Rurikawa Natsuyu looked at the expectant expression on Kushida Kikyo's face and couldn't help but complain:
"What do you mean by 'the 'yes' you chose'—I am Rurikawa Natsuyu, I am very glad to become friends with you."
Was there really an idiot who would agree to such an eerie event just for the goal of Making Friends?
Furthermore, in the recruitment tactics of the God Space, his side was asked about Pursuing Correctness, while Kushida Kikyo's side was asked about Making Friends; the rhetoric actually varied from person to person.
One could only say this was the episode that best fit Kushida Kikyo's character design.
Specifically, her IQ.
"Great, we're friends from now on~! Rurikawa-kun, did you choose 'no' and get kidnapped here too?"
Kushida Kikyo felt a surge of inner pride:
This handsome boy has been successfully won over; he's now a friend!
However, Rurikawa... it felt more and more familiar, as if someone had mentioned this name before.
Kushida Kikyo let out a short, puzzled little sound with a smile. In Xia You's eyes, it was cute to the point of being a bit affected—very "green tea."
But Xia You didn't actually hate green tea types.
It was just... why did it feel like Kushida Kikyo cared more about making friends than the supernatural reality they were facing?
Haji-Kikyo, you brat, your family really needs to hire a specialist.
"By the way."
Kushida Kikyo asked in confusion, "What does 'To get rich, first punch a tree' mean?"
What does that even mean! You heard it, so what on earth does it mean!
For a moment, Xia You's eyes went blank, and he helplessly changed the subject:
"It's nothing—Kushida-san, your clothes are stained with dirt."
Xia You paid a fair amount of attention to his image and cared somewhat about outfits. He felt that the mud on Kushida Kikyo's back was a bit distracting. He used this to shift the conversation, letting Kushida Kikyo focus her attention on tidying her clothes and hair.
Phew~
Fooled her.
Having to shout an Achievement unlock Incantation was simply the most evil invention of this century!
Kushida Kikyo patted down her clothes without letting the conversation go cold, saying in a pleading tone:
"The back of Rurikawa-kun's clothes is also a bit dirty, shall I help you tidy up?"
"I can do it myself." In fact, now that he was idle, he was already tidying up.
"What is this door? I wanted to ask just now, does Rurikawa-kun know?"
Xia You looked toward the Radiant Door with a serious expression. "Like I said, I only woke up a few minutes earlier than you. I also want to know what's behind the door and if it can let us go back."
"Have we really encountered a supernatural event... It doesn't feel very real."
Kikyo murmured, "What exactly is behind the door?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"
A scream.
Behind the door was an extremely shrill scream, as if someone had seen a ghost—a young girl's scream that nearly tore her throat and her Soul apart!
"Ugh!"
Both Xia You and Kushida Kikyo were startled. Kushida Kikyo reflexively grabbed Xia You's arm with both hands, her shoulders trembling as she looked toward the Gorgeous Door in terror.
"No, there's something behind the door."
Xia You made a swift judgment.
The sound didn't necessarily come from inside the Portal.
The Portal was not transparent, and there was someone behind it.
"Eh? Ehh?"
Kushida Kikyo's terror-stricken brain hadn't reacted yet. Because she was clutching Xia You's arm, she was pulled along by him as they circled around the Radiant Gate to see the scene behind it.
A slender girl with short white hair that faded into pink highlights stood there, her cherry-pink eyes wide open, staring at the Radiant Gate in utter horror.
On the three-meter-high gate, Flower Vines climbed along both sides of the frame. They intertwined at the clock face, twisting into a rope that suspended the corpse of a girl wearing a black and red pleated Gothic dress.
Jet-black bangs covered her face, and emerald Vines locked her body in place. Adorned with delicate, bright red Equinox Flowers, it formed a cruel yet beautiful painting.
The slender, pink-and-white-haired girl had screamed because she witnessed the corpse of the girl in the black and red Gothic dress.
Beside her, two other girls who had not yet awakened were lying down.
One was a European with two white braided pigtails.
The other was an Asian girl with long, straight black hair wearing a high school uniform. Judging by the beauty of the uniform, one could infer she was from the Far East.
Xia You was also somewhat stunned by the sight. He could understand the panic of a young girl opening her eyes to see a hanging corpse right in front of her.
"Don't look."
Xia You immediately stepped forward to block the view between the girl and the corpse, reaching out to press down on her shoulder:
"Don't be afraid."
"Someone... someone is dead!"
Kushida Kikyo looked panicked, gripping Xia You's other hand tightly, her shoulders shaking even more violently.
Xia You calmly soothed the two girls. "It's alright. This person wasn't killed by Monsters; it looks like she was hung by the Vines. As long as we don't go near this strange door, we should be fine."
"Even if something does go wrong, I'm here."
Xia You didn't actually have much confidence in his heart, but he couldn't allow panic to spread at a time like this.
Teammates with stable emotions were better at creating a secure group environment.
If teammates were panicked, it would be difficult for them to trust others and help one another.
So Xia You stood forward, acting as a more mentally mature male to comfort the two girls.
I'm here.
Kushida Kikyo and Ema Sakuraba found their pillar of support. Seeing Xia You's calm demeanor, they gradually settled down. Looking at Xia You's tall, composed Ikemen face, a sense of peace rose within them.
"Mm, what's all the noise... can't a person get some sleep..."
The last European girl sat up grumbling. She glared with a look of dissatisfaction, appearing to have a bit of a morning temper, before her attention was drawn to the corpse.
Xia You was preparing how to comfort this girl's impending terror upon seeing the body, only to find that she was merely a bit surprised. She knitted her brows and scanned her surroundings:
"Where is this... Wasn't I on the bus to Nagazora City?"
The other girl with long black hair also opened her eyes and stared intently at the corpse. Although her face paled slightly, she did not scream or panic.
Xia You looked at their calm reactions with surprise. While feeling relieved, he also found them extremely familiar.
A Far East JK, wearing small leather boots, black Over-the-knee socks, blue eyes, and a flat chest.
Yukinoshita Yukino?
This weird place even dragged her all the way from Chiba?
The other European girl had white twin braids, azure eyes, a white JK uniform, black Over-the-knee socks, and a figure far more curvaceous than Yukinoshita Yukino's. She looked to be in the same grade as Kushida Kikyo and was only slightly shorter than Xia You, possessing a very healthy, athletic style.
Kiana!
How is Honkai Impact 3rd involved in this?
Xia You could be certain that the Crossover World he lived in did not have supernatural powers.
Well, he couldn't be entirely certain, but at least he had never seen supernatural forces; something as obvious as Honkai could definitely not exist there.
In other words, Kiana and he did not come from the same world. Different worlds actually existed.
This might no longer be the world Xia You belonged to, but an independent Other World, just like the Honkai world.