Chapter 63: Movement Restrictions

The date is on Saturday. Today is Monday. Just one day apart, yet it feels like a lifetime ago. But whatever, that’s not the issue. The real problem is—can I even make it to Saturday alive?

No, more than that—can I even make it home in one piece today?

“Alright, Kogoro, skipping class—where exactly did you go? No, actually, I don’t care about the where.”

Getting grilled over this was within expectations. What wasn’t expected, but very much welcome, was that the class rep and Momiji were nowhere to be seen. By the time I got back to the classroom, they had already left. Not knowing why bugged me, but for now, survival came first.

“You wanna know who I was with and what I was doing, right?”

“Wow, you catch on fast. So, does that mean you always understand me?”

Anyone could figure that out, I grumbled internally, but I nodded anyway. If I provoked her, she’d probably start chanting sutras again. Best not to stir the pot.

“Then you do understand that I’m absolutely fucking livid, right? Spill it. Everything.”

Yep. That spine-chilling sensation? Classic Kaede-is-about-to-murder-someone vibes. Her eyes were straight-up killer material. Never met an actual murderer, but if I ever do, I bet they’d have that exact look.

“It’s just as you’re thinking—it was a girl.”

No point in lying; she’d find out anyway. If I tried to dodge the truth, she’d just fill in the gaps with her own delusions and go off the rails.

“Hmm… Who? Not Shiro-chan, at least… The scent’s all wrong.”

She was barely within arm’s reach, yet she could tell? No, even at this distance, normal people wouldn’t be able to.

Wait… so she can actually tell women apart by scent? Not just male vs. female, but individuals? Is this some kind of cursed ability? There’s no way this is just a natural talent, right?

“Ah, well, I don’t actually know her real name. She told me to call her ‘Ryu-san,’ but I have no idea if that’s her actual name or just a nickname…”

“You got up close and personal with someone without even knowing their name? Judging by the scent distribution, you must have been sitting right next to her—with your arms linked, too.”

The words scent distribution sent a shiver down my spine, but that aside… she’s beyond a bloodhound. At this point, if she said she had been watching me through a hidden camera, I’d actually find that more believable.

“Uh, well, she’s the president of the Board Game Club. I visited once before…”

That should be safe to say, right? It’s gonna come out eventually anyway.

“You just happened to visit a club run by someone whose name you don’t even know?”

“Ah, well… I just ran into her in the hallway and got invited on the spot. Pretty sure she didn’t care who it was.”

That was a blatant lie. Now, let’s see—how good is her lie detection? I figured even if she caught it, the damage would be minimal.

“Hmm. Never heard of that club before. Maybe they were just desperate for members. More members mean more club funds, after all.”

…Did she not catch it? Or was that a bluff? Is she letting me think I got away with it? Or maybe I was calm enough that it didn’t register as a lie? Or—

“More than club funds, it’s a numbers game. Since they don’t have enough people, they’re still just a circle, not an official club.”

That was half true. I had no idea how many members were required for official club status, but even if they met the criteria, I doubted they’d get upgraded. If they became an official club, it’d be harder for them to do what they actually wanted—gambling.

“Huh, a circle, huh… So, did you join? That whatever-it’s-called club?”

“Nope. It’s not like it’d help with job hunting or anything, and I’m not wasting my time.”

That wasn’t a lie. I just wasn’t telling the whole truth.

If I hadn’t thought ahead, I might’ve blurted something dumb like, It’s all girls, so it’s awkward to join.

That answer sounds great on paper—like I’m reassuring her that I’m not interested in other girls.

But that only works if she chooses to take it that way. There’s a real chance she’d take it as a passive-aggressive complaint—something like, Being surrounded by girls all the time is honestly exhausting.

And that? That could lead to disaster. Worst case, she’d see Momiji and the others as obstacles and decide to remove them.

I assumed that since they were all yanderes, they wouldn’t actually try to kill each other. But that was just my own hopeful theory. Either way, Shiro—who isn’t a yandere—would definitely be targeted.

And even if my answer did work, it could end up making her like me even more, dragging me deeper into the abyss.

“So, if it did help with job hunting, would you have joined?”

“No. If a company rejects me just because I wasn’t in a club, then they’re not worth working for in the first place.”

No, if the Board Game Club actually helped with job hunting, I would have joined. Well… if it weren’t for the yandere curse, that is.

And for the record, I meant what I said about turning down those kinds of companies. Honestly, I think I did a solid job of mixing truth and lies in just the right proportions.

“Hmm, so in other words, club activities won’t be interfering with our time together?”

I want them to interfere! I want to join an all-boys club and let it interfere! But the reality is, even the guys avoid me now, and even the teachers keep their distance.

And let’s be real—if the club had a female manager, that’d just turn into a whole other disaster.

“…Wait, don’t you have tennis practice, Kaede?”

Actually, isn’t it about time for it already? Skipping practice just to interrogate me… No, wait. Given her track record, skipping practice is hardly out of the ordinary.

“Of course. I’m planning to quit anyway.”

…So the curse finally made her decide to retire, huh. It’s not technically my fault, but I still feel kinda bad.

Actually, didn’t she have plans to go to a powerhouse school before she decided to follow me instead? Does that make this my fault? No, wait—the curse wasn’t on me back then. If anything, it’s her fault for falling for me in the first place…

“Well, whatever. That doesn’t matter.”

“…”

Yeah, that figures. That’s not what she really wants to talk about. No, the real question is…

“So, why exactly did you link arms with that whoever-she-is from the Board Game Club? Actually, why did you even go there in the first place?”

Yep. This is what it all comes down to. She skipped club practice because she had to know the reason I was with another girl, all the details about her, and everything else in between.

“Why? It was recruitment, obviously. She didn’t use that exact word, but she’s the club president, and she approached me—what else could it be?”

Total nonsense, but not completely a lie. If I’d shown any interest in joining, they probably would have welcomed me with open arms.

“A honey trap, then?”

“Most likely. But since she didn’t try anything beyond linking arms, I doubt she was that desperate to recruit me. At least she won’t be clinging to me all the time.”

That last part was a lie, but the rest was true, so it balanced out nicely.

“Hmm… Alright. I’ll gather some intel on my own first. Then I’ll decide what to do with her.”

Great, I’m being let off the hook—for now. But Kaede directly meeting Ryu-san is definitely a bad idea.

Ryu-san isn’t stupid, and she’s sharp enough to keep her mouth shut about the whole date thing. But even so, it’s better if they never cross paths at all.

“Is this ‘intel gathering’ something urgent?”

“The sooner, the better. If there’s a potential threat, I won’t be able to focus on giving you all my love, after all.”

Yeah, I’m not touching that. I have a pretty good guess what she means, and if I poke at it, I might get dragged into it.

Seriously, why do I have to use this much brainpower just to have a conversation? This isn’t even a death game, yet it feels way more like one.

“I see… Well, if you’re not going to tennis practice, I was thinking of asking you on a date after school. But if you’ve got urgent business, I won’t force—”

“Postponed! Investigation postponed! I’m a proud Japanese citizen, and postponing things is in my blood!”

Okay, that worked, but damn, the cost of keeping her busy is way too high. I can’t even stop multiple people at once…

Wait a second. If this keeps up, am I gonna get roped into an after-school date every single day from now on?!