Chapter 119: No More Pretending, Just Bluffing

Chapter 119: No More Pretending, Just Bluffing

The sight of the middle-aged woman and the young boy returning from outside signaled that the school grounds were no longer off-limits.

For Lin Ye, still burdened with the unconscious Kyou Fujibayashi and desperate to escape this perilous place, avoiding confrontation was paramount. His priority was a safe exit.

While he was confident in his own defense, successfully extracting Kyou Fujibayashi presented a considerable challenge.

But beyond that, his most pressing question was: how could he get Kyou Fujibayashi out of here?

These two individuals before him, especially the boy, seemed like the most likely source of answers.

"Well, isn't this a surprise? Running into you here. What a coincidence, a truly fateful encounter."

Lin Ye took the initiative, stepping forward and reaching out to playfully pat the boy's shoulder. His warm smile and approachable manner caused Imagawa, the middle-aged woman, to narrow her eyes in confusion. Fujii, the boy, was momentarily taken aback.

"Big brother... how did you get in here?"

"Oh, I was invited to visit Tenmachi Elementary School, of course. Yamashita Sawa was kind enough to extend an enthusiastic invitation to my friend and me. It was an offer I couldn't refuse, really."

As he spoke, Lin Ye produced the expired visitor pass duplicate.

Though no longer valid, it served its purpose as a piece of plausible evidence to mislead the pair.

Fujii examined the visitor pass, his face clearing with sudden understanding. "So, Sawa invited you!"

Knowing Yamashita Sawa's name provided indirect confirmation that Lin Ye's presence was by invitation.

"As for my friend," Lin Ye continued, shrugging with feigned helplessness, gesturing to the girl still slung over his back, "well... she got a bit overwhelmed by the children here and fainted shortly after we arrived." Kyou Fujibayashi remained convincingly limp, eyes still closed, showing no sign of consciousness.

"..."

Fujii instinctively glanced at the middle-aged woman, Imagawa, who was now studying Lin Ye with an intense, appraising gaze. Unlike the boy, still so young,

She was more cautious now, less willing to take Lin Ye at his word.

"Where's Sawa?" she asked.

"He won't talk to me anymore," Lin Ye replied.

"Huh?"

Imagawa, the middle-aged woman, made a puzzled sound. Then, from her back, several dark, unsettling tentacles unfurled, poised to strike.

It was clear: any answer Lin Ye gave that she deemed unsatisfactory would unleash those tentacles to tear him apart.

She was trying to intimidate him.

"We played a game," Lin Ye explained, "Guessing which hand held the candy. He lost every time, got really upset about losing, and didn't want to play anymore."

Hearing this, the little boy, Fujii, erupted in laughter. "He actually played the candy guessing game with you, Big Brother? Hahaha, that's so funny!"

His laughter echoed through the quiet entrance of Tenmachi Elementary, unrestrained and loud.

Whoosh… The cold wind howled, rustling the silent trees.

After a moment, Fujii spoke up, offering the teacher an explanation for his amusement. "I met Big Brother on the bus before, and we played the candy game. Big Brother guessed right every single time. He's amazing, I couldn't win against him."

He still felt a thrill of excitement remembering that game.

"I've been wanting to play again with Big Brother. And now... isn't this perfect? Big Brother, let's play! Please?"

"Well… now's not really a good time. Maybe another time. I'm almost out of time."

Before, he'd been protected by the rules within the 'Eerie Game Dungeon,' and the eerie beings had been similarly constrained by the 'Eerie Game.'

But this was different.

He wasn't on a mission inside the 'Eerie Game Dungeon' now. Instead, he'd entered this 'Otherworld' using a visitor pass. The eerie beings he was facing were now in their full, unrestrained forms.

Therefore, even ignoring the middle-aged woman whose strength was unknown, even this little boy he'd met before was likely far stronger than he had been on the bus.

"Ah, Big Brother is willing to play with Sawa but not with me… Do you not like me?"

Suddenly, his tone shifted, becoming heavy, and his head drooped. A sickly sweet scent began to permeate the air, a sweetness that only amplified Lin Ye's nauseous sense of danger.

"Sigh," Lin Ye sighed softly, letting out a long breath. "I'm just worried if I win again, you'll burst into tears and refuse to speak to me, just like him."

"Ugh, hahaha…"

Fujii's laughter grew even louder, more unrestrained. "No, I'm not like that idiot Sawa. I can take losing. I would never cry over a game. Big Brother, let's play. If you win, I'll give you tons and tons of candy."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out three candies.

Lin Ye knew these weren't ordinary candies. They were special items from the Otherworld, imbued with unique properties.

But what Lin Ye truly wanted was to find a way to get Kyou Fujibayashi back. He knew, however, that he couldn't ask directly.

Asking that question would immediately reveal to these two eerie beings that Kyou Fujibayashi wasn't an invited guest, but someone who had lost to the eerie being Yamashita Sawa in the real world and been sent to Tenmachi Elementary.

Lin Ye even suspected Kyou Fujibayashi was already under suspicion, but they couldn't confirm it yet and needed to test him further.

He guessed his identity as an eerie game player, and his connection to the 'Eerie Game,' was the reason for their wariness, preventing them from dropping the pretense immediately.

After all, very few ordinary humans dared to venture into the Otherworld; most were eerie game players.

"I don't need candy," Lin Ye said. "If it's just for fun, I don't mind playing."

"Eh, that's no fun at all. Games need stakes to be exciting. No stakes, no fun. Right, Teacher?"

"Of course," the middle-aged woman responded.

"Teacher, I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed in you," Lin Ye said suddenly, catching both eerie beings off guard. "As a teacher, how can you encourage such bad habits in children? He's still so young. Games should be just games. There's no need to add stakes and turn them into some kind of gambling."

"You're corrupting him. You're failing as an educator. You don't deserve to be a teacher."

"Little Fujii, come on, let's go. We can't stay here. Big Brother will take you to a better school. There's a wonderful teacher there, a kind big sister, who will help you grow into a fine young man."

With that, Lin Ye took the eerie boy's hand and strode towards the entrance of Tenmachi Elementary.

One step, two steps, three steps.

The little boy remained stunned, completely taken by surprise, allowing Lin Ye to pull him along.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged teacher, Imagawa, was still reeling from his words. It took her a moment to snap out of her daze, and when she did, she realized Lin Ye was actually about to leave Tenmachi Elementary, taking Fujii with him.

"Wait…" a voice called out.

But Lin Ye acted as if he hadn't heard and continued leading the little boy forward.

The school gate marked a clear boundary for him.

If he couldn't leave Tenmachi Elementary smoothly, he would have to resort to time-stop again. His uses were limited, and he wasn't even sure if it would guarantee a successful escape.

Lin Ye kept walking, but the eerie boy whose hand he held had stopped. He tried to pull, but the boy's strength was unexpectedly greater than his own.

"Sorry, Big Brother. I can't leave with you."

He stood firm, smiling up at Lin Ye.

"Little Fujii can't bear to leave Teacher or Tenmachi Elementary. If Big Brother really cares about me, why not stay here at Tenmachi Elementary? Teacher can find a position for you, and you can become part of the school. Oh, and…"

He glanced at Kyou Fujibayashi. "Your friend can stay too. And, our school nurse is a beautiful big sister. I'm sure you'll like her."

She's not as pretty as Kyou Fujibayashi.

Compared to the nurse, he preferred female nurses.

"I already have someone I like. Thank you for the offer, though."

"Ah, what a shame," the little boy said, looking up at Lin Ye. "A Big Brother who's two-timing doesn't like beautiful big sisters. What a pity."

On the bus, he had been with Nanase Ren, and now he was carrying Kyou Fujibayashi. This little kid knew far too much for his age.

"She's my friend, not my girlfriend."

"Oh, I see." He looked at Lin Ye with sudden understanding.

Lin Ye nodded. "It's getting late. We're almost out of time, so we should be going."

This time, the little boy didn't insist on playing a game. He simply watched Lin Ye's retreating figure, then turned back to the middle-aged teacher.

The middle-aged teacher watched them walk several steps away from the school gate before speaking again. "You can leave, but your friend can't."

Lin Ye stopped. He knew they had seen through Kyou Fujibayashi's condition.

After all, the school infirmary was filled with humans who had been injected with Nightmare Serum and were in a deep sleep. As members of Tenmachi Elementary, these two eerie beings would naturally connect Kyou Fujibayashi's unconscious state to the Nightmare Serum and the 'losers' brought to the school.

Lin Ye had only been trying his luck, hoping to bluff his way through. But now, it seemed he had failed.

"What do you mean?" Lin Ye continued to play dumb.

"Heh," the middle-aged teacher chuckled. Two tentacles grew further from her back, dark red and swaying, emitting sharp whistling sounds, as if to emphasize her point.

"Humans who lose the game and are sent to Tenmachi Elementary cannot return to the human world with you."

"Huh?" The little boy, Fujii, was stunned. "Teacher, was she injected with Nightmare Serum? But… I didn't smell the Nightmare Serum at all."

Because he hadn't detected the unique scent of the Nightmare Serum, he hadn't considered this possibility. Similarly, the middle-aged teacher had initially thought the same.

"Blue Tranquilizer Serum. I'm curious how you knew that injecting Blue Tranquilizer Serum could counteract the effects of Nightmare Serum."

Once the effects were neutralized, the unique scent of the Nightmare Serum would dissipate after a while.

Clearly, this human woman had been injected with Blue Tranquilizer Serum quite some time ago.

Faced with the middle-aged woman's question, Lin Ye continued to feign confusion. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

If it hadn't been for the little boy's question and the middle-aged teacher's explanation, he might have admitted it. But after the two eerie beings explained it all, Lin Ye decided to deny everything.

He was fairly certain the middle-aged eerie woman was trying to trick him.

"Just admit it. I might consider telling you how to take her with you."

At this point, the middle-aged teacher was convinced of the situation. Pretending any longer was pointless.

"Sigh! Fine, I won't pretend anymore." Lin Ye sighed softly. "Tell me how to leave, and I'll consider letting you off."

Little boy: ???

Middle-aged teacher: ???

Both were utterly baffled.

If Lin Ye were truly powerful enough to crush them, he wouldn't need to act.

Therefore, there was only one conclusion: he was bluffing.

This man was bluffing.

"Hahaha, Big Brother, you're so funny, so funny! You're definitely the most interesting human I've ever met." Even he had figured it out.

"Little Fujii is so scared now. I hope Big Brother will let me off. Boo hoo… Teacher, you have to protect me, or… Big Brother will bully me."

The little boy even pretended to cower behind the middle-aged teacher.

The middle-aged teacher's face had hardened, and her two tentacles were visibly swelling.

"Human player, let's see just how 'powerful' you really are," she said, her eyes locked on Lin Ye, scrutinizing his every move. She was determined to see what tricks this human had up his sleeve.

Having dealt with eerie game players before, she knew they could be deceptive. Some were weak, some were strong, and some, while not particularly strong, possessed strange and unpredictable skills.

Which type was this one?

Lin Ye knew a confrontation was unavoidable.

"No, you won't be facing my strength, but hers."

In the next moment, a black-haired girl in a sailor uniform materialized beside him. Her long black hair flowed in the wind as her dark eyes swept over Lin Ye and the unconscious Kyou Fujibayashi on his back, finally settling on the little boy and the middle-aged teacher.

Miyuki Kuroshima was one of Lin Ye's trump cards against eerie beings.

But even he wasn't certain if Miyuki could handle this. If she couldn't, he would have to play his other 'trump card.'

"Miyuki, can you take care of this?"

Instantly, Miyuki understood the situation. She raised a slender finger…

"Can she even manage?"

But any doubts vanished when Lin Ye saw Miyuki Kuroshima's displeased expression. Her red lips barely moved as she stated, "Just a small matcha cake."

Lin Ye's face remained impassive. "…"

"No problem, ten should be fine."

"That's far too many, I'll get fat."

Miyuki then cast a sidelong glance at Lin Ye.

Can ghosts even get fat?

Lin Ye remained skeptical.

"Alright, no problem at all. Please leave the boy here. I need to ask him a few questions."

It was at this moment, that the middle-aged teacher and the boy finally grasped the source of Lin Ye's confidence.

A female ghost, just like them. That's where his confidence comes from.

The boy, staring at Miyuki's cold demeanor, swallowed hard, feeling a wave of intimidation. But the teacher's gaze only intensified with fury.

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Why are you so beautiful?!"

She desperately tried to maintain her own appearance, yet she couldn't mask the ugliness that marred her face. The ghost before her, however, was youthful, beautiful, and radiated an undeniable allure.

It was everything she had ever yearned for, everything she craved. And this ghost possessed it all!

Jealousy and rage intertwined, causing her form to contort rapidly.

"Roar…"

"Roar…"

Her fury echoed in earth-shattering roars that filled the sky.

The teacher's frenzied form collided repeatedly, her twin tentacles lashing out with a deafening 'boom…' sending debris flying in all directions.

Lin Ye, displaying remarkable foresight, had already carried Kyou Fujibayashi to safety.

He was uncertain if Miyuki could subdue both the teacher and the boy within five minutes.

Now, all he could do was place his trust in Miyuki. If she failed, he would be forced to resort to his last resort.

"Boom…"

"Boom…"

A graceful figure with long black hair wielded her whip, the air whistling as it 'swished, swished, swished…', striking the teacher's colossal form.

"Thud…"

Whip met tentacle in a resounding impact.

It was now clear.

Lin Ye keenly sensed that Miyuki was at a disadvantage, struggling against the teacher's oppressive power.

Her fighting style was noticeably different from their encounter at Eihou Academy. This time, every movement was imbued with beauty and elegance, seemingly flawless.

Could it be…

Is it because she doesn't want to show her unsightly side in front of us?

The thought flashed through Lin Ye's mind, and he became convinced of its truth.

Miyuki harbored feelings for him, he was certain of it. The desire to conceal one's imperfections from someone they were attracted to was a common human sentiment. Even though Miyuki was a ghost, she still possessed human-like rationality and emotions. Therefore, it was only natural for her to have such considerations.

This realization left Lin Ye feeling a sense of helplessness.

"Miyuki, don't worry about how I might feel. No matter what form you take, you will always be the beautiful, graceful, and captivating black-haired girl I know. That image is indelible."

His words caused Miyuki to falter, a fleeting blush of embarrassment gracing her features.

Lin Ye had seen right through her carefully guarded thoughts.

"Sigh…"

She let out a soft sigh.

In the next instant, her gaze locked onto the teacher's massive form, her resolve hardening. Her long black hair transformed into countless strands, surging forward from every direction.

No matter how violently the tentacles thrashed, the relentless waves of hair pressed onward.

Simultaneously, delicate crimson marks appeared on Miyuki's face, and her eyes began to streak with red.

Just then,

Lin Ye had another thought, "Hey, we took care of those students you left at the school, by the way."

This statement instantly ignited the teacher's fury, her enraged gaze snapping towards Lin Ye.

At that precise moment, a black gem materialized on Lin Ye's forehead.

A ghostly artifact the Snake Eye Orb.

It was an object that induced hallucinations and instilled profound fear.

Lin Ye locked eyes with the teacher, unleashing the full force of his mental power. Against an adversary of unknown mental strength, he had to commit entirely. He was even prepared to allocate his remaining free attribute points to bolster his mental defenses if necessary.

"Swish!"

The terrifying illusion instantly triggered a violent reaction from the teacher.

"Ahhhh!"

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.

Lin Ye only managed to maintain the effect for two seconds. The teacher's mental fortitude was formidable, and after that brief duration, he felt a powerful backlash that severely impacted his own mind.

But two seconds were all Miyuki needed.

The teacher's escalating fear only amplified Miyuki's power.

The more terror her opponent felt, the stronger she became.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

The girl's black hair erupted in a frenzy of growth, ensnaring the teacher at an astonishing speed. Strand after strand began to pierce her flesh.

The teacher shrieked,

Her body convulsing, shrinking and then expanding in a desperate attempt to resist Miyuki's onslaught.

Fujii, the boy, frantically tried to intervene, but he was no match and was instantly thrown aside.

"You…"

He suddenly considered Lin Ye. If he could seize Lin Ye, he might gain leverage over the female ghost.

"Big brother… come play a game with me! Hehehe…"

He had only taken a couple of steps towards Lin Ye when Lin Ye's bracelet morphed into a long whip, 'boom', striking the approaching boy.

'Swish, swish, swish…'

He was instantly bound.

Lin Ye immediately understood that Miyuki had been vigilantly watching him, using the bracelet to strike and restrain the boy. It wasn't an action he had consciously initiated.

The battle raged on, locked in a tense stalemate. Miyuki held the advantage, but it seemed that actually defeating the teacher would be a difficult task.

Lin Ye chuckled softly as he walked step by step towards the bound boy.

"Sigh, why even bother?"

"We're practically acquaintances. All this fighting and killing is really quite unnecessary."

"I didn't want to do this, but you've forced my hand."

…

Facing the boy who glared up at him, Lin Ye hardened his resolve. The boy's bloodshot eyes still burned with murderous intent.

"Talk! Tell me how to bring my friend out of the inner world."

The boy gritted his teeth, his determined gaze unwavering, indicating he would never yield the information.

"You don't want your beloved teacher to die, do you?"

"Teacher Imagawa won't lose."

He glanced towards the struggle, and despite the teacher now being completely enveloped like a dumpling, his confidence remained unshaken.

"So sure of that, are you?"

"I'll never tell you. Just give up!"

In the next instant,

The boy froze. His eyes fixed on the purplish, glowing potion in Lin Ye's hand the Nightmare Potion.

"Care to sample the exquisite taste of Nightmare Potion?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Oh, this isn't for you. It's for your teacher. I've acquired all the Soul-Calming Potions, and the female doctor at Tenmachi Elementary is still trapped in the nightmare woven by this very potion. Oh, and your little friends too, of course."

The boy's eyes widened in dawning horror.

At that moment,

Lin Ye once again activated the ghostly artifact, the Snake Eye Orb.

"Ahhhh!"

Under the potent influence of Lin Ye's words, the boy was plunged into a terrifying hallucination his teacher, trapped eternally in a nightmare, a truly horrific vision.

"No, no…"

"Tell me how to leave the inner world and return to reality."

The boy gasped for air, his resolve beginning to crumble.

"Speak. You have five seconds."

This was Lin Ye's last resort, but it would mean sacrificing his final Nightmare Potion. He genuinely hoped to avoid this unless absolutely necessary.

Time-stop combined with the Nightmare Potion, injected into the teacher, would likely incapacitate her. But there was still a significant chance the boy would remain silent, leaving Lin Ye still clueless about how to extract Kyou Fujibayashi from the inner world and return her to reality. He would also be down a Nightmare Potion.

But now, the situation was different.

The combined pressure from Miyuki and the threat of the Nightmare Potion were proving too much for the boy's resolve.

"I, I…"

"Then I'll just have to give your teacher a little shot then, shall I? Remember, her death will be on your head. You, her own student, will be the one who killed her."

"No…"

The boy cried out as Lin Ye began to move towards the struggling form.

"Don't hurt the teacher!"

"Tell me the method, and I'll let you both go. We'll leave immediately."

"R-really?"

He still seemed to harbor distrust, but the scales in his heart had already tipped irrevocably.

"I have no reason to lie to you."

The boy glanced at his teacher, now completely submerged in the sea of black hair, and gritted his teeth. "The normal way is to wait three days for her to wake up. Then we can take her back to the real world. But it's too late now. The time hasn't come, and she's been injected with the Soul-Calming Potion. The Nightmare Potion won't work anymore."

This didn't mean Kyou couldn't be saved.

"Other methods?"

"Bus Route 18,"

The boy shouted, his voice cracking with desperation.

"Bus Route 18 here goes between the real world in Chiba and this place. You can take Route 18 with your friend to get back to reality."

That bus, huh.

Lin Ye immediately thought, "How much does it cost?"

The little boy hesitated, "You need ghost coins for a ticket."

He quickly added, "But, um, I don't have any ghost coins. Not a single one. The teacher manages the school's ghost coins. I don't even know where they keep them."

Even if I did know, I wouldn't have time to get any.

Besides, ghost coins weren't exactly something he was short on.

"Any other rules I need to know about? Lay it all out for me."

"N-no, nothing else. Just buy a ticket and follow the bus rules. You've been on Route 18 before, you know how it is."

Time was pressing, so Lin Ye didn't push him further.

"One last thing – what exactly do the Nightmare Potion and Soul-Calming Potion do? Don't tell me it's just about giving people nightmares or getting rid of them."

Faced with Lin Ye's question, the little boy pursed his lips and looked away. "I don't know. I already told you how to leave. Please, just go."

He wasn't going to say another word.

"Do you want your teacher to die?"

But the threat didn't seem to work as well this time.

"The bus only runs a limited number of times each day."

Is that true?

He really was running out of time.

Miyuki Kuroshima's five minutes were almost up.

If Miyuki Kuroshima vanished and only reappeared when the time was up, he could genuinely be stuck here.

"I'll keep my promise, don't worry. Miyuki, hold on. Let's go back."

Hearing Lin Ye's voice, Miyuki Kuroshima gave a slight nod and instantly pulled back her hair, appearing at Lin Ye's side.

She kept her eyes fixed on the middle-aged teacher, though, still wary of any sudden attacks.

Lin Ye, carrying Kyou Fujibayashi on his back, looked at the little boy. "Next time we meet, I expect you to tell me what those two potions really do."

If the 'Ghost Game' had an identification tool, he could have figured out the potions' effects himself.

Based on what he'd learned about the 'Ghost Game' so far, items not obtained during a mission or made by the 'Ghost Game' itself didn't come with descriptions.

But these two potions, especially the Nightmare Potion, felt instinctively like they held a significant secret.

There had to be some effect he was missing. Otherwise, why would Tenmachi Elementary go to so much trouble to bring people from the real world, inject them with the potion, and then send them back?

"Oh, and where's the bus stop?"

"Over there."

"If you're lying, Miyuki, kill him."

"It's true! It's just a kilometer that way! Route 18 is in that direction!"

The little boy was clearly terrified.

Lin Ye nodded, and the three of them vanished from the gates of Tenmachi Elementary.

The little boy let out a huge sigh of relief. He scrambled to his feet and ran to the female teacher. "Teacher, teacher, are you… are you alright?"

Slap!

The little boy went flying.

"Who told you to tell them how to leave the inner world and get back to reality?!"

"I'm sorry, Teacher, I'm so sorry!"

The little boy lay on the ground, sobbing and begging for forgiveness.

The middle-aged teacher stared at the school gate, the image of the young female ghost flashing in her mind, and her anger flared.

"If that man hadn't used some ghostly artifact to mess with my head, how could I have been trapped?"

She could have beaten that female ghost, ripped out her black hair, and scratched that pretty face to pieces, making her even uglier than she was.

But… but…

"It's all your fault…"

"Xiao Ren, you've disappointed me deeply."

"I'm sorry, Teacher, I'm really sorry."

The little boy trembled with fear.

"This isn't over."

The middle-aged teacher spat out the words viciously.

Meanwhile,

Lin Ye, still carrying Kyou Fujibayashi, walked with Miyuki Kuroshima towards the bus stop.

"Thank you. I'll make that matcha mousse cake for you."

"Mm."

"Anything else you'd like? Milk tea? Other desserts?"

Miyuki Kuroshima shook her head. "No, just the cake is fine."

She glanced at Kyou Fujibayashi. "Her hair grows so fast, just like mine."

Lin Ye was confused for a second, then understood. "She's not Ryou Fujibayashi, she's her older sister, Kyou Fujibayashi. They're twins."

Miyuki Kuroshima seemed surprised. "Do you like twin sisters?"

Her blunt question caught Lin Ye off guard.

"I didn't come to save her because I like her. I came because I saw someone I knew in trouble and wanted to help. If I had to give a main reason, it's that she's Ryou Fujibayashi's sister, which made me willing to risk it to save her."

Of course, exploring this inner world and understanding what was going on also played a part.

"If you ever find yourself in danger, Miyuki, I'll come to save you too, no matter what it takes, even if I have to go through hell."

They locked eyes for a moment.

The black-haired girl looked away, and then a slightly different, cooler voice spoke.

"I believe you."

When Lin Ye looked again, the girl had already vanished.

A few minutes later, Lin Ye, still carrying the girl, saw the bus stop ahead.

Finally, they'd reached the bus stop.

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