Realizing that multiple parallel anime universes existed was terrible news.
Natsuyu felt a wave of mental exhaustion.
Looking back at the teary-eyed, pitiful-looking girl standing before him, her identity flashed across his mind.
Emma Sakuraba.
The primary heroine from Magical Girl Witch Trial.
An upper-class girl—obedient, innocent, yet possessing a subtle, cunning side.
Natsuyu took a deep breath.
Setting aside the fact that he was the sole male in a team of girls, this lineup was actually a blessing in disguise.
Looking at this group of heroines, each carrying her own heavy baggage and psychological issues, gave Natsuyu a massive headache.
However, at the very least, they were all decent human beings with actual capabilities.
They weren’t useless, uncooperative deadweights like Haruki Yamauchi, nor were they pure, manipulative villains like Freya.
Teaming up with good-natured people—especially attractive girls—was a relief.
At least he wasn’t stuck surviving alongside sweaty, burly men or crying children.
“Looks like she died very recently.”
Kiana calmly walked over to the corpse, dusted off her clothes, and reached up to check for breathing and a pulse under the dead girl’s neck.
“No breath, no pulse—she’s definitely dead.
But her body hasn’t gone stiff yet, meaning her time of death was just a few moments ago.”
Natsuyu was inwardly impressed.
‘As expected of a female protagonist raised in an apocalyptic wasteland.
She’s got more guts than most grown men.’
‘Wait…
isn’t Kiana supposed to be a loud, reckless airhead?’
‘Which version of Kiana is this?’
‘At first glance, she looks like early-game Kiana, but her eyes carry the weight of post-Chapter 9 Kiana—after Himeko died, after her friends were hurt, after taking responsibility on her shoulders.
Her innocence is gone, replaced by a quiet, resilient strength, though without the crushing grief of losing her loved ones.’
“Woah…
that’s amazing.”
Emma mutters in awe while watching Kiana.
She tried to stand up straight, but her legs wobbled from fear, causing her to squeak and almost tumble over again.
Natsuyu quickly caught her by the shoulders to stabilize her.
“Are you alright?”
“I-I’m fine…
sorry about that.
Thank you…
My name is Emma Sakuraba.”
Emma wiped her tears and lowered her pale face shyly, instantly provoking a desire to protect her.
Feeling the warmth of Natsuyu’s hands on her shoulders, a faint blush rose on her cheeks.
Noticing her embarrassment, Natsuyu glanced down at her smooth, slender legs standing firm before cleanly retracting his hands.
Kikyo Kushida stared at Emma.
‘Can someone really just stumble and fall over on their own like that?’
‘Is she acting cute on purpose?’
‘No…
it looks way too natural to be an act.’
Kushida deliberately avoided looking at the corpse.
Releasing Natsuyu’s hand, she quickly composed herself and raised her hands cheerfully:
“Alright everyone!
Since we all ended up here together by accident, let me introduce myself!
Knowing each other’s names and hobbies will make it way easier to become friends!”
Natsuyu glanced at her sideways.
‘You still want to play the friendship game right after seeing a corpse?’
‘Sister Kikyo, I honestly don’t know whether to call you brain-dead or just big-hearted.’
‘Well, her heart really is pretty big.
Wait, not her heart…’
Kushida clasped her hands together in front of her chest, a gesture emphasizing her abundant bust, and smiled brightly:
“Also, it seems I unlocked a special ability when I arrived here.
Do you guys have one too?”
Yukino Yukinoshita raised her head slightly.
“Hmm?”
Emma covered her mouth in shock.
“S-Superpowers?!”
Kiana flexed her arms slightly, showing off her toned biceps under her sleeves, and explained to the group of “civilians”:
“You mean Honkai Energy.
I don’t know the exact details, but basically, if you have Honkai Energy, you can fight Honkai monsters.”
Kushida blinked in confusion.
“But my ability isn’t called Honkai Energy.”
Kiana lost her cool instantly, her eyes widening in complete shock:
“WHAT?!
You mean there are OTHER powers in the universe besides Honkai Energy?!”
‘Your universe doesn’t exist here, Kiana.
And this isn’t your world anymore.’
‘Surprisingly, I’m not the only one with a system panel—they’ve all awakened supernatural abilities after being summoned here.’
Natsuyu shook his head slightly, then clapped his hands together to draw everyone’s attention:
“Listen up, everyone!”
“Kushida-san is right.
It seems entering this place awakened special abilities in all of us.”
“If we want to survive in this wilderness until we find a way back home, we need to work together.”
“Before that, we should get to know our teammates.”
Emma looked interested, nodding quietly in agreement.
“I agree.”
‘Can I really make friends here?
Great…
I won’t be alone anymore…’
Kushida was secretly thrilled, repeating Natsuyu’s words:
“Exactly!
Why don’t you go first?”
Kushida looked toward Yukino first.
Yukino had been the quietest, observing everyone silently, so Kushida wanted to help her integrate into the group first.
However, the cold girl wasn’t going to play along.
“Yukino Yukinoshita.
First-year at Sobu High School in Chiba.”
Yukino announced her name coldly, crossing her arms over her flat chest, slightly tilting her snow-white neck upward as she spoke:
“As for making friends, there’s no need.
I have zero interest in hypocritical relationships built out of temporary necessity that fall apart the moment the environment changes.”
“If we can’t return home right away, I will do my share of the work and won’t bother any of you.
So don’t worry about me.”
Kushida’s cheerful expression twitched.
‘What the hell is this arrogant ice queen trying to pull?!’
‘I swear I wanna punch her in the face!
She just ruined the entire friendly vibe I worked so hard to build up!’
“Fake and fabricated relationships…”
Emma stepped back slightly, her expression hesitant, but she quickly summoned a determined look:
“That’s not fake at all!”
Emma felt intimidated by Yukino’s cold gaze, but she still stated firmly:
“If I become friends with Yukinoshita-san, it definitely won’t be a fake friendship!
I’m sure everyone feels the same way…”
Her voice trailed off at the end, lacking confidence.
Kiana, watching from the side, felt the team atmosphere teetering on the edge of collapse and hesitated.
‘Should I step in?’
Years of traveling alone to search for her deadbeat father had made Kiana naturally cautious around strangers.
Natsuyu cut in smoothly:
“Then, Yukinoshita, what is your ability?”
Yukino and the others turned their heads in surprise.
Natsuyu handled the attention effortlessly, showing zero reaction to the previous tense argument.
‘Yukino and Kushida having a disagreement?
That’s not a big deal.’
‘Yukino’s cooperative introduction proves she’s a reliable teammate who won’t drag anyone down.’
‘She’s willing to work, asks for nothing, is independent, doesn’t need coddling, and has a pretty face that’s easy on the eyes.
Is there a more perfect teammate in the world than her?’
‘If this were Suzune Horikita—who shares the exact same cold-beauty archetype—she’d still be acting completely uncooperative and arrogant right now.’
‘Both are cold beauties, but their actual personality depth is night and day.’
Hearing his question, Yukino hesitated for a brief moment before answering:
“My ability is…
transforming into a cat.”
“A cat?”
Natsuyu asked in surprise.