Kaguya was terrifying after turning dark.
Amamiya let out a sigh.
"Darkening makes one three times stronger, while purity weakens them sevenfold," he thought to himself. That saying, as it turned out, was frighteningly accurate.
Although he was one of the boys, Amamiya wasn't feeling very confident. If he were alone, he couldn't shake the feeling that Kaguya would have pinned him down by now—seven thrusts of a blade or worse.
"To make sure you don't run away again, should I break your legs too?" Kaguya's voice was cold, her head tilted unnaturally, her darkened eyes devoid of light. "That way, you can stay with me forever."
"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline." Amamiya drew a deep breath, mustering the courage to defy the vengeful Kaguya.
Though he didn't mind having Miss Sadako around—she was cute, after all—Yandere Kaguya's penchant for breaking legs on a whim was pushing his tolerance. What man could endure such humiliation?
"Because..." Amamiya quickly nudged Chika forward, "My life already belongs to Fujiwara-san."
"H-Huh?" Chika stammered in surprise.
"If you want to keep me here, you'll have to deal with her first."
"I'm not some kind of human shield!" Chika protested.
Kaguya's darkened gaze shifted to Chika, and without a word, she put away her knife. Crossing her arms, she coldly remarked, "The root of chaos."
"No, no!" Chika quickly corrected. "I always play the good and lawful characters in games!"
"You're a siren who seduces men into depravity with your... useless meat."
"K-Kaguya-chan, that's not true!" Chika covered her chest with her arms, flustered. "I've never seduced anyone!"
Amamiya couldn't help but glance over at Chika. Her figure, though hidden beneath her arms, clearly revealed the alluring curves beneath.
Chika seemed blissfully unaware of her own charm.
"And a gluttonous lamb, at that," Kaguya added coldly.
"I only eat a little more than other girls…" Chika muttered, looking away guiltily. Then, trying to lighten the tension, she challenged, "Enough talk, Kaguya-chan. No, outlaw Don! I call you—do you dare to answer?"
Kaguya instinctively raised a hand to cover her mouth, but her lips betrayed her, "...Don is here."
Amamiya let out a quiet breath of relief. Things seemed to be under control again.
Taking advantage of the lull, he stepped forward and grabbed the vengeful Kaguya's wrist, asserting, "Chika, search her now."
"O-Okay."
Chika hurried over. The vengeful Kaguya, though eerily silent, watched Chika with unblinking, dark eyes.
"Kaguya-chan's glare is so intense," Chika whispered nervously. "I'm a little scared."
"Want me to do the search instead?" Amamiya offered.
"No!" Chika rejected the idea instantly. "Even if she's not the real Kaguya-chan, she's still a girl! Amamiya-kun, you can't do anything improper!"
It was just an ordinary search, Amamiya thought, rolling his eyes. No one would be interested in anything improper here, especially given the circumstances. But then, something caught his attention.
As he gazed down at Kaguya, pinned beneath him, he realized something was different.
This vengeful Kaguya wasn't as flat as he initially thought.
The curve of her body, visible beneath the school uniform, was surprisingly firm and graceful. Her uniform skirt was a little short, and from behind, a sliver of skin—the absolute territory between her skirt and thigh-high socks—was tantalizingly visible.
Even the details were meticulously accurate.
The black socks slightly indented her thighs, leaving faint marks that made Amamiya's fingers twitch with the urge to smooth them out.
Moments later, Chika exclaimed, "Ah, found it!" She retrieved a shard from Kaguya's skirt pocket and exhaled in relief. "Amamiya-kun, retreat!"
Amamiya let go of Kaguya, keeping his breath steady. The vengeful spirit remained seated on the bed, her bangs casting shadows over her eyes. Her voice, soft and sorrowful, broke the silence: "...You're leaving me again?"
What else was he supposed to do, stay and practice combat with her?
Despite the situation, a pang of guilt tugged at Amamiya's chest. With a sigh, he made a half-hearted promise, "Next time we meet, I'll make sure not to abandon you again."
Of course, there wouldn't be a "next time." Ghosts from horror games shouldn't show up in real life. Right?
…
Amamiya and Chika swiftly left the mirror world, emerging into the corridor outside. They were greeted by Kaguya, who had been waiting.
"Kaguya-chan, you're so scary!" Chika gasped, jumping at the sight of her.
"Hmm?" Kaguya raised a brow in confusion.
"We ran into the scariest version of you in there..." Chika began to explain.
Amamiya cut her off. "Less talking, more moving. We still have another ward to check."
Now that they had handled vengeful Kaguya, everything else would be smooth sailing from here.
Moments later, the three of them had successfully gathered all the fragments.
When they placed the pieces together, the floating fragments seemed to develop an inexplicable magnetic pull. They spun, converged, and eventually merged into something...
"Wait, why is it a hydrangea?" Chika's eyes widened in surprise. "Where's the key?"
"The key was only a guess," Amamiya replied, examining the hydrangea in his hand. "Looks like we overestimated it."
It was a paper hydrangea, impressively lifelike, but nothing more.
[A-Note: Hydrangea is a shrub or climbing plant with rounded or flattened flowering heads of small florets, the outer ones of which are typically infertile. Hydrangeas are native to Asia and America.]
"Maybe we can use it to open the door?" Chika suggested, still hopeful. She hurried over to try it out, but, as expected, the final ward remained firmly locked.
"Even if it's not a key, this hydrangea must be an important game item," Chika declared, quickly regaining her spirits. She clenched her fist, determined. "So... where's the actual key?"
Amamiya pondered aloud, "The key has to be on the fourth floor, but it probably won't be in one of the wards."
Kaguya crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Aside from us, who else would be moving in and out of the wards?"
Amamiya and Kaguya exchanged a glance, the same thought coming to both of them.
"The nurse."
"Huh?" Chika blinked in surprise. "So we've been running around for nothing this whole time?"
"We wouldn't have gotten the hydrangea if we'd done nothing," Amamiya pointed out, recalling the date from Sakurai's medical record: early summer, May. "It'll be dark again soon. Let's head back to the ward."
Returning to the ward, they found it quieter than before—no sign of Miss Sadako lurking this time.
In the warm glow of the "light of humanity," most of the players, save for a few who had other plans, had gathered inside the ward for safety.
"Master Chika!"
"Chika-chan!"
"You're back!" the group of new players called out gratefully, welcoming their return.
Only Miss Sadako remained distant, battling her severe social anxiety in the background.
"…Too many people. With this many crammed in here, the place might just fall apart," she murmured.