Kaguya-sama: Love Is War wants me to turn myself in.

"..."

After finishing my milk tea, it was already 11 p.m. before I knew it.

The carriage grew increasingly quiet.

Almost all the other passengers were asleep, and very few were using their phones.

The succubus girl may have slept for a while on the bus, but now she's wide awake and can't fall asleep.

Natsuki Amamiya also couldn't sleep.

Holding a girl's fragrant, soft body in your arms, sitting on your lap—no one, unless they're a saint, could fall asleep in that situation.

The two spoke in hushed tones, and after an unknown amount of time, Natsuki Amamiya finally felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her.

When I opened my eyes again, a faint glimmer of dawn was already appearing outside the window.

Natsuki Amamiya squinted at the window for a while, then looked down at the person in her arms, where a wisp of dazzling golden hair came into view.

The succubus girl was still asleep, nestled comfortably in his arms like a kitten, her soft breathing exceptionally gentle.

"Basic physical fitness is indeed a good thing."

Natsuki Amamiya stroked the succubus girl's hair and came to a conclusion.

If it were an ordinary person, carrying a girl weighing over 100 pounds to sleep for one night would have ruined their legs!

"Hai Meng, wake up."

Amamiya Natsuki took out her phone, glanced at the time, and woke up the succubus girl in her arms.

"Well……"

Kitagawa Kaimu mumbled softly, refusing to get up.

"We're almost at Kagoshima."

"Um……"

The succubus girl still refused to get up.

"Hurry up and wipe your drool."

"..."

Kitagawa Kaimu gasped, quickly straightened up, and raised her hand to wipe the corner of her lips:

"Illusion! Beautiful girls don't drool!"

"..."

5:20 a.m.

Natsuki Amamiya and Umimu stepped off the Shinkansen and successfully arrived in Kagoshima City.

As you step off the train, a warm and refreshing sea breeze greets you.

Not far from the platform lies the boundless blue sea. Because it is summer, the sky was already bright around 5 a.m. Looking into the distance, seabirds were already circling and flying over the gently rippling sea.

"...So comfortable!"

Kitagawa Kaimu faces the sea, arms outstretched, letting the sea breeze caress her entire body. Her skirt and hair flutter gently in the breeze, and her pretty face displays a bright smile that rivals the sunshine.

Click.

Natsuki Amamiya took out her phone and snapped a photo.

There are always some beautiful moments in life that make us want to preserve them forever.

"I didn't realize that sitting in a car for a long time could be so tiring." Kitagawa Kaimu stood by the sea and started doing warm-up exercises. "I feel uncomfortable all over now."

Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help but retort, "I should be the one saying that."

The one who suffered the most was the one who had you sitting on top of all night.

"The sea is so beautiful this morning, I want to go swimming," the succubus girl said frankly while exercising.

Mrs. Kaguya, who hadn't spoken a word the whole way, emerged from Amamiya Natsuki's shadow and looked at the sea: "Little Natsuki, I want to swim too, I want to wear a swimsuit, and I want to eat watermelon."

Hey, you're a ghost, there's no way you could do that!

"It's about time we went." Natsuki Amamiya looked at Haimu. "Let's go have breakfast first."

When it comes to breakfast, Kitagawa Kaimu instantly perks up:

"My dad told me that there are some really delicious breakfast options in Kagoshima, but I don't know if they're open now... I'll go check it out."

Kagoshima is located at the southernmost tip of Kyushu Island. Several hundred years ago, the Dutch raised Javan deer on the island for meat, hence the name.

Kagoshima boasts beautiful scenery, but its geographical environment is not ideal. It is mountainous and prone to earthquakes. Composed mainly of numerous islands of varying sizes, it has insufficient arable land, so its main pillar industries are tourism and fishing.

Hai Meng's father works for a travel company and was sent here as a supervisor to handle related matters. He is usually busy with work and the journey is long, so he can only go home twice a year.

"Let's go have breakfast first. After breakfast, Dad will be up and ready for work soon." Kitagawa Kaimu counted on her fingers, planning the itinerary. "Then we'll sneak over and give Dad a surprise."

"Wait a minute." Amamiya Natsuki looked at Haimeng and couldn't help but ask, "You didn't tell your dad you were coming this time, did you?"

Kitagawa Kaimu stuck out the tip of her pink tongue:

"Hey~"

The two of them, along with Ghost's wife, were visiting Kagoshima for the first time. Fortunately, tourism is the main industry, and there were signs everywhere on the island. The three of them wandered around and finished breakfast. By then, the sun had already risen in the sky, and the streets were quietly becoming lively.

“Dad sent a message.” Kitagawa Kaimu waved his phone. “He said he’s not resting today; he has to go to Sakurajima to handle some matters.”

Amamiya Natsuki nodded and looked at the tour guide map in her hand: "Sakurajima is not far away. It's an island in the sea. If you want to go there, you need to take a ferry from the port first."

When the two arrived at the port, they saw a four-story ferry docked at the pier, with tourists constantly getting on and off. The ticket price was very cheap, only two hundred yen.

Upon boarding the ferry, Natsuki Amamiya and Umimu arrived at the highest observation deck, where they saw the azure sea and clear sky, creating a magnificent view where the sea and sky met.

Click click click.

Kitagawa Kaimu was happily taking pictures with her phone when she suddenly slapped her forehead: "I remember now, in 5 Centimeters Per Second, Takaki's high school was Kagoshima, right?"

“It’s Tanegashima.” Natsuki Amamiya checked her phone. “It’s a bit far.”

"If it's too far, then forget it," Kitagawa Kaimu said regretfully. "If it were closer, I'd like to go and check it out."

Amamiya Natsuki said, "If you don't mind sleeping in class on Mondays, you can go back tomorrow."

“I don’t care at all!” Kitagawa Kaimu raised her hand and chin upon hearing this. “Teacher, I’m sorry. I’ve gone through all this trouble to come to Kagoshima. Please forgive me.”

"It's too early to apologize now."

As they spoke, the ferry slowly began to move, leaving a trail of white spray at its stern as it sailed forward.

As they passed an unnamed island, a cold voice suddenly echoed in Amamiya Natsuki's mind.

You have triggered a new instance.

【Title: Summer Returns】

[Type: Multiplayer]

[Difficulty: Unknown]

You have been automatically added to this instance. Please wait patiently for it to open, which is expected to be available within one month.

You will receive a notification 48 hours in advance when the instance opens. Please arrive at the designated location on time.

"Eh?"

Kitagawa Kaimu quickly turned his head to look over, clearly having received the same game notification.

Amamiya Natsuki nodded slightly, gave Haimu a look, and then subtly glanced around.

The ferry was bustling with tourists, taking photos, chatting, and playing around. Everyone seemed normal, and no one showed any unusual expressions. It was unclear whether there were other players like them in the crowd.

Amamiya Natsuki reached out and took the succubus girl's hand, and the two walked to a secluded corner.

"Natsuki, did you receive the game notification just now?"

Kitagawa Kaimu stood on tiptoe and asked in a low voice.

"received."

Natsuki Amamiya nodded gently.

"I've only been through the Ghost Town dungeon for less than two weeks, and I've already run into another dungeon. How unlucky!" Kitagawa Kaimu looked at him pitifully, biting her lower lip. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't come to see Dad, I definitely wouldn't have run into this dungeon."

"How do you know we won't encounter new instances in Tokyo?"

Amamiya Natsuki reached out and ruffled the succubus girl's hair, casually saying, "As a player, you're bound to encounter dungeons. Since you've encountered them, just clear them."

Kitagawa Kaimu nodded, took out her phone, and said, "The dungeon is called Summer Reappearance, what a strange name... Let me ask everyone, has anyone opened the same dungeon?"

The player support group, which was founded by Chika Fujiwara, now has one or two hundred members and is gradually becoming larger and more organized.

For example, after becoming a player, life is actually quite unsatisfactory. Firstly, evil spirits are everywhere in the real world, which greatly affects life and studies.

However, there are now many wealthy players who are willing to buy all kinds of game items, props, supplies, survival materials, etc., at any time, and at a considerable price. This can at least save ordinary players from suffering double the hardships of life.

In addition, players in the mutual aid group can also receive something free but extremely important—

trust.

Although game instances are not competitive and killing teammates does not yield any rewards, the same principle applies: strangers cannot be trusted, let alone players within the game.

Indifference, vigilance, suspicion, and mutual distrust are the norm, after all, in some dungeons, monsters can even disguise themselves as players.

You can't outrun evil spirits and monsters, but you can outrun other players.

The game is a lawless place. It's normal to knock down a stranger with a brick to buy yourself time to escape, right?

However, players in mutual aid groups can establish initial trust by meeting in person offline, and the importance of this initial trust becomes apparent when entering the same instance.

In fact, the above speculation has been verified. Now, whenever someone triggers a dungeon, they will gather teammates in the mutual aid group.

"Hmm, everyone says they haven't encountered the Summer Reappearance instance." Kitagawa Kaimu pursed her pink lips and looked at her phone. "So far, it seems like only the two of us have encountered it."

“It’s normal.” Amamiya Natsuki said calmly, not taking it seriously. “If someone had encountered this before, they would have said so already.”

As they were talking, Natsuki Amamiya suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

Fujiwara Chika sent a message: "Natsuki-kun, did you and Kaimu-chan encounter a dungeon?"

"Just encountered a dungeon called Summer Reborn."