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"Let's go, to Chiba Prefecture!"
Fujiwara Chika led the way.
The instance invitation letter required both parties to write their names, so they had to go to Chiba Prefecture to meet Rikka.
"Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture are very close, only an hour's drive." Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at the Miss, "Has Kaguya-san ever been to Chiba?"
Shinomiya Kaguya pursed her pink lips and said softly: "I haven't been."
"Kaguya-chan used to dislike traveling and going out to play; she would go home right after school," Fujiwara Chika asked curiously from the side, "Besides going to the Sea last time, she probably hasn't left Tokyo, right?"
"…"
Shinomiya Kaguya really wanted to refute, but she couldn't find a point to deny.
She truly wasn't interested in traveling before, she hadn't even participated in any clubs, and every day after school, she would take a private car home, where various teachers would come to her house to teach her tea ceremony, chess, illustration… In short, her childhood memories were particularly bland.
"Some things shouldn't be said carelessly." Shinomiya Kaguya tilted her head and smiled as she looked over.
Fujiwara Chika quickly complained: "Shimizu-nee, Kaguya-chan bullied me."
Mrs. Shimizu stepped forward to uphold justice: "Kaguya-chan, bullying people is wrong, and it's even worse to bully someone older than you."
"I didn't even touch her, so how am I bullying her?" The Young Lady crossed her arms over her chest, unhappy, "And what does 'bullying someone older' mean?
"Fujiwara's birthday is clearly one month before mine."
Amamiya Natsuki's gaze dropped a dozen centimeters, landing on the Young Lady's chest.
It was as flat as the Guanzhong Plain, and the black school uniform already made her look thin; at a glance, there was almost no curve to be seen.
Extremely flat.
Absolutely certain.
Open-minded.
Then looking at Chika secretary, it looked like a mountain range from the side and a peak from the front, appearing different from various angles.
"It really is bullying someone older…"
Girls are always very sensitive to a boy's gaze. Noticing Amamiya Natsuki's eyes, the Sheltered Young Lady quickly covered her chest, biting her lower lip shyly:
"President, commit seppuku!"
Amamiya Natsuki withdrew his gaze and looked at Mrs. Shimizu, imitating her: "Shimizu-nee, Kaguya-san is bullying me."
Shinomiya Kaguya: "…"
How can you two have the nerve to complain to parents at the drop of a hat!
Talking all the way, they barely felt the passage of time, and in a blink of an eye, they arrived in Chiba Prefecture. It was only six in the evening, and the sky hadn't completely darkened yet, with the fiery clouds at the horizon looking especially splendid.
Stepping off the train, Amamiya Natsuki looked up and saw a girl with an ahoge and an eye patch eagerly waiting at the exit.
It was the ahoge girl, Rikka.
"Rikka-chan!"
Fujiwara Chika happily called out.
Friends meeting each other were naturally very happy.
After chattering for a while, Rikka led the three away from the station, preparing to act as their host: "I know a restaurant with super good food that can replenish a lot of magic."
Fujiwara Chika: "I want to eat!"
Amamiya Natsuki and Shinomiya Kaguya fell back two steps, observing their surroundings as they walked.
"It feels… pretty similar to Tokyo?"
Shinomiya Kaguya said softly.
The streets were bustling with people, and tall buildings stood in rows, looking quite prosperous.
"Because Chiba Prefecture is only sixty kilometers from Tokyo and is part of the Tokyo metropolitan area, many people live in Chiba at night and take the train to work in Tokyo during the day," Amamiya Natsuki said casually, "Narita International Airport and Tokyo Disneyland, though they sound like they're in Tokyo, are actually both in Chiba Prefecture."
"Kaguya-chan~" Mrs. Shimizu suddenly called out, "Let's take two photos over there, shall we?"
Shinomiya Kaguya looked over at the sound of her voice. In a nearby plaza, there was a dog statue standing upright, and many tourists were taking pictures with it.
"What is that?" Shinomiya Kaguya, being in Chiba for the first time, didn't know.
Amamiya Natsuki said from the side:
"That's Chibakko. The shape of Chiba Prefecture on a map is a dog standing upright, so they use a dog as their mascot, and its name is Chibakko."
"I see." Shinomiya Kaguya nodded slightly and asked curiously, "Why does Mama want to go take pictures?"
"Because many years ago, Mama took a picture in front of Chibakko, you know." Mrs. Shimizu's eyes were gentle, her tone nostalgic, and she said softly, "Now that I'm revisiting the place, of course, I want to take a picture with Kaguya-chan."
Shinomiya Kaguya pursed her pink lips slightly: "Even if you say that… you can't appear in the photo, can you?"
"Maybe I can." Amamiya Natsuki suddenly spoke, pulling out a handheld camera. "Two days ago, I saw a spiritual camera on a trading platform that can capture the figures of ghosts in photos. The downside is that it's easy to get tainted with ominous energy and be haunted by Evil Spirits. I just got it yesterday, so it's a good time to try it out."
This camera could only capture the figures of vengeful spirits; it couldn't seal them or monsters. It was a tool that was tasteless to eat and a shame to discard. The player who opened this spiritual camera from a Blind Box directly listed it on the trading app, and Amamiya Natsuki found it interesting, so he bought it—definitely not because he wanted to take gravure photos of Sadako.
"Kaguya-chan~"
After hearing about the spiritual camera's properties, Mrs. Shimizu's eyes immediately lit up.
"...I agree then."
Shinomiya Kaguya pursed her pink lips and walked towards Chibakko.
"I want to take one too."
Fujiwara Chika heard the conversation, turned, and ran over.
Rikka raised her right hand: "I'll take the pictures."
"Then I'll leave it to you." Amamiya Natsuki handed over the spiritual camera.
The few of them walked up to Chibakko, and Fujiwara Chika said softly:
"Natsuki-kun, quickly banish those Evil Spirits."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said: "I feel like there are more and more Evil Spirits in the real world."
Around the small Chibakko statue, there were seven or eight Evil Spirits lingering, circling in front of nearby tourists, emitting hollow, ethereal whispers.
If ordinary people suddenly saw the true nature of the world, they might wet their pants.
Amamiya Natsuki silently activated Evil Spirit Banishing. The invisible aura spread out, and the Evil Spirits within its range quickly ignited with transparent flames, then vanished completely.
"Now you can take pictures."
"…"
Click, click.
The sound of a camera taking pictures rang out.
Takanashi Rikka quickly made a peace sign: "Success!"
The others walked over curiously and, sure enough, saw Mrs. Shimizu's smiling face in the camera.
The mother and daughter stood in the middle, while Amamiya Natsuki and Fujiwara Chika stood on either side.
"Finally, I can take pictures again," Mrs. Shimizu smiled brightly. "Indeed, a family should always be together, neat and tidy."
"A... a family..."
Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face flushed, and she couldn't help but look at Amamiya Natsuki. When she saw that Amamiya Natsuki was whispering with Chika, her pretty face instantly hardened.
The cancer of the Earth!
A cow that only tempts people with fat and flab!
They are not a family at all!
After discovering that the spiritual camera could photograph her, Mrs. Shimizu was exceptionally happy, like an elementary school student encountering a smartphone for the first time. She kept asking people to take pictures for her along the way.
Taking pictures while moving forward, led by Rikka, they arrived at a restaurant.
Amamiya Natsuki took a look and found it was a Oyakodon (chicken and egg mixed grilled) restaurant.
"I'm going to the restroom."
Amamiya Natsuki got up and went to the restroom, replying to messages from Hayasaka, Marin, and others. After coming out, he picked up a few glasses of ice water.
Returning to the booth, he saw a cool-looking, long-haired girl sitting beside Takanashi Rikka, appearing as unapproachable as a high mountain flower.
"Yukinoshita, long time no see."
Amamiya Natsuki greeted her and handed her a glass of ice water.
Having been through two instances together, they were naturally not strangers.
On the way over, Rikka had mentioned that Yukinoshita would be participating in the instance with them.
"Thank you."
Yukinoshita Yukino stood up, took the water glass, and thanked him softly.
After some time, Yukinoshita Yukino looked even thinner, still beautiful, but with faint dark circles under her eyes—
The real world was full of evil spirits—door kills, under-bed kills, toilet kills, refrigerator kills—evil spirits were everywhere. Unless one was born without any fear, no one could remain at peace.
The result was that players, like Miko before, almost all had dark circles under their eyes from poor rest.
"Here."
Amamiya Natsuki handed ice water to Kaguya and Chika, then sat down next to the Sheltered Young Lady.
"She feels even colder..."
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the second young lady sitting across the table, lost in thought.
Her temperament felt strangely familiar... He remembered.
This cold, aloof, and unapproachable temperament was exactly like that of the Ice Princess Kaguya from before.
However... the young lady now had already become a housekeeper.
"Stare—"
Shinomiya Kaguya tilted her head and looked over, smiling: "Yukinoshita is very cute."
Amamiya Natsuki said seriously:
"I'm sorry, I have face blindness and can't tell if she's cute or not."
...
Next was dining and communication time.
After a long time apart, it was natural to discuss their respective skills and items.
For example, Yukinoshita Yukino had learned a new skill, Cat's Agility, an active transformation skill. When activated, it could increase agility, enhance night vision, reduce damage from high falls, and so on.
Rikka also learned a skill, a very ordinary stealth skill. Unfortunately, it wasn't invisibility, otherwise Amamiya Natsuki would have been tempted.
Next was the introduction of Amamiya Natsuki's three abilities.
The last time they cleared an instance together was the Blizzard Mountain Villa, where no one survived. At that time, Amamiya Natsuki and Fujiwara Chika's combined skill, Seize and Eliminate Evil, left a very deep impression on Yukinoshita Yukino.
Yukinoshita Yukino had also joined the Player Mutual Aid Group, but she had never spoken, a perennial lurker, only occasionally peeking at the screen silently. Her impression of Amamiya Natsuki and the others still remained from the last Blizzard Mountain Villa.
Until today.
Looking at the densely packed skills on the panel, even Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but feel a little dazed.
No wonder when the boy in front of her appeared in the mutual aid group, those players would all collectively call him Leg Bro...
"Most of them are Copy and Paste, one-time skills," Amamiya Natsuki said generously. "Destiny Link... I prefer to call it Copy and Paste. Before entering the instance, I can paste a skill for each of you as a Meeting Gift ."
"I recommend Kaguya-chan's skill, Incarnation of Shadow," Fujiwara Chika said from the side. "After using it, you can turn into a shadow, immune to all physical attacks, and you can also move in shadow form... It just has a small drawback."
"I'll take Chika-chan's recommendation."
Takanashi Rikka raised her right hand, her voice clear.
The last time she went to Tokyo to deliver the instance invitation, Amamiya Natsuki had pasted an Evil Spirit Banishing for her, so she trusted him one hundred percent.
Yukinoshita Yukino calmly asked:
"What's the side effect?"
"That..." Fujiwara Chika coughed twice. "Your clothes will fall off."
"Huh?"
"Shadows can't wear clothes."
Yukinoshita Yukino: "..."
Knowing the side effect, Yukinoshita Yukino resolutely refused and chose other skills.
Rikka, needless to say, already had experience.
Yukinoshita Yukino also had no resistance to holding hands, neither blushing nor flustered, her expression exceptionally calm.
Plus, with Kaguya staring from the side, Amamiya Natsuki could only say he felt nothing at all.
Skill pasting completed.
Next were the instance invitation letters.
With Rikka sending the invitation, and Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya writing their names, they could obtain instance qualifications.
As for Fujiwara Chika, they had already discussed on the way that she would transform into a Kaguya-Type Leg Attachment and bind herself to Amamiya Natsuki, directly sneaking into the instance.
"Our last instance was a role-playing one," Amamiya Natsuki intertwined his fingers, briefly recounted the events of the last instance, and then said, "To be safe, it's necessary to agree on a secret code beforehand, just in case."
"I've thought of something," Fujiwara Chika suggested. "How about we use tonight's dishes as our secret code?"
"The dish in front of me is... grilled chicken thigh with green onions."
Amamiya Natsuki: "Grilled chicken hearts."
Rikka: "Wasabi chicken breast."
Yukinoshita Yukino: "Grilled chicken liver."
Finally, it was the Sheltered Young Lady's turn.
"I..."
Shinomiya Kaguya had just opened her mouth when a staff member pushed a dining cart over and served Shinomiya Kaguya the latest dish.
"What is this?"
Looking at the two pieces of something on the bamboo skewer, Shinomiya Kaguya's eyebrows furrowed slightly, feeling something was off.
It didn't look like chicken, but more like some kind of fat block...
Takanashi Rikka quickly gave the answer: "That's grilled chicken butt."
Shinomiya Kaguya: "..."
Chicken butt could actually be grilled?
Would anyone really eat such a thing? It must have a strange smell!
Fujiwara Chika asked curiously:
"Rikka-chan, have you eaten grilled chicken butt?"
"I haven't," Rikka shook her head, her cowlick gently swaying. "But I heard people say it tastes very good."
"People's tastes are not the same," Mrs. Shimizu smiled. "To know if it's delicious, you have to try it yourself."
...
The girls all looked at Amamiya Natsuki.
"Why are you all looking at me?" Amamiya Natsuki put down his water glass and squinted his eyes. "You don't want to eat it yourselves, so you want me to be the guinea pig? That's too much."
"This is a dish that the restaurant worked hard to make, it definitely won't be that bad," Fujiwara Chika blinked and looked over, pouting, "Natsuki, just try it, if it's good, I'll try it too."
"I'll try it."
Under the gaze of the girls, Amamiya Natsuki transformed into a food critic.
"The surface has a charcoal aroma, the texture is thick, it feels like a very thick piece of chicken skin, and inside it's mainly fat. With a gentle touch of the teeth, the grease oozes out..."
"I'm not eating anymore, it's so fatty, I'll definitely gain weight." Fujiwara Chika quickly suppressed her urge. Although she was very curious about the taste, she didn't want to gain weight even more, especially since her weight had increased by two kilos recently. She then turned to Kaguya, "Oh, right, Kaguya-chan, your code name..."
"I don't want to!"
Shinomiya Kaguya bit her silver teeth lightly and flatly refused.
Using chicken butt as a secret code, no matter how you think about it, is too terrible!
After dinner.
The preliminary preparations were almost complete, with only one last thing left.
"After entering the instance, we might get separated again," Amamiya Natsuki looked at Kaguya. "It's necessary to regroup as soon as possible."
Players' spawn locations in instances are mostly random, and without modern communication methods, it's quite difficult to regroup.
However, now there was a new item—
The love amulet.
Both parties hold a love amulet in their hands and can directly communicate through their thoughts. Its Concealment and convenience far surpassed other methods.
Fujiwara Chika transformed into a Kaguya-Type Leg Attachment and was bound to Amamiya Natsuki, so she naturally didn't need a love amulet.
There was only one love amulet, so it naturally wouldn't be used with Rikka or Yukinoshita.
So...
"Confess, Natsuki-kun!"
Mrs. Shimizu put her hands behind her back, her smile exceptionally joyful. "When you confess to Kaguya-chan, remember to kneel on one knee."
The Sheltered Young Lady's pretty face quickly flushed upon hearing this.
That posture, kneeling on one knee, was clearly a marriage proposal, wasn't it?
Amamiya Natsuki had a very thick skin and looked at Kaguya with a normal expression, saying:
"What do you say, Kaguya-san?"
Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face was crimson, and she said in a faint voice: "A marriage proposal is too early..."
"What?"
"Don't do strange things." Shinomiya Kaguya took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "A normal confession ceremony will suffice."
Kneeling on one knee... that can wait until a marriage proposal later, it's too early now.
The group left the restaurant, and the sea was not far away. At Amamiya Natsuki's suggestion, they simply went to the sea. The cool, damp sea breeze blowing on them felt exceptionally comfortable.
"Shall I begin?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Kaguya, preparing for the confession ceremony.
"Mm."
Shinomiya Kaguya raised her hand to tuck the hair blown by the sea wind behind her ear; on the surface, she appeared elegant and dignified, but in reality, the Kaguya-chan in her heart was already scurrying around like a pony.
Steady.
Don't panic.
And absolutely do not laugh.
It's just a confession ceremony, not an actual confession or relationship… I can't, I can't hold it in!
When something incredibly happy happens, how can one possibly hold it in!
"Wait a moment." Fujiwara Chika suddenly leaned over. "As long as the ceremony is completed, girls can also proactively confess to boys, right?"
Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face tightened: "Don't speak."
Amamiya Natsuki suddenly reached out and said, "Wait a moment, I suddenly thought of something."
"What?"
Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't help but get nervous.
Could it be that the President listened to Fujiwara's instigation and was preparing to make her confess?
No!
Whoever confesses first will be in the weaker position; initiative is very important.
Amamiya Natsuki took out a piece of chewing gum, peeled open the wrapper: "Let me chew a piece of gum first."
Shinomiya Kaguya: "…"
At such an important moment, you're actually chewing gum, you idiot President, hurry up and confess!
For Amamiya Natsuki, chewing gum was essential, quite important.
Last time, when he used the love amulet with Komi, Amamiya Natsuki discovered the amulet's huge drawback—it was uncontrollable.
Hearing each other's inner thoughts sounded great, but only after truly experiencing it did he realize how terrible it was.
Human thoughts are chaotic and unrestrained, which is why there's the saying about a restless mind.
Seeing a pretty girl on the road and fantasizing about her in your mind is fine, because fantasy is not a crime.
But if it transforms into inner thoughts that others can hear, then that's incredibly bad.
If he was lucky, he'd just be called a pervert; if unlucky, his legs might even be broken.
Komi was a silent type, a doormat who would endure anything, and even if she heard strange inner thoughts, she wouldn't dare expose them, at most protesting meekly in her heart.
But Shinomiya Kaguya was different.
This the Sheltered Young Lady was quite proud and had a history of blackening. If he couldn't control his inner thoughts and the Young Lady heard him thinking about a "best friend rice bowl," putting her and Chika together, playing a two-player game… Even if it was just a fleeting thought in his mind, Amamiya Natsuki felt he wouldn't see tomorrow's sun.
So, chewing gum was very necessary. This item was something he had acquired before. While chewing, it could help one remain calm and have a tranquil mind, which was perfect for the situation.
Chewing the gum, Amamiya Natsuki quickly felt the Random Thoughts in his mind disappear. He bent down and bowed, offering the amulet to the Sheltered Young Lady:
"Kaguya-san, I like you. Please go out with me?"
Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face was flushed red like fire, her eyes sparkling. She took the amulet and softly agreed.
"…Mm."
The final preparations were complete, and the instance would soon officially begin.
[Instance "Ghost Marriage" loading…]
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr