Chapter 92: Confess to Yui!

Nanashi pulled Eriri's reins, bringing the movement to an abrupt stop.

Eriri, her snow-white neck arching, turned to look at him.

"What's wrong, Nanashi?"

Nanashi didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pointed toward the door.

"Listen."

"…"

That familiar voice instantly jolted Eriri awake.

Her eyes widened in realization—

"Mom?!"

Nanashi gave a slightly awkward nod.

He had just noticed the movement outside and used Observation Haki to check.

And sure enough—

Standing just outside the door was Sayuri.

"Are we still going?"

He left the choice up to Eriri.

But to his surprise—

She curled her lips into a mischievous smile, freed herself from his hold, and leaned in close.

Whispering softly into his ear.

"!!!"

Nanashi's eyes widened in shock.

He looked at her, as if to confirm what he had just heard.

Eriri nodded.

And then, glancing downward, she smirked smugly.

Outside the Room

Sayuri let out a long breath as water left her body.

Leaning against the door—

She finally calmed down.

Inside the room—

The noise had stopped.

"…It's over?"

That meant she should probably leave too.

Just as she was about to stand up—

Click.

The door swung open.

"!!!!"

Before she could react—

Nanashi bent down.

And picked her up.

Sayuri's brain short-circuited.

Before she could protest or resist—

Nanashi stepped inside, shutting the door behind them.

"N-No! This is i-immoral!"

The Next Morning

Nanashi headed to school with Eriri and Yukino.

Sayuri was still sleeping in Eriri's room.

Considering how well-fed she was, breakfast wouldn't be a concern.

Along the way—

Nanashi also transferred the knowledge of Six Styles and Haki to both of them.

Whether they could master it was another matter.

Yukino, on the other hand—

The previous night, Nanashi had explained the current living situation to Eriri.

Seven newcomers.

And now—

A maid Yukino.

At first—

Eriri had been indignant.

But after a little "education"—

She reluctantly accepted it.

Still—

Nanashi found himself more focused on Sayuri.

Sayuri…

He could only describe her as secretive—

And even crazier than Eriri.

Naturally—

He had thoroughly satisfied her.

At School

The walk to school was uneventful.

Yukino remained silent the entire way.

Eriri, however—

She was openly flirting with Nanashi.

She had changed so much.

The tsundere Eriri from before was completely gone.

Now, she was just like Sayuri.

When they arrived, Eriri reluctantly parted ways with him.

Nanashi and Yukino entered the classroom together.

"Good morning, Nanashi-kun!"

Yui greeted him cheerfully as usual.

But—

Her cheeks and earlobes were noticeably redder than normal.

"Morning, Yui."

Nanashi smiled back.

But inwardly—

He sighed.

"Another sin to take responsibility for."

Today—

He would need to address Yui's situation as well.

Taking his seat, he immediately turned his head.

"Megumi, why didn't you greet me?"

A faint smile appeared on Megumi's lips.

"You really noticed me, Nanashi-kun."

"Oh? Were you testing me with your concealment ability?"

"I just wanted to see if it would work on you."

Nanashi stroked his chin thoughtfully.

He had felt Megumi's presence fading—

But Domination naturally filtered out such tricks.

So in the end—

He had still found her easily.

"Nanashi… that girl, Eriri—"

"You've figured it out, haven't you?"

Nanashi controlled the soundwaves, ensuring only the two of them could hear.

Then—

He told Megumi everything.

"…"

She was stunned.

More than anything—

She was shocked by the number of people involved.

She could ignore the ones from other worlds for now.

But the complexity of his relationships here…

Especially the fact that both Eriri and her mother…

Megumi stared at him blankly.

"Nanashi-kun, you're insane."

Nanashi simply played dumb.

"Thank you for the compliment?"

Megumi let out a deep sigh.

"Sigh…"

Then, after a moment—

"I can't run away anyway. I'll just focus on getting along with everyone."

Nanashi smiled.

Megumi was sensible.

And adorable.

And that made everything—

So much easier.

During the lunch break, Nanashi called Yui to the rooftop.

There, under the open sky, the two stood face to face.

"Umm… what did you want to talk about, Nanashi-kun?"

Yui's voice carried a hint of nervousness and anticipation.

Ever since she had realized Nanashi liked her back, her heart had been racing non-stop.

She had waited for this moment.

She had dreamed about it.

But—

What Nanashi said next froze her smile in place.

"To put it simply—"

"I have a girlfriend."

"And not just one."

His words were direct.

Concise. Honest. Unapologetic.

"Wha…what…?"

Yui's entire body stiffened.

Her eyes wavered, and her gaze dropped to the ground.

Forcing a smile, she mumbled—

"Nanashi-kun… you don't have to make up an excuse just to reject me."

"If you don't like me, just say it."

She thought—

He's just trying to be nice.

He doesn't want to hurt my feelings, so he's making up some ridiculous story.

Before she could sink any deeper into doubt, Nanashi grabbed her shoulders.

"Yui, look at me."

His firm tone made her instinctively obey.

Slowly, she raised her head.

"I'm not lying to you."

"I meant it when I said I like you."

"But the truth is—I really do have multiple girlfriends."

"If I accepted your feelings without telling you this first, it wouldn't be fair to you."

Nanashi's voice was steady, his gaze sincere.

He wasn't trying to make excuses.

He wasn't trying to push her away.

He was simply telling her the truth.

"…"

Yui stared at him blankly.

Eyes are the windows to the soul…

And in Nanashi's eyes—

She saw no lies.

No hesitation.

No guilt.

She should have felt relieved that he wasn't rejecting her outright.

But instead—

She found herself unable to process the truth.

She had never even considered something like this before.

What was she supposed to do now?

"Yui, there's one more thing I need to show you."

"Close your eyes."

"Huh? Oh… okay."

Still overwhelmed, Yui obediently closed her eyes.

The next moment—

She felt a sudden weightlessness.

It was as if—

Her feet had left the ground.

She could no longer feel the rooftop beneath her.

A strange, unfamiliar sensation spread through her body.

"You can open your eyes now."

Hearing Nanashi's voice, she slowly peeked through her lashes—

And what she saw made her heart stop.

"EHHHHHHHH?!?!"

Yui's eyes went wide.

Because—

She was floating in midair.

No.

Not just floating.

She was high above the school—

With nothing but open air beneath her feet.

Her breath hitched.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

"W-WHAA—?! WHY ARE WE FLYING?!"

Panicking, she threw her arms around Nanashi, clinging to him for dear life.

Her voice trembled as she whispered—

"W-What's happening?!"

Nanashi chuckled softly.

"That's the other thing I wanted to tell you."

"I have superpowers."

It wasn't a joke.

It wasn't some trick.

This was real.

And the fact that she was currently suspended in midair made it undeniable.

"T-This… this is insane!"

Yui stammered, her brain struggling to keep up.

After a moment, Nanashi gently lowered them back down.

As soon as her feet touched solid ground, she wobbled—

Then promptly fell against Nanashi.

"S-Sorry…"

"It's okay. I did take you up without warning, after all."

Nanashi smiled reassuringly.

But deep down—

He had already made his decision.

Yui was someone he liked.

And she liked him too.

That was enough.

He wasn't going to hold back just because his life was different from an ordinary person's.

The end of the world didn't dictate his emotions.

The existence of supernatural forces didn't change how he felt about Yui.

And if telling her the truth triggered cognitive doomsday—

Then he would erase it himself.

Simple as that.

"So… Nanashi-kun is actually a superpowered person?"

Yui's voice was filled with disbelief.

"That's right."

Nanashi nodded.

"And as for my girlfriends… many of them are also special."

To make things easier to understand—

He activated Archon.

His golden starry eyes flickered—

And he transmitted the necessary information directly into Yui's mind.

"W-WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY HEAD?!"

Yui clutched her temples, feeling a sudden rush of memories.

"Relax," Nanashi reassured her.

"It's just the information I want you to see—about the others."

After a few moments, she started to calm down.

The strangeness of receiving memories directly into her brain was one thing.

But the content of those memories was something else entirely.

People from another world.

The apocalypse.

A mother and daughter in love with the same man.

An entire empire was overthrown.

The sheer scale of everything nearly made her brain short-circuit.

Her hands trembled as she looked at Nanashi.

Her lips parted—

But she couldn't form a single word.

This was beyond anything she had ever imagined.

"Yui?"

She didn't answer.

She was still processing.

Her entire worldview had just been shattered.

And now—

She had to figure out how to put it back together.

"Yui, take your time and think it over. You can give me your answer whenever you're ready."

Yui bit her lip, her thoughts tangled in confusion.

"Mmm… I'll think about it."

With her mind weighed down by emotions, she lowered her head and slowly walked away from the rooftop, step by step.

The moment she disappeared from sight—

Nanashi sighed and spoke softly.

"Why are you hiding? Come here."

From behind the staircase, a familiar figure jumped out.

Dressed in her short school uniform skirt, golden twin tails swaying, Eriri stomped toward him.

With an angry pout, she began swinging her ponytails at him wildly.

Nanashi, amused, caught both twin tails in his hands.

"Tsk, this ponytail is quite useful," he teased.

"Last night, I was still riding its reins."

Eriri's cheeks burned red, and she kicked at him in frustration.

Nanashi chuckled, leaning against the iron fence.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered into her ear—

"What are you so mad about?"

Eriri narrowed her eyes and bit his hand.

It didn't hurt.

In fact, it was soft and almost playful.

She glared at him, her small fangs bared.

"Hmph! You're such a playboy!"

"I went looking for you earlier, but you weren't there. Then I heard someone—um, who was it again? Ugh, I forgot! Anyway, they said you were on the rooftop."

She huffed and crossed her arms.

"And the moment I get here, I see you flirting with another girl! You've already got so many—how many more do you need before you're satisfied?!"

Nanashi didn't answer directly.

Instead, he smirked and said—

"Tell me, Eriri—how many of you do you think could handle me at the same time?"

"Even if I only used one-tenth of my strength, you and Sayuri still wouldn't be enough."

"H-Huh?"

Eriri's eyes widened in disbelief.

They had already been through so much together.

And yet—

He was saying that wasn't even one-tenth of his power?

"Liar!"

"If you don't believe me, we can test it again."

Nanashi's grin turned wicked, his hands already on the move.

Eriri's eyes darted around in panic.

"H-Hey! W-We're at school! People will see!"

"Relax."

Nanashi's voice was low and smooth.

"I've already controlled our presence. Even if we were in front of a crowd, no one would notice."

And with that—

He made his move.

"Huh? The rooftop is empty, so why is the door open?"

A girl with long, straight black hair stepped onto the rooftop, her black stockings glistening in the sunlight.

Her eyes scanned the area.

No one was there.

But the door… was wide open.

She furrowed her brows.

"Strange."

But since the place was empty—

She didn't mind.

It was exactly the kind of quiet environment she preferred.

Finding a comfortable spot, she leaned against the iron fence and pulled out a book.

She gently stroked its cover, her gaze nostalgic.

Softly, she murmured—

"I wonder how you've been… Senpai."

The girl was Utaha Kasumigaoka—

A third-year student at their high school.

But more importantly—

She was also a light novel author.

Under the pen name "Utako Kasumi," she had published five volumes of her novel, Love Metronome, through Fantastic Bunko.

Total sales?

Over 500,000 copies.

Considering her age, this was an incredible achievement.

Yet—

Only Utaha herself knew the truth.

She owed everything to a certain senior in the industry.

A legendary writer.

Someone she had never met in person.

He was known by his pen name Unknown.

Her "senpai" was a towering figure in the light novel and manga industry.

A genius who had created masterpiece after masterpiece—

Only to suddenly retire at the peak of his career.

He vanished from the industry, leaving behind timeless classics.

At first—

Utaha had struggled.

Her early works were a complete failure.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them flops.

But then—

Through her editor, Sonoko Machida, she learned about Unknown.

On a whim—

She nervously sent him a message, introducing herself.

Deep down—

She felt ashamed.

It was incredibly rude to just shove your work in front of a retired senior and ask for feedback.

The moment she hit send, regret hit her hard.

"Why did I do that? He's retired! He won't waste time on a nobody like me!"

But before she could withdraw the message—

A notification popped up.

[File Accepted]

And then—

A reply.

He had read her novel.

And he had responded.

His feedback was insightful.

Brutal, but constructive.

Every flaw in her writing—

Every weakness in her storytelling—

He pointed them all out, one by one.

And with those suggestions—

She changed.

Her writing improved.

Her confidence grew.

And eventually—

Her "Love Metronome" was published and became a success.

Utaha was ecstatic.

The moment she received the news, she had rushed to tell him.

"Senpai! I finally did it!"

His reply came quickly—

"Congratulations. You've grown."

But then—

The next words shattered her excitement.

"Now that you can stand on your own, my role is over."

"It's time for me to leave."

And just like that—

He vanished.

He changed his contact information.

Deleted his old accounts.

And from that moment on—

She never heard from Unknown again.

Sitting on the rooftop, Utaha sighed softly.

She flipped through her book, her mind drifting back to those memories.

She had always wondered—

"Senpai… where are you now?"

"What kind of life are you living?"

And most of all—

"Will we ever meet again?"