Chapter 13: The Uneasy Shinomiya Kaguya
So many iron-willed Senpai had fallen at the hands of Hikigaya Hachiman; Ogino Ko did not believe he was tough enough to resist.
If his shameful secrets were exposed, Ogino Ko's fate would be miserable. Therefore, as soon as he heard whispers of the investigation, he immediately ran away.
"Damn it, I've been so low-key recently, why are they still investigating me?"
Since hearing that there was an "unprovokable force" who had advanced to the High School division, Ogino Ko had behaved himself, keeping a low profile. He never thought he would still be targeted by Hikigaya Hachiman.
"Then let's all go down together."
Although Ogino Ko felt a bit pained about wasting the powerful cursed tool he had painstakingly acquired from a sorcerer here, it would be worth it if he could take down Hikigaya Hachiman, who had shattered his peaceful life.
Little did he know, he was overthinking things.
Forget Hikigaya Hachiman, the curse released by the item Ogino Ko left behind couldn't even break the defenses of the ordinary people, Shinomiya Kaguya and Fujiwara Chika.
Invisible, twisted black mist tried to wrap around Shinomiya Kaguya and Fujiwara Chika but was blocked by something unseen, only able to drift around them.
The Shinomiya and Fujiwara families, being top-tier Japanese clans, provided their direct bloodline members with the best items for warding off evil and curses, which they wore on their persons.
Hikigaya Hachiman, sensing the cursed energy, stopped checking Ogino Ko's personal belongings and isolated all students from that classroom.
"Potent poison."
Hikigaya Hachiman identified the type of curse. If ordinary people inhaled this toxic miasma, they would likely be immediately poisoned.
Therefore, although the items Shinomiya Kaguya and Fujiwara Chika wore could provide protection, Hikigaya Hachiman decided to perform further purification just to be safe.
"Give me your hand."
Hikigaya Hachiman said to both of them.
"Huh?"
Shinomiya Kaguya felt something was off.
"Hikigaya-kun, what are you trying to do?"
While Shinomiya Kaguya was displaying a girl's modesty, the carefree Fujiwara Chika was much more compliant.
"What is it, Hachiman?"
Fujiwara Chika had already extended her hand while asking. She felt a little strange but still obediently offered her hand.
Shinomiya Kaguya's mouth twitched.
"Fujiwara-san, a girl should be reserved."
"It's okay, because it's Hachiman."
Fujiwara Chika giggled.
'Is this really an "it's okay" situation?'
Hikigaya Hachiman took Fujiwara Chika's hand, thought for a moment, and then said, "Although we obtained permission.
But haven't you heard the rumor that if you rummage through someone else's belongings without the owner's permission, you will suffer a curse from the heavens?
You'll have terrible luck."
"Eh! Is that true?"
Although Hikigaya Hachiman made it up, his serious expression successfully made Fujiwara Chika widen her eyes in astonishment.
"Of course."
Hikigaya Hachiman knew Fujiwara Chika well.
Startled by this, Fujiwara Chika, who had only offered one hand, now gripped both of his hands.
"Waaah, I don't want to suffer divine retribution!"
"Alright, it's okay now."
Hikigaya Hachiman's power, besides his innate Cursed Energy, also included a force called Psychic Energy.
The Blood Angels, who inherited the gene-seed of Sanguinius, have excellent sensitivity to the Psychic Energy of the Warp.
Therefore, the high-ranking powerhouses in the Blood Angels Chapter are not only highly skilled warriors but also expert Psykers.
Although Hikigaya Hachiman arrived in a different world, the intensity of his Psychic power was only weakened, not rendered unusable.
Psychic power has a natural suppressive ability against Cursed Spirits. A simple release of a psychic blast can cause considerable damage to a Cursed Spirit.
This is why Hikigaya Hachiman could, at a young age, easily defeat a bunch of old fossils from the Kamo Clan and bring the rigid old men to heel.
Hikigaya Hachiman used a relatively gentle force, which made Fujiwara Chika feel a very special sensation—especially secure and warm all over, as if she had just experienced a very comfortable massage.
"Ooh, so nice~"
Fujiwara Chika felt as if her entire body was melting. Now, she was the one holding Hikigaya Hachiman's hands, refusing to let go, her entire body leaning against him.
Her friend's soft moans and unexplained blushing made Shinomiya Kaguya's gaze even colder. She was practically grinding her teeth.
This made it look like Hikigaya Hachiman was using some inappropriate technique on Fujiwara Chika.
"Alright, alright, you're fine now."
In the end, Hikigaya Hachiman forcibly separated Fujiwara Chika and said to her, who was still looking disappointed, "Secretary Fujiwara, please call Yasukawa-sensei and Jigen-sensei for me."
Seeing this, the frost on Shinomiya Kaguya's face thawed somewhat.
"But I still want to..."
Hikigaya Hachiman patted Fujiwara Chika's head, thinking inwardly, You really have a death wish.
"I'll give you snacks when you come back."
The mention of snacks immediately energized Fujiwara Chika again.
"Mhm mhm, it's a promise then!"
After the motivated Fujiwara Chika left, Hikigaya Hachiman extended his hand toward Shinomiya Kaguya, the implication clear.
"What about you?"
Although Shinomiya Kaguya's tone remained cold and unyielding, her hand slowly settled into the center of Hikigaya Hachiman's palm.
"Hikigaya-kun, I'm not as easily fooled as Fujiwara-san."
"If your heartbeat were just a little slower, those words would be more convincing to me."
Hikigaya Hachiman, holding Shinomiya Kaguya's hand, could feel the girl's heartbeat rapidly accelerating.
Hearing the teasing, Shinomiya Kaguya's breath hitched, and she was so embarrassed she wanted to snatch her hand back.
"You!"
But Hikigaya Hachiman's action was clearly more dominant. He gripped Shinomiya Kaguya's hand with both of his.
Hikigaya Hachiman intended to prevent Shinomiya Kaguya from pulling away, but Shinomiya Kaguya's heart fluttered at his assertive action.
"Shinomiya, you should know my relationship with the Kamo Clan.
Ogino Ko is a Curse User. His school bag contains a cursed object imbued with a curse, and we touched it."
Little did he know, Shinomiya Kaguya's thoughts had almost completely stalled.
Hikigaya Hachiman knew that Yasukawa and Jigen were Sorcerers assigned by the Sorcerer Association to be on duty at Shuchiin.
The existence of Cursed Spirits is a secret to the general public, but it's nothing new in high society.
There's no reason Shinomiya Kaguya wouldn't know.
Schools are the easiest places for Curses to fester. As an ultra-elite aristocratic school in Japan, with students who are the direct descendants of powerful families, the school administration has taken numerous precautions.
Not only are Sorcerers specially hired as teachers and security forces, but there is also a specialized, large-scale Barrier Technique separating the entire school from external Cursed Spirits, specifically to prevent Cursed Spirit attacks within Shuchiin.
However, if a Shuchiin student bypasses supervision through special means and secretly brings in a cursed object carrying a large amount of cursed energy, these security measures become meaningless.
Hikigaya Hachiman noticed that Ogino Ko's school bag contained a cursed object. The cursed object was imbued with a curse of potent poison, among other effects, and if it erupted, it could cause mass casualties.
That bastard, Ogino Ko, truly showed no regard for the lives of his former classmates.
Even without the zipper on Ogino Ko's school bag being opened, a thick black mist invisible to ordinary people was running rampant in the air. It was clear he intended this for anyone who might touch his bag after he left.
"I am helping you expel the curse."
"Mhm, I... understand."
Shinomiya Kaguya also felt the comfortable power, but her pride wouldn't allow her to lose her composure in front of him.
'He's doing this for my own good...'
"Hikigaya-kun, what happened?"
Soon after, Yasukawa and Jigen arrived in a hurry. They knew Hikigaya Hachiman had the Kamo Clan background, so something must have happened for him to specifically call them.
Hikigaya Hachiman wanted to release Shinomiya Kaguya's hand, but the proud girl merely put their clasped hands behind her back.
"I still feel uncomfortable."
After whispering this, Shinomiya Kaguya turned her face away from Hikigaya Hachiman, clearly too embarrassed to look at him.
Hikigaya Hachiman sighed inwardly, knowing he had to play along.
In the eyes of the two newly arrived teachers, they only saw the two students standing very close.
Hikigaya Hachiman said, "I found a cursed object among a student's personal belongings."
"What!"
The two teachers were immediately shocked and rushed inside. The threat of a cursed object was no less than an extremely dangerous bomb, and they had no time to worry about the two students.
So they immediately entered.
Hikigaya Hachiman figured it would be simple for two sorcerers to dismantle a cursed object.
"Shinomiya, do you feel better?"
Hikigaya Hachiman asked, holding Shinomiya Kaguya's hand.
"Mhm, a little better."
Shinomiya Kaguya's ears turned red, and the frost on her face was almost impossible to maintain. She was just about to let go, but unexpectedly, Hikigaya-kun suddenly embraced her.
"Ah."
This bold action left Shinomiya Kaguya's mind blank.
She then heard a loud boom, and all the windows on the first-year floor shattered. Hikigaya Hachiman's action was to shield Shinomiya Kaguya from the disaster, holding her securely beneath him.