Boom. Boom. Boom.
Amamiya waited silently, watching as Hayasaka passed by the window. The moment she was near, he tapped gently on the glass.
Hearing the sound, Hayasaka turned toward the window. When her gaze landed on him, she froze for a brief moment, surprise flickering across her delicate features.
"Senpai?"
Her pink lips moved soundlessly, forming the words.
Bracing against the cold, Amamiya pulled out his notebook and scribbled a message:
"Can you come outside?"
Hayasaka shook her head slightly, signaling that she couldn't.
"Looks like her freedom is restricted."
Unfazed, Amamiya wrote another message:
"Can you lure one of the dwarves out on their own?"
Hayasaka blinked, then gave a small nod.
"Wait for my signal," he wrote.
There were seven dwarves in total, each with mushrooms growing on their heads. Their abilities were unknown, and charging in recklessly wouldn't be confidence—it would be pure stupidity.
Careful planning was necessary. Only by preparing thoroughly could they ensure success.
After relaying his message to the spy maid, Amamiya silently made his way back to the valley's entrance.
—
At the edge of the valley, Chika, Tsubame, and their small guide huddled together, using each other's body heat for warmth.
Seeing him return, Chika's eyes brightened as she whispered eagerly:
"Amamiya, what's the situation? Did you find Hanamori-chan?"
"I did," Amamiya confirmed, recounting what he had just seen. "There are seven dwarves, all with mushrooms growing on their heads. Now they're mushroomdwarves. Hanamori is inside the wooden house and can't leave—her movements are restricted. She's currently working as a maid, serving food."
Tsubame, still holding Little Red Riding Hood in her arms, frowned.
"If her freedom is restricted, then these dwarves aren't like the ones from fairy tales. If we rush in recklessly, we could be putting ourselves in danger."
"Exactly." Amamiya nodded. "That's why we need to lure them out one by one and pluck the mushrooms off their heads individually."
Chika tapped her chin thoughtfully. "How do we trick them?"
"We'll leave that to Hanamori," Amamiya replied. "For now, let's prepare by transferring the purification skill to Senpai."
Restoring the dwarves to their original state required removing the mushrooms growing on their heads.
Amamiya was, naturally, the attendingphysician in this operation. Chika and Tsubame? They were just the nurses.
Chika extended her hand without hesitation—after so many "copy-paste" experiences, she was already used to it. Tsubame, on the other hand, blushed slightly, not as accustomed to this as Chika. Still, she wasn't as shy as Komi, so after a brief pause, she reached out as well.
Amamiya held Tsubame's hand in his left and Chika's in his right.
Different girl, same cold touch.
"It's freezing," he muttered, his expression blank. "Why are your hands like ice?"
"It's only natural after walking in the snow for so long," Chika said, shaking her hands slightly. "You're so warm—just let me absorb some of your heat."
Tsubame subconsciously nodded in agreement.
I have to admit… warming my hands like this is pretty nice.
The three of them stood in a corner, exchanging warmth while whispering their next steps, double-checking their plan for any flaws, and finalizing the details of their operation.
With the plan in place, Amamiya shifted his attention back to the two girls. After a few minutes of hand-warming, their hands had returned to a normal temperature. Held in his own, their skin felt delicate, smooth—almost too comfortable.
An impulse struck him.
Without thinking, he gave the secretary's palm a light squeeze.
"Don't move."
Chika shot him an annoyed glare.
"What's wrong?" Tsubame asked curiously.
"It's nothing." Chika, of course, wouldn't explain what had happened. Seeing that Amamiya was still teasing her, she rolled her eyes and turned away. "Later, don't hesitate, Senpai. Just hold the dwarf down."
"I know…"
Tsubame nodded, but suddenly felt her palm being pinched as well. Her eyes widened as she turned to stare at Amamiya.
He looked back at her with perfect calm.
"Yes, it was me."
"…"
A faint blush spread across her cheeks. Biting her lower lip, Tsubame muttered inwardly:
"It's one thing to tease her in front of Chika, but shouldn't you at least feel a little guilty?"
"We've held hands before, and you never did this to anyone… Could it be the mushroom's influence?"
Suspicious, she pursed her lips and looked up at the top of Amamiya's head.
Unfortunately, the dim light made it impossible to tell whether the mushroom had grown larger.
Come to think of it, Little Red Riding Hood had mentioned that mushrooms weren't dangerous at first, but as they grew, their influence over one's mind would intensify—until, eventually, the host would transform into an evil mushroom man.
"Good thing we can remove them. Otherwise, my innocence would be at risk!"
Suddenly, Tsubame's eyes flickered with realization.
"Wait a second."
She turned to Chika. "Don't tell me she was bullied too?"
"It must be the case."
"Not only was he teasing me, but he was teasing Chika too? That's too much!"
"…"
A few moments later.
Amamiya finally released their hands. "Let's stick to the plan."
With that, the three of them swiftly moved into action.
After sneaking back to the cabin, Amamiya peered inside through the window. Within moments, his eyes locked onto the spy maid.
Their gazes met.
Amamiya took out his notebook and wrote:
"It's time to act."
Hayasaka gave a small nod before approaching one of the dwarves. She whispered something to him, and soon, a burly, bearded dwarf staggered outside.
As he stepped out, the dwarf suddenly sniffed the air. A strange yet enticing aroma filled his senses. Looking around, his gaze quickly landed on a half-opened bag of bread lying on the ground. Its golden crust shimmered invitingly under the faint light.
His interest piqued, the dwarf waddled over, bent down, and picked it up. At first, he examined it with mild curiosity—then, hesitantly, took a small bite.
The instant the buttery, meat-floss flavor hit his tongue, his eyes widened.
Within seconds, he was devouring the bread, stuffing it into his mouth.
"Ah…!"
A startled cry echoed through the night.
The dwarf snapped his head up and saw a small girl in a red hood dashing away in a panic, clutching the remaining half-bag of bread.
His excitement surged. Snorting out two streams of air from his nostrils, he bolted after her.
One running, one chasing—the two figures quickly disappeared into the distance.
At that moment, Chika stepped out from the shadows, dramatically pointing at the dwarf.
"Outlaw Don, it's you!"
The dwarf blinked in confusion.
"Don?"
Before he could react, a figure leapt out from behind a nearby tree. Tsubame swiftly grabbed his shoulder.
"You're under arrest."
The campaign against organized crime and evil had officially begun. The forced surrender strategy was now in effect.
The dwarf froze on the spot, only his eyes and mouth still able to move. In a muffled voice, he stammered:
"Humans… what have you done to me?"
"Don't worry, we're actually doctors," Amamiya said reassuringly, stepping forward with a gentle smile.
Then, with practiced ease, he pulled out a cloth and stuffed it into the dwarf's mouth.
The dwarf's eyes widened in horror.
Under his petrified gaze, Amamiya slowly pulled out a kitchen knife.
"Now then…" He tilted his head. "It's time for surgery."
"!!???"
Amamiya reached out and touched the mushroom growing on top of the dwarf's head. Almost instantly, the game system displayed identification information:
[Item: Greedy Mushroom]
[Status: Mature]
[Description: A mushroom that amplifies the greed within its host, twisting their personality.]
[Note: Special means are required for removal. Forcibly plucking it will result in the target's death.]
With a swift motion, Amamiya equipped the Dark Chef Badge. Almost immediately, the method for safely extracting the GreedyMushroom appeared before his eyes.
"Good, the procedure isn't too complicated," he remarked, absorbing the information. "Let's get started. Prepare for the operation."
"Got it."
Chika stepped forward, helping to restrain the dwarf. As she secured the ropes, she tilted her head and mused, "You know, this guy is even shorter than Cupid."
Hey, that's a Hobbit, not Cupid!
Amamiya sharpened his knife.
Chika stood by, assisting with preparations.
Tsubame ensured the captured dwarf remained subdued.
Little Red Riding Hood, leveraging her own experience as a former patient, provided moral support.
The only one left despairing was the dwarf himself, now deeply regretting his actions.
All this over half a piece of bread…
"Greed truly is a terrifying sin."
"It's time."
With everything in place, Amamiya approached the bound dwarf, kitchen knife in hand.
The dwarf, barely standing at 1.2 or 1.3 meters tall, looked even smaller than a Hobbit. His rough, bearded face was unlike anything seen in modern times—closer to a character from a medieval fantasy.
"Relax. No need to be nervous," Amamiya reassured, flashing a confident smile. "I've performed plenty of clinicalsurgeries. The success rate is 100%. It'll only hurt for a second, and then it'll be over."
"…"
The dwarf squeezed his eyes shut in despair.
A few moments later.
"Done."
Amamiya carefully plucked the GreedyMushroom from the dwarf's head and stored the dark-ingredient-classified fungus safely in his backpack.
Tsubame released her grip, lifting the suppression effect.
The dwarf sat up abruptly, his hands flying to the top of his head.
"The mushroom…is really gone? I'm alive?" he asked in disbelief.
"I told you, you wouldn't die," Little Red Riding Hood said smugly. "The brave hero is strong enough to remove any mushroom."
Under the mushroom's influence, greed had twisted and corrupted every host it latched onto. Fortunately, once removed, its effects faded almost instantly.
With the GreedyMushroom gone, the dwarf—now free from its influence—seemed to regain his original personality. Encouraged by both Little Red Riding Hood and Amamiya's surgical expertise, he made a firm decision:
"I'll go back immediately and lure the others out one by one so we can remove their mushrooms too!"
"Not so fast," Amamiya interrupted. "We need to rest first."
Although the dwarf had turned over a new leaf, Amamiya wasn't about to trust him completely just yet.
As a precaution, he grasped both Chika's and Tsubame's hands once again, activating his Crime and Evil Suppression skill. Then, sneaking to the back of the cabin, he relayed a message to their undercover ally—spy maid Hayasaka.
Their strategy remained unchanged: bait and ambush.
It was a simple trick, but it worked.
The second GreedyMushroom removal went just as smoothly.
With two dwarves now cleansed, the group no longer needed to rely solely on bait tactics. Instead, they could use the converted dwarves to lure the others out.
One by one, more dwarves were freed.
"Thank you for the surgery, brave one."
"It's incredible… You can actually remove these mushrooms?"
"Our eldest brother is still inside. Ever since his mushroom grew, he's been prone to violent outbursts. We're all terrified of him."
"But if we can get rid of his mushroom, things will go back to the way they were!"
"I'll go trick him into coming outside!"
"I'm coming too!"
"Trick him? No! We're helping him!"
"…"
Surrounded by eager dwarves, Amamiya sighed.
At this point, even if he wanted to leave, these dwarves would probably beg him to operate on their leader.
Cracking his knuckles, he flexed his wrists.
"Alright. Just one left. Let's go in and finish this."
At this point, there was no reason to linger in the snow any longer.
A group of people and dwarves marched toward the wooden house in an imposing formation.
The moment the door swung open, a gust of icy wind, laden with snow, rushed inside.
"Bastards!"
The last remaining dwarf, who had been feasting at the table, slammed his fist down in fury. He shot up from his seat, his face twisting with anger.
"You just had to throw the door open like that—!" His words cut off as his gaze landed on the unexpected intruders. "Who the hell are you?"
Amamiya stepped inside first. Thankfully, the ceiling was high enough that he didn't hit his head.
"I'm the attending physician," he announced calmly. "Your brothers invited me."
"Big brother, you're sick. Really sick."
"Brother, we've changed our ways."
"…"
"Hanamori-chan, we're here!"
Spotting the spy maid in the corner, Chika called out excitedly.
Originally composed, Hayasaka's expression shifted. Seeing how delighted Chika was, she quickly put on a cooperative smile.
"Everyone," she played along.
"You… You're all players, aren't you?"
A voice, filled with surprise, broke through the moment.
Amamiya turned his gaze and noticed someone he hadn't paid attention to before. Besides Hayasaka, there was another female player in the room, staring at them in astonishment.
Amamiya gave her a slight nod before refocusing on the eldest dwarf.
Unlike the others, his anger didn't manifest in green hues but in deep crimson. His entire body was flushed red, the veins in his neck bulging, his form unnaturally swollen—a clear sign of the mushroom's influence.
Before Amamiya could act, the other six dwarves charged forward, pinning their eldest brother down with practiced ease.
"Master Hero, hurry! We've captured Big Brother!"
"Please, remove the mushroom from his head!"
"Brother, just endure it for a moment! It'll hurt at first, but you'll feel better soon!"
"…"
As Amamiya pulled out his kitchen knife and approached, the unfamiliar female player hesitated before asking curiously:
"…What exactly are you doing?"
"Picking mushrooms," Chika declared matter-of-factly. She planted a hand on her hip, lifted her chin, and added with a touch of pride, "No, that's not it. We're curing diseases and saving lives!"
Hayasaka's mind worked fast, instantly catching on.
"…There's something wrong with that mushroom, isn't there?"
"It's not just 'something' wrong…"
Tsubame shut the door, turned around, and walked over to explain the situation in detail.
The female player's eyes widened in shock. "That bad? No wonder these dwarves don't match the fairy tales… They felt really off."
Her gaze drifted back to Amamiya, who stood amidst a group of dwarves, busily sharpening his knives while giving instruction.
A sudden chill crawled up her spine.
Why… do I feel like this guy is scarier than the dwarves?