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"Princess, what is this place?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Snow White and asked.
"I don't know," Snow White shook her head, "I've never been here, but I've heard there seems to be a strange curse inside, though I don't know the specifics."
The Spy Maid sighed:
"Knowing nothing, how useless."
"...Damn it!"
Snow White was furious, her arrogant nature exposed once again, "Don't be so rude! It was clearly thanks to me that you were able to pass through the city gate just now!"
Hayasaka Ai: "So, please quickly recognize your status as a captive."
...
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Hayasaka Ai: "Are you sure Kaguya-san is inside?"
"Absolutely," Hayasaka Ai nodded.
"Then we'll go in."
Amamiya Natsuki withdrew his gaze and looked at the others, "Hanamori, Chika, and I will go in."
"Tsubame-senpai, you and Yamashita stay outside and watch Snow White."
"Leave it to me," Tsubame-senpai nodded solemnly, "I'll make sure to keep an eye on her."
As for Little Red Riding Hood and the Seven dwarves, they naturally stayed outside together.
With unknown circumstances, the more secretive the action, the safer it would be.
After a quick discussion, Fujiwara Chika clenched her right fist and extended it forward:
"Kaguya-chan rescue operation, starting now!"
...
This was a large, old castle with a pointed roof, surrounded by a fence, and the chains on the main gate were rusted, clearly indicating that no one had been there for a long time.
Amamiya Natsuki propped himself up, climbed over the wall, then caught Fujiwara Chika and Hayasaka Ai, and the three of them quietly made their way into the castle.
"Don't split up," Fujiwara Chika extended a finger, placed her right hand on her hip, and whispered, "If you discover anything unusual, speak up immediately; don't make rookie mistakes."
Amamiya Natsuki raised his hand: "What about advanced mistakes?"
"Of course, you shouldn't make those either!"
Fujiwara Chika took out a bag of bread and quietly ate it like a little hamster. "...I've verified it just now; satisfying desires appropriately can alleviate the influence of the mushroom and prevent mistakes. I'll eat a bag of bread first."
"As for Hanamori-chan..."
Fujiwara Chika turned to look at Hayasaka Ai; it was hard to say how to satisfy a jealousy mushroom.
"I'm fine," Hayasaka Ai said nonchalantly, "So far, I haven haven't felt anything."
This was a lie.
Earlier, when Amamiya Natsuki was carrying Tsubame-senpai on his back, she had already been extremely bothered, unable to resist the urge to separate them.
Fortunately, her professional spy training allowed her to endure it without exposing herself.
"Stare--"
Fujiwara Chika's eyes widened. While eating bread, she leaned closer, her pink cheeks puffing out. "I feel like Hanamori-chan is being a bit insincere."
As expected of the source of chaos, she didn't need any reasoning or evidence; solving cases relied entirely on her keen intuition.
"Finished eating!" Fujiwara Chika finished the bread in a few bites, clapped her hands, and said, "Continue the operation."
"Wait a moment," Amamiya Natsuki said faintly, "You ate bread, and Hanamori wasn't affected, so how do I satisfy my mushroom?"
Fujiwara Chika covered her chest with both hands: "I don't know, don't look at me, I can't help."
"Then..."
Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at Spy Maid again.
"Don't even think about bullying Hanamori-chan!" Fujiwara Chika moved to block in front of Hayasaka, puffing out her pink cheeks, "Hold it in!"
...
Amamiya Natsuki was indeed enduring it; after all, in such a freezing environment, sexual desire would naturally be suppressed.
As they spoke, the group had already reached the old castle.
"The main gate is locked; we can't get in," Amamiya Natsuki pushed the door and whispered.
"That window seems broken," Hayasaka Ai's eyes were sharp, and she quickly spotted a broken window on the second floor. "We can enter through the window."
Right next to the window was a large, seemingly dead tree, covered in snow, with one branch extending perfectly in front of the window.
"I'll go up and check first."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded and climbed up the dead tree. His physical fitness already far surpassed that of an ordinary person, so climbing was effortless for him, and he quickly successfully entered through the window.
"I'm in."
Amamiya Natsuki poked his head out of the window, looked down, then took out a rope and threw it down.
A rope was clearly more convenient than climbing a tree.
In just over ten seconds, Amamiya Natsuki pulled up one of the Hayasaka.
"Senpai, catch me."
Spy Maid spoke softly, directly jumping into Amamiya Natsuki's arms.
Thump.
Amamiya Natsuki caught the Spy Maid who jumped into his arms, sniffing the familiar citrus scent on the girl's body, his heartbeat involuntarily quickened, and under the influence of the lust mushroom, he couldn't help but lower his head, wanting to kiss Spy Maid.
"Senpai, don't try to push your luck."
Hayasaka Ai reached out and blocked Amamiya Natsuki's mouth, huffing softly, "You smell entirely of Oppai Senpai; don't come near me."
Smelling entirely of other girls, and still wanting a kiss?
Dream on!
Amamiya Natsuki said helplessly: "You said the mushroom wouldn't affect you and you wouldn't be jealous?"
Hayasaka Ai smiled:
"I'm not jealous."
The nickname 'Oppai Senpai' even came out; if that's not jealousy, what is it!
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"Then you're jealous that I carried Tsubame-senpai on my back?"
"Senpai, please don't be so conceited; you'll be disliked that way, you know," Hayasaka Ai smiled, "Just a perverted Senpai, I wouldn't care about your little affairs."
"Well said," Amamiya Natsuki looked down, "Now, release my hand that you're pinching."
"Hmph."
...
Jealousy mushroom, terrifying indeed.
Fortunately, it was only a newly grown mushroom now; if the mushroom were to fully mature someday, this Hayasaka might even take a dagger and kill all the other girls...
Amamiya Natsuki suddenly felt a little worried about Kaguya-san.
That Sheltered Ojou-sama was already prone to jealousy, as evidenced by the blackened Kaguya-san in the Mirror World. If it was also jealousy over a mushroom, she might really take a knife to her teammates!
One blackened Kaguya-san, one blackened Hayasaka Ai. If the two of them teamed up, the entire dungeon would be cleared out!
Lowering the rope, Amamiya Natsuki quickly pulled Fujiwara Chika up.
The three entered a room in an old castle. It was empty, with only some dust-covered low beds and chairs. After a quick search, they found nothing of value. The three walked out of the room and began exploring the interior of the old castle.
Not long after arriving in the hallway, a beautiful, ethereal, and incredibly melodious song suddenly rang out.
"Super good!"
Fujiwara Chika's eyes lit up. "What song is this?"
"I don't know." Fujiwara Chika shook her head and said, "I can't tell what language it is."
"It does sound very good."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded in agreement.
The song was ethereal and beautiful, with a sorrowful melody, truly lingering in the air for days.
Even though they knew the sudden song in the deserted old castle was very eerie, it was simply too beautiful. An inexplicable power made them unconsciously lose themselves in it, unable to resist.
The next second.
Blurred ripples suddenly spread through the air, as if countless bubbles surged forth. The world before their eyes suddenly changed, transforming from a gloomy and terrifying old castle into a brightly lit banquet hall.
"Eh? What's going on?"
Fujiwara Chika looked around cautiously.
"Mass hallucination." Amamiya Natsuki's tone was calm. "Or some kind of illusion."
"My consciousness is very clear." Hayasaka Ai frowned slightly. "It shouldn't be a hallucination."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"What is the name of our operation?"
"Kaguya-chan Rescue Operation." Fujiwara Chika raised her hand to answer first.
"To be safe, write it down in a prominent place, like on your arm." Hayasaka Ai said, "Every three minutes, everyone asks each other."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki made a mark while looking at the dance hall banquet below.
The lights were bright, and there were many guests.
A lavishly dressed man was dancing with a beautiful girl in a princess dress. They looked like a perfect match, a match made in heaven.
Amamiya Natsuki said in a low voice:
"Act carefully. The primary goal is to find Kaguya-san."
The three quickly moved into action.
At this moment, the castle was brightly lit, making it more efficient to find people.
Unfortunately, after a round of searching, there was no sign of Shinomiya Kaguya.
"I'm so hungry." Fujiwara Chika clutched her stomach, looked at the food on the distant dining table, and pitifully said, "Shall we go eat something?"
Hayasaka Ai nodded and said, "I'm a little hungry too."
Amamiya Natsuki was about to speak when his gaze suddenly focused on Hayasaka Ai's arm, and he asked in a deep voice:
"Who are we here to find?"
Hayasaka Ai was startled: "We're here to find…"
Mid-sentence, Hayasaka Ai felt a blur in her mind and could no longer remember the specific target.
Fujiwara Chika tilted her head and said:
"What is Natsuki-kun talking about? Aren't we here for the wedding banquet of the prince and the princess of the neighboring country?"
"Is that so?"
Amamiya Natsuki extended his right hand, and in his palm, clearly visible, was Kaguya-san's name.
"It's Kaguya-chan!"
Fujiwara Chika blurted out.
The name acted like a switch, and the blurred memories in her mind quickly became clear. Hayasaka Ai's expression immediately turned ugly, and she bit her lower lip, saying:
"Our memories have been affected."
A kaidan that subtly affects others' memories without them realizing it is the most terrifying.
Fujiwara Chika said: "After we came in, we heard that song, and that's why we fell into an illusion… What fairy tale is related to songs?"
Amamiya Natsuki: "Pinocchio?"
"That's about a nose!"
"…"
Compared to analyzing clues, Amamiya Natsuki preferred a direct approach.
Silently activating Miko's spiritual vision, the world before Amamiya Natsuki's eyes immediately became illusory.
In the entire world, besides the three of them who were truly present, there was also a beautiful girl sitting in the corner who had a real presence.
"It's you."
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the other party, silently gazing. As his gaze locked on, a prompt finally appeared before his eyes.
[You have carefully observed and successfully discovered the core of the illusion.]
[The sixth princess sacrificed her voice to gain legs to walk on land, and she had to endure the pain of being cut by knives every day, but now she has been cruelly abandoned. It's time to get justice for her!]
"Tsk."
Amamiya Natsuki secretly curled his lips, finally knowing what fairy tale character it was.
It turned out to be The Little Mermaid.
They said mermaids don't have souls, but she's now turned into a vengeful spirit, creating an illusion that's indistinguishable from reality!
But then again, the mermaid princess is really stupid. If you can't speak, can't you write?
If you can't write well, can't you learn?
If you can't learn, can't you use gestures?
She could clearly reveal her identity, but she chose not to speak, and in the end, they missed each other. If it happened today, people would say she deserved it!
In the hall.
The wedding banquet had entered its final stage. The prince and the foreign princess were about to get together. Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath and suddenly said:
"I object to this marriage!"
"…"
The banquet suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked at Amamiya Natsuki.
Logically, at this point, guards should come forward and take Amamiya Natsuki away. Fortunately, this was an illusion, so it wasn't that troublesome.
Amamiya Natsuki stepped into the middle of the banquet and said faintly:
"Your Royal Highness, do you still remember the girl who saved you from the water by Daming Lake that year?"
The prince replied: "Of course I remember, she is right beside me, and we are about to be married."
"She is not."
Amamiya Natsuki shook his head.
The foreign princess felt a little guilty, "You're talking nonsense, I am."
"You really aren't." Amamiya Natsuki turned to look over. "The reason is simple, the prince fell into the sea because of a shipwreck… You actually can't swim, can you?"
The woman suddenly calmed down and smiled slightly, "Who said I can't swim?"
Tsk, with such confidence, it seems my guess was wrong.
But it doesn't matter.
Amamiya Natsuki still had a trump card.
"So that's it." Amamiya Natsuki suddenly gave a bitter smile. "To leave me, you secretly went to learn how to swim."
"What are you talking about?"
The foreign princess asked with a frown.
"Hanamori, come here."
Amamiya Natsuki snapped his fingers, and a small lamb suddenly ran forward. It was Hayasaka Ai after using the Sheep Transformation Technique.
"Take Helen home." Amamiya Natsuki waved his hand. "Tell her to go back and feed the children quickly."
After turning into a sheep, aside from having a lower Sight, her intelligence was fine. Hayasaka Ai received the instruction and decisively opened her mouth to bite the foreign princess's skirt, pulling her towards Amamiya Natsuki.
Seeing this scene, the prince's expression suddenly turned ugly.
Clearly, throughout history and across cultures, no one wants to wear a colored hat.
The illusion was still there.
Amamiya Natsuki subtly glanced at the girl in the corner and decided to intensify his efforts.
"Your Royal Highness, I know the girl who fell into the water and saved you that day."
"Who is she?"
The prince quickly asked.
"Far away in the sky, yet close at hand." Amamiya Natsuki said, "Who is the person who is with you every day and silently supports you?"
Upon hearing this, His Royal Highness immediately looked at the mermaid princess in the corner.
The next moment.
The illusion, like a bubble, suddenly burst with a pop.
The brightly lit old castle returned to its gloomy and terrifying environment.
Amamiya Natsuki and the two others stood in the hallway, much like when they entered the illusion. The difference was that Hayasaka Ai had transformed into a little white lamb, her clothes had fallen off, and she had to put them back on one by one.
"Natsuki-kun, turn around." Fujiwara Chika put her right hand on her hip and said decisively, "No peeking."
"I won't look."
"You still have a mushroom growing on your head, who would believe that!"
"…"
At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out in the gloomy old castle.
"Natsuki-kun… and Chika?"
Amamiya Natsuki quickly turned his head to look.
Fujiwara Chika was even happier, saying, "Kaguya-chan, we found you!"
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