What was the difference between doing that sort of thing with a tissue a girl had given you and being a pervert?!
"Girls don't need those, you know."
"That's not necessarily true."
Shinomiya Kaguya realized she couldn't understand a word of it and tilted her head slightly. "What are you two talking about?"
"Well, actually..."
Just as Amamiya Natsuki was about to explain, someone suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder.
Fujiwara Chika leaned in, pressing him down with a bright, adorable smile. For some reason, though, she suddenly looked a little frightening. Her breath was warm and sweet as she smiled and said, "A-ma-mi-ya-class-mate, you can't lead Kaguya-chan astray."
Who was leading her astray?! She was a noble young lady with no common sense at all. Someone was going to trick her!
"..."
After they chatted for a while, more and more students began arriving, and the three of them each returned to their seats.
When the bell rang, Amamiya Natsuki forced himself to focus on his studies.
The day passed in a rush.
In the afternoon,
Amamiya Natsuki spun a pencil between his fingers and watched the athletic field outside the window, sighing quietly.
The afternoon sun shone brightly.
A group of students in P.E. class were playing soccer on the field, freely sweating and enjoying each other's company.
What they couldn't see, unfortunately, was a huge ghost resembling a giant toad, sitting in front of the goal and opening its mouth to catch the ball over and over. Every so often, its body passed right through the goalkeeper.
Clearly, these wandering evil spirits weren't afraid of sunlight at all.
In fact, three wandering evil spirits had appeared in the classroom in just one day, which was a real headache.
"School's out."
Amamiya Natsuki turned away from the window and got ready to go home.
"Amamiya-classmate, where are you going?"
Fujiwara Chika's voice rang in his ear. The airhead had nerves of steel; her voice had already returned to its usual crisp, bright tone.
"Home."
Amamiya Natsuki packed his pens and paper into his schoolbag as he replied.
"Hey, hey, aren't you going to club activities?"
"I haven't joined a club."
"That's no good." Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands behind her back and leaned toward him. Her pink eyes were large and bright, clearly reflecting whoever she looked at. "If you don't join a club in high school, you'll regret it later, won't you?"
"Sorry, I have no regrets in life."
"..."
Kaguya-classmate, by contrast,
was much calmer.
She picked up her schoolbag and walked out with a composed expression. But as soon as she reached the school entrance, she suddenly came face-to-face with a woman covered in Infant Vengeful Spirits. The woman radiated a chilling malice, and the cries and screams of babies echoed in Kaguya's ears.
Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face paled slightly, and she stopped in spite of herself.
"Can... you see me?"
The Female vengeful spirit leaned close to Kaguya. The voice coming from her mouth was hoarse and low, enough to make anyone's scalp tingle. The Infant Vengeful Spirit clinging to the woman's back seemed to have found a new toy. Excited, it scrambled onto Shinomiya and crawled all over her.
Even Shinomiya Kaguya, known at school as Ice Kaguya-hime, couldn't remain unmoved. She could only clutch her schoolbag tightly, bite her lower lip, and watch tears well up in her eyes.
[So scary, so scary, so scary, so scary...]
Seeing the girl with tears in her eyes, Amamiya Natsuki's gaze sharpened. He strode over.
As the Evil Spirit Repellent aura swept over them, the woman and the Infant Vengeful Spirit screamed at the same time. Like snow exposed to sunlight, they quickly began to burn and fled in panic.
"Kaguya-chan, are you all right?"
Fujiwara Chika hurried over and held Shinomiya Kaguya by the arm.
"I'm fine."
Shinomiya Kaguya's eyes were still watery.
"You might want to wipe your tears before saying that."
"..."
Miko: Should I invite you to my room?
"I don't want school to end." Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands to her chest, looking pitiful. "If we could keep having classes forever, we wouldn't have to be apart."
Amamiya Natsuki shot back without mercy, "You'd become the enemy of the whole school."
You want to stay at school all day? The students wouldn't agree, and the teachers would go on strike!
Fujiwara Chika sighed.
"At least there are more people around at school. What am I supposed to do when I'm all alone at home at night?"
"You could wear a blindfold," Shinomiya Kaguya suggested.
Fujiwara Chika looked up at her. "Then I'd still hear things."
Amamiya Natsuki's voice was low and mournful.
"Wear earplugs."
"Got it." Fujiwara Chika snapped her fingers. "So you hide under the covers and pretend to be an ostrich. In all those manga, blankets are invincible treasures. As long as you hide under one, nothing can hurt you."
Shinomiya Kaguya's lips moved slightly, and for once, she looked as though she didn't know whether to speak.
"Hey, Kaguya-chan, what were you going to say?" Fujiwara Chika asked curiously.
"Actually..." Shinomiya Kaguya pressed a hand to her brow, then decided to be honest. She might as well warn them and give them time to prepare. "Last night, when I was going to sleep, I found a ghost hiding under my blanket."
On her very first day of seeing the world as it really was, she'd already run into a ghost under her blanket. Girl, you should buy a lottery ticket!
"Really?" Fujiwara Chika's eyes widened. "Kaguya-chan, did you cry because you were scared?"
"Not at all."
Shinomiya Kaguya folded her arms and quickly denied it.
"But I remember you were really scared of horror movies when you were little..."
"People change. Don't judge me by who I was as a child." Shinomiya Kaguya bit her soft, rosy lip. "I've grown up now."
"Is that so?"
Fujiwara Chika suddenly took two steps back, slipped behind Amamiya Natsuki, and quietly tugged at his sleeve.
Amamiya Natsuki understood and stepped back with Fujiwara Chika.
Watching them, Ice Sculpture Girl's eyes widened. Her neck felt stiff, and she couldn't help wanting to turn around and look behind her.
"Kaguya-chan, stay calm," Fujiwara Chika said in a ghostly voice. "Whatever you do, don't turn around."
"..."
Shinomiya Kaguya's silky, waist-length black hair trembled slightly, and her eyelashes quivered. She held her breath and quickly walked toward Amamiya Natsuki and Fujiwara Chika.
"Hahaha." Classmate Chika, the root of all evil, put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin triumphantly. "There's nothing behind you, after all. Kaguya-chan really is scared."
Shinomiya Kaguya pressed a hand to her chest and quietly turned around.
There was only an empty classroom behind her. Just as expected, nothing was there.
Fujiwara Chika had no idea she was in grave danger.
"No wonder you have dark circles under your eyes, Kaguya-chan. Did you stay up all night yesterday?"
"..."
Shinomiya Kaguya took a deep breath. Wisps of black mist rose around her, and a crimson glint flickered in her wine-red eyes. A smile appeared on her face.
"Fujiwara-classmate, you're so cute."
How scary.
Amamiya Natsuki quietly stepped back, putting some distance between himself and Fujiwara Chika.
Smiling Kaguya-classmate was even scarier than the cold-faced girl.
"Sorry, I was wrong. Please forgive me."
Fujiwara Chika immediately crouched and covered her head. Her speed at admitting defeat was astonishing.
"It'd be nice if I could stay over at Amamiya-classmate's place."
Fujiwara Chika looked over pitifully, like a puppy that had been abandoned on the street and had nowhere to go, hoping some kind soul would take her in.
"Ugh..." Fujiwara Chika drooped her head in dejection. "I've been rejected, meow."
Of course, the idea of living together was just a joke. Both girls were well-brought-up young ladies, and staying out all night was out of the question.
"Oh, I've got it!" Fujiwara Chika's eyes suddenly lit up, and she said brightly, "Kaguya-chan, Amamiya-classmate, why don't we run for the Student Council together?"
"What?"
Amamiya Natsuki raised an eyebrow.
"The next Student Council election is coming up soon." Fujiwara Chika spread her arms. "If we win, we'll get a huge Activity Room. Then, after school, we can hang out there, drink tea, and chat together without having to worry about anything."
The Student Council was a practical organization. How had she turned it into a retirement home?
"I agree." Shinomiya Kaguya held her schoolbag in both hands, her voice calm. "I was planning to run for the Student Council anyway."
Amamiya Natsuki didn't agree right away. "I'll think about it."
"..."
After they finished discussing it, the three of them went their separate ways.
Under the watchful eyes of two Vengeful Spirits dressed in security guard uniforms, Amamiya Natsuki walked out of school without changing expression.
The journey was quiet.
"I'm home."
Amamiya Natsuki opened the front door and stepped into the entryway. Only the Akita dog came running over, wagging its tail to greet him.
His parents were busy with work and rarely came home. Sometimes he didn't see them more than a few times in a month.
A blonde, twin-tailed little sister who yelled, "Go die, big brother."
A stepsister who dressed as a boy.
A gentle little sister who knelt in the entryway wearing nothing but an apron and invited her brother to take a bath with her...
None of the above.
Because writing that would get you banned.
Amamiya Natsuki walked into the living room and casually opened the fridge. He discovered that, at some point, another rotten human head had appeared inside.
He took out a can of cola without changing his expression and slammed the fridge shut.
After finishing the cola, he saw that it was still early. Amamiya Natsuki thought for a few seconds, then looked at the Akita dog sitting in front of him with a goofy grin. He picked up the Traction Rope and went out to walk the dog.
Vengeful Spirits appeared both day and night, though they were scarier at night. In that case, he'd take the dog for walks during the day from now on.
He took the dog around a nearby park. As he was leaving, he ran into Yotsuya Miko at the park entrance, along with her Bestie, Yurikawa Hana.
"Good afternoon, Amamiya-classmate."
Yurikawa Hana greeted him in her clear voice and waved. Then her eyes landed on the Akita dog, and they immediately lit up. "Oh, what a cute dog! Is it yours, Amamiya-classmate?"
Before you continue