"Sounds good. Let's see if we can meet the NPC version of me first."
"Wait, meet her? Does that mean we're going to fight?"
"...Hehe."
"Hannah? Did you just chuckle oddly?"
"Oh look, a ghost! Fireball!"
Hannah might be high on the excitement of a free night at school. She's scanning the area, spotting ghosts, and tossing fireballs at them like it's a game.
She's so cute, getting all giddy on her own. And my level keeps rising—somehow, it feels unfair to her.
"Haha! This is so much fun! Why was I waiting outside the restroom? I might get addicted to finding and defeating ghosts!"
Why is that, though?!
Wait, did I just give Hannah a weird hobby?
T-That can't be good, right? Tamamo or the admins won't come down hard on her, will they?
"Hehehe."
Oh man, Hannah, that laughter of yours is something... wait? Is she collecting items over there?
Then where did that laughter next to me come from...?
I quickly glance to my side.
There was no one there.
No, wait. Below!
I shift my gaze down and leap to the left, and there stands a high school girl with black hair.
Her lower body was missing, and she stood supported by her arms. When she realized I was staring, she turned her face toward me. Her hair fell away, revealing a girl with dark, sunken eyes who... smirked.
"U... AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"
I couldn't help but scream and stumbled back, collapsing onto the ground. It wasn't a matter of running away; I was too startled by the evil spirit right beside me, my legs giving out in sheer shock.
"Ke-ke?"
"Hey?! Why are you starting a boss fight over there, Henry!? Let me join in!"
"Ke-ke-ke... Wait!? Hannah!? What are you doing here?"
"If it's Tiki, no need to hold back. Oni fire!"
"W-What!?"
"Hold on, Hannah! That's in my line of fire!?"
"Just wait, why are you attacking me... ke-ke-ke-ke-ke!?"
Wait, did she just run away!?
"Hey, don't run off, Tiki!"
Hannah chased after Tiki!?
And then, the oni fire surged toward me.
N-Noooooo!
I arched my back in a desperate attempt to dodge. The deadly flame flew low, nearly grazing my chin as it soared over my bridging upper body and smashed into the wall behind me.
That was close.
Ugh, I'm so shaken that I can't even stand. Is this some kind of status ailment? I've seen characters in manga unable to stand, but how do they recover from something like that?
Is it just the passage of time? This is my first experience with this, so I have no idea if I can even recover!
"..."
What the—?!
A ghost? A regular weakling ghost, of all things?!
I've leveled up to 8, so I can probably take a few hits, but if this keeps up, I'm going to be cursed to death!
"H-Hannah! Hannah, please help me?! I'm going to die!"
But Hannah is totally focused on Tiki. How far is she planning to chase after it?
"Hannah! I can't move! Help me… Ah, it's cold?! Stop it, old man, don't touch me! I'll report you! Get away, evil spirit—!!"
In a panic, I grab some salt from my item box and throw it.
"GYAAGH!"
Whoa, surprisingly effective.
The ghost, now covered in salt, recoils and stumbles back, writhing in discomfort.
But it doesn't look like it'll vanish entirely.
Ah, it's moving, I can move! I feel sluggish and there's an ache in my waist, but I think I'll be okay.
I slowly stand up, just in time to see an angry ghost—looking like the vice principal—charging at me.
"Ugh, ahhh!!"
I was in a daze.
In a reflex, I launched a kick.
I kicked the salt-covered ghost as hard as I could…
"GYAAGH?!"
Wait, did that actually work?!
Physical attacks have an effect?!
"H-Hahaha… Yeehaw!"
I was terrified I might be haunted without any chance to fight back. But it seems that isn't necessary after all. If I can kick it, I can take it down. So, what's the deal with a ghost that can only approach me? Take this! Kick! Take that!
"I did it… I really did it!"
The ghost dissipated, leaving behind fragments of spiritual energy. I defeated it without Hannah's help for the first time!
"Ohhhh!"
Here comes another one! But too bad for you! Ghosts can be kicked! If I can kick them, I can defeat them!
"Strength is everything! What a wonderful time we live in!"
With all my might, I unleashed a powerful mid-level kick. I went right through the ghost, spinning around as my feet tangled, and I fell over.
"Wait. What?!"
I hurriedly backed away from the approaching ghost. Huh? Did my attack miss? Why? I thought ghosts could be punched and kicked! Didn't it feel like hitting a soft sponge? Wasn't I supposed to send them flying like in those comics?
"Damn it, it doesn't work?!"
I tried attacking several more times, but every strike just went through the ghostly form. Was that teacher-type ghost special or something? No, that can't be it. There must be some kind of reason. Back then, what did I do… salt?
"No way, right?"
Though I was unsure, I threw salt at the ghost. Instantly, it flailed around like a slug drenched in salt.
"How about this?!"
I kicked the ghost. Suddenly...
Damage dealt!
No way!? Does physical damage actually work if I coat it in salt!?
"If you understand the trick, you can handle a ghost."
Yes! Ghost defeated!
Salt... I need to carry this around all the time now.
However, I leveled up again in that battle. I'm already level 9. Considering it's only my first day, the current raid team must be capped at level 5. Does that mean I'm at the top level right now!?
Wait, am I actually doing something amazing!?
Is it even okay to post this online?
But being able to hit a ghost with salt feels like a major discovery. It wasn't mentioned on any strategy sites.
"Kekekekekekeke."
"Wait for meee!"
Whoa, Hannah is still chasing me!
And if she's coming from the opposite direction, that means she ran up the stairs to a different level before coming back. How much is she chasing me?!
"Kekekekekeke. Ahh! Move, will you?"
"Eh?!"
Tiki charged at me without stopping.
She slammed into me with a thud, sending me flying.
Guh, my HP just dropped into the red zone!?
Then a soft, squishy sensation landed on my face.
— Warning: This… oh, lucky for me, a Pervert Alert—so I guess it's fine.
What warning is that!?
"Why… why is Hannah chasing me? Wait? What? Wait, what!?"
"Ah, there's this soft sensation around my lower body... Wait, wait, that's definitely her chest resting on my face, which means what's down there is...
"Hyah, I'm so sorry!"
The girl with long hair hurriedly jumped back. When she pulled away, I caught a glimpse of the body that had been on my lower half, and... I should really stop thinking about this. I feel my sanity slipping away.
"Um, nice to meet you?"
"Oh, yes, nice to meet you."
She bowed politely; this was Tiki, one of the Seven Mysteries of the Academy. Her long black hair obscured her face, leaving only her mouth visible. Oddly enough, despite being in elementary school, her upper body gave off the impression of a high schooler.
Apparently, she was meant to be one of the high school's Seven Mysteries, but by the time her appearance was finalized, the other mysteries were already set, so she was reluctantly assigned to our academy's mysteries.
Seriously, can they not share such backstory with the players?!
I've heard that she doesn't usually interact with Hannah or the other Mysteries at school, but she's also one of the mascot characters, occasionally appearing in commercials alongside Hannah and the others. Of course, given her appearance, her role is more of a minor one.
"Wow, I never thought there'd be a player who tamed Hannah!"
"Tiki's so cheerful!?"
At first glance, she seemed like the typical introvert, and because her name was Tiki, I expected her to be a cold and resentful woman. But surprisingly, she turned out to be an overly cheerful girl.
Apparently, Tiki is all about role-playing. Not that I care much.
"Isn't it fun outside of school?" she asked excitedly. "Hey, why don't you try taming something too?"
"Wait, can't boss characters be tamed?"
"They can! It's just that the chances are incredibly low, and their resistance is set way higher than regular NPCs, making it nearly impossible. But it's not out of the question."
"Plus, if the character is eager to be tamed, the chances go up!"
I had no idea about those hidden mechanics. Is it even okay to spill that? Won't it mess with game balance?
"Going out with Tiki sounds fun, though. I'm in!"
"Since I have a physical form, you'll be able to interact with me. Heh heh."
Please don't come at me with that pose, arms crossed under your chest. It feels like the ban police are lurking nearby, grinning.
"Alright, let's give taming a shot."
--- Taming failed! ---
"'...'"
"Taming..."
--- Taming failed! ---
"Okay, let's corner it!"
"Wait, hold on! Give me a moment, Hannah! Oh, right. I need to make a quick call, so just wait!"
A scene of a girl student, only her upper body visible, talking on her smartphone. It's surreal. What is this? Occasionally, she nods while playing with her hair. It looks like a typical girl on the phone, but the absence of her lower body adds an unsettling vibe.
"Hannah, does that mean I really have to tame Tiki?"
"Well, given the way it looks, Tiki might follow you even without taming… but if you don't tame her and she dies, she's gone from this world for good."
"Huh? What do you mean?!"
"See, creatures tamed by players keep their AI, but for boss characters like us, when we're defeated, we hand over our status to a weakened NPC and vanish from this world. After that, AI of characters who can appear in commercials go on to have their own roles, but characters like Gokudo, who are unlikely to ever be in a commercial, probably just get deleted when they die."
The world of AI is harsh. Hearing this makes me feel compelled to tame her, as it might serve as salvation for the AI side too.
"But is it okay? If I stream this, won't everyone find out?"
"If it's a dangerous video, the developers will step in. Don't worry about it—just go ahead."
"Really? Yay! I love you, Nurah-chan!"
Tiki kissed the phone playfully before hanging up.
"By the way, are you wearing lipstick? There's some smudged on the phone," I remarked.
"Hey, I'm sending the application now!"
— Tiki seems eager to join us. Do you want to tame her? —
I received a message that felt straight out of a game.
"What's that about?" I asked.
"It's a message that can be displayed when we, as AI, want to team up with specific players. I had it made urgently," she explained.
"Wow…" Hannah sighed, clearly unimpressed.
Wait, is this really how taming works? If the AI can initiate the taming, it could lead to some powerful allies depending on negotiations. But am I the only one who's breaking the game's balance?
"Well, let's just go with 'tame' for now."
— You have tamed Tiki! —
It worked seamlessly. I wondered if the taming rate increases when a request comes from their side. Regardless, this could boost viewer numbers on the stream. But if things spiral out of control, it could turn into a disaster… I hope my home doesn't get pinpointed. Anxiety began to creep in.
"Yes! Now I can go outside! I was getting tired of running around the elementary school hallway," Tiki exclaimed.
Wait, is that something you can get tired of?! That kind of defines her existence, right?