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Thump, thump, thump.
Amamiya Natsuki waited quietly, and when Hayasaka Ai passed the window, he gently tapped the glass.
Hayasaka Ai heard the movement, turned to look outside, and after seeing Amamiya Natsuki, her footsteps paused slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed across her pretty face.
"Senpai?"
Hayasaka Ai's pink lips moved slightly, and she called out silently.
Amamiya Natsuki took out his notebook, enduring the cold, and wrote in it:
"Can you come out directly?"
Hayasaka Ai shook her head slightly, indicating she could not.
"It seems her personal freedom is restricted."
Amamiya Natsuki's expression remained unchanged, and he wrote again:
"Can you trick one of the dwarves out alone?"
Hayasaka Ai blinked, then quietly nodded.
"Wait a moment." Amamiya Natsuki wrote, "Wait for my signal."
There were a total of seven dwarves, all with mushrooms on their heads, and their abilities were unknown. Rushing in rashly would not be confidence, but foolishness.
Everything should be planned beforehand; only by being prepared can one stand undefeated.
After exchanging messages with the Spy Maid, Amamiya Natsuki quietly returned to the valley entrance.
Fujiwara Chika, Tsubame-senpai, and a guiding dwarves were huddled together, warming themselves with each other's body heat.
Seeing Amamiya Natsuki return, Fujiwara Chika's eyes lit up, and she whispered, "Natsuki-kun, how is the situation? Did you find Hanamori-chan?"
"I saw her." Amamiya Natsuki nodded and recounted the situation, "There are seven dwarves in total, all with mushrooms on their heads, so they are now mushroom Dwarves. Hanamori is inside the wooden house, unable to come out. She's been restricted of her freedom by those dwarves and is currently working as a maid, serving dishes."
Tsubame-senpai held Little Red Riding Hood in her arms and said, "Since their freedom is restricted, those dwarves must be different from the dwarves in fairy tales. If we rush in, it's very likely to be dangerous."
"Exactly." Amamiya Natsuki nodded in agreement, "So we need to trick the dwarves out one by one and remove their mushrooms individually."
"How do we trick them?"
Fujiwara Chika rested her right hand on her chin, thinking seriously.
"Leave the tricking of the dwarves to Hanamori." Amamiya Natsuki held out both hands, "First, I'll Copy and Paste the Seize and Eliminate Evil skill combo to Tsubame-senpai."
To restore the evil dwarves to their good nature, the mushrooms on their heads need to be removed.
Amamiya Natsuki was naturally the chief physician, while Fujiwara Chika and Tsubame-senpai could only act as Nurses.
Fujiwara Chika naturally extended her hand. After so many Copy and Paste sessions, she was already used to it. Tsubame-senpai, having experienced it fewer times, blushed slightly. Fortunately, she wasn't as shy and reserved as Komi, and quickly extended her hand.
Amamiya Natsuki's left hand held Tsubame-senpai's, and his right hand held Chika's.
Different girls, same touch.
"So cold." Amamiya Natsuki complained with narrowed eyes, "Why are your hands as cold as ice?"
"It's normal for our hands to be cold after walking in this icy and snowy weather for so long." Fujiwara Chika countered while holding his hand back, "You're so warm, it's just right to help me warm up my hand."
Tsubame-senpai nodded subconsciously.
It had to be said, the feeling of having her hand warmed was quite comfortable.
The three stood in a corner, pasting skills and discussing the next action plan in low voices, checking for omissions and finalizing details.
Once the plan was made, Amamiya Natsuki's attention returned to the two girls. After several minutes of warming their hands, the temperature of their hands had returned to normal. Held in his hands, the touch was delicate and smooth, exceptionally comfortable.
A surge of impulse filled his heart.
Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help but secretly pinch the secretary's palm.
"Don't move."
Fujiwara Chika glared over.
"What's wrong?"
Koyasu Tsubame asked curiously.
"Nothing." Fujiwara Chika, of course, wouldn't say what happened. Seeing Amamiya Natsuki still teasing her, she rolled her eyes at him, then turned and said, "Later, Tsubame-senpai, don't be nervous. Just hold down the dwarves."
"I know..."
Tsubame-senpai nodded, then suddenly felt her palm being secretly pinched. She couldn't help but widen her eyes and look towards Amamiya Natsuki.
Amamiya Natsuki looked back calmly: "Yes, it was me."
...
A blush spread across her cheeks. Koyasu Tsubame quietly bit her teeth, unable to help but complain inwardly:
"It's one thing to tease, but you should at least feel guilty!"
"When we held hands before, he never did something like this... Is it the influence of that mushroom?"
Koyasu Tsubame pursed her pink lips and looked up at the mushroom on Amamiya Natsuki's head.
Unfortunately, the light was too dim to see if the mushroom had grown larger.
Speaking of which, Little Red Riding Hood had just said that when the mushroom first sprouted, it wasn't much, but as it slowly grew, its influence on one's character would become heavier and heavier, eventually turning them into evil mushroom People.
Fortunately, the mushroom could be removed, otherwise her innocence would definitely not be preserved!
"Eh, wait a minute."
Koyasu Tsubame suddenly realized and turned to look at Fujiwara Chika, "Did Chika's words just now mean she was also being teased?"
"It must be."
"While teasing me, he was also teasing Chika, that's too much!"
...
A moment later.
"Alright." Amamiya Natsuki reluctantly let go of their hands, "Act according to the plan."
The three quickly set into motion.
After Amamiya Natsuki stealthily returned behind the wooden house, he looked inside through the window and quickly saw the Spy Maid.
Their eyes met.
Amamiya Natsuki took out his notebook: "You can act now."
Hayasaka Ai nodded slightly and walked towards a dwarf. It was unclear what she said, but the bearded dwarf swayed and walked outside.
Pushing the door open and stepping outside, the dwarf suddenly sniffed, detecting a faint, unusual aroma in the air. He looked around and quickly spotted half an opened bag of bread on the ground. Its golden color instantly caught the dwarf's attention.
This dwarf walked up to the bread, bent down, and picked it up. He first looked at it curiously, then cautiously took a small bite.
As the cream and pork floss exploded on his tongue, this dwarves's eyes instantly widened.
"Ah..."
A panicked gasp sounded.
The dwarf looked in the direction of the sound and saw a small loli wearing a red hat, turning around in a panic and fleeing, clearly still holding half a bag of bread in her hand.
Seeing the bread, this dwarf immediately became excited, snorting two streams of rough air from his nostrils, and took off in pursuit.
The two, one chasing and one fleeing, quickly moved away from the wooden house.
At this moment, Fujiwara Chika stepped forward, pointed, and said:
"Don, the Outlaw, it's you!"
"Don?"
The dwarves was still confused when, from behind a large tree nearby, Tsubame-senpai suddenly emerged and quickly pressed down on the dwarf's shoulder:
"You are under arrest."
Seize and Eliminate Evil activated successfully, and 'Surrender' was triggered.
This dwarf instantly stiffened in place, only his eyes and mouth could still move. He mumbled in a muffled voice:
"Humans, what have you done to me?"
"Don't be nervous, we are actually doctors who treat and save people." Amamiya Natsuki stepped forward, smiled, took out a cloth wad, skillfully stuffed it into the dwarf's mouth, then, under the dwarf's horrified gaze, took out a chef's knife, "Now it's surgery time."
...
Amamiya Natsuki reached out and touched the mushroom on the dwarf's head. The game quickly provided identification information.
[Item: Greed mushroom]
[Status: Matured]
[Description: For those who grow this mushroom, the greed attribute in their personality will be infinitely magnified]
[Note: You need special means to remove this mushroom. Forcibly removing it will cause the target to die]
Amamiya Natsuki put on the dark chef badge, and the method for removing the Greed mushroom quickly appeared before his eyes.
"Alright, the conditions aren't complicated." Amamiya Natsuki finished receiving the information, "Prepare for surgery."
"Okay."
Fujiwara Chika came over to help tie up the dwarf. "I feel like the dwarves are even shorter than the Cupid people."
Hey, hey, those are Hobbit people, not Cupid people!
In the dim forest.
Amamiya Natsuki sharpened his knife with a menacing air.
Fujiwara Chika assisted with preparations nearby.
Tsubame-senpai was responsible for apprehending the dwarves.
Little Red Riding Hood, on the other hand, provided strength by sharing her own experience from the patient's perspective.
Only the dwarf's expression was one of despair, filled with immense regret.
For half a piece of bread, he was about to be killed. Greed truly was a terrifying original sin!
"We can begin."
Preparations complete, Amamiya Natsuki, holding the chef's knife, approached the dwarf.
This dwarf was estimated to be only 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall, indeed shorter than Hobbit people. His appearance was quite rugged, especially his full beard, which is rarely seen in reality.
"Don't worry, don't be nervous."
Seeing the dwarf stare with wide eyes, Amamiya Natsuki smiled, "I already have multiple clinical surgery experiences, and the success rate is currently one hundred percent. It will just hurt a little, and it will be over quickly."
...
The dwarf closed his eyes in despair.
A moment later.
"Alright."
Amamiya Natsuki removed the Greed mushroom from the dwarf's head and put the mushroom, identified as a Dark Chef ingredient, into his backpack.
Tsubame-senpai, meanwhile, released her grip, ending the 'Surrender' suppression state.
"The mushroom is really gone... I'm not dead?"
The dwarf sat up, touching his empty head, and asked blankly.
"I told you you wouldn't die." Little Red Riding Hood said from the side, "Brave Hero is super amazing, he can remove any mushroom."
Under the influence of the mushroom, the evil factors in all creatures' personalities would be infinitely magnified, leading to corruption and distortion. Fortunately, after the mushroom was removed, the influence would quickly dissipate.
Next was communication time.
With Little Red Riding Hood, a native, vouching for him, plus his own personal surgery experience, the dwarf, freed from the mushroom's influence and returning to the good and orderly alignment, quickly decided to turn over a new leaf and abandon darkness for light—
"I'll go back right away and trick everyone out one by one for surgery!"
"No rush, we need to rest for a while first."
Amamiya Natsuki did not fully trust the dwarf. Better safe than sorry, he re-gripped Tsubame-senpai and Chika's hands, and again Copy and Pasted the Seize and Eliminate Evil skill.
Then he stealthily returned behind the wooden house to relay the message to the Spy Maid, asking Hayasaka Ai to trick out another dwarf.
Next was the same bait tactic.
The method was old-fashioned but very effective.
The second mushroom removal surgery was a complete success.
After confirming that the two dwarves had truly turned over a new leaf, the bait tactic was no longer needed. They simply let the two dwarves go back as moles, and easily tricked out several more dwarves.
"Brave Hero, thank you for your surgery."
"It's incredible that someone can remove mushrooms."
"Big Brother is still in the house. After he grew the mushroom, he would get angry and enraged at the slightest provocation. We were all afraid of him. Once the mushroom is removed, everyone can return to their original selves."
"I'll go trick Big Brother out."
"I'll go too."
"How can you say trick? It's clearly for Big Brother's good."
...
Several dwarves chattered, surrounding Amamiya Natsuki and the two girls.
By now, even if Amamiya Natsuki wanted to leave, the dwarves would surround him, pleading for him to perform surgery on their Big Brother.
Amamiya Natsuki flexed his wrists: "Only your Big Brother is left; let's just go in and get it over with."
The matter was settled, and of course, he didn't want to stay in the snowy weather any longer.
A group of people, in a grand procession, walked towards the wooden house.
Pushing open the door, a cold wind, swirling with snow, howled inwards.
"Bastard!"
The last dwarves sitting at the table, eating and drinking, angrily slammed the table and suddenly stood up, fuming, "How dare you open the door so wide... Who are you?"
Amamiya Natsuki was the first to enter the house; thankfully, his head didn't hit the ceiling: "I am the attending physician your brothers invited."
"Big Brother, you're sick, very sick."
"Big Brother, we have turned over a new leaf."
"..."
"Hanamori-chan, we're here!"
Looking at the Spy Maid in the corner, Fujiwara Chika happily called out.
Hayasaka Ai's expression was originally quite calm, but seeing Fujiwara Chika's immense happiness, her face quickly showed a cooperative expression, "Rendezvous successful."
"You guys... are all players, right?"
A surprised voice rang out.
Amamiya Natsuki then realized that besides Hayasaka Ai, there was another female player in the room, who was looking over in surprise.
Nodding slightly, Amamiya Natsuki withdrew his gaze, his attention falling on the Big Brother among the dwarves.
In his anger, this dwarf did not turn green, but red, his whole body flushed, veins bulging on his neck, and his entire body had visibly swelled by a circle, clearly a special effect caused by the mushroom.
However, Amamiya Natsuki didn't need to act; the other six dwarves swarmed forward, quickly subduing their elder brother with many hands and feet, then shouted:
"Brave person, come quickly, we've caught Big Brother."
"Please remove the mushroom from Big Brother's head, please!"
"Big Brother, bear with it, it will only hurt a little at first, then you'll feel comfortable."
"..."
Watching Amamiya Natsuki take out a kitchen knife and walk towards the dwarves, the Passerby curiously asked:
"What are you doing?"
"Picking mushrooms..." Fujiwara Chika put her right hand on her hip, lifted her chin, and said proudly, "Wrong, we are curing illness and saving lives."
Hayasaka Ai's mind raced, and she quickly said: "Is that mushroom problematic?"
"Very problematic..."
Koyasu Tsubame closed the door, turned around, and walked over, explaining the situation regarding the mushroom clearly.
"It's actually that terrifying?"
The Passerby was very surprised, "No wonder these dwarves are different from those in fairy tales; they all feel super weird."
Turning to look at Amamiya Natsuki, who was commanding a group of dwarves while sharpening his knife, the Passerby suddenly felt a little scared.
Why did this boy in front of her feel even more terrifying than the dwarves?
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