After visiting everyone, Tatsuki and Megumi returned to his home. Eriri wanted to stay, but Sayuri, sensing the situation with a keen eye, forcibly dragged her away. Kanae gave Tatsuki a gentle smile and then vanished back into his spiritual realm.
Yukino had just finished doing laundry – her normal maid duties – and was about to leave. At the doorway, she glanced at Tatsuki and Megumi, looking as if she had something to say but ultimately holding her tongue, closing the door behind her.
That left only him and Megumi, sitting together in his bedroom. A spacious, quiet room. They could hear each other's breathing.
"Tatsuki-kun, do you know why I chose to stay tonight?"
Megumi's voice was soft. Then, under his gaze, she lay down on the bed. Her directness and her feelings were perfectly clear.
"I know. Let me take it from here."
He leaned over, hands braced on either side of her. Megumi closed her eyes.
…
That night saw another girl's transformation.
…
When Megumi finally drifted into a tired sleep, sweat clung to her forehead bangs. Tatsuki found himself half-amused. During the process, she had said something that nearly sent him over the edge. With a slight flush and a shy face, she'd said in her ever-so-calm tone:
"Tatsuki-kun, I'm… perfectly safe today."
The contrast of those words, spoken with such composure, was lethal to him. So he almost lost control.
Having gained presence-block, she was otherwise still physically slender, so out of consideration for the future, Tatsuki used a bit of primal energy to reinforce her body.
In the end, it was Kanae who silently cleaned up. Once she finished, she quietly lay down at Tatsuki's side—though Megumi had already taken the spot in his arms. He didn't go to sleep yet, because the chat group indicated a batch of newcomers had joined—right in the middle of the night, no less.
He opened the chat.
[Ding! Chito has joined the chat!]
[Ding! Sei Tenshi has joined the chat!]
[Ding! Revenge Girl has joined the chat!]
…
In a certain post-apocalyptic world.
After humanity's apex of civilization fell into ruin, people and living creatures were virtually wiped out, leading to the end of the world. The labyrinthine city structures lay in crumbling decay, and unmaintained machinery gradually ground to a halt. No one could quite say when it ended, or when the end began. Even such questions had vanished.
In this desolate world, two young girls wandered aimlessly—Chito and Yuuri. Tonight, they once again rode their beloved Kettenkrad half-track vehicle through the wasteland, not knowing where they were heading or how far they'd go.
The blonde Yuuri, riding in the back seat, gazed up at a sky filled with stars—so beautiful, so unreachable. Humans would never set foot among them. She spoke as if to ask Chito, or perhaps answering her own question.
"Hey, Chi… are we still alive?"
"Or…maybe we're already dead, just drifting in this endless afterworld of white?"
Chito gave no reply, focusing on driving the small half-track.
Yuuri shivered, hugging her overcoat tighter. "You know, I've heard some say the afterlife is supposed to be warm. But it's so bone-chilling cold here. So I guess we must still be alive, right…? Haha, I suppose we can only learn to get along with despair."
Suddenly, the vehicle stopped. Yuuri tensed, turning to Chito. "Why'd we stop?"
"…I think… I really did meet a god," Chito said, blinking.
…
Tatsuki: "Chito, is your name just Chito?"
For some reason, on seeing that name, he impulsively typed the question in the chat. The name touched something inside him, reminding him of a lonely, sad tale.
Chito: "Yes, I'm Chito. You… are you a god?"
Tatsuki: "If you want me to be."
Perhaps guided by some instinct, Tatsuki didn't deny the god label he so often hold in contempt. Indeed, some sense told him to accept it. Sensing that Tatsuki was being uncharacteristic, none of the group's members spoke.
Chito: "Oh. So… God, can you tell me how I can get along with despair?"
Tatsuki: "…"
Those words sounded so familiar, as if verifying his premonition.
Tatsuki: "A god is omnipotent, right? So, Chii, maybe try making a wish to God."
Chito: "Eh? Really? Yuu said gods were all fake."
Chito: "If you truly are a god, I want Yuu to be warm. I think her body is going numb."
"…"
Those words unexpectedly made Tatsuki feel something heavy in his chest, as if something was stuck.
"What's wrong, Tatsuki? You look troubled," asked Kanae, stroking his cheek gently.
"Tatsuki, did something happen?" Megumi too, awakened on his chest.
He ruffled their hair, flashing a reassuring smile. "It's nothing. Just… I want to step out for a moment."
As he said that, a spatial wormhole formed. The two women shifted aside on the bed.
"Stay under the covers— don't catch cold," he said, though with their bodies it hardly mattered. They smiled, accepting his concern, and snuggled back under the blanket.
Tatsuki threw on a black coat and entered the wormhole.
…
In the ruined labyrinth of that final city, a strange translucent screen had manifested, letting Chito chat with God. She found it odd but also intriguing. Yet after making her wish for Yuuri, God seemed silent.
[Chat member Tatsuki requests permission to warp into your world. Accept?]
She halted the Kettenkrad. After brief thought, she accepted. She had a hunch it might grant her wish.
Yuuri asked, "Why'd we stop?"
Chito answered softly, "I think I've really met a god."
"A god? But I said gods were just illusions. Don't tell me you made a wish or something?"
"Mm, I wished for you to feel warmth."
"Haha, that's so trivial. If it were me, I'd wish we'd find some tasty canned food tomorrow."
"Or maybe you could wish bigger," came a man's voice.
"Waaah! Who's there—a ghost?!" Startled, Yuuri clung to Chito.
"You are…?"
Chito stared ahead. A black-coated man stood silently at the front of their small vehicle, gazing at them with a gentle smile.
"A moment ago, you prayed to me, right?"
"You're really a god?" Chito asked, stunned. Yuuri blinked, wide-eyed. "That's the god you saw, Chii? I can see him too, so… he's real?"
"Yes."
Tatsuki considered how to help these two. He could forcibly take them away using his powers. But group members couldn't remain permanently in another's world… unless they used some special function. Splitting them up was also out of the question.
As though responding to his thoughts, the chat showed.
[Ding! The system detects that Chito's world is post-apocalyptic. A special function Permanent Migration is now unlocked!]
[If a world is already past its apocalypse, a group member can spend 10 000 apocalypse points to migrate permanently to another group member's world!]
How timely. Just what he needed to handle these two girls.
He spoke up. "Would you like to go to another world? One with living humans."
"Eh?"
The ever-fuzzy-minded Yuuri asked a question that surprised him. "Then… does that mean we're the only two humans left? Really?"
Tatsuki shook his head. He had used his Bankai the moment he arrived, trying to sense and control all of humanity in this world. Turned out only Chito and Yuuri remained. Even the engineer or others they might have met in the anime or manga were gone. This world was more desperate than he'd known from Girls' Last Tour.
"I'm not really a god, but I do exist. If you trust me, will you leave this place with me?"
He held out his hand. The two girls exchanged looks. They had no real understanding of whether or not he was divine, nor if hope would only lead to deeper despair.
Chito clenched a small fist. "If… you can really fulfill my wish."
"No problem." He gently touched Yuuri's cheek.
"Wah, that's so warm!"
Gone was the biting cold wind. Gone were the painful shivers. Instead, wonderful warmth…
"A-am I dead now?" Chito touched Yuuri's hand. "Yuu! It's real! We're both alive!
Tears spilled from Chito's eyes. Perhaps they really had found hope.
"Seems you two have made your decision," Tatsuki said, smiling at them.
"Mm! We ask you to take us away, God. We want a world with people."
"As you wish."
…
[Ding! Tatsuki has sent Chito a personal red envelope!]
[Ding! Chito has received the envelope!]
[Ding! Chito requests Permanent Migration with Tatsuki's world. Approve?]
"Approve."
…
Returning to Tatsuki's bedroom, Megumi and Kanae blinked upon seeing him appear with two petite girls in heavy military coats.
"Humans!"
Chito and Yuuri looked around in wonder, relieved to see living people. At last, they didn't have to figure out how to get along with despair.
Switching on the light, Tatsuki spoke. "Megumi, Kanae, can you get them a warm bath and something to change into?"
"Sure."
The two women emerged, naked from under the covers, drawing wide-eyed stares from the new arrivals, before politely guiding them to the bathroom.
Only then did Tatsuki's mood truly brighten. He had spent 10,000 apocalypse points to bring Chito and Yuuri here, but had no regrets—he simply felt like it.
He opened the chat to see it in an uproar.
Bronya: "Tatsuki, did something urgent happen?"
Exusiai: "You were so gentle just now."
Nami: "We want details. That new member Chito—did you actually accept being called a god? I recall you used to hate that."
Ainz: "Yes, big shot usually shows no respect for gods, see Aqua for instance."
Aqua: "Hmph!"
For once, Aqua didn't retort.
Saeko: "Then what's with that permanent migration? I saw you gave Chito 10 000 points, and she migrated to your world for good?"
Tatsuki: "It's a long story. Chito's world is special."
Tatsuki: "It's in a post-apocalyptic state."
Bronya: "Post-apocalyptic? The planet was destroyed?"
Silver Wolf: "If the planet itself had cracked, they couldn't survive. So maybe in a different sense."
Tatsuki: "Right, the apocalypse was basically from a human standpoint— civilization collapsed, leaving only two girls, Chito and Yuuri."
Shinobu Kocho: "Only two people left in the entire world? …so lonely."
Emilia: "So heartbreaking. No wonder she said she had to learn to live with despair."
Tushan Honghong: "They must have been so pitiful… Are they okay now?"
Tatsuki: "They're with me. They'll stay here from now on."
Tushan Honghong: "That's wonderful!"
Shinobu Kocho: "To them, you truly are a god, Tatsuki."
Sei Tenshi: "So gods do exist?"
Revenge Girl: "Saintly Empress? Are you really The Holy Empress?"
Sei Tenshi: "That's me, yes. And you…?"
Tendo Kisara: "Tendo Kisara."
Sei Tenshi: "Someone from the Tendo family?"
Yes—Tendo Kisara.
That surname marks her as a member of the Tendo household.
In fact, both of them are students at Miwa Academy; it's just that the Sei Tenshi has never once attended classes because of her governmental duties.