Chapter 18: Where the Hell Did You Bring Me?!
The sea was gray.
It wasn't the bright, open gray of a cloudy day, but the oppressive color of an infinite lead plate—a lifeless, ancient gray that seemed to press down on the world with suffocating weight. The sight alone was enough to leave Kaguya speechless.
Slap… slap, slap…
The sound of waves washing over the reefs was just as strange. It wasn't the crisp crash of water against rock, but a viscous, sluggish noise, as if the sea were feebly licking the earth, too tired to do anything more.
"Wait! Where in the nine hells did you bring me!?" Kaguya finally shrieked, looking wildly at her surroundings as if questioning every choice that had led her to this moment.
"It's a world-hop," Haruto replied, his tone unnervingly calm. "Didn't you say you wanted to travel with me? To participate in the game?"
"You call this a trip? Would the starting zone for some cheat-code protagonist look this gloomy?" Kaguya gestured frantically at the lonely guesthouse perched on the edge of a cliff not far away. "No matter how you slice it, this art style is all wrong!"
On the vast, dark beach, only that one dim building stood out, a solitary beacon of impending doom. Relying on years of experience playing horror games, she could guarantee, with absolute certainty, that there was something deeply wrong with that place.
'It's definitely crawling with ghosts!'she thought.'Probably the fluffy, eldritch kind!'
"It is a world-hop. Haven't you ever read any Infinite Flow novels?" Haruto shrugged.
The words "Infinite Flow" made Kaguya freeze, a dazed look clouding her features.
She stared at Haruto, then glanced at the dozen or so other people scattered across the beach, all of them looking just as lost as she felt. Combined with the eerie environment, the pieces clicked into place with dreadful clarity. The so-called "game" wasn't just a game. They were players in a death game.
Kaguya felt a surge of panic. She had been on the verge of engaging in a "vigorous" round of freestyle combat with Haruto, but her attention was stolen when he walked straight toward a young girl standing alone.
"Hi. Long time no see."
"Haruto-san!" Yotsuya Miko's face lit up with pleasant surprise. She clearly hadn't expected to encounter him again in her second instance.
Of course, this was no random match.
"Don't worry," Haruto said with a reassuring smile. "We'll be matched together from now on."
A flicker of pure joy shone in Miko's eyes. She didn't doubt his words in the slightest.
"I left my 'Gap' on you—a mark," Haruto explained, feeling the need to be thorough. "It acts as a precise coordinate, allowing me to find you across worlds."
He wasn't like a certain unscrupulous Gap youkai he knew. He felt it was only proper to explain things clearly before leaving his mark on someone.
Miko, naturally, didn't mind at all. On the contrary, she was delighted. She never would have imagined Haruto was capable of something so incredible.
However, before she could respond, a figure flashed between them. A pair of hands suddenly gripped her shoulders, shaking her with unrestrained excitement.
"You're Miko, right?! You're definitely Yotsuya Miko!"
Kaguya's sudden appearance and aggressive enthusiasm startled Miko. If this person hadn't been with Haruto, she would have already backed away, not daring to get any closer.
"I-I am Yotsuya Miko. Hello, it's nice to meet you," Miko nodded weakly, trying and failing to break free from the surprisingly strong grip.
In the next second, two hands pinched her slightly soft cheeks and, under her terrified gaze, began to knead them.
The familiar sensation immediately brought back memories of her first meeting with Haruto, where she had been subjected to similar poking and prodding.
"Not bad, not bad! I've wanted to pinch these cheeks for a long time! By the way, can you cry? I want to see if you can really keep a straight face while you're terrified, or if you just—"
WHACK!
A sharp hand-chop landed squarely on Kaguya's head.
Immediately after, Haruto produced a baseball bat from thin air and gave the now-prone Kaguya two more solid thumps for good measure, making her body twitch on the sand.
Miko was so scared her hands hovered in mid-air, completely unsure of what to do.
"Sorry, sorry," Haruto said, sighing. "This one is a bit rude. Her name is Houraisan Kaguya. You can just call her Kaguya."
He had expected Kaguya to be excited to meet Miko, but he hadn't anticipated this level of intensity.
"I-I'm fine, but Kaguya-san… she… she's…" Miko stared at Kaguya, who had gone from twitching to lying perfectly still, her eyes wide with terror. She was almost certain she had just seen a part of the woman's head cave in.
"Don't worry," Haruto said casually. "She won't die."
As if to prove his point, the motionless Kaguya slowly, impossibly, began to stand up. The dent in her skull had vanished, completely restored. She gracefully lifted the sides of her princess dress and gave a perfect, elegant curtsy.
"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Houraisan Kaguya. I look forward to being in your care."
"H-Hello."
The sudden transformation left Miko unable to react for a moment. She hurriedly returned the greeting, and only then did she get a proper look at Kaguya's appearance. Waist-length, straight black hair that flowed like a waterfall; an elegant, layered princess dress; and the exquisite face of a classical beauty, all paired with a perfectly measured smile.
'So beautiful,' Miko thought. Even as a fellow woman, she couldn't help but feel her heart flutter.
However, recalling the woman's unhinged actions just moments before, her expression couldn't help but turn a little strange. But then she remembered Haruto's true identity as a youkai, and a sense of understanding washed over her. As for how Kaguya knew who she was, Miko simply assumed Haruto had told her.
Just then, Kaguya leaned close to Miko's ear and whispered a few words. Miko's eyes instantly widened as if she had just heard the most unbelievable thing in the world.
"What are you two whispering about?" Haruto asked, his brow furrowing.
"N-Nothing…" Miko lowered her head, a bashful blush creeping up her neck. She seemed unwilling to share their conversation with him.
"You shut-in! Are you slandering me again?"
Although Haruto hadn't heard the words, the way Miko kept darting nervous glances at him was enough to tell him that their topic of conversation was, without a doubt, about him.
"How is it slander? I'm clearly telling the truth," Kaguya huffed, turning her face away with a sniff.
"Then tell me. What exactly did you say to Miko?"
Kaguya remained stubbornly silent.
Haruto glared at her for a moment before simply pulling Miko aside, his dark eyes turning serious.
"Tell me, what did that shut-in tell you? Don't believe a word she says. That girl is a pathological liar; not a single truthful word comes out of her mouth."
Miko tried to avoid his intense gaze, but Haruto gently held her chin, keeping her steady. She hesitated for a moment, then finally bit her lip and confessed in a tiny voice.
"Kaguya-san said… she said the mark you left on me can not only transmit images and sound but also… allow for physical contact from a distance. She told me that when I take a bath… it's best to use a bubble bath…"
Having said that, she seemed to feel it was inappropriate and hurriedly added, "Haruto-san, don't worry! I know you only did it to protect me!"
Despite her words, the girl's cheeks were flushed with an honest, obvious crimson.
Haruto felt a vein begin to throb in his temple. He turned and shot a murderous glare at Kaguya.
The Gap could indeed be used in the way Kaguya had suggested, but he was an upstanding gentleman! Unlike a certain thousand-year-old hag with zero integrity, he would never use his abilities for something so perverted.
Kaguya stood there, feigning total innocence, her expression screaming, 'Why are you looking at me? I'm just speaking the absolute truth.'
Since they were inside an instance, Haruto could only suppress the overwhelming urge to engage in a "freestyle wrestling" match right then and there.
He looked up, finally taking a proper survey of his surroundings.
Only then did he realize that the other players, who had been scattered in small groups, had spontaneously formed several teams. And at this moment, every single one of them was staring at the three of them, their expressions a mixture of confusion, alarm, and morbid curiosity.
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