Chapter 30: The Kurokawa Household

I don’t have many friends, so this is just my imagination, but I always thought that places like this were meant for students to linger and chat long after finishing their meals.

But nope, we couldn’t resist the pressure to leave. Not that the staff said anything, but with the place nearly full and a line snaking out the door, you can’t exactly justify sticking around, can you?

Still, there were way too many people. Working adults should stick to diner-style places and leave these spots to the students, seriously.

“Shall we try the one across the street next time? It’s a bit of a walk, but it might be more relaxed than here.”

“…Will you really go again? Together with me?”

“I was thinking of going as soon as tomorrow, if that’s alright. Any issues with that?”

“But… those students from our school were pointing fingers at us earlier.”

Pointing fingers, huh.

Sure, there was some gossiping, but I didn’t really care. Well, I was a little curious about being called the “Harbinger of Doom for Reiwa,” but that’s another matter.

“Let them say whatever they want. If you think of it as jealousy, it feels kind of nice.”

“Jealousy?”

“Not sure about the girls, but the guys probably envy me. After all, I’m on a date with a gorgeous senpai after school.”

Let me be blunt: even those guys talking behind Senpai’s back probably think she’s beautiful deep down. I can see right through them.

“…”

This silence… it’s the embarrassed kind, right? Not the angry kind?

Just to be clear, I’m not trying to win her over with flattery. My policy is to say everything honestly—except for things that really shouldn’t be said. That’s my rule. If people don’t get it when I say something, they definitely won’t get it if I don’t. Makes sense, right? Genius logic? Am I a genius? A visionary?

“Kogoro-kun, you’re such a weirdo. Hehe.”

“Haha.”

Coming from her, that stings a little, but I laughed it off. Remember, my policy is not to say things I shouldn’t.

“I’d like to talk a little more, but is there somewhere quieter?”

“Uh, there’s a seating area on the top floor of that shopping mall over there… at least, there used to be.”

The last time I was there was back in elementary school, so I wasn’t sure if the spot still existed.

I vaguely remembered it being a nice space where you could have drinks and chat. It wasn’t tied to any business, so there’s a chance it’s gone.

With a bit of uncertainty, we headed up to the top floor via elevator.

“Oh, it’s just like it was back then.”

Thank goodness. At least I didn’t disappoint her.

“…It’s mostly just the elderly here, isn’t it?”

“Probably because it’s not the kind of place where you can make noise.”

This reminds me of that time we got scolded for playing card games here. Maybe it’s just me, but people seem particularly strict when it comes to card games. You can’t play them anywhere but card shops.

We picked the spot with the fewest people. Not that we were planning to talk about anything secret, but it’s just like in men’s restrooms—you don’t pick the urinal right next to someone if you can help it.

“Instead of talking about dramas, since it’s so quiet here, how about I tell you a bit about my family?”

That sounds like trouble. Definitely trouble.

Is this the kind of conversation we should be having in public? Especially with elderly people around, some of whom probably know more about the Kurokawa family than I do.

“Are you sure?”

“You said you wanted to know more about me, right? I’ll tell you a little.”

I meant, are you sure about talking in a place where others could overhear? But fine.

If she’s bringing it up, it must not be a problem.

“I don’t know much myself, to be honest…”

Not much? Isn’t she their only daughter? Or am I wrong?

Either way, as the actual child of the family, you’d think she’d have been drilled on their history or something…

“I don’t know how far back our family goes, but apparently, we originally did fortune-telling for typhoons and heavy rains, stuff like that.”

Oh, that sounds legit.

Yeah, fortune-tellers and mystics have that kind of vibe. My personal theory is that it was more about sensing weather changes through migraines or old injuries, but considering curses are real, maybe they really did have some mysterious power to predict things.

“Our family was revered—or maybe feared—for our mysterious powers. Either way, we were always viewed as strange by society.”

“Yeah… in times when science wasn’t really a thing, I guess that’s what would happen.”

I just thought, if I brought a flashlight or a lighter to ancient times, how would people react? They’d probably fear me as some sort of sorcerer.

“It’s impossible for the current Kurokawa family, but back then, they say we prayed for a good harvest and helped people survive famines.”

Huh, I’m not sure if “charitable activities” is the right phrase, but it sounds like they were doing good for society. I honestly expected something more like… assassinating lords with curses or other shady stuff.

“I wonder when our family shifted to specializing in curses like we do now. I heard it started when we mixed in some ‘outside’ blood.” “…By ‘outside,’ do you mean… another family of sorcerers?” “Who knows? In any case, we don’t have the power to influence natural phenomena like disasters or bad harvests anymore. I have no idea what might happen with future generations, though.”

I’m not sure why, but even though this isn’t exactly a complicated topic, my brain feels like it’s about to burst.

Part of it is that we’re talking about powers that surpass human understanding, but Senpai’s info is so vague that it’s barely sinking in. Maybe she’s just not interested in her own household, or maybe no proper records exist.

“It seems the lineage continues even now, but do they really get jobs? Sorry if that sounds rude.” “They have all the work they want. This is a secret, but we’re colluding with the government.”

Colluding with the government? Curses and politics?

Smells shady, but she probably doesn’t know the details anyway.

“They say we were deeply involved in dismantling the old business conglomerates, too. That was part of the under-the-table stuff, so I was never given any details, and I don’t really care.”

Yeah, maybe it’s best I don’t dig too deep into that.

It definitely seems complicated, and it sounds like it involved people’s lives. I’m not well-versed in history or world affairs, but the more I learned, the more it’d probably make me sick.

“Speaking of recent events… there was that news story about jobless men who got stung to death by hornets. It wasn’t too long ago—did you hear about that?” “Oh… wasn’t it some idiots in their mid-twenties who messed with a hornet’s nest, and the entire group ended up dead?”

I think I saw it on social media or online news.

People on that big anonymous forum were making fun of them. They hate delinquent groups there, anyway.

“Those men who died? The Kurokawa family cursed them at the government’s request.”

I kind of suspected it, but hearing it outright sends chills down my spine.

I assumed those reckless punks—call them DQNs if you like—just brought it on themselves. Never thought Kurokawa’s household was behind it…

But why would the government make such a request? If they were important figures, I’d get it, but these were unemployed nobodies, right?

“They were minors when they beat a girl to death in a group assault.” “Wha—?” “Media was restricted from reporting the details, so probably only a few people know the full story. The more you hear, the more sickening it gets.”

I’m scared to learn more. Sure, I said I wanted to know about Kurokawa-senpai, but I was hoping for more… fluffy details.

And from the way she talks, it sounds like she’s fully aware of what happened. I don’t even know which case she’s referring to.

“To put it mildly, it was assault, confinement, rape—stuff like that.” “Mildly… So then…” “If you heard the details, any decent person would say, ‘Who cares if they’re minors? Give them the death penalty.’”

That’s a lot. If the media is restricted, it must have been horrifyingly cruel.

One glance at Senpai’s grim expression, and I can guess how awful it was.

“Because they were minors, their names were never reported. They spent a little time in juvie, and after getting out, they went right back to shoplifting, assaulting people—stuff like that.”

Figures… there was no chance they’d be rehabilitated.

Never thought I’d be raging at our justice system in the middle of a date.

“If there’s no room for mercy, minors should still face heavy punishment.” “They argued they didn’t have murderous intent since they gave her food and patched her up a bit. Anyway, my aunt was supposed to curse them, but I personally handled it.”

…So Senpai was the one who did it.

I don’t know if it was an indirect killing or direct murder via curses, but either way, multiple deaths is multiple deaths.

Yet I feel no fear of her. Even knowing so little, it still feels like they got what they deserved.

Because…

“Kogoro-kun. Am I scary? Do you think I’m awful?” “No?” “Why? I killed five people I’d never even met. Even if they served their sentence and were free, it wasn’t a proper execution.” “Your curse wasn’t just a minor prank—it was life-threatening, right? I don’t think you’d do something unfair.”

I doubt Senpai would ever kill someone just out of anger. Maybe it’s not great to condone murder, but I can’t see her judgment as wrong.

Even if everyone else condemned her, I’d still want to take her side.

“Are you serious? You don’t think you should stay away from me?” “Well, the curse on me was purely personal, and I’m still not happy about that. But I can’t bring myself to hate you.”

I do hope she’ll eventually apologize for the trouble she caused Kaede and the others, and maybe one day undo Toumei-senpai’s curse.

But it would be wrong for me to hate or avoid her. Even if I’m not obligated to accept her confession, I know I’ve already hurt her in some way.

“…There are others, too. People who drove classmates to suicide through bullying, mass murderers, that kind of trash. We’ve dealt with a lot of them. Mostly my parents and relatives, though.” “You only deal with them because it’s necessary, right? I think your family is essential to Japan.” “Kogoro-kun…”

I still barely know anything about the Kurokawa family. In fact, I probably know almost nothing.

I’m sure not all of it is good. Maybe most of it is bad. Sooner or later, I’ll probably be confronted with some horrifying truths that make me want to look away.

Any powerful family has a dark side. Just now, she even hinted at something about dismantling conglomerates. I can’t accept everything blindly, but at least the just parts—I want to embrace them, no matter how much society fears them.

…I’m getting really invested in someone I just met, huh.