For a moment, the atmosphere in the service club became much quieter.
Especially Masumi herself. She carefully watched the footage on the surveillance screen, not wanting to miss a single detail. In the video, Masumi walked directly to the refrigerator and opened it.
"Is she sleepwalking?"
In the surveillance video, Masumi's eyes were closed the entire time.
If she had no memory of this, then it had to be sleepwalking!
"But I've never sleepwalked before!"
Masumi was confused.
"No! If she was sleepwalking, it wouldn't be possible for her to find the refrigerator so effortlessly. Look, she seemed to know exactly where it was, and when she passed by the chair, she even went around it!"
Yukino analyzed with a calm expression.
A person sleepwalking usually moves in a dazed, unsteady manner.
It's normal for them to bump into chairs and tables.
But in the video, Masumi navigated smoothly and even avoided obstacles. How could that be sleepwalking?
"This…"
The most bewildered person at the moment was Masumi herself.
She never thought she could actually be sleepwalking.
No, it only looked like sleepwalking.
"Wait! What is that?"
Suddenly, everyone's attention sharpened as something happened on the screen.
In the footage, Masumi didn't pause when she reached the refrigerator. She opened it, took out food with practiced ease, and started eating.
Arisu's family was well-off, so there was no lack of food. The refrigerator was stocked with various items, including an array of cakes.
Masumi usually indulged in such treats, but she was mindful of their high-calorie content and only ate them in moderation.
Yet now, while asleep, she devoured everything without hesitation.
"This…"
Masumi was at a loss for words.
With this kind of situation, it suddenly made sense why she'd gained weight recently!
Eating like this night after night, who wouldn't gain weight?
"Is that really me?"
"What do you think?"
Faced with Masumi's disbelief, Arisu next to her seemed far more composed.
She shrugged and gave Masumi an exasperated look.
Could the surveillance footage possibly have faked itself?
"This…"
Masumi didn't doubt Arisu's words; she just found the whole situation hard to accept.
In the video, after finishing everything in the refrigerator, Masumi stood upright, looking a bit disoriented.
But a moment later, she slowly turned her head and gazed directly at the camera.
In the footage, it looked like she was staring blankly at the camera's position.
Though her expression was vacant, seconds later, Masumi's face suddenly filled the entire screen, grinning eerily. The creepy smile startled the real Masumi standing beside them.
"Ah!"
The surveillance video ended there.
Seeing Masumi's frightened reaction, Arisu smiled wryly.
"That's how it was. I was scared out of my wits when I first saw it!"
Unlike others, Arisu had a congenital heart condition, which was why she always carried a cane. Her physical strength was genuinely weak.
When she first watched the footage, the shock nearly gave her a heart attack.
Although she had the reputation of being a little tyrant, she was still just a teenage girl.
"You're joking at a time like this?"
Masumi, still shaken, rolled her eyes at Arisu's nonchalant attitude.
Was it really okay to joke around now?
"…"
Arisu simply shrugged, saying nothing, and turned her attention to the others in the club.
"You're not scared at all?"
Ryuji's calmness was expected, but the other girls' composed expressions were surprising even to Arisu.
Were all the girls in the club really that brave?
"Yes! It's quite spooky!"
After a long silence, Miko nodded in agreement.
For ordinary people, this would indeed be terrifying.
But for them, it was nothing.
They were already sorcerers; if they were still scared by such things, it would be laughable.
"…"
If you put it like that, you'll make me feel stupid, thought Arisu.
Seeing Miko's reaction left Arisu at a loss for words.
Could it be she was just too timid?
Forget it.
"Ahem! I believe you can all see now that what happened to Masumi was indeed a real cursed spirit incident. I wasn't exaggerating!"
Although she wanted to meet Ryuji as soon as possible,
Arisu hadn't expected to have to involve Masumi.
It was pure chance that brought them here!
"I…"
Masumi felt nervous now.
She'd thought it was all just a prank, but it turned out to be real.
And—
"We live together, don't we?"
Masumi wanted to ask why she was the target and not Arisu, who lived under the same roof.
"…"
In response, Arisu only gave Masumi a look that said, "Bad luck is just bad luck."
"I…"
Masumi felt even more defeated when she understood Arisu's gaze.
There was no way around it.
In the end, she looked pitifully at Ryuji.
The confidence she'd had moments before was gone, replaced by a desperate plea for help.
"Can anyone see anything?"
Ryuji didn't respond directly but instead scanned the girls nearby.
With his arms crossed, the girls knew he was testing them.
They immediately took it seriously, their eyes focused on Masumi with intensity.
"…"
This scrutiny made Masumi feel a bit uncomfortable.
Arisu, watching from the side, wondered why Ryuji was asking the girls this question.
Could it be?
Arisu's mind raced, eyes widening in surprise.
"It's probably possession!"
Yukino was the first to make a guess, and Utaha quickly followed.
"It seems like a cursed spirit took control of her while she was asleep. But why did it make her eat? Even if she was possessed, eating seems so bizarre."
"Maybe the cursed spirit possessing her has a penchant for food?"
"Is there such a thing as a food-obsessed cursed spirit?"
"Is there?"
For a moment, the other girls chimed in.
As the center of discussion, Masumi didn't know how to react.
Wasn't solving her problem the priority? Why did it seem like they were just enjoying a good debate?
"Alright, enough!"
Finally, Ryuji waved his hand, halting the conversation.
"There are countless types of cursed spirits, each with unique and strange abilities. It's not far-fetched for there to be cursed spirits that possess people!"
If it were just the common cursed spirits from before, it wouldn't be an issue.
But now, with the fusion of cursed spirits and urban legends, new types were emerging. Among these urban legends were many cursed spirits capable of possessing and controlling humans.
"It's not surprising for a cursed spirit to make someone eat while possessed. They need energy, after all! But if it escalates, they might move from regular food to raw meat, and eventually... humans."
"What?!"
Masumi's face went pale.
The thought of being possessed and forced to eat a human terrified her.
"I should be the one who's most worried!"
Seeing Masumi's expression,
Arisu spoke up, annoyed.
After all, she shared a living space with Masumi. If things got that bad, she'd be the first victim.
However,
Arisu clearly wasn't planning to let Masumi face this alone, otherwise, she wouldn't have brought her here.
She looked at Ryuji with determination.
"Ryuji, is there a way to help Masumi?"
At the moment, aside from seeking help from Ryuji, even with all her intellect, Arisu couldn't think of a better solution.
Originally, Masumi wanted to retort to Arisu's statement.
But there was no time for that now. She looked at Ryuji with hope, silently pleading for assistance.
"It's not that hard to solve!"
Or rather, it was difficult for others, but not for Ryuji.
He gestured for Arisu and the others to remain calm, then turned his attention to the girls.
"I'm here to teach you so that you can handle things like this on your own in the future."
With their current strength, they could easily deal with ordinary cursed spirits or sorcerers.
But when the target was more elusive and mysterious, the girls would often be at a loss.
"Got it!"
The girls all nodded, taking his words seriously. Arisu understood then.
She hadn't been wrong. These girls were sorcerers.
Otherwise, why would Ryuji be teaching them how to handle such incidents?
Still, she wondered.
Weren't sorcerers supposed to be rare?
Why were there so many here? Was it because of him?
But as Arisu thought it over, she dismissed it as unlikely.
The idea that Ryuji could turn ordinary people into sorcerers seemed absurd. Even
Arisu had to chuckle at her own wild imagination.
That was impossible.
Shaking her head, Arisu said nothing further.
Her focus returned to Masumi's predicament.
"But, Ryuji, I've seen this type of thing before. If a person is possessed by a cursed spirit, I should be able to sense it, right?"
Saki didn't argue with Ryuji's point but was puzzled.
She was a sorcerer too.
Even without her own curse energy, she had the ability to sense such things. If Masumi were really possessed, she should have felt it.
In fact, before coming back to Ryuji, Saki had thought about handling Masumi's problem on her own and then telling Ryuji about it.
Wouldn't that show how capable she was in front of him?
Unfortunately,
Her plan was far more ambitious than reality allowed.
Saki hadn't been able to detect anything off about Masumi. She had been fooling herself from the start!
"It's simple!"
Ryuji wasn't surprised by this at all.
"Possession doesn't always mean taking over someone's body. It can also mean possessing someone's dreams."
"Dream Possession"
***
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