Chapter 878: Introduce My Friends to You? New Group Member, Miko Kikyo
Bronya's silence stretched out in the chat, heavy and incredibly telling.
How could she possibly answer when Stella's accusation had hit the absolute bullseye? That quiet refusal to deny the claim became the most powerful confirmation of all—Ren had completely taken care of them in bed.
The chat immediately exploded into an uproar.
Aqua: "Hiss! Did you all see that? You absolutely cannot let Ren get close, or you'll end up tricked into his bed!"
Saeko Busujima: "...Don't you think that warning is a little redundant in this group?"
Tsunade: "Indeed. Pretty much everyone here has already slept with him."
Aqua: "???"
Sylvia: "Ah... well, this is..."
Ren: "Sylvia, come over whenever you have some free time. Or better yet, I'll come to your place. I haven't visited your world yet."
Stella: "He's not even trying to hide his true motives anymore!"
Sylvia: "Ugh... I... suppose I can do that."
Stella: "? Sylvia, you're acting weird."
Ren: "There's nothing weird about it, Stella, so don't be so stubborn. I just want to get closer to my lovely group members, that's all. If I were to drop by your world, you wouldn't refuse me, would you?"
Stella: "You!"
Heat rushed to Stella's cheeks as a certain memory—or perhaps a certain vivid imagination—flashed through her mind.
Stella: "Hmph. You can come over whenever you want now. Do you really still need my permission?"
Ren: "That's completely different. Having a beautiful host entertain me is always better than wandering around a foreign world all by myself."
Stella: "Tch. We're going to have the inter-school selection battles here soon. If you want to come watch, then just come."
Misaka Mikoto: "Hmm? Now you're acting weird too!"
Nameless: "I remember Stella being incredibly strong now. Why do you still care about those empty tournament titles?"
Stella: "Emmm, well, the people in the academy are indeed incredibly weak compared to me now. Even the Chairman... I'm confident I could easily defeat her."
Stella: "But as the princess of the Vermillion Empire, I have a duty to display the strength of my country. I still plan to participate in the upcoming Seven Stars Sword Art Festival. Just consider it me playing house."
Chito: "Go do your best, Sister Stella!"
Furina: "Those who work hard for the glory of their nation are truly amazing!"
Stella: "Haha, thanks."
Ren: "Alas, I only feel deep sympathy for Stella's opponents. With her current strength, she could casually destroy worlds. A school tournament is just bullying."
Seitenshi: "It does sound somewhat pitiful for them."
Stella: "Tsk. I did show off a tiny bit of my power recently, and now I've gotten entangled with a few persistent people."
Her thoughts drifted to Touka Todo and Shizuku Kurogane, who constantly sought to challenge her, as well as Ayase Ayatsuji, who desperately wanted to learn how to grasp true strength. A soft, genuine smile curved Stella's lips.
They were among the very few real friendships she had forged since arriving at Hagun Academy.
However, the actual process of meeting and befriending them had been completely bizarre.
Take Shizuku Kurogane, for example. The younger girl had initially declared she wanted to avenge her older brother. That brother was Ikki Kurogane, the so-called Worst One, who had accidentally walked in on Stella changing her clothes. Naturally, Stella had taught him a severe physical lesson for the intrusion.
Later, after Stella easily crushed Shizuku in a duel and explained the actual truth of the changing room incident, the younger Kurogane had offered a stiff but honest apology. Yet, instead of backing down, Shizuku had firmly made up her mind to defeat the Crimson Princess one day, throwing herself into grueling daily training.
Then there was the current Student Council President, Touka Todo, the Raikiri.
After Hagun Academy's Chairman discovered the terrifying depths of Stella's power, she had intended for the princess to run for the Student Council President position. This inevitably led to a clash between Stella and Touka. The result, of course, was an overwhelming victory for Stella.
Rather than being discouraged by the crushing defeat, Touka had simply locked onto Stella as her ultimate new goal. The lightning-wielding knight challenged her constantly, and through the crossing of their blades, a fierce mutual respect and friendship had bloomed.
In the end, Stella had completely rejected the exhausting administrative job of Student Council President anyway. Why would she want to bury herself in paperwork? Cultivating her power daily and chatting with her friends in the Doomsday Chat Group was infinitely more enjoyable.
Ayase Ayatsuji's situation was a bit more complicated.
The swordswoman had practically become a devout fan and admirer after witnessing Stella's overwhelming might firsthand. Driven by a dark past, Ayase desperately hoped to learn the secret to such absolute strength.
Stella knew perfectly well that Ayase's heart was consumed by a deep-seated hatred and a thirst for revenge. Yet, the princess simply couldn't bear to stand by and watch the girl plunge into an abyss of self-destruction. After accepting her as a friend, Stella had tried her absolute hardest to guide Ayase. She had achieved some minor success, but it was nowhere near enough to heal the girl's scars.
Stella felt incredibly helpless when it came to Ayase.
Her own method of growing stronger relied on her unique, overpowered nature and the Chat Group's resources—things she couldn't exactly teach or pass on. Nor was she skilled enough with words to guide the swordswoman's fractured heart. Watching her friend struggle with that heavy burden every single day left a bitter taste in Stella's mouth.
'If it were him...'
Stella bit her lower lip, her thoughts naturally drifting toward Ren. He could definitely help Ayase get her revenge. He could easily make her stronger with a mere wave of his hand.
It was just...
The recent experiences of Bronya and the other girls in the group made Stella hesitate. Wouldn't introducing her precious friends to that shameless man be exactly like tossing helpless little lambs directly into a starving tiger's mouth?
Even she wasn't safe from him.
Unbidden, the vivid, chaotic scenes of the Spirits from Date A Live fiercely 'battling' with Ren in bed violently resurfaced in her mind. Her imagination immediately replaced the Spirits' faces with her own, and then added Shizuku, Touka, and Ayase into the mix...
"Ugh..."
A soft, involuntary whimper escaped Stella's throat. She shifted her thighs together, her breathing suddenly turning shallow and rapid. Glancing down at the hem of her skirt, her ruby eyes grew misty with a heavy, pooling heat.
She bit her lip hard, her face burning as she shamefully muttered to the empty room, "Damn it... is his thing really that powerful?"
Back in his own world, Ren had absolutely no idea what kind of degenerate thoughts were currently melting Stella's brain.
He didn't have the chance to pry, either, because his attention—along with the rest of the Chat Group—was abruptly hijacked by a sudden string of system alerts.
[Ding! Kikyo has joined the Doomsday Chat Group.]
[Ding! Kasumi has joined the Doomsday Chat Group.]
Two brand new members had just entered the battlefield... no, the Doomsday Chat Group.
A pitch-black night.
A cold, rustling wind swept through the dense canopy. The shadowed forest was alive with the haunting chirps of nocturnal insects and the distant, guttural roars of wild beasts.
Deep within a shallow cave, a modest bonfire crackled and popped, casting faint, dancing flickers of orange light against the jagged stone. A young woman leaned quietly against the cavern wall beside the flames, her eyes gently closed in rest.
She was dressed in the traditional, immaculate white kosode and bright red hakama of a shrine maiden—a miko.
Bathed in the soft, flickering firelight, her features were fully illuminated. She possessed a delicate, serene, and hauntingly beautiful face. Her skin was as fair as pristine snow, framing an elegant oval face with exquisite, refined features that seemed carved from porcelain. Her lustrous, raven-black hair fell in a perfectly smooth hime cut, the long strands gathered loosely at the nape of her neck and tied with a simple, unadorned white ribbon.
With each slow, measured breath, the miko's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.
To spend the night completely alone in a dense, untamed forest teeming with jackals, wolves, and tigers required an extraordinary amount of courage.
But mundane beasts were the least of her concerns.
This ancient forest harbored horrors far more terrifying than mere wolves or tigers. This was a world plagued by yokai—vicious, bloodthirsty demons that possessed terrifying supernatural power.
Yet, in the heart of such a deadly domain, the young woman was surprisingly able to rest with absolute peace.
This wasn't born from foolish naivety or ignorance. Rather, it was born from an unshakeable, absolute confidence in her own spiritual strength.
[Ding! You have joined the Doomsday Chat Group.]
Whoosh!
The miko's dark eyes snapped open, sharp and completely devoid of sleep.
In a blur of practiced motion, her hands snatched the longbow resting against the stone beside her. She rose to her feet in a single fluid motion, raising the weapon and pulling the bowstring taut.
Blinding white spiritual power instantly surged from her fingertips, converging into a pure, glowing arrow of absolute purification. The sheer intensity of her spiritual aura washed over the cave, causing the bonfire's flames to violently whip and flicker erratically.
"A yokai?"
The young woman frowned, her sharp gaze sweeping the dark tree line as she vigilantly surveyed her surroundings. She was intimately familiar with the deceptive tricks of demons.
After all, the girl named Kikyo was the most powerful miko of her era, a guardian whose very existence was dedicated to the eradication of the demonic.
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