Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

"...If you don't want your mom to get hurt, be obedient," Amamiya said calmly. 

The passive ability of the Brave Scum activated. 

Actions like bullying, intimidation, and coercion exerted additional psychological pressure on the target. 

The vengeful loli glared at him in disbelief. 

"You dare to threaten me?!" 

Ever since becoming part of a ghost story, humans had always been terrified at the mere sight of her. But this human? He wasn't scared at all. Worse yet, he had the audacity to 'threaten' her! 

Who was the ghost here anyway? 

"How can you call this a threat?" Amamiya gently patted Hanako's head and smiled. "It's clearly a kind word of advice." 

Unspoken, yet hanging in the air, was the second part of the message: 'Ignore my advice, and you'll regret it.' 

"Don't worry," he added soothingly. "I just need your help. I won't hurt you." 

To reinforce his point, Amamiya even released her hand. 

The vengeful spirit Hanako immediately leapt onto the wall, attempting to flee. 

"If you run away," Amamiya said nonchalantly, "we'll just leave school and go straight to Mrs. Hoshino." 

"..." 

Hanako froze mid-escape, her expression torn between anger and frustration. After a moment, she reluctantly slid down from the wall, her shark-like teeth bared as she muttered: 

"Don't hurt my mom." 

Amamiya gazed at her sternly. "When you ask someone for a favor, you should say 'please'." 

"Human, don't push your luck!" 

"Hmm? What did you say?" 

Gritting her teeth in humiliation, the vengeful loli clenched her fists and finally relented. 

"Please... please don't hurt my mom." 

Amamiya reached out, patting her head with a smile. "That's more like it. I always appreciate polite elementary school students, my dear little sister." 

"..." 

The three passerby players were utterly baffled, their faces blank with disbelief. 

'He actually threatened the ghost story boss, Hanako—and it worked?!' 

This wasn't just any ghost story; it was 'Hanako'. One slip-up and you'd be dead in an instant! 

'The game he's playing isn't the same one we are,' they thought grimly. 

'We need to stick to him like glue!' 

"Chika." 

Amamiya turned toward Chika, winking subtly. 

Chika nodded knowingly and stepped forward. 

"Hanako-chan, it must be lonely staying in school all by yourself," Chika said gently. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" 

Still pouting, Hanako glared at Chika, baring her shark-like teeth in a mock threat. 

Amamiya immediately asserted, "Chika is mine." 

"Snort." 

Hanako turned her head away in visible annoyance. 

"Hanako-chan," Chika continued, unfazed, "why not just try a bite? You might like it." 

The vengeful loli scoffed impatiently. 

"I don't eat human food anymore. It's tasteless." 

"Hanako-chan, this isn't your average dish," Umi interjected, her hands on her hips. "Just one bite, and you'll see we're not lying." 

As a chef, it wasn't unusual to have a few leftovers during food prep, right? 

Kitchen ethics? 

Those went out the window long ago. Amamiya's dark cuisine was perfect for situations like this. Regular people couldn't even stomach it without unpredictable consequences, but it was just the thing for conquering vengeful ghosts. 

Amamiya took the saved dark dishes and placed them in front of Hanako. 

Hanako eyed the strange concoction suspiciously but finally took a small bite. 

"…Hmm—!" 

The next second, her eyes widened as she clamped her hands over her mouth in disbelief. Her cheeks puffed out, wriggling furiously like a hamster's as she chewed. 

Amamiya maintained a calm expression, fully confident in the effectiveness of his strategy.

To be fair, the dark cuisine was already cold. Its effects were at their peak when freshly made, and they diminished over time. But for Hanako, who had never experienced real cooking before, it was still the most delicious thing she had ever tasted.

"Hanako-chan, how does it taste?" 

Chika, summoning her courage, extended her hand and gently patted Hanako's small head. 

"Y-Yummy!" 

The vengeful loli nodded repeatedly, her terrifying aura momentarily replaced by childlike delight. Her sharp, eerie features softened, making her look far more approachable. 

After quickly swallowing the food, she raised her head and demanded impatiently, "Give me all the food you have left!" 

"Hmm?" 

Amamiya glanced down at her. 

Realizing her mistake, the vengeful loli corrected herself. Clever enough to know when to yield, she quickly changed her tone. "Big Brother, I'd like more food, please!" 

"Give her another bite," Amamiya instructed. "But the rest depends on her performance." 

The principle of the carrot and the stick was a universal one. 

If you give the carrot before the stick, especially with someone like Hanako, she'd just snatch it all and refuse to listen. As for giving her everything outright? That was out of the question. 

Though Amamiya had no experience training lolis, he 'had' trained his family dog before. The process wasn't all that different.

After receiving another bite of the dark cuisine, Hanako's mood improved significantly. Her rebellious attitude seemed to dissipate, replaced by visible cooperation. 

"Hanako," Amamiya began, getting to the point. "How many people entered the school today?" 

The initial training was complete. Now, it was time to reap the rewards. 

"There are four humans in total," Hanako replied without hesitation. The mix of tough discipline and enticing rewards had successfully opened the door to cooperation. "Two boys and two girls." 

That's quite a few, Amamiya thought. 

"Do you know where they are now?" he asked. 

"I do," Hanako said nonchalantly. "They suddenly appeared in the school and started running around everywhere. They're probably dead by now." 

Chika gasped in alarm. "Will Hanamori-san be okay?" 

Amamiya turned to the quiet student, Komi. "Lend me your notebook." 

"Mm." 

Komi nodded quickly and handed over her notebook. 

Taking the pen, Amamiya sketched a quick but detailed portrait of a girl with glasses and pigtails: Hayasaka, disguised in her typical manner. 

"Have you seen her?" he asked, showing Hanako the drawing. 

Hanako hesitated briefly. 

"Honesty will be rewarded," Amamiya added. 

"I have seen her!" Hanako's eyes brightened at the promise of a reward. "This girl suddenly appeared in the bathroom. I was so excited—I wanted to play a game with her! But then I heard a strange sound, and someone said something like, 'It will be fine if you put on a hood.' She ran away after that." 

Sajuna raised an eyebrow. 

The mention of a hood was undoubtedly a reference to a narration tied to the haunted house. 

"Where is she now?" Umi asked urgently. 

Having played hide-and-seek on the ghost ship and explored the midnight mall together, Umi felt a strong bond with Hayasaka. She couldn't hide her concern. 

"When I chased her, she ran upstairs," Hanako answered truthfully. "But she was unlucky and stepped on the thirteenth step." 

Umi's eyes widened in horror. "The thirteenth step?! Isn't that the most dangerous ghost story Miss Slit Mouth warned us about?!"