"What did you just say, Amamiya?"
Miko tilted her head, confused.
Amamiya let out a sigh.
"Actually, this morning, I was chosen by that game again..."
"Eh?" Miko's expression shifted to concern. She reached out, checking over Amamiya's body. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No, I'm fine."
Amamiya shook his head and briefly recounted the events of the game.
"So much happened…" Miko bit her lower lip, her pearly teeth pressing lightly. Unable to be a player herself, she felt helpless. "What did you mean by practice?"
"The game store refreshed an interesting new ability today," Amamiya explained. "It's called 'I don't want to work hard anymore.'"
Miko's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "That doesn't sound very serious…"
> [Skill: I Don't Want to Work Hard Anymore]
> [Price: 50 game coins]
> [Effect: This skill is designed for players who wish to gain strength effortlessly. By lying down and allowing others to step on you, you absorb the energy of their trampling, which is then converted into special power to enhance your physical capabilities.]
> [Note: For those who can afford it, working hard is no longer necessary!]
That morning, when Amamiya browsed the game store, he noticed a new high-end skill. Initially, he had dismissed it because he had spent most of his game coins recently. However, after completing a game session earlier that day, he found himself considerably wealthier. The skill, tempting him with the promise of power without effort, seemed almost too good to pass up.
Though he wasn't familiar with many girls, Amamiya did have someone close—his childhood friend, Miko.
"Letting people step on you to get stronger… That's pretty weird," Miko commented, crossing her arms.
Amamiya chuckled, holding up an umbrella. "Just think of it like stepping on my back."
"Even so…" Miko hesitated before finally agreeing, "It still feels off."
"You stepped on my back before, back in junior high," Amamiya reminded her.
"That was just out of curiosity," Miko blushed slightly, her tone defensive. She exhaled softly and relented. "Alright, alright… Let's head home first."
Back in junior high, during a summer break, the two had been watching TV when a back-stepping scene came on. Out of curiosity, they'd tried it themselves. After realizing it was uncomfortable, they never tried again. But this time, it felt different. Although she couldn't help him in the game, Miko wanted to support Amamiya however she could in the real world.
---
"I'm back," Miko announced as she opened the door to her house.
"Welcome back," came a vague, ethereal voice from the living room. Her father, sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, looked up briefly before returning to his reading. Neither Miko nor Amamiya paid any attention to the apparition.
"My shoulders are soaked," Miko said, brushing a damp strand of hair behind her ear as she bent to change her shoes. "And my socks are wet. They feel uncomfortable."
"It's bound to happen when two people share an umbrella," Amamiya noted. "You should take a shower first so you don't catch a cold."
Miko nodded and made her way to the refrigerator. "I'll go wash up. You can grab a drink if you want."
When she opened the refrigerator, a rotting, disembodied head stared out at her from the upper shelf. Its dead, fish-like eyes fixated on Miko. She gritted her teeth.
"Amamiya, come here and grab what you want."
Amamiya walked over, noticing the ghostly head. It was a familiar sight by now—this spirit seemed to have taken a liking to the refrigerator, appearing every morning.
"I'll take some black tea," he said calmly, reaching into the fridge as he activated his spirit-repelling aura.
The head let out a piercing scream before dissolving into black smoke and vanishing. Amamiya pulled out a can of tea and headed upstairs. "Go take your shower."
Miko exhaled in relief and headed to the bathroom. But as soon as she opened the door, her eyes widened, her body trembling involuntarily.
Inside the bathroom stood a monstrous, insectoid spirit, its face covered in scarlet compound eyes. It loomed over her, its dozens of eyes all focused on her.
"You… can see me?" it rasped in a cold, hollow voice.
Miko's breath hitched, her eyes misting up as tears threatened to fall.
This is too much!
She had just dealt with the refrigerator spirit, and now this? Caught off guard and terrified, she fought to keep from screaming.
"You… can see me?" the spirit repeated, inching closer as the oppressive atmosphere deepened. Its malevolent aura was overwhelming.
Miko's trembling hand gripped the doorknob as she turned and shouted, "Amamiya, do you want to take a bath together?"
Amamiya, halfway up the stairs, froze at her sudden outburst.
Bath together?
Don't say something like that in front of your dad!
He glanced downstairs and saw Miko standing there, trembling with tears in her eyes. Realizing the situation, he hurried back down. He saw the insectoid spirit in the bathroom and felt a chill run down his spine.
No wonder she's terrified. Anyone would be.
"You… can see me?" the spirit repeated, its eyes darting toward Amamiya.
Without hesitation, Amamiya activated his repelling aura again. The spirit screamed as transparent flames engulfed it, and soon, it too dissolved into nothingness.
Amamiya placed a hand on Miko's head, offering her a comforting smile.
"We'll save the bath for another time, alright?"
Taking a bath with someone else's daughter while her father is in the house? That's a bit much!
"I'm heading upstairs," Amamiya added, waving his phone. "Message me if anything else happens."
Miko nodded, still shaken but grateful, and finally entered the bathroom.
---
Half an hour later, Miko walked into her room, dressed in her pajamas. Amamiya, sitting and reading a book, looked up, momentarily distracted by her appearance.
He couldn't help but notice her figure—slender but with a certain weight to it, an undeniable presence that caught his attention.
If Kaguya was the baseline for comparison, Miko was at least five times the size in certain areas.
"Well… aren't you asking for my help?" Miko's face flushed as she motioned for him to lie down.