Chapter 207: You Know Me?
After resolving the grotesque physical mutations plaguing the others, Haruto didn't waste a single second. He gestured for Kaguya and Youmu to follow, setting a brisk pace toward the canteen.
A nagging realization had finally clicked into place regarding Chen Qin. The timeline of her selection for this instance simply didn't add up.
Even discounting the hours burned in the first trial, her stay in this twisted circus had dragged on far too long. The Death Game operated on a strict cycle—one batch of Newcomers per week. By that logic, she should have rotated out ages ago.
There was only one plausible explanation.
It mirrored her reason for joining the Blue-clothed Staff Members in the first place. She had inherited her father's bleeding-heart temperament, habitually placing the survival of strangers above her own safety. The Blue-clothed staff were, after all, a rescue-oriented faction. While Haruto couldn't entirely comprehend that level of self-sacrifice, he held a quiet respect for it. But respect or not, Qin could not stay here. This twisted dimension was no place for her.
Kaguya, matching his stride, caught the subtle shift in his gaze. She already knew exactly who he was hunting for and why.
Just as they neared the canteen doors, Qin stepped out, practically colliding with the fast-approaching Haruto. A fleeting spark of genuine joy lit up her exhausted eyes, quickly masked by her trademark bright smile.
"Need my help with something?"
Haruto stopped, his expression flat. "Treat us to a meal."
Qin blinked, her smile faltering in confusion. "Didn't we just eat? Besides, it's nowhere near dinner time."
"I mean outside," Haruto corrected smoothly. "At your house. You can personally cook a meal to host us."
"Sure... wait, what?!" Qin's instinctual agreement derailed as the meaning of his words registered. A faint, rosy hue dusted her cheeks. She shot a covert, nervous glance at Kaguya out of the corner of her eye. Seeing the immortal princess looking entirely unbothered, Qin exhaled a tiny, secret breath of relief.
Misinterpreting her hesitation, Haruto offered a practical alternative. "If your cooking is terrible, your mother can do it. Her culinary skills are actually quite good."
"Mm... her skills are indeed... wait, hold on a second!!" Qin's reaction exploded, far more intense than before. She stumbled a full step backward, her eyes wide. "You know me in the outside world? You've eaten my mother's cooking?!"
"I don't know you." Haruto shook his head slowly. Just as Qin's shoulders dropped in relief, he delivered the punchline. "But I have been to your house, and I've eaten the food your mother cooked."
Kaguya leaned in, flashing a radiant, teasing grin. "We even went into your bedroom."
Smack.
Haruto ruthlessly chopped the side of his hand down onto Kaguya's head. He shot the whining princess a warning glare before turning back to a thoroughly stunned Qin.
"Your mother was overly enthusiastic. She practically dragged us inside. It was hard to refuse that kind of aggressive hospitality, so we ended up taking a look around. Saw a few of your childhood photos, too."
Listening to their casual exchange, Qin fell into a dead silence. The gears in her head finally turned. She suddenly understood why Haruto had stared at her so intensely, without blinking, during their first and second encounters. It wasn't because he was instantly smitten by her 'heroic rescue'on the first night. He was just trying to match her face to the photographs. And that sudden invitation to her house? It wasn't some romantic'meet the parents' scenario either.
A furious flush rushed up Qin's neck, painting her ears a brilliant scarlet. She whipped her head away, staring intensely at the floorboards, absolutely refusing to meet Haruto's eyes.
Haruto and Kaguya remained quiet, letting her process. Youmu stood silently to the side, a perfect, stoic Sword Attendant guarding their flank.
After a long, agonizing minute, Qin finally found her voice. It was soft, trembling slightly. "My mother... does she know the truth?"
"I don't know the exact specifics of what she believes," Haruto replied honestly. "But regarding the general situation... she's definitely noticed something is wrong."
"As expected..." Qin let out a bitter, hollow laugh. "Mom is so smart. How could a disappearance like this be completely hidden from her? Dad didn't even believe the cover story back then." She paused, her fingers twisting the fabric of her uniform. "Is her health okay?"
"She's fine now. Initially, her mind and body were collapsing from the stress of missing you, but she's recovered recently. I gave her a specialized potion to condition her health." Haruto saw no reason to hide the details.
"Thank you," Qin whispered, her gratitude heavy and sincere. Just as Haruto was trying to figure out a delicate way to bring up her father, she beat him to it. "He... he probably didn't make it back, right?"
Haruto stiffened slightly. He hadn't expected her to have already deduced the grim reality. After a brief hesitation, he gave a single, solemn nod.
"When everything went wrong, he stayed behind alone. He covered the retreat to buy time for the others to escape. By the time I rushed back to his position... it was too late."
Haruto watched her face closely, expecting tears. Instead, Qin's expression remained remarkably composed, devoid of any raw sorrow. She looked like someone who had made peace with this exact nightmare a long time ago. Catching his confused look, she offered a forced, airy smile.
"There's no need to look so sad. This was the conviction Dad held for most of his life. To finally be able to sacrifice himself for that very belief, trading his own life to ensure everyone else survived—in his heart, he would have considered that a spectacular bargain."
Her smile softened, her gaze locking onto Haruto's face. "Besides, doesn't the fact that someone was willing to turn back and brave the danger for him prove that his choice... wasn't entirely wrong?"
Those familiar words struck a chord, making Haruto pause. He didn't press the emotional topic further. Instead, his tone turned absolute.
"Tomorrow, or the day after at the latest, I am taking you away from here."
But his underlying fear materialized. Qin didn't nod. She didn't eagerly agree. Instead, she turned her head, her eyes drifting toward the looming silhouette of the Grand Performance Area in the distance.
"I can pull you out without any burden or cost," Haruto pressed, emphasizing his capability.
"I believe you," she replied, her voice steady and resolute. "But there are still so many people trapped in this nightmare... I can't just leave them behind."
"You've already saved enough." Haruto's brow furrowed in frustration. If the Death Game operated on a strict one-batch-per-week cycle, he couldn't even fathom how many hellish rotations she had voluntarily endured in this circus.
"Not enough. It's still not enough." Qin lowered her head, staring at her boots. "I know I can't save everyone... but I really can't let go. I can turn a blind eye to the scum, but there are still so many genuinely good people among the players. If I can help just one more person survive, it's worth it, right?"
"...Sigh."
Haruto rubbed the bridge of his nose. He reached into the Gap, pulling out the entire stack of Talisman Cards Reisen had left behind. There were about twenty of them in total.
"These are Talisman Cards. You can treat them as high-tier ghost artifacts. Their primary function is to suppress and control mental emotions, which perfectly counters the psychological pollution of this specific instance."
He shoved the thick stack into her hands. If she was going to be this stubbornly heroic, he wasn't going to waste breath forcing her. He would leave her with enough life-saving countermeasures for now. He could always wait until Mother Yukari managed to hack deeper into the Death Game's framework to forcibly terminate the instance, or simply use a Tracking Card to re-enter and drag her out later.
Of course, there was one other grim possibility.
Just as the old lady at the Kiosk had warned: the path to life no longer existed, and absolutely no one could leave. The probability was astronomically low, but if things truly deteriorated to that point, Haruto's ultimate backup plan was simply to scream, 'Mother Yukari, save me!'
"Thank you." Qin didn't put up a fuss about accepting them. As her fingers closed around the thick stack of cards, her eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected Haruto to casually carry such a massive arsenal of specialized ghost artifacts, let alone hand over such priceless items to her without a second thought. "This is way too many. Please, take some back for your own protection."
"No need." Haruto waved her off. "The mental pollution in this place doesn't affect us in the slightest. You're the one at risk. Remember, keep these strictly for your own use. You are absolutely not allowed to waste them on others."
As he delivered the stern instruction, his hands moved entirely on their own. He reached out and pinched both of her soft cheeks, pulling slightly.
A second later, feeling the burning, absolute heat radiating from her skin, Haruto realized exactly what he was doing. He immediately retracted his hands, stuffing them into his pockets and looking away as if nothing had happened.
Qin stood frozen, her face practically steaming. It was the very first time anyone had ever pinched her cheeks like a child, and the culprit was a youth who looked even younger than she did. While the gesture wasn't entirely unpleasant, the sheer embarrassment of the sudden intimacy was simply too much for her system to handle.
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