Now that she could freely retract the ears and tail, Yukino's heart, which had been pounding from shame and panic, finally began to calm down.
She looked at the boy in front of her, calmly handling her "after-sales service," then glanced around at the friends in the clubroom who had all witnessed this supernatural scene, each with their own expression. A new realization settled quietly in her mind.
There was no going back.
She could never return to that simple, stable life where logic and reason were enough to solve everything.
Spirit Collisions, yokai transformations... tthose impossible words had already become part of her life. She understood now just how powerless the Service Club's "teach a man to fish" philosophy was when faced with real, lethal abnormalities.
The road ahead was full of unknown dangers. She could not keep ending up like this, weak and helpless, waiting for someone else to save her.
She needed strength, or at the very least, knowledge and information about this Hidden World.
Just when everyone thought the farce had finally come to an end, Yukino made a decision that surprised everyone present, Natsume included.
She stepped in front of him.
Straightening her back as much as her weakened body allowed, she let a trace of her usual coldness and resolve return to her face. She took a deep breath, then bowed with formal precision.
"Natsume, President."
For the first time, she addressed him by his title.
"I, Yukinoshita Yukino, would like to officially join the Occult Research Club. Please approve my request."
Her words left Yui and Eriri staring, mouths hanging open.
They both knew how much pride and attachment Yukinoshita had toward the Service Club she herself had founded.
Natsume looked at her. In his pale blue eyes, he saw the light burning in her ice-blue gaze... the determination in her eyes.
He understood her choice.
She was a very smart girl, the type who could grasp reality quicker than anyone and choose whatever was most advantageous to herself.
"I do not pay a salary here."
Natsume stated it simply.
"... I do not need one."
Yukino's mouth twitched slightly.
"All right then."
Natsume shrugged.
"Welcome aboard."
And just like that, after a not-so-small incident, Sobu High's Occult Research Club officially welcomed another major member.
...
Club activities ended, and the last school week before summer break came to a close.
With her backpack slung over her shoulder, Yui hummed a tune as she walked home, in a very good mood. The recent events had all been wild and unbelievable, but every time she saw Natsume's relaxed, unbothered expression, it felt like no problem was too big to solve.
"Come to think of it, it has been ages since I went out with Yumiko and the others."
The thought of her "normie" friends suddenly popped into her head. She had been busy with her part-time job and club activities lately, and she really had neglected them a bit.
Feeling a little guilty, she pulled out her phone and quickly dialed Yumiko's number.
"Yahallo, Yumiko! It is me! The weather is so nice today, want to grab some bubble tea?"
On the other end of the line, instead of the usual lively queen-like tone, there was a long, heavy silence.
"... Yui."
After a while, Yumiko finally spoke. Her voice was hoarse and exhausted in a way Yui had never heard before.
"Sorry. I am... not feeling too well today, so I am not going out."
"Eh? Not feeling well? Are you okay?"
The smile vanished from Yui's face, replaced by a rush of worry.
"What about Hina? Is she with you?"
"... Yeah. She is here."
"Then I will come visit you."
The words left Yui's mouth without a second thought.
"Do not. Do not come here!"
Yumiko's voice shot up an octave, tinged with raw panic.
"We, we are fine. Just tired, that is all. We just want to rest. Yui, you must not come here."
The more she insisted, the more Yui's unease swelled.
Her instincts screamed that something was very, very wrong.
Her friends had run into serious trouble.
As soon as the call ended, she did not hesitate for even a heartbeat. She changed direction and headed straight for Yumiko's house.
...
When she rang the doorbell and was led in by the Miura family's maid, she entered the familiar princess-like bedroom... and froze.
The curtains were drawn tight, no sunlight at all slipping through. Only a dim desk lamp cast a pale glow over the room. The air felt so heavy and suffocating it was hard to breathe.
Her two friends, the "queen" Yumiko who was always bold and confident, and Hina, who was forever grinning and chattering about BL, were huddled together in a corner of the bed, clinging to each other.
Both of them were deathly pale. Their eyes were bloodshot, their gazes filled with a deep fear and despair
"Yumiko... Hina... what happened to you?!"
Yui was frightened by their state.
"Yui... we told you not to come."
Yumiko's voice cracked as soon as she saw her, carrying a faint sob.
"What is going on? Tell me."
Yui grabbed their cold hands.
"We are friends, right?"
Under her repeated questions and gentle pressure, their attempt to hide and dodge the truth finally collapsed.
Hina burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Yumiko spoke in a trembling, broken voice, forced to spit out the horror that had dragged them into this nightmare.
"It is... the videotape."
"Three days ago, we... we watched a cursed videotape."
"Right after it ended, the phone rang. There was a woman's voice on the other end. She told us... we only had... three days left."
Yumiko clutched Yui's hand tightly, her eyes filled with red-rimmed despair.
"We did not believe it... we thought it was just some sick prank. But, Yui... do you know what happened..."
"The kid who tricked us into watching it... he, last night, right in front of us... he died. He was scared to death... we watched him die."
"We did not want to drag you in, Yui... that is why we did not tell you. I am sorry... I am so, so sorry."
An urban legend. Sadako's curse.
The curse of a videotape that kills within seven days... shortened to three days for them. It was a death sentence.
Listening to her friends' choked, terrified confession, Yui felt no fear at all after the first moment of shock and confusion.
Instead, what filled her chest was a strange sense of relief.
She looked at her two friends, already pushed to the edge of collapse by the fear of dying, and slowly, a brilliant, confident smile bloomed on her face.
"That is a relief."
"Eh?"
Yumiko and Ebina both stared, stunned.
"I said, that is a relief."
Yui squeezed their hands back, tightly.
Her eyes shone with a light they had never seen in her before.
"I was wondering what kind of huge disaster it would be. So it is just a cursed spirit incident."
Just... a cursed spirit incident.
Faced with a nightmare that would shatter most people's sanity, Yui's reaction was completely beyond their comprehension.
As the two girls stared at her in confusion and disbelief, Yui spoke with unwavering certainty.
"Do not worry, Yumiko, Hina."
"I will break this curse for you."
"Because I happen to know... the strongest president in the whole world."