Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

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"All men must die..." 

The female player continued her monotone repetition. 

Amamiya sighed, exasperation evident in his tone. "Men and women shouldn't touch casually. If you keep holding on like this, don't blame me for taking advantage of the situation." 

"Natsuki-san," Kaguya called out, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "What kind of 'advantage' are you planning to take?" 

Before he could respond, Chika stepped forward. Together with Kaguya, she gently but firmly pulled the female player away from Amamiya. 

"She's already in this state, and you're still talking about taking advantage of her?" Chika exclaimed, puffing her cheeks in mock anger. "You're trying to rob her while she's in trouble! What kind of hero takes advantage of someone in distress?" 

Amamiya's tone turned gloomy as he retorted, "This is unfair. She just grabbed me by the neck and bullied me, but instead of siding with me, you're sympathizing with her. Are you really turning against me for a stranger?" 

He turned back to the woman who had grabbed him earlier. 

The female player, dressed in a white dress with her hair hanging loose, looked to be in her early thirties. Her face was pale, her eyes vacant, as if her consciousness had long departed, leaving only instincts to guide her movements. 

Amamiya observed her blank stare and thought dryly, 'Even three pounds of milk wouldn't wake her from this state.' 

"This Miss seems to have a strong grudge against men," Chika speculated, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "She must've gone through something awful, like being hurt by a scumbag." 

"That seems likely," Kaguya agreed. 

"No doubt it's emotional trauma!" 

"I wouldn't know," Kaguya admitted, shaking her head. "She never shared anything about her real-life experiences with us." 

"Men must..." 

The female player's repetitive chant came to an abrupt stop. 

"Hey, what's going on?" Chika asked, tilting her head curiously. 

Amamiya touched his cheek, his expression shifting to one of contemplation. "She seems to be looking at me." 

Suddenly, the female player's lips curled into a twisted smile, and she murmured, "Young man, let me eat you!" 

'Eat me?' Amamiya thought. 

'If it's figuratively, we might be able to negotiate, but if it's literally, there's no way I'm agreeing.' 

Kaguya: "..." 

"What?" Chika blurted out in disbelief. "Even in this state, she still has the energy to judge people by their looks?" 

Amamiya shrugged, spreading his hands. "Being superficial is part of human instinct." 

"Enough with the jokes," Chika interjected, stepping closer. "Let's hurry up and find Umi-chan." 

The trio resumed their cautious journey through the eerie hotel, with the instinct-driven female player trailing behind them. 

Whenever possible, they helped others, even if only slightly. 

"Here we are," Kaguya finally announced as they reached an unassuming door. 

Before leaving, Kaguya had instructed Umi to stay inside her room and not leave under any circumstances. She had even taught her a specific knock signal for recognition. 

Kaguya raised her right hand and knock on the door—once, twice, three times—then waited expectantly. 

"..." 

The room remained silent. 

"Umi-chan didn't hear it?" Chika whispered, her voice tinged with worry. 

Kaguya frowned, biting her lip lightly. "The chances of her not hearing it are too low." 

"We'll know for sure once we get inside," Amamiya declared calmly. 

Without hesitation, he moved to the back of the room, climbing in through the window. 

Shining his flashlight around, he swept the dimly lit room until the beam landed on the succubus girl. 

"Umi-chan, here we come!" 

Chika called out cheerfully. 

"…" 

The succubus girl stood silently in the corner, her expression blank. 

Amamiya stepped closer, and it was only then that Umi, in her dazed state, muttered softly: 

"Shizuku-tan is so cute..." 

"Umi-chan?" 

Chika waved a hand gently in front of Umi's face. "Look at us, Umi-chan!" 

But the succubus girl's eyes remained unfocused, her pupils dull and lifeless. She continued to mumble the same words: 

"Shizuku-tan... so cute..." 

'Hey, hey, just how much do you like that perverted ojousama?' Amamiya thought, exasperated. 'You're so smitten you've turned into a repeater. Fine, I'll buy you a set of her cosplay clothes when we get out of here if it'll make you happy!' 

Kaguya frowned, her voice low. "It seems Umi is unconscious as well." 

"It's within expectations," Amamiya replied as he moved closer, taking Umi's hand to check her pulse. "She's breathing, and her pulse is steady. Now we just need to figure out what's behind the Black Heart Hotel's ghost stories." 

Before entering, they had planned for scenarios like this. 

The best outcome would have been finding Umi conscious and unaffected. In that case, he could give her Kaguya's shadow cat ability, switch races, and escape the hotel through the shadows. 

Unfortunately, Umi was in a trance, repeating, "Shizuku-tan is so cute," over and over. Even if he gave her skills, she wouldn't be able to use them. 

This left them with only one option: uncover the ghost stories and resolve the mystery of the hotel. 

"Kaguya-chan," Chika asked as she turned to the more analytical girl, "Do Ms Tanaka and Umi-chan have anything in common? There's no way this happened to them without a reason." 

"Their commonality..." 

Kaguya's brows furrowed as she thought deeply. 

While the two girls analyzed the situation, Amamiya opted for a more direct approach. 

Narrowing his eyes, he stared at Umi, focusing intently. After a moment, a system prompt appeared before him: 

[Shame of the Dream Demon!!] 

[As a dream demon, she has unknowingly fallen into the realm of strange stories—a disgrace to the dream demon world.] 

[Upon close observation, you determine that external forces cannot awaken the girl before you. The only option is to make yourself sleepy, enter the dream world, and defeat the enemy from within.] 

After reading the message, Amamiya spoke up. 

"I think I've figured out what's going on." 

"What is it?" Kaguya turned to him with a sharp, inquisitive look. 

"It seems like after someone falls asleep, their body can still move on instinct," Amamiya explained. 

"Ah! I get it!" Chika exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "It's sleepwalking!" 

"Exactly." Amamiya nodded. "It seems like Umi and the others have fallen into some sort of dream world." 

"Wait a second." Chika held her chin, her expression turning uneasy. "I've heard that if you forcefully wake up a sleepwalker, it can kill them. Is that true?" 

Amamiya gave her a flat look. 'You actually believe that nonsense? What kind of high school student are you?!' 

"Given that this is tied to ghost stories, anything could happen," Amamiya replied. He glanced over at Ms. Tanaka, who was still giggling like a fangirl. "We could use Ms. Tanaka as a test subject." 

"That's too cruel!" 

"..." 

"Normally, one only enters a dream after falling asleep," Amamiya mused aloud. He turned to Kaguya. "We can verify it by testing it out ourselves." 

Kaguya glanced uneasily around the dim, oppressive room. "Who would even be able to fall asleep in an environment like this?" 

"Yawn..." 

A soft sound broke the tension. 

Both Amamiya and Kaguya turned to see Chika yawning. 

Noticing their stares, Chika quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "What are you two looking at me for—" 

Before she could finish, her eyelids drooped. A wave of exhaustion washed over her, and her body swayed. Her eyes dulled, losing their usual lively spark, and in moments, she entered the same dazed state as Umi. 

"Hehehe..." 

Chika began to giggle, an unsettling sound escaping her lips. 

Amamiya's expression immediately grew wary. 'Hey, you're not about to turn into another Ms. Tanaka and start targeting men, are you?' 

Then Chika murmured: "Food... Food that glows..."