"Natsumi? You're Natsumi Kyouno, right?"
Upon hearing the shout from Mr. Tachibana, Natsumi Kyouno—who had been curiously browsing the various shops in Akihabara—paused her steps, turned around, and looked at him.
Perhaps because she had already been recognized by others before they arrived, there was no expression of surprise on her face.
"Mhm, I'm Natsumi Kyouno."
A gentle smile curved the corners of Natsumi Kyouno lips, and she asked in a very friendly tone, "Do you want to take a photo together too? No problem~ What pose do you want me to take?"
Her attitude was so friendly it was shocking.
For a moment, Meteora and Selesia even started to doubt whether the information provided by Kikuchihara Aki might have been wrong.
Such a kind big sister—how could she possibly be a villainous character?
Or… was this just a disguise?
Although surprised by Natsumi Kyouno friendliness, the two still didn't completely let down their guard and continued to follow closely behind Mr. Tachibana.
"Amazing!"
Mr. Tachibana coughed twice, suppressing his inner excitement and trying to make his voice sound more normal. "Ahem… Well, taking a photo would be great too, but I'm actually here on a mission."
"Mission?"
Natsumi Kyouno looked him up and down with interest and asked casually, "Which organization are you from? AST? Hmm… Probably not. Those tireless cuties only ever attack me on sight… So are you with DEM?"
"Ratatoskr. Have you heard of that organization?"
"Hmm… That's my first time hearing about it."
Upon hearing her response, Sota Mizushino, who was also following behind Mr. Tachibana, suddenly felt his heart sink.
The "mature lady" form of Natsumi Kyouno was the most agreeable to deal with. They didn't believe she had any reason to lie.
And if Natsumi Kyouno hadn't heard of Ratatoskr, then that could only mean one thing—
The version of Natsumi Kyouno standing before them had not yet been saved by Shido Itsuka.
That was the worst possible news.
"It's fine if you haven't heard of it,"
Compared to Sota Mizushino—who was already sweating bullets—Mr. Tachibana expression remained calm.
"After all, in this world, neither AST, DEM, nor Ratatoskr exist."
"They don't… exist?"
Chewing on the phrasing of Mr. Tachibana words, a contemplative look appeared in Natsumi Kyouno eyes.
"So this really is another world?"
"You noticed?"
"Well… I have been here for quite some time now, and AST hasn't shown up like they usually do. I've been walking through the city openly and haven't heard a single spatial quake alert."
There wasn't much shock on Natsumi Kyouno face. Instead, her tone held a slight melancholy.
"I did feel something was off. Didn't expect it to be another world."
Hearing this, Sota Mizushino expression suddenly changed.
And then came the uncontrollable fear.
From her words just now, it was clear that she only had a vague suspicion that this was another world.
Which made sense. Unlike Meteora and Selesia—who realized immediately that this world wasn't their own—the world Natsumi Kyouno came from was almost exactly the same as this one.
World map, countries, history… practically everything was identical.
Just looking at the surface, it'd be extremely hard to realize one had crossed into another world.
However… she still hadn't realized that this world belongs to the "Creators", and that she herself was merely a fictional character from a novel.
That was the part that terrified Sota Mizushino the most.
If Natsumi Kyouno realized that she was a fictional character…
No—if she realized that her true identity was known to thousands, or even tens of millions of people around the world…
Sota Mizushino Adam's apple bobbed with a hard gulp.
"Mr. Tachibana! Please don't let Natsumi realize this!"
Suppressing the unease in his heart, all he could do now was silently pray.
If Natsumi Kyouno became aware that her true identity had been exposed to the whole world…
Forget being an ally—in her current state, before Shido Itsuka had resolved her emotional turmoil, she would absolutely become an enemy.
In the worst-case scenario, she might even join the Military-Uniform Princess and seek to destroy this world.
Given her current state of severe emotional instability… she just might actually do it.
Even though it wasn't he who was talking to her now, Sota Mizushino could still feel a pressure heavy as a mountain.
"But… you guys are the first ones to actually confirm my suspicions."
Oblivious to Sota inner turmoil, Natsumi Kyouno continued speaking.
"You seem to know a lot, little brother. Would you mind telling me why?"
"Of course," Mr. Tachibana answered smoothly. "Because in this world, you're a fictional character—a role in a novel called Date A Live."
"Pfffft—!!"
Upon hearing that, Sota Mizushino immediately choked and sputtered.
This… this was like dancing in a minefield!
Staring at Mr. Tachibana in disbelief, he urgently patted him on the shoulder.
"Mr. Tachibana, what the hell are you—"
Before he could finish, Mr. Tachibana gave him a sidelong glance, accompanied by a reassuring look that said: Trust me.
Feeling the determination in that look, Sota mood gradually calmed down.
Yeah… that's right.
If he could think of it, then surely the creator of Date A Live—and the father of Natsumi Kyouno—Mr. Tachibana must have thought of it too.
He must have a reason for saying this.
"Fictional… character…?"
Sure enough, after hearing Mr. Tachibana explanation, a look of utter confusion appeared on Natsumi Kyouno lovely face.
"Wait a second… are you saying that those people who asked to take pictures with me earlier… it wasn't because I looked pretty, but because I was… a character they already knew? A fictional one?"
"Yes, exactly."
Afraid she wouldn't believe it, Mr. Tachibana pulled out his phone, typed "Natsumi Kyouno" into a search engine, and showed her the results—an entire list of entries and images related to her.
Taking the phone, Natsumi Kyouno swiped the screen with an expression of disbelief.
But after just ten seconds or so, her expression froze.
Then—with a surge of force—she crushed the phone in her hand.
"W-Why are there pictures of me without clothes on the internet?!"
Apparently, she had seen some less-than-wholesome images online.
The graceful and ladylike Natsumi Kyouno from just moments ago suddenly flipped into an entirely different person—her face and ears flushed red with fury, and she asked through gritted teeth:
"Who the hell drew those?! Let me find out and I swear they won't live to see tomorrow!!"