Xia You shifted his gaze to the corpse of the girl hanging from the Flower Vines on the Gorgeous Door:
"I plan to examine the body first."
Yukinoshita Yukino was surprised. "You know how to perform an autopsy?"
"I learned a bit of the basics from Mr. Great Lawyer. At the very least, I need to determine the cause of death for this suspicious corpse. Otherwise, I'll feel uneasy."
As Xia You spoke, he cautiously approached the corpse, his eyes fixed on the Flower Vines.
When Xia You was uniting the four girls earlier, he had deliberately stayed away from the Gorgeous Door. Now that he was approaching it, he felt a slight sense of trepidation.
In the next second, Xia You felt the faint fragrance of shower gel from behind and the sensation of his clothes being tugged. He prudently did not turn around and asked in confusion:
"Yukino?"
From behind came Yukinoshita Yukino's calm, deliberate voice. "If we encounter danger, I will pull you away immediately. Go ahead."
Xia You felt his unease mysteriously recede. He chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll leave my back to you."
"Mm."
The two walked carefully to the front of the corpse.
The Flower Vines showed no movement, as if they weren't the culprit that had claimed the Gothic Girl's life.
But if it wasn't the Flower Vines, why did the Gothic Girl die and end up hanging here?
A swarm of mysteries rose in his mind. Xia You couldn't even find a single wound on the Gothic Girl; her clothes were clean, neat, and untorn, which only deepened his confusion.
Looking at the long, black side-swept bangs covering the girl's face, Xia You silently apologized for the offense and reached out, intending to conduct a further examination.
He lifted her bangs. The girl's face was exquisite, her skin fair and moist, her eyelashes long and curled—she didn't look like a corpse at all.
Furthermore, although the Flower Vines were wrapped around her snowy, slender neck, they hadn't left the deep strangulation marks typical of a hanging victim. Instead, they only pressed slightly into her flesh; it wasn't gruesome, and it even had a bit of sexual tension...
Wait, what am I thinking?
Xia You immediately cut off his drifting thoughts. He stared intently at this face and the Gothic Black and Red Pleated Skirt, feeling a sense of familiarity. He felt he had seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't recall it at the moment.
Could she also be a character from a certain work?
Xia You first reached out to check for breath; there was none. He confirmed the girl was dead.
After all, she looked so much like she was in a deep sleep that it made Xia You doubt if she was actually dead.
What exactly was the cause of the girl's death?
Filled with doubt, Xia You touched the girl's cheek and tilted her face up to observe further.
But as he performed this action, Xia You's body completely froze.
The girl's cheek was snowy white and moist; the touch was as delicate as her exquisite appearance, feeling like a material between cotton and jelly, as if a single squeeze could draw water.
The touch was warm.
Warm!
"Ara ara, does my face feel comfortable to touch, human boy?"
The corpse opened its eyes.
One side was a deep crimson like fine wine or fresh blood.
The other was a radiant gold, composed entirely of gear-driven clocks.
She locked onto Xia You's eyes with a smile.
Xia You's breath hitched.
"Get back!"
Almost instantly, Xia You felt a pull. Yukinoshita Yukino cried out, reacting with extreme speed to grab Xia You and pull him away.
Xia You maintained the posture of holding the girl's face in his hands, calmly watching the resurrected corpse.
No, that wasn't a corpse at all.
It was Tokisaki Kurumi!
Tokisaki Kurumi parted her matte-pink, tender lips. Beneath an experimental smile, she revealed a Belly black expression. Her inhuman eyes were filled with delight as she looked teasingly at the two startled people:
"I am the Spirit who devours time. Human boy, you have offended my slumber. You must pay with your entire Lifespan as the price to be eaten by me. Hehe, hahaha, hahahaha!"
Tokisaki Kurumi let out a classic queen-like laugh. Her evil, arrogant laughter caused Yukinoshita Yukino to immediately tense up. With a face full of nervousness, she pulled Xia You even further away.
Xia You spoke very calmly. "Don't be afraid of her, Yukino."
While Tokisaki Kurumi wasn't a "good girl" with a kind heart in every sense like Yukino or Ema, she was by no means a bad person.
Her hands were stained with blood, but those she killed were all scumbags.
In Xia You's eyes, this was an entirely correct act.
If he could return to his original Crossover World, he would absolutely kill the villains who caused Mr. Great Lawyer's death.
This was one of the reasons Xia You was so persistent about finding the way home.
Yukinoshita Yukino stared warily at Tokisaki Kurumi's inhuman Golden Clock Left Eye, gritting her teeth. "She can rise from the dead; we are no match for her."
Xia You explained, "She wasn't dead just now at all."
Though, they indeed were no match for her.
"Not dead...?"
Yukinoshita Yukino breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing Yukinoshita Yukino calm down, Xia You looked back at the restrained Tokisaki Kurumi and asked:
"Kurumi, why are you here too?"
Tokisaki Kurumi's queenly laugh faltered. She appraised Xia You with interest:
"Ara?"
"You actually know me? That shouldn't be possible. Even if you came from the same world as me, you shouldn't be able to recognize me."
"Boy who disturbed my sleep, who are you?"
Xia You pointed to himself and Yukino respectively:
"Let me introduce ourselves: Rurikawa Natsuyu and Yukinoshita Yukino. We were brought here by something unknown and are looking for a way back."
"Tokisaki Kurumi, is it the same for you?"
"Or rather... were you brought here even earlier than us?"
Tokisaki Kurumi's expression calmed. Her body, bound by the Flower Vines, could not move, but she gave a polite nod. Her voice was light and soft, sounding exceptionally delicate, like a young girlfriend acting spoiled to her boyfriend:
"Quite sharp, Xia You-kun."
"Prying into a young lady's privacy at will is incorrect. Although I don't mind Xia You-kun seeing my privacy, could you please tell me exactly how much you know about me?"
If Kushida Kikyo were here, she would definitely be cursing Tokisaki Kurumi in her heart for being a seductive flirt.
Yukinoshita Yukino only felt that Tokisaki Kurumi was shrouded in danger and mystery. She also looked at Xia You curiously, wanting to know where he had met this woman.
"Sorry, that's a secret."
Xia You chose to refuse.
"Is that so?"
Tokisaki Kurumi didn't press him. Her heterochromatic red-and-gold eyes watched Xia You with deep meaning as she said softly:
"A friendly reminder: you had all better prepare your last words before Nightfall."
Yukinoshita Yukino's expression turned stern. She immediately pressed:
"What does that mean?"
Tokisaki Kurumi refused with a smile. "Sorry, that's a secret."
Yukinoshita Yukino clenched her fists.
Xia You raised his hand to signal Yukinoshita Yukino to stay calm, then met Tokisaki Kurumi's gaze.
Tokisaki Kurumi curled her lips. "What, does Xia You-kun want to reveal his secret now?"
"Kurumi, let's cooperate."
Tokisaki Kurumi opened her thin lips in surprise. "Oh? Are you joking?"
Xia You spread his hands—a gesture signaling safety—and looked at Tokisaki Kurumi with the kind of smile that often made female classmates at school blush.
In a negotiation, the Charm attribute should be fully displayed.
===
T/N: I have zero clue who Great Lawyer is LOL