join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr
...We're up.
After sending off the driver evil spirit in one wave, Amamiya Natsuki stood on the eighty-meter-high tower crane, looking down. Everything in the world suddenly seemed incredibly small.
In the distance was the brightly lit Chiba Prefecture. As night fell, countless lights illuminated, shining brilliantly, sparkling in the cold rain and mist, like a sleepless city.
The construction site below was pitch black, with only faint lights coming from the security room.
Chika and the others, standing at the very bottom, were now barely visible, truly tiny figures. He could only vaguely see someone waving.
"Tsk..."
Although Amamiya Natsuki didn't have acrophobia, looking down from such a height still made his heart involuntarily race.
At this moment, a hand suddenly reached out and tightly grasped Amamiya Natsuki's right hand.
"Hmm?"
Amamiya Natsuki thought it was the Miss, but when he turned his head, it was actually the Second Miss, Yukinoshita.
This Yukino's pretty face was pale, her pearly teeth biting her lower lip tightly, one hand covering her chest, the other grasping Amamiya Natsuki's fingers... Clearly, it was an unconscious action.
Amamiya Natsuki raised an eyebrow slightly and whispered:
"...You have acrophobia?"
"I don't have acrophobia; I've looked down from high places before." Yukinoshita Yukino bit her lip slightly, came to her senses, quietly released her hand, took a deep breath, and tried hard to remain calm. "It was just... just..."
"I understand," Amamiya Natsuki complained. "Is it just that today's wind is a little noisy?"
Yukinoshita Yukino: "..."
The Second Miss couldn't help but glare at him. Just as she was about to speak, a cold wind, mixed with icy rain and mist, whistled past, making the skirts and hair of the two girls flutter.
It is well known that the wind on flat ground is completely different from the wind at high altitudes. This cold wind might only be considered strong on the ground, but at high altitudes, it was clearly a raging gale, and they even felt the tower crane beneath their feet swaying slightly.
"Ugh..."
Kaguya and Yukino were startled. The two girls, one on the left and one on the right, both hugged Amamiya Natsuki's arms. This was an instinctive reaction when encountering danger.
It wasn't until the cold wind dissipated that Yukinoshita Yukino calmed down, quietly released Amamiya Natsuki's arm, and used her fingers to smooth the hair by her ear.
Shinomiya Kaguya noticed the Second Miss's action, but she merely pursed her pink lips and said nothing. Even if she was jealous, she couldn't be jealous on an eighty-meter tower crane.
Now, the most important thing was to complete the extreme challenge as quickly as possible, then safely descend the tower crane and meet up with Chika and the others.
"President, let's hurry," Shinomiya Kaguya said with a serious expression.
"Okay."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded and began to unwind the rope wrapped around his body.
This was a safety rope; for any high-altitude work, a safety rope is equivalent to a lifeline and is an indispensable life-saving tool.
Of course, Amamiya Natsuki was not allowed to use safety tools in the extreme challenge. These two safety ropes were prepared for Kaguya and Yukino.
Due to the rain, the steel tower arm could easily become slippery, and one misstep could lead to disaster.
Although Amamiya Natsuki could use Time Stop, the girls unanimously believed it wasn't safe enough. They decided to hang safety ropes on the tower crane's jib so that even if Amamiya Natsuki failed the challenge and unfortunately slipped, Mrs. Shimizu, who was guarding nearby, could promptly hand him the safety rope to ensure his safety.
No matter what, the challenge could fail, but safety was paramount.
"Alright."
Shinomiya Kaguya and Yukinoshita Yukino each took a safety rope and quietly tied it around their waists.
Amamiya Natsuki said seriously:
"Let me check first."
This was the eighty-meter high tower crane; no matter how careful and cautious one was, it was not excessive.
Amamiya Natsuki first went to Kaguya, carefully checked the condition of the safety rope, then went to Yukino, checked carefully, and after confirming there was no danger, he nodded and said in a deep voice:
"You're good to go."
Kaguya and Yukino exchanged glances, took a deep breath, tensed their bodies, and stepped onto the tower crane's jib.
Amamiya Natsuki, meanwhile, stood beside the tower crane's driver's cabin, firmly gripping the safety ropes, one in each hand. With his current strength attribute, lifting Kaguya and Yukino with one hand was no problem at all.
In addition, Mrs. Shimizu followed beside the two girls, constantly reminding them.
"Kaguya-chan, Yukino-chan, remember not to look down. Just keep your eyes on the tower crane in front of you."
"Steady."
"Don't panic."
"Clip this rope on... Good, just keep going like that. Hold on tight with your hands, and step firmly with your feet."
The tower crane's jib wasn't short; it was dozens of meters long, completely suspended without any safety measures.
Just looking at it would make an ordinary person dizzy and weak, let alone walking on it or setting up safety ropes.
Only players, with their high skill and daring, would dare to accept such a challenge.
For safety, Kaguya and Yukino moved slowly, maintaining balance one on each side.
Whenever a gust of wind blew, Mrs. Shimizu would remind them, and the two girls would squat down, firmly gripping the jib to steady themselves.
It only took a few minutes to climb the eighty-meter tower crane, but going back and forth on the jib took nearly twenty minutes.
"They're back."
Seeing the Young Lady finally walk back, Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help but sigh in relief, taking a half-step forward and pulling Kaguya into his embrace.
"Mm..."
Walking on an eighty-meter-high tower crane, especially on a rainy night with wind and rain, even Miss Ice Princess felt her heart race and her limbs weaken.
Now, tightly held in Amamiya Natsuki's embrace, sniffing his familiar scent, she finally couldn't hold back, disregarding others' gazes, and tightly wrapped her arms around Amamiya Natsuki's neck.
After hugging for nearly a minute, Shinomiya Kaguya, her pretty face flushed, finally let go and stepped back.
Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at Yukino beside him, his eyes asking, "Do you want to..."
"No, thank you, absolutely not needed." Yukinoshita Yukino clasped her hands across her chest, her expression blank, her voice cool and clear, "You don't need to mind me; you can hug a bit longer."
"It's... it's almost enough." Shinomiya Kaguya stammered, "Let's let the President complete the challenge first."
"It's my turn."
Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath, his gaze firm, then took out a black ribbon and blindfolded himself.
The challenge not only required unprotected high-altitude walking but also demanded Amamiya Natsuki not open his eyes, so it was necessary to cover them; accidentally opening his eyes could very likely lead to failure.
"President..." Shinomiya Kaguya bit her lip, looking at Amamiya Natsuki, who was blindfolded and had one foot on the tower crane's jib, and couldn't help but say, "I'll wait for you to come back."
Actually, besides Mrs. Shimizu's insurance, the Young Lady initially planned to use a love amulet to enable a state of mutual heart-listening to comfort Amamiya Natsuki not to be nervous, but after careful consideration, it was ultimately rejected.
Too many thoughts and distractions in one's mind could instead cause one to lose focus.
To complete the high-altitude walking challenge, the most important quality was courage, followed by calmness and focus.
"I'm starting."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded gently and stepped forward.
"Natsuki-kun, step with your right foot... right there." Mrs. Shimizu floated beside him, accompanying him throughout, "Take the next step only after you're steady."
After being blindfolded, Amamiya Natsuki's five senses became clearer, allowing him to distinctly feel the coldness of each raindrop falling on him.
After walking a few steps forward, Mrs. Shimizu suddenly said:
"Natsuki-kun, hold on tight, the wind is coming."
Amamiya Natsuki steadied himself, gripping the tower crane's jib beneath him.
A cold wind, mixed with rain and mist, howled, causing the entire tower crane arm to sway and even emit creaking metal friction sounds.
Once the wind subsided, Mrs. Shimizu quickly gave a reminder:
"Alright, Natsuki-kun, you can get up and continue walking."
"..."
Amamiya Natsuki straightened his body and continued to move steadily forward.
After being blindfolded, he had expected to be quite nervous, but surprisingly, his heart was exceptionally calm at this moment.
It was a pity that the chewing gum that could keep one absolutely calm had already been used up in the dungeon; otherwise, if he had chewed a piece, he wouldn't even blink an eye now.
In such an environment, Amamiya Natsuki continued the high-altitude walking challenge, with only the sound of the wind, the rain, and Mrs. Shimizu's voice in his ears.
After an unknown amount of time, Amamiya Natsuki finally reached the end of the jib, then, at Mrs. Shimizu's reminder, began to turn back.
The strangeness behind the challenge seemed to follow some rule and did not ambush Amamiya Natsuki during his high-altitude walk.
Only the sound of the wind, the rain, the swaying tower crane, and the creaking metal sounds were present.
With his eyes covered, every second felt exceptionally long.
"...President!"
The return journey also felt like an unknown duration, until the Young Lady's relieved cry sounded in his ears, and Amamiya Natsuki realized he had completed the challenge.
The next moment.
Someone suddenly hugged him, and a familiar scent filled his nostrils.
Amamiya Natsuki raised his hand to remove the black cloth from his face, seeing the Young Lady tightly hugging him, and Yukino standing behind Kaguya, her thin lips pressed together as she looked on, he couldn't help but let out a breath.
It was strange; just moments ago, while walking unprotected on the tower crane, his heart was exceptionally calm, but now that he had walked back, his heart began to pound uncontrollably, and even his back felt damp, making it hard to tell if it was rain or sweat.
Amamiya Natsuki raised his hand to hug the Young Lady; they embraced silently for a while until Kaguya couldn't bear it and, blushing, pushed him away.
Amamiya Natsuki then took out his phone, read it, and said:
"The challenge has been completed, the content is the same as Kaguya's: you can accept the final challenge within the next twenty-four hours... Let's go down."
Yukinoshita Yukino bit her lip, not knowing what to say, and could only bow, "...Thank you."
Shinomiya Kaguya, meanwhile, nodded vigorously, "Let's go down immediately!"
Unlike the ascent, the order for descending the tower crane was Kaguya first, Yukino second, and Amamiya Natsuki last, completely eliminating any worries about accidental exposure.
Compared to climbing the tower crane, descending was noticeably faster.
With the high-altitude walking challenge successfully completed, there was now a feeling of being eager to return home.
Before long, the three of them had climbed down halfway in a blink of an eye.
Amamiya Natsuki said as he climbed down:
"I suddenly feel hungry. How about we go eat something after we get down?"
Shinomiya Kaguya quickly replied, "Mm, I'm a bit hungry too."
Yukinoshita Yukino was silent for two seconds, then softly said, "...I'm hungry too."
Although they had just eaten not long ago, now all three felt they could completely eat another meal.
Shinomiya Kaguya's voice was clear:
"Let's go eat grilled meat later..."
Before she finished speaking, a cold wind howled again.
The Young Lady felt a strand of hair blow into her eye, causing a stinging pain.
She instinctively raised her hand to wipe it, but her other hand suddenly slipped, and her body involuntarily leaned backward.
"Kaguya-chan!"
A sudden cry of alarm came from the ground.
Amamiya Natsuki heard the sound, looked down, and saw the Young Lady, whose hands had accidentally left the tower crane.
His heart suddenly stopped, as if someone had abruptly squeezed it.
"...Time Stop!"
The entire world suddenly froze.
Falling raindrops.
Leaves in the wind and rain.
Yukino reaching out to grab someone.
And the Young Lady falling through the air; everything completely froze.
Time Stop only lasted for three seconds.
During this period, as long as Amamiya Natsuki remained still, time would stay frozen.
Thinking was not counted within it.
(Not enough, not enough time.)
(There's simply not enough time for me to get past Yukino and catch Kaguya, so in that case...)
Several plans flashed through Amamiya Natsuki's mind, then he decisively chose the most reliable one—letting go of both hands, jumping forward, and free-falling himself.
The frozen time resumed flowing again.
"Eh eh eh?"
Shinomiya Kaguya hadn't even cried out in surprise when she saw Amamiya Natsuki falling past her at an even faster speed.
Mist suddenly welled up in her eyes, and she instinctively shouted:
"President!!!"
The Young Lady's mind was blank; she couldn't understand why Amamiya Natsuki, who was above her, would also fall, and even fall below her.
Shinomiya Kaguya tried hard to reach out, but unfortunately, a few meters had already opened up between them, making it impossible to reach.
The next moment.
A grappling hook suddenly appeared in Amamiya Natsuki's hand.
He threw it onto the tower crane, and the hook and crane immediately collided with an ear-splitting metallic screech, sending him directly crashing into the tower crane's ladder.
Then, Amamiya Natsuki pushed off with his feet, like swinging on a swing, his body bounced off the tower crane, and he suddenly extended his other arm, pulling the Young Lady, who had just fallen in front of him, into his embrace.
Bang.
The two of them crashed into the tower crane's ladder together.
"Got you."
Amamiya Natsuki finally let out a long breath.
"President..." The Young Lady's eyes were misty, and she tightly wrapped her arms around Amamiya Natsuki's neck, still not reacting, "You, how did you just..."
"I used Time Stop." Amamiya Natsuki briefly explained his actions, then sternly said, "Why did you let go just now?"
It would be one thing for an ordinary person, but with your strength, you shouldn't have fallen at all!
The Young Lady stammered, exceptionally timid, "My hair got blown into my eyes by the wind, so I just..."
Amamiya Natsuki said in a deep voice:
"I'll punish you when we get back."
"Pun... punish?"
"Shouldn't you be punished for doing something wrong?"
"Mm... sh-should..."
Yukinoshita Yukino's anxious voice came from above: "Are you two okay?"
Mrs. Shimizu even floated down directly, her usually calm face now a mix of worry and relief: "Kaguya-chan, you scared your mom to death just now."
Amamiya Natsuki retorted, "Sorry, you're a ghost now."
"I'm a Guardian Spirit!"
"..."
The three of them were still forty to fifty meters from the ground.
The shouts from below, distorted by the wind and rain, were completely inaudible.
They could only wave their hands to indicate they were safe, reassuring Chika and the others.
Amamiya Natsuki put away the grappling hook, not letting Kaguya climb down by herself anymore.
He looked up at Yukino above him and shouted, "Don't climb for now; rest for a minute before moving."
To be safe, it was better to wait until the Time Stop skill cooled down before moving again.
"I understand."
Yukinoshita Yukino obediently agreed.
Wind and rain poured down.
The night was vast.
Amamiya Natsuki gripped the tower crane ladder with one hand and turned to look at the Young Lady in his arms.
Kaguya's clothes were soaked with rain, her hair clung damply to her forehead, and her pretty face was pale, her eyes misty, adding a touch of delicate beauty.
Looking at the Young Lady's rare timid and delicate pretty face, Amamiya Natsuki felt his mouth dry and a strong urge to tease her, and he couldn't help but lean in closer.
"W-wait..." Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face quickly flushed, "Mom is still here..."
"Shimizu-nee watching makes it even more exciting."
"Eh?!"
Having just made a mistake, the Young Lady was exceptionally timid at this moment and didn't firmly refuse.
She was quickly silenced by Amamiya Natsuki's lips, then reluctantly parted her pink lips, allowing him to tease her.
"A minute has passed."
After an unknown amount of time, Yukinoshita Yukino above finally couldn't help but remind him.
Amamiya Natsuki then released the breathless the Young Lady, not letting Kaguya climb by herself anymore.
After putting away the grappling hook, he had Kaguya wrap her arms around his neck and carried her directly down.
This time, no accidents occurred, and the three successfully climbed down the tower crane and returned to the ground.
"Kaguya-chan, you scared me to death just now!"
The girls gathered around, asking with concern, and Fujiwara Chika, teary-eyed, excitedly hugged her best friend.
"I'm alright now..."
Shinomiya Kaguya hugged her good friend, gently patting Chika's back.
It would be even better if those two useless lumps of fat weren't pressing against her.
"Master, are you alright?"
Sayu quietly approached Amamiya Natsuki and asked in a low voice.
While others were concerned about Kaguya, she was, of course, more concerned about her master.
"I'm fine," Amamiya Natsuki said gently. "I actually found it quite exciting and would like to try it again if I have the chance."
"No way!" Sayu puffed up her pink cheeks. "Don't ever do such a dangerous challenge again!"
After a pause, Sayu added:
"Master, please return to the hotel quickly. I'll help you take a bath. Your clothes are all wet. If you don't take a bath and change quickly, you'll catch a cold, right?"
Amamiya Natsuki shook his head. "Not today."
"Eh?" Sayu was taken aback, blinking her eyes in confusion. "Why?"
Amamiya Natsuki said, "It shouldn't be your turn to bathe."
With Marin, his official girlfriend, around, it certainly wouldn't be the pet Sayu's turn to help him bathe.
"Ugh…"
Sayu puffed up her pink cheeks unhappily, her eyes particularly resentful.
Amamiya Natsuki said speechlessly, "What kind of look is that?"
"S-Sorry, I forgot my pet status!"
"…"
As they were speaking, two beams of flashlight suddenly shone over from a distance, and someone shouted from afar:
"What are you doing at the construction site?"
Following the sound, they saw two men in security uniforms walking over.
"Crap."
"It's the security guards from the construction site. They must have heard our shouting just now."
"What do we do now?"
Amamiya Natsuki turned around decisively. "Of course, we run."
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr