Chapter 10: TS Girl Gets Left Out

That was seriously close.

Kisa suddenly went charging in like that. Still, it all worked out… right?

Honestly, Nagisa-kun looked really cool when he went after Kisa while she was out of control. Wanting to reach out a hand to a hurt girl—that’s the very core of Shinozaki Nagisa. Remembering that, Nagisa-kun goes on to save everyone.

But Kisa’s event is supposed to be, you know, a bit simpler at first—building up your relationship through several smaller moments, and only then revealing her darkness and resolving it.

We kind of skipped all of that, didn’t we?

Wait… is this my fault?

I mean, I’m the one who stirred up Kisa’s darkness, right?

The character Kurokawa Kisa lost her family when she awakened as a Curse Seeker. Her parents and little sister were killed by a Deep Calamity.

She’s already taken revenge, but the uncle she met afterward was awful, and that left her unable to trust people.

So yeah, the darkness she carries runs deep… but I’m not really sure where I come into it.

I’ve already come to terms with my own issues, so I’m a different case… maybe that wasn’t a good thing.

Sorry for not matching the original character.

…

After the fight, Kisa and Nagisa-kun were walking side by side, and they seemed kind of close. Did he already win her over or something?

Wait, already? That’s going too fast, Mr. Protagonist!

…is what I thought, but he was just supporting Kisa because she was unsteady on her feet. Still, she looked a bit more refreshed, and the way they addressed each other had changed, so they’ve definitely gotten closer. Just one more step, I guess.

If things keep going like this… am I turning into the losing heroine?

No way!

I want to mess with Nagisa-kun’s emotions, get him killed, and leave him with a wound that’ll never heal!

But… it’s not like I have to win as the heroine… so I guess it’s fine.

And as for what’s happening now… I’m currently being completely left out. Why???

Let’s rewind a bit.

First, after we regrouped, we heard Kisa’s apology.

"…Everyone, I’m sorry."

Her voice was weak, like she was forcing it out. You’d never think she was the same person who had just been rampaging.

"I’d like you to be more careful next time."

"Yeah, yeah. If Kisa runs off on her own again, it’ll be a problem for me! Now, tell your big sis why you did that!"

I puffed out my chest and thumped it confidently, going along with Reina’s blunt remark. Reina and Nagisa-kun gave me odd looks, but at this point, they didn’t bother saying anything.

Then Kisa’s eyes landed on me—and she quickly looked away.

"…I don’t want to talk to Yuri about it."

"Why not!?"

"No reason."

…Well, I kind of get it.

And so, Kisa’s emotional care ended up being handled by everyone except me.

But that’s fine—I had something I wanted to do anyway. I’ll take care of that instead.

So, off to a different task we go.

◇◇◇

So, what am I doing? I’m going to recruit a new team member.

I’m a character who exits early in the story, which means the Curse Seekers would be down to just Kisa and Reina.

In the game, a new member joins after that, so I’m going to go talk to that person ahead of time. This is also part of the original plot, so it’s necessary.

For context, each team is required to have at least three Curse Seekers.

That said… I’m not exactly eager to go. We knew each other in middle school, and… back then, I still strongly thought, "I’m a guy!" So it’s kind of awkward meeting someone who knows me from that time.

But I have to go.

For reference, while most Curse Seekers are assigned to teams, some with special circumstances are left out. This is one of those cases.

…

And so, I arrived at the student dorms. Quite a few Curse Seekers and Connectors end up basically on their own, so housing is provided.

Though some, like me, live alone.

I stood in front of the room I was looking for and pressed the doorbell.

"Comiiing," came a sluggish voice, followed by a click as the door opened.

Messy brown hair, a wrinkled shirt—a girl with a sloppy vibe peeked out from the doorway.

"…Who are you?"

"Long time no see."

"………………Akagami?"

"Yep."

"…No way."

"No, that’s right."

"…………?"

"High school debut. Surprise."

"…………Huh."

She scratched her messy hair, thought for a moment, then let out a big sigh.

"Well, a lot must’ve happened. Come in."

"Are you sure?"

"…You want me to start talking about middle school out here?"

"I’ll come in."

This slovenly girl is the new heroine who’s supposed to join the team—Shishiba Honoka.

She looks like this now, but she’s normally a bit more put together.

Inside, the room was a mess—stuff scattered all over the floor, barely any place to step. …Yeah, this is way too messy.

She cleared a space somehow, and I pushed a few things aside before sitting down.

"So, are you really Akagami?"

"Yeah."

"You know, that Akagami—"

"Okay, stop! We’re not getting anywhere like this!"

She’s suspicious. After glaring at me for a moment, she sighed like she’d given up.

"You’ve changed way too much."

"Have I?"

"You look like a normal girl now. It’s kinda gross."

"That’s harsh."

"This is annoying. Just talk normally. It’s hard to talk to you like this."

She’s rejecting the current me.

Does she really want to talk to me—no, to who I used to be?

…This is exactly why I didn’t want to come. I buried that part of myself deep down, and now it’s being dragged back out.

But if things get awkward with Honoka, that’d be a pain. I need her to hold things together after I’m gone.

I close my eyes. I switch gears.

I reach down and pull up what I’d sunk deep inside—

"—What’s the problem? It’s fine if I talk a bit girly, isn’t it?"

"Wow. That’s quite the change. That’s more like the Akagami I know."

I sat cross-legged and spoke bluntly.

Honoka’s expression brightened a little. Just a moment ago, she had been looking at me like I was something creepy.

Naturally, the smile and cheerfulness that had been plastered onto my face peeled away, leaving behind only the blunt, unfriendly me.

"Shut up. If I don’t do this, you won’t even listen. Wanting me—no, wanting the old me instead of who I am now doesn’t make any sense."

"This prickly attitude really is so Akagami. Feels like I’m finally talking to someone I know again."

"I have no idea what you’re so happy about."

The sluggishness she had when she opened the door vanished like it had never been there. Seriously, what’s got her so pleased?

"So, what do you want with me?"

"Right. I want you to join my team."

"Huh?"

She blinked in surprise. The hand that had been idly playing with her hair stopped.

"I’m saying I want you to join my team, Honoka."

"You switched back."

"Ugh, what a pain… I want you to join my team. It doesn’t have to be right away, though."

"…Why?"

"My team already has someone for close range and someone for long range, but I figured we could use one more person who can handle both. You were the only available acquaintance that came to mind."

"…As if I’d agree to that."

"No good, huh."

Well, it’s not like she’d say yes that easily. It’s sudden, after all. Besides, I wasn’t expecting an answer right away anyway.

"I thought you were going to ask me to visit a grave or something."

"—"

"I figured you came because the only people you knew who survived were me and Haraguchi."

"…So, the team idea is a no-go after all?"

"Hm, so that’s the part you don’t want to talk about."

For the first time in a while, something unpleasant slowly seeped into my chest.

That sensation from back then. The smell. The Deep Calamities. The feeling of using those skills.

I shook my head, forcing those memories away.

"…It’s not even the right time of year for visiting graves anyway."

"That’s true. But about your team—do you really think I’m in any state to join one right now?"

She let out a self-deprecating laugh.

A room full of trash. An unkempt appearance. She probably barely even goes outside.

Has she been like this ever since that day?

Since the day her family was killed… since the day she awakened as a Curse Seeker and rampaged without stopping.

"I did enroll in high school, you know. But I still haven’t gotten over it. …I can barely even go outside. You’re the same, aren’t you?"

"Not even close."

"Doesn’t look that way to me. Isn’t that what your ‘high school debut’ is about?"

What an awful person. She just barges right into people’s hearts without hesitation.

Man… I’m tired. Dealing with her like this is exhausting.

Once again, I put on the version of myself I’ve constructed. I sink the old me deep inside, making sure he doesn’t rise back up on his own.

"…No. I just wanted to be more like a normal girl."

Honoka’s eyes narrowed sharply. She really couldn’t stand this version of me.

"I hate liars. No way I’m joining your team."

"What a pain. I’ve already made peace with myself."

"I see. Yeah… you’re still gross. Get out, get out."

She waved her hand dismissively, shooing me away.

Negotiations failed, it seemed.

But it’s not like I needed her to join right now anyway.

So, as I turned to leave, I said just one last thing.

"Then at least… take care of the team after I’m gone."

I didn’t bother waiting for a response.

"What do you mean by that!?"

…Well, I wasn’t going to listen, but she shouted after me, so I just ignored it.

It’s not like I could answer anyway.

Yeah… I might’ve rushed the way I asked her to join the team.

…Time to sleep.