"Did you hear the school-wide manhunt announcement just now?" Amamiya Natsuki said unhurriedly. "They broadcast our location every ten minutes, and it's about time for the next one. Someone will come by soon. What do you think will happen when they find you hiding in the girls' restroom?"
The vengeful spirit: "..."
I'll die.
And it'll be a horrible death.
Though we were all vengeful spirits, we still maintained a basic level of human order.
No matter how he explained it, a boy hiding in the girls' restroom would be taken for a pervert. Once the girls who'd turned into vengeful spirits went berserk, they could tear him apart in seconds.
At the thought of that, the restroom spirit was already looking to make a run for it.
He had a special ability that let him teleport between different restrooms, so he wasn't afraid of getting caught.
Then he was shocked to find that a human still had a firm grip on his wrist.
"Human, let go of my hand..."
The vengeful spirit threatened him.
"Be quiet." Amamiya Natsuki cut him off calmly. "Open the door first and let those two out."
"..."
The nerve of this measly human, threatening a vengeful spirit in return!
Did he really think vengeful spirits were pushovers?
"Ah, it's open now."
Fujiwara Chika let out a quiet cry, quickly opened the stall door, and stepped out with the cool and aloof Lady Kaguya.
"Fujiwara, give him back the candy," Amamiya Natsuki said.
"Oh."
Fujiwara Chika hurriedly handed the candy back. The spirit hiding in the restroom silently took it, not daring to refuse.
"Let's go."
Only then did Amamiya Natsuki let go.
Once you gave in even once, it only got easier to give in again.
The three of them left the restroom.
"The announcement will sound again soon," Shinomiya Kaguya reminded them.
"Shall we go to the rooftop?" Fujiwara Chika suggested, raising her hand.
As they spoke, the announcement sounded again, broadcasting their location. The vengeful spirits in the school stirred once more.
The three hurried up the stairs, hoping to hide on the rooftop.
When they reached the top, they discovered that the door leading to the rooftop was locked.
"Don't worry." Fujiwara Chika reached for the hairpin in her hair. "I have a special trick for picking locks. I can use my hairpin to open it."
What kind of high-level skill was that? Was she some kind of special-edition heroine?
"How long will it take to pick the lock?" Amamiya Natsuki asked.
"Three to five minutes."
Without another word, Amamiya Natsuki hurried downstairs. "Let's go."
Stay in one place for three to five minutes, and it'd be too late to do anything!
The three of them hurried downstairs. Just after turning the corner, they ran straight into a tall vengeful spirit in a suit, black mist roiling around him. The resentment clinging to him kept shifting into different shapes. He looked terrifying.
Text appeared before Amamiya Natsuki's eyes.
[Rank: School Principal]
[Usable weakness: Ultimate cat lover. Even after becoming a vengeful spirit, he won't hurt cats.]
Tap, tap, tap.
The vengeful spirit with only a pair of beautiful legs appeared behind them again.
In an instant, they were trapped between a wolf in front and a tiger behind.
Amamiya Natsuki quickly pulled out the cat-ear headband and looked at Shinomiya Kaguya, whose lovely face was expressionless, while [So scary, so scary, so scary] kept appearing above her head.
"Kaguya, turn into a catgirl, quick!"
(PS: I've been applying for a contract since last week, but I still haven't heard back. I guess I didn't make it. I'm bummed.)
Chapter 18: Using Kaguya to Command the Vassals
"Why do I have to wear this?"
Shinomiya Kaguya furrowed her brows.
"There's no time to explain. Trust me." Amamiya Natsuki handed her the cat-ear headband. "Just put it on first."
Shinomiya Kaguya quickly chose to trust him.
They were teammates now. Amamiya Natsuki definitely wouldn't hurt her.
As for embarrassment...that useless emotion didn't exist in Shinomiya Kaguya's dictionary.
Still a cool, straight-haired beauty, Shinomiya Kaguya took the cat-ear headband and calmly put it on. Her expression remained as composed and aloof as ever.
A line suddenly came to Amamiya Natsuki's mind:
Put on this golden circlet, and you'll no longer be mortal.
Unfortunately, in Amamiya Natsuki's eyes, putting on the cat-ear headband didn't turn Shinomiya Kaguya into a catgirl. She was still a human girl.
Thud.
The school principal, shrouded in black mist, his face hidden except for a pair of scarlet eyes, abruptly stopped. It seemed he was worried about frightening Kaguya; even the red glow in his eyes quietly dimmed.
"It really seems to work?" Fujiwara Chika widened her eyes and whispered, "Wait, is that monster scared of cat ears?"
"From his perspective, Shinomiya looks like a catgirl now," Amamiya Natsuki corrected her. "He likes cats, so he doesn't dare approach her. He's afraid of scaring her."
No one could resist a cat.
Not even after turning into a vengeful spirit.
"How does Amamiya know that?" Fujiwara Chika asked curiously.
"Secret."
"I'm great at keeping secrets."
"People who say that usually go and blab the moment they turn around."
"That's so mean!"
"..."
"I don't like cats."
Shinomiya Kaguya spoke calmly. She tilted her head slightly and touched the cat-ear headband. Her cool, composed expression combined with the tilt of her head, making her even more adorable.
The next moment, the school principal, shrouded in black mist, silently took half a step forward. The red glow in his eyes brightened again.
"Eek, that monster's angry," Fujiwara Chika said hurriedly. "Kaguya, hurry and say you like cats."
"Wait."
Amamiya Natsuki held out a hand to stop her and quickly explained, "He's angry because Shinomiya's actions just now weren't like a cat's. Cats only meow. They don't talk. And if they do, they have to add 'meow' to everything."
Put on the golden circlet, and you're no longer an ordinary person. You have to play your role properly, or the mismatch will give you away immediately!
"I see." Fujiwara Chika suddenly understood. She raised her right hand in a fist beside her ear. "Kaguya, copy me...meow."
Shinomiya Kaguya was indeed a genius. She precisely imitated Fujiwara Chika's pose, holding her right fist beside her ear as she tilted her head slightly. Her cool voice let out a single sound:
"Meow~"
"So, so cute!"
Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands to her chest, her eyes sparkling. "One hundred points! A perfect score!"
Amamiya Natsuki remarked, "I give her sixty."
"Huh?"
"It'd be even better if Shinomiya didn't have such a cold expression while meowing."
Shinomiya Kaguya lowered her right hand and said expressionlessly:
"I can't."
The meow worked remarkably well. The school principal seemed to have taken a critical hit. He stepped back twice, and the red glow in his eyes went out again.
At the same time,
The rumble of footsteps sounded as a group of vengeful students came running, ready to bring Amamiya Natsuki and the other two to justice.
"P-Principal!"
When the vengeful students saw the figure behind Shinomiya Kaguya, they reacted like mice spotting a cat and panicked. One boy at the front was running so fast that he dropped to the ground to brake, then scrambled around on all fours and rolled away.
"No running or horseplay in the halls."
A low, hoarse voice suddenly rang out.
The school principal walked past the three of them and headed toward the vengeful students.
The hallway fell silent. It was suddenly empty and desolate.
"What do we do now?" Fujiwara Chika asked quietly.
"Obviously, we follow him," Amamiya Natsuki said decisively. "With Shinomiya here, we don't have to fear anyone now."
Cao Cao once used the emperor to command the vassals. Today, I'm using Kaguya to command the evil spirits. Nothing wrong with that, right?
You had to know how to read the situation.
"Taking advantage of someone else's power" might be a derogatory phrase, but when you were the one doing it, it felt great.
They set off immediately.
Amamiya Natsuki and the other two quickly caught up, following behind the school principal.
One unlucky vengeful spirit had been caught by the school principal. He clutched his head with both hands and trembled.
The school principal grabbed him by the head and lifted him with one hand. Then, with a crack, he crushed the vengeful student, who turned into a cloud of black mist and vanished.
Good thing this wasn't reality. Anyone who gave students such a terrifying punishment would've ended up in prison.
After finishing the punishment, the school principal turned to look at Shinomiya Kaguya. He neither approached nor moved away, keeping his silence as the red glow in his eyes went out again.
The vengeful students peeking out cautiously from the shadows all ducked back. None of them dared come closer.
"Kaguya really is perfect as a mascot," Fujiwara Chika said with a sigh of relief. "Now we just have to wait for the game to end, and then we can go home, right?"
"We've got time to kill. Want to try out another game scenario?" Amamiya Natsuki suggested. "The higher our score, the better the rewards we'll get when the game ends."
"I agree."
Shinomiya Kaguya spoke in her usual cool tone. A line of text appeared above her head.
[I refuse to be a mascot!]
"This is the main building. Let's see what's farther ahead," Amamiya Natsuki suggested.
The three headed forward, the school principal silently following behind to protect the catgirl.
A moment later,
The game notification sounded.
Before you continue