"A cat!"
Ema and Kushida gasped.
Yukino, a living person, could actually turn into a kitty. It was magical!
Kiana was also surprised.
Could it be that their abilities really had nothing to do with Honkai Energy?
She had never heard of Honkai Energy turning people into cats; turning a cat into a Honkai Beast was more like it.
Natsuyu said with a smile, "Yukinoshita, thank you very much for your cooperation. I would also hope to get more detailed information. This isn't an inquiry into your privacy, but an exchange of information; we will all speak about our own abilities shortly."
"So, Yukinoshita, could you please explain in a bit more detail?"
Natsuyu's voice was gentle and organized, making one feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze. Combined with that Ikemen Face, it was hard for others not to feel a sense of goodwill toward him.
Kushida glanced at him sideways, thinking to herself that she had underestimated him.
Ema felt a bit envious. She thought of her former best friend, Hiro, who was equally reliable and capable, yet for some reason had suddenly started treating her very poorly.
If she could be as reliable as Natsuyu, would Hiro have changed her attitude so inexplicably?
If it were Natsuyu, he definitely wouldn't be without friends, all alone, being bullied by them...
Yukinoshita Yukino took an extra look at Natsuyu and answered just as methodically:
"Your request is reasonable; I will cooperate."
"It's just that I am not very clear on the matter of Special Abilities myself. I only know that activating this power allows me to turn into a cat, or possess the agility and strength of a cat... It is quite miraculous."
"If it weren't for the fact that you are all the same, I might have found it difficult to accept that Special Abilities could actually exist in this world."
After speaking, Yukinoshita Yukino noticed that everyone—including Natsuyu but excluding Kushida—was looking at her with extra surprise, looking eager to try something.
Natsuyu asked expectantly, "Can you turn into a cat for us to see?"
Kiana nodded. "I want to see too!"
Ema's eyes were filled with hope.
Yukinoshita Yukino refused without leaving any room for negotiation. "I do not have the habit of being observed by others. If you are curious, you have Special Abilities of your own to watch as you please. I advise you not to get any ideas about me."
Though she said that, Yukino actually really wanted to turn into a cat as well.
Firstly, to test the miraculous Special Ability.
Secondly, kitties were cute, and being able to turn into a kitty was just wonderful!
Yukino decided that she would try turning into a kitty in private later.
"I see."
Natsuyu, Ema, and Kiana were somewhat disappointed.
They wouldn't get to see "Nyakinoshita Nyano," which was a pity.
Kushida narrowed her eyes and snorted coldly in her heart, feeling dissatisfied that someone like Yukinoshita Yukino was attracting everyone's attention. However, she was mostly thinking about how to become friends with Yukino.
The more aloof a person was, the more of an Achievement Kushida felt in becoming their friend.
Especially after knowing the other person's secrets and the contrasting true face beneath that cold exterior—just thinking about it made her feel great.
Kushida turned her gaze to Natsuyu.
As the only male present, he hadn't made a fool of himself despite being surrounded by beautiful girls. Instead, he had demonstrated high capability and become the leader of the conversation, implicitly suggesting he was becoming the leader of this small group.
If she got his help, she would definitely be able to become friends with that hateful Yukino.
She would ask him for help a bit later.
With that thought, Kushida pressed her hands together in front of her, tilted her head cutely, and smiled. "Yukinoshita's ability is so amazing. Rurikawa-kun, what's next?"
Natsuyu said, "Thanks for the cooperation, Yukinoshita. Who's next for the self-introduction?"
"Me."
Kushida answered before the hesitant Ema could. Her cute face was brimming with smiles, her affinity at its peak like a little angel, causing the somewhat dejected Ema to be instantly drawn in by her full attention.
Natsuyu, however, felt that smiling so perfectly in front of a corpse was a bit "hellish," little sister.
He wondered what kind of ability the Two-faced Kushida would possess.
At least everyone had an ability and wasn't just "eye candy."
This gave Natsuyu a pleasant surprise; it was practically a perfect team, and the possibility of surviving in a strange Different World had greatly increased.
Meeting everyone's gaze, Kushida smiled specifically at Natsuyu—whom she intended to ask for a favor later—and spoke:
"My name is Kushida Kikyo, a student at Bailan Middle School. I like making friends, and my dream is to become friends with everyone."
"I only agreed semi-actively to come here because the voice in my head said I could make friends here, you know?"
"However, it seems I was deceived by an unscrupulous scammer."
Kushida sighed sadly.
Natsuyu glanced sideways; there was actually someone who would deliberately show off that they were dim-witted.
That was quite idiotic.
Ema opened her pink eyes wide, her brows rising slightly with surprise. "Eh, Kushida-san, the voice I heard also said I could make friends here."
However, Ema was very vigilant and hadn't agreed to such a suspicious thing; there was no need to mention that part.
Kushida revealed a joyful smile. "Ema-san, you too?"
"E-Ema!?"
Ema was shocked by such an intimate form of address, her face flushing a faint red.
Kushida took two steps forward, her face full of smiles. "Let's be friends!"
"O-okay! Kushida... Kikyo-san!"
Ema was lightheaded with joy, responding with a nervous stutter as the blush on her face deepened.
Kushida was very proud internally:
Such an easy-to-handle idiot doesn't need a deliberate strategy.
While dealing with that hateful woman Yukinoshita and the highly capable man Natsuyu, she felt that getting close to Ema a few times at random would make her Ema's best friend.
"Kushida-san."
Yukinoshita Yukino said calmly, "Now is not the time for you to make friends. Please explain your Special Ability; there are still three people waiting for you."
What's the rush, you stinky bitch!
Kushida smiled tenderly. "Yukinoshita is right, sorry for wasting everyone's time."
Ema immediately whispered, "I-I don't mind at all."
Natsuyu's gaze swept across Yukino and Kushida, the corners of his mouth curling up as he found it interesting.
Even in a Different World, Kushida would still encounter a cold-faced, poison-tongued nemesis and be unable to have things her way.
This was the underlying logic of their character archetypes at work.
Natsuyu asked curiously, "What is Kushida's ability?"
Kushida scratched her cheek and said slowly:
"I also just found out I have a Special Ability; I can shift other people's attention."
"I'll try using it... just like this, [Everyone, look at Rurikawa-kun]!"
Kushida's deliberately amplified voice echoed in the four people's minds, constructing a distorted, overlapping, ethereal tone that made them feel dazed.
In the next second, the gazes of the three girls, including Yukinoshita, all shifted from Kushida to Natsuyu.
Everyone was somewhat shocked.