"It's Kaguya-chan! Kaguya-chan, time to confess!"
Chika waved her right hand in a flourish, beaming brightly. "It's decided—you're the one!"
"Confess..."
Kaguya's eyes widened, and the red ribbon tied at her shoulders quivered. She instinctively glanced over at Amamiya.
Confess her feelings to him? And in front of everyone?
No way! Not a chance!
As if on cue, Amamiya met her gaze, his expression unreadable. Their eyes locked briefly before Kaguya's face turned a soft pink, and she quickly looked away.
"I, um… need to use the restroom," she mumbled, attempting a quiet exit.
"Confession first, then restroom," Chika insisted, tilting her head with a knowing smile. "Kaguya-chan, are you trying to escape?"
"I am 'not'!" Kaguya flatly denied it, though internally she reasoned, 'How is a strategic retreat anything like desertion?'
"Then hurry up with the confession," Chika prodded, tapping her clenched fist lightly on the table. "What do you say, Amamiya-kun?"
Amamiya folded his hands, propping his chin in a commanding pose. "A deal's a deal. We all agreed to these rules, after all. Shinomiya-san, surely you're not one to back out?"
Kaguya gritted her teeth, glaring at him. His feigned innocence, the satisfaction of watching her squirm—infuriating!
"That's right," Chika added with a sweet smile, mimicking Amamiya's pose. "Kaguya-chan is brave; she wouldn't dream of backing down, would she?"
Kaguya glowered at the two of them, practically conspiring together. 'You two are in perfect sync… I hope you both have a 'little' taste of this embarrassment yourselves someday!'
"Fine," Kaguya muttered. She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and with a faint blush coloring her cheeks, met Amamiya's eyes.
"Amamiya," she murmured, her voice barely audible.
"Yes?" Amamiya straightened, all traces of playfulness replaced with curiosity.
"Stand up." Kaguya extended a finger, pointing sternly toward the corner of the room. "And go stand over there."
Amamiya raised a brow. "Is that… necessary?"
"It is absolutely necessary," Kaguya replied firmly, her eyes leaving no room for negotiation.
Resigned, Amamiya sighed, reluctantly getting to his feet and shuffling to the corner. Taking out his phone, he held it up with a smirk. "Mind if I capture the moment?"
"No."
"A quick video, for posterity?"
"Please don't!"
"Alright, alright." He pocketed the phone with a grin, raising his hands in surrender. "You may proceed."
Kaguya took a deep, steadying breath, her gaze skimming past Amamiya to the girl with long black hair seated beside him.
That's right.
It had come down to Miko being on the receiving end of the confession.
"Miss Miko," Kaguya crossed her arms, doing her best to mask any sign of embarrassment. "...I like you."
'Oh no! That was my first time ever confessing to anyone, and now it's gone—just like that!'
"Hold on, that doesn't count!" Chika interjected, waving her hand in a dramatic sweep. Her eyes sparkled as she insisted, "Kaguya-chan, you sounded way too forced. Do it again, properly this time!"
Kaguya's face froze, and her hands clenched defensively in front of her chest as a dark shadow cast over her eyes. A faint smile tugged at her lips. "Fujiwara-san, you're so adorable~"
'As if I'd give you another chance! You, the menace of the earth, should be sealed away in the Mariana Trench!'
"Ahem~" Miko gave a small cough. "Well then… shall we just continue the game?" Although it was all in good fun, she still felt a little awkward about being confessed to by a girl.
"Onward, onward!" Chika waved her hand excitedly. "Amamiya-kun, you can come back and join now!"
With four of them working together to defeat poor Hana, losing a second round seemed almost impossible.
This time, the plan succeeded.
"I won!" Chika declared as she claimed victory. "Now it's King's Game time."
"Would you like to spin the wheel, Chika-chan?" Hana offered her phone.
"Perfect!"
"Ahem." Amamiya cleared his throat pointedly as a reminder.
"Oh, right," Chika remembered the "mission" part of this setup. "Let's make the punishment… ah, I've got it! Number Three and Number Four, hold hands for ten minutes."
The usual five-minute time for copying abilities wasn't fixed and could vary. To play it safe, extending the contact time was a must.
"I'm Number Four," Hana said, raising her hand.
Amamiya followed suit. "I'm Number Three."
"H-Hold hands?" Hana stammered, looking slightly flustered. "Isn't ten minutes a bit long?"
"Too short, and it wouldn't be challenging enough," Chika teased. "We all agreed to these rules, didn't we? Hana-chan, you're not planning to back out, are you?"
"Of course not!" Hana replied, her gaze firm.
Under Miko's watchful eyes, Amamiya held Hana's hand.
'Mission accomplished.'
[Copying abilities…]
They'd had casual contact before, but this time they were holding hands with everyone watching. Hana's cheeks flushed as she cast an apologetic glance at Miko, whispering, "Sorry about this, Miko…"
If anything, Miko felt even more remorse. 'I'm the one who should apologize.'
A few minutes later...
[Copying successful]
Amamiya nodded, indicating the ability transfer was complete.
"Shall we keep playing?" Chika suggested enthusiastically. "This time, let's play fairly."
"No thanks," Miko sighed, looking uncomfortable. She couldn't shake the feeling she'd been betraying her best friend. "I have something else to do, so I'll head back."
Hana stood too. "I'll go with Miko."
"Amamiya-kun, pass on the ability to Kaguya-chan!" Shimizu clasped her hands together expectantly. "I want to be close to Kaguya-chan."
"I refuse," Kaguya replied, arms crossed and voice firm. "Hana-san just left, you know. You can catch up to her instead."
'I'm not a child! No way am I letting myself be cuddled.'
Shimizu feigned disappointment. "Kaguya-chan, why so cold? I'm a guardian spirit—if I stray too far from Amamiya-kun, I get pulled back."
"Then wait until class." Kaguya replied coolly, heading toward the door. "Our classrooms are side-by-side, so after class, you can be as close to Hana-san as you want."
Shimizu dragged out her words with a smirk, "Is Kaguya-chan… jealous?"
"Absolutely not!" Kaguya clenched her fists, shouting indignantly, "Who would be jealous over something so trivial?!"
As Kaguya departed, silence settled over the activity room.
"Another ghost appeared last night," Chika mumbled. "It was hanging upside down on my ceiling, super scary! In the end, I had to go sleep in Moeha's room, but this morning she complained that I stole her quilt."
Amamiya chimed in, "You're never very still when you sleep."
"That's not true!"
"Remember that rainy night…"
"Ahem! No need to bring that up!" Chika's face turned crimson, and she waved him off, the blush spreading like summer clouds. "I can pack up by myself, thanks."