Miss Sadako, Come Out and Entertain the Guests / What Should I Do About All These Leg-Hanging Ornaments?

Miss Sadako, Come Out and Entertain Our Guests

Thud.

A soft, fragrant body crashed into his arms.

The slight dizziness from switching worlds made Amamiya Natsuki instinctively tighten his arms around the girl he was holding.

"Eh, Kaguya-chan?!"

Fujiwara Chika cried out in delighted surprise.

Then Takanashi Rikka exclaimed, "A-a person appeared out of thin air!"

Amamiya Natsuki had suddenly vanished just moments ago. While the two girls were anxiously searching for him, he had abruptly appeared in the hospital room, holding Shinomiya Kaguya. It really was like watching someone appear out of thin air.

"Kaguya-chan, are you all right?" Fujiwara Chika hurried over and asked with concern. "We searched the entire room, but we couldn't find you. How did you suddenly appear?"

"Fujiwara."

Shinomiya Kaguya bit her lower lip, eyes brimming with tears.

After being alone in the Mirror World while the Mirror Ghost imitated her for so long, there was no need to explain how frightened and panicked she had been. Now that Fujiwara Chika was suddenly here, even that idiot seemed like someone she could lean on.

"This isn't the time to talk." Amamiya Natsuki quickly stepped forward, flipped the mirror facedown on the table, and said decisively, "Let's get out of here first."

The Mirror Ghost was far too creepy. His own Miss Sadako was much cuter!

He opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

Before he knew it, the hallway had grown dark again. Danger was closing in.

Amamiya Natsuki led the three girls back toward Fujiwara Chika's hospital room. But when he opened the door, a new Vengeful Spirit had appeared inside.

"Sorry to bother you."

Amamiya Natsuki immediately shut the door and led the three girls back to his own room.

Thud.

The door closed.

In the dim, eerie light of the hospital room, Amamiya Natsuki spotted the black-and-white television in the corner and finally relaxed.

Miss Sadako from Himura Dairy wasn't scary at all.

"Natsuki-classmate~" Fujiwara Chika stood with her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly as she smiled at him. "How much longer are you planning to hold Kaguya-chan's hand?"

"Hm?"

Amamiya Natsuki looked down and only then realized he was still holding Shinomiya Kaguya's hand.

Wait.

He'd gotten it wrong. Shinomiya Kaguya was the one gripping his hand tightly.

He'd actually forgotten to let go. He must have been really frightened.

Shinomiya Kaguya quietly released his hand. Her expression had returned to normal, though the tips of her ears had turned faintly red. Changing the subject, she said:

"I was in the hospital room the whole time, but it was the room inside the mirror..."

Like everyone else, Shinomiya Kaguya had appeared alone in a hospital room after entering the game. She'd just been exceptionally unlucky.

The hallway had already been swallowed by darkness, so she couldn't leave. After carefully checking the room, she'd stood alone in its center to stay safe and think about how she might clear the game.

By the time she realized the reflection in the mirror was smiling at her, it was too late. The Mirror Ghost dragged her straight into the Mirror World. Then she had to watch helplessly as it gradually took on her appearance, until it looked exactly like her. Even now, the memory made her heart pound.

"No wonder Kaguya-chan's eyes were all teary. You must have been really scared, right?"

Fujiwara Chika gently stroked the top of Shinomiya Kaguya's head with her right hand, offering warm reassurance.

"I wasn't crying."

Shinomiya Kaguya refused to admit it.

"Liar! I saw you just now."

"What did you see?"

Shinomiya Kaguya smiled at her.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please forgive me." Fujiwara Chika knelt formally, then turned to Amamiya Natsuki and asked curiously, "Natsuki-classmate, how did you figure out which one was the real Kaguya-chan?"

At the question, Shinomiya Kaguya pressed her lovely lips together and turned her gaze toward Amamiya Natsuki.

She was just as curious.

While trapped in the Mirror World, the Mirror Ghost had imitated her flawlessly—her appearance, voice, memories, even her personality. Even Hayasaka or Fujiwara, who knew her best, would have had little chance of identifying the real her. So how had Amamiya Natsuki managed it?

"It was the eyes."

Amamiya Natsuki pointed to his own eyes. "When you get right down to it, the Mirror Ghost only imitates people. It can't imitate an instinct that even Kaguya-classmate doesn't know she has."

"What is it?"

Shinomiya Kaguya raised an eyebrow, even more curious.

Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at Kaguya. "A few days ago, when I did the Stare at the Sun task, I noticed that when we made eye contact, Kaguya-classmate's pupils gradually dilated without her realizing it."

"Just now, in the Mirror World, I made eye contact with the other Kaguya. Her eyes were just as teary, and she looked pitiful, weak, and helpless, but her pupils didn't change size at all."

"..."

Shinomiya Kaguya bit her lower lip and used the skill Kaguya's Scorn.

What did he mean, pitiful, weak, and helpless?

Nobody could have kept a straight face after hearing that!

"Ah, I get it!"

Takanashi Rikka, who hadn't said a word until now, suddenly raised her hand.

Everyone turned to look at her.

The ahoge on the Chuunibyou girl's head quivered as she spoke softly.

"Um, I saw it on TV. When a girl sees a boy she likes, her pupils get bigger."

"Eh?" Fujiwara Chika's eyes widened. She quickly leaned closer, stars appearing in her eyes. "Does Kaguya-chan like Natsuki-classmate?"

"...Impossible."

Shinomiya Kaguya folded her arms across her chest, tightened her expression, and flatly denied it.

That heart-pounding feeling was nothing but the bridge effect. Besides, no scientific research had ever proven that an emotion like "love" truly existed.

"What do you think, Natsuki-classmate?"

Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands to her chest, her girlish curiosity burning brightly.

Amamiya Natsuki looked over Fujiwara's shoulder, at the girl behind her. "First, calm down. Don't be nervous. Listen to me."

"Eh?"

Fujiwara Chika froze, then noticed that Kaguya and Rikka were also staring behind her.

The airheaded girl immediately tensed up. Without thinking, she turned to look behind her—and saw Miss Sadako, wearing a bloodstained white dress, her long black hair covering her entire face.

"Eeeeeek!"

The girl's scream rang out.

Fujiwara Chika lunged into Amamiya Natsuki's arms, her softness pressing against his face and nearly making it impossible for him to breathe.

"I told you not to get nervous." Amamiya Natsuki struggled to push the octopus-like Fujiwara away, looking exasperated. "She's my roommate. A shy Miss Sadako. She's easy to get along with."

When he'd first entered the room, he hadn't seen Miss Sadako. But halfway through his sentence, she had quietly crawled out of the television.

Her movements had been completely silent, and the room was dim. By the time Amamiya Natsuki noticed her, Miss Sadako was already behind Fujiwara Chika. She hadn't attacked the airheaded girl. It seemed more like she'd... perked up her ears to eavesdrop?

Clearly, even Vengeful Spirits loved gossip.

When Amamiya Natsuki spotted her, Miss Sadako's hair quivered where it covered her face. She turned and tried to crawl back into the television, apparently unwilling to part her hair down the middle again.

"Don't hide. You're the owner of this hospital room." Amamiya Natsuki called after her. "Miss Sadako, come out and entertain our guests—no, I mean, come greet them."

At those words, Miss Sadako got even more nervous. In the end, she couldn't get into the television at all.

"Um..." Fujiwara Chika blinked, her arms instinctively wrapped around Natsuki's neck. She hesitated before asking, "Is she stuck?"

How to Deal with More and More Leg Accessories

In the end, Miss Sadako was simply too shy to entertain guests. Without saying a word, she hid inside the television.

"Fujiwara, you can get up now," Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly said.

"Eh?"

Fujiwara Chika froze, only then realizing she was still sitting in Amamiya Natsuki's lap. She hurriedly stood up. "Kaguya-chan, are you jealous...?"

"Jealous of what?"

Shinomiya Kaguya tilted her head, her voice carrying the tone of the night.

"Nothing at all."

Fujiwara Chika covered her chest with both hands and shook her head quickly.

Shinomiya Kaguya turned her gaze to Amamiya Natsuki, her expression cool and composed. "Amamiya-classmate, what was the deal with Miss Sadako just now?"

"She's my roommate." Amamiya Natsuki briefly explained what had happened, then concluded, "We get along pretty well now."

"How do you get along well?!" Fujiwara Chika couldn't help shouting. "Miss Sadako was so scared of you that she hid in the television!"

"Then I can call Miss Sadako out, and you two can get to know each other?"

"Thanks, but I'll pass."

"..."

"Back to the matter at hand." Shinomiya Kaguya pressed a finger lightly to her brow. "What are you planning to do next, Amamiya-classmate?"

Amamiya Natsuki answered at once.

"Obviously, I'll complete as many tasks as I can and earn more rewards."

The Main Quest was to survive for twenty-four hours. As long as he had the Middle-part comb, the extremely shy Miss Sadako wouldn't dare come out and scare anyone.

In other words, they could hide in the hospital room until the Main Quest was complete, then leave the game.

The problem was that this approach would only earn them the most basic reward: ten Game coins, enough to buy at most one Daily Blind Box.

Avoiding danger and doing the bare minimum had never been Amamiya Natsuki's style.

Especially when he could see all kinds of hints. Of course he would do as many tasks as possible and earn more rewards.

Shinomiya Kaguya gave a slight nod. Her thoughts matched Amamiya Natsuki's exactly.

"If we're going to do something, we should do it right. Let's move together in a bit."

"..."

The darkness quietly lifted.

The lights in the hallway came back on.

Amamiya Natsuki opened the door a crack and carefully checked outside. Then he said softly, "We can go out."

"I'm going too." Fujiwara Chika cautiously peered outside and clenched her right hand into a fist. "The three of us entered the game together, so of course we'll leave together."

Hey, hey, don't go tempting fate like that. It's dangerous!

Takanashi Rikka came out with them, of course. She didn't dare stay in the room alone. Who knew if Miss Sadako might suddenly become eager to entertain guests?

The four of them stepped into the hallway.

The lights were back on, but the hallway still felt a little eerie.