"The painting style is super beautiful, and there are many handsome guys. When have I ever lied to you..." The female voice in my ear chattered. After Ye Miyue finished her last mouthful of ramen, her bestie finally revealed her ultimate goal -
"I must clear this level! If this plan doesn't pass, I'll be hunted to the ends of the earth!!"
So on a beautiful Friday evening after finishing work, the girl, dressed in office clothes, returned home with the horror escape game given to her by her best friend.
"I haven't had the brains to play Escape Room lately..." Although he complained like that, after returning home, he still got into the game cabin that had been through who knows how many times and was ready to try it out.
She said it was the ultimate player experience, and Miyue decided to believe her for once.
The long download made her drowsy. A piercing beeping sound successfully pulled her out of her dream. The moment she opened her eyes, large blood-red words appeared before her.
[The last ray of sunlight disappeared in the sky, and the beasts that had been hiding for a long time finally got their chance to revel.]
[Screaming, crying, flames——]
Darkness creeps across the blood-stained grass, silently enveloping the bustling Kyoto mansion.
[——Are you ready to die? ]
Miyue became a little more awake and felt inexplicably excited.
Although she was in a cramped and cheap game cabin, the scene she saw was completely different - a large cluster of flowers by the eaves were huddled together and swayed slightly in the wind, and the wind with the fragrance of flowers brushed her cheeks. If she didn't know that she was deeply in the game, she might not be able to tell whether the environment she was in was real.
"Why hasn't it been delivered yet?"
A shout from behind brought Miyue back to her senses. The weight on her hand forced her to lower her head and see the simple meal. At the same time, a new setting about this body in the game appeared in her mind.
[Initial name: User 875782768 (can be changed once)]
[Identity: A pretty maid who sold herself to a Heian-kyō noble due to her family's poverty]
[Mission: Survive to Adulthood (16)]
Although it is a trial server, it may be too simple...
I was promised the ultimate experience, but ended up having to move to another place and continue working as a wage earner!
Perhaps the roar in her heart was about to materialize. As she was filling in her character name, a cheerful female voice suddenly jumped out from her mind: "Congratulations to [user 875782768] for becoming the first player of Evil Ghost Tale! The mysterious gift package has been sent, please check it promptly!"
Her hands trembled as she pressed "OK" heavily on the option of "System generates a name randomly".
Looking at the fairly normal name, she took a deep breath, and when she recalled that the price of purchasing this gaming cabin was not even as much as an ordinary lunch box, everything became relieved.
There is no good thing at a cheap price, and it is normal for old things to be a little slow.
A new panel popped up——
[Original name: Ubuyashiki Mitsuki]
[Identity: The second daughter of a branch family of Ubuyashiki]
[Mission: Survive to adulthood (16 years old)]
The surrounding scene was frozen. Miyue fumbled in her suddenly bulging pocket and took out three rather ominous blood-red cards.
The strange pattern is printed with black and red letters——
"Heian-kyō Noblewoman Experience Card?" She read out the words on the first card.
There are actually benefits?!
Such a good thing had never happened before, so she clicked on it without thinking.
The next second, the clothing on his body changed noticeably, and with it came an unignorable weight that suddenly pressed down from his shoulders like a huge rock.
Miyue stumbled, and the voice that had just scolded her came to her ears quickly: "Yueji, be careful!"
The man quickly knelt in front of her to block Miyue's contact with the ground, but her cheek still inevitably hit the man's back. She forgot to adjust the pain value in the game, and the impact was hard enough. Miyue groaned in pain and shed the bitter tears of a working person.
"Tsukihime, are you okay?!" The man seemed to want to commit suicide in front of her to express his guilt. While kneeling on the ground, he still loyally supported Mitsuki's body to prevent her from falling.
When she raised her hand to wipe her tears, she was stunned for a moment when she touched the delicate and intricate hem of the sleeve. Then, regardless of the pain, she looked at herself.
The card is active.
She really became a noble lady in Heian-kyo.
But why...her body seems to have become shorter.
She saw her current appearance clearly from the character card. She didn't know whether it was the automatic adjustment of the system or the point bonus brought by the card, but this face was changed based on her original one. The baby fat face and the perfect facial features were obviously not outstanding when taken individually, but they were too beautiful when combined together.
She was shrunk down to the age of eight or nine.
At this moment, a short identity introduction popped up.
[You were born in a noble family in Heian-kyo. You have been outstanding in appearance since childhood. Half a month ago, you were taken in by the Ubuyashiki family.
Besides that, you have a half-brother who is four years older than you, is frail and sickly, and doesn't like you very much.
The above is the identity setting of Miyue in the game, and soon an important reminder popped up, with large blood-red characters listing several precautions -
[The following are the rules that players need to follow:]
[1. Please treat NPCs as kindly as possible, as this may bring unexpected benefits.]
Please do your best to stop medical disputes. This is a very important matter.
[3. Please exercise as much as possible to ensure you have enough energy to escape.]
[4. If you discover heresy one day, do not go out after sunset, otherwise your life may be in danger.]
[5. Please find the source of heresy as soon as possible and eliminate it.]
[6. If you can't solve the problem, please try to ensure your own safety and live alone away from people.]
These rules... sound a bit bad.
She didn't know what heresy was, so she started looking through the plot.
No.
The system disappeared after telling Miyue the above information, and even marked a sentence at the end: This game is still in the process of perfecting the details, and the time period and plot are a mess, so please do not get too caught up.
No wonder she felt a little strange when she heard the name Yue Ji, but half-baked Yugi couldn't care less!
It was obvious that my best friend hadn't refined the details yet, so she just came up with a general framework and asked her to test it.
Now the only thing she knew was this: [Touching the relevant characters will give you a chance to find useful clues.]
We can only take it one step at a time.
After sorting out my thoughts, the scene around me began to change.
After realizing her own condition, she opened her arms, steadying her heavy body that was being dropped by the Twelve Single Clothes and said, "I... am fine!"
Why does a game experience have such a strong sense of feeling! She is almost breathless!
A young maid called out anxiously from behind: "Tsukiji! Tsukiji, why did you come out alone?!"
[Name: Youhua]
[Identity: Noblewoman's Personal Servant]
[Ordinary people you meet: She is absolutely loyal to you. ]
A pair of soft hands supported Miyue's shaky body from behind. She turned her head and saw the maid's frightened and guilty look, and she felt inexplicably guilty.
She obviously didn't do anything...
Miyue opened her mouth, pointed at the flowers swaying in the wind outside the corridor, and made up an excuse: "Look at the flowers."
Youhua's eyes were melting as she looked at her. She picked her up and took her to see the flowers. She gently told her what kind they were, and then moved closer to let her smell the fragrance.
Although she did nothing, she received endless praise from the biased maid - Tsukihime is more beautiful than flowers.
For a child under nine years old, such praise was simply beyond measure. She thought that the system must have added some kind of affinity buff to her.
It gets dark quickly in spring. Miyue was carried into the bedroom. The cold wind from outside blew in, and she finally felt a hint of coolness.
Youhua has gone to prepare food and will be back soon.
A strange servant holding a lantern hurried around the corridor outside the door. When he saluted Miyue outside and raised his head, the fear on his face had not yet disappeared.
She caught a glimpse of something unusual.
In previous games, the abnormal behavior of NPCs would often reveal key plot points, and one more clue would give her a better chance of survival.
Although the rules say it's best not to go out after the sun sets, it was after the heretic appeared. Now she didn't notice anything unusual, so she had to go out and look for clues.
So when the servant lowered her head humbly and was about to leave, Miyue called her.
[Name: Achun]
[Identity: Ordinary Maid]
"Who are you?" As soon as Miyue said this, she successfully stopped Achun's steps.
"Tsuki-ji." A Chun put down the lamp and knelt down. The candlelight was warm and yellow, and the face of the gorgeously dressed child seemed to be covered with a halo, making her look even more adorable.
She narrowed her eyes and felt that things were not simple.
In order to get the clue as soon as possible, Miyue abandoned her appearance in front of the NPC, grabbed the heavy hem of her clothes with both hands, and moved forward with small steps.
Ah Chun was obviously startled by her action. She was sent to serve another young master and knew very little about the newly arrived Yue Ji.
The fear in her eyes did not seem fake, but she did not dare to leave. She could only watch Miyue rush over and reach out her hand to her.
Miyue stepped forward and grabbed her sleeve. The rough cloth was a little prickly for her delicate skin, but she did not give up. Instead, she smiled at her, revealing a row of small white teeth.
[Ordinary people you meet: She is afraid of you.]
Ah Chun was stunned for a long time before she heard her voice come back to her senses: "...Tsukihime?"
Miyue nodded and asked coquettishly, "Where are you going?"
The obedience etched into her bones made her remain humble even when facing a child. A Chun's eyes quickly swept across Miyue's little hand, and she replied softly, "I am going to take medicine to Yue Yanjun."
Yue Yanjun? Miyue found the name mentioned in the plot just mentioned. It turned out to be her frail and sickly brother.
Mitsuki, who was sent to the Ubuyashiki family half a month ago, did not meet him.
Remembering the system's tip about being kind to NPCs, she suddenly realized and decided to try to contact them, hoping she could find some clues.
"I want to go." Miyue had no idea of his unfamiliar character and reached out to Achun to hug him, "To see my brother."
A servant's job is to serve and obey. After hearing Miyue's words, a trace of panic flashed in her eyes. First, she was not Yueji's maid, and it was not a good idea to take her away casually; second, the young master had a strange temper. If she really took Yueji away and she got hurt, she would not be able to survive.
But she couldn't disobey Yue Ji's orders.
At this difficult moment, Youhua appeared and successfully saved the troubled Achun.
"Tsukiji, why are you out again?" Youhua freed Achun's sleeve, holding the lunch box in one hand and Miyue in the other. When she looked at Achun, her tone was more like questioning, "What happened?"
"Yue Ji wants to go to Yue Yanjun's place..." Ah Chun hesitated. She and Youhua exchanged glances for a moment. Although she didn't say anything else, Youhua took Miyue and prepared to go to the bedroom. "Yue Yanjun is not feeling well. Can Yue Ji go in two days?"
It was obvious that these words were meant to coax a child, but Miyue was unwilling to miss the opportunity to interact with the character. She scratched the air with her tender little hands and shouted stubbornly, "I want to go!"
Youhua paused as she entered. The servants here were so loyal to their masters that she couldn't even imagine. Without much persuasion, they obediently walked out with their food boxes in hand. "Then take Yue Ji to see Yue Yanjun."
The temperature dropped sharply on the spring night, but fortunately the clothes she was wearing were enough to keep out the cold. When she arrived in front of a side hall, there was still light inside.
It seems he hasn't slept yet.
Ah Chun almost lowered her head to the ground, as if she was afraid that the people inside would hear her, so she lowered her voice very low: "Tsukihime, we have arrived at Tsukihiko-kun's bedroom."
Although there was still some distance between them, Miyue became more and more curious about the suppressed fear in Achun's words.
This brother must have a bad temper.
The person inside seemed to have heard her thoughts, and a cup was thrown out from the door that was not closed tightly and smashed in front of Miyue.