“Now, I wonder just how strong he is. How far can my power take me in this world…”

Kenya wouldn’t let his guard down. He met the assault at full throttle right from the start.

He readied his KOG-exclusive sword to intercept.

Zeke lunged straight at him, closing the distance in a flash.

Every gesture, every motion was polished to perfection, utterly devoid of waste.

That’s precisely why.

“Heh, this is… impressive.”

Kenya parried Zeke’s strike.

As if flicking it aside, he followed up with a counterblow.

Because he understood his opponent, he could anticipate every move.

“As expected of the Military God.”

“You say that after blocking it so effortlessly.”

(Strong. Pro level. No—this guy’s on par with the top contenders at the world tournament!)

He wasn’t the least bit inferior to the masters Kenya faced daily in ranked matches on the Japanese server.

He even felt like full-fledged pro tournament caliber.

The two traded blows in a fierce back-and-forth.

“Hahaha! You’re seriously strong. I could believe it if someone said you were the Holy Knight Captain back home!”

“Thanks!”

Gunfire erupted, swords clashed, they darted into blind spots—intense mind games at every turn.

It was high-level combat, but after a grueling battle, the end finally arrived.

One KOG dropped to a knee as the victor appeared on screen.

“It’s been ages since my last real combat… and a Japanese guy takes me down…”

Mikazuki Kenya was the winner.

In a razor-thin battle, he’d triumphed over the Holy Knight Captain—a top-tier figure in this world—even if it was in a simulator he excelled at.

Zeke wasn’t shining at his absolute peak anymore, but he was still a powerhouse.

Leagues beyond Reina.

“Phew… Haven’t gone all-out like that in ages. You were seriously tough. But…”

Kenya had spent his days teaching Reina and Kaguya Kurokami without ever unleashing his full power, drilling them endlessly on fundamentals instead.

His skills had sharpened as a result, but a tense match like this was a rarity lately.

He’d focused so hard he could hear his own heartbeat.

Since arriving in this world, the biggest shift in his KOG handling had to be his immersion.

A single mistake here meant actual death, and that had honed Kenya’s focus to a razor’s edge.

“Am I… growing in this world?”

Skill at a mere game had evolved into life-saving technique, unlocking his true potential.

Still young, Kenya’s room for growth was immense.

Zeke had been away from the front lines too, probably not at his absolute prime—but even so, he was elite in this world.

As the Military God stepped down from the simulator, he extended a hand for another shake.

“That was brilliant. Been doing some special training?”

“Uh… yeah. You could say that.”

Zeke read the evasion in Kenya’s averted gaze.

There were circumstances he couldn’t speak of. Zeke, another victim of war, understood that all too well.

“Everyone’s got their reasons. I won’t pry.”

“…Thank you.”

“Oh, and…”

“Yes?”

“Keep this between us, will you? Can’t have my daughter seeing me lose… parental dignity and all that.”

Zeke winked with a sheepish grin more like the jolly neighborhood uncle than a soldier.

“Haha, got it. My lips are sealed.”

Feeling Zeke’s genuine warmth firsthand made Kenya like the character he’d already favored back home even more.

“Kenya? There you are.”

“Ah, all set, Reina? Let’s head out, Mikazuki.”

“Right!”

“Eh? You already played? Who won?”

Kenya and Zeke exchanged glances.

“Secret!” “It’s a secret.”

…

“Man, this rolled omelet is delicious! Did you make it, Reina?”

“I did.”

“Reina’s surprisingly good in the kitchen. She cooks every day. Her specialty’s Japanese food.”

(No everyday life vibe at all… And Japanese food…?)

◇ Imagining Reina in an apron.

Me hugging Reina from behind as she stands at the stove.

“Come on, Kenya, you can’t cook at all!”

“Doesn’t matter. Right now, I just wanna eat you…”

“Oh! Then… shall we head to the bed?”

“Y-You mean…!”

“E-at me ♥”

“Gladly!!”

◇

“Gufufu…”

“Kenya. You’re making a weird face.”

“First-Class and Second-Class citizens can marry. It’s actually encouraged.”

The Empire promoted marriages between First-Class and Second-Class citizens.

Their children would become First-Class citizens.

The simplest, most effective way to truly assimilate a conquered nation was to breed the next generation as Earthguard people.

A country whose people wholeheartedly embraced imperial citizenship became the Empire itself.

That was why the Earthguard Empire’s laws granted First-Class status only to children of First-Class parents.

“Is that okay!?”

“Fool! I’m not giving permission!”

“Kenya, do you want to marry me?”

“Yes, I do.”

“D-Don’t get cocky! I won’t allow it! Absolutely not!”

No barriers of race or anything.

It felt just like having dinner with your girlfriend’s normal parents.

That was the vibe of the meal.

Not that I’ve ever had a girlfriend, though.

“By the way, Mikazuki—got time after this? There’s something I need.”

“? …Sure. Nothing on my schedule.”

Zeke led Kenya to a military facility.

Reina stayed behind, so the two rode alone.

“What’s this about?”

“Was thinking of asking Reina originally, but you’re better suited.”

“Better suited?”

…

After the meal, the place Zeke brought Kenya wasn’t so much a military site as a research lab.

Inside was a massive warehouse like a factory, packed with what had to be KOG parts.

“Tanaka! You here!?”

Zeke called out the moment he opened the door.

There sat a lab-coated researcher, slumped asleep amid a pile of empty energy drink cans, three chairs lined up beside him.

“Wake up! Tanaka!”

“Huh? Oh, Zeke. Evening.”

“Sleeping in a place like this again… Why are all geniuses such weirdos?”

The man Zeke called both genius and weirdo.

“Mikazuki, this is Issei Tanaka. Total genius, and head researcher here.”

“Haha, Zeke picked me up, and now I develop KOGs here.”

Slouched posture, overly deferential, unkempt beard.

Glasses on, dark circles under his eyes.

“N-Nice to meet you. Mikazuki Kenya.”

“Huh? You’re… Japanese?”

“Tanaka, the test pilot I mentioned before. Use him. Same nationality—should be easier.”

Zeke clapped Kenya on the back as he introduced him, revealing why he’d brought him here.

“…Can you even pilot it? Even Reina might struggle just to stand it upright.”

Tanaka eyed Kenya skeptically.

Even after two weeks at the academy, could a newbie handle a KOG?

“No problem. He’s stronger than me.”

“Hah!? Come on, what kind of joke is that?”

“Just try it.”

“If you insist…”

Not fully convinced, Tanaka sized up Kenya.

But with Zeke pushing, he had no choice but to guide them—though he figured no kid this age could beat the Military God, not even back home.

Just Zeke’s joke, he thought.

“Zeke, what’s a test pilot?”

“Ah, Tanaka’s team is developing a new unit.”

Japan’s cutting-edge military base produced it.

The latest KOG research, led by Tanaka.

Staff who looked Japanese were around—probably his team.

“But why’s a guy like Tanaka here? No offense as a Second-Class myself, but Second-Class doing KOG research…?”

Tanaka answered with a hint of sadness.

“I’ve been a KOG researcher since before the war… Worked for the Earthguard Empire. Now Second-Class, but Zeke helped me out back then.”

“I see…”

After the war, persecution followed, but Zeke took him in, letting him work here.

Not every Earthguard citizen endorsed discrimination.

Plenty opposed it but couldn’t speak out.

Some Earthguard folk had been Tanaka’s friends since before the war.

“We’re here.”

Beyond the massive door lay a dim warehouse.

“Behold, the 6th-gen KOG. No name yet, but definitely the newest, fastest machine.”

Tanaka flipped on the lights.

Before them stood a KOG—but while KOGs were usually black-based, this one gleamed white.

Like a white bolt of lightning streaking through the night sky.

“This machine… I get it now…”

Kenya knew it well.

He’d piloted it more than anyone, mastered it beyond anyone.

Loved it more than any other.

“Even this world has you… I’m glad. Nice to see you again.”

There stood Kenya’s beloved machine from his old world.

Official designation: Takemikazuchi.

A Japanese-made 6th-gen KOG, shining white, named for a god of Japan.