The angel sighed. Some miracles, she realized, are just temporary.

“For the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Host,” Liliel whispered, massaging her temples. “It’s doing the shame wobble again.”

“So,” he said. “You think this new OS can run two MMOs at once?”

The PC rebooted. But the login screen was wrong. Instead of the default countryside wallpaper, the screen showed a live feed of Heaven’s Gate, overlaid with a pop-up:

The Nakamura family computer sat in the corner of the living room like a shrine to broken dreams. Its beige tower wheezed. Its CRT monitor flickered. And it was the only thing keeping the family from total cosmic collapse.

Kazu stared. Liliel stared. Ero, deflated into a sad little pancake, quivered once and oozed under the sofa.

“It’s merging the planes!” Liliel yelled. “Your filth, my divinity, and that slime’s… enthusiasm !”

“I’m in a raid,” Kazu grunted.