WORLD: EARTH
BRANCHED WORLD: DATE A LIVE
LOCATION: JAPAN
FEW DAYS AGO
Another world. No, another universe. Different dimensions. Great Worlds.
To the average person, these would sound like the delusional fantasies of a fifth-grader overheating daydreams from too much anime and not enough sleep.
But they were real.
As real as it gets.
If someone had told her, back then, that she'd one day wield power capable of manipulating time itself or walking between dimensions like stepping through curtains...
she'd have looked at them like they were insane.
And yet, here she was.
And so were they.
Vampire Ancestor, Fourth Calamity, Fallen Heiress.
Names that sounded like bad chuuni roleplay handles in some second-rate MMORPG.
Like her and unlike her.
She had watched a few streams, and now, truly, she was getting interested in the group, more so the leader.
The one who is even more mysterious than the rest. So far, everything has had a logical explanation.
No, it was way too logical.
Worlds, dimensions, great worlds... because connection to a strong, great world with weaker authority isn't doable.
Connection to a singular entity that weakens the world or increases their connection, the so-called string or thread.
Once they weaken the world or strengthen their influence over the world, it is then conquered.
Laurel uses the first method, and Luminous the second.
And Mei herself had begun helping with Luminous while Lux with Laurel.
As for her and the newcomer called Maeshvara, they are yet to involve themselves in the group activities.
For now, they simply did nothing but watch.
"Mhm~ Why not?"
Kurumi murmured to herself, reclining comfortably against the graffiti-covered wall of a quiet alleyway. Her favorite spot.
"I've been hiding to gather more information about this, but my~"
Especially Laurel, who looked like a treasure trove of knowledge. However, one thing...
Just one thing: their inner circle was completely gated. Everything revolved around Laurel.
First is the woman who Laurel termed 'Goddess'; next was the other one termed 'Empress' by the person who Laurel then termed 'Knight'.
"Ahhh, I'm jealous~"
Kurumi sighed playfully, voice light, but her eyes sparkled with something more dangerous.
Whether the jealousy was real or feigned, even she wasn't sure. But it was fun to say aloud.
Maybe she really was jealous.
However, the smile and the glint in her eyes made it hard to determine so.
"Still, it wouldn't be bad to rely on them."
Her tone softened, just for a moment.
Enough running around like a headless chicken, chasing whispers about the Spirit of Origin.
If she really wanted answers... If she really wanted power... Then maybe it was time to stop watching. And start acting.
If they were turning the world upside down—
Then why not flip it even further?
Inside a quiet café,
Tucked away from the city's noise and hidden behind glass windows laced with condensation, two figures sat across from each other.
Kurumi, dressed in her famous gothic black attire, looked as pleasing to the eye as she usually did. However,
Sitting in front of Kurumi was someone. Completely pale white hair, glasses framing their face, as he casually sipped on milk tea.
Slowly, he raised his eyes up, glancing at her. However, she was making soft giggles watching him sip on.
Both of them garnered attention from people inside the café as they stared at the contrast.
'Now then what?'
Is it information or is it Power. Laurel pondered.
He knew this girl had an extreme desire for power.
She'd gone as far as trying to consume a certain harem protagonist in another world just to level the field.
That said, Laurel hadn't given the other spirits much thought. But if she came to request salvation for them then... he and the rest will be happy to oblige.
However....
[Analysing...]
[Analysing the Reiryoku factor.]
[Features: Boundary, Omnipotent Territory.]
[Compatibility: BOUNDARY — Confirmed]
Laurel's eyes narrowed behind his glasses.
'Oi! Why can't we assimilate with the second one? But wait, the second one should be similar to a multidimensional barrier, right?'
Just then—
"Ufufufu, there's no need to be tense, Laurel-san."
Chills went up his spine as he heard those words, not because of her strength or anything.
Those words.
Was she going to try one of her tactics on him? Then that would be very sad, Laurel thought.
Because if she couldn't be honest, not even for a moment, then her beauty, no matter how divine, meant nothing to him.
He lowered his cup, placing it softly on the table, and met her gaze.
"So, inviting me over despite already being warned, what is it you need? Power? Information? Or the death of the Spirit of Origin?"
Boundary.
In other words, a type of domain. Mostly used by Quasi-Spirits in the neighboring world.
It is a domain of Omnipotence that they use around them, and within the boundaries, they are also Omnipotent.
However, that boundary surrounds their body and can't extend outwards.
And the only way to break such a boundary is to clash it with another or brute force it with a stronger power.
'If the boundary functions as I want it to, in conjunction with the dimensional barrier, we could actually fight the Spirit of Origin.'
Well, fighting and winning is another thing entirely.
However, as he mused, Kurumi tensed, her body shook, and her smile faltered a little; however, she immediately fixed it.
Laurel didn't even need to see her expression, nor did he need to read her expressions. He already knew.
As unfair as it is.
Omniscient Star: Phecda.
During the last bit of their conversation, it asked why he was so surprised.
It then clarified concerning the subject.
Those worlds already existed.
They were not created by 'their authors'; their ideas were influenced by another existing world.
Which is the concept or the ideas that such worlds could exist.
Yes.
Those words they thought were theirs already exist on higher narrative levels.
If one can think about it. Then it exists.
Those words interacted with those that saw the world.
And thus... it became their work. And in the sense that they are the narrator of what they see.
The so-called possibility of everythingness.
Possibility of everything.
Who says that fictions do not exist in reality?
For some, that may be a misunderstanding on their part.
Regardless of how powerful one becomes, even approaching limitless levels of strength, they can still overlook such misunderstandings.
Fiction does not arise from nothingness.
They are born from the concepts that this and that could exist. The possibility exists because it is conceivable.
It wasn't the authors who brought those worlds to life.
Rather, it was the worlds themselves that reached out, toward those who had seen those worlds, even if only once.
To them, it may seem like nothing more than imagination, which is a product of idle thought and fantasy created for stories and dreams.
But the depth of possibility stretches far beyond what anyone can conceive.
Indeed.
Even among the countless beings walking their home planet, there are those who ponder quietly to themselves:
If this planet is but a single grain of sand compared to the vast sky above, then could we truly be the only ones?
The only sentient minds to exist?
Sure, other may laugh at the thought, or forget it moments later. But their obliviousness does not deny what is real.
Thus emerges the idea.
A notion not made from fantasy, but from the plausible, the reasonable, the unacknowledged truth.
The possibility of everything.
"So, you know."
Kurumi's sweet smile lingered like perfume, soft, enticing, and utterly dangerous. It sparkled with charm, but Laurel knew better than to dip his fingers into that honey.
"Not only does the system connect an individual, it reaches out to others that have impacted the individual."
Well, it wasn't quite a lie.
Not that it could read memories. As the saying goes, there is a thin line that connects people together.
There's a thin line, that is the connection between one person and their friends. That thin line is called 'thread of connection'.
As such, they could reverse engineer to trace back this thread, or, in other words, get the details or information.
To prove that:
[Name: Tokisaki Kurumi]
[Thread of Connection]
- [Yamauchi Sawa]
- [Mr Tokisaki]
- [Mrs. Tokisaki]
- [Spirit of Origin???]
...
...
...
The list went on and all, down, even after seconds of scrolling, she couldn't get to the end of it. She then realized.
"...!"
The people she'd also killed. Yes, their names were here. Not that she personally knew their names, and likely, this person knew too.
Kurumi's lips twitched. Her head tilted, smile tightening at the edges.
"Are you trying to embarrass me?"
Her voice still sang sweetly, but a hairline crack ran through her tone, and her smile was strained along with a tilted head.
Perhaps he'll judge her too.
"To avoid hypocrisy, I can't say yes. And I can't say no. Knight has killed people. So have I. Who am I to judge?"
Truly, he believed it wasn't his place.
Nor did he want to change her. She was okay as is, so long as she did her job.
"Ufufufu."
That melodic giggle slipped past her lips. Laurel lifted his eyes to her, head tilting slightly in confusion.
"Hm?"
"Haha... no, it's just—" she exhaled, brushing her hair back with delicate fingers. "You're not quite what I expected, Laurel-san."
Her eyes narrowed playfully.
"I see... Calamity."
Their gazes locked.
"So.. What do you want in return...?"
The words curled through the air, low and suggestive, baiting him with deliberate ambiguity.
If a certain Goddess had been present, no doubt she'd be stabbing him with her eyes by now.
Laurel sighed.
"See? We're essentially friends. Or family. We don't do transactions."
Laurel leaned back in his chair, his tone casual, smooth. Kurumi narrowed her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitching.
"You say that... but what about those two clinging to you like glue?"
Laurel closed his eyes, a small smile curving his lips as he answered without hesitation, voice even, steady
"Lovers. They are."
Kurumi blinked. The boldness of his reply threw her for half a second.
Then that same smile, the one she wore when playing with her prey, slid back onto her face.
"My, my... I'm starting to get jealous."
Laurel's lips twitched. Just slightly.
But then, he decided to change the subject instantly.
"So? Have you decided?"
Kurumi nodded. "How strong would I be, once I accept your proposal?"
"Strong enough for you to use the power of time without its drawbacks."
Kurumi froze.
Her breath caught. Her pupils shrank slightly. She stared, searching his face, hunting for the lie.
There wasn't one. And he didn't stop there.
"Possibly even strong enough to escape Mio's influence entirely. With Luminous's help, we can sever that tether and rebuild you. As a purely spiritual being."
"Then, with my assistance, we'll merge the Sephira Crystal directly into your spirit body. The result?"
He looked at her, calm, matter-of-fact.
"You'll become a true Spirit of Time."
Spirits.
Beings who still possess flesh and blood. Additionally, once their sephira crystal is removed, they die, and that's the end.
As such, Laurel's information overwhelmed her.
"Wait—w-wait, what did you just say?"
Without realizing it, she broke character.
"Is it the part about Mio or the part about making you stronger?"
His tone was too calm. Too casual.
It made her press herself back into her seat, gripping the edge of the table.
It took her a long moment to gather herself again.
When she did, she could finally understand why Luminous called him Calamity.
She could see it.
The way he spoke like it was nothing. Like he could just hand out godhood on a whim.
She imagined him strolling across worlds saying, "You get powers! They get powers! Everyone gets powers!"
...with a damn cherry on top.
"Do you do this for everyone?" she asked, almost exasperated.
Laurel shook his head. "Only for people connected to me. And now you're one."
Laurel lazily pointed at her, twirling his cup with one hand as he brought it to his lips for another sip.
Kurumi tilted her head, voice laced with silk and mischief.
"My~ does that mean you want me as your lover?"
—Choke.
He froze mid-sip.
The cup stopped halfway back down to the saucer.
His fingers stiffened. His brain stalled.
A long pause followed.
Too long.
"...Eh?"
A thought clicked into place.
A terrifying, world-altering realization:
Was he... becoming a harem protagonist?!
"????"
He stared at her, blank-faced, confused punctuation practically floating above his head..
He had a feeling, he himself was becoming...
An Harem Protagonist......?
Kurumi didn't open her eyes nor did she speak; instead, she simply smiled and then began humming softly to herself, like nothing had happened.
Playful. Elegant. Lethal. Laurel could already tell: if he said anything right now, he'd lose.
He leaned back slightly, staring at her with thinly veiled horror.
'Crap.'