Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

"...Mio?"

The silver-haired spirit murmured the name softly, as though savoring its meaning.

After a moment, she lifted her head and smiled beautifully.

"It sounds lovely. I like it. Thank you."

"Ohhh—"

Kurumi glanced between Setsuna and the blissful Spirit of Origin.

"My, my, you're quite the sweet-talker, aren't you? She's already accepted the name you gave her so easily."

"Well then, should I give you a cute nickname too?"

Setsuna smirked and nodded.

"For example…"

"Stop! That's too cringey!"

Kurumi hugged herself, shuddering as though fending off a chill.

"…"

At that moment, Mio noticed Kurumi as well.

She stepped closer, gently sniffed the air near her, and then extended her delicate hand to softly touch Kurumi's face.

"There's… something familiar about you."

"Have I met you before?"

"!!!"

Kurumi froze in place, stunned as Mio's hand caressed her face. She remained completely still.

Inside Kurumi's body resided a Spirit Crystal, originally granted to her by Mio on the prior worldline—a fragment of Mio's own power.

Even though they had crossed time and space, the Spirit of Origin could still sense it.

Kurumi's transformation into a Spirit, her subsequent manipulation, and the profound shift in her life all stemmed from this entity now standing before her.

Once, she had been willing to pay any price for revenge.

But now, this being—who in some sense was her mother—looked at her with innocent bewilderment.

"I feel like… you and I are very alike…"

"It's as if… you're a part of me…"

Mio cupped Kurumi's face in both hands, gazing intently into her eyes. Instinctively, she recognized the Spirit Crystal within Kurumi.

Despite her recent emergence into the world, Mio's presence was already overwhelming.

At such close range, Kurumi found herself utterly unable to resist, as if every ounce of her strength had been sapped.

"How strange… why do I feel this way…"

Mio murmured softly, lost in thought.

Her mind briefly reviewed the fragments of knowledge Setsuna had just imparted to her, trying to make sense of the sensations.

"Could it be that you're my child?"

Mio suddenly asked, looking at Kurumi.

"???"

Kurumi was completely dumbfounded by the question.

She had imagined countless scenarios for meeting the Spirit of Origin, but never in her wildest dreams did she expect Mio to touch her face and declare herself her mother.

"Uh... uh..."

"Technically speaking, your conclusion isn't wrong. You are her mother in the sense of being a Spirit," Setsuna nodded, confirming Mio's statement.

"Oh..."

Mio, who already had a natural affection for the man teaching her, lowered her head and thought for a few seconds. Her beautiful eyes turned thoughtfully before she straightened up, organizing the relationships in her mind.

Then, she reached out and poked Kurumi's cheek.

"In that case, you should call me Mom."

"???"

Kurumi: "..."

Mio then pointed at Setsuna:

"And you should call him Dad."

Setsuna nodded in agreement and patted Kurumi on the head.

"From a generational standpoint, that's correct. Call me Dad."

"!!!???"

Kurumi nearly slammed the table in frustration.

What nonsense is this?

Wasn't I just tricked by Setsuna into traveling across the world to save my friend?!

How did I suddenly gain a set of parents?! And not just any parents—ones who were entirely parachuted into my life?!

In the past, if anyone dared speak like this, she'd be sure to teach them a lesson.

But here? She couldn't even overturn the metaphorical table.

Setsuna, the Spirit of Origin, the dragon maid, and even the shipgirls were all forces she couldn't mess with.

"Be polite now—"

"Come on, call me Mom."

Mio was unrelenting, her personality surprisingly persistent.

Like a mother teaching her child, she wrapped Kurumi in a gentle embrace, urging her to say the word.

"Don't be afraid, my child. I'll protect you..."

Mio whispered softly.

"Wasn't it you who tricked me back then?!"

Kurumi roared inwardly but dared not voice her frustration.

She could feel that if she didn't say something, Mio wouldn't let it go.

Like a stubborn child, the newly born Spirit of Origin clung to her determination.

Kurumi cast a pleading glance at Setsuna.

"Ah, what a beautiful moment of reconciliation," Setsuna clapped his hands, thoroughly satisfied.

"Remember to call me Dad from now on."

"Not happening!"

Kurumi gritted her teeth as Mio cradled her, patting her head, stroking her hair, and playing with her as though she were a pet.

Running wasn't an option. Fighting back was futile. All she could do was endure being treated like a toy.

"It's fine. There'll be plenty of chances for you to call me that in the future."

"Whether here or elsewhere."

Setsuna whistled and signaled the ship to continue its course.

...

Mio's comprehension was extraordinary.

In just two days, she had mastered several languages and could communicate effortlessly with Setsuna and others.

To foster their bond and teach her about the basics of human society, Setsuna used Belfast's ship as their base and took her on a scenic tour.

The starship departed, heading westward.

Mio's endless curiosity about the unfamiliar world made her cling to Setsuna like a hatchling to its parent.

For such a pure and untainted girl, Setsuna couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was to "conquer" the Spirit of Origin.

—The caveat being that one had to be in the right place at the right time.

Moreover, without even realizing it, Mio had already begun to demonstrate her immense power.

...

...

Setsuna strolled hand-in-hand with Mio on a peach blossom island.

He had hoped to witness the island's famed sea of blooming peach blossoms, but it seemed he had arrived too early.

Aside from a few scattered buds, not a single peach blossom was in sight.

"Uh, maybe we should head somewhere else? Peach blossoms in the south might bloom earlier..."

Setsuna scratched his head awkwardly.

Just as the words left his mouth—

Mio closed her eyes, bringing her hands together in a prayer-like gesture. Behind her, a colossal tree-shaped angel appeared, with a fissure in its center housing a pink-haired, red-eyed tree spirit.

[Ain-Soph (Samsara of Paradise)]

As the tree's roots extended outward, the surrounding area rapidly transformed into a monochrome world of black and white.

This was Mio's second angel, the Angel of Laws, which converted the real world into an alternate dimension, where Mio was nearly omnipotent, capable of rewriting all rules.

"Let the peach blossoms bloom," Mio said softly.

Swoosh—

The world returned to full color.

All around them, peach blossoms burst into full bloom. Despite it being early spring, the blossoms on the entire island were more vibrant and lush than they had ever been, rivaling any place on Earth.

Mio plucked a peach blossom branch, her face lighting up as she handed it to Setsuna.

"Is it beautiful?"

"Beautiful, absolutely beautiful..."

The others stood frozen, dumbfounded.

Fortunately, Mio was an innocent romantic at heart, with no sinister intentions. Otherwise, the world would be in serious trouble.

...

Northern Europe, Lapland

Mio leaned against Setsuna's shoulder as they watched the northern lights dance across the snowy landscape.

"Do you know this is Santa Claus's hometown? Every year, many people come here to make wishes," Setsuna said casually, sharing local customs and traditions.

"Make wishes? What does that mean?"

Mio struggled to comprehend why humans would make wishes to something that didn't exist.

"It's when people hope for things to happen the way they want or for certain things to come true," Setsuna explained after a moment of thought.

"Then I don't need to make wishes… Hmm… Although, bringing people back to life is something I don't think I can do," Mio said thoughtfully, then turned to Setsuna with a serious expression.

"So, you must promise me not to get involved in anything too dangerous, okay?"

Though their time together had been brief, she had developed a sense of reliance on him and found his company enjoyable.

"…"

"I know…" Setsuna replied.

The others, who were familiar with the original storyline, couldn't help but grimace at her words.

If Setsuna were to actually die, they couldn't begin to imagine how the Spirit of Origin might unravel the world.

"…"

Kurumi patted Setsuna on the shoulder.

"For the sake of world peace, you'd better stay alive!"

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