"Let me confirm this again," Kanade Natsukawa said, narrowing his eyes, struggling to process what he'd just heard. "So you're saying... you starved to death because you ran out of food on your journey to find your father?"
"Yes…" the ghostly girl nodded hesitantly. Her already pale face seemed to grow even whiter under the weight of the revelation.
Kanade stared at her blankly, then asked, "Couldn't you have tried to find food somewhere? Foraged? Hunted? Asked for help?"
She quickly shook her head. "Absolutely not! I come from a noble family! How could I stoop to begging like a commoner?"
"..."
Kanade was speechless. Her naïveté was staggering.
Even the "childlike" Kaguya currently clinging to his back wouldn't find herself in such a predicament. This level of sheltered thinking was simply beyond comprehension.
He had prepared himself for a tragic, heart-wrenching backstory, but this? This was too absurd to be believed!
"So your dying wish... was to eat a decent meal?" Kanade asked skeptically.
"What?!" The ghostly girl nearly leaped out of her skin. "How rude! I'm not some glutton! My wish is to meet my fiancé—my former fiancé—and ask him why he canceled our engagement!"
Her sudden indignation was almost laughable.
Kanade sighed. "So, let me get this straight. Your final wish is for us to find your fiancé so you can... chat with him?"
"Yes," she replied earnestly. "I simply wish to understand why things ended the way they did."
Kanade rubbed his temples. "Fine. Stick close to us, and we'll help you find this fiancé of yours. But please, for the love of all that is good, stay quiet. If we fail this challenge because of you, I'm going to be very unhappy."
The girl nodded, then extended a delicate bracelet. "Wear this. It will allow me to stay near you unnoticed."
Kanade accepted the bracelet and examined it. It was finely crafted, with an intricate wooden design that looked surprisingly new despite its vintage style.
As he studied it, the ghost girl suddenly murmured, "P-please... don't touch me so much... I-I can't handle it…"
"…"
Kanade froze, wide-eyed.
"What are you talking about?! I haven't touched you!" he snapped.
Behind him, Kaguya's gaze turned ice-cold.
"It's fine, President," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Accidents happen… in the dark, right?"
"I—WHAT?! No! I didn't touch her at all!" Kanade shouted, thoroughly exasperated.
But Kaguya wasn't convinced. Huffing indignantly, she reached out and grabbed his right hand.
"From now on, I'll manage this hand personally," she declared. "We can't have the Student Council's reputation tarnished, can we?"
"…"
Kanade sighed deeply. "Fine. Do what you want."
He turned to address the ghost girl again but found her gone.
"Where'd she go?" he asked, scanning the area.
"She disappeared…" Kaguya muttered, also looking around.
"Well, I guess the bracelet's the key to finishing this task," Kanade said, pocketing the item. "Let's keep moving."
After navigating a maze of narrow corridors, the pair finally emerged into a brightly lit room.
Inside, several people dressed as "ghosts" were sitting in a circle playing cards. They all froze the moment Kanade and Kaguya entered.
"…So," Kanade said flatly. "What fresh nonsense is this?"
The ghosts exchanged glances before one of them stood and broke into a grin.
"Wow! The President made it here first! As expected of Kanade Natsukawa!"
Another added, "Come, President! Take a seat and rest while we call the organizer over!"
"Wait... What?" Kanade blinked. "So... the challenge is over? Just like that?"
Before anyone could answer, a familiar, cheerful voice rang out.
"Yes, yes! It's over, President!"
Kanade turned to see Fujiwara Chika, bounding into the room with her usual energy. She was wearing a ridiculous headband with wiggling cat ears.
"Yes! You've completed the final challenge! Congratulations!" she announced.
Kanade frowned, thoroughly confused. "Are you sure? What about the ghost girl we met? Her fiancé—"
"Don't worry about the details!" Chika interrupted, waving him off. "Just submit your stamped card, and you're done!"
Kanade sighed in defeat. There was no arguing with Fujiwara when she was like this.
As he was led to the prize counter, Kaguya leaned closer and whispered, "President, are you sure we didn't miss anything? That ghost girl's task—"
Kanade shook his head. "It's probably just a side quest. Let's not overthink it."
He glanced back at Chika, who was busy showing off her cat ears to a group of staff members.
"Although… how did she end up here? Wasn't she running a different station earlier?"
Could it be possible that she actually took his advice seriously for once?
…No. That seemed highly unlikely.