[I have a dream... to break through the dimensional wall!]
Reading the line that appeared above the giant snake's head, Amamiya Natsuki blinked in surprise.
Game tip?
As he stared more carefully, additional words began appearing above the snake.
[Name: Greedy Snake]
[Level: LV2]
[Status: Happy, Evolving]
[Note: A snake that doesn't want to break the dimensional wall is not a good snake.]
"…So it really is Snake!"
Amamiya Natsuki's eyes sharpened, and all the strangeness from earlier suddenly made sense.
No wonder its tail was just as thick as its body—it didn't follow any principles of biological evolution. That's because it wasn't a real, flesh-and-blood creature at all!
"…Amamiya-san, what did you just say?"
The cold voice of the ice sculpture girl echoed in his ears.
"I said it's a greedy snake…" Natsuki turned to look at the ever-composed Shinomiya Kaguya. "Can't you see the text above its head?"
"Hmm?" Kaguya stared toward the snake at the far end of the room, her brows gently furrowed. "Did Amamiya-san get so scared he started talking nonsense?"
Amamiya Natsuki was absolutely certain he wasn't hallucinating.
In fact, not only could he now see the snake's status text—he could see Kaguya's, too:
[So scary, so scary, so scary (>_<)]
[I hate snakes the most. It's so big I feel like I'll be swallowed in one gulp!]
[Status: Trembling]
Amamiya Natsuki: "…"
Seriously? I've been bamboozled.
Turns out the prettier the girl, the better the poker face.
Just a second ago I was secretly admiring how calm and collected you were in a crisis. But you were panicking the entire time?!
[Note: This player's morale is low. Execution, reaction, speed, and courage are all decreased. You can help her recover by boosting her morale.]
[Suggestion: "…Shinomiya-san, can you be a little more promising?"]
"Nothing," Amamiya Natsuki said, suppressing the urge to complain. He changed the subject. "This snake isn't a real creature. It's more like a video game snake. Look closely—no real snake moves in a perfectly straight line. It doesn't even bend."
"That's true," Kaguya nodded mildly. "Due to their body structure, snakes usually move in an S-shape. This movement does violate known biological mechanics."
She paused, then asked:
"What is Snake?"
"You've never played it?" Natsuki blinked.
"No."
You've never played Snake? What are you, a time traveler from the Stone Age?
Noticing Natsuki's judgmental expression, Kaguya replied coldly, "Games are merely a cheap means for ordinary people to exhaust their excess energy. Members of the Shinomiya family don't need to play."
"Games are the ninth art form," Natsuki retorted. "Even if you haven't played them, don't belittle them! Hurry up and apologize to gamers worldwide!"
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Snake is a digital game from the last century. The gameplay is simple: you control a snake that eats food, and each time it does, it gets longer."
"The snake's already starting to grow," he added grimly. "If we keep hiding for thirty minutes, it'll probably fill the entire room by then."
Kaguya watched the snake silently. Her face was expressionless. "…Do you have a plan?"
"I do." Natsuki nodded. "In the Snake game, if the snake runs into its own body, it dies and the game ends."
"If we want to pass this game, we need to trick the snake into colliding with itself."
"You mean use bait?" Kaguya was quick to grasp it. "It seems to be chasing food."
"Exactly," Natsuki said. "That's the only way."
As they spoke, the greedy snake leisurely slithered closer.
Its increased size was now even more apparent—well beyond what any real anaconda could manage.
"Run!" Natsuki shouted, making a snap decision. "That corner—go!"
If their theory was right, those basketball-sized balls of light scattered around were the snake's food. To lure it properly, they had to move to an area with no food nearby—forcing it to chase them directly.
As expected, the bigger the snake got, the faster it became. It was no longer slow and clumsy—it was rapidly gaining on them.
They bolted to an empty corner where the surrounding orbs had already been devoured.
"Mm…"
A soft groan escaped Kaguya.
She was probably just about to go to bed when this happened—still wearing a nightdress and a pair of plush dog slippers.
Obviously, slippers weren't meant for sprinting. In her panic, she slipped and nearly fell.
With the giant snake looming just a few meters behind her, Kaguya's face went pale. No one could keep calm with death breathing down their neck.
Natsuki reacted quickly. He shoved her forward and took a step back—causing the snake to pass between them.
But the nearby food had all been eaten. The greedy snake wasn't planning to let them go.
It slithered a short distance ahead, then turned sharply—making a 90-degree pivot—and came charging back toward Natsuki.
Hey, wrong target!
Wouldn't a sweet-smelling girl be tastier?
Just as Natsuki turned to flee, he noticed the snake's body had coiled into a half-circle shape. His eyes lit up. He stopped abruptly and tossed the leash in his hand to Kaguya across the snake's body.
"Grab the rope! Pull me over later!"
"Okay…"
Kaguya understood instantly. She bit her lip, bent down, and gripped the leash tightly.
They waited.
In just a few seconds, the snake looped back—its next target clearly Natsuki.
"Now! Pull me over!"
A tug came from the other end—but it was too weak.
Thinking fast, Natsuki shouted the system-suggested morale booster: "Shinomiya-san, can you be a little more promising?"
"Didn't you eat?!"
"…"
Suddenly, the pulling force doubled.
Using the snake's own momentum and the tug from the leash, Natsuki vaulted over its body and landed beside Kaguya.
"Thanks a bunch."
He exhaled in relief.
The motivational tactic had worked—the ice sculpture girl had instantly improved.
Bang.
The snake, unable to turn in time, slammed headfirst into its own body. It froze in place—and then turned to stone.
[Game Completed]
A flat voice echoed in their minds.
The next second—
Amamiya Natsuki's vision blurred. When he came to, he was back on the street outside his home. An Akita dog was squatting obediently in front of him.
"You're back?"
Natsuki pressed his fingers to his brow, struggling to tell reality from illusion.
A line of text appeared in his field of vision:
[Reward Obtained: The Truth of the World]
[You received 10 Game Coins]
[Game Shop Unlocked]
"There's even a shop?"
Natsuki grew curious and was just about to open the menu when a bark interrupted him.
"Woof! Woof!"
The Akita, silent until now, suddenly barked at something ahead.
Natsuki followed its gaze and saw a weary office worker passing by, briefcase in hand.
Nothing strange—at first glance.
But then he saw it.
That swirling black mist wrapped around him—what the hell is that?!