Exusiai: "Okay, let's get serious for a sec!"
Exusiai hurried to change the subject—no way was she letting Ch'en drag out her entire rap sheet in public.
Exusiai: "Ch'en-sir, this Apocalypse Chat Group really isn't something made by Penguin Logistics. Everything in the intro Tatsuki posted is true."
Ch'en: "And what proof do you have?"
Even with Exusiai saying so, Ch'en still didn't believe it. Let alone the fact that she couldn't even be sure the one talking was really Exusiai.
Tendo Kisara: "Hmm, sounds like Exusiai's acquaintance has a pretty solid sense of caution."
Furina: "She is a keeper of the law. Vigilance should be a required talent."
Vivi: "At least Ch'en doesn't sound like a bad person."
Exusiai: "Ch'en-sir, if it's proof you want, I'll give you a little demo."
She glanced at the pocky box in Texas's hand and yoinked it away in one swift motion.
"???"
Texas's slowly-swaying tail froze mid-swing. She looked at Exusiai, confused—and then realized the pocky Exusiai had just stolen… had vanished into thin air.
"..."
Texas's half-lowered gaze lifted to meet Exusiai's, her voice calm as ever. "Exusiai… don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
Exusiai tilted her head, pressed her right fist to her temple, stuck out the tip of her tongue—
"Ehehe~"
Attempting to gloss it over with pure cuteness.
On the other side.
Ch'en saw the notification in the chat.
[Ding! Exusiai has sent a personal red packet to Ch'en!]
Still on high alert, Ch'en hesitated for a few seconds before following the prompt and tapping to receive it.
[Ch'en has received the red packet!]
The next moment, a box of already-opened pocky appeared in her gloved hand.
She picked one up and examined it carefully.
"..."
It really did just seem like a box of pocky—no Originium bomb, no strange device, nothing suspicious.
"..."
Hoshiguma had been watching her dazed boss this whole time. Now she was seriously confused.
Ch'en had zoned out, and out of nowhere she had a box of pocky in her hand… which she was now inspecting over and over with a dead-serious face.
Did Ch'en finally crack under the pressure and lose it?
Hoshiguma was starting to think she should report this to the higher-ups and get Ch'en some vacation time.
Ch'en, unaware of Hoshiguma's concerns, was instead dealing with a storm in her own mind.
She glanced left and right. Aside from Hoshiguma, there was no one else around. She could confirm: no one had slipped the pocky to her, and she definitely hadn't bought it herself.
It had appeared—in her hand—out of nowhere!
She hadn't made any strange movements just now. All she'd done was accept Exusiai's red packet. There had to be a connection between the two.
Ch'en: "Exusiai… what's with this pocky box?"
Exusiai: "You see now, right? That's one of the chat group's features. You can send your own stuff directly to someone via a red packet."
Exusiai: "I'm at the Penguin Logistics dorm right now. Just snatched Texas's pocky and sent it over to you."
Ch'en: "..."
Ch'en lowered her head and stared at the pocky in her hand.
Her current location was a good dozen blocks away from Penguin Logistics. For something to instantly transfer that far into her hand…
This kind of tech—or ability—was completely unheard of.
There was still one more thing Ch'en needed to verify. Only after confirming that could she roughly accept this as reality.
She pulled out her phone, scrolled to Penguin Logistics' office line, and dialed.
"Hello, this is Penguin Logistics. Oh—hi, Ch'en-sir. Is there something you need from us?"
From the voice, Ch'en judged the one who picked up to be that seemingly frail girl, Sora.
She cleared her throat. "I need to speak with Exusiai."
"Got it, I'll grab her right now. Exusiai, there's a call for you—it's Ch'en-sir."
"Huh?!"
Ch'en heard Exusiai's yelp, followed by the sound of frantic scrambling footsteps, then Exusiai's voice.
Exusiai: "Ch'en-sir, don't tell me you really called just to confirm I'm me?"
"..."
Alright. That was enough for her to confirm this really was Exusiai.
Ch'en: "Mn. That's all. I'm hanging up."
After that one sentence, she briskly hung up. She still couldn't say for sure if the stuff about different worlds and apocalypses was real. But at the very least, she could be certain: this wasn't some tech cooked up by Penguin Logistics, and it definitely wasn't some secret weapon from a foreign power.
"..."
Hoshiguma sat on her bike in a daze. I must've woken up in the wrong timeline… Ch'en voluntarily called Penguin Logistics? Didn't she complain every day that Penguin Logistics was a bunch of troublemakers?
Back in the chat.
Exusiai: "Holy crap, Ch'en-sir really did call just to confirm it was me!"
Tatsuki: "Tsk tsk, she's a senior superintendent in Lungmen. Taking things seriously is only normal, isn't it?"
Mumei: "Onii-sama is right. Horobi also taught me that everything must be verified seriously."
Reinhard: "I agree. In the beginning, I also verified it several times before accepting the chat group as real."
Ch'en: "Haha. Exusiai, you did great. Thanks for the pocky—come down to LGD for some tea when you've got time."
Exusiai: "Huh?! For real?!"
Ch'en: "Don't overthink it. It's really just tea."
She genuinely wanted to sit Exusiai down and get a clear understanding of this chat group.
Time Spirit: "Ara ara~ I seem to have stumbled onto something incredible."
Time Spirit: "This chat group's essence actually transcends time itself. No matter which point in the past I jump back to, the group is still there. How fascinating."
Ainz: "!!!"
Ainz: "The newbie opens her mouth and it's already terrifying. You can go back to the past? A time-manipulation powerhouse?"
Esdeath: "Same as Tatsuki's power? I wonder how strong her usage of it is."
Kiana: "..."
I have every reason to suspect you're talking about me…
Time Spirit: "Maa, I'm not actually strong at all. Just an ordinary little spirit."
Tatsuki already had a solid guess about her identity.
Time Spirit… Tokisaki Kurumi.
In what universe is that "ordinary"?
Tatsuki: "Time Spirit, I suggest you use your real name in the group."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "A pleasure to meet you all. I am Kurumi Tokisaki, a spirit. If the intro is true, then everyone here should be friends from different worlds, yes?"
Mikasa: "Mn."
Nami: "That's not wrong… but you believe it that easily?"
Kurumi: "Ara, I don't really have much of a choice. The group itself surpasses time, and even I can't affect it. If I didn't believe it, what could I even do?"
Nami: "…That actually makes a lot of sense."
March 7th: "Tokisaki Kurumi's a spirit, Emilia's a half-elf. Are you two related? Also, Kurumi's verbal tic sounds kind of like Shinobu's 'ara-ara'!"
Shinobu: "..."
Fair enough—Shinobu had to admit it. She was a bit fond of that "ara" tic.
Emilia: "I don't know either. I'd imagine each world has its own definition of what a spirit is."
Tatsuki: "No need to overthink it. You're definitely not the same."
....
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