Strange Game - Anime Mashup

Tachibana Hina stared in shock at the slowly approaching figure.

The grotesque sight of unknown liquid oozing from its body assaulted her delicate heart repeatedly.

She had watched countless horror and supernatural films with her sister. Whenever the terrifying scenes unfolded, she would cling tightly to her sister, hiding in her arms to shield herself from the fear conjured by the screen.

But there was always a buffer—a screen separating her from the horror, a comforting awareness that it wasn't real.

This time, it was different.

Now, she was face-to-face with a terrifying monster in reality.

The acrid smell of burning filled the air, stimulating her senses. Every breath carried the pungent odor, and her nerves screamed warnings as the scene imprinted itself on her mind.

Step...

The monster loomed closer, moving faster with each step.

Hina instinctively stepped back, retreating to Lin Ye's side.

"Student Lin, the monster—it's coming toward us again. I think you're right. We're really trapped here," she said, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

Had she been alone, she would likely have collapsed, screaming in panic.

"What do we do? Should we run the other way?"

She glanced behind them, her legs ready to bolt, but she waited for Lin Ye's direction, clinging to the hope that he had a plan.

"Teacher, you go ahead. I'll take a closer look."

"Huh?"

Hina froze, clutching her hands even tighter.

"No, you can't! It's too dangerous!"

"Teacher, running blindly won't help us. We need clues to escape."

Clues?

Her eyes darted around the eerily quiet street. There was nothing out of the ordinary—no cars, no people, just an empty expanse. The only abnormality was the monster itself.

"Trust me, Ms. Tachibana. I'll be fine. I value my life too much. I've been single all this time, never even had a girlfriend. I don't plan to die here," Lin Ye joked lightly, softening the tense atmosphere just a little.

Hina clenched her fists, her lips quivering.

"I'm a teacher," she muttered.

Though fear gripped her, she couldn't bear to let her student face danger alone.

"Let me handle this," Lin Ye insisted. "Now's the time for me to step up. You're a girl—let me take charge for once!"

Before she could protest further, Lin Ye gently shook off her hand and strode toward the approaching monster.

Hina didn't flee. She stood frozen, biting her lip as she watched him, her heart racing with worry.

As Lin Ye neared the creature, the air around him grew stifling. The smell of burning intensified, pungent and suffocating.

The creature's bulging eyes twitched, its grotesque face twisting into a grin. A thick liquid dripped from its jagged maw, sizzling as it hit the ground.

Heat radiated from its body, and Lin Ye could feel sweat forming on his forehead.

With an angry roar, the creature lunged suddenly, its movements startling Hina. She gasped, fearing the worst for Lin Ye.

"Careful!" she shouted instinctively.

Boom!

The monster's strike missed as Lin Ye swiftly sidestepped, keeping a three-to-four-meter distance.

He observed the melted ground where the creature had stepped moments before.

High temperature… the smell of burning…

Lin Ye's eyes narrowed.

The monster wasn't just grotesque—it was on fire.

When its initial attack failed, the creature roared again. Its flesh split open, revealing raw, pulsing tissue underneath. It swung a massive arm, aiming to crush Lin Ye.

But Lin Ye remained calm, retreating with precision, always maintaining his distance. The monster grew angrier, its attacks wild and uncoordinated, yet it could never get close to him.

The temperature rose even further. Lin Ye felt the heat intensify, and an idea began to form in his mind.

Suddenly, the creature changed tactics. Realizing it couldn't catch Lin Ye, it turned abruptly and charged toward Hina.

The unexpected move sent alarm bells ringing in her mind. She stumbled backward instinctively, her body moving on pure reflex.

But before it could reach her—

Boom!

The creature was struck down, falling heavily to the ground. A metallic clink echoed as a coin fell beside it.

"I didn't give you permission to leave," Lin Ye said calmly.

In the brief pause during the struggle, Lin Ye had not only struck the monster with a critical blow but had also removed his socks and stuffed them into its mouth.

As the socks burned rapidly, disintegrating before his eyes, Lin Ye's suspicions were confirmed.

"This thing is burning," he murmured.

The acrid smell, the heat, the rising intensity—it all pointed to one conclusion.

"If I'd touched it directly, my hand would have turned to charcoal in seconds," he realized grimly.

Turning to Hina, he said firmly, "Teacher, I know how to stop it."

"Water. Water is the key."

Hina's eyes widened slightly. She didn't fully understand why water was the solution, but Lin Ye's confidence reassured her.

However, a new problem loomed.

Where can we find water?

She scanned the area desperately, but there was nothing—not a faucet, not a puddle, not even a hint of moisture.

Despite knowing the solution, they had no way to implement it.

Panic crept into Hina's heart as she realized their predicament.

The empty streets offered no clues—solid asphalt pavement stretched endlessly, bordered by telephone poles and walls. There wasn't a single hint of water.

"There's no faucet," Tachibana Haruna muttered.

"No pools or rivers anywhere."

"Where are we supposed to find water?"

Anxiety surged within her, and her eyes began to sting with tears.

Listening to the distant sounds of Lin Ye fighting the monster, she forced herself to stay calm, though dread clung to her thoughts like a shadow.

"Lin Ye, wait for me. I'll check over there," she said suddenly, spinning around and running off without waiting for a reply.

Meanwhile, Lin Ye calculated the timing carefully. When the moment felt right, he activated Time Stop and created more distance between himself and the monster.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from its line of sight.

A guttural roar of frustration echoed behind him.

Lin Ye tried to scale a wall and enter one of the houses lining the street, but an invisible barrier blocked his way—a solid, immovable wall of air.

"This really is just like a game," he sighed, frustration creeping into his voice. "I should regroup with my teacher first."

After some time, Lin Ye spotted Hina ahead. She was limping, her movements awkward and pained as she tried to walk faster.

"Teacher, you're hurt."

"I'm fine," she replied weakly, forcing a smile. "But what about you? Are you okay, Lin Ye?"

"I'm fine," he reassured her.

Under the glow of a streetlamp, Hina examined him carefully. Aside from a few singed patches on his clothes, he appeared unharmed. Relief washed over her.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I'm sorry I couldn't find any water. I tried to climb over the wall but…" She trailed off, her voice trembling.

"But you sprained your ankle," Lin Ye finished, noticing her uneven gait and the absence of her shoes.

Despite wearing thick socks, she had been walking barefoot on the rough asphalt—a painful ordeal.

"I'll carry you," he offered, crouching down in front of her.

"No, carrying me will slow you down," she protested, glancing nervously behind them. "It's coming!"

The grotesque monster emerged from the darkness, its sizzling blood and flesh filling her heart with dread once more. She imagined the fiery agony of being burned alive, her body reduced to ash.

"Come on," Lin Ye urged, motioning for her to climb onto his back. "We don't have time to argue."

Swallowing her hesitation, Hina leaned down and wrapped her arms around his neck.

It was the first time she'd been this close to a man. To her surprise, his broad shoulders and steady presence felt reassuring.

Lin Ye hooked his hands beneath her legs and lifted her effortlessly. He noted the sensation through her socks and thought to himself, Older tangerines are plumper and softer. A ripe peach flavor—not bad at all.

He began moving quickly, the monster closing in behind them with every step.

"Lin Ye, please put me down! We can't move fast enough like this!"

"Trust me, Teacher," he said firmly.

With that, he broke into a run.

Activating Time Stop, he managed to widen the distance between them and the monster, leaving only its frustrated roars echoing in the street.

"We can't keep this up," Hina said, her voice tinged with desperation. "You'll exhaust yourself at this rate. If we can't find water, maybe we can use blood? I have more blood than you—use mine!"

Lin Ye glanced at her, understanding dawning in her eyes. She had pieced together why water was the key.

"Even if human blood could kill it, how much do you think we'd need?" Lin Ye countered. "The maximum safe blood donation is 400 milliliters. Losing more than 1,200 milliliters at once will send you into shock. It's not a viable option."

"But if we keep running…"

"It's fine," he interrupted. "I already know where to find water."

"Wait, really? Where?" she asked, her voice rising in disbelief.

Ahead, the street stretched endlessly into the abyss, the emptiness threatening to swallow them whole. Hina shivered and looked away, unable to bear the oppressive sight.

"Right there." Lin Ye stopped abruptly.

Her gaze followed his to a vending machine standing inconspicuously by the roadside.

"Oh!" Her face lit up in realization. "The mineral water in the vending machine!"

She suddenly felt foolish—fixated on finding faucets, sinks, or rivers, she had completely overlooked bottled water.

"This vending machine has been here all along," she said, shaking her head in amazement. "Lin Ye, your observation skills are incredible!"

Lin Ye gently set her down in front of the machine. Hina quickly pulled out a 100-yen coin from her wallet and inserted it.

Nothing happened.

Frowning, she tried again. Still no response.

"How can this be?" she muttered, pale-faced. "The water's right here, but we can't get it!"

"Smash it," she said angrily, raising her foot to kick the machine. Lin Ye stopped her in time.

"I've got another coin," he said calmly.

"But the problem is the vending machine…"

Lin Ye slid the coin into the slot.

Clink, clunk.

To their surprise, the vending machine whirred to life, and with a loud thud, two bottles of mineral water rolled into the tray.

Hina stared, bewildered.

"What just happened? Did the machine just reject my money? That's outrageous!"

Lin Ye didn't bother explaining. He picked up the bottles, confident in his theory.

"Watch me, Teacher."

"Be careful," she said, her voice filled with both hope and worry.

With a determined look, Lin Ye advanced toward the monster, clutching a bottle of water in each hand.

The creature remained unaware of the impending danger, its charred flesh and burning stench growing more intense as it snarled and advanced.