Beware of the New Kyubey Scam

"..."

"Sir, Miss, what exactly are you talking about?!" Nia Honjo stared blankly at Setsuna and Mio.

"This is a Spirit Crystal. Swallow it, and you'll gain unimaginable superpowers—essentially, the power of a Spirit," Setsuna explained concisely, his tone calm and confident.

"But as part of the contract, you'll need to come with me to another world. I'll provide excellent living conditions there, and if you ever want to visit home, you can return to this world at any time."

Unlike the original storyline where Mio used a variety of coercive and manipulative tactics to transform ten Spirits, Setsuna had already "conquered" the Spirit of Origin. Now, a gentler method seemed much more appropriate.

"..."

"You think I'm a seven-year-old kid or something?"

Standing at the doorway, Nia alternated her gaze between Setsuna and Mio.

Judging by their appearances and clothing, neither of them looked like scammers. But what they were saying—Spirits, another world, and all that nonsense—was beyond bizarre.

"I assure you, Spirits and magic are very real," Mio said softly. She raised her hand and activated Ain Soph (Samsara of Paradise).

Behind her appeared the figure of the tree-like Angel, its spirit-like form blooming with elegance. Its roots spread rapidly outward, and in an instant, time stopped.

Everything—birds mid-flight, commercials playing on the television, falling leaves, even the dust particles floating in the air—froze in place.

"!!!"

Nia gaped in shock at the surreal scene unfolding before her.

Within Mio's domain, the laws of reality bent to her will. She could rewrite the world as effortlessly as turning a page in a book. To Nia, it resembled nothing less than godlike power.

"Th-this… magic?!"

"No, it's not magic—it's true magic," Mio replied, wrapping her arms around Setsuna's. Her serene smile radiated both warmth and confidence.

"Honestly, I don't know what's so special about you, but he thinks you're important. That's why I'm willing to share a crystal with you."

"..."

Nia swallowed hard, her throat dry. Her eyes darted around the frozen world, taking in every detail. She hesitantly pinched her cheek.

It hurt.

This wasn't a dream.

Her mind was reeling, overwhelmed by the sudden surge of information.

"Wait… let me process this…"

"Why me? I'm just an ordinary person, aren't I?!"

"Madoka was just an ordinary student before signing her contract, wasn't she? Fate works in mysterious ways," Setsuna said with a grin.

He had made up his mind to gather the Spirits cast from the Date A Live world, granting each one a crystal and bringing them all under his wing.

He certainly wasn't going to waste such valuable crystals on random strangers.

"Madoka? Who's that???"

"Don't worry about the details," Setsuna replied with a cough.

"You can take some time to think it over. We'll be in this timeline for another day or two to wrap things up. Of course, if you really don't want it, you can return it. But if that happens, our Spirit team will be missing one important member."

He wasn't entirely sure how Mio managed to lure Nia into joining in the original timeline, so he decided to wing it.

"..."

Nia mulled over Setsuna's words. Judging from their demeanor, they clearly came from an extraordinary background.

Considering she had no money or beauty to exploit, there didn't seem to be anything she could lose. And as a creator of fantasy-themed manga, her natural curiosity toward the strange and fantastical sparked a deep interest.

Finally, she picked up the crystal Mio had handed her and examined it closely.

"So… I'm supposed to eat this?"

"If your willpower is strong enough, you can absorb it directly," Setsuna explained.

"..."

After sniffing it to ensure it hadn't been laced with anything suspicious, she hesitated briefly before letting her tongue lightly touch it.

Boom—

A powerful surge of energy raced through her, straight to her head.

Her body wobbled, and she collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

As her consciousness faded, she faintly heard Setsuna speaking to Mio.

"Wait, is the Spirit Crystal supposed to pack that much punch?!"

"Uh… this is my first time separating one. I might've overdone it…"

Oh no, I've really fallen into the hands of traffickers.

That was the last coherent thought in Nia's mind before she blacked out.

…

Approximately fifty minutes later.

Inside the Eternal Snowfall's ship cabin.

The girl with short gray hair slowly opened her eyes.

She found herself lying on a sofa in a room with a sleek, futuristic design.

A group of unfamiliar people surrounded her—a blonde woman, a twin-tailed girl in gothic attire, and a green-haired beast-eared girl.

Setsuna and Mio were also present.

"You're awake? Congratulations, Nia Honjo. You're now a Spirit," Setsuna greeted her cheerfully.

"You actually look pretty good in your Astral Dress."

Nia blinked at him, utterly confused.

"???"

Nia sat up with a bewildered expression, then suddenly let out a piercing scream:

"Ahhhhhh!!!—"

She had discovered that her clothes had been changed.

Her original loungewear had been replaced with a revealing, semi-transparent nun outfit that barely covered her skin beneath the sheer fabric. Her slippers had been swapped out for black thigh-high boots.

A cross hung from her chest, and a nun's hat perched on her head.

While the outfit seemed to have a pious, ascetic aesthetic, it was full of daring cutouts and openings.

The high slits along the sides openly displayed her thighs, while thin black strings across her hips emphasized its provocative design. Any slight movement revealed large swaths of delicate skin, its suggestive appearance completely contradicting its supposed modesty.

"Perverts!!!"

A cascade of disturbing thoughts rushed through her mind: encountering strangers, licking some strange object, losing consciousness, waking up in an unfamiliar place, and finding herself in completely different clothes…

Putting all these experiences together, Nia concluded she'd been kidnapped by some evil organization trafficking girls.

"I'm on a ship, aren't I?! Where are you taking me?!" she wailed.

"Are you going to sell me to some African chieftain as a wife?! Waaaahhhh—"

"Wait, no—are you planning to lock me up and make me shoot… videos?!"

"N-nun-themed ones?!"

"I don't want to debut in that kind of industry, ahhhhh!!!"

Her overactive imagination immediately conjured a series of X-rated scenarios.

She turned her head to look around and froze.

Outside the window was the vast, dark expanse of outer space, dotted with brilliant stars.

Earth rotated slowly beneath her feet, while the distant sun radiated a soft orange-yellow glow.

"Where… am I?!"

Nia was utterly stunned.

"We're currently orbiting Earth, approximately 30,000 kilometers above the surface, meow," answered Akashi.

"Everyone here enjoys stargazing from outer space, meow."

"?????"

"I'm doomed! I've been kidnapped by alien traffickers!!!" Nia shrieked.

"…"

Formidable, Belfast, Richelieu, and Kurumi exchanged puzzled glances.

"Commander, did you bring an idiot aboard?" Kurumi asked incredulously.

…

…

Half an hour later.

After an explanation from Mio and Kurumi, Nia finally understood the situation.

She had not been abducted by alien slave traders. Setsuna was an emissary from an advanced civilization in another world.

Mio was the Spirit of Origin and had gifted her a Spirit Crystal, allowing her to become a new Spirit.

The earlier shock had caused her to temporarily pass out.

As for her outfit, it was her second Astral Dress.

Every Spirit possessed their own Angel and unique abilities.

Kurumi's Angel was Zafkiel, the Angel of Time, granting her power over time manipulation.

Nia, on the other hand, had the Angel of knowledge—Rasiel.

It manifested as a massive book resembling a holy tome adorned with a cross.

"So… I have superpowers now?"

Nia clutched the giant book in her arms, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"Mm…"

At this point, Nia hadn't been captured by DEM yet. Based on her current age, she was genuinely a young girl.

Compared to the Nia from the original timeline—who was obsessed with all sorts of provocative, two-dimensional content—this version of her seemed much more innocent.

Setsuna decided to educate her from the ground up.

"Yes, this is your transformation form, but you can revert to your original state."

He began explaining the abilities Mio had granted to Nia.

[Rasiel]

The Angel of knowledge, known as the Tome of Revelation, manifested as the massive book she held. The Angel itself consisted of Information Retrieval Pages and Blank Pages.

Its ability was omniscience for information retrieval. Anything except future events could be accessed—what was happening now, what happened in the past, who was doing what, and any desired details could be revealed through the Information Retrieval Pages.

If the user wrote on the Blank Pages using the divine weapon included in her Astral Dress, the written events would become reality, a power referred to as Future Entry.

It was a bug-level ability capable of altering the future and twisting the timeline.

Setsuna thought that while Nia's personal combat abilities might be lacking, in terms of her Angel's sheer power, she would rank near the top among all the Spirits.

"So… I just write in this book, and I can see what everyone else is doing and everything that's ever happened in the past?!"

Nia's eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement.

"Exactly."

She flipped open Rasiel and started scribbling furiously.

"Let's see where Setsuna came from…"

The page displayed nothing but a blur of static, completely unreadable.

"?"

A large question mark practically appeared over Nia's head.

"This thing's range is probably limited to Earth or this universe. You can't expect it to enforce cross-dimensional jurisdiction."

Setsuna flicked her lightly on the forehead.

"Ah?! Then it's so lame!"

Nia glanced around at the others, her eyes eventually settling on Mio.

She scribbled a few more lines into the book.

Still static.

"?"

Next, she turned her attention to Richelieu and wrote her name down.

Another block of static.

"???"

"Are you guys messing with me?!"

Nia slammed the book shut and tossed it onto the table.

"Mio is your superior, practically your creator—of course, you can't access her information," Setsuna explained.

"Could you maybe stop trying to target extraterrestrials or Spirit of Origin? Write something reasonable for a change."

He ruffled her hair with a chuckle.

"…"

"Is anyone here not an alien?"

Nia scanned the room, her gaze moving across the shipgirls, dragon girl, and Setsuna himself.

Not a single one of them fit the bill.

Even Kurumi was from an alternate timeline, and attempting to investigate her would only yield information on the younger Kurumi.

"…"

After a moment of contemplation, Nia raised Rasiel with both hands and solemnly placed it before Mio and Setsuna.

"Could you please exchange this for another superpower?!"

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