The tumbler slowly turned away, and the eerie music resumed. The deadly game continued.
Natsuki glanced at Kaguya, who appeared calm but had "so scary" floating above her head. He leaned in close, whispering:
"Shinomiya-san, a moment."
Kaguya turned, her expression unreadable. To others, she was the perfect "Ice Queen Kaguya-sama," but Natsuki saw through the facade.
"Listen carefully," he murmured, his breath tickling her ear. "When I stop, you stop too. Don't get greedy or impulsive." He added, "Pass this on to Fujiwara-san."
Kaguya stiffened, unused to such close contact with a boy. Years of training kept her face impassive as she replied coolly, "Understood."
As Natsuki stepped back, he noticed the words above Kaguya's head had changed to "too close, too close, too close!" Her thoughts were far more expressive than her face.
The game progressed, but halfway through, a female ghost targeted Natsuki. She wore a blood-stained sailor uniform, her waist-length hair a tangled, lifeless mess.
Natsuki's heart raced. He glanced at Chika, counting down: "Three, two, one..."
"Hiya!"
At zero, Chika dropped to one knee behind the ghost, mimicking Natsuki's earlier move.
"You should play fair," Chika said sternly, her hands forming seals. "Bullying isn't cool."
She summoned the Scar-faced Hero Jiraiya. "I'm... I'm so sorry!"
The ghost disintegrated into ash.
Natsuki looked at Chika, impressed. "Well done. I didn't think you had it in you."
"Thanks!" Chika beamed. "We're even now. I've known the Thousand Years of Death technique for ages. Kaguya and I used to practice it all the time..."
Natsuki turned to Kaguya, shocked. The "Ice Queen" suddenly looked very, very uncomfortable.
"You two... practiced that move?" he asked, trying to process this new information.
Kaguya's face remained stoic, but her eyes screamed embarrassment. It seemed there was more to these girls than met the eye.
"You two practiced that move?" Natsuki asked, his mind reeling.
"It's not like that!" Kaguya protested, biting her lip.
Chika laughed. "Don't let your imagination run wild, Amamiya-san. We just read Naruto manga together."
She turned to Kaguya, frowning. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Natsuki looked over to see Kaguya's face contorted, her lips parted.
"A-a-achoo—" she started, then caught herself. "My nose is itchy..."
Sneezing could involve enough movement to get them eliminated.
"Amamiya-san!" Chika called out, panicked.
Natsuki frowned, starting to count down. "Three..."
"Wait, I have an idea!" Chika cried. She suddenly hugged Kaguya from behind, both girls ducking behind Natsuki.
"Kaguya sandwich!" Chika announced proudly.
Natsuki felt their warmth against his back, though Kaguya's hands kept them from pressing too close.
"Sandwich complete!" Chika said, sounding pleased with herself.
"More like human shield," Natsuki thought wryly.
"Go ahead and sneeze, Kaguya-chan," Chika encouraged. "We've got you covered."
Kaguya pressed her forehead against Natsuki's back, unable to hold back any longer.
"Ah-choo~"
The delicate sneeze reminded Natsuki of a kitten trying not to wake its owner. It was... unexpectedly cute.
He could almost hear their classmates' reactions:
"So adorable!" "Ice Queen Kaguya's sneeze is too cute!" "My heart can't take it!"
Time resumed its normal flow. The tumbler turned, and everyone began moving again.
"That was so cute, Kaguya," Chika gushed, her eyes sparkling. "I want to hear it again!"
Natsuki shook his head, refocusing on the deadly game. They'd dodged elimination this time, but they couldn't let their guard down. He wondered what other surprises his unlikely teammates might have in store.
Kaguya's face returned to its usual blank expression. "There won't be a next time. Give up," she said coldly.
Above her head, Natsuki saw the words: [Ahhh! I made such an embarrassing sound. I should just kill him to silence him!]
'You're thinking of killing me after we just saved you?' Natsuki thought, bewildered.
"Aw, come on!" Chika pouted. "Amamiya-san, don't you want to hear it again?"
"Not at all," Natsuki said quickly.
"Boys should be honest about their desires," Chika chided. "Playing coy won't make you popular."
"I choose life, thanks," Natsuki thought.
They managed to clear the statue game without further incident, thanks to the mysterious prompts Natsuki could see.
Chika sighed in relief, her chest heaving. Natsuki found his gaze drawn to the jumping rabbit on her uniform before he caught himself.
"It's not time to relax," Kaguya said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her face and voice remained icy calm. "We still have two more challenges. We must stay vigilant."
Above her head, Natsuki saw: [So scary, so scary, so scary... Hayasaka, help, help, help!]
He turned to see a gray mist covering the playground. "Let's follow this path," he suggested. "We might find something."
"Thank you so much for earlier, Amamiya-san," Chika said sincerely. "I'll treat you to snacks when we get back."
"That's... not necessary," Natsuki thought, uncomfortable.
Chika leaned in close, curiosity shining in her eyes. "How did you predict when the tumbler would turn?"
Her sweet scent washed over him. Natsuki stepped back. "Too close, Fujiwara-san."
"Hey~ Sorry!" Chika tapped her forehead playfully.
"What does 'hey' mean?" Natsuki asked, confused.
Chika just repeated the gesture, smiling brightly.
Natsuki sighed. "I just... observed the hidden rules carefully," he said evasively, not ready to explain his ability to see prompts.
As they continued down the misty path, Natsuki wondered what other challenges awaited them – and how long he could keep his strange power a secret from his eccentric teammates.
"Ah, the hidden rules," Natsuki said. "The old players mentioned them before, but they're not discussed anymore."
Chika blinked, looking confused. "What are the hidden rules? How come I didn't notice them?"
Surprisingly, it was Kaguya who spoke up. "The flags on the playground. While everyone was focused on the tumbler, the flags would turn around without any wind before the tumbler moved."
Natsuki looked at Kaguya, impressed. "Shinomiya-san is very observant."
It was easy to overlook small details when something dramatic was happening. Like if a video showed a girl in revealing clothes, most people would have trouble remembering what her earrings looked like.
"Kaguya-chan is amazing!" Chika exclaimed, admiration on her face. "I didn't even see the flags."
After a while, they came across a dilapidated road sign by the side of the path.
"Let's take a look," Natsuki said.
The sign was covered in faded, bloody writing, indicating various locations around the campus:
[Cafeteria]
[Exam Room]
[Playground]
[Infirmary]
[Main Building]
[Swimming Pool]
[Music Classroom]
"The Seven Wonders of the Campus," Chika whispered, eyes wide. She turned to Natsuki. "Where do you think we should go, Amamiya-san?"
Natsuki studied the sign, considering their options. Each location likely presented its own challenge. They needed to choose carefully if they wanted to survive.
"Well," he said, "we should probably start with..."