Chapter 3 : The school that should not exist

The bright morning sun shone on the school with uplifting light, but unfortunately not for me.

As I walked, everyone immediately stared at me.

Their gaze was not on my face, but on the bandages covering my neck and arms.

Some students walking in the opposite direction slowed down. Some pretended to look at their cell phones, while others whispered without lowering their voices.

“Look, her body is covered in bandages. What happened to her?”

“Did she fall down the stairs?”

“Why did she come to school like that?”

“Creepy...”

I kept walking without looking back, ignoring their whispers.

Every step made the bandages on my chest feel tight.

On the right side of my chest, the bandages tightened every time I took a deep breath or moved my shoulders. The medicine I took this morning only suppressed the burning sensation, it didn't make it go away. It had already been two weeks since I was injured.

The wound had started to show signs of healing, and I decided to go to school because I had nothing to do at home.

My room was empty, with only a mattress and no items that showed any hobbies, and my school bag containing books and school supplies that I found lying near the front door.

I didn't know why I found it there.

My hand unconsciously touched the name tag on my chest. It read—

Natsume Koharu – 2-B.

The name still felt very unfamiliar on my tongue, but luckily it said which class I was in, so I didn't have to look for it anymore. The memories I had were more like vague fragments, so there was a lot I didn't know.

Like how I didn't know where this school was before. I even asked a woman on the street.

“Excuse me... is this the way to Kanagawa Junior High School?”

She looked at the bandages on my neck and hands, then at my face, as if hesitating to ask.

“You... forgot the way to your own school?”

I replied with a stiff smile.

“This is my first time going out after the Black Dragon Seal ritual.”

We both just stood there silently, staring at each other. Finally, she broke the silence.

“I don't really understand... but this is some kind of cosplay, right?”

I just smiled at her statement. Even so, she still pointed me in the right direction.

I was still not used to using Chuunibyou language and this was the first time I had used it. It made me feel a little embarrassed.

But as long as it helped me keep the medicine, I could endure any amount of embarrassment.

Finally, after searching for a while in the corridor, I found class 2-B.

As soon as I opened the classroom door, the voices inside immediately quieted down.

Dozens of eyes turned to me at once.

I could clearly hear the whispers in my ears.

“Look, who's here.”

“It's Natsume-san, right?”

“Why is she still like that?”

“How bad was her accident that she's wrapped in bandages like that?”

I stood in the doorway for quite a while, just looking into the classroom. Suddenly, there was a voice behind me.

“Move, you're blocking the way.”

I was startled and immediately moved aside in response. I watched as the girl with long purple hair stepped past me.

For a moment, I heard her speak as she passed me.

“Weird.”

I just stared blankly at her. And finally, I immediately entered the classroom.

I didn't know where Koharu usually sat in class. Finally, I could only stand in the corner of the classroom watching my classmates fill the classroom until the bell rang. Sometimes someone would look at me, but when I returned their gaze, they would immediately look away.

I'm not that strange, am I?

When almost all the seats were filled, I finally found an empty seat that had been in front of me all along.

I walked over and sat down. The teacher entered shortly after.

When he entered the classroom, he was surprised to see me.

“Natsume-san?”

I raised my head.

“Are you okay? Coming to school in that condition...”

I replied in a soft but clear voice.

“My body is holding back the curse of the Black Dragon Fire.”

Some students chuckled and hurled a few insults.

“Looks like she's got a screw loose.”

“I think she went crazy after getting sick.”

“A strange girl with a strange brain is truly an extraordinary combination.”

“Hahaha.”

The teacher just sighed.

“...If anything happens, you can go to the school clinic.”

I just nodded.

The teacher finally started teaching and told us to open our books.

*

Class proceeded as usual. It felt very strange. I could still easily understand the lesson content. My memories as Tsunamaru Akio had not completely disappeared. This helped me a lot.

The bell rang and it was lunchtime. The teacher finally ended the day's lesson and immediately left the room.

The classroom was suddenly filled with the voices of my classmates. Some were chatting, some were inviting others to have lunch together, and some were pushing tables together to eat bento together.

I stared at them all from the corner. I didn't know any of them. Those fragments of memory didn't show anything from junior high school. I didn't know if Koharu had any close friends, and no one had tried to talk to me since I arrived.

I decided to go to the cafeteria for lunch. This was probably the first time I had eaten outside my house since I moved into this body two weeks ago.

The school cafeteria was very easy to find because many students were walking in that direction. When I arrived, the cafeteria was full of people.

I stood in line for a long time, waiting for my turn with an empty tray in my hand. The tray felt very heavy when I carried it. Maybe it was because I wasn't feeling very well yet.

I walked around the cafeteria for a few minutes looking for an empty seat. I saw several people from my class, but I didn't know any of them, so I passed them by and kept looking until I saw a student getting up from a seat in the corner.

I immediately went over to sit down and put my tray on the table. I looked again at the food on my tray, which contained miso soup, white rice, grilled fish, stir-fried vegetables, and a carton of milk.

I immediately picked up my chopsticks, ready to eat. I noticed a thin steam rising from the miso soup. The smell of grilled fish mixed with the aroma of stir-fried vegetables filled my nose at once. For some reason, my chest felt tight.

I stared at the tray for a long time.

Usually, I only ate cold porridge and some leftover side dishes at home or whatever food my mother left on the table before going to work.

But the food that filled my view now was more. More colorful. And the smell was pungent.

“It's okay,” I muttered softly. “It's just lunch.”

I tried to pick up the white rice first. The rice looked like dozens of grains stuck together. My hand trembled slightly as the chopsticks touched the rice.

I tried to lift it and put it in my mouth.

It felt warm and bland.

I chewed it. But the longer I chewed, the less clear it became when to stop. The grains felt separate on my tongue, refusing to come together into a single bite that was easy to swallow.

I kept chewing until I finally realized my jaw was sore. When I finally swallowed, my throat felt tight. As if something was holding the food back halfway down.

I looked down, covering my mouth with my hand. My chest felt heavy. Tight. As if something was pressing down on me, making me feel suffocated.

I tried to force myself to swallow the rice.

My stomach started to feel uncomfortable.

I took short, shallow breaths.

I glanced around. Everyone was eating and laughing. Some were sharing side dishes, some were joking loudly. No one else seemed to be having as much trouble as I was.

Why was it only me?

What was wrong with me?

I looked back at my plate. The grilled fish looked oily. Its skin glistened under the cafeteria lights.

For some reason, the smell of the fish was too strong.

I used my chopsticks to try to separate the meat from the bones.

I tried to pick up a small piece of fish meat. As it approached my mouth, the fishy smell suddenly became pungent, filling my entire nostrils.

“...ugh.”

I held my breath. My throat tightened again. A sour taste rose to the back of my tongue.

I quickly put down my chopsticks and closed my mouth.

For a few seconds, I just sat quietly, looking down, waiting for the feeling to go away.

“Calm down... don't throw up here...” I whispered.

My hands gripped the edge of the table.

After the nausea subsided a little, I tried again. This time with the stir-fried vegetables.

The stir-fried vegetables were soft and wet. The fishy smell of the oil clung to my nose, piercing my sense of smell.

I forced a piece of the stir-fry into my mouth. I chewed once. Twice.

And stopped.

A pungent bitterness exploded in my mouth. The smell of the oil seemed to rise with my breath, making my throat tighten.

I gasped and tried to close my mouth, but it was too late. The contents of my mouth came back out onto the tray in one short push.

I bent over, gasping for breath. I couldn't continue. My chest felt tight. My stomach felt like it was tied in knots from the inside. I was afraid that if I forced another bite, everything would come out.

I sat quietly with chopsticks in my hands, staring at the food that was still almost untouched.

Half an hour passed just like that.

I felt dizzy and my body felt light, like standing too long without support. My hands were cold.

I couldn't continue. Every time I put something in my mouth, my body seemed to reject it. This didn't happen when I ate at home.

“Why am I like this...” I thought.

My head was throbbing. My eyes felt so heavy. My legs trembled slightly as I tried to get up from my chair.

I stood up and carried my tray to the return area.

There were already several other students there.

They poured the leftover soup and rice into a large container without hesitation, then placed the empty trays on a pile of metal that made a loud noise.

I looked down.

As my leftovers fell into the container, the sound was too loud in my ears.

I could feel someone looking at me from behind the cafeteria table.

Not an angry stare.

Just a stare. Silent. Quiet. Looking at me.

My hands moved faster than usual, as if I wanted to finish everything quickly. My tray felt light.

My stomach remained empty.

My chest felt uncomfortable.

“I'm wasting food,” I thought. “I should have been able to finish it. I don't understand what's happening to me.”

I didn't dare to look back. I immediately walked away from there.

My steps were quick and headed for the toilet hallway, not back to class.

My chest was no longer tight with nausea, but with a creeping sense of panic. The black bottle of medicine in my pocket felt like the only thing in the world that still made sense.

The pills would take away the burning sensation in my chest, and hopefully, also the memory of the oily, bitter taste that still lingered on my tongue.

There were still five minutes left. I quickened my pace, almost running.

There, I accidentally ran into some female students who were standing in front of the sink as I entered the toilet. I didn't know their names, but I had seen them earlier in class.

Their conversation stopped.

All eyes were on me.

“Look who's coming in.”

“Who else but Natsume-san...”

“Seriously, she smells like medicine.”

“They say she's possessed by a black dragon, right?”

“Hahaha, that's really disgusting.”

“Be careful not to get too close, you'll catch her stupidity.”

“Right, look at her eyes. She looks insane.”

“She's more suited to the name Natsu-bon than Natsume.”

“Hahaha.”

The words fell lightly, as if they were talking about the weather.

My chest tightened.

I just looked down and entered the room without saying anything. My hands trembled as I locked the door from the inside.

Heat began to spread from my chest to my shoulders.

The smell of oil and the bitter taste of the food filled my mouth again.

I took the medicine bottle out of my pocket, but my fingers were slippery with sweat. One of the pills accidentally fell to the floor.

I almost cried as I picked it up and immediately put it in my mouth without caring about anything else.

As I swallowed the medicine, the heat in my chest slowly began to subside, and the smell of oil and bitterness in my mouth disappeared instantly.

I leaned my back against the wall of the cubicle. I felt a sense of relief fill my entire body. I stood still for a moment to enjoy this feeling.

Suddenly, I heard the bell ring. I got up from my position to return to class immediately.

I opened the door.

But the doorknob wouldn't budge.

I froze.

“What...?”

The relief I had felt vanished instantly, replaced by a cold fear.

I tried to pull the door open. But the door wouldn't open.

I pulled it again, harder until my hands trembled. My breath was ragged.

“Open...” I whispered. “Please...Help”

There was no answer.

The silence outside the door felt like it was pressing on my ears.

There were no footsteps.

There was no sound of water.

It was as if I was truly alone in this small space.

If I couldn't get out...

My thoughts stopped mid-sentence.

My chest tightened again. The air felt too scarce for my lungs. I pressed my back against the wall of the cubicle, trying to calm my chaotic breathing.

I didn't know how long I stood there.

One second felt like a minute.

I couldn't stay here any longer.

If I stopped moving, I would be completely trapped.

With the last of my strength, I pulled the door again.

The hinges creaked.

The door opened suddenly.

My body lost its balance and I staggered backward.

My feet slipped on the wet floor, and I fell back into the stall, almost hitting the toilet next to me.

Pain shot from my waist to my back.

I bit my lip to keep from making a sound.

With trembling hands, I stood up.

There was no one else in the bathroom.

I quickly straightened my uniform and hurried out.

I returned to class… even though I was late.

When I opened the classroom door, the noise inside immediately subsided. Several pairs of eyes turned toward me.

My heart felt heavier than before. My chest was still pounding, and my palms were cold from sweat that hadn't completely dried yet.

“Natsume-san,” the teacher called out.

“Where have you been?”

I stood in the doorway for a few seconds, not knowing what to say.

The words I wanted to say were not excuses that others would understand.

“I'm sorry...” I said softly.

“My Black Dragon Fire Seal was unstable in the purification room.”

Some of the students chuckled.

“What the hell.”

“She's at it again.”

“I told you she was crazy.”

The teacher narrowed his eyes.

“I don't understand what you mean.”

He stared at me for a moment, then pointed to my seat.

“Sit down. Don't cause a commotion.”

I walked to my seat with stiff steps.

As I sat down, my legs were still shaking from running and falling in the bathroom earlier.

The smell of toilet soap still lingered on my hands.

The bitter taste of medicine still lingered on my tongue.

I looked down at the table, trying to breathe normally.

I sat on the bench, holding back my trembling, pretending that everything was fine.

*

I didn't pay attention to anything the teacher said.

My gaze was fixed outside the window, on the students running around on the field. The sound of their whistles and shouts sounded distant, as if coming from a different world.

I kept thinking about what happened in the bathroom earlier. Imagining what would happen to me and what had happened to Koharu made my chest tight.

It reminded me of the first time I woke up in this body: covered in blood, in a dark room, and in excruciating pain.

If this is what it's like now...

how did she live her life before? Until it led to this...

These past two weeks have been exhausting. And after what happened earlier...

I really don't understand anymore.

When the bell rang and the teacher left the classroom, I realized that time had just slipped away.

Not long after, the classroom door opened again.

Another teacher entered. Looking at the clock on the wall, it wasn't time for the next class. I stared at her for a moment. Maybe she was our homeroom teacher?

“Natsume-san, are you feeling better?” she asked.

I just nodded slightly. I didn't have the energy to answer more than that.

She didn't wait long. “It's good that you came to school today,” she said, holding up a stack of papers. “I have something to share with you all.”

She began distributing the papers to each desk.

“This is just a preliminary questionnaire about your plans after graduation,” she explained. “You can still change it later, before the final exams in third grade.”

I stared at the paper now lying on my desk.

A questionnaire about my high school destination.

When I received the questionnaire, I wasn't interested at all and just tried to fill it out randomly.

But accidentally, my eyes caught one name among the sea of letters.

“Hanabira Academy?”

My breath caught.

My heart, which had been pounding wildly with panic, now stopped for a moment.

That was impossible.

I recognized that name. That name didn't come from Koharu's memories.

It came from my own memory, right before I entered this body. The school where Kazehaya Kaito, the harem protagonist, attended.

My hands trembled more violently than when I was trying to shovel rice into my mouth earlier. The questionnaire crumpled in my grasp. I stared at the name, as if the letters would change if I stared at them long enough.

“Hanabira Academy.”

It was written clearly. Real. It was on the list of options.

This couldn't just be a coincidence. If the incident of me moving into this body was possible.

My chest, behind the bandages, throbbed with pain.

A terrible connection began to form in my chaotic head.

What if....

If the school exists...

If the story exists...

And the most frightening thing: does Natsume Koharu appears in that story?

I clenched the paper so tightly that the tips of my fingers turned white.