"You didn't, huh?"
Natsuki sat on the small stool in the bathroom and looked at Juju, saying:
"Do you still remember my Domain Expansion?"
Juju covered her body, tilted her head, and looked over, puzzled:
"What for?"
Snap.
Natsuki raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly.
"Domain… Expansion!"
Unbeknownst to them, the sky had already darkened.
Just now, during dinner, Natsuki had already verified that Domain Expansion could be used perfectly in reality, super smooth, without any problems.
It was a pity that he had to wait until dark to use the power of rules, otherwise, Natsuki wouldn't even have to worry about the threat of heavy weapons and could do whatever he wanted in the real world.
Natsuki continued:
"The rule is set that once you lie, your body will act according to your inner thoughts…"
"Huh?"
Juju's eyes widened at his words, feeling both shy and angry, and she puffed out her pink cheeks, saying:
"Stupid Natsuki! You're just targeting me!"
"As long as Juju is willing to speak her true feelings, it naturally won't be considered targeting." Natsuki smiled, "So, I'll ask again… Is Juju already prepared?"
Juju's face flushed, she parted her lips, but in the end, she couldn't speak her true thoughts, and stammered softly:
"I didn't…"
The next second.
Thud.
The towel Juju used to cover her body fell to the ground.
Immediately after, she involuntarily took a step and walked in front of Natsuki.
"Eh, eh, eh?"
Juju was extremely nervous:
"My body is moving on its own."
Natsuki shrugged, saying:
"I just said that within the range of Domain Expansion, once you lie, your body will act according to your true thoughts. You didn't believe it, did you?"
Juju shouted in embarrassment:
"Stupid Natsuki, stop it quickly!"
"No rush." Natsuki said with interest, "Let me see what Juju-sama's true thoughts are."
As he spoke, Juju, with her short legs, pattered over to Natsuki, then extended her right hand and placed it on top of Natsuki's head.
"What are you doing?"
Natsuki was surprised.
Everyone is already naked in the bathroom, and your true thought is just to pat my head?
Your heart is too pure!
However, the next second, Natsuki realized he was wrong.
The hands pressing on his head exerted a slight force, clearly intending to press him downwards.
"Hmm?"
Natsuki's face showed a shocked expression, but he didn't resist, instead, he went with the flow, lowering his head, his tone becoming subtly nuanced:
"Juju actually wants me to serve you?"
"Ahhhhhh!"
Juju's face was flushed to the point of exploding, almost dripping blood, and her voice trembled slightly from embarrassment:
"S-stop it!"
Their first intimate contact was in the restroom next to the bathroom. She got up at night to use the restroom and accidentally bumped into Stupid Natsuki. She was worried about being heard by everyone outside, so she could only cover her mouth and be taken advantage of… She swore she really just remembered it, and had no intention of reliving it!
Alright, the desire was only a tiny bit, and the rest of the thoughts were all about wanting to kick Stupid Natsuki out!
Natsuki's voice was muffled as he asked again:
"Did Juju wash herself clean just now?"
"…Die!!!"
Fortunately, having had previous experience, Juju was barely able to hold on. However, at this moment, a knock on the door sounded, almost making Juju's soul fly away.
"The house is already cleaned up." Marin's voice sounded from outside, "Can I come in?"
"N-no, don't come in!"
Juju's eyes widened, and she almost fainted.
If Marin saw the current scene… she would die, right?
She would definitely die from too much embarrassment!
"Eh?"
Marin's voice outside the door immediately became subtle, and she said with a giggle:
"Why won't you let me in? What are Juju and Natsuki doing in there?"
"N-nothing at all…"
Juju wanted to say they weren't doing anything, but remembering the rules of Domain Expansion, she forcibly held back.
"Not talking, huh?"
Marin's voice became even more cheerful, and she reached out to push the door open a crack:
"Then I'm coming in, okay?"
"N-no, don't let Marin in!"
In her haste, Juju directly pulled Natsuki's hair.
"Hiss~"
Natsuki lightly took a breath, finally raised his head, looked at Juju who was so embarrassed her eyes were watering, wiped his mouth, and turned his head, saying:
"Marin, don't come in for now."
Marin's voice sounded:
"What are you doing? I'm even more curious now, what should I do?"
"Bear with it."
"…"
As the master of Domain Expansion, Natsuki was naturally not restricted by the rules. After serving Juju, he quickly got up and opened the bathroom door.
"Let me see."
Marin quickly walked in, her gaze falling on Juju sitting on the small stool, and a look of disappointment appeared on her pretty face:
"Eh, Natsuki finished so quickly today?"
How was it quick?
They didn't even do the main thing!
All of Juju's skin, like her hair, had turned a delicate pink, her eyes were watering, and she sniffled, saying:
"I, I want to go home…"
"You're already here." Marin stepped in, "Just finish your bath before going back, okay?"
The bathroom door was pushed open again, and Sayu followed her in, sticking out her pink tongue, and smiling:
"I'm covered in sweat. I want to shower with everyone too."
"..."
The four of them spent a total of two hours showering, finally finishing at nine o'clock at night.
Juju, due to excessive physical exertion, had completely fallen asleep, with un-dried tear stains at the corners of her eyes, clearly unable to go home alone.
Fortunately, Marin had Juju's younger sister's phone number, and the sister also knew of Marin's existence. One phone call later, Juju was successfully allowed to stay.
"It's a pity I still have to go home."
Natsuki's tone was regretful.
It had been a full day since he returned to the real world. He had to go home first to see Miko, and then use Dream Link to see if he could contact the Miko from the other world to inquire about information regarding the Strange Tale [Evil Neighbor].
Whether he could get information was one thing; whether he tried was another. There was no harm in trying more.
"Natsuki, go back." Marin saw him to the door. "Juju is in my and Sayu-chan's hands."
"Mm." Natsuki nodded lightly. "Then I'll be heading back."
"Wait a moment."
Marin stood on her tiptoes, the blush on her pretty face still not faded. She extended a slender, doll-like finger and pointed to her own rosy lips, coaxing:
"You can't leave until you give me a kiss."
Natsuki coughed twice and said:
"Did you brush your teeth just now?"
"Ugh—"
Marin's cheeks immediately puffed up:
"How mean! Natsuki actually dislikes me!"
Natsuki denied:
"I'm not, I didn't."
"I didn't brush my teeth, but I rinsed my mouth." Marin tilted her pretty face up. "I didn't even dislike you when you treated me so roughly earlier… Hurry up and kiss me."
"Yes, yes."
Natsuki lowered his head slightly and lightly kissed the girl's rosy, soft lips.
Looking up, Sayu stood not far away, not speaking, but looking over with an expectant expression.
As a pet, there was no need to fight; she only needed to gaze at her master with pitiful eyes, and the master would naturally be unable to resist feeding her.
"Come here."
Natsuki waved to Sayu.
"Master, I'm coming."
Sayu's face immediately broke into a bright smile. She took small, quick steps to Natsuki's front, obediently tilted up her pretty face, and waited for a kiss.
Natsuki, without bias, kissed Sayu again, then waved goodbye and left Marin's house.
The night deepened.
The streets were already dimly lit.
Natsuki walked to a hidden corner without surveillance, silently activated his domain. The next instant, countless scents of fear flooded his mind.
"Tsk~"
Natsuki let out a soft click of his tongue. If in the dungeon, players experiencing fear were like individual red dots, then at this moment, the red dots representing fear were like stars filling the sky, too numerous to count, densely occupying the entire city, even causing a slight feeling of trypophobia.
No wonder they say a city is actually an island, and everyone within it walks alone.
Natsuki sighed, chose the closest red dot with the strongest fear aura, and took a step.
A gentle ripple spread through the air.
The next second.
Natsuki suddenly vanished into thin air.
When he reappeared, Natsuki found himself in a pink room. The lighting was dim, and a junior high girl in pajamas sat at a desk, her skin morbidly pale, with many bruises on her arms. In her hand, she held a utility knife, trembling as she aimed it at her wrist.
Indeed, humanity's oldest and strongest fear is the fear of facing death.
"What are you doing?"
Natsuki casually took out a mask and put it on his face.
"Ah…"
The junior high girl heard a sudden sound behind her and shivered in fright. The utility knife in her hand clattered onto the desk. Her face full of terror, she said:
"Wh-who are you? Why are you in my room?"
As she spoke, the junior high girl nervously looked at the doors and windows, finding them tightly shut, with no signs of intrusion.
Natsuki's voice was low as he said:
"Since you're going to commit suicide by cutting your wrist anyway, my identity isn't important, is it?"
The junior high girl froze, then actually calmed down, her eyes dim as she said:
"That's true… But there's nothing valuable in my house, so Mr. Thief will be disappointed."
Natsuki didn't mind being mistaken for a thief, but he would have left if he hadn't seen her. Since he saw someone wanting to commit suicide, he couldn't just ignore it. So, he wasn't in a hurry to leave and asked:
"What's the reason for your suicide?"
The junior high girl said expressionlessly:
"It has nothing to do with Mr. Thief. I only have the last five hundred yen in my wallet. If Mr. Thief doesn't mind, you can take it and leave, and then I'll continue with my suicide… You wouldn't want to have nightmares every night later, would you?"
"Tsk~"
So young, yet unexpectedly calm.
Natsuki was too lazy to waste any more time with small talk; he was in a hurry to get back to important matters. He immediately raised his right hand, snapped his fingers, and reset the rules:
"From now on, we enter the 'answer all questions' segment, and you must speak the truth."
"Eh?"
The suicidal junior high girl's expression was bewildered.
Natsuki asked directly:
"What's the reason for your suicide?"
"I just said…" The junior high girl had just opened her mouth when she suddenly discovered with shock that an inexplicable force controlled her mouth, and then she involuntarily said, "My parents are divorced. My father is an alcoholic. Last night, after he got drunk, he—he actually broke into my room…"
Natsuki frowned slightly.
Some people, though alive, have long lost the right to be human.
Natsuki asked again:
"Your name."
"..."
"What's your home address?"
"..."
Under the effect of the power of rules, the junior high girl answered everything in detail.
Natsuki didn't waste words. He took out his phone from his pocket and sent a message to Hayasaka.
The reason the Strange Tales Management Bureau and players could coexist peacefully was mainly that while players possessed strange abilities, they were still under official rule. For those who wanted to act recklessly, a single bullet could make them act like proper humans again.
However, after Natsuki gained the power of domain expansion, ordinary firearms no longer posed a threat to him. So, regarding domain expansion, to be safe, it was better not to tell Mitsui for now.
If the number one secretary couldn't help, then he would naturally tell the number two all-purpose maid.
"Ai, are you there?"
Natsuki sent a message to Hayasaka.
Hayasaka: "No, please leave a message if you have something."
Natsuki: "You're not there, huh? Then I'll teleport over to find you right now."
Hayasaka: "President, go away, I'm with my mom today!"
Natsuki: "I just encountered something very upsetting…"
Hayasaka: "Tch, is the President trying to be a superhero?"
Natsuki: "Rather than a superhero, I'd rather be a super villain."
Hayasaka: "Leave it to me. I'll handle it tomorrow."
Natsuki asked curiously:
"How do you plan to do it?"
Hayasaka: "Of course, I'll send them to Siberia to dig potatoes."
"..."
Natsuki put away his phone and looked at the junior high girl in front of him. He saw that not only was the girl not scared, but she also widened her eyes, looking at him with curiosity.
"Hello, what just happened? Why did my body suddenly become uncontrollable?"
Seeing Natsuki look up, the junior high girl immediately chattered out her questions.
Natsuki said expressionlessly:
"I am a demon."
The junior high girl's eyes became even brighter, and she said expectantly:
"Are you the kind of Mr. Demon who can help me fulfill my wishes after I offer my soul?"
Hey, hey, don't let manga brainwash you! A real demon will only devour you completely, leaving not a single trace!
"Mr. Demon, I can offer my soul." The junior high girl clasped her hands together, praying, "As long as you can grant my wish…"
"No thanks."
Natsuki waved his hand, interrupting the junior high girl, and casually said:
"I'm just a demon doing this out of interest. But you can wait one more day; your dad should disappear tomorrow."
After speaking, Natsuki's figure flickered and disappeared into thin air.
In his subsequent fear teleportations, Natsuki truly witnessed the myriad facets of human life. Not everyone was glamorous; in places unseen by ordinary people, countless pains and despairs were hidden.
Natsuki saw a middle-aged man lying in bed, obese, with a blackened right leg. In his hand was a report, and the diagnosis on the report was 'amputation'.
"Cause… diabetic foot…"
Natsuki withdrew his gaze and teleported away.
So obese, and with high-calorie foods like fries and burgers on the table, he clearly hadn't controlled his blood sugar. Amputation was deserved; he was an adult, so of course, he had to be responsible for his own actions.
The next ordinary person permeated with fear and despair was a young man, browsing suicide news online. He seemed to have just graduated not long ago. Natsuki briefly asked the reason, and it turned out he had accidentally stumbled upon Macau's first online casino and then became addicted to 'beautiful dealers dealing cards online,' ultimately losing everything he had.
When asked about the gambling debt, he owed about ten million yen.
This amount of money was something Natsuki could help repay with just a flick of his finger, but Natsuki knew very well that even helping to repay it would be meaningless. When such a gambling addict was broke, he would cry bitterly on the ground, furiously slap himself, and even swear on the lives of his wife, children, and elderly parents. But once someone softened and lent him money, he would immediately take it to gamble again, throwing all his previous repentance out the window.
In summary:
Gambling addicts will not die well.
Natsuki was neither a demon nor a superhero saving the world.
Facing a gambling addict, he wouldn't even care if he watched them commit suicide, so he simply teleported away.
Teleporting all the way, Natsuki quickly returned near his home.
"It seems I can't just teleport randomly in the future…"
Natsuki let out a soft breath, walked out of the alley, and then stepped into his house.
Natsuki actually did not agree with the saying, "With great power comes great responsibility."
Those who praise suffering are often 'high and mighty' people, and suffering has nothing to do with them.
Those who advise others to swallow their anger are definitely not the ones suffering the loss.
Natsuki had no desire to be a superhero; he just wanted to lie flat.
"Miko, are you asleep yet?"
Natsuki took out his phone and sent a message to Miko.
Miko: "Already asleep."
Natsuki: "Since you're asleep, why is the light in your room still on?"
Miko: "…You're back?"
Natsuki: "Been busy all day, just got home. I'll come over tonight to do something serious."
Miko: "…"
He just got home, hadn't even entered the door, and he was already messaging her to come over and do 'that kind of thing,' even calling it 'serious business'! Is a boy's mind filled with nothing but lewd stuff?
Miko: "No, go away, find someone else."
Natsuki said:
"It's really serious business. Remember the Strange Tale 'Evil Neighbor' I told you about? I'm going to enter your dream to see if I can contact Parallel World Miko…"
After reading the message, Miko pursed her lips:
"I'm watching TV with my mom right now. It ends in half an hour. We can talk then."
Natsuki: "Why is Auntie watching TV today?"
Miko: "Mom's foot injury hasn't fully healed yet, and she's still recovering. She doesn't have anything else to do at home, so she's been watching TV late recently."
Natsuki mused:
"In that case, go back to your room, and I'll teleport over."
"Eh?" Miko's eyes widened. "…Teleport?"
Natsuki: "Go back to your room. Wait for me to teleport over and take you for an experience."
Miko blinked, and curiosity quickly got the better of her. She greeted her mom, then got up and went upstairs, returning to her room.
"I'm back in my room." Miko picked up her phone. "Where are you?"
Natsuki stood outside Miko's house, looking up at the second floor. The lights were bright inside. He didn't sense any fear from Miko, so it seemed there were no evil spirits lurking in the room.
The problem was, without fear, he couldn't use Fear Tracking to teleport over.
Natsuki sent a message: "First, think of some scary things."
Miko: "Why?"
Natsuki: "I'll explain later."
Miko couldn't help but retort:
"Even if you say that, it's not like I can just get scared on command."
Natsuki suggested:
"Do you want me to send you a horror picture?"
Miko: "Absolutely not!"
"…"
Sighing lightly, Miko looked around. Usually, evil spirits would be wandering about, but today the room was clean and empty, which was quite frustrating.
Having no other choice, Miko picked up her phone and searched for horror pictures herself, successfully scaring herself.
The next second.
Natsuki's voice sounded behind Miko:
"I'm here."
Miko quickly turned her head to look at Natsuki in the corner behind her, a little uncertain, and whispered:
"Are you really Natsuki?"
"It seems I need to prove my identity…" Natsuki said in a low, lingering tone, "Do you remember that lounge in the parallel world internet cafe?"
Hearing 'lounge,' Miko's pretty face quickly flushed, and she quickly interrupted:
"That's enough, you don't need to say more!"
Natsuki said seriously:
"It's been so long, do you want me to help you recall it?"
Miko shouted in annoyance:
"Absolutely not!"
"…"
After confirming his identity, the two naturally began recounting the events of the past few days.
Compared to Natsuki's thrilling and suspenseful adventures, Miko's life was exceptionally mundane. Her mother was recovering well and could already walk with some difficulty. She had been discharged from the hospital and was recuperating at home. During this time, she was occasionally bothered by various evil spirits. School was about to start, and her good friend Yurikawa came over, pitifully begging for help with summer homework… It was indeed a very ordinary daily life.
Natsuki walked over and sat beside Miko, asking:
"Have you dreamed of Parallel World Miko in the past few days?"
Miko raised her hand to tuck a strand of black hair behind her ear, and softly said:
"I dreamed of her once; it was still that Ghost Tokyo. But since it was a dream, many memories are blurry."
"That's enough," Natsuki said. "Tonight, when we sleep together, I'll try Dream Link to see if I can contact Parallel World Miko."
Miko's pretty face flushed, and she covered her chest with both hands, saying:
"No, I'm not feeling well these past few days."
Natsuki showed a disappointed expression and said:
"How about another day?"
Miko immediately got angry, her pink cheeks puffed up, and she reached out to pinch Natsuki's waist hard, unable to help but shout:
"Is that all boys ever think about?!"
Natsuki raised his hands in surrender while retorting:
"Congratulations, you've discovered one of the truths of the world."
"Pfft~"
"…"
Natsuki naturally couldn't just turn and leave. If he went back now, even with Miko's laid-back personality, she would definitely be 100% angry.
What happened next goes without saying.
A series of kisses and hugs successfully calmed Miko down. By eleven o'clock at night, Miko, who had been suffering from lack of sleep recently and had dark circles under her eyes again, yawned and fell into a dream.
Natsuki, meanwhile, silently used his Dream Link skill to enter Miko's dream.
The night was deep.
Chilling rain mist fell from the dark sky, landing on him, chilling him to the bone.
Vehicles were haphazardly piled up on the street, countless clothes were scattered everywhere, and under the intertwining Japan lights on the street, it looked particularly desolate and lonely.
"Good luck." Natsuki looked around and quickly identified the surrounding environment. "It seems this really is the Ghost Tokyo of the other world."
The next thing to do was to find Miko, confirm whether the other person was Parallel World Miko, and whether they could communicate.
As for how to find Miko, it was also very simple.
Natsuki took a deep breath, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted loudly:
"Miko, I'm back!"
His voice was like thunder, rolling through the chilling rain mist.
This was Miko's dream, so Miko was clearly nearby; she couldn't be tens of thousands of miles away.
Facts proved that Natsuki's guess was not wrong.
"…Natsuki?"
A black-haired, straight-haired girl with a cool expression quickly appeared before Natsuki.
After confirming the look in her eyes, it was indeed Parallel World Miko, the strongest psychic. The laid-back Miko didn't have such a cool gaze.
Natsuki raised his hand in greeting and walked over to Parallel World Miko:
"Do you remember the secret code we agreed upon before I left?"
Parallel World Miko pursed her lips and softly said:
"Genshin Impact is the best?"
"Correct code." Natsuki smiled. "I didn't expect to see you again."
Before returning from the apocalyptic world, Natsuki specifically found Parallel World Miko, and the two agreed on a secret code for meeting, which was [Genshin Impact is the best]. He didn't let the laid-back Miko know about this, so even in a dream, the laid-back Miko couldn't possibly know this phrase.
In other words, the girl who matched the secret code in front of him was indeed Parallel World Miko.
"I used the Dream Link ability to enter Miko's dream…"
Natsuki briefly explained his situation.
"I see." Parallel World Miko nodded lightly. "The me in this world is also sleeping and resting, so it seems that's why she occasionally dreams of my experiences."
Dreams were inherently the most mysterious things, and it wasn't strange for the two Mikos to communicate across worlds.
But why was it Miko, of all people?
Natsuki raised the question.
Parallel World Miko mused:
"Probably psychic power… This is what makes us different from others."
Psychic power, that thing, was an innate talent one was born with. Everyone possessed it to some degree, but ordinary people's psychic power was too scarce to be detected at all.
At this moment, there should still be other psychics similar to Miko in the world, who could see their other-world selves through dreams.
Natsuki collected his thoughts and quickly got to the main point:
"…Have you heard of an anomaly called 'Evil Neighbor'?"