"Bend down," Sajuna demanded, tilting her face upward with a pout. She placed her hands on her hips and muttered under her breath, "Why are you so tall?"
"Is it possible," Amamiya replied as he reached out to gently press Sajuna's head, "that it's not because I'm tall, but because you're—"
Sajuna's sharp glare stopped him mid-sentence. Her eyes sparkled with warning. "What are you trying to say?"
"It's all my fault," Amamiya said quickly, crouching down to meet her eye level. "I'm too tall."
"Hmph."
Sajuna let out a soft huff, taking a small step forward. Blushing, she extended her delicate arms and wrapped them around his neck, her embarrassment evident.
The air grew still.
The sweet scent of milk and fruit lingered around her, and Amamiya hesitated only briefly before gently placing his hand on her slim waist. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Sajuna, you can be a little rougher."
"Huh?" Sajuna's expression turned to one of confusion.
"Don't hold back so much," Amamiya clarified with a mischievous smile. "It's okay to be a bit more... aggressive."
"Don't push your luck!" Sajuna's eyes widened as realization dawned. Her cheeks burned red as she gritted her teeth. I'm already taking the initiative to hug you, and now you want more? How bold can you get?!
What's next? A kiss?
Absolutely not. That's impossible!
"Let go," Sajuna muttered, half-whining. "Stop hugging me."
"I can't," Amamiya said lightly. "Sajuna's energy isn't fully replenished yet."
"Then let Umi take care of that for you!" she shot back.
"Umi is Umi, and Sajuna is Sajuna. I want both."
"Shameless! Pervert!" Sajuna gritted her teeth, her frustration mounting. She wanted to bite him out of sheer indignation.
Wanting everything is the hallmark of a scoundrel!
But as she thought about the danger awaiting him in the dungeon later that night, her annoyance softened. She didn't push him away.
"Fine," Sajuna relented, her voice barely audible. "One more minute. But don't you dare go over that limit."
"Understood," Amamiya replied, smiling. "Thank you."
"..."
After the minute passed, Amamiya stood and patted Sajuna's head gently. "Let's go. Time to head home."
"Mm," Sajuna murmured in agreement. She raised her face to watch him walk ahead.
The hallway was dim, bathed in the warm light of dusk.
As she stared at his back, an unexpected sense of unease crept in.
What if something happens? What if he doesn't come back?
No, that's impossible.
She shook her head quickly, trying to banish the thought.
He's so capable—there's no way he won't return.
And yet, the game dungeon was dangerous. There was no such thing as a 100% guarantee of survival.
Biting her lower lip, Sajuna hesitated for a few moments before taking a deep breath.
"Wait!" she called out.
"Hm?" Amamiya stopped and turned, looking at her with curiosity.
"When you come back tomorrow, I'll..." Sajuna averted her gaze, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of pink. Her lips trembled slightly as she whispered, "I'll let you hold me for a few more minutes."
Before he could respond, Sajuna spun around abruptly and dashed away. "I'm going to the bathroom! Go home on your own!"
"..."
Amamiya chuckled softly and turned to head back to the classroom. As he rounded a corner, he stopped, surprised to find a familiar figure hiding behind the wall.
"Komi-san?"
He blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected someone like her—with her innocent demeanor and shy tendencies—to eavesdrop.
Komi froze, her face flushing bright red. She quickly shook her head and fumbled for her phone, typing a message to explain herself:
"I-I was just heading to the bathroom."
But her guilty eyes and crimson cheeks told a different story.
Amamiya raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "Did you see everything just now?"
"..."
Komi's lips pressed into a thin line as she hesitated. After a moment, she gave a small shake of her head, her face still glowing red.
Her reaction was answer enough.
"Stop shaking your head," Amamiya complained. "Your face says 'guilty' in bold letters."
Komi lowered her head in embarrassment, her shoulders stiff with unease.
"I'm entering the dungeon tonight," Amamiya explained casually, his tone light but teasing. "Sajuna was cheering me on just now. Since you saw that, shouldn't you cheer me on too?"
"…"
Komi-san froze, her body trembling slightly as she looked up at him in alarm. Her already large eyes widened even further before she shook her head quickly, her face burning with a deep blush.
"This is my lifelong request!" Amamiya declared dramatically, clearly joking.
"…"
Komi still shook her head, leaning against the wall as if trying to disappear. Her flushed cheeks only deepened in color.
Amamiya chuckled softly. He didn't intend to push her any further. Waving his hand dismissively, he said, "Alright, alright. Go to the bathroom. I'll head back to the classroom."
He turned to leave but had barely taken two steps when he felt a gentle tug on the corner of his shirt.
Startled, he glanced back.
The black-haired girl, trembling slightly, had mustered her courage. She stepped forward hesitantly, and before he could react, she wrapped her arms around him from behind in a brief, delicate hug.
Her voice was barely a whisper, soft yet sweet:
"Good luck."
The moment the words left her lips, she let go and bolted like a startled rabbit, disappearing around the corner.
Amamiya blinked, caught off guard. For a moment, he stood there, processing what had just happened.
He smiled faintly.
Who knew Komi-san could be so unexpectedly brave?
Back in the classroom, Amamiya found Tsubame waiting alone, her chin resting on her hand, looking bored.
He exchanged a few whispered words with her, passing the time until Sajuna and Komi returned. Once the group was together, they left the school and made their way toward the tram stop.
As they waited, Amamiya's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a message pop up from Chika.
"Amamiya, check the mutual aid group. A second invitation has appeared! The person is in Tokyo. Go get it. Then we can fight together!"
Intrigued, Amamiya opened the player's mutual aid group and quickly found the post Chika mentioned. To his surprise, the person claiming to have the invitation was someone he knew: silver-haired loli Aharen.
They had previously worked together on the Midnight Mall dungeon and had even traded a bunny girl dress-up card afterward. Both being Tokyo-based players, they were relatively familiar with one another.
Amamiya found Aharen's contact information and called her directly.
"Aharen-san?"
"It's me," came the quiet, almost monotone reply.
"You have a dungeon invitation, right?"
"Mm." pp
"Great. I'll take it."
"…"
After confirming Aharen's location, Amamiya put away his phone and turned to Tsubame to explain the situation.
"Another dungeon invitation?" Tsubame's eyes lit up with excitement. "Amamiya-kun, let me go with you!"
"Didn't you say you wanted to head home first?" Amamiya asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It won't take long," Tsubame replied eagerly, shaking her head. "Besides, you haven't gone home yet either. Let's just go together."
"Alright then." Amamiya nodded. "Let's go."
The two boarded the tram, their destination set. The ride passed in silence, with neither feeling the need to fill the quiet with idle chatter.
When they arrived at the commercial street where they were to meet Aharen, it didn't take long for Amamiya to spot the silver-haired loli waiting for them.
Her petite frame and distinctive hair made her easy to pick out in the evening crowd."Good evening, Aharen-san." Amamiya greeted.
"Good evening." The silver-haired loli raised her little face and said expressionlessly, "I came home from school, walked the dog, and then made dinner before I saw the message."
As she spoke, the silver-haired loli took out the dungeon invitation and said, "Here you go."
"Thank you."
Tsubame thanked her gratefully.
"No need." The silver-haired loli had a blank expression.
Tsubame took out her wallet and prepared to pay the bill.
"No money." The silver-haired loli crossed her arms, "I want interesting props."
"Huh?"
Tsubame suddenly felt embarrassed when she heard that the silver-haired loli wanted to barter.
As a newbie, she had no equipment on her, and couldn't help but look to Amamiya for help.
"Let me do it."
Amamiya stood up.
In the last copy, he opened the nozamA proxy service and gained a bunch of various props. Now he took some of them out for the silver-haired loli to choose from, and the transaction was quickly concluded.
"Go home for dinner."
The silver-haired loli waved her hand and turned to leave.
"Fuu…"
Tsubame breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help whispering in her ear: "Amamiya-kun, was Reina-chan a junior high school student just now?"
Amamiya said:
"Wrong, it's an elementary school student."
"Eh!!?" Tsubame-senpai opened her eyes wide, horrified, "A game actually chooses elementary school students as players?"
"Don't underestimate elementary school students." Amamiya complained, "In so many Digimon series, the protagonists are all elementary school students, and they can still save the world."
After saying a few words, Tsubame bit her pink lips and said:
"Amamiya-kun, I'm sorry to bother you again. As for the props, I'll return them to you after I get out of the dungeon...if I can successfully pass the level."
"Senpai, don't say that." Amamiya shook her head and said, "You can definitely compensate with other things."
"Huh?"
Tsubame was startled and tilted her head in confusion, "What is that?"
Amamiya said as a matter of course:
"Of course it's the most popular thing among you senpai."
"The most, the most popular..."
Tsubame didn't know what she was thinking about, and her pretty face quickly turned red.
Hidden rules!
Sexual blackmail!
You actually want me to sell my body, return the favor to you quickly!
Tsubame took a half step back, covered her chest with her hands, and her eyes suddenly became sharp.
I would never agree to that kind of unspoken rule. I am not that kind of person!
wait…
Tsubame suddenly thought of another thing.
The game dungeon is so dangerous that it is still unknown whether she can pass it.
If life ends hastily without ever experiencing a kiss or that kind of thing, it would definitely be a pity, right?
When she thought of this, Tsubame couldn't help but feel like giving up on herself.
Should I accept it so I can have fewer regrets in life...
While she was daydreaming, Tsubame suddenly heard the voice of Amamiya.
"So, we're all going to go home soon, so give it to me now, Senpai?"
"Now?" Tsubame bit her lower lip, her pretty face flushed, and whispered, "Let's go to my house... Mom and Dad are not at home."
"Why go to your house?" Amamiya asked in confusion, "We can go to the street, right?"
"W-what?" Tsubame opened her eyes wide in disbelief and couldn't help asking, "You're actually going to do that kind of thing on the street?!"
Although I've heard that some people with perverted fetishes like to do that kind of thing outdoors, in parks at night, in corridors, etc., but this is the street, how could she agree to let him do that!?
"Impossible! Give it up!" Tsubame exclaimed, her voice tinged with both shame and anger as she glared daggers at him. "I would rather die than agree to your request!"
Amamiya raised his hands in mock surrender, his expression exasperated.
"Senpai, did you misunderstand something? I only asked you to smile. Why are you suddenly so worked up?"
"Smile?" Tsubame blinked, stunned. "That's it? Just a smile?"
"Of course," Amamiya confirmed, his tone completely serious. "There was a poll at school recently, and the most popular thing about you, senpai, is your sweet, heartwarming smile. It's practically healing." He paused before adding innocently, "What else did you think I meant?"
Tsubame froze mid-thought, her expression shifting to one of embarrassment as realization dawned.
She sputtered, "W-well, you should've explained it more clearly from the start!" Flustered, she reached out to poke him lightly in the side. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Bullying me like this!"
"Senpai, please refrain from this kind of physical contact," Amamiya replied in a tone of mock seriousness. "Men and women should maintain proper boundaries."
"Ugh, you're impossible," she grumbled, rolling her eyes.
The evening crept on, and before they realized it, it was already past six o'clock. After a simple dinner together, Amamiya and Tsubame parted ways and returned to their respective homes.
As soon as Amamiya stepped through his door, his phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen and saw a message from Umi.
Umi:
"Amamiya, I've been working my part-time job all day and just saw your message. Are you doing the dungeon run with Tsubame-senpai?"
Amamiya:
"Yes, it came up after school today."
He briefly explained the situation. Normally, he wouldn't get involved in such matters with strangers, but this was different. Tsubame had helped a lot during the student council elections last week, so it was only right to return the favor.
Umi:
"I want in!"
Amamiya:
"There are only two invitations, and they're already accounted for."
The invitations were allocated to himself and Chika, their usual dynamic duo. Umi wasn't thrilled but understood the practicality of sticking with a team that had established synergy.
Umi:
"This is so unfair! Are you home now?"
Amamiya:
"Yes."
Umi:
"I'm coming over."
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city:
"Ugh, I can't believe this," Kaguya muttered as she sat at her desk, visibly frustrated. "Another dungeon invitation? There better be a third one soon!"
The thought of Amamiya and Chika alone in a dungeon felt far too much like a date for her liking. She clenched her fists, vowing to secure the next invitation, no matter what.
Behind her, Hayasaka, dressed in her usual maid attire, scrolled through her own phone. Her expression remained calm but slightly calculating as she read about the dungeon invitation.
"A mandatory dungeon run, huh?"
Hayasaka didn't particularly blame Amamiya for helping someone out of goodwill, but she wasn't thrilled about the risk involved. Dungeons were perilous, and risking your life for someone you weren't close to wasn't exactly a wise move.
Stealing a glance at her lady, who was clearly stewing over the situation, Hayasaka made a silent decision. She needed to secure an invitation before her young lady did to avoid potential chaos.
Back at Amamiya's apartment
"I'm here!" Umi announced as she walked through the door, a lively energy radiating from her despite her obvious fatigue.
The blonde succubus girl set her bag down on the couch and stretched. She wore a casual white shirt paired with a black choker around her neck, her long, golden hair cascading down her back.
"I'm exhausted," she sighed, flopping onto the sofa. "I just finished a magazine shoot, skipped dinner, and came straight here."
"Here." Amamiya handed her a can of juice. "Have something to drink. It'll help you cool down a bit."
Umi took the can, opened it, and took a long sip before asking, "Have there been any new invitations card?"
"No," Amamiya replied with a shake of his head. "So far, it's just the two we've got, and it's already settled that Chika and I will handle the dungeon."
Umi frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "Then we need to figure out how to get another one. There's strength in numbers. If I can get an invitation, I'll join you both in the dungeon."