[Katsuya Akiya (MC) POV]
Ruby and I played a few more rounds of the fighting game. She was actually really good at it, constantly dodging and using speed combos to chip away at my health, but I still managed to win a couple of matches by landing heavy hits when she got too aggressive.
Eventually, the massive ballroom started to quiet down. The lights dimmed, and the loud chatter turned into low whispers and the sounds of people getting into their sleeping bags.
"I should probably go to sleep," I said, handing the controller back to her.
"Oh, yeah. Good games!" Ruby smiled, packing the console back into her bag. "See you tomorrow, Katsuya."
I grabbed my suitcase and stood up.
Remembering her earlier warning about the older girls swarming guys who weren't careful, I figured it was best to play it safe.
I walked over to the designated boys' section of the ballroom. It was way less crowded, mostly just a handful of guys huddled together and already asleep. I found an empty spot near a pillar, laid out my sleeping bag, and lied down.
I wasn't tired at all, so I decided to explore the system interface a little more. I opened the blue screen and scrolled through the menus, checking the edges and swiping through the tabs. I was hoping to find some hidden features or a new perk, but after a few minutes of searching, I realized there was absolutely nothing new. It was just the basic travel, inventory, and chat functions.
While looking at the inventory tab, I noticed the item transfer function. It basically let us send physical objects to each other across dimensions.
That gave me an idea. I opened a private direct message with Scathach.
[Katsuya]: Can we send items to each other through this?
[Scathach]: Yes. We can transfer anything that fits the weight limit. Do you need something?
[Katsuya]: I need a cool handgun. Do you think you could make something like Vincent Valentine's Cerberus gun? The one with the three barrels.
[Scathach]: That is a good choice. The stopping power on a triple barrel is highly efficient. I will have it ready for you soon.
I smiled a little bit, glad I was going to get a reliable ranged weapon to go with my new arm. I typed out a quick thank you, but then I stopped. A sudden realization hit me.
Scathach was from the Land of Shadows.
[Katsuya]: Wait a second. I just realized I asked a Celtic myth to build a sci-fi firearm. Are you actually going to be able to make a gun?
A second later, a small glowing prompt appeared over my screen.
[System: (You have received an item transfer from Scathach.)]
I accepted it, and suddenly, the heavy weight of ten large, custom-made, high-caliber bullets dropped directly into my system inventory.
[Scathach]: Do not worry. It has been a very long time since I wanted to make something new, and I have perfect recall of how it is supposed to be engineered. I know what I am doing.
I felt a wave of relief. If there was one thing I could trust about my alternate selves, it was our shared stubbornness to be good at whatever we set our minds to.
Satisfied that my weapon situation was being handled, I closed the private message and opened the main groupchat just to see if anyone was online.
[Esdeath]: Hello everyone. It has been a busy day in the capital.
Before anyone could even reply to her, a new message popped up instantly.
[Koneko]: I was able to give him a blowjob.
The chat stalled for several seconds.
[Esdeath]: You realize that is literally just giving yourself a blowjob, right? That is kind of gay.
[Scathach]: Agreed. I am surprised you stooped to that level of bizarre narcissism.
I pulled the sleeping bag higher up my chest, feeling intensely awkward, but then my logic quickly caught up and I felt defensive.
[Katsuya]: I am pointing out the hypocrisy here. You two were literally just sending me pictures of yourselves in lingerie and a bunny suit to get my attention. You were both actively lusting after me just a few hours ago, so do not act like I am the only one being weird about this.
[Esdeath]: I have no idea what you are talking about. I was merely evaluating the efficiency of my empire's tailors and asked for your objective opinion.
[Scathach]: Indeed. I was simply testing the visual clarity of the system's image transfer function. Any perceived lust was entirely your own projection.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. They were completely lying to save face.
[Koneko]: yeah...and i did exactly what i wanted, i wont deny it
[Scathach]: Regardless, the firearm is not free. You will repay me with your body. Be warned, I have high libido. I recently masturbated for over five days straight. Prepare yourself.
I stared blankly at the text. The awkward insecurity vanished, instantly replaced by sheer, exhausting horror. Five days. That wasn't just a high libido, that was an absolute logistical nightmare.
[Katsuya]: can i refund these?
I stared at the glowing blue screen, waiting for a second in the hopes that she would take pity on me and just take the bullets back.
[Scathach]: Nope. All transactions are final.
I let out a heavy, tired sigh, letting my head thump back against the stone pillar behind my sleeping bag.
"Since when did my body become currency?" I muttered quietly to myself, rubbing my eyes.
Before I could spiral into dread about how I was going to survive five days with a Celtic warrior, my system pinged again.
[Esdeath]: If you are not tired and want to escape sleeping on a floor, you can visit my world.
A glowing green dimensional invite popped up on my screen right below her message.
I looked around the dark, quiet ballroom. A few guys near me were already snoring. I wasn't tired in the slightest, considering I had just woken up from a full night of sleep in Koneko's bed, and the thought of just lying here staring at the ceiling for the next eight hours sounded incredibly boring.
[Katsuya]: I accept.
I reached out and pressed the green button on the interface.
The dim, cavernous space of the Beacon ballroom vanished instantly.
When my vision cleared, the air felt significantly cooler and much more refined. I was standing on a plush, dark blue carpet in the middle of a massive, incredibly lavish bedroom. The walls were decorated with intricate imperial banners and heavy velvet drapes. I glanced over at the large balcony windows and saw that it was completely pitch black outside, illuminated only by the faint glow of the capital city's streetlights in the distance.
I looked toward the center of the room.
Sitting on the edge of a massive, canopy bed was Esdeath. She was wearing her pristine white general's uniform, completely unbothered by the late hour. Her long, ice-blue hair fell perfectly over her shoulders, and her sharp blue eyes locked onto me the second I materialized.
She offered a small, welcoming smile, her posture perfectly straight.
"Hello," she greeted me, her voice smooth and confident. She stood up from the bed, smoothing out the front of her uniform. "It is late here, but the palace is mostly quiet. Would you like to walk around?"
I looked at the door leading out into the halls of the Empire, then back to her.
"Sure," I nodded, putting my hands in my jacket pockets. "A walk sounds good."
Esdeath opened the heavy wooden doors of her bedchambers, leading me out into the massive, echoing hallways of the Imperial Palace. The corridors were lined with marble columns and lit by the soft, warm glow of wall sconces. It was completely quiet, save for the click of her boots and the soft tread of my sneakers against the stone floor.
We walked side by side for a few minutes just taking in the quiet atmosphere before my curiosity got the better of me.
"So," I asked, glancing over at her. "Since we have meta-knowledge of how things were supposed to go here, how many changes have you actually made to this world?"
Esdeath let out a small, satisfied hum, crossing her arms comfortably behind her back as she walked.
"I changed the entire plot, honestly," she recounted, her tone completely casual, as if she were talking about rearranging furniture instead of altering a nation's destiny.
"The original timeline was highly inefficient and full of unnecessary tragedies. I completely purged the corruption in the capital. The Prime Minister and his wealthy, sadistic friends have all been permanently dealt with."
I nodded, silently appreciating her blunt efficiency.
"And Tatsumi?" I asked.
"I personally sent imperial funding directly to his village," she said. "There was no reason for him or his friends to travel all the way to the capital just to get scammed and tortured. With the village's finances secured, they stayed home. I essentially cleaned out most, if not all, of the evil in the Empire and the surrounding territories. Night Raid has no reason to exist as a rebel assassination group anymore."
"That is extremely practical," I noted, genuinely impressed. She had basically speedrun the entire overarching conflict of her universe and solved it with a mix of targeted violence and proper economic funding. It was a very clean solution.
I stopped walking, turning to face her fully. The hallway was silent.
"But that brings me to the most important question," I said, keeping my expression entirely serious.
Esdeath stopped a few paces ahead and turned to look at me, tilting her head slightly. Her sharp blue eyes narrowed in curiosity.
"What is it?"
"How is Bulat?" I asked.
Esdeath stared at me for a long, quiet second. Then, a genuine, highly amused smirk spread across her face.
"He's still killing it with that pompadour," she responded seamlessly.
"That is very good to hear," I said, a genuine, relaxed smile breaking across my face. It was nice to know that some important things, like a perfect hairstyle, remained completely intact despite all the plot changes.
Gulp.
The sound as surprisingly loud in the quiet stone hallway. I stopped walking and turned to look at Esdeath.
She had her head turned completely away from me, staring intensely at a blank spot on the wall. Her posture was suddenly rigid, and the tips of her ears beneath her ice-blue hair were visibly pink.
I blinked, genuinely caught half by surprise.
"Wait... are you flustered?" I asked, leaning slightly to try and catch her eye. " Does seeing a genuine smile actually make you shy now?"
"I am not flustered," she denied immediately, her tone sharp, though she stubbornly refused to look back at me. "I am the Empire's strongest general. I do not get 'shy' over a simple facial expression."
I couldn't help myself. The opportunity to tease my own alternate self when she was usually so dominating was way too good to pass up.
"I don't know, you're definitely looking away right now," I teased, taking a step closer. "Are you sure the big, scary ice general isn't just a little weak to a nice smile?"
She slowly turned her head back to face me. Her bright blue eyes were completely dark, locked onto mine with an intense, predatory focus.
"I will rape you right here against this pillar if you keep saying that," she stated, her voice dangerously flat and completely serious.
My posture instantly straightened like a board.
"Yes, ma'am," I said immediately.
I clamped my mouth completely shut and stared straight ahead, all the teasing draining out of me in a split second. She was significantly stronger than me, and I fully believed she would make good on that threat.
Silence fell over the hallway again as we stood there.
But then, my brain processed the sheer, ridiculous absurdity of the entire conversation. Five seconds ago we were talking about Bulat's pompadour, and now I was being threatened with sexual assault by an alternate-universe female version of myself because my smile was too effective.
A short, sudden snort escaped my nose. I quickly slapped both hands over my mouth, but it was too late. I started laughing. It wasn't a loud laugh, just a suppressed, shaking chuckle that I physically couldn't hold in.
Esdeath's eyes narrowed into an icy, dead-serious glare. The temperature in the hallway felt like it instantly dropped ten degrees.
I panicked. My eyes went wide above my hands, and I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, taking frantic, deep breaths through my nose. I desperately tried to swallow the laugh and hold it back.
Before I could even take another breath, Esdeath closed the distance. In a blur of motion, she grabbed the front of my jacket and slammed me back against the marble pillar.
Despite the fact that I actually had an inch of height on her, it didn't matter in the slightest. The physical strength difference was absurd. She had me completely pinned, her forearm pressing firmly against my chest.
"I'm—" I wheezed, but a sudden, high-pitched snort escaped my nose. I tried to swallow it, biting my lip so hard I could taste copper, but the image of this world-class conqueror being defeated by a simple smile was too much. "Pfft—hah... I'm sorry, I swear I'm not laughing at you, or myself—it's just... the irony—"
"I told you to stop laughing," she warned, leaning in close. Her voice was a low, dangerous whisper, her face inches from mine. "I am completely serious, Katsuya. If you keep laughing, I really will do it."
"Heehee... hah... it's... it's just a joke," I managed to wheeze out, my shoulders shaking violently against the stone. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to think about something boring, like taxes or dirt, but every time I looked at her frustrated, blushing face, another chuckle forced its way out. "I'm—haha—trying! I'm trying to stop!"
I was practically doubled over as much as the pillar would allow, my face turning red from the effort of holding back a full-blown guffaw. The harder I tried to force myself to be serious, the funnier the sheer absurdity of the threat became. I was helpless, just softly cackling while pinned by the Empire's most sadistic general.
She stared into my eyes for a few more seconds, trying to maintain that terrifying, dominating aura. But seeing me helplessly struggling to breathe through my giggles completely ruined the intimidation factor.
Esdeath finally let out a long, defeated sigh. She released my jacket and took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest and huffing.
I leaned against the pillar for a good thirty seconds, wiping a stray tear from the corner of my eye and taking deep, shaky breaths to finally get my composure back.
Honestly, even when she was pressing me against the wall, I wasn't actually scared. I knew myself too well. Even if we were in different bodies now, we still shared the same core soul...
Koneko doesnt count though i swear it must be some kind of random old pervert instead
I would never actually make a rape joke, let alone follow through with one. It just wasn't in my nature to even say something like that.
But as I looked at her, standing in the hallway of the Imperial Palace, I realized she had been living in the world of Akame ga Kill! for a long time. It was a notoriously gritty, miserable, and utterly shitty world. She had probably seen and dealt with horrific things on a daily basis while cleaning up the Empire's corruption. It made sense that her sense of humor had adapted to the grim reality of her environment.
"Sorry," I said, finally calming down and dusting off the front of my jacket. "I just couldn't hold it in. The contrast was too much."
"Whatever," she muttered, looking away again, though the dangerous aura was completely gone.
I looked at her, noticing that the very tips of her ears were still a vibrant pink. My brain, now fully recovered from the laughter, immediately decided to pivot to something else entirely. If she was going to act tough to cover up being flustered, I had the perfect weapon.
"You know," I started casually, putting my hands in my pockets and leaning back against the pillar. "Since we're on the topic of things that make us act out of character... I was actually just recounting our old hidden porn gallery from back in our original life. You know, the one buried four folders deep in the 'Homework' drive?"
Esdeath completely froze.
I watched as a deep, vibrant shade of crimson violently rushed up her neck and completely overtook her face. Desperate for any distraction, made the teasing worth the risk of being frozen solid.
"Oh, and it wasn't just the gallery, was it?" I continued, stepping toward her with a mock-thoughtful expression. "I was just remembering the search history. You know, the stuff we actually looked for when we weren't just being horny. Like... 'pure fluff' and 'mutual consent romance.' Or that one three-hour deep dive into 'first date tropes where they just talk and realize they're soulmates.'"
"Stop talking," Esdeath hissed, her voice cracking slightly. She was vibrating, her face so red it looked like she was about to overheat, which was impressive for an ice user.
"Don't forget the 'cuddling under a blanket during a thunderstorm' tab," I added, enjoying the way she was shrinking back against the wall. "Or the very specific search for 'mutual respect and emotional support after a long day.' We really were just a bunch of softies, weren't we? Everything was so... mutual. So gentle."
she burst out, though it sounded more like a plea for mercy. "I lead armies! I do not... I do not search for 'fluff'!"
"And yet, you remember every word," I said, pausing for dramatic effect as I prepared the final blow. I took a deep breath, focusing as if I were about to activate my Innocence for a finishing move. I looked her dead in the eye and whispered the ultimate forbidden term.
"Hand. Holding."
The silence that followed was heavy. Then, the air in the hallway didn't just get cold—it solidified.
Before I could blink, Esdeath's hand shot out. She didn't just grab my jacket this time; she grabbed me by the waist and the collar, hoisting my entire body off the ground as if I weighed nothing. She slammed me back against the pillar with enough force to make the stone groan.
She leaned in, her forehead pressed against mine. Her face was still a chaotic mess of a blush, but her eyes had shifted back to that dark, dangerously focused blue. She looked like she was fighting a war within herself, and the soft side was losing.
"That's it," she muttered, her breath hot against my cheek as she squeezed my collar tight. "I am definitely raping you tonight. You aren't leaving this palace until I've erased every single one of those memories from your head."
I hung there, my feet dangling a few inches off the floor, looking down at the legendary general who was currently having a total meltdown.
"Uhhh...thats a joke right?" I said getting no response making me