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~~~

3:00 a.m.

Inside Yukinoshita Haruno's room, only the glow of a computer screen illuminated her delicate features.

Having just finished showering, she'd let her newly blow-dried black hair fall loosely over her slightly tired eyes. A few unruly strands trailed down her face.

"Tap, tap, tap…"

Her slender fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard. On the screen, a company's financial statements coiled like a serpent, hissing out disquieting hints.

"A third suspicious fund transfer this month…"

Haruno bit her lip, then pulled up a photo she'd casually taken, enlarging it. In the shot, her mother—Yukinoshita-mama—was rubbing her temple, visibly distressed and fatigued, with piles of paperwork in front of her. That eternally elegant and composed mother now had dark circles that even the foundation couldn't hide.

A pang shot through Haruno's chest. She'd known her mother's condition was off lately, but hadn't expected it to be this serious.

Switching to the company's internal email system, she accessed a folder encrypted by the finance department.

"So that's it…"

Her pupils contracted sharply at the few deliberately hidden contract copies. Yukinoshita Construction was being systematically hollowed out—fake bidding, material markups, embezzled project funds… Each item was covert, but all together they formed a carefully woven net.

Leaning back against her chair, the leather squeaked faintly. Haruno unconsciously tapped her fingertips on the desk. A building-materials supplier that had worked with the Yukinoshita family for years was behind all this. It was a malicious blow aimed at the Yukinoshita company. No wonder her mother was so stressed.

"Ka-chak!"

Lightning flashed outside, briefly lighting up the cold gleam in Haruno's eyes.

She had to do something.

But now that she was no longer managing the company and had passed on her work duties, the resources she could mobilize were limited.

Just as she pondered her options, a strange buzz sounded in her mind.

[Ding! Akiyama Mio has joined the Trade chat group!]

[Ding! Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld has joined!]

Haruno raised her brows. She was well used to the chat group by now, and often liked to "lurk" in it daily, enjoying the entertaining conversations.

She'd learned quite a bit about other worlds from it.

Of course, the members in the chat group always ended up mentioning that man of hers—Rei Ao—seven or eight times out of ten. It made her proud, but also a bit jealous. Still, every time a new person joined, their reactions brought her unexpected amusement.

With a single thought, a transparent interface opened before her. She saw two flashing icons for the new members.

Fubuki: "Another late-night join, huh… Lately all the newbies join at odd hours?"

Frieren: "Eh, you'll get used to it. I don't sleep much anymore anyway."

Bibi Dong: "Same here. Instead of sleeping, I'd rather spend each day longing for Rei Ao."

Tōhru: "Emmm, why do I sense a hint in your words? You want Rei Ao to visit you?"

Bibi Dong: "If Rei Ao did come, I'd be thrilled. I imagine they would be, too."

Akame: "Me too, that's how I feel."

Izawa Shizue: "I know everyone misses Rei Ao-kun, but we should focus on the newcomers!"

Sui: "Welcome, newbies!"

Busujima Saeko: "Welcome to the newbies, I'm Busujima Saeko."

Stella: "Two new folks again. I'm Stella Vermillion, nice to meet you!"

Marcille: "Uh, I'm Marcille…"

…

Meanwhile, in another world's ordinary residential area…

Akiyama Mio lay curled up asleep under a sky-blue blanket, hugging a guitar-shaped pillow. Moonlight peeked through the curtains, softly illuminating her peaceful sleeping face. Her long lashes cast faint shadows on her cheeks.

[Ding! You have joined the Trade chat group!]

When the group's alert chimed deep in her consciousness, she only wrinkled her nose in her sleep, burying her face more deeply into the pillow. Completely unaware she'd become a new member of some inter-world organization…

…

In Seidoukan Academy's girls' dorm, things were quite different.

[Ding! You have joined the Trade chat group!]

Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld jerked awake in an instant. As the "Witch of the Resplendent Flames," she had long trained herself to keep a certain level of alertness even while sleeping.

The moment that weird buzzing sounded, she flipped upright from her bed, a hot flame forming in her right hand.

"Who's there?"

She growled, scarlet irises contracting cat-like in the darkness. Quickly scanning the room for intruders, she discovered no one. Then she noticed a glowing translucent interface floating before her, rapidly scrolling with a series of welcoming messages.

Julis narrowed her eyes. Beneath her silk nightgown, her muscles stayed tense. She meticulously rechecked every corner of the room.

"Some new type of power user's trick?"

But right after, a flood of unfamiliar information flowed into her mind—details about the "Trade chat group," about "links to endless worlds," about an "omnipotent group owner."

"Ridiculous."

A chat group that connected multiple worlds? She found it incomprehensible. Yet her finger's flame somehow dissipated of its own accord. Warily, she touched the translucent interface. It wasn't a physical object, but it reacted to her touch.

Julis: "What is this new trick? Who are you people?"

Tōhru: "Oh my, another hasty one—just like Stella was at first!"

Marcille: "Every newbie says the same stuff. Can't someone be a bit more original…?"

Frieren: "Hey, you're in no position to talk. You caused quite a stir when you joined not long ago!"

Marcille: "Cough, cough!"

Marcille was clearly embarrassed. She just wanted to act more composed…

~~~

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