The matter of getting Juju to play Tetris must be planned carefully; it's probably impossible to achieve in a short time.
Then Marin suddenly snapped her fingers, her eyes lighting up as she said:
"Oh, right, there's also Tsubame. Besides Juju, we should call Tsubameto play too."
Natsuki decisively shook his head and said:
"I haven't taken advantage of Senpai yet."
"Not now, but there definitely will be in the future, it's only a matter of time." Marin put her hands on her hips, her voice clear, "I remember when we were eliminating the hotel anomaly, I told Senpai that we don't know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first, so as people, we must enjoy life in time… It's decided, we have to find a way to get Senpai over, and everyone can play Tetris together!"
Natsuki: "..."
You've gone too far!
It's one thing to get Juju to play, but now you even want to drag Tsubame along. Do you know what it means to be stretched too thin?!
"Of course, Senpai and Juju probably won't agree easily." Marin leaned closer, her voice seductive, "If Natsuki is impatient, you can paste Hanamori's transformation skill, and Sayu-chan and I can transform into other girls' appearances."
"Ah…"
It must be said, Natsuki was tempted.
Faced with such temptation, no cadre could maintain their original intention, right?
But the next second.
The soft flesh at his waist was pinched by Marin, followed by a sudden twist.
"Ow, ow, ow."
Natsuki hurriedly cried out in pain and begged for mercy.
Marin's pink cheeks puffed out, as if she had stuffed her mouth full of chestnuts like a squirrel, and she said:
"Natsuki actually hesitated!"
"No." Natsuki looked innocent, "You were the one who suggested transforming, so why are you angry?"
"Of course, I'm angry." Marin puffed out her pink cheeks, "'Playing' together is one thing, but you also want us to transform into other people's appearances… Natsuki, you're clearly tired of us, aren't you?"
"Eh, is that so?" Sayu widened her eyes, then puffed out her pink cheeks, "Master is so mean."
You're the ones who said to transform, and you're still the ones who are angry. I can't live like this!
"Farewell."
Natsuki got up to leave.
But as soon as he got up, he was pulled back by Marin, pushed onto the bed, and she said from above:
"You're trying to leave without even an apology, that's too much… Sayu-chan, come and hold Natsuki's hands, I'm going to drain him dry!"
"Coming!"
Sayu quickly agreed, eagerly stepped forward, and held Natsuki's hands.
"Don't do this." Natsuki verbally resisted, "I'm going to scream for help."
"Heh heh." Marin raised her chin triumphantly and hummed, "Go ahead and scream, no one will come to save you today even if you scream until your throat is hoarse."
Natsuki:
"I can't take it anymore, please, let me go."
Marin's pretty face was flushed, and she hummed softly:
"You say you don't want it, but your body is quite honest."
"..."
In short, Natsuki was held down by the two girls and thoroughly ravaged until six in the evening when he was finally allowed to leave.
"Those ordinary male protagonists in campus comics are simply not suitable for having a harem."
Natsuki said with emotion as he walked downstairs:
"I can't handle it, I really can't handle it."
Walking back, Natsuki felt like he had forgotten something until he saw several the child crossing the road together at an intersection, and then he finally remembered.
Slapping his forehead, Natsuki took out his phone and sent a message to Juju.
"Are you there?"
A few seconds later, Juju replied with only two capitalized words:
"NOT HERE!!!"
Yesterday at the airport, they agreed to meet today, but she waited and waited until evening before finally receiving a message.
"So mad!"
"Super mad!"
Juju clenched her small fists. If Natsuki were standing in front of her, she would have bitten him long ago.
"My fault, a lot happened today, I only have time now…" Natsuki used euphemisms; if he told the truth, Juju would definitely explode, "I'll go give Juju the souvenir."
Juju: "I don't want it at all."
Girls are all creatures who say one thing and mean another. If they say they don't want it, but then don't receive a gift, they will definitely be even angrier.
So Natsuki said directly:
"Wait for me. I'll be at your apartment building in half an hour. Should I come up to deliver it to you, or will you come down to get it?"
Juju quickly messaged back: "I'll come down to get it, my sister is still at home."
If Natsuki were to walk into her home, who knew what would happen... In any case, her sister absolutely couldn't find out!
Natsuki said:
"Then downstairs. Wait for me to arrive, and we'll have dinner together tonight."
Juju: "I don't want to eat. Just go back after delivering the gift!"
...
Half an hour later.
Natsuki, holding the souvenir, appeared punctually downstairs at Juju's apartment building.
After waiting for a moment, Juju, wearing light makeup and lipstick, and a white dress, emerged from the apartment building with a reluctant expression.
Tap, tap, tap.
Juju, in her small leather shoes, approached Natsuki and extended her small hand, saying:
"Give me the gift."
"Here." Natsuki took out a large bag and said gently, "Inside are souvenirs I bought from all over the world. Should we take the things up first, or go straight to dinner?"
Juju snorted lightly, pouting:
"I'm not hungry. I don't want to eat anything!"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow and said:
"You really don't want to go to dinner together?"
Juju turned her small face away and mumbled:
"No, you go by yourself."
"Alright then." Natsuki's smile faded. "Since you don't want to go, I'll go alone."
"You"...
Hearing this, Juju's eyes widened in disbelief, and she looked up blankly.
"I'm leaving."
Natsuki waved and turned to leave.
Watching Natsuki turn and walk away, Juju was first disbelieving, then her nose stung, and her eyes quickly welled up with misty tears:
"Stu- Stupid Natsuki"...
Juju bit hard on her lip, forcing back the urge to call out, clenched her small fists, and turned to walk back, her vision blurred by tears.
After two steps, Juju couldn't help but stop and turn back. Seeing Natsuki walking further and further away without looking back, the mist in her eyes immediately thickened.
Stupid Natsuki! Stupid Natsuki, Stupid Natsuki, Stupid Natsuki!
He actually left without looking back. Clearly... clearly he was the one who said he'd go on a date, but then he didn't send a single message all day...
Juju wiped her eyes, forcing back the grievance in her heart, and walked forward with her head down.
Just as she reached the apartment entrance, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in her ear:
"Miss, you dropped something."
Juju's steps faltered, and she couldn't help but turn around.
Natsuki held two flowers in his hand and smiled:
"Did you drop this red rose, or this champagne rose?"
...
Juju opened her mouth, the grievance in her heart finally unbearable. With teary eyes, she threw herself into Natsuki's arms and cried out:
"You, you taken advantage of me!"
Natsuki explained:
"I just happened to see someone selling flowers, so I went and bought two... Who knew you'd actually cry."
Juju turned her small face away, stubbornly saying:
"I didn't cry!"
"You can take the gift back tonight." Natsuki reached out and scooped Juju onto his shoulders. "Let's go have dinner first."
Juju's small face flushed, and she quickly pressed down her skirt, saying:
"Stupid Natsuki, put me down!"
Natsuki said:
"Are you still angry?"
"Hmph!"
Juju turned her small face away.
"Looks like we can't eat first." Natsuki said seriously, "Let's go to the Love Hotel first, and let Juju take advantage of me a bit."
"Pfft!" Juju's small face quickly turned red, and she couldn't help but shout in embarrassment, "I don't want to go to that kind of place!"
"Going to Juju's room is also fine."
"Stupid Natsuki, I'll bite you to death!"
...
Natsuki didn't carry Juju far before they encountered nearby residents. Juju was, after all, thin-skinned. The passersby only looked at her twice before she blushed and said:
"Quick, quickly put me down!"
Natsuki looked up and said:
"Are you still angry?"
Juju bit her silver teeth: "I'm not angry anymore."
Natsuki said:
"Say 'Master', and I'll put you down."
"Huh?"
"If you don't say it, I'll keep walking."
...Stupid Natsuki, you're taking advantage of me!"
When it came to thick skin, Juju was no match at all. In the end, she had no choice but to blush and, enduring the shame, called him Master.
"Satisfied."
Only then did Natsuki put Juju down, and then he took Juju to dinner.
"Oh, by the way, I heard Shoko-chan unlocked a new skill from a Blind Box recently." Natsuki asked curiously, "What kind of skill is it?"
Juju's expression immediately became subtle. While eating dessert, she snorted lightly:
"If you want to know, ask Shoko yourself."
Natsuki spread his hands and said:
"I messaged her yesterday, and Shoko wouldn't say."
"Then I won't say either." Juju snorted, "Stupid Natsuki can ask her himself."
Natsuki said:
"If you don't tell me, I might just go and tease Shoko."
"Tch." Juju rolled her eyes, disdainfully saying, "Even if I told you, would you really not tease Shoko-chan?"
Natsuki showed a surprised expression and said:
"Juju got smarter?"
"Die!"
...
After dinner at the restaurant, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening.
"I'm going home." Juju held the gift, her small face serious. "My sister is home alone, and if I get back too late, she'll definitely worry. Don't even think about tricking me into going to a Love Hotel."
"Got it." Natsuki nodded. "Then we won't go to a Love Hotel. I'll take you home."
"Tch."
Juju pouted, completely disbelieving Natsuki's promise.
But Natsuki actually kept his word. When they passed the Love Hotel, he looked straight ahead, showing no intention of tricking her into resting there.
"Stupid Natsuki... he's actually so honest today?"
Juju couldn't help but cast a surprised glance.
"What's wrong?"
Natsuki looked down at Juju.
"Nothing." Juju snorted lightly, her small face inexplicably puffed up, and she quickened her steps with a thump-thump-thump, "Walk faster!"
Still trying to play hard to get, huh?
This time, I definitely won't fall for it again!
The journey was silent.
Unconsciously, the apartment building was already visible in the distance.
Looking at the familiar apartment, Juju was confused.
What's going on?
Stupid Natsuki actually didn't trick her into resting at a Love Hotel and honestly took her downstairs?
Could it be...
Juju suddenly thought of a possibility and couldn't help but puff out her pink cheeks: "Could it be that he's already tired of me so quickly?"
"It's already nine o'clock." Natsuki stopped and suddenly said, "Let's go for a walk in the nearby park."
Juju furrowed her small brow: "The park at night has a ton of mosquitoes."
"It's okay." Natsuki said, "The mosquito repellent produced by the game guarantees you won't be bothered by mosquitoes."
"It's already so late, and the weather is hot. Why go for a walk in the park?" Juju said reluctantly, "Everyone's probably already hiding at home, enjoying the air conditioning at this hour."
Natsuki held Juju's small hand and walked towards the park, casually saying:
"It's precisely because there won't be anyone else to disturb us that we should go for a walk in the park."
"Eh?"
Juju paused, not immediately understanding what that meant.
After a while, she suddenly realized, her small face flushing:
"You, you, you... you actually want to go to that kind of place, the park...!"
"It's for a walk." Natsuki's face was full of righteousness. "What else can you do when you go to a place like the park besides walk? Juju wouldn't be thinking something else, would she? No way, right?"
"Pfft!"
Juju couldn't help but spit at him, saying in embarrassment:
"You promise it's just a walk, and you won't do anything else!"
"I promise." Natsuki raised his right hand and said, "We'll definitely finish our walk before ten o'clock and let Juju go home."
"Bastard! Give me a proper promise!" Juju shouted in embarrassment, "Let go of me, I don't want to go to a place like the park!"
Natsuki reminded her:
"Keep your voice down, don't disturb others."
"How can you say that?!"
Juju was both embarrassed and angry. The weather was so hot, yet he still wanted to go to a place like the park. Although there wouldn't be many people at night, what if?
What if they were seen by someone?
The park was a public place; it definitely wouldn't be 100% safe!
"Let go of me!" Juju's voice was filled with shame and anger, "If you dare to in the park… don't expect my forgiveness!"
"Yes, yes."
Natsuki responded while holding Juju's hand, stepping into the park.
It was actually very easy to tell if a girl was truly angry.
A truly angry girl would be as stubborn as an ox, impossible to pull.
However, at this moment, although Juju was saying angry words, her body showed no resistance at all, at most it was symbolic modesty.
In a blink of an eye, it was ten o'clock at night.
Natsuki kept his word, carrying the soaking wet Juju, who could no longer walk, out of the park.
He sent Juju home, then turned and left.
The night passed without a word.
The next day.
After a night's rest, Natsuki had fully replenished his energy. He was just about to visit his daughter and go on a date with Tsubame when he stepped out and suddenly saw a black sedan parked at the entrance.
Click.
The car door opened.
A woman wearing sunglasses and a suit, looking sharp and capable, stepped out of the car.
It was Miss Mitsui from the Strange Tales Management Bureau.
Miss Mitsui took off her sunglasses and smiled:
"Natsuki-kun, good morning."
"Good morning." Natsuki nodded, "Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
"That would be an imposition."
Miss Mitsui bowed slightly and followed him in.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Miss Mitsui explained her purpose.
"I've received a dungeon invitation, so I wanted to ask Natsuki for help…
"I see." Natsuki understood in his heart and said softly, "Miss Mitsui, have you decided? Players are actually very dangerous."
There are two ways to become a player.
One is to be directly chosen by the game, like Kaguya, Hayasaka, and others.
The other is to use a game invitation. Once you successfully clear a dungeon, you can obtain game qualifications. Chika and Haruno are examples of this.
"I've already decided." Miss Mitsui's voice was calm, clearly having thought it through, "I want to become a player. That way, if I encounter an anomaly again, I'll at least have a chance to fight back."
The first time he met Miss Mitsui was in the extra dimensional space of the Gate of Strange Tales. Unlike the game, even if one miraculously cleared the Door of Despair, there would be no rewards, only endless despair until death brought releas
So Natsuki could understand the obsession and longing for supernatural power that people who had encountered Strange Tales and survived possessed.
"Understood." Natsuki said softly, "When does Miss Mitsui plan to challenge the dungeon?"
"The day after tomorrow." Miss Mitsui raised her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I still have a few invitation cards. If possible, could I trouble Natsuki-kun…"
Natsuki nodded:
"I will participate in the dungeon with Miss Mitsui."
"Thank you, Natsuki-kun!"
Miss Mitsui breathed a sigh of relief, quickly stood up, and bowed gratefully.
Generally speaking, the difficulty of a beginner's random dungeon wouldn't be very high, but even so, it was still quite dangerous for ordinary people. One wrong move and they could easily die.
Miss Mitsui wanted to become a player, but she definitely didn't want to die as soon as she entered the dungeon. The first emperor's enterprise failed halfway, but at least he had his glorious moments. She didn't want to die prematurely as soon as she started.
So the best way was to invite Natsuki to participate in the dungeon with her, to increase her survival rate and get through the most dangerous beginner phase for players.
Firstly, when she was previously caught in an anomaly incident, it was Natsuki who defeated the Strange Tale and rescued her, so she naturally had great trust in Natsuki.
Secondly, Natsuki was a major asset among players, respectfully referred to as 'Expert' by many players. Especially his Copy and Paste skill, which was a divine skill, even more useful than a golden legendary skill.
Thirdly, she was very confident that Natsuki would not refuse her.
That's right.
Natsuki indeed had no way to refuse her.
He who eats another's food is beholden to them, he who takes another's hand is beholden to them.
He had not joined the Strange Tales Management Bureau, so logically, there shouldn't have been an assistant from the Strange Tales Management Bureau running around, handling various procedures, and helping him eliminate worries… In other words, Miss Mitsui certainly contributed a lot to this.
From ancient times to the present, debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay.
Miss Mitsui had helped him a lot and provided many conveniences. Now that she was asking for help, he couldn't refuse, whether it was for emotional or logical reasons.
The discussion concluded.
Miss Mitsui bid farewell and left. Natsuki, while heading to Tsubame's house, considered the candidates for challenging the dungeon.
Not everyone could enter a random dungeon; it required specific contract items, which were already rare, and Miss Mitsui didn't have many of them.
Therefore, not everyone could enter the dungeon, and there had to be a selection and arrangement of personnel for the dungeon.
The journey was uneventful.
Natsuki quickly arrived at Tsubame's house and began their parent-child activities.