Faced with Hiratsuka's curious stare, Chihiro hesitated for a mont before leaning in and whispering the whole story into her ear.
Hiratsuka's eyes widened in disbelief.
As the leader of the Tokyo Division's Psychic Administration Action Team, she was all too familiar with how dangerous Curses could be. Most of her team mbers were only slightly stronger than average civilians, and every mission carried the risk of death.
Their jobs as teachers? Just a convenient front.
It was the sa for many organizations. The truly powerful ones had ancient lineages and secrets tucked away in the shadows. Even the global registry of peak combatants—those revered as "Tier 6: Tectonic "—barely reached a hundred. Shiro Sakamaki once suspected his own teacher was among these hidden monsters.
The flashy public rankings and external titles? Probably just a smokescreen. There had to be more beneath the surface—after all, where did these classifications even co from?
"I'm still uneasy about it," Chihiro said, standing up. "Hiratsuka, you go ahead and drink. I'm going to check on him."
But before she could move, Hiratsuka grabbed her wrist and tugged her down—causing her to tumble onto the tatami mat with a yelp. Fortunately, it was a soft landing.
Hiratsuka casually sipped her beer, then let out a long sigh. "And what exactly do you think you can do if sothing is wrong? Go up against a Curse with your phone and good intentions?"
"I..." Chihiro faltered.
Reality hit hard—she was just a normal person. Her family's connections had given her so inside knowledge, sure, but she didn't possess the ability to fight or purify spirits. Her face turned red with embarrassnt.
Hiratsuka rolled her eyes, downed the rest of her beer, and lit a cigarette.
"If you go and get hurt, it'll just be more trouble. I'll co with you."
Without another word, the two left the izakaya. Hiratsuka revved up her beloved red sports car and sped off toward the address Chihiro had provided.
Local officers on duty didn't even bother stopping the car—Hiratsuka was practically a regular in this area. She showed up every few months, like clockwork. At this point, they all knew to look the other way. It wasn't worth the paperwork.
anwhile, back at the apartnt, Shiro Sakamaki had just finished purifying the place and was enjoying a hot bath.
Sure, he could use cleansing spells to stay spotless, but there was nothing like the feeling of warm water cascading over his skin. It was a little indulgence he refused to give up.
Just as he was about to relax, the screech of tires outside shattered the peaceful night.
Chihiro leapt out of the car the mont it stopped, rushing toward the building. Hiratsuka followed, quickly picking up on the faint residue of negative energy lingering near the entrance. Though Shiro had dispelled the spirits inside, he hadn't bothered cleansing the outside—figuring the morning sunlight would do the job.
But Hiratsuka misread the situation.
To her, if the Curse's influence was this strong outside the door, then whatever was inside had to be catastrophic.
"Too late!" she barked. "Chihiro, get back!"
Chihiro jumped aside just in ti.
Hiratsuka's fist shimred with pure white energy. With a single punch, she struck the already brittle door—and with a thunderous crash, it collapsed inward.
Inside, Shiro had just wrapped a towel around himself when he felt a sudden fluctuation in the air—followed by a massive bang.
The door fell flat with a groan of surrender.
Two won stood in the doorway, backlit by the hallway light. Hiratsuka's fist still smoked faintly from the impact.
Shiro stared.
They stared back.
For a few long seconds, the three locked eyes in awkward silence.
---
The noise, of course, had woken the neighbors. Soone even called the police.
It took considerable explaining before the officers were convinced nothing criminal had occurred and finally left. By the ti peace returned, it was well past midnight.
With his door now lying in pieces, Shiro knew there was no way he could sleep here. Not with the entire entrance exposed to the night.
Still, he didn't bla them. They'd acted out of genuine concern—even if their thod was... destructive.
Clearing her throat, Hiratsuka tried to recover so dignity. "Ahem. So... Shiro-kun, how about you spend the night at Chihiro's place?"
By now, he'd pieced it all together. His mother's best friend—Chihiro—was the Chihiro-sensei from The Pet Girl of Sakurasou.
The realization sparked curiosity. Would the students at Sakurasou exhibit strange talents in this supernatural world? If spiritual awakenings were tied to obsession or passion, it was entirely possible.
Still, he politely ignored the fact that he knew how to perform alchemy. No need to add fuel to that fire.
"If Aunt Chihiro's okay with it, I don't mind," he replied calmly.
Chihiro facepald. "Then just stay here."
Shiro didn't say anything. He simply looked at her with a composed expression.
After a beat, Chihiro broke under the pressure.
"Alright, alright! You can stay! But listen carefully—the second floor is girls only. No wandering around or weird behavior!"
Shiro rolled his eyes internally. I'm not exactly a hormone-fueled romcom protagonist. If anything, I should be the one worried about Sakurasou's chaotic energy.
Still, on the outside, he gave a gentlemanly nod and thanked her politely.
By the ti everything was settled, it was close to 3 a.m.
Now staying temporarily at Sakurasou, Shiro lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Sleep evaded him.
His mind swirled with the events of the night.
He'd barely set foot in the country, and already he'd crossed paths with characters from three different ani.
Of course, he already knew Spencer—his diplomatic family had longstanding ties with theirs. But just as things between the two families were beginning to deepen, he was yanked away by his teacher for training, ending that thread before it began.
Initially, he assud this world was a simple blend of Saekano and so minor supernatural elents.
But now?
He'd t characters from Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, My Teen Romantic Cody SNAFU, and even ended up enrolling at Shuchiin Academy—from Kaguya-sama: Love is War.
That made four different ani universes already woven into this one reality.
If it were all slice-of-life, that'd be fine. But if the codic worlds or action-heavy shows started introducing their power systems into the mix?
Even he wasn't sure he'd be ready for that.
---
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