"Well… I suppose no one would say that outright," the girl named "Something-Megumi" remarked, her expression unchanging. "Also, Sawamura-san, I truly admire your composition Irish Lover. Please keep creating new works; I'll continue to support you."
"Much appreciated, thank you."
"But Maid's Skirt… I can't seem to warm to it. Perhaps my appreciation is lacking… I'm sorry."
"That's fine. Tastes vary, and not liking it is perfectly normal."
Kagura suspected her dislike stemmed from Maid's Skirt's overtly sensual tone, which might unsettle more innocent girls.
After all, it was inspired by Hayasaka's climaxing visage—an "erotic melody" composed as she lifted her skirt, succumbing to his tongue and a vibrator, standing and squirting.
"Hm… Sawamura-san, you seem quite approachable?"
Her faint question felt more directed at herself than at him.
"What, would you prefer I strut around as an arrogant, genius, noble pianist?"
"Rather than that," she fully turned to him, studying him curiously, tapping her right index finger to her lips. "Should I address you as 'Your Grace,' 'My Lord,' or perhaps 'Lord Earl'?"
"Why call me that? We're not in England."
"Hm… I just wanted to clarify your title, Sawamura-san."
"Essentially an earl, with an honorary marquess title. I'll be a duke eventually."
"Oh, I see. Well, may you become a duke soon~"
She tilted her head, smiling warmly.
"No… the dukedom comes only when my father passes." Kagura gave a wry chuckle.
His father, though not biological, granted him prestige and a lavish life. Kagura wasn't an ingrate wishing for his early demise.
Besides, Eriri would be devastated, and Kagura doted on his sister too much to want her in tears.
"Ah, sorry…! My history's not great…"
The girl faltered, covering her mouth, bowing slightly.
Her hair grazed her shoulder, revealing a pale, alluring nape.
"Ahem, no worries. By the way, your name is…?"
"Huh? My name…?" She blinked, surprised, as if someone like Kagura shouldn't ask. Swaying her hair, she said, "It's Megumi. Kato Megumi. Nothing like your dashing name with a middle part~ Just a common Japanese name."
Like me, a typical Japanese high school girl you'd find anywhere.
"Kato, right, Kato!"
Kagura recalled Kirisu-sensei's roll call yesterday.
"Hm… you said you never do homework. Is that true?"
"Absolutely. Want to check?"
"What would checking do…" Kato leaned closer, shielding her lips, whispering, "But our homeroom teacher, Kirisu-sensei, is strict. You'd better be careful."
"Noted, thanks."
"No need to thank me. I'm the one sorry for my earlier rudeness~"
"Forget it~"
Kagura waved it off. Kato nodded apologetically once more, turning to the blackboard.
Homework never concerned him. Schools begged for his attendance, not the other way around.
Grades and assignments? He wouldn't rely on a job for a living. The school couldn't touch him.
If Sobu High threatened expulsion, he'd drop out and head to Tokyo, where schools clamored for him. He stayed here only for proximity to home, to look after his sister.
By noon, Kagura pulled out his bento from his desk, ready to eat. Realizing he'd befriended the guy behind him, he thought, why not eat together and chat?
Acting on impulse, he turned with his bento. "Eat together?"
To his surprise, Hikigaya Hachiman was standing, holding a sandwich, about to leave. They locked eyes, both stunned. Before Kagura could retract, Hikigaya rewound like a reversed video, plopping back down, gripping his beef-and-lettuce sandwich, deadpanning, "Oh… sure, let's eat."
His reaction made Kagura hesitate, but he said nothing, slowly setting down his bento, unwrapping the floral cloth. "Alright… together then."
"Ahem…" Hikigaya cleared his throat, glancing at nearby classmates, casually broaching, "So, Kagura, heard of Sobu High's Seven Mysteries?"
"Oh? You're into that?"
Kagura's brow arched, lips curving naturally.
That seemingly chuunibyou-senior, Sakurajima Mai, was investigating these. Kagura knew little, having few school friends.
"Well, truth be told, I'm curious, but those who share my interest won't talk."
"Don't make it sound so tragic! Let me think… I know two."
Savoring his meal, Kagura shared the "Girl in the Mirror" and "Nonexistent Classroom" with a wide-eyed Hikigaya.
The "Girl in the Mirror" struck him upon meeting Mai-senpai, while the "Nonexistent Classroom" referred to a room at Sobu High, unfindable, where Mai, tragically killed forty years ago, died.
Her vengeful spirit cursed the room, erasing it from existence.
"First I'm hearing of this…"
Hikigaya nodded eagerly, about to bite his sandwich but realizing, engrossed, he hadn't unwrapped it, chomping plastic.
Coughing, he spat it out, covering his mouth, while Kagura stifled a laugh at his blunder.
"Ahem…" Properly unwrapping it, Hikigaya exposed half the sandwich, like unveiling a woman's curves, continuing, "I know one: 'Hide and Seek.'"
"Don't know that one. Tell me."
Kagura tilted his head, intrigued.
He recalled Hayasaka mentioning "Hide and Seek," but back then, he preferred her mouth on his shaft over storytelling.
Now… he wasn't about to ask Hikigaya to do that. No interest in men, not even traps.
"Hm… you know games like Pen Fairy, Dish Fairy, or Fox Fairy?"
"Yup."
Kagura snapped his fingers.
"It's similar," Hikigaya bit his sandwich, chewed hastily, swallowed, and patted his chest. "But unlike those needing two players, 'Hide and Seek' only needs one."
"One person? Then what?"
"First, it must be in a Sobu High classroom—offices, pools, or corridors won't do."
Hikigaya raised his index finger, adopting a spooky, cryptic tone.
"But how can one play hide and seek alone? Doesn't work, right? Yet this game does. Guess why?"
"Why…" Kagura's left eye rolled upward, pondering. "Because a ghost plays with you?"
"Bingo," Hikigaya hummed approvingly. "Mai-senpai joins you… but you need something to represent her, usually a doll."
"Oh… a doll."
Kagura pictured Mai's silhouette, inexplicably imagining her in a bunny girl outfit.
A doll… maybe a long-eared black rabbit?
"After school, in an empty classroom, attach a 'Mai' note to the doll to symbolize Mai-senpai. Start as the seeker, place the doll, stay with it, cover your eyes, count from 10 to 1 silently, uncover, find the doll, declare victory with 'Mai~ Mai~ Stabbed in the gut,' and pierce it with a utility knife."
"That's it?"
Kagura felt, What did I waste my time listening to?
"No, that's only half," Hikigaya's voice darkened, chewing. "Then the doll's the seeker. You hide somewhere in the school. Three key rules: First, except for victory or ending declarations, no sounds during the game. Second, you can't leave school until it's over. Third, absolutely, absolutely, don't get found."
"Hiss…"
Hikigaya's eerie delivery sent a chill down Kagura's spine.
Seeing him spooked, Hikigaya flashed a creepy grin, pinching an orchid finger. "Scared, huh? You don't actually believe this, do you?"
"Believe? Nah…"
Kagura rolled his eyes, recalling using this as a pickup line with Yukino yesterday.
"Playing hide and seek with a doll? It won't come find you, but… something will."
"Just psychological suggestion."
Regaining composure, Kagura dismissed it, waving.
"Yup, that's the deal~"
Hikigaya, clearly skeptical too, shrugged, eating his sandwich.
"But…"
About to bite, he paused, hesitant.
"What?"
"Seems there's more to this game I don't know."
"Rumors get twisted with retellings. Not knowing parts is normal."
"True," Hikigaya relaxed, smiling. "Hey, Kagura, what if something does find the player?"
"Probably just hid too long, fell asleep, and got caught by a night patrol teacher."
"That'd be bad."
"Real bad."
They shared a laugh, dropping the topic, focusing on lunch.
Time slipped by unnoticed. After school, Kagura leisurely packed his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and strolled through the corridor to the old school building.
The atmosphere shifted instantly—perhaps the aged wooden structure's eerie aura. Inhaling dusty air, Kagura waved away floating motes, bounding up the stairs two at a time to the fifth floor.
The leftmost classroom, as always, basked in dim orange corridor light. Kagura knocked twice.
"Please… come in."
A response came immediately, but Yukino's voice sounded oddly frail.
Pushing the creaking, aged wooden door, Kagura scanned the room, finding it peculiar but unable to pinpoint why.
Yukino sat, legs pressed together, knees elegantly tilted left, not reading, seemingly awaiting him with slight tension, eyes fixed on the door.
Their gazes met. Her pallor suggested fright, lending her a delicate, almost sickly charm, enhanced by her slender, graceful frame.
"Good afternoon. Something wrong? Bad timing?"
Kagura recalled barging into Hayasaka's room last night, catching her inserting a tampon.
Was Yukino doing the same? Her pale face… maybe her period?
"Greetings… kindly refrain from overthinking." Yukino gestured lightly to her diagonal. "Please, sit."
"Alright."
Kagura complied, dropping his bag, stepping forward, sitting opposite her, and tossing his bag to his right.
Yukino retrieved the black-cat-covered paperback she'd been reading at the Service Club, lightly coughing into her right fist, then opened it on her tightly closed lap, flipping to the bookmarked page, reading silently.
Soon, Kagura, restless, propped his cheek on the left armrest of the worn sofa. "So, Yukino, what should I do? Remember my commission?"
"Firstly, my memory isn't so poor as to forget your commission. Secondly, impatience is a cardinal sin in relationships. Barring rare love-at-first-sight cases, winning a girl's heart is a gradual process. For me, rather than pestering with questions, reading alongside me would be more appealing."
Yukino smiled confidently, nodding toward the large bookcase to her left.
Though scratched and aged, the sturdy wooden cabinet held five shelves of classic literature, new and old, from various countries. Kagura, passing by his first day, noted a tilt toward Russian works.
He preferred music to literature, but with no piano and unwilling to lug a guitar to strum aimlessly, he sighed, approached the bookcase, scanned it, and pulled out Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard.
Yukino, showing off, closed her eyes. "I've read that one five times, each yielding new insights. Oddly fitting you'd pick it first, though it feels… slightly awkward."
"Awkward how?"
Kagura hadn't read it, choosing it for Chekhov's name. Flipping through the pristine book, he noticed every page bore meticulous, elegant annotations—older ones abundant, newer ones sparse, all in the same hand. He glanced at Yukino.
Pinching her chin, she looked aside, eyeing him peripherally. "Awkward because imagining your hands touching my written insights feels like filth invading my mind."
"…You."
Kagura nearly cursed, You're such a jerk, but, deeming her a future wife and recalling his banter with Hayasaka, he held back.
Just then, the system chimed: "Greetings, Lord Kagura. A bounty is issued. Choose one of these three tasks or skip:
A: Slap a girl.
B: Open a door.
C: Read a book."
"…I'll take C."
Responding, Kagura's awareness returned to reality.
Ignoring Yukino's jab, he gripped the book, returned to his seat, legs flat, opened it with his left hand, and flipped to the character page with a single finger.
The system announced: "Bounty completed. You've earned [Most Needed Thing] x3. This item analyzes a target's deepest desire, summoning their most needed object to system space, retrievable anytime, used like [Girl's Little Secret]. Three uses total. For completing the bounty, you receive a triple stamina-energy potion."
Kagura grinned, querying, "Can I use it to find a suitable wife?"
"Sorry, this system doesn't offer human trafficking."
"…"
Kagura mentally flipped the system off, focusing on Yukino.
"Hiss… Yukino," snapping his fingers to get her attention, he asked, "Is there something you want?"
"Why ask?" Yukino countered, then squinted disdainfully. "Trying to bribe me? I know your family's wealthy, but I'm not that kind of girl."
"Not like that…" Kagura waved hurriedly. "I mean, something you want but can't easily get?"
"…Sounds the same. Just read quietly. I'm not interested."
"…"
Speechless, Kagura thought asking was a mistake. Staring at her, he silently invoked: Yukino Yukino, most needed thing.
Instantly, his mind registered an addition—a "space." Closing his eyes, he sensed…
Huh? A clean, white pair of girls' panties?
What, the system stuffed panties in my head?
This was Yukino's most needed thing? Why panties? She couldn't have forgotten to wear them. No modern high school girl, especially the poised, pristine Yukino, would commit such a manga-cliché blunder.
Kagura briefly doubted the system, but it couldn't err. He just couldn't fathom why she needed panties.
Maybe… her period? A leak?
Her pale face at his arrival aligned with that.
Handing her panties felt too bold, too perverse. She'd think he wanted to see her wear them.
Unbeknownst to him, Yukino's true need arose from her slit secretly moistening whenever alone with him. Chatting was fine, but physical contact spiked it. She'd brought spare panties but couldn't change with him present.
As he read, Yukino spoke casually, "In quiet moments, one can savor literature; in lively ones, dominate the sports field. Girls often admire such versatile boys, so reading calmly is vital."
"You talking to me?"
Kagura recalled a Bilibili meme barrage: [They really want to teach me.] Yukino seemed genuinely committed to teaching him how to charm girls.
"Is there a third person here?"
She flipped her right hand matter-of-factly.
Just then, the Service Club's rickety door burst open with a bang, as if kicked.
"Here's your third person."
Kagura smirked, nodding toward the door.
"Uh… seems so." Yukino, surprised by the timing, frowned slightly. "Classmate, please knock—"
"Help, save me—please save me!!"
A girl at the door clutched her chest, shrieking desperately.
"What?"
Kagura stood, alarmed, seeing only her, no suspicious figures or objects.
The girl had shoulder-length pink-orange hair, a cute bun tied on her right side (left to Kagura). Her hair swayed with each word.
Her eyes, possibly sporting red contacts, were wide with terror, nose pale, forehead beaded with cold sweat. Her slender fingers gripped her uniform shirt, knees pressed tightly, as if a scare from behind might make her collapse and wet herself.
"What's wrong? Please, sit!"
Yukino dropped her reprimand, standing to invite her in. Kagura rushed to the door, closing it as the girl entered.
She vaguely "knew" him, nodding frantically in thanks as he shut the door.
Still shaken, she sat in Kagura's spot—closest to the door—too tense to notice.
Kagura didn't mind, standing behind her sofa, asking from her side, "Classmate, calm down. What happened?"
Yukino moved to the door, "locking" it with stacked cardboard boxes.
"I… I'm— I'm being hunted by Mai-senpai…!"
Tears welled, the girl tugged her skirt, sobbing.
Despite wearing the same uniform as Yukino, she'd shortened her skirt, revealing over half her pale thighs when seated. Her shirt's top two buttons were undone, exposing a seductive collarbone, a heart-shaped pendant, and a cheap-looking gold necklace, far from the one Kagura gifted Hayasaka.
A pleasant citrus scent wafted—likely deodorant, Kagura guessed.
"Huh…?"
Kagura and Yukino exchanged glances. Yukino, puzzled, rubbed her temple. "Mai-senpai… the third-year idol?"
"No, not that senpai… but…" The girl hesitated, raising her right hand to her lips, whispering furtively, "The 'Mai-senpai' from the school's ghost stories."
Mentioning "Mai-senpai" again, she shivered, as if uttering a taboo.
"…" Yukino pursed her lips, rubbing her temple. "Your name, please?"
"Oh, sorry… I'm Yui Yuigahama, Class 2-C."
Calming slightly, she placed her right hand on her chest, introducing herself.
"I see. I'm…" Yukino began, but Yui cut in, "We all know you, Yukino-san!"
"Really…" Unfazed by the interruption, Yukino nodded toward Kagura. "Tell us what happened. Pretend that man doesn't exist."
"Hey—!" Kagura protested. Yukino stifled a giggle, as if her prank landed, then added, "Kidding. You know him too, right, Yuigahama-san?"
"Mhm…" Yui nodded, muttering, "No one at our school wouldn't."
After hearing her story, Kagura understood why Yui was terrified, bursting into the Service Club.
Coincidentally, it tied to Hikigaya's "Hide and Seek" tale. Yesterday evening, alone in Class 2-C after everyone left, Yui played the game. When it was the doll's turn as seeker, she hid in the lectern's recessed space.
Minutes later, emerging to declare the game's end, the doll—stabbed with a utility knife—was gone. No one entered the classroom, yet it vanished, panicking her. Last night, she was on edge, feeling followed when alone. Today, entering the old school building, the sensation intensified, leading her to this lit room for help.
Kagura finally grasped the part Hikigaya omitted: "If the game doesn't end properly, 'Mai-senpai' will kill you."
"I understand," Yukino said, exuding an "I've seen through it all" confidence, gesturing to Yui. "This 'Hide and Seek' is mere self-suggestion. Nothing to fear."
An staunch atheist, Yukino offered a mundane yet correct explanation. Kagura agreed—he'd told Hikigaya the same—but it likely wouldn't soothe Yui's deep panic.
"Eh…"
As expected, Yui looked troubled. Though she didn't contradict Yukino, her expression betrayed her doubt.
"Performing a creepy ritual in a dim classroom at dusk, hiding in a cramped space, breeds anxiety and even hallucinations, triggering strong psychological suggestion. You must overcome it."
Yukino's explanation was textbook-perfect.
If Yui weren't on the verge of tears, Kagura would've applauded, giving her a hundred points.
But the doll's disappearance was undeniable. Without recovering it, expecting a typical girl to conquer such cursed dread was unrealistic.
Kagura wasn't optimistic about Yukino's advice.
"B-But… the doll really vanished… no one came into the classroom." Yui clutched her chest, trying to argue.
"Someone who knew you'd play probably pranked you. Ask around your social circle."
Yukino smiled reassuringly.
Though her smile was lovely, Kagura saw it solved nothing.
"…Even my best friend, Komi, didn't know I was playing. The doll just disappeared."
Yui's hands fell, defeated, tugging her skirt, her pitiful look tugging at the heart.
"Strive to be resilient. This is your inner 'ghost,' defeatable only by you." Yukino, as if her words weren't stern enough, added firmly, "If you expect us to scour the school for your doll, you're mistaken. Lingering in a classroom after hours for strange rituals already breaks school rules. Take responsibility."
"Ugh…"
Yui let out a whimpering sob, wiping tears with her knuckles, lips trembling, gazing at Kagura pleadingly, as if begging for ideas.
What could he say? He fully agreed with Yukino. Facing Yui's plea, he was at a loss.
Use the system to conjure a doll? No way. Kagura avoided over-relying on it. Besides, such help was for those close, like cleaning Hayasaka's semen-stained homework.
"I understand. Thank you…"
Seeing no solutions from Kagura, Yui slowly dried her eyes, shakily rising, leaning on the sofa to leave.
"With a strong heart, such things can never harm you." Yukino shot Kagura a "See?" look, as if flaunting her triumph, adding, "Need an escort?"
"No… goodbye. Sorry for the trouble."
At the door, Yui bowed, lips parting as if to speak, but she silently moved the blocking boxes, opened the door, and left.
Kagura's heart sank. Thinking of his system reward, he stared at her back, invoking: Yui Yuigahama, most needed thing.
As she closed the door, his mind registered a new item.
Closing his eyes, he saw…
Not a doll?
Indeed, not a doll, but a red "omamori" charm with golden cloud embroidery.
[Omamori means "divine protection" or "amulet" in Japanese.]
It clicked: the doll was now a curse's symbol for Yui. More than finding it, she desperately needed protection.
Kagura moved to chase her with the charm.
But before he could open the door, it swung open again.
"Mai-senpai" stood there.
This time, Yukino didn't scold the unannounced entry, seemingly oblivious to the door opening, calmly reading her paperback, making Kagura, staring at Mai, feel foolish.
"Both you second-years are here…"
Sakurajima Mai, slightly surprised, strode in confidently, her lithe legs clad in black pantyhose, carrying something in her left hand.
"This…"
Kagura glanced at Mai, then at Yukino ignoring her, bewildered. Seeing what Mai held, bewilderment turned to shock.
"Isn't that Yui's doll?!"
He pointed at the pink-white long-eared rabbit, arcade-claw-machine-sized, with a triangular mouth, left ear folded, right ear pinched by Mai.
"What's the fuss? Just a doll with a knife in it. You're a year younger; no need to overreact."
Mai dangled the doll, winking with her left eye closed, smiling confidently.
"No…" Kagura started, but Yukino snapped up, glaring. "Where's this doll? Sawamura-san, can you be quiet? Forgotten what I said already?"
"???"
Kagura's mind reeled.
She couldn't see the doll? Or Mai?
Turning back, Mai wore a matter-of-fact look, arms crossed, dangling the doll, eyeing Yukino. "As you thought. She can't see me."
"…"
Speechless, Kagura wondered if he'd misjudged Mai.
Initially, he pegged her as an aging chuunibyou, but Yukino's reaction confirmed it: she genuinely couldn't see Mai.
"If I choose, no one notices me—except you, oddly."
Mai stepped closer, bending forward, grabbing his open collar's tie, pulling it halfway, and locking eyes with curiosity and admiration.
"So, care to explain, Sawamura Spencer Kagura-san?"
Yet, she seemed mildly peeved, lips pursed, though Kagura couldn't fathom how he'd upset her.
"I… fine, senpai, come with me."
Kagura grasped her hand on his tie, pulling her toward the door.
Her hand, as imagined, was warm, soft, with long, slender, surprisingly strong fingers—perfectly "handy."
He thought of Yui, who'd fled to the Service Club as a lifeline, only to be dismissed by Yukino's cold "scientific" rationale, stirring his sympathy.