Chapter 22: Juncheng and the Girl
“You’re awake.”
“Did you sleep well?”
My head is so dizzy.
I feel terrible.
It feels like I watched a whole night’s worth of matches through my eyelids, then played games all day, and then rushed through a pile of homework.
My head feels heavy as if filled with lead, throbbing.
My abdomen is in severe pain, like something was scooped out and replaced with something else, making it impossible to even straighten my back.
My heart feels squeezed, beating very slowly.
…My body feels weak. I can’t lift my hand, clench my fist, or move my feet. My limbs…
Especially my neck, I feel like my throat has been cut, making it extremely difficult to even speak.
“You look like you’re in pain.”
It’s only now that I notice there’s someone in front of me.
It seems she was just wishing me good morning, but my body’s condition was so bad earlier that I couldn’t respond at all.
Wait… who is she?
With great effort, I press my chest and lift my head.
Sitting opposite me is a girl in a flamboyant outfit. I can only see her upper body, which appears to be a gothic maid outfit. However, the upper part is very revealing, not a traditional style at all. It’s a sheer outer layer over a lace bandeau top, very alluring, very erotic. It makes one want to see what she’s wearing below, sparking the imagination.
It makes one want to see what she’s wearing below… That kind of style, it probably doesn’t have a skirt, right?
Including those… lace panties… How lewd.
In other words, it’s solely constructed with silk garters and silk panties. You’re really quite something.
“You can still observe my outfit so closely even though you’re in so much pain? Heh heh.”
For a moment, I was speechless, a bit ashamed.
But in the next second, I noticed something wrong and immediately retorted.
“Although I have issues, I think you also have issues dressing like this. Are you not allowed to be looked at when you dress like this? It’s entrapment.”
The root of the problem is with you, isn’t it?
“But you like this kind of thing, don’t you? You really like this appearance.”
…That’s true.
After seeing her, I couldn’t look away.
It’s a grand spectacle. And this choice, in fact, isn’t this exactly what you wanted to see?
“A maid outfit is just a secondary choice…
…You saw through me…
Impossible!
This is something I’ve hidden my entire life, something no one knows, something I’ve never told anyone. Even mind-reading couldn’t detect it.
It’s a secret I can take to my grave. Only Zi’ai knew about it.
But Zi’ai has already…
How could she possibly know?
“Just… how did you know?”
“Everything about you, I know it all.”
If Lan or Zi’ai were here, they would definitely argue with her.
However strange it may be, hearing these words from her, I didn’t feel surprised at all.
But for some reason, when she said these words… this smile…
Oh no… This is the feeling of my heart pounding!
“Raising your hand to flirt, a cheerful yet seductive fake smile that seems to be luring men. You like Ji Lianbing because of her smile too, don’t you?”
Right in the strike zone…
This is terrifying, it’s simply a manifestation of my fetishes.
This girl is my ‘ideal type’.
She’s the heroine who would be entwined with you in your wildest dreams.
“You say you like… but that depends on the situation. I know, white hair with white stockings, black hair with black stockings.”
Only this, I don’t want to be told… I’m going to die, so embarrassing… explode…
“Heh heh, so, does your body still hurt?”
The girl opposite me says this, and only then do I realize that the pain that made me completely immobile earlier has almost disappeared.
“It doesn’t hurt…”
“Ah ha, that’s good. It seems distracting you was effective. If it can relieve your pain, you can have this body.”
She still has that seductive smile that makes my heart pound, but it’s filled with concern.
“So, you dressed like this to help ease my pain…?”
“…For your sake. If I couldn’t distract you, you would continue to suffer the pain of being torn apart. That person…
I did a bit too much. It’s more troublesome to integrate your spirit.
“…”
I don’t understand at all.
Wait, speaking of which, where is this place?
Running ghosts SF Light Novel
I look around.
There’s nothing.
It’s truly ‘nothing’.
Complete darkness.
Like an un-modeled area outside a game, nothing can be seen.
And I am sitting on a chair.
About three meters away.
Between us is a square table about three meters wide.
Only these things exist in this darkness.
This is all I can see. Can I see myself in this darkness? Are we glowing?
No, it’s not that. I can simply see. We’re not glowing.
I don’t understand what’s happening.
I’ve been to many strange places.
The Inner World, the Dream World, the Inner Heart World, the Mirror World, the Past, Parallel Worlds, Paradoxical Worlds–.
I’ve truly experienced a lot, bizarre and strange situations.
However, this time, I have no clue.
…Why am I here?
I… remember… before it was…
Right! I remember it was in the world created by Lianbing!
Yes, yes, yes, I remember. They decided to hold a game amongst themselves.
Then they made me the prize. At that time, I thought…
Miss Shirley, who I thought would speak up for me, used a strange skill on me, and then!
And then there was no then.
I have no idea what happened.
I woke up here. Where is this place?
“Who are you?”
“Does that matter?”
“Where is this?”
“Where is this place?”
“Huh? Then why am I here?”
“Who knows?”
“Ah?”
What the heck!
This means you don’t know anything!
“Then how can I get out of here?” Book SFA
“You want to leave?”
Bag SF Light Novel
“Yes!”
Something big is happening outside!
This is ridiculous. If those guys start fighting…
You might not believe me, but if my harem starts fighting… they could destroy the world.
“If you want to leave, you can leave anytime.”
For some reason, her tone became a little cold.
She seems a little unhappy.
And then my heart aches a little.
What’s going on? Didn’t I fall in love with her at first sight?
No, love at first sight is just lust, driven by male hormones.
Because her appearance is so much to my liking, I feel this pity for her.
This is not a sign of being fickle, it’s just male instinct at work, I can only defend myself weakly in my heart.
I remember now… they left long ago…
The conversation is interrupted.
The girl and I fall into silence.
She takes out a long pipe, takes a puff, and exhales, filling the area near the table with smoke.
This smell isn’t tobacco.
Is it incense?
Suddenly, it feels… long overdue.
The anxiety of wanting to leave here immediately has completely disappeared, and I’ve calmed down.
I actually hate smoking, whether it’s men or women, tobacco or pipes.
But as she smoked, I didn’t find it repulsive.
In fact, there was a strange sense of reverence.
I even find the smell a little pleasant.
The outfit perfectly matches my preferences, so perhaps other aspects are beautified as well.
But now is not the time to chat with a strange beautiful girl and talk about feelings.
I don’t know what’s happening outside now.
If they really start fighting… I… it’s simply terrifying.
The girl opposite me seems to ‘know a lot’, so I might as well ask.
“Do you know how to get out of here?”
“Well, I sort of know.”
“If that’s the case, let’s play a game.”
…
SF Light Novel
Asking abruptly won’t be effective.
There’s clearly a reason she’s toying with me. Right now, I can’t figure out if she’s my friend or the culprit who has imprisoned me.
So, I’ll just propose a ‘game’.
This has a gambling nature.
It’s more acceptable than a transaction, and the key is that ‘the game has a win or loss’.
Playing games would be much better, right? Of course…
“How about it? We’re both idle anyway. Instead of sitting here and making awkward small talk,…”
-You want to have a ‘stake’, right?”
…You saw through me?
“Heh heh, you always… no matter how many times, you always like this approach.”
I suddenly remember what the girl said earlier.
–Everything about you, I know it all.
“As the saying goes, do not gamble on heaven’s will, nor try to guess the hearts of men. The human heart is unfathomable… But you go against the grain, thinking you’ve learned lesson this lifetime. You’re still a meddler. There are consequences…”
If you want something, just win it.
I suddenly become excited, my inner emotions are indescribably strange.
“Shut up. Bet, or no bet?”
“…Come on~ I’ve always looked forward to this moment. Why wouldn’t I bet?”
The girl takes a final puff from her pipe then puts it down.
“In ‘here’, what you ‘possess’ now is your stake. Your body, blood, memories, emotions, reason, time…”
Everything can be a stake, but only one thing is meaningless.
“What?”
“Your life, my life, they are worthless here, because there’s no concept of death here.”
Only life cannot be used to… make it!
The ending you expect? A game, it’s better to be relaxed.
“No one will die, isn’t that…
“This is entertainment time, focus on enjoyment. Although I don’t think I will lose.”
“You’re quite slow…”
For some reason, I feel a little moved, and also… no, I’m very angry.
Because the girl in front of me looks down on me, and because she doesn’t take me seriously.
The girl’s pupils stare intently this way, her gaze revealing no discernible emotion.
“I’m not slow, I’m just confirming. So, what shall we play?”
“Let’s see, there happens to be a table here… Let’s play chess then.”
“Sure, what kind of chess?”
At this moment, a sudden inspiration strikes me.
I naturally spoke the name of that game.
“Chess.”
