Ch 264: Visiting the Aoi family, and planning ahead.

One day after the clash with the Novas, Chiffon Fairchild walked to Satellizer L Bridget's room and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, the door opened, and Satellizer opened, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Hi again, Satellizer-san. I am searching for Chisato and Takina. Are they perhaps with you?"

"Oh. Yes, they are here." nodded Satellizer. "Please come in."

"Thank you." nodded Chiffon as she entered, her smile never leaving her face.

"Oh, Chiffon!" grinned Chisato, a bag of popcorn in her lap. "We were watching an anime with Satella-chan. Want to join us?"

Chiffon looked at Satellizer, who shrugged and nodded.

"Why not? Thank you." nodded Chiffon, sitting on an armchair near the sofa after being invited to. Satellizer's cheeks reddened as she sat back between Takina and Chisato, their shoulders against each other.

"Wow. That is some impressive progress, Satellizer-san." nodded Chiffon.

"Right?" grinned Chisato. "Our exposure therapy is providing results even faster than our most hopeful estimations, thanks to Satella-chan being so brave and determined."

"Can we speak about anything else?" pleaded Satellizer, blushing.

"Alright. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, Chiffon?" asked Takina.

"It's something important." sighed Chiffon. "Can I ask you two to accompany me somewhere tomorrow? It would take the whole day."

"You do remember that we have class tomorrow, right?" asked Chisato.

"Not if you accompany me. Dr Aoi wishes to meet you, and he's willing to pull strings with the Headmistress to have her permission."

Satellizer's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Oh oh, the legendary scientist who created the Stigmatas? Sure, we'd like to meet him. Can Satella-chan come with us? And will the Headmistress be okay with this?" eagerly asked Chisato.

"I'm not completely sure…" hesitated Chiffon. "Satellizer-san, will you go with them when they leave this world?"

"I will." nodded Satellizer. "My surviving relatives are… not people I get along with, and Chisato promised that Noah, the Champion of the goddess they serve, wouldn't mind reviving my mother if I agreed to become an Agent like Chisato and Takina."

"…Did you just say reviving?" asked Chiffon, so surprised that her eyes shot open for a moment before she closed them again.

"Yes, he can do that." smiled Takina pointing a thumb at herself. "I am the biggest proof of it. I was dead for about two months. Noah retrieved my soul and created a new body to host it."

"…Really?"

"Yes, really." nodded Takina, fishing a few popcorns from the bag Chisato extended toward her. "I have no memory of what the afterlife was like, but from what Lilith-sama told Noah once, everyone gets a period of either bliss or torment depending on their Karma, then eventually go through reincarnation. As long as the soul hasn't reincarnated, and Noah is willing to pay the corresponding price, he can resurrect the person."

"Is there a way to know about your own Karma?" asked Chiffon.

"No. You can only try to live a good life and hope for the best." grinned Chisato, but she thought about something and sobered. "Hey, Chiffon. If we go with you tomorrow, Chevalier is bound to hear about it, right? Won't they be angry? From what I heard, they do not exactly get along with Dr Aoi."

"Understatement of the decade…" sighed Chiffon "Dr Aoi doesn't really care about what Chevalier thinks, and they are the ones responsible for the conflict between them. He is too powerful and independent for their taste. Those in the Board of Chevalier are repeatedly scheming against him, but he can predict their moves to a large extent and is always several steps ahead."

Chisato extended the popcorn bag toward her, and she took a few with a nod of thanks.

"I see." smiled Chisato. "And I get the feeling that Dr Aoi's request to meet us isn't just to satisfy his curiosity."

"Like I said, he plans several steps ahead." replied Chiffon with a larger smile than usual. "And for that reason, while I am not opposed to Satellizer-san coming to visit, I do not think she will be allowed to witness the main discussion. Not when Chevalier might summon her and order her to repeat everything she heard. Those guys are not above using torture to get what they want."

"Humf." snorted Chisato, her eyes suddenly cold. "Those guys, as you said, better not try to hurt even a hair of Satella-chan, of they will become a head shorter… Satella-chan, if you ever receive a summon from Chevalier or something, make sure at least one of us is with you."

"Okay. Thank you, Chisato, Takina." smiled Satellizer.

"I am going to send a message to Dr Aoi to inform him that you accept his invitation." said Chiffon as she took her smartphone.

"Sure. But what is your relationship with Dr Aoi, Chiffon?" asked Takina. "I would have expected Kazuha to come to us with that invitation."

"…This is already an open secret, but I would prefer if you do not spread it around further… I am part of the Aoi family. I took on the name Fairchild to honor the memory of a friend who passed away three years ago."

"Oh. You have our condolences, Chiffon." said Takina, regretting her previous question, and Chisato nodded in sympathy.

"Thank you… So, what is this anime about?"

"That girl with the white and black outfit, called Iria, is a bounty hunter trying to find the criminal who murdered her family." immediately replied Chisato, welcoming the change of subject.

Chiffon nodded as she put some of the popcorn in her mouth and wrote her message. She had a pretty fair idea about the reason her father wanted to meet Chisato and Takina.

…

The next day, Chisato, Takina and Satellizer walked to the campus's main gate. Chiffon waved at them as they got closer, but she wasn't alone. Kazuha's presence was expected, and so was Windy May's, the pink-haired girl yielding a giant Volt Hammer in battle, since both were part of the Aoi family, but Ouka and Lucy were a surprise.

A black limo was already waiting for them, the chauffeur waiting beside the passenger door.

"Hi hi, everyone!" cheered Chisato as they walked close enough to talk. "I hope we didn't make you wait!"

Takina and Satellizer added their greetings with a smile.

"No, it's fine." nodded Chiffon with her usual smile. "We have only been there for a few minutes. Let's get inside the car before we speak."

Chisato nodded, and within a minute the car was underway. Satellizer sat between Takina and Chisato to minimize the chances of accidental contact with the others, although she didn't think that such contact from people she was familiar with would trigger her flashbacks anymore.

Windy May, whose energetic personality closely matched Chisato's, giggled.

"Eheh, you're wondering why Lucy and Ouka are part of the trip, right?"

"Are you reading our minds, Windy?" chuckled Chisato.

"It's easy to guess! The truth is that Chiffon and Lucy are my little sisters!"

"Really, Lucy too?" replied Chisato.

Lucy nodded

"And you, Ouka?" asked Takina with a smile, and Ouka shrugged.

"The Tenjouin family is a vassal to the Aoi family. We share the same land, and we work to support Dr Aoi. The reason he wants to meet with you will likely impact us as well."

"I see." nodded Takina. "So aside from Ouka, you are all sisters?"

"Not quite." replied Kazuha, already smiling in anticipation of the reaction her words would cause. "They are my aunts."

"Your… Ehhhhhhh!" screamed Chisato while Takina gasped, and Kazuha laughed softly. She had precious few occasions to deliver that particular bombshell, and their reactions didn't disappoint her.

"A-Aunts?" asked Chisato as she pointed to Chiffon. "Wait, Kazuha is the granddaughter of Dr Aoi, so…"

"Dr Aoi is our father, yes." nodded Chiffon. "Before you ask why we look so similar in age, my four sisters and I have spent a bunch of years inside hibernation pods. You noticed that we are stronger than the average Pandora, right?"

"It was hard not to notice." nodded Takina. "When we sparred the other day, you pressed me way harder than anyone else in West Genetics. You may actually be stronger than me. You could have dealt with the Pandora-type Nova by yourself, for that matter."

"Yes. I am not supposed to show my full strength in the campus, but back then, my competitive side had taken over. I still want a revenge match, you know? Preferably in a quiet spot where we can both really get serious… Anyway, Father wanted to keep us in reserve for when Humanity would need us, and after noticing the pattern of Nova attacks increasing in both frequency and intensity, he woke us up four years ago."

"It must have been a hard choice for him to make, to send his daughters into hibernation pods." said Satellizer.

"It was." nodded Chiffon. "Father dedicated his whole life to protecting humanity from the Novas. And he didn't force us. We all agreed with his reasoning."

"That's very noble of you all." nodded Chisato.

"More than you and Chisato running from one world to another to save them?" asked Windy May with a sly grin.

"More." nodded Takina. "Unlike you Pandoras, we Agents of the Gods are very well compensated for the job. We gain an endless lifespan among other things, and we know that even if we die, Noah will revive us, so it doesn't really require much courage from us. Once our mission to save those 72 worlds is over, we will get to semi-retire, and our job will become mostly humanitarian help with no significant danger."

"Why 72 Worlds?" asked Lucy. "That's an oddly specific number for the number of worlds the Gods asked you to save."

"Solomon's 72 Demons." shrugged Chisato. "They are the Demonic Pillars trying to destroy those worlds."

"Solomon's Demons? Are they not a myth from our own world?" frowned Lucy.

"They are one of those myths that are universal somehow, but do not ask me why exactly." shrugged Takina. "In the case of Gods like Athena, Zeus or Odin, Lilith-sama told us that humans can subconsciously perceive their existence, and that is why their names and primary powers or domains are known in every worlds. But Solomon's and his 72 demons aren't anywhere near Gods as far as power is concerned… How far are we to the Aoi family home? I assume this is where we are going?"

"Yes." nodded Chiffon. "It is about 150 kilometers from there. A bit less than two hours by car, so we should arrive in time for lunch."

…

The limo reached its destination and entered a large patch of land near a lake. Near the lake stood a very large house, made of white stone and brown wooden surfaces and two floors high. The architectural style seemed both modern and elegant.

Its front door opened as the limo stopped in front of the house and the chauffeur opened the passenger door, and a tall young woman with amber eyes and long blonde hair long enough to Rival Akeno's, styled in a ponytail with a long blue ribbon, and dressed in a lavender dress highlighting her more than generous curves.

As Chisato waited beside the limo for the others to get out, she reflected what the author who had created the fiction the Gods had inspired themselves from in this timeline must have been a huge believer in fanservice. From the Pandoras to the Valkyries to the members of the Aoi family, the vast majority of the girls shared two common points: bodies that would make any porn actress green with envy, and dresses or uniforms that seemed designed to draw attention on their breasts.

Not that she was going to complain about it.

The blonde woman smiled gently as Windy May quickly walked to her and hugged her.

"Cassandra! I missed you!" exclaimed Windy May.

"You girls seem to be doing well." replied Cassandra, quickly glancing at everyone present.

As she did, another young woman walked out of the house, with the same amber eyes, but slightly smaller, and with dark purple hair reaching just past her shoulders.

"We are." replied Chiffon with a more genuine smile than her usual one. As soon as Windy May released Cassandra, Chiffon took her place, then Kazuha.

Lucy and Ouka didn't seem to want to hug Cassandra, but they exchanged smiles and nods.

Chisato smiled as the purple haired woman also got her share of hugs, and Cassandra walked closer to them.

"Welcome, Miss Nishikigi, Miss Inoue, Miss L Bridget. Thank you for accepting our invitation. I am Cassandra Aoi, and this is my sister, Teslad Aoi."

Teslad didn't say a word but nodded to them, her face neutral.

"Thank you." replied Chisato with a polite nod. "We are grateful for the opportunity to meet more members of the Aoi family. We get along well with Chiffon, Windy May, Lucy and Ouka!"

Lucy blinked and made a side glance at Chisto, but didn't deny Chisato's words.

"A bit of a polite lie where Lucy is concerned, I suspect." grinned Cassandra. "But I am glad."

"It's only a matter of time. We will manage to get past her guard eventually." shrugged Chisato with a grin. While it was true that Lucy kept her poker face up at all times and rarely spoke, she had noticed a few clues in her body language. Lucy had been cold to Chisato and Takina at first, but she was starting to warm up to them.

"Please come in, Father is in the Kitchen. It is rare for him to cook these days." said Cassandra, and they all went inside.

The inside of the villa was tastefully decorated in a western style, and a large table was already set for lunch. From the kitchen came two people, a young woman with tanned skin, the same amber eyes as Cassandra's, and long blonde hair, held by a headband that resembled cat ears. A white "01" tattoo was under her left eye, and another white "Project Arcadia 01" was on her left shoulder.

Behind her stood the man Chisato had seen on a few photos. A man of medium size, looking in his late fifties, with short white hair and dark gray brows, and dark amber eyes. We was fit without looking like a gym rat, and wore white pants and a blue shirt.

A new round of greetings happened, and Chisato noted that Ouka was referring to Gengo Aoi as his "Grandfather". Dr Aoi turned to his three guests.

"Welcome to my home, Miss Nishikigi, Miss Inoue, Miss L Bridget. I am Gengo Aoi, and this is my granddaughter Arcadia, Cassandra's daughter." smiled Gengo as he put a hand on Arcadia's shoulder. The young woman huffed at his hand before stepping away, and hugged Kazuha.

"I missed you, Onee-chan."

"I missed you too." fondly replied Kazuha with a pat on the head.

"Ahem. Thank you for the invitation, Dr Aoi." smiled Takina. "It is a pleasure to meet the man whose research gave humanity a fighting chance against the Novas. We brought a little gift."

Takina took from her spatial ring a small box wrapped with gift paper and gave it to him.

"Oh? That wasn't required, but I appreciate the sentiment." smiled Gengo as he tore the paper apart and opened a small black box, revealing what looked to be a high-end watch.

"This watch was made by us, and it is unique." explained Chisato. "It will give you immunity against diseases, and if you press the upper left button, it will instantly cure you from any poison or toxin, from lethal combat gases to mere hangovers."

"That is a very precious gift, thank you." smiled Gengo, putting the watch on a shelf. He would secretly test it later to be sure the watch didn't have some surprises inside, such as spying devices, but if it was innocuous, he could already see himself using it regularly to deal with hangovers.

"Please take a seat, everyone."  suggested Gengo, and they did.

…

After a delicious meal where Chisato and Takina related some of their adventures and heard many light-hearted anecdotes about the various members of the Aoi family, Cassandra served everyone coffee. When they were done drinking it, Cassandra then discreetly gestured to Satellizer, who excused herself and followed Cassandra out of the room.

It was time for the serious discussion to happen.

"Takina, Chisato, I would like for both of you to accompany me in the basement." said Gengo, standing.

"Of course, Doctor." nodded Chisato.

Gengo led them to a wall and pressed a camouflaged button. A small panel moved, revealing a biometric scanner, and he pressed his hand against it. Part of the wall moved, behind which was an elevator.

Takina and Chisato followed him inside, as well as Chiffon and her four sisters, Kazuha, Ouka and Arcadia. The elevator cabin was large enough that they could all easily fit inside, and it moved down.

Chisato estimated that they had gone at least fifty meters down before it stopped, revealing a high-tech laboratory. Six sci-fi-looking pods, all open and empty, were lined up against two walls, and there was a console in the room's center, and another door on the back.

"This is where my daughters have slept for fifteen years." announced Gengo as he slowly walked toward the door in the back, giving his guests time to take in the view.

They followed him to the second room, larger than the first. Over half of it was taken by machines Chisato and Takina couldn't identify and computers, but they attention was focused on the transparent, cylindrical pod near the room's center, filled with a translucent blue fluid… and a naked woman.

A beautiful woman, with long white hair floating in the liquid, and half-opened blue eyes. Yer eyes, however, had the same artificial slit-shaped irises that Chiffon possessed. The left side of her face and throat showed hexagonal patterns that looked like she was about to lose parts of her body, and larger patterns were present on her right arm, belly, and her left leg. There were actual hexagon-shaped parts missing from her leg and arm.

The woman seemed to be conscious to some extent, and her eyes moved for a few seconds to look at the people entering, before she appeared to lose interest, and her gaze became vacant.

Four thick tubes were connected to her back, and despite her face being completely uncovered, it seemed that she could breathe just fine.

"This is Maria Lancelot." softly said Gengo Aoi, slowly walking closer and putting his hand on the surface of the tube.

Chisato didn't need more than her eyes to know that he deeply loved the woman in the tube.

"She is also the mother of my five daughters, and… the origin of the Stigmatas."

"Have you asked us to visit you so we could heal her?" asked Takina.

"Not quite. It would be fortunate if you could, and I would owe you a great debt, but Maria isn't suffering from a disease or injury... It is the repeated extraction of her DNA to create more Stigmatas that is starting to cause her body to… fall apart like this."

His expression was full of pain and guilt as he stared at Maria.

"Her DNA?" asked Chisato, already guessing the answer. She had seen those kinds of hexagonal patterns recently, on the body of the Pandora-type Nova.

"Yes." said Gengo, looking back at Chisato. "Maria is the first Nova to enter our world. She came to destroy us, but sympathized with Mankind, and instead asked me to use her body to create warriors able to protect humanity."

"We're willing to try healing her, but we will need physical contact." nodded Chisato.

Gengo Aoi nodded and walked to a console, quickly typing on it. Most of the fluid filling the tube drained, and the tube itself lowered more than halfway, allowing Chisato to extend her hand and touch Maria's wet shoulder. Maria looked at her as she did, but didn't seem to really see her.

Chisato activated Greater Healing, and the hexagonal patterns receded, the missing bits of flesh regrowing. Maria blinked, and her eyes seemed to regain their focus. After a few seconds, she stood on her feet instead of letting herself float.

"Takina and I will wait in the other room." nodded Chisato, taking from her inventory a large towel and giving it to Gengo, whose eyes were starting to tear up.

…

Sometime later, they were all back into the living room, aside from Cassandra and Elizabeth.

Maria, now dressed in a simple but elegant white dress, sat beside her husband. Chisato's healing had restored her consciousness, and she had profusely thanked them, as did Gengo and his daughters.

"…Yes, we're glad we could be of help. But, Dr Aoi, you said earlier that you had another goal in inviting us."

"Yes." nodded Gengo. "Your arrival has changed a lot of things in the balance between us and Chevalier. And not to our advantage. Will your Goddess really stop more Novas from coming?"

"As long as we fulfill the mission she gave us, she will." nodded Takina.

"A mission?" asked Maria.

"She asked us to recruit at least ten volunteers from among the Pandoras, E-Pandoras and Valkyries. We got two so far."

"Miss L Bridget and Miss Kannazuki, right?" nodded Gengo. "What will their lives be like?"

"When we leave this world, we will be transported back to a research outpost called Chaldea, which is sort of a forward base from which the being who can locate Solomon's Demons operates. We will work on giving Satella-chan and Miyabi the set of abilities that Agents get as part of their service." said Takina.

"After that, we will go to the next world to hunt the next Demon. We keep seven teams active at any given time, and those teams are typically made of two to four Agents. there is already well over a hundred Agents or candidates waiting in Chaldea, ready to be deployed if a team requests reinforcements."

"In all likelihood, most of them will never have to participate in solving this particular crisis, but that is fine and allows for only volunteers to participate. Those staying behind train in Magecraft with true experts teaching them, and in martial arts."

"And when the last of the 72 worlds is saved, everyone will go to their new permanent home, an island in a separate dimension that only Agents and those they invite can reach. A great place to live in, comfortable and peaceful. Once there, the role of the Agents will be to support the Goddess's Champion, Noah Enfield, who currently is overseeing four different worlds, although more will be added to his portfolio before long."

"What kind of support are you referring to?" asked Gengo intently.

" In those worlds, Agents can teleport instantly to locations they already visited or to specific people, so travel time is negligible. The typical agent will spend a few hours every day touring various hospitals to heal patients, interview politicians to ask if they took bribes or embezzled money or whatnot, or visit people in jail who claim to have been wrongfully convicted. We can tell truth from lies, so a few questions are enough to verify their claims. If the inmate is innocent, we have the authority to order them freed. If they aren't, we increase their sentence or, for those already sentenced to life, break a few bones to teach them a lesson and avoid being overwhelmed by false claims of innocence."

"Neither Lilith-sama nor Noah gave us any quota to fulfill, so the amount of work we do is up to circumstances and our own sense of duty. When we Agents decide our day's work is over, we can spend our free time as we wish."

"You do not have quota, but it still sounds like a lot of work, if you have four worlds to oversee, and soon more." nodded Chiffon.

"Right?" grinned Chisato. "That is why we are recruiting as many people as we can from the worlds we visit. I have high hopes for some of the girls in the Special Class."

"I am satisfied with your answer. Thank you, Takina, Chisato." nodded Gengo. It hadn't taken long during lunch for them to insist on not being called Miss.

"Now, returning to the situation of the Aoi family… The balance we maintained is about to break. So far, my enemies in the Board of Chevalier have refrained from using violence against us. They are aware that my daughters are not to be trifled with, even if they do not know just how strong they are, and they also know that they need me to keep innovating to fight the Nova."

"But our arrival changes things." nodded Chisato, understanding. "By teaching Magecraft to Pandoras, Chevalier must be thinking that the gap between their Pandoras and your daughters is narrowing. And once the Novas aren't a threat anymore, you stop being useful to them, while being a threat to their grip on power. The typical story about the popular Hero becoming a liability after he has defeated the Demon Lord."

"That is a strange but apt illustration of the quandary I find myself in." nodded Gengo. "Which is why I started thinking that, maybe, the safest way to deal with this threat while keeping my family safe was to simply… pack up and leave."

"You wish to relocate in one of Noah's worlds?" asked Takina.

"Exactly." nodded Gengo Aoi. "And I think that my daughters and granddaughters might volunteer to become Agents as well."

Chisato looked at Chiffon, Windy May and the others.

"We were raised from a young age with the awareness that we were meant to protect humanity." shrugged Chiffon. "We cannot exactly just give up on it overnight to find ourselves another purpose, and from what you told us and what we observed since you both entered our world, it seems like Agents like you pursue a worthwhile cause. Besides, if we help in reaching your quota for your mission, it will count as us doing our part to protect our world from the Novas, right?"

"That is the case." nodded Chisato. "But in order to be fair, I should inform you that the process of becoming an Agent and obtaining all those abilities, involves a certain degree of… physical intimacy. I'm not speaking about just placing my hands on your back here."

"It is fine." shrugged Lucy. "We are prepared to put our bodies and lives on the line for humanity's sake. This much is trivial."

Teslad, Chiffon and Windy May nodded immediately. Kazuha and Ouka did as well after a short hesitation. Arcadia didn't, looking a bit confused.

"Is it also fine with you, Dr Aoi?" asked Takina, and he shrugged.

"I wish to let my daughters and granddaughters make their own decisions."

"I understand." nodded Chisato. "I will call Noah to confirm he is okay with this. You will likely be able to choose which world you wish to relocate to. Two of them are very similar to this one as far as technology and population are concerned, the third one is significantly more advanced with a space navy and the beginning of solar system colonization, and another is like this one the surface, but is also secretly inhabited by angels, devils, local gods much weaker than real global Gods like Lilith-sama, even real Valkyries!"

"Are those worlds peaceful?" asked Gengo.

"They are now, and we Agents stomp on any terrorist organization the instant they get notorious enough for us to notice them." smiled Takina as Chisato waited for Noah to answer.

"Hi Hi, Noah." grinned Chisato as he finally accepted the call. "Can you activate the video, please? I'll put you on speaker, and…"

Chisato suddenly burst into laughter as she stared incredulously at the screen. Takina glanced at the screen and started laughing as well.

"N-Noah! You have kiss marks all over your face!" exclaimed Chisato.

"Oh crap..." groaned Noah, hurriedly using a wet towel to rub his face.

"What happened? Do I even want to know?"

"…Well, you know how I told you last time that I was almost done granting immortality to all the Sisters, right?" asked Noah once he was done and checked in face in a mirror.

"Yes. And?"

"I finished this morning, actually. And then, when I finally got some alone time, I must have been struck by some masochistic pulsion telling me that I needed to keep being busy, and I decided that today would also be a good time to revive Misaka 001."

Chisato's and Takina's eyes widened as they understood the implication.

"I brought her back as a promise." continued Noah with a more serious tone. "A promise to the Sisters, and a promise to myself. Even if it takes me, by a rough estimate, twelve to fifteen years to revive them all, assuming I'm not interrupted, and I am so going to be interrupted, I will revive them all."

"But what do you think happened when the Sisters noticed that one of their dead siblings had connected back into their mental network? They immediately knew who was to blame, and they decided that they all needed to demonstrate their gratitude personally, and immediately. All ten thousand and eighteen of them. You saved me with your call, actually, or they would still be taking turns covering me with kisses." sighed Noah.

"Hey, at least there are worse ways to die than to be kissed to death." chuckled Takina.

"I'm sure. Hi, Takina. Are you doing well?"

"Hi, Noah. We're doing just fine."

"Anyway, I don't want to take up too much of your time and spoil the Sisters' fun." grinned Chisato, turning her smartphone to give Noah a good view of the people present.

"Everyone, this is Noah Enfield, the Champion and direct subordinate of the Goddess we serve. Noah, This is Dr Gengo Aoi, his wife Maria, his daughters Chiffon, Teslad, Lucy and Windy May, and granddaughters Kazuha, Arcadia and Ouka. Due to political reasons, they have requested to relocate to one of the worlds you manage, and most of them are willing to become Agents under you."

"I am glad to hear it, It is a pleasure to meet you, everyone, even if the timing is a little awkward." nodded Noah with his best smile. "Of course I will approve of your request, as long as you agree to respect the local laws and not cause trouble."

"It goes without saying." nodded Gengo. "Thank you. We are grateful for your help."

"A minor matter." shrugged Noah. "Did Chisato or Takina tell you about the worlds that are under my care?"

"We started to, Noah." replied Takina. "But we haven't expanded on them yet."

"Okay. When you all make your decision on the world and general location, Takina or Chisato will inform me, and I will contact the local government so they can do what is needed. ID papers, stipends, lodging and so on…"

"We will! Now bye, Noah, let's not make the Sisters wait!" laughed Chisato as she ended the call before letting him reply.

"…Ten thousand and eighteen?" asked Windy May with an aghast expression.

"I briefly mentioned during lunch that place named Academy City where we stopped a few unethical experiments, right?" smiled Chisato. "One of them involved the mass cloning of a certain young woman who is an Esper, using accelerated growth drugs that crippled the clones' lifespan. And they made a whole twenty thousand of them, and all of them intended to die during the experiment."

"Unfortunately, when we entered this world, almost half of them were already… We put a stop to it, dealt with the madman behind it, and took in the survivors. Noah made it his priority to give them all immortality to deal with their lifespan issues. And now that he's finally done with it, it seems that he will eventually revive all the girls who we couldn't save and give them immortality as well. Needless to say, they've been a great help already with Agent work."

"I can imagine." nodded Dr Aoi.

Deep inside, he felt relief. If Chisato and Takina could banter with the man who was apparently their direct superior in this way, it was a sure sign that he treated them well. Hopefully, his daughters would one day be able to smile as those girls did. A relaxed environment like this what something he hadn't been able to provide for them, between his work and the duty he pressured them into shouldering.

He listened intently as Chisato and Takina described each of the four worlds Noah already managed, as well as the fifth one he would co-manage with the Champions of other deities, and after a short consultation, they decided that the one Chisato had described as the Sword Art Online world, in reference to a deadly virtual game Noah had put an end to, would be perfect for their family to establish new roots.