Chapter 65

“So you’re the one who’s been making people sick? Like Tsumori from Class One, Minowa from the track-and-field club, and Maezaki from the volleyball club?” The girl looked aghast at that and backed away even farther, until she bumped into the bookshelf and knocked down one of the old textbooks. Minoru watched as the shock on her face slowly turned into fear. “Don’t come any closer!” she cried, holding up her right hand. “I…I’m cursed, all right? Anyone I touch gets sick!” “C-cursed…?” “Yes! It’s true! Y…you’re on the list, too, so if you come any closer, I’ll make you sick!” “Huh…?” Minoru was dumbfounded. “I told you someone was doing something to you, didn’t I?” Liquidizer whispered. “Of course you’re on this so-called list.” “……” Liquidizer had a point. Maybe this girl had used her power on Minoru without his noticing during their encounter yesterday. “Did you make this ‘list’?” Minoru asked. At that, the girl clamped her mouth shut. Obviously, it wasn’t her, then. Someone else had made a list of targets for her, and she had gone after Tsumori, Tomomi, and even Minoru because of it. Which meant the creator of the list could only be one person. “It was Hazama, wasn’t it? He made the list and had you use your ability…your ‘curse’…on the people he chose.” “……!!” The girl’s face turned pale. Her fear was rapidly becoming hostility now. “…Hazama saved me when I was being bullied. He said that if I used my curse properly, I could change this whole school for the better. He helped me!” “No, he didn’t. He’s just using you.” “That’s not true! He promised he would break down this worthless caste system so that I can go back to class again!” The textbook slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor. Instead, she grabbed an aluminum mop from the corner of the room and brandished it with both hands. “Get out! Don’t try to stop me!!” she shrieked. But Minoru couldn’t just leave. He had to somehow tell the student that her power wasn’t a curse—it was an ability given to her by a black sphere from outer space. Without saying a word, he took a step closer. Immediately, the girl launched herself forward. She jabbed the mop toward him like a spear, far faster than one would imagine from her small stature. If he simply let it hit him, even a Third Eye host like Minoru might break a rib. But since Minoru had done battle against murderous Ruby Eyes, catching a mop handle that was coming straight toward him was an easy feat. The young woman’s charge jerked to a stop. Minoru clamped down on the mop in his right hand with all his strength. SNAP! The handle bent cleanly in half. Her eyes widening, the girl froze in place. Just then, a sudden wave of cold air rolled over them from behind, making Minoru catch his breath. But it wasn’t an actual breeze. The powerful Ruby Eye aura that Liquidizer had been completely suppressing all this time—what Professor Riri Isa would call the “seventh force”—had suddenly been unleashed. Minoru was paralyzed for only a moment, but since this was likely her first encounter with a Ruby Eye, the female student’s reaction was much stronger. “Heeeek…!” She gave off a thin shriek, dropped the mop, and crumpled to her knees. Then, still on the floor, she skittered away as fast as she could. “…Well, I’d best be on my way.” Hiding her aura again, Liquidizer patted Minoru on the shoulder. “Thanks for all your help, Minoru. I’ll be in touch again.” With that, she turned around, went into the hallway, and shut the door behind her. Minoru heard the sound of her slippers recede into the distance and disappear. “……” Looks like we might be mixed up with each other for a while longer after all. As the thought drifted through his mind, Minoru looked at his schoolmate. Her hands were clasped to her chest, and her entire body was shaking. There were tears forming in her widened eyes, one already trickling down her cheek. Minoru had no idea what would happen to this student from now on. Someone would probably be dispatched from the SFD to explain the situation in detail. Then it would be up to her to decide whether to have the Third Eye removed and her memories erased, or join the fight as an SFD member. But for now, as someone who hosted the same parasite within him, Minoru intended to be as honest with her as possible. Even if it meant they would be late to first period. Steadying his resolve, Minoru walked over to her and held out his hand. “You’ll get your uniform dirty.” The girl flinched a little at his words, but she didn’t try to run away any farther. Finally, she reached out slowly and hesitantly, and she took Minoru’s hand. The End