Chapter 72

Natsuki muttered to himself as he scanned the room, "No teleportation powers, huh? So where did she go?"

He rubbed his temples, thinking out loud. "Invisible? A hidden room? Or maybe..."

His eyes darted to the ceiling, half-expecting to see something bizarre. But there was nothing there. Just an empty ceiling.

"This isn't horror, it's a mystery," Natsuki chuckled, tapping his fist against his palm. "Fujiwara would love this detective stuff."

The room was cramped. A tiny barred window, a bed, chair, and a simple wardrobe. On the wall hung a portrait of a girl with an indistinct face.

Natsuki strode to the wardrobe and yanked it open. Empty, save for a faded blue uniform with the number 37921 on the chest.

He picked up a book from the bed - a Bible. Inside, he found a handwritten quote: "You know, some birds are not meant to be caged. Freedom shines in every feather."

"No need to wrack my brain over that," Natsuki mumbled, closing the book. He walked to the portrait and casually lifted it, revealing a hidden passage.

"Hope there's no chocolate sauce in there," he joked, glancing back at the door. Chika still hadn't shown up. She must be in trouble too.

Natsuki dropped to his knees and crawled into the passage. After a short distance, he spotted a glimmer of light and an exit leading downward.

"Must be a second-floor room," Natsuki muttered, peering down the exit. The room below was dim, lit only by a flickering candle on the wall. He could barely make out an iron cage in the corner.

Satisfied there was no immediate danger, Natsuki jumped down, landing smoothly. As his eyes adjusted to the low light, he froze in shock.

There, in the cage, was Kaguya. She was kneeling, hands bound by chains, with a strange black collar around her neck.

"What the hell?" Natsuki thought. "How'd she turn into some damsel in distress?"

Kaguya's eyes lit up when she saw him. "You're here!"

Natsuki squatted by the cage, trying not to laugh. "How'd you end up in there?"

"Don't laugh!" Kaguya's face flushed red with embarrassment.

"I'll try my best," Natsuki said, barely containing a grin.

Kaguya bit her lip, eyes misty. "It was my shadow. It... it just moved on its own. I lost control, opened the painting, crawled through the passage..."

"So," Natsuki pieced it together, "you locked yourself in?"

Kaguya fell silent, turning away in shame.

Natsuki couldn't help but chuckle again. He even pretended to take a picture with his phone. "Not every day you see a princess in a cage," he teased.

"You're enjoying this too much!" Kaguya snapped, gritting her teeth.

"Sorry, sorry," Natsuki apologized, though he didn't sound very sorry at all.

"Just hurry up and get me out!" Kaguya's eyes were wide, her patience wearing thin. This was beyond humiliating. Why was she the only one trapped by her shadow? It wasn't fair!

"Right, right," Natsuki said, looking around. "Where's the key?"

Natsuki examined the heavy iron lock on the cage. No way he could break that open by force.

"I don't know where the key is," Kaguya said, shaking her head. "But there are lots of keys on that table. Maybe one of them works?"

"Right," Natsuki nodded, turning to the wooden table beside the cage.

There were indeed many keys, but something else caught his eye - a black whip. Next to it was an object about the size of a car key, silver-white and metallic. It looked out of place among the other items.

"What's this?" Natsuki asked, picking up the strange key-like object.

Kaguya's eyes widened as she saw it. It looked just like a prop from a certain type of comic she'd heard about, though she'd never seen one in real life. Why was it in the game?

"Wait, don't press-" Kaguya started to say, but it was too late.

Natsuki felt a wave of dizziness. When it passed, he looked at Kaguya, surprised to see her face had turned bright red.

"Why are you blushing all of a sudden?" he asked, confused.

"I... I don't know," Kaguya shook her head, equally puzzled. "It feels like I just forgot something important, but I can't remember what."

A message flashed before Natsuki's eyes:

[You've been hit by a special attack: Crimson King]

[Your recent memory has been erased]

[This attack comes from a high-dimensional being called the Auditor. It cannot be avoided, rejected, or resisted.]

"I think I know why," Natsuki muttered, a chill running down his spine. This game was more terrifying than he'd thought.

"What do you mean?" Kaguya asked, still looking bewildered and embarrassed.

Natsuki hesitated, unsure how to explain the bizarre situation. "It seems we've both just had our memories... altered. By something called the 'Auditor'."

Kaguya's eyes widened. "What? How is that possible? Is this still part of the game?"

"I'm not sure anymore," Natsuki admitted, glancing around the room warily. "This feels way beyond anything Fujiwara could have set up. Something very strange is going on here."

He looked back at the silver object in his hand, now regarding it with a mix of fear and fascination. "We need to be careful. It seems this thing has some kind of power to mess with our minds."

Kaguya nodded, her earlier embarrassment replaced by a look of determination. "Alright, let's focus on getting out of here first. We can figure out what's going on once I'm free from this cage."

Natsuki approached the cage, eyeing the lock. "Agreed. But let's both try to remember - if either of us notices anything odd or feels like we're forgetting something, we need to tell the other right away. Deal?"

"Deal," Kaguya said firmly. "Now hurry up and find that key. I have a feeling we're going to need all our wits about us to solve this mystery."

As Natsuki searched for the right key, both he and Kaguya couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that they were caught up in something far more complex and dangerous than a simple game.

Natsuki pocketed the strange device, his expression serious. "Let's just... pretend that didn't happen. It's safer that way."

"What are you talking about?" Kaguya asked, confusion evident in her voice.

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just shout 'don't press it' a moment ago?"

Kaguya looked puzzled. "I... think I did? But I can't remember why."

"Well, try to speak up sooner next time," Natsuki sighed. "That was more dangerous than you realize."

They both fell silent for a moment, an uncomfortable feeling settling over them.

Natsuki held up the silver device again. "So... do you actually know what this is?"

Kaguya turned her face away, a hint of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. "I have no idea."

"Come on, tell the truth," Natsuki pressed, his eyes narrowing. "Even Fujiwara wouldn't fall for that act."

"That's not necessarily true," Kaguya muttered.

"In your eyes, Fujiwara's IQ is about the same as a zoo gorilla's!" Natsuki exclaimed.

Kaguya took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "...I may have seen something similar before. In a... comic book."

Natsuki's eyes widened slightly. "A comic book? Wait, is this thing actually a remote control? For that collar around your neck?"

"It... probably is," Kaguya admitted reluctantly.

Natsuki looked at the remaining unknown buttons on the device, suddenly feeling a mix of curiosity and guilt.

Kaguya caught his expression and narrowed her eyes. "Natsuki, whatever dangerous thoughts you're having right now, stop them immediately."

"What if I can't stop?" Natsuki asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Then you'd better turn yourself in," Kaguya warned, her voice deadly serious despite her compromising position in the cage.

Natsuki couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright. Let's focus on getting you out of there first. Then we can figure out what's going on with this weird game and all these... unexpected props."

As he started examining the lock on the cage again, Natsuki couldn't shake the feeling that they'd stumbled into something far more complex than either of them had anticipated. Whatever Fujiwara had planned for this game, it seemed to have taken on a life of its own.