_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Erina Nakiri's eyelid twitched, her sharp gaze locked on Saeko Busujima.
"You mean… you don't know Lord A?"
Saeko slowly shook her head. "I've never even heard of him. Akio? The Commander-in-Chief?"
Erina studied her intently, then let out a soft laugh.
"Commander-in-Chief?" Saeko suddenly noticed the change in Erina's eyes.
Erina exhaled, relieved. "For a second there, you almost had me. I thought you were actually telling the truth."
"???" Saeko blinked, stunned.What was going on? Why did Erina suddenly not believe her? Everything she said was real!
"Commander, I'm not lying!"
Erina gave a cold, mocking smile. "I'll admit, you're good. The way you talked, it was almost convincing. Even I nearly believed you. I don't know how you found out about Gourmet Cells, but you slipped up."
Saeko was completely lost. "Slipped up?"
Erina leaned forward. "Your biggest mistake is not knowing who Lord Akio is. If what you said about the future was true—if you were really one of my subordinates—then you would absolutely know him."
"That's your fatal flaw."
Saeko was dumbfounded. Who the hell was this Akio? Why did just mentioning his name make Erina change completely?
"Commander, I—"
"Enough!"
Erina cut her off with a sharp huff. "I don't care to listen to any more of your nonsense. Hisako, escort her out. I still need to prepare dinner for Lord Akio."
"What a waste of my time. Truly boring."
She turned and left without giving Saeko a chance to explain further.
Hisako sighed and looked at the bewildered Saeko. "Please leave, Miss Busujima."
Saeko stared at Erina's departing back, then slowly rose from the couch. Under Hisako's escort, she walked out of Tōtsuki Academy.
Just as they stepped outside the gates, Saeko asked, "Lady Shinomiya, who exactly is this Akio that the Commander mentioned?"
It was clear now—the only reason Erina didn't believe her was because of this so-called Akio. If she wanted to prove herself, she had to find out who he really was.
Honestly, Hisako herself wasn't fully convinced by Saeko's story. But the sincerity in Saeko's eyes made her hesitate. After a pause, she finally answered.
"Lord Akio… is the deity that both the Commander and I serve."
"…What?"
Saeko froze, stunned. A god?
She had never heard of Erina or Hisako worshipping any god. And if they truly were followers of such a being, why had they never once mentioned Akio in the future?
More importantly—if gods really existed, why had Japan still fallen to ruin?
Saeko's eyes flickered as a thought struck her. Could it be that Erina and Hisako had been tricked by this so-called Akio?
Perhaps, once the apocalypse began, they realized the truth and exposed him. And afterward, ashamed of being deceived, they never spoke of it again.
Yes—that made sense.
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became. If gods really existed, why hadn't one descended to save anyone when Japan collapsed?
No, this "deity" was nothing but a fraud.
But she couldn't just blurt that out. From the way they spoke, Erina and Hisako clearly believed in him wholeheartedly.
She would need to bide her time. To find the right chance to expose this fraud and make them see the truth.
The apocalypse was only a few days away. If she wanted to prevent history from repeating itself, she needed to confront Akio as soon as possible.
Saeko drew a deep breath and turned to Hisako. "Lady Shinomiya… may I meet this god of yours? Maybe then he can confirm that I'm telling the truth."
Hisako froze, ready to refuse.
But before she could speak, Saeko dropped to her knees with a thud, bowing low in a full dogeza.
"Please, Lady Shinomiya! This concerns the lives of hundreds of millions! I beg you—let me meet him!"
Hisako was stunned. She had never expected Saeko Busujima of all people to prostrate herself before her.
And when she heard it tied to the fate of millions, she couldn't ignore it.
Finally, she nodded. "...Alright. I'll inform Lord Akio."
She clasped her hands together and began to pray.
"Lord Akio, can you hear me?"
Meanwhile…
Akio had just parted ways with Miko Yotsuya and Yuri Wakasa. After hearing from Miko that a bioweapon outbreak would soon devastate Japan, he had decided to check out Umbrella Corporation's Tokyo branch.
But on his way there, he suddenly heard Hisako's prayer.
"I'm here. What's the matter?"
He responded casually as he kept walking.
Hisako glanced at the kneeling Saeko and explained everything—her existence, her claim of being reborn, and her warnings about the future.
The more Akio listened, the more intrigued he became.
He had just learned about the coming disaster from Miko Yotsuya, and now, almost immediately afterward, Erina had encountered someone who had lived through it firsthand.
This wasn't coincidence. This was destiny handing him a gift.
"Wait there. I'll be right over."
Without hesitation, he turned away from Umbrella's branch—it wasn't going anywhere anyway—and headed for Tōtsuki instead.
Soon, Akio arrived at the academy gates, where Hisako and Saeko were already waiting.
Akio's gaze lingered on Saeko. She was exactly as he remembered from the original timeline: a perfect image of graceful, feminine beauty on the surface, but with eyes like sharpened steel—fierce, dangerous, and far sharper than in the story he knew.
She wasn't just a sword hidden in its sheath anymore. She was a blade already drawn, ready to cut at the slightest touch.
At the same time, Saeko was scrutinizing him.
So this was the "god" worshipped by the Commander and Hisako?
No matter how she looked, he was just an ordinary man. Not a trace of divine presence about him.
Her suspicions were confirmed—he was nothing but a fraud.
She had to expose him here and now. If she could convince Erina and Hisako before the apocalypse struck, they'd be prepared.
This time, she couldn't allow history to repeat itself.
With that thought burning in her mind, Saeko stepped forward.
"You… are Lord Akio?"
"..."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________