A cold, rainy night.
An empty Shibuya street.
Clothes scattered everywhere.
A dead and desolate city...
Looking at the eerie and sinister world before them, the unlucky passengers who had just emerged from the subway station had their last shred of hope completely shattered.
It couldn't be a prank show.
At past ten o'clock at night, Shibuya street is usually a bustling time with people coming and going. The cost of clearing everyone out would be too great.
Eliminating all impossible answers, what remains is the truth—
Undoubtedly.
They had truly encountered an urban legend.
"Strange..."
Natsuki frowned slightly.
Generally speaking, if a player encounters an anomaly, the game will promptly notify them, urging them to hunt the Strange Tale.
But from the time he exited the subway until now, the game had shown no reaction, which was very concerning.
"Natsuki... I'm sorry."
Miko suddenly apologized in a low voice beside him.
"Hm?"
Natsuki was slightly startled, turning to look at Miko:
"What's wrong?"
"It's all my fault." Miko bit her lower lip, whispering, "Earlier at the hospital entrance, you said we should walk back... If we had walked back, we wouldn't have encountered the Strange Tale, would we?"
"Accidents are unpredictable." Natsuki squeezed Miko's fingers, his tone indifferent, "If we had walked back, we might have encountered something even more terrifying, like a meteor suddenly falling from the sky, landing right on our heads."
Miko couldn't help but roll her eyes:
"The probability of that happening is extremely small!"
"It's an accident, you know. When it doesn't happen, it's zero, but once it happens, it's one hundred percent. No one has foresight, so don't think it's your fault." Natsuki changed the subject, leaning close to Miko's ear, "If we can't go back, do you know what my wish is?"
The hot breath made Miko slightly retract her neck. Although she knew Natsuki wouldn't say anything serious, Miko still couldn't help but ask:
"What is it?"
Natsuki said with a straight face:
"I want to hear Miko say 'I like you' with her own lips."
Miko: "..."
Even though they encountered a super dangerous Strange Tale, he was still thinking about these things. It really proved the saying: some people, with Time Stop for eight seconds, think about controlling the world, while others, with Time Stop for half an hour, only think about taking advantage of girls.
However... if they could go back, saying it wouldn't matter.
As they spoke, the office lady walked up to Natsuki and nervously asked:
"Excuse me, what should we do now?"
"It's simple. After encountering Strange Tale, there's only one goal." Natsuki held up a finger, "That is to strive to survive."
A male office worker raised his hand and asked:
"Can we go home?"
Natsuki countered:
"Do you think the world before you is still our original world?"
"..."
The office worker immediately fell silent.
Everyone knew in their hearts that the world before them might no longer be the original world, but it was still the real world, not some alternate world. It was understandable to want to go home when faced with danger.
"But..." The office worker's wife bit her lip, her expression worried, "My daughter is still at home..."
"Madam, you don't need to worry about your daughter's safety. You should be more concerned about yourself right now." Natsuki looked around, raising his voice, "What I'm about to say will disappoint you."
When all the office workers looked over, Natsuki announced loudly:
"This is not the real world, but a similar yet different alternate dimension. So you don't need to worry about your family, because we are the ones who need to be worried about."
"Of course, if you insist on going home to see, you can certainly go back, but what you might encounter on the way, or if there are strange things in your home, is unknown."
"In short, it's at your own risk."
"..."
After a brief silence.
A male office worker quietly asked:
"Is there still a chance for us to go back?"
"Of course there's a chance to go back." Natsuki pointed to himself, giving these disheartened office workers a ray of hope, "Don't forget, I've encountered many Strange Tales before, so I have some experience, so to speak."
Upon hearing this, their low morale rose slightly.
"The most important thing to survive and return to the real world is faith," Natsuki shared his experience. "It might take three days, five days, or even ten days to half a month, but as long as you don't give up, there's hope."
"That's right, this young man is correct." A few young office workers were still in good spirits and took the lead in responding, "Everyone must not give up."
"We must return to the real world alive!"
"..."
"I'll ask again." Natsuki stood on the steps, looking at the office workers below, "Does anyone want to leave and act alone?"
"..."
The crowd was silent; no one spoke, and no one left.
"Since no one is speaking, I'll take it as you all agreeing to survive together." Natsuki looked around and continued, "Since we're acting together, some things must be made clear beforehand."
"First, do not act alone."
"The world of Strange Tales is a world of horror; you can think of it as a horror movie. People who act alone often encounter danger. Even if you go to the restroom, leave the door open. Life is the most important thing."
"Second, if you encounter any unusual situations or things that feel off, don't hide it or be afraid of troubling others. You must speak up immediately."
"Third, in case of an accident, obey my commands. If I tell you not to move, do not act on your own. You can question me, but it must be afterwards."
"I'm done speaking." Natsuki said calmly, "Those who agree can act together. If you feel uncomfortable or don't want to agree, you can leave and act on your own. It's up to you."
"..."
The passengers looked at each other, and no one moved.
Leave and act alone?
Are you kidding me!
Knowing it's a terrifying Strange Tale, yet still choosing to act alone—only an idiot would make that choice!
"Natsuki-kun, we'll go with you."
Soon, passengers responded.
"That's right."
"We've noted all the rules; please let us act with you."
"Please rest assured, we guarantee we won't cause you any trouble."
The handsome young man in front of them, who looked like a high school student, was younger than all the office workers, but his words somehow convinced people.
Compared to exploring the unfamiliar Strange Tale world alone, clinging to a 'veteran' for survival was the most correct choice.
"Very good." Natsuki nodded slightly, stating his first arrangement, "Escaping the Strange Tale world isn't a one or two-day affair. You've worked all day, so you must be very tired now. Let's find a place to rest first, and then look for clues to escape tomorrow… So, let's go."
Natsuki was now in the position of a 'leader,' so naturally, he wouldn't discuss everything with others. One of the most important abilities of a superior is to make decisions at critical moments.
Under special circumstances, 'acting autocratically' is not a derogatory term. If you have to consult others' opinions on everything, you will only find it impossible to move forward.
For example, now.
As Natsuki stepped down the stairs, the passengers followed suit.
The fine rain was melancholic.
As they walked out of the sheltered area of the subway station platform, cold raindrops fell on them, and the chill quickly enveloped them.
Natsuki casually took out an umbrella, holding it over himself and Miko. As for the other passengers, they could only use their briefcases to block the rain.
"Miko, this place is very similar to your dream, isn't it?"
Avoiding a pile of clothes underfoot, Natsuki looked at Miko and asked softly.
"I don't know…" Miko's eyes were dazed, and she subconsciously shook her head, "But… it does seem like the scene from my dream…"
Along with her daze, Miko also felt a little panicked.
The world in her dream was not just an empty city; countless monsters and evil spirits were also hidden in the shadows.
The group walked through Shibuya Station Square, and Natsuki stopped, looking at the passengers behind him, and asked:
"It's best not to choose a hotel for resting. Firstly, the rooms are too small, leaving no space to hide if danger arises. Secondly, everyone gathered together is safer, and you might also need simple food and washing up… Do you have any recommended places?"
"I know." A female office worker quickly said, "An internet cafe can be used for resting."
Seeing everyone look over, the female office worker coughed twice and said:
"I… I lived in an internet cafe for a while… Besides the cubicles, there's actually a lounge area with sofas, carpets, and free drinks and snacks. It should be suitable for everyone to rest together."
Living in Tokyo is not easy.
A fresh graduate in Japan earns only 200,000 Yen a month. Telecommunication fees, water fees, electricity fees, transportation fees, food expenses… among these, rent is undoubtedly the largest expense.
Various expenses might seem small, but when combined, they account for almost all income.
In fact, no matter the country, young people generally can't save money; those who truly can save are a minority.
Thus, a term was born in Japan:
Internet cafe refugees.
As the name suggests, these are a group of refugees who cannot afford to rent a house and can only live in internet cafes—the main business of internet cafes in Japan is no longer internet services. Anyone who has been to an internet cafe in Japan knows that the network configuration is terrible; you can't even play slightly larger online games. Providing shelter for ordinary people who can't afford rent is the real main business.
Natsuki nodded and said:
"Then we'll find an internet cafe nearby and simply rest for a night."
Another office worker stepped forward and said:
"My workplace is near Shibuya, and I know where there's an internet cafe. Please follow me."
"..."
The group walked through the city in the light rain, and soon arrived at a commercial street.
"Strange…" The office worker leading the way looked bewildered, "I remember clearly that the internet cafe was right next to the wagashi shop. Why is it gone?"
"If it's gone, keep looking." Natsuki's expression was calm, "This isn't the real world to begin with."
As he spoke, a female office worker suddenly exclaimed:
"Look, there's a child there!"