Kaguya-sama Wants Me to Surrender

"Did you hear the school-wide alert just now?" Amamiya Natsuki said unhurriedly. "Our location is broadcasted every ten minutes, and it's almost time. Someone will be here soon. What do you think will happen when they find you hiding in the women's restroom?"

Vengeful spirit: "..."

Death.

And a terrible death at that.

Even though they were all vengeful spirits, they still maintained basic human societal order.

A male hiding in the women's restroom, no matter the explanation, would be considered a pervert. Once the vengeful spirits of the girls went berserk, they could tear him to shreds in minutes.

Thinking of this, the vengeful spirit in the restroom wanted to escape.

It had a special ability to teleport between different restrooms and wasn't afraid of being caught.

Then, it was shocked to discover that its wrist was still firmly held by a human.

"Human, let go..."

The vengeful spirit threatened.

"Shut up," Amamiya Natsuki calmly interrupted. "You open the door first and let those two out."

"..."

A mere human, daring to threaten a vengeful spirit?

Did they really think vengeful spirits were easy to bully!

"Ah, it's open now."

Fujiwara Chika exclaimed and quickly opened the stall door, walking out with the aloof Kaguya-sama.

Amamiya Natsuki said, "Fujiwara-san, give him back the candy."

"Oh."

Fujiwara Chika quickly handed the candy back. The vengeful spirit hiding in the restroom silently took it, not daring to refuse.

"Let's go."

Amamiya Natsuki finally released his hand.

Once you back down once, it gets easier to back down again.

The three of them walked out of the restroom.

"The broadcast will be ringing again soon," Shinomiya Kaguya reminded them.

"Shall we go to the rooftop?"

Fujiwara Chika suggested, raising her hand.

As she spoke, the broadcast sounded again, announcing their location. Vengeful Spirit Academy became restless once more.

The three of them quickly went up the stairs, preparing to hide on the rooftop.

When they reached the end, they discovered that the door leading to the rooftop was locked.

"Don't worry," Fujiwara Chika reached up to touch the hairpin on her head. "I have a special lock-picking skill. I can use this hairpin to open the lock."

Such an advanced skill? Are you a special-order girl?

"How long will picking the lock take?" Amamiya Natsuki asked.

"About three to five minutes."

Amamiya Natsuki immediately turned and went downstairs. "Let's go quickly."

Staying in one place for three to five minutes would be too late!

The three of them quickly went downstairs. As soon as they rounded the corner, they ran into a tall vengeful spirit wearing a suit, with black mist swirling all around it. The resentment emanating from it occasionally formed various shapes, making it look incredibly terrifying.

Text prompts quickly appeared before Amamiya Natsuki's eyes.

[Level: Dean]

[Exploitable Weakness: Ultimate Cat Slave. Even as a vengeful spirit, it will not harm cats.]

Thump thump thump.

The vengeful spirit with only a pair of beautiful legs reappeared behind the three of them.

In an instant, they were trapped between a wolf in front and a tiger behind.

Amamiya Natsuki quickly took out the Cat Ear Hairpin and looked at Shinomiya Kaguya, whose pretty face was expressionless, with "[So scary so scary so scary]" constantly appearing above her head.

"Kaguya-san, hurry up and become a cat girl!"

(PS: I've been applying for a contract since last week, but there's been no news. I guess the contract failed. This is depressing.)

Chapter 18: Using Kaguya to Command the Lords

"Why do I have to wear this?"

Shinomiya Kaguya frowned slightly.

"There's no time to explain, trust me," Amamiya Natsuki handed her the Cat Ear Hairpin. "Just put it on first."

Shinomiya Kaguya quickly chose to trust.

Everyone was a teammate now; Amamiya Natsuki definitely wouldn't harm her.

As for shyness... such a useless emotion didn't exist in Shinomiya Kaguya's dictionary.

Shinomiya Kaguya, still with her cold, long black hair, took the Cat Ear Hairpin and calmly placed it on her head, her expression as composed and serene as ever.

A sentence suddenly appeared in Amamiya Natsuki's mind:

Put on this golden fillet, and you shall no longer be a mortal.

Unfortunately, in Amamiya Natsuki's eyes, Shinomiya Kaguya, wearing the Cat Ear Hairpin, hadn't transformed into a cat girl; she was still a human girl.

Thump.

The Dean, shrouded in black mist, his face obscured, only his pair of scarlet eyes visible, suddenly stopped. As if worried about scaring Shinomiya, the red light in his eyes even dimmed.

"Does it actually work?"

Fujiwara Chika's eyes widened, and she whispered, "Huh? That weirdo is afraid of the Cat Ear Hairpin?"

"In his eyes, Shinomiya is now a catgirl," Amamiya Natsuki corrected. "He likes cats, so he's afraid to approach, worried about scaring student Shinomiya."

No one could refuse a cat.

Not even a vengeful spirit.

"Huh? How does student Amamiya know?" Fujiwara Chika was very curious.

"It's a secret."

"I'm the best at keeping secrets."

"People who say that usually betray others the moment they turn around."

"That's so mean!"

"..."

"I don't like cats."

Shinomiya Kaguya said calmly, tilting her head slightly. She reached up and touched the Cat Ear Hairpin on her head. Her serene expression, combined with the tilted head, made her infinitely cuter.

The next moment.

The Dean, still enveloped in black mist, silently took a step forward, the red light in his eyes flaring up again.

"Whoa, whoa, that weirdo is angry," Fujiwara Chika quickly said. "Kaguya-chan, hurry and say you like cats."

"Wait a moment."

Amamiya Natsuki held up a hand to stop her and quickly said, "He's angry because Shinomiya's actions just now weren't like a cat's. Cats only meow; they don't speak human language. Even if they speak, they add a 'meow' to their words."

Put on the golden fillet, and from now on, you are no longer ordinary. You must play your role well, or your image will break, and you'll be recognized immediately!

"I see," Fujiwara Chika realized, quickly raising her right hand to her ear. "Kaguya-chan, copy me... Meow."

Shinomiya Kaguya, a genius girl indeed, accurately mimicked Fujiwara Chika's action. She raised her right fist to her ear, tilted her head slightly, and a clear, cool voice emerged:

"Meow~"

"So, so cute!"

Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands to her chest, her eyes sparkling. "One hundred points, perfect score!"

Amamiya Natsuki quipped, "I give it sixty points."

"Huh?"

"When you meowed, it would have been even better if student Shinomiya hadn't had such a cold expression."

Shinomiya Kaguya lowered her right hand and said expressionlessly:

"I won't."

The effect of the cat meow was quite potent. The Dean seemed to have been hit hard, taking two steps back, and the red light in his eyes extinguished once more.

At the same time.

The sound of rumbling footsteps echoed as a group of vengeful spirit students rushed over, ready to apprehend Amamiya Natsuki and the other two.

"D-Dean!"

Upon seeing the figure behind Shinomiya Kaguya, these vengeful spirit students panicked like mice seeing a cat. The Vengeful Spirit Boy at the front was moving too fast; he even performed a dogeza to brake with his body, then scrambled on all fours, turning tail and fleeing.

"No chasing and playing in the hallway."

A deep, hoarse voice suddenly rang out.

The Dean walked past the three of them towards the vengeful spirit students from moments ago.

The hallway immediately fell silent, becoming empty and eerily quiet.

"What do we do now?" Fujiwara Chika asked in a small voice.

"We chase after them, of course," Amamiya Natsuki decided instantly. "With student Kaguya here, we don't have to fear anyone."

In ancient times, Cao Mengde held the Son of Heaven to command the lords. Today, we'll hold Kaguya to command the evil spirits. It should be fine, right?

One must always know how to read the room.

While "borrowing the tiger's might" is a negative term, it's incredibly exhilarating when you're the fox.

We're leaving.

Amamiya Natsuki and the other two quickly caught up, following behind the Dean.

A hapless vengeful spirit was grabbed by the Dean, hands clasped over its head, trembling with fear.

The Dean grabbed the other's head, lifting it with one hand, and with a snap, crushed the vengeful spirit student, causing it to dissipate into a black mist.

Thank goodness this isn't real life. If such terrible corporal punishment were inflicted on students, he'd be in jail doing time by now.

After the punishment, the Dean turned to look at Shinomiya Kaguya, neither approaching nor distancing himself, remaining silent, the red glow in his eyes extinguished once more.

The vengeful spirit students, who had been secretly watching from the shadows, each withdrew their heads, not daring to come any closer.

"Kaguya-chan really suits being a mascot," Fujiwara Chika said, relieved. "Now all we have to do is wait for the game to end, and we can go back, right?"

"We're idle anyway, why don't we try out another game scenario?"

Amamiya Natsuki suggested, "The higher the rating, the better the game rewards will be at settlement."

"I agree."

Shinomiya Kaguya's tone was cold, and text quietly appeared above her head.

[I absolutely refuse to be a mascot!]

"This is the administration building, let's walk forward and see," Amamiya Natsuki suggested.

The three walked forward, the Dean silently following behind, guarding the cat girl.

A moment later.

A game prompt sounded.