"Morning, Fujiwara."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded in greeting.
Fujiwara Chika was one of his classmates, Shinomiya Kaguya's bestie, and a social butterfly. They'd only been in school for half a month, and she'd already become friends with almost everyone.
"Ah..."
Shinomiya Kaguya gave a little cry, her body quivering as if she'd been shocked. The image of the Ice Sculpture Girl shattered in an instant, vanishing without a trace.
"Eh? Eh?" Fujiwara Chika's eyes widened. "Did Kaguya just yelp in fright?"
"I did not!"
Shinomiya Kaguya denied it in embarrassment and anger.
A mistake.
A terrible mistake!
Normally, a childish game like tapping someone on the shoulder from behind wouldn't scare her!
Amamiya Natsuki's gaze suddenly sharpened, falling on Shinomiya Kaguya's right hand.
"Eh? Eh?" Fujiwara Chika cried out, the Black Bow Hair Ornament on her forehead bouncing along with her. "Kaguya, the card in your hand is on fire!"
"How could this..."
Shinomiya Kaguya looked down and was shocked to find that the team-up card in her hand had somehow caught fire. Blue flames burned with an eerie stillness, then were gone in the blink of an eye.
The next moment,
a sinister, low voice rang out in Amamiya Natsuki's mind.
[Team formed] [Instance selected: Campus Seven Mysteries] [Players, please prepare. The game is about to begin]
"That's strange." Fujiwara Chika tilted her head, sounding puzzled. "A weird voice suddenly rang out in my head?"
Amamiya Natsuki's eye twitched. "...You useless teammate!"
Bullying Vengeful Spirits—How Could That Be Wrong?
A countdown began in his mind.
"Eh, I hear a weird countdown." Fujiwara Chika covered her ears, tilting her head and patting them as she bounced around like a little rabbit. "Do you hear it?"
Unfortunately, nobody was paying attention to her.
This wasn't a countdown. It was a death sentence!
Amamiya Natsuki silently looked at Shinomiya Kaguya, his eye twitching.
What the hell!
Forming a team was forced? They didn't even need to confirm it?
"...I'm sorry." As the Young Lady of the Shinomiya family, she had to be brave enough to admit when she'd done something wrong. Only cowards ran away from their mistakes. She bit her lower lip tightly. "I just got a notification. To improve the player experience, the game changed how teams are formed. Any physical contact can trigger team formation."
That wasn't an improvement. It was a trap for players!
"I didn't touch either of you, did I?"
Amamiya Natsuki couldn't help asking.
It was one thing for Fujiwara Chika to become her teammate, but why had he been picked too?
Did eye contact count as well?
Shinomiya Kaguya continued:
"Any players within three meters are automatically considered teammates..."
It was too late to share that information now!
Amamiya Natsuki closed his eyes and sighed helplessly.
One more useless teammate added to the tally.
"What are you talking about?" Fujiwara Chika looked around, her eyes wide. "I don't understand any of this."
"Don't ask. You'll find out soon."
[Countdown: three, two...]
Amamiya Natsuki felt a slight dizziness. The next instant, he was standing on a sports field beside a group of students wearing unfamiliar uniforms... or, more accurately, Vengeful Spirits.
Their faces were deathly pale, devoid of color. Where their eyes should have been were empty black hollows, and their bodies were covered in horrifying bloodstains. Blood had congealed across the ground of the dilapidated field, where all manner of chaotic scrape marks showed that fingers had clawed at the earth.
Noticing Amamiya Natsuki's gaze, one of the "classmates" beside him turned to look and bared a row of sharp, sawtooth fangs.
[Location: Vengeful Spirit School] [Game: Campus Seven Mysteries] [Clearance conditions: Complete at least three challenges, or survive until 4:44] [Current challenge: One, two, three, Red Light, Green Light. Press the button on the back of the Daruma doll within the time limit. Anyone who fails to finish in time will be eliminated] [The game is about to begin. We wish all players an enjoyable game]
As the spine-chilling announcement ended, Amamiya Natsuki felt his throat loosen. He could speak and move again.
"Eh? Eh?" Fujiwara Chika's voice rang out in disbelief. "W-what is this place?!"
Her shout quickly drew the attention of all the players and Vengeful Spirits.
"Keep your voice down." Shinomiya Kaguya hurriedly covered her bestie's mouth, then leaned close to whisper in her ear. "Last night... I'm sorry. It was all my fault."
Secretary Fujiwara often did things that ordinary people couldn't understand, but she was Shinomiya Kaguya's only friend.
Having dragged her friend into such a dangerous game, Shinomiya Kaguya could no longer maintain her cool, unflinching expression. Her eyes were full of guilt and self-blame.
"I see. This isn't your fault, Kaguya." Fujiwara Chika clenched her pink fists, her expression solemn as a dazzling light seemed to radiate from her. "You joined such a dangerous game, Kaguya. How could I stand by and do nothing as your friend? From now on, I'll protect you!"
I don't want to interrupt the two of you being all lovey-dovey, but could you hurry up and apologize to the innocent person you dragged into this?
Fujiwara Chika gave a thumbs-up. "I'm a Game Player pro, you know. I can definitely clear this easily."
Amamiya Natsuki caught a strong whiff of a death flag.
In horror movies, people who said things like that with bright smiles were often the first to get killed.
"Heh."
A derisive laugh came from nearby.
"You're still thinking about protecting other people in a game like this? You must be a newbie."
Besides Amamiya Natsuki and the two girls who'd entered the game as a team, there were other players on the field. These people were clearly not "newbie rookies." None of them looked as shocked as Fujiwara Chika, though all of them looked grim.
"Eh, how did you know?" Fujiwara Chika looked over in surprise. "This is my first time playing the game. Please take good care of me."
"Impossible." The woman looked shocked. "A first-time player's game wouldn't be this difficult."
Shinomiya Kaguya lowered her head in shame.
[Game start—]
As the cold, heartless voice rang out, the giant Daruma doll standing at the exit of the field slowly shifted, turning its back to everyone.
Amamiya Natsuki felt his body relax as the invisible force binding him disappeared. He could move again.
A strange, eerie tune began playing. It sounded sinister, and everyone on the field—from the players to the ghost students—began moving.
Not knowing when the Daruma doll would turn around, every player moved with great caution. Most of the ghost students did too. These Vengeful Spirit students were stiff in their movements, and some wore unmistakable expressions of terror and helplessness.
"The distance is about two hundred meters. That's a long way..."
Amamiya Natsuki silently gauged the distance, his eyes on the Daruma doll as he thought about how to clear the challenge. "The doll's about three meters tall. The button's beneath its head..."
"Hm?!"
Amamiya Natsuki's eyes suddenly narrowed. A line of text appeared over the Daruma doll in his field of vision.
[La la la, I'm a happy Daruma doll. My sight can't pass through objects. Current turn-around countdown: three, two...]
Amamiya Natsuki quietly stopped walking.
When the countdown ended, the huge swaying Daruma doll turned around at an unimaginable speed. One of the Vengeful Spirit students was a half-beat too slow to react. A dark blur flashed through the air, and the student's head exploded. Thankfully, no blood sprayed out; only black mist surged forth as the body thumped to the ground.
Even so, everyone went pale, sweat beading on their foreheads.
The field fell as silent as the grave.
A moment later, the Daruma doll slowly turned away, and the eerie song began again.
"S-so scary." Fujiwara Chika clutched her chest, completely panicked. "Wasn't the penalty for failing supposed to be getting sent off the field?"
You thought you'd get sent off the field? Did you think this was a game of house?
Amamiya Natsuki continued watching the Daruma doll.
A dozen seconds later, the same notification appeared again.
"Stop."
Amamiya Natsuki timed it perfectly, stopping abruptly one second before the doll turned.
The next moment, the Daruma doll turned right on schedule. This time, an even unluckier person was eliminated: a player had accidentally moved an arm and received the same punishment as the Vengeful Spirit student.
A few seconds later, the Daruma doll turned away, and the game continued.
A tall Vengeful Spirit student seemed ready to throw caution to the wind. It suddenly turned around and reached for Fujiwara Chika with bloodstained hands, presumably hoping to warm someone's heart before it died.
"Smack."
Amamiya Natsuki stepped forward and grabbed its wrist.
"Th-thank you, Amamiya-classmate..."
Fujiwara Chika was pale as a sheet as she hurriedly thanked him.
The Vengeful Spirit student turned to glare at Amamiya Natsuki, opening its mouth to reveal a full set of sharp fangs.
[Turn-around countdown...]
One second before the doll turned, Amamiya Natsuki bent down abruptly, crouching behind the Vengeful Spirit student.
As the Daruma doll turned, two more unlucky people were eliminated. The field fell as silent as the grave.
"Now."
Amamiya Natsuki drew a quiet breath, clasped his hands together, and looked at the Vengeful Spirit student's back.
"Anti-Vengeful Spirit Technique: Thousand Years of Death—"
Kaguya Sandwich Cookie
[Draw phase] [You drew Kakashi the Gallant Mask] [You used your finisher: Thousand Years of Death] [Your opponent has been defeated]
The facts proved that whether human or Vengeful Spirit, nobody could resist the damage from Thousand Years of Death.
The Vengeful Spirit attacked by Amamiya Natsuki shuddered violently. A dark blur flashed like lightning, instantly blowing it apart. Its body turned to ash and slowly drifted away.
"Th-thank you, Amamiya-classmate."
Secretary Fujiwara let out a sigh of relief and thanked him gratefully. She couldn't move her body, but she could still speak.
Amamiya Natsuki said nothing. He nodded slightly and continued watching the Daruma doll.
Before you continue