Kaguya-sama Wants My Surrender!

"Then let's eat. Itadakimasu." 

The neighbor lady's voice was soft and gentle as she spoke, but the moment her words left her lips, everyone seated at the table found themselves picking up their chopsticks against their will. 

Amamiya was no exception. 

He glanced down at the food on his plate. There was a golden, crispy pork cutlet drizzled with salad dressing, accompanied by a steaming bowl of miso soup. It looked tantalizingly delicious, yet no one at the table seemed eager to eat. 

This wasn't like dining at a restaurant, where meals are purchased through a clear "equivalent exchange," and you can eat without suspicion. 

Here, the neighbor lady wasn't asking for payment. And as everyone knows, free food offered by strangers is rarely without strings. 

"Wait a second!" 

Amamiya tried to shout, but his words did little to change the situation. 

The neighbor lady didn't acknowledge him. She merely picked up her own chopsticks and took a bite of her food. Her casual motion compelled everyone else to do the same, raising their chopsticks as if puppets on strings. 

Amamiya gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and spoke again. 

"Mom, I need to confess something to you." 

The word 'Mom' seemed to act as some kind of trigger. For the first time, the neighbor lady paused and turned to look at Amamiya. Her expression remained calm, and her voice was as warm as ever when she responded: 

"Eat first. No matter what mistake you've made, Mom will forgive you." 

"No," Amamiya replied firmly, shaking his head. "If you don't tell me what I've done wrong, I won't be able to sleep—or eat!" 

The neighbor lady hesitated for a moment, her chopsticks hovering in midair. After a brief silence, she said, "Tell me. No matter what mistake you've made, Mom will forgive you." 

As the neighbor lady set her chopsticks down, Chika and Sajuna, who had also been bound by the same unseen force, found themselves able to lower their hands. They both exhaled in relief, though their gazes remained fixed on Amamiya, filled with uncertainty. 

The atmosphere in the room grew tense. 

'This is bad!' 

Amamiya thought quickly. 

If anyone ate the food, there was no telling what might happen. They could end up like Komi-san—sitting quietly with no memory of who they were. 

He turned to the two girls, giving them a reassuring look, then redirected his focus back to the neighbor lady. 

"Mom," he began carefully, "do you remember that rainy night not long ago?" 

"Rainy night…?" 

The neighbor lady's brow furrowed slightly, confusion flickering across her face. 

Not giving her time to ponder, Amamiya pressed forward. 

"That night, I made a mistake—one that any brother in the world could make." 

This was the moment to act. He had to seize the opportunity, push through with confidence, and keep the neighbor lady from thinking too deeply. Timing and precision were everything. 

At his words, Chika and Sajuna both turned to look at him, their curiosity and anxiety evident. Even Komi-san, silent and unresponsive until now, shifted her gaze to him with faint confusion. 

"A mistake every brother could make?" Sajuna muttered under her breath. "What's 'that' supposed to mean?" 

"That sounds so suspicious," Chika added, her tone laced with incredulity. 

Amamiya ignored their remarks and fixed his gaze on Chika. His expression shifted, adopting an air of guilt, as he continued. 

"That rainy night, the rain was pouring, thunder rumbling loud enough to shake the windows. Chika was terrified of the thunder and couldn't bear to sleep alone. She came knocking on my door in the middle of the night, tearfully asking to sleep beside me..." 

Chika blinked, caught off guard. A second later, her face turned red as she ducked her head like a child caught in a lie, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. 

Her sudden silence only served to lend credibility to Amamiya's story. 

But deep down, Chika seethed. 'Thunder?' she thought to herself. 'I've never been afraid of thunder, not even as a child! This is outrageous!' 

Amamiya pressed on, his tone deliberately low and regretful. 

"I agreed, of course. After all, no big brother could refuse such a heartfelt request from his adorable, tearful little sister." 

He spoke with an almost poetic sorrow, the weight of his words enhanced by a passive ability—the "Trash Brave" effect. His skill had an uncanny knack for making even the most dubious statements sound authentic and believable. 

True to its power, the neighbor lady's expression softened ever so slightly. Her blank stare gave way to a hint of belief, even though the story itself was wildly absurd. 

Chika and Sajuna exchanged incredulous glances.

"This is bad!" Chika whispered fiercely, barely moving her lips. "That's such a misleading story!" 

"Misleading? It's straight-up awful!" Sajuna muttered back. 

Meanwhile, Komi-san's gaze lingered on Amamiya, her confusion deepening as if she were trying to process what she had just heard. 

But Amamiya ignored them all, his focus entirely on the neighbor lady. 

Her acceptance, no matter how slight, was the opening he needed to take control of the situation. 

"I planned to sleep on the floor," Amamiya continued, his tone steady despite the growing tension. "But the night was freezing, and my sister begged me to share the bed with her. She was insistent." He hesitated, then added, "...So, I didn't refuse." 

Sajuna: "..." 

As a high schooler who had secretly read 'adult novels', Sajuna could already predict where this story was headed. 

'No way...' 

Would the neighbor lady actually believe such an absurd tale? 

"Mom, I'm sorry," Amamiya said, his voice heavy with feigned guilt. He reinforced the suggestion skillfully. "My sister's sleeping face was just too adorable, and I couldn't resist. I made the same mistake every brother in the world would make... I kissed Chika. And not just once." 

"...!" 

Chika's cheeks flushed crimson as she shot him a sharp glare. 

'What nonsense are you spouting?!' 

Her mind raced in outrage. 'What brother would ever do such a thing?' If a real brother tried something so outrageous, he wouldn't escape a trip to the 'orthopedic hospital in Germany'! 

The room grew unnervingly quiet. 

The neighbor lady's gentle smile began to waver, her expression stiffening. Even the candlelight on the dining table seemed to dim. 

Amamiya appeared oblivious to the growing tension. His eyes met the neighbor lady's as he asked calmly, "Mom, will you forgive me?" 

The neighbor lady's lips curved into a brittle smile. "...Of course, Mom will forgive you. Everyone makes mistakes. How could I not forgive my own child?" 

"That's a relief," Amamiya said with a smile of his own, as if reassured. "Then I'll continue." 

"My sister didn't seem to notice at first," he said thoughtfully. "Or maybe she did but chose to say nothing." 

The tension at the table thickened, but Amamiya continued as though nothing was amiss. 

"The next night, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned for hours before finally sneaking into her room. I didn't want to—but my sister was just too cute." 

Sajuna: "..." 

'Have you actually done something like this to your sister?!' she thought incredulously. 'Call the NBI!' 

Chika, meanwhile, remained outwardly calm. She knew Amamiya was lying. After all, he didn't even have a sister in real life—this "adorable sibling" was entirely fabricated. 

But that didn't stop the sheer absurdity of his tale from rattling her. 

"Mom, I'm sorry," Amamiya said, his tone laced with guilt. "A week later, I finally gave in. I couldn't help it anymore... and I took off my sister's pajamas." 

'Snap!' 

The chopsticks in the neighbor lady's hand snapped cleanly in two. Her gentle smile disappeared entirely, replaced by an angry glare. Red light surged in her eyes as she fixed her furious gaze on Amamiya. 

As a mother, no one could possibly endure hearing such a thing about their child. 

"Enough," the neighbor lady said, her voice icy as she turned to retrieve another set of chopsticks. Forcing her anger back under control, she continued tersely, "Keep eating." 

But Amamiya didn't stop. 

"But I can't hide it anymore," he said, his voice trembling as he pressed on. "Mom, my sister is pregnant..." 

'Bang!' 

The dishes and chopsticks on the dining table shattered simultaneously. The neighbor lady's composure finally snapped, and she lunged forward, her hand closing around Amamiya's neck with terrifying force.

"Unforgivable!" 

Her furious voice echoed through the room as the illusion of the perfect family began to crack and crumble. 

"Chika!" Amamiya shouted desperately, seizing the moment to act. 

At his call, Chika moved in perfect synchronization, their teamwork honed by mutual understanding. 

"Outlaw Don, I summon you! Do you dare to answer me?" Chika's voice rang out. 

She didn't need to gesture. Her focus alone activated the ability. 

The neighbor lady froze mid-motion, her hand still gripping Amamiya's throat. Against her will, her voice responded: 

"...Don is here!" 

The next instant, her body locked in place. 

The skills designed to capture evil spirits had worked flawlessly.

Amamiya rubbed his neck, coughing slightly, and glanced up at the glowing text hovering above the neighbor lady's head: 

[This is a grieving woman whose daughter has gone missing.]

[Rule: Assimilation. Become a member of her family. As time passes, your memories will gradually be overwritten until you fully belong to the family.] 

Amamiya's lips curled into a small, victorious smile. 

'What is superb ventriloquism?' 

'This is it!'