Chapter 165 – Boys Should Protect Themselves When Out in the World

The sun dipped slowly below the horizon, casting its final rays before vanishing.

One by one, bright incandescent lights flickered on across the streets and alleyways.

The café was quiet.

Aside from a few couples deliberately coming here for a bit of romantic atmosphere, it was mostly empty.

It was the kind of place perfect for a conversation.

Nagami sat focused, gently stirring the ice in his crystal glass.

The spoon clinked rhythmically against the frozen cubes, creating a pleasant, crisp sound.

He paid no attention to the beautiful Spirit clinging to his arm as if terrified he'd vanish at any moment.

"Miss Kurumi, that's enough with the jokes. Could you let go of me first?"

"Aw~ Are you teasing me, dear husband?" Kurumi suddenly clutched her chest with a theatrically hurt expression. "I'm being completely sincere with you, you know."

Her eyes shimmered with a pitiful, heartbroken gaze—like a pure girl abandoned by her first love.

The nearby male customers were instantly captivated, while their girlfriends' faces darkened with jealousy.

"Of course I believe you," Nagami replied flatly, glancing sideways with dead-fish eyes at the Spirit who clearly hadn't dropped the act.

He took a sip from his glass.

"I'm sure your sincerity about my 'time' is absolutely genuine."

"So, let's get to the real talk. Let's make a deal."

"Oh?" Kurumi reached over seductively and took the spoon from Nagami's hand, scooping up some shaved ice and sliding it into her mouth.

"And what kind of deal is my darling husband proposing?"

"As flattering as it is to be called 'husband' by a beautiful girl, I have to admit, it's a little sudden. I'm Nagami, by the way."

"Ara, but isn't it more intimate that way? You are the one who'll be spending the rest of your life with me, after all~"

Her long, curled lashes framed those bewitching eyes—eyes capable of stealing hearts with a glance.

"Well, my 'rest of life' is pretty valuable, you know."

Nagami raised a finger and gently lifted the Spirit's delicate chin. "So don't get ahead of yourself."

Kurumi's smile remained radiant—but in the next moment, the pitch-black domain of Zafkiel silently unfurled around them.

Her ability to absorb time had already begun.

But then, something changed.

Kurumi's smile froze, and a rare flicker of seriousness crossed her eyes.

Impossible... she couldn't absorb it.

No matter how much strength she poured into her ability, the infinite time before her remained immovable—like a mountain refusing to budge.

"Consider this time a gift—for our first meeting," Nagami said calmly.

As he finished speaking, Kurumi finally felt it—time flowing again.

An endless stream of temporal energy surged from Nagami's body into Zafkiel, fueling her power like a river of vitality.

"Ara, ara~... You're definitely not an ordinary man, dear husband."

Kurumi narrowed her eyes, curiosity blooming behind her seductive gaze.

"Mhm. So now you understand. If you want something from me, force won't get you far."

"What a shame… And here I was, ready to throw myself at you~ so eager to become one with you~"

She stretched lazily on the sofa, her alluring figure unfolding like a painting.

Her Astral Dress remained active.

"My grandma used to say, 'Boys out in the world should protect themselves, or they'll get fooled by sweet-talking women.'"

Nagami rested his chin on his folded hands. "So… I'll need to see some sincerity."

"Hmm… how about me as a token of sincerity?"

Standing gracefully, Kurumi twirled in place, lifting her skirt ever so slightly.

The red-and-black gothic dress fluttered, revealing her shapely legs wrapped in sleek black stockings.

"Sure. Sounds good to me."

"..."

"You really are… such a free-spirited man, Mister."

Kurumi, seemingly speechless at his bluntness, reverted to her usual dignified elegance.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Nagami swirled the ice water in his glass and took another sip before continuing, "Honestly, I thought you'd go for a direct assault. I was going to use that to bargain down the price. Didn't expect you to go for civil negotiation instead."

Kurumi twitched at his words.

Truthfully, the moment she realized the time within Nagami was infinite, she had considered attacking him.

But Kurumi wasn't stupid.

Sure, Tokisaki Kurumi was known as the embodiment of unpredictability, but she had intelligence to match.

If intelligence itself had a Spirit core, she might be the one to bear it—more than even Miku or Kotori.

Unlimited time implied he might've already lived for countless years.

If he'd spent all that time honing his magic…

Even if Nagami had only recently gained infinite time, the fact he could stroll casually around the world hinted he had hidden aces up his sleeve.

Otherwise, the world's research labs and secret organizations would've snatched him up long ago.

Eternal life was too tempting for humanity to ignore.

And now, he had easily withstood the full force of her City of Devouring Time—just more proof of her suspicions.

Kurumi knew her strengths. Her power was about trickery, survival, and being unkillable—not head-on combat.

"I'll be blunt," Nagami said, eyes meeting hers with unflinching clarity. "There are two people I want to bring back to life.

One died sixteen years ago. The other… five hundred years ago. I want you to use your Twelfth Bullet to send me to those points in time."

"Of course, the time needed will be paid by me. So, what do you think?"

"The Twelfth Bullet…" Kurumi murmured, her beautiful eyes flashing with a rare glint of seriousness. "You certainly know quite a lot, don't you, Mister?"

This boy clearly understood the full extent of her abilities.

And Kurumi was certain—this wasn't information one could simply uncover through ordinary investigation.

That left only a few possibilities: prophecy-type magic, or perhaps… another Spirit?

"There is an Angel in this world called Rasiel, which is basically like having access to an all-knowing search engine," Nagami said casually, as if he could read her mind. "But I've never met Kotori's sister, Nia Honjou."

If fate allowed, Nagami wouldn't mind saving her someday.

Being imprisoned in DEM for so long, tortured and abused… the second Spirit truly had it rough.

Still, her Angel Rasiel had incredible potential—basically a map hack for reality.

The only question was… would it still work outside this world?

Kurumi didn't know what a "search engine" was, but she understood the analogy just fine.

"So, you plan to offer yourself as payment?" she whispered teasingly.

Sliding her arms around his neck, Kurumi rested her chin gently on his shoulder, her voice laced with seductive charm.

"Oh no, Miss Kurumi, my… size is far too much for you to handle." He was, of course, referring to time.

"Hmm? How would I know if I don't try?"

Her soft pink tongue flicked against his earlobe, a slick, warm sensation that shot straight to his brain.

Her breath, hot and teasing, tickled his ear.

Seriously…

That's Tokisaki Kurumi for you.

This girl is straight out of Sword Art Online or something.

"The actual payment is thirty years of time—and a chance to escape this world," Nagami said flatly, stopping Kurumi mid-motion.

If he knew about the Twelfth Bullet, then it wasn't surprising he also understood her true goal.

But even so, the clarity with which he laid it out caught her off guard.

Especially the second half of what he said.

"A chance to escape this world?"

Kurumi leaned closer into his embrace, soft and fragrant.

From his angle, Nagami could clearly see the elegant curve of her collarbone framed by her low-cut dress.

This kind of conversation is exhausting…

"That's right. Before I explain that, let me offer a little bonus intel. It's only fair, considering the… generous benefits you've offered me.

I'm a very sincere business partner, after all~"

To allow Kurumi to use her powers in the Honkai Impact 3rd world, Nagami had to buy her a Fated Token—a rare and powerful item, far more valuable than thirty years of time.

And it wasn't even his own points he used to pay for it.

Itsuka Kotori, who hoped to gain power against Mio Takamiya, and a certain young lady who wanted to revive her mother in another world, had pooled their resources together to fund it.

The cost was so absurd that the poor girl went from rich heiress to broke commoner in the blink of an eye.

"The 'Phantom' you've been hunting all this time is actually the First Spirit herself—Mio Takamiya."

Kurumi fell silent, gently slipping out of Nagami's arms.

"Even if you go back to the moment she was born, you wouldn't even qualify to fight her," Nagami continued. "Mio has three Angels of her own. And…"

He proceeded to explain their powers in detail.

As his words sank in, Kurumi's pupils shrank.

Her long lashes cast delicate shadows over her cheeks as her gaze dropped, a rare sign of vulnerability on her usually confident face.

"And that's all I'm willing to share. Believe it or not, it's up to you."

"…She's like a god, isn't she?"

Nagami could clearly see the bitterness in her smile.

It wasn't the usual playful smirk—this one was forced, pained.

She believed him.

She had no reason not to.

And a deal that traded time for information? She could never turn that down.

"Unfortunately, yes," Nagami replied simply.

Nagami truly recognized her power close to an entity called: 'God'.

"Realistically speaking, even if every Spirit in existence joined forces against her, there would be zero chance of victory.

One of the abilities of the Reincarnation Paradise system is the power to recover other Spirits' Angels."

"Not to mention, all of your Spirit Cores originated from her. So, in theory, none of you can surpass her."

"That 'chance to escape this world' I mentioned? That's the opportunity to obtain power from other worlds. It's your only real shot at defeating Mio."

If Kurumi had the potential of a Herrscher vessel, then finding her a Herrscher Core wouldn't be impossible either.

In the world of Honkai, Nagami dared to toy with the powers of time.

Because the Honkai gods could never create a Herrscher of Time.

Not because they wouldn't—but because they couldn't.

Unless the Imaginary Tree itself intervened.

But in the world of Honkai Impact 2nd, he wouldn't dare use it.

That place... might actually lead to the birth of a Herrscher of Time.

An unsolvable existence.

"Other worlds?" Kurumi repeated softly.

For the first time, true shock appeared on her beautiful face.

"That's right," Nagami said with a nod.

Moonlight streamed through the clouds, bathing the room in silvery light like liquid mercury.

And so, Nagami began explaining everything to Tokisaki Kurumi in detail—leaving out, of course, any mention of the chat group.

The wind stirred the curtains gently.

And time, ever so quietly, slipped by.

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