Miss Sadako, who suffered from severe social anxiety, was reluctant to come out and entertain guests.
Amamiya, as a boy, was handsome and "powerful," which attracted the admiration of several female players who secretly hoped to cling to him like a leg pendant.
However...
One quick glance at the ice-cold beauty standing next to him made them give up their fantasies.
There was no competition.
Absolutely no comparison.
Despite her flat chest, her face was undeniably stunning.
She was the kind of girl who could easily catch a scout's attention just walking down the street, begging her to join their agency.
Countless examples proved that, when it came to beauty, physical figures took a back seat.
As long as you're pretty enough, small breasts don't matter!
"Don't be nervous. Miss Sadako is actually really easy to get along with," Chika said, sensing the tense atmosphere and stepping forward to take on the role of hostess. "She just likes to sneak around and eavesdrop. She'd never actually hurt anyone."
"The game is dangerous," she continued, clasping her hands in front of her chest, radiating warmth. "So, we have to stick together and help each other out."
Chika's words seemed to shine with a radiant glow.
"We must return safely to the real world without leaving anyone behind," she declared, her voice full of conviction.
Ah, it's so dazzling!
Amamiya shielded his eyes with his hands.
This must be what they call the legendary "light of humanity."
Her ability to lift everyone's spirits was astounding. Chika was clearly a natural politician—she could even become the country's first female prime minister!
Thanks to Chika's empathy and charisma, the once tense atmosphere gradually lightened up. The players began to chat with each other, exchanging their experiences.
After all, human beings are creatures who seek warmth in numbers.
Listening quietly to the players, Amamiya realized that most of them were frightened newbies, clueless as to why they'd been chosen by the game.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
Maybe horror games hadn't been around for very long, and everyone was still at the beginner stage of figuring out how to survive?
While deep in thought, Amamiya felt a tug on his finger.
He turned his head slightly to find Chika giving him a mischievous smile, her bright face beaming like the sun. She winked and made a playful scissors-hand gesture.
Amamiya withdrew his gaze, resuming his thoughts.
A few moments later, his fingers were hooked again, softly but persistently.
Hey, are you hooked on this or something?
Glancing down at his little finger, Amamiya remembered the red string still tied there. Now that the vengeful spirit Kaguya had been dealt with, could he finally untie it?
Curiosity got the better of him, and he touched the red string, but felt nothing strange. It seemed that unraveling it wouldn't be easy, so he gave up for the moment.
Maybe I'll learn Morse code one day and use the string to send messages, he mused.
While pondering over the potential uses of the red string, his little finger twitched again.
"Can you stop?" Amamiya asked.
"Ehehe," Chika giggled, her head tilting as she gave him a proud, playful smile.
Well, two can play this game.
Amamiya suddenly raised his little finger.
And so, the two of them secretly played finger games for quite a while...
---
"The hallway is lit," Amamiya said, and the trio headed back to the corridor, making their way toward the nurses' station.
Behind the duty desk sat the nurse, motionless, her face covered with bloodstained gauze. She silently stared down the corridor, clearly slacking off from her duties.
The three of them searched for the key in front of the nurse. Chika even tidied up the clutter on the desk.
"No key here."
"Could it be on the nurse herself?"
"Most likely."
"Well, then we have no choice..." Chika raised her finger dramatically. "Outlaw Don, I summon you! Do you dare answer my call?"
The nurse, previously as still as a statue, let out a raspy groan before grasping her bloodstained, oversized syringe. Clearly, she was not pleased with being interrupted from her slacking.
Pop.
Amamiya pressed his hand onto the nurse's shoulder. "Don, you're under arrest."
The nurse froze in place.
"Kaguya-chan, let's search her for the key," Amamiya suggested.
The two girls worked together and quickly found the key in the nurse's pocket.
However, just as they secured it, trouble arose.
As soon as Amamiya let go, the nurse resumed her sluggish movements, stumbling forward with the oversized syringe in hand, chasing after them in a staggered manner.
The anti-pornography and anti-illegal publication combo had been effective at containing individual spirits, but it couldn't actually eliminate them. It became clear now that their limitations were glaring.
With a vengeful nurse tailing them, the stakes had risen.
"We still don't know what's in the last ward. We definitely can't take her with us," Amamiya said. "It'd be a disaster if we got ambushed from both sides."
"Kaguya-chan, do you want to try using your weapon?" Chika suddenly suggested.
"Alright, let me give it a shot," Kaguya agreed, nodding slightly. She hadn't had the chance to use the exclusive weapon she earned from the Hundred Kill mission.
Amamiya watched curiously as the bow and arrow she held enlarged, turning into a real longbow.
Immediately, a soft glow surrounded Kaguya, her school uniform transforming into a red and white shrine maiden's attire.
Her long, dark hair cascaded down her back.
The shrine maiden's robes fluttered, though there was no breeze.
Kaguya looked like an actual shrine maiden, pulling back the bowstring with perfect poise. An arrow materialized out of thin air and shot toward the nurse.
The trio watched with bated breath, but when the arrow struck, it merely dissipated with a soft 'snap'.
The nurse was startled, instinctively placing a hand over her chest.
Not only was there no wound where the arrow had struck, but her clothes were completely untouched.
"…"
The air fell into an awkward silence.
'I get that you're scraping, ADC, but this is a bit much!' Amamiya thought. 'An arrow shot, and it didn't even leave a scratch!'
"Your stance was very impressive," Amamiya commented dryly, "but maybe it's time to head back to the room and hide."
Once they were safely back in the ward, with Miss Sadako's intense social anxiety, she'd definitely go back to hiding—there'd be no risk of being attacked from both sides.
Just as he was about to make his move, the nurse suddenly spoke up.
"Do it again."
"Uh?"
"Hurry, shoot me again!" she demanded, her voice now carrying a hint of excitement and anticipation.
Chika blinked in surprise and whispered, "Is... the nurse a masochist?"
It seemed quite possible.
Even vengeful spirits don't typically 'enjoy' being shot at.
Kaguya bit her lower lip and hesitated briefly, but then drew her bow once more, releasing another arrow.
Amamiya prepared for another weak hit, expecting nothing more than another scrape. However, the moment the arrow struck the nurse, she was engulfed in a glowing light, quickly sealed, and vanished.
"Wha—what just happened?" Chika gasped in shock. "Did Kaguya-chan just score a critical hit?"
"Maybe," Amamiya speculated, "the nurse was just too lazy and deliberately let Shinomiya-san seal her so she could avoid doing her job?"
"…"
With the nurse dealt with, the three of them approached the last ward.
"I'll open the door," Amamiya said, taking the key and unlocking it smoothly.
As the "sin-nemesis," it was only natural that he led the way. Chika and Kaguya were both delicate, vulnerable ADCs who could be taken out with a single hit if they weren't careful.
"Amamiya-kun, please be careful," Chika warned, her voice tight with nerves.
Kaguya also whispered, "Be safe."
Amamiya nodded slightly and pushed the door open, stepping inside the dimly lit room.
Inside the ward, there was only a frail little girl lying on a hospital bed. A few books were neatly placed on the table beside her. Amamiya glanced at the titles—'Warmth of Monday' and another book, 'Embrace Life with ALS'.
A faint light came from a tablet beside her, gently illuminating the room.
Amamiya cautiously stepped closer, his eyes falling on the tablet's screen. It displayed hand-drawn comics depicting corridors and rooms, with familiar chibi versions of characters inside each room.
A line of text accompanied the drawings: 'I want to see the hydrangeas in the rainy season again.'
At that moment, the dim light from the tablet suddenly blinked off, plunging both the ward and the corridor into darkness.
Amamiya gently tapped the tablet, reactivating the screen. As the corridor lit up once more, he carefully placed the paper hydrangea into the little girl's hands.
A game prompt echoed in the air.
"The player has completed the level. The game is over."