"Human, what exactly is this 'gift' you intend to give me?" Miss Werewolf, unable to suppress her curiosity, leaned down to get a better look behind Amamiya.
'Pop.'
Amamiya gently placed a hand on Miss Werewolf's shoulder.
The "sweeping away gangsters and eliminating evil" combo had yet to switch targets. Miss Werewolf, still under the alias "Don," was caught, with no chance of escape.
"What are you up to?" she asked, narrowing her eyes, sensing that the boy in front of her had no good intentions.
Without answering, Amamiya pulled out his right hand, which had been hidden behind his back.
In his grasp was a black collar—one that he had only just removed from Kaguya's neck.
'Click.'
The collar fastened easily around Miss Werewolf's neck.
"Mission accomplished."
"What's Amamiya-kun doing?" Rikka asked, clearly puzzled.
"I have no idea," Chika replied with equal confusion. She leaned over to whisper in Kaguya's ear, "Kaguya-chan, do you know what Amamiya is doing?"
Kaguya: "…"
It was obvious. He was bullying the werewolves.
"Human, what 'is' this!?" Miss Werewolf reached up to touch the collar, wrinkling her nose in displeasure. "It smells like another woman. Are you seriously giving me something that another woman has already rejected?"
Amamiya shook his head and corrected, "It's not that she didn't want it—it's just an extra unused item."
"It's all the same to me."
"…"
Suddenly, someone let out a soft exclamation.
"Wait… this looks really familiar. It's a… pet collar!"
"…"
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
All eyes turned to the player who had spoken.
Realizing his mistake, the player trembled in fear, quickly covering his mouth with both hands before bowing frantically. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that!"
"A 'pet' collar?!" Miss Werewolf's voice dropped an octave, her mouth curling into a wicked grin that revealed two rows of razor-sharp fangs. Her fury was visibly rising.
"You didn't bring me a gift—you came back to insult me?!"
"No, no, no. That's not what I meant!" Amamiya quickly denied the accusation, three times over, trying to remain serious. "These days, collars are just normal accessories. They don't have anything to do with pets anymore."
"Exactly!" Chika chimed in hurriedly. "Collars are really common. Even Umi-chan loves wearing them. Without a leash, it doesn't count as a pet thing!"
'Click.'
The moment Chika finished speaking, a rope fell out from Amamiya's coat and landed on the ground.
"…"
Miss Werewolf's eyes locked onto the rope. Her patience snapped. With a furious roar, she lunged at Amamiya, claws bared. "I'm going to eat you!"
'Pop.'
The restraining mechanism activated again, leaving Miss Werewolf helpless. Realizing she couldn't harm Amamiya, she turned her gaze to Kaguya, eyes burning with rage. "You like 'that' girl, don't you? Fine! I'll devour her instead!"
"L-Like…" Kaguya stammered, her hand instinctively covering her chest as her cheeks flushed a deep red. Completely flustered, she seemed to be battling some emotional turmoil and was rendered momentarily dizzy.
'Hey, hey, stop daydreaming! Now's not the time!'
Amamiya swiftly pulled out the remote control and pressed a button.
"Aghhh… Aaaaah!"
Miss Werewolf's body trembled violently as she clutched at the collar around her neck, letting out a guttural cry of pain.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's happening?" Chika quickly pulled Kaguya back a couple of steps, her face full of surprise.
'Electrotherapy,' Kaguya thought, calming herself as she reflected on the situation.
'No wonder I couldn't resist reacting. If it was this much for me, a werewolf this strong wouldn't be able to hold out under electric therapy either.'
"Damn human, take this collar off!" Miss Werewolf, now kneeling on one knee and trembling, tugged furiously at the collar around her neck. But no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't budge. No one knew what it was made of, but the collar was clearly of exceptional quality.
Amamiya spoke calmly, "It's snowing too heavily outside. Traveling is tough. If you help us get halfway up the mountain, I promise to remove the collar."
"Fine, I'll agree," Miss Werewolf growled, baring her sharp fangs. Her intentions were clear. 'If I can't eat you, I'll eat your friends. This will be my revenge!'
Amamiya could easily read her thoughts. Pointing his finger, he added, "It's not just me—you're pulling all of us."
"No way!" Miss Werewolf's eyes glowed fiercely. "There are too many of you. I can't carry all of you at once."
"You don't have to carry us," Amamiya replied, bending down to pick up the fallen rope. "But with a sled, it'll be no problem. I'm sure, with your strength, Miss Werewolf, you can pull us all at once. Right?"
"Of course I can!" Miss Werewolf puffed her chest out in pride, but quickly realized what he was implying. Her eyes widened in fury, and her fur bristled. "You want me to be a 'sled dog'?!"
"Technically, sled 'wolf'," Amamiya corrected. "You've heard of 'The Volga Boatmen,' right? If humans can pull boats, then it's only reasonable for werewolves to pull sleds, wouldn't you say?"
"Werewolves will never be slaves!" Miss Werewolf howled angrily. Not hearing another word, she lunged at Amamiya again, her rage blinding her to reason.
Amamiya slowly pressed the remote control.
"'Aaaaaghhh!'"
Whoever manufactured this remote had done an excellent job. Even the mighty werewolf couldn't resist its effects.
After several shocks, Miss Werewolf finally collapsed, her ears drooping, tears welling up in her eyes.
"P-Please… stop pressing it," she whimpered, utterly defeated by the electric therapy.
"Amamiya-kun is such a bully," Chika whispered sympathetically.
Kaguya crossed her arms and said bluntly, "It's a werewolf, not a human."
"…"
Amamiya glanced around at the group, who had been watching in stunned silence. "Break down the chairs and use the parts to make simple sleds. We're setting off now."
As if waking from a dream, the group quickly sprang into action. They dismantled the chairs, tied wooden planks to their feet, and fashioned crude snowboards. Following Amamiya, they stepped out of the castle.
"Why do we need a werewolf to pull us down the mountain if we've made snowboards?" a random player asked, confused.
The moment they left the castle, the reason became clear.
The wind and snow were so strong, it was impossible for normal people to ski against it.
"It's time to go."
Amamiya squinted against the harsh wind and snow, tying the rope around Miss Werewolf's waist. The others lined up behind him in turn.
"Human, if you don't take this collar off once we reach halfway, you're dead!" Miss Werewolf warned through gritted teeth.
"Rest assured, I promise to remove it," Amamiya said, his tone sincere. "You have my word."
"You don't have any character to vouch for!" she snapped.
"…"
Miss Werewolf howled mournfully into the sky, then, using all her strength, bounded down the snow-covered mountain with the group in tow, sending a flurry of snowflakes flying in her wake.
"Ahhh, this is so fast!"
"Miss Werewolf is amazing!"
Racing down the snowy mountain in a sled during a horror game felt both novel and exhilarating. While some had initially shouted in excitement, the biting cold wind soon silenced them.
The ride became quiet.
In under ten minutes, Miss Wolf had pulled the sled to the halfway point up the mountain.
"We can stop here," Amamiya called out through the wind and snow.
Miss Wolf's ears twitched slightly as she began to slow down and bring the sled to a stop.
As the sled halted, Amamiya caught the silly young lady who bumped into him due to the inertia. Exhaling softly, he asked, "How much time do you have left?"
Kaguya, her pretty face pale from the cold, pursed her lips and answered in a low voice, "Ten minutes."
"That should be enough," Amamiya said, extending his right hand. "But to be safe, let's be careful."
"Mm," Kaguya softly nodded, but as she reached for Amamiya's hand, she suddenly paused, realizing what she was about to do.
'Wait a minute—this is a boy's hand! How can I just grab it like that?'
Her face flushed with embarrassment.
"It's freezing! I'm going to turn into ice!" Chika exclaimed, crossing her arms as she moved closer to Amamiya. She hugged his arm tightly. "Amamiya-kun, warm me up quickly! I'm dying here!"
Kaguya's expression stiffened as she stared at the pink-haired girl clinging to Amamiya.
'With all that body fat, you definitely shouldn't be cold! You're the last person who's going to freeze to death!'
'That's why your timer's the longest! It's all because of that insulation!'
"Why are you staring at me like that, Kaguya-chan?" Chika tilted her head curiously. "Amamiya-kun is super warm. Do you want to join in? Or maybe Rikka-chan can warm you up?"
'As if I'd share a heat pack!'
"Human! I've dragged you halfway up the mountain!" Miss Werewolf snarled, baring her sharp teeth. "Now hurry up and take off this collar!"
Amamiya nodded. "No problem."
He calmly pulled out the key and unlocked the collar around Miss Wolf's neck.
"You… really didn't lie to me?" Miss Werewolf's eyes widened in surprise.
Amamiya answered sincerely, "I told you, you can trust my character."
"You have no character, you despicable human!" she snapped.
"…"
"Amamiya-kun, what do we do now?" one of the other players asked, shivering from the cold. Although the werewolf had saved them a lot of time by pulling the sled, the freezing temperatures were starting to take their toll.
"Follow me," Amamiya said firmly, leading them towards the nearby forest.
The group exchanged uncertain glances but followed him without question. By this point, returning to the castle wasn't an option.
[Something is strange about this forest.]
A game prompt appeared in front of Amamiya once again.
This time, he finally understood what was off about the forest.
The heavy snow had crushed many of the trees, but what was strange was that these weren't coniferous trees typical of the boreal region. Instead, they were broadleaf trees, unsuited for such an environment.
The extreme cold at the start…
Then, the gradual numbness…
And the odd sensation of warmth, like during their "Last Supper."
Not to mention the eerie way the dead had been found with smiles on their faces…
Leading the group through the snow, Amamiya held the hand of Kaguya with Chika clinging on his other hand, and after a while, they came upon a grim sight: all the players who had perished lay neatly in a row beneath a natural cliff shelter in the forest.
"Everyone, look!" someone exclaimed. "It seems like we're under that cliff."
At that moment, the game prompt sounded in everyone's ears simultaneously:
[Scene: Wilderness Survival, Completed.]