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The night grew deeper.
Outside the train window, only scattered lights remained.
"The bubble tea isn't all spilled; there's still a tiny bit left," Kitagawa Marin shook the bubble tea cup twice, handed it to Amamiya Natsuki, and whispered into his ear, "You finish the rest of the bubble tea."
"No, it's too sweet."
Amamiya Natsuki turned his head to refuse.
"Drink it~" The Succubus Girl blinked her eyes and whined softly, "I ate so much sushi just now, my stomach is completely full, I can't drink anymore."
"You can drink it later."
"Holding the bubble tea for a long time makes my hand tired. You drink it, then I can throw the cup away."
"It's a good way to train your arm strength."
"Ugh—"
Kitagawa Marin puffed out her pink cheeks, widened her eyes, and leaned closer. The girl's breath was warm and soft, fragrant and sweet, and a resentful, wronged expression appeared on her pretty face as she whispered:
"It only takes a few sips to finish it. You wouldn't be disgusted because I drank from it, would you?"
"I'm not."
"You clearly are."
"Since you say that, then I have to prove my innocence," Amamiya Natsuki straightened his body.
"How do you prove something like that?"
Kitagawa Marin was curious.
"It's simple."
Amamiya Natsuki's gaze shifted slightly downward, landing on the Succubus Girl's pink, moist, and delicate lips, like cherry blossoms, then slowly leaned in.
"Wait, wait a minute!"
Kitagawa Marin's pretty face quickly flushed red; she already understood how Amamiya Natsuki was going to prove it.
This was on the Shinkansen! Someone might not be asleep and could be peeking from a corner. No matter how she thought about it, it was too embarrassing!
Besides, the previous kisses were to accumulate energy and transform into a Succubus. Today, she wasn't wearing her Succubus uniform, so she wouldn't let him kiss her easily.
"Not now, no kissing!"
Kitagawa Marin leaned back, dodging her pretty face.
"Is that so, after all?"
Amamiya Natsuki sighed deeply, a crestfallen expression on his face.
"Eh?"
Kitagawa Marin tilted her head and looked over.
Amamiya Natsuki said melancholically, "You really are disgusted with me, aren't you?"
Kitagawa Marin: "..."
Too much, too much, too much!
He's copying her words, how annoying!
The Succubus Girl's pink cheeks puffed up again, her gaze fell on Amamiya Natsuki's face, and she suddenly leaned in, gently biting Amamiya Natsuki's lips, then lifted her chin and hummed softly:
"If you drink a sip of bubble tea, I'll... I'll bite you once. My word is my bond."
"It's a deal," Amamiya Natsuki took the bubble tea cup and said seriously, "I'm going to get some hot water now and fill up the bubble tea, and drink it until dawn."
"Drinking until dawn is too exaggerated, isn't it?"
Kitagawa Marin's pretty face was flushed, and she clenched her pink fist, tapping Amamiya Natsuki's chest twice. "That's all there is; if you want more, there isn't any."
"..."
After finishing the bubble tea, it was already eleven at night without realizing it.
The train car grew even quieter.
Almost all the other passengers were asleep; there were only a few people still on their phones.
However, the Succubus Girl had slept for a while during their previous journey, so she was full of energy now and couldn't sleep.
Amamiya Natsuki also couldn't sleep.
With a fragrant, soft body of a girl in his arms, sitting on his lap, he wasn't a stone statue; anyone would find it impossible to sleep.
The two spoke in low voices. After an unknown amount of time, Amamiya Natsuki finally felt a hint of sleepiness coming over him.
When he opened his eyes again, a faint morning glow had appeared outside the window.
Amamiya Natsuki squinted at the window for a while, then looked down at his embrace, and a dazzling lock of golden hair caught his eye.
The Succubus Girl hadn't woken up yet. At this moment, she was sleeping comfortably in his arms like a cat, her shallow breathing exceptionally soft.
"Basic physical fitness is indeed a good thing."
Amamiya Natsuki stroked the Succubus Girl's hair and came to a conclusion.
If it were an ordinary person, holding a hundred-pound girl all night, their legs would have been useless long ago!
"Marin, wake up."
Amamiya Natsuki took out his phone, checked the time, and woke the Succubus Girl in his arms.
"Mmm..."
Kitagawa Marin mumbled softly, refusing to get up.
"Kagoshima is almost here."
"Hmm..."
The Succubus Girl still refused to get up.
"Quickly wipe your drool."
"..."
Kitagawa Marin's breathing hitched, and she quickly sat upright, raising her hand to wipe the corner of her lips:
"Damn it! A beautiful girl wouldn't drool!"
"..."
5:20 AM.
Amamiya Natsuki and Marin got off the Shinkansen, successfully arriving in Kagoshima City.
Stepping off the train, a warm, fresh Sea breeze blew in their faces.
Not far from the platform was an endless expanse of blue Sea. Because it was summer, the sky was already bright at a little past five. Looking out, Sea birds were already circling and flying over the gently undulating Sea surface.
"...So comfortable!"
Kitagawa Marin faced the sea, spread her arms, letting the Sea breeze caress her entire body. Her skirt and hair gently fluttered in the Sea breeze, and her pretty face held a bright smile that could rival the sunshine.
Click.
Amamiya Natsuki took out his phone and snapped a photo.
In life, there are always some beautiful moments that make one want to preserve them forever.
"I just realized how tiring it is to sit in a car for so long," Kitagawa Marin stood by the Sea, starting to do warm-up exercises. "Now I feel uncomfortable all over."
Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help but retort, "That's what I should be saying."
He, who had you sitting on him all night, was the one who worked the hardest.
"The Sea is so beautiful in the morning, I want to swim," the Succubus Girl expressed her thoughts directly while exercising.
Mrs. Shimizu, who hadn't spoken the whole way, emerged from Amamiya Natsuki's shadow and looked at the Sea: "Natsuki-kun, I want to swim too, I want to wear a swimsuit, I want to eat watermelon."
Hey, hey, you're a ghost, how could you possibly do something like that!
"It's almost time to go," Amamiya Natsuki looked at Marin. "Let's go eat breakfast first."
When breakfast was mentioned, Kitagawa Marin instantly perked up:
"Dad told me that Kagoshima has several super delicious breakfast options, but I don't know if they're open now... Let's go check."
Kagoshima is located at the southernmost tip of Kyushu Island. Hundreds of years ago, the Dutch bred Javan deer on the island for meat, hence its name.
Although Kagoshima has beautiful scenery, its geographical environment is not ideal. It is mountainous, prone to earthquakes, and primarily consists of numerous large and small Islands with insufficient arable land. Therefore, its main pillar industries are tourism and fishing.
Marin's father works for a travel company and was dispatched as a manager to Kagoshima, responsible for related matters. His work is usually busy, and coupled with the long distance, he can only return home twice a year.
"Let's go eat breakfast first. After breakfast, Dad will be about to get up for work." Kitagawa Marin counted on her fingers, planning the itinerary, "Then we'll sneak over and give Dad a surprise."
"Wait a minute." Amamiya Natsuki looked at Marin and couldn't help but ask, "You didn't tell your dad you were coming this time, did you?"
Kitagawa Marin stuck out her pink tongue:
"Eh heh~"
Both of them, plus the ghost lady, were visiting Kagoshima for the first time. Fortunately, tourism is the main industry, and there are signposts everywhere on the Island. After wandering around, by the time they finished breakfast, the sun had already risen into the sky, and the streets had quietly become lively.
"Dad just messaged me." Kitagawa Marin held up her phone, "He said he doesn't have a day off today and has to go to Sakurajima to handle some matters."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded, looking at the tourist map in his hand: "Sakurajima isn't far; it's an Island in the sea. To get there, we need to go to the port and take a ferry first."
When they arrived at the port, they saw a four-story ferry docked at the pier. Tourists were constantly getting on and off. The ticket price was very cheap, only two hundred yen.
Walking onto the ferry, Amamiya Natsuki and Marin went to the top observation deck. the sea was azure, the sky was clear, and the scenery where the sea and sky merged into one was extraordinarily magnificent.
Click, click.
Kitagawa Marin happily took photos with her phone, then suddenly slapped her forehead: "I remember now, wasn't the high school Takaki attended in '5 Centimeters Per Second' in Kagoshima?"
"It was Tanegashima," Amamiya Natsuki checked his phone, "It's a bit far."
"If it's that far, then never mind." Kitagawa Marin's voice was regretful, "If it were closer, I would have wanted to go check it out."
Amamiya Natsuki said: "If you don't mind sleeping in class on monday, you can totally go back tomorrow."
"I don't mind at all!" Kitagawa Marin raised her hand at the words, lifting her chin, "Teacher, I'm sorry, but I came all the way to Kagoshima, please forgive me."
"It's too early to apologize now."
As they spoke, the ferry slowly started moving, leaving a trail of white foam at its stern as it sailed forward.
Midway, as they passed an unknown small Island, a cold voice suddenly echoed in Amamiya Natsuki's mind.
[You have triggered a new instance]
[Name: Summer Time Rendering]
[Type: Multiplayer]
[Difficulty: Unknown]
[You have automatically joined this instance. Please wait patiently for the instance to begin. This instance is expected to start within one month]
[You will receive a notification 48 hours before the instance begins. Please arrive at the designated location on time]
"Eh? Eh?"
Kitagawa Marin quickly turned to look, clearly having received the same game notification.
Amamiya Natsuki gently nodded, gave Marin a look, and then subtly glanced around.
The ferry was bustling with tourists, taking photos, chatting, and playing. Everyone seemed normal, with no one showing unusual expressions. It was unclear if there were other players among the crowd.
Amamiya Natsuki reached out and took the Succubus Girl's hand, and the two walked to an unoccupied corner.
"Natsuki, you received that game notification just now, didn't you?"
Kitagawa Marin stood on her tiptoes and asked in a low voice.
"I did."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded lightly.
"It's been less than two weeks since we cleared Haunted Town, and we've already encountered another instance. This is too unlucky." Kitagawa Marin looked over pitifully, biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth, "It's all my fault. If I hadn't come to see Dad, I definitely wouldn't have run into an instance."
"How do you know you wouldn't encounter a new instance in Tokyo?"
Amamiya Natsuki reached out and ruffled the Succubus Girl's beautiful hair, saying casually, "As players, we're bound to encounter instances. Since we've encountered one, we just need to clear it."
Kitagawa Marin nodded, took out her phone, "The instance is called Summer Time Rendering, such a strange name… I'll ask everyone if anyone else has started the same instance."
The Player Mutual Aid Association, primarily led by Fujiwara Chika, now has one or two hundred members and has gradually achieved scale and organization.
For example, after becoming a player, life is actually quite difficult. Firstly, the real world is full of evil spirits, and both life and studies are greatly affected.
However, there are now many wealthy people among the players who constantly buy various game items, props, goods, survival supplies, and so on, at high prices. At the very least, this allows ordinary players to avoid suffering the double blow of life's hardships.
Besides that, players in the mutual aid group can also obtain something free but extremely important—
Trust.
Although game instances are not adversarial in nature, killing teammates does not yield any rewards. But by the same token, strangers cannot trust each other, let alone players in a game.
Indifference, vigilance, suspicion, and mutual caution are the norm, as in some instances, monsters can even disguise themselves as players.
If you can't outrun evil spirits and monsters, you can outrun other players, right?
In the lawless land of the game, knocking down a stranger with a brick to buy yourself escape time is quite normal, isn't it?
But players in the mutual aid group can establish initial trust through offline meet-ups. When entering the same instance, the importance of this initial trust becomes evident.
In fact, the above speculation has already been verified. Now, whenever someone triggers an instance, they will call for teammates in the mutual aid group.
"Hmm, everyone says they haven't encountered the Summer Time Rendering instance." Kitagawa Marin pursed her pink lips, looking at her phone, "So far, it seems only the two of us have encountered it."
"That's normal." Amamiya Natsuki's expression was calm, and he said indifferently, "If someone had encountered it before, they would have said so already."
As he spoke, Amamiya Natsuki suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
Fujiwara Chika sent a message: "Natsuki-kun, have you and Marin-chan encountered an instance?"
"Just now, an instance called Summer Time Rendering."
Amamiya Natsuki recounted the situation from earlier.
Fujiwara Chika: "You actually encountered an instance! I'll call Kaguya-chan later to see if Kaguya has time. If Kaguya-chan can't go, I'll fly over by myself. Seize and Eliminate Evil can't do without me."
"No need to be so anxious." Amamiya Natsuki comforted her, "The instance won't open for another month."
"Anyway, that's settled."
"…"
After messaging Chika, Amamiya Natsuki immediately received a message from the Spy Maid.
"Senpai, Senpai, I just saw the mutual aid group, did you encounter an instance?"
"Yes."
Hayasaka Ai: "Senpai is in Kagoshima, right? It seems I'll have to go to Kagoshima to trigger the instance. It's so far, it's a hassle to go."
Amamiya Natsuki replied: "You don't have to come."
"Senpai, that's so mean! The first moment I saw the message, I messaged Senpai, and you say something like that? I'm angry! I'm going no matter what!"
"…"
Hayasaka Ai bit her lollipop with a crunch and turned to look at Shinomiya Kaguya, who had just woken up and had no idea what was happening.
Last time she was trapped in the alternate dimension, it was everyone else who found her and rescued her. She hadn't fulfilled any of her duties.
Negligence, serious negligence.
This time, no matter what, she must secretly take good care of the Young Lady!
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence: 9 Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories