"Hey~ This card is so beautiful."
Umi's eyes widened with curiosity as she gazed at the card.
What was once a lantern had transformed into a card—larger than a regular poker card and somewhat resembling a Clow card deck. Under the white light, the card's edges shimmered with a rich, deep purple hue that made it look especially captivating. On the front of the card, a Halloween pumpkin head was depicted, wearing a cloak and holding a lantern, the image itself subtly shifting as though alive.
Amamiya set the card to display its attributes.
[Rule Card: Midnight Nightmare]
[Quality: Magnificent Purple/Epic]
[Attribute: Unique. This item is one of a kind and cannot be enhanced, destroyed, or transferred. As long as you hold this rule card, no other "Midnight Theater" rule card will exist in any other realm until the current holder dies.]
"I see."
Although the description was lengthy, Amamiya quickly grasped the key point.
"Eh?" Umi blinked, then muttered, "Why does this sound a bit like the Devil Fruits in 'One Piece'?"
There's only one of these rule cards in existence, and no duplicate will ever appear. It drops upon the holder's death… apart from not being eaten, it's quite similar to a Devil Fruit in other aspects.
Amamiya continued reading the card's details.
[Ability 1: Midnight Theater. Every night at midnight, you can open your own theater and perform.]
[Ability 2: Rule Exclusion. When you activate Midnight Theater, other rules will be excluded.]
[Warning: You obtained this rule card through theft. Certain permissions are sealed. You currently cannot use the theater performance ability. Please explore ways to unlock it.]
[Note: Only rules can counter other rules.]
"So, it's a semi-sealed item," Amamiya murmured, flicking the card gently. It spun gracefully in the air above his palm.
"That's unfair. You risked your life for it!" Umi crossed her arms in protest. "This is a player's game—we can't really call taking an item stealing, can we?"
"I didn't steal it," Amamiya said, shaking her head firmly.
"Huh?"
"I took it openly," he continued with a serious expression. "You can't call it stealing if I didn't sneak around."
Umi was left speechless: "..."
Just then, the phone in Amamiya's pocket buzzed repeatedly.
He picked it up to find a flurry of new messages flooding in.
In the player support group, those who had been in the 'Midnight Mall' were already abuzz, discussing the sudden crash of the dungeon.
Several private messages appeared too:
Kaguya: "What happened back there? Are you hurt?"
Hayasaka (Hanamori): "Amamiya-kun, are you okay?"
Miko: "I saw a figure by the window. Amamiya, are you back?"
It was clear Miko hadn't slept, keeping vigil until Amamiya returned.
Amamiya opened his window and waved to the long-haired girl next door. "I'm back. Everyone's safe."
Miko breathed a sigh of relief. "That's a relief."
Given the late hour, shouting across the street might disturb the neighbors, so Amamiya decided to continue messaging instead.
"I want beef brisket with potato curry."
"I'll make it tomorrow for lunch."
"And spring onion ice cream."
"What even is that?" Miko replied.
"..."
After exchanging a few more brief messages, Miko yawned, covering her mouth before rubbing her eyes. She waved sleepily, "I'm heading to bed now. Gotta get up early to make breakfast."
Amamiya closed the window. Just as she was about to relax, his little finger twitched involuntarily, and a video call request popped up on his phone.
He accepted it, and, without warning, a certain pink-haired airhead appeared on the screen.
"Amamiya-kun, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Chika leaned closer to her phone, her large pink eyes wide with concern. She looked particularly adorable as they shimmered with worry. "Why did the instance crash all of a sudden?"
"Something came up," Amamiya responded with a feigned sorrowful tone.
"Huh?"
"I feel so incredibly thirsty right now… I think I might just die," Amamiya sighed dramatically.
"Pfft!"
Chika made a small sound, quickly covering her pink lips with both hands. She wasn't about to fall for the same trick again—no way was she going to offer to feed him water for the third time!
"Where's Umi-chan?" Chika asked, lowering her voice slightly, guilt evident in her tone. "I can't see her anywhere."
"She's in the bathroom, taking a shower."
"I need a shower too," Chika muttered, sounding annoyed. "I've been sweating all day and feel so gross. But when I went to the bathroom earlier, there was a ghost sitting in the tub. It was so creepy, I couldn't take a bath at all."
"You could always close your eyes and pretend it's not there."
"Ew, no! That's way too disgusting."
"…"
The two of them continued chatting for a while longer, their banter stretching on until Umi finally emerged from the bathroom. At that point, Chika let out a small yawn and decided to end the video call.
"Amamiya-kun, you can go take a shower now."
Umi strolled over in a white bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a pink towel. The fresh scent of shampoo and soap followed her, filling the room.
"Alright."
Amamiya grabbed his change of clothes and headed towards the bathroom. After all the running around in the 'Midnight Mall' dungeon, his body definitely needed a good soak to ease the fatigue.
"Amamiya-kun, would you like me to help you wash your back?" Shimizu chimed in from the sofa, resting her chin on her hands with a sweet smile. "You worked so hard today."
Amamiya paused and glanced back at Shimizu, whose ghostly figure had become transparent. He raised an eyebrow. "Do you even have the energy left to help wash my back?"
"Hmm~ Seems like I don't," Shimizu admitted, her voice trailing off.
"Then go play with your phone." Amamiya shot back, unimpressed. "Making promises you can't keep—where's the sincerity in that?"
He made his way into the bathroom and had just started undressing when he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching the door.
There was no need to guess—it had to be Umi. Ghosts didn't have footsteps.
"Amamiya-kun, want me to help you wash your back?" came the familiar voice of the gyaru girl from outside the door.
Amamiya froze for a moment, instantly realizing why Shimizu had made that offer earlier. She hadn't actually meant it—she was setting up Umi.
"No need," Amamiya replied. "Don't let Sister Shimizu's words get to you."
"I know," Umi whispered from outside the door. "It's just a back rub. No big deal… You helped me with mine a couple of days ago. Besides, with that injury on your back, it's probably hard for you to reach, right?"
"It's still a big deal. Haven't you heard? Men and women shouldn't casually touch each other…"
"Tsk, I'm coming in."
"…"
Umi pushed open the door, her eyes locking onto Amamiya. Her face flushed slightly, but she composed herself quickly. Letting out a soft breath, she stepped inside as if nothing unusual had happened.
After all, she had already seen everything there was to see. There was nothing to be embarrassed about anymore… though her heartbeat had quickened slightly, and her face felt just a bit warmer than usual.
"Sit still and don't move." Umi half-squatted beside him, reaching for the towel. "Hand it over."
"Much appreciated." Amamiya handed her the towel with a smirk. "I have no regrets left in life now."
"Pfft, pfft, pfft!" The blonde girl spat softly, playfully punching Amamiya on the shoulder. "Don't say unlucky things, stupid Amamiya."
"Yes, yes."
"…"
With his mind calming down, Amamiya began to focus on reviewing the rewards he'd received for completing the dungeon.