There's a special kind of anxiety you feel when even your most boring thoughts become dangerous.
Like, "I should buy some yogurt" should not summon anything catastrophic.It's just dairy.
But the problem is… I thought it while walking past the convenience store.
And I might have mentally added, "Wouldn't it be nice if something normal happened today? Like, I bump into a kind stranger girl and nothing fanservicey happens at all."
...
Which, of course, was the most cursed thought of all.
Ding!
The bell above the store door chimed.
A breeze of air conditioning hit me as I walked in, hoodie up, eyes locked on the dairy shelf like I was on a stealth mission.
No distractions.
No imagination.
No inner monologue.
Just—yogurt.
Plain. Safe. Gut-health-optimized yogurt.
And then—she appeared.
A girl in a soft blue cardigan stood by the freezer aisle, blinking slowly at the row of ice cream flavors like she was witnessing the birth of the universe.
She had long, slightly messy black hair, glasses that looked like they belonged to a top-scoring honor student, and a blank stare that said, "I haven't slept since spring."
She looked… not weird.
That was the weirdest part.
There was nothing overtly dangerous about her. No bounciness. No sinister twinkle in the eyes. Just this slightly spacey, introverted vibe, like she was cosplaying as her own exhaustion.
Still, I froze.
Because I'd seen this type before.
The "Ah, did I just trip and land on you?" type.
The "Oops, I fell asleep in your bed because I was lonely and it's totally innocent except it's not" type.
In short: the Quiet Girl Route.
She noticed me.
I was standing way too still. Like a raccoon caught raiding a trash can.
Then—
"...You're in my class, right?" she asked.
Her voice was soft. Sleepy.
I blinked. "Huh?"
"Haruma Kazuki. Seat 3-B. Desk is scratched with 'I hate physics.'"
I winced. "...That was there when I got it."
She nodded like a court judge. "Sure."
Then she turned back to the freezer and muttered, "I hate physics too."
...
Okay.
I could survive this.
Small talk. Just small talk.
This wasn't a flag. Probably.
"Uh, do we... talk? In class?" I asked carefully.
"No," she said. "I just memorize people. It helps reduce surprise."
I wasn't sure how to process that.
Before I could respond, she held up two tubs of ice cream.
"Which one feels less like emotional damage?"
I looked. One was vanilla. The other was mint chocolate.
"I—uh. Vanilla?"
"Wrong," she said. "But brave of you."
She put both in her basket.
"I'm Kokoro," she added after a long pause. "Kokoro Natsume."
"Oh. Cool. Nice to meet you."
"Don't worry," she said, "I'm not a love interest."
I blinked.
"S-sorry?"
She yawned. "You're clearly in some kind of magical realism fanservice scenario. I'm just a background character. A weird blip. Like a side quest that teaches you a life lesson."
"I—what."
"You'll probably never see me again."
She walked to the counter, paid for her ice cream, and left the store without turning back.
...
I stood there in stunned silence.
The yogurt in my hand had gone warm.
Back home, I relayed this to Aya and Natsuki-sensei like someone reporting a UFO sighting.
"She was too self-aware," I said. "Like she knew she wasn't part of the main cast."
Aya looked at me over her tea. "Maybe that's what makes her part of the main cast now."
Natsuki-sensei nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds like a 'true route' type."
"No. No more routes. This isn't a dating sim."
"Kinda is," Aya said. "Except you're losing."
"I didn't even think about her! I just wanted yogurt!!"
"Sounds like denial," Sensei added.
"Do I have to wear a tinfoil hat?! Is that how I block the curse?!"
Aya smiled. "You could try thinking about something wholesome."
I narrowed my eyes. "Like what."
"Like friendship."
"Oh god. That'll trigger a childhood flashback arc or something!"
Later that night, I checked my phone.
No messages.
No new curse flags.
No sudden costume change sound effects from another room.
I allowed myself to relax a little.
Maybe Kokoro really was just a one-time encounter.
Just a weird, sleep-deprived NPC passing through.
...
Then I got a text.
[Kokoro Natsume]: I lied. I'm probably a late-game unlockable. You should stop thinking about me now.
[Kokoro Natsume]: Or don't. It's kind of funny.
I stared.
At the ceiling.
At the universe.
At the wall.
Then turned off my phone and whispered:
"I was supposed to be the main character… not the final boss's chew toy."