Right now, as the approach “the reason that everyone in the club collapsed is the curse” is very likely, staying in that room is of course scary. However, my feeling of wanting to be helpful to solve this case even just a little was strong, I didn’t hesitate

s.h.i.+nonome, she must have thought of me and allocate this role. Despite being a b.i.t.c.h, she sometimes shows me her gentle side, so I’m troubled with how to treat her.

Are……what? Again, my chest became hot suddenly. Seem like I become considerably dizzy.

「Oi Kousuke……isn’t it fine to stop?」

「You, you can refuse if you are scared. Ho, hora, I’m more or less the same, so……」

「Thanks for worrying. But I will do it. I’m a man and the club president, there’s no way I can leave that to the two female club members」

「No. In case nothing happens, it’s the proof that nothing happened during the training camp. We should get the valuable information that whether that woman appears or not」(何も起こらなかった場合、合宿の狀況下でしかそれは起こらなかったとい う証明になるわ。 例の女性が出るにしろ出ないにしろ価値ある情報を得られるはずよ) 

「Ikuno, we will be at this room, so if something happens, call us immediately. I don’t want Ikuno to be scared alone as much as possible. Besides, in the reverse standpoint, it’s absolutely scary」

「Thank you Aizawa. If you says so, I feel a little more comfortable」

The club member who worries about me is nearby, I must do my best somehowーーThen, at night.

「C, can’t sleep」

Besides, because the ghost may appearーー

A light floating in darkness. A fresh corpse hanged on a rope, shaking like a teruterubozu. The solidified blood of Kihachi which soaked the ceiling. I can’t help but having goose b.u.mps. (teruterubozu is paper doll for weather praying)

But we have to go to school tomorrow, so I must quickly sleep somehow.

How much time has pa.s.sed after that? Also because of the fatigue, I was attacked by drowsiness before I noticed and my consciousness was about to become hazy.

*zuri*, *zuri*, *zuri*……*gosogoso* (rustling sounds) 

「……………………Ten……nee?」

Although it was good that I can see the beast-ears-like things, I still thought that my heart would jump out. It won’t be a joke if there is a woman wearing yukata and sitting on my stomach when I wake up in a room where ghosts appear.

「Etto, what is Ten-nee doing here?」

「I see. You come here for my sake, right?」

Ten-nee nods. But it looks like she still has something to say, her body shakes impatiently.

When I ask, she sends her gaze toward me, her index fingers entwine with each other.

E, connect……ha, haha, that senpai.

「But I……don’t understand well」

……But, if it’s like that, because Ten-nee seems to have lots of stamina despite her small build, she might be amazing. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

「Don’t mind what senpai said. Other than that, thanks, Ten-nee. I’m not the coward like I was in the past, but as expected, you make me calm down a little」

Still red, Ten-nee timidly goes down from my body and lies down next to me, hugging my waist.

「S, shut up, it’s fine」

「Both Aizawa Manaha and s.h.i.+nonome Ibuki are the onee-san type Kousuke likes. But I,

Saying impatiently, Ten-nee puts more power into her hands.

I don’t know whether or not Ten-nee has the same nature as the powerful b.i.t.c.hes, always want to monopolize me. But because it’s better compared to the past, it’s more charming.

「Kousuke……… A, but, I’m small so I’m not your type」

「a……」

「……..As expected, Kousuke is a lolicon」

If that comes from a girl, perhaps I would be treated as someone with a p.r.o.noun *hentai*, but without being cautious to me, who was doubted as a lolicon by Ten-nee, she hugs me lovely on the contrary. The fear I felt until a while ago has fused with the desired warmth I feel from Ten-nee. To thank Ten-nee, I brush her head.

Ten-nee, who has been easy to fall asleep since the past, has begun making quiet sleeper’s breath.

Because she would wake up if I move, should I sleep like this?

The time is at the dead of night. (草木も眠る丑三つ時) 

*zuri*……*zuri*……*zuriiiii*……

P, perhaps this is……the thing Sakamoto-senpai saw……!?

…………It left……already?

Then, in front of my eyes, there was a face of a woman with disordered hair.

My consciousness was cut forcibly.

Next morning My face is being caressed by the morning sun, but my body is being shaken strongly so I open my eyes.

「Finally, you awake……wait Ikuno, what’s with this?」

Standing behind her is s.h.i.+nonome, who is looking down on me while having a scary smile.

While rubbing my sleepy eyes, I look down to my chest, my breath is taken away and I stop moving,

「Ikuno-kun, can you explain this to me too, without fail?」

No, wait……That’s right!

When I finish explaining briefly last night’s things to those two, Ten-nee and senpai wake up and get up.

Right now, re-thinking about the face I saw last night, it was similar to Kameno-senpai’s. I’m sure that the one wandering around in the room was her.

「Ee……I don’t know anything like that. First of all, I remembered waking up at late night to go to the toilet then returning to the room, but I don’t have any memory about after that」

Ten-nee also rubbed her eyes with a posture similar to senpai’s.

「A! In other words, wasn’t the ghost Sakamoto-senpai saw Kameno-senpai!?」

We have identified the ghost appeared at the night of the training camp.

「I have solved all of this mystery」

「Ibuki……you solved with just that information?」

Because of s.h.i.+nonome’s words, this time it’s my turn to open my sleepy eyes wide to look at the two of them.

During lunch break on the same day. All members of the literature club were sitting on the sofa in the clubroom, facing Ten-nee, Kameno-senpai and Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai, whose physical condition has recovered and returned to school.

「Then s.h.i.+nonome, can you slowly tell us?」

The answer I couldn’t figure out no matter how much I thought. I and Aizawa were being impatient from the morning until now, we look at s.h.i.+nonome from both sides with enthusiasm. s.h.i.+nonome only nods with a calm expression.

「「……」」

「s.h.i.+nonome Ibuki, how did you know!? As you said, until noon, all club member’s attendance had been confirmed, they went to school as if their fevers has gone down.」

Having entered her club president mode, Kameno-senpai raised her eyes’ corners and asked directly. On the contrary, as if relaxing, s.h.i.+nonome lowered her eyelashes gently and closed her beautiful eyes

「……O, okay. But I still have a slight fever, please make it short」

Tiredly put her semi long black hair close to her ears, Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai coughs several times.

Because I also have a slight fever due to the chill after having a bath yesterday, I understand how she feels a little.

「Yuki-chan. It’s fine not to force yourself, just answer slowly……」

To Kameno-senpai who draws close, Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai smilesfrailly and straightens up There’s a tingle of red on her serious face, she seems more painful than expected.

As if because Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai told us in one go, her breathing become disordered and her shoulder move up and down just like after running.

「That’s right……Then, as expected, it’s that, right?」

s.h.i.+nonome gently smoothes down her elegant black hair and denies Kameno-senpai’s words.

「It’s natural. After all, there’s no such thing as a curse in this world」

「Ibuki, but……Everyone fell ill with and unknown cause and got better at the same time, other than thinking it’s the work of that certain curse, there’s nothing else in my mind. Hora, although it was a rumor, wasn’t there a story that one would be saved after 10 days if lucky?」

All people in this place are surprised by s.h.i.+nonome’s remark. However, except one person……

「Certainly, as Ikuno-kun said. If they don’t know about it, they can’t abuse it」

「If they truly don’t know, right?」

Being surrounded by question marks, my head turns around for a moment.

「……Then s.h.i.+nonome is saying that there is a club member who knew the rumor about the curse, then tricked Kameno-senpai and had a break from club activities with everyone without any good reasons, right?」

「Aizawa-san, how the culprit knew the rumor, Kameno-senpai should have known about that」

Suddenly being mentioned, the bewildered senpai points at herself.

For just a moment, Kameno-senpai stops moving. She held her mouth, opened her eyes and looked at the side.

「……」

「The day of the training camp, after hearing the rumor of the curse from okami-san, I think Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai used that…… no, however that’sーー」

「There’s no reason to do that! Even among the members of cheer club, Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai is completely the most hard-working person. There’s no way she would tempt everyone to skip without good reasons!」

「Un, it’s as Ten-chan said. Yuki-chan is super diligent, she’s the vice president who strictly guides the members who skip training. Therefore I think she wouldn’t do such a thing, and since it truly looks like she’s having a cold, I don’t think she feigned the illness to skip」

s.h.i.+nonome, who has her guess off, should be cornered by the dilemma.

「Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai, isn’t it already fine? The truth is that it was for Kameno-senpai’s sake, right?」

Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai let out a big sigh. Her forelock sways as she wipes the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand.

「E……then, it’s Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai after all?」

「I instructed everyone to stop going to school and doing club activities……that’s correct」

s.h.i.+nonome says like she has seen everything, I look at her with envy

「It’s simple. Did something change before and after the event happened? Just by thinking about it, the culprit’s goal can be found naturally」

However, before I arrive at the solution, Aizawa who has a sharp intuition speaks.

she was supported by Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai and Takatora-senpai, right? But her complexion was better and she was more healthy when we met yesterday……Ibuki, perhaps they are related somehow?」

「Correct, Aizawa-san」

「The not-healthy person became healthyーーIn other words, to make Kameno-senpai who had poor health rest, everyone used the feigned illness to stop doing club activities, right!?」

Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai doesn’t object either, it seems like that’s the real situation of this case.

「W, why did Yuki-senpai do such a thing」

「Tenko also knows, right? The “forcing herself” nature of Ayumu. If she continued to try like that, she would collapse at the time of the final tournament and would regret it. However, Ayumu is not someone who would rest if she was told to rest. Therefore, I decided to make everyone rest and naturally stop the club activities」

Being forced to rest several days, her physical condition would recover.

As if regretting causing everyone to worry, Kameno-senpai asks apologetically.

「The day of the training camp, when I told okami-san about being troubled with Ayumu forcing herself too much, she told me the story of the curse for some reason. But at that time, I hadn’t thought about doing something」

Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai nods meekly at s.h.i.+nonome’s words,

「Ano……why, didn’t you tell me?」

Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai pushes herself, she has a smile full of the broad-mindedness of a senior.

Kameno-senpai and Ten-nee, who stoically try hard with the club activities.

Those two exchanged glances with an awkward face, then nodded at the same time and bowed to Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai.

The sincere apologies run like blowing off the heat in the room.

Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai brushes her forelock up and faces those two. Despite the languid appearance due to the heat, Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai forcibly tightens her expression, creating a bizarre appearance. Because of that Kameno-senpai and Ten-nee straighten their back.

「U, un」

「……Ha, hai!」

Perhaps, until now, when something happens, senpai would skillfully fix it like this.

「Hai, the story is over with this」

「I also want our last tournament would be a good one. Therefore, in the remained month, let’s work hard even in the first day,

「Yuki-chan……」

Three people of cheer club exchange words of apology and encouragement.

With this, the case is closed. It was truly good that everything worked out peacefully.

Soon, choosing the timing when everything has calmed down, I asked one last question.

「E…..Ikuno, are you saying that it’s because of the curse?」

「I don’t intend to say so particularly, but I’m honestly bothered」

Being told by Kameno-senpai who touched Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai’s forehead, Ten-nee stands up and touches.

「Tenko…..this much, is fine……」

Her whole face is dyed red, Senpai exhales feverishly while sweating non-stop. 「You should better go to the school infirmary. But before that, if it’s good, why do your physical condition become worse, can you tell me?」

「ーーfufu. The reason of catching the cold, it’s really Yuki-chan-like. When you came to Aya-chan’s house to get her cooperation, you caught a summer cold」

After Ten-nee quickly carried Kuras.h.i.+ma-senpai, whose physical condition is getting worse, to the school infirmary, the members of the literature club were sitting at the same position as before and had a friendly chat with Kameno-senpai.

「Ahaha……But Kuras.h.i.+ma though that this plan must success no matter what, even if she caught a cold, did she?」

「Other than that Kameno-senpai, is the solution of the matter about the chain of curse okay?」

「No, we were also able to stay in an old ryokan, eat good food and enter a hot spring, it was enjoyable♪」

Putting both hands on her cheeks, Senpai smiles amiably.

No, it’s so, huh? This person is also a bishoujo with attractive face and figure. Besides, the attribute is natural airhead.

「Then Kameno-senpai, when there are something you need again, please come to the literature club」

I know, I will do it……

「Please wait, Kameno-senpai」

「No, it’s wrong. Should I call you like this?」

I say to that back.

「The sender of that certain letter, 『Hanikamu Iyo』」