Miko stared dumbfounded, almost doubting her own eyes.
She'd woken up from a nap.
Her best friend was disheveled, face flushed red, eyes brimming with tears, looking aggrieved as she lay draped over the edge of the bed.
Her childhood friend had his right hand on her best friend's waist, seemingly about to press himself against her.
Seeing this scene, Miko suddenly thought of a certain genre.
In front of the husband...
No wait, she was a girl, so would it be "in front of the wife"?
Even though they weren't dating, her childhood friend and her best friend doing that kind of thing right in front of her—no matter how you thought about it, it was too much!
"Ahhh! Miko, let me explain!"
Hana's eyes flew wide open. Her already crimson face broke through its temperature limit, white steam practically erupting from the top of her head. "The truth isn't what it looks like!"
Looking at the flash of white at her friend's chest, Miko's mouth twitched slightly. She raised a hand to cover her forehead:
"Hana, put your clothes on first."
"I'm sorry, my clothes are already ruined." The blonde girl's eyes were misty with shame.
Hearing this, Miko's breath caught. She silently turned to look at Natsuki.
"It has nothing to do with me." Natsuki quickly raised both hands to show his innocence. "Let me explain... Actually, forget it. Let Yurikawa-san explain."
The defendant's excuses have no credibility.
"I was just..."
Hana covered her chest with both hands and began to explain through teary eyes.
Looking at the button lying in her friend's palm, Miko let out a soft breath.
With both witness and physical evidence present, it seemed she really had misunderstood.
Natsuki let out a long sigh and said wistfully:
"Being wrongly accused by the person closest to me... it hurts."
Miko's pretty face flushed slightly. "I didn't say a single word just now."
Natsuki: "A suspicious look is more terrifying than an interrogation."
"...Get out."
Miko sat up straight and pointed toward the door. "Bring me the sewing kit."
"..."
Natsuki found the sewing kit and gave it to Miko, then was promptly kicked out of the room again.
A moment later.
The two girls came downstairs.
The button on Hana's chest had been sewn back on, but just to be safe, the blonde girl was still covering her collar with her hand. A lingering blush remained on her pretty face as she said quietly:
"Goodbye, Natsuki. I'm going home."
Natsuki nodded. "See you tomorrow."
"I'm leaving too."
Miko was also holding her bag, leaving together with her friend.
The night passed without incident.
The next day.
Classroom.
"Natsuki-kun, good morning."
Chika held her bag with both hands as she walked over to Natsuki.
As expected of a girl with social butterfly syndrome—her form of address had changed from "Amamiya-kun" a couple days ago to "Natsuki," and now from "Natsuki" to "Natsuki-kun." It sounded perfectly natural.
"Morning."
Natsuki raised his head. His gaze fell on Chika's face, and he was slightly surprised. "Where did those dark circles come from?"
Hearing this, Chika bit her lower lip, looking aggrieved. "Last night when I was sleeping, a super scary vengeful spirit suddenly came in. It just stood by my bed staring at me the whole time. When I tried to go sleep in another room, it actually followed behind me. Super scary. I couldn't sleep at all."
Just then, Kaguya walked in through the classroom door.
"Kaguya-chan lied. Wearing an eye mask doesn't help at all." Chika looked pitifully at the ice sculpture girl. "That vengeful spirit kept staring at me. I could feel it on my skin."
"I never said an eye mask would work one hundred percent." Kaguya's voice was cool and composed. "It was merely a suggestion."
Natsuki looked at the ice sculpture girl.
After a night apart, her dark circles showed no signs of fading. She clearly hadn't been able to rest well either.
"Mystery box time! Mystery box time!" Chika clenched her pink fists, cheering herself on. "Before leaving home this morning, I specifically watched the horoscope fortune-telling program. The host said my luck today is very good."
Kaguya's eyelashes trembled slightly. She thought of yesterday's fun task and couldn't help biting her lower lip.
Liars.
Horoscope fortune-telling isn't reliable at all!
Chika quickly purchased today's mystery box. When she opened it, a faint golden light flickered, immediately catching the attention of Natsuki and Kaguya.
There's actually a golden glow. Could this be a golden legend?
[10x Critical Hit!]
[Congratulations: You have obtained 100 Game Coins]
Natsuki looked at Chika in surprise.
Casually opening a mystery box and getting a 10x critical hit—could you be the legendary chosen one?
As far as he could tell, Game Coins were quite valuable.
Natsuki and Kaguya had each received ten coins from the tutorial mission. Clearing the Vengeful Spirit School had only netted seventy coins total. All that hard work combined still didn't match a single mystery box from Chika.
"Mm..." Chika blinked. "I guess my luck is pretty good?"
"..."
Kaguya silently bit her lower lip.
Unfair!
Yesterday the horoscope host said my luck was excellent. Why did I get a terrible task?
Is someone targeting me?
"Natsuki-kun, hurry and see what's in your mystery box." Chika looked over expectantly.
Natsuki acknowledged her and purchased today's mystery box from the shop.
He'd already checked this morning—the item inside was a tool, not a vengeful spirit. Unfortunately, he didn't know exactly what it was.
Opening the mystery box, Natsuki felt a slight weight settle into his palm.
"Huh, is that a comb?" Chika's eyes were curious.
Kaguya said softly: "An ordinary comb?"
"It's probably... not ordinary."
Natsuki's tone was peculiar. He quickly displayed the comb's attributes for the two girls.
[Item: Blood-Stained Comb]
[This is a comb from the Showa era. Its previous owner was a barber who spent thirty years giving customers center-parted hairstyles day after day. His center-parting technique has been imprinted into the comb. As long as the target has hair, they can be forcibly styled into a center part]
[Note: Don't go. Let me give you a center part]
"The era of center parts is over." Chika couldn't help commenting. "This comb is completely useless, isn't it?"
"Objection. Even trash has its uses." Natsuki said solemnly. "If we ever encounter an extremely cold environment, we could use it as firewood."
Chika: "A comb this small wouldn't burn for long at all."
"This comb has no special conditions for use. It can be used anytime, anywhere." Natsuki looked at the two girls with interest. "Would you like to try it out?"
"I refuse." Chika quickly covered her bangs and retreated warily. "I don't want a center part!"
"What about Shinomiya-san?" Natsuki looked at the ice sculpture girl. "Care to experience a center-parted hairstyle?"
Kaguya crossed her arms. A smile of caring for small animals appeared on her face: "Amamiya-kun is so cute."
"I'm sorry. I take back what I said."
"..."
No one was willing to try the center-parting comb for now. Soon it was time for Kaguya's mystery box.
The mystery box disappeared.
The girl's hands were empty.
Natsuki raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat in disbelief. "Shinomiya-san, don't tell me you won again?"
"..."
Kaguya bit her lower lip, looking aggrieved.
[Congratulations, you have obtained a Fun Task: Hundred Kills!]