Fujiwara Chika followed close behind. The airheaded girl borrowed someone else's authority, her voice ringing out clearly:
"Outlaw Zhang San, I'm calling your name. Do you dare answer?"
The vengeful spirit in this hospital room was a woman holding a pair of scissors. She was just about to snip the corner of Amamiya Natsuki's mouth when she suddenly felt her own mouth move:
"Zhang San is here!"
"..."
Smack.
Amamiya Natsuki grabbed her shoulder. "Zhang San, you're under arrest."
It was time for a body search. The girls worked together and soon found the mysterious fragment, while also rescuing another Unlucky Player along the way.
The light around Mother Fujiwara shone brightly once more.
They swept through the place and soon returned to Room 404, where Amamiya Natsuki was staying.
While no one was around, Miss Sadako sneaked out again and quietly stood alone in a corner, her face hidden by black hair and her presence chilling. The few Newbie Players who had followed them all cried out in fright, their hearts racing.
"Miss Sadako, I'm back," Amamiya Natsuki greeted her.
At the sound of Amamiya Natsuki's voice, Miss Sadako's hair shuddered. Without a word, she tried to crawl into the TV again, but, as always, got stuck.
Amamiya Natsuki strolled over unhurriedly and grabbed her around the waist from behind... Hmm, her waist was so slender.
"Miss Sadako, hand over the fragment," Amamiya Natsuki said earnestly. "Or you know what'll happen."
The players who had followed along were dumbfounded.
First he bullied the Cow vengeful spirit, and now he was bullying Sadako. He was terrifying.
At the sight of the comb in Amamiya Natsuki's hand, Miss Sadako quickly gave in and silently handed over the fragment.
Before darkness fell, Amamiya Natsuki and the others continued on to Shinomiya Kaguya's Nightmare House, where they would face the Mirror Ghost again.
Yandere Girl Kaguya-chan
Mirror vengeful spirit.
Shinomiya Kaguya's ultimate nightmare.
The Snake, the Pig-head Butcher, the vengeful spirit teacher, and all the twisted evil spirits they had encountered in the real world were nothing compared to the Mirror Ghost.
Being dragged alone into the Mirror world, even having her memories stolen from her—it was plainly a nightmarish experience.
So as soon as they reached the hospital room, Shinomiya Kaguya's lovely face turned pale.
"Kaguya-chan, Natsuki-classmate and I can go in," Fujiwara Chika said softly. "You can wait outside."
The Combination skill required two people to activate, so Amamiya Natsuki and Fujiwara Chika had to go in, no matter what.
"Actually, never mind." Shinomiya Kaguya bit her lower lip, then suddenly said, "Let's give up on the fragment in this room."
Abandoning the Side Quest, hiding in the hospital room, and passively waiting for the game to end was also a reasonable choice.
The benefit went without saying: it would keep them as safe as possible.
Her "roommate" relationship with Miss Sadako had already reached the friendly level, so she had no need to worry about danger.
"No way." Fujiwara Chika shook her head. "If we give up, we definitely won't be able to collect all the fragments. I'm a Completionist. If I can't get every last fragment, it'll drive me crazy."
"But..."
"Don't worry. I know what Kaguya-chan is worried about." Fujiwara Chika lifted her pretty face slightly, her voice confident. "Even if Natsuki-classmate gets copied, I'll definitely recognize him."
Hey, hey, where did all that confidence come from?
Miko, maybe—but you two weren't even that close!
Fujiwara Chika continued, "If I get copied, Natsuki-classmate will definitely recognize me too, right?"
"Sorry," Amamiya Natsuki said expressionlessly. "I wouldn't."
"Huh?"
Amamiya Natsuki quipped,
"Fujiwara-classmate is a god, after all. How could a mere human possibly understand the thoughts of a god?"
"That's so mean." Fujiwara Chika puffed out her cheeks. "Are you complimenting me or making fun of me...? Oh, right!"
Fujiwara Chika suddenly smacked her forehead, her eyes lighting up. "I've got it! We just need a little item. Even if the mirror copies us, Natsuki-classmate and I will still be able to recognize each other."
"What item?"
"That Red string, of course." Fujiwara Chika urged him on. "Natsuki-classmate, hurry up and take it out."
Amamiya Natsuki remembered the Red string he had gotten in a trade and took out the item.
[Item: Red string]
[Material: Unknown]
[How to use: Both people tie the Red string around the same finger. When one person curls their finger, the other person's finger will move along with it]
[Special effect: Unlocked]
[Note: Please use with caution. Do not use with figurines, body pillows, silicone [beep--], cats, pigeons, or other creatures. You can't do it with people—at least, you shouldn't]
Even after reading the note again, Amamiya Natsuki's expression remained complicated.
Never mind the figurine. A body pillow didn't even have fingers, so how would you tie the Red string around one?
Using the string with a cat was one thing, but what was with the pigeon spirit?
"Natsuki-classmate." Fujiwara Chika looked up at him and asked, "Which finger do you want to tie it around?"
"Hmm..." Amamiya Natsuki pondered for a couple of seconds. "The pinky, I guess."
Of the five fingers, the pinky was the least useful. For example, members of the Yakuza organization usually cut off their pinkies when they cut off a finger.
"Then the pinky it is." Fujiwara Chika held out her little finger and turned to her. "Kaguya-chan, could you tie the Red string for me?"
"..."
Shinomiya Kaguya wanted to refuse, but couldn't think of a suitable reason.
It was just an ordinary Red string that could only make someone's finger move. Surely she had a good reason to refuse?
Biting her lower lip slightly, Shinomiya Kaguya took the Red string and tied it around Fujiwara's finger.
"Leave Natsuki-classmate's finger to me."
Fujiwara Chika volunteered, raising her hand to tie the Red string around Amamiya Natsuki's finger.
The next moment,
the Red string connecting their fingers vanished without a trace.
"Huh? The Red string disappeared?"
Fujiwara Chika opened her eyes wide and hurriedly looked around.
Amamiya Natsuki suddenly felt his finger move on its own twice. He raised his right hand in front of him, then moved his fingers.
"My finger's moving by itself." Fujiwara Chika was amazed, wiggling her pinky back and forth. "So that's how it works. How amazing."
"Stop playing with it." Amamiya Natsuki tried making a fist and found he could stop his pinky from moving. "Let's go in."
Only then did Fujiwara Chika stop. "Kaguya-chan, wait for us to come back."
"..."
They entered the hospital room.
The light was as dim as ever, and the air was chillingly cold.
The room was completely empty. There was no sign of the vengeful spirit, and the bronze mirror lay face down on the table, just as it had when they left.
"The vengeful spirit isn't here." Fujiwara Chika lowered her voice and instinctively edged closer to Amamiya Natsuki. "Natsuki-classmate, could that spirit still be inside the mirror?"
"Very likely." Amamiya Natsuki nodded slightly and picked up the mirror. "Look into it for ten seconds. Don't blink."
"Okay."
Fujiwara Chika clenched her fists, bracing herself.
The mirror was small. To fit in it together, Fujiwara Chika had to stand as close to Amamiya Natsuki as possible, their arms pressed snugly against each other.
Amamiya Natsuki breathed in softly, catching a pleasant scent from the airheaded girl—a blend of milk, cake, and flowers.
After silently counting to ten, Amamiya Natsuki felt slightly dizzy.
"Ugh, I'm a little dizzy..."
Fujiwara Chika's voice sounded beside his ear. The airheaded girl clung to Amamiya Natsuki's arm to steady herself.
The next moment,
a ghostly, wavering voice reached their ears.
"Why... Why did you choose her instead of me?"
Fujiwara Chika followed the voice and looked over. "Huh? Kaguya-chan?"
"You're imagining things." Amamiya Natsuki grabbed Fujiwara Chika's hand. "Kaguya-classmate is waiting for us in the hallway."
The girl before them only looked exactly like Shinomiya Kaguya. She was actually a vengeful spirit.
Amamiya Natsuki had thought that the Mirror Ghost would show its true form after they left, but it had kept Shinomiya Kaguya's appearance.
At that very moment,
the Shinomiya Kaguya standing in the shadows by the wall walked toward them. Her head tilted to one side, blood spattered across her pale face, and she held a utility knife in her hand. Blood slowly dripped from its tip. All the light had vanished from her wine-red eyes, which were veiled in gray, hollow and gloomy.
"...Kaguya-chan is so scary."
Fujiwara Chika trembled. She felt like a little white rabbit that had wandered into a demon's lair by mistake, and she didn't dare move.
Amamiya Natsuki was a little panicked too.
Was this what being Blackened looked like?
So beneath that icy, expressionless mask, she had been hiding not only a Goofy attribute, but a Yandere attribute too!
"We're exactly the same. Why did you choose her instead of me?"
Yandere Kaguya tilted her head toward him. Her gaze rested on Amamiya Natsuki's face, and her voice sounded like a demon's whisper.
"Why did you leave me behind and run away alone?"
"Is it because I'm not a good girl?"
"Children who run away deserve to be punished. I'll gouge out one of your eyes... Hehehehe. What a cute expression."
Miss Sadako Is Severely Socially Anxious
"...Kaguya-classmate is so scary after being Blackened."
Amamiya Natsuki sighed.
Blackening makes you three times stronger; getting purified makes you seven times weaker.
That saying really was true.
Although Amamiya Natsuki was a guy, he felt no confidence at all.
He couldn't help thinking that if he had come here alone, Shinomiya Kaguya would already have pinned him beneath her and gone at it seven times over—and then again.
"Should I break both your legs too, so you can't run away again?"
The Blackened Yandere vengeful spirit Kaguya tilted her head, her eyes gloomy and her voice eerie. "That way, you can stay by my side forever."
"Sorry, but I refuse."
Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath and bravely told the vengeful spirit Kaguya no.
If someone was cute enough, he didn't mind even Miss Sadako. He might even let Miss Sadako take maternity leave. But the vengeful spirit Kaguya was a different story. What man could endure the humiliation of having his legs broken at the drop of a hat?
Before you continue