The soft and bouncy touch hitting my back... well, not really. Not to mention that Shinomiya Kaguya stretched out her hands to support Amamiya Natsuki's back, so even if she really collided with him, he wouldn't feel anything.
It's set in stone. Let's find out.
"Sandwich, done!"
Fujiwara Chika's proud voice came from behind.
What sandwich? It's obviously your shield!
"Kaguya-chan, you can sneeze now." Fujiwara Chika hugged Shinomiya Kaguya from behind. "Don't worry, we will protect you."
Shinomiya Kaguya opened her mouth; the urge to sneeze grew stronger and stronger until she finally couldn't hold it back and pressed her forehead against Amamiya Natsuki's back.
Then…
"Ah Chi~"
The cautious sneeze fell into his ears, and Amamiya Natsuki felt something subtle—somehow like a little kitten trying not to wake its sleeping owner. It sounded unexpectedly cute.
If my classmates heard this, they'd probably clutch their chests and shout:
"So cute."
"Princess Kaguya's voice is so adorable. I can't take it anymore. My nose is going to bleed!"
"…"
Time flowed on again.
As the tumbler turned around, the players and ghost students began to act once more.
"Kaguya was so cute just now." Fujiwara Chika's eyes sparkled. "I want to hear it again."
Shinomiya Kaguya had returned to normal, her face blank and voice cold:
"There won't be a next time. Give up."
Hearing this, Amamiya Natsuki turned and saw a line of words floating above Shinomiya Kaguya's head: [Ahhh! He actually made such an embarrassing sound. I really should just kill him to silence him!]
Fujiwara Chika and I were acting as sandwiches, trapping you in the middle—and yet you're thinking of killing me to silence me. Are you a cold-blooded witch?
"How can this be?" Fujiwara Chika looked disappointed. "Amamiya-san, do you want to hear it again?"
"Not at all."
"Boys should be honest about their desires. If you say one thing and mean another, you won't be popular."
The price of listening to it again is being killed to silence him—so of course I choose to say one thing and mean another!
In the end, with the help of inexplicable prompts, Amamiya Natsuki and his two teammates successfully passed the statue game without any trouble.
"I succeeded in breaking through."
Fujiwara Chika patted her chest and took a long breath. The little rabbit on her chest jumped up and down, generating strange gravitational waves that distorted and attracted Amamiya Natsuki's vision.
"It's not time to relax yet." Kaguya Shinomiya raised her hand and tucked the hair falling on her chest behind her ear. Her pretty face was calm and expressionless; even her tone was as cold as ever. "We still have to pass two more challenges before returning to reality. We must continue to stay vigilant."
The title of Ice Kaguya was well-deserved—provided you didn't look at the text bubble above her head.
[So scary, so scary, so scary… Hayasaka Hayasaka Hayasaka, help, help, help!]
Amamiya Natsuki turned his head and looked behind him. He didn't know when the playground had been covered by a gray mist. He murmured, "Let's walk along this road first. We should be able to find something."
"Amamiya-san, thank you so much for what you did just now." Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands in front of her chest and sincerely thanked him. "I'll treat you to some snacks when we get back."
Hey, hey—you said I can't repay you for saving my life, so I can only repay you with my body?
The snacks are too much.
"Come to think of it, Amamiya-san seems to be able to accurately predict when the tumbler will turn around?"
Fujiwara Chika leaned forward, her clear, bright eyes shining with curiosity. A sweet orchid-and-musk scent filled his nose, mixed with a faint milky fragrance. Amamiya Natsuki took a silent half step back and said:
"Too close, Fujiwara-san."
"Hey~ I'm sorry."
Fujiwara Chika raised her right hand, tilted her head, and tapped her forehead lightly.
Amamiya Natsuki was speechless: "What does 'hey' mean?"
Fujiwara Chika smiled brightly and repeated the same action: "That's it."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki crossed his fingers thoughtfully. "Because I'm smart enough to observe the hidden rules."
I don't understand why my eyes can see strange prompts, so of course I choose to keep it secret.
Hidden rules do exist. Some unlucky old player mentioned them before, but unfortunately, no one talks about them now.
"Hey, what's the hidden rule?" Fujiwara Chika blinked, confused. "Why didn't I notice it?"
"It should be the flag on the playground."
Shinomiya Kaguya, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, "Just now, everyone's attention was on the tumbler, but the flag on the playground would automatically turn around without wind before the tumbler turned around... There was no wind on the playground the whole time."
"Shinomiya-san is very smart." Amamiya Natsuki looked surprised.
Human observation ability isn't as strong as we think. Often, we can only focus on one thing. For example, if you watch a short video of a girl dancing in a short-sleeved shirt and hot pants, revealing her belly button and vest line, then someone asks what her earrings looked like, 99% of boys won't be able to answer.
"Kaguya-chan is amazing!"
Fujiwara Chika's face was full of admiration. "I didn't even notice there were flags on the playground."
"…"
After a while, a road sign appeared on the side of the path.
"Let's go have a look."
The three approached and saw a rotten, dilapidated road sign standing by the roadside. Weathered by countless storms, the sign had black and red blood-like paint, indicating directions:
[Canteen]
[Examination Room]
[Playground]
[School Clinic]
[Comprehensive Building]
[Swimming Pool]
[Music Classroom]
"It's the Seven Wonders of the Campus." Fujiwara Chika opened her eyes wide and subconsciously lowered her voice, "Amamiya-san, where should we go?"
"I don't know." Amamiya Natsuki shook his head.
It was just an ordinary road sign. Amamiya Natsuki looked it over carefully but found no clues.
Fujiwara Chika looked disappointed. "It'd be nice if I could ask for directions."
This was a school full of evil spirits. The entire school was cold and dead, with no resentful students wandering around. There was no one to ask.
"Let me think for a moment..."
Fujiwara Chika stretched out two fingers and pressed her temples on both sides. She closed her eyes like a person with special powers and murmured indistinctly.
"Ah, I've made my choice!" Fujiwara Chika quickly opened her eyes, the black bow on her head swaying gently. She said clearly, "Let's go to the cafeteria."
"Why?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at her curiously. Could it be that Fujiwara had some special abilities like himself?
Fujiwara Chika giggled: "Because the cafeteria is the closest to us. It's right in front. We don't need to turn; we can just walk straight there."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki slightly pulled the corner of his mouth.
Fujiwara-san, you really are smart.