Chapter 43: An Awkward Lunch
The vibe around the table was… off.
Same number of people, just Saeko missing—holed up in her room since the hunt. She hadn't even come down for lunch.
But that wasn't what made the atmosphere weird.
No, that was thanks to them.
Shizuka and Yuriko sat across from each other, silent, eyes locked on their plates. Not a single glance at Orochimaru. No awkward side-eye. Just pure, concentrated avoidance.
Saya wasn't doing much better. If anything, she had it the worst. Because while the others could pretend last night never happened, she had to sit here, eating lunch like normal, after spending the night listening to her mother lose herself in some… very enthusiastic activities.
With Orochimaru.
Right through the damn walls.
Her eye twitched as she stabbed at her food. Therapy? Yeah. Not nearly enough in this world.
Rika, at least, looked the least embarrassed. But unbothered? No, not even close.
Because honestly? She still wasn't sure she believed what she'd been told.
The shock of being alive at all had long since faded, but what took its place was heavier.
Guilt. And something close to dread.
Because what she'd heard?
Other worlds.
Shizuka had told her everything. Every impossible, unbelievable detail. And yet, Rika didn't doubt a single word.
Shizuka was the last person she'd ever doubt.
And that made it worse.
On one side, her comrades had betrayed her.
On the other, her friend had willingly sold herself to save her.
She clenched her fists.
It wasn't just guilt weighing on her anymore. It was the unbearable, suffocating truth.
"Which is the nearest base?"
Rika barely registered the words at first, lost in her own thoughts.
"Rika."
She snapped out of it, blinking up at him.
Orochimaru leaned back, arms crossed. "Military base. Closest one?"
She just stared for a second, brain lagging.
Then it hit.
Oh.
He wanted guns. Big ones. And where better to stock up than a damn military base?
"The one in the east," Rika said after a moment. "Closest one. It was the first to lose control."
Orochimaru hummed, lost in thought, when Saya suddenly cut in.
"What do you want to do?"
He glanced at her. "Raid."
"No, not that. I mean, obviously," she said, rolling her eyes. "I mean… in your world. What do you actually want?"
That got everyone's attention.
Conversations died. Forks paused mid-air. All eyes turned to him, curiosity flickering behind them.
Orochimaru raised a brow at the sudden focus. "Hmph."
He leaned back, taking his time before answering. "A network. Control over the world's economy and politics. My own organisation." He completed "And plenty more you can probably guess."
"Sounds like every other isekai power fantasy," Saya muttered, but she wasn't blind to the logic.
He wanted control—over the world, its economy, its politics. And since he wasn't some noble-born ruler or secret mastermind back home, he'd take the practical route.
Use what this world had to offer.
Orochimaru had no real interest in politics—but that didn't mean he'd let himself fall behind in it.
Especially not when organisations like Kara existed.
The Ōtsutsuki were the real threat, with Isshiki being the biggest problem, but he couldn't ignore the others who had joined Kara either. And assuming they were the only ones? That would be foolish.
Who knew what else this world had hidden?
He'd already come across Kekkei Genkai, clans, and villages that didn't match anything from the so-called canon. If those existed, then what else was lurking beneath the surface? How much of what he thought he knew was even accurate anymore?
It didn't matter. He would adapt. He always did.
"Give me the exact location and anything I should know," he said, turning to Rika.
She gave a short nod, but then something seemed to click in her mind—like a switch flipping, a decision locking into place.
"I'll be your guide," she said, her voice firmer this time, more certain.
"Rika—" Shizuka started, but she didn't get the chance to finish.
"Don't worry," Rika cut in, offering a small, reassuring smile. "I'll be fine."
But more than that—she needed this opportunity.
She had to talk to Orochimaru. About Shizuka. About her deal.
But before she could even bring it up, his voice cut through her thoughts, smooth and knowing.
"So, Rika," he mused, tilting his head. "What have you decided?"
Her breath hitched.
"Are you planning to follow your friend?" His smirk widened slightly. "To my world?"