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

There was no pale, vengeful spirit lying below, only dust covering the floor and a beer can that had somehow rolled under the bed.

"Thankfully, there weren't any crumpled pieces of paper lying around."

Amamiya Natsuki stood up while complaining, her gaze falling on the single bed, and then she sighed helplessly.

Since we're already here, we should naturally check everything, from the pockets of our clothes to the seams of the bed.

“There’s nothing in the pockets…and nothing in this one either.” Natsuki Amamiya, wearing a mask and gloves, checked the clothes. “Hey, you even threw your smelly socks on the bed. How are you supposed to sleep at night? And there’s a hole in it too. Is this the tragedy of a middle-aged single dog?”

Throwing the socks aside, Natsuki Amamiya continued searching for clues. She picked up a pillow from the bed and found something under it.

"photo?"

Natsuki Amamiya raised an eyebrow slightly and picked up the photo.

The photo shows a mother and daughter. The daughter, Mieko, looks to be just starting elementary school. Next to her is a beautiful woman with a daring hairstyle, gentle features, and smiling eyes. It is obviously the mother.

A notification appeared quietly in front of me.

[After careful searching, you have successfully discovered an important clue... Wife, please return to my side.]

"Senior, what have you discovered?"

Hayasaka Ai leaned closer.

Amamiya Natsuki handed over the photo: "A photo."

“Hmm, generally speaking, only things you hold in your hand before going to sleep are put under your pillow, like your phone.” Hayasaka Ai pursed her pink lips and analyzed, “This photo must be very important to Dr. Sato, he was looking at it before going to sleep… Could it be what the mission is looking for?”

Amamiya Natsuki shook her head and said:

"The mission was not completed."

“Then it’s not.” Hayasaka Ai blinked. “Since this photo is under my pillow, it must be something very important… What could the answer be?”

Amamiya Natsuki said:

"Photographs are just a medium; what's truly important is the person."

"Huh?" Hayasaka Ai's eyes lit up. "What you said makes sense! There are only two people in the photo. My daughter, Mieko, once came to the hospital to play. If we rule out my daughter... could it be my wife?"

Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said:

"Very well, continue."

“Generally speaking, doctors pay great attention to hygiene. The fact that Dr. Sato’s room is so dirty and messy could be due to his personality, or it could be because he has given up on himself…” Hayasaka Ai rested her chin on her right hand and continued to reason, “Men are creatures who only know how to cherish something after they lose it… Nurse Tachibana said that Dr. Sato and his wife were childhood sweethearts, and everyone said it was a pity when they divorced… The truly precious thing is actually Mrs. Sato?”

"Senior, take out your phone," Hayasaka Ai said excitedly. "Let's try making a call. If we can get Mrs. Sato to change her mind, maybe the mission will be accomplished."

Upon hearing this, Natsuki Amamiya took out her phone and opened her contacts. There were only a handful of contacts in it: her parents, colleagues, and her daughter Mieko. She could count them on two hands.

"Why isn't there a phone call from Mrs. Sato?" Hayasaka Ai frowned slightly.

“This is where the daughter’s role comes into play.”

Natsuki Amamiya looked at Mieko in the contact list and pointed with his finger.

After a few beeps, the call was quickly connected, and a little girl's voice came from the other end: "Daddy?"

Amamiya Natsuki paused for two seconds and then said, "Eh."

"Perverted senior, don't go too far." Hayasaka Ai reached out her right hand and pinched Amamiya Natsuki's waist, her eyes filled with disgust. "Just how much do you guys like to hear others call you 'daddy'?!"

"Dad, why aren't you saying anything?"

On the phone, her daughter, Mieko, sounded puzzled.

Amamiya Natsuki quickly replied:

"Have your mother answer the phone."

"Okay," the elementary school student said cheerfully, "Dad, wait a minute."

A short while later, her daughter's voice came through the phone again: "I gave the phone to Mom."

"..."

There was a quick silence on the other end of the phone, clearly waiting for Natsuki Amamiya to speak.

Amamiya Natsuki turned to Hayasaka, her eyes asking, "What do we do now?"

"You're so good at charming girls, you don't need me to teach you, right?" Hayasaka Ai looked at him with disdain. "You just need to perform normally."

When a couple divorces, there must be reasons why they can't go on together. It's unlikely that a single phone call will change their mind. To be honest, Natsuki Amamiya really has no experience with this.

After thinking for a few seconds, Natsuki Amamiya decided to use the harem survival strategy she had taught the hatchet-wielding boy.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong, please forgive me!"

"..."

After a brief silence, the call was abruptly ended.

"Okay, it failed." Natsuki Amamiya put down her phone helplessly. "It wasn't that simple after all."

Fortunately, the woodcutter Kobayashi-kun wasn't nearby. If he had failed at the very first step of the apology, his Dao heart might have collapsed.

"Try making a few more calls, senior," Hayasaka Ai said, arms crossed. "Didn't you tell Kobayashi-kun that with enough effort, even an iron rod can be ground into a needle?"

Natsuki Amamiya said expressionlessly:

"I am also a person with self-respect."

"Tch." Hayasaka Ai scoffed. "I told Kobayashi-kun before that the first step for a harem scumbag is to abandon his pride and self-esteem."

"..."

As she spoke, Fujiwara Chika waved and called out, "I found a box in the drawer, come here."

Amamiya Natsuki and Hayasaka Ai walked over together.

It was a plain black gift box, unlocked, and kept in a separate drawer.

“It’s very light inside…” Fujiwara Chika shook the box, and a sound came from inside. “I don’t know what it is.”

"Open it and take a look, it shouldn't be a trap."

Amamiya Natsuki reached out and opened the box. Inside were two amulets and a yellowed envelope.

"This is... a love charm?"

Upon picking it up, Natsuki Amamiya was surprised to discover that this thing was actually a prop.

[Item: Love Amulet]

[Status: Sealed, wish unfulfilled, unusable, cannot be taken out of the dungeon]

[Note: You need to break the seal before you can use this item]

"Eh, it's actually a prop?" Fujiwara Chika curiously took the amulet. "It feels like a love amulet from Izumo Taisha Shrine. A friend of mine bought a similar one... but unfortunately, it doesn't work."

Amamiya Natsuki picked up the envelope again, opened it, and found a stack of yellowed letters inside.

"Hey, is this a love letter from the shoe cabinet?" Fujiwara Chika leaned over to take a look. "The beginning is similar to all the love letters from the shoe cabinet I've received."

Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at Chika, her gaze subtle.

"What? That look is so mean." Fujiwara Chika puffed out her cheeks. "I've been receiving love letters from the shoe cabinet since elementary school, okay?"

Hayasaka Ai said from the side:

"It's normal for Chika-senpai to be popular since she's so cute, right?"

“That’s right.” Fujiwara Chika put her hands on her hips and raised her chin proudly. “From childhood to adulthood, I’ve received so many love letters that I can’t count them on two hands.”

Come to think of it, this pink-haired secretary is indeed very cute. When he doesn't reveal his true, amusing nature, his appearance is quite deceptive.

Even the former Ice Princess Kaguya was confessed to in middle school, which just goes to show that the world is never short of brave souls.

"These love letters in the shoe cabinet are specially kept in a box, and even placed with the love charms, they must be important too, right?" Hayasaka Ai crossed her arms. "But how should we use them?"

"I have an idea……"

As Natsuki Amamiya looked at the love letters in the shoe cabinet in her hand, a bright prompt appeared before her eyes.

After careful observation, you decided to read aloud in front of your daughter...

Reading aloud love letters written in the shoe cabinet during high school in front of your daughter is tantamount to public torture.

Fortunately, Natsuki Amamiya has a very thick skin and doesn't feel ashamed.

I took out my phone and dialed the number again.

After a few beeps, the call was quickly connected.

"dad?"

Mieko's soft voice rang out.

"Eh."

"Mom's right here, do you want to give the phone to her?"

"No need to give me anything, I just want to say a few words."

Natsuki Amamiya cleared her throat, looked at the envelope, and began to read aloud.

"Dad, what are you reading?"

"A love letter to my mother."

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"..."

As the love letter was being read aloud, the woman's shy voice finally came from the other end of the phone: "That's enough, stop reading."

"Unless you forgive me."

"Didn't you say when we got divorced that we wouldn't bother each other anymore?"

"I regret."

"..."

Experience has shown that when conflicts arise, someone always has to back down first.

Faced with Natsuki Amamiya's 'sincere' apology, the wife's voice on the other end of the phone finally softened.