“Cheers!!”

Late that night.

With the operation successfully concluded, the soldiers were absolutely ecstatic.

“Did you see that? That’s our power!”

“With this momentum, let’s take back Japan!”

“Invaders, wash your necks and wait for us!”

With alcohol flowing freely, they got all hyped up and thoroughly drunk.

For them—men who had never tasted a true victory before—this day could only be called an overwhelming triumph.

“Here, Isshin! You too!”

“Yeah…”

“Kaguya! Where’s your husband?”

“He’s not my husband!! Geez… But where did he go?”

“He’s the star of the show today, so go find him! Let’s all drink together!”

“We’re technically still minors, you know… Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. There’s no law to judge us by anyway.”

Then Isshin stood up and left the room.

His demeanor seemed a bit off, so Kaguya silently followed after him.

Normally, he’d be the one hyping everyone up more than anyone else.

…

“I figured you’d be here.”

It was the warehouse where KOG was stored.

A lone boy sat there, gazing up at KOG.

The warehouse doors were open, revealing the moon.

“Isshin…”

“Keep me company for a bit.”

Isshin grinned broadly as he held up a bottle of sake and two small cups.

Kaguya watched the scene from the shadows behind KOG.

“I’ve never drunk alcohol before, you know?”

“What, just one sip. You can even pretend if you want. It’s all about the gesture.”

He poured some sake into the cup handed to him.

Once filled, Kenya poured for Isshin in return, and they lightly clinked their cups in a toast.

“It’s… awful…”

“Kaguya said the exact same thing. You two really are still kids…”

A gentle, unhurried time passed between them.

Yet there was no awkwardness at all.

If anything, it felt reassuring— a sense of Isshin’s boundless warmth.

Like a father.

“Thanks for today.”

“I’m glad if I could help.”

“Yeah. But what about you? Are you happy?”

“If everyone’s happy…”

Kenya trailed off, unable to continue.

Truth be told, he couldn’t feel joy in this victory. If anything…

“But you’re dwelling on it, aren’t you? First time killing someone?”

“…Yes.”

His exact thoughts laid bare.

Kenya, tormented by the act of killing, and Isshin had noticed it ever since that radio transmission.

“That’s a normal reaction. I’ve killed plenty by now, but when it’s the enemy, I feel nothing anymore. Or rather, I’ve made myself feel nothing.”

“Today, I defeated the enemy for the first time… No, I killed them. I don’t think it was wrong, but I don’t know if it was right.”

He looked up at KOG.

Bathed in moonlight, the black machine gleamed faintly.

“You can’t prove what’s ‘right.’ Everyone lives their own story, clinging to their own personal justice.”

“That’s why war never ends. Back then, I used to wonder why wars even happen.”

Coming to this world had changed Kenya’s way of thinking.

Why couldn’t the world just be peaceful without any wars?

Some restrictions were fine; anything was better than war.

That’s what the boy from peaceful modern Japan had believed.

Why were there terrorists? Conflicts? Armies?

He hadn’t understood any of it in his peaceful homeland.

But what about now, after seeing this world?

Endure it? He couldn’t tell them that.

So what was the answer? He still didn’t know.

He couldn’t say terrorism was right even now, but surrendering without resistance didn’t feel right to him either.

“When you’re lost, remember your purpose. That one unshakeable conviction deep inside you—the thing you absolutely won’t compromise on.”

Isshin lightly tapped Kenya’s chest.

“Do you have it? Right here. That’s the pillar that will support your justice.”

A burning resolve transmitted straight to his heart.

Isshin continued.

“I’m not saying killing people is right. But I’ll kill. As many as it takes to return these oppressed citizens to their normal lives.”

Isshin’s eyes burned fiercely.

He had overcome this long ago—the very dilemma tormenting Kenya.

Even killing held no hesitation for him.

Watching that, Kenya turned inward, questioning his own heart.

“My unyielding conviction…”

Suddenly, Kaguya and Reina flashed in his mind.

Heroines from a game at first—feelings he’d dismissed as mere otaku infatuation, not even fully believing them himself.

But then he’d come to this world, met them for real, talked with them, touched them, spent time together.

Now, he was certain.

He could truly believe in these feelings.

That’s why.

“Yes. Protecting Kaguya. That’s the one thing I won’t compromise on.”

He answered straightforwardly.

He could proudly declare it as his absolute truth.

Hearing that, Isshin smiled warmly.

“Heh, you’re head over heels, huh? She’s a fine woman, isn’t she?”

“Yes. I love her.”

“Won’t hand her over easily, you know? Not unless you’re man enough to save this country.”

“That’s… Yes! Bring it on!”

Kenya replied with gusto and downed his sake cup in one go.

It was his first time drinking, and he had zero tolerance.

“H-Hey! That’s pretty strong stuff! You okay?”

“…Huh? My head’s spinning… I feel weird…… Ah…”

Dizziness hit him instantly. Was this what it meant to get drunk?

Having chugged it, Kenya swayed even while seated and toppled over.

Unfortunately, he had no aptitude for alcohol.

The worries that had plagued him were now dispelled.

He couldn’t celebrate the killing, but if the same situation arose again, he’d swing his sword—and kill—without hesitation.

Something clicked into place inside Kenya; he understood.

With the tension released, he began breathing steadily in sleep.

“Haha, you’ve got a rough road ahead… Kaguya, you’re there, aren’t you?”

“Wh-Why?!”

Kaguya poked her head out from hiding.

Her face was flushed redder than Isshin had ever seen.

Seeing that, Isshin chuckled.

“Th-This is the alcohol! It’s the booze’s fault!”

Kaguya desperately tried to hide her face.

But her hands couldn’t cover the scorching blush.

“Don’t worry, Kenya’s out cold. Come here and take over.”

Isshin handed the leaning Kenya over to Kaguya.

“You’re in charge now. I’m heading back. Gotta keep the party going. It’s a victory celebration, after all.”

Kenya slumbered on Kaguya’s lap, breathing softly.

Dead to the world from the booze, his face still flushed as he slept.

(At least enjoy a reward today, Samurai of Japan’s Hope.)

Isshin left them there.

Sending the boy the word “samurai,” whose etymology meant “to protect.”

Left behind were Kaguya and Kenya.

“You really are impossible to figure out. Why do you like me so much…”

Having overheard everything, Kaguya recalled those cheesy lines that made her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

It was the first time a boy had ever said he loved her.

Kaguya, who had never truly experienced youth.

She’d never even fallen in love before, yet now she couldn’t look away from this boy.

The one who declared his feelings for her so earnestly—she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

She didn’t even fully understand what this feeling was.

But she knew one thing.

“You’re such… a weirdo. But…”

She stroked the hair of the boy sleeping in her lap.

“Thank you for today. For fighting alongside everyone…”

Gratitude toward him welled up inside her.

And her heart pounded so hard it might reach the sleeping boy’s ears, her face burning hot.

The full moon’s glow, bright enough to summon the Kaguya Princess herself, illuminated the pair.

And behind them, KOG shone faintly too.

Today, what had been just a gamer had truly become a samurai with something to protect.

With that firm resolve, his heart underwent a profound change.

From here on, the world that had basked in fragile peace would plunge into an era of upheaval.

No one yet knew the role of this world’s irregularity.

One thing was clear: he had that single unyielding conviction.

Protect the heroine.

It became the core driving his actions, the pillar upholding the justice he believed in.

“Good night… Kenya.”

The slumbering samurai didn’t yet know the ruin this operation’s success would bring.

They hadn’t truly grasped what it meant to make the world’s ruler their enemy.