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That night, the group chat ended with Frieren grumbling while everyone else laughed.
Rosen drifted off to sleep in peace.
But not everyone rested easy.
Marcille couldn't sleep at all.
She kept replaying the memory—how their party had blundered into the dragon, and how Falin, her dearest friend, had cast "Displacement" to teleport everyone else to safety while she herself was eaten alive.
Laios, Falin's brother and their leader, had sworn to dive back into the dungeon to save her.But with two teammates quitting out of sheer fear of the dragon, and all their gear left behind in the dungeon, the whole rescue mission was on hold.
Laios had gone to persuade their companions.Marcille… waited.
And in that moment of restless waiting—she was chosen by the chat group.
At first she thought it was some kind of spell.
But when Gabriel sent over Delicious in Dungeon… she nearly fainted.
The scenes matched her life exactly.Laios, Chilchuck, herself… even their penniless situation after losing everything in the dungeon—it was all there.
"What the hell is this? Don't tell me… our entire world is just… some fictional anime?"
She wanted to ask the group outright. But after seeing everyone log off for the night, she held back.
For now… she had to finish watching.
Maybe—just maybe—there would be a clue inside. A way to save Falin.
Morning.
The first rays of sunlight spread across the skyline, spilling between buildings onto the waking city.
Rosen arrived at school as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary.
He looked around at the sea of teenagers and couldn't help but feel… above it all.
School, at this point, was only useful as a place to meet potential followers.Everything else was beneath him.
The bell rang—officially announcing the start of slacking-off time.
[Shut-in Angel: "Morning!"]
[Busujima: "Good morning."]
[Hell Blizzard: "I've been at work for hours. Gabriel, don't tell me you're still at home?"]
[Shut-in Angel: "Crap! I overslept!"]
[Shepherd: "Figures. Probably up all night gaming again. She smuggled a mountain of game cartridges back from Busujima's world—enough to keep her busy 24/7 for months."]
[Hell Blizzard: "Good thing she's an angel. A human would've collapsed after a few nights like that."]
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters: "Everyone… my head's a mess."]
[Shepherd: "Let me guess—you watched the show, realized your world might be fictional, spiraled into an existential crisis, and now you're questioning everything?"]
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters: "…I don't want to admit it, but… yeah. Exactly. So… everything about me is fake? Even Falin's death? Just part of a story someone wrote?"]
[Hell Blizzard: "Did you read the files?"]
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters: "I did. But all that 'quantum mechanics' stuff is just one possibility. Me being fictional is just as possible."]
[Shepherd: "No point overthinking it. That theory could apply to anyone. And even if it is fiction—so what? Are you gonna just give up and let Falin stay dead?"]
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters: "Of course not! No matter what, I'll save her!"]
Marcille's heart ached. Falin was her closest friend.She'd even thought once or twice—why wasn't it her in the dragon's jaws instead?
[Shepherd: "There you go. And you're not alone—other members here also come from anime worlds. Everyone's dealt with this same realization."]
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters: "…Thanks."]
[Hell Blizzard: "Hold up. I'm lost. Who's Falin, and how exactly did she die?"]
[Bad Woman: "Also, dead people don't just get saved, you know."]
[Shut-in Angel: "It's complicated. @I Don't Want to Eat Monsters—do you want your anime shared with everyone?"]
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters: "…Yeah."]
A moment later, Gabriel uploaded Delicious in Dungeon to the group files, neatly labeled with Marcille's name.
The chat went silent—everyone had clearly gone off to binge-watch.
[Shepherd: "Don't worry. The chat group has a mission system. If it sees you're in trouble, it might generate a quest. Then anyone who wants points can come help you."]
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters: "Really… thank you."]
She'd been planning to ask for help anyway.Now, hearing Rosen's words, she felt a small warmth inside. A faint affection.
After class.
Unlike usual, Miko Yotsuya from Class 1-C appeared in Rosen's room the instant lunch break started. She was holding a cloth-wrapped lunchbox.
"Rosen… I couldn't think of another way to thank you, so I made you a delicious meal."
It was just her way of repaying a favor. But she didn't seem to realize how it looked to everyone else watching.
Students whispered, eyes darting between the two.
And then—
"Hehe, Rosen, me too! Here, take this!"
Yurika Kawakawa had tagged along, offering him not a meal but a handful of snacks.
The classroom buzzed instantly.
Two girls. Both bringing him food.
Everyone knew what that looked like.
Was Rosen seriously… two-timing?
"..."
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