"Wh-why is there a punishment card to take off clothes?!"
Chika couldn't help but exclaim.
"Eh, I don't know."
Facing Chika's question, Marin's expression was incredibly innocent, and she tilted her head, saying, "I didn't notice when I bought it. Maybe some strange punishment cards got mixed in... It's a small matter, don't worry about it. As long as everyone has fun."
Sayu used a taunt from the side:
"Chika-chan isn't going to back out, is she?"
"I'm not backing out!"
Chika immediately fell for it, lifting her chin and saying:
"I always keep my word and accept my losses."
It was still summer, and it was night, so everyone's clothes were very light.
For example, Chika was wearing a white pajama top and a short skirt, with a pair of black over-the-knee socks on her legs. Besides that, there were no other clothes.
"If I have to take them off, I will..."
Chika said she'd take them off and quickly removed her two stockings, tossing them aside, then urged:
"Keep going, keep going."
Embarrassment or anything... there really wasn't any.
They were all girls, and during their previous island survival, they often bathed together by the sea. Besides, it was just a pair of stockings; there was no reason to be embarrassed, unless she had to take off her pajamas too... No way?
There wouldn't be any more strange cards in the box, would there?
"Strange..."
Chika was oblivious, but Juju, as someone who had been through it, keenly sensed that something was off. The scene in front of her felt subtly familiar, and she couldn't help but turn her small head to look at Natsuki.
"Stare—"
"Juju, why are you looking at me?"
Natsuki's expression was innocent as he asked in a low voice.
Juju crossed her arms, her eyes vigilant, and said in a low voice:
"Stupid Natsuki, did you intentionally design this to trick everyone into playing that terrible King's game with you?"
Natsuki sighed and said:
"It's so hurtful. Even though you're my closest girlfriend, Juju, you don't trust me at all."
"Pfft~"
Juju snorted, her voice full of disdain:
"You know what you've done before!"
Tricking her into going to the park to see fireflies in the middle of the night, getting bitten by mosquitoes many times, and even taking advantage of her and Sayu at Marin's house... Stupid Natsuki had already turned into the embodiment of Lust!
Juju highly suspected that the slightly off King's game they were playing was still Natsuki's doing, intended to satisfy his evil inner self.
"I didn't, I didn't."
Natsuki raised his right hand and said seriously, "If I designed tonight's King's game, then may I be impotent in the future."
Tonight's King's game was initiated by Sayu and Marin from beginning to end, and it truly had nothing to do with him, so he wasn't afraid to make such a drastic vow.
"Eh?"
Juju's eyes widened in surprise.
He would even make such a vow about this... Did she really wrong Stupid Natsuki?
The game continued.
The subsequent punishments quickly returned to normal, but it didn't last long. Soon after, Juju drew a terrible punishment card.
[Special Event Card: Kiss the closest boy for one minute]
"Once might be an accident... Twice is definitely not an accident!"
Juju took a deep breath, completely certain that the King's game in front of her was very strange, so she wanted to escape:
"My stomach hurts. You guys play; I'm going back to rest first."
Slap.
"Juju, don't go."
Marin grabbed Juju's wrist, whispering, "You grabbed my hand last time and wouldn't let me escape. Today, it's my turn to return the favor."
"Last time..."
Juju involuntarily recalled the scene from their last game of Tetris, and her small face quickly flushed red.
Honestly, Juju really wanted to run away, but it was true that she was in the wrong last time...
"Juju, accept your losses."
Chika was still urging from the side, "Hurry up and accept the punishment; don't back out, okay?"
Looking at Chika, who was completely oblivious and had no idea what was about to happen, Juju couldn't help but cast a sympathetic look.
Although she didn't know who the mastermind was, it was highly likely that it was to drag her into this...
At the same time, Juju was also a little sulky.
Don't back out, huh?
Urging her to hurry up, huh?
Just wait until the truth is revealed; let's see how you cry then!
Even Chika, who was usually unrestrained, would surely be too embarrassed to cry when faced with such a terrible thing, right?
For some reason, a subtle anticipation suddenly arose in Juju's heart, her heartbeat quietly accelerated, and the temperature on her face also involuntarily started to heat up.
"...I understand!"
Listening to her own thumping heartbeat, Juju bit her silver teeth lightly and agreed to accept the punishment.
As for the closest boy beside her, there was no one else but Natsuki.
So Juju came in front of Natsuki, standing at a height that was just level with him, her small face taut, and said fiercely:
"You... close your eyes, and don't open them."
Natsuki turned to look at Chika, cleared his throat twice, and said:
"How about we stop here?"
"Let's keep playing."
Chika immediately said, "Accept your losses. It's just a kiss; it doesn't matter."
"Alright."
Natsuki closed his eyes upon hearing this.
Juju took a deep breath, her small face burning, and under the gaze of Marin, Sayu, and Chika, she tiptoed forward.
The room quietly fell silent.
Natsuki secretly opened one eye, observing Chika's expression.
Marin and Sayu, needless to say, the two girls were already accustomed to it. As for Chika... Wait, what's with that wide-eyed, curious expression?
At a time like this, shouldn't you be feeling wronged, jealous, and sad?
One minute later.
"Done."
Juju wiped her lips, sat back in her seat, crossed her arms, and snorted with a red face, "Continue."
Natsuki looked at Chika and said faintly:
"I'm no longer pure."
Juju immediately became furious, her clean, snow-white little foot directly kicked out:
"Die!"
Secretary Chika's expression was normal; she wasn't forcing a smile, nor was she feeling wronged. Her voice was clear as she said:
"President, don't worry about it. It's fine. When participating in mixer parties, there are often similar punishment games. It's quite common."
"Eh?" Sayu looked over in surprise, "Chika-chan has participated in that kind of mixer?"
"Of course not."
Chika shook her head and said, "I just heard about it from a friend. Keep going, everyone, keep playing."
Natsuki looked at Chika and said:
"If that friend of yours invites you to a mixer, don't go."
Chika puffed out her pink cheeks and glared at him:
"What are you talking about, President? Of course I wouldn't go to a place like that!"
"..."
The game continued.
Marin and Sayu were secretly fanning the flames. Juju was wavering; sometimes her inner little angel gained the upper hand, wanting to save Chika from misery, and sometimes her inner little devil tipped the scales, wanting to see if Chika would be too embarrassed to cry when the truth was revealed. Only Chika was kept in the dark, completely oblivious.
Time quietly flowed by, and before they knew it, night was deep.
And then...
The girls all achieved their respective wishes.
For Sayu, the Master's happiness was the pet's happiness. When Natsuki was in Hokkaido and had someone use Divination to summon Yuuko's ghost to help her resolve her emotional knots, Sayu had already dedicated her entire being to him.
It was no exaggeration to say that even if Natsuki wanted to kill someone, Sayu would be there to hand him the knife. So, Sayu was willing to do anything that could make Natsuki happy.
Marin, on the other hand, fulfilled her desire to drag others into her fun. Good girlfriends should be together for life, not hide things and be awkward with each other.
Juju also achieved her wish, witnessing firsthand that people's physiques are indeed different, and not everyone cries when they reach the peak of embarrassment...
Next was Chika. Amidst phrases like 'Chika isn't going to back out, is she?', 'One must be true to their word', and 'Accept your losses', she gradually lost herself and eventually played Tetris with her friends until dawn.
Finally, Natsuki.
Happiness belonged to others; all that was left for him was a sore back and knees, and philosophical insights into the universe and life.
The night passed without a word.
The next day.
Everyone got up and washed, then didn't go for breakfast. Chika, with a flushed face, anxiously ran off with Moeha.
"Eh, eh, eh, is older sister not having breakfast?"
Moeha was clueless.
"No!" Chika said, lowering her head, "I have no appetite!"
Moeha:
"What game were you playing last night, older sister? You didn't come back all night?"
"K-K-King game..."
Chika stammered, her pretty face quickly flushing red uncontrollably. No matter how uninhibited she was, recalling it now still made her feel incredibly ashamed.
But no one else could be blamed.
In Chika's memory, she herself insisted on playing from beginning to end. Natsuki even asked her from time to time if she wanted to stop, but she refused to back out, so she could only blame herself and swallow the bitter pill.
"Take it slow on the way." Natsuki waved, "Text me when you get home."
"Got it, Senpai."
Moeha waved as Chika pulled her away.
Marin stood nearby, her eyes looking over with resentment, and she said in a low voice:
"Natsuki, are you satisfied now?"
Natsuki looked at Marin, puzzled:
"You were clearly very happy last night, why are you angry now?"
"Hmph."
Marin snorted softly, crossed her arms over her chest, and turned to leave.
Natsuki: "..."
A girl's heart is indeed like a needle at the bottom of the sea. Last night, you were the one who designed the King game, and now you're sulking... Wait, why does this feel familiar?
Marin wouldn't have some terrible special fetish, would she?
If the roles were reversed, it would clearly be a Netorare enthusiast!
"Master, don't worry." Sayu blinked and whispered, "Marin-chan is just jealous. When you woke up this morning, you did that Chika-chan but didn't do anything to Marin-chan, so she's definitely unhappy."
Natsuki looked speechless:
"Let's go, let's eat at the restaurant."
Compared to yesterday, today's restaurant had many more unfamiliar faces, almost all of them new players.
Shoko had already gone home last night. As a good student, staying out for one night was the limit. After replenishing her magic, Komi immediately slipped back home.
Those who left last night also included Tsubame and Momo. Tsubame still had to take care of Aoi, and Momo, as a visitor from another world with no home, was eventually taken away by Tsubame.
After breakfast.
Natsuki messaged Yukino, asking if he could leave the hotel today.
Yukino messaged him back, saying his name wasn't in the Future Diary and he was free to do as he pleased. So Natsuki greeted Mitsui, and with Sayu, Marin, and Juju, he finally walked out of the hotel.
"Whew..."
As the bright sunlight fell upon him, Natsuki felt his mood lift entirely. Even the distorted evil spirits wandering the streets looked much more pleasant.
Only after surviving in a Apocalypse world could one truly appreciate how hard-won the current everyday world was.
Natsuki greeted Marin and Sayu and prepared to go back. The matter of the apocalypse's arrival would naturally be handled by the higher-ups in the government, but he also needed to start preparing in advance.
First was to copy a skill—
Taking out his phone, sending a message, and arranging a meeting place, Natsuki turned and boarded the tram.
An hour later.
An inconspicuous cold drink shop on the street corner.
Natsuki met the second player player from the Evil park dungeon.
"Natsuki-kun, good morning!"
Sakurai bowed ninety degrees, her attitude exceptionally respectful, and her eyes filled with gratitude.
Natsuki accepted it calmly and nodded:
"Good morning."
In the Sin Park dungeon, Natsuki had led her to complete multiple side quests. Each side quest had rewards, and the total earnings at the end left her stunned; no amount of gratitude would be too much.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Natsuki took out his Lucky Coin and Copy Scroll to extract a skill from the passerby player.
The outcome was no surprise.
Ten minutes later, Natsuki successfully acquired a brand new purple skill.
[Skill: Dream Link]
[Category: Active Skill]
[Attribute: When you link to a target's dream, you will be able to enter their dream.]
Although the skill was a support skill, it was actually quite practical. Without mentioning other uses, using Dream Link would most likely allow him to communicate and chat with Miko from another world in dreams, gathering information.
"Thank you."
With the skill in hand, Natsuki thanked her and then left. He originally planned to go home and rest, but on the way, he received a message from Haruno.
"Natsuki-kun~ Did you forget your little girlfriend?"
Where are you small?
You're clearly very big!
Wait, when did I confess to Haruno?
Natsuki: "I just left the hotel this morning, is there something, Haruno-nee?"
Haruno: "Nothing at all, just missing Natsuki-kun, wanting to get close to Natsuki-kun."
Stop being stubborn, you're clearly having a succubus addiction episode and want to absorb Yang energy!
Haruno: "Natsuki-kun, are you free at noon? I'm preparing lunch now. Come over to eat at noon, okay?"
Natsuki: "Give me the address, I'll be right over."
"..."
The journey was uneventful.
Natsuki, carrying the fruit he had just bought from the supermarket, arrived outside the high-end apartment building where Haruno lived and pressed the doorbell.
The door opened quickly.
Natsuki expected to be greeted by Haruno wearing a naked apron, but behind the door was a girl with long black hair.
"Yukino... why are you here?"