Chapter 33: A Summons from the Drama Queen

Break time had come. Why does break time even exist?

Lamenting wouldn’t change anything. If I didn’t meet up with that drama queen, who knows what she’d do? Guess I’d better go.

“I’m just heading to the restroom…”

“A secret rendezvous, huh? Have fun!”

Meeting her didn’t guarantee my safety—it just meant the person messing with me would change.

Why does my childhood friend’s smile have to be so terrifying? It sounds like the title of some second-rate light novel.

“It’s a misunderstanding! I literally just learned her name today, okay?”

What was it again? Mashiro-chan? Oh, Mashiro.

“Wow, and you made her fall for you instantly.”

There’s no use arguing. And wait—is her yandere vibe starting to creep back in?

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Don’t bother. Just enjoy yourself while you’re at it.”

“…”

This is exhausting. Absolutely exhausting.

Why do I have to deal with a drama queen, a yandere, and a jujutsu practitioner all at the same time? This is multitasking on nightmare mode.

“Oh, there you are.”

On my way to the restroom, I found Sei leaning against the hallway wall.

I was glad I’d run into her without issue, but her posture was irritating.

“I’ll get straight to the point since time’s short. Meet me at the convenience store near school this Saturday. Be there at 6 AM.”

“Huh? Why?”

The idea of meeting her on a weekend was strange enough, but why so early? What’s with 6 in the morning?

“It’s about your curse.”

“…And by that, you mean?”

I had a vague sense of what she was getting at. She’d mentioned something about curses the last time we met.

But how much does she actually know? What is she planning? What’s her goal?

“Listen, under no circumstances can Kurokawa Miyabi find out about this.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Just shut up and listen. I’m a curse-breaker.”

A curse-breaker? I’ve never heard of that before, but the name kind of explains itself. Still, it sounds shady.

Sure, if jujutsu practitioners exist, it’s not impossible for people who can break curses to exist too.

“You don’t look very happy. Shouldn’t you be thrilled your curse might be lifted?”

“Well, yeah, I’d definitely be happy if it gets lifted.”

The curse has been weakening anyway, so it doesn’t feel as urgent anymore. And, in a way, it’s tied me to Kurokawa-senpai.

Of course, if it can be lifted, that’s ideal. Kaede and the others would be freed too.

But still… I can’t help being suspicious. I don’t think anyone could tamper with Kurokawa-senpai’s curse, and Sei has no reason to help me.

The fact that I’ve never even heard of curse-breakers is a red flag. If jujutsu practitioners are well-known, shouldn’t curse-breakers be as well?

“What’s with that indecisive look?”

“I mean, can you really lift it?”

If I have to wake up at the crack of dawn only to end up with no results, it’d be unbearable.

Though, honestly, I’d be fine with it if there were no downsides. I do want to try everything.

But there’s a problem. If anyone finds out I met up with another girl on a weekend, who knows what’ll happen to me?

Actually, it’s not even an “if.” They’ll find out for sure. I mean, the time I got caught playing a risqué board game with the glasses girl from the club says it all.

“Why? Why don’t you believe me? Why are you calling me a liar?”

Oh… crap.

“We even made a pinky promise. You said you wouldn’t say anything mean.”

W-Wait, did I really say anything that bad?

I was just a little skeptical, curious if it would work, you know… I mean, I didn’t outright call her a liar, right?

Wait… did I? If I’m doubting her, doesn’t that mean I kind of am…?

“That’s so cruel… I was just… just trying to help you…”

This was bad. Really bad. She started crying right there.

Crap, no way. If she cries here in the hallway…

“Look, Omutsu-man made another girl cry.”

“The worst. He’s such a woman-hater.”

“I bet he pressured her like, ‘Change my diaper!’ or something.”

Great. Now I’m the villain. I mean, technically, I did make her cry, so they’re not entirely wrong, but still!

Isn’t this misunderstanding a bit much? Do people really think so little of me? I’m the victim here, being pursued by all these crazy girls, so why am I being treated like this?

“H-Hey, don’t cry. Uh, Sei-san?”

“You’re not going to call me by my first name? You just did earlier. Are you already bored of me?”

Ugh, such a hassle. Not as bad as a full-blown yandere, but still a hassle.

I already have rumors flying around about me keeping a harem. Don’t make it worse by making it look like I’m dumping a girl in public.

“Ma…shiro.”

“What? Are you just going to say something mean again?”

Stop it, seriously. The stares from the girls around us are unbearable right now.

“H-Hey, don’t cry. Here.”

Her tears and runny nose were getting out of hand, so I handed her a tissue and my handkerchief. The handkerchief was already used, but whatever.

Wait, did she just blow her nose into my handkerchief? Why the hell did I give her tissues, then!?

No, no, calm down. If I get mad, she’ll cry even more.

“Thank you…”

No, don’t just hand it back! Don’t return a snot-covered handkerchief without washing it first!

“Keep it. It’s yours now.”

“Huh? Are you saying it’s gross…?”

“No, no! Uh, look, it’s floral-patterned, so it suits you better than me.”

Sigh. Why do I have to put this much effort into everything? Well, at least the stares from the others should ease up now…

“See that? That’s how he charms girls.”

“The worst. I bet he only uses ultra-thin condoms.”

“No, he probably doesn’t even use them.”

“Unbelievable. He has no intention of taking responsibility.”

“He’d totally say something like, ‘Get an abortion or I’ll punch you in the stomach.'”

Why!? I just pulled off a saintly move, and I’m still being treated like a monster!?

There’s no way I’d say something that evil. Not even in some edgy light novel would that kind of line fly these days!

“A present? For me? Ehehe…”

What is wrong with this girl? She’s happily staring at my snot-stained handkerchief, mumbling something to herself… Creepy.

Whatever. At least she seems to be in a better mood now. I’ll just ignore the details. Not sure if “details” even covers it at this point.

That said, her smile… it’s unsettling, but kind of cute. Like a troublesome little sister you have to look after despite being the same age.

“So, uh, 6 AM at the convenience store, right?”

“Exactly! And don’t be late, or I won’t forgive you!”

Why is she suddenly so energetic? It’s a bit annoying, but better than crying in public, I guess.

Alright, break time’s almost over. Time to head back to my classroom.

“Fuuu~n.”

“Ah… Kaede…-san.”

She saw that, didn’t she? She saw me making a girl cry. Just that alone is bad enough…

“What exactly are you planning to do on Saturday morning? A morning se—”

“No, it’s not that!”

“Then what is it?”

“That’s… uh…”

How am I supposed to explain this? I don’t even know what’s going to happen myself. Sei said she’d break the curse, but I have no idea how she plans to do it.

“Why meet so early at a convenience store? There’s only one reason! You’re buying condoms! What else could it be? Ugh, how awful. Sneaking around the school during break time wasn’t enough, now you’re meeting up on weekends too. I mean, sure, at least you have the decency to use protection, but that doesn’t make it okay! Cheating is cheating, whether you use condoms or not. Like, maybe Momiji-chan and Sumire-chan would let it slide a bit, since they’re friends. Just barely—like, by the skin of a hangnail. But even then, no way they’d actually forgive you. And with girls from other classes? Zero excuses. Though I’ll admit, it’s a pretty clever move for someone like you. Having a girl from a different class as your partner means you could almost get away with cheating. Almost. Wow, Kogoro’s totally the type to have a one-night stand while on a business trip.”

Why? I thought things were getting better. Why is her sermon back?

It’s not as sharp as it used to be. Compared to her earlier tirades, this is pretty mild—something anyone could come up with if they tried. But still, something feels off.

Weird. My after-school dates with Kurokawa-senpai should’ve weakened the curse. So why…?

“Maybe we’ll just have to embed a GPS tracker in you. And a listening device too… No, you know what? Let’s go with handcuffs. Yeah, that’s it. Kogoro, me, Momiji-chan, and Sumire-chan—all of us handcuffed together. Perfect. Oh, but wait. If we all handcuff ourselves, someone won’t be directly connected to Kogoro… Hmm, what to do? Oh, I know! Sumire-chan can always be carrying you around, like piggybacking. That way, Momiji-chan and I can each take one side, and Sumire-chan’s maternal instincts will be satisfied. Kogoro’s happy, I’m happy, Momiji-chan’s happy, and Sumire-chan’s happy. Four-way happiness!”

Hmm… The dates weakened the curse itself, but maybe they amplified Kaede’s jealousy?

And with Shiro showing up as a new “rival,” her emotions just exploded? Not that Shiro’s actually a rival, though.

“But you could slip out of handcuffs if you really wanted to, right? You’re good at games and pretty handy, so dislocating your joints wouldn’t be hard. Ugh, this is tough… Maybe I should just sew us all together with needle and thread…”

“Kaede, the bell. The bell’s ringing.”

“Huh? Oh… Well, I’ll continue yelling at you later.”

“…Yeah, sure.”

Am I going to survive Saturday…?