Souta looked calmly at the girl who had just chopped his neck with her hand and asked:
The girl with soft pink hair furrowed her brows, just barely.
Clearly, it hurt. But she forced herself to endure it, her gaze fixed quietly on Souta.
"Why... didn't you pass out?"
So, you knew I was supposed to pass out, and still hit me with a hand chop... then asked who I was?
What kind of god-tier logic is that?
Souta didn't respond. Without a change in expression, he took a few steps back and sat down at the table and chairs he had conjured earlier.
Steam rose gently from the cup of coffee on the table. He picked it up, took a sip, then gestured with his eyes at the seat across from him.
Inori didn't approach, nor did she answer.
While keeping her eyes on Souta, she scanned the surroundings with her peripheral vision.
A spacious room, bright white lights, metallic walls and no visible exit... Where the hell was this?
Had she been captured by GHQ soldiers?
"You don't need to worry. This isn't a GHQ detention center. It's a temporary base I created," Souta said, not pressing her to sit. If she preferred to stand, so be it.
"Who are you?" Inori asked again.
She began feeling around for the combat knife she usually carried, but didn't find it. Her anxiety deepened.
Setting the coffee cup down, Souta replied in a calm voice:
"You don't need to be so on guard. This place is hidden, GHQ won't find it. And I did just save your life. Look at your injuries. Aren't they all healed?"
At those words, Inori instinctively looked down, checking the places she remembered being hurt.
Not only were there no wounds, even the bloodstains were gone.
Only then did she realize, since waking up, she hadn't felt a single trace of pain.
How was that possible?
Had she been unconscious for days?
She carefully examined herself again. The injuries were truly gone.
Her guard lowered significantly.
Maybe she was beginning to believe him.
"...Thank you," she said softly, then asked:
"Where... is this place?"
Even as she spoke, she continued to search for an exit—but after circling the room, didn't spot even a hint of a door.
"Don't bother looking. I haven't built one yet."
Souta glanced toward one of the metallic walls, thought for a moment, then casually waved a finger in that direction.
It was just a habitual gesture, had no real meaning.
With his will, the wall cracked open and peeled outward, revealing the view beyond.
Light poured into the heavy darkness, and Inori looked over to see large masses of water suspended outside.
She quickly stepped closer and reached out to touch it—it really was water. She hadn't imagined it.
It was floating there, suspended, yet even with the wall open, not a single drop entered the room.
What kind of bizarre phenomenon was this?
Even with her usual emotionless, expressionless demeanor, a hint of surprise flickered in her eyes.
"Looks like you weren't listening earlier," Souta said. "I told you, this is a temporary base I created. Literally created. We're right beneath the riverbed where you fell."
Inori turned to look at him, as if trying to truly see what kind of being he was.
Souta pointed upward.
"We're at the bottom of the river. GHQ's probably still up there frantically looking for you."
"Why doesn't the water come in?" Inori asked.
"Superpowers," Souta replied succinctly.
"Alright," he waved her over. "Come sit. We should formally introduce ourselves."
This time, Inori didn't refuse.
She now viewed Souta as something far beyond her understanding.
If he wanted to hurt her, he could probably do it with a flick of his finger.
Souta actually did flick his fingers, toward the open wall.
Immediately, it swung shut again, sealing perfectly with the floor and keeping the water out.
Souta could maintain the water's suspension outside indefinitely but doing so constantly would require focus.
It wasn't that he couldn't. He just couldn't be bothered.
So... a wall was easier.
Once Inori sat down, Souta conjured a cup of coffee and floated it over to her.
Inori stared at it silently. Her deep red eyes, compared to earlier, now held a trace of light.
She sat there quietly, her expression a little dazed, eyes fixed on Souta, waiting for him to explain.
Souta had never met anyone so composed, it left him with no choice but to speak first.
"You've seen the system phone, right?"
"Hm?" Inori tilted her head slightly.
"This thing." Souta pulled the system phone out from his pocket.
The screen showed a completed mission notice.
1000 points received. Nice!
He shook the phone at her.
"You've seen one of these, haven't you?"
"Yes. It's a boomer phone."
Inori reached behind herself. Her outfit didn't have pockets, so the phone was stuck against her backside.
She picked it up and studied it carefully.
"Boomer phone... well, I guess that makes sense. It is 2039 in your world."
Souta accepted the label and asked:
"Did you check the group chat announcement?"
"No," Inori replied flatly.
"How long have you had the phone?"
"Three days, and you weren't curious enough to open it?"
She tilted her head again.
"...Alright, I'll give you a brief explanation."
Souta cleared his throat and said:
"That thing's called a system phone. It has a group chat inside. Everyone in the group is from a different world."
Pointing at himself, he continued:
"For example, I'm a god from another world.
The reason I showed up in time to save you is because the system detected you were near death and issued me a mission to rescue you."
He shook the phone slightly.
Inori looked him over carefully.
"'God' is just the name of my race now. It's different from the god you're thinking of."
After a moment, Souta added:
"Just think of me as a human with extraordinary power."
Inori gazed at Souta in silence.
Now that her guard was down, her expression was calm, eyes tranquil as still water.
She didn't speak, which left Souta feeling a little awkward.
Was she processing everything he said?
Come on, say something.
About thirty seconds later, Inori finally said:
"I understand. Thank you for saving me."
She picked up the system phone, intending to check the group chat, but just then, her eyes caught the time on the screen.
A flicker of urgency , barely noticeable, flashed in her eyes.
"The key... I need to give the key to Gai. The key... Where's Fyu-Neru?!"
She shot to her feet, looked around, then turned to Souta and asked:
"You mean the rice cooker?"
Souta recalled Inori's mechanical pet that resembled a rice cooker.
The Void Genome, the tool to awaken the "Power of Kings", had been hidden inside that thing.