As Rui Kanoya activated the high-speed thrusters on the back of his mecha and the built-in weapons on his arms, the beautiful eyes of Natsumi Kyouno narrowed slightly.
"No hostility, huh…? It seems very hostile to me."
The corner of her lips curved into a mocking smirk, her attitude still lofty and condescending. "If you plan on making a move on me, then I suggest you bring a few more people along. Though the success rate will still be zero, at least I won't have to waste as much spiritual energy."
"Oi oi, have you not figured out your situation yet?"
Rui Kanoya sneered, almost like he was lecturing her. "I don't know how powerful you were in your original world, but your transformation magic didn't work on Meteora and Selesia. If it comes to a fight, we're not the ones who'll be at a disadvantage."
It wasn't surprising for Rui Kanoya to say that.
It wasn't because he was overly confident in his own strength, nor was it out of some kind of deep-rooted arrogance.
The reason he dared to challenge Natsumi Kyouno directly was twofold. First, the transformation magic hadn't worked on Meteora and Selesia just moments ago.
And second, because the combat power among the various fictional characters brought into this world was mostly on par with each other.
Before that Military Uniform Princess dragged them into the real world from their fictional universes, she had definitely made some selections.
Though her exact plan was unknown, as someone who enjoyed pulling strings from behind the scenes and manipulating events in the shadows, there's no way the Military Uniform Princess would summon someone far too powerful for her to control.
Even if she had the ability to do so, why would she bring someone into the real world who could potentially threaten her?
So far, even though there had been several clashes between summoned characters, the battles were generally evenly matched, since all the chosen characters were of similar strength.
Even the weakest among them, Selesia, only seemed so because her combat mecha, Folgore Knight, had been accidTachibanally destroyed by the Military Uniform Princess before she got pulled into the real world.
Not to mention, the current situation was a 3v1.
Rui Kanoya had good reason to feel confident about stopping Natsumi Kyouno.
However… they had made two critical misjudgments from the very start.
The smile on Natsumi lips deepened, and there wasn't the slightest hint of nervousness in her expression.
First, she wasn't summoned by the Military Uniform Princess.
Second, the reason her transformation magic hadn't worked on Meteora and Selesia just now was simply because she had deliberately lowered the output of her pseudo-witch abilities.
Compared to ordinary people, they might have some resistance to spiritual energy, but if the output was strong enough, even characters like them couldn't remain unaffected.
But if she really did that—directly crushing their will to fight—it wouldn't serve her interests at all.
"Wait!"
Just as Natsumi Kyouno was about to begin the 1v3, the now-loli Tachibana Corporation president finally got used to this new body and spoke up: "Let Natsumi go."
"Huh? Do you even know what kind of situation we're in right now?"
Inside the cockpit, Rui Kanoya glared at her through the holographic screen, clearly annoyed. "We're cleaning up after your reckless actions, you know? If we just let her walk, what about everyone else?"
"Natsumi, the one who made you angry is me. The others were just bystanders."
Tachibana Corporation, as if she hadn't heard Kanoya complaints, patted her flat chest and spoke with righteous conviction: "If you need someone to punish, punish me."
"Heh… This is your punishment for mocking me. These people are the price you must pay."
Despite Tachibana willingness to step forward, Natsumi Kyouno had no intention of accepting her offer, coldly laughing as she rejected the proposal.
Hearing her flat-out rejection, Mizushino Sota face turned anxious.
He wanted to say something but was afraid his impulsiveness might make things even worse.
In Re:CREATORS, all ten Spirit Girls had some degree of psychological issues, and Natsumi Kyouno ranked among the top when it came to twisted personalities.
She was extremely self-conscious about her appearance. In the original work, just the suspicion that the protagonist, Shido Itsuka, had seen her true face was enough to make her obsessively target him, determined to turn his life upside down.
Anyone who touched on that topic would instantly trigger her irrationality.
And earlier, when Tachibana Corp made her "lolicon declaration" in front of Natsumi, it clearly implied that she knew what Natsumi really looked like.
Turning everyone present into loli… was probably only the first step of her "revenge."
Mizushino Sota looked at Tachibana with concern. Powerless himself, he could only hope that this "creator" had a way to break the deadlock.
"I wasn't mocking you, Natsumi. Every word I said was sincere."
Tachibana met Natsumi Kyouno gaze head-on and said earnestly, "I know… you turned me into this because you believed I was mocking you. You wanted me to feel the pain of being rejected by the world, just like you did, right?"
Natsumi Kyouno didn't respond.
But to everyone else, her silence was a response.
That only made Tachibana more confident.
"In that case, let me prove that I wasn't mocking you."
"And how exactly will you prove that?"
"Let me remain like this forever," Tachibana said seriously. "I said I like loli. The world likes loli. If you think I'm lying, then keep me in this form forever. Let me live in this world in this form. Let me become proof that I wasn't lying."
Shock!
Only shock!
After Tachibana impassioned declaration, not only Mizushino Sota but even the four summoned characters were struck speechless in amazement.
What incredible self-sacrifice!
Willing to feed herself to the tiger, just to bring a twisted girl back to the right path!
Natsumi Kyouno raised an eyebrow and stared deeply at her.
But in Tachibana clear eyes, there was no shame, no guilt—only a hint of joy and excitement.
One couldn't help but wonder—was she saying all this because she was truly sincere? Or was being a loli forever not a punishment to her at all?
"Hmph..."
With a gleam in her eyes, Natsumi Kyouno nodded slightly, accepting the terms.
Her pseudo-witch's multifaceted illusion magic activated once again, turning everyone except Tachibana back to their original forms.
"Until your words are proven true or false, I'll be watching you from the shadows."
Natsumi said with a cold face.
"But if you dare lie to me… I guarantee your life will become nothing but misery."