Chapter 330: The Beast Descendant

The gymnastics club was just ahead.

Under the guidance of Tsubame, Amamiya arrived at the door of an activity room in the comprehensive building.

"I'm the vice president of the gymnastics club," Tsubame said with a clear and pleasant voice as she pushed the door open. "There are no club activities today, so no one will disturb us. Come in, come in."

Amamiya stepped into the gymnastics club room.

The space was expansive.

Inside, it was completely empty. True to her word, there was no one else—a perfect setting for what they were about to do.

"Senpai, you already know that the Copy Paste skill requires physical contact, right?"

Amamiya looked directly at Tsubame, cutting straight to the point.

When it came to his ability, Touch of Fate, he had chosen transparency, openly sharing details with the group chat. It was a team-centric skill: the more people involved, the stronger its impact. There was no point in hiding it—and even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

After all, with so many players in the Ghost Town, it was impossible to silence everyone.

Act weak to deceive the strong?

That was old-fashioned.

Amamiya would rather be a tiger than a pig.

"I've done my research," Tsubame said, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush. "It involves holding hands, doesn't it?"

"Exactly. It's like transferring data with a cable," Amamiya confirmed. "...Senpai, does that bother you?"

"Not at all," Tsubame replied with a bright smile. "If it were a hug, I might hesitate, but holding hands is no problem."

Compared to the terrifying horrors of the evil ghost, holding hands was trivial. Even if it came to hugging, a little hesitation wouldn't stop her from agreeing.

"Alright, Amamiya-kun. I'll leave the rest to you," Tsubame said confidently, extending her right hand without any trace of embarrassment.

Unlike Kaguya, who stubbornly insisted on handling everything alone, Tsubame had a very different outlook. She believed in relying on others and being someone others could rely on in turn. Asking for help wasn't difficult for her—pride had no place in her way of thinking.

"Five minutes should suffice," Amamiya replied, preparing to take her outstretched hand.

"Wait!"

Just as their fingers were about to touch, Tsubame suddenly pulled her hand back, clutching it with a crimson face and hiding it behind her back.

Hey, what happened to that confidence just now? Why so shy all of a sudden?

"I ran here straight after P.E.," she stammered, her face still flushed. "I haven't washed my hands yet—they're a bit sweaty… I'll be right back!"

Holding hands with a stranger didn't faze her, but sweaty palms? That was apparently a deal-breaker. Amamiya couldn't help but marvel at the peculiar priorities of girls.

Moments later, Tsubame returned.

"Phew~ All set now," she announced, extending her right hand again.

Amamiya raised an eyebrow. "Anything else, Senpai?"

"Absolutely nothing," she replied with firm resolve.

This time, she followed through. Their hands finally met.

The sensation was...ordinary.

Sure, her fingers were slender, her skin soft, cool, and slightly elastic—but other than that, there was nothing remarkable.

At first, Tsubame was unfazed. But as the moment lingered, something began to feel off.

A single man and a single woman. Alone in a room. Holding hands. And the boy in question was someone she'd only properly spoken to the day before.

It was...a bit strange.

"Ahem." Tsubame cleared her throat awkwardly and changed the subject. "Um, about the support speech—do you need my help with that?"

"If you're not too busy, I'll leave it to you," Amamiya replied.

He hadn't agreed to her offer immediately earlier that morning because he'd been considering asking Umi instead.

While Tsubame's popularity was undeniable, especially among the upper grades, emotionally speaking, Umi would always be his first choice.

After returning to the classroom that morning, Amamiya sent a message to ask Umi for her opinion. Since she planned to sneak away to visit her father over the weekend, Umi decided to work overtime after school in the coming days to complete her modeling assignments in advance. So she had no time to prepare a support speech and ultimately passed the responsibility to Tsubame.

"Leave it to me," Tsubame said confidently, flashing a thumbs-up and a radiant smile. "I'll start working on the support speech as soon as I get home tonight!"

"Then I'll leave it to you, Senpai."

"…"

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway outside the room.

Amamiya and Tsubame exchanged glances, silently agreeing to pause their conversation.

Thud, thud, thud.

The footsteps grew louder and closer until they stopped right outside the gymnastics club room.

"Eh?" Tsubame widened her eyes in surprise. "Why did they stop? Could it be another club member?"

Amamiya whispered, "Maybe they're tying their shoelaces…"

Click.

The door creaked open just as he finished speaking.

"It's definitely not about shoelaces!" Tsubame whispered anxiously, watching as the door slowly swung open. "No, hide! Quickly!"

Caught sneaking around in the club room, they could easily be misunderstood. Worse, the skill copying wasn't complete yet! Practicing hand-holding skills with a boy in front of others was a scenario even Tsubame couldn't handle.

"Come with me."

Without hesitation, Tsubame grabbed Amamiya's hand and pulled him toward the locker room.

The gymnastics club room was spacious, and the adjoining locker room was just as large, equipped with small compartments similar to those in department store fitting rooms. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction as the door opened, Tsubame led Amamiya to hide in the furthest corner compartment.

Unfortunately, the compartment was small, leaving barely enough space for two people. The tight quarters made things a bit awkward.

Thud, thud, thud.

The footsteps followed them into the locker room. Whoever it was remained eerily silent, not uttering a single word.

"Let me check who it is," Tsubame whispered.

Amamiya nodded slightly, signaling his understanding.

Turning her back to Amamiya, Tsubame leaned toward the thin crack in the door, cautiously peeking out.

"Oh, it's Reiko," she said softly, a relieved smile crossing her face. "She must've come here alone to practice gymnastics. What a hard working girl."

As she spoke, a strand of hair fell in front of her eyes.

Absent-mindedly, Tsubame raised her left hand to tuck the strand behind her ear.

"Huh? Why can't I touch it?"

Her fingers brushed lightly, only to pass right through the hair. For a moment, confusion flickered across her face.

And then—

The relieved smile froze.

Almost involuntarily, Tsubame looked up.

From the dim ceiling, a pale head silently descended. Its tangled hair fell just in front of her, brushing against her hand.

Their eyes met.

The head's hollow eye sockets radiated an indescribable dread, striking like a bolt of pure terror. Then came a voice—a soft, hollow whisper, like a breeze carrying the faint echoes of despair.

"You… can see me?"

Tsubame's eyes widened in shock, her breath caught in her throat.

"Mm—!"

Before she could scream, Amamiya clamped a hand over her mouth. His quick reaction stifled her voice before it could escape.

Don't shout!

There were still people outside. If she screamed, the situation would only get worse. Misunderstandings could spiral out of control, and there'd be no escaping the fallout.

Without hesitation, Amamiya activated his Evil Spirit Repellent Aura skill.

An invisible force spread outward in a halo, immediately enveloping the malevolent entity. A transparent flame ignited, burning away the darkness. Only now did they see the full form of the spirit: it wasn't merely a floating head. A pale, serpentine neck extended several meters back into the shadows, its length blending seamlessly with the dim light of the room.

In the earlier panic, they hadn't noticed it.

At that moment, as the flames consumed the evil spirit, the creature—resembling a grotesque serpent—thrashed violently in its final struggle.

Even though the flames posed no threat to her, Tsubame instinctively shrank back, pressing tightly into Amamiya's arms.

Amamiya, unaffected by the evil spirit, felt no fear from the apparition. The real shock came from Tsubame herself.

The locker room was already cramped, with no space to maneuver. As Tsubame retreated further, she pressed against him without realizing it, leaving no room for consideration of personal boundaries.

The result was an overwhelming sensation—an indescribable, electrifying touch that surged through Amamiya, sending dopamine rushing through his brain, testing the limits of human restraint.

This… is bad…

As the last flicker of fire dissipated, the evil spirit vanished completely. Tsubame let out a breath of relief and leaned softly against Amamiya, her earlier panic replaced by a moment of calm.

But calm didn't last long.

The panic passed, and her other senses quickly returned. She realized the position she was in—leaning entirely into Amamiya's embrace. Her body went rigid, and her cheeks flushed crimson at an alarming speed, the color spreading to the tips of her ears and even her hair.

(W-Wait—what is this hard thing?!)

(Could it be…)

A sudden warmth radiating from behind made her head spin. Her vision blurred, and her wide eyes resembled spiraling mosquito-repellent coils.

For a moment, silence filled the dark.

Then, Amamiya hesitantly lifted a hand, gently resting it on Tsubame's slender waist.

"Ugh—!"

Tsubame's eyes widened in alarm. She raised a trembling hand to cover her pink lips, panic overtaking her entirely.

(W-What is he doing? Why is he holding my waist?)

Her thoughts spiraled further as she recalled a friend's warning: Boys are beasts. Give them even the slightest opening, and their primal instincts will take over. Rationality? Gone.

Theoretical knowledge from health classes resurfaced unbidden, blending with snippets of dramatic comic book scenes.

In her mind, a vivid scenario unfolded:

Bang!

Her body pinned against the door.

Then came the voice of a beast in human form:

"Senpai, don't make a sound. You wouldn't want anyone to hear us, would you?"

Reality snapped back as her back pressed against the cold locker room door.

Bang.

The chill jolted Tsubame out of her spiraling imagination. Her trembling hand covered her lips tightly, her eyes filled with despair.

It's over.

I'm really pinned against the door.

My virginity is about to be stolen by a kohai I just met!

"Senpai, stop moving. Don't get so close to me."

Amamiya's low voice cut through her panicked thoughts.

"Huh?"

Tsubame turned to look at him, dazed and confused.

Did he just… ask me to stop moving?

"The skill has already been transferred to you," Amamiya explained, his tone calm but strained as he struggled to maintain composure. "Check your character panel."

"Oh… right."

Blinking rapidly, Tsubame forced herself to focus. She opened her character panel and quickly nodded. "I see it now."

"Good. That's it," Amamiya replied, exhaling deeply to steady himself. "Let's figure out how to get out of here first."

"Leave it to me."

Tsubame took a deep breath, stepped out of the locker room, and approached the lone girl practicing gymnastics. With a few well-timed words, she distracted the girl and directed her toward a corner of the room. Once the coast was clear, she turned and waved at Amamiya.

Seizing the opportunity, Amamiya slipped out of the gymnastics club without hesitation.

Once he was gone, Tsubame leaned against the door and slid slowly to the floor. She buried her burning face in her hands, trying to cool her flushed cheeks.

It's all my fault.

I actually thought of Amamiya-kun as some kind of wild beast, when he's clearly a perfect gentleman!