"Hey, suicide?"

  Masumi's eyes widened in shock.

  She hadn't uood why Arisu had brought her up here. Did Arisu know that Shouko nning to jump?

  She looked at Shouko with genuine .

  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 bliaken aback.

  Wait, suicide? Did they really think she was going to jump? The absurdity of it made her smile, almost ugh.

  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 n to jump!

  Realizing they might not uand sign nguage, she quickly pulled out her phone and typed a message.

  "..."

  Masumi sighed in relief when she read the words on Shouko's phone, firming she had no iion of jumping. It didn't seem like she was lyiher.

  Masumi turo Arisu with a look that said, Well? What now?

  "I know what I saw."

  Arisu's frown deepened rather than eased. She was fident in her judgment, and it was rare for her to be wrong.

  "There's no mistaking that emptiness in her eyes."

  "e on, Arisu. Even you be wrong sometimes," Masumi said, exasperated.

  Mistakes happehere was no shame in admitting it. If anything, Masumi secretly wao see Arisu embarrassed for once, she always acted so in trol.

  "..."

  Ign Masumi's remark, Arisu kept her gaze on Shouko, who was now shifting unfortably uhe 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 posed be on the verge of suicide?

  "Iing."

  Arisu's eyes narrowed, watg Shoko's retreating form. There was something she was hiding; Arisu was sure of it.

  "So, what now?"

  Masumi's curiosity iqued. She'd spent enough time with Arisu to know that her mind worked in ued 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 oher expnation."

  "And that is?"

  Masumi leaned in, intrigued.

  "A cursed spirit."

  Arisu's voice was steady, but a hint of vi rang through. She couldn't expin why, but she felt it deep down—it had to be reted to a cursed spirit. Call it intuition.

  "A cursed spirit? Really?"

  Masumi's heart ched.

  She'd only retly 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 logid scratched her head, uain of what to do .

  "So, what's the pn now?"

  "Use your strengths."

  Arisu's lips curved into a knowing smile.

  "...?"

  Masumi was fused.

  Strengths? What strengths? Wait a minute, did Arisu just imply she was otherwise useless?

  Before Masumi could react, Arisu tinued, "Over the couple of days, find out everything you about Shouko. Her home address, her background. Then we'll pay her a visit."

  "...Got it."

  Finding a home address and gathering basiformation wasn't a challenge for Masumi. She wasn't sure what Arisu inteo do with this information, but it didn't matter. As long as she pyed her part, that was enough.

  The weekend arrived quickly.

  Masumi diligently pleted her task of finding Shouko's home address, as Arisu had requested.

  Meanwhile, Ryuji had pns of his own.

  On the first day of the weekend, he had invited Kaguya to visit Totsuki Academy.

  It artly to take Kaguya out and spend some time with her, strengthening their e.

  But Ryuji was also curious. Totsuki was famous for its cuisine so exquisite that, iories, it made people's clothes burst off from sheer delight. He wao 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 erfect, 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 ugh. He reached out aly patted her head to reassure her.

  "Yes… Ryuji,"

  Her cheeks flushed, but she nodded, a small, shy smile breaking through.