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First, choose the Planting Mushroom skill. There's no rush for the remaining four-choice-one; he can slowly think and weigh his options.
Everyone continued chatting, and before they knew it, it was already ten o'clock at night; seeing that Sheltered Ojou-sama was starting to get sleepy, the video conference finally ended.
Amamiya Natsuki put down his phone and continued reading.
After an unknown amount of time, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Amamiya Natsuki got up to open the door, and a black-haired girl with long straight hair, wearing pajamas, stood gracefully outside the door; a gentle breeze stirred, and her waist-length hair gently fluttered.
It was Miko.
"Why did you just get here?"
Amamiya Natsuki moved aside to let her in.
"Kyosuke was playing in my room the whole time and just went back to sleep," Miko replied in a low voice as she walked in, "so I came over a bit late."
Amamiya Natsuki's expression turned serious, and he said, "elementary school student staying up late affects her development; I'll talk to him tomorrow."
"It's not like he stays up late every day," Miko retorted, rolling her eyes, "You usually go to bed much later than Kyosuke."
Miko walked into the living room, greeted Mrs. Shimizu, patted the silly dog's head, then sat on the sofa, and asked curiously, "What did you experience in that fairy tale instance yesterday?"
Although she wasn't a player and didn't want to become one, it didn't hinder Miko's curiosity.
Amamiya Natsuki sat next to Miko: "Yesterday's instance… has many details that can only be heard for a fee."
Miko tilted her head and looked over: "Paid content?"
"Exactly."
"I didn't bring any money."
"This content supports payment through physical means."
"Pfft~"
"..."
Of course, Amamiya Natsuki would say what needed to be said, and not say what shouldn't.
By the time they finished talking, it was already past eleven o'clock.
Miko yawned, got up, took out the futon, and spread it on the tatami, saying, "Lights out, time for bed."
"You go to sleep first," Amamiya Natsuki said softly, "I still have one more thing to do."
"What is it?"
A purple glowing card appeared in Amamiya Natsuki's hand, then the card disappeared, transforming into a pumpkin lantern burning with a ghostly blue flame.
It was Midnight Nightmare.
This thing could only be activated at midnight and had been sealed until now; since he could now use the Midnight Theater, Amamiya Natsuki was naturally very curious.
"Then I'll go to sleep first."
Miko yawned again; she hadn't rested well last night, had school during the day, and worked in the afternoon, so she was truly sleepy now.
Amamiya Natsuki nodded: "You go to sleep."
"Mhm."
"..."
Miko hugged her pillow, chose a side-lying position, closed her eyes, and soon her breathing became even.
Amamiya Natsuki played with his phone, waiting silently.
A moment later.
Midnight twelve o'clock quietly arrived.
Amamiya Natsuki looked down at the pumpkin lantern in front of him; the ghostly blue flame in the pumpkin lantern suddenly intensified, followed by a series of messages appearing in his mind.
[Midnight Theater Unlocked]
[You can now actively open the Theater; please note, the Midnight Theater can only be active until the first ray of dawn appears]
[A grand performance requires both staff and actors]
[Your current Theater staff: Alice (Click to view)]
"Alice…"
Amamiya Natsuki's thoughts stirred, and he clicked curiously; a timid ghost elementary school student appeared in the room.
She was one meter forty tall, wearing ill-fitting, tattered thin clothes, barefoot, and her eyes timidly looked towards Amamiya Natsuki; it was the Little Match Girl.
"Alice?"
Amamiya Natsuki called softly.
Thinking carefully, the elementary school student's name had never appeared in the current fairy tale version, and he had forgotten to ask in the instance.
The ghost elementary school student blinked her eyes and quickly responded: "…Master, do you have any commands?"
Thankfully, she was just a ghost; if she were human, upon hearing that, someone might have called the police!
Amamiya Natsuki observed the ghost elementary school student in front of him, and then recalled the scene at the end of the instance where she floated into the pumpkin lantern; no wonder there was a staff member.
"Eh, what's going on?"
Mrs. Shimizu, who was playing with her phone, heard the commotion and walked over curiously, her tone resentful:
"Natsuki-kun is so mean, actually tricking someone behind my back, and an elementary school student at that."
Amamiya Natsuki said expressionlessly:
"Say that in front of Kaguya-san tomorrow."
"I'll say it," Mrs. Shimizu put her right hand on her hip and lifted her chin, "Mommy isn't afraid of her daughter."
The Little Match Girl… now to be called Alice, stood timidly in front of the sofa, not daring to move, like a pet awaiting its master's command.
"Don't be nervous," Amamiya Natsuki mused, "Do you know why you became a staff member?"
"I don't know," Alice shook her head and answered softly, "Alice heard a voice at the time, asking if Alice was willing to become a staff member, and after agreeing, she entered a super beautiful building."
She paused, then the ghost elementary school student timidly raised her eyes and looked over, hesitating:
"Master won't abandon Alice, will he?"
"Of course not," Amamiya Natsuki waved his hand, "And you'll even get paid."
The ghost elementary school student's eyes quickly lit up: "Thank you, Master!"
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"As a staff member, appearance is very important… You should change your clothes first."
The ill-fitting, ragged linen, still unwashed, made her look like a refugee; even in a fairy tale world, the common people at the bottom still lived in hardship.
"Understood, Master."
Alice nervously clutched the corner of her clothes, and while speaking, she lifted her clothes.
Wait!
I told you to change your clothes, not take them off! So thin and frail, with arms and legs like kindling, who would be interested in that!
"Alice, come with me," Mrs. Shimizu extended her right hand and smiled, "Shimizu-nee will teach you how to change clothes."
People come naked and leave naked; after becoming a ghost, they actually don't have clothes—after all, clothes don't have souls.
The clothes on Mrs. Shimizu and the ghost elementary school student were actually subconscious products of ghost energy, not physical entities; once taken off, they would quickly disappear.
"Master…"
The ghost elementary school student timidly looked towards Amamiya Natsuki, awaiting his command.
Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said:
"Shimizu-nee is a senpai; you will learn from her now."
"Yes, Master."
"Mmm…"
Mrs. Shimizu pulled the ghost elementary school student away and whispered behind the sofa, while Amamiya Natsuki continued to read the next content.
[Recruitment function unlocked, you can now actively recruit Theater staff]
[Please note: Ordinary humans and players cannot become Theater staff; you can recruit staff in reality or in instances, and this recruitment must be consensual and voluntary]
[During rest periods, staff will enter the staff lounge]
[Each time you open the Midnight Theater, you can actively write one rule; within the Theater, all other rules are excluded]
[After you open the Midnight Theater, any target within a certain range around you will enter the Theater and become an actor]
[After each performance concludes, you will receive varying amounts of game coins based on the performance level]
[Note: Let's enjoy the night!]
"Game coins?"
Amamiya Natsuki's gaze fell on the last content, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
It was the first time he had seen game coins being awarded after a performance.
It was known that up until now, the only way to obtain game coins was through rewards after clearing an instance, and unlike items, game coins could not be traded, gifted, or seized, thus preventing powerful players in reality from exploiting new players.
At this point, the description of the Midnight Theater finally concluded.
Amamiya Natsuki quickly summarized all the content in his mind.
First, the Theater could only be opened at midnight and would last until dawn the next day.
Second, the Theater could actively recruit staff, but they had to be willing; entities from instances could also be recruited, but humans could not.
Third, one rule could be actively written and set.
Fourth, others could be pulled into the Theater for a performance, and a certain amount of game coins could be obtained afterwards.
"Let's try the Midnight Theater's performance method now."
Amamiya Natsuki was full of enthusiasm, completely without any drowsiness.
What is learned from books is ultimately shallow; to truly know, one must practice.
Unless it was a one-time skill card, players would practice other skills to gain proficiency after obtaining them.
Just like in competitive games, everyone understands the text description of skills, but in actual combat, new players will only be crushed by veterans.
Snap!
Amamiya Natsuki lightly snapped his fingers, and silently thought:
"Open the Theater."
The next moment.
A piece of information appeared in Amamiya Natsuki's mind.
[Please set the rule for this Midnight Theater.]
"A rule, huh…"
Amamiya Natsuki pondered.
Rules, simply put, are things that must be followed; for example, on trains and subways, you can't speak loudly or eat leek pockets—these are all rules.
The rule that left the deepest impression on Amamiya Natsuki was undoubtedly from Haunted School, not long after he became a player, especially the Red Light, Green Light game on the playground.
After two seconds of deliberation, Amamiya Natsuki quickly set a rule.
"Red Light, Green Light; after the sound rings, everyone still moving will be forcibly stripped."
[This rule meets the criteria and has been successfully set]
Immediately after, another message appeared before Amamiya Natsuki's eyes:
[Please select the opening location for the Midnight Theater; currently recorded scenes are as follows.]
Amamiya Natsuki clicked in and found there were only two scenes: a familiar house building, which was clearly his own home, and another scene, an unfamiliar stage Theater.
"Choose the second one."
Amamiya Natsuki silently confirmed in his heart.
The next moment.
A faint blue flame ignited in the pumpkin lantern, quickly sweeping across.
The flames swept along the walls and floor, not destroying the house, but rather reorganizing the entire house in a peculiar state. Within a few short seconds, it transformed into a magnificent Theater never seen before.
Amamiya Natsuki curiously looked around and found the Theater to be quite magnificent, but the lighting was dim, making it inexplicably eerie.
"Natsuki-kun, where is this?"
Mrs. Shimizu asked curiously, with a little girl beside her.
"It's that pumpkin lantern..."
Amamiya Natsuki explained what had just happened.
Mrs. Shimizu crossed her arms over her chest and mused, "It sounds a bit like a Haunted House."
"It does look a bit like one, but a Haunted House wouldn't be this real." Amamiya Natsuki reached out and touched the wall beside him, the real cold sensation feedbacking from his fingertips, then turned to look at the little girl, "Alice, this is where you entered before, right?"
Under Mrs. Shimizu's guidance, this little girl had already mastered the basic techniques of a ghost. Her ragged clothes disappeared, replaced by a fitted maid outfit, and she even had a cat ear hairpin on her head. Hearing this, she shook her head and whispered, "Not here... It was a very warm room, with a bed and a table. Alice stayed there until she heard Master summon Alice."
Then the little girl quickly explained:
"Alice didn't dirty the bed, she always sat on the floor."
"You're a ghost now, it's hard to even dirty a bed." Amamiya Natsuki reached out and touched the loli's head, finding that he could actually touch her. "The room you mentioned should be the staff lounge... Let's go take a look."
Today was only a temporary opening of the Theater. The only staff member was Alice, a ghost, and there were no audience or actors. They came in just to investigate the basic situation.
The little girl quickly nodded: "Alice still remembers where the room is, I'll take Master there now."
At this moment, a nervous voice suddenly sounded behind Amamiya Natsuki.
"Natsuki?"
Miko, wearing her pajamas, opened her eyes wide and nervously observed her surroundings.
Amamiya Natsuki finally remembered what he had just missed.
After the Midnight Theater opened, any existence within its range would be pulled in, unless Amamiya Natsuki specifically excluded them. Miko was sleeping in the living room, so she was naturally pulled into the Midnight Theater with them.
"Miko-chan is here too."
Mrs. Shimizu happily waved.
"Shimizu-nee..." Miko walked over and whispered, "Where is this place?"
Amamiya Natsuki explained the situation again, then said:
"Since it's the first time it's opened, I'm not sure what the specific situation is yet. I'm planning to explore it."
"So that's how it is." Miko breathed a sigh of relief, then looked up with a glare, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked innocent: "You were asleep. If I specifically woke you up to tell you, I'd get hit, wouldn't I?"
Miko: "..."
"The Theater looks very big." Mrs. Shimizu smiled, "And it seems there are no evil spirits."
Amamiya Natsuki was startled, observed carefully for a moment, and found that there really were no evil spirits.
Although the Midnight Theater was somewhat eerie and dim, it had to be said that it was exceptionally clean inside.
"Let's go to the staff lounge first." Amamiya Natsuki thought for a moment and said, "It's still early, we can confirm slowly."
Led by the little girl, the three of Amamiya Natsuki walked forward along the hallway.
Just as they arrived at a staircase, a strange, eerie laugh suddenly echoed in the air.
"One, two, three... Red Light, Green Light!"
This voice came too suddenly and sounded exceptionally eerie. Except for Amamiya Natsuki, the rule-maker, no one else reacted in time.
"Master?"
The little girl's expression was blank.
"Natsuki-kun, what was that sound just now?"
Mrs. Shimizu curiously turned to look.
Miko was startled and nervously moved closer to Amamiya Natsuki, whispering:
"Natsuki, what does Red Light, Green Light mean... Eh, eh, eh?!"
The girl's cry of surprise suddenly rang out.
"My body... what's going on?"
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