"An operational meeting?" Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said, "Miss Mitsui, please lead the way."
"Everyone, please follow me."
Miss Mitsui bowed slightly, then turned and led the way.
The meeting location was a luxurious hotel near Ichiban Street. There was a dedicated conference room on the second floor that had been rented by the Strange Tales Management Bureau staff. At the entrance, two men in suits and sunglasses stood guard. Seeing Amamiya Natsuki and his group approach, one of the men bowed and pushed the door open.
Amamiya Natsuki stepped into the conference room and found that many people were already seated, both men and women, dressed in varied attire, clearly casual players who had come to participate in the Kabukicho operation.
Most of them were unfamiliar players, but there were a few familiar faces—casual players they had encountered in previous dungeons.
"Natsuki!"
"Natsuki-kun, you're here."
Seeing Amamiya Natsuki walk in, the casual players who had received help in previous dungeons, regardless of gender or age, all stood up to greet him respectfully.
Other unfamiliar players, seeing this scene, couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"Who is that boy?"
"He looks like just a high school student, why are so many people greeting him?"
"And there are too many girls behind him!"
"Damn it, this world that judges by looks should just be destroyed."
"..."
Amamiya Natsuki responded to each of them, then, under Miss Mitsui's arrangement, sat at the far right of the circular conference table, followed by Kaguya and others who took their seats in turn.
Kitagawa Marin raised her hand to cover her mouth and whispered, her voice full of curiosity:
"Natsuki, Natsuki, the operational meeting feels so formal."
Amamiya Natsuki responded in a low voice:
"This is the first operation since the Strange Tales Management Bureau was established, so of course, it has to be serious enough."
Shinomiya Kaguya said softly:
"Morale and public sentiment are very important. The Strange Tales Management Bureau has gathered so many players, likely to eliminate the anomalies with overwhelming force, to prove their value and significance."
Fujiwara Chika suddenly realized:
"There are so many twists and turns within it. The adult world is indeed so complex."
A moment later.
The operational meeting officially began.
"First, I thank everyone for participating in this operation," Miss Mitsui said, pushing up her glasses and speaking seriously. "As of yesterday, thirty-two civilians have been killed. To protect the lives of the people, I ask everyone to cooperate fully and eliminate the anomalies entrenched in Kabukicho as soon as possible."
Naturally, casual players below responded.
"Please rest assured, Miss Mitsui."
"Eliminating anomalies is everyone's responsibility."
"Just leave it to us."
"..."
Amamiya Natsuki was unsure where these casual players' confidence came from, but they must all have special abilities or rely on something.
"Thank you, everyone."
Miss Mitsui bowed slightly, then continued:
"Please rest assured about the promised rewards; the Strange Tales Management Bureau, as an official organization, will certainly keep its word and deliver. Next is the division of operational areas…"
Kabukicho Ichibangai is neither too big nor too small, with hundreds of movie theaters, bars, adult entertainment venues, restaurants, and more.
Players couldn't just swarm together; the probability of encountering anomalies that way would be too low.
"Therefore, after comprehensive consideration, we hope everyone can act in small teams of two to five people," Miss Mitsui said softly. "Everyone helps each other and looks out for each other, responsible for searching an area as a small team. Of course, if you have other ideas, you can tell me later."
As her voice fell, two staff members dressed as secretaries quickly came forward, each distributing a black wristband.
Amamiya Natsuki curiously picked up the wristband and found that it looked somewhat like a Citizen Eco-Drive watch.
Miss Mitsui introduced:
"These are a batch of equipment that we urgently commissioned Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. to produce. They use the most advanced Eco-Drive technology, which can be charged by sunlight, lamp light, etc., and are water-resistant to fifty meters. In addition, they have a built-in positioning device that can monitor everyone's real-time location."
"The rotating button on the right side of the watch is an emergency call device. Just rotate it once, and the support team will immediately rush over to assist. During this period, the support team will act according to your commands."
With the equipment distributed and the operational areas divided, Miss Mitsui quickly announced the conclusion of the operational meeting, followed by the action time.
The casual players were originally preparing to leave the conference room when they were surprised to see other players gathering in front of Amamiya Natsuki.
"What's wrong with them?"
"What does 'pasting skills' mean?"
"Why do they look so grateful?"
Miss Mitsui stepped in front of Amamiya Natsuki and said softly:
"Natsuki-kun, if it's convenient, I hope you can help others paste some skills to protect everyone's safety as much as possible."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded and agreed: "No problem."
Pasting a skill would at most take five minutes and involve no other effort, but it could gain a lot of connections. Why not?
After receiving Amamiya Natsuki's affirmative reply, Miss Mitsui went to the other casual players and said:
"Everyone, please wait a moment. Natsuki-kun can grant you an additional skill."
Hearing this, most of the casual players were skeptical and found it hard to imagine.
"Miss Mitsui, please don't joke."
"You're lying, aren't you? Someone can actually grant others skills?"
"Abilities are super rare; they're not like cabbages by the roadside that you can have whatever you want."
"..."
Facing the doubts of these guys, Amamiya Natsuki didn't waste words. He directly displayed his skill panel, speaking to them with facts.
The next second.
The large conference room suddenly fell silent.
Touch of Destiny.
Time Stop.
Seize and Eliminate Evil.
Sin Mushroom.
Evil Spirit Banishing Aura.
"Psychic Power 100%".
Advanced Spirit Vision.
Accio.
Super Long Delayed Reaction…
Adding the skills Amamiya Natsuki copied from the girls, at a glance, there were as many as twenty or thirty skills on the panel, completely shocking those unfamiliar casual players.
"F-fake, right?"
"How can he have so many skills!"
"And there's even the golden legendary skill 'Time Stop.' I've never even heard of it."
After being stunned, the unfamiliar casual players finally came to their senses, their faces showing expressions of disbelief.
The game had only appeared for less than half a year and didn't exist before, so there were no ancient relics from a thousand years ago, hidden century-old families, and so on. The players in the conference room should be the first people to encounter the game.
But even so, everyone didn't have many abilities. Those with bad luck only had one skill by their side. Those with good luck at most learned three to five skills. Compared to Amamiya Natsuki, it was a world of difference.
At this moment, these casual players finally understood why, when Amamiya Natsuki first walked in, many people stood up to greet him respectfully…
Expert!
The real expert has arrived!
Amamiya Natsuki said casually, "So, do you want to paste a skill?"
No one could refuse.
All the players were aware of the importance of abilities, and they all bowed in unison: "We are deeply grateful!"
"…"
After spending half an hour pasting a skill for everyone for free, Amamiya Natsuki finally walked out of the conference room.
By the time he arrived at Kabukicho Ichibangai, the sky had already completely darkened.
Night fell.
A bright silver moon hung in the sky.
Unfortunately, compared to the colorful and dazzling Ichiban Street, interwoven with countless Japan lights, the full moon in the sky seemed insignificant.
"This is the true Kabukicho Ichibangai."
Looking at the bustling and noisy street, Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help but sigh.
During the day, Kabukicho Ichibangai was barely a proper street, but once night fell, its true face, the 'red-light district,' would be revealed.
As far as the eye could see, at the entrance of every bar and nightclub, there were scantily clad women soliciting customers, indulging in debauchery, and the air was filled with a scent of decay and degradation.
"Natsuki-sama, why is Ichiban Street called that?"
Sayu asked curiously.
Amamiya Natsuki said, "It's a long story… Well, actually, it's not that long."
The so-called Kabuki is a typical Japanese national performing art, similar to Peking Opera in the Celestial Dynasty.
Among them, "Ka" refers to music, "Bu" refers to dance, and "Ki" refers to acting.
According to legend, in the Edo period of the seventeenth century, a beautiful woman who was good at singing and dancing appeared, and with her own strength, she popularized the 'Kabuki' performance, making it a trend at the time and inspiring others to imitate.
But many people were just imitating poorly, and their income was very low, so they sacrificed themselves for art and became sex workers.
At that time, Edo was governed by the Tokugawa Shogunate, which rejected gambling, prostitution, and drugs. Seeing more and more sex workers, it ordered the prohibition of Kabuki performances.
But there are policies from above and countermeasures from below. If women couldn't do it, there was no rule that men couldn't, so the precursor to male hosts appeared.
After World War II, art groups built a stage here for Kabuki performances. At that time, the stage was the largest building in the vicinity, so it was finally named Kabukicho Ichibangai. It was frequented by thieves, swindlers, male hosts, hostesses, gang members… In short, honest people should never go there, or they might be swindled out of everything but their underwear.
"Shoko, don't come to Kabukicho alone, understand?" Amamiya Natsuki looked at the the timid girl and threatened, "This place devours people whole; you can get in but you can't get out."
Komi quickly shook her head. Even if Amamiya Natsuki didn't say it, she wouldn't come to such a place.
"Don't scare Shoko." Juju rolled her eyes. "After the rectification, I heard that the public order in Ichiban Street is much better now."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw several Yakuza members covered in tattoos fighting in an alley.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Juju and said faintly, "Is this what you call good public order?"
Juju: "…"
According to Yamashita, because of the continuous strange death cases, Kabukicho Ichiban Street had become much more desolate, but Amamiya Natsuki could not see any signs of desolation. It was still crowded and noisy, and every dozen meters, there were sex workers standing on the street soliciting customers, completely ignoring the girls behind Amamiya Natsuki.
"Young man, do you want to come in and play?"
"There are many beautiful older sisters inside."
"You can drink and chat for free."
These women were not only dressed revealingly but also completely disregarded physical contact, speaking while trying to grab Amamiya Natsuki's arm.
Are you kidding me!
Everyone is right behind me, how could I be tempted by you!
Amamiya Natsuki decisively took half a step back, creating distance, and then said seriously, "I'm sorry, I'm underage."
"…"
After walking for dozens of meters, everyone arrived at their assigned search area.
"Muryo Annaijo…" Shinomiya Kaguya pursed her lips and looked up at the Japan-lit sign in front of her. "One of the victims, Takeuchi-san, worked inside. Let's go in and search."
Fujiwara Chika said from the side, "Sayu can perform the spirit channeling."
Sayu clenched her fists: "It's finally my turn to act."
As is well known, "Muryo" means free, and "Annai" means guidance or introduction. In the past, it was a very legitimate service agency, offering job introductions, matchmaking, special travel introductions, and other services. They could help with eating, drinking, and entertainment, and indeed did not charge fees—they would take you to recommended shops and then collect fees from the shops.
But now it has gradually evolved into a place for pimping. Some shady establishments will even force you to consume, which is truly a rip-off, but they do introduce you to older sisters. The safety is much higher than the small cards slipped under hotel doors; you don't have to worry about a group of big men suddenly rushing into the hotel and doing things to you.
"Let's go together."
"Speaking of which, I've never actually been inside a Muryo Annaijo."
"What will it be like inside?"
"The entrance says no entry for those under eighteen… Do we really have to go in?"
If they were alone, the girls would certainly be embarrassed, but as long as they were together, their courage would rapidly increase.
Led by Chika and Marin, the girls quickly unanimously decided to go into the Muryo Annaijo to broaden their horizons.
Of course, Amamiya Natsuki naturally walked at the very front.
"Welcome."
A middle-aged woman in a yukata came forward, bowed, and had a standard professional smile on her face, showing no unusual expression even though Amamiya Natsuki brought several girls with him.
Amamiya Natsuki was also entering such a place for the first time, and he looked curiously at the walls, feeling quite disappointed.
The space inside the Annaijo was very small, probably only about ten square meters. The three walls were covered with posters, introducing bars, KTVs, izakayas, hotels, etc. Of course, there were more posters of various female sex workers.
There were high school students in sailor uniforms.
Female office workers in suits.
And girls in yukatas, swimsuits, nurse uniforms, bunny girl outfits, and other uniforms.
"Hmm…" Kitagawa Marin looked around. "So this is what it looks like inside."
Fujiwara Chika put her hands on her hips: "I feel a bit disappointed for some reason."
Sayu stuck out her pink tongue and whispered: "I thought it would be a dragon's den or a tiger's lair."
Haruno smiled and said, "So this is just a place that provides introduction services, everyone doesn't need to be scared."
Yukinoshita Yukino crossed her arms, her lips moved slightly, and she finally couldn't hold back, whispering, "Why does elder sister know so much?"
"Oh~" Yukinoshita Haruno looked over with a smile, extended a finger, and lightly tapped her lips, "Yukino is not yet eighteen, so don't ask so many questions."
"…"
Yukinoshita Yukino pursed her lips and averted her gaze, suddenly remembering when Haruno was caught in an anomaly, and everyone went to Haruno's apartment to look for clues, and finally found adult films on Haruno's computer…
Big sis is already an adult over twenty years old, so it's normal for her to have needs.
"Do you ladies need anything?" The middle-aged woman smiled. "However, some special services can only be provided if you are over eighteen."
"We don't need special services." Amamiya Natsuki looked at the middle-aged woman. "We're here to retrieve Takeuchi-san's personal belongings."
Hearing Takeuchi's name, the middle-aged woman's expression changed slightly, and she said cautiously, "Who are you?"
There was also a middle-aged man in a suit inside the Muryo Annaijo. Seeing that something was wrong, he directly stepped forward.
Amamiya Natsuki didn't waste words, took out his phone, dialed Yamashita-san's number, and then handed the phone to the middle-aged woman: "You listen for yourself."
The middle-aged woman took the phone with skepticism, but soon nodded repeatedly, indicating understanding, then returned the phone to Amamiya Natsuki with both hands, bowing ninety degrees:
"Please wait a moment, I will go get Takeuchi's personal belongings immediately."
Facing ordinary people, these individuals were ruthless rip-off artists, but in front of official authority, they instantly turned into timid little chicks.
Without any trouble, a few minutes later, Amamiya Natsuki and the others obtained Takeuchi-san's personal belongings.
"Goodbye."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded slightly and led the girls out of the Muryo Annaijo.
"The next location is the bar ahead," Shinomiya Kaguya said softly. "The victim is Yamashita-san."
Amamiya Natsuki said, "Let's go get the things, and then do the spirit channeling together."
Kabukicho Ichibangai was actually not very large. After leaving the Muryo Annaijo and walking for dozens of steps, they arrived at the entrance of the bar.
Two men in suits stood at the entrance, clearly bouncers responsible for maintaining order.
When Amamiya Natsuki passed, they didn't speak.
When the young ladies passed, they also didn't speak.
It wasn't until Juju was about to enter the bar that one of the security guards suddenly extended his right hand, blocking Juju's path, and said in a low voice, "Sorry, elementary school student cannot enter the bar to consume."
Juju's small brows furrowed, and she couldn't help but shout: "Look closely, I'm not an elementary school student!"
Damn it!
This world that judges people by their appearance, it really should be destroyed sooner!
Amamiya Natsuki sighed and patted Juju's little head: "I told you you couldn't get in."
"You're even siding with outsiders?"
Juju was instantly enraged and opened her mouth to bite him.
Amamiya Natsuki raised his hand to dodge, then said, "In that case, Juju and Shoko, you two don't go in."
Tsubame stepped forward and said softly, "Natsuki-kun, you all go ahead. I'll take care of Shoko and Juju outside."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said, "We'll be out very soon."
Standing on the street, and with Senpai Sister nearby, there was no need to worry about safety.
"Natsuki." Kitagawa Marin looked up and whispered, "There's an Evil Spirit."
The bar was located underground, accessible by stairs. Amamiya Natsuki glanced around and saw that the entire underground passage was filled with Evil Spirits. He silently activated his Evil Spirit Banishing Aura, banishing the Evil Spirits as he walked down.
Turning the corner of the stairs and pushing open a door, deafening music immediately assaulted them. It was eight o'clock in the evening, and the bar was already noisy with music and packed with people.
"So noisy." Fujiwara Chika covered her ears, furrowed her delicate brows, and couldn't help but complain, "Why would anyone like to come to a place like this?"