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[Kaidan = Strange tales/Ghost stories]
Stepping out of the izakaya.
The curse was lifted.
The 'goldfish' that Fujiwara Chika was carrying in her hand quickly transformed back into a human form under the curious gazes of everyone, revealing a lovely girl with a very good figure.
"Kaguya-chan, hand me the clothes."
"Mm."
"Marin, use a towel to help her wipe her body."
"Leave it to me."
"Natsuki-kun, turn your face away." The secretary used her body to block the view, saying with a serious expression, "No peeking."
Amamiya Natsuki said, "Actually, I have night blindness…"
"What did you say?"
The secretary puffed out her pink cheeks.
Shinomiya Kaguya wrapped her right arm around her chest, tilting her head to look over. "I didn't hear clearly, Natsuki-kun, please say it again."
Amamiya Natsuki raised both hands: "Yes, I'll turn around immediately."
"…"
A moment later.
The goldfish girl successfully put on her clothes, her eyes brimming with tears, continuously expressing gratitude and thanks. Being cursed, becoming an ingredient, being chosen by diners, and potentially becoming fish on a cutting board at any moment, she almost had a mental breakdown.
All in all, she was not doing well at all.
Naturally, Chika and Marin handled the comforting. Amamiya Natsuki just glanced at her twice, realized she didn't know her, that she was just a stranger, and then didn't pay any more attention, turning to the other two passerby players to inquire about information.
"Did you stumble into the izakaya by accident, or did you see the flyers on the street?"
"It was a flyer." The female passerby player wearing glasses answered softly, "I followed the instructions on the flyer to find the izakaya."
The other passerby player quickly nodded: "Me too."
After a pause, the Glasses Girl player whispered:
"Um… excuse me, did you put up those flyers?"
"That's right."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded, admitting it frankly.
Playing dumb was meaningless; in fact, in many situations, reputation was also a form of strength.
Amamiya Natsuki then said:
"Have both of you completed the main quest?"
"No." The Glasses Girl shook her head, her expression dim. "The place I appeared was in front of an abandoned amusement park. It felt very eerie inside… I didn't dare to go in."
The other player nodded along: "Me too."
Amamiya Natsuki asked a few more questions and quickly understood the situation of the several passerby players.
The three of them did not know each other. The common point was that they were lucky, appearing in the dungeon at a location not in front of a kaidan. They had been hiding in the town and happened to see the 'street advertisements' posted by Amamiya Natsuki and the others, were overjoyed, and followed the map instructions to the outside of the izakaya.
"I clearly wrote that money from the real world cannot be used for consumption in the restaurant, didn't I?" Fujiwara Chika asked, puzzled, "Didn't you see it?"
"We saw it." The goldfish girl, her eyes brimming with tears, clutched her clothes tightly. "We originally didn't plan to go in, but then a very terrifying kaidan suddenly appeared, and we had no choice but to hide in the izakaya. Who knew that after going in, we suddenly felt super hungry, as if hypnotized, and involuntarily ordered food."
"I know that feeling." Fujiwara Chika stood on tiptoe and gently stroked the goldfish girl's hair. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Next, let's all work together and cooperate to clear the game."
Working together and cooperating to clear the game really couldn't be done.
The mechanism of this dungeon determined that it was a competitive dungeon, not a team dungeon.
Forty-eight hours was still manageable, but the kaidan videotape was really difficult to obtain. Even now, Marin and Kaguya's videotapes were nowhere to be found.
From the perspective of absolute self-interest, they should part ways with the three passerby players, each going their own way, to avoid turning against each other later because of the kaidan videotape.
However, given the personalities of the girls, they certainly wouldn't just abandon others like that.
Therefore, Amamiya Natsuki didn't say much, but instead said:
"We are going to a school to find someone next. It is said that there are very dangerous kaidan inside… What do you say?"
The three passerby players surprisingly didn't hesitate much and all said:
"Please let me act with you."
"Please."
"Me too."
"…"
Can acting alone guarantee safety?
It cannot be guaranteed at all.
This was the dungeon space of a horror game, not the real world; there was simply no escape.
On the contrary, in the restaurant, several people had already witnessed Amamiya Natsuki's true identity.
Chatting and laughing with kaidan women, making all the kaidan tremble, their faces flush, and their clothes soaked—he looked like a expert no matter how you looked at it!
They must follow closely behind; only a fool would go solo!
Amamiya Natsuki did not refuse: "Then let's go together."
Kaguya, Marin, Chika, and Juju have all returned to the team. Now only the Spy Maid is left, and not one can be missing.
The journey was silent.
The town was not large. Following the previously hand-drawn map, everyone headed straight for the campus.
As they were about to reach the campus, Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly stopped, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, and reminded them:
"There's someone ahead."
"Eh?" Fujiwara Chika was startled, "Why didn't I see them?"
Shinomiya Kaguya softly explained:
"My night vision improved from that previous fun quest, so I can see a bit farther."
"Should we take a detour?"
Juju asked nervously, suggesting in a low voice.
Amamiya Natsuki squinted his eyes. The streetlights on the street ahead had long been broken, with only one remaining, casting a dim, yellowish light. At the edge of the light, a figure could faintly be seen standing quietly.
Not sleeping in the middle of the night, wandering alone in the cold night, there was no doubt that it was definitely not a normal person.
"To the right is a forest. Going into a forest in such a dark environment, if there are any snakes, insects, rats, or ants, it would be even more dangerous." Amamiya Natsuki looked at the secretary. "Chika, get ready."
Fujiwara Chika nodded seriously: "Understood."
A kaidan, right?
The Seize and Eliminate Evil special campaign's target is precisely you guys!
Amamiya Natsuki walked forward with a calm expression, Kaguya and the others followed, only the three passerby players looked nervous and uneasy, finally gritting their teeth and following at the very end.
The distance between the two sides gradually closed.
Looking at the kaidan at the edge of the shadows, Amamiya Natsuki's expression gradually became subtle.
Trench coat.
Mask.
Messy long hair.
And that blood-stained pair of scissors.
It turned out to be an acquaintance.
"Do I look pretty to you…"
A cold, hoarse voice slowly sounded, echoing in the alley.
Shinomiya Kaguya's delicate brows furrowed slightly, her expression becoming solemn. Even a sheltered young lady like her had heard of the urban legend of The Slit-Mouthed Woman.
Halfway through her sentence, after clearly seeing Amamiya Natsuki's appearance, The Slit-Mouthed Woman's voice stopped abruptly.
Amamiya Natsuki smiled and walked forward, greeting her warmly as if she were an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time: "The Slit-Mouthed Woman, we meet again."
The Slit-Mouthed Woman silently put away her scissors and lightly responded:
"Mm."
"It's worrying to see you out alone so late and not going home." Amamiya Natsuki said without changing his expression, "There are many evil people who specifically target beautiful women at night. The Slit-Mouthed Woman, please be sure to pay attention to your safety."
"…"
The three passerby players were dumbfounded.
That was the famous urban kaidan, The Slit-Mouthed Woman, and you're chatting and laughing with her?
Worry about the kaidan encountering danger? You should worry about your own safety first!
But… The Slit-Mouthed Woman actually nodded?
"No need to worry, we know The Slit-Mouthed Woman." Fujiwara Chika's voice was clear as she explained, "The Slit-Mouthed Woman even ate Natsuki's cooking before and gave it a perfect score."
Juju nodded: "That's right, I was there too."
"No wonder." Kitagawa Marin put her right hand on her hip. "So it's an acquaintance."
"…"
In this society, having acquaintances truly makes things easier.
After chatting and laughing with The Slit-Mouthed Woman, and arranging to meet at the restaurant for food tomorrow morning, Amamiya Natsuki wasn't in a hurry to leave, but instead asked:
"I plan to go to the campus to find someone. Can you come with me?"
"I can't go in."
The Slit-Mouthed Woman shook her head.
Amamiya Natsuki didn't insist: "Then, how many kaidan are there in the campus?"
"Seven."
"Tsk." Amamiya Natsuki pouted, "As expected, it's the Campus's Seven Mysteries."
As is well known, in Japan, any school with a bit of history will have kaidan legends circulating, and they always like to make it seven, even if they have to force it.
A primary school packed with seven kaidan, no wonder Hayasaka Ai couldn't get away alone.
Amamiya Natsuki asked again:
"What are the kaidan, specifically?"
The Slit-Mouthed Woman was silent for a moment, her expression seemingly hesitant.
"I'm just going in to find a companion." Amamiya Natsuki said, "You don't want to not see me tomorrow, do you?"
Only then did The Slit-Mouthed Woman finally speak:
"The seven kaidan are…"
"Thank you."
Amamiya Natsuki thanked her politely, waved goodbye to The Slit-Mouthed Woman, and continued walking towards the school.
The three passerby players, feeling dizzy, quickly followed.
Indeed, he was a expert!
Not only did he chat and laugh with kaidan, but he could even get information from them. If it were them, their mouths would have been cut open, right?
"The school has been reached."
Amamiya Natsuki stopped and looked at the gate in front of him.
Haunted Town had a serious aging problem; for so long, not a single elementary school student had been seen, and the elementary school naturally fell into disuse.
The iron gate was covered in rust, weeds grew wild at the entrance, and the words 'Jessieno' Elementary School were faintly visible on the nameplate.
The gate wasn't locked. Amamiya Natsuki pushed it open with one hand and stepped into the school.
"Seven kaidan, each in a different location…" Fujiwara Chika mused, "Where should we look for Hanamori first?"
Amamiya Natsuki lowered his head and looked at Juju: "Juju, what do you think?"
"Eh?"
Juju had been quiet and said little along the way. Now, suddenly called upon, she was stunned for two seconds before realizing: "Is it Hanako?"
"The narration first mentioned Hanako and the restroom."
"I remember now." Kitagawa Marin said, putting her right hand on her hip, "It said something about 'A-cup not wanted'… Hanamori isn't that small, is she?"
"I'm not sure about the size." Amamiya Natsuki said, "But the gender is correct. Let's go there first and see if there are any clues."
"…"
According to the information just obtained from The Slit-Mouthed Woman, the Seven Campus Wonders are located in seven different places on Campus and generally do not wander around.
Hanako's location is in the women's restroom on the easternmost side of the first floor of the teaching building.
The group avoided the locations of other kaidan and headed straight for the teaching building, quickly arriving at the restroom on the first floor.
No painstaking summoning ritual was needed; a Haunted Loli with a mouth full of jagged teeth was already climbing on the restroom ceiling, eerie and terrifying.
However, Amamiya Natsuki's expression suddenly became strange.
This Hanako… why does she look familiar?
"Wait a moment." Looking at the Haunted Loli who was grinning and preparing to play a game, Amamiya Natsuki suddenly extended his right hand, "Hanako-chan, you don't want Ms. Hoshino to get hurt, do you?"
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