For a moment, the atmosphere in the service club became much quieter.

  Especially Masumi herself. She carefully watched the footage on the surveilnce s, not wanting to miss a siail. In the video, Masumi walked directly to the refrigerator and ope.

  "Is she sleepwalking?"

  In the surveilnce video, Masumi's eyes were closed the eime.

  If she had no memory of this, then it had to be sleepwalking!

  "But I've never sleepwalked before!"

  Masumi was fused.

  "No! If she was sleepwalking, it wouldn't be possible for her to find the refrigerator so effortlessly. Look, she seemed to kly where it was, and when she passed by the chair, she eve around it!"

  Yukino analyzed with a calm expression.

  A person sleepwalking usually moves in a dazed, unsteady manner.

  It's normal for them to bump into chairs and tables.

  But in the video, Masumi navigated smoothly and even avoided obstacles. How could that be sleepwalking?

  "This…"

  The most bewildered person at the moment was Masumi herself.

  She hought she could actually be sleepwalking.

  No, it only looked like sleepwalking.

  "Wait! What is that?"

  Suddenly, everyone's attention sharpened as something happened on the s.

  In the footage, Masumi didn't pause when she reached the refrigerator. She ope, took out food with practiced ease, and started eating.

  Arisu's family was well-off, so there was no ck of food. The refrigerator was stocked with various items, including an array of cakes.

  Masumi usually indulged in such treats, but she was mindful of their high-calorie tent and only ate them in moderation.

  Yet now, while asleep, she devoured everything without hesitation.

  "This…"

  Masumi was at a loss for words.

  With this kind of situation, it suddenly made sense why she'd gained weight retly!

  Eating like this night after night, who wouldn't gai?

  "Is that really me?"

  "What do you think?"

  Faced with Masumi's disbelief, Arisu o her seemed far more posed.

  She shrugged and gave Masumi an exasperated look.

  Could the surveilnce footage possibly have faked itself?

  "This…"

  Masumi didn't doubt Arisu's words; she just found the whole situation hard to accept.

  In the video, after finishing everything in the refrigerator, Masumi stood upright, looking a bit disoriented.

  But a moment ter, she slowly turned her head and gazed directly at the camera.

  In the footage, it looked like she was staring bnkly at the camera's position.

  Though her expression was vat, seds ter, Masumi's face suddenly filled the entire s, grinning eerily. The creepy smile startled the real Masumi standing beside them.

  "Ah!"

  The surveilnce video ehere.

  Seeing Masumi's frightened rea, Arisu smiled wryly.

  "That's how it was. I was scared out of my wits when I first saw it!"

  Uhers, Arisu had a genital heart dition, which was why she always carried a e. Her physical strength was genuinely weak.

  When she first watched the footage, the shoearly gave her a heart attack.

  Although she had the reputation of being a little tyrant, she was still just a teenage girl.

  "You're joking at a time like this?"

  Masumi, still shaken, rolled her eyes at Arisu's nont attitude.

  Was it really okay to joke around now?

  "…"

  Arisu simply shrugged, saying nothing, and turned her attention to the others in the club.

  "You're not scared at all?"

  Ryuji's ess was expected, but the irls' posed expressions were surprising even to Arisu.

  Were all the girls in the club really that brave?

  "Yes! It's quite spooky!"

  After a long silence, Miko nodded in agreement.

  For ordinary people, this would indeed be terrifying.

  But for them, it was nothing.

  They were already sorcerers; if they were still scared by such things, it would be ughable.

  "…"

  If you put it like that, you'll make me feel stupid, thought Arisu.

  Seeing Miko's rea left Arisu at a loss for words.

  Could it be she was just too timid?

  Fet it.

  "Ahem! I believe you all see now that what happeo Masumi was indeed a real cursed spirit i. I wasn't exaggerating!"

  Although she wao meet Ryuji as soon as possible,

  Arisu hadn't expected to have to involve Masumi.

  It ure ce that brought them here!

  "I…"

  Masumi felt nervous now.

  She'd thought it was all just a prank, but it turned out to be real.

  And—

  "We live together, don't we?"

  Masumi wao ask why she was the target and not Arisu, who lived uhe same roof.

  "…"

  In response, Arisu only gave Masumi a look that said, "Bad luck is just bad luck."

  "I…"

  Masumi felt even more defeated when she uood Arisu's gaze.

  There was no way around it.

  In the end, she looked pitifully at Ryuji.

  The fidence she'd had moments before was gone, repced by a desperate plea for help.

  " anyone see anything?"

  Ryuji didn't respond directly but instead sed the girls nearby.

  With his arms crossed, the girls knew he was testing them.

  They immediately took it seriously, their eyes focused on Masumi with iy.

  "…"

  This scrutiny made Masumi feel a bit unfortable.

  Arisu, watg from the side, wondered why Ryuji was asking the girls this question.

  Could it be?

  Arisu's mind raced, eyes widening in surprise.

  "It's probably possession!"

  Yukino was the first to make a guess, and Utaha quickly followed.

  "It seems like a cursed spirit took trol of her while she was asleep. But why did it make her eat? Even if she ossessed, eating seems so bizarre."

  "Maybe the cursed spirit possessing her has a pent for food?"

  "Is there such a thing as a food-obsessed cursed spirit?"

  "Is there?"

  For a moment, the irls chimed in.

  As the ter of discussion, Masumi didn't know how to react.

  Wasn't solving her problem the priority? Why did it seem like they were just enjoying a good debate?

  "Alright, enough!"

  Finally, Ryuji waved his hand, halting the versation.

  "There are tless types of cursed spirits, each with unique and strange abilities. It's not far-fetched for there to be cursed spirits that possess people!"

  If it were just the on cursed spirits from before, it wouldn't be an issue.

  But now, with the fusion of cursed spirits and urban legends, ypes were emerging. Among these urban legends were many cursed spirits capable of possessing and trolling humans.

  "It's not surprising for a cursed spirit to make someo while possessed. They need energy, after all! But if it escates, they might move frur food to raw meat, aually... humans."

  "What?!"

  Masumi's face went pale.

  The thought of being possessed and forced to eat a human terrified her.

  "I should be the one who's most worried!"

  Seeing Masumi's expression,

  Arisu spoke up, annoyed.

  After all, she shared a living space with Masumi. If things got that bad, she'd be the first victim.

  However,

  Arisu clearly wasn't pnning to let Masumi face this aloherwise, she wouldn't have brought her here.

  She looked at Ryuji with determination.

  "Ryuji, is there a way to help Masumi?"

  At the moment, aside from seeking help from Ryuji, even with all her intellect, Arisu couldn't think of a better solution.

  inally, Masumi wao retort to Arisu's statement.

  But there was no time for that now. She looked at Ryuji with hope, silently pleading for assistance.

  "It's not that hard to solve!"

  Or rather, it was difficult for others, but not for Ryuji.

  He gestured for Arisu and the others to remain calm, then turned his attention to the girls.

  "I'm here to teach you so that you hahings like this on your own iure."

  With their current strength, they could easily deal with ordinary cursed spirits or sorcerers.

  But whearget was more elusive and mysterious, the girls would ofte a loss.

  "Got it!"

  The girls all aking his words seriously. Arisu uood then.

  She hadn't been wrong. These girls were sorcerers.

  Otherwise, why would Ryuji be teag them how to handle suts?

  Still, she wondered.

  Weren't sorcerers supposed to be rare?

  Why were there so many here? Was it because of him?

  But as Arisu thought it over, she dismissed it as unlikely.

  The idea that Ryuji could turn ordinary people into sorcerers seemed absurd. Even

  Arisu had to chuckle at her own wild imagination.

  That was impossible.

  Shaking her head, Arisu said nothing further.

  Her focus returo Masumi's predit.

  "But, Ryuji, I've seen this type of thing before. If a person is possessed by a cursed spirit, I should be able to se, right?"

  Saki didn't argue with Ryuji's point but uzzled.

  She was a sorcerer too.

  Even without her own curse energy, she had the ability to sense such things. If Masumi were really possessed, she should have felt it.

  In fact, before ing back to Ryuji, Saki had thought about handling Masumi's problem on her own and then telling Ryuji about it.

  Wouldn't that show hoable she was in front of him?

  Unfortunately,

  Her pn was far more ambitious thay allowed.

  Saki hadn't been able to deteything off about Masumi. She had been fooling herself from the start!

  "It's simple!"

  Ryuji wasn't surprised by this at all.

  "Possessio always mean taking over someone's body. It also mean possessing someone's dreams."

  "Dream Possession"

  ***

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