"Huh? What do you need those small flyers for, Junior?"
Tsubame asked curiously.
Natsuki replied:
"To buy a house, of course."
"Ehh?!" Tsubame's beautiful eyes widened in shock as she looked at him. "What did you just say, Junior? You actually want to buy a house inside the instance?"
"That's right—we're buying a house," Natsuki said seriously. "We have to stay in this instance for seven days; we can't just keep cramming ourselves into the security booth, can we?"
"That's true..." Tsubame nodded instinctively, but quickly realized something. "Even if what you say makes sense, buying a house costs money. Where would we get the money?"
"Don't worry, Tsubame-senpai," Haruno smiled. "Natsuki-kun is a wealthy man with deep pockets these days."
Hearing this, Tsubame glanced over. She felt like something was off about 'Yukino' today... While her smile was stunning, she was usually a very serious person who rarely smiled. Why had she suddenly become so cheerful?
"Alright then." Tsubame tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and said softly, "Let's look around nearby for any flyers first."
"..."
With the plan settled, the girls quickly sprang into action.
There was never a shortage of such flyers on the streets and alleys; before long, Tsubame called out softly:
"Junior, I think I found one."
Natsuki walked over and took a look; it was indeed a flyer advertising a house for sale, complete with an address and a contact number.
"Utilities included, move-in ready... This is the one. Let's call and ask about it."
Natsuki reached out, tore the flyer off the wall, stepped into the security booth, picked up the old-fashioned landline, and began to dial. The Shoko stammered a quiet reminder:
"Um... the phone line has been cut."
"I know," Natsuki said while dialing. "Even though the line is cut, someone was able to call in earlier; if they could get through to us, it stands to reason that we should be able to call out, right?"
"If the call doesn't go through, we'll just have to look for a free information center."
"Huh?" Tsubame asked curiously. "There's actually a free information center inside this instance?"
Haruno crossed her arms over her chest and smiled:
"We just came back from a pachinko parlor, and we did indeed see a free information center on the way."
Tsubame: "..."
Beep... beep... beep...
After ringing a few times, the call actually connected—much to the girls' curious amazement—making one feel as though Newton might just burst right out of his coffin.
"Hello? Who's calling this late?"
An old, raspy voice came through the receiver, sounding rather eerie and unsettling.
Natsuki spoke nonchalantly:
"Hello, we saw the flyer and want to buy a place in Happiness Residential Complex."
"Buy a house?" The quavering voice on the other end suddenly sharpened with alertness. "Young man, don't go trying to trick an old person like me."
Natsuki urged:
"We're right at the entrance of the complex. We'll wait ten minutes; if you don't get here soon, we're leaving."
"Don't go! I'm coming right now."
The call ended abruptly.
Barely five or six minutes later, the Shoko suddenly tugged nervously at Natsuki's sleeve, her eyes wide as she stared into the dark street outside the complex.
Natsuki turned to look, narrowing his eyes slightly. He soon spotted an elderly woman in plain clothing appearing on the deserted, gloomy street; she was hopping along—a movement that looked comical, yet her speed was shockingly, unnaturally fast.
"What is that?"
"You don't think she's coming for us, do you?"
Noticing the anomaly, the other girls immediately became alert. Fortunately, the old woman didn't launch an attack; instead, she stopped about seven or eight meters away from the group and spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Young man, are you the ones looking to buy a house?"
The familiar, aged voice was identical to the one heard on the phone. Having confirmed her identity, Natsuki took a half-step forward and said:
"That's right, we're the ones buying."
The old woman stepped closer, her gaze sweeping over Natsuki and the others. Her eyes were a striking, oily green—an unsettling sight—and her voice turned shrill:
"I listed the price in the ad; it's not cheap. Are you sure you have the money?"
Natsuki turned his head and said:
"Yukino."
"Mm-hmm, coming~"
Haruno stepped forward and opened a black cloth bag; a thick, eerie aura surged out. The old woman took a deep breath, her oily green eyes suddenly brightening, and she forced a kindly, amiable smile onto her face:
"You really are a promising young man—excellent, excellent... Come, let me show you the house."
The group followed the old woman toward Building No. 3, feeling a mix of nervousness and curiosity.
In previous horror instances, ordinary players were like wound-up toys with their nerves stretched to the breaking point, ready to jump at the slightest disturbance; the idea of buying a house was the last thing on their minds. The prospect of actually "purchasing property" within the instance felt incredibly novel.
They walked the rest of the way in silence.
Led by the old woman, the group arrived at the entrance of a unit in Building No. 3.
"This is the place..."
The old woman took out a key and unlocked the door.
Click.
After a moment of fumbling, the lights flickered on.
Although they were old-fashioned incandescent bulbs casting a dim, yellowish glow—with a brightness of perhaps less than five watts—the girls felt a sense of security welling up as they stood in the light.
The apartment wasn't large; the tables, chairs, and sofas were all worn, vintage furniture, and the most high-tech item in the room was likely the electric light overhead. Even so, the girls were quite satisfied after touring every room; compared to the cramped, stifling security booth, a house with electricity and running water offered at least ten times the comfort.
"Not bad—this is the one," Natsuki decided.
The old lady beamed, naturally agreeing without hesitation.
Tsubame, however, raised an objection; standing on tiptoe, she leaned close to Natsuki's ear and whispered:
"Natsuki-kun, this is too wasteful. We're only staying for a few days—surely we could just rent a place?"
Natsuki looked at his upperclassman and remarked with a touch of wonder:
"You used to be so free-spending when we went shopping; I never expected you to have a thrifty, home-managing side."
Poke.
Tsubame poked him lightly in the waist with a slender finger, saying with a hint of dissatisfaction:
"I'm talking about something serious here. This isn't the real world, after all—of course we need to be frugal."
Natsuki calmly took her soft hand in his and replied in a low voice:
"The reason I want to buy the house is actually to test a theory."
"Huh?" Tsubame blinked in surprise, asking curiously, "What theory?"
Natsuki spoke softly:
"My main quest is to get positive ratings from half the residents in the complex. If I buy the house and then have you and the others give me a positive rating, I wonder if that would count?"
"Hmm..." Tsubame pursed her lips, hesitating. "That sounds... like it might actually work?"
"We won't know for sure until we test it." "I only just found out," Natsuki said softly. "That's why I needed to buy this place; later, I'll rent another unit to compare and verify the results—then everything will be crystal clear."
After saying this, Amamiya led his senior to the table, gently pressed Tsubame down into the chair, and said:
"Senpai, please sign here."
Tsubame quickly snapped out of her daze, looking puzzled:
"Sign what?"
Amamiya said with a serious expression:
"This house is for you, Senior, so naturally, it should be in your name."
"Huh? Wait, what?"
Tsubame let out a soft cry of surprise and hurriedly tried to stand up. "I can't accept this. You're the one paying for it, so it should be in your name..."
Amamiya applied a little pressure to keep her seated, then leaned close to her ear and whispered:
"I'm a security guard here; I can't exactly give myself a positive review, can I? I need you to sign it."
"Even if you say that..." The young woman's ears were quite sensitive; Tsubame's face flushed slightly as she instinctively tried to pull away. "You could just have Yukino-chan sign it, couldn't you?"
You say that, but if I actually let you get up right now and had Yukino sign instead, you'd definitely bite your lip in disappointment, wouldn't you?
Amamiya whispered:
"Yukino has a unique main mission; she might not always have time to stay at Happiness Residential Complex. You're the perfect person for this... Come on, sign it. Let's not waste time."
"W-well, alright then..."
Seeing how determined Amamiya was, Tsubame finally agreed, albeit hesitantly.
Since this was a horror-themed instance, the paperwork for the sale wasn't overly complicated; they simply signed and pressed their fingerprints onto the duplicate contracts, and the transaction was officially complete.
"You're a good lad. I've got a few more units here at Happiness Residential Complex that I'm looking to sell—give me a call anytime if you're interested."
After counting the money, the little old lady took her leave, looking thoroughly satisfied.
Click.
The door closed softly. Natsuki turned his head and said:
"Next, let's hear from Tsubame-senpai."
A faint blush appeared on Tsubame's lovely face as she spoke softly:
"What would you like me to say?"
Natsuki replied:
"As the head of the household, naturally, we look to you for direction."
Tsubame couldn't help but give him a playful, reproachful look; she tucked a lock of dark hair behind her ear and mused:
"Ahem... well, since no one is busy right now, shall we give the place a thorough check and clean?"
Natsuki raised his hand in a salute:
"Roger that."
Haruno smiled and followed suit, raising her hand in a salute:
"Roger that."
Seeing this, the two "extra" players naturally followed along:
"Roger that."
Tsubame: "..."
The house covered an area of about ninety square meters—not particularly large—so with the girls dividing up the tasks and working together, the cleaning went very quickly.
As the primary contributor to their success, Natsuki wasn't assigned cleaning duties; instead, he took on the task his senior had given him: checking the house for potential hazards. These hazards could range from issues with utilities like water and electricity to lurking monsters or malevolent spirits hiding under beds or inside closets.
Fortunately, after a thorough inspection, the only thing they found was a lot of dust; there were no hidden monsters or evil spirits to be seen.
"Mr. Amamiya..."
A voice, deliberately lowered, called out from behind him.
"Hmm?"
Natsuki turned around to see Yasui quietly approaching him. He raised an eyebrow and asked:
"Ms. Yasui, is something the matter?"
"Natsuki-kun, please accept this."
She held out a black collar with both hands.
Natsuki raised an eyebrow slightly; realizing her intent, he said softly:
"There's really no need for this..."
"I know," she said hurriedly. "It's a Blue-tier item that I have no use for, but I think it could be really helpful in your hands. Please, I'm asking you to take it."
There is no such thing as affection without a reason; unless it involves parents helping their children, even biological brothers can end up as strangers. Based on Yasui's experience with dungeon runs, other players might help out on a whim, but they would never assist someone all the way to the finish line for free—in fact, if someone actually offered help without asking for anything in return, it would only make one feel uneasy.
In her view, offering some tangible form of payment was essential for peace of mind; otherwise, she would constantly worry that Natsuki might use her as bait at a critical moment.
Given the extraordinarily high difficulty of the current dungeon's main quest, tackling it alone offered no chance of success. To "ride the coattails" of a strong player, one had to pay the price—or simply put, pay a "protection fee."
Seeing the expectant look in her eyes, Natsuki pondered for a moment before agreeing:
"Alright, I'll accept it."
Yasui girl breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly bowed in thanks, and said cheerfully:
"I'll go back to cleaning now."
Once she had left, Natsuki looked down, curious to check the attributes of the black collar.
[Item: Spirit Pet Collar]
[Quality: Blue]
[Usage: Can capture and tame sentient beings as pets; the player can issue commands to the pet as its master.]
[Passive: Master-Pet Unity. Once the collar is equipped on a pet, both parties gain bonuses based on their intimacy level and the difference in their attributes; the higher the intimacy, the greater the percentage of the attribute bonus.]
[Note: Please maintain your intimacy with the pet; if it drops to a state of hostility, you may suffer a backlash.]
"Not bad at all..."
After reviewing the collar's stats, Natsuki instinctively began considering how to put it to use.
"Natsuki-kun~"
A sweet, pleasant voice rang out from behind him. Haruno walked over with a light, airy step, her hands clasped behind her back, and smiled casually:
"It seemed like Ms. Yasui disappeared for a moment there."
Natsuki looked over, speechless:
"You saw everything clearly while hiding in the corner, didn't you?"
"I wasn't hiding; I was standing in the corner quite openly." Haruno lifted her chin slightly. "So, what exactly did Ms. Yasui say in secret?"
"Let me guess... was it a case of 'having no other way to repay the favor, so I offer my body'?"
Don't go around talking about offering one's body so casually; aside from you, hardly anyone would make a move on a high school student!
"As a veteran player, Ms. Yasui knows the unspoken rules between players well; she came over just now to pay 'protection money'..." Natsuki said as he handed over the pet collar. "This is it."
"Oh? Let me take a look."
Haruno took the pet collar and curiously examined its stats. Suddenly, she blinked and tilted her lovely face upward.
"Natsuki-kun, can I try wearing this collar?"
"Huh?" Natsuki looked over in surprise. "You want to wear it?"
"Just let me try it out." Haruno extended a slender finger, her voice sweet. "The stat description only specifies 'sentient beings'; it doesn't limit it to just kittens or puppies... so humans should work too, right?"
Natsuki silently corrected her:
"Your race is already a succubus now."
"A succubus is a sentient being, too." Haruno tilted her face up slightly. "I have a feeling it'll be perfectly fine... Natsuki-kun, hurry and try it. If it works, my biggest weakness will be covered."
Natsuki was curious as well, so he nodded.
"Alright, let's give it a try."
The pet collar was simple to use; the owner simply had to fasten it onto the 'pet' by hand, and the pet could not struggle or resist during the process.
Click.
The collar seemed to adjust its size automatically; as Natsuki wrapped it around Haruno's neck, it fastened snugly with a perfect fit.
The collar was jet-black with a transparent glazed finish, and the material appeared to be a blend of leather and metal—it looked quite beautiful.
"How does it feel?"
Natsuki asked. "Great—absolutely amazing." Haruno clenched her small fists, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Every base stat has gone up by about ten points... I could take on ten people at once now!"
"Ten points, huh?" Natsuki rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That's a boost of about one-third; it feels a bit low."
"It's actually incredibly high; plenty of players haven't even managed to push their base stats past ten yet," Haruno said happily. "If this were available to anyone else, people would be clamoring for it—even if the boost were only half as much."
"Not necessarily." Natsuki shook his head. "The conditions for using the collar are pretty strict; it requires both a certain level of intimacy and a specific gap in stats. If two players have similar stats, the boost they get is actually quite negligible."
"That's not all, though." Haruno blinked, lightly tapping a finger against her lips. "The Master can also issue forced commands to the pet. It's a good thing my Master is Natsuki-kun; if it were anyone else, things could get dangerous."
"Commands?" Natsuki shifted his gaze to Haruno, looking eager. "Want to give it a try?"
"Huh?" A faint blush rose on Haruno's lovely face, but she didn't refuse. Instead, she extended a finger to trace circles on Natsuki's chest, her breath sweet and warm as she whispered, "If it's Natsuki-kun, I wouldn't mind if you did... certain things to me."
Yeah, right—everyone else is busy cleaning up; there's no way I'm letting you do anything weird! Natsuki paused briefly in thought before quickly saying:
"Call me 'Big Brother'."
"I won't—I absolutely won't! You're clearly younger than me, Natsuki-kun..." Haruno's beautiful eyes widened, and she quickly raised her hands to cover her lips; yet, her mouth betrayed her, involuntarily blurting out, "Onii-chan!"
Natsuki nodded with satisfaction:
"Not bad. Say it again."
It must be said that this Haruno was a natural-born politician; realizing she couldn't resist, she immediately chose to embrace the situation, her voice turning melodious and honey-sweet:
"Onii-chan, Onii-chan, Onii-chan~ The last two were a bonus."
To think you'd say it so many times in one breath—don't you ever blush?!
The corners of Haruno's lips curled up into a delightful arc as she whispered close to his ear:
"If Natsuki-kun likes hearing it that much, how about I call you 'Onii-chan' every day from now on?"
Natsuki: "..."
Using Yukino's body and voice to unleash max-level charm—who could possibly withstand that?!