The soft, bouncy sensation against his back… well, not quite.
Not to mention that Kaguya had stretched her hands out to support Amamiya's back, so even if she had bumped into him, he wouldn't have felt much at all.
"Sandwich, complete!" came Chika's proud voice from behind.
'Sandwich? More like a human shield.'
"Kaguya-chan, you can sneeze now," Chika said, still hugging Kaguya from behind. "Don't worry, we've got your back."
The urge to sneeze was building, and Kaguya couldn't resist it any longer. She pressed her forehead against Amemiya's back, and then—
"Ah-choo~"
The soft sound of the sneeze reached Amamiya's ears, and it left him with an odd feeling. For some reason, it reminded him of a sleepy kitten trying not to disturb its owner. The sound was unexpectedly cute.
If their classmates had heard it, they'd probably be clutching their chests, exclaiming:
"AWw!"
"So cute!"
"Princess Kaguya's voice is too adorable! I can't handle it—my nose is going to bleed!"
"…"
Time resumed as the robotic ghost turned, and both the players and the ghostly students began to move again.
"Kaguya-chan was so cute just now," Chika's eyes sparkled. "I want to hear it again."
Kaguya, now back to her usual cold demeanor, replied with a blank expression and a frigid tone, "There won't be a next time. Give it up."
Amemiya glanced at the words floating above Kaguya's head:
'Ahhh! I can't believe I made such an embarrassing sound! I should just kill him to shut him up!'
'Wait what??' Amemiya thought. 'We were helping you, acting as your human sandwich, and now you're contemplating murder to silence me? Are you a cold-blooded witch?'
"How could you say that?" Fujiwara pouted in disappointment. "Amemiya-san, don't you want to hear it again?"
"Not even a little."
"Boys should be honest about their desires. If you say one thing and mean another, you won't be popular."
'Yeah, well, considering the price for hearing it again is my life, I think I'll pass.'
Thanks to some inexplicable hints, Amemiya and his two teammates managed to pass the statue game without much trouble.
"We did it!" Chika exclaimed, patting her chest with a satisfied sigh. The motion caused the little rabbit design on her shirt to bounce, generating some distracting gravitational waves that inevitably drew Amemiya's gaze.
"Don't relax just yet," Kaguya interjected, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her tone was cold and composed, as always. "We still have two more challenges to clear before we can return to reality. We need to stay vigilant."
'The title of 'Ice Princess' is well-deserved,' Amemiya mused, 'as long as you ignore the words floating above her head.'
'So scary, so scary, so scary… Hayasaka, Hayasaka, Hayasaka, help, help, help!'
Amemiya turned to look behind him. At some point, the playground had become shrouded in a thick gray mist. He murmured, "Let's follow this road. We might find something."
"Amemiya-san, thank you for what you did earlier," Chika said, clasping her hands in front of her chest and smiling warmly. "I'll treat you to some snacks when we get back."
'Wait, didn't you say you couldn't repay me for saving your life and would offer yourself instead? Snacks feel like a bit of a downgrade!'
As the thought passed, Chika leaned in closer, her clear, curious eyes practically shining as she asked, "Come to think of it, Amemiya-san, how did you know when the robotic ghost would turn around?"
A sweet scent, somewhere between orchid and musk with a hint of milk, filled the air as she drew closer. Feeling a little flustered, Amemiya took a half-step back and replied, "You're standing too close, Fujiwara-san."
"Ah, sorry!" She pulled back slightly, raising her hand to her forehead and tapping it playfully, as if scolding herself. "Hehe~"
Amemiya sighed. "What does that even mean?"
With a bright smile, Chika repeated the gesture. "This. That's what it means."
"…"
Deciding to let it go, Amemiya crossed his arms and thoughtfully said, "I'm just smart enough to have figured out the hidden rules of the game."
Of course, he had no intention of explaining his strange ability to see those prompts, so he stuck with a more believable answer. Hidden rules definitely existed—some unfortunate veteran players had mentioned them before.
"Hidden rules?" Chika blinked in confusion. "Why didn't I notice them?"
"It has to do with the flag on the playground," Kaguya, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "Everyone was focused on the robotic ghost, but I noticed the flag on the playground turns without wind, just before the robotic ghost does. And there's never been any wind."
Amemiya looked at Kaguya, genuinely surprised. "Shinomiya-san, you're really sharp."
Human attention is more limited than we think. Often, we can only focus on one thing at a time. It's like watching a video of a girl dancing. Most guys can recall her outfit in detail, but if asked about her earrings, 99% wouldn't remember.
"Kaguya-chan, you're amazing!" Chika exclaimed in awe. "I didn't even notice there was a flag!"
"…"
A short while later, a road sign appeared ahead.
"Let's check it out."
The three approached, finding a rotten, weather-worn sign standing by the roadside. Bloody black and red letters pointed in various directions:
[Cafeteria]
[Examination Room]
[Playground]
[School Clinic]
[Main Building]
[Swimming Pool]
[Music Room]
"The Seven Wonders of the Campus," Chika murmured, her eyes wide as she instinctively lowered her voice. "Amemiya-san, where should we go?"
"I'm not sure." He shook his head, studying the sign. Unfortunately, no prompts appeared to guide him this time.
Chika pouted. "It'd be great if we could just ask for directions."
'Really? In a school filled with evil spirits? You think asking for directions is a good idea?'
The eerie atmosphere of the deserted campus lingered around them. Not a single ghostly student wandered the streets, leaving no one to approach for guidance.
"Let me think..." Chika furrowed her brow, pressing two fingers to her temples in a dramatic pose as if she had some kind of supernatural ability.
"Ah! I've got it!" she declared, her bow bouncing with excitement. "Let's head to the cafeteria!"
"Why?" Amemiya asked, curious if Chika had some hidden ability after all.
Chika giggled. "Because it's the closest. We don't even need to turn—we can just walk straight ahead!"
"…"
Amemiya sighed, his lips twitching into a wry smile.
'Fujiwara-san, you really are smart.'