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

"This is the last bus of the day..."

Natsuki Amamiya raised her axe and calmly said:

"I didn't hear you clearly, please say it again."

Ghost driver: "..."

I'll say it again, your head really will be chopped off!

"Actually, there's another bus." The ghost driver changed the subject, choosing to be pragmatic. "I'll turn back right away."

Amamiya Natsuki then put away her axe and said slowly and deliberately:

"We didn't get off the bus, so we don't need to pay the fare again, right?"

The ghost driver shook his head: "No need."

Amamiya Natsuki sat back down next to the young lady, not forgetting to remind her:

"Then let's go. Don't forget to obey traffic rules. There are many roads, but safety is the most important. Reckless driving will bring tears to your loved ones' eyes."

"..."

The ghost bus slowly turned around and headed back the way it came.

Speechless all the way.

The return journey was unusually quiet; nothing happened. The evil spirit passengers from before had already disembarked, and only human passengers remained on the bus.

After an unknown amount of time, someone suddenly called out softly:

"Look at the platform outside."

"Does this look like the platform we just came in to take shelter from the rain at?"

"Yes."

"That's it, I remember it clearly."

"..."

Returning to the familiar place, everyone except Natsuki Amamiya and Kaguya had extremely complicated feelings. When they passed through the Gate of Despair and arrived at the bus stop, many of them had prepared for death, but now they were all unharmed, which felt like an unbelievable dream.

The ghost bus did not stop, but slowly drove past the opposite side of the station, then drove forward another hundred or two meters before quietly coming to a stop.

A lone notice board appeared before everyone's eyes.

After reading the text on the sign, the human passengers' emotions, which had just calmed down, became extremely complicated again.

"It says...the final stop?"

"So, the final stop was right across the street?"

"Damn it! We've all been played!"

"..."

"Tsk~"

Looking at the words "Final Station" on the sign, even the young lady couldn't help but smack her lips slightly.

Excessive.

unacceptable!

Unexpectedly, the final stop was just across the street, but it was obscured by the torrential rain and darkness, and no one noticed it.

If someone were to fight their way to the very end, only to find that the final destination is not far from the gates of despair, and could be reached in just a few steps, they would surely be driven to despair and collapse.

"We've arrived at the final stop," the ghost driver said in a hoarse voice. "Passengers who wish to alight, please prepare to disembark promptly."

Amamiya Natsuki stood up and said:

"Everyone can get off the bus now."

"..."

No one objected; the human passengers, who were already impatient, hurriedly followed Amamiya Natsuki off the train.

After stepping off the ghost bus, I discovered that the torrential rain had silently stopped. Next to the terminal station stood a red wooden door—the Door of Despair.

"The 'door' has appeared!"

Upon seeing the Gate of Despair, someone immediately shouted excitedly.

The girl in the dinosaur pajamas was extremely nervous and whispered:

"It's this door. I was sleeping at home, and I only appeared here after I pushed it open... How did it reappear?"

Ms. Sakura, her voice trembling with excitement, explained:

"This is the exit door. We have completed our mission. Push the door open and we can return to the real world."

As a 'veteran player,' I know very well that this door connecting reality and illusion will only appear after completing the mission. In other words, this is the real final stop, and the terrifying ghost bus journey has finally come to an end.

Upon hearing this, the girl in the dinosaur pajamas' eyes immediately brightened, and she said with tears in her eyes:

"I...I want to go home!"

The girl in the dinosaur pajamas took a couple of steps, then suddenly stopped, turned around, and stood in front of Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya. She took a deep breath, bowed ninety degrees, and thanked them profusely, saying:

"Thank you so much... thank you so much..."

Amamiya Natsuki looked away and said:

"It's just a little effort."

Hey, you can say thank you, but you don't need to bow so forcefully. Don't forget you're not wearing anything under your pajamas, and your little bunny is hopping around!

The others followed suit, bowing deeply to Natsuki Amamiya and Kaguya in gratitude. They felt they could never repay their life-saving kindness; without Natsuki Amamiya and Kaguya, it was highly likely that none of them would have made it to the final stop alive.

Amamiya Natsuki looked at Kaguya and said softly:

"The door color is wrong."

“Indeed.” Kaguya Shinomiya nodded slightly, carefully observing the Gate of Despair. “The color seems a bit lighter, not as deep as before?”

Amamiya Natsuki narrowed her eyes slightly, then said:

"The idea is correct. The purpose of this door being here is to absorb human despair. Now that it has not absorbed any despair, the color will naturally fade."

Kaguya Shinomiya crossed her arms and pondered upon hearing this:

"So the next goal is to make the door's color continue to fade, and then observe the changes in the door."

"..."

At this moment, the middle-aged woman suddenly sighed softly and said:

"I hope I can run into you again next time I come in."

Hearing this, a gloomy atmosphere once again descended upon the passersby.

The gates of despair have no end.

Once chosen by the gate, life is left with only one path: to die in despair.

This time, Natsuki Amamiya and Kaguya led the team to victory, but they might not be so lucky next time.

"Don't worry," Kaguya Shinomiya said softly. "Our goal here is to destroy the Gate of Ghost Stories."

"Eh eh eh?"

Can ghost stories really be destroyed?

"For example, if we destroy the ghost stories, will we never need to enter this door again?"

"..."

Upon hearing Kaguya's words, the morale that had just plummeted suddenly soared, and hope and expectation ignited in everyone's eyes.

Natsuki Amamiya carefully observed the Gate of Despair and noticed that the red on the gate had dimmed slightly again. She smiled and said:

“Although we are not from the Bureau of Investigation, we are not ordinary people either. We have a lot of experience in handling related matters... You can go back now. If nothing unexpected happens, the mark of the door on you will disappear by tomorrow, and you will never encounter this door again.”

If anyone else had said this, no one would have believed it; they would have just dismissed it as the ramblings of someone who had suffered a mental breakdown. But Amamiya Natsuki was different. Along the way, she had already carved out her formidable reputation as the "God of Buses" with her axe. Whatever Amamiya Natsuki said now, they would believe.

Now that they heard that Natsuki Amamiya and Kaguya were going to stay and end the ghost story, these unlucky guys were overjoyed and excited, and stepped forward again to express their gratitude.

The yakuza man who had been kicked away by Natsuki Amamiya earlier bowed deeply and said:

"My sister is really cute, and she's never had a boyfriend before. Would you like to consider her..."

Amamiya Natsuki waved her hand and said:

"roll."

"……Hi!"

That's all for now.

One by one, these unfortunate souls pushed open the door to despair and returned to the real world.

Natsuki Amamiya looked at Rinko Sakura and instructed her:

"Ms. Sakura, there may be other people in the room after you go out. Don't be nervous, they are our partners."

Kaguya Shinomiya handed over a page from her diary, containing information she had just written on the bus, and said softly:

“Ms. Sakura, if you can’t explain it clearly, just hand them the pages of your diary.”

Sakura Rinko carefully took the diary pages, tucked them into her bosom, and then said solemnly:

"I understand... You must take care. If you can't eliminate the ghost stories, don't force it. We'll think of another way later."

When we first met, Ms. Sakura was a hysterical woman on the verge of a breakdown. Now, she has regained her composure and rationality, and exudes the aura of a strong woman.

It must be said that humans are indeed creatures that crave hope.

As Sakura Rinko was the last to enter the room, the surroundings suddenly fell silent, leaving only Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya... well, and a pitiful ghost driver who wanted to run away but dared not.

Natsuki Amamiya and Kaguya waited quietly.

Time passed second by second, and after a moment, the Gate of Despair quietly dimmed and then vanished into thin air.

"It seems Hai Meng and the others won't be able to come."

Amamiya Natsuki spoke calmly, as she had expected it and therefore was not very disappointed.