She isn’t wearing glasses, but there’s no doubt it’s Nanami.

Slimmer than the girl I know, somehow wilder, yet unmistakably her.

A fleeting thought crossed my mind—could this be an illusion conjured by that monster…?

But if so, she should have appeared more as I imagined.

Then… is this really the real Nanami…?

Was the story about her being reincarnated into another world just a lie?

I stood frozen, unable to take even a single step forward.

I couldn’t believe what was happening right before my eyes.

Nanami lowered the corners of her eyebrows.

With a familiar expression, he continued walking.

Step by step, step by step.

Without so much as a glance at Refleia, Jeanne, or even Ozawa writhing nearby, he stared straight ahead.

It felt as if time had stopped.

Whether Jeanne and Refleia hadn't yet sorted out the situation or were too focused on the movements of the eye monster, they remained frozen in place.

As he approached, her face came into clearer view.

A tear glistened at the corner of her eye.

Her cheeks flushed red.

"Hii-chan..."

Her crimson lips trembled as she called out to me with that nostalgic name.

"Hii-chan!"

Like a dam breaking, Nanami lunged into my arms.

I stiffened, but accepted her embrace.

A soft, nostalgic scent filled the air, making my vision blur uncontrollably.

"Hii-chan... Hii-chan's here...!"

"Nanami...! Really... is it you, Nanami...?"

"Yes... I'm your beloved childhood friend, Nanami."

The voice I thought I'd never hear again.

The warmth I thought I'd never feel again.

Crossing over from a distant world, here before me now—Nanami is truly here.

I couldn't stop sobbing, crying into Nanami's chest for a long while.

At first, after my transfer, I believed Nanami had come with me.

But then I learned it wasn't to be—Nanami had died.

Thanks to Jeanne's kindness, Nanami was brought back to life.

Yet I was told Nanami had lost her memories, just like a newborn baby.

There she is—Nanami, alive and well, right here in front of us.

　

"I'm sorry I made you go through so much trouble for me. After I came back to life, seeing how Hii-chan managed to survive here, I felt so sad and heartbroken... But since God chose me again like this, I made up my mind I'd definitely find you again. I'm a little late, but I made it just in time, right?"

With a slight playful tone, Nanami glanced briefly toward Ozawa.

Her gaze upon Ozawa—his arm spurting blood, his face pale—was astonishingly cold.

"Ah... I was starting to believe it, you know—when you said I came back to life but lost all my memories. But here you are, right in front of me. So it was all a lie after all?"

"Believed something like that? Well, I guess it's typical for you. You've always been gullible to Karen-chan's conspiracy-theory kind of lies."

"Yeah, it was bad. Before that, I was told Nanami had been transferred to some place called the Abyss—"

"Ah, that one's actually true. I ended up slightly off-target after a dart throw."

"……Wait, I thought falling into the Abyss meant you couldn't come back alive…"

"I thought it might be a bit dangerous, but hey, I met Ai-chan because of it, so it all worked out in the end."

"Ai-chan…? Oh right. That one, huh?"

"Yeah. Isn't she cute?"

"Cute… maybe…?"

It's obvious she contains an immense spiritual power.

She feels so fundamentally different that I instinctively sensed she was a demon lord.

An appearance too monstrous to be called cute.

That eye monster—Aichan—was staring at me with a look like she wanted to lick me.

A bit of drool was even hanging from her mouth, her tongue sticking out.

Cute... or not?

It's kind of cute, I guess... but more unsettling than anything.

"It's fine, Aichan. Just don't touch my neck or left arm."

Nanami suddenly murmured in a lifeless voice.

At that, Aichan, who had been looking at me, fired another beam.

She stopped Ozawa, who had been writhing in pain from having his right arm severed, from trying to operate the status board with his left hand—by cutting off his left leg.

"Ah, gyaahhhhh!"

"You think you can escape in this situation? I'm only holding back on killing you for a moment because we're currently sharing an emotional reunion with him—do you actually understand that?"

Nanami's voice, cold and unrelenting as she clung to me without letting go, was the familiar "Nanami when she's furious" I hadn't heard in ages.

Serika and Karen often said in unison, "Nanami-senpai when she's mad is seriously scary," and though I've had my own share of experiences, Nanami actually declaring she's going to kill someone makes her seem more suited to another world than I am.

When Nanami first transferred, Serika and Karen even casually remarked, "Nanami-senpai will be fine," so it's not like they were worried at all.

But apparently, losing his arms and legs proved fatal—Ozawa quickly lost the strength to speak and collapsed onto the ground.

For a brief moment, he thought, "Is this how I'm going to die?" But then his entire body began to glow, and the substitute ring on his left hand fell off with a soft clink.

Color returned to his face, and within moments, his lost arms and legs were instantly restored.

"Summon Dark Knight!"

I summoned the Dark Knight and restrained Ozawa in a tight bear hug once more.

At least now he couldn't escape through random teleportation.

"Soma Nanami...! Why the hell are you here?! The map only showed the point of someone approaching from the Abyssal Transmigrator!"

Apparently, he hadn't heard Nanami say that earlier.

That's why I was screaming after having my arm cut off.

"I'm telling you, it's me—the one who fell into that abyss."

"Huh? You came all the way through this dangerous area just to reunite with your childhood friend?"

"Ah, sure, reuniting with Hii-chan was part of it. But my top priority was something else. Well, honestly, I didn't think I'd reach my goal this quickly, but I've always been incredibly lucky since forever. Thanks for being here so I can kill you."

Nanami broke away from our embrace and stepped in front of Ozawa.

"What should I do? Should I make you suffer before killing you? Or would you prefer a quick death?"

"S-Stop pretending you're strong—you couldn't possibly kill someone—"

Before he could finish speaking, Nanami drew her short sword from her waist and plunged it into Ozawa's leg.

"Are you stupid? I said I'd kill you. You're my enemy—the one who killed my parents and me. I'm letting you choose how you die, just so you can meet him again in the end. That's the only reason I'm showing you mercy.

"Aaaah, gaaahhh!"

Nanami twists the sword violently.

Jeanne and Refleia look slightly disturbed.

"I wasn't exactly close with my parents, but still, they were my father and mother. I wanted to be happy in my own way, and I hoped my parents could be happy in theirs—just a little future thinking, that's all. You see... I really hate it when someone else messes up my life, my plans, my things—all because of their own unrelated, selfish reasons."

Nanami drives the blade deeper into the left leg.

This was truly Nanami's own revenge.

She herself, and her parents too, had killed this person.

There's no room for me in this.

As Nanami herself had said, her being chosen once again for another world transfer was the only chance she had to kill the criminal who had fled to the other world.

"You know this place? It's called Dusk Nether Street. They say if you die here, you'll rise again as an undead and continue suffering forever. Die, come back to life, die again. As long as this labyrinth endures, it goes on endlessly."

"Ah-ah-ah, no way!"

"This isn't a good end for a murderer. Suffer eternally."

With that, Nanami drove her sword into Ozawa's chest.

"Ah—gah!"

Without a final word, Ozawa abruptly transformed into the spirit stone, much to everyone's surprise.

Nanami picked it up, glanced at it indifferently, then tossed it toward Ai.

Ai caught it in her mouth.

"I wonder if eating something like that would give you a stomachache... What, why are you all looking at me like that?"

Jeanne, perhaps unfamiliar with Nanami's peculiar nature, stood frozen in shock.

Refleia, probably startled by me suddenly bursting into tears at the sight of a strange girl's chest, was also frozen in shock. Probably.

Meanwhile, I was lost in a daze, my face glowing as Ai slowly approached and licked me repeatedly with a dreamy expression.

I admit, she did seem kinda cute now. When I gently stroked her, her touch felt strangely pleasant. This must be because Nanami definitely brushes her regularly.

"It's been a while, Jeanne. Thank you for bringing me back to life. I've already heard the whole story from Serika, so... I'm truly, truly grateful."

"No, it was just how things turned out. Besides, I've already received plenty of thanks. Still... I was surprised. Not just that creature over there, but that the Narako Transfer was actually Nanami."

"I was a bit surprised myself, but I'm glad I got a helpful hint from the deity."

"Hint? Come to think of it, I hardly ever used those."

"You said you were the type who plays the game without checking攻略 guides, didn't you?"

Their conversation feels light and warm, perhaps because they've met before.

Maybe it's also because they're both Transfers.

Meanwhile, Refrea seems to sense something about Nanami—her usual assertiveness has faded, and she simply stands there, lost in thought.

After exchanging words with Jeanne, Nanami turned her attention to Reflea.

A mysterious tension ran through the air.

"Hm～, so you're Reflea-san… I've seen your picture before… I see, I see…"

Nanami stared at Reflea, her eyes scanning her like she was inspecting something.

Reflea knew who Nanami was, but she surely had many questions—why she was here, and so on.

Yet she said nothing, remaining still and letting herself be observed.

"You like Hii-chan, don't you?"

"Y-yes!"

"Serious about it? How serious?"

"I'd die for him!"

What is this?

For some reason, it felt like a pressurized interview, and she was completely lost.

Nanami stared straight into Reflea's eyes.

Refleia, too, stared straight into Nanami's eyes, unyielding.

We, me and Jeanne, watched in nervous anticipation, utterly confused.

"…………Well, since Serika-chan has also told me to say hello, I'm Souma Nanami, his 'beloved' childhood friend. Nice to meet you, Refleia-san."

"H-hai! Pleasure to meet you!"

Nanami emphasized the word "beloved" as she extended her hand for a handshake.

There was an odd tension in the air, but if they could get along, that would be good enough.

If Nanami was here, there was no choice but to stick together.

"Hey, Nanami. I wanna hear the full story. Oh, right—Ferdinand said Serika's boyfriend was you, was that true?"

"Huh? Boyfriend?"

But my casual remark had struck a nerve with Nanami.

"Hee-chan, I know what happened before the transfer, so I get it... but can you just... hold your temper a bit?"

Before she even finished speaking, I felt a sharp slap across my cheek.

A slap.

"You awake now? Hee-chan, you need to believe more in your little sister. Serika and Karen are both doing their best for you."

"O-oh... thank you. I'm awake now."

The slap from Nanami, long overdue, tasted like iron.

Now that I think about it... she's right. I was overthinking things. I let myself be fooled by obvious lies.

"Yeah... that's right. Serika trying to kill me? That's impossible..."

"Would you actually believe something like that? You're kidding, right? If it were Serika, she wouldn't go out of her way to tell Hii-chan that. She'd just make it look like an accident and kill you. Don't you think too highly of your own sister?"

"You're right... that makes sense."

Her words somehow made it all click.

Afterwards, I learned the full story.

I opened the message I hadn't read yet and discovered just how much Serika and Karen—and even the viewers—had been supporting me all along.

"…So why is this thing looking down on me?"

The first monster, A, still kept licking my hand, tickling it.

　

"It tastes so deliciously happy. I might eat you when I get hungry, so be careful, Hii-chan."

"That's a wild animal... Ah, right. I was holding onto this, so here you go."

"Huh?"

I handed the thing I'd kept deep within Shadow Storage since long ago—something I'd never once taken out—to Nanami.

"This is my album, huh? So that's where Hei-chan kept it all along."

"Yeah. I got teared up over this one."

"But now it's not really needed anymore. I've got Hei-chan with me."

"Oh, okay. Then I'll keep it for you."

I flipped through it casually, and a few nostalgic photos appeared.

Suddenly, I reached the last page.

On the inside of the back cover, I found Nanami's handwriting.

"What's this... 'I'll live and return to him. This time, I'll definitely say I love him!'...?"

"Ah, aah! Waaah! What are you reading?!"

Nanami snatched the album away from me.

"I totally forgot I wrote something like that! So embarrassing..."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Huh!? Seriously!? You're such a clueless idiot, Hii-chan!"

It was a nostalgic exchange.

It felt just like when I was still on Earth.

I had mistakenly believed I was seen as a murderer.

Nanami was back, right beside me.

Still, nothing could go back to how it was before.

This is another world.

I now have new companions—Jeanne and Refrea.

I'm still under the gaze of the audience.

Some things have changed, and some haven't, probably.

But right now, for the first time since coming to this world, I feel like I can truly look forward.

I feel like I can finally live here as Cross Hikaru—just as I should.

So, from here on.

Let's walk step by step into a new life together.

All of us.