Chương 41: Chapter 41
"There's no way we can solve this quickly," Natsuki sighed. "Maybe I could learn Morse code later and use red ropes to send messages?" she mused, her pinky finger twitching slightly.
"Still hanging around, huh?" a voice chirped.
"Hey there!" The girl with the bow in her hair flashed a cheeky grin, tilting her head.
"Three strikes and you're out! Time to show you when enough is enough!"
Natsuki suddenly lifted her pinky. The two of them quietly played a finger game for a while.
...
"The hallway's lit up," Natsuki noted as she and her two companions returned to the corridor, heading straight for the nurses' station.
The nurse sat motionless behind the desk, her face covered in bloody gauze, silently staring down the hallway. Clearly still slacking off.
They searched for the key near the nurse. Chika even tidied up the messy desk.
"No key here," she reported.
"Could it be on the nurse?" Kaguya suggested.
"Probably," Natsuki agreed.
"Well, we've got no choice then..." Chika pointed dramatically. "Outlaw Zhang San, I summon you! Dare you answer?"
The statue-like nurse let out a raspy growl, grabbing a blood-stained oversized syringe. She was clearly pissed about being interrupted during her slack time.
Pop!
Natsuki tapped the nurse's shoulder. "Zhang San, you're under arrest."
The nurse froze instantly.
"Kaguya, let's find that key together!"
The girls quickly discovered a key in the nurse's pocket.
But then came trouble.
As soon as Natsuki let go, the nurse sprang back to life, lurching after them with the massive syringe.
Their anti-evil combo might look tough, but it only worked on one target at a time. It could restrain vengeful spirits, sure, but not get rid of them entirely.
It hadn't been an issue before, but with this creepy nurse on their tail, they had a real problem.
They still didn't know what awaited in the last ward. Bringing the nurse along was definitely not an option. Getting attacked from both sides would be a nightmare.
"Hey Kaguya, wanna try out that weapon of yours?" Chika suddenly piped up.
Kaguya nodded slightly. "I'll give it a shot." She'd never used the special weapon from her Hundred-Man Kill mission before.
Natsuki watched curiously as Kaguya's bow and arrow charm grew into a real longbow.
In a flash of light, Kaguya's school uniform transformed into a red and white shrine maiden outfit.
Her black hair cascaded down to her waist.
The shrine maiden's robes rustled as if caught in an invisible breeze.
Kaguya seemed to have transformed into a real shrine maiden. She drew the bowstring with elegant poise, an arrow materializing out of thin air before flying off.
The three watched eagerly as the arrow hit the nurse... then vanished with a pop.
Startled, the nurse quickly patted her chest. Where the arrow struck, there wasn't even a scratch on her clothes.
"..."
An awkward silence fell.
Natsuki thought, "I've heard of weak attacks, but this is ridiculous! The arrow didn't even leave a mark!"
"Nice form," Natsuki commented dryly. "Let's head back to our room and hide."
She figured once they returned to the ward, given Sadako's social anxiety, she'd probably hide and refuse to come out. No worries about being ambushed from both sides then.
Suddenly, the nurse spoke up. "Do it again."
"Huh?"
"Hurry, shoot me again!" There was a hint of excitement in her tone.
Chika blinked, whispering, "Is... is the nurse a masochist?"
It seemed likely. Even a vengeful spirit wouldn't normally enjoy being shot at.
Kaguya bit her lip slightly, drew her bow, and fired another arrow.
Natsuki expected another dud, but this time, the arrow hit the nurse and she vanished in a flash of light.
"Whoa, what just happened?" Chika gasped. "Did Kaguya score a critical hit?"
"Maybe..." Natsuki speculated, "the nurse was so lazy she let Kaguya seal her to get out of work?"
The trio approached the final ward.
"I'll open it," Natsuki said, taking the key.
As the tank of the group, she had to take point. Chika and Kaguya were squishy damage dealers who could get taken out in an instant if they weren't careful.
"Natsuki, be careful," Chika warned nervously.
"Watch yourself," Kaguya added softly.
Natsuki nodded and pushed open the door.
In the dim room, a frail girl lay on the hospital bed. Some books sat on the nearby table – Natsuki spotted a manga called "Monday's Warmth" and another titled "Embracing Life with ALS".
A tablet rested beside the girl, its faint glow illuminating the ward.
Natsuki took a couple cautious steps forward and glanced at the tablet. On it was a page of hand-drawn comics showing corridors and rooms, with familiar chibi avatars inside each little space.
A note beside it read: "I really want to see the hydrangeas in the rainy season again."
Suddenly, the tablet's dim light flickered out, plunging the ward and corridor into darkness.
Natsuki gently tapped the tablet to wake the screen, and the corridor brightened once more. She then placed a paper hydrangea into the girl's hands.
A game prompt chimed.
"Player has completed the level. Game over."
A system message popped up:
[Players of "The Evil of This World," "Cancer of the Earth," and "Buds of Capital" have completed the game]
[All players prepare for game closure in ten seconds]
"Huh?" Chika's eyes went wide. "How did we beat the level so fast?"
Kaguya furrowed her brow, her gaze falling on the hospital bed.
"It's actually pretty simple..." Natsuki began.
But before he could finish, the world froze as the ten seconds ticked away.
In a blink, the gloomy ward transformed into a sunny classroom. The three of them were still there, as if everything before had been a dream.
The game only gave them ten seconds to prepare – barely enough time to get their heads straight, let alone do anything else.
Natsuki, Kaguya, and Chika had to stay put in the classroom. They couldn't even make it to the board game club.
Natsuki recalled a story about an unlucky player who got summoned while showering. Poor guy showed up in just his underwear and nearly got labeled a pervert.
It made prepping weapons beforehand pretty much impossible. Everyone had normal lives and school to deal with – they couldn't exactly lug around an arsenal 24/7. Apart from items from blind boxes, nothing from the real world could go into their game inventory. Like that leash and collar from before.
It seemed only their minds or souls entered the game, while their bodies stayed behind in reality. Otherwise, it'd mean completely transforming living people.
"I'm back," Natsuki muttered, rubbing between her eyebrows as she gazed out the window.
The sun shone brightly outside. Sports club members were pouring their sweat and youth onto the field.
And, of course, a few spirits were training right alongside them. Typical.
"Natsuki, what just happened?" Chika clasped her hands, eyes wide with curiosity. "Why'd the game end so suddenly? Where's that boss battle we were promised?"
Natsuki turned to the girl with the ribbon, fingers laced together. "You really want to know?"
Chika nodded eagerly. "I'm dying to know!"
Natsuki leaned back in her chair. "Not telling."
"Natsuki, you meanie!"
Ignoring Chika's pout, Natsuki checked his game inbox for rewards.
First up, the basic clear bonus: ten game coins. Barely enough for one blind box pull. Talk about stingy.
Next, side quest rewards. Each ward's spirit had offered a potential side quest. Due to time constraints, Natsuki had only completed Sadako's, the Beast Girl's, the Mirror Spirit's, and Harley Quinn's card game. The rest just got a quick anti-porn and crime crackdown. Total haul: 80 coins.
Then there was the hidden [Hydrangea Wish] mission, worth fifty coins.
Finally, cracking the game's hidden worldview [Flat Light]. For Sakurai, the ALS patient, the hospital only had a fourth floor.
The girl lay alone, only her last finger still mobile. Whenever the tablet went dark, she'd use that finger to wake the screen, letting its faint glow light up the room again.
[Hidden worldview cracked. Special reward unlocked.]
[Guardian Spirit feature now available. You can now bind Guardian Spirits.]
[Once bound, you can command Guardian Spirits to fight for you.]
[Note: Guardian Spirits include evil spirits, vengeful spirits, earthbound spirits, and heroic spirits. Consent required before binding.]
Natsuki raised an eyebrow at that last bit. Evil spirits and vengeful spirits, sure. But heroic spirits?
"So there are actually heroic spirits in this world?" she mused. "Now that's interesting..."
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