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"Natsuki-kun, lie down and don't move. You're the one!"
Fujiwara Chika had a flash of inspiration and came up with a plan.
Amamiya Natsuki said expressionlessly:
"You're cutting corners."
"The mission didn't say I couldn't cut corners."
Fujiwara Chika lifted her chin and pouted. "Just try it, maybe it'll be completed."
"..."
It must be said, there was a certain feasibility.
As a mortician, one should have a professional heart and treat all genders, ages, and backgrounds equally.
Even if a player lies down, they shouldn't be discriminated against.
However...
"Do you know the workflow of a mortician?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the secretary with a suspicious gaze.
Professionals in this field are even rarer than Haunted House sleep testers, and a certain level of professional ability is required.
"Hmph hmph hmph."
Fujiwara Chika put her hands on her hips, lifted her chin, and let out two prideful hums. Then she pulled out a black notebook from her embrace: "All the precautions are written in this notebook. I've already read through the procedures once, and I guarantee there's no problem."
It seemed to be a guide item provided by the game.
Since it was a mission, there must be a possibility of completion, which is why there was such a handwritten notebook from the role-playing character, to prevent the game from being uncompletable.
Amamiya Natsuki pondered for two seconds, then agreed, saying,
"I'll tell Kaguya-san first."
Using 'pen talk', he sent a message across the distance. The Sheltered Young Lady didn't reply for a while, evidently still in the process of searching for someone.
"Alright." Amamiya Natsuki put away his notebook and walked to a bed. "How long does the embalming process usually take?"
Fujiwara Chika tilted her head, thinking, "Actually, it's not too bad. It's just tidying up the appearance, about half an hour."
"That's fine then."
Amamiya Natsuki lay down on the bed.
If it were an ordinary person, let alone lying on it, they wouldn't even go near a morgue.
But for players, having seen so many vengeful spirits and strange tales, their hearts had long become quite resilient.
"Ahem, I'm starting." Fujiwara Chika put on latex gloves, looked down, a conflicted expression on her face. "...You should just undo your disguise, it feels really strange."
Practicing on Amamiya Natsuki carried no psychological burden, but she couldn't bring herself to do it to a strange middle-aged doctor.
Amamiya Natsuki said,
"What if someone sees me?"
"You take off your clothes first." Fujiwara Chika turned and walked towards the door. "I'll lock the door."
...
He felt like something was off.
Amamiya Natsuki didn't waste time. He undid his disguise, then took off his jacket, leaving only a pair of boxer briefs, and lay flat on the hospital bed again.
"The door's locked."
Fujiwara Chika trotted back, similarly undoing her disguise, revealing her true pink-haired maiden appearance. Her gaze fell on Amamiya Natsuki, and her pretty face flushed slightly: "I never see you work out, yet you actually have an eight-pack."
Amamiya Natsuki's voice was faint: "You counted very clearly, didn't you?"
"I didn't count at all, it's obvious at a glance, okay?"
"I'm stepped on by you guys every day; the effect is comparable to working out."
"That's clearly unearned."
"Denied. What I'm sacrificing is a man's dignity."
"Don't talk." Fujiwara Chika's bright eyes shifted, she pouted, and gently patted Amamiya Natsuki's chest. "I'm starting."
"The gloves feel very strange." Amamiya Natsuki made a request, "Take the gloves off."
"Then I won't wear them." Fujiwara Chika complied readily, taking off the gloves on her hands. "The latex feels too tight, very uncomfortable."
...
Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help but fall silent.
So awkward.
For some reason, that last sentence was super awkward.
Fujiwara Chika was still oblivious: "It's indeed much more comfortable without gloves."
...
Wearing disposable medical latex gloves is mainly to prevent bacterial infection. Amamiya Natsuki, being a living person, naturally had no such danger, so not wearing gloves was perfectly fine.
"Preparations complete." Fujiwara Chika thought for a moment, "First step, wipe down all parts of the body, then help change clothes, and finally, makeup."
Amamiya Natsuki said speechlessly,
"I need makeup too?"
"This is a drill." Fujiwara Chika's expression turned serious. "Natsuki-kun, don't talk, just play your role well."
...
The first thing in embalming is to wipe the body, symbolizing coming cleanly and leaving cleanly.
Fujiwara Chika took out a new towel and began to wipe Amamiya Natsuki's body.
"Eh eh, I see the quest progress bar!" Fujiwara Chika's eyes widened, and she let out a soft gasp. "It really works to practice on you!"
Amamiya Natsuki lay on his back, looking at the dim ceiling: "Finish quickly."
"Don't rush me, I've just started, I'm not a quick shooter."
...
The wiping process went from top to bottom, starting with the face, then the neck, chest, and finally the abdomen.
Upon reaching his abdomen, seeing Amamiya Natsuki lying still obediently, the secretary's eyes shifted, and she instinctively gave it a squeeze.
Amamiya Natsuki looked over speechlessly: "You..."
Slap.
Fujiwara Chika lightly slapped his chest, her pretty face slightly red, and she said with a hint of guilt:
"Don't talk, I'm just checking if your abs are real or fake."
Hey hey, as an embalmer, whether they're real or fake has nothing to do with you!
Amamiya Natsuki said faintly,
"Absolutely authentic, no need to check."
"That's not necessarily true..." Fujiwara Chika mumbled quietly, "I saw on Twitter that some people buy fake abs and strap them to their stomachs to deceive others."
The kind of person who buys that stuff isn't deceiving others, but deceiving themselves!
Fujiwara Chika spoke, and then casually gave another squeeze.
"The feel is surprisingly good."
Fujiwara Chika commented with satisfaction. As the source of chaos, this secretary always acted unpredictably and without restraint. If it were Kaguya-san or Komi, they would definitely not pinch someone's stomach.
"That's enough, stop quickly." Amamiya Natsuki tensed his body, reminding her, "If you keep going, I won't be able to hold back."
"Can't hold back what... Eh eh eh?"
Fujiwara Chika's gaze shifted downwards. After staring for a second, her pretty face quickly flushed.
Even the unrestrained creature of chaos has moments of shyness and panic.
"Wh-what are you thinking?!" Fujiwara Chika turned her head away, shouting in embarrassment, "Natsuki-kun is a pervert! Lewd!"
I told you to stop quickly, don't keep pinching there, but you wouldn't listen! You know nothing about a male high school student's endurance!
Amamiya Natsuki said speechlessly,
"So it's all my fault?"
"It is."
"When you speak, please speak with a clear conscience."
"I'm sorry, I don't have that anymore."
...
Fujiwara Chika turned around, talking while occasionally stealing glances from the corner of her eye. Only after Amamiya Natsuki calmed down did she quietly breathe a sigh of relief and turn back to continue the task.
After the recent unexpected incident, the secretary finally behaved a little, following the steps written in the notebook meticulously.
Wiping completed.
Next was changing clothes.
If Fujiwara Chika were alone, this step would definitely be difficult. Finding a suitable practice subject, dragging them into the underground morgue, and having to guard against their retaliation, just thinking about it gave her a headache.
Now it was no problem.
With Amamiya Natsuki's 100% cooperation, this step was also easily passed.
Finally, the makeup and finishing touches, also without any trouble.
"Finally done." Fujiwara Chika put her hands on her hips and let out a long breath. "Let me check the mission progress... Eh? Why does it show not completed?"
Amamiya Natsuki sat up and stretched his body: "Clearly, your actions did not meet the mission requirements."
"Impossible." Fujiwara Chika shook her head. "I clearly did everything listed in the notebook."
Amamiya Natsuki reached out and said,
"Let me see the notebook."
"Here, take it." Fujiwara Chika handed over the notebook. "All the items are clearly completed... Maybe there are items not recorded in the notebook."
Amamiya Natsuki took the notebook and flipped through it.
It was an ordinary black notebook. When opened, there were no diaries needing decryption; it went straight to the point, entirely handwritten. The beginning was the embalmer's workflow, with notes on work experience and precautions beside it.
The content wasn't actually much.
The entry barrier was mainly psychological; there were no professional skills that required years of practice.
"Didn't I say so?" Fujiwara Chika leaned closer, right next to Amamiya Natsuki, looking at the notebook together. "Wiping the body, changing clothes, makeup, I clearly did all of it."
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the notebook and suddenly said,
"There's one thing you didn't do."
"Impossible." Fujiwara Chika didn't believe him. "What didn't I do?"
Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at her, saying faintly,
"The notebook says that when wiping the body, you must wipe it from head to toe, leaving no spot untouched."
"I just wiped you from head to toe, didn't I? Not a single spot was left..."
At this point, Fujiwara Chika's eyes suddenly widened.
Wait!
If there was a spot missed, there was indeed one place that wasn't wiped...
"N-no way!" Fujiwara Chika's pretty face quickly flushed. Even the source of chaos had moments she couldn't handle. "That place definitely can't be, right?!"
"In front of a doctor, there is no gender distinction." Amamiya Natsuki interlaced his fingers and said seriously, "As an embalmer, is there still a gender distinction?"
Fujiwara Chika: "..."
As an embalmer, there really shouldn't be a gender distinction.
So... the problem really was in the wiping stage?
Amamiya Natsuki continued:
"Of course, it's also possible that other steps weren't done properly, but the wiping body step is the most likely to have an issue... We'll know whether it is or not by verifying it."
"H-how do we verify?"
Fujiwara Chika stammered, her gaze flickering, her ear tips already burning hot.
Amamiya Natsuki lowered his voice and said,
"As a trainee embalmer, you should know, right?"
"I don't know." Fujiwara Chika turned her face away. "Anyway, players can be practice subjects... So I can just ask Kaguya-chan for help, right?"
Amamiya Natsuki said,
"Are you sure Kaguya-san would be willing to take off her clothes and let you do as you please?"
...
Fujiwara Chika stopped talking.
Unwilling.
Someone as concerned with her image as Kaguya-chan would definitely not lie down and let herself be wiped. Her arms and legs might be fine, but she definitely wouldn't agree to other places... Even if they were all girls, had bathed together, soaked in hot springs, and helped each other wipe their backs, there were still places that couldn't be touched.
Fujiwara Chika stammered,
"I'll ask Komi for help... With Komi's personality, she definitely wouldn't refuse, right?"
"You're overestimating Komi," Natsuki-kun complained. "If it was just the two of you in the dungeon, she might sacrifice herself, but she definitely wouldn't agree now."
"This won't do, that won't do… How are we going to complete the mission?"
"Of course, I'll sacrifice myself," Natsuki-kun declared nobly. "Since someone has to make a sacrifice, why not let me sacrifice myself completely."
"…No way!"
Fujiwara Chika hesitated for two seconds, then turned her head and refused.
She was a girl after all; doing something like that would make her unmarriageable, right?
Natsuki-kun's voice was faint as he said,
"Chika-chan, you don't want the mission details to be known by others, do you?"
Fujiwara Chika: "…"
After a moment of hesitation, secretary-sama clenched her pink fist.
As an embalmer, she should indeed abandon gender bias.
To complete the mission, someone always had to make a sacrifice.
Rather than letting Kaguya-chan and the others sacrifice themselves, it was better to sacrifice herself. There was no one else in the morgue… It could be over quickly.
"Go lie down."
Fujiwara Chika pointed a finger.
Once she made up her mind, the girl's hesitation quickly vanished, but her face was still as red as fire.
Natsuki-kun looked at Chika: "As expected, I still have to sacrifice myself."
"Pfft~"
Fujiwara Chika couldn't help but lightly spit, "Obviously, my sacrifice is greater!"
Natsuki-kun said:
"If we swapped places, and you were lying on the sickbed, being turned over and over by me, then your sacrifice would definitely be greater."
"It's the same now," Fujiwara Chika put her right hand on her hip, feeling a little less confident, "Hurry up and lie down."
"Yes."
"Um… do we have to repeat the mission from start to finish?"
"Possibly. We'll know once we try," Natsuki-kun said. "But there's not enough time to go through the whole process."
"…"
The temperature on Fujiwara Chika's face rapidly rose. She took a deep breath and extended her right hand.
Calm down.
Don't panic.
As an embalmer, she wouldn't care about the gender of the deceased.
At this moment, she should feel solemn, have a serious expression, and be mournful…
"Cough, cough!"
At the last moment, Fujiwara Chika chickened out again, backing down and hesitantly saying, "How about we try again next time?"
"Strike while the iron is hot. Hesitation leads to decline, and then exhaustion." Natsuki-kun lay flat on the sickbed, looking at the pitch-black ceiling. "If you want to escape, you won't be as brave next time as you are now."
"I wasn't trying to escape…"
Fujiwara Chika stammered, her expression conflicted, and she tried again, but unfortunately, she stopped again.
No matter what, the towel just wouldn't fall.
"No… I can't do it…" secretary-sama's expression was conflicted. "As expected, it's better to wait until next time…"
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Fujiwara Chika's hand trembled in fright, successfully breaking through her limit.
"Someone's knocking!" Fujiwara Chika nervously turned to look. "Could it be Kaguya-chan and the others?"
Natsuki-kun got up and saw two figures peering through the door.
"Congratulations, you got it right."
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for dozens of advance chapters for over a dozen fics | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter