Chapter 299: Become bigger and stronger, create greater glory! (22)
"It hurts so much..."
Sajuna reached behind to cover herself with both hands, biting her lip in indignation. Her wide eyes glared at Amamiya, filled with both shame and anger.
"My apologies," Amamiya said sincerely, a hint of guilt in his tone. "I misjudged the strength earlier. I'll be more careful next time."
The clueless narrator had once again been successfully deceived by the duo's antics.
"There won't be a next time!" Sajuna snapped, her voice tinged with grievance.
She couldn't help but feel wronged. Last night, during his collaboration with Chika to fool the narrator, Amamiya had neatly written some explicit words on Chika's leg. Yet when it came to her turn, he resorted to spanking her. How was that fair? It was blatant favoritism!
"You should look on the bright side," Amamiya offered patiently. "For example, we just saved the life of an innocent player."
"Who knows…" Sajuna muttered through gritted teeth before blurting out, "You could've just written words on my leg too!"
Amamiya paused for a moment, startled by the suggestion, before a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"If you wish for me to write on your leg, I wouldn't dare refuse."
"That's not what I meant!" Sajuna snapped, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"…"
As they bantered, the two made their way toward the restaurant.
To Sajuna's quiet relief, the narrator didn't speak again during their journey.
"Good morning, Manager," Amamiya greeted when they reached the restaurant.
The establishment was just opening for business. However, as they walked through the quiet streets, it became increasingly evident that the entire town was eerily deserted. Other than the players, they hadn't seen a single living soul.
"Good morning, Store Manager."
Sajuna bowed politely, though her tone carried a trace of unease.
Last night, even the ghost stories hadn't dared to stir trouble within the restaurant. The elderly manager before her was undoubtedly no ordinary human.
The old store manager responded with a silent nod, acknowledging their greeting before slowly preparing ingredients for the day.
"Manager, do you need any assistance?" Amamiya offered.
"No need," the manager replied without glancing up. "I'll handle the preparations myself."
"What now?" Sajuna turned to Amamiya, tilting her head slightly in inquiry.
Watching the manager work while they stood idly by felt undeniably awkward.
After a moment's thought, Amamiya gave her an order. "Go wipe down the tables again."
"Oh." Sajuna nodded and obediently got to work.
Once the tables were cleaned, Amamiya spoke again.
"Don't just stand around—sweep up the leaves at the entrance."
"…"
Sajuna stared at him silently, feeling slightly wronged. She had never done this kind of work in real life. To think she would experience the "joy" of labor for the first time in a game.
Just as everything was tidied up, the curtain at the entrance was pushed aside, and a figure stepped inside.
"Welcome—" Sajuna began automatically. But as soon as she saw who it was, her words caught in her throat, and she froze, holding her breath.
The newcomer was a woman with disheveled hair, a beige trench coat, and a white mask. Her pale face bore sickly dark circles beneath her eyes—this was none other than the slit-mouthed woman.
The memory of nearly triggering the ghost story's deadly rules last night was still vivid in Sajuna's mind. The scene of her mouth being forcibly "reshaped" flashed before her eyes, making her tremble slightly. Desperately, she turned her head and shot Amamiya a pleading look.
"Welcome," Amamiya stepped forward calmly, a polite smile on his face. "Are you here as a guest?"
The slit-mouthed woman gave a small nod, her expression inscrutable beneath the mask.
"Will you be using your own ingredients," Amamiya asked, "or buying from the restaurant?"
Both options were common practice—bringing one's own ingredients incurred processing and service fees, while purchasing from the restaurant was more expensive.
Without saying a word, the slit-mouthed woman reached into her coat and pulled out a fish that defied description, its grotesque appearance enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
Amamiya accepted the strange dish from the slit-mouthed woman and responded with a polite smile:
"Please wait a moment, ma'am."
Without a word, the slit-mouthed woman walked to a corner table and sat down. The grotesque meal she had brought was far from appealing to Sajuna, who couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the sight.
Half an hour later, the slit-mouthed woman rose from her seat, visibly satisfied. Her cheeks were flushed, and her clothes were damp. As she left the restaurant, she left behind a damp stain on the chair.
"That's too much," Sajuna muttered, clearly disgruntled. As a waiter, it was her responsibility to clean the tables, and she approached the wet stain with a look of disdain. "How could someone sweat so much? It didn't even look spicy! I've eaten Arctic Ramen before, and I didn't sweat like this. If this were a hotter day, she'd be in danger of dehydration or heatstroke!"
Amamiya glanced over and remarked meaningfully, "It might not just be sweat."
"Eh?" Sajuna froze for a moment before turning to him in alarm. "If it's not sweat, then what is it?"
Before Amamiya could respond, Sajuna's eyes widened in realization. Her face turned a deep shade of red as she stammered, "You… you didn't put anything strange in the food, did you?"
"Correct," Amamiya said with a calm expression. "I added taurine effervescent tablets to the dish."
"I've never heard of that!" Sajuna snapped, glaring at him in frustration.
"…"
Their conversation was cut short as another ghostly customer arrived, pulling Amamiya back into his work.
By midday, the restaurant door opened again, and a girl entered.
"Welcome—" Sajuna greeted reflexively, only to pause. "Umi-chan?"
"Juju-sama, we're back!" Umi greeted with a cheerful wave, her bright smile lighting up the room. "Is Amamiya-kun busy right now?"
Amamiya glanced over from his station. "I just finished."
"Then come outside for a bit. We need to talk."
Due to the restaurant's peculiar influence, anyone entering who wasn't an employee would gradually feel compelled to eat. The longer they stayed, the stronger the urge became. To avoid complications, the others had waited outside and sent Umi in to fetch Amamiya.
After excusing himself to the manager, Amamiya followed her outside.
In the open area outside the restaurant, the rest of the team was gathered, along with an unfamiliar girl who was clearly a player.
"This is Kojima-san," Chika explained with her usual upbeat tone. "We met her on the road. She's interested in joining our team, so we brought her along."
"Please take care of me," the girl said with a timid bow.
The new player had a pale complexion, chapped lips, and prominent dark circles under her eyes. Her clothes and hair were messy, evidence of a harrowing night. She looked as though she hadn't slept at all, likely due to worry and fear.
It was clear at a glance—she was not a strong player.
Amamiya studied her for a moment before addressing her plainly, "I'm busy right now. If you're looking for help, you'll have to wait until evening."
"Oh, no, that's fine!" Kojima replied hurriedly, flustered. "Please, don't mind me."
On the way there, Chika had explained the situation to her, and the new player didn't question it. With such a large group of players working together and posting advertisements everywhere, they must be skilled and reliable.
"We made 200 flyers in total," Chika reported proudly, holding up a single finger. "We've covered almost the entire town! Now we just wait for other players to find us."
"…"
It turned out that the humble flyer strategy was remarkably effective. Simple, cheap, and straightforward, it drew in players like moths to a flame.
By evening, six additional players had shown up, guided by the flyer instructions.
"Grow stronger, expand the team, and create greater glory," Amamiya mused, watching the group grow larger.