"Take your bag if you're leaving."
Yukino, noticing Kagura's intent to depart, suppressed her discomfort and shifted slightly, gesturing toward the satchel opposite her. "My apologies, I need to step out briefly. I'll return shortly." Kagura flung open the door and dashed out with resolute haste.
Yukino stared at the door, which slammed shut with a resounding thud, lost in a momentary reverie. She muttered under her breath, "Please, just don't come back…"
Mai Sakurajima had courteously closed the door behind him, but she was now utterly perplexed by the situation. She tugged at her hand, frowning as she called out from behind Kagura, "Wait, just a moment! Sawamura-san, where are you taking me? You don't seem the type to coerce anyone, so please, calm yourself first."
Kagura, perfectly composed, felt an urgent need to locate Yui promptly. As they walked, he explained the matter to Mai.
"I see," Mai said, grasping the situation with a knowing smile. She halted abruptly, firmly pulling back Kagura, who was still eager to press forward. "Hold on, may I have a word?"
"Very well… please, go ahead."
Kagura, with no other recourse, steadied himself and turned to listen.
"Firstly…" Mai withdrew her left hand, which Kagura had gripped until it ached slightly, and flexed her wrist while pouting. "Dragging a girl by the hand without a word is rather uncouth. Don't you hold your senior in any regard? Well, given the circumstances, I'll forgive you this time, but I expect no repeat."
"…Er, my apologies. I was a bit impulsive."
"And another thing," Mai continued, raising an eyebrow and holding up the pierced long-eared rabbit plush in her right hand for him to see. "I didn't take this doll to frighten her on purpose. Take a look."
"Oh…"
Kagura examined it closely. Attached to the plush was a note bearing the bold characters "Mai Sakurajima." Yui's paper cutter had stabbed through it, and considering Mai-senpai's name… well…
Putting himself in her shoes, if he possessed such an eerie invisibility and saw someone perform a curse ritual on a doll inscribed with his name, Kagura, too, would feel a pang of displeasure.
"Understood? Anyone would feel uneasy seeing this. I only meant to tease her a little, not expecting it to affect her so deeply… I owe her an apology for that. I bear some responsibility." Mai-senpai sighed heavily but quickly rallied, extending her left hand to Kagura. "Now, shall we go find that girl and resolve this together?"
Kagura nodded emphatically, reaching into his pocket to clutch the "talisman" he'd drawn from the system.
His plan was to find Yui with Mai, hand her the talisman while taking the plush from Mai, creating the illusion of the doll "suddenly appearing." Yui would use the talisman to protect herself, and the plush would fall to the ground, instilling the psychological suggestion that "the talisman countered the curse" to dispel Yui's prior fears.
Mai listened and added a small refinement to his plan…
Five minutes earlier.
Yui Yuigahama, trembling, emerged from the Service Club and shut the door. As she turned to face the corridor, the dim orange glow of the two ceiling lights flickered and plunged into darkness. She nearly screamed, but the lights abruptly reignited.
"Oh… that scared me to death. Please, don't toy with me like this. It's really bad for my heart…"
Yui patted her chest, where two buttons were deliberately left undone, and leaned against the doorframe, sighing woefully.
Clutching her collar like a cautious cat sneaking a fish snack, she glanced warily left and right before stepping onto the creaky wooden floor of the old school building's corridor.
Creak, creak.
The floor seemed to groan louder than usual, each step feeling like navigating a minefield.
"I… I need to be stronger… It's all in my head. There's no curse… Yukino-san is so cool…"
Yui muttered Yukino's "scientific explanation" like a mantra, inching through the shadows toward the staircase.
Fifth floor, fourth floor… she reached the third floor unscathed. At the corner, she nearly missed a step, stifling a yelp as she quickly covered her mouth and grabbed the railing to steady herself. "Phew, that was close…"
Yui pressed a hand to her forehead, catching her breath, then cast a nervous glance back at the fourth-floor landing.
Nothing was there, of course.
But as she prepared to descend to the second floor, a figure emerged from the stairwell below.
No, not a "figure."
It was something indescribable, a mass of shadowy tendrils, slithering like sludge up the stairs—silent, ethereal, yet undeniably real.
Yui was convinced: this was Mai-senpai's vengeful spirit, come to claim her life for stabbing the doll.
Her legs buckled in terror. She turned to flee, but the spirit blocked the downward stairs. Unwilling to lead this horror to the Service Club on the fifth floor, where Yukino and Kagura—innocent in her eyes—remained, she scrambled up to the third floor. Smothering her screams, she frantically tried door after door until she burst into a science lab with a broken lock.
If her earlier fears were mere paranoia, what she'd just witnessed was undeniably real.
Yui cautiously closed the door and scurried to hide beneath the furthest lab bench, curling into a ball and clamping her hands over her mouth.
Tears streamed from her eyes, and her bladder ached with tension, threatening to give way.
"Don't come for me, please, don't come for me…"
Yui grasped for anything to hold onto, but she had no talisman, no lifeline. Despair loomed.
Shaking and silently weeping, she pleaded inwardly.
Time crawled agonizingly. Fear tormented her. She bit her lip, pressing her face into her knees, shrinking as small as possible, straining to hear any sound.
After an eternity, hurried, heavy footsteps approached and halted on the third floor.
Yui felt doomed. She imagined writing a letter to her mother, who had raised her alone, and to her best friend, Miko Yotsuya, warning her never to play "hide and seek" out of curiosity.
Then, like a death knell, the science lab's door creaked open.
Yui stifled a scream, too terrified to peek but praying desperately.
She didn't expect Yukino, a fellow girl, to banish the spirit. She only hoped… hoped that the hesitant "prince" from earlier would come check on her, even for a moment.
But someone like him was probably meant for a remarkable girl like Yukino. Her thoughts were futile.
The nauseating sound of shadowy sludge consuming everything drew closer, methodically searching beneath each lab bench. Yui felt trapped, her discovery and demise inevitable.
Knowing death awaited but clinging to survival, the contradiction drove her near madness.
No, she had to escape! Waiting meant certain death, but fighting might offer a slim chance.
Convincing herself, Yui cautiously crawled from her hiding spot, inching toward the back door.
The spirit searched the front of the lab, its shadows darker than any blackness Yui had seen, with a crescent-shaped maw lined with bloodstained, jagged teeth that chilled her to the bone.
Suppressing her urge to scream, she reached the back door and gently tested the lock. It moved—hope surged.
She nearly wept with joy, but as she pulled the handle, it wouldn't budge.
The lock was broken; the handle turned, but the door remained sealed.
Yui's face paled. She tugged desperately, sobbing as she struck the unyielding lock. The noise alerted the spirit, which let out a triumphant cackle and surged toward her.
"No—!"
Yui cowered in the corner, legs pressed together, trembling as she lost control and wet herself, screaming. "Yuigahama-san!! Damn it, get away from her!!" Suddenly, Kagura burst through the front door.
Spotting Yui trembling in the corner, he brandished the system-drawn talisman and charged at the "ghostly" Mai-senpai, shouting, "Begone, evil spirit!!" and thrusting the talisman toward her.
Indeed, there was no spirit. It was all Yui's imagination.
Yukino was right: extreme fear could conjure hallucinations, making one see and hear things otherwise unnoticed.
Like Mai Sakurajima, the invisible girl.
To Kagura, Mai-senpai was a tall, strikingly alluring third-year. But to Yui, she was a vengeful spirit from forty years ago, wreathed in malevolent shadows, intent on her life.
The shadow Yui saw at the third-floor corner was merely Mai ascending the stairs.
"S-Sawamura-san?!"
Seeing Kagura rush to her rescue, talisman in hand, Yui felt a surge of reassurance. Her fear dissipated significantly, and she gripped the door handle to keep from collapsing.
Snap!
In his haste, Kagura misjudged and pressed the talisman—and his fingers—against Mai-senpai's chest.
Mai's amused expression froze. They locked eyes, the moment steeped in awkwardness. Kagura's fingertips registered the softness of Mai's chest, cushioned by her shirt and bra, yet impressively supple—a testament to her exquisite figure, far surpassing Hayasaka's modest proportions.
Mai raised her left hand, poised to slap him. But…
As a fan of his music, she relented this once.
Kagura hastily withdrew his hand. Simultaneously, Mai tossed the rabbit plush to the floor and, like a guilty thief, darted toward the front door and out of sight.
To Yui, the scene unfolded differently.
She saw Kagura's talisman unleash a dense mist from the terrifying spirit, accompanied by anguished wails as the fog dissipated, leaving only an exhausted, flushed Kagura and the stabbed rabbit plush on the floor.
"Phew…"
Kagura rubbed his faintly aching face and picked up the plush.
Only then did he notice Yui's distress—she had wet herself, the liquid trickling down her legs, soaking her socks and pooling on the floor. Fortunately, he'd retrieved the plush in time to spare it.
"S-Sawamura-san, thank you…"
Yui gingerly took the rabbit from him, humiliated by her loss of control. She tugged at her short, tantalizing skirt, trying to cover the stains on her legs.
"That thing possessed your doll, but I've exorcised it."
Kagura, pretending not to notice her predicament, spoke gravely and extended the talisman to her.
"This talisman is yours now. It will shield you from ordinary spirits. Keep it safe." System-made, it was surely effective—nothing surpassed the system's power.
"J-Just now, you…"
"I didn't speak earlier to keep Yukino in the dark. You understand, right?"
Kagura cut her off. Yui's face lit up, nodding eagerly. "Yes, yes! I knew it!"
Seeing her reaction, Kagura exhaled in relief, thinking, I've dodged that bullet…
After a brief silence, Yui, clamping her damp legs together, shyly murmured, "Um…" just as Kagura said, "So…" Their words collided. "You go first."
Once again, they spoke in unison.
"No, please, you first."
Kagura deferred to her.
"Well… um… I caused you so much trouble today… and you saw me in such an embarrassing state… As a girl, I'm such a failure…" Yui hugged the plush to hide her flushed face, whispering, "Game over."
She then flung the plush to the far corner.
"Ahem, it's really nothing," Kagura said, turning away. He pulled out a sealed pack of alcohol-free baby wipes and a white cotton pair of underwear meant for Yukino, handing them to her. "Change into these. You must be uncomfortable."
"D-Don't say that! Waaah…"
Yui nudged him lightly, snatched the items, and murmured her thanks.
"Shall I wait outside while you sort yourself out?"
Kagura pointed to the door, starting to leave.
But Yui, head bowed, grabbed his sleeve, whispering, "Please… don't leave me… I'm scared."
"It's fine. Mai-senpai's been dealt with."
"Even so…" Yui's timid plea resembled a hungry kitten's. She swayed slightly, muttering, "Or… do you not want to stay with me, Sawamura-san?"
"That's not it." Kagura stepped back, sitting on a nearby lab bench with his back to her. "Go ahead and clean up. I'll stay here. Call if you need me."
"Thank you!!"
Yui bowed deeply in gratitude, but Kagura merely waved in response, saying nothing.
Truthfully, Kagura was embarrassed. Touching Mai's chest had stirred him, unnoticed by Yui in the dim light. He wanted to leave to avoid Yui, whose lower half was drenched, as her state might provoke unwanted reactions.
Having seen girls in such states before (mostly Hayasaka), he found it undeniably arousing.
But Yui wouldn't let him leave, and Mai, re-entering through the front door, stood by the blackboard, arms crossed, glaring at him to prevent any missteps.
Yui could no longer see her.
Kagura felt like a thief under surveillance—what could he do? He was helpless.
Behind him, Yui carefully removed her soaked underwear, lifting it by her fingertips as if to inspect it, then quickly tossed it aside. She glanced at Kagura to ensure he wasn't peeking, then opened the wipes, gently cleaning the stains between her legs.
She meticulously wiped her private area, thighs, and calves, then removed her shoes and socks, discarding the socks and slipping barefoot into her shoes. Finally, she slid on the underwear Kagura provided.
As she carefully pulled it up, mindful of any sound, she couldn't help asking, "Um… I'm truly grateful, but why do you carry girls' underwear with you, Sawamura-san? Most boys don't, right? It feels a bit… odd. Oh, sorry, I didn't mean your music is bad!"
Her question drew Mai's suspicious, slightly disdainful gaze.
Kagura inwardly groaned, Here it comes. Clearing his throat, he replied, "I don't carry it every day. It was just a coincidence today."
"A coincidence? That's too convenient…"
Yui wanted to retort but held back.
After all, she was the beneficiary of this "coincidence."
"Oh, I get it!" Yui, sensing the awkwardness, snapped her fingers to lighten the mood. "It's that thing, right? That… creative spirit or psychic something! Your music is amazing—I've listened to it. It feels… um… a bit sensual."
"You mean creative inspiration?"
"Yes, exactly! That's it! Wow, as expected of a musician, knowing all those fancy words."
Yui clapped, forcing a smile to keep the conversation going.
"Haha… you could say it's inspiration, I suppose."
Kagura gave a dry laugh, meeting Yui's gaze. They both chuckled awkwardly.
Underwear, after all, was intimate, and Kagura's music drew inspiration from Hayasaka's climaxes—often tied to intimate moments. It was a stretch, but not entirely unrelated. (Hayasaka could climax from nipple play alone, a skill Kagura had honed over time.)
Mai, observing, sighed and muttered, "Two idiots…"
Pointing at the door, she cupped her hands and called to Kagura, "I'm leaving, you fool!"
She stuck out her tongue—an unexpectedly playful gesture from the famed celebrity.
Kagura discreetly waved to Mai. Yui, finding the atmosphere heavy, stepped in front of him, clasping her hands. "Ahem… if you don't mind, how about I treat you to a drink? As an apology and thanks for today…"
"Here?"
Kagura tilted his head, incredulous.
"Of course not! What are you thinking, Sawamura-san?!"
Yui flushed, imagining something inappropriate.
"…You weren't clear."
"Ah, sorry."
Yui covered her mouth, lowering her head.
"But let's go. I need to grab my bag upstairs first."
"I need to get mine from the classroom. Shall we meet downstairs?"
"Nah, forget it. I'm not doing homework. Let's head down. I'll grab my bag early tomorrow."
The door was broken anyway—anyone could enter.
"Wha—?! You don't do homework, Sawamura-san?!"
"Nope."
Kagura slid off the bench, waving nonchalantly.
"That's… so cool!"
Yui clasped her hands, eyes sparkling.
Kagura tapped her forehead, chiding, "Don't copy me. You need to do your homework."
"Ugh… true… You don't have to worry about grades, Sawamura-san."
Yui sighed but perked up, smiling. "Alright!" She bounced toward the door, full of energy, seemingly free of Mai's hide-and-seek shadow.
Seeing her vitality, Kagura relaxed, hands in pockets, following her.
He considered texting Yukino about leaving his bag but realized he didn't have her contact. Smiling wryly, he let it go.
Yukino wasn't the type to wait for him to retrieve his bag. If anything, she was harsh, treating him like an enemy. Kagura hadn't provoked her—why was she so prickly?
The real reason was Yukino's suspicion that Kagura had done something to her, causing her body to react strangely when alone with him, her private areas inexplicably dampening.
Descending the stairs, Yui, perhaps uneasy with someone behind her, asked Kagura to walk ahead. He complied, but as they neared the third-to-second-floor landing, Yui let out a sharp gasp.
She felt a sudden chill between her legs—her underwear had vanished!
The system, realizing the underwear was meant for Yukino, had reclaimed it.
Flushing with shame and panic, Yui pressed her skirt down, glancing back furtively. "Yuigahama, you okay?"
Kagura, on the landing, turned to ask.
Yui's knees were pressed together, her hand clutching her skirt, her face crimson. Her eyes darted cautiously, hyper-alert.
"Huh? Um… I'm… fine…"
She lied, head bowed, inwardly fretting: Was this Mai-senpai's doing? So annoying… Why would a girl like her do this?
At least it wasn't deadly. Yui sighed, reassured by the talisman's protection.
But this prank was too much!
Yui descended carefully, distracted by her thoughts. She didn't notice a worn stair's edge, and her shoe caught, sending her tumbling toward Kagura with a scream.
"Look out!"
Kagura turned to catch her, but Yui was too close, falling too fast. She crashed into him, and they collapsed onto the landing in a daze.
When Kagura came to, darkness enveloped him.
His head throbbed. "What happened? When did I get home and fall asleep? Why's this bed so hard?" he mumbled, disoriented.
His memory was foggy, like he'd been drunk.
Something warm and moist pressed against his face, with a faintly lewd scent—strangely familiar.
Morning already? Hayasaka's waking me up, heh.
Dazed from the fall, he forgot Hayasaka was on her period.
Instinctively, he flicked out his tongue, licking, and grabbed her waist.
His tongue slid into the crease, sweeping up and down, circling the entrance.
Kagura was an expert at this.
The flesh quivered, secreting sweet, sticky fluid.
Yui, also dazed from the fall, felt her legs numb, her lower body senseless. Fear from the plunge overwhelmed her rationality, leaving her trembling, straddling Kagura's face—unaware she was bare.
"Hm? Something's off…"
After a few licks, Kagura sensed discrepancies.
First, the orientation. Normally, licking Hayasaka, his tongue angled down to her clit, up to the entrance. Today, up reached the clit's curve, and down dipped into the flesh—Hayasaka wasn't kneeling over him as usual.
Second, the texture. Hayasaka's laser-treated skin was smooth, with no hair. Today, his tongue brushed sparse, short hairs near the clit.
Hayasaka can't have hair! Wait… Sora?
His concussed mind faltered.
Could Sora have discovered Hayasaka's wake-up routine and mimicked it?
It was either Sora or a maid—women he'd playfully explored as a child. He'd pretend ignorance and continue.
The fresh, slightly naughty taste confirmed a young woman. (Yui's thorough wiping helped.)
"Wait… what… where am I…?"
Yui snapped back, realizing she was straddling Kagura's face—without underwear!
There… it feels so strange… No way… he's not… Waaah—!
As numbness faded, an unfamiliar, thrilling pleasure surged.
Her dachshund, Soufflé, often licked her hands or face, but now Kagura gripped her waist, licking a place no one had touched.
"No… how could I… Oh, it feels so good…"
Yui clamped her mouth shut, squeezing her eyes closed. She wanted to stand, but Kagura held her fast. They'd just met, and he'd saved her, yet here she was, behaving so indecently…
After a few more licks, Kagura noted another difference: Hayasaka's slit was straight, with narrow, thick lips, layered inside but flush outside. This one flared slightly near the clit, lips curving outward, allowing his tongue to flip them like pages—unlike Hayasaka's linear seam.
The position reminded him of when Hayasaka held her legs open for him, except now he was beneath.
"Not bad," Kagura murmured, pressing his lips to the seam, rubbing side to side, coating them in her fluids.
Why would Sawamura-san do this? He's… licking me there? No… boys are so perverted… Even if it's an accident, it's inexcusable… Is this… a one-night stand?!
Yui froze, feigning unconsciousness, stifling gasps from the pleasure.
Her lips, under Kagura's skilled touch, shifted from his saliva to her own fluids. He sucked the mix dry, then coated the seam and clit with her fresh secretions, focusing on the flared lips.
Should I stop him? But he's so handsome, the dream guy of so many girls, and he saved me… Ugh, I don't know! Yui, you need to stand up for yourself—this is assault! You have to resist… But it feels so good… I'm melting…
Yui instinctively clamped Kagura's head, her slit subtly seeking his tongue, praying he wouldn't notice.
The girl atop him was aroused—her fluids hotter, the flesh warmer, the taste richer, sticking to his tongue. The saturated lips couldn't hold more; he'd consume them, reapply, or blend old and new, spreading them wider to expose the tender core.
From clit to entrance and back, he traced an oval, lingering on the clit in a figure-eight, then focused there, his slick tongue tapping rapidly.
Her legs tightened. Sensing her peak, Kagura pressed his tongue into the seam, swirling wildly.
"No… I can't resist… Whatever, let it be a dreamlike adventure. Just enjoy it."
Yui arched forward, inadvertently rubbing her clit against his nose, shuddering violently.
Her legs spasmed, then relaxed, then clamped again. Kagura knew she was climaxing and drove his tongue into her entrance, slipping inside.
Huff… huff…
In the dimness, he heard her suppressed gasps.
"Eeeeek—!"
Yui, fully aware, sprang off him, scooting back, hands pressing her skirt between her legs. Her face burned with shock and shame, stomping as if desperate. "Y-Y-You, Sawamura-san, what did you just do?!"
"Huh? Me…?" Kagura sat up, head throbbing, wincing. "Head hurts. Let me lie down a bit."
Glancing at Yui, he thought, Who's this girl? Shouldn't I be home? Then it hit him—he wasn't home!
Why's she not wearing underwear? I gave her a pair—when did she take it off? Just to sit on my face?
"S-Sorry… No! How could you… I… I…"
Yui nearly cried, horrified that Mai's prank led to this—losing her underwear and falling onto her savior's face, who then licked her.
She knelt, legs apart, covering her face, sobbing. "Waaah, Mai-senpai, I hate you… I'll never play hide and seek again… Please stop tormenting me… I know I was wrong…"
Kagura smiled gently, helping her up once she calmed.
Yui had cleaned thoroughly with the wipes, leaving no unpleasant traces. Kagura wasn't bothered.
Besides, that area was inherently "impure." He'd indulged—why complain?
Yui, fuming, used the last wipe to scrub his face, especially his lips, as if she'd clean his tongue if it weren't unsafe.