The night passed without a word.
The Tsubame who had secretly snuck into the boy's room for two consecutive nights finally paid a bloody price.
"Tsubame-senpai, would you like some water?"
Natsuki stood by the bed, asking softly.
"Yes..."
Tsubame hid under the covers, pursing her dry lips, and responded in a low, slightly hoarse voice.
It was unclear what Tsubame had gone through, but she was like a begonia flower that had weathered a night of heavy rain and strong winds; tears still stained her eyes, and even her voice had become hoarse.
"Here's the water."
Natsuki brought a glass of clear water, sat down by the bed, and softly said, "I'll feed Tsubame-senpai the water."
Tsubame lightly agreed. They had already done the most intimate things, so feeding her water was completely fine.
Just as she was about to sit up slightly and lean against the headboard to make it easier for Natsuki to feed her water, Tsubame was surprised to see Natsuki raise the glass to his own lips and drink it all himself.
"Eh?"
What about feeding her water as promised?
Why did he drink it all in one go?
Natsuki lowered his head and looked at Tsubame.
Their eyes met.
Tsubame quickly understood Natsuki's gaze and hurriedly said, "I, I'll drink it myself..."
But it was too late.
Natsuki had already leaned in, gently covering Tsubame's dry lips.
"Mmm..."
Tsubame's eyelashes trembled slightly. Unable to do anything, she could only shyly close her eyes, part her lips, and begin to drink the water in small sips.
A moment later.
The glass of water was finally finished by the two of them.
Natsuki sat up straight and smiled, "Not a single drop left, you drank it all. It seems Tsubame-senpai was very thirsty."
Tsubame was lightly panting, raising her hand to wipe away the silvery thread at the corner of her lips. Her pretty face was flushed, and she couldn't help but whisper, "It's all Junior's fault...!"
You know perfectly well why I'm thirsty!
"It is indeed my fault." Natsuki raised his hands in surrender, "But there's also Tsubame-senpai's own reason."
"Wahhh—"
Tsubame puffed out her cheeks upon hearing this, saying she was angry, but it was more like acting spoiled: "What did I do wrong?"
"Firstly," Natsuki extended a finger, "Tsubame-senpai is too cute."
Tsubame, hiding under the covers, whispered, "Is being cute also wrong?"
"Of course it's wrong," Natsuki said confidently, "Tsubame-senpai knows me, I have cute aggression syndrome. It's because Tsubame-senpai is too cute that I can't help but take advantage of Tsubame-senpai so much."
"...Nonsense!"
Tsubame's pretty face was flushed, and she retorted coquettishly.
Natsuki unhurriedly extended a second finger and softly said, "Tsubame-senpai has a second mistake."
Tsubame widened her beautiful eyes and said, "There's still more?"
Natsuki whispered, "Indeed there is... It's all because Tsubame-senpai's physique is too special, which is why she gets so thirsty."
"Physique..." Tsubame blinked, then quickly reacted, her pretty face instantly turning explosively red, almost dripping blood, "You, you, you, don't talk nonsense! It's clearly all Junior's fault!"
"Yes, yes." Natsuki didn't argue, and poured another glass of water, "Tsubame-senpai, have another glass."
Tsubame reluctantly sat up, leaning against the headboard, covering her body with the quilt, only extending one hand, and said cautiously, "I'll drink it myself."
"Alright." Natsuki handed over the water glass, admonishing, "Be careful not to spill it."
Tsubame hummed softly, unconsciously acting spoiled:
"I won't spill it."
"…"
Natsuki didn't speak, he just turned his head and looked at the chair next to him.
"Eh?"
Tsubame followed, looking curiously, then, as if burned by a flame, her face flushed with shame, and she quickly averted her gaze.
On the chair were two towels.
Towels that looked as if they had just been pulled from water.
"Quick, quickly take them out!"
Tsubame turned her head away and shouted in embarrassment.
"Yes, yes."
Natsuki picked up the two towels and temporarily left the room.
Tsubame breathed a sigh of relief, holding the cup with both hands, slowly sipping the water.
Could it be… that her physique was truly special?
Before, at school, she had secretly heard friends describe their experiences, and it seemed they were all different from hers… Eh, wait a minute!
Tsubame suddenly realized.
Perhaps it wasn't her special physique, but rather Natsuki's doing. It was completely different from her friends' descriptions, and only by experiencing it firsthand could one know how terrifying it was.
That's right.
It must be like this!
It's all Natsuki-kun's fault!
Click.
The door was gently pushed open.
Tsubame snapped back to reality and quickly hid under the covers.
"Tsubame-senpai, have you finished your water?"
Natsuki walked to the bedside and asked softly.
"I've finished…"
"Do you want another cup?"
"No, I'm not thirsty anymore."
Natsuki asked again:
"Tsubame-senpai, do you want to take a bath?"
"Yes…"
"Do you want me to carry you?"
"Yes…"
Tsubame opened her arms, letting Natsuki pick her up with a clear conscience.
Firstly, her whole body ached, feeling as if it were falling apart, making it truly difficult to move.
Secondly… having had a wedding and intimate contact, they were already the closest people in the world.
"Leave it to me."
Natsuki reached out, scooped up Tsubame, and walked to the bathroom.
"Again?"
Natsuki leaned close to Tsubame's ear and asked softly.
"Okay…"
Tsubame subconsciously agreed, then reacted and quickly shook her head, saying:
"No, no! I have no strength left at all!"
Natsuki said:
"If Senpai can still speak, then she still has strength."
Tsubame's beautiful eyes widened:
"How can you be like this!"
Natsuki began to move his hands:
"For a male high school student, this is normal behavior."
"It's not normal at all!" Tsubame covered her body and recoiled, saying in a flustered voice, "There's no time, I'm about to leave the instance!"
Natsuki stepped closer, asserting:
"I remember clearly, Senpai still has over an hour of instance stay time, which is completely enough."
Tsubame: "…"
An hour later.
The bathroom game concluded successfully.
Natsuki even thoughtfully left Tsubame some time to rest, allowing her to recover her strength so as not to leave too many flaws.
"Natsuki-kun, there's nothing strange about my body, right?"
Tsubame nervously checked her clothes, worried that when she returned to reality, Chika and the others would notice something amiss.
Natsuki pondered:
"Your face is still very red."
Tsubame quickly walked towards the restroom, saying:
"I'll apply a cold towel again."
A moment later.
Tsubame came out after applying the towel and asked again:
"How is it now?"
Natsuki carefully scrutinized her for a moment, then said:
"No problem, you can't see any redness on your face anymore."
"Phew…"
Tsubame gently patted her chest, relieved:
"It's good that it's not noticeable."
However, the next second, Natsuki slowly added:
"But Senpai still has one strange place…"
"Eh?" Tsubame quickly asked, "What place is it?"
Natsuki's gaze shifted downwards, slowly saying:
"Senpai's walking posture is a bit strange."
"…"
Hearing this, Tsubame's originally fair face quickly flushed crimson, and she clenched her fists in shame and anger, shouting in embarrassment:
"Whose fault do you think it all is?!"
"From a universally rational perspective," Natsuki interlaced his fingers, resting his chin, "shouldn't Tsubame who ambushed me be more at fault?"
Tsubame: "…"
"Alright, it's all my fault." Tsubame bit her silver teeth lightly, her pretty face taut, "Junior, don't touch me again in the future."
"That won't do." Natsuki said righteously, "Since Senpai took my innocence, she must take responsibility."
"Pfft~"
Tsubame lightly spat, her bright eyes glaring, and she couldn't help but retort:
"You've already lost your innocence a long time ago, haven't you?"
Natsuki sighed forlornly, his tone full of resentment:
"So what others said was true, once a girl gets a boy's body, she'll no longer cherish him."
Tsubame:
"…Shameless!!"
What a shameless and vulgar Junior!
You're the one who benefited, how can you have the nerve to speak as a victim!
"For a boy, innocence is one of the most precious things." Natsuki said eloquently, "Senpai says I've lost my innocence, she must provide proof, otherwise it's defamation."
"The proof is that last night you…"
Halfway through, Tsubame bit her lips in embarrassment and suddenly fell silent.
Natsuki said unhurriedly:
"What happened to me last night?"
"You, you last night…"
Tsubame's lips parted and closed, her pretty face rapidly flushing at a visible speed, but unfortunately, her skin was still too thin, and she couldn't utter the latter half of the sentence.
Your actions last night were so practiced, you must have practiced with others many times already!
"I don't want to say it anymore!"
Glaring at Natsuki in annoyance, Tsubame turned and entered the restroom again, continuing to apply the ice towel to her face. It took a lot of effort to reduce the temperature on her face, dissipate the blush, and restore her fair, delicate skin.
Walking out of the restroom.
To avoid Natsuki continuing to tease her, Tsubame stood at the door and said:
"I'm leaving the instance first."
After speaking, Tsubame quickly chose to exit the instance, and her body rapidly dissipated from sight.
As Tsubame left, the room became completely quiet.
Natsuki simply glanced around, confirmed there were no omissions, and likewise chose to exit the instance.
His vision cleared.
What came into view was the hotel ceiling.
This luxurious hot spring hotel has now been fully taken over by the Strange Tales Management Bureau. Once a player is summoned by the game, the Strange Tales Management Bureau will provide a free room for the player's use. For a small fee, players can also receive a player gift pack—the main contents of which are various items made by players but certified by the game, and the Night Potion, which grants night vision, is one of them.
Due to certain mystical factors, all attempts to mass-produce Witch Potion using machines have failed to this day. However, while other things are scarce on Earth, there are plenty of people. Manufacturing Night Potion by hand can fully meet the needs of all players.
At the same time.
On the bedside table in each room, there is also a call button. Just a gentle press, and a dedicated medical team will arrive within minutes—
Many players leave instances with injuries, and the game will not provide free treatment.
Because of this, more and more players, when summoned by instances, choose to come to the Strange Tales Management Bureau's headquarters, just in case.
Although Natsuki and his group have not officially joined the Strange Tales Management Bureau, they have extensive cooperation, and coupled with Mitsui's relationship, the group enjoys super VIP treatment.
"Are they all not here?"
Natsuki propped himself up and sat.
Then he felt a slight chill in the bedding.
He lifted the covers and looked down to see a malevolent spirit, just a head, hiding in the covers, its bloodshot eyes staring straight out.
Their eyes met.
The evil spirit suddenly spoke, its voice cold, hollow, and filled with deep malice: "You… can see me…"
Natsuki said calmly, "That's right, I can see you."
Evil spirits are a source of trouble and torment for new players, but old players have long been numb to them.
The evil spirit was startled, not expecting Natsuki to reply that he could see it. It immediately became excited and shrieked, "You can see me…"
Clap.
Natsuki raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly.
Invisible, transparent flames immediately blazed, quickly incinerating the evil spirit within the quilt.
"Time to get up."
Natsuki clapped his hands, got out of bed, picked up his phone from the bedside, and pressed the power button.
Soon after, his phone successfully turned on.
Natsuki glanced at the time at the top of his phone; three days had passed without him realizing it.
Opening the communication app, 99+ messages immediately popped up.
Marin: "Natsuki, have you come back yet?"
Marin: "Remember to tell me as soon as you're back, okay?"
Marin: "Sayu-chan and I are going to buy uniforms first, Rabbit Officer and Wolf Thief ~ hehe."
Marin alone sent over a dozen messages, including many photos taken a day ago that made one's heart pound.
There were also messages from Sayu, Juju, Haruno, and others, most of which were not about serious matters, just asking if he had left the dungeon, so he quickly skimmed them and did not reply.
However, there were also some important matters.
Kaguya: "President, I just received a call from the teacher. School is about to start, and the Student Council needs to prepare the opening ceremony in advance."
The message was sent two days ago.
Shinomiya: "Has the President not come out yet? I'll go to school to prepare the ceremony first."
Amamiya: "Vice President, you've worked hard."
Shinomiya: "Has the President left the dungeon?"
Amamiya: "I just came out. Should I go to school now?"
Shinomiya: "President, please rest first. Besides, I've already finished the planning."
Amamiya: "Shinomiya, please accept my prostration."
"…"
While replying to messages, Natsuki walked out of the room. Guided by staff, he quickly found Tsubame, who had recently left the dungeon.
They left the dungeon one after another, so their return to reality was at roughly the same time.
"Senpai, I'm back."
Finding Tsubame eating in the restaurant, Natsuki immediately smiled and went up to greet her.
"Cough cough…"
Seeing Natsuki approach, Tsubame's pretty face quickly flushed red, and she hastily turned her head to look elsewhere.
"Stare—"
Beside Tsubame was Momo, a mutated girl from another world. At this moment, she had her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on Natsuki, her eyes filled with suspicion: "Did you do something to Tsubame?"
Natsuki turned his head to Tsubame and said nonchalantly, "Senpai, how should I answer?"