Natsuyu looked at the expectant Kushida Kikyo and couldn't help but complain in his heart:
What do you mean, it's because you chose "yes"—I am Rurikawa Natsuyu, I am very glad to become friends with you.
Would an idiot really agree to such a bizarre event out of a goal like making friends?
Moreover, in the recruitment tactics of the afterlife, his side was asked about the pursuit of what is correct, while Kushida Kikyo's side was about making friends; the rhetoric was actually tailored to the individual.
One could only say this was the chapter 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 still get kidnapped here?"
Kushida Kikyo felt a surge of pride internally:
This handsome guy, successfully won over, we're friends!
However, Rurikawa... the name felt even more familiar now, like someone had mentioned it before.
Kushida let out a short, confused little sound while smiling. In Natsuyu's eyes, it was cute to the point of being a bit affected—very green tea.
But it wasn't that Natsuyu hated green tea.
It was just... why did it feel like Kushida Kikyo cared more about making friends than the fact that she had encountered a supernatural situation?
Haji-Kikyo, you girl, your family really needs to consult an expert.
"By the way."
Kushida asked in confusion, "What does 'To get rich, punch trees first' mean?"
What does it mean?! You heard it all, so what exactly does it mean to you!
For a moment, Natsuyu's eyes narrowed into slits before he helplessly changed the subject:
"It's nothing—Kushida-san, your clothes are stained with dirt."
Natsuyu paid quite a bit of attention to his image and therefore cared slightly about outfits. He felt the mud on the back of Kushida Kikyo's clothes was a bit jarring. He used the chance to shift the conversation, letting Kushida Kikyo focus her attention on tidying her clothes and hair.
Whew~
Managed to gloss over it.
Having to shout an Achievement Unlock Incantation is truly the most evil invention of this century!
Kushida Kikyo patted her clothes without letting the conversation go cold, saying in a pleading tone:
"The back of Rurikawa-kun's clothes is a bit dirty too; 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?"
Natsuyu looked toward the Radiant Door with considerable concern. "I told you, I only woke up a few minutes before you. I also want to know what's behind the door and if it can let us go back."
"Did we really encounter a supernatural event... It doesn't feel very real."
Kushida murmured, "Just what is behind the door?"
"OH MY GODDD!"
A scream.
From behind the door came an extremely shrill scream, as if seeing a ghost; a young girl's scream that nearly tore her throat and shredded her soul!
"Ugh!"
Both Natsuyu and Kushida Kikyo were startled. Kushida Kikyo immediately grabbed Natsuyu's arm with both hands, her shoulders trembling as she looked in terror toward the Gorgeous Door.
"No, there's something behind the door."
Natsuyu made a swift judgment.
The sound didn't necessarily come from inside the Doorway.
The Doorway wasn't transparent; there was someone behind it.
"Eh? Ehhh?"
Kushida Kikyo's terrified brain hadn't reacted yet. Because she was clutching Natsuyu's arm, she was pulled along by him as they rounded the Gorgeous Door to see the scene behind it.
A slender girl with short white hair ending in pink gradient highlights and cherry-pink eyes was staring at the Gorgeous Door in absolute horror.
The three-meter-high gate had Flower Vines climbing up both sides of the frame. They intertwined at the clock, forming a rope from which hung the corpse of a girl in a black and red pleated Gothic-style dress.
Pitch-black bangs hid her face; emerald vines bound her body. Delicate, bright red spider lilies bloomed as adornments, forming a cruel yet beautiful picture.
The slender pink-and-white girl had screamed precisely because she witnessed the corpse of the girl in the black and red Gothic dress.
Beside her lay two other girls who had not yet woken up.
One was a European with two white braids.
The other was an Asian in a straight-haired black style wearing a high school uniform. Judging by the beauty of the uniform, one could infer she was from the Far East.
Seeing this scene, even Natsuyu was somewhat shocked. He could understand the panic of a young girl opening her eyes to see a hanging corpse in front of her.
"Don't look."
Natsuyu immediately stepped forward to block the girl's view of the corpse, reaching out to press down on her shoulder:
"Don't be afraid."
"Someone... someone is dead!"
Kushida Kikyo looked panicked, gripping Natsuyu's other hand tightly, her shoulders shaking even more violently.
Natsuyu calmly soothed the two girls. "It's fine. This person wasn't killed by a Monster; it looks like she was hanged by the vines. As long as we don't go near this strange door, we should be fine."
"Even if something really goes wrong, I'm here."
Natsuyu didn't actually have much confidence in his heart, but he couldn't allow panic to spread at this moment.
Teammates with stable emotions were better at creating a secure team environment.
If teammates were panicked, it would be difficult for them to trust others and help one another.
So Natsuyu stood up, acting as the more mentally mature male to comfort the two girls.
I'm here.
Finding a pillar of support, Kushida Kikyo and Sakuraba Ema gradually calmed down as they watched Natsuyu's composed demeanor. Looking at Natsuyu's tall, peaceful Ikemen Face, a sense of security rose within them.
"Ugh, what's all the noise... can't a person sleep..."
The last European girl grumbled as she sat up. She looked at them with a glare of dissatisfaction, seemingly having a bit of a morning temper, before her attention was drawn to the corpse.
Natsuyu was preparing how to soothe the panic this girl would surely feel upon seeing the body, only to find that she was merely a bit surprised, furrowing her brows as she surveyed the surroundings:
"Where is this... Wasn't I on the bus to Nagazora?"
The other girl with long black hair also opened her eyes and stared fixedly at the corpse. Although her face looked a bit pale, she didn't scream or shout in panic.
Natsuyu looked at their calm performance with surprise. While feeling relieved, he also found them extremely familiar.
A Far East high school girl wearing small leather boots, black Over-the-knee Socks, with blue eyes and a flat chest.
Yukinoshita Yukino?
This weird place even dragged her here from Chiba?
The other European girl had white twin braids, sky-blue eyes, a white high school uniform, black Over-the-knee Socks, and a figure far more curvaceous than Yukinoshita Yukino's. She was in the same grade as Kushida Kikyo and stood only slightly shorter than Natsuyu; she had a very healthy athletic style.
Kiana!
How is Honkai Impact 3rd involved in this too?
Natsuyu could be certain that the Crossover World he lived in did not have supernatural powers.
Well, he couldn't be entirely certain, but at the very least, he had never seen supernatural powers, and it was absolutely impossible for something as obvious as Honkai to exist.
In other words, Kiana did not come from the same world as him; there were actually Different Worlds.
This might no longer be the world Natsuyu belonged to, but rather an independent Different World, just like the Honkai world.