*Kenichi's POV*
*A few minutes later*
Shuu: "Haaa~ This place is really relaxing~".
Raku: "You're right, I'm surprised there's a place like this at school".
We are currently on the rooftop, but unlike the usual boring rooftops that generally appear in school anime, this one is located in the sports clubs area.
For some strange reason, it looks rather like a park, full of benches, grass, and all sorts of plants and trees. Overall, it looks quite beautiful; that, combined with the fact that the grass and plants are very well looked after, gives it a calm and peaceful atmosphere, perfect for relaxing and having a little nap.
As any true anime fan knows, many of the anime series that are blended together in this world feature stories set in schools. I suppose that, just as with the city, the characteristics of schools from different anime series have also been blended together so that the plots can unfold naturally.
This is why, although on the outside Sainan High School looks exactly the same as the one in the anime version of To Love-Ru, its interior is very different. Sainan High School in this world is much more spacious, elegant, and modern, and also includes various facilities designed specifically for sports clubs.
A good example is this very rooftop; as far as I can remember, it originally appeared in the anime Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows).
In itself, it wasn't an important or significant location for the plot of that story; you could say it was just a quiet, peaceful spot where the protagonist, Katsuragi Keima, could play his dating sims without anyone bothering him.
Keima: "..."
As I was thinking about this, I realized that Katsuragi Keima (alias: God of Conquest) was sitting in a corner of the rooftop. He was sitting there, playing his PFP with complete absorption, completely ignoring our presence.
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[Note]
PFP (Play Field Personal): Is the video game console used by Katsuragi Keima throughout the story of Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai. It was developed by the video game company NEK.
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Obviously, we didn't even make eye contact; Katsuragi continued staring at his console while ignoring us, and we did the same.
Raku: "I'm surprised you know a place like this, Kenichi. But what I don't understand is why we had to come here specifically for lunch?".
Kenichi: "Hmm? I see that, as always, you're rather slow on the uptake; if you want your relationship with Onodera to progress, you're going to have to do something about that 'clueless romantic comedy anime protagonist' personality of yours".
Raku: "W-What!?".
Raku reacted with exaggerated surprise when he heard me mentioning Onodera.
Kenichi: (Hahaha~ Although Raku and Rito are completely different protagonists, they both behave in a similar way when someone talks to them about their leading main heroines).
Kenichi: "Did it ever cross your mind that this is a beautiful, peaceful place where you could easily confess your feelings to Onodera without anyone bothering or interrupting you?".
Raku: "Pfff! Akh! Cof, cof, cof".
Taken by surprise by my sudden declaration, Raku choked on the soft drink he was drinking and began to cough violently.
Shuu: "Now that you mention it, that's true~ This place is the perfect romantic spot for young couples."
Raku: "C-Couples!"
Kenichi: "That's right~ Just imagine it for a second: you and Onodera standing on this very rooftop, surrounded by beautiful trees and plants, gazing passionately at each other with the sunset as a backdrop. No matter how you look at it, this place has the perfect atmosphere for a confession".
Raku: "C-Confession!".
After choosing the words that suit him best from our sentences., Raku froze in place with a daft grin on his face. You didn't have to be a genius to realise he was fantasising about the situation I'd described to him.
Raku: "O-Onodera… I… I…"
Shuu and I are the only male friends of the protagonists in our respective stories, which is why we're both used to seeing this sort of eccentric behaviour; so we simply left Raku to his own devices whilst he daydreamed and carried on eating as we chatted casually.
Shuu: "Hey, Kenichi".
Kenichi: "What's up, Shuu?".
Shuu: "To be honest, I'd already heard a few rumours about this place from some second-year senpai… But I still don't really understand what they meant".
Kenichi: "What did they tell you?"
Shuu: "To be honest, they weren't very specific; some told me that if there is a girl I am in love with, I mustn't come to this place with her under any circumstances; others, on the other hand, told me to do exactly the opposite… But the strangest thing of all is that none of them explained why; they just looked at me with unsettling smiles."
Kenichi: "Hahaha~ I see~."
As I listened to Shuu, I couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle.
Shuu: "Did I just say something funny?"
Kenichi: "I suppose from my point of view it's quite funny; I don't know how you all see it~ In short, you could say that the second-year lads who advised you to come to this place with a girl were victims of a cruel curse that haunts this very rooftop."
Shuu: "A curse?"
Kenichi: "Yes, a rather twisted curse, in fact; I'm sure you heardabout Gakko no Kaidan (The Seven School Mysteries) in primary or middle school, didn't you?"
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[Note]
Gakko no Kaidan (The Seven School Mysteries): Is a collection of urban legends and supernatural horror myths that circulate in almost every school in Japan. These stories usually involve ghosts, curses or paranormal events that occur at night in the corridors, classrooms or toilets of schools.
Although the specific details vary from school to school, there are seven recurring legends that form part of traditional Japanese folklore:
1. Hanako-san in the toilet.
2. The piano that plays by itself.
3. The anatomical model in the school infirmary.
4. The portrait with moving eyes.
5. The 13 steps.
6. The old school building.
7. Statues of Ninomiya Kinjiro.
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Shuu: "I don't think there's a single child who hasn't heard of them; when we were kids, we used to joke about it quite a lot. I still remember when I made Raku wet himself after playing a prank on him in the loo by pretending I was Hanako-san~".
Raku: "H-Hey! That was ages ago!".
Shuu: "Hooo~ You're back; I thought you were still lost in your imagination~".
Raku: "How was I ever going to carry on daydreaming after hearing that! I was just about to confess my feelings to Onodera in my imagination when you suddenly dropped that bombshell and completely ruined the romantic atmosphere of the moment!".
Kenichi: "Even in your imagination, you're slow to confess".
Raku: "Ugh… Damn it".
Kenichi: "Well, setting aside just how cowardly Raku is for not confessing his feelings to Onodera even in his imagination, I'm going to carry on with what I was saying".
Raku: "Hey! Who are you calling a coward!?"
Kenichi: "Just like in primary and middle school, Sainan High also has its own version of the seven school mysteries, and, conveniently, one of those mysteries is right here on this very rooftop".
Raku: "You're going to ignore me!".
I brazenly ignored Raku's protests and began to speak in a deep, mysterious tone.
Kenichi: "The story goes that many years ago, a student from Sainan high suicide on this rooftop".
Raku: "Eh?".
Shuu: "With just that one sentence, you've ruined all the lovely atmosphere this place had. So now it turns out to be a cursed rooftop~".
Kenichi: "Don't worry, it's not the rooftop itself that's cursed… The story goes that a student committed suicide at a specific spot on this rooftop… And the name given to that cursed spot is…"
I fell silent for a few seconds to build up tension and mystery, then slowly raised my hand to point in a specific direction.
Kenichi: "The cursed bench!".
Shuu: "!"
Raku: "!"
The moment I said that, both Raku and Shuu turned their heads and were startled to see a strange-looking bench standing right in front of us.
Shuu: "W-Wait… That bench has always been there…"
Raku: "H-How come we didn't notice it, even though it looks so striking?".
Any bystander hearing Shuu and Raku's words wouldn't understand why their reactions were so exaggerated; after all, they were only talking about a bench. What could be so special about something found in every park? But that is only something someone who doesn't understand the context of the paranormal situation we're currently witnessing would think.
With all my senses heightened, I can state with absolute certainty that the bench wasn't in front of us when we arrived on the rooftop; it appeared suddenly at a specific moment in our conversation. Obviously, once I'd pointed it out, Shuu and Raku immediately realized that something strange was happening; after all, this bench had appeared unnaturally in front of us and, what's more, it looked completely out of place in our surroundings.
Its wood was painted pure white and its legs seemed to be made of gold rather than metal; no matter how closely you looked at it, its design was far too extravagant to be on a simple rooftop.
Kenichi: "Apparently, the student used this very bench as a support to hang himself from a tree branch".
Shuu: "..."
Raku: "..."
Kenichi: "Ever since then, there has been a rumor of people who claim to have seen this bench appear in random places around Sainan High, such as the library, the playground, or the infirmary. At first, it was thought that a student was moving it on purpose to play pranks on their classmates… but everything changed one day when some students happened to witness the bench moving all by itself".
Kenichi: "To this day, the reason behind this supernatural phenomenon remains unknown, but the students at the time came to the conclusion that the ghost of the student who took his own life might have possessed the bench, allowing it to wander around different parts of the school… all in an effort to take revenge on the people who drove him to take his own life".
Shuu and Raku remained silent, listening intently to my words while staring at the bench. Having no spiritual sensitivity, neither of them realized that, while I was telling the story, a dark aura had begun to emanate from the bench, but that didn't stop them from shuddering slightly.
Raku: "I know I'm going to regret asking this… why did that student take his own life?".
Kenichi: "…"
I remained silent for a few seconds, watching Raku's frightened expression with amusement.
...
...
...
Kenichi: "The reason the student took his own life was..."
...
...
...
Kenichi: "Because his declarations of love were rejected 100 times!".
Shuu: ( •⩊• )
Raku: (⊙_⊙)
...
...
...
After he had spoken those words, the rooftop was plunged into complete silence; the only sound to be heard was the BGM from the Galge game that the God of Conquest (Katsuragi Keima) was playing.
...
...
...
All the tense, mysterious atmosphere the story had created vanished in an instant.
Raku: "H-Huh? W-Was that it?".
Shuu: "Hahaha~ That was a really unexpected twist~ It's completely different from the typical ghost stories I've heard before~".
Kenichi: "Hey, don't look at me like that. It's not my fault the ending is so ridiculous; besides, that story isn't the real reason nobody wants to come here".
Raku: "So why did you start telling us that story if it has nothing to do with it?".
Kenichi: "Hahaha~ I just wanted to have a bit of a laugh at your expense; besides, it wouldn't be known as one of the Seven Mysteries of Sainan High if the story ended in such a simple way~".
Raku: "What?".
Kenichi: "Have you forgotten what I said before I started telling you the story? I said that the lads who advised Shuu to come here with a girl he was in love with fell victim to a cruel and twisted curse".
Raku: "..."
Shuu: "Now that you mention it, that's true… With all that business about the cursed bench, I'd completely forgotten about it".
Kenichi: "The truth is, what I told you is nothing more than one of the many versions of the story circulating amongst the students. Since Sainan High School was founded, there's never been a single recorded instance of a student committing suicide, so you could say this is just an urban legend made up by the students".
Raku: "I see".
Kenichi: "As for the real reason why nobody comes to this rooftop… It's because there are rumours that any romantic relationship or confession of love made in the presence of this bench will end in failure".
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...
...
Heroine: "K-Keima-kun… I… I… For a long time now… I've been in love with you!".
Keima: "..."
The rooftop fell completely silent once more. The only sound was the voice of the heroine confessing her feelings to the protagonist of the Galge that Katsuragi Keima was currently playing, accompanied by a moving BGM track.
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...
...
Raku: "E-Eh?".
Shuu: "What do you mean by that?".
Kenichi: "It's exactly as it sounds; it's said that the curse of this bench means that any declaration of love is bound to end in rejection. To this day, countless couples have split up because of this bench—or so the rumours go".
As I spoke, I could see Raku's body shuddering exaggeratedly as he stared at the bench with a look of fear on his face.
Raku: "..."
Shuu: "Can something like that really be considered a curse? Isn't it just a strange coincidence?".
Kenichi: "I haven't witnessed it myself, so I can't confirm anything, but there are quite a few students who claim to have seen several couples who were on good terms suddenly become distant and cold towards each other after sitting on that bench, until eventually their relationships ended in a break-up".
Kenichi: "Other rumours say that if a boy tries to confess his feelings to a girl whilst they're sitting on that bench, there's a 100% chance he'll be rejected".
Raku: "A 100% chance of being rejected!".
Kenichi: "Yes... Apparently, last year a large number of guys confessed their feelings on this very rooftop and were rejected so brutally that they ended up traumatized. Some were so badly affected psychologically that they became Hikikomori".
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[Note]
Hikkikomori: Is a person who experiences extreme social isolation, withdrawing from public life and shutting themselves away in their home for at least six months to avoid school, work, and any contact with the rest of society.
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As he took in my words, Raku's expression became the very picture of fear; in a way, this rumor frightened him far more than the story I'd told him at the start.
Raku: "S-So you're saying that in all those failed confessions… this bench was always there…"
Kenichi: "Yes, or at least that's what the rumors say, but if I were you, I wouldn't worry about something like that; at the end of the day, it's nothing more than a rumor. It's most likely just a story made up by the lads who were rejected, with the intention of scaring the newly admitted students".
Raku: "H-Hahaha… Y-You're right… I-It's impossible for a rumor as ridiculous as that to be true…"
Shuu: "Hmm~ But don't you find it strange that we only noticed this bench after you started imagining your confession to Kosaki-chan?~".
Raku: "!"
Kenichi: "Now that you mention it, you're right~ I just hope this isn't a bad omen for your relationship with Onodera".
Raku: "!"
Raku jumped dramatically after hearing our words, but after a few seconds he realized that Shuu and I were looking at him with mocking smiles.
Raku: "You two are pulling my leg! Aren't you?".
Kenichi: (It seems the saying that ignorance is bliss is quite accurate).
I couldn't help thinking that as I watched, amused, how Raku's expression gradually softened when he realized we were just joking.
Joking aside, it's true that the story I told you at the start was a lie, but the part where I said this bench is cursed isn't entirely incorrect. To be more precise, based on my knowledge of the supernatural side of this world, the true identity of this bench is a type of Youkai known as a Tsukumogami.
To put it simply, a Tsukumogami is an inanimate everyday object that gains consciousness after reaching 100 years of existence and being exposed to a certain amount of negative emotions or energies, such as Youki and Ozore.
As you can gather from this explanation, the creation or birth of a Tsukumogami is not particularly complicated; that is why Youkai of this type are not usually particularly strong or dangerous. Of course, as with all supernatural races, there are exceptions among the Tsukumogami that tend to be dangerous, but these exceptions usually arise in very specific situations.
The most common example is Tsukumogami that have existed for over 100 years and have long been exposed to their owners' obsessions and desires. These Tsukumogami often become bloodthirsty monsters capable of committing any kind of ruthless act.
But that is not the case with this bench; I can say with certainty that it is a simple, harmless Tsukumogami. Apparently, it came into being only recently, so it does not even possess enough consciousness to speak.
As for its abilities...
Kenichi: (¡Appraisal!)
The moment I uttered that word, a status panel similar to the Achievement System immediately appeared in front of me.
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Name: The Cursed Bench
Rank: ☆★★★★
Race: Tsukumogami
Gender: Male
Age: 105 years
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Skills
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Combat Ability: F
Mobility: F-
Shock Resistance: F
Intelligence: F
Communication: F-
Youki Control: E
Manipulation of Romantic Probability: D
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For those who are unsure, this is the Appraisal Skill I received a few weeks ago. I obtained it as a reward for completing the achievement of making a good first impression on Aya-sensei and Hiratsuka-sensei.
This skill originally belonged to Ars Louvent, the protagonist of the anime, As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World.
As the name suggests, this skill allows me to see people's potential and talents, as well as to discern the best course of action to ensure those talents develop correctly. Unlike the Achievement System's status panel, which displays my statistics as numerical values, this ability shows each individual's skills and talents on an alphabetical scale (SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E and F).
Obviously, its function was modified by the Achievement System to adapt to the unique characteristics of this world; that is why it is somewhat different from the version in the original story.
Kenichi: "At first, I couldn't use this ability because it consumed magical power, but now I can use it without any problems."
As can be seen in this status panel, this Tsukumogami's combat ability is practically non-existent; even its ability to manipulate Youki is at the lowest rank. The only special thing about it is its ability to manipulate probabilities.
{{ Manipulation of probabilities }}
Put like that, it sounds like a rather powerful ability, but in reality it is not all that unusual; there are several Youkai and Shinto Gods who possess similar abilities, allowing them to manipulate concepts such as luck and misfortune. Furthermore, the youkai who typically possess this ability can only manipulate probability on a fairly small scale. In this case, this bench can only influence the probability of a romantic relationship ending in rejection or a break-up.
In this world, there is a probability that anything can happen, regardless of the percentage; as long as there is a 1% chance, anything can happen. The same applies to romantic relationships: unless two people feel genuine love for one another, there will always be a possibility that they will go their separate ways.
If two people sit on this bench intending to confess their feelings but do not feel anything sincere for one another, the bench will immediately manipulate the probability and steer it in a negative direction.
However you look at it, this tsukumogami is far from dangerous; it is essentially a prankster that slowly grows stronger at the expense of the negative feelings of people who are rejected. That's why there's no need to do anything to it; the amount of Youki it extracts using that method is minuscule; it could carry on doing the same thing for another 100 or 200 years and still not have enough power to be considered a threat.
Nor has he done anything to harm people; he cannot manipulate feelings or minds; therefore, if two people confess their love to one another with genuine and sincere feelings, there is practically nothing he can do to them.
That is why, in my opinion, a protagonist like Raku, who is protected to a certain extent by the plot, has nothing to worry about. Besides, his feelings for Onodera are sincere, so this Tsukumogami cannot affect their romantic relationship in any way.
Kenichi: (Come to think of it… I get the feeling I've seen this bench somewhere before…)
*Bang*
Whilst I was looking at the bench with curiosity, the rooftop door suddenly swung open, making a high-pitched noise that caught everyone's attention.
Tomoki: "D-Damn it… Those girls really went all out this time… I can't even feel my crotch; I just hope they haven't broken little Tomoki".
The person who came enter the rooftop was Tomoki…
Or rather, he appeared to be Tomoki; it was difficult to recognize him because his whole face was contorted in a comical way that should have been physically impossible in reality. The top of his head was covered in lumps the size of tennis balls, his cheeks were exaggeratedly swollen, he had several dark bruises on various parts of his body, and his clothes were torn to shreds.
Kenichi: "Don't you mean: I hope they haven't torn my little worm to shreds?".
Tomoki: "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LITTLE WORM?! MY LITTLE TOMOKI IS AS BIG AS AN ANACONDA! HE'S SO BIG THAT WOMEN CAN'T HELP BUT HIT HIM!".
Shuu: "If they can't help but hit him just because he's big, wouldn't it be better if he were small?".
Tomoki: "Getting hit is the best part!".
Raku: "Stop talking about your private parts! Can't you see I'm still eating?".
Even though Tomoki had that sort of injury, Raku and Shuu behaved as if it were completely normal. This was a clear demonstration of just how much this world was influenced by the comical and ridiculous situations found in manga and anime.
Tomoki: "AH! You bastards, you've started lunch without waiting for me!".
Shuu: "Sorry~ We weren't sure if you'd survive that attack from those girls, so with heavy hearts we decided to have lunch without waiting for you~".
Tomoki: "Heavy hearts, my arse! It's obvious you had no intention of waiting for me from the start!".
Kenichi: "Hey, it's your own fault for going off to spy on the girls right at lunchtime".
Tomoki: "It wasn't my fault! If things had gone as usual, I'd only have been a few minutes late! But because of that bloody lucky pervert, I ended up taking longer than I'd planned!".
Kenichi: "I suppose by 'lucky pervert' you mean Rito".
Tomoki: "Who else could I mean! That bastard walked into the girls' changing room after accidentally tripping over a coin; as he fell, he ended up stripping and groping the breasts and bums of several girls! What else is that if not a bloody lucky pervert! What's more, that idiot thought he could get away with it by saying it was just an accident!".
Tomoki started complaining about Rito, but whilst he was doing so, he didn't realise he'd sat down on the very same bench we'd been talking about for a while.
Tomoki: "Haa~ I can finally relax a bit~".
Kenichi: "..."
Raku: "..."
Shuu: "..."
Paying no heed whatsoever to the looks we were giving him, Tomoki transformed into his chibi form and quickly pulled a woman's bra out of his trouser pocket.
Tomoki: "Sniff~ Sniff~ Just being able to smell the scent of a sweaty woman makes all my effort worthwhile~".
As we watched him, Raku and Shuu started whispering to me.
Raku: "H-Hey, Kenichi… Tomoki's going to be all right… Didn't you say a while ago that the bench was cursed?".
Shuu: "Since Tomoki doesn't have a partner or a crush on any girl, I suppose that curse shouldn't affect him, right?".
Kenichi: "It shouldn't affect him… Besides, it's Tomoki… I don't think any human being could sink any lower than him… So there shouldn't be any problem…"
Although I said that, the truth is I'm not sure. It's true that this Tsukumogami's main ability is to manipulate probability, but it can also use Youki, and as long as it can use that, in theory it should also be able to curse people.
Tomoki: "How long are you three going to be whispering? If we don't hurry up, we'll run out of lunch time".
Well, I suppose it's a pointless worry; after all, Tomoki is a protagonist too, so he should also be protected by the world's plot, shouldn't he?.
That's why there shouldn't be any problem...
Or at least that's what I think...
*Narrator's POV*
*Location: Girls' changing room*
What nobody knew at the time was that the bra Tomoki was sniffing didn't belong to any of the girls in Class 2-B.
It actually belonged to…
An Baba: "Oh my~ oh my~ I wonder what happened to the bra I left in this locker?"