Kaguya-sama Wants Me to Surrender

"Indeed." Shinomiya Kaguya nodded lightly, her tone composed. "Due to their physical structure, serpentine creatures typically move in an S-shape... The current movement pattern indeed doesn't conform to the biological laws of snakes."

She paused, then asked, "What is Snake?"

"You've never played it?" Amamiya Natsuki looked at her in surprise.

"No."

You haven't even played Snake—are you some primitive person who time-traveled here!

As if sensing Natsuki's disrespectful gaze, Kaguya's voice turned cold. "Games are just cheap entertainment for ordinary people, meant to drain the restless energy of the masses. The Shinomiya family has no need for them."

"Games are the Ninth Art! If you've never played one, you shouldn't belittle it—apologize to all the game players in the world right now!" Natsuki couldn't help but retort, then pressed his brow and took a deep breath. "Snake is an electronic game from the last century. The rules are simple: control the snake to keep eating, and its body keeps growing."

"That snake's body has already started growing." Natsuki's expression turned serious. "If we plan on just hiding for half an hour, that snake's body will likely fill the entire room."

Kaguya silently looked at the Snake, her pretty face still devoid of emotion. "...Do you have a plan?"

"I do." Natsuki nodded. "In Snake, the snake can't touch its own body, or it eats itself and the game ends."

"To clear the game, we need to make that snake's head hit its own body."

Kaguya was quite sharp. "That snake seems to be chasing food... So, lure it with bait?"

Natsuki nodded. "That's the only way."

As they spoke, the Snake leisurely slithered over from a distance.

As it drew closer, they could clearly see that its body had grown several sizes larger, already exceeding the size limit of an anaconda.

"Run!"

Natsuki made a snap decision. "To that corner."

Barring surprises, the basketball-sized transparent light orbs on the ground were the Snake's food. To execute the Bait Plan, they had to choose an empty area with no 'food' so the Snake would keep chasing them.

They could see that as its body grew, the Snake's speed had also noticeably increased—no longer easy to shake off like before.

The two quickly reached an empty corner, where the nearby light orbs had already been eaten.

"Mm..."

A pained, low groan sounded.

Kaguya had apparently been about to sleep, wearing a nightgown dress and dog-shaped slippers.

Slippers weren't suited for running, and in her haste, her foot slipped—she was about to fall.

Watching the giant snake nearly half a person's height behind her, the Ice Sculpture Girl's pretty face quickly paled. No one could keep their composure at a time like this.

Natsuki was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He shoved the Ice Sculpture Girl aside while stepping back himself, and the Snake just happened to pass between them.

The nearby energy orbs were already eaten, and the Snake clearly wasn't about to let them go. After slithering a short distance, it made a ninety-degree turn and came straight for Natsuki.

Hey hey, you picked the wrong target, didn't you?

Wouldn't a fragrant, pretty girl be more appetizing?

Natsuki was about to run when he suddenly noticed the Snake's body had formed a half-rectangle shape. He took a deep breath, forced himself to stop, and threw the Traction Rope over the Snake's body to Kaguya:

"Grab the rope. Pull me over when I say."

"Okay..."

Kaguya quickly understood what Natsuki planned to do. She bit her lower lip, bent down, and gripped the Traction Rope tightly.

The two waited tensely.

In just seven or eight seconds, the Snake came back, its target clearly Natsuki.

"Pull me over."

Natsuki called out quickly.

A pulling force came from the other end of the Traction Rope, but it was noticeably weak.

Natsuki made a snap decision, using the motivation he'd just observed: "Shinomiya, can't you show a little more backbone?"

"Did you not even eat?"

"..."

The force on the Traction Rope suddenly intensified.

Natsuki used the momentum to climb over the Snake's body and quickly rolled to the other side.

"Thanks."

Natsuki let out a long sigh of relief.

The motivation method really worked—it instantly boosted the Ice Sculpture Girl's state.

Bang.

The Snake couldn't turn in time and slammed directly into its own body, then instantly turned to stone.

Game cleared

A cold voice echoed in both of their minds.

The next moment.

Amamiya Natsuki only felt his vision blur, and when he came to again, he was standing on the street outside his home, with an Akita dog sitting obediently in front of him.

"We're back?"

Amamiya Natsuki pressed his brow, momentarily unable to distinguish reality from illusion.

A line of text suddenly appeared in his vision.

[You have received a reward: The Truth of the World]

[You have received ten Game coins]

[The Game Mall has been opened]

"There's even a mall?"

Amamiya Natsuki's interest spiked. Just as he was about to open it and take a look, a dog bark suddenly reached his ears.

"Woof woof."

The obediently sitting Akita dog suddenly barked forward.

Amamiya Natsuki followed the sound. An office worker, looking exhausted with a briefcase in hand, was passing by ahead.

That wasn't important.

What was important... was the twisted black mist clinging to the office worker's body?!

Chapter 3: The Girl Who Can Be Seen

A twisted black humanoid figure, vaguely taking the shape of a woman.

A blurry body like mist.

And eye sockets dripping with blood, along with vicious claws hanging down to the ground...

"...What the hell is that thing?!"

Looking at the monster on the man, Amamiya Natsuki felt his entire being turn upside down. The Snake was scary, but still acceptable. This thing in front of him was a direct SAN value killer.

"Wait—"

As Amamiya Natsuki stared, a line of text slowly appeared above the Twisted Monster's head.

[Low-level vengeful spirit]

[Status: Confused, Twisted]

[Reminder: Do not let it know you can see it]

"There it is again." Amamiya Natsuki pressed one eye and fell into thought. "Earlier in that Weird Game, Shinomiya Kaguya didn't seem to see the text prompts... Is this something only I can see?"

Amamiya Natsuki was certain.

He had never seen vengeful spirits before.

"So... this is what they call 'seeing the truth of the world'?"

Vengeful spirits actually exist, but ordinary people can't see them. Now that he had cleared the game, he had unlocked the ability to see vengeful spirits?

What a scam!

This isn't a reward at all—it's a punishment!

At the same time.

As if sensing Amamiya Natsuki's gaze, the vengeful spirit clinging to the middle-aged office worker detached itself from him, twisted its form, and walked over step by step.

"Should I turn and run now?"

A cold sweat dripped down Amamiya Natsuki's forehead as he suppressed the urge to flee.

No.

He couldn't expose himself.

If he ran, he'd definitely be exposed. He always felt something terrible would happen...

Between the instinct to flee and the strange reminder, Amamiya Natsuki chose to trust the latter.

"Woof woof."

The Akita dog tucked its tail and ran far away, only daring to bark from a distance.

Damn it! Weren't dogs supposed to be the most loyal? It abandoned its master and fled!

As he thought this, the female vengeful spirit had already arrived in front of Amamiya Natsuki.

"...Can you see me?"

A twisted, hollow, hair-raising voice entered his ears.

Amamiya Natsuki silently tensed his facial muscles, refusing to let any strange expression show. He pretended not to see the twisted vengeful spirit in front of him, quickly crouched down, and continued tying his shoelaces.

"Your shoelace came undone again."

The twisted Vengeful Spirit followed, bending down and tilting its head to look at Amamiya Natsuki, its hollow, dark eye sockets staring straight at him.

"Can you... see me?"

Amamiya Natsuki kept his eyes forward, continuing to bend over and tie his shoelace.

Not only could he see it, he could see it clearly, without missing a single detail.

But at a time like this, only an idiot would answer that he could see it!

"Can you... see me?"

The twisted Vengeful Spirit pressed on.

Amamiya Natsuki's expression didn't change as he kept tying his shoelace.

"Damn, I accidentally tied it into a knot."

If you've got the patience to keep asking, go ahead—today's shoelace isn't getting tied!

"Can't see... can't see..."

Certain that Amamiya Natsuki couldn't see it, the twisted Vengeful Spirit turned around and drifted away in disappointment.

"Whew..."

Watching from the corner of his eye, only after confirming the twisted Vengeful Spirit had gone far did Amamiya Natsuki finally let out a sigh of relief.

It's finally gone. What the hell was that thing?

A moment later.

Walking a dog past a Convenience store, Amamiya Natsuki suddenly stopped in his tracks. Staring at the three twisted Vengeful Spirits inside, he silently turned around and left.

"Forget the walk. Going home."