Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

Snap!

Hayasaka bit down on her lollipop, shattering it.

Earlier this afternoon, her young lady had been as innocent and oblivious as always. Now, only a few hours later, she was back with… experience?

What on earth had happened in just three hours?

"Miss…" Hayasaka took a deep breath, sat down next to Kaguya, and asked in a low voice, "Where exactly did you and Amamiya-kun go on this… outing?"

"It wasn't a date!" Kaguya blushed deeply, denying it immediately. "We just… went out together. First, we stopped by the arcade, and then we went to the park."

Mentioning the park, a subtle smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Seeing this, Hayasaka's imagination took off. 'Miss… are you completely naïve?' She's positively glowing, even after—well… whatever she's just been through. She must be truly love-struck!

No, no—this called for further investigation.

This was vital information she, as a maid, had completely missed! Such a failure of responsibility was unacceptable.

"Miss, just… please be careful," Hayasaka sighed.

"Hm?" Kaguya tilted her head, looking puzzled.

"What… do you mean by 'careful'?"

"Just… make sure no one gets hurt."

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

---

By 7:00 p.m., Amamiya was engrossed in a video game, "Academy of the Wet Maiden," when his pinky finger twitched, and his phone buzzed with incoming messages.

It could only be Chika.

"Amamiya-kun, help, please!"

More texts followed in rapid succession.

"I just finished dinner with my parents and was getting ready to shower, but there's an evil spirit in the bathroom! It has way too many eyes; it's definitely a peeping Tom."

Multiple eyes didn't make it a peeper—it could simply be some creature using camouflage. After all, spiders have multiple eyes!

"I'm so annoyed I can't even shower!"

"I'll just do my homework in my room instead."

"But then!!"

"An evil spirit crawled right under my bed as I was looking away! I'm so freaked out, but now I'm desperate to see why it's even there."

"This happened last night, too! An evil spirit sat on my bed, staring at me! I couldn't sleep a wink—so creepy just thinking about it!"

'…This girl is quick.'

In just a minute, she'd managed to send a torrent of messages. Truly, the skill of someone sixteen years single.

Only then could Amamiya begin to type a reply.

"Got it. I'll come over to your house right away," Amamiya replied.

"Huh?"

"Didn't I come over last time to help you exorcise an evil spirit?"

"That was different," Chika said quickly. "Last time, Mom and Dad weren't home; it was just me and Moeha. But tonight, they're here."

Amamiya chuckled, "Uncle, Auntie, good evening. I'll be taking Chika off your hands."

Chika: "...I'll bite you!!!"

With her parents home, sneaking him inside would be way too risky if they got caught. Instead, they arranged to meet at a nearby supermarket, where Amamiya could apply the "Evil Spirits Go Away" charm.

The catch was that only one ability could be active at a time. On the rooftop at noon, Chika had activated the "Role-Playing" skill, not the exorcism charm, leaving her defenseless against the spirit.

After wrapping up the chat, Amamiya switched off the TV, changed clothes, grabbed his keys, and headed out. Having been to the Chika home once before, he knew the route.

As he exited the train station, he spotted a familiar pink-haired girl eagerly waiting not far off, her signature "jet-black ribbon" standing out.

"Over here!" Chika's eyes sparkled as she waved happily.

"I thought we were meeting at the supermarket?" Amamiya walked over.

"It's not far," Chika replied with a slight tilt of her chin, her face lighting up with a cheerful smile. "Besides, shopping is way more fun with company."

Amamiya extended his hand. "So, how was role-playing today?"

"Not great." Chika pouted. "I tried Detective, Magical Girl, Valkyrie, even Platelet, but nothing unlocked the role-playing function."

They casually held hands, strolling toward the supermarket together.

Amamiya mused, "Maybe the characters you're choosing aren't… reliable?"

"They're totally reliable!" Chika protested with a huff. "These are all characters I love."

Inside the supermarket, Chika eagerly picked up a shopping basket.

"Hold on," Amamiya interjected. "I thought we agreed to browse. Why do you need a basket?"

"Well, now that we're here," Chika replied with confidence, "it'd be kind of weird to leave empty-handed."

"Not at all."

"Let's at least grab some snacks! We're here, after all."

Amamiya sighed, 'Girls and snacks...'

With a mischievous smile, Chika pulled him to the snack aisle and began browsing.

"Buying so many snacks at once—you know that's how people get fat, right?" Amamiya remarked.

"Don't worry," Chika said grandly, one hand on her hip. "You can eat it all slowly at home. Take whatever you want—it's my treat!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"No take-backs?"

"Nope! Whoever takes it back is a puppy!"

"Alright, then." Amamiya reached for a box of Pocky chocolate sticks. "I'll enjoy it, then."

Chika's face flushed as she instinctively covered her mouth, giving Amamiya an indignant glare.

"The rules are the rules," Amamiya teased calmly. "You made the promise."

Chika's cheeks puffed up in frustration, and she suddenly barked out, "…Woof woof woof."

Amamiya: "…"

"I give up." Amamiya raised his hands in surrender.

"Humph." Chika lifted her chin with a satisfied smirk.

'Just a little barking? Please. I often talk like this when playing with my dog, Pace.'

Once the exorcism charm was applied, and a basket of snacks was filled, they prepared to head back. But suddenly, Amamiya felt someone's gaze on them.

He quickly turned to spot a short-haired girl hiding nearby, who jumped at being caught, swiftly turning and hurrying away.

"Was that Asuka-chan?" Chika asked, recognizing her friend. "It's rare to see her at the supermarket. Why did she run away?"

Amamiya raised his right hand, still holding Chika's, and speculated, "Maybe she thought we were up to something?"

"Hey, that's way too sinister," Chika gasped, shocked. "Plotting someone's demise is a bit much."

Across the store, Kashiwagi held a hand over her mouth, eyes wide with panic.

'Did… did Amamiya really cheat on Shinomiya-san?'

He was with Shinomiya-san that afternoon, and now, here he was, walking hand in hand with Chika-chan at the supermarket. 

It was unbelievable!

'Shinomiya-san, he's cheating on you both!'