005 One Thousand Silver Needles

After leaving the Drowned Ghost behind, Kamiyagawa continued to explore around the artificial lake with caution.

And sure enough, there was an unexpected find in the end.

On a conspicuous bench by the lake, Kamiyagawa caught sight of a small object that was faintly reflective.

Reflection is still light.

And since Kamiyagawa could use the Substitute Paper Person to resurrect the dead in "Strange Tales," he might as well be considered somewhat immortal.

As is well known, immortals are phototactic.

Looking around warily, he didn't see the headless high school student near the bench.

It seemed pretty safe.

So, Kamiyagawa mustered his courage and approached.

Only when he got close did he see clearly that what lay on the bench was a small, short stick with a silvery sheen.

Let's call it a little silver stick.

It was about the length of a middle finger, needle-like, thick at one end and tapering at the other.

Kamiyagawa picked up the little silver stick.

Hum hum.

The phone vibrated.

[Item name: Thousand Silver Needles]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect: Reduces the likelihood of being caught lying to a certain extent. This effect is influenced by many subjective and objective factors such as the holder's Charm, the wariness of the person being spoken to, the context, etc.]

[Description: Liars have to swallow a thousand silver needles, hehe, just kidding.]

"How can such a thick little stick count as a needle..." Kamiyagawa was somewhat speechless.

Moreover, the artificial lake in reality is a sacred place for confessions and couple dates.

Finding an item that boosts the effect of lying in such a place felt quite black humored.

Perhaps this was because the spot had witnessed too many naive or not-so-naive, sincere or insincere lies and deceptions.

Isn't there a saying, the most frequently told lie in this world is "I love you"?

And closely following that is "I love you too".

Kamiyagawa had just pocketed the Thousand Silver Needles when he suddenly felt a pain in his lower back!

He turned around in shock, only to see a headless JK had appeared behind him out of thin air.

And unlike the other JKs he encountered, this one actually came equipped.

It was a bloodied firewood knife.

By then, it had already stabbed through Kamiyagawa's lower back, piercing right through...

Darkness fell before his eyes.

Kamiyagawa, dead.

...

Back in reality.

Kamiyagawa scrambled up from the ground in a panic, instinctively reaching for his lower back.

All good, all good.

The kidney was still intact.

"The feeling of death in this game is too realistic," he mumbled.

Kamiyagawa wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and took several deep breaths before he was able to calm down a bit.

This crappy game is just too despicable! It baits with an item in a conspicuous place, then, once I fall for it, out from a hiding spot comes a freak to stab me in the back, right?

And why do I, who was never a jerk, have to get hit with a firewood knife anyway?

After cursing "Strange Tales" several times in his mind, Kamiyagawa picked up his phone.

The dark screen was displaying a red death notification—[The Fruit of Greed]

Kamiyagawa: ...

Choosing to selectively ignore the death notification dripping with sarcasm, Kamiyagawa reached into his pocket and pulled out a rod-like object.

[Thousand Silver Needles]

The material was silver, thicker at one end and thinner at the other, with a smooth and delicate touch, exactly like in the game.

Just as he had anticipated, the items obtained in "Strange Tales" could indeed be brought into reality.

"It's lucky that this thing can be brought into the real world. If it could only be used in the game, I'm afraid I would really have to romance a ghost with these silver needles."

He chuckled sardonically, pocketed the silver needle again, and picked up the damaged Substitute Paper Person from the ground, its head separated from the body.

If you had to say, trading a game death for an item wasn't a loss at all.

I'll try out the real-world effects of this item later on.

Seven o'clock in the evening.

Kamiyagawa arrived at the convenience store where he worked.

Punctuality is a basic quality that every part-time worker should possess. Additionally, today was Friday, which means it was payday.

When he got to the store, the full-time employee, Mr. Okamura, was as usual already at work, and the store manager could be seen standing by the counter.

The convenience store where Kamiyagawa worked wasn't part of a chain but was wholly owned by the store manager.

The manager's name was Kawai Ikumi, in her thirties, quite attractive, shrewd, and a widow.

Oh, or as we should say here, a "bereaved woman."

"You're here, Mr. Kamiya."

At this moment, Kawai Ikumi was wearing the store's work uniform on the upper body, with tight black pantyhose on the lower, the sleek black silk perfectly outlining her well-proportioned and fleshy legs.

"Yes, good evening, Manager Kawai."

Kamiyagawa glanced at the manager's thighs and then quickly diverted his eyes.

Though he now wore the guise of a handsome young high school student, beneath this skin resided the soul of a grown man.

Indeed, adults should focus on things meant for adults.

Not bad at all.

Kawai Ikumi seemed to notice Kamiyagawa's fleeting gaze but didn't seem to mind it much, and might even be slightly proud of her own charm.

This was perhaps the composure of a mature woman.

She turned and took out a stack of money from her bag, counted out 15,000 yen, and handed it over: "Here, Mr. Kamiya, this is your wage for the week."

"Thank you, Manager Kawai."

"You've earned it. You did very well this week, keep it up. I have high hopes for you, Mr. Kamiya," Kawai Ikumi said with a tender smile in her eyes.

The alluring smile of this mature woman could undoubtedly devour a young high school boy whole.

Kamiyagawa silently pocketed his week's earnings and went straight to the employee locker room to change into his work uniform, making sure to take the [Thousand Silver Needles] with him.

He had an idea.

When he came back to the storefront, Kawai Ikumi was bending over by the refrigerator, checking the expiration dates on bento boxes and sandwiches.

Seeing Kamiyagawa approach, she brushed her hair aside from her ear:

"What is it, Mr. Kamiya? You look like you have something to say. If you have any adolescent troubles, feel free to talk to your big sister here."

"Manager Kawai, I wanted to say," Kamiyagawa held the silver needle in one hand, looking into Kawai Ikumi's eyes, "you haven't given me my wage for this week yet."

[Thousand Silver Needles], effect activated.

"Ah? Hmm..."

Kawai Ikumi stared at Kamiyagawa's face, her expression slightly confused, as if an important matter had been selectively dismissed from her mind.

Several seconds passed before the widowed store manager finally realized: "Oh, I was just about to give it to you."

She stepped over to the counter, took out her bag, and naturally counted out another 15,000 yen: "Here, Mr. Kamiya, this is your wage for the week. You did well, keep up the good work."

Kamiyagawa watched the changes in Kawai Ikumi's expression earnestly, but did not reach out to take the money, simply waving his hand dismissively: "Sorry, Manager Kawai, I was just joking. You already gave me my wage."

"Ah?" Manager Kawai looked bewildered, as if waking from a deep dream, "Eh? It seems, it seems you're right."

"Then I'll get to work." Kamiyagawa flashed a clean smile and turned to the cash register.

For the rest of the evening, Manager Kawai was in a gloomy mood, occasionally stealing glances at Kamiyagawa at work.

"What was that all about? Could it be that I've fallen for a young high school boy's charm? I admit Mr. Kamiya is quite attractive, but not enough to captivate me. Why did I so readily believe his unfunny joke just now?"

The widowed store manager was frantically reflecting on herself.