Chat Group Crossover: My System Simulates Infinite Anime Worlds — Chapter 86

Chapter 86: The Chance to Return

Night fell, blanketing the world in quiet shadow.

Nagumo lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He searched his conscience for any flicker of guilt, only to find it remarkably silent.

He replayed the events of the afternoon in his mind. After returning from the simulation, he had offered a brief explanation of his absence. Cecilia, without a word of reproach, had simply drawn him close. He’d spent the rest of the day with his head resting on the soft pillow of her lap, her fingers gently carding through his hair as she hummed a lullaby from her distant homeland. The melody was soft, unfamiliar, and yet it had lulled him into a deep, dreamless sleep. When he finally awoke, the sky outside was painted in the deep oranges and purples of dusk.

It had to be said, Cecilia truly lived up to her title as a Saintess. The serene, almost holy aura that clung to her was a balm to his weary soul. And her thighs… they were exceptionally soft.

Later, he had used a handful of top-grade spirit stones to construct a Spirit Gathering Array in her room. He had more than enough simulation attempts saved up, and the cost of the array was negligible. Worst-case scenario, he could always conduct a “resource acquisition mission” on another plane—and maybe see if they had any interesting local delicacies while he was there.

After a quiet dinner and a long shower, he returned to his room, a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he had forgotten something important. His gaze drifted to the side, landing on the shimmering, unstable gateway that led to another world.

He lightly slapped his forehead. Of course. The interdimensional portals.

He considered it for a moment. There was no real rush. Tending to them tomorrow would be no different from today.

With a sigh, Nagumo picked up two different cell phones from his nightstand. One was his personal device, the other a burner he’d acquired specifically for a new contact.

He unlocked his own phone first, opening the social media app. The class group chat was quiet, save for a slow trickle of memes and reaction images. Nothing of consequence.

He then picked up the second phone, the one containing a single, momentous contact: Kurumi Tokisaki. He opened their chat log. It was painfully sparse. His initial “Hello,” followed by the single, cryptic image she had sent in reply. Nothing more.

Nagumo felt a wave of helplessness wash over him. The sheer unpredictability of his life was staggering. What was he even supposed to say to Kurumi? And what would happen if Elysia or Jingliu somehow ran into her? A full-blown Shuraba was the last thing he needed.

Three seconds later, he pushed the thought from his mind.

‘I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.’

The most important thing was to get stronger. As long as he was powerful enough, the gruesome possibility of being torn limb from limb by a cadre of scorned lovers would remain purely hypothetical. While his current strength made such a scenario unlikely, there was no harm in adding more layers of insurance. More power was always better.

The simulations were the key. He could never give them up. Each new life, each journey through a different world, granted him a fresh perspective, a deeper insight into the Dao itself. He only wished he could retain more than just vague, dreamlike impressions from his past runs. If he had perfect recall, perhaps some tragedies could have been avoided.

With that thought solidifying his resolve, Nagumo opened the system interface. His eyes fell on the standard simulation option, and he tapped it without hesitation. A quick run would help clear his head.

[Please select three of the following traits:]

[Burnout (Blue): Your lifespan this time will be a fleeting moment of splendor. In exchange for a drastically shortened life, you will gain unmatched power…]

[Note: Can produce linked effects with traits such as Burning Burst, Tempered Through a Thousand Hammers, and Refined into Steel.]

[Pure Passerby (Green): Your presence is greatly reduced. To most, you will seem like just another face in the crowd. However, those who truly take notice of you will never forget.]

[Note: Can produce linked effects with traits such as Assassin, Breath Concealment, Immunity to All Poisons, Berserker, and Godspeed Reaction.]

[Burning Burst (Green): You do not pursue eternity, only a single, brilliant flash of glory. Your life will burn away with every passing second, like a candle in a gale, but you will erupt with incomparable power.]

[Note: Can produce linked effects with traits such as Burnout, Tempered Through a Thousand Hammers, and Refined into Steel.]

[Incorrigible Drinker (Blue): To raise a glass to drown your sorrows only makes them stronger. You will gain a massive tolerance for alcohol. After drinking, your strength will rise for a short period, proportional to the amount you consume. Come, invoke the Wine God!]

[Note: Can produce linked effects with traits such as Sword Master, Swordsman, and Brewer.]

[Ember (Blue): You will retain a portion of your memories regarding a specific world. You will randomly enter a world you have simulated before and regain a fraction of your original power from that timeline.]

[Your remaining time will be short. Is there anything you wish to say? You may also choose to pass on your power, in its entirety, to another.]

[Warning: The rating for this simulation may be extremely low.]

[Note: Can produce linked effects with traits such as Burning Burst, Burnout…]

Nagumo’s gaze locked onto the final trait.

‘Ember.’

The possibility of randomly traveling to a world he had simulated before… It was tempting. While it was always possible to land in a familiar world, this trait guaranteed it, and with the bonus of retaining some memories. Without it, the time period he arrived in could be wildly different, making his knowledge useless.

His mind raced through the possibilities.

He thought of the world where he had lived the life of Wang Mang. If he returned there, armed with a life-burning build, he wouldn’t just “cause a scene” in the imperial palace—he would unleash a storm of fiery retribution.

Or perhaps he could find himself in the world of Honkai: Star Rail. He could offer some guidance to Jingliu, maybe steer her, even slightly, from the maddening path of the Mara-Struck.

The main Honkai world would be fine, too. He could check in and see if that cheap imitation of an Immortal Master had managed to crawl his way back to life yet.

Then there was the little princess, Houraisan Kaguya. He pictured her face, the utter shock that would register if he appeared before her and presented the genuine Hourai Jade Branch he had received as a reward. It would be worth it just to see her stunned into a rare moment of speechlessness.

And then, his thoughts inevitably turned to Kurumi Tokisaki.

If he randomly landed in the world of Date A Live, that wouldn’t be a waste of an opportunity at all. He could still vividly recall their time together—he had long since committed the exact feel and form of her thighs to memory. He was confident he could pick her out of a crowd based on that experience alone. Of course, finding her might also be a death sentence. It was just as likely she would capture him for “research” on his method of resurrection.

She was, after all, the master of such bizarrely abstract concepts, having once conceived a plan to literally give birth to her own ideal lover. In a way, it wasn’t so different from his own predicament in any world before he had mastered his power—allowing a soul to inhabit a new vessel, but being unable to recall a soul that had already dissipated into the ether.

After careful consideration, Nagumo made his choice. He had to take the gamble. What if he hit the jackpot?

[Traits Selected:]

[Burnout (Blue)]

[Burning Burst (Green)]

[Ember (Blue)]

His reasoning was simple. The `Ember` trait already implied his time would be short. He might as well make that brief life burn as fiercely and brilliantly as possible. If he happened to encounter danger, he could at least lend a hand.

As for the romantic entanglements… Nagumo found he no longer cared. Kurumi had already crashed into his reality. He had already met Elysia and others from past simulations. What was one more debt in the grand scheme of things? Besides, the Kurumi here had only just arrived; she hadn’t yet discovered his true identity.

Though, given her association with Hiratsuka Shizuka, he felt that discovery was an inevitability.

And on top of all that, he had a bona fide Saintess living in his home.

Thinking of Cecilia, Nagumo reached into his pocket and pulled out the small cross she had given him. It was cool to the touch, but felt impossibly heavy in his palm, saturated with blessings. The weight of her affection, he mused, was almost too much to bear.

He was fortunate it was him holding it. Anyone else would have likely been crushed flat by the sheer density of her devotion.