Kaguya-sama Wants Me to Surrender

"That's right." Fujiwara Chika clenched her fist and tapped her head, then looked up with big, dewy eyes like a fawn. "Natsuki-kun, I left in too much of a hurry earlier and forgot my wallet."

"..."

Amamiya Natsuki sighed and silently handed her a hundred-yen coin.

Seeing Shinomiya Kaguya staring straight at him, Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help but ask, "Did you forget your wallet too?"

"I didn't forget." Shinomiya Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest, her voice cool. "I never carry money when I go out."

Just as expected of a super heiress from a rich family, she doesn't even carry money when she goes out!

"Then how do you get to school?"

"A driver takes me."

"And lunch?"

"The chef delivers a bento box for me at noon."

"..."

Truly the evil capitalists.

Amamiya Natsuki silently handed Kaguya a hundred-yen coin. "Please accept this, Miss."

Shinomiya Kaguya's rosy lips curved upwards for a moment as she took the coin and inserted it into the machine.

With Amamiya Natsuki's help, the two girls quickly finished selecting their characters and officially entered the battle scene.

"Kaguya-chan, let's duel!" Fujiwara Chika sat up straight, her expression serious. "I won't hold back."

"Bring it on."

"..."

For fairness, both girls chose Cammy. Amamiya Natsuki explained the character's combo techniques and then stood behind them to watch.

Both girls were playing arcade games for the first time and had no prior experience, so they were naturally clumsy. Amamiya Natsuki watched them, silently rating their gameplay as kindergarten-level.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he could take on ten of them.

"I lost..." Looking at her character on the screen spitting blood, Fujiwara Chika let out a soft sigh. "That was a truly exhilarating battle."

Exhilarating, not so much, but it certainly looked entertaining.

"How is it?"

Amamiya Natsuki looked at Kaguya.

A hint of brightness appeared in the Ice Sculpture Girl's beautiful eyes, and she nodded slightly. "Hundred Man Kill successfully gained one point of progress."

"We can finally complete the mission!" Fujiwara Chika cheered along, her voice crisp. "Kaguya-chan, let's duel again."

A moment later.

"The mission progress is still one percent." Shinomiya Kaguya gently rested her chin on her right hand, analyzing the possibilities. "It's likely that each person can only provide one point of progress, and defeating them repeatedly doesn't count... Natsuki-kun, you play."

Amamiya Natsuki's tone was subtle. "You really want me to play?"

"Why?"

"You'll lose."

"Natsuki-kun has commendable ambition."

Chapter 35: Shinomiya Kaguya: Elementary School War God

Shinomiya Kaguya: "Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora!"

Amamiya Natsuki: "Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda Muda!"

"...Fujiwara!"

Shinomiya Kaguya bit her lower lip and turned to look at the girl standing behind her, who was providing voice effects.

"I'm not saying anything," Fujiwara Chika said, covering her mouth with both hands, her eyes innocent. "It's just that Kaguya-chan's expression was too serious, so I wanted to lighten the mood."

Just moments ago, Shinomiya Kaguya had lost five consecutive matches, all of them crushing defeats.

"One more game."

Shinomiya Kaguya looked at Amamiya Natsuki, flames burning in her wine-red eyes.

As a genius, Shinomiya Kaguya's competitive spirit had always been exceptionally strong. Whether in academics or other areas, her motto was to either not do something at all or to do it to the best of her ability.

The same game character.

A fair and just competitive match.

She had actually lost five games in a row, completely unable to fight back... Humiliating!

Losing wasn't shameful.

Failing to win back was shameful.

Therefore, she had to win, no matter what!

"I'm not playing anymore," Amamiya Natsuki refused, shaking his head.

If Kaguya-sama Wants Me to Surrender continues playing, Shinomiya Kaguya will achieve a hidden achievement for one hundred consecutive losses. With the Ice Sculpture Girl's immense pride and arrogant personality, she might even secretly cry.

Shinomiya Kaguya's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and just as she was about to speak, Amamiya Natsuki reminded her:

"If we don't go back now, we'll be late for class."

"Eh? We've been playing for that long?" Fujiwara Chika, who had been spectating from the side, quickly took out her mobile phone upon hearing this and exclaimed, "Kaguya-chan, hurry back to school, we're going to be late!"

"..."

Although she really wanted to continue the duel with Amamiya Natsuki, skipping class was not an option either.

Shinomiya Kaguya let out a soft sigh, tucked a strand of hair that had fallen to her chest behind her ear, and said calmly, "Let's go."

The three of them left the arcade and jogged all the way back to school, arriving just before class.

The day passed in a flash.

The dismissal bell rang on time.

"Kaguya-chan, I've already spoken to my friends," Fujiwara Chika walked up to the Ice Sculpture Girl and saluted, "We can act anytime."

"Wait," Shinomiya Kaguya looked up, "What did you tell your friends?"

Fujiwara Chika smiled brightly, "Of course, I told them to find a hundred friends to help you complete the mission."

Hearing this, Amamiya Natsuki could only sigh inwardly:

This girl with extreme social skills is terrifying.

Less than a month into the school year, and she can round up a hundred friends in minutes. Are you trying to conquer the entire academy!

"Your friends..." Shinomiya Kaguya's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Perhaps not."

"Eh, what do you mean?" Fujiwara Chika looked bewildered.

Amamiya Natsuki interjected, "Your friends are all classmates, right?"

"That's right," Fujiwara Chika nodded.

Amamiya Natsuki said, "Classmate Shinomiya is quite intimidating at school..."

"Hmm?"

Shinomiya Kaguya looked up, her gaze dangerous.

"My mistake, she's a Flower on a High Peak," Amamiya Natsuki corrected himself. A Flower on a High Peak is a flower that blooms at the summit of a mountain, unattainable for ordinary people. "Most classmates see her and act like mice seeing a cat, avoiding her when they walk. If you ask them to do a mission together, they'll likely be timid and hesitant, and then it won't meet the limited conditions."

Family background, beauty, aura... these things, though invisible, are real and not illusory.

"Of course, this is just a guess. We'll only know the truth after verification," Amamiya Natsuki concluded, "Fujiwara, you can ask one friend to test the situation first and see how it goes."

"No problem, leave it to me," Fujiwara Chika accepted the task, her eyes scanning the classroom. She quickly spotted a short-haired girl who hadn't left yet and waved, "Asuka-chan, come here."

Amamiya Natsuki looked at the short-haired girl, Kashiwagi Asuka, the same classmate who had stumbled upon their private moment yesterday afternoon.

"Um... Chika-chan is calling me?"

The short-haired girl timidly pointed to herself.

"It's you, come over quickly."

"Oh."

Glancing at the Ice Sculpture Kaguya standing beside Fujiwara Chika, the short-haired girl's face turned slightly pale, and she timidly walked over.

"Asuka-chan, do you have any club activities this afternoon?" Fujiwara Chika asked.

"No."

"Perfect, then it's you," Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands in front of her chest, "I have something I'd like to ask of you."

"W-what is it?"

"Kaguya-chan wants to fight, so you can be her opponent."

Opponent?

The short-haired girl's body trembled slightly, her face turning even paler, and her eyes even welled up with tears.

They call it an opponent, but it's actually a murder to silence me, isn't it?

Yesterday afternoon, I stumbled upon Classmate Kaguya and Amamiya-kun doing that in the classroom, and I thought I survived. Am I going to be silenced by Classmate Kaguya in the end!

"I-I'm sorry!" The short-haired girl bowed ninety degrees in apology, "Classmate Kaguya is so powerful, and I'm so weak. I'm not even qualified to be an opponent, let alone a sparring partner. Please spare me!"

"..."

In the end, the short-haired girl still followed the three of them out of the school.

There was no choice. Shinomiya Kaguya's cold, clear eyes were quite terrifying, making people afraid to refuse.

They walked in silence.

The four of them quickly arrived at the arcade.

"I've told you a few times, I'm just asking Asuka-chan to come play games, don't be so nervous," Fujiwara Chika walked at the front, "I'm here."

Entering the arcade, the short-haired girl relaxed slightly. It really wasn't a terrifying place like an abandoned warehouse.

The afternoon players were quite a bit more numerous than in the morning, but it wasn't packed. The machine Amamiya Natsuki had played in the morning was free, so Shinomiya Kaguya walked over and sat down.

"Asuka-chan, sit next to Kaguya-chan," Fujiwara Chika reminded.

"Oh."

Amamiya Natsuki, meanwhile, turned to find a staff member to exchange for a coin.

When he returned, Fujiwara Chika had just finished explaining the basic controls of the game. Clenching her right fist, she said, "Asuka-chan, what you need to do now is play a game with Kaguya-chan."

"Um... what happens if I lose?" the short-haired girl asked cautiously.

Amamiya Natsuki handed her a coin and said gently, "Don't be nervous. There's no penalty for losing. It's just that Kaguya-san is bad at the game but loves playing, and she just wants someone to play with."

"Stare--"

A sharp gaze fixed on him.

Shinomiya Kaguya was unhappy.

What did she mean by "bad at the game but loves playing"?

She had only lost a few rounds to him this morning. Just you wait, she would definitely win them back!

"That's good then."

The short-haired girl let out a light sigh of relief, inserted the coin, and entered battle mode.

The game began.

Immediately after, the match ended.

"I'm sorry, I'm too weak," the short-haired girl apologized timidly. "And it's my first time playing this kind of game."

"It's okay to lose, nya. Here, have a drink to calm your nerves," Fujiwara Chika handed her a can of soda and turned to look at Kaguya. "Kaguya-chan, how's the mission going?"