"Why are you wearing this?"
Shinomiya Kaguya frowned slightly, eyeing the cat ear hair accessory in her hands.
"There's no time to explain—just trust me." Amamiya Natsuki handed it over again. "Put it on first."
Kaguya considered briefly, then quickly chose to trust him. They were teammates now, and Amamiya Natsuki wouldn't harm her.
As for shyness… that useless emotion didn't exist in Shinomiya Kaguya's dictionary.
With her usual calm and composed demeanor, her long black hair falling straight as ever, Kaguya put on the cat ears.
A phrase suddenly flashed in Natsuki's mind: Wear this golden hoop and you will no longer be a mortal.
Unfortunately, to Natsuki's eyes, Kaguya wearing cat ears was still very much a human girl—not a cat girl.
Boom.
The dean of studies—shrouded in black mist, his face obscured except for glowing scarlet eyes—stopped dead in his tracks. As if worried about frightening Shinomiya, the red light in his eyes dimmed.
"Looks like it really works."
Fujiwara Chika's eyes went wide. "Wait, that weirdo's afraid of cat ears?"
"In her eyes, Shinomiya is a cat girl now." Natsuki corrected. "He likes cats, so he's afraid to come near her—doesn't want to scare her off."
No one can resist cats.
Even vengeful spirits are no exception.
"How did you know that?" Fujiwara asked, curiosity bubbling.
"Secret."
"I'm the best at keeping secrets."
"People who say that usually turn around and betray others."
"That's too much!"
"…"
"I don't like cats," Kaguya said calmly, tilting her head and reaching up to touch the cat ears.
The motion—coupled with her cool, composed expression—made her look unexpectedly cute.
The dean stepped forward silently, black mist swirling, red light in his eyes flaring again.
"That weirdo's mad." Fujiwara whispered, "Kaguya-chan, you better say you like cats!"
"Wait."
Natsuki raised a hand to stop her and explained quickly, "He's angry because Shinomiya's actions just now weren't like a cat's. Cats meow, not speak human language. Even if they speak, it has to be in 'cat language.'"
Once you wear the golden hoop, you're no longer an ordinary human—you have to play your role well. Otherwise, your image breaks, and you'll be recognized immediately!
"Ohhh." Fujiwara suddenly understood and quickly put her right hand to her ear. "Kaguya-chan, copy me… meow!"
Kaguya, the genius, imitated perfectly: raising her right fist to her ear, tilting her head, and uttering a cold but clear:
"Meow~"
"So, so cute!" Fujiwara clasped her hands excitedly, eyes sparkling. "Full marks—one hundred points!"
Natsuki rolled his eyes. "I give it 60."
"Huh?"
"It'd be perfect if Shinomiya-san didn't have such a cold expression while meowing."
Kaguya put down her hand and said flatly:
"I won't."
Her meow was enough—the dean took two steps back, the red light in his eyes went out again.
Suddenly, rumbling footsteps approached. A horde of vengeful students charged down the hall, ready to bring Natsuki and the others to justice.
"Dean of Studies!"
At the sight of the dean, the vengeful students panicked like mice facing a cat. The first vengeful boy rushed ahead so fast he skidded, rolled, and fled.
"No chasing or fighting in the corridors."
The dean's low, hoarse voice echoed.
He strode past the trio, heading toward the fleeing spirit.
The corridor went eerily silent and empty.
"What do we do now?" Fujiwara whispered.
"Catch him, of course." Natsuki made a quick decision. "With Kaguya-san here, we don't have to fear anyone."
Long ago, Prime Minister Cao controlled princes through the emperor.
Today, we use Kaguya to command the vengeful spirits. Nothing unusual about that, right?
A little fox borrowing the power of a tiger—derogatory phrase or not—when you're the fox, it feels pretty great.
The three followed the dean quickly.
The unlucky ghost was caught—hands trembling, head in hands.
The dean grabbed the spirit's head with one hand, lifted it up, and with a snap, crushed him into a ball of black gas that vanished instantly.
Thankfully, this is not real life. Anyone who did that to a student would have gone to prison long ago.
After finishing the punishment, the dean looked at Kaguya, neither approaching nor moving away, the red light fading from his eyes.
Other vengeful students watching from the shadows shrank back, afraid to approach.
"Kaguya-chan really makes a great mascot," Fujiwara sighed in relief. "Now we just wait for the game to end and go home, right?"
"Since you have time, why not try another game scenario?"
Natsuki suggested, "The higher your score, the better the rewards at the end."
"I agree," Kaguya said coldly, a line of text quietly appearing above her head:
[I don't want to be a mascot!]
"This is the comprehensive building. Let's check it out."
The three walked forward, the dean silently guarding the cat girl.
Moments later, the game prompt sounded:
You have entered the gaming department.
Please complete any game match and win.
Natsuki looked calmly around.
The game department wasn't large but had everything: claw machines, pachinko, mahjong—quite complete.
The air was thick with the stench of blood.
Besides the three newcomers, a few unlucky players cowered in corners—pale, ugly-faced, trembling like girls about to be humiliated.
In the center stood a blonde girl in a bloodstained school uniform, her mouth cut into a grotesque smile—clearly the vengeful spirit haunting the club.
"How dare you three humans come in here by yourselves?"
The vengeful girl tilted her head, puzzled.
Natsuki stepped forward calmly:
"I'm bored. Let's play some games."
The trembling players in the corner looked over in shock.
"Is he an idiot?"
"Must be."
"He doesn't know how scary this place is."
"What a pity—such a pretty face, but an idiot."
"…"
"Very well. I admire your courage."
The ghost girl licked her lips, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"The rules: cards, dice, flying chess, mahjong—choose any game here and play me. Win, and you go free. Lose, and you leave your most precious possession behind."
"Wait." Natsuki interrupted.
"What, you want to regret it?"
The ghost frowned.
"Who said my most precious thing is my heart?"
"What then?"
Natsuki glanced at the expressionless cat-eared girl and said softly:
"My most precious thing… is, of course, Kaguya-san."