[Another world's Earth]
Inside an ordinary home.
A girl named Gokou Ruri stared at the notification on her phone, her face tense yet expectant.
She was the one known in the group by the nickname "Fallen Saint of Chiba, Black Cat."
Seven days after picking up the strange phone, she had already grown close to most of the "like-minded members" in the chat group, and their interactions were going well.
So when it came to the video call session, she didn't feel much resistance at all.
If it was all a scam, the worst case was leaving the group.
Nothing worth worrying about.
'Everyone in this group is into the same things. They roleplay their characters with such dedication… If the first impression during the video is good, maybe we could even extend this offline, and actually become friends in real life.'
The long-haired black-haired girl quietly entertained the thought, a spark of anticipation in her heart.
Her bangs were neatly trimmed. She had pale skin, fine, slender eyes, and a striking beauty mark beneath her left eye, making her look irresistibly cute.
She was the very image of a traditional Japanese beauty.
Yet right now, that Japanese beauty was dressed in attire completely opposite to her natural look.
A black gothic lolita dress.
The outfit of her favorite anime character, the "Queen of Nightmare" from Maschera: Lament of a Fallen Beast.
To make the cosplay more convincing, Gokou Ruri even wore red contact lenses.
Her eyes no longer looked like they belonged to a normal human.
She stepped in front of the mirror.
After confirming her "battle attire" was perfect, she rubbed her cheeks, then forced herself into an expression that was both cold and a little disdainful.
"Yes… I'll glare at that so-called god Souta with this look later."
The girl thought to herself with a hint of pride.
It wasn't easy to find friends who truly shared her interests.
Especially since most of the group members turned out to be girls, which was even rarer.
So she had no intention of being casual about this meeting. She was going all out, dressed for the occasion.
But who would that "god" be cosplaying as?
Carrying that expectation, Gokou Ruri picked up her phone and tapped on the video call started by Tokisaki Kurumi.
"God, prepare yourself!"
The moment she spoke, her vision underwent a drastic change.
The cramped tatami room vanished.
Her feet now stood on the concrete ground of a quiet park.
Her field of view expanded infinitely.
The sun was sinking into the west, its afterglow spreading across the park.
The golden light was gentle, not blinding at all.
Around her gathered more than a dozen strikingly beautiful girls, all chatting among themselves.
Her expression shifted from confusion, to doubt, to shock, and finally to pure terror… which, honestly, looked rather amusing.
Just now it had been noon, hadn't it? How did it suddenly turn to evening?
No, wait! How did she end up outside in an instant?
What on earth was happening!?
Her expression went through an entire cycle of emotions in just a few seconds.
And then, a voice reached her ears.
"You've come at last, Demon King."
Black Cat froze, forcing her stiff neck to turn toward the right.
A cold, overwhelmingly imposing young man was walking toward her.
The pressure he exuded weighed down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Sensing danger, she quickly suppressed her fear, swapping it for a blank, unreadable face.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the god who refuses to yield to you."
The young man Souta spoke in a lowered voice.
"You can call me Souta. For daring to answer this challenge, I'll at least commend your courage."
Slowly, she hid her trembling hands beneath her long sleeves, clasping them tightly behind her back.
"Oh? To remain expressionless under my gaze… worthy indeed of one who calls herself the Fallen Demon King."
Souta's expression eased slightly, as if giving her a measure of recognition.
Though in truth, he had just witnessed her whole rollercoaster of expressions earlier.
A pity he hadn't captured it in time.
At that moment, Kurumi and Altair walked over.
"So this is… Black Cat-san?" Kurumi confirmed.
"Hello, Miss Black Cat." Kurumi brushed her hair aside to reveal the clock in her left eye, smiling. "As you can see, the Time Emperor who goes by Tokisaki Kurumi in the group… is me."
"My nickname is Altair. I'm the one who calls herself Infinite Existence."
Altair gave Black Cat a curious look, then nodded.
"Your aura matches what I imagined. You really do give off the feeling that you could unleash black magic any second… Truly fitting for a Demon King."
"I feel the opposite, actually." Kurumi disagreed lightly. "In the group, Black Cat-san is rather easy to talk to. But now that we've met, your presence feels much more distant, almost unapproachable… Ah, forgive me, I didn't mean that as an insult."
"Oh? The Demon King has arrived as well?"
A sudden, regal voice cut in. Shiroyasha appeared, radiating nobility.
Her stunning face, voluptuous figure, and cold, commanding aura all made her seem every bit a queen as she approached Black Cat.
"Hmm… A little different from the Demon King I imagined."
From her gaze, it was clear she was judging Black Cat's petite figure.
Black Cat's eyes flicked toward Shiroyasha's pointed elf-like ears, and suddenly not just her hands, but her legs began trembling too.
"Hey now! You can't judge a Demon King just by size."
Shiroyasha flew at that moment.
Yes, literally flew in, hovering above the ground.
Maybe because of her small stature, she preferred raising her view .
"Just look at me. I used to be a Demon King too, and I'm still small, aren't I?"
She floated right up to Black Cat. "Miss Black Cat, since we're both Demon Kings, we're bound to have plenty to talk about, hehe. You're always welcome to visit my place."
Expressionless, Black Cat stared at the floating Shiroyasha… paying special attention to her pointed ears and the tiny black horns atop her head.
Her legs trembled even harder. But no, she had to hold steady!
Her face had to stay rigid!
At this moment, Black Cat finally understood her situation, she was a husky that had wandered into a pack of wolves!
The phone connecting across different worlds, something the group often mentioned… it was real.
These people claiming to be gods, spirits, elves, demons… they were all real.
Altair, who claimed power of all creations… she probably really had them!
And the only ordinary human here… was her.
Black Cat's mind was on the verge of collapse.
Why did it turn out !?
She thought everyone was just role-playing for fun. But no... they were the real deal. And she was the only fake.
Her eyes stung, ready to cry.
But no, she couldn't let it show!
If they found out she was an imposter, they might get angry… and kill her!
'I can fool them, I can fool them. They said during one of their discussions that in video calls, our bodies only appear as holograms. For now, these beings… these monsters… shouldn't be able to tell I'm just a normal human.'
Her thoughts raced for a solution.
Exposure meant game over!
She had dug herself into this hole, now she had to see it through.
With that in mind, the girl named Gokou Ruri forced a cold, haughty smile onto her face.
"Shiroyasha is right. Size doesn't define anything. My power as a Fallen Angel is not bound to this body."