Eriri lunged straight onto Tatsuki.
Tatsuki looked at her with an amused, not-quite-smile.
She slapped one hand over his mouth, then sank her little tiger teeth into his shoulder.
"Mmnnnmmm!" (Why would you say something like that?!)
Unable to actually yell, Eriri could only make muffled, furious noises.
She felt like she'd completely died of embarrassment in front of everyone in the club—she'd never be able to face them again!
That scene made Haruno's eyes sparkle. She honestly hadn't expected tiny little Eriri to be this skilled.
Her gaze drifted to Yukino's chest, and she sighed dramatically in her head.
Seriously, Yukino… you're both on the petite side, so why can't you learn a thing or two from Eriri?
Yukino, sensing something, met Haruno's eyes—and in the next instant, Haruno's expression flipped into a bright, playful smile like nothing happened.
Yukino's brows twitched. She swore she'd just felt a malicious stare.
Eriri kept causing a scene for a while before finally calming down. She hung off Tatsuki like a koala, burying her face deep in his chest, too ashamed to lift her head.
Tatsuki supported her small hips so she wouldn't slide down, then shot Yumiko a look with a sigh.
How did this girl suddenly get so airheaded?
Tatsuki and Yukino had arrived before her—she'd literally watched them vanish with her own eyes.
So why did she get led into panic so easily by Eriri's suspicions?
With no other choice, Tatsuki started seriously, "Yumiko, you remember when we met, right? That time you—"
"W-Wait, wait, wait! Don't say it! Don't say it!!" Yumiko panicked and cut him off. "I believe you! You're real! Okay?!"
The moment Eriri launched onto him, Yumiko already realized she'd been dumb.
Too late, but whatever Tatsuki was about to say—she did not want him saying it out loud.
Eriri was already socially dead—no, more like came-dead—but Yumiko wasn't about to join her!
Yumiko would rather die a thousand times over than suffer social death! Especially in front of Yukino!
Yukino narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Yumiko's reaction was way too intense.
There was definitely a secret between those two.
Megumi watched quietly with that sees everything calm gaze.
Others might not know, but back then—when Yumiko had panicked so badly she lost control—Megumi had noticed too. She just wouldn't bring it up, because she had tact.
Megumi only had big emotional swings when it involved being with Tatsuki or doing couple things with him. The rest of the time, she stayed so neutral no one could read her at all.
So Yumiko acting like this didn't surprise her in the slightest, and in Megumi's judgment… Yumiko was already dangerously close to falling all the way in.
Megumi was right in the center of everything, yet somehow she still observed it all like an outsider.
Just as Yumiko was terrified Tatsuki would keep talking—
Click!
The final two doors opened almost at the same time.
Everyone's attention snapped over, and Yumiko quietly exhaled in relief.
All eyes fixed on the last two rooms, wondering who would step out.
No one said it out loud, but in their hearts, they were all hoping it'd be women. One man—Tatsuki—was already more than enough.
After all, he was their man.
A beautiful woman showing up might catch his interest, sure… but at this point? One more didn't matter… no, even several more wouldn't count as too many.
Because just based on what Haruno and the others already knew, there were tens of thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—waiting in the wings.
Those children of angels who craved him with overwhelming desire.
If Tatsuki ever truly wanted to, all it would take was one sentence from him—then in no time at all, he could have hundreds of thousands of children.
With that being the reality, what could they even say anymore?
So on the women front, they were already numb.
Of course… if it was some shady, scheming woman with bad intentions, they'd still cut her off before she ever got close to Tatsuki.
Under everyone's gaze—two beautiful figures stepped out… and the room exploded in shocked cries.
Yukino: "Mother…?"
Haruno: "Mother!"
Tatsuki: "Mrs. Yuigahama…?"
Yua Yuigahama covered her mouth. "Tatsuki?!"
Miyuki Yukinoshita's mind trembled. "T-Tatsuki…?"
Both Yua Yuigahama and Miyuki Yukinoshita fell into the same dazed, disoriented shock.
Everyone else was stunned too.
No one expected the last two to be women… and not just women, but women who actually knew Tatsuki and Yukino!
…
It took a while for everyone to calm down.
Introductions were exchanged.
Then Yukino, Haruno, and Tatsuki each explained the Apocalypse Game—what it was, what it meant, and how dangerous it could get—to Yukino's mother, Mrs. Yuigahama, Eriri, and Yumiko.
Eriri adapted incredibly fast.
Following Tatsuki for so long, she'd seen far too much—both his strength in bed and the ridiculous things his powers could do.
She knew perfectly well her body was basically Tatsuki's "test field."
Spatial abilities. Rokushiki's Soru. Armament Haki hardening. Even the Yin Five Thunder's electricity—yeah, she'd experienced all of it.
Ahem. A lot of that was Eriri requesting it, to be fair.
In any case, she accepted the Apocalypse Game setting almost instantly.
In her words: "Tatsuki's right here. I'm not scared."
Then there was Yumiko. She accepted things quickly too… though she was still amazed.
What really blew her mind was the two moms. They looked so young. So beautiful.
Miyuki Yukinoshita resembled Haruno a lot, and she carried that distinctive cool, icy aura that Yukino also had, and maybe it was just Yumiko's imagination… but she swore she could sense a faint, alluring, almost dangerously feminine vibe too.
As for Mrs. Yuigahama—same story.
Yua Yuigahama looked so much like Yui it was unreal, except with an even fuller figure… and an even more mature, curvier silhouette overall, and that gentle, warm "perfect wife" vibe she gave off? Even an orange knitted sweater couldn't hide it.
Even Yumiko couldn't stop herself from thinking. Mrs. Yuigahama is… really the type who's perfect to be someone's wife.
When Mrs. Yuigahama finally processed everything, she couldn't stay calm at all.
"There's… there's really something like this?!"
Ever since she was young, she'd fantasized about supernatural powers too, but when the supernatural and Apocalypse reality actually slammed into her face?
She completely lost her composure.
Especially after hearing about zombies, xenomorph-like monsters, giant beasts—things so dangerous you could die at any moment.
That was the real message hiding inside Tatsuki's explanation: In the Apocalypse Game, death could come at any time.
Mrs. Yuigahama was just a normal person. She was afraid of dying… and even more afraid of leaving Yui alone.
Sensing her trembling fear, the only thing Tatsuki could do as her future son-in-law was give his promise and comfort.
"Mrs. Yuigahama, you don't need to be that scared. We've been through multiple Apocalypse Games already."
"And you're Yui's mother. I won't let anything happen to you—because if you got hurt, Yui would be devastated."
"Tatsuki-kun…"
His words weren't some magical cure but they at least helped Mrs. Yuigahama breathe again.
Compared to her, Miyuki Yukinoshita was much steadier.
After she understood everything from Yukino and Haruno, she did show genuine shock—but the composure she'd cultivated over years, plus the fact that she'd already encountered abnormal incidents before, let her regain calm quickly.
Then, unexpectedly, she walked straight over to Tatsuki.
"Hm?" Tatsuki turned to her.
The moment Miyuki met those golden eyes, her heart jolted—her gaze instinctively flickered away for a split second.
Because the guilt in her chest… was too hard to face.