"Hey, suicide?"
Masumi's eyes widened in shock.
She hadn't understood why Arisu had brought her up here. Did Arisu know that Shouko was planning to jump?
She looked at Shouko with genuine concern.
Despite her blunt manner of speaking, Masumi was kind at heart. The thought of a young girl ending her life right in front of her was unbearable.
"Calm down, okay!"
Masumi's voice was steady as she took a cautious step forward, not wanting to startle Shouko on the edge.
"...?"
Shouko blinked, taken aback.
Wait, suicide? Did they really think she was going to jump? The absurdity of it made her smile, almost laugh.
The bright, sudden smile caught Masumi and Arisu off guard.
Shouko took a step back from the edge and signed with her hands, I'm not trying to jump!
Realizing they might not understand sign language, she quickly pulled out her phone and typed a message.
"..."
Masumi sighed in relief when she read the words on Shouko's phone, confirming she had no intention of jumping. It didn't seem like she was lying, either.
Masumi turned to Arisu with a look that said, Well? What now?
"I know what I saw."
Arisu's frown deepened rather than eased. She was confident in her judgment, and it was rare for her to be wrong.
"There's no mistaking that emptiness in her eyes."
"Come on, Arisu. Even you can be wrong sometimes," Masumi said, exasperated.
Mistakes happened; there was no shame in admitting it. If anything, Masumi secretly wanted to see Arisu embarrassed for once, she always acted so in control.
"..."
Ignoring Masumi's remark, Arisu kept her gaze on Shouko, who was now shifting uncomfortably under the scrutiny.
Shouko hesitated, then offered an apologetic bow before leaving, not wanting to share the secret of Sadako's curse. She feared that talking about it would only bring harm to others.
Masumi shrugged it off. Maybe Arisu had really misread the situation. How could someone so composed be on the verge of suicide?
"Interesting."
Arisu's eyes narrowed, watching Shoko's retreating form. There was something she was hiding; Arisu was sure of it.
"So, what now?"
Masumi's curiosity was piqued. She'd spent enough time with Arisu to know that her mind worked in unexpected ways.
"It occurred to me that when someone has that kind of look in their eyes, if they're not thinking about ending their own life, then there's only one other explanation."
"And that is?"
Masumi leaned in, intrigued.
"A cursed spirit."
Arisu's voice was steady, but a hint of conviction rang through. She couldn't explain why, but she felt it deep down—it had to be related to a cursed spirit. Call it intuition.
"A cursed spirit? Really?"
Masumi's heart clenched.
She'd only recently been freed from the torment of her own possession, and even now, just thinking about the twisted entity that once lived inside her made her skin crawl.
Was Shouko really going through the same horror?
"Then what are we waiting for? We should go ask Ryuji for help!"
If cursed spirits were involved, there was little they could do on their own.
"It's just a theory," Arisu said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "What if I'm wrong? I won't risk looking foolish in front of Ryuji."
"..."
Masumi couldn't argue with that logic and scratched her head, uncertain of what to do next.
"So, what's the plan now?"
"Use your strengths."
Arisu's lips curved into a knowing smile.
"...?"
Masumi was confused.
Strengths? What strengths? Wait a minute, did Arisu just imply she was otherwise useless?
Before Masumi could react, Arisu continued, "Over the next couple of days, find out everything you can about Shouko. Her home address, her background. Then we'll pay her a visit."
"...Got it."
Finding a home address and gathering basic information wasn't a challenge for Masumi. She wasn't sure what Arisu intended to do with this information, but it didn't matter. As long as she played her part, that was enough.
The weekend arrived quickly.
Masumi diligently completed her task of finding Shouko's home address, as Arisu had requested.
Meanwhile, Ryuji had plans of his own.
On the first day of the weekend, he had invited Kaguya to visit Totsuki Academy.
It was partly to take Kaguya out and spend some time with her, strengthening their connection.
But Ryuji was also curious. Totsuki was famous for its cuisine so exquisite that, in the stories, it made people's clothes burst off from sheer delight. He wanted to see if reality could live up to that fantastical reputation.
"Ryuji-san!"
Kaguya had woken up at the crack of dawn to get ready. She'd spent hours making sure everything was perfect, terrified that she'd do something to embarrass herself in front of him.
"Just call me Ryuji."
Seeing how serious she was, Ryuji couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and gently patted her head to reassure her.
"Yes… Ryuji,"
Her cheeks flushed, but she nodded, a small, shy smile breaking through.