Dimensional Kaguya Ōtsutsuki

"You seem to have misunderstood," Kaguya said, walking closer to them. "What you're willing to do has nothing to do with me."

The two little ones before her were ghouls, but weak ones with no significant strength. Kaguya wasn't sure how they managed to survive this long. They didn't appear to pose any threat; in fact, they looked more like lost kittens.

Kaguya had no need for what they were offering. It wasn't like she needed someone to fetch her food—especially not something as grotesque as human meat.

Killing without batting an eye was one thing, but eating human flesh? That was another line entirely. Kaguya couldn't stomach the thought.

But why did this situation feel oddly like she was adopting stray pets?

Hearing Kaguya's words, the white-haired girl's expression shifted, her heart sinking.

So, this person did intend to finish them off completely.

Images flashed through her mind—of Kaguya's face twisted with malice, advancing on them step by step.

"What's wrong?" Kaguya asked, puzzled by the girl's suddenly panicked expression.

I can't die here. Not yet.

The white-haired girl backed up a few steps, clenched her teeth, and, taking advantage of Kaguya's momentary distraction, scooped up her sister from the ground. Then, like a startled rabbit, she bolted away as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Hey, hey!" Kaguya called out, taking a couple of steps forward. But the girl only ran faster, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Watching the two figures fade into the horizon, Kaguya sighed helplessly.

Why were they running?

Was she really that scary?

Initially, Kaguya had planned to do a good deed and help them, especially since they were such beautiful girls. But if they didn't want her help, she wasn't about to force it on them.

Still, they looked familiar. Had she seen them somewhere before?

She scratched her chin, pondering for a moment, but nothing came to mind.

Oh well. Going to grab some dango was more important. If she didn't hurry, it might all be gone.

With that thought, Kaguya headed for the dango shop.

It was just a small detour in her day, something she forgot about almost immediately.

However, when Kaguya reached the shop, the front was eerily quiet. A sign reading CLOSED hung on the door, with another note: "Sold Out."

Why?

The sight struck Kaguya like a thunderbolt. She stood frozen in place, unable to believe it was real.

Why were there so many people obsessed with dango? Couldn't they eat other sweets instead? Why did they have to snatch away hers?

A sudden, violent impulse to obliterate the shop welled up within her. But after some thought—if she destroyed it, she wouldn't be able to eat their dango in the future—Kaguya forced herself to suppress her frustration.

Dejected and defeated, Kaguya wandered the streets, her face etched with sorrow like she'd just suffered a monumental loss.

"Look, such a beautiful girl," someone whispered.

"Is she unwell? She looks sick."

"Should we ask her if she needs help?"

"What if she faints all of a sudden? That'd be bad."

A group of passersby hesitated before approaching. One of them, face slightly flushed, nervously asked, "Um, excuse me, are you—"

"Leave me alone," Kaguya snapped, glaring at them. She brushed past without another word.

The bystanders instantly froze, then scattered like startled birds.

"What's with men these days? See a pretty girl and immediately stick to her—are they all perverts now?" Kaguya sighed, massaging her forehead.

Of course, Kaguya, while criticizing others, was oblivious to the fact that she had no qualifications to judge, given how she herself gravitated toward attractive people.

In the distance, at the corner of a street, a girl with light green hair and glasses curved her lips into a faint, meaningful smile.

"Hi, Liuli-chan," a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind her.

Huh?

Kaguya froze, then turned around. In the distance stood a man in a suit and tie. However, his slicked-back mohawk hairstyle and slightly rounded, pudgy face were so incongruous they bordered on absurd. It looked as though a gorilla had been dressed in human clothes.

It was none other than Enji Koma. What was with this getup? Had he lost his mind?

Oh no. Could it be that the fight had damaged his brain? Better steer clear of him.

Enji Koma, seeing Kaguya turn to look at him, beamed triumphantly. It had taken him hours to assemble this outfit, all in an effort to make a good impression on her.

During their last battle, while on the brink of death, Enji Koma had been struck by deep regret. There were so many things left undone—especially confessing his feelings to the one he admired. Having survived the ordeal, he resolved to express himself, rejection be damned. He didn't want to live with regrets.

So, the moment he heard that Kaguya had left, he rushed here as quickly as possible.

As Kaguya turned her head toward him, Enji Koma smoothed his hair, preparing to speak. But when he focused his gaze—

She was gone.

"Hey, wait up!"

Kaguya had ignored him entirely and walked off.

Enji Koma hurriedly chased after her, panting as he caught up. "Why are you walking so fast?"

"Oh, it's you, Koma," Kaguya said, her expression one of feigned politeness, her smile anything but genuine.

Unbothered by her reaction, Enji Koma smiled warmly. "Today happens to be the winter solstice. If you're free—"

Winter solstice?

Kaguya blinked. Wait, Japan celebrates that too?

"Sorry, I've got plans today," Kaguya replied flatly.

"What a shame." Enji Koma sighed, pulling a small box from behind his back. "I bought some pumpkin dango just for you. But since you're not interested—" He looked up and froze in shock.

Kaguya was staring intently at the box in his hands, her eyes sparkling like searchlights, dazzlingly bright.

"Well, in that case, thanks!"

"Hey, hey! When did you snatch the box? And didn't you just say you didn't want it?"

"Who said I didn't want it? You should've mentioned it earlier! Geez."

"Then, do you have time tonight? If you're free—"

"Sorry, I'm busy."

"Hey, that mood shift was way too fast!"

Kaguya held the "snatched" dango in her hand, humming a little tune. Her mood seemed quite good. Despite Enji Koma resembling an incompletely evolved gorilla and not coming across as particularly smart, he was surprisingly a good person.

But he seemed to have something important to tell her, Kaguya thought to herself, her fingers resting on her chin.

What could it be?

Never mind. It probably wasn't anything significant. Eating the dango was much more important.

Turning around, Kaguya headed home.

...

The night had deepened, and the moon hung low in the sky.

Winter evenings arrived particularly early. By six o'clock, it was already dark. The bustling city had settled from its daytime clamor, leaving the streets sparsely populated. Shops began to close.

Although there had been recent tumult from the ghoul extermination operation, and people were still wary of roaming ghouls, ordinary citizens had gradually resumed their daily lives. At night, only a few dared to venture out, giving the city a sense of unease mixed with peace.

But for Kaguya, none of this made any difference. She wasn't one for nightlife anyway. To her, nighttime was meant for sleeping—or gaming. However, this city didn't seem to have many good online games. Most were console games. For someone used to the occasional indulgence in League of Legends or CS GO, Kaguya found herself struggling to adapt.

Was this the result of being poisoned by domestic online games?

Kaguya's residence—or what could barely be called her home—was more of an apartment. It lacked the elements that would make it a "home." There were no family members there, and the space was always cold and empty. Every time Kaguya returned, she was greeted only by a vacant room and—

Wait.

Why were there two people lying on the floor of her apartment?

Could she have been robbed?

This was certainly a novel experience. She hadn't expected anyone to be bold—or foolish—enough to make trouble on her turf. Did they not know that even rats avoided her apartment?

But when Kaguya saw their faces, she froze.

The two pale-faced girls were none other than the ones who had attacked her on the street earlier.

How had they ended up here?

They didn't look good at all. Their clothes were shredded by sharp blades, and their bodies were covered in wounds of varying sizes. Some cuts were so deep that bone was visible, with crimson blood trickling from the gashes. The entire room was filled with the pungent scent of iron.

What could they have gone through to end up like this?

Judging by her earlier encounter with them, they had likely been starving and had tried to prey on weak humans. Judging from their current state, they might have run into investigators or other ghouls.

"Well, guess I won't be eating dango tonight," Kaguya sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

After all, no one could enjoy food in a room drenched in blood.

At that moment, the younger sister seemed to be startled awake by Kaguya's voice. She staggered to her feet but wobbled due to blood loss. Her face was even paler. She bared her teeth, extended her sharp claws, and hissed like a cornered kitten, her voice trembling as she shouted:

"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill you!"

"So, we meet again. What a coincidence," Kaguya remarked nonchalantly, completely ignoring the threat as she walked toward them. She casually flipped on the light switch, and the room lit up.

When the younger sister saw Kaguya, her pupils constricted.

How could it be her?

She never expected that, in their panicked escape and desperate search for a hiding place, they would end up at the home of the person they encountered earlier that day.

This person's strength was something she had already experienced firsthand that afternoon. What seemed like an ordinary human girl turned out to possess incredible power. The two of them were defeated in an instant.

And if it hadn't been for her, she and her sister wouldn't have suffered such serious injuries, wouldn't have—

What were they supposed to do now?

"Don't come any closer!" the white-haired girl shouted loudly, assuming a fighting stance.

"This is my house, isn't it?" Kaguya pointed at herself with her finger, speaking in exasperation. "Shouldn't it be you two who are leaving?"

Without waiting for a response, Kaguya walked straight inside.

This was truly a headache. The room was such a mess, and it would take forever to clean up. Was today her unlucky day?

Seeing Kaguya approach them without hesitation, the white-haired girl bit her lip and stomped forward, rushing at Kaguya and swinging her arm in an attack.

Hadn't she learned her lesson by now?

Kaguya sighed in mild frustration. She just wanted to enjoy her dango in peace. Why did this have to happen?

It seemed she would have to make her quiet down for a while.

As Kaguya reached out, intending to knock the girl unconscious, the white-haired girl suddenly stumbled. Her steps faltered, and with a thud, she collapsed onto the floor and fell silent.

"Huh?"

Kaguya blinked, surprised.

Was this a trick to lure her closer for a sneak attack?

But it didn't look like that. If she could bleed so much and still act convincingly, Kaguya would genuinely have to admire her dedication to the performance.

"Hey, stop pretending. Get up already. Seriously, you've made such a mess of my place."

When Kaguya walked over and nudged the girl with her hand, there was no response. Flipping the girl onto her back, Kaguya froze.

There was a massive wound across the girl's chest, stretching from her right shoulder to her left abdomen, nearly splitting her body in two. Blood was gushing from the gash in torrents.

Was she still trying to hold on in this condition?

Kaguya frowned slightly before letting out a resigned sigh.

Fine. While Kaguya wasn't one to believe in superstition, having someone die in her apartment still felt unsettling. Besides, these two kids looked pretty pitiful.

Kaguya reached down and picked her up, carrying her to the bedroom and laying her on the bed. The girl's face was as pale as a sheet of paper due to severe blood loss, almost devoid of any color. She was teetering on the edge of death. At this rate, she wouldn't last more than ten minutes.

Sighing again, Kaguya muttered to herself, "Looks like I won't be getting any sleep tonight."

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