Nanashi spent the day accompanying the girls as they shopped and played.
It wasn't just for fun—he certainly paid the price for it.
For example, Leonora and Chelsea insisted he join them on the Ferris wheel.
By the time they got off, their legs were shaky, and they looked dazed.
If you didn't know better, you'd think they were afraid of heights.
Mine just snorted at them and shot Nanashi a crimson-cheeked glare.
Sheele and Najenda exchanged a glance, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts.
Kurome quietly watched her older sister, who appeared unusually dazed.
Though, frankly, Kurome wasn't entirely sure what she was thinking.
Nanashi later took Nezuko to the haunted house—a perfect match, really.
He even went to the restroom with Eriri. The two of them were already used to that kind of rhythm.
At mealtime, Kanae and Megumi sat beside him, and the two girls took turns feeding him.
While watching a movie, Kie and Tamayo sat on either side of him—and Cocolia? She just made herself comfortable right on his lap.
It was a chaotic, lively, and fulfilling day for everyone.
After all the excitement, everyone was completely exhausted.
Megumi returned to her own home. She wanted to stay with Nanashi but didn't want to worry her parents.
As for Chito and Yuuri, they were set up in the last empty room at Yukino's house.
The idea had actually come from Yukino herself—she'd grown quite fond of the two girls.
Still dazed, the two newcomers quietly settled in.
Back home, Kanae was still in the shower when suddenly—
[New Chat Group Notification]
[Doomsday Journey]
Participants: 6
Duration: 5 Days
Members: Nanashi, Reinhard, Seitenshi, Kisara, Lemuel, Shinobu
Objective: Eliminate the proto-Enterata
A doomsday mission… and once again, it involved taking down proto-lifeforms.
But then—
[Doomsday]
Type: World-ending Event
Duration: Unlimited
Participants: Unlimited
Objectives:
Eliminate the Enterovirus
Purge the darkness from the world
This one caught Nanashi off guard.
Not just proto-lifeforms—but also the darkness in the world?
That was a first.
His eyes narrowed. The mission almost felt more like a responsibility—a judgment.
Lemuel: "Oh, Seitenshi and Kisara-san, did you see that?"
Kisara Tendo: "Yeah."
Seitenshi: "What does it mean?"
March 7th: "It means we're about to visit your world and take on the Doomsday Journey."
Lemuel: "Remember what Nanashi told you? Be ready to witness the darkness in your world."
Kisara Tendo: "I don't care. The Tendo family is probably part of that darkness. As long as they die, I'm fine."
Seitenshi: "…"
She was speechless. Complicated emotions stirred inside her.
Just thinking about the hidden darkness of their world…
She couldn't find the words to refute it.
Nanashi: "Don't look at me. If even the chat group says it's shady, then it's definitely shady."
Reinhard: "Mr. Nanashi, if possible, could I have some time to observe that world with my own eyes?"
Nanashi: "Of course. Five days should be more than enough for you to understand it—though it won't change my final judgment."
Reinhard: "Understood."
Nanashi: "Let's not waste time. Let's go."
Lemuel: "Received."
Reinhard: "Ready."
Shinobu Kocho: "I'm ready too."
In a flash, the three of them appeared in a rather ordinary-looking room.
Kisara was instantly on guard.
Her reflexes kicked in. She drew her sword in a flash.
Nanashi: "Relax—we're the one in the chat group."
"…"
Tendo stared at the three newcomers cautiously.
After a moment, she slowly sheathed her blade, still processing what she saw.
Kisara Tendo: "You're… really from another world? The chat group is real?"
Even now, it all felt too surreal.
Most people wouldn't believe in something as outrageous as an interdimensional chat group.
Shinobu turned to glance at the red-haired man in white beside her.
That had to be Reinhard.
He calmly studied the girl in front of him.
Long black hair. A black sailor uniform.
Reinhard: "Are you Miss Seitenshi, or Miss Kisara?"
Kisara Tendo: "Kisara Tendo," she replied coolly, lowering her sword.
Reinhard: "Reinhard. Pleased to meet you."
He had the aura of someone serious and humble.
Shinobu: "Shinobu."
She smiled gently, like a warm-hearted older sister.
Lemuel: "I'm Lemuel!"
An Angel?
Kisara's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of Lemuel.
After a full explanation from Lemuel, it finally started to make sense to her.
"Just call me Nanashi."
After Nanashi introduced himself, Kisara fixed her gaze on him.
"What's on your mind?" Nanashi caught the doubt in her eyes.
"Are you really… a god?" she asked hesitantly.
Nanashi shook his head. "I'm not. Aqua in the group is the real Goddess of Water. I'm just someone who can destroy this planet—though that doesn't make me a god."
"…"
Kisara lowered her voice. "Will Kikunojou Tendo… and the others in the Tendo family be killed?"
"I don't know," Nanashi replied flatly. "Those who pass my screening will live."
He didn't give her a direct answer.
"If you want to understand this world better, then go see it for yourself," he said.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but Nanashi didn't give her the chance.
All she wanted to say was that she hoped he would kill her enemies—Kikunojou Tendo among them.
But Nanashi had already lost interest in the matter.
Outside, the sunlight was dull and faint.
"Where's Miss Seitenshi?" Lemuel asked.
"Probably too far to teleport. Don't worry about her. Let's explore the city a bit—maybe we'll find something worth seeing."
A thought struck Nanashi, and he turned to Reinhard. "Does your divine protection still work in this world?"
Reinhard paused, sensing his surroundings. Then he nodded. "Most of it does."
"Tch." Nanashi clicked his tongue.
So his protection even crossed worlds. Not even Aqua's divine faith could manage that.
Faith really is a complicated thing.
The city was rundown, enclosed by a massive wall reinforced with iron and other metals.
Just as the demons in Shinobu's world were weak to sunlight and wisteria flowers, the Gastrea in this world had their own natural enemies.
One of them was a rare metal—Varanium.
Gastrea possessed incredible regenerative abilities, but wounds inflicted with Varanium couldn't heal.
The towering outer wall, known as Stonehenge, was built from a blend of Varanium and other metals. It acted as a defensive barrier, enclosing the city and shielding it from Gastrea invasions.
As they walked through the city, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere lingered.
It wasn't hard to guess why—fear. The ever-present fear of the Gastrea.
Reinhard was starting to wonder if the warnings about this world had been exaggerated…
Until they saw it.
Two men in law enforcement uniforms were dragging a ragged girl into a narrow, dim alley.
"…"
Kisara and Nanashi immediately knew what was happening.
Unaware, Shinobu and Reinhard frowned, sensing something was wrong.
"Let's check it out," Nanashi said.
Reinhard, driven by instinctive righteousness, moved without hesitation.
As they approached, the sickening sound of fists slamming into flesh echoed from the alley—accompanied by sneers and curses.
"Hah! Look what we caught. Another filthy rat."
"Tch. There've been a lot of them this month. Just waved some bread around and she came crawling. Beat her to death!"
"You little monster. Daring to glare at me with those cursed red eyes? I'll rip those eyeballs out!"
"STOP!"
The beatings halted as a sharp voice cut through the alley.
A young man with blue hair stood at the entrance, eyes blazing.
Beside him, a girl with long orange hair tied into twin tails and a rabbit-eared headband clenched her fists, her eyes bloodshot with fury.
At the feet of the two enforcers lay a young girl—clothes in tatters, blood staining her body, breath faint and shallow.
Blood also dripped from the officers' batons and shoes.
It was clear the girl had endured a brutal beating.
Shinobu and Lemuel's expressions twisted with discomfort. They wanted to step forward—rescue the girl.
Even Reinhard moved to intervene… but found he couldn't move at all.
Nanashi stood calmly, his star-like eyes emotionless. "Take a good look at this world."
No one noticed their presence. They were like specters, watching from the shadows.
The young man was Rentaro Satomi, and the girl beside him—Enju Aihara.
"…Hmph?"
One of the enforcers scowled, his face twisting in irritation as he looked at Enju.
"Red eyes? Another damn monster."
"I'm not a monster! I'm an Initiator! I'm human!" Enju shouted.
"Initiator? You mean a Cursed Child, right?"
"A freak trying to call herself human. What a joke."
The other officer sneered, his face contorting with disgust.
"Just like this one," he said, and kicked the girl on the ground again.
Both the beaten girl and Enju shared the same trait—glowing red eyes.
They were Cursed Children.
Children born from mothers infected by the Gastrea virus during pregnancy. The virus would accumulate in the fetus, granting the child abilities similar to the Gastrea.
But society didn't see them as gifted.
They saw them as monsters.
All known infected children were girls—something in the virus seemed to prevent male births.
Whenever these girls used their powers, their red eyes would glow—and with each use, the virus would erode more of their body.
If the erosion rate surpassed 50%, they would begin to transform into Gastrea.
To prevent this, Cursed Children had to be injected with suppressants every day.
Yet despite their sacrifice and power…
They were still hated.
Still feared.
Still treated as monsters.
Most of them lived in the outskirts—pushed to the margins, excluded from society.
For an ordinary human, the only known way to become infected with the protozoan virus and undergo mutation was through blood contact.
Airborne infection? That simply didn't happen.
Even if the virus entered the body through the mouth, or during sexual intercourse, it posed no threat of infection.
This had been repeatedly confirmed through numerous experiments.
Though the virus might survive after oral entry, it didn't infect the host. It lingered.
And if, by chance, it entered the mouth of a pregnant woman…
There were rare cases where the fetus accumulated toxins in the womb—leading to the birth of a cursed child.
These children were born with crimson eyes, yet retained the physical appearance of a human.
They were all girls.
Biologically, all human embryos begin as female in the first seven weeks of development. Only after that do they begin to differentiate—some into males.
But the protozoan virus disrupted this process. It interfered with the sex-determining factors, preventing the embryo from developing into a boy.
In addition to their unique lineage, cursed children also bore characteristics of protozoan creatures.
As long as the heart or brain wasn't fatally wounded, they wouldn't die.
The virus dwelling within their bodies could detect life-threatening situations and neutralize foreign toxins with astonishing precision.
Each cursed child developed different genetic abilities.
Take Aihara Enju, for example.
She possessed a rabbit-type factor, granting her extraordinary jumping and kicking strength.
The cursed children could harness the power of the protozoan virus, enabling them to regenerate flesh similar to protozoan creatures.
They became the primary force in combat against the Protocolators also known as Gastrea.
To harness and control this power more effectively, a special civilian law enforcement system was established—consisting of pairs known as Initiators and Promoters.
The Initiator was the cursed child.
They were required to take a corrosion inhibitor daily to keep the infection in check. If they slacked off or refused to fight, the erosion percentage in their body would rise—eventually transforming them into a protozoan creature.
The Promoter acted as both partner and guardian. They supported the Initiator in battle and served as their emotional anchor.
Most Promoters were ordinary humans.
But there were exceptions—like Rentaro Satomi, a cyborg.
Though they couldn't match the raw power of the cursed children, Promoters were still highly skilled combatants.
Initiators often came from complicated backgrounds—delinquents, criminals, or those society had rejected.
Despite their origins, they followed orders and bore the heavy, invisible burden of being the spiritual pillar for the cursed child.
They were the so-called "control party."
The term "cursed child," uttered coldly by the law enforcers, ignited a spark of fury in Enju Aihara. She cursed under her breath.
"Bastard…"
"Ooh, look at that. The cursed child wants to lash out at a human? That's illegal, you know. You'd better remember who you are," one of the enforcers taunted with a smirk.
"This monster's a thief. You really want to break the law to protect her? Makes me wonder what kind of relationship you two have."
Unfazed, the two law enforcers drew their guns, showing no sign of fear.
Their message to Enju Aihara was clear:
We're human. We uphold the law. You're just a cursed child. Stay out of this, or we'll come after you too.
One of them grabbed the cursed child by the collar and pressed his gun against her forehead.
"Don't—!"
Pain flashed through Enju's eyes. The scene mirrored her own past—ostracized, bullied, cast aside.
The dying girl before her… looked exactly like she once had.
She wanted to save her—as if she were saving her past self.