On the rooftop.
Now back in her school uniform, Sakurajima Mai still couldn't hide her surprise.
"You… how are you here, and why are you wearing our school's uniform?"
She finally couldn't help but ask the question.
Rei Ao shrugged. "Is it possible that I'm just a student at this school?"
"How is that possible? Aren't you from another world?" Sakurajima Mai retorted, using the information from the chat group.
"Heh, it only says that the members are from different worlds. It doesn't mean every single person is from a different world."
Rei Ao chuckled. "If you don't believe me, you can check my records."
"…"
Well, she was almost convinced.
"How did you find me?" Sakurajima Mai asked, looking at him.
"Is it possible that I've seen you frequent the library before, so I naturally knew where to find you?"
"???"
Sakurajima Mai was stunned.
"You've seen me before?"
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
Rei Ao smirked.
"Because if I said something, I wouldn't have gotten the chance to see a beautiful bunny girl sitting right in front of me."
"…"
Sakurajima Mai's mind was already picturing it.
Her, in the bunny girl outfit, sitting on a table, while Rei Ao pretended not to see her, right in front of him.
Imagining that scene, a blush crept up her neck.
This guy really is a pervert!
Just yesterday, he had made that kind of trade with someone named Saeko Busujima.
Sakurajima Mai immediately became more cautious.
"What do you want from me?" she asked warily.
"Nothing much, just wanted to tell you to stop wandering around the library in a bunny girl outfit."
Rei Ao grabbed his jacket and headed toward the rooftop door, saying over his shoulder, "I don't want the bunny girl I've set my eyes on to be seen by anyone else. If you need help, come find me... or rather, make a trade with me. Haha."
And with that, he left.
Sakurajima Mai was left in turmoil.
'The bunny girl I've set my eyes on'—was that a confession?
But this guy had just yesterday…
"Tch…"
Sakurajima Mai now realized that her problem wasn't something that could be solved by merely attracting attention in a bunny outfit. She also lost the reason to continue doing so.
But…
"I'm never going to make a trade with you!"
Saeko Busujima had nothing to trade except her body to save her friends, but she herself wasn't in that desperate of a situation.
After all, it wasn't like she was going to die. At most, she would just go unnoticed by others.
...
Later that evening, after school, Sakurajima Mai found herself standing in front of her apartment door, unable to open it.
She felt completely lost.
There was even a "For Rent" sign next to the door.
"What's going on?"
Confused at first, she suddenly thought of a possible explanation.
"Is it because of my existence issue?"
Could it be that her landlord had completely forgotten about her and had even forgotten that she was renting the apartment?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
She immediately called her landlord.
But… no one answered.
"…"
Sakurajima Mai stood speechless.
She wondered if she should stay at a hotel. But then she remembered—no one could see her, and she didn't have any money left.
"I…"
For the first time, Sakurajima Mai began to panic.
Apart from her schoolbag and the bunny girl outfit, she had nothing with her.
Where could she go?
Home?
But the thought of her irreconcilable issues with her mother made her skip that option.
After thinking it over, she realized she had nowhere to go.
And even if she managed to get through tonight, what about tomorrow?
The day after?
Would she end up wandering the streets?
She crouched down by the door, hugging her knees, for the first time desperately hoping someone would see her.
Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind, and she lifted her head.
"The chat group!"
Rei Ao was from the same world as her, and he could see her.
Should she ask him for help?
But she had just sworn earlier today that she wouldn't ask him for anything.
"…"
Pressing her lips together, she realized this was her only option.
Sakurajima Mai: "@Rei Ao, are you there?"
Rei Ao: "What do you need? Speak."
Sakurajima Mai: "Where do you live?"
Rei Ao: "Oh? How did you know I just moved today?"
"Who asked you that?!"
His playful tone made Sakurajima Mai feel like retorting.
Stella: "What's going on? Why are you asking about where he lives when you're not even from the same world?"
Rei Ao: "Funny thing is, we're actually from the same world and go to the same school, same grade."
Akame: "So, people from the same world can also join the chat group."
If only the other members of Night Raid could join too, she thought.
Frieren: "A school? That's like a human academy, right?"
Saeko Busujima: "Yes."
Rei Ao: "Oh, Saeko Busujima, you're here. How's your recovery going?"
Stella: "Wait a second, why are you asking something like that in the chat group?!"
Stella quickly realized what Rei Ao was referring to—what happened after.
Rei Ao: "It's my chat group, I can say whatever I want."
It was clear that Rei Ao ruled his chat group however he liked.