Chapter 11
"Anyway, I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble. I'll explain."
Although he shamefully agreed in his heart, he really didn't know how to respond, so Nakamori Akimi abruptly changed the subject.
"No thanks." Atobe Keigo unexpectedly rejected her, "This is a good opportunity to test them again."
"What can this reveal?"
Is this game supposed to have a three-way ending? Nakamori Akimi thought expressionlessly.
"As long as they come to me, then everything else will be easy."
"Did you hear anything today?"
Looking at Keigo Atobe's confident look, Akihiro Nakamori made a bold guess.
"Ah, I heard some amazing things."
"What, what is it?"
Nakamori Akimi immediately asked.
"Yes..." Atobe Keigo looked at the expectant Nakamori Akihime and changed the subject, "As punishment for spreading rumors, I can't tell you for the time being."
"...Atobe, I've always thought you were a good person."
Atobe Keigo, who was given a card for no apparent reason: Humph, that's natural! (Gladly accepted.jpg)
"But, deliberately keeping people on suspense is not what good people do. Generally speaking, only villains would intentionally torture others like this. Atobe, you're definitely not that kind of person!"
A compliment was thrown, but Atobe Keigo dismissed it nonchalantly. He raised his eyebrows wantonly, "Villain? Perhaps this word is more suitable for me."
Then he checked the time: "Enough of the small talk. We'll be back in the kitchen in two hours. Don't be late."
"Back kitchen? But weren't we discovered yesterday? Should we move to another location today? If not, we can just video chat. It only takes a few seconds." Nakamori Akimi thought this was really annoying every day. "Can't 0587 really come up with a reward system? They'll give you tasks anyway, and if you complete them successfully, you can extend the shelf life of the bitter melon, or you can just eat it yourself without me watching."
"No need to change, just go ahead and I'll take care of the rest." Atobe Keigo stepped past her to open the door. "As for the bitter melon, I'll find out the cause soon. It won't take another two days."
So confident? What on earth had he heard? Nakamori Akemi was getting more and more curious. But the door was already open, and without any shielding, she couldn't ask any more questions. She could only follow his lead and leave.
"Okay then, see you then."
Looking at the back of Akimi Nakamori as she left, Keigo Atobe closed the door and turned around to meet Sakuramu Tsukishima who had just come upstairs.
"Keigo..."
After learning the "truth" from others, Tsukishima Sakuramu looked embarrassed and subconsciously took a few steps back.
This reaction... Atobe Keigo looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds, "Didn't Fuji come with you?"
"Don't be like this, Jingwu. I've already made it clear to Fuji. The relationship between us is not what you think. You don't need it, you don't need it..."
Her voice trailed off, her usually polite and graceful image shattered by that bold declaration. In all her time playing this game, this was the first time she'd encountered such an open-minded target. She even suggested a threesome. Sure enough, her moral composure was too high!
"Have you really explained everything to him? Ying Meng, I chased after you after you ran away, and I heard everything you said."
Atobe Keigo lowered his eyes, his expression seemingly unchanged, yet he felt sad for no reason. Thanks to Irie, he had gained some experience in acting.
"You heard everything? What did you hear?"
Remembering their conversation, Tsukishima Sakuramu's face changed drastically. Adding Fuji Shusuke's awakening wasn't enough; was Atobe Keigo also needed? What was going on with this game? She'd only just started the game, so why was she being treated like this?
"I heard, Fuji said you gave him a token of love."
Atobe Keigo slowly raised his eyes, and Tsukishima Sakuramu opposite him instantly felt a shudder as if she was being stared at by a wild beast, but then an inexplicable excitement lingered in her heart.
Is she jealous? Yeah, yeah, oh my god, she's always been all about pure love, never flirting with anyone other than her capture target. So, this jealous questioning feels so good! No wonder everyone loves watching Shura Field. Even though it's not perfectly tuned yet, the cold-faced Atobe Keigo is so captivating!
Seeing all kinds of expressions flashing across Tsukishima Sakuramu's face, as if she was completely immersed in her own world, Atobe Keigo, who was still waiting for her to say something, cleared his throat impatiently, which made Tsukishima Sakuramu come back to her senses.
"Ah, you misunderstood Jingwu, that's not a token of love!" Tsukishima Yingmeng hurriedly explained, and took out a small bottle filled with silver-blue liquid, "I gave him just a gift I bought for a friend at the gift shop."
It was a very pale explanation, but Keigo Atobe seemed to believe it.
"So that's how it is." His originally cold expression gradually softened, and he suddenly reached out and snatched the bottle from her hand, "Then this bottle belongs to me."
"no!"
Tsukishima Sakuramu subconsciously wanted to snatch it back, but was pinned to the spot by Atobe Keigo's sharp gaze, "Why, you can give it to him but not to me?"
"No, it's not."
After finally returning to the main storyline, they couldn't afford to make any more mistakes at this crucial juncture. Tsukishima Sakuramu hesitated for a long time before finally retracting her hand.
"Since you like it, Jingwu, take it."
Although the system says that it can only be given after the strategy is completed, it's not here now, so it should be fine...
***
Two hours later, when Nakamori Akimi arrived at the kitchen, Atobe Keigo was leaning against the table in the same position as yesterday, except that the bitter melon in his hand was arranged in a different way. If this continued, she felt that Atobe could write a book called "A Thousand Ways to Eat Bitter Melon."
"I found the reason."
Before Akimi Nakamori could say anything as soon as she came in, Keigo Atobe gave her a bombshell news.
"Found it? So fast!"
Nakamori Akimi was happy for a few seconds, but she soon noticed that Atobe Keigo's face was not very good.
"Haven't we found the reason? We'll be able to return to normal life soon. Why do you look so unhappy?"
"We're overthinking it. Fuji's anomaly is due to a gift from Tsukishima Sakuramu. It's an Easter egg in the game, and every successfully conquered target has one. But the item inside has been replaced, and anyone who gets it will experience program corruption."
"Everyone who got it?" Nakamori Akimi blinked. "What week is Fuji Shusuke in?"
"First round." Atobe Keigo put down the plate in his hand and stood up with a serious expression, "This means that the targets after him will all have problems."
"We are now in the fourth episode timeline, and Fuji Shusuke is in the first episode, which means there are two more?!"
This one hasn't been solved yet, so how come two more have popped up? Nakamori Akimi clutched his head in frustration, trying to convince himself that this couldn't be true, but with little success.
"So, who are those two people?"
But things have come to this point, and in the end she can only accept the facts.
"have no idea."
"Don't know? Don't games have save records and cgs? How could they not know? Then how did they know Fuji Shusuke was the first game?"
Nakamori Akimi couldn't believe that there could be a game that was so unreliable.
"Their data was hacked by a competing company, and they're working to repair it urgently. Even Tsukishima Sakuramu's own memories have been affected."
"Is this the capitalists' war? Using us as sacrifices? Ahhh, damned capital!" Nakamori Akimi finished her complaints before realizing there was a living capitalist standing before her. She quickly made amends, "Of course, all capital is different. We can't lump everyone together."
Then I was treated like a fool.
Akimi Nakamori burst into tears.
"So we're going to fix the procedural issues of these three people now? Did they find a way to fix it at 0587?"
"I gave them the stuff. They need some time to study it." Atobe Keigo tapped his solar plexus with his fingertips, looking a little tired. "Nakamori, one of the other two must be at Rikkai University. Avoid contact with them for the next few days and take good care of yourself."
"But if we don't make contact, won't we be able to find out who that person is?"
"In this situation, we have to assume the utmost malice. Since this is vicious competition, then the other party must be here with the intention of ruining this game. Fuji is just the simplest link. So far, he hasn't done anything that could ruin the game, but the other two are unpredictable."
The furrows between his brows deepened, and his expression became extremely serious.
"Nakamori, stay away from them. We'll talk about the rest later."
Nakamori Akimi nodded, feeling sorry for himself for being dragged into this for the 108th time. "I understand. I'll try to avoid them."
An awkward silence spread. Nakamori Akimi looked up at him secretly and started to make small talk, "Um, Atobe, you haven't eaten the bitter melon yet. If you don't eat it now, it will be out of date."
"As compensation, they have extended the shelf life of bitter melon after research. It is now 48 hours."
Why are they so slow and sometimes fast? They're not fast when they should be, and they just keep researching unimportant things. Nakamori Akimi was speechless.
"Since they can extend the statute of limitations, can't they also consider lifting the restriction that requires me to watch you eat? What if there comes a time when we can't meet or video chat?"
Nakamori Akimi always felt that there were hidden dangers in this matter, not to mention that it was so dangerous now.
“Maybe they’ll figure it out later.”
Compared to the anxious Nakamori Akimi, Atobe Keigo was not very concerned about this.
"Well, I hope they can do it soon." Nakamori Akimi looked at the bitter melon that Atobe Keigo had just put down, "But the expiration date has been extended. Why did you eat it today?"
"For you."
"Oh, for me... for me?!"
Nakamori Akimi pointed at himself in disbelief.
"Remember to finish it. This is your second punishment for spreading rumors today. Enjoy it. I made this for you personally. It's the only one of its kind."
"Don't—"
Listening to the wailing of the people behind him, Atobe Keigo left the crime scene happily. But after he walked away, his face darkened again.
He understood Nakamori Akimi's concerns very well, but he also knew that bitter melon was never the thing that could make him sober and was effective for him.
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