Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

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.

Chapter 74: Second Meeting

Nobi Tomohiro carefully stepped off the train that was parked at Komagome Station, holding his camera.

Starting from Nippori Station, the stations he could stop at became increasingly difficult, leaving him no choice but to be careful, since he only had three chances a day.

Moreover, like Iwasaki, he has begun to feel the effects of aging in his body—or rather, the changes.

After all, for his current age, losing less than ten years of lifespan should be considered accelerated growth, and it's not to the point where he's powerless.

I'm actually terrified of Nippori Station. Getting here means we're almost at the hospital, and injections hurt a lot. But I don't want my father to worry about me, so I always pretend to be happy whenever we come here.

This is what the little boy said when he looked at the photo of the abnormality at the Nippori Station exit.

After passing Nippori Station, the platform reverts to its original, repetitive, and old appearance.

He passed by Komagome Station every day, but he had never felt it so unfamiliar.

"is her?!"

Nobita suddenly perked up when he saw a familiar figure.

A girl in a white dress sitting on a chair.

It was the same person he met in the maze who had borrowed his phone.

At this moment, the other person stared blankly at the pitch blackness in front of them, seemingly lost in thought.

Nobi approached cautiously, trying to stay within the other's sight and making no threatening moves.

"It's almost cherry blossom season now, isn't it?"

The girl's voice drifted over, faint and ethereal.

Nobita instinctively wanted to say that the cherry blossom season was almost over, but then he immediately remembered that this was a game and the seasons had to be calculated according to the game's schedule.

It's March 15th in the game, the time when cherry blossoms in the Kanto region begin to bloom.

It blooms from mid to late March until it gradually fades in mid-April.

"Yes, it's almost cherry blossom season," Nobita nodded and said.

I remember a cherry blossom scent, but I've forgotten its name.

The girl in the white dress tilted her head slightly, as if trying to recall something important, but she couldn't remember it.

"The Tsubaki-kanzakura, also known as the Hatsumi-jin, is a rare cherry blossom that emits a fragrance."

At this moment, Nobi Tomoyoshi was thinking of the woman he had seen twice on the train a few days ago, the one holding a branch of Tsubaki cherry blossoms.

The girl's eyes slowly brightened.

"Yes, that's the name. But... I think I've forgotten something?"

Nobita remained silent, unsure of what to say.

The girl turned to Nobi: "Actually, there's more to darkness than just darkness. That child might be like me, just forgetting some things he shouldn't have forgotten."

After saying that, the girl stopped talking, sat down in the chair, closed her eyes, and softly hummed an indistinct song.

"Is there more than just darkness in the darkness?"

Last time, he provided the phone with the password to unlock the gate, and the girl in the white dress bought him time to open the iron gate at the crucial moment.

This time, a question was asked, and after the answer was given, a sentence was provided that might be useful later.

So, is the girl in the white dress actually a character created by the game to help the player?

Just like the worker.

Unfortunately, because these stations and trains might possess some kind of power, his UV light could no longer detect any clues after he said goodbye to the little boy.

Even though he knew the worker had failed to escape the subway, he couldn't help but worry about him.

Nobita even felt that he was being somewhat ridiculous.

But this wasn't the first time he'd been emotionally moved by the lives of game characters. Perhaps those NPCs, created by the program code, really did live in a world they couldn't touch.

After gathering his thoughts, Nobita figured the girl in the white dress wasn't unusual at the station, so he bypassed her and began searching the surroundings.

Before long, I found a wilted wildflower in the corner, which looked like it was about to wither.

Nobita felt no threat at all; the girl's soft humming in the distance seemed to surround him, giving him a great sense of security.

chapped.

He took a picture of the flower that was about to wither.

The photo slowly popped out, and no ghosts or monsters rushed out from the surroundings.

The train hadn't arrived yet, so he took out the photo he had just taken.

Above is a little boy squatting on the ground watering the flowers, next to him is his father who looks somewhat helpless.

Unlike before, this time he wasn't wearing an eye patch and could see.

Sure enough, time does indeed go backwards.

Flowers, please grow strong and healthy!

The little boy's voice rang in my ears as expected.

With a sigh, Nobita put away the photo and walked to a spot not far from the girl in the white dress, quietly waiting for the train to arrive.

If he's not mistaken, the next stop will be Sugamo Station.

The name comes from the fact that the Sugamo area was once a wetland that attracted a large number of spot-billed ducks to inhabit, hence the name "the place where ducks nest".

So, will the anomaly be a duck? Or will the goblin be a spotted-billed duck?

"Sugamo Station is going to be scary. Make good use of your camera."

The girl suddenly stopped singing and gave this prompt.

"Ah? Okay, I understand, thank you!" Nobita quickly expressed his gratitude.

She didn't respond, and after the train arrived at the station, she entered the carriage first, ahead of Nobita.

But after Nobita followed them inside, he never saw them again.

"Disappeared?"

Nobita sat nervously in the chair, his palms, gripping the camera, constantly sweating, which he couldn't wipe away.

The girl in the white dress had previously warned that the officer at the end of the maze would be difficult to deal with, and that proved to be true. So, she reminded him again. Well, he was prepared to get stuck.

The train has arrived at the station.

Nobita's mouth slowly grew larger.

Although he had tried to overestimate the site's terror level, he still underestimated it.

The entire platform looked as if it had been stained with blood, as if it were wearing a red filter, and all you could see was a crimson red.

Tick ​​tock.

The sound of dripping water came from somewhere.

But was it a drop of water, or a drop of blood?

This... the entire station is acting strangely, isn't it?