“Now then, I wonder how strong I am, how far my power can go in this world…”
I won’t let my guard down, I’ll go all out from the start.
I take a stance with my KOG-specific sword, ready to meet him.
Zeke closes the distance and lunges at me.
Every single movement is refined and without waste.
That’s why.
“Fufu, this is… surprising.”
Kenyya receives Zeke’s attack.
Just as he deflects it, he manages to land a counterattack.
Because we understand each other, we can read each other’s moves.
“As expected of the War God.”
“You say that after stopping it so easily.”
(He’s strong, pro-level. No, he’s on par with the top players in the world championships!?)
He’s not inferior to the masters on the Japanese server I face in ranked matches daily.
In fact, he feels like a pro who would appear in tournaments.
A back-and-forth battle unfolds.
“Hahaha! You’re really strong. I’d actually believe you if you said you were the Holy Knight Captain of the main country!”
“Thank you!”
Gunfire, sword clashes, and movements into blind spots, a high-level exchange of reads.
It was a high-level battle, but after a long fight, the time for a conclusion arrived.
One of the KOGs kneels, and the victor is displayed on the screen.
“Even though it’s been a while since I’ve been in combat… a Japanese person defeats me…”
Kenyu Mitsurugi, WIN!
Kenyya was the victor.
He won the close battle, defeating a top-class opponent in this world, the Holy Knight Captain, even if it was in his specialty, the Simulator.
Zeke isn’t as radiant as he was in his prime, but he’s still a strong opponent.
He’s on a completely different level than Reina.
“Phew, it’s been a while since I fought with all my strength… He was really strong. But…”
Kenyya, who had been teaching Reina and Kaguya every day, had been repeating basic training without going all out.
Thanks to that, his abilities had improved, but it had been a while since he had a tense match like today.
I’m so focused that I can hear my heartbeat.
Perhaps the biggest change in my attitude towards KOG operation since coming to this world is the sense of immersion.
Coming to this world where one mistake can lead to real death, Kenyya’s concentration has…
“I’m… growing, in this world.”
Being good at a mere game is elevated to a skill for protecting life, and his talent is blossoming.
Kenyya, who is still young, has a lot of room to grow.
The War God may be out of practice and not at his peak, but he’s still among the top tier in this world.
And the War God, having exited the Simulator, asks for a handshake again.
“That was wonderful, have you been doing some special training?”
“Uh… yes. I guess you could say that.”
Seeing Kenyya avert his eyes, Zeke understands.
There’s something he can’t talk about, and he too is a victim of war.
“Everyone has their own circumstances. I won’t ask any further.”
“…Thank you.”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Please keep this a secret from Reina. My dignity as a father… you know?”
Zeke asks with a wink, looking embarrassed.
His face looks more like a cheerful neighborhood uncle than a soldier.
“Haha, I understand. I’ll keep quiet.”
Kenyya feels Zeke’s good nature firsthand and grows to like the character he liked in the previous world even more.
“Kenyya-kun? You were here after all.”
“Ah, are you ready, Reina? Let’s go, Mitsurugi.”
“Yes!”
“Eh? You already did it? Who won?”
Then Kenyya and Zeke look at each other.
“It’s a secret!” “It’s a secret.”
…
“Mmm, this rolled omelet is delicious! Did Reina make it?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Reina is surprisingly good at cooking, she does it every day. Her specialty is Japanese food.”
(She doesn’t seem like she has any sense of daily life… and it’s Japanese food.)
◇I imagine Reina in an apron.
I hug Reina from behind as she stands in the kitchen.
“Oh, Kenyya-kun, you can’t cook, can you!”
“It’s fine, I want you… right now.”
“Oh, my! Then, shall we go to the bedroom?”
“T-That means!”
“I’ll e-eat you♥”
“With pleasure!!”
◇
“Gufufu…”
“Kenyya-kun. You’re making a strange face, you know?”
“First-Class and Second-Class can get married, it’s even encouraged.”
The Empire encourages First-Class citizens to marry Second-Class citizens.
The children born from such unions become First-Class citizens.
The easiest and most powerful way to truly make a conquered nation part of your own is to make the next generation Asgardians.
A nation that wholeheartedly becomes an imperial nation is truly an empire.
That’s why the Aasgard Empire created a law that only children of First-Class citizens are considered First-Class.
“Is that okay!?”
“You fool! I haven’t given my permission!”
“Kenyya-kun, do you want to marry me?”
“Yes, I do.”
“D-Don’t get carried away! I won’t allow it! I won’t allow it!”
There’s no difference in race here.
It’s like I’m really just having dinner with my girlfriend’s parents.
It was that kind of atmosphere at the dinner party.
Well, I’ve never had a girlfriend before, though.
“By the way, Mitsurugi. Do you have time after this? There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
“?… Yes. I don’t have anything in particular.”
Kenyya was led by Zeke to a military facility.
Reina seemed to be staying behind, so they moved by car, just the two of them.
“What is it?”
“Ah, I was originally going to ask Reina, but you’re probably more suitable.”
“Suitable?”
…
Kenyya and Zeke, having finished their meal, arrived at what was more of a research facility than a military one.
Inside, there were what looked like KOG parts, a huge warehouse that could be called a factory.
“Tanaka! Are you there!”
Zeke called out the name as soon as he opened the door.
There, a researcher in a white coat was sleeping with three chairs lined up, surrounded by a large number of empty energy drink cans.
“Wake up! Tanaka!”
“Huh? Ah, Zeke-san. Good evening.”
“You’re always in a place like this, honestly. Why are there so many weirdos among geniuses?”
The man called a genius and a weirdo by Zeke.
“Mitsurugi, this is Tanaka Issei. Well, he’s a genius, and he’s also the head of research here.”
“Haha, I was picked up by Zeke-san and I’m developing KOGs here.”
He had a languid attitude, was humble, and his unshaven beard was unkempt.
He wore glasses and had dark circles under his eyes.
“H-Hello. I’m Mitsurugi Kenya.”
“Huh? Are you… Japanese?”
“Tanaka, this is the test pilot I mentioned before. It’d be good to use him. He’s also Japanese, so it’ll be easier for you.”
Zeke introduced him, patting Kenyya on the back.
He revealed the reason why he brought him here.
“…Can he operate it? At least someone like Reina-kun would be needed to even stand in it, right?”
Tanaka looked at Kenyya with a dubious expression.
Even though it had been more than two weeks since he enrolled, he wondered if a new student could operate a KOG.
“It’s not a problem. He’s stronger than me.”
“Haa!? What are you joking about?”
“Well, let’s give it a try.”
“If you say so…”
Tanaka, not fully convinced, looks at Kenyya.
However, since Zeke is pushing him, he reluctantly agrees to guide him, but he doesn’t think anyone his age could beat the War God, even in the main country.
That’s why he thought Zeke was joking.
“Zeke-san. What do you mean by test pilot?”
“Ah, there’s a new model being developed by Tanaka’s team.”
The most advanced military base built in Japan.
The cutting-edge KOG being researched there, and Tanaka is the developer.
There were also staff members who appeared to be Japanese around.
They were probably Tanaka-san’s team.
“But why is Tanaka-san a researcher here? It’s not for me, a Second-Class, to say, but a Second-Class doing KOG research…”
Then Tanaka-san answered with a slightly sad expression.
“I was a KOG researcher before the war… I was working for the Aasgard Empire. Now I’m a Second-Class citizen, but Zeke-san took care of me in the past.”
“I see…”
Although he became a target of persecution after the war ended, he was picked up by Zeke and was able to work at this research facility.
Not all Aasgard Empire citizens are in favor of discrimination.
In fact, there are many who oppose it, but they just can’t openly say so.
That’s why there are Asgardians who were good friends with Tanaka before the war.
“Alright, we’re here.”
Beyond the opened giant door was a dimly lit warehouse.
“This is the 6th generation KOG, it doesn’t have a name yet, but it’s definitely the latest and fastest model.”
Tanaka turned on the lights.
In front of Kenyya and the others was a KOG, but while KOGs are usually black, this one was white.
It was like a white lightning bolt shining in the night sky.
“This model is… I see…”
Kenyya knows that model.
He used it more than anyone, he was better at it than anyone.
He loved it more than anyone.
“It was here in this world too, I’m happy… to meet you again.”
There, was Kenyya’s favorite machine from his previous world.
Its official name is “Takemikazuchi.”
A white, shining KOG bearing the name of a Japanese god, a 6th generation KOG made in Japan, stood there.