The Sunshine City incident succeeded in drawing the government's attention.
In fact, after the two incidents at Yoyogi Park and Ōtaguro Park, the government had already begun to take notice, putting manpower and resources into the matter. But the Sunshine City case was far worse than anything before. The authorities deemed the situation urgent, and took emergency measures.
Those involved—Selesia, Meteora, the purple-haired man, along with Mizushino Sōta and Matsubara Takashi—were "invited" into a government office, the tone halfway between friendliness and threat.
After information sharing and negotiations, Meteora and the others managed to establish a cooperative relationship with the government.
Meteora and the other Created possessed powers incomprehensible to ordinary humans, while government institutions had what they lacked: authority, and access to resources.
The identity of the purple-haired man wielding the black wooden blade was also revealed. He was the final boss of Exclusive Underground -Dark Night-, the enemy of the protagonist Shiro Asuka: Mirokuji Yūya.
And the blonde knight who had appeared last—the heroine of Alicetaria of the Scarlet, Alicetaria February.
All this was explained by Mizushino Sōta, who had read and watched these works. As for Matsubara Takashi—though he also liked manga and anime, and had recognized Kirameki Mamika—his own writing left him with little time to follow other series.
But compared to Selesia, Meteora, Mirokuji Yūya, and Alicetaria, the government's primary concern was, of course, the monsters that had appeared in Sunshine City and attacked civilians.
In this world, there was no such thing as "mystical powers." So both Meteora and government staff assumed the monsters were also part of the event—that they must have been Created, or perhaps produced and summoned by a Created's ability.
And since these monsters attacked humans, the one who had summoned them was most likely a villain—a character written as an antagonist. With this assumption, and the monsters' appearance as a clue, they began searching online for a match.
The monsters' emergence also reminded them: until now, the Created who had appeared were mostly harmless to humans, or simply uninterested in them. But that was only because no truly antisocial, anti-human antagonists had yet arrived. Even as a "final boss," Mirokuji Yūya was, at worst, willful and disobedient. His threat to ordinary people was minor.
Just as they resolved to be cautious of such characters, news came of a murder case of extraordinary severity.
Beyond the police cordon, curious onlookers gathered, with police officers straining to keep order.
A cloth had been draped, so no matter how the crowd craned their necks, they couldn't see what lay inside the bookstore.
All the shelves had been ripped apart by immense force, their fragments and ruined books scattered across the floor in chaos. Splashes of red blood sprayed across everything.
The lighting inside was dim. The air was still thick with the copper stench of blood, refusing to fade. Even seasoned forensic specialists, upon entering, felt their scalps crawl, their stomachs churn.
After a quick survey, Kikuchihara Aki gave instructions to the officer beside her.
"Tell the nearby residents it was a robbery-homicide."
"Yes, ma'am!"
She was the comprehensive coordinator of the Special Situation Countermeasures Council—the high-ranking official leading the government's response to the unprecedented phenomenon of "characters from stories appearing in reality."
The truth had to be hidden from the public. Just as with Sunshine City: officially explained as a gas explosion. Conveniently, nearly every witness's mind had been corrupted to the point of amnesia, which had made the cover-up easier. This time, they would alter the story to a robbery-homicide. Though strange for a bookstore, it would do.
And yet, Kikuchihara Aki wasn't really lying. The brutal murder had in fact begun when the culprit tried to take a book from here, only to be stopped by the owner. To call it robbery-homicide was not wrong at all.
While others gathered evidence, Kikuchihara Aki quietly approached Meteora.
"The first witness was a girl named Shimazaki Yuna. And before her, the last person seen leaving was apparently a schoolgirl. She wore a black sailor uniform—not navy—and black leather gloves, with a rope-like ornament around her neck."
"A villain character…"
Meteora's eyes lowered. Her sky-blue irises seemed veiled by clouds. "She is certainly that kind of character. No doubt, a Created."
Kikuchihara studied Meteora's profile, thinking.
"Meteora, do you think… the culprit who killed the shopkeeper is connected to the monsters from before?"
"You suspect that the one who killed him was either the same monsters, or monsters from the same source." Meteora's gaze swept the scene, noting details as though to extract useful clues. "The claw marks on the walls, the cuts on the broken shelves, the spray pattern of blood—it is clear the killer was a feral, bloodthirsty beast with sharp claws. The traits don't perfectly match the creatures we saw before. But given that these monsters are likely created or summoned by someone, I must say… the possibility you raise is very high."
Kikuchihara's expression grew only heavier at Meteora's words.
"A calamity that can destroy the world…"
At the last meeting, the government had received all the intelligence Meteora and the others could provide—including Alicetaria's words.
Monsters that could annihilate worlds. And that the Military Uniform Princess had summoned Created from other worlds to fight against these monsters and their master.
"For now, we still don't know the Princess's character setting, her background, or which story she comes from. Therefore I remain skeptical of her words."
Meteora's voice was steady as she turned to meet Kikuchihara's gaze.
"But this much I can affirm: bringing characters from stories into reality is extremely dangerous. If the influence of the Created surpasses this world's power to correct itself, then this world too will face destruction. I only hope what Alicetaria said is true—that the Princess really is fighting for this world. And that she herself understands the danger of what she's doing."
There was no point thinking endlessly on uncertainties. No one could predict every possibility.
What mattered now was the present case. They already knew what the suspect looked like. With the government's help, finding one person within a single city would not be difficult—especially someone with such a distinctive appearance.
Looking at the chaotic scene, Meteora suddenly furrowed her brows.
"If the monster that killed the shopkeeper is connected to the ones we faced before—then where did that monster go? That Created didn't take it away when she left, did she?"
At Meteora's words, Kikuchihara Aki also recognized the gravity of the situation, her expression turning stern.
"We haven't received any reports of attacks in the surrounding area."
"The monster disappeared… two possibilities." Meteora touched her chin, sinking into thought. "Possibility one: the creature was temporarily summoned. Once the shopkeeper was dead and its task complete, it vanished on its own. Possibility two… someone arrived here before us, and eliminated it."
After a moment of silence, Meteora asked: "That first witness, Shimazaki Yuna—where is she?"
"This incident isn't something ordinary civilians should know too much about. After we questioned her thoroughly and confirmed she was unharmed, we let her go." Kikuchihara flipped through the files in her hands as she spoke. "If you want to meet her, we can arrange it. We have her contact information."
Meteora frowned, silent, thoughts unreadable.
...
The moonlight shown through the clouds, stars scattered.
The deep night wrapped the streets. No pedestrians. Just endless road, flickering streetlamps, and a lone vending machine.
Clack.
A can dropped.
Gulp, gulp.
The girl drained it all in one go, then sighed in delight.
"This world is so nice… the food is delicious, the drinks are sweet, the air's clean, the scenery beautiful."
Under a flickering lamp, she twirled and danced in the dim light.
"But most important, most important of all—this world is absolutely crawling with idiots. Deceiving them is su~~~per fun! I love this world!"
She tossed the empty can. It arced gracefully into a trash bin with a clang.
In her hands was a book: a light novel titled Record of the Night-Window Demon. On the cover, a girl drawn exactly like her. Exactly the same.
"Ah, right. And also… that bothersome pest 'Reverse God' isn't here. To think that guy's the protagonist… my Creator really has such bad taste…" Her eyes cracked open just a slit, golden irises glinting cold. "Maybe I should pay him a visit. Thank him personally."
And then, the next instant, she narrowed her eyes again, grinning.
"Juu~~~st kidding!"
The pale lamplight fell across her face. Her footsteps rang out quick and light, echoing as her shadow stretched and shortened.
"But still, I really ought to complain to my Creator." Hands folded behind her back, braids swaying, she puffed her cheeks like a sulking child. "I'll definitely have to complain… Why is it, when we're all Created, that the white knight and the magical girl get such flashy powers, while mine is such a pain to use? That's favoritism! Favoritism, I say! I wanna fly in the sky and summon lightning too!"
"Ahhh… really, I shouldn't have lied and made that knight hit herself. I should've lied and stolen her ability instead… her shocked face back then was so~~~~ hilarious! Idiots like that, the upright and honest kind, they're the easiest to trick. I'll just play with them again next time. It'll be fun—if they survive, heeheehee."
She halted suddenly. The corners of her lips curled.
"That's it! If it's my Creator—the one who made me and my world—then surely they could give me all kinds of fun abilities, right? Like flying to heaven and diving to the underworld, breathing fire and lightning, growing huge or tiny, or turning boring idiots into monkeys… I've decided! I'm going to play with my Creator!"
"I do hope my Creator is an interesting person. Because… the thing I hate most is boredom."
Capricious, malicious, taking joy in misfortune. Her motto: Laugh and Enjoy. She did whatever whim struck her, hated to follow anyone's script. Her deeds weren't bound by good or evil. Driven by chance, her only purpose—if one could call it that—was the pursuit of twisted amusement.
That was her.
As the girl turned, ready to seek out her "Creator," she suddenly heard another set of footsteps.
Crisp, clear, drawing nearer.
"Oh my, oh my?"
For no reason at all, she grew curious. She even opened her eyes a slit, watching as a figure emerged from the shadows into the lamp's circle of light.
"Little girl, out so late? What are you doing—taking a stroll, out hunting for food? Or maybe you quarreled with Mommy and Daddy and ran away from home? The night streets are dangerous, you know. Bad men just love children like you—no sense of danger at all."
It sounded almost like a kindly warning. But the teasing grin on her face radiated twisted malice.
Then, beneath the streetlamp, the figure spoke softly.
"Chikujoin Magane—you are dangerous."
The girl—or rather, the character Chikujoin Magane, villainess of Volume 5 of Record of the Night-Window Demon, who slaughtered every student of Korougamine Academy—still smiled. But her eyes changed. Something dreadful flickered within them.
"Eh? Dangerous? Me, me?" Magane looked herself up and down with mock innocence, then glanced at her counterpart with puzzlement. "Where, where? I don't see it. I'm still as beautiful and charming as ever."
The streetlamp flickered. Clouds rolled across the sky, swallowing the moon. A chill wind swept through, turning the air uncanny.
Standing beneath the light, facing Magane, was a girl with glasses. Long black hair cascading like a waterfall. Her expressionless face showed no response, no matter what Magane said. She gave off the coldness of an ice sculpture.
Shimazaki Yuna.
Her lips parted.
"[Infinite Deception of Words]. A sorcery of lies. The caster uses a question as medium. With every question, a lie is spoken. If the target denies that lie, the lie becomes truth. It twists reality and illusion, inverts cause and effect, makes lies real."
That was Chikujoin Magane's ability.
The bookstore owner had denied her lie—so the false Hound of Tindalos manifested and killed him.
Alicetaria had denied her lie—so her own attack rebounded and struck her, gravely wounding her.
The conditions were harsh. But the upper limit—immeasurable.
And only Shimazaki Yuna knew just how dangerous it truly was.
That was why she had come here.
"You are dangerous, Chikujoin Magane." Yuna's eyes lowered slightly. Her voice calm. "Right now I can hardly spare the effort. I have important work unfinished. I shouldn't even be out here—I don't know what might happen. But your actions, I cannot ignore."
"Fakes can become real. Lies can become truth. You really did it. The false thing you birthed caught Its attention. You nearly exposed this place… If They were to notice here, it would ruin everything. One discovery of this world is enough. No more."
"I dislike distractions. When I face a problem, or a painting, I give my whole heart. Divide your attention between two canvases, and you end up with nothing good. Only anxiety. I loathe having to deal with nuisances while I paint…"
The lamp flickered. Faster, more erratic.
The figure beneath it blurred.
Whispers. From the abyss. From the cosmos. Countless voices overlapping, echoing in the skull.
"So—you will leave here."
Bang.
The lamp exploded, electricity arcing along the pole, jumping to others, one after another shattering down the street.
Though broken, fallen, the lamps still glowed. Still flickered. Behind Shimazaki Yuna, her shadow stretched long.
Light stuttered. Her shadow twisted, writhed, expanded. A living thing.
Closer inspection—darker than dark, deeper than any shade. Like the abyssal sea. Like a black hole swallowing even light.
And stranger still—like a canvas. A canvas painted with stars and cosmos. But look closer, and horror dawns: those twinkling "stars" were not stars at all, but countless eyes. Staring through the veil. Fixing their gaze here.
Magane's shadow was swallowed by it.
She opened her eyes wide. So wide. As if beholding the unthinkable, the unimaginable. As if seeing something unspeakable, unknowable, incomprehensible.
And then—she laughed. Wild. Hideous.
"Interesting! Beyond anything I imagined! There's interesting, and then there's this! What is this world trying to become!"
"So it's you? I see—I see now! You are the true Creator, aren't you?"
"Hahahahaha—!"
Her delirious laughter echoed in the abyss.
And then—cut off.
Replaced by the sounds of chewing. Bones splintering. Flesh torn and swallowed.
The noise from the dark—if you listened closely, it was like an ancient hymn. A language laced with truths. Mysterious, eternal, profound, insane. A song of immortality. A song of seduction into ruin.
Blood blossomed in the dark. Like a flower opening its petals.
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T/N: WHAT??? SHES OP??? HOW IS YUNA THIS STRONG??? cliffhanger time