The reunion

The day at lunchtime, Itsuka and his friends took a seat in the cafeteria as they began eating.

"Anyways, guys, want to come to karaoke later?" Shosuke asked.

"Sure, I don't see why not," Itsuka replied.

"Although, we will be with twelve others," Shosuke added.

Mazuri looked amused. "Look at Mr. Friends Guy over here."

Shosuke shot back, "Shut up, you're only jealous because I have more friends than you. Anyway, are you coming?"

Mazuri sighed. "Fine, but I'm only coming because both of you are going as well."

Itsuka chuckled. "Really? Why can't you just accept casually?"

Mazuri rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Shosuke grinned. "Now that's the spirit!"

After school, the three followed Shosuke as he led the way. Itsuka wondered how this world, which should be medieval, now seemed like the present but medieval ever since the Otherworlders, including himself, were summoned.

As they finally arrived at their destination, someone was waiting for them. He waved as soon as he saw them and introduced himself as Kiyozi Furita.

"You three are late. The karaoke is already starting," Kiyozi said.

"Sorry, bro, got caught up in something," Shosuke replied.

"Anyways, let's go inside," Kiyozi urged.

As Itsuka and his friends entered, he immediately recognized some familiar faces. The attention of the eight people already there turned towards them, while three others entered holding drinks. The students in the karaoke room were Itori Yagami, Chizume Finataly, Anme Mine, Lea Sharlily, Alya Horitaki, Light Starlette, Sarit Lazaniya, Faye Michelle, Mahiro Akasuki, Erane Rashiro, Kiyozi Furita, and Mitai Kira.

"Some familiar faces," Itsuka noted.

Mitai Kira reacted with a start. "Huh!? Meeting you again brings back memories. We never trusted each other. Now, I'll enjoy watching you fall, knowing you backed the wrong person."

Itsuka's eyes narrowed. "I never turned my back on you, Kira. From the moment I met you, I've always seen you as a threat."

Mitai smirked. "Really? Between us, I have a feeling I'm going to win again."

Itsuka responded with a smirk. "I doubt that. We ever fought even once. You only relied on Commander Zaro, who was ordered by the first princess to assassinate me as humiliatingly as possible."

Itori turned to him with curiosity. "Oni-chan, who is this guy to you?"

Sarit Lazamiya's eyes widened. "You're both siblings!?"

"Well, yes, of course," Itsuka confirmed.

Sarit scowled. "You little—"

Itori interrupted, her eyes narrowing at Sarit. "What? Don't tell me you were his previous enemy."

Itsuka glanced at Sarit with a smirk. "Sarit, are you flirting with my sister?"

Sarit sneered. "What are you gonna do about it!?"

Itsuka giggled, showing a smile that was horrifying—a smile of a psychopath—as he looked directly into Sarit's eyes. For the first time, Sarit felt a wave of fear wash over him, as Itsuka's smile remained fixed.

"Sarit," Itsuka said, "flirting with my sister is not just crossing a line; it's disrespecting the bond we share as family. Please understand that her happiness and comfort mean the world to me, and seeing her uncomfortable because of unwanted advances is something I cannot tolerate. Let's respect each other's boundaries and keep our interactions respectful and appropriate, unless you want to see Death himself."

Sarit went pale as Itsuka turned his gaze to Mahiro, who trembled in fear at seeing him again despite not fully understanding why.

"And for you," Itsuka continued, "after all this time apart, seeing you again feels like encountering a stranger in the guise of someone I once trusted. Long time no see, Mahiro, after your deceit. Your unsettling demeanor now speaks louder than words ever could."

Mitai Kira scoffed. "You talk big, but you're just a weakling."

Itsuka's eyes flashed with determination. "You speak confidently as if you understand me, but you're clueless about the depths of my strength and resilience. Don't mistake the lack of witnesses to my battles for a lack of power. You're not even close to understanding what I'm capable of."

Lea Sharlily interjected, "Itsuka, why is your personality—"

But Itsuka cut her off with a quick apology. "Sorry, I tend to overdo my talking."

Mitai scoffed. "This is all crap. Guys, let's go!"

As Mitai and his group departed, Faye Michelle approached Itsuka with an apologetic expression.

"Faye Michelle," she began, "I'm very sorry for how my group treated you, and how I treated you back then. I don't know what I was thinking back then."

She handed him some money before leaving, leaving Itsuka to realize she was a victim.

Itsuka thought to himself, "She's a victim of the first princess's acts. I bet she didn't even want to do that, but was forced by Mitsuri using her powers. Seriously, Mitsuri Mine is just so troublesome."

Kiyozi chimed in, "Wow, Itsuka, you really are a big shot, huh?"

Itsuka shrugged. "I try to avoid attention, but I keep failing every time."

Alya Horitaki leaned closer to him, curiosity in her eyes. "Itsuka, who are you really? Sometimes you're so sweet, but other times you're so cold. What is your story?"

Itsuka's expression hardened. "Don't pry into my past."

Alya apologized quickly. "Sorry..."

Lea turned to Itsuka. "Itsuka, what's your deal with them?"

Itsuka sighed. "Can we change the topic now?"

Shosuke nodded. "Yeah, we shouldn't go through someone's private affairs."

Itori agreed. "I guess you are right."

Light Starlette, feeling left out, exclaimed, "Finally, I can join in the talk!"

Anme chuckled softly. "Fufu, I guess I should have joined in the talk, shouldn't I?"

Chizume Finataly suddenly perked up. "Can we get more fries?!"

As they continued talking and eating, the day passed and they eventually went their separate ways. As Itsuka walked alone, he noticed the sky darkening. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Anme approaching.

"What could you possibly want?" Itsuka asked.

Anme hesitated, then spoke. "Well, you see, umm, I've done this scene more than a hundred times."

"Why?" Itsuka inquired.

As the rain began to fall, tears mingled with the raindrops on Anme's face. She cried as she stood in front of Itsuka.

"Sorry, Itsuka," she said, her voice trembling. "I would like to be your piece now."

"Ehh? Where did this come from?" Itsuka was taken aback.

Anme took a deep breath, her tears continuing to flow. "Ever since we were kids, I was always by your side, but then I died and left you alone. Now that we've met again, I only challenged you despite it being our reunion."

"What is your point?" Itsuka asked, his confusion evident.

Anme looked at him with determination. "Itsuka, your real name is 'Adonai.'"

The rain started to fall heavily as Itsuka stood stunned by what Anme had just said.

"What kind of Adonai?" Itsuka asked, bewildered. "You mean the Adonai from the religion of—"

"That's right," Anme interrupted. "The Adonai who created the heavens and hell."

"And do you really think I'll believe you?" Itsuka challenged.

"Do you seriously think I'm lying?" Anme countered.

Itsuka studied Anme's expression and saw the face of someone who seemed entirely honest about what she had just said.

"How is that even possible?" Itsuka questioned, his voice tinged with confusion.

Anme took a deep breath. "You see, in the very beginning, there was a battle between the Creators. These creators were Elohim Adonai, Cosmic Expansion, and Daemon Sultan. These names are not known by most people across our planet because they are hidden within a book called *The Genesis of AΩ*. That book contains the truth about the past, written by one of the 17th lives of Cosmic Expansion, or rather, the Big Bang itself."

Itsuka frowned, trying to wrap his mind around the information. "What do you mean by '17 lives of Cosmic'?"

Anme sighed softly, her gaze lowering momentarily before meeting Itsuka's eyes again. "Even if you ask me, I still don't know enough about the Book of The AΩ to fully clarify my answer to that."

"Then how did you know all about this?" Itsuka asked, still trying to piece everything together.

"Let's go to my room first at the castle," Anme suggested. "We can't stand out here in this thick rain for too long."

Anme summoned a portal, and the two of them stepped through, finding themselves in her room at the castle.

"So, what now?" Itsuka asked, glancing around.

"Let's take a bath first, shall we?" Anme proposed with a playful smile.

"Together?" Itsuka asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fufu, why not?" Anme teased.

"I might get you pregnant, princess...!" Itsuka warned, a mix of jest and seriousness in his tone.

"Ehhh!? Really? Am I really that tempting to you, Itsuka?" Anme asked, feigning surprise.

"Stop seducing me with that loli body of yours," Itsuka replied, trying to keep a straight face.

"Why? I look better than what I looked like before," Anme countered.

"You mean your past life...?" Itsuka trailed off, the weight of their conversation settling in.

There was a silence between them as Itsuka looked at Anme's smiling face. She sighed and looked at the ground before looking back at him, placing her hands behind her back.

"Y-yeah..." Anme admitted softly.