Chapter 34 [Power Stone Bonus Chapter]

Chika Fujiwara's eyes widened in surprise. "Did you say cow lady?"

The vengeful spirit, hearing the commotion, spun around with a blood-thirsty grin. "Well, well, humans. Back for more, are we? How thoughtful of you to bring so much food at once. I might just forgive your intrusion... for now."

Its gaze settled on the group, lingering a moment too long on Chika. "Let's start with the plumpest one, shall we?"

Chika glanced around, genuinely confused. "Who's the plumpest person here?"

An awkward silence fell as everyone turned to look at Chika.

"Hey, wait a second," Chika took a step back, her voice rising an octave. "Why are you all staring at me?"

Natsuki Amamiya sighed, his voice grim. "Fujiwara-san, sometimes we must face hard truths."

"What? No way!" Chika protested, her cheeks puffing out indignantly. "I'm not fat at all! I'm barely even 110 pounds!"

The beast-girl ghost flicked its tail impatiently, pointing at Chika. "Enough chatter. You, the chubby one. Get over here. Now."

Chika's face reddened, her cheeks swelling up like a hamster storing food. Who could tolerate such an insult?

Before anyone could react, Chika blurted out, "You're under arrest, criminal scum!"

The beast-girl ghost's smug expression faltered, confusion evident in its eyes. "What nonsense are you spouting, human?"

Natsuki, seizing the moment, stepped forward. "We're undercover police officers. We've been tracking you for years, and now we've finally caught you red-handed."

The ghost's mouth moved of its own accord, much to its bewilderment. "But I'm not... I mean, the criminal is here!"

As Natsuki approached fearlessly, the ghost's anger flared. "Insolent human, don't you dare-"

With a swift motion, Natsuki grabbed the ghost's wrist. The creature froze, unable to move except for its mouth and eyes.

"W-what have you done to me?" panic crept into the ghost's voice.

Natsuki, maintaining his cool demeanor, replied, "From now on, your body belongs to me."

"Wait, what are you planning?" the ghost's voice trembled. "I'm a vengeful spirit! You can't possibly mean to..."

Natsuki, slightly taken aback, quickly regained his composure. He leaned in, whispering, "You know nothing of human desires."

Meanwhile, Asuka Kujo watched in awe. "He really is the boss," she muttered, glad she had allied herself with such a formidable leader.

Chika, still fuming, stomped forward. Her cheeks puffed out like an angry pufferfish as she demanded, "Why did you call me fat earlier?"

The ghost's eyes flickered to Chika's chest before answering with false sweetness, "Human, isn't all that useless fat on your chest?"

Natsuki, caught off guard, found himself nodding in agreement before he could stop himself.

Chika's eyes darkened as her bangs fell over her face. With an eerily sweet smile, she tilted her head towards Natsuki. "Natsuki-san, did you just nod?"

"Yes, I did," Natsuki admitted bluntly, unfazed.

Realizing his mistake, Natsuki quickly backpedaled. "What I meant was, Fujiwara-san has an excellent figure. Among other girls, you shine like a firefly in the night. Even Kaguya-san and the others combined can't compare."

A chill ran down Natsuki's spine as he felt Kaguya's icy stare.

Kaguya folded her arms, her face a mask of indifference. "Judging a girl by her figure? How shallow of you, Amamiya-san."

Natsuki gulped, thinking to himself, "There's no man alive who isn't a little shallow."

Trying to change the subject, Natsuki turned to the spirit. "So, Miss... Cow. I heard you can create food out of thin air?"

"Despicable human, release me!" the beast-girl ghost snarled. "I'll fight you for three hundred rounds!"

"Sure, why not?" Natsuki agreed, releasing her hand.

The ghost, stunned by his compliance, hesitated. In that moment, Natsuki grabbed her wrist again. "Gotcha. Now, please cooperate. Resist, and you'll face severe punishment."

"You vile humans!" the ghost spat. "Don't think you'll get any food from me!"

Natsuki's eyes narrowed. "So you really can conjure food?"

Acting on instinct, Natsuki reached for the ghost's tail. It felt cold and lifeless, yet oddly textured.

"W-wait!" the ghost's voice quivered. "Don't touch there!"

Ignoring her protests, Natsuki continued. Suddenly, Rikka exclaimed, "Look at that cup!"

Everyone turned to see milk mysteriously appearing in a nearby glass.

"This defies all logic," Kaguya muttered, her eye twitching slightly.

Natsuki shrugged. "There are many illogical things in this world. The real question is: can we drink it?"

He looked around at the group. "We don't have any way to test it properly. I guess the only way to know is for someone to try it."

The room fell silent as everyone exchanged uneasy glances, wondering who would volunteer for such a risky experiment.

Kaguya's eyes shifted coolly towards the pigtailed girl. "Kujo-san..."

Before she could finish, Chika suddenly stepped forward. "I'll drink it!"

Without hesitation, Chika gulped down the mysterious milk in one go. She set the cup down with a satisfied sigh. "...Another, please!"

Everyone waited anxiously for a few minutes, but Chika remained perfectly fine, even seeming more energetic than before.

"It's actually quite tasty!" Chika exclaimed, giving a thumbs up. "Sweet, no weird aftertaste. Kind of like Meiji milk. My stomach feels great too!"

The beast-girl ghost, sensing trouble, tried to warn them. "You humans, don't push your luck!"

Natsuki, undeterred, grabbed the ghost's tail again. "Miss Cow, if it hurts, just say so. I'll be gentler."

"Stop touching my tail!" the ghost protested.

"Sorry, no can do," Natsuki replied nonchalantly.

The ghost's eyes began to water. "No more... I haven't eaten in so long. There's really not a drop left..."

Chika pouted, disappointed. "Aw, it's gone already? So weak."

The ghost's eyes flashed dangerously as they landed on Rikka. "Push that eye-patch girl over here. Let me eat her, and I'll conjure more food!"

Rikka yelped and quickly hid behind Chika, eyeing Kaguya nervously. Her instincts warned her that the beautiful black-haired girl might actually consider the offer.

Kaguya, however, remained composed. She crossed one arm over her chest and gently rested her chin on her other hand. "So, as long as you have food, you can create more?"

"That's right," the ghost grinned maliciously. "Now hurry up and give me that girl!"

"Impossible," Kaguya replied calmly. "But we can provide you with alternative food sources."

The ghost scoffed. "Don't lie to me. How could you possibly have food?"

Kaguya's lips curved into a subtle smile, her mind already formulating a plan. The others watched her anxiously, wondering what she had up her sleeve. The tension in the room was palpable as they waited for Kaguya's next move in this dangerous game of wits against the hungry spirit.