[Hatsune Miku (Group Admin): "I am here, Master."]
[Rin Tohsaka: "?!"]
[Kanae Kocho: "?!"]
[Shiroyasha: "?!"]
[Erica Blandelli: "?!"]
At first glance, the message didn't seem too out of place—after all, plenty of people in this group called Su Mo "Master." But that ID... that was rare. In fact, it was the first time any of them had ever seen it.
[March 7th: "Wait, sister, who even are you? When did you join the group?"]
[March 7th: "Did I miss some kind of exclusive story quest or DLC?"]
The pink-haired girl was utterly bewildered, genuinely worried she had accidentally skipped a cutscene.
[Rin Tohsaka: "You shouldn't have. I've been active in the chat this whole time, and this is the first I'm seeing her."]
[March 7th: "So she's a newbie?"]
[Rin Tohsaka: "Theoretically, she has to be a newbie, but it's also impossible for her to be a newbie."]
The twin-tailed girl hesitated, offering a bit of word salad that left March 7th even more confused.
[March 7th: "Speak English! Use words I can actually understand!"]
[Rin Tohsaka: "I mean, since she wasn't an old member, she must be new. The only possibility is that she joined at a time when—by some miraculous coincidence—none of us were looking at the chat."]
[March 7th: "Okay, that sounds plausible."]
[Rin Tohsaka: "Except for one problem... I searched the entire chat history. There is no system notification welcoming her to the group."]
The twin-tailed girl pointed out the chilling reality.
[Rin Tohsaka: "That means either she can ignore the Chat Group's laws and appear out of thin air, or... she's been in the group since the very beginning, and we just didn't know."]
A collective shiver ran down the members' spines. A mysterious presence that suddenly reveals itself after being hidden in plain sight? In a physical room, that would be a classic horror movie trope. Even in a digital chat, the fear factor wasn't much lower.
Because—
[Shiroyasha: "Whether she appeared out of thin air by ignoring the system or was always here with a hidden name... doesn't that imply she's powerful enough to rewrite the Chat Group's source code?!"]
[Rin Tohsaka: "Exactly."]
The two smartest members realized something was wrong, but they were keen enough to notice the nuances. Aside from the analytical tone, they weren't showing much panic.
On the other hand...
[March 7th: "WHAT?! Powerful enough to rewrite the Chat Group?!"]
The pink-haired girl's eyes went wide with shock.
[March 7th: "The Chat Group can accommodate Rank 9 beings! What kind of existence could rewrite its rules?! Even Lord Su Mo is only at the 'Half-Step Rank 9' stage!"]
They had seen beings stronger than Su Mo before, and March 7th could accept a sudden "Power Ceiling" appearing out of nowhere, knowing Su Mo would eventually surpass them. But the Chat Group was different. This was the first time something appeared that could alter the very foundations of the system itself.
By now, Su Mo had mastered the power to cross worlds without the Chat Group's help, but this newcomer was likely even stronger. If this being harbored any ill will toward the other members—
[March 7th: "Waaaaah! Lord Su Mo, save meeeeee!"]
To avoid being nuked through the "ethernet cable" of the chat group, the pink-haired girl frantically sought protection. For a being of that level, traveling between worlds was probably as easy as taking a walk.
Faced with the girl's wailing, the reactions were mixed.
[Rin Tohsaka: "Pathetic..."] Rin covered her face with her hands.
[Shiroyasha: "March 7th, could you show at least a shred of backbone?"]
[Erica Blandelli: "You're a veteran member! Don't be afraid of a newcomer. Pull yourself together and stop embarrassing Lord Su Mo!"]
[Madoka Kaname: "March 7th-san, please calm down."]
[March 7th: "Calm down? How am I supposed to be calm?! This is a big, big, BIG... ULTIMATE END-GAME BOSS!"]
The trembling girl snapped back instantly. But after her outburst, she realized something was off.
[March 7th: "Wait... why aren't any of you scared?!"]
Slow on the uptake as always, she noticed the atmosphere wasn't tense; it was almost relaxed. Could it be that I'm the only smart person here who realizes the danger? No, that can't be right!
Seeing her confusion, the others offered explanations after a few seconds of silence.
[Madoka Kaname: "March 7th-san, did you forget what the newcomer called Su Mo-kun?"]
With Madoka's hint, the lightbulb finally clicked on for March 7th.
[March 7th: "Oh! Right! She called Lord Su Mo 'Master'... so, she's one of us?!"]
[Madoka Kaname: "Correct!"]
[March 7th: "No wonder none of you are panicking. You all realized it already... Dammit, I just made a huge fool of myself!"]
Her face flushed crimson as she buried it in her hands. She had once asked Stellaron Hunter Trailblazer, "Do you think I'm a bit of a ditz?" Now, she was seriously questioning if her IQ was below the galactic average.
[Madoka Kaname: "It's okay, March 7th-san!"] Madoka offered warm encouragement.
[March 7th: "Thanks, Madoka."]
[Rin Tohsaka: "Yeah, it's fine. It's not like it's the first time you've embarrassed yourself."]
[March 7th: "Thanks, Rin—Wait, were you just insulting me?!"]
[Rin Tohsaka: "Wasn't exactly a secret."]
[Erica Blandelli: "It wasn't an insult, it was a fact."]
[Jibril: "A fact, a fact."]
Watching the girls descend into their usual banter, Shiroyasha sighed and pulled the topic back on track.
[Shiroyasha: "Wait, weren't we discussing the newcomer? Stop getting sidetracked."]
[Shiroyasha: "She's one of us, sure, but did you notice the title in the parentheses after her name?"]
[Shiroyasha: "The suffix is 'Group Admin.' That means she's likely not some external entity that surpassed the group—she IS the Chat Group. Of course she can rewrite her own rules."]
[Shiroyasha: "I'm just wondering what her relationship with Su Mo is. Didn't you guys say Su Mo was the fifth person to join? Why is he the Chat Group's master?"]
[Shiroyasha: "@Su Mo"]
[Rin Tohsaka: "@Su Mo"]
[March 7th: "@Su Mo"]
When in doubt, ask Su Mo. And looking at his previous message, he seemed to have a certain level of understanding regarding this "Hatsune Miku." This meant the situation was under control. That alone was enough to put the girls at ease; their questioning now was mostly out of pure curiosity.
Su Mo, as usual, kept nothing from them.
[Su Mo: "Based on the current data... Miku is likely a device created by a version of me who never encountered the Chat Group. In a timeline where I focused entirely on the scientific route, I created her to shorten the time it would take for me to reach the peak."]
Su Mo explained his deduction concisely. The group fell into a stunned silence.
[Rin Tohsaka: "So you're saying... this chat group that spans the entire multiverse was actually created by Lord Su Mo himself?"]
[March 7th: "As expected of Lord Su Mo! Even without a cheat like the Chat Group, he would grow into such a terrifying existence that he could just hand-craft a Chat Group and send it to his past self!"]
For everyone in the group, joining was a life-altering opportunity. They had subconsciously assumed the Chat Group was equally vital to Su Mo. After all, no matter how high one's "Comprehension," you can't cook a meal without ingredients.
But who would have guessed that a true powerhouse could be this broken? Even if Su Mo were stuck in an ordinary universe with zero supernatural elements, he could still bulldoze through the resource disadvantage and forge a Multiversal Chat Group with his bare hands just to give his past self a leg up. It was mind-blowing.
[Erica Blandelli: "I have to say, this 'breaking all common sense' style really does smell like Lord Su Mo."]
[Madoka Kaname: "It really is just like Su Mo-kun."]
Only Su Mo himself could surpass Su Mo.
[Kanae Kocho: "I see. If that's the case, then our meeting with Lord Su Mo through this group... wasn't it destined from the very start?"]
[Kanae Kocho: "That actually makes me feel quite at ease."]
Kanae had often wondered what kind of dark future her sisters would have faced without Su Mo. The thought used to terrify her. Now, hearing this answer, her fears finally dissipated, replaced by a sincere smile.
[Jibril: "Me too!"]
[Madoka Kaname: "+1"]
Most of the girls felt the same. If their meeting wasn't pure luck but destiny, that was the best possible outcome. As for the logic-defying nature of "causal reversal"—well, in front of a man who broke every law of reality, that was a minor detail.
[Su Mo (Group Creator): "@Hatsune Miku. I assume I'm correct?"]
Seeing that everyone had accepted the theory, Su Mo made the final confirmation. Actually, a verbal confirmation wasn't even necessary. The moment Su Mo spoke, the full permissions of the Chat Group were unlocked for him. He was now the "Group Creator," with control over every function—including Miku herself.
[Hatsune Miku (Group Admin): "Master's deduction is almost entirely correct."]
Miku gave her affirmation quickly. But someone noticed a specific word.
[Rin Tohsaka: "'Almost'?"]
[March 7th: "So something is still wrong?"]
[Shiroyasha: "What's wrong? I've played it back in my head several times, it seems solid!"]
The girls were confused. With Su Mo's wisdom, him being right was normal; him being even slightly wrong was the weird part. All eyes were on Miku.
[Hatsune Miku (Group Admin): "Master's deduction regarding my origins is flawless. However, there is a slight misunderstanding regarding my purpose."]
[Rin Tohsaka: "What misunderstanding?"]
[Shiroyasha: "Wait, is the Chat Group not a device specifically for Su Mo to achieve the miracle of world-crossing?"]
[Hatsune Miku (Group Admin): "Of course not! While the group can do that, it isn't its true objective."]
[Madoka Kaname: "Eh? Then... what is the Chat Group's true purpose?"]
[Hatsune Miku (Group Admin): "I seem to have forgotten to tell the members. The full name of this chat group is: 'Lord Su Mo's Exclusive Dimensional Harem Bedtime Management Professional Chat Discussion Group.' In short, this is a dedicated channel for discussing your service rotations."]
[Hatsune Miku (Group Admin): "Though I didn't explicitly say it, you've all been performing your duties quite well. As expected of my Master!"]
The AI was, as usual, beaming with pride.
[Su Mo: "..."]
Su Mo was momentarily speechless. Even as the Group Creator, he didn't think every member had to join his harem; a regular friendship was perfectly fine with him.
Evidently, he was the only one in the group who felt that way.
After the initial shock of Miku's blunt answer wore off...
[Erica Blandelli: "Wait... a harem group?"]
[March 7th: "Does that mean every member is part of Lord Su Mo's harem?"]
[Kirigaya Suguha: "Eh? Even I count?!"]
A few people froze. Then, in less than a millisecond, after confirming the meaning of "harem" in their minds, their eyes widened, and expressions of pure joy broke out.
[March 7th: "YES! Does that mean I actually have a chance?! No, wait—it means Lord Su Mo and I are already in that kind of relationship?!"]
The pink-haired girl jumped for joy. She never thought she'd actually have the chance to become a certain "Stellaron Hunter's" stepmom.
[Jibril: "ME ME ME ME ME! Little Jibril has finally waited for this day! Waaaaah!"]
The Flugel girl cried tears of joy, feeling as if she had been granted salvation.
[Kirigaya Suguha: "Even I'm allowed? I... I... I'll go take a bath right now! This... this isn't considered blasphemy, is it?"]
She was both cautious and impatient. She never expected to have the chance to be the "Virgin Mary" of her world. This was a guaranteed win!
Those who already had a relationship with Su Mo naturally had zero objections.
[Kanae Kocho: "Wait! Since we can finally fulfill our heart's desires, how about we all go together this time?"]
Kanae proposed a bold idea.
[Rin Tohsaka: "That makes sense! None of us can handle Lord Su Mo on our own. If we don't team up, it'll be hard for him to truly enjoy himself, right?"]
Rin, who still had some difficulty walking from the previous night, offered a very practical perspective.
[March 7th: "I-I-I have no objection! But I have no experience... you guys have to teach me!"]
[Kanae Kocho: "No problem. I'll go first and demonstrate."]
[March 7th: "Thank you, Sister Kanae!"]
[Jibril: "Thank you, Sister Kanae!"]
The Flugel girl was, for the first time, behaving like a well-mannered junior to reap the benefits. The others followed suit immediately.
[Kirigaya Suguha: "Thank you, Sister Kanae!"]
On this day, the Dimensional Chat Group finally fulfilled its duty according to its full name and began its true "work."
As for Su Mo, he finally stepped into the realm of Rank 9. Without stopping for a single second, he continued to grow toward even higher levels with his heaven-defying comprehension.
[T/N: This concludes the main story. A few extra/epilogue chapters follow.]