"Hanako-chan, long time no see!"
Seeing Hanako in the restroom, Chika waved happily.
Hanako had already stood up, but she didn't run back to the ceiling. She tilted her head to look at Chika and said:
"Idiot woman."
"Eh?" Chika was stunned. "When did Hanako-chan learn to say dirty words?"
"I could always speak." Hanako's gaze shifted downwards, landing on Chika's chest, and a look of disgust appeared on her face, "You've gotten so much fatter after not seeing you for a while."
That simple sentence instantly broke Chika's defenses.
Calling her an idiot was fine, but she absolutely could not be called fat.
"I, I didn't get much fatter!"
Chika's cheeks puffed out, and she retorted angrily:
"I weighed myself before leaving this morning, and I only gained one pound, so that doesn't count as fat, right?"
"I'm talking about your oppai." Hanako crossed her arms over her chest and said disdainfully, "They've gotten so much bigger again. Could it be that all that one pound of fat went straight to your oppai?"
"…"
Chika's pretty face flushed red; she couldn't refute it now.
Hanako was right; her size had indeed increased by another cup. Just two days ago, she even went to a lingerie store by herself and secretly bought new-sized underwear.
"…It's all the President's fault!"
Chika felt resentful in her heart. She turned her head and secretly glared at Natsuki, then said aggrievedly:
"Hanako-chan isn't cute at all anymore."
Natsuki retorted:
"Is there a possibility that she was never cute to begin with?"
"…"
At the same time.
The Passerby player cautiously approached Mitsui and whispered:
"Excuse me, are you Mitsui-sama?"
Mitsui nodded lightly:
"It's me."
"I really didn't see wrong." The female player immediately breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly explained, "I have already joined the Strange Tales Management Bureau. When I was handling procedures before, I met Miss Mitsui at the headquarters. I just felt very familiar, and it really is you."
To be honest, seeing Natsuki casually pull out a pet collar and turn Hanako into a slave, the Passerby player was actually very nervous, afraid that Natsuki would pull out another collar and put it on her, turning her into a slave who would be electrocuted if she didn't obey.
In the player chat group, she had heard that players were a mixed bag, with good people but more bad people. Some might even be captured and used as cannon fodder to scout in dungeons, or become someone who couldn't be provoked in reality, subject to their whims… Some evil players were even more terrifying than evil spirits.
Fortunately, after the Strange Tales Management Bureau was established, it immediately issued a public announcement, severely cracking down on various dark phenomena.
Once a report was successful, official personnel would make an arrest and judgment.
Now that Mitsui, the boss of the Strange Tales Management Bureau, was by her side, she definitely wouldn't be collared and then trained into someone who couldn't be provoked, right?
"That…" The player hesitated for a few seconds, but still wanted to confirm, and whispered, "Is that boy Miss Mitsui's bodyguard?"
Mitsui shook her head and said:
"Not a bodyguard."
"Eh?" The player was startled, then whispered again, "Then he's an official player?"
Mitsui said again:
"Not an official player either."
The player's eyes widened upon hearing this, and her heart tightened again. She said nervously:
"Th-then is he a wild player?"
Mitsui was about to speak, but suddenly felt playful. She lowered her voice and said:
"Actually… he's my master."
"Eh eh eh?!"
The player looked over with a shocked expression.
Mitsui raised a slender finger to her lips:
"Remember to keep it a secret, otherwise something very dangerous will happen."
"…"
The player covered her mouth and nodded hurriedly, indicating that she understood.
It's, it's over!
The term "master" definitely corresponds to "slave," right?
Mitsui, the boss of the Strange Tales Management Bureau, has actually been trained by someone who can't be provoked. An unknown person like herself definitely won't escape. At that time, her whole body will definitely be covered in tally marks, or even become some kind of terrible toy…
No!
The player shivered, a look of horror on her face.
She must find a chance to escape!
On the other side.
Chika had already finished her emotional reunion with Hanako and was now sulking with puffed-out cheeks.
In her imagination, their long-awaited reunion should have been filled with laughter and joy. However, Hanako, who knows what she learned from, had transformed from a child into a brat. Even with Chika's good temper, just a few words made her anger surge.
"President, business first."
Kaguya reminded softly.
Natsuki nodded and looked at Hanako, saying:
"Tell me the entrance to the Thirteen Steps. I need to do something inside. When I come out, I'll give you two servings of Dark Cuisine."
There were two purposes for coming to the school: one was to secretly observe Momo's dungeon activities. Mitsui's ghost drone had successfully monitored her, and she was currently not in danger.
The other was Chika's main quest: helping the Strange Tale wife find her missing daughter.
According to speculation, the Strange Tale wife's daughter was most likely lost in the alternate dimension, which is the Thirteen Steps of the Seven Mysteries.
According to school legends, students who lingered at the school after school might encounter a sudden thirteenth step. Once they accidentally stepped on it, they would be permanently lost in the alternate dimension.
The entrance to the alternate dimension was unpredictable. Last time, when clearing "Haunted Town," he traded Dark Cuisine with Hanako to determine the location of the Thirteen Steps.
Natsuki had just asked Yandere Kaguya and Yuuko to sense it, but they only had a vague sense and couldn't pinpoint it. So, he still had to rely on Hanako, who was also one of the school's Seven Mysteries.
"You want to go to that alternate dimension?"
Hanako's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
Only she could sense the alternate dimension. Once this guy went in, even if he tried to tempt her with Dark Cuisine, he wouldn't be able to get out!
Minion!
Stinky minion!
Be lost forever in that alternate dimension!
Natsuki lightly raised his eyebrows, instantly seeing through Hanako's little scheme. He said unhurriedly:
"You saw how I appeared just now, didn't you?"
"One should look at a scholar with new eyes after three days' separation."
"I have now mastered the ability of instant movement and can instantly move out of the alternate dimension at any time."
"Tsk, I don't believe you." Hanako opened her mouth, revealing a row of sharp teeth. "We haven't been apart for long, how could you be so powerful?"
Natsuki said calmly:
"You can certainly try, but you will have to bear the consequences."
Hanako subconsciously asked:
"What consequences?"
Natsuki said:
"The electric shock punishment just now, starting at ten times."
"Ten, ten times?!"
Hanako's body trembled, and she couldn't help but blurt out:
"So many times, you'll definitely break it, won't you!"
"Stare--"
Everyone cast strange glances.
"I didn't do anything." Natsuki raised his hands, "A clear conscience fears no false accusations."
Kaguya retorted:
"Since the President didn't do anything, why is he raising his hands?"
Natsuki: "..."
Taming a pet is actually very simple.
A carrot in one hand, a stick in the other.
Under the temptation of Dark Cuisine and the threat of electrotherapy punishment, Hanako finally chose to cooperate. Although she would still secretly call him 'trash' a few times, Natsuki was too lazy to bother.
"So, where is the entrance to the different dimension?"
Natsuki asked directly.
Hanako tilted her head, sensing for a moment, then reluctantly said:
"It's on the left staircase on the fourth floor of the Comprehensive Building."
...
A few minutes later.
Everyone arrived at the fourth floor of the Administrative Building.
"One, two, three, four, five..."
Chika took out her flashlight to illuminate, counting the number of steps with her hand, and quickly said:
"President, you're right, it's indeed thirteen steps."
Natsuki nodded lightly and said:
"I'll go in and see if there's a target."
Chika raised her hand and said:
"I'll go in with the President."
"You stay outside." Kaguya said softly, "I'll go in with the President."
Kaguya glanced at Hanako, who was tearing at her collar not far away, and lowered her voice:
"If Hanako deliberately refuses to reveal the location, the President can instantly teleport out using the 'Fated Person' ability."
One of the abilities after 'Copy and Paste' super-evolved is Fated Person. It was tried in the last instance and can ignore the obstruction of different dimensions, instantly appearing next to the Fated Person.
Before entering the instance, Natsuki had already locked the Fated Person slot onto Chika.
"Kaguya-chan makes sense, alright then..." Chika reluctantly agreed, "Oh, by the way, Shoko-chan didn't enter the instance with us, how are we going to communicate with each other?"
Kaguya gently pursed her rosy lips and whispered:
"We can only drink the potion."
Before entering the instance, the group naturally made thorough preparations in advance, and several sets of twin potions for Chika and Kaguya were made.
"That mind potion?" Chika's eyes lit up, and she asked expectantly, "I haven't tried telepathy with Kaguya-chan yet, what does it feel like?"
Kaguya said speechlessly:
"...Actually, there's nothing special about it."
...
The two girls took out the twin potions, tilted their heads, and gulped them down, successfully unlocking telepathy.
"Mmm~" Chika pursed her lips, "The potion tastes a bit strange."
"Drink some water to rinse your mouth."
Kaguya took out a bottle of mineral water to rinse her mouth, but she was a little worried in her heart.
It won't be like that time with Hayasaka, where I switch bodies with Chika again, right?
It shouldn't.
The officials have already statistically shown that the probability of the side effect of body swapping is quite low.
Besides, the President is right beside us, even if a side effect occurs, it can be completely reversed with quantum entanglement... right?
Yandere Kaguya stepped forward, her arms crossed over her chest, and her voice was cold:
"I'm going too."
Kaguya immediately frowned:
"What are you going to do?"
Yandere Kaguya mocked without backing down:
"Naturally, I'm going to help. A certain useless good-for-nothing not only can't help but might even drag us down."
Kaguya's pretty face hardened and she said:
"Who are you calling a useless good-for-nothing?"
Yandere Kaguya: "It's you."
"Damn it!"
Seeing the atmosphere become tense, Natsuki immediately felt a headache and quickly stepped forward to separate the two Kaguyas.
"It's not safe for Chika to stay outside alone. Hanako might suddenly launch a sneak attack." Natsuki looked at Yandere Kaguya and whispered, "You stay outside and protect Chika."
Yandere Kaguya silently raised the machete in her hand, her eyes cold:
"Excuse."
Natsuki: "..."
Alright, it was indeed an excuse.
If the two Kaguyas were together, a romantic battlefield would definitely erupt, ten times more severe than the romantic battlefield between Kaguya and Yukino. The latter two just disliked each other, but Yandere Kaguya was full of aggression, constantly mocking Kaguya as a coward, a useless woman, a good-for-nothing who couldn't even get a man. They simply couldn't be together.
Slap.
Natsuki grabbed Yandere Kaguya's wrist and pulled her into a corner, whispering:
"We're just going into a different dimension to find someone, there won't be any danger... How about this, I'll give you a free command ticket."
"Hmm?"
"With the command ticket, you can make me do anything within my power."
Yandere Kaguya's eyes lit up slightly, and she put away her machete:
"Deal."
...
"It's done." Natsuki gave Kaguya a reassuring gesture, then said, "Without further ado, shall we go in?"
Kaguya glanced at the yandere girl, who was standing coldly to the side, then stepped forward, walking onto the steps alongside Natsuki.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps...
As the two stepped onto the thirteenth step, their figures suddenly vanished.
"We're in."
Natsuki turned his head to look out at the hallway, only to see a cold, lonely sunset dusk outside, and he couldn't help but sigh:
"It's been so long, yet there's no change at all."
Kaguya looked at the sunset dusk outside the hallway, but was more concerned about another matter. She raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and said:
"What did the President just say to that woman? Why did she suddenly give up on going together?"
As a noble young lady, Kaguya had excellent manners, only using 'that woman' to refer to Yandere Kaguya.
Natsuki didn't hide anything and told the truth:
"It was a free command ticket..."
Kaguya couldn't help but puff out her rosy cheeks, trying hard not to show a jealous expression:
"The President is really considerate."
Don't be sour, you're so sour you could hang an oil bottle!
As a scumbag, Natsuki naturally knew what to do at this moment. He reached out and held Kaguya's soft hand, saying earnestly:
"Vice President, you're accompanying me into such a dangerous different dimension. I won't say anything else, I'll give you three free command tickets."
"I don't want that kind of thing..." Kaguya refused verbally, but the resentment in her tone quickly dissipated, "President, don't waste time, let's get going."
We could have moved already, I wonder who insisted on talking!
Natsuki asked:
"Can you contact Chika?"
Kaguya pursed her lips, tilted her head slightly to try, and quickly said:
"I can contact her."
"That's good." Natsuki nodded, "Let's split up."
"Okay."
...
The two of them were exceptionally familiar with the different dimension before them, having entered and exited it many times, almost turning it into their backyard. There was no danger in acting alone.
After confirming the characteristics of the target they were looking for once more, Natsuki and Kaguya split left and right, beginning their search within the different dimension.
Time in this different dimension was frozen, and every Female Ghost trapped inside continuously repeated their past actions. Although a long time had passed, the Female Ghost students in the different dimension showed no changes whatsoever.
Natsuki walked along the hallway. Some classrooms were empty, others had Female Ghost students. As he revisited the familiar places, his previously blurry memories quickly became clear.
"Not on the fourth floor, not on the third floor either..."
Natsuki searched floor by floor, but didn't see any sign of the target. He wasn't anxious, though, and soon arrived on the first floor.
"Wahhh Wahhh..."
A mournful weeping sound came from the women's restroom at the end of the hallway.
Natsuki couldn't help but recall his first experience entering the different dimension. He felt playful for a moment and quietly stepped into the dark restroom.
"If I remember correctly, it was in the last stall..."
The further Natsuki walked, the clearer the mournful weeping became.
Arriving at the second to last stall, Natsuki stopped, quietly entered the stall, then stepped onto the toilet and looked into the last stall.
Through the dim light, he could see a girl in a school uniform, completely soaked, covering her face with her hands and weeping mournfully in the last stall.
As Natsuki's gaze fell upon her, the Female Ghost seemed to sense something. Her body trembled slightly, and she looked up at her surroundings.
A moment later.
The Female Ghost finally raised her head and looked towards the ceiling.
Their eyes met, and Natsuki's face showed a pleased smile as he said:
"Long time no see, I'm back again."
Female Ghost: "..."
A gasp suddenly rang out.
Although she was a Female Ghost, being startled by Natsuki still made her jump.
Unfortunately, the other party was not the target Natsuki was looking for. After a simple greeting and no interrogation for information this time, he waved and left.
As Natsuki was about to search elsewhere, Kaguya appeared at the other end of the hallway and softly said, "President, I found her."
Natsuki's spirits lifted. "Let me see."
Led by Yandere Kaguya, Natsuki arrived on the second floor and indeed saw a child drawing with crayons in the classroom.
"What's your name, classmate?" Natsuki walked into the classroom and approached the child.
"…" The child stared blankly at the desk, offering no response.
Natsuki took out a sketch, handed it to the child, and asked again, "Do you recognize this person?"
This time, the child finally reacted, looking up at the sketch and blankly calling out, "It's… Mom…"
"Very good, it's you." Natsuki put away the sketch, picked up the child, and looked at Kaguya, saying, "Contact Chika, we can go back."
Kaguya nodded slightly and began to contact Chika via telepathy.
Perhaps fearing electrotherapy punishment, or perhaps thinking of Dark Cuisine, Hanako did not intentionally cause trouble. The location she provided was genuinely effective. Natsuki and Kaguya stepped onto the thirteenth step of the stairs, and their figures suddenly vanished.
"President, welcome back." Chika's gaze dropped to the child Natsuki was carrying, and she exclaimed softly, "Yes, it's her."
Mitsui said softly, "Natsuki-kun, was the process smooth?"
Natsuki handed the child to Chika and casually said, "It was like coming home. All those resentful spirits inside are truly talented, speak so nicely, and are incredibly likable."
Mitsui: "…"