"Nanashi, Leone's here to see you."
Kanae stepped through the door with Leone at her side.
Leone greeted everyone casually.
"What brings you here?" Nanashi motioned for Chinu to stop feeding him.
Leone smiled, her expression one of playful distress. "The sewer in my room broke. Come help me fix it."
"???"
Eriri shot her a sharp glance and immediately called her out. "What sewer? There's no plumbing like that in this apartment layout."
Leone's perfect plan shattered on the spot.
She almost blurted out her real intention but managed to hold back—for the sake of Chito and Yuuri.
Still, despite being exposed, Leone remained unfazed.
She leaned in close, took Nanashi's hand, and whispered into his ear, "I bought some fun stuff online. I need your help… testing it out."
"!!!"
Nanashi stood up with sudden seriousness.
He looked at Eriri and declared solemnly, "Actually, I do remember there's a pipe near her room. I'll go take a look."
Then he promptly left with Leone—swift and decisive.
Eriri and Neko were left behind, stunned and windblown.
Chinu glanced thoughtfully at Abe Haruaki, while Kanae simply shook her head and sat down to finish Nanashi's leftovers.
Can't let good food go to waste.
Leone was back, and meanwhile, Mine was busy learning flower arrangement.
As for Najenda, Akame, and Kurome—who knew what they were doing behind closed doors?
Inside Leone's room, Sheele and another Mine were present.
Of course, it was obvious this "Mine" was actually Chelsea in disguise.
Nanashi immediately understood the setup.
"…Why is Sheele here?" he asked Leone, beginning to suspect the sewer story was a total lie.
Sheele sat nervously on the bed, head lowered, silent.
Leone, grinning, pulled out several spiky items from a drawer.
"Hehe, I've been reading some… 'cultural' literature. Three Heroes vs. Lu Bu, anyone?(*Threesome)"
Then she picked one up and frowned. "This one's definitely smaller than yours, though."
"..."
Nanashi's eyebrow twitched at the sight of what she was holding—but he caught her meaning.
He glanced at Sheele. "Are you okay with this?"
Hill blushed but nodded shyly. "Uh… yeah, I'm fine."
"…"
Since she agreed, Nanashi didn't feel the need to hold back.
In the room next door…
"Sis, did you hear that?"
Kurome looked a little upset. Akame's cheeks were pink.
After Kurome's very detailed explanation, Akame had started to piece together what was going on.
"…Mm."
Akame nodded softly.
Kurome reached under the covers, holding out something that shimmered in the light.
Akame shifted uncomfortably but didn't say anything.
Then Kurome gently cupped her sister's face, smeared the crystal-like substance on her cheek, and said solemnly, "We're falling behind. Next time, let's go see Master together."
"…Okay."
Akame looked away, her voice barely a whisper.
Najenda sat in front of her computer, scanning news updates from across various regions.
But she couldn't focus.
She glanced at the wall that separated her from the next room, sighed deeply, and stood up from her desk to return to bed.
"Thank you for your teachings, Doctor Tamayo."
Mine bowed deeply to Tamayo.
She truly loved the peaceful life she had now—learning flower arrangement brought her a sense of calm she hadn't felt in a long time.
She couldn't wait to show Sheele what she had learned.
But when she got home, she found the living room empty.
Strange sounds echoed from down the hall.
"Huh? Sheele?"
She recognized the voice—it was definitely Sheele. But she was supposed to be out.
Mine and Leone shared a room, while Sheele, Chelsea, and Najenda had theirs.
Puzzled, she walked to the door and pushed it open.
"Sheele? Leone? What are you—?"
Four pairs of eyes turned to look at her.
"!!!"
Mine's mind overloaded.
Nanashi?! Leone? Hill?! And… herself?!
Why was there another her in the room?
Wait… wasn't she standing right here?
More importantly—what in the world was going on?!
She instinctively opened her mouth to scream.
But Nanashi was faster—he grabbed a nearby pillow, teleported in front of her, and clamped a hand over her mouth, shutting the door in one smooth motion.
Leone and "Mine" rushed over.
The imposter shimmered—and transformed back into Chelsea.
Mine finally understood.
Chelsea had used the Gaia Foundation to disguise herself as her!
Mine's eyes filled with fury as she glared at Chelsea.
Nanashi looked to Leone. "What now?"
Leone grinned and exchanged a knowing look with Chelsea.
"Get her!"
"Hehehehehe!"
The two pounced as Mine backed up in terror.
The Next Day—School
"…"
In the classroom, Nanashi sat lost in thought, still reminiscing about the night before.
Mine's unexpected intrusion had truly caught him off guard.
Even more surprising? Mine had been shockingly cooperative.
Naturally, Nanashi had no complaints—after all, he was the one benefitting. But Leone and Chelsea, the ones who orchestrated the situation, weren't so lucky today.
Early that morning, a flustered and blushing Mine had kicked him out of the room.
And then came the bombardment—literal bombardment—directed at Leone and Chelsea.
After all, Nanashi had fulfilled Mine's heartfelt request to officially become his woman.
He'd even created a separate parallel space for them inside the room.
In that space, Mine had launched a full assault using her Romantic Fort Pumpkin Cannon.
And though Leone had cried out for help…
Well, Nanashi could only pray for them.
It's not that he is cold, but who made Mine made him very happy. So he sided with her this time.
As he was basking in those sweet memories, a private message popped up in the chat group.
It was from Nami.
Nami:"Nanashi, I want to go out to sea!"
Nami wants to go to sea?
Nanashi:"Tell me more. What are you thinking?"
Nami:"Well, I've always loved the sea. I want to make a map of the world's oceans—that's my dream."
Nami:"And I think there are still powerful people in my world. I want to gather them, form a team that can be useful to you."
Nanashi:"I see."
To be honest, he didn't need any kind of organization.
If he truly wanted to, he could eliminate the apocalyptic threat hidden in Nami's world and take control of it all with a single thought.
But this was Nami's dream. She was doing this with the best of intentions, and Nanashi had no desire to stand in her way.
So he decided to hear more.
Nanashi:"Tell me your plan."
Nami:"I plan to set sail with Nojiko and Robin. We'll head toward Alabasta, bring Vivi onboard, and then begin our official voyage. If we meet anyone suitable along the way, we'll invite them to join."
Nanashi:"Alright. And what's your current level of strength?"
Nami:"Thunder Fruit—Level 4. Armament Haki—Level 4. Observation Haki—Level 4. Six Powers—Level 4. Plus, your Angel of Redemption ability. Nojiko and I both noticed that the angel power seems stronger than before."
Nanashi:"That's because I've recently gained a large amount of faith power in Mumei World. The Wings of Redemption have evolved."
Nami:"Ah, I see."
Nanashi:"With your current strength, you're more than capable. Go ahead and pursue what you want."
Indeed, with her present abilities, Nami could pretty much do whatever she pleased.
Nami:"Yay! Oh, one more thing—we've decided to recruit only women!"
Nanashi:"…"
Nami:"What? Not excited?"
Nanashi:"Go for it. I fully support you. When I have time, I'll visit again and officially bring you all into my clan. The more abilities you have, the better your protection will be."
Nami:"Okay! Nojiko and I even came up with a new idea—can't wait to show you!"
Nanashi:"I'm looking forward to it."
Just then, a voice snapped him out of his chat.
"Nanashi, someone's here for you," Megumi called from behind.
"Hm?" Nanashi looked toward the classroom door.
Standing there was a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair and black stockings.
"…Utaha?"
He was a bit surprised. Their only communication had been online—and that was a long time ago.
Still, Nanashi stood up and walked out of the classroom.
Watching him leave, Tobe couldn't help smacking his lips in annoyance. "Man, why does Nanashi get all the pretty girls? Is it just 'cause he's got good grades and looks?"
"You can't talk about Nanashi like that," Hayato Hayama said, cutting him off. "He's got his own responsibilities."
Chastised, Tobe quickly shut his mouth.
Hayato, easily the most sociable in the class, glanced subtly at Yumiko.
Something felt off.
Lately, Yumiko hadn't been hanging out with their group like she used to.
He'd even tried reaching out to her, but she brushed him off with a vague excuse and walked away.
Now, Yumiko's gaze was locked firmly on Nanashi's back.