"We can't stay in open areas like the hallway or the playground. Let's find somewhere hidden and lie low for ten minutes."
"What about the rooftop?"
Shinomiya Kaguya calmly offered.
"I agree." Fujiwara Chika's eyes lit up. "Students usually aren't allowed to hang out on the school rooftop, so no one would expect us to be hiding up there."
The three of them hurried down the hallway. Just as they were about to head up to the rooftop, Amamiya Natsuki suddenly saw a pair of blood-red high heels coming down from above. Above the heels was nothing but a pair of legs, which were dressed in a blue-and-white floral qipao.
To be fair, those legs were easy on the eyes. But a pair of legs standing there all by themselves was pretty frightening.
Click, click, click.
Each step of those high heels seemed to land right on a person's heart, making him feel deeply uncomfortable.
[Danger, danger, danger!] [This way is blocked. Stay away from Leg Immortal immediately!]
The red warning appeared before him. Amamiya Natsuki had no doubt that a giant red "DANGER" had appeared above all three of their heads.
Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath and stopped abruptly, grabbing Shinomiya Kaguya with one hand and Fujiwara with the other to halt both girls.
At the same time,
chaotic footsteps rang out in the hallway behind them. The failing students who had been chasing them were clearly getting close.
With danger ahead and behind, Amamiya Natsuki kept a calm expression and quickly pulled the two girls into the restroom around the corner.
"Get into a stall and hide. Don't make a sound."
Amamiya Natsuki spoke in a low voice, then entered a stall first.
Shinomiya Kaguya and Fujiwara Chika exchanged glances before hiding together in another stall.
The thundering footsteps outside rushed closer. Then a terrified chorus of apologies suddenly rang out, and the sound of pursuit swept away like a gust of wind.
Click, click, click.
The sound of high heels striking the floor was especially clear. Then—
Amamiya Natsuki finally had a moment to look around the restroom.
"When we came in, it seemed like there was something missing by the wall... So this is the girl's restroom?"
That didn't matter.
When survival was at stake, he wouldn't hesitate to barge into a girl's restroom—even a women's bathhouse.
Fortunately, the restroom was quite clean and smelled fresh. The lighting was dim, though, as if it might go out at any moment, and the atmosphere felt oppressive.
The stall doors were covered in all sorts of things: unfamiliar names, messy doodles, strange symbols... Nothing seemed particularly unusual.
Amamiya Natsuki carefully considered what to do next, then suddenly heard Fujiwara Chika's voice from the stall beside him:
"Ah, thank you."
Right after that came Shinomiya Kaguya's grave, serious voice. "...Amamiya-classmate?"
Amamiya Natsuki replied, "I'm here."
Fujiwara Chika asked, "Huh? Why are you in the stall on the left?"
"I was in the stall on the left from the beginning." Amamiya Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
"Someone passed two candies under the stall door on the right." Shinomiya Kaguya sounded serious. "One red, one blue."
Amamiya Natsuki's mouth twitched. "Fujiwara-classmate, did you eat them?"
"Of course not!" Fujiwara Chika immediately protested. "This is a restroom. How could I eat something in a place like this?"
What was wrong with eating in a restroom?
She should look into toilet meals.
There were plenty of people who ate in restrooms.
"Then why did you say thank you just now?" Amamiya Natsuki asked.
"I took them." Fujiwara Chika mumbled, flustered. "I thought Amamiya-classmate had given them to me, so I accepted them without thinking."
Even if I had given you the candy, you should've politely refused. Even elementary school students knew not to take things from strangers. Who would hand out candy in a restroom?
He'd thought the restroom was "safe," but it didn't seem safe after all.
"Come out first, and then we'll talk," Amamiya Natsuki said after a moment's thought.
"Okay."
A few seconds later, Fujiwara Chika suddenly grew nervous. "That's weird. The stall door won't open."
Amamiya Natsuki tried pushing his door. It swung open immediately. "I can open mine."
He stepped out of the stall and studied the restroom.
Shinomiya Kaguya and Fujiwara were in the second-to-last stall. The unknown creature handing out candy was in the last one.
So being unable to get out had something to do with taking someone else's candy?
"Hold out your hand," Amamiya Natsuki said quickly. "Let me see the candy."
"Okay."
A hand reached out from the second-to-last stall. Its skin was snow-white, smooth, and lustrous, as if it had been soaked in milk. It even looked sweet and fragrant. It belonged to Cancer of the Earth, and it held two candies of different colors.
At the same time,
another hand reached out from the last stall. Its skin was deathly pale, without a trace of color...
Chapter 17: Kaguya-classmate, Hurry Up and Turn into a Cat Girl!
"Choose a candy."
A cold, hoarse voice rang out softly.
"Huh? Who's talking?" Fujiwara Chika tensed.
"Your 'neighbor' in the next stall." Amamiya Natsuki looked at the pale hand reaching out from beneath the stall door. "Just like you said, it's holding two candies: one red and one blue. It wants me to choose."
Fujiwara Chika raised her voice. "There really is someone next door!"
"It has to be a Vengeful Spirit, doesn't it?" Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help saying. "Its hand is deathly pale, and it's covered in scars. How could you mistake it for someone else?"
"Sorry." Fujiwara Chika mumbled guiltily. "Amamiya-classmate, have you seen that street experiment?"
"The one where someone walks up to a person on the phone and asks them to hold something? No matter what it is, they'll hold it."
"I didn't think about it just now. Someone suddenly held out a hand, and I accepted the candy without thinking."
"Now isn't the time to discuss that." Shinomiya Kaguya's voice was cool. "Why did the thing next door suddenly offer us candy? What happens if we take it?"
There was no such thing as a free lunch.
Shinomiya Kaguya was extremely wary.
She wouldn't eat candy from a stranger, let alone take something offered by a Vengeful Spirit.
After hearing Shinomiya Kaguya's question, the cold, hoarse voice actually answered:
"Blue for the body, red for the lifespan."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
Fujiwara Chika was curious.
As Amamiya Natsuki watched, a line of text appeared before him:
"Choosing the blue candy costs you a bodily organ. The red candy costs you years of your life."
If you took a Vengeful Spirit's candy, you naturally had to pay a price. Fair enough.
"That's so unfair!" Fujiwara Chika cried. "It's only a piece of candy. That's way too high a price!"
"Choose a candy."
The pale, bloodless hand waved at Amamiya Natsuki again. A hint of impatience entered its voice.
Amamiya Natsuki remained calm and composed. Suddenly, he asked:
"Why can I only choose one?"
The voice in the last stall paused. "What do you mean?"
Amamiya Natsuki said solemnly, "I choose both."
"...Fine."
The Vengeful Spirit in the stall fell silent for two seconds. "You can have both."
"Wait. I have another question." Amamiya Natsuki didn't reach for the candy. "Are your candies past their expiration date?"
"..."
The Vengeful Spirit behind the stall door was completely dumbfounded.
What was this human even talking about?
At a time like this, he was worrying about expiration dates?
"No."
The Vengeful Spirit answered, holding back its anger.
"Please wait a moment," Amamiya Natsuki said unhurriedly. "Have your candies passed a food safety inspection?"
"..."
This was a school where Vengeful Spirits lived. Where was it supposed to find someone to inspect food?
This human was clearly making fun of it!
"No! They haven't passed anything!"
The Vengeful Spirit's anger surged. Its gray-green fingernails quickly grew long as its fury erupted. "Human, hurry up and choose a candy!"
Amamiya Natsuki seemed not to notice the anger washing over him. He reminded the spirit, "My friend, selling substandard, unlicensed food is a serious offense. Are you sure you want to do that?"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The stall door shook with heavy blows.
"Enough talk! Choose a candy!"
The Vengeful Spirit behind the stall was on the verge of losing control.
"You won't listen, so I guess there's nothing else to be done." Amamiya Natsuki sighed and stepped forward, grabbing the Vengeful Spirit's wrist. In a serious tone, he said, "My friend, you're under arrest."
"Meow?"
A disbelieving voice rang out. It was Fujiwara Chika, who was still trapped in the restroom.
She'd been getting harassed by a Vengeful Spirit. How had he suddenly arrested it?
"Human, you're asking for death."
The Vengeful Spirit's voice was cold.
As a Vengeful Spirit, it wouldn't be afraid even if the police showed up.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not arresting you for selling unlicensed food." Amamiya Natsuki spoke steadily, then paused for a moment. "...This is the girl's restroom, isn't it?"
"You're a boy. Why are you in the girl's restroom?"
The Vengeful Spirit fell silent.
Wasn't he focusing on the wrong thing?
"So you're a perverted Peeping Tom!" Fujiwara Chika blurted out.
"I'm not. I didn't do it."
The Vengeful Spirit immediately denied it.
Before you continue