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"The thirteenth step…"
Amamiya Natsuki silently recited, raised his right foot, and steadily stepped onto it.
The next instant.
Amamiya Natsuki only felt the world before his eyes suddenly plunge into darkness, but fortunately, it only lasted for a short one or two seconds before the darkness receded like a tide, as if it had never appeared.
"Hmm?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked around, raising an eyebrow slightly, surprised to find that the surrounding environment had barely changed.
He was still standing on the stairs.
Looking sideways at the wall, due to years of disrepair, the white wall paint had peeled off, revealing the dark green cement underneath. The shape of the peeled paint and its position on the floor showed no change at all.
Only two things were different.
One was the time.
In reality, it was already late night, pitch black, requiring a flashlight for illumination, but the world before him was evening, with a faint red sunset vaguely illuminating the contours of the stairwell.
The other difference was that Kaguya and the others below the stairs had disappeared.
However, to be precise, it should be that he himself had disappeared.
"Tsk, is it really an alternate dimension?"
Amamiya Natsuki's expression was calm as he looked around.
The teaching building was eerily quiet, oppressively so.
Qian Xun ろ 1 Two Eight ㈠ ④ 1 э ⑨
After a quick check, confirming there was no danger nearby, Amamiya Natsuki took out his notebook and tried to write to communicate.
Before entering the inn, he had copied the paper media skill from Komi, and now it came in handy.
"I'm Natsuki, safe for now."
"…"
After writing, he waited silently.
Whether cross-dimensional communication was possible would soon be known.
Under Amamiya Natsuki's gaze, words quickly appeared out of thin air on the notebook, with elegant handwriting:
"I… I'm Shoko."
Very good.
Cross-dimensional communication was completely fine. In a horror dungeon where electronic devices were almost unusable, being able to transmit messages over long distances meant Komi, the silent gourd, was clearly a treasure girl!
"Natsuki, Natsuki, how are things? You just disappeared in a blink of an eye."
New elegant handwriting quickly appeared on the notebook, still Komi's handwriting, but clearly just a proxy tool—
Only when Komi wrote could the words be synchronized to the notebook in Amamiya Natsuki's hand.
Calling him by his first name, completely disregarding others' gazes, it must be the Succubus Girl, no doubt.
"Currently safe, still on campus, it should be some alternate dimension."
Amamiya Natsuki was concise, briefly describing the current situation.
New text quickly appeared out of thin air on the notebook.
"Should we go over and help?"
"Not yet, apply for support if needed."
"…"
Putting away the notebook and ending the 'call', Amamiya Natsuki let out a light breath, pondered for two seconds, and then stepped downstairs.
The goal was to find the Spy Maid. Staying still was naturally not an option; he had to act.
Arriving in the hallway, Amamiya Natsuki looked to the west.
The sun had already set and was gone, leaving only a faint, ember-like dark red, the hour of twilight, barely allowing him to see.
A cold wind blew.
A low, mournful sob suddenly drifted on the wind.
"Hmm?"
Amamiya Natsuki tilted his head, followed the direction of the sound, and walked over, ready to investigate.
The unknown is the greatest fear.
The unseen Spirit is the most terrifying Spirit.
Once she appears, if her figure is good, there will probably be brave men who want to put a hood on the Spirit become a degenerate ghost lover.
Following the sound, Amamiya Natsuki soon arrived at the entrance of a restroom.
The intermittent sobs came from inside the restroom.
Amamiya Natsuki stopped and looked into the restroom.
It was pitch black inside, like the gaping maw of an unknown monster, stopping people in their tracks, with only intermittent crying drifting out. To be honest, it was very creepy.
Even in reality, many people probably wouldn't dare to go in, let alone here, which is an extra dimensional plane formed by the thirteenth step.
The creature crying in the restroom was ninety-nine percent not human.
The primal fear brought by darkness.
The unknown fear brought by crying.
These two fears combined were enough to make one's scalp tingle. No ordinary person would dare to go in and investigate; turning around and running away would be the most instinctive choice.
Of course, none of this concerned Amamiya Natsuki.
"...Why are you not going home so late, crying alone in the restroom?"
Amamiya Natsuki stood at the door and asked loudly.
"..."
The crying in the restroom stopped abruptly.
Only dead silence remained.
"Not speaking, huh?" Amamiya Natsuki waited a few seconds, then stepped into the restroom, "Then you better hide well, big brother is coming to find you."
"..."
Having chatted and laughed with so many kaidan, having been a bull-headed man to Spirit Auntie, and having caressed Hanako's little head several times just now, a mere crying sound didn't scare him at all.
Amamiya Natsuki very much hoped that the other party was a conscious being, so he could either coerce or entice her later.
Being new to an unfamiliar environment, it was natural to ask a local for 'help'.
He walked into the restroom.
Squinting his eyes to adjust to the light for a while, the outline of the restroom gradually became clear.
Against the wall was a row of open-top stalls, a washbasin, and cleaning tools like buckets and brooms piled in the corner. All in all, it was just an ordinary restroom.
However, it was old and in disrepair, and the air was filled with an uncomfortable musty, rotten smell.
Clatter.
Clatter.
Amamiya Natsuki's footsteps echoed in the restroom. He walked to the first stall and gently knocked on the door.
"Hello, student, are you in there?"
"..."
The stall was dead silent.
No one responded.
"I'm opening the door?"
Amamiya Natsuki spoke as he pushed the door inward.
It seemed the door hadn't been opened for a long time, as the friction made a very harsh sound.
"Tsk, no one."
Amamiya Natsuki's tone was regretful. The first stall was empty; there was nothing inside.
Turning to the second stall, Amamiya Natsuki did the same, reaching out to push the door again.
"Still no one."
"..."
There were only six stalls in the restroom in total. After checking the first five, Amamiya Natsuki quickly arrived at the last stall.
Thump thump thump.
He bent his fingers and gently knocked on the door.
Amamiya Natsuki stood outside the door, very politely saying, "Hello, student, please open the door. Uncle has delicious things for you to eat."
"..."
The stall was silent.
The previous crying seemed like an illusion.
Amamiya Natsuki tried to push the door and found it was locked from the inside, completely unmovable.
"The campus is about to lock up. Please come out quickly."
"..."
"I'm really a good person."
"..."
"If you really don't want to see anyone, can you answer a few questions for me?"
"..."
Amamiya Natsuki sighed, his voice disappointed, "You don't say a word. You're making this very difficult for me."
"..."
In the last stall.
The Spirit student in a school uniform covered her mouth, trembling. Distant memories surfaced in her mind. She suddenly felt a strange gaze looking down from above and couldn't help but look up.
A very handsome young man's face appeared above the stall.
"...I found you."
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