This discovery made Miko feel very hurt…
At the same time, she became even more confused.
Was her charm inferior to a bus?
Just as Miko felt deeply struck and was overthinking how her charm couldn't compare to a bus.
Hayashi Maku, who couldn't suppress the excitement on his face, had already boarded the bus.
Miko subconsciously prepared to follow, but...
"Excuse me, Yotsuya-san, you should take the next bus!
Driver, start the engine!"
Hayashi blocked Miko at the bus entrance, preventing her from getting on.
'Why? It's already very late! Who knows how long I'll have to wait for the next bus...'
Just as Miko wanted to ask why and was about to tell Hayashi not to joke around.
Suddenly!
Miko's pupils contracted.
Because she noticed that the driver's seat, where Hayashi had signaled for the bus to start, was empty.
Only the dashboard glowed with an eerie green light, and the gear stick jumped up and down by itself, emitting *clack, clack* metallic knocking sounds, as if an invisible hand were shifting gears.
*Gulp*
Japan shouldn't have fully automated public buses yet!
Cold sweat slid down her forehead, Miko's heart suddenly constricted, and terror showed in her eyes.
But she quickly suppressed her panic and said to Hayashi in a trembling voice.
"How about, Hayashi-san, we wait for the next bus together?"
"No, this is the bus I've been waiting for. I've been looking for it for a year!" Hayashi said with a brilliant smile and a satisfied expression.
This frightened Miko.
His brilliant smile, coupled with the unmanned driver's seat behind him, was extremely bizarre.
"Umm... Hayashi-san, why don't you think about it again?"
Miko said, looking like she was about to cry, and her legs, clad in black stockings, finally started trembling.
In response, Hayashi simply waved goodbye silently to Miko.
Then the bus doors closed in front of them.
The bus quickly drove Hayashi away from the platform. At this moment, Miko noticed that the license plate of the bus Hayashi boarded gradually changed to 444.
"I hope I can see Hayashi-san again tomorrow!"
Miko said prayerfully. Soon after she finished speaking, another horn sounded.
At this moment, a bus with a driver and a normal license plate finally appeared before Miko.
Under the driver's puzzled gaze, Miko, whose legs were trembling and weak, cautiously stepped onto the bus.
She secretly vowed that if she could avoid going out at night in the future, she would try her best not to.
So paranormal events really exist in this world.
"May Kami-sama keep Hayashi-san safe."
Although she didn't know why Hayashi-san actively sought out these terrifying paranormal phenomena.
The kind Miko still offered him her blessings.
And she was filled with gratitude towards Hayashi for stopping her from boarding the bus.
Hayashi-san is such a good person!
...Meanwhile, on the other side.
After boarding the bus.
Hayashi fell into a coma. When he came to, he found five people scattered throughout the bus.
Six people in total, including him.
The one who attracted his attention the most was a girl wearing a Shuchi'in Academy uniform.
The Shuchi'in Academy uniform consisted of a white collar and a black knee-length skirt, cinched at the waist. The prominent golden school emblem on the lapel reflected the light inside the bus.
Her long, warm chestnut hair smoothly fell to her waist, the ends swaying slightly with the breeze from the window, catching the light in delicate arcs.
She had just woken up too, blinking her brown eyes, which were filled with confusion.
With such distinctive looks, even though she was wearing a Shuchi'in Academy uniform, Hayashi recognized her instantly.
Yuuki Asuna, online name Asuna.
The main heroine of Sword Art Online.
In this world, which superficially blends various slice-of-life and general anime elements, she is a Shuchi'in Academy student.
Although he recognized her, Hayashi did not go up to talk to her.
The reason, naturally, wasn't that Hayashi felt nothing for these heroines; before transmigrating, Asuna was also one of the "wives of the season" Hayashi claimed.
But now, for Hayashi, especially after acquiring his [Innate Talent], he was more eager to gain power first.
For him.
Power > Heroines > Authority > Money.
Therefore, Hayashi quickly shifted his gaze away from Asuna.
He silently observed the bus.
From the ceiling to the seats.
From the driver's seat to the back row, there was nothing unusual, apart from the lack of a driver.
The air inside the bus had no scent of riverbed moss, nor the smell of smoke or fireworks.
It was clean, just like a normal bus, with no trace of water damage or burning.
It didn't resemble a paranormal entity like the Bus Route 444. [1]
Although the inside of the bus seemed normal, the view outside the window was clearly strange.
White fog, endless white fog, enveloped the area three meters outside the bus. The thick fog caused extremely low visibility.
'Stepping into the white fog means death.'
This feeling inexplicably arose in Hayashi's mind.
'Should I jump out the window to test the power of this white fog?
Anyway, I've already anchored my spatial-temporal coordinates; even if I die, I'll reload.'
Just as Hayashi was thinking this, aside from Asuna, who was carefully trying to minimize her presence.
The other four people who had woken up sequentially first spoke softly, but seeing no obvious danger, they gradually began to shout.
"Why am I here?"
"Who are you?"
"Hurry up and let me go."
Hmm, filler dialogue. Hayashi ignored it directly. However, a certain fierce-looking fellow with a meaty face attempting to jump off the bus and escape caught his attention.
Shortly after he jumped off the bus and stumbled into the mist outside, his skinned corpse was hung on the road sign in front of the vehicle.
It was a truly miserable sight.
Instantly, everyone on the bus quieted down.
'Well, the effect of the mist is known now. I don't need to test it myself for the time being.'
Hayashi silently nodded in his heart, thanking the reckless man for saving him from the pain of being skinned.
'Entering the mist means death... Is there a monster in the mist, a ghost, or is it some kind of rule?
Let's see where the bus is taking us first. If it keeps going without a destination, then I'll check the mist.'
Thinking this, Hayashi silently pocketed the [Window-Breaking Hammer] from inside the bus.
Hmm, it might not be useful, but better safe than sorry.
His action was seen by Asuna beside him. The girl, realizing the situation, also wanted to find a weapon, but unfortunately, there was only one [Window-Breaking Hammer] on the bus.
After that, time slowly passed in silence among everyone until a horn sounded.
The bus stopped at the entrance of a villa.
During this time, no one else had an accident.
Hmm, a bus, a villa, a mist... if there were also a Blood Gate in the villa... it would be somewhat similar to a certain dormitory, going through the Blood Gate to various instances and struggling to survive against various ghosts? [2]
Just as Asuna and the others were still terrified by the death of that fellow earlier and were afraid to approach the villa.
Hayashi had already taken the initiative, pushing open the villa door as if returning home.
He didn't care if it was a villa with a Blood Gate; he'd go in first and worry later.
"Hey, young man... you're too reckless!"
A bespectacled man in a suit was startled by Hayashi's action, apparently afraid that the villa might release something terrifying because of what Hayashi did.
However, Hayashi had no interest in paying attention to the terrified man.
Stepping into the villa, the scene before Hayashi caused him to pause slightly.
It wasn't because there were terrifying ghosts in the villa; he would actually be excited if he met one, as he had been looking for ghosts for a year.
Inside the luxurious villa, which had a classical Western palace style, three girls with dignified bearing and refined manners were tasting black tea in front of a burning fireplace, as if holding a tea party.
Hayashi wasn't surprised that there were normal people in the villa, but the key was that he knew all three girls.
Oregairu—Yukinoshita Yukino; Kaguya-sama: Love is War—Shinomiya Kaguya; Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian—Suou Yuki.
"Shinomiya-san! Suou-san!"
Before Hayashi could speak, Asuna's relieved voice came from behind him.
Seeing two familiar classmates in this bizarre villa seemed to make her feel a little safer.
Hayashi, meanwhile, paid a little attention to Suou Yuki. It seemed that in this merged world, Suou Yuki also attended Shuchi'in Academy.
But considering Suou Yuki's family background as the daughter of a diplomat, attending Shuchi'in Academy was quite normal.
"Good day, Yuuki-san.
Although saying that here feels a bit inappropriate."
The sweet-looking, quiet, and dignified Suou Yuki gracefully put down her black tea, displaying a perfect smile on her face.
She stood up gracefully from her seat, placing her left toe forward while stepping back half a pace with her right foot into a T-stance. Her hands were lightly clasped and stacked in front of her abdomen, the left palm covering the right, like holding a jade orchid.
She responded to Asuna with perfect and elegant poise.
"...Good day, Suou-san.
May I ask where this is?"
Seeing this, Asuna quickly returned the greeting to Suou Yuki. The familiar actions somewhat alleviated the fear on her pretty face, but she still asked with slight apprehension.
Hayashi, standing nearby, walked from the doorway to the right side of the room near the window, leaving the central space for Asuna.
Silently watching the two elegant noblewomen and rich women greet each other, it added a unique flavor to this bizarre villa.
At the same time, Hayashi couldn't help but comment internally on their deportment. [3]
Although Asuna's deportment was also flawless and standard. It was clearly still lacking compared to Suou Yuki, whose elegance seemed ingrained in her bones. Perhaps this was the difference between natural perfection and simply following instructions.
"As for the specifics, let's discuss them once we get to the dungeon. I'll take the newcomers this time."
Suou Yuki was clearly addressing Kaguya and Yukino with that last sentence.
Unlike Suou Yuki, Kaguya, who was like an ice sculpture, raised her cold eyes and swept them over everyone.
Her gaze lingered on Hayashi's calm, spectating expression for a moment. Was she surprised by his composure? That he showed no fear at all?
'This guy has a good mentality.'
She sighed inwardly but wasn't overly concerned. Then, Kaguya nodded to Suou Yuki and said coldly:
"I hope these newcomers prove to be of some value."
Yukino, standing nearby, opened her mouth. She had originally intended to guide the newcomers this time.
Because she recognized Hayashi—a classmate, even though they hadn't spoken much—but she still didn't want to see him simply die in the first dungeon.
However, since Suou Yuki had already spoken, she gave up the idea of guiding them herself.
"Hayashi-san, after the dungeon, you must follow Yuki-senpai's arrangements. This will allow you to live."
Yukino said seriously to Hayashi as a reminder. Although she seemed to be speaking to Hayashi, she was actually speaking more for Suou Yuki to hear, hoping Suou Yuki would pay attention to Hayashi.
'If you have the capacity, try to give him some guidance.' This was the message Yukino conveyed to Suou Yuki.
Hearing this, Hayashi hadn't spoken yet, but Suou Yuki, standing nearby, returned a look to Yukino. She wasn't surprised that Yukino knew Hayashi; after all, the Sobu High School uniform Hayashi was wearing was too obvious.
Based on her understanding of Yukino.
They were classmates, so it was normal for Yukino's personality to ask her to keep an eye on him. Although they likely only had a normal classmate relationship.
However, looking at Hayashi's handsome face.
If he successfully returned from the first dungeon.
Suou Yuki still decided to use him to tease the cool and snow-like Yukino.
As for why she wasn't teasing Yukino in front of everyone.
Well~ the Suou Yuki currently in front of everyone is the [Elegant Young Lady], not the [Manipulative Little Devil].
"Thank you for the reminder, Yukinoshita-san."
Although he possessed the ability to reload at any time, he didn't feel he was in any danger.
But he still accepted Yukino's goodwill.
In response, Yukino just nodded coolly, saying nothing more.
What a cold-faced but soft-hearted second miss.
TL Notes:
[1] The closest I found is the one from [31 Shinbi's Apartment Ghosts!]
[2] According to AI, it references of [Disney Twisted-Wonderland]
[3] A person's behavior or manners.