"We added each other a long time ago. Last night she even messaged me saying an evil spirit in her room kept staring at her, and it took forever to leave..."
As Natsuki spoke, he sent a message to Chika. He suddenly felt the motion on his back stop and reflexively turned his head:
"Don't stop. Continue."
"..."
A dazzling flash of snow-white entered his vision.
It was the absolute territory between the black over-knee socks and the hem of her skirt, blindingly white in the sunlight.
Natsuki's breathing hitched slightly.
Looking up from below, though he couldn't see clearly, there was no doubt this ice sculpture young lady didn't have the habit of wearing safety shorts.
Of course, none of that was important.
What was important was that condescending gaze with arms crossed over her chest, looking at him like a paramecium—what was that about?
That look was really too much!
"You never told me about this." Kaguya spoke as if nothing was wrong.
"You never asked me." Natsuki said casually. "I thought you knew."
She didn't.
She didn't know at all.
Something as important as contact information—that creature with all that fat on her chest just had to ask once and you gave it to her without hesitation, yet you still haven't even exchanged contact information with me!
Natsuki only felt the pressure on his back growing heavier and quickly said:
"Wait, not so hard—be gentler."
And here I thought you were some delicate sheltered young lady with no strength at all. Turns out you're surprisingly strong.
Though come to think of it, that makes sense.
Kaguya Shinomiya is supposedly a master of kyudo, aikido, and karate—her combat ability exceeds most guys, so naturally her strength wouldn't be negligible.
Her only shortcoming is probably lack of stamina.
As for the flat chest... well, maybe some perverts are into that sort of thing.
"Little Kaguya doesn't need to stop." Mrs. Kaguya's elegant, pleasant voice rang out, sounding quite delighted. "The current pressure is just right. I can feel that Natsuki-kun is very happy right now."
"..."
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Kaguya climbed down from Natsuki Amamiya's body, smoothed out her skirt as if nothing had happened, then turned to open the door.
"Kaguya-chan, good morning!"
Chika Fujiwara's bright, energetic voice followed. Though both could see the true nature of the world, compared to the completely apathetic Miko, Secretary Fujiwara remained full of vitality.
"Good morning."
Kaguya nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the girl beside Chika.
Golden waist-length hair.
School uniform not worn properly but tied around her waist instead.
A black choker around her neck.
Flashy manicured nails.
An unapologetically bold gyaru figure...
"Yahallo!"
The blonde gyaru was remarkably familiar, showing no nervousness whatsoever even under the ice queen's scrutiny. A brilliant smile spread across her face as she placed her left hand on her hip and raised her right hand before her face, making a peace sign near her eye:
"Nice to meet you! I'm Marin Kitagawa. Looking forward to getting along!"
"Marin-chan not only goes to our school but is even in our year—it's super fated, don't you think?" Chika explained. "So I invited her to join our morning meeting."
Seeing someone passing by in the hallway, Kaguya stepped aside to let them in:
"...Come in first."
The two girls entered the classroom and soon greeted Natsuki Amamiya.
"Amamiya-kun, ohayo!" The blonde gyaru waved cheerfully. "I can't believe we're schoolmates—my luck is amazing!"
She then noticed the semi-transparent Mrs. Kaguya and jumped in surprise: "Eh? Atake-neesan, are you okay?"
Chika was equally concerned: "You're so much worse than last night!"
Mrs. Kaguya sat on the sofa with an elegant smile:
"No need to worry. Natsuki-kun is replenishing my mana right now."
"Replenishing mana?"
The blonde gyaru turned her head in surprise, eyes widening as she looked at Natsuki.
Their eyes met. This blonde gyaru was clearly a veteran in certain matters.
"Don't let your imagination run wild." Natsuki met her gaze calmly, speaking seriously. "It's extremely proper mana replenishment."
"How proper?" The gyaru stuck out her pink tongue, licking the corner of her lips with keen interest. "I'd like to see."
Don't look at someone else's mana replenishment with such curiosity!
"It's not Saber-style mana transfer," Chika explained. "You only need to..."
Watching the harmonious chatting group that seemed like a family of four, Kaguya silently bit her lower lip.
Not happy.
I was here first—whether participating in games or cleaning the classroom—so why are you all chatting without me!
"Eh? Just lying down makes you stronger? What an amazing ability. I want it too." Marin Kitagawa placed both hands on her hips. "Too bad my luck is terrible—I haven't managed to get a single skill from the loot boxes even now."
The blonde gyaru then removed her indoor shoes without any shyness or hesitation, her smile bright:
"Amamiya-kun, let me help you charge up."
Before Natsuki could respond, a cold voice suddenly rang out.
"Not necessary."
Kaguya walked to Natsuki's side, her voice frosty: "I'm sufficient."
"Eh?"
The gyaru froze, then leaned close to Chika's ear to whisper: "Are they dating?"
Unfortunately, the classroom was quite quiet, so everyone could hear the whisper.
Kaguya's long, slightly curled eyelashes trembled faintly, though her expression remained impassively cold: "We're not dating."
"Then why can't I help?" the gyaru asked, puzzled.
"..."
Seeing Kaguya remain silent, Natsuki spoke up to defuse the situation:
"You're too heavy. I'm worried my back won't hold up."
"That's so mean!" Marin puffed out her cheeks, leaning forward slightly. "I only weigh fifty kilograms."
A flash of white entered his vision, making Natsuki feel slightly dizzy.
Only fifty kilograms? That's not scientifically possible!
"Anyway, that's enough for today." Natsuki put on his school uniform. "Let's open the loot boxes. After that, back to the classroom—I need to prepare for the exam."
With the ice queen's help charging him, Mrs. Kaguya's body had solidified somewhat. Getting home would be no problem at all.
Then... complete defeat.
All four loot boxes contained strange-looking items. No one obtained any skills.
"What reward did you get from clearing the Midnight Subway last night, Amamiya-kun?" Chika asked curiously. "I only got game coins, nothing else."
Natsuki replied casually:
"Fifty game coins and a badge."
[Item: Badge of Life's Light]
[Type: Accessory]
[Attributes: You once extended a helping hand to those in despair. You are like a ray of light cutting through darkness. When wearing this badge, you can shine and radiate heat]
[Note: This accessory is bound. Effects activate when worn]
[Note 2: When worn, you become a priority target for certain vengeful spirits]
"What does 'shine and radiate heat' mean?" The gyaru was quite curious.
"Try it and find out."
Natsuki was equally curious. He put on the badge, and then...
"Nothing seems to have happened?" Chika tilted her head in confusion.
Marin pondered for two seconds, then suddenly moved close to Natsuki, eyes wide as she examined him carefully. Her eyes were large and bright, undeniably beautiful.
She even reached out to touch his forehead before finally concluding:
"Your skin got whiter, and your body temperature increased."
"..."
Natsuki's face darkened as he removed the badge and tossed it into his game inventory.
Whiter skin and higher body temperature—what kind of "life's light" is that!