Drink It-Don't Spill a Single Drop / Is It Really Wrong to Bribe the Vengeful-Spirit Teacher?

[So scary, so scary, so scary, so scary...]

Kaguya-exclusive version, trembling in fear.jpg.

Click the drop-down to view.

Drinking It Down—Not a Single Drop Spilled

"Shinomiya, what are you doing?"

Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help asking.

"..."

Shinomiya Kaguya didn't answer. Her eyes glistened with tears as she glanced over.

You're the legendary Ice Kaguya-hime, who bleeds but never cries. What's with that teary-eyed, on-the-verge-of-crying expression?

You look just like an elementary school student who accidentally took a bite of a super bitter green pepper and wanted to spit it out, but could only swallow it reluctantly under an adult's stern gaze, desperately holding back her tears!

"Hey, hey, Kaguya-chan, are you okay?"

Fujiwara Chika, who was busy sticking out her tongue, looked over with concern. "Why are you crying? The borscht is super bitter, sure, but it can't be bitter enough to make you cry, can it?"

Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face was pale, and her eyes brimmed with tears. She tremulously managed to utter a few words:

"M-my eyes..."

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Fujiwara Chika widened her eyes and leaned closer. Her clear pink eyes were especially pretty, and the little bunnies on her chest swayed as she bent over, bringing Newton's cradle to mind. "Did a bug accidentally fly in? Don't be scared. I'll blow it out for you."

Amamiya Natsuki's heart stirred. His eyes fell on the borscht in Shinomiya Kaguya's hands, and he suddenly thought of a possibility.

Eyes...

Borscht that turned fear into hallucinations...

No way.

Could you have been letting your imagination run wild until you started hallucinating and saw a strange eye in the borscht?

Stop letting your imagination run wild!

The more you think about it, the more dangerous it gets. Someone like Fujiwara, who's all boobs and no brains, can actually get through this with ease!

"Mealtime is almost over." The Pig-head Butcher's deep, weighty voice came from the kitchen. "Students, please leave the cafeteria as soon as possible."

At those words, the Vengeful Spirit students and Unlucky Players in the cafeteria sprang up as if granted a pardon, hurrying out one after another as though fleeing for their lives.

Shinomiya Kaguya quickly put down her borscht and tried to stand.

"Kaguya-chan, you can't run away." Fujiwara Chika reached out her right hand and pressed down on Shinomiya Kaguya's shoulder. Her expression was serious. "You can't waste food. The Head Chef will get mad, and what if he comes after us?"

"Those are all hallucinations. There's nothing in the soup. You're just scaring yourself."

Amamiya Natsuki quickly explained the hidden rule again.

"So that's how it is." Fujiwara Chika suddenly understood. "No wonder everyone looks so scared and like they can barely swallow it."

"Even if you say that..."

Shinomiya Kaguya bit her lower lip and looked at the borscht. The tears in her eyes nearly spilled over.

As they spoke, the horrifying ingredients in the borscht seemed to multiply.

I can't drink this.

There's no way I can drink this!

"Kaguya-classmate, could you show a little more backbone?"

Amamiya Natsuki tried encouraging his teammate in the same way. "Hurry up and learn from Fujiwara. Hold your nose, close your eyes, and down it in one gulp."

Unfortunately, this time the encouragement didn't work. It failed to stir any fighting spirit in Shinomiya Kaguya.

"The cafeteria's about to close. There's definitely no time to buy another serving..." Fujiwara Chika fretted, pressing two fingers hard against her temples. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Ah, I've got an idea!"

"Amamiya-classmate." Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands to her chest and looked over with wide, expectant eyes, like a little deer. "You haven't finished your borscht. Why don't you switch with Kaguya-chan?"

"Huh?"

Amamiya Natsuki froze, then suddenly saw the light.

It was a pretty good idea. It could solve the problem right in front of them.

Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't drink the borscht because the things she was imagining were too terrifying. Just switch bowls, and the problem would resolve itself.

"Sure." Amamiya Natsuki nodded and pushed his half-finished borscht toward Shinomiya Kaguya. She was his teammate and his classmate. He couldn't just leave her to deal with it alone. "Let's switch."

Shinomiya Kaguya hesitated.

"Why are you hesitating, Kaguya-chan!" Fujiwara Chika cried. "Now's not the time to worry about indirect kissing!"

"I'm not worried about that!"

Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't help retorting.

She was obviously worried that there might be some awful ingredient resembling an eye in the borscht. If she gave it to Amamiya Natsuki, she'd feel a twinge of guilt. That was all!

"Don't worry. Indirect kissing won't get you pregnant." Fujiwara Chika kept delivering blows to her teammate. "If we were trapped in the desert and had to survive, we could even drink [beep--]."

What the hell! What disgusting thing did you just say? It got censored!

"Amamiya-classmate, please."

Shinomiya Kaguya quickly made up her mind and handed over her borscht.

"Remember, keep calm and don't let your imagination run wild. You'd better learn from Fujiwara-classmate: close your eyes and down it in one gulp."

Amamiya Natsuki took the borscht and tipped it back, drinking it all in one go.

"Kaguya-classmate, hurry up and drink." Fujiwara Chika put her hands on her hips. "Don't worry, you won't get pregnant."

"P-pregnant..."

Shinomiya Kaguya's eyelashes trembled, and the borscht before her changed in some inexplicable way once again.

Thud, thud, thud.

Heavy footsteps came from the direction of the kitchen.

"Oh, the Head Chef is coming out." Fujiwara Chika said nervously. "Kaguya-chan, there's no time!"

"I-I know."

Shinomiya Kaguya took a deep breath, held the bowl in both hands, and closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes trembled nonstop as she tipped her head back and drank, imitating Amamiya Natsuki.

Glug, glug, glug.

"Ura—"

Unfortunately, there was no triumphant "Ura!" from Young Lady Kaguya—only a muffled, aggrieved cough as she covered her mouth.

"Let's get out of here." Amamiya Natsuki urged them on.

In the empty, chilly cafeteria, only the Pig-head Butcher's heavy footsteps echoed.

The three hurried out of the cafeteria.

"If only we could stay in the cafeteria forever."

Amamiya Natsuki sounded regretful.

The cafeteria was a rare treasure trove. It felt great to throw his weight around by borrowing the Pig-head Head Chef's reputation.

Unfortunately, all good things had to end. He wondered if he'd ever see the Head Chef again.

"Where should we go next?"

The three returned to the signpost.

"Hmm..." Fujiwara Chika folded her right arm across her chest and pondered for two seconds before quickly raising her hand to suggest, "How about the examination hall?"

"Kaguya-classmate is super smart. She's been top of her grade in every exam from elementary school through high school. She'll definitely pass the exam with ease."

"..."

Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help feeling that this idiot was jinxing them.

"Definitely pass with ease" sounded a lot like "Once this battle's over, I'm going home to get married."

But as students at Shuchiin Academy, they were all competitive perfectionists. None of them were afraid of exams.

"Let's go take a look."

Following the sign's directions, the three walked into the Teaching Building.

"Hey, hey, my body's moving on its own!"

Fujiwara Chika, who was at the front, suddenly cried out.

Amamiya Natsuki and Shinomiya Kaguya behind her were in the same situation. An unknown force controlled their bodies, and they were brought to a classroom door against their will, where they pushed it open and entered.

An eerie voice rang out.

"The room's full again. The exam starts now."

Vengeful Spirit Classroom.

Death Examination Hall.

After their bodies had walked into the classroom against their will and they'd sat down in empty seats, they regained control of themselves. Amamiya Natsuki quietly breathed a sigh of relief and finally had a chance to look around.

Most of the students in the classroom were Vengeful Spirits. They wore bloodstained uniforms, their skin was pale, and they silently kept their heads bowed, radiating a cold, sinister aura.

Besides them, there were several other Unlucky Players like Amamiya Natsuki and the two girls.

The windows and door were covered in blood and scratches. The blood didn't seem to have dried, silently bearing witness to the brutal things that had once happened in the classroom.

A tall, long-haired female teacher stood at the lectern. She had a curvy figure, surprisingly well-endowed. Just judging by her figure, she was obviously a beauty.

Amamiya Natsuki's gaze shifted up to the Proctoring Teacher's face.

Well.

It was a car crash.

Her face was crisscrossed with knife scars. Her eyes were bloodred, and the corners of her mouth had been slashed. She had nothing in common with a beautiful teacher—unless she put on a mask.

As Amamiya Natsuki stared at the Proctoring Teacher, a line of text slowly appeared above her head.

[This teacher was once bribed by a student before an exam and leaked the questions. She is filled with resentment and extremely dangerous. Avoid direct confrontation. Find her weakness, then tame her.]

"Where's her weakness?"

Amamiya Natsuki's gaze moved down to the Proctoring Teacher's chest.

Found them. There were indeed two weaknesses.

"The four hundred and forty-fourth round of exams officially begins."

The Proctoring Teacher stood at the lectern, holding a bloodstained Triangle ruler. In a hoarse voice, she said, "I will now announce the exam rules."

"This exam will last twenty minutes."

"During that time, you are forbidden from leaving the classroom. Otherwise, you will die."

"After each question is answered, the test paper will grade itself. Students who fail the exam will receive the death penalty."

You get executed for failing? Even Professor Yang isn't that vicious.

"They're the legendary Big Three!"

A low exclamation sounded beside them.

Several Unlucky Players looked toward Amamiya Natsuki and the two girls, whispering among themselves.

"Back in the cafeteria, I saw the three big shots collect protection fees from the Vengeful Spirit students with my own eyes!"