Chapter 26: Kaguya-classmate, Please Don't Blink
[Skill: Outlaw Zhang San]
[Skill Details: You can change an enemy unit's name to Outlaw Zhang San.]
[Note: Outlaw Zhang San, if I call your name, will you answer?]
After reading the skill Fujiwara Chika had drawn, Amamiya Natsuki and Shinomiya Kaguya fell silent at the same time.
This skill... really did seem pretty useless.
They had no idea what it was for.
"When it comes to life, you have to find joy in hardship," Amamiya Natsuki consoled her. "Think about that pack of tissues from yesterday. Doesn't that cheer you up?"
"It makes me feel even worse!" Fujiwara Chika covered her ears with both hands, her voice tinged with gloom. "Amamiya-classmate just reminded me of an even more awful memory."
"My deepest apologies."
"That doesn't sound sincere. Please do dogeza when you apologize."
"..."
Next, it was Amamiya Natsuki's turn to open a Blind Box.
He had checked the Blind Box's hint after getting up that morning. Unfortunately, it didn't reveal exactly what was inside, only that it contained a healing item.
He opened the Blind Box.
A faint glow invisible to ordinary people appeared, and a sheet of bandages materialized in Amamiya Natsuki's hand.
The item's attributes quickly appeared before the three of them.
[Item: Special Band-Aid]
[Manufacturer: Confidential]
[How to Use: Apply to the painful area. Stops bleeding, relieves pain, and effectively increases the rate at which Life Value recovers.]
[Friendly Reminder: This product is exclusively endorsed by Miss Oshino Shinobu. Be sure to buy the genuine article.]
"Oshino Shinobu..." Fujiwara Chika blinked and murmured to herself. "That's strange. I feel like I've heard that name somewhere."
"No, you haven't."
Amamiya Natsuki remained expressionless and quickly stuffed the bandages into his schoolbag.
"I'm sure I have." Fujiwara Chika's voice grew firm. "I just can't remember where right now... Let me look it up on my phone."
Amamiya Natsuki said earnestly, "I advise you not to."
"I refuse." Fujiwara Chika lifted her chin, took out her phone, and unlocked the screen with practiced ease. She clenched her left hand into a fist. "Once a girl's curiosity is piqued, it never goes away."
Amamiya Natsuki said no more.
Fujiwara-classmate was already in high school. Curiosity and a thirst for knowledge were only natural, and there was no stopping her.
"Eeeek?!"
A moment later, Fujiwara Chika suddenly let out a shriek.
The fool quickly covered her skirt with both hands. A flush crept over her pale, jade-like ears, like red ink spreading through water. In the blink of an eye, her pretty face turned bright red, and she couldn't help exclaiming,
"I-I can't believe they used it for... Pervert! That's so lewd! Is that artist a demon or what?!"
"What are you talking about?"
Shinomiya Kaguya tilted her head slightly, curiosity creeping into her voice.
Everyone got curious.
The Ice Sculpture Girl was no exception.
"Kaguya-chan, don't ask." Fujiwara Chika's expression turned serious as she shook a finger. "This is a forbidden realm you shouldn't venture into."
Shinomiya Kaguya: "..."
It was Blind Box time again.
Next, it was Shinomiya Kaguya's turn to open a Blind Box.
Thinking of yesterday's Game Team-up Card, Shinomiya Kaguya felt a lingering sense of dread. But... surely her luck couldn't be that bad every day?
She had gotten up early that morning to watch TV, and the host of the horoscope show had said she'd have good luck today.
"Chika-chan~"
A girl called from the classroom doorway.
"Ah, I'm coming."
Fujiwara Chika had friends everywhere. Hearing the call, she happily ran toward the door.
At the same time,
Shinomiya Kaguya quietly let out a breath, then opened the Blind Box with a grave expression.
And then... nothing appeared.
"Was it an empty Blind Box?"
Amamiya Natsuki sounded surprised as he looked at Shinomiya Kaguya, whose hands were empty.
He'd seen the Blind Box's description before. There was always something inside, even if it was a useless pack of tissues. What was the point of getting nothing?
"..."
Shinomiya Kaguya said nothing. She bit her lower lip and looked up at him with a wounded expression.
A line of text appeared above her head.
[Liar, liar, liar, liar...]
Amamiya Natsuki was speechless.
What was with that wounded look as she bit her lip? When had he ever lied to her? Could she please put her hand on her own conscience before saying that?
Fujiwara couldn't find her conscience, so there was no way she had a problem!
"Kaguya-chan, what did you get in your Blind Box?"
After finishing her conversation with her friend, Fujiwara Chika hurried back from the hallway.
"..."
Shinomiya Kaguya's soft lips moved slightly, but she said nothing. She simply shared the attributes of her "Blind Box gift."
Amamiya Natsuki looked over curiously and quickly understood why Shinomiya Kaguya's hands were empty.
The item in the Blind Box was actually an Interest Mission.
[You have received an Interest Mission: Stare at the Sun]
[Mission Description: Open your eyes wide and stare at the sun for ten minutes, or make eye contact with the first living being you see for ten minutes. Choose either option. You must not blink during this time, or the mission will fail and you will have to start over.]
[Mission Reward: Your eyesight will be permanently improved.]
[Please Note: You must complete this mission before midnight tonight, or it will fail.]
[Failure Penalty: Your eyesight will be taken away for twenty-four hours.]
[Note: I remember when I was a child, I could stare at the sun with my eyes wide open and make out the tiniest details. Whenever I saw something small, I examined its patterns closely, and so I often found amusement in things beyond the ordinary.]
"What's fun about this mission?!" Fujiwara Chika couldn't help shouting. "Staring at the sun for ten minutes without blinking would ruin your eyes!"
"It really is dangerous." Amamiya Natsuki nodded in agreement. "You'd better not try it."
The world was full of people with extraordinary talents who could stare at the sun, but they were exceedingly rare. Most ordinary people simply couldn't do it.
For ordinary people, looking directly at the sun had only one result: its rays would pass through the eyes and damage the retinal tissue, causing eye pain and profuse tears. In severe cases, it could even lead to blindness.
"Staring at the sun is definitely out of the question. It would ruin your eyes. Luckily, there's a second option." Fujiwara Chika gave a thumbs-up, willing to brave anything for her friend. "I can make eye contact with Kaguya-chan."
Shinomiya Kaguya bit her lower lip. "...You can't."
"Eh? Why not?"
"The mission started automatically as soon as I opened the Blind Box."
Fujiwara Chika blinked, then quickly looked at Amamiya Natsuki. "Was Amamiya-classmate the first person Kaguya-chan made eye contact with?"
"Mm."
Shinomiya Kaguya nodded sadly.
Amamiya Natsuki raised a hand. "Should I apologize?"
"It has nothing to do with Amamiya-classmate." Fujiwara Chika shook her head, then tried to comfort her. "Don't worry about it, Kaguya-chan. You have to find joy in hardship. Think of all those Vengeful Spirits wandering around. It would've been awful if the first thing you saw was one of them."
Wait.
Why did that sound so familiar?
She really knew how to put what she'd learned into practice!
Shinomiya Kaguya definitely had to complete the Interest Mission. She had absolutely no desire to find out what it felt like to lose her eyesight.
"We can't stay in the classroom. Other students will be coming in soon." Fujiwara Chika folded her right arm across her chest and thought for two seconds before snapping her fingers. "I've got it! How about the Game Club?"
Chapter 27: Even the Ice Sculpture Girl Blushes
Administration building.
Game Club.
"No one's in the Activity Room. Come on in."
Fujiwara Chika unlocked the door, then pushed it open and went inside.
The school clubs fell into two categories. There were sports clubs—volleyball, baseball, soccer, track and field, and so on—which were exhausting and required students to train at school as early as six in the morning.
The other clubs were much more relaxed. They only had to meet in the Activity Room in the afternoon, so there was usually no one around in the morning.
Amamiya Natsuki stepped into the Activity Room. The first thing he saw was a round table with a tea set on top and a two-person sofa beside it. If not for the gaming posters on the walls, he would never have guessed it was the Game Club.
"The board games are in the storage cabinet." Fujiwara Chika pointed toward the corner. "There are quite a few people in the Game Club, and everyone's always coming and going. If we don't put the games away properly, they're easy to lose... Do you want to play? A friend bought a new board game yesterday. It's super fun!"
Amamiya Natsuki said helplessly, "Let's finish the Interest Mission first."
"Then we can play another time." Fujiwara Chika took out her phone, opened the countdown function, and announced with a wave of her hand, "Let's begin."
Amamiya Natsuki had no objection. He sat across from Shinomiya Kaguya, and the two faced each other over the round table.
A moment later,
"No."
Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly pressed a hand to her brow and looked away.
"Eh? It hasn't even been a minute, and your eyes already hurt?"
Fujiwara Chika couldn't help teasing her. "Kaguya-chan, you're so weak."
"My eyes don't hurt." Shinomiya Kaguya was unhappy. "The mission keeps showing that its progress hasn't been activated."
Amamiya Natsuki considered it. "Maybe the mission conditions haven't been met."
"I see..." Fujiwara Chika folded her arms across her chest and thought for a few seconds before suddenly coming up with a possibility. "Could it be that the two of you are too far apart?"
"Hmm?"
Shinomiya Kaguya looked up at her.
"Kaguya-chan, did you ever play the 'whoever blinks first loses' game when you were little?"
"No."
"Eh? You've never played such a fun game? It's a precious childhood memory."
Fujiwara Chika sounded disappointed.
Amamiya Natsuki was speechless.
Before you continue