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[Dungeon "Summer Time Rendering" loading...]
[Loading successful]
[Beneath the calm Island, undercurrents are surging. As an unsuspecting tourist, you have rashly stepped into the eye of the whirlpool...]
As Amamiya Natsuki and his group set foot on the Island, the game prompt sounded on time.
"We've entered the dungeon."
"Everyone, pay attention to your surroundings."
"From now on, we must be vigilant."
"Do not easily trust anyone except us."
"Unless absolutely necessary, do not touch any food or water in the dungeon."
"..."
Their current location was the Island dock where the cruise ship was moored.
Looking around, the sunshine, summer, beach, tourists, yukatas... it was clearly a scene of peace and tranquility.
However, as experienced players, the group certainly wouldn't let their guard down—careless individuals had already been left behind in dungeons forever.
"This time, everyone is around at the start."
Amamiya Natsuki looked around and nodded silently.
Entering the dungeon did not cause any changes in location or position; the young lady and others were all by his side.
His gaze shifted, and Amamiya Natsuki looked at Koyasu Tsubame, who was not far away, and said softly:
"Senpai?"
Koyasu Tsubame nodded gently: "I'm in."
"Is this the game dungeon?" Next to Yukinoshita Yukino, Yukinoshita Haruno also successfully entered the dungeon, and she was currently looking around, asking curiously, "It's completely different from what I imagined."
This dungeon seemed to have no participant limit; Senpai and Yukinoshita Haruno successfully snuck in.
"Sister, stay vigilant," Yukinoshita Yukino's expression was serious, "Danger will definitely occur in the dungeon, don't be careless."
"I know," Yukinoshita Haruno stuck out her tongue, then feigned grievance, "Yukino always talks to me in an older sister's tone recently, even though I'm the older sister. It's so mean."
Yukinoshita Yukino was expressionless, indicating she didn't want to talk.
Without personal experience, merely hearing others describe it, one ultimately cannot grasp the cruelty of dungeons. She had to let her sister experience the danger for her to understand how terrifying dungeons are.
"President, the dock is empty. Shall we go to the corner first?"
Shinomiya Kaguya suggested softly.
Amamiya Natsuki nodded gently:
"Let's go to that shaded area."
The group left the dock and walked to a corner under a tree's shade.
The Sea breeze was light and especially cool.
Amamiya Natsuki looked around, confirmed there was no one else nearby, and whispered:
"Everyone, first check your respective dungeon tasks."
"Received."
"Checking immediately."
The girls all began checking their dungeon tasks.
Amamiya Natsuki blinked, opened the game panel, and the task content immediately popped up before his eyes.
[Dungeon Task: I Am a Great Detective]
[Task Content: A series of murders has recently occurred on the Island. As a detective, you decide it's time to step forward!]
[Task Objective: Find the true culprit within twenty-four hours and clear the name of the deceased.]
[Other tasks are locked, please trigger them yourself.]
"Tsk~"
Seeing the dungeon's task content, Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help but click his tongue softly.
He wasn't even a fan of mystery novels, so how did he become a Detective?
Moreover, regarding that serial murder case, he had previously entrusted a hacker to investigate. The permanent population of the entire Island was only seven or eight hundred people, and with the number of tourists, it barely exceeded a thousand. There was only one police officer on the entire Island—whose main job was to handle lost cats, drunk tourists, and the like, at most dealing with theft cases. There hadn't been a murder case for decades, let alone a serial murder case.
"Is it a new setting loaded by the dungeon?"
Amamiya Natsuki mused silently.
Since this Island was designated as a dungeon area, it was hard to say whether these tourists in front of him were even human. A serial murder case appearing out of nowhere made perfect sense.
At this moment, the others had also finished reading their respective dungeon tasks and began to exchange information.
Shinomiya Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest and said calmly:
"My dungeon task is to investigate an abandoned Hospital on the Island and find the secret within the Hospital."
Fujiwara Chika raised her hand and said:
"My dungeon task is to protect someone. From the name, it should be a girl."
Next was Kitagawa Marin: "Hmm, my dungeon task is the same as Chika's."
After a simple summary.
A few of their dungeon tasks were the same, but most were different.
Among them, Yukinoshita Haruno, being a new player, seemed to have received special care from the game. Her dungeon task was the simplest; she didn't need to do anything, just survive for twenty-four hours to clear the stage.
Categorizing the dungeon tasks, they roughly fell into four types: protection target tasks for Chika, Marin, and others; investigation tasks for Shinomiya Kaguya; Detective tasks for Amamiya Natsuki; and finally, the lying-flat task for new player Haruno.
Among them, protection target tasks were the most numerous. Chika, Marin, Juju, and Shoko were all on protection tasks.
"They should be the indigenous people of the Island."
"It's also possible they are tourists."
"In short, find them and protect them for twenty-four hours without any accidents to clear the stage."
After a brief discussion, everyone decided to split up.
The Island wasn't too big, nor too small. Plus, with only twenty-four hours for the task, staying together would be the safest, but it would make completing all tasks unlikely.
Given this, splitting up was a necessary choice.
"I'll go with Kaguya-chan." Hayasaka Ai was the first to step forward. "We need to investigate the abandoned shrine later, which is in the same direction as the abandoned Hospital."
As a personal maid, she naturally had to advance and retreat with Kaguya, providing close protection for Kaguya's safety.
Kitagawa Marin put her right hand on her hip and said: "Then I, Chika, Juju, and Shoko will go together. Sayu, what do you say?"
Sayu pursed her pink lips, about to speak, when Amamiya Natsuki spoke first:
"Sayu will temporarily come with me. I've thought of a 100% Detective case-solving method."
Sayu's eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded:
"I'll go with Natsuki-sama."
Yukinoshita Yukino's gaze shifted, looking at her older sister.
Haruno understood and quickly smiled:
"I'll also go with Natsuki-kun. It's a good chance to learn some experience."
As a new player, participating in a dungeon for the first time, she didn't seek merit but sought no fault. Preserving her life was the most important, and staying with Amamiya Natsuki was naturally the best choice.
Yukinoshita Yukino looked up at Amamiya Natsuki and said in a low voice:
"…Please take care of my sister."
This Yukino's task was also to investigate the truth of the abandoned Hospital, so she had to go with Kaguya.
"No problem." Amamiya Natsuki agreed, lowering his voice, "I want a photo of your legs in stockings."
Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes narrowed, and her expression immediately turned to one of distaste.
If it were an ordinary person, facing the Second Miss's stern gaze, they would probably back down by now.
Unfortunately, Amamiya Natsuki was not afraid and continued in a low voice:
"You don't want Haruno-nee to get hurt, do you?"
Yukinoshita Yukino: "…"
"The phone can be used on the Island." Fujiwara Chika held up her phone and said clearly, "But it can't send messages or make calls to the outside world."
"That's enough," Amamiya Natsuki said. "Everyone, contact each other by phone every ten minutes."
"Understood."
"Then… let's begin."
The group split into three teams and acted separately.
Amamiya Natsuki took Sayu and Haruno, Shinomiya Kaguya was with Yukino and Hayasaka, and the remaining girls formed a team. Everyone quickly got to work.
"Natsuki-sama, what do we do now?"
Sayu asked happily.
Although Haruno was still beside her, it didn't affect her good mood at all.
He didn't bring anyone else but chose to bring only her. Choosing to be a pet was indeed the right choice!
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"Of course, I'm putting you to work."
Sayu tilted her head in confusion: "Eh?"
Amamiya Natsuki said seriously:
"Quickly use your adorable looks to find a way."
Haruno blinked next to him and mused: "Does Natsuki-kun mean to ask people?"
Amamiya Natsuki nodded in approval: "Correct answer."
The permanent residents on the Island numbered less than a thousand. If a murder case occurred, it would definitely cause a great stir and become common knowledge.
Sayu and Haruno were very good-looking and approachable, making them quite suitable for gathering information.
Ten minutes later.
Sayu and Haruno returned together.
"Natsuki-sama, I've found out." Sayu shook her head and whispered, "I asked many people, including an old man and an elementary school student, and they all said no murder case had occurred."
"There's also another situation: a murder case occurred on the Island, but no one knows about it, like an accidental death." Yukinoshita Haruno didn't keep them in suspense and said softly, "I asked if anyone had accidentally died on the Island recently, and I heard that an elementary school student accidentally drowned while swimming in the Sea."
There were two dedicated schools on the Island, one elementary school and one middle school. The summer temperature here in the south was very high, so summer vacation started earlier than in other places.
Amamiya Natsuki and the others had just started their summer vacation in Japan, while the Island's summer vacation had already been going on for over a week.
elementary school student who had summer vacation naturally liked to run around. Three days ago, an elementary school student had an accident at the Sea and drowned—
A serial murder case?
Drowning was just an accident, so of course, no murder case had occurred.
"Hmm…"
Sayu puffed up her pink cheeks slightly.
She was clearly an 'old player,' but her experience seemed to be less than that of a new player.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Haruno and asked:
"We can go check the situation first. What's the address?"
"I've already asked." Yukinoshita Haruno replied, "Go straight along this street, turn left at two intersections, and then turn right, and you'll see it."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said:
"You've worked hard."
The three followed the route and quickly found the home of the elementary school student who had accidentally drowned—chrysanthemums for a funeral were placed at the entrance, and many people were still mourning inside, making it hard to mistake.
Amamiya Natsuki silently walked into the house and saw a small coffin placed at the entrance. In the center was a photo of a little girl with twin pigtails, who looked only seven or eight years old, clearly the elementary school student who had drowned.
Amidst the swirling smoke, a man with red-rimmed eyes was talking softly to someone else, and a woman was constantly covering her face and weeping. They were presumably the elementary school student's parents, and the other people in the house were likely relatives or neighbors.
Yukinoshita Haruno stood in the corner, looking at Amamiya Natsuki with interest.
(It's been three days since the elementary school student accidentally drowned, and the body has already been cremated. How can we investigate at this point?)
(100% Detective case-solving method… What is that?)
At the same time.
Amamiya Natsuki looked around, his gaze falling on the photo. After a moment of contemplation, a prompt quietly appeared before his eyes.
[You have discovered a victim of a serial murder case. They didn't even spare an elementary school student. It's time to let them face the judgment of justice!]
"It really is a murder case, then?"
Amamiya Natsuki silently muttered to himself. After getting the information, he withdrew his gaze, turned, and walked out.
Sayu and Haruno naturally followed him.
"Are we going to the Sea now?" Yukinoshita Haruno asked. "I've already found out where the elementary school student had the accident at the Sea."
Amamiya Natsuki shook his head and said:
"Not going to the Sea."
"Eh?" Yukinoshita Haruno froze, looking at him in confusion. "Then where are we going? The police station?"
"It's been three days. Even if there were any clues at the Sea, they would have been washed away by the waves by now." Amamiya Natsuki said, "If the police station had the ability to solve the case, they wouldn't have simply ruled it an accidental drowning. So…"
Amamiya Natsuki led the two girls around the house and quickly came to the back of the house.
"Good, no one around here." Amamiya Natsuki nodded in satisfaction. "Perfect for action."
"What action?"
Haruno was about to ask when she saw Amamiya Natsuki suddenly jump, stepping on the wall, directly to the second-floor window, then agilely flipping over, easily entering the house through the window.
Yukinoshita Haruno: "…"
What about being a Detective? What kind of Detective breaks into houses through windows!
Because of "Detective Conan," the profession of a detective has been enduringly popular in Japan, and there are even many specialized detective schools. However, it wasn't until 2007 that Japan officially enacted the "Detective Law," clarifying the identity and status of detectives—mainly professionals who accept commissions from others, conduct on-site investigations by means of face-to-face questioning, shadowing, ambushing, and other similar methods, and report the investigation results to the client.
However, the "Detective Law" did not grant detectives special powers. Search warrants, arrest warrants, and so on still belonged to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Therefore, in reality, 80% of the commissions detectives receive are for infidelity investigations, character investigations, and whereabouts investigations. Major cases never fall to detectives, unless there's an elementary school student of Death in real life.
If Amamiya Natsuki's act of illegal entry into a residence were discovered, his detective career would pretty much be over.
But then again, if a high school student suddenly appeared at a funeral and said that the elementary school student's accidental drowning was fake, and the real case was a serial murder, asking to investigate and collect evidence, no one would pay attention, and it would only tip off the culprit.
"Come up."
Amamiya Natsuki stood by the window and lowered a rope.
"Here I come."
Sayu quickly grabbed the rope and was pulled up to the second floor by Amamiya Natsuki.
Immediately after, Amamiya Natsuki repeated the process and pulled Haruno up.
Yukinoshita Haruno quietly observed and found that Amamiya Natsuki hadn't chosen randomly. From the layout and furnishings, this room was clearly an elementary school student's room, obviously belonging to the elementary school student who had accidentally drowned.
"A fake Detective will only painstakingly unravel clues, using every tiny detail to find the truth." Amamiya Natsuki pressed his fingers to his brow. "A true Detective makes the dead speak for themselves."
Sayu's eyes sparkled: "Natsuki-sama is amazing."
Yukinoshita Haruno: "…"
Making the dead speak for themselves, that's impossible, right?
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Sayu and said, "Let's begin."
Sayu clenched her small fists and nodded seriously, saying, "Leave it to me."
Amamiya Natsuki walked to the desk and casually picked up an elementary school student's summer homework, while Sayu walked to the bed and picked up a panda doll from it.
Then…
"Divination."
A faint ripple flashed, but nothing happened.
Amamiya Natsuki was not disheartened and said, "Take a break, we'll continue in a bit."
Sayu nodded and sat next to Amamiya Natsuki, starting to rest.
Yukinoshita Haruno, though puzzled, wisely remained silent, merely pursing her lips and observing with curiosity.
A moment later.
The Divination cooldown ended.
Amamiya Natsuki held Sayu's right hand, copied the skill, and both of them used Divination again.
The next second.
Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes widened in shock as she saw an elementary school student appear in the room—to be precise, it was a translucent elementary school student, with the exact same appearance and hairstyle as the elementary school student who had passed away downstairs.
"A g-ghost?"
Yukinoshita Haruno gasped in surprise.
No wonder it was called the Hundred Percent Detective Case-Solving Method; it directly summoned the ghost of the deceased. Other detectives couldn't possibly compare!
"…Who are you?"
The ghost elementary school student, just summoned, looked bewildered, staring blankly at Amamiya Natsuki and the two others. Her bewilderment quickly turned into nervousness and fear, and she was about to run out, crying, "I want my mommy and daddy!"
"Hey, wait a moment," Sayu quickly said, "We have something we want to ask you."
The elementary school student ghost was agitated and had no intention of communicating; she was about to flee.
At this moment, Amamiya Natsuki took out a box of matches, casually struck one, and a bright yellow flame instantly ignited.
The bright flame flickered gently, and the elementary school student ghost seemed to be soothed, no longer crying, and quickly calmed down—the matches, handmade by the number one employee Alice, had a special calming effect on people after being lit, and they came in handy.
Amamiya Natsuki asked, "What's your name?"
The elementary school student, tears welling up, knelt on the ground and softly replied, "…Sakurako."
Because she was a ghost, her voice sounded somewhat ethereal, but communication was entirely problem-free.
Amamiya Natsuki then asked, "Do you remember what happened to you at the sea three days ago?"
"Three days ago…"
The elementary school student ghost blinked, and tears immediately streamed down, but before they could reach the ground, they dissipated into the air, clearly indicating she remembered what had happened.
"I…when I was swimming at the sea, someone dragged me into the sea…Mommy and Daddy cried so sadly…"
Amamiya Natsuki calmly asked, "Who dragged you into the sea?"
The elementary school student's expression was blank:
"It was…it was myself…"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters|Every 100 powerstones=1 extra chapter|Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr | There's 16 novels being updated, I can't read your comments