Picking up the prawn, Natsuki stood up as though nothing had happened and continued helping wash the ingredients.
Only after all the preparatory work was finished did Hayasaka speak again, her voice calm:
"Please leave the rest to me. You can go now, Natsuki-kun."
Natsuki nodded and pointed. "The apron's in the cupboard. Help yourself."
His cooking skills were mediocre at best—strictly average. Nothing compared to a professional maid. Washing and cutting vegetables he could barely manage, but the actual cooking was better left to the expert.
"Mm."
Hayasaka gave a slight nod, reached out, and opened the cupboard to retrieve the apron.
The next moment.
Her right hand froze in midair.
Inside the cupboard, an evil spirit resembling a spider had taken up residence. Its back was covered in densely packed crimson compound eyes. As Hayasaka opened the door, over a dozen eyes swiveled toward her in unison.
"Can you... see me?"
A hoarse, hollow voice reached her ears.
Hayasaka: "..."
Damn damn damn!
Another door jumpscare—almost gave herself away again!
Why was there an evil spirit in the cupboard?
Hadn't she just used Evil Spirit Repelling to clear the area? Could it be one that wandered in from outside?
"Can you... see me?"
Red light flickered in the spider spirit's eyes as it tried to crawl out of the cupboard.
Hayasaka silently bit the tip of her tongue. With tremendous willpower, she locked down every muscle in her face, chanting "can't see, can't see, can't see" over and over in her head. Expressionless, she reached into the cupboard, pulled out the apron, and closed the door.
Bang.
The cupboard shut.
Once she'd confirmed the spider spirit hadn't followed her out, a faint mist welled in the maid's eyes. Gritting her teeth, she turned on the faucet and began furiously scrubbing her hands.
Half an hour later.
Hayasaka emerged from the kitchen, her gaze landing on Natsuki's face. Her voice was perfectly calm.
"Everyone can wash their hands. Food is ready."
"Hm?"
Natsuki blinked.
For some reason, the maid's eyes carried an unmistakable look of resentment—like a man who'd taken his partner into a haunted house and then abandoned her inside.
After lunch.
The coin toss cooldown had just ended. It was Marin's turn to flip.
The blonde gyaru mimicked the others, breathing on the coin with a devout expression before tossing it into the air.
The result goes without saying.
Tails.
Another girl cursed with bad luck.
"Aw, what a shame."
"The bad luck's already here. Marin-chan, don't move."
They'd figured out the basic pattern by now. Being plagued by bad luck just meant being unlucky—not to the point of being rejected by the entire world. The best strategy was to sit perfectly still and weather the storm.
Kaguya took a delicate sip of her afternoon tea, her posture immaculate. "Once the bad luck wears off, we'll head out and test the bait plan."
Natsuki hadn't played any games all morning. Seizing the free time, he booted up the console. "Good luck out there."
According to Kaguya's analysis, the Reaper spirit had been in hiding because of Natsuki. That spirit had demonstrated a degree of intelligence—it knew how to avoid danger.
So Natsuki would stay home while the girls went out together—
Before they left, he'd already Copy-Pasted abilities to them. Kaguya and Chika would use the Anti-Evil Combo together, while Marin's pasted ability was Evil Spirit Repelling.
If the Reaper showed up, the three girls working in tandem should be enough to handle it.
Opening the game platform, Natsuki was about to fire up Elden Ring when he felt a gaze settle on him.
*Stare—*
He turned to find the silly young lady watching him.
"Can you play Street Fighter on the TV too?"
Kaguya asked, as casually as if she were commenting on the weather.
Natsuki took the hint and held out a controller. "Want to go a couple rounds?"
"Well, since you're offering..." Kaguya took the controller and knelt beside him, turning her face toward his. "I suppose we could play for a bit."
Their eyes met.
In that instant, both understood what the other was thinking.
"Time to settle the score!"
"..."
The first round ended quickly.
Natsuki was defeated outright.
"Hm?" He turned in surprise. "You got stronger?"
The corner of Kaguya's pink lips lifted ever so slightly. "Three days apart, and you should look upon a person with new eyes."
She had never forgotten the humiliation of that ten-game losing streak at the arcade during the Hundred Kills challenge.
I, Kaguya Shinomiya, hold grudges.
Whatever she lost, she would win back. She'd been secretly practicing the entire time.
"Not bad." Natsuki looked away. "In that case, I'll have to get serious."
Kaguya tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm just about done warming up, too."
"..."
Their eyes locked.
Gazes clashing in the air, both of them brought their absolute best, holding nothing back.
And then... Kaguya suffered another ten-game losing streak.
"I... I lost..."
She pressed both hands against the floor, utterly devastated.
All her life, aside from chest size—which she truly couldn't help—she'd been a genius girl in every other respect. She had never lost to anyone, let alone this badly.
I'll remember this grudge!
"That's enough." Natsuki set down the controller and exhaled softly, smiling. "You should probably head out soon."
"..."
Kaguya bit down hard on her lower lip and set the controller down.
Losers don't get lines.
"We're heading out to go shopping, Natsuki." Marin waved goodbye. "Stay home and be good. We'll bring you back a present."
"Let's go."
"..."
The three girls, along with maid Hayasaka, left the house to go shopping.
Natsuki didn't follow. He stayed home alone, continuing his game.
Three hours flew by.
The four girls returned safely.
"We're back, Natsuki." Marin opened the door and stepped inside.
He looked up to see the girls laden with shopping bags. "How'd it go?"
"That spirit never showed up." Marin cupped her hand beside her mouth and whispered, "It was getting dark, so we came back."
Chika patted the pitch-black butterfly ribbon on her forehead. "The sky's all gloomy. Looks like it's about to rain. Good thing we came back in time."
Natsuki glanced out the window. The sky was indeed dark and heavy—rain seemed imminent.
"Young lady, it's about time we head back."
Hayasaka reminded her quietly.
Kaguya nodded. "I know."
Chika and Marin could stay and sleep over, but she couldn't. Going out to have fun was one thing, but not coming home at night would cause problems.
But before heading back, there was one more thing to take care of...
"Natsuki." Kaguya looked up at him, her voice low. "Help me swap my ability."
Being alone at home tonight, Evil Spirit Repelling was obviously the most suitable skill.
Natsuki nodded. "Give me your hand."
"No..." Kaguya quietly hid her hand behind her back. "Go to your room."
Holding hands in front of everyone—that was way too embarrassing!