There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Equivalent exchange made perfect sense.
Trading fat for food of equal weight would be a blessing for countless diet enthusiasts.
Unfortunately, Chika wasn't willing.
"Absolutely not!"
The pink-haired girl clutched her chest tightly and couldn't help but protest. "It's not useless fat! When I get married and have babies someday, without fat the baby will go hungry, won't it?"
You're thinking way too far ahead! Focus on getting through this first!
"Fujiwara-san, calm down. Panic and anxiety will only cloud your judgment." Kaguya's tone was level, her pretty face showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever. "We can't purchase food—we can only barter. From what I can see, the option with the smallest cost is exchanging blood for food..."
Kaguya finished speaking and looked toward the smug hooded man nearby. "If I'm not mistaken, that's what he did."
Chika blinked, her expression hesitant. "Like donating blood?"
"Exactly."
"Then maybe I can try..." Chika stammered. "I donated blood once before. It hurt so much—I even cried. Kaguya-chan, have you ever donated blood?"
"..."
Natsuki silently looked at the text above Lady Kaguya's head.
A line of words quietly appeared.
[I'm sorry, I've never experienced it even once. Fear of needles fear of needles fear of needles... I get super scared just seeing a needle. I hate injections more than anything!]
Saying such rational things with her mouth, her expression as cold as ice atop a mountain peak, yet her inner emotions are this turbulent. Is this what they call being dishonest with yourself?
No, wait.
This should be called a persona collapse.
Natsuki suddenly had a new idea.
If only they could bring pets in.
Leading a dairy cow inside would let them clear this in minutes. Blood worked, so freshly squeezed milk could certainly count as food too... Unfortunately, Fujiwara-san couldn't exactly produce that.
As they spoke, a female ghost student approached—black hair covering her face, her school uniform splattered with bloodstains.
"Back up, back up."
Chika hurriedly grabbed Natsuki's sleeve and pulled him aside.
But the spirit girl's target wasn't the three of them. Head lowered, she walked to the serving window, extended her right hand, and handed over a white bone coin. She received a plate of mystery-meat cutlet rice, then silently turned and walked to a corner to sit down.
This ghost girl's body seemed quite stiff. She clumsily picked up her chopsticks and lifted a piece of unidentifiable meat. Before it even reached her mouth, it fell to the floor with a splat.
As Natsuki watched, text suddenly appeared above the spirit girl's head:
[Danger danger danger. Good thing the head chef didn't see that, or I'd be dragged to the back kitchen to become ingredients]
"Shouldn't you tie your hair back before eating?" Chika couldn't help but whisper. "I kind of want to help her put it up."
Watching this, Natsuki suddenly had a bold idea.
As long as you used currency that circulated in the vengeful spirit school, you could purchase food. Being human didn't matter.
Players didn't have any money.
But the spirits in this cafeteria definitely did.
In that case, why not just take the money from them?
Plan: success!
"We don't have much time left." Kaguya spoke up as a reminder, her tone calm. "We don't have the luxury of worrying about others right now."
"Even if you say that, Kaguya..." Chika looked miserable and pitiful. "They only give us a stone bowl. This isn't blood donation—they're asking us to bleed ourselves dry!"
"I have an idea I'd like to test."
Natsuki spoke thoughtfully, then walked toward the spirit girl.
"Huh?" Chika was startled. "What's Amamiya-kun going to do?"
Natsuki waved his hand. "You'll see in a moment."
He walked up to the spirit girl and sat down right beside her. Extending his right hand, he got straight to the point:
"Please give me hush money."
"Meow?"
The spirit girl, who had been clumsily eating, raised her head in confusion and looked at Natsuki with bewilderment.
What is this human saying?
Hush money?
Who gave him the nerve?
"You dropped food on the floor just now and didn't pick it up. You kicked it away instead." Natsuki's expression was serious. "How dare you waste food in the cafeteria? Hand over the hush money, or I'll call the head chef over."
"..."
The spirit girl brushed her hair aside with both hands, revealing a pair of empty black eye sockets. Her face was deathly pale, her voice raspy. "Foolish human. Unless you know the head chef's name, the head chef won't pay any attention to you."
"I see." Natsuki nodded. "Thanks for the tip."
An evil smile spread across the spirit girl's face as she slowly leaned closer. "Foolish human, become my food!"
Natsuki called out a name without changing expression:
"Oink."
"..."
The smile on the spirit girl's face instantly froze. Her mouth fell open in disbelief.
Natsuki continued:
"Someone here is wasting—"
Before he could finish, the spirit girl's body trembled. She hurriedly pressed her palms together. "I'm sorry! A thousand apologies! Please forgive me!"
The head chef rarely came out from the back kitchen, but every time it did, it brought terror. It despised food waste more than anything. Once it discovered someone wasting food, they would be dragged to the back kitchen as reserve ingredients.
So the spirit girl before him had decisively caved.
Even as a vengeful spirit, she didn't want to become reserve ingredients.
"I. Hush money. Pay up."
Natsuki extended his right hand without hesitation.
Was bullying vengeful spirits against the law?
Of course not.
"..."
The spirit girl's black hair swayed as she pitifully fished out a bone coin and presented it with both hands.
Natsuki took the coin. It felt ice-cold, and despite being made of bone, its texture was smooth and delicate, like jade.
"This is your hush money?"
Natsuki gripped the coin with dissatisfaction.
Just one coin? Are you looking down on me?!
"I'm sorry." The spirit girl looked even more aggrieved, nearly in tears. "This is all the money I have."
Having only enough for one last meal—how tragic to hear.
Seeing the text [I really don't have a single drop left] float above the spirit girl's head, Natsuki pocketed the coin and stood up to leave.
"Um..." Chika, who had been eavesdropping nearby with her ears perked, clutched her chest and whispered, "That felt like a delinquent shaking down an elementary schooler for their pocket money."
That spirit is huge. No way she looks like an elementary schooler.
Natsuki looked at her expressionlessly. "Fujiwara-san, it's time for your blood donation."
"I'm sorry, I was wrong."
Chika hastily apologized. Discretion was the better part of valor.
"So this is possible too." Kaguya pressed her pink lips together, quickly analyzing. "That veteran player mentioned earlier that every game scenario has hidden rules for clearing it. Is the cafeteria's hidden rule trading with the spirit students?"
"There was no trading from start to finish." Chika couldn't help but point out. "Amamiya-kun was just bullying the spirit the whole time. That girl was practically crying!"
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