"Shoko, what's wrong?"
Natsuki turned his head to look at Shoko, who had quietly snuck up beside him.
"Finger…" Shoko's eyes showed distress, and she whispered, "Your finger is injured."
Natsuki raised his right hand. The wound bitten by Kumoko earlier hadn't healed. He said gently:
"It just looks a bit scary, don't worry."
Shoko bit her lower lip and whispered:
"It must hurt a lot, right?"
Natsuki was about to say it didn't hurt, but the words caught in his throat, and he suddenly sighed lightly:
"Shoko saw through me…"
"It really hurts."
Natsuki clutched his chest, a strained expression on his face:
"The situation was incredibly dangerous then. I felt like all my blood was almost drained, and my life even flashed before my eyes… In the final moments, one belief supported me and helped me persevere."
"What belief?"
Shoko asked curiously.
Natsuki looked down at Shoko, his gaze intense:
"That is… I haven't heard Shoko say she loves me in person yet, so no matter what, I couldn't give up."
"Eh? Eh? Eh?"
Shoko's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her pretty face rapidly flushed red at a visible speed. She nervously looked down at her toes, but unfortunately, they were blocked by her ample chest and she couldn't see them at all.
Natsuki stepped forward half a pace and said:
"This is the only belief that supported me in coming back. Shoko wouldn't refuse, would she?"
Shoko's ear tips had already quietly turned red, and she stammered in a small voice:
"Ev-everyone's still here…"
Natsuki smiled:
"So Shoko agrees?"
"No, no…"
"Is that so?" Natsuki clutched his chest and said mournfully, "The belief that supported me has collapsed."
Komi: "…"
Natsuki continued mournfully:
"There's nothing left in this world for me to cling to. Might as well return, might as well return."
"Don't, don't say that…" Shoko mustered her courage and whispered, "Let's, let's talk about it after we clear the dungeon."
The dejected expression on Natsuki's face instantly vanished, and he smiled:
"A promise made is a promise kept. Shoko, remember what you just said. If you go back on your word, the consequences will be very severe."
Shoko: "…"
Although she knew Natsuki was likely just teasing her to make her happy, still… she still felt very happy.
"Heh-ho~"
Marin came up behind the two, reached out and patted Shoko on the shoulder, smiling brightly:
"President, what are you and Shoko-chan whispering about?"
Natsuki said nonchalantly:
"Nothing, just saying I feel very uncomfortable and want to go to Shoko's house to take a bath."
While enduring all the despair and pain alone, Natsuki's clothes had long been soaked with sweat. Although he successfully cleared the Despair Girls' School later, in the dangerous, unfamiliar town, there were no conditions for bathing. Now that he was back in the community, he naturally couldn't wait to take a bath.
"I, I'll open the door…"
Shoko's face was crimson, and she quickly lowered her head and led the way.
"I want to go too!" Marin raised her right hand, her voice clear, "I feel sticky and uncomfortable."
Sayu followed suit:
"Me, me, me, and me too! I also want to take a bath."
Natsuki looked at Kaguya and asked, "What did Kaguya say?"
The Kaguya pursed her lips slightly and softly said, "Then let's go together."
...
There's no need to say much about bathing. It was fine when they were alone, but with so many people gathered, Natsuki could only bathe by himself, unable to enjoy a back-scrubbing service.
"Hoo…"
Natsuki exhaled lightly and walked out of the bathroom.
After washing off the sweat, he felt refreshed and exceptionally comfortable. He stretched out his right hand and took out a bottle of iced cola from his game backpack, instantly filling himself with happiness.
"Natsuki-kun," Tsubame walked over and said softly, "While the President was away, the guard booth received another call from a resident, requesting a security guard to come to their door for service..."
Natsuki took a leisurely sip of his drink, then said, "Let's talk about it after I've rested. With a salary of five thousand a month, how can I let those guys summon me and dismiss me at will?"
Tsubame gave him a look but still said, "Then Junior, you rest first. I've already noted down the resident's address and request; we can discuss it later."
Natsuki handed over the cola and said, "Senpai, would you like a sip?"
"No," Tsubame shook her head, "I'm not thirsty."
"Senpai, you're actually looking down on me?" Natsuki's face showed a shocked expression, "When I served Senpai before..."
"Pfft~"
Tsubame quickly spat lightly, her pretty eyes couldn't help but glare at him, her beautiful face flushed red as she said, "Junior, don't talk nonsense. What if someone hears you?"
Natsuki shamelessly said, "If they hear, they hear. Anyway, everyone knows the fact that Senpai and I are dating."
"Get away from me."
Tsubame gave him a look, afraid Natsuki would say something outrageous again, and quickly turned and left.
Everyone finished washing up and gathered in the living room again.
The originally cold, even somewhat eerie house, quickly became lively with the girls moving in, even gaining a hint of a 'home's' warmth.
In the time that followed, everyone discussed their respective main quests and possible strategies.
Tsubame's janitor main quest was very simple; she could completely hire a native resident from the dungeon to be responsible for sorting trash. Senpai and the other players only needed to act as 'supervisors.' Any monsters or curses encountered during cleaning would naturally be handled by the native residents.
Then came Shoko's insurance quest.
"Shoko-chan and I have already verified it before," Tsubame raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and said softly, "My signature on Shoko-chan's contract also makes it effective."
The player Ami added, "My signature has no effect."
Natsuki nodded and said, "It seems it's still about being a 'native resident.'"
Haruno rested her right hand on her chin and sighed, "Being a human is too difficult. I didn't expect that even in a dungeon, you'd still be discriminated against if you don't have a house."
Natsuki looked at Haruno and retorted, "A Kaguya from a politician's family has no right to say that."
Tsubame's quest, Shoko's main quest, and Natsuki's security quest, all had their clear solutions, the only thing missing was money.
Natsuki said, "Going to the casino to get money this morning already put me on the blacklist. I'll have to change my appearance to get in."
Hayasaka leaned back on the sofa, biting a lollipop, and said upon hearing this, "Leave the money-making to Kaguya and me."
Chika raised her right hand and said, "I can help too."
The previous dungeon was "Sinful park," and Chika, Kaguya, and the others had already mastered quick money-making methods.
At this moment, Yukino softly reminded, "Sister, it's getting dark."
Haruno looked over pitifully:
"Yukino, the church is so scary..."
"Can't help you, give up," Yukino said, crossing her arms over her chest, "Body swapping is just a side effect of the potion, not its actual function. Perhaps this side effect will never appear again."
Haruno said pitifully, "Yukino, just try it, what if we successfully swap bodies?"
"No, I refuse."
Yukino's tone was firm.
The request to swap bodies could not be agreed to no matter what; she didn't want to wake up in Garbage-kun's arms!
As dusk fell, the strategy discussion temporarily concluded.
Regarding Yukino, Haruno, and Juju's main quests, several plans were discussed, but their actual effectiveness would need further verification.
"Let's go," Natsuki stood up and said, "First, let's send Haruno-nee back to the church."
Haruno stood up with him, clasping her hands together and saying, "Thank you, Natsuki-kun."
Natsuki then looked at Kaguya and said softly, "You guys get ready. When I get back, we'll go to the casino to make some money."
...
Upon hearing this, the two other players involuntarily showed complex expressions.
A casino, that kind of place, was fraught with danger, a perilous place where various evil spirits lurked. One wrong move and you could be killed, yet he was talking about 'making money.' At least show some respect to the evil spirits in the dungeon!
Just as they were about to leave, Shoko suddenly stepped forward and took Natsuki's sleeve.
"Shoko?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow and looked over.
Given Shoko's thick skin, if it wasn't something important, she definitely wouldn't make such an intimate gesture in front of everyone.
"Natsuki-kun..." Shoko said nervously, "I suddenly couldn't contact Juju."
"Can't contact her?"
Natsuki pondered, "Don't worry, the potion's duration should have ended."
Haruno said gently, "Yukino and my potion effects expired this morning, Shoko, don't worry."
Knowing the reason, Shoko finally relaxed a little, but was still very worried:
"Juju must be very scared alone."
Natsuki said, "Let me send Haruno-nee back to the church first, then I'll go find Juju."
...
The journey was silent.
Natsuki, Yukino, and Haruno walked to the church.
At the entrance of the church, the ghost nun from the morning was looking around. Seeing the three appear, the ghost nun was visibly relieved and whispered, "You finally returned. Any later and it would have been dangerous."
Natsuki casually handed over a few underworld banknotes and smiled, "I'll have to trouble Sister Nun to take good care of her tonight."
The ghost nun took the money, her expression clearly much better, and promised, "I will try my best to take care of her."
Haruno took a deep breath and waved, "Natsuki-kun, Yukino, see you tomorrow morning."
Natsuki nodded and said, "See you tomorrow."
...
Watching Haruno and the ghost nun walk into the church, Natsuki was about to leave when he suddenly heard Yukino whisper, "Garbage-kun, you go back."
"Huh?"
Natsuki turned to look at Yukino and said softly, "You're staying?"
Yukino raised her right hand, her slender fingers tucking the hair that fell to her chest behind her ear, and said in a cool voice, "Chika-chan and the others have returned; there are enough people, so whether I go to the casino or not doesn't matter anymore... I'm a bit worried about my sister staying in the church alone."
Cold on the outside, warm on the inside; that described Yukino perfectly.
Though she said 'danger at your own risk,' she was indeed worried about Haruno.
"Then Yukino, you stay," Natsuki nodded, then took out an item and handed it over, "Take this."
"This is..."
Yukino looked down.
"It's a love amulet; we've used it before," Natsuki said, "Every ten minutes, you can talk through the amulet to prevent any unexpected situations."
Yukino hesitated slightly, then extended her slender fingers and took the love amulet.
Her sister's safety was paramount; in front of truly important matters, Yukino was always very calm.
Besides... confessing had already been tried before.
Snap.
The love amulet split into two, with Natsuki and Yukino each holding half.
"Yukino, I like you," Natsuki held the amulet, confessing seriously, performing the love amulet's activation ritual, "Please go out with me?"
In the cool evening breeze, the girl's waist-length hair gently swayed, and a clear, pleasant voice sounded in the wind:
"...Please guide me in the future."
The ritual was complete.
The love amulets in their hands flashed with a faint light, successfully activating the function of hearing each other's inner thoughts.
Natsuki put away the love amulet and opened his arms, saying, "Since Yukino has accepted my confession, we are now in a relationship. A hug wouldn't be too much, would it?"
Yukino clasped her hands across her chest and said, "False things are ultimately false; they cannot be true."
"Tsk~"
Natsuki took a direct half-step forward, reached out, pulled Yukino into his embrace, and then said, "Whether it's false or not doesn't matter; I've decided to hold onto Yukino."
"..."
Watching Yukino walk into the Church, Natsuki turned and left, returning to the Happy Community.
"Natsuki, you've worked hard."
The door opened, and Marin smiled brightly, waving and saying, "Come in, come in."
"I'm home."
Looking at Marin's bright smile, Natsuki's mood also improved; what was clearly a gloomy and eerie residential community now distinctly felt like home.
Natsuki walked into the house, greeted the girls, ate a simple meal, and then everyone gathered and went out together.
"We'll talk about the casino later; let's go to the Sanatorium first," Natsuki said. "Let's figure out a way to help Juju complete her main mission."
Chika clenched her small fists and said in a clear voice, "Juju Rescue Squad, move out!"
"..."
The journey was silent.
Led by Natsuki, everyone passed through the Underworld Town and soon arrived at the Sanatorium.
Unbeknownst to them, the sky had darkened, and the Sanatorium in the night became even more eerie and chilling, with hardly any lights, only faint green candlelight visible.
"President, there are quite a few fierce dogs inside the Sanatorium," Kaguya narrowed her eyes slightly and whispered, "Infiltrating might be a bit difficult."
Tsubame suggested, "What about walking in openly, like at the Church?"
Hayasaka shook her head and said, "A place like a Sanatorium, without a proper identity, probably won't let us in easily."
"What are you afraid of? Everyone is here!" Chika put her hands on her hips, raised her chin, and said, "A rescue, of course, means a frontal assault, defeating all enemies!"
Natsuki was about to speak when he suddenly felt a stir in his heart:
"I'll try my rule ability."
Snap.
As he lightly snapped his fingers, a deeper shadow of night enveloped the surroundings.