Shirai Takeru raised an eyebrow.
"Looks like you've already joined the Straw Hat crew?"
Otherwise, she probably would've asked what that even meant.
That kind of reaction confirmed it.
After thinking for a moment, Shirai replied,
"You're about to learn a lot. But the Straw Hat crew's a good place—stay put and behave."
Robin: "I don't need you to tell me that."
Yotsuya Miko: "Whoa, he already knows about two people!"
Kirino Kousaka: "This pretty much proves it. He doesn't come from their worlds—he must've known about them some other way."
Erina Nakiri: "So… who's next?"
Shinobu Kocho: "..."
Shinobu Kocho: "No need to talk about me."
Shirai Takeru: "Fair enough, I'll respect your privacy."
"However..."
Shirai grinned with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"If you want to save your sister, you can always reach out to me."
As expected—
The moment those words left his mouth, Shinobu couldn't stay calm.
Her older sister, Kanae Kocho, was someone deeply important to her.
In fact—
You could say that even now, Shinobu was still imitating her sister.
That included the iconic soft smile she always wore on her face.
It was as if she was trying to live as her sister's shadow.
That alone showed how much Kanae's death had impacted her.
After all, Shinobu used to be competitive and quick-tempered.
"What do you mean by that?"
Shinobu no longer cared about keeping her guard up.
She just wanted a clear answer.
Shirai smiled faintly.
"Like I said, I have the ability to travel through time and space."
"Do you get it now?"
Shinobu's hands began to tremble.
Saving her sister…
It was something she had never even dared to consider before!
But now that the thought had taken root—
It spread rapidly through her heart, quickly overwhelming everything else.
If it was really possible—if it really could happen—then Shinobu Kocho could swear she'd be willing to pay any price for it.
Just as she was about to press for more details, the chat group suddenly chimed with several notification sounds.
[Ding! Hyuga Hinata has joined the Goddess Chat Group.]
[Ding! Kirishima Touka has joined the Goddess Chat Group.]
[Ding! Tohsaka Rin has joined the Goddess Chat Group.]
Miko Yotsuya: Huh? More members? What day is it today?
Erina Nakiri: Judging from their names, they're all girls. That's how it's supposed to be!
Kirino Kosaka: See? I told you it was called the Goddess Chat Group! I wasn't hallucinating!
Erina Nakiri: Then what exactly is Shirai? What thing is he?
Shirai Takeru rubbed his nose, feeling a little guilty.
It seemed like this round of invitations had reached others too. He had no idea whose invitation he intercepted, but... as long as he kept quiet, who would know?
So he had no intention of explaining anything.
Kirino Kosaka: Wait—I just had a thought! Maybe traps can count as goddesses too?
Miko Yotsuya: Now that you mention it... that might actually be possible!
Erina Nakiri: Are you secretly a genius?
Kirino Kosaka: Oh stop it, it's just a little theory I came up with.
Kirino Kosaka: A cross-dressing time-traveling powerhouse? That's kind of hot, honestly.
Shirai Takeru: One more word of nonsense and I'll leak your stash of eroge games hidden in your room, you little sister complex pervert!
Crack!
Kirino's mental state shattered.
She'd spent so long building up her image as a sweet, wholesome girl in the group.
And now?
Gone in an instant.
Worse, she was labeled a degenerate.
Wait a second! Didn't we agree you'd only spill the beans if I crossed the line again?
Why did you drop the bomb right away!?
Miko Yotsuya: That's insane…
Everyone seems to be hiding deep secrets.
Even Kirino, one of the two other "normal people" like herself...
She thought Kirino was just an average girl—but turns out she's a pervert.
Kirino Kosaka: What do you mean by that!? Perverts are people too, okay?! I just like games a little! How does that make me a degenerate!?
Miko Yotsuya: You play eroge. That's not normal. Aren't you still a student?
Kirino Kosaka: …
No comeback.
That one stung.
Suddenly, a new voice appeared in the chat.
"Excuse me… what are you all talking about?"
"What is this thing? Why is it suddenly inside my head?"
After a long silence, one of the newcomers finally spoke up.
It was Kirishima Touka.
A truly unusual addition.
Shirai Takeru glanced at Touka's name.
Then looked at Shinobu's.
This was getting good.
He should be grateful this was a chat group and not an actual meet-up.
Otherwise…
If it came to blows, Shinobu would probably be chasing Touka down with her blade right now.
Except… Nichirin Blades probably wouldn't work on Touka anyway.
Ghouls from Tokyo Ghoul aren't weak to sunlight.
Just as Shirai was about to say something, Robin beat him to it.
Robin: Shirai, I still don't believe you.
Robin: If you really can travel through time and space, and know our backgrounds, then you should know something about these new members too, right?
Robin: Go ahead—tell us what you know about them. Let's see if you can shock us.