"...Momo-senpai, do you need help?"
Natsuki asked with a smile.
"It's the scumbag Natsuki!"
Hearing the voice behind her, Momo's eyes suddenly lit up.
Although unwilling to admit it, the moment Natsuki's voice was heard, the tension and unease in her heart instantly vanished.
"How did you suddenly appear?"
Momo asked in surprise.
Natsuki said:
"I promised Momo-senpai that I would take care of you, so of course I wouldn't break my word."
"Less nonsense, hurry and take me to the shore. Wait—"
Momo suppressed the excitement in her heart and suddenly said cautiously:
"First, prove your identity."
"Not bad, Momo-senpai is very vigilant." Natsuki praised, then unhurriedly said, "There's a lot of evidence, for example, that night, Momo-senpai was eavesdropping, and after I found her in the restroom, she even tried to kiss me…"
"Ptooey!"
Momo was immediately both shy and angry, yelling exasperatedly:
"Don't talk nonsense! It was clearly you who wanted to kiss me!"
Natsuki smiled and said:
"So, Momo-senpai isn't denying the eavesdropping?"
Momo: "…"
Infuriating!
That scumbag Natsuki is indeed super infuriating, making one want to punch him repeatedly!
"Urusai!" Momo was both shy and angry. "I was accidentally controlled by the Strange Tale just now. This swimming pool is her home ground, let's hurry to the shore!"
Natsuki nodded and said:
"Now is indeed not the time to flirt with Momo-senpai."
The water in the swimming pool was bone-chillingly cold, dark, and turbid; she truly didn't want to stay for another second.
"Who's flirting with you?" Momo bit her silver teeth in embarrassment and anger. "You really want a beating, don't you!"
"Tsk~"
Natsuki suddenly made a 'tsk' sound, then said:
"Momo-senpai, I have some bad news to tell you."
Momo snorted:
"What news? Tell me after we leave the swimming pool."
Natsuki said:
"My legs are entangled by something, and I can't move."
Momo: "…"
So much for a divine arrival; it turned into a head-delivery instead. He's clearly a useless scumbag!
"It's a pity Hanako isn't here, otherwise, we could have a heart-to-heart with the supernatural entity in the swimming pool…"
Natsuki shook his head, trying to break free from the restraints.
Unfortunately, despite his great strength, it was difficult to exert it underwater.
After a simple attempt and realizing he couldn't break free, Natsuki immediately used Dark Shadow, instantly disappearing into the shadows and reappearing on the shore.
Seeing that Momo still had only her head above the water, about to be completely submerged, Natsuki didn't waste words. He decisively extended his right hand and used his ability:
"Accio."
Strength check passed.
Momo in the water felt an inexplicable force sweep over her, directly pulling her out of the swimming pool.
Splash!
Water splashed.
Momo directly shot out of the water. One could see dense black hair wrapped around her body, which was clearly what had been controlling her.
"Hoo…"
Momo felt a sudden dizzy spell, followed by the firm sensation of solid ground under her feet, and she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry, Momo-senpai, we're on the shore now."
Natsuki's reassuring voice came from beside her.
Momo instinctively looked over upon hearing him, seeing Natsuki with his upper body bare. A bewildered expression appeared on her face. Then, her gaze shifted downwards, and her eyes instantly widened as if she had seen something incredible. After a brief stunned moment, her pretty face rapidly flushed at a visible speed.
An Anaconda…
No wonder Tsubame cried so much that night; it must have been incredibly uncomfortable!
"W-where are your clothes?!"
Momo wanted to turn her head away, but her body was still under the Strange Tale's control, making it impossible to avert her gaze.
Natsuki said calmly:
"I used Dark Shadow just now, so my clothes naturally fell into the water."
Momo closed her eyes in shame and anger, the tips of her ears tinged with crimson. She gritted her teeth and yelled:
"Hurry up and put your clothes on!"
"Putting on clothes is no problem…" Natsuki took out a towel and began to wipe the water from his body, kindly reminding her, "But I think it's better to help Momo-senpai first."
Momo gritted her teeth and said:
"I don't need your help!"
"Alright then." Natsuki shrugged, as if nothing had happened, "Those black hairs have changed tactics; they're trying to drill into Momo-senpai's body, probably intending to invade her."
Momo's eyelashes trembled in panic. She quickly opened her eyes and saw Natsuki still leisurely wiping his body.
"D-damn it!"
She couldn't turn her neck to observe her body, but the sensations on her body were quite sharp. Momo had already noticed cold, damp hair crawling upwards, reaching her mouth, clearly intending to enter her body through her mouth and nostrils.
What made Momo even more uncomfortable was that the black hair's target wasn't just her mouth and nose; it was even trying to get inside her clothes.
Momo clearly felt a cold, damp sensation even drilling into her panties…
One should know.
The human body doesn't just have seven orifices, but nine. Besides the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, there are other places easily invaded.
"Ugh—!"
Momo's body suddenly tensed, but unfortunately, she couldn't stop the invasion of the strange hair at all. Dense the goosebumps quickly appeared on her arms.
No!
Absolutely not!
If such disgusting hair invaded her body, she'd rather commit suicide on the spot!
"H-help me…"
Ignoring her shame, Momo quickly looked at Natsuki and gritted her teeth, begging for help.
Natsuki hesitated and said:
"But Momo-senpai told me to put on my clothes first…"
Momo almost evolved into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, gritting her teeth and saying:
"If you keep talking nonsense, do you believe I'll cut you off?!"
Natsuki: "…"
Under the threat of being cut off, Natsuki immediately behaved.
Quickly taking out a pair of boxer briefs, he put on his underwear in five seconds. Natsuki then took out a match and lit it directly.
A bright and warm flame immediately burned, its soft light enveloping both of them.
Bathed in the match's light, Momo felt her mind suddenly relax, as if lying on a warm, green lawn on a spring afternoon, her mind indescribably peaceful.
Not only that, the black hair on her body also quickly quieted down, becoming incredibly docile.
"So magical… What kind of match is this?"
Momo asked in surprise.
Natsuki explained:
"Have you seen the fairy tale 'The Little Match Girl'?"
Momo: "Of course, I have."
Natsuki said:
"This is the kind of match the little girl lit at the end, a special item. It can not only soothe humans but also soothe Strange Tales and other strange entities. Before the match burns out, you basically won't be attacked."
Looking at the rapidly burning match, Momo couldn't help but widen her eyes and urged:
"Then hurry up and secretly take the hair off me!"
Natsuki nodded, first removing the black hair from Momo's face.
The black hair felt bone-chillingly cold, slimy, and damp to the touch, clearly something supernatural. However, in the match's light, it was like an insect in hibernation, soft and utterly without offensive power, easily removed by Natsuki.
"This black hair isn't the main body; the real Strange Tale should still be in the swimming pool."
Natsuki spoke as he casually threw the black hair in his hand away.
Before long, the visible black hair on Momo's body was cleaned off.
"Hmm?" Natsuki raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why can't Momo-senpai move yet?"
Momo's pretty face flushed, revealing an expression that was difficult to articulate:
"B-because there's still hair that hasn't been cleaned off…"
Natsuki scanned her up and down, raising an eyebrow and saying:
"Where's the hair?"
"In…"
Momo had originally intended to do it herself, but her body was still incredibly stiff and she couldn't move at all. Seeing that the match was about to burn out, the fear of her nine orifices being invaded by the Strange Tale ultimately overcame her shame. She closed her eyes and said:
"Inside my clothes!"
"Inside your clothes?" Natsuki deliberated, "Then should I reach in to help?"
…
Momo closed her eyes, remaining silent.
Natsuki said:
"If Momo-senpai doesn't speak, does that mean she's refusing?"
Momo: "…"
Refuse your big head! When she's not speaking at a time like this, it's obviously implied consent. This guy is clearly pretending to be dumb!
Natsuki quietly reminded her:
"The match is about to burn out."
"D-damn it…"
Momo opened her eyes in shame and anger, her pretty face flushed, and said:
"H-hurry up!"
Natsuki feigned confusion and said:
"Hurry up and do what?"
"Hurry up and put your hand in!"
Momo yelled menacingly, and if looks could kill, Natsuki would probably be full of holes by now.
Unfortunately, although her gaze was fierce, her face was as red as a ripe apple, so she had very little deterrent power.
"Since Senpai is begging me, I won't be polite."
Natsuki smiled, then extended his right hand, reaching under Momo's clothes, quickly touching the girl's delicate and smooth skin, and then moving upwards.
"Fool, fool!" Momo quickly shouted, "Where are you touching!"
Natsuki said with an innocent face:
"Senpai didn't say where, so of course I have to search slowly."
Momo bit her lower lip, almost drawing blood, and looking at the match that was about to burn out, fear finally overcame her shame, and she closed her eyes and said:
"...It's not up there."
Natsuki suddenly realized:
"Not up there, then it's down there?"
"..."
"If Senpai doesn't speak, I'll take it as a default?"
"..."
Natsuki spoke, but his actions were without any hesitation, quickly reaching downwards.
Matches are strategic materials; although they can be produced continuously, the output is very low and they are also distributed to other girls. Natsuki doesn't have many matches in his hand, so he saves them whenever possible.
His fingers moved down from her abdomen, quickly passing over the girl's waistline. Seeing that Momo, who was biting her lips, didn't react, Natsuki knew he had to continue downwards.
Before long, Natsuki's fingers quickly touched the edge of her panties, pausing slightly. Seeing that Momo still hadn't spoken, Natsuki took a deep breath and decisively chose to go deeper again.
Compared to life, shame is meaningless.
Since Momo didn't speak, he naturally had no reason to stop.
"Found it!"
Natsuki's spirit was invigorated.
"Wait, wait a minute..." Momo's body suddenly tensed. Her pretty face, which was originally pale from the cold, was now inexplicably red to the point of exploding, almost dripping blood, and even her voice trembled slightly with shame, "That place...is not..."
"Did I get it wrong?"
Natsuki coughed lightly and quickly realized that he had obviously found the wrong place.
"My sincerest apologies."
Natsuki apologized sincerely, then continued to search.
Fortunately, the scope was already locked, so finding the target was not difficult.
Before long, Momo's spirit was invigorated, and she quickly said:
"It, it's it!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the match in Natsuki's hand burned out with a 'hiss', and boundless darkness instantly swept over, engulfing both of them.
As the match extinguished, Natsuki felt the black hair in his hand suddenly come alive, clearly sensing the danger. It slipped through his fingers like a swimming snake, quickly drilling inwards.
It was too late to light another match at this point, so Natsuki made a quick decision and decisively activated Time Stop.
"Za Warudo!"
Time suddenly stopped flowing.
The panic in Momo-senpai's eyes, the water droplets dripping from her hair, the slippery, eerie black hair...everything was frozen in time.
Three seconds is not a long time, but it's enough to grab the strange hair. The only trouble is that after the strange hair slipped from his fingertips, he didn't know where it was hiding and needed to search for it again.
Natsuki held his breath and quickly searched with his right hand, finally finding the black hair and grabbing it before Time Stop ended.
Time Stop ended.
Everything returned to normal flow.
Bang!
Momo suddenly sprang up and crashed into Natsuki's arms.
"Senpai, calm down." Natsuki reached out and held Momo, "I've already pulled out the strange hair."
"Huh...my body can move again?"
Momo quickly calmed down, her gaze shifted to the black hair wriggling like a poisonous snake in Natsuki's hand, and her mind raced:
"You just used Time Stop?"
One second she was lying on the ground, on the verge of being invaded by the strange hair, and the next second everything was settled. This kind of memory-fragmenting ability must be Time Stop.
Natsuki nodded and said:
"The situation was urgent, so I used Time Stop. Fortunately, I didn't fail, and I've completely cleared all the strange hair from Senpai's body."
"Thank you..."
Momo breathed a sigh of relief, her lips parting as she whispered her thanks, but her gaze drifted elsewhere.
Three seconds of Time Stop, not long, not short, but enough to do many things. When scum Natsuki was grabbing the strange hair, did he do anything like those Time Stop doujinshi...
"Ahhh! Don't think nonsense!"
Momo shook her head vigorously, chasing away the terrible images in her mind.
Anyway, she had no memory of it, so she would just pretend nothing happened, otherwise it would just be asking for trouble.
Natsuki asked:
"Momo-senpai, what's wrong?"
Momo snorted softly, shuffled her feet, and distanced herself from Natsuki, saying:
"It's none of your business. I'm thinking about how to catch and kill that strange thing in the water!"
Natsuki reminded her:
"No rush, let's wait for everyone to come and figure it out together."
"Eh?"
Momo was startled, and just as she was about to ask what he meant, a flashlight beam suddenly shone from the doorway, followed by secretary Chika's clear shout:
"President, we're here!"
Natsuki had already dried himself and changed into a clean set of clothes, then said:
"We're here."
Footsteps quickly approached, and before long, Chika, Shinomiya, Mitsui, and Yandere Kaguya arrived together.
"Momo-senpai, are you alright?"
Chika asked with concern.
"I'm fine, no need to worry."
Momo crossed her arms over her chest, regaining her arrogant demeanor, but unfortunately, the blush on her face had not yet faded, and her clothes were still dripping wet.
"Momo-senpai, let's change your clothes first." Chika took out spare clothes, "We'll talk about other things later."
Momo hesitated for a moment but did not refuse; being completely drenched was indeed extremely uncomfortable.
After changing clothes.
Chika then explained the course of events, and only then did Momo understand why Natsuki had suddenly appeared at the critical moment. She didn't mind this matter, after all, before entering the instance, the staff had already told her about the observation and recording.
"Miss Ryuju, is there anything special after becoming a player?"
Mitsui asked softly.
"Special place..." Momo tilted her head and pondered, "After becoming a player, things like the character panel and game inventory can be used, and I haven't encountered any restricted permissions for now."
Natsuki said from the side:
"Good news, the game is quite fair and didn't treat Momo-senpai differently because of her uniqueness."
Momo gave him a sidelong glance, raised her hand to press her cheek, and said:
"And then there's the ability... This white bone mask on my face is a strange object that I accidentally fused with, and it comes with some special abilities. The game has skill-ified these abilities, giving me a total of two abilities."
Kaguya said softly:
"Ability skill-ification, plus the increase in physical fitness after fusing with the strange object, sounds pretty good."
Momo shook her head and said:
"However, the problem of strange erosion has not yet been resolved, and the game doesn't seem to have a good solution..."
Next, Momo talked about the main quest's content, and as expected, it was to unravel the secrets of the Seven Mysteries in the swimming pool.
"It's only the first time entering the instance, and the task is already so difficult." Chika put her right hand on her hip, "It's probably because Momo-senpai is too wonderful, right?"
"I agree." Natsuki nodded, "If I had arrived any later, Momo-senpai would have gotten out herself."
"Hmph."
Momo snorted softly, not denying it.
She absolutely did not want a third person to know the truth of how she escaped.
Mitsui said softly:
"Natsuki-kun, how can we catch the strange thing in the swimming pool?"
Natsuki snapped his fingers lightly:
"Things underwater, of course, are left to the professionals..."
Bang.
The crying Female Ghost, who had been recruited earlier in the alternate dimension, appeared out of thin air.