The sound of cracking filled the air as the bone execution chair suddenly collapsed, scattering fragments across the ground.
Amamiya and the others, caught off guard, tumbled down together.
"Ow…"
"My butt hurts," the low voices of Chika and Rikka reached Amamiya's ears.
Sheep Yukino, still resting on Amamiya's lap, was pulled into his embrace as he instinctively held her when the chair collapsed.
At that same moment, the little fairy who had emerged from Spider-Girl's back caused the entire room to shake violently.
"Dear guests, please leave the other rooms immediately," said the puppet Billy, who had been silent until now, his voice a sharp reminder.
Clearly, exposing Miss Spider-Girl's disguise wasn't enough to stop her—she was about to go berserk.
In game terms, the battle phase was about to begin.
Quickly getting to his feet, Amamiya held onto Sheep Yukino and extended a hand to help the dazed Chika.
"Let's get out of here, now."
Amidst the chaos and destruction, Amamiya dashed for the door, with the girls following close behind.
After running just a few steps, Amamiya felt a shift in his arms. Looking down, he noticed that the cute sheep had transformed back into Yukino, her long black hair tumbling down.
'The transformation lasted less than a minute... Even Ultraman has more stamina than that!'
The sudden change from sheep to human left Yukino slightly disoriented. She instinctively wrapped her arms around Amamiya's neck as he continued running.
Given the urgency of the situation, Amamiya didn't have time to set her down, so he carried her towards the exit.
Thankfully, all the training he'd done had somewhat improved his physical fitness, and the extra weight in his arms didn't slow him down.
As Yukino regained her bearings, she instinctively began to struggle, but after surveying the situation, she quickly calmed down, adjusting herself to avoid being a burden.
More than ten seconds later, they finally burst out of the room.
"We made it," Chika exhaled, pressing her hand to her chest. "For a second, I thought everything was going to explode."
'That's fat, not a balloon or water balloon... how would it burst?'
A sharp stare suddenly landed on Amamiya, filled with irritation.
"Natsuki-san, how long do you plan on holding her like that?" Kaguya asked, folding her arms and gazing at him expressionlessly.
Startled, Amamiya realized he was still carrying Yukino in his arms.
"My bad," he apologized, setting Yukino gently down.
Yukino, regaining her composure, took two steps back calmly, walking over to Rikka. Raising her right hand, she elegantly tucked a strand of her long black hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused."
"No, it's thanks to you that we managed to escape," Rikka replied earnestly.
"I was just sitting near Chika-san," Yukino shook her head. Her gaze met Amamiya's briefly before quickly looking away.
"Yukino," Rikka asked innocently, her eyes wide with curiosity, "Why are you blushing?"
Yukino immediately turned her face, her voice quiet but firm. "...I'm not."
"You clearly are."
"..."
Amamiya had a pretty good idea why Yukino was blushing. In the rush earlier, it seemed his hand had... landed in a questionable spot. Even now, he could still feel the lingering soft, smooth sensation in his palm.
"Natsuki-san seems rather reluctant to let go," Kaguya remarked, her arms folded as she raised her chin slightly, a cold smile tugging at her lips.
The sneer was unmistakable—filled with sarcasm.
'You're definitely mocking me!'
"That Spider-Girl from earlier should be a monster from one of the 'Goosebumps' stories. I remember watching it when I was a kid, but I can't recall the details. Anyway, she always gets furious when her true identity is revealed," Chika said, placing her right hand on her waist while wiping her forehead with her left. "That was terrifying. I almost broke out in a sweat."
"Right," the pink-haired girl leaned forward, her eyes wide as she peered at the puppet Billy in Amamiya's hand. Murmuring to herself, she added, "...Mr. Butler looks a lot like the puppet from 'Goosebumps', and there was also the Headless Knight and the scary maid earlier. They all seem oddly familiar."
"I've read 'Goosebumps' too," Yukino crossed her arms over her chest, her long black hair cascading gracefully down her back. She was undeniably beautiful, rivaling even Kaguya, though her cold eyes and aloof demeanor made her difficult to approach. "Could it be... she was originally a character from the book?"
Chika shook her head, confused. "How can characters from books appear in games?"
Kaguya's voice was cold and firm. "The fireplace from before."
"The fireplace…" Chika's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered. "Could it be those books we burned earlier?"
Biting her lower lip in guilt, the pink-haired girl muttered, "If I had known this would happen, I would've stopped everyone from burning the books."
"We didn't know the truth," Amamiya interjected calmly. "And the theory about them being from the book is just a guess. Besides, it was freezing at the time—nobody could resist lighting a fire for warmth."
When people are pushed to the edge, they're capable of anything—except math, he mused silently.
There's an idiom, "drinking poison to quench thirst." Even if people know it's deadly, they still drink, driven by desperation.
The same situation had unfolded earlier—everyone had been so cold that they chose to burn the books, despite the risks.
Amamiya suddenly frowned, his expression growing serious as he turned toward Chika, realizing something he had missed before.
"Chika, wait a minute…"
"Huh?" Chika blinked at him, a look of confusion on her face.
Amamiya's tone was serious as he asked, "Did you just say you were sweating?"
Chika tilted her head, trying to remember. "Yeah, I think so… It was really dangerous just now. The chair kept getting tighter, and I could barely breathe. I was so scared, I broke into a cold sweat."
Taking a deep breath, Amamiya pressed on. "Are you cold right now?"
"Cold?" Chika looked startled, pausing for a moment. "Now that you mention it… I'm not cold anymore."
"I don't think I'm cold either," Rikka added, raising her hand.
Yukino frowned slightly, deep in thought.
"It does feel like the cold has eased up since we left the hall," Kaguya remarked calmly.
Chika, adopting a thoughtful pose, rested her chin on her hand like a detective. "Something's not right. We've been away from the fireplace for so long, we should be freezing by now… but we're not. Something's definitely off."
Amamiya said nothing, his gaze shifting to the window.
Outside, the sky remained shrouded in fog and darkness, with a relentless snowstorm raging on. The visibility was so low, it felt as though the blizzard would continue until the end of the world.
"Dear guests, time is running out," the puppet Billy spoke up, his voice carrying a sense of urgency. "Please proceed to the dinner. If you miss it, you'll regret it."
Amamiya glanced down at the puppet in his hand as a prompt appeared before him:
''[You frown, realizing the importance of the dinner, and decide to attend.]''
Without hesitation, Amamiya spoke quickly. "We're attending the dinner."
"A wise decision," Billy said in an approving tone. "The dinner will be held behind the lobby on the first floor. Please proceed, dear guests."
"Let's go together," Chika said, stepping closer to Amamiya.
The pink-haired girl clearly trusted him, sticking by his side without question. Kaguya mirrored her actions, walking alongside them.
Even Yukino, while abstaining from the discussion, chose to stay with the group.
The group descended the stairs, and as they reached the second floor, they suddenly encountered a girl running frantically toward them.
Her face was pale, her breathing erratic. The moment she saw Amamiya and the others, she grabbed onto his wrist as if she had found a lifeline.
"Someone… someone's dead!" she cried out.