Kaguya-sama Wants Me to Surrender

A moment later, the Daruma doll slowly turned around, and the eerie Underworld ballad began to play again.

The game continued.

Amamiya Natsuki stood up and looked at Shinomiya Kaguya beside him. Her expression was normal and calm, but 'So scary' occasionally floated above her head. He lowered his voice and said:

"Shinomiya-san, wait a moment."

"Hm?"

Shinomiya Kaguya tilted her head slightly to look at him. Her face was calm, and not even her eyelashes trembled. Any students watching would surely praise her, saying 'As expected of Kaguya-hime of ice and snow.' Unfortunately, in Amamiya Natsuki's eyes, the true nature of this Ice Sculpture Girl was crystal clear.

Amamiya Natsuki didn't waste any words. He shifted two steps to the side, coming up beside Kaguya, and then leaned towards Shinomiya Kaguya's delicate and smooth cheek.

"I have something to tell you."

Shinomiya Kaguya had intended to dodge, but after hearing Amamiya Natsuki's words, she quickly stopped.

"Remember, when I stop, you stop too. Don't be greedy or impulsive." To be safe, Amamiya Natsuki chose to whisper into her ear, "Tell Fujiwara-san."

After all, they were classmates. He couldn't just watch the two of them get eliminated. If he could help, Amamiya Natsuki naturally wouldn't stand by.

Her warm breath landed on his ear. Having never been this close to a boy from childhood until now, Shinomiya Kaguya instinctively wanted to escape. However, the elegance honed over many years allowed her to endure it. Her expression remained normal, and she said in a cool tone:

"I understand."

Amamiya Natsuki nodded, put some distance between himself and the Ice Sculpture Girl, and then glanced at the top of Kaguya's head. He was surprised to find that the 'So scary' above the Ice Sculpture Girl's head had changed to 'Too close too close too close'...

She had no expression on her face, but her inner thoughts were incredibly active!

The game continued.

He thought they would be able to pass the Red Light, Green Light Game smoothly, but just past the halfway point, Amamiya Natsuki was suddenly targeted by a vengeful spirit girl.

This female vengeful spirit was wearing a sailor uniform, stained with patches of dark red, dried blood. Her long hair reached her waist, clearly unkempt for a long time, looking like withered grass, dry and yellowish, without any smoothness or shine.

Amamiya Natsuki's heart tightened. He quickly looked at Fujiwara Chika beside him and began the countdown.

"Three, two, one..."

"Hiyah!"

The moment the countdown ended, Fujiwara Chika suddenly knelt on one knee and moved behind the vengeful spirit girl, just as Amamiya Natsuki had done earlier.

"You should follow the rules when playing games. Bullying others is wrong."

Secretary Fujiwara's expression was serious. As she spoke, she formed hand seals and summoned the toad sage, Jiraiya.

"So... I'm very sorry!"

"..."

Watching the female vengeful spirit turn into ashes and dissipate, Amamiya Natsuki looked at her with admiration. "Well done."

He had initially thought Fujiwara Chika wouldn't be able to go through with it, but her actions were unexpectedly swift and decisive.

"Thank you for the compliment," Fujiwara Chika replied with a bright smile, giggling. "Now we're even. I know Thousand Years of Death too. Before, Kaguya and I used to..."

Amamiya Natsuki looked at the Ice Sculpture Girl in shock.

You two played together?

He couldn't imagine who would be the attacker and who would be the receiver between the two of them!

"I didn't!"

Shinomiya Kaguya bit her lower lip.

"Amamiya-kun, don't overthink it," Fujiwara Chika explained. "It was that Kaguya and I watched the Naruto manga together."

"What a shame. It was a funny scene, but Kaguya didn't laugh at all... Hey, hey, Kaguya, what's wrong?"

Fujiwara Chika's voice suddenly became tense.

Amamiya Natsuki turned his head and saw the Ice Sculpture Girl's rosy lips slightly parted, a hint of unspeakable fragility showing on her pretty face.

"Achoo--"

The Ice Kaguya-hime suddenly frowned. "My nose is a little itchy..."

Sneezing is an action involving a large number of muscles throughout the body, and it's easy to be eliminated if you're not careful.

"Amamiya-kun."

Fujiwara Chika quickly looked towards Amamiya Natsuki.

Amamiya Natsuki frowned and began the countdown: "Three..."

"Ah, I've thought of a way!"

Fujiwara Chika exclaimed softly, suddenly hugging Shinomiya Kaguya from behind. Then, the two girls hid behind Amamiya Natsuki together.

"Kaguya sandwich cookie!"

Chapter 8: Big Brain Fujiwara Chika

The soft, bouncy sensation hit my back... Well, it didn't.

Not to mention that Shinomiya Kaguya had extended her hands to support herself on Amamiya Natsuki's back, even if she had actually collided with him, he wouldn't have felt anything.

It's a sure thing, you know.

"Sandwich cookie, complete!"

Fujiwara Chika's triumphant voice rang out from behind.

What sandwich cookie? You're clearly just a human shield!

"Kaguya-chan, you can sneeze now." Fujiwara Chika hugged Shinomiya Kaguya from behind. "Don't worry, we'll protect you."

Shinomiya Kaguya opened her mouth, the urge to sneeze growing stronger. She finally couldn't hold it in and pressed her forehead against Amamiya Natsuki's back.

Then...

"Ah-choo~"

A tiny sneeze landed in his ears. Amamiya Natsuki felt a strange sensation, like a kitten unwilling to wake its sleeping owner. It sounded surprisingly cute.

If the other students in the school heard it, they'd probably clutch their chests and shout:

"AWSL."

"So cute."

"The cold Princess Kaguya's voice is actually this cute, I can't take it, my nosebleed is going to flow!"

"..."

Time flowed again.

As the Daruma doll turned around, the players and vengeful spirit students began to move again.

"Kaguya was super cute just now." Fujiwara Chika's eyes sparkled. "I want to hear it again."

Shinomiya Kaguya had returned to normal, her expressionless face and cold tone stating:

"There won't be a next time, so give up."

Amamiya Natsuki heard this and turned to look, seeing a line of text appear above Shinomiya Kaguya's head:

[Ahhh! Making such an embarrassing sound, should I have killed them to silence them!]

We were acting as a human shield, sandwiching you between us, and you're thinking of killing us to silence us? Are you a cold-blooded ruthless witch!

"Oh, why is it like this?" Fujiwara Chika was very disappointed. "Amamiya-kun, do you want to hear it again?"

"Not at all."

"Boys should be honest about their desires. Playing hard to get won't make you popular."

The price of hearing it again was being silenced by murder, so of course he chose to play hard to get!

In short, with the help of the mysterious prompt, Amamiya Natsuki and his two teammates successfully passed the Red Light, Green Light Game without any major incidents.

"We passed the challenge."

Fujiwara Chika patted her chest and let out a long sigh. The little bunnies on her chest bounced, creating an inexplicable gravitational wave that distorted and attracted Amamiya Natsuki's gaze.

"Now is not the time to relax." Shinomiya Kaguya raised her hand and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen to her chest behind her ear. Her pretty face was calm, showing no expression, and her tone was as indifferent as ever. "We still need to pass two more challenges before we can return to reality, so stay alert."

The title "Ice Kaguya-hime" was well-earned, provided you didn't look at the speech bubble above Shinomiya Kaguya's head.

[So scary so scary so scary... Hayasaka Hayasaka Hayasaka, help help help help me!]

Amamiya Natsuki turned to look behind him. The sports field had been enveloped in a gray mist at some point. He mused, "Let's walk along this path first and see if we can find anything."

"Amamiya-kun, thank you just now." Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands in front of her chest and said earnestly, "I'll treat you to snacks when we get back."

Hey, hey, what happened to repaying the life-saving grace with one's own body?

Snacks are too much.

"Speaking of which, Amamiya-kun seems to be able to accurately predict when the Daruma doll will turn around?"

Fujiwara Chika leaned forward, getting closer. In her clear, bright, beautiful eyes, the words 'curiosity' were written in capital letters.

A sweet scent, like orchids and musk, wafted into his nostrils, mixed with a faint milky aroma. Amamiya Natsuki subtly took half a step back and said, "Too close, Fujiwara-san."

"Ehehe~ Sorry."

Fujiwara Chika raised her right hand, tilted her head, and gently tapped her forehead.

Amamiya Natsuki was speechless. "What does 'ehehe' mean?"

Fujiwara Chika smiled brightly and repeated the same action. "It means ehehe."

"..."

Amamiya Natsuki interlaced his fingers and mused, "Because I'm smart enough, I observed the hidden rules."

He hadn't figured out why his eyes could see strange prompts, so he chose to keep it a secret.

Hidden rules did exist; a previous unlucky veteran player had mentioned it, but unfortunately, they were already dead.

"Huh? What's the hidden rule?" Fujiwara Chika blinked, her expression blank. "How did I not notice?"

"It must be the flag on the sports field."

Shinomiya Kaguya, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. "Everyone's attention was on the Daruma doll just now, but the flag on the sports field moved on its own without any wind before the Daruma doll turned around... There hasn't been any wind on the sports field at all."

"Shinomiya-san is very smart." Amamiya Natsuki's eyes widened in surprise.

Human observation isn't as powerful as people imagine. Most of the time, we can only focus on one thing. For example, if you see a girl in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, showing her navel and abs, dancing in a short video, and then you ask him what the girl's earrings looked like, ninety-nine percent of guys won't be able to answer.

"Kaguya-chan is amazing!"

Fujiwara Chika's face was full of admiration. "I didn't notice there was a flag on the sports field at all."

"..."

After a short while, a road sign appeared by the roadside.

"Let's go take a look."

The three of them walked closer. By the roadside stood a rotten and dilapidated road sign, which had clearly endured countless winds and rains. In black and red bloody characters, it indicated directions:

[Cafeteria]

[Examination Hall]

[Sports Field]

[School Infirmary]

[Administration Building]

[Swimming Pool]

[Music Classroom]

"It's the Campus Seven Mysteries." Fujiwara Chika's eyes widened, and her voice instinctively lowered. "Amamiya-kun, where should we go?"