Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

In the outskirts of Tengu City, deep within a forest, sat a semi-abandoned park.

It was a desolate place, rarely visited except by the occasional hiker or fitness enthusiast.

At the heart of the park, on a lone bench, a stunning schoolgirl casually sat with a pack of snacks in her hand, teasing a small cat curled up beside her.

She looked about sixteen or seventeen, her petite frame accentuating an almost ethereal beauty.

Her long black hair was styled into twin tails, with bangs covering her left eye, leaving only her alluring wine-red right eye visible.

Dressed in a dark school uniform, paired with a blue pleated skirt that barely reached above her knees, her legs were wrapped in sheer black stockings.

The cat on her lap meowed softly, its gaze fixed intently on the snacks in her hand.

"Good kitty~ So cute~~"

She scratched the underside of the cat's chin, drawing a satisfied purr from it.

More stray cats, lured by the scent of her snacks, cautiously approached.

"Hmm-hmm-hmm~~"

Humming a soft tune, the girl enjoyed her peaceful time with the cats when she suddenly noticed several unfamiliar figures closing in.

A cocky voice interrupted her tranquility:

"Hey there, missy. Out here so late and all alone?"

Looking up, she saw four young men, clearly delinquents, grinning at her with malicious intent.

"Hey there, what brings you to me, gentlemen?"

She smiled sweetly, not the least bit flustered.

"Damn, she's pretty cute," one of them muttered.

Bang—

The leader slammed his hand on the bench, leaning in to loom over Kurumi Tokisaki.

The others encircled her, effectively cutting off any escape.

"Miss, what's your name? Why not join us for a little fun?"

"It's dangerous to be out here all by yourself, you know," he added, his gaze sweeping over her with clear intentions.

Meow!

The stray cats scattered in fright, leaving Kurumi alone with the delinquents.

"Oh dear, oh dear..."

Kurumi surveyed the four men with a smile that brimmed with both charm and mischief.

"So... are you gentlemen planning to have your way with me?"

"Whoa, what? She's serious?"

"She knows the deal—makes things so much easier!"

Their excitement grew. They had only planned to harass her for fun, but now it seemed like a golden opportunity had fallen into their laps.

"Hey, go get a room ready at the inn," the leader ordered one of his lackeys with a smug grin.

"No need for that. Isn't this place just perfect?"

"After all, no one ever comes by here, right?"

Kurumi rose gracefully, dusting off her skirt. The tailored uniform accentuated her lithe figure perfectly, making her look simultaneously delicate and enchanting.

"Wow, you're pretty bold, miss."

The delinquents could barely contain themselves.

"Who's first?"

"Obviously me!"

"Should we stay here or head over to the bushes?"

As they debated, Kurumi clapped her hands, her smile widening.

"Why not all at once?"

A shadow surged from beneath her feet, spreading rapidly to envelop the surrounding area.

From the darkness emerged countless pale hands that grabbed two of the delinquents and dragged them into the void.

"Ah—!"

Their screams pierced the night as they vanished into the shadows.

"A-a m-monster!"

The remaining two felt the blood drain from their faces, their earlier bravado replaced with pure terror. They tried to flee but found their bodies paralyzed, unable to even stand.

"Oh my, weren't you gentlemen just eager to 'play' with me?"

Kurumi's soft voice dripped with malice as she stepped forward, her heels clicking delicately against the ground.

"All I did was reverse the roles a little. Why so scared now?"

She leisurely approached the trembling delinquents, savoring their fear.

With a flick of her hand, another shadow surged forth, engulfing a third victim.

She licked her lips, a faint glow emanating from her right eye as she absorbed the man's time.

"Come on, don't be shy," she teased the last one, who was now crawling desperately along the ground, whimpering incoherently.

Suddenly—

Whoosh—

A powerful gust of wind rustled the trees.

From above, a silver-white starship descended, its sleek and futuristic design casting an otherworldly glow over the forest.

The orange ion thrusters beneath its hull hummed softly, their glow illuminating the area and raising the surrounding temperature.

"What's this? Aliens? A UFO?"

Kurumi tilted her head, her wine-red eye narrowing as she studied the ship curiously.

Click—

After the ship's hatch opened, Setsuna led his team onto the ground.

"Well, isn't it you?" Setsuna smiled as he looked at Kurumi.

This was none other than the girl known as the "Worst Spirit," a notable figure and, in some circles, the unofficial mascot of the Date A Live world.

Kurumi often regarded humans as food, and provoking her rarely ended well.

Since he had come across her by chance, he thought it might be a good idea to bring her along—perhaps even to help her reconcile with her "mother" and untangle her emotional knots.

"Help me!!!"

Taking advantage of Kurumi's momentary distraction, the delinquent leader mustered all his strength and ran toward Setsuna.

"She's... she's a monster!!! Run!!!"

Though the origins of the spaceship confused him, Setsuna seemed like the only lifeline.

"Are you his accomplice?" Kurumi frowned.

"No. Scram."

Setsuna kicked the man away with one swift motion.

The delinquent flew backward over ten meters, crashing through several trees before slamming into a large boulder.

"..."

Kurumi turned to glance at the scene, realizing that this man's strength was even more ridiculous than a Spirit's.

"You've got some impressive moves, but that was a little wasteful, don't you think?"

...

A few minutes later.

Kurumi sat on the park bench, her gaze flitting curiously between Setsuna and his companions.

The group of women with him had appearances that could rival her own, their figures leaning toward the extravagant.

"So, who exactly are you people?"

"Spirits? Humans? Or some organization I've never heard of?"

Setsuna pointed at Belfast's ship, hovering not far off.

"To put it simply, I'm an alien from another world."

"If you're asking about species... well, I can be human, I can be a Gundam, or even a planet-destroying warship—it depends on the form I feel like taking."

"???"

Kurumi blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.

"...You're quite good at telling jokes."

"Belfast."

Setsuna snapped his fingers.

Hum—

The hundreds-of-meters-long starship emitted a bright white light before vanishing, reconfiguring itself into the ship rigging that hovered around Belfast's figure.

The head maid clapped her hands, and the massive starship vanished without a trace.

"??"

Kurumi blinked in confusion, her crimson eye glancing at the now-empty clearing where the starship had been docked moments ago.

Where was the ship? That massive ship—where did it go?!

Summonable and dismissible at will, it reminded her somewhat of an Angel or Astral Dress.

She'd never heard of a Spirit whose Astral Dress could transform into a spaceship—this was simply too science fiction.

"You could think of us as another species entirely, separate from humans and Spirits," Belfast explained.

"Ho~~"

A glint of intrigue flickered in Kurumi's wine-red eye.

Her demeanor grew a touch more guarded, her shadow subtly extending outward.

In an instant, it began forming the pale hands that had nearly ensnared Setsuna moments ago.

"That's enough. Why are you targeting me the moment we meet?"

Setsuna stomped the ground, releasing a surge of magic power that dispersed the encroaching shadow.

"!!!"

"Oh my, I was just curious to see if you had any extra time to share with me, dear alien gentleman."

"After all, you seem strong enough that it shouldn't matter, right?"

Kurumi rested her chin on her hand, studying Setsuna with keen interest.

This man seemed to be the leader of the group of women around him.

He wasn't a normal human, nor a Spirit. The magic that radiated from him earlier felt entirely different from her own spiritual energy.

"Share some time with you? Funny, we happen to have infinite time."

Setsuna chuckled.

In the original story, Kurumi sought to gather enough spiritual energy to return thirty years into the past to confront the First Spirit.

She preyed on humans for precisely this purpose, using City of Devouring Time to extract their lifespans.

But he and the shipgirls? They seemed to lack the concept of aging or mortality altogether.

As for Tohru, being a dragon meant she had millions of years ahead of her.

In theory, they were an absolute feast for Kurumi—if she could digest them, that is.

"..."

"Infinite time? Well, if you're so powerful, why not share some with me?"

Kurumi tilted her head with a playful smirk, though she refrained from making any further moves.

She could sense that Setsuna and the women around him were formidable, so she settled for a bit of probing instead.

"I know what you're after."

Setsuna lightly tapped her forehead.

"You want to gather spiritual energy so you can travel back in time to confront the First Spirit, right?"

"Funny coincidence—we're planning to head there ourselves. Want to hitch a ride? I might even tell you a thing or two about your mom—oh, I mean, the First Spirit."

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