Yukino sat on the sofa, cradling Haru gently in her arms.
Her fingers slowly brushed through the soft fur.
"Meow…"
Haru narrowed his eyes, thoroughly enjoying the affection.
"…Haru, what do you think I should do?"
Haru tilted her head.
Strange. This human—Yukino, as Nanashi calls her—could actually understand what she was saying.
Yukino looked lost. Just like Haru had felt earlier when choosing between a small or large dried fish.
As one who'd been through such a crisis, Haru reached out and patted her hand with her tiny paw.
"Meow! Meow! Meow!" (Don't hesitate! Follow your heart! Dried fish is the best!)
"…Are you encouraging me, Haru?"
She gently touched his little paw.
A long silence passed.
And then—she smiled, beautifully.
"…I think I know what I need to do."
Nanashi had just arrived home when Yukino appeared.
She gently placed Haru on the ground and walked toward him.
Without a word, she hugged him tightly.
"…Thank you."
Her voice was barely a whisper—but full of sincerity.
Looking up at him, her eyes sparkled.
"Nanashi-kun, can you come with me to a place?"
"Sure."
He didn't ask why. He simply nodded.
They arrived at Yukino's old apartment.
The lease still had six months left, so technically, it was still hers.
Inside, it was almost completely empty.
The two of them sat on the sofa.
Nanashi looked around, puzzled. "What made you want to come back here?"
Yukino's eyes swept over the room. Her expression softened.
"This is where I first made a decision for myself."
"Where I first tried to change."
This place marked the first major turning point in her life.
The second was meeting Nanashi.
In this space filled with old memories, Yukino wanted to say something meaningful—something she had kept buried deep inside.
Her dark eyes met Nanashi's.
"Nanashi-kun, I can't lie to myself anymore. I need to tell you how I really feel."
Her voice trembled, but she spoke clearly.
"…I like you."
She had so much she wanted to say.
She wanted to talk about their first meeting.
About how unforgettable it was to be saved by him.
About the confusion that came with change.
About how moved and happy she was today.
But all those feelings, when they reached her lips, became a simple truth:
"I like you."
She couldn't deny it anymore—not even knowing about the other girls in his life.
And even without words, Nanashi had already seen the truth in her eyes.
Smiling gently, he asked, "Yukino… would you give yourself to me?"
"…Yes."
They leaned in slowly.
Their first true kiss.
Yukino's heart pounded in her chest—sweet and fast.
When love runs deep, it becomes impossible to resist.
Their bodies pressed close.
"Ah…!" Yukino gasped softly, cheeks flushed. "H-Here?"
There was only the sofa.
Nanashi chuckled, then picked her up.
"I know a better place."
He carried her into the bedroom.
All that was left there was an empty bed frame.
Behind Nanashi, golden wings unfurled.
The power of faith activated.
Faith transformed into softness—pillows, mattresses, sheets, blankets.
It was the miracle of belief—turning desires into reality.
Yukino stared, stunned—but only for a moment.
Because Nanashi had already laid her gently on the bed.
"Wait! No one's going to hear us… right?" Yukino's heart raced, a mix of anticipation and anxiety tightening in her chest.
"Don't worry," Nanashi reassured her. "No sound escapes this house."
He added with a soft smile, "Under the Aura of Domination, only people carrying my scent can approach this place."
"…Why people carrying your scent?"
"That's what we're about to do next."
"H-Hmm!"
…
Ding!
Haruno stepped out of the elevator in her high heels, the sound crisp and purposeful.
"I'm going to make Yukino talk today."
She had wrapped up her work early—it was Yukino's birthday again.
A perfect excuse.
But her real reason ran deeper.
That incident had never left her mind. Who had been at Yukino's place that day?
Even with help from her friend Shizuka, she couldn't get any useful answers.
So—she had to hear it straight from Yukino.
The sharp-tongued, stubborn Yukino.
As she reached the door, she didn't bother with the doorbell.
She needed to catch her off guard—maybe she'd uncover something.
Sliding the spare key into the lock, she opened the door and stepped inside.
Then paused.
Her brows furrowed.
Why… was the entrance completely empty?
No shoes?
Was it robbed?
"Yukino!"
The eerie emptiness unsettled her. She didn't even take off her heels—just rushed into the living room.
Also empty.
Totally stripped.
Was Yukino's place really robbed?
Just as panic began to rise, she heard something.
From the bedroom.
Yukino's voice.
Muffled, breathy.
The room had clearly been ransacked, and now strange noises were coming from behind that door.
For a terrifying second, Haruno imagined the worst—an assault during a break-in?
Clutching her handbag like a weapon, she sprinted toward the bedroom, flung the door open, and shouted—
"Get away from Yukino!!!"
"???"
"!!!"
Inside, Yukino and Nanashi froze—entangled.
Their faces whipped toward her in unison.
Three pairs of eyes.
Locked.
Shocked.
"…Amin!"
"…Haru!"
"…O-Onee-chan?!"
"..."
Three people now sat awkwardly on the same sofa.
Nanashi in the middle, stiff with tension, casting subtle glances at Haruno.
Her face—short hair now, but unmistakable.
It was her.
There was no doubt in his mind.
Haru.
The woman who had once saved him.
Now sitting in front of him as Haruno, Yukino's older sister.
They were the same person.
And she… looked equally stunned.
Haru—Haruno—shifted uncomfortably, melancholy in her eyes.
The man she once loved now… with her little sister.
Yukino sat beside Nanashi, guilt written all over her.
Her feelings were a tangled mess.
She had fallen for the same man her sister once loved.
And now… her sister had walked in on them like that.
What was she supposed to say?
Her hands clenched into fists, knuckles white.
Her lips trembled.
"Onee-chan, I…"
"Don't."
Haruno cut her off, her voice calm—too calm.
A smile stretched across her lips. A practiced one. Forced.
"This is your choice. If it's Nanashi-kun, then… I support you."
"I'll talk to Mother," she added lightly.
But beneath that smile, her fingernails dug into her palms.
Her heart stung.
She had chosen to leave. This was the price.
"Hehe… I won't bother you anymore. Yukino's all grown up now. Nanashi-kun, take care of her… okay?"
Haruno gestured vaguely, as if pointing to the air—then stood, preparing to leave.
Nanashi reached out and caught her wrist.
"…Haru."
"My name is Haruno," she replied, without turning around.
Her voice wavered.
"Onee-chan…"
Yukino noticed the water stains trailing down Haruno's cheeks.
Nanashi knew he hadn't been mistaken.
To enter his domain.
To carry his scent.
She had to be Haru.
Standing before her again—Haru, or rather, Haruno—he didn't know what to say.
Before any of them could speak again, a sudden voice echoed in their minds:
[The Third Doomsday Game has been loaded!]
[Map: Giant Beast Planet]
[Players: 6]
[Objective: Survive 7 days or eliminate all hostile lifeforms]
[Failure penalty: The game will manifest in reality]
[Game Start!]
Ding!
[You have come into contact with one of the world's abnormal doomsday factors.]
[The Doomsday Chat Group is now connected. Rewards will convert into Doomsday Points.]
In the blink of an eye, both Nanashi and Yukino vanished.
"Nanashi?! Yukino?!"
A sudden disappearance!
Haruno's heart sank.
They were gone.
"What just happened…?"
She looked at the flashing prompt on the wall—an option titled:
[Doomsday Game: YES/YES]
"Is this the cause?"
Having long been exposed to the supernatural because of Nanashi, Haruno instantly recognized the signs.
It was almost certain—Nanashi and Yukino had been pulled into this "game."
Without hesitation, she reached for the same choice.
"Yes."
Two names.
Two bonds.
Her sister, whom she loved dearly.
And the man she had once given her heart to.
Even if it meant risking her life—she would follow them.
Together, until the end!
"This is…"
Nanashi opened his eyes.
The sudden activation of the Doomsday Game had caught him completely off guard.
He glanced around.
Dense jungle surrounded him—thick with vegetation and ominously quiet. No one else in sight.
He looked down to find himself clad in a strange mechanical suit: high-tech exoskeleton armor, fully equipped with weapons and unfamiliar gear.
Knowledge of how to use it flooded his mind.
"Exoskeleton armor?" he muttered, raising an eyebrow. "Looks pretty cool…"
But ultimately, it felt unnecessary.
He shrugged it off and began removing the armor. There was no one around to see, and more importantly, no sign of Yukino.
"Everything in the universe belongs to me—BANKAI!"
With that declaration, Nanashi activated his Bankai.
Power surged around him.
In an instant, he took control of the planet's energy. This was a world teeming with life—a living ecosystem filled with sound, movement, and emotion.
Among all that noise, he honed in on something specific—human emotions. Complex. Unique.
There were only five others like him.
He focused and distinguished each presence.
Yukino, Chika, Marin and Megumi with the addition of Haruno Yukinoshita. They're all here.
"Wait… Haruno's here too?"
But something else became immediately clear: they were all scattered across the planet.
Even Haruno—whom he sensed as the closest—was still a significant distance away.
If not for his own overwhelming power, this game would be a death sentence.
He glanced up at the sky, sensing a shift.
A massive spider—easily tens of meters tall—loomed above the treetops. Its hairy, spiked limbs jabbed downward with terrifying speed.
"Explode," he said disinterestedly.
With a single glare, the giant spider exploded into a cloud of blood and chitin, disintegrated by raw force.
As the creature vanished, additional information surged into Nanashi's mind.
This planet was a haven for giant beasts.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of colossal creatures roamed this world.
At the apex of the food chain stood a dozen or so dominant monsters.
Including the King of Monsters himself.
Godzilla.
From zombie aliens to kaiju now… The Doomsday Game really had no limits.
If Nanashi hadn't been brought in—someone who surpassed normal parameters—then how was anyone else expected to survive?
At this rate, maybe Yukino could last the full seven days… but newcomers like Haruno?
They wouldn't stand a chance.
This was the true essence of the Doomsday Game: not fairness, but the spectacle of destruction. The end of the world was its only objective.
He shook the thought away.
No point worrying about that now.
First—he had to find them.
The closest was Haruno.
Following the trail of her heart's emotions, Nanashi set off in a straight line.
"Where… is this place?" Haruno murmured.
She stood alone in the middle of a dense, alien jungle, clad in unfamiliar exoskeleton armor.
Her last memory was choosing YES.
The next instant—this.
The scent of wild vegetation, the hum of distant insects, and the weight of the armor told her this was no illusion.
Yukino and Nanashi were nowhere to be seen.
Haruno took a breath, calming her thoughts.
She quickly located the in-game menu and found a tab labeled Game Shop.
Weapons, vehicles, armor, even massive war mechs were listed.
Rocket launchers. Power suits. Things that defied reality.
But every item had a price.
Survival Points: 0
She couldn't afford a single thing.
"So this really is a game," she muttered. "How do you earn points?"
Just as she pondered the question—
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The ground trembled.
Her eyes widened as 3.6-scale vibrations shook the jungle like thunder.
Birds burst from the trees in panic. Branches snapped. Massive trees toppled.
And then—it emerged.
A towering monster.
Its head resembled a lizard, yet its body was encased in bone-like armor.
Two massive limbs held it upright. A thick, muscular tail dragged behind.
It loomed over her.
A living nightmare.
Frozen beneath its shadow, Haruno felt a chill crawl down her spine.
That thing could crush her in a single step.
"Run!"
Only one thought filled her mind: survive—for Yukino and Nanashi!
Instinct kicked in.
Her body moved.
She triggered the exosuit's flight systems. Jets burst from her palms, back, and feet, propelling her into the sky.
She clutched a weapon, but her hands shook.
She couldn't shoot.
There was no way this monster could be taken down by standard firepower.
All she could do was flee at full speed.
"ROARRRR!!!"
The lizard beast bellowed.
Its forked tongue lashed the air, drool splattering like acid. It swung its tail, flattening several trees in one swipe.
Then—it crouched.
Its clawed limbs dug into the ground.
Then it leapt.
"!!"
Haruno's breath caught.
She hadn't expected it to jump with such a massive frame.
She was still mid-air—nowhere to run.
BOOM!
Before the feeling of despair could settle, the lizard monster slammed into the earth.
Crackling trees snapped like twigs beneath it.
It roared, struggling to rise.
But it couldn't.
Something—an unseen force—held it down.
Crushed.
"ROAR!!"
The creature thrashed, but it was no use.
An invisible pressure pinned it in place.