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Besides these two sentences, there was nothing else on the paper.
"Why would I write these words…" Hayasaka Ai covered her forehead, her voice bewildered, "I can't remember at all."
Fujiwara Chika reminded:
"We can ask the Magic Mirror."
As it turned out, the answer to the question required several years of memory, and even dwarves was unwilling to make the trade.
Shinomiya Kaguya pondered:
"Let someone else try again."
"I'll go."
Fujiwara Chika raised her right hand without hesitation.
Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said:
"Let me transfer the skill to you first."
During the previous exploration, the Dark Shadow on the Spy Maid had not been used up, but it was better to be safe than sorry, so caution was necessary.
Ready.
"I'm going in first."
Shinomiya Kaguya took the notebook, waved her hand, and confidently walked into the alley.
A few minutes later.
Secretary-san returned safely.
"Chika-chan."
"She's out, she's out."
Everyone rushed to greet her, explaining the situation in a flurry of words.
Fujiwara Chika's expression was bewildered, clearly, like everyone else, she couldn't remember what happened in the alley.
"The notebook is here…"
Amamiya Natsuki lowered his head, looking at the notebook Chika took from her backpack, and found that it also had words on it.
"Christmas carols… so fragrant… so many dishes…"
Amamiya Natsuki asked:
"What dishes?"
"I don't know." Fujiwara Chika shook her head, "My memory is hazy, I can't remember anything at all."
A passerby player stepped forward and said:
"Let me go in and scout the way."
After discovering that there was no immediate danger, these passerby players became active.
To cling to a powerful group, one needed to have some value, and now was the time to prove that value.
Amamiya Natsuki nodded, naturally not stopping him, and said:
"I'll leave it to you."
Once the alley was entered, it could not be entered a second time in a short period, so more information needed to be collected.
Shinomiya Kaguya said from beside him:
"It's best to write down everything that happens after entering the alley."
The passerby player nodded solemnly and agreed.
Next, everyone entered the alley one after another. Each person could write some short things, but the content was varied.
"Let's comprehensively analyze the information we've collected." Shinomiya Kaguya pursed her pink lips and said, "Many people said that after entering the alley, they would hear Christmas carols."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"I asked Elsa, it's not Christmas today, so the singing might have a special meaning."
Tsubame-senpai raised her hand and said:
"Could it be like the mermaid princess's hypnotic singing?"
"That possibility cannot be ruled out." Hayasaka Ai crossed her arms over her chest, "The next person to enter the alley can try plugging their ears with something."
"…"
A few minutes later.
The passerby player who had plugged his ears walked out with a bewildered expression.
"The verification failed, so it seems it's not the singing." Hayasaka Ai analyzed, "The record from just entering the alley is very clear, but the handwriting becomes messier further in… It seems to slowly affect our memory. After that, everyone seemed to see many things they desired in their hearts."
Fujiwara Chika tilted her head and thought for a moment: "That sounds similar to the mermaid princess's curse. If we can ensure our memories don't blur, there shouldn't be any problem."
Koyasu Tsubame frowned and said:
"It's not a mushroom; how can you endure it if you want to?"
Amamiya Natsuki spoke, "I probably have a way to guarantee memory."
As soon as he spoke, everyone looked over.
Fujiwara Chika blinked and quickly guessed the answer: "Could it be…"
"Be careful of eavesdroppers; saying it out loud might make it ineffective."
Amamiya Natsuki ruffled secretary's little head, took the notebook, and walked towards the alley, "It's my turn now."
"…"
Because no lighting tools could be used, the light quickly dimmed after entering the alley.
Amamiya Natsuki's expression was calm, his face composed, and he continued to walk deeper into the alley, stepping on the ice and snow that had already been solidified by everyone.
After a few steps, he suddenly heard the cheerful melody of a Christmas song.
Amamiya Natsuki turned his head to look behind him, only to see the street brightly lit, Christmas trees twinkling in the snowy night, pedestrians bustling on the street, and tall reindeer pulling carriages slowly passing by the alley entrance.
Amidst the Christmas carols, there was also cheerful laughter and the aroma of roasted chicken.
Undoubtedly, this was a very lively Christmas holiday.
"Who am I, where am I… I remember."
Amamiya Natsuki pressed his brow, only feeling the memories in his mind gradually blurring.
"Has the influence already begun?"
Amamiya Natsuki silently recited a sentence in his heart, and after receiving a response, he continued to walk deeper into the alley.
The snow crunched under his feet.
After walking a few more steps inside, the Christmas carols quickly became ethereal.
A flickering flame pierced the darkness, dimly illuminating the alley.
Amamiya Natsuki stepped forward and saw a loli sitting in a sheltered corner of the alley, she was only about five or six years old, with golden hair, wearing a linen robe, her body was exceptionally thin, and she was barefoot, her small feet already frozen blue and purple.
In the little girl's hand, a match was burning quietly.
"…Sir, would you like to buy matches?"
A soft, timid voice sounded.
The little girl raised her head, her face still hidden in the darkness, and whispered:
"Just light a match, and any wish of yours will be granted."
"I…"
Just as Amamiya Natsuki spoke, ripples suddenly appeared in the shadow beneath his feet, followed by a Mrs. Shimizu quietly appearing and wrapping her arms around Amamiya Natsuki's neck from behind.
Amamiya Natsuki suddenly tensed his body and looked around vigilantly.
"As expected, you forgot?"
Mrs. Shimizu chuckled and held the notebook in front of Amamiya Natsuki: "Here, Natsuki-kun, see for yourself."
Under the influence of unknown rules, people entering the alley, whether players or Ice Queen, seemed to have their memories blurred.
But Mrs. Shimizu was not affected.
To be precise, as a Guardian Spirit, she had no such thing as a brain; her identity belonged to Amamiya Natsuki's possessions, not an independently existing creature, so her memory would naturally not be modified.
Amamiya Natsuki's gaze fell on the notebook, and he quickly frowned.
"By the time you read this, your memory may have already been affected."
"It's okay, I'll prove my identity with one sentence—"
Amamiya Natsuki continued to read.
"Junior high second year, third day of summer vacation, afternoon, Miko."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki raised an eyebrow slightly and continued to read.
The rest of the notebook was a simple description of events.
"Player, main quest, blurred memory… tsk."
Amamiya Natsuki clicked his tongue lightly. After seeing that little summer vacation story, he believed the authenticity of the notebook.
Because only he knew it, not even Miko knew.
In this situation, no matter how incredible the content of the notebook was, it had a certain degree of credibility.
Of course, the transparent Mrs. Shimizu beside him was also proof.
So…
"The Little Match Girl?"
Amamiya Natsuki put away the notebook, shifted his gaze, and looked at the little girl sitting in the shadows.
His memories after becoming a player were sealed, but his previous memories were still there.
The Little Match Girl, a well-known fairy tale.
Of course, matches had long been phased out; today, it should be a little flower girl.
"Sir, would you like to buy a match?"
The little girl asked again.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the match, and an inexplicable sense of trust arose in his heart; as long as he bought the match, any wish could be fulfilled.
However, it was clearly just a false fulfillment.
Once the match burned out, the false things would shatter.
"The notebook says that many people have come in before, but none of them completed the quest…" Amamiya Natsuki pressed his fingers to his brow, thinking seriously, "And that weakness hint: what is most desired is what is most feared."
"What does the Little Match Girl most desire?"
Amamiya Natsuki frowned slightly: "Does she hope someone will buy her matches? Give her food? Or give her a pair of shoes?"
Looking at the gradually dimming, about-to-extinguish match, a flash of inspiration went through Amamiya Natsuki's mind. He squatted down and said:
"Have you ever heard the story of Aladdin's lamp?"
The little girl shook her head.
"The story is very simple." Amamiya Natsuki looked at the match with its ghostly blue flame and said softly, "Aladdin's lamp is a lamp, I don't know why it looks like a teapot… that's not important."
"As long as you rub the lamp, a Genie will appear inside and can grant the lamp holder three wishes."
"After the three wishes are granted, the lamp will disappear."
Amamiya Natsuki paused, then said:
"I later thought carefully and finally came up with a way to get the lamp for free."
"The first wish." Amamiya Natsuki held out a finger, "I want to have the ability to make my own magic lamps."
"The second wish, I want all the materials to make magic lamps."
"The third wish, I wish to definitely make a magic lamp with my own hands."
Amamiya Natsuki suddenly said:
"Can you make matches?"
"Yes."
Amamiya Natsuki asked again:
"How many matches do you have now?"
The little girl subconsciously said: "…Three."
"Too few." Amamiya Natsuki raised his voice, "How can three matches be enough for a magical match that can grant all wishes?"
"I want a hundred!"
The little girl: "…"
"It's a pity you only have three matches." Amamiya Natsuki sighed, "No choice, I can only buy other things."
After Amamiya Natsuki finished speaking, he extended his hand in front of the little girl and said softly:
"I want to buy you, and you'll make matches for me every day from now on… Come home with me, and you'll be mine from now on."
"…"
The match in the little girl's hand, which was about to extinguish, suddenly reignited, its flame exceptionally bright.
The next second.
The snowy night, surrounded by Christmas carols, suddenly fell silent, returning to a cold and desolate snowy night. The figure of the Little Match Girl was no longer in the alley, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.
"My memory has recovered…"
Amamiya Natsuki pressed his brow and exhaled, looking at the corner where the little girl had been sitting. Everything was already buried under the snow.
Walking over and squatting down, Amamiya Natsuki began to dig through the snow with his hands.
A moment later.
A tiny, already stiff figure emerged from the snowdrift, its bare feet tightly curled together.
Amamiya Natsuki remained silent, continuing to dig, and soon unearthed the little girl.
On top of the Little Match Girl's head was a strange mushroom he had never seen before.
Amamiya Natsuki reached out to touch the mushroom, and a game identification quickly appeared before his eyes:
[Item: Seed of Sin]
[Pride, envy, wrath, sloth, lust, gluttony, greed… Beneath the pure white snow, lies a flower of sin]
Amamiya Natsuki sighed softly and plucked the sin mushroom.
The next second.
A game notification simultaneously sounded in the ears of all players:
"Seed of Sin has been plucked, the dungeon is about to end, all players please prepare."
Alley entrance.
"Eh, eh, eh, the dungeon is about to end?"
"Natsuki-kun succeeded!"
"He can actually make the dungeon end early, how amazing."
"F-finally, we can go back."
"…"
Whether it was the passing players or Fujiwara Chika and the others, hearing the game notification at this moment, they all became excited.
They absolutely did not want to stay longer in this world of ice and snow, full of dangers and dark fairy tales.
At the same time.
After Amamiya Natsuki plucked the sin mushroom, the game actually gave another notification.
"Detected that the player possesses a rule item, would you like to complete it with the sin mushroom?"
Amamiya Natsuki was startled: "Where did this rule item come from… I remember."
"It's that thing from Midnight Mall Monster Party."
Amamiya Natsuki clenched his right hand, and a Halloween pumpkin lantern card appeared out of thin air in his hand.
[Rule Card: Midnight Nightmare]
[Quality: Gorgeous Purple / Epic]
[Attribute: Unique, this item is unique, cannot be strengthened, cannot be damaged, cannot be transferred. When you hold this rule card, no other "Midnight Theater" rule card will appear through any other channel until the holder dies]
[Ability One: Midnight Theater. Every midnight, you can open a private Theater for performances.]
[Ability Two: Rule Rejection. When you use Midnight Theater, other rules will be rejected.]
[Warning: You obtained this Rule Card by theft. Some permissions are sealed. You currently cannot use the Theater performance ability. Please explore how to unlock it yourself.]
[Note: Only rules can contend with rules.]
Because its permissions were sealed, this thing was useless, and Amamiya Natsuki almost forgot about it.
Now that he received the completion reminder, he naturally made his choice without hesitation.
"Proceed with completion."
Amamiya Natsuki made a decisive decision.
Just by looking at the description, he knew it was a very powerful item. Now that there was an opportunity to complete it, of course, he had to. Otherwise, it would be a useless card.
He placed the lust mushroom onto the card. The next second, the lust mushroom silently melted and seeped into the card. A magnificent purple flowing light quickly appeared on the card's surface.
This change did not last long. Soon, Amamiya Natsuki only felt a slight weight in his hand, and a Halloween pumpkin lantern appeared in his grip.
Amamiya Natsuki looked curiously. After the rule part was completed, the previous content did not change much, but the Theater function was successfully unlocked.
Before he could figure out what was happening, Amamiya Natsuki suddenly glimpsed a dim figure appearing beside him—it was the Little Match Girl.
The next second.
The Little Match Girl directly entered the pumpkin lantern.
At the same time.
The dungeon completion countdown began.
Amamiya Natsuki took two steps out of the alley, looking at the Ice Queen, who had slightly furrowed brows and a look of shame and annoyance on her face, seemingly back to normal. He couldn't help but sigh:
"It's a shame I can't mooch off the queen anymore…"
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