The countdown echoed in Amamiya Natsuki's mind.
"Hey, I'm hearing some kind of weird countdown!" Fujiwara Chika covered her ears, tilting her head and slapping the sides of her head like a child trying to fix a bad signal. The little rabbit on her chest bounced with her. "Did you hear it too?"
Unfortunately, no one responded.
This wasn't just a countdown—it was a death sentence!
Amamiya Natsuki glanced silently at Shinomiya Kaguya, the corners of his mouth twitching.
What a disaster.
Team formation was actually forced! You didn't even need to confirm it!
"…I'm sorry." As the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, she knew how to take responsibility for her actions. Cowards ran away—she bit her lip, eyes full of guilt. "I just got a system notification. To improve player experience, team formation has been optimized. Now, as long as there's physical contact… it automatically triggers."
Optimized? This was sabotage!
"I didn't touch anyone though… Did I?"
Natsuki frowned. It would've been fine if only Fujiwara Chika got pulled in—but why him?
Was eye contact enough to count?
Kaguya continued with a stiff expression:
"All players within three meters are automatically treated as teammates..."
Now you tell me?!
Natsuki closed his eyes and sighed heavily.
Another pig teammate added to the roster.
"What are you two talking about?" Fujiwara Chika blinked in confusion, glancing left and right. "I don't get it."
"Don't worry," Amamiya Natsuki replied grimly. "You'll understand soon enough."
[Countdown: 3... 2...]
A wave of nausea washed over him—then the world warped.
The next moment, they were standing on a decayed school playground, surrounded by students in tattered, unfamiliar uniforms. No—not students. Vengeful spirits.
Pale faces, eyeless black sockets, shredded uniforms drenched in dried blood. The ground itself was caked with thick, dried stains, and claw marks gouged into the concrete like desperate cries for help.
One of the ghostly "classmates" turned, locking eyes with Natsuki. It smiled.
With fangs.
[Location: Ghost School]
[Game: Seven Wonders of Campus]
[Clear Conditions: Complete at least three challenges, or survive until 4:44]
[Current Challenge: Level 1—Red Light, Green Light (Wooden Man). Press the button behind the tumbler within the time limit. Failure to do so results in elimination.]
[The game is about to begin. We wish all players a happy game.]
The creepy announcement ended. Natsuki felt the invisible bindings on his body vanish—he could speak and move again.
"Eh?! What the heck is this?!" Fujiwara Chika's panicked voice pierced the silence.
Her outburst immediately drew the eyes of the ghost students and other players.
"Lower your voice!" Shinomiya Kaguya quickly clamped a hand over her friend's mouth, whispering urgently into her ear. "Last night… I'm sorry. This is all my fault."
Though Chika could be bafflingly unpredictable, she was Kaguya's only friend.
Having dragged her best friend into a literal death game, Kaguya could no longer maintain her icy facade. Guilt was written all over her face.
"I get it now. This isn't your fault."
Fujiwara Chika clenched her fists, radiating resolve. "You were involved in something so dangerous… As your friend, how could I possibly leave you alone? From now on, I'll protect you!"
That's touching and all, Natsuki thought grimly, but how about apologizing to the innocent bystander you dragged in?!
Chika gave a confident thumbs-up. "I'm great at games. I can totally clear this no problem!"
Natsuki sniffed the air.
The smell of death flags is strong in this one.
Characters who smiled and said things like that in horror games were always the first to die.
"Oh?" a disdainful voice snorted from nearby.
"You're still talking about protecting people at a time like this? What a rookie."
In addition to their trio, there were clearly other players here—more experienced ones. They weren't shocked like Chika but wore grim expressions.
"Hey, how'd you know?" Chika looked surprised. "This is my first time. Nice to meet you!"
"Impossible." The woman who spoke narrowed her eyes. "Newbie games aren't this hard."
Kaguya lowered her head, face flushed with shame.
[Game Start ——]
A mechanical voice rang out. At the edge of the playground, a giant tumbler doll turned its back to them, rocking eerily from side to side.
Natsuki's body relaxed—the invisible force binding him had fully lifted.
A hauntingly off-kilter melody began to play, like a lullaby from the underworld.
Players and ghost students alike started to move.
No one knew when the tumbler would turn, so everyone moved cautiously. The ghost students were stiff and disjointed, some of them even showing expressions of fear.
"The goal's about two hundred meters away..."
Natsuki studied the layout.
"The tumbler's about three meters tall. The button is under its head. If I want to pass the level, I need to—"
Hm?!
His gaze sharpened.
Floating text suddenly appeared over the tumbler.
[La la la~ I'm a happy tumbler~ My vision cannot penetrate objects~ Turning around in: 3, 2...]
Natsuki halted immediately.
As the countdown ended, the tumbler whipped around with terrifying speed.
A ghost student nearby—one beat too slow—was caught mid-movement.
A flash of black.
Its head exploded silently into dark mist, body crumpling to the ground.
No blood—but just watching it made Natsuki break into a cold sweat.
The playground was deathly silent.
A few moments later, the tumbler turned back around, and the eerie melody resumed.
"S-So scary..." Fujiwara Chika clutched her chest, trembling. "I thought losing meant you'd get kicked out of the game, not… this?!"
This isn't a board game. You don't just 'exit stage left'!
Natsuki kept watching the tumbler closely.
Ten seconds passed.
Another countdown appeared.
"Stop." He froze in place.
Right on cue, the tumbler spun around again. This time, a player flinched—his arm twitching mid-pose.
Boom. Gone in a puff of dark smoke.
Two down already.
Then it continued.
Out of the corner of his eye, Natsuki saw a tall ghost student lumber toward Fujiwara Chika. Its bloodstained hands reached out—maybe out of desperation, maybe instinctively seeking warmth.
Pat.
Amamiya Natsuki stepped forward and seized its wrist.
"Thank you, thank you, Amamiya-san…" Chika stammered, clearly shaken.
The ghost turned its head sharply, snarling—fangs bared.
[Countdown to turn...]
Prompt again.
Without hesitation, Natsuki bent down and ducked behind the ghost student.
As the tumbler turned around once more, two more players were eliminated.
Silence fell.
"Now."
Natsuki took a deep breath.
Clasping his hands, he stared at the ghost's back.
"Ninjutsu against evil spirits—Thousand Years of Death!"