"Strange..."
Yukino pursed her dry lips in confusion.
Her mouth was very dry.
It was like that dehydrated feeling from a trip where she forgot to bring water and went a whole day without replenishing fluids.
Doesn't Haruno usually have a habit of drinking a glass of water before bed?
Why was her mouth so dry?
Suppressing the confusion in her heart, Yukino glanced at Natsuki, who hadn't woken up yet, and tried to get her clothes.
A strand of black hair slipped from her shoulder, sweeping past Natsuki's face.
Natsuki sneezed, opened his eyes, and saw Yukino covering her chest with one hand, her eyes sharply fixed on him. His mind gradually cleared, and he decided to preempt Yukino's words to leave her speechless:
"...Did I press on your hair?"
Yukino: "..."
"If you don't speak, then you didn't." Natsuki raised his arm and commanded, "It's not light yet, hurry up and lie down properly, keep sleeping."
Yukino's pretty face tensed, and just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt an inexplicable force sweep over her. Her body uncontrollably lay on Natsuki's chest, and his strong, powerful heartbeat once again entered her ears.
"What's going on?"
Yukino widened her beautiful eyes vigilantly, trying to regain control of her body, but it was completely useless.
What exactly happened during the period of body swapping?
Why was her body out of control?
Why didn't Haruno tell her through telepathy?
Even if Haruno didn't say anything, Garbage-kun must know the reason!
"Get up..."
Yukino gritted her silver teeth, about to wake Natsuki and ask about the situation.
"Hiss..."
Natsuki lightly inhaled, frowning first and saying:
"You're pressing on me, it hurts. Quick, help me move."
"Move... position?"
Yukino didn't react for a moment, but her body had already moved first, her right hand involuntarily reaching downwards.
"Hm?!"
A moment later.
Yukino's pretty face flushed, and she finally reached her limit, lowering her head and biting Natsuki's shoulder.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
Natsuki was completely awake this time. He opened his eyes and met Yukino's furious, murderous gaze, then hesitated:
"Are you... Yukino?"
Such familiar sharp eyes clearly meant that Yukino was back.
Yukino's pretty face was tense, her eyes filled with murderous intent, and she said in shame and anger:
"What did you do to me?"
"Cough..."
Natsuki looked at the ceiling, recalling the positions he used to take advantage of Haruno last night...
He couldn't say.
If he said it, he would surely be sentenced to death.
Yukino gritted her silver teeth and said:
"My body... why is it out of control?"
This was something he could talk about.
Natsuki said:
"Actually, it's..."
Yukino interrupted him, covering her chest with one hand and supporting Natsuki's body with the other as she sat up:
"Get up, sit properly, and speak slowly."
"Yes."
"..."
A moment later.
Both were fully dressed.
Yukino glanced at the wet towel on the bedside, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. For some reason, she felt that the damp towel was quite an eyesore and wanted to throw it into the trash can.
"You can now confess truthfully."
Yukino sat on the chair, her body as straight and upright as a green pine.
"Yes."
Natsuki sat opposite Yukino, like a prisoner being interrogated by a female police officer, feeling inexplicably guilty. "After we parted yesterday, a lot happened. I'll tell you slowly..."
After they separated at the church, they first went to the Pachinko parlor to earn their first pot of gold, then to the underground casino like a returning God of Gamblers, and then to Happy Community to buy a house, verifying the speculation about the main quest, and also Yasui voluntarily paying protection money...
Of course, Natsuki didn't mention the events of taking advantage of Haruno last night.
Yukino also maintained the unspoken agreement and didn't press for details.
Asking would be useless anyway, it would only make her angry and serve no purpose.
"Pet... collar?"
Upon hearing the name of the item, Yukino immediately furrowed her delicate brows, raised her hand to touch the collar on her neck, and said with a tensed pretty face:
"Take it off."
"Yes, I'll take it off immediately."
Natsuki stepped forward half a step and removed the collar from Yukino's neck.
This thing wasn't soul-bound equipment; it could be put on, and of course, it could be taken off.
Putting away the pet collar, Natsuki changed the subject:
"How are things at the church? Haruno Jie's body suddenly switched back, will she be okay?"
"No need to worry." Yukino pressed her brow, "The church side is also resting, and there's nothing urgent."
"That's good..." Natsuki suggested, "It's not light yet, how about we rest a bit more?"
Yukino's delicate brows tightened, and murderous intent gathered in her eyes.
"I'm going out." Natsuki observed her expression and quickly got up, saying, "Yukino, rest in the room."
After speaking, without giving Yukino a chance to refuse, Natsuki grabbed his clothes and walked out. Before leaving, he didn't forget to take the 'criminal evidence' – the damp towel.
"Oh, right." Natsuki walked to the room door, turned around, and asked, "Are you thirsty? Should I pour Yukino a glass of water?"
Yukino originally wanted to refuse, but she indeed felt an unbearable thirst, so she softly responded:
"...Mm."
"I knew you'd be thirsty." Natsuki closed the door casually, "Wait for me."
"..."
After disposing of the incriminating towel, Natsuki took out a cup, poured Yukino a glass of clear water, and then walked alone to the small sofa in the living room, sat down, and continued to rest.
The night passed without a word.
In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.
Seeing a hint of light outside the window, Yukino quickly got up. Even in reality, Hirano didn't have a habit of lying in bed, let alone in a dungeon.
Opening the door, Yukino had just arrived in the hallway when her steps paused slightly.
"Yukino-chan, good morning," Tsubame greeted with a bright, graceful smile.
Behind Senpai, there was also a Shoko, clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands, curiously looking up.
Yukino nodded slightly in response:
"...Good morning."
The explanation reached her lips, then she silently swallowed it back. The incident had already happened; even if it was her sister's soul, it was still her own body, so there was no need to explain.
Tsubame's expression was as usual, and she urged:
"Yukino-chan, hurry and wash your face and brush your teeth. Breakfast will be ready soon."
"..."
After washing up, as soon as Yukino arrived in the living room, she saw Natsuki push the door open and walk in from outside.
"Yukino, good morning."
Natsuki greeted as if nothing had happened last night.
Yukino glanced at him, ignored him, and helped Senpai move tables and chairs.
"Yukino-chan... Did you two have a fight?" Tsubame couldn't help but ask curiously.
Yukino shook her head and said:
"No fight."
She just wanted to beat someone up. Waking up to find herself in Garbage-kun's arms, and without even a single piece of underwear, how could she easily forgive him!
Tsubame asked, puzzled:
"But you two were so intimate yesterday."
Yukino: "..."
Yesterday, that person was her sister, not herself!
Natsuki sat down at the table. The breakfast was naturally nothing special; to be safe, everyone ate bread to avoid an upset stomach. While eating, he said:
"I just went out and saw that it's indeed daylight outside, and there are more 'pedestrians' on the road... In short, they look like ordinary people. Everyone, stay calm and don't panic."
Yasui muttered softly:
"Suddenly, I realized there's an advantage to seeing more real-life evil spirits: at least you won't be startled by the evil spirits in the dungeon anymore."
Natsuki said while eating:
"In this dungeon, money really seems to make ghosts work, so today's goal is still to make money... Of course, if anyone has other ideas or actions, feel free to do so."
This statement was mainly directed at the two the passerby players. Natsuki didn't expect them to help, nor did he want them to cause trouble.
"I have nothing to do, Natsuki-sama, please feel free to command."
The two the passerby players expressed their stance, insisting on holding onto the strong support.
Natsuki nodded slightly and said:
"Then that's settled. You two help collect the resident information for the community."
"..."
After breakfast, everyone left the house together.
Even though it was daytime, Happy Community was still dead silent, with few residents visible.
Of course, despite being called 'daylight,' there was naturally no sun visible in the dungeon, only a hazy sky, like foggy weather.
Natsuki briefly calculated the current tasks:
First, his main job as a 'security guard.' This could temporarily be handed over to Senpai to sit in the security booth and handle phone calls.
Second, Chika and Marin; they haven't been contacted yet.
Next is making money. Money is an external thing, but having money can really make ghosts work.
And there's collecting resident information for Happy Community to ascertain the specific situation of more than half of the residents.
"Tsk~" Natsuki clicked his tongue lightly, "It seems like there's quite a lot to do."
No rush. You have to eat one bite at a time, and things have to be done one by one, slowly.
Natsuki turned to look at Yukino and said softly:
"Let's go. We'll go find Haruno-nee first and see the situation."
As for Tsubame and Shoko, plus the two the passerby players, Natsuki had them all stay in the community to collect information and answer phone calls.
Yukino crossed her right arm over her chest and said in a cool voice:
"Lead the way."
She had come to Happy Community through soul exchange yesterday and indeed didn't know the way to the church.
"Speaking of which, a lot happened yesterday..."
Natsuki spoke while casually extending his right hand, preparing to take Yukino's soft hand.
"Stare—"
Yukino shot him a warning glance.
Natsuki, with his thick skin, pretended not to see and continued to reach for Yukino's hand.
Slap.
This time, Yukino directly slapped it away.
Yukino took half a step back, widening the distance, and said:
"If I touch something impure, I feel like I'll get sick."
Impure, huh?
Last night, you not only touched, but also had a deep exchange!
Natsuki sighed:
"As expected, a Yukino who pouts is cuter."
If it were Haruno, she would have already hugged him proactively.
Yukino crossed her right arm over her chest and looked straight ahead, saying:
"Essentially, pouting is nothing more than a weakling wagging their tail for a strong one. Such a thing will never appear in my dictionary."
"That makes sense." Natsuki nodded in agreement, not intending to argue with Yukino, "However..."
Natsuki took out a wake-up stone from his pocket and smiled:
"If I were to show a video of Yukino pouting yesterday, how would Yukino respond?"
Yukino: "..."
The two exchanged barbs as they set off for the church. Along the way, they naturally encountered some wandering evil spirits, but fortunately, Natsuki was an experienced hand and led Yukino to avoid them in advance, so no conflict occurred.
The journey was silent.
The two arrived safely at the church.
Unlike last night, the church's main gate was open during the day, allowing visitors free entry. However, in the courtyard in front of the gate, a ghost nun with blood-red eyes and a tattered nun's habit was resentfully sweeping fallen leaves.
"Is that the ghost nun who climbed the roof last night?" Natsuki scrutinized her for a moment and quickly recognized her.
"It's her." Yukino nodded gently.
Natsuki asked curiously:
"Why is her nun's habit so tattered?"
Upon hearing this question, Yukino turned her head, looked at him with a subtle gaze, and whispered:
"The culprit is far away in the sky, but close at hand."
Natsuki said in surprise:
"It was me?"
Yukino whispered the reason:
"Garbage-kun stole her money last night. When she found the money missing, she suspected another ghost nun she didn't get along with, and then the two of them fought."
"So it really was my fault." Natsuki pressed his chest and sighed, "My conscience suddenly started aching faintly."
Yukino looked disgusted: "A hypocritical life is very painful."
Natsuki smiled:
"As long as others are more miserable than me, I'll naturally be happy."
"..."
After the nuns in the church woke up, they all needed to pray. Yukino, being a "traitor," quickly led the way to find Haruno.
"Natsuki-kun!"
Seeing Natsuki, Haruno cheered happily, hugged Natsuki's arm, then looked pitifully at Yukino, and whispered:
"Yukino, shall we drink another bottle of Soul Potion? Days without telepathy with Yukino are too terrifying."
Yukino was expressionless and said decisively:
"I refuse."
Telepathy is fake; wanting to swap bodies again is the real goal, right!
She didn't know before, but now that she knows the side effects of body swapping, she will never agree to you!
"But the church is too scary." Haruno said pitifully, trying to play the emotional card, "I woke up and saw a ghost nun bending over and looking at me. I almost screamed then, and it was so hard to cover my mouth tightly. If it happens a few more times, my heart won't be able to take it."
Yukino remained unmoved:
"Then we'll talk when Haruno-nee's heart can't take it anymore."
"How...how mean..." Haruno tugged at Natsuki's sleeve, complaining aggrievedly, "Natsuki-kun, hurry up and manage Yukino."
Natsuki shook his head and said:
"I wouldn't dare, I can't."
"Why not?" Haruno whispered, "You're the baby's father."
"Ba-baby?"
Yukino's black hair trembled slightly, and she instinctively covered her lower abdomen.