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

Kaguya Shinomiya turned her head slightly to look at us, her expression calm, not even her eyelashes trembling slightly. The students at school who were watching the drama couldn't help but praise her, saying, "As expected of the Ice Princess Kaguya." Unfortunately, Natsuki Amamiya saw right through this ice sculpture girl.

Without wasting words, Amamiya Natsuki took two steps to the side, came to Kaguya's side, and then leaned close to Kaguya's delicate and radiant cheek.

"I have something to tell you."

Kaguya Shinomiya was about to dodge, but after hearing Natsuki Amamiya's words, she quickly stopped.

"Remember, when I stop, you stop too. Don't be greedy or impulsive." Just to be on the safe side, Natsuki Amamiya whispered in Fujiwara's ear, "Tell Fujiwara-san."

After all, they were classmates, and it wouldn't be right to watch them both get eliminated. So, Natsuki Amamiya naturally wouldn't stand idly by and lend a hand.

Warm breath brushed against her ear. Having never been so close to a boy since childhood, Kaguya Shinomiya instinctively wanted to run away. However, her refined elegance, honed over many years, allowed her to restrain herself. Her expression remained unchanged, and she spoke in a cool tone:

"I see."

Natsuki Amamiya nodded, putting some distance between himself and the ice sculpture girl. He glanced at the top of Kaguya's head and was surprised to find that the "I'm so scared" above the ice sculpture girl's head had actually changed to "Too close, too close, too close"...

Even though her face is expressionless, her inner thoughts are incredibly rich!

The game continues.

Just when he thought he could easily pass the "Statues" game, he was suddenly targeted by a vengeful female spirit halfway through.

The female vengeful spirit was dressed in a sailor uniform covered with patches of dark red, dried blood. Her long hair reached her waist and had clearly not been groomed in a long time, looking like withered grass—dry, yellowish, and devoid of any smoothness or luster.

Amamiya Natsuki felt a chill run down her spine and quickly looked at Fujiwara Chika beside her, beginning a countdown.

"Three, two, one..."

"Hi!"

The moment the countdown ended, Fujiwara Chika suddenly knelt down on one knee and came behind the vengeful spirit girl, just like Amamiya Natsuki had done.

"Playing games should follow the rules; bullying others is wrong."

With a serious expression, Secretary Fujiwara formed a hand seal and summoned Jiraiya, the hero of Shu.

"So... I'm extremely sorry!"

"..."

Watching the female vengeful spirit turn to ashes and vanish, Amamiya Natsuki looked over approvingly and said, "Well done."

I initially thought Fujiwara Chika wouldn't be able to bring herself to do it, but her actions were surprisingly swift and decisive.

"Thank you for the compliment." Fujiwara Chika smiled brightly and chuckled, "Now we're even. I can also do the Thousand Years of Death, I even did it with Kaguya before..."

Amamiya Natsuki looked at the ice sculpture girl in shock.

Did you guys play together?

I have absolutely no idea who's the top and who's the bottom between you two!

"I don't!"

Kaguya Shinomiya bit her lower lip.

"Don't overthink it, Amamiya-kun," Fujiwara Chika explained. "It's just that Kaguya and I read the Naruto manga together."

"What a pity, even though it was a funny scene, Kaguya didn't laugh at all... Hey, Kaguya, what's wrong with you?"

Fujiwara Chika's voice suddenly became tense.

Amamiya Natsuki turned her head and saw the ice sculpture girl with her pink lips slightly parted, a hint of shyness and vulnerability showing on her pretty face.

"Ah-"

The ice-cold girl suddenly frowned: "My nose is a little itchy..."

Sneezing is an action that involves a large number of muscles throughout the body, and if you're not careful, you might be eliminated from the game.

"Amamiya-san."

Fujiwara Chika quickly looked over at Amamiya Natsuki.

Amamiya Natsuki frowned slightly and began the countdown: "Three..."

"Ah, I've got an idea!"

Fujiwara Chika let out a soft cry and suddenly hugged Shinomiya Kaguya from behind. Then the two girls hid behind Amamiya Natsuki.

"Kaguya-brand sandwich cookies!"

Chapter 8 The Clever Fujiwara Chika

A soft, bouncy texture hit my back... well, not really.

Even if Kaguya Shinomiya had extended both hands and braced herself against Natsuki Amamiya's back, she wouldn't have felt anything even if they had actually collided.

It's a done deal, take a look.

"The sandwich cookie is done!"

A smug voice came from behind.

What sandwich cookie? It's clearly just a shield for you!

"Kaguya-chan, you can sneeze now." Fujiwara Chika hugged Shinomiya Kaguya from behind. "Don't worry, we'll protect you."

Kaguya Shinomiya opened her mouth, the urge to sneeze growing stronger until she finally couldn't resist and pressed her forehead against Natsuki Amamiya's back.

then……

"Ah Q~"

The soft sneezing sound reached her ears, and Amamiya Natsuki felt a strange mix of emotions. It sounded like a kitten that didn't want to wake its sleeping owner, which was unexpectedly cute.

If his classmates at school heard this, they would probably clutch their chest and shout:

"AWSL."

"So cute."

"Princess Kaguya's cold voice is actually so cute, I can't take it, my nose is about to bleed!"

"..."

Time flows again.

As the roly-poly toy turned around, the players and the vengeful student began to act again.

"Kaguya was so cute just now." Fujiwara Chika's eyes sparkled. "I want to hear it again."

Kaguya Shinomiya had returned to normal, her face expressionless, and she said in a cold tone:

"There won't be a next time, give up."

Upon hearing this, Natsuki Amamiya turned her head and saw a line of text appearing above Kaguya Shinomiya's head:

[Ugh! How could she make such an embarrassing sound? She should probably just be killed to silence her!]

I and Fujiwara Chika were sandwiched in between you, and you actually thought of killing me to silence me? Are you a cold-blooded and ruthless witch?

"How could this be?" Fujiwara Chika said, utterly disappointed. "Amamiya-san, would you like to hear it again?"

"Absolutely not."

"Boys should be honest about their desires; being hypocritical won't make you popular."

The price of hearing it again is being killed to silence you, so of course you choose to say one thing and mean another!

In short, with the help of unexpected prompts, Natsuki Amamiya and her two teammates successfully passed the "Statues" game without any major incidents.

"You've successfully passed the challenge."

Fujiwara Chika patted her chest and let out a long sigh. The little rabbit on her chest bounced around, generating a strange gravitational wave that greatly distorted and attracted Amamiya Natsuki's gaze.

“It’s not time to relax yet.” Kaguya Shinomiya raised her hand and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen to her chest behind her ear. Her pretty face was calm and expressionless, and even her tone was as cold as ever. “We still need to pass two more challenges before we can return to reality and continue to be vigilant.”

The title "Ice Princess Kaguya" is well-deserved, provided you don't look at the text bubble above Kaguya Shinomiya's head.

[This is so scary, so scary, so scary... Hayasaka Hayasaka Hayasaka, help me, help me, help me!]

Amamiya Natsuki turned to look behind her; the playground was now shrouded in a gray mist. She pondered for a moment.

"Let's walk along this road and see if we can find anything."

"Thank you so much, Amamiya-san." Fujiwara Chika clasped her hands in front of her chest and thanked her earnestly. "I'll treat you to snacks when we get back."

Hey, what happened to the promise that I could only repay your life-saving grace by offering myself in return?

These snacks are too much!

"Speaking of which, it seems that Amamiya-san can accurately predict when the roly-poly toy will turn around?"

Fujiwara Chika leaned forward, getting closer, her clear, bright, and beautiful eyes filled with the word 'curiosity'.

A sweet fragrance, like orchids and musk, wafted into her nostrils, mixed with a faint milky scent. Amamiya Natsuki calmly took a half-step back and said:

"It's too close, Fujiwara-san."

"Hey~ I'm sorry."

Fujiwara Chika raised her right hand, tilted her head, and gently tapped her forehead.

Amamiya Natsuki was speechless: "Eh? What does that mean?"

Fujiwara Chika smiled brightly and repeated the same gesture: "That's right, hehe."

"..."

Amamiya Natsuki interlaced her fingers and pondered, "Because I'm smart enough to have observed the hidden rules."

Since I don't understand why my eyes can see strange clues, I should of course keep it a secret.

The hidden rules do exist; a certain unlucky veteran player mentioned them before, but unfortunately, they're no longer around.

"Huh, what's the hidden rule?" Fujiwara Chika blinked, looking confused. "How come I didn't notice it?"

"It should be the flag on the playground."

Kaguya Shinomiya, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, "Everyone's attention was on the roly-poly toy just now, but the flag on the playground would move automatically even before the roly-poly toy turned around... There has never been any wind on the playground."

“Shinomiya-kun is very smart.” Amamiya Natsuki’s eyes showed surprise.

Human observation skills are not as powerful as we imagine. Often, we can only focus on one issue. For example, if you see a girl dancing in a short video wearing a short-sleeved shirt and hot pants, showing her belly button and abs, and then ask her what her earrings look like, 99% of guys won't be able to answer.