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 55: Misaki’s Speech

Chapter 55: Misaki’s Speech

The morning of the closing ceremony was wrapped in a different atmosphere than usual.

Upon arriving at the main gate, dozens of students were already gathered, forming a circle around something.

At the center, Kanzaki-sensei, the disciplinary teacher, was sweating profusely while desperately managing the crowd.

“Damn… it really stinks!”

“No way, seriously?”

“And it’s way too big…”

“Who the hell did this?”

“The amount is insane… was someone constipated?”

“Gross!! This is bad!!”

“I think this is a prank pulled by, like, three people working together.”

“No, it’s gotta be harassment against the school.”

“Call the police!!”

“What kind of animal would do something this disgusting?!”

Excited voices buzz among the students.

I peered through a gap in the crowd.

There, sitting like a work of art, was a massive “it.”

Brown, thick, and irregularly shaped with a rugged texture, it looked almost intentionally arranged.

Its healthy color only made its terrifying presence stand out more.

The bizarre spectacle made me stop in my tracks.

If I touched it with my special ability, I might see the culprit’s memories.

But… no way I’m doing that…

“Hey, save the gawking for later!”

Kanzaki-sensei’s voice booms.

“Get to your classrooms now!”

Students hurriedly disperse from the crowd.

Some, though, pull out their phones to snap pictures.

Amid it all, I head to the classroom with an indescribable, uneasy feeling.

What should’ve been a closing ceremony turned into a chaotic morning event.

Who could be behind that rugged “work of art”?

As I climb the stairs to the classroom, I’m lost in thought.

Maybe this isn’t just a simple prank…

Lunch break, right after.

In the classroom, bathed in strong sunlight streaming through the windows, Reiko and Ryoko rush in.

“It worked perfectly.”

Reiko’s voice trembles with suppressed excitement.

I guide them to the window.

Here, we’re safe from prying eyes in the hallway.

“Tell me.”

“Better than expected.”

Reiko whispers.

“We met Onizuka behind the gym. He was wary at first, but…”

“When I called out to him, he got super nervous.”

Ryoko continues.

“Reiko showed up too, and we brought up summer break plans.”

“And then,”

Reiko’s eyes sparkle with delight.

“He blushed like a little kid. ‘You’re okay with someone like me?’ he said.”

“When we asked about his summer plans, he said he had none. He was like, ‘Going to an amusement park together sounds like a dream.’ Said he’d feel nervous with just the two of us, so he asked if he could bring his best friend, Yamashita.”

Ryoko adds.

“Who would’ve thought Onizuka would react so innocently?”

Just then, familiar footsteps echo in the hallway.

We immediately switch topics.

“So, about that new cake…”

Reiko continues in a natural tone.

Yamashita passes by in the hallway.

His 155cm petite frame.

Through the black-framed glasses, I can tell his eyes are fixed on us.

“Oh, Yamashita-kun!”

Reiko calls out brightly, like a master actress.

“Perfect timing. Hey, on the first day of summer break, we’re going to the amusement park. Wanna come?”

“Yeah!”

Ryoko joins in naturally.

“Onizuka’s coming too, but he said he’d feel uneasy alone, so he suggested inviting his best friend, you, Yamashita-kun.”

“Tch, that’s…”

Yamashita responds in his usual stuttering voice.

“I-It’d be fun to go with everyone.”

He seems like a completely different person.

The cold expression I saw in the hospital memory, the unfathomable eyes when he hypnotized Misaki—none of that is here.

After Yamashita leaves, we let out a small sigh.

“Our acting was flawless.”

Ryoko whispers.

“Yep.”

Reiko nods with satisfaction.

“He’s definitely hooked.”

Outside the classroom, the sound of cicadas hums.

The air just before summer break is thick with anticipation and tension.

“Now…”

I say, staring out the window.

“All we have to do is wait for Saturday.”

The real plan starts from here.

But at least the first phase was a perfect success.

The sweltering gymnasium.

Even the fans’ breeze isn’t enough to cool the heat from the gathered students.

I sit in the back, staring intently at the stage.

Misaki, as student council president, is giving the closing ceremony speech.

Her white uniform blouse is slightly see-through from sweat.

The way she tucks her hair behind her ear is classic Misaki.

But something’s off.

The sweltering gymnasium.

The orderly rows of students’ gazes are fixed on Misaki on the stage.

“Um…”

With her uniform slightly transparent from sweat, Misaki glances at her script.

She has her usual dignified presence, but something’s different.

“Starting today, the fun summer break begins—nnh!”

Misaki starts speaking in a confident voice.

But suddenly, her body sways sharply.

“Everyone, oh…!”

Clearly, something unusual is happening.

A slight tremble mixes into her voice.

Sweat trickles down her forehead.

Her cheeks flush abnormally.

Misaki’s condition was unmistakably different from usual.

“Have a meaningful summer break… s-spend it well!”

Her words falter.

Misaki takes a deep breath.

“Many of you will probably go to the beach or the mountains. But…”

At that point, Misaki suddenly falls silent.

Just as I wonder what’s wrong, she lets out a sudden “Nnn, ahh!”

Her loud voice echoes through the gymnasium.

The students begin to murmur.

“Hey, is the student council president okay?”

“Is she feeling sick or something?”

“U-Um… I’ll continue.”

Misaki, her face bright red, resumes her speech.

But something is clearly wrong.

“Be sure to stay safe… and make fun memories…”

For some reason, she’s rubbing her thighs together, her hands trembling with force.

Sweat soaks the script paper.

“And don’t forget your assignments. Prepare thoroughly for the second term… j-ju… nn, ohh!”

Misaki pauses for a moment.

(This is bad…)

Some classmates are looking at Misaki suspiciously.

But she quickly recovers and continues speaking.

“We must prepare!”

Each time her words stumble, Yamashita’s eyes gleam eerily from the wings of the stage.

Through the black-framed glasses, those eyes are fixed on Misaki.

“The student council, too, will prepare for the second term’s cultural festival…”

Her voice grows hoarse.

I know.

Under Yamashita’s hypnosis, something is being done to her.

“S-So, everyone…”

Misaki’s voice echoes through the gymnasium.

Her speech is slurred.

She’s drooling.

Her voice carries a desperate, pleading tone.

Ryoko tugs at my sleeve.

Reiko is watching Misaki with worried eyes.

But right now, we can’t do anything.

We can only watch.

“Have a fun summer break…!”

With her final words, Misaki’s voice slightly cracks.

Her steps as she leaves the stage are somehow unsteady.

“Huff, huff…”

After finishing her speech, Misaki returns to the wings, out of breath.

Worried whispers ripple through the students.

But no one knows the true reason for her condition.

Reiko and Ryoko glance at me.

Only the three of us know.

The truth of Misaki’s suffering.

And the existence of the black-framed glasses causing it.

Just a little longer until Saturday.

Until that day, Misaki’s torment will continue.

I grit my teeth. For now, all I can do is burn this scene into my memory, sealing my anger toward Yamashita deep within my heart.