In the blink of an eye, it was deep night.
Other parts of Tokyo had already quieted down, but Kabukicho Ichibangai, known as the 'Sleepless Street,' was still brightly lit, lively, and noisy.
"I can't run anymore, I really can't run anymore." Chika sat on a chair, no longer having her previous enthusiasm. "How many faces does that kaidan even have?"
Sayu sat nearby, wanting to give up: "So tired, I want to rest."
Even Kaguya sat down, her voice weary: "It should be ending soon."
Natsuki distorted open a bottle of drink and handed it to Kaguya, saying, "If I remember correctly, there should be one last face left."
"…"
This was their first time participating in the Strange Tales Management Bureau's operation. Fighting for humanity, the players were full of responsibility, but as time went on, they had begun to collectively give up—
There were twenty to thirty victims whose faces were taken previously. In other words, the kaidan had twenty to thirty lives. Everyone had tracked it down, almost running all over Kabukicho Ichibangai.
It was fine at first, but repeating the same thing twenty or thirty times would make anyone irritable and numb. Many players gave up halfway, leaving the search work to the Strange Tales Management Bureau staff. Natsuki and Kaguya were actually among the last to persevere.
"Everyone, excuse me." Mitsui walked over quickly, her face showing clear signs of fatigue, and softly said, "Our staff has discovered a new suspicious target."
Natsuki let out a soft breath and stood up, saying, "Let's go take a look."
"…"
A moment later.
The kaidan possessing a middle-aged rich woman was once again removed, and the players collectively gave up again, leaving the search for the kaidan to the staff.
However, this time, the situation changed.
Twenty minutes later.
"Strange." Marin wondered, "Haven't they found the human possessed by that kaidan yet?"
The senpai said softly, "Previously, it would take about ten minutes to find the human possessed by the kaidan, but this time it's taking a bit long."
Natsuki took a sip of his drink and said softly, "Just keep waiting. Maybe in the next second, someone will call and say they found the unlucky person possessed by the kaidan."
"…"
However, Natsuki's guess was not confirmed.
Another ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
The unlucky person possessed by the kaidan still hadn't been found. That kaidan's face seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace. But everyone knew that the kaidan hadn't been eliminated, because the game's guardian mission was still incomplete.
"I'm very sorry, we have mobilized everyone to search for that kaidan, but we still haven't found it." Mitsui's face showed unwillingness as she bowed and softly said, "Everyone worked hard tonight. Please follow me to the hotel to rest."
A passing player couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean? Are you not looking for that kaidan anymore?"
Natsuki looked over upon hearing this and raised an eyebrow, saying, "The staff also need rest, and even if we're in a hurry, if we can't find it, we can't find it."
This passing player naturally wouldn't argue with Natsuki. He closed his mouth unwillingly, and everyone else was equally disheartened. Their first operation ending in such a disappointing failure, no one could be happy.
But at this point, there was no use in saying more.
If the kaidan truly wanted to hide, it would indeed be impossible to find it.
"Mitsui, you've worked hard." Chika said softly, "Shall we all go to the hotel to rest?"
"Let's go." Marin stood up. "If we can't find it today, we'll come back tomorrow and continue looking. Dungeons don't clear that quickly either."
Among the crowd, Juju parted her lips, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Natsuki looked at Juju and gently shook his head.
The matter of being targeted by the kaidan, if it wasn't mentioned before and only brought up now, others would inevitably have opinions. Since that was the case, it was better not to say anything.
Next, everyone followed Mitsui to a nearby hotel, preparing to check in and rest.
Upon arriving at the hotel, all procedures were already arranged, and there was no need to even check in. Two people per room, allocated as needed.
As a male, Natsuki naturally got a room to himself.
"Stupid Natsuki, what do we do now?"
Standing in the hallway, Juju nervously looked up at him.
Natsuki whispered, "That kaidan doesn't know when it will possess you. What we need to do now is lure it out."
Juju widened her eyes upon hearing this: "You're actually using me as bait?"
Natsuki spread his hands and said, "No choice. No one else knows what that face looks like."
"I don't know what it looks like either!" Juju showed her little fangs, "My mind is completely blank."
"I'm going back to my room first." Natsuki said softly, "Use the skill anytime if something happens."
"Mhm."
Juju took a deep breath, clenched her small fists, looked at Shoko, who was following behind her, and whispered, "Shoko, you go share a room with the senpai."
"Hmm?"
Komi looked up in confusion.
Juju bit her lips and whispered, "I need to go back and make a call. It'll probably take a long time. Anyway, see you tomorrow."
Although Komi was confused, she was always very well-behaved and obedient. Upon hearing this, she gently nodded and whispered, "Then I'll go stay with the senpai… Juju, see you tomorrow."
"…"
Natsuki entered his room, took out his phone, checked the time, and realized it was already one in the morning without him noticing.
It was already a hot summer day, and after running around all night, Natsuki was now covered in sweat and felt particularly uncomfortable. After charging his phone, the first thing he did was take a shower.
However, even after he finished showering and came out, there was no reaction from Juju.
"Could it be that that kaidan won't appear tonight?"
Natsuki frowned and sat down by the bed.
A moment later, just as drowsiness was creeping in, a strange sensation suddenly surged through him. It was as if a new consciousness had appeared within his body, and his mouth began to speak uncontrollably:
"It, it's coming…"
Before the words were finished, the possession state ended.
There was a large gap in mental strength between the two, and Juju's active possession only lasted for a short one or two seconds.
Natsuki suddenly stood up, directly used the Dark Shadow skill of Kaguya, transformed into a shadow, passed through the door crack to the hallway, then quickly moved to Juju's room door, and drilled through the bottom crack of the door.
Bang.
Natsuki ended the Dark Shadow state and appeared in human form, but his bathrobe couldn't be brought over when he transformed into a shadow, so he felt a little cold at the moment.
The room was exceptionally quiet.
Natsuki's gaze swept around, and he quickly saw Juju standing in the bathroom.
This Juju had obviously just finished showering, her hair was still dripping wet, she was holding a toothpaste in her hand, standing in front of the mirror above the washbasin, head bowed, motionless, only faint breathing fluctuations could be seen.
"Is it here?"
Natsuki didn't waste any words, decisively took out the Mask of Oblivion, put it on his face, then half-crouched down, looking up at Juju from below…
The next second.
A bizarre face came into view.
It was a pale, bloodless face, like a doodle drawn casually by an elementary school student, with only simple line outlines and a strange style, slowly merging into Juju's cheek.
At this moment, after being seen by Natsuki, the eyes on this face suddenly spun wildly, as if being seen was the most terrifying thing in the world.
"Hmm…"
Natsuki hummed softly, only feeling a sharp pain in his mind, as if an invisible force wanted to erase the image in his mind.
But under the effect of the mask, the memory just now had been branded into Natsuki's mind, exceptionally clear.
The two forces thus fought in Natsuki's mind, and after an unknown period of time, which seemed very long, yet also only a few short seconds, the bizarre face covering Juju's face finally shattered, melting like ink.
At the same time.
Natsuki's mind heard the authoritative notification from the game:
[Guard Mission Completed]
[You have eliminated the invading kaidan]
[You have received the following rewards—]
[1000 game Coins]
[10 Free Attribute Points]
[3 Random Skill Scrolls]
[1 Skin Card]
[1 Fine Item]
[1 Dungeon Exemption Card]
After eliminating the kaidan, Juju immediately sobered up. To be precise, her consciousness had always been clear; it was just that her body was invaded by the kaidan, causing her to lose control over the outside world.
Now that the kaidan was eliminated, Juju immediately regained control of her body. When she opened her eyes, she saw Natsuki kneeling on the ground, with bright red blood flowing from his nostrils.
"Stupid Natsuki, what's wrong with you?" Juju was startled, quickly hugged Natsuki, extremely worried, "Don't scare me!"
"I'm fine…" Natsuki took off his mask, his face pale, showing a forced smile, and said softly, "The kaidan has been eliminated. It's good that Juju is fine."
Juju bit her silver teeth and forcefully hugged Natsuki: "You're bleeding from your nose, and you still say you're fine!"
"After seeing that kaidan's face, you can't look away; once you look away, you'll forget it." Natsuki wiped his nosebleed, his voice a little weak, "But I was wearing a mask and firmly remembered that face. The two forces were churning in my head… It's fine now, you should rest, I'm going back."
"Don't go back." Juju said worriedly, "A head injury is not a joke, should we go to the Hospital?"
"Let's not bother the doctor." Natsuki exhaled, "I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
"No." Juju was still not at ease, biting her silver teeth, "You'll rest in my room tonight and leave tomorrow."
Natsuki looked at Juju upon hearing this, and hummed softly:
"Aren't you afraid I'll turn into a werewolf?"
"Tch." Juju snorted disdainfully, "Look in the mirror, see how pale your face is now."
Natsuki turned to look in the mirror. Besides the freshly wiped nosebleed, his face was indeed quite pale.
"Alright then." Natsuki didn't insist, "I won't go back tonight, Juju, don't regret it."
"Tch." Juju raised her chin, "Don't underestimate me."
Natsuki simply washed his face, then walked out of the bathroom and lay down on the bed.
Juju finished washing up behind him and walked out with a patter of slippers.
There was only one bed in the room. Juju's small face was slightly red, and she pursed her lips as she sat on the other side of the bed, asking with concern:
"How do you feel now?"
Natsuki gently pressed his fingertips to his brow, and said in a low voice:
"Much better, I barely feel any pain."
"Stupid, stop trying to be strong, okay?" Juju couldn't help but retort, moving her small bottom to Natsuki's side, opening her eyes wide and looking over, "When I just came out, I saw you frowning."
Natsuki said nonchalantly:
"If Juju kisses me, I'll immediately get up and perform a backflip."
Slap.
Juju lightly slapped Natsuki, and said playfully:
"You're injured and still thinking about those things. Hurry up and get some good rest."
"Mhm." Natsuki agreed, closed his eyes, "You should sleep too."
"I'm not sleepy." Juju shook her head, turned off the overhead light, leaving only a small night light, and then dimmed the night light, "You go to sleep first, I'll play on my phone for a while."
Playing on her phone was fake, staying by Natsuki's side was real.
Natsuki didn't speak anymore, indeed feeling a wave of drowsiness, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
The night passed without a word.
After an unknown amount of time.
Natsuki slowly opened his eyes, only feeling a slight weight on his chest. He looked down to see a young girl quietly lying on his chest, only a hint of pink hair visible, as quiet and well-behaved as a kitten.
"...Juju?"
Natsuki called out softly.
"Hmm?"
Juju was already a light sleeper. Hearing Natsuki's call, she quickly opened her eyes, which were still a little hazy, her voice soft and sweet like candy, forcing herself to sit up: "Natsuki… you're awake? How are you feeling now?"
Natsuki reached out and pulled Juju, who was trying to sit up, into his arms, saying in a low voice:
"I'm fully recovered."
"Tch." Juju snorted softly, mumbling, "Don't pretend to be strong."
"I'm telling the truth, if you don't believe me, check for yourself."
Natsuki held Juju's small hand and moved it downwards to check.
"St-Stupid…" Juju's small face quickly flushed red, and she cried out in embarrassment, "Since you're fine, hurry up and go back, don't disturb my rest!"
Natsuki said:
"I'll go back after punishing Juju."
Juju: "Huh?"
Natsuki said righteously:
"You said you'd watch over me, but you actually fell asleep."
"I didn't fall asleep." Juju's small face turned red, and she retorted guiltily, "I just closed my eyes for a bit…"
Before she finished speaking, Natsuki slightly turned over and blocked Juju's mouth.
"Hmm…"
Juju's eyelashes quickly fluttered, her body struggled symbolically for a moment, and then she closed her eyes and began to respond.
Stupid Natsuki worked so hard, it's okay to let him kiss me…
But as they kissed, Juju felt something was wrong. She quickly bit Natsuki's lip, panting and saying in embarrassment:
"You, you need to know when to stop!"
A kiss was fine.
A hug was endured.
She didn't even stop him from massaging.
But he actually wanted to do something even more excessive… Men's nature is indeed to push their luck. She should have firmly refused from the beginning!
"G-Get up, it's already light outside." Juju's small face was flushed, and she pushed Natsuki's chest with both hands, "There's not enough time!"
"It's summer now, daylight doesn't mean it's late." Natsuki picked up his phone and looked at the time, "See for yourself, it's just six o'clock."
Juju said nervously:
"Six o'clock is also very late… Ah!"
Natsuki gently bit Juju's ear, making Juju let out a soft cry: "You clearly used to get up at eight o'clock. Two hours is enough."
"St-Stupid…" Juju's small face was already explosively red, and she wanted to make one last struggle, "Everyone is next door, what if they hear us?"
Natsuki's gaze was burning: "Please trust the hotel's soundproofing. It's definitely better than home soundproofing."
Juju's body had already gone soft; now, only her mouth was the hardest: "Y-You get up, I don't believe the hotel's soundproofing…"
Natsuki pondered:
"Then bite the pillow?"
"…Die!!"
"…"
All in all, the night passed without a word.
By 7:30 AM, Natsuki quietly returned to his room.
He had already showered with Juju, so there was no need to shower again. Natsuki put on his clothes, then played on his phone.
At the same time.
Other players gradually started waking up, and soon someone noticed that the guard mission on their panel had disappeared.
"Everyone, look, the mission to eliminate the kaidan is gone!"
"What happened? Why did the mission suddenly disappear?"
"Could it be that the kaidan was eliminated by someone else?"
"…"
Knock knock knock.
A knock on the door soon sounded.
Natsuki got up and opened the door, seeing Chika and Shinomiya standing outside, urging:
"President, quickly look at the mission panel, everyone's kaidan missions have disappeared."
"Let me see… Hmm, indeed gone."
Natsuki calmly opened the mission panel. The mission had naturally disappeared because the kaidan had already been eliminated last night.
While resting in the morning, Natsuki had asked for Juju's opinion, but Juju felt it was too embarrassing. Because she was short, only she saw the kaidan, which she thought was too embarrassing to tell anyone else.
So Natsuki kept his promise and chose to keep it a secret.
Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest and said softly:
"The quest suddenly disappeared… Was it completed by someone?"
"Most likely," Yukino said, emerging from the adjacent room and analyzing, "Perhaps some player had tracking abilities and went out in the middle of the night to find that kaidan."
"What the heck," Marin couldn't help but complain, "If they had such an ability, they should have said so earlier!"
Haruno said with a smile:
"Well, if it had been said earlier, it wouldn't be as enjoyable as it is now."
"…"
No one knew who the 'night hero' was who eliminated the kaidan. After a brief discussion, it was left at that. Regardless, it was a joyous occasion that someone had eliminated the kaidan.
"Everyone has worked hard. Please come with me for breakfast."
Mitsui appeared in a suit, clearly having received the news that the kaidan had been eliminated, and a clear smile appeared on her face.
Everyone went to the restaurant, preparing for a celebration.
Juju blended into the crowd, trying to be inconspicuous, quietly raising her hand to cover her mouth and yawning.
She could hide it from passersby, but not from those close to her.
Komi tilted her head and looked over, worriedly whispering:
"Juju's eyes are a bit red… Did she cry last night?"
"I didn't cry."
Juju looked away, feeling guilty.
Komi's eyes widened, becoming even more worried: "Your voice is hoarse. It only gets hoarse after crying for a long time."
Juju: "…"