White Blood Cell: "…"
She honestly didn't understand; her job was just to kill germs.
March 7th: "My head's spinning. I'm even more curious about what personified cells look like. White Blood Cell, Platelet, got any photos?"
White Blood Cell: "…"
Kisara Tendo: "The chat has a screenshot button."
White Blood Cell: "A picture… like this?"
Platelet: "U-um… picture."
Tatsuki opened the two attachments.
One showed a white-haired big sister in a white military uniform and cap, dagger in hand.
The other showed a shy little girl in a pale green smock that actually said Platelet.
"…"
A female White Blood Cell. A female Platelet. Aren't they supposed to be inside the same body? Tatsuki recalled Cells at Work and Cells at Work: BLACK, but none of this was provably real yet. His bigger question was: what happens if worlds cross?
If a White Blood Cell crossed into his world, she was still only a cell.
If he crossed into her world… would he appear inside a living body?
That felt absurdly abstract—what if the host was an ordinary human and he simply burst it from the inside? He twitched an eyelid. "Surely it can't be that extreme…"
Silver Wolf: "Unbelievable—there really are humanoid cells in this world."
March 7th: "World's a big place and all that—like heck! What if the cells inside my body are humanoid too?"
Saeko Busujima: "Stop scaring yourself."
Ainz: "Ridiculous. At this rate I'd believe someone telling me a game could turn real."
Tatsuki: "…"
Sharp kid—you might actually hit that someday.
White Blood Cell: "I don't know what this place is, but a mission came in. Goodbye."
Mikoto Suoh: "Efficient."
Saint: "Such a diligent little cell."
Kisara Tendo: "Miss Cell… I don't even know how to comment."
Tatsuki agreed—chatting with cells was surreal.
"Mm! Tatsu-kun?"
Sayuri, still cleaning him up, noticed the weapon had re-chambered. Tatsuki tugged a corner of his mouth, of course this was when stimulus hit. "If that's the case, use your mouth this time."
He shelved the chat and switched both hands to pilot mode.
…
Knock-knock!
"Tatsu-kun, I baked cookies!"
Yui Yuigahama slid the club-room door open while Yumiko Miura wore a lemon face behind her. Same as always: hanging out in the Supernatural Research Club between classes.
Yukino raised her eyes from her book—she did prefer things quiet.
Yui hopped up to Tatsuki, holding out a small bag of cookies with a sweet grin, her two bunny teeth especially cute.
"Cookies?" Megumi Kato rose from Tatsuki's lap, inspecting the perfectly normal-colored treats.
Marin Kitagawa put down her phone and dashed over. "Cookies! Can I try one?"
Yui nodded. "Sure, but I want Tatsu-kun to taste them first."
"All handmade for the boyfriend," Marin elbowed Tatsuki.
"Okay, I'll try." He picked one up and brought it to his mouth.
"!"
Yumiko gasped, half-ready to stop him—too late.
Crunch, chew, swallow.
Yumiko covered her eyes; she just hoped Yui could take it. She had taught Yui herself, step by step, right under her own nose. Same recipe, same hands guiding… are Yui's palms cursed? Why did the cookies always turn out so…
"Tasty—nice and sweet," Tatsuki said with a smile.
"?"
Yumiko rubbed her ears—did she mishear? Cookies that taste like five-year-old burnt earth are tasty?
"Great!" Yui nearly jumped with delight.
"I want one too!" Marin reached in, but Tatsuki snatched the bag away, grinning wickedly. "These were made for me by my little Yui."
Empty-handed, Marin stamped and pouted. "Meanie, Tatsuki-kun!"
He ignored her, tipping his head back and munching smugly. Yui, cheeks glowing pink, caught Marin's sleeve. "Sorry! I'll bake more for you next time."
"Hmph—next time we'll cook together and make him drool," Marin said, making a face at Tatsuki.
Invisible Megumi quietly took a cookie. Tatsuki didn't stop her. One tiny bite… Her brows pinched—then seeing him chew happily, she relaxed and gave a gentle smile.
"…"
Yumiko was speechless. He really looks like it's sweet. Is my tongue broken? No—no way! That taste was pure charcoal, no sugar, just carbonized carbon. Absolutely impossible to be sweet. She glanced at Yui's beaming face and understood what was happening. Suddenly she felt a little jealous of simple, earnest Yui…
Cookie after cookie, Tatsuki suddenly halted; a popup from the chat appeared:
[Apocalypse Journey]: Duo
[Duration]: 1 day
[Participants]: White Blood Cell, Tatsuki
[Mission]: Save the world.
The cell's world is already at apocalypse?
Tatsuki: "White Blood Cell, what's happening over there?"
White Blood Cell: "Body functions rapidly declining, soon… total shutdown…"
March 7th: "Doesn't that mean the host organism is dying?"
Tatsuki: "I've been hesitating—if the organism's tiny and I jump in, what then?"
Reinhard: "…"
Mikoto Suoh: "Materializing inside a body will burst it for sure."
Emilia: "That's…"
Hai Xiaomei: "Then it'd just… die instantly…"
Silver Wolf: "Stop hesitating. Even a desperate remedy is worth a try—she's dying anyway, so trust the chat once, will you?"
Tatsuki: "True. I'm going now."
Without further delay he tapped Confirm.
No black vortex appeared this time; Tatsuki's figure simply vanished with a swish.
"Tatsuki-kun's gone!" From the moment he'd sat down, Yumiko had been watching him; now she shouted in panic.
"Eh? Tatsu-kun!" Yui flailed, equally flustered.
"Calm down." Yukino, exuding her Ice-Queen aura, rapped the table. Her cool gaze swept over the two girls; a chill ran through their bodies and they quieted at once.
"Tatsu-kun probably jumped to another world—some urgent matter. No need to fret."
That was her best guess; she'd never seen him blink out without a wormhole before. Calm deduction was all she had.
Reassured by Yukino's words, Yumiko and Yui finally relaxed—only to squeal a second later: "Another world?!"
…
"Vital signs dropping!"
"Heart rate plunging!"
A blue-white emergency room.
Barking voices, harsh lights. Doctors fought to resuscitate a patient who had crashed without warning. The girl's hands contorted—pure agony.
"Ha… ha…" Mist clouded the oxygen mask; her breaths slowed.
"Am… I going… to die…?" Sweat‐soaked, she stared up at the ceiling lights, half-lidded eyes burning with the wish to live.
The doctors froze in mid-motion.
She thought the road to Heaven or Hell had opened, her eyes saw a messenger come to guide her.
He stroked her forehead, warmth flooding from his palm. He must be an angel from Heaven, she thought.
"Sorry—I'm not from Heaven."
Pity. His voice was so gentle, his hand so warm—why would he be from Hell?
"Sorry to disappoint you again—I'm not from Hell, either…"
Your smile is beautiful, she thought. But if you're neither angel nor devil… then what?
"I'm from the human world." Tatsuki lifted the mask from her face.
The sharp scent of medication hit her nose; cool air rushed into her lungs.
"!"
She bolted upright—too fast, banging her head on the overhead lamp.
"Ow!"
"Seems you're a bit silly—Heaven and Hell don't take fools." Sheer teasing.
"Wah!" She looked up; the messenger was still there—and laughing at me!
"You heard my thoughts just now?"
"Yes."
"If a dead person goes to neither Heaven nor Hell… where do they go?" She demanded. If both realms rejected her, what then?
Tatsuki bent and pinched her cheek. "Does that hurt?"
She rubbed the spot and nodded blankly. "It does."
"So maybe you're not dead?" he said, face comically earnest.
"Eh?!" She frantically patted herself—pain everywhere. I'm… alive? But she looked around.
"All the doctors are frozen! How could I be alive?"
"I just made them stop," Tatsuki shrugged.
When he arrived he'd found this girl mid-code. No doubt this was the White Blood Cell's world.
The doctors were motionless because he had governed their minds—slowing their thoughts until they were effectively in suspended time.
"So, you're actually a god?" Her eyes sparkled like stars.
"Sorry, disappoint you yet again—I'm human." She puffed her cheeks. "Seriously, you're nothing then."
Tatsuki twitched a grin. "Shi-mi-ma-sen!"
"Pfft!" She burst out laughing. "That sumimasen sounded so weird."
"Of course—it's a meme."
"I have no idea what you're saying!" After her giggles she wiped the tears from her eyes. Tatsuki tossed a cookie into his mouth.
"What're you eating?" she asked, blinking.
"Cookies."
"I love food, y'know," she hinted.
"Want one?" He held a piece to her lips.
"Ah-mmp." She chomped it without ceremony; Tatsuki let go and she tilted her head back, gulping it down, unbothered by manners.
Chewing, she showed no change of expression, just cocked her head. "Did you bake these?"
Tatsuki ate another and smiled. "My girlfriend made them for me. Sweet, right?"
The girl froze, then beamed like a flower in full sun. "Mm—very sweet."
Even Tatsuki paused at that answer. His gaze softened; he tousled her golden hair. "I've cured your illness. Time for me to go."
[Ding! Tatsuki has saved the world—Apocalypse Journey concluded!]
[Reward: Tatsuki +10 000 points, White Blood Cell +1 000 points]
[Return confirmed—initiating transfer!]
Sensing he would vanish any second, the girl cried, "My name is Kaori Miyazono!"
Tatsuki smiled back, voice clear. "I'm Tatsuki."
"!"
He disappeared.
"Resume resuscitation!" The doctors seemed to spring back to life—then froze again. Kaori Miyazono was calmly sitting on the bed.
She scratched the back of her head and chuckled. "I… don't hurt anymore."
The doctors goggled for a heartbeat, then barked, "Full work-up, now!" and chaos erupted anew.
Kaori spied the bag of cookies at her bedside, picked it up, and hugged it to her chest.
"So it was real…"
...
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