Multiversal Friendship System

Souta didn't wait for her reaction—

He simply kept explaining.

Souta:

"Basically, I already know everything about you."

"Your name, your height, your weight, your past, your future—it's all documented in my world."

"Even though we've never met before, I already know everything about you."

Kiss-Shot:

"You are saying… I am a fictional character?"

Souta:

"Not necessarily."

"I actually have three theories about this—"

"First, maybe fictional worlds have always been real."

"Somehow, their information leaked into my world, and people subconsciously turned it into stories."

"Second, maybe your world was originally fake, but for some reason, it suddenly became real."

"And third… well, I won't bother explaining the third one."

Kiss-Shot:

"Oh? Why stop at two? I despise it when people don't finish their thoughts."

Souta:

"Because the third one is just a crazy theory from some sci-fi and fantasy stories."

"It's based on the idea of a 'conceptual omniverse'—"

"Where every single thought, every little imagination we have… actually creates a real universe somewhere."

Kiss-Shot (Confused).jpg

Kiss-Shot:

"Oh? Your perspective is quite interesting. I find talking to you rather entertaining. However—your actions have greatly displeased me!"

Souta:

"Huh? What did I do?"

Kiss-Shot:

"You can casually access my information and history at any time. In your presence, I have no privacy, no secrets—there is not even a single veil of mystery left for a lady such as myself. This is most unpleasant!"

Souta:

"Uh… I can't really do anything about that. But maybe you can look at it another way?"

"For example, you now have the opportunity to learn about your own future from me."

Kiss-Shot:

"Souta—I shall call you that. Let me tell you something."

Souta:

"What is it?"

Kiss-Shot:

"Life requires the unknown."

"Especially for those with long lifespans—existence becomes dull over time. The further one lives, the more monotony sets in. The unknown is the only thing that keeps life stimulating."

"I have no interest in my future. What I seek is the process—the journey of countless unknowns slowly constructing my fate."

"Do you understand?"

That was her way of refusing his offer.

Souta:

"Alright, I misspoke. My bad. But I gotta say, you're quite talkative today."

Kiss-Shot:

"That is merely a misunderstanding on your part."

"I am naturally quite articulate. I was simply silent before because of my suspicions about you all."

"Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up—and since your discussions intrigue me—I naturally have much more to say."

"It is just a shame that young Tokisaki Kurumi is not present today."

If Kurumi heard herself being called "young girl", she'd probably have some thoughts about that.

Souta:

"She's probably busy. If you want to chat with her, you'll have plenty of chances in the future."

Kiss-Shot:

"The future, huh… If I have one, I suppose I shall."

Souta paused.

Something about that sentence felt off.

There was an ominous vibe to it.

It sounded like the kind of thing someone says when they believe they won't be alive for much longer.

That worried him.

Was something wrong on Kiss-Shot's end?

He quickly sent a message.

Souta:

"What do you mean by that?"

But after a few minutes, there was no reply.

He tagged her again.

Still nothing.

The group chat fell silent once more.

Souta sighed.

"Man… she really does whatever she wants, huh? Just logs out when she feels like it."

But… what exactly was going on with her?

Since he had no clue about her exact timeline, Souta couldn't be sure of her current situation.

Was she just uninterested in chatting?

Or…

Was she currently in her suicidal phase, making her uninterested in friendships?

At this point, it was important to understand Kiss-Shot's backstory.

Originally, she was human.

598 years ago, she was turned into a vampire by the Vampire Lord Seishirou Shishirui.

Meaning that she had lived as a vampire for nearly 600 years.

This was extremely rare.

Most vampires, after reaching 200 years of age, would begin to desire death out of sheer boredom.

And Kiss-Shot—nearly 600 years old—was no exception.

In Kizumonogatari, the reason she traveled across the ocean to Japan was because she had chosen it as her burial ground.

She came to Japan intending to die.

Souta frowned.

"Does this mean she's currently at the start of Kizumonogatari?"

If so…

That would be a huge problem.

In the original timeline, Kiss-Shot didn't get the chance to kill herself—

Because before she could, she was hunted down by three vampire hunters, who cut off her limbs and left her dying from blood loss.

As she was on the verge of death, her survival instincts kicked in, and she desperately fled.

Fortunately, she happened to run into Koyomi Araragi, who saved her, setting the events of Kizumonogatari into motion.

But now—things were different.

Kiss-Shot had received the system phone.

And even the smallest change in her actions could lead to a butterfly effect.

If she escaped the vampire hunters but ended up in a different location,

And if she never encountered Araragi,

Then…

She would die.

Souta started to genuinely worry.

But since Kiss-Shot wasn't responding, there was no way to confirm her situation.

She hadn't invited him to her world—

Which meant the "door" between the real world and Monogatari had not been opened.

He couldn't travel there.

"Sigh… I hope she'll be okay."

At this point, all Souta could do was pray for her well-being.

After a brief moment, his thoughts shifted to Kurumi.

She hadn't said a word in the group chat for several days.

Was she okay?

Feeling a bit worried, Souta decided to tag her.

Souta:

"@Kurumi. You there?"

After sending it, he suddenly froze.

His hand instinctively scratched his face.

"...Wait a second."

"Did I just type a certified 'simp message'?"

Are you there? Have you eaten? Have you slept?

Damn.

He sounded like a doting boyfriend.

About two or three minutes later, Kurumi finally responded.

Kurumi:

"Souta, just to reply to this message, one of my clones had to be killed by Tobiichi Origami."

Souta:

"…"

Souta:

"Wait, what?! You can't just casually drop that kind of info—I feel like I just committed a crime!"

His guilt skyrocketed.

Because Kurumi's clones weren't lifeless puppets—

They had independent consciousness.

They were truly alive.

Just to reply to his message, one of Kurumi's clones was killed?

Kurumi:

"Oh my? If you're feeling guilty, it must mean you care about me deeply. That's quite a delightful realization~"

"Don't worry, I have plenty of clones. Losing one is nothing."

Souta frowned.

To be honest, he really didn't like how Kurumi treated her clones like disposable tools.