The chuunibyou Kurumi clones have strong action power.
After taking a group photo of the five of them, Souta hadn't even had time to check the picture before his iPhone was snatched away by them.
Then, the four of them each took turns pulling Souta aside to take two-person selfies with him.
The Lolita-dressed Kurumi, dressed in a white Lolita-style outfit, formed her hand into a cat paw shape and playfully scratched Souta's face while letting out an adorable "Meow~." The phone captured this moment.
"You're really adorable, Kurumi. I don't think anyone could be cuter than you," Souta commented, looking at her fair, delicate cheeks.
"Eh...? Souta, you really know how to talk, hehe."
Lolita Kurumi showed a satisfied expression before sinking into Eyepatch Kurumi's shadow.
"What about me? What about me?"
Next up was the Goth-Punk-styled Kurumi, who placed her hands on her hips and moved close to Souta.
Her right hand, left leg, and left eye were all wrapped in bandages, making her look as if she had been injured. However, in reality, she wasn't hurt at all—she simply wanted to create the illusion of having experienced a brutal battle.
"These scars must be the marks of an formidable and epic battle." Souta patted Bandage Kurumi's shoulder with a serious face. "Even though you're covered in wounds, you continue to walk the path of a warrior. Your will is admirable. Keep going! You'll become a legend!"
"Ah! No, no! Contractor, you're amazing! I'm looking forward to our next meeting!"
Bandage Kurumi beamed with excitement before jumping into Eyepatch Kurumi's shadow.
Souta then turned his gaze to the Kurumi wearing a luxurious black kimono, which blended with a Lolita aesthetic and was adorned with floral patterns.
Unlike Eyepatch Kurumi, whose eye patch was a typical medical one, Kimono Kurumi's eye patch was designed like the hilt of Yagyū Jūbei's sword, giving it a stylish touch.
At some point, Kurumi had developed a fascination with traditional Japanese clothing. She not only researched various Japanese sword names but also started using archaic kanji just for the sake of aesthetics, fully immersing herself in a Taisho-era romantic fantasy... The Kimono Kurumi was a product of this phase in her thoughts.
At this moment, Kimono Kurumi looked at Souta with anticipation, seemingly waiting for him to shower her with praise as well.
"Hmm... This outfit has both a cool and elegant style," Souta said, giving a thumbs-up. "You've done a great job combining Eastern and Western elements. But if I had to nitpick, I'd say you're missing a katana—if you had one, the look would be perfect."
"Oh my, oh my... Contractor, you really understand me. Not many people do, you know?"
Kimono Kurumi suddenly rushed forward and gave Souta a big hug.
After the hug, she, too, returned to Eyepatch Kurumi's shadow.
Now, Souta's iPhone was filled with embarrassing blackmail-worthy moments that would surely make future Kurumi cringe.
Souta couldn't help but look forward to that moment.
After all, Kurumi was usually so composed and often teased him. He occasionally wanted to see her flustered reaction.
Of course, he wouldn't go too far.
He'd tease her once, then delete the evidence.
If he truly angered Kurumi, that wouldn't be good.
As for whether deleting the pictures would be a waste... Well, with the Four Heavenly Kings' Kurumi clones, she could always summon them again. Reliving these blackmail moments wouldn't be hard at all.
Souta smiled faintly.
Kurumi's different versions from various phases of her life were really interesting.
He wondered if there was a version of her going through puberty...
"Oh, I almost forgot to say this,"
Souta turned to Eyepatch Kurumi and smiled, complimenting her:
"I think your eye patch looks great on you."
Kurumi froze for a moment, then smiled:
"Contractor, I thought you'd forgotten me. I'm honored by your praise."
Souta took out his system phone, checked the time, and then said:
"I'm heading to another city to set up the Divine Kingdom. Kurumi, do you want to come along?"
"Of course. We already agreed on that earlier."
Kurumi stepped forward and grabbed Souta's sleeve.
Originally, she had intended to hold his hand, but a sense of shyness held her back.
They had only just met, after all. Even though she knew he was her future partner, she still felt a little embarrassed.
"Let's go." Souta took the initiative this time, gently holding Kurumi's soft hand.
Kurumi's face turned slightly red, but she didn't pull her hand away.
Souta teleported them from the rooftop to the street and then began walking at a leisurely pace toward another city.
Since there was no rush, he planned to take his time exploring with Kurumi.
The chuunibyou Kurumi seemed curious about everything. She was usually busy gathering information on Honjou Nia, and she didn't like shopping alone.
So for her, this was a rare opportunity.
She thoroughly enjoyed the moment.
By the time they reached their destination, it was already deep into the night.
This place was far from Tenguu City—completely unrelated to it and very remote.
Takamiya Mio's activities were centered in Tenguu City, so Souta had no intention of playing the "the most dangerous place is the safest place" game.
A secluded location was the best place to hide the Divine Kingdom.
"So, are we digging underground now?"
Kurumi looked at the ground, pondering what method to use to dig through.
Souta chuckled and shook his head. "No need to go through all that trouble. I can just teleport the Divine Kingdom underground using divine power."
As he spoke, he split off a small portion of the Divine Kingdom and used his divine power to expand and stabilize it, ensuring it could hold more faith.
Since it needed to store five years' worth of faith, it had to be stable—otherwise, it could collapse under the strain.
Once everything was ready, he expended his divine power to teleport the separated part of the Divine Kingdom several kilometers underground.
The Divine Kingdom existed between reality and illusion, so it wouldn't displace the surrounding matter. Instead, it would anchor itself within the void beneath the earth.
After securing the Divine Kingdom, Souta removed his divine power products from the system store and restored his divine power to full capacity.
He was preparing for any unexpected encounters with Takamiya Mio.
"Alright, let's go back."
With that, he took Kurumi's hand, and they started their journey back to Tenguu City.
Whether it was due to Murphy's Law or something else—
Just as they reached the outskirts of Tenguu City, an overwhelming sense of oppression descended upon them.
Floating in the air ahead of them was a barely human-shaped, pixelated figure, looking down at them from above.
Souta's pupils immediately contracted!
His nerves tensed as he entered battle mode.
"What's wrong?" Kurumi noticed his tension.
Souta let go of her hand, exhaled, and said:
"We're out of luck—we just ran into the big boss you've been looking for."
Hearing this, Kurumi looked at the pixelated figure ahead, her eyes widening in shock as she instinctively grew wary.
Souta was filled with questions—why was Takamiya Mio here?
Although puzzled, there was no time to dwell on it.
Using his divine instincts, Souta transmitted his thoughts directly to Kurumi:
'This is the Spirit of Origin you've been searching for. Listen—I'll hold her off. You use your shadow space to escape and hide completely.'
Seeing Kurumi about to protest, Souta quickly added:
'I can leave safely, but I won't abandon you. You must escape first so I can go. Understand?'
Kurumi clenched her teeth but gave a small nod.
At that moment, the pixelated figure trembled slightly, emitting a faint, quivering voice:
"Finally, I've found you..."