Hearing Ichinose Honami's proposal.
Kushida Kikyo hurriedly blinked her eyes, forcibly suppressing that surging, gut-churning wave of nausea. "Phew..." Almost instantly, drawing on the facial control she'd accumulated from years of pretense, she restored her usual gentle, healing little-angel expression.
The speed of that face-change left Ichinose—who had just been about to step forward and pat her on the back to comfort her—marveling inwardly despite herself.
Kushida Kikyo turned her head and saw Ichinose slightly dazed.
She actually thought it was the power of the [Love-Love Fruit] already taking effect on her.
Pursing her lips, she unconsciously wore a faint, bashful smile:
"Ichinose, what should I do next?"
To be fair, as the "little angel" who was quite popular among all the boys in the whole school.
Kushida Kikyo felt that she really was a perfect match for this charm-boosting [Love-Love Fruit], wasn't she?
If, in the exam later, she could also borrow Ichinose's Imperial Arms [Myriad Soaring Wings] and put them on.
Just by cosplaying an angel with her own charm alone, even without doing a single thing, she could turn that group of disgusting, revolting things to stone in an instant~
Kushida Kikyo fantasized leisurely and contentedly in her heart.
However, Ichinose merely coughed lightly with a touch of awkwardness and asked in earnest:
"Um, Kushida..." "Right now, do you feel an extra surge of energy inside your body?"
"Try to guide it a little—just like when you practice Ripple and feel the flow of life energy. Try to channel it... see if you can move it around..."
Ichinose explained patiently.
Kushida Kikyo obediently closed her eyes and, following her instructions, tried to sense the power within her body.
But...
Aside from vividly feeling that she'd eaten too much natto at lunch and now had a bit of bloating in her stomach.
There was no other sensation whatsoever!?
'What's going on?' Kushida Kikyo opened her eyes, her brow slightly furrowed.
Her narcissistic personality and her chronically repressed, disguised mental state were indeed well-suited to practicing Ripple.
But she was hampered by the fact that her own physical constitution wasn't as robust as that of Kouenji Rokusuke and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
So over this stretch of time, her Ripple had really only barely reached the beginner level.
But wasn't a Devil Fruit supposed to grant superpowers the moment you ate it?
This didn't require grueling training!
How could there be no reaction at all?!
Kushida Kikyo pondered, subconsciously turning her head to look at the person beside her...
That was Yotsuya Miko, who had eaten another Devil Fruit almost at the same moment as her.
At this instant, Yotsuya Miko, though equally nauseated and miserable from the Devil Fruit's shit-like taste, her brow slightly knitted.
But in Kushida's field of vision, Miko seemed to be gilded with a faint layer of pink holy light!
Every frown and smile, even just the motion of slightly knitting her brows, was inexplicably soul-stirring, making people unable to resist the urge to cherish and protect her...
Kushida Kikyo's mouth opened slightly, and a cruel answer instantly surfaced in her mind.
Sakayanagi Arisu, who had been keeping part of her attention on this side all along, couldn't help but find the scene amusing.
Propping her cheek with one hand, she teased softly:
"Just as I thought—only the very first person to eat a Devil Fruit gets to enjoy the dividend of its power... the remaining half after that is purely a hard-to-swallow piece of junk~"
"Oh dear, what a real pity, Kushida-san. You endured such a disgusting taste for nothing."
The girl tilted her head slightly and added a conjecture: "But then... if the person who ate the Devil Fruit really died, her power might pass down in sequence and transfer to the second person who ate the flesh—who knows?"
At these words, Kushida Kikyo's expression stiffened.
But she quickly put her smile back on and stepped aside.
Since Kushida Kikyo was clearly fine and needed no help, Ichinose Honami turned instead to move over beside Yotsuya Miko, rubbing her back to ease her breathing while nodding thoughtfully:
"What Sakayanagi-san said—that really is possible."
She looked at Yotsuya Miko, who had recovered: "By the way, Yotsuya-san, in a bit you can try it on me—see whether you can cause petrification through direct touch."
"I spent S-points in the presiding god's space to upgrade the Love-Love Fruit and removed the heart-flutter condition. I don't know whether this kind of system enhancement works equally well on someone like you who's 'sharing' the fruit's power."
As she spoke, so as not to leave Kushida out in the cold, Ichinose also took out the item capsule for her own [Ruby Staff] and handed it to Kushida Kikyo.
"Kushida... it's fine if the Devil Fruit doesn't work."
"Try this one instead. It's a magical girl's transformation device—see if you can use it."
Kushida Kikyo took the capsule with both hands.
This time, at least, she didn't dare harbor too many extravagant delusions.
After all, with the lesson she'd just learned from eating that turd, she was terrified of making another fool of herself and needlessly ruining the "little angel" image she'd painstakingly cultivated.
And then...
No good! No good! No good!
No good! No good! No good!
Completely useless!
No matter how hard Kushida Kikyo concentrated—whether stimulating it with Ripple, or blushing and forcing herself, in spite of the shame, to mutter several chuunibyou transformation lines she'd sealed away in her elementary-school memories.
That Ruby Staff, just like an ordinary plastic toy, showed no reaction whatsoever!
Seeing Ichinose Honami's face reveal that she couldn't bear it, just as she was about to offer a few comforting words.
Beside them, Yotsuya Miko had already reached out and gently grasped Ichinose's wrist.
Meeting Ichinose's puzzled gaze, she explained:
"I just tested the power a moment ago... it seems that enhancement wasn't shared with me."
"To bring out the Love-Love Fruit's power, I still have to make others' hearts flutter for me before I can cause petrification."
Hearing this, Ichinose sighed and turned again to look at Kushida Kikyo, who wore a constipated expression.
"So Kushida-san doesn't work either, as expected..."
"Come to think of it, the magical girl transformation device is most likely bound to the person themselves. And the Devil Fruit's extra enhancement in the presiding god's space only applies to the purchaser themselves?"
Hearing Ichinose's summary, Chris came over.
He shot a glance at the still-unresponsive Ruby Staff and remarked offhandedly:
"That's understandable. I've never seen a magical girl in any anime who could just lend her transformation device to someone else to use."
"This kind of idealism-side equipment either requires the transformation device's own approval, or requires the user themselves to possess a certain potential. Something like the [Ruby Staff]."
If we go by the original version—the one where it has a consciousness of its own—it most likely wouldn't even readily acknowledge someone with Ichinose's saintly attributes.
Let alone a two-faced person like Kushida Kikyo, whose inside and outside don't match.
Not mocking her a few times on the spot would already count as good manners.
It's only the transformation card deck in "Kamen Rider Ryuki" that offers the general-purpose case of being freely lendable to others.
"That said, it might also just be a simple personality mismatch. Just try a different person; perhaps, like the Stand discs, it requires a match of personality and soul."
Chris added.
Ichinose pressed her lips together, looking regretful.
But Sakayanagi Arisu's focus wasn't on this at all.
She arched her elegant brows and teased with plain surprise:
"Oh my~ I never expected that you, Chris-kun, would actually admit to having watched 'magical girl' anime?"
"I thought... that you boys, whenever someone asks about such things, would flatly deny it out in the open and only dare to secretly watch huddled under the covers behind closed doors."
Chris rolled his eyes a little helplessly:
"Would you mind not slapping your stereotypes about boys onto me?"
"Everyone appreciates beauty. Besides, when I watched TV as a kid... it wasn't a matter of what I wanted to watch, but rather whatever the TV happened to be broadcasting at the time was all I could watch. Having a magical girl show to watch was already pretty lucky—there just weren't that many choices."
Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled softly, noncommittal.
Clearly, she had no intention of so easily letting go of this little handle she now had on Chris's hobbies.
At this moment, Ryuuen, Kouenji Rokusuke, and the others, who had been running tests at the other end of the field, had also completed their corresponding first round of trials.
The two of them strode over, ready to exchange information.
"My [Two-Star Goku Uniform] apparently can't be lent out—it's a single-person bound set."
Kouenji Rokusuke tossed his blond hair and sighed wistfully:
"But Ryuuen-boy's [Lion God Template] and [Sianweistan]—anyone can just stick them on and use them right away~"
"Looking at it this way, from now on... I'm afraid it'll plant in a lot of hearts the notion of 'flesh-and-blood suffering, mechanical ascension.'"
"After all, his prosthetic-body items really are handy. Plug and play, instant results."
Ryuuen snorted coldly. "Wanting it won't get you anywhere."
"Don't forget, this thing of mine doesn't even have a corresponding exchange channel in the presiding god's space. Who the hell knows how long they'll have to hold out before they get a chance to stumble across it in a Magical Girl Mystery Box or an airdrop."
Hearing this, Chris rubbed his chin and suddenly asked:
"Then what about my [Demon Possession] and [Enma Blade]? None of you can use them?"
"That shouldn't be the case..."
Chris frowned: "Yesterday, when I lent the Enma Blade to Horikita, sure, she was a bit drained after using it, but she only felt tired... she never said she couldn't even draw the blade."
"Demon Possession was originally Horikita Manabu's item to begin with—didn't I just borrow it and use it fine as well?"
At this, Ryuuen and Kouenji Rokusuke exchanged a glance, both wearing rather peculiar expressions.
After waiting a short while, Ryuuen finally spoke up with a hint of irritation:
"[Demon Possession] is fine. Sure, some people can't use it at all because their constitution is too poor, but someone with a robust physique like me and Kouenji can just barely handle it. It just makes very heavy demands on the body and on mental strength."
"If not for a special environment like the Time Chamber that can rapidly restore stamina, once you're on the exam field, I doubt more than a handful of people would dare to use this thing recklessly."
"But... that [Enma Blade] of yours is honestly a bit absurd!"
Ryuuen paused, and looking at Chris's increasingly puzzled eyes, he accused through gritted teeth:
"Boys can't use it at all! When Kouenji and I went to try, that blade was like it had grown into the sheath—we couldn't even pull it out!"
"But those girls, on the other hand..."
"Sure, it's just as draining as using Demon Possession. But any random one of them—even a good-for-nothing like Kamuro Masumi—can easily draw the blade out!"
Ryuuen wore the expression of someone who'd swallowed a fly: "Isn't that weird?"
Chris frowned and thought for a moment.
A look of genuine puzzlement duly appeared on his face: "This... don't tell me items nowadays are into gender discrimination too?"
Seeing this, Sakayanagi Arisu covered her lips and chuckled softly off to the side. She turned to look at the [Romantic Cannon] that Kamuro Masumi was toying with in her hands, and explained gently:
"You and Ichinose both have Imperial Arms in hand, so I imagine you can sense it too."
"Imperial Arms themselves also possess consciousness—well, calling it 'consciousness' is a bit of an exaggeration; to be precise, it's like the primal will retained after some kind of spiritual, top-grade super-material is forged into a weapon."
"It chooses its own user. If you don't win its approval, at best you can't use it, and at worst you suffer backlash."
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at Chris thoughtfully: "I imagine that Enma Blade of yours, the one that can cut through space, is a similar sort of existence..."
Chris nodded, noncommittal: "Perhaps."
But in truth.
It really wasn't any melodramatic trope of a living weapon choosing its master.
It was purely because the [Enma Blade] was itself the heirloom weapon Sparda had left to Vergil, so naturally only Vergil, who possessed half-devil blood, and his blood relatives could wield it.
Granted, this Enma Blade had been modified by Chris using the Reality Gem, so it no longer strictly demanded devil blood.
But as a restricted weapon.
The likes of Horikita Suzune and Karuizawa Kei could use it entirely because their bodies were so often steeped in his aura, which was why the Enma Blade made exceptions in its judgment.
But he had no taste for men!
So naturally no man could exploit this bug to use the Enma Blade!
Strictly speaking, though, the logic behind Sakayanagi Arisu's explanation had no major flaws to everyone else's ears.
So Chris couldn't be bothered to correct her.
Meanwhile, while Chris and the others were talking.
Karuizawa Kei and Horikita Suzune's side wasn't idle either.
After taking turns trying out the various high-grade items that Chris, Ryuuen, and the rest had brought out.
The girls, without a word of prior discussion, reached a consensus in their hearts.
Setting aside exclusive, user-restricted items like the [Two-Star Goku Uniform] and the [magical girl transformation device].
[The World]'s Stand disc required someone arrogant, self-important, extremely firm of will, and cold-hearted to use;
[Crazy Diamond], by contrast, was relatively lenient—as long as your will wasn't too feeble and you didn't commit any wickedness, basically anyone could borrow it to play a support role.
But if you really talked about raw power, the top pick for usefulness...
Still had to be Ryuuen's [Lion God Template], and Chris's combination of [Enma Blade] and [Demon Possession]!
The former was a technological ascension, with zero compatibility risk.
Just slap on the modification card and you're instantly a max-level account with unlimited firepower built in.
The latter was a perfect fusion of brute strength and clever mechanics!
It's just that the drain on stamina and spirit was a tiny bit heavier.
However, in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber—that special environment which could cut fatigue and vastly boost the rate of stamina recovery.
That kind of drain could just barely allow girls whose physiques were already not weak, like Amanatsu Kazuha and Nanase Tsubasa, to try their hand at using it.
And it was precisely after personally experiencing that terrifying drain—as if their souls were about to be wrung dry.
That everyone came to recognize even more clearly... just what tier of monster Chris really was—he who, from the very start, could wield [Demon Possession] and the [Enma Blade] as effortlessly as his own arm.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
After all, stacking Steel of the Heart was an addictive thing!
Ever since Chris hung this thing in his passive equipment slot, he had never once taken it off.
Over all this time, through battles and special training sessions large and small, even he himself couldn't remember exactly how many layers of steel he'd stacked.
In any case, back when he faced the two-hundred-point Darkness Devil, if he hadn't deliberately held back his strength, that single punch really could have blown the guy up on the spot!
Now, just hearing the occasional "ding" that chimed by his ear gave him a sense of security.
This was what true foundation looked like.
After finishing the basic item trials.
And after Kushida Kikyo, spurred by that subtle jealousy in her heart, volunteered to help Yotsuya Miko figure out the exact trigger mechanism of the [Love-Love Fruit]'s petrification.
Yotsuya Miko then took out the Love-Love Fruit, intending to hand it to Kushida Kikyo so she could give it a try too.
However.
Kushida Kikyo looked at that fruit, and though her heart stirred just a little.
But given how she'd nearly blown her cover a moment ago...
For the sake of keeping her "perfect image" from being seen through by more people, Kushida Kikyo ultimately forced down the temptation and, deeply tempted yet resolute, declined.
Chris didn't wait any longer for the several girls to keep dithering over there.
He directly called up the operation interface and selected the special-grade cursed spirit Jogo and Kars, who carried [The World] Stand, as the sparring partners for this special training.
One had excellent base stats and came with a wide-range domain; the other had a time-stop mechanism and tenacious vitality.
As practice targets for the newcomers wielding all sorts of powerful gear, these two BOSSes were absolutely up to the task.
Next.
Came a round of tactical drills, permuting and combining their abilities.
It's just that, apart from Chris, who had a god's-eye view, what everyone else present didn't know was this.
In the few minutes of real-world time during which they were fully absorbed in their Hyperbolic Time Chamber training.
Outside.
The Black Sphere system had already begun sending out prompts to every first-year student who remained at the school!
[Emergency Notice: It has been detected that classmates on the exam field are about to face a life-or-death crisis in another world!]
[We now ask all first-year students: Are you willing to begin the Special Exam ahead of schedule and go rescue your comrades in imminent peril?]
Because the elites who had long ago been confirmed to take part in the exam and the advance test were all inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, cut off from the outside world.
So.
When Chabashira Sae, who had remained on duty in the office, received this notice.
She immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.
If left unchecked, not only would those classmates who'd barged in surely die.
It might even, due to failing to answer the Black Sphere's call, bring some unknown punishment down upon the entire student body.
Without hesitation, Chabashira Sae quickly went to consult with Machiya of Sakayanagi's class and Sakagami Kazuma of Ryuuen's class.
After confirming that the students currently remaining, though frightened, mostly had decent intentions.
Chabashira Sae took a deep breath.
And made the decision on the students' behalf.
And then...
When the newly appointed vice-director Tsukishiro Tsunenari, Chabashira Sae, and Hoshimiya Chie.
Along with Ayanokoji Atsumi—who was in Tsukishiro Tsunenari's office watching Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's transformation—together with the majority of the White House staff under his command...
When, as the "intruders" filling the vacant slots, amid flickering blue light, they abruptly appeared in a battered, utterly ruined cityscape.
Regardless of whether their hearts were shocked or delighted, whether they meant to seize the chance to probe the Black Sphere's secrets, or were purely panicked at being swept in by accident.
In any case.
When they found themselves standing in the world of "Shin Godzilla."
And heard the terrifying roar that resounded to the heavens, as though it could shatter their very souls.
And clearly made out, up ahead, that hundred-meter-tall behemoth of destruction, the dorsal spines along its back flickering with a horrifying purple glow.
Everyone's expression, in that single moment, turned indescribably spectacular.
____
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