Saeko Busujima:"Sixty points is already a lot. I only got fifty-eight, and it doesn't look like I even have an ability I can strengthen."
March 7th:"Waaah! I only have sixty points!"
Water Goddess:"Why do I only have ten points?! I'm the Water Goddess!"
Apuru Party:"@Kisaragi Akira, can you tell us who created this chat group?"
Kisaragi Akira:"I was invited first, and then appointed as the administrator. As for the group's creator… I've never met them."
Saeko Busujima:"That's an interesting idea—a chat group linking multiple worlds, created by some unknown existence. But how can we be sure that we aren't all actually from the same world?"
The chat fell silent.
It was clear everyone was thinking about the same question.
After a moment, Kisaragi Akira spoke again.
"I do know some basic information."
Kisaragi Akira:"Saeko Busujima—student of Fujimi Academy on Earth.Exusiai—an employee from Terra, Laterano, currently affiliated with Penguin Logistics.Aqua… a goddess of questionable competence."
Kisaragi Akira:"As for you—@March 7th—to be honest, you remind me of March 7th, but I can't be completely certain."
March 7th:"Hey, hey, hey! This girl is March 7th! What—am I that famous in other worlds already?"
Kisaragi Akira:"I might be a special case. March 7th is a passenger of the Astral Express, an anonymous traveler—one of the pioneers who cross the universe."
Kisaragi Akira:"That's all I'll say. Don't ask me where this information comes from. The situation is complicated, and I don't feel like explaining. You can decide for yourselves whether it's true."
After sending that message, Akira immediately stopped responding.
He wasn't about to sit there answering endless questions.
There was no way he could tell them that he knew these things because he'd watched anime and played games in another life.
He revealed only a small amount of information—intentionally.
Everyone deserves some privacy.
If someone suddenly told you, I know everything about you, wouldn't that be terrifying?
More importantly, who could guarantee that their worlds truly followed the exact plots of anime and games?
In situations like this, the less you say, the fewer mistakes you make.
What concerned Akira most wasn't the others—it was his own world.
For example… how do you eliminate evil spirits completely?
After killing many of them, he had already realized the truth.
Evil spirits could never be eradicated.
Because destroying them counted as interfering with the apocalypse, he earned points every time he killed one. That was why he worked tirelessly to eliminate them.
But it was precisely because of that effort that he understood something terrifying.
Evil spirits never stopped appearing.
No matter how many he destroyed, new ones would always emerge.
"…This is impossible."
There was no solution.
"Forget it. Time to sleep."
When you're faced with a problem you can't solve, lying down and sleeping is sometimes the smartest choice.
...
"How strange… there's absolutely no way to talk about the Doomsday Chat Group."
March 7th rested her chin in her hands, her expression full of distress.
She wanted to tell everyone about it—but no matter how hard she tried, the words simply wouldn't come out.
Exusiai experienced the same thing.
"Exusiai, what's wrong with you? You're acting really weird today."
The bread-loving Croissant poked Exusiai in the waist.
"I…"
She tried to speak, stopped, tried again—and failed.
Exusiai collapsed weakly onto the sofa.
Keeping a secret you physically couldn't share was pure torture.
...
Everyone tested the strange phenomenon in their own way.
If nothing worked, then sleep until morning.
Wake up.
Get dressed.
Brush your teeth and wash your face.
Boil an egg.
Drink a cup of hot milk.
Then head to school as usual.
...
Class 1, Grade 2 of a comprehensive high school.
"Hey there, Kisaragi!"
As soon as Akira sat down, Yui Yuigahama from the desk beside him greeted him cheerfully.
"Morning, Yui."
Akira responded out of habit.
"Hey-hey!"
Yui smiled brightly.
Greeting Akira every morning was the best way to start her day.
Poke.
He felt someone tap his back twice.
"What's wrong, Megumi?"
Akira turned to look at the bob-haired girl behind him—Kato Megumi.
She didn't seem to mind being called by her first name at all.
Calmly, she pointed her pen toward the back-right corner of the classroom.
"Someone's been staring at you."
"Hm?"
Akira looked in that direction.
"—!"
The gaze that had been fixed on him instantly shifted away.
"Oh."
It was Yukino Yukinoshita.
The moment their eyes met, Yukino's ears and cheeks flushed red.
Yesterday's scene flashed uncontrollably through her mind.
"What did you do to Yukinoshita?"
Although it sounded like a question, Megumi's expression remained completely neutral.
"Nothing," Akira replied casually. "I just ran into her by chance yesterday."
After that, he stopped looking at Yukino and instead glanced at Megumi.
"By the way, your hair clip looks really nice today."
"I feel like everything's normal… ah, the teacher's here."
Megumi pointed toward the classroom door.
Akira immediately turned back to his desk.
He was a law-abiding citizen—and a model student who followed the rules.
Behind him, Megumi lifted a hand and lightly touched the pink hair clip in her hair.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Akira always notices me.
...