Chapter 291: Vacuum Loli (14)

As the other players filed into the classroom, the corridor grew quiet, leaving only Amamiya and Komi behind. 

Amamiya turned to look at the girl with long black hair. 

Komi stood silently, her gaze flickering upward for a brief moment. But when her eyes met Amamiya's, she immediately looked away, her head lowering in panic like a mouse caught under the watchful gaze of a cat. 

"Don't be scared," Amamiya said gently. "I just need to hold your hand to copy your skills. I won't bully you." 

His tone was frank, almost casual. Girls like this—timid as a rabbit and trembling at the slightest disturbance—were the type he couldn't bring himself to tease. Unlike the ever-resilient spy maid, who could probably manage a backflip on command, Komi's meek demeanor evoked nothing but guilt at the thought of pushing her too far. 

'You're on your own here, Komi-san,' Amamiya thought. 

Komi remained silent, her head dipping lower, but after a moment, she nodded faintly. Taking a deep breath, she began to raise her right hand—but it trembled as she extended it. 

One second. 

Two seconds. 

Three seconds passed… 

Slowly, painfully slowly, her hand inched forward, only to hesitate again, as if it might retreat entirely under Amamiya's watchful gaze. 

'This is enough!' Amamiya thought to himself, exasperated. 'It's just holding hands, yet you're still hesitating? How shy can you be? Even Kaguya wasn't this shy at first!' 

Amamiya sighed softly and decided to try a different approach. 

"Komi-san," he began, his tone measured, "have you ever heard a quote by Ro Jin?" 

"Hm?" 

Komi tilted her head slightly, curiosity flickering across her face. 

Ro Jin was a renowned literary figure, and his works were well-known even in Japan. For instance, his story 'Hometown' was a staple in elementary school textbooks. It was safe to assume that anyone who had attended school would recognize his name. 

"There's a saying of his that I really like," Amamiya continued. "'Human nature tends to reconcile and compromise. For example, if you say that this room is too dark and suggest opening a skylight, everyone will protest. But if you propose removing the entire roof, they'll compromise and agree to a skylight.'" 

"…" 

Komi nodded quickly, her eyes wide with understanding. 

'That… actually makes sense.' 

"Now listen carefully," Amamiya said, his voice suddenly firm. "You have three seconds to extend your hand, or I'll hug you instead." 

"Ugh—!" 

Komi's eyes widened in alarm. 

"I'm not joking," Amamiya warned, taking half a step closer and spreading his arms as if preparing to embrace her. 

Panic set in immediately. Komi flailed slightly, and this time, she thrust her hand forward without a moment's hesitation. 

'As I thought.' Amamiya mused. 'For introverted girls like her, a direct approach is far more effective than gentle coaxing.' 

He reached out and clasped her trembling hand. 

Her hand was cool to the touch, unsurprising given the chill of the night. But the slight dampness on her palm didn't escape his notice. 

'Sweaty palms? Just how nervous is she?' 

Komi, who had been stealing occasional glances upward, caught the subtle change in Amamiya's expression. Her face flushed a deep crimson as if steam were rising directly from her head. 

'Oh no, he noticed!' 

Her thoughts raced in mortification. 'Sweaty palms! How am I supposed to face anyone now?!' 

Overcome with embarrassment, she instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Amamiya's grip remained firm. 

"Don't move," he said calmly. "If you pull away now, everything we've done will be wasted." 

"…" 

Komi's body stiffened at his words, and her head drooped in defeat. Though she resigned herself to the situation, the metaphorical steam above her head continued to pour out, unabated. 

Satisfied, Amamiya said nothing further. The corridor fell silent once more. 

Inside the classroom, the other players busied themselves with cleaning, their muffled chatter and movements creating a stark contrast to the stillness outside. It was as though the two spaces were separated by an invisible boundary, existing in entirely different worlds. 

Komi hadn't said a single word throughout the exchange, not even a soft squeak. The one-sided conversation left Amamiya slightly bored. 

He shifted his attention to the campus outside. 

'Let's see if there's anything interesting out there…' 

He squinted through the darkness, only to be met with the gloomy, oppressive atmosphere of the empty school grounds. 

'Well, that's disappointing. There's no scenery here at all.' 

　　"Fuhh…"

　　Time passed quietly minute by minute, and Komi let out an inaudible breath.

　　During these few minutes, Amamiya neither talked to her nor made any frivolous moves. Finally, Komi's heart relaxed quietly. She couldn't help but raise her eyes and look at Amamiya's profile curiously.

　　(From what Sajuna-san said, the boy in front of me is still in the first year of high school, so he should be one year younger than me...)

　　(But he is awesome.)

　　(He is younger than me, but he is many times better than me.)

　　Although they are both players, there is no comparison between the two in terms of performance or inner qualities.

　　Komi gently pursed her pink lips and couldn't help but recall the scene of their first meeting.

　　She still gets scared when she thinks about the weird lady who modified her own memory.

　　If it weren't for the boy in front of her, her memory would have been completely distorted and she would have become a stranger by now, right?

　　Thinking of the neighbor' lady, it is natura for him to punish her in front of her.

　　Komi remembered that in order to save her "mother", she decided to sacrifice herself and use her body to satisfy Amamiya's lust, and ended up taking off her skirt...

　　The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became. Steam was roaring out from above Komi's head again.

　　"Um?"

　　When Amamiya heard the noise, he turned around in confusion.

　　Everything was fine just now, how come she turned into a steam queen again in the blink of an eye?

　　"Almost there." Amamiya said, "Probably one minute left, just hold on a little longer."

　　Komi nodded quickly.

　　Next second.

　　The girl with long black hair suddenly opened her eyes wide and let out a scream.

　　"ah--!"

　　Amamiya was caught off guard and almost freed Komi's hand. He subconsciously pulled hard and pulled the girl with long black hair into his arms.

　　"Someone…back…"

　　Komi didn't care at all that she was in the boy's arms and started to speak stutteringly.

　　"What's on it?"

　　Amamiya turned his head and looked behind him.

　　A strange loli with pale skin and dark eyes was hanging upside down on the roof, grinning with her shark teeth particularly creepy.

　　It's just a loli, what's there to be afraid of? We've been together for quite some time!

　　Amamiya said expressionlessly:

　　"Hanako, come down."

　　The wraith loli hung upside down at the top of the corridor: "I'm not going down."

　　Amamiya said:

　　"Why are you scaring Komi-san for no reason?"

　　"Hmph." The wraith loli folded her hands in front of her chest, and said in a dissatisfied tone, "The person I'm scaring is obviously you, not this girl."

　　The man in front of her is super hateful.

　　Not only did he threaten her with her mother, he also touched her head and ordered her around. As a ghost story, she has never suffered such injustice!

　　Amamiya raised his eyebrows and said:

　　"Your panties are showing."

　　"Huh?"

　　The wraith loli hanging on the ceiling of the corridor subconsciously covered her skirt.

　　With a pale face and tears in the corners of his eyes, Komi, who had just recovered her breath, subconsciously looked up.

　　really.

　　This girl, Komi, although won't talk, is very curious and gossipy.