Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

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"What… happened?" 

Amamiya came to an abrupt halt, his expression frozen in shock. 

It felt as though he had merely blinked, and the world around him had inexplicably shifted. 

Just a moment ago, he was working tirelessly—finding Kaguya and Umi, waking up his companions, and finally locating the pink haired girl in the cafeteria. Yet before he could even approach to start a conversation, everything changed. The next second, he found himself standing at the entrance of the hotel. 

Amamiya instinctively scanned his surroundings. 

The area was eerily quiet. There wasn't a single person in sight. 

Only the cool evening breeze whispered through the air, swaying the bamboo lanterns gently with its touch. 

"Strange…" 

Amamiya calmed himself quickly, his composure returning as he strode forward with deliberate caution. 

---

Behind the counter, an elderly woman wearing reading glasses sat peacefully, knitting a sweater while a soft radio broadcast played in the background. 

Ignoring her, Amamiya continued into the courtyard. 

The silver moon hung high in the night sky, its light clear and cool as water. Beneath it, a grand cherry tree stood in full bloom, its petals cascading gracefully like delicate shards of ice. 

His eyes instinctively sought out the bench under the tree—the same spot where Kaguya had been seated earlier. But now, the bench was empty. The bunny girl was gone. 

Kaguya wasn't here. 

Amamiya remained steady, his gaze sweeping the scene, taking in every detail. It didn't take long for him to notice several oddities. 

"The old woman cleaning the corridor is gone, and so are the two old men who were playing chess by the stream... But there's one difference that stands out the most." 

Amamiya stepped into the corridor where he had paused before and looked up at the night sky. 

The moon was out of place. 

To be precise, the angle between the moon, the corridor, and the cherry tree had shifted. 

The sight of the night sky earlier had been so beautiful that it had etched itself vividly in Amamiya's memory. But now, the moon had clearly shifted eastward. 

There was only one plausible explanation: time had been altered. 

---

"So… is this the 'restart' Kaguya mentioned?" 

Amamiya's mind quickly pieced things together. 

Unlike Kaguya, this was his first time encountering a restart. Naturally, he needed to tread cautiously. 

The sudden spatial shift, the disappearance of Kaguya and Umi—all signs pointed to the dream restarting. 

"As for why this restart placed me in a different position than when I first entered the dream…" 

Amamiya thought for a moment and arrived at a conclusion. 

It was obvious that he wasn't the central figure in this multi-person nightmare. In this twisted world, his presence was negligible at best. 

During his last entry into the nightmare, he had clearly landed in its latter half. Before he could wake up Chika, he'd been swept away by an unavoidable restart mechanism. 

This time, he had a key advantage. With the clairvoyant ability granted by Miko still active, he didn't have to wander around aimlessly and rely on mirrors for prompts, unlike the previous attempt. 

---

A new question arose in his mind. 

"I can retain my memories… but what about Umi and Kaguya?" 

There was only one way to find out. 

"…A simple test will do." 

Pressing his fingertips to his temple, Amamiya leaned against the corridor and waited. 

---

One minute passed. 

Then two. 

By the third minute, the corridor remained as empty as ever. Neither Kaguya nor Umi appeared. 

The worst-case scenario had been confirmed. 

After the restart, both Kaguya and Umi's memories had also been wiped clean. If that weren't the case, there was no reason for them not to reunite with him immediately. 

Once again, Amamiya's gaze shifted to the empty bench beneath the cherry tree. 

The bunny girl still hadn't shown up. 

---

This was to be expected. 

In this nightmare world, every individual seemed to follow their own scripted "life." Like NPCs in 'The Matrix', they carried on, oblivious to the greater truth. 

Based on his observations, Miss Ice Princess would only reappear in the second half of the loop, seated under the cherry tree with a book in hand. 

But for now, there was no way to determine Kaguya's location. 

Amamiya mulled it over briefly, then came to a decision. 

Straightening his posture, he turned and began walking down the corridor, his steps calm but purposeful. 

"I don't know where Kaguya is," Amamiya mused silently, "but Umi's location was revealed from the very beginning." 

He stopped in front of an unassuming room, raising his gaze to check the number on the door. Satisfied, he lifted his hand and gave three gentle knocks. 

Knock, knock, knock. 

Footsteps quickly approached from the other side. 

The door cracked open slightly, revealing a red-haired succubus girl peeking out, half of her face visible. 

"Umi, good evening," Amamiya greeted with a faint smile. 

"Eh?" The succubus girl blinked in surprise, her delicate features clouded with confusion. "You're… oh, I remember! Natsuki-san?"

"That's me," Amamiya replied casually. 

The succubus tilted her head, her expression puzzled. "Weird… Natsuki-san actually called me by name. We were junior high classmates, but we barely even spoke." 

While Umi was lost in thought, Amamiya stepped forward and gently pushed the door open, walking inside. 

"Wait! Hold on a second!" Umi finally snapped out of her daze, backing up instinctively. She crossed one arm over her chest and demanded, "How did you just walk in like that?" 

Her thoughts raced. 

What's going on here?! 

I didn't even invite him in! Why is he acting like this is normal? 

Amamiya scanned Umi from head to toe. Instead of her usual succubus uniform, she was dressed in a simple white bathrobe. He raised an eyebrow. 

"Taking a bath?" he asked. 

"It's a hot spring!" Umi shot back, quickly correcting him. "Of course I was taking a hot spring bath. That's what you 'do' at a hot spring hotel!" 

Her tone quickly shifted to a sharp warning. "Now get out! Immediately!" 

Her eyes burned with indignation. Breaking into a girl's room without permission wasn't just inappropriate—it was criminal. 

"I wish I could take my time," Amamiya sighed, ignoring her protests. "Unfortunately, there's no time to waste. We have to act fast." 

"Meow?" 

Umi tilted her head, thoroughly confused. "What are you even talking about?" 

Amamiya's gaze fixed on her, his expression unusually serious. "I need your help." 

"Help or not, you need to leave!" Umi shot back, her voice rising with frustration. Her body tensed as she took a cautious step back. 

Amamiya continued, undeterred.

"When we were in junior high, I remember hearing people say that Umi was the kind of person who always helped others. You'd risk yourself for your friends, even if it meant getting hurt, right?" 

"Uh… I'm not that great…" Umi replied reflexively, though her expression quickly hardened into a frown, her tone sharp with irritation. "Wait, what does that even matter right now? I said, get out!" 

"Anyway," Amamiya continued, undeterred by her outburst, "the world is in danger." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a towel and held it up. "Umi, I need your help to save it."

Her eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you planning to do with that towel?" 

"As a hotel worker, it's perfectly normal to carry a towel," Amamiya said smoothly, his smile returning. 

Umi's gaze dropped to his other hand, where he was holding a length of rope. Her eyes widened. "And the rope?" 

"Rope is versatile," he said evenly. "For instance, it can be used to restrain a guest and keep them from running around or hurting themselves." He smiled again. "As a responsible hotel employee, it's only natural to be prepared for anything." 

Umi froze, her instincts screaming danger. Without another word, she spun around, ready to bolt. 

Unfortunately for her, Amamiya had anticipated this move. Having gone through this scenario once before, he wasn't about to give her the chance. 

Effortlessly, he grabbed Umi and swiftly stuffed the rolled towel into her mouth, cutting off her protests. 

"Mmmph—mmm!" 

Her wide eyes glared at him, burning with indignation and a fierce, unyielding spirit. 

"Don't worry," Amamiya said reassuringly, though his tone remained calm and matter-of-fact. "The towel may not be the cleanest, but I promise it won't make you sick."