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"A cat in shadow form appears wherever there's a light source and actively attacks players."
"It seems to possess a certain level of intelligence."
"Cannot be touched."
"Immune to physical damage."
"The ventilation duct entrance is narrow and impassable for people."
"The hallway is full of lights, making it a death trap…"
Combining the information gathered so far, the atmosphere imdiately beca gloomy.
A typical death start.
The few of them couldn't even get out of the abandoned warehouse in front of them, let alone escape the factory.
"The difficulty of this ga is too exaggerated, isn't it?" Hedgehog-head Boy desperately clutched his hair, his voice filled with despair, "Forget about clearing the ga, we can't even get out of the warehouse in front of us."
"…"
Shikimori tightly gripped the bamboo sword in her hand, not speaking.
If it were a vengeful spirit or a monster, even in a desperate situation, she would have the courage to swing her sword. However, it was just a shadow.
Swinging a sword at a shadow was aningless.
Braided-hair girl hugged the book in her arms, similarly furrowing her brows, pondering a solution.
But no matter how she thought, she couldn't co up with a way to break the deadlock.
Simply put.
This was an overt escape room, except the players were the ones trapped inside.
It wasn't until she saw Amamiya Natsuki and Shinomiya Kaguya's actions that Braided-hair girl's heart stirred slightly.
"What are you doing?"
Braided hair girl asked curiously.
Amamiya Natsuki picked up an abandoned cardboard box in the corner and said casually:
"Manually making Howl's Moving Castle."
"What is that?" Braided-hair girl couldn't help but retort.
They couldn't even get out of the starting room, yet they were still in the mood to play with cardboard boxes? Their Mindset was too good!
"The Shadow Cat only appears in environnts with light," Amamiya Natsuki said unhurriedly, "So, can't we just artificially create a dark space?"
"Eh?"
Braided-hair girl was startled when she heard this, unable to react imdiately. After two seconds of thought, her eyes suddenly lit up: "We can actually do that!"
"Does Sanshoku an…"
Shikimori blinked, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"We can hide ourselves inside the cardboard boxes," Braided-hair girl said excitedly, "Then, carrying the boxes, we can leave this place."
Shikimori's eyes lit up: "That sounds good."
"Those cardboard boxes are too small, we can't hide inside them, can we?" Hedgehog-head Boy said hesitantly, "It's just about right for hiding a cat."
"We can piece the cardboard boxes together and then sew them into one large cardboard box," Braided-hair girl said quickly, "I got a box of needles and thread from a Blind Box before, and now it can finally co in handy."
"As expected of the Class President." Amamiya Natsuki's tone was appreciative, "At critical monts, you always step up."
"…So stop calling Class President!"
After finding a way out, everyone quickly sprang into action, gathering in the corner to sort and organize the discarded cardboard boxes.
"They're all ordinary cardboard boxes, they look like food packaging…" Amamiya Natsuki said casually, "This abandoned factory seems to have been a food processing plant."
"Should we cut and piece together all the cardboard boxes to make one super large cardboard box?"
Shikimori inquired.
"No." Shinomiya Kaguya shook her head and rejected the idea, "No one knows if an accident will happen on the way out. If everyone hides in the sa cardboard box and an accident occurs, we'll all be wiped out."
"…"
Although it was true, Shinomiya Kaguya's bluntness still made the atmosphere heavy.
"I'm sorry, but if everyone gets one, there might not be enough discarded cardboard boxes here." Braided-hair girl pushed up her glasses, pointing out the problem.
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"Hood-nya is super clumsy. To prevent her from getting lost, I have to act with her."
Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't help but glare at him.
Although she didn't know who Hood-nya was, it definitely wasn't a good nickna!
The busy work continued.
Before long, everyone quickly realized they had overthought it.
Not all of the discarded cardboard boxes could be used; so had obvious damage and tears, making them unusable.
The group pieced together the usable cardboard, ultimately only getting one large cardboard box.
"It's appeared!"
A low voice suddenly rang out.
"The hope of escape is right before their eyes, but there's only one tool for leaving, and it can't be divided no matter what. So, a certain Yamazaki, who wishes to remain anonymous, silently pulls out a forty-ter long blade from his pocket…"
The three girls all looked at Hedgehog-head Boy.
"Hey, you, don't stand behind acting as the narrator!" Hedgehog-head Boy quickly shifted two steps sideways, unable to help but complain, "You've already called out my na!"
"Sorry."
Amamiya Natsuki stepped out of the shadows and said nonchalantly: "So, the only thing Yamazaki wants to deny is his na?"
"…What you said contained too much, of course I couldn't deny it all at once!"
Hedgehog-head Boy paused, then quickly denied it.
But when he spoke, his tone was clearly a bit guilty.
The thought of snatching the cardboard box and escaping the factory alone while the others were unprepared had indeed crossed his mind.
Every man for himself.
If there's a chance to survive, who would sacrifice themselves for others?
However, it was just a thought and he never acted on it. Now that Amamiya Natsuki had called it out, it was even less likely to happen.
"There's no need for infighting, all of us can get out." Braided-hair girl pushed up her glasses and offered a solution, "Do you all rember the children's lesson about the little animals crossing the river from when we were kids?"
"We can go in pairs, first use the cardboard box to cross the hallway, then one person cos back, and another pair goes."
"By repeating this, everyone can successfully leave."
Amamiya Natsuki gave a thumbs up: "As expected of the Class President."
Braided-hair girl couldn't help but give him a look.
"This is a good idea." Shikimori gently nodded, indicating her support.
Hedgehog-head Boy frowned:
"So who goes first, and who stays behind? Are we going to draw lots?"
If he were left until last, he wasn't confident that the others wouldn't abandon him.
"It's simple." Braided-hair girl smiled slightly, looking up at Amamiya Natsuki, "Let the Admiral go first, and Hood-nya stay last, after all, Hood-nya and the Admiral are a couple."
"Cou-, couple…"
Seeing that Amamiya Natsuki didn't deny it, Sheltered Ojou-sama's hair trembled slightly, and a blush quickly spread across her fair, jade-like ear tips.
After a brief discussion, everyone unanimously passed the resolution.
Amamiya Natsuki and Shinomiya Kaguya, as a 'couple,' naturally wouldn't abandon each other and would definitely co back to save the other, so one would act first and the other last.
Considering the physical differences between boys and girls, Amamiya Natsuki would have to endure the hardship of being the 'boatman,' responsible for transporting them back and forth.
"Okay." Amamiya Natsuki nodded, "Let's first test the effectiveness of the moving castle."
"I'll do it."
Shikimori stepped forward.
"Hmm, it works very well." Shikimori personally tested it, squatting under the cardboard box and giving feedback, "It's pitch black inside the cardboard box, no light, so there's no need to worry about cats appearing to attack."
After a pause, Shikimori added:
"It's just too dark, I can't see anything."
"We can make a small foldable opening." Glasses Girl suggested, "To make it easier to observe the environnt."
"To be safe, it's best to sew the cardboard box with multiple layers for reinforcent."
"…"
Everyone offered their suggestions and made corrections.
"It's done." Amamiya Natsuki said, "Next is the practical exercise."
Shikimori took a deep breath, "I'll still do it."
It must be said.
This pink-haired girl with the bun truly had guts; when things happened, she genuinely stepped up instead of just hoping others would. She possessed the charisma and charm of a leader.
It was just a pity that the verification thod wasn't exactly cool.
"Ready?"
Amamiya Natsuki walked to the door and grasped the doorknob.
"I'm ready."
Shikimori's voice was firm, and then, like a caterpillar, she shuffled forward, pushing the cardboard box.
"I'm opening the door."
Amamiya Natsuki finished speaking, reached out and pulled the door open, and the light from the hallway imdiately shone diagonally inward.
"Whew…"
Shikimori let out a soft breath, squatting on the ground, holding up the cardboard box, like a sneaky treasure chest monster… no, a cardboard box monster, carefully moving into the hallway.
Then… nothing happened.
"It worked."
Seeing this, everyone else imdiately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't rush, verify it a bit more," Amamiya Natsuki said, "preferably seven tis in and out."
"Walking while squatting is already hard enough, seven tis in and out is too exaggerated!"
"…"
The practical drill successfully passed, and now it was ti for action.
"I'll go first." Shikimori was valiant and very cool. "We don't know if there will be danger ahead."
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Shinomiya Kaguya: "I'll be right back."
Shinomiya Kaguya nodded gently: "Be careful."
"…"
After a few simple words, the operation officially began.
"Are you in front, or am I in front?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Shikimori.
The cardboard box was not big to begin with, making it impossible to move side by side. The most suitable way to move was naturally one in front and one behind.
"Hmm…" Shikimori slightly pursed her pink lips, hesitated for a mont, and softly said, "I'll be in front, right?"
As a girl with strong initiative, Shikimori instinctively wanted to take the lead, rather than just follow behind others.
"No problem." Amamiya Natsuki did not try to seize command. He nodded in agreent. "We can set off now."
"Okay."
With the help of the other three, Amamiya Natsuki and Shikimori quickly squatted on the ground, lifted the cardboard box, and began to advance quietly.
The Cardboard Box Monster officially launched its attack.
"I'll call out 'left' and 'right', representing the left foot and right foot respectively," Shikimori whispered, "Move with my rhythm, try not to get out of sync."
"Understood."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded gently.
"Then… let's go."
Under the gaze of the others, Amamiya Natsuki and the pink-haired bun-headed girl, transford into cardboard box monsters, successfully reached the hallway, and then began to advance little by little.
The hallway was brightly lit.
However, it was dim beneath the cardboard box, and the deadly Shadow Cat did not appear.
Before long, a dark area without lights finally appeared at the corner of the hallway ahead.
"Only half the distance left…"
Silently calculating the remaining journey, Shikimori quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the speed was slow, it wouldn't be long before they could leave the hallway. She just hoped no accidents would occur…
The next second.
Boom!
The cardboard box suddenly swayed.
Amamiya Natsuki couldn't control his body and crashed into the fragrant pink-haired girl from behind.
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