Chapter 33: Silence Between Stars
The air in the Takahashi household had changed.
It wasn't something dramatic like shouting or sudden confessions. It was more subtle—like a warmth settling into the walls, the sound of laughter lingering a little longer, and the occasional smile exchanged over the dinner table that didn't feel forced. Even a blind man could see the difference. Since Kenji returned from Kyoto, things had shifted in the best possible way.
His children—Ren, Aoi, and Ayaka—had opened up more than he thought possible just weeks ago. They no longer looked through him, no longer waiting to see if the man before them would snap back into that cold, unloving version they had known before. They approached him with curiosity now. Sometimes with jokes, sometimes with cautious affection. It was as if a switch had been flipped inside them, not yet completely, but enough to give light to the corners once darkened by mistrust. They didn't flinch when he walked into a room, and more importantly, they started asking him things again—little things like help with homework or thoughts on a TV show. And that, to Kenji, meant the world.
Even Anastasia, his wife, had softened. Not dramatically, not with grand gestures or declarations—but with quiet changes. She no longer avoided him. She asked him how his day went, passed him tea without being asked, and sometimes even offered a dry quip that almost passed for teasing. There were even moments when she touched his shoulder in passing or stood a little closer than before. Kenji understood this wasn't forgiveness, but it was something just as valuable: effort. Shared effort. Silent, cautious trust building brick by fragile brick.
Kenji knew better than to take it for granted. He knew that trust, once broken, wasn't easily restored. He took the small wins where he could, cherished them, and used them as motivation to keep improving. This progress, slow and fragile as it was, gave him strength. Not just emotional strength, but the kind of inner conviction he hadn't felt in years.
That night, while the house settled into its usual quiet rhythm and his family began winding down for bed, Kenji sat cross-legged on his bed, dim light spilling from the window as he focused on his system.
[Multiversal Chat Group System]
The familiar interface shimmered to life, translucent panels blinking in gentle hues of blue and white. It had been a few days since he last checked in. The Kyoto trip, the yokai ambush, the reunion with his family—life had been so full that he hadn't really had time to step back into the surreal space of the chat system.
And he had felt it was better to give Erza and Sora space, he knew that they didn't really care that much about being fictional characters. It was something both would brush off any day of the week but he guessed that they were now somewhat curious about the secret that could be hidden about them without their knowledge.
But he would wait for them to ask, whether they wanted to know or not its up to them. he didn't even worry about Van, that dude hardly cared for things like this at all.
Still, something tugged at him tonight. A faint itch. Or maybe a sense of something else. It had been silent. The system that is.
No messages.
No new alerts.
And most importantly what was causing him this shift.
No quests.
Kenji frowned.
"That's weird," he muttered aloud, eyes narrowing. "Aren't these kinds of systems supposed to throw you into nonstop chaos?"
Back in his old life, he had read dozens—no, hundreds—of fanfics about systems like these. They almost always portrayed the Multiversal Chat as some kind of hyperactive engine of story and conflict. Get a system, and suddenly your life becomes a blur of monster battles, dimension-hopping drama, stat grinds, and cosmic threats. You'd get pulled into wars, and dimension-breaking tournaments, and gods would take personal offense to your existence. It would be life-or-death nearly every hour, with peace being a rare luxury.
Yet here he was.
Alive, breathing, stronger than before—but surrounded by quiet. Not that he wasn't thankful for that.
He navigated to the Quests tab.
Three gleaming icons pulsed to life in front of him, labeled clearly and neatly. Main Quest, the Normal Quest, and last was The Sub Quest.
From what he understood these quests each had they own workings if you will which could all be summed up to....
[Main Quest] — Absolute quests. Mandated by the system's creators or higher authorities. Must be completed at all costs. Failure is not an option. Participating members are selected by the system.
[Normal Quest] — Standard missions generated by system administrators. These quests are designed to promote development, cooperation, and fun. Optional.
[Sub Quest] — Chaotic, unpredictable, and often borderline ridiculous. Sub quests are generated for entertainment, testing, and mayhem. Difficulty varies from laughably easy to suicidally hard.
Kenji leaned closer, eyes scanning the options. His gaze settled on the third tab.
With a curious tap, the Sub Quests expanded into a list that ranged from bizarre to insane:
Save Tora the cat from the rogue ninja clan (Difficulty: Medium — Reward: Catnip Grenade)
Steal Gilgamesh's shampoo (Difficulty: High — Reward: ???)
Beat Kratos in a chili cook-off (Difficulty: Extreme — Reward: Omega Ladle)
Defeat the One Above All (Difficulty: Impossible — Reward: Existential Crisis)
Babysit the Children of the End (Difficulty: Unknown — Reward: "Good luck.")
Win an insult contest against Alucard (Difficulty: Insulting — Reward: Vanity Badge)
Convince SCP-682 to attend therapy (Difficulty: Suicidal — Reward: Compassion Medallion)
Replace the Joker on a heist (Difficulty: Chaotic — Reward: Laugh Track)
Race Sonic while blindfolded (Difficulty: Nonsensical — Reward: Lucky Sneakers)
He gawked at the screen. "Are these guys serious?"
The absurdity of the quests almost made him laugh. Almost. The system was too strange, making these things up for no reason. Someone, somewhere, really wants them to challenge the One Above All for points. You crazy.
He backed out of the tab, still processing.
Normal quests and Main Quest were ones that were assigned so there wasn't really anything there, they had to wait for the quest to be given...
Kenji sighed and lay back on his futon, hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.
He opened the group chat window.
Still no activity.
No signs of life. Not even a sarcastic typing bubble.
What he said about the age must really have had them shaken.
"I hope they're not mad at me," he muttered. "Maybe try and get their minds off it ."
Kenji stared at the input box for a long moment. Then, slowly, he started typing.
[Administrator - The Gamer]: Hey. It's been a while. Is everyone still alive? Or are you all brooding dramatically in your corners of the multiverse like mysterious anime protagonists about a simple age reveal?
He stared at the message. Hovered over the send button.
And clicked.
[Message Sent.]
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