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"Did you really find Hanamori?"
Kaguya and the others were still eating. Fujiwara Chika quietly walked over and whispered, "You didn't mistake her for someone else again, did you?"
After painstakingly entering the Haunted Town and finding Komi instead of Kaguya, it was understandable to doubt the reliability of the information.
Miss Shadow's eyes shifted to Fujiwara Chika. She extended the tip of her tongue, gently licking her lips, a half-smile playing on her face as she said:
"I smell fear."
"How can such a thing have a smell?"
Fujiwara Chika softly retorted, but her body was honest, obediently hiding behind Amamiya Natsuki.
The Secretary was still wary of the terrifying woman with a face hidden beneath her hair. If Amamiya Natsuki hadn't been by her side, she wouldn't have dared to approach and speak.
"Thank you for the information, Miss Sakurako." Amamiya Natsuki said, neither humble nor arrogant, "I'll go check it out in a bit."
Miss Sakurako covered her mouth with her fan, her voice sweet: "Young man, why aren't you afraid of me?"
Amamiya Natsuki said seriously:
"Miss Sakurako has a good figure and a pleasant voice; there's no reason to be afraid at all. If I weren't a loli-con, I might have already fallen for Miss Sakurako."
Fujiwara Chika: "…"
Liar!
He clearly saw the face behind this woman's head, yet he still said he liked her. His courage was too great!
Honestly, Amamiya Natsuki wasn't lying; he really wasn't afraid of Miss Sakurako.
What kind of Ghost Stories is the most terrifying?
The answer is simple.
Unable to communicate.
Unable to interact.
Ghost Stories whose rules mean instant death and who only have the instinct to kill—those are the ones Amamiya Natsuki least wants to encounter.
Miss Sakurako is different.
She has a good figure, fair skin, is curvaceous, and has a pleasant voice. If she just wore a paper bag over her head, there would be plenty of people who'd want to be ghost lovers.
As long as they're cute, terrifying Ghost Stories are fine too.
Ghost Stories with thoughts and who can communicate mean there's a possibility of 'transactions' with them. Amamiya Natsuki loves such Ghost Stories legends the most.
"Well~ I like you more and more." Miss Sakurako's eyes curved in a smile as she invited, "Young man, come back with me? I can guarantee I won't harm you."
"I'm sorry." Amamiya Natsuki said earnestly, "I'm a loli-con."
"What a pity~"
Miss Sakurako waved the round fan in her hand, then turned and gracefully walked out of The izakaya. "Young man, see you tomorrow."
"…"
Watching her leave, Fujiwara Chika couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"She finally left." The Secretary patted her chest, then suddenly felt a little worried, "…He always says he's a loli-con. Could he really be one?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Chika: "Don't you know if I'm a loli-con?"
"How would I know? But I have heard that boys seem to have those terrible habits."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki didn't speak, his gaze dropping to the Secretary's delicate, moist cherry lips.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Fujiwara Chika raised her hand to cover her pink lips.
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"Tomorrow at noon, on the school rooftop, I need to prove my innocence."
"Tomorrow is a weekend holiday, and there's no school… How will you prove it?"
"By eating a chocolate stick, of course."
"You, you, you, what are you saying?!"
The Secretary's pretty face quickly flushed red, and the extremely dark bow on her forehead trembled slightly. She clearly understood Amamiya Natsuki's 'dark talk' and couldn't help but look up with a playful glare, her clear, azure eyes sparkling. "There's no chocolate stick."
"Ice cream works too."
"How can two people eat that kind of thing?!"
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki lowered his voice and said:
"I remember someone personally saying in the inn Cafeteria before that she would do anything as repayment."
"That was a dream. Things in a dream don't count, of course." The Secretary turned her pretty face away, pretending nothing had happened, but her skin was, after all, a bit thin, and she quickly couldn't keep it up. She gently pushed Amamiya Natsuki's waist with both hands, "Hurry up and eat the cuisine. We still need to go find Hanamori later."
"…"
No need to say more about eating. As a 'Special Chef,' Amamiya Natsuki's commission was very high, and he was now quite well-off, so he was not at all stingy when it came to food.
After dinner.
The old Store Manager wiped the plates, slowly announcing:
"Today's business is over. The izakaya is preparing to close."
Amamiya Natsuki took a sip of miso soup. As Japan's 'national essence,' this stuff was still abundant even in the game instance world: "Store Manager, do you want to consider staying open until dawn?"
"No consideration."
"…"
It seemed that closing was already a foregone conclusion.
In other words, everyone had to leave The izakaya.
The old Store Manager finished wiping the tableware, opened a drawer, and took out a stack of banknotes. "This is your compensation for today."
"Thank you, Store Manager."
Amamiya Natsuki didn't decline, reaching out to take the money.
He earned the money through hard work, not by stealing or robbing, nor was it charity, so he took it with a clear conscience.
"Store Manager, what time does the Restaurant open tomorrow?" Amamiya Natsuki asked.
"Ten in the morning."
"Then I'll come to work at ten tomorrow?"
"You can."
"…"
After asking for the information he wanted, Amamiya Natsuki stood up and bid farewell to The izakaya Manager.
"Th-that…" A voice suddenly came from behind Amamiya Natsuki. It was one of the Passerby players from before. Her face was pale, and she hesitantly pleaded, "Can I borrow some money?"
When entering the game instance, they did carry real-world banknotes, but unfortunately, they couldn't be used in the town at all.
Now the Restaurant was about to close, and they had to pay and leave quickly. No one knew what would happen if they didn't leave, and no one wanted to know.
As for the consequences of skipping out on the bill… that unlucky person who skipped out was still acting as an ingredient in the fish tank.
"I can give you the money." Amamiya Natsuki looked at the Passerby, saying meaningfully, "But you know the rules, right?"
"Huh?" The Passerby player was stunned, then suddenly a blush spread across her face, not knowing what she had imagined. "I, I know… Can we do it after we get out?"
Hey, hey, I'm just asking you to exchange items for money, why are you blushing?!
"You misunderstood, Natsuki isn't that kind of person…"
At the critical moment, Kitagawa Marin walked over and explained the terms of the transaction.
"I see." The Passerby breathed a sigh of relief, quickly nodding and saying, "I'm so grateful!"
In a horror game like this, the most taboo things are unconditional sympathy and pity. A little kindness is rewarded, but too much leads to resentment. So, the best approach is to only talk about benefits from the start, not feelings.
Seeing the girl successfully pay for her cuisine by exchanging strange items for money, another hesitant player also walked over and exchanged items for money.
Both sides got what they needed, and everyone was happy.
The other party not only didn't resent him but was also immensely grateful.
"Natsuki." Fujiwara Chika softly reminded him, "There's also that player in the fish tank."
"I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it."
Amamiya Natsuki stepped forward, used a fishing net to scoop up the unlucky person inside, then paid for and bought the 'ingredient,' and walked out of The izakaya.
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