Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

"Not feeling well?" 

Amamiya glanced at Kaguya, noticing the slight tremor in her shoulders. Her expression was composed, yet something seemed off. 

"No, no…" 

Kaguya quickly turned her face away, a hint of guilt flashing in her eyes. 

(This is so strange.) 

(Why is this word bothering me so much?) 

(It's not like I haven't heard it before… So why does it make me want to laugh now?!) 

"Staaare—" 

Hanako, the mischievous loli ghost, put her hands on her hips, bent forward slightly, and peered intently at Kaguya. After a moment of silence, she mischievously said: 

"[Ochinchin~]." 

A censored word filled the air, inexplicably silenced yet clearly provocative. 

Kaguya's eye twitched slightly, but she struggled to suppress the strange feeling bubbling inside her. Determined not to react, she turned her face further away, pretending to look elsewhere. 

It didn't work. 

As if sensing her weakness, Hanako darted around to face Kaguya again, repeating the silenced word with relish. 

"S-Stop talking!" 

Kaguya could no longer hold herself together. Covering her trembling lips with the back of her hand, she hastily pulled out a piece of candy and held it out in desperation. 

"Here! Candy!" 

Hanako's eyes lit up with delight. Without hesitation, she grabbed the candy and gleefully unwrapped it. 

"Phew…" 

Kaguya clutched her chest, letting out a deep sigh of relief. If Hanako had continued, she would have completely lost her composure. She couldn't believe how casually an elementary school-aged ghost could say such things. 

Amamiya, who had been watching the scene, spoke in a measured tone: 

"Don't tell me you…" 

"I'm not." 

Kaguya interrupted him before he could finish, her denial swift and absolute. "Others are still sleeping. If Hanako kept talking, she'd wake them up. That's all." 

"That makes sense," Amamiya replied, nodding thoughtfully, though his gaze lingered on her with mild suspicion. 

"What are you staring at?" 

Flustered, Kaguya leaned closer, her face flushed. 

Amamiya dragged out his response, "Ochinchin..…" 

"You!" 

Kaguya tilted her head at a sharp angle, a teasing glint in her eyes. Crossing her arms, she adopted her signature haughty smile. "Amamiya, saying such things in front of a girl... You should turn yourself in immediately." 

Amamiya raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'll go turn myself in as soon as we get back." 

"…" 

The night eventually passed, giving way to dawn. 

Yet the sky remained shrouded in heavy, gray clouds, leaving the ghost town cloaked in an oppressive gloom. 

One by one, the players stirred from their uneasy rest. 

"Hmm~ Amamiya-kun, good morning." 

Umi's drowsy voice carried a lazy, pleasant warmth as she rubbed her eyes. 

"You're finally awake." 

Amamiya turned to the succubus girl, his tone laced with dry humor. "Congratulations. The surgery last night was a complete success." 

"Huh?" 

Umi blinked, still half-asleep. "Surgery? What surgery?" 

Amamiya sighed and explained, "Who was supposed to be keeping watch before dawn?" 

"Hmm…" Umi furrowed her brows, now more alert. Realization dawned on her. "Ah, right. That was… me, wasn't it?" 

Her cheeks flushed as she stammered, "Oops, oops, oops. I guess I was so tired I accidentally fell asleep." 

She glanced around nervously at the others, who were also waking up. Relieved, she said, "But nothing happened, right?" 

Amamiya's expression darkened. "Everyone else is fine. But I'm not." 

"What? What do you mean?" Umi asked, suddenly alarmed. "Is this about the surgery you mentioned?" 

Amamiya sighed, his tone heavy with mock drama. "Hanako bore a grudge against me and attacked me in the middle of the night. By the time I realized it, it was already too late." 

"No way!" 

Panic flashed across Umi's face. Her gaze dropped to Amamiya's legs, scanning them nervously. 

"Come on, follow me to the bathroom."

The succubus girl gritted her teeth, tugging at Amamiya in an attempt to pull him up.

"I want to be alone," Amamiya muttered.

"Just hurry up and check! It might actually still work."

"I'm sorry, it's too late."

"Don't give up so easily! I'll help you!" 

"…"

"Good morning, Umi, Amamiya-kun." 

The pink haired girl walked over, adjusting the red bow on her bangs, and greeted them in a crisp voice. "What are you two talking about?"

"Ahem." 

Umi cleared her throat twice and stammered, "N-nothing."

Family matters shouldn't be aired in public. Amamiya-kun probably wouldn't want anyone else knowing, right?

"Wait a minute!" The succubus girl suddenly realized something.

If it's something so embarrassing, why would he say it outright? 

Last night, we were supposed to keep watch together. And the person on duty with me was Shinomiya-san… 

Umi turned around abruptly and sought out Kaguya. After a quick inquiry, she discovered that Kaguya hadn't slept at all and had kept watch until morning. It was just her—she had neglected her duty. 

Bang!

The succubus girl puffed her rosy cheeks, stormed off to find Amamiya, and cornered him.

"Stupid Amamiya, you scared me on purpose!"

"I didn't."

"You still won't admit it?"

Amamiya raised his hands in surrender. "When you were asleep, Hanako did sneak attack me and steal my candy. If you don't believe me, I can sue Hanako in ghost court. I'm not lying."

"…"

Umi widened her eyes in disbelief. Then, in a sudden fit of frustration, she stood on tiptoes and bit Amamiya's neck, much like a cat biting its favorite toy.

The role-playing game's effects hadn't worn off. Under the passive influence of her succubus traits, Umi often found her teeth itching, an uncontrollable urge to bite something flaring up now and then.

---

Half an hour later, everyone was awake.

After a quick wash, the group began the day's most important task.

"The nozamA Companionship Service is officially open for business!" 

Amamiya stood in front of a group of passers-by who hadn't yet received the horror videotape, holding up a service form he and Kaguya had finalized the night before. He pinned it to the wall with a flourish. "Fair prices! Everyone is welcome to hire our services!"

In a survival horror scenario like this, rules were crucial to both growth and survival.

After consulting with Kaguya, Amamiya had carefully selected equivalent items for trade, marked reasonable prices, and officially launched the nozamA Companionship Service.

In a horror game, building trust with strangers was nearly impossible unless they were close friends from real life. Offering help without any expectation of compensation would only arouse suspicion of hidden motives.

By keeping transactions transparent, with both parties gaining what they needed, everyone could feel at ease.

Take the passers-by in front of him, for example. They had no resistance to the idea and eagerly signed up for nozamA's companionship service.

It was a fair deal— 

No real money required, no need to sacrifice dignity or sell oneself. The only payment needed was valuable in-game items.

As players, who hadn't opened a blind box or gathered a pile of random props? Most items were useless junk anyway, so no one would mind parting with them.

Moreover, Amamiya had thoughtfully introduced an installment payment plan. 

If someone couldn't afford valuable items upfront, they could pay in installments, settling the debt once they cleared the game.

And if anyone tried to default? Well, they'd regret it when they encountered Amamiya later in the game. 

To be honest, in a horror game, keeping a low profile and flaunting strength when needed was a smarter move than constantly hiding your abilities. 

As long as you were strong enough, people would naturally flock to you.

A truly exceptional player wouldn't just clear the level themselves—they'd help others, exploit ghost stories, and even profit along the way.