"Would you look at that." Fujiwara Chika made a fist and tapped it against her head, then looked over with big, dewy doe eyes. "Natsuki-classmate, I left in such a hurry just now that I forgot to bring my wallet."
"..."
Amamiya Natsuki sighed and silently handed her a hundred-yen coin.
When he saw Shinomiya Kaguya staring straight at him, Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help asking, "Did you forget your wallet too?"
"I didn't forget it." Shinomiya Kaguya folded her right arm across her chest, her voice cool. "I never carry money when I go out."
As expected of a super-rich young lady—she didn't even carry money when she went out!
"Then how do you get to school?"
"My driver takes me."
"What about lunch?"
"Our chef brings me a bento especially at noon."
"..."
As expected, capitalists were the worst.
Amamiya Natsuki silently handed Kaguya a hundred-yen coin. "Young Lady, please be sure to accept this."
The corners of Shinomiya Kaguya's rosy lips lifted ever so slightly. She took the coin and fed it into the machine.
With Amamiya Natsuki's help, the two girls quickly finished choosing their characters and entered the versus scene.
"Kaguya-chan, let's duel!" Fujiwara Chika sat up straight, her expression solemn. "I won't go easy on you."
"Bring it on."
"..."
To keep things fair, both girls chose Cammy. After Amamiya Natsuki explained the character's combos, he stood behind them and watched.
Both girls were playing an arcade game for the first time and had no prior experience. Naturally, they were especially clumsy, and Amamiya Natsuki silently rated their performance as a kindergarten-level battle.
It was no exaggeration to say he could take on ten of them.
"I lost..." Fujiwara Chika let out a soft breath as she watched her character spit blood and fall over. "That was a truly exhilarating battle."
It hadn't been exhilarating at all, but it was definitely a great show to eat snacks to.
"How's it going?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Kaguya.
A glimmer of excitement clearly appeared in the Ice Sculpture Girl's beautiful eyes. She gave a slight nod. "The Hundred Man Kill has gained one point of progress."
"We can finally finish the task." Fujiwara Chika perked up too, her voice bright. "Kaguya-chan, let's keep dueling."
A moment later.
"The task is still at one percent." Shinomiya Kaguya lightly propped her chin on her right hand, considering the possibilities. "Each person probably only gives one point of progress, and beating the same person again doesn't count... Natsuki-classmate, you play."
Amamiya Natsuki's tone was uncertain. "You really want me to play?"
"What's wrong?"
"You'll lose."
"Natsuki-classmate, how admirable of you to be so confident."
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 toward the girl standing behind her, providing the sound effects.
"I'll stop." Fujiwara Chika covered her mouth with both hands, looking innocent. "It's just that Kaguya-chan looked so serious, I wanted to lighten the mood."
Just now, Shinomiya Kaguya had already lost five matches in a row, and every one of them had been a crushing defeat.
"Let's play one more round."
Shinomiya Kaguya looked toward Amamiya Natsuki, flames burning in her wine-red eyes.
As a Genius Girl, Shinomiya Kaguya had always been extremely competitive. Whether it was studying or anything else, her standard was simple: either don't do it, or do it perfectly.
The same game character.
A fair and just competition.
And she'd lost five rounds in a row, without even being able to fight back... Humiliating!
Losing wasn't embarrassing.
Not being able to win it back was.
So she had to win, no matter what!
"I'm done." Amamiya Natsuki shook his head.
If they kept playing, Shinomiya Kaguya would unlock the hidden achievement for losing a hundred matches in a row. Given the Ice Sculpture Girl's fierce pride and self-esteem, she might even sneak off and cry.
Shinomiya Kaguya's willow brows knit slightly, and she was about to speak when Amamiya Natsuki reminded her:
"If we don't head back now, we'll be late for class."
"Ehh, we've been playing that long?" Fujiwara Chika, who had been watching the spectacle while snacking nearby, hurriedly pulled out her phone and cried out, "Kaguya-chan, we need to get back to school! We're going to be late!"
"..."
She really wanted to keep competing with Amamiya Natsuki, but skipping class was out of the question too.
Shinomiya Kaguya let out a quiet breath, tucked the hair falling over her chest behind her ear, and regained her composure. "Let's go."
The three left the game center and jogged all the way back to school, making it in time for class.
The day flew by.
The dismissal bell rang right on time.
"Kaguya-chan, I've already talked to my friends." Fujiwara Chika went over to the Ice Sculpture Girl and saluted. "We're ready whenever you are."
"Wait." Shinomiya Kaguya looked up. "What did you tell your friends?"
Fujiwara Chika smiled brightly. "Of course, I told them to bring a hundred friends to help you finish the task."
After hearing that, Amamiya Natsuki could only marvel silently to himself:
A girl with a terrifyingly strong social game. She was truly frightening.
They hadn't even been in school for a month, and she could pull together a hundred friends in minutes. Was she planning to take over the entire school?
"Your friends..." Shinomiya Kaguya furrowed her brows slightly. "They might not be suitable."
"Huh? Why?" Fujiwara Chika looked puzzled.
Amamiya Natsuki spoke up beside them. "Your friends are all students at this school, right?"
"That's right." Fujiwara Chika nodded.
Amamiya Natsuki said, "Shinomiya-classmate is pretty scary at school..."
"Hmm?"
Shinomiya Kaguya looked up at him, her gaze dangerous.
"I mean, she's an unattainable beauty." Amamiya Natsuki quickly changed his wording. A beauty on a mountaintop bloomed high above, beyond the reach of ordinary people. "When most students see her, they're like mice spotting a cat. They even step aside when she walks by. If you ask them to join her in the task, they'll probably be so nervous that they won't meet the requirements."
Family background, beauty, presence... Those things might be invisible, but they were real.
"Of course, that's only a guess. We'll have to test it to find out for sure." Amamiya Natsuki added, "Fujiwara, you could ask one friend to come over first and see what happens."
"No problem. Leave it to me." Fujiwara Chika accepted the task, scanned the classroom, and soon spotted a short-haired girl who hadn't left yet. She waved. "Asuka-chan, come here."
Amamiya Natsuki looked toward the short-haired girl, Kashiwagi Asuka—the same classmate who had caught them in the act yesterday afternoon.
"Um... Is Chika-chan calling me?"
The short-haired girl timidly pointed at herself.
"That's right, you. Come on over."
"Oh."
The short-haired girl glanced at the Ice Sculpture Girl standing beside Fujiwara Chika. Her little face paled, and she timidly walked over.
"Asuka-chan, do you have club activities this afternoon?" Fujiwara Chika asked.
"No."
"Perfect, then you're the one." Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands in front of her chest. "There's something I'd like to ask you."
"W-what is it?"
"Kaguya-chan wants to battle. Could you be her opponent?"
O-opponent?
The short-haired girl trembled slightly, her face growing even paler. Her eyes even started to well up.
Calling her an opponent was just a cover. They were really going to kill her to keep her quiet, weren't they?
She'd caught Kaguya-classmate and Amamiya-classmate doing that kind of thing in the classroom yesterday afternoon. She'd thought she'd survived, but in the end, Kaguya-classmate was still going to kill her to cover it up!
"I-I'm sorry!" The short-haired girl bowed ninety degrees. "Kaguya-classmate is so amazing, and I'm so weak. I wouldn't even qualify as a practice partner, let alone an opponent. Please let me go!"
"..."
In the end, the short-haired girl followed Amamiya Natsuki and the others out of the school.
There was no helping it. Shinomiya Kaguya's cool gaze was terrifying, and the girl didn't dare refuse.
They walked in silence.
The four soon arrived at the game center.
"I've told you several times, we're only bringing Asuka-chan along to play a game. Don't be so nervous." Fujiwara Chika led the way. "I'm here with you."
After they entered the game center, the short-haired girl relaxed a little. It really wasn't some frightening place like an Abandoned warehouse.
There were quite a few more players than in the morning, but it wasn't crowded. The machine they'd used earlier was free, and Shinomiya Kaguya walked over and sat down.
"Asuka-chan, sit next to Kaguya-chan," Fujiwara Chika reminded her.
"Oh."
Amamiya Natsuki turned to find a staff member and exchanged money for a handful of coins.
When he came back, Fujiwara Chika had just finished explaining the game's basic controls. She clenched a fist and said, "Asuka-chan, all you have to do now is play one round 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 worry. There's no punishment for losing. Shinomiya-classmate just has a losing streak and wants someone to play with."
"Staaare—"
Shinomiya Kaguya glared at him sharply.
Kaguya was unhappy.
What did he mean, she had a losing streak?
She'd only lost a few rounds to him that morning. Just wait—she'd definitely win it back!
"Good."
The short-haired girl let out a quiet breath, inserted the coin, and entered versus mode.
The game began.
Then the match ended.
"I'm sorry, I'm so weak," the short-haired girl timidly apologized. "And it was my first time playing this kind of game."
"It's okay to lose, you know. Here, have a drink to calm your nerves." Fujiwara Chika handed her a can of soda, then turned to Kaguya. "Kaguya-chan, how did the task go?"
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