Chapter 18: No Cheating Allowed!

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Another heavy rainstorm had arrived, bringing with it a faint chill mixed with the steam of heat. Since the incident in the restroom where violence erupted, the girls in class had started to look at Kayo Utaka with a hint of fear. It was understandable—while domestic violence was unfortunately common in island nations, no one else had ever seen Kayo single-handedly overpower three people at once. Especially not among university-bound students who lived in ivory towers and embraced the principle of ladies first.

If anyone’s mood had improved after the incident, it was definitely Fuyue. Not only had she discovered Kayo’s greatest secret, but their relationship had also made significant progress. Their newfound openness brought them closer than ever. Though Fuyue’s heartfelt promises were moving, Kayo couldn’t accept becoming a pervert in her eyes. The past two years of helping her manage the inevitable splits caused by her menstrual cycle had already weighed heavily on him. If he were to turn into a madman like those others—losing his mind and dismembering Fuyue—it was a thought so horrifying that Kayo felt on the verge of madness.

Fuyue, on the other hand, was quite content. She had learned Kayo’s biggest secret and understood why he had been hesitant to get close to her. Although she wasn’t entirely sure how immune he was to her abilities now, she had said it herself: no matter what Kayo did to her, she would forgive him. But cheating? Absolutely not. No way.

“Damn, I forgot to tell him cheating is totally off-limits...” Fuyue thought anxiously.

“Fuyue, were you just talking to me?” A male classmate asked, his face both friendly and tinged with surprise and disbelief.

Fuyue smiled tightly, then suddenly her expression fell. “No!”

The boy, caught off guard, chuckled awkwardly before turning away and quietly sinking into his own thoughts. The others in class noticed and silently remarked how Fuyue’s moods had become increasingly unpredictable lately.

At noon recess, Kayo Utaka and Saburo Higashi took the walk to the cafeteria together.

“Hey, Kayo, did you know something happened to Mamiko and the others?”

Kayo glanced briefly at Saburo.

“What happened?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Should I?”

Seeing that Kayo’s confusion was genuine, Saburo pulled him aside.

“Since you beat up those delinquent girls, Mamiko, Kotori Azusa, Sakuragi Naoko, and a couple of others haven’t shown up to class for days.”

“So?”

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“Mamiko’s status is unclear, but Kotori Azusa, Sakuragi Naoko, and two other girls supposedly died a few days ago.”

Kayo stiffened, then looked at Saburo blankly.

“Died?”

“Yeah, and it’s... really creepy.”

Saburo frowned as he recounted the grim fates of those delinquent girls.

“One family died in a car accident; all three members were flattened. Another girl set her own family on fire. One family mysteriously disappeared inside a shopping mall. And the last one...”

“I heard she killed and dismembered her parents before committing suicide.”

Hearing Saburo’s account, Kayo’s heart skipped a beat.

“And Mamiko?”

Saburo shook his head.

“No idea. But several other people have mysteriously missed school for days.”

After hearing this, Kayo’s mind instinctively turned to Fuyue, but he immediately dismissed the thought. Given Fuyue’s powers, it was impossible for her to have eliminated those girls so quickly. Her ability took time to activate; she could warp others’ wills but wasn’t as instantaneous as a spell.

Then... what about Kayako? But Kayako wasn’t dead!

Seeing Kayo’s troubled expression deep in thought, Saburo patted his shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, it’s got nothing to do with you. But yeah, this is all pretty weird. How did all those delinquent girls suddenly meet such fates? Strange.”

Kayo barely heard the rest of Saburo’s words. His mind was consumed with questions about Kayako. Though uncertain, he was pretty sure she was involved somehow. But how? The curse should only appear after her death, yet Kayako was alive and well. It made no sense for the curse to manifest now.

Unless the curse had found a new host. But if so, why would Mamiko and the others suddenly die?

No matter how he thought it through, Kayo couldn’t understand Kayako’s role in this incident.

Harboring these doubts, he seemed absent-minded all the way until school ended.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Fuyue asked with concern at the school gate. Since their candid conversation, she no longer avoided walking home with Kayo.

Watching Kayo’s eyes clouded with thought, she worriedly spoke up.

“No, it’s just...” Kayo hesitated.

“Hmm?”

Seeing Fuyue’s puzzled expression, Kayo paused but chose not to reveal his suspicions. Instead, he changed the subject and walked on beside her.

“Why do you keep looking back?” Fuyue asked, following his gaze to the scattered classmates trailing behind.

At first, she thought maybe Kayo was interested in a girl behind them, but scanning the group, only one could be considered somewhat cute—no one else even close.

“What’s wrong with you today?!” Fuyue demanded.

“Nothing...” Kayo replied.

“Will you say or not?!”

Kayo remained silent, and Fuyue, frustrated, jabbed him sharply in the side.

The two teased each other playfully as they headed home. Once they disappeared around the street corner, Kayako—who had been hurriedly cleaning the classroom—rushed out of the school gate.

Seeing no sign of Kayo on the street, a sudden, inexplicable wave of sadness welled in her heart.

“Kayo-kun...” she murmured, wandering aimlessly along the roadside. Passing a supermarket, she bought a suspiciously cheap, near-expiry bento.

Approaching Kayo’s house, she stopped and hesitated.

She so desperately wanted to tell him she lived right next door. Yet she feared that if she confessed, Fuyue would resent her, and under her influence, Kayo might come to dislike or even distance himself from her.

After a moment’s pause, she lowered her head and entered her home.

Inside the living room, Kayako’s father calmly watched TV while eating peanuts and drinking beer as she returned from school.

“Father, I’m home.”

He nodded without looking away from the screen, not noticing the incredibly cheap bento—only 100 yen and close to expiration—in his daughter’s hands.

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