Doujin Artist: Yeah, seriously dumb.
Eriri stared silently at Tomoya's back, disappointment in her eyes. She couldn't believe she used to like someone like him. Her brain must've been kicked by a donkey or something.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Don't be mad, Eriri-chan.
Machete Girl: He's not worth getting upset over.
Doujin Artist: Don't worry, I'm not mad. Just kind of ironic. I really was an idiot back then.
Curly-haired Guy: I think you should just drop the "back then" part. That's the only way to really be honest with yourself.
Doujin Artist: Get lost. Go die!
Amegakure Village's Angel: Looks like even Kasumigaoka is shocked by Tomoya's stupidity.
On screen.
Right now, Kasumigaoka Utaha looked completely stunned, like she couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "Your laptop? You risked your life for a *laptop*? Do you even know what's going on right now?"
Boom!
Flames shot out from her palm again, burning two bugs that got too close into charcoal.
"Yes, I know," Tomoya said loudly, not looking away. "I know it's really dangerous at school. But that doesn't mean I can just give up on my dream!"
"Your dream?" Kasumigaoka took a deep breath and said quietly, "So that means you're willing to give up everything else for that dream?"
"Yes, exactly!" Tomoya nodded without a second thought.
"Then go. I'll hold them off." She turned around and said calmly, "But from this moment on, we're total strangers."
"Senpai…" Tomoya froze, eyes wide in shock.
But Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't respond to him. She focused all her attention on the enemies in front of her. Dark red fireballs formed in her palms and shot toward the swarm of bugs.
"Senpai, thank you." After leaving those words behind, Aki Tomoya turned and ran toward the school building.
Sigh.
Only after his figure disappeared completely did Utaha let out a soft sigh, her eyes growing misty.
Curly-haired Guy: Damn it! This is so frustrating! Aki Tomoya really pisses me off!
Machete Girl: He just left like that. No matter how much you love games, this is too much.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: I mean, in a way, doesn't this make him kind of a scumbag?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Not "kind of"—he *is* a scumbag. Gross!
Doujin Artist: No, I actually think he's kind of pitiful.
Curly-haired Guy: Huh?
Shinigami Villain: Pitiful?
Honestly, with how Aki Tomoya acted, even Unohana felt like drawing her sword and cutting him down. What's so pitiful about a guy this awful? Kasumigaoka's the one who's really pitiful!
This is an Actor: He is pitiful, in a way. To Aki Tomoya, the game he's making *is* his whole world and future. His narrow view of things made him blind to what he just lost.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Ohh, I get it now! His harem route totally crashed and burned. Now he's only got Megumi Kato left, right?
This is an Actor: Nope. He's got nothing left now.
*Slice.*
Just as Aizen's message was sent, Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly got slashed in the right arm by a giant bug in the stream. Bright red blood began to flow.
Machete Girl: Ah! Kasumigaoka's hurt!
Amegakure Village's Angel: That bug looks kinda different from the rest.
Through the screen, everyone could see that the bug looked different from the others. It was black too, but its shape was more like a praying mantis, and its front limbs looked like two scythes.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Oh no, this is bad! This is really bad!
Doujin Artist: That's what happens when you try to act tough. Now it's up to Sister Riko to fix things. I'm heading in!
Shinigami Villain: Wait a second, take this with you.
[Notification: Shinigami Villain has uploaded a Zanpakuto "Asauchi." Price: 50 points]
Curly-haired Guy: Holy crap, a Zanpakuto? A real one?!
Machete Girl: That's a lot of Zanpakuto. Is Flower Lady running a wholesale shop or what?
Shinigami Villain: Sorry, I can't give you ones that have already awakened. You'll have to awaken the Zanpakuto on your own.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Don't say that, Flower Lady. You've already helped a ton.
Saten Ruiko had been eyeing the Zanpakuto for a long time, but even Aizen didn't have the skill to forge a real one.
Doujin Artist: Thanks, Flower Lady!
Opening the item trade zone, Eriri clicked the buy button for the Zanpakuto. A flash of white light, and a long, thin katana appeared in her hand.
It felt strange.
The moment she held the sword, Eriri felt a tremor deep in her soul. It was like an invisible thread had tied her and the sword together.
But there wasn't time to look into it. She stepped to the window, ready to jump down.
*Thud.*
A dull sound of a blade cutting through flesh.
The mantis-like bug in front of Kasumigaoka was suddenly sliced clean in half. Dark green goo sprayed everywhere.
Everyone froze.
Not just Kasumigaoka, even Eriri who was about to jump down, and everyone watching the stream fell silent.
Because in front of them stood someone who wasn't supposed to be there.
Neatly cut shoulder-length hair, a delicate face. She wore the same school uniform as Kasumigaoka and Eriri, and in her hand was a sword glowing with soft white light.
Curly-haired Guy: M-Megumi Kato?
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: What's she doing here? And how did she just show up like that?
Machete Girl: I didn't see anything at all!
Doujin Artist: Me neither. Could she really teleport or something?
This is an Actor: Nope. She's been hiding nearby for a long time. You just didn't notice her.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: ?
Machete Girl: ?
Doujin Artist: No way!
Soul Society's Villain: Some kind of invisibility technique?
This is an Actor: Sort of. It's a different kind of invisibility. She lowers her presence so much that people can't sense her at all. Megumi Kato really lives up to her name.