"S-Shiro?..."
Shiraori's front legs trembled as she pointed at the handsome young man in front of her, who wore a dazzling smile.
She couldn't help but rub her eyes, her brain overwhelmed into a hazy mess by the shock of such an unexpected surprise.
She stammered for a while, completely unable to form a coherent sentence.
"I thought I already said hi before, didn't I? Why are you so scared?"
"Don't tell me you're just that happy to see me? And besides, shouldn't I be the one freaking out right now?"
Standing before Nagami was a terrifying white spider monster—jagged, bone-like spikes protruding from her limbs, and eight red-glowing eyes that emitted an intense, oppressive aura.
Seriously, the difference between filters on and off is way too much! Come on!
"Nagami!!!"
"That's right! Surprised? Didn't expect this, did you?" Nagami grinned warmly and reached out to pat Shiraori on the head.
Despite her outer shell looking hard, it was surprisingly soft to the touch. "Now hurry up and put the webs away!"
"O-oh~" Shiraori blinked blankly at Nagami's outstretched hand.
It took her a second to process what was happening, but once she snapped out of her daze, she quickly began retracting the webs surrounding both Nagami and C.C.
"By the way, doesn't the chat group usually send a notification or something? What if I'd been in the middle of a bath or something... Actually, maybe that wouldn't have been so bad..."
Even while skillfully and efficiently collecting her webs, Shiraori kept talking to herself like a stand-up comedian.
She clearly hadn't grasped a very important point yet.
"You mean that? Yeah, normally you'd get a notification. Plus, no one can enter your world without your permission."
"But... unfortunately for you, I'm not a regular member. As the group admin, I can do whatever I want."
In other words—power abuse. That about sums it up.
"Oooh~ I see! Damn it, I wanna be a power-abusing admin too!"
Once all the webs were cleaned up, Shiraori looked up with a pout, her gaze landing on Nagami's face—the boy with dark hair and a mischievous smile.
"Well, it's just... I'm surprised you're not showing any of that awkward social anxiety stuff. You seem totally fine."
Nagami lightly tapped her little head with a finger, his smile gentle.
"..."
"Y-you... you can understand what I'm saying?!"
Shiraori's panicked voice rang out.
Nagami nodded slowly, his grin growing even more satisfied.
To most creatures, her cries would've sounded like shrill, incomprehensible screeches.
But to Nagami and C.C., it was a clear, lively girl's voice.
"The Tongue of a Thousand Words—lets the user understand and speak any non-mystic language."
"One of only two items currently available in the group's shop. Don't tell me you forgot already?"
Honestly, those 100 points were so worth it.
"Uhh... uh..." An indescribable dread fell over her.
It was more terrifying than facing an Elro frog.
Her voice began to tremble, and all four of her legs instinctively stepped back.
She'd just revealed her true, hyperactive inner self to someone she'd only just met in person.
The shame hit her like a truck, and her normally pale-white face flushed with a faint, rosy blush.
Of course, from Nagami's perspective, her expression hadn't changed a bit.
Well, maybe the pinkish patterns on her carapace were new... not that he had any idea what those meant.
If Shiraori had already evolved into her humanoid goddess form, Nagami could confidently say "I'm in!" without hesitation, no matter what she'd been before.
Even her spider-woman hybrid form? He could probably work with that. Worth a try at least.
But her current full-spider form...?
Let's just say his taste hadn't evolved that far yet.
Not compatible.
If anyone out there could be into that...
Well, humanity is full of surprises, but maybe see a doctor first.
"C'mon now, what are you so embarrassed about? Even if you don't say another word, I know you've got a nonstop internal monologue going on. No need to hide it~"
'Stop. Please. Let me die.'
Shiraori covered her eyes with her spindly forelegs—only to realize she could still see him.
Of course! She had eight eyes! Two legs weren't enough to hide her shame! The despair hit her like a freight train.
"Alrighty, look at what I brought you!"
Nagami held something out excitedly.
He had never studied spider facial expressions, and without her using a beauty filter, it was impossible to tell what kind of look she was giving him.
Still, basic psychology could fill in the blanks. After all, he'd once been a socially anxious wreck himself.
Which is exactly why—
'Social anxiety? Watch me cure it in one go!'
C.C. took off the backpack that was nearly half her height and gently placed it on the ground in front of Shiraori.
As the white spider stared in shock, Nagami reached into the bag and pulled out a sleek black box.
A brilliant light of pure joy burst from all eight of Shiraori's crimson eyes.
As a former shut-in otaku in her past life, she instantly recognized what it was.
"A Switch, a PSV, an iPad, a high-spec gaming laptop, and two phones with massive storage," Nagami announced one by one, showing each item to Shiraori with a little flourish.
"Oh, and I've already loaded them up with all kinds of games and novels. There's also a solar charger, and…"
With every item she named, she waved it once in front of Shiraori's eyes, then placed it neatly on the ground in front of her. "So? Do you like your gift?"
"T-This... This is...!"
Shiraori stared breathlessly at the spread of devices, her ruby-like eyes shimmering with emotion.
After reincarnating, she had long given up hope of ever living the otaku life again—no more sipping soda while watching anime, no more paper waifus, no more classic old-school games…
And now—
Now—
Overwhelmed, Shiraori wiped away the tears slipping down her cheeks.
Nagami wasn't surprised at all by her reaction.
Think about it—one day, you're lying at home, drinking Coke and binging anime, and suddenly a fight between a Demon Lord and a Hero breaks out in your living room.
The next thing you know, you're dead.
Then a chaotic evil god, just looking for laughs, tosses you into a new world filled with danger.
Your "beginner village"? None other than the Great Elroe Labyrinth—one of the most perilous zones in the entire realm, crawling with all sorts of vicious monsters that can kill you before you blink.
Now imagine you're fighting to survive in that hellhole, relying on sheer willpower alone... and suddenly, the one person you might call a friend shows up.
Not only that, but they bring you the ultimate otaku survival kit—a dream come true for any recluse.
How would you feel?
'Too bright!'
In Shiraori's vision, the boy with black hair was glowing with a pure white light, almost as if he were on fire.
It was the kind of radiance you'd only see when the gates of heaven opened wide—a dazzling glow that seemed to embody divine compassion, like a benevolent god showering the world with love and blessings.
"Ahhh! Nagami, I love you sooo much!!"
Tears sparkling in her eyes, the white spider leapt into the air with all eight legs and lunged at the boy.
It should've been a touching, heartwarming scene.
But…
Shiraori wasn't a fair-skinned, long-legged, busty, silver-haired, red-eyed anime beauty right now!
She was a spider.
A spider!
A terrifying, many-legged monster even scarier than a facehugger, now charging at your face with gleaming, razor-sharp limbs.
'Nope!!'
Nagami didn't even have time to react.
As just a normal human at the moment, he had zero chance of defending himself against a spider-type monster known for its speed.
All he could do was get tackled to the ground and throw up a quick "stop" gesture while covering his forehead and shouting:
"Shiro! Calm down! Chill!!"
Slowly, the surge of emotion subsided.
Realizing Nagami really was just a regular human, Shiraori quickly scuttled off him.
Then, from her own perspective, she tapped her round little head with a slender foreleg and tried to act all cute.
"Ehehe~ I guess I got a little too excited."