Something ominous creeps in slowly.
And before you know it, while you’re completely unaware of the ominous feeling, you find that your knees have sunk so deep you can’t get back out anymore.
Yuuki Yuka has felt that kind of mood often lately.
Whether it’s just a bad mood or an instinctual sense of foreboding, Yuka didn’t know.
But the original mood contains surprisingly much information.
A faint rotten smell wafting through an everyday scene, barely audible groans from the basement if you concentrate, and screams almost drowned out by the chatter of people.
Sometimes, you can instinctively pick those things up and feel a sense of discomfort.
“Yuka.”
“…Huh?”
Yuka, staring blankly out the window, flinched at the voice.
When she turned her head, there was Sota looking back at her.
She felt her face warm up a bit.
The reason for that, Yuka had been gradually becoming aware of lately.
It wasn’t just because he was handsome, or because he had a good personality, or that they often ended up talking because they happened to sit one behind the other.
It was simply because they had intertwined once and had continued to converse since then.
She hadn’t attended a school for such a long time before, so she hadn’t known any friends for this long either.
Friends who used to be the first to send emails after moving would gradually become distant and then eventually stop contacting altogether.
She had thought about reaching out again, but she just gave up this year.
After all, having transferred schools so many times made it practically impossible to reconnect with all those kids.
Someone once said, “A deep relationship is better than several shallow ones.” Yuka was one of the few who understood that saying very well.
In that sense, Sota was a bit special to Yuka.
Even when he showed his blunt personality, Sota didn’t say anything unpleasant. Sometimes they would bicker, and though Yuka really felt he messed up this time, it was still Sota who reached out first.
Moreover, he was a guy she hadn’t even had proper conversations with until now.
It was only natural that various thoughts crossed her mind. And within those thoughts, a very subtle feeling that Yuka was experiencing for the first time was also mixed in.
Still, she was not yet honest enough to acknowledge that feeling.
“It’s nothing.”
Answering that way with a bit of a huff, she turned back to the window.
The sky was clear. Contrary to her gloomy mood, there was no atmosphere suggesting rain at all.
Even Yuka, no matter how she was feeling, would naturally feel better looking at such a sky.
There were no smells or sounds, but for some reason, Yuka couldn’t shake off the foreboding feeling.
*
The scenery was the same as usual. The daily life was the same as usual.
Sota felt very keenly that this everyday life was precious.
Since meeting Yuka early last year, many things had happened.
No, rather, it would be more accurate to say that when Sota and Shii encountered various events, Yuka had helped them.
Starting from the time Yuka saved Shii from the serial killer… or rather, the man-eating spirit, Sota had experienced various things alongside Yuka.
The hungry spirit was just the beginning.
According to Yuka, it seemed that lately, bizarre occurrences involving yōkai had increased unusually. That “lately” actually covered a broad time frame, meaning from just before Yuka had met Sota until now.
After all, having lived nearly her entire life fighting yōkai, it seemed reasonable for her to say so.
What Sota realized through encountering various types of yōkai was that Yuka didn’t actually want to live such a life.
When it came time to hunt yōkai while she was having fun, Yuka often wore a pained expression. It didn’t show overtly, and her actions appeared the same as usual, but Sota felt like he could sense that subtle difference.
Though she pretended not to care, there were times she envied other kids shopping, and she treasured the accessories Sota gifted her.
In a somewhat unusual situation now, her nature remained that of an ordinary girl, much like the other kids.
That’s why Sota couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned about Yuka.
Recently, Yuka had often fallen into deep thought.
What could she be busy with when Sota wasn’t looking?
Even if he probed too deeply, Yuka wasn’t the type to easily give answers, so Sota found himself feeling a bit anxious but had no choice but to keep his distance.
“…Huh.”
While lost in thoughts like that, he suddenly felt a sense of discomfort.
Listen well, see well, smell well.
Perhaps because of the countless times Yuka had drilled that advice into Sota?
He thought he heard a thud sound just once—
He hadn’t fought directly.
But he had seen that fight many times from the sidelines.
Sota’s blood had aided in those fights, and because of that, he had been able to help Yuka multiple times.
And during that process, he had become able to distinguish some sounds. It wasn’t intentional, but at least he could recognize sounds made by people.
Sounds of bodies hitting the floor as well.
Perhaps he could have misunderstood. After all, Sota wasn’t a real exorcist. He had no delusions of having skills like Yuka.
But even so—
He couldn’t just pretend he hadn’t heard that sound.
Sota turned his head toward the back of the school building.
Between the wall and the school building.
There were windows, but no matter how carefully he looked at the corner between the end of the wall and the building, it wouldn’t be easy to see. It would be hard to catch someone eavesdropping there.
And over there stood some kids.
“Hey, Sadako.”
At the voice of a girl, Sota’s steps briefly halted.
Sadako. A famous name.
While it sounded like a name that could actually exist, the more famous reference was definitely the ghost from the movie. That ghost became famous for scenes coming out on TV.
Was it a nickname? No, considering the movie’s release date, it probably wasn’t.
But that didn’t mean the situation looked good.
In the corner of the building, an angry voice.
No matter how he listened… it sounded like that kind of scene.
Sota quieted his steps and approached that direction.
Meanwhile, the conversation continued.
“Didn’t I tell you to carry more than this?”
What was she told to carry more of?
“You have to earn a little more, don’t you think? There are plenty of guys who would like a girl like you.”
At that remark, laughter rang out.
After hearing that, Sota naturally figured he could guess how the situation was flowing.
This was the sound of someone being bullied.
Such things happening at Hanagawa High School…
Wouldn’t it be strange? Such situations could occur at any school.
Only the girls’ voices could be heard, but would that be okay? Wouldn’t it be better to call a teacher instead?
However, the situation could worsen in the meantime. If there had been more of them, one of them could have gone for the teacher.
“Why? Don’t you like older guys? Or do you think peers are fine too? If you like that type, just go for it. Why… what was that one called? That pig.”
“Oh, that one from Class F? Don’t remember her name.”
“Yeah, her. She’s been watching you closely, you know? Go and tell her that. Who knows? She might give you something.”
Sota’s steps quickened.
“Isn’t that too much? She has her own tastes. You shouldn’t judge someone by their looks.”
More peals of laughter.
“Heh, sleeping with a ghost might be a bit strange. With such a messy girl.”
“Isn’t being an older guy a bonus point?”
“Hey.”
As Sota interrupted the conversation, the kids who had their backs turned to him all turned around simultaneously.
Sota was a bit surprised.
They all had unremarkable appearances. Each one looked like an ordinary kid you might find in class.
None of them looked like the type that you would commonly think of as troublemakers, like those who dyed their hair bright colors or wore weird makeup.
Well, people can’t truly be judged by appearances anyway.
…Sota had experienced that himself.
“Huh?”
One near Sota froze up.
As if they thought they wouldn’t get caught doing this.
Did they really expect no one would find out about this big laugh?
Or perhaps they had become careless by repeating the same actions too often? Yuka had said that; don’t let familiarity lead to carelessness.
“What are you doing?”
Seeing a kid lying on the floor, struggling to prop themselves up, Sota said.
The kid’s appearance—
With long hair covering the face, it was difficult to express clearly.
The faint glimpse of their expression showed absolutely no emotion, and Sota felt a bit of discomfort.
“…What’s going on?”
Sota spoke, infused with a touch of anger.
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