Miss Sadako was ultimately too thin-skinned. Unwilling to entertain guests, she fled back into the television without saying a word.
"Fujiwara, you can get up now."
Kaguya suddenly spoke.
"Huh?"
Chika was startled. Only then did she realize she was still sitting in Natsuki's lap. Hearing this, she hurriedly stood up. "Could Kaguya-chan be jeal—"
"Jealous of what?"
Kaguya tilted her head and looked over. The tone of night echoed in her voice.
"Nothing at all."
Chika covered her chest with both hands and quickly shook her head.
Kaguya's gaze shifted toward Natsuki, her expression cool and composed. "Amamiya-kun, what was the deal with Miss Sadako just now?"
"She's the roommate sharing my hospital room." Natsuki briefly explained what had happened, then summarized. "The roommate relationship is pretty good now."
"How is it good?!" Chika couldn't help crying out. "Miss Sadako was so scared by you that she fled back into the TV!"
"Then should I call Miss Sadako out so you two can bond?"
"Thank you, but I refuse."
"..."
"Let's talk business." Kaguya extended a finger and gently pressed her brow. "Amamiya-kun, what do you plan to do next?"
Natsuki quickly replied:
"Naturally, complete as many tasks as possible and earn more rewards."
The main quest was to survive for twenty-four hours. As long as he had the center-parting comb, the severely socially anxious Miss Sadako wouldn't dare come out to scare people.
In other words, they could spend the remaining time hiding in the hospital room, waiting for the main quest to complete, then leave the game.
The problem was that this approach would only yield the most basic rewards—ten Game Coins. At most, they could buy one daily mystery box.
Passive avoidance was never Natsuki's choice.
Especially when his eyes could still see various hints. Of course he should complete as many tasks as possible and obtain more rewards.
Kaguya nodded slightly. Her thinking aligned with Natsuki's:
"Either don't do it, or do it perfectly. We'll all move together later."
"..."
The darkness quietly ended.
The lights in the corridor came back on.
Natsuki opened the door a crack and carefully checked. He said quietly: "We can go out now."
"I'm going out too." Chika cautiously peered outside. She clenched her right fist. "The three of us entered the game together, so of course we'll leave together."
Hey hey, don't go raising flags like that. It's dangerous, you know!
Rikka naturally followed along. She absolutely didn't dare stay in the room alone. Who knew if Miss Sadako might suddenly become hospitable?
The four of them came to the corridor.
Though the lights had come on, the corridor was still somewhat eerie.
Around them, unlucky players emerged one after another from the surrounding rooms. Several had injuries, and everyone looked miserable. Some were even crying as they came out.
"It looks like everyone's having a hard time." Chika clasped her hands before her chest. "If only we could help them."
"We can't." Kaguya's voice was cold and merciless. "Offering help to strangers for no reason will only make them think we have ulterior motives."
Chika said quietly:
"Natsuki and I can use our combo skill to capture Outlaw Zhang San."
"The problem is we can only deal with one vengeful spirit," Natsuki said. "If we help one person, and then another person asks for our help, what do we do?"
"..."
Chika fell silent.
Lending a hand when it's within your means was called helping. Trying to save everyone when it exceeded your abilities was called being an idiot.
The group headed straight for the nurse's station. If they wanted to learn the hospital's secrets, the best approach was still to start with the nurse.
After walking a few steps, two players suddenly got into a conflict in the corridor.
A male player shoved a girl to the ground, snatched something unknown from her, and then swaggered away.
"Are you okay?"
Chika hurried forward and helped the fallen girl up, looking quite indignant. "How could he just steal someone's things!"
Stealing was nothing. There were no laws in the game. He could have just picked her up and carried her off without any consequences!
"I'm fine..."
The girl bit her lower lip. Her gaze fell on Natsuki, and her eyes suddenly lit up. She called out excitedly:
"B-Big shot?!"
"Hm?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow. She looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place her.
"We met before in Vengeful Spirit School, in the exam room. I was sitting in the corner by the window." The girl's face was full of excitement. "I never expected to run into you all again. I'm saved!"
You're overthinking it. We're just newbie players who joined not long ago. We're definitely not big shots.
"Sorry..."
Natsuki tried to refuse. There was no proctor to bribe here.
"I understand the rules." The girl quickly pulled out two items and displayed their attributes. "This is everything I have!"
[Item: A Bunch of Green Chives]
[This item was hybridized and cultivated by Void Technology Company. The chives are natural and pollution-free, requiring no sunlight, soil, air, or water. They can absorb free-floating energy from the void to grow. Cut one crop, and a new one quickly grows back. Over and over, without end.]
[Note: You can use these to practice the hundred ways to harvest chives.]
Natsuki's mouth twitched slightly.
Very good.
As expected of mystery boxes. They really could produce all kinds of random garbage.
But what use was a bunch of chives?
Was he supposed to harvest them every day to make chive dumplings?!
Natsuki looked at the second item.
[Item: Speech Bow Tie]
[Usage: Wear the bow tie on your chest, and your public speaking ability will be enhanced. You'll become charismatic and inspiring.]
[Note: Do I really need to explain the uses?]
"I've only participated in three games, so I don't have many Game Coins. These are the only things I've gotten from mystery boxes." The girl player, whom they'd met once before, bowed at ninety degrees. "Please accept them."
Game Coins were most important, but Natsuki and Kaguya had already verified that Game Coins couldn't be traded or gifted. Items obtained from mystery boxes were different—they could even be stolen outright.
Since Natsuki's group were newcomers who had just joined the game, the chances of encountering true high-ranking experts were slim. Most newbies had meager possessions. What you could get from mystery boxes came down to luck.
"Natsuki."
Chika looked over hopefully.
Kaguya said quietly: "Rather than helping others for free, an equivalent exchange involving payment is acceptable."
Natsuki considered briefly, then agreed. "I'll take these. Come directly to my room later. The hospital room is already safe."
The items looked useless, but at a critical moment, they might produce unexpected results—like the cat-ear headband in Vengeful Spirit School.
"Sorry for the trouble."
The girl's face lit up with joy, and she quickly bowed again.
"What did that guy steal from you just now?" Natsuki asked.
Upon asking, he learned it was food.
Although they entered the game as souls or consciousness, they still felt hunger.
"Huh?!" Chika clutched her stomach in surprise. "I really am a bit hungry. Even though I just had breakfast before leaving this morning... Can't we go to the cafeteria to eat?"
"There's no cafeteria." The leg-hugging girl shook her head. "The entire hospital only has the fourth floor. We can't go anywhere else."
Natsuki and Kaguya naturally wanted to verify this. When they reached the end of the corridor, they indeed found the stairwell blocked by black fog, making it impossible to enter or exit.
Darkness descended again. The group obediently returned to the hospital room. After all the commotion, everyone actually felt hungry—and for some reason, the hunger was surprisingly intense.
"Looks like there's another problem we need to solve..." Natsuki pressed his brow. "A food crisis."
The problem was that without a cafeteria, they had no idea where to find food.
At that moment, Rikka, who hadn't said much, raised her hand. "Um, the vengeful spirit that was in my room before might be able to produce food."
Natsuki asked curiously:
"What kind of vengeful spirit is your roommate?"
Rikka raised her hands and made the shape of horns on top of her head. "A dairy cow."