Clara had broken her own taboo.
In front of the drone’s camera, she had an absolutely forbidden “intimate contact” with Sista.
Specifically…
Sista hugged Clara tightly from the front, while Clara was wearing only a swimsuit. It looked just like a romantic drama where the lovers are unwilling to part—this was really going to spark rumors.
[Two minutes and forty seconds left.]
Even worse, this was just the beginning.
Next, the two of them needed to silently embrace each other on this scenic platform overlooking the bay, letting the sea breeze blow over them, holding one another for a long time without letting go.
What a romantic scene.
“Seriously, isn’t there any better way for us to do this?!”
Because they were both A-types, they stuck even closer together. Just holding on like this, Clara could feel Sista’s hot breath on her forehead.
Time ticked by in this awkward silence, though it seemed only Clara felt awkward. Being hugged by Clara, Sista actually looked delighted and even rubbed her cheek against Clara’s hair.
Lucia would react the same way when holding the Moon Rabbit. Clara realized her position in Sista’s eyes might not be much different from that of a pet dog.
But just as it was about to end, a group of floating…
White bed sheets?
“Even at a time like this, they’re still playing ghost tricks… Huh?”
She thought it was staff members playing ghosts, but on closer look, there were really no feet under those sheets, and distorted facial features bulged above the fabric.
“Wha?! Sista, behind you…”
Clara was about to warn her, but Sista said, “There’s one behind you too…”
“For real?!”
Was this some sort of mechanism?
Clara’s little tentacle shot out from her hair toward the ghostly figure, but before it could touch the sheet, all the ghosts vanished into thin air, just like the will-o’-the-wisps from before.
“Don’t tell me this island really has ghosts? Or maybe it’s some kind of holographic projection?”
Clara felt a bit uneasy, but Sista replied, “No, those just now didn’t feel like projections. They had temperature… and if it were a projection, there’d be a source somewhere.”
As she spoke, she gently stroked Clara’s back.
[All right.]
Nyx’s voice brought a sense of relief. Clara finally pushed Sista away, and rubbed her own arms, looking a little uncomfortable.
“It really is fixed.”
The T-shirt lining under her sun-protection suit had returned to normal. Nyx’s explanation made Clara frown.
Judging by how Fran had lost her gas mask as soon as she ran back into the hall earlier, this “radiation range” was even smaller than expected. In other words, until the stream ended, Sista couldn’t stray too far from her, or the sports bra under her T-shirt would show again…
Doesn’t sound too difficult?
Clara picked up the toy bear on the ground as a collectible and urged, “Maybe it’s just a trick from Miss Dharma. Let’s not overthink it—let’s keep moving.”
She had no idea what was going on in the livestream chat. Seeing herself and Sista hugging for three minutes, and even facing ghosts without letting go—fans and public opinion were probably exploding.
Just thinking about it gave Clara a headache, so she refused to consider the consequences. Sista, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care at all, and was even more satisfied after hugging Clara for three minutes. She looked so refreshed, it was as if all the day’s fatigue had been healed.
Hmm, do I really have that kind of effect?
With heavy thoughts, they climbed uphill. Along the way, the staff pretending to be ghosts became fewer and fewer. The same tricks get less effective the more they’re used. Clara figured this crew was probably planning a big scare for her somewhere up ahead.
But there were fewer lanterns on the road, too. The woods grew thicker and the surroundings became darker and more ominous.
Clara’s glowing skin stood out even more in this environment, making her even more eye-catching.
They pressed on, and near the mountaintop’s suspended stone platform, they found another new collectible doll. This time it wasn’t hung from a tree, but just blatantly placed beside a bush, as if afraid they wouldn’t see it.
“We’re almost at the top and this is only the second one. Did we miss any earlier?”
Clara looked back to talk to Sista while squatting to pick up the doll. Careless as she was, she suddenly felt a coldness at her wrist—a pale, skeletal hand burst from the ground in front of the doll and grabbed her.
So, they really aren’t projections.
A chilling cold shot up her spine. The unprepared Clara was so frightened she screamed.
“Ah!!”
But as she tried to pull back, the ghost hand vanished just like the ghost fire and spirits before, leaving Clara sitting dumbly on the spot.
“…Ugh.”
The squid-girl’s nose tingled; she almost burst into tears.
But she managed to hold it in.
So this was why the scares had been less frequent along the way—they were waiting for her here?
“Miss Clara, are you all right?”
Sista helped Clara to her feet.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine, just got startled…”
This test-of-courage was too realistic. What kind of technology did they use for all these ghostly tricks along the way?
Clara patted her chest to calm herself.
None of the mechanisms had actually hurt her; they only gave her a fright. It should just be the “surprises” that Shufang Dharma and the others prepared. Even if she got scared, it wasn’t really a big deal.
On the contrary, the anticipated Psycho never showed up. Even after seeing Clara and Sista hugging for three minutes, she didn’t react at all? Or maybe she really wasn’t hiding nearby to observe?
It seemed nothing unexpected would happen in tonight’s event.
At the summit, the place was bright with lanterns. Shufang Dharma could even be seen waving at them. While the contestants rushed for the starting point, she had already come here to serve as the comedy’s director.
Comedy is the enjoyment of others’ misfortune.
For viewers watching the livestream, Clara’s screams were the most entertaining highlight.
“Oh my, Group B reached the finish line first~”
“Huh? We’re actually first?!”
Did the other groups run into traps?
Or did Psycho go and mess with the others?
Shufang Dharma handed over two bottles of water but glanced at the dirty doll in Clara’s hand.
“But you’re one collectible short~”
Clara protested, “There were no hints along the way! Even if we missed one, we’d never know.”
“All the collectibles were placed in obvious spots. As long as you weren’t walking up with your eyes shut, at least one of you should’ve seen them… Maybe you two were just too rushed?”
“Uh…”
Clara didn’t dare claim she’d been paying attention.
In fact, both dolls she had now were first found by Sista. Maybe she really had been a bit careless.
Of course, she’d never admit it was because she was scared.
“Should we go back and look for it?”
“No need. Since you were the first team to arrive, you might not be able to win, but you still have a way to keep anyone else from winning…”
“Huh?”
Clara didn’t quite catch that, so Shufang Dharma smiled and explained:
“As long as you keep everyone else from finishing the game too, you’ll win.”
[It’s only temporary. In the next round, you two must keep a certain distance from each other. Nyx’s ‘repair’ and ‘creation’ abilities only work within the drive’s radiation range.]
Oh dear.