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"At first, no one paid attention. Everyone just thought the broken cup was an accident, and Kobayashi's hand injury wasn't serious, just a small cut. After a simple rinse and bandage, everyone continued to play the murder mystery game…"
Kousaka murmured, lost in thought.
"After the murder mystery game ended, it was already dark, so everyone went to eat barbecue together, the barbecue restaurant we all loved in high school. This time, I received a mysterious message… It told me to eat a spoonful of mustard in one go. If I failed the challenge, I would choke on my food."
Anyone who has eaten mustard knows what it's like. It's a green blob, looks a bit like matcha, and tastes stimulating and spicy. It's usually used with soy sauce and sashimi. Eating it dry is unbearable; it's like an electric current going from your tailbone straight to your crown, making you ascend on the spot.
"At the time, everyone still thought it was a prank, so I refused and didn't take it seriously." Kousaka said this, a look of lingering fear on her face, she took a deep breath and continued, "As a result, ten minutes later, a piece of roasted meat suddenly choked my throat. I almost died then, and it was Haruno who used the Heimlich maneuver to make me spit out the roasted meat, and I finally survived."
"Once was an accident, no one paid attention. When the second accident happened, everyone already started to suspect, but there was no evidence until the third challenge appeared…"
At this point, Kousaka pursed her lips and looked at Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Is it… my sister?"
Yukinoshita Yukino was extremely intelligent and instantly understood the other party's gaze.
Amamiya Natsuki was sitting by, not interjecting casually.
"That's right, it was Haruno-chan." Kousaka took a deep breath and nodded, continuing, "At that time, everyone had finished eating barbecue, and the other four friends left first. Haruno and I planned to find an izakaya to continue drinking…"
For adults in Japan, the most popular activity is drinking at night. Many people even drink several rounds in one night. The first round is with their leaders and superiors, then with good friends of the same generation, and finally perhaps with juniors. It's quite common and not surprising at all.
As for why they can drink so much… A plate of salted edamame, a bottle of sake, and the rest is chatting time. The actual amount is not much.
Kousaka continued:
"On the way to the izakaya, Haruno received that text message. There was no sender's name or phone number, only the word 'Unknown'. The challenge required Haruno to kick a cat within twenty minutes. Completing the challenge would result in a reward, and failing would result in being injured by a falling object."
Yukinoshita Yukino frowned slightly, saying nothing, silently waiting for the rest of the story.
"Because we had received two mysterious messages before, and both accidents had been verified, everyone was already very concerned. After Haruno received the message, she didn't go to kick the cat, but decided to verify whether the punishment for not completing the challenge would really appear." Kousaka said this, took another sip of water, her voice dry, "We thought that being injured by a falling object was likely a high-altitude falling object, so our original plan didn't change. We continued to go to the izakaya to drink. It was only nine o'clock in the evening then, and we planned to stay at the izakaya until eleven before going home."
"As a result…" Glasses Girl's voice trembled slightly, "As a result, the chandelier in the izakaya suddenly fell down. There was no warning, and no one touched it. It just fell for no reason, and Haruno happened to be sitting directly under the chandelier."
Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but ask:
"Did my sister get hurt?"
"Yes." Glasses Girl nodded, "Haruno didn't have time to dodge, so she could only raise her arm to block her head. As a result, her arm was injured and a large bruise appeared."
"…"
Yukinoshita Yukino silently bit her lower lip.
Being hit by the falling chandelier was five days ago.
In these five days, Haruno never told her what she encountered, and she… never took the initiative to send a message to her sister.
"Once is an accident, twice is an accident, the third time cannot still be an accident!" Kousaka put down her cup and said excitedly, "Although it's incredible and cannot be explained by science, you must believe me, we have indeed encountered an incredible incident!"
"Kousaka-nee, don't get agitated." Fujiwara Chika's voice was gentle as she held Glasses Girl's right hand, "We believe you."
Amamiya Natsuki said from the side:
"In fact, we have also encountered similar incidents."
"R-really?"
Kousaka's eyes brightened for a moment.
"No lies." Shinomiya Kaguya said softly, "We have indeed encountered similar mysterious incidents, and the proof is that we can still remember Haruno-nee."
There's no need to elaborate on the specific situation; just saying that they've encountered similar incidents can quickly bridge the gap between them. This Glasses Girl is now like a drowning person and won't think too much about it.
Glasses Girl calmed down and continued:
"After being hit by the chandelier, Haruno and I both lost interest in continuing to drink. We took a taxi to the Hospital, and then received calls from others… Everyone who played the murder mystery game at that time had encountered incredible mysterious incidents."
"Everyone was very scared at the time and wanted to call the police for help immediately, but it was useless… Except for ourselves, if it were anyone else, they would all say it was just a coincidence and that we were just unlucky." Kousaka bit her lower lip, "We tried to show the mysterious messages we received on our phones to others, but others couldn't see them at all."
"Everyone could only go to the shrine together and ask exorcists and shrine maidens for help with exorcism… It was useless, all useless."
"The phone would still receive challenges, and the challenge content became more and more perverted and difficult to complete. For example, Kobayashi received a task to urinate in a public swimming pool…"
I didn't realize that the bizarre entity behind you was quite disgusting.
At this moment, Kitagawa Marin raised her hand and asked curiously:
"Miss Kousaka, why don't you throw away your phone? If you throw away your phone, you won't receive messages, right?"
"We've tried that method a long time ago, and it's still useless." Glasses Girl said with a bitter smile and a shake of her head, "We tried changing to a new phone, but the new phone would still receive mysterious messages. When we showed it to others, they still said there was nothing on the phone. We also tried removing the SIM card and turning on airplane mode, still useless. Later, some people even threw away their phones, but the crows on the telephone pole would form words, and the clear water in the cup would turn into words… There's no escaping, absolutely no escaping."
It's clear that once entangled by the bizarre, it's not easy to get rid of it.
Yukinoshita Yukino said:
"Please tell me, why did my sister mysteriously disappear?"
"It's those damned challenges." Glasses Girl gritted her teeth, her eyes half fear, half disgust, "The challenges are becoming more and more difficult to complete, and the punishments for failing a challenge are also becoming more and more severe, making it hard to breathe."
"When Haruno disappeared, I was by her side and saw the challenge content on her phone…" Kousaka turned her head and looked at Yukinoshita Yukino, her eyes complex, "The last challenge Haruno received was to pull her favorite sister into the game, otherwise all existence would be erased… Haruno was actually very capable and successfully completed the previous challenges, but she refused this last challenge."
"…"
Yukinoshita Yukino remained silent, but her hands quietly clenched into fists, tightly clasped together.
So… my sister disappeared because of me.
The call I received that day must have been the last call my sister made, but I hung up because of some trivial matter…
"Yukino-chan, calm down." Fujiwara Chika held Yukinoshita's right hand, "We still don't know your sister's exact situation, but we still have hope, don't give up."
Yukinoshita Yukino took a deep breath to calm herself down: "…Thank you."
That's right.
My sister just mysteriously disappeared, maybe she's still alive… No matter what, I can't give up hope.
"Natsuki, what do we do now?" Kitagawa Marin asked softly.
Amamiya Natsuki pondered:
"It feels like this bizarre entity is imitating a game, but it's too clumsy and can only take advantage of ordinary people… Since that's the case, let's play along with it."
Hayasaka Ai rested her right hand on her chin, nodding in agreement: "That guy asked Haruno to pull people in, possibly not just to torment others, but also genuinely to recruit people."
"Miss Kousaka." Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at Glasses Girl, "Have you sent a message to that suspect?"
"Eh?" Glasses Girl was startled, and said blankly, "…Send a message?"
After confirming that the mysterious person was a mysterious unknown that could not be explained by science, Glasses Girl was left with only fear and had no intention of proactively sending messages to the other party.
Amamiya Natsuki said gently:
"We are very interested in this game. Could you send a message and ask if it will let us join?"
"…"
Kousaka's eyes widened in disbelief, feeling that these high school students in front of her had gone mad.
Knowing that it was a terrifying, bizarre existence that could make people disappear, they still wanted to actively join the game?
They were either arrogant fools or had something wrong with their heads.
When she was in high school, if someone invited her to play spirit board or other spiritual games, she would resolutely refuse and leave immediately. Only fools would go near it.
"You guys aren't joking." Glasses Girl took a deep breath and advised, "I've already told you what happened. Before you get entangled by that thing, hurry up and leave. It's still not too late to regret it now."
"Miss Kousaka, there's no need to say more." Yukinoshita Yukino's voice was clear and calm, "We can remember my sister, which proves that we are different from others. Perhaps we can save her… Please."
"Alright then."
Kousaka hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
Those police officers, priests, shrine maidens, and exorcists couldn't remember the disappeared Haruno, but Yukino and her group could, which indeed made them different.
Perhaps they really could save Haruno and even everyone… Since there was a glimmer of hope, they shouldn't give up no matter what.
"I'll try." Kousaka took out her phone, "I've never sent it a message before, I don't know if it will agree…"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Glasses Girl's phone and said:
"Try it first. If it doesn't work, we'll think of other ways."
"…"
A moment later.
"It actually replied!" Glasses Girl said nervously, "It says it welcomes everyone to play, and the way to join is very simple: you just need to touch the phone with your hand."
Yukinoshita Yukino unhesitatingly reached out her right hand and touched the phone.
"Me, me, me." Fujiwara Chika said expectantly, "It's my turn."
"Everyone, don't rush, one by one, slowly."
Watching the girls excitedly, one after another coming to touch the phone, Kousaka was dumbfounded, unable to understand.
These people are not right.
Very not right.
They had already been told how dangerous it was, so why were they still lining up to offer themselves?
It's one thing for Yukino to be Haruno's sister, but what are the others doing it for?
When encountering danger, you should hide as far away as possible, right?
Amamiya Natsuki extended his right hand, touching the Glasses Girl's phone. The next moment, a game prompt suddenly sounded in his ear.
"You have come into contact with the eerie 'Thorn of Oblivion'. You have been marked by a curse…"
"Reality Guardian Mission has been triggered!"
"Mission Objective: Kill the eerie Thorn of Oblivion"
"Upon successful kill, you will receive the following rewards—"
"One thousand five hundred game coins"
"Ten free attribute points"
"Three random skill scrolls"
"One Skin Card"
"One exquisite item"
"One dungeon exemption card"
Everyone exchanged glances, confirming it completely.
Behind 'Divine Concealment' was indeed an eerie entity invading the real world.
Of course, just joining the game was not enough. The real goal was to resolve the eerie entity and find those mysteriously missing people.
Amamiya Natsuki covered his right eye and gazed at the phone.
A moment later.
A line of text quietly appeared before his eyes.
"After careful observation, you have found the weakness of the eerie Thorn of Oblivion…"
Sorry, I really didn't find it. I just thought the Glasses Girl's phone case looked very nice.
"As a hero, you have decided to clear the game with one life. Please note, once you fail midway, you will no longer be able to defeat the final BOSS."
Amamiya Natsuki quickly understood.
Simply put, the challenge issued by the eerie entity must be completed. Only by challenging all the way up could they find the opponent. If they failed midway, it would be over.
"I just made a discovery…"
Amamiya Natsuki cleared his throat twice, drawing the girls' attention, and then briefly explained the content of the prompt.
By now, everyone had grown accustomed to Amamiya Natsuki always discovering strange clues, and even Yukinoshita Yukino didn't suspect him.
Aside from being vulgar and shameless, this boy was actually quite trustworthy.
"As long as we complete the challenges all the way, we'll eventually meet that eerie entity?" Kitagawa Marin put her hands on her hips. "It feels a bit like a Dragon Quest game."
The senpai girl complained, "It's a pity we're not heroes, and the other side isn't a dragon."
"Who said they weren't?" Fujiwara Chika turned to look. "Natsuki-kun is clearly a scum hero; he's played a hero before."
Amamiya Natsuki was expressionless: "It's truly regrettable to be so scummy."
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
The phone suddenly vibrated.
"It's Shoko." Juju looked at Komi's phone and said, "Shoko received a challenge message."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the shy girl.
"Komi, what's the challenge content?"
"Curious."
"Hurry up and tell us."
"…"
This Komi's communication disorder hadn't healed yet. She could only barely speak with Juju and Amamiya Natsuki. Facing everyone's gaze, she immediately lowered her head like a quail, unable to utter a single word, and nervously held her phone above her head.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the phone. The shy girl's first challenge was very simple.
"Please complete a Leap of Faith by the right window within ten minutes. Upon successful completion, your fortune will increase. If you fail or do not complete it, you will suffer fall damage as punishment."
"What is a Leap of Faith?" Shinomiya Kaguya asked curiously.
The the Young Lady knew very little about gaming terminology.
"It's a term from a certain travel System game." Amamiya Natsuki explained, "Actually, it's very simple; it means jumping down from the window."
"Good thing Miss Kousaka's apartment is on the second floor." Kitagawa Marin put her right hand on her hip. "You can just jump down."
Fujiwara Chika said:
"Shoko-chan, this challenge is very easy. Don't give up."
Komi nodded weakly, indicating understanding.
"Hey, hey, what exactly are you talking about?"
The Glasses Girl listened, dumbfounded.
You can just jump down from the second floor?
The window was a good four or five meters above the ground. If you jumped straight down like that, you'd definitely get hurt!
And that beautiful girl with long legs and big breasts, who looked so delicate like a little bunny, not even daring to meet anyone's gaze, clearly an introverted and shy, timid personality—when told to jump from the second floor, why was she nodding!
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the Glasses Girl and politely asked:
"Miss Kousaka, are others allowed to help with these challenges?"
"Allowed." The Glasses Girl nodded. "Yangno-chan and I have helped each other, and it doesn't affect the completion of the challenge."
"That's good then." Amamiya Natsuki looked at Komi and casually said, "I'll go downstairs first. When you jump down later, I'll catch you."
The Glasses Girl, Kousaka, listened with a speechless expression, unable to resist complaining:
"How can you possibly catch someone jumping from the second floor? There are blankets in the apartment; you can take them downstairs and spread them out, and everyone can hold the blanket together to catch the person."
Amamiya Natsuki said gently, "Don't worry, I can catch her."
Glasses Girl: "You can't catch her."
He was just a high school student; he shouldn't overestimate himself too much.
A girl who was so tall, with big breasts and a big butt, surely wouldn't have a low body fat percentage. She must weigh over a hundred pounds. Jumping from a height of four or five meters, an ordinary person simply couldn't catch her.
Amamiya Natsuki sighed, turning to the shy girl: "Shoko, what do you say?"
"…"
Komi naturally couldn't say a word. She quietly held up her notebook: "Thank you… I can just jump down myself."
Seeing the notebook, question marks involuntarily popped up above the Glasses Girl's head.
She could agree to this? Could she have been brainwashed?
"I'll go downstairs first."
Amamiya Natsuki pushed the door open and quickly went downstairs, spreading his arms and saying, "Jump down."
The Glasses Girl couldn't help but walk to the window, looking down, and at the same time, at Komi.
The second floor was already quite high from the ground. Most people wouldn't dare to jump down. This seemingly timid girl should hesitate for a long time before daring to jump, right?
But the next second.
Under the Glasses Girl's dumbfounded gaze, the shy girl leaped directly from the window without any hesitation or delay.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr