"Well, as long as you keep training your physical abilities, you'll naturally become stronger. Haven't you noticed that your stamina is much better now than it was six months ago?" Kei Karuizawa said with a smile, choosing not to mention the existence of the energy seed.
Since she frequently dragged the girls from Class 1-D into physical activities, their physical fitness had improved to some extent.
Although they still couldn't match the strength of the more athletic male students, they were far superior to the more sedentary ones.
"Haha, that's true. I never thought I'd become a sporty girl one day. But I have to admit, it feels pretty good. All thanks to you, Kei Kei, for pulling me in back then," Haruka Hasebe said with a laugh.
She was genuinely satisfied with her current way of life and deeply grateful to Kei Karuizawa for reaching out to her back then.
Without Kei Karuizawa, she might still be a loner.
Although she hadn't originally thought loneliness was a bad thing, as she spent more time with Kei Karuizawa and the others, she realized that solitude no longer suited her.
At the same time, she didn't dwell too much on the matter of Kei Karuizawa's physical abilities—it had just been a passing remark.
Before long, Satsuki Shinohara and Maya Sato, who had gone to buy drinks, returned to the gymnasium, each carrying several bottles of sports drinks.
When they saw Eriri and Yukino, their reactions were nearly identical to Kikyo Kushida and the others—they were first shocked by their beauty, then grew increasingly curious about their identities.
At that moment, Kikyo Kushida suddenly spoke up, extending an invitation to Eriri, Yukino, and Honami.
"Hey, Lady Eriri, Yukinoshita, and Ichinose, since you're already here in the gym, why not play some volleyball with us?"
However, before Eriri or Yukino could respond, Suzune Horikita immediately interjected.
"Kushida, you should be more considerate. Ichinose and the others aren't wearing sports attire—it wouldn't be suitable for them to play."
"Wait a minute, clothing is a minor issue—it can be dealt with anytime. But before that, are you sure you want to play volleyball with us?" Eriri's expression turned somewhat peculiar.
Seeing the look on Eriri's face, Kikyo Kushida blinked in confusion. "Huh? Are you saying you're all really good at volleyball?"
"It's not a matter of being good or not. It's more like... how should I put it? Never mind, it's better if you see it for yourself first. Then you can decide whether you still want to play with us."
With that, Eriri snapped her fingers.
To the utter disbelief of Kikyo Kushida and the others, the scenery around the volleyball court rapidly expanded. In the blink of an eye, the interior space of the gymnasium had increased by a hundredfold, leaving only the volleyball court unchanged in the center.
"W-What… is going on here…?" Kikyo Kushida swallowed hard, struggling to form her words.
Staring at the bizarre space that now looked nothing like a gymnasium, she felt as if her entire understanding of reality was being challenged.
The other girls wore similar expressions of shock and disbelief.
"Don't talk. Just watch," Eriri said calmly.
Despite the endless questions swirling in her mind, Kikyo Kushida dared not disobey Eriri's words. She could only suppress her emotions and focus her gaze intently on Eriri and the others, trying to understand what was happening before her eyes.
Meanwhile, Eriri shifted her gaze toward Yukino and Kei Karuizawa.
"Yukino, Kei, I will temporarily limit both of your strengths to the peak of Level 3. Now, use all of your abilities to play a game of volleyball. This will also serve as a test to see how well you can utilize your power."
Pausing briefly, Eriri continued, "Don't worry—the volleyball has been reinforced. No matter how hard you hit it, it won't be damaged."
Eriri's proposal took Yukino and Kei Karuizawa by surprise, but they didn't question it. Instead, they simply nodded in agreement.
The two then walked to opposite sides of the volleyball court, standing face-to-face as a powerful aura surged around them.
Kei Karuizawa, who was already at Level 3 Peak, unleashed her full aura, while Yukino, under Eriri's restrictions, kept hers at the same level.
Even so, the clash of two national-level peak auras created a storm-like pressure that violently surged through the gymnasium, which had been expanded a hundredfold.
However, thanks to Eriri's protective measures, Honami Ichinose, Kikyo Kushida, and the others remained unaffected by the overwhelming energy.
Holding the reinforced volleyball in her hands, Kei Karuizawa's expression turned serious as she locked eyes with Yukino.
"Yukino, I never expected that we would face off like this. To be honest, I've been looking forward to this match. I'm no longer the same person I was back in the Highschool of the Dead world, so please, don't hold back."
"Of course. Your current strength is on par with mine. I have no intention of losing this match, so I will give it my all."
"Good. In that case, let's begin!"
With those words, Kei Karuizawa tossed the volleyball high into the air, leaped up, and delivered a powerful spike with her right palm.
Propelled by her immense strength, the volleyball shot forward with explosive speed, generating a sonic boom before landing in a far corner of the court.
But Yukino was already in motion, swiftly intercepting the ball and returning it with equal force.
For the next several minutes, Kikyo Kushida and the others watched in disbelief as the two players engaged in a match that defied common sense.
Yukino and Kei Karuizawa continuously volleyed the ball back and forth without letting it touch the ground even once.
However, due to their overwhelming speed, Kikyo Kushida and the others couldn't even make out their movements—only streaks of light flashing across their vision.
To make matters even more surreal, powerful energy blasts occasionally erupted from both sides, causing the gymnasium floor outside the volleyball court to shatter.
Fortunately, since Eriri had enveloped the entire gymnasium in a protective barrier, the destruction was limited to the floor's surface, preventing any damage beyond the gym.
"So this is Kei Karuizawa's true strength? This is insane…" Kikyo Kushida murmured. "I never thought people with such extraordinary abilities actually existed in our world."
Though she had kept her voice low, Eriri heard her words perfectly.
With a faint smile, Eriri turned to Kikyo Kushida and said, "You're mistaken. This world does not contain any supernatural power. Your assumption is entirely incorrect."
Kikyo Kushida froze at Eriri's sudden response, but soon after, a look of disbelief spread across her face.
"If that's the case, then Lady Eriri, how do you all possess such earth-shattering power?"
"Who told you that Yukino and I are from this world?" Eriri asked with a playful smile as she looked at Kikyo Kushida.
At those words, not only Kikyo Kushida but also Suzune Horikita and the others were left completely stunned.
"I knew it! There must be aliens in this world! Lady Eriri, you must be extraterrestrials from another planet, right? Could it be that Karuizawa is also an alien?" exclaimed Satsuki Shinohara, the black-haired girl, her excitement barely contained.
"Well, your universe does indeed have extraterrestrials with supernatural abilities, but Yukino and I are not the kind of 'aliens' you're thinking of."
Seemingly entertained by the discussion, Eriri's luxurious throne suddenly materialized behind her, and she naturally took a seat upon it.
She continued, "First, you need to understand one thing—there is not just one universe, but infinite universes. Yukino and I come from another universe, whereas Kei is a native of this world."
"If Karuizawa isn't from the same universe as you, then how did she gain supernatural powers?" Suzune Horikita asked, her expression cool but filled with curiosity.
In truth, she deeply desired such power.
Her goal in attending this school was to surpass her older brother, so she had always been dedicated to self-improvement in pursuit of joining Class A.
Anything that could make her stronger was something she greatly coveted.
And it wasn't just Suzune Horikita—everyone else present shared a similar desire. They had even momentarily forgotten about the ongoing match between Kei Karuizawa and Yukino, their full attention now focused on Eriri's response.
Not that watching the match would have provided them any insight. All they could see were flashes of light streaking across the court and hear the roaring shockwaves that accompanied each exchange.
"I gave her that power," Eriri answered casually.
She had already revealed her status as an interdimensional being, so there was no point in hiding such a minor detail.
Hearing this, the first-year girls of Class 1-D exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of how to react.
They had assumed that Kei Karuizawa had obtained her power through some special method or ritual. However, the truth turned out to be far simpler than they had imagined.
Yet, even though it sounded simple, they all understood that it wasn't something they could just ask for.
Neither Kikyo Kushida nor Suzune Horikita were naive. They were well aware that Eriri wouldn't bestow such power upon them for no reason.
So, despite knowing how Kei Karuizawa had obtained her supernatural abilities, none of them dared to make a request for the same treatment.
Of course, even if they had asked, Eriri would never have agreed.
Just as they had assumed—why would Eriri give them energy seeds without a reason? It wasn't as if she had any particular interest in them.
The only reason she was even entertaining this conversation was because she found it amusing.
...
As time passed, nearly two hours had gone by, and the match between Kei Karuizawa and Yukino finally reached its conclusion.
After almost two hours of relentless, high-intensity combat, both of them had completely exhausted their energy reserves.
In the end, they collapsed onto the ground simultaneously, resulting in a draw.
Since Eriri had kept their power levels perfectly balanced, and their skills were nearly equal, it was inevitable that the match would end in a draw.
Eriri approached the two and waved her hands over them. Instantly, their energy was fully restored, and any damaged clothing or minor injuries on their bodies were completely healed in an instant.
However, Kei Karuizawa still had a major flaw—her ability to recover energy.
As long as an energy seed remained in her body, she could replenish her energy instantly, even after complete exhaustion.
But once the energy seed was fully absorbed, her body lost its external energy supply. Given that this was a non-magical, everyday world with no natural energy sources, she would be in a constant state of depletion.
Over time, if she completely exhausted her energy, she would be reduced to an ordinary person with only her enhanced physical strength remaining.
Other members of the chat group, such as Chika Fujiwara and Ruri Gokou, faced similar limitations in this non-magical world. However, unlike Kei Karuizawa, they could use their chat group points to replenish their energy.
Replenishing energy was not the same as increasing one's power, so the point cost wasn't too high. But as their strength grew, the amount of points required to fully restore their energy would also increase.
That said, in this peaceful world, there were very few situations that required them to use their energy. Their physical enhancements alone were more than enough to ensure their safety.
After resolving Kei Karuizawa and Yukino's physical conditions, Eriri raised her right hand and snapped her fingers again.
Instantly, the damaged floor, wrecked by the intense match, entered a state of time reversal. Within moments, everything was restored to how it had been before the match began.
With another flick of her finger, Eriri effortlessly reverted the expanded gymnasium back to its original size.
As they looked around at the seemingly unchanged gymnasium, Kikyo Kushida and the others began to wonder if they had just experienced a dream.
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