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It's already difficult to maintain balance while walking in a squat, and under the sudden impact from behind, Amamiya Natsuki directly bumped into the pink-haired bun-headed girl in front of him. His right hand instinctively gripped firmly.
So thin.
Her waist was very thin.
It wasn't obvious with clothes on, but once he touched her, he realized that the player girl's waist was exceptionally slender.
Shikimori's body stiffened slightly, feeling both shy and angry, but she also knew she couldn't blame him. She could only bite her lower lip with her pearly teeth and quickly said in a low voice:
"What's going on? Why can't the cardboard box move?"
"I don't know."
Amamiya Natsuki looked up towards the top of the cardboard box, and a prompt quickly appeared before his eyes.
[You see a cat pressing down on the cardboard box. Cardboard boxes are the ultimate destination for all cats!]
With the cardboard box blocking it, he actually didn't see it.
Amamiya Natsuki said in a deep voice:
"Something is pressing down on the cardboard box from above."
"Huh, is it the Shadow Cat?"
Shikimori's eyes widened slightly.
In the brightly lit Corridor, the only thing that could move freely and attack players was the cat in shadow form.
"Cats are clearly just shadows, how can they press down on a cardboard box?" Shikimori felt her mind a bit distorted. "If it's a shadow, it shouldn't have any weight at all, right?"
"There is only one truth." Amamiya Natsuki's tone was serious. "Eliminate all impossible answers, and what remains must be the truth."
"…Now's not the time to imitate Conan!"
Shikimori couldn't help but retort.
"It's on top."
Amamiya Natsuki and Shikimori looked up together, gazing at the top of the cardboard box.
In the dimness, one could see the top of the cardboard box slightly indenting downwards, as if something was moving and scratching on it. What was strange was that the cardboard box didn't make a single sound.
Shikimori bit her lower lip tightly, trying to push the cardboard box to continue moving forward.
However, the cardboard box seemed to be controlled by an unknown force and could not move forward at all.
"What should we do?"
Shikimori couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
There was still half the journey left. Even if they opened the cardboard box and ran now, they definitely wouldn't be able to escape.
"Stay calm, it's not a big problem." Amamiya Natsuki's tone was calm.
"…This boy's mentality is indeed super good."
Shikimori couldn't help but turn her head to look, her pretty face slightly flushed, "Can you please take your hand away first?"
Grabbing her waist was one thing, after all, the situation was urgent now and she shouldn't fuss over it, but why did he have to pinch it too?
"Sorry, I couldn't resist."
Amamiya Natsuki's tone was sincere.
"Huh?!"
"Listen to my explanation." Amamiya Natsuki released his hands. "When I'm thinking about a problem, I have a subconscious habit of pinching things."
"…"
Shikimori gently bit her silver teeth. If the cardboard box wasn't too small to move, she would have had the urge to swing her bamboo sword and cut him.
Could it be that you can't think if there's no one beside you!
"I got it." Amamiya Natsuki quickly said, "I've thought of a way."
"What way?"
Shikimori's pretty face tightened, and she perked up.
Escaping the hallway was the most important thing now; everything else could wait.
"Have you heard of an idiom?" Amamiya Natsuki lowered his voice, "Cats and dogs are restless."
Shikimori's tone was hesitant: "…How come I remember it as 'chickens and dogs are restless'?"
"It's all similar." Amamiya Natsuki continued, "Cats and dogs always fight easily. Since it's a cat pressing down on the box, preventing us from moving, perhaps barking like a dog can scare the cat away."
"Will it really work?"
Shikimori furrowed her delicate brows, her tone doubtful.
"We'll know if we try." Amamiya Natsuki's voice was steady. "It's better than us doing nothing."
"…I understand."
Shikimori was silent for a second, then quickly nodded in agreement.
Sitting idly and waiting for death was never her choice.
Until the very last moment of the game, before that, no one should give up easily.
Taking a deep breath, Shikimori quickly spoke.
"Woof~"
Her voice was soft and sweet, and perhaps due to embarrassment, it even had a slight tremor when heard.
Amamiya Natsuki reminded her speechlessly: "Make your voice fiercer."
Others are wolfhounds, but you're a fragrant little puppy. With such a soft voice, who would be scared by you!
"Then you should bark yourself." Shikimori's pretty face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but say, "Why do you insist on making me bark?"
Barking like a dog in front of a strange boy, it was just too embarrassing!
Amamiya Natsuki said seriously:
"Shikimori is majestic. If you bark, it feels quite cool."
"How is barking like a dog cool?!"
"…"
The situation was critical now, and there really was no other way. The pink-haired girl took a deep breath, suppressed her embarrassment, and shouted again:
"Woof."
The cardboard box swayed slightly.
Amamiya Natsuki tried to push it forward and quickly said, "We can move forward now."
"Eh, it actually worked?"
Shikimori tried to move forward and found that the cardboard box really started to move, her eyes lighting up.
Barking like a dog could actually scare away the Shadow Cat. Whether it was a coincidence or something else, it was a good thing.
"Let's continue forward!"
Shikimori decided immediately, her gaze quickly becoming firm.
The two seized the opportunity and quickly moved forward.
Before long, the cardboard box silently sank again, fixed to the ground and unable to move. It was clearly being pressed down by the Shadow Cat again.
"Woof woof!"
A majestic dog bark rang out, successfully startling the Shadow Cat away.
Finally, no more accidents occurred. Amamiya Natsuki and the pink-haired girl successfully passed through the death Corridor and reached the shadows.
"We are here."
Shikimori let out a long breath and turned her head, saying, "There's no light ahead, it's a Corridor corner. We can take the cardboard box off now."
"Mm."
Amamiya Natsuki responded, stood up, and pushed off the cardboard box that was on both of them. They had already arrived at the hallway corner shrouded in shadow.
Turning his head to look behind him, there was a well-lit Corridor, over twenty meters long, and he could see ink-like Shadow Cats running and jumping on the walls.
"Get up first."
Amamiya Natsuki reached out and pulled the pink-haired girl up, then looked down at the surface of the cardboard box, where he could see a series of claw marks.
"Trying to clear the game just by wearing a cardboard box, it's really not that simple."
Shikimori tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, adjusted her skirt, and frowned softly.
After all, a cardboard box is made of paper. Against the Shadow Cat's attack, no one knew how long it could last.
"I'm more curious about something else." Amamiya Natsuki extended a finger, gently stroking the cat claw marks on the cardboard box. "Why were the cardboard boxes torn, but there was no sound at all just now?"
"This question..."
Shikimori pursed her lips, thinking hard. A clue faintly appeared in her mind, but she couldn't grasp it accurately.
"I'm going back." Amamiya Natsuki quickly crouched down, re-disguising himself as a cardboard box monster. "Shikimori, my back and my life are entrusted to you."
Shikimori gripped the bamboo sword in her hand, her eyes firm: "...Leave it to me."
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