A crisp, piercing cry split the sky. The rainbow spirit bird beat its wings, winds keen as blades carving pupu across the massive Autumn-Orchid tree. Limbs snapped and fell—yet the tree regenerated faster than the wind could destroy it. Vines coiled up in an instant; in the blink of an eye, the rainbow bird was mummified in layers of living wood, hanging high in the sky and keening in misery, teary-eyed as it stared at Shao Siming.
Clap, clap.
Applause sounded above. At some point, Goku had appeared in midair.
"Goku!" the women cried, faces lighting up. They broke the air to reach him, quickly surrounding him and chattering all at once—their recent days of longing spilling out.
New girls were inevitable, but he couldn't neglect his wives. Whenever he had a moment, Goku slipped into his own world to keep them company.
"Shao Siming, did you miss me?" Goku asked with a crooked smile, glancing at the serene beauty at his side.
She nodded—then shook her head.
"So which is it?" Goku sighed, helpless, and simply swept her into his arms. "Never mind. Today, I'm going to make you say it out loud." With a wave, the onlookers vanished from the spot all at once.
Only the poor rainbow bird remained, trussed to the Autumn-Orchid, mewling now and then.
Shy, musical cries echoed through the Dragon Palace for several days; even the sun seemed too bashful to show its face.
Before dawn, the world was still dim.
…
Morning light finally rose, gilding the cool air.
In a narrow alley, a new fight had already begun.
"Hey! Don't run—you can't get away!" A black-haired girl with a giant hammer shouted as she chased a buxom young woman.
"I don't want to fight. Stop chasing me already!" the busty girl called back as she ran, exasperation in her voice.
"Hmph! An unwinged Sekirei isn't getting away."
From the other end of the alley, a young man stepped in to block her path. His gaze burned with desire. "Quit running. Instead of being all alone, become my Sekirei."
"You're not the one I'm looking for. I won't go with you," the girl said firmly.
"Then there's no helping it… Yashima, go capture her. If she escapes, you're in for it!"
"Yes, Master!" The Sekirei named Yashima set her jaw, gripped her weapon, and addressed the runner with solemn courtesy: "I'm Sekirei No.84, Yashima. Stop running and fight!"
"Ah—I'm Sekirei No.88, Musubi. I'd love a match, but… I can't fight right now!"
With that, Musubi vaulted away and resumed her mad dash.
"After her!" the Ashikabi snarled as his quarry fled again.
Boom!
Yashima gave chase. Her hammer smashed down, chewing craters out of the pavement.
"Whoa—some power you've got! I'd love to spar… but I still don't have a reason to fight," Musubi breathed, thrilled despite herself, and sped up.
In the top floor of a high-rise, a handsome man watched the chase below and smiled faintly. "So that's the newly awakened Sekirei you mentioned? She doesn't look like much."
"Heh. Karasuba herself brought her out of MBI's lab. Rumor is she's hiding power no one's seen. Well? Want to add her to your collection?"
---
Tokyo's most luxurious tower, MBI headquarters.
"You maniac—what are you trying to pull?" Takami Sahashi glared daggers at Minaka Hiroto. "You run the Sekirei Plan, and now you're interfering in Sekirei affairs? You'll put Musubi in serious danger!"
"Relax, Takami. It's just a game—my game with him," Minaka said, lounging with a fox's smile. "Isn't it more fun this way? And don't worry, Musubi's DNA is very close to that boy's. I'm actually helping him."
"You don't mean to drag Minato into this too, do you?" Takami snapped, nearly taking a swing at him.
"Not dragging—he's already in," Minaka chuckled. "And not just the boy. Even your precious daughter has stepped onto the board."
"What?" Color drained from Takami's face. If not for Goku, she might have worried less. But with that outlier loose, she wanted her children far from the mess.
"You kept this from me?" She snatched the phone from Minaka's hand and scanned it. "Homura and Shiina, huh? Good Sekirei…"
"There's one detail that made me meddle," Minaka said, pushing up his glasses, expression suddenly grave.
"What detail?" Takami frowned.
"Tsukiumi."
"No.09 Tsukiumi… She's been winged? And the Ashikabi is—Goku?!" Takami blurted, stunned.
"You see it." Light flashed on Minaka's lenses. "When I adjusted her parameters, I ran her models again and again. Probability of being winged by that guy: 99%. And yet—someone else winged her first."
"So I posit: any Sekirei will react to that man—if and only if he chooses to allow it. This Goku… is terrifying. I want him on a dissection table so badly. But first, I need to shore up our strength. He already has eight Sekirei—and he's living with that other terrifying person. I'd wager even Miya will be winged by him someday. That lineup… frightening. Truly frightening."
"Impossible. Miya is a mature Sekirei. It can't happen," Takami said, shaking her head.
"Don't apply what we think we know… to him. We tried that once," Minaka replied softly.
"…The 'discarded Sekirei,' huh?" Takami's brows knit. She made up her mind, turned on her heel, and left—pausing only to throw a warning over her shoulder. "Stay put and stop your little stunts. Cross me again and you'll regret—"
For all his schemes, there was one thing Minaka could not calculate: nothing in this world escaped Goku's notice. From the instant Musubi appeared, he knew.
By then the sun was up. The girls were bustling about the Izumo Inn—sweeping paths, watering flowers—filling the morning with life.
Goku, however, lounged in a chair like a lord at ease, eyes on the sky, a sly smile playing at his lips.
"Heh. Interesting move, Minaka—dropping Musubi near Minato's place and leaking her info so Ashikabi flock to her. You want Minato to play hero and wing her himself? Truly a walking bug…"
"Too bad for you—you ran up against me."
His smile deepened. He didn't so much as twitch, yet from that moment on Musubi would never react to anyone—except Goku.
In truth, he was the one with the god-tier cheat.
"Ladies! The city's getting lively. Want to go rubber-neck a bit?"
"Lively? What happened?" Tsukiumi asked, puzzled.
"Hee-hee! Ask your resident know-it-all!" Matsu poked her head through the sliding door, eyes darting left and right like a guilty cat.
"Matsu, I told you—no more hiding. You're my Sekirei. Even if MBI spots you, if they lay a finger on you, I'll flatten them," Goku said warmly.
"R-really? Hehe… H-habit."
Matsu stepped into the sunlight, basking with a blissed look. "Ahh… I haven't felt the sun in ages."
"Go out whenever you like. With me here, MBI won't touch you," Goku smiled.
"Truly? Goku, picking you as my Ashikabi was absolutely the right choice!"
Matsu dove into his arms.
"Hey! Matsu—broad daylight—don't push it!" Tsukiumi exploded, vinegar jar upended.
Which only encouraged Matsu to double down.
"Y-you—what are you—?!" Tsukiumi sputtered, face scarlet from ear to ear, tongue tying itself in knots.