed.

A certain "feeling" even rivaled what she had experienced with Ryouko Fueguchi.

…Ahem.

But now wasn't the time for random thoughts.

Because at that very moment, a sudden message from the CCG made Kaguya's expression darken.

The event she had been expecting… had arrived much sooner than she thought.

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