"Ah, that's right… From now on, your name is Alpha. Please take care of me, Alpha," said Shido.
"Yes, thank you for giving me a name, Light-sama and Shadow-sama," Alpha replied.
"In that case, let's head home now," said Shido.
Cid and Alpha followed him from behind.
---
POV 1
Three years have passed since the Shadow Garden was established.
Alpha has recruited six other members as effortlessly as picking up stray cats.
Currently, Cid and I are 13 years old, while our older sister, Claire, is 15.
Every noble child who turns 15 is required to attend the Academy.
But before our sister left for the Academy, she was kidnapped by someone.
Because of this, Cid took over command, while I was busy training with my sword.
Then, Cid and the Seven Shadows began their mission to rescue our sister.
---
Three hours later, they finally succeeded in rescuing her.
By the time our sister returned, Cid and the Seven Shadows had already disappeared (gone home).
Yeah, I had a feeling Cid was pleased with himself~
---
Now, our sister is preparing to leave for the Academy, and we're here to see her off.
Before she departed, she said goodbye to our parents and hugged the two of us.
Even though we didn't like being hugged, we couldn't escape her embrace.
Yeah… we surrendered to her hugs.
Not long after, she released us and climbed into the carriage.
The carriage drove away, leaving our mansion behind.
---
At the moment, we're in the usual room where we conduct Shadow Garden operations.
But here, something makes my heart ache.
Alpha and the others are leaving to investigate and sabotage the Diablo sect.
I have no choice but to steel my heart.
"Hah, fine then… But on one condition—promise me you'll all come back safely, okay?" Cid said.
"Understood, Shadow-sama," the seven of them replied in unison.
"Ah, Alpha, could you come with me for a moment?" I asked.
"Of course, Light-sama," Alpha replied.
---
POV 3
Shido and Alpha left the room.
The others could only shake their heads and smile wryly.
They already knew that Shido had feelings for Alpha—and that Alpha felt the same about Shido.
As for Cid… well, he was just confused.
---
Now, the two of them (Shido and Alpha) are in Shido's room.
"So, what do you need, Light-sama?" Alpha asked.
"Umm, this is a birthday gift from me," Shido said, pulling out a small box and handing it to Alpha.
"A birthday gift? I don't need one. For me, meeting you is the greatest gift," Alpha said with a smile.
"Still, please accept it. Think of it as your good luck charm," Shido insisted.
"If that's what you wish, I'll accept it," Alpha replied.
She opened the box Shido had given her.
When she saw the gift inside, she unconsciously praised it.
Inside was a necklace made of diamonds.
"It's beautiful~," Alpha murmured without realizing it.
Shido smiled at her reaction.
"I'm glad you like it," he said happily.
"I-isn't this an expensive item? Why would you give it to me?" Alpha asked.
"Because I believe you're worthy of wearing it~," Shido replied with a smile.
Alpha blushed at his words.
"Here, let me help you put it on~," Shido offered, and Alpha nodded silently.
She handed him the necklace, and Shido carefully fastened it around her neck.
Alpha's heart raced at his gentle actions, though she tried her best to hide it.
"All done," Shido said.
"Thank you for the gift, Light-sama," Alpha said with a smile.
"Of course~. I hope we meet again soon~," Shido replied.
"Of course, we will meet again, Light-sama," Alpha assured him.
"Well, we're off now, Light-sama," she said.
"Take care," Shido said with a smile, though his heart was reluctant.
Alpha and the others left the Kagenou mansion.
---
Back to the Present
POV 1
Hah… Looking back, meeting Alpha was the greatest blessing I've ever received.
I wonder how she and the others are doing...
As I relaxed and enjoyed the gentle breeze with my eyes closed, I suddenly heard a strange sound.
[DING!]
[Host detected after a long period of dormancy.]
[Initiating synchronization.]
[Synchronization complete.]
[Congratulations, Host, you are now the Admin of the 'Dimensional Chat Group' with the nickname: Light-Shadow Master.]
[Admin privileges granted.]
[New feature added: Memory Sharing.]
[Initiating member invitations.]
W-what is this? I don't recall ever meeting Kami-sama!
Why do I suddenly have a system?!
While I was still in shock, another notification appeared.
[Nightmare has joined the group.]
[The Princess of Song has joined the group.]
[Lava Kiss has joined the group.]
A holographic interface appeared before me, resembling a group chat app from my previous life.
The Princess of Song: What is this? Is this some sort of hallucination caused by a mysterious Devil Fruit?!
Lava Kiss: Devil Fruit? What's that? I thought this was some kind of jutsu from an enemy!
W-wait a second! Devil Fruit?! One Piece!
And jutsu? That must mean the Naruto World!
But... who is Nightmare?
Nightmare: Ara-ara, is this a new method developed by the DEM organization to capture Spirits?
DEM? Nightmare?! Could it be... Tokisaki Kurumi?!
I can't believe it! Eh... but wait, what should I do?
The Princess of Song: Looks like we need to ask someone who's lurking, because it says there are four people here.
Damn... they've noticed I was just observing!
Whatever... Let's get this started.
_____________________________________________________
POV 3
Light-Shadow Master: Welcome, everyone, to this group chat.
As soon as Shido joined the conversation, the group fell silent.
The reason was simple: next to Shido's name was the very conspicuous title LEADER.
The Princess of Song: Finally, the person responsible for this has shown up.
The Princess of Song: Answer me now—are you part of the World Government? The Revolutionary Army? A pirate? Or neutral?!
Light-Shadow Master: Calm down first. How about we introduce ourselves first?
Light-Shadow Master: I'll go first. You can call me Shido Kagenou, and I can predict your futures~
Lava Kiss: Kagenou? Is that a hidden clan? And our futures? How interesting~
Light-Shadow Master: No... We all come from different worlds~
Lava Kiss: You might be right. I'm unfamiliar with Devil Fruits and this DEM organization.
Lava Kiss: Can you show us your ability to see the future?
Light-Shadow Master: Sure. First, @The Princess of Song, daughter of Akagami no Shanks, Uta.
The Princess of Song: H-how do you know that?!
Uta exclaimed in surprise at Shido's words.
But Shido ignored her for now.
Light-Shadow Master: @Lava Kiss, a shinobi from Kirigakure, Terumi Mei.
Lava Kiss: That's surprising.
Light-Shadow Master: And finally, @Nightmare, daughter of the Tokisaki family, Tokisaki Kurumi.
Nightmare: Ara ara~ This is getting more and more interesting~
The Princess of Song: Wait a minute—if you can see the future...
The Princess of Song: Can you tell me about my future?
Light-Shadow Master: Of course. Perhaps it'll help you avoid trouble, but it won't come for free~
The Princess of Song: That's fine! I'll pay you in the future.
Light-Shadow Master: Alright then.
Shido immediately sent One Piece Film Red to the group.
[DING]
[The Leader has shared a memory fragment of One Piece Film Red]
After the file was shared, everyone downloaded it.
With this, the group chat went silent.
As the chat quieted down, Shido prepared to leave.
But suddenly, a message popped up.
The Princess of Song: W-what is this?! They're destroying the concert I'm hosting in the future?!
Light-Shadow Master: Yep. That's them—those who think of themselves as gods.
Lava Kiss: I don't even know how to react to this.
Nightmare: Ara-ara~ It seems like there are various races in that world.
The Princess of Song: Leader! Can you give me some advice?
Light-Shadow Master: Sure~ But first, is there already a Fifth Emperor of the Sea in your world?
The Princess of Song: Not yet... Why?
Light-Shadow Master: I just want to confirm if Whitebeard is still alive or not.
The Princess of Song: He should still be alive~ There's been no news or newspaper reports about it.
"Is that so… Then it's probably before Ace gets captured…" Shido murmured.
Light-Shadow Master: Uta, I don't... No, we all need to protect each other.
Light-Shadow Master: If there are any problems, don't hesitate to ask for help in the future~
Lava Kiss: How can we visit each other's worlds?
"That's true, but…" Before Shido could finish his thought—
A system notification appeared.
[DING]
[Conditions met to unlock new features]
[Condition: Greet one another (completed)]
[Features unlocked:
Shop
Share abilities or items
Cross-world travel
Daily login
Missions]
The Princess of Song: Whoa, there are new features!
The Princess of Song: And I got 50 points!
Lava Kiss: I got 60 points. I'm not sure what these points are for, though.
Light-Shadow Master: Maybe they're for buying things in the shop or tickets for traveling? Just a guess...
Lava Kiss: By the way, how many points did you get?
Light-Shadow Master: I got 65 points.
Nightmare: Ara ara~ I got 55 points.
Nightmare: By the way, Leader, can I ask you something?
Light-Shadow Master: Is this about Phantom?
Nightmare: Ara ara~ So you know about my problem too~ You're making me even more interested in you~
Lava Kiss: Could you send us information about our futures too?
"Ah... That's true. It wouldn't be fair if only one person knows about their future," Shido murmured.
Then, Shido shared the entire Date A Live series and the Naruto series.
[DING]
[The Leader has shared a memory fragment of the Date A Live series (Seasons 1 to 4, including the movie)]
[The Leader has shared a memory fragment of the Naruto series (Naruto and Naruto Shippuden)]
Light-Shadow Master: Date A Live is for Kurumi. As for Naruto, that's for Mei.
Nightmare: Ara ara~ Thank you, Leader.
Lava Kiss: Thank you, Leader.
The group members then focused on the memory fragments Shido had sent.
Shido shrugged at the quiet chat.
He noticed the ceiling had turned orange, signaling the arrival of evening.
"Ugh… Alright, time to head home~" Shido murmured.
Then, Shido returned to the Kagenou family mansion.
TO BE CONTINUED