"I surrender!" the ghost girl exclaimed in a wronged tone. "I used to be human. I had a heart condition and died suddenly while shopping here one day. When I woke up, I was like this… a ghost. You can't just kill me to silence me."
Amamiya raised an eyebrow at the pink-haired girl beside him and said casually, "We're not going to kill you to silence you. But is there any law saying that destroying ghosts is illegal?"
"Of course not," Chika responded, hands confidently placed on her hips, chin raised. "Eliminating ghosts is doing the public a service. Unless... you can tell us how to get out of this mall."
The ghost girl, growing even more upset, replied, "I really don't know how to leave! But I do know the general location of the other monsters in the mall, and I can guide you. Except for the ones in the corridors, there are monsters that don't move around much."
Umi, remembering the mannequins from the clothing store, felt a chill run down her spine. "What if this is a trap? You might be trying to trick us."
At that moment, a soft but sharp voice broke the air.
Kaguya, folding her right arm across her chest and supporting her chin with her left hand, spoke calmly, "Someone died from a heart attack in this mall. Such an event would've been recorded. We can easily sketch your appearance and find out who you were. Even if you're a ghost now, you must still have family or friends, right?"
The ghost girl trembled in fear.
So terrifying! She's so beautiful, yet she casually threatens my family like it's nothing. Her eyes are so cold!
I was exploited by my boss when I was alive, and now even in death, as a ghost, I'm still being oppressed! This world is so cruel. Maybe it should all just burn!
Amamiya took a slow breath, shaking his head slightly. "Truly, the daughter of a capitalist family."
"Ghosts?" he mused to himself. "They're just another resource to exploit."
"Umm…" Chika chimed in, protesting in a soft voice, "Kaguya-chan, the ghost girl is already so pitiful. Maybe don't threaten her with her family, okay?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Kaguya clenched her fists, visibly irritated, and raised her voice. "I wasn't threatening her! I meant we should strike a deal. Miss Ghost can help us navigate the mall, and when we complete the game, I'll transfer one million yen to her family as compensation—completely legal and above board!"
For Kaguya, any problem solvable with money was no problem at all.
"Threaten her family?" She scoffed. "Ridiculous. Exploitation through threats only leads to rebellion. A true capitalist knows how to make others work for them willingly."
In this world, profit is the most reliable force. Family ties come second.
And when you combine the two… even ghosts bow to capital.
"I agree!" The ghost girl's eyes lit up, her entire demeanor shifting. "You promise? A full million yen? You're not lying to me?"
Kaguya confidently held up her tablet and watch, displaying her preparations. "I've already made the necessary arrangements. You don't need to worry about my financial capabilities."
Hayasaka sighed silently from the side. "I'm the one who set everything up..."
From 7:30 to 9:00, Hayasaka had spent over an hour preparing by strategically placing "prop boxes" all around the mall. Meanwhile, Kaguya had been lounging in the villa, taking a bath!
At this point, Amamiya released his grip on the ghost girl.
Having fallen headlong into the allure of money, there was no need to keep her restrained. She wasn't going to run.
And indeed, she didn't.
"Please give me your orders!" Miss Ghost bowed at a perfect 90 degrees, her posture reflecting the epitome of corporate servitude. "From now on, I'll do whatever you command!"
"It's a cooperation," Kaguya corrected with a smile. "Well then, let's have a pleasant cooperation."
What was exploitation, after all? In Kaguya's world, it was all about mutual benefit—a win-win collaboration. That's how capitalists operated correctly.
Umi, meanwhile, sighed in disbelief, resting her right hand on her hip and covering her forehead with the other. "Wait, did she just betray herself that quickly? Is this what money can do, even to ghosts?"
"Even after becoming a ghost, you're still working so hard," Chika remarked, unable to hold back her surprise. "Whatever happened to the idea that ghosts won't bow down for a few dollars?"
That's because they've never truly been beaten by society.
With the deal struck, both sides got what they wanted—satisfaction all around.
"Let's head to the second floor," Amamiya ordered, "Our next target is that bear. We'll capture it and study it."
Miss Ghost, eager to please, chimed in, "Allow me to scout ahead!"
After navigating through the fire escape, they safely reached the second floor. As they rounded the corner, a human-sized teddy bear doll loomed in the distance.
This bear, with one ear missing, had a faint red glow in its eyes. It wandered aimlessly, but upon noticing the group, it suddenly charged forward.
Chika pointed at it dramatically. "It's Outlaw Don!"
"You're under arrest, Don!" Amamiya stepped forward, skillfully dodging the bear's swipes, and quickly grabbed hold of it.
As he grappled with the bear, a prompt flashed before his eyes, signaling that the combination skill for combating rogue spirits and evil-doers had been triggered successfully.
[This is a teddy bear with dreams, aiming to create a midnight harem.]
[Trigger conditions: Bear is so cute—why run away?]
Several girls gathered around the teddy bear, inspecting it closely.
"One ear's missing, and the stuffing's coming out," someone noted.
"It's pretty worn out, covered in dust too."
"It doesn't seem to talk like Miss Ghost," another girl pointed out.
"...It's a toy! I'm a ghost! Of course, we're different!" Miss Ghost huffed in exasperation.
Despite their thorough examination, no one could figure out why the bear could move.
"Hm?" Kaguya's brows furrowed, and after a moment's pause, she carefully examined the bear's mouth. "It seems there's something inside."
Amamiya opened the bear's mouth, revealing a small object with a faint bluish-black hue.
"What is this?" he asked, puzzled.
"No idea."
"It looks like… a coin?" one of the girls suggested, though uncertain.
Pushing aside their confusion for now, Amamiya decided, "We'll figure it out later. Let's head back."
They returned to the first-floor lobby, dragging the teddy bear along. Reaching the cashier's gate, Amamiya pushed the bear forward.
The teddy bear easily passed through the invisible wall of air, got back on its feet, and immediately lunged at the group again.
Smack.
Amamiya swiftly caught it mid-pounce.
"It seems like there's no issue with it going in and out." Kaguya folded her arms, deep in thought. A troubling realization crossed her mind, and she hesitated for a moment before voicing it. "…Could the way to pass this level be that we need to put on doll costumes and pretend to be monsters to slip through?"