join the Church of MissRaven and become a Sequence 9: Reader p atreon.com/KeyofStars for more chapters
"The Cafeteria, huh..."
Amamiya Natsuki pondered for a few seconds, "Let's go take a look first."
The three walked along the road and soon saw a Cafeteria appear before their eyes.
"Speaking of which, our school also has a Cafeteria! My friends and I went there, and the food was super delicious." Fujiwara Chika walked with her hands behind her back, looking left and right, "Kaguya-chan, have you ever eaten at the Cafeteria?"
"No."
Shinomiya Kaguya replied calmly.
"What about Amamiya-kun?"
Amamiya Natsuki said: "I've been there."
"Eh, eh, Amamiya-kun, what do you like to eat? I like the teriyaki chicken cutlet at the Cafeteria the most; it tastes superb."
Amamiya Natsuki silently sighed, finally confirming that the Fujiwara in front of him... truly was a genius.
This is the perilous Haunted School; you should at least show some respect.
The journey was peaceful; they encountered neither other players nor ghost students.
The three quickly arrived at the entrance of the Cafeteria. After exchanging a glance, they stepped inside.
The next moment, the scene before them suddenly changed.
The light was dim, and the yellowing lamps flickered erratically, as if they would go out at any moment.
A faint smell of blood permeated the air, along with an indescribable strange odor.
Thump, thump, thump.
The dull sound of knives chopping bones came from the back of the Cafeteria.
Other than that, no other sounds could be heard; the entire Cafeteria was exceptionally oppressive.
There weren't many customers inside the Cafeteria; they were all ghost students. As Amamiya Natsuki and the two other living people walked in, all the ghosts simultaneously looked up.
All these ghosts had pale faces and were lifeless. Some even lacked eyes, and their sudden upward gaze startled Fujiwara Chika, causing her to let out a small cry.
"Why are there ghosts in the Cafeteria?!"
Nonsense, it's perfectly normal for students to come to the Cafeteria to eat, isn't it?
Shinomiya Kaguya remained cold and expressionless, as if nothing could ever faze her, yet the text above her head was completely at odds with her composed demeanor.
"So scary, so scary, so scary."
At the same time.
A cold, hoarse voice echoed in the three's minds.
"You have entered the scene: Haunted Cafeteria"
"Game Rule: Good students must eat on time. Please finish your last supper and give it a five-star rating."
"Cafeteria Dining Rules: Each meal must be no less than two hundred grams."
"We can pass by eating; it feels much simpler than the Wooden Man Game."
Fujiwara Chika's eyes lit up.
"Simple?" A cold sneer rang out, "I hope you don't cry later."
Amamiya Natsuki looked in the direction of the voice and saw a player wearing a hood. He was pale and covered in cold sweat, seemingly having gone through something. In front of him was a bowl of soup, and inside... black skulls formed from mist were eerily floating up.
"What kind of dish is that?"
Fujiwara Chika's smile gradually froze.
"It feels like a dish that could kill someone." Amamiya Natsuki's eye twitched slightly. He took a deep breath and said, "Anyway, let's go check the Cafeteria counter first."
The three walked to the Cafeteria counter.
The dull sound of chopping meat stopped, and then a figure emerged from the darkness.
It was a Butcher, nearly two meters tall and burly, holding a blood-dripping cleaver. His apron was splattered with so much blood that its original color was unrecognizable.
As the Butcher appeared, the ghost students in the Cafeteria all lowered their heads, his intimidating presence instantly reaching its peak.
"Good evening, what would the three guests like to eat?"
A deep, hoarse voice came from the Butcher, who then pointed to a notice board: "This is today's menu. Guests, please choose yourselves."
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the notice board and found that there was only one dish listed.
"Today's Limited Dish: Borscht with unknown ingredients. Please don't be surprised no matter what you find in it."
"Today's Limited Dish: Meat Cutlet Rice Bowl with unknown meat source. Please do not inquire about the origin of the meat."
Amamiya Natsuki looked down the list. Good heavens, they were all hellish dishes; there was no food for normal humans at all.
"Is it really okay to eat this kind of food?"
Fujiwara Chika couldn't help but whisper a complaint.
The three quickly realized that whether it would upset their stomachs was one thing, but whether they could even eat it was another.
"There are thirty minutes left until the Cafeteria closes. Please finish your meal within the designated time," the Butcher's voice was low. "Those who don't finish their meal or don't eat within the dining time will be kept in the Cafeteria."
"Um, thank you for the reminder..." Fujiwara Chika blinked, wanting to slip away, but then quickly cried out, "Eh, eh, the door's gone?!"
Amamiya Natsuki heard her and looked behind him. The Cafeteria door had vanished, leaving only a black and red mist.
It was indeed impossible to leave so easily.
He withdrew his gaze, letting it fall on the Butcher. A line of text slowly appeared.
"True Name: Oink"
"Hates wasting food the most."
"In that case, we can only choose to eat."
Shinomiya Kaguya crossed her right arm over her chest, her expression as calm and composed as ever.
Then came the problem.
"Three guests, please pay first," the Butcher's voice was low.
"Eh, we have to pay?"
Fujiwara Chika's eyes widened at the words.
The Butcher silently gripped his blood-stained cleaver: "Do you want to dine and dash?"
"Please don't misunderstand." Shinomiya Kaguya pulled Fujiwara behind her, her expression serious, "We hate people who dine and dash the most."
"I'll try."
Amamiya Natsuki suddenly thought of a possibility. He quickly pulled out his wallet from his pocket, took out a 1,000 yen note, and then the worst-case scenario occurred.
"The Cafeteria only accepts currency circulated within the school. Money from the human world cannot be used," the Butcher's tone was low.
Completely understandable.
This is the Haunted School; it's perfectly normal for money from the human world to be unusable.
"Money can't be used..." Fujiwara Chika looked pitiful, "Then how do we buy food?"
"Guests can choose to barter," the Butcher began to wipe the counter. "Two hundred grams of food only requires two hundred grams of body tissue in exchange. It's an equivalent exchange, fair to all."
"Can clothes work?"
"No, it must be body tissue with the potential to become ingredients."
This Cafeteria is actually a Mother Yaksha's steamed bun shop, isn't it?! First, they serve steamed buns to customers. After customers eat the buns and faint, they're dragged to the back kitchen to be made into more buns, an endless cycle!
Amamiya Natsuki finally understood why that hooded player had been gloating when they first entered.
"For you humans, two hundred grams of body tissue is not fatal," the Butcher's tone was low. "Blood, muscle, bones, useless fatty tissue, all can be used for equivalent exchange."
"Useless fatty tissue..."
Amamiya Natsuki's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but look at Fujiwara Chika.
Shinomiya Kaguya also pursed her lips and looked over.
The useless fat was right before their eyes, completely sufficient for three people's needs.
"What are you two looking at?!" Fujiwara Chika quickly covered her chest, unable to help but exclaim, "My chest is off limits!"
join the Church of MissRaven and become a Sequence 9: Reader p atreon.com/KeyofStars for more chapters