An Idol Daughter's Group Chat

Future (1)

I was about to head downstairs when my phone lit up with a string of notifications.

Ding.

[New patch launched: Group chat undergoing update.]

[Chat functionality remains online. Sharing feature temporarily restricted.]

[Estimated completion: 16 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 20 seconds.]

The updates caught my attention. The group chat, usually a quiet place, was suddenly alive.

[Good Slime: @Ex-veteran Looks like this "Time suspension" feature you mentioned is working perfectly.]

[Star-Plasma Vessel: True, Kuroi-san didn't even notice I was gone!]

[Copy Ninja: This is quite convenient.]

The conversation buzzed with energy, a rare sight for this group. But something about it left me unsettled—like a missing piece in a puzzle I hadn't yet figured out.

I pulled my gaze away from the phone and focused on the system interface now addressing me.

[With this update, I should be able to assist you with anything that happens in the group chat.]

"You make it sound like you don't have complete control over the group chat," I said, narrowing my eyes.

[I don't.]

That made me pause. "Wait... you're telling me you created the system, but not the group chat?" The words felt strange as I said them, but a growing suspicion pushed me to ask.

[Correct.]

If the system wasn't behind the group chat, "Then who-" *Ding*

The screen flickered again, and a new message appeared. Its tone was both cryptic and unsettling:

[You don't need to concern yourself with him. I only provided you with the system. I never added any feature related to the group chat, nor did I give you that so-called "Starter Pack" when you began this second life.]

My mind blanked for a moment.

Huh?

[Those abilities you've been using—Universal Affinity, Thought Acceleration—I didn't send you any of that. In fact, your system should've only awakened today. It seems I've been careless...]

What? If they weren't responsible for the system, then... who was?

"Then who are you, really?" I blurted, my voice tinged with both frustration and confusion.

[I can't answer that now...] the reply came, measured yet evasive. [But remember this—you accepted my quest. You'll need to trust me. No matter how things unfold, I'm on your side. And...]

The pause felt heavy, as though it carried a deeper weight than the words themselves.

[If an admin suddenly appears in the group chat... don't trust them.]

.

.

.

By the time I took my seat at the family dinner table, I had changed into my casual clothes. I wore a simple white T-shirt and running shorts, but the oversized white hoodie I threw on covered most of it.

'Can't you do anything about it, Great Sage?' I asked silently, the thought echoing in my mind as I sat. The warm aroma of freshly prepared dishes wafted up, but my focus was elsewhere. I picked up my chopsticks and began gently stirring the miso soup in one of my bowls, watching the surface ripple lazily.