After returning to his own body and confirming that he was once again firmly planted in the present, Hozuki Nozomi didn't waste any time. He pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Hello? Uncle Daisuke? This is Hozuki Nozomi. I need your assistance with something."
Kosaka Daisuke's warm, enthusiastic voice came through the speaker. "What is it? Name it." Thanks to Hozuki Nozomi's previous help, he'd received a promotion—a small favor was the least he could offer in return. Besides, considering how things were developing between this young man and his daughter Kirino, they might well become family someday.
"I need to investigate the Itomori Town incident from three years ago. The more detailed the information, the better—including the disaster areas and a complete list of victims."
Kosaka Daisuke didn't question why Hozuki Nozomi wanted this information. "No problem. Give me some time."
As the call concluded, a slender, snow-white arm wound its way around Hozuki Nozomi's neck from behind.
"What's this, Hozuki Nozomi? Have you discovered something?" Shiina Mahiru's large, liquid eyes gazed at him with soft curiosity, her face close to his.
Hozuki Nozomi took advantage of the opportunity to pull her into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. He sighed faintly, the weight of his discovery settling on his shoulders.
"I suspect that the person I've been swapping souls with is Miyamizu Mitsuha from three years ago. And Itomori Town..." He paused. "It appears to have been completely destroyed by a meteor when a comet fell three years ago."
Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been quietly reading nearby, froze mid-page turn. Her blue eyes widened slightly.
"That's why the names felt familiar. Itomori Town, Miyamizu Shrine—there were news reports about the disaster back then." She set down her book, her expression growing serious. "What should we do? Should we inform Miss Miyamizu about this?"
Hozuki Nozomi extended his arm and gently pulled Yukino onto his lap as well, settling her comfortably against him. "We'll definitely need to tell her, but I want to investigate more thoroughly first. I have a suspicion that the destruction of Itomori Town wasn't simply a natural disaster."
He proceeded to explain everything—the Enmusubi Rope, the strange presence he'd sensed at the shrine, the ghosts that seemed to linger there. Yukino and Mahiru listened intently, their expressions growing more concerned with each revelation. Now they understood why he was being so cautious.
By noon, Kosaka Daisuke had delivered the requested information.
Hozuki Nozomi and Yukino Yukinoshita pored over the documents together, cross-referencing details. The official records confirmed what he'd suspected: Itomori Town had been obliterated by a meteor impact three years ago. The casualty list included most of the Miyamizu family.
Only a handful of residents had survived.
And something caught his attention immediately.
"One of the surviving families has the surname Tano..." He scanned further. "And according to the rescue reports, when responders arrived, there were flames everywhere—unusual fire patterns that didn't match typical meteor strike damage."
Yukino leaned closer, reading over his shoulder. "The Tano family... isn't that the family of that boy who's been giving Mitsuha trouble? Tano Ichiro?"
Hozuki Nozomi nodded slowly, his mind racing. Why had precisely this family—the one most hostile to Mitsuha, the one most envious of her position—survived when so many others perished? What connection might the Tano family have to the malevolent presence he'd sensed at the shrine?
These questions demanded answers.
He carefully transcribed the meteor's landing coordinates and the names of the destroyed areas. This information would prove crucial when the time came to save Mitsuha. As for the Tano family's secrets and the shrine's dark presence, he would investigate personally the next time he inhabited Mitsuha's body.
For now, though, Mitsuha's situation wasn't immediately urgent. The Game Life System had assigned this mission—it wouldn't allow him to fail. If worst came to worst, he could always drink Mitsuha's kuchikamizake and rewind time to try again.
With the essential information recorded, Hozuki Nozomi set aside his concerns and returned to his usual leisurely routine. The afternoon had arrived, and the Service Club had no official activities scheduled.
Sanshokuin Sumireko, ever the book lover, had suggested they hold an informal reading club. She'd always preferred quiet, solitary activities, but after spending so much time in the Service Club, she'd grown accustomed to the presence of friends. Even Yui Yuigahama's constant energy no longer disturbed her peace.
So the afternoon was dedicated to the girls' book club.
Yui Yuigahama, however, had other ideas. She fixed Hozuki Nozomi with her most pitiful, pleading expression, silently begging him to support her suggestion of going out to play instead.
Hozuki Nozomi very deliberately pretended not to notice.
Defeated, poor Yui had no choice but to settle down and join the reading club, though she spent the first twenty minutes sighing dramatically every few pages.
Hozuki Nozomi had initially planned to participate as well, but a message from Frieren changed his plans. The ancient elf, now thoroughly embracing her inner shut-in, requested a snack run.
He couldn't refuse.
At the convenience store, Hozuki Nozomi navigated the aisles, gathering items from Frieren's extensive list. As he reached for a particular bag of snacks, another hand reached for the same item at the same moment.
Their fingers nearly touched.
Hozuki Nozomi looked up instinctively and found himself meeting the gaze of a short-haired girl wearing glasses. The moment their eyes met, she flinched—literally shrinking back, withdrawing her hand as if burned, her expression timid and startled.
He offered her a gentle, reassuring smile.
The girl seemed even more alarmed by this and quickly hurried away from him, disappearing around the corner.
Hozuki Nozomi blinked.
Did he really look that terrifying?
"Asada! Over here!"
A boy's cheerful voice rang out from nearby. The same girl—Asada—visibly relaxed as she approached him.
"Shinokawa, you're too slow," she said, her voice quiet but relieved.
The boy named Shinokawa glanced warily in Hozuki Nozomi's direction before flashing the girl a brilliant, practiced smile. "Sorry about that. It took some time to say goodbye to my friends."
He deliberately positioned himself to block Hozuki Nozomi's line of sight to the girl. "Asada, why don't we go sit in the park together? It's a nice day."
"No thank you. I'm going home." The girl hesitated briefly before refusing. She didn't enjoy going out; the only reason she'd agreed to meet today was Shinokawa's promise to help her get a beta version of a new game console.
Their voices faded as they walked away.
Hozuki Nozomi watched them go, a meaningful smile playing at his lips.
That girl had seemed familiar. Asada. Of course—Asada Shino, one of the heroines from the same anime universe as Asuna Yuuki. And that boy, Shinkawa Kyouji, was decidedly not a good person.
Hozuki Nozomi had noticed the hostility in Shinkawa's glance toward him—clearly worried that his handsome face might charm Asada Shino away. More concerning, though, was the barely concealed possessive gleam in the boy's eyes when he looked at her. It was well-hidden, but Hozuki Nozomi had sharp instincts.
Shinkawa Kyouji reminded him of Sugō Nobuyuki—the same type of twisted, entitled scumbag. Fortunately, the game hadn't officially launched its open beta yet, so he likely hadn't had the opportunity to do anything truly terrible. But the release date wasn't far off.
Better to be safe than sorry.
Hozuki Nozomi quietly extended a thread of magical energy, splitting it into two. One strand gently settled onto Asada Shino, invisible and protective. The other attached itself to Shinkawa Kyouji.
He'd encountered Asada Shino now, and he had no intention of letting anything happen to her. As for Shinkawa Kyouji—the boy's malice toward him hadn't gone unnoticed. Hozuki Nozomi would be prepared for whatever came next.
After parting ways with Shinkawa Kyouji, Asada Shino returned home with her newly purchased game helmet. She was unaware that inside the helmet, hidden in the circuitry, a small signal emitter had been installed—a device meant for tracking her location and, worse, eavesdropping on her private moments.
Elsewhere, Shinkawa Kyouji sat in his room, headphones clamped over his ears. Through the locator, which also functioned as a bug, he waited eagerly to hear the sounds of the girl's room.
Instead, a piercing, screeching feedback loop erupted in his ears.
He ripped the headphones off, his face contorting in fury and confusion.
"How is this possible?! Was the bug discovered? That's impossible!"
The answer was, of course, Hozuki Nozomi's magic. His spiritual power had scanned Asada Shino's home the moment it detected the surveillance device and neutralized it completely.
The strand of magic he'd left on Asada Shino carried a fragment of his spiritual essence—a protective charm that would watch over her. If any danger approached, it would alert him.
And if, through that spiritual connection, he happened to catch glimpses of certain... benefits... well, he'd consider that a fair reward for playing the role of her unseen guardian.