136 I Don’t Have That Type of Interest! (1/2)

It could even be said that the ‘Reaper’s Curse’ had protected Shika.

Shika Kagura was extraordinarily beautiful even from a young age.

Since the ‘Reaper’s Curse’ indiscriminately harmed everyone who tried to approach her, it also helped eliminate any people with underlying bad intentions towards her and prevented anything terrible from happening to Shika herself.

Her classmates in Year 2 Class 4 of Genhana Middle School were a perfect example of this.

It was the same for the Yin Yang Masters that wanted to employ her. They would be afraid to do anything overboard to her, which was why she could still lead a relatively peaceful life.

This was... a situation that was truly difficult to describe.

Seiji felt it was rather complex.

‘Let’s just... stop thinking about the relationship between Shika Kagura and the ”Reaper’s Curse,” and think about something more tangible instead.’

He changed his train of thought.

To Seiji, the treatment that Shika received seemed way overboard. However, to her and her contractor Okubo Yoshiaki, it might have seemed normal.

That bastard Okubo Yoshiaki merely ordered Shika Kagura to be a distraction, but he didn’t order her to fight to the death. The spell he cast on her was also a memory seal, not memory destruction.

Did that guy believe that she wouldn’t die while substituting in for the real Snow Girl, or did he simply not care if she died?

Was Shika Kagura’s death in the previous timeline something unexpected for Okubo Yoshiaki?

Judging by the fact that there was a trap on the memory-sealing spell, Okubo likely believed that she wouldn’t die. He probably anticipated that Shika would be defeated and taken captive, which was why he went to such elaborate lengths with his trap.

Or was it that he didn’t care one whit if Shika Kagura ended up dying? After all, it wouldn’t be him that personally ended her life. So just how far did his trap extend? Was it simply in case she got taken captive, or was he willing to sacrifice her completely?

Seiji really wanted to know.

But no matter what the answer was, Shika died once already due to it, and that wouldn’t change.

It still wouldn’t lessen his rage.

He simply wanted to know.

Well, it didn’t matter even if he didn’t find out, since he already decided what he would do to Okubo Yoshiaki.

Even if he ignored the fact that Okubo used Shika as a scapegoat to receive the blame for the freezing incidents, casting such vicious spells upon Shika was more than plenty to stoke Seiji’s rage.

Perhaps Shika herself felt that Okubo’s actions were fine.

However, Seiji couldn’t accept it.

Harming someone wasn’t fine just because the victim was used to it.

”Haruta-kun?”

Natsuya calling out to Seiji helped him to come to his senses.

”Did you say something, President? Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention, so I missed what you were saying.”

”I was saying that perhaps we should use the ‘mitigation’ method as well... Since we—you, me, Hitaka, and perhaps even Houjou-san—have all had significant contact with Shika Kagura, we should ‘mitigate’ things for ourselves in order to prevent worse catastrophes from befalling us.”

Natsuya’s face became grim as she recalled the events that befell her in the previous day during her investigation outside.

”What do you suggest that we do?” Seiji thought about the example of the drama club president and her... subtle punishment in the form of the vice president’s book throws.

”I don’t have any ideas yet; how about you, Seiji?” Natsuya tossed the question back to him.

Seiji rubbed his chin.

”The only methods I can think of right now... A normal beating, wax torture, whipping, water torture, freezing, electrocution, clothespins, hanging, bondage, and so on... I’ve heard that as long as you control it properly, the victim will receive varying amounts of pain, but no marks will be left on the body.”

Natsuya was rendered speechless.

She was shocked to her core!

The handsome boy in front of her seemed so proper, yet he stated so many... methods in quick succession as if it were only natural. This scene gave her an unexpected shock and threw her heart into chaos.