An hour later…
Sayuri was still awake, her ear pressed to the wall. There was no way she could sleep. From the sound of it, they seemed to be… playing a fighting game. It was getting pretty intense.
With a sigh, Sayuri sat up and turned on the TV. Having nothing better to do, she decided she might as well play some games herself. Meanwhile, Eriri lost yet another round of her fighting game, just as Sayuri lost to the AI on her own console. That AI was surprisingly strong.
…
The Next Morning.
Sayuri, who hadn't slept a wink all night, quietly washed the soaked bedsheets and her pajamas. Summoning her courage, she went next door and knocked on Tatsuki's door.
When the door opened, she was greeted by Tatsuki in nothing but his pajama pants, droplets of water still clinging to his hair. He must have just finished showering. Sayuri tried her best not to stare at his well-defined muscles, swallowing her nerves before speaking.
"Tatsuki-kun, have you seen Eriri? She wasn't home when I woke up this morning."
"…" Tatsuki glanced toward the bedroom, then carefully chose his words. "Sayuri-san, Eriri has been under a lot of stress these past few days and asked me to help her relax. She just fell asleep. I don't think she'll make it to school today."
He was telling the truth. Eriri had been carrying just as much emotional baggage lately, which was precisely why she could stay up all night playing fighting games.
"…" Sayuri's eyelid twitched. 'What kind of 'stress relief' leaves someone stuck in bed the entire day?!' she screamed inwardly. But outwardly, she kept a polite smile. "That makes sense. I'll leave her in your capable hands, Tatsuki-kun."
Tatsuki nodded. "Don't worry; I'm taking the day off too, so I can look after her."
With hesitant steps, Sayuri left. Meanwhile, Tatsuki returned to the bedroom, hanging up the freshly washed sheets and pajamas to dry before going back inside.
"Not… not anymore…" Eriri mumbled in her sleep, her voice trailing off.
Tatsuki couldn't help but smile wryly. He really had pushed things too far. Then again, everything they did was at Eriri's own request—she'd proven herself far more formidable than he'd expected.
Spreading his arm for her to use as a pillow, he was taken aback when Eriri instinctively snuggled over and wrapped her legs around his. Feeling a sudden inclination that she might be ready for another "round," Tatsuki quickly shifted his focus to the group chat, hoping to distract himself.
…
[Group Chat]
It seemed something big was going on.
March 7th: "Whoa! The Antimatter Legion is invading the Herta Space Station!"
Shinobu Kocho: "Antimatter Legion? What is that?"
March 7th: "They're a bunch of monsters, obviously. Argh, I'm gonna go fight them! Time to show them what I can do!"
Tatsuki: "They invaded the Herta Space Station?"
Saeko Busujima: "That's what March 7th is saying."
Tatsuki was just about to ask for more details when a new prompt appeared:
[Detected that group member March 7th has encountered one of the apocalypse factors — The Antimatter Legion. Launching Apocalypse Journey!]
[Apocalypse Journey: A Party of Three]
[Duration: 30 minutes]
[Participants: March 7th, Tatsuki, Ainz]
[Objective: Repel the Antimatter Legion and defeat the Doomsday Beast.]
[Third Apocalypse Journey! Chat group live-stream function unlocked!]
[Group members can now broadcast their real-time view in the chat!]
An Apocalypse Journey quest—plus a brand-new group chat feature!
Tatsuki felt a surge of excitement. He gently disentangled himself from Eriri's grip, preparing for the sudden journey that was about to begin.