He waited until he reached under a tree, leaning against the trunk to catch his breath before saying, “You have to be careful with the ability to access memories… After we finish talking, this tree must be destroyed as well. Listen, I’m telling you, I’m helpless against those bizarre abilities. Doing anything could unexpectedly expose me.”

He was wary of the Espers from the Special Ability Department, especially Sakaguchi Ango’s ability, “Theory of Degeneration.”

The other side could read memories lingering on objects.

“I awakened the ability to interfere with parallel timelines a year ago while studying. At that time, I encountered a panicked Japanese boy, triggering this ability in me.”

“Who that Japanese boy was doesn’t matter. From my speculation, I naturally possess this talent, akin to an unawakened state of special ability. The awakening condition is contact with humans from a non-native timeline… You can surely understand this with your intellect. I’ll spare you the digression. Many parallel timelines have been destroyed now…”

Bai Lan gasped for breath, adjusting his stance to minimize pressure on his wounds as much as possible.

“The sins I carry are brought about by Bai Lan from parallel timelines. I share power with them and remember everything from before awakening, possessing knowledge from various worlds, but I have never killed anyone.”

“Most of them have played wildly, using the world as their playground, killing each other. I refuse to join them and have been treated as an enemy. Currently, the strongest Bai Lan exists ten years ahead in the timeline. His advantage is overwhelming; he has established his own Mirofiore family, defeating countless Penggerei families from other worlds. He was the earliest to awaken the power of parallel timelines.”

“I have a premonition that he will be the ultimate victor. If he wins, he will never spare me, his counterpart.”

“He and I must die, one of us.”

“That’s one of the reasons I risked coming to Japan, hoping to find an opportunity.”

Bai Lan laughed nervously, sweat beading on his brow. “Hundred Demons-sama wants to slay those steeped in sin. I strongly recommend myself from the parallel timelines. Sky and earth, no matter how you kill me, it doesn’t matter.”

His purple eyes were shadowed and indifferent, not just toward people, but also toward other Blancas.

“What do you think?”

These words, half-truths mingled with truth, carried immense information.

The terrifying issue of world destruction, no matter where it was placed, demanded serious consideration. Yet, Dazai felt no enthusiasm for confronting such a weighty topic. Upon reflection, though, maybe the end of the world was also a form of a happy ending.

“Hyakki, how about we explode into fireworks together?” Dazai joked.

“… ” Hyakki’s face was gently straightened by him, not allowing him to look at Bai Lan, only able to blink continuously.

【What a dilemma.】

【Dororo, can I kill demons first before flirting?】

【Dororo looks the best! Dororo is the cutest! I want to restore my organs… Dororo…】

Dazai asked Bai Lan, “How did you get him to come here?”

Bai Lan’s gaze fell on Hyakki, causing Dazai some displeasure.

“Don’t misunderstand. My interest in Hyakki is solely about his origins,” Bai Lan admitted he wasn’t clear about Hyakki’s origins either, but he could provide more information, “Hyakki is a visitor from another world, not a native of any of the eight trillion parallel timelines. His arrival indirectly saved my life.”

Dazai was puzzled, “What do you mean?”

Bai Lan said with a cheerful smile, “He brought a dog with him, a very wild one.”

A dog?

This was the second time Dazai had heard about it, the first being at the Kusuo household.

【Kusuo is waiting for me to save his life. As his older brother, of course I can’t stand idly by. I’ll come help as soon as I figure out how to kill that dog.】

If you delve deeper into Kusou’s words, it sounds very strange, and Dazai judged it to be an excuse.

“Photos, videos won’t work, only drawings can barely depict it as a hunting dog, but the margin of error is too large to be worth referencing!” He quickly added what Dazai wanted to ask, “If human life exists within the curved continuity of time, it exists in discontinuous time, not in reality, not in subspace, and it can cross time and space at will. Existing methods cannot harm it…”

“People who cross time and space have a chance to encounter it. It has killed many people, including Bai Lan from parallel timelines. Recently, no one dares to cross parallel timelines again.”

“In other words—”

“Hyakki is the only person who hasn’t been killed by it and has successfully crossed time and space.”

Bai Lan and Dazai looked towards Hyakki from another world. He brought an indescribably evil hunting dog, indirectly preventing the destruction of other worlds, a heroic feat worthy of a savior.

Why did he succeed? Bai Lan pondered many reasons, even suspecting the dog was the other’s pet.

Dazai thought to himself, 【He’s clueless.】

Bai Lan looked complicated and awkwardly said, “Yes, he’s clueless.”

If you can’t see a hunting dog, a hunting dog won’t be seen; you can’t hear a hunting dog, you won’t be heard by a hunting dog; you can’t smell a hunting dog, you won’t be aware of a hunting dog; you won’t be perceptible to a hunting dog in another dimension.

From the beginning to the end, Hyakki never knew the dog existed!

The absurd truth.

Hyakki was alert, sensitively observing his surroundings. Was someone talking behind his back?

Dazai found Hyakki in this state incredibly adorable, laughing heartily. Whatever heaven took away, it compensated for abundantly—Hyakki had unexpectedly become the luckiest person in the world.

“Hyakki, your merits are boundless.”

If there were gods in this world, Hyakki might become a dazzling deity in the heavens.

The savior was being manipulated by him.

…

Behind the scenes, two boys who had chosen to cooperate were secretly plotting the script.

“How to kill you?”

“By using a directional ten-year rocket to cross into parallel time and space, no matter which world’s me, they’re not all good people, and they think about how to destroy the world every day.”

“Tsk, is there any surefire trick?”

“Poison in marshmallows.”

“…”

“I’m not kidding! Don’t point the gun at me. I die every time I don’t eat marshmallows!”

“Switch someone else.”

“… Attract that dog at an opportune moment.”

There was no problem with the complete annihilation of the Mirofiori family in five minutes, a perfect plan, but with a few too many dead people.

—Saving the world always involves a bit of minor trauma.