MTLNOVEL Chapter 16 - I'll Bet With You
The rooftop stood thirty meters above the ground, even higher than the city walls.
The night wind howled, carrying with it the ceaseless wailing from below, chilling both body and soul.
Yuuki pulled the tattered cloth around himself tighter. A bottle of cold water and a few chocolate bars were barely enough to restore some sensation to his body—along with a sharper awareness of pain.
Five abrasions, one bite wound, a muscle tear in his forearm, and several glass shards embedded in his back. Thankfully, the blood loss wasn’t severe.
He assessed his own condition and immediately grimaced.
Hiss—
“Hurts?”
Sakurajima Mai peeked out from behind him, holding a pair of tweezers she had borrowed from Li Dan.
“A little. But considering it’s a beauty helping me bandage up, the pain is still within tolerable limits.” Yuuki chuckled and turned his attention back to the map.
It was something Li Dan had scavenged from a garden woodworking shed and had casually kept with him. When the group gathered earlier to consolidate their supplies, Yuuki immediately asked for it.
The blueprint was too tattered, with outdated markings that no one could decipher. Since Yuuki had explored most of the castle and was the most familiar with the terrain, it was handed to him.
“Keep talking like that, and I’ll shove the glass shards back in,” Sakurajima Mai squinted at him, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
“If this is how Mai-san treats her lifesaver, then I can only lament my poor taste in judgment.”
“Hmph, still clinging to that? You just want me to repay the favor, don’t you?” Sakurajima Mai huffed as she flicked the glass shards aside.
“Of course. I never do things for free—I’ve been waiting for your repayment. Don’t look at me like that, I know you’re not that kind of person. I’ll let you know when I figure out what I want.”
“You…”
Sakurajima Mai let out a frustrated breath. Yuuki was certainly shameless, yet unlike the frivolous guys she had met before, she couldn’t bring herself to dislike him. Part of it was the debt of gratitude, but that wasn’t all.
That bloodstained silhouette was now etched into her mind—the boy gripping a blade, fighting desperately in the crimson-lit corridor. No matter how dire the situation, he had never abandoned her.
Just a moment ago, he had been precise and methodical, like a seasoned killer. But now he seemed normal again—maybe even a little amusing. Even she found herself relaxing in his presence.
A strange game, and an even stranger person.
Sakurajima Mai had met all sorts of people, but never someone with so many different faces. Perhaps only Hasaka came close. Lost in thought, she reached out with delicate fingers and gently touched his back.
“Ah—”
“No weird noises!”
The sudden pressure of alcohol-soaked gauze made Yuuki suck in a sharp breath, immediately dropping the teasing.
For an ordinary person with no training, Sakurajima Mai had already pushed her limits. Just being able to run through a corridor full of half-rotten ghouls was beyond what most people could manage. She simply hadn’t noticed it, overshadowed by Yuuki and Hasaka.
But Yuuki understood the value of her composure. Sitting cross-legged, he smiled and asked, “Senpai, once we make it out alive, what do you—”
“That’s a flag. Best not to say it.”
Before he could finish, a cold fingertip pressed against his lips. The black-haired girl’s expression turned oddly amused. “And by the way, you’re in college, so why am I the senpai?”
“No reason, just feels natural.” Yuuki shrugged.
“Wait… why do I get the feeling you already know me?” Sakurajima Mai narrowed her eyes, studying him carefully. She was sure they’d never met before.
Know you? I know more than you’d think.
“Mai-san, I’m actually a devoted fan of yours. I’ve been secretly collecting information on you, and meeting you in this game must be fate.”
“…That sounds like a stalker!”
“Yeah, but I’m a righteous stalker. Don’t you feel a growing curiosity about me?”
Sakurajima Mai did. Ever since she first saw him, this person had seemed both mysterious and intriguing. Of course, she wouldn’t admit it. Instead, she lifted her chin slightly.
“Nope. But if you’re really my fan, is that why you protected me?”
“Nah, I just made that up.”
The hint of pride in Sakurajima Mai’s expression vanished in an instant, replaced by gritted teeth. His words were sharp—too sharp. Even she couldn’t get the upper hand.
Combat ability aside, even in conversation, she was getting completely led around by the nose. It was embarrassing.
Just as she was about to retaliate, a head popped out from around the corner.
Hayasaka Ai had returned after wandering around, only to find Sakurajima Mai sulking.
“Oh? Did I come back at a bad time?” The blonde girl no longer had the chilling aura she did before. She covered her mouth in feigned surprise, her voice carrying a peculiar lilt. “But stumbling onto something this fun… today’s my lucky day~”
“Hasaka-san, stop looking at me like you just found class gossip!”
“Isn’t it, though? No, wait, this is more like a celebrity scandal. Don’t worry, I’ve seen plenty of entertainment industry drama—I won’t overreact.”
“…And where exactly have you seen that?”
“Magazines, of course. People my age love reading gossip mags.”
…
Just now, when you were swinging an axe at people, you didn’t seem this cheerful.
Sakurajima Mai gave up. What had she gotten herself into? Some kind of elite acting troupe? Why did everyone around her have multiple personas?
“Ahem. It’s just the three of us here—can we be a bit more serious?” Even Yuuki wasn’t used to this bubbly version of Hasaka and decided to bring things back on track.
“Okay~” Hasaka had no objections. She swiped a hand over her head as if putting on an invisible hat, and instantly, the mischievous, flirtatious smile vanished. Her entire demeanor shifted into something stiff and professional, her sharp gaze almost intimidating.
“Mai-san, you’ve never taken a first-aid course, have you?”
“Huh?”
“The way you tied that bandage is terrible. One good tug and it’ll come undone. Yuuki is an important combatant—you need to be more careful.”
Sakurajima Mai hadn’t even processed the change in Hayasaka Ai’s attitude when she saw her casually undo the bandages she had just finished wrapping.
“Wait, I can redo it properly—”
“Inadequate knowledge won’t change reality.”
“You… you’re teaching me how to do things?”
“Yeah, at least when it comes to this. No, actually, I can teach you a lot of things in this game.”
…
Sakurajima Mai suddenly found that JK form a lot more likable.
Sakurajima Mai was speechless once again. She pressed down on the other party’s hand, her expression serious.
“You’re tired too. Just leave this small task to me.”
“I already said, Yuuki is an important combat asset. This kind of thing should be handled by a professional. Besides, I’m just as grateful to him as you are, and I’m doing this willingly.”
“I should do it.”
“I’ll do it. Acting childish won’t help.”
“Who’s being childish?”
Sitting cross-legged, Yuuki looked down at the map, letting the two women tug him back and forth. Forget interrupting, he didn’t even have the urge to chime in.
Over the years, he hadn’t just been studying how to be a player—sticking his nose in at the wrong time could easily backfire.
Still, running into these two during the newbie phase was pretty lucky. They were familiar, good-looking, and useful, which helped take the edge off the overwhelming stench of blood.
The noise wasn’t bad either—it drowned out those irritating whimpers. How should he put it? It reminded him that he was still among the living.
Having gone through life-and-death together, the three of them had grown a little closer, forming an unspoken bond.
In the end, it was Hayasaka Ai who finished bandaging him up, textbook-perfect, covering every wound with precision.
“Thanks. Hm, better than what I could’ve done myself.” Yuuki stood up, rolling his shoulder. His stamina had recovered quite a bit.
“Did my best. Time for the next step, right?” Hayasaka Ai glanced toward the other side of the rooftop, where the Rich guy, the housewife, and the office lady huddled together, still looking like lost, headless chickens.
“I tested them earlier. These three are useless. They only survived this long under Thomas’ protection.”
“Leaving your fate in someone else’s hands… that’s one way to live. What about this Thomas guy?”
“Lustful. But not just that. Overall, he’s a smart one.” Hayasaka Ai’s lips curled into a cold smile. Even during her little probe earlier, the man had shown clear interest in her on the surface, but his eyes had been full of caution.
No surprises there. Yuuki had never treated the veteran player as some small fry. Misjudging someone like him could get you killed.
“No need to test him further. Those two veteran players still have the lead roles to play.”
“You have a plan?” Hayasaka Ai’s gaze shifted to the worn-out blueprint in front of them, riddled with tiny holes.
“Yeah, just confirmed a theory.” Yuuki didn’t elaborate. He simply tapped a spot on the map, then turned to the returning Li Dan and Thomas. “Can’t be completely sure, and we don’t have time to verify. We’ll have to gamble.”
Not far away, the two veteran players didn’t look too good. Heavy with thought, their little group discussion had gone nowhere. The two of them had checked every inch of the rooftop—nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape.
That, they could deal with. Worst case, they’d spend two nights getting blasted by the rooftop winds. But the real problem was that the red moon hadn’t set.
Just from their brief observations, they’d already noticed the ghouls growing stronger.
Faster. More frenzied.
The shattered doorway was like a broken faucet, spilling out an endless tide of the dead. The garden was already flooded, turning beautiful flowers into a sea of bobbing heads.
The castle was an island, and if things continued like this, when the ‘tsunami’ hit, even their corpses wouldn’t be left behind.
The grim faces of the veteran players cast a shadow over everyone’s hearts.
Sakurajima Mai glanced at the map in Yuuki’s hands. She couldn’t make sense of it, but she could feel the quiet confidence in the guy holding it—rare and precious in this endless night.
Pressing her lips together, she spoke in a voice that wasn’t entirely rational.
“Alright. I’ll bet with you.”