Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

"Kiss?"

The girls checked her phones to confirm—the final result of the spin was undeniable, clear as day. The punishment was simply... a kiss. And in this case, the silly girl was expected to initiate it.

"It's one of the most common punishments in the King's Game," Umi remarked, folding her arms with an ambiguous expression. She cared, though, whether she'd admit it or not.

'I really don't want to see Amamiya-kun kissed by anyone else, not even Shinomiya-san!'

"Yes, it is a common punishment. Kissing often comes up in these kinds of games," Chika added, glancing at Amamiya. Just as she looked his way, his eyes met hers.

In an instant, a blush spread across Chika's ears, like a droplet of rouge dispersing through water. She quickly turned away, clearly recalling the time he'd helped her drink from a bottle.

But for Kaguya, the impact was far stronger.

"Kiss… kiss… kiss…" 

For someone raised in a strictly controlled environment, the word felt like an emotional tidal wave crashing over her, completely overwhelming her composure. She couldn't even think; her mind had latched onto one word: 'kiss'.

'This isn't right!'

'The order is all wrong! You're supposed to date first, confess your feelings, then maybe—maybe—a kiss would be acceptable.' Doing it now, just as a punishment, was absurd! Plus, a moment like that needed a time, a place, a setting—a sunset on a summer evening, perhaps, or a festival beneath the fireworks. Not in such a random, careless situation!

"Um… maybe we could try a different punishment?" Hanaka suggested quietly, noticing the sudden tension in the room.

"No," Amamiya replied with a serious look. "In a game, we don't back out of our word. That's our ninja way."

Umi puffed up her cheeks. "That's Naruto's ninja way, not ours!"

Amamiya glanced at Kaguya with a smirk. "Shinomiya-san."

"Yes?" 

At the sound of her name, Kaguya looked up, her face a bright shade of red, like a ripe tomato. 

Amamiya pointed to his cheek and said, "I'm willing to sacrifice myself… for your ninja way."

"Poke—"

Even Miko couldn't contain herself any longer; she reached out and poked him in the side. "Who do you think you're kidding with this 'ninja way'? You're just teasing Shinomiya-san!"

"Ahem." Chika coughed, trying to bring the focus back. "A kiss on the cheek will be fine."

"Kaguya-chan~" Shimizu, clearly enjoying the situation, leaned close and whispered, "You've got this—go for it with all you've got, kiss~."

"…"

Kaguya's mind filled with a flurry of images, each more nerve-wracking than the last. Finally, she overheated and collapsed.

'Thud.'

"Oh no! Shinomiya-san fainted!"

And with that, the game was effectively over. In today's round, Kaguya was the clear loser.

---

As they headed back to the classroom, Umi caught up to Amamiya. "Are you free after school? I wanted to keep practicing our role-play scenarios."

"Sorry, but no," Amamiya said, rubbing his neck. "I can't risk losing more blood from all this excitement."

Umi puffed up her cheeks. "I wouldn't be that intense!"

Amamiya laughed. "I've actually already made plans with Shinomiya-san to finish helping with the guide ghost project after school."

"Oh, really?" Umi nodded thoughtfully. "I wonder if that ghost lady is still haunting the mall. Chika-chan and I were planning to practice our role-play this afternoon—what should we do now?"

"I'll pass her the power in advance," Amamiya replied.

"Good idea. We'll meet up on the rooftop during lunch, eat together, and you'll copy my ability over to Chika-chan," Umi declared, placing a hand on her hip. "By the way, have you tried out the 'Miss Shame School' scenario?"

"Yep, already ran through it."

"Really? How was it?" Umi's eyes sparkled, her golden contacts shining in the sunlight. Her smile was brilliant as she looked at him expectantly. "Did you fall for Shizuku-tan? Isn't she just the absolute cutest?"

Amamiya pondered for a couple of seconds before giving his honest assessment.

"Very big."

One could guess from the game's title alone—'Shame School of the Wet Miss'—exactly what kind of game it was.

"…"

Before long, lunch hour had arrived. Amamiya closed his textbook, placed his notes back into his bag, and headed out to buy some bread.

At his school, students typically had three ways to handle lunch. The most popular option was to bring a homemade bento from home. It was the most traditional and convenient choice for many. The second option was to eat at the school cafeteria, which provided a variety of dishes in a straightforward and accessible way. Finally, there was a third option: grabbing some bread and milk from a cart stationed on campus every noon.

Since Amamiya lived alone, he didn't bother with bentos. Most days, he would grab something in the cafeteria, but today he had plans to eat on the rooftop, so he opted for bread instead.

"Yakisoba bread, for me."

With his choice of Yakisoba Bread and a bottle of milk in hand, Amamiya turned and headed toward the rooftop.

Upon pushing open the door, a clear blue sky stretched out before him, vast and inviting, and he felt a sudden sense of lightness.

"Amamiya-kun, over here!"

A familiar, cheerful voice rang out, and a little further away, in the shade near a small loft, a pink-haired girl waved.

Amamiya approached her and looked around. There was no sign of Umi.

"Umi isn't here yet?"

"I just got up here, and she wasn't around, so maybe she got held up by something," Chika said, her face lifted toward the sky, eyes narrowed with a contented smile. A lunch box rested on her knees. "There's a nice breeze up here—it feels so refreshing!"

"At a time like this, you'll say something like, 'Oh, wind, please blow a little stronger!'"

Amamiya sat down beside Chika, tore open his bread package, and started eating.

"Huh?" Chika's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I can read minds, obviously."

"Creepy… Peeking into a girl's thoughts like that?"

"…"

Chika quickly pursed her lips, but her eyes drifted back to the bread in Amamiya's hand, lingering a little too long.

"Staaare…"

Blinking, Chika sighed wistfully, "The last time I had yakisoba bread was back in middle school. It's hard to believe I'm a high schooler now."

"Want a bite?"

Chika gently touched her chest with two fingers. "If you suddenly offer it to me…"

Amamiya raised an eyebrow, amused. "Want two bites?"

Chika puffed up her cheeks, indignant. "One bite is enough!"

"Here." Amamiya handed her the bread, adding, "But don't bite the part I already bit."

"As if I would!"