"Which one's better, spicy chicken or spicy rabbit head?" Fujiwara Chika asked seriously, her eyes locked on the two Kaguyas. "Kaguya-chan, please answer."
Silence.
After a few seconds of hesitation, the Kaguya on the left finally said, "Spicy rabbit head?"
The one on the right stayed silent.
The hopeful look in Fujiwara's eyes quickly faded to disappointment. "Kaguya-chan can't eat spicy food. Whether it's spicy chicken or spicy rabbit head, knowing her personality, she'd say she doesn't like either."
"So…" Fujiwara exhaled deeply, "neither of you are the real Kaguya-chan."
The body can be disguised, memories stolen, but character can't be faked.
Cracks appeared across the two Kaguyas' bodies once more, spreading rapidly until they shattered with a loud bang.
Suddenly the ward fell silent and deserted. An eerie atmosphere crept through the room.
"They're not human…" Rikka Takanashi nervously hid behind Amamiya Natsuki. "Did we enter the wrong room?"
"No, if we were in the wrong room, we wouldn't see three Kaguya-chans," Fujiwara said, shaking her head as she glanced at Natsuki. "Natsuki-san, you realized they're not real, right?"
Natsuki nodded. "I noticed."
The real Shinomiya Kaguya was calm and collected, but not very brave. Alone in this gloomy ward, imitated by vengeful spirits, she must be in great danger. When Natsuki and Fujiwara arrived, all kinds of "help" were surely hovering above their heads.
Yet the three Kaguyas remained unnervingly calm — clearly, none were human.
"I didn't have solid proof before, so I stayed quiet," Natsuki said in a low voice. "Kaguya-san must still be here somewhere. Let's find her."
The ward was small and sparse — just two beds, a built-in locker, and a cluttered table.
They searched everywhere: lockers, under beds, under tables, even drawers — but no sign of the real Kaguya.
Then Natsuki's gaze landed on an ordinary mirror resting inconspicuously on the corner of the table.
It looked like an ancient dressing mirror, about the size of a palm, with a blurry surface.
[Careful observation reveals something strange about this mirror]
Natsuki frowned. "I don't see what's weird."
[Legend says the mirror is a portal to another world. If you break it, your future wife will be lost inside forever.]
Future wife? What? They're just teammates, stop with the nonsense.
[After learning the truth, you decide to look into the mirror for ten seconds, enter the mirror world, and rescue your future wife to earn the title 'King of Gigolos.']
What's with all the freeloaders? I have a good appetite, I don't need to be a freeloader!
After a brief hesitation, Natsuki decided to enter the mirror world alone.
Nobody knew what dangers awaited inside, but at least clues might be found. As for Fujiwara Chika and Takanashi… well, their IQs weren't exactly high.
Natsuki took a deep breath, stared at the mirror, and silently counted down.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
…
One.
Suddenly the world before him blurred.
"Coming in?"
He looked up and confirmed: he had entered the mirror world.
Fujiwara Chika and Kotori had vanished; the lost Kaguya appeared before him.
But instead of one, there were two Kaguyas.
Both sat on the bed, hands resting on knees. At the sound of his arrival, they looked up simultaneously.
"Natsuki-san?"
Their voices were perfectly synchronized, filled with surprise. They stood and mirrored each other's movements flawlessly — no delay at all — which felt downright eerie.
"I understand the situation," Natsuki frowned. "One of you is real, one is fake. Kaguya-san, what was the first sentence you said to me?"
"Amamiya-san, please turn yourself in."
Both answered in unison.
"Good." Natsuki pressed on, "Put a chicken and a rabbit in a cage. There are thirty-five heads and ninety-four legs total. So… which tastes better, spicy chicken or spicy rabbit head?"
"I don't like either."
Both answered together.
"The pool has an inlet pipe that fills it in ten minutes and an outlet pipe that drains it in fifteen. Five minutes after filling, the drain opens simultaneously. What crime did the pool manager commit?"
"It's a waste of water."
No matter the question, both Kaguyas answered identically, their expressions, movements, and mannerisms perfectly synchronized.
Natsuki frowned.
"Kaguya-san, show me your tools."
Vengeful spirits can't even copy game props.
Both bit their lips simultaneously. "They're sealed and can't be taken out."
The eerie perfect synchronization meant that no matter how beautiful the ice-princess was, she was still a little terrifying.
Natsuki readied himself for hints, but the ones appearing were unreliable.
[Some twins share telepathy. Seeing these perfectly synchronized twins, you get a bold idea… if you slap one, both will cry, right?]
Very bold.
Anyone daring to lay a hand on the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family would spend life in prison — no matter the reason!
He wanted to say he was heading in the wrong direction, but he dared not.
[Careful observation reveals a hidden difference in their eyes]
"Hmm?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow and stared at the Kaguya on the right.
"Don't move. I've found a way to tell you apart."
Both Kaguyas widened their eyes and froze.
Their gazes locked.
Natsuki saw a faint mist in the girl's eyes, subtle panic and fear lurking beneath.
Even an ice sculpture girl can't remain perfectly calm when trapped in a weird, eerie ward, pulled into a mirror by a vengeful spirit and copied word for word.
In fact, their performance was already exceptional.
They stared at each other for a full minute.
Recalling the interesting challenge [Open Your Eyes to the Sun], Natsuki noticed the difference at last.
"…I found you!"
Grabbing the right Kaguya's hand, he dashed toward the mirror behind him without hesitation.
Crash.
The mirror world shattered.