I'm doing abstract animation

After saying that, she gestured to Saeko Busujima with the back of her left hand, and a small golden tree mark immediately appeared.

"Once you're branded, you're one of us."

Fearing that Saeko Busujima might disagree, Yui Yuigahama stepped forward to explain, "This mark doesn't usually show up; it only appears when you use related abilities."

After saying this, he made the mark on the back of his hand appear and then make it disappear, in order to prove that he had not lied.

Would Saeko Busujima agree?

I couldn't be happier!

Although the previous sentence wasn't the original meaning, that's roughly the gist of it...

Saeko Busujima had always wanted to join them, and now that they were spared the trouble of fighting, why wouldn't she agree?

"I see."

Suppressing her excitement, she left a message and walked towards Yuuki.

Yuki Ryo naturally knew of her arrival, and immediately put away what she was carrying, turned around and smiled, "Bukushima-senpai, we meet again."

He had a very deep impression of Saeko Busujima, both from the anime of his past life and from the real person in this life.

After all, she was, to some extent, his mentor...

"Cough cough..." Realizing that he had misunderstood, Yuuki Risa quickly coughed to cover up his embarrassment.

Saeko Busujima asked with concern, "What's wrong, Yuuki-kun? Have you caught a cold?"

"I'm fine. Um... Busujima-senpai, are you really sure about this?"

Forcing himself to look serious, Yuuki looked at her earnestly: "You should know how dangerous those monsters are after Miura was beaten up like that last time. A slight mistake could cost you your life."

“I’ve already thought it through, Yuuki-kun.” Saeko Busujima smiled alluringly. “To do what I know is impossible is one of my life principles.”

"Are you really sure, Senpai? You know, the pleasure of battle is only temporary." Yuuki looked at her meaningfully. "The emptiness after a battle can sometimes be quite deadly; it can easily affect one's mind..."

These words, brimming with profound meaning, immediately sent a chill down Saeko Busujima's spine.

'So... I've been seen through?'

'But I haven't had much interaction with him...'

'when……'

The secret she had kept hidden for so many years was thus exposed to the light of day without any warning...

For a moment, her mind was in turmoil, and she was completely disoriented.

P.S.: There will be another chapter later.

A City of Ghosts and Monsters: Chapter Thirty-Three - Challenging the Second Level

"Don't panic, Busujima-senpai."

Seeing Saeko Busujima's panic, Osamu Yuuki smiled and comforted her, "Violence is a rule engraved in human DNA. No one can escape it. Even I sometimes have the urge to destroy everything."

He wasn't joking; he genuinely thought about it.

Seeing no hope of returning home and feeling completely out of place in the world, he sometimes really thought about just destroying the world.

Of course, that was a long time ago. Ever since he saw the hope of traveling through the world, his personality has become kinder day by day.

Saeko Busujima bit her lip: "This is different from that one..."

“It’s all the same, just violence.” Yuuki sighed. “I’m not saying this to reject you, I just want to remind you that with your personality, it would be quite dangerous if you became obsessed with fighting.”

"It's a very dangerous thing for both myself and my partners."

This is not an exaggeration; people with this kind of personality, once they become addicted to fighting and cannot extricate themselves, are very likely to go to extremes.

When such people go to extremes, most of them become killers, or murderers.

Saeko Busujima fell silent, and Osamu Yuuki also remained silent, simply watching her quietly.

It's normal to have personality flaws; everyone here has them to some extent.

Yui Yuigahama is a typical people-pleaser, always putting others' feelings first, sometimes even forcing a smile when she's hurt herself; Yukino Yukinoshita's personality is even more pronounced, seemingly aloof but actually insecure; Shoko Komi suffers from communication difficulties, unable to even speak properly; Ruri Gokou is a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) sufferer, although she's improved a lot now; Yumiko Miura... Yumiko Miura has a rather volatile personality...

Okay, of all these people, Yumiko Miura is actually the most normal...

Looking at Miura Yumiko, who was sitting not far away, drawing circles with one hand and squares with the other, her face full of irritation, Yuki felt that the world was beyond saving.

The one who seemed the most normal was actually the one with the slowest learning progress.

"I...I will restrain myself."

After a long silence, Saeko Busujima finally managed to utter those few dry words, which even she herself didn't believe, let alone Yuki Risa.

It seems like it's over... She sighed inwardly, but she felt unusually relaxed. Her secret, which she had kept hidden for many years, had been discovered by others. Even if she didn't join the super team, she no longer had to guard the secret so tightly. A long-lost sense of ease appeared on her body.

"There is no need to restrain yourself."

"Okay, I'll do it now... what?"

Saeko Busujima was taken aback; she wondered if she had misheard.

“I said there’s no need to restrain yourself.” With his arms crossed, Yuuki said calmly, “Violent emotions can increase efficiency in combat. I’m telling you this so you won’t have to hide anything from them.”

After he finished speaking, he pointed to a spot not far away. Saeko Busujima looked up and saw several girls looking over furtively. They didn't try to hide when they were spotted, but instead nodded at her openly.

Saeko Busujima felt a sudden warmth in her heart.

“If everything is made clear at the beginning, there will be far fewer troubles later on. Many tragedies start with communication problems from the very beginning. They will be your closest comrades-in-arms in the future, and you should not hide your situation from them.”

Yuki took her hand, which startled Saeko Busujima.

But soon she felt a strange energy flowing from her hand into her body.

"Open your heart, don't resist, we are partners."

Upon hearing this, she gradually lowered her guard. Putting aside the question of whether they were partners or not, after all, her biggest secret had been revealed to the other party, so why should she still be on guard?

Soon, a small golden tree appeared in her palm.

"Haha, senior, now we're finally comrades!"

Yui Yuigahama was the first to run over and celebrate.

Saeko Busujima smiled gently, leaving Yui Yuigahama completely stunned.

"Wow, senior, your smile is so gentle, just like that... that big... what was it again?"

"Yamato Nadeshiko."

"Yes, yes, yes, it's Yamato Nadeshiko! Senior, your smile has just the feel of a Yamato Nadeshiko!"

"That's an exaggeration, Yui."

The remaining three people also came over.

"Welcome to the team, Busujima-senpai." Komi Shoko held up a small sign with a blank expression.

Yui Yuigahama, fearing that Saeko Busujima might misunderstand, quickly explained her situation.

Saeko Busujima nodded, her gaze towards Shoko Furumi filled with pity. This child had communication difficulties, yet she still managed to attend high school and consistently achieved top grades; she must have put in a lot of hard work to do so.

However… she remembered what Yuuki Osamu had said.

"Everyone, please listen to me first."

She suddenly spoke loudly, silencing the crowd.

“I actually have a strong tendency towards violence, and I’ve kept it a secret for so many years. I’ve even had accidents because of this terrible personality trait, so…”

She looked at them with a hint of expectation: "Can you accept me like this?"

Speak out!

She felt an indescribable feeling, as if a mountain that had been weighing on her heart had been removed, and she felt incredibly relaxed at that moment.

"Hey, I thought it was something serious. I also had that urge to beat him up during the fight!"

"Humans are born with violent genes, so there's no need to worry about it too much."

"That's normal. I've had the urge to kill people before."

"no need to worry."

"Hmph, violence is the most effective means of punishing evil."

The group shared their opinions, which deeply moved Saeko Busujima.

"Everyone……"

"Alright, alright, now that you've qualified, senior, can you go in and challenge that guy?"

Just as Saeko Busujima was deeply moved and wanted to express her gratitude, Yumiko Miura interrupted untimely.

"Yeah, senior, hurry up!"

"I've heard a little about Busujima-senpai's kendo skills, so she's definitely good enough."

"come on!"

"Hmph, that enemy is yours to deal with."

Saeko Busujima: "…………"

For some reason, she felt that the expressions on these people's faces were strange... but it didn't matter, her fighting spirit had already boiled over!

"Come on, I've been ready!"

Full of confidence, she drew the white oak knife from her back, determined to make a name for herself in front of her female classmates.

Her confidence was met with applause from others.

"Well done, senior!"

"We all graduated from Zongwu High School, don't embarrass yourselves, senior!"

"Cheer up, senior!"

…………

Yuuki Osamu: "…………"

Good grief, what is this? Are they teaming up to scam newbies?

When did these guys become so cunning?

It's definitely not my fault!

And so, the group opened the Tower of Challenge, escorting Saeko Busujima inside. Of course, they still made good use of the data conversion device in front of the tower. Even with all their confidence in Saeko Busujima, necessary safety precautions were still in place; otherwise, things could get really messy...

"Oh wow, a new person has arrived?"

Seryu, who was punching loudly on the first floor of the Tower of Despair, saw a large group of people walk in and immediately noticed the unfamiliar faces among them, so she stopped what she was doing.

"Seru-sensei, we're going to challenge the second level."

Yukino Yukinoshita bowed respectfully. This was their mentor. Unlike Yuuki Rina's haphazard and forceful teaching style, Seryu was extremely dedicated. No matter what they didn't understand, she would answer them carefully, no matter how many times.

Of course, as long as you don't fight her, it's fine. Once she starts fighting... well, Ruri Gokou, who has the same voice, can't bear to watch.

"Okay, then good luck to you!"

He waved with a grin, and the staircase leading to the second floor appeared before everyone.

Logically, the group should have defeated her to go up, but given how much her teachings had helped them, Yuuki generously granted her access to the second staircase, thus saving them from the melodramatic scene of master and disciple killing each other. However, the corresponding reward was naturally forfeited.

Yui and the others agreed, since they also quite liked this cheerful and optimistic girl as long as she wasn't acting crazy.

The group quickly rushed into the second floor.

Unlike the dojo on the first floor, the space on the second floor is much larger. At first glance, it looks like a garden, but upon closer inspection, it doesn't seem so.

"This is... a flower garden, no, there are herbs inside..."

As soon as she entered, Saeko Busujima immediately recognized the several medicinal herbs growing in the flowerbed.

After all, his family runs a Taoist temple, so while he may not be an expert in pharmacology, he has some knowledge of it.

She stopped and looked closely, and what she saw made her shudder with fear.

“Oleander, datura, acacia, aconite, and ginseng…”

My God, this is a veritable garden of poison...