"Woof..."
A low dog's bark drifted out of the darkness.
The girl was startled; she hurriedly widened her eyes and scanned the area, asking nervously:
"Don't tell me that vicious dog is back?"
Natsuki replied:
"You guessed right."
"Huh?"
"..."
Natsuki whistled into the night. Moments later, a large, red-eyed hellhound—its body covered in festering sores—trotted over, happily wagging its tail. It was the very same beast that had nearly devoured them earlier.
Unlike before, however, the hellhound showed no signs of its previous rage or ferocity; the expression on its face was actually somewhat... somewhat...
"Obsequious?"
The word involuntarily popped into the girl's mind.
Impossible!
I must have lost my mind!
An undead hellhound—wearing a fawning, sycophantic expression? That's simply impossible, no matter how you look at it!
Silently emerging from behind the first beast was a second, grayish-white hellhound. It stopped a dozen meters away, refusing to come closer; its blood-red eyes fixed coldly on Natsuki and the others, clearly on high alert.
"Woof, woof."
The red-eyed hellhound trotted up to Natsuki, wagging its tail happily and barking.
"Yuuko, you're up."
Natsuki summoned Yuuko—the human-faced dog—once more to translate the canine's speech.
"You jerk... I keep telling you I'm a human! Stop making me act as a translator..."
The human-faced dog grumbled while translating.
Natsuki reached out to pat the dog's head and said casually:
"Thanks for the hard work. You can go back now."
Yuuko the human-faced dog retorted:
"You've got zero sincerity. Just using me and tossing me aside, huh?"
"..."
Natsuki waved his hand, dismissing the human-faced dog back to the theater. After a moment of thought, he took two bags of food from his game inventory, tore open the packaging, and tossed them in front of the two hellhounds. "Huh?" The girl widened her eyes. By the dim light of the security booth, she quickly made out the object Natsuki had just tossed. It wasn't the rice ball from earlier, but a round, plump snack—one that looked increasingly familiar. "Is that... a custard pie?"
Did he really think he could bribe a hellhound with a mere custard pie?
As it turned out, the custard pie was incredibly effective.
The tamed red-eyed hound didn't hesitate; it gulped down the pie in a single bite, its tail wagging even more vigorously.
The other, newly arrived hound sniffed cautiously; after a moment of hesitation, it gingerly ate the pie, and a look of delighted realization clearly lit up its face.
Natsuki took out two more custard pies, waved them in the air, and said:
"Lead me to the target. If the job gets done, there's more pie for you."
There is an idiom about "fox-friends and dog-cronies"—referring to disreputable, ne'er-do-well companions. Regardless of the negative connotation, it proves one thing: dogs have friends of their own.
Yet, many people in the real world don't have a single friend...
But back to the matter at hand.
Anyone who has lived in the countryside knows that—unlike solitary felines—foxes and dogs belong to the Canidae family; they love to form packs and roam the area together.
Earlier, while having the red-eyed hound maul that "dog-loving woman," Natsuki had shown it photos of the girls and instructed it to mobilize its pack to search the town. They had already made some initial progress, though the hounds' intelligence was low; even with Yuuko acting as an intermediary translator, they couldn't clearly identify which girl they had found. Natsuki briefly explained the situation, then said:
"Shoko—you two stay at the security booth; I'll go take a look."
Tsubame pursed her lips and said softly:
"How about I go with you?"
Natsuki glanced behind her and lowered his voice:
"Would you really feel at ease leaving Shoko behind with just anyone else?"
Tsubame: "..."
Fair enough.
She certainly wouldn't feel at ease.
One was a casual player with little experience clearing the game, and the other was a girl with severe social anxiety; the combination of the two was hardly reassuring.
"Then I'll stay," Tsubame said gently, adding, "Take care of yourself."
"If I had a buff from you, Senior, I'd definitely be safe..."
Natsuki pointed to his cheek as he spoke.
Tsubame's pretty face flushed; she quickly stepped back, shot him an annoyed look, and waved her hand:
"Just go, hurry up."
I don't know what you did to Shoko in the bathroom, but she could barely walk straight when she came out. Even I'd get jealous—there's no way I'm kissing you!
Natsuki exchanged a few words with Shoko, then gave a whistle and followed the two vicious dogs out of the complex; his figure soon vanished into the eerie darkness of the night.
They walked in silence.
With the two vicious dogs clearing the path, they encountered various monsters and spirits along the way, but nothing foolish enough to try and pick a fight dared to approach.
Ten minutes or so later, Natsuki followed the dogs to a dilapidated building—a classic unfinished construction project with exposed concrete slabs and no doors or windows.
"Woof."
The red-eyed dog wagged its tail, signaling that the target was inside.
"Good work." Natsuki took out two more packs of egg-yolk pies and fed them to the dogs. Once they finished eating, he said, "Lead the way."
Having eaten the treats, the two vicious dogs took the lead and headed into the unfinished building. Natsuki followed close behind, but the moment he stepped into the unfinished building, his field of vision shifted abruptly; the dilapidated, incomplete structure transformed into a beautiful residential building.
"A trap? An illusion?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow. Though surprised, he remained composed and cautiously scanned his surroundings, yet found nothing out of the ordinary.
After waiting quietly for a minute without any vicious dogs or monsters appearing to ambush him, Natsuki resumed his steps to explore the building.
Tap, tap, tap.
In the deathly silence of the floor, only the soft echoes of his own footsteps could be heard.
He tried pushing open a door, but it was locked tight and wouldn't budge; it seemed as though the place was completely uninhabited.
After exploring two floors, Natsuki soon stopped.
"This won't work."
The building was neither huge nor tiny; searching aimlessly would make it difficult to find his target. Moreover, given the uncertainty of everyone's identities, most players would likely steer clear if they heard a stranger's footsteps.
After a moment of thought, he made a decision. He reached into his game inventory, pulled out a megaphone, and took a deep breath:
"This is Natsuki. I'm currently in the second-floor hallway. If you hear this, come meet up with me."
Setting the megaphone to loop, he held it up and began pacing back and forth along the second-floor corridor.
Meanwhile...
Up on the sixth-floor hallway, a young woman with long, straight black hair heard the broadcast, and her eyes suddenly lit up:
"Let's go downstairs."
Beside her, an unfamiliar player—a random passerby—hesitated upon hearing this:
"We already searched the entire building... there's no one else here. Could it be a trap?"
As she headed downstairs, the young woman replied:
"Then I suppose we part ways here."
The other player hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, unwilling to remain alone in the eerie, ghostly residential building, he quickly caught up with the young woman and followed her downstairs.
A short while later... Natsuki was pacing back and forth in the second-floor corridor when he suddenly felt someone watching him from the shadows. After a moment's thought, he took out his flashlight and shone it on himself.
"...Natsuki-kun!"
A cool, melodious voice reached his ears.
Natsuki looked over in surprise:
"Yukino?"
He had been wondering who else might be in the building, but he hadn't expected it to be Yukino.
Thump, thump, thump.
Footsteps approached rapidly as a girl jogged toward him. As she entered the beam of the flashlight, her lustrous, jet-black hair—cascading down to her waist—stood out strikingly; it was indeed Yukino.
"Thank goodness..." Yukino breathed a sigh of relief, placing a hand over her chest. "I never imagined Natsuki-kun would be in this building too."
Natsuki put away his megaphone and shook his head:
"Actually, you're mistaken; I just came in from outside."
"Huh?"
"It's a long story..."
Natsuki briefly recounted what had happened since he entered the instance.
"Wow, that's amazing~"
Yukino exclaimed, her beautiful eyes widening.
"Hm?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow at her words and studied the Yukino standing before him closely:
"Something's off about you."
"What do you mean, Natsuki-kun?" Yukino looked down at herself, wearing an innocent expression. "What exactly is off?"
Everything about you is off!
She was the same person, yet she gave off an indescribably strange vibe.
After all, Yukino was known for her cool, quiet demeanor; even with acquaintances, she was a woman of few words and rarely showed strong emotional reactions.
The Yukino standing before him was completely different—not only was she highly expressive, but she also frequently used gestures, and her personality seemed far more enthusiastic and outgoing.
A thought struck Natsuki; he suddenly recalled the incident where Hayasaka and Kaguya had swapped bodies. Could it be...
"And who is this?"
Natsuki shifted his gaze to the random player standing behind Yukino. The stranger was a woman wearing black-rimmed glasses; she looked like an office worker, yet her expression remained composed—clearly, she was no novice player.
"Hello." The bespectacled woman adjusted her glasses and introduced herself: "You can just call me Yasui."
Yukino chimed in:
"Ms. Yasui is a player I happened to run into while looking for a way out. She's already registered with the Administration Bureau, so we decided to team up."
Natsuki gave a slight nod, then turned his gaze back to Yukino and asked:
"Looking for a way out... what do you mean?"
Yukino held up a slender finger:
"Exactly what it sounds like. No matter which way you go, you can't leave this building... Didn't you notice that when you came in, Natsuki-kun?"
Natsuki shook his head:
"When I first arrived, the building looked like an abandoned construction site from the outside. But once I stepped in, the residential building suddenly transformed into what you see now."
The bespectacled girl crossed her arms and analyzed the situation:
"No wonder we can't seem to find a way out; we've likely stumbled into some sort of illusory space."
Yukino said softly:
"It sounds a bit like a 'ghost loop'—you know, walking in circles without realizing it."
The bespectacled girl looked toward Natsuki and suggested:
"The manual issued by the Bureau mentions that the urine of a virgin boy might have a chance of breaking a ghost loop..."
Natsuki replied with a deadpan expression:
"Don't look at me; I lost my virginity a million words ago."
"???"
The bespectacled girl looked bewildered.
What was this guy talking about?
She had absolutely no idea.
Natsuki put away his flashlight and said:
"The fact that you're trapped in this building proves there's something unusual going on here. We just need to find the 'node' and break it, and we'll be able to leave... Yukino, hurry up and use your cat-girl ability to scan the hallway."
Abilities were bound to the soul; if their bodies had been swapped due to the side effects of a potion, the Yukino standing before him certainly wouldn't be able to use the cat-girl ability.
"Eh..." Yukino blinked, then shook her head. "Sorry, I just used the ability, so it's currently on cooldown."
Natsuki said nonchalantly:
"No problem. We'll just wait a little longer, then."
Yukino suggested:
"I recall that Miko-chan's 'Spirit Sight' is incredibly useful for seeing through illusions, isn't it? Natsuki-kun, we shouldn't waste time; it's better to get out as soon as possible, or we might run into danger."
Natsuki said:
"Sorry, Miko has already used up her Spirit Sight."
"..."
Their eyes met.
Suddenly, Yukino extended the tip of her pink tongue to lightly lick her lips. She tilted her head, a radiant smile spreading across her face as she spoke in a cheerful tone:
"Oh my, oh my~ It seems I've been found out."
"Huh?! What?!"
Natsuki didn't react, but the bespectacled girl was thoroughly startled; she hurriedly backed away from Yukino, her body tensing up as she prepared to flee at a moment's notice. Haruno stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Natsuki's neck, and smiled radiantly:
"Natsuki-kun, guess who I am?"
Natsuki replied:
"I'm guessing... the gentle, lovely, and understanding Miss Haruno?"
"Correct answer—full marks." Haruno beamed; she stood on tiptoe, leaned in to plant a kiss on Natsuki's cheek, and whispered softly into his ear, her breath sweet and warm: "Not long after entering the instance, I suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented—I had no idea what was happening—and then, all of a sudden, I'd swapped bodies with Yukino-chan. It gave me quite a scare at the time."
Natsuki retorted:
"Haruno-nee, you were clearly having a blast."
"Well, it was swapping bodies with Yukino-chan, after all." Haruno held up a slender, delicate finger. "If I'd swapped bodies with some strange man... who knows what might have been done to my body? Just the thought of it is absolutely terrifying."
"Don't worry," Natsuki said softly. "The body swap is likely a side effect of the new potion, and it's limited to the two people who drank the 'Twin Potion'."
"Eh~" Haruno drawled playfully, tilting her head to look at him. "It sounds like you know an awful lot about this, Natsuki-kun?"
Natsuki changed the subject:
"We can talk about how much I know later; let's get out of here first. Yukino... ahem, Haruno, what is your main quest?"
A sweet smile played across Haruno's lovely face as she whispered:
"Don't push yourself, Natsuki-kun; you can call me 'Yukino-chan' if you like—the clingy, affectionate Yukino-chan who belongs only to Natsuki-kun~"
Natsuki: "..."
She's just a female college student—how is she so good at this?! "Then I'll just call her Yukino for now," Natsuki readily agreed. "Otherwise, it feels like my head would start spinning."
Haruno tilted her lovely face upward, her eyes filled with adoration as she spoke in a sweet, honeyed voice:
"Please feel free to order Yukino around however you like, Master~"
Natsuki: "..."
Given Yukino's actual personality, she would never say something like that; hearing it come from Haruno created a stark, tantalizing contrast that stirred a primal urge—a desire to ravish the girl right there and then—though, unfortunately, the timing wasn't quite right. Silently reminding himself that the task at hand was the priority, Natsuki asked:
"You still haven't told me what the main mission is."
Haruno's expression finally turned serious; she lifted a lock of hair that had fallen across her chest and tucked it behind her ear, then spoke softly:
"I spawned into the instance at a church. The main mission is to get at least three beings visiting the church to sincerely repent for their sins—it doesn't matter if they are human or not... Even after swapping souls with Yukino-chan, the main mission didn't change. Fortunately, the potion's functionality wasn't affected, so I can still use the telepathic communication ability."
"As for Yukino-chan's main mission, it seems her body has been cursed by some unknown grudge; she has to eliminate that lingering resentment to clear the instance."
Natsuki nodded slightly, then turned to look at the bespectacled girl standing nearby and asked:
"Ms. Yasui, what is your main mission?"
The bespectacled girl was standing a few meters away, clearly worried about the two's mental state; while it was true that the pair before her were Players, she couldn't make heads or tails of what they were saying. She spoke cautiously:
"The mission objective is to eliminate the curse of resentment lingering on me; doing so will allow me to successfully clear the instance."
Natsuki nodded:
"It's exactly the same as Yukino's mission. Generally speaking, a curse born of resentment doesn't just latch onto you out of nowhere; it usually happens because you've come into contact with something or visited a certain place..."
Haruno tilted her head:
"So, is the curse related to this apartment building?"
"Most likely," Natsuki said softly. "Are there any other Players in this building?"
"No."
Both girls shook their heads in unison. Natsuki asked again:
"You explored this building earlier, right? Did you notice anything unusual?"
"I don't think... there was anything unusual," the bespectacled girl replied, shaking her head. "Does getting caught in an endless loop count?"
Natsuki nodded.
"It certainly does."
Reflecting on it now, two vicious dogs had led the way in, yet they had completely vanished. The illusion likely targeted only humans; in reality, the apartment building wasn't even finished—rebar was exposed, the concrete was cold, and there were no doors or windows to speak of. Yet, within the illusion, the building appeared fully constructed and orderly... That, too, was likely a hidden clue.
As he pondered this, Natsuki asked:
"Did you try exploring inside any of the rooms?"
The bespectacled girl gave a slight shake of her head.
"We tried, but the vast majority of the doors were locked tight—we couldn't get in at all. We were afraid that forcing them open might trigger a lethal rule."
"Hmm?"
Natsuki raised his eyebrows and looked at her, keenly picking up on a crucial detail in her words. He asked in a low, serious voice:
"The vast majority of the doors were locked... so that means some of them could be opened?"