Chapter 5: Chika Fujiwara, the Cancer of Earth—Are You the Ultimate Bad Teammate?
"Amanomiya-kun... was that you?"
Kaguya exhaled in relief, her gaze settling on Natsuki as she began piecing things together.
Natsuki casually opened his own shoe locker and took out his indoor slippers. "Do I still need to turn myself in?"
"Please consult the police regarding surrender procedures. I wouldn't know." Kaguya crossed her arms, her voice cold and devoid of emotion.
At least wipe the tears from the corners of your eyes before saying that!
Only Natsuki knew the truth—the composed Lady Kaguya before him was putting on an act.
Just moments ago, she'd been mentally screaming "So scary!" countless times. This calm demeanor was all a lie!
After a pause, Kaguya couldn't resist asking, though she seemed to find "humbling herself to ask" deeply embarrassing. Biting her lower lip and slightly turning her face away, she murmured:
"Amanomiya-kun... how did you repel that evil spirit just now?"
As the heiress of the Shinomiya family, Kaguya's daily routine was exceptionally disciplined—unchanged since elementary school.
At 9 PM, she'd drink a glass of milk, read for half an hour, rest for another half hour, then go to bed promptly at 10.
When she entered the game last night around 9 PM, she'd already bathed and was reading in her pajamas. Putting down her book only to find herself in a strange space, her first thought was naturally that she'd been kidnapped. Seeing Natsuki holding a rope in front of her had put her on high alert.
After clearing the game, Kaguya suddenly began seeing spirits everywhere—spirits only she could perceive. Even Hayasaka had teased, "Are you telling horror jokes?"
So far, Kaguya had tried salt, prayers, crosses, Buddhist prayer beads, even garlic... but nothing worked.
These spirits seemed like beings from another world—hopelessly beyond human resistance.
Yet now, her teammate from yesterday had actually repelled one?
Kaguya instantly made up her mind.
She absolutely had to learn this spirit-repelling method... even if it meant kidnapping him with a sack!
"It's actually quite simple. I drew a gacha this morning..."
Natsuki remained unaware that he had just narrowly escaped being ambushed. Casually, he revealed the reward from the "Evil Spirit Repellent" aura, seeing no harm since it couldn't be stolen or transferred—though he omitted the fact that he could see the hints for the blind boxes.
He had already noticed that it seemed only he could see those prompts.
"I see... mystery boxes, then?"
Kaguya's delicate brows furrowed slightly, her tone icy. "Mystery boxes, filled with uncertainty, are no different from gambling—a foolish and unwise act."
Hey, hey, no matter how scammy mystery boxes are, at least you're guaranteed something inside. Gambling is the real path to bankruptcy!
The next moment.
A black mystery box, about the size of a fist, suddenly appeared in Kaguya's hand.
Natsuki's eye twitched slightly as he couldn't help but retort:
"Who was it that just called mystery boxes a foolish and unwise act?!"
You literally just condemned them, and now you're pulling one yourself? Where's the dignity of a noble young lady?!
Kaguya's ears tinged faintly red.
It was a bit embarrassing, but...
Her beauty and intellect stood at the pinnacle of the academy—her luck surely wouldn't be bad either.
If others could pull an "Evil Spirit Repellent" aura, so could she.
And even if she were unlucky enough to draw an "Evil Spirit" box, she could always rely on Natsuki to deal with it. It wasn't like she'd be helpless.
"I'll head to class first."
Natsuki gave a quick farewell, preparing to leave.
Mystery boxes were a private matter. If she happened to pull something extraordinary, it would inevitably draw envy. The wise choice was to leave now.
"Don't go."
A hand suddenly tugged at the hem of Natsuki's uniform. Kaguya's expression remained as cold as ever, though the tips of her ears reddened slightly. Clearly unused to asking for help, she parted her lips hesitantly and murmured in a barely audible voice, "...Wait until I open it."
Natsuki paused, then quickly understood and nodded. "Got it."
He took a few steps back, putting some distance between them—though still remaining within the range of the "Evil Spirit Repellent" aura.
"Haah..."
Kaguya took a deep breath, her fingers resting on the mystery box as she felt her heartbeat quicken imperceptibly.
This feeling... was it anticipation?
She began to understand why mystery boxes had taken the world by storm—this thrill and suspense were addictive.
Click.
The blind box opened.
A silver-white card appeared in Kaguya's hand.
Natsuki observed silently. The sunlight was warm, the air still—likely not an evil spirit box.
"Not something to repel evil spirits..." Kaguya's voice carried disappointment. "It's a game card."
"A Yu-Gi-Oh card?" Natsuki was stunned.
Was she actually a luck goddess, pulling a Blue-Eyes White Dragon on her first try?!
"What's Yu-Gi-Oh?"
You don't know Yu-Gi-Oh! or Snake? You really are a sheltered young lady who's never touched a game in her life!
"...It's a team-up card for games."
[Name: Game Team-Up Card]
[Effect: Upon use, resets game cooldown and allows teaming up with others to participate in games.]
Reading the displayed attributes, Natsuki was utterly speechless.
Truly, mystery boxes could spit out anything.
But judging by Kaguya's expression, this team-up card clearly wasn't what she'd hoped for.
Wanting to try another mystery box draw, but alas, my points were all used up, leaving me with nothing but sighs.
"Thank you, Amanomiya-san."
Kaguya quickly composed herself and bowed slightly in gratitude.
"Thwack!!"
A hand suddenly landed on Kaguya's shoulder.
From behind Kaguya emerged a pink-haired girl wearing a black bow hair accessory. Her fair skin carried a healthy rosy glow, her smile was exceptionally bright, and the bouncy little rabbits that even her school uniform couldn't conceal were practically jumping.
"Good morning, Kaguya-chan," the girl's voice rang out clearly as she turned her gaze toward Natsuki. "Good morning, Amanomiya-san."
"Good morning, Fujiwara-san."
Natsuki nodded in response.
Fujiwara Chika, one of his classmates, Kaguya's close friend, and a social butterfly—within just half a month since the start of the school year, she had already befriended nearly everyone.
"Ah…"
Kaguya shuddered as if electrocuted, letting out a small, startled gasp like a frightened rabbit. The icy, composed image of the "ice sculpture maiden" shattered instantly, vanishing without a trace.
"Eh? Ehhh?" Chika widened her eyes. "Did Kaguya just scream in fright?"
"I did not!"
Kaguya denied in flustered embarrassment.
Mistake.
A grave mistake!
Under normal circumstances, something as childish as a shoulder tap from behind would never have startled her!
Natsuki's gaze suddenly sharpened, landing on Kaguya's right hand.
"Ehh?!" Chika gasped, the black ribbon on her forehead bouncing with her movement. "Kaguya, the card in your hand is on fire!"
"How could…"
Kaguya looked down in shock, only to see the team card in her hand inexplicably burning with an eerie blue flame. In the blink of an eye, it had turned to ashes.
The next moment.
A sinister, low voice echoed in Natsuki's mind.
[Team formation successful.]
[Dungeon selected: The Seven Mysteries of the School.]
[Players, please prepare. The game will begin shortly.]
"That's weird." Chika tilted her head, her tone puzzled. "Did anyone else just hear a strange voice in their head?"
Natsuki's eye twitched slightly. "...Idiot teammate!"