Dawn broke over Hokkaido, morning light spilling across a landscape of total devastation.
Relief teams from the Japanese Public Safety Bureau had finally arrived. Against the scale of destruction, their numbers were a drop in the ocean.
Still, when the players spotted rescue workers picking through the rubble, something loosened in their chests. After leaving the world of Aki Hayakawa and his brother, they were relieved to see ordinary people again, living humans who weren't players.
"Everyone, eat something."
Ran Mouri distributed the food she'd scrounged up, making her rounds through the group.
When she reached Mana Nakiri and Erina Nakiri, her steps faltered. She walked past them without a word.
It wasn't cruelty. She already knew that mother and daughter both possessed the God's Tongue. Compressed biscuits and instant noodles would be poison to their palates.
She was about to continue on toward Alice Nakiri's family when a piercing scream tore through the air.
"Mom!"
Every head snapped around.
Mana Nakiri, already gaunt, had collapsed backward. Her face was whiter than chalk.
"Mom! Mom! Wake up!"
Erina threw herself over her mother, shaking her desperately.
Yukino, who'd picked up some basic medical ninjutsu, hurried over and pressed her fingers to Mana's wrist. After a moment, her expression darkened.
"If she doesn't eat soon, her life will be in danger."
Which told them nothing they didn't already know. If Mana Nakiri could eat normally, she wouldn't be in this state.
And it wasn't just Mana. Erina was at her limit too. She hadn't eaten a single bite since arriving in this world, running on willpower alone.
"We need to put her on an IV nutrient drip."
Soe Nakiri stared at his unconscious sister, brow furrowed deep.
"Where are we supposed to find an IV drip in this hellscape!?"
Leonora's voice cracked, eyes rimming red.
"I'll ask the rescue team!"
Alice Nakiri took off without hesitation, sprinting toward the relief workers. She came back less than five minutes later, looking worse than when she'd left.
Instant noodles and biscuits they might dig up. But what disaster response unit carries intravenous nutrient solutions?
Did those even exist yet in this world's timeline?
"We'll have to ask him."
Ai Hayasaka, who'd kept a low profile since arriving, finally spoke up. Her gaze drifted past the crowd toward the battered building in the distance, the fourth one they'd cycled through in two days.
Every pair of eyes followed hers.
"Would he even agree?"
Soe's expression was bitter, remembering yesterday's flat refusal.
Erina clenched her jaw and stood.
What Utaha and the others had done yesterday had given her an idea.
She'd barely taken two steps when a figure blocked her path.
"Don't bother him."
Yu Ishigami planted himself in front of her.
"What do you want?" Erina bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, and let every shred of pride she'd carried as Totsuki Academy's "Ice Queen" fall away. "I'll... I'll offer myself to him. Please, just save my mother."
Behind her, Soma Yukihira, Megumi Tadokoro, and the others stood frozen, disbelief written across their faces.
The haughty young lady who walked around school acting like the world owed her a living had just said that?
Ishigami blinked. Paused for two full seconds.
Then he stepped aside.
Someone at this level... Makoto-senpai probably won't say no.
If it were Yukino Yukinoshita, though... yeah, he'd have blocked that one.
Elsewhere.
"Mmnh..."
Megumi Kato sat up from the bedding, covering a yawn with the back of her hand. Morning light fell across her drowsy face, traces of last night's exhaustion still lingering.
Before her vision even cleared, a familiar duet reached her ears from across the room.
"Makoto, Utaha, are you two at it again... can you please take a break?"
She sighed, resigned, once the scene came into focus.
Makoto didn't even turn around. "Who do you think I am? Get over here."
One grab. Instantly conquered.
Erina Nakiri had been standing outside the door for over half an hour.
She'd steeled herself completely. But listening to the relentless chorus from inside, her resolve crumbled all over again.
This is... this is insane.
Eventually, the sounds died down.
She drew a deep breath, hardened herself one more time, and reached for the door handle.
Before she could push, the door swung inward.
Erina stumbled forward, off-balance, about to crash to the floor when a large hand caught her shoulder.
"What do you want?"
Makoto looked down at her, refreshed and unhurried.
Five minutes later.
Erina sat inside the room, watching Utaha Kasumigaoka, Megumi Kato, Airi Akizuki, Marina Akizuki, and Ichinose Chizuru line up one after another for the bathroom. Even braced as she was, the sight shattered something fundamental in her worldview.
Makoto sat at the foot of the bed. "So what is it?"
Every girl in the room, Utaha toweling her hair, Megumi under the shower, the Akizuki sisters waiting their turn, all glanced toward this newcomer whose looks and figure rivaled their own, with hair that fell like something out of a fairy tale.
"I... I..."
Erina's teeth dug into her lower lip. A few seconds later, the dam broke.
"I'll do whatever you want! Please, save my mother!"
The room went quiet for a beat.
Utaha and the others simply looked away and went back to what they were doing.
They'd seen this coming.
"...That's really the best plan you came up with after thinking all night?"
Makoto studied her with open amusement.
"I can also cook for you. For the rest of my life..." Her voice shrank. "But you probably don't need another chef..."
She was right. If Makoto snapped his fingers, the finest cooks in the world would line up to serve him. Back in the real world, the Totsuki Elite Ten had already handled his meals.
She stole a glance at Megumi and the others.
He doesn't need another woman, either.
"The thing is, I'm not really in the mood for that right now..."
Makoto leaned back in his chair and exhaled, a rare flicker of fatigue crossing his features.
Even with his constitution, taking on five at once was his absolute limit, and all five of these girls had crossed over into other worlds. Their bodies had been reinforced with Chakra.
Last night had drained him to the dregs. His body could technically keep going, but his mind had hit a wall. Like a gamer who loves playing but hits that fourteen-hour mark where even their favorite title feels like a chore.
"Please... please..."
Tears spilled down Erina's cheeks, each one striking the floor like a tiny pearl.
Her mother had already lost consciousness. Every minute counted.
Makoto watched her for a long moment, then crooked a finger. "Come here."
She didn't hesitate, scurrying over on quick, small steps. "Wh-what do you..."
She was about to ask what else he wanted when he lifted his chin slightly and tapped a finger against his own lips.
Erina's face went nuclear.
She devoured romance manga in her spare time. She knew exactly what that gesture meant.
Her fists clenched until her nails carved crescents into her palms. For Mom. Do it for Mom.
She leaned forward.
Five seconds later, a violent shudder ran through her body, pupils contracting to pinpoints.
Something was overwhelming her God's Tongue.
Good... so... good...
"Says she doesn't want to, but her body's plenty honest."
Utaha, freshly blow-dried, caught the scene from the corner of her eye and clicked her tongue, her trademark acid fully intact.
Then, in the next instant...
Ichinose Chizuru, who'd been waiting in line for the shower, noticed something about Makoto's condition, crossed the room, and knelt down beside him...
Utaha: "..."
Megumi: "..."
The Akizuki sisters: "..."
Seriously? You're that hungry?
Half an hour later, Makoto led six girls back to where the players had gathered.
"So, how did it taste?"
He glanced sideways at Erina, the ghost of a smile playing at his lips.
"It was... strange..."
Erina buried her face so deep in her own chest she looked ready to phase through the floor.
Makoto raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.
He'd expected the God's Tongue to amplify the experience into something revolting.
Did that mean his... actually tasted decent?