章 30: Chapter 30 [Power Stone Bonus Chapter]
"When did I become your apprentice? And how come I didn't know about it?" Chika asked, clearly puzzled.
"You've lost to her so many times in a row. If people find out, where would my pride go?" Natsuki said, crossing his fingers as if in deep thought. "I have to win back for my dignity."
"So this is all about your pride?" Chika huffed, pouting. "Give me back that confidence boost!"
"Foolish human," Miss Ghost sneered, sitting down at the gambling table and licking her lips. "You'll regret that decision soon enough."
"I'm just gonna hit the bathroom real quick."
Natsuki was back in under a minute.
"Can we start now?" Miss Ghost asked, her tone impatient.
"Sure thing," Natsuki nodded, moving to sit down.
"Hold on." Chika quickly pulled him aside, standing on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, her tone a bit worried. "You shouldn't be so cocky. If you lose, you'll lose control over your body."
"Relax," Natsuki whispered back with a grin. "I cheated."
"Huh? Wait, what?"
"…"
Natsuki walked over and took his seat across from the card table.
Chika and Rikka knelt beside them, watching the game with bated breath.
The deck had fifty-four cards, but they removed the big Joker, leaving just the little Joker. After a quick shuffle, the game began.
There wasn't much to explain—each player took turns drawing a card, discarding pairs as they went. The game moved fast, and soon they were down to the final draw.
"Human, you're destined to lose," Miss Ghost said with a wicked grin. This time, she didn't pull any tricks like she had with Chika. She simply reached out and drew a card from Natsuki's hand. "This table has a special ability. As long as one player doesn't want the game to end, it won't. Let's see how many layers you've got."
"Maybe you should look at the card you drew before making threats," Natsuki suggested calmly.
Miss Ghost glanced down, her eyes widening in shock. "…What? How is this possible?!"
She'd drawn the devil card.
"You lose," Natsuki said, tossing his remaining cards onto the table. "Time to pay up."
"H-How did we win?" Chika asked, still in disbelief.
Natsuki leaned back and said in a deep voice, "Back in the day, they called me the God of Gamblers in Sky Province. It wasn't until I took a shot to the knee that I had to give up that life."
"Amazing!"
Rikka's eyes sparkled with admiration, practically turning into stars.
Miss Ghost looked down at herself, hesitation written all over her face.
For the game, she was dressed as Harley Quinn, with colorful twin ponytails, thick smoky makeup, a cropped shirt showing her midriff, and super short denim shorts—a pretty bold look.
"Here," Miss Ghost said, handing over her bloody baseball bat.
Natsuki took the bat and said, "The game continues."
A few moments later…
Miss Ghost lost again, her frustration boiling over. "This is impossible! How could you beat me?"
"A loss is a loss," Natsuki said, unfazed. "It's a game—nobody wins all the time."
"…"
The minute-long countdown ended, and Miss Ghost, unable to do anything else, reluctantly began to remove her shirt.
Natsuki sighed, disappointed. "You're an evil spirit, and you're still wearing underwear? How underwhelming."
"Let's go again! There's no way I'll lose this time!" Miss Ghost declared, covering her chest, her determination unwavering.
"Wait, can evil spirits even feel shy?" Chika asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
"Of course not!" Miss Ghost shot back.
"Then maybe don't cover yourself while saying that," Chika teased.
"…"
The game resumed.
Miss Ghost lost again, and this time, she had to take off her denim shorts. Just like Chika, she was now down to her last piece of clothing.
"This can't be happening!" Miss Ghost's chest heaved as she struggled to accept her defeat. "Human, you must be cheating!"
"Cheating's a skill too, as long as I don't get caught," Natsuki replied coolly. "So, how exactly do you think I cheated?"
"…I'll remember you, human!" Miss Ghost hissed before her body disappeared, leaving behind a card that fell from the air.
"What the…?" Natsuki picked up the card, curious. It turned out to be a summoning card that could call upon the ghost of Harley Quinn to aid in a fight, but it was a one-time use. "Great, just what I needed… a loss in the long run."
The trick was simple, really. The bat specimens on the wall weren't just decorations—they were parts of evil spirits. They allowed Miss Ghost to peek through the wall, which was why Chika kept losing.
As we all know, bats have terrible eyesight. Once Natsuki figured out this weakness, he went to the bathroom and did a quick cheat by marking his thumb, nearly winning her last piece of clothing in the process.
"The corridor's getting brighter," Chika exclaimed softly, noticing the change in the atmosphere. "Let's hurry and find Kaguya-chan!"
.......
The three of them headed to the corridor and knocked on the door of the next ward.
"Kaguya-chan, we're here to see you… huh?" Chika was the first to enter, her eyes widening in shock. "Why are there three Kaguya-chans?"
Natsuki paused, equally surprised to see three identical Kaguya's in the room. From their clothes to their expressions, they were all exactly the same.
One Kaguya spoke first, looking pale. "I was imitated."
The second Kaguya declared, "They're both fakes."
And the third Kaguya added, "Every so often, another one shows up. They're both imposters."
Not only could this thing imitate, but it could also multiply indefinitely?
Natsuki's mind raced as he considered the situation. "Maybe we should step back for a bit."
He briefly imagined letting the imposters multiply until there were 500 Kaguya's, sending them off to work construction to earn enough money to buy a house in half a month. The thought almost made him laugh, but he knew they had to figure out how to deal with this for real.
"One, two, three…" Chika's eyes widened in disbelief as she quickly grabbed Natsuki's arm, pulling him closer. "Look, Natsuki, there are three Kaguya-chans!"
"I see them," Natsuki nodded calmly.
Three Kaguyas were manageable, but if there was ever a half-Kaguya situation, that would be truly terrifying.
They stepped into the ward.
The Kaguya on the left spoke first, "I'm the real one."
The Kaguya in the middle countered, "She's lying."
The Kaguya on the right added, "They're both fake."
"Don't worry, Kaguya-chan," Chika said with determination, clenching her fists. "I'll definitely figure out which one is the real you."
"I mean, it would be great if they were all real," Natsuki mused, looking at the trio. "Kaguya is a super genius. If we could gather 500 Kaguyas, society would leap forward by 500 years."
"That actually makes… wait, no, that's weird!" Chika shook her head, snapping out of her momentary agreement. "The monster isn't copying Kaguya-chan for fun. I saw a movie once where aliens imitated the heroine and eventually replaced her. We have to save Kaguya-chan before it's too late!"
"Right, right," Natsuki agreed.
"…But how do we figure out who's the real Kaguya?"
Chika pressed her fingers to her temples, deep in thought.
"I have an idea," Rikka chimed in quietly. "Ghosts shouldn't have body temperature, right?"
"That's brilliant!" Chika's eyes lit up. "Natsuki, Rikka, let's check their temperatures to see who's real."
With three Kaguyas and three of them, it seemed like a perfect match.
Natsuki approached the Kaguya in the middle. Everything about her—height, hairstyle, facial expression, clothes—was identical to the others. It was like they were triplets carved from the same mold.
"Kaguya-san, could you please extend your hand?" Natsuki asked.
"Of course," she replied calmly, stretching out her left hand.
Natsuki gently took her hand, feeling the faint warmth of her skin. It was smooth and soft, like the finest mutton-fat jade. Her hands were beautiful, with snow-white skin and naturally pink fingertips, untouched by any nail polish, making them look almost… appetizing.
He couldn't resist giving her hand a slight squeeze. It was warm, soft, and oddly satisfying.
He squeezed it again.
And again. He just couldn't stop.
"It's warm," Chika said, breaking the silence. "This one is the real Kaguya-chan."
Rikka chimed in next, "I can feel the temperature too."
Finally, Natsuki added, "Same here."
"Wait, what?" Chika's eyes widened in confusion. "They all have body temperature? Does that mean they're all the real Kaguya-chan?"
"Obviously not," Natsuki replied calmly. "It just means that two of them can simulate body temperature."
Rikka's aho-ge bobbed as she suggested, "Maybe try checking their breathing?"
"That's a good idea."
A moment later, Chika crossed her arms and bit her lower lip, frustration evident on her face. "They're all breathing too… Try checking their heartbeat next. There's no way they all have heartbeats, right?"
"Kaguya-chan, don't move. I need to check your heartbeat," Chika said, stepping closer to the Kaguya in front of her and pressing her hand against her chest.
Natsuki's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, seriously? You're checking that way?"
Natsuki hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself. "Kaguya-san, I'm sorry, but this has to be done."
He reached out his hand towards the Kaguya standing before him, his expression serious. Just as his fingers were about to make contact, Chika's voice rang out, cutting through the tension.
"You're a fake Kaguya-chan!" Chika pointed directly at the Kaguya in front of her, her voice firm and confident. "The real Kaguya would never let a boy touch her like this to check her heartbeat. You're definitely not Kaguya-chan!"
The Kaguya in front of Natsuki opened her mouth as if to protest, but before she could speak, cracks began to form across her face.
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