"Really?"
Amamiya looked over in surprise.
"Absolutely!" Chika proudly displayed her task bar, where three words appeared at the end of the 'Fun Task.' "But the thing is, I didn't do anything. Why was the task suddenly completed?"
"If the task is done, then you must have done something," Kaguya stated calmly, her arms crossed in front of her chest as she deduced the situation from the outcome. "You must have triggered something that fulfilled the requirements."
Amamiya picked up on the line of reasoning. "The task completion likely happened while we were in the haunted house."
"The timing… it must have been after we all got separated."
Kaguya glanced at Chika and mused aloud, "So, what exactly did you do while you were on your own?"
"I didn't do anything!" Chika quickly shook her head. "The staff and those evil spirits all blended together—it wasn't even that scary!"
"Are you sure?" Amamiya analyzed further. "If you didn't act on your own, then it must have been a passive reaction—maybe something you did unintentionally spooked the haunted house staff."
"..."
Amamiya and Kaguya exchanged glances before both turned to Shimizu.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Shimizu blinked innocently, her face showing no guilt. "I didn't do anything either."
You didn't 'have' to do anything—you just had to 'talk!'
"When you ran into the haunted house staff, did you have a conversation?" Amamiya asked, looking at Chika.
"Of course!" Chika nodded vigorously. "It was terrifying being alone in a haunted house, okay?"
Ah, so that was it.
The Shimizu that Chika could see was invisible to the haunted house staff. So, from their perspective, they saw a lone pink-haired girl talking animatedly to thin air, as if she were chatting with invisible people... even being playful with them. No wonder the staff got freaked out.
'...That's so unfair!'
Kaguya bit her lower lip in frustration. Chika's task was so easy that she completed it unintentionally, while her own task was far more difficult. It wasn't fair!
"Well, what matters is that it's done," Umi chimed in, her curiosity piqued. "So, what skill did you get, Chika-chan?"
"It's been a while since I've unlocked a new skill."
"A skill... and it's kind of strange."
Without hesitation, Chika showed off her newly acquired skill.
Amamiya looked at it curiously and found it to be, indeed, quite odd.
[Skill: Bob, Turn Into a Sheep]
- [Type: Active]
- [Description: This skill can only be used on allies. Select a teammate and turn them into a sheep. The duration of the transformation depends on the teammate's willpower.]
- [Note: So Bob lied to me, played with my body, what a despicable villain!]
At first glance, it resembled the sheep transformation spell from games or some kind of fairy-tale magic. But why would it turn a 'teammate' into a sheep? Shouldn't it work on an enemy or something like an evil spirit?
"Who's So Bob?" Chika asked, puzzled. "I've never heard of that name before."
"So Bob. He once claimed to have encountered... ghosts," Kaguya recalled, pressing a finger to her temple. "I read about him in an ancient text."
"Got it!" Umi waved her phone. "Shinomiya-san is talking about this, right?"
She displayed the text, and Amamiya leaned in to take a look. After reading through it, the remark finally made sense.
So Bob had tricked a ghost, toyed with its trust, and after getting what he wanted, he sold the ghost out, squeezing every bit of use from it. Despicable, indeed.
"So Bob is terrible!" Chika complained after reading it. "The ghost trusted him, and he deceived it over and over, even taking advantage of it. His conscience must be nonexistent."
"It feels... a bit off."
Kaguya frowned slightly, her red ribbon bow swaying gently in the evening breeze. From a strategic standpoint, once you knew the ghost's weakness, it made sense to manipulate the situation for profit. But still... it felt like going too far.
"Thinking about it differently," Amamiya offered, "Bob didn't speak a word of truth the entire time. So... what if his real identity was actually a sheep thief, and the ghost story was just a lie he made up?"
"Huh?" Chika looked shocked. "Could it really be that way?"
"Whatever the truth is, I'm more curious about the skill." Umi's eyes sparkled as she raised her hand eagerly. "I, I, I want to try the sheep transformation skill!"
"This is an amusement park," Amamiya reminded her cautiously. "If you suddenly turn into a sheep, you might end up in some supernatural research facility."
"Fine, I'll wait until we're back at school." Umi shrugged, then grinned. "But since we're done with the mission, let's enjoy the amusement park!"
Kaguya, however, shook her head. "I think I'll head back."
"Don't leave your mother behind," Shimizu said, clasping her hands in front of her chest, her eyes pleading. "Coming to the amusement park with my Kaguya-chan was my only wish!"
Kaguya: "..."
You have way too many wishes!
But... since we're already here, maybe a little fun wouldn't hurt.
"Fine."
Shimizu cheered and asked curiously, "Has Kaguya-chan ever been to an amusement park before?"
"..."
Kaguya remained silent.
The truth was, she hadn't. Today was her first time visiting an amusement park.
Amamiya glanced at the usually composed "Ice Princess" in surprise. All this time, he had assumed someone as refined and wealthy as her would have indulged in lavish, fun-filled experiences. But she hadn't even been to an amusement park? Life must have been duller than he imagined.
"Well, there's a first time for everything," Amamiya commented. "It's nice to let loose and have fun every once in a while."
"Mm."
The group continued walking forward together.
For some reason, Kaguya wasn't fond of thrill rides and had no desire to try them. On the other hand, Chika and Umi, the boobs bombshell, were all about the excitement.
Eventually, the four decided to split up—Chika and Umi heading for the roller coaster, while Amamiya and Kaguya went off to enjoy the other attractions.
"Mom wants to try the bumper cars!" Shimizu gestured excitedly.
"Mm."
"And the merry-go-round, too!"
"Mm."
"Oh! And that mirror maze looks fun—"
"I refuse."
Kaguya flatly rejected the idea. Even though Shimizu was her mother, she wasn't going to agree to everything without limits. Absolutely no mirror mazes!
There was no way she was going into a place like that!
Due to his guardian spirit's bond with Shimizu, Amamiya couldn't stray far. He strolled around with the mother-daughter pair, but every so often, he had the distinct feeling someone was watching him. Whenever he turned to check, though, he found nothing.
Before long, the day began to fade into evening.
The sun set.
Birds flew back to their nests.
Amamiya and the girls left the amusement park together and headed home, each going their separate ways.
The two-day exam period was finally over, and next up was the nine-day Golden Week holiday.
Amamiya could only hope Golden Week would pass peacefully... but unfortunately, fate had other plans. A new challenge was already on the horizon.