"It's him."
Led by Mitsui, Natsuki and his group quickly found the unlucky person who was possessed.
Everyone stood at a distance and did not easily approach. Mitsui pushed her glasses on the bridge of her nose and said softly:
"Natsuki-kun, is it him?"
Natsuki nodded slightly and said:
"That's right, he's indeed possessed by the anomaly."
With division of labor and saturated search, the Strange Tales Management Bureau's operational efficiency was quite high. It didn't take long for the Strange Tales Management Bureau to pinpoint the anomalies again.
The unlucky person possessed this time was a middle-aged man in a suit, disheveled and reeking of alcohol. He was clearly a patron from a nearby bar, now standing alone in a small alley, leaning against the wall as if just sobering up. However, upon observation, he hadn't moved at all and hadn't even played on his phone… In today's society, only an anomaly could resist the temptation of a phone.
Chika reminded:
"That uncle is just possessed; he should still be alive. Everyone be careful, don't be as violent as before."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the other passing players became embarrassed.
Rushing forward with the intention of snatching kills, they almost beat a normal person to death, which was indeed inexcusable.
"Understood."
"We'll definitely be careful this time."
"Just breaking that face should be enough, right?"
According to the players' analysis, since this anomaly only had one face, its weakness was most likely related to the face. Harming the possessed unlucky person was not very meaningful. The reason that face shattered earlier was because someone unintentionally harmed that face.
Mitsui bowed slightly and said:
"Please proceed, everyone."
Specialization in skills.
Facing the mysterious anomalies, it was naturally best to let the players handle it. Mitsui knew exactly how capable ordinary people were.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Natsuki, awaiting his command.
Natsuki pondered for a moment, then looked at Chika and said:
"First, use Seize and Eliminate Evil to capture it and see if we can get more information."
Chika saluted and said:
"Leave it to me."
"…"
This anomalies, whether it had intelligence or not, still stood alone in the corner, completely unaware of Natsuki and Chika's approach.
"Don, the Outlaw, it's you!"
Chika pointed her hand and activated her skill.
Natsuki stepped forward half a step and grabbed the middle-aged man's shoulder.
The middle-aged man possessed by the anomalies remained motionless, without any struggle or resistance.
Seeing the two control the anomalies, the other players came forward, discussing animatedly.
"It actually possessed someone else; this anomaly is too strange."
"It's a good thing there are so many of us, otherwise we really wouldn't have found him."
"Speaking of which, I wonder what that face looks like…"
Chika curiously bent down, wanting to see for herself.
"Don't look at it." Kaguya reached out to stop Chika.
"Huh?"
Kaguya frowned and said: "All those victims were harmed because they saw the face. It's better to be careful."
The senpai nodded in agreement:
"Kaguya makes a lot of sense."
The other passing players were also very cautious. Although they were curious, they wouldn't act rashly. It was just a face, not a once-in-a-millennium beautiful girl; it really wasn't worth the risk.
Only one person's expression changed…
"Strange… why do I feel a bit dizzy just now?"
Juju subconsciously covered her forehead, feeling her mind had gone blank for a moment.
When she heard Kaguya say not to be curious about that face, Juju's expression changed slightly.
"Wait, wait a minute!"
"If I remember correctly, when those victim ghosts were summoned before, they all said their minds went blank and they couldn't remember what that face looked like…"
Juju widened her eyes, nervously looking at the man possessed by the anomalies, and clenched her small fists tightly: "The momentary blank in my mind just now, did I see that face?"
The man possessed by the anomaly had his head bowed very low, and his figure was hunched. Ordinary people couldn't see what his face looked like.
But Juju's height was only one meter fifty, just the right height to see the middle-aged man's face…
(Darn it!)
(In the end, is it because I'm short?!)
Juju clenched her small fists, about to tell Natsuki. Although she always spoke dismissively, when truly in danger, the first person she thought of was still Natsuki.
However, the words reached her lips, and then Juju swallowed them back down.
(I'll say it later… If I say it now, everyone will definitely stare at me with strange looks, right?)
At the same time.
The players tried to get information from the possessed man.
"Sir, what's your name?"
"…"
The middle-aged man kept his head down, completely unresponsive.
Someone guessed:
"After being possessed by an anomaly, do they lose their perception of the outside world?"
"Not necessarily." Another middle-aged passing player pondered, "Perhaps the question isn't stimulating enough. Let me try."
The middle-aged male player stepped forward half a step and said in a low voice:
"Sir, you are fired. Please complete your resignation procedures tomorrow."
Marin whispered, complaining:
"What's the use of saying something like that… Huh? Huh?"
The unlucky person, who had been motionless with his head down, suddenly let out a rattling sound after hearing he was fired.
Natsuki released his hand, lifting the suppression, and one could see the other party's body trembling continuously, seemingly wanting to lift his head.
"President." Kaguya's gaze sharpened, and she quickly said, "Don't let him lift his head."
"Understood."
Natsuki decisively acted, pressing down on the unlucky person's shoulder again.
Seeing the face would lead to a curse. If this anomaly were allowed to lift its head, the danger level would increase exponentially.
"It actually works?" Chika widened her eyes, puzzled, "Why does a single word 'fired' elicit such a strong reaction from him?"
The middle-aged male player sighed faintly, his voice filled with weariness:
"Because this is one of the greatest fears for middle-aged people."
Being fired at an age where one has elderly parents and young children, losing one's job would directly plunge one's life into an abyss. Hearing such terrifying news, even in a state of being possessed by an anomaly, the unlucky person still trembled all over.
Yukino said softly:
"It seems he can hear sounds from the outside world, but he can't speak and it's difficult for him to react."
Next, some players tried to attack the unlucky person's body to see if they could expel the anomaly, but naturally, it didn't work.
Chika suggested:
"How about using Seize and Eliminate Evil on that face?"
"You can only use the skill if you see that face." Natsuki shook his head, "And it's not clear if that face is a physical entity, so it might not be touchable."
Everyone discussed for a moment, but no one could directly capture this anomaly. They could only choose the previous method: eliminating it.
As the holy water caused damage to the middle-aged man's face, after a faint 'click' sound, white fragments fluttered down, scattering in the night wind, and the possessed middle-aged man suddenly collapsed.
Mitsui quickly stepped forward, having someone check the middle-aged man who had fallen to the ground: "He's still breathing, but his consciousness seems unclear… Natsuki, has that face escaped again?"
"It escaped. We tried to catch it, but no one could." Natsuki nodded, "Continue tracking it. It seems we can only resolve it by completely depleting all of its faces."
Mitsui turned and instructed:
"Have everyone continue searching and find suspicious targets as quickly as possible."
"…"
The operation continued.
After discovering the strange nature of this anomaly, no one could relax and rest before completely eliminating it.
Everyone dispersed, breaking into smaller groups again, and began searching for the escaped anomalies.
Natsuki was about to go look for the anomalies when a hand suddenly tugged at his clothes.
"Hmm?"
Natsuki looked down at Juju.
"That…" Juju stammered, whispering, "I think I… I think I saw it just now."
Juju would never do something as foolish as hiding things when there was an issue, only to make the situation irreversible later.
"Saw…" Natsuki raised an eyebrow slightly, "That face?"
"Probably." Juju bit her lip, whispering, "My mind went blank for a moment just now, as if my memory disappeared… I'm not sure if I saw it, but I just wanted to tell you."
Natsuki pondered:
"You're only one meter fifty, so it's normal to accidentally see that man's face just now…"
Juju was so angry that she bared her small fangs, wanting to bite him: "I'm one meter fifty, I'm truly sorry!"
Natsuki said seriously:
"Actually, I'm a lolicon. One meter fifty is my favorite height."
"Bah!"
Juju's eyes showed disdain, indicating she didn't believe a single word.
"Here." Natsuki took out the Pure White Bride Skin Card and handed it to Juju, "According to everyone's speculation, once you see that face, you'll be cursed. Try using the Skin Card, and you'll know if you saw it."
Juju took the Skin Card, looking at the bustling street, feeling a bit embarrassed, and whispered:
"Shall we go to the park?"
Natsuki whispered, "If we go to the park, I won't hold back."
"Damn it!" Juju pounded him with her small fists, "I'm already cursed by an anomaly, and you're still thinking about that kind of thing! Be serious!"
Natsuki extended his right hand, took Juju's small hand, and softly said, "Don't worry, I'm here."
"…Hmph."
Juju turned her small face away, let out a soft hmph, gripped one of Natsuki's fingers, and pulled him towards the park.
A moment later.
The two returned to the park, arriving at the corner where Natsuki had helped her with the massage earlier.
"Use the Skin Card," Natsuki said softly, "Let's see what state it's in."
"Okay."
Juju agreed, equipped the Skin Card, a silver stream of light flashed, and a Pure White Bride dress quickly appeared on her, exceptionally dazzling under the moonlight and streetlights.
When equipped, the Skin Card automatically adjusts its size to fit the user's body, so there's no need to worry about the clothing being too large.
Click.
Natsuki raised his phone and started continuous shooting.
It was Juju's first time equipping the Pure White Bride Skin Card. Looking at the pure white wedding dress on her, she was already very embarrassed, her small face flushed as she said, "Don't take pictures!"
"I'm not taking pictures, my phone is moving by itself." Natsuki talked nonsense while taking a few more photos, then said, "The hem of the skirt is turning black. It seems you really saw that face."
Upon hearing this, Juju lowered her head and looked at the hem of the skirt.
Indeed, a palm-sized patch of black appeared on the pure and flawless wedding dress, slowly growing upwards.
"Did I really see it?" Juju pursed her lips, her voice a mix of worry and confusion, "But my mind is completely blank; I can't remember what I saw at all…"
As Juju spoke these unintentional words, a prompt quietly appeared before Natsuki's eyes:
[You have obtained important information. After careful analysis, you have deciphered the fatal weakness of the anomaly's face…]
[That is a shy face, so shy that it doesn't even want to be remembered. You decide to remember the original face, and then defeat the anomalies.]
"Shy?"
Natsuki gently raised an eyebrow. Always keeping its head down, unwilling to meet people, was it actually because it was shy?
Kaidan are indeed stranger than the last.
Also, how to remember that original face?
While pondering in his mind, Natsuki reached out and pulled Juju onto his lap, saying seriously, "Let me paste a Possession Skill on you."
"Eh?" Juju trembled, her small face quickly flushing crimson, "Po-Possession?!"
That night, due to intense curiosity, being possessed by Marin had caused a mental shock that had not dissipated even today.
Natsuki said softly, "That anomalies doesn't know when it will attack. It has been verified just now that when an anomaly possesses someone, ordinary people actually still retain consciousness. I'll paste a Possession Skill on you. If you encounter an attack, immediately use it to possess me, and I will rush to your side."
"Hmph…"
Juju let out a soft hmph, not refusing, and held Natsuki's hand.
Although the Possession Skill was troublesome, it was indeed very practical. One shouldn't give up on something useful just because of a minor inconvenience. The curse on her body was more important right now.
"Speaking of which, it's a good thing the anomaly's face appeared in Kabukicho Ichibangai." Natsuki kissed Juju while complaining, "If it had appeared at the entrance of an elementary school student campus, that would have been super troublesome."
Juju showed her little fangs and huffed angrily, "If you say I'm an elementary school student, why are you kissing me?"
Natsuki said righteously, "Of course, because I'm a lolicon."
Juju: "…"
A moment later.
Just as the skill was finished pasting, Natsuki received a call. The new unlucky person had been found again. This time, the unlucky person possessed was a hostess, and the possession location was in a bar's restroom—
After learning about the strangeness of the anomaly's face, the Strange Tales Management Bureau immediately notified all practitioners in Kabukicho Ichibangai. Now, it could be said that everyone was an informant.
There's no need to say more about what happened next. A group of players went directly to the bar, found the possessed hostess in the women's restroom, and then directly shattered the face.
The cat-and-mouse game never stopped. In the time that followed, the anomalies possessed various people: hosts, hostesses, office workers, bartenders, all sorts of people, completely undiscriminating. However, due to its characteristic of 'bowing its head, unwilling to meet people,' it would quickly be discovered by informants and then be chased down and destroyed by players…