Multiversal Friendship System

Just as Souta and Kurumi were excitedly testing the new feature, the newcomer finally spoke up again.

The Beautiful and Noble Vampire:

"Ah… I see now. You people are a scam group.

Your deception is just more sophisticated than most."

"Excuse me, what?"

Souta blinked.

Did… Did this vampire just call them con artists?!

Also—

"Why are they talking like a medieval noble?!"

Kurumi: "Vampire-san, didn't you already test my suggestions?

You threw the phone. You tried to destroy it.

So why are you still calling us scammers?"

The Beautiful and Noble Vampire:

"Indeed.

This cursed object remains in my hands no matter what I do.

Even I cannot destroy it.

But…

There are countless strange supernatural phenomena in this world.

A mysterious creature capable of creating such an item is not impossible."

Kurumi: "Mysterious creature? What are you talking about?"

The Beautiful and Noble Vampire:

"Oh?

So you won't admit that I've seen through your deception?

How pathetic.

You humans are always the same—using supernatural forces for your own benefit.

You are not the first, and you will not be the last.

Do not insult me with such foolish tricks!"

Souta: "…"

At this point, he was pretty sure who the vampire was.

Vampires. Strange creatures. The way they speak.

There was only one vampire that fit all these traits.

And that was—

Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade

Or—

Her modern name: Shinobu Oshino.

Shinobu Oshino was a powerful golden-haired vampire from the Monogatari series.

She was an ancient being with a personality as sharp as a blade.

Her speech was formal, archaic, and dramatic—

"Thou,"

"Thee,"

"Ye,"

"Verily"…

She spoke like a medieval noble… or a final boss.

And her nickname?

Princess Rola.

"Welp… this is gonna be interesting."

Souta wasn't sure which timeline she was from.

But the fact that she knew about smartphones meant it was definitely the modern era.

At least that much was clear.

Souta suddenly thought of something.

"System, what happens if we invite someone who doesn't even know what a phone is or how to use one?"

System Response

[Relevant knowledge will be directly implanted into their mind.]

"Oh, that's convenient."

Souta sighed in relief.

Otherwise, as the group leader, would he have to teach every new member how to use a smartphone?

What was he, a tech support guy?

Bringing his focus back, Souta used his admin privileges to change the vampire's display name to her real one—Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade.

Kurumi Immediately Noticed

Kurumi: "Huh? Souta, you recognized her?"

Souta: "Yeah, this one's the real deal—a genuine vampire. Her name is Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade. Oh, and by the way—not 'he.' She's a girl."

Kurumi: "Oh my? So I guessed wrong."

Souta: "…"

"Why Did You Assume She Was Male?!"

Sure, Souta joked earlier about Alucard being a beautiful vampire, but that was just a joke!

Did Kurumi… awaken some strange preferences after learning about Shidou's cross-dressing habit?!

Kurumi: "So, this Miss Kiss-Shot, is she like me?"

Souta: "You mean from a fictional work? If that's what you're asking, then yeah, she's the same as you."

Kiss-Shot: "Hmph. Within the realm of apparitions, my name is well-known. It is no surprise that thou art aware of me."

Kiss-Shot: "Enough of thy deception, vile fraudsters. I have no time for idle chatter.

Cease thy pitiful tricks before mine eyes!"

And with that—

She stopped responding.

Her words carried a firm, unwavering tone—

She was done.

Kurumi: "Well, looks like we've been deeply misunderstood."

Souta: "It's fine. Over time, she'll realize we're not scammers.

Actually… this makes me think—we really need a proper way to prove the system's authenticity.

We can't be explaining this from scratch every single time someone new joins!"

Kurumi: "I checked earlier—this group chat has an announcement board feature.

I'll write a proper introduction to the system there, along with a guide on how to verify the phone's abilities.

That way, new members can figure things out on their own."

Souta: "Good idea. I'll leave it to you."

Kurumi: "Oh my, no need to sound so formal.

After all… we've already kissed, my dear friend. ❤️"

Souta: "…!!!"

"Kurumi, That's Not Something to Just Drop in the Group Chat!"

What was she thinking?!

For the next few days, Kiss-Shot never said another word.

Souta figured she wasn't using the phone at all.

Most likely, her attitude was:

"If I interact with them, I lose."

Of course, there was no way she could actually get rid of the phone.

But she was probably deliberately ignoring it.

And honestly?

Souta wasn't desperate enough to jump into her world just to convince her.

She'd figure it out herself over time.

The more features the system unlocked, the more chances she'd have to realize it was real.

To be blunt—he was a little scared.

This was Kiss-Shot. The same vampire that had once eaten 6,000 people.

And besides—without an invitation, he couldn't enter her world anyway.

Meanwhile, Kurumi Had Vanished

She was likely busy testing the "timeline alteration delay."

So, for the time being—

The group chat went completely dead.

"Might As Well Train My Powers."

With nothing else to do, Souta decided to experiment with his newly acquired abilities:

Time Manipulation

Half-Cold Half-Burn

He started with Time Manipulation.

"Time manipulation should cover things like—speeding up, slowing down, stopping, rewinding, or even traveling through time…"

"But as a beginner, I have no idea how much I can actually do."

He grabbed his iPhone and pulled up a movie.

Then, focusing on the playing screen, he concentrated—

And activated his ability.

Suddenly—

The world in front of him shifted.

A hazy gray mist, like flowing water, appeared before his eyes.

And somehow—

He instinctively understood that this was time itself.

Time Had Become "Visible."

Although time was usually intangible, it had now taken on a near-physical form.

And—

Souta realized his consciousness was directly linked to it.

Testing His Control

Focusing his thoughts, he tried to speed it up.

The gray mist started flowing faster.

And in that instant—

The world around him changed.

Everything Slowed Down.

To him, it felt like everything around him was moving in slow motion.

Looking back at his phone—

The movie had also slowed down.

Every character was moving like they were in a slow-motion scene.

Souta: "…Whoa."

He had actually manipulated time.

Time Manipulation – Confirmed Successful.

Now—

What Else Could He Do?