"Why do I have to wear something like this?"
Kaguya's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"No time to explain. Trust me." Natsuki handed over the cat ears. "Put them on first."
Kaguya quickly chose to trust him.
They were teammates now. Natsuki definitely wouldn't harm her.
As for embarrassment... such a useless emotion didn't exist in Kaguya Shinomiya's dictionary.
Still the ice-cold, long-haired Kaguya, she took the cat ears and calmly placed them on her head, her expression as cool and composed as ever.
A line suddenly appeared in Natsuki's mind:
Put on this golden band, and you are no longer mortal.
Unfortunately, in Natsuki's eyes, Kaguya wearing the cat ears hadn't transformed into a cat girl at all. She still looked like a human girl.
Thump.
The Dean of Students—shrouded in black mist with only crimson eyes visible—suddenly stopped in his tracks. As if worried about scaring Kaguya, the red glow in his eyes even dimmed quietly.
"It actually seems to work?"
Chika's eyes went wide as she whispered her guess. "Huh, that weirdo is afraid of cat ear accessories?"
"In his eyes, Shinomiya is now a cat girl." Natsuki corrected. "He likes cats, so he doesn't dare approach—he's worried about scaring Shinomiya-san."
No one could refuse cats.
Even after becoming a vengeful spirit, that was no exception.
"Huh, how does Amamiya-kun know?" Chika was curious.
"Secret."
"I'm the best at keeping secrets."
"People who say that usually turn around and betray others immediately."
"So mean!"
"..."
"I don't like cats."
Kaguya's tone was calm. She tilted her head slightly and reached up to touch the cat ears, her cool expression combined with the head-tilt causing her cuteness level to skyrocket.
The next moment.
The Dean of Students shrouded in black mist silently took half a step forward. The red glow in his eyes reignited.
"Oh no, that weirdo got angry." Chika hurriedly said. "Kaguya-chan, quick, say you like cats."
"Wait."
Natsuki raised his hand to stop her and quickly explained. "He got angry because Shinomiya-san's behavior just now wasn't cat-like. Cats only meow—they don't speak human language. Even if she speaks, she needs to add 'nya' as a verbal tic."
Put on the golden band, and from now on you're no longer ordinary. You have to play your role well, or the image will break and you'll be found out immediately!
"I see." Chika had an epiphany and quickly raised her right hand, holding it by her ear. "Kaguya-chan, follow my lead... Meow."
Kaguya truly was a genius girl. She precisely mimicked Chika's gesture—right hand in a fist held by her ear, head tilted slightly. From her lips came a cool voice:
"Meow~"
"S-so cute!"
Chika clasped her hands before her chest, eyes sparkling. "One hundred points! Perfect score!"
Natsuki retorted: "I give it sixty points."
"Huh?"
"If only Shinomiya-san didn't have such an icy expression while meowing."
Kaguya lowered her right hand, her face expressionless.
"I can't do that."
The cat meow was remarkably effective. The Dean of Students recoiled as if dealt a critical hit, stepping back two paces. The red glow in his eyes extinguished once more.
At the same time.
Thundering footsteps approached as a group of spirit students came charging, ready to apprehend the three wanted players.
"D-Dean of Students!"
These spirit students spotted the figure behind Kaguya and panicked like mice seeing a cat. The male spirit at the front was going too fast—he even dropped into a dogeza and used his body to brake, then scrambled on all fours to turn and flee.
"No running or roughhousing in the corridors."
A deep, raspy voice suddenly spoke.
The Dean of Students walked past the three of them toward the spirit students from before.
The corridor instantly fell silent, empty and desolate.
"What do we do now?" Chika asked quietly.
"We follow him, of course." Natsuki made an instant decision. "With Shinomiya-san here, we have nothing to fear from anyone."
In ancient times, Cao Cao held the Emperor hostage to command the lords. Today, they would hold Kaguya hostage to command the spirits. Perfectly reasonable, right?
One must know how to read the situation.
"The fox borrowing the tiger's might" was a derogatory phrase, sure. But when you were the fox, it was nothing but exhilarating.
No time to waste.
Natsuki and the others quickly caught up, following behind the Dean of Students.
An unlucky spirit had been caught by the Dean. It was clutching its head with both hands, trembling in fear.
The Dean reached out, grabbed its head, and lifted it with one hand. Then with a crack, he crushed the spirit student's head directly. It dissolved into a cloud of black mist and vanished.
Good thing this wasn't reality. Inflicting such horrible corporal punishment on students would land you in prison picking up soap.
After the punishment ended, the Dean turned to look at Kaguya. Neither approaching nor retreating, he maintained his silent stance. The red glow in his eyes extinguished once more.
The spirit students secretly watching from the shadows all withdrew their heads, not daring to approach at all.
"Kaguya-chan really is suited to being a mascot." Chika let out a breath of relief. "Now we just have to wait until the game ends, and we can go back, right?"
"Since we have time to kill, why not experience some of the other game scenarios?"
Natsuki suggested: "The higher our rating, the better the game rewards at settlement."
"I agree."
Kaguya's tone was cool. A line of text quietly appeared above her head.
[I don't want to be a mascot!]
"This is the main building. Let's keep walking forward." Natsuki proposed.
The three walked on, with the Dean of Students silently following behind, guarding the cat girl.
A moment later.
A game notification sounded.
"You have entered the Game Club."
"Please complete any game challenge and win."
Natsuki surveyed his surroundings without showing any reaction.
The Game Club wasn't large, but though small, it was well-equipped. Inside were claw machines, pachinko machines, and even a mahjong table—quite comprehensive.
A foul, bloody smell hung in the air. Besides Natsuki's group of three who had just entered, there were several other unlucky players. Each had a pale face and grim expression, huddled in corners trembling like helpless girls about to be violated.
In the center of the Game Club stood a blonde girl in a school uniform. The uniform was covered in bloodstains. The corners of her mouth were sliced open like the Slit-Mouthed Woman, with two wounds of mangled flesh. Needless to say, she was obviously the vengeful spirit occupying this club.
"You three humans actually dared to walk in here willingly?"
The spirit girl tilted her head, looking at them with curiosity.
Natsuki stepped forward half a pace and said calmly:
"We were bored, so we came to play some games."
Hearing this, the unlucky players cowering in the corners all looked over in shock.
"That guy must be an idiot, right?"
"Definitely."
"He has no idea how terrifying the game is."
"What a waste. Such a good-looking face, but he's a moron."
"..."
"Very good, I admire your courage." The spirit girl licked her lips, a hint of excitement in her eyes as she began explaining the rules. "Cards, dice, flying chess, mahjong... You can choose any game in the club to play against me. Win and you can leave. Lose, and you'll leave behind your most precious thing—your heart."
"Hold on." Natsuki spoke up.
"What, having second thoughts?"
The spirit girl frowned.
"Who said my most precious thing is my heart?"
"Then what is it?"
Natsuki turned to look at the expressionless cat-eared girl. "My most precious thing... is Shinomiya-san, of course."
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