Chapter 151 — Grandma Once Said

After returning to the hotel, Nagami spent a bit of time experimenting with his new powers—then promptly fell asleep.

Thanks to C.C.'s body in the Honkai world being in a dormant state, Nagami's mental state had received a kind of buff.

Still, the amount of new information he had absorbed tonight was staggering.

Even he couldn't endure it forever.

When both bodies sleep simultaneously, mental energy recovers at an accelerated rate.

It was the soft, warm sensation against his body that gently pulled Nagami back to consciousness.

Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, bathing the room in a dreamy golden glow.

A faint tickling brushed against his cheek—the ends of soft, pink hair.

The face leaning close to his was delicate and flawless, bathed in a warm halo of light.

Her wine-red eyes sparkled with clarity, as pure and vivid as flawless rubies.

The girl's graceful figure was wrapped in a pink lace-trimmed nightgown.

Though modest, the hem was a bit short, and her long, porcelain-like legs shimmered under the morning light with a creamy luster.

Straddling Nagami's around neck, her knees sank slightly into the soft bedding.

Her dainty, pinkish toes sparkled like polished gems.

The moment Nagami's eyes opened, the mischievous smirk on the girl's face vanished like a dream.

As if nothing had happened, she blinked innocently and spoke.

"Good morning, Nagami."

She had remembered his earlier explanation about greeting someone at the start of a new day.

"Good morning, Inori-chan."

Grandma once said, the happiest thing in the world…

Is opening your eyes in the morning and seeing a beautiful girl!

Holding her soft, delicate body close, Nagami slowly sat up.

Her hips slid from his stomach down to his thighs, and his gaze locked onto her eyes—those crimson jewels shimmering with morning light.

The way they sat now, they looked just like a deeply intimate couple.

But Nagami's senses, shared across both bodies, were far too sharp to miss that brief flicker of a strange smile on her face.

His expression shifted into something thoughtful.

'The Apocalypse Virus… or rather, Mana's consciousness… has awakened already?'

That… wasn't quite right.

Nagami knew that as Inori continued to gain emotions, Mana would gradually regain her form.

But Inori's emotional state right now was nowhere near as developed as it was two years later in the original story.

At this stage, Mana shouldn't be able to awaken.

'Unless…'

Nagami lowered his gaze to his right hand, where the sigil—part sword, part tree—briefly glowed.

The Apocalypse Virus wasn't just a sentient infection.

It was a lifeform, complete with gender.

That's right—it had a sex.

And its most basic biological instinct… was reproduction.

Mana was the "Queen."

She needed a male counterpart—the "King."

Eve and Adam.

In Japanese, Mana's name is pronounced Ma-na, a word rich with symbolism.

In biblical texts, Jesus called himself the true "Manna"—bread from heaven that grants eternal satisfaction.

It also represents the source of life, or divine blessing, symbolizing vitality and grace.

Eve and Adam were meant to be human.

Nagami had obtained the Power of Kings—but in terms of lifeform classification, he was a Herrscher.

Sensing that her chosen "King" wasn't human, the Queen's consciousness had been jolted into faster awakening.

That was probably the only explanation.

With a sigh, Nagami began helping Inori get dressed.

'Well, if she's awake, so be it.'

Mana didn't have her powers right now anyway.

Her strength had scattered during the Lost Christmas event, and fragments of it had fused into the Voids of others.

The only way for her power to return was through the continuous extraction and use of Void by someone wielding the Power of Kings.

In a way, this saved Nagami the trouble of figuring out how to wake her later.

After calling the hotel front desk to order two breakfasts, Nagami kicked back on the sofa and turned on the TV.

Inori sat beside him obediently, gently holding his hand.

"Morning news reports that last night, GHQ's Tokyo lab was struck by a terrorist attack.

The assailants stole a biological bomb from the lab.

The suspects are considered extremely dangerous.

Citizens are advised to report any suspicious individuals immediately."

"Morning news also reports a natural gas pipeline explosion in Roppongi's underground system. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported."

Nagami's eyes turned completely deadpan.

'Excuse me?!'

'This is Roppongi, not Fuyuki City!'

Is it the '-i' at the end? Or is the gas explosion excuse just that popular?!

"Nagami, where are we going today?"

Inori's voice had become smoother and more natural after spending time with him.

She no longer spoke in that hesitant, awkward way she once did.

"Inori-chan, how many points do you have right now?"

Still watching the news, Nagami gently squeezed her soft, fair hand.

"Um… 263…"

She tilted her head, probably just having checked.

"Two hundred-plus, huh? That's more than enough."

Enough to travel with Nagami to the Date A Live world—and then return to the Honkai world afterward.

"Is there anywhere you'd like to go, Inori-chan? No matter where it is, I'll go with you."

"I just want to be with you, Nagami."

Her airy voice carried not a hint of hesitation.

"Of course I'll stay by your side." Nagami smiled softly, reaching out to gently caress her smooth cheek and tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear.

Just then, a knock came at the door—it was, unsurprisingly, the hotel staff delivering breakfast.

Wearing a businesslike smile, Nagami nodded politely at the attendant.

As he accepted the tray, his eyes caught a small card discreetly placed atop it.

He chuckled and shook his head.

'Ah… the good old hotel tradition, huh?'

"Let's eat first. We can think about where to go afterward."

He set the breakfast tray on the low table in front of the sofa and picked up a white porcelain spoon, scooping up a spoonful of warm rice porridge.

With practiced ease, he brought it to Inori's lips.

She nodded and obediently opened her mouth. Her rosy lips parted just enough for Nagami to glimpse her soft, pink tongue.

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Meanwhile…

When Nagami had infiltrated the lab to steal the first set of Void Genome, he'd destroyed all surveillance devices along the way.

However, one thing had slipped through—a nearby surviving camera caught something else.

The footage didn't show Nagami himself.

What it captured… was a group of missiles wreathed in a blue glow, floating unnaturally midair as if under intelligent control—then launching one by one, precisely and deliberately.

"This… this can't be real!"

"Did the enemy load AI systems into the missiles themselves?"

"Impossible!"

The video was eerie, unnatural—something that felt more like magic than tech.

A room full of men in uniform erupted in disbelief and shock.

"Silence."

The command came in a calm, almost gentle voice.

Yet the instant it rang out, the entire room fell still.

The one who spoke was a man with shoulder-length, violet hair and a pair of striking red eyes, one of which was a cybernetic implant equipped with micro-scale dynamic tracking.

Beneath the cyber-eye was a faint, red scar.

He held a flip phone adorned with a small jester keychain in his hand, and in his eyes gleamed a barely contained fanaticism.

His name: Segai Waltz Makoto.

A senior commander within GHQ.

Rank: Major.

And, well—he was also a complete madman.

At the young age of 18, he'd already become the chief guard of the Genomic Research Institute.

During a mission to capture the first-generation King, Scrooge, he had witnessed Void energy for the first time… and became utterly obsessed.

To see that glowing light again, he threw himself onto the battlefield and lost an eye.

To force Shu Ouma to use Void against him, he once crashed a car into his own ally.

If that's not textbook insanity, what is?

Now, staring straight at the screen, Segai's lips curled into a maniacal grin.

Void!

That unmistakable brilliance—it had to be the power of Void!

Despite his lunacy, Segai was no fool.

He was sharp, calculating, and extremely competent.

He might not compare to someone like Otto, but in terms of sheer intellect, he was undeniably brilliant.

"Two tubes of genome… even the incomplete set…"

His cybernetic eye fixated on the missiles in the footage, their blue trails streaking like comets across the night sky.

The sounds of steel crashing, of explosions, of rising chaos—it all stirred something inside him.

Tapping his fingers rhythmically on his forearm, he fell into thought.

"Void…"

He murmured the word like a mantra, one the other officers around him couldn't begin to understand.

Then, eyes glinting, he smiled and issued his order:

"All units—head to Underground Research Facility No. 3. I want every last 'Ultimate Howler' under my jurisdiction prepped and deployed."

Why?

Because the Origin Stone the artifact at the heart of everything was stored in Underground Facility No. 3.

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