Did they run into something supernatural?
Ren barely gave it any thought.
He had no intention of getting involved.
Rescuing pretty girls was something heroes did, and he had never considered himself one.
He had no interest in taking on a thankless job.
If anything, he could simply wait for them to die, identify whatever evil spirit was behind it, then exorcise it and collect the Yin Energy.
…
That morning, Utaha Kasumigaoka and Eriri Spencer Sawamura ran into each other at school and instantly noticed how terrible the other looked.
Both of them were pale, exhausted, and unfocused, exactly like Tomoya Aki had been the day before.
“Don’t tell me you…”
They fell silent at the same time.
Without another word, both turned and headed straight for Tomoya’s classroom.
They needed answers, and the cold fear hanging over them was no longer something they could dismiss as nerves from a scary movie.
Utaha and Eriri dragged Tomoya to the school roof.
Once there, he stood with his head lowered, refusing to speak.
“ARE YOU GOING TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF, TOMOYA?” For the first time, Utaha dropped the teasing “Rinri-kun” nickname.
“What the hell was on that tape?” Eriri shouted, her usual composure completely gone.
“I-I didn’t want this…” Tomoya clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, knowing he could not hide it anymore.
“I didn’t give it to you.
You took it yourselves.
I tried to stop you.
This is your fault.
It’s your own fault.”
“Stopped us?” Utaha let out a cold, disappointed laugh.
Did he really think that weak, half-hearted attempt counted as stopping them?
“I was going to pass it to someone else!!” Tomoya said, his voice breaking as panic took over.
“You two snatched it first.
It was Sadako.
A real urban legend.
I was going to die in seven days, but now that you’ve watched it, I’m safe.
It’s your fault.
You took it from me.”
After shouting out his confession, Tomoya turned and fled down the stairs.
Utaha and Eriri remained on the rooftop, stunned into silence.
Neither could quite believe it.
The boy they had both liked had more or less sacrificed them to save himself.
“N-No…
We’ll be fine.” Eriri’s voice trembled despite her attempt to sound confident.
“Once I tell my parents, everything will be fine.”
In the end, Eriri was still a high school girl.
The thought of dying terrified her.
Utaha remembered that Eriri’s father was a British diplomat with considerable resources and connections.
She gave a small nod, but the disappointment in her eyes did not fade.
When the lunch bell rang, Ren only wanted to blend into the background and eat his bread in peace.
Instead, his homeroom teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka, called him over.
“Sensei, if this isn’t important, I’d really like to go eat.”
Ren thought back over the past few days.
He had not done anything wrong.
He had turned in his homework, stayed awake in class, and behaved like a perfectly ordinary student.
“Ahem.”
Shizuka cleared her throat and looked at the biggest loner in her class.
“This isn’t about your grades.
I heard you don’t have any friends in class.”
“You keep track of that too?” Ren found that a little strange.
“I’m your homeroom teacher.
Of course I care about your mental and physical health,”
Shizuka said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Teachers should not care only about test scores.
“Anyway, why not try making a few friends?”
Ren let out a dry laugh.
“There’s no point.
They all seem pretty immature to me.”
That was not entirely wrong.
Counting his past life, he was mentally closer to a middle-aged man.
Trying to become real friends with a group of high schoolers felt strange.
“Immature?
You’re a kid too!” Shizuka rolled her eyes.
A teenager calling other teenagers immature was exactly the kind of thing that made her sigh.
He really was antisocial, but that actually made this easier.
“Let me ask you something.
Are you in any clubs?”
In Japan, joining an after-school club was practically expected of students.
“Does the Going Home Club count?”
Shizuka did not answer.
She simply stood up from her desk.
“Follow me.”
Just as Ren expected, the moment he saw the sign on the door reading “Service Club,” he understood where this was going.
So this was it.
Shizuka slid the door open.
“Yukino, I knew you’d be here.”
She laughed when she saw the girl sitting inside.
“Hiratsuka-sensei.
I believe I told you to knock before entering.” The girl looked up slowly, meeting Shizuka’s eyes with a flat, indifferent stare.
This was Yukino Yukinoshita, Sobu High’s famous unattainable flower.
“Haha.
What does it matter?
I’m already inside.” Shizuka brushed off the complaint without the slightest guilt.
“Anyway, your Service Club doesn’t have any members yet, so I brought you a recommendation.”
With that, she pushed Ren into the room.
Yukino glanced at Ren once, then turned back to Shizuka.
“Hiratsuka-sensei, I…”
“Yukino…” Shizuka cut in.
“You know a club needs more than one person to stay active.”
Normally, a club required five members just to be established.
The fact that Yukino had a clubroom all to herself meant Shizuka had clearly pulled strings.
“This kid is a bit of a loner.
He’s exactly the type you need to whip into shape.” Shizuka slapped Ren on the back.
Yukino studied him with an unreadable expression.
“I feel like my purity is in danger.”
That was Yukino for you—sharp tongued and beautiful.
“Relax.
He won’t try anything while I’m here.” Shizuka threw a few playful punches in the air, living up to her reputation as the iron-fisted spinster.
She finally turned to Ren.
“So, are you going to say no?”
‘You all make the decision first and ask me at the end?’
“I’d love to say no, but whatever.” In the end, classes ended early today, and he had nothing better to do.
“Oh?
You’re agreeing that easily?” Shizuka had honestly expected more resistance.
“Why wouldn’t I?
I’m an average student with average grades.
I barely talk to anyone, and I’m a complete loner.
My homeroom teacher went out of her way to find me, recommend a club, and actually worry about me.
Why would I reject that?”
Whatever anyone thought of her methods, Shizuka Hiratsuka was a genuinely good teacher.
It helps new readers find it.
And of course, your Power Stones help push the story forward.
Thanks for reading.