Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

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Exiting the food stall.

The curse was lifted.

The "goldfish" in Chika's hands quickly transformed back into a human under everyone's curious gaze, revealing a cute girl with a charming figure.

"Kaguya-chan, hand me the clothes."

"Here."

"Umi-chan, use a towel to dry her off."

"Leave it to me."

"Amamiya-kun, turn around," Chika said seriously, shielding the girl from view. "No peeking."

Amamiya replied, "Actually, I have night blindness..."

"What did you just say?" The pink haired girl puffed her cheeks in indignation.

Kaguya crossed her arms and tilted her head, gazing at him. "I didn't catch that, Natsuki-san. Could you repeat it?"

Amamiya raised his hands in surrender. "Got it, I'll turn around immediately."

"..."

Moments later.

The goldfish girl had successfully changed into her clothes. Her eyes were teary, and she repeatedly expressed her gratitude. She explained that she had been cursed and turned into an ingredient, doomed to be selected by diners. At any moment, she could have ended up on a chopping board, a terrifying prospect that nearly broke her spirit.

To sum up: she was deeply shaken.

Naturally, it was Chika and Umi who did the comforting. Amamiya, on the other hand, only took a quick glance at the girl. She was just another stranger in a crowd, so he quickly turned his attention to the other players nearby and began gathering information.

"Did you end up at the food stall by accident, or did you find it through the flyer?"

"It was the flyer," said the bespectacled female player softly. "I followed the directions on it to find this place."

Another player, a man standing nearby, nodded quickly. "Same here."

After a brief pause, the bespectacled girl hesitated before asking timidly:

"Um... Excuse me, were you the one who distributed the flyers?"

"That's right," Amamiya admitted without hesitation.

There was no need to play coy. In many situations, a solid reputation could be as powerful as any weapon.

He continued, "Have either of you completed the main mission?"

"No," the bespectacled girl replied, her face falling. "I appeared in front of an abandoned amusement park. It felt eerie inside… I didn't dare go in."

The other player chimed in. "Same for me."

Amamiya asked a few more questions and quickly pieced together their situations.

Though the three players were strangers to each other, they shared one thing in common: luck. None of them had encountered the ghostly elements of this dungeon directly. Instead, they had wandered into the town and stumbled upon the "street advertisements" posted by Amamiya and his companions. Overjoyed at the prospect of safety, they had followed the map's directions to the food stall.

"You can't use real money to pay in this restaurant," Chika said, puzzled. "Didn't I make that clear? Didn't you see the flyer?"

"We did." Tears welled up in the goldfish girl's eyes as she clutched her clothes tightly. "We had no intention of going in, but a terrifying ghost appeared out of nowhere. We had no choice but to hide in the restaurant. Once inside, though, we were suddenly overwhelmed by hunger—like we were hypnotized—and couldn't stop ourselves from ordering food."

"I understand that feeling," Chika said sympathetically, standing on tiptoe to gently pat the goldfish girl's hair. "Don't worry, don't be scared. We'll clear the level together."

Cooperating to clear the level, however, seemed nearly impossible.

The nature of this dungeon was competitive, not cooperative. It wasn't designed for teamwork. 

The 48-hour time limit was manageable, but obtaining the cursed videotapes was proving exceptionally difficult. Even now, there was no sign of Umi or Kaguya's tapes.

From a purely strategic perspective, it would be wiser to part ways with these strangers to avoid potential conflict over the videotapes.

But knowing these girls, they would never abandon others so easily. 

Amamiya didn't elaborate much and simply said: 

"We're heading to the school to look for someone. Apparently, there are some dangerous ghost stories there... What do you think?" 

The three passerby players hesitated only briefly before responding: 

"Please let me join you." 

"Me too." 

"Same here." 

"…" 

Can you guarantee safety by going alone? 

Absolutely not. 

This is a horror game's replica space, not the real world. There's no escape here. 

On the contrary, everyone in the restaurant had witnessed Amamiya's true ability. 

He had casually chatted with an eerie woman, leaving the other spectral entities trembling, their faces flushed, and their clothes drenched. No matter how you looked at him, he radiated the aura of a major boss! 

Only a fool would choose to go solo when they could stick close to someone like him! 

Amamiya didn't refuse. "Alright, let's go together." 

Kaguya, Umi, Chika, and Sajuna had all regrouped. Only the spy maid was still missing, and no one could be left behind. 

The group traveled in silence. 

The town wasn't large. Using the hand-drawn map as a guide, they headed straight for the school. 

As they neared the school, Kaguya suddenly stopped, her brow furrowing slightly. 

"There's someone ahead," she warned. 

"Eh?" Chika jumped, startled. "I don't see anyone." 

Kaguya explained softly, "During the earlier mission, my night vision improved. I can see a bit farther now." 

"Should we take a detour?" Sajuna suggested nervously in a low voice. 

Amamiya narrowed his eyes. The streetlights ahead were almost entirely out, leaving only one functioning. Its dim yellow glow barely illuminated the scene, and at the edge of the light, a figure stood quietly. 

Alone in the dead of night, lingering in the cold darkness—clearly not someone ordinary. 

"There's a forest to the right," Amamiya observed. "But venturing into the woods at night, with snakes, insects, and other dangers, would be riskier." He glanced at Chika. "Chika, get ready." 

Chika nodded seriously. "Got it." 

Another strange story, huh? 

Time to crack down on these shady characters and restore order! 

Amamiya strode forward with a calm expression, and Kaguya and the others followed closely. The three passerby players, visibly tense and uneasy, trailed at the back, gritting their teeth as they kept up. 

The distance between the group and the figure steadily decreased. 

As they approached, Amamiya's expression grew subtly amused. 

A trench coat. 

A face mask. 

Messy, unkempt hair. 

And a pair of bloodstained scissors. 

It was a familiar face. 

"Look at me. Am I beautiful…?" 

A cold, hoarse voice echoed eerily in the alleyway. 

Kaguya frowned slightly, her expression growing serious. Even someone like her—calm and composed—was familiar with the urban legend of the Slit-Mouthed Woman. 

But halfway through her chilling introduction, the Slit-Mouthed Woman froze, her gaze locking on Amamiya. 

Amamiya approached her with a friendly smile, as though greeting an old acquaintance. 

"Miss, long time no see! How have you been?" 

The Slit-Mouthed Woman quietly put away her scissors and responded in a soft voice: 

"Um." 

"You're out late, all alone. That's worrisome," Amamiya said casually. "There are a lot of unsavory types who target beautiful women at night. Please be careful, Miss." 

"…" 

The three passerby players were utterly dumbfounded. 

That's 'the' infamous Slit-Mouthed Woman, and you're chatting with her like old friends?! 

If you're worried about the ghost story running into danger, maybe worry about 'yourself' first! 

And yet… the Slit-Mouthed Woman actually nodded?! 

"Don't worry, we know Miss Slit-Mouthed Woman," Chika explained confidently. "She's eaten Amamiya's cooking before and gave it a perfect score." 

Sajuna nodded in agreement. "Yes, I was there when it happened." 

"No wonder," Umi placed her right hand on her hip. "So she's an acquaintance." 

"…" 

In this world, it really is easier to get things done when you know someone. 

After a brief chat with the Slit-Mouthed Woman, they even arranged for her to visit the restaurant for breakfast the next morning. Before parting ways, Amamiya asked: 

"We're heading to the school. Would you be able to come with us?" 

"I can't go inside," she replied, shaking her head. 

Amamiya didn't press further. "I see. Then, how many ghost stories are there in the school?" 

"Seven," she answered. 

"Tch," Amamiya clicked his tongue. "Of course, it's the Seven Wonders of the Campus." 

It's common knowledge in Japan that any school with some history inevitably has ghost stories or urban legends attached to it, always conveniently totaling seven—even when there aren't that many to begin with. 

With seven ghost stories crammed into one elementary school, it was no wonder Hayasaka couldn't handle it alone. 

Amamiya continued, "What kinds of strange stories are we talking about?" 

The Slit-Mouthed Woman hesitated for a moment, her expression uncertain. 

"I'm just going to look for my companions," Amamiya reassured her. "You wouldn't want me to miss our meeting tomorrow, would you?" 

After a pause, the Slit-Mouthed Woman finally relented. "The seven strange stories are as follows…" 

"Thank you very much," Amamiya said politely, bidding her farewell with a wave before continuing toward the school. 

The three passerby players were in a daze but hurried to keep up. 

What a blessing! 

Not only could he chat and laugh with monsters, but he could also extract valuable information from them. If it had been one of them, their mouths would have been slit open by now! 

"We've arrived," Amamiya announced, stopping in front of the school's iron gate. 

The ghost school was showing signs of serious neglect. With no students attending for a long time, the elementary school had naturally fallen into disrepair. 

The iron gate was rusty, weeds overran the entrance, and the faintly visible sign read, 'Musashino Elementary School.' 

The gate wasn't locked. Amamiya pushed it open with ease and walked inside. 

"Seven ghost stories, each in a different location…" Chika murmured. "Where should we look for Hanamori-chan first?" 

Amamiya turned to Sajuna. "Sajuna, what do you think?" 

"Huh?" 

Sajuna, who had been quiet the whole way, blinked in surprise before realizing what he meant. "Wait… Hanako?" 

"The first ghost story mentioned is always Hanako and the bathroom," she confirmed. 

"Oh, I remember now," Umi chimed in, placing her hands on her hips. "I thought Hanako was younger, though." 

"I can't say for sure about their age," Amamiya replied, "but the gender matches. Let's check it out and see if there are any clues." 

"…" 

According to the information from Miss Slit-Mouthed Woman, the Seven Wonders of the Campus are each tied to a fixed location and don't move. 

Hanako resides in the women's restroom on the easternmost side of the first floor of the teaching building. 

Avoiding the other ghost story locations, the group headed straight for the teaching building and soon arrived at the first-floor restroom. 

There was no need for an elaborate summoning ritual. A vengeful spirit—Hanako, with a mouth full of jagged teeth—was already clinging to the ceiling, exuding a chilling, eerie aura. 

[Note: Can't find a cute image. But I found many scary ones that make me shudder when I search for the name. Damn…]

But Amamiya's expression suddenly turned strange. 

This Hanako… why did they look so familiar? 

"Wait a second." 

As the vengeful spirit Hanako grinned ominously, seemingly ready to start a game, Amamiya raised his right hand and said calmly: 

"Hanako-chan, you wouldn't want Mrs. Hoshino to get hurt, would you?"