Kaguya-sama Wants Me to Surrender

The number of vengeful spirits was far greater than expected.

But aside from himself, no one else seemed to be able to see them...

Amamiya Natsuki's heart stirred, and he thought back to his teammate from earlier, Shinomiya Kaguya.

Could Young Lady Kaguya, who had also received the 'clearance reward,' see the twisted vengeful spirits too?

On the other side.

The Shinomiya family mansion.

A Kaguya was hiding under her covers, tears welling up, trembling with fear.

(Aaaah! What was that thing, why was there something so terrifying beside Hayasaka?!)

Back home.

The house was cold and empty, with no one around.

After finishing his bath, Amamiya Natsuki returned to his room, silently opened the Game Mall, and let out another long sigh.

This mall... was so empty it brought tears to the eyes.

When he had been tying his shoelaces earlier, Amamiya Natsuki had discovered the existence of the Game Mall. He had been quite excited at the time, but only after entering did he know what it meant to be utterly disappointed.

The Game Mall was incredibly shabby. There was no cash shop, no recharge system—did not even have those. And there was only one item for sale—

[Name: Daily Blind Box]

[Price: Ten Game Coins]

[Property: After opening the blind box, you will randomly receive one gift, including four categories: Items, Abilities, Attributes, and Vengeful Spirits. Top-tier reward: Divine Authority]

[Blind box probabilities are for you to figure out on your own. After midnight each day, the gifts in the blind box will automatically refresh. You can also pay ten Game Coins to actively refresh it, with no limit on attempts]

So why was 'Vengeful Spirit' mixed in among these?

Was this thing really a gift?

If you accidentally opened a blind box and got a vengeful spirit, you wouldn't even have a place to cry about it!

"So, should I draw one blind box or not?"

Amamiya Natsuki's fingers itched a little.

No one could resist the blind box mechanic, especially with the top-tier reward being Divine Authority.

Everyone knew the probability of drawing it was bound to be extremely low, but what if?

What if he hit the jackpot on the first try and successfully obtained Divine Authority?

There were definitely lucky people in the world—why couldn't it be him?

While Amamiya Natsuki was still agonizing over whether to draw a blind box, a line of text slowly began to emerge in his vision.

[Tip: The screams of vengeful spirits echo within the blind box...]

"..."

Amamiya Natsuki silently suppressed his urge to draw a blind box.

But... the ability to see tips could also see through the blind boxes in the Game Mall?

A wave of drowsiness washed over him. Amamiya Natsuki closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

Amamiya Natsuki woke to the sound of his alarm clock.

Today was Monday, another school day.

Amamiya Natsuki got up, got dressed, walked to the window, and reached out to push it open. Outside, the sun was bright, pink and white cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and the spring scenery was splendid.

After washing up, Amamiya Natsuki walked to the refrigerator, reached out, and pulled open the door, planning to grab a carton of milk.

The next moment.

A vengeful spirit's head silently stared back at Amamiya Natsuki, its mouth full of sharp fangs, and even a mist-like drool dripping down without pause.

Bang!

Amamiya Natsuki expressionlessly slammed the door shut.

Not drinking anymore!

Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath, silently opened the Game Mall, and looked towards the only blind box in the mall.

"The blind box should have refreshed. Let's see what's inside..."

As Amamiya Natsuki stared silently, after a moment, a line of text slowly appeared above the blind box.

[Tip: Within the blind box lies a power that makes evil spirits fear]

Amamiya Natsuki's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he used his points to exchange for the blind box.

The next moment.

Amamiya Natsuki only felt a slight weight in his hand, and a blind box had already appeared in his grasp.

Upon opening, a soft sound echoed beside Amamiya Natsuki's ear.

[You have opened the Daily Lucky Blind Box] [You have obtained Primary Aura: Evil Spirit Repellent] [Description: Passive Ability, no cost, within five meters, evil spirits retreat]

"A bit weak and useless..." Amamiya Natsuki silently gave his evaluation, then turned and pulled open the refrigerator door. "Hiding in the fridge to scare people? Die!"

After breakfast.

Amamiya Natsuki picked up his school bag and left for school.

Just as he stepped out the door, he happened to see a black-haired girl walking out from the neighbor's house. She had faint dark circles under her eyes and was covering her mouth with her hand, yawning tiredly.

"Miko, good morning."

Chapter 4: Miko: Hello Bestie, Goodbye Bestie

"Miko, good morning."

Amamiya Natsuki raised his hand to greet her.

"Morning~"

The black-haired girl's voice was drowsy.

Yotsuya Miko.

The eldest daughter of the Yotsuya family next door.

A quiet girl who loved studying.

The Amamiya family had moved here three years ago. Amamiya Natsuki and Yotsuya Miko happened to attend the same middle school, so in a sense, they could be considered childhood sweethearts.

"Your dark circles look heavier. What have you been up to lately?"

Amamiya Natsuki asked casually.

"Nothing." Yotsuya Miko bit her lower lip lightly. "I... just watched a horror movie, so I didn't sleep well."

"Daring to watch a horror movie alone—quite the guts, young lady."

"..."

The two chatted as they walked toward school.

When they passed an intersection, Amamiya Natsuki's gaze suddenly sharpened.

Among the crowd across the street, a particularly eye-catching female office worker stood out. She was well-dressed, had a good figure, and a pretty face—very noticeable.

Amamiya Natsuki silently watched the woman, but his gaze wasn't on her face—it was on her back.

On the female office worker's back was a huge, bloated Infant Vengeful Spirit. Its long tongue hung from its mouth, occasionally flicking out to curl toward passersby, though no one noticed.

"Hm?"

Amamiya Natsuki suddenly caught sight of Yotsuya Miko's pretty face turning pale. She lowered her head to stare at her toes, her fingers tightly gripping her sleeve, the knuckles turning white.

"Miko?" Amamiya Natsuki lowered his voice. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine."

Yotsuya Miko bit her lip and shook her head slightly.

The light turned green.

Pedestrians waiting on both sides of the intersection began to move.

The pretty woman moved along with them, the Infant Vengeful Spirit on her back wriggling happily.

Amamiya Natsuki silently took a deep breath, ready to cross the street, when a hand suddenly tugged at his sleeve.

"Wait."

Yotsuya Miko looked up at him, her eyes misty, wearing an expression like she wanted to cry but didn't dare. "I suddenly remembered I need to buy something... come with me to the convenience store?"

"What do you need to buy?"

"Don't ask so many questions, hurry up."

Yotsuya Miko grabbed Amamiya Natsuki's wrist and pulled him away.

"Phew..."

Watching the woman walk off with the Infant Vengeful Spirit on her back, Yotsuya Miko quietly sighed in relief, a look of release crossing her face.

Then... the girl's expression froze again.

At the entrance of the convenience store, a twisted spirit in a convenience store uniform was bending over, as if bowing to the customers coming and going.

Even as a spirit, it still remembered to work—truly Japan!

Yotsuya Miko paused for two seconds, then silently turned around. "Never mind, I suddenly remembered I have spare pencils in my bag... let's go to school."

"..."

Amamiya Natsuki silently looked at the twisted spirit at the convenience store entrance, a possibility forming in his mind.

Miko can see them?

If that's really the case, then Miko is also a player of the Weird Game?

Amamiya Natsuki pondered for a moment, then decided to get to the bottom of it. He bent down slightly, leaning close to the girl's ear.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

Yotsuya Miko leaned back a little, a faint blush rising on her pretty face.

"The Weird Game?"

Amamiya Natsuki whispered in her ear, careful not to be overheard.

"Huh? What game?" Yotsuya Miko looked confused, tilting her head in bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Amamiya Natsuki straightened up and let out a quiet sigh. "Let's keep walking."

It seemed he was overthinking things. Miko was not a Game Player... That was for the best—at least he didn't have to worry about unknown penalties if she failed the game.

But then the question remained: why could Miko see the Vengeful Spirits?

Amamiya Natsuki was about to ask when a crisp, cheerful voice rang out from a distance.

"Miko!"

A girl with short blonde hair and a figure like Waves Surging waved her arm as she ran over happily.

"Ah, Amamiya-classmate, good morning."

The short-haired girl flashed a bright smile at Amamiya Natsuki, as if making the sunlight itself a little warmer.

"Good morning, Baihe."

Amamiya Natsuki replied politely.

Yurikawa Hana.