Thank you all so much for your support!!
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Seeing Kai act so sweet and attentive toward Yui while treating her completely differently made Utaha Kasumigaoka genuinely start to doubt her own charm.
CLICK!!
Soon enough, the lights inside the theater dimmed, and the movie began playing on the big screen. Because it was a horror film, the overall lighting in the room was exceptionally dark and oppressive.
"..." Yui Yuigahama shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She could distinctly feel the hand Kai had wrapped around her waist starting to wander, growing noticeably restless.
Meeting her gaze in the dim light, Kai whispered softly, "This is actually all your fault, Yui."
"My fault?" Yui's small face filled with surprise.
"Yeah. Who told you to be so cute? You're making it impossible for me to sit still."
He leaned right into her ear to deliver that line. After saying it, he closed the distance between them even further.
Realizing exactly what he was about to do, Yui instinctively threw a panicked, nervous glance in Utaha Kasumigaoka's direction.
"But..."
"Don't worry. It's pitch black in here, Senpai can't see a thing."
"Mmph!"
Before Yui could protest any further, her lips were completely sealed.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: 'I might not be able to see it, but I can definitely hear it! Are you two seriously whispering that loudly??'
Even with an empty seat between them, looking at the silhouette of Kai's turned back, Utaha could vividly imagine exactly what was happening over there. For some inexplicable reason, the air around her suddenly felt thick and suffocating, and a light sweat began to break out across her skin.
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[Quest Completed]
[Quest Completed]
Two consecutive System notification chimes rang out in his head.
"N-No... stop!"
Pressing her hands against Kai's chest, Yui looked up at him with pleading eyes. Some things were just moving way too fast for a high school girl to handle.
Kai didn't push it. He simply smiled and slowly pulled his hands back.
"Relax. I'll give you plenty of time to get used to it."
"M-Mhm!"
Her face burning a brilliant red, Yui quickly re-buttoned her blouse and gave a tiny, shy nod.
Kai leaned back into his seat, a thoroughly satisfied, smug smile plastered across his face.
Phew!
It was finally over. Over on her side, Utaha couldn't help but let out a massive sigh of relief. The constant, soft rustling sounds drifting into her ears earlier had felt like some kind of demonic torture, she hadn't been able to calm her racing heart no matter how hard she tried. Thank god it had finally stopped.
Sensing her reaction, Kai shot a sidelong glance past the empty seat at Utaha, raising a single brow with a teasing smirk.
"..."
That bastard. He did that entirely on purpose.
Catching his look, Utaha couldn't stop her hands from balling into tight fists. She had completely figured him out—he had a fundamentally wicked personality. All that polite, gentlemanly behavior he displayed at the very beginning was a 100% fabricated act.
But given the current situation, she had absolutely nowhere to vent her frustration.
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The movie played on...
After a while, the three of them finally managed to pull their attention back to the screen.
"Hmm??"
Even though the movie was cliché in Kai's eyes, some of the specific horror scenes were actually directed pretty well. Especially the exact moment the female lead's severed head suddenly floated across the screen.
"Eek!"
Terrified, Yui practically threw herself against Kai, hiding her face against his shoulder.
Even Utaha, sitting a seat away, visibly jumped in shock.
With one arm securely wrapped around Yui, Kai casually patted the empty seat between him and Utaha. He didn't say a word, but the message was blindingly obvious: If you're scared, feel free to slide closer.
"..."
To be completely honest, Utaha was genuinely tempted. But her pride refused to let her be looked down upon. It was just a movie, the jumpscare would be over in a few seconds anyway.
Heh. It seemed every single one of these anime heroines had a serious tsundere streak wired into them. Kai didn't push the issue, just letting out a light chuckle and pulling his gaze back to the screen.
As the runtime dragged on, the terrifying scenes began popping up back-to-back.
"Hmm?"
Kai had been watching with complete boredom. For someone who possessed [Cursed Spirit Manipulation], these on-screen fabricated ghosts were literally child's play.
But in the very next second...
Right in front of the massive projection screen, a dense cluster of pitch-black matter began to slowly manifest.
That sight made Kai immediately furrow his brows.
The black mass steadily expanded, gradually taking on the grotesque, twisted shape of a monster. It looked like a massive, five-to-six-meter-long centipede swimming through the air right inside the theater.
A Cursed Spirit?
Why the hell is one spawning in here??
Then it clicked. According to JJK lore, Cursed Spirits were born from the buildup of negative human emotions—fear being one of the strongest catalysts. So, did the sheer terror of the audience in this room literally birth this Cursed Spirit right on the spot?
Clearly, this horror movie had successfully terrified a massive chunk of people over its runtime. This newly spawned Cursed Spirit had instantly materialized with Grade 3 power levels, and it actually felt a bit stronger than the average Grade 3.
Interesting! He hadn't expected to score an extra summon just by coming to watch a movie.
He was just about to raise his hand and use [Cursed Spirit Manipulation] to instantly exorcise the newborn anomaly.
But suddenly, the hands Yui had wrapped around his arm began to shake violently, as if she were experiencing an absolute, paralyzing level of terror.
On his other side...
Utaha Kasumigaoka had somehow closed the gap and was now sitting right next to him. She tightly grabbed the hand he was about to raise.
"W-WE NEED TO RUN... RIGHT NOW!"
Utaha's voice trembled with sheer, unadulterated panic. She was pressed completely against him, and just like Yui, her entire body was shuddering uncontrollably.
"?"
That reaction...
Sweeping his gaze over the two girls, an unbelievable theory suddenly flashed through his mind.
"You guys can see it?"
"Huh?" Both girls simultaneously snapped their heads up to look at him. Why isn't he panicking? Shouldn't he be figuring out how the hell we're going to escape?
What even is that grotesque monster? What is happening to the world?
Wait...
Normally, ordinary humans were completely incapable of perceiving Cursed Spirits. So was it because these specific anime heroines had special constitutions, or were the rules for Cursed Spirits in this crossover universe just different? Why could both Utaha and Yui see it?
"???"
What does that even mean?
"Cursed Spirit?"
"Whatever, I'll explain later!"
Since they could already see it, there was absolutely zero point in trying to hide anything anymore. He gently patted their hands, gesturing for them to let go, and stood straight up from his seat.
He looked directly at the centipede Cursed Spirit and shouted, "Hey! Look over here!"
"You..."
Both girls' eyes blew wide open in sheer horror.
But in the very next second, attracted by his shout, the Cursed Spirit let out a deafening screech and violently lunged straight toward them.
'WE'RE DEAD!' Just as the girls thought their lives were completely over, Kai casually raised a single hand.
"Exterminate it!"
"ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
The space directly behind him violently tore open. The two Cursed Spirits he had previously subjugated burst out from the void simultaneously, roaring as they charged straight at the centipede.
In that exact moment...
The normal, mundane worldview that Yui and Utaha had known their entire lives... completely and utterly shattered.
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Drop Some Powerstones~~