Bang.
Something soft and fragrant crashed into his arms.
The slight dizziness from the world transition made Natsuki instinctively hold the girl in his arms tighter.
"Oh, Kaguya-chan?!"
Chika's surprised cry rang out.
Then came Rikka's voice: "A-a magic trick with a real person!"
Just now, Natsuki had suddenly vanished. While the two girls were nervously searching, Natsuki suddenly appeared in the hospital room holding Kaguya, without any warning. It truly was a magic trick with real people.
"Kaguya-chan, are you okay?" Chika hurried forward, asking with concern. "We just searched the entire room but couldn't find you anywhere. How did you suddenly appear?"
"Fujiwara."
Kaguya bit her lower lip, tears brimming in her eyes.
She had been alone in the mirror world, imitated by the mirror ghost for so long. The panic and fear during that time needed no explanation. Now suddenly seeing Chika, even the airhead seemed extraordinarily dependable.
"Now's not the time to chat." Natsuki quickly stepped forward and flipped the mirror face-down on the table. He said decisively, "Let's leave first."
The mirror ghost was way too creepy. It wasn't cute at all like his own Miss Sadako!
They pushed open the door and stepped into the corridor.
Without them noticing, the corridor had grown dim again. Danger was approaching.
Natsuki led the three girls, planning to return to Chika's room. But when he pushed open the door, a new vengeful spirit had appeared inside:
"Excuse me."
Natsuki made an immediate decision. He slammed the door shut, then quickly led the three girls back to his own room.
Bang.
The door closed.
In the dim, eerie light of the hospital room, Natsuki finally relaxed when he saw the black-and-white television in the corner.
Miss Sadako from Himura Dairy wasn't scary at all.
"Natsuki~" Chika clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly with a smile. "How long are you going to keep holding Kaguya-chan's hand?"
"Hm?"
Natsuki looked down and discovered he was indeed still holding Kaguya's hand.
Wait.
That was wrong. It was clearly Kaguya who was tightly gripping his hand.
She'd actually forgotten to let go. She must have been really scared.
Kaguya quietly released his hand. Her expression had returned to calm, though a faint flush had crept up the tips of her ears. She changed the subject:
"I was in the hospital room the whole time, just... the hospital room inside the mirror..."
Like everyone else, Kaguya had appeared alone in a hospital room after entering the game. She was just exceptionally unlucky.
The corridor had already been shrouded in darkness at the time, making it impossible to leave the room. Kaguya had carefully inspected the room once, then stood in the center to ensure her safety while thinking about possible ways to clear the game.
By the time she noticed her reflection in the mirror was smiling at her, it was too late. She was dragged directly into the mirror world by the mirror ghost. Afterward, she watched helplessly as the mirror ghost gradually transformed into her likeness, until it became completely identical. Even now, the memory still filled her with lingering fear.
"No wonder Kaguya-chan was teary-eyed. You must have been super scared, right?"
Chika reached out her right hand and gently patted the top of Kaguya's head, consoling her softly.
"I didn't cry."
Kaguya refused to admit it.
"Liar. I clearly saw it just now."
"Saw what?"
Kaguya looked over with a smile.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong, please forgive me." Chika knelt down properly, then looked toward Natsuki curiously. "Natsuki, how did you recognize Kaguya-chan in the end?"
Hearing the question, Kaguya lightly pursed her pretty lips. Her gaze shifted toward Natsuki.
She was equally curious.
When she'd been trapped in the mirror world, the mirror ghost's imitation had been flawless—appearance, voice, memories, even personality had all been copied. Even Hayasaka or Chika, who knew her best, would have had very little chance of recognizing her. How had Natsuki been able to identify her?
"It was the eyes."
Natsuki raised his hand and pointed at his own eyes. "The mirror ghost was ultimately just imitating. So it couldn't copy instincts that even Shinomiya-san herself wasn't aware of."
"What instincts?"
Kaguya raised her delicate brows, even more curious.
Natsuki turned to look at Kaguya. "A few days ago when we did the 'Staring at the Sun' task, I noticed that when we made eye contact, Shinomiya-san's pupils would unconsciously dilate."
"Just now in the mirror world, when I made eye contact with the other Kaguya, although she also had teary eyes and a pitiful, weak, helpless expression, her pupil size didn't change at all."
"..."
Kaguya bit her lower lip and used her skill: Kaguya's Contempt.
What did he mean by "pitiful, weak, and helpless"?
Anyone in that situation would have been unable to keep a straight face!
"Ah, I know!"
Rikka, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly raised her hand.
Everyone looked toward her.
The chuunibyou girl's ahoge trembled slightly atop her head. She said quietly:
"Um, I saw on TV that when a girl looks at a boy she likes, her pupils dilate."
"Huh?" Chika's eyes went wide. She quickly moved closer, stars already appearing in her eyes. "Kaguya-chan likes Natsuki?"
"...Impossible."
Kaguya crossed her arms, her pretty face tense, flatly denying it.
That feeling of her heart racing was nothing more than the suspension bridge effect. Besides, no scientific research could prove that an emotion like "liking" truly existed.
"Natsuki, what do you say?"
Chika clasped her hands before her chest. The girl's gossiping soul burned fiercely.
Natsuki's gaze passed over Chika's shoulder, landing behind the girl. "First, calm down. Don't panic. Listen to me."
"Huh?"
Chika was taken aback. Then she noticed Kaguya and Rikka were also looking behind her.
The airheaded girl immediately grew nervous. She instinctively turned to look behind her—and Miss Sadako, wearing a blood-stained white dress with long black hair covering her entire face, suddenly came into view.
"AHHHHH!"
The girl's scream was exceptionally loud.
Chika flew into Natsuki's arms. Softness pressed against his face, nearly suffocating him.
"I told you not to panic." Natsuki struggled to push the octopus-like Chika away, his expression one of distaste. "She's my roommate who shares this hospital room. The shy Miss Sadako. She's very easy to get along with."
When they'd first entered the room, Natsuki hadn't noticed Miss Sadako. But midway through their conversation, Miss Sadako had quietly crawled out of the television.
Her movements were silent, and the room's lighting was quite dim. By the time Natsuki noticed, Miss Sadako had already come up behind Chika. She hadn't attacked the airhead. It was more like... she'd perked up her ears to listen to gossip?
Clearly, even vengeful spirits had a gossiping heart.
After being discovered by Natsuki, Miss Sadako's black hair covering her face trembled slightly. She turned around, wanting to flee back into the television. She absolutely did not want to get a center part again.
"Don't hide. You're the host of this room." Natsuki called from behind. "Miss Sadako, hurry up and come greet the guests... No wait, I mean entertain the guests."
Hearing this, Miss Sadako became even more nervous. As a result, she couldn't get into the television.
"Um..." Chika blinked. Her arms were still instinctively wrapped around Natsuki's neck. Her tone was hesitant. "Is she stuck?"