I, Who Acquired the Ability to Read Memories, Am Being Swallowed by Darkness - While I Should Be Protecting Beautiful Girls, I Am Being Drawn into Darkness Each Time I Use My Power, Yet for Some Reason, My Harem of Beautiful Girls Keeps Growing - Chapter 23: The Strange Behavior of Hayami-san

Chapter 23: The Strange Behavior of Hayami-san

“I heard Akita-senpai’s basketball team came in second place.”

“And Hayami-san’s volleyball team has qualified for the national tournament!”

Such topics were buzzing around the classroom during morning break.

The achievements of these two individuals had become a source of pride for the entire school.

But…

“Ryuuji-kun…”

At lunchtime, Reiko called out to me from the corner of the library.

Misaki stood nearby, her expression concerned.

“Have you noticed anything about Ryoko?”

Recently, Hayami has been acting strangely.

She’s been skipping volleyball practice.

During class, she lacks her usual energy.

Her bright smile has vanished too.

“She’s been going to the infirmary more often…”

Misaki’s voice trembled.

“She doesn’t talk to everyone like she used to.”

“What about her relationship with Akita-senpai?”

“Well…”

Reiko hesitated.

“I haven’t seen the two of them together recently.”

“Ryuuji-kun.”

Misaki looked at me earnestly.

“Can’t you use your ability… to investigate?”

“If I touch something that belongs to her…”

“Please.”

Their voices overlapped.

I nodded silently.

Hayami, who had once shone so brightly, now seemed to be sinking into darkness, like a shadow.

I had to uncover the reason behind this change using my ability.

“But how…”

“I can secretly get hold of the towel she uses…”

Reiko suggested.

Why was the ace of the volleyball team in such a state?

We found ourselves faced with a new mystery.

Outside the window, the sky was overcast.

Dark, heavy clouds loomed, as if reflecting Hayami’s troubled heart.

Reiko brought the towel.

When I touched it, I didn’t get the information I had hoped for.

I saw scenes from club activities, her healthy body in a sports bra and spandex, and everyday scenes.

It didn’t provide any clues to Hayami’s abnormality.

“Maybe we need a more direct approach.”

I reported back to Reiko and Misaki in the library.

Under the fluorescent lights, shadows fell across their faces.

“Ryoko really seems down…”

“This morning, she went to the infirmary and didn’t come back.”

The ace of the volleyball team.

An idol-like existence in the academy.

She was always the one who brightened everyone’s day with her sunny smile.

But now, she was sinking like a shadow.

“I’ll go and see Akita-senpai.”

The two of them nodded at my suggestion.

We timed our visit to the gym to coincide with the end of the basketball practice.

Akita emerged, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Sato huh…”

His tall stature remained unchanged.

But there was a shadow across his expression.

As the captain of the basketball team, which had come in second place in the prefectural tournament, he seemed lacking in energy.

“About Hayami-san…”

Akita’s body tensed at my words.

Something had clearly happened.

“Actually, it’s been like this since the final of the prefectural tournament.”

Akita spoke heavily.

The two of us were alone outside the gym at dusk.

Students returning from club activities occasionally gave us curious looks.

“She suddenly became distant. I stopped getting replies to my messages.”

“Could you tell me more about the final?”

“We came in second, but everyone tried their best. Ryoko came to cheer us on…”

Akita began to speak, as if retracing his memory of that day.

His 185-centimeter frame seemed to shrink a little with each recollection.

“We were really close up until the day before. She encouraged me to win…”

“The match was at the Prefectural Gymnasium…”

“It started at 2 p.m. Ryoko said she had her own practice in the morning…”

“And after that?”

“After the match, we all went to a nearby family restaurant for a consolation party. Ryoko came too…”

Akita’s voice trailed off.

“But she left halfway through. And since then…”

“Is there anything else that concerns you?”

“Well, there was something… During the match, it looked like she was talking to someone in the audience.”

“Who was it?”

“At first, I didn’t know. But I realized later…”

Akita’s fist clenched tightly.

“It was Sagara and his friends. They were wearing Seiran High School uniforms… Ryoko’s classmates from middle school.”

“Before…”

“Yeah, the ones who caused trouble at the station. You helped me out that time, Sato.”

Anger crept into Akita’s voice.

“Ryoko looked scared… But I was focused on the match, so I couldn’t notice.”

Regret and self-recrimination were evident.

Akita’s large frame shook with the frustration of not having noticed his lover’s distress during the basketball match.

“Do you remember how Hayami-san was acting that day?”

“She was wearing a light pink dress with a white cardigan. It’s the outfit she always wears to support us during matches.”

“What about her belongings?”

“Let me see… a white shoulder bag and… oh, that’s right!”

Akita’s expression changed.

“Her usual smartphone case. The sparkly one. That was missing.”

“Smartphone case?”

“Yeah. It was her favorite, and she never let it go.”

My intuition reacted to this information.

“Anything else?”

“When she left her seat halfway through, she took all her belongings with her…”

“Like going to the toilet?”

“No, it was when she was talking to Sagara and his friends…”

I returned to the library, organizing the information.

Reiko and Misaki were waiting for me.

“How was it?”

“What about Ryoko’s condition?”

“Actually…”

I explained what Akita had told me.

About the encounter with Sagara and his friends.

The missing smartphone case.

And Hayami leaving her seat with her belongings.

“Could it be…”

Misaki held her breath.

“The smartphone case I gave her for her birthday?”

“The one with the rhinestones?”

“Yeah. Ryoko really treasured it…”

Reiko stood up.

“I have an idea.”

“Huh?”

“What if we touch her desk? Maybe we can access her memories from lunch break or after school…”

Indeed, her behavior in the classroom could provide a clue.

“But that might not tell us what happened with Sagara and his friends…”

Our gazes intersected.

A secret strategy meeting to protect our friend.

Outside the window, the sunset was beginning to sink.

The reason behind Hayami’s abnormality.

It was surely connected to Sagara and his friends.

“Wait… the white shoulder bag…”

I remembered.

Hayami’s bag, which she brought every day.

It was the very same one from that day.

“I see!”

Reiko’s eyes sparkled.

“Ryoko usually leaves her bag in the changing room during gym class, right?”

“But I can’t just go into the girls’ changing room…”

“We’ll keep watch for you.”

Misaki made her proposal with a serious expression.

“The next gym class is tomorrow’s third period. It’s a swimming lesson.”

“Then no one will be in the changing room…”

“We can pretend to be feeling unwell and go to the infirmary. On the way, we can check on the situation.”

Reiko devised the plan.

“Misaki can keep watch from the hallway. I’ll be at the entrance of the changing room.”

The three of us exchanged glances.

The date was set for tomorrow.

“But what if we get caught…”

“We all want to help Ryoko, right?”

Reiko’s voice was filled with determination.

“It’s definitely because of Sagara and his friends that she’s lost her spirit.”

“Yeah, I can’t forgive them either.”

Misaki clenched her fist.

“Alright. Tomorrow, during the swimming lesson…”

If I touch the bag, everything should become clear.

The conversation with Sagara.

The whereabouts of the smartphone case.

The reason behind Hayami’s abnormality.

Outside, the evening was already beginning to darken.

Our hearts were set on the plan for tomorrow.

We would uncover what Sagara and his friends had done.

We would discover why they had cast a dark shadow over our precious friend.