Game Cleared

"Because..." Amamiya Natsuki pushed Fujiwara Chika, who was hiding behind him, forward. "My life already belongs to Fujiwara-san."

"Huh? What?"

"If you want to keep me here, you'll have to get past Fujiwara first."

"I'm not your human shield."

"..."

The Vengeful Spirit Kaguya's gaze shifted slightly and settled on Fujiwara Chika. Then she actually put away the box cutter, folded her right arm across her chest, and said coldly:

"Source of Chaos."

"That's not true," Fujiwara Chika protested. "Whenever I play games, I'm always on the Lawful Good alignment."

"A siren who uses her boobs to tempt men into corruption."

"Th-that's so mean! Kaguya-chan, you're being so mean." Secretary Fujiwara covered her chest with both hands. "I've never tempted anyone."

At that, Amamiya Natsuki looked over at Fujiwara Chika.

Under the pressure of her arms, the unmistakable, alluring curve of a full moon appeared at the edge of her chest.

Fujiwara Chika had no idea how alluring she was.

"A lamb who committed the Sin of Gluttony."

"I just eat a tiny bit more than ordinary girls..." Fujiwara Chika guiltily looked away. "We're wasting time. Kaguya-chan... No, Outlaw Zhang San, if I call your name, will you answer?"

Shinomiya Kaguya quickly raised a hand to cover her pink lips, trying to block the sound, but her mouth still moved. "...Zhang San is here."

Amamiya Natsuki felt like he was back in business.

He stepped forward, grabbed the Vengeful Spirit Kaguya by the wrist, and activated 100% Capture. "Fujiwara, come search her."

"Okay."

Fujiwara Chika hurried over.

This Vengeful Spirit Kaguya was clearly obsessed with role-playing and deeply in character. Now, she neither cried nor made a fuss; she simply gazed at Fujiwara Chika with dark eyes.

"Kaguya-chan's eyes are so scary," Fujiwara Chika said timidly. "I'm a little afraid."

Amamiya Natsuki suggested, "Want me to search her instead?"

"No." Fujiwara Chika immediately refused. "Even if she isn't the real Kaguya-chan, she's still a girl. Natsuki-classmate, you can't do anything lewd."

It really was just an ordinary search. With a figure flat as a Mahjong tile, body contours as level as the Central Plains, and a cold body temperature, who would be interested in doing anything lewd?

Wait.

Amamiya Natsuki's gaze shifted slightly downward. Looking at Shinomiya Kaguya, whom he had pinned against the edge of the bed, he was surprised to realize he'd been wrong.

The Vengeful Spirit Kaguya in front of him wasn't actually as flat as the Central Plains.

From behind, the curve pushing against her uniform skirt was unexpectedly pronounced, with a beautiful shape.

The Vengeful Spirit Kaguya and the Shinomiya Kaguya outside the hospital room had identical bodies, so... did that mean she was actually half busty and half curvy?

The school uniform skirt was obviously a little short. From behind, he could clearly see a faint glimpse of her absolute territory, her snowy skin dazzling in the dim hospital room.

Even the details had been recreated with perfect accuracy—

Her black thigh-high stockings dug into her thighs, leaving a slight indentation that made him want to reach out and smooth it away.

A moment later.

"Ah, I found it." Fujiwara Chika took a fragment from the Vengeful Spirit Kaguya's skirt pocket and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. "Natsuki-classmate, retreat, retreat."

Amamiya Natsuki held his breath and released the Vengeful Spirit Kaguya.

Perhaps knowing that resisting was pointless, the Vengeful Spirit Kaguya sat on the hospital bed without moving. Her bangs cast a shadow over her eyes as she murmured, "...You're going to leave me behind again?"

What else was he supposed to do?

Stay and help you practice the thirty-six ways of the butcher knife?

But... where was this inexplicable sense of guilt coming from?

Amamiya Natsuki sighed and offered her an empty promise. "If we meet again, I promise I won't leave you behind."

There was no way a Vengeful Spirit from a Horror Game would appear in the real world, right?

Amamiya Natsuki and Fujiwara Chika left the Mirror World. Not daring to linger, they quickly exited the hospital room and headed into the corridor.

Seeing Shinomiya Kaguya waiting outside the door, Fujiwara Chika jumped back in fright.

"Kaguya-chan is so scary."

"Hm?"

A question mark appeared over Shinomiya Kaguya's head.

"Listen, we ran into a super-scary Kaguya-chan in the hospital room..."

Fujiwara Chika recovered her composure, and the urge to vent came rushing out.

"She even used all sorts of awful words to describe me. Kaguya-chan doesn't really think that way, does she?"

"..."

Shinomiya Kaguya fell silent.

Sorry.

That was exactly what she thought.

Amamiya Natsuki interrupted, "Don't just stand around talking. Let's move on to the next hospital room."

With the Vengeful Spirit Kaguya taken care of, the rest was simple.

The Anti-pornography and illegal publications campaign grew ever more fierce, sweeping through the place without a single defeat. A lone Vengeful Spirit couldn't put up any resistance.

A moment later.

The three of them successfully collected all the fragments.

They put the fragments together. The floating pieces quickly drew toward one another, then spun and converged, finally turning into...

"Huh? How did it turn into a Hydrangea?"

Fujiwara Chika's eyes widened. "What happened to the key we were promised?"

"The key was only a guess," Amamiya Natsuki said, looking at the Hydrangea in his hand. "Clearly, we were overthinking it."

It was a paper Hydrangea, folded with remarkable precision.

"Maybe we can use the Hydrangea to open the door?"

Fujiwara Chika wouldn't give up and wanted to try. The result was easy to predict: the last hospital room still wouldn't open.

"Even if it isn't a key, this Hydrangea must be an important piece of Game items." Fujiwara Chika clenched her right fist and quickly rallied. "So... where could the key be?"

Amamiya Natsuki pondered. "The key must be on the fourth floor, but it probably isn't in one of the hospital rooms."

Shinomiya Kaguya folded her right arm across her chest. "Besides us, who else would be going in and out of the hospital rooms...?"

The two exchanged a glance. The same figure appeared in both their minds.

"The nurse."

"Huh?" Fujiwara Chika was stunned. "Did we just waste all that time running around?"

"Running around wasn't a waste if we got this Hydrangea." Amamiya Natsuki recalled Sakurai's admission date on the medical chart. Early May, the start of summer. "Darkness is about to fall again. Let's get back to the hospital room first."

When they returned to the hospital room, Amamiya Natsuki didn't see Miss Sadako secretly eavesdropping by the wall.

Under the radiance of the Light of Humanity, Fujiwara Chika, all but a handful of players with minds of their own, most of the other players had taken shelter inside.

"Lord Fujiwara."

"Chika-chan."

"You're back?"

A group of Newbie Players greeted them warmly, full of gratitude.

Only Miss Sadako was suffering from severe social anxiety.

"...There are too many of you. If this many people come in at once, I'm going to break."

Chapter 56: Game Cleared

Miss Sadako, suffering from severe social anxiety, wasn't willing to come out and entertain the guests.

As a guy, Amamiya Natsuki was handsome and "powerful." Many female players were smitten with him and wanted to become his Leg accessory.

However...

After sneaking a glance at the Ice Sculpture Girl standing beside Amamiya Natsuki, several female players gave up on their little schemes.

They couldn't compete.

They didn't stand a chance.

Although she had the bust of a dead-certain flat-chested girl, she was just too beautiful.

She was so gorgeous that a talent scout would kneel on the street and beg her to join an agency.

Countless examples had already proven that, next to beauty, body shape came second.

As long as you were beautiful enough, being flat-chested didn't matter at all!

"Everyone, don't be nervous. Miss Sadako is actually easy to get along with. She just likes to secretly eavesdrop, and she's never hurt anyone."

Seeing that the mood was a little heavy, Fujiwara Chika, the Light of Humanity, stepped forward without hesitation and took on the responsibility of the lady of the house.

"The game is dangerous."

"That's why we need to stick together, help one another, and get through this crisis."

Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands in front of her chest. It was as though a bright light shone from her.

"We have to make it back to the real world safely. Not a single person can be left behind."

Ah, so bright!

Amamiya Natsuki raised a hand to shield his eyes.

Was this the legendary Light of Humanity?

Her public speaking skills were incredible. She easily lifted everyone's spirits. This Fujiwara was a born politician; she might even become the first female Prime Minister someday!

Whatever the case, thanks to Fujiwara Chika's ability to empathize, the atmosphere gradually grew livelier.

Many players began chatting and exchanging information.

Ultimately, humans were creatures who liked to huddle together for warmth.

Amamiya Natsuki quietly listened to the players talk and realized they were all struggling Newbie Players. They were mostly frightened and anxious, with no idea why they had been chosen by the game.

As he listened, Amamiya Natsuki suddenly had a thought.

Maybe the Horror Game hadn't been around for long. Maybe everyone was still a Newbie Player, just muddling through and trying to survive.

As he thought this over, Amamiya Natsuki suddenly felt someone move his finger.

He turned his head quietly and saw Fujiwara Chika close one eye, a sunny smile on her face as she secretly flashed him a V sign.

Amamiya Natsuki looked away and continued thinking.

A few seconds later.

Someone secretly hooked his finger again.

Hey, hey, you're getting carried away!

Amamiya Natsuki looked at his little finger. The Vengeful Spirit Kaguya was taken care of already, so could the Red string be undone?

He curiously touched his little finger, but didn't feel anything unusual. He could only give up.