After seeing the last of Chika off at the train station, it was already nine o'clock in the evening without realizing it.
When Natsuki returned home, he saw several girls sitting on the sofa, chattering and eating snacks.
Especially Marin, the snack in her hand was a bag of potato chips with an explosive calorie count, and she was eating them happily with a crunching sound.
"Natsuki, you're back?" Marin heard footsteps, turned to look, and handed over a potato chip, "This is a new summer-limited flavor. I just tried it, and it tastes super good. Come and eat with me."
Natsuki sat on the sofa and couldn't help but complain:
"Eating now, aren't you afraid of getting fat?"
"I'm definitely afraid, but right now..." Marin raised her delicate chin and snorted proudly, "Not afraid at all. The food I eat just turns into fat. If I copy the 'Fat Burning' skill, I can lose weight in minutes, right?"
A super rare copy scroll, just to burn fat, that's too wasteful!
Natsuki looked at Tsubame and Sayu: "What do you two say?"
Tsubame smiled, raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and said with a smile:
"Marin-chan is right, I also want that fat-burning skill."
"Senpai, you've fallen!" Natsuki said with a pained expression, "For fat, it's healthier to get rid of it through exercise."
Sayu giggled:
"We're already eating potato chips, so of course we don't care about health issues."
"Natsuki, open your mouth." Marin leaned forward and put a potato chip into his mouth, "How does it taste? Isn't it delicious?"
Crunch, crunch.
Natsuki silently swallowed the potato chip, then said:
"One more bite."
"..."
After finishing the potato chips, several girls got up to take a shower.
There was no other way; girls, as a species, are usually very clean, especially in the summer.
There were only two bathrooms in the house, so naturally, Natsuki didn't have a turn.
Natsuki was sitting alone on the sofa watching TV when a fragrant breeze suddenly came from behind him, followed by a pair of hands covering his eyes, and a sweet, clear voice softly said:
"Guess who I am~"
Natsuki said:
"Is there a reward if I guess correctly?"
"No reward."
"What if I guess wrong?"
"Then you'll be punished."
"What's the punishment?"
"Hehe~" The girl behind him hummed softly, her small hand sliding down Natsuki's chest. "Natsuki-kun will know once he guesses wrong."
"Then I'll guess." Natsuki tensed slightly. "Could it be the world's cutest Marin-sama?"
"You guessed wrong, as expected. Prepare to accept your punishment then." Marin sat over, her golden eyes sparkling under the light, and then she directly kissed him. "You puny human, provide me with your magic!"
The girl's lips were sweet and soft, hot and burning, her hands wrapped around Natsuki's neck, passionately demanding a kiss.
If it were before, a short kiss would have been enough, but now... Marin wanted more.
"Everyone is still bathing; they'll only be out in a while." Marin's eyes filled with a misty dampness as she bit Natsuki's ear, whispering, "Natsuki, shall we go to the room?"
Once some things are experienced, there's no going back.
Such was the case for Marin.
"Okay... not!"
Natsuki almost agreed but quickly took a deep breath and shook his head in refusal.
"I'm not Ultraman; it's simply not enough time to go to the room now, is it?" Natsuki muttered.
Kaguya and Tsubame could turn a blind eye and silently tolerate his harem-building, but if he went too far in front of other girls, he might just get a cleaver to the head!
Marin pouted slightly, raised a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and leaned forward: "Natsuki-kun is clearly quite energetic."
Natsuki took a deep breath and said:
"Someone will be out soon..."
Marin looked up and glared at him, letting out a charming little huff:
"Then why is Natsuki still holding me down?"
Natsuki: "..."
In today's world, there are no saints left.
Everyone has a weakness.
Natsuki now completely understood what his weakness was.
No wonder all the mushrooms that grew on his head when he was Sin Mushroom before were lust mushrooms... There are bad people among the masses. Using this to test cadres, which cadre can withstand it!
"...Ah!"
Just as Ultraman finished fighting the small monster, a sudden gasp rang out.
Natsuki and Marin both turned to look.
A Tsubame in a white bathrobe stood at the corner of the hallway, her eyes wide, looking over in shock. Upon eye contact, Tsubame's pretty face quickly flushed crimson, and she hastily averted her gaze, stammering:
"So-sorry... I disturbed you, please continue!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Tsubame, like a startled fawn, turned and ran in a panic.
"Cough cough..." Marin raised a hand to cover her mouth, coughed twice, her pretty face also flushed. "Oh, no, Tsubame-senpai saw us. What do we do now?"
Natsuki pondered for two seconds, then said:
"Use physical amnesia to make Tsubame-senpai forget?"
"Of course not!" Marin couldn't help but glare at him, then got up and left. "I'll go explain to Tsubame-senpai!"
So, if everything was already seen clearly, what was there to explain!
Natsuki suddenly felt a bit fortunate.
It was a good thing he had already laid his cards on the table with everyone before, clearly stating that he was a harem scumbag and currently dating Marin... If he had kept Tsubame in the dark all this time, upon seeing that scene just now, Tsubame might have directly turned dark, pulled out a cleaver, and started a hunting spree!
Thump, thump, thump.
Marin quickly arrived on the second floor and found Tsubame on the balcony.
"Tsubame-senpai~" Marin walked onto the balcony and whispered, "Don't worry, Natsuki didn't force me just now."
Tsubame: "..."
She thought that after such an embarrassing incident, the two of them would be too awkward to speak, but who knew Marin would directly seek her out... She's certainly straightforward.
"Cough, I know." Tsubame coughed twice, raising a hand to tuck a strand of black hair behind her ear. "Natsuki-kun, though... a bit lewd, would never force a girl."
"Stare—"
Marin put her hands behind her back, leaned forward, and stared unblinkingly at Tsubame.
Tsubame felt a little uncomfortable, turned her body slightly, and whispered:
"Marin-chan, why are you staring at me?"
Marin whispered, asking:
"Tsubame-senpai hasn't done that kind of thing with Natsuki yet?"
"Wh-what thing?"
"It's..."
Marin extended two thumbs, making a gesture.
Tsubame immediately understood, her pretty face flushed crimson, and she turned her head, saying:
"Of course not!"
After a pause, Tsubame couldn't help but ask:
"Could it be that you and Natsuki-kun..."
"I've already experienced it." Marin lifted her chin, completely unashamed. "Natsuki confessed to me before, and I accepted him. Since we're officially dating, we can do anything, right?"
"..."
Tsubame quietly bit her lip, a hint of grievance welling up in her heart.
Even though she had silently condoned Natsuki's harem-building, hearing that he and Marin had already crossed the line, her heart still couldn't help but feel a bitter ache.
Running over to tell her this, was it... deliberately showing off?
Tsubame was pondering when she suddenly heard Marin whisper:
"Tsubame-senpai, do you want to join us?"
"Eh?" Tsubame's beautiful eyes widened, and she looked over blankly. "Wh-what are you talking about!"
Campus gyaru, terrifying as expected.
She knew Marin was playful before, but she never expected her to actually invite her along... How could she possibly agree to that kind of thing!
It was one thing to think about it, but to actually say it out loud, didn't she feel any shame!
Marin looked up at the sky, a bright silver moon and twinkling stars, and softly said:
"We never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first. Tomorrow, we have to go to the hotel to eliminate the kaidan. What if we don't make it out? What if, after we come out, it's already the end of the world?"
"In my opinion, the biggest regret in life is regret itself. People you can no longer see, things you wanted to do but no longer have the chance to do. Everyone says there's plenty of time, but actually, time is not abundant."
"Marin-chan..."
Tsubame parted her lips, wanting to say something, but found herself speechless.
"So, Tsubame-senpai, don't waste time; you should enjoy yourself while you can." Marin's face brightened with a smile again. She raised a hand to cover her mouth and whispered in her ear, "And let me tell you, that kind of thing is actually super comfo..."
"I don't want to hear it!" Tsubame's pretty face flushed crimson, and she quickly shook her head, "I absolutely don't want to hear it!"
Marin put her hands on her hips and said:
"If we can successfully eliminate the hotel anomaly and return safely, then I will create the conditions for Tsubame-senpai."
"W-wait a minute." Tsubame couldn't help but say shyly, "I haven't agreed yet..."
"It's settled then!"
"..."
Natsuki distractedly watched TV in the living room. After a long while, he saw Marin and Tsubame come down from upstairs.
"Natsuki, it's done."
Marin secretly gave a peace sign.
Tsubame's pretty face was slightly red. She glanced at Natsuki, and after their eyes met, she quickly looked away, turning her head elsewhere, seemingly quite embarrassed.
"What happened?"
A question mark appeared above Natsuki's head.
Not only was Tsubame not angry, but her face was completely red. Why did it feel like Marin had won her over?
However, it was certainly for the best that Tsubame hadn't turned dark.
Shinomiya and Sayu weren't clear about what happened, only Haruno's eyes occasionally glanced around, as if she had discovered something.
In short, the night passed uneventfully.
With so many people staying over, it was naturally impossible to do anything excessive; even Kaguya's morning massage didn't happen.
The next day.
After Natsuki woke up in the morning, he messaged Mitsui asking about the kaidan situation, and the results were not optimistic.
So far, none of the first batch of players who entered the hotel had returned. No one knew what the situation was inside, and Hirano was naturally nowhere to be seen.
"Haruno-nee..."
Marin looked over worriedly.
Haruno's expression was calm. She looked up at Natsuki, "I trust Natsuki-kun."
Natsuki complained:
"Haruno-nee trusting me so much puts too much pressure on me."
Haruno stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear: "When we find Yukino, we can help Natsuki-kun release some pressure, okay?"
"I'm sorry." Natsuki took half a step back. "I'm still a child."
One must keep their word.
Since he had received Hirano's renewal payment, he certainly wouldn't touch Haruno.
Kaguya changed her clothes and came downstairs, softly saying:
"President, it's time to go."
"Mhm." Natsuki nodded. "We're still missing one person."
Tsubame asked curiously:
"Who are we still missing?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the doorbell suddenly rang.
"I'll get it." Sayu took the task and hurried over.
The door opened, and a sailor-suited girl wearing a sun hat and glasses stood outside, smiling and waving:
"Good morning, everyone, I'm back."
"Eh?" Sayu's eyes lit up. "It's Hanamori-chan!"
Marin happily went to greet her: "Hanamori-chan, why are you back so soon?"
"Because there are many evil spirits in my hometown." Hayasaka Ai pulled her suitcase in. "I couldn't eat or sleep well, so I rushed back. It's perfect to act with everyone."
Shinomiya wasn't returning to the villa anytime soon, and since that was the case, Hayasaka Ai, as her personal maid, naturally had no reason to stay at the villa. So, she switched identities again, playing the role of Hanamori, a junior returning from Hokkaido.
Only Tsubame's expression was subtle.
Others weren't aware, but she knew clearly that Hanamori was just a disguise... The fact that she hadn't been discovered after disguising for so long was truly impressive.
"Everyone's here." Natsuki said, "Let's go."
Marin clenched her fists: "Let's go!"
Natsuki took the girls and left the house. A special car from the Strange Tales Management Bureau was already waiting at the door.
"Natsuki-kun, good morning."
Mitsui stood by the car, still dressed in a suit, and bowed.
"Good morning." Natsuki nodded, pulled open the car door, let the young ladies get in first, and then he got in last. "We can go to the hotel now."
"Yes."
"..."
The journey was silent.
When they arrived outside the hotel, Chika, Juju, and others were already waiting at the entrance.
"Chika-chan!"
"Marin-chan!"
"Eh, eh, Hanamori-chan is back too?"
The girls happily gathered together, and the team was once again fully assembled.
Mitsui quietly asked:
"Natsuki-kun, do you need assistance from anyone?"
"No need." Natsuki shook his head. He couldn't trust unfamiliar players. "We can just go in."
Of course, he didn't need assistance from others, but he didn't refuse item assistance.
With the scout players completely wiped out, the strangeness of the hotel anomaly had attracted extra attention from the Strange Tales Management Bureau. Now that Natsuki and his group were willing to actively eliminate the kaidan, the rewards were self-evident, and there was no stinginess whatsoever in the support of items and equipment.
Currently, the Strange Tales Management Bureau had confirmed an increasing number of players, but Natsuki's team remained the strongest, arguably the strongest demon hunter squad on the surface...
After a brief conversation, Natsuki went over to the girls again and began applying skills.
Preparation beforehand was essential.
After everything was ready.
Natsuki took the lead, stepping through an iron gate opened in the corrugated iron fence, entering the sealed area. Kaguya and the others followed behind him, walking into the hotel together.