"I see."
Natsuki quickly understood.
The method was simple.
The game often triggered random area dungeons in reality. Once it was confirmed that the game's method of selecting players was psychic talent, then having players with psychic aptitude concentrated in the trigger area of a random dungeon would likely result in them being chosen as players.
It should be noted that, apart from players who used invitation letters or other special items, most players were suddenly chosen by the game, completely ordinary people who were Confused. In this state, suddenly entering a horror game, ninety percent would not be able to remain calm and rational, and the death rate would naturally remain high.
But if they received training and were prepared in advance, their survival rate could, of course, be significantly increased.
For example, Kashiwagi.
In the Student Council office that morning, she said she dreamed of radio waves from another world, which likely meant she also possessed psychic talent.
Natsuki agreed, "I feel that the number of players will soon explode."
Mitsui gently shook her head, "This is just a preliminary speculation for now. Whether it's truly the case still requires multiple verifications to confirm... I hope the guess is correct."
In the face of Anomalies and Strange Tales, firearms and other hot weapons were all ineffective. The power of nuclear bombs was still unclear, but unless one had the intention of mutual destruction, no one would drop a nuclear bomb.
Therefore, players were the true main force against strangeness.
If a way could be found to quickly increase the number and scale of players, it would undoubtedly be a good thing that benefited the country and the people.
The casual chat ended.
There was still some time until dark. To be safe, Natsuki took out his phone and began contacting everyone to come and help, just in case.
The first to arrive were the Fujiwara sisters.
"Senpai, we're here!"
The door opened, and a junior high girl with short pigtails happily ran in, her smile especially bright.
She hugged Natsuki's arm and happily shook him: "Hmm, it's Senpai's scent~ It feels like I haven't seen Senpai for a long time!"
Natsuki subtly pulled his arm away, saying, "We just saw each other an hour ago."
It has to be said, the difference between people is truly too great.
Although Moeha is a junior high student, her development far surpasses many high school students.
Natsuki just briefly estimated that Moeha alone could probably take on Kaguya, Hayasaka, and Juju combined.
"Video calls don't count…"
Moeha stopped mid-sentence, her small face suddenly blushing rapidly, clearly remembering the incident where she accidentally exposed herself.
She quickly took half a step back, widening the distance between herself and Natsuki, stuck out her pink tongue, and changed the subject: "Sister, why aren't you speaking?"
"How can I not be speaking…?"
Chika looked over, and because she had just showered, she wasn't wearing her school uniform but a white floral dress.
"President, good afternoon."
Natsuki said nonchalantly, "Secretary Chika, good afternoon."
Hearing the address 'Secretary Chika,' Chika's pretty face flushed slightly, and she glared at him shyly when no one was looking.
The reason was simple.
In the restroom that morning, Natsuki had called her 'Secretary Chika' many times, specifically to provoke her.
"Eh?"
Moeha tilted her head, a look of confusion on her small face, and rested her right hand on her chin, saying, "Sister is a bit strange today."
"What's strange about me?"
Chika insisted, "I'm always like this, okay?"
"Something's not right," Moeha said confidently, "Sister is never this quiet when she sees the President; she would have been chattering non-stop by now."
"That's right, Moeha is correct," Natsuki chimed in, "Chika does seem a bit off today.
Are you feeling unwell?"
"Ugh—"
Chika involuntarily puffed out her pink cheeks.
"It's all the President's fault for having such lewd thoughts!
And now he's even siding with Moeha to take advantage of me, it's too much!"
Chika snorted lightly, "Whether I'm well or not, the President knows better than anyone, right?"
Natsuki's gaze was meaningful: "That's true, indeed no one knows better than I do whether Chika-sama is feeling well."
Chika: "…"
"President, with your lewd thoughts, don't say strange things in front of Moeha!"
"How strange," Moeha blinked, confused, "I always feel like Senpai and Sister are talking about things I don't understand."
Chika coughed twice, "If you know you don't understand, then don't ask!"
Fortunately, at that moment, Moeha's junior high best friend ran down from upstairs.
Good friends meeting each other is always especially joyful, and Moeha quickly forgot about everything else.
A moment later.
The doorbell rang once again.
Natsuki opened the door and saw Kaguya and a blonde Maid Hayasaka standing gracefully outside.
Their eyes met.
Kaguya's lips curved slightly upward, and she said softly, "President, good afternoon."
Natsuki smiled and said, "Kaguya, good afternoon."
After greeting Kaguya, Natsuki looked at Maid Hayasaka, who was half a step behind, and said gently, "Maid Miss, good afternoon."
"Not good at all," Hayasaka complained, "I was busy all morning, and just when I finally got a chance to rest, one message called me out.
I can't be happy at all."
Chika's voice was clear: "Chika-chan, Ai-chan, come inside, come inside."
After they met, they sat on the living room sofa on the first floor, waiting for nightfall.
Calling Chika and Kaguya over was mainly for contingencies; the main force for capturing the Strange Tale was actually the Strange Tales Management Bureau, so there was no need to call everyone over.
Natsuki sat on the sofa, exchanged a few words with the girls, then got up to go to the restroom.
As he passed Hayasaka, he quietly touched Maid Hayasaka's shoulder.
Arriving at the restroom, after a simple wash, Natsuki walked onto the balcony to admire the view outside.
Not long after.
Light footsteps sounded behind him, and a blonde Maid Hayasaka floated over.
"Why did the President call me over?"
Hayasaka walked to Natsuki's side, her arms crossed over her chest.
Natsuki withdrew his gaze and looked at Maid Hayasaka beside him.
In the bright sunlight, the girl's blonde hair sparkled, exceptionally dazzling and incomparably beautiful.
"Of course, it's because I missed Ai-chan," Natsuki said shamelessly, "I want to replenish my Maid Hayasaka energy."
"President, please behave yourself."
Hayasaka took half a step back, avoiding Natsuki's outstretched right hand, and said, "You don't want to be seen by Kaguya and Chika, do you?"
Natsuki pondered for two seconds and spoke the truth in his heart: "Actually, being seen is even more exciting."
"Heh…"
Hayasaka sneered: "The President is indeed an incredible pervert."
Natsuki smiled: "Thank you for the compliment."
After becoming a player, Natsuki gradually discovered a hidden truth about the human world.
Everyone talks about upholding morals and being a moral and law-abiding person, but in reality, the higher a person's moral standards, the more painful their life becomes.
Conversely, those who are shameless tend to thrive in society and live happily.
"Tsk~"
Hayasaka lightly clicked her tongue, complaining, "Among all the high school students I know, the President's thick skin should undoubtedly be number one."
Natsuki, far from being ashamed, took pride in it, saying, "Life is only a few decades long; it seems vast, but it's actually just a fleeting moment.
Except for those great individuals who leave their names in history, all ordinary people's lives will vanish with the wind, leaving no trace in history."
"So, why not be bolder, be the person you truly want to be, and say what you truly want to say in your heart, for example…"
Natsuki took a deep breath, then said softly, "I like Hayasaka."
"It's the kind of liking where I want to be with Hayasaka forever."
"If one day Hayasaka turns into a witch who destroys the world, I will still firmly stand by Hayasaka's side and help you destroy the world together."
"…"
Facing such a direct confession, even Maid Hayasaka's pretty face flushed slightly, but she said, "Tch~ So-called 'liking' is just the explosive secretion of hormones in the brain.
Once the hormones stop secreting, so-called liking will immediately turn into disgust."
Natsuki took Hayasaka's right hand and said softly, "It seems Ai-chan is very unconfident about her charm."
"Tch."
Hayasaka didn't pull away this time, letting Natsuki hold her right hand, then said airily, "That junior high girl from last night has been arranged for. Her father happened to work for a the Shinomiya family subsidiary, and I told Kaguya's third brother the situation, directly sending him to work in Africa… No wonder the President was so concerned; that little girl has fair skin and a good figure, she's indeed very cute."
Natsuki said speechlessly, "No wonder you always grow jealous mushrooms; you even get jealous of a stranger with no name…"
"Eh, I didn't hear that clearly."
Hayasaka raised her right leg and stepped on Natsuki's foot, a dangerous smile on her pretty face: "President, please repeat that."
"I'm sorry, I was wrong," Natsuki inhaled sharply, decisively bowing his head and apologizing three times, "Please, please forgive me."
"Hmph~"
Hayasaka then lifted her foot and withdrew her right hand, saying, "I'm going back; if I don't, Kaguya will start to suspect."
What's there left to suspect?
Last time you and Kaguya swapped bodies, Kaguya already knew your depths and lengths, right?
Natsuki lowered his voice and said, "The Strange Tale capture is scheduled for 7 PM.
If there are no surprises, it won't take long to finish… Are you resting alone tonight?"
Hayasaka paused slightly, and without turning her head, said, "We'll see then."
"…"
It was quickly 7 PM.
All operational personnel were in position.
In the large villa, apart from the protagonist, Ayaka, a junior high student, all other servants, Maid Hayasaka, and so on had already left the villa in advance, leaving only Natsuki, Kaguya, and a few others, along with the Strange Tales Management Bureau's operational personnel.
"The most dangerous rule of [Evil Neighbor] is its ability to distort our will, making us perceive it as our closest person," Mitsui suggested, "Although we have the Heart-Cleansing Pendant equipped, to be safe, should everyone still drink a bottle of potion to increase their mental resistance?"
The Mind-Cleansing Pendant, this item is a special protective item produced by the game.
Wearing it can defend against mental attacks and also has the effect of making one's ears clear, eyes bright, and thoughts agile.
The Strange Tales Management Bureau is wealthy and naturally not short of defensive items, so everyone wore a Mind-Cleansing Pendant.
Of course, whether it could resist the Strange Tale's rules was still unknown.
Therefore, everyone agreed to Mitsui's suggestion, with no one raising objections.
"Mental potion, huh…"
Kaguya slightly pursed her lips, her eyes hesitant, and her pretty face flushed crimson, clearly remembering her previous experience of drinking a mental potion, accidentally swapping bodies with Hayasaka, and then being ambushed by Natsuki at night.
Terrifying.
It was too terrifying no matter how she thought about it.
"Don't worry, Kaguya," Hayasaka said softly, "Only by drinking a special Twin Potion is it possible to swap bodies; ordinary potions won't produce that side effect."
One body swap was enough.
Even for Kaguya, Hayasaka didn't want a second time.
"Then, that's good…"
Kaguya couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, took the Witch Potion, and drank it.
At this moment, Hayasaka spoke again, her voice faint: "But Kaguya still needs to be careful."
"Eh?"
Kaguya tilted her head and looked over.
Hayasaka smiled and said, "Although there are no side effects of body swapping, other side effects might appear."
Kaguya: "…"
As long as it's not body swapping, other side effects don't matter… right?
"President, aren't you going to drink the potion?"
Chika asked curiously.
Natsuki shook his head and said, "The potion only increases mental resistance. Whether it can resist the Strange Tale's rules hasn't been verified yet…"
As he spoke, Natsuki took out a white Forgetfulness Mask.
"Ah, I forgot there was this mask," Chika blinked, "I remember this mask is very painful to wear, right?"
Wearing this Mask of Forgetfulness will lock memories, and all forgotten memories will be retrieved. However, compared to happiness, pain is more unforgettable. Wearing the mask means enduring past suffering.
Natsuki said softly, "As long as we can catch that Strange Tale, a small sacrifice is completely worth it."
As he spoke, Natsuki separated a wisp of his mental will and entered the black mud bracelet on his wrist, using the ruleless black mud to completely isolate the erosion of rules, ensuring no accidents would occur.
Everything was ready.
Everyone quickly took action.
Ayaka stayed alone in the room, while Natsuki and the others lay in wait in nearby rooms, ready to execute the plan at any time.
Time flew by.
After an unknown amount of time, a knocking sound suddenly rang out.
Thump thump thump.
The low knocking echoed in the hallway.
"They're here!"
Natsuki's spirit suddenly lifted.
Besides Ayaka, there were no other ordinary people in the villa. In other words, the person knocking was definitely the Strange Tale [Evil Neighbor].
Chika opened her eyes wide and said expectantly, "Is that Strange Tale here?"
Natsuki nodded and said, "There's no mistake."
Chika immediately clenched her small fists:
"Ayaka-chan must be very scared. Let's rush out and catch it quickly!"
"Don't be impulsive. As long as Ayaka-san doesn't open the door, she won't violate the rules," Kaguya gently held Chika back and whispered, "Let's check the surveillance first."
Before the capture operation began, everyone had repeatedly reminded the junior high student not to open the door. As long as the door wasn't opened, the Strange Tale's rules wouldn't be triggered.
Mitsui said softly, "That's right, let's watch the surveillance video first."
For this capture operation, the Strange Tales Management Bureau had installed several surveillance devices in the hallway in advance. The devices were directly connected to mobile phones, allowing everyone to view the surveillance content on their phones.
Natsuki looked down at his phone. The surveillance software had always been on and never turned off. The scene in the hallway immediately appeared before his eyes.
At the door of Ayaka's room, a little girl wearing a white floral dress had appeared at some point. She also looked like a junior high student, barefoot, and was raising her right hand, slowly knocking on the door.
The moment his gaze fell on that face, Natsuki felt a slight dizziness in his head, as if some force wanted to distort his memory. He immediately, without hesitation, picked up the mask and placed it face down on his face.
"How strange…" a voice hesitated, it was an official player from the Strange Tales Management Bureau, who was only wearing a Mind-Cleansing Pendant and had not drunk the Witch Potion, for the purpose of a comparative experiment, "What are we doing here?"
Mitsui pressed her brow and said hesitantly, "We came to… capture the Strange Tale, yes, it's for capturing the Strange Tale."
Another staff member hesitated and said, "But there's no Strange Tale in the hallway."
Kaguya gently furrowed her delicate brows and whispered, "The girl knocking on the door is very strange."
"Did we mistake someone?" Chika's voice carried a hint of hesitation, "She seems to be Ayaka-chan's younger sister?"
"…"
Natsuki silently listened to everyone's whispers, analyzing and collecting information.
It was clear that the rules of [Evil Neighbor] were quite bizarre. Even through surveillance, it could still affect others. A single Mind-Cleansing Pendant could not resist the erosion of the rules. After drinking the mental potion, the combination of the two still caused memory confusion, but it had already raised doubts about the Strange Tale's identity.
"Almost there."
Natsuki stood up and said in a deep voice, "Ayaka has no younger sister, only an older brother, who is not in the villa. The girl knocking on the door is precisely the Strange Tale [Evil Neighbor]."
In the video surveillance, because the door couldn't be opened, the actions of [Evil Neighbor] clearly sped up, and an impatient expression appeared on her face.
Natsuki said solemnly, "The capture operation can begin."
Hearing this, the girls stood up one after another.
"Although in my memory she's Ayaka-chan's younger sister…" Chika took a deep breath, clenched her small fists and said, "But I trust the President more. If he says it's an anomaly, then it's an anomaly."
Hayasaka tilted her head and said, "Mitsui-san, do we make a move, or do you make a move first?"
Mitsui took a deep breath, her expression serious as she said, "We make a move first."
Regarding Natsuki's words, Kaguya, Chika, and Mitsui all trusted him unconditionally.
However, the other few Strange Tales Management Bureau players were somewhat hesitant:
"That's the Foreign Minister's daughter. What if we accidentally injure her…?"
Mitsui tightened her pretty face and said, "Execute the capture plan now! If we catch the wrong person, I'll take responsibility!"
"…"
With Mitsui's endorsement, the few official players finally no longer hesitated and began the capture operation according to the previously formulated plan.
"President, do we need to help?"
Chika asked in a low voice.
Natsuki shook his head and said, "Just observe the situation. Don't underestimate the power of the officials."
"…"
Facts proved that Natsuki was absolutely right.
The Strange Tales Management Bureau now had many players and talented individuals. It was already a very mature organization and would not cease to function because of the absence of one person.
Through the surveillance camera, one could see that the five official players participating in the operation were all highly skilled. Some could throw snowballs, which, upon landing, directly froze several square meters around them. Others could summon plants, and countless white roots suddenly dangled from mid-air, like living creatures, coiling towards the [Evil Neighbor]'s child entity.
The [Evil Neighbor] child entity seemed to have no other abilities besides distorting and modifying others' wills. It stood blankly in place and was quickly subdued by the combined efforts of several official players.
"Phew…"
Seeing this, Mitsui couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
For the capture operation to conclude successfully, as the commander, she naturally deserved credit and bore the greatest pressure.
However, at this moment, an anomaly suddenly occurred.
A middle-aged female player suddenly screamed, and the black long stick in her hand abruptly poked at another official player next to her, yelling, "No one is going to hurt my daughter!"
Crack!
The tip of the black long stick was some kind of special weapon, and blue-white electric arcs suddenly released from its tip, crackling in the air.
The male player was caught off guard by the attack and let out a muffled groan, collapsing to the ground and beginning to convulse.
"Ms. Koizumi, what are you doing?"
Mitsui's expression changed. She quickly brought the walkie-talkie to her mouth and sternly shouted, "Stop immediately!"
But it was no use.
The middle-aged female player seemed to have fallen into a state of madness and began to indiscriminately attack everyone.
The other players, not expecting a traitor to suddenly appear in the team, dodged in haste, and their formation immediately fell into disarray. Some even showed the same symptoms as the female player and began to attack others around them.
"Eh eh eh?" Chika opened her eyes wide and quickly said, "Why did they suddenly start fighting among themselves?"
Natsuki narrowed his eyes slightly and shook his head, "It's not infighting. It should be due to the mental influence of [Evil Neighbor], making them perceive the other party as their closest person, which is why they suddenly attacked those around them."
"I see." Chika suddenly realized, "No wonder she suddenly called her 'daughter' just now."
Not everyone can uphold righteousness over family. In fact, more ordinary people choose to shield their relatives when something happens.
In ancient times, there was a saying, 'Relatives concealing for each other is not a crime.'
The meaning is simple: if a father hides for his son, or a son hides for his father, and they are blood relatives, the law will not pursue them for mutual concealment. Even in modern times, if a man is a criminal suspect, the court cannot compel his wife, parents, or children to testify. But interestingly, if they are brothers, the other party has an obligation to testify.
The female player in the capture team clearly regarded [Evil Neighbor] as her own daughter. Knowing that once caught, the outcome would be very miserable, her maternal love erupted, and she chose to fight against the whole world for her daughter.
Hayasaka quickly reacted and blurted out, "Observing the [Evil Neighbor] through surveillance video and close-range contact with the [Evil Neighbor] produce different mental distortion effects!"
Kaguya lightly furrowed her delicate brows and said, the [Evil Neighbor] wants to escape."
In the surveillance, all members of the capture team were affected by the will distortion, beginning to fight indiscriminately without distinguishing friend from foe. The [Evil Neighbor] child entity, a junior high school student, was ignored instead. It climbed up from the ground, preparing to sneak away along the corner.
"Natsuki-kun, we're counting on you!"
Mitsui quickly turned her head and bowed to Natsuki and the others.
"Leave it to us." Chika clenched her small fists, "Catch it!"
"…"
Natsuki and the others were already members of the backup plan. At this moment, they no longer hesitated and quickly rushed out of the room, coincidentally meeting the [Evil Neighbor] child entity head-on.
The [Evil Neighbor] entity paused slightly, its eyes like two black hole vortices, suddenly gazing over.
"Ugh…"
Chika pressed her right hand to her forehead, her voice distressed, "My head is so dizzy… Moeha, why is Moeha here?"
Kaguya and Hayasaka also furrowed their delicate brows, their pretty faces showing expressions of struggle and hesitation. Clearly, their wills were simultaneously distorted.
Only Natsuki, who had put on the mask in advance, remained unmoved and unaffected.
At the same time.
Lines of prompts quietly appeared before Natsuki's eyes.
"You encountered the Strange Tale 'Evil Neighbor'. You found that the closer you got to the other party, the more severe the will distortion effect became. After careful observation, you finally discovered the truth: once you made eye contact with the Evil Neighbor, the will distortion effect would multiply."
"Is it because of those eyes?"
Natsuki raised his eyebrows. Last time, when he encountered her at the Shinomiya family villa, why didn't she use her eyes to distort his will?
He remembered.
He had directly beaten her to death after only a few sentences.
While thinking, Natsuki's movements were not slow at all. He appeared next to the Evil Neighbor with lightning speed and then punched her squarely in the abdomen.
Boom!
Although the Evil Neighbor's avatar could distort will, from the reaction just now, her body seemed to be that of an ordinary person. She was sent flying into the air by Natsuki's punch.
Before she could land, Natsuki grabbed her hair and slammed her head face-down onto the hallway floor with a bang. With a roaring sound, blood immediately splattered.
When watching One Piece, the character Natsuki wanted to complain about the most was Sanji.
What?
Don't hit women?
It's already the 21st century, and the concept of gender equality has long been deeply ingrained. What if a woman commits evil?
Of course, you hit them with heavy punches!
After knocking down the avatar with one blow, Natsuki knelt on one knee, suppressing the struggling Evil Neighbor avatar trying to get up, then took out an eye mask and directly covered her eyes.
"Let go of my daughter!"
"Bastard, you dare to hit my idol!"
"Kill him!"
"…"
Several official players, whose wills were most severely distorted, all turned their targets, charging at Natsuki with angry faces, trying to rescue the Evil Neighbor's avatar.
At the same time.
As the visual link was cut, Kaguya and Chika, among others, recovered their senses. Seeing Natsuki being surrounded, they naturally stepped forward to help without a second thought.