Curly-haired Guy: Nani, nani… so there are virtual works that match Eriri's world too? And Eriri herself is actually a rejected love rival dumped by the main character? Hahaha, how embarrassing!
Doujin Artist: Shut up, you perverted silver-haired idiot!
Curly-haired Guy: Ohhh! The cries of a loser have appeared!
Doujin Artist: You bastard, go to hell!
Amegakure Village's Angel: Gin, say less.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Even if you're joking, you shouldn't poke at someone's wounds. That's just mean.
Curly-haired Guy: Tch, I'm just teaching her a lesson. Girls love to believe in those childhood sweetheart romance fantasies, but in reality, childhood friends usually end up in some kind of twisted, tragic story.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Twisted story?
Amegakure Village's Angel: Mo Chou, it's better if you don't dig too deep into this.
Konan didn't know exactly what "twisted story" meant, but her instincts told her that nothing good ever came out of Gin's mouth.
Doujin Artist: Hah, and what about you and Hijikata? A fairy tale? A pink-colored fantasy?
Curly-haired Guy: Shut up! Don't say that name, damn it! Gin-san's preferences are totally normal! I only like bouncy, energetic older women, got it? You know, the kind that go "boing boing boing!"
Amegakure Village's Angel: Even if you say that… I have no idea what "boing boing boing" means.
Curly-haired Guy: Hmph! Of course, I'm talking about those that bounce when they jump, those headlights that make people unable to look away. This is the ultimate "boing boing boing," something that surpasses human logic and reality!
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: ?
Amegakure Village's Angel: ?
Doujin Artist: You bastard, do you have to make everything dirty? There are underage girls in this group!
Curly-haired Guy: But the only underage girl here actually understood what I meant. Now, whose fault is that?
Doujin Artist: I-I only know because of my work!
Curly-haired Guy: Ohhh, that reminds me—I totally forgot. Please draw me a doujin, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei!
Doujin Artist: Aaaaaah! Don't call me by my pen name in the group, you bastard!
Sitting in her classroom, Eriri's face turned bright red, steaming like a kettle ready to blow.
Curly-haired Guy: I get it now, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei! Please, I insist—take my request!
Doujin Artist: Go to hell!
Amegakure Village's Angel: Gin, enough. Stop making Kashiwagi Eri-sensei angry.
Doujin Artist: ???
Curly-haired Guy: Hahahaha!
Amegakure Village's Angel: Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to say that—it just slipped out.
Doujin Artist: Pfft! Like hell that was a slip of the tongue!
This is an Actor: Good afternoon, everyone. You're all here.
Doujin Artist: Yeah, they're all here… bullying an innocent underage girl like me! These guys are the worst!
This is an Actor: Bullying is just another form of affection. From my perspective, this is how they show their love for you, dear Kashiwagi Eri-sensei.
Doujin Artist: Anzen, not you too… I'm done talking to you all!
Curly-haired Guy: Hahaha! Yes, exactly! This is how we show our love! Please accept it, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei!
Doujin Artist: Like hell I will! Go to hell!
Amegakure Village's Angel: Anzen, you've changed. You never used to joke around like this.
Sharp observation.
Aizen's lips curved slightly as he silently praised her. His interactions in the group chat had affected him in ways he hadn't expected. His views on "family" were no longer just cold observations and analyses—he was starting to ease into it.
Of course, he wouldn't admit this outright. Instead, he replied casually: In this group, aren't we all constantly changing?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: That's true.
Li Mochou felt this the most—she believed she was the one who had changed the most in this group.
Doujin Artist: Speaking of change, the ones I need to thank the most are Konan and Anzen. One gave me sisterly care, and the other helped me completely snap out of the illusion of so-called romance games.
Amegakure Village's Angel: I also owe it to Anzen's guidance that I now have a real chance to make my dream of peace a reality.
This is an Actor: No need to thank me. In the end, these were your own choices. And since we're all like family here, there's no need for gratitude between family.
Curly-haired Guy: Hey, you guys! Isn't this getting a little too emotional? This isn't some kind of awards ceremony, damn it!
Amegakure Village's Angel: Aizen's back.
Doujin Artist: Konan, are you planning to disconnect again?
Amegakure Village's Angel: Sorry, I'm just afraid he'll notice something.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Yeah, with someone like him, it's best to be careful.
Doujin Artist: I get that, but the way you're acting really makes it look like you're a married woman secretly meeting her lover behind her husband's back!
Curly-haired Guy: Honestly, you don't even need to be this cautious. If Aizen really found out, he might actually enjoy it. That kind of cuck mentality totally fits him.
This is an Actor: I don't think Aizen is into something that extreme.
Amegakure Village's Angel: [Image] Hmm, he really doesn't seem to be paying attention to me right now.
The image opened to reveal a photo of Aizen standing next to a boy. The boy's expression was exaggerated—completely stunned, eyes wide open. But his face looked oddly familiar to everyone in the group.
Doujin Artist: Uchiha Itachi?!
Curly-haired Guy: Wait, wait, Aizen actually roped him in too? Can I call the authorities and report him for child labor?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Why Itachi? Shouldn't it be Uchiha Shisui? From what Konan said before, Aizen seemed to have a closer relationship with Shisui.
This is an Actor: A good relationship doesn't mean they share the same ideals. Compared to Shisui, who already has firm beliefs, Itachi at this age is much easier to influence.
Doujin Artist: So, what's Aizen planning to do with Itachi?
This is an Actor: My guess? Aizen's probably going to invite him for tea.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: ?
Curly-haired Guy: At least try to make your jokes logical.
Doujin Artist: What does drinking tea have to do with anything?!
The Pure Land.
Snapping out of his daze, Uchiha Itachi looked at Aizen and quietly asked, "Where is this place? Aizen, what exactly are you doing?"
Even though he trusted Aizen a lot, the sight of all these surveillance monitors and research equipment still made his heart pound uneasily.
When did he set all this up? How does he even have the ability and resources to do this? What is his real goal?
Countless questions swirled in Itachi's mind. For the first time, he realized that the brotherly figure he thought he knew so well actually felt like a complete stranger.
"Welcome to the Pure Land, Itachi." Aizen pulled out a chair and casually sat at the long table. "There's a lot to talk about, but first, let's have some tea."