Angel Luna

Angel Luna. An idol who had debuted under the easy catchphrase, "an angel descended into the modern world."

That said, surely no one thought the catchphrase was overblown.

A clear, transparent voice.

Her too-beautiful, otherworldly looks drew attention from every direction.

I usually had no interest in entertainers, but she alone, with her exceptional beauty, had caught my eye.

That angel… was now here.

"… Eh, is this really okay? Someone this famous… Earth's gotta be in an uproar by now…"

Her status and notoriety were on a totally different level from a commoner like me.

"Angel Luna… well, she's a pretty girl. I knew of her too.

"But she's still a fresh idol singer who just made her debut.

"I don't think it'll cause that big of an uproar."

Kanan answered.

"Eh, but she's this pretty…?"

"Well, I'll grant her the looks… and in person she's even prettier."

Smooth, transparent platinum-blonde hair.

Her low-pigment skin was practically translucent… her wide eyes were closed at the moment, but they looked like they shone silver, a kind of grey.

Her chest was magnificently bountiful, too…

You could call her perfect beauty without overstating it.

And that very angel was now right in front of me…

"W-what should I do…"

"… What do you mean what? Aren't you just going to do what you did to me?"

Kanan was watching with half-lidded eyes.

"N-no, that was, that was because Kanan's breathing was so quiet I got flustered and jumped to the wrong conclusion…"

Yikes. I had a feeling she'd hold it over me for the rest of my life.

"… Of course I'm going to bring it up. With Naoto, I want to remember every single one of our kisses… and I barely remember the most important one, our first kiss."

Well, that was a cute reason.

"Hmm, isn't there an option to bring her along without contracting her?"

"… You don't know when she might be taken from you. I think it'd be tough…"

That was Lyuka's opinion.

"Is that so… I think if I guarded her closely, it'd be hard for someone to suddenly catch us off guard and kiss her…"

"Oh? Is that another one of Naoto's quirks? I don't see a problem with it. As long as Naoto protects her, she'd be fine."

That was Yuria's opinion.

"But if someone used a skill like Otherworld Wind to teleport in…"

"You'd toss the Master into the heart of enemy territory? If they did that, you'd just have to give the enemy Master a full beating with an Out-of-Battle Battle and put him down."

"… That's true. I won't retract my opinion that it'd be tough since you don't know when she might be stolen, but I won't say it's impossible, either."

Lyuka summed it up that way.

"If you're worried about forcing absolute obedience on slaves, you've never once forcibly subjugated us outside of battle, have you?"

That was Leone's opinion.

"No, but all of you chose me of your own will, didn't you?

"If possible, I want to enter the contract once she's genuinely accepted it…"

"Adelia became a companion through the Garumon Battle system-nya.

"But she's so very happy now. Adelia is truly glad Naoto is her Goshujin-sama-nya."

"… Ah, true, with Adelia… maybe I'm overthinking it because of what happened with Kanan."

"… I-I, too… I'd die before I let anyone but you be my Goshujin-sama.

"Haru accepted me as taking responsibility for the things I'd done up to now…

"Well, now we're slave companions, and I don't mind being made to obey Haru and Yuria…

"In any case, no matter how we became companions, we're happy now because we were drawn to your character.

"Even if you'd contracted me while I was unconscious, I don't think there'd be any problem with it."

Kanan comforted me like that.

Everyone had their own opinions. But on one point they all agreed: I should do as I thought was right.

I thought it through. I'd originally been the kind of person who wanted to respect another person's autonomy.

But once I'd resolved to live in this world, dragging out those old values again was foolish.

If that was the case…

"All right… I've decided to contract her."

I made up my mind.

Angel Luna… an angel descended to the earth…

It would be the height of folly to let slip the good fortune of having her descend right in front of me.

I knew it was right to wait until she woke up and talk to her. But what if she rejected me then? Would I just not contract her?

Was I going to silently watch a Free Garumon get stolen by someone else?

That couldn't happen. So whether I did it now or later, it amounted to the same thing.

I gently kissed her as she slept on quietly.

… Her soft lips felt very nice.

"Value 5500. Just like the name says, an angel… a strong job. And God-element means…

"It's super-effective against many elements; on par with or above Dragon, the strongest element.

"This is amazing. An incredible Garumon!"

When I praised her like that, I could feel a prickle of jealousy flare up in everyone's hearts.

"… U-um… I-I don't mean she's better than any of you or anything…"

"I know… it's fine. We're just fired up to prove we can be more useful to you than she is."

Maika's smile was a little scary.

"… Where am I…"

At that moment, she opened her eyes.

"… Ah, nice to meet you. My name is Naoto Akai."

"Ah… yes, I'm… Angel Luna… What on earth is going on…

"I'm sure I was on location, in the city… and then… I fell off a bridge…"

She looked around.

"Did you save me? But where is this…"

The angel-san seemed confused.

I was about to confuse her even more.

"Angel-san, do you read manga or watch anime?"

"Eh? Ah… yes."

Oh, she did.

"Then have you ever seen anything with reincarnation into another world?"

"Ah… I have."

"That's good. Then this'll be quick."

"… Eh?"

"You've been transferred to another world."

"…"

Her blank expression showed that my explanation hadn't been very good.

"At any rate, this isn't Earth, this isn't Japan, this is another world."

"… Come on now. What are you saying? Even if this is some TV station's setup, this is strange.

"… I have to contact my manager. Do you have a smartphone?"

"Nobody does… And even if I did, I don't think I could use it.

"There aren't any cell towers here, after all."

"… Where on earth is this?"

"Apparently the world doesn't have a name. If I had to call it something, I guess it'd be the Garumon World."

"Garumon… what's that?"

"In this world, human women are called Garumon and acquire special abilities.

"Let's give it a try… That tree over there, slash it apart, Luna."

"… Eh?"

In the next moment, a fencing sword was held in her hand.

"This is the saber I had at home… why is it here…?"

Surprised though she was, she took up a fighting stance with the sword.

She seemed to do fencing. A poised, beautiful stance. And then…

"Haa!"

A flowing, beautiful slash.

The form of fencing that involved slashes was the saber, wasn't it.

She was apparently quite an expert. I hadn't known.

… But with her original skill, I didn't think she could pull off a feat like cutting down a fairly large tree in one stroke.

"Eh, eh, eh…?"

This probably still wasn't clear. I'd waste another use of the technique, but… one more.

"Strike the tree you cut… Vanish."

"… Aah… my hand… it's hot…"

She held her palm out in front. And then… that hand glowed white.

"Vanish!"

Zubaaan!

Light burst, and the tree was reduced to charcoal in an instant.

So this was a God-element attack… kind of cool.

"… I-I did this…?"

Looking at the great tree felled with a single sharp cut and the log now turned to charcoal, the angel-san was astonished.

"… Sorry for using your name without honorifics. I think you understand now that this isn't your original world."

She nodded over and over, surprised. She seemed to have gotten it.

"Um… it's like… we're inside a game?"

"That, we don't know either.

"We've suspected it might be, but the sensations are too real.

"I really can't think of it as anything but an alternate world that just happens to feel like a game."

"… How can I get back to my original world…? Can I go back if I clear this game…?"

The angel-san seemed at a loss.

"There is a way back to the original world. And we're probably the closest to it of anyone in this world.

"This Lyuka here is researching it."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Luna-san."

Lyuka bowed.

"P-pleased to make your acquaintance…!"

Seeing Lyuka, the figure of a fairy-like beauty with light-blue hair, the angel-san was startled.

… If she'd been in her Spirit Garb, she would've been even more shocked.

"I… I want to go back to my original world! My film's leading role was just decided, and the second single, and the live tour project just got moving… of course I have work scheduled tomorrow and the day after… I can't be lazing around in a place like this!"

The angel-san spilled it all out in a rush.

"… Um…"

Lyuka whispered into my ear.

"Should I tell her… that with the current method, an opportunity probably won't come for several more years?"

"Hmm…"

She was an idol in her prime. The most exciting period, right after debut.

If she found out she couldn't go back for years, she might fall into despair.

"But isn't it possible that even if she returns several years later, no time would have passed in the original world, or something like that?

"Setsuna and I were supposed to have transferred at the same time, but there was about a two-month gap.

"Conversely, that means the time when we return to the original world might also be controllable, right?"

"… That's right. It's a possibility.

"But the causal relationship of space has only just been grasped. The causal relationship with time is still ahead of us. I can't make a definitive statement.

"If anything, there's also the possibility that several times the period spent here will have passed there…"

"W-well, if there's a possibility, that's enough."

I spoke to the angel-san.

"Unfortunately, there's no way to get you back right away… But several months from now, there might be a way to return you to your original place. Only if Lyuka's research progresses, though…

"Until then, we'll protect you, so in turn, lend us your strength."

"…"

The angel-san pondered my words…

"All right… My suspicion that you might just be a strange person feeding me strange things in another world I don't know head from tail of… it really isn't going to clear up. But…"

She smiled gently.

"You don't seem like a bad person."

… An angel.

"You're about my age… right? Is it… okay if I drop the polite speech?"

It was probably because she'd decided to trust me for now. The angel-san spoke a little more casually.

She might have been gauging my reaction that way, too.

"Ah, of course. Talk to me normally. I'll talk normally too."

"… Yeah. Nice to meet you, Akai-kun."

"Nice to meet you, Angel-san."

It had a kind of nostalgic ring to it.

"… So, what's your connection to these girls? Every one of them is a startlingly beautiful woman or girl…"

"Eh, ah, um…"

The fact that all these startlingly beautiful women and girls were the harem members of an unimpressive guy like me… at first glance, that was hard to grasp.

"W-well, they're my companions."

"Companions… I see… You shouldn't do anything to make girls sad."

However the angel-san had interpreted it, that was the warning she gave me.

… Aah, what an ordinary conversation, like one from the original world. That, too, felt nice.

For a brief moment, I'd been able to glimpse the original world… and through speaking with the angel-san who had come from the original world, I could remember Japan and feel a wave of nostalgia.

"… All right, Lyuka, prepare for the measurements.

"Angel-san, why don't you join the party right away?

"With angel-san, Haru, and Setsuna in the party, let's start with some power-leveling."

"… Eh?"

"This is called monster territory, a field where you encounter monsters.

"Since we're here anyway, let's defeat some monsters and level up. Let's give it our all, angel-san."

"Eeeeh…!?"

The angel-san was startled.

The first battle was three Gurubons. A nice manageable starting point.

"Hii, w-what is that… a wild boar… with arms? Such creatures…!"

The angel-san was screaming and shrieking.

"Haru, draw their attacks with Earth Barrier. Setsuna, take them out in one hit with Death Requiem.

"Angel-san, hit the middle Gurubon with Vanish. That one's the leader and has more HP, so this is so we don't leave anyone alive."

"… O-okay…!"

"All right, let's go… Death Requiem!"

Bata, bata, the small fry died instantly in one hit. Unfortunately the leader didn't go down to the instant kill, surviving with only damage.

"Gugaa!"

The Gurubon swung its arms and charged.

"Hii…"

The angel-san flinched. However…

"Earth Barrier!"

Drawn in by Haru's skill, it punched Haru. Gashi! Small damage to Haru.

"It's all right, I'm guarding firmly. Calm down."

And then…

"… Vanish!"

Dogoon! … For an LV1, that was some pretty serious damage. As expected of God-element. Super-effective against Demon-element.

"Next one's the finisher. Setsuna, stand by. Haru, Earth Barrier. And angel-san…"

"… Vanish again?"

"That's it. That's the spirit. Let's finish it cleanly."

"… Yeah! Vanish!"

Dogoon!

Medium damage, guaranteed-hit, and 15 uses was a lot. A pretty excellent skill.

It got charred black and faded out. Thanks to that, it wasn't very gory, which was nice.

"… Did I beat it?"

"Yes. That was a splendid technique."

"… Amazing, amazing!"

The angel-san jumped up and down with joy at her own performance… So cute.

"T-thank you so much. Haru-san, Setsuna-san."

She didn't forget to thank her companions. Polite of her.

"You can talk to us normally, you know. Nice to meet you, Luna-san."

Haru called out gently.

"… Yeah, nice to meet you, Haru-san."

The angel-san seemed to take to Haru as well.

In one go, her LV jumped 8 levels. The effect of power-leveling was magnificent.

She learned a new skill.

… This looked strong.

Next, six Gurubons came charging at us.

"Let's try it out right away. Setsuna's Death Requiem doesn't have many uses left, so let's conserve it… Lyuka?"

"My observation prep is good. From here on, I can also participate in battle."

"All right, members are Haru, Lyuka, and angel-san.

"Lyuka, heal Haru with Holy Light. Haru, Earth Barrier.

"Angel-san, Angel Halo!"

"Angel Halo!"

Luna activated the technique. At that moment…

Pikaaa!

Luna's body shone, an angel's halo above her head, and wings sprouted from her back. She had truly become an angel.

Together with the radiance… a tremendous wave of buffs took hold.

"All stats doubled!? Plus status-ailment immunity… that's incredible."

"Angel Halo is famous, of course I know about it… It's the strongest-class buff magic that angels use.

"The representative races of God-element are Angel and Godkin… what makes these races strong is that, on top of God-element, they can also use Angel Halo, or so it's said."

Yuria added that supplementary explanation.

"Heh… this is educational. Thanks, Yuria.

"… Now, Lyuka."

"Yes! Holy Light!"

While listening to Yuria's talk, I directed Lyuka on the timing for Holy Light. We caught three of them nicely.

That said, it was only about 1/3 damage. If you failed to catch all three, you ended up using three or more rounds, so we needed to catch them cleanly.

"Luna, Vanish!"

Hopefully it would help boost the damage a little.

"Yes, Vanish!"

Zubaaan!

But the damage was more than I expected. The double-stats effect was immense.

If her LV rose a little more, she might really start contributing as a serious force.

"All right, next is Light Burst, Luna goes for Vanish. With this we'll defeat two, and the last one gets finished off with Luna's next Vanish.

"We can do this."

"… Yes! Vanish!"

Dokaaan!

She learned another new skill.

"Oh, this is the same as Shadow Step. Angel-san is also a type of Attacker who can buff herself solo and stay in combat."

That said, with the angel-san at her current level, one hit from a Gurubon would take her out.

Best to wait until her LV was higher to test it.

A bit more exploration, and…

"Gugashaaa!"

A giant suit of armor appeared. They probably called it a Living Armor, but to me, "Wandering Armor" from a certain RPG felt more right.

A Golem, or maybe an avenging spirit possessing armor, something like that.

I tapped the system.

"Hakou LV42," it said.

It looked like whoever had named this one wasn't the same person who'd named the Gurubons.

"Hakou is Metal-element."

Lyuka let me know. Not metallic in the literal sense, but element of this world.

"Metal-element! I read about it in books, but it's my first time actually fighting one. Weak to Fire and Thunder! Lyuka, fall back.

"Your turn, Adelia!"

Right before entering battle, I quickly switched the party members.

And then, before taking a hit from the enemy, battle start!

If you operated quickly and accurately, you could swap in the optimal party for the opponent and fight.

"Haru, Earth Barrier! Luna is…"

"Metal-element is one of the few elements that God-element struggles against."

"Then I don't want to waste a use. Go with Slash.

"… I should've leveled Patty instead… wait, Spirit-element versus Metal-element…"

"Completely nullified. If a Hakou shows up, it's better to suspend leveling for now."

"Nyaaah! Flame Claw!"

After charging up with Boost Power for one turn, she felled it in one strike with Flame Claw.

Luna's attack was minimal, but we managed.

Luna leveled up to LV10.

"All right, she's getting strong.

"… Soon, against Gurubons, it should be safe to bring out Patty and Luna together for leveling.

"The only worry is if a Hakou shows up. Against other opponents, Luna alone…"

And then the next enemies were nine Gurubons.

"All right, let's go for it. Luna, Divine Ray! Patty, Spirit Strike!"

"Yes!"

"Yes-desuu!"

Zugaaan zugaaan! The two with the lowest levels, but really effective against monsters.

Even on its first try, Divine Ray caught three of them nicely in its area of effect.

"Yes, you two are great, the best! … Haru, you're the reason they can fight, thank you!"

The three of them waved their hands and continued the battle.

"Divine Ray!"

Less than half the damage of Lyuka's Light Burst. The base Magic stat was different from Lyuka's, so that was just how it was.

But for her to come close to half the damage at this level was impressive. It meant that if she used Angel Halo, she'd put out attack power close to Lyuka's.

"Spirit Striiike-desu!"

Dogoo!

Patty's single-shot firepower was substantial. Against opponents weak to her element, even more devastating… That said, she wasn't yet at the point of being able to take down a Gurubon in one hit.

When leveling them both at once, the burden on Haru was naturally heavy.

"… Sorry Haru, I'm pushing you a little too hard."

"I-it's fine. Monsters' attacks are simple, so I can guard properly. I'm not taking as much damage as it looks."

Haru flexed his slim arm to make a muscle. Hmm, what a trooper.

"Still, let's not push it. Patty, take a break. Lyuka, come out… In exchange, this time Lyuka is Defender, and Haru goes on offense."

"Yeah, I'll do my best."

"Haru, Wood Golem summon! Luna, Angel Halo. Lyuka, hit Luna with Light's Blessing."

The Gurubons' attacks… I'd block them with Lyuka's Light Protect.

"Wow… amazing, sparkling… I'm overflowing with so much power…!"

"All right, this time you fight in earnest.

"Lyuka, Light Burst. Luna, Divine Ray! Haru, Flower Drain. Golem-kun, hang in there!"

"Divine Ray!"

And then light rained down. Damage to three Gurubons rivaling Lyuka's Light Burst.

Angel Halo and Light's Blessing made up for over a 3x stat difference.

Haru's and the Golem's attacks took down two more.

"Guga!"

One Gurubon's attack went toward Luna, but…

Kakiin! One time, Angel Wing activated. It completely blocked the attack.

"Vanish!"

Dokaaan!

End of battle… Watching Luna become more and more useful was so much fun!

"… Naoto, she's gone straight from LV1 to LV15 without a break, you know? Don't you think it's about time you let Luna rest?"

… While I was getting absorbed in it, Kanan pointed it out.

"Ah, you're right, I got a little too carried away… How was it, Luna?"

… Whoops, in the flow of battle I'd let it slip. With the angel-san and Patty, I hadn't trained them yet to recognize my voice, so I had no choice but to call them by name. And shorter was naturally better, so before I knew it the angel-san had become "Luna."

"Angel-san."

"Yeah… it was so much fun! Even an amusement park attraction couldn't compare.

"Even as an immersive game, this is honestly amazingly thrilling…!

"The monsters were scary, but defeating them felt all the better for it!

"… Thank you, Akai-kun. I think I'll be able to enjoy myself in this world too!"

The angel-san was overjoyed.

"… You can call me Luna. You were calling me that during battle, weren't you?"

"Sorry, that one's shorter and easier to call out, so…"

"Heehee. I'd kind of thought you were unreliable… but you're surprisingly cool, Naoto-kun."

After a single adventure, Luna seemed to have accepted me to a certain degree.

"All right, just rest in a capsule for a while."

"… Eh? A capsule… kyaaa!"

Luna entered the capsule.

"… All right, time to start setting up camp. Yuria, Leone, can I count on you for tents and food shopping?"

"Yeah, got it."

I made a Gate… This way, we could get back home in an instant, which was convenient.

Then why not just use the Gate to head home and come back the next day, instead of going to the trouble of camping? I tried asking Lyuka.

"Gates apparently have an effect of attracting monsters, so leaving a Gate in monster territory means it gets attacked and broken almost 100% of the time.

"So once you set up a Gate, you have to defend it. Camping out is essential either way."

That was what she said.

In that case, this was dangerous land where strong enemies might attack. Rather than carelessly splitting our forces, I figured camping out together was better.

So we had them buy tents.

Two tents for three people each. Not enough for everyone to sleep in, but the rest could rest in capsules, so it wasn't a problem.

"Haru, Lyuka, Setsuna, Patty, take a break in the capsules.

"The enemies might get more aggressive at night.

"Kanan, Maika, Adelia. Keep a close watch on the surroundings."

"Got it-nya!"

"Yeah, leave it to me."

"Got it. I'll watch carefully."

"… Kanan and Maika are excellent as Garumon, but in your original world you were young ladies.

"When it comes to picking up on the presence of monsters and the like, Adelia's our reliable one.

"I'm counting on you."

"Yes-nya! I'll be of use-nyaa～"

Adelia was full of energy and brimming with motivation.

We'd camp here for three days.

What made that possible was this world's recovery system.

In a game, you'd have to return to town and visit a recovery point to recover, but in this world, if you rested properly, you recovered normally.

Well, realistically, that was how it should be. Wherever you were, if you rested, you recovered.

When I'd trained at Yuria's house before, recovering after four hours of rest was apparently because she'd been using a magic that boosted recovery efficiency.

But under normal rest, full recovery took 8 hours. That was true whether you rested in a bed at home or inside a capsule.

When resting in a capsule, the location didn't matter.

So if we kept rotating the camp watch, three days of continuous action was perfectly possible… or so it seemed.

By stacking up plenty of combat experience against monsters, everyone's levels had been steadily climbing.

Let's keep training and get through these three days safely.

That night, with the ingredients Yuria and Leone had bought for us, we cooked merrily with the camp set.

The angel-san was thoroughly satisfied with Leone's cooking too. Her eyes sparkled as she enjoyed the camp.

We'd decided that Haru and Adelia would stand watch first, then switch out partway through with Yuria and Leone. Everyone else would sleep in the tents.

That left me and the angel-san.

We split into a tent for Haru, Adelia, and the angel-san, and a tent for me, Yuria, and Leone.

The rest of the group rested in capsules.

"Wow… so pretty… a fantastical aurora…"

While Haru and Adelia stood watch over the surroundings, the angel-san and I peeked our heads out of the tent and looked up at the night sky.

The aurora was beautiful even during the day, but auroras really stood out at night.

Unusually, in this world, we were savoring the beauty of the scenery.

… Aah, this kind of thing was nice too.

I was glad I could show the angel-san some of this world's good points. Her eyes were sparkling.

… You're more beautiful than that, I almost wanted to say. But hitting on her right out of the gate would be too much.

"… It's beautiful."

"Yeah…"

For now, I just talked to her normally.

"The starry sky is beautiful too… but I don't recognize a single constellation…

"The sky is so clear, the stars cover everything… and yet there's no Milky Way…

"I guess this place really isn't even Earth… maybe it's not even in the galaxy…"

The angel-san looked up at the sky and seemed to be slipping into a sentimental mood.

The night was supposed to deepen quietly on like that…

When suddenly…

"Ah, a shooting star."

"Mm…"

A shooting star really was streaking across the sky… no, that wasn't it.

"Nya! Someone's coming-nya!"

Adelia noticed and took a battle stance.

"Everyone!"

I instantly summoned everyone out of the capsules.

"An attack!?"

Kanan also took up a guarded stance.

"… No, they're approaching, but I don't sense hostility."

I tapped Kanan and Adelia on the shoulder, signaling them to lower their guard.

Shuba, fuwa…

A radiant being descended softly from the sky. An angel descended… literally.

The angel-san? … was right next to me at the moment.

So who on earth was she…?

"… Suzanne!"

I called out her name. Reichhardt's ace Garumon, the great angel Suzanne.

Until now I'd only ever seen her on the system screen, and now she was right in front of me.

Even more beautiful than the picture…

It was probably because, even at night, she shone nobly all on her own.

I could see her figure clearly, right down to the colors.

Golden hair. Vivid waves of gold, as if dusted with pure gold itself.

White skin. Breasts swelling fully against her white clothing, a slim waist, long arms and legs… and… red eyes.

The Flame Angel. Eyes that suited that kind of nickname perfectly, eyes like flames, a strong-willed gaze.

Aah, come to think of it, the angel Michael was also a general who led an army to crush the demon hordes.

A presence that conveyed that kind of fierce will and power…

That was the angel Suzanne.