"Those people have gone far away, quickly let us go."
Yukino bit her silver teeth and said in a low voice.
"No rush." Natsuki said righteously, "Let me hold you for a while longer. What if those people come back for a surprise attack?"
What surprise attack? If they were going to be discovered, they would have been discovered just now. You clearly just want to take advantage!
"That's right, safety first." Haruno said with a smile, "Yukino, don't be impulsive. This is an instance. You need to be patient, calm, and not arrogant or impetuous."
Looking at the smiling Haruno, Yukino sighed helplessly.
Ever since her sister became a joker, she's been completely unreliable.
So...
Yukino's pretty face slightly hardened, and her right hand once again reached Natsuki's waist.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, Yukino-sama, have mercy."
Natsuki quickly cried out in pain and begged for mercy.
Yukino bit her silver teeth and said:
"Quickly let me go."
Haruno, meanwhile, said from the side:
"Yukino, stop it. The bride training course never mentioned domestic violence against your husband."
Natsuki asked curiously:
"Hmm? Yukino also underwent bride training?"
Yukino said expressionlessly:
"You're overthinking it, not at all."
"..."
The main task was important.
Natsuki naturally wouldn't forget the main task just for the sake of embracing both of them; besides, in the dream world, the achievement of embracing both had already been accomplished, and not only that, the Jenga and Tetris games had also been completed.
"We can leave now."
After confirming that there were no more casino thugs within sight, Natsuki released his arms, letting go of Yukino and Haruno.
Yukino quickly took half a step back, extricating herself from the Shadow Cloak, and glanced downwards, her expression as if looking at irrecoverable kitchen waste:
"Lewd!"
Natsuki turned his body to the side, unable to help but retort:
"What's lewd about it? It's clearly a normal physiological reaction, isn't it?"
If I were holding you and Haruno in my arms and my heart remained as still as water, with no reaction at all, I should go to the hospital for a check-up!
Yukino turned her pretty face away and commanded:
"Even if you're a pervert, you should at least have some sense of shame... Quickly put your clothes on."
"Yes."
"..."
Natsuki quickly put on his clothes. To be safe, the three of them did not leave brazenly, to avoid running into casino thugs on the way, but instead stealthily departed using the leg attachment and Shadow Cloak.
The journey was uneventful.
The three safely returned to Happy Community.
"Senpai, Shoko-chan, we're back."
Natsuki raised his hand to greet them.
"It's good that you're back." Tsubame looked at Haruno, "Haruno-nee must not have rested well last night. Junior bought a house in the community last night, it's very safe inside. Quickly go and rest."
Haruno smiled:
"Thank you, Tsubame-senpai, but I slept very well last night."
This was the truth.
She could even say she slept very soundly last night.
Tsubame said helplessly:
"Haruno-nee, don't force yourself. You have dark circles under your eyes. You need to rest well and stay energetic."
"Yes, yes~"
Haruno didn't explain, just smiled and agreed.
As they spoke, the Shoko walked over, holding a stack of documents.
Natsuki looked at Shoko and asked:
"Have the resident information been registered?"
"Mhm."
The Shoko quickly nodded, handing over the documents in her arms with both hands.
Tsubame softly said from the side:
"I was worried that those residents would be difficult to talk to, but Shoko-chan's identity as an insurance salesperson came in handy."
Yukino pursed her lips, asking curiously:
"Did Shoko-chan try to sell insurance to the residents of the community?"
"No, not at all." Tsubame gently shook her head, whispering, "She didn't even have time to sell. As soon as she introduced herself, most residents just 'bang' and closed their doors. It was super easy."
Yukino: "..."
Natsuki finished reviewing the community resident information and quickly grasped the general intelligence.
The occupancy rate of Happy Community was not high; there were only about twenty households, and all the rest were empty houses, with no response when knocking.
Of course, to be safe, for any house suspected to be empty, Tsubame and the others placed a seal strip on the door. This way, if anyone entered or exited, the seal strip would be broken, allowing them to determine the situation of these houses.
"Shoko-chan, you worked hard." Natsuki nodded with satisfaction, extended his right hand, and patted the Shoko's small head, "That's quite good news."
The Shoko, praised, quickly looked down at her toes, a happy curve secretly forming on her lips.
The main quest required more than half of the residents to give good reviews. With only twenty-odd households in the community, only a dozen or so good reviews were needed, and the goal instantly became clear.
Natsuki turned to Tsubame and softly said:
"Senpai, could you please call the old lady with small feet from last night?"
"Eh?" Tsubame blinked, "Junior is calling to... rent a house?"
Natsuki gave a thumbs up, praising:
"Senpai is indeed incredibly intelligent, predicting things like a god."
"Pah~"
Tsubame lightly spat, her pretty face slightly flushed, she glared at Natsuki, then turned and walked towards the guard booth.
Natsuki withdrew his gaze and saw Yukino with her arms crossed, her eyes filled with disdain and contempt.
Unfortunately, by now, looks of disdain could no longer inflict any harm on Natsuki.
"Shoko." Natsuki beckoned, "Take Yukino back to rest first."
"Mhm, mhm."
Shoko nodded hurriedly, a small doubt rising in her heart.
Big Sister Haruno was the one who hadn't rested well, so why take Yukino to rest?
A moment later.
The elderly woman with small feet came bouncing over.
Upon hearing that Natsuki wanted to rent a house, the elderly woman naturally agreed immediately. After they viewed the house and paid the bill, they quickly moved to the contract signing stage.
"Shoko, come sit."
Natsuki pointed to a chair.
"Eh?"
Shoko looked up, puzzled.
Natsuki said:
"You sign the contract."
"I, I can't…"
Shoko quickly shook her head.
"Why can't you?" Natsuki reached out, pulled Shoko over, and pressed her into the chair, "If Big Sister can, of course you can too."
"…"
Shoko had no choice but to carefully sign her name.
"Next is the verification time." After the elderly woman left, Natsuki looked at Shoko, "I'll go to the security booth. Call me later and ask me to come over to provide service… Basically, it's like yesterday, no problem, right?"
Shoko shook her head hurriedly.
"At a time like this, you should answer 'no problem' instead of shaking your head." Natsuki stood up and said, "In short, if you do it well, there's a reward, but if you don't…"
As Natsuki spoke, his gaze moved downwards.
Noticing where Natsuki's gaze was fixed, Shoko immediately recalled yesterday's bathroom punishment, hastily covered her buttocks with both hands, her pretty face rapidly turning red at a visible speed, and she lowered her head, stuttering softly:
"I, I'll definitely make a good call."
Natsuki said with satisfaction:
"Very good, keep it up."
"…"
Bidding farewell to Shoko, Natsuki went to the security booth alone and waited unhurriedly. Along the way, he also wiggled his pinky finger to contact secretary Chika via the red string, but secretary Chika's response was still the same as before, stating that she did not need remote assistance.
A moment later.
Ding-a-ling.
The landline phone with its cut cord rang.
"Hello, this is the security booth."
Natsuki answered the phone.
Shoko's faint voice came through the receiver:
"Um… a bat flew into the house, Security guard, please come and drive the bat away."
Hey, hey, it's one thing to say a wasp flew into the house, but a bat is too exaggerated!
Natsuki politely said:
"Mrs. Amamiya, please wait a moment, I'll be right there."
Shoko immediately turned into a repeat-bot:
"I, I, I…"
Natsuki interrupted:
"I know Mrs. Amamiya's home address, please don't be afraid, wait patiently, I will arrive very soon."
"…"
Hanging up the phone, Natsuki left the security booth and walked towards the newly rented house.
Knock, knock, knock.
Natsuki arrived at the door and raised his hand to knock.
The door opened quickly.
Looking at the crimson-faced Shoko behind the door, Natsuki smiled and said:
"Mrs. Amamiya, good afternoon."
Shoko's pretty face was crimson, and she lowered her head, stuttering softly:
"Please, please come in…"
"Excuse me for intruding."
Natsuki stepped into the house.
Since it was a newly rented house, it hadn't been cleaned yet. Besides Shoko, there were also two the passerby players helping with the cleaning, watching Natsuki take advantage of Shoko. Both of their expressions were subtle.
When they first met Natsuki, their first impression was that he was a expert, a seasoned veteran.
Now… the words "scumbag" had to be added before "Expert."
Natsuki didn't care what the two were thinking. They didn't even have proper names, so he knew what they were. He nodded slightly in greeting and then began to help eliminate hidden dangers in the room. Before long, he actually found a bat in the room.
Upon asking, he learned that Yasui, a passerby who had descended into the unfinished building with Yukino, possessed the skill of summoning bats. Unfortunately, the summoned bats were not reconnaissance beasts with shared vision, but rather attack-type summoned beasts that fed on blood. While feeding on blood, they could convert a small portion of damage into health points, feeding it back to the summoner—the problem was that in the dungeon, monsters and vengeful spirits basically had no blood to feed on.
Useless.
The most useless of useless abilities.
The rest was simple.
Natsuki dutifully played the role of a security guard, opening the window and driving the bat hiding inside the house out the window.
"Mrs. Amamiya, I have fulfilled my mission."
Natsuki stood at the doorway, looking at Shoko.
"Th-that…" Komi's pretty face was crimson, and she stammered, too embarrassed to refute, so she could only blush and whisper, "Thank you, Security guard."
"You're welcome."
Natsuki said goodbye and left. After stepping out, he stood silently in the hallway, just like last night, waiting.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes…
"Tsk, so that's how it is?"
Natsuki clicked his tongue lightly, feeling a little regretful.
After waiting for a full three minutes, he still hadn't received the good review notification from the game, which clearly meant it wouldn't appear.
In other words.
Only good reviews given by residents of the community counted; good reviews given by tenants were useless.
The game allowed players to clear dungeons in multiple ways, but obviously unreasonable ways of clearing couldn't be used—the difficulty of buying a house and renting a house certainly couldn't be compared.
Knock, knock, knock.
Natsuki raised his right hand and knocked on the door again.
The door quickly opened a crack, and half a pretty face peered out. After confirming Natsuki's identity, Shoko quickly opened the door and asked softly:
"Natsuki-kun… how's the situation?"
Natsuki shook his head and said:
"Verification failed. Good reviews given by tenants do not count."
"Is that so…" Shoko pursed her lips and softly comforted him, "Natsuki-kun, don't be disappointed."
"It was something I expected, so of course I won't be disappointed." Natsuki shook his head, "Why did Shoko say a bat flew in?"
Shoko bit her lip with her pearly teeth, as if recalling some terrifying things, and whispered:
"When I was in junior high, a bat really did appear in my house."
"Oh?"
"Later, my dad checked the room the next day and found… a nest of baby bats in the air conditioner…"
"That's enough." Natsuki stroked Shoko's little head and said gently, "Don't think about scary memories anymore."
(True story. Just two nights ago, around 11:30 PM, the doors and windows were clearly tightly shut, but suddenly a bat fluttered around. I was completely stunned at the time, instantly wide awake. When I was a child, I could catch bats easily, but now that I'm grown up, I don't dare to hit them. For the past few days, I've been ashamed of my cowardice.)
Back to the main topic.
After the verification ended, Natsuki did not leave, but instead helped Shoko clean the house. Since they rented it, it could be used for resting, and they wouldn't need to crowd into one room at night anymore.
After cleaning, Natsuki had a slight sheen of sweat on his body, so he greeted Shoko and walked into the bathroom to take a shower.
Splash, splash, splash.
Warm water streamed over his body. Natsuki had just finished washing his hair when he suddenly noticed his pinky finger trembling uncontrollably.
"Hmm?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow and looked down at the pinky finger of his right hand.
This was the secret signal agreed upon with Chika before entering the dungeon, similar to Morse code. Simply put, it was a call for emergency assistance.
He hadn't called for assistance until now, so the sudden assistance signal must mean something urgent had happened.
Natsuki took a deep breath. He couldn't hesitate and decisively activated the special ability of 'Fated Person'.
The next second.
A ripple like water appeared beneath Natsuki's feet.
As Natsuki took a step, he suddenly vanished from the bathroom.
His vision blurred slightly, then quickly cleared.
Natsuki had originally tensed his body, ready for battle at any moment, but the next second he found himself standing in the center of a classroom. This seemed to be an art classroom, with many sketch boards and many girls in school uniforms.
At the same time, all the girls in the classroom looked at Natsuki in unison…