Outside the warehouse.
"Um… it's been a long time, Natsuki still hasn't come out, should we go help?"
After waiting and waiting for Natsuki and Kaguya to appear, the other player couldn't help but worry.
At the same time, she was very careful with her wording, not mentioning words like "accident" or "danger," but instead using "go help" as a euphemism.
"Ryoko-chan, don't worry, the perverted president and Kaguya-chan will definitely be fine."
Chika put her hands on her hips, full of confidence.
Before secretly entering the warehouse, everyone had agreed to use a red string to contact each other if anything happened. Now there was no movement at all, which clearly meant it was quite safe.
As for Natsuki and Kaguya not coming out… perhaps they had something important to do?
"It's good that they're fine…"
The other girl quickly nodded in agreement, observing Hayasaka and Yukino as she spoke.
Seeing that the girls all had calm expressions and no one showed any signs of worry, she finally relaxed a little, while also feeling curious and envious.
How many instances have you all been through together to trust each other so much!
Another moment passed in a blink of an eye.
A ripple-like fluctuation suddenly appeared in the darkness, followed by Kaguya, dressed in a bunny girl uniform, appearing out of thin air.
"Kaguya-chan, you're finally back!"
Chika cheered happily.
"I'm back," Kaguya nodded lightly, a faint blush still lingering on her pretty face, "…I'll let the perverted president out first, then we can chat."
Kaguya walked to the corner, and as she removed the leg attachment, Natsuki's figure appeared out of thin air.
"Perverted president, quickly put on your clothes!"
Kaguya said, her pretty face firm.
"Yes."
Natsuki replied, and obediently put on his clothes.
It was fine in the warehouse, but now they were outside, with many eyes around, so of course, he had to put his clothes on properly.
"Help me block," Natsuki complained while putting on his clothes, "Kaguya wouldn't want me to be seen naked by outsiders, would she?"
"Pfft~"
Kaguya couldn't help but lightly spat at him, her beautiful eyes glaring at him disapprovingly.
Even if someone saw you, you wouldn't feel the slightest bit of shame!
Despite her disdain, Kaguya still moved her feet, using her body to block the others' view.
Even if Natsuki didn't say anything, she would have done it anyway—the perverted president is mine, of course, I can't let anyone else see him naked!
Natsuki quickly changed his clothes and looked at Kaguya, saying, "Do you want my help?"
"Absolutely not needed."
Kaguya took out her cloak, draped it over herself, and then changed her clothes on her own.
A moment later.
Kaguya finally changed her clothes, and the two walked out of the corner together to meet up with the girls.
"Perverted president, perverted president, why did you come out so late?"
Chika asked curiously.
"Digging the hole took a lot of time…"
Natsuki's expression didn't change as he recounted what happened in the warehouse. Of course, under the warning gaze of Kaguya, the punishment game for captured stealth investigators was naturally omitted
"Sounds so fun," Chika's eyes sparkled, and she raised her hand, "I want to dig a hole and escape too."
"It's not fun at all," Kaguya said, crossing her arms, "The dirt we dug out was so dirty, I feel like I have dirt particles in my hair."
Hayasaka casually said, "Then go back and take a bath tonight."
Yukino nodded lightly and said, "I didn't take a bath yesterday, I really want to take one today."
"…"
Listening to the girls' conversation, the passerby player's face was filled with confusion.
Meow meow meow?
What on earth are you talking about?
This is a dangerous instance where you could die if you're not careful, why are you concerned about taking a bath?!
At this moment, the passerby player suddenly felt a bit regretful; perhaps forming a team to survive with these seemingly unreliable people was not a wise choice…
"We'll talk about bathing tonight," Natsuki said, "Everyone, let's eat something first to replenish our energy."
Hearing that they were going to eat, the passerby player couldn't help but show a troubled expression.
She had gone to the cafeteria yesterday, so she knew how disgusting the food there was, and it was extremely expensive; even the most ordinary meal cost a full three sin coins.
In fact, she hadn't been able to complete the dog-handler's performance yesterday, and at the last moment, she exchanged items with other evil spirits to barely obtain a few sin coins.
To maintain her physical strength and cope with unexpected situations, she had no choice but to hold her nose and eat the cheapest food in the cafeteria.
As a result, last night in the dormitory, her last sin coins were stolen by her evil spirit roommate.
That's why when she handed in her performance today, she exposed herself due to nervousness and fear, and was then recognized by Hayasaka.
What to do?
Even if she went to the cafeteria, how would she pay for the meal?
In her opinion, there was no kindness without reason in the world.
They were just strangers who met by chance; they had just helped her submit her minimum performance, so they definitely wouldn't buy her food for free again, would they?
The next second.
A bag of fragrant meat buns was handed over, followed by Chika's clear voice:
"Mika, do you like meat buns?"
"Eh?"
The passerby player looked up blankly, shocked to find that everyone had not gone to the cafeteria, but had sat down in a secluded corner of the playground.
Not only that, the pink-haired girl with a bright smile also took out a pile of fragrant and appealing food.
"Don't you like it?" Chika said casually, "There's also yakisoba bread, chocolate cake, sushi, and plum rice balls. You can eat whatever you want, you know."
"N-no, I don't dislike it…" Mika stammered, shaking her head subconsciously, feeling completely flustered. "Why… why is there food? I tried, it clearly can't be put in a backpack."
"Ordinary food cannot be put into a backpack." Hayasaka, holding sushi and about to eat, explained when she heard her, "However, food opened from a Blind Box can be stored in a backpack and then taken out and consumed in a dungeon."
…
Mika looked bewildered, clearly having never heard of this matter.
Natsuki suddenly asked:
"Mika, haven't you registered with the Strange Tales Management Bureau and received a player manual yet?"
"Eh?" Mika widened her eyes, her expression even more bewildered. "The Strange Tales Management Bureau… what is that?"
Natsuki: "…"
I didn't realize you were a wild player!
Mitsui heard this, put down the food in her hand, her expression solemn, and explained:
"The Strange Tales Management Bureau is an official organization established to deal with Strange Tales and Instances…"
"Players can choose whether or not to join the Strange Tales Management Bureau; it's completely voluntary, with no compulsion whatsoever. Players who join the Strange Tales Management Bureau can receive a generous monthly salary, and once a commission is completed, there are additional rewards."
"Of course, even if you don't join the Strange Tales Management Bureau, after registering, you can still receive a free player manual and a player gift pack to help players adapt to the game and quickly get through the novice period…"
…
The passerby player's mouth was slightly open, her face full of shock, and she now had only one thought.
A frog in a well…
She had been thinking of carefully hiding her player identity to avoid being discovered and sliced up for research in reality, but an official organization had already been established… she was clearly the frog at the bottom of the well!
"Eh, eh, eh, joining the Strange Tales Management Bureau has so many benefits?" The player's eyes sparkled. "I really want to join too."
"No problem." Mitsui showed a professional smile. "As long as a player's identity verification is successful, they can join the Strange Tales Management Bureau. Compared to the current situation, we value a player's potential more."
"Mika, hurry up and eat." Chika reminded her, "Everyone else is almost done eating."
"S-sorry…"
Mika came back to her senses and quickly lowered her head to eat the bread.
The soft, sweet bread chewed in her mouth gave her taste buds immense satisfaction.
In contrast, the food in the cafeteria yesterday, which was barely palatable, was now completely like pig slop.
Swallowing the bread in her mouth, and then subconsciously taking a cup of water handed to her by Chika, Mika finally realized:
These few players in front of her were definitely not ordinary players!
Full and satisfied.
The already dim sky had completely darkened.
"President." Chika raised her hand and said, "Should we go help Mika complete her side quest?"
Secretary Chika, who grew up in love and justice and had never been exposed to any darkness of the world, possessed a truly innocent heart that sought to help others without expecting anything in return.
"Okay." Natsuki nodded in agreement. "We're just idling anyway."
"Eh?"
Mika stared over blankly.
The passerby player, who she thought had calmed down, once again showed a shocked expression.
Can side quests like that also be helped with?
Why does it sound as simple as helping to buy a bottle of drink along the way?
"Give me your hand." Natsuki looked at Mika. "I'll help you paste the skill first."
"Th-thank you…"
Mika fumbled, quickly extending her small hand.
Facing an unfamiliar girl, Natsuki naturally wouldn't act like he was taking advantage of her; he just gently held her fingertips.
"Hmm?"
Natsuki suddenly raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise on his face.
When pasting the skill, he suddenly discovered that this seemingly timid and weak girl actually possessed two skills.
Was it good luck, or was she not simple?
Natsuki leaned more towards the latter.
This is a form of protection.
Cowardly pretense should also be a form of protection.
"W-what's wrong?"
Mika looked over nervously.
"Nothing."
Natsuki shook his head, not saying much.
It was normal for players to hide their information for survival; many even sold their bodies. Everyone knew it tacitly and didn't need to say it out loud.
Pasting the skill took five minutes. Natsuki, having nothing to do, curiously checked the two skills of Mika.
When using Dream Link, one could probe the other party's skills, but only understand general information, not the specific effects of the skill.
One was the passive ability Dexterous Hands, and the other was an active skill…
"Dream Link? What exactly is its effect?"
Discovering it was a new skill he hadn't encountered before, Natsuki's curiosity was piqued, so he casually copied the skill.
A moment later.
"Pasting complete."
Natsuki withdrew his right hand and, by the way, checked the skill he had just copied.
[Skill: Dream Link]
[Category: Active]
[Attribute: Can only be used on a sleeping target. After linking dreams, you can enter the target's dream.]
[Note: Your actions in the dream may cause the target to reject you. When the rejection reaches a certain limit, the Dream Link will be interrupted.]
"What's the use of this skill…?"
Natsuki couldn't figure it out for a while, so he quickly dismissed it.
"Let's go." Natsuki looked at the player. "First transform, then go to the casino."
Since Kaguya and the others had already completed their side quests, there was naturally no need for so many people to act together, and the more people there were, the greater the risk.
"I-I understand…"
Mika quickly nodded, indicating she understood.
A moment later.
Natsuki and the passerby player completed their transformations, and, posing as two unlucky stooges, walked into the casino.
There was nothing more to say after that; in less than twenty minutes, Natsuki had led the passerby player to complete two side quests.
"I-it really was completed?"
Mika felt dizzy, as if she were in a dream.
It was a side quest of extremely high difficulty, yet it was completed as easily as eating and drinking… it was truly unbelievable.
In contrast, Natsuki's expression was much calmer, without any emotional fluctuations.
It was like a game of extremely high difficulty where you painstakingly tried and erred bit by bit, finally succeeding and feeling immense satisfaction. But once you activated a cheat, the difficulty of the game disappeared, and so did the joy.
Natsuki's mood at this moment was precisely that.
When you win no matter how you gamble, there is naturally no joy to be had.
"Follow me." Natsuki glanced at the approaching evil spirit thugs and whispered, "…I'll use the Shadow Cloak in a moment. Don't be afraid, and don't make a sound."
"Mm-hmm."
Mika quickly nodded, indicating she understood.
The game had already given her two notifications about completing the side quest. Mika completely understood one thing: the boy who looked to be her age in front of her was clearly a super powerful player.
"Catch them!"
"Grab those two guys for me!"
Having successfully escaped Natsuki and the others in the morning, these evil spirit thugs were even more ferocious now, almost right behind the two, not concealing the malice in their eyes at all.
But it was useless.
After turning the corner of the Bathroom corridor, Natsuki directly activated Time Stop, picked up the passerby player, then took out the Shadow Cloak to cover both their bodies, and at the same time returned the way they came, ending up behind a group of evil spirit thugs.
Three seconds ended.
Time resumed its flow.
Looking at the evil spirit thugs thundering past in front of her, the passerby player subconsciously opened her mouth.
"Don't make a sound."
Natsuki extended his right hand and covered the passerby player's mouth.
Rumble.
Seven or eight evil spirit thugs turned the corner and disappeared.
Natsuki withdrew his right hand and whispered:
"You can undo the transformation now."
"Mm-hmm."
Mika quickly nodded, covering her pounding chest, and undid her transformation, revealing her original appearance.
Natsuki also undid his transformation, then took off the Shadow Cloak and swaggered out of the casino with the other player.
A moment later.
"President, is the mission completed?"
Chika waved and shouted.
"It's completed." Natsuki nodded, then said, "But I still want to do another side quest."
"Eh?"
"It's that side quest about 'This place is so joyful, I forget my home.'"
Hearing this, the girls all looked over.
Hayasaka crossed her arms over her chest and said disdainfully:
"I thought the President could hold out for a few more days. I didn't expect him to give in after just one day."
Natsuki said seriously:
"When others discover the warehouse theft tomorrow, the park security will definitely increase linearly. It will be very difficult to complete it then."
"That's indeed possible…" Chika nodded, then couldn't help but complain, "But why didn't we receive this side quest? The game is so unfair; it's actually discriminating."
The side quest for 'This place is so joyful, I forget my home' was indeed only received by Natsuki. It didn't appear on any of the women's quest lists.
Natsuki said:
"Perhaps it's because girls don't have such interests?"
Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest and couldn't help but say:
"It should be said that boys are too perverted, right?"
Natsuki retorted in a low voice:
"There are so many male hosts in Tokyo…"
"Hmm?!"
"Let's talk business." Natsuki changed the subject, "This side quest shouldn't be dangerous. Do you want to do it?"
[Side Quest: This Place is Bliss, You Forget Home. You have enjoyed five special services alone.]
Mitsui-san softly offered her opinion:
"I don't think it matters… The reward is what's most important."
Side quests represent rewards.
As a pragmatist, Mitsui-san naturally wouldn't want to miss any rewards, and of course, she wouldn't mind Natsuki doing the side quest.
In fact, the main people Natsuki was asking were Kaguya and Yukino. If he didn't ask them and secretly completed 'This Place is Bliss, You Forget Home,' Kaguya would definitely get angry.
Of course… she was already angry now.
Kaguya's cheeks puffed out slightly. She absolutely didn't want Natsuki to do any special quests, but refusing now would make her seem petty.
As a player, one naturally has to consider the bigger picture… but how could she happily agree!
Kaguya bit her lip and said nothing, looking at Yukino beside her.
Yukino sensed Kaguya's gaze and said coolly:
"I have no objections."
"Eh?!"
Kaguya couldn't help but look over in shock.
She agreed just like that?
Don't you care about being jealous or sulking?
Why can you agree without a care in the world!
No, no!
I can't lose to her!
Kaguya clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and said:
"I, I don't have…"
"Wait a moment—" Hayasaka suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "The requirement for the side quest is just park employees. We also count as park employees, right?"
Chika blinked, not understanding for a moment:
"What does Hanamori-chan mean?"
"It's simple." Hayasaka said casually, "As long as we pay enough consideration, perhaps we can help the President complete the 'This Place is Bliss, You Forget Home' side quest?"
Chika hesitated:
"That kind of thing can't be done, can it?"
"Only practice can dispel doubt." Natsuki said with a righteous face and a resounding voice, "Whether it can be done, we'll know if we try."