The cafeteria was quite lively.
Besides the grunting, pig-like lackeys eating, there were also many fierce-looking thugs.
"There are so many thugs…" Chika whispered, "It must be to prevent food from being snatched, right?"
Natsuki nodded: "These evil spirits are super fanatical about food. If no one was watching them, it would probably be exceptionally bloody."
"President." Kaguya reminded softly, "An evil spirit with a special identity has entered."
Natsuki looked over at the sound, only to see a tall, green evil spirit walk into the cafeteria entrance. He was a head taller than the other thugs, and while he still retained a human appearance, his face was covered in wriggling squid tentacles, as if he had just crawled out of nuclear wastewater.
More importantly, two bodyguard-like thugs followed him, one on each side, and other thugs made way for him wherever he went.
"A mini-boss?"
Natsuki's eyes lit up slightly.
It was finally easy to find a suitable target to take down.
After players entered the instance, they were practically blind, and all clues needed to be gathered little by little.
How could they quickly gather information?
Of course, by prying open the evil spirits' mouths and making them reveal the truth!
When the group was wandering around earlier, they were, on one hand, surveying the park's defenses and terrain, and on the other hand, looking for a target to take down.
This target's level couldn't be too low. The grunting lackeys in the cafeteria were like little pigs themselves, and clearly wouldn't know too much valuable information.
Taking down the park supervisor directly would be great, but the problem was that many areas of the park were off-limits, and they had no idea what the supervisor looked like or what gender he was.
So, they still had to take it slow.
First, catch a mini-boss, and after obtaining information, then consider other matters.
"Hayasaka."
Natsuki turned his head to look at the maid beside him.
"Leave it to me."
Hayasaka nodded lightly, and casually approached the boss. Her right hand was hidden by her side, and with a gentle flick of her finger, a blue button the size of a fingernail silently attached itself to the mini-boss.
This was one of the small tools Hayasaka usually acquired, named the "Never-Lost Magnet."
The tool consisted of two magnets, red and blue. The two magnets always pointed in each other's direction. Simply put, it was a tracking and positioning device produced by the game.
"Let's go." After Hayasaka returned, Natsuki withdrew his gaze. "We'll go out and find a place to eat something first."
The cafeteria was too crowded, naturally not a place to act. Natsuki wasn't in a hurry; there would always be a time to make his move.
A moment later.
The group arrived at an unoccupied corner of the park, sat on chairs, and prepared to eat.
Any unexpected situation could occur in the instance, so maintaining ample physical strength was very necessary.
Those mushy things in the cafeteria should theoretically be fine to eat, but given a choice, no one would want to eat pig slop.
"Mitsui-san, come eat something." Chika's voice was clear. As she spoke, she took food out of her game backpack. "Meat buns, milk tea, grilled meat, and tamagoyaki. You can eat whatever you want."
Mitsui-san raised her hand to tuck a strand of dark hair behind her ear and thanked softly:
"Thank you, a meat bun will be fine for me."
Mitsui-san was a truly naive newbie. Before entering the instance, she hadn't even unlocked the backpack function, so she naturally had empty hands and no food reserves.
At the same time.
Natsuki also took out a bag of meat buns. The game backpack had a constant function, meaning food placed inside would look the same when taken out. For example, the meat buns were steaming hot and enticingly fragrant at this moment.
"Kaguya…"
Natsuki turned to look at Kaguya, and quickly extinguished the thought of offering her food.
Chika was fine, but Kaguya and Yukino's love triangle hadn't been resolved yet. No matter who he offered the meat bun to first, the other person would be unhappy.
Given that, eating quietly and honestly was the most correct choice.
Unfortunately, before he could even open his mouth, a pair of eager eyes looked over from beside him. The passerby player clasped her hands in front of her chest and whispered:
"Wow, you guys are amazing! You actually prepared so much food. Unlike me, my luck is so bad. There's nothing good in my blind boxes. Besides two ordinary miscellaneous items and tools, I haven't opened any food."
This sentence sounded quite normal, but upon closer inspection, it felt a bit off.
"Tsk…"
Natsuki clicked his tongue to himself, naturally knowing what that uneasy feeling was.
As a scumbag, he wouldn't easily fall for tricks.
However…
Natsuki glanced at Kaguya, who was subtly peeking at him from the corner of her eye, then handed the meat bun in his hand to the passerby player, saying gently:
"Here, eat this."
These past few days, whenever he spoke to Kaguya, she wouldn't respond. Now was a good opportunity.
"Eh, really?" The passerby player's eyes lit up. She said in surprise, "Food must be very precious, right? Can I really eat this?"
The passerby player was understanding and extra considerate, continuing:
"If there's little food, Natsuki doesn't have to worry about me. I can just bear it. I'm actually not that hungry…"
Before she finished speaking, her stomach rumbled like a little pigeon.
The passerby player's face turned red, and she quickly covered her stomach, lowering her head shyly and saying:
"I, I can just drink some water!"
Natsuki: "…"
Her tone and demeanor were too natural; for a moment, he couldn't tell if it was acting or genuine naivety!
Leaving Hayasaka and Yukino aside, at least one person completely believed and had no doubts about the passerby player's pitifulness.
"Ryoko-chan, don't worry." Chika's eyes showed concern. "We prepared a lot of food. Eat as much as you want, it's completely fine."
Only then did the passerby player hesitantly take the meat bun from Natsuki's hand, blushing as she whispered her thanks:
"Then, thank you everyone…"
After a pause, the passerby player suddenly asked:
"Where do you live in reality, Natsuki-kun?"
"Hmm?"
Kaguya couldn't help but raise her delicate eyebrows slightly.
What about being passing acquaintances?
She was clearly just a the passerby player, yet she was asking for someone else's real-life address. This was taboo, wasn't it!
"Please, please don't misunderstand!" The passerby player quickly bowed. "What I mean is, if I can clear the instance, I promise to repay Natsuki for this kindness!"
Natsuki glanced at Kaguya, who was clearly bothered but pretending not to be, and casually said:
"I'm in Tokyo."
"Eh, I live in Kamakura." The passerby player smiled sweetly, two shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks. "That's quite close."
"…"
Young Shimizu bit her silver teeth lightly, her pink cheeks slightly puffed out, and she couldn't help but secretly glance over from the corner of her eye.
Yukino sat upright and elegantly, quietly eating her food, seemingly oblivious to Natsuki's interaction with the passerby player.
Hayasaka ate her food, a subtle, half-smiling expression on her face.
Secretary Chika had already been won over and didn't find anything wrong with the passerby player at all.
Mitsui-san secretly observed the girls with their varying expressions and couldn't help but say:
"Suzuki-san, this isn't the time for chatting. In a crisis-ridden environment, finishing your meal quickly is essential."
"Ah, I'm sorry." The passerby player stuck out her cute tongue and clasped her hands together, saying, "I forgot for a moment. I'll eat right away… Itadakimasu."
"…"
Including Mitsui-san and the passerby player, everyone finished eating in less than ten minutes.
After eating.
The group cleaned up the food waste and then continued to gather information.
"Those guys in the cafeteria have all come out… I wonder where they're going." Chika suggested, "Should we follow them and see?"
Natsuki nodded:
"We definitely should go see."
The group mingled among the evil spirits, slowly walking forward, and the more they walked, the more familiar it felt.
"Eh, how did we get back to the school building again?" Chika was surprised.
Natsuki whispered:
"I probably know where they're going."
Hayasaka crossed her arms and said softly:
"If I'm not mistaken, it's the casino, right?"
"…"
A moment later.
Hayasaka's guess was confirmed.
The lackeys who had just finished eating pig slop in the cafeteria turned around and headed straight into the casino opened by the park.
Even without entering, one could clearly feel the smoky and foul atmosphere inside.
"How strange…" Chika couldn't help but complain, "Logically speaking, gambling shouldn't give them any sensation, right?"
"Sensations come in many forms, some physical, others mental." Yukino crossed her right arm over her chest and said softly, "Most gamblers develop an addiction, also known as a gambling addiction. Even if they turn into evil spirits, they can't break free from it."
"Yukino makes a lot of sense." Natsuki agreed, "I am irreconcilable with gambling and drugs."
"Eh?" Chika blinked. "President's words always feel like something's missing… Eh, eh, eh?"
Before long, Chika finally reacted, her pretty face uncontrollably flushing quickly.
She used to treat it as a joke, but now she could no longer view it with equanimity.
Natsuki leaned closer and whispered:
"Secretary Chika, what was missing from my words just now?"
"President, go away!" Chika turned her pretty face away. "Don't come near me!"
"…"
As a lackey, working hard to scam for daily guaranteed performance, finally tricking money, then having to split it fifty-fifty with the park, and after splitting the accounts, going to the cafeteria to temporarily fill their emptiness, then coming to the casino to try their luck, imagining turning a bicycle into a motorcycle. Of course, nine out of ten gambles are scams, and most people can't turn a bicycle into a motorcycle… It truly is: the park earns money, the park spends money, don't even think about taking a single cent home.
Night deepened.
The already dim sky grew imperceptibly darker.
The lackeys in the casino, one by one, lost everything and slowly began to disperse.
"These people should be going to the dormitory, right?" Kaguya said softly, "Their pockets had keys with numbers on them earlier, which should be the dormitory room keys."
"That's why it's so strange." Chika whispered, "They're already evil spirits, so they could work twenty-four hours straight, right?"
"Perhaps it's for efficiency?" Hayasaka extended a finger. "Just like studying, the human limit is forty minutes. Once exceeded, focus and efficiency will rapidly decline."
"Now that it's late and quiet, we can finally act." Natsuki said softly, "Chika, you and the others take Mitsui-san back to the dormitory first. Hanamori and I will go get the information."
"Do you need me to combine and help?" Chika raised her hand and asked.
"No need." Natsuki said softly, "It's just a mini-boss. Hanamori and I are enough."
"Alright then." Chika didn't insist, nodding in agreement, "President, Hanamori-chan, be careful."
Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest, moved her lips, and softly said:
"Hanamori, be careful, and also Pre—… "
"Natsuki-kun, you must be careful!" The passerby player clasped her hands in front of her chest, softly urging, "Take good care of yourself, don't get hurt, we'll all be waiting for you to come back."
Kaguya: "…"
You've only known him for an hour, why are you speaking in such a familiar tone?!
"Got it." Natsuki nodded lightly, glanced at Kaguya, then smiled at the passerby player, "Wait for me to come back."
"Mhm, mhm."
The passerby player quickly nodded.
"…"
Kaguya lightly bit her lip, watching the two of them talk out of the corner of her eye, feeling inexplicably unhappy.
The two parties separated.
Shinomiya, Yukino, and Chika, along with Mitsui and the passerby player, the five of them headed to the dormitory first.
Natsuki, on the other hand, stayed with Hayasaka in the shadow of the building.
"The President must be very happy right now, right?" After watching Shinomiya and the others walk away, Hayasaka slowly said, "Ryoko-san has such a good figure, she's good at acting cute, good at praising people, and she's always looking at the President with adoring eyes. The President's vanity must be super satisfied, right?"
Natsuki stretched out his right hand, directly pulled Hayasaka into his arm, then took out the Shadow Cloak, covering both their figures, and then whispered:
"Why do I smell a hint of jealousy?"
"Tch." Hayasaka pouted disdainfully, "If your nose is useless, President, you can donate it to someone in need."
Natsuki sighed:
"The scent of jealousy is getting stronger. No wonder someone always gets jealous of mushrooms."
Hayasaka immediately became angry and embarrassed, reaching out to pinch Natsuki's ear:
"President, what did you just say? I didn't hear it clearly."
"I'm sorry, I was wrong." Natsuki apologized decisively, "Please forgive me."
"Hmph."
"…"
The goons gradually returned to their dormitories to rest, but the patrolling thugs did not decrease; instead, they seemed to become even more numerous.
These thugs might have special means of detection, so to be safe, Natsuki still took out the Shadow Cloak and used it with Hayasaka.
The two talked while doing their business.
"Perverted president, turn left."
"Yes."
"There's a vicious dog ahead, be careful to hide."
"Understood."
"Continue moving… now turn right."
"No." Natsuki couldn't help but complain, "If you're going to give directions, can you please not pinch my ear?"
Hayasaka looked down:
"Does Senpai still have an opinion?"
"Of course, I do…"
"Opinion rejected!"
"…"
A moment later.
Natsuki and Hayasaka avoided layers of guards and successfully found the previous octopus-faced small leader in a detached building behind the cafeteria.