Ritsuka looked around with a confused expression. He looked like a lost child, completely unable to understand what was happening.
The white-haired woman observed him for a moment. She smiled, then stepped closer to Ritsuka. Noticing this, Ritsuka instinctively took a step back.
"Finally, someone normal I can actually talk to," the woman said as she placed a hand on Ritsuka's shoulder.
"You're confused, right? Me too. I was in my room, and suddenly a black hole dragged me in. Then I met that light kid. He said a lot of things that made my head spin. And now I've been brought here and ended up meeting these weird people," she said, pointing toward the men in the space.
"Weird? How rude, Koko-chan," the old man replied casually. He addressed the woman holding Ritsuka's shoulder as Koko.
"I'm just an eccentric old man."
"Don't come any closer, old man," Koko said firmly.
"No matter how many times you bring it up, I still refuse. I don't want to become a magical girl."
Ritsuka grew even more confused. His face clearly showed that he had no idea what was going on.
"Oh, come on, Koko. You'd be perfect as a magical girl," the old man said casually.
"I said no means no! If I wore something like that, I'd just become a laughingstock," Koko snapped irritably.
A calm, soothing voice suddenly came from the man with burn scars on his face.
"You should stop, Zelretch-san. It seems Koko-san truly doesn't want that," he said gently, addressing the old man as Zelretch.
Zelretch turned toward him.
"Kagaya, you'd make a great magical girl yourself if you were a woman," he said casually, calling the man Kagaya.
Kagaya looked confused.
"If it's some kind of pretty outfit, my daughters might like it. You could give it to them later," he said innocently, then continued,
"But really… what exactly is a magical girl?"
He then turned to the young man who had been hunched over and silent the entire time.
"Do you know about it, L-san?" he asked, calling him L.
L, who had only been observing, looked at Kagaya and spoke in a flat tone.
"Magical girls are a group of girls who gain power by forming a specific contract with a certain entity. That contract allows them to transform using special outfits—usually wide skirts and a staff—and after transforming, they obtain supernatural abilities," L explained.
After that, he crouched down and touched the surface of the floor that reflected the blue sky beneath them.
"I see… so Zelretch can do something like that?" Kagaya asked.
"Is it something that can only be given to women?"
"Yes," Zelretch replied shortly.
"I only give it to women. There's no point in turning men into magical girls—unless they have something wrong with their heads."
"Is there really no exception?" Kagaya asked again.
"No," Zelretch answered firmly.
"I refuse to give it to men, and letting them wear those outfits would be a nightmare."
Kagaya looked defeated.
"I thought it would be very helpful for the Hashira when hunting demons," he murmured quietly.
Zelretch muttered softly, almost inaudible,
"Unless you're a flower magus with certain tendencies."
Suddenly, a voice interrupted them.
"Ahem."
Koko spoke up, still leaning against Ritsuka's shoulder.
"It seems you've forgotten about the two of us."
L and Zelretch turned toward them.
"Oh, my apologies. It seems we got a bit carried away," Kagaya said calmly.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kagaya Ubuyashiki. I'm sorry—I can't look at you."
Why does his voice feel so calming…? Ritsuka thought.
As he observed Kagaya's face more closely, he realized that the man was blind.
"That's okay. I understand," Ritsuka said sincerely.
"My name is Ritsuka Fujimaru."
Kagaya fell silent for a moment.
"Are you Japanese?" he asked.
"Yes. Why?" Ritsuka replied.
Kagaya was about to say something, but L suddenly stepped closer to Ritsuka.
"What year is it in your world right now?" L asked.
"Huh? It's 2015. Why?" Ritsuka answered.
L bit his thumb.
"Nine years apart from my world…" he muttered. Then he asked again,
"Do you recognize these names?"
He listed several names of figures from the Western world that he remembered.
Ritsuka looked confused.
"Sorry, I don't recognize those names," Ritsuka said.
Zelretch spoke up.
"So, L, do you believe it now?"
"No," L replied, then continued,
"How about these names? Do you know them?" L asked, listing several Japanese figures.
He mentioned names of historical Japanese figures.
"Other than Oda Nobunaga and Okita, I don't recognize the others," Ritsuka answered honestly.
L's eyes widened.
"It seems people with strong historical significance or great names remain the same across different worlds," Kagaya said softly.
"This is impossible! How can something like this be real?!" L exclaimed, his tone almost panicked.
"There are theories about this, yes—but they were only theories! There was never any concrete proof!"
Ritsuka looked at L, who seemed like someone who had just been forced to accept a bitter truth.
"You're convinced now that this isn't some government or military experiment, right?" Koko said.
"This shocked me too."
Ritsuka turned toward Koko.
"What exactly was he asking earlier? Why did he react like that?" he asked.
"He was asking about famous figures from his world and from ours," Koko explained.
"Some were the same, some were different. He just wanted to confirm whether we really came from different worlds. Now it's clear."
Zelretch walked over to L.
"So, have you accepted reality now, L?"
"It's deeply shocking," L replied flatly.
"I didn't believe the light child's words earlier. But now everything is clear. And the magic you showed earlier—it's real."
"It's not magic," Zelretch corrected him.
"It's magecraft."
L didn't respond. Instead, he turned toward Ritsuka—more precisely, toward Koko.
"I'll release you now. Since we come from different worlds, I won't interfere in your affairs anymore," L said to Koko.
Koko smiled broadly.
"Finally. You really are stubborn. I told you—I'm not from your world. If we were from the same one, I'd have been caught by someone like you a long time ago."
L then looked at Ritsuka.
"My name is L."
Koko frowned.
"You're still hiding your real name? We're from different worlds. I won't do anything to you."
"That's exactly why I have to hide it," L replied.
"We don't know who else will join later. They could be dangerous. I don't want to take that risk."
He then walked away.
"Tch. Someone like that would be a real pain if he were from my world. My brother and I would definitely be in danger," Koko muttered as she released Ritsuka's shoulder.
"Forget about him," she said casually.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Koko Hekmatyar. I'm an arms dealer."
Ritsuka's eyes widened.
"Y-you're an arms dealer? Military weapons?"
"Yes," Koko replied with a smile.
"But not just firearms. Everything—tanks, fighter jets, helicopters, radar systems, entire advanced weapons platforms. If I really put my mind to it, I could even sell a used aircraft carrier."
She paused, then looked at Ritsuka seriously.
"But there are two things I never sell," she continued firmly.
"Humans and drugs."
She emphasized the last part with an expression that showed she wasn't joking at all.
Ritsuka fell silent for a moment.
"I see… that's a relief. That means you're a good person," he said innocently.
Koko froze.
"You're not afraid of me?" she asked.
"Why should I be?" Ritsuka replied.
"I'm an arms dealer. I sell machines that only fuel war," Koko said.
Ritsuka was silent for a moment, then spoke.
"You only sell them," Ritsuka answered honestly.
"The ones who make the decisions and pull the trigger are soldiers and leaders, not you, right? Besides, the weapons you sell aren't always used for war," he continued calmly.
"With those weapons, a country can feel secure, and its people can live more comfortably. It may sound frightening, but we need to face reality—sometimes, strength is necessary to live peacefully. In the end, it all depends on how that power is used."
Koko remained silent for quite some time.
"…Whatever," she muttered at last, then walked away.
Zelretch, who had been silent the whole time, smiled faintly.
"As expected of the last Master of humanity," he murmured.
"One of the few humans acknowledged by the King of Heroes."