Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

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---

"…Cognitive distortion?" 

A faint blush still lingered on Kaguya's cheeks, but her expression had shifted into one of seriousness. 

A multi-person dream. 

Cognitive distortions. 

Memory completion… 

The ghost stories tied to the hotel weren't just eerie—they were dangerously real. One misstep could result in complete annihilation. Resolving the crisis at hand took precedence. 

"Exactly. Think of it as a fully immersive version of 'The Matrix,'" Amamiya explained with a nod. "When I looked into the mirror earlier, I activated Miko's eye ability and managed to escape the nightmare's grasp." 

He paused briefly before continuing, "Typically, nightmares like this revolve around a central figure. We need to locate the creator of this nightmare world and neutralize them." 

Kaguya's lips tightened slightly as she asked, "Chika is here too, isn't she?" 

"She has to be," Amamiya replied. "Umi must be here as well. Let's wake them up first so we can team up. Once we're together, we can find the core of the nightmare more effectively." 

Two heads are better than one, but four heads are even better. 

It wouldn't be a waste of time to wake Umi and Chika first, and combining their efforts would make uncovering the source of the nightmare significantly easier. 

Tucking a stray strand of black hair behind her ear with her delicate fingers, Kaguya nodded firmly. "Let's get started." 

"When I passed through the corridor earlier, I spotted Umi," Amamiya explained. "I didn't see Chika, though. Umi's room should be somewhere on the right side of the corridor." 

"Should we knock on every door until we find her?" 

"That works." 

"…All right." 

After exchanging a few quick words, Amamiya and Kaguya left the atrium as though nothing had happened. They made their way to the corridor and began their search, employing the simplest method of elimination—door-knocking. 

---

Knock, knock. 

Amamiya raised his hand and knocked gently on the first door. 

A moment later, an elderly woman opened the door, her face etched with confusion. "Who might you be?" 

"I'm a member of the hotel staff," Amamiya said with a polite bow. "Did you happen to call the front desk earlier about a clogged drain?" 

The woman's expression became even more puzzled, but after a few seconds, her mind seemed to fill in the gaps. "I… don't think I made any such call," she replied hesitantly. 

"My apologies. It seems I've confused the room." 

Without further comment, Amamiya turned and walked away, his gaze meeting Kaguya's further down the corridor. She shook her head slightly, indicating no luck, and moved on to the next door. 

---

With nearly twenty rooms on one side of the corridor, the two split up—Kaguya starting from the west end and Amamiya from the east—each searching for any sign of Umi. 

The second room yielded nothing. 

The third room was also a bust. 

The fourth room…

When the door opened, Amamiya found himself staring at a familiar face. Standing before him was the woman who had previously declared, "All men must die." 

His brow furrowed slightly, but he kept his tone neutral. "Excuse me, miss. Did you happen to call the front desk about a clogged drain?" 

For a moment, the woman appeared confused. Then, to his astonishment, a bright, almost cheerful smile spread across her face. "Oh, yes, that was me!" 

Amamiya stared at her blankly. 

What the—?! 

It was a fabricated excuse, completely made up on the spot, yet she went along with it without hesitation. The dissonance was jarring—and her intent, clearly not pure. 

What is wrong with this person?! 

Suppressing an exasperated sigh, he turned and continued down the corridor, muttering under his breath. He still had more doors to knock on. 

"I'm sorry, miss, I seem to have misread the room number," Amamiya said calmly, stepping back half a pace as his gaze flickered to the door number. He was already preparing to leave. 

The woman before him was clearly up to no good, brazenly lying with a straight face. 

"Hey, don't leave so soon," the female player said, grabbing Amamiya's wrist. Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips as she added with a mischievous smile, "Sister is feeling a little... itchy. Oh no, I mean the sewer's clogged, boy. Why don't you come inside and help me unblock it?" 

Unblock your sister! 

That so-called "sewer" is perfectly fine, thank you very much! 

No wonder she keeps shouting "All men must die." With such brazen antics, it's a miracle she hasn't been swindled out of everything yet. 

Under different circumstances, Amamiya might have hesitated. But now... 

Stare. 

A sharp gaze pierced through the moment. 

Kaguya stood nearby, her arms folded across her chest. Her expression was icy, but her crimson eyes fixated coldly on the point where Amamiya's wrist and the woman's hand intertwined. 

Pop. 

Amamiya knocked the woman's hand away with a sharp motion and said in a stern tone, "I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry right now." 

"Then I'll wait," the woman replied smoothly, leaning against the doorframe with a teasing smile. "The sewer's still blocked, so don't forget to help me unclog it later, okay?" 

Amamiya did his best to suppress a shudder of exasperation. What a shameless pervert! 

---

Moments later, Kaguya's voice rang out. 

"Natsuki-san," she called, raising her voice slightly, "I've found her." 

Amamiya walked over to where Kaguya stood and peered into the room. 

Behind the door stood a girl with fiery red hair, tiny devil wings sprouting from her back, a pair of sharp fangs, and a heart-shaped tail.

It was Umi. 

After what felt like an eternity, he had finally found her. 

"Hey, Natsuki-san?" Umi tilted her head slightly, her tone puzzled. "Are you here to soak in the hot springs too?" 

Though the nightmare had erased the memory of their time together in the game, Umi and Amamiya had been classmates in middle school. Naturally, she still recognized him from her past. 

"Let's go inside and talk," Amamiya said, stepping into the room without waiting for permission. 

Kaguya followed silently, closing the door behind her. Yet her thoughts churned uneasily. 

The way to escape a nightmare is by kissing... So what about Umi? 

Could it be that waking Umi would require the same method? 

Kaguya's mood darkened at the mere thought. 

Kissing another girl in front of me is unforgivable, no matter how I look at it! 

Even if it's just a dream, not reality, I care about it. I care about it very much! 

---

"That's Shinomiya-san, right?" Umi asked, her curious gaze shifting to Kaguya. "It's my first time talking to you today. Is there something you need from me?" 

Amamiya nodded. "Yes, I need your help." 

"No problem!" Umi replied cheerfully, her outgoing nature shining through despite her partial memory loss. Her bright smile revealed neatly aligned white teeth, radiating an irresistible charm. "Just tell me what you need, and I'll do my best to help!" 

"I need you to help save the world," Amamiya said matter-of-factly. 

"...Eh? What's that supposed to mean?" 

---

Kaguya silently turned her head away, biting her lower lip. 

Is it going to start now? 

He had just kissed 'her' earlier, and now he was about to kiss another girl right in front of her?! 

Too much. TOO much. TOO MUCH! 

The imaginary villain in Kaguya's mind puffed up like an angry puffer fish, her jealousy meter hitting its absolute limit. 

Holding hands is one thing, but kissing? Absolutely not! 

She clenched her fists. 

No one else can kiss him—no one but me! 

Yet, as the eldest daughter of a powerful family, Kaguya understood the importance of focusing on the bigger picture. 

The nightmare world was undeniably dangerous. 

If kissing was the only way to escape, she couldn't stop it. 

But that didn't mean she had to watch. 

With a quiet sigh, she turned around, her heart heavy with unwillingness. 

'I just won't look.'

"Kaguya, come and help." 

Amamiya's voice broke through Kaguya's thoughts. 

"Huh?" 

Startled, Kaguya turned to look at him. 

Help? 

What kind of help does he need? 

Does he want me to hold Umi down so he can kiss her without getting punched? 

Amamiya shook a length of rope in his hand, his expression calm. "Come help me tie up Umi." 

"Hey, hey, hey!" Umi exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Why are you tying me up? You said you needed me to save the world!" 

"This is a necessary step in saving the world," Amamiya replied matter-of-factly. "Don't worry, the rope's thick—it won't hurt. Just bear with it." 

---

Kaguya blinked, her previous assumptions unraveling. 

Wait, this isn't about kissing? 

Well then, there's no problem at all!

---

"You've got to be kidding me!" Umi covered her chest defensively, backing away as Kaguya approached. The succubus girl's instincts flared with a sense of imminent danger. "Get away from me! I'll scream, I swear!" 

"Go ahead and scream," Amamiya replied nonchalantly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "No one will come, even if you scream your lungs out." 

"…" 

The outcome was inevitable. Against a coordinated effort by a determined boy and a girl who could allegedly uproot cherry trees, Umi's resistance crumbled quickly. 

---

"What now?" Kaguya asked, glancing at Amamiya as the succubus girl sat tied up and immobilized. 

Without missing a beat, Amamiya produced a black blindfold, secured it over Umi's eyes, and adjusted the ropes to hold her firmly in place. He leaned slightly forward and, with a calm voice, announced, "Kitagawa-san, I'm starting now." 

"Mmmm—!" Umi squirmed, her muffled protests vibrating through the cloth gag in her mouth. 

---

Why? 

Why has it come to this? 

Visiting a hot spring hotel should have been a relaxing, joyful experience. Running into old classmates should have made it even better. 

So why was she now tied up, blindfolded, and gagged like this? 

Dad was right, after all. 

Never trust people too easily. 

Though Amamiya had been her junior high classmate, they'd barely spoken back then. As for Kaguya, she'd only met her in high school. In the end, they were essentially strangers. 

---

After a moment, the blindfold was removed, and Umi's vision returned. She glanced down at herself, only to find her body tied up in a humiliating position, the ropes creating several 'plus sign'-shaped impressions on her thighs. 

Kneeling awkwardly on the floor, she looked up to see Amamiya standing over her, his face partially shadowed. Under her wary gaze, he stretched out his hand and gently patted her head. 

"Congratulations," Amamiya said solemnly. "You've become a Shizuku now." 

"Huh?" 

Umi froze, her struggling momentarily halting as confusion flickered across her face. Her mind seemed to stumble at his words. 

Seconds later, the meaning clicked. 

"Woo woo—!" 

Renewed protests erupted as she twisted against the ropes and blinked furiously at him. 

With a sigh, Amamiya removed the gag from her mouth. 

"Amamiya!" Umi puffed out her cheeks, glaring at him like an enraged puffer fish. "I'm angry!" 

Kaguya, standing to the side, tilted her head curiously. "Umi, do you remember now?" 

Umi shot a scowl at Kaguya, the betrayal clear in her eyes. "Remember? All I remember is 'you' teaming up with Amamiya-kun to ambush me!" 

Kaguya reminded her gently, "We're still in the hotel. The nightmare isn't over yet." 

"Eh?" Umi blinked, her indignation melting into realization. Her eyes widened. "Wait… I think I remember…"

As he worked to untie the ropes, Amamiya calmly explained, "This is the second level of the nightmare world. Your cognition was distorted, which is why you couldn't recall what was happening." 

Umi puffed out her cheeks again, her tone still filled with indignation. "Even so, why did you have to tie me up and blindfold me? Do you have any idea how scary that was?" 

"It wasn't my choice," Amamiya replied, his voice flat. 

"You were having fun teasing me earlier—don't even try to deny it!" 

"…" 

To be fair, Amamiya hadn't wanted to resort to such an elaborate method to wake Umi, but the choice wasn't his. The hint above her head left no room for alternatives. 

Unlike with Kaguya, kissing wasn't enough to shock Umi out of the nightmare. Instead, the only way to awaken her was to reenact the "downfall of the succubus," mimicking scenes from a game they'd played. 

In the game, Shizuku's descent into depravity was integral to her character arc—and apparently, the nightmare demanded the same. 

---

"Where's Chika-chan?" Umi asked as she rubbed her sore wrists and stood up, wiping the corners of her eyes. She glanced around, puzzled. "Why isn't she here?" 

Natsuki said, "We haven't found her yet."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Umi placed her right hand on her waist, her tone turning crisp and bright again. "Let's hurry up and find Chika-chan!"

"…"

The three left the room and began searching for Chika.

The hot spring hotel wasn't particularly large. After a brief investigation, they quickly found the pink haired girl in the hotel's cafeteria.

"There she is!" Umi exclaimed, pointing with an outstretched hand.

"I see her," Natsuki responded, following her gaze.

Chika was sitting in a corner, happily slurping ramen.

"What should we do?" Kaguya asked, her eyes lifting to observe the scene.

If Umi was able to break free from the nightmare without a kiss, could Chika do the same?

"Let me observe," 

Amamiya replied, narrowing his eyes as he focused on Chika.

Just as a prompt appeared before him, the entire world suddenly twisted. Countless rays of light seemed to flow in reverse, and in the blink of an eye, he found himself back in the hotel lobby.

The world had restarted.