Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

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"Too much, this is just too much... Not even a single bite for me..." 

Chika slumped over the table, tears welling in her eyes as her spirits plummeted into the negatives. 

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't muster any energy. 

Even though she understood it was all for her sake, she couldn't help feeling wronged. 

Umi had eaten so much, and yet Chika hadn't gotten a single bite. This was outright favoritism! 

"Here." 

Suddenly, half a portion of egg fried rice was placed in front of her. 

"Huh?" 

Chika looked up, surprise lighting up her face. 

Amamiya spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. 

"As a chef, it's perfectly normal to 'accidentally' drop the spoon, right?" 

"That's a massive slip!" Umi chimed in, narrowing her eyes. "You're such a black-hearted chef!" 

Amamiya ignored her complaint, handed Chika a spoon, and said matter-of-factly, "Eat quickly. We're running out of time, and there's still a lot to do." 

"Thank you so much!" 

Chika's eyes sparkled as she grabbed the spoon eagerly. "Itadakimasu!" 

The moment she took a bite of the glowing egg fried rice, a blissful moan escaped her lips, echoing through the cafeteria once more. 

"AH~"

The sound carried an inexplicable magic, making listeners' faces flush and their hearts race. 

---

A few moments later. 

After finishing half the plate, Chika collapsed onto the table. Her flushed cheeks were as red as fire, and her trembling figure seemed barely able to contain the overwhelming sensations. Her eyes shimmered, pools of unshed tears threatening to spill over. 

"Strange," Umi whispered as she tugged on Amamiya's sleeve, confusion evident in her tone. "Why does it feel like Chika-chan and I ate completely different dishes?" 

Amamiya glanced at her, his voice calm. "That's because you haven't seen anyone else eat glowing food before." 

As everyone knows, humans cannot imagine things they have never experienced in their dreams. 

Since Umi had neither visited the restaurant nor seen others eat glowing food—like Miss Sakurako or the Slit-Mouthed Woman—she naturally couldn't fully grasp Chika's reaction. 

---

"Finished already?" 

Chika stared longingly at the empty plate, feeling a deep sense of loss. 

"Get up," Amamiya said, extending a hand to her. "We need to go find Kaguya. If there's enough time later, I'll make another one for you." 

Chika's eyes sparkled with renewed hope. She grabbed Amamiya's hand, leaped to her feet, and pumped her fist into the air. 

"Fully revived! I can take on ten people now!" 

"..."

With their group reunited, the trio left the cafeteria and headed toward the courtyard. 

---

As they walked, the two girls chattered animatedly about what had happened since they'd split up. 

"You went through so much!" Umi exclaimed, her voice tinged with awe. 

"Wait, we're on the 'second' restart already?!" Chika gasped, wide-eyed. 

"Exactly." Amamiya glanced at her, sighing lightly. "Last time I saw you in the cafeteria, you were eating tonkotsu ramen. This time, you were eating again. Without a doubt, you're a true foodie." 

Chika's cheeks turned a faint pink. She hesitated before defending herself. "I don't know why I'm always in the cafeteria, but it's normal for girls to enjoy good food, right?" 

"Absolutely!" Umi declared, placing her hands on her hips with conviction. "Loving food is just part of being a girl." 

That may be true, Amamiya thought to himself, but among the three of you, one was reading quietly, one was taking a bath, and yet here you are—spending every moment in the cafeteria. 

---

"Hey, I see Kaguya-chan!" 

Chika's excited voice broke through his thoughts. She pointed toward the cherry tree. 

Amamiya followed her gaze. 

The full moon hung high in the sky, its light spilling across the courtyard like liquid silver, illuminating the world below. 

Underneath the vast canopy of a cherry tree, a girl in a bunny girl outfit sat quietly on a bench, absorbed in her book. 

Without hesitation, the trio made their way toward her. 

"Kaguya-chan!" 

Chika rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Kaguya in an enthusiastic hug. 

Kaguya frowned slightly, her cold voice cutting through the moment. 

"Fujiwara-san, why are your clothes wet?" 

"Ahem, it's sweat," Chika replied awkwardly. 

The wetness clinging to her clothes might not just be sweat—it could easily be something else entirely. 

"Don't touch me." Kaguya turned her head away in disdain, extending her hand to push Chika back. "Go take a shower and change your clothes immediately." 

"What? Kaguya-chan actually dislikes me?" Chika pouted, feigning an exaggerated expression of grievance. 

"Dislike," Kaguya replied bluntly, her icy demeanor unyielding. 

Amamiya, observing from the side, casually remarked, 

"With that much sweat, if it were me—" 

"Stare—" 

Chika glared at him, puffing her cheeks indignantly. 

"I wouldn't mind," Amamiya said with mock sincerity, his tone serious. "I could hold you as long as you wanted." 

"Hmph." 

Chika huffed, but her annoyance faded as she turned away, satisfaction flickering across her expression. 

Kaguya, intrigued, raised her gaze to study Amamiya. A faint trace of doubt appeared in her otherwise composed eyes. 

He was speaking to Chika with a familiarity she hadn't expected. What exactly was the relationship between them? 

Umi placed her hands on her hips and addressed Amamiya. 

"So, how do we wake Shinomiya-san up?" 

Kaguya frowned. "Wake me up? What is that supposed to mean?" 

"You wouldn't understand even if I explained it now." Chika waved a dismissive hand. "You'll figure it out soon enough." 

"Different methods work for different people." Amamiya adjusted his glasses dramatically, mimicking a certain iconic pose. "After activating my ability, I occasionally glimpse strange knowledge. You two step back—leave this to me." 

"Got it!" 

Without hesitation, Chika and Umi stepped back, leaving the space beneath the cherry tree to Amamiya and Kaguya. 

---

"Shinomiya-san," Amamiya began, sitting on the opposite end of the bench. "Chika is your best friend, isn't she?" 

Kaguya closed her book, turned to him, and replied coolly, "What are you trying to say?" 

"You wouldn't want your best friend to get hurt—wait, wrong approach. Let me try again." Amamiya crossed his fingers and asked, "Shinomiya-san, have you seen 'The Matrix'?" 

"I've heard of it—" 

"I've heard of it," Amamiya interrupted, finishing her sentence. 

He leaned in slightly, his tone growing serious. "Do you think the world we see before us is real, or is it an illusion?" 

Kaguya's expression remained calm, though a flicker of irritation crossed her face. 

"If you're trying to—" 

"—discuss the brain-in-a-vat hypothesis," Amamiya cut in smoothly, completing her sentence again. 

Kaguya's frown deepened. 

What is wrong with this man? 

Why does he keep finishing my sentences? 

"Let's continue," Amamiya said, raising a finger. "For this next question, answer silently in your mind. Don't say anything out loud." 

Kaguya narrowed her eyes but humored him. 

"Do you like bunny girl uniforms?" Amamiya asked. 

Silently, Kaguya thought: 'I don't like them.' 

"I don't like them," Amamiya echoed aloud, perfectly in sync. 

"What would you do if someone forced you to wear one?" 

"Make them disappear," Kaguya thought coldly. 

"Make them disappear," Amamiya said without hesitation. 

"..." 

The eerie synchronization unsettled Kaguya. She couldn't help but blurt out, 

"…Are you reading my mind?" 

"No," Amamiya replied with a calm shake of his head. "The truth is, the world has been restarting. We've had this same conversation countless times." 

"Impossible." 

Kaguya instinctively rejected the idea. The notion of the world restarting was absurd—unbelievable, even. 

What was he suggesting? That time itself was broken? 

Still... doubt began to sprout in her mind. 

---

"So," Amamiya asked casually, "why are you wearing a bunny girl uniform?" 

Kaguya froze. 

Before she could respond, Amamiya pulled out a small mirror and angled it toward her, a sly smile playing on his lips. 

Caught in a spiral of disbelief, Kaguya found herself questioning reality more and more. The seeds of doubt he planted were beginning to take root. 

But there was no time to let those seeds grow. 

"Time is running out," Amamiya said suddenly, glancing up at the sky with a look of urgency. 

Instinctively, Kaguya followed his gaze, her focus breaking. 

And in that fleeting moment— 

Amamiya seized the opportunity, leaned in, and boldly kissed the Ice Princess. 

"!!??"

Chika and Umi, watching from a distance, froze in shock.