"Little kitten, contact the Funeral Parlor. I need to know what's happening on-site." In her Miku Izayoi form, Kurumi rested one hand on Tsugumi's head, her chin propped upon it, while the other arm wrapped around the girl's waist. Her expression turned serious.
"Ayase, what's the situation?" Tsugumi immediately opened communications with Ayase Shinomiya. No matter whom she had once served, now Tsugumi's loyalty belonged entirely to Kurumi. Her heart was utterly devoted to her Onee-sama—far more deeply than Inori's obsession ever was.
"The battle's going well! We've managed to hold off GHQ's attack for now. Gai is negotiating a cooperation deal with Shuichiro Keido. Soon, we'll have more Void Genomes at our disposal!" Ayase said cheerfully.
Kurumi frowned slightly, her mind racing. Gai and Shuichiro Keido working together? In the original timeline, Gai had been portrayed as a heroic figure—fighting to stop Keido from resurrecting Mana Ouma. He had even pushed Shu Ouma to attack him and Mana, allowing them both to be erased within the viral realm.
Wait... Kurumi suddenly remembered. Gai and Mana hadn't actually died. Their bodies had perished, but their existence continued. Later, Gai had returned as a villain, cutting off Shu's Void Genome arm and grafting it onto himself.
It made sense now—Gai had been fighting for Mana all along. There was no way he would ever truly oppose her resurrection. Perhaps, if he had known beforehand that he wouldn't die, then everything that happened in the original timeline could be reinterpreted.
He had used his image as a hero to deceive Shu—to push him forward, to bring him closer to Mana's heart. After all, what woman wouldn't fall for a man who sacrificed himself for her?
But in this world, things had changed. Because of Kurumi's interference, Gai's relationship with Shu was fractured. That meant Gai had abandoned the plan of deceiving Shu through his heroic facade. Instead, he had chosen to cooperate directly with Keido, taking the villain's path to resurrect Mana. A man willing to save the woman he loved, even at the cost of destroying the world—that kind of devotion would undoubtedly move her heart.
"Gai Tsutsugami... you really are a remarkable man," Kurumi muttered, biting her lip slightly before speaking to Tsugumi in a solemn tone.
"Tsugumi, I'm going to tell you the truth now. You must repeat every word to everyone in the Funeral Parlor."
...
The night sky blazed with flames as the battle raged along the riverside. High-rise buildings burned, their windows bursting into clouds of smoke and fire. The roar of gunfire never ceased. The Funeral Parlor and GHQ were locked in a deadly struggle—neither side retreating, both leaving countless bodies behind.
At that moment, Tsugumi's desperate voice suddenly rang out over the Funeral Parlor's open channel.
"Everyone! Stop Gai Tsutsugami and Shuichiro Keido from cooperating! They'll destroy the world!"
Every member of the Funeral Parlor froze in shock. Then, the strategist Shibungi—glasses gleaming—spoke with a smile.
"Tsugumi, what nonsense are you talking about? We've already secured the stone. Soon, we'll have more Void Genomes. We're on the verge of liberating Japan!" His voice carried the joy of a dream about to come true.
"Wake up! We've been deceived from the start! Do you even know what that stone is? It's the pathogen—the key that unlocks the same deadly virus from ten years ago! Stop Gai, or the Lost Christmas will happen again—and humanity will be wiped out!"
Meanwhile, Kurumi and Tsugumi were already on their way to GHQ headquarters, where the battle raged the fiercest.
"Tsugumi, who filled your head with this nonsense? How can you doubt Gai? He's the one who'll lead us to Japan's liberation!" Ayase's angry voice came through the communicator. Clearly, Tsugumi's opposition to Gai had made her furious.
"Ayase, use that love-blinded brain of yours for once! Do you really think Void Genomes are that easy to produce? If GHQ had the means, why did they only create three in ten years?!" Tsugumi shouted, her voice trembling with emotion. She truly cared for everyone in the Funeral Parlor—especially Ayase. That was why she was so harsh. Love ran deep, and so did her frustration.
"Gai said it himself, and I believe him," Ayase replied after a long silence, her tone unwavering.
"I believe in Gai too!"
"Me too!"
"Same here!"
"Gai will lead us to Japan's freedom!"
The communicator filled with voices of unwavering loyalty. Tsugumi covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. Then, clenching her communicator tightly, she shouted in fury, "Gai Tsutsugami, you filthy human! I know you're listening! If you dare hurt them—I'll never forgive you!"
"Uuuh..." Gai buried his face in his hands and wept. The communicator slipped from his grasp, falling onto the car seat. It was useless—Gai Tsutsugami's charisma was too overwhelming. Even when they were told the truth, everyone still chose to believe in him blindly.
"Don't cry, little kitten." In her Miku Izayoi form, Kurumi wrapped her arms tightly around Tsugumi.
Watching this, Inori clutched her chest, a sharp pain tightening in her heart—as if something precious was being stolen away from her.
"They'll get hurt... the more you trust, the more it hurts! I knew it—humans are filthy and unworthy of trust! Why... why does it still end like this?" Tsugumi sobbed, covering her face with both hands.
At that moment, Kurumi's Miku form tilted her head slightly, raised her brow, and caught Tsugumi's wrists. She pressed them firmly against the seat, then leaned forward—her face closing the distance until their lips met.
Tsugumi's eyes flew wide open in shock, her mind blank as she felt the soft warmth of Kurumi's pink lips against her own. Her grief melted instantly, replaced by deep, blushing shyness. Slowly, her eyes fluttered shut, her long lashes trembling.
"Mm!" The pain in Inori's chest tightened to the point of suffocation. She bit down on her lower lip so hard that blood beaded at the corner of her mouth.
Her body trembled uncontrollably. She wanted to scream, to cry out—but with Kurumi-chan right beside her, she was terrified of being hated. So she swallowed her sobs, tears falling silently instead.
"Inori." Suddenly, Kurumi pulled her into her embrace as well, holding both girls at once.
She gently stroked Inori's hair, her voice soft and affectionate. "Inori is special. I won't treat you the same as everyone else. You'll have your own special place in my heart."
Peeking shyly at Inori's tear-streaked face, Tsugumi felt a pang of guilt—but also a spark of jealousy. Onee-sama really spoils Inori so much...
...
Inside a GHQ tower, three figures sat together, their faces grim. The first was Gai Tsutsugami, leader of the Funeral Parlor. The second was Shuichiro Keido, head of the Void Research Facility and architect of the coming apocalypse. And the third—a silent boy with soft white hair, watching quietly with a phone in hand.
This boy, the first human ever injected with the Void Genome, was the one Kurumi had designated as the Gravekeeper—Yuu.
"Gai Tsutsugami, I look forward to the birth of a new humanity. Here's to a successful partnership," Keido said, expressionless, extending his hand.
Gai's face remained equally cold as he grasped Keido's hand. "Agreed. Let's begin."
"With the Crown as the offering, we shall awaken the sleeping Eve. Then, Adam and Eve shall create the new human race. We will become the gods of the new world," Keido said, an involuntary smile of excitement twisting his aged face.
"Gravekeeper Yuu, it's your turn now," Gai said indifferently, looking toward the boy. Yuu nodded silently, closing his phone. Behind him, a spatial rift opened. He stepped toward it.
"Gravekeeper Yuu," Keido called out, "why would someone as loyal to the Angel as you assist us?"
Yuu didn't answer. He merely glanced down at his phone one last time, smiling softly at whatever he saw on the screen, before vanishing into the portal.
Beep-beep... Gai's communicator vibrated. It was Ayase, transmitting through a public channel.
"Gai! How did the negotiations go? GHQ's assault is getting worse—we can barely hold them off! When can we retreat?"
A cold gleam flickered in Gai's golden eyes as he replied flatly, "The cooperation was successful."
"So we'll be getting more Void Genomes soon? Japan will finally be free?" asked Oogumo, usually quiet and honest—the same man Tsugumi often bullied, affectionately calling him 'Little Umo.'
"You're no longer needed," Gai said coldly, crushing the communicator in his hand.
The sound of cracking plastic echoed through the public channel. The entire Funeral Parlor fell silent. Several members dropped their guns to the ground, frozen in shock. Even under GHQ's fire, they didn't move.
At that moment, atop GHQ's highest tower, the purple Pathogen Stone began to tremble violently. Rings of crimson-violet light pulsed outward, spreading through the night sky.
Then came a sound—like the wails of ghosts echoing through the heavens. The entire Tokyo skyline was drowned in that hellish, unearthly song.
The sky darkened. The song rolled over the city like a shockwave. Skyscrapers cracked and crumbled. The streets split apart. And the terrified masses... turned to crystal, one by one, their bodies scattering like shards of glass.
"No—!"
The screams tore through the city as the same horror that had once scarred the world ten years ago returned. Buildings decayed and collapsed. Humanity crystallized in despair.
This was the prologue to the world's end—the prelude to the Lost Christmas.