"Natsuki-san... is that you?"
Kaguya exhaled a sigh of relief as her gaze landed on Amamiya. She immediately formed a few guesses in her mind.
Amamiya casually opened his shoe locker, took out his slippers, and said nonchalantly, "So, do I need to turn myself in now?"
"You should probably consult with the police about that," Kaguya responded, her arms crossed as her cold, emotionless voice echoed through the air.
'At least wipe the tears from your eyes before saying that!' Amamiya thought to himself. Only he knew that the calm and collected "Miss Kaguya" standing in front of him was just pretending. A moment ago, she was screaming internally, overwhelmed with fear. Her current facade of composure? Pure pretense.
After a short pause, Kaguya's pride gave way to curiosity. Despite feeling embarrassed to ask, she bit her lip slightly and, turning her face to the side, whispered, "Natsuki-san... how did you exorcise the spirit just now?"
As the eldest daughter of the prestigious Shinomiya family, Kaguya lived a highly structured life. For over a decade, her daily routine had been the same: a glass of milk at nine, half an hour of reading, half an hour of rest, then off to bed by ten.
Last night, she'd entered the game around nine, fresh out of the shower and reading in her pajamas. But the moment she looked up from her book, she found herself in a strange space. Her first thought was that she'd been kidnapped. Spotting Amamiya with a rope in hand only heightened her alertness.
After finishing the game, she was suddenly plagued by vengeful spirits, and no one else could see them except her. She'd even been mocked by Hayasaka for telling a "bad ghost story."
She tried everything: salt, prayers, crosses, Buddhist beads—even garlic—but nothing worked. These vengeful spirits seemed beyond human control, representing a despair she couldn't shake.
Yet, Amamiya had exorcised them effortlessly.
Kaguya quickly made up her mind—she needed to learn how to banish spirits... even if it meant cornering Amamiya and forcing the answer out of him!
"It's actually pretty simple," Amamiya replied casually, still unaware of how close he'd come to being trapped in a sack by Kaguya's determination. "I drew a blind box this morning."
Amamiya had no intention of hiding the 'Evil Spirits Repel' aura he'd earned, knowing it couldn't be stolen or transferred. He only kept the part about seeing the blind box prompts to himself.
"Blind box...?" Kaguya frowned. Her voice was cold, laced with disapproval. "Blind boxes are full of uncertainty, equivalent to gambling. It's an unwise and foolish practice."
'Hey, at least with a blind box, you're guaranteed something. Gambling is a surefire way to lose everything!'
But before Amamiya could respond, a fist-sized black blind box materialized in Kaguya's hand.
Amamiya's eye twitched. "Who was it that just said buying blind boxes was foolish?!"
Kaguya's ears flushed slightly. She knew it was a little embarrassing, but...
With her beauty and intelligence, Kaguya stood at the top of Shuchiin Academy. Surely, her luck wouldn't betray her.
Even if she ended up with a spirit-related blind box, Amamiya could always help her out. She couldn't lose.
"I'm heading to the classroom," Amamiya announced, sensing the need to give her some privacy. If something rare came out of the box, it would attract attention. Best to leave now.
"Wait."
A hand suddenly grabbed the corner of Amamiya's shirt. Kaguya's expression remained cold, but the tips of her ears were bright red. Clearly unused to asking for help, she murmured softly, "...Stay until I finish opening the box."
Amamiya paused, understanding her hesitation. "Got it."
He took a few steps back to give her space but stayed within range to keep his 'Evil Spirits Repellent' aura active.
Taking a deep breath, Kaguya placed her fingers on the blind box. Her heart began to race.
Was this... anticipation?
For the first time, she understood why blind boxes were so addictive. The thrill of the unknown, the excitement—it was hard to resist.
'Click.'
The blind box opened, and a silver-white card appeared in Kaguya's hand.
Amamiya observed closely. The weather was sunny and calm—clearly not an evil spirit-related item.
"It's not a spirit-repelling item," Kaguya muttered with a hint of disappointment. "It's a game card."
"A Yu-Gi-Oh card!?" Amamiya gasped seeing its appearance. 'Is she actually a Child of Luck, drawing a Yu-Gi-Oh card on her first try!'
"What is Yu-Gi-Oh?"
You don't know Yu-Gi-Oh? How sheltered are you? Amamiya thought, but kept it to himself.
"Actually, it's a game team card," Kaguya said, reading the details.
---
[Name: Game Team Card]
[Attribute: Allows players to refresh their game cooldowns and team up with others for gameplay.]
---
Amamiya shook his head. 'Blind boxes really can produce anything.'
But Kaguya's expression was one of dissatisfaction. She clearly wasn't thrilled with the team card, and unfortunately, she didn't have enough points to draw another box.
"Thank you, Natsuki-san," Kaguya said after a moment, bowing slightly in gratitude.
Suddenly—
'Bang!!'
A hand slapped Kaguya's shoulder, startling her. A cheerful, pink-haired girl with a black bow on her head appeared. Her bright smile was as radiant as her bouncing energy.
"Good morning, Kaguya-san!" chirped Chika Fujiwara, her voice bubbly. She then turned to Amamiya. "Good morning, Natsuki-san."
"Morning, Fujiwara-san," Amamiya replied.
Chika Fujiwara was a social butterfly and one of Kaguya's close friends. Despite school having only been in session for half a month, she'd already befriended almost everyone.
"Ah!"
Kaguya's body tensed like a startled rabbit, her icy demeanor instantly shattered.
"Ehehe? Did Kaguya just scream?" Chika's eyes widened in playful curiosity.
"I did not!" Kaguya snapped, flustered.
'Big mistake.' Kaguya cursed herself. Normally, such pranks wouldn't phase her. Today had been different.
Suddenly, Amamiya's eyes caught something strange.
"Eh?" Chika exclaimed, noticing the same thing. "Kaguya, your card... it's on fire!"
"What—?" Kaguya looked down in shock. Sure enough, the card in her hand was engulfed in a quiet blue flame, disintegrating before her eyes.
In that moment, a low, ominous voice echoed in Amamiya's mind.
---
[Team formation complete.]
[The scenario has been chosen: Seven Wonders of the Academy.]
[Players, prepare yourselves. The game will begin shortly.]
---
"Strange..." Chika tilted her head, puzzled. "Why do I hear a weird voice in my head?"
Amamiya sighed, eyes twitching slightly. "Ugh, a useless teammate!"