April is the season of new beginnings.
It's when students and working adults alike leave behind the familiar and step into unfamiliar territory. Some may feel uneasy about the transition, but most carry excitement in their hearts as they cross into the next chapter of life.
Spring is usually a season filled with warmth and brightness.
Yet amid this lighthearted atmosphere, a young man walked alone beneath the cherry blossoms—his expression dark and brooding.
(No doubt about it. There are a lot of cursed spirits here.)
His name was Gojo Mamoru, a tall young man over 180 cm, with dark hair, sharp black eyes, and a handsome face.
He wasn't watching the cherry blossoms fall. No—he was glaring at the grotesque creature writhing beside them: a cursed spirit that resembled a caterpillar with a human face.
It was a surreal sight—something monstrous groaning and squirming beneath the beauty of the fluttering blossoms.
Mamoru slipped his hands into his pockets and formed a subtle hand sign. In an instant, a glowing cube materialized around the cursed spirit.
The spirit panicked, slamming itself repeatedly into the walls of the cube. But they didn't budge an inch. Then—with a soft pop—the cube shrank and vanished, taking the spirit with it.
(That makes three since I arrived… Even if they're all weak, this is excessive.)
Cursed spirits are born from human malice, anxiety, hatred—negative emotions that linger like rot in the soul. In contrast to the cheerful campus atmosphere, their presence stood out like a stain.
From his previous meeting with the school chairman, Mamoru had already suspected something was off. Now, that suspicion had hardened into certainty.
This was probably not the kind of school where new students would enjoy the glittering, carefree youth they'd been expecting.
(Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if someone's already killed themselves here.)
It wasn't far-fetched. This was a government-affiliated school, one run with enormous financial backing. If any unfortunate truths had surfaced, they'd likely have been covered up before the media could blink.
The chairman had seemed like a man of principle. But no matter how sincere he was, he couldn't control everything—this request alone proved that much.
Lost in these grim thoughts, Mamoru glanced around coldly, confirmed his assigned class, and began heading there using a printed map.
It was then, on the stairs, that he spotted her.
A cane? Is something wrong with her leg?
He didn't see any injuries, so it might be some kind of illness. She was holding a cane in one hand and her school bag in the other—no free hands to grab the railings. Each step she took looked slow and painstaking.
Without thinking too much about it, Mamoru walked up to her and spoke.
"Want me to carry your bag?"
The girl turned around at the sound of his voice.
She was small, forced to look up at the tall Mamoru. Her features were beautiful—refined and elegant—and her silver hair shimmered in the sunlight, giving her a mysterious air.
Silver hair, huh?
Oddly, the first thing Mamoru noticed wasn't her beauty—it was her hair. That pale color reminded him of someone.
His older brother.
Though technically his brother's hair was white, not silver, the similarity still stirred something in him.
The girl hadn't done anything wrong, yet just the sight of her brought that image to mind—and with it, a sudden drop in his mood.
Mamoru didn't hate his brother. On the contrary, he trusted and respected him as a magician and admired his easygoing, cheerful personality—something Mamoru himself lacked.
Still, admiring someone and enjoying their company were two very different things. His brother, while kind, was utterly exhausting to be around.
To put it bluntly, Mamoru respected him... but didn't like being near him.
"Fufu… Thank you for your kindness," the girl replied with a soft smile. "May I take you up on that offer?"
Without protest, Mamoru took her bag and walked at her pace.
As they went, the girl turned her head slightly and spoke again.
"My name is Sakayanagi Arisu. May I ask yours?"
Mamoru raised an eyebrow slightly, though his face showed no sign of surprise.
He hadn't expected the first student he met to be the daughter of the very chairman he'd met just a few days prior.
"Gojo Mamoru," he said simply. "Sakayanagi, huh? Pretty sure the school's chairman has that surname too."
He mentioned it casually, not prying. It was simply a way to make conversation during their walk.
"Yes. You're quite well-informed for a new student," Arisu replied with a gentle nod. "The chairman is my father."
So it was her.
Thinking back, the resemblance was there—in her refined manner of speech and her graceful smile.
"Is that so?"
"Still, I won't receive any special treatment just because I'm his daughter. My father is strict about that sort of thing."
"I see. I was hoping to ask more about the school if you knew anything useful… but I suppose that's not likely."
"I'm afraid not," she smiled. "I don't think I know much more than the other new students at this point."
Then, as if to change the topic, she asked:
"By the way, Gojo-kun, which group are you in?"
"Group A."
"I see. I'm also in Class A. I'm glad—I feel reassured having someone kind like you around."
She smiled again. At first glance, it was the kind of lovely smile that would make anyone's heart skip a beat.
But for some reason, that smile reminded Mamoru of his brother's.
Yes—that smile. The one he used when he found a new "toy."
"I see. Well, let's get along," Mamoru replied, keeping his tone light.
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it," Alice answered.
Despite his polite response, Mamoru had made up his mind.
He had no proof. No logical reason. They didn't look alike. Their personalities were different. They weren't even the same gender.
But still…
It was the atmosphere. The gut feeling honed from experience.
This girl definitely had a bad personality.
From Author's Note:
Some of you may have noticed already, but Mamoru's technique resembles the barrier techniques from Kekkaishi. However, it's not an exact copy. I'll explain the details in a later episode when his ability is shown more clearly.
Let me know if you'd like a version with more humor, edge, or if you want me to highlight the romantic tension!