The miniature city of Pisa stretched before them—a breathtaking replica of Italy's Tuscan gem, complete with the iconic Leaning Tower, its white-marble cylinder already tilting just as it had since its completion in 1372. Beside it rose the Romanesque cathedral with its striped marble facade, all set within a perfect recreation of Piazza dei Miracoli. The tiny human statues scattered throughout looked so lifelike that in another time, another place, they might have drawn gasps of wonder. But now, with their lives hanging in the balance, no one bothered to admire the spectacle. All eyes were fixed on the five egg-like shelters.
[Time Start]
[5:00]
[4:59]
[4:58]
The timer abruptly cut in half.
Before anyone could react, Naomichi Taiga lunged forward, grabbing Aozora Kettei by the collar and slamming a fist into his face. "Bastard! This is the result of your meddling! You want to help? Then sacrifice yourself!"
Nanase Onoue stepped between them, blocking Taiga's advance. "Wait! Let's clarify things before we decide to sacrifice anyone. He had good intentions—he used the Death Slots to help us!"
Though Aozora Kettei's cheek burned from the blow, warmth spread through his chest. He was certain now—he would protect this woman no matter what.
And then he noticed it. Faintly, almost imperceptibly, a soft green aura enveloped Nanase Onoue. The more he focused on it, the clearer his vision became. He could see auras.
A memory surfaced—a manhwa he had read in his past life, The Second Coming of Gluttony. The protagonist possessed a powerful ability called Nine Eyes, which differentiated objects and people into nine colors, each with its own meaning: threat evaluation, glimpses of fate and destiny. Though Aozora Kettei sensed he only had access to a fraction of that power—his left eye alone, granted as some form of compensation—he understood its function.
The aura revealed the level of threat based on a person's judgment, character, or the nature of a place:
· Green – Those with no ill will toward you / Safe locations
· Yellow – Those who are neutral, neither hostile nor benevolent / Places that may injure you
· Orange – Those who harbor ill will and may strike when you least expect it / Dangerous places that could kill you
· Red – Those with extreme hostility who would kill you for their own gain / Places where death lurks at every turn
· Black – Those who prioritize your death above all else / Locations so lethal that even lottery tickets offer better odds than survival
He scanned the five participants, ranking them from safest to most dangerous:
· Nanase Onoue – Green
· Himari Horikawa – Yellow
· Yuzuru Horikawa – Yellow
· Naomichi Taiga – Orange
· Masatsugu Kito – Red
Knowing the original plot, Kettei felt even more assured of his judgment—thanks to the Nine Eyes, or rather, the Five Eyes he now possessed.
"The shelter in the first hall looked more cramped on the outside than it actually was," Nanase Onoue said, agreeing with Kettei's earlier point. "We can't judge capacity just by appearance. Let's check."
Aozora Kettei nodded and began examining the shelters, though his state of mind was far from stable. His thoughts raced, veering into dangerous territory. He forced himself to focus on the task, checking whether each shelter could hold more than one person. Nanase Onoue did the same.
Suddenly, a chilling realization struck him—a plot twist from the original story, where a character had relied too heavily on his knowledge of the source material, only to find that reality had diverged. He had died because of that arrogance.
Is it really going to be like that? Can I not save them? No... I don't have a reason to save the others. But Onoue-san...
Nervously, Kettei peered into a shelter. His eyes brightened. "This shelter can hold two people!" he announced, turning to Nanase Onoue with the eager look of a dog seeking praise from its owner.
Nanase Onoue felt something stir within her at his expression, but she didn't dwell on it. "Thank you for your hard work," she said sincerely. As a nurse, she understood the weight of fear—the despair of knowing you or your loved ones might be on the brink of death. Knowing they had a way forward, a chance for everyone to survive, filled her with genuine relief.
Now confident that cooperation was the key, no one hesitated to assign Death Slots. They exchanged Life Slots among themselves without reservation.
[0:02]
[0:01]
[0:00]
[Time's Up! Alien Invasion Start!]
They emerged and hurried into Hall 3—a miniature city of Giza, Egypt, so meticulously recreated that they could even feel the oppressive heat radiating from the replica sand and stone. They searched for shelters capable of holding more than one person, exchanged Life Slots again, and took cover as the invasion began.
Hall 4 greeted them with a miniature Moscow, Russia, blanketed in snow so realistic that frost clung to their clothes. Finally, Hall 5 presented a replica of Pingyao, China, its ancient walls and courtyards rendered in stunning detail.
When they finally emerged from the theme park, the truth sank in like a stone: this was not the world they once knew.
Naomichi Taiga bolted in the opposite direction without a word. The Horikawas—father and daughter—headed for a nearby grocery store. Masatsugu Kito, Nanase Onoue, and Aozora Kettei remained standing at the entrance.
Kettei gathered his courage. "Uhm... Miss, I realized we never properly introduced ourselves." Up until now, he had only known their names from the plot, but they had never exchanged introductions.
Nanase Onoue found the comment odd but replied politely, "My name is Nanase Onoue."
"My name is Aozora Kettei. I was wondering... if you don't have any plans yet, would you like to go together?"
Nanase Onoue understood his meaning immediately. She glanced at her senior, Masatsugu Kito, silently seeking his advice—unaware that he was celebrating inwardly. Kito knew Nanase Onoue's character all too well.
She was a meddlesome soul, one who always insisted on justice. If a person could be saved, she would exhaust every effort to help them. If they couldn't, she would ensure their final moments were filled with kindness. It could be said that Nanase Onoue was too kind—and being too kind was not wise, especially in the eyes of someone as selfish as Masatsugu Kito. On the surface, people like him admired such selflessness, but in their hearts, they ridiculed it.