"Pick a candy."
A cold, hoarse voice whispered from the darkness.
"Hey, who's talking?" Fujiwara Chika's voice trembled nervously.
"It's your 'neighbor' next door," Amamiya Natsuki said, eyes fixed on the pale hand stretched beneath the stall door. "Exactly as you said—two candies, one red and one blue. And it's asking me to choose."
"There's someone next door!" Fujiwara's voice rose in alarm.
"No doubt it's a vengeful spirit," Natsuki muttered, unable to hide his disdain. "Look at that hand—pale, scarred all over. How could you mistake it for anything else?"
"I'm sorry," Fujiwara stammered guiltily. "Amamiya-san, you've seen that street experiment, right? When someone's on the phone, and you ask a stranger for help, they'll usually do it. I didn't think much, and just grabbed the candy when someone suddenly offered it."
"Now's not the time for that discussion," Shinomiya Kaguya said coldly. "Why would the guy next door suddenly give me candy? What happens if I eat it?"
If a stranger shows you kindness for no reason, they're either a traitor or a thief.
Kaguya was sharply on guard.
She wouldn't eat candy from a stranger, especially one who was a vengeful spirit.
A cold voice answered Kaguya's question:
"Blue body, red life."
"What do you mean?" Fujiwara asked curiously.
Amamiya Natsuki's eyes sharpened as a text prompt appeared before him:
[Choosing the blue candy will cost you a body organ. Choosing the red candy will cost you your life.]
Taking candy from a vengeful spirit always demands a price—nothing comes free.
"That's way too high a price!" Fujiwara shouted. "It's just candy!"
"Pick a candy," the pale hand waved again, impatience dripping from the voice.
Natsuki's expression remained calm as he suddenly asked:
"Why can I only choose one?"
The voice from the stall was startled.
"What do you mean?"
"I choose to take them both."
"...Can."
The ghost was silent for two seconds, then murmured, "All for you."
"Wait—another question," Natsuki continued, still not reaching for the candy. "Have your candies expired?"
"…"
The spirit was completely dumbfounded.
Why on earth was this human concerned about shelf life?
"Have your candies passed the Food Safety Protection Act?"
Natsuki went on slowly.
This is a school full of evil spirits. Where would the food safety auditors come from?
Clearly, this human was mocking him!
"Nothing! Nothing at all!"
The vengeful spirit's wrath exploded. His blue-gray nails lengthened sharply as he growled,
"Human, pick a candy now!"
Unfazed, Natsuki warned: "Producing and selling unlicensed food is a serious offense. Are you sure you want to go down this path?"
Bang! Bang!
Loud knocks rattled the stall door.
"Stop talking and choose a candy!"
The spirit was on the brink of madness.
"If you won't listen, then I have no choice."
Natsuki sighed, facing the challenge head-on. Grabbing the wrist of the ghost, he said seriously:
"You're under arrest."
"Meow?"
An unbelievable voice came from Fujiwara, still trapped inside the stall.
Why was Natsuki arresting the spirit who had been harassing him?
"Human, you're courting death."
The ghost's voice was cold and grim.
Vengeful spirits don't fear police.
"Don't get the wrong idea—the reason I'm arresting you isn't because of selling unlicensed candy." Natsuki's tone was steady. Then he paused, "…Is this the women's restroom?"
"Why is a boy in the girls' restroom?"
Wraith: "…"
Was he losing focus?
"So you're a perverted voyeur!" Fujiwara blurted out.
"I'm not! I'm not!"
The ghost quickly denied it.
"Did you hear the school-wide wanted notice just now?" Natsuki continued calmly. "Our location is broadcast every ten minutes. It's almost time. If someone finds you hiding here, what do you think will happen?"
Wraith: "…"
Death.
And a miserable one.
Though vengeful spirits, some basic human order remained.
A boy in the girls' restroom would be branded a voyeur—no matter what.
If the ghost girls went berserk, they'd tear him apart in minutes.
Thinking of this, the spirit tried to escape.
He had a special ability to teleport between restrooms and avoid capture.
But he found his wrist firmly held.
"Human, let go of my hand…"
The spirit threatened.
"Shut up," Natsuki interrupted calmly. "Open the door and let them out."
"…"
Really? Humans dared threaten vengeful spirits?
Did they think spirits were easy targets?
"Ah! It's open now."
Fujiwara exclaimed softly, opening the door and stepping out with cold Miss Kaguya.
"Fujiwara-san, return the candy."
"Okay!"
She hurriedly handed back the candy.
The spirit silently took it, not daring to refuse.
"Let's go."
Only then did Natsuki release his grip.
Once you admit defeat, you get weaker.
The three slipped out of the bathroom.
"The broadcast will come again soon," Kaguya reminded them.
"Let's go to the rooftop."
Fujiwara raised her hand.
As they spoke, the broadcast rang out, again announcing their location.
The academy grew restless.
They rushed up the stairs, eager to hide on the rooftop.
At the top, the door was locked.
"Don't worry," Fujiwara touched the hairpin in her hair. "I can pick locks with this."
Such an advanced skill—what a special girl.
"How long to pick the lock?" Natsuki asked.
"Three to five minutes."
Natsuki immediately headed back down.
"Let's go."
If they waited three to five minutes, they'd be easy prey.
Turning the corner, they bumped into a tall ghost in a suit surrounded by black mist. His resentment shifted into various terrifying forms.
A text prompt appeared before Natsuki:
[Level: Director of Studies]
[Exploitable weakness: The ultimate cat slave—he won't harm cats, even as a vengeful spirit]
Da da da.
The terrifying ghost with just a pair of beautiful legs appeared again behind them.
Once again, a wolf in front, a tiger behind.
Natsuki quickly pulled out the cat ear hair accessories and glanced at Kaguya, whose pale face repeatedly flashed the words:
[How scary, so scary, so scary.]
"Kaguya-san, turn into a cat girl quickly!"