In the world of A Silent Voice, Class 6-2 of Suimon Elementary School.
Naoka Ueno, who had been taking notes with her head down, suddenly lifted her face with a puzzled expression and glanced around. Then, she nudged Shoya Ishida, who was seated to her right.
"Hey, Ishida, did you just say something?" Naoka Ueno whispered.
"Hm? I didn't say anything."
Leaning his chin on one hand as he spaced out, Shoya Ishida didn't think much of her question and casually brushed it off before returning to his daydreaming.
"Did I imagine it?"
Shoya's response made Naoka Ueno fall into thought again. With no better explanation coming to mind, she decided to stop pondering it.
But soon, she realized something strange had appeared in her mind.
Like recalling a distant memory, Naoka Ueno focused her attention on the newly emerged white-glowing point in her consciousness.
The moment her awareness touched the glowing point, a strange chat interface appeared within her perception.
"Multiverse Same-Sex ♀ Friendship Group? What the heck is this?"
Muttering the name of the chat group she sensed, Naoka Ueno found herself increasingly confused.
But her attention was quickly drawn to the constantly refreshing messages within the group, and she discovered that the messages could be scrolled freely according to her will.
So, she scrolled all the way to the very beginning and skimmed through the messages from top to bottom, gradually gaining a rough understanding of the situation.
In other words, if this wasn't a hallucination, then it seemed she had joined a chat group that allowed her to communicate with many people inside her mind.
She was familiar with the concept of chat groups, but this mental chat group was completely different from anything she knew.
Intent on figuring out what this sudden group was, Naoka Ueno even forgot that she was currently in class.
Recalling that the chat group responded to her thoughts, she wondered if she could also send messages by simply thinking them.
To test this theory, Naoka Ueno mentally voiced what she wanted to say to the chat group.
[Naoka Ueno (Level 1, Stage 1): What is this group? Why did it suddenly appear in my head?]
...
The same phenomenon occurred to Ellen, Pandora, and Kyoko.
However, unlike the relatively innocent-minded Naoka Ueno, the three of them immediately questioned the chat group's origin and whether it involved any kind of conspiracy.
Pandora, in particular, differed from Ellen and Kyoko in her focus. As a powerful Witch of Sin, she had immense confidence in her own strength, so she never once considered whether the chat group might pose a danger to her.
Even if something unexpected occurred, she was confident that her authority to rewrite reality would resolve any problem.
What she was more interested in was uncovering the chat group's true nature. After all, the fact that it had invaded her mind without triggering any defenses proved that this was no ordinary system.
So Pandora used her authority to probe the chat group within her mind.
But she quickly discovered something that shocked her: no matter what she did, the chat group remained completely unaffected.
This result only deepened her interest in the mysterious system that had intruded into her consciousness.
In her own words, it was: Subarashii.
So, immediately after Naoka Ueno sent her message, Pandora followed with one of her own.
[Pandora (Level 4, Stage 2): How marvelous, this chat group—such a wondrous existence. Now, who might the rest of you in the group be?]
...
The messages from Naoka Ueno and Pandora happened to appear right after Arifureta had called out to Eriri in the chat group.
So before Eriri could enter the chat group and make arrangements for the four newly joined members, the other group members had already started chatting with them.
[Fujihara Chika (Level 7, Stage 2): The newcomers seem pretty capable—already Level 4.]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): I don't know how Eriri will arrange things for you yet, but I might as well tell you now—this is a chat group that connects all universes. We're not even from the same world.]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): If you want to know more, you can check the chat group's introduction.]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): That said, go ahead and do whatever you were doing~]
[Naoka Ueno (Level 1, Stage 1): …]
[Pandora (Level 4, Stage 2): So we're from different worlds… I see. Thank you for the kind explanation.]
After reading Arifureta's message, not only Naoka Ueno and Pandora, but also Ellen and Kyoko—who had yet to reveal themselves and had only been lurking—quickly found the group introduction page.
After going through it, they gained a comprehensive understanding of the chat group's purpose and functions.
At that point, even Ellen and Kyoko, who still harbored some doubts, couldn't help but speak up in the chat.
[Kyoko (Level 2, Stage 7): Hello everyone, I'm Kyoko. I was a little scared earlier so I didn't say anything right away. I hope no one minds. I really hope to become friends with everyone~]
[Fujihara Chika (Level 7, Stage 2): Hello hello! You seem like a nice person. I'm happy to be friends with you~]
[Kyoko (Level 2, Stage 7): That's wonderful, thank you! Happy.jpg]
[Kyoko (Level 2, Stage 7): You're all so amazing—already Level 7. Unlike me, I'm only Level 2.]
[Fujihara Chika (Level 7, Stage 2): Hehe, it's not a big deal. You're way more impressive than I was. I was just an ordinary person when I first joined~]
[Kyoko (Level 2, Stage 7): That's incredible! I wish I had that many points too. Envious.jpg]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): …]
Looking at Kyoko playing the innocent in the chat group, Arifureta had a rather odd expression.
If she hadn't already known what Kyoko was really like, she might have been fooled too, just like Fujihara Chika.
But she chose not to expose her right away. She wanted to see what act Kyoko would put on next.
Besides, knowing Eriri as well as she did, she was sure Eriri would make the same choice in this situation.
[Pandora (Level 4, Stage 2): I've figured things out now. Amazing~ This chat group is truly marvelous, being able to connect people across different worlds.]
[Pandora (Level 4, Stage 2): But I do have a bit of confusion about the power level classifications. Could someone kindly explain it to me?]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): What are you confused about?]
[Pandora (Level 4, Stage 2): According to the chat group's description, Level 4 is a title granted to those capable of destroying an entire continent, right?]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): Mm-hmm, that's correct.]
[Pandora (Level 4, Stage 2): Then here's the issue—while I have great confidence in my abilities, I still don't think I could destroy a continent.]
[Pandora (Level 4, Stage 2): So why was I given the Level 4 title? Could you kindly help clarify this for me?]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): That's actually a great question. While we've never had this come up before, I do know the explanation for it.]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): The power level classifications in the group are indeed based on destructive capability, but that doesn't mean you must possess a certain level of destructive power to be assigned that level.]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): Some individuals have special abilities that don't involve large-scale destruction, yet in actual combat, they can still rival those who do. Such people deserve an equivalent power rating.]
[Pandora (Level 4, Stage 2): I see. Thank you for the explanation.]
[Shinomiya Kaguya (Level 7, Stage 2): Eh? There's an explanation like that? This is the first I've heard of it!]
[Kuroneko (Level 7, Stage 2): +1. I also thought power levels were solely based on destructive strength. I mean, if your ability is strong enough, you can usually cause terrain damage anyway.]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): I heard it from Eriri~]
[Ellen (Level 1, Stage 2): It's hard to believe, but it seems the chat group is real. The points I got from check-in actually boosted my physical ability significantly.]
[Ellen (Level 1, Stage 2): Hmm, so the power evaluation only includes the user's own strength, not their weapons or equipment.]
[Fujihara Chika (Level 7, Stage 2): The last newcomer finally speaks! Seems like you all adapted to the group pretty quickly.]
[Ellen (Level 1, Stage 2): Of course. I can feel the changes in my body firsthand. That makes the chat group undeniably real.]
[Ellen (Level 1, Stage 2): That said, there's still one thing I'm a bit confused about. Why did the group leader say we might not be able to remain in the chat group when we first joined? @Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader)]
[Fujihara Chika (Level 7, Stage 2): Yeah, I was wondering that too. These newcomers all seem pretty easy to get along with. Speaking of which, what happened to that Naoka Ueno girl? She spoke once and then vanished.]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): Hmm, is it possible you're only seeing the surface?]
[Fujihara Chika (Level 7, Stage 2): Of course I know that! So hurry up and show the memory footage already. I'm ready for a new episode.]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): Let's wait and see how Eriri plans to handle it.]
[Fujihara Chika (Level 7, Stage 2): Where is Eriri anyway? It's been ages since the newcomers joined and she still hasn't shown up. That's so unlike her. @Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9)]
[Arifureta (Level 7, Stage 2 / Group Leader): She's probably busy with something. @Eriri (Level 8, Stage 9)]
After shifting her focus away from the chat group, Arifureta turned to face Eriri, who was seated behind her in the classroom.
Just then, Eriri also withdrew her consciousness from the world of A Silent Voice.
"Eriri, why didn't you say anything in the chat group?"
Even though they were in the middle of class, thanks to a subtle mental hint from Arifureta, the teacher on the podium remained completely oblivious to their behavior.
Though even without that, none of the teachers here would dare question someone like Eriri.
After all, everyone on staff knew the identities of Eriri and Arifureta. No one would be bold enough to provoke the eldest daughter of the Sawamura family.
Let alone the fact that this school had long been under the ownership of the Sawamura Group.
Seeing Arifureta turn around, Eriri smiled and placed both hands on her cheeks.
"I just sent my consciousness into the Silent Voice world for a bit. I'm up to date on everything in the group. Let's head in and chat."
"Mm, okay~"
...
At that moment, Naoka Ueno was in a state of complete panic.
After learning all the information about the chat group, she quickly realized this group was nothing like what she previously understood.
Looking at the endless messages and the power levels displayed next to everyone's name, she felt like a kitten that had wandered into a den of lions.
No… calling herself a kitten was probably too flattering.
Everyone in the group was a world-destroying superpower, and she alone was a helpless weakling.
Even the others who joined with her weren't ordinary people.
Although one newcomer had a power level close to hers, based on the weapons and gear mentioned in their messages, she could tell they weren't average at all.
So in that moment, Naoka Ueno felt overwhelmed with fear—terrified that a single misstep might offend one of the big shots in the chat group and bring death upon herself.
Worse yet, her entire world might be destroyed because of her.
Her family, her friends, her secret crush—everything could vanish in an instant.
The pressure was too much to bear. She didn't dare say another word in the group.
She was only twelve years old. Why did she have to carry a burden that no twelve-year-old should?
Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought.
She opened her eyes and turned her head toward Shoya Ishida, seemingly seeking help.
But at that moment, Ishida was still spacing out, completely unaware of the desperate glance being cast from his left.
Then again, even if he had noticed… what could he possibly do?
He was just a cruel little punk himself, after all.
...
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