"I trained Miss Mira?"
Looking at the prompt that quietly appeared before him, Natsuki frowned slightly.
Slander!
Pure slander!
Besides pulling Miss Mira out of the puddle and touching one of her fingers, could this really constitute training?
The standard for training is too low!
"Wait a minute—"
Natsuki looked down at Miss Mira, and a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind, his expression becoming subtle.
"Just now, to stop Miss Mira from struggling and resisting, I tied her up with Magic Ropes... Could the so-called training refer to the Magic Ropes?"
It was mentioned before that Miss Mira's figure was quite explosive; while not comparable to Hachishakusama, it was clearly at the peak of human limits.
Magic Ropes, while not sentient beings, have their own instincts, or rather, a 'dark sense of humor.' If the binding target is a woman with a good figure, they will automatically switch to a tortoise shell pattern.
That's right.
At this very moment, Miss Mira was the artistic spokesperson for traditional Japanese rope art, and her posture looked quite tempting... or rather, bad.
"So, the 'special fetish' that awakened... should be rope bondage?"
The more Natsuki thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
After all, this guess was the most reasonable.
Upon closer inspection.
Miss Mira, lying on the ground, had noticeably wandering, unfocused eyes, and her body occasionally twitched slightly. Rather than struggling, it was more like... deliberately seeking bondage?
"Stare—"
Chika tilted her head and looked over, pouting her cheeks as she complained, "President's gaze is so lewd, his drool is about to flow out."
Natsuki raised his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth and said righteously, "Don't slander my innocence… there's no drool at all."
Chika put her hands on her hips and said, "So, President only denies the drool, but doesn't deny the lewd thoughts in his heart?"
"The pure remain pure, and the turbid remain turbid," Natsuki said nonchalantly, "Besides, Miss Mira is a vengeful spirit, how could I have any other thoughts?"
"That's not necessarily true," Chika retorted, "A few days ago, I saw news on Twitter that a middle-aged man, after drinking, stripped naked on the street and did terrible things to someone else's car exhaust pipe."
"Once a man loses his sanity, he won't even spare a car exhaust pipe. Even if Miss Mira is an evil spirit, it probably doesn't matter, right?"
Thump.
Natsuki bent a finger and lightly tapped Secretary Chika's little head, saying seriously, "In the future, read less of that messy news."
After speaking, Natsuki turned to look at Mitsui, asking about the main quest's situation.
There were no surprises.
As a newbie, Mitsui's main quest was actually very simple, related to Miss Mira in front of her: explore and uncover the hidden secrets of the villa… If she wanted to clear the game, she could easily complete it now, after all, the final boss had already become a prisoner.
"Can the main quest be postponed?" Mitsui raised her right hand, gently tucking the strands of hair falling onto her chest, and discussed, "This time, entering the dungeon was mainly to evaluate and record Miss Ryuju's abilities."
Natsuki nodded and said, "No problem, then we'll come back later to do the quest. Anyway, Miss Mira is a homebody, she won't run away if she stays at home…"
At this point, Natsuki changed the subject, "However, hiding in a different dimension is a bit troublesome. Why don't we just tie her up directly?"
"Eh?" Chika asked curiously, "What do you mean, President?"
Natsuki said, "Miss Mira will escape into a different dimension when she comes into contact with liquid. We just need to prevent her from coming into contact with liquid… like this."
As soon as his voice fell, Natsuki took out another magic rope and threw it onto the chandelier on the ceiling. After confirming that the chandelier was firm, he easily lifted Miss Mira and tied her in mid-air.
Chika blinked her eyes and murmured, "This pose… why does it feel a bit familiar?"
Natsuki then took out a black cloth strip and wrapped it around Miss Mira's eyes, explaining, "Blocking her vision will better prevent Miss Mira from escaping."
This was a lie.
The real reason was that blocking vision can make a person's other senses more acute, thereby increasing the intensity of the training.
Chika's eyes widened slightly, feeling an increasingly strong sense of déjà vu.
So familiar.
She must have seen a similar scene somewhere… But where exactly was it?
Looking at Miss Mira, whose body was forced to lean forward, tied in an awkward position in mid-air, and with her eyes covered by a black cloth, a flash of lightning seemed to cross Chika's mind, and her memory suddenly became clear. Immediately after, her pretty face rapidly reddened at a visible speed, and even the tips of her fair ears were tinged with a blush.
"I… I remember now…"
"No wonder it felt so familiar…"
"A few days ago in the school bathroom, President did that in this very pose!"
"…"
Natsuki quickly noticed Chika's little action of puffing up her cheeks in annoyance and looked over in confusion:
"What's wrong?"
"Hmph!" Chika crossed her arms over her chest and quickly turned her head away, "I don't want to talk to President!"
It was bad enough that he taken advantage of her, but why did he have to put Miss Mira in this pose?
President must be harboring bad intentions!
Natsuki was at a loss, not understanding why Chika suddenly got angry, but he wasn't worried at all, as Secretary Chika never held grudges overnight.
"Miss Mira should be unable to escape," Natsuki clapped his hands, satisfied, "Let's go find Kaguya and Momo-senpai first. Once we're done with our business, we'll come back to do Miss Mira's quest."
"Let's go."
Yandere Kaguya's expression was cold, and she turned and walked away without hesitation.
"Hmph~"
Chika puffed out her pink cheeks, glared at Natsuki, and followed Yandere Kaguya out.
Natsuki, while no one was paying attention, quickly extended his right hand and quietly pressed it on top of Miss Mira's head, then a mushroom quietly emerged.
Just tying her up wasn't secure enough. To recruit Miss Mira, Natsuki decided to plant a mushroom on her.
As expected.
The sin mushroom that grew from Miss Mira was indeed a lust mushroom.
Leaving the dilapidated villa.
Led by Yuuko, the group continued forward, their next goal being to bring Kaguya back to the team.
"Eh, that person ahead looks like Kaguya-chan?"
Chika widened her eyes and pointed forward.
Natsuki focused his gaze and soon saw a black-haired girl with her hair tied up high and an unbeatable profile standing under the streetlamp ahead. It was Kaguya.
Noticing the gaze, the black-haired girl turned her head, then stepped closer and said softly, "President, you've arrived…"
"Wait a minute!"
Chika extended her right hand, making a gesture to stop her from approaching, and raised her chin, saying, "Kaguya-chan, first say the secret code to prove your identity before coming closer."
Natsuki chimed in, "Chika makes a lot of sense. Please prove your identity."
Kaguya reluctantly stopped, pursed her lips, and said, "There's no secret code, only a secret event… More than ten years ago, there was a BMW lottery case in a certain place. The ticket type was the instant-win sports lottery sold at the time. A lucky winner won the first prize, which consisted of a BMW car and hundreds of thousands of yen in cash. However, the staff of the sports lottery center said his ticket was fake because all first prizes had already been predetermined and it was impossible for ordinary people to win."
"The final investigation revealed that a staff member of the sports lottery center mistakenly placed the first prize ticket into the lottery box, allowing that ordinary person to have the opportunity to 'get rich overnight'."
"Connection successful, it's Kaguya-chan, no doubt."
Chika happily stepped forward, hugged Kaguya's arm, and couldn't help but complain, "When I saw this news at the time, I was so angry! Even the only fair competition of luck, the lottery, had to have shady dealings. Those guys are too much!"
Natsuki said beside her, "Yuuko should bite them."
"Huh?" Yuuko looked up, "What does that have to do with me?"
Natsuki said, "Guys who embezzle and operate behind the scenes should be executed by dog."
"Bastard!" Yuuko immediately got angry and bit over with a growl, "You actually called me a dog! I'll bite you to death right now!"
Natsuki extended his right hand and pressed down on Yuuko's head:
"Stop making trouble."
"Bastard! You were the one who provoked me first!"
"Sayu told me that Yuuko is actually a very gentle girl."
"That was human Yuuko, I've already become an anomaly now."
Chika leaned close to Kaguya, raised her chin, and said proudly, "Kaguya-chan, do you find the name of this dungeon familiar?"
Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest, pondered for a second upon hearing this, then softly said, "So, it really is the 'Haunted Town' dungeon that we cleared before?"
"Eh, eh?" Chika looked over in surprise, "How did Kaguya-chan know?"
Kaguya said softly, "The name is very familiar."
Chika retorted, "Even if the dungeon name is the same, there can be completely different dungeon content, alright?"
"That's true, at first I was just suspicious and not sure, but…" Kaguya raised her hand to tuck the strands of hair behind her ear and glanced over, "Seeing you smile so smugly, I knew it must be the dungeon we cleared before."
Chika: "…"
The two briefly discussed what happened after entering the dungeon.
Natsuki and his group's experiences need no further explanation. Kaguya's experience was also simple: her landing point was a wooden house where evil spirits resided. Kaguya was now an experienced player. Besides her core skill, Shadow Walker, she had mastered many other skills, and she single-handedly solved the mechanisms and walked out of the wooden house.
Just as she was about to look for everyone, she saw Natsuki and his group approaching, and so the two sides successfully converged.
Chika asked curiously, "What's Kaguya-chan's main quest?"
Kaguya said softly, "It's for me to participate in a mysterious game and win."
"I know!" Chika exclaimed softly, "It's exactly the same as President's main quest."
"Hmm?"
Kaguya's eyes lit up slightly, and she looked towards Natsuki.
Natsuki nodded and said, "My main quest is also a mysterious game… When I passed by the restaurant where I used to work, I already got information about the mysterious game from the manager uncle. It's a trick by the amusement park manager to attract customers."
"By the way, the identity given to me on the note is a 'sunny and cheerful big boy'."
Chika complained from the side, "In script-killing, the identity plot is optional. The passerby players who can only maintain a smile throughout are uniformly called 'sunny and cheerful big boys'."
Kaguya: "…"
In short, Kaguya successfully rejoined the team.
Led by Yuuko, the group continued to search for Momo, who was still separated.
A moment later.
A building quietly appeared before everyone's eyes.
"Eh?" Chika blinked, "It feels so familiar…"
Natsuki said, "Get a little closer, and you'll feel even more familiar."
Kaguya said softly beside him, "It's the school."
Chika's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "I remember now, this road really leads to the school!"
"I'm so excited," Chika said, her steps light. "It's been so long since I last saw Hanako-chan. I wonder how Hanako-chan is doing and if she still remembers us."
Kaguya reminded her:
"Hanako is an anomaly after all. Stay vigilant. We might be attacked as soon as we meet."
"No way?" Chika retorted. "We were good friends back then."
Natsuki said:
"The premise of 'good friends' is 'friendship.' If I remember correctly, the last time we cleared 'Haunted Town,' our relationship with Hanako was a transaction where we each got what we needed."
"…"
A moment later.
The group arrived at the entrance of the elementary school.
The old, dilapidated school sign swayed precariously, covered in rust, as if it would fall to the ground at any second. Looking past the iron gate, the square behind was covered in withered yellow leaves.
The entire school was eerie and sinister, with no light to be seen, and a chilling atmosphere.
"Ryuju Momo is inside the school," Yuuko sniffed, whispering, "You all be careful. I can smell a lot of powerful strange auras inside the school."
"Don't worry."
Natsuki reached out and rubbed the Yuuko's head, smiling:
"Those strange beings inside the school are all talented individuals, and they speak nicely. It's almost like coming home."
"Awoo—"
Yuuko turned her head and bit him:
"Bastard, get your hands off me! I wasn't worried about you!"
"…"
Pushing open the rusty school gate, Natsuki and the girls walked into the school.
"It feels like nothing has changed at all," Chika said softly, looking left and right. "It was so long ago, but the memories suddenly became clear again… It's so nostalgic."
Mitsui said with interest:
"Chika, did you leave a very deep impression in this school?"
"It was a super deep impression," Chika said with a nostalgic tone. "The last time we entered the 'Haunted Town' instance, we were both new players, just like Mitsui. I remember the main mission at the time was to film a complete documentary. Besides us, there were many other casual players in the town, all new, with no experience, and no idea how to clear it."
"Later, it was the president who brought us to the school, conquered Hanako-chan in the school, and then used the school as a base. Everyone stayed in the school for several days… Although there were seven incredible **Strange Tale** in the school, with so many players gathered together, we weren't afraid at all."
Perhaps only you weren't afraid; those casual players were actually very afraid!
Walking through the school covered in withered leaves, Natsuki also felt a subtle sense of things remaining the same but people changing.
When he cleared "Haunted Town" back then, he was still a newbie, the Strange Tales Management Bureau hadn't been established yet, and he was still a sixteen-year-old single magician. In the blink of an eye, more than half a year had passed, and it seemed that only the school in front of him remained unchanged.
"Where is Momo-senpai?"
Natsuki looked down at the Yuuko.
Yuuko raised her right paw and pointed into the distance:
"Over there."
Kaguya turned her head and said softly:
"That should be the swimming pool."
Chika put her hands on her hips and said:
"I remember there's an incredible strange being in the swimming pool. Momo-senpai's mission is likely related to the school's Seven Wonders… Should we go rescue Momo-senpai now?"
Mitsui said softly:
"The main purpose of this operation is to test Ryuju's ability… Unless Ryuju is in mortal danger, I hope everyone refrains from helping for now."
Natsuki nodded:
"No problem."
The domain had already expanded.
He could sense that Momo's state was still stable at the moment, with a pervasive but not overwhelming sense of fear. If assistance was needed, he could teleport over at any time.
Mitsui took out a drone from her game backpack. After activating it, the drone silently flew into the air, then quickly became invisible like a ghost, flying towards the swimming pool.
"This is a ghost drone," Mitsui said softly. "Let's try to see if we can capture footage of Ryuju's actions."
Natsuki then said:
"Besides Momo-senpai, there are two other fear auras in the school, but their auras are stable and not fluctuating much."
Chika blinked and said:
"They must be casual players, right?"
Mitsui immediately said:
"If necessary, we can provide appropriate assistance."
Natsuki was about to speak when he suddenly turned to look in the direction of the teaching building:
"The fear concentration of one of the auras suddenly increased significantly, showing strong fluctuations."
Chika quickly said:
"She must have been attacked. The incredible being in the teaching building… should be Hanako-chan, right?"
Mitsui bowed and said:
"Natsuki-kun, I'll leave it to you."
Natsuki nodded, took a step, and his figure instantly disappeared.
At the same time.
In the restroom at the end of the second floor of the teaching building, a female player sat on the ground, her face pale, her eyes filled with terror, staring intently at the restroom ceiling.
Her gaze moved upwards, where a child wearing a child uniform was crawling rapidly across the ceiling, her eyes ferocious, her smile savage and excited.
"It's… it's over…"
Seeing Hanako pounce on her, the casual female player's heart was instantly filled with despair. She wanted to dodge, but her body was trembling and completely unresponsive.
However, the next second.
The casual female player watched in shock as Hanako, who was pouncing in mid-air, suddenly widened her eyes, as if she had seen something incredible, and quickly retreated…