Yotsuya Miko was stunned.
For a moment, she doubted her own eyes.
Wake up.
Her best friend was lying on the bed, face flushed, hair disheveled, eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Her childhood friend had one hand on that same best friend's waist, their bodies far too close for comfort.
At that instant, Yotsuya Miko's brain short-circuited and started stringing together a dramatic title:
"My Husband Is Currently…"
No—wait. I'm a girl, so that makes me the wife?
Even if they weren't dating yet, wasn't this going way too far? Right in front of her?!
"Ahhh! Miko, wait—please let me explain!" Yurikawa Hana's eyes flew open wide. Her already flushed cheeks turned even redder, and steam seemed to rise from the top of her head.
"It's not what it looks like!"
Yotsuya Miko's gaze dropped to the disheveled collar of her best friend's uniform. Her mouth twitched slightly. She raised a hand to cover her forehead.
"…Hana, put your clothes on first."
"I-I'm sorry. My clothes… are damaged." The blonde girl looked away, her voice soft with shame.
Hearing this, Yotsuya Miko paused, then slowly turned her gaze to Amamiya Natsuki.
"It wasn't me," Amamiya said quickly, raising both hands to declare his innocence. "You don't need to hear my version—just let Yurikawa-san explain."
A man who doesn't even trust his own alibi. Suspicious!
"I just…" Still covering her chest, Yurikawa stammered through a tearful explanation.
When Miko saw the loose button resting in her friend's palm, she finally exhaled.
There's evidence. There's a witness. Maybe I really did jump to conclusions.
Amamiya Natsuki let out a sigh. "It really hurts to be misunderstood by someone close to you."
"…I didn't even say anything," Miko muttered, cheeks turning red.
"A suspicious look is more hurtful than words," Amamiya countered.
"…Get out."
Miko sat up straight, expression cold, and pointed toward the door. "Bring me the sewing kit."
"… …"
After retrieving the sewing box and handing it over, Amamiya was promptly kicked out of his own room.
A short while later, the two girls descended the stairs.
Yurikawa had sewn her uniform back together, though she still kept her hands pressed modestly over her collar. Her face was tinged with pink, and her voice was soft and guilty.
"Goodbye, Natsuki-san. I'll head home now…"
"See you tomorrow," Amamiya nodded.
"I'm going too," Miko added, shouldering her school bag and heading out with her friend.
That night, not a single word was exchanged between them.
The next day.
Classroom.
"Good morning, Natsuki-kun!"
Fujiwara Chika bounced over with her school bag in both hands, her usual bright smile on display.
As expected of the social butterfly of the class. In just a few days, she'd gone from calling him Amamiya-san, to Natsuki-san, and now smoothly upgraded to Natsuki-kun.
"Morning."
Natsuki looked up—then blinked in surprise. "…You've got dark circles."
Chika's cheerful expression turned pitiful in an instant.
"Last night, while I was sleeping, a super scary ghost came in and just… stood there by the bed, staring at me. I tried changing rooms, but it followed me. It was awful. I barely slept at all."
As she was talking, Shinomiya Kaguya walked into the classroom with her usual ice-queen elegance.
"Kaguya-chan lied to me," Fujiwara said miserably. "She said wearing an eye mask would work, but it didn't! That ghost just kept staring. I could feel it on my skin!"
"I never said it was 100% effective," Shinomiya replied coolly. "It was just a suggestion."
Amamiya Natsuki glanced over.
Sure enough, Kaguya hadn't fared any better. Her dark circles hadn't faded in the slightest—it was obvious she hadn't slept well either.
"Alright, time to open the blind box!" Fujiwara Chika clenched her fists with renewed energy. "I saw a horoscope show this morning that said I'd be super lucky today!"
Kaguya Shinomiya's eyelashes trembled slightly. She recalled the interesting task she'd received yesterday and bit her lower lip.
Fraud.
Horoscopes are fraud.
Fujiwara cheerfully opened the app and purchased her blind box for the day.
As soon as she opened it, a faint golden glow shimmered from the screen.
Both Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya Shinomiya instinctively leaned closer.
Gold light?! Could it be… the legendary golden drop?!
[Tenfold Critical Bonus!]
[Congratulations: You've received 100 game coins!]
Natsuki stared at Chika in disbelief.
She pulled a tenfold bonus just like that?! Who is this girl—a chosen one?!
Considering how valuable game coins were, this was no small feat.
After completing the "School of Vengeful Spirits" mission, he and Kaguya had only earned seventy coins combined. Meanwhile, Fujiwara had just casually tapped her screen and earned 100.
"Huh… I guess I'm just lucky?" Chika tilted her head, blinking innocently.
"… …"
Kaguya bit her lip silently.
Unfair!
The horoscope said I was supposed to be lucky. Why did I get stuck with that nightmare of a mission?
Is someone targeting me?
"Your turn, Natsuki-kun!" Chika chirped. "Open your blind box!"
"Alright." Amamiya opened the app and tapped on the blind box.
He already knew from this morning's preview that today's item was a tool—not a vengeful spirit—but the details had been vague.
As soon as he opened it, his palm felt slightly heavier.
"…Huh? Is that a comb?" Chika leaned in curiously.
"Just an ordinary comb?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow.
"…I wouldn't say that." Amamiya's expression turned subtle as he pulled up the item details for them to see.
[Item: Blood-Stained Comb]
[A comb from the Showa era. Its original owner was a barber who spent 30 years perfecting the middle-part haircut. His obsession left a lasting imprint on this comb. If the target has hair, they will be forcibly given a middle-part hairstyle.]
[Note: Don't run. Let me part your hair.]
"The age of the middle part is long gone," Chika muttered. "This comb is totally useless."
"I disagree," Amamiya said seriously. "Even if it's useless as a tool, we could still use it as firewood in an emergency."
Chika: "…It's like, this big. It wouldn't even burn for thirty seconds."
"Well, at least it doesn't have any usage restrictions," Amamiya shrugged. "You can use it anytime, anywhere. Wanna try it?"
"No thanks!" Chika backed up, shielding her bangs. "I like my current hairstyle!"
"How about you, Kaguya-san?" Amamiya turned to the ice princess. "Wanna go for a trendy middle-part?"
Kaguya smiled—sweet, serene, and deeply terrifying.
"Amamiya-san, you're very cute."
"…I take it back."
"… …"
No one wanted to try out the cursed comb, so attention shifted back to Kaguya, who was now opening her own blind box.
The moment she tapped, the icon vanished.
Her hands were empty.
"You got something again?" Natsuki raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
"… …"
Kaguya bit her lip, her face full of suppressed emotion.
[Congratulations: You have received an Interesting Task — Kill 100 People!]