Three days later, in Tokyo and its surrounding areas, new residential zones had been established. The remaining population gradually resumed production, and life began to return to normal. Even the entertainment industry had started to recover bit by bit.
"Shu, what's wrong? You've seemed out of it these past few days." On a still somewhat quiet street, Hare Menjou looked at Shu Ouma, who was carrying two bags of groceries. Because the old housing structures had become unsafe due to the virus, all the current residences were newly rebuilt and government-assigned. Naturally, Shu and Hare ended up living together.
"Hmph! My little brother only needs me. Why does he have to live with some random outsider?" Mana Ouma huffed as she floated behind Shu, clearly displeased. In the past three days, Mana and Hare had argued constantly.
At first, the gentle and kind Hare had always yielded to Mana. But when Mana told her to move out and leave Shu, Hare finally lost her patience. Surprisingly, the normally mild-mannered Hare completely overwhelmed Mana in their war of words.
"I'm sorry, but there isn't a single law in this country that says a sister can marry her brother," Hare said with a smile.
"Hmph! Naive. My brother and I aren't related by blood anymore. The law against close relatives marrying doesn't apply to me," Mana declared proudly.
"Then without blood ties, you're not siblings anymore, are you?" With just that single sentence, Hare struck a critical blow. Mana immediately deflated, her glowing body floating weakly in defeat.
"Besides," Hare continued with a gentle smile, "Shu needs a wife who can bear children. You can't do that, can you, Mana?" The calm tone made it sting all the more.
"Hmph! Having a child with my little brother isn't that big of a deal..." Mana tried to argue back, but Hare simply kept smiling, her eyes wordlessly repeating, Can you even have children? Can you?
"Uuuh... little brother! This evil woman is bullying me!" Mana cried as she dissolved into silver light, merging back into Shu's heart. It marked Hare's twenty-eighth victory in their verbal duels.
Slap! Not too hard, not too soft—Hare patted Shu's face with both hands, snapping him back to focus. Her face softened, filled with tenderness. "Shu, what's on your mind?"
"Hare... I might do something that will make you angry. But promise me—if I really do it, you'll forgive me. Please don't leave me, no matter what." Shu set down the grocery bags and grasped Hare's hands tightly.
"It's about the Angel, isn't it?" Hare smiled knowingly. "You're different from who you were before, Shu. You're brave, strong, and kind now. The Angel who helped you become this way must mean a lot to you. Let me guess—you're in love with her, aren't you?"
"Love! The great sister!" Not far behind them, a small gothic lolita cat-girl bristled instantly, tail puffed up. She darted behind a corner, hiding while eavesdropping intently.
"Hare, you're the one I love the most. But... I can't deny that I once loved Kurumi. Even now, I still have feelings for her." Shu lowered his head, guilt shadowing his face.
"Of course, I know it's impossible between us. The gap between us is too great in every way. But I don't want to keep these feelings buried forever. I need to tell Kurumi how I feel—so I won't have any regrets."
Suddenly, Shu clutched his chest. His heart ached—not metaphorically, but literally. For a normal person, it would've been emotional pain. But for Shu, it meant only one thing—his sister was angry.
"Hare!" Shu gasped, the pain in his chest intensifying. This time, it wasn't Mana—it was real. Hare looked at him, trembling, eyes wide with fear.
"Hare, I'm sorry! I know it's selfish, but I can't suppress these feelings. I need to confess to Kurumi. But... the person I love most is still you. Please, don't leave me. I don't want to live with regrets." Shu pulled Hare into his arms, embracing her tightly in the middle of the street like the climax of a tearful drama.
Tears slid down Hare's cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away and forced a calm smile. "Since you've already decided, there's nothing I can do. I'll just pretend... I never heard any of this."
"Hare... are you really okay?" Shu Ouma released her, worry flickering in his eyes.
"I'm fine." Hare placed a hand over her heart and shook her head with a faint smile, though her body trembled slightly. "How could I be fine? You really are an idiot, Shu."
"Filthy human, how dare you defile the sacred, beautiful Angel! Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!" The cat-eared gothic lolita, Tsugumi, hissed furiously, her rage soaring skyward. Then, she pulled out her communicator and sent a message through Funeral Parlor's secure network.
Tsugumi: "Someone's going to confess to the Angel! What do we do?!"
Kenji Kido: "Kill him!"
Shibungi: "After Gai's betrayal, we were lost in despair, waiting for death like walking corpses. But then, the Angel sang for us—her sacred voice told us not to give up, to smile, because as long as we can smile, there is still hope. The great Angel saved us, saved Funeral Parlor! She is our light! Tsugumi, tell us who this man is. We'd like to have a friendly conversation with him."
Tsugumi: "It's Shu Ouma."
Argo: "I'm getting my dagger. Time to act in the name of heaven."
Tsugumi: "Aren't we being a bit cruel?"
Oogumo: "Yeah, maybe we shouldn't kill him outright."
Tsugumi: "How about we just... remove his head?"
Ayase Shinomiya: "..."
Ayase: "Let's not harm him physically. Why don't we just sabotage his confession instead?"
Tsugumi: "Great idea! I'll contact Arisa and have her relay the message to President Segai. Shu Ouma, prepare yourself!"
And so—Arisa found out. And shortly after, at the office of the newly appointed President Segai, a communicator began to beep urgently.
"So tired... I haven't slept in three days." Slumped over a mountain of paperwork, Segai's dark circles looked severe. Ever since the Angels' announcement, he had buried himself in endless work to numb his thoughts.
"Shu Ouma is going to confess to the Angel!"
"What?! Nani?!" Smack! Segai's hand slammed onto the desk, scattering papers everywhere. "Shu Ouma... you've got guts, I'll give you that. To dare make a move on the Angel herself!"
Thus, the Operation: Kill Shu Ouma task force was formed. Commander: Tsugumi. Deputy Commander: President Segai. Their mission—"By any means necessary, sabotage Shu Ouma's confession."
"First, we need to understand both sides' positions. The enemy, Shu Ouma, is in peak condition—ready to confess at any time. Meanwhile, our Angel has just recovered and is still fatigued, but she'll be fully rested in two days. That gives us exactly two days to act," Segai analyzed during a secret strategy meeting. For the first time in history, Funeral Parlor and GHQ worked together.
"The standard confession plan is the classic date: shopping, a movie, a nice meal, and a romantic surprise in the evening leading to the confession," Segai said, his mind spinning with tactical precision.
Shibungi: "Usually, when a guy takes a girl shopping, he'll treat her to snacks and buy her small gifts, right?"
Tsugumi: "Snacks, huh? The Angel is a hopeless sweet-tooth. She hates spicy food!"
Arisa: "Right! The Angel once said she absolutely detests guys who talk about pervy stuff."
Tsugumi: "Perfect! Shibungi, here's your mission—by any means necessary, make sure that on the day of their date, all the food stalls nearby sell nothing but spicy food. And if Shu tries to buy her a gift, switch it out with something... indecent."
Shibungi: "Leave it to us." He pushed up his glasses, grinning wickedly.
Tsugumi: "Next, the movie. We need to make sure the one showing that day is the dullest, most disgusting, vomit-inducing film imaginable."
Segai: "Does such a movie even exist?"
Tsugumi: "If it doesn't, we'll make one. Deputy Commander Segai, you have two days to go from script to finished film. Can you do it?"
Segai: "Mission accepted."
Time passed quickly. By the end of the second day, Segai had completed a film so bad that even he vomited while watching it.
Meanwhile, Funeral Parlor launched an all-out campaign, spreading rumors throughout the district—painting Shu Ouma as the Makoto Itou of their post-apocalyptic world.
And so, two days later, as expected, Shu finally approached Kurumi Tokisaki.
"Kurumi, if you don't mind... would you like to go out with me for a walk?" Shu said, dressed neatly and smiling warmly.
"Go out? Sure. I've been bored lately anyway—it'll be nice to get some fresh air." Kurumi replied without a hint of suspicion, agreeing readily.
"What?! A date? I'm coming too! Walking with the Angel must be pure bliss!" The cat-eared Tsugumi appeared out of nowhere, eyes flashing mischievously. Boy, I'm here to ruin your plans.
"Hmm, sure. The more, the merrier," Kurumi said sweetly, eyes narrowing with a gentle smile.
"If we're going out, there'll be snacks, right?" Tohka Yatogami exclaimed, her eyes sparkling like stars as she imagined streets lined with delicious food.
"You really only care about eating," Kotori Itsuka said dryly, resting her chin in her hand, clearly uninterested in the outing.
"But... there'll be lollipops too, right? The new batch should count as post-disaster commemorative editions—they have special meaning!" Tsugumi said with a sly glint in her eye, watching Shu's expression darken by the second. The more third wheels, the better, boy.
Tap tap tap... Kotori, who'd seemed disinterested just moments ago, suddenly strode forward and grabbed Kurumi's sleeve. "Kurumi-chan, can I come too?"
"Of course," Kurumi said with a serene smile. "It's a rare opportunity—why don't we all go together?"
Upon hearing that, Shu's face instantly turned pale as ash.