With the incident finally resolved, Kawashima Toya bid Eriri farewell and prepared to leave.
"Kawashima-kun, why don't you stay for lunch?"
"Thank you for helping me so much."
Eriri blushed slightly, looking a bit shy. "Consider this meal as my way of saying thanks."
"A free meal doesn't sound too bad. After solving so much trouble, I deserve a bite to eat, right?"
Toya considered it for a moment. Just as he was about to accept the invitation, his phone rang.
"A call?"
He glanced at the screen. It was Kasumigaoka Utaha. Puzzled, he answered. "Is something wrong?"
"Kawashima, I need to tell you something, but promise me you won't panic!" Utaha's voice came through the receiver, sounding shaken.
Toya frowned slightly, his voice calm. "Utaha, I think you're the one who needs to stop panicking."
Utaha took a deep breath, her voice stabilizing. "We just discovered that something might have happened to Jashin-chan."
"She's gone."
"Gone?" Toya laughed dryly. "Jashin-chan is a high-ranking devil capable of taking care of herself."
"Even if she's missing, she probably just went out to play."
"She'll likely be back before long."
In the anime, Jashin-chan was a complete hedonist. She would often spend entire days at the arcade or the pachinko parlor without telling anyone.
"No..." Utaha's voice grew heavy. "She said she was going to explore the basement."
"We tried to stop her, but she just ran off."
"When we went to look for her later, we searched the entire manor, but there was no trace of her."
"Let me explain. You've been talking for half a day without getting to the point."
The phone changed hands, and a lively, youthful voice took over.
"Darling! While no one was paying attention, Jashin-chan snuck into the basement."
"With her incredible luck, she managed to enter the Mirror of Past, Present, and Future."
"Right now, she's probably getting beaten up in one of the remaining two banquets."
"..." Toya replied weakly, "Nyaruko, didn't you try to stop her?"
"The remaining two banquets are no joke."
"Darling, you don't actually think I let this happen, do you?" Nyaruko sounded aggrieved. "I just found out myself!"
"Jashin-chan is an Upper-Class Devil, after all. Theoretically, she's on the same level as my current form."
"How could I monitor her constantly?"
"As for my main body, don't even ask. The true Nyarlathotep is dormant in chaos. Unless something major happens that requires witnessing, it wouldn't pay attention to this world."
"Sorry, I wrongly accused you," Toya apologized immediately.
Nyaruko disdained lying. If she said she didn't know, it meant she really hadn't noticed the sneaky serpent.
"Jashin-chan really is a troublemaker."
"Darling, let's talk more when you get back."
After hanging up, Toya sighed. "Sorry, Eriri. Looks like I can't stay for that meal after all."
"Something came up. I have to go. See you next time."
With that, Toya got into the waiting car and headed straight for home.
Sawamura Sayuri watched him leave, then looked at Eriri with a beaming smile. "Eriri, tell Mommy all about your isekai adventure!"
"It was dangerous!" Eriri complained loudly. "You don't care about me at all! You're more interested in the other world!"
.....
Trash Fox Manor, Basement.
Ten minutes later, Toya rushed down the stairs.
Everyone was gathered there, standing at the entrance but afraid to take a single step further.
Nyaruko greeted him with a brilliant smile. "Darling, you're finally back!"
"I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Toya pondered for a moment. "Bad news."
Since learning that Jashin-chan had entered the mirror, he felt prepared for the worst.
Nyaruko spread her hands. "Jashin-chan definitely entered the broken mirror, and she's currently getting beaten up inside."
"Isn't that good news?" Toya raised an eyebrow. "How is that bad?"
"Jashin-chan can't die anyway. Let her get taught a lesson. What's wrong with that?"
Jashin-chan had a notoriously terrible personality and an indestructible body. Getting beaten up was just a Tuesday for her. Maybe this lesson would actually make her behave.
"I can't reveal the details," Nyaruko said, realizing Toya was underestimating the situation. "But she is getting beaten very badly."
"If Darling doesn't go rescue her, the consequences will be unthinkable."
"At the very least, she'll be stuck there getting pummeled until Darling decides to enter the mirror for the second time."
"That... is actually serious." Toya's expression hardened.
Based on the million-point reward for clearing a banquet, he knew that the "Present" and "Future" banquets were currently impossible for him to complete.
His plan to re-enter the mirror was likely years away.
Even with Jashin-chan's immortal body, getting beaten non-stop for years would break her mind completely.
Nyaruko nodded in agreement. "Now for the good news."
"Jashin-chan entered the 'Future' banquet."
"The 'Future' banquet isn't as insanely difficult as the 'Present' one."
"However, for the current Darling, it's still nearly impossible to clear."
Hanazono Yurine, who had been listening quietly, asked, "Nyaruko, can we release the seal on Jashin-chan's power?"
"If she has her full strength, she should be able to hold out for a while, right?"
"Unfortunately, no," Nyaruko shook her head gently. "Even if we release her full power, she won't last."
"She'd struggle to survive even a single day."
"That dangerous?" Toya felt a chill run down his spine. He had underestimated the difficulty of the remaining two banquets.
Even a fully powered Upper-Class Devil wouldn't last a day?
"Should I go?" Toya was torn.
If he went, there was a high chance he wouldn't be able to protect himself, let alone her.
If he didn't go, Jashin-chan would be beaten into a pulp.
Seeing Toya deep in thought, Nyaruko signaled everyone to stay quiet and give him time.
After a long silence, Toya sighed. "I'll go take a look."
"If I don't go, Jashin-chan is really done for."
He was strongly opposed to entering the mirror again so soon. But he couldn't just sit by and watch Jashin-chan meet a terrible fate.
[SystemNotice: World Mission Update.]
[The Savior of Humanity has decided to challenge the Mirror of Past, Present, and Future again. Rewards Updated!]
[RewardUpgrade: 2,000,000 Origin Points. Hint for the optimal time to participate in the "Present" banquet.]
"The danger level is that high?"
Toya's eyes flashed with shock. Just deciding to participate had doubled the reward.
"This means the difficulty is far beyond what I imagined."
"There's a very high chance that both Jashin-chan and I will die in there."