Chapter 1: The Pursuit of an Ordinary Transfer Student
April sunlight filtered through the windows of Sobu High School's Class 2-F, cutting bright patches of light onto the floor. Fine dust and the faint fragrance of the late cherry blossom season floated in the air. It was an afternoon as ordinary as could be. For Natsume Yu, this very ordinariness was the most coveted treasure since his transmigration.
Sitting in the second-to-last row by the window, he propped his chin on one hand, his gaze lazily directed outside. On the field, the boys of the baseball club were sweating profusely. Their shouts and the crisp sound of bat hitting ball came through the glass, sounding distant and unreal. All of this formed a picture scroll titled "Peaceful Daily Life."
"Hey, hey, Yui, have you heard? That rumor about our school's old building."
In the front row, a girl with curly blonde hair—Miura Yumiko—was excitedly discussing it with her friend. The "Yui" she spoke of was one of the core members of the class's Popular Group, a cute girl with a peachy-pink bun hairstyle, Yuigahama Yui.
Natsume Yu had good hearing. Even in a drowsy classroom, he could clearly catch those fragmented conversations. He wasn't interested in high school gossip, but that one keyword made him glance over slightly.
Rumor.
In this seemingly peaceful world, "rumors" were often the gateway to another world.
"Eh? A rumor?" Yuigahama Yui blinked, her naturally airheaded personality always making her a beat behind.
Miura Yumiko lowered her voice, speaking in a tone filled with mystery, "That one, 'Hanako-san of the Toilet'! They say, in the third-floor girls' bathroom of the old school building, if you go to the third stall from the inside, knock three times, and ask, 'Hanako-san, are you there?', you'll get a reply!"
As soon as this classic school ghost story was mentioned, several of the surrounding girls showed expressions of both fear and excitement.
"Whoa, so scary!"
"Is it for real? Has anyone tried it?"
Yuigahama Yui's face paled slightly, and her hand holding the pen tightened unconsciously. She was the worst at handling these kinds of topics, but as a member of the group, she had to learn to "read the room" and keep in step with everyone else.
"Ah... that does sound a little scary," she forced a rather stiff smile, trying to make it seem like she was just enjoying the thrilling topic like everyone else.
Natsume Yu's gaze shifted from the window and fell on Yuigahama Yui's back.
In his vision, the world presented a completely different scene.
Those cerulean pupils, known as the "Six Eyes," could see through the essence of all things. What flowed in the air was no longer just oxygen and nitrogen, but faint yet tangible particles of Cursed Energy. Everyone was entangled in the remnants of negative emotions, some stronger, some weaker.
On Yuigahama Yui, the negative emotion called "fear" was spreading slowly, like ink dropped into clear water, far denser than that of anyone around her.
She's scared.
Natsume Yu calmly came to this conclusion in his mind.
He sighed softly. His past life as a Jujutsu Sorcerer made him all too familiar with such things. Curses, born from human negative emotions, often gestated from such ghost stories and rumors. They were the filth lurking beneath everyday life, the embodiment of human fear.
Exorcising curses, saving people—that is the duty of a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
But after countless life-or-death battles, Natsume Yu had grown tired of it. He just wanted to be an ordinary high school student in this peaceful world, a fusion of several slice-of-life anime, and experience the simple, warm youth he never had.
That's why he chose to transfer to Sobu High and deliberately keep a low profile.
"Yui, you look so stiff. You're not actually scared, are you?" Miura Yumiko keenly noticed her friend's discomfort and teased her.
"Of-of course not! I just think... it's better not to try things like that casually, right?" Yuigahama Yui waved her hands in a fluster, trying to hide her guilty conscience.
"Relax, relax, it's just a rumor," said another girl named Ebina, pushing up her glasses with a smile. "But it does sound really interesting. Why don't we go check it out after school?"
This suggestion, like a stone dropped into a pond, immediately caused a stir.
"Yeah, let's go!"
"Let's go together! It won't be scary if there are a lot of us!"
The direction of the conversation went completely beyond Yuigahama Yui's control. She watched helplessly as her friends enthusiastically planned their "adventure" for after school, but she couldn't bring herself to say the word "no." She didn't want to be seen as a coward or excluded from the group.
Natsume Yu took it all in and shook his head slightly. Humans were like this, always swept along by the will of the group, doing things against their own wishes. Tragedies, too, often stemmed from such idle curiosity.
Ding-dong—
The school bell finally rang, and the teacher's announcement of dismissal sounded like a horn of liberation.
Natsume Yu leisurely packed his bag, preparing to be the first member of the "go-home club" to leave the classroom, as usual.
However, just as he stood up, the central figure of the popular group—Hayama Hayato—called out to him.
"Natsume-kun," Hayama Hayato said with a bright smile that had an affability most people found impossible to refuse, "we're planning to explore the old school building. Want to come with us?"
Natsume Yu glanced at him and calmly refused, "No, I have something to do."
His reply was crisp and without a hint of hesitation, causing the smile on Hayama's face to freeze for a split second. The surrounding students also cast surprised glances his way. After all, refusing an invitation from Hayama Hayato was a rare occurrence in Class 2-F.
Natsume Yu didn't care about their stares; he just wanted to leave this troublesome place as quickly as possible.
However, as he passed by Yuigahama Yui, he paused and said in a low voice only the two of them could hear:
"If you don't want to go, don't force yourself."
Yuigahama Yui's whole body trembled. She shot her head up, looking at Natsume Yu in astonishment. How did he know what she was thinking? Why would this transfer student, who always kept to himself and barely interacted with anyone, suddenly say something like that to her?
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Natsume Yu had already slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the classroom without looking back.
"Yui, what are you spacing out for? Let's go!" Miura Yumiko grabbed her hand, pulling her into the crowd without room for argument.
Surrounded by her friends, Yuigahama Yui glanced back at Natsume Yu's figure disappearing at the end of the hallway, a complex emotion welling up in her heart. That sudden-yet-caring remark was like a stone tossed into the lake of her heart, sending ripples across its surface.
In the end, she couldn't muster the courage to refuse her friends.
At dusk, the setting sun stained the sky orange-red.
In the interplay of light and shadow, Sobu High's old school building appeared exceptionally silent and eerie. It had long been abandoned; ivy crawled up its walls, and its broken glass windows were like hollow eyes, spying on everyone who set foot inside.
"Whoa... it's even creepier here than I imagined."
"I'm suddenly starting to regret this..."
A few of the girls huddled together, their voices tinged with a tremor. Their initial excitement had long since been washed away by the sight before them.
"Don't be scared! There are so many of us!" Miura Yumiko feigned composure to cheer everyone on, but the way she tightly clung to Yuigahama Yui's arm betrayed her own nervousness.
Finally, after pushing and shoving each other, they braced themselves and pushed the one who seemed most "harmless," Yuigahama Yui, to the front.
"Yui, we're counting on you!"
"Yeah, yeah, go try knocking on the door!"
"Huh? Wh-why me?!" Yuigahama Yui was on the verge of tears.
"Because you're the cutest, Yui! Hanako-san definitely wouldn't have the heart to scare you!"
This completely illogical reason, however, received unanimous approval.
Unable to refuse, with nowhere to run.
Yuigahama Yui stood before the old wooden door of the third-floor girls' bathroom, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of her throat. Her friends were all hiding at the distant stairwell, only a few heads peeking out, watching her nervously.
She took a deep breath and, as if performing a sacred ritual, slowly raised a trembling hand.
Right now, she could only hope that the rumor was fake, that nothing would happen.
If nothing happened, she could immediately flee this dreadful place.
However, what she didn't know was that in the shadows behind her, a Curse, invisible to all, was baring its teeth in a silent, hideous grin.