My Girlfriend is a Death Row Inmate

Chapter 39 – A Short Reprieve, A Noble Departure

The key to lifting the curse of ‘Limit’ is to find out the conditions. Since it hasn’t been disposed of, I think it must be somewhere, but I have no idea where to even start looking. It’s not surprising that I don’t have enough information, but how can I break through this? If the culprit is an attention-seeker and interferes in various ways, there might still be a chance. However, when they hide like this, it’s impossible to track them down. The police won’t take action on something as unrealistic as a curse, and even if they did, by the time they got involved, Miharu-senpai would probably be…

“…You’re Miharu-senpai, right?”

The next day, I met up with her again, but I was flustered by the change in her. You might think that this is not the right word to describe it since I wasn’t making a fuss about it, but inside my heart was definitely in turmoil. My eardrums felt like they were about to burst from the noise inside my head. Or maybe I would end up shouting out loud. My eyes were trembling, and no matter how many times I blinked, reality didn’t change.

Miharu-senpai’s face was emaciated, like that of a stranger.

While her body could be covered with clothes, the changes in her face were undeniable. Even if her classmates saw her, they wouldn’t recognize her as Miharu-senpai. It was no wonder she had fled to the infirmary.

“Kouhai-kun… I might be beyond help.”

“What are you talking about?! I’ve figured out how to lift the ‘Karakiri-san’ curse! Just hold on a little longer! If we do that—”

“It’s impossible! I can’t take it anymore! I feel like I’m going crazy!”

MIharu-senpai, curled up on the bed, pulled the blanket over herself as if to reject any concerned looks.

“It even appears in my dreams… even the food talks to me now. This has never happened before… Kouhai-kun, please don’t put any sharp objects near me. Please. Don’t let me have anything that I can use to kill myself. I, the way I am now… I will definitely commit suicide…! I, I don’t care if I die as long as I can get out of this situation… Ahhhhhhhh!”

Although she was still able to hold a conversation, it seemed like only a matter of time before she lost her sanity completely. While her life might not be in immediate danger, her mental state was on the brink of collapse. The only difference between us was that she could hear the broadcast constantly, and it was a wonder how she had endured this long.

If I didn’t find a solution today, her spirit would be utterly shattered.

　―――Damn it! Why isn’t the broadcast related to the curse?!

I was worried, but continuing the conversation wouldn’t improve the situation. If I didn’t turn things around, Miharu-senpai would break. It was hard to empathize with a pain I couldn’t understand, but trying to save her was all for my sake. I couldn’t slack off.

I also admitted that my thinking had been naive. Wanting to save her by myself was arrogant. What good was knowledge about supernatural phenomena? So what if I had Housuke’s legacy?

This was the result of my arrogance. Housuke would have surely found a solution, but I had overestimated myself. All the struggles up to this point were so trivial. I should have relied on Kusune from the start.

“Kusune! Where are yooooooou!”

My angry shout echoed through the early morning school building. It wouldn’t be strange if people thought I had gone crazy, but the one who truly wanted to lose her mind was Miharu-senpai. I didn’t matter. From now on, I would have to take on all kinds of risks to save her, even if it meant being called a weirdo.

“Where aaaaaaare you! Come ooooooout!”

The scene looked more like I was seeking revenge rather than looking for someone. Before I could find Kusune, our homeroom teacher was likely to appear, but as expected, shouting this loudly, I soon saw Kusune in the distance down the hallway. She was slightly out of breath but still managed to jog over to me.

“Sakisaka-kun, please calm down and look for her more quietly—”

“Kusune! Introduce me to your acquaintance!”

“So, you’ve changed your mind. But—”

“Just introduce me! I don’t have any more time!”

“But—”

“Just do it quickly! Please! I’ll pay you later, so call them now! I don’t have time to think slowly!”

I was getting frustrated with Kusune’s calm and collected attitude. Of course, it was my fault. Pretending to be an experienced person and thinking I could solve everything by myself was the mistake in the first place. Everything I did was too little, too late.

Even though she didn’t move her eyebrows, she seemed to understand my desperation as she was shaken on both shoulders. She took me to the emergency exit and took out her cell phone from her pocket, handing it to me.

“This phone is a direct line. I can’t imagine what the payment will be, but I think they will be able to respond to your request.”

I didn’t have time to thank her as I dialed the number. Using cellphones in school was generally prohibited, but Kusune was an exception as she was allowed to use it for the purpose of investigating Shizuku. I tended to forget because she had blended in well, but she was only staying here until she caught Shizuku.

I cautiously dialed the number, and the phone was answered after less than three rings.

“Hello. This is the Kowloon Consultation Office.”

A slightly low voice, most likely a man. Cheerful yet calm. I had expected some difficult-to-deal-with specialist since he was Kusune’s acquaintance, but he seemed surprisingly easy to talk to. From his voice, I couldn’t tell for sure, but he seemed to be slightly older than me… or so I felt.

“Uh, yes. I’m borrowing Rinbara Kusune’s cellphone. My name is Sakisaka Ryuma, a second-year student at Kitsuru High School.”

“Sakisaka-san, was it? What kind of consultation do you have for us today?”

“…Well, first of all, I’d like to ask you something. Do you believe in ghosts, supernatural phenomena, and other unrealistic things?”

Just to be sure, I wanted to confirm. Since he was Kusune’s acquaintance, he was probably someone who dealt with such matters, but the name “Consultation Office” made me anxious about this aspect. If it were something like the “Spirit Ability Office,” the story would be different.

The person on the phone didn’t answer my question directly but responded with another question.

“Are you troubled by some kind of supernatural phenomenon?”

“Eh?”

“Are you being troubled by some kind of supernatural phenomenon?”

“No… Well, it’s not me… It’s an acquaintance of mine who’s having trouble.”

“May I ask what kind of phenomenon it is?”

“Eh? Ah… but I don’t think you’ll know. It’s not something I’ve seen in books written by people who are knowledgeable about these things…”

You might think that I was being rude to a specialist, but I believed Housuke was also that kind of person. If he didn’t know, I didn’t expect anyone else to, but I thought that a half-baked specialist would lead to the same outcome.

However, despite my impolite attitude, the person on the phone laughed.

“Go ahead and tell me. I’ve also experienced various strange things. Probably more than anyone else.”

I didn’t know anything about the person I was talking to, but I felt a strange weight in his words. I started to explain the situation, bit by bit.

The letter that arrived at my house.

About “Karakiri-san.”

The late-night broadcast that only Miharu-senpai could hear, except during the oxen hours.

I was aware that my explanation was disjointed, but as I listened to the calm and proper response from the man on the phone, I began to calm down myself. There was no way I would lose my temper like I did earlier.

“…I see. So, you’ve already solved the ‘Limit’ curse?”

“Yes. But the problem is the broadcast… If I don’t solve it today, my senpai will go crazy! So, how can I stop the late-night broadcast?!”

“…Well, first of all, don’t interrupt me until I finish listening to your story. You have a habit of rushing to conclusions—”