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The return trip was a solo operation.
Without needing to coordinate with others, Amamiya Natsuki moved much faster alone. Before long, he arrived halfway through the passage with the cardboard box on his head.
Then.
The cardboard box sank again, as if it were pinned to the ground.
"Woof!"
The girl's imposing voice came from behind, and Amamiya Natsuki quickly regained his ability to move.
Without wasting time, Amamiya Natsuki continued forward with the cardboard box on his head.
"We'll be at the warehouse entrance soon." Shikimori reminded him from behind, "It's to your front right, only one meter left."
Following the girl's human navigation, Amamiya Natsuki quickly arrived outside the warehouse door and called out:
"I'm back, open the door."
The door opened quickly.
Amamiya Natsuki entered the abandoned warehouse with the cardboard box on his head.
Bang.
The door closed, blocking out the light from the hallway.
"How was it?" Pansy looked over expectantly, "You succeeded, didn't you?"
Seeing Amamiya Natsuki return, she knew the operation must have been successful, but she couldn't help but ask.
"The Class President is indeed brilliant and clever." Amamiya Natsuki gave a thumbs up.
..."Forget it."
Pansy glared at him.
Class President is Class President.
As long as she could successfully clear the game, let alone calling her Class President, even if he asked her to call him father... she could consider it.
Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at the Sheltered Ojou-sama and smiled:
"I'm back."
Shinomiya Kaguya nodded slightly, her eyes clear.
Shinomiya had no doubt that Amamiya Natsuki would return.
If their roles were reversed, she would also return without hesitation to pick someone up; that's just how it was.
"Why are there some claw marks on the cardboard box?"
Shinomiya Kaguya's brows suddenly furrowed.
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"I was attacked by a Shadow Cat just now."
Shinomiya Kaguya pursed her lips, stepped forward half a step, and carefully examined Amamiya Natsuki's body.
"How could you still be attacked?"
The Hedgehog-head Boy was startled.
Pansy pushed up her glasses and asked with concern, "Are you hurt?"
"Not hurt, but severely frightened." Amamiya Natsuki said casually, "If I could have the Class President's lap pillow, that would be even better."
"..."
A slight pain in his waist.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the Sheltered Ojou-sama in shock.
You can pinch people?
The sun rose from the west!
Do all girls inherently know this trick?
"Natsuki-kun clearly enjoyed it; I didn't see any fright at all."
Shinomiya Kaguya smiled, her smile sweet.
Indeed, all girls are duplicitous, saying one thing and doing another, truly terrifying creatures.
"..."
Not much time was wasted.
After briefly explaining what happened along the way, Amamiya Natsuki looked at the Hedgehog-head Boy: "Let's go."
Having had the first driving experience, the second time was much more proficient. He knew when to be fast, when to be slow, and how to handle urgency, and so on.
All in all, the two passed through the hallway without any mishaps.
"You can take off the cardboard boxes now."
Shikimori's voice rang in his ears.
Amamiya Natsuki pushed open the cardboard box and stood up.
"You worked hard." Shikimori said softly, "There's still Sanshoku and... Hood-nya, keep going."
Amamiya Natsuki didn't rush back, but instead asked:
"Was it a cat that pressed down on the box just now?"
"It was indeed a Shadow Cat." Shikimori nodded, pursed her pink lips slightly, and said with hesitation, "I don't know if I saw it wrong... It wasn't pressing on the cardboard box, but on the cardboard box's shadow."
"I see."
Amamiya Natsuki understood in his heart.
The correct way to clear the game... he understood now.
After a brief exchange, Amamiya Natsuki once again disguised himself as a treasure chest monster and returned to the abandoned warehouse.
"I'm back."
Amamiya Natsuki greeted Kaguya.
"The scratches on the cardboard box... have increased."
Pansy frowned slightly, a hint of worry welling up in her heart.
Clearly.
Even with the cardboard box's cover, there would still be dangers on the way, and she didn't know how long the cardboard box could last.
What if the boy in front of her abandoned her and chose to leave with his girlfriend first?
Watching Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya whispering to each other, the Braided-hair girl couldn't help but feel nervous.
The horror game was full of dangers, and being abandoned was not impossible...
"Class President, what are you thinking?"
A gentle voice entered her ears.
Pansy looked up, acting as if nothing was wrong: "Nothing."
"Class President, I want to discuss something with you." Amamiya Natsuki pointed to Kaguya, "Hood-nya is very timid and a bit confused, and she's very afraid of the dark alone..."
Pansy's heart sank.
What did that mean?
Was he worried that the cardboard box wouldn't last until the end, so he was going to abandon her and choose to leave with his girlfriend first?
After all, they were unfamiliar teammates, and making such a choice was understandable, but what about herself, who would be left behind?
"So..." Amamiya Natsuki changed the subject, "Could I borrow the flashlight from before?"
"Eh?"
Pansy looked up in surprise, somewhat doubting her ears, "You're talking about the flashlight?"
"Otherwise?" Amamiya Natsuki spread his hands, "Did the Class President think I would abandon you?"
"I didn't..."
Pansy turned her head, feeling guilty.
Amamiya Natsuki sighed: "Class President, our trust is actually so fragile."
"...You two aren't even willing to tell me your names, how can you talk about trust!"
Pansy wanted to complain, but the words caught in her throat.
Taking a deep breath, she took the flashlight out of her backpack: "Just take it, you don't need to return it."
The flashlight was really useless; in reality, it was basically not needed, as a phone was enough for illumination.
She had wanted to use it just now, but it almost caused a party wipe, so she didn't care about giving it to someone else at all.
However... she felt that Amamiya Natsuki had another intention in borrowing the flashlight.
That super pretty black-haired girl, Hood-nya, although she didn't talk much, every time she spoke, she could point out the crucial points. Her calmness far exceeded that of ordinary players, clearly making her a very formidable person.
"Thank you, Class President."
Amamiya Natsuki took the flashlight and handed it to Kaguya.
"Let's go now." Amamiya Natsuki looked at Pansy, "So, Class President, do you prefer the front or the back?"
"The back, it won't be so tense..."
Pansy answered subconsciously, then quickly pursed her pink lips halfway through, and couldn't help but glare at him.
"Come in."
Amamiya Natsuki held up the cardboard box, signaling to Pansy.
Pansy nodded lightly, entered the cardboard box, and squatted behind Amamiya Natsuki.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Kaguya: "Wait for me to come back."
"Mm."
Shinomiya Kaguya held the flashlight, nodding gently, not nervous at all, because Amamiya Natsuki would definitely return.
The cardboard monster attacked again, carefully moving out of the abandoned warehouse and into the hallway.
"Hold on, you're halfway there."
A girl's clear and bright voice came from ahead.
"It's Shikimori." Pansy's eyes lit up slightly. "The sound isn't far, so it looks like we'll be able to get through the hallway soon."
Amamiya Natsuki said sternly, "Class President, don't set up flags randomly."
Pansy: "..."
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