"Too close, too close, too close...!"
Kaguya held her breath, her mind spinning, unable to process anything.
'What does he think he's doing?'
'My eyes no longer hurt, so why wasn't he backing away?'
'He's not… thinking of kissing me, is he?'
'That's not how it's supposed to go!'
'At the very least, he should confess before even attempting something like that!'
'Don't tell me…'
Amidst her daze, Kaguya suddenly noticed something.
His pupils had dilated.
She remembered reading in a training manual that when someone looks into the eyes of the person they like, their pupils expand. 'Does this mean… he has improper thoughts about me too?'
'It must be true!'
As the realization struck, Kaguya felt her mind go blank. She couldn't think straight anymore. Her eyelashes quivered slightly, and in a moment of panic, her eyes fluttered shut.
'Sometimes things happen out of order... but it can be forgiven!'
"Hmm?"
Seeing Kaguya close her eyes like a startled ostrich, Amamiya froze for a second. A random thought popped into his mind.
'If I get into trouble in the future, will it be too late to confess my sins?'
Forget it.
The urge was overwhelming. With the beautiful young lady right in front of him, her eyes squeezed shut, seemingly ready to be taken advantage of, no man could resist!
Just as Amamiya decided to tread down the dangerous path of no return, a sudden "bang" echoed from outside the door.
"...There's someone outside!"
Kaguya snapped out of her daze, backing away in a panic, creating a safe distance between them. Steam practically poured from her head, and her face turned so red it looked like it might burst.
'Why did I close my eyes just now?!'
'Unbelievable!'
'I don't understand!'
"Kaguya-chan, are you guys done yet?" Chika's cheerful voice sounded from the other side of the door. "Amamiya-kun, hand over the coins! I want to keep playing the coin toss challenge for the SSR."
Amamiya pressed his forehead, exasperated. "Didn't I already draw one for you this morning?"
"That was for the character," Chika responded confidently from behind the door. "Now that I have the character, I need to get the special weapon set!"
Amamiya couldn't help but sigh. "First, you draw a character. Then you want a special weapon. After that, you'll want max health. Greed comes at a cost, you know."
"I'm not scared," Chika declared with bold confidence. "I'm destined to win that special weapon. Not even Buddha could stop me!"
"…"
Amamiya glanced at Kaguya, who was standing with her arms crossed, staring at him with a mix of shame and anger. He awkwardly raised his hands in surrender, coughed twice, and asked, "Is it too late for me to turn myself in?"
Kaguya, still red-faced, replied sharply, "It's too late."
"…"
The two of them returned to the living room, walking silently—Amamiya behind and Kaguya leading the way.
"Hayasaka, let's go home," Kaguya said, her voice steady, as if nothing had happened.
Though her face had cooled slightly, the tips of her ears were still burning, and all she wanted was to get out of there as fast as possible.
Hayasaka tilted her head, noticing the subtle tension in Kaguya's demeanor, but chose to remain silent.
"See you tomorrow, Shinomiya-san!" Umi waved as she said her goodbyes.
Kaguya hesitated for a brief moment.
'Tomorrow... Should I really come back?'
She paused, considering it for just a second, before making her decision.
"…See you tomorrow."
Amamiya watched as the two girls headed for the door, where a sleek black car was waiting quietly by the roadside.
As Kaguya and Hayasaka departed, the soft drizzle finally began to fall.
"Amamiya-kun," Chika stretched out her hand expectantly, "Give me the coin."
Amamiya retrieved a coin from his pocket and handed it to the pink-haired girl.
Standing just outside the door, Chika casually flipped the coin. Unsurprisingly, her bad luck continued.
"Tails again," Chika puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "When did my luck get this bad?"
This wasn't just a game of chance. Before tossing the coin, one had to absorb some luck, otherwise, the odds would remain against them.
And the effects of bad luck were immediate.
As soon as Chika turned around, her foot slipped, and she nearly fell to the ground.
Amamiya was quick to react, grabbing her arm before she hit the floor.
"Phew~ That was close." Chika let out a relieved breath, hugging Amamiya's arm. "The bad luck is already kicking in… Eh? Is that Miko?"
Amamiya looked in the direction Chika had mentioned, spotting his childhood friend—Miko—running back through the rain without an umbrella, her long black hair clinging to her as she jogged toward them.
"Hurry up and get over here," Amamiya called out, waving her over without a hint of concern on his face. "Why aren't you carrying an umbrella?"
He wasn't guilty of anything, so there was no need to worry about his conscience.
"It started raining after I got off the tram," Miko replied, picking up her pace. "I figured it wasn't far, so I ran." As she reached them, her gaze fell on Amamiya's arm, still being hugged by Chika.
'Why were they hugging just now?'
"Chika just unlocked a new skill," Amamiya explained with a straight face, "A hundred percent chance of falling flat."
"Huh?" Miko blinked in confusion.
'If she could catch knives barehanded, that would be impressive, but falling down flat? How does that even work?'
"It's not a skill!" Chika quickly corrected. "I just slipped on the stairs. But now I'm cursed with bad luck, and everything I do is prone to mishaps."
Umi, who had been standing nearby, chimed in, "Amamiya and I played a game yesterday and got a silver coin that boosts luck…"
"Ah, I see," Miko nodded in understanding after the explanation.
"By the way," Umi added, resting a hand on her hip, "Do you want to try flipping the coin too?"
Miko hesitated, unsure of what to say. "I'm not sure if I can…"
"We'll find out once we try," Amamiya said. "Let's see if I can grant you an ability to repel bad luck."
'Why does my heart race just looking at him?'
Miko wasn't particularly into games, so luck boosts weren't her concern. But an aura that could ward off evil spirits? That was something she definitely wanted.
No matter how much time passed, she could never fully shake her fear of evil spirits. Every day, the thought of them haunted her.
"…Shall we try it, then?"
"The coin has a cooldown period," Amamiya said. "But first, let's test if I can transfer any ability to you." He extended his hand toward Miko. "Give me your hand."
"Huh?"
"Skills require physical contact," Chika eagerly explained. "You have to hold hands."
"I see."
With a slight nod, Miko extended her right hand toward Amamiya.
Her face flushed slightly at the thought of holding hands with him, especially in front of the others. Thankfully, the evening rain provided some cover, making it harder to see her embarrassment.
But then, something clicked in Miko's mind.
'Wait a second… if the ability requires holding hands, that means Amamiya already done this with other girls, hasn't he?'
Her eyes lowered slightly.
Being involved in a game as dangerous as theirs, where survival was constantly at stake, close bonds were bound to form. But if this kept up, wouldn't she drift further and further away from Amamiya?
"Hmm?" Amamiya raised an eyebrow.
He wasn't surprised that the skill transferred to Miko. However, as an ordinary person, she shouldn't have had any particular abilities other than contributing basic attributes and life force.
But this wasn't the case.
The once carefree girl, who had always acted like a laid-back "salted fish," now seemed to possess skills of her own—and more than one at that.