There were far more vengeful spirits than he'd imagined.
But aside from him, it seemed no one else could see them...
Amamiya Natsuki's thoughts stirred, and he remembered his teammate from earlier, Shinomiya Kaguya.
Could Young Lady Kaguya, who had also received a "Clearance reward," see the twisted vengeful spirits too?
Meanwhile.
The Shinomiya family mansion.
A Kaguya hid under her blanket, teary-eyed and trembling.
(Aah! What was that thing? Why was something so terrifying next to Hayasaka?!)
Back at home.
The house was quiet and empty.
After taking a bath, Amamiya Natsuki returned to his room, silently opened the Game Mall, and let out another long sigh.
This mall... was so barren it brought tears to his eyes.
Amamiya Natsuki had noticed the Game Mall while tying his shoelaces earlier and had been quite excited. But after going in, he learned the meaning of bitter disappointment.
The Game Mall was pitifully bare. There was no premium currency system or recharge system, and there was only one item—
[Name: Daily Blind Box]
[Price: Ten Game coins]
[Attributes: Open the Blind Box to receive a random gift, including one of four categories: items, abilities, attributes, and vengeful spirits. Top-tier reward: Divine Authority]
[Explore the Blind Box odds for yourself. After midnight each day, the gifts inside refresh automatically. You may also spend ten Game coins to refresh it manually, with no limit on the number of times.]
So why was there a "vengeful spirit" mixed in?
Was that thing really a gift?
If he accidentally pulled a vengeful spirit from the Blind Box, he wouldn't even have anywhere to cry!
"So, should I try pulling a Blind Box?"
Amamiya Natsuki felt a little tempted.
Nobody could resist the thrill of a Blind Box, especially with Divine Authority as the top-tier reward.
Everyone knew the odds of pulling it had to be incredibly low, but what if?
What if he hit the One-shot Jackpot and got Divine Authority?
There had to be lucky people in the world. Why couldn't one of them be him?
As Amamiya Natsuki was still debating whether to try a Blind Box, a line of text slowly appeared in his field of vision.
[Notice: Screams of vengeful spirits echo inside the Blind Box...]
"..."
Amamiya Natsuki quietly abandoned the idea.
But... his ability to see notices could even peer inside the Blind Box in the Game Mall?
A wave of drowsiness washed over him. Amamiya Natsuki closed his eyes and soon fell fast asleep.
The next day.
Amamiya Natsuki woke to the sound of his alarm.
It was Monday, time to go to school again.
Amamiya Natsuki got dressed, walked to the window, and pushed it open. Outside, the sun shone brightly, and pink and white cherry blossoms bloomed in glorious profusion. It was a beautiful spring morning.
After washing up, Amamiya Natsuki went to the fridge and opened it, intending to grab a carton of milk.
The next moment.
A vengeful spirit's head stared back at Amamiya Natsuki. Its mouth was full of sharp fangs, and mist like drool dripped incessantly from it.
Bang!
Amamiya Natsuki shut the door without changing his expression.
Forget the milk!
Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath, silently opened the Game Mall, and looked at the only Blind Box.
"The Blind Box should have refreshed. Let's see what's inside..."
As Amamiya Natsuki gazed at it in silence, a line of text slowly appeared above the Blind Box.
[Notice: The Blind Box contains a power that makes evil spirits tremble.]
Amamiya Natsuki's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he used Points to redeem the Blind Box.
The next moment.
Amamiya Natsuki felt a slight weight in his hand. A Blind Box had appeared in his palm.
When he opened it, a soft chime sounded in his ear.
[You opened the Daily Lucky Blind Box]
[You obtained Primary Aura: Evil Spirit Repellent]
[Description: Passive Ability. No cost. Evil spirits are repelled within five meters.]
"A little short and weak..." Amamiya Natsuki silently gave his verdict, then turned and opened the fridge. "Hiding in the fridge to scare people? You're dead!"
After breakfast.
Amamiya Natsuki picked up his schoolbag and headed to school.
As soon as he stepped out, he happened to see a long-haired girl from the neighboring house come outside. Faint dark circles sat beneath her eyes as she covered her mouth with one hand and tiredly yawned.
"Good morning, Miko."
"Morning~"
The long-haired girl sounded drowsy.
Yotsuya Miko.
The eldest daughter of the neighboring Yotsuya Family.
A quiet girl who loved studying.
The Amamiya family had moved here three years ago. Amamiya Natsuki and Yotsuya Miko happened to attend the same middle school, so in a way, they could be called Childhood Sweethearts.
"Your dark circles look even worse. What have you been up to lately?"
Amamiya Natsuki asked casually.
"Nothing." Yotsuya Miko lightly bit her lower lip. "I... just watched a horror movie, so I didn't sleep well."
"You dared to watch a horror movie alone? You've got guts, heroine."
"..."
They chatted as they walked to school.
As they reached an intersection, Amamiya Natsuki's gaze suddenly sharpened.
Among the crowd across the road stood a particularly striking office lady. She was well-dressed, had a lovely figure, and was beautiful enough to draw plenty of attention.
Amamiya Natsuki silently watched the woman, but his gaze wasn't fixed on her face. It was on her back—
A huge, bloated Infant Vengeful Spirit was clinging to the office lady's back. A long tongue hung from its mouth, and every so often it whipped the tongue toward passersby, though no one could sense it.
"Hmm?"
Amamiya Natsuki noticed Yotsuya Miko's face had gone pale. She was looking down at her toes, her fingers gripping her sleeve so tightly that her knuckles had gone faintly white.
"Miko?" Amamiya Natsuki lowered his voice. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine."
Yotsuya Miko bit her lip and gave a tiny shake of her head.
The light turned green.
The pedestrians waiting on either side of the road began to cross.
The beautiful woman moved with them, and the Infant Vengeful Spirit on her back squirmed happily.
Amamiya Natsuki took a silent, deep breath and was about to cross when a hand suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
"Wait."
Yotsuya Miko looked up at him, her eyes misty. She looked as if she wanted to cry but didn't dare. "I just remembered I need to buy something... Come with me to the Convenience store?"
"What do you need to buy?"
"Don't ask so many questions. Hurry up."
Yotsuya Miko grabbed Amamiya Natsuki's wrist and pulled him around.
"Phew..."
Watching the woman carrying the Infant Vengeful Spirit walk away, Yotsuya Miko quietly breathed a sigh of relief. A look of relief spread across her face.
Then... the girl's expression stiffened again.
At the Convenience store entrance, a twisted vengeful spirit in a Convenience store uniform was bent over, seemingly bowing to the customers coming and going.
Even after turning into a vengeful spirit, it hadn't forgotten to work. That's Japan for you!
Yotsuya Miko paused for two seconds, then silently turned around. "Let's not buy anything. I just remembered I have a spare pencil in my schoolbag... Let's go to school."
"..."
Amamiya Natsuki silently looked at the twisted vengeful spirit by the Convenience store entrance and considered a possibility.
Could Miko see them?
If so, was Miko also a Game Player?
Amamiya Natsuki pondered for a moment, decided to ask her outright, and leaned down toward the girl's ear.
"W-what are you doing?"
Yotsuya Miko leaned back slightly, a faint blush rising on her pretty face.
"Weird Game?"
Amamiya Natsuki whispered into her ear, making sure no one else could hear.
"Huh? What game?" Yotsuya Miko tilted her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing." Amamiya Natsuki straightened up and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's keep going."
Looks like he'd been overthinking it. Miko wasn't a Game Player... That was for the best. At least he wouldn't have to worry about the unknown punishment for failing the game.
But that raised the question: why could Miko see the vengeful spirits?
Amamiya Natsuki was about to ask when a clear, melodious girl's voice rang out from nearby.
"Miko!"
A girl with short blond hair and a voluptuous figure ran over happily, waving her arm.
"Ah, Amamiya-classmate, good morning."
The short-haired girl gave Amamiya Natsuki a bright smile that seemed to make the sunlight shine a little more brilliantly.
"Good morning, Yurikawa."
Amamiya Natsuki replied politely.
Yurikawa Hana.
Before you continue