Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

"Phew... infiltration successful!" 

Chika exhaled softly, her eyes darting around as she scanned the surroundings with heightened vigilance. 

"We're law enforcement officers," Amamiya said in a stern tone. "What do you mean by sneaking in? We're conducting a legitimate business inspection, openly and transparently." 

The hotel they had entered looked dilapidated. 

A faded white lantern hung at the entrance, its once-bold lettering now barely discernible. Still, the faint light inside stubbornly flickered, outlining the rundown building. Dust coated the floor, and chunks of plaster had fallen from the walls, lying on the ground untouched. 

Amamiya turned and looked at the door behind them. 

Sometime during their entry, it had quietly closed. He reached out and pushed it, but no matter how hard he tried, an unseen force seemed to have locked it shut. 

"Welcome..." 

A deep, raspy voice echoed from behind the counter. 

Raising his flashlight, Amamiya shone it toward the source of the sound, revealing an elderly woman seated behind the counter. She wore a yukata, her gray hair neatly tied back. 

For a fleeting moment, the image of a cute, youthful girl running a family inn crossed his mind, but reality quickly set in. This was an aging town, and the chances of encountering a charming young innkeeper were slim to none. 

"They only ever say 'welcome,'" Kaguya whispered, leaning closer. "All the staff and guests here are the same." 

Amamiya stepped forward, his flashlight sweeping across the woman's face. Her hollow, blackened eye sockets revealed her true nature—an evil spirit. 

"This is it." He gestured toward her and spoke with exaggerated seriousness. "Grandma, this is Inspector Fujiwara. We suspect your hotel is harboring gang members. Please cooperate with our investigation." 

"That's right!" Chika added, crossing her arms authoritatively. "We're here on official law enforcement business. Please comply." 

The elderly woman remained seated, her expression blank as if she hadn't heard a word. 

"Welcome..." she rasped again. 

Chika frowned and tried a different approach. "We're from the Industrial and Commercial Law Enforcement Bureau. Your hotel's hygiene standards are unacceptable, and we're ordering an immediate temporary closure for rectification." 

"Welcome..." 

"Grandma, how old are you?" the pink haired girl asked, waving a hand cautiously in front of the old woman's face. 

Still, there was no reaction. 

"Welcome..." 

"They're all like this," Kaguya said softly. "Even if you touch them, they won't react. They won't attack you either." 

"How peculiar," Chika murmured, tilting her head. "Could the creepy thing in this hotel be a sort of repeater?" 

She elaborated: "Like that neighbor we encountered earlier—how she subtly manipulated memories until everyone became mindless robots, endlessly repeating themselves." 

Before anyone could reply, Amamiya spoke: "We're staying at the hotel." 

The elderly woman's head suddenly jerked upward. Slowly, she stood, her frail frame trembling. "…Two thousand for the whole night," she croaked. 

Two thousand yen? For a night in a place this filthy? You've got to be kidding me! 

"Eh?!" Chika's eyes widened in surprise. "What's happening? Why isn't she just saying 'welcome' anymore?" 

"It's obvious now," Amamiya replied calmly. "This old lady isn't a repeater." 

Kaguya crossed her arms, her lips pressing into a contemplative line before curving slightly in intrigue. 

"This has never happened in any previous restart... Is it because of what you just said?" 

"I mentioned staying at the hotel," Amamiya explained, "and she responded with the price. Either something about that sentence triggered her, or there's another factor at play." 

"Then we'll need to test it further to confirm," Kaguya said. 

The trio left the lobby, venturing deeper into the hotel. A withered cherry tree stood in the courtyard, its skeletal branches casting eerie shadows under the dim light. 

As they continued along the corridor, they encountered another elderly woman. She was sweeping with a broom, her head wrapped in a towel. However, her cleaning was confined to a small patch of the floor, leaving the rest of the area untouched. Cobwebs hung ominously overhead, further emphasizing the neglect. 

"I'm so tired... When can I retire..." 

Even as an evil spirit, the elderly woman lamented about retirement. Truly, the state of this country was pitiful. 

"How sad," Chika said sympathetically, her expression softening. "This grandma's hair is completely gray. She must be close to eighty, right?" 

"What's wrong with being eighty?" Amamiya replied flatly. "The legal retirement age has already been pushed back to ninety." 

"That's absurd!" Chika protested indignantly. "It's only been extended to seventy!" 

"Seventy? In other countries, seventy-year-olds have already been laid to rest with a ceremony. It's a cause for celebration." 

"..." 

"She's a staff member here," Kaguya interjected, taking a measured step forward. Her pink lips pursed slightly as she added, "...We want to stay at the hotel." 

"I'm so tired... When can I retire..." 

The elderly woman repeated her earlier lament in a slow, fatigued tone. 

"It seems like it's no use," Kaguya observed, crossing her arms thoughtfully. "The reaction earlier was an exception... or perhaps, there's another possibility." 

After a brief pause, Kaguya exhaled lightly and spoke again, her tone firmer: 

"Please show us to our rooms." 

"..." 

The old woman, who had been silently sweeping, stopped and turned to face them. "Please follow me," she said in a flat tone. 

"Eh?" Chika exclaimed, her eyes widening. "She's not repeating herself anymore!" 

"It's instinct," Kaguya quickly deduced. "Serving guests must be deeply ingrained in them. Only specific interactions trigger their work instinct." 

The thought was both eerie and sobering. Their first instinct was to receive guests—a notion that hinted at a world devoid of freedom and autonomy. 

"They act on instinct alone, without any real consciousness..." Chika murmured. "So, where did their awareness go?" 

Amamiya interjected, his voice calm yet resolute: 

"Let's regroup with Umi first." 

"..." 

The trio moved forward, following the elderly woman down the corridor. 

Along the way, they encountered other hotel staff, as well as a scattering of guests. Most were elderly, though there was one young couple among them. 

As they rounded a corner, an unexpected figure lunged at Amamiya from behind, wrapping their hands around his neck. 

"There's a monster!" 

Chika screamed, startled, as she instinctively called out for backup. 

"Don't use any skills!" Kaguya quickly instructed. "It's just the player we encountered earlier." 

Turning slightly, Amamiya caught a glimpse of the assailant. The figure behind him was a woman dressed in white, her long, disheveled hair obscuring most of her face. At first glance, she looked eerie and ghost-like, but her warm hands betrayed her humanity. 

"All men must die..." 

The woman's voice, heavy with bitterness, escaped her lips in a haunting repetition. 

Kaguya explained, her tone calm yet contemplative: 

"Her name is Ms. Tanaka. This is the line she keeps repeating. Even after a reset, it never changes." 

Though the woman's hands were around his neck, her grip was weak and lacked any real strength. Amamiya remained composed, his tone almost conversational as he asked: 

"Miss, do you have some kind of prejudice against men?" 

"All men must die..." 

"While I can't begin to imagine what you've been through," Amamiya continued, his voice steady and serious, "I'd like to kindly ask that you don't generalize and extend your grudge to all men." 

He paused briefly before adding, "Take me, for example. I'm honest, reliable, and keep my promises. I don't have cavities, I jog five kilometers every day, go to bed on time at 11 p.m., and drink a glass of milk every morning and evening. By any measure, I'm a high-quality male human being. Let's get to know each other better." 

"..."