Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

"…What are you two discussing behind my back?"

A faint voice suddenly sounded behind them.

"Aah—"

Kashiwagi's attention had been completely on the nearby elementary school student. Startled, she shrieked, like a deer suddenly spotting a predator, and reflexively clung to Amamiya's arm.

"Ka-shi-wa-gi-san?"

The voice from behind became more subdued.

Kashiwagi turned to see Kaguya tilting her head, watching him. Shadows from her bangs obscured her eyes, and the spark in them seemed to dim as she looked down at the arms entwined between the two.

"I-I didn't mean to!" 

Kashiwagi stammered, looking like a small animal caught in a wolf's den. "Shinomiya-san, please, let me explain!"

This was bad. Very bad.

Dragging Amamiya-kun away while Shinomiya-san was distracted, sneaking around only to end up holding onto him—there was no way this wouldn't look like a classic affair, right?

Put yourself in Kaguya's shoes: what would you do if you discovered this sort of betrayal?

Kashiwagi's mind spiraled into panic. "I-I'm sorry! I got carried away!"

Amamiya raised a brow in confusion. "Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?"

What does he think!

If I don't explain this to Shinomiya-san right now, there might not be another chance!

"Hush."

Amamiya turned to Kaguya and held up a finger, motioning for her to be silent, then pointed toward the corner.

Curious, Kaguya glanced over. Her brows lifted slightly in surprise. 

"…Aharen-san?"

They'd only recently finished the game at Midnight Mall, so Kaguya hadn't forgotten her former teammate.

"There's something subtly different," Amamiya noted.

"Hm?" Kashiwagi blinked in confusion, her curiosity piqued. "Um, Shinomiya-san, Amamiya-kun—do you know that kid?"

"We're not certain yet," replied Amamiya, pulling out his phone. "Let's message her to check."

Reina Ahren.

The enigmatic silver-haired girl had joined the players' support group after completing the dungeon, though she rarely spoke.

'Where are you?'

Amamiya sent a direct message without preamble. He hated when people started with ''Are you there?''—the worst kind of message to him.

A moment later, the silver-haired girl replied, 'In the park.'

Kaguya turned to Kashiwagi, frowning. "So… what's the story with that elementary school student?"

"Um, just look closely, Shinomiya-san," Kashiwagi said hesitantly. "The way she's eating the popsicle is… well, unsettling."

As they spoke, the silver-haired girl on the bench resumed eating her popsicle.

Kaguya studied her for a few seconds, then asked, puzzled, "What's so strange about it?"

"Huh?" Kashiwagi's eyes widened in disbelief.

Shinomiya-san really doesn't see it?

She's not pretending—she genuinely doesn't know!

Shinomiya-san is so pure…

"Shinomiya-san, I'm so sorry," Kashiwagi murmured, looking down apologetically. "I misunderstood you."

I thought Shinomiya-san was insatiable and would exhaust her boyfriend. But now, it seems that was entirely my mistake.

"It's not Aharen-san." Amamiya pocketed his phone. "It's probably her younger sister."

Kashiwagi nodded in understanding. "So you know the older sister of that elementary school student, Amamiya-kun?"

Amamiya nodded. "I do."

"Then let's go find that kid's sister," Kashiwagi said with determination, clenching her fists. "Maybe we're overthinking, but what if we're not?"

"I was scrolling through X earlier and saw a statistic: over 2,000 predatory teachers have been reported in public schools in the past few years. And those are just the ones who got caught!"

She added, her brow furrowing, "No matter what, targeting an elementary school student is too much. If I turn a blind eye to this, my conscience won't let me rest."

She was just a child, but her mannerisms while eating that popsicle were disturbing. It was hard not to imagine she might've experienced something traumatic!

How cruel, how wrong!

Kashiwagi bit her lower lip and continued, "Some young students endure coercion in silence, never daring to tell their families… Someone has to stand up to expose these wrongdoers!"

"Wait," Amamiya interjected with a curious expression, "how do you know so much about this?"

"I don't have firsthand experience!" Kashiwagi blurted, waving her hands. "I just… read things like that sometimes."

Girl, your interests are oddly specific, he thought.

Meanwhile, Kaguya simply looked on, confused. "Wait… 'book'? Are we talking about a popsicle or something else?"

"Why don't you understand anything?" Kashiwagi sighed.

Amamiya quietly took out his phone, recording a quick video of the girl in question. Then he turned to Kaguya. "So, you're done with the game?"

"Yes," Kaguya replied with a satisfied nod. "I won every round."

"Let's head to the park, then."

After bidding farewell to the children at the arcade, the three made their way in silence. Before long, they reached the park Reina had mentioned.

Bang!

A small, silver-haired girl rushed over, clinging tightly to Amamiya's leg.

"Huh?!"

Kashiwagi gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. The girl clinging to Amamiya's leg bore a striking resemblance to the elementary school student they'd seen earlier.

Only, on closer inspection, this loli was a bit taller and dressed differently.

"Wait!" Kashiwagi suddenly snapped out of it and looked over at Kaguya. "Shinomiya-san!"

Kaguya remained calm, showing no reaction whatsoever.

'Phew…' Kashiwagi let out a relieved breath. 

Guess Shinomiya-san doesn't mind… No, wait. Her eyes definitely just narrowed for a second there!

"Kashiwagi-san, why are you looking at me?" Kaguya tilted her head slightly, her voice faint.

"S-Sorry!"

"…"

"Let's sit down and talk," Amamiya said, lifting the silver-haired girl and leading her to a nearby bench. "Aharen-san, it seems like you're in a bit of trouble."

The silver-haired loli raised her head, her expression unchanging.

"This is Detective Kashiwagi," Amamiya introduced, gesturing to Kashiwagi. "She'll be taking full charge of your case from now on."

"That's embarrassing…" Kashiwagi muttered, then turned to the girl. "Um, Aharen-san, I'm Kashiwagi Asuka. This is our first meeting. Nice to meet you."

The silver-haired girl remained expressionless.

"Amamiya-kun?" Kashiwagi looked to him, flustered.

"Aharen-san's voice is very soft," Kaguya reminded. "You'll have to get closer to hear her."

"Oh, right." Kashiwagi leaned in, her ear close enough to finally hear the girl's baby-soft voice, "...I'm Reina. Nice to meet you too."

At least she's able to talk, Kashiwagi thought, breathing a sigh of relief. 

Just a minute ago, she'd feared both sisters might be victims, with the elder sister unable to bear it any longer…

"Do you know her?" Amamiya handed her his phone, replaying the video he'd just taken.

Reina glanced at it and nodded. "Yes."

"Um…" Kashiwagi whispered, "Don't you think the way she eats popsicles is… odd?"

Uncharacteristically, the silver-haired girl raised her voice just a bit. "Not surprising. Same with me."