"What does 'Cancer of the Earth' even mean?" Chika puffed her cheeks indignantly, unable to hold back her protest. "That's way too much! Giving a girl a title like that is just unfair!"
"It really is excessive," Amamiya agreed, his gaze fixed on the game's ridiculous evaluation of him.
'The Evil of This World?'
He was a law-abiding, honest player who had only entered the game for the second time—how could he possibly be labeled the 'Evil of This World'?
Something felt off, like he was being set up.
"Wait a minute!" Chika suddenly leaned in closer, eyes wide as she stared at Kaguya. "That 'The Weak and Helpless Kaguya-hime' has to be you, right?"
"That's not me," Kaguya replied, her face impassive.
Chika wasn't buying it. "Kaguya-chan is so strong! Why would the game describe you as weak and helpless?"
(…'How would I know?')
Kaguya bit her lower lip slightly, reminding herself not to care about such trivialities, but deep down, she couldn't ignore it.
She cared 'a lot'.
'I, Kaguya Shinomiya, a genius and refined lady—weak and helpless?' It was absurd, and definitely unfair!
Still, Kaguya remained composed on the outside. "We should focus on the wanted status for now."
Without Kaguya's reminder, Amamiya had already turned his attention to the game log.
---
[Your actions have caused public outrage. You have been jointly reported by multiple vengeful students. You are now wanted.]
[You cannot leave the game world while you are wanted.]
[Your location will refresh every ten minutes.]
[Wanted Duration: 30 minutes]
---
Amamiya frowned. He hadn't done anything harmful—why was he being targeted by the entire school?
As for those vengeful ghosts who had filed complaints… didn't they feel guilty? Even after death, they still resorted to reporting to the authorities? Their mental resilience was 'shockingly' low!
"We're trapped here?" Chika was getting increasingly anxious after reading the game log herself. "Class is about to start, and if I'm late, Ms. Kirisu will flip out! She's terrifying!"
Amamiya couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of exasperation. "At this point, you should be more worried about survival, not trivial things like being late and having to stand in the hallway."
Just then, a cold, hoarse voice came over the school's PA system once more:
---
"The current location of the three players is the east corridor on the second floor of the main building."
---
As the announcement ended, the lifeless, eerie Ghost Academy suddenly felt as if it had come to life.
From behind them, in the Death Exam room, doors and windows shook violently as pounding noises and low, guttural groans erupted. The ghosts of students who had failed the exam seemed desperate to escape.
"Run!" Amamiya shouted, acting quickly.
Since they couldn't leave the school, they had to find a way to survive. Amamiya, for one, wasn't going to sit back and let fate take its course.
Chika and Kaguya immediately followed his lead.
"Where are we headed, Natsuki-san?" Chika asked, panic lacing her voice.
Amamiya's mind was now calm and focused. "We need to avoid open spaces like hallways or the playground. Find somewhere secluded to hide for at least ten minutes."
"How about the rooftop?" Kaguya suggested with her usual composure.
Chika's eyes lit up. "That's perfect! Nobody expects students to hide on the school rooftop."
As they hurried down the hallway toward the stairs, Amamiya suddenly caught sight of a pair of blood-red high heels descending from above—only a pair of legs, without a torso. To his horror, the legs were dressed in a blue and white cheongsam.
If they had been normal legs, they would've been stunning. But as disembodied limbs, they were terrifying.
'Da… da… da.'
The rhythmic clicking of the heels echoed like a drumbeat on Amamiya's heart, suffocating him with unease.
---
[Danger, danger, danger!]
[The path ahead is blocked! Stay away from the Leg Spirit!]
---
A bright red warning appeared before his eyes, leaving no doubt that they were in grave danger.
With a sharp breath, Amamiya halted abruptly, grabbing Kaguya and Chika by their arms. "Stop!" he whispered urgently.
At the same moment, the frantic footsteps of failing students echoed from the hallway behind them, chasing after them like a tidal wave of dread.
Stuck between a deadly pursuer ahead and hostile students behind, Amamiya maintained his cool and swiftly led the girls into the bathroom at the corridor's corner.
"Hide in a stall and keep quiet."
Following his own instructions, Amamiya slipped into one of the cubicles. Kaguya and Chika exchanged a glance before hiding together in another.
The pounding footsteps grew louder, and then, like a sudden shift in the wind, a terrified scream echoed down the hallway. The sound of pursuit faded as quickly as it had begun.
'Da… da… da.'
The high heels' clicking continued to draw closer, one slow step at a time.
Now that he had a moment to catch his breath, Amamiya examined his surroundings.
"...Wait a second. When we rushed in, something about this bathroom seemed off… Oh." He realized. "It's the women's restroom."
But that was irrelevant now. Survival came first. They'd even storm into a women's bathhouse if that's what it took.
Thankfully, the bathroom was clean and smelled fresh, though the dim lights flickered as if they might die at any moment, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Random scribblings and graffiti covered the cubicle door—names, strange symbols, and nonsense scrawls. Nothing seemed particularly ominous.
Then, suddenly, Chika's voice came from the stall next to his:
"Oh, thanks!"
A second later, Kaguya's serious tone followed. "…Natsuki-san?"
"I'm here," he replied cautiously.
"Wait," Chika said, confused. "Why is Natsuki-san on the left?"
"I was always in the stall to your left." He frowned slightly. "What's going on?"
"Someone just handed me two candies from the stall on the right," Kaguya stated with a steady voice. "One red and one blue."
Amamiya's mouth twitched. "Did Chika… eat it?"
"Of course not!" Chika replied indignantly. "We're in a bathroom. Who eats candy in a place like this?"
Amamiya sighed. "Then why did you say thank you just now?"
Chika's voice dropped to a sheepish murmur. "I, uh, thought Natsuki-san gave me the candy, so I took it without thinking…"
Even if it 'was' from me, you should refuse! Even elementary kids know not to take candy from strangers. Who hands out candy in a restroom?
Now the stall didn't seem as "safe" as it had before.
"Get out here, both of you," Amamiya muttered.
A few seconds passed before Chika's nervous voice piped up again. "Um… the door won't open."
Amamiya pushed open his own door with ease. "Mine opens just fine."
Stepping out, he glanced around the bathroom. Kaguya and Chika were stuck in the second-to-last stall. And whatever had given them the candy… was in the last stall.
The problem was likely tied to accepting the candy.
"Put your hand through the door," Amamiya ordered. "I need to see the candy."
Slowly, a slender hand emerged, pale and delicate, almost translucent like it had been bathed in milk, clutching two brightly colored candies.
But from the final stall… a second hand appeared—this one, pale, bloodless, and not human.