Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 73, Section 71: Cat Ear Switch

"This isn't about finding anomalies, it's about finding a living father!"

Uesugi Hitomi let out a sigh.

How many gameplay elements did this lousy game just shuffle together?!

It combines mystery, horror, parkour, and stealth with real historical events.

She couldn't fill this bottomless pit even with a hundred lives.

At a certain station, I thought that one light would go out every time a train came by, but the first train turned on one light, the second train turned on two lights, and the third train turned on four lights!
She wouldn't even get to the fourth trip; she'd have to pay for five more.

But perhaps through the experience of dying, she gradually grasped some indescribable thought processes and techniques.

Although I was a day behind other players, I finally made it to Nippori Station.

She suspected there was an unorthodox way to pass the level and decided to try it.

Yes, the fact that many people died doesn't mean she was afraid.

Inequality seconds.

There are so many theories online about the location of Nippori Station on the Yamanote Line. Given that this game likes to reuse real-world history, she felt that this station must have some significance.

If certain conditions are met, you can successfully complete the game through the unorthodox methods.

And she seems to have figured out the key point.

The train slowly arrived at the station, and the doors opened.

Uesugi took a deep breath of the cold air, left the camera on the train seat, and rushed towards the brightly lit passage at the end of the train without looking back.

She had just tried going there with her camera, but the little boy warned her that she couldn't go there.

Then it becomes increasingly difficult to move forward, and eventually, it slowly sinks into darkness.

She knew that the proper way to pass the level was to listen to the little boy and complete the abnormal cycle of filming.

However, the AI's extensive analysis of the significance of Nippori Station on the Yamanote Line, combined with the game's consistent style of blending reality with its narrative, also contributes to this.

This suggests that there must be another way to pass through this site.

That's right! Absolutely! The advantage is on my side, the dragon is in the bag, will we win? We will! Once we win this game, I won't take any more risks...

At this moment, she was imbued with the spirit of countless sages!
Boom!
She felt as if she had stumbled into some other space.

Did it work?!
Before she could even smile, she gradually felt her body slipping out of control. A dark circle appeared around her vision, and she felt her back hunching over. She also noticed a briefcase had appeared in her hand without her realizing it.

Strange... why are my hands black?

The surrounding scenery changed, and on the platform stood countless hunched, jet-black figures just like her.

They all stood there blankly, as if they had lost their souls.

"So that's how the pitch-black humanoid figures came to be..."

Uesugi became uncontrollably sleepy, his eyelids slowly drooped, and he was completely enveloped in darkness.

This was the least painful death she ever suffered.

Like being trapped in a baby's sleep, unable to break free.

"Is it not working? Ugh, another one wasted—wait, what's this?!"

Uesugi rubbed his forehead, slowly sat up, and after uttering a couple of complaints, he noticed that the frame in front of him was different.

You have successfully completed the ending - The Fallen Will.

[Ending Assessment: A regrettable ending; you failed to reach the finish line.]

[First-time completion score: C]

[Final Reward: Ability - Cat Ear Switch (Activating the Cat Ear Switch grants cat abilities such as Lightness, Jumping, Alertness, and Light Sleep)]

[Potential: D, Growth Requirements: Keenness, Fearlessness, Elegance, Growth Abilities: Skill, Cat Form Switching, Nine Lives]

(The ending reward is only available for the first completion of each game, and the first player to complete the game with a perfect ending will receive an additional reward.)

[Entry Reward: Item - Red Paper Doll Amulet (Can mitigate one instance of normal physical damage)]

[You have successfully completed the game once and become a full player. New features are now available.]

[Player Lobby: A platform for registered players to communicate and trade with each other without revealing their identities]

(Note: Tips for clearing the game obtained through communication between players do not count towards the official completion.)

[Points Redemption: After the game ends, a certain number of points will be awarded based on the player's performance (not entirely based on ranking). Players can redeem points for items provided by "Unknown".]

A series of messages popped up in Uesugi's eyes, and she read them carefully for a long time before slowly digesting them.

The rewards from this game were far more terrifying than she had initially imagined.

Judging from the ranking rewards, she initially thought the game was a losing proposition.

But after seeing how this official player was treated, that feeling vanished instantly.

"Aaaaaah!"

Uesugi suddenly pounded her chest, feeling a heartache so intense she could hardly breathe. She was filled with regret, deep regret.

That was too hasty!

I regret it!
What a terrible AI! It actually guided her to make this decision! You really can't trust stupid AIs!

Without a doubt, the higher the ending score on the first playthrough, the richer the rewards will be.

And she, a renowned horror game expert and relatively unknown game streamer, only received a C-grade ending!

Having died so many times along the way, this is definitely one of the worst possible outcomes.

I never imagined that the little boy really wanted to save me. I deserve to die!
Regret was useless at this point, but Uesugi remained in an emotional state for about ten minutes before gradually calming down.

Then he got up and went to the kitchen to make a bowl of instant noodles for a late-night snack, turning his grief and anger into food.

"This must be like the so-called game of God in anime. Only God could set up such an incredible game."

Uesugi took out the red paper doll reward that had just been distributed and had a strange feeling, as if he could use it as long as he had a thought.

I just don't know how conventional physical attacks are, whether there's a time limit after they're used, or whether they'll treat ordinary contact as an attack.

However, what excited her the most and helped her overcome her regret was naturally the ability of the [Cat Ear Switch].

After finishing her instant noodles, she seemed to have an innate ability to loosely clench her hands, place them on either side of her temples, and gently rotate them.

"Meow~"

puff.

Two black cat ears suddenly appeared on her head.

Suddenly, she felt that everything around her had changed.

The sounds of vehicles passing by outside the window were so loud, and there seemed to be rustling noises coming from some pipe. Upstairs, someone was snoring loudly.

Even the pitch-black room felt incredibly comfortable; my body felt light and airy, as if I could jump two floors in an instant.

It's like she's transformed into the legendary Catwoman.

The only difference might be that she doesn't have any fighting skills. Reality isn't a game; you can't just input commands to unleash combo attacks.

So he can only be considered an ordinary person who jumps exceptionally high and moves with great agility.

"If I become an athlete, will I be able to avoid starving to death?"

Uesugi has a fresh way of thinking.

But he quickly shook his head.

The cat ears on her head are real; they're not just decorations, and they can swing like a cat.

The sports meet is a grand event for humans, but it didn't say that cat people were welcome to participate.

She excitedly studied this ability for half an hour and quickly discovered its side effects.

That is... I get sleepy very easily.

Snoring, goodnight meow.

Uesugi lay on the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

After falling asleep, unlike before when a screen would appear asking whether to enter the game, she inexplicably found herself in a round-table conference room.

The hall has a retro look, and the surrounding decorations are full of a mysterious and ancient atmosphere.

In the center is a very conspicuous round table, but its size and shape are very strange. It looks like it can seat many people, but even from a distance, you can clearly see the intricate patterns on the back of the opposite chair.

She sat upright in one of the seats, and could see two blurry, indistinct black shadows opposite her, with the words "Hao" and "Zhi" displayed above their heads respectively.

But when she raised her hand, she realized that she was not a shadowy figure, but a real being, except that she had an indistinct mask on her face and could make distinctive sounds without opening her mouth.

"Is this the 'player lobby'? I can only sit here?"

She tried to stand up, but was prompted that she did not have enough permissions.

Huh? She, the very first official player, can't even stand up?!
Fine, I won't stand here then!

She focused her attention on the exquisite leather notebook that seemed to have been placed on the table, flipping through its instructions and trying to figure out what she could do in this hall.

Because of its limited functionality, she quickly figured it out.

[Trade] [Private Message] [Points Redemption]

These are the three items for now.

As she studied it carefully, above the round table hall, in the deep galaxy of the starry dome, a gaze swept across the entire player lobby.

That was Higashiyama Shin, who had received a notification and came to take a look.

"Players also have points, isn't this just blatantly trying to make me a 'shady' merchant?"

Saying
"When they accumulate more points, can I add blind box lotteries to the player lobby?"

Dongshan, who was not a human being, carefully considered the feasibility.

　Thank you to "Unrivaled Under Heaven" for the donation.
　　Thank you to "望无忧愁魔小萌" for the donation.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)