"Huh? This is strange..."
Tsubaki blinked in confusion, tilting her head.
She had left school, crossed several streets, and still nothing had happened. She's well aware that her bad luck is no joke; she's been involved in absurd accidents countless times, which her dog often protects her from. However, it had been quite a while and several streets, and still, nothing had occurred. Given her unfortunate combination with vehicles due to her bad luck, she tends to walk home. Her parents even bought a house near the school for that reason since the temple was outside the city, raising the probability of accidents.
But now...
Her bad luck seemed to have disappeared.
(Is it over? Could it be that God is smiling at me again?)
With these thoughts in mind, Tsubaki smiled with happiness. Her bad luck is a nightmare for her, so living a normal life is a great relief, not to mention that a Miko like her with bad luck is a cruel joke.
"..."
Meanwhile, the dog narrowed its eyes as if sensing something significant lurking in the shadows.
---
**Miss Tsubaki, the enemy is cornered, it's dangerous, I don't like it, there's a loose assassin... Please, remember... we don't have much time; I won't be able to hold on much longer, you are the only one who can finish this...**
"Pochi..."
Reading the day's letter, Tsubaki couldn't help but glance at her pet, who lowered its head as if pleading. This puzzled her a lot; today's message was longer than any she had seen in a year.
Remember? What does she need to recall?
What's wrong with time?
Assassin? What assassin? The serial killer the police are looking for?
"Exactly... Who writes these messages?"
Staring intently at her pet, Tsubaki frowned. The messages in these letters had saved her many times, so she trusted them. But she also wanted to know who this person was.
Who is Pochi's true owner?
Why does Pochi deliver these letters?
What does this person expect?
Why are the messages becoming more desperate?
Why does her anxiety increase every time she looks at these letters?
Tsubaki has many questions, but unfortunately, no one can answer them. The only living being that knows about her is possibly her pet.
However, from another perspective, her pet is very suspicious.
It appeared out of nowhere and clung to her as a guardian. Besides school, this dog followed her most of the time, even sleeping together at night.
So...
How does it show up with a message every morning?...
"Haaa~"
Sighing with regret, Tsubaki couldn't help but shake her head.
It's a shame, but she doesn't remember anything, and she has a feeling that if she does, the life she's been leading will end.
She doesn't want it to end...
She may have bad luck, but she's confident that she's happy. This alone made her ignore her pet's messages.
---
"Alright, that's it for today, Kasugano-san. Please come to the teacher's lounge; we need to talk..."
With these words, the teacher finished his class, waiting for the bell to ring, signaling the end of class.
Of course, the bell didn't disappoint him, as it rang a few seconds later, marking the end of the school day.
"Hum~... What a hectic day~"
"Hum! Hum! I want to go home~"
With smiles on their faces, both Hinata and Mao couldn't help but stretch lazily. Sitting at a desk for hours would bore any normal youth, so the sound of the bell was a joy for them.
"Ugh!"
Tsubaki, on the other hand, held her head with both hands. Unlike the rest of the class, her luck wasn't so great. After all, if she's not mistaken, the teacher calling her is about her low grades on the last exam.
This spoiled girl has entered her Comfort Zone...
So, she's quite lazy, and although she excels in subjects like Math and History, the others are a complete lost cause.
She couldn't help but grumble in displeasure; at this rate, she'll have to take those unpleasant summer classes. For Tsubaki, this is the worst. As a spoiled Ojou-sama, she had planned how she would spend her vacation - the beach, pools, or even a trip abroad. But with these grades, her plans will go down the drain...
"Hehe cheer up, Tsubaki-san. I'm sure Hiyama-sensei will let you go soon..."
"That's right, Kasugano-san. Don't worry; if it helps, I'll also take summer classes."
Fortunately, her two good friends, Hinata and Mao, approached to console her.
"Guuuu..."
However, their consolation only served to rub more salt into the wound. Tsubaki's lost aura made both Hinata and Mao realize that their friend is a lost cause...
---
(Come on... You can do it)
Looking at the door in front of her, Tsubaki clenched her teeth. At the same time, she couldn't help but look up at the ceiling; her vacation plans were in jeopardy. She needed all the help she could get.
*Tock, Tock...
"Come in..."
"Sorry to interrupt... Hiyama-sensei called me..."
Slowly opening the door, Tsubaki peeked her head inside, looking at the teachers who greeted her with bitter smiles.
"Hiyama-sensei said to wait for him... Good luck, Kasugano-san..."
Tsubaki Kasugano, the girl with bad luck; that's how Tsubaki is seen. After all, as teachers, they've suffered a few minor accidents because of her.
Fortunately for them, Hiyama is her assigned teacher, which brought them a bit of relief...
"Thanks..."
Nodding, Tsubaki looked around until she found a small place to sit and wait.
*Tick.. Tack..
And so, the minutes passed; one by one, the teachers finished their work and went home. However, Hiyama didn't return. This made Tsubaki furrow her brow; she wanted to go home too.
The sky gradually darkened, and at this rate, she'd be returning home late.
"I'm sorry, Kasugano-san; I think you should go back. I'll talk to Hiyama-sensei later."
The only teacher still in the teacher's lounge spoke to her. Even for him, this was abnormal - making a student wait for so long wasn't something a responsible teacher would do.
So, he thought of sending her home and talking to the irresponsible teacher tomorrow. It was almost nighttime; it wasn't good to have a student walk home alone, especially with that serial killer in the news.
"Thanks..."
Accepting the teacher's suggestion, Tsubaki stood up, ready to leave. However...
*Bam...
"Huh?"
The teacher's lounge door swung open suddenly, making both Tsubaki and the other teacher turn their heads.
"It's a shame; I was hoping you'd be alone, but I guess I'll deal with this 'burden' before that dog starts to suspect."
Entering through the door was a man wearing a black hat, a gas mask with goggles, and an explosive-proof jacket, making him immune to many things. But Tsubaki didn't care about that because this man carried a large knife in his hand, and her heart started pounding when she saw his appearance.
This was the serial killer from the news...
"Kasugano-san! Run! Call the police!"
Although Tsubaki had mixed feelings about the man's appearance, the teacher beside her quickly stood in front of her to protect her. He didn't know why he was doing this, but something inside him activated, as if his primal instinct was to protect the girl behind him. He was scared, of course, but he didn't want anything to happen to Tsubaki.
"Run!"
"Yes! I'm sorry..."
Snapping out of her thoughts, Tsubaki didn't hesitate to run and exit through the door. But before doing so, she couldn't help but turn her head one last time to look at the man with the gas mask.
"I see... You're one of those lackeys of the dog, huh? No matter; I'll kill you first."
"Haaaa!"
Looking down disdainfully at the man in front of him, the assassin twirled his knife, simultaneously lunging forward.
---