At the Takagi residence.
Because Fallen Angel Kuroneko had tipped her off, Saeko Busujima also noticed the newly opened download function on the Hyperdimension Channel livestream.
That way, she could at least let the others know what kind of situation he was in.
As for what Kuroneko suggested—editing the video and releasing it publicly so more people could see it—Saeko had no intention of doing that for now.
For one thing, this world had already fallen into apocalypse. Human society had collapsed, and the internet was crippled. Even if she wanted to spread it, there was nowhere to spread it to.
And secondly… he had been to this world before, and Saeko didn't want to expose too many of his secrets.
Because even in a broken world, there would still be armed groups out there. If those people realized he had existed here—and saw the video—they would start getting ideas.
Saeko believed he wouldn't fear them or worry about them.
But they would target them instead—turning everyone here into his weakness.
So at the very least, they needed to grow strong enough first.
Even if they couldn't help him by boosting the stream's reach to raise that energy bar, Saeko would still do her best to become his support—like ensuring the supply of Earth Elixir, and pushing deeper development of it.
Black Label's medical resources would also be used to further refine the drug.
At the same time, research into the D99 virus would restart. That had been one of his recommendations to Black Label before he left.
The world was already like this, after all. Redeveloping D99 didn't risk "causing another apocalypse," and there was Earth Elixir as an insurance policy.
So then—play.
"...So this is the hell he's in?"
The first to snap back to herself was Yuko Sagiri.
This kind of world-ending devastation wasn't on the same level as the Dead crisis in their world at all.
It was a difference in dimensions.
That terrifying man-made space fortress smashing into the ground made it feel like the planet itself was screaming.
And he was trying to escape through that destruction—almost certain death.
Watching him break through the flames, his whole body scorched to the point where skin and flesh peeled away with terrifying ease…
It was impossible to imagine that kind of pain.
And under that kind of agony, he still had to keep his mind locked in—flying that fighter, dodging the destructive aftershocks ripping across the surface, and dodging the crossfire of that all-out battle.
"...He really is from the future."
Kiba Mikoto murmured in a daze.
Half a day after he left, Saya Takagi and Saeko had officially revealed that information to them.
She hadn't expected it to be true—that man was from at least thirteen thousand years in the future.
And in that future, humanity was fighting a brutal war against alien species.
The planet in the video was probably a human colony world… and it was being invaded. The fighting looked so catastrophic it felt like it could destroy the planet itself.
"No wonder he has that kind of aura… like he crawled out of hell after slaughtering his way through."
Rika Minami murmured as well.
"Ahh—!!!"
The sudden scream came from Shizuka Marikawa, because the man on screen had just run into an extremely dangerous moment.
Luckily, he avoided it, and the heart that had leapt into her throat finally eased back down.
By now, that man had completely thrown her feelings into chaos.
Because when she got drunk, she'd ended up in a very ugly "contest" with Rika and Yuko—one where they really did use their mouths, hands, and everything else to "extract" what they wanted.
If there'd been time, he could've stayed a few more hours… even if it meant barely crawling past that final line.
Shizuka's peripheral vision drifted to a woman nearby—someone who looked only a few years older than her, and didn't look like the mother of a tall middle-school-aged daughter at all—
Yuriko Takagi.
Yuriko had been even bolder.
She'd truly crossed that line.
Of course, she'd been drunk too… and she'd mistaken who he was, which was why her mood right now was also painfully complicated.
"Saeko-senpai."
"Hm?"
"You can get real-time updates on him, right?"
"Mm."
Saeko didn't deny it, and she didn't seem surprised. With Saya's intelligence, it wasn't strange she'd figure it out.
Of course, Saeko hadn't explained anything about the Hyperdimension Channel, and she hadn't said he was from another world.
Saya understood it as "the future of this world," so Saeko simply let her keep understanding it that way.
"What—do you want me to pass him a message? Finish what you didn't get to say yesterday, tell him you'll provide—"
"No!!!"
Saya cut Saeko off immediately. Couldn't she see her mom was right there?
How was her mom supposed to look at her—a daughter who sold out her own mother?
"Saya! Don't be so rude."
Yuriko, who had stayed silent until now, finally spoke. Her gaze on Saya was complicated.
From the way Saya had interrupted Saeko just now—and the guilty look she'd thrown toward her—
Yuriko could tell that yesterday, when he was leaving, Saya had brought up something involving her.
As for what had happened after Yuriko got drunk—something so absurd it felt unreal—
afterward, Saya had admitted it cleanly: she had let her mother lose control, and she'd even asked him to cooperate, to "make a mistake" together.
Saya claimed it was all planned.
Because that was something that had already happened in the future. Only if it happened would he exist in the future, return to this era, and save everyone.
If they didn't "make that mistake," then he wouldn't be able to cross time, wouldn't be able to change anything, and the Takagi household would die horribly.
So why would "making a mistake" have anything to do with whether he existed in the future?
Because after that mistake… Yuriko would later have another child.
A child with a special impact on the future.
A child who could be called his ancestor.
So to close the loop, Saya had ultimately calculated even her own mother.
That was why… Yuriko had to survive.
Because that child might become humanity's savior in the future.
Did Saya really think Yuriko was stupid?
Did she think that because what she told Saeko sounded plausible, she could fool her?
Still…
There was one thing Yuriko couldn't be sure about.
It really was possible she might be carrying his child.
Even if it wasn't her "danger window," once she'd taken Earth Elixir, who knew what that might change?
And besides—this time, the loop was gone.
Saya's true goal was to make Yuriko develop feelings, to make it impossible for her to follow her husband and leave.
So now, with Saya being scolded like that, she looked deeply uneasy.
Her behavior had been too vile. She was terrified that once Yuriko sobered up completely, she'd explode.
But the truth was… up until now, Yuriko still hadn't shown any anger toward Saya.
Thinking that, Yuriko gave a bitter smile inside her heart.
She didn't blame Saya.
Because this was how much her child loved her.
And because Saya—who had done such a thing—was suffering, too.
Not just guilt toward her mother…
but also having to watch the man she liked be that way with her mother.
That kind of torment would break anyone.
Still… what was it that Saya had wanted to say to him at the farewell, but never finished?
And why did it seem related to Yuriko?
That thought stirred Yuriko's heart into a mess.
If that man came back again…
How was she supposed to face him?
(End of Chapter)
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