Lilith suddenly realized something was pushing against the top of her head. She looked up—
and her lips met…something.
Lilith's eyes flew wide, overwhelming shame flooding her entire body. Rei Ao, on the other hand, looked amused.
"Lilith, was that on purpose—or just a happy accident?"
Flustered, Lilith covered her mouth and tried to back away, only to find Lieselotte somehow right behind her.
"My, my, Lilith. You went straight for Rei Ao's 'treasure' as soon as you walked in? Looks like you've decided to join us."
Pressing her palms gently against Lilith's back, Lieselotte gave a small push, sending Lilith stumbling forward—right into Rei Ao's arms. He wrapped an arm around her waist, leaned in close to her ear, and said softly:
"Lilith, there are lots of ways to show your thanks. Care to try the way I like best?"
With that, he tipped Lilith's chin upward, slowly bringing his face near. Even though she could practically hear her own frantic heartbeat, Lilith didn't pull away. She merely trembled and closed her eyes.
Taking that as permission, Rei Ao lowered his head without hesitation.
Lilith—still naive about such things—felt an entirely new sensation overwhelm her as Rei Ao took control of the kiss.
"Oh dear, looks like we've just gained another 'sister'…"
Lieselotte stepped behind Lilith. Between Lilith's knees, she felt hands deftly undoing her clasps…
Elsewhere, in a small apartment, every piece of furniture and every object was connected to the walls by streaks of purple crystal.
At the center of all that purple crystal was an egg-shaped mass of the same hue, pulsing rhythmically as though it were breathing.
Suddenly, a crack rang out. A fissure formed on the egg's surface, spider webbing outward at high speed. In a moment, the shell was covered in cracks. By usual logic, it should hatch any second.
The purple crystal shell shattered, and whoosh! A hand burst through. Another hand followed. Both hands tore the shell open with ease, and a figure slowly emerged from the hollow.
Ouma Shu coughed violently, standing stark naked in the middle of the room. He looked down at his own hands, eyes full of curiosity and strangeness—like a newborn discovering the world. He was Ouma Shu, yet simultaneously, not Ouma Shu.
The Apocalypse Virus had chosen him. Having inherited its power, he had been "reincubated" into an entity known as "Adam."
A moment later, a crimson flash flickered in Shu's eyes.
"Destroy… everything…"
At the same time, multiple individuals across the world who knew about the true nature of the Apocalypse Virus—those who sought to become "Adam" themselves—were shocked.
"No way! Adam… has already been born?!"
Among them was Gai Tsutsugami of Funeral Parlor, whose face, already aged, now looked even more stricken.
"How did this happen?! This can't be real!"
No one wanted to become Adam more than he did. Now he was being told that Adam had already come into existence? Didn't that make all his efforts completely pointless?
He began smashing things in a frenzy with his frail, elderly hands. Outside, the Funeral Parlor members heard the commotion and exchanged looks.
"What's up with the boss?"
"No idea. Let's just pretend we didn't hear anything."
At the publishing office…
Today, Kasumigaoka Utaha brought her latest manuscript to show to Machida Sonoko.
Sonoko praised it repeatedly, clearly satisfied with Utaha's new book draft.
"Utaha, let's prepare for publication. I'll give you the best resources we have. This book is definitely going to be a hit."
As the newly promoted chief planner, it wasn't hard for Sonoko to allocate top-tier resources.
Utaha's reaction, however, was oddly calm—too calm, even tinged with a bit of heaviness.
Sensing her mood, Sonoko put away the manuscript and moved to sit in front of Utaha.
"Utaha, is something on your mind?"
"No," Utaha answered with a shake of her head.
Still unconvinced, Sonoko pressed on:
"Let me guess: it has something to do with Rei Ao, right?"
That time, Utaha's expression changed noticeably. Sonoko instantly understood; no doubt about it—it was connected to Rei Ao.
"Utaha, you're still not planning to confess?"
Utaha stiffened, rushing to explain:
"I—I never said I wanted to confess! I never said I like him! Don't go making stuff up, Sonoko."
Sonoko arched an eyebrow, looking skeptical. She slid the manuscript in front of Utaha and said softly:
"In this new book, every description of the male lead's looks and personality is basically Rei Ao. And the heroine is modeled after you."
"The whole story brims with the heroine's unspoken love for the hero—yet you claim you don't like him?"
Utaha looked embarrassed.
"I-is it really that obvious?"
"Extremely obvious. You practically stopped just short of describing his, uh…dimensions," Sonoko teased.
Ah, youth. Caught up in such emotional angst, the hallmark of adolescence. Sonoko, who was well past that stage, believed that if you had the chance, you should just go for it. She had, after all—hence why she "obtained Rei Ao's precious affection," so to speak.
"Utaha, speaking from experience, if you really like him, you should just confess. Wasting time on self-doubt might cost you everything."
Utaha's eyes dimmed. She bowed her head slightly.
"It's just… I have no idea how Rei Ao feels about me. In the chat group, he openly chases after lots of girls… but me, he's never shown any sign. Even though I met him so long ago and we're in the same world—he's never really expressed anything to me."
She couldn't help feeling self-conscious. Did she just lack appeal? Maybe Rei Ao simply wasn't interested in her?
Sonoko took a moment to think. Actually… that might be true. But she didn't believe Rei Ao was indifferent to Utaha. Considering how he was more than willing to pursue older women like herself, it was unlikely he had no interest in Utaha. So Sonoko decided to give Utaha a bit of advice.
"Utaha, listen to me…"
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