"Click."
The sound of a phone camera suddenly rang out.
"What are you doing?"
Momo instinctively raised her hand to cover her face and glared over.
"I admit Senpai is very cute, but I really didn't take a picture of you." Natsuki held up his phone and said innocently, "I was clearly taking pictures of the campus scenery."
"Huh?"
Momo's eyes widened as she looked at the eerie and strange campus before her: "You call this campus scenery... Are you a pervert?"
He explained, "Words alone are not enough. When I return to my original world, I need to present convincing evidence for people to believe that I traveled to a parallel world after the apocalypse."
"Tsk." Momo pouted, "Let's talk about it when you get back to your original world."
"I'll definitely go back." Natsuki said confidently, "Why don't Momo-senpai record a video yourself, say what you want to say, and when I return to the original world, I'll give the video to the other Momo-senpai."
Momo: "..."
She had to admit, the suggestion made her heart pound.
Her own life was completely ruined, with no hope or future, but if she could give some advice to her parallel self, to help her avoid the regrets in life... no one could refuse that temptation, right?
"Nonsense." Momo turned her head away and said stubbornly, "Let's talk about it when you can return to your original world."
Miko from the parallel world said calmly, "We're about to enter the campus. Stay alert and don't panic."
Natsuki nodded and said, "What is the true form of that Strange Tale?"
"I don't know." Miko gently shook her head. "I just happened to pass by the school one day, and my heart suddenly warned me that a powerful Strange Tale was entrenched in the school. So I avoided it. Strange Tales are very dangerous. You must remain vigilant, observe carefully, and not violate any rules."
"Sounds very dangerous." Natsuki turned and said, "Momo-senpai, why don't you stay outside?"
Momo was indeed hesitant at first, but upon hearing this, her stubborn temper immediately flared up. She turned her head and snorted, "Don't look down on me! It's just an anomaly, it's not like I haven't encountered one before!"
Natsuki: "…"
He truly just wanted to persuade her to stay, not use reverse psychology!
She had already experienced the Strange Tale apocalypse, yet she still had a tsundere personality!
Natsuki lightly coughed twice and said:
"Senpai, don't force yourself…"
"Less nonsense, coward. If you don't dare to go, then stay outside obediently." Momo glared over. "Hurry up and go!"
"…"
As expected.
The real-life tsundere and sharp tongue were not cute at all.
Natsuki put away his phone, made full preparations in advance, and then said:
"Then… let's go in."
The campus iron gate was already open, with bloodstains on it, and countless scattered student uniforms piled at the entrance.
Natsuki walked around the clothes on the ground and stepped into the Academy.
The next second.
A strong sense of dizziness surged over him.
"Hmm?!"
Natsuki suddenly sat up in shock, realizing with astonishment that he was sitting in a classroom, surrounded by noisy classmates, and on the blackboard, words welcoming new students were written.
"What happened just now… a nightmare?"
Natsuki covered his forehead, feeling a dull ache in his head, as if he had a very long dream, in which he had even spent most of the summer vacation.
He turned his head to look out the window.
The sun was bright.
The scenery was just right.
A gentle breeze blew, the cherry blossoms on campus swayed gently, scattering colorful petals all over the ground.
In the direction of the playground, there were also members of Tsubame sports club, training hard and sweating profusely.
"Is it really a dream?"
Natsuki frowned.
As time passed, he only felt that the memories in his mind quickly blurred, but he instinctively felt that something was wrong, yet he couldn't pinpoint what it was for a while, until he looked down at his right hand, and the black bracelet on his wrist caught his attention.
"What is this?"
Natsuki curiously raised his left hand and lightly touched the black bracelet on his right hand.
The next second.
A faint current instantly flashed through his mind, and the blurring memories immediately became clear.
"I actually fell for it."
Natsuki took a deep breath, his eyes returning to clarity.
The campus was still that vibrant campus, but Natsuki was now very clear that everything in front of him was an illusion.
He came from a parallel world, and while taking the subway with Miko, he accidentally crossed over to the current Different World, a world destroyed by the Strange Tale disaster, along with other passengers.
To return to his original world, he and others were looking for Strange Tales and exploring ways to return to their original world.
"The rule of this Strange Tale is that as long as you step into the campus, it will be triggered… how insidious."
Natsuki touched the black bracelet on his wrist and sighed:
"It's indeed correct to make multiple preparations in advance."
The bracelet on his right hand was not sports equipment, but a black mud clone. This thing could transform arbitrarily. Before entering the campus, Natsuki turned it into a bracelet and wore it on his right hand.
This thing was obtained from the Summer Time Rendering dungeon and could block all external information. Natsuki had stored a part of his consciousness in it in advance, and the moment his finger touched it, the two parts of consciousness merged, allowing him to remain conscious.
"Miko and Senpai." Natsuki quickly stood up and chose his next action target. "I have to find them."
He could remain conscious, but Miko and Momo might not be able to break free from the illusion, so it was necessary to find them early.
As Natsuki walked to the classroom door, he suddenly saw an incredibly familiar figure walking from the hallway, and his steps involuntarily paused slightly.
The girl they met at the door had black hair like a waterfall and skin as white as snow, but her eyes and expression were exceptionally cold, with an aura that kept strangers away. It was indeed the [Ice Princess Kaguya].
"I actually met Miss…"
Natsuki smiled.
So, was the Kaguya in front of him Kaguya from his memory, or the Kaguya that existed in the parallel world?
Seeing the smile on Natsuki's face, Kaguya slightly frowned, her gaze sharp, and she looked up, not wanting to say a word, trying to use her eyes to make Natsuki move aside from the door.
"Since it's an illusion, it's okay to do something excessive, right?"
Natsuki did not move aside. Instead, he thought of an interesting scene, took a deep breath, and loudly said:
"I will always love Kaguya-san!"
"…"
The originally noisy classroom suddenly became quiet, and everyone cast curious glances.
"Confession! And a confession in front of everyone!"
"He actually dared to confess to the Ice Princess Kaguya, I am willing to call him a warrior!"
"He actually confessed in front of so many people, doesn't he feel ashamed?"
"…"
The whispers of the curious classmates could not shake Natsuki's heart in the slightest.
When it came to thick skin, Natsuki had always been confident.
Kaguya at the door slightly frowned, her expression cold, and said:
"I'm sorry, I don't want to be in a relationship with anyone for now."
Natsuki smiled and said:
"It's okay if we don't date, let's just get married?"
"Marry, marry?!"
Suddenly hearing such an explosive confession, even the Ice Princess Kaguya showed a shocked expression.
She had already refused to date, yet he went even further and wanted to get married, how dared he!
Kaguya's expression became even colder, and she frowned and said:
"I refuse…"
Before she finished speaking, Natsuki suddenly took half a step forward, and in front of all the classmates, under the astonished gaze of Ice Princess Kaguya, he reached out and embraced Ice Princess Kaguya's slender waist, which was so delicate that it could be held in one hand, and then lowered his head to kiss her.
The entire classroom instantly became quiet, so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.
Then came a series of incredible gasps.
Natsuki released the dazed and dumbfounded Kaguya, turned to look at the curious classmates, and righteously said:
"If you like someone, you must have the resolve to go to jail for her. If you don't even dare to go to jail, what kind of love are you talking about?"
Everyone: "…"
It seemed to make some sense at first listen, but upon closer inspection, it was complete nonsense.
Before the curious classmates could react, Natsuki bypassed her and slipped out of the classroom.
In fact, his sudden taking advantage of of Ice Princess Kaguya just now, besides his mischievousness, also had half a mind to explore.
This was an illusion, not true reality.
It was highly unlikely that police or yakuza forces would appear.
So, if a take advantage of suddenly appeared on campus, how would the Strange Tale react?
It was quite difficult to find the Strange Tale's main body in such a large campus, so he might as well let the Strange Tale come to him.
"The feeling of returning to the first day of school… is quite good."
Natsuki walked down the hallway, feeling happy.
The afternoon sun was warm and bright.
The breeze blowing on him brought a stronger warmth.
Natsuki suddenly remembered a saying—people cannot simultaneously possess youth and the feeling of youth.
Thinking about it carefully, it was indeed true.
Although Natsuki was still a high school student, in the past six months, he had experienced various challenges that ordinary people would never encounter in their entire lives: games, Strange Tales, evil spirits, life and death separations… his understanding had already become completely different from what it was half a year ago.
"I'll go find Miko first."
Natsuki quickly walked to the door of Miko's classroom, stopped, and looked inside.
"Hmm… Miko isn't here, maybe in the restroom or somewhere else?"
It seemed to be lunchtime now, so it was quite normal for her not to be in the classroom.
Natsuki pondered for a moment, then turned and walked upstairs again. If he couldn't find Miko, he would try to find Momo.
Momo, like Tsubame, was a second-year student, and they were in the same class.
The differences between the two parallel worlds were very small. Natsuki followed his memory and quickly arrived at Tsubame's classroom. Looking inside, he indeed saw Tsubame chatting with someone.
Unfortunately, Tsubame at this moment clearly didn't recognize him; their eyes met briefly, then she looked away.
Natsuki suppressed the urge to go in and tease Senpai, turned, and continued walking upstairs, heading for the school rooftop.
A moment later.
Natsuki had reached the end of the stairs, and in front of him was the iron door leading to the rooftop.
"The door is indeed unlocked."
Natsuki reached out and gently pushed the door open, then stepped onto the rooftop.
The rooftop was empty, seemingly without anyone, but Natsuki walked around and found a short-haired girl sitting on a mat in the shadow behind the water tower, holding a small bear doll and eating something.
It was Momo.
However, at this moment, the white bone mask that had grown on Momo's face due to her fusion with the Strange Tale had disappeared, and she looked completely like an ordinary high school girl.
Without the white bone mask, the girl revealed astonishing beauty, reaching nine-tenths of Kaguya's level.
"Momo-senpai, I found you."
Natsuki stepped forward.
Hearing this address, Momo slightly frowned and said:
"Who are you? Are we close? Who told you to call my name?"
Natsuki: "…"
In the original world, this Momo-senpai, along with Osaragi Kobachi, Shiranui Koromo, and Tsubame, was known as Shuchiin's four "difficult-to-conquer girls."
It seemed her personality change wasn't due to fusing with the Strange Tale; this Senpai originally had a mischievous brat personality.
"My mistake, I'll be careful next time."
Natsuki apologized sincerely, while speaking, he carefully scrutinized Momo in front of him.
He found the person, but a new problem arose: how could he wake her up?
Clearly, this Momo-senpai had fallen into the illusion and forgotten why she was here.
"What are you looking at?"
Momo frowned, her expression displeased.
Natsuki said without changing his expression:
"She's so beautiful, and you won't even let others look at her?"
Momo pointed a finger at the door and commanded, "Get down!"
"Why should I get down?" Natsuki stood firm. "The rooftop belongs to all students, doesn't it?"
Momo was slightly taken aback.
"You don't know who I am?"
Natsuki shook his head and said, "I'm a first-year new student. Is Senpai really famous?"
"Hmph."
Momo snorted softly and said no more.
Momo is the daughter of the Ryuju Group's head, and the Ryuju Group is actually a yakuza organization. Simply put, this seemingly sickly Momo-senpai is actually the daughter of a yakuza boss in reality.
Therefore, ordinary students basically don't dare to interact with her.
However, it was normal for Natsuki, as a newly enrolled first-year student, not to know her background.
Momo did not reveal her identity to threaten him, but instead quietly got up, preparing to go downstairs and leave.
"Senpai, don't you think the school is very strange?" Natsuki suddenly said.
Momo looked over in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"It's the phone." Natsuki pointed to the phone in Momo's hand. "There's clearly no signal at all, so why has Senpai been playing on her phone?"
"Eh?"
Momo was startled and looked down at the phone in her hand, only then realizing that the phone indeed had no signal whatsoever.
After all, it was an anomaly-created illusion. If it could still connect to the internet, that would be truly unbelievable.
"What's going on?" Momo furrowed her brows in confusion.
Natsuki took the opportunity to take out his own phone, opened the photos he had taken earlier, which, in addition to the school, also showed half of Momo's profile.
"Is this...me?" Momo murmured to herself.
"That's right." Natsuki said softly, "Senpai, think carefully, where exactly are we?"
"My head hurts..." Looking at herself in the photo, Momo pressed her forehead, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, a pained expression on her face, and the white bone mask on her face flickering in and out of sight as she struggled.
But not long after, the expression on Momo's face returned to calm.
"Don't try to deceive me." Momo said coldly, "It's just a composite photo... Move aside, don't block the way."
At the same time, a prompt finally appeared before Natsuki's eyes:
[Momo chose to escape reality and indulge in the illusion...]
No wonder she couldn't wake up; it turns out she willingly indulged!
[After careful observation, you found that only an extremely strong stimulus can wake her up...]
"An extremely strong stimulus, huh?" Natsuki pondered, his gaze shifting downwards to Momo's black over-the-knee socks.
"What are you looking at?" Momo covered her skirt and cautiously took half a step back.
Natsuki said seriously, "Senpai, you should drink more water."
"Huh?" Momo looked at him confused.
Natsuki said, "Replenish yourself with some water. I'm worried you'll get dehydrated later..."
"What are you talking about!" Momo covered her skirt with both hands, feeling a strong sense of unease, and turned to run away.
Unfortunately, she couldn't escape at all.
Even the forms fused with Strange Tale couldn't escape, let alone ordinary human forms. Natsuki casually grabbed Momo into his hands, then took out a rope and directly tied the girl to a long bench.
"You dare to tie me up!" Momo's eyes widened. "Do you know who I am?"
"Senpai, don't shout so loudly." Natsuki made a quiet gesture. "You don't want Tsubame-senpai to be in danger, do you?"
Momo: "..."
In the original world, Tsubame and Momo had a very good relationship. It was said that Momo almost dropped out of school, and Tsubame helped her, for which she was always very grateful to Tsubame.
Now, using Tsubame as a threat, it was indeed very effective.
Momo bit her silver teeth, no longer shouting, but instead looked over indignantly:
"If you dare to lay a hand on Tsubame, you're dead. Even God can't save you!"
Sorry, not only have I laid hands on Senpai, but I even already have a daughter.
"Don't worry, as long as Momo-senpai stays quiet and doesn't shout, I guarantee I won't take advantage of Tsubame-senpai." Natsuki raised his right hand and swore a guarantee.
"Hmph, you'd better keep your word." Momo closed her eyes, raised her chin, like a swan waiting to be slaughtered, giving up the struggle. "Whatever you want to do, do it quickly."
"Senpai, don't panic. I'll try planting a Sin Mushroom first. If it succeeds, there'll be no problem."
Natsuki reached out and touched the top of Momo's head.
"...Disgusting!" Momo's body trembled slightly, and she bit out two words.
Very good.
Good luck.
Even though it's just an illusion, he can still plant the mushroom.
"Tsk~" Natsuki's mood lifted. Having successfully planted the mushroom, the next step was to wait for the mushroom to mature, which would save a lot of trouble. So he was in the mood to lift Momo's chin. "Momo-senpai says it's disgusting, but her face is red."
"You're talking nonsense!" Momo opened her eyes. "I wouldn't blush!"
Click.
Natsuki raised his phone, snapped a photo, then held the phone in front of Momo and slowly said, "Momo-senpai says she wouldn't blush... So how do you explain this photo?"