Kaguya-sama Wants Me to Surrender

"Natsuki-san, have you ever been to Yokohama?"

Fujiwara Chika walked briskly, happily balancing on the white line along the side of the street, like a deer prancing in the woods under the morning sun.

"I haven't been there." Amamiya Natsuki shook his head.

"I have!" Fujiwara Chika raised her chin, revealing her snow-white, slender neck, and said proudly, "There's a Chinese food street in Yokohama with lots of delicious food. Let's go eat together when we're done?"

You haven't even dealt with the problem yet and you're already thinking about food. You really are a foodie.

Amamiya Natsuki said helplessly, "I remember you said before that your house has a curfew. Is it really okay to stay out late?"

"It's fine. Mom just wants us home before nine o'clock." Fujiwara Chika replied cheerfully. "So we can eat until eight..."

Before she could finish, the pink-haired girl suddenly hid behind Amamiya Natsuki, nervously grabbing his sleeve.

"Evil spirit—such a big one!"

Following her gaze, Amamiya Natsuki looked toward a nearby alley.

To ordinary people, the alley was empty and deserted.

But to Amamiya Natsuki and Fujiwara Chika, there were over a dozen evil spirits lurking within—some large, some small.

The largest among them was three or four meters long, with a mouth full of sharp fangs and a pair of horns. It was grabbing smaller evil spirits and stuffing them into its mouth.

The giant spirit seemed to notice something. A pair of scarlet eyes suddenly turned in their direction.

Amamiya Natsuki quickly averted his gaze. He took Fujiwara Chika's hand and led her forward.

"Let's move."

The two of them hurried past the alley. After confirming that the spirit wasn't chasing them, Fujiwara Chika let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest.

"I was scared to death."

"There are all kinds of evil spirits in the real world. Yesterday, I saw one as small as my calf, looking like an old man. It ran away and hid when it saw people."

"And dogs seem to be able to see these things too. The other day, when I was walking Pace, he suddenly barked like crazy at something in the park. It scared me so much."

You say you were scared, but I can't tell at all. You're talking nonstop.

Chatting the whole way, the two arrived at the subway station.

At the gate, two evil spirits in staff uniforms stood silently on either side, watching pedestrians with their empty, black eyes.

Truly devoted Japanese corporate slaves.

Even after death, they still report to work. The spirit of the office worker runs deep in their bones!

Fujiwara Chika lowered her head, leaned closer to Amamiya Natsuki, and whispered nervously:

"Natsuki-kun."

"Yeah?"

"Hurry and use your invincible aura to get rid of them. These evil spirits at the subway gate are too scary. If a player who's just an ordinary office worker encounters them on the way home, they'd be doomed!"

Amamiya Natsuki slightly curled his lips and silently activated his aura.

Flames ignited on the bodies of the two evil spirit workers. With a soundless scream, they vanished into thin air.

You even worry about players you've never met. No wonder you're called the Light of Humanity.

There weren't many passengers on the subway that afternoon.

Amamiya Natsuki found an empty seat and sat down with Fujiwara Chika.

After boarding, Fujiwara Chika became unusually quiet—clearly obeying the unspoken rule: No talking on the subway.

The pink-haired girl played on her phone for a while, then began to yawn. Her little head started nodding.

"If you're tired, take a nap." Amamiya Natsuki whispered. "I'll wake you up when we get to Yokohama."

Including Miko, all players who can see spirits seem to suffer from sleep deprivation to some degree.

Fujiwara Chika was no exception. It was obvious she hadn't been sleeping well.

She blinked stubbornly for a while, but finally couldn't hold on. She nodded off and leaned her head onto Amamiya Natsuki's shoulder.

Amamiya Natsuki glanced at the girl sleeping soundly, then looked away and continued scrolling on his phone.

No conversation for the rest of the ride.

The subway soon arrived in Yokohama.

"Fujiwara, wake up." Amamiya Natsuki gently nudged her. "It's time to get off."

Fujiwara Chika opened her eyes, dazed. Her deep blue irises stared blankly for a moment, clearly still foggy from sleep.

"Wipe your drool." Amamiya Natsuki reminded. "Time to get off."

"…Oh."

Fujiwara Chika raised her hand and wiped her mouth, then came to her senses quickly. "Liar! I didn't drool at all!"

"If you'd slept any longer, it really would've started leaking out."

"…"

The two exited the subway, pulled up the navigation on their phones, and walked to the gates of Yokohama High School.

From a distance, Amamiya Natsuki spotted a ponytailed girl waiting at the entrance. It was none other than the overly attached girl from the game yesterday—Asuka Kujo.

"Chika-chan!"

Seeing them arrive, Kujo Asuka happily ran over and greeted Fujiwara Chika by name. When it came to Natsuki, she spoke formally:

"Good afternoon, senior."

"Don't call me that." Amamiya Natsuki said with a sigh. "You're a second-year high school student, aren't you?"

A high schooler calling me 'senior'—don't you feel even a little embarrassed?

"Asuka, don't be so uptight. We're friends." Fujiwara Chika chimed in. "Just call Natsuki like I do."

"Ahem."

Kujo Asuka coughed awkwardly and didn't dare say it.

She hadn't been helpful at all during the game—mostly clinging to others. In the end, she was left out of the loop while the boss carried everyone.

Amamiya Natsuki shifted the topic:

"Kujo, where's your friend?"

"She's training in the gym right now." Asuka Kujo replied quickly. "We can see her once we head over."

"Let's go, then."

Led by the ponytailed girl, Amamiya Natsuki arrived at the school gym, where several girls were practicing volleyball, drenched in sweat.

Amamiya Natsuki focused his eyes. It didn't take long to find Kujo's friend—she was the only one covered in evil spirits.

"There are a lot of them…" Fujiwara Chika whispered with wide eyes. "It's so creepy."

Several evil spirits clung to the girl—all of them appeared middle-aged. One spirit hugged her waist, another wrapped its hands around her neck… the scene was enough to make anyone flinch.

"It really is kind of scary." Asuka Kujo bit her lip. "I haven't dared join practice lately. I just say I'm not feeling well."

You look up and see your friend wrapped in ghosts—how could you possibly concentrate?

"Why is she haunted?" Fujiwara Chika asked curiously.

Asuka Kujo bit her lip but didn't answer.

"Don't ask." Amamiya Natsuki said quietly. "It's not our business."

After a week of observation, they'd discovered that evil spirits in the real world either drifted aimlessly or clung to specific people.

The ghosts on this girl clearly had a deep obsession with her.

Maybe it was her father.

Or maybe someone who chased her all the way from Hokkaido to Tokyo.

Whatever the case, it was private. Amamiya Natsuki had neither the intent nor the interest to pry.

He activated the spirit-repelling aura.

The evil spirits howled mournfully as they dissolved into nothingness.

Asuka Kujo let out a long sigh of relief, looking at Amamiya Natsuki with newfound reverence.

The first person she'd ever seen destroy spirits in real life!

…Though she hadn't met many players in the real world either.

Still, a boss is a boss. Time to cling tighter!

Mission complete.

Asuka Kujo enthusiastically invited them to eat in Chinatown.

Amamiya Natsuki didn't refuse. It was still early, so he joined the two girls for a feast.

7:30 PM

The two said goodbye to the ponytailed girl and took the subway back to Tokyo.

"Chinese food really is the best!" Fujiwara Chika held her stomach contentedly. "So delicious!"

Amamiya Natsuki nodded. "It really was good."

"If I could keep living like this—never go back into the game, never see evil spirits again—life would be perfect." Fujiwara Chika sighed.

Your idea of a perfect life is way too simple.

There are people out there waiting for you to become Japan's first female prime minister!

The next moment—

Amamiya Natsuki's vision suddenly blurred. The crowded subway faded into emptiness. The lighting turned cold and pale.

Then, a familiar emotionless voice echoed in his mind:

"Special instance 'Midnight Subway' has been triggered. Wishing all players a pleasant game."

Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at the pink-haired girl beside him and said expressionlessly:

"...You jinxed it!"

-End Chapter-

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