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"The fog is about to dissipate again."
Hearing Amamiya Natsuki's reminder, the girls looked out of the house.
The thick, impenetrable fog was rapidly thinning, and after a moment, the overcast, gray sky reappeared.
As the fog dissipated, the Man-faced dog, Balloon Heads, and other kaidan lingering at the entrance all vanished.
"We can go out now," Amamiya Natsuki waved, "Let's go see how the others are doing."
The group left the house and headed to the agreed-upon village clearing.
Upon arriving, they saw a group of passerby players emerging from a nearby wooden house.
"Leg Brother!"
"When the fog appeared, we didn't see you return, and we were a bit worried, but it turns out we overthought it."
"I told you, Natsuki-san and the others would definitely be fine."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki's gaze swept over them; the passerby players were all present and accounted for, not a single one missing.
Players who could survive until now generally had good survival skills.
The two groups met.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Amamiya Natsuki got straight to the point:
"Did you get the Ghost Bride's limb?"
"We got it." A middle-aged man took out a severed limb. Upon closer inspection, it was a right leg, but it was well-preserved with no signs of decay. "After we found the shrine on the mountain, it didn't take much effort to find this severed limb."
The shrine was very close to the village. These passerby players went straight there without delay, and after finding the severed limb, they rushed back, successfully returning to the village before the fog descended, without encountering any danger.
It was more like the location and mission objective had already been told to them; if something unexpected happened then, it would be surprising.
"Um…" A female passerby player stepped forward and whispered, "I have an old pocket watch, and I just measured the time and found that the duration of the fog has become longer."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"It's fine. You can continue measuring later. You might even find that the daytime has also become shorter."
Everyone: "…"
The pattern of fog and daytime switching was still unclear, but it didn't prevent them from considering the most dangerous scenario.
If they did nothing and just played the game passively by hiding in the house, the result would likely be shorter and shorter daytime, and longer and longer fog, until finally, eternal fog descended, and there would be no more daytime.
Of course, no one intended to verify the truth of this conjecture. If they could clear the dungeon early, they would clear it as soon as possible; only an idiot would invite trouble.
"That's enough." After exchanging information, Amamiya Natsuki quickly said, "You all choose a location first and continue your actions."
"Yes, Amamiya-san."
"…"
Without wasting time, both sides chose their targets and then split up.
There was no conversation along the way.
The group quickly arrived at the cemetery.
"The cemetery is very large," Fujiwara Chika said, hands on her hips, "The problem is, how do we find the Ghost Bride's limb?"
Yukinoshita Yukino's voice was cool and she pondered:
"The place where the severed limb is stored must have something special about it… I suggest we split up and search first to identify any special areas, then meticulously screen them."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded:
"I agree with Yukino."
Rikka raised her hand: "I support it too."
"Then let's do it," Fujiwara Chika said crisply, "Everyone, let's get moving."
"…"
Since it was daytime, there was no need to worry about monsters appearing. The group split up, each choosing an area to search.
Of course, if someone was scared, they could also team up with others.
Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at the young lady and whispered:
"Kaguya-san, do you want to…?"
"No."
A blush flashed across Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face. She flatly refused, turned, and walked away, "Don't talk to me."
Amamiya Natsuki sighed helplessly and could only choose an area himself to search.
The cemetery was clearly in disrepair, with broken walls and ruins everywhere. Many tombstones had fallen, and the grave mounds were covered with withered, yellow weeds, making it exceptionally desolate.
"Natsuki-kun, I found something!"
Fujiwara Chika quickly raised her hand and shouted.
Amamiya Natsuki heard her, stepped over, and asked, "What did you find?"
"It's this grave," Fujiwara Chika pointed, speaking in the tone of a master detective, "All the other graves are covered in weeds, but only this one is bare. It must be strange."
"That makes sense." Amamiya Natsuki nodded in agreement. "The rest is up to you."
"Eh?"
"The best way to find out if it's strange is to dig it up." Amamiya Natsuki took a shovel from his backpack. "Go for it."
Fujiwara Chika subconsciously took the shovel: "Then what are you doing, Natsuki-kun?"
Amamiya Natsuki said seriously:
"I'm in charge of vigilance and lookout."
"That kind of thing isn't important at all!"
"…"
"Um…" Sayu walked over, interrupting their banter, and whispered, "I also just found a bare grave."
Amamiya Natsuki and Chika walked over to look, and sure enough, another solitary grave appeared.
Immediately after, Yukinoshita Yukino walked over and said calmly:
"There's one over there too."
After a final count, there were a total of three solitary graves. It was unclear what was inside them; to find out, they had to dig them up and inspect them personally.
"We won't have enough time," Shinomiya Kaguya said, her hands crossed over her chest, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. "If we're unlucky and find the severed limb in the last grave, it's very likely to drag on until the fog appears again."
"In times like these, we need to summon help…"
Amamiya Natsuki pondered for a moment and called out Mrs. Shimizu, who was in standby mode.
One trains soldiers for a thousand days to use them for an hour.
Her ghost form could pass through matter, which would come in handy.
"It's finally my turn to appear." Mrs. Shimizu stretched, quite happy.
"Eh?"
Sayu's eyes widened. She looked at Mrs. Shimizu curiously, then at Shinomiya Kaguya.
It was her first time seeing Mrs. Shimizu, so she was naturally very surprised.
Amamiya Natsuki walked over to Sayu and whispered:
"It's a long story… In short, keep it a secret for now."
"I understand." Sayu nodded seriously. "I will definitely keep it a secret."
With Mrs. Shimizu's help, the group saved a lot of time and quickly identified the grave containing the severed limb.
In the end, Amamiya Natsuki personally took charge, and under the supervision of the girls, he used an entrenching tool to dig open the grave and successfully retrieved the severed limb.
"Done." Amamiya Natsuki put away the entrenching tool. "We can go back to the village now."
The group wasted no time and quickly rushed back to the village.
On the way back, Amamiya Natsuki didn't send Mrs. Shimizu back. Instead, he told her about Yandere Kaguya and discussed the action plan together.
To deal with Yandere Kaguya, Mrs. Shimizu's power was indispensable.
There was no conversation along the way.
The group quickly returned to the village.
By this time, the fog had not yet descended, so it could be said they acted quickly.
Entering the previous house, they tied up the puppet monsters inside, and the group quietly waited for the fog to descend.
A moment later.
White fog billowed up from the wilderness, rapidly spreading.
"The daytime has indeed become shorter." Yukinoshita Yukino had been watching the time. "It's about ten minutes shorter than last time."
"It's a good thing we acted early." Fujiwara Chika took out a bottle of drink and started drinking. "This dungeon is definitely the type that gets more dangerous the longer you drag it out."
Yukinoshita Yukino gently pursed her pink lips, her gaze falling on Amamiya Natsuki.
Although he was lewd and shameless, she had to admit he was indeed a very capable boy…
Amamiya Natsuki naturally didn't know Yukinoshita's evaluation. He was sitting at the doorway of the house, looking out.
Not long after, a Man-faced dog crashed through the fog and ran out, its voice filled with surprise and anger: "Human, what did you do to me?!"
Amamiya Natsuki's expression was innocent. He said:
"What can a normal human like me do to you?"
"You're talking nonsense!" Jinmenken gnashed her teeth in anger, her eyes fierce. "It must be you!"
Her dignity as a kaidan made her unwilling to appear again; the canine instinct was too embarrassing.
However, a strong sense of hunger dominated her brain, and driven by instinct, she instantly thought of Amamiya Natsuki, who often fed her, and then her body eagerly ran over.
"It's really not me."
Amamiya Natsuki spoke while taking out a bag of meat buns, breaking one open, and tossing it casually.
Before the last fog dissipated, Amamiya Natsuki had planted a mushroom on the Man-faced dog's head.
On one hand, it was for insurance, just in case; on the other hand, it was to continue implementing the dog training plan.
Now it seemed the effect was good.
The mushroom that grew on this Man-faced dog was a Gluttony Mushroom. Under the strong urge to eat, as soon as the fog appeared, it ran over to forage.
Stray dogs, after being fed a few times, naturally become familiar, and the success rate of recruiting them later also increases.
"Woof!"
The Man-faced dog suddenly jumped up and ate the meat bun.
"Good flexibility," Amamiya Natsuki praised, "Have another bite."
"Damned human!" The Man-faced dog wagged its tail rapidly while speaking in the most ferocious tone, "You're dead, I'm definitely going to eat you alive!"
Amamiya Natsuki turned his head to look at Sayu beside him, handed her the meat bun, and said:
"Want to feed it together?"
Sayu hesitated for two seconds, then shook her head: "I don't want to."
"You hesitated? You actually hesitated just now!" Jinmenken glared fiercely. "You didn't refuse immediately!"
Sayu quickly bowed and apologized: "I'm sorry, Yuuko-chan…"
"Don't talk useless nonsense!" The Man-faced dog shouted, "You kill this man, and I'll forgive you!"
Sayu bit her lower lip, shook her head, and said, "I'm sorry, Yuuko-chan, I can't do that…"
She simply couldn't do something as ungrateful as returning kindness with enmity.
In fact, Sayu clearly knew that the Man-faced dog in front of her was not the real Yuuko-chan, but merely her own inner guilt.
"I can't pretend I didn't hear what you just said. It's bad enough you made a mistake yourself, but you also incited others." Amamiya Natsuki raised the meat bun in his hand. "Yuuko, apologize quickly."
"Huh?"
The Man-faced dog widened its eyes, sneering disdainfully, "Don't even think about it."
Although she couldn't control her canine instincts and body, her soul was free, and she would never easily yield!
"Are you really not going to apologize?" Amamiya Natsuki stood up, and in front of the Man-faced dog, he unbuckled his belt and then made to put the meat bun into his pants. "Yuuko-chan, you don't want the meat bun you're going to eat to get a strange smell, do you?"
Jinmenken's face turned green. Food had to pass through her mouth to be eaten. If Amamiya Natsuki really did that, she would likely be the one to eat it in the end:
"Human, where is your moral bottom line?!"
"Sorry, my bottom line has always been flexible," Amamiya Natsuki said expressionlessly. "Besides, didn't you just say you were going to eat me bite by bite?"
Jinmenken almost gnashed her teeth to pieces, finally bowing her head in admission of guilt, and with difficulty, uttered three words: "…I'm sorry."
Amamiya Natsuki raised an eyebrow and said, "Louder, I didn't hear clearly."
The Man-faced dog glared fiercely: "Human, don't push your luck!"
"Hmm?"
Amamiya Natsuki raised the meat bun, preparing to stuff it into his pocket.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Jinmenken closed her eyes, throwing caution to the wind. "Is that enough now?!"
"Not bad."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded in satisfaction, fed the meat bun, and then got up to go to the restroom.
Training a dog is a slow process; you can't expect it to happen overnight.
"Sayu, come here." The Man-faced dog's gaze shifted, falling on Sayu, and it suddenly lowered its voice and called out.
"Eh?"
Sayu was startled, glanced at the others in the room, and a hesitant expression appeared on her pretty face.
"Coward." Jinmenken snorted lightly. "I don't need you to come out; just stand at the door and listen to me."
Sayu took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and walked to the door: "What does Yuuko-chan want to tell me?"
The Man-faced dog lowered its voice, a gentle expression on its face, and softly said:
"Sayu, we're best friends, right?"
The irreparable guilt made Sayu nod: "…That's right."
Jinmenken: "Then, if your best friend is being bullied, will you still choose to stand by and do nothing, just like before?"
"I didn't…"
"But you also didn't stand up for me."
"…"
One sentence instantly silenced Sayu.
The Man-faced dog continued:
"As long as you do one thing for me, I'll forgive you."
"What…thing?"
"That hateful human just now actually trained me like a stray dog." The Man-faced dog gnashed its teeth in anger. "You go and drain him dry, and I'll forgive you!"
Sayu widened her eyes, thinking she had misheard: "Yuuko-chan, what did you just say? Drain…"
"That's right, drain him dry!"
Jinmenken smiled.
Asking Sayu to help kill someone is impossible, but draining a man dry shouldn't be a problem, right?
With a body that lewd, no man could refuse her!
Let Sayu seduce that boy, engage in some intimate acts, and then find an opportunity for that yandere girl to see it; it will definitely be spectacular then.
This move is called borrowing a knife to kill!
"I am Yuuko, and Yuuko is me." The Man-faced dog looked at Sayu, speaking softly, like a demon's whisper. "As long as you drain him dry, I will forgive you… It's simple, and a good deal, right?"
Sayu: "…"
This Sayu, similar to Yukinoshita, was beautiful and excelled in studies, but was isolated at school because of it.
The difference was that Yukinoshita Yukino was strong-willed enough to stand alone.
Sayu was quite weak.
Even so, she still had a very good friend at school, Masaka Yuuko. However, because of Sayu, Yuuko was also bullied and tormented, and finally, unable to bear the harassment, she jumped from the school rooftop.
The unresolvable guilt prevented Sayu from immediately rejecting such an absurd proposal; instead, she murmured.
"As long as I do that… Yuuko-chan will forgive me…"
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