Nanashi tilted his head thoughtfully.
"By the way… If seeing me kiss someone else made you upset, does that mean you were jealous?"
He paused, then added with mock confusion,
"But haven't we only just met?"
Tina's expression grew solemn. She looked him straight in the eye.
"Lord God, I like you."
"…"
The silence that followed was soft and pure—like the feeling behind her words.
Such sincerity... Are all the Cursed Children this honest?
He couldn't help but feel proud of the life he'd given them. Proud that he had earned the love and trust of these girls.
Poke.
Seitenshi nudged Nanashi and whispered,
"She's been staring at your lips this whole time…"
"Hm?"
Nanashi turned to meet Tina's gaze—and sure enough, her eyes were fixed on his mouth.
Confused, he asked,
"Is something wrong?"
Tina responded without hesitation.
"I want a kiss!"
So direct. So pure.
She's really honest with me… Nanashi thought.
He let out a breath, both speechless and amused by her boldness. But when faced with such sincere longing, how could he refuse?
With a gentle smile, he leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth.
"Lord God!!!"
Tina pressed a hand to her lips, her face blooming with joy.
Her heart was dancing.
She wanted every Cursed Child to know: she had been kissed by their Lord God!
"Tina," Nanashi asked, "do you have any goals for the future?"
She shook her head.
"Not yet."
"Then… would you like to come with me?"
Her eyes lit up.
"Really?!"
"Really. From now on, you can call me Brother Nanashi. That's my name."
He gently ran his fingers through her hair.
Without warning, Tina threw her arms around him and cried out,
"Brother Nanashi!!"
Later, after returning to Seitenshi's residence, Tina met Kayo and the others.
Girls like Enju—each one a key part of Seitenshi's household.
For Shinobu and the rest, Seitenshi arranged separate accommodations.
Tina was full of energy, chatting non-stop with the others.
Nanashi chuckled quietly as the girls excitedly discussed the Cursed Children's love for "God."
To give them space, he slipped away with Seitenshi to another room.
It was her personal bedroom.
"Lord Nanashi is very popular with the Cursed Children," Seitenshi said with a sigh.
"I also didn't expect that."
He had only wanted to change the world.
But according to Tina, many of the Cursed Children—girls who had never even met him—held deep respect and affection for him.
Seitenshi's heart stirred, remembering Tina's bravery.
She looked up, determination in her eyes.
"I like you too, Lord Nanashi."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Immediately, she lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze.
Nanashi smiled gently and reached over to close the door behind them.
Some things didn't need to be explained.
One look was enough.
Bang, bang!
In the middle of the night, Seitenshi had already fallen asleep.
Nanashi, preparing to hold her as they slept, was interrupted.
Someone's knocking on the door?
At this hour?
He carefully pulled the quilt over Seitenshi and, after slipping on his pajamas, went to answer it.
Standing outside was… Shinobu?
She peeked into the room, caught a faint scent in the air, and quickly understood what she had just walked in on.
Forcing an awkward smile despite the blush on her cheeks, she said,
"Arara, it seems I came at the wrong time..."
Nanashi returned her smile calmly.
"No, you came at just the right time."
Because—well—he was finished.
…
After gently closing the bedroom door, the two of them settled onto the living room sofa.
"What's the matter?" Nanashi asked directly.
Shinobu looked a bit hesitant.
"Can I see my sister?"
…
That request left Nanashi slightly troubled.
It wasn't that he didn't want to let Kanae see her sister.
The problem was… Kanae herself. She was still mortified by the water-spilling incident in front of her sisters and had been hiding ever since.
"Is something wrong?" Shinobu asked nervously.
Nanashi scratched his head and decided to be honest.
"Kanae's the one having a hard time. She doesn't want to come out."
"What?" Shinobu's face fell.
"Sister doesn't want to see me…?"
No wonder Kanae hadn't shown herself once in the four days since Shinobu had arrived. So that was it—she was avoiding her.
"No!"
Nanashi quickly clarified, afraid she'd misunderstood.
"She's just embarrassed about what happened before. That's all."
That memory suddenly resurfaced for Shinobu—the splash of warm water, the stunned silence…
"..."
She instinctively reached for her drink and took a sip.
The air between them grew thick with unspoken thoughts.
"Waaah! Shinobu! Don't think about it!"
At last, Kanae appeared.
She threw herself onto Shinobu and rubbed her cheek against her sister's in a wild, desperate attempt to shake off the memory.
Shinobu, now staring awkwardly at her sister's dramatic entrance, muttered,
"Big sister… um, long time no see..."
And just like that, their reunion turned into the most painfully awkward greeting imaginable.
Kanae was silent for a moment before flopping back into Nanashi's arms.
"Hey, Nanashi, how about you take Shinobu too?" she said casually.
Her logic was simple.
If she had to endure the embarrassment, then Shinobu should be part of it too.
If they were all one big family, then there was nothing to be ashamed of.
Nanashi blinked.
"Huh?"
Is this how sisters behave?
Amazing sister! I love you! Please keep saying things like that!
"Take… me too?"
Shinobu stared at the two of them in disbelief, her mind a swirl of confusion.
Clearly, their relationship had gone beyond what she expected—and Kanae's suggestion had come completely out of left field.
What does she mean by 'take me too'?!
"Ahem."
Nanashi coughed, trying to reset the mood.
"Don't talk nonsense, Kanae. That's not something I can just decide on my own."
"Oh come on~ Now's the perfect time for you to take initiative," Kanae said with a playful grin, clearly enjoying herself—especially in front of her little sister.
Nanashi's patience thinned.
"If you keep this up, I'm really going to 'eat' you two."
Tina, who had been extremely enthusiastic the previous night, was utterly drained by morning.
Being a night owl with owl genes, her circadian rhythm didn't match anyone else's.
Her eyes now glowed a soft light blue, and she yawned constantly—exhausted, groggy, and listless.
Enju and the others were also feeling the fatigue.
As for why… Well, their glances kept drifting toward Brother Nanashi, Seitenshi, and Shinobu.
Especially Enju, who pouted in visible frustration.
"Hey, Nanashi! You look lively this morning. Had a good rest last night?" Lemuel asked knowingly with a sly grin.
"And Seitenshi and Shinobu," she added, "you two seem especially radiant today."
There was a hidden meaning in her words.
Seitenshi and Shinobu blushed in sync.
Just a few words were enough to expose last night's not-so-secret activities.
From that moment on, Shinobu stood frozen in place, her face bright red.
She couldn't move.
Big Sister is powerful... very powerful…
She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Nanashi, but she couldn't deny there was something there—an inexplicable connection.
Kanae hadn't let Nanashi down.
And now, things had come to this.
"Ahem, let's focus." Nanashi clapped his hands, shifting the conversation.
"Mr. Nanashi, do you need any help? What should we do?" Reinharu asked.
"No, I've got it covered," Nanashi replied.
"In that case, let's enjoy a relaxed livestream," Lemuel chimed in, pulling up a stool.
There wasn't much to stream anyway.
It was just a scaled-down version of what Nanashi had done in Esdeath world.
But first—he had to deal with the virus.
As his Mystic Eyes opened once more, a new transformation took place.
The golden hue shifted into a brilliant ice blue—shimmering subtly with a rainbow-like iridescence.
Mystic Eyes of Death Perception
Looking at the world through these eyes, dense lines of death stretched across everything in his vision.
But he didn't need to trace each one manually.
His eyes could now filter and reveal only the death lines he wished to see, adjusting themselves according to his intent.
The protozoan virus had spread across the globe. No longer confined to individual protozoa, it had evolved.
Now, the enterovirus had become a worldwide phenomenon.
But Nanashi only needed to see the death line of the phenomenon itself.
And just like that—he saw it.
The dense web of death lines scattered across his vision slowly faded.
And then, in the void, a single black death line appeared—as thick as an arm, stretching from heaven to earth.
"There it is."
The death line of the original enterovirus phenomenon.
Nanashi tightened his grip. His Zanpakutō manifested in his hand.
Even he hadn't expected that the very first swing of his blade would actually sever the line.
Of course, he could've chosen other methods.
But somehow… it just felt more real to cut it down with a sword.
From the outside, all anyone saw was Nanashi slashing the air.
But in his eyes, the death line had been cut.
And the reaction?
"Hey!!! My power's fading!" Enju gasped.
She felt it—her powerful kicks had weakened.
"Me too..." muttered Kayo, staring at her hands in disbelief.
The enterovirus had been destroyed.
But that didn't mean the Cursed Children were becoming powerless.
Their genes had already been transformed.
The virus had merely amplified their pre-existing enhancements. It was like a booster.
Take Kayo, for instance—her IQ was already impressive, and when she accessed her powers, it only got higher. Now that the enterovirus was gone, her IQ wouldn't increase further, but she wouldn't become any less intelligent.
And then there were children like Tina.
Even without the virus, she would always be a night owl—a trait hard-coded into her DNA.
"Don't worry," Nanashi said calmly. "I've eliminated the enterovirus. It no longer exists in this world."
"Huh?"
Kisara was the first to cry out in disbelief.
All she saw was Nanashi slashing the air… and yet, he claimed the enterovirus had vanished?
Nanashi simply turned to her, his icy blue eyes locking onto hers.
"Aah!!!"
The moment their eyes met, Kisara felt as if her body had been plunged into the Netherworld—a realm of absolute silence and death.
Just that brief exchange was enough for her to understand.
When Nanashi said "kill," he meant it.
"Then..." Nanashi said, stepping forward, "it's time for the final phase."
"Everything in the universe belongs to me—BANKAI!"
Around the world, people anxiously waited.
It was now the fourth day—the day Nanashi had spoken of.
What would happen?
Other than the Cursed Children, who noticed changes in themselves, ordinary citizens felt nothing unusual.
"Gods and demons? Please. It's all nonsense. Nothing's happening!"
Some even popped champagne bottles to celebrate early.
But they were about to be proven wrong.
A voice, untraceable and echoing from nowhere, suddenly rang out across the globe.
[Everyone, the time for judgment has come.]
"!!!"
The entire world stopped.
He's coming.
He's really coming.
Panic gripped some. Excitement surged in others.
Nanashi had given the world four days.
Time to reflect. To reconsider how they treated the Cursed Children.
Whether they did or not… was up to them.
[Before the judgment, I have something to announce.]
[The enterovirus has been completely erased from this world.]
[The Cursed Children have returned to being normal humans.]
"God-sama!"
Those who could feel the transformation within themselves—the Cursed Children—cried out in awe, reverence filling their voices.
Ordinary people, however, were dumbfounded.
The enterovirus is gone?
No more protozoan beasts?
The Cursed Children are… normal again?
This wave of seemingly impossible news left the world staggered.
And it was Nanashi's final mercy.
If, even now, someone still hated or mistreated the Cursed Children, they no longer had an excuse.
And their deaths would no longer be tragic—but deserved.
[Now, the trial begins.]
[Those who hated the Cursed Children.]
[Those who bullied them.]
[Those who abused them.]
[Your sentence: Hang yourself.]
The moment that final line echoed in their minds—
In streets, malls, and towers across the world…
Eyes glazed over.
People leapt from rooftops.
Jumped into rivers.
Tied nooses.
Slammed their heads into walls…
They obeyed—one by one, they ended their lives.
This was the judgment of hanging.
"Everyone… No… Don't do this!"
"STOP!!"
Satomi Rentaro screamed, face contorted in agony.
Humans were dying before his eyes.
He wanted to protect them. To protect the law. The system.
But he was powerless.
All he could do was watch.
Until—suddenly—it hit him.
"The Cursed Children! The Cursed Children can save them!"
Without hesitation, he ran.
Toward the sewers.
Toward the only hope left in this dying world.