Chapter 16

"G-g-ghost!" Chika stuttered, clutching Natsuki's sleeve. Her earlier basketball foul completely forgotten.

(Weren't you unfazed by all those vengeful spirits earlier? Why freak out now?) Natsuki thought, rubbing his nose. Then he looked up and his eye twitched.

Sprawled across the corridor roof was a monstrous spirit. It was like a giant snake with a woman's head, its black hair cascading down, nearly blanketing the entire hallway. The hair seemed alive, writhing and twisting in the air.

This wasn't some beautiful serpent from a folktale. No, this was pure nightmare fuel, like a horrific car crash you couldn't look away from.

Anyone who saw this would feel their sanity slipping, their skin crawling.

(Sorry, Fujiwara-san. I misjudged you. Anyone would be terrified of this... thing. Being an airhead won't help here.)

Even Kaguya took a half-step back. Her face remained cool and composed, but the floating "so scary, so scary, so scary" emotes above her head told a different story.

"You... can see me?" The spirit's dozen scarlet eyes fixed on them, its sinister voice slithering into their ears.

Natsuki's mind raced. (Great. Just great. We've barely recovered from one horror game, and now this? What's next, a pop quiz?)

He glanced at Kaguya and Chika. Chika was trembling, while Kaguya... well, those emotes were still going strong.

(Looks like it's up to me. Again. Why did I ever think school life would be normal?)

"Look..." Chika's eyes filled with tears.

Before she could finish, Natsuki covered her mouth.

"Shh," Natsuki whispered in Chika's ear, "Act like you didn't see anything."

After becoming official players, they could see the world's true nature. Honestly, Natsuki found the spirits at Vengeful Spirit Academy more bearable than what lurked in reality. At least those had human forms, just paler and quieter.

The entity in the hallway clearly wasn't buying their act. It coiled like a massive snake, eyes glowing red, black hair whipping through the air as it shrieked:

Natsuki took a deep breath, stepped forward, and in his most casual voice said, "Yeah, we can see you. Nice... hair? You must spend a fortune on conditioner."

"You saw me! I'll devour you!"

Luckily, Natsuki's protective aura was active. As the creature's hair lashed out, it ignited upon contact, flames racing upward.

The spirit's expression went from blank to agonized. It howled, frantically slapping at the flames before fleeing.

"It's gone," Kaguya breathed, realizing her palms were slick with sweat. Even the Ice Princess had her fears, and ghosts topped the list.

"What was that?" Chika's voice quavered, "So scary!"

"Someone's coming," Kaguya whispered, rubbing her temples. "Let's get back to class."

......….

Meanwhile, nearby...

"Hey, Miko? You okay?" The orange-haired girl waved her hand in front of Miko's face. "Why'd you freeze up?"

Yuri glanced around the empty hallway. "There's nothing here."

(You're wrong) Miko thought. (There was something terrifying just now.)

"I'm fine," Miko shook her head. "Just remembered something important..."

"Oh? What was it?"

"When you called out... I forgot."

"Aw, sorry about that."

As they climbed the stairs, Miko's mind raced. That snake-like spirit had burst into flames near Natsuki, then fled in panic. What just happened?

She remembered the incident at the convenience store that morning. Now it made sense – it must've been Natsuki's doing.

A tired smile crept across Miko's face. Finally, a glimmer of hope in this gloomy life!

A week ago, Miko had started seeing terrifying spirits everywhere. But now...

Miko had tried everything: salt, crosses, garlic, holy water, shrine amulets. She even ordered a peach wood sword from Amazon. But nothing worked.

No one else could see these spirits, let alone banish them. Miko felt like a house pet surrounded by wolves. One slip-up, and she'd be torn apart. Every day was filled with dread.

But now...

"Hey~!"

Tonight, she'd make her move. Childhood friends don't just appear out of nowhere, right?

.......

In the classroom, Natsuki dropped his bag at his desk. It was early, only a few students around.

"Kaguya," Chika whispered, "Why is reality scarier than the game?"

Kaguya twirled a strand of hair, her voice cool as she recounted recent events. "My gut says if those spirits know we can see them, something awful will happen."

Chika felt like crying. So much regret, but no way to undo it.

"That barrier that drove off the spirit? Got it from a loot box," Natsuki explained.

Chika's eyes lit up. "You can open those?"

"Nah, just lucky. Check the game store yourself."

"Oh, I see it," Chika muttered, staring at thin air. "There's a permanent upgrade for 50 coins."

Natsuki peered over curiously, seeing nothing. Figures he couldn't view other players' menus.

"It's called 'One Centimeter Miracle.' Any body part can grow one centimeter..." Chika's eyes widened. "Wait, what's the point of being one centimeter taller?"

Natsuki fell into deep thought, his mind racing with possibilities.

"Let's open a loot box!" Chika's mood had flipped completely from terrified to excited.

"I've always been lucky," she boasted. "The other day, I won a bonus from a vending machine."

"Oh? What was it?" Natsuki asked, curious.

Chika struck a proud pose. "Another drink, of course!"

Natsuki bit back a laugh. Some bonus.

"You can only open one box daily," Kaguya reminded them coolly. "Chika, if you want to try, now's your chance."

In this game, daily items often outweighed permanent upgrades. Like those cat ears that helped dominate the academy.

"Here goes nothing!" Chika's eyes sparkled as she summoned a plain box.

Skipping any ritual, she just patted her chest twice and opened it. A faint light flashed, leaving behind... a pack of tissues.

[Name: Qingfeng Brand Tissues]

[Attributes: Ordinary tissues. If left bedside overnight, may transform into the "Holy Shroud."]

The trio fell silent, staring at Chika's "prize."

"Why would tissues by the bed become... smelly?" Kaguya asked, brow furrowed.

Natsuki glanced at her, speechless. Was she really that innocent? But Kaguya's clear eyes showed no hint of teasing.

[Why are you quiet? Was my question strange?] floated above her head.

Natsuki was stunned. She genuinely didn't know. How could a high schooler be this naive?

He looked to Chika, meeting her gaze. Ah. So Kaguya was the exception. Chika clearly knew the score.

"Ahem, guess today's not my day," Chika coughed, placing the tissues on Natsuki's desk with a wink. "Here, Natsuki. You can have these."

"No thanks," Natsuki crossed his arms firmly. "You keep them. I'm sure you'll find a use."