You say this is a love game?

"Is this the right equipment?"

Underwater, with the blessing of the [Scales of the Drowned], he can probably exert about 30% to 40% of his full strength. It is definitely not enough to deal with the BOSS, but it should be more than enough to deal with the monsters.

Well, we can't be too absolute.

If there were elite monsters with extremely strong stats like the "Swamp Wood Ghost" under the water, he felt he would have to give in.

"Can you pump the water?"

Mizutani Makoto pondered and took out his favorite [Gorgeous Gold Box] from his backpack.

But after gesturing at the artificial lake... Mizutani Makoto couldn't help but sigh, and silently stuffed the gold box back into Tongzi's backpack.

This place is not a swimming pool.

"lake".

Normally, a school's artificial lake wouldn't be very large. But a crack is a place that doesn't make sense. The lake before Mizutani Makoto was so vast that the swimming pool behind the gymnasium wouldn't even make a single wave.

Not to mention, the depth of the lake and the water level of the swimming pool, which is more than one meter, are completely different things.

This water can never be pumped out.

The space of the [Gorgeous Golden Box] is very large, so large that it can hold a whole swimming pool of water with still a lot of space left. But wanting to use the treasure chest to drain an entire lake of unknown depth is purely a daydream.

He took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "Diving into this? If this had been a player with a fear of the deep sea, it would have been a disaster... If I hadn't killed the ghost in the swimming pool earlier and got a piece of equipment, I wouldn't know how to explore this map."

Next to her, Yoshiko Satori was also looking at the lake.

Her instinct to seek good and avoid evil made her feel particularly uneasy.

She told this to Mizutani Makoto, but he just nodded and let her return to the amulet.

thump--!!

Makoto Mizutani jumped and fell straight into the artificial lake.

The water surface exploded with splashes and ripples.

[Scale of the Drowned] This bracer takes effect instantly.

A cool touch quickly spread along the wrist, as if a fine stream of water flowed along the meridians, directly reaching the heart, and then spreading to all the limbs and bones. It was extraordinary and strange.

The cool touch of the lake water gradually faded.

The oppression from the outside world slowly dissipated.

The original dull feeling of suffocation disappeared instantly, and the lungs no longer needed to be tightened all the time. It was as if an invisible barrier had appeared in the nasal cavity, preventing water from invading, but at the same time, one could clearly sense every fluctuation in the water and obtain the oxygen needed for survival.

He opened his eyes in the water.

The world at the bottom of the lake is deeper and more remote than imagined.

The moonlight refracted through the water surface, and its brightness was already weak. Now, gazing up at it from beneath the water surface, it felt like a floating silver thread, swaying gently among the waves above, but unable to illuminate the darkness below.

Fortunately, "underwater adaptation" gave him a buff similar to a night vision potion. The deep water world in front of Mizutani Makoto was exceptionally clear. He could even see the fine sand and fallen leaves covering the bottom of the lake at a glance.

"No monsters?"

In the lake, Mizutani Makoto was unable to speak, but he was thinking in his heart.

After receiving the "Underwater Adaptation" buff, Mizutani Makoto's movements were noticeably more fluid. Also, perhaps because the pool he'd previously dived into was too narrow and shallow, the experience of diving into the artificial lake was surprisingly different compared to the previous experience.

Water flow, heartbeat.

Mizutani Makoto was touched. He waved his arm lightly, and the oppressive water flow surged forward under his guidance... It's not that he can control the water, but his understanding of swordsmanship made him particularly skilled in the application of force. Coupled with the effect of [Scales of the Drowned], he actually felt that the situation was not that bad.

"The spirit of Ertianyishu is the spirit of 'water'."

Just like Master Li's Jeet Kune Do, both emphasize the martial arts spirit of not being bound by form and taking water as its essence.

In this environment surrounded by water, he actually had a different feeling... Especially when he was waving his arms to guide the water forward, this kind of water-playing action made him think deeply under the deep water.

"Maybe it's not that bad."

"After a while of adapting, I might be able to give 50% to 60% of my full strength."

Mizutani Makoto thought to himself.

But it’s time to explore.

Seeing that there were no small monsters or soldiers, Mizutani Makoto became bolder in his actions.

He sank slowly, his body as light as a fallen leaf. He adjusted his posture with the help of the weak buoyancy, then swung his legs and began to swim in the water like a fish.

The bottom of the lake gradually becomes open, and the outlines of some artificial structures can be vaguely seen. This lake was originally an artificial creation in history, so it is normal that some traces remain.

……calm.

It's too peaceful.

Mizutani Makoto sank to the bottom of the lake, and was almost moving forward by feeling the water. However, he still did not find any trace of monsters. This feeling reminded him of two places - one was the club building where each of the ghost storytellers occupied a piece of land, and the other was the Cursed Corridor in the school building, where there was no monster at all.

"The boss room?"

There seemed to be a strange smell in the water.

It was not the ordinary smell of mud and rotten leaves, but a kind of... with a faint smell of blood, as if someone had soaked the wound in lake water, and the blood in the wound continued to flow out under the guidance of the lake water, and was diluted by the lake water, leaving only a faint smell of blood floating on the bottom of this vast lake.

Mizutani Makoto frowned slightly. His sensitive senses allowed him to clearly detect the abnormality, so he could only endure the discomfort in his sense of smell and continue exploring along the bottom of the lake.

Without monsters, you can only explore the environment or props.

His body moved lightly through the dancing water plants and floating fallen leaves. It would be great if Satori Yoshiko could still come out. With her ability to avoid danger and seek good fortune, she would be a master at exploring the map. But now this artificial lake was extremely risky, and he couldn't let Yoshiko be in danger.

Fortunately, he was not mistaken in the direction.

The smell of blood in the water became stronger.

Suddenly, a strong chill surged from the soles of his feet to his heart, as if something had brushed past him. Mizutani Makoto, who was swimming, stopped immediately and looked around vigilantly, but the lake water was normal, as if nothing had happened.

"Who is there?"

He spoke subconsciously, and his voice slowly spread in the deep water. Fortunately, with the help of "underwater adaptation", he did not choke on water.

However, the smell of blood became stronger and stronger, almost unbearable.

Mizutani Makoto swam in the direction of the scent and found a sunken area not far away, which looked like a small cave. The entrance was surrounded by sharp stones, and dark red marks could be vaguely seen in the cracks.

Bloodstains?

In this monotonous lake bottom, there is finally a different scene layout.

Looking at the streaks of blood escaping, Mizutani Makoto immediately became alert. Without caring about his safety, he kicked his legs hard and swam towards the cave like a fish.

Suddenly, a strong sense of crisis came over me.

Makoto Mizutani was always alert, but after a few times he couldn't help feeling confused.

"There must be a boss at the bottom of this lake. I felt a strong sense of oppression just now...but why didn't he attack me?"

With doubts in his mind, Mizutani Makoto swam to the front of the cave.

When he finally saw the scene inside the cave clearly, he couldn't help but frown.

Inside the cave lies a skeleton.

The skeleton was mostly decayed, but its former posture could still be seen—its arms clasped tightly across its chest, as if protecting something. Scattered beside the skeleton were a few pieces of tattered cloth and a few odds and ends. Among the most conspicuous were a ring and a familiar... diary?

He touched the ring and found that it was already rusted, and Tongzi did not give any hint that this thing was not "equipment".

Instead, there was a water-soaked diary next to the ring.

[Sato Ayako's Diary Part 2]

"...?"

When he saw the name "Sato Ayako" again, Mizutani Makoto was stunned.

Isn’t this the music teacher that Soichiro Hiiragihara brought to the school?

In Kurosawa Ryohito's background explanation, Sato Ayako once cooperated with Hiiragihara Soichiro to supervise and provide special training to students in the "cram school".

Makoto Mizutani had taken her "Sato Ayako's Diary Part 1" from the music classroom before, and now he was shocked to see the diary of the same series again.

"Why is her diary at the bottom of the lake?"

"Could it be that the skeleton in front of us is Sato Ayako?"

Mizutani Makoto gripped the rocks beside the cave, his fingers firmly grasping, using the weak current to steady himself. His gaze was fixed on the skeleton, half-buried in the mud, curled up quietly there, as if it had slept for countless years.

He reached out to grab the skeleton's wrist, mainly to see what it was protecting.

But before his fingertips touched the bones of his hand, he suddenly froze.

There is blood.

It's clearly decayed, with most of its body reduced to rotten bones, yet it's still bleeding?

Blood coming out of the neck?

Mizutani Makoto frowned and looked towards the source of the blood. He saw those blood threads slowly escaping from the neck of the skeleton like nematodes, floating gently in the water, and then slowly rising along the current, brushing against his cheek and wandering towards the lake surface.

The smell of blood then spread throughout the lake.

Weird, cold...an ominous aura permeated the blood.

Mizutani Makoto took a closer look, but he was not a forensic doctor and could not determine any information from the bones.

He simply stopped hesitating and reached out to grab the corpse's hand.

Instantly, an extremely cold feeling swept up like a tentacle, running down his arm and straight to his spine. Mizutani Makoto shuddered violently and almost let go.

But what made his scalp tingle even more was that the head of the corpse was actually slightly tilted to the side!

The originally lowered head seemed to be moved by the surging water, or maybe it was just his illusion, but when he looked down, the empty eye sockets of the skeleton were facing him.

It was like it was looking right at him!

Mizutani Makoto suppressed the chill in his heart and quickly shifted his attention to its chest. A yellowed photo slowly fell from the corpse's arms.

The paper had been swollen due to being soaked in water, and the edges were curled, but the pattern was still clearly visible. It looked like a large group photo with a large number of people on it... Mizutani Makoto only took a quick glance and didn't have time to take a closer look.

It has come to this, what are you afraid of?

Mizutani Makoto didn't make any move to draw his sword, and he didn't even intend to get entangled with the skeleton that might be the boss. This photo must be the key, and he could go back and study the other things slowly!

He reached out and grabbed the falling photo with a clean and neat movement.

There was nothing else unusual around, and there was no other place on the lake bottom worth exploring.

Mizutani Makoto kicked his legs suddenly and his body rushed to the water surface like an arrow.

The moment I broke through the water, the night wind blew in my face, carrying with it the cool moisture of the lake and a faint stench of decay.

The street lights in the distance were still flickering.

Mizutani Makoto breathed in the fresh air in big gulps, his chest heaving violently. Even with the blessing of the [Scales of the Drowned], he was still not as comfortable underwater as on land.

"Where am I now?"

He held the photo in his hand, looked around, and found himself in the center of the lake. He turned around and swam quickly towards the shore.

"You didn't come to hunt me down?"

"That skeleton just now was definitely able to move!"

"Is it the same as Tang Shizi? I haven't reached the requirements to trigger the BOSS yet?"

"And speaking of which, doesn't this scene feel like déjà vu? The items scattered around the boss... aren't these the Gap Woman? Before, I had to kill the Gap Woman before I could pick up the relevant clues and items, but now I'm picking up the clues directly without even triggering the boss fight."

You can skip the boss battle, but you must not skip the plot.

On the shore, Mizutani Makoto didn't care about his image. He sat down on the grass, facing the flickering street lights above his head, and began to study the harvest at the bottom of the lake.

The photo he just stole is called "Student Union Group Photo"

【Group photo of the Student Union】

Description: This photo captures the fourth student council of Hiiragigaoka Academy, a private school. This class includes 42 new members, along with their new advisor, Sato Ayako. Sato Ayako cares deeply for her students, and her students genuinely respect her.

No comments, just like a diary.

Mizutani Makoto's gaze suddenly paused at the number "42".

"Wait, forty-two?"

When this number is placed on this map, does it give you a sense of foreboding?