Kaguya-sama: Love Is War wants me to turn myself in.

Aside from Fujiwara Chika, Amamiya Natsuki and the silly young lady couldn't even get close to the castle gate—the mushroom man was quite dangerous; if they got close, they would definitely be forced to take off their hats for inspection, and then they would be arrested.

"I forgot about the mushrooms." Fujiwara Chika was very disappointed. "It seems we'll have to think of another way."

“We can come up with several ideas, then compare and choose the best one,” Natsuki Amamiya said in a low voice. “Let’s walk around the castle first and see if there’s a suitable place to sneak in.”

"..."

Instead of approaching the main gate, the three of them circled the castle, carefully walking through the thick snow, and soon realized that sneaking in was quite difficult.

The castle is built halfway up a mountain, with cliffs on the back and sides, in a snowy, windswept environment that would make even rock climbing enthusiasts shake their heads.

Although the players' physical abilities surpass those of ordinary people, they are not yet superhuman, and attempting to scale the wall would be fraught with danger.

“We don’t know what’s inside yet,” Natsuki Amamiya shook her head. “Even if we manage to sneak in, we can’t guarantee our safety. For example, we might be spotted by a patrolling guard.”

“That’s right.” Kaguya Shinomiya nodded slightly. “A rough infiltration is too dangerous… it’s better to go in as a diplomat.”

After a brief discussion, Natsuki Amamiya spoke up:

"Let's discuss this later. Let's finish the Red Shoes mission first."

The three turned and left, their figures quickly disappearing into the wind and snow.

A moment later.

Following the makeshift snowmen piled up along the way, the three quickly found the spy maid and her group.

Upon seeing Amamiya Natsuki and her two companions return, everyone rushed forward to greet them.

"Hanamori-chan, we're back!" Fujiwara Chika waved happily. "How did your mission go?"

Hayasaka Ai, with a scarf wrapped around her neck, subtly placed her right hand on her throat and quietly changed her voice, saying:

"Three suspected targets have been identified, and we are preparing to go there to verify them."

Finding someone is actually very simple.

In this icy world, food is the hard currency; if you offer food as a bargaining chip, people will naturally be willing to help.

As for safety... Seven dwarfs with axes and full beards stood together, exuding a murderous aura. Most people wouldn't dare to harbor any malicious thoughts.

Senior Yanzi, holding Little Red Riding Hood's hand, looked up at Natsuki Amamiya and asked:

"What were the results of your investigation?"

Amamiya Natsuki said:

"We've located the Queen's palace; let's abandon the plan and infiltrate directly for now."

Next up was Fujiwara Chika, the source of chaos, who chattered on and on, recounting what had happened.

"Hey, infiltrating disguised as a diplomat?"

The girl, Kaoru Yamashita, widened her eyes, couldn't help but stick out her tongue, and casually said, "That sounds amazing... It's a pity Snow White ran away, otherwise, she might have been able to lead us in without any trouble."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Zian Yan couldn't help but bite her lower lip.

That's right.

If it weren't for my carelessness in letting Snow White escape, I could have easily entered the palace. I had already asked her before, and she wasn't ordered to be killed by the Queen. She was just too bored and felt too oppressed in the palace, so she secretly escaped. She could have returned to the palace openly and legitimately.

Thinking of this, Zi'an Yan felt even more guilty.

It's all my fault.

“I asked when I came out this morning. The area closest to the palace is the noble district, where nobles or wealthy merchants usually live,” Hayasaka Ai said as she walked. “Miss Karen is a commoner, so she should live in the commoner district.”

Amamiya Natsuki sighed:

"In a class society like this, oppression is indeed everywhere."

Fujiwara Chika tilted her head and said, "There's nothing we can do. Even in modern society, it's impossible to achieve equality for everyone."

"Those who slay dragons will become dragons themselves." Kaguya Shinomiya crossed her arms. "This is an inherent flaw in human nature."

Tsubame Koyasu: "...This topic is too serious!"

“We’ve arrived.” Hayasaka Ai stopped and pointed. “It’s inside.”

Upon arriving in the working-class area, there were still few pedestrians on the road, but the ground was covered with many messy footprints. Occasionally, one would see local residents, most of whom sat together listlessly.

bang bang.

Hayasaka Ai stepped forward, raised her hand and knocked on the door, calling out:

"Excuse me, are you Miss Karen?"

"..."

There was no sound from inside the door.

"Could he not be home?" a random player whispered.

"You underestimated the vigilance of the native inhabitants of this world, and the footprints are still at the door." Amamiya Natsuki took a half step forward, transforming into a wicked madman. "Listen up, you inside, you don't want your door broken down, do you?"

Random player: "..."

The threat was quite effective.

A wary female voice quickly came from inside the house: "What do you want with me?"

Amamiya Natsuki said neither humbly nor arrogantly:

“We are the old lady’s long-lost relatives. We heard that Cousin Karen had moved to the city, so we came to visit her.”

"..."

The door opened a crack, and a woman peered out warily from behind it.

The lighting was dim, making it difficult to see the woman's face clearly. However, it was clear that she was a young woman with some red hair, though her figure was unclear.

Amamiya Natsuki took out a fruit cake: "Excuse me, are you Cousin Karen? This is a gift we prepared."

Upon seeing the cake, the woman's eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly opened the door, saying:

"That's right, that's me."

"little Red Riding Hood?"

Zian Yan looked down at the little girl she was leading the way.

Little Red Riding Hood opened her eyes wide and looked over, then quickly shook her head: "She's not Sister Karen."

"It seems I've mistaken you for someone else."

Natsuki Amamiya sighed and put the cake away.

The woman immediately panicked and grabbed Amamiya Natsuki's arm. "My name is indeed Karen... If you give me the food, I can sleep with you."

“Miss, please have some self-respect.” Amamiya Natsuki said sternly, brushing the woman’s hand away. “I am a respectable person.”

"Bah~"

The secretary couldn't help but let out a soft spit, crossing her arms over her chest, her pretty face slightly flushed.

A decent person wouldn't put their hand inside someone else's clothes!

"You're really serious, senior."

Hayasaka Ai smiled and looked over, but her eyes were full of disdain.

"Fellow student..."

Zian Yan remained silent.

There may be virtuous people in the world, but you are definitely not one of them.

Only the silly young lady had a slight upturn at the corners of her lips, unaware of Amamiya Natsuki's shameless behavior.

After confirming that she wasn't the woman he was looking for, Amamiya Natsuki decisively broke free from her advances and moved on to his next target.

Using the same coercive and enticing methods, a girl with short red hair nervously opened the door, her eyes wary.

The little girl who was leading the way opened her eyes wide, carefully examined the surroundings, and then happily exclaimed:

"It's Sister Karen!"

"You are……?"

The red-haired girl looked confused, clearly not recognizing him.

“Very good.” Natsuki Amamiya took out the red dancing shoes from her game inventory. “I’ve found you.”

Upon seeing the red dancing shoes in Amamiya Natsuki's hand, the red-haired girl's eyes widened, and her body trembled slightly.

pat.

The red dancing shoes trembled, leaped from Amamiya Natsuki's hands, and landed on the ground.

at the same time.

All players participating in the mission heard the game notification sound.

You have successfully found Karen within the allotted time; the side quest is now complete.

Your overall rating has improved.

Side quest rewards will be distributed after clearing the dungeon, so please keep trying!

Side quests can be shared, but the more people participate, the less reward each person receives in the end. In addition, the more side quests completed and the higher the overall rating, the greater the corresponding base reward.

In short, the more tasks the better.

Under the watchful eyes of the group, the Red Shoes did not seek revenge by making the girl Karen dance to her death, but instead stopped in front of Karen.

Looking at her once-favorite red dancing shoes, Karen covered her face and burst into tears.

Whether the red dancing shoes had communicated with Karen on a spiritual level or not, Karen quickly wiped away her tears, thanked Amamiya Natsuki and the others, then washed up, put on the red dancing shoes, and began to dance.

Natsuki Amamiya stood in the corner, watching the red-shoeed dancers perform, and whispered to Tsubame Koyasu:

"To be honest, the senior's dancing is better."

Zian Yan whispered:

"I didn't dance in front of you... that was gymnastics."