[Players The Evil of This World, Cancer of the Earth, and Buds of Capitalist have completed the game.]
[All players, please prepare. The game will close in ten seconds.]
"Huh?"
Chika's eyes widened in surprise. "How did we clear the stage so quickly?"
Kaguya furrowed her brows slightly, her gaze falling on the hospital bed.
"It's actually pretty simple…"
But before Amamiya could finish his sentence, ten seconds passed, and the world around them suddenly froze.
The next moment.
The dim, eerie hospital ward transformed into a bright, sunny classroom. The three of them were back, as though everything they had just experienced was a dream.
The game's exit time was only ten seconds—far too short to do much more than mentally prepare.
There had been a player who once complained about being summoned mid-shower, with nothing but a pair of underwear on, almost being mistaken for a pervert.
As a result, it was difficult to prepare weapons in advance. They still had to go to school and live normal lives, unable to carry an arsenal at all times. Aside from items acquired in blind boxes, real-world objects couldn't be stored in the game's inventory—like the leash and collar from earlier.
Also, it seemed that only the player's consciousness or soul entered the game, while their physical body remained in the real world. Otherwise, it would be as though an entire person were transformed.
…
"We're back."
Amamiya pressed his fingers to his temples and turned to look out the window.
Outside, the sun shone brightly.
Sports club members were out on the field, pouring their sweat and youth into their activities.
Too bad there were also a few evil spirits training alongside them.
"Amamiya-kun, what just happened? Why did the game end so suddenly?"
Chika clasped her hands in front of her chest, her face full of curiosity. "What about the boss fight you promised?"
Amamiya crossed his arms and looked at the girl with the butterfly-shaped ribbon in her hair.
"Do you really want to know?"
Chika's eyes lit up with anticipation. "I really do!"
Amamiya leaned back in his chair. "I'm not telling you."
"…Amamiya-kun is such a bully!"
"…"
Amamiya opened the game mailbox to check his rewards.
The first was the basic clear reward: ten game coins.
Players who didn't actively participate could only get the basic reward, which was barely enough for one blind box.
Then there were the side quests. Every vengeful spirit in the hospital wards had a side quest, but due to time constraints, Amamiya had only completed a few: Miss Sadako, the cow lady spirit, the Mirror spirit, and Harley Quinn's ghost card game. He had taken down the others with a straightforward approach, earning no rewards. In total, he collected 80 game coins.
Next was the hidden mission, [Hydrangea's Wish], which awarded him 50 coins.
Finally, there was the game's hidden lore: [Dim Light]. For Sakurai, the girl suffering from ALS, the hospital only had four floors.
The girl lay in her room, barely able to move except for one finger. When the tablet screen darkened, she'd use that finger to light it up again, allowing a dim glow to illuminate the room.
[You've unlocked a hidden lore aspect. A special reward has been granted.]
[Guardian Spirit slot unlocked. You can now bind a Guardian Spirit.]
[Once bound, you can command the Guardian Spirit to fight for you.]
[Note: Guardian Spirits can include evil spirits, vengeful spirits, earthbound spirits, or heroic spirits. You must obtain consent before binding.]
Seriously? Wasn't there something off about this note?
Evil spirits and vengeful spirits made sense, but what about heroic spirits?
So, heroic spirits exist too?
What's the point of just opening a Guardian Spirit slot? Why not throw in the King of Silence as a bonus?
"Guardian Spirit..." Amamiya murmured, reading the description. "Isn't this like the Stand from 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'?"
Crimson King, Platinum Heart, Golden Requiem… but these guardian spirits probably aren't that strong.
After pondering for a few seconds, Amamiya had already chosen his ideal candidate for a Guardian Spirit.
He glanced over at Chika, who was happily chatting with her friends. The carefree girl had already forgotten everything that had happened in the game.
"What a shame."
Amamiya sighed. The perfect Guardian Spirit was right in front of him, but unfortunately, humans didn't qualify.
Once separated from the anti-crime duo, she wouldn't be much of anything.
"Hm?"
Noticing Amamiya's gaze, Chika tilted her head and looked over.
At that moment, Amamiya felt a slight tug on his little finger.
It seemed the red string of fate still worked in the real world.
Looking up, he saw Chika quietly raise her right hand to her face and make a scissors gesture:
"Hehe~"
——
The day flew by.
Before they knew it, it was time to go home from school.
Somehow, the weather had shifted from sunny to cloudy, and it looked like rain was coming.
Kaguya stepped outside the school and approached a black luxury car.
"It's going to rain."
The blonde girl beside her, sucking on a lollipop, opened the car door. Once Kaguya got in, she circled to the other side and sat next to her.
The driver, a gray-haired man with decades of driving experience and a perfect record, was truly a seasoned professional.
"Don't take me back to the villa just yet," Kaguya said coldly. "I want to make a stop."
The driver blinked in surprise, then glanced at the blonde girl.
There was a soft "pop" as the blonde girl removed her lollipop from her mouth. Her lips, tinged like cherries, were glistening. She tilted her head, curious.
"Where to, Miss? The mall to shop for clothes?"
"I know a great lingerie store. They've got a winning bra I'd recommend."
"Lingerie?" Kaguya couldn't help but frown. "Why would I need that?"
The blonde girl replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world:
"Since you've read 'How to Train a Loyal Boyfriend', I figured you'd want to practice."
"I've only skimmed through that book, and I didn't even finish it!" Kaguya retorted.
"And anyway, it's not like I even have a boy I like…"
She paused for a moment before continuing with a blank expression, "Not at all."
"Tsk~"
The blonde girl popped the lollipop back into her mouth and said, "Miss, tsundere is so outdated."
Kaguya turned away, and outside the car window, rain and fog began to fall:
"Anyway...I want to go somewhere and take a look."
at the same time.
On his way home, Amamiya met Miko and her good friend Hana.
"Good afternoon, Amamiya-kun."
Hana greeted him with a blushing face. The impact of the button incident two afternoons ago was still there. After coming to her senses, Hana became more and more shy the more she thought about it. Now she would blush when she saw Amamiya.
I didn't care at the time... I was looking for buttons under the bed in such an embarrassing posture, my panties must have been seen!
"Good afternoon." Amamiya greeted and walked over to the two girls. "Why do you only have one umbrella?"
Miko still had dark circles under her eyes, and her expression was as lazy as a salted fish. She said weakly:
"Hana forgot to bring an umbrella this morning."
"I was so busy reading the horoscope this morning that I accidentally forgot to bring my umbrella when I went out." Hana patted her chest, "Don't worry, Miko. I will definitely not forget to bring my umbrella next time."
Amamiya complained beside him:
"People who say this usually forget it next time."
Hana puffed up her cheeks and said, "Amamiya-kun is really going too far."
"…"
They talked all the way and soon arrived at Miko's house. Hana waved goodbye and did not come in with her. She borrowed Miko's umbrella and went straight home.
Amamiya held the umbrella over Miko's head, looked at his childhood sweetheart with a slim figure, and said seriously:
"Miko, I need you to help me practice."
Miko: "???"