Chapter 39 – Black Mist

March 7: "A planet is just the ground people live on, right? Exusiai, how could you not know this?"

Exusiai: "Aiya, I really don't! All I know is that the ground beneath me is called Terra."

Tatsuki: "Exusiai's world is a bit unique."

March 7: "Oh, that makes sense."

Ainz: "To put it simply, Tatsuki can destroy the world!"

(T/N: Momonga has changed to Ainz.)

Exusiai: "What?! That powerful?!"

Tatsuki: "Not quite that extreme, just theoretically."

Ainz: "I don't care! Big boss, take care of me!"

Tatsuki: "Heh, you might not need my help. In time, you'll likely grow very strong yourself."

Ainz: "Huh?"

March 7: "It's here! Tatsuki's cryptic hint!"

Ainz: "What does that mean?"

Tatsuki didn't reply; he'd already logged off.

…

At the Clubroom.

Eriri burst through the door with her usual energy. "Tatsuki, I'm here!"

"Huh?" She froze.

Two beautiful girls—one of them the school's high-and-mighty flower, Yukinoshita Yukino!

'Did I come to the wrong place?'

Spotting Tatsuki, her doubts eased, though a trace of confusion lingered.

"You're here," Tatsuki greeted with a warm smile.

"Of course, I'm here. You asked me to, remember? It's not like I came willingly or anything!" she retorted, her typical tsundere tone kicking in.

Eriri sat down next to Tatsuki, her gaze occasionally drifting toward Yukino and Yui.

"Let me introduce everyone. This is Eriri Spencer Sawamura, our club's new member—well, technically, she's just here in name," Tatsuki began.

"Yukinoshita Yukino," Yukino introduced herself succinctly, as always.

"I'm Yuigahama Yui! Yahallo!" Yui greeted with her usual enthusiasm.

"Yah…yahallo…" Eriri responded awkwardly, a dry laugh escaping her lips.

"Isn't there supposed to be one more member? They're not here?" she asked, scanning the room.

Tatsuki gestured toward his right, where someone sat unnoticed. "This is Katou Megumi, our other member."

"Hello," Megumi replied blandly.

"When—?!"

Before Eriri could react, Yui cried out in shock.

"…?"

Eriri flinched slightly. How could she not have noticed this girl until now?

In truth, Yukino was also just now realizing Megumi's presence. Megumi's subtle existence had once again made her nearly invisible to everyone.

"This is Megumi Katou's unique ability, making others subconsciously think she isn't there—a special kind of presence," Tatsuki explained proudly, as if showing off a prized possession.

"It's just that I have a faint presence," Megumi responded, her voice devoid of emotion.

"It's practically a superpower," Eriri muttered internally, glancing more closely at Katou Megumi.

Now that she noticed, Megumi was undeniably a beautiful girl!

This club was all wrong—only one guy, Tatsuki, while the rest were beautiful girls? Very suspicious!

'I guess I'll have to come to the club more often,' Eriri thought to herself. It would mean cutting back some time from her art club activities, but that wasn't a big deal. After all, she spent most of her art time at home, working on her doujin creations anyway.

…

With Eriri joining, the Supernatural Research Club was now officially a recognized club.

However, something strange happened shortly afterward—Eriri took a three-day leave from school.

When Tatsuki called to check in, she claimed she was sick.

'Three days? Still not better?'

Concerned, Tatsuki decided to visit her home, bringing along some gifts.

…

At Eriri's Home.

"This is…"

The moment Tatsuki arrived at Eriri's house, he noticed something unusual.

Through his unique perception, he saw the entire house shrouded in an eerie black mist.

Frowning, he approached the front door and rang the bell.

Ding-dong!

He waited.

No answer.

Something was wrong.

With a light touch of his finger, the door was forced open with a burst of strength.

Inside the house, the interior was filled with drifting black mist.

"What?" Tatsuki's eyes narrowed as he recognized the ominous aura—it was a mixture of evil spirits and yokai!

While evil spirits were the lingering grudges and souls of the dead, yokai were monsters born from human negativity, lurking in deeper, more hidden spaces.

Evil spirits heightened human fear, while yokai exacerbated negativity. When the two combined, the effects could be catastrophic.

Ordinary humans could see neither evil spirits nor yokai, but the dark mist in this house was visible even to those without spiritual sight.

"Papa!"

A frightened scream echoed from one of the rooms.

Without hesitation, Tatsuki teleported to the source, blasting through the door with a touch.

Inside, a chaotic scene unfolded.

A crazed man was wildly swinging a knife. His targets were a terrified Eriri and another woman with a similar face but different hair color—Sawaruma Sayuri, Eriri's mother.