"Shinomiya-san, what are you doing?"
Natsuki couldn't help but ask.
"..."
Kaguya didn't answer. She just looked at him with teary eyes.
You're supposed to be the legendary Ice Princess Kaguya who bleeds but never cries. What's with this teary-eyed, about-to-cry expression?
She looked exactly like an elementary schooler who'd accidentally eaten a super bitter green pepper and wanted to spit it out, but under an adult's stern gaze could only swallow it down pitifully, desperately holding back tears!
"Hey, Kaguya-chan, are you okay?"
Chika, who had been sticking her tongue out repeatedly, looked over with concern. "Why are you crying? The borscht is super bitter, sure, but not bitter enough to make you cry, right?"
Kaguya's pretty face was pale, her eyes brimming with tears, on the verge of spilling over as she trembled out a few words:
"E-eyes..."
"What about your eyes?" Chika's eyes went wide as she leaned in closer. Her clear pink eyes were exceptionally pretty, and her chest swayed back and forth from bending over—involuntarily making one think of a Newton's cradle. "Did a bug fly in? Don't worry, let me blow on it."
Something clicked in Natsuki's mind. His gaze fell on the borscht in Kaguya's hand, and he suddenly thought of a possibility.
Eyes...
Borscht that turned fear into hallucinations...
No way.
Did she let her imagination run wild and start hallucinating, seeing strange eyes in the borscht?!
Stop overthinking immediately!
The more you think, the more dangerous it gets. A busty airhead like Fujiwara-san could pass this easily precisely because she doesn't think!
"Dining time is about to end." The pig-headed butcher's deep, heavy voice came from the back kitchen. "Please leave the cafeteria promptly."
Hearing this, the spirit students and unlucky players in the cafeteria all rose as if granted amnesty, fleeing the cafeteria one after another.
Kaguya quickly set down her borscht, wanting to stand up.
"Kaguya-chan, you can't run." Chika extended her right hand and pressed down on Kaguya's shoulder, her expression serious. "You can't waste food. The head chef will get angry. What if he chases us out?"
"It's a hallucination. It's all hallucination. There's nothing in the soup—you're scaring yourself."
Natsuki quickly explained the hidden rules.
"So that's how it works." Chika had an epiphany. "No wonder everyone looked super scared and like they couldn't swallow it."
"Even if you say that..."
Kaguya bit her lower lip, her gaze falling on the borscht. The dewdrops in her eyes nearly spilled over.
As she spoke, the terrifying ingredients in the borscht visibly multiplied.
She couldn't drink it.
There was no way she could drink this!
"Shinomiya-san, can you show a little backbone?"
Natsuki chose to encourage his teammate the same way as before. "Hurry up and learn from Fujiwara-san. Pinch your nose, close your eyes, and chug it."
Unfortunately, this time the encouragement had little effect. It completely failed to ignite Kaguya's fighting spirit.
"The cafeteria is about to close. There's definitely no time to buy another serving..." Chika was getting anxious. She pressed two fingers hard against both sides of her forehead, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "Ah, I've got it!"
"Amamiya-kun." Chika clasped her hands before her chest, eyes wide, looking at him expectantly like Bambi. "You haven't finished your borscht yet. Can you swap with Kaguya-chan?"
"Hm?"
Natsuki paused, then it dawned on him.
The idea was pretty good—it could definitely solve the current predicament.
Kaguya couldn't drink the borscht purely because her imagination had made it too terrifying. If she just switched to a different bowl, the problem would naturally be solved.
"No problem." Natsuki nodded in agreement and pushed his half-finished borscht in front of Kaguya. She was not only a teammate but also a classmate—he couldn't just ignore her. "Let's swap."
Kaguya's expression was hesitant.
"Kaguya-chan, what are you hesitating for?!" Chika shouted. "Now's not the time to worry about an indirect kiss!"
"I wasn't worried about that!"
Kaguya couldn't help but protest.
What she was worried about was that the borscht contained horrible ingredients that looked like eyes. Giving it to Natsuki would make her conscience ache. That was all!
"Don't worry, an indirect kiss won't get you pregnant." Chika continued her assault on her teammate. "If we were stranded in the desert, to survive, even drinking [BLEEP] would be fine."
What the hell! What horrible thing did you just say that it got censored?!
"Amamiya-kun, please."
Kaguya quickly made up her mind and handed over her borscht.
"Remember, keep your mind calm. Don't let your thoughts wander. It's best to learn from Fujiwara-san—close your eyes and chug it in one go."
Natsuki took the borscht and drained it in one gulp.
"Shinomiya-san, hurry up and drink." Chika put her hands on her hips. "Don't worry, you won't get pregnant."
"P-pregnant..."
Kaguya's eyelashes trembled involuntarily. The borscht before her underwent another strange transformation.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Heavy footsteps came from the direction of the back kitchen.
"Oh no, the head chef is coming out." Chika said nervously. "Kaguya-chan, we're running out of time."
"I-I know."
Kaguya took a deep breath, held the bowl with both hands, closed her eyes—her long eyelashes trembling continuously—and copied Natsuki's motion from earlier, tilting her head back and drinking.
Gulp gulp gulp.
"Ura—"
Unfortunately, they didn't hear Lady Kaguya's triumphant battle cry. Only a pitiful, muffled coughing sound as she covered her mouth.
"Let's get out of here." Natsuki urged.
In the cold, empty cafeteria, only the heavy footsteps of the pig-headed butcher echoed.
The three quickly left the cafeteria.
"It would've been nice if we could've stayed in the cafeteria longer."
Natsuki's tone was regretful.
The cafeteria was a rare treasure trove. Using the pig-headed head chef's reputation to intimidate others had felt great.
But all good things must come to an end. Who knew if they'd ever see the head chef again?
"Where should we go next?"
The three returned to the signpost.
"Hmm..." Chika crossed her right arm over her chest, pondered for two seconds, then quickly raised her hand with a suggestion. "Let's go to the exam hall?"
"Kaguya-chan is super smart. From elementary school through high school, she's been first in her grade on every exam. She'll definitely pass the test easily."
"..."
Natsuki had a feeling this airhead was raising a death flag.
"She'll definitely pass easily" sounded suspiciously like "After this battle, I'm going home to get married."
But as students of Shuchiin Academy, every one of them was a fierce competitor. Nobody was afraid of exams.
"Let's go take a look."
Following the signpost's directions, the three walked into the school building.
"Hey, my body's moving on its own."
Chika, who was walking in front, suddenly called out.
Natsuki and Kaguya behind her were the same. The three were controlled by an unknown force, involuntarily brought to a classroom door where they pushed it open and walked inside.
An eerie, chilling voice echoed softly.
"The seats are full again. The exam will now begin."
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