The existence of even more Isekai worlds was bad news.
Xia You's heart sank. Looking at the dazed girl before him, whose eyes were welling with tears in a pitiable and endearing manner, her name surfaced in his mind.
Ema Sakuraba.
The First-run Heroine of Magical Girl's Witch Trial.
A top-tier, pure-hearted, yet tactful "temptation-uke" type good girl.
Xia You took a deep breath.
Setting aside the fact that he was the only male mixed into an all-female lineup—which, for Xia You, was arguably a good thing—just seeing this group of more or less Problematic Girls gave him a bit of a headache.
But at least he could be thankful that they were all good people and possessed certain abilities. There were no idiots who refused to follow orders like Yamauchi Haruki, nor were there pure-blooded villains like Freya.
Being teammates with good people, especially beautiful girls, was a luxury. At the very least, they weren't slovenly brutes or dim-witted children.
"She seems to have died not long ago."
Kiana stood up calmly, simply dusting the dirt off her clothes. She boldly walked up to the corpse and placed her hand under its face to check for breath.
"No breathing; she's definitely dead. But the body is well-preserved and hasn't changed, indicating the time of death is very close to the present."
Xia You was surprised.
As expected of a heroine living in a doomsday world, her courage was a notch above his own.
But the problem was, wasn't Kiana's character design that of a loud-mouthed idiot?
Exactly which period of Kiana was this?
She looked to be in her initial skin, yet she had shed her naivety, much like the Kiana who later lost her teacher, beat up her friends, and shouldered heavy responsibilities. However, she didn't have that heavy, melancholic sense of a "widowed" daughter who had lost her mother and was enduring through grief.
"So... so amazing."
Ema Sakuraba murmured while watching Kiana. She stood up, but her legs seemed weak from the fright. With a short gasp, she began to fall again.
Xia You quickly supported Ema Sakuraba's shoulders, preventing her from hitting the ground. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, sorry... and thank you. My name is Ema Sakuraba."
With tears hanging from the corners of her eyes, Ema Sakuraba shyly lowered her somewhat pale face, sparking a protective desire in others. Noticing the warmth from the palm enveloping her shoulder, her face flushed slightly.
Seeing Ema Sakuraba's shyness, Xia You waited until her slender, straight legs were steady before withdrawing his hand.
Kushida Kikyo stared at Ema Sakuraba.
Does someone really just fall over after standing up?
Could she be doing it on purpose?
But it didn't look like it; it was too natural.
Kushida Kikyo deliberately avoided looking at the corpse. She let go of Xia You's arm, quickly adjusted her mindset, and raised her hand high:
"Um, since everyone was brought to this place by accident, let's introduce ourselves. Knowing each other's names and hobbies will make it easier for us to become Friends."
Xia You glanced at her sideways.
She still wants to make friends even while looking at a corpse?
Haji-Kikyo, I really don't know if I should say there's something wrong with your head or if you just have a big heart.
Well, it is indeed quite big.
Not the heart, though.
Kushida Kikyo pressed her hands together, accentuating the abundance of her "human heart." With a slight smile, she asked, "Also, I seem to have obtained a special Ability. Is it the same for you all?"
Yukinoshita Yukino raised her head. "Hmm?"
Ema Sakuraba covered her mouth and gasped, "A... a Superpower!"
Kiana flexed her arm, showing off the gracefully lined biceps beneath her sleeve. She explained to the ordinary people, "What you're talking about is Honkai Energy. As for the specifics, I'm not entirely sure either. Anyway, with Honkai Energy, you can fight Honkai Beasts."
Kushida Kikyo blinked. "But my Ability isn't called Honkai Energy."
Kiana immediately lost her cool, looking extremely shocked. "What? There's actually power in this world other than Honkai Energy!"
There isn't any in your world.
But this is no longer your world.
I didn't expect that I wouldn't be the only one with a Panel; they aren't simple either, having gained transcendent powers.
Xia You shook his head slightly and clapped his hands loudly to get everyone's attention:
"Everyone!"
"Kushida-san is right. It seems that by entering this place, we have all undergone an Awakening of special Heterogeneous Powers."
"It looks like we need to team up for Wilderness Survival here until we find a way home."
"Before that, we should learn about our teammates' information."
Ema Sakuraba looked moved and nodded, whispering in agreement, "I agree."
Could she actually make friends here?
That's great, I finally won't be all alone...
Kushida Kikyo felt a surge of joy and echoed Xia You, "Exactly."
"You there, why don't you go first?"
Kushida Kikyo looked toward Yukinoshita Yukino first.
She had spoken the least and had been silently observing them, so Kushida Kikyo wanted to help her integrate into the group first.
However, the Troubled Girl would not let her have her way.
"Yukinoshita Yukino. From Chiba, Sobu High, first year."
Yukino stated her name coldly. She crossed her arms in front of her "Kanto Plain," slightly tilting her snowy-white neck as she spoke:
"As for Making Friends, there's no need. I have no interest in hypocritical relationships formed out of necessity or atmosphere that shatter the moment you leave the environment."
"If we can't go back for a while, I will fulfill my share of the tasks here. I won't trouble you for help, so please don't worry about that."
Kushida Kikyo's expression almost cracked.
What is this fake-aloof bitch talking about?
I really want to hit someone; the atmosphere I worked so hard to build was just ruined!
"Hypo... hypocritical relationships..."
Ema Sakuraba shrank back, her face showing visible agitation, but her eyes soon turned determined:
"It's not hypocritical!"
Yukinoshita Yukino looked over.
Ema Sakuraba was intimidated by Yukino's cold face, but she still said firmly, "If I become friends with Yukinoshita-san, it absolutely won't be a fake friendship. I believe everyone else..."
She closed her mouth, lacking confidence.
Kiana watched from the side, feeling that the team was about to fall apart. She was somewhat hesitant.
Should she do something?
Years of traveling alone through various countries looking for her deadbeat dad made Kiana, who wasn't very willing to interact with strangers, hesitate.
Xia You asked, "Then, Yukinoshita, what about your Ability?"
Yukinoshita Yukino and the others looked over, somewhat surprised.
Xia You accepted the attention calmly, showing no sign of abnormality despite the argument just now.
Yukinoshita Yukino and Kushida Kikyo having a disagreement?
That was nothing.
The fact that Yukinoshita Yukino was willing to cooperate with the self-introduction showed she wouldn't drag them down; she was already a very qualified, perfect teammate.
Willing to work, low maintenance, independent, no need to worry about her, and a cute face that was easy on the eyes just standing there.
Is there a more perfect teammate in the world?
If it were Horikita Suzune, that same type of Stand User, she'd probably be refusing to cooperate right now in her pseudo-aloofness.
Between the two cold-type beauties, the winner was clear.
Hearing this, Yukinoshita Yukino hesitated briefly before speaking. "My Ability is... turning into a cat."
"A cat?" Xia You was surprised.