Anime Multiverse: Building a Pantheon from Scratch

At the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters, inside the office dedicated to SDS, Tachibana Kirika was reviewing a stack of documents. With a bug-proof phone tucked between her shoulder and cheek, she wore a faint smile as she said, "So you really managed to bring that occult studies expert from Kyoto to teach Luo Shu, huh? That must've been quite the effort."

On the other end of the line, a gentle voice replied, "It was just a necessary faculty arrangement. After all, that child is the first warlock we've ever recruited within the island nation."

There was a slight pause before the voice lowered, as if muttering, "And he was pretty much strong-armed by you, wasn't he?"

"Is he still upset about that?"

The woman on the other end sounded somewhat exasperated.

Kirika laughed heartily at her friend's jab. "Oh, don't start lecturing me now. You know exactly how I am. When a wild treasure jumps right in front of me, how could I possibly resist picking it up?"

"And besides, I'm a generous mentor, guiding him into the adult world~. If he's not gifting me some limited-edition designer bags in return, that's already enough of a loss. Being angry on top of that? What does he have to be upset about?"

"Totally in line with your personality, Kirika," the woman on the line responded with a helpless yet indulgent tone.

"Sure, we do have an urgent need for Warlock. But instead of attracting them with ideology, coercing them like this... Kirika, this time you really went too far."

"The one who's more wilful than me doesn't have the right to speak," Kirika shot back. "You're the one who suddenly decided to form the SDS one day. Who do you think I'm working for here, Lady President?"

She huffed and continued, clearly annoyed, "And that kid clearly saw the benefits and went with the flow. How did this become me coercing him? All I did was tell him how the police treat people like him. That's it. Maybe you should read the report a few more times before pointing fingers, you wilful heiress."

After venting, Kirika returned to flipping through her paperwork. "Anyway, off-topic stuff aside. If we can train this warlock properly, it'll mark a solid start for SDS here in Japan. And those abyssal artifacts we've been holding onto—the ones normal people can't use—they might finally have a reliable handler."

She paused, raising her head slightly, her expression turning serious.

"If this 'foundation for preserving peace and order' finally stabilizes, I honestly don't know how to feel. Lacus Clyne—my dearest friend—don't you have something to say to me for all my hard work?"

A soft chuckle echoed through the speaker, followed by a gentle, soul-soothing voice.

"You've worked hard, my dear friend~"

"Mm..."

Kirika removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing deeply. "Even if it's just our delusion, let's hope this world can stay peaceful a little longer. Even if the ever-encroaching abyss tries to swallow it whole."

With that, she hung up, slid her glasses back on, and silently turned to the title on the report before her: [Speculative Countdown to the Apocalypse].

"Another one of these tired reports…" Kirika muttered as she twirled her pen with mild irritation.

Just then, her encrypted phone rang again.

"Hello~? This is me. Chisato? Is there finally some development with Luo Shu? It's fine if he failed; this was always supposed to be practice for him…"

"What? He found it in one night?"

Kirika froze, stunned by the report coming from Chisato on the other end.

——————

At a park near the private Toyosaki Academy, by the fountain, a tall girl with long black hair stood gracefully with her schoolbag in hand. Her face was expressionless as she looked at the tardy Luo Shu and said coldly:

"Not a single LINE message all night, and then just a last-minute 'meet at the park' text right before class. Luo Shu, are you secretly living some wild, nightlife-filled double life where you go off-grid the moment you're at your club?"

Hearing that, Luo Shu was momentarily stunned, then glanced at her curiously before replying, "There was a bit of an unexpected situation last night. I tried to message you, but saw through the internal network that you'd already gone to bed early."

He paused, then teased, "Wait, don't tell me you actually listened to me and started going to bed early? Could it be that Miss Kasumigaoka is a good girl who follows instructions?"

"..." Kasumigaoka Utaha went silent for a moment before speaking with a complicated expression. "My neck hurts."

"And my foot too."

"...?" Luo Shu blinked, confused. How did the topic shift so suddenly?

Utaha sighed at his clueless expression and explained with visible frustration, "I stayed up way too late the night before, and yesterday morning I didn't get a chance to nap because we were chatting. So, I ended up falling asleep on the sofa after school and didn't wake up until the next morning."

"When I saw the time on the wall clock, I panicked, thinking I'd missed your message from last night. In my hurry to find my phone, I twisted my ankle and got a stiff neck from sleeping on the couch."

"I'm such an idiot…" Utaha muttered in self-loathing.

She had completely forgotten that she could have checked Luo Shu's status via the internal network. She hadn't adjusted to the fact that things were "different" now.

"So, this morning's jab was your way of coping?" Luo Shu asked with a mix of amusement and exasperation, thinking that her intelligence today definitely didn't match her graceful appearance.

"The system's healing only works at the base. Instant transfers need points. But you could've gone to the clubroom early for treatment. Why'd you wait here?"

Utaha gave him a blank stare. "Please don't overestimate someone who was still a regular person yesterday."

Then, eager to change the subject, she asked, "So, what happened last night that made you go completely silent?"

"My identity as a psychic was discovered by what seems to be a semi-official organization. I've been dealing with the fallout since then."

Utaha froze, clearly stunned. "Wait, the same 'official' people who're always scrambling around trying to solve weird murders in Beika Town? They actually have that kind of capability?"

Luo Shu gave her a strange look, clearly not expecting that to be her frame of reference. "That organization is backed by a military arms conglomerate that works behind the scenes. The actual Japanese authorities just provide funding and some support."

"I see. So not the government as I imagined. In that case, their efficiency makes a lot more sense."

Utaha casually made a remark that would probably give the police department a stroke if they ever heard it. Then she smirked and added teasingly, "Looks like a certain god went through a lot of trouble yesterday to protect his little follower."