The old day ended; a new one began.
The moment of the dungeon's reopening—the return to [School Horror Tales]—drew ever closer.
Yesterday's fireworks festival had concluded. Though some stalls remained, their attractions no longer concerned Takakai after he and Maki received the participant roster from [The Market].
"Seriously, Maki, you're just giving up our solo date like that?"
Takakai glanced at the brown-haired girl beside him before voicing his question.
"This is more important than a date. Even with your power, you can't afford to slack off. Don't forget—we're playing a literal death game. Never underestimate any mission."
Maki's resolve was unshakable. She had clearly thought this through, willingly sacrificing their planned date to review the materials with him.
"Fine. Then I owe you one. We are making up for this later."
Seeing her determination, Takakai relented—but firmly logged the debt.
"I said it's fine… geez…"
Muttering, Maki lowered her head to hide her flushed cheeks before refocusing on the files [The Market] had sent.
The documents were detailed—listing each operative's exact blessings and obsession object effects, information any faction would fiercely guard. That [The Market] had handed this over spoke volumes about their regard for Takakai… and their desperation for this operation's success.
Still, I owe Kumamai-san and Touyama Akira for vouching for me. Without them, this level of trust would've been impossible. Guess I've got more backers in the player community now.
His thoughts drifted to Chika's newly acquired obsession object—the [Black Contract], an artifact that could forcibly drag lower-level players into high-difficulty dungeons. [The Market] had procured it to solve their team composition issue, allowing Chika to join the [School Horror Tales] raid.
But as a cross-tier artifact, it supposedly reduced the user's luck—something they'd need to monitor closely.
Hope this doesn't eat up too many retries.
Player Profile: Gotou Hitori
The pink-haired girl nicknamed "Bocchi-chan" shared surprising similarities with Fujiwara Chika—same hair color, same impressive physique.
But their personalities were polar opposites.
Where Chika could befriend anyone, Hitori short-circuited around strangers—a socially inept recluse even among acquaintances.
Yet this girl, barely functional in daily life, was a trueCrimson moon player.
Dungeon Clears: 13
Twilight: 4Dusk: 6Crimson moon: 3
A veteran surviving over a year in the Sacrifice Game, her record was exceptional.
Blessings:
Twilight-classDusk-class (x2)
Three blessings—the most Takakai had ever seen on one player.
[Shrine Maiden's Blessing] (Twilight-class)
Acquired during her first dungeon—meaning Hitori had cleared a dungeon and obtained a rare blessing as a newbie.
"Is she the protagonist or something?"
Compared to Takakai's nightmare debut in [Shirakawa Apartments], her luck was obscene.
But where Shirakawa had been mislabeled (a Dusk-class masquerading as Twilight), Hitori's first dungeon was genuinely low-difficulty.
Her blessing had two effects:
① [Purification Water Ritual]
Hitori must drench herself ("purification") to gain stealth against entities, mimicking their presence.Full efficacy requires a miko outfit and ceremonial dance—but Hitori lacks coordination, limiting its potency.Shared Application: If another player performs the ritual before her, they temporarily gain the blessing's effect.
Despite its Twilight-class limits (weak against Crimson moon entities), its ease of use made it invaluable. Splash water on yourself → instant buff until dry.
The blessing's complexity stems from its origin—a devout shrine maiden's core obsession.
Efficacy scales with ritual precision and faith.Gender Bias: Works significantly better on women. Some men report zero effect.
② [Existence Swap]
The ability she'd used in [Fujika Middle School]—swapping places with a designated object.
"A crazy versatile blessing… but gender-locked? Cold."
[Hikikomori's Blessing] (Dusk-class)
Earned during her second Dusk dungeon as part of a [Market] team.
(That name reeks of Bocchi-chan's personality.)
This blessing enhanced Hitori's physicality and offered two effects:
① [Corner of Nothingness]
In any corner (where two walls meet), Hitori can activate "non-existence"—becoming undetectable to humans and entities alike.Enhanced in Enclosed Spaces: Inside a cardboard box, she's nearly untraceable unless physically contacted.
② [Malice Detection]
Passively senses hostility from others.Slightly amplifies perceived malice (minor downside).
"This feels tailor-made for her. Did the granting entity also hate social interaction?"
[Obsessive's Blessing] (Dusk-class)
Obtained during her third Dusk dungeon.
[Market] had granted her team two Dusk dungeon slots—both pre-mapped, requiring only core obsession retrieval.
Hitori's team succeeded both times… but instead of claiming the cores, she liberated them.
This displeased[Market], costing her future opportunities.
The blessing provided:
Minor willpower boost.Time Acceleration:Upon hyperfocus, Hitori enters a state where her perception and reflexes triple in speed.Combined with Crimson moon stats, this made her lethally agile.Artistic Enhancement:Elevated her already professional guitar skills to master tier.Granted perfect pitch and auditory discrimination."She could've been a legendary musician if not for the Sacrifice Game."
Physical Attributes & Obsession Objects
Unlike Takakai's combat-focused blessings, Hitori's were support-oriented—only the third bolstered her offense.
But her stat bonuses were monstrous:
S-rank Twilight
S-rank DuskA-rank
Crimson moon
Her raw physicality dwarfed even Kumamai and Touyama Akira—casually toppling telephone poles and plowing through walls.
Obsession Objects:
[Guitar of False History] (Crimson moon-core)Creates fictional historical figures."The cost must be horrific."
[Disguise Hairpin] (Dusk-class)Shapeshifts Hitori (or similar-sized objects) within 1.5x volume difference.Overuse risks permanent transformation.
[Canteen of Random Effects] (Dusk-class)Each sip offers random buffs/debuffs:Strength ↑ / Stamina ↑ / Cognition ↑ / Libido ↑Paranoia ↑ / Aggression ↑"Why keep this gamble?"
[Pendant of Fortune] (Crimson moon-class)Boosts user's luck while cursing nearby others.Even works on entities."Ah, that's how she mitigates the canteen's risks."
[Storage Hairpin] (Dusk-class)Pocket dimension accessory.(Her hairpins are a stacked set.)
The list went on—over a dozen artifacts. Hitori's arsenal was top-tier even among Crimson moon players.
"If every Crimson moon is this stacked… No, Bocchi-chan's probably an outlier. But how did someone this socially inept get so strong? This isn't the Bocchi the Rock! timeline."
At the profile's end, a note awaited:
[Data disclosure level depends on player consent. Gotou Hitori has provided 100% of her profile—exclusively to Takakai.]
Likely added by Kogawa Itsuki or another [Market] handler.
Between Kita Ikuyo's plight, Hitori's stalking, and this message, Takakai understood:
"An indirect plea for help. Well, if there's a chance to save your friend, I'll put in the effort."
(As for payment… maybe a pat or two—no, be classy. She's helped me before. This is repayment.)
(But man, among the girls I can touch, only Chika qualifies as marshmallow-tier. The others are either too firm or lacking volume. Miko's got some promise, but Bocchi-chan's assets are legendary—)
Shaking off those thoughts, Takakai flipped to the next profile.
Other Participants
[Crimson Covenant]
Hayashi Kenta
Nanahara Ren
[Slackers]
Kumamai (familiar face)
Jianbing Guozhi ("Pancake"—ex-programmer, Kumamai's old partner. Once infiltrated [Fujika Middle School] solo post-Kumamai's disappearance, escaping grievously wounded. "A beast of survival.")
"Huh?"
Maki's murmur drew Takakai's attention.
She held a document—blank save for basic info.
"What's this?"
Aoyama Nanami's profile.
No blessings. No obsession objects. No dungeon records.
Just a name and affiliation.
[Player data disclosure is voluntary.]
The note from Hitori's file echoed in Takakai's mind.
Nanami had chosen to reveal nothing.
[To Be Continued...]