Kaguya-sama: Love Is War wants me to turn myself in.

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (by Otsuichi)

Unexpectedly becoming a player in a real-life eerie escape game.

Natsuki Amamiya discovers that she can see the prompts on monsters and her teammates.

So... the game's art style is off.

At the Ghost Academy, on the playground where the "Statues" game was being played, a vengeful spirit girl cried out with tears in her eyes: "Don't come any closer!"

Horror Cafeteria: You vengeful spirit, how dare you waste food! I'll pay you hush money.

The Devil's Exam Room: Is it wrong to bribe a vengeful teacher with money?

In addition, you can encourage your teammates.

[Player: Kaguya Shinomiya]

[Status: Crouching with head in hands, trembling]

[Tip: Please adopt the following methods to boost your teammates' morale]

Amamiya Natsuki sighed, "Kaguya-san, can't you be a little more sensible? Didn't you eat?"

"..."

Chapter 1 Kaguya-sama Wants Me to Turn Myself In

“…Amamiya-san, turn yourself in.”

A cold, emotionless voice entered my ears, as if the biting wind of the coldest winter day was about to freeze my body and soul.

The girl who was speaking was wearing a high-quality moon-white nightgown, with silky black hair that fell naturally to her waist, and she had fair and delicate skin and exquisite features.

If I'm not mistaken, it seems to be my classmate... Kaguya Shinomiya?

The new semester had just started, and I happened to be assigned to the same class as the girl in front of me. However, we had never spoken to each other before, and she was just a typical 'passerby classmate'.

Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath, looked down at her hands, holding a black collar in her left hand and a white leash in her right, and fell into deep thought.

I was just about to go out for a walk with my dog ​​when I squatted down to tie my shoelaces. When I looked up, my Akita had turned into an ice sculpture of a girl in pajamas.

Could it be that the dog-girl is repaying a debt of gratitude?

It's not for nothing that I've spent so much time walking you every day... just kidding.

What kind of way is it to ask someone to turn themselves in just by asking?

Amamiya Natsuki raised her head and looked around.

The familiar streets have quietly disappeared, replaced by an unfamiliar room—or perhaps "room" isn't quite accurate—no one would build a room the size of a football field.

There were no doors or windows on the walls, and apart from Natsuki Amamiya and Kaguya Shinomiya, there was no other person or living being in the room. There were no tables or chairs either; it was as if it were just an empty box.

Even more peculiar is that, despite the absence of any light source, one can see clearly within the room.

The strange phenomenon, which could not be explained by science, made Natsuki Amamiya wonder if she was dreaming.

"...Turn yourself in."

The clear, melodious sound, like the clinking of pearls, rang out once more. Kaguya Shinomiya covered her chest, her face devoid of any emotion.

"Sorry, I refuse." Natsuki Amamiya retorted instinctively.

My first conversation with my classmate started with confessing to something. Something must have gone wrong!

Kaguya Shinomiya's voice was cold and clear, her eyes as still as a lake, devoid of any emotion: "Although I don't know how you secretly kidnapped me here, the bodyguards will be tracking you down soon... Your only way out now is to turn yourself in."

What was with that look, like that of someone looking at a dying person?

If he doesn't immediately turn himself in and confess, will he end up feeding the fish in Tokyo Bay?

“Shinomiya-kun,” Amamiya Natsuki said seriously, “you must have misunderstood something.”

"..."

Kaguya Shinomiya didn't speak, but her gaze shifted downwards, landing on the collar and rope in Natsuki Amamiya's hands.

“I’m just about to take my dog ​​for a walk,” Natsuki Amamiya replied frankly. “It’s normal to have a collar and leash, isn’t it?”

Upon hearing Amamiya Natsuki's explanation, the ice sculpture girl slightly widened her eyes, and a burst of cold air several times stronger suddenly erupted.

“Wait a minute,” Natsuki Amamiya said quickly, “This is a collar and leash for walking dogs, not something prepared for you.”

The cold wave index has soared again, and our souls are about to freeze.

Amamiya Natsuki silently raised her hands: "...Is it too late for me to turn myself in now?"

Kaguya Shinomiya didn't speak, but suddenly opened her eyes wide, her pink lips parted slightly, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth. Compared to the ice sculpture girl just now, her stunned expression was unexpectedly cute.

etc--

There's something behind me!

Amamiya Natsuki's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned around to look.

What the hell!

What a huge snake!

A giant snake, more than ten meters long, appeared in the room at some unknown time. Its body was clearly segmented into rings. What was even stranger was that, apart from its larger head, its body was exactly the same length and thickness.

next moment.

A strange voice suddenly echoed in their minds.

Welcome to the eerie game!

[Game Dungeon: The Snake Catcher's Tale]

[Completion conditions: 1. Successfully catch the snake; 2. Complete 30 minutes of gameplay. Achieving either one will allow you to exit the instance.]

[Completion Reward: See the True Nature of the World]

[Failure Penalty: Random]

The game is about to begin. We wish you a pleasant gaming experience.

As the strange sound disappeared, the motionless python suddenly came to life, swimming straight towards Amamiya Natsuki and Shinomiya Kaguya without any hesitation or probing.

Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath and turned to look at Shinomiya Kaguya, whose pretty face was pale and who was clearly still in a daze: "What are you spacing out for? Run!"

Kaguya Shinomiya finally came to her senses.

Even the 'cold Princess Kaguya' couldn't remain calm when facing a giant snake-like beast.

Fortunately, the giant snake did not relentlessly pursue it. Instead, it turned around, swallowed a ball of light beside it, and then swam away at a leisurely pace.

Besides the giant snake, there were also many scattered orbs of light in the room, about the size of a football. There was one in the corner where the two were leaning against. Amamiya Natsuki cautiously touched it, but her fingers felt as if they were passing through air, without any sensation.

The two stopped against the wall. Amamiya Natsuki caught her breath and looked at Shinomiya Kaguya:

"Shinomiya-kun, did you hear any strange noises just now?"

"I heard you." Kaguya Shinomiya's pretty face was pale, her chest heaving, clearly terrified of snakes. She was already showing signs of melting from an ice sculpture into a snowman, but she tried her best to keep her voice calm. "They said it's a welcome to the game..."

Sure enough, the two of them heard the exact same voice.

“It seems we two are gamers,” Natsuki Amamiya analyzed in a deep voice. “The snake catcher said… he must be referring to catching that giant snake.”

In the entire enclosed space, besides the two 'players', Natsuki Amamiya and Kaguya Shinomiya, there was only one giant snake, making its target exceptionally clear.

The problem is that this snake is way too big!

You can hold onto a regular small snake, but can you catch it with your bare hands? Can you catch a anaconda with your bare hands?

That's like an old man eating poison; he's tired of living!

"That giant snake just appeared out of thin air..."

Kaguya Shinomiya took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly. She could face the robbers with composure, but the unknown giant serpent beyond her comprehension was something she found difficult to remain calm about.

“I was just about to walk my dog ​​in the park, bending down to tie my shoelaces, when I looked up and found myself here. And now there’s something that appears out of thin air… let’s call it an anaconda.” Amamiya Natsuki didn’t notice the ice sculpture girl’s little movements and frowned. “We must have encountered some strange phenomenon that can’t be explained by science.”

The giant snake was strangely shaped all over, as if it were not a creature from Earth. Only the anaconda was the closest in terms of size.

The problem is coming.

How can an ordinary person capture a giant anaconda with their bare hands?

Natsuki Amamiya carefully considered all the available tools: the collar, the leash, and even an ice sculpture of a girl... and quickly came to a conclusion.

They can't catch them.

Wait to die.

The only way to pass the level seems to be to survive for thirty minutes...

Looking at the giant anaconda in the distance, Natsuki Amamiya was about to lie down when she suddenly felt a slight heat in her eyes. Then, in her vision, a line of text slowly appeared above the anaconda's head:

I have a dream...

Chapter 2 Kaguya-san, can't you be a little more dignified?

I have a dream... to break through the dimensional barrier!

Natsuki Amamiya was astonished to see the words appearing above the giant snake's head.

Game hint?

As Amamiya Natsuki gazed intently, more characters appeared above the giant snake's head.

【Name: Snake】

[Level: LV2]

[Status: In a good mood, evolving]

[Note: A snake that doesn't want to eat snakes that cross the dimensional barrier isn't a good snake.]

"...So it was a snake!"

Amamiya Natsuki's gaze suddenly sharpened, and the previous strangeness and awkwardness vanished instantly.