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"The Red Dancing Shoes from the fairy tale?"
Mrs. Shimizu looked on curiously, "They look very beautiful."
As a ghost, she wouldn't feel pain or fatigue, so she naturally wasn't afraid of wearing the Red Dancing Shoes.
Tap, tap, tap.
The Red Dancing Shoes moved lightly, came before Mrs. Shimizu, and then directly slipped onto Mrs. Shimizu's feet.
And then... nothing happened.
"Baa?"
Tsubame-senpai, who had transformed into a lamb, looked over in confusion. As a sheep, she could only make sheep sounds.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Mrs. Shimizu curiously.
"Why didn't the Red Dancing Shoes make me dance?"
Mrs. Shimizu's eyes were innocent.
As her voice fell, the Red Dancing Shoes on Mrs. Shimizu's feet suddenly slipped off on their own.
Amamiya Natsuki mused, "Perhaps because you're a ghost?"
"I'm a Guardian Spirit!"
Mrs. Shimizu corrected loudly, "A mere pair of dancing shoes, discriminating against me? How annoying!"
Alright, it seems this Mrs. Shimizu is not to be relied upon.
Amamiya Natsuki squinted, looking at the Red Dancing Shoes moving again on the ground. A prompt slowly appeared before his eyes.
[After careful observation, you discovered the Red Dancing Shoes' weakness—it's normal for shoes without a master not to dance, right?]
"They can't dance?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the elementary schooler beside him and picked up Little Red Riding Hood.
The Red Dancing Shoes came to their side, walking around Amamiya Natsuki's body, the tapping sounds annoying him.
"It's fine if I pick them up... So, these Red Dancing Shoes can't leave the ground?"
Mrs. Shimizu quickly discerned the rule, "It doesn't seem very dangerous."
"Not so," Amamiya Natsuki shook his head, holding the elementary schooler, and walked to the side. The Red Dancing Shoes pursued relentlessly, tapping behind them. "Clearly, these dancing shoes won't give up until they achieve their goal."
He could hold the Senpai and the guiding loli for a short time, but it was unrealistic to hold them throughout the entire dungeon.
"How about burning them with fire?"
Mrs. Shimizu extended a finger, offering a suggestion.
"We can try it," Amamiya Natsuki nodded.
Unfortunately, the result was as expected. The flames landed on the Red Dancing Shoes, and quickly extinguished under an unknown force.
"Fire doesn't work; other methods probably won't either," Amamiya Natsuki quickly said. "It's just a pair of Red Dancing Shoes; it can't be an unsolvable item. Within seven steps of a venomous snake, there must be an antidote. There should be clues in this house too."
"Shimizu-nee, you hold Little Red Riding Hood; I'll go look for clues."
"Leave it to me."
Mrs. Shimizu nodded in agreement and took the guiding loli.
Although letting the guiding loli dance for a while was also an option, attitude was important, as she still needed to lead the way later.
"The first floor was just searched," Amamiya Natsuki said decisively. "I'll go check the second floor."
"Baa—"
The lamb that the Senpai had turned into had already stood up and was following behind Amamiya Natsuki with its short legs.
"Senpai wants to go upstairs to help?"
"Baa."
The lamb nodded in response.
"Then let's go together," Amamiya Natsuki agreed. "Senpai is meticulous; searching together can avoid oversights."
"Baa—"
"I forgot, Senpai is just a little lamb right now."
"..."
One human and one sheep walked upstairs. Mrs. Shimizu stayed downstairs, attracting the Red Dancing Shoes' attention to prevent accidents during exploration.
Amamiya Natsuki held up his flashlight, its bright beam sweeping across the second floor.
The air still reeked of mold, and there was a thin layer of dust on the floor. Other than being eerie and dilapidated, there was nothing frightening about it.
"There are four rooms in total; let's not split up."
Amamiya Natsuki said as he pushed open the first room.
According to the guiding loli's information, the owner of the house had already moved to the city, taking valuables with them. The room was empty, with only some miscellaneous items that were inconvenient to carry.
Amamiya Natsuki and the Senpai entered the room and began to inspect it.
"No clues," Amamiya Natsuki quickly said. "Let's go to the next room."
"Baa."
One human and one sheep quickly arrived at the second room.
It was also empty and dusty, with only miscellaneous items and no valuable clues.
"Next room."
Amamiya Natsuki pushed open the door to the third room. With a sweep of his flashlight, he saw that the room not only had a bed but also a wardrobe and a desk.
The two entered the room and began searching for clues.
Soon after, Amamiya Natsuki found a yellowed notebook in the desk drawer.
The moment his finger touched it, the game popped up a notification.
[You found Karen's diary.]
"Found it."
Amamiya Natsuki's spirits lifted.
If it wasn't important, the game wouldn't have given a prompt at all.
"Baa?"
The Senpai curiously came closer, wanting to look at the diary, but she was only knee-high at the moment and couldn't reach the desk.
Amamiya Natsuki walked to the bed and sat down, then reached out and lifted the lamb Senpai onto the bed before opening the diary.
The diary's pages had yellowed, and the contents were in Latin, but with the game's translation function, both of them could clearly read the diary's content.
"My name is Karen, I'm five years old this year. Mom gave me a diary. I'm so happy. I'm going to write a diary every day from now on."
"Second day of keeping a diary... eating, sleeping, helping with chores, playing games."
"Third day... eating, sleeping, helping with chores."
The life of a child in a fairy tale world was just that simple, unpretentious, and boring.
Perhaps finding life too dull, loli Karen quickly abandoned her belief in writing a diary every day.
For the next two years, she basically only wrote a few diary entries each year, and only on major holidays; there was no mention of daily life.
The subsequent content was quite similar to a fairy tale.
When Karen was eight, her mother fell ill and passed away, leaving her all alone. Fortunately, she met a kind old woman who adopted her.
Karen gradually emerged from the grief of her mother's death and embraced a new life.
The girl slowly grew up, and her love for beauty began to awaken.
One day in a shop, she saw a pair of incredibly beautiful red dancing shoes and fell in love with them at first sight. Without hesitation, she bought them with her long-saved pocket money. From then on, no matter where she went, she would wear her beloved red dancing shoes, even refusing to take them off when praying in church.
When the old lady found out, she was quite angry. Church prayers should be solemn and respectful, and wearing red dancing shoes inside was a grave disrespect.
The girl agreed verbally, but she would still secretly wear the red dancing shoes when she went to church to pray later.
Until one day, the red dancing shoes suddenly developed a will of their own and began to dance uncontrollably, without Karen's input.
At first, she could conceal it, but as time went on, the red dancing shoes danced on their own for longer and longer periods, until one day during church prayers, they once again danced uncontrollably, causing public outrage.
The old lady was furious and fell seriously ill, soon passing away.
The girl Karen finally made up her mind, tearfully abandoning the red dancing shoes and leaving the place of sorrow alone.
The content was basically similar to the fairy tale, except it didn't involve asking an executioner to chop off her feet.
After reading the diary, Amamiya Natsuki quickly heard a game prompt.
"You have read Karen's diary. You have triggered a side quest: Red Dancing Shoes."
"Quest Content: Please help the Red Dancing Shoes find the girl Karen."
"Quest Time Limit: Twenty-four hours."
"Natsuki-kun, I received a quest prompt."
The surprised voice of Koyasu Tsubame came from his ear.
Amamiya Natsuki turned his head and realized that the Sheep Transformation Technique's time was up, and she had transformed back into Tsubame-senpai.
"Eh, I'm back?"
Koyasu Tsubame stretched her body, her tone surprised, "Being a sheep felt so strange. Natsuki-kun, have you ever experienced it?"
"I experienced it once."
Amamiya Natsuki's tone was subtle, his gaze falling on Tsubame-senpai.
So white.
Even though the room was dim, it still couldn't hide Tsubame-senpai's snow-white, delicate skin.
Such a generous conscience.
At least five Mrs. Shimizus could fit.
"Ah…"
Koyasu Tsubame gasped, finally noticing the abnormality on her body, her pretty face flushed, and she quickly covered her chest with her arms.
Even the normally composed Tsubame-senpai had crimson cheeks at this moment and couldn't help but exclaim:
"Why do clothes disappear after turning into a sheep?!"
Amamiya Natsuki said as a matter of course:
"Those are clothes for humans. It's normal for a sheep not to be able to wear them, isn't it?"
"You…" Tsubame-senpai bit her lower lip, "Turn your face away!"
Amamiya Natsuki turned around: "The light is so dim, I can't see clearly even if I wanted to."
"What else do you want to see?!" Koyasu Tsubame gritted her teeth, wanting to hit him after hearing that, "Hurry up and go downstairs to get dressed."
But as soon as the two reached the hallway, a pitter-patter of footsteps sounded.
"Oh no."
Tsubame-senpai immediately tensed up, her expression changing, "It's the Red Dancing Shoes!"
Tsubame-senpai was right; a pair of red dancing shoes quickly walked to the room's doorway.
Clearly, compared to the little guiding loli who was only a few years old, Tsubame-senpai, this beautiful girl, was more in line with the Red Dancing Shoes' "mating standards."
Seeing the Red Dancing Shoes approaching quickly, Tsubame-senpai took a deep breath, already envisioning what she would look like after being controlled by the Red Dancing Shoes.
No clothes at all, dancing naked in the hallway, and in front of a boy a year younger than her…
No!
Never, even if it meant death!
The fear of social death overwhelmingly defeated her sense of shame, and Tsubame-senpai quickly turned her head and said:
"Natsuki-kun, quickly pick me up!"
"Okay."
The situation was urgent, and Amamiya Natsuki didn't waste words. He reached out and quickly picked up Tsubame-senpai.
So smooth.
The skin of her thigh that his right hand touched felt incredibly smooth and delicate, as if there was no friction at all, causing Amamiya Natsuki to instinctively grip tighter.
"Mmm…"
Her thigh, which had never been touched by a boy, was suddenly grasped by a boy, causing Tsubame-senpai to instinctively let out a low cry. Fortunately, she bit her lower lip at the crucial moment, barely preserving Tsubame-senpai's dignity.
Pitter-patter.
The Red Dancing Shoes quickly came before Amamiya Natsuki. Since they couldn't jump on their own, they could only circle around Amamiya Natsuki.
"Natsuki-kun, the Red Dancing Shoes are here."
Footsteps and Mrs. Shimizu's voice came from downstairs.
Tsubame-senpai jumped, quickly hiding her face behind Amamiya Natsuki's neck, breathing rapidly and nervously:
"Don't let them come up."
"There are no boys…"
"It's still super embarrassing, okay?!"
In life, there are many things more terrifying than exposure.
"Understood." Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said loudly, "Shimizu-nee, you don't need to come up. Take Little Red Riding Hood to the courtyard. Leave the Red Dancing Shoes to me."
"Why not come upstairs?"
Mrs. Shimizu asked curiously.
Amamiya Natsuki's tone was serious: "Because what's going to happen next is very lewd and violent. Children shouldn't see it."
Koyasu Tsubame: "…"
In a sense, it seemed there was nothing wrong with that.
"Then I'll go out first."
Mrs. Shimizu agreed and left with Little Red Riding Hood.
"Phew…"
Tsubame-senpai subtly let out a sigh of relief.
The danger of social death had temporarily passed…
"Wait!" Tsubame-senpai suddenly widened her eyes, realizing a terrible fact, "Being held in a boy's arms, I've already suffered social death, haven't I?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked down.
"You, you're still looking?"
Tsubame-senpai quickly reached out and covered Amamiya Natsuki's eyes.
"Tsubame-senpai, what are you doing?"
Amamiya Natsuki was very helpless.
"What are you looking at?!" Tsubame-senpai's voice was shy, "At a time like this, you're still thinking about that kind of thing?!"
"Tsubame-senpai, don't slander my good name." Amamiya Natsuki said solemnly, "I really wasn't looking at you, I was looking at the Red Dancing Shoes."
Koyasu Tsubame: "…"
The Red Dancing Shoes were indeed more important now. Tsubame-senpai bit her pink lips, only able to wrap one arm around Amamiya Natsuki's neck and cover her chest with the other hand.
Amamiya Natsuki lowered his head, looking at the Red Dancing Shoes pacing restlessly around him, and said:
"I know where Miss Karen is."
"…"
The Red Dancing Shoes suddenly stopped.
Amamiya Natsuki sighed:
"I'm heartbroken. As a pair of dancing shoes, you just want to dance. What's wrong with that?"
"Karen actually abandoned you for this. It's too much, absolutely too much."
"Come with me, I will definitely help you find Karen and get justice for you."
"…"
A few seconds later.
Amamiya Natsuki heard a game prompt.
"You have successfully persuaded the Red Dancing Shoes. You can now temporarily put the Red Dancing Shoes into your backpack."
"Please find Karen within twenty-four hours, otherwise you will become the Red Dancing Shoes' target of hatred."
"Tsubame-senpai, you can come down now."
Amamiya Natsuki put Koyasu Tsubame down. The silky touch lingering on his hands made him particularly reluctant. Then he bent down and picked up the Red Dancing Shoes, and indeed, they could be put into the game backpack.
"Tsubame-senpai, the ground is dirty. How about I carry you downstairs?"
Amamiya Natsuki turned and asked.
"I…"
Koyasu Tsubame hesitated whether to agree. The ground was indeed very dirty, covered in dust.
Amamiya Natsuki just said it casually, not expecting Tsubame-senpai to agree.
There was only dust on the ground, not knives. With Tsubame-senpai's personality, she would definitely not want to trouble others.
The next second.
A soft, weak voice sounded.
"Then I'll trouble Natsuki-kun."
"Huh?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Tsubame-senpai in surprise, only seeing the girl's faintly visible flushed cheeks.
Wait.
Why did you agree?
With your personality, shouldn't you refuse?
Amamiya Natsuki was surprised in his heart, but he didn't refuse. He bent down and picked up Tsubame-senpai again, stepping downstairs.
"Thank you for the hospitality, Tsubame-senpai."
"What hospitality?" Tsubame-senpai's pretty face was flushed, her voice somehow lacking some vitality, "It's just that the ground is dirty, and I'm not wearing shoes, so I don't want to walk, that's all."
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