The Multiverse, Starting from *Fullmetal Alchemist* to Become the Mastermind

"Such a thing..."

"Shouldn't you ask for the opinion of the person involved first?"

Sakayanagi Arisu did not answer, merely tilting her head back to blink at him.

The night deepened, and on the tree-lined path of Advanced Nurturing High School, the streetlights stretched the shadows of the two figures.

Sakayanagi Arisu leaned most of her weight against the boy beside her, requiring him to slow his pace with every step they took.

This sense of powerlessness, of having to rely on another, would have been enough to annoy this proud queen under normal circumstances.

But at this moment, she was surprisingly pleased.

Is this... what healthy legs feel like?

Even though it was a simulated phantom that lasted only a few minutes.

It remained vividly in her memory, a truly addictive poison.

Reflecting on her life over the past decade or so, Sakayanagi Arisu had rarely felt the emotion of regret.

The frailty brought on by her congenital heart disease had stripped her of the right to run under the sun like other children.

But when God closes a door, He inevitably opens a window.

Precisely because she could not engage in excessive physical activity, she had more time than the average person to think, to read, and to perceive the hearts of others.

She had naturally become a so-called prodigy, a genius in everyone's eyes.

Until she saw that masterpiece in the pure white room—the emotionless, machine-like, strongest artificial genius.

As a swan born with a truly superior lineage, and with the self-assurance of a natural-born genius.

She could never tolerate the absurd theory that "a commoner can surpass innate talent through acquired effort."

A genius should not be limited by their body.

Therefore, she had to bury that counterfeit to prove the absolute superiority of bloodline and talent.

This was supposed to be the only joy of her three years in high school.

But now...

Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head slightly, her gaze passing over Su Wei's shoulder to look at the vast night sky, toward the black sphere that did not exist in the void.

As long as I have enough points...

Can even this broken shell of mine be reshaped?

If her focus on Ayanokoji before was to prove the superiority of talent, then now, she saw an opportunity to truly become a perfect being.

To complete the final missing piece and become a flawless "god"!

Thinking of this, the smile on the girl's lips grew richer, gradually tinged with a morbid flush.

This smile naturally fell into the eyes of Su Wei, who was supporting her.

"...Classmate Sakayanagi."

Su Wei stopped in his tracks.

"Although I am quite happy to play the gentleman, this is clearly not the way to the dorms."

"Where exactly are you trying to go in the middle of the night?"

As he said this, his tone became somewhat subtle:

"Come to think of it, we shouldn't be close enough for this, right? No matter how I look at it, you should be finding an acquaintance to ditch me right now to avoid being misunderstood by passing students."

"Eh?"

Sakayanagi Arisu reined in the madness in her eyes, her pale purple pupils seemingly veiled in a mist of water.

She did not answer the question about their route, instead extending a finger to gently grasp Su Wei's sleeve, her tone hauntingly soft:

"We were fighting side-by-side with such synergy just a moment ago, and now you are in such a hurry to distance yourself?"

"Or is it..."

She paused, her voice turning sweet and soft:

"Have you already grown tired of me... so soon?"

"When it has only just begun..."

"..."

Watching this textbook display of manipulative "tea art," Su Wei rolled his eyes.

Tired of her?

He was a Fengling Yueying player; he had always just skipped straight to the CGs.

It hadn't even started, so how could he be tired of it?

Though he thought this to himself, Su Wei chose not to comment on the surface.

He bypassed the tentative probe from the girl in his arms and cast his gaze toward the blue-brick pavement not far ahead.

The entrance to the convenience store was right there, the very spot where they had previously battled the Parasite.

Yet, at this moment.

The road surface, which should have been stained red with the blood of Ryuen Kakeru, was as clean as if it had just been washed by rain.

Even the vending machine that had been totaled by the Parasite stood there, completely intact.

Everything had returned to its original state.

It was as if everything that had happened before was truly nothing more than an absurd, collective hallucination.

Su Wei paused for two seconds, his eyebrows arching slightly to reveal a hint of surprise.

"To think... it's completely unscathed..."

"It really is... a monstrous method."

This subtle change in expression naturally did not escape the eyes of Sakayanagi Arisu.

Such an exquisite yet clumsy performance, again.

The girl chuckled inwardly.

Even though there wasn't a trace of genuine surprise in those eyes, he still insisted on pretending to be shocked.

As expected, just like the products of that room, he was an anomaly wearing human skin.

However...

Since we both belong to the category of man-made monsters, I shall use you as the first whetstone to test my blade after I have mended my own flaws.

Having made up her mind, Sakayanagi Arisu no longer maintained her facade of fragility.

"Both you and I are certain that what just happened was absolutely not a hallucination."

"This kind of large-scale material reconstruction is nothing compared to the teleportation that dragged us into that different dimension, isn't it?"

She tilted her head to look at the twenty-four-hour convenience store ahead:

"Rather than lamenting this, wouldn't it be more important right now to confirm whether or not that clerk still exists?"

Su Wei nodded slightly, offering no rebuttal.

The two walked slowly toward the convenience store, arm in arm.

Just as they reached the entrance, a familiar figure blocked their path.

"Yo, Ryuen."

Su Wei was the first to greet him, while Sakayanagi Arisu looked at the volatile Ryuen Kakeru and let out a pointed chuckle.

"It seems we don't need to check anymore, Su Wei."

"Indeed, it appears that the resentment of being cut in half is stronger than the desire to uncover the truth."

"..."

Ryuen Kakeru turned at the sound, his bloodshot eyes staring blankly at Sakayanagi Arisu, yet for once, he did not lash out on the spot.

"That mouth of yours..."

Su Wei sighed: "If he actually hits you later, I won't be helping you."

"Oh my, how heartless."

Sakayanagi Arisu covered her lips in mock surprise, teasing him with zero sincerity:

"When it comes to running away, I, a disabled person, am indeed no match for a reckless brute unburdened by such things."

"My apologies, Su Wei, it seems I am holding you back."

"Shut up, cripple."

The corners of Ryuen Kakeru's mouth twitched, as if even the energy to be angry had been drained from him.

His voice was hoarse now, and he clearly had no interest in maintaining his usual sharp-edged demeanor.

"...He doesn't remember anything."

Ryuen stepped aside, his voice terrifyingly low.

"His memory seems to have been tampered with; he thinks he just returned from vacation to work the night shift."

Sakayanagi Arisu let out a soft gasp: "Then, is he currently..."

Ryuen Kakeru did not answer immediately.

He took two steps to the side and looked through the glass window at the young clerk behind the counter, who was smiling as he rang up a customer, looking honest and simple-minded.

The same monster whose head had blossomed like a flower an hour ago.

"For the time being, he still counts as 'human'."

"After all, given the personality of that kind of monster, if he knew he had been exposed, he would definitely have eliminated an uncertain variable like me..."

"But he saw me just now, and even smiled as he asked if I wanted to buy a bento that was about to expire..."

Ryuen Kakeru did not continue after saying this.

However, from his murky and indecipherable gaze, it was not difficult for Sakayanagi Arisu and Su Wei to guess what he was worried about.

Both of them fell silent.

Sakayanagi Arisu knew very well that while her father, as the Chairman, possessed some authority, it was absolutely impossible for him to wield such a miracle capable of manipulating memories and repairing reality at will.

This further confirmed the terrifying nature of the forces behind the Black Sphere.

As for Su Wei, he simply did not care.

Regarding these main characters in Classroom of the Elite, he would at least uphold a shred of humanitarian spirit, pulling them into the Black Sphere space for treatment at life-or-death moments, rather than simply creating a new replacement.

But as for those passersby who had long since died in this complex world...

That is to say, the so-called reset NPCs.

That was all he could do for them; there was no need for anything more.

Just as the atmosphere fell into an eerie silence.

A slightly surprised female voice suddenly drifted over from the entrance of the convenience store.

"...Eh?"

Carrying a bento, Kamuro Masumi had just stepped out the door when she saw her own princess, who was usually high and mighty, leaning against a strange boy without any regard for her image.

This intimate posture caught her quite off guard, and the bento she had just bought nearly dropped to the ground.

It's over.

Did I just see something I shouldn't have?