Chapter 12: TS Girl Makes Up

Shiishiba Honoka’s recruitment attempt failed for now—but it doesn’t really matter. She was originally supposed to join after my death anyway. I’ve already laid the groundwork.

A grave visit? Yeah right. No way. That’s something you’d go do alone.

…Ah, there it is again—me slipping out. This blending is seriously unsettling.

No, no—tuning, tuning.

Ahem, ahem. I am Akegami Yuri. Recently, I’ve even started thinking Nagisa-kun’s scent is kind of nice.

Alright!

Heeey, did you all wait? It’s me—the TS-reincarnated beautiful girl, a doomed gacha-game heroine who’ll die someday: Akegami Yuri!

I got left out, so I tried going to mess with a newly added character, but I got kicked away and ended up trudging home all sad. So please be nice to me.

Also, I waved at a cat on my way to school, and it ran away from me. Sad.

I wonder if Kisa’s mental care went well—that’s the only thing I’m worried about. But, well, it’s probably fine. If I were there, I might’ve just made things worse anyway. Yeah, yeah.

…To be serious for a moment, it’s kind of hard to face Kisa right now. What if she finally recovers, but then something I say triggers her again and she explodes? That’d be awful.

Hmm… what should I do? Not like there’s a good answer.

When I walk into the school building, I usually wonder if Nagisa-kun is here—but today, it’s turned into wondering whether Kisa is here instead.

The sky is gloomy. If I had to put it in a cliché way, it feels like the weather reflects my mood. All dreary.

"Morning, Akegami."

"Morning."

I return my classmate’s greeting. Hmph. I can even talk with classmates now, you know. What, that’s normal? Oh, shut it.

"So, Akegami, how’s it going with that guy?"

"Hmm? You mean Nagisa-kun?"

"Yeah, him. You two all lovey-dovey or what?"

"I just tease him because his reactions are funny."

"I see. Just don’t overdo it—you’ll break the team."

"Yeah, yeah. What about you?"

"Oh, things are super awkward. We’re all a bunch of messes, after all."

"Fair enough."

"Hey, at least try to deny it!"

We chat like that, but we’re not really friends or anything. It’s just easy to talk since we vibe well. I can handle conversations with people who aren’t too emotionally unstable.

Still, people are noticing me teasing Nagisa-kun more than I thought. And honestly, I’m the only one who should get to enjoy his reactions… maybe I should tone it down in public.

While I was worrying about that, it was already after school. I wonder how the team’s doing.

"…Yuri."

"Huh? Y-yes?"

That startled me so much I slipped into polite speech. I mean, if someone suddenly calls out to you, that happens, right?

"Why are you being so formal?"

Hehe—Kisa smiled softly.

Wait, did she come all the way to see me? There’s a kind of clarity about her now, like something’s been lifted off her shoulders. Looks like things worked out.

"Well, you just suddenly called out to me."

"Sorry. I wanted to talk to you for a bit."

"Hmm. Want to walk to the team room while we talk?"

"Yeah, sure."

As we walk down the hallway, silence settles between us. It’s… awkward.

I sneak a glance at Kisa. Her eyes look a bit red.

"…Haha, don’t stare too much. My eyes are all puffy."

"Sorry…"

So she caught me looking. Puffy eyes… did she cry?

Nagisa-kun, what on earth did you do???

"…Yuri, I’m sorry for taking it out on you."

"Hm? It’s fine. I mean, I guess I said something weird too, even if I don’t really know what."

I mean, I honestly have no clue what I did wrong.

"No, that’s not it. I just… got my hopes up on my own. Thought maybe you were like me."

"Well, still—you’re the more natural one here. If your whole family dies, it’s normal to fall apart."

"…Even if I didn’t say it, you still figured it out?"

"More or less."

Because I already know it from the original story.

"…Yuri, what do you think I should do from here?"

"Hmm? About what?"

"I feel empty. I don’t have anything I want to do. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do anymore… I’ve stopped acting recklessly, at least."

"Well… that’s pretty normal, isn’t it?"

Kisa, who had looked downcast, turned toward me.

"…Is it?"

"Stuff like Curse Seekers and Deep Calamities messes with your sense of things. Most people don’t have their goals figured out. I mean, we’re still kids, right? Or something like that."

"That’s weird… but, I see."

Her cheeks loosened, and she gave a small smile.

Yeah, I really think that. We’re still kids—having worries like that is normal.

Well, considering her background, maybe not exactly… but there are plenty of people like that. It’d be nice if we could all figure things out together.

"You can just find it from here on out. That’s how it goes."

"Maybe… Then, help me find it. My reason for living, and all that."

"That’s way too heavy. How about we make it a team effort instead?"

"I’ll let that slide."

Kisa stuck out her tongue playfully. Cute.

Looks like she’s stopped forcing that overly cheerful persona. This version suits her better—she’s cuter like this.

Still, that was close. If I’d agreed to find it together one-on-one, things would’ve gotten complicated since I’m supposed to die early…

I glance outside. The rain has started pouring down—patter, patter. Ugh.

When we reach the team room, Reina and Nagisa-kun are already there.

"Hello there—Akegami Yuri here, the one who got left out yesterday."

"Sorry about that."

Reina and Nagisa-kun both look stunned. Perfect chance!

"Naaagisa-kuuun!"

"Wah—!?"

"Don’t just jump on him out of nowhere."

"Ugh!!"

I leapt at Nagisa-kun—only to get swatted down by Reina. That hurt. The floor is kind of cold.

"U-Um, Akegami-san, are you okay…?"

"Sorry, it’s just a reflex—I feel the urge to jump at Nagisa-kun whenever I see him."

"What kind of reflex is that?!"

"That’s just how Akegami Yuri always is."

For the record, Curse Seekers are pretty tough, so even if I crash into the floor after a failed tackle, I’m totally fine. Peace.

"So, while I was gone, the team pulled itself together, right?"

I slowly push myself up.

Looking at the three of them, they all gave small nods.

"Alright! Then that means we can finally all Connect Link and head out on missions soon! Kisa, you’re doing it too now, right?"

"Yeah."

"And Reina too!"

"………………………………I suppose…?"

"Wait, you sound really reluctant."

"…Haha."

Hey, Reina. Come on. You’re making Nagisa-kun feel bad! Look at that awkward smile!

Though, I guess she’s still not there yet. It doesn’t seem like her relationship with Nagisa-kun has progressed at all either.

More than anything, she probably just can’t handle physical contact with a guy.

"Man… things don’t really start until everyone can Connect Link."

"Hmm, is that really something we need to rush?"

"It is. Connect Link isn’t just for healing and buffs—it also lets you share sensations and stuff, so the Connector can give better instructions!"

"…Akegami-san, you really know a lot about this."

Ah—crap. Did I go into too much detail?

Connect Link apparently has a lot of secondary effects. Sometimes you can even perceive the surroundings of a Curse Seeker—but that kind of thing only becomes possible after doing it repeatedly.

Which is exactly why we want to get it done early.

"Anyway! First step is getting Reina comfortable with Connect Link—let’s go!"

"You’re really forcing this with sheer momentum."

"Still, it’d be better if both you and I could do it, right?"

"Ugh… I-I’ll… try, at least…"

Nice assist, Kisa! Looks like she’s at least willing to give it a shot now, even if it’s reluctant.

"Hmm… maybe we should have Nagisa-kun win Reina over."

"Where did that even come from?!"

"Akegami Yuri, could you not say ridiculous things?"

Both of them shot that idea down hard.

Come to think of it, did Nagisa-kun win Kisa over too? I glance at her, but she looks normal, so I can’t tell.

Heh. Looks like I’m still the only one in the Nagisa-kun fan club.

Anyway, we tried seeing if Reina could handle Connect Linking with Nagisa-kun that day, but all we got were her strange reactions—nothing more.

Then again, there are only about two or three missions before I disappear, so I might not even get to see her overcome this.

The rain still hasn’t let up today. I should’ve at least brought a folding umbrella. Guess I’ll just head home soaked.

On my way out, I feel like I passed by someone with messy brown hair… but it was probably just my imagination.