"Mitsui-san, please have a seat." Kaguya got up and said, "I'll go make you some tea."
As the lady of the house, entertaining guests was a given.
As for Miko… she didn't care at all; the lazy girl just wanted to lie down.
Host and guest took their seats.
Mitsui-san took a sip of tea, then took out the reward for this operation.
"Natsuki-kun, these are the copy scrolls we acquired." Mitsui-san opened her backpack, took out the item, and softly said, "Please check their authenticity."
Ordinary people cannot discern the authenticity of items; only players can appraise them.
Of course, before Mitsui-san came, a player must have already appraised them, so there wouldn't be any fakes.
"Thank you for your trouble, Mitsui-san." Natsuki took the copy scrolls, quickly scanned them, and after appraising them, nodded and said, "They are indeed copy scrolls."
"Then I'm relieved." Mitsui-san let out a soft sigh, a faint smile appearing on her face, and extended her right hand, saying, "This operation was a success thanks to Natsuki; please continue to help us in the future."
Natsuki gently shook her hand and politely said, "Certainly."
"…"
After the official business was done, it was time for personal matters.
Natsuki leaned back on the sofa, pointed at Miko, and said, "This is Miko; I told you two days ago that the potion she made works very well."
Mitsui-san smiled and said, "Miko-san, hello."
"Ah, hello." Miko quickly sat up straight, "Nice to meet you, please take care of me."
Mitsui-san softly said, "Speaking of which, after we got the formula, we had others try to make the potion, but the success rate was very unsatisfactory, only succeeding once or twice out of ten attempts, and the quality of the potions produced, when appraised by players, was very ordinary, or even inferior."
"Perhaps it's a matter of proficiency?" Miko tilted her head and thought, "I was also flustered at first, and the success rate was very low, but it was fine after I became proficient."
Kaguya softly said, "Mitsui-san, how many players have joined the Strange Tales Management Bureau now?"
"The Strange Tales Management Bureau has currently surveyed players nationwide, and there are approximately two thousand identifiable players." Mitsui-san stated the data, "Around thirteen hundred players have joined the Strange Tales Management Bureau."
"So many people have joined."
Miko's eyes widened upon hearing this, and she couldn't help but exclaim softly.
Natsuki said from the side, "Because the Strange Tales Management Bureau offers extremely generous benefits."
Two thousand players may seem like a lot, but one must remember that Japan has a population of over one hundred million. Of course, there are certainly undiscovered casual players, but let's not mention them for now.
And to date, it has been confirmed that only players can cause damage to kaidan and evil spirits.
Rarity makes things valuable, so the status of players naturally rises.
Exploitation and oppression?
Only an idiot would do such a thing.
When faced with talent, one naturally uses various means to win them over.
Once one joins the Strange Tales Management Bureau, the starting annual salary is directly ten million Japanese Yen, plus five insurances and one housing fund, working three days and resting four, with freedom of action. Only when encountering kaidan must one obey the Strange Tales Management Bureau's command and deployment. If one unfortunately dies, whether in a dungeon or during a mission for the Strange Tales Management Bureau, their family members can receive an exceptionally generous pension…
After hearing about the benefits, even the always-lazy Miko was tempted. If she were a player, she would probably be eager to join the Strange Tales Management Bureau right now.
The four continued to chat for a moment, then Mitsui-san pursed her lips, hesitatingly saying, "May I ask why Natsuki-kun only wants copy scrolls?"
As the Strange Tales Management Bureau's first operation, the rewards were quite generous, with many things that would tempt even her, but Natsuki specifically said he only wanted skill copy scrolls and wasn't interested in anything else.
Natsuki exchanged a glance with Yandere Kaguya, then openly said, "Because I have an ability that can increase the success rate of copying skills."
"Eh?"
Mitsui-san covered her mouth in surprise, though in reality, it was feigned surprise. Natsuki only wanting skill copy scrolls made it obvious to anyone with eyes that he must have a way to increase the copying success rate.
Natsuki continued, "Of course, it only increases the success rate of copying; it's not a hundred percent successful copy."
"That's still very impressive." Mitsui-san's tone barely concealed her envy, "No wonder Natsuki-kun can master so many skills."
According to the Strange Tales Management Bureau's current statistics, other players do not possess many skills; the second-highest only has eight skills, a huge difference from Natsuki.
Natsuki naturally knew what this woman wanted, and smiled, saying, "If Mitsui-san has a need, you can bring copy scrolls over, and I'll help you copy your preferred skills for free."
Favors, they're given and received.
This Mitsui-san is one of the Strange Tales Management Bureau's overt leaders; building a good relationship with her is definitely not a loss.
"Thank you, Natsuki-kun."
Mitsui-san received the promise, immediately stood up, and bowed in gratitude.
Although she hadn't yet acquired a dungeon ticket and formally gained player qualifications, she had already received much information from other players. The most scarce item for players was skills, which could only be obtained from the "Game" rewards.
However, many skills are strange and hard to describe, such as making all body hair grow rapidly in a short time, or increasing any body part by one centimeter, etc. These types of skills are truly useless.
Now, being able to copy other people's skills is far better than relying on luck.
After the casual chat ended, Mitsui-san bid farewell and left.
"How about it?" Natsuki looked at Miko, "Are you interested in becoming a player? The benefits are generous, and the sooner the better."
"I'd rather not." Miko shook her head, lying back on the sofa, "I choose to lie flat."
Kaguya softly said, "Now that we have several copy scrolls, we can call everyone over to discuss which skills to copy."
"No hurry." Natsuki looked at Yandere Kaguya and said seriously, "Yesterday was too tiring; let's rest well for a day and have everyone come over to discuss tomorrow."
"Eh?"
Kaguya paused slightly, not knowing what she was thinking, her pretty face quickly flushed red, and she hurriedly averted her gaze to the television.
It'll just be me and the President tonight… Is the President going to do that again while I'm asleep?
Time flew by in Yandere Kaguya's dilemma.
Before she knew it, it was late at night.
Miko, as usual, secretly snuck over to stay the night.
Natsuki, meanwhile, opened the Theater to satisfy Mrs. Shimizu's desires, played mahjong with Sadako, and also had to accompany Yandere Kaguya to read comics. In short, he was quite busy.
The night passed without a word.
The next day.
Five thirty in the morning.
Because it was summer, even though it wasn't yet six o'clock, the sky had already begun to lighten.
Miko yawned as she got up, rubbed her eyes, and, as usual, quietly snuck back home. There was no other way; Miko's aunt woke up very early, and if she returned later, she might be discovered.
Click.
Listening to the soft closing of the door, Kaguya, who was sleeping on her side, quietly opened one eye.
"Miko has left… Is the President awake?"
"He must be awake."
"Now it's just me and the President. Will the President come for a night raid?"
"…"
Amidst a mix of tension and anticipation, Kaguya suddenly heard a rustling sound behind her as someone turned over. She quickly closed her eyes, waiting nervously.
Thump, thump, thump.
Footsteps headed towards the bathroom.
Soon after, the sound of a toilet flushing came from the bathroom, followed by the door opening, and the thump, thump, thump of footsteps approaching, then stopping.
"Why did the President stop?"
Kaguya wanted to open one eye to peek, but she was worried that Natsuki was looking at her.
If their eyes met, she wouldn't be able to pretend to be asleep, would she?
Steady.
Don't be impulsive.
Just keep pretending to be asleep!
If the President night-raids me, I'll only let him massage me at most, nothing more extreme!
Of course, Kaguya was willing to allow a massage not because massages were enjoyable, but because she had secretly measured her bust size these past two days at the villa, and the data had indeed increased by one centimeter… With massage, there was progress, and she couldn't stop, absolutely couldn't stop.
After a brief silence, the footsteps in the room resumed, but they did not approach her; instead, they turned away, returning to his own futon.
"The President… left?"
Kaguya, sleeping on her side, opened her eyes, unable to resist turning her head to look.
"W-why?"
"He always used to night-raid me before returning to the villa, so why now…"
Her pearly teeth gently bit her lower lip; Kaguya felt a little wronged in her heart.
He only massaged me for one day, and I just went back to the villa, and now he's not night-raiding anymore… Is it true, as Mama said, that once boys get what they want, they no longer cherish it?
At this moment, Natsuki's low voice suddenly echoed in the quiet room:
"This is too much; someone is still sending spam messages this early."
Kaguya's ears twitched slightly: "Spam messages?"
Yandere Kaguya quickly understood.
"The President left just now because he saw someone sent him a message?"
Thump, thump, thump.
Footsteps quickly approached Yandere Kaguya's side.
Kaguya's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she quickly closed her eyes, continuing to pretend to be asleep, but her heart couldn't help but beat faster.
"The President is walking towards me now; he must be planning to night-raid me secretly while I'm asleep, right?"
"Of course, it's not a night raid."
Natsuki sat down beside Kaguya, looking at the Sheltered Young Lady's profile.
When this the Sheltered Young Lady slept, she always liked to lie on her side. At this moment, her black hair, like a waterfall, was spread beneath her, her eyes were closed, and her breathing was quiet, as if she was sleeping peacefully...
That's not true!
As a player, he was full of energy. First Miko left, then he went to the bathroom himself. Even a normal person would have been woken up!
Moreover, when a person is asleep, their toes wouldn't be tightly curled up, nor would their face be red!
Looking at the Sheltered Young Lady's flushed profile, Natsuki knew very well that this Kaguya was feigning sleep.
Attacking someone while they are asleep is called a night raid.
But the Sheltered Young Lady was clearly awake now, so could it be considered a night raid?
Of course not.
Natsuki didn't ask foolish questions like 'Why are you feigning sleep?' Instead, he lay down directly beside Kaguya, and then placed his right hand on Kaguya's waist.
"..."
Kaguya's body stiffened slightly, but she didn't react at all. She just bit her lip slightly and continued to feign sleep.
Natsuki received tacit permission, and his right hand quickly moved, finding the hem of her pajamas. His fingertips quickly touched the Sheltered Young Lady's delicate and smooth skin, and then climbed upwards...
Next was massage time, no need for words.
Please fill in the rest yourself.
The night passed without a word.
The next day.
Natsuki called everyone over to discuss the use of the Skill Copy Scroll.
"Good morning, Kaguya-chan~" Chika's voice was bright, "Oh, the weather is so hot."
Kaguya greeted her:
"Come over and turn on the air conditioner."
"Kaguya-chan, good morning." Tsubame smiled and greeted her.
Kaguya nodded lightly:
"Senpai, good morning."
"..."
Natsuki sat in the living room watching TV, leaving all the guest entertaining to the Sheltered Young Lady.
At 9:30 AM, everyone finally arrived, and it was time for discussion.
"According to Mitsui, there are currently over two thousand identified players nationwide, and many players have skills." After Natsuki finished speaking, he took out a stack of freshly printed A4 paper. "Everyone, take a look and see if there are any skills you want to learn."
In principle, personal information collected by the Strange Tales Management Bureau needs to be kept confidential.
But where there are principles, there are naturally exceptions.
There are always people in this world who will have exceptional privileges.
Natsuki happened to be one such person. He just mentioned it, and Mitsui immediately brought the data over, of course, not forgetting to remind Natsuki not to spread it and to keep it confidential.
"Eh eh eh?" Marin's eyes lit up. "So many new skills I haven't seen before... Fat Transformation, a divine skill for girls!"
Juju looked over curiously and said:
"How so?"
Marin extended a finger and said:
"The skill description says it can convert consumed food into fat for storage. Once danger is encountered, fat can be rapidly consumed to gain a full attribute boost. The more fat, the stronger the boost effect."
"Eh, fat?" Sayu's beautiful eyes widened; she hadn't quite understood yet. "Won't that make you fat?"
Tsubame's eyes lit up and she said:
"Marin-chan means that we don't need to store fat; we just use the ability to rapidly consume fat. In other words, after learning this skill, we can eat and drink freely without ever worrying about gaining weight."
"Me, me, me!" Chika's eyes suddenly brightened, and she said expectantly, "I want to learn this skill!"
Natsuki's lips moved slightly, and he couldn't help but say:
"I think you could choose a more practical skill."
Chika turned to look over:
"A skill that lets you eat whatever you want without getting fat, isn't that practical?"
Marin: "Exactly, it's super practical."
Haruno: "Oh, I think it's super practical too."
Juju: "This is a dream divine skill for girls."
Natsuki: "..."
For girls, a skill that lets them eat without getting fat is indeed one of the divine skills.
If there were a skill for eternal youth, even Yukino and Kaguya would definitely not be able to remain calm!
Kaguya said softly:
"Let's all finish reading first. There are still many new skills we haven't seen."
As for skills, some players like to hide them and play weak to catch strong, while others like to show off. Traveling in fine clothes at night is meaningless; being admired and respected is the right way.
Among the identified players, some must have concealed their skill information, but many are also willing to disclose their ability information. At a glance, there are many skills never seen before.
For example...
"I saw a super interesting skill called 'A Decisive Battle.'" Chika's eyes widened. "You designate a target to initiate a duel, and the opponent cannot refuse. The loser of the duel will be forcibly turned into a girl."
"Stare—"
The girls all turned to look at Natsuki.
"Why are you all looking at me?" Natsuki's eyes twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but retort, "If I turn into a girl, will you all be happy?"
"Cough cough..." Marin coughed twice. "It doesn't seem very useful. Let's look at other skills."
She absolutely didn't want her boyfriend to become her 'best girlfriend.' She didn't know if others would be happy, but she certainly wouldn't be.
Juju's little face was flushed, and she lowered her head to play with her hair, trying to hide it.
Stupid Natsuki was annoying, but it was still better for him to be a boy. Turning into a girl would be too strange.
At this moment, Yukino suddenly said softly:
"I saw a very interesting skill... called 'Pickpocket.'"
"Eh?"
The girls all looked over.
Yukino pursed her lips and read out the skill information.
[Skill: Pickpocket]
[Type: Active]
[Attribute: You can activate this skill by making a grabbing motion. If there is a sheep within a straight distance of one hundred meters, regardless of type or size, you can ignore space and obstacles and directly pull the sheep in front of you. Please note, you can only pull one sheep at a time]
Marin blurted out:
"Chika-chan's Sheep Transformation Technique?"
Yukino nodded lightly: "That's it... Perhaps they can be used together."
Back in the Blizzard Castle, when everyone was tied to chairs, Chika used Sheep Transformation Technique to turn Yukino into a goat, thereby rescuing the others. Yukino naturally remembered it clearly.
Natsuki said:
"I've seen this skill before. It's meaningless when used alone. I suppose that player wouldn't lie in the skill description to deceive people."
Seize and Eliminate Evil is a combo skill.
Sheep Transformation Technique and Pickpocket are also combo skills. Only when combined can they have the power to turn decay into magic. A standalone Pickpocket skill is actually quite useless.
Are there sheep in the dungeon?
Most likely not.
But when combined with Sheep Transformation Technique, ignoring space and obstacles, and directly 'pulling' a transformed sheep teammate to your side, then it becomes super practical.
Kaguya said softly:
"The skill is indeed very practical, but it's still unclear if it can be combined with Sheep Transformation Technique."
"It should be fine." Natsuki said, "We can verify it. We have several copy scrolls, so it doesn't matter if we fail; we can try and error."
"Okay."
"It's definitely worth a try."
The girls had no objections and all agreed.
Next, Natsuki continued:
"Juju opened a Blind Box this morning and said she got a Magical Girl Skin Card. It just so happens that we can paste Marin's skill to Juju."
"Eh?" Marin looked over curiously. "Juju has a Magical Girl Skin Card?"
"Cough cough..." Juju's little face flushed, feeling a bit guilty. "Maybe my luck was better this morning, I got it right away."
Actually, she didn't.
Her luck this morning was just average.
The item she got from the daily Blind Box was actually a roll of toilet paper.
"I haven't seen a real Magical Girl yet." Chika said expectantly, "I want to see!"