Back in the real world—
Nanashi took action.
He cleansed the world of pollution and smog.
The blue sky and white clouds returned.
The sun shone brightly once more.
It was his way of repaying Suzuki.
After all, not only had he received the Great Tomb of Nazarick, but he'd also modified game character settings without permission.
The least he could do was help fix his world.
If memory served—
Most of Satoru's guildmates weren't online anymore.
Not because they didn't want to play, but because this broken world had crushed them.
…
Momonga: You guys are amazing! Ainz Ooal Gown will live on forever!
Silver Wolf: It's so fun to breeze through levels like this~
Momonga: Boss Nanashi, thank you. I can finally see the sun and breathe fresh air again! This is what the world should be like.
Nanashi: "It was nothing."
He closed the chat with that simple reply.
"..."
Marin and Miko were staring at him, eyes wide.
"Nanashi-senpai, are you… a god?"
There was a clear glimmer of awe in Miko's eyes.
"Unfortunately, I am."
Even though his tone was casual, it did nothing to diminish her admiration.
In her eyes, slaying evil spirits and traveling between worlds was no different from divinity.
"Nanashi-kun, what did you do in the other world? Did you fight monsters?"
Marin leaned in, eyes sparkling.
Curious. Incredibly curious.
Nanashi didn't pull away. He let her get close.
"No, I just played a game. A virtual reality game."
"Huh? You went to another world just to play a game?"
Marin looked absolutely stunned. Was that even possible?
"Oh, and I saved the living environment of an entire planet's population. So that counts as something serious, I guess."
He said it like it was no big deal.
Because, to him, it really wasn't.
Q: How many steps does it take to save a planet for human survival?
A: Four steps.
Activate Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
Locate the death lines of pollution.
Cut said lines.
Deactivate the eyes.
Marin's eyes sparkled. "Nanashi-kun, you're like a five-star world-saving hero!"
Miko echoed in admiration, "Amazing! Nanashi-senpai really is a god!"
They were stunned beyond words.
Worshipped beyond reason.
Eventually, the room quieted down.
Miko, clearly exhausted, drifted off to sleep.
Marin, after her excitement faded, returned to her true passion—immersing herself in cosplay design.
That was where her heart truly lay.
But Nanashi?
Nanashi held Megumi on his lap once again.
In that moment, everything felt peaceful.
Everything felt right.
"Nanashi-kun, why are you wearing a ring?"
He wore a simple silver band on the ring finger of his left hand, casually resting it in plain sight.
"Oh, this? A friend gave it to me. It lets me enter the game world."
"That's... incredible. Is this really just technology?"
"Heh, well, it's mostly thanks to her—she's way more advanced when it comes to this stuff."
Nanashi turned to Megumi and asked gently, "Megumi, do you want to come over to my place today?"
"Hmm..."
Megumi lowered her head and puffed her lips slightly.
She had long been used to wearing a blank expression, so most of her emotions were expressed with small gestures—like puffing her lips.
Then she looked into Nanashi's eyes and asked boldly, "Are we going to do it, Nanashi-kun? Sex."
"…"
Nanashi let out a small chuckle and curled his lips. "Megumi... you don't have to be so direct."
"I mainly just want to introduce you to the others."
"Others...? Okay." Megumi nodded slightly.
"…"
A moment later, Megumi blinked—she had felt something poke her.
Her look seemed to say: And you still say you weren't planning to?
"Ahem."
Nanashi cleared his throat, squeezed her hand, and said no more. He simply held onto her, savoring the quiet moment.
…
"Mom, we're back!"
Eriri's voice rang through the house as she stepped in.
Sayuri came out to greet them with a cheerful smile.
No one seemed to notice Megumi at all.
Sayuri took Nanashi's coat and helped change his shoes like a devoted housewife.
Then Nanashi leaned in and kissed her passionately—in full view of Yukino and Kei.
Yukino didn't react. She calmly turned away and walked toward her room in silence.
Unnoticed by the others, Megumi quietly observed the interaction between Eriri and Sayuri.
Especially the deep kiss between Nanashi and Sayuri.
She was Eriri's mother… seeing her like that would feel strange, even for Megumi.
Eriri pulled Sayuri aside, pouting in frustration. "Mom. I'm hungry!"
"Dinner's ready."
Kanae had just finished setting the table.
Sayuri gave a sweet smile and teased, "She's not really hungry. Eriri's just jealous."
"Hmph! I'm not jealous!"
Eriri snapped her twin ponytails as she turned her head defiantly.
"Nanashi~" Sayuri whispered to Nanashi, covering her mouth with a playful smile.
He understood instantly—the tsundere act was back.
He walked over to Eriri and kissed her deeply—for a full three minutes.
When they finally parted, Eriri was panting softly, her cheeks flushed crimson.
Just then, Yukino emerged.
She was dressed in a black-and-white maid uniform.
It was Nanashi who had chosen it for her.
A modest, knee-length skirt—conservative, yet still graceful and youthful.
He had suggested cat ears and a tail too (a proper tail), but she had shut that idea down immediately.
"Let's eat. Everything's ready," Sayuri called out warmly.
Nanashi gently pulled Megumi forward.
"Can we set one more place? This is Megumi—my girlfriend."
No flowery introductions. Just the word girlfriend.
Megumi's eyes sparkled as she gave a polite bow. "Hello, I'm Megumi Kato. Sorry for the intrusion."
"Wha—Ka...Kato Megumi?! When did you get here!?"
Eriri nearly jumped in shock, her expression stunned.
How had Megumi appeared out of nowhere?
Sayuri and Yukino were equally caught off guard.
When had she shown up?
No one had noticed a thing.
Nanashi grinned. "Megumi has a low presence and some special abilities. She often goes unnoticed. Actually, I was holding her hand the whole way."
Eriri stared. "Huh? But...weren't you holding my hand?"
Nanashi flicked her forehead gently. "Dummy. I have two hands."
Yukino reMined calm, having already known Megumi was his girlfriend.
Sayuri, however, looked uneasy.
After all, she and Eriri had just been so... affectionate in front of her.
Megumi, always observant, caught on to Sayuri's discomfort and spoke up first.
"Don't worry, Sister Sayuri. I don't mind. Actually... I hope you can accept me too."
"!!!"
'Sister Sayuri'!?
Sayuri was stunned for a moment, then beamed as though she had just tasted honey.
She stepped forward and took Megumi's hand warmly.
"What a sweet girl! Come on, try some of the food I made—Nanashi says it's delicious!"
"…"
Eriri looked on, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Mom! You're never that gentle with me!"
They all sat down around the dinner table.
Sayuri chatted easily with Megumi, asking light-hearted questions—nothing invasive.
She trusted Nanashi's judgment.
Kanae also treated Megumi kindly.
She had seen for herself how sincere Megumi's feelings for Nanashi were.
And perhaps… she'd felt something unfamiliar stir within herself too.
The atmosphere was warm and relaxed.
Megumi, composed as ever, wasn't shy in the slightest.
A calm smile lingered on her lips—gentle, serene, and quietly captivating.
Yukino could feel the atmosphere.
A little warm. A little envious.
And again… uncertain.
Megumi, Eriri… are they really just ordinary high school students like me?
She couldn't wrap her head around it. Maybe, being from another world, they were more open-minded—more accepting of sharing something so intimate.
But still… they were modern people too. How could they embrace something like this so easily?
Even Eriri's mother…
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, her eyes drifted unconsciously to Nanashi's profile.
She stared.
And stared.
For a moment, she even forgot to look away.
The others at the dinner table began to notice Yukino's odd behavior.
But no one said a word.
After exchanging a few silent glances, they all seemed to understand.
Nanashi looked at Eriri, confused.
"Why did you step on me?"
"Hmph."
Eriri turned away with a pout, refusing to answer.
…
Dinner ended in a strange but oddly harmonious mood.
After clearing the table and cleaning up, Nanashi took a quick bath.
Yukino, resuming her maid duties, began helping with laundry.
Even the underwear.
"This really is the life of an emperor," Nanashi muttered to himself.
Megumi let him know she had already told her family she was staying overnight at a friend's place and wouldn't be going home tonight.
No need to spell it out—he knew what that meant.
Nanashi was excited, but there were still things to do.
He had to introduce her to the others.
Their first stop was Kie's house.
"This is Megumi—my girlfriend."
Whenever he didn't need to elaborate, he simply referred to Megumi as his girlfriend.
The three were a little surprised to hear the title—but warmly welcomed her nonetheless.
They even appeared before her in their demon forms.
Megumi found the ability intriguing, but she refrained from asking too much—after all, it was someone else's privacy.
Seeing their demon forms again reminded Nanashi of something.
Right… we haven't tried it while they're in demon form, have we?
Especially Nezuko—who had grown taller and curvier, like a girl stepping into womanhood.
He quietly made a mental note to explore that… next time.
Afterward, they went up to the third floor to visit Cocolia.
She had no responsibilities in this world and spent most of her time relaxing at Nanashi's house with Sayuri.
When she learned about Megumi, she showed no surprise—just a calm, graceful acceptance.
A rare, gentle smile crossed her face.
"She seems so refined and dignified," Megumi remarked after they left.
"She used to be a city lord in another world," Nanashi explained with a chuckle.
"That's amazing." The compliment came softly—but it was genuine, even from her usually expressionless face.
"The next few are pretty special too. They used to be assassins."
"Assassins?" Megumi perked up, curious.
Like those stylish women in suits you see on TV?
They headed down to the first floor.
"Ding dong!"
Nanashi rang the bell.
"Coming!"
The door opened, and Kurome stood there in pink bear pajamas—adorably out of character for an assassin.
Nanashi couldn't help but gently touch her soft cheek.
Kurome didn't pull away. Instead, she smiled as if enjoying the affection.
Though nothing romantic had happened between them, Nanashi had reunited her with her sister and helped her find peace. To Kurome, that alone made him dear to her.
"Master, what brings you here?" she asked, tilting her head.
"I wanted to introduce a new member of the family."
"Ooh~!"
Only then did Kurome notice Megumi.
They moved into the living room.
"…"
How to describe it?
Not assassin-like at all.
It felt… cozy.
"Hey, hey! Why didn't you dodge that attack?!"
"You idiot, Leone! You distracted me!"
"Stop bickering! The enemy's right there!"
Mine, Leone, and Chelsea were dressed in stylish, revealing outfits, huddled around a computer and arguing mid-game.
There were occasional… accidental flashes of skin during the quarrels.
Sheele sat quietly on the sofa, knitting a scarf—likely something she picked up from Sayuri.
Akame, like Kurome, wore pink bear pajamas, lounging on the table with a body that drew the eye.
She looked good enough to eat.
Najenda was nearby, dressed in a black vest, her hair tied in a sleek ponytail, focused intently on the computer.
She had adapted quickly to modern life—and was probably scanning for unusual activity on Nanashi's behalf.
"Yo! Nanashi, you're here!" Leone greeted, smiling despite being pinned by Mine.
"Nanashi's here?" the others echoed.
The room gradually settled down.
There wasn't a formal explanation—it didn't feel necessary.
No one objected to Megumi's presence.
Even if they wanted to, none of them had the right to object.
But during the visit, both Leone and Chelsea seemed to be flirting with Nanashi—subtly, playfully.
Mine noticed it first.
As someone close to both of them, she sensed something was off.
Something had changed.
After a brief round of introductions, Nanashi quietly took Megumi and left.
The two had just left.
Mine suddenly stepped up to Leone and Chelsea, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Why were you two flirting with Nanashi just now?"
"Huh?"
Her question immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room. All eyes turned to her.
"This…" Chelsea hesitated, unsure of how to respond.
Leone scratched the back of her head, then admitted with a cheeky grin, "Why else? We did it together."
"We all pretended to be drunk that day—me, Chelsea, Cocolia, and Kanae. The four of us."
"…"
Her words plunged the room into an eerie silence.
"They don't feel like assassins. They just seem like normal people," Megumi said softly.
The warmth of the room, the cozy domesticity—it left a deep impression on her.
Nanashi smiled. "That's because they've left that world behind. They don't need to be killers anymore."