Chapter 7: Blue-Haired Longs Are Exhausting

Snap. I closed my book. With school over, I left the classroom, now wrapped in noisy chatter.

My name is Kotozuka Reina—one of the Curse Seekers.

It’s only been a few days since I was assigned to a team, but life has already turned into a whirlwind.

I usually read books, but I wouldn’t call myself a bookworm. I just need something to lose myself in so I don’t have to pay attention to the people around me.

Music would work too, in that sense.

I just don’t want to deal with the vulgar stares from guys.

That’s why I bury myself in books in class, avoiding interaction as much as possible. If I let my guard down, I end up noticing the disgusting gazes of people who only seem interested in a girl’s chest.

In that sense, the team might actually be a place I can relax.

At first, I was wary of our Connector—Shinozaki Nagisa—but he’s never once looked at me that way.

If anything, what bothers me more is how he’s recently started coming to me for advice and acting overly familiar. It’s not like I want to be that involved with the Connector.

…Though, to be fair, it’s probably because he can’t easily consult Akegami Yuri or Kurokawa Kisa. Still, coming to me doesn’t help—I’m not exactly the best person to ask. Apparently, it’s just because I seem like I’d listen.

Honestly, Akegami Yuri seems like she’d hear him out more than I would.

"This year seems fine so far."

"Last year, at this point, at least one team had already been wiped out."

I overheard teachers talking in the hallway.

…Hearing conversations like that makes it clear we should probably work on our teamwork.

That said, it sounds like other teams are struggling too. Apparently, some fell apart because relationships between boys and girls got complicated. Not surprising—putting emotionally volatile teenagers together and expecting nothing to happen is unrealistic.

I opened the team room door. It looked like no one was there yet.

Taking my usual seat, I opened my book. The faint scent of paper rose up, and as it triggered my senses, my consciousness began to sink into the story—

—or at least, it should have.

"Here I go!"

A cheerful voice cut in.

With that odd exclamation, a petite girl entered the room. Akegami Yuri—one of my teammates. If she kept quiet, she could pass for a delicate beauty.

She glanced my way, but I ignored her. I opened my book again and focused on the page. I didn’t want to interact when I was alone. She’s not a bad person, but the gap in our energy levels is just too much.

"Hey, what are you reading?"

Apparently, ignoring her wasn’t an option.

"A mystery novel."

"Hmm. Hey, Reina—what do you think about Nagisa-kun?"

Is Shinozaki Nagisa the only thing in her head?

"I think he’s not a bad person."

"Do you like him?"

"Of course not."

I should just ignore her again.

I’m not good with this girl. She acts cheerful, but there’s something warped about her—something unsettling.

That fleeting, melancholic expression she shows now and then… it feels like she’s hiding something, like she might vanish at any moment. As if that strange, high-energy personality is just a mask.

And then there was that thing she said—

‘I’d be in trouble if things didn’t go properly after I’m gone.’

It sounded like she knew she was going to die.

Even if I asked, I doubt she’d tell me anything.

Come to think of it, that was what made me decide to at least talk to the Connector. I figured I might need an ally—someone relatively reasonable like Shinozaki Nagisa—to deal with someone as suspicious as Akegami Yuri.

In the end, though, I still don’t understand her true intentions. Akegami Yuri just keeps clinging to Shinozaki Nagisa, the Connector… I don’t even know what she sees in him.

Though, to be fair, Nagisa himself reacts to her in a way that encourages it. Otherwise, she wouldn’t go that far.

"…Hey."

The next to arrive was Kurokawa Kisa. Usually lively, she seemed a bit out of it today.

She looked toward Akegami Yuri—then quickly averted her gaze. Yuri lowered her eyes awkwardly as well.

Something must have happened between those two.

Kurokawa Kisa is normally just bright and energetic, but something’s clearly off today. I’d overheard in the hallway that she’d snapped at classmates several times.

She sometimes shows a shadow beneath her usual personality… but today, it feels like whatever she’s hiding is spilling out.

"Oh, looks like everyone’s here already."

The last to arrive was the Connector, Shinozaki Nagisa.

"…What’s going on here?"

Even though I was reading, he quietly asked me.

Annoying.

"No idea. Maybe something happened between Akegami Yuri and Kurokawa Kisa."

"…Didn’t they do a high-five the other day?"

"They did."

"…I wonder what happened."

A sigh slipped out of me before I realized it. Snap. I closed my book.

I’m not good with people. I never know what to say, and by the time I stay silent too long, people just assume I’m cold.

And yet, it looks like I’m the one who has to deal with the team’s tension. Even Shinozaki Nagisa doesn’t seem to be handling it well.

"Kurokawa Kisa seems off today."

"…Mmm."

"I wonder if something happened."

"No idea."

That’s not going to work. She just slumped over her desk with a dull thud, clearly not in any state to listen.

"Could you at least try to listen a little more seriously?"

"…Shut up. Don’t talk to me, you scaredy-cat."

Her tone was unusually sharp. When she lifted her head, her brows were furrowed in irritation, and she shot me a glare that looked ready to bite.

…“Scaredy-cat,” huh. I couldn’t entirely deny it, which made it even more irritating.

If Akegami Yuri is the cause of this, then just what did she do?

"Akegami Yuri, what about you?"

"Hm? I’m fine. Totally normal."

She wasn’t any more willing to cooperate. She was clearly avoiding looking at Kurokawa Kisa, yet acted as if everything was normal. She fiddled with her hair while staring into a small hand mirror—wasn’t there something better she could be doing?

I turned to Shinozaki Nagisa and gave a small shrug.

This is as far as I go.

Kurokawa Kisa was obviously not okay. Hopefully this wouldn’t cause problems during deployment.

I opened my book again.

The rest is up to you, Connector.

◇◇◇

"Kotozuka-san. Do you think there’s anything we can do about Kurokawa-san getting more unstable lately?"

"Hey, I’m not your personal advisor, you know."

"You’re just the easiest person to talk to, Kotozuka-san."

And somehow, I’d ended up as Shinozaki Nagisa’s sounding board.

This is ridiculous. I just want to live quietly.

This guy, Shinozaki Nagisa, is also irritating in his own way. The only reason I tolerate him is because he doesn’t seem to have any ulterior motives. It’s not like I want to go out of my way to interact with him… though talking a little is still manageable.

Still, I understand why he wants advice.

Kurokawa Kisa’s instability has been getting worse by the day.

Apparently, she’s even jumped at rumors related to Deep Calamities and gone on solo deployments without permission.

…Most of us Curse Seekers carry deep resentment toward the Deep Calamities. Kurokawa Kisa is probably one of them.

That pent-up emotion must have finally erupted.

…But people like me and Shinozaki Nagisa aren’t that type, so we probably can’t truly understand her.

What should we do?

"You could just ask Akegami Yuri what’s going on."

"Mm… do you think she’d tell me?"

"She’s clearly head over heels for you, so you might have a chance."

"No, it’s not like that! She’s just messing with me. Besides, Akegami-san doesn’t seem like she wants to talk about it either."

In the end, there might not be anything we can do.

At first, I didn’t care about this team at all. But compared to others, it’s started to feel more comfortable.

And because of that, I’ve grown attached.

Kurokawa Kisa—that dangerously unstable girl. Is there any way to help her?

If possible, I’d like to.

But in the end, I couldn’t come up with an answer.

If there’s something I can do, I’d help—but that role probably isn’t mine.

Do your best, Connector.