Rem had also heard Tatsuki's discovery that sounded almost like a confession, and a blissful smile spread across her lips.
Ram reached out and poked her cheek with a finger.
"Rem, you're making your sister jealous. That was basically a confession from Master."
"Ugh, Sister…"
Rem lowered her head shyly.
She felt like she was getting a little carried away—especially in front of her sister.
Seeing that, Ram sighed, then lifted her right hand like a knife-hand and lightly tapped Rem on the head twice, coaxing her the way she always did.
"Rem, don't overthink it. I already received the best gift Master could give."
"Sister…"
Rem looked up and saw the gentle smile at the corner of Ram's mouth.
Her left hand drifted to her forehead—where Master had given her a new oni horn.
At every moment, she could feel warm energy flowing through her body. It was Master's power.
"…"
After hearing Tatsuki's news, the two of them showed a rare tenderness, and Emilia couldn't help feeling a faint, envious sting in her chest.
Aqua: "Ohhh? Are you confessing to this goddess? Ho ho ho, it can't be helped—nobody can resist the charm of the Goddess of Water."
Aqua thought the words were meant for her.
Chen: "Is she always this narcissistic?"
Momonga: "Don't be ridiculous. Aqua isn't a person—she's a goddess. An idiot goddess."
Aqua: "Momonga, hehehe… you'll be an enemy of the Axis Church forever!"
Momonga: "Tch."
Chen: "…"
Tatsuki: "Alright, quit dragging it off-topic. We can't just ignore the newbies."
Tatsuki: "Tsunade, Kushina—read the announcement's Apocalypse Chat Group description before you talk."
Kushina: "Description?"
With Tatsuki's reminder, the two of them found the group description and started reading.
After they finished—
"World-hopping…"
Kushina was completely shocked that a chat group like this could even exist.
Tsunade also lost any desire to keep gambling.
With a swish, she stood up. "Shizune, we're leaving."
"Huh?"
The pure-looking girl beside Tsunade—dressed in black top and black pants, with short black hair, holding a little pig in her arms—froze for a moment.
Lady Tsunade was leaving before she even started gambling! Had Lady Tsunade… changed?
Muttering to herself, Shizune hurried after her.
Everyone else beat their chests in regret.
The legendary big, fat lamb had slipped away right under their noses.
"How much of this is real… how much is fake…"
From the very start, Tsunade had been watching everyone's reactions.
No one could see the Apocalypse Chat Group floating in front of her—not even Shizune reacted at all and when Tsunade tried to ask Shizune about it, she couldn't get the words out.
An existence only she could perceive, and one that wouldn't allow the information to be exposed.
Was it genjutsu? She couldn't pin it down, but Tsunade still firmly believed this thing was fake—because Kushina was already dead.
As she walked, she kept her attention on the chat group. "Apocalypse," "world-hopping"—did they think she was a child?
Tsunade: "Apocalypse? Fine. Tell me—what's the ninja world's Apocalypse supposed to be?"
Mikasa: "You can see it in your personal info."
Kushina: "This? [Anomalous Apocalypse (7-star) Uncertain Apocalypse (6-star)]."
Momonga: "Double Apocalypses again. Since when did double Apocalypses become so common?"
Tatsuki was surprised.
He'd assumed Naruto's world would be some kind of future Apocalypse. He didn't expect a 7-star Anomalous Apocalypse and a 6-star Uncertain Apocalypse, but why did Kushina's world even qualify for that?
Tsunade: "Hah. It matches what mine shows too. So what does that prove?"
Tatsuki: "It proves you're from the same world."
Tsunade: "Let me emphasize this again. Kushina is dead."
Kushina: "And I have to emphasize this: I'm not dead, fake Lady Tsunade."
Furina: "Is Miss Kushina still alive? That's a deeply philosophical question."
Tatsuki: "As if alive. That's also a deeply philosophical answer."
Furina: "As… as if alive?"
Furina blinked her watery, wide eyes. She genuinely hadn't expected an answer like that.
Kushina: "Tatsuki, what the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you cursing me to die?"
Tatsuki: "Ahem, calm down, you little spicy pepper. Think about it—what if you two are at different points in time?"
With his own power over time, Tatsuki naturally believed in different time points and different timelines.
Tatsuki: "Kushina, Tsunade—tell me what time you're in."
Kushina: "Konoha Year 51, October 7."
Tsunade: "Konoha Year 51? That's impossible. It's Konoha 64 right now."
Kushina: "What?"
March 7th: "So the times really are different!"
Kurumi: "Time isn't anything to be surprised about."
Mumei: "Mm. I've seen my big brother stop time."
Esdeath: "Heh. With an Apocalypse Chat Group around, it gets hard to be surprised by anything."
Tsunade: "I don't understand what you're talking about."
Tatsuki: "It's fine if you don't get it now. You'll understand little by little."
After that, nobody tried to explain too much to the two of them. At most, when they asked about something specific, someone would casually answer.
From doubting, to doubting again, to finally believing the Apocalypse Chat Group was real.
Most of the group—eighty or ninety percent—had gone through that exact process.
As for the two of them… it wasn't like everyone was "used to it," exactly. More like they'd all tested it the hard way themselves.
Before long, the two of them would figure it out.
…
Yui and Megumi had also left. The introductions for the new people were done.
Whether as a boyfriend or as an admin, his responsibilities for now were finished—and it was his turn.
This Apocalypse game had been an especially profitable haul.
After this, Yukino, Haruno, Chika, Marin, and Megumi—five of them—had all raised their abilities to the Lv. 5.
On top of that, there was Lv. 4 Six Powers + Haki; a few Lv. 5 Angel and Apostle bodies; and Lv. 3 power over time.
They already had the strength to stand on their own.
Eriri hadn't gained a new ability, but her Dragon Slayer Magic had risen to nearly Lv. 5 as well. Next, she just needed to steadily bring up her Haki and Six Powers.
Yumiko was about the same.
Of course, she'd gained an ability of her own.
Telekinesis: as the name implies, a psychic power that uses invisible force to manipulate objects from a distance, but her prompt only put it at about Lv. 3 for now—she still had a long road ahead.
Besides them, there were only two left: Mrs. Yuigahama and Mrs. Yukinoshita. He still didn't know what abilities they'd gotten.
They didn't tell him directly either—kept acting mysterious and told him to see for himself and, honestly, that really did spark Tatsuki's curiosity.