Bang.
The door gently closed.
The evil spirits residing in the dorm had already become slaves to money. Now, only Natsuki and Yukino remained.
"Yukino, you'll definitely keep your promise, right?"
Natsuki turned to look at the second young lady.
Yukino crossed her right arm over her chest, her eyes showing disdain, and said, "Of course I'll keep my promise."
"That's good." Natsuki smiled, "We only have ten minutes, let's make the most of our time..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yukino snorted softly.
"Sit down."
Natsuki was stunned: "What?"
"Go sit properly on the chair." Yukino pointed at the table in the middle of the dormitory.
"No problem." Natsuki agreed, walked behind the table and sat down, his hands clasped on the table, like a good student, and said expectantly, "Yukinoshita-sensei, please begin your performance."
Yukino ignored him, instead taking out something and throwing it on the table, her lips lightly parted as she commanded:
"Put it on."
Natsuki looked down at the table and said in surprise:
"What is it?"
Yukino replied:
"A steam eye mask."
This steam eye mask, though called 'steam', of course doesn't actually emit steam; it's just a self-heating eye mask that claims to relieve eye fatigue and promote blood circulation… As for whether it's truly effective, one can only say that if you believe, it is; if you don't, it isn't.
Of course, this item, having come from a Blind Box in the game, is naturally effective. Although it's an unbranded product, the game never scams people when it comes to product quality.
"No." Natsuki looked up speechlessly at Yukino, unable to help but complain, "You said it was a special service, how can you provide service with an eye mask on?"
Yukino tilted her head slightly, her black hair, like silk, cascaded down her shoulders, and she retorted:
"Aren't blind people considered customers?"
"Of course they are…"
"Can't blind people enjoy special services?"
Hey, hey, there's no way to answer that question, it carries the suspicion of discrimination!
Seeing Natsuki speechless, Yukino's lips curved upwards for a moment, then returned to her expressionless, disgusted face, and she said calmly:
"Just as Hanamori said, we are also park employees and can be targets for side quests. So, as long as enough money is given, blind people can certainly enjoy the service… Whether it's possible or not, we'll know by trying."
"That sounds very reasonable…" However, Natsuki still wanted to struggle a bit, raising his right hand and saying, "What if it doesn't work?"
Yukino's pretty face hardened as she said:
"If it doesn't work, then we'll switch people."
"No." Natsuki was shocked, "What about helping with the side quest?"
Yukino's lips curved slightly upwards as she said:
"I helped eliminate a wrong option, so of course that counts as helping."
Natsuki: "…"
In his helplessness, Natsuki could only tear open the steam eye mask and put it on his eyes. Before long, a warm, gentle heat spread around his eyes. He had to admit, it was quite comfortable.
Unfortunately, Natsuki didn't want this comfort at all; he wanted Yukino's special service even more.
"Whew…"
Yukino secretly let out a breath. Seeing Natsuki wearing the eye mask and sitting upright, she gently bit her silver teeth, preparing to take off her clothes.
"Turn your back… or face me?"
Yukino hesitated slightly.
She wanted to turn around, but she was worried that Natsuki would take the opportunity to peek.
After hesitating for a while, Yukino finally made up her mind, turning around with a blush. There was no way; facing him directly felt too shameful, completely unacceptable.
Rustling sounds echoed in the quiet dormitory.
Unfortunately, Natsuki was wearing an eye mask, so he could only hear sounds and see nothing, feeling more tormented than being in prison.
Soon after, Yukino's clear, cold voice sounded in front of him:
"Esteemed customer, please pay first."
"Yes."
Natsuki silently took out his money pouch and handed it over.
Even if he was having the girls around him role-play, the necessary procedures could not be omitted, especially the payment step.
Purchasing a service, paying the consideration, receiving the service… Only after the entire process is completed can it be considered a complete service experience.
Yukino sat opposite Natsuki, her pearly teeth biting her lips, her pretty face flushed crimson, her eyes shy. Although there was only a dim candlelight in the dormitory, the girl's skin was still fair and delicate… Unfortunately, Natsuki couldn't see anything.
"How may I help you?"
Yukino gently exhaled, beginning the special chat service.
Natsuki raised his hand and said:
"My body hurts, I want a lap pillow and a massage…"
"I'm sorry." Yukino's expression became serious, "We only provide chat services."
Since it was an online special service, there could naturally be no physical contact.
"Alright." Natsuki sighed, "I want psychological counseling."
Yukino: "Speak."
Natsuki: "I have a girl I really like. We've kissed and hugged, but she just won't agree to date. What should I do?"
Yukino's pretty face hardened: "I suggest direct seppuku."
Telling someone to commit seppuku right off the bat, even a judge wouldn't rule like that!
Natsuki: "Is having a harem truly an unforgivable sin?"
Yukino: "Death penalty! Immediate execution!"
"…"
Ten minutes passed in a flash.
Yukino clutched her chest, her pretty face taut, and said:
"Time's almost up… How's the progress on the side quest?"
Natsuki said seriously:
"Wearing the eye mask really didn't…"
Before he could finish, Yukino interrupted:
"Anyone who lies will forever [beep——]."
Hey, hey, what kind of outrageous words did you say that they turned into a censored word!
The consequences of lying were too terrifying. Natsuki would rather swallow needles than lose his ability, so he could only honestly say:
"Alright, the side quest's progress did increase."
There was indeed a loophole to exploit in the side quest.
Not only could female players help, but it didn't even matter if they wore an eye mask.
Indeed, in a place like the park, as long as the money is in place, there's nothing that can't be done.
"That's enough then." Yukino clutched her chest, stood up, and didn't forget to turn and instruct, "…Keep the eye mask on. Don't take it off until I tell you to."
Thump.
"Whatever you tell me to do, I have to do." Natsuki clenched his fist and struck the table, unable to help but complain, "Can't I have any family status?"
Yukino glanced over:
"Heh, what do you think?"
"…"
Only after Yukino was fully dressed did Natsuki get permission to remove the eye mask.
"Life has become meaningless…"
Looking at the neatly dressed Yukino, Natsuki sighed faintly.
Yukino gave him a sidelong glance and turned to say:
"Hurry back now."
The two returned to the adjacent dormitory.
"President, Kaguya-chan, you're back!" Chika asked curiously, "How was the attempt? Did it work?"
"It did work, but one person can only satisfy one unit of progress."
Natsuki spoke while looking at Kaguya.
Because she won the competition but lost the man, Kaguya was still in a state of dejection, sitting on a bed in the corner, turning her head to look out the window, pouting and unwilling to turn around.
Chika blinked:
"So, you still need others to help?"
"That's right." Natsuki said earnestly, "For the sake of the side quest, I'm counting on everyone."
Chika's pretty face flushed slightly, and she suggested:
"Then shall we continue with rock-paper-scissors?"
"No need." Yukino suddenly spoke, "Just put on the eye mask."
"Eh?" Chika asked curiously, "What do you mean, Kaguya-chan?"
Hayasaka reacted immediately, saying:
"The President wearing an eye mask won't hinder the mission progress?"
Yukino nodded gently:
"That's right."
"Then that means…" Hayasaka's eyes swirled, "The President didn't see anything?"
Hearing this, Kaguya's ears twitched slightly, and she finally turned to look over.
"As soon as I entered the next dormitory, I was forced to put on an eye mask." Natsuki raised his right hand and guaranteed, "I didn't take the eye mask off until the very end, so I didn't see anything."
"President… you really didn't see anything?"
Kaguya's eyes brightened slightly, and the gloom in them finally disappeared.
So, she didn't personally push the President into the arms of a bad woman?
Mitsui crossed her arms over her chest and nodded gently:
"It seems the side quest doesn't have too many restrictions; there are many ways to complete it."
"Even so, Natsuki-kun is still super amazing." The female player clasped her hands to her chest, her eyes full of admiration, "If it were anyone else, they wouldn't be able to take out that many sin coins, right?"
"You can even wear an eye mask." Chika put her hands on her hips, excitedly saying, "Then there's no need to play rock-paper-scissors anymore. I'll help the President increase the progress!"
After speaking, Chika suddenly noticed Kaguya in the corner and corrected herself:
"…Or maybe Kaguya-chan can help first?"
Kaguya shook her head:
"I refuse."
Agreeing to help so quickly, isn't that too shameless!
She should at least be asked a few more times; in short, she couldn't agree immediately.
"Alright then." Chika said casually, "If Kaguya-chan doesn't want to, then so be it. Anyway, the President will be wearing an eye mask the whole time, so we can just help him!"
Kaguya: "…"
I didn't say I wouldn't help, don't exclude me!
Having found a shortcut for the side quest, there was no need to say more; naturally, they would complete the side quest in one go.
"President, let's go." Chika was excited, raising her chin and saying, "To the next dormitory."
"Mm."
Natsuki responded and followed Chika to the adjacent dorm.
"Is this the steam eye mask Yukino-chan mentioned?" Chika picked up the eye mask from the table and handed it to Natsuki. "President, put it on quickly."
"I refuse."
Natsuki raised an eyebrow slightly, then casually tossed the eye mask aside.
"Eh?"
"Wearing an eye mask is super uncomfortable." Natsuki looked at secretary Chika. "So I choose to wear nothing at all."
Chika's pretty face quickly flushed red. She raised her arms to cover her body and stepped back, saying:
"President, what are you trying to do?"
Slap.
Natsuki reached out and pressed his hand against the wall behind Chika, cornering secretary Chika in a wall-slam, and said from above:
"Of course, I'm going to take advantage of you."
Chika's pretty face was crimson, and she couldn't help but glare at him:
"Everyone's next door, they'll hear us!"
"I know." Natsuki lowered his voice. "So, Chika, you don't want everyone to hear, do you?"
Chika: "..."
The President is really going too far!
Twenty minutes later.
The progress of the side quest increased by one again.
Natsuki and Chika returned to the adjacent dorm, then prepared for the next girl to provide special chat services.
There's no need to elaborate on what happened next. If it was Hayasaka, the eye mask was naturally tossed aside. When it was Mitsui and the passerby player, Natsuki honestly wore the eye mask the entire time. In short, he treated them differently.
After an hour of such busyness, and having spent over a thousand sin coins, Natsuki finally received a notification from the game:
[You have independently experienced the special chat service. You have completed the side quest 'Here is joy, no thought of return'.]
[Quest rewards will be issued together after clearing the dungeon.]
"Finally finished." Natsuki sat down at the table and gulped down water. "Time to rest."
Sometimes wearing an eye mask, sometimes not, and unable to do anything else, he could only drink water to calm himself down.
Kaguya's pretty face tightened, and she suddenly said:
"President, you should rest in the adjacent dorm tonight."
"Huh?" Natsuki was startled. "You're actually making me sleep next door?"
"That's right, we don't want the President anymore." Hayasaka added from the side, "President, don't disturb us tonight."
"It's Sakurai Mika." Chika explained, "Mika said there's a very scary evil spirit in her dorm that was taking advantage of her last night, so we definitely can't let her go back there. She'll naturally stay with us... The dorm beds are too small, three people can't possibly fit. The adjacent dorm just happens to be empty, so President, you should rest there."
"No." Natsuki still wanted to argue. "What about the night watch?"
Yukino's voice was cool and clear:
"We've already discussed it. We'll take turns on night watch."
Natsuki still didn't give up, saying:
"I'll be sleeping alone next door, won't that be very dangerous?"
"It's okay." Hayasaka smiled. "If the President is attacked by an evil spirit tonight, just shout for help, and we'll come to save the President."
...
Having no choice, Natsuki could only return to the adjacent dorm alone, leaving him to guard an empty room.
After a simple wash, Natsuki casually chose a bed and lay down.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to bring a cell phone into the dungeon, so he tossed and turned on the bed, unable to sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Natsuki suddenly remembered the Dream Link skill he had copied from the passerby player earlier.
"How about I try it out and see what it does?"
He decided to try it right away.
Natsuki closed his eyes and silently activated Dream Link. Immediately, he felt his consciousness seem to detach from his body, floating into the air. The entire world became bizarre and colorful, leaving only a chaotic interplay of light and darkness.
Between the light and darkness, transparent bubbles floated, containing hazy things circulating within. Looking closely, he couldn't see them clearly, which were clearly the dreams of the girls next door after they had fallen asleep.
A realization dawned on Natsuki:
"These bubbles should be other people's dreams..."
It now seemed that the Dream Link skill had many restrictions. First, the target had to be asleep; otherwise, if they weren't dreaming, Dream Link would naturally be impossible.
"It feels a bit useless..."
Natsuki silently evaluated it.
Evil spirits are not living beings, just like Mrs. Shimizu, they don't need sleep at all. The Dream Link skill naturally has no effect on evil spirits. What's the use of only being able to use it on ordinary people?
Natsuki's mind stirred, and his consciousness curiously came before a dream bubble. A sudden realization came to him.
"Dream Link is divided into two situations: one is a conscious mode, and the other is an immersive mode..."
"As the name suggests."
"Conscious mode is what is called a lucid dream. In immersive mode, it will be like a normal dream, and you will also be immersed in it."
"Not only that, but you can also set the mode for the invaded dream owner. If you set it to conscious mode, as time passes, the other party will also enter a state of lucid dreaming."
"In addition, there can be more than one linked dream. As long as the target is dreaming and not too far apart in reality, you can even link multiple people's dreams together."
Natsuki wasn't clear about the difference between the two dream modes, so to be safe, he naturally chose the conscious invasion mode.
Since it was just to experience the skill, Natsuki didn't have a specific target. He directly linked everyone's dreams together, then casually chose the nearest dream bubble and directly crashed into it.
The next second.
As light and darkness intertwined before his eyes, Natsuki found himself in a room.
"A bed to start with..."
Natsuki looked around and found himself lying on a bed, with a ceiling above him that was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.
Splash, splash.
The sound of water came from nearby.
Natsuki turned his head to look and found a semi-transparent frosted glass bathroom. Someone was showering inside, and the figure within looked vaguely familiar, but because the glass was blurry, he couldn't make out who it was for a while.
"This is a hotel layout..." Natsuki instantly recognized his surroundings and couldn't help but wonder, "Who is showering in the bathroom?"
This was his first time entering someone else's dream, and Natsuki felt it was quite novel. He wasn't in a hurry and just waited on the bed.
A moment later.
Click.
The bathroom door opened.
A fair-skinned girl with long black hair stepped out.
"Yukino?"
Natsuki instantly recognized the identity of the girl from the bathroom.
Clearly, the owner of the dream he had entered was Yukino.
"Natsuki... what's wrong?"
Yukino tilted her head and looked over, but her eyes were clearly not as lively as in reality, appearing somewhat blank and adorable.
Natsuki asked:
"Where are we?"
"I..." Yukino blinked, a confused expression appearing on her pretty face. "I don't know."
"As expected, she's very dull."
Natsuki thought for a moment and understood. He was currently in conscious dream mode, while Yukino was in ordinary immersive dream mode.
In other words, she was in a subconscious state right now, so it was normal for her to be a bit dull.
After understanding this, Natsuki couldn't help but smile and commanded:
"Yukino, call me Master."
"Master..."
"Call me papa."
"...Do you want to die once?"
...
She wasn't even willing to call him papa in a dream. She really wasn't cute at all.