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If he said he'd write tally marks, he'd write tally marks.
At least, the actions had to be sufficient.
Just talking would not deceive The Narrator.
So Amamiya Natsuki transformed into a hungry wolf, with a fierce expression, holding the marker pen, and pushed Secretary onto the bench.
"No!"
"I'd rather die than yield!"
"I won't let you write tally marks on my thigh, what if Mom finds out?"
"…"
Watching the two people acting, Juju felt a subtle emotion.
If she hadn't met up with Fujiwara, the person being pushed onto the bench and bullied right now would probably be herself, wouldn't it?
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
A strange sound entered Juju's ears.
"What's that sound…?"
Juju turned her head and saw Komi, who was tall and a full head taller than herself, trembling like a sieve.
"Sh-sh-should we call the police?!"
Komi's pretty face was pale, and she nervously turned her notebook over.
Seeing the content on the notebook, Juju was speechless.
Call what police?
There's no need at all.
When a person is scared, their face should turn pale. If you look closely, Fujiwara's face is so red, she clearly isn't scared at all.
However, The Narrator was still going.
Speaking the truth now might cause unnecessary trouble.
Juju hesitated slightly, then could only whisper:
"But without a phone, how can we call the police?"
"…"
Komi instantly turned to stone.
This was a game instance created by the game; even if they called the police, no police would appear.
After two seconds of daze, Komi said nothing and looked down at her toes.
(Has she given up?)
Juju breathed a sigh of relief.
(As long as she doesn't cause trouble.)
(But… what does shaking her head from side to side mean?)
But not long after, Komi raised her head again, biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth, and silently crumpled the notebook in her hand.
Juju saw it but couldn't react for a moment.
(What is Komi going to do?)
"Hoo…"
Komi took a deep breath, gripped the rolled-up notebook, and with a resolute expression of facing death on her pretty face, she stepped towards Amamiya Natsuki.
(N-no way?)
(Is she going to save Fujiwara?)
Juju couldn't help but widen her eyes, suddenly realizing.
(Just now, when she was shaking her head from side to side, was she actually looking for a usable weapon on the ground?)
(In a horror game, she actually disregards her own safety to challenge evil for others, she's too kind!)
"Komi, wait a moment…"
Juju hurried forward, wanting to reach out and grab the long-haired girl.
Unfortunately, she was a step too late.
Amamiya Natsuki was already 'bullying' Secretary in front of the two girls; two steps forward and he was within reach.
Bang.
The makeshift weapon, a crumpled notebook, struck Amamiya Natsuki's head with a dull thud.
"…"
The air suddenly fell silent.
Amamiya Natsuki straightened up, silently turned his head, and looked at the long-haired girl behind him, who was holding the 'notebook' with both hands and trembling, and said quietly:
"Why did you hit me?"
"…"
Komi's body trembled, like a small animal facing a gray wolf. Although her body was shaking, she mustered her courage and said in a trembling voice:
"D-don't hurt…"
"What did you say?" Amamiya Natsuki tilted his head. "I didn't hear you clearly, speak louder."
Komi's body trembled even more violently.
So, so scary!
How could there be such a terrifying boy in the world… What should she do, what should she do, what should she do?
Will he bully her too, like just now?
"Don't bully Komi."
Fujiwara Chika stood up and pinched Amamiya Natsuki's waist.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong." Amamiya Natsuki immediately raised his hands and apologized, his tone sincere. "Please forgive me."
"Eh?"
Komi's eyes widened in surprise, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion, clearly a little slow to react.
"We were just acting; things aren't what you saw." Juju took a half-step forward and explained softly, "He wasn't really bullying Fujiwara."
"It was indeed acting." Fujiwara Chika smiled brightly, her voice clear. "Anyway, thank you for just now."
"…"
Komi blinked, and then slowly chose to believe.
Her smile was so bright, without any hint of grievance or fear, as if she had really misunderstood.
"Actually, it was for The Narrator…"
Fujiwara Chika put her right hand on her hip and explained the whole story and its reasons.
Amamiya Natsuki covered his head and sighed helplessly:
"In the end, only I got hurt. This world should just be destroyed."
Fujiwara Chika glared at him: "It was just a notebook, it doesn't hurt."
Komi came to her senses, quickly picked up her notebook, and wrote on it:
"I'm sorry!! Not only did I misunderstand you, but I also hit your head. I apologize profusely!"
The black-haired girl felt bad and immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
Then… Komi's body suddenly swayed, tilting forward.
"Eh, Komi?"
"Are you alright?"
Worried calls reached her ears.
Immediately, a hand reached out, firmly grasping her shoulder, preventing her from falling.
Amamiya Natsuki grabbed Komi's shoulder, helped her up, and raised his eyebrows, saying:
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"…"
Komi's pink lips parted slightly, but she still didn't dare to speak, biting her lower lip as she wrote in her notebook:
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy."
"Could it be a fever?" Juju guessed.
"Let me see." Fujiwara Chika extended her right hand, touched Komi's forehead, then tried her own forehead. "It's cool, not hot at all, so it shouldn't be a fever."
Amamiya Natsuki narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on the black-haired girl. Soon, a prompt appeared before him.
[Mental energy over-consumed, in a weakened state… Diaries are good, but moderation is needed.]
"It should be your skill." Amamiya Natsuki quickly said, "You haven't written that many words in your notebook before, have you?"
Komi shook her head.
Amamiya Natsuki then said:
"Writing consumes mental energy. The dizziness and discomfort you're feeling now are symptoms of over-consumption of mental energy… Put away your notebook and don't write anything for now."
Komi quickly nodded obediently.
The interlude came to an end.
"Kaguya-chan, Marin-chan, and Hanamori, still haven't been found." Fujiwara Chika quickly got to the point, "Let's not go back to The izakaya for now. Shall we go to the Convenience Store and make some copies of the map?"
Amamiya Natsuki nodded: "Let's go."
The discussion was complete.
The group walked towards the Convenience Store.
But after only a few steps, Juju suddenly said:
"Wait, Komi seems to be in a lot of pain."
Amamiya Natsuki turned to look, and saw that the black-haired girl's face was pale, her eyebrows tightly furrowed, and her pearly teeth bit her lower lip, clearly unable to keep up.
Noticing that everyone was looking at her, Komi quickly took out her notebook, wanting to write.
"Don't write." Amamiya Natsuki retorted, "You want to say 'I'm fine, don't worry, I've caused everyone trouble,' right?"
Komi's eyes widened in surprise.
Mind reading!
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