"Ba-bait?"
Mrs. Ozawa looked up in surprise, her expression bewildered.
"It's exactly as it sounds," Natsuki patiently explained, "The girl who came back with me just now is a native of this world."
Mrs. Ozawa's eyes widened even more:
"Wa-wait a minute... what does 'native' mean?"
"Still, it's as it sounds..."
Natsuki did not hide anything, directly revealing the truth of the world.
Being bait would definitely be dangerous, and to ask someone to risk their life as bait, he naturally had to explain the ins and outs.
As for Mrs. Ozawa leaking the news, causing panic and the entire team to fall apart... Natsuki was not afraid at all.
If it fell apart, then it fell apart; he could simply leave with Miko.
The reason he brought others along to survive was purely out of a simple human alignment, not a savior's heart to save everyone.
"I-it's actually another world..." Mrs. Ozawa was in a daze for a while before she came back to her senses, quickly grabbing Natsuki's right hand tightly and nervously saying, "Natsuki-kun, can we still return to our original world?"
"My daughter is still in the apartment, only three years old, if we can't go back..."
"Don't worry," Natsuki comforted her gently, "I guarantee your daughter will be fine. Think about it, with all the passengers on an entire subway train suddenly disappearing, such a serious mass incident, the authorities will definitely investigate each of our information, and then someone will naturally take care of your daughter."
"That's good... that's good..."
Mrs. Ozawa felt a little relieved, but even so, the worried expression on her face still lingered.
For a woman with a child, the child is indeed an inseparable lifeline.
Natsuki said softly:
"Since we could come here, then there must be a way to go back, so, no matter what, don't give up hope, your daughter is still waiting for you to return."
"I understand," Mrs. Ozawa took a deep breath, her gaze quickly firming, she clenched her fists and bit her lip, saying, "I agree to be the bait."
Natsuki said:
"Then I'll leave it to you."
As stated before, there aren't that many coincidences in the world.
Twice in a row, Mrs. Ozawa was the first to discover Rain Child. Excluding the option of coincidence, Natsuki had reason to believe that Mrs. Ozawa possessed some kind of trait that could attract monsters like Rain Child.
In fact, his eyes had already given a hint; the so-called trait was actually 'maternal love'.
"Um..." Mrs. Ozawa looked over cautiously, "What are the safety measures Natsuki-kun mentioned?"
"It's this."
Natsuki took out a peculiar, dark iron plate and handed it to Mrs. Ozawa, explaining:
"This is a trap item. When you're acting as bait, if you encounter danger, just throw it on the ground and step on it to activate the cage effect... Let's go to the surface first, and Madam can try it out."
Mrs. Ozawa is just an ordinary person; she can be given sticky skills, but she doesn't have a skill panel, so she can't activate abilities at all. Weapons also have no meaning; without any combat skills, getting a weapon wouldn't allow her to counter-kill monsters, so self-preservation comes first.
"Mm-hmm."
Mrs. Ozawa naturally had no objections, she quickly nodded and agreed.
"Let's go."
Natsuki led Mrs. Ozawa towards the exit, first greeting Miko and Hachishakusama, then meeting up with Momo.
"Is that her?"
Momo crossed her arms, her gaze on Mrs. Ozawa, her eyes suspicious.
Natsuki nodded:
"Mrs. Ozawa is very special, I trust her."
"Hmph."
Momo snorted softly and stepped onto the stairs.
The three arrived on the surface.
The causeless drizzle was still falling from the sky, and a cold wind blew, causing Natsuki to shiver uncontrollably.
Natsuki stopped and turned his head, saying:
"Madam, you can try out the item's effect now."
"Okay."
Mrs. Ozawa quickly nodded, threw the iron plate on the ground, and then carefully stepped on it.
Crack!
The iron plate immediately grew and spread, quickly forming a black circular iron cage, trapping Mrs. Ozawa inside.
That's right.
This thing was a trap item; once stepped on, it would trap the person inside.
By thinking outside the box, sometimes a trap can also serve to protect the target.
"Eh?" Momo's eyes widened slightly, and she couldn't help but look at Natsuki, asking curiously, "What kind of ability is this?"
Natsuki said casually:
"This is the power of the game."
It had long been verified that the game did not mind players revealing its existence, nor did it have any troublesome rules about instantly killing someone once the news was leaked.
Momo's heart fluttered as she said, "The game you mentioned, can I join it?"
"I don't know," Natsuki shook his head, "There are usually two ways to join the game. One is to be chosen by the game, just like the eight children in Digimon... This world has Digimon, right?"
Momo clenched her fist, gritting her teeth, and said, "Of course such a classic anime exists!"
"That's good," Natsuki continued, "The other way is to invite others to join through special items... Don't look at me, I really don't have that kind of special item on me."
"Tch."
Momo pouted, moving her gaze away in disdain, "Men are indeed unreliable... What about that woman?"
Natsuki looked at Mrs. Ozawa and explained:
"Generally speaking, once the trap is generated, you either break out of it yourself, or you obediently stay inside for an hour."
Mrs. Ozawa: "..."
After a brief discussion, Natsuki didn't let Mrs. Ozawa out, but directly lifted the iron cage with one hand.
Seeing this, Momo was secretly startled.
As far as she knew, although survivors in this world could fuse with Strange Tales to gain some special power, their physical fitness remained weak, only barely somewhat enhanced...
The junior from another world in front of her could actually lift an iron cage plus an adult woman with one hand, and it seemed extraordinarily easy. How high was his physical strength?
"Senpai, please wait, I'm going to the convenience store."
At a convenience store by the roadside, Natsuki greeted Momo, then walked into the convenience store. He came out shortly after, holding a pile of megaphones.
"What are you doing with these things?"
Momo asked, puzzled.
Natsuki replied:
"Senpai will know in a moment."
"Tch." Momo snorted softly, "Being mysterious."
"..."
A moment later.
Thump!
The three arrived at an abandoned amusement park. Natsuki put Mrs. Ozawa down, cage and all.
"Madam, don't worry," Natsuki assured her, "Those monsters are basically physical attackers. You can safely hide inside the cage, and there will be no problem."
Mrs. Ozawa: "...There's clearly a big problem, okay!"
What about the promised safety measures?
To actually lock someone in a cage, no matter how you think about it, it's too rough!
Mrs. Ozawa felt bitter, but unfortunately couldn't express it, so she could only nod resentfully:
"I understand."
"Then it's settled. As soon as Rain Child appears, Momo-senpai and I will rush over immediately."
Under Mrs. Ozawa's eager gaze, Natsuki and Momo retreated together, quietly hiding in a corner.
Taking advantage of Rain Child not having appeared yet, Natsuki picked up the loudspeaker again and began camping. This thing, besides Magnifying sound, could also pre-record voices and then set them to loop.
"Momo-senpai, if I leave the loudspeaker outside, it won't be destroyed by the monsters, will it?"
Natsuki turned his head and asked.
"Probably not." Momo pursed her lips. "Those monsters only react to human voices. A mere loudspeaker, the monsters will ignore… Before, we passed a Pachinko parlor, and the music inside was always very noisy, but we never saw any monsters destroying the shop."
"Then I'm relieved."
Natsuki nodded, turned on the recording function, and began to record.
"Moshi moshi, Miko, do you remember that videotape we secretly watched together during the summer vacation of our second year of junior high?"
"Huh?"
Momo widened her eyes and quickly realized what Natsuki was trying to do, unable to resist reminding him:
"The parallel world you are in is not exactly the same as our world. Perhaps in our world, there was no such thing as secretly watching a videotape."
"It's fine." Natsuki said nonchalantly, "The truly important content in what I said isn't the videotape."
Momo tilted her head and asked:
"Not the videotape, then what is it?"
Natsuki smiled and said:
"It's my voice. Although the two worlds won't be exactly the same, there's a high probability that a me exists. As long as Miko hears my voice, she'll know who I am."
"…"
Realizing that Natsuki had already considered her reminder, Momo snorted in displeasure, turned her head, and stopped speaking.
Natsuki, in one go, recorded voices into several other loudspeakers.
"Stare—"
Momo turned her head slightly, unable to resist glancing over with the corner of her eye.
"What does Momo-senpai want to say?"
Natsuki asked.
"Hmph…" Momo hummed softly, crossing her arms over her chest, and finally couldn't hold back her curiosity. "You and Miko… what was the content of the videotape you secretly watched during summer vacation?"
Natsuki said meaningfully:
"I said it was a videotape watched secretly in the afternoon during summer vacation, with the door closed and hidden away. What kind of content did Momo-senpai think it would be?"
Momo's pretty face flushed slightly, and a look of disdain flashed in her eyes:
"Tsk, lewd!"
Natsuki said innocently:
"How is a horror movie lewd?"
Momo: "You clearly said…"
"What did I say?" Natsuki retorted. "Did Senpai not think about closing the doors and windows tightly and drawing the curtains when watching horror movies as a child?"
"…"
Momo bit her lips in annoyance and stopped talking.
A videotape watched secretly by two people, with the door closed, hidden in the room, and the curtains drawn—who would have thought it would be a horror movie!
This scoundrel junior, so annoying!
"Senpai, keep an eye on Mrs. Ozawa." Natsuki whispered, "I'll go place the loudspeakers nearby first."
He left as soon as he spoke.
Natsuki's figure flashed, and he quickly disappeared.
Placing the loudspeakers was straightforward; he placed one at regular intervals. The loudspeakers had built-in batteries that could last for forty-eight hours, so as long as Miko approached the nearby streets, she would definitely hear the loudspeakers.
"Momo-senpai, I'm back."
After placing them all, Natsuki turned and returned to the amusement park.
Hearing the voice, Momo's body tensed slightly, then slowly relaxed. For a while now, she had grown accustomed to being alone. The sudden appearance of a junior from another world made her feelings quite subtle and complex.
"Too slow." Momo snorted softly, disdainfully saying, "I thought you had been caught by those monsters."
Natsuki didn't argue and returned to Momo's side:
"Sorry for making you wait, Senpai."
"Hmph." Momo hummed softly, crossing her arms over her chest and saying, "Is that woman useful at all? So much time has passed, and we haven't seen a trace of Rain Child."
Natsuki lowered his voice and said:
"Senpai, look closely, it has already appeared."
"Hmm?"
Momo was startled, then narrowed her eyes, finally seeing a small figure in a yellow raincoat appearing next to the slide not far away.
It had been raining continuously, and the slide itself was yellow, so she hadn't noticed it immediately.
"Rain Child actually appeared?"
Momo widened her eyes in surprise.
One must know that Rain Child is a very rare 'treasure chest monster'; ordinary survivors might not encounter one for several days. Now, in less than half an hour, a Rain Child appeared. Was it simply good luck, or did that woman act as an effective bait?
"Senpai, prepare to act."
Natsuki reminded her in a low voice.
"Mm."
Momo agreed, quickly composed herself, took a deep breath, and then picked up her bow and arrow.
She drew the bow, nocked the string, and shot an arrow!
Buzz!
The arrow pierced through the rain and mist, suddenly embedding itself into the mud beside Rain Child's feet.
Rain Child was immediately startled, retreating two steps in a panic, its attention completely drawn to the arrow.
Natsuki, however, had already quietly circled behind. He didn't even need to use Time Stop; a single Accio directly pulled the yellow-clad Rain Child in front of him.
"Squeak squeak squeak~"
The yellow-clad Rain Child struggled and shrieked again, its voice indeed very similar to a mouse.
Natsuki had no intention of holding back and decisively stripped off the yellow raincoat.
As the raincoat was peeled away, the slender Rain Child quickly transformed into a black mist and disappeared into the air.
"Done." Natsuki nodded with satisfaction and walked over to the iron cage. "Madam, thank you for staying a little longer. For every raincoat we get, we can save one more person."
Mrs. Ozawa hugged her arms. Although she was wearing an ordinary raincoat, she was still very cold after staying in the wind and rain for so long. Hearing this, she said firmly:
"I… I can still hold on!"
"…"
After painting the grand picture, Natsuki returned to their hiding spot and continued to lie in wait with Momo.
"How about it, Senpai? Didn't I say it would work?"
Natsuki said casually.
"Tch." Momo pouted. "It's just an isolated case. Maybe it's just good luck."
Twenty minutes later.
Another Rain Child appeared stealthily by the swing set.
Natsuki turned his head and asked:
"Momo-senpai, what do you say now?"
"Say what?" Momo continued to be stubborn. "I used to win 'another bottle' twice in a row when I bought drinks."
Half an hour later.
A third Rain Child quietly appeared again.
Natsuki turned his head to look at Momo and smiled:
"Senpai, when you used to buy drinks, you wouldn't have won 'another bottle' three times in a row, would you?"
"…"
Momo bit her lips and finally stopped speaking.
Damn it!
This guy got to show off!
I really want to punch him!
But… the bait actually worked?
The continuous appearance of three Rain Children in a short period of time could not be explained by luck alone. Clearly, that Madam had some special quality that was attracting the Rain Children.
"Why does that woman… attract Rain Child?"
Momo licked her lips, unable to resist asking.
To survive in this desperate world, the raincoats stripped from Rain Child are indispensable. However, Rain Child is very rare and extremely agile, making it difficult to find. As a result, many survivors have to fight amongst themselves, snatching each other's raincoats.
If there was a special way to attract Rain Child, there wouldn't be so much conflict and killing among survivors.
Natsuki turned to look over and shook his head:
"Senpai, you can't do it."
"Why can't I?"
Momo immediately became indignant.
Natsuki whispered:
"Mrs. Ozawa has a two or three-year-old daughter, and it's when maternal love is most intense. If Momo-senpai wants to be like her, she must first become a mother."
"Eh?" Momo was startled, then quickly realized, "You mean, the quality that attracts Rain Child is actually maternal love?"
"Exactly."
"…"
Momo bit her lower lip and began to ponder.
Maternal love being able to attract monsters sounded a bit incredible, but in this terrible world, anything was possible.
Monsters like Rain Child were clearly formed from the grievances of the child. Given that, it was not strange for them to crave maternal love.
But… what should she do?
To produce maternal love, one must first have a child. Having a child in this world destroyed by Strange Tales, only an idiot would do such a thing! Mothers who bring children into this kind of world should commit seppuku!
And even if she wanted to have children, it wasn't something just anyone could do…
Thinking of this, Momo unconsciously glanced at Natsuki, then quickly averted her gaze.
What happened next needs no further explanation.
The Rain Child clearly had no contact with each other; one Rain Child would fall, and another would appear. Mrs. Ozawa was like a candle flame, attracting Rain Child like moths to a flame.
Time quietly passed, and unknowingly, the sky darkened.
"You've worked hard, Madam." Natsuki came to Mrs. Ozawa's front and said gently, "We can go back to the internet cafe now."
"F-finally, we can go back?"
Mrs. Ozawa's pretty face was pale, and her eyes were teary. Sitting alone in the open space of the amusement park, acting as bait to lure monsters, was a double torment, both physical and mental.
"Thanks to you, Madam, we got about ten raincoats today." Natsuki stated the day's results. "We can rest after one more day tomorrow. Everyone being able to survive is all thanks to you, Madam."
"Th-that's good then…"
As Mrs. Ozawa felt aggrieved, a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes.
Mrs. Ozawa was trembling and unable to walk, so Natsuki simply carried her on his back, and then, together with Momo, the three of them returned to the internet cafe.
Night fell quietly.
Rain poured down.
In the silent, desolate city, a black-haired girl with waist-length hair and a cold expression walked silently through the city.
"Hmm?"
The black-haired girl suddenly stopped, listening intently, only to hear a faint, familiar voice from the rain mist ahead:
"…Miko, do you remember that videotape we secretly watched together during the summer of our second year of junior high?"