"I don't want to leave school!" Chika clasped her hands in front of her chest, her face filled with an exaggerated look of sadness. "If we keep having class, we wouldn't have to part ways!"
Amamiya cut in without mercy, "You'd become the public enemy of the whole school."
Staying in school all day long? That's not just against the wishes of the students—teachers would go on strike too!
Chika let out a deep sigh. "At least, when we're at school, there are more people around. What am I supposed to do when I'm alone at night?"
"You could try wearing an eye mask," Kaguya suggested calmly.
Chika lifted her gaze, meeting Kaguya's eyes. "But I'll still hear everything."
Amemiya chimed in with a serious tone, "Wear earplugs."
Chika's eyes lit up as she snapped her fingers. "I get it now! It's all about hiding under the blankets and pretending to be an ostrich. In manga, the blanket is an invincible shield. As long as you're hiding under it, you're safe from anything."
Kaguya's lips twitched slightly, as if she wanted to speak but hesitated.
"Hey, Kaguya-chan, what were you going to say?" Chika asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Well…" Kaguya furrowed her brows, finally deciding to reveal the truth. She figured it was best to give a fair warning. "Last night when I went to bed, I found a ghost hiding under my blanket."
Encountering a ghost on your first night seeing the real world? Girl, your luck's good enough to win the lottery!
"Eh?" Chika's eyes went wide. "Did Kaguya-chan get so scared that she cried?"
"Absolutely not," Kaguya quickly crossed her arms, refusing to acknowledge the accusation.
"But I remember when you were little, Kaguya-chan, you were terrified of horror movies..."
"People change," Kaguya bit her lip, trying to hide any embarrassment. "I'm older now. Don't treat me like the child I was."
"Is that so…"
Chika abruptly took two steps back, positioning herself behind Amamiya, tugging discreetly at his sleeve.
Amamiya got the message and quietly stepped back along with her.
Seeing the two slowly retreat, Kaguya couldn't help but blink in confusion. Her neck stiffened, and she instinctively wanted to glance behind her.
"Kaguya-chan, calm down," Chika whispered faintly, "Just don't look back."
Kaguya's long, sleek black hair trembled, her eyelashes fluttering as she suppressed her urge to turn around. Without wasting time, she quickly walked towards Amemiya and Chika.
"Haha." Chika, the root of all the mischief, placed her hands on her hips and raised her chin proudly. "There's nothing behind you. Kaguya-chan was just scared."
Kaguya rested her hand on her chest and cautiously turned her head.
Behind her, there was nothing but an empty classroom.
But Chika wasn't finished: "No wonder you have dark circles under your eyes today, Kaguya-chan. You didn't sleep at all, did you?"
Silence.
Kaguya took a deep breath. A dark aura seemed to rise from her as her ruby eyes flashed. A chilling smile spread across her face.
"Fujiwara-san, you're so... adorable."
Terrifying.
Amamiya stepped back even further, distancing himself from Chika.
Shinomiya-san's smile is scarier than her ice-cold stare.
"I'm sorry! I was wrong! Please forgive me!" Chika crouched down quickly, shielding her head in surrender. The speed at which she folded was truly astonishing.
"It would be nice if I could stay at your place, Natsuki-san," Chika muttered pitifully, like a stray puppy pleading for a home.
"Woo~" Chika let out a pitiful sound. "I'm being rejected, meow."
Living together was, of course, just a joke. Both girls were refined young ladies; staying out overnight wasn't something they could actually do.
"Ah! I've got it!" Chika's eyes suddenly brightened. "Kaguya-chan, Natsuki-san, let's run for the student council together!"
"Huh?"
Amamiya raised his eyebrows, intrigued.
"The student council elections are coming up. If we win, we'll get a large club room! After school, we can all hang out there, have tea, and chat without worrying about anything!"
The student council is for managing important school affairs, not just lounging around!
"I agree," Kaguya said, adjusting her bag calmly. "I was already planning to run."
Amemiya didn't commit. "I'll think about it."
...
Later, Amemiya left the school without a word, walking past two vengeful spirits who stood in security uniforms, staring blankly ahead.
"I'm home," he called out as he stepped into the entryway.
The only one who greeted him was his loyal Akita, wagging its tail excitedly.
His parents were hardly ever around, busy with work. Sometimes, he saw them only a few times a month.
Unlike the typical step-siblings you'd read about in novels, there were no dramatic confrontations or awkward moments. No scenes of sisters dressed in aprons, kneeling and calling him to take a bath together.
Amemiya opened the fridge, only to find a decaying human head sitting inside.
Unfazed, he pulled out a can of Coke and slammed the fridge shut.
After finishing his drink, Amemiya felt it was still early. He glanced at his Akita, who sat before him wagging its tail, and grabbed the leash.
It's safer to walk the dog during the day rather than at night, with all the spirits around.
While walking in the park, he bumped into Miko and her friend, Hana, at the entrance.
"Good afternoon, Natsuki-san," Hana greeted cheerfully, waving before her attention was stolen by the Akita. "Ah, such a cute dog! Is it yours?"
"It is," Amemiya nodded.
"Can I pet it?" Hana asked eagerly.
"Sure."
"Thank you!" Hana knelt, reaching out to the dog with one hand while supporting herself with the other.
Amemiya felt a gravitational pull as he noticed the collar of Hana's uniform drooping slightly, revealing her delicate collarbone and soft, pale skin.
Objects with large enough mass create gravitational fields, and apparently, this applied to girls too...
The sun's unusually bright today.
Or maybe not.
He shook his head, trying to refocus, but for a fleeting moment, he couldn't help thinking about Newton's Cradle, the pendulum set they had in physics class.
"Pervert," came a quiet voice from Miko, who was now staring at him with dark, disapproving eyes.
What's perverted about it? Newton's Cradle is a symbol of the beauty of physics! Even Newton himself would be entranced!
After Hana happily petted the dog for a while, she stood up reluctantly.
As Amemiya prepared to head home, Miko suddenly spoke up, "Um... I bought some strawberry daifuku. Would you like to share some?"