The sound of rain grows louder, pattering steadily.

　The transmigrants are assigned points, which they use to enhance themselves or exchange items before embarking on their journey to the other world.

　Then, the actual broadcast probably won't begin for a while yet.

「…………huh?」

　Kalen, who had been operating the computer, suddenly turns pale, as if she'd seen a ghost.

　Something unexpected must have happened.

　No… the existence of gods, the reality of the other world, and even the concept of transmigration itself—everything is beyond expectation.

　There's nothing left to be shocked about at this point—

「Ah, that…? Why…? S-Serikan… my brother…」

Seeing Karen's lips trembling, her tears held back to the very brink of breaking, I realized something far more significant than gods or another world had occurred.

What, how, why had it come to this—

the face displayed on the screen, one I'd seen countless times every day.

Looking at it, labeled with a photo as 'Transfer Candidate No. 1000, Kurose Hikaru,' I felt as though the very world beneath my feet was collapsing.

"Eh... wait... is that... official...?"

"The list just updated, and when I checked, it was like this... Why, big brother? Why?"

"Wait...…"

I carefully followed the displayed information with my eyes.

A subtle unease.

Its source was quickly clear.

I understood.

"Nanami-senpai isn't listed anymore…"

Nanami-senpai was Transfer #422, yet the name listed there belonged to a Transfer who was originally #423. The number... had been bumped up.

Senpai's figure was nowhere to be found.

She had vanished from the Transfer list.

A dreadful unease spread through my chest.

Something had happened.

There was no other way to explain it.

I pulled out my phone and called my brother, but the call only kept ringing, continuing for several minutes without him answering.

Was she too grief-stricken over parting with her sister to answer? No—my brother would answer under any circumstances, especially after such persistent ringing. That was just how he was.

I tried calling at Nanami-senpai's house, but no one answered.

Today was New Year's Day. Uncle and Aunt should both be at home.

"I'm going to take a quick look. Keep an eye on that side, and call me if anything comes up."

There's no doubt something happened at my sister's house.

I have no choice but to check it out myself.

"Going alone?"

"The TV station crew's still around there, aren't they? I'll get their help."

Our parents are on a hot spring vacation together this New Year's season.

We weren't counting on anything like that anyway.

I left the house and intercepted the TV crew preparing to evacuate on the main road.

"Hi there! Um, did you check the list of transfer victims?"

"Huh? You're the one from next door to Nanami-chan's, right?"

"Seri-ca. I've been like family to Nanami-senpai..."

As we chatted, one of the crew members checked the list of transfer victims and noticed that Nanami-senpai was missing from it.

I don't understand why Nanaomi-senpai is missing, so I'd like you to come with me. Can you do that for me?"

After exchanging glances, the crew quickly sprang into action.

They must have assumed there was footage to be captured.

　

I don't want to believe it, but... there's only one possibility left.

The world is definitely going mad, and through the internet, I thought I'd already grasped that chaos thoroughly enough. But... I never imagined I'd actually witness such distortion right before my eyes.

I just hope it's all just overthinking.

Yet, given that my brother was chosen as a transmigrant to another world, and that Nanaomi-senpai has vanished from the list, there's only one conclusion we can reach.

We need them to be witnesses to that truth.

There's a chance the culprit might still be at the scene, so it would be even better if we had adult help.

　

Ignoring the crew members filming, I stood in front of Nanami-senpai's house entrance.

With a prayerful heart, I rang the doorbell.

No answer. I rang it again. Still no response.

A house where a brother should be, where an uncle and aunt should be.

"They're not coming out,"

I said, trying to open the door.

We've been like family for years. When I was little, I practically lived there.

But the door was locked.

"…That's strange. There's no way no one's home."

"Could it be that Nanami-chan escaped the transfer and ran away with her family?"

"It's only 9:15, isn't it? The transfer happens at 9. Even if we somehow avoided it, no one would leave so soon, would they? It's New Year's Day, raining, after all?"

"You're right about that..."

The remaining possibilities were few.

I took out the spare key from my pocket.

Since my parents were like that, my uncle and aunt had been kind enough to give me the key, saying I could come in anytime.

...Never thought I'd end up using it like this.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

My brother's shoes were already by the entrance. That turned my hypothesis into near certainty.

The room was completely silent.

I called out loudly, but there was no reply.

"S-see? No one's here. The door was even locked!"

One of the TV crew members said with a forced smile.

Wasn't this sense of unease something they couldn't understand?

"...One of you, come with me."

I selected the strongest-looking man from the crew, shielded him, and entered the house.

And the answer was right there.

"...Uncle, Auntie."

"W-waaahhhhhhhhhhh!"

The crew member collapsed as if his legs had given out, falling flat on his back.

In the dining kitchen, the uncle and auntie lay motionless in a pool of blood.

They didn't twitch at all—completely lifeless.

Hearing the scream, the crew members rushed into the room.

I asked someone to call an ambulance, then grabbed a younger AD, ignoring the unreliable strong man, and sent him to check the upper floor.

My knees trembled, nausea and tears welled up.

Still, I forced my legs forward.

When I insisted there might still be a perpetrator left, AD stepped forward, holding the microphone stand like a weapon—truly dependable.

Then, I opened the door to the room, which could almost be called my second bedroom, one I'd visited countless times before.

"…………Sister."

I had prepared myself.

From the moment my brother's name appeared on the list of transmigrants.

When Nanami's name disappeared.

Nanami sister had also sunk into the pool of blood.

Unlike the uncle and aunt, there was no possibility she was still alive.

Transmigrants are transferred only in perfect condition, so if she had been even slightly alive, she wouldn't have been rejected from the transmigration list.

My sister was murdered.

She was removed from the transmigration list because she was dead.

I don't know why my older brother ended up being chosen as the transfer target.

I don't know, but this situation was undeniably bad.

— Whoever it was,

it was obvious.

My brother could only be seen as the culprit.

'S…Serican… I think it's bad.'

Karen's voice came through the still-connected headset.

Her thin, wavering voice, on the verge of collapse, made me realize something worse had happened.

'…What's wrong?'

'My brother started in the forest full of monsters… If this keeps going… he’ll die…'

Why does nothing ever go right?

No matter how hard my sister and I try, everything we want slips through our fingers.

'Sorry, but things are bad here too. Our sister was killed. The uncle and aunt too.'

"Wait, wait...!? Why...? Wait... I was killed...? I'm dead...?"

"I don't know the reason, but I can't return right away, so I'll send instructions. First, the suspect seems to have fled, so check all the cameras around the house and gather their footage. Probably, our own cameras captured it too."

Even in this situation, I remained calm, as if a separate circuit in my brain operated independently of my emotions.

It felt as though another personality inhabited this single body, observing the entire situation from above.

And right now, this situation was extremely dire.

This (・) was (・) utterly (・) unbearable (・) as (・) if (・) everything (・) and (・) anything (・) were (・) being (・) lost (・).

My entire body screamed this warning.

　

There are about eight cameras installed in our home, always running—placed

there during the time we were harassed by the media after being labeled "genius beauties, twin sisters." If the culprit fled from Nanami-san's house, they must have been captured on camera. Even the moment they first

entered the house should be

recorded. Identifying the suspect should be straightforward

. The uncle and aunt were killed in the dining room. That means the

killer was probably invited in through the

front door. The culprit must be someone familiar—perhaps someone claiming

to be Nanami-san's friend or a relative. "Brother... it's really bad. P-please

come back soon. If you don't... " "Calm down. What can your brother do right now? First, find the culprit. They're definitely on camera."

The problem is when we don't know who the culprit is.

'Well, shouldn't we just let the police handle finding the criminal...? Besides, this one here...'

I can understand KAREN's point.

Her brother has been transferred. Nanami-san's entire family was killed.

The motive behind the killings remains unknown. It could have been someone who held a grudge against Nanami-san's family from the start, or perhaps someone who mistakenly believed that killing a transfer candidate would increase their own chances of being chosen.

'Karen. Your brother's in a situation where he'll die if he doesn't get through the forest, right? Just give me the facts I already know.'

'Yeah. He'll have to walk over 370 kilometers to get through the forest. But it looks like he left some points behind when he transferred, and depending on how those points are used, maybe there's still hope...'

'Points...? So they really are useful then?'

"Even just with crystals, it seems you can exchange quite a few things, but items you get with points look like they're leagues ahead in performance. If you have plenty of points, you might even be able to safely get out of this situation,"

"I see. That makes sense..."

While I'd known roughly in advance, points really do matter.

And the biggest way to earn those points is through '

viewership.'

"……What about message or email functions? Or phone calls? Communication methods?"

"There aren't any... It seems the system automatically translates everything into the language of this world, so I have no idea what's being said at all,"

"Got it."

Meanwhile, as Karen and I were on the phone, the TV crew was arranging for police and ambulances.