Chapter 24: The Innocent Maiden

Homeroom was about to end.

I still didn’t have a plan for getting to the etiquette room.

Kaede had her club activities, so she’d be occupied. But how would I evade the two members of the Go-Home Club?

“Alright, good work today!”

With an apathetic closing remark, the homeroom teacher walked out of the classroom.

I slowly stood up, intending to leave the classroom as well, but…

“Alright, let’s head home!”

There was no chance of slipping past Kumanokyo, who sat right next to me. She quickly caught me without effort.

What should I do? Last time I tried to go to the etiquette room, she was strongly against it…

“Uh, well…”

This was bad. The class rep was also approaching slowly.

It was playing out exactly as I’d expected, but now what? It was already too late to come up with a plan.

“What’s wrong? Got a stomacha—whoa!?”

Suddenly, the fire alarm blared throughout the building.

Naturally, the classroom fell into chaos. Normally, I would’ve been flustered, too.

But by the time I realized it, I had already slipped out of the room. Was this some kind of survival instinct?

As I dashed straight toward the etiquette room, it occurred to me who had triggered the fire alarm—not by accident, but intentionally.

It had to be Toumei-senpai.

I didn’t know if someone nearby would be falsely accused, or if it’d be written off as a malfunction, but either way—thank you. Truly, you’re someone I can rely on.

“Kurokawa-senpai!”

There was no way I could afford to be caught by Kumanokyo and the others. Driven by that thought, I burst into the room without even knocking. Of all the places to breach etiquette, it had to be in the etiquette room.

“Oh my, you’re sweating so much.”

The clichéd situation of finding a beautiful girl in the middle of changing? That didn’t happen.

Instead, I was met with the sight of a beautiful girl floating about fifty centimeters off the ground.

She was someone who had always been a bit… untethered, but I never expected her to literally defy gravity.

“Um… are you, by chance, stepping on Toumei-senpai?”

“Oh, so you can perceive it like that?”

Unfortunately, my unwelcome deduction was spot on. Please stop that. That person is my savior.

This would probably be the fourth time Toumei-senpai had helped me.

There was the time she helped me escape from Kumanokyo, the time she dealt with delinquents, the time she stopped Kaede and Kumanokyo from fighting, and now this, helping me escape the classroom. It’s been a completely one-sided relationship where I’m always the one being helped.

Still, that aside…

“Why are you using Senpai as a stepping stool?”

What would others think if they saw this?

Would they brush it off as a hallucination or something?

“This girl set off the fire alarm, and it was like, splash!”

…?

What was she even talking about?

“Uh… so the sudden alarm startled you, and you accidentally spilled something?”

“That’s exactly what I said.”

No, you didn’t.

You just think you said that.

“She did it to help me. Please step aside.”

Whatever she spilled, this was bordering on unjustified venting.

“And what if I refuse?”

“Then I’ll resort to this.”

Look, watch this. Take a good look.

My life motto is…

“What’s with that?”

“Exactly what it looks like.”

“If it doesn’t cry, bow deeply—cuckoo.” That’s my way of life.

If necessary, I’ll bow anywhere: on the stage of a gymnasium, at Tokyo Station, anywhere. Pride? Let a dog have it.

“I don’t understand why you’re going so far, Kogoro-kun, but… if you’re that serious, I guess I have no choice.”

It seemed my resolve had gotten through to her, and she agreed to step down.

Not yet. I couldn’t lift my head yet. A bow must continue until the request is fully granted. The path of bowing isn’t one for the faint-hearted.

“Raise your head.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

What the heck was that? I reflexively responded like some professional underling, and now it was embarrassing. What was with the “Yes, ma’am”? Was I some kind of famous entertainer or what?

Anyway, Kurokawa-senpai was now firmly on the ground. She had complied with my request.

“Thank you very much.”

“I don’t like defending the girl who bullied me, but it’s a request from my future husband, after all.”

Future husband, huh?

Considering how the curse has been escalating, it might actually happen in the not-so-distant future.

That’s one thing I absolutely had to avoid.

Wait, didn’t someone say the curse doesn’t break even if I die? Something about resurrecting or something…

“So? What do you want?”

“Um… It’s just that… you haven’t been in the etiquette room lately…”

I didn’t want to dig too deep since it might be related to personal matters at home, but if I could ask, I wanted to. Not being able to meet her when I need to is, without exaggeration, a matter of life and death.

“I found something while we were doing a deep clean and clearing out the storage closet.”

“W-What did you find…?”

Something found in the storage closet of a family known for being master sorcerers… What could it possibly be?

Was it something so significant that Kurokawa-senpai, who’s rumored to always be in the etiquette room, missed school and went straight home?

“It was a game I used to play when I was in elementary school.”

“…Huh?”

Wait, what? That’s so… anticlimactic.

You’re telling me Kurokawa-senpai succumbed to the all-too-common phenomenon of getting distracted by old manga or games unearthed during cleaning? I’d really appreciate it if she didn’t ruin my image of her. Not that I had a particularly good one to begin with.

“Looking back, it’s so cheap. Back then, though, I remember neglecting my homework just to keep playing it.”

Well, yeah. Gaming technology has come a long way, after all.

I feel like I was on edge for nothing. I half-expected her to have dug up some cursed artifact or something.

“I see… I’m relieved nothing serious happened.”

“Oh my, were you worried about me? How sweet of you.”

Of course, I was worried. Her family situation is… unique.

“So? What’s the real reason you came?”

“Yes, well… um, I wanted to talk about the girls around me. The ones affected by the curse… They’ve been acting strange lately.”

“Hmm…”

What was that reaction?

It wasn’t particularly surprising news, but it felt like she was only hearing about it now. Maybe that’s just me, though.

“Until yesterday, they were all friendly and competing to ‘win me over,’ but suddenly, they’ve started acting hostile toward each other…”

I have to admit, even saying it aloud is embarrassing. Competing to “win me over”? Really?

“If anything, the way things were before was the strange part.”

Strange before?

Does that mean…

“Are you saying that their being hostile toward each other is normal?”

“Of course. Unless they’re from some upper-class society full of obligations and decorum, there’s no way common girls would get along with their romantic rivals.”

I don’t fully understand the part about upper-class society, but her point about hostility being normal makes sense.

Honestly, I used to be terrified at the thought of those three shedding blood over me.

“Uh, so why did it change?”

“It’s because the curse has grown stronger.”

She answered, looking displeased for some reason.

Setting aside the shock of the curse growing stronger, shouldn’t this be a good thing for her?

Or wait, was she not the one strengthening it? From the way she’s talking, it sounds like the curse’s strength is outside her control.

“Kogoro-kun, do you remember the condition to break the curse?”

“…To truly love you, Senpai.”

“Exactly. Conversely, the less love you feel for me, the stronger the curse grows.”

What kind of system is that? That’s just inconvenient.

Hold on, though. Does that mean my love for her has diminished recently? I don’t think I’ve done anything to trigger that.

By that logic, wouldn’t their absurdly friendly behavior at the start mean the curse was incredibly weak back then?

“Back then, unpopular Kogoro-kun was over the moon because Senpai confessed to him. Am I wrong?”

Well, she’s not wrong. The day she confessed, I probably went home grinning like an idiot.

Even though I thought of her as a weird and dangerous senpai, I was definitely happy about it.

Even after being cursed, I didn’t start hating her or anything…

“Um, until yesterday, everyone was getting along. I don’t think my feelings for you, Senpai, have changed overnight…”

“I don’t know about your feelings for me, Kogoro-kun, but how about your feelings toward the girls?”

“My feelings… for them?”

Well, there’s fear, guilt for involving them…

Wait, is that really true?

Come to think of it, the fear has been fading lately.

When they started coming to my house, I felt more annoyance than fear. In fact, since we watched anime together, I’ve actually started enjoying the time I spend with them.

Yesterday… well, it was just yesterday. I saw them playing games in the living room with my sister, and I started looking forward to their next sleepover.

If I’m being honest, a part of me has been enjoying this curse.

It’s a terrible thought, but I’ve been feeling lucky to get along with so many beautiful girls. Toumei-senpai, the girl whose glasses I won in a dice game, and so on—having women gather around me has actually been… fun.

Could this change in mindset be the reason?

“At first, you saw me as special because I was the woman who gave you a love letter. But now, I’m just one among many women who like you. Isn’t that right?”

“That… might be true.”

What a disaster.

The more I adapt to this situation, the worse it gets. There’s no way to fix this.

“So, the more I accept their affection, the heavier things become…”

“That’s right. Well, even without the curse, love can be like that.”

Sure, but the amount of weight we’re talking about here is insane.

I feel like collapsing to my knees, but now’s not the time to wallow in despair.

If I don’t act quickly, those girls will turn full-on yandere and lock me away.

“K-Kurokawa-senpai…”

“What?”

“Would you… go on a date with me?”

This is probably the right move. Or rather, it’s the only move I’ve got.

If I show more love toward Senpai, the girls should return to normal.

Until I find a way to break the curse without loving her, this is the best I can do.

“…”

“Senpai? Hello?”

Did I upset her?

Yeah, think about it.

Wouldn’t you be pissed if someone invited you on a date purely out of calculation?

I’ve experienced something like this before.

Back in elementary school, there was this kid who never played with me at school but came over just to borrow my games.

At the time, I thought we were friends, but looking back, I was just being used.

“Um, Senpai…”

“A date, huh…”

She interrupted me with a sigh.

She’s probably angry. Or maybe she’s just disappointed?

“Someone born and raised in a distinguished family like mine… Can someone like you truly satisfy me on this so-called date?”

…?

What?

“Uh… what?”

“See? It’s obvious you charged in here with no plan whatsoever. You’re painfully transparent.”

…What?

Her Japanese suddenly turned bizarre. It’s like a poorly translated video game description or something.

“Senpai?”

“So, when are we starting this date? Now, right? It has to be now—kyaa!?”

What happened!?

I don’t even know what she means by “starting this date,” but why did she suddenly fall? On flat ground, no less.

“Ouch!”

She’s rubbing her knee and complaining about the pain. So she does make expressions like this, huh? I thought most of her facial muscles were dead.

Her voice sounds higher-pitched, more girlish… What happened?

Did someone possess her? Or did she get hit by a curse backlash?

“Why are you lying there like that!? Idiot!”

Huh? What? Oh, Toumei-senpai. She tripped over her.

But why? Unlike me, she should be able to see her, right?

I don’t know, but I should probably help her out. This might be some kind of test.

“Should we go to the infirmary?”

“Wha—! Too fast! You’re moving too fast!”

Her voice is so loud… What’s with her reaction?

Why is she backing away? And why is she looking at me like I’m some kind of beast?

“Well, if you’re hurt—”

“‘Hurt’!? Are you saying you’re going to defile me now!?”

And this, folks, is how false accusations are born.

What’s going on with her? Split personality? Possession?

Could it be…?

“If your leg’s fine, should we just go on the date now?”

“W-Wait! I need to get ready… and put on makeup…”

…No way.

There’s no way she’s flustered because I invited her on a date, right?

Not her. She’s the one who’s always talking about premarital relations and even flashing her underwear.

…But, looking at her face, I can’t think of another explanation.

Her cheeks are bright red…