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"Isn't the cooking done yet?"
Amamiya Natsuki asked the Sheltered Young Lady.
Shinomiya Kaguya, with a bear apron around her waist and her black hair tied up with a ribbon, revealing her fair and slender neck, said softly upon hearing this:
"Not yet, I just finished washing the ingredients, and I was going to wait for you to come back before cooking."
"Then don't cook, put the washed ingredients in the refrigerator." Amamiya Natsuki said, "I'll send a message to Chika later, let's all go to the restaurant for dinner tonight."
"Natsuki-sama doesn't need to spend money." Sayu raised her pretty face, acting cute, "Kaguya-chan's cooking is delicious, send a message to Chika-chan and ask her to come over and eat together."
"Cooking is hard work." Amamiya Natsuki turned his head and looked over, saying seriously, "I just don't want Kaguya to work so hard."
"I'm sorry, I didn't consider that..."
Sayu quickly bowed in apology.
"It's just preparing some more dishes, it's not hard at all." The Sheltered Young Lady's pretty face quickly turned red, and she forcibly suppressed the urge to raise her pink lips, and glared over, "It's not as exaggerated as you said."
Amamiya Natsuki said softly:
"Sayu gave everyone gifts before, we can't just call Chika over, Marin and the others have to be called too, there are so many people, it will naturally be very hard."
"That's true..." The the Young Lady pursed her pink lips, tacitly agreeing, "I'll go put the ingredients in the refrigerator."
"Ehehe ~"
Watching the Sheltered Young Lady walk into the kitchen, Sayu "ehehe'd," hugged Amamiya Natsuki's arm with both hands, her eyes quickly turned into crescent moons, and compared to when they first met, the light reappeared in her eyes, she tiptoed and whispered in his ear:
"Master, how was my performance just now?"
Amamiya Natsuki told the truth: "...Not bad."
She kept an extremely low profile when entering the door, without any intention of causing trouble, she was very clear-headed, and there was no fault to be found.
"( ^ ▽ ^ )." Sayu raised her pretty face and whispered, "Then shouldn't Master give the pet a little reward?"
Who said you were socially awkward?
You're clearly outgoing, okay!
If it were Shoko, she would never be able to say what you just said!
Amamiya Natsuki looked over speechlessly: "What reward do you want?"
Sayu looked forward to it:
"Master, pat my head."
"…"
This reward can be easily fulfilled.
Amamiya Natsuki stretched out his right hand and rubbed Sayu's head.
The girl's hair was smooth and shiny, with a fresh shampoo scent, and it felt good.
Sayu cooperated and raised her face, rubbing her little head against Amamiya Natsuki's palm, then her face quietly turned red, and she whispered:
"Um... Master, do you want to take a bath together tonight?"
Hey, hey, don't push your luck!
This isn't Hokkaido, you actually want to take a bath together, are you trying to kill me!
"Don't say anything, I refuse."
Amamiya Natsuki refused decisively without any hesitation.
We're living together now, if I dare to take a bath with you, I'll definitely be discovered, and the consequences will be too horrible to contemplate.
"Well, it's really impossible when Kaguya-chan is home..." Sayu blinked her eyes and continued to whisper, "Then how about going to the park to walk the dog together tonight?"
Amamiya Natsuki shook his head:
"Kaguya has already taken the dog out for a walk."
"There's still a pet that hasn't been walked." Sayu pursed her beautiful lips and leaned close to Amamiya Natsuki's ear, "Woof woof."
Enough! There's no such thing as a disreputable pet like you!
Amamiya Natsuki sighed softly and said seriously:
"Those helps were just done casually, you don't need to repay me in this way."
"It's not just about repaying you." Sayu's pretty face was flushed, but her eyes were bright and firm, "There's also... Anyway, it's because it's Master that I'm willing to do these things, I'll only repay master in this way in my life."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"You're just a high school student, a lifetime is too long."
"Master is also a high school student, and is even a year younger than me." Sayu puffed up her pink cheeks unconvinced, "Besides, after becoming a player, life is very likely to end abruptly one day in the future, right? I don't want to leave any regrets."
"…"
After the Sheltered Young Lady finished cleaning up the kitchen, Amamiya Natsuki took out his phone and sent messages to everyone.
Fujiwara Chika: "Eh, Sayu-chan came to Tokyo? Why didn't you tell me?"
Marin: "I want to eat barbecue!"
Senpai: "I'm going too, I just happen to be alone tonight."
"…"
Except for Komi, who was absent, hiding at home like a quail and unwilling to go out, and Miko, who had to cook for her younger brother at home, almost all the other girls came out.
It was midsummer.
After the heat of the day dissipated, it was a good time to eat, drink, have fun, and enjoy life together.
After agreeing on the time and place for the dinner party that night, the Sheltered Young Lady checked the doors and windows, then locked the door and went out with Amamiya Natsuki.
They were silent all the way.
They soon arrived at the agreed restaurant.
"Sayu-chan!"
Fujiwara Chika arrived first, and waved her right hand happily when she saw the three of them.
"Chika-chan!"
Sayu also returned a bright smile.
Having gone through life and death together in the instance, coupled with Chika's friendly personality, the two were already quite good friends.
Walking into the restaurant, before long, the girls came one after another.
Marin, Senpai, Juju, and Hayasaka, who had changed into a sailor suit, gathered together, and the atmosphere quickly became lively.
"Sayu-chan, why didn't you tell me when you came over?" Fujiwara Chika asked.
"Sorry." Sayu put her hands together and stuck out her pink tongue, "Because I wanted to give everyone a surprise."
Kitagawa Marin asked curiously from the side:
"Where is Sayu staying tonight? I'm the only one at home, you can come and stay at my house."
"Thank you, Marin-chan." Sayu smiled and thanked her, "Kaguya-chan has already let me stay for one night, and I'll go rent an apartment nearby tomorrow."
Koyasu Tsubame said softly:
"My cousin runs a real estate agency, I'll tell him later to help you rent a house as soon as possible, it can save a lot of trouble."
Sayu nodded: "Thank you, Senpai."
Kitagawa Marin took a sip of ice water and asked again:
"Sayu-chan, how are those two girls doing?"
Sayu pursed her pink lips and said softly:
"I heard they've already dropped out of school..."
After chatting for a while, the dishes were brought up one after another, and everyone started eating.
Juju was eating happily at first, until the waiter brought up a plate of Russian sausage, and her chopsticks couldn't help but stop in mid-air.
That waiter was too much!
Why did he have to put the Russian sausage right in front of me?!
"Juju, are you alright?" Marin turned her head to look, "Why is your face suddenly so red?"
"Cough, cough…" Juju lightly coughed twice, her small face flushed, and she said guiltily, "It's a bit hot from eating."
Amamiya Natsuki said from the side:
"It's also possible she has a fever."
"Bah!"
Juju couldn't help but glare at him in embarrassment.
You're the one with a fever!
You know better than anyone why I'm blushing, don't you!
Shinomiya Kaguya said from the side, "Juju, drink some ice water. Is there any part of your body that feels uncomfortable?"
"No, it's just a bit hot."
Juju quickly shook her head, cupped the glass with both hands, and gulped down the water.
"Come, have a sausage." Fujiwara Chika used serving chopsticks to pick up a sausage, gave a thumbs-up, and praised, "The Russian sausage at this restaurant is super delicious."
Looking at the Russian sausage on the plate in front of her, Juju's small face was scalding hot, and even her neck was tinged with a blush. She bit her little canine tooth in shame.
Liar!
It's not delicious at all!
That day, I must have been possessed by a ghost to agree to such an outrageous request!
"Eh, wait––" Juju suddenly blinked, secretly glancing at the others, "Did the pervert Natsuki trick others into helping him, or just me?"
"Why do everyone else's expressions seem so normal?"
"He couldn't have… only tricked me, right?"
"Damn it!"
"Everyone else was unwilling, but he only made me do that kind of thing…"
The more Juju thought about it, the angrier she got. Under the table, she vigorously extended her short leg and kicked Amamiya Natsuki:
"Die!!!"
"Hmm?" Amamiya Natsuki looked down, took out his phone, and sent Juju a message, "You dare to kick me? Don't even think about leaving tonight. Come home with me."
"Bah!"
"…"
After dinner, everyone dispersed.
Amamiya Natsuki, along with Kaguya and Hayasaka, took Sayu home.
With others present, bathing together was out of the question; it would literally be death.
Amamiya Natsuki honestly read and studied, and at midnight, at Mrs. Shimizu's pleading request, he started the Midnight Theater.
Sadako only had mahjong in her eyes. Now, for mahjong, she could even bet her panties. Of course, it was unclear if she had panties under her white dress.
Sayu, on the other hand, was chatting with Jinmenken. Friends meeting again were naturally very happy.
Yandere Kaguya sat in the corner, holding a book with a torn cover. For some reason, she would occasionally tilt her head and look at Amamiya Natsuki with a strange gaze.
All in all, the night passed without incident.
The next day.
Sayu followed him to school and officially transferred.
However, she wasn't in the same class as Amamiya Natsuki but was assigned to the adjacent class where Marin was.
A day quickly passed, and before they knew it, it was the weekend again.
The weather was hot, so Amamiya Natsuki didn't go out. He stayed home and played 'It Takes Two' with the Young Lady. Sayu wasn't home; a senpai helped her find a rental company, and within a day or two, a house was already rented. When she woke up that morning, she was dragged out by Chika and Marin to go shopping for daily necessities.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
His phone suddenly vibrated.
Amamiya Natsuki turned his head to look and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Who is it?"
Shinomiya Kaguya asked curiously.
"It's Nekonoshita… no, Yukinoshita." Amamiya Natsuki put down his game controller and picked up his phone.
Since the Chiba Prefecture dungeon was cleared, the two had barely been in contact. Yukinoshita Yukino only messaged Chika and the others. Her sudden message today clearly indicated something very important.
Nekonoshita Yukino: "Natsuki-kun?"
"It's me." Amamiya Natsuki still sat beside Kaguya, not going out, indicating he was innocent. "What's the matter?"
Yukinoshita Yukino: "Are you… free this weekend? Could you come to Chiba?"
"Stare––"
The Sheltered Young Lady hugged her arms, tilted her head, and smiled, "The President is indeed very popular. You have nothing to do this weekend, and since someone is inviting you so earnestly, why don't you go to Chiba to play?"
"No." Amamiya Natsuki's expression was normal. He reached out and held the Young Lady's soft hand, acting upright and not flustered in the slightest. "Look at the chat history yourself. It's been almost half a month since our last chat."
The Sheltered Young Lady lightly snorted: "Yukinoshita is so cute, and now she's actively inviting you. The President surely can't bear to refuse, right?"
Amamiya Natsuki said seriously:
"The cutest girl in the world is sitting beside me. Only an idiot would run off to Chiba."
"Saying 'the cutest'… the President is exaggerating too much, isn't he?"
Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face quickly flushed, and the corners of her lips curved slightly upward, but she still glanced at the phone.
Amamiya Natsuki generously held his phone in front of the Sheltered Young Lady and continued to reply to the message:
"First tell me what it is, then I'll consider if I have time."
Yukinoshita Yukino: "…My sister is gone."
Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya exchanged glances, waiting for the rest of the story.
Yukinoshita Yukino: "It's not a disappearance in the ordinary sense, but a kind of vanishing where she's forgotten. I just called Mom, and she completely doesn't remember my sister's existence."
Amamiya Natsuki: "Could it be a prank?"
Yukinoshita Yukino: "Impossible. Mom is such a serious person; she wouldn't prank. I suspect my sister encountered a weird phenomenon, which is why she disappeared… Please help me."
"Yukinoshita's personality is so serious and proud; she's not someone who would play pranks." Shinomiya Kaguya gently furrowed her delicate brows, "According to what she said, there's a high probability she encountered a weird phenomenon that invaded reality."
Amamiya Natsuki pondered:
"Yukinoshita's mother forgot her sister's existence, so why does she still remember?"
"Perhaps it's related to the player's identity." Shinomiya Kaguya turned off the TV and stood up, "Let's send messages to everyone."
Firstly, Yukinoshita was a friend with whom they had adventured through several dungeons together. Since she had already swallowed her pride and asked for help, they truly couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
Secondly, the rewards for eliminating weird phenomena were exceptionally generous, far exceeding the rewards for clearing dungeons. For the sake of the rewards, it was also necessary to make the trip.
"Okay."
Amamiya Natsuki took out his phone and started sending messages to Chika and the others.
"Eh? Yukino-chan seems to have encountered a weird phenomenon that invaded reality. She just asked us for help?"
"Going back immediately!"
"Why go back? Let's all meet directly at Shibuya Station."
"…"
The girls replied one after another.
Since it was a weekend holiday, almost no one had urgent matters, so they finally decided to go help together.
"Let's go."
Amamiya Natsuki put away his phone, got up to change clothes, and before leaving, he told Miko to feed and walk the Man-faced dog, then left with the Sheltered Young Lady.
Arriving at Shibuya Station, Chika, Marin, and a few others were already there.
"Natsuki-sama." Sayu's tone was worried, "Is Yukino alright?"
"Don't worry, Yukinoshita is much stronger than you." Amamiya Natsuki said, "Worrying now is useless. Let's go understand the situation first."
"I just asked Yukino-chan, and she said she's asking someone to investigate the information." Fujiwara Chika pursed her pink lips, "It's similar to our last routine; there should be news very soon."
Kitagawa Marin put her hands on her hips, her expression serious:
"Being able to make someone disappear into thin air and have all traces of their existence forgotten, it must be a weird phenomenon."
"…"
While they were talking, Juju, Komi, and a senpai arrived one after another.
Once everyone had arrived, without wasting time, they directly took the Shinkansen to Chiba Prefecture.
The journey was silent.
The train quickly arrived in Chiba.
Amamiya Natsuki got off the train and saw a girl with long black hair standing not far away, looking cool and aloof, like a high mountain flower that could only be admired from afar and not defiled.
It was Yukinoshita Yukino.
After some time apart, this Nekonoshita hadn't changed much. Her dark circles were still there, but her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and a clear worry and sorrow were evident on her pretty face.
"Yukino-chan!"
Fujiwara Chika waved and called out, then ran over and hugged Yukinoshita's arm, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine…" Yukinoshita Yukino bit her lips, wanting to smile, but unfortunately couldn't, and could only bow, "Thank you for coming."
"Yukino-chan, you don't need to be like this." Fujiwara Chika said seriously, "Your business is our business."
Sayu nodded in agreement, her voice clear: "Yukino-chan, don't worry. Natsuki-sama has already arrived. Leave the rest to Natsuki-sama. Your sister will definitely be fine."
Hey, hey, don't take on such a big responsibility!
Nekonoshita's sister has already disappeared. Heaven knows what her current safety is like. Maybe they can only use Divination to summon the spirits of the dead!
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Yukinoshita, and calmly said:
"Yukinoshita, first tell me the specific situation. When did you discover your sister disappeared?"
"Just today." Yukinoshita Yukino lightly exhaled, trying to calm herself down, then said, "My sister suddenly sent me a message the day before yesterday, saying things like 'take care of yourself' and 'don't be angry with Mom.' At the time, I thought it was a bit strange. My sister doesn't usually say those things. When I asked her why, she directly changed the subject and didn't answer…"
"I was still a bit concerned, so after waking up this morning, I went to my sister's apartment."
"My sister wasn't there, but the apartment was very messy, and there were many strange things inside."
Shinomiya Kaguya pondered:
"What do you mean by strange things?"
Yukinoshita Yukino pursed her pink lips: "For example, there were salt piles everywhere in the apartment, and also crosses, garlic, peach wood swords, Bagua mirrors, and even a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva."
"Eh?" Koyasu Tsubame blinked, "Guanyin Bodhisattva is for giving children, isn't she?"
"Not only for giving children, but also for blessing others with safety." Amamiya Natsuki said, "You can ask for anything from the Bodhisattva; whether the Bodhisattva agrees is another matter."
Juju asked curiously:
"Those are all exorcism methods, right? Did your sister know she encountered a weird phenomenon?"
"She should have known." Yukinoshita Yukino bit her lower lip and continued, "Next, I went to find the apartment manager, preparing to check the surveillance, but he said that apartment was completely uninhabited… He completely didn't remember my sister's existence."
"I felt something was wrong, so I called Mom… Mom also didn't remember my sister's existence."
"And Father, my grandmother, Marin-chan who liked my sister at school, everyone forgot my sister's existence. Even if I sent them photos of my sister, they all said they didn't recognize her."
"I can guarantee, it's impossible to be a prank."
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