"W-What is this...?"
The moment the students stepped into Yonaga's research lab, they had no choice but to freeze in shock.
"Ungah!? K-K...? Have you already returned...?"
"K-K... K's come back to life?"
"No way... was this whole thing a surprise party all along...!?"
Because standing there inside the lab was something that looked exactly like K.
"Nyahaha~! Thanks for the praise~! This is my masterpiece, made overnight! A doll to hold K's soul~!"
"......."
At those words, the students crept closer and checked for themselves. It really was a wax figure, a perfect replica of K.
"...Why would you do something like this?"
"Because we need it for the 'resurrection of the dead' ritual, of course~!"
"Kukuku... come to think of it, I haven't explained the ritual to all of you yet, have I...? Then allow me... to tell you the procedure now..."
When the students demanded, with grim faces, to know why they had made something so grotesque, Shinguji stepped forward and began explaining the ritual step by step.
"First, you must prepare a vessel to contain the soul of the person you wish to revive. In this case, any kind of doll would do..."
"But Angie put extra love and care into this one~! Since it's going to hold a human soul~!"
"Second, you must prepare the [spirit summoning ritual] known as the 'Caged Child.'"
"...'Caged Child' spirit summoning?"
"Rather than hearing me explain it... it would be faster for you to read the summary notes I copied down from the book myself... So I'll show you, just this once."
As he said that, Shinguji carefully pulled an old book from his clothes and handed it over. When the students opened it, they found the following written inside:
"Conditions required to perform the Caged Child ritual."
"1. Five participants, including a medium. The medium must be female."
"2. A dark place untouched by light."
"Method of execution."
"Draw on the ground the magic circle passed down in Nongyeon Village, and the person acting as the medium must, within the circle..."
"...Press their forehead against a stone placed on the floor and curl their body up like a turtle...? What is this...?"
"A ritual iron cage... a white cloth... a dog statue... isn't this just total superstition?"
"Pyahahat!! Hilarious! In an age where science has advanced this far, we have to reenact some barbaric custom like this!? We look like ancient cave people!"
"Once the preparations are complete, create darkness... then begin the ritual with the other four participants standing at the four corners... The 'darkness' part bothers me a little. Is this really safe, sir?"
"After the four people besides the medium sing the song written in the book, they call out to the medium, 'Caged Child, are you ○○?'... and the medium will answer with the name of the spirit that has been summoned...? Can occult nonsense like this really work...?"
As they read through the notes, the students shot Shinguji suspicious looks and peppered him with questions, but he only answered with a cryptic smile.
"The memo ends here... but what are we supposed to do after that?"
"Third... if the soul of the Caged Child has descended into the medium, you ask it to enter the prepared vessel and continue its life there. Then... after a short while, when you open the door to the room where the ritual was performed, the dead person... in this case, K... will walk in."
"....."
As the students fell into stunned silence after hearing Shinguji's explanation, Yonaga suddenly cried out in a bright voice.
"Okaaay, then! Who wants to participate in the ritual~?"
After that, silence flooded the room again for a very, very long time.
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Time passed, and 2 p.m. arrived—the exact moment marking twenty-four hours since K's death. Everyone except Harukawa, who was still shut away in her research lab, began moving busily.
"Shuichi, Oma, Yumeno~! Have you memorized the song yet~?"
"Yeah... it wasn't as hard as I expected..."
"I-I thought I was going to die memorizing it, and you're saying it wasn't hard... really...?"
"Nishishi... we're not idiots like Yumeno-chan, y'know?"
"Y-You bastard! Why have you been picking on me since yesterday!?"
"Who knows...? You just kind of look like the type who'd be really helpful to the culprit, Yumeno-san."
"W-What is that supposed to mean!?"
Saihara, Oma, Yumeno, and Shinguji—the four who had agreed to sing the song that would call forth the Caged Child—were huddled in one corner, reviewing it one last time.
"Ugh... this is kind of scary... and honestly, suffering through all this for the sake of some male is a little much... but if K-san really comes back, I suppose it's worth enduring..."
Meanwhile, Chabashira, who had agreed to play the role of the medium, stared at the iron cage and white cloth and muttered to herself, wrapped in a vague but palpable unease.
"Damn it, why do I have to sit here and watch this bullshit occult garbage...? I'd get more out of my time jerking off!!"
"Iruma-san, what's 'jerking off'? What are you even hitting?"
"What the hell, you? You look like you'd be a total beast, and you don't even know that? Fine! I'll teach you myself! Jerking off is—!"
"I-Iruma-san!! Don't corrupt innocent Gokuhara-kun!!"
Meanwhile, the rest of the students had gathered in the room where the ritual would be performed.
"Ugh... I have a really bad feeling about this..."
"Akamatsu-san, just bear with it for now. We don't know what might happen, so we need to stay sharp."
"Oma-kun, why did you gather everyone into this room?"
"Nishishi... I just had a feeling something interesting was about to happen."
"That was your only reason!?"
"Huh? I don't remember inviting the robot, though..."
"Th-That's robot discrimination!!"
"Sc-sc-sc... scary... d-damn it...! Damn it, damn it!!"
"You there, male!! If you're that scared, then just leave! You're in the way!"
"B-But if I do that... then I'll be the one left all alone!!!"
Gathered together for wildly different reasons, they filled the room with a bizarre, unstable tension.
"........"
And in the middle of it all, Tojo and Mukuro remained terrifyingly silent.
"Well then, it looks like we're more or less ready... shall we begin the ritual?"
"Alrighty~! Let's all work together and bring K back~!"
And just as the final lull in preparation ended and the ritual was about to begin at last—
Creeeak...
".....!"
The door opened, and Harukawa appeared.
"...Huh? Assassin girl, what kind of nerve do you have, showing your face here?"
"Oma... read the room, would you...?"
"Hm? I did read the room before I said it."
Just as Oma said, the atmosphere in the room had turned glacial the instant Harukawa stepped inside.
"If the person who killed the dead guy is here for the spirit summoning... won't the dead guy turn around and run away before he even gets here? Nishishishi..."
"So why are you here, Harukawa-san?"
While Oma kept sneering, Shinguji fixed Harukawa with a wary look and questioned her directly.
"...Let me be the medium."
"...What?"
The words that came out of Harukawa's mouth stunned not only Shinguji, but everyone in the room.
"...I don't know who told you about the ritual, but Harukawa-san, you aren't qualified."
"...Qualified?"
"Yes. Harukawa-san... um... your soul isn't exactly clean, is it?"
"Sh-Shinguji!! You didn't have to say it like that..."
"...It seems like everyone else agrees, though."
".....!"
Momota tried to step in after Shinguji's merciless remark, but the other students only kept their silence.
"In a ritual like this, whether the medium's soul is pure or not is extremely important. In that sense... Harukawa-san, Mukuro-san, Iruma-san, and... Shirogane-san are all disqualified."
"...A dirty soul, huh? That's funny."
"S-so my soul was plain old dirty... ?"
"Why the hell isn't my soul pure, you piece of shit!?"
"Well, Harukawa-san and Mukuro-san have probably killed many people, Shirogane-san committed attempted murder, and as for Iruma-san... surely everyone knows why, don't they?"
"Then tell me what the reason—!! Wh-what... wait... why is everyone looking at me like thaaat...?"
Iruma had been ready to protest the outrageous idea that her soul was as filthy as that of a murderer or an attempted murderer, but when the others all gave her looks that said, yes, actually, that tracks, she visibly shrank. In the end, she slunk back to her spot and started muttering under her breath.
"Sh-shit... my mouth may be filthy, but that doesn't mean I'm filthy down there too..."
"Anyway, for that reason, Harukawa-san can't be the medium. So... I'd appreciate it if you'd stop interfering with the ritual and step aside."
"....."
After hearing that, Harukawa staggered over to the corner of the room, sank down, and buried her face in her knees.
"Looks like she's planning to interfere with the ritual right to the bitter end, doesn't it?"
"It's fine... Atua says... she won't interfere with the ritual itself~! She's just unpleasant to look at~!"
WDhTRGFNY2x3d3VFV05BZnl6K0ZFRktxeTRDVllLdzF0Z3dpMEpiRkg3RHJNeVVnUXo4NWxldVg0bkJIS056Tg
"...Shinguji-kun, please start the ritual already."
"Well then... we'll begin now."
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After declaring the start of the ritual, Shinguji immediately began issuing instructions to the students who would participate directly.
"First, Chabashira-san, please step into the center of the magic circle. Be careful not to disturb the circle drawn in salt."
"Yes, understood!"
'That way, once the room goes dark, I can feel along the salt with my hand and make my way to the center.'
But the thoughts running through his mind were something else entirely.
"Next... press the stone Yumeno-san picked up from the courtyard against your forehead, lie face down on the floor, and assume the turtle position."
"L-like this?"
"Perfect. Hold that pose until the ritual is over."
'That way, you'll be able to go in a single stroke, without pain.'
Shinguji gazed with satisfaction at Chabashira, who obediently lay down in the center of the magic circle in the turtle position, then turned to Oma and Saihara.
"Next... you two, place the iron cage over Chabashira-san. It's heavy, so be careful."
"Okay, got it."
"Don't worry! I'm actually pretty strong!"
"I-Is that so? Then why are you shaking like that?"
"Sorry! That was a lie! The truth is, I'm one second away from dropping this cage and becoming the blackened who killed Chabashira!"
"Eek—Kyaaaaaah! Tenko doesn't want to die yet!!"
Shinguji watched the brief commotion caused by the surprisingly heavy iron cage in silence. Once it had been safely lowered over Chabashira, he spread the cloth over it and thought to himself:
'Good... while everyone's attention was on those two, nobody noticed the sickle hidden inside the cloth. I was worried someone might spot it with so many people around... but thankfully, they didn't. That means the murder weapon is in place too.'
Having safely cleared the part that worried him most, Shinguji let out a silent sigh of relief and addressed the others.
"Now we need to place the dog statue on top of the cloth. It's heavy, so let's have four people lift it together."
"Um, if it's alright, we could help—"
"No, that's fine. The preparations for this spirit summoning must be limited to those directly participating in the ritual."
'Because that lowers the odds of my crime being exposed.'
"Tch, for occult crap, you've got a hell of a lot of picky rules!!"
"...I'd prefer it if dirty souls kept their mouths shut whenever possible."
"H-hiiiik..."
At last, Shinguji helped the ritual participants place the heavy dog statue atop the cloth, fixing the hidden sickle firmly in place. Then, wearing a satisfied smile, he returned to his position.
"Now then... from here on, the real ritual begins. Chabashira-san, please don't say a single word until the spirit summoning is over. And the rest of the participants, I'd like you to move to the corners of the room."
After giving his orders to Chabashira and the others involved in the ritual, Shinguji turned this time to the students who were merely watching.
"Those of you observing, please remain quiet until the spirit summoning is complete. Above all, even if something strange happens, you must not make a commotion. If you carelessly interfere with spiritual phenomena during a ritual like this, you're liable to invite serious misfortune."
The students nodded quietly, and Shinguji spoke in a low voice.
"Then... Oma-kun, Saihara-kun, please extinguish the candles and create complete darkness."
"Yep! Got it!"
"This is kind of scary, haha..."
As he watched the two of them head off to snuff out the candles, Shinguji muttered inwardly:
'Everything's gone smoothly so far... Thanks to that, I'll be able to send one more good friend to my sister...'
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"Ask and ask, and sing...♪"
'Good. The room is perfectly dark now, not a single trace of light. Even if I make my way to the center, no one will notice... Well then, shall I begin...?'
As the song began, Shinguji started moving toward the center, tracing the salt-drawn magic circle with his fingers to keep track of his position.
"A dog and a little girl...♪"
'Once I send Chabashira-san to my sister... I'll be close to reaching one hundred... Then... my sister will be happy, won't she...?'
Suppressing every hint of his presence, Shinguji crept forward until he began to near the loose floorboard at the center.
'Once I get there and stomp on the board with all my strength... Chabashira-san, inside the cage, will be launched upward by the seesaw principle and impaled on the weapon I prepared in advance... I only pray she can go to my sister in one painless stroke...'
"Beneath the great mountain... let us out from within... ask and ask, and sing...♪"
'That said... if this murder is discovered... will I be able to go to my sister too?'
By the time the song had reached its midpoint, Shinguji had arrived right in front of the loose floorboard. For a moment, he turned over the question that had surfaced in his mind.
'...Well, there's no way I'll be caught.'
But he quickly discarded the thought as pointless. As long as no one had noticed anything he'd done up to now, the possibility of his murder being exposed was as close to zero as made no difference.
Because...
'My alibi is perfect.'
"Will one emerge from the cage, or two...♪"
'...After all, I wasn't the one who created this trick.'
At last, Shinguji reached the loose floorboard without being noticed by anyone. Wearing a satisfied smile at the thought, he was just about to act when—
Click.
".....Hello?"
"Wh-What!?"
The classroom lights blazed on all at once, and a voice that absolutely should not have been possible rang out from the doorway. Still half-crouched, Shinguji whipped his head around in naked shock.
"...!!!"
And he wasn't the only one. Every student in the room reacted the same way—except Hoshi, who was standing there with a faint grin on his face.
Meanwhile, the person who had opened the door and created this impossible scene...
"Shinguji Korekiyo..."
For some reason, he looked at the students with a strangely wistful expression before finally speaking.
"...Twenty penalty points for attempted murder."
Only then did the students finally begin to comprehend the reality unfolding before their eyes.
"....K?"
"Now then... like always, shall we have a little talk?"
K, who had definitely died twenty-four hours earlier, had returned.
"...You delusional bastard."
And on top of that, he had returned with his memories restored.