Seeing the newbie's message, Souta followed his usual practice—he didn't hide anything.
With an honest attitude, he replied.
Souta: "The invitations are sent randomly by the system. It wasn't my decision."
Souta: "You probably saw my earlier messages, right? No need to doubt—I really am just an ordinary human. And since we all come from different worlds, it's not like I have the ability to send you a phone myself."
Shirotsumekusa : "I see... but I do find it puzzling—why would an ordinary human be the leader of this group?"
Souta: "Let me correct you on one thing—the system wasn't created by the group leader. Its mysteries have nothing to do with me. I'm guessing I just happened to be the first person to pick up the phone, so I ended up as the leader."
Shirotsumekusa : "I understand now. Thank you for the explanation."
Souta: "No problem. By the way, do you mind sharing a bit about your world? Like, what kind of unique powers or races exist there?"
The name Shirotsumekusa was too vague—he couldn't even tell if it was originally written in Chinese or Japanese.
If he could get some details about their world, he might be able to figure out which series they came from and deduce their identity.
Unfortunately, Souta's expectations were completely shattered.
Shirotsumekusa : "I have matters to attend to. Let's talk later."
After sending that message, the newbie fell silent and didn't say another word.
Why were all the new members so cautious?
"Ugh, who is this Shirotsumekusa ?"
Souta's curiosity gnawed at him like an unsolved mystery—he was this close to developing an obsession.
He really had no memory of anyone named Shirotsumekusa .
Sure, he had brought his iPhone with him when he arrived in the Monogatari world, but... different worlds meant different networks. His phone had been completely useless, unable to connect to the internet.
Besides, five days had passed—his iPhone's battery had long since died.
Souta thought for a moment and decided to return to the real world to investigate who the newcomer was.
Since the trouble on Kiss-Shot's side had already been resolved, there wasn't much reason to stay here any longer.
Of course, Souta wouldn't just leave Kiss-Shot behind.
He planned to ask for her opinion first. If she had no objections, he would take her to the real world to live with him for a while.
Then, when she wanted to return, he would bring her back.
Having made up his mind, Souta stopped worrying about the newcomer's identity for now and started chatting with Kurumi.
Souta: "@Kurumi. By the way, how are things on your end? Have you measured the time required for a world line shift?"
If Kurumi went back in time and altered something, causing a butterfly effect that changed history, then the time required for the new history to overwrite the old one would be the so-called world line shift duration.
This was crucial to determine!
He needed to leave the Date A Live world with Kurumi within that shift duration.
If he didn't know the exact timeframe, Souta wouldn't dare let Kurumi travel 30 years back in time and alter history.
Before long, Kurumi replied.
Kurumi: "Not yet. I was delayed because DEM was chasing me, but for now, I'm safe. I plan to test it tomorrow."
Souta: "Have you thought about how you're going to test it?"
Kurumi: "It's simple. Right now, I'm in Tengu City. I'll use my Sixth Bullet to send my consciousness back to yesterday and make my past self leave Tengu City and stay in another city overnight. Then, I'll immediately cut the connection and return to the present."
Seeing this message, Souta thought for a moment before understanding her plan.
Souta: "I see. That way, your location yesterday and today won't match. The world line shift will forcibly move your present self to the city where your past self was. You just need to record how long it takes for the shift to happen."
Souta: "But there's another issue to consider. The shift duration for minor changes and major changes might not be the same. It's hard to say which one takes longer."
Kurumi: "No problem, I'll just test multiple times."
Souta: "Alright, I'll wait for your results. If the shift duration is too short, let me know. I'll come to you, and you can absorb as much as you need."
Kurumi: "It's a deal then. I'll make sure to drain every last drop out of you, Souta-kun."
Kurumi's Flirting Escalates
Here we go again with the teasing...
This time, Souta refused to back down and fought back.
Souta: "Kurumi, I'm not bragging, but with my regeneration abilities now, I'm afraid you'd run out of stamina before I do. You'd be so weak in the knees that I'd have to help you walk."
Kurumi: "Oh my? Souta, it's rare for you to talk . But that's fine. You may have regeneration, but I have my clones. Let's see which runs out first—your regeneration or my time. With two million years of time stockpiled, I'm confident I won't lose to you."
Okay, he admitted defeat.
He wasn't at a level where he could out-flirt Kurumi yet.
This Spirit girl might have zero real-life experience, but her teasing skills were top-tier.
If she really used two million years' worth of time to create clones and drain him dry... Souta thought about it and suddenly realized—maybe surrendering wasn't so shameful after all.
The next morning, as the sun rose, Souta eagerly pulled open the curtains and bathed in the warm morning sunlight.
Ah... so comfortable...
Naturally, he didn't burst into flames.
His evolution had truly eliminated all his weaknesses.
Kiss-Shot stood beside him, also basking in the sun.
Her golden eyes were closed, a faint smile on her lips, and she stood still, looking as relaxed as a lazy cat.
At the moment, she was still maintaining her eight-year-old appearance—she seemed to have grown fond of this form.
From their conversation last night, Souta had learned that, like him, all her weaknesses were now gone.
He wasn't even sure if she still counted as a vampire anymore.
"Kiss-Shot, are you happy now?"
Maintaining her relaxed smile, Kiss-Shot responded:
"It's been over 500 years since I last enjoyed sunlight . I had almost forgotten how warm it was."
"If this makes you happy, just wait until we go to the beach one day. You won't be able to sleep from excitement."
Souta glanced at her and chuckled.
"How does it feel? Getting used to it?"
"Are you worried about me?" Kiss-Shot waved her hand dismissively. "No need. I feel wonderful. If I can bask in the sun every day, I don't mind not being a vampire anymore."
"As long as you're okay with it."
With that, Souta moved on to the real topic.
"By the way, Kiss-Shot, would you like to visit my world?"
(TN: Offer me 3(at least that the ones that I haven't read!) smut original words or fics, then I shall release a flood called mass release!)
(Quest Completed: Mass Release)