The new morning began, and I stepped out of the bath before changing into the same school uniform as yesterday.
Once the maid finished styling my hair as scheduled, I left the apartment at once.
I walked along the sidewalk in the morning atmosphere. People were gradually leaving their homes, and the faint sound of traffic drifted through the air.
Ever since I started applying sunscreen every morning, sunlight had almost stopped being a problem.
Even so, I still took up an umbrella and opened it to shield myself from the light, just to be safe.
I still had about an hour before first period began.
On the way, I noticed someone standing beside a vending machine.
Nanase.
She was quietly choosing a drink.
I walked past her and arrived at the classroom right on time.
Not long after that, the bell rang and the subject teacher came in.
All the students returned to their seats, and the relaxed mood from the morning was replaced once again by the silence typical of a classroom.
I opened my textbook as usual and listened to the lesson until the class ended without anything remarkable happening.
When math class came around, the material the teacher covered was not difficult at all for me.
But for most of the students, it seemed to be a different story. The moment the problems started getting more complex, the atmosphere in the room gradually grew dense with negative emotions.
When class ended and lunch break began, I saw Saionji sitting there with her head in her hands, staring down at the math book from the previous period.
I did not hesitate to go over and help her.
"What part are you stuck on?"
Saionji looked up at me, her expression tinged with irritation.
"This one. I still don't get it."
I pulled a chair over and sat down beside her, looking down at the book.
It was an ordinary equation.
I pointed at the problem.
"This one... it only needs a slight rearrangement."
I picked up a pen and began writing on a sheet of notebook paper, explaining the steps line by line.
Saionji leaned in a little closer to look.
Her eyes followed the pen tip intently, and the irritation that had been on her face gradually turned into concentration instead.
A few minutes later—
"Oh... so that's how it works."
A lot of the frustration had left her voice.
I stood up.
"Shall we go get lunch?"
Saionji looked back and forth between the book and me for a moment, then closed it.
"Uh... sure."
I waited for her to stand, then followed after her.
On the way to the cafeteria, the atmosphere around us was livelier than it had been in the morning, thanks to the chatter of the students.
Saionji glanced at me a little.
"Uh... thanks for earlier."
To me, it had not been anything particularly important.
I was not busy anyway.
"We're friends, aren't we?"
Saionji faltered slightly and turned her face away.
"And..."
She spoke so softly that her voice was nearly swallowed by the noise around us.
"About yesterday."
I turned my gaze toward Saionji.
She did not look back at me. She kept walking ahead, but the ear visible through her hair had turned slightly red.
"I'm sorry."
She sounded as though forcing the words out.
I fell silent for a moment.
"You're apologizing for yesterday?"
"What else would it be about?"
Saionji immediately raised her voice, wiping away every trace of the hesitation from moments earlier.
"...Of course it's about yesterday. What other thing would it be?"
She quickened her pace slightly, as though trying to escape the conversation.
The ear peeking out from her hair was still visibly red.
I watched her back.
"If it's about that, I don't mind. I understand how you feel, Saionji."
I could not see what kind of expression she was making.
But the atmosphere around her had clearly softened.
"What are you eating today, Saionji?"
"Uh... well... anything, I guess."
...
When we arrived at the cafeteria, I felt curse pressure spreading through the air inside.
I discreetly swept my gaze around the room.
Before long, I found it.
A curse spirit shaped like a spider, its body twisted and deformed, with a human face attached to the front.
It clung to the ceiling, silently watching the people below.
I pretended not to see it and turned to look at Saionji standing beside me.
She was staring upward too, her eyes fixed on the exact same place I had noticed.
There was no doubt.
She was looking right at it.
...
So she really could see curse spirits?
"What are you looking at?"
Saionji stiffened slightly.
Then she quickly averted her gaze.
"Nothing... let's go."
Her voice sounded calm.
But the hand hanging at her side had clenched slightly, and the tension in her shoulders said otherwise.
I decided to let it go for now.
There were far too many people here. I had no intention of dealing with a curse spirit in a place like this.
I would find time to eliminate it later.
Once we had our food, I sat down and started eating as usual.
Saionji, however, kept her head lowered and ate quietly.
She still looked uneasy. The hand holding her spoon trembled slightly, and before I realized it, my eyes had become fixed on her.
I felt a small sense of satisfaction at seeing a human's negative emotions.
The fear that emanated from her became a feast for the eyes of a curse spirit like me.
At that moment, the school announcement system crackled to life.
Saionji flinched slightly.
The voice of an elderly man echoed through the cafeteria, announcing that club recruitment would begin after lunch.
The atmosphere around us became lively again.
But Saionji remained silent.
I watched her for a moment before speaking.
"After we finish eating, would you like to go to the judo club room?"
She hesitated, then nodded without much interest.
"...Mm."
After that, she fell silent again.
Her gaze drifted away, as though her thoughts were still caught up in that curse spirit.
We left the cafeteria and headed for the activity building.
Since Saionji still did not seem any better, I began walking slightly ahead of her instead.
Along the way, I kept glancing back from time to time to make sure she was still following me.
But then I noticed something.
Why was that spider thing following us too?
I could see it crawling along the ceiling, slowly trailing after us.
It was being drawn in by Saionji's negative emotions.
I scanned the surroundings.
There was no one around here.
I should deal with it now.
"Thorns."
The shadow stretching from the corner of the building twisted, then shot upward and became a sharp spike.
It pierced through the curse spirit in an instant.
A faint shriek sounded, and then its body dissolved into purple mist that drifted away into the air.
That sound made Saionji turn—
but all she found was empty space.
"Saionji, what's been wrong with you since earlier?"
She froze.
"...Nothing."
Her gaze slipped away, as though she did not want to talk about it.
"It's just... I've been feeling a little uneasy, that's all."
"If there's anything, you can talk to me. Anything at all."
Saionji fell silent for a moment, as though hesitating.
"...A little while ago, I thought I saw something."
She spoke quietly.
"...Something like a worm... but not really."
Her voice trembled a little.
Apparently she had not seen it clearly, because from what I had seen, it was definitely not a worm.
"Can you still see it now?"
"...No."
She gave a small shake of her head.
"The last time I saw it... was in the cafeteria."
I fell silent in thought for a moment.
That curse spirit had already been dealt with. If I took her back to look again, it might help ease her mind.
"Then... should we go back to the cafeteria for a little while?"
Saionji immediately shook her head.
"No... let's go to the judo club room first. Before it fills up."
I looked at her again.
Her expression had softened slightly.
And her eyes had more life in them than they had a moment ago.
1
On the way to the judo club,
Saionji's gaze stopped in front of the kendo club room instead.
She stood there silently peering inside.
"Saionji, are you interested in kendo?"
"...A little."
She answered shortly, still without taking her eyes away.
"Then shall we go in for a moment?"
Saionji hesitated only slightly before stepping inside.
Her eyes were fixed on the students practicing.
Even though she had been so concerned about judo before, her thoughts had suddenly shifted.
...
The moment we entered the club room, the sound of bamboo swords clashing rang in steady rhythm.
The students in kendo uniforms were practicing seriously.
"Oh, we've got visitors."
A voice called out.
A black-haired young man in kendo gear removed his mask, revealing a friendly smile.
"Interested in kendo?"
Saionji paused slightly, then answered briefly.
"...We're just looking."
"Well, that's fine too."
He spoke casually.
"If you're interested, I can let you try holding a shinai."
Saionji gave a slight nod.
The atmosphere inside the room was full of energy, but it was not as intimidating as I had expected.
Then suddenly—
"So this year we're getting two beautiful new girls as members?"
A bright, cheerful voice cut in.
An upperclassman girl with brown hair in a ponytail stepped closer to us with a playful smile.
"Tanaka, they're just here to look for now. Don't rush them."
I realized I ought to introduce myself.
"My name is Nanakusa Mayumi, first year. It's nice to meet you."
I bowed my head slightly, following proper manners.
Then I turned to look at Saionji.
But she was still standing there silently, saying nothing.
I let out a quiet sigh and decided to introduce her as well.
"And this is Saionji Kana, my classmate."
Saionji stiffened slightly.
Then she answered in a soft voice,
"...Nice to meet you."
The upperclassman girl's smile widened a little as she asked in a friendly tone,
"So, are you two interested in kendo?"
I glanced at Saionji for a moment,
then answered for her politely.
"As for me, I haven't decided yet."
I paused slightly before continuing.
"But Saionji, my friend, was interested in trying it. If possible, could you let her give kendo a try?"
Saionji immediately turned to look at me, as though about to say something.
But before she could, the upperclassman girl cut in first.
"Of course!"
She clapped her hands with cheerful energy.
"Then I'll go get a shinai for you."
She turned to Saionji, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Come on then, little redhead."
Saionji frowned slightly, clearly not fond of the nickname.
But in the end she only nodded and followed the upperclassman girl, leaving me alone with the black-haired upperclassman boy.
He turned to me and laughed.
"My name's Kurosawa Ryota. Nice to meet you."
He glanced toward Saionji, who was being led to the far side of the room.
"Nanakusa, you're not going to try kendo?"
"There's no need."
I paused for a moment before continuing.
"If Saionji doesn't join, then I probably won't either."
Kurosawa smiled as though something had clicked for him.
"So that means you're not really interested in kendo—you just want to stay with your friend, huh?"
"You could say that."
He looked over at Saionji, who was now trying a swing with the shinai.
"Looks like you're probably Saionji's only friend."
"Something like that."
I answered, then thought about it.
If I were being honest, it probably was not really a relationship I could confidently call friendship.
It was more like I had been the one stubbornly forcing my way into talking to her all along.
Before long, Saionji returned with the upperclassman girl.
She still held a shinai in her hand. Her face looked calm as ever, but there was something slightly different in her eyes now.
The upperclassman girl smiled broadly in satisfaction.
"Looks like you've made up your mind."
Saionji flicked a glance at me before speaking shortly.
"I think I'll join kendo."
2
In the end, the two of us both signed up for the kendo club.
Once we had finished filling out the forms, the upperclassman girl smiled with satisfaction and introduced herself properly.
"My name is Tanaka Misato. I'm a second-year and the vice-captain of the club. Nice to meet you."
She gave a little wave, her bright and friendly expression unchanged.
Then the black-haired upperclassman, standing a short distance away, stepped closer.
"And I'm Kurosawa Ryota, also a second-year. I'm the captain."
His voice was noticeably calmer than Tanaka's, but not in a way that made him difficult to approach.
Tanaka chuckled before continuing.
"We may be called captain and vice-captain, but if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask us anytime."
Kurosawa nodded along.
"Especially the basics. At first, it might feel unfamiliar, but you'll settle into it soon enough."
I nodded politely.
"I understand. I look forward to being in your care."
Saionji then turned to look at me.
"Why did you join kendo?"
The question made the atmosphere go still for a moment.
I turned to her and answered plainly.
"Because I thought it seemed interesting."
Saionji frowned slightly.
"You're joking... Aren't you supposed to be some rich girl?"
I looked at her for a moment and answered with a smile.
"I do like sports, you know."
Then I added,
"And now, I'm in the same club as you too, Saionji."
She frowned, her face looking slightly irritated.
"Don't come crying to me later."
"Don't underestimate me."
"Hmph."
She turned her face away.