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"The pond is too big." Amamiya Natsuki said seriously, "We've already wasted too much time. We need to hurry and find it before the mist descends again."
"Natsuki-kun is right." Fujiwara Chika nodded in agreement. "I'll help."
Rikka also raised her hand and said, "Me too."
Sayu pursed her pink lips, her gaze firm, and also stepped forward, whispering, "I can help too."
In a dungeon, one must demonstrate their value to avoid being abandoned.
"Eh, wait a minute." Fujiwara Chika covered her skirt, noticing a problem. "How can we go into the water without swimsuits?"
"Good question." Amamiya Natsuki rested his chin on his right hand. "Perhaps primitive people swam without swimsuits?"
Fujiwara Chika put her right hand on her hip and said, "We're not primitive people."
Amamiya Natsuki shifted his gaze and said:
"Perhaps you can learn from Sayu?"
Fujiwara Chika turned to look and found that Sayu had quietly taken off her school uniform, leaving only her underwear. She quickly said:
"Sayu-chan, you undressed too fast!"
Sayu's pretty face was slightly red. She covered her chest with one hand and her lower abdomen with the other, saying in a nonchalant tone:
"Someone has to go into the water to look… and I'm a pretty good swimmer."
Fujiwara Chika tried to dissuade her: "Even so, you shouldn't go into the water in your underwear, you'll catch a cold, won't you?"
"It's fine." Sayu shook her head and said softly, "I purposely got caught in the rain on the street a few days ago, and I didn't catch a cold or get sick."
"Sayu-chan, why did you purposely get caught in the rain?"
"..."
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Sayu, feeling his eyes light up.
He had to admit, this other Sayu had an excellent figure, and her skin was fair, her curves graceful…
"Stare—"
A sharp gaze came from the side.
Shinomiya Kaguya tightened her pretty face and pointed:
"President, go behind that rock."
"Hm?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the large rock, taller than a person, not far away, and said in surprise, "We're not looking for the Ghost Bride's limbs anymore?"
"Leave it to us." Shinomiya Kaguya's voice was faint. "Just don't peek, President."
"I feel insulted." Amamiya Natsuki said seriously, "I never peek. If I'm going to look, I'll look openly."
The Sheltered Young Lady's eyes shifted: "Hurry up and go, don't waste time."
"Yes."
Amamiya Natsuki obeyed the order and turned to walk behind the giant rock.
With Shinomiya Kaguya, Yukinoshita, Chika, Sayu, and Rikka—five girls searching together—there was indeed no need for Amamiya Natsuki to get involved.
"Wow, Sayu-chan has an amazing figure." Fujiwara Chika's voice sounded. "There's even a mole here, in about the same spot as mine."
Sayu's voice trembled slightly: "Don't, don't touch there…"
Next was Rikka's voice: "Ugh, the water's so cold."
Yukinoshita Yukino: "Let's do some warm-up exercises first."
Being part of the team, everyone had to make their respective contributions.
The Second Miss was no exception; she wouldn't stand by the shore and do nothing.
Amamiya Natsuki stood behind the giant rock, observing his surroundings while listening to the girls talk. Not long after, the sounds of splashing into the water began.
"One, two, three, four, five… All present and accounted for, not a single one missing."
Amamiya Natsuki looked up at the sky, wondering if they had worn underwear when they went into the water.
"The water's so cold."
"And a bit deep."
"Everyone, let's split up and each take a section."
"Alright."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki stood behind a rock, silently counting the time.
No good news arrived; instead, Fujiwara Chika's panicked cry for help came through:
"Natsuki-kun, Kaguya-chan was pulled into the water by something!"
Amamiya Natsuki didn't hesitate for a moment, instinctively lunging forward, and saw water churning in one corner of the pond.
"It's right there!"
Fujiwara Chika shouted, swimming over with all her might.
Amamiya Natsuki jumped directly into the water without a second thought.
Splash!
Water splashed everywhere.
Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath and plunged directly into the cold, eerie pond water.
The visibility underwater was very low, but fortunately, it wasn't very deep. Amamiya Natsuki quickly spotted the Young Lady and swam hard towards her.
Shinomiya Kaguya covered her mouth and nose with her right hand, originally intending to escape with Dark Shadow. Seeing Amamiya Natsuki approach, she quickly calmed down and pointed at her own foot.
Amamiya Natsuki understood immediately, quickly diving down to Kaguya's feet.
He saw a pale, unrotted severed hand at the muddy bottom of the pond, tightly gripping the Sheltered Young Lady's right ankle.
Amamiya Natsuki held his breath and tried to pry open the right hand, finding that it was held quite tightly and couldn't be pried open with brute force. So, he changed his approach, embraced Kaguya, and swam upwards with all his might.
Splash!
Water splashed everywhere.
Amamiya Natsuki and Shinomiya Kaguya both surfaced.
By this time, the other girls had also arrived. Fujiwara Chika asked worriedly:
"Kaguya-chan, are you two okay?"
"Cough, cough…" Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face was pale, and she choked on two mouthfuls of water, looking particularly delicate. "I'm fine."
"It's a severed hand." Amamiya Natsuki exhaled, explaining, "It was the one that grabbed Kaguya's right leg underwater, and it still hasn't let go…"
After speaking, Amamiya Natsuki finally had the presence of mind to look at the girls, his gaze slightly narrowing.
He had just been wondering if these girls would be wearing underwear when they went into the water, and now the mystery was finally solved.
The answer was… they weren't.
Underwear isn't swimwear, and with no one else around, swimming in underwear would undoubtedly be foolish.
At this moment, although everyone was in the water, Amamiya Natsuki still saw many things he shouldn't have.
Chika secretary, needless to say, dominated the scene, undoubtedly in first place.
Sayu-chan followed closely. This desperate girl had an unexpectedly good figure, only one size smaller than Chika.
Rikka… let's not even mention her.
Finally, Miss Yukinoshita…
So flat!
Utterly flat, as flat as a board. Standing next to Kaguya, if you didn't look closely, they could totally be sworn brothers!
Sensing Amamiya Natsuki's subtle gaze, Yukinoshita Yukino immediately bit her lower lip, a flash of shyness crossing her eyes, and quickly sank into the water.
"Natsuki-kun, quickly take Kaguya-chan to the shore." Fujiwara Chika emerged from the water. "That severed hand is still on Kaguya-chan's leg."
"Mhm."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded, carrying the Sheltered Young Lady, and quickly swam to the shore.
Shinomiya Kaguya sat on the ground, hands covering her chest, her wet black hair draped over her shoulders, dripping clear water, looking like a mermaid who had just emerged from the water.
Amamiya Natsuki half-squatted down to pry the severed hand off Kaguya's leg.
This time, there was no obstruction, and he quickly pried open the fingers of the severed hand.
"It's done." Amamiya Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief. "This thing should be the Ghost Bride's severed limb."
Shinomiya Kaguya had calmed down and pointed with her hand, saying, "President, go back behind your rock."
Hey, hey, that's too much!
I worked so hard to save you, you should at least thank me!
However, remembering the charging matter, Amamiya Natsuki obediently complied and quickly said:
"As Kaguya-chan says."
"…"
Watching Amamiya Natsuki walk behind the rock, Shinomiya Kaguya looked at the others and sighed helplessly: "You all hurry up and put on your clothes."
Fujiwara Chika: "Ah, ah, ah, I was so worried about Kaguya-chan that I forgot about myself."
Rikka: "The water is so cold, why hasn't Yukino-chan come up yet?"
Sayu-chan: "Yukino didn't even remind us."
Yukinoshita Yukino: "…It's too late now."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki returned behind the rock, wiped himself dry with a towel, changed into a set of dry clothes, and then waited silently.
After a while, the girls finally put on their clothes and came over.
Because it was out of eagerness to save someone, not intentional advantage-taking, none of the girls said anything. However, Amamiya Natsuki noticed that Yukinoshita was clearly keeping her distance from him.
So, there's no need for that.
Extreme flatness truly has little allure.
"Not much time left." Amamiya Natsuki picked up the severed limb from the ground. "Let's get down the mountain quickly."
Fujiwara Chika nodded: "Everyone, move faster."
The group didn't waste any time and quickly walked down the mountain.
However, just as they reached halfway up the mountain, within their sight, between the mountains and fields, mist suddenly began to rise, rapidly spreading at a visible speed.
"The mist has appeared again." Shinomiya Kaguya's tone was solemn.
"There's no hiding place nearby, so we can only make a dash for it and get back to the village early." Amamiya Natsuki quickly took out the Witch Potion. "One bottle each. Drink the potion first."
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
The girls didn't hesitate and all drank the Witch Potion.
Amamiya Natsuki waved his hand and said:
"Run."
"…"
The group sprinted towards the abandoned village at the foot of the mountain, but unfortunately, the mist spread even faster.
When they were still a hundred meters from the village, the mist had already enveloped them.
Fortunately, the Witch Potion worked. Although swallowed by the mist, they could still barely see things.
"Be careful." Amamiya Natsuki slowed his pace and cautioned, "Don't get separated."
The fog was thick. To be safe, it was best to proceed slowly.
"Don't worry, Natsuki." Fujiwara Chika nodded. "I'm already holding Sayu-chan's hand."
Sayu-chan: "…Actually, I can walk by myself."
At this moment, Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly reminded them:
"There seems to be something on that tree."
Shinomiya Kaguya squinted her eyes and said:
"It's the tree on the right side."
Amamiya Natsuki looked in the direction she indicated and indeed saw something faintly swaying in the mist-shrouded treetop.
"At least we can confirm it's not Yuuko." Amamiya Natsuki grumbled, "Because dogs don't climb trees."
Sayu-chan: "…"
"Don't get close." Shinomiya Kaguya chose the safest method. "Let's go around it."
This suggestion was unanimously approved. The things in the mist were all objects of the players' deepest fears, much more terrifying than the dolls and scarecrows in the village.
Unfortunately, they still couldn't avoid it.
As they walked around, they vigilantly watched the treetop and soon saw a chilling object floating out of the mist.
"Hey, hey, it's a Balloon Head!" Fujiwara Chika exclaimed, her eyes wide.
Except for the Sheltered Young Lady, everyone else had more or less heard of the infamous Balloon Heads.
This thing, like Tomie, had extremely high recognition.
Amamiya Natsuki squinted his eyes and looked over, only seeing a pale, rigid-faced, closed-eyed human head floating in mid-air, with a dangling string below its neck. Its appearance was precisely that of the passerby player who had gone missing in the mist the first time.
"The rope below the Balloon Head will turn into a noose and loop around people's necks, taking their heads off." Fujiwara Chika quickly explained, "In short, it's a super terrifying thing."
Looking at the Balloon Head swaying and floating above their heads, Shinomiya Kaguya frowned and said:
"Should we shoot it down?"
"Absolutely not." Fujiwara Chika quickly stopped her. "If it's truly a Balloon Head from the manga, once the balloon is damaged, the owner's head will also deflate."
Yukinoshita Yukino said softly:
"Chika-chan is right. The players who got lost in the mist are unaccounted for. If we shoot down the balloon, it might trigger a rule and cause the Balloon Head's owner to die."
Attacking vengeful spirits is fine, but if rash action leads to the death of other players, that's another matter entirely.
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"Don't worry about that Balloon Head. It only attacks people who look like it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly said: "That Balloon Head's expression has changed."
Amamiya Natsuki heard this, squinted his eyes, and indeed saw the Balloon Head's appearance gradually distorting, followed by the emergence of a new face…
You've got to be kidding me!
It can actually transform directly into other people's appearances!
The Balloon Head's new face quickly became clear. Fujiwara Chika gasped and exclaimed:
"It actually turned into Natsuki-kun's appearance!"
Amamiya Natsuki slightly twitched the corner of his mouth: "I see it."
He wasn't panicking. Even if the Balloon Head came to ensnare him, he had a way to escape the predicament. It was just quite unsettling to see his own head floating around in the sky.
At the same time.
A rustling sound of footsteps suddenly emerged from the mist.
Sayu-chan's eyes widened: "...Yuuko?"
"Don't call my name." The Man-faced dog stepped out, gloatingly looking at Amamiya Natsuki. "Human, you're dead now that the Balloon Head has targeted you."
Amamiya Natsuki looked over calmly and whistled: "Come here, let me pet your head."
"Human, you're asking for death!"
The Man-faced dog quickly tensed its body. Upon realizing it hadn't lost control, it soon let out a smug snort, "The same trick won't work a second time."
It's not that it doesn't work, it's that the favorability bonus from the rice ball has expired. Otherwise, I'd make you expose your belly and roll around on the ground right now!
"To-Tomato Monster!" Rikka suddenly cried out in surprise.
Amamiya Natsuki's gaze swept around. Good heavens, a Tomato Monster actually walked out of the fog, dressed in a suit, with a giant red tomato for a head. The tomato even had stiff facial features. There was no doubt it was Rikka's fear.
Just then, Amamiya Natsuki suddenly heard the sound of wind breaking beside him. His peripheral vision quickly locked onto a flying hatchet. He immediately hugged the Sheltered Young Lady beside him and dodged.
Thud!
The hatchet was embedded in the trunk of a large tree.
Following that, a gloomy voice of a girl came from the fog, as if echoing the night: "Finally… finally found you…"
Rikka's eyes widened: "It's Kaguya-chan's voice!"
Shinomiya Kaguya didn't speak, biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth, her expression grim.
The fog churned.
A girl who looked exactly like Shinomiya Kaguya walked out, as if they were identical twins. Their appearance, height, and everything else were exactly the same, without the slightest difference.
However, the Shinomiya Kaguya who emerged from the fog had a pale face, dim eyes, and a sickly smile on her pretty face.
It was the existence the Miss feared most, Yandere Kaguya.
The experience of being mimicked and duplicated in the mirror space was still fresh in her memory, even today. Every time she thought about it, she would have nightmares.
Shinomiya Kaguya bit her silver teeth lightly, looking directly at Yandere Kaguya: "We meet again."
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr