Miko stormed over, her face flushed with anger. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Huh?" Natsuki blinked, caught off guard. He grabbed his phone and saw it was already past 2 PM.
"You just vanished earlier," Miko explained, her pink lips pursed in frustration. "Poof! Gone in an instant. Then you reappeared out of nowhere. Hana came back from walking the dog and asked where you were. I had to make up some excuse about you running an errand... totally different from what you told me before."
Natsuki's brow furrowed. "Must be because of the game update. Before, only our minds could enter, but now our bodies can too... Has the game evolved?"
As he spoke, a translucent Mrs.Kaguya materialized beside them.
"Natsuki, you're so mean," Mrs.Kaguya pouted, sounding like a jilted lover. "You didn't ask for my help even once the whole time."
"I did call for you," Natsuki protested, throwing his hands up. "But you couldn't come out, remember?"
He explained that the snowy mountains and ancient castles in the game were part of the players' collective subconscious. Mrs.Kaguya, being a "pet," couldn't enter that realm.
"Are Kaguya-chan and Chika-chan okay?" Mrs.Kaguya asked, concern evident in her voice.
Natsuki nodded. "Yeah, we finished the game together. They're fine."
"Oh, thank goodness," Mrs.Kaguya sighed, patting her chest in relief. Despite being a ghost with no need to breathe, she couldn't help but ask eagerly, "So, what was this game about? I'm dying to know!"
'Be more like your daughter,' Natsuki thought. 'She'd be curious too, but she'd never ask so directly!'
Miko chimed in, "I want to know too!"
"It was basically wilderness survival disguised as a snowy mountain villa," Natsuki began, giving them a brief rundown of the game's content.
"That sounds so dangerous!" Mrs.Kaguya gasped, covering her mouth. "Are all the games like this?"
Natsuki nodded grimly. "Pretty much, yeah."
"Well, I'm just glad you cleared it," Miko said, relief evident in her voice. "You must be starving. I'll go make some lunch."
"I am pretty hungry," Natsuki admitted, standing up. He could still feel the chill from the game clinging to his skin. "But first, I need a hot bath."
After being stuck in a frozen wasteland, what else would you want most upon returning to reality?
A nice, long soak, of course!
"Can I help wash your back, Natsuki?" Mrs.Kaguya offered eagerly, raising her hand. "I couldn't help in the game, so I want to do what I can now."
Natsuki paused, turning to look at her with a blank expression. "No need," he said flatly. "Go play with your phone or something."
'You want to help wash my back? Don't say stuff like that in front of your master!' Natsuki thought. 'Save it for when your daughter's around!'
He walked into the bathroom, ran the water, and quickly rinsed off before sinking into the steaming tub.
"Ahh..." Natsuki sighed contentedly, feeling the tension melt from his muscles. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened the game's results screen.
[Congratulations, you've won MVP for this game!]
[All your earnings will receive an additional boost]
"Huh, MVP bonuses? That's new," Natsuki mused. "Must be part of the update."
He continued reading:
[Given your outstanding performance, you may choose one of five bonus rewards]
[Note: All rewards are from the 'Wild Challenge' instance you just completed]
[Do you want to select now?]
"Yes," Natsuki replied without hesitation. No way he'd pass up free loot, even if some options might be duds.
Five glowing white cards materialized in the air before him. Unlike the usual mystery boxes, these cards clearly displayed their contents. Still, the descriptions were... odd, to say the least.
Natsuki examined the first card:
[Item: Durarara!]
[Diary of a headless knight who practiced invisibility so hard only his head vanished. Contains training tips and travel stories. May provide unexpected benefits upon reading.]
'Wait, so he's headless because of botched invisibility practice?' Natsuki thought. 'Sounds like a total creep!'
He moved on to the second card:
[Item: Maid Summoning Card]
[Summon a ghost maid for up to 24 hours of service. Warning: Do not harass the maid during her shift. Violators assume all risks.]
'Yeah, no thanks,' Natsuki grimaced. 'I'm not into creepy ghost maids. Hard pass.'
The third card read:
[Item: Miss Wolf's Stretchy Gym Pants]
[Product of the Transformation Enthusiasts Association, designed to preserve dignity for all shapeshifters]
'Hulk pants, I get,' Natsuki pondered. 'But what's the point of werewolf yoga pants?'
Shaking his head, Natsuki turned his attention to the fourth card.
[Item: Pet Collar]
[Note: Ultra-long battery life, solar charging, six modes, and ergonomic design for maximum comfort and fun]
After reviewing all the rewards, Natsuki finally grasped the significance of the MVP bonus in the updated game. The strong get stronger, and the weak... well, tough luck for them.
"Ahh, that's better," Natsuki sighed contentedly as he emerged from the bath, feeling refreshed from head to toe. Nothing beats a hot soak to wash away your worries.
As for the fifth and final reward...
[Reward: Cold Resistance]
[Tempered by the blizzard, your cold resistance is permanently increased by +10%]
There was no time limit on choosing, so Natsuki decided to mull it over.
"Food's ready," Miko called, poking her head out of the kitchen. She was wearing an apron. "It's past two, so I just made omurice. We'll do beef rice for dinner."
"Thanks for the meal," Natsuki said, taking a seat at the table.
Miko, who clearly hadn't eaten either, brought out her own bowl of omurice and joined him.
Mrs.Kaguya, unable to partake in the meal, lounged on the sofa. Her body suddenly went rigid as her fingers flew across her phone screen.
"While you were in the bath, a bunch of people joined the player support group," she said. "Must be your game partners, right? As a senior member, it's my duty to teach them survival skills!"
'You're a ghost,' Natsuki thought. 'How does that make you a senior anything?'
After finishing his omurice, Natsuki stood and walked to the fridge. As he opened it, the sensor light flickered on, revealing a human-faced spirit lurking inside. Its lifeless fish eyes stared directly at him.
"I see you..." it moaned.
Natsuki's face remained blank. He didn't even bother using his halo to repel the spirit. Instead, he simply reached through its head and grabbed the milk carton.
It's amazing what humans can get used to, he mused. In the past, seeing such a grotesque spirit in the fridge would have terrified him. Now? He'd probably feel weird if he didn't see it.
Returning to the table, Natsuki poured milk for Miko, then himself. As he sipped, he checked his phone. The player support group Chika had started had already surpassed ten members. The message count hit 99+ in the blink of an eye.
Chika: "Getting lost in the snowy mountains is so scary! I'm never skiing in the Alps again!"
Hiyori: "We're lucky to be alive."
Umi: "Sounds super dangerous. I definitely couldn't have figured out how to pass it."
The conversation had started as a serious game review but quickly devolved into plans for Golden Week.
Natsuki glanced out the window. The rainy season hadn't hit yet, and it was a beautiful sunny day – perfect for lounging outside, if not for the roaming spirits. Golden Week with evil spirits everywhere didn't sound so golden.
At 8 PM, as Natsuki read in the living room, his pinky finger began to twitch. Once. Twice. Three times.
'Must be Chika being bored again,' he thought.
Sure enough, his phone buzzed. He checked the message:
"Ugh! This is too much! Way, way, WAY too much! Something absolutely ridiculous just happened!"
The pink-haired girl's frustration practically leapt off the screen.
"Explain," Natsuki replied tersely.
Most girls would've snapped at his curt response, but Chika plowed on:
"Just now! That super creepy spirit crawled under my bed again, right in front of me!"
"It shows up every couple days. I've never seen a spirit like this before."
"I can't take it anymore!"
"Today I'm going to find out what it's doing under there."
Natsuki could understand her irritation. No one wants to see spirits crawling under their bed daily.
Chika continued: "Hey Natsuki, are you free? If so, why don't you come over?"
'Seriously?' Natsuki thought. 'Is it really okay for her to invite male classmate to her house this late?'