As for the pitiful, tearful expression on the cute girl's face—how should he put it—Takumi felt that even after another ten or twenty years, he probably still wouldn't get tired of seeing it.
If this were normal circumstances, something encountered in everyday life, Takumi definitely wouldn't let it go without teasing her properly. But right now, it was better to help her get out as quickly as possible. After all, this place really didn't look safe, and Takumi hoped nothing would happen if it could be avoided.
He grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her outward.
Fujiwara Chika showed a pained expression and let out "wah, wah" sounds as she was pulled little by little out of the cave by Takumi.
Judging from the wear and tear on her clothes, this time it was her butt that had gotten stuck in the hole.
"So having too good a figure can cause this kind of problem too? I really don't know what to say about you," Takumi said with a sigh as he looked at Fujiwara Chika's dust-covered pants, now marked with several scuffed streaks.
"D-don't say things like that, it troubles me too…"
Fujiwara Chika, her face red as an apple, shook her head repeatedly, letting out pitiful cries like a small animal.
It was just too embarrassing.
She had never expected that after coming all this way, she would end up getting stuck in a hole because of her figure and become a laughingstock.
"All right, let's confirm once more. I'm an Explorer. I'm Takumi. I'm a player. My objective is to leave this place."
Takumi quickly shifted his attention and did not continue focusing on that matter.
"Mm. I'm an Explorer. I'm Fujiwara Chika. I'm a player. My objective is also to leave this place."
Fujiwara Chika nodded lightly. She was already quite familiar with this identity-confirmation process of Takumi's.
"Very good. Next, check your clothes."
After that, Takumi and Fujiwara Chika each turned their backs and checked whether their exploration outfits showed any signs of adhesion.
However, perhaps because they were already far from the deeper areas of the Red Nut Grey Cave, the corrosive effect on the exploration outfits had weakened considerably. Up to now, there were no signs of sticking or bonding, and the clothes still maintained the normal state they were supposed to have.
"I'm fine on my side," Fujiwara Chika said seriously, raising her hand.
"I'm fine too. Then after we rest for a bit, it'll be time for the cliff climb—are you scared?"
Takumi sat down on the spot and smiled at Fujiwara Chika as he asked.
"Hehehe, I'm actually pretty scared."
The girl, who also sat down, smiled and did not hide the fear in her heart.
Takumi did not pay much attention to what Fujiwara Chika said. Instead, he carefully checked the surroundings through his blessing, and only after confirming that there was no hidden ghostly thing lurking in this area did he finally relax and rest.
Meanwhile, the pink-haired girl secretly observed the expression on Takumi's face. Her hands held her legs, tightening a little.
It seemed like she felt a bit disappointed.
After learning that Takumi already had a girlfriend—and that it was Shijō Maki.
Someone like this, who could give her a sense of safety in the midst of danger, was someone Fujiwara Chika had never encountered in her past days.
How should she put it?
A man who had protected her and saved her in the face of those terrifying eerie things—like a prince on a white horse. She had never expected that even at her age, she would still be so moved by a plot like something out of a fairy tale.
And on top of that, he was always so forceful, with an attitude of doing things his way and not allowing any disagreement.
But he already had a girlfriend…
The girl's heartbeat became a little unsteady, her emotions a mix of sourness, sweetness, bitterness, and spice, and for a moment she could not find an accurate description.
However, Takumi did not think that much. Right now, he was still thinking about the next actions, and he could not help taking out that flyer again and looking at what was written on it.
[Welcome to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly opened area of the national-level scenic spot Red Nut Grey Cave]
[The greatest scenic spot in our city, Red Nut Grey Cave, has completed the full construction of its new area. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held in the new area of Red Nut Grey Cave on x month x day. You are welcome to come and participate.]
[The confirmed attendees for this event are as follows:]
[Anthony Tovan Bush; Saxton Baird…]
To be honest, Takumi did not recognize a single name in that long string, and he had no way to infer from their surnames which families they might belong to, so he could only set it aside. The only person at the very beginning—Anthony Tovan—was someone Takumi still had a faint impression of.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was in the new area.
So back then, that group of politicians actually did not have the guts to really go over to Red Nut Grey Cave, and instead found a place outside to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony?
It seemed those people were not completely foolish, but judging from the final outcome, this still did not appear to have changed their fate. Takumi guessed that it was probably during that ribbon-cutting ceremony that the anomaly inside Red Nut Grey Cave erupted for the first time, swallowing everyone nearby.
As for the rescue team that appeared during the flooding period… perhaps they were the ones who rushed in to carry out rescue operations when the disaster first began.
If that was the case, then the research base should have been established last—built only after the rescue team had also perished and the anomalies existing within Red Nut Grey Cave had gradually stabilized, at which point the upper levels of the United States took action to construct it.
According to the materials Maki had given him, that research base had constructed a filled sealing zone with a diameter of nearly a hundred meters near the entrance of Red Nut Grey Cave. Aside from the deliberately retained entrance, it ensured that no one could enter the interior of the cave from any other location.
He did not know which period of Red Nut Grey Cave he would enter if he climbed up along the great cliff now.
As he was thinking this, Takumi suddenly frowned and raised a hand to cover his forehead.
He felt a bit dizzy.
For some reason, he inexplicably felt slightly lightheaded.
Come to think of it, he had just successfully walked out of the [Blood Vessel], but he vaguely felt as though he had encountered a fork in the road.
At that time… he had retreated, right?
It should have been a retreat. Otherwise, there was no reason he could have made it out here successfully. But during that process, he must have suffered some mental shock—probably the kind of development where danger presses close and then one escapes death at the last moment. In any case, he had ultimately come out safely.
Forget it. This was not something that needed attention right now. He should think about how to proceed next.
Thinking this, Takumi turned his head and looked toward the rocky cliff beside him, so tall that its end could not be seen.
If he remembered correctly, this cliff should have been around eighty meters high—roughly equivalent to a skyscraper of more than twenty floors. But looking at it now… the height of this thing seemed to be far more than eighty meters. Had it become longer due to the influence of the anomalous power?
Takumi had already spotted the location of the pulley elevator. It was not far away—essentially just an elevator fixed in place by several ropes, little more than an iron plate hung with a few cables. It looked extremely unsafe.
Of course, Takumi had no intention of trying that thing. After making it this far with such difficulty, he was not about to court death at a critical moment like this.
Over on Maki and Kaguya's side, it was already nighttime curfew. Although the two girls very much wanted to continue investigating and exploring, they did not dare to act on their own under the circumstances, so they could only return to the dormitory area to rest.
Meanwhile, Takumi and Fujiwara Chika had more or less finished resting and had reached the point where they could set off again. After noticing the terrifying injury on Takumi's ear, Fujiwara Chika suggested resting a bit longer, but Takumi refused outright. This was a crucial moment—if they stopped here and wasted too much time, it might end up being too late… Strange—why did he feel like it would be too late?
Takumi's brow furrowed even more deeply.
He suddenly began to feel that he might have overlooked something—something extremely important, something that absolutely should not have been missed.
What exactly was it?
When had it happened, at what time—what was the thing he had overlooked and forgotten…
It seemed that some images were slowly surfacing in his mind.
In pitch darkness, inside a shadowy cave where nothing could be seen.
Himself—
"Cough, cough… damn it…"
Takumi's recollection was interrupted by a sound coming from the cave at the entrance of the [Blood Vessel].
A man covered in abrasions from head to toe, his face smeared with fresh blood, struggled as he crawled out of the cave.
It was Kawano—the most enthusiastic member of that four-person group, or rather, the only one who had actively tried to invite new members to join, but also a dangerous individual who very likely carried a mental-inducement-type Obsession Item on his person.
This guy actually survived. It seemed he must have another Obsession Item meant for preserving his life.
Takumi immediately raised his guard. He stood up, pulled Fujiwara Chika—who had not yet reacted—over and made the girl stand behind him, watching vigilantly as Kawano, who looked to be in very poor condition, slowly struggled to his feet.
Takumi could sense that this man's current state was extremely strange. Although the blessing's assessment still identified him as a living person, his body was entangled with an anomalous aura, filled with intense malice.
And once he saw Takumi and Fujiwara Chika, that malice unhesitatingly locked onto them.
"Very good. Looks like it's two familiar faces," Kawano curled his lips into a thoroughly ugly smile.
"…"
Takumi said nothing and directly drew the handgun from its holster.
"How unfriendly. But that's fine—after all, the people I hate the most are exactly the kind who refuse to be friends with me,"
Unlike before, Kawano showed no intention of backing down when faced with Takumi's guarded stance. On the contrary, a ferocious light flashed in his pupils, and he seemed to grow even more excited.
Could this be some kind of side effect brought about by an Obsession Item, causing a change in him?
Takumi had no way of determining the exact reason for the change occurring to him now based solely on a few words of reaction.
But he was very clear about what would happen next.
A battle between players, huh. Two rounds in the Shirakawa Apartments had already been enough—did they have to fight another one here as well?
While silently complaining in his heart, a pair of blood-red scissors appeared between the fingers of Takumi's left hand.
Drip—
Vaguely, it sounded as if the noise of dripping water was coming from somewhere in the distance.
Then, Fujiwara Chika lifted her head and looked toward the top of the cliff inside the cave with a hint of shock, staring at the turbid muddy water that was now pouring down in torrents from above the cliff.
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