Rin, who had just been worrying about Sakiko, got called out by name and went blank with confusion.
Aizen didn't bother reacting to Rin's expression and continued explaining on his own:
[Group Leader (Aizen): Suppose our worlds are like gigantic videotapes.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): Then for a videotape—what is the core meaning of its existence?]
[Group Leader (Aizen): To be seen by more people. In other words: box office.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): To maximize box office, the producers will inevitably make certain choices:]
[Group Leader (Aizen): To maximize immersion, the protagonist and main species are chosen to be human-shaped—because that's the form creators are most familiar with, and the easiest for the audience to understand.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): To lower the comprehension threshold, the story setting becomes Earth, or an Earth-like environment: familiar skies, oceans, mountains, city layouts, sunrise and sunset, the cycle of seasons…]
[Group Leader (Aizen): This greatly reduces the cost of building a brand-new complex worldbuilding framework, and it reduces the audience's cognitive load.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): And to boost box office pull, you bring in hot, popular stars. Those "stars" may be the high-popularity character templates, story patterns, or defining traits that repeatedly appear across countless videotapes (worlds).]
That metaphor caught even Kafka's interest—she'd been lounging and observing until now.
Leaning forward slightly from the sofa, she brushed her fingers along her chin. Her lazy air faded; even behind those lifeless-looking cosmetic lenses, her eyes shone with focused attention.
[Purple Sweet Potato Taro (Kafka): Interesting analogy.]
[Purple Sweet Potato Taro (Kafka): If our worlds really are "written" by higher-dimensional beings, then to chase heat and spread, they would inevitably borrow classic elements from other successful works.]
[Purple Sweet Potato Taro (Kafka): World frameworks, character templates, story routines, power systems… Is that the truth behind "Reflections Across Worlds"?]
[Purple Sweet Potato Taro (Kafka): A higher-dimensional trend. A secret formula for traffic.]
Kafka's phrasing distilled Aizen's idea even more cleanly.
[Group Leader (Aizen): Of course, it's only an analogy to make it easier to grasp.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): At least for now, I personally haven't found any hard evidence that proves the existence of higher-dimensional creators or audiences above us.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): Maybe "Reflections Across Worlds" is simply a deeper rule of how worlds operate. (smile.jpg)]
That last line let several people—whose minds had been churning—finally ease up.
Rin, Mash, and Sakiko all unconsciously patted their chests in relief.
Why think so much?
If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Until they reached Aizen's "tier," those scalp-prickling philosophical questions about the nature of reality were best shelved—pretend they didn't exist for now.
After all, meals are eaten one bite at a time, and roads are walked one step at a time.
As for Kafka?
She was long used to Aeons sitting high above everything.
If there were something even higher than Aeons… then let the Aeons worry about it first—assuming they even still could worry.
Why would a commoner in a mortal dynasty lose sleep over whether immortals exist beyond the emperor?
After wrapping up the discussion on Possibility Doppelgängers, Aizen moved on to the last item currently in the shop.
[Group Leader (Aizen): Alright—enough about doppelgängers and world construction. Last is Omen Premonition.]
Everyone's attention snapped back.
[Group Leader (Aizen): This product is fairly abstract.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): It provides a vague intuition of impending crisis, not direct power or explicit information acquisition.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): Its strength and effects are hard to quantify, and we don't yet have enough cases to study it properly.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): So we'll shelve discussion of it for now. Once I visit Tsunade's world for an on-site investigation, perhaps I'll find clues related to it…]
At the mention of Tsunade, Aizen paused—then raised a question in the chat:
[Group Leader (Aizen): …Wait. Has Tsunade been silent this whole time?]
Only then did everyone realize: through all the heated debate, Tsunade had stayed quiet.
Aizen, Kafka, Mash, Rin, and Sakiko had all spoken or reacted—only Tsunade had gone completely silent since trying her Possibility Doppelgänger.
Aizen quickly checked the member list.
There was a green indicator on the corner of Tsunade's avatar—meaning she was actively viewing the chat.
And then, at last, Tsunade's reply appeared.
[Giant Daifuku (Tsunade): Sorry for making everyone worry.]
After that brief apology, Tsunade didn't hesitate much. In the most concise words she could manage, she described what happened after using the Possibility Doppelgänger:
The doppelgänger she summoned had experienced pregnancy and childbirth—yet in Tsunade's world, the Kato Dan that belonged to her had long since died in the Shinobi World War…
[Giant Daifuku (Tsunade): …So my mood got a bit complicated. Sorry for the embarrassment.]
The group chat fell into a brief silence. Everyone felt a little wistful.
Because among all their worlds, only Tsunade's shinobi world had human-on-human hatred and war clinging like a curse—generation after generation—manufacturing endless tragedy.
The others' worlds were either comparatively peaceful, or they faced larger external threats that—at least for now—forced humanity to unite.
After a short pause, Rin offered a careful suggestion:
[Athletic Lunchbox (Rin): Tsunade, please don't be too sad. The Group Leader can rewind worlds, right? He'll definitely help! If he rewinds to when Mr. Dan was still alive, wouldn't that solve it? (hug.jpg)]
Seeing Rin's idea, Tsunade let out a soft sigh.
Even at her lowest, someone who'd lived through war still retained the instincts to analyze calmly and gather information.
[Giant Daifuku (Tsunade): Rin, thank you. But I don't have much hope. (wry smile.jpg)]
[Giant Daifuku (Tsunade): Look at everyone in this group. None of our worlds are simple.]
[Giant Daifuku (Tsunade): The Group Leader and Kafka are powerhouses facing the end of the world.]
[Giant Daifuku (Tsunade): You and Mash both face crises that reach planetary-surface scale.]
[Giant Daifuku (Tsunade): And Sakiko herself is part of the Reflections Across Worlds phenomenon.]
She paused, then gave her own suspicion:
[Giant Daifuku (Tsunade): I'm starting to seriously suspect… that I don't actually understand my own world.]
[Giant Daifuku (Tsunade): My world might contain world-class beings—strong enough that even the Group Leader can't rewind it.]
[Giant Daifuku (Tsunade): Or like Rin's case, it could be that a key node makes it impossible to safely rewind to the moment Dan died.]
Rin opened her mouth, then shut it again—she simply didn't know what to say.
Just as the heavy mood was about to congeal completely, Aizen spoke.
[Group Leader (Aizen): Tsunade, don't be so pessimistic. If everything you just analyzed turns out to be true… then you should be happy instead.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): I said it before: in the face of world-destruction-level crisis, individual strength—no matter how high—means nothing.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): But to a world-class being, the death or revival of an individual life, and even a surface-level national war, likewise mean nothing.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): With the chat group's help, the speed at which you grow stronger will surpass anything you've ever imagined.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): What feels impossibly difficult right now—once your own power tier rises to the "world-class" level—will be solved with ease.]
Aizen's words weren't melodramatic, and they weren't empty comfort.
He was simply pointing to a direction: rely on the group, keep breaking past limits, climb upward—and ultimately take control of your own fate.
In Tsunade's dimmed eyes, fighting spirit slowly rekindled.
She raised a hand and slapped her own cheeks twice, hard. The crisp sound disappeared into the noisy ambience of the izakaya.
The sting tore her fully out of her sinking mood.
[Giant Daifuku (Tsunade): Thanks, Group Leader! And sorry for worrying everyone—I'm fine now! (fist.jpg)]
Seeing Tsunade regain her usual swagger, Rin, Mash, and Sakiko—those three "kids" on the other side of the screen—finally exhaled for real, smiling with relief.
Heaven help them… they'd never even been in love themselves. Comforting a strong woman who'd lost the person she loved most was way outside their experience!
[Athletic Lunchbox (Rin): Thank goodness! Big Sis Tsunade perked up! (cheer.jpg)]
[Roasted Eggplant (Mash): That's wonderful, Miss Tsunade! (you can do it.jpg)]
[Purple Sweet Potato Taro (Kafka): Congrats.gif]
[Classic Lunchbox (Sakiko): Confetti.jpg]
At last, the storm of discussion stirred up by the Possibility Doppelgänger came to a fairly rounded conclusion.
[Group Leader (Aizen): Alright. Emotions stabilized. Time to introduce the next item.]
[Group Leader (Aizen): Going by the usual process, this should be the final product. @Group Assistant]
The Group Assistant's message popped up immediately:
[Group Assistant: Authority-type product: Sub-Group Leader Authority of the Chat Group. Concept extracted from [Group Leader].]
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 10
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 10
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