Where there are people, there is the world.
Cross that out.
Where there are people, there is business.
And when business grows to a certain scale, capital is born.
As the eldest daughter of an evil capitalist family, Kaguya Shinomiya knew well just how powerful capital could be.
So… is it possible to become a capitalist in a horror game?
Absolutely.
First off, every game copy seems to have a bunch of players. It would be a waste not to make use of them all.
Kaguya Shinomiya had received elite capitalist education from childhood. To her, people fell into two categories: those who can be used, and those who are useless.
If vengeful spirits can be exploited, why not exploit the players too?
It's the dumbest choice for a player to risk their life and grind through tasks alone. A real capitalist should control and integrate everyone, using all players to conquer the game.
I, Kaguya Shinomiya, will be a capitalist in horror games!
Of course, this is a long-term goal requiring steady work and gradual development.
Start small—say, make a hundred million first.
Bang, bang.
A gentle knock came on the door.
Kaguya turned her head and said, "Please come in."
The first official customer arrived.
"Excuse me."
A high-school-aged girl pushed the door open and stepped inside. Apparently, this horror game didn't recruit elementary or middle school students—something Kaguya had never noticed before.
"I'm Hana…" The girl introduced herself shyly, her gaze flickering toward the vengeful cow beside Amamiya Natsuki. She whispered, "Can I really exchange food with you?"
"Of course." Kaguya nodded slightly. "You know the exchange rules, right?"
"Yes, I've heard of them." The girl nodded quickly, then took a prop from her pocket. "Please give me a glass of milk."
Capitalists usually start as small merchants.
The food redemption rules were simple:
Matching blind box props could be traded for a cup of milk. The price was fair—no deception.
Though blind box items were a mixed bag (sometimes instant noodles, mineral water, or other oddities), they might come in handy in special situations.
Standing all day was tiring, so Amamiya Natsuki sat on the hospital bed. The cow ghost sat close beside him, shoulder to shoulder, looking surprisingly intimate.
Out of boredom, Amamiya Natsuki glanced curiously at the props.
[Prop: Blood-stained eraser]
[Use: Erase]
[Type: Consumable]
[Effect: Guaranteed to erase one wrong answer on a test paper. Limited uses remaining—use wisely.]
[Note: A top student once vomited blood and collapsed in the exam room. Grabbing the table with bloody hands, he helped me up. I wanted to delete the browsing history on my phone… but all I got was this eraser.]
"Um, can I exchange this eraser for food?"
The girl asked timidly.
The blood-stained eraser looked useless at first glance, and she worried whether it qualified for an exchange.
"No problem." Kaguya took the eraser, glanced at Amamiya Natsuki, and said, "Leave it to him."
No matter what the item—whether a tissue scrap or this eraser—Kaguya was happy to exchange it.
The most important thing now was to spread their reputation.
Besides, milk could be produced easily by feeding just two handfuls of leeks. It was a sure-win business.
Amamiya Natsuki nodded. "Got it."
"Wait." The beast girl ghost, who had just relaxed, sensed something was wrong and squinted suspiciously at Amamiya. "Human, what do you intend to do?"
"Of course, we're doing business." Amamiya Natsuki said matter-of-factly. "Others trade props; we provide food. Isn't that normal?"
The beast girl gritted her teeth. "I mean, what do you want to do with me?!"
"Please don't ask such simple questions." Amamiya sighed and turned. "Fujiwara, come feed the leeks."
"I'm here."
…
The beast girl ghost felt a black screen wash over her vision. She shook with anger—though, well, she couldn't shake.
Shameless!
How shameless humans were!
It would be bad enough if they just played with her body, but they weren't satisfied—they treated her like a money-making machine. How could humans be so dark-hearted!
Moments later, a glass of milk appeared out of thin air.
"Thanks."
The girl accepted the milk with a surprised look, quickly drank it, then shyly said goodbye and left under the vengeful spirit's bloodshot gaze.
Other players entered the ward one after another, trading props with Kaguya and receiving all sorts of random blind box items.
For example, a dirty marker.
[Item: Serious marker]
[Description: This pen has been used by someone to write tally marks for years, acquiring special power. It can write five tally's in a single stroke when held.]
[Note: With enough practice, it can be written in one stroke.]
Also, there was a strange red rope tying two fingers—when one person moved, the other's fingers moved along.
A master key that could open anything except locked doors.
A consumable frog toy that, when sent on a trip, would bring back local specialties—usually insects.
A mask of the hill people, which, when worn while sick, played a strange song: The big hill is sick, the second hill is looking, the third hill is picking herbs, the fourth hill is boiling…
In short, all sorts of odd props.
Transactions continued, both sides satisfied—except for Miss Wraith, who tearfully ate her leeks in despair.
"I feel like we've gone a little too far." Fujiwara Chika murmured.
Fujiwara Chika had always been kindhearted. Seeing the vengeful spirit with tears, looking near death, she felt genuine sympathy.
"It is a bit too much." Amamiya Natsuki agreed and quickly proposed a solution. "Alright, pull a strip of cloth from the bedsheet."
"Eh?" Fujiwara was puzzled. "What for?"
"We'll tie up Miss Ghost's eyes." Amamiya explained seriously. "I saw a news story on Twitter—farmers put VR glasses on cows to simulate blue skies and white clouds. The cows' milk production increased by 20%."
Seeing the ghost glare at him, he added sincerely, "We don't have VR glasses here, so cloth strips will have to do. Just imagine a barbecue dinner in your mind."
Tears welled again in the beast girl ghost's eyes. She swallowed a mouthful of leeks and said shakily, "Don't do this… You can't bully ghosts like this…"
Meanwhile, another player timidly stepped forward. A newbie who had only played once, he'd used up all his props and now had nothing. He wanted to beg for food.
"Sorry, no."
Shinomiya Kaguya refused coldly.
Businesspeople are neither philanthropists nor saints.
If milk were given away for free, what would the players who traded props think?
"But there are other ways to exchange food." Kaguya changed the subject, addressing the dejected girl. "The information you collect, anomalies you notice, or small requests we fulfill—all can be exchanged for food."
Reputation is a kind of power, after all.
If you want to be a capitalist in a horror game, you can't develop quietly. You need to build fame.
"Information…" The girl's eyes brightened. "I know something related to reality. Can I exchange it for food?"
"Yes. But please don't use false information to deceive people. The consequences are serious."
"It's true!" The girl said excitedly. "I met an old lady before. She told me that in reality, most vengeful spirits are humans transformed after death, but there are exceptions. Some people with obsessions and good hearts don't become evil spirits—they become white guardian spirits or something similar."