Anime Group Chat in a Doomsday World!

Noticing the strange look on Nanashi's face, Yukino frowned.

"Is something wrong?"

"…"

Nanashi shook his head slightly.

No, there was no problem.

At least, not in the way they might think.

This Alien Queen was supposed to be the final boss of the game.

For Chika and the others, it was probably a terrifying foe.

But to him?

It was nothing—weak enough to be crushed with a single finger.

What truly caught Nanashi off guard, however, was something buried deep within the Queen's memories.

Memories of battle.

Memories of fighting against other creatures.

Creatures that looked eerily similar to Predators.

And the location…

It wasn't this space battleship.

It was some desolate, unknown landscape.

A game creature…?

Then why did it have such a vivid, real memory?

Something didn't add up.

The Alien Queen didn't feel like a coded enemy—it felt like a living being forcibly brought here.

Not just a product of the game…

Could this "Doomsday" game be connected to reality?

Could that be the reason why the world will fall into ruin?

Nanashi remained silent, lost in thought.

Megumi's concerned voice brought him back.

"Nanashi-kun?"

"I'm fine. Just thinking about something."

He brushed the topic aside and changed the subject.

"Let's focus on finishing this game."

Yukino looked puzzled.

"Have you finished exploring the battleship?"

"Not exactly."

Nanashi glanced around.

"This place is huge. The pipelines are too complex, and there are way too many floors and rooms. Exploring everything would take forever."

Technically, he could destroy the entire battleship in one strike.

But there was a problem.

Would Megumi and the others survive?

Would he end up drifting in space, unable to complete the game?

Too many unknowns.

Instead, Nanashi patted the Alien Queen's massive head.

"This thing is the key. It can summon all the aliens to gather here."

Yukino's eyes widened.

"All of them? How many are we talking about?"

"Probably tens of thousands."

"T-Tens of thousands?!"

A swarm of tens of thousands of those dark, terrifying creatures, all charging at them at once…

Just imagining it was horrifying.

Marin and Chika visibly paled.

Nanashi smirked.

"Relax. It's all just cannon fodder.

As long as I'm here, those aliens won't even touch you.

And don't worry about their corrosive blood—just kill them with confidence."

Perhaps the biggest mistake Doomsday ever made…

Was inviting him to be a player.

With a casual motion, he raised a hand, forming a thin barrier of wind around the group.

"This will keep the blood from splattering on you."

With that settled—

Nanashi turned to the Alien Queen and gave the order.

A deafening, piercing roar erupted from its throat.

"ROAR!"

The surrounding aliens began responding—

Until Nanashi glared at them.

BOOM.

The sound of exploding skulls echoed like firecrackers.

Every alien that had dared to make a sound had been headshot on the spot.

"Too noisy."

Satisfied with the silence, Nanashi patted the Alien Queen's head again.

It obediently lowered itself, trembling.

With that handled, Nanashi sat down and gestured for Megumi.

When she approached, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"…Hmm!"

Even someone as composed as Megumi felt a little flustered at such boldness.

Especially in front of everyone else.

Not to mention—

Both of them were still wearing their tight combat suits.

Being pressed against him, she could clearly feel the heat and hardness of his body through the material.

Nanashi, however, was completely unbothered.

He turned to the others.

"I'll leave the rest to you guys. Just kill as many as you can."

With that, the Alien Queen turned its massive body, its back now blocking the others' view of Nanashi and Megumi.

"…"

Yukino stood frozen, staring at the Queen's back in silence.

Her fingers clenched into tight fists.

For some reason, she suddenly reached for the clasp of her anti-corrosion suit—

And took it off.

Then, without another word, she grabbed her gun—

And opened fire on the aliens pouring in from every direction.

Fierce. Precise. Ruthless.

Marin and Chika could only stare in shock.

Kanae, watching from the side, sighed.

"Master… is truly a sinful man."

Meanwhile, Nanashi remained stationed in the corridor.

No matter how many aliens flooded in—

They were crushed before they could even get close.

On the other side, more creatures were emerging, but he wasn't concerned.

Kanae would handle it.

Since all the aliens she killed still counted toward his score…

What a handy sword.

　　…

"Well… this…"

Kanae, in the midst of slaughtering the aliens, suddenly felt something strange in her body.

A wave of heat spread through her, making her squeeze her legs together.

Her lips parted slightly, and her dazed eyes flickered toward Nanashi.

Shame. Anger.

Her gaze was full of both.

How could Master still do that… at a time like this?!

The familiar sensation crawled from deep within, spreading throughout her entire body.

Chika and the others noticed her sudden change.

Their eyes filled with concern.

"Kanae, are you okay? Did you overexert yourself?"

Chika, who still refused to take off her anti-corrosion suit, asked with a worried expression.

"Uh… y-yeah… I just… overdid it a little."

Kanae barely managed to force out an excuse.

She propped herself against the wall, trembling.

Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Shame crushed her.

But there was no way she could explain what was happening.

So she simply went along with Chika's assumption.

Thankfully, the three of them believed her without question.

They let her rest, thinking she was just exhausted.

Meanwhile, the others focused on clearing the remaining aliens.

The sound of gunfire roared through the corridor.

Even Marin had picked up an extra gun, dual-wielding for efficiency.

Chika followed suit—

A laser gun in her left hand.

An unidentified energy weapon in her right.

Of course, Nanashi hadn't actually done anything outrageous.

But still—

Holding back was hard.

Especially since Megumi had offered to help him herself.

How could he refuse a girl's kindness?

Her soft hands gripped his weapon, assisting him with his shots.

While his right hand helped Megumi aim and fire—

His left hand was on her body.

Megumi's eyes fluttered shut.

Her breath grew hot.

Her small, rosy lips parted slightly.

The tip of her tongue peeked out—just barely visible.

Her pearly white teeth trembled ever so slightly.

…

This game.

At its core, it was a shooter in every sense of the word.

And Nanashi was about to fire the final shot.

His breathing grew heavier.

Megumi seemed to understand.

Under his surprised gaze, she licked her soft lips—

A new hint of seduction in her eyes.

Then, she slowly leaned down.

"…"

BANG.

The final shot was fired.

A scorching muzzle flash erupted—

A powerful burst, spreading in all directions.

The last alien's head exploded in a spray of dark fluid.

"Gulp, gulp!"

With that, the battle was over.

And Megumi, ever diligent, helped clean the muzzle.

After what felt like half a day of nonstop slaughter—

The aliens finally stopped coming.

A long corridor stretched endlessly before them.

Corpses piled up everywhere—

Severed limbs. Twisted bodies. Clawed appendages.

The floors, walls, and ceilings were riddled with corrosion marks, left behind by the aliens' acidic blood.

Amidst the destruction, the group slumped against the walls, catching their breath.

Marin and Chika finally peeled off their heavy anti-corrosion suits.

Their combat uniforms—though still revealing—felt light in comparison.

At this point, neither of them cared about appearances.

Marin sprawled against the wall, legs apart, utterly exhausted.

Everyone was drenched in sweat.

Arms limp, legs weak—they had no strength left to move.

Especially their fingers, which still trembled involuntarily from the constant trigger-pulling.

How could they not feel numb after firing nonstop for so long?

Kanae sat curled up, hugging her knees.

Her head lowered, buried against them.

She hadn't spoken since the battle ended.

The others grew worried.

"Hmm!"

A muffled cry slipped from Kanae's lips.

For a moment, it almost seemed like her body trembled.

Before anyone could ask—

Nanashi and Megumi approached.

Their expressions calm.

As if nothing had happened.

"…"

Kanae lifted her head.

Her teary eyes locked onto Nanashi's.

Then—

She suddenly dissolved into a faint light—

And vanished into his body.

But not before giving him one last, resentful glare.

Nanashi coughed awkwardly.

Then, he turned to the others with a casual explanation:

"Ahem. Kanae was exhausted, so she went back to rest."

The three breathed a sigh of relief.

Nanashi took a moment to observe them.

They looked completely drained.

Even Yukino, usually composed, was slumped against the wall.

Her legs were spread slightly apart, her figure perfectly outlined against her suit.

At first, Nanashi thought they'd react strongly to his gaze.

But instead—

"Ugh… I can't move at all."

Chika groaned, not even trying to be modest.

"Me too… I've never been this exhausted in my life… I'm dying."

Marin weakly echoed.

Even Yukino, while not as dramatic, didn't bother maintaining her usual composure.

It was clear she was just as tired.

No one had the energy to care about anything else.

Nanashi couldn't help but chuckle.

"Didn't expect this to turn into a full-on feast for the eyes."

At least—

He had Megumi's help to take the edge off.

The atmosphere had finally calmed. Otherwise, it would have been another chaotic mess.

A clap echoed through the air.

"I have good news for you—the game should be cleared soon."

As soon as those words fell, the last remaining Alien, the Alien Queen, was mercilessly cut into dozens of pieces by a barrage of wind blades, leaving no trace behind.

At that moment, the system prompt of the Doomsday Game appeared.

[All aliens detected have been eliminated! The Doomsday Game is over!]

[Space battleship: 5 survivors remaining!]

[Congratulations! You have survived and cleared the game!]

[Returning automatically...]

"It's over!"

Hearing the system announcement, Chika and Marin erupted in excitement.

Yukino tried to stand up.

"Mm?"

As she pressed her hands against the ground for support, she felt a warm, damp sensation beneath her fingertips.

Kanae had been sitting there just moments ago.

Maybe it's just sweat, she thought, dismissing the idea.

Pushing herself upright, Yukino stood, glancing toward Megumi, who was holding hands with Nanashi. She lowered her head in silence.

The time for their return had arrived, and in the next instant, they vanished.

—

"My clothes are back... and the exhaustion is gone."

Nanashi had returned to his normal state.

Seated on the sofa, he noticed the others still busy cooking.

"Huh? Where's Kanae?"

Sayuri, who had been next to Kanae, suddenly realized she was gone.

"Kanae went to rest. The existence of a sword spirit is... quite special," Nanashi said, making up an excuse on the spot.

Sayuri nodded. "Oh, okay. Let her rest then. She was really looking forward to this meal, though."

In reality, Kanae was too embarrassed to come out.

Nanashi could only sigh.

She'll have plenty more chances in the future. She'll get used to it eventually.

Ding-dong!

A message notification lit up his phone.

It was from Yukino, Marin, and Megumi.

All of them were checking if he was safe.

He responded one by one, reassuring them that he was fine.

Megumi: "I think I've gained an ability called Obfuscation. It seems to have some kind of concealment effect."

[Note: Obfuscation ↓

Hides one's presence. Suitable for spying. It is possible to disappear completely and become nearly impossible to be detected. The rank of Presence Concealment drops considerably when preparing to attack.]

Nanashi: "???"

Obfuscation?

Nanashi was stunned.

Megumi's presence was already naturally subtle, and now she had an ability that made her even harder to detect?

Was she turning into Hassan?[Note: She's a Silent Killer from Fate world]

Megumi: "If I hide, will you still be able to find me, Nanashi-kun?"

Nanashi: "Of course! No matter what, I'll always find Megumi!"

Megumi: "Haha, that makes me happy. See you on Monday, then."

Nanashi: "You don't have to wait until then. If you ever want to see me, just send a message, and I'll be there immediately."

Megumi: "Hearing that makes me happy, but you should focus on your own things too. I want to be with you for a long time, so I don't mind a little separation."

Megumi: "Oh, and make sure to introduce me to the others. I want to get along with them, so I won't make things difficult for you."

Nanashi: "Yeah, I understand."

Megumi… she was so thoughtful.

The memory of Megumi's serious confession resurfaced in his mind, making his heartbeat quicken.

A girl like her… was truly captivating.

—

Yukino: "Nanashi-kun, thank you again for helping me."

Nanashi: "Well, you are my maid, Yukino-chan."

Yukino: "Yukino-chan… or something… fine."

Nanashi: "??? Hold on! Who are you, and what have you done with the real Yukino?!"

Yukino: "…"

Yukino: "I am Yukino!"

Yukino: "I might need your help again on Sunday. Bye."

"…."

Yukino lay on the sofa, staring blankly at her phone.

"Yukino-chan..."

She murmured the name softly.

A warm feeling welled up in her chest.

Placing a hand over her heart, she wondered—what was this sensation?

Burying her face in a pillow, she decided not to overthink it.

For now, she just wanted to revel this feeling.

—

Marin: "Nanashi-kun, don't forget about the comic convention tomorrow."

Nanashi: "Yeah, I know. And don't forget about my 'reward' either."

Marin: "..."

Marin: "Damn it! You actually still remember that?! You already got to see everything... and now you want more?!"

Nanashi: "Of course. Haven't you heard? Sometimes, wearing clothes can be just as tempting. Ever heard of the 'uniform effect'?"

Nanashi: "You're not thinking of backing out on your promise, are you?"

Marin: "Hmph! I always keep my word! Just wait—I'll surprise you tomorrow!"

Oh?

Nanashi raised an eyebrow.

Did she really just say that?

Had she gained some kind of confidence boost from the Doomsday Game?

That was worth looking forward to.

Meanwhile, he realized he had no way to contact Chika.

He had no idea how she was doing now.

With her personality…

She was probably shouting excitedly at this very moment.

Something along the lines of—

"Chika-chan is back to life!"

Yeah, that sounded about right.

They had all killed a significant number of aliens. They must have each gained something from it.

As for himself… he had reaped quite a bit as well.

He checked his personal stats.

[Doomsday Points]: 70….

In this game, they had exterminated a staggering 70,000 aliens.

A total of 702,000 points had been accumulated.

It was time to indulge a little.

Opening the ability enhancement module, he made his first upgrade decision.

[Consuming 500,000 Doomsday Points—Vector Manipulation has been upgraded to Level 6!]