Shock!
Completely transparent, disappearing from the field of vision.
If not for the fact that she could clearly feel the tactile sensation coming from holding hands, the 'thump thump' sound of his heartbeat, and the slightly accelerated breathing sound, she would have felt that she had truly completely disappeared from this world.
Mai Sakurajima subconsciously looked toward the direction where Lin Ye was. She couldn't see anything; she couldn't see Lin Ye's figure, but the solid tactile sensation of the slightly rough hand made her understand that Lin Ye was right by her side.
"Student Lin."
Her voice was very, very soft. There were still ten seconds left before the countdown ended.
"Save the questions for after we return to my apartment."
Lin Ye's reminder came to her ear. The exhaled breath blew against her ear, causing Mai Sakurajima's ears to instinctively flush red.
She nodded gently.
Lin Ye's body still hid many, many secrets.
She became increasingly curious, but knew even more that now was not the time to ask.
The fear permeating her heart was replaced by curiosity. The sound of the final countdown coming from the distance didn't cause much psychological impact either.
"Five..."
"Three..."
"Two..."
"One..."
"Big Brother, Big Sister, we're coming!"
The Strange little girl in red put down her hands, smiling with a hehe as she looked around. The two Strange boys followed by her side, waiting for her instructions.
"You two, one go this way, one go that way. Every place must be searched carefully; absolutely cannot miss a single corner."
The two Strange boys immediately mobilized. Trees and bushes were the priority search locations.
"Big Brother, Big Sister, where are you!"
"Don't make a sound!"
"I seem to hear your voices,"
...
The little girl in red took light steps, laughing and looking left and right, occasionally suddenly raising her head to look above the trees.
"Wah!"
"Big Brother and Big Sister are hiding so well!"
"There's not a single trace, but... right here..."
She suddenly darted into a patch of woods. The woods rustled with a shua la la sound, and the little girl quickly drilled out.
"Actually not there... I clearly heard a movement."
So strange!
The red-haired girl looked around and concentrated, no longer playing around like at the beginning.
Meanwhile, the two Strange boys searched everywhere but also didn't find any traces.
They soon came before the girl in red, dejected.
"Stupid, can't find a single clue."
"Big Brother's hiding technique is quite high,"
"But the final victory will definitely belong to us."
...
Her eyes flickered with a triumphant expression.
Mai Sakurajima stood in place, watching the three Strange entities' search action the whole time. One of the Strange boys passed by them; the closest distance was just one meter away.
At that moment, her heartbeat accelerated, but her body was stiff in place, without a single movement.
Facing the Strange entity right before her eyes, Mai Sakurajima worried the Strange entity would discover them. That hideous face stimulated her sensitive nerves. If not for the warm and firm tactile sensation coming from Lin Ye's hand, she might have retreated and moved her steps in fear.
Finally, the Strange entity left. They were not discovered.
Mai Sakurajima realized the information Lin Ye had about this game. Possessing this skill of Invisibility, how could the Strange entities possibly discover them!
Three minutes passed.
Four minutes passed.
The three Strange entities circled around again, but still didn't find the figures of Lin Ye and Mai Sakurajima.
It was as if the two had completely vanished from the spot.
"There are still two minutes left. Big Brother, Big Sister, come out quickly!"
"I admit defeat!"
The red-haired girl suddenly said loudly.
In that instant, Mai Sakurajima subconsciously relaxed. Her tight nerves finally got relief, but what followed was the reminder signal of Lin Ye gripping her hand tightly.
The girl with long black hair instantly understood Lin Ye's meaning.
The time was not up yet; this game had not ended.
The little girl saying that was purely to trick them out.
A trace of sweat appeared on Mai Sakurajima's forehead. Her heart cried out at the child's cunningness.
The Strange little girl who looked so small and childish was actually this cunning, using this method to lure them out.
"Big Brother, Big Sister, I really lost! Come out quickly,"
"If you don't come out, it will be defaulted that you lost!"
Lin Ye didn't give any response, ignoring all the little girl's words.
The rules had the final say; the girl in red also had to abide by them.
Another minute passed.
The red-haired girl came to the empty position in the middle. She turned 360 degrees with a hee hee smile and looked around. "Big Brother is really amazing! Didn't get tricked out by me."
Truly a liar!
Mai Sakurajima gritted her teeth.
At least if not for Lin Ye, she might really have wavered.
Too hateful. All liars. The words spoken by this kind of Strange little girl could absolutely not be trusted.
"But, Big Brother, you wouldn't think I can't find you, right!"
"I... just want to see the moment Big Brother falls from hope into despair."
"Hahaha..."
She slowly raised her head and opened her small mouth.
"Roar..."
Suddenly, a high-pitched shout rang out.
That was the roar of the girl in red.
The sound spread, sweeping out in all directions.
Lin Ye quickly felt the Strange aura vibrating in the air. He added a measure of vigilance.
Soon, the red-haired girl's reaction verified his bad premonition.
In this moment, she immediately looked toward the direction where Lin Ye and Mai Sakurajima were.
"Right here,"
At the same time she stared directly, she immediately set off. And the two little boys reacted even faster; they rushed toward the two while shouting roar roar.
Exposed.
Discovered.
Mai Sakurajima widened her eyes, watching the three hideous Strange entities rushing straight over. Her body trembled slightly; she wanted to turn around and run.
However,
In the blink of an eye,
She found that the scenery in her front field of vision had completely changed.
The Strange little girl and the two Strange boys were nowhere to be found.
Tap tap tap...
Footsteps came from behind, very far away.
She glanced and discovered she had come behind a tree. Slightly adjusting her field of vision to look into the distance, she saw the red-haired girl scurrying around in anger in the distance.
That was the position they initially chose.
But why did they suddenly come here?
Lin Ye still had magical skills she didn't know about!
What was it this time?
Spatial movement?
The moment Mai Sakurajima thought of this point, the shocked look became increasingly intense.
Skills like Sleight of Hand and Invisibility were already very strong.
Lin Ye even had the skill of Teleportation.
Especially with Invisibility and Teleportation added together, how could the red-haired girl and her two followers possibly find them!
This hide-and-seek,
They were destined to win from the very beginning.
She completely won by doing nothing.
"No one?"
"Impossible!"
"Right here?"
"Roar..."
She gathered strength and screamed again.
Sound waves swept out like layers of waves.
But this time, she didn't get the imagined feedback.
"Search, search for me,"
"They must be hiding behind some big tree,"
"Look for the biggest tree,"
In this moment, the red-haired little girl who had been laughing all along finally couldn't maintain her composure, revealing that anxious side. She couldn't hold on anymore.
There were only a dozen seconds left.
Soon,
This would be over.
She was going to lose!
The Strange girl in red regretted it more and more. Why didn't she go all out from the beginning, instead of playing around, wanting to enjoy the winning experience of forcing humans from hope into despair!
"Ten seconds..."
"Two seconds..."
The Strange boy searched madly, but until the end, they still didn't find Lin Ye and Mai Sakurajima.
Time was up.
The twisted and changing space gradually returned to normal.
"Big Brother..."
"You won,"
But she still didn't see Lin Ye and Mai Sakurajima. "Didn't lie to you this time, I lost. You can leave, but I very much welcome Big Brother and Big Sister to come again next time."
"Especially Big Sister's beautiful face, I like it very much!"
In this moment, the red girl blushed, and a faint flush of a smile permeated.
Lin Ye didn't stop the Superpower: Invisibility until the very end, but pulled Mai Sakurajima toward that departure intersection.
The slight sound of footsteps attracted the attention of the three Strange entities.
The two Strange boys shot out and rushed over.
"Stop,"
But the red girl scolded, "Lost is lost. Accept the bet, accept the loss,"
But the two Strange little boys were still unwilling.
The Strange girl in red stared, and the two sides finally ended with the Strange little boys compromising.
"Play and play,"
"Run and run,"
"Big Brother, Big Sister, come play games again next time!"
...
Finally, at the moment of stepping into the exit, Lin Ye glanced out of the corner of his eye at that little girl again, took the final step out, and Mai Sakurajima also left together with Lin Ye.
The atmosphere suddenly became a bit depressed, and the air was abnormally stuffy.
"Student Lin, can we talk now!"
"We can."
"Finally can speak,"
The six minutes of silence passed abnormally slowly for her. Besides constantly reminding herself not to speak, she more so consciously controlled her body not to move.
Several accidents almost made her run away.
But fortunately, until the end, she didn't make any big mistakes that affected the two's hiding.
"Senpai performed well."
"Don't praise me. If not for your reminder, I would have believed the words that little girl said. If it were just me alone, I definitely would have fallen for it,"
She couldn't achieve Lin Ye's calmness and rational thinking.
"You wouldn't have,"
"Don't comfort me,"
Mai Sakurajima shook her head and continued, "Can I ask why you thought the little girl was lying to us?"
"Guessed. Because she had absolutely no necessity to give up so, so early. After the hide-and-seek time is determined, it's generally hard to change. Strange entities also have rules belonging to Strange entities; both sides need to abide by them."
Lin Ye explained to Mai Sakurajima, also bringing the girl a little bit of experience in dealing with the Strange. "Find the rules, and you can find the method to survive and win."
Mai Sakurajima gave an 'mn'. "But without Student Lin's strength, I think most people would have no way to escape the ending of failure!"
Invisibility and Teleportation both allowed Lin Ye to stand in an invincible position. If it were anyone else, how could they possibly win!
"Humans will always find a method. No matter how difficult the Strange event is, it will leave a trace of survival probability."
Mai Sakurajima agreed, but felt that if she relied solely on herself, it would be hard to find and grasp this survival probability.
"Senpai, don't be discouraged. Everyone has areas they are good at. Maybe the Strange encountered next time will require Senpai to put in effort."
"You really know how to comfort girls."
"Senpai is moved?"
"No."
But facing Lin Ye's expectant gaze, her smile flashed past. She moved her red lips lightly and spoke, "If you didn't ambiguously entangle with other girls, I might really have been moved."
At least,
Mai Sakurajima also knew she couldn't treat Lin Ye as an ordinary male anymore.
This life-and-death friendship, the grace of saving her life, made her attitude toward Lin Ye undergo further changes.
"Senpai, let's continue walking!"
Rested enough, mindset recovered, time to continue.
"Mn."
"...%...%￥)—"
In less than ten seconds, a burst of prolonged, continuous ethereal sound came, invading the heart like flowing water.
Lin Ye quickly judged the influence this time.
"Distance is closer,"
"Influence is also greater,"
They were already closer to the main body of the voice.
They could even be said to be right in front of this core Strange entity of Chiba Park.
"Senpai, follow me closely. Once you feel something is wrong, immediately chew the chewing gum."
"Mn."
Mai Sakurajima nodded heavily, expressing her attitude. At least she couldn't drag Lin Ye down.
Click clack...
Click clack...
The two walked along the path. The flat cement road surface changed into bumpy cobblestone ground.
The tactile sensation coming from the soles of the feet changed obviously.
Stepping on the cobblestone ground,
Lin Ye and Mai Sakurajima continued walking.
Splash splash...
Splash splash...
That was the sound of flowing water.
No,
That was the sound of a fountain.
The moment they walked out to the end, Lin Ye saw that fountain twenty meters away.
A human statue held a flower vase. Crystal clear spring water sprayed from the mouth of the vase, scattering in all directions. Under the illumination of the moonlight, it reflected a faint silver-white luster.
Splendid, romantic.
But that touch of lonely gloom was even more intense.
"The main body... is it?"
Mai Sakurajima thought at a glance that the human statue would be the owner of that voice.
In the whole venue, it attracted people's line of sight the most.
"Ninety percent certainty, it's not."
Lin Ye denied directly.
This was intuition.
"But no matter what, we need to go verify it."
This was to prevent being blind to what's under the light—giving up attention because it was too dazzling and too impossible, while the 'voice main body' was actually hiding in the human sculpture.
Lin Ye walked toward the direction of the fountain.
The moment the two entered the small square one after another, the silent scene immediately changed.
A faint, graceful, and light sound rang out as accompaniment.
This was not that ethereal timbre, but it was still very pleasant to hear.
Lin Ye observed vigilantly.
The crisis had just begun.
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