"When I was in middle school," Misaki Mei began, her voice a low monotone that seemed to drain the warmth from the sunlit clubroom, "I attended a school in a remote, isolated town. There was only one school there."
She paused, her single visible crimson eye fixed on a point in the middle distance, seeing a scene none of them could. "After I joined my class, I noticed there was always one empty seat. Everyone avoided it, gave it a wide berth as if it were contaminated."
"As my school life went on, I gradually came to understand the meaning of that seat. It was the seat of the 'Non-existent Person.'" Her gaze sharpened, returning to the present. "And that 'Non-existent Person' did exist. They were one of my classmates. But they had already died."
"A curse hangs over that town's school, one that terrifies everyone. The rule is this: if you do not find that 'Non-existent Person'—that extra, hidden presence among you—and eliminate them, then strange, terrible things will continue to happen."
As the chilling words settled, Yui Yuigahama let out a tiny squeak. Her legs began to tremble visibly. She shuffled backward, practically plastering herself against Hozuki Nozomi's side, her eyes darting around the room as if expecting a spectral figure to materialize in the corner.
Yukino Yukinoshita shot Yui a look that mingled exasperation with a touch of empathy. Secretly scolding her friend's cowardice, she nonetheless found her own body acting on instinct. Her hand rose, fingers clutching the fabric of Hozuki Nozomi's sleeve in a firm, grounding grip. She took a steadying breath, forcing herself to maintain a composed front as she listened.
Asuna Yuuki, a firm believer in logic and science, felt a cold prickle run down her spine. The clinical, utterly serious delivery of Misaki Mei's story eroded her skepticism. Almost unconsciously, she inched closer to Hozuki Nozomi, seeking the same unspoken reassurance.
Misaki Mei observed their reactions with a detached air, then continued her narrative. "To break the cycle of the curse, someone proposed a… solution. The class would designate one of their own as the new 'Non-existent Person.' That person would be utterly ignored, treated as if they were not there. The theory was that the curse would then fixate on them, sparing everyone else."
Her voice remained flat, making the horror of the concept even more stark. "Every semester, a vote was held. One person was chosen to bear that title. And without fail, the person treated as the 'Non-existent Person' would meet an… unexpected end on the final day of the term."
"It is said," she added, her tone dropping even lower, "that the only way to truly escape is to identify the original, the 'true' Non-existent Person hiding among the living. Only then can death be avoided, and the curse itself perhaps be lifted. The classmate who once occupied that empty seat… clearly failed in that task."
Yui Yuigahama, her fear momentarily overridden by a surge of righteous indignation, clenched her fists. "That's horrible! How could they just pick someone to die? To carry everyone else's curse? How utterly, devastatingly lonely and terrifying that must have been! Shouldn't they have worked together to solve the problem?"
Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head, her expression grimly pragmatic. "That is simply human nature, Yuigahama-san. When faced with an unknown, pervasive fear, the instinct is not to confront it collectively, but to find a way—any way—to push the danger away from oneself." Her analytical gaze shifted to Misaki Mei. "If I am not mistaken, Misaki-san… the one chosen as the 'Non-existent Person' in a later semester… was you, wasn't it?"
"Eh?!!" Yui gasped. Asuna's hands flew to her mouth, both girls staring at the eyepatched girl with shock and dawning pity.
Misaki Mei gave a single, slow nod. "You can likely infer from my demeanor. I am… not adept at social integration. Aloof. An outsider. Naturally, in the second semester of my third year, I was selected."
Yui's earlier anger was swallowed by a fresh wave of dread. "But… if the curse is real, and you're here now… does that mean you found that… that thing? Did you… 'eliminate' it?"
A faint, weary sigh escaped Misaki Mei. "If I had succeeded in finding 'it,' I would not be standing before you, burdened by this trouble now." She adjusted her eyepatch minutely. "That particular semester's ordeal… ended differently. Our homeroom teacher committed suicide."
The stark statement hung in the air.
"According to the prevailing rumor," she continued, "as long as someone dies, the curse's activity subsides for a period. So, with that grim reprieve, everyone graduated, chose their high schools, and went their separate ways, carrying their relief and their secrets with them."
Yui Yuigahama hugged herself, feeling profoundly unsettled. "Then… what happened after? What is troubling you now?"
Misaki Mei's gaze, heavy with concern, shifted back to Hozuki Nozomi. "My current trouble concerns my younger sister."
"Her name is Fujioka Misaki. She was always healthy, but suddenly… she developed a critical, terminal illness. The doctors have diagnosed it as incurable. She has very little time left." Misaki's voice, for the first time, held a tremor of raw emotion. "On my sister… I see the same aura I now see on Hozuki Nozomi. It is a shroud. A sign of impending death."
She reached up, her fingers hooking under the edge of her white eyepatch. "It is through this," she said, slowly lifting the patch to reveal an eye of a startling, luminous dark green, "that I can perceive things ordinary people cannot. Do you believe me?"
Yukino Yukinoshita met the unsettling, dual-colored gaze without flinching. She nodded once, decisively. "I believe you. And as I said, we have a specialist here who will undoubtedly help you resolve this." She leaned forward slightly, her posture all business. "Regarding your sister's condition and this 'death aura,' do you have any other clues or relevant information?"
A flicker of something—gratitude, perhaps—warmed Misaki Mei's otherwise cool demeanor. She had steeled herself for dismissal, for being labeled a liar or a lunatic. To be believed, to be met with serious inquiry, was a rare and precious thing. "Yes," she said, her voice firmer.
"My sister's path differed from mine. While I left that town, she remained. She and her close friends enrolled in a normal high school near our hometown. It's… a rather lax institution, known for having more delinquents than scholars."
Her story resumed, weaving a new thread of horror. "One day, one of my sister's friends died suddenly. Afterwards, a boy in their class was heard to say, 'That "Non-existent Person"... it's here.'" Misaki Mei's heterochromatic eyes held a haunted light. "That very night, that boy took his own life. And from that point on, my sister has been ill."
She looked at each of them in turn. "I have deduced that my sister's illness is directly linked to the curse of that 'Non-existent Person.' It has followed them, or perhaps… it never left."
Hozuki Nozomi, who had been listening with intense focus, nodded slowly. "A logical conclusion. It's possible the curse isn't bound to the location, but to the people who participated in its cycle. Those who left that school may have carried it with them like a spiritual pathogen. If left unchecked, feeding on human fear and life force, the entity behind it would only grow stronger."
"So, what is our course of action?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked promptly, ever the strategist.
Hozuki Nozomi thought for a moment. "Misaki-san, if it's possible, I would like to see your sister. I need to confirm a few things firsthand."
"Of course," Misaki agreed without hesitation.
"But it's the middle of the day," Yui pointed out, worry creasing her brow. "We have afternoon classes…"
"We'll take official leave," Hozuki Nozomi stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. "This is a matter of life, death, and potentially a spreading supernatural affliction. We cannot afford to delay."
He stood up, the movement decisive. "Come on, Yukino. Let's go secure our permits from Ms. Hiratsuka. With two model students like us making the request, she'll undoubtedly approve and sign off."
Yukino Yukinoshita offered a faint, resigned sigh at his confident—some might say arrogant—assessment, but she rose to follow him without protest.
…
After successfully obtaining their leave slips from the understandably concerned but ultimately trusting Shizuka Hiratsuka, the core group from the Service Club—Hozuki Nozomi, Yukino Yukinoshita, Yui Yuigahama, Asuna Yuuki, and Sanshokuin Sumireko—followed Misaki Mei to a local hospital.
Yuki Suo and her dutiful maid, Ayano Kimishima, had wished to join, but were unavoidably detained by pressing Student Council publicity duties. Their absence was noted, but the mission proceeded.