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

"Thanks for the compliment."

Hayasaka Ai gritted her teeth and began to help him put on the clothes, but unfortunately, after trying for a while, she still couldn't get them on, and the difficulty was getting greater and greater.

Amamiya Natsuki coughed lightly and lowered her voice:

"Hasaka-chan can try to help in other ways."

"..."

Hayasaka Ai straightened her pretty face, stood up expressionlessly, and turned to walk towards the drawer.

Amamiya Natsuki asked, puzzled:

"what are you going to do?"

"Find the scissors." The spy maid turned her head, a smile on her face. "Indeed, the best way is to just cut it off."

Amamiya Natsuki: "..."

After some playful banter and getting dressed, the rest is self-explanatory.

Time flies.

Before we knew it, it was seven o'clock in the evening.

The dinner party officially started.

Kaguya Shinomiya wore a white dress. Ever since the appearance of the yandere rich girl, Kaguya has started to favor white to distinguish herself. After dressing up carefully, her charm is extremely high, and she becomes the focus of the banquet.

Amamiya Natsuki also saw Shinomiya Untaka, who was also seen by the middle-aged man, but made no move to speak to him.

There were quite a few people attending the banquet. Aside from Kaguya, Amamiya Natsuki didn't know anyone else, so she was happy to have some peace and quiet and ate alone in a corner. She had only taken a couple of bites when a girl in an evening gown approached, extended her right hand, and excitedly said:

"Natsuki-kun, we meet again."

Chapter 653 Natsuki: What if I wanted to marry ten?

"Natsuki-kun, we meet again."

A girl in an evening gown, revealing her snow-white back and graceful neck, extended her right hand and smiled:

"I'm sorry, our last meeting was too rushed. Please allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Mitsui Reiko. Nice to meet you."

Natsuki Amamiya gave a polite, light handshake in response:

"Please give me more advice."

I still remember our first meeting was at the 'ghost bus' checkpoint behind the door. Although this girl didn't have a mental breakdown like the others and could barely maintain her rationality, you could actually see the despair hidden in her eyes.

However, their energy and spirit are completely different today.

The door was broken, the mark of despair disappeared, which was equivalent to a rebirth for ordinary people. Mitsui Reiko showed a very elegant and charming temperament, only slightly inferior to Kaguya.

Reiko Mitsui said softly:

"After leaving through that door, I've always wanted to thank Natsuki-kun in person, but I didn't have his contact information. It wasn't until recently that I finally remembered that I had met Kaguya-kun before, so I held today's banquet. Please forgive me."

It's actually a lie.

Although Kaguya is the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, she has three older brothers, each several decades older than her. There are no banquets for her to attend, so they have never met.

The way she was able to find Kaguya was actually quite simple—

When Natsuki Amamiya and Kaguya entered the room, they weren't wearing masks, so it was obvious they were high school students.

The Japanese island region has many dialects, including Kanto dialect, Kansai dialect, and the local dialect of Hokkaido, which can narrow down the area.

At the same time, Kaguya Shinomiya's physical characteristics are also very obvious - one of the three most beautiful girls in the school, with beauty that no one can deny.

JK, a high school student.

She is extremely beautiful.

black hair.

Red eyes.

Based on these characteristics, Kaguya's identity was quickly confirmed.

Once Kaguya is found, Natsuki Amamiya's identity will naturally be revealed.

"It's okay, it's my first time attending a banquet, and it feels very novel."

Natsuki Amamiya knew that the other party might not be telling the truth, but she didn't care. She was more concerned about the real purpose of the dinner. If it was just to express her gratitude, she could have paid a visit in person. There was no need to hold a dinner.

"Actually, I don't like attending banquets either. It feels like everyone's just putting on an act, and we can't even eat to our hearts' content. A lot of delicious food is wasted," Mitsui Reiko muttered under her breath. Then, she tilted her head curiously and asked, "Natsuki-kun, what happened after we left that door? Why did the marks on our bodies disappear?"

"A lot of things happened after that..."

Natsuki Amamiya casually recounted what happened next.

"Amazing!"

Reiko Mitsui's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but exclaim softly, "To be able to step forward in such a dangerous place and save others, Natsuki-kun is truly a kind person."

Hey, you should stick the label of "kindness" on other people. You don't want to be some kind of great philanthropist yourself!

Natsuki Amamiya took a sip of juice and spoke frankly:

"Saving you was just a side effect."

Reiko Mitsui: "..."

"Ahem, anyway, we are all extremely grateful to Natsuki-kun for saving our lives." Mitsui Reiko coughed twice and continued, "After I got back, I specifically asked my dad, and it seems there's no Paranormal Investigation Bureau?"

“That’s right, there really isn’t.” Amamiya Natsuki said calmly. This girl had probably investigated a lot of things before coming here, so there was no need for her to hide anything. “It’s just to gain trust.”

Reiko Mitsui pursed her lips, raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and asked in a low voice:

"Excuse me, are Natsuki-kun and Kaguya-san... both players?"

Amamiya Natsuki looked on calmly and said:

"You should have investigated this thoroughly by now, right?"

"I'm sorry." Reiko Mitsui bowed in apology, her evening gown drooping downwards under the force of gravity, revealing its deep white color and genuine sincerity. "I did conduct some simple investigations before."

"I didn't mean to be angry, don't be nervous." Amamiya Natsuki waved her hand, picked up a piece of watermelon and ate it. "After all, many players asked the police for help when they were first selected, but no one believed them."

That's right. Many unlucky players did call the police for help when they were first selected by the game. It's perfectly normal for ordinary people to seek official help when suddenly caught up in mysterious events and facing the death threat of evil spirits and monsters. There's nothing wrong with that.

Unfortunately, ordinary people cannot see the evil spirits in reality, and players cannot prove that what they say is true. When the police hear this, they just assume that the players have mental problems, such as bipolar disorder or hallucinations.

It wasn't until later, when players opened rare items from blind boxes or gained special abilities, that the official team finally confirmed the existence of the 'player' group, but that was all.

Firstly, the number of players is small and their distribution is irregular. Secondly, the abilities displayed by those players recruited by the official team are not particularly impressive—do we need to pay attention to weaklings who can be taken down with a single shot by an American-style Iaijutsu?

Of course not.

It wasn't until recently, with the continuous emergence of ghost stories, that players finally attracted the official's real attention.

Reiko Mitsui took a deep breath and said softly:

"Natsuki-kun, do you still remember the plane crash last month?"

Upon hearing this, Natsuki Amamiya raised an eyebrow slightly and said:

"Wasn't the engine malfunction caused by a bird hitting it?"

“That’s the official statement…” Reiko Mitsui shook her head slightly. “I heard from my father that there was no bird strike on the plane. Everything was normal during the flight, but before the plane crashed, all the staff in the control tower heard strange hissing sounds and eerie laughter that didn’t sound like humans.”

"..."

Natsuki Amamiya remained silent.

"This is just one of the global news stories that has had such a huge impact that it can't be covered up. There are actually many other unreported strange tales and incidents." Reiko Mitsui continued, "About two weeks ago, the Mayflower cruise ship was on a global voyage when it mysteriously disappeared while passing through the Pacific Ocean. All radars in the world could not detect its presence until it reappeared a few days ago. However, after people were sent ashore, all the hundreds of tourists and all the staff on board disappeared without a trace. There was no living thing left."

"There are ghost stories involving text messages. The recipient will see their last photograph and die in the corresponding scene..."

"Some people have seen the people in the painting move."

"Some people see an old woman selling shumai at a night market on their way home from get off work late at night. She is forced to buy shumai and then mysteriously disappears."

“These are just the tip of the iceberg.” Reiko Mitsui said solemnly, “There are more and more strange tales that cannot be explained by science, but they are not known to ordinary people. Many people face these strange tales and even pay with their lives, but they cannot harm them in the slightest. Ordinary firearms have no effect on them. Exorcists, Onmyoji, mediums, monks, and shrine maidens are also unable to eliminate these strange tales.”

In the real world, stability trumps everything.

Even if ghost stories happen around you, those in power won't let ordinary people know, unless it's absolutely necessary to hide them.

"Until I met Natsuki-kun on the ghost bus..." Mitsui Reiko looked up, her face showing a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. "Do all the players have the ability to solve ghost stories?"

That's obvious, the axe has already chopped down the evil spirit, you wouldn't believe it even if I denied it!

Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said:

"Theoretically speaking, both are possible."

"Really?"

Reiko Mitsui excitedly grasped Natsuki Amamiya's right hand.

"Don't get too excited yet," Amamiya Natsuki poured cold water on the idea. "Players vary in strength. Newbie players aren't much stronger than you ordinary players when they encounter ghost stories."

“It’s okay, as long as there is hope, that’s enough.” Reiko Mitsui said excitedly, “The most terrifying thing in this world is despair. As long as there is hope, even just a sliver, it can cheer people up.”

Amamiya Natsuki pondered for a moment, then decided to reveal a little more information:

"You should have heard about the ways players can become stronger from other people, right?"

“That’s right.” Reiko Mitsui bit her lip, her tone somewhat resentful. “Unlike that door, although the players are also in great danger, there are rewards for their efforts.”

Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said:

"When players encounter ghost stories, they will trigger a world guardian mission. According to the game's explanation, those ghost stories actually came from an invasion from another world."

Even if you don't say anything, other players will trigger it, so it doesn't matter.

"Huh?" Mitsui Reiko's eyes widened. "Another world?"

Amamiya Natsuki said:

"Since ghost stories have appeared, it's normal for other worlds to exist, right?"

“What’s normal about this?” Mitsui Reiko couldn’t help but complain. “Humans haven’t even left Earth, and now some other world has appeared. It’s unbelievable.”

Natsuki Amamiya said in a subtle tone: