Upon returning to the hospital, Yoko's family welcomed her.
The family reuniting face-to-face—perhaps having come to terms with it, Yoko also seemed genuinely happy.
As Erika watched the scene, a heavy weight pressed down on her from behind.
It was Yumemi, who had been waiting for her return.
Since neither Gii nor Rea was around, she seemed a little displeased about being left alone.
Erika playfully engaged with her on the spot to make up for it.
However, she still had something she needed to do.
Regarding the condition of Yoko's body.
During the trip back to the hospital, she had discussed it with Yoko and decided to reveal everything to her family.
But, having just experienced that incident, they couldn't borrow the reception room. So, they cleared away the people and decided to talk in a corner of the waiting room.
◆◆◆
Naturally, Yoko's family didn't easily accept it.
Even with their daughter alive right in front of them, being told that her body was a monster and that if Erika died, she would die too—it was hard to believe.
However, Yoko could actually transform her body.
When she showed them her arm turning into a tentacle, her family was frightened, if only for a moment.
Yoko seemed more than a little shocked by that reaction.
But the degree of fear was smaller than expected.
This was also something they had discussed beforehand in what they called a "strategy meeting"—Erika had suggested that it would be best to talk about Yoko's body immediately after the reunion.
The emotion of the reunion should soften the shock of her not having a human body.
And her idea was spot on.
Yoko's family said, "No matter what kind of body you have, just being alive is enough."
Compared to the joy of her being alive, the state of her physical body was a trivial matter.
The joy of reunion was supreme bliss, to the point where they could feel that way.
Yoko, too, was saved by the words that they would accept her as family regardless of her body; she smiled and shed tears.
Erika's role ended here.
Leaving the warm family space that she had no connection to, she headed toward Ruka, who was staring at the TV placed in the waiting room.
◆◆◆
"Good work."
"You too. It's truly surprising, seeing a dead person you know appear alive."
"Blood Sheep—now that you mention it, the name fits perfectly, but you could have told me beforehand."
Marin, snuggled next to Ruka, said with slight dissatisfaction.
"I told Rea and the others too, but I didn't have confirmation."
"Well, it's fine, Marin. All's well that ends well, as they say."
"You're soft on my sister, Ruka."
"She's my future sister-in-law, after all. It never hurts to earn some affection points."
"Saying things like that right in front of the person..."
"It's a joke precisely because I think we've built a good relationship."
Ruka laughed "Hahaha" in her usual tone.
However, Erika knew the reason why she had been watching TV.
"You're taking it lightly. It's almost time for your father's press conference, isn't it?"
"Yeah. But it seems they're slightly delayed in scrutinizing the information I sent."
"I heard it was a massive amount."
"That's why it seems they intend to extract only the parts that look like they'll deal critical damage to the Kaisei kyou. Of course, the materials sent to the media will cover everything—but still, it's unlikely every station will report on it."
"Even though it's such huge news?"
"Most likely, the names of newspaper company presidents were also included in the roster."
"Bingo~"
Marin hit the mark perfectly, but she didn't look particularly happy about it.
"It looks like TV will be broadcasting nothing but the same news for a while."
"That would be helpful, from our perspective."
"A massive amount of information was leaked, they'll have endless material to cover. After that, the Kaisei kyou will crush itself."
"Maybe we'll be billionaires during all that chaos?"
"Just so you know, those gold bars won't be that easy to cash in. First of all, we don't even know what route they were acquired through."
"Oh, right. By the way, where are you keeping them right now?"
"Inside the smartphone."
Ruka showed the screen of her smartphone to Erika.
A gold bar smoothly poked its head out from inside.
Erika poked it with her index finger and pushed it back into the screen.
"Whoa, it's heavy."
"It's the real deal, after all."
"But the fact that the Kaisei kyou had them means they were cashing them in somehow, right?"
"That cash-in route will likely be destroyed in this uproar, too."
"Ah, right."
"Well, don't worry, I'll try to figure something out. This is good social experience, too."
"Don't you mean bad social experience?"
"As long as we don't become villains, it's a good thing."
Ruka said something that sounded like a profound truth, yet conveniently self-serving.
Marin shrugged with a wry smile, muttering, "I can't win against you."
While they were doing that, the delayed press conference finally began.
"Want to sit?"
"No, I'm good."
"I'm the same as Ruka."
"I see."
Erika sat on a nearby chair.
Then, as if drawn to her, Rea and Yumemi flanked her on both sides.
"Were you waiting for me?"
"Well, it's not exactly a conversation I can jump into, you know. Right, Yumemi san?"
"Yes, it felt like an 'adult conversation', so I was a little lonely."
"Did I really look that smart...?"
"You were actually just consumed by greed."
GIi wrapped her arms around Erika's neck from behind.
It was slightly suffocating for Erika.
"You saw it too, didn't you, Gii? That."
"Yeah, huge amount. With that, we'll never struggle for money our whole lives."
"A massive amount of gold bars, huh... I think I'd just be overwhelmed by it."
"Well, I'm happy as long as I have Erika."
Saying that, Yumemi clung tightly to Erika.
While that was undoubtedly true, Erika also thought that having money would allow them to live together with peace of mind.
After all, it was as if she no longer had parents.
It might be easy to earn money using their abilities, but it's always better to be prepared.
[First of all, regarding the circumstances leading to this press conference—]
In the meantime, Gosei had finally begun to speak.
Naturally, everyone's gaze turned to the screen, and they fell silent.
The barbarous acts the Kaisei kyou had committed in Hikarinomiya City from the past to the present.
The time had come for all of it to be revealed.
How they controlled all administration and industry in Hikarinomiya City, and how believers had blended in among the citizens.
And how they used that power to cover up crimes, carry out purges, torture, and murder.
The things Gosei spoke of—although information had been revealed by many media outlets up to now—were all incredibly vivid, evil, and almost unreal stories, surpassing everything prior.
Moreover, almost all of it was accompanied by evidence.
'Beyond imagination'—this was exactly what that phrase meant.
Many of the people watching the press conference probably couldn't believe it was something that actually happened in reality just by hearing it once.
But, the fact remained that the academy and the amusement park had vanished, and far too many deaths had occurred.
As they recognized it as the truth, the feeling of unreality faded, replaced by surging terror and disgust.
Even for Erika and the others, who knew everything, it was a sickening story to hear.
People who knew nothing must have been terribly shocked.
In fact, the hospital staff and patients watching it in the same waiting room were staring at the screen with pale faces.
And in the midst of that—the shooting of Hiyami Gosei occurred.
So to speak, it was the finishing blow.
As if to definitively prove that everything he said was true, the murder of the head of the Hiyami Group was broadcast live nationwide.
Immediately after, the screen switched back to the studio, showing the stunned faces of the newscasters and commentators.
The waiting room fell completely silent along with them.
Erika suddenly looked over at Ruka.
Beside her, Marin seemed to be holding her hand to comfort her—but Ruka herself showed no sign of being shaken.
As if she had known from the beginning that this would happen.
"My sister is unshakeable, huh."
How many times had she thought that?
Even Erika was surprised by the thickness of Ruka's core.
It seemed the title of a company president's daughter wasn't just for show.
Since she didn't know any other president's daughters, Erika couldn't judge if that was standard—but well, she figured it probably wasn't normal.
Thinking about the possibility that Ruka could have been on the Kaisei kyou's side gave her chills.
On that point, it could be called a fine play on Marin's part for making her fall in love at first sight, even if it was unintentional.
◆◆◆
Triggered by Hiyami Gosei's press conference and death, the world began to move significantly.
Reporters swarmed politicians, bureaucrats, presidents of major corporations, and celebrities who were named as having ties to the Kaisei kyou.
Among them were those who paid large sums to the Kaisei kyou for assassinations, or who illegally funneled company money to the cult, prompting the police to take action.
Although, since Kaisei kyou believers were also mixed within the police force itself, the chain of command seemed quite chaotic.
Furthermore, because the depth of corruption in Hikarinomiya City was exposed in even greater detail, the number of citizens deciding to abandon ship and escape increased even more.
Naturally, the connection between the mayor and the Kaisei kyou also came to light, causing the protesters surrounding city hall to riot.
They finally pushed past the security personnel and stormed into the mayor's office.
However, the mayor wasn't there.
Having given up on everything, deciding it was all over, he had secretly escaped the city hall, confessed his crimes, and turned himself in to the police.
It wasn't limited to the mayor; believers confessing their sins appeared one after another.
Regarding this, the information circulating within the believers communities that "His Eminence the Archbishop received divine punishment and died" played a huge role.
Data concerning the Kaisei kyou's internal information network was included in what was obtained at the Setaguchi residence, and Erika and the others had utilized it.
Coupled with the image of the corpse, they had no choice but to believe it.
On the other hand, the Ikuna couple and Cardinal Layla, as a countermeasure, propagated the existence of a new power of Giraiguu, claiming that through it, they had drawn even closer to the True World.
"They're quite stubborn, aren't they."
Yumemi declared with a cold gaze, looking at the text displayed on Erika's smartphone.
A few hours had passed since Gousei's press conference ended—the hospital waiting room had completely turned into a gathering place for Erika and her group.
It was a convenient location; it didn't get in the way of the frantically moving hospital staff, and it was hidden from the eyes of the media waiting outside.
To outsiders, the sight of them constantly fiddling with their smartphones might have looked like 'appalling modern youth'.
At the very least, no one would ever suspect they were waging an information war against the Kaisei kyou.
"Personally, I don't really care if they break or not."
"An ultimatum. Gishishi."
"So those who still try to remain in the Kaisei kyou even after this will just have to share its fate—that's what it means, right."
"Though, I don't intend to lay a hand on them unless they directly interfere with us. Since my goal to the bitter end is to crush the Kaisei kyou, for the time being, we have to eliminate Yumemi chan's parents and the one called the Cardinal."
"...When that time comes."
"I know, Yumemi chan."
Erika and Yumemi communicated through their gazes.
Yumemi had completely given up on her parents by now.
She didn't lose them.
They had actually been dead a long time ago.
"Gii, what's the current situation with the Cardinal and the others?"
"They arrived at another stronghold and started preparing something."
When Gii said that, Yumemi—no, Nemusia reacted.
"So they finally arrived. Moving from small hideout to small hideout until now must have been for camouflage."
"Or perhaps they were going to meet believers to keep them from leaving—something like that."
At Ruka's words, Nemusia clapped her hands, "I see."
Marin asked Gii.
"But if they started preparations, it's highly likely their current stronghold is their main target, right?"
"I think so. It's much wider and bigger than the place where the Blood Sheep were."
"To think a place like that still remained."
When Yoshino said that, Ai and Hiiro spoke up, looking exasperated.
"Ai thinks the Kaisei kyou is too rich."
"Where on earth were they getting that much money from?"
It was Kiori who answered that question.
"They probably had a considerable amount of money flowing in from overseas branches too. I've heard the headquarters is in Europe."
"Europe, huh. To think there are countless countries even across the sea, this world truly is vast."
"Speaking of overseas, I just saw some concerning news."
Yoko, who had temporarily left her family and come to the waiting room, showed the screen of her smartphone to Erika.
Since she had been unconscious for weeks, she was checking the news to see what had happened during that time—there was an article labeled as breaking news.
"『City Disappears in Southern Africa? Strange Eyewitness Reports Flood the Internet』. Whoa, that's a huge crater. Is this not photoshopped?"
"I looked into it a bit, and the people nearby seem to be really confused. Also, there was an image like this mixed in."
The image Yoko showed was an abnormally large tree standing right in the middle of the crater, with a sky-blue trunk and pale blue leaves.
At a glance, it looked like nothing but a composite image—but Erika realized.
"Kiori san... well, Hiyami san works too, but do you know if the Kaisei kyou had an African branch?"
"I don't think I know. What about you, Ruka chan?"
"There is one. Its history is short, but when the Hiyami Group cooperated in local development, they supposedly spread their teachings and built a stronghold at the same time."
"Then that's it."
"Has the Gate technology already crossed overseas? Isn't that too fast?"
Rea's doubt was reasonable.
However, Erika and the others had pointed this out previously.
"The Gates they're making are merely extensions of pre-existing technology. I don't really want to think about it, but once the method was established, it was probably easy."
"Ah... Erika chan, look at the TV."
Yumemi, who had returned at some point, pointed at the TV.
They expected the incident in Africa to be reported—but the footage that played first was from a certain country in Europe, where the Kaisei kyou's headquarters was supposedly located.
『Please look, a mysterious object is floating in the air. It's a red object, looking almost like intertwined plant vines!』
"Looks like a spaghetti monster."
Because Daichi said that, Erika could only see it as spaghetti.
But in reality, it wasn't something so naive.
On the news, a reporter dispatched to the scene was reporting while approaching within a few hundred meters of the monster—but the next moment, one of its tentacles closed in right behind him.
『H-Hey, behind you, behind you!』
『Huh...? U-Uwaaaaaaah!』
And by extending countless smaller tentacles, it entangled the reporter's body and carried him away.
The announcer in the studio frantically called out the reporter's name repeatedly, and told the cameraman to run away.
But the desperate calls were in vain, and the cameraman was also eaten by the spaghetti monster.
"Good grief, TV today is broadcasting nothing but stimulating footage."
Ruka said sarcastically.
It was a joke that wasn't funny.
Then Yoko, who had been fiddling with her smartphone, showed the screen to Erika again.
"Kuragane san, it seems monsters of different shapes are appearing in other places too."
Rea and Yumemi also brought their faces close to Erika's and stared intently at the screen.
"Mongolia, America, even Australia..."
"They're summoning way too many! They can't even communicate with them, right?!"
"The one in Africa blew up along with the land. The Kaisei kyou's facility there must be destroyed too, it's just pure self-destruction."
"But I bet they're rejoicing even at this."
And Yumemi's parents were probably included among "them."
Desiring power.
Regardless of the form.
Regardless of whether they could control it or not.
"Yumemi chan, do you have a dream for the future?"
"To be Erika chan's bride."
Unfazed by the sudden question, Yumemi looked straight at Erika and answered.
Erika's cheeks flushed bright red.
"...Thanks. Anything other than that?"
"I don't think so."
"I see, then I guess there's no problem. There's a skill I want you to learn."
"You can do whatever you want, Erika chan. As you please."
Being spoken to with such a strangely alluring tone made Erika blush even harder.
As if to cover it up, she stood up, moved to the window, and operated her smartphone.
"I was able to converse with Giraiguu itself, so probably with this..."
Then, a change occurred in the scenery beyond the gaps in the blinds Erika was looking through.
In the empty blue sky, a giant purple object suddenly floated up.
She opened the blinds, and while looking at it, she asked Gii:
"Hey Gii, how are things 'over there'?"
"Some machine moved and was making crackling sounds."
Saying that, she lined up next to Erika.
"Guu... I thought it would explode more grandly, or come out from inside a ring."
"In short, it suddenly appeared right there. It opened quite easily, didn't it, the Japanese Gate."
The others also noticed it and gathered by the window.
A giant purple infant floating in the sky above Hikarinomiya City.
Covered in a transparent membrane, floating curled up like a fetus, it was an aberration that looked absolutely nothing like Giraiguu.
"The scene must be overjoyed, but... how pitiful. For such a child to be brought to an unknown place for the convenience of adults."
She didn't know if it was an actual baby like it appeared.
But there was one thing she could say for sure.
That thing was not a God.
Of course it wasn't Giraiguu either—it was just a huge, strong lifeform different from humans, brought over from another dimension.
And judging from the fact that a city vanished in Africa and people were attacked in Europe, "they" were likely in the midst of confusion right now.
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