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ArabicChat Group Crossover: My System Simulates Infinite Anime Worlds — Chapter 3
Chapter 3: The World Without You
Just as Nagumo drifted into a sweet, well-earned slumber…
…in the world of Date A Live, the consequences of his final moments were only just beginning to unfold.
Mio’s other half, the entity known as Phantom, had just sealed Kurumi Tokisaki into the Neighboring World. Her cheeks were still faintly flushed as she adjusted the panties she had been forced to pull back on.
She glanced at the two corpses on the blood-stained asphalt. Her eyes lingered on Nagumo, who had maintained his desperate grip on her leg even in death. A trace of bashful anger flickered in her gaze. She knew he hadn’t understood the full situation, so she couldn’t truly blame him for his crude, final act. In a strange, fleeting moment, she even felt a sliver of envy for the deep feelings Kurumi Tokisaki had so clearly inspired.
Her attention then shifted to the heavy truck driver, who was beginning to stir not far away. With a flicker of movement, she rendered the man unconscious once more, then swiftly and clinically altered the scene to resemble a tragic, straightforward traffic accident.
Her form shimmered, dissolving behind a curtain of digital mosaic as she vanished from sight.
Shortly after she departed…
…a distortion in space heralded a return. Kurumi Tokisaki, clad in her crimson and black Astral Dress, materialized back in the world, her body swaying unsteadily. She was panting heavily, each breath a ragged gasp for air. It was clear that breaking free from the Neighboring World so quickly had cost her a massive amount of both physical and spiritual energy.
Then, she saw him.
She saw Nagumo, lying motionless on the ground.
When the reality of his still, lifeless form crashed down upon her, a desperate denial seized her heart. She summoned her Angel, the grand clock Zafkiel, and funneled a torrent of her remaining power into its ancient mechanism. A single, specialized bullet materialized within the chamber of the flintlock pistol. As she channeled her very essence into the weapon, a few stark white strands appeared amongst the lustrous, jet-black silk of her hair.
Aiming the pistol at Nagumo’s body, she pulled the trigger. The bullet, a concentrated shard of her power over time, struck him.
But nothing happened.
The miracle she had gambled everything on did not occur. He did not stir. He did not breathe. He simply lay there, quiet and unmoving, a silent proof of a single, brutal truth: the dead cannot return.
A wave of pure, undiluted despair washed over Kurumi, and tears finally broke free, streaming from her heterochromatic eyes. That last, desperate shot had consumed the very last of her strength, even overdrawing on a portion of her own lifespan.
As she stared, helpless, Nagumo’s corpse suddenly began to emit a soft, golden radiance that pulsed outward. Before her horrified eyes, his body started to dissipate, breaking apart bit by bit into shimmering motes of light.
A heart-wrenching cry tore from her throat. She lunged forward, her hands grasping frantically at the dissolving golden specks, trying to hold onto something, anything.
“No! No! Don’t disappear! Don’t go!”
But it was all in vain. The golden light continued to fade, slipping through her fingers like ethereal sand. In moments, all that remained on the cold, hard ground were his clothes.
The light in Kurumi Tokisaki’s beautiful eyes died, replaced by a hollow, bottomless despair. As if every bone and sinew had turned to dust, her strength gave out, and she sank to her knees. Her divine Astral Dress dissolved around her, shattering into particles of shadow and light, revealing the simple school uniform she wore beneath.
She clutched the clothes he had left behind, pressing the fabric to her chest as if it were him. A wail of pure agony escaped her lips, a sound so broken and full of loss it seemed the very world should shatter with it. It was the sound of someone whose most important person had been ripped away forever.
As if in answer, dark clouds roiled and gathered in the sky above. An instant later, lightning tore the heavens asunder, and a torrential downpour began to fall, washing away the scent of blood that clung to the street.
Kurumi Tokisaki screamed her sorrow at the sky, but her voice was swallowed whole by the roar of thunder and the relentless drumming of the rain. Her grief was masked, hidden by the storm, until finally, the overwhelming pain and exhaustion dragged her into the black abyss of unconsciousness.
It was then that the truck driver finally awoke. Shaking his groggy head, he saw the two girls lying motionless on the rain-slicked ground and, with trembling hands, called the police and his insurance company. A hit-and-run was out of the question; a surveillance camera mounted on a nearby pole had silently recorded the entire aftermath.
A few days later, Kurumi held a small, private funeral for Nagumo. She also attended the funeral of her best friend, Sawa, her heart a block of ice. After spending a short time with her parents, offering them what little comfort she could, she vanished.
An unknown amount of time passed.
In a quiet, slightly aged cemetery, a lone figure stood before two graves. The passage of time seemed to have left no mark upon Kurumi Tokisaki’s face; she still possessed the same youthful, hauntingly beautiful appearance. Dressed in a simple, cinched black dress, she held two bouquets of fresh flowers.
On the ring finger of her left hand, she wore a simple, slightly old-fashioned ring. It was impeccably maintained, polished to a soft gleam. It was clear she cherished it more than anything.
She placed one bouquet on each of the two tombstones. Looking at one of them, the one bearing his name, an expression of deep reminiscence softened her features. She recalled every little detail of her time with him, and as her thumb brushed against the cool metal of the ring on her finger, a sweet, genuine smile graced her lips.
Then, her thoughts drifted back to that day.
He had collapsed before her, yet had somehow found the strength to grab onto Phantom’s legs, to try and stop the malevolent spirit. That wretch, Phantom, had sealed her away in the Neighboring World. She had even sealed Kurumi’s memories of him. If not for the unique nature of her Angel, those precious, irreplaceable memories might have been lost forever.
She would never, ever forgive Phantom.
If Phantom hadn’t sealed her away… she might have had a chance. She might have been able to save him.
Her expression hardened. She still hadn’t collected enough ‘Time.’ Every attempt she made to travel back to that specific point was met with some unseen force that blocked her, preventing her from interfering. She could only watch from the sidelines of history as her past self wailed in despair, clutching nothing but his empty clothes.
The ‘Time’she had harvested from human scumbags was simply not enough. To break through the barriers of fate, she needed a greater power. She needed to collect the’Time’ of other Spirits.
Kurumi Tokisaki looked up at the distant sky. She saw the clouds overhead, which, for a fleeting moment, seemed to arrange themselves into the shape of a gentle, smiling face. A soft, wry smile touched her own lips.
She murmured to the wind, “You… even after you’re gone, you still want to make me laugh? Fine, I get it.”
Just then, a light breeze blew past, ruffling her bangs. Kurumi brushed the hair from her face, and when she lowered her hand, her gaze had become exceptionally firm, forged in the fires of loss and resolve.
She whispered, her voice a soft but unbreakable vow.
“Nagumo… no matter the cost, I will bring you back to life. I will create a world where only you exist.”
At that very moment.
A translucent, virtual screen materialized in the air before her.
[Myriad Worlds Chat Group welcomes you to the group.]
[Yes/Confirm]
Kurumi Tokisaki stared at the interface, a faint, dangerous smile curling the corners of her mouth.
“Myriad Worlds Chat Group… So, this isn’t a hallucination. And it doesn’t even give me the option to refuse.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“However… I would very much like to see if this is another of Phantom’s schemes, or something else entirely.”
Talking to herself, Kurumi reached out a slender finger and tapped ‘Yes’.
A moment after she joined the Chat Group, messages began to appear.
[Group Owner Zhang Mengmeng]: “Welcome, welcome! Welcome to the big family of the Chat Group! Including you and me, there are only three people in the group right now.”
[Group Owner Zhang Mengmeng]: “Oh, I almost forgot! The Chat Group system also chimes in with a few words from time to time. When it speaks, don’t mind it. It’s usually just making snide remarks.”
[Hiratsuka Shizuka]: “Welcome, newcomer. If you have any questions, talk to the person above first. I have other things to attend to.”
[Group Owner Zhang Mengmeng]: “No problem, go ahead! I’ll handle all the explanations. Just don’t forget what we agreed on.”
[Hiratsuka Shizuka]: “Understood. Just come over when the time comes. I’m still capable of teaching and guiding people. If you don’t mind, newcomer, you’re welcome to come to my world as well.”
[Kurumi Tokisaki]: “Thank you very much. I will certainly visit when the time is right. I wonder, are there any precautions I should be aware of?”
[Hiratsuka Shizuka]: “There aren’t many. Just don’t go around killing people indiscriminately. Of course, some people can be killed; those bastards have already fallen beyond redemption. It’s hard to explain clearly in a short time, so I’ll fill you in slowly later. I’m leaving, I have other things to do.”
[Group Owner Zhang Mengmeng]: “˛˛ꉂ ೭(˵¯̴͒ꇴ¯̴͒˵)౨ Hahahaha, now it’s my turn! Miss Kurumi, are you a Spirit right now? May I ask…”