"They won't mind," Kobayashi said curtly.
"Alright."
"By the way, Mommy, what were Oniichan and the others doing back there?"
The sword spirit asked with innocent curiosity.
"It looked like they were fighting, but not exactly"
"Don't ask. You're too young for this."
Kobayashi's expression darkened.
There was no way she could explain that to the sword spirit.
"Fine"
The sword spirit seemed disappointed but quickly perked up again.
"Oh! Mommy, Oniichan said you'd help me come up with a name!"
"Ah Just pick something simple," Kobayashi said offhandedly.
"..."
But the dejected mood emanating from the sword spirit made her realize her flippant remark had hurt the girl's feelings.
Sighing, she relented. "Alright, I'll think of a name for you."
"Really?"
The sword spirit's enthusiasm returned, her excitement palpable.
Kobayashi scratched her head in frustration. "Let's see Since you're a sword, how about 'Sword-chan'?"
"..."
The sword spirit didn't respond, clearly pretending not to hear.
That name was terrible.
"Uh" Kobayashi also realized how ridiculous the name sounded.
She sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"I've never been good at naming things. Give me a break here."
She paused, deep in thought. "How about something simpler? Let's go with 'Saint-chan.' How does that sound?"
"Saint-chan"
The sword spirit repeated the name, savoring it. After a moment, a bright smile spread across her face.
"Hehe! From now on, Mommy, call me Saint-chan!"
"Alright."
Kobayashi exhaled in relief. At least the name wasn't outright rejected.
[Ding! You've unlocked a sub-chat group!]
The sudden notification made Kobayashi stop in her tracks.
"Mommy, did you hear that?" Saint-chan asked curiously.
Kobayashi's eyes widened. "You heard it too?"
"Mhm! It seems to be from Oniichan's chat group."
"..."
Kobayashi sighed. She instantly recognized the significance of the notification.
Her mind now contained new knowledge about the chat group's workings.
But rather than excitement, all she felt was a bitter smile.
"It feels like my ordinary life is getting farther and farther away"
Dragon Realm.
The Dragon Clan and the Angelic Legion were in a tense standoff.
Leading the Angelic Legion was the Seraphim, under the command of Zelel, representing Heaven.
Opposing them, at the forefront of the Dragon Clan, stood an enormous red dragon with an imposing presence.
"Damocles Emperor of Demise, leader of the Chaos Faction and one of the strongest beings in this world," Zelel remarked, her voice steady despite the overwhelming pressure radiating from the dragon.
Dressed in angelic armor and wielding a holy sword, she locked eyes with the dragon and said, "Are you willing to form an alliance?"
Though aware of her own inferiority in power, Zelel showed no trace of fear.
The dragon's fiery eyes glowed as it gazed down at her.
It finally spoke, its voice deep and commanding.
"Angels of another world, I will ensure that my Chaos Faction does not harm the human realm."
The Damocles Emperor of Demise was a being of foresight.
War was a constant in its world, but the arrival of a new opportunitya collision and merging of worldsoffered the possibility of a different future.
While the Emperor of Demise was entangled in the vortex of endless conflict, it saw a chance for its progeny to escape such a fate.
This was why it allowed Tohru to leave the Chaos Faction.
"Only the Chaos Faction?"
Zelel furrowed her brows slightly, though she understood the logic.
As powerful as the Emperor of Demise was, it did not rule the entire Dragon Realm and therefore could not speak for other factions.
Even so, this outcome was favorable. Heaven had successfully established a non-aggression pact with both the strongest dragons and gods of this world.
However, the Emperor of Demise had one conditionone that put Zelel in a difficult position.
"You must permit members of the Dragon Clan to enter the human realm."
Its justification was clear:
"We need to observe whether the humans of your world are as greedy and deceitful as the humans of this one."
The Emperor of Demise harbored a deep disdain for humanity, considering them the most detestable race in its world.
"This"
Zelel hesitated.
Allowing dragons to enter the human realm was incredibly dangerous. A single dragon could easily annihilate an entire city.
Even though she had heard of a human awakener appearing in the human realm, it was impossible for such a person to grow strong enough to protect the realm so quickly.
With only the balance of power among Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife to rely on, managing dragons in the human realm seemed an insurmountable task.
Sensing her concern, the Emperor of Demise reassured her:
"The dragons entering the human realm will not harm humans. However, if you cannot accept this condition, our alliance is off the table."
This was a thinly veiled threat.
While the Emperor of Demise had no particular desire to start another war, it would not hesitate if the alliance fell through.
"..."
Zelel had no choice.
Although Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife each had trump cards to contend with the Dragon Realm, such cards were not to be used lightly.
"Fine. We accept your condition."
Zelel agreed, though she silently prayed: "May the awakener in the human realm grow stronger soon."
The human realm belonged to humans, and it should be protected by them.
As for Rei Ao, the person Zelel was pinning her hopes on, he was blissfully unaware of any of this.
He was discreetly using his abilities to enjoy an intimate moment with Megumi Kato in the classroom.
Meanwhile, his classmates were abuzz with discussions about the recent death of Tomoya Aki.
When class started, everyone quickly returned to their seats, their chatter silenced by the sound of approaching footsteps.
Click, click, click.
In walked their homeroom teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka.
The students were puzzled.
Wasn't the first period her class anyway?
Shizuka wasted no time in getting to the point.
"Class, we have a new transfer student joining us today," she announced.
The classroom erupted in murmurs.
"A transfer student?"
"Do you think it's a guy?"
"Maybe it's a cute girl!"
The room buzzed with speculation until Shizuka clapped her hands for silence.
"Come in," she said, gesturing to the door.
A tall girl with short, dark purple hair walked in and stood at the front of the class.
"Introduce yourself," Shizuka instructed.
The girl nodded, bowed to the class, and turned to write her name on the chalkboard.
At first, Rei Ao's attention was on her striking appearance.
But when she wrote her name, recognition dawned on him.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Michiru Hyoudou. Please take care of me!"
Michiru Hyoudou.
She was Tomoya Aki's cousin.
Rei Ao was surprised to see this background character from the story taking center stage here.
As it turned out, Michiru's transfer was the result of a family plea.
After Tomoya Aki's car accident, his behavior and mental state had visibly deteriorated.
Fearing that he might harm himself, his family asked Michiru's mother to convince her to transfer schools to watch over him and offer support.
Michiru agreed, as her aspirations lay in music rather than university.
However, before she could settle in, Tomoya Aki passed away.
With her transfer already processed, Michiru decided to stay and finish her schooling here.
~~~
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Chapter 131: Icy Tail, Rooftop Chill, Something Happened to Yui?
Just as lunch break started...
Despite her chaotic thoughts, Yui tried to act normal and join Yumiko and the others for lunch.
However, Yumiko was acting strangely today.
Casually, she said, "Oh, I think I'll rest alone today. You guys go ahead."
And just like that, she turned them down.
After making sure the others had walked away, Yumiko took out a bento box meant for two from her desk drawer.
"Sorry, Yui, but I have a boyfriend now."
Having finally confirmed her relationship with Rei Ao, she wanted to try spending lunchtime alone with hima private moment for the two of them.
But...
Her ideal was far from reality.
Instead of a world of two, it became a world of three.
Sitting on either side of Rei Ao was Yumiko and Megumi Kato, exchanging sharp looks.
Almost simultaneously, they each placed their bento boxes on the table.
Yumiko glared at Rei Ao. "So, which one will you eat?"
Megumi, ever composed, said, "Rei Ao, Yumiko must have prepared this especially for you. You shouldn't let her efforts go to waste."
"Eh?"
Yumiko was stunned. She hadn't expected Megumi to say that.
Looking at Megumi's soft, kind, and sweet face, Yumiko suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
"W-Well, d-don't say that. Y-You must've put effort into yours too. Rei Ao, you should eat hers!"
Rei Ao chuckled, picking up both bento boxes.
"As long as you two can get along, what's stopping me from finishing both?"
Internally, he gave Megumi a thumbs-up. As expected of his dependable partnershe could effortlessly handle Yumiko's fiery pride.
Yumiko turned her head away with a huff. "Don't push your luck. I'm only letting this slide because of Kato-san."
"Oh?"
Rei Ao wrapped his arm around Yumiko's waist, causing her to shiver slightly.
"So, Yumiko, does this mean you'd be willing to come over to my place sometimefor everyone to hang out together?"
"..."
That sounded way too suspicious.
Megumi gently tugged Rei Ao's sleeve, her voice soft. "Rei Ao, I'm not ready for that kind of group activity just yet."
"Fair enough. It's going to happen eventually, but if you're not ready, I won't push it."
Yumiko blinked, looking utterly baffled.
"What exactly are you two talking about?"
She had a vague idea but wasn't sure.
However, when she saw the mischievous glint in Rei Ao's eye, everything clicked.
Her face turned red instantly.
"Idiot! W-Who's going to do that kind of thing with you? Absolutely not!"
"Ha-ha."
Rei Ao just laughed without saying anything more.
Absolutely not? He thought otherwise.
In the future, not only would Yumiko join them, but she'd also be lined up alongside Yui.
Megumi, sensing Yumiko's rising embarrassment from having already experienced intimacy with Rei Ao, skillfully changed the topic.
"Rei Ao, do you know the new transfer student?"
"Transfer student?" Yumiko perked up, curiosity written all over her face.
Rei Ao casually replied while enjoying his lunch. "A transfer student joined our class today."
"Boy or girl?" Yumiko asked quickly.
Megumi chimed in with a knowing smile, "A very pretty girl. And for a moment, Rei Ao's gaze looked... peculiar."
"Huh?"
Yumiko's brow furrowed in irritation. She shot Rei Ao a sharp look. "You're such a pervert."
"Heh-heh, you've got it all wrong."
Rei Ao explained, "I just happen to know her."
"Uh... are you talking about me?"
A girl carrying a guitar emerged from the rooftop doorit was Michiru Hyodo.
The conversation had reached the person in question.
Michiru wasn't sure at first, but after seeing Rei Ao, she was certain.
Among the entire class, Rei Ao stood out the most, with an impressive presence that caught her attention more than once.
"Um, I don't think we've met before."
Michiru tilted her head, her short, dark purple hair swaying slightly.
From her memory, she couldn't recall any prior interactions with this handsome guy. After all, she had just transferred to the school.
"Hyodo Michiru-san, of course, you wouldn't know me. But I know you," Rei Ao replied with a small smile, his lips curling upward as he spoke the name, "Icy Tail."
"Eh?! You actually know about it!"
Michiru's eyes widened in surprise, as though they had exchanged some secret passcode.
This left both Megumi and Yumiko confused.
Yumiko, in particular, was completely lost.
"What on earth are you two talking about?"
"Michiru Hyodo is the transfer student who just joined our class. She's also the guitarist for a band called 'Icy Tail,'" Rei Ao explained.
The revelation clicked for both girls, especially when they noticed the guitar strapped to Michiru's back.
"Ha-ha, I didn't expect anyone to recognize me after transferring here. It seems this classmate has seen our band perform before."
As Michiru spoke, she set her guitar down and took a seat nearby.
"Let's introduce ourselves properly. I'm Michiru Hyodo. What about you all?"
"Rei Ao."
"Megumi Kato."
"Yumiko Miura."
After exchanging introductions, Michiru turned to Rei Ao with a curious expression.
"If you know about our band, does that mean you're a fan?"
"Sorry, I'm not," Rei Ao answered carefully.
The truth was, he only knew her because of his knowledge of Saekano. He deliberately avoided saying too much.
"Figures," Michiru replied without disappointment. After all, her band wasn't exactly famous.
Her gaze briefly scanned the seating arrangements of the three. She didn't dwell on why they seemed so close and instead pulled out her guitar.
"Mind if I play here?"
She had come to the rooftop for some quiet practice.
"Not at all," Rei Ao replied.
The rooftop wasn't theirs to control, and they had no reason to refuse.
"Thanks."
Michiru adjusted her guitar and, with a focused expression, began playing a soulful tune.
"Wow, that sounds amazing!" Yumiko exclaimed.
Though not an expert, she could tell when something was good.
Even Rei Ao couldn't help but silently praise her. "She's undeniably a musical talent."
Meanwhile, in the stairwell...
"..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha stood frozen, her hand resting on the railing.
She had just arrived at the rooftop and noticed the door was ajar.
For a moment, she hesitated.
After some thought, she turned to leave but stopped in her tracks when a melody floated down to her ears.
"A guitar?"
Curiosity piqued, Utaha changed her mind and climbed to the rooftop.
There, she spotted Rei Ao among the group.
Michiru, the guitarist, paused her performance as she noticed Utaha.
"Is this rooftop always this popular?" Michiru joked lightly.
"...I'm just here to catch some fresh air," Utaha replied, uncomfortable under the group's gaze.
