Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

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"The rewards from the game have been calculated," Amamiya announced, holding a skewer of yakitori.

In Japan, yakitori originally referred to grilled bird meats like quail, sparrow, or dove, with roasted sparrows being particularly common. Nowadays, chicken is the standard, though beef, pork, and even grilled vegetables like shiitake mushrooms and okra are often included under the umbrella of "yakitori." Simply put, it's a form of barbecue.

The green onions on his skewer were golden and slightly caramelized, tasting even more satisfying than the meat itself.

Amamiya enjoyed his yakitori as he glanced over the game rewards. As usual, the rewards included basic game currency, along with an additional base attribute boost based on individual performance. He promptly allocated his bonus points to endurance—after all, persistence was a virtue.

"Let's see…" Kaguya's curiosity was piqued, and she opened her game interface. "Wait… I got MVP?"

After a moment's reflection, it made sense. The game's scoring was based on each player's contribution to the mission. Figuring out how to cage the cat likely scored highly due to its hidden difficulty.

As she scrolled, her eyes caught on her reward details.

"Game currency: 60 units."

"Additional attribute boost: +1."

"MVP reward: choose one from five…"

"Don't get too excited." Amamiya passed her a bottle of green tea, cautioning her. "MVP rewards can be hit or miss. Sometimes, all five options are junk—like an unlimited milk tea pass that would guarantee high blood pressure, cholesterol, and who knows what else within six months."

Kaguya took a sip of tea, her expression skeptical. "Unlimited refills are a breakthrough in physics, aren't they? Scientists would kill for that."

"But it's capped at three cups a day, which is so inefficient," Amamiya replied, taking a swig of cola. "I think scientists would be more interested in the endless supply of green onions."

"Green onions?"

Suddenly, Kaguya's eyes widened in surprise, a glimmer of excitement in her gaze.

"What is it?" Amamiya looked over, his skewer empty. "Something good?"

Kaguya turned, her eyes sparkling. "One of the five options is a skill card—a chance to gain a random skill!"

"Then go for it!"

Without hesitation, Kaguya selected the skill card. As the heir to a powerful family, she was fiercely competitive, and it was irksome that a later recruit, like Umi, already had skills, while she had none. Gambling wasn't her style, but this time, the payoff seemed worth it. Finally, after making sacrifices in other areas, she'd gained a skill.

Kaguya took a slow breath, a mixture of tension and excitement building within her, making her want to pray for some divine luck.

'Is this what Chika meant by "the thrill of the draw"?'

But she was still hesitant.

Turning to Amamiya, Kaguya said, "I'll need a coin flip for luck."

Random skill cards granted one ability, but sometimes it was something trivial or even useless—like skills she'd seen in the in-game shop before.

The shop featured two sections: a daily blind box, where everything was pure luck, and a mall updated every few days with new items—labeled and clear—such as weapons, skills, and props.

Kaguya recalled the disappointing skills she'd encountered in previous rotations:

'"100% Barehanded Catch,"'

'"Traditional Fitness Exercises,"'

'"Ghost Drifting, From Beginner to Grave."'

These were, at best, oddly specific skills of limited utility.

Thus, to stack the odds in her favor, a fortune-enhancing coin flip felt essential.

"You want it now?" Amamiya took a sip of Coke and said politely, "How about tomorrow? I think you're not lucky right now."

"Tomorrow is tomorrow, and now is now. There is no conflict between the two."

　　Kaguya can't wait any longer.

　　It's like the long-awaited mobile phone has finally arrived, and no one can resist not opening the package, right?

　　"Here."

　　Amamiya sighed helplessly and handed the coin to Kaguya.

　　Its luck has not yet been fully accumulated, so you will definitely not get heads if she flips the coin now.

　　As expected.

　　The unlucky eldest daughter is born again.

　　"Hmm…"

　　Kaguya puffed up her cheeks, put the random skill card back into her game backpack, picked up a bamboo stick unhappily, poked an octopus ball, opened her mouth and ate half of it.

　　"cough!"

In the next moment, Kaguya suddenly covered her mouth, coughing as she choked on her food. When she finally stopped, her flushed cheeks were framed by tear-brimmed eyes.

"Good thing this happened in public," Amamiya remarked dryly. "Otherwise, people would think I was mistreating you."

Kaguya bit her lip, turned away to wipe her eyes, and after taking a steadying breath, declared, "We'll try again tomorrow!"

After all, "giving up" wasn't in the Shinomiya family's vocabulary.

"Right…," Amamiya murmured, glancing from the coin in his hand to Kaguya. "Want to try tossing it again later?"

At that moment, a prompt appeared before him.

'Come on, let me show you what it means to have a protagonist's luck.'

"Tomorrow," Kaguya said, her hand resting firmly on her chest, shaking her head. "It's getting late. I should go home."

'Don't keep missing the right choice, girl!'

Amamiya nodded, pocketing the coin. "Alright. Finish up what you can, and then let's head back."

"No, I'm done. That last bite left me so rattled," Kaguya admitted, still looking a bit unsettled. "If I keep eating with this bad luck, I'll just end up choking again."

"Fair enough." Amamiya shrugged, reaching for her portion. "I'll take it. Waste not, want not."

The evening lights flickered on, casting a soft glow over the misty night.

Since the train route didn't line up with her usual path, Kaguya took out her phone and made a quick call. Moments later, a black car glided to a stop before them.

"See you tomorrow, Amamiya-kun."

Kaguya waved goodbye as she got into the car.

"See you tomorrow," Amamiya replied.

Declining the driver's offer for a ride, Amamiya chose to take the train back alone.

The car pulled away, and Kaguya watched the passing nightscape from her window. Her eyes caught on a pair of couples walking outside, and she suddenly widened her gaze.

'Wait a minute!'

'When I flipped the coin, I hadn't finished the takoyaki. What did she end up doing with the other half?'

Her mind replayed Amamiya's earlier words.

'"I'll take it back and eat it…"'

A wave of heat bloomed across Kaguya's cheeks.

'No way. He wouldn't actually eat it, right?'

'Why didn't I check to make sure?!'

Now, sending him a message would look too obvious—almost like a hint. Better to let it go…

It was nearly nine, and Kaguya still hadn't sent a single text.

Beside her, her blonde maid quietly took out her phone, typing swiftly:

"Senpai, I'll need to trouble you again tonight."