"Nagami!"
"Nagami!"
"Nagami!"
"Husband~"
The calls of surprise rang out one after another—yet when Kurumi's sweet and bold title was heard, silence fell instantly.
Everyone turned their sharp, ice-cold gazes toward her, and of course, Nagami and C.C. were caught in the crossfire too.
Nagami quietly studied Kurumi, still dressed in her spirit outfit.
Her round shoulders glowed with a faint pink shimmer, and her slender arms were as pale as snow.
What made Nagami's mouth twitch, however, was her reaction when she noticed his stare.
She immediately lowered her head in bashfulness, her delicate hands fidgeting together, and her cheeks flushed red.
This spirit… she's always trying to stir things up!
He really needed to find an opportunity to cure her of this troublesome habit.
From her choice of address, Nagami could already piece together what must have happened.
With everyone gathered here, and the heavy, lingering tension still hanging in the air, he couldn't help but feel relieved he'd had the foresight to "run away early."
If he didn't throw out some earth-shattering news to distract the girls right now, he'd leave here in pieces—if he managed to leave at all.
"Where the hell did you disappear to? Any later and I'd have started worrying about my Hyperion."
Himeko stepped into the circle of girls, her eyes carrying a teasing glint. "Don't tell me you were off charming yet another little girl?"
"It's my Hyperion, actually."
Even with two bodies sharing one mind, Nagami could clearly feel the drop in temperature after Himeko's words.
But that didn't stop him from reminding her—this ship was his now.
"Nagami-kun, could you please explain the situation with this… Tokisaki Kurumi?"
Mei appeared before Nagami with a radiant, sun-like smile.
Her slender, fair arms gently hooked around his, her demeanor as demure as a perfect young lady's.
But her voice—her voice was cold as a blade of ice, sharp enough to make Nagami shiver against his will.
Meanwhile, C.C. was busy fending off the three white-haired troublemakers who were supposed to be Mei's allies.
Bronya, however, frowned.
Her gaze flicked back and forth between Nagami and C.C., suspicion brewing in her eyes.
She sensed something was off.
Why didn't this idiot tuna girl and Sister Sirin immediately rush to Nagami's side like always? Why were they interrogating C.C. instead?
Something wasn't right.
The Silver Wolf fell into deep thought.
Conclusion: up until now, the only one who had any suspicion about Nagami and C.C.'s relationship—or the possibility of his dual bodies being one person was Mei.
"Kurumi's situation, I'll explain later. Mei, right now there's something far more important."
Nagami's heart was racing in panic, but outwardly he kept his expression open, righteous, and unshaken.
With a helpless sigh, he cut off Kurumi's act. "You didn't tell them what I went to do?"
He had expected to return from the Second Eruption, after painstakingly putting on an elaborate performance, to be met with warmth and concern.
Instead, he'd nearly walked straight into a battlefield again.
"Well, I was about to tell them," Kurumi replied, her crimson eyes glinting mischievously as she lifted a finger to her lips, her smile playful. "But I barely got out a single 'husband~' before I was interrupted."
"…I see."
Nagami's serious, solemn expression made Mei's imposing aura falter for the first time.
The Herrscher of Domination had only just been destroyed—not long ago at all.
Nagami surely had more urgent matters on his hands.
If she delayed him for her own doubts, it could cause problems.
[You're just spoiling him!]
The Herrscher of Sentience's voice rang out, indignant and frustrated.
The three white-haired "Idiot" already had the advantage, and now Mei was just giving in to someone who cut the line?
[And what if he's lying to us?]
[Nagami wouldn't lie to me. If… if it is a lie…]
Her amethyst eyes sharpened for an instant, like the gleam of a blade catching the light.
"Fu Hua, come here. I have some good news to announce!"
With a flash, the voice in her mind finally quieted, and Fu Hua slowly exhaled a long breath.
Ever since Nagami's return, the Herrscher of Sentience had grown noisier and livelier by the second.
If they weren't surrounded by others right now, she would've already surrendered control of her body just to shut her up.
Even after regaining memories spanning a thousand years, Fu Hua's humanity hadn't been eroded.
But to think the Herrscher of Sentience had been using her body to cling to Nagami—calling him "Papa," of all things…
It was pure social death!
C.C., still smiling warmly, pushed the three white-haired girls closer to Nagami's side.
The memories written by that "special feather" were a one-time imprint—irreversible and unalterable.
Aside from Sirin, whose memories had been sealed directly by the feather itself, no one could recover the true events of the Second Eruption.
Not even Fu Hua, armed with the Herrscher of Sentience's power, nor Otto, with his seemingly limitless reach.
"Actually… during this time, I went back sixteen years—to the moment of the Second Eruption and brought back the soul of… ahem, Cecilia."
Nagami's lips curved as True Kiana's bright blue eyes lit up like fireworks.
He opened a secure comms channel and, the moment it connected, dropped the bombshell without the slightest attempt at suspense.
"And Fu Hua—your disciple, Cheng Lixue, can be resurrected too!"
"My dear friend, wait for me! You must wait for me—I'm heading to the Hyperion right this instant!"
From the terminal came Otto's ecstatic yet frantic voice, followed immediately by the sound of shattering metal—like someone had just plowed straight through a steel wall.
It was Nagami's first time seeing Otto like this, but he wasn't particularly surprised.
After all, if Cecilia's resurrection was real, then Kallen's was practically guaranteed.
If Nagami asked Otto to call him "Papa" right now, the man wouldn't even hesitate.
He'd say it as many times as Nagami wanted, in whatever voice Nagami requested.
Five hundred years of longing—and at last, the faint glimmer of hope.
"Lixue…"
Fu Hua's eyes widened, her voice a trembling whisper.
She recalled the small figure who always clung to her side whenever she returned to Mount Taixu.
And the final memory—her disciple pinned lifeless in the snow, skewered by the Second Herrscher's golden spear.
"Resurrection…?"
"Is it true, Nagami? Really true?"
True Kiana rushed forward, throwing herself into his arms, eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"Of course it's true. Lady Cecilia was a wonderful mother."
Nagami gently stroked the girl's flowing moonlight-white hair, and with a flick of his power, conjured photo-like images from his memory: Cecilia holding little Kiana, rocking her to sleep, playing with her, smiling with infinite tenderness.
True Kiana stared at the warm scene in front of her, at that figure who was both unfamiliar and achingly familiar.
Her lips trembled, her eyes glistening as emotion surged through her.
"Thank you, Nagami… truly, thank you…" Her voice was soft as silk.
She lowered her head, resting her forehead gently against his chest—only to be interrupted by a sharp chop to her head. "Ouch, ouch!"
Nagami withdrew his hand, feigning irritation as he frowned down at her. "Between us, there's no need for thanks."
"Mm!"
A radiant smile bloomed across her face—brighter than the sun itself.
[So… it's this moment…]
It wasn't the usual haughty queen or puffed-up blowfish tone.
Sirin's voice, echoing in Kiana's dazed mind, carried an uncharacteristic gentleness.
But like a shooting star, it vanished almost as soon as it appeared.
The three white-haired girls who had already been told of this were calm enough—but for the others, hearing this news for the first time struck like lightning.
Their expressions were identical: eyes wide, unblinking, their hearts roiled by stormy waves.
Even Bronya's composure cracked.
Her silver-gray pupils shrank sharply, disbelief flashing within them.
To cross time itself.
To bring back the dead.
The weight of Nagami's words was enough to leave anyone utterly speechless.
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