"Memories… are back…"
The moment they stepped onto the Island, those memories buried by time came flooding back, instantly surging into Amamiya Natsuki's mind, making him stop in his tracks and press his brow.
First, there was the first loop, which had no intelligence preserved.
As expected.
When the players first arrived on the Island, they did not attract the attention of the Shadows. They secretly developed, completed quests, and during this time, they also met several passerby players. At night, they drank the Witch Potion and went up the mountain, becoming angry due to the Shadows' massacre. Finally, they killed Yote, and then Hiruko no Kami, who was still in the cave system, restarted Time, returning everything to the starting point.
After entering the second loop.
Yote learned his lesson and determined that the players came from the cruise ship that docked at the pier at noon. So, he ordered the Shadows to replicate all the tourists on the cruise ship, attempting to find the mastermind. Shadow Chika, Shadow Marin, Shadow Juju, and others were all born from this.
During this period, Yote and Hiruko no Kami discovered the existence of the memory mist and became greatly interested in it.
Amamiya Natsuki and his group, having no memory of the previous loop, acted in the same way as in the first loop, secretly going up the mountain at night. As a result, they were fully observed by drones high in the sky, falling into a trap with nowhere to escape.
At the last moment, Amamiya Natsuki used the Time Stop skill to kill Yote, forcing Hiruko no Kami to lose control and rampage, restarting Time again.
The third loop began.
At the moment Hiruko no Kami restarted Time, Amamiya Natsuki, guided by a prompt, put on the Mask of Remembrance, successfully retaining the memories of the second loop. At the same time, he discovered that items in the game backpack would not be affected by Time restarts. So, he had the girls record the information in notebooks for preservation. With the information from the previous loop, everyone went to Rhombus Hospital to interrogate the director, successfully obtaining a large amount of information, and then transformed into Minotaur warriors to conquer Hiruko no Kami.
Unfortunately, Yote, seeing the situation was bad, escaped early.
As everyone pursued him into the cave system, they were ambushed by Yote, and Time was restarted again.
Finally, the fourth loop…
"So much has happened."
Amamiya Natsuki opened his eyes and exhaled softly.
Only important information would be recorded in the notebook, and the trivial details were of course not included. Now that the memories surged forth, he knew everything.
At the same time.
The other girls also opened their eyes one after another.
"Ugh, my head feels a bit swollen…" Fujiwara Chika extended two slender index fingers, rubbing her temples one on each side, and murmured, "The memories of the first three loops have all come back. They are completely different from the dry information in the diary. Thinking about it, it was so dangerous."
Amamiya Natsuki looked at secretary Chika beside him and whispered:
"Fujiwara Mama, you've worked hard."
"Eh?" Fujiwara Chika was startled, her pretty face quickly flushed, "Pre-President, what are you shouting about!"
"Tsk." Amamiya Natsuki narrowed his eyes and said, "Making me squat down for a piggyback ride, forcing me to call you Fujiwara Mama, and even saying you wanted to hold Pes with your left hand and me with your right. Do you want me to help Fujiwara Mama recall it?"
"I have no idea what the President is talking about!" Fujiwara Chika's gaze drifted, and she stammered, "A-and that wasn't me, it was clearly Shadow Chika who wanted to do those things to the President!"
Amamiya Natsuki raised an eyebrow and said:
"You never thought about it?"
Fujiwara Chika lifted her chin:
"Absolutely not."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"Liars gain ten pounds."
"H-how mean!" Secretary Chika's cheeks instantly puffed up. She clenched her small fists and hit him, "President, go away, I don't want to talk to you anymore."
Amamiya Natsuki grasped Chika's small fist and whispered:
"You said in the third loop that you wanted to fulfill Shadow Chika's wish. It's time to keep your promise."
"Shadow Chika's wish is…"
Fujiwara Chika blinked, her pretty face quickly flushed at a visible speed, clearly having remembered what Shadow Chika's wish was.
A piggyback ride.
Walking the park with the President on a leash.
Calling herself Fujiwara Mama.
The final wish was… to taste a boy's flavor…
"I don't want to!"
Fujiwara Chika quickly shook her head.
Fulfilling that kind of wish, she might accidentally get pregnant!
"The mysteriously disappeared panties… so it was due to the side effects of the Witch Potion?"
Shinomiya Kaguya opened her eyes, a flash of disappointment crossing her pretty face.
The case was solved.
But it was completely different from the 'truth' she had expected.
She had thought the President had gone wild and done this and that to her, but it turned out she had just taken off her panties due to the potion's side effects.
Finally, there were the words Amamiya Natsuki said after he was shot in the shrine in the third loop, after taking the berserker pill provided by Sayu and losing his sanity.
"I like Kaguya."
"I like everyone too."
"Please be in a relationship with me…"
Even though she had expected it, Shinomiya Kaguya was still very angry after hearing Amamiya Natsuki say it himself.
Scumbag President!
"Stare—"
Yukinoshita Yukino crossed her right arm over her chest, biting her lips with her pearly teeth. Her pretty face was hot, and her gaze fell obliquely on Amamiya Natsuki, with a hint of shame in her eyes.
The information about the third loop only said that Yote blew up the passage to the cave system and then attacked Hiruko no Kami, forcing Hiruko no Kami to restart Time. It did not mention the details during that period.
The detail was that she fell from a cliff, Amamiya Natsuki came to rescue her, and they hung in mid-air with a grappling hook, and then… he actually said something about forgetting everything after Time restarted, so he just kissed her.
What made Yukinoshita Yukino even more unwilling to accept was that not only did she not resist, but she even responded…
Thinking of this, Yukinoshita Yukino recalled the hot and slippery sensation on her tongue at that time. The tips of her ears couldn't help but quietly turn red. She took a deep breath, trying to banish the scene from her mind.
No matter what her thoughts and feelings were at the time, the same mistake could not be made a second time.
She would never fall for a harem scumbag!
"Yukino?" Haruno's voice sounded in her ear, "Why did your face suddenly turn so red? Are you okay?"
Yukinoshita Yukino opened her eyes and said in a nonchalant tone:
"I'm fine."
"But I've been observing Yukino." Yukinoshita Haruno smiled with her hands behind her back, "Yukino was clearly looking at Natsuki just now. Did Yukino just remember something embarrassing?"
It must be said that Haruno, as a max-level socialite, had very keen observational skills.
Yukinoshita Yukino lightly bit her silver teeth and denied:
"Absolutely not."
Yukinoshita Haruno smiled and said:
"Since that's the case, then I won't be polite."
"Hmm?"
Yukino looked over in confusion.
Haruno raised her hand to tuck the strands of hair behind her ear and said softly:
"After becoming a player, you have to enter instances every once in a while, so it's necessary to establish an unbreakable relationship with Natsuki."
Yukinoshita Yukino lightly furrowed her delicate brows and said:
"What do you mean, Sister?"
"The relationship of ordinary partners is too fragile." Yukinoshita Haruno tilted her head and smiled, "How about I become Natsuki's girlfriend?"
Yukinoshita Yukino lightly bit her lips and couldn't help but say:
"He's a scumbag. He said before that he wanted everyone."
"I know, but does it matter?" Yukinoshita Haruno still smiled, her tone calm, "Our grandfather, father, uncle, and those older uncles… were there any faithful men among them?"
Yukinoshita Yukino: "…"
Thinking carefully, there wasn't a single one.
For political families, there was almost no love in marriages; they were all unions of interest.
"Men are greedy creatures, always liking beautiful girls. With money and power, they naturally want to occupy more resources. It has always been this way since ancient times." Yukinoshita Haruno continued, "So it's not important whether a boy wants to have a harem; what's important is whether he has enough ability."
"Those boys who are only gentle and helpless when danger strikes, of course, are not acceptable."
"But I think Natsuki can."
"When danger strikes, he truly steps forward and stands in front of everyone. He's clearly very capable, but he never uses force to coerce others… Otherwise, why does everyone know Natsuki wants to have a harem, yet no one chooses to leave?"
"…"
Yukinoshita Yukino fell silent again.
From the perspective of ordinary human ethics, having a harem is indeed unacceptable, but as a player, you never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first. Ethics and morals are no longer important; what matters is one's own heart.
"I was worried that Yukino also liked Natsuki before." Yukinoshita Haruno stretched lazily and smiled, "A Sisters Rice Bowl would be very embarrassing. Now that I think about it, as long as Yukino is willing, a Sisters Rice Bowl is fine too."
Yukinoshita Yukino's eye twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but whisper:
"Sister, what are you saying!"
You've already considered Sisters Rice Bowl, where's your sense of shame!
"Perverted Natsuki! Shameless!"
Juju put her hands on her hips, her eyes fixed on Amamiya Natsuki, her small face full of disdain.
After recalling the memories of the previous few loops, Juju was furious.
Before, at the park entrance, he actually pretended to be Shadow Natsuki to toy with people, and even confessed to Shoko right in front of her, saying he wanted to date her. She had never seen such a shameless person!
"Shoko, you don't have to be afraid." Juju took a deep breath, looked at the the timid girl who was bowing her head beside her, and whispered, "Even though Stupid Natsuki is lewd and shameless, he never forces anyone. As long as you clearly refuse, he definitely won't take advantage of you anymore."
"..."
Komi's pretty face flushed crimson, and she nodded weakly.
Juju clenched her small fists and continued:
"When you need to refuse, refuse firmly. You absolutely cannot be swayed by his sweet talk and agree to everything he says... Stupid Natsuki hasn't done anything lewd to you, has he?"
Steam immediately rose from the top of Komi's head, and she nervously lowered her gaze to her toes.
"Bastard!"
"This expression clearly means he has!"
Juju bit her small silver teeth, and her heart sank as she recalled the times Amamiya Natsuki had taken advantage of her.
She herself had been so muddled by Stupid Natsuki's sweet talk that she had done this and that. Shoko was even easier to take advantage of, more soft-hearted, and clearly the type that was super easy to get... Had she already been completely taken advantage of?
With this thought, Juju quickly asked:
"Shoko, what has Stupid Natsuki done with you?"
"..."
The the timid girl's pretty face was flushed like fire. Such a shameful private matter, even to her best friend, she couldn't possibly say it out loud. She could only shake her head repeatedly.
"Damn it!"
"That perverted Natsuki must have already completely taken advantage of Shoko!"
The more Juju thought about it, the angrier she got. She couldn't help but turn her head and glare at Amamiya Natsuki, then stood on tiptoe, leaned close to the the timid girl's ear, raised her hand to cover her mouth, and whispered:
"Shoko, you must be careful..."
"Huh?"
Komi tilted her head in confusion, looking puzzled.
"It's just..." Juju bit her silver teeth, a blush rising on her small face, and her voice was shy, "It's just that you can't let him..."
Boom!
After hearing Juju's shocking words, the the timid girl's beautiful eyes suddenly widened, white steam gushed from the top of her head, and her body swayed precariously, followed by a rapid shaking of her head like a rattle-drum.
No, no, no!
She hadn't done that kind of thing at all!
Among everyone, the one with the most complex thoughts was actually the Spy Maid, who had retreated behind the others.
"Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Hayasaka Ai clenched her fists, and the little devil in her heart was constantly stomping its feet, already fuming like a Digimon.
"That little essay was actually fake!"
After retrieving her memories from the previous few loops, she already knew the truth.
"It was just a prank to find some fun for myself... What I did back then was completely different from what was in the little essay."
Hayasaka Ai bit her lips, wanting to cry but having no tears.
Although the essay was fake, it was something she had written herself, so she couldn't blame anyone else.
The reason she wrote it was simply that she was bored for a while, and thought it would be a pity to forget it later, so she suddenly had a mischievous idea and wrote a small essay for her future self in the next loop.
At the time, the self who wrote the essay had a very simple thought: to be a fun-loving person who entertained herself.
As a result, after entering the fourth loop, she and Amamiya Natsuki happened to be scouting together, were alone on the ship, and then encountered the side effects of the potion, plus the influence of the little essay...
So, it was... I dug my own grave?
"Hoo..."
Hayasaka Ai took a deep breath, dispelling her tearful emotions.
At this point, it was too late to regret. She didn't have the ability to reset time, so she could only silently accept it.
Sorry, young lady, I can only keep it a secret from you...
Besides Amamiya Natsuki and his group, there were actually ordinary players on the Island. These ordinary players were the ones with the most complex feelings, bar none.
"I'm alive?"
"And I cleared the game?"
"What... happened?"
Although some of them noticed that items in their backpacks had disappeared for no reason, they didn't know the truth about the time reset. The first loop was fine, but after entering the second loop, most of these ordinary players were caught by the Shadows, tortured, tormented, even killed, and devoured...
It wasn't until the memories of all the loops returned that these ordinary players knew the truth: someone had reversed time and cleared the instance, and although it was just a side effect, it had saved them from the death timeline.
Big shot!
They had met a true expert!
It was a pity they didn't know the expert's identity, otherwise they would definitely go to great lengths to express their gratitude!
At this moment, Amamiya Natsuki, the idol in the mouths of these ordinary players, was sitting obediently in the corner of the restaurant, not daring to say a word.
If he could choose, he would completely rather not have the memories of the previous few loops. Now, he didn't even dare to make a sound while eating.