Chapter 1

"Amamiya-san... turn yourself in."

The words hit me like a blast of frigid air, chilling me to the bone. I looked up to see a girl in fancy white pajamas, her jet-black hair flowing down to her waist. Her skin was pale as moonlight, her features delicate and flawless.

Wait a second... isn't that Shinomiya Kaguya from my class?

We'd just started the new semester, and by some twist of fate, we'd ended up in the same homeroom. But we'd never actually spoken before. Just two random classmates, nothing more.

I, Amamiya Natsuki, took a deep breath and glanced down at my hands. In one, I held a black collar. In the other, a white leash. My brain struggled to make sense of the situation.

Wasn't I about to take my dog for a walk? I could've sworn I'd just bent down to tie my shoe, and when I looked up... bam! My Akita had turned into a life-sized ice sculpture of a girl in pajamas?

Is this some kind of weird payback from the dog gods? I mean, I've been pretty diligent about those daily walks...

But since when does "thanks for the exercise" translate to "please turn yourself in to the authorities"?

I raised my head, taking in my surroundings. The familiar street had vanished, replaced by... well, I'm not sure you could even call it a room. What kind of maniac builds a space the size of a soccer field with no doors or windows?

It was just Shinomiya and me in this vast, empty box. No furniture, no other people, not even a light source – yet somehow, I could see everything clear as day.

The sheer impossibility of it all made me wonder if I was dreaming.

"Turn yourself in." Her voice was as cold and crisp as the tinkling of ice. Shinomiya hugged herself, her face a mask of indifference.

"Sorry, but I'll have to pass on that," I replied, almost on reflex.

Real smooth, Natsuki. Your first actual conversation with a classmate, and it starts with her demanding you surrender to the cops. Something's definitely off here.

Shinomiya's gaze was as flat and lifeless as a frozen pond. "I don't know how you managed to kidnap me and bring me here, but my security team will track you down soon. Turning yourself in is your only way out now."

Geez, what's with that look? Like she's already picturing my body being fished out of Tokyo Bay...

"Shinomiya-san," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "I think there's been a huge misunderstanding."

She didn't say a word, but her eyes flicked down to the collar and leash in my hands.

"I was literally about to take my dog for a walk," I explained, fighting to stay calm. "Hence the, you know, dog-walking equipment?"

As I finished speaking, Shinomiya's eyes widened ever so slightly. The temperature in the room seemed to plummet even further, an arctic wind whipping around us.

"Hold on," I said quickly, my heart racing. "This really is just regular dog-walking gear. I swear I didn't prepare it for... well, you know."

The temperature seemed to drop even further. I could practically see my breath freezing in the air.

I raised my hands in surrender. "Uh... is it too late to turn myself in now?"

To my surprise, Shinomiya's icy mask cracked. Her eyes went wide, and her lips parted slightly, revealing perfect teeth. For a split second, that stunned expression made her look almost... cute?

"There's something behind you!" she suddenly gasped.

I spun around, and my blood ran cold.

Holy crap. That's one big snake.

A monstrous serpent, easily ten meters long, had materialized out of nowhere. Its body was perfectly segmented, like some kind of nightmarish toy. The weirdest part? Apart from its massive head, every section was identical in length and thickness.

Before I could process what I was seeing, a strange voice echoed in my mind. From Shinomiya's reaction, I could tell she heard it too.

[Welcome to the Weird Game]

[Game Mode: Snake Catcher's Tale]

[Victory Conditions: 1. Successfully catch the snake, or 2. Survive for 30 minutes. Achieve either to exit the dungeon.]

[Reward: Glimpse the Truth of Reality]

[Failure Penalty: Random]

[The game begins now. Enjoy your stay!]

As soon as the voice faded, the previously motionless anaconda sprang to life. It surged towards us without hesitation.

I glanced at Shinomiya. Her face had gone ghostly pale, and she seemed frozen in shock.

"What are you waiting for?" I yelled. "Run!"

That snapped her out of it. Even the infamous "Ice Queen Kaguya" couldn't keep her cool in the face of a giant snake monster.

Thankfully, the beast didn't chase us relentlessly. It turned away, swallowing a floating orb of light before slithering off at a leisurely pace.

I noticed more of those light orbs scattered around the room, each about the size of a soccer ball. There was one in the corner where we'd pressed ourselves against the wall. I reached out cautiously to touch it, but my fingers passed right through as if it were made of air.

We caught our breath, backs against the wall. I turned to Shinomiya.

"Did you... hear that weird voice too?" I asked.

She nodded, her chest still heaving. It was clear she was terrified of snakes. The Ice Queen was definitely melting. "They said 'welcome to the game'..." she managed, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Looks like we're both players, then," I said, thinking out loud. "'Snake Catcher's Tale'... I'm guessing we have to catch that monster somehow."

In this sealed-off space, there were only three things: Shinomiya, me, and one very obvious target.

The problem? That snake was enormous.

Sure, you might be able to grab a garden snake with your bare hands. But an anaconda? That's like an old man eating arsenic because he thinks his life is too long!

"That giant snake just appeared out of thin air..." Shinomiya murmured, her voice shaky.

Shinomiya took a deep breath, her voice still shaky. I guess even the infamous "Ice Queen" has her limits when faced with a giant snake from who-knows-where.

"I was just about to walk my dog in the park," I said, frowning. "Bent down to tie my shoelace, and boom – I'm here. With... let's call it an anaconda. We've stumbled into some seriously weird sci-fi territory here."

There was something off about that snake. It didn't look like any earthly creature. "Anaconda" was just the closest thing my brain could come up with.

Which brought us to our current problem: How the heck were two ordinary high school students supposed to catch a giant snake-monster with our bare hands?

I mentally went through our available "tools": a collar, a leash, and one very scared girl pretending to be made of ice. The conclusion was pretty obvious.

We were screwed.

Looks like our only shot at "winning" was to survive for thirty minutes...

I was about ready to curl up in a ball and wait for death when suddenly, my vision blurred. A line of text appeared above the snake's head:

[I have a dream...]

I blinked in surprise. Was this some kind of game hint?

As I focused, more text appeared:

[Name: Greedy Snake]

[Level: LV2]

[Status: Happy, evolving]

[Note: A snake that doesn't want to break the dimensional wall is not a good snake]

"It's... it's a Greedy snake!" I blurted out, the pieces suddenly clicking into place.

No wonder its body was so weirdly uniform – it wasn't a real creature at all!

"What did you just say, Amamiya-san?" Shinomiya's icy voice cut through my thoughts.

"I said it's a Greedy Snake," I replied, turning to look at her. She seemed calm, but something felt off. "Can't you see the words floating above it?"

Shinomiya stared at the snake, her brow furrowing slightly. "Didn't you see... Amamiya-san is so scared he's talking nonsense?"

I was absolutely certain I wasn't. And now, to my shock, text had appeared above Shinomiya's head too:

[So scary, so scary, so scary (>_<)] < strong>

[I hate snakes the most. They're so big, I'll be swallowed in one gulp!]

[Status: Trembling]

Well, damn. I'd been played.

Turns out, the prettier the girl, the better she is at lying. Here I was, secretly impressed by her composure in the face of danger. But it was all an act – she was shaking like a leaf inside!

More text appeared in my vision:

[Note: This player's morale is low. Her execution, reaction speed, and courage are all reduced. You can help her recover by boosting her morale.]

[Recommendation: "Shinomiya-san, can you try to be a bit more... optimistic?"]

I shook my head, swallowing the urge to call her out. "Never mind," I said instead. "That snake – it's not real. It's like something out of a video game. Look closely – no real snake moves in a perfectly straight line like that. Its body doesn't even twist."