"Let me get this straight… You mean to tell me that, on your journey to find your father, you starved to death because you didn't bring enough food?" Natsukawa Kanade asked, his expression unreadable.
"Yes..." Miss Sadako nodded weakly. But upon noticing the subtle glint in Kanade's eyes, she hurriedly waved her hands in defense. "No, no! It's not what you think! The food we brought was actually enough… but we encountered beggars along the way, and I… I gave some to them."
"Them?" Kanade arched an eyebrow.
"Y-Yeah, yeah! I just couldn't bear to see them suffer, so I shared what I had… and, well, I didn't leave enough for myself."
"…"
Kanade placed a hand over his face, exhaling a deep sigh. "You never thought about, I don't know, finding something else to eat? Maybe foraging? Hunting? Buying more food?"
"Eh? But I'm not a homeless person! I can't just go begging like them! That would be… embarrassing!"
"…"
A deep silence followed.
Kanade suddenly had the urge to scream into the void. This level of naivety was beyond what he had expected. No, scratch that—this was a whole new category of sheltered ignorance!
Even if he tossed young Kaguya into this scenario, there was no way she'd be clueless enough to just sit there and starve! Where was the survival instinct?!
And to think, he had braced himself for a tragic backstory filled with heartbreak and injustice… and this was the outcome?! He wanted his emotional investment back!
"So, let me guess… your unfinished wish is to have a proper meal?" Xiachuan Zou asked, his tone filled with doubt.
"What?! That's so rude!" Miss Sadako huffed indignantly. "How could I be that kind of glutton? My only wish is to meet my fiancé, whom I never got the chance to meet! At the very least, I just want to ask him why he suddenly broke off our engagement!"
Despite her face being mostly obscured by her long black hair, her voice carried a sense of sincere grievance. Her performance was so dedicated that Kanade could almost see the rich emotions she was expressing.
The problem? The script was just so bad that he couldn't help but want to complain about it.
"Oh, I see now… So all we have to do is help you find this 'mysterious fiancé' of yours, right?" Kanade rubbed his chin, thinking. "Sure. That's no problem at all. We accept."
After all, he had expected this last trial to be some kind of arduous, mind-bending ordeal, but it turned out to be… just a glorified game of hide-and-seek?
Easy.
"Then just follow us," Kanade instructed. "But try not to make too much noise. If we fail the challenge because of this, I'll personally find a way to exorcise you."
Miss Sadako looked a little confused but nodded obediently.
"Understood," she said softly, then extended her hands, offering a small wooden bracelet. "Please accept this. With it, I can always stay by my benefactor's side."
Kanade took it and examined it closely. Despite being made of wood, the bracelet was intricately crafted and well-maintained. It looked almost brand new.
But the moment he touched it—
"Ah… Ahh! B-Benefactor… Y-You… You can't just touch me like that… I-I can't handle it…!"
Kanade stiffened.
The entire atmosphere stiffened.
"…HUH?!" Kanade nearly choked on air.
Miss Sadako, who had just been acting all dignified and melancholic, was now squirming as if he had just done something completely indecent to her.
And to make matters worse, the silly lady behind him was now looking at him with a very peculiar expression. A look that screamed "Scumbag."
Oh god.
He was doomed.
"W-Wait! Don't say weird things out of nowhere! I didn't even touch you!" Kanade practically yeeted the bracelet into his pocket at the speed of light, raising his hands in surrender. "This is a misunderstanding! I'm innocent!"
"It's okay, President," Shinomiya Kaguya chimed in, puffing out her cheeks. "It's dark, after all. It's only natural for accidents to happen."
Accidents?
Why did she sound so unconvinced?!
From her perspective, she couldn't actually see whether Kanade had taken the opportunity to touch the ghost girl's hand, but the fact that Sadako said it meant…
"Tch." Kaguya clicked her tongue, feeling deeply conflicted.
On one hand, she wanted to trust Kanade. Maybe it really was a misunderstanding…
On the other hand… What if it wasn't?!
Was he interested in ghost girls now?!
She was right here! If he wanted to touch someone's hand, he could just hold hers instead! Her hands were softer!
Frustrated, Kaguya made her move.
Without hesitation, she reached out and grabbed Kanade's right hand, interlocking their fingers. And then—she refused to let go.
"In order to protect the dignity of the Student Council, I, as Vice President, will take over the President's responsibilities!" she declared righteously.
"…"
Kanade stared at her.
Miss Sadako stared at her.
Even Kanade looked as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Okay, fine. Whatever you say…" Kanade muttered, finally surrendering to the absurdity of the moment.
Trying to argue with Kaguya in this state was useless.
After all… children had wild imaginations, and there was just no winning against that.
Kanade turned his gaze to the Miss Sadako beside him—the one who had very likely instigated the misunderstanding just moments ago. He was about to call out and remind them to follow when he realized something odd.
"Wait... where did she go?" Kanade muttered, scanning his surroundings with a puzzled expression.
There was no sign of the ghost-lady anywhere. A quick sweep of the dimly lit corridor confirmed that they had disappeared without a trace. Even after waiting a moment longer, there was still no sign of movement.
"Well, that's just great," Kanade sighed. "Did she wander off on their own?"
Shinomiya Kaguya furrowed her brows. "Do you think we should wait?"
Kanade shook his head. "No point. We have the bracelet, which means it's a quest item. As long as we have it, we should be able to trigger the next event."
With that, the two continued forward, stepping carefully through the increasingly narrow passage. At first, it was wide enough for them to walk side by side, but soon, the space tightened, barely allowing a single person through at a time.
Not that it really mattered—Kanade was still acting as a mount, carrying Kaguya on his back. He had already resigned himself to this fate.
After trudging along the cramped path for what felt like an eternity, a faint glimmer of light seeped through a crack in a wooden door ahead. Sensing the end of their trek, Kanade quickened his pace and pushed open the door.
What lay beyond was something neither of them expected.
A large open space stretched before them, occupied by a group of "ghosts"—all dressed in ridiculous costumes—casually playing cards as if this were a regular Friday night gathering. The atmosphere was so relaxed that for a moment, Kanade wondered if he had stepped into the wrong place.
The room fell silent as both sides stared at each other in mutual confusion. The ghosts, seemingly just as surprised, paused mid-game, their cards still in hand.
"So... what now?" Kanade asked, his patience thoroughly drained. At this point, all he wanted was to sit down and rest.
Just as he was about to voice his exhaustion, several of the costumed individuals suddenly stood up, brushing off their outfits as they approached.
"As expected of the guild master! First to clear the challenge! Truly amazing!"
"President, you must be tired! Come sit here and rest while we call the person in charge!"
Kanade blinked. "Wait... so, you're telling me the challenge is over?"
Before he could wrap his head around what was happening, a voice—high-pitched and brimming with smugness—echoed through the room.
"Yep, that's right! All done!"
A familiar pink-haired figure suddenly emerged from the group, bouncing toward them with far too much enthusiasm.
Kanade's eye twitched. "Fujiwara... why am I not surprised?"
The infamous chaos-bringer herself, Fujiwara Chika, had ditched her creepy pig mask from earlier and was now sporting a pair of cat ears. The ears, attached to a suspiciously realistic headband, twitched on their own as if alive. Whether it was magic or some high-tech gimmick, Kanade didn't know. What he did know was that it took every ounce of willpower not to reach out and test them.
Resisting the urge to rub the cat ears, he instead frowned and pressed for confirmation. "Are you absolutely sure? The challenge is really over?"
"Mhm!" Fujiwara nodded enthusiastically, her ears bouncing with the motion. "As long as two people make it out together, they've officially cleared the level!"
Kaguya, who had been listening quietly, narrowed her eyes. "Then what about the girl from earlier? Didn't she have a task that wasn't completed? Our cardboard is still missing a stamp."
Kanade crossed his arms. "Yeah, that doesn't add up."
Fujiwara waved dismissively. "Oh, don't sweat the details, President! What's done is done! Besides, if you keep frowning like that, you'll get wrinkles! Now, shoo! You're blocking the way! Other challengers need to pass through, you know!"
Kanade stared blankly. "...Fine. Whatever."
It wasn't worth arguing with Fujiwara when she was in full "brainless trickster" mode. With an exasperated sigh, he let himself be guided away by one of the event staff to redeem his prizes. Meanwhile, Kaguya remained deep in thought, her brows furrowed.
"President..." she called out hesitantly. "Could it be that they made a mistake?"
Kanade sighed. "At this point, who even knows?"
He wanted to believe this was just another weird side quest, like the other bizarre events Fujiwara had orchestrated earlier. But something about the whole situation nagged at him.
And then there was the question that refused to leave his mind—
Why was Fujiwara here again? Shouldn't she be busy with the other event?
Did that mean his earlier "suggestions" had somehow led to her abandoning that project entirely?
The thought was terrifying.
Kanade shuddered. "Please don't tell me I've created an even bigger problem..."