Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

Two days later.

In the administrative center, Setsuna summoned a few Spirits and shipgirls.

"Mio, Kurumi Tokisaki, Nia Honjo, Richelieu, this time the task of recruiting Spirits in the Date A Live world is entrusted to you."

"They should all be ordinary people right now, so be mindful of your approach—don't frighten them too much."

With a team of four, Setsuna assigned their roles with precision.

Richelieu was in charge of leading the team, given her composed and leader-like demeanor.

Nia's role was to use Rasiel to locate the potential Spirits.

Kurumi's time-based abilities provided valuable support; although she couldn't traverse vast timelines like the Spiritron Transfer Device, she was capable of making short jumps.

As for Mio, she was responsible for splitting and distributing the Spirit Crystals.

"Setsuna, I have no issues."

"I guarantee the successful completion of the mission, Commander."

Mio and Richelieu spoke in unison.

"Ara, Setsuna, why am I being sent to do such things?"

Kurumi tilted her head playfully.

"Those who can become Spirits are all cute girls, right? You're actually asking me to lure them into your base. My, what a terrible man you are..."

"You must be imagining the day when all of us Spirits will serve you together, right? Ah… you're so greedy, even though you already have so many girls around you."

She perched herself on Setsuna's desk, her voice laced with teasing seduction, her crimson eyes scanning him from head to toe.

Finally, she revealed a smile full of hidden meanings.

"You're quite smart."

Setsuna neither confirmed nor denied her words.

Of course, he wanted to gather all the Spirits, but responding to Kurumi's teasing would only dig him deeper into a hole—especially with Taihou and Yat Sen watching nearby.

"If you finish the mission, I'll take you to buy a few cats—whatever breed you want."

"I'll even let you pet Yukikaze's ears. And once we find the Nekopara world, I can bring back a few catgirls for you, turning your house into a cat paradise."

"!!!"

Thinking of the adorable shipgirls with cat ears, Kurumi's cheeks flushed.

Those tiny destroyers were even cuter than actual cats, but they only got close to the Commander and their senior shipgirls.

"W-Well… fine, I'll help you this time."

Kurumi reluctantly agreed, fidgeting slightly.

"What's this? A certified cat-lover?"

The others couldn't help but exchange knowing looks.

...

Half an hour later, in the Date A Live world.

Three Spirits and one shipgirl stepped through the dimensional anchor and found themselves once again in the outskirts of Tengu City.

With no threats present, the mission was relatively simple, so there was no need for Setsuna or additional team members to accompany them.

Richelieu and Mio led the way, while Nia and Kurumi followed behind.

"Phew, back again. This really is amazing."

Kurumi exhaled softly, gazing at the familiar landscape.

"So much has happened in the past month... it's a lot to process. Is this what a 'new world' means to me?"

"What are you talking about?"

Nia couldn't understand why Kurumi was suddenly feeling sentimental.

She hadn't experienced Kurumi's complex journey through time.

To be precise, aside from Setsuna and a few shipgirls, only Kurumi knew that this world had actually been reset in time.

"It's nothing, let's go."

Kurumi quickly regained her usual composed demeanor and followed behind Richelieu.

Soon, they arrived in front of a hospital.

"Is this the place?"

Richelieu turned to look at Nia, who was wearing her Astral Dress nun outfit and hugging her large book.

"Yes, inpatient department, 5th floor, room 3-2."

Nia Honjo glanced at Rasiel and nodded affirmatively.

The group walked forward.

Inside an ICU ward, a petite girl with blue hair and blue eyes lay resting in the hospital bed.

She looked pale and frail, with an IV drip attached to her arm and various life-monitoring devices connected to her body.

It was Yoshino Himekawa.

Mio knelt beside the bed, gently calling her name.

"Mm?..."

The young girl opened her eyes, staring curiously at the beautiful older sisters before her.

Mio was dressed in a white gown, her silver hair cascading down her back, with a faint halo of light shimmering behind her.

With her divine beauty, she looked like a goddess descended to earth.

Standing a little further back, the other three were also some of the most beautiful girls Yoshino had ever seen in her life.

"An angel? Are you here to take me away? Am I dying?"

Yoshino asked innocently.

"No, you'll be just fine."

Mio crouched beside her bed, gently placing her hand on the girl's forehead.

Yoshino felt a warm energy flowing through her body.

Since childhood, she had been frail and sickly, living with her mother and spending most of her time bedridden, even struggling to walk.

But as the power of the Spirit of Origin coursed through her, she felt herself being healed in an instant.

All the pain and weakness vanished, replaced by a comforting warmth, like basking in the sun.

"Who... are you?"

"We come from a place far, far away," Mio said softly, her voice soothing like a lullaby.

"A fairy-tale world with no pain or conflict, where Spirits live freely in nature, and mighty dragons soar through the skies…"

Like a mother telling bedtime stories, Mio painted a vivid picture of a magical world beyond Yoshino's imagination.

"..."

For over ten minutes, Mio continued her story before finally asking:

"Would you like to become a Spirit and come with me?"

Yoshino, entranced by the tale, especially upon learning that she could gain the power of a Spirit, couldn't stop nodding.

"I would! I would!"

"..."

Kurumi bit her lip, her expression complex.

"Mio... So this is how you used to lure the other Spirits, huh... No wonder so many fell for it."

"Well, I was tricked by her before too..."

Kurumi's perception of Mio was now deeply conflicted.

In her original timeline, the Spirit of Origin had caused the deaths of countless human girls and manipulated her into a tangled mess.

Now, Mio was merely a girl with the same power, but with a kind heart, wholly devoted to love.

In fact, the only reason she was separating Spirit Crystals and recruiting other Spirits was simply to make Setsuna happy.

"Stop dwelling on the past. Isn't this nice the way it is now?"

Richelieu patted Kurumi lightly.

"..."

Leaning against the wall, Kurumi pondered for a moment.

"No, I was just curious how Setsuna managed to turn Mio into this..."

Richelieu chuckled without replying.

Curious? A curious girl is never too far from falling...

"I was just curious too, at first—how a primitive native like the Commander even managed to contact me. And then, well..."

...

By the time the four of them stepped out of the hospital, they were followed by a lively little girl dressed in a green long dress, wearing a bunny-eared hat.

She hugged a peculiar-looking rabbit plushie tightly, staring at it with wide, curious eyes.

"This is your Angel—Zadkiel. It can freeze everything around it, including fields and spiritual energy."

"Also, you can use it to deploy a protective barrier..."

Mio patiently explained the powers that Yoshino had just acquired.

Richelieu checked off Yoshino Himekawa's name on her notepad and then turned to Nia Honjo.

"Who's next? Who's closest?"

"Uh..."

Nia scribbled a few strokes in Rasiel.

"Tobiichi Origami."

"Oh, her... According to the Commander's theory, after the worldline shift, Origami's parents are still alive, and she never joined AST—wait, AST doesn't even exist anymore."

Richelieu thought for a moment.

"In that case, she's probably just a typical girl who loves fantasy and lacks a bit of tact. We might need a different approach to talk to her."

Thirty minutes later.

Knock, knock, knock—

Inside a small apartment, a white-haired, blue-eyed girl opened the door.

She blinked in confusion at the beautiful women standing before her.

"And you are...?"

Whoosh—

Mio activated her field, and the entire world froze into black and white stillness.

"Origami-chan, make a wish."

"Ehhhhh?! What is this?!"

...

...

About two weeks later.

Richelieu's battleship landed near the airbase.

"Commander, mission accomplished."

"We've brought back all the Spirits that could be recruited from that world."

Richelieu strode down the gangway in high spirits, reporting to Setsuna, who had come to greet them.

"Good work."

Setsuna embraced Richelieu and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

Following behind Richelieu were several girls unfamiliar to the shipgirls but all too familiar to Setsuna—Tobiichi Origami, Yoshino Himekawa, Kotori Itsuka, Mukuro Hoshimiya, and Natsumi Kyouno.

Originally natives of the Date A Live world, they had become Spirits after receiving Mio's Spirit Crystals and were now brought into this world.

The girls glanced around timidly, cautiously observing their new surroundings.

"Onee-chan, is this the new world you mentioned?"

"So many strange people here..."

They seemed to share an unusual sense of reliance on Mio, shyly sticking close to the Spirit of Origin.

"Setsuna!!"

Mio immediately dove into Setsuna's arms.

"Look, I brought you all the girls you wanted..."

"It took me a lot of effort, you know? Now, all that's left is to separate out a Spirit Crystal for Tohka, and we'll be set..."

"Wait a minute?"

Setsuna suddenly noticed that within the group of Spirits, there were also the Yamai sisters and Miku Izayoi.

"Wasn't the Date A Live timeline in 2011? Shouldn't they still be younger at this point? How did you manage this?!"

From their appearance, they seemed older than he had anticipated.

He originally planned to recruit them in another two or three years.

"Setsuna, what do you think I'm here for?"

Tokisaki Kurumi slowly descended the gangway, dressed in her signature black and red Astral Dress.

She twirled a flintlock pistol in her right hand.

"Yud Aleph, Eleventh Bullet?!"

Setsuna was taken aback but quickly caught on.

Tokisaki Kurumi could manipulate time and send individuals into the future within a reasonable span.

Working together with Mio, it made perfect sense that they could have brought the girls from the future back to the present.

"Exactly~~"

"We overachieved on the mission, Setsuna~"

Mio snuggled against him coquettishly, drawing side glances from the other Spirits.

"Separating this many Spirit Crystals was exhausting, you know. How are you planning to compensate me?..."

"Hmm..."

Setsuna pondered for a moment before tapping Mio's forehead.

"Alright, alright. One Spirit Crystal equals one magic replenishment session, right? Tonight, I'll make sure you get your fill."

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