"Madam, we can talk things through properly, but ambushing from behind changes the nature of things."
Natsuki looked down and sighed.
The moment Yandere Kaguya warned him, Natsuki discovered the existence of the Resentful Spirit Lady, and without hesitation, he activated Time Stop, directly pulling her out of the puddle on the ground.
Resentful spirits like this, which move silently and freely, are basically the type that appear and disappear unpredictably. Natsuki completely didn't want to waste time playing hide-and-seek with her.
The Resentful Spirit Lady was wearing a red yukata, soaking wet and dripping water all over. Her pupils were pale, without any black, and now her eyes were wide, her expression bewildered, clearly still a bit dazed.
Aside from her eyes, her features were quite beautiful. Her hair was the same brilliant gold as Hayasaka's, and she had a small mole at the corner of her mouth, which made her even more sensual. Not only that, her figure seemed quite curvaceous; she wouldn't even need to wear a hood, just cover her eyes, and many people would probably be willing to marry her.
After a few seconds of daze, the Resentful Spirit Lady finally came to her senses and began to twist and struggle, trying to escape.
But it was completely useless.
The Resentful Spirit Lady soon discovered that during those few seconds of memory blankness, she had not only been pulled out of her hiding place but also had ropes tied around her body.
The ropes on her body seemed alive, tightening rapidly with her struggles.
Even though she was a resentful spirit who only felt pain and suffocation, she felt an indescribable sense of shame from the friction and tightness of the ropes…
"Madam, ignoring others is a very arrogant act."
Natsuki bent down and leaned closer, asking softly:
"May I ask your name, Madam?"
"…"
The Resentful Spirit Lady's pale eyes stared straight, trying to make Natsuki feel fear with her gaze.
"Tsk~"
Natsuki raised his hands and said:
"I'm very timid, Madam, please don't scare me."
Liar!
He said he was timid, but there wasn't a hint of fear on this man's body!
Fujiwara raised the megaphone and shouted loudly again:
"The Resentful Spirit Lady has been captured by me, Mitsui, you can come out now."
"…"
However, the villa remained silent, with no response whatsoever.
"President." Chika turned to look, whispering, "Mitsui must have been attacked."
The megaphone's volume could definitely reach every corner of the house, and Mitsui still hadn't appeared, which clearly meant she couldn't respond, most likely having been attacked.
No wonder when Yuuko said the scent was inside the house after they entered, but the exact location couldn't be determined…
Natsuki nodded lightly, his gaze returning to the soaking wet, golden-haired lady.
After gazing for a moment, a prompt quietly appeared before him.
[After careful observation, you quickly discovered the Resentful Spirit Lady's weakness…]
Generally speaking, resentful spirits and Strange Tales are not living beings but special existences, and they are not afraid of being threatened with death. Therefore, to threaten them, one must apply the right remedy.
Like now.
Natsuki half-squatted, extended his right hand, and gently lifted the Resentful Spirit Lady's chin, saying softly:
"Madam, judging by your attire and elegant demeanor, you must be a lady from a noble family, so… you wouldn't want me to strip off your clothes and carry you into the street for everyone to gawk at, would you?"
Chika: "…"
Although she knew the President was trying to extract information, his expression and tone were too much like a villain!
The Resentful Spirit Lady's body suddenly tensed, clearly Natsuki had truly grasped her weakness, and she instinctively said:
"Don't…"
Her eyes were terrifying, but her voice was unexpectedly soft and pleasant.
"Madam can still communicate, can't she?" Natsuki smiled, "Then, may I ask your name, Madam?"
The Resentful Spirit Lady hesitated for a few seconds, then whispered:
"Mira… Miss Mira."
Miss Mira?
Natsuki's face showed a subtle expression. This name sounded vaguely familiar… He figured it must just be a coincidence.
"My name is Natsuki. Nice to meet you. Please guide me." Natsuki calmly stated his name, then said, "Now that we've introduced ourselves, Miss Mira, please answer a few questions for me…"
Miss Mira remained silent.
When under another's roof, one must bow one's head.
The human in front of her was clearly quite terrifying, leaving her no chance to resist.
Natsuki said:
"Miss Mira, did you see a tall, black-haired girl not long ago?"
Miss Mira calmly said:
"I did."
Natsuki asked:
"Where is she?"
Miss Mira hesitated for a few seconds, then whispered:
"That strange woman suddenly appeared in my home; she was a hateful invader, so… so I captured her into my domain."
Natsuki's gaze shifted to the puddle nearby, then he said:
"Miss Mira's ability allows her to freely enter and exit anywhere there's water?"
"…"
Miss Mira remained silent, clearly unwilling to reveal her core ability.
"Kaguya?"
Natsuki didn't mind, turning to look at Yandere Kaguya, wanting her to help retrieve the person.
"I refuse." Yandere Kaguya crossed her arms, her tone cold, directly refusing, "Entering someone else's domain would make me dirty, so I refuse."
As an anomaly, Yandere Kaguya only cared about a few people. As for Mitsui… she was sorry, but she wouldn't care one bit even if she watched her die.
"Alright." Natsuki said helplessly, "Then I'll go myself."
Yandere Kaguya was originally an anomaly born from a mirror, similar to Miss Mira's ability, sharing the same profound ingenuity. Therefore, she didn't need to rely on Miss Mira at all and easily sent Natsuki into the water domain.
Natsuki closed his eyes, feeling only a rush of dampness across his face, followed by a sudden sensation of falling. When he opened his eyes again, the world before him had abruptly transformed.
The house was still the same house as before, but from the previous ruins, it had become a clean and tidy warm little house.
Natsuki was wondering whether to use the megaphone to call out when he suddenly saw the door at the end of the hallway ahead open, and two identical golden-haired girls quietly floated out from inside. Their eyes were as pale as Miss Mira's, and their appearances were seven-tenths similar.
"Miss Mira's twin daughters?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow lightly, deciding not to waste time with them.
Twin daughters or whatever, they were not as cute as Miss Mira, and these twin sisters in front of him, while seemingly real people, had dull eyes and stiff expressions, very likely just doll-like existences.
Natsuki decisively activated Sadako's ability, capturing the aura of fear in the room, then took a step, and his body suddenly disappeared.
"…"
The two twin daughters widened their eyes, their faces showing bewildered and blank expressions, standing dumbfounded in place.
At the same time.
Natsuki found himself in darkness, and just as he moved, his head hit a wooden board with a 'thud'.
"Tsk~"
Natsuki held his forehead, his eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness, and he realized he must be inside a wardrobe somewhere.
After a brief fumble, Natsuki quickly found his bearings and pushed open the wardrobe.
Sadako's fear teleportation was quite practical, but she always liked to appear in various dark environments, which was a headache.
Natsuki swept his gaze and quickly found a white spider cocoon the size of a table in the room. He understood that Mitsui was clearly inside the spider cocoon.
This thing was Mitsui's recently acquired ability [Cocooning], which had nothing to do with Blind Box but was a skill card she directly purchased. As one of the Strange Tales Management Bureau's Person in charge, and a young lady herself, she had unlimited access to various resources—players who drew skill cards didn't all learn them immediately; some would use skill cards to exchange for money in reality.
Getting back to the point.
The spider cocoon in front of him had excellent resistance to impact, and it also possessed supernatural power, capable of isolating the aura of living beings. Hiding inside the spider cocoon would cause one to be mistaken for a kindred spirit. Its weaknesses were primarily fear of fire, and the spider silk was corrosive, so prolonged stay in the cocoon would damage the body. Not only that, the spider cocoon could be actively opened but not actively dispelled; one either had to wait for the duration to end or have an outsider help break the cocoon.
Natsuki walked to the spider cocoon and called softly:
"Mitsui, I've come for you."
Mitsui didn't respond immediately, but after a brief silence, she spoke the secret code:
"What is the largest prize in the welfare lottery?"
Natsuki replied:
"It was a rich second-generation heir who wished to remain anonymous, who used a couple hundred thousand yen to buy fifty thousand tickets with the same number, winning a super grand prize of two hundred and twenty million yen in one go. The key is that each winning ticket was only four thousand yen, so not a single cent of tax needed to be paid."
Better safe than sorry.
This was the secret code agreed upon by everyone before entering the dungeon, to prevent anyone from impersonating and gaining trust.
"…Correct answer."
Mitsui subtly let out a sigh of relief, her voice, for some reason, tinged with shyness:
"Natsuki-kun, please help me burn the cocoon."
"Leave it to me."
Natsuki agreed, took out a box of matches, lit one directly, and then extended the flame forward.
The spider silk, which was impervious to blades and guns, met the flame like snow under sunlight, melting and disappearing at a visible speed.
"Hmm?"
Natsuki felt something dazzlingly white inside the cocoon. He curiously gazed over and realized it was Mitsui's skin.
So white.
The girl inside the spider cocoon was completely unclothed; it was her skin that glowed dazzlingly white in the firelight.
Mitsui covered her body with her arm, and a flush clearly rose on her usually shrewd and capable face, as she said shyly:
"Natsuki-kun… please turn away first."
"Yes."
Natsuki nonchalantly turned around.
Although it was only a brief glance, Natsuki still saw it clearly: Mitsui, like Juju, had more than just pink hair...
"Phew..."
Mitsui let out a soft sigh of relief, quickly took out her clothes and put them on, then shyly explained:
"Spider silk is highly corrosive. It doesn't harm the skin, but clothes are another matter; they're quickly dissolved by the silk."
After a pause, Mitsui softly added:
"After entering the dungeon, I was about to take out an item to contact and meet up with Natsuki-kun, when my ankle suddenly felt cold. I think I was pulled into an alternate dimension by a vengeful spirit, so I immediately used the [Cocoon] skill..."
Although Mitsui was a novice, she had read all the players' dungeon reports and knew that some evil spirits possessed 'alternate dimensions,' which were like enclosed spatial bubbles.
Once pulled into an alternate dimension, there was no other way out unless you defeated the evil spirit inside.
Before entering the dungeon, Mitsui had prepared many things, but she wasn't confident in defeating evil spirits. To be safe, she chose the safest option.
Natsuki nodded in appreciation:
"A very wise choice. Cocooning yourself and waiting for me was indeed the safest approach."
As a genuinely wealthy woman, Mitsui naturally had clothes produced by the game prepared. As she put on her clothes, her eyes sparkled as she said:
"I just didn't expect Natsuki-kun to appear so quickly."
Natsuki said:
"After entering the dungeon, I had Yuuko search everywhere, which is why I was able to find Miss Mitsui so quickly. As for Miss Mira, who attacked you, I've already apprehended her..."
Mitsui pursed her lips, the blush on her pretty face still not gone, and softly said:
"Um... we've known each other for so long, Natsuki-kun should just call me by my name."
Natsuki didn't mind. They had indeed known each other for a long time, so he casually said:
"Alright, I'll call you Miss Mai from now on."
Mitsui softly said:
"Actually, just Mai is fine... I've finished getting dressed."
Natsuki turned his head and saw that Mitsui had actually put on a teacher's uniform, which was quite striking. He praised:
"The clothes fit very well."
"Thank you..." Mitsui's pretty face flushed slightly, and she softly asked, "Natsuki-kun, how do we leave here?"
Natsuki snapped his fingers and said:
"It's simple. Miss Mira's ability is to pull you into an alternate dimension through the water surface. We just need to immerse ourselves in water to get out... Let's go to the bathroom."
The two left the room and went into the hallway.
Mitsui reached out her right hand and gently held onto Natsuki's sleeve, whispering:
"We met two twin evil spirits earlier, Natsuki-kun, be careful."
Natsuki nodded:
"I've already seen them. They're very cute twins."
Mitsui: "..."
The two searched briefly and quickly found the bathroom.
They entered the bathroom.
The bathtub was clean, but empty.
Mitsui turned on the water faucet, and clear water quickly flowed out.
"The water is very clean."
Mitsui let out a soft sigh of relief, then suddenly perked up her ears and vigilantly said:
"Natsuki-kun, something's coming. Should we turn off the water first?"
Thump, thump, thump.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Natsuki softly said:
"Don't mind them, keep the water running."
"Mm."
Mitsui nodded gently and quickly quieted down.
If Chika and the others had 100% trust in Natsuki, Mitsui's trust was at least 90%.
The footsteps soon reached the bathroom door. After a brief silence, whatever was outside began to knock on the door.
Bang, bang, bang!
As time passed, the knocking quickly became more intense, turning from knocking to smashing the door.
Natsuki remained calm and composed, completely unconcerned about the twins outside the door. Mitsui, however, was quite nervous, glancing at the bathtub from time to time. For some reason, the water filling speed was getting slower and slower.
Time quietly slipped by, minute by minute. The bathtub hadn't filled yet, but the bathroom door couldn't take it anymore and shattered directly.
Under the dim light, two twin sisters with ferocious, ashen faces rushed in.
Hiss—
Natsuki casually took out a match and lit it.
This was a special match made by the Little Match Girl. Within the range of its light, everyone would recall their fondest memories, providing an excellent soothing effect.
The match light was bright.
The two twin sisters with ferocious faces were bathed in the light, and their ferocious expressions quickly softened.
Natsuki extended his right hand, blocking the match light, and the twin sisters' expressions quickly turned ferocious again.
Natsuki moved his right hand away again, and the twin sisters' expressions returned to softness.
Mitsui: "..."
Watching the vengeful spirit twins' expressions constantly switch, Mitsui was instantly speechless.
Please stop playing.
If you keep playing, you'll break them!
As Mitsui's fear dissipated, the bathtub's filling speed returned to normal, and it quickly filled with water.
"Natsuki-kun, the water is full."
Mitsui softly reminded him.
Natsuki nodded, stepped back two paces, came to the side of the bathtub, and then said:
"Miss Mitsui, get ready."
"Mm."
"Three, two, one..."
The countdown ended. Natsuki dropped the match in his hand, turned to embrace Mitsui, and jumped into the bathtub.
Splash!
A wave of dizziness washed over them, followed by Chika's clear shout in their ears:
"President, Miss Mitsui, you're back."
Natsuki released Mitsui from his embrace and nodded:
"We're back."
The two successfully returned, but because they had jumped into the bathtub, their clothes were all wet.
At Chika's urging, the two went to a corner and each changed into a set of dry clothes.
"Natsuki-kun, thank you."
Mitsui, having changed her clothes, bowed in thanks.
Looking at Mitsui, who had changed into a new set of clothes, Natsuki suddenly noticed a blind spot.
As a young lady from a wealthy family and one of the directors of the Administration, Mitsui could change clothes as she pleased, so didn't she have a Skin Card?
Most likely, she had a Skin Card.
If that was the case, why didn't Mitsui equip a Skin Card earlier in the spider cocoon?
Could it be that...
Natsuki suddenly realized that he might have been the prey.
Indeed, advanced hunters often appear in the form of prey.
Pushing the subtle thoughts to the back of his mind, Natsuki looked at the vengeful spirit Miss Mira and invited:
"Miss Mira, aren't you lonely by yourself? How about becoming an idol?"
Miss Mira's pale eyes looked over, and she faintly said:
"Give up, I can't leave this place."
As expected, he was rejected.
Natsuki wasn't disappointed, though. If employees were so easy to recruit, they wouldn't be so rare.
"Well then, I've disturbed Miss Mira today. Goodbye... Hmm?"
Natsuki was about to wave goodbye when a line of text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Through your training, Miss Mira has awakened a hidden special fetish]
[You decide to intensify your efforts]
[You have gained an unexpected reward...]