Just as the group had completely fallen into chaos—
Haruto let out a light cough.
It was time to end this farce.
"Just to be sure—Kaguya, when you said 'first experience,' what exactly did you mean?"
Haruto's question snapped everyone back to reality.
Kaguya froze for a moment, then answered matter-of-factly,
"Of course I meant a kiss! Do I even need to explain that? Back in middle school, my little nephew had just been born. A kiss could be considered a blessing."
—The misunderstanding was resolved.
Haruto successfully averted the moral collapse of the Shuchiin Student Council.
Chika and the others stared blankly.
"Um, Kaguya, actually..."
Just as Haruto was about to speak, Chika stopped him.
"Haruto-kun, let me handle this."
Haruto nodded.
Chika sat beside the still-clueless Kaguya and whispered the truth into her ear.
Visibly, Kaguya's face began to turn red. Even her pale neck was tinged with pink. Like a layer of rouge had been brushed on—it made her look incredibly cute.
Haruto casually took out his phone and snapped a picture.
Moments like this deserved to be treasured!
After all, this was proof of Kaguya's emotional growth.
Chika cleared her throat and returned to her seat.
No one brought up the topic again.
Aside from Haruto, it was a bit too much for the others in the student council to handle. Haruto was about to help change the subject when—
Yu Ishigami raised his hand.
"And there's the whole 'god-tier stuff' thing... that kind of means something too."
The student council room fell into a deathly silence.
Miko Iino covered her mouth.
She had just overheard Chika and Yu discussing something outside.
If "god-tier stuff" meant that—
Miko Iino: AAAAAAHHHHH!!
Chika stood up and searched through the storage box in the room.
Before long, she found Yu's "sacred weapon"—a rolled-up newspaper, tightly wrapped with tape.
"Oh, that thing. I remember—it was the tool used to whack me when I commented on Fujiwara-senpai's chest."
Yu was completely unaware of just how outrageous his words were.
And so—
Round Two.
Chika's mighty hand wielded the "sword," and Yu took the blows—twelve strikes per second, each one critical.
After a good while of chaos, Chika finally sat back down, breathing heavily.
Yu lay collapsed to the side.
It looked like he was unconscious, but he'd really checked out a while ago.
"Right! I picked up this little thing while wandering the streets of Shimokitazawa!"
Chika, still panting, pulled out a Polaroid camera from who-knows-where. Haruto raised an eyebrow at the sight of it. Meanwhile, Kaguya looked puzzled.
"A camera? Looks like a Fujifilm instax SP-1. That's a pretty old model."
Miko was surprised.
"Huh? I didn't expect Kaguya-senpai to be so knowledgeable about cameras."
Kaguya nodded.
During her time in the Shinomiya household as "Princess Kaguya of the Moon," she actually had her own dream—
To be a traveling photographer, capturing the world. So when it came to cameras, Kaguya was quite well-informed.
"As for model numbers and such, I'm not sure," Chika said cheerfully, "but this camera isn't your ordinary camera!"
That piqued everyone's curiosity.
Chika pointed the camera at Yu, who was still lying on the floor, and snapped a photo.
Click—a photo printed out.
Chika placed the photo on the table.
Everyone gathered around.
Even Yu sat up and leaned in.
But the photo didn't show the scene just taken.
Yu had just been lying on the floor, totally dead inside.
But in the photo, he was sitting in a dark room, holding a game controller in front of a computer.
Playing Minecraft.
"That's weird. Why doesn't it show what just happened?" Miko asked, puzzled.
Yu pointed at the picture, amazed.
"I definitely wasn't in this pose when she snapped the shot. But I was thinking about wanting to go home and game. Minecraft's a thousand times more fun than socializing…"
Kaguya frowned.
"So this camera doesn't capture a person's current state."
"It photographs what they desire most in their hearts? Or their deepest want…"
Chika giggled and waved the Polaroid in her hand.
"Cool, right?"
Kaguya looked at Haruto.
Her eyes were full of questions.
Haruto gave a slight nod.
That was enough to tell Kaguya—
Yes, this was indeed an anomaly.
But it wasn't a dangerous one.
[Anomaly: Desire Camera (SCP-978), Containment Level: Safe-0]
[Object Description: This item appears to be a regular branded instant camera. The body shows no scratches or markings. When used to photograph a subject, the resulting photo does not depict the subject's current state but instead shows the thing they most desire to be doing.]
[Special Properties: This object seems to capture a person's desire. When photographing two or more people, their desires appear to merge in the resulting image.]
"Can I take a look?" Haruto asked, extending his hand with a smile.
Chika nodded and handed over the Desire Camera.
Haruto examined it.
As the description said, it looked just like an ordinary camera.
"Wanna try it out, everyone?" Yu suggested.
No way he was going down alone—if he was exposed, so was everyone else!
Kaguya looked conflicted, fingers twisting her skirt hem under the table. Miko was curious, though a little hesitant.
Chika, on the other hand, raised her hand excitedly.
"Me, me, me! I haven't tried taking a picture of myself yet!"
Haruto nodded and snapped a photo of Chika.
Click—out came the photo.
Haruto placed it on the table.
Everyone looked.
In the picture, Chika was sitting in a ramen shop. Her medium-length pink hair was tied in a high ponytail. A big bowl of loaded tonkotsu ramen sat before her. She held chopsticks, smiling brightly, mouth clearly saying: "Itadakimasu!"
Seeing this, Chika scratched her cheek, embarrassed.
"Hehe... I was craving ramen after school."
Everyone chuckled but said nothing more.
Desires were, after all, something difficult to reveal.
Most were violent, bloody, ugly, or shameful.
So when it came to harmless pleasures like food and games, Yu and Chika were considered lucky.
"Um, I'd like to try too," Miko said, raising her hand.
Haruto nodded and snapped her photo.
Click.
Everyone leaned in.
In the image, Miko stood behind a podium, speaking passionately. Behind her, a projection displayed scenes of war and conflict. From the markings on the podium, the others could tell—
It was the International Red Cross.
Miko quickly tucked the photo away and smiled bashfully.
"Little Miko's wish… is it that legendary 'world peace'!?" Chika exclaimed.
Miko confirmed it was close.
Having grown up in a morally upright household, Miko was an honest and kind girl—
Always ready to lend a helping hand.
Now, only Haruto and Kaguya remained.
Under the table, Kaguya fiddled with the hem of her skirt.
"Um, I…"
Just as Kaguya was about to speak—
Chika jumped in.
"Come on, Kaguya! It's your turn now! I bet your desire is amazing!"
Kaguya shot Chika a glare.
You plague upon the Earth!
But realizing she couldn't escape anymore—
She nodded.
Haruto turned the camera to her.
Click.
Kaguya immediately snatched the photo as it slid out.
The moment she saw it, her face flushed bright red.
Chika and the others leaned in.
And when they caught a glimpse, their expressions became strangely meaningful.
Haruto also leaned forward—
But Kaguya pressed the photo tightly to her chest and blocked him with one hand.
"I can't see it? That's a shame," Haruto said, sighing and shaking his head.
Though in truth—
He had seen it, just for a split second when the photo developed.
In the image, Kaguya stood in a field of flowers, wearing a white veil. In front of her, Haruto knelt on one knee—
One hand gently holding hers, the other over his heart.
It looked like a proposal, or perhaps a vow.
Tears of joy streamed down Kaguya's face.
Was it a confession?
Or a marriage proposal?
…Something along those lines.