More alternate worlds.
That was bad news.
Natsuyū’s heart sank.
Then he looked back at the teary-eyed girl before him — on the verge of tears, dazed, the very picture of someone who needed protecting — and her name surfaced in his mind.
Sakuraba Ema.
Magical Girl Witch Trials — the protagonist of the first route.
The ultimate “looks pure, plays the long game” type.
He took a slow breath.
Setting aside the fact that he was the only boy in an all-female group — which was, admittedly, not the worst thing — just looking at these girls and their collective…
quirks was already giving him a headache.
But at least they were all decent people, each with their own abilities.
No brainless baggage like Yamauchi Haruki, no genuinely rotten piece of work like Freya.
Teammates who were good people — and cute girls on top of that — was a blessing.
At least they weren’t grimy old men or dim-witted children.
“She seems like she died recently.”
Kiana got to her feet, casually brushed the dirt off herself, then walked right up to the body and held the back of her hand under the corpse’s nose.
“No breath.
Definitely dead.
But the body is well-preserved, no decomposition — so time of death was very recent.”
Natsuyū was surprised.
Not bad — living in an apocalyptic world makes you tough.
Her nerve is stronger than his.
Though he had to wonder — wasn’t Kiana supposed to be the reckless, scatterbrained type?
Which version of Kiana is this?
She had her starter look, but carried herself like a later-arc Kiana — someone who’d already buried her teacher, beaten her best friend half to death, and shouldered responsibility she never asked for.
The naivety was gone, but the heavy, war-widow grief wasn’t quite there either.
“That’s — that’s so impressive.”
Ema stared at Kiana, then pushed herself to stand — only for her legs to give out from the shock, and with a small startled cry, she started to go down.
Natsuyū caught her shoulder before she could fall.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine — I’m sorry… thank you.
I’m Sakuraba Ema.”
Ema’s eyes were still glistening at the corners, and she dipped her head slightly, her face a little pale, a look that tugged at the instinct to protect.
She noticed the warmth of the hand on her shoulder, and her cheeks flushed faintly pink.
Once she’d steadied herself on both feet, Natsuyū let go.
Kushida watched Ema the entire time.
Does someone really lose their balance just standing up?
That seems… deliberate.
But it looked completely natural.
Hmm.
Kushida forced herself not to look at the body, released her grip on Natsuyū’s hands, and quickly composed herself.
She raised a hand cheerfully:
“Okay!
Since we all ended up here unexpectedly, why don’t we introduce ourselves?
Knowing each other’s names and interests will make it much easier for us to become friends.”
Natsuyū glanced sideways at her.
There’s a corpse right there, and you’re still thinking about making friends.
Kushida Kikyo — I genuinely can’t tell if you’re shameless or just built different.
Both, probably.
And certain assets are definitely not metaphorical.
Kushida pressed her hands together, the gesture framing her figure quite effectively, and added with a small smile:
“Also — I feel like I’ve awakened some kind of special ability.
Has that happened to any of you?”
Yukinoshita Yukino raised her head.
“Hm?”
Ema gasped behind her hand.
“S-super… powers?!”
Kiana flexed her arm, showing off a nicely defined bicep under her sleeve, and explained helpfully to the others:
“What you’re talking about is Honkai Energy.
I don’t know the specifics for you, but if you have Honkai Energy, you can fight Honkai Beasts.”
Kushida blinked.
“But my ability isn’t called Honkai Energy.”
Kiana immediately lost her composure.
“What?
There are powers in this world beyond Honkai Energy?!”
Not in your world, no.
But this isn’t your world anymore.
Looks like it’s not just me with a system.
They’re not so simple either — they’ve all awakened abilities.
Natsuyū shook his head slightly, clapped his hands once — sharp and decisive — and got everyone’s attention:
“Everyone!”
“Kushida-san is right.
It seems like entering this place has awakened special powers in all of us.”
“By the look of things, we’ll need to work together and survive in the wild here until we find a way home.”
“Before any of that — we need to know who we’re working with.”
Ema’s expression brightened.
She nodded softly: “I agree.”
Does that mean… I can actually make friends here?
Oh thank goodness.
I won’t have to be alone after all…
Kushida’s eyes lit up.
She echoed him with a nod.
“Exactly.”
“How about you go first?” She looked toward Yukinoshita Yukino.
Yukino was the quietest one — she’d been observing all of them in silence, so Kushida figured it was better to draw her in now rather than let her drift further.
But the problem girl wasn’t about to make it easy.
“Yukinoshita Yukino.
From Chiba.
First year at Sobu High.”
Yukino’s voice was crisp and cool as she stated her name, arms folded across what Natsuyū’s mental map was labelling the Kantō Plain, chin tilted up slightly:
“As for making friends — that won’t be necessary.
I have no interest in relationships born from circumstance and shared inconvenience, the kind that dissolve the moment you leave the situation.”
“If it takes time for us to return, I’ll carry my own weight while I’m here.
I won’t ask any of you for help, so please don’t worry about that.”
Kushida’s expression slipped, just for a moment.
What is this self-styled ice queen going on about?
I worked so hard to set this mood and she just torched it.
God, I want to hit her.
“F-fake relationships…” Ema flinched, visibly shaken — but a flash of resolve crossed her face:
“They’re not fake!”
Yukino looked over.
Ema was clearly intimidated by that cold stare — but she held her ground:
“If I became friends with Yukinoshita-san, it absolutely wouldn’t be fake.
I believe the same goes for everyone here…”
She trailed off, losing confidence, and fell quiet.
Kiana watched from the side, sensing the group was about to fracture.
She hesitated.
Should she do something?
Years of travelling the world alone on her search for her deadbeat dad had made her slow to open up to strangers.
“So, Yukinoshita,” Natsuyū said.
“What’s your ability?”
Everyone turned to look at him.
Natsuyū accepted the attention without any trace of awkwardness.
He hadn’t reacted at all to the clash between Yukino and Kushida.
Yukinoshita Yukino having a disagreement with Kushida Kikyo?
Not even a problem.
The fact that Yukino was willing to cooperate with introductions at all — willing to do her share without dragging her feet — already made her a perfectly good teammate.
Willing to work, low maintenance, self-sufficient, no hand-holding required.
A beautiful face.
A presence that was easy on the eyes just by standing there.
Was there a more ideal teammate anywhere in the world?
If it were Horikita Suzune — Yukino’s near-twin in personality — she’d probably be putting on airs and refusing to cooperate right about now.
Two ice-cold beauties.
Worlds apart.
Yukinoshita Yukino hesitated briefly, then answered:
“My ability is… turning into a cat.”
“A cat?” Natsuyū blinked.
To be continued…