Miss Sadako, in the grip of severe social anxiety, refused to come out and entertain the guests.
As a guy, Natsuki was handsome and "powerful," making many female players' hearts flutter with the desire to become leg accessories.
However...
After sneaking glances at the ice-sculpture girl standing beside Natsuki, the female players all extinguished their little fantasies.
No contest.
Absolutely no contest.
Even though she was unmistakably flat-chested, she was simply too beautiful.
Her level of beauty was the type where talent scouts would kneel and beg her to join their agency if she walked down the street.
Countless cases had already proven that in the face of beauty, figure had to take a back seat.
As long as you were pretty enough, being flat-chested didn't matter at all!
"Everyone, please don't be nervous. Miss Sadako is actually quite easy to get along with. She just likes to secretly eavesdrop in corners—she never actually hurts anyone."
Seeing the atmosphere grow somewhat gloomy, Chika Fujiwara, as the Light of Humanity, stepped forward without hesitation to shoulder the responsibilities of the household matriarch.
"The game is dangerous."
"That's exactly why we need to unite, help each other, and get through this together."
Chika clasped her hands before her chest, seeming to radiate a bright glow:
"We absolutely must return safely to the real world—every single one of us."
Ah, so blinding!
Natsuki raised his hand to shield his eyes.
So this was the legendary Light of Humanity?
Her speech skills were incredibly impressive—she effortlessly lifted the low morale. This Fujiwara was practically a born politician. She might even become the first female Prime Minister someday!
Regardless, under Chika's empathetic influence, the atmosphere gradually grew lively.
Many players began chatting with each other, sharing information.
When it came down to it, humans were creatures who naturally liked huddling together for warmth.
Natsuki quietly listened to the players' conversations and discovered they were all struggling newbies. Their emotions were mostly fear and anxiety, and none of them had any clue why they'd been chosen by the game.
Hearing this, a thought suddenly stirred in Natsuki's mind.
Perhaps the horror game hadn't been around for very long, and everyone was actually still in the newbie phase of exploring and surviving?
Lost in thought, Natsuki suddenly felt his finger twitch.
He quietly turned his head and saw Chika closing one eye, a sunny, radiant smile on her face as she secretly flashed a peace sign.
Natsuki looked away and continued thinking.
Several seconds later.
Someone secretly tugged at his finger again.
Hey, hey—are you getting addicted to this?!
Natsuki looked at his pinky. Speaking of which, now that spirit Kaguya had been dealt with, could the red string be untied?
Curiously touching his pinky, Natsuki didn't feel any unusual sensation. He could only give up helplessly.
It clearly couldn't be untied anytime soon.
Could they learn Morse code in the future and use the red string to transmit messages?
While pondering the expanded uses of the red string, his pinky twitched slightly again.
"You're still at it?"
"Hehe."
The girl with the butterfly hairclip in her bangs lifted her pretty face, wearing a slightly smug smile.
Three strikes and you're out—time to show you what "know when to stop" means!
Natsuki suddenly wiggled his pinky.
Then the two of them secretly played finger games for quite a while.
...
"The corridor is lit up."
Natsuki and the other two returned to the corridor, heading straight for the nurse's station.
The nurse sat behind the station desk, her body completely still. Her face, wrapped in blood-stained gauze, silently gazed toward the corridor—clearly still slacking off.
The three searched for the key right in front of her. Chika Fujiwara even tidied up the messy station desk.
"No key found."
"Could it be on the nurse herself?"
"Very possible."
"Then we have no choice..." Chika pointed her finger. "Outlaw Zhang San! If I call your name, do you dare answer?!"
A hoarse voice emerged from the statue-like nurse. She then grabbed her blood-stained oversized syringe—clearly angry that her slacking had been interrupted.
Slap.
Natsuki grabbed the nurse's shoulder. "Zhang San, you're under arrest."
The nurse immediately froze.
"Kaguya-chan, let's find the key together."
The two girls worked together and quickly found a key in the nurse's pocket.
Then came the problem.
The moment Natsuki released her, the nurse immediately resumed movement. Wielding her oversized syringe, she staggered toward the three of them in pursuit.
The Vice Squad combo looked powerful, but it could only handle a single target. Its real effect was restricting a spirit's movement—it couldn't eliminate them.
Before this hadn't been an issue, but now with a spirit chasing behind them, the problem was immediately exposed.
They still didn't know what awaited in the final room. They definitely couldn't bring the nurse along—being attacked from both front and back would be disastrous.
"Kaguya-chan, do you want to try your weapon?"
Chika suddenly made a suggestion.
"I'll give it a try."
Kaguya nodded in agreement. The exclusive weapon she'd received from the Hundred Kills mission had never been used.
Natsuki watched Kaguya curiously. The bow model suddenly enlarged, transforming into a real longbow.
Then a faint light flickered across Kaguya's body, and her school uniform transformed into red-and-white shrine maiden robes.
Black hair reaching her waist.
The shrine maiden robes billowing without wind.
Kaguya seemed to transform into a true miko, drawing the bowstring with a standard, elegant posture. An arrow materialized from thin air and shot forth.
Under the expectant gazes of all three, the arrow struck the nurse squarely—and then dissipated with a poof.
The nurse was startled and hurriedly felt her chest.
Where the arrow had hit, there wasn't even a wound—her clothes weren't even torn.
"..."
The air suddenly fell silent.
Everyone knew ADCs could be weak, but this was way too weak! She fired an arrow and couldn't even scratch the enemy's clothes!
"The pose looked cool." Natsuki silently offered his assessment. "Let's go hide in the room."
As long as they returned to the ward, given Miss Sadako's socially anxious personality, she would definitely hide and refuse to come out. There'd be no need to worry about being attacked from both sides.
But then the nurse suddenly spoke: "Do it again."
"Hm?"
"Hurry, shoot me with another arrow."
A hint of excitement and anticipation suddenly appeared in the nurse's voice.
Chika blinked and whispered, "Could the nurse... be a masochist?"
Very possible.
Even vengeful spirits probably didn't enjoy being shot at repeatedly.
Kaguya bit her lower lip slightly, drew the bow, and fired another arrow.
Natsuki expected another weak attack, but when the arrow hit, the nurse was suddenly enveloped in light and rapidly sealed away, then vanished completely.
"Huh? What happened?" Chika was startled. "Did Kaguya-chan land a critical hit?"
"Here's a possibility." Natsuki speculated. "The nurse was so committed to slacking off that she deliberately let Shinomiya-san seal her away to escape her shift?"
"..."
The three arrived at the final ward.
"I'll open the door."
Natsuki took the key, and the door successfully unlocked.
As the bane of evil, he naturally had to stand at the front. Chika and Kaguya were both squishy ADCs who could be taken out in an instant if they weren't careful.
"Natsuki, be careful." Chika nervously reminded him.
Kaguya likewise said softly, "Be careful."
Natsuki nodded slightly and pushed open the door to enter the ward.
In the dim room, a frail, emaciated young girl lay on the hospital bed. On the table beside her were several books—Natsuki spotted the manga Monday's Warmth and a book titled Living Life to the Fullest with ALS.
A tablet rested by the girl's hand, its faint glow illuminating the ward.
Natsuki cautiously stepped forward and looked at the tablet. On the screen was a hand-drawn manga page depicting a corridor and rooms. Inside the small rooms were chibi versions of familiar faces.
Beside them was written a single sentence: I want to see the hydrangeas in the rainy season one more time.
The next moment.
The tablet's faint glow suddenly went dark, and both the ward and corridor were plunged into darkness.
Natsuki gently touched the tablet, waking the screen. The corridor brightened once more. Then he placed the paper-folded hydrangea into the girl's hand.
A game notification sounded.
"Player has cleared the game. Game over."