I love time travel the most!

Huihui struck a strange pose, hanging the milk tea above her head, and mumbled through her mouth, "Hehe, I've thought of a really cool way to drink it, look!"

"Just a pearl? That's an exaggeration!"

Seeing their exaggerated reactions, Kazuma Sato smirked.

Aqua teased from behind, "Isn't Kazuma excited too? He's been muttering lately that he hasn't had Japanese food in ages..."

“It’s so noisy, but that’s a different matter.”

The modern-day shut-in teenager, exposed as a slacker, lost face.

Kobayashi asked his companions about their taste and received unanimous praise from them. After thinking about it, he decided to replicate the milk tea drink in another world and then discussed the feasibility of this with Kazuma Sato.

Milk tea is a popular beverage that appeals to people of all ages and genders.

Whether it's a restaurant, a dedicated milk tea shop, or an additional service designed to attract customers, novel milk tea is always the best choice.

If it could bring in a fortune, why not?

Sudden--

[Beep beep! Warning: Ten hours remaining. Failure to complete the task at hand within the allotted time will result in your eternal existence in this world.]

A mysterious mechanical sound came from the sky.

Kazuma Sato's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Huh?! What's going on? I've never heard of this before!"

"Exactly! And suddenly limiting the time is just too much!"

Aqua followed suit with her own complaints.

Like some shops that advertise "free," this one is actually full of hidden tricks and scams that are hard to guard against.

"No, I think I said 'if time allows'..."

Darkness recalled.

So it seems that when they first came in, there was indeed a mention of "if time permits".

But isn't this the same as a beef pie and a beef-flavored pie? How dare they play word games...

"hateful!"

Aqua pouted angrily.

However, there was no time for them to complain, as a mysterious mechanical voice immediately issued a task.

Now, please look above.

Upon receiving the notification, the group looked up and discovered a large virtual screen floating at the very top of the city, above which was originally azure blue, with several large characters written on it.

【Task!】

Escape from the virtual space of TOKYO!

"Words appeared in the sky..."

"You've really put in the effort..."

"Escape?"

The reactions varied, but all seemed somewhat uneasy about what was about to unfold.

[From now on, please collect the items scattered throughout this virtual space. If you collect them all within the time limit, you can return to your original world; however, if you fail to collect them all, you will be trapped here indefinitely. Please try your best to solve the clues. Now, let's begin.]

So that's how it is. Is it a treasure hunt and puzzle-solving game?

Use various hints, code words, riddles, and other information to find the specified person, object, or attraction.

interesting.

This game is very similar to variety shows from my past life. Could it be that the bald researcher liked those kinds of shows and arranged this game to increase the fun?

However, no matter what, to have to live here for the rest of one's life as punishment for failure is a bit too much.

"Hmm? A note fell down. Is this a clue? It looks like it has something written on it..."

Darkness caught the note that fell from the sky and unfolded it for everyone to see.

[—The symbol of thunder, residing at the Gate of Lamentation. Behold the true face of the sacred, healing smoke that permeates that land.]

The prompt for He Zhongqi's second point.

However, considering that the guy who designed this game created the Crimson Demon Clan, who are full of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome), it's not so surprising.

While others are thinking—

Aqua nodded, smiling, and said, "In Tokyo, if it's Men and Rai, that's where it is."

"Oh, it's a very famous place that even I know about," Sato Kazuma said confidently.

This is one of the advantages of local access.

Come to think of it, the Japanese also have a bit of a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) spirit deep down. This kind of cringeworthy chuunibyou is probably a specialty of Kazuma Sato and Aqua.

"Okay, come with me!"

Led by the two of them, the group arrived in Asakusa.

"Asakusa... Oh, I see!"

Xiaolin suddenly realized.

If you ever come to Tokyo, there's one place you absolutely must visit: Senso-ji Temple. And when you think of Senso-ji, what's most memorable is probably the large red lantern hanging high at the entrance—the "Kaminarimon" gate!

The lanterns, which are a stark contrast to what one might expect, have become, without exaggeration, a signature feature of Senso-ji Temple.

In addition, the original name of this large lantern is not Raimon, but a more imposing name.

—The Gate of Wind God and Thunder God.

The small pavilion to the left of the lantern enshrines the Thunder God, while the pavilion to the right enshrines the Wind God. These two deities, who respectively govern thunder and wind, possess immense power. Therefore, this gate is called the Wind and Thunder God Gate.

Later, for convenience, people simply called it Raimon.

Darkness looked around and found that there were many pedestrians on the street, and they were all wearing kimonos.

"What a vibrant city! There are so many people wearing kimonos, is it New Year's Day today?"

"Because it's a tourist attraction, that's the general feeling. Anyway, let's go inside first... Wait, where's Aqua?"

"Hey, it was just here a moment ago."

Everyone discovered that the silly goddess was missing.

"Um... Miss Aqua seems to be over there."

"...What is that idiot doing?"

Following the direction of Youyou's finger, I saw that Aqua had somehow mingled with the performers at the entrance.

"Welcome, welcome! Today we have rakugo and manzai performances, and we're also having a magic show!"

"W-Where is this...! Hey buddy, I'll get a ticket!"

The silly goddess was so excited she wanted to indulge herself.

But Kobayashi grabbed him, saying, "Hey, don't just go in like that. We need to solve the mystery first."

"Let me go! This is the legendary theater where outstanding artists live! I can't ignore anything related to art!" Aqua waved her limbs frantically in Kobayashi's arms, trying to break free.

That intense longing made it completely unclear whether she was a goddess of water or a goddess of art.

Forget about art! Let's get to the inner courtyard!

"Waaaaah... The legendary theater, I really want to see it..."

"I'll keep you company later."

"Really? Then there's nothing we can do."

Just before the silly goddess was about to cry, Kobayashi made a promise, which prevented her from being lured away by the art theater.

I just reunited with my companions.

Huihui pointed to the other side and exclaimed, "Look! There's a huge group of people over there, and thick smoke is billowing out! What could that be...!"

"Could it be that they gathered here just to be smoked out? I seem to get along really well with the residents here! I'll join them right away—!"

"Don't go over there!"

He grabbed the perverted female knight who was trying to blend in.

Even in modern society, can't one suppress the restlessness within? No, rather, it's precisely because one is in modern society and attracted by novel things that one is even more unable to suppress it.

"It's a very formal and ceremonial event, so don't just go in casually."

"It's said that if you put the area that's feeling unwell on that cigarette, it will make you feel better."

Hearing Kazuma Sato and Aqua's explanation, Yuuyu said thoughtfully, "Oh, so it's something like healing?"

"Not a direct effect like healing magic... um? Healing?"

Kazuma Sato seemed to have thought of something.

Seeing him deep in thought, the others tacitly refrained from disturbing him. Because every time this happened, it meant Sato Kazuma had discovered something, and over time they had grown accustomed to keeping quiet.

soon--

"The true form of the healing smoke... Yes, that's it!"

Kazuma Sato suddenly realized.

Clearly, he had solved the puzzle.

Then, at his call, everyone gathered around the incense burner, ignoring the curious and disgusted looks of others, and began searching inside for anything suspicious.

"Ahem, Kazuma, is there really a clue here?"

Aqua was so choked that she could barely speak.

Kazuma Sato coughed and said, "If that note is a hint, then it must be true!"

"Haa, haa... This suffocating feeling... Not bad, give me more... Smoke, let me suffer more...!"

Unlike the others who were enduring the choking smoke, Darkness seemed to be enjoying himself.

Although she was also enduring, the direction of her endurance was different.