Sister-in-Law

At this moment, Alice Maresato had been driven into a corner of the courtyard by the corpses surrounding her, yet the white dog from the original story had yet to appear.

Just then, a ripple formed in the air a short distance away from her, accompanied by a gentle fragrance. Stepping out from this fluctuating space was Eriri, dressed in the uniform of Yumenosaki Academy.

With her arrival, all the corpses in the courtyard instantly turned to ash and disappeared completely.

Alice Maresato gazed in a daze at Eriri, who appeared before her like a goddess, momentarily forgetting even the grief of losing her father.

"What… what is that…" Kohta Hirano, holding a sniper rifle, exclaimed in shock, his face an expression of disbelief.

He lowered the sniper rifle, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes vigorously with his hand.

When he raised the sniper rifle again, he finally confirmed that what he had seen was no illusion.

"What's wrong?" Yukino, thinking something had happened to Alice Maresato, felt a pang of alarm. She quickly raised her military binoculars to look in Alice Maresato's direction.

Seeing that Alice Maresato was unharmed, she let out a sigh of relief.

But she quickly realized something was off; whether it was the girl with the incongruous blonde hair in this apocalyptic setting or the suddenly vanished corpses around her, everything felt incredibly bizarre.

"Could there really be gods in this world?" Saeko Busujima muttered, also having been watching Alice Maresato.

While Yukino was still puzzled by Saeko's words, the golden figure in her binoculars suddenly made another move.

Eriri raised her right hand and flicked her fingers toward the distant group of corpses. A golden ray shot out from her fingertips, weaving around the streets of the riverside neighborhood in a sweeping arc.

In a flash, every corpse in the vicinity vanished completely.

Because the golden light appeared for only a moment, no one but Yukino, Saeko Busujima, Kohta Hirano, and Alice Maresato noticed the corpses disappearing, not even the survivors cowering in their houses.

"Unreal… it defies all logic!" Kohta Hirano shuddered, his hands trembling so violently that he dropped his sniper rifle, which clattered to the ground.

Saeko Busujima tightened her grip on her binoculars, suddenly realizing how insignificant the strength she had once relied on truly was.

A glint of fervor flashed through her eyes—this godlike power was intensely appealing to someone like Saeko, who revered strength.

Yukino's expression also darkened as she witnessed the scene, her thoughts immediately jumping to the Lord God's Dimension.

She began to suspect that the mysterious blonde girl might somehow be connected to the Lord God's Dimension.

Just then, she saw that golden figure suddenly turn and smile at her.

Though the smile was beautiful, it made Yukino's heart skip a beat, and she instinctively took a few steps back.

Yukino felt certain that this person had noticed her and likely came to this world specifically for her.

This realization left her somewhat panicked, but she had no way to respond.

…

"Onee-san, are you an angel?" Alice Maresato asked, dazed as she stared at Eriri, who seemed to radiate light.

"I'm not an angel, but I know angels," Eriri replied with a gentle laugh as she reached out to pat Alice's head. "Do you want to meet an angel, Alice?"

"Yes." Alice Maresato nodded eagerly, not even questioning how Eriri knew her name.

"Such a good child."

Eriri decided that if she got the chance, she would introduce Alice to Gabriel. She was curious if Alice's image of angels would be shattered upon meeting Gabriel.

Once Alice's curiosity over Eriri's appearance settled, she finally remembered her deceased father.

She quickly ran to his body, her sorrow returning as she began to cry once more.

Watching this, Eriri's heart barely wavered. While she thought Alice was a bit pitiful, that was all.

Even though she could bring Alice's father back to life, she had no intention of doing so.

She hadn't revived the parents of Reina or the loved ones of the chat group members, let alone a stranger who had no connection to her.

Five minutes later, after Eriri led Alice out of the courtyard of her apartment, Alice's father's body was promptly cremated on the spot by Eriri.

…

After realizing the mysterious girl had noticed their spying, Yukino and her two companions no longer had the courage to keep watching.

In the living room, as the three of them returned with serious expressions, Kei Karuizawa asked worriedly, "Did something happen? Why do you all look so tense? Did the corpses increase in number?"

Saeko Busujima shook her head. "No, this neighborhood has no more corpses."

"Huh? Really? Weren't there a lot of them just now?" Kei looked surprised.

After waking up, she had glanced out over the balcony and seen hundreds of corpses, not to mention the ones prowling further out in search of prey.

Though she was surprised by what Saeko said, she could tell from their expressions that it was true.

"It was done by a girl. In a single moment, all those corpses vanished. It was terrifying." Kohta Hirano recalled the scene, trembling with fear.

Although Eriri's beauty had left him awestruck, he had no courage to develop any improper thoughts toward her.

"Yukinoshita, could it be…?" Hearing Kohta Hirano's description, Kei Karuizawa immediately thought of the Lord God's Dimension.

They all knew that once a Reincarnator reached a certain level of power, they could wield godlike strength.

Powerful Reincarnators could even destroy planets with a single strike, so wiping out a horde of corpses was trivial.

Kei wondered if Eriri might be a high-level Reincarnator.

"I'm not sure, but it's very likely." Yukino shook her head, then nodded, her thoughts complicated.

Saeko Busujima's eyes lit up. "Yukinoshita, Kei, do you know who that girl is?"

Yukino and Kei exchanged glances, debating whether to share information about the Lord God's Dimension and the Reincarnators.

The Lord God's Dimension didn't forbid Reincarnators from revealing their identities to native residents of the Reincarnation Worlds. Yukino had simply chosen not to, to avoid unnecessary complications.

But after witnessing such transcendent power, keeping it a secret seemed pointless.

Before Yukino and Kei could decide, a sweet, charming voice filled the living room, its beauty lifting everyone's spirits.

"Oh my, are you talking about me? I'm truly honored."

The sudden, unfamiliar voice caught everyone's attention, their nerves frayed from the apocalyptic events of the past two days.

"Who's there?"

Yukino and Saeko Busujima quickly readied their katanas, assuming defensive stances, while Kohta Hirano raised his shotgun, scanning the room.

Yet no one found the voice's owner, making their expressions even more grim.

Then the voice sounded again, this time brimming with amusement.

"Oh, this is how you welcome guests? Such a novel way to greet someone."

As the words fell, two figures appeared in the living room, one big and one small.

The young girl with short auburn hair and a curious expression had a beauty mark beneath her left eye. Next to her stood a tall girl with flawless, flowing blonde hair, her gaze warm as she examined Yukino.

These two were none other than Eriri and Alice Maresato, who had used teleportation to arrive at Yukino's side.

Eriri's intense gaze made Yukino feel uncomfortable, and she quickly averted her eyes.

Upon seeing Eriri, Kohta Hirano let out a strange yell and collapsed on the floor, attracting everyone's attention.

With five pairs of eyes on him, Hirano felt immense pressure, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Hmm? Am I really that scary?" Eriri asked, giving Hirano a casual glance.

"N-no, I…" Hirano floundered, flapping his arms nervously.

"Enough. Now's not the time for you to be here. You can go wait over there." Eriri waved him off, silencing his embarrassing behavior.

"Yes… yes!" Hirano stammered, clutching his guns as he quickly retreated to a corner of the room.

Saeko Busujima opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately kept quiet.

After calming herself, Yukino looked at Eriri. "Who are you? Are you a Reincarnator from the Lord God's Dimension?"

Eriri's face broke into a smile as she turned her gaze back to Yukino.

"A Reincarnator? No, no, no. I wouldn't even consider the Lord God's Dimension itself worth noticing. Do you think I would be a mere Reincarnator?" she replied with relaxed confidence, showing her utter disdain for the Lord God's Dimension and Reincarnators.

"A mere…" Yukino's expression soured, as she, too, was one of these "mere Reincarnators."

Although she had not chosen to become one willingly, the remark still stung, making her feel uneasy.

Nevertheless, Yukino maintained her composure, recognizing the vast power gap between herself and Eriri and deciding it would be unwise to provoke her further.

Kei, on the other hand, merely watched quietly from the side, not daring to make a sound as she observed Yukino and Eriri's interaction.

"Since you know about the Lord God's Dimension and the Reincarnators, you must have a reason for coming to this world, right? And considering that you've focused on me this entire time… may I ask what business you have with me?"

Yukino's question stunned Saeko Busujima and Kohta Hirano, who huddled nearby.

"Excuse me, does that mean other worlds really exist?" Saeko couldn't help but ask Eriri and Yukino, feeling tense inside. If other worlds were real, might she and her friends have a chance to escape this apocalyptic one?

Hirano ceased cleaning his gun, his ears pricked for their answer.

"Of course. This multiverse is home to infinite universes, and your world is merely one of them," Eriri replied to Saeko with a gentle smile, making no effort to keep her in suspense.

"Oh…" Saeko murmured, shifting her gaze to Yukino and Kei. "So, Yukinoshita and Kei, are you both from other worlds?"

"Yes." Yukino and Kei nodded in unison, confirming their status as foreigners to this world.

Without paying much mind to Saeko's reaction, Yukino looked back at Eriri.

Compared to Saeko's interests, there were more pressing matters to deal with.

"Let's get back to the topic at hand. Could you please tell me what you need from me?"

Although Yukino could sense no malice from Eriri and knew that she had just saved an innocent young girl, she remained wary.

"Don't worry," Eriri said gently. "I did come specifically for you, but I promise I won't harm you."

Pausing for a moment, Eriri continued, "After all, you are my sister-in-law, Yukino."

Eriri's words left Yukino frozen, her beautiful eyes widening in shock.

While she had expected Eriri to know her name, the "sister-in-law" part was completely unexpected.

Yukino understood precisely what that term implied: only a wife's sister could be called a sister-in-law, yet Eriri was clearly female.

There was only one possible explanation—one of her two sisters must be in a relationship with Eriri, making them, as it's said, a yuri couple.

So, which one could it be?